Avalon
Title: Avalon
Characters: Dr. Heidenreich, Charlie Arkwright, Lilith Deforest, Major Winters
Rating: T
Summary: Dr. Arkwright thought he gave five years of his life to create a new military weapon, when what he was really giving was his life.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.
- - - -
Heidenreich -> HI-den-RIKE
Feb 3rd , 2127, United States, Unfinished military base; Location Unknown.
Major Winters sat in his temporary command post and reviewed the dossiers of several recommended geneticists. Some were right out of university, some had decades of experience, all worthy choices to help reach their goals. But the final decision lay with Daniel Heidenreich, the lead geneticist and scientist of the project. It was his theory and if it worked it would change warfare, hell it would change life as they knew it.
'Have you decided yet?' Winters asked, somewhat impatiently at his holographic screen.
The decades old image of Heidenreich flashed and his voice print came up on screen, 'Yes.'
'And?'
'Dr. Arkwright.'
Winters flipped through the dossiers until he came upon Dr. Arkwright's. He opened the file and the moment he saw the picture he remembered the contents.
'He's nothing like you,' Winter said.
'And what does his personality that matter? He's intelligent, dedicated, and in constant pursuit of knowledge. Not unlike myself,' Winters heard Heidenreich smile, 'And he's not half bad to look at.'
Winters scoffed, 'That's should hardly be a consideration. He's not the best in his field, his current assignment is mediocre as were his previous positions.'
'He has potential, he can be sculpted. Arkwright knows he's not the best but strives to better him self. Besides, compared to me, they are all mediocre.'
Winters rolled his eyes, and sighed, 'Very well, I'll have him contacted.'
'Good.'
- - - -
March 15th, 2132, United States, Avalon: Location Unknown.
Charles Arkwright leaned back in his office chair and rubbed his weary brown eyes. The day was far from over, but he was already exhausted. He had survived on only a few hours of sleep each night for the last week and it was starting to catch up to him. Sadly he wasn't as young as he used to be. Closing his eyes, Arkwright brushed a hand loosely over his greying black hair. The military laboratory he worked for had been hustling to try and finished their prototype for this coming Monday, when they would have to present it to their government investors, and that was only two days away.
They have been working on creating a gas that would contain a nanite virus strain. The nanites didn't need to breathed in, instead they would penetrate any exposed skin and then make their way to the brain. From there they were supposed to change the chemical make up of the brain and adjust the size of the various structures of the brain. Which would inter alter the personality of the individuals it affected. Ultimately it was supposed to over the course of a few hours alter how the infected individual viewed friends vs. foes. Basically switching those views.
It involved a great deal of genetic wrangling, nanotechnology and an understanding of the brain, among other things. All in all it was rather sophisticated and Arkwright wasn't sure if it would work, especially for the amount the military was willing to pay for it. However, Dr. Heidenreich -the project lead- had complete confidence in it...and fired those who did not.
In Arkwright's opinion, and the opinion of all the scientists, Heidenreich was a ego-maniacal ass. He was a genius -there was no doubt about that- and they would have never made such progress on the project without him, but he was nightmarish to work for. And nobody ever saw the man.
Heidenreich communicated via phone conference or email when he needed to say something. Generally it was to badger or insult the scientists, however occasionally he would call and give a new perspective on something they were working on and break the metaphorical wall they had hit. No one particularly like taking his 'advice' but he was always right. Unerringly so. Arkwright had long given up trying to puzzle that one out. He just accepted that Heidenreich was to science what Mozart was to music. It was a shame the man was such a cantankerous arse, Arkwright would have liked to share idea's.
'Doctor Arkwright to Lab Two, please,' a female voice announced over the PA system. Arkwright stretched and got up from his chair. He hopped there was not anything wrong with the nanites, they did not have time to make a new batch, again.
He exited his office and made his way down the halls of the military compound the labs were located in, Compound B. Base 15-A-9 code named Avalon, was located in the middle of some desert in the middle of nowhere. Arkwright had lived on site for the last five years -he celebrated his thirty-fifth last month- and yet he had no idea where he was. No one did, well maybe Heidenreich did. The soldiers that patrolled the halls with their sub-machine guns probably knew as well, but the scientists didn't exactly start up conversations with them, so no one knew for sure.
When Arkwright first arrived he did try to be on friendly turns with the soldiers. It seemed like a good idea just in case something required the use of their guns, he did not want to be caught in the cross fire. He found out really fast that the soldiers weren't on friendly orders, a gun butt to the face and a broken nose conveyed that point quite clearly. On the bright side that straighten it from when he broke it as a kid, still just as painful as he remembered though.
'What's up Lilith?' Arkwright asked when he arrived in the lab. 'Nothing amiss I hope?' The last thing they needed was another nanite failure.
'Oh no Charlie, nothing like. It's just that Heidenreich sent you a package,' Dr. Lilith Deforest pointed to the unfamiliar soldier standing rigidly in the lab with a large brown papered package under one arm and a clipboard in the other.
'Apparently only you can sign for it,' she frowned at the soldier in a manner that told Arkwright that she had tried to and been dismissed. Rudely.
He lay a sympathetic hand on her shoulder before approaching the soldier. 'Dr. Heidenreich sent me a package?'
'Are you Dr. Charles Arkwright?'
'Yep, that's me,' Charlie flashed his government ID. The soldier seemed satisfied by that and held out the clipboard for him to sign. When that was finished, he handed Arkwright the package, saluted and left.
The package was about a foot high and circular and it weighed next to nothing in Charlie's hands. It was most peculiar.
'Why on earth would Heidenreich send you a package?' Deforest asked as she sidled up next to Arkwright to watch him rip open the package.
'I have no idea,' he confessed as he ripped the paper open. Underneath was a black felt box, it had a snugly fitting lid and gleamed in the bright lights of the lab.
'What the hell?'
If Arkwright was expecting anything, this was most certainly not it. He thought that it was likely something to do with the project, but this? What was this anyways?
'Okay, this is just getting weird. A hat box, seriously?'
Charlie turned to Lilith, 'A hat box?'
'That's what it looks like, my grandfather used to have one just like it,' she explained. 'Open it.'
Arkwright shrugged and slide the lid off. Inside was a top hat. It was sitting upside own and inside of it were a pair of neatly folded white cotton gloves and a white tie.
'This just gets stranger and stranger,' he mumbled as he pulled the black silk hat from its box. He placed the gloves and tie on the counter next to the box and turned the hat over in his hands.
Beside him Lilith laughed -a light, incredulous sound- and said, 'Where's your tails?'
Confused, Arkwright turned to her, 'What?'
'You know,' She started singing lightly, 'I just got an invitation in the mail, your presence requested, this evening, its formal, Top Hat, White Tie and Tails'... You didn't get tails.'
Charlie made an expression of understanding, and twirled the hand in hands before placing on his head. He ran his fingers along the brim in what he thought was a cavalier manner. It fit perfectly.
'Oh, very dapper,' Lilith cooed. 'And whoa...' she pulled a worn and yellowed card from the bottom of the hat box. 'A Lock and Co. Hat. It must have cost a pretty penny.'
'I wouldn't know.'
'I do and it did,' She paused, 'But why this, and how did he know it would fit?'
Arkwright shook his head. 'I don't now, but I get the feeling the gloves and tie fit just as well.'
Both scientists fell silent as Charlie took the hat off and placed it carefully back in the box with the gloves and tie. He could help but shake the feeling that something sinister was going on here.
- - - -
When Arkwright arrived in the mess hall for supper, (it was located in Compound C along with the living quarters) everyone had heard of the strange package Heidenreich had sent him earlier. There was little that could be kept secret in this place. The scientists were as bad at gossiping as high school girls and news travelled fast among them. Granted there were only twenty scientists -excluding Heidenreich- on base.
Out of the twenty scientists, only six were considered full time employees. The other fourteen were research assistants and lab technicians. The fourteen of them were switched out on a regular basis, depending on the length of their doctorates or scholarships. They never really knew much about what was going on or what they were attempting to create. Not that they needed to, each of the six doctors had their assignees work on things they didn't have time to complete and it was all strictly monitored by Dr. Heidenreich.
Every task given to the assistants and technicians had to be logged, and if it was deemed to be too sensitive they would be pulled off it, immediately. Though that rarely happened anymore. The doctors knew what was appropriate and what was not. And of course, everyone had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but if there was one thing Arkwright had learned in his time here was that Heidenreich was suspicious of everyone.
Arkwright was Avalon's geneticist, and was recruited to help Heidenreich five years ago. In the beginning it was just the two of them, which really felt like only him since at the time Charlie had the entire B and C compounds to himself. As such, Arkwright had been at Avalon the longest, and is considered by the other five to be a leader of sorts. Though they all know who was really in charge.
Lilith Deforest is their newest and youngest member at thirty-two, as well as self avowed brash-blonde. She arrived last year to aid in their development of nanotechnology. They actually started using nanotech two years ago and bumped along until they realized that they really needed an expert in the field. It was then left to Arkwright to convince Heidenreich that they needed another scientist, and what an uphill battle that was. After she arrived, Lilith hit it off with her fellow co-workers and their progress jumped forward by leaps and bounds.
Then their was Dr. Baines, their Pathogen and Infectious Disease expert. He was a thin, chain smoking man of forty-five. Baines worked closely with Dr. Clemmes, a Biochemist who appeared to have jumped right from the 1950's, in both dress and mannerisms.
Avalon's neurologist was Dr. Dixon, a distinguished man of sixty who had a life time of neuroscience achievements behind him. He made some impressive advances in the understanding of brain chemistry and what happens when the brain sustains a serious blow. Specifically changes in personality, which always leads him into arguments with their resident psychologist, Dr. Fairchild. She was a lovely, soft spoken woman of forty who often argued nature vs nurture with Dixon.
It was this group of scientists that greeted Arkwright as he sat down at the table with them, tray in hand. Tonight was curry chicken and rice.
'So,' Dixon began, 'You got a present from Dr. Heidenreich today, a very odd one at that.'
Charlie glanced at Lilith, she grinned and shrugged her shoulders. This bit of news had been too good not to share.
'Yeah, a strange present.' He agreed
'Perhaps it is a belated birthday gift,' Fairchild suggested. 'Forty is a milestone and you have known the doctor for some time.'
Lilith scoffed, 'Oh please. Heidenreich is far to self-centred for something like that.'
'People can change.'
'But they do not.' Dixon replied.
Arkwright laughed, he could see the beginnings of an argument, 'Do we need to get into a philosophical debate over this? It was just a hat.'
'An expensive, well-tailored silk hat made from hatter's plush -something that cannot be manufactured anymore. It's an antique,' Clemmens chimed in.
'And how do you know that?' Baines asked.
'I researched top hat origins and materials when my sister got married. It was a white tie event.'
Baines rolled his eyes, 'You must have fit right in with your Buddy Holly glasses.'
'No more than you would,' Clemmens quipped.
'Where is it now?' Dixon asked.
'I left it in my office, does it matter? A hat, some gloves and a tie. It's not something we need to read all that much into. It was probably a mistake,' but even as the words left his mouth, Arkwright knew they were a lie. Heidenreich didn't make mistakes, that box and all its goodies was meant for him, but for the life of him, Charlie could imagine why.
And then as if he could read Charlie's mind Dixon quietly said, “Dr. Heidenreich does not make mistakes, Charles. At least none that I know of.”
Arkwright shoved his half eaten supper aside and stood from the table, he wasn't very hungry anymore. 'He's not a god Henry, even he makes mistakes.'
- - - -
March 16th
It was dark in the confines of his room when Charlie awoke with the sudden and urgent need to vomit. He ran, nearly tripping over his hastily discarded clothes, barely making it to the toilet in time. He threw up until there was nothing left but bile, and when he was sure he had finished, Arkwright flushed the toilet with a shaking hand. Then he lay down on the cool laminate floor. Even laying down the world seemed to spin and he closed his eyes against the moonlit bathroom.
They were now only a day away from presenting their prototype and this was the last thing Charlie needed, the flu. Or perhaps it was food poisoning. He couldn't be sure with out some tests and there was no way he was going to the labs at this time of night, much less in this condition. Besides, his head was pounding so fiercely that Arkwright doubted he could perform the tests anyways.
He lay on the floor until he felt the ache in his head ease and the vertigo lessen. It was then that he decided to get up and wash the awful taste of bile and regurgitated curry chicken out of his mouth. Arkwright eased himself into a sitting position and gently held his head until the room ceased spinning. He then stood, relaying heavily on the sink edge to help him up. It took a moment for him to feel steady enough to let go of the sink, and when he did, Charlie clicked on the vanity lights and spun the dial to its lowest setting.
Awash in the dim yellow glow of the lights, Arkwright turned the cold water tap on. He let it run as he gazed up into the mirror. A pale and haggard face greeted him, wow he looked like shit.
'...Arrrkwrrright...'
Charlie tensed. He glanced past his reflection into his bedroom, nothing. It was silent, but he swore he just heard someone call his name in a sing-song manner.
He stared into his bedroom for upwards of a minuet, but nothing happened. The sound didn't repeat. Glancing back to his reflection he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a shadow darting past the door. Immediately Arkwright whipped around, the bedroom swam as the sudden movement caused his vertigo to return. He grasped the sink and forced himself to breathe through it.
Staring down at the running water, Charlie decided that he was seeing and hearing things, likely due to the fever he was sure he had. He cupped his hands and drank from the cold water, it did little to ease the burning in his throat but at least the taste of bile wasn't as strong now. Arkwright splashed some water on his face and shut off the tap.
As he reached for the light switch, Charlie glanced back up at the mirror and as he did so his hand froze. There in the mirror, where his reflection should have been was a unfamiliar face. A man, about his age with short blonde hair that was greying at the temples and a pair of the coldest blue eyes Charlie had ever seen, stared back at him. And the small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth was by far the most unnerving thing Arkwright had ever witnessed.
'Hello Dr. Arkwright...' The man in the mirror said, though Charlie never once saw his lips move. He let out a strangled yell and flung himself away from the mirror. Arkwright tripped on the carpet at the bathroom door as he scrambled backwards and landed hard on his ass at the foot of his bed.
Breathing heavily from the scare and from trying to stave off another bought of nausea, Charlie stared into the empty bathroom. He couldn't see anyone in the mirror now, only the ceiling of his bathroom reflected from his position on the floor. As his racing heart slowed, Arkwright began to feel a little silly about the whole incident. His mind was obviously playing tricks on him in his fever addled state. Slowly rising he made his way cautiously back to the mirror.
As it should be, his face was reflected back and if it was possible he looked paler than before. He turned off the vanity lights and headed back to his bed. Sleep, yes that what he needed to conquer this sickness.
However as he drifted off, he couldn't help but think that the voice was familiar.
- - - -
Arkwright awoke with a start the next morning. He had died.
Well nearly, and it was only a dream, but still, it scared the living hell out of him. Christ he hadn’t had a nightmare in years, decades even. The specifics of the dream were quickly fading, but he could clearly remember that someone else had control of his body. Like he was some life-sized marionette, and that they had made him walk off a cliff…or was it a building? Something high. He didn’t hit the ground though; they say that kills you, in reality and dreams.
But considering how awful Charlie felt this morning, maybe death wouldn’t be so bad.
He glanced over at his clock and discovered two things; one, he forgot to set his alarm the night before and two, that despite this he was still awake in time to make it to his shift. Oh joy. As much as he wanted to roll over and wallow in his flu-like misery, he knew he couldn’t. There were a dozen things that Arkwright had to get done before tomorrow and he was the only geneticist on staff. Well, other than Heidenreich and he doubted that the man would…
Wait.. Last night, the voice.. the face in the mirror, it had been him. Heidenreich.
Charlie glanced nervously into the bathroom and shuddered. To be honest though, he couldn’t really be sure about the mirror bit, he’d never actually laid eyes on the man. It was probably just a hallucination. Yes, that what it was. The whole incident with the hat yesterday had been the perfect fodder for his fevered mind.
Course, he’d probably never set foot in that bathroom again.
Arkwright looked at the clock again, he had twenty minuets left to get to his shift. Dragging himself out of bed, Charlie grabbed yesterdays clothes off the floor. That caused him to become a little light headed and he sank down on the edge of the bed. No time for a shower this morning and he didn’t really want to stand for any length of time anyways.
He pulled on his charcoal slacks and blue pinstriped dress shirt, leaving his tie on the floor. Arkwright trudged to the door, slipped on his shoes, grabbed his keys and stepped out into the morning sunlight.
- - - -
He could feel it beginning. The tendrils of his consciousness were starting to latch themselves on to Arkwright's mind. That little stunt in the bathroom the night before was most amusing, already he could manipulate the auditory and visual area's of Arkwright's brain and it would be much longer before he had complete control.
For fifteen years he had waited for this day, slaved, toiled, sacrificed, and soon it would come to glorious fruition. He would walk again, see the sunlight again, and be independent once more. There were no words for the anticipation he felt at this projects completion and in the gloom Heidenreich allowed himself a small smile.
- - - -
When he arrived at lab number two, Charlie flopped down on the stool at his preferred station and let his aching head rest on the cool counter. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of anything. Thinking hurt.
'Christ, you look like shit,' Lilith observed as she arrived with her travel mug of coffee and leaned against the counter. Heidenreich had to agree with that statement, but to him it was rather amusing, to her less so.
Charlie opened one eye to peer blearily at her and closed it again.
'Seriously Charlie, maybe you should go see Ryans.' He was Avalon’s medical doctor, and was only on site two days a week.
'I can’t,' he mumbled. 'Too much to do.'
Lilith sighed, 'Cause you’ll get so much done like that,' she paused for a moment and then leaned in, 'Was it the chicken? ‘Cause it was a little iffy.'
Arkwright gave her a halfhearted shrug just as two lab techs entered. Oh no, it wasn't the chicken, and it certainly wasn't any common virus. Five years they had toiled away on this project and yet when the thing was in motion right before their very eyes, none of then could see it. Mores the shame really, he rather felt like boasting.
The smell of their breakfast sandwiches turned his stomach. She must have seen the look that cross his face because headed over towards them.
'Ah guys, no food in the labs, remember?'
'Yeah, I know. I just needed to grab my papers. Won’t be a sec.' One of them said, though Charlie couldn’t see which from his current position. He heard the shuffling of papers and in his mind’s eye saw the tech’s greasy fingers touching all the important papers sitting over there, smudging the ink, leaving stains. Had he no respect? Common courtesy? For the love of god they were supposed to present those papers tomorrow!
Heidenreich was absolutely furious. How many times did it have to be said? How many signs had to be posted before they got it drill into their thick useless skulls that no food meant none whatsoever? Delicate experiments could be destroyed with their carelessness!
Arkwright found himself suddenly incredibly and inexplicably angry, and for a moment his nausea and headache were forgotten. He stood from the stool and walked part way around the counter.
'Stop,' his low forceful tone caused Lilith to look over at him, as well as the second tech. But the one who he was angry with didn’t hear.
'Charlie?' Lilith took a hesitant step towards him. He ignored her.
'STOP!' Arkwright barked and the lab technician froze, sandwich in his mouth and hands on the papers.
'There is absolutely no food in the labs. Yet here you are, sandwich hanging out of your mouth, greasy fingers touching important files and papers,' a disgusted look crossed his face, twisting it in an unfamiliar manner. 'You obviously have no respect for this lab or your job so I’m certain you won’t miss it.'
Lilith gaped at him, 'Charlie you can’t-'
Arkwright slammed his hand down on the counter top, 'This is my lab, my project. No one has put more time in on this than me!' He snapped at Lilith before turning back to the two technicians, 'We are less than 24 hours from our deadline and you have the audacity to disrespect it in from of me?! Both of you are fired, and if you are not off sight in twenty minuets I will inform the soldiers to open fire on you.'
No one could deny the seriousness of Arkwright’s tone. Lilith stared open-mouthed at him as the two technician scrambled out of the lab.
'What the flying fuck was that?!' she demanded the moment she got her senses back. 'You can’t fire them -or shoot at them- only Heidenreich has that authority and we’re short handed as it is! How do you expect to tell him that you just-'
Arkwright’s hand sliced through the air in a cutting motion. He didn’t want to hear anything else from Deforest, 'Heidenreich already knows.'
Yes he did, and he was going to make sure that those two never worked a day in science again.
Lilith threw up her hands, 'WHAT?!' she exclaimed.
The fury Charlie had felt fled, leaving him feeling odd and not quite whole and he sagged against the counter. His headache had come back in a ferocious rush.
'I don’t know, I don’t know…' he sighed. He couldn’t possibly explain his previous statement, but it was true. However the hell that was possible.
'Yeah well that makes two of us,' she huffed. 'Christ Charlie, for a moment I swore you were Heidenreich. You sounded just like him.'
There was a frightening statement, in more ways than one. But true, a small voice in his head said.
'I’m just tired, sick and miserable. I’ll get over it,' Arkwright said and sat back down on the stool, 'Apparently that combination makes me crazy.'
Lilith reluctantly chuckled, 'And what do we find in the dictionary next to ‘crazy’? A picture of Dr. Heidenreich.'
'His picture is in there a lot. Genius, scientist, ass, jerk, cantankerous, recluse…' Charlie rattled off all the things he could think of.
This time she laughed outright. Charlie smiled along with her, but it felt disingenuous on his face. Part of him didn’t think it was very funny at all.
- - - -
Arkwright was never one to complain or whine about not feeling well. There had been plenty of times during his five year stay at Avalon that he had been ill and worked through it. Heidenreich rarely gave sick leave and no one was brave enough to ask for it so they just worked; rain or shine, well or unwell. Some times Charlie felt a little like a postman.
He might make an exception about this illness though.
While he no longer felt nauseous, and his vertigo was mostly gone, he was exhausted. Constantly falling asleep at his computer, only to awake when his face slapped down on the keyboard. It was rather embarrassing and Lilith was only human. She couldn't be expected to keep a straight face all of the time.
The smell of chicken noodle soup drifted into the lab and this time the smell of food didn’t make him want to barf. Which was nice.
'Here,' Lilith set down a Styrofoam cup of soup next to him. 'I picked most of noodles and stuff out of it and though you probably don’t fell like eating, you need to. Cause not eating makes you feel ill so you don’t want to eat and end up feeling sick. It’s a vicious cycle,' she said and set down something else beside his soup. 'I also brought you a ginger ale to help settle your stomach.'
Arkwright looked at her drowsily from where his face rested in the palm of his hand, 'Thanks,' he said.
'Of course… ah you’re not going to flip out on me for bringing food into the lab, right?'
'No,' he answered immediately, even though he could feel the stirrings of anger in the back of his mind. He mentally promised himself to stay away from the experiments and that seemed to appease it, 'I’m not sure why I reacted like that.'
'Me either,' Lilith said and pulled a stool up to the counter next to Arkwright and set down her own lunch.
Charlie opened the cup’s lid and took a careful sip of the soup. It did make him feel better, and for several minuets the only sound was soup being sipped and the hum of equipment.
She broke the silence first, 'I really think you should go see Dr. Ryans. You’re obviously ill and you’re having weird mood swings. It’s very unlike you.'
'I'm just sick-'
'Exactly. Go see Ryans, I'll look after your stuff,' She promised.
Arkwright opened his mouth to protest, but closed it without saying anything. Maybe she was right, he wasn't getting anything done like this. Perhaps Ryans could prescribe something to help him feel better and allow him to get some work done.
'Alright,' He acquiesced.
- - - -
Arkwright made his way down the hall of the Compound B, and turned the corner of the 'L' shaped building. He had only taken a few more steps when a small niggling thought pushed its way to the forefront of his mind.
He should really just go to bed.
Where was the harm in that? Ryans would probably tell him to drink lots of fluids and sleep it off. Really, there wasn't much of a cure for the flu -he was certain that's what it was- just rest and liquids. He was a doctor too and he could prescribe that for himself.
Then again, if it was serious he'd have to wait until Wednesday for Ryans to be back. What if he was horribly ill by then? Charlie would be hooped; he could miss the presentation tomorrow and may end up having to be shipped off sight to some large and important hospital, named after an ill deserving saint.
'Just go to bed.' Heidenreich whispered in the recesses of his mind. 'You don't need to see the doctor, just sleep. That's the best cure for a weary mind.'
Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. Really, he wasn't that sick, just really tired. By tomorrow he would be nearly better, and able to handle the presentation. Which was really the most important thing, he couldn't be sick at that. Lilith promised to have his work covered, so why not?
But what about Heidenreich? Should he bother telling the man? He would probably just tell him-
'Charlie...'
Arkwright glanced over his shoulder, there was no one in the hall behind him and he didn’t think there was anyone in Lab Three or Four. As he was turning back he caught his reflection in the small window in the door to Lab Four. Or rather, he caught sight of Heidenreich's reflection. He didn't even jump this time, in fact it seemed rather expected.
'I give you permission.'
Well that settled that.
- - - -
This stuff was so over her head.
Lilith knew some things about genetics -mostly high school stuff- but unfortunately it wasn’t anything that could really help her understand the things she was now reading on the screen. Arkwright had left her a list of documents she needed to read and decide if they were relevant to the presentation or not. Charlie couldn’t remember exactly which ones needed to be printed, and Lilith had no idea what disqualified one and not the other. Maybe she should just print them all out and let Charlie go through them tomorrow.
Yes, that sounded like a plan. That’s what she got paid the big bucks for, plans. Ha.
She had just told the computer to send the files to the printer, when Lilith heard two quick pops. It scared the life out of her and she jolted in her chair. The sound had been muffled, but Lilith thought it sounded like gunfire. She hoped those techs were off sight…then again that was like four hours ago. What was going on?
Lilith moved to the lab door and peered into the hall. It was silent, eerily so. Wasn't there supposed to be a soldier on duty out here? She crossed the hall to Lab One, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor echoed down the hall. The lab was dark, that was odd, wasn’t Clemmens in here?
Her instincts were telling her that she should be quiet because something wasn’t right. Pausing at the first counter, Lilith removed her heels and set them down. The floor was cool against her bare feet, but she wouldn’t make any noise this way.
Lilith left the lab and made her way down the hall to the staircase that led to the upper level. The permanent staff’s offices were upstairs and she was certain that’s were the noise had come from. The door to the staircase was wide open. It wasn’t supposed to be. All major doors were to be kept closed at all times. Key card entry only. However the door was propped open with a large book, and that meant that the security systems in the building were shut off. No alarms or panic buttons.
Dread clutched at her heart.
Lilith headed through the door and began climbing the stairs. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but her heart was beating so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t really hear anything beyond it. The door at the top was also propped open, this time by a shoe, a familiar one at that. She pushed the door open and slipped through.
The doors of all the offices were open, and as she walked by, Lilith glanced in to each of them. She stopped dead at Clemmens. Back, by the window a splattering of blood covered the blinds and walls. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she entered the office. Lilith didn’t want too, she knew what she would find, but she also couldn’t stop. She rounded the desk and nearly tripped backwards in horror.
Dr. Clemmens, slaughtered, lying in a pool of blood. It saturated the industrial carpet that lined the entire upstairs. Two dark splotches were on his chest, and his heavy glasses were skewed on his face, one leg hanging down by his cheek. Lilith felt like she was going to be sick. She scrambled out of the office and into the hall. Leaning against the wall she tried to calm herself. That was when she heard the voices.
'Are these two the last?'
'No, there’s one down in the labs,' that voice was familiar. Lilith was sure she had heard it before. Who was that?
'So that makes four, what about the fifth?'
'The Captain said he’d take care of that one personally. A bit of a dispute between those two.'
Oh God… Baines.
'And the last one?'
'Jeez, didn’t you listen to anything the Captain said?' It dawned on her. That voice, it was Lt. Haynes. That son of a bitch!
'Sort of,' A pause, 'We don’t have to kill the last one, right?'
A heavy sigh, 'No, the Doc is going to deal with Dr. Arkwright.'
Lilith’s heart dropped. Charlie.
'What about Dr. Arkwright? What is that bastard going to do with him?!” That was Fairchild’s voice and it cracked with emotion, it was the most emotion Lilith had ever heard out of the woman. She was normally very poised, almost stoic. Apparently it took the threat of death to get some emotion out of the psychiatrist. In different circumstances she would probably be gloating about this revelation.
'What do you think you’ve been do here all these years? Do you still believe you were creating a weapon?' Haynes laughed.
'What..what are you talking about?'
'Look lady, if the situation hasn’t become clear yet, then you’re not going to get it in the short amount of time you have left.'
Lilith crept up to the door; it was Dr. Dixon’s office, the last one at the end of the hall. She peered into the room, the soldier’s backs were to her but she couldn’t see anyone else beyond them. Whoever else was in the room had to be crouched down behind the desk.
'Dr. Heidenreich can’t possibly...' There was a silence after Dixon spoke, then a moment of dawning comprehension. 'No... he can’t. How could they possibly be compatible? We know so little about the brain, to even attempt something of that magnitude is foolish, insane!' Lilith was insanely glad to hear the older man’s voice, but what was he talking about?
'Yeah well genius and insanity share a thin boarder,' Haynes replied. 'Ready your arms, soldier.'
Lilith heard the sounds of movement and then a loud burst of gunfire. Its noise and proximity caused her to jump violently and she may have screamed. But it was hard to tell in the noise. When the firing stopped the silence was oppressive and Lilith felt tears leak down her cheeks. They had killed everyone.
Everyone but her.
She took off running down the hall, rounding the corner so sharply that she nearly took off her shoulder and dashed towards the door to the stairs. Behind her she could hear the voices of the soldiers, they must have heard her. She had to get the hell out of here.
Gunfire sounded behind her, and Lilith felt the bullets brush by her. This time she did scream and instinctively ducked. Her momentum nearly tripped her up, but she ran through it. She was grateful she had the foresight to take off her heels before coming up here, but she wished she had never satisfied her curiosity.
Lilith skidded to a stop in front of the door, and threw it open. Just as she dashed through it, she heard the crack of gunfire again. Three bullets struck her back; the force of it threw her into the railing. The of it pain made her vision swim and she found it hard to breathe. But she keep going, with a tight grip on the railing she started down the stairs. Her legs wouldn't cooperate with her and she tripped. Lilith let out a strangled cry as her legs went out from under her and she tumbled down the staircase.
The soldiers heard her fall, and the accompanying bang of her body hitting the wall at the bottom. They appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down on her still form.
Lilith Deforest was dead.
- - - -
March 17th
It was dark in Arkwright’s room. Night had long since fallen and Avalon was quiet. Charlie was dead asleep. So he never heard the distant pop of gunfire as Dr. Baines was gunned down. Nor did he have an uneasy feeling when Clemmens, Dixon or Fairchild were murdered. And he most certainly did not hear Lilith’s last words before her neck snapped on the way down the stairs in Compound B.
They were 'Charlie.'
Charlie.
'..Chaarliee.'
Arkwright mumbled unintelligibly and stirred slightly in his sleep.
'Dr. Arkwright it is time to wake up.' Heidenreich purred into the recesses of his mind.
His eyes blinked opened and a frown creased his brow. He was tired and wanted to sleep.
'Not yet. There is still one thing left to do.'
'Fine,' Charlie said aloud to the room and dragged himself out of bed. He was still wearing his clothing from yesterday. He slipped on his shoes and trudged to the doorway. Arkwright didn’t bother to grab his keys or ID as he slipped into the night. As he descended the stairs he spotted one of the base's jeeps at the bottom. The keys were in it. Charlie climbed in, knowing it was for him and drove across the base to the one place that no one but Major Winters went.
Compound A.
Every new member of the Avalon staff got a lecture about Compound A. Situated at the far corner of the base, the building was strictly off limits. The only person to ever see the inside of the building was Major Winters. The Major was only on site once a week for inspection and deliveries. Captain Rogers handled the day to day affairs of the soldiers and handled most of the disputes.
Shipments meant for Compound A were off loaded into the attached warehouse. There was nothing of interest in there, just a large empty space that Arkwright had once glimpsed into in an attempt to satisfy his curiosity about the building. It didn’t work. He could recall back in the beginning that all kinds of shipments were taken in to the warehouse. Now, it was just small things, every now and again.
Compound A was also the laboratory of Heidenreich. He ate, slept and lived in there, never coming out. In the beginning Arkwright had always thought he was a little like Boo Radley, scary but ultimately harmless. Now he would never use a word like harmless to describe Heidenreich, he was anything but that.
He parked the jeep in front of the warehouse and shut off the engine. Charlie sat in the dark and listened to the tick of the cooling engine. Something was tugging at him, something that he couldn’t see or even define, but it was dragging him inexplicably to this building. He climbed out and walked to the warehouse’s man door.
The doors on the compound were flat steel, no visible handles or key card reader. The only thing that made then distinguishable as doors were the heavy gauge hinges. Normally the doors were always closed, but tonight this one was ajar. Arkwright slipped his fingers through the one inch gap and pulled the door open far enough for him to slip inside. It was dark in warehouse, but the moon light from outside filtered in from the door crack and illuminated a small triangle of floor. Off to the side, Charlie spotted a faint glow and made his way towards it.
The light was coming from an inactive flat panel computer screen that had been mounted on the wall. The dull charcoal coloured light, illuminated a set of mechanical arms that were welded to a large platform sitting on a rail. The rail disappeared under a large roll door back into the warehouse. Straight ahead there was a hall, the glow from the computer screen showed that. But beyond the light’s reach was a yawning blackness. He had to go down there, it was like someone had a chain hooked to his ribcage, tugging him along in the right direction until he came to the end.
He stepped passed the reach of the light and made his way cautiously down the hall, one hand gliding on the wall. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Arkwright saw doors like the ones that were on the outside of the building. Flat metal, no handles or card locks. These doors were closed. Charlie shoved on one and it didn’t give so he assumed that they were all inaccessible. The further he travelled down the hall the darker it became, until he was feeling his way along as he could no longer discern anything in the dark.
The hand that wasn’t guiding him along the wall he held out in front of him. It didn’t take long for that hand to touch the cool metal of what Arkwright assumed was another door. With both hands he felt around for a means to open it, but he didn’t find anything. He didn’t really think he would. Charlie took a step back and waited. It didn’t take long for sounds of metal clanking and hydraulics to reach him. Then a crack of light appeared at the bottom of the door.
The crack grew.
Foot by foot the door went up, and foot by foot more of the room beyond was exposed. It was dimly lit, but Charlie could see bundles of cords littering the floor, all heading to some central point he couldn’t yet see. When the door was halfway up, he spotted a raised platform in the middle of the room. The cords all headed that way. Arkwright saw the flashing lights of large computer servers, and the backs of flat panel monitors. With the door now up he could see that the monitors were hung from the ceiling of the room, and there were five of them in a semi-circle around a central point. The monitors were blocking his view of just what was behind them.
Charlie took a tentative step into the room. Around the outside of the room along two the walls were tall metal poles and they had a spring like contraption at the top. The room was warm, warmer than anything he would be comfortable working or living in. He guessed that that was due to all the technology crammed into the space. It wasn’t a small room by any means, but the shear amount of things that were in it was staggering. Some of the things he was familiar with and some of it looked like it was straight out of Star Trek.
He stood in the middle of the room gawking at all the things in it, when he heard another hydraulic hiss. Looking up he saw two of the monitors lifting up and out of the way. With them gone he could now see what they were hiding. It was the one person he had been expecting to find ever since he had entered the building.
Dr. Heidenreich.
Though what Charlie always imagined what the man looked like was nothing like the reality. Nor was the man he saw in place of his reflection. This man, who that sat in the medical chair behind the monitors was a mere wreck of man, and hardly human in appearance at all. Tubes and wires ran in and around his body. Some connected to the chair, others travelled back to the servers. Charlie would have never recognized this man from the two brief moments when he saw Heidenreich’s reflection in place of his own if it hadn’t been for the crop of blonde hair on his head. Now Arkwright understood why this building was off limits, why Heidenreich never showed his face. He couldn’t and Arkwright knew he was too proud of a man to be seen in such a debilitated manor. Charlie wondered how much of his life he had spent in that chair.
'Fifteen years, though I’ve had other chairs along the way,' Heidenreich spoke, his voice filling the space like a surround sound system. The sudden sound of his voice in answer to his unspoken question caused Arkwright to jolt.
'Dr. Heidenreich?' there were a million unspoken questions in those two words as he didn’t know how to voice them.
'We needn’t be so formal Charlie, Daniel will do just fine. It’s a pleasure to meet face to face after all this time.' again the voice filled the room, surrounding him. It was then that Charlie realized that Heidenreich never actually moved his lips.
'What the hell is all this?! The hat, the mirrors, your voice? What has been going on?'
He heard, rather than saw Heidenreich smile, 'Haven’t you figured it out yet?'
Charlie was silent.
'It is beautiful isn’t it? It was my great-grandfather’s, when I was a young man I had it sized a little larger to fit.' Heidenreich paused; his voice was rich and ever condescending. Charlie had to think for a moment to figure out what he was talking about. It must be the top hat; Clemmens’ did say it was an antique.
'I only ever had the opportunity to wear it once before I ended up so destroyed but I am looking forward to have the opportunity again. I was so pleased that it fit you perfectly.'
Well that explained everything or nothing about what was going on.
'What happened to you?' Arkwright couldn’t help but be curious about the man, he had looked up to this scientific giant for so long that anything that could pull back the veil of mystery was immediately interesting.
'So curious, that’s what I liked about you Charlie. You were always searching, always seeking new knowledge, never satisfied with the status quo. Not unlike myself.
'Fifteen years ago I worked on a base similar to this, creating a weaponized biochemical gas that could destroy fibrous muscle tissues in a matter of seconds. It could debilitate a man to the extent that he couldn’t hold a weapon, flee or even stand. It was a brilliant bit of engineering and I am still proud of all that we accomplished.
'At the time I was a mere junior scientist and worked under an idiot of a man. He was undeserving of the position and had little knowledge about what we were attempting to create. However as the saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
'Six months into the project we had made enormous leaps in the development of the gas. All of the tests were extremely successful, and we were certain that in another few months the gas would be ready for military combat use. Then our lead scientist forgot to replace one of the gas samples back into the cooler.
'At night the bio-hazardous labs were decontaminated and the chemicals used in that process degraded the glass of the tube. The next morning when myself, our lead and another junior scientist arrived we saw the tube out. Hoping to cover his mistake the lead went and picked it up to place it back in the cooler, it exploded in his hand. Only I survived, and that was only because I was close to the door and only breathed in a small amount before getting out and sealing the whole lab down. As you can see that small amount was extremely effective. The other two died within seconds. At that concentration the gas destroys the heart and caused cardiac arrest. It was extremely painful, if their screams were any indication.
'I was very angry about the whole thing for a long time, but I have mellowed throughout the years. I know now that without that incident, I never would have made it here, to my greatest scientific breakthrough. Fifteen years I have been trying to find a way out of this chair.'
Arkwright took a step closer, 'And have you?'
'Oh yes.'
Another step, 'How?'
'Do you know why this place is called Avalon?' Heidenreich asked, throwing Charlie a curve ball.
'Uh, well I thought it was because Avalon was where Excalibur was crafted, the best weapon of its time and that’s what we were doing here; creating an ultimate weapon.'
'A very logical conclusion, but wrong. Avalon was famous for its fertile soil, many things flourished on that island without the aid of man. That island gave life to many flowers and fruits, in fact Avalon means apple in the old English, something the island was famous for. This place was given the code name Avalon because we were giving new life. A second chance if you will.'
'For you,' A statement, not a question, Charlie was beginning to understand. The pieces were falling into place.
'Yes.'
Arkwright was silent for upwards of a minuet. Puzzling through what Heidenreich was saying and what he knew about the project he had spent the last five years working on. It focused heavily on manipulating the brain and attempting to change not necessarily personality but to switch how one viewed others. Specifically friends and foes.
Dixon had this theory about why certain brain damages caused the formation of a new personality, something about filling the void left after the damage. It was a little out of Arkwright's understanding, he wasn't a neurologist after all, but he gotten the gist of it. Dixon's theory didn't really have anything to do with what they had been working on, it was in a sense a subcategory but now that Charlie thought about maybe it was what they had really been working on all this time.
It all made sense now.
'It was on the top hat wasn't it? The virus. That's why you sent it, something I would touch. Was it engineered only or me? Or did that matter? Probably not. You're just going to fill that void, damaging my own personality so it won't function and then just... step in.' Arkwright clenched his fists, 'So this is your solution? Take what you no longer have?' He laughed bitterly, 'I always knew you were a selfish son of a bitch.'
'Bravo Charlie. I knew you would puzzle it out. Shall we?'
Arkwright sighed, it was a weary sound. There was no point in running, he was already defeated, had been the moment he accepted that package. Christ he was tired. He sat down on the concrete floor.
'If I say no will you stop?'
Heidenreich scoffed, 'Hardly, its too late now.'
'Yeah, I didn't think so.' Charlie muttered as a large motor hummed to life. Soon after the large metal poles that lined the room started sparking.
Long blue tendrils of electricity snaked up the poles, swirled at the top before disappearing. The hum of the electricity grew until it was all Arkwright could hear. It reverberated throughout the room, rattling his ribcage and making his ears itch. The sound reached a crescendo and then for the briefest moment there was complete silence. Then the electricity came crashing down on him and and the last thing Charlie saw was a bright white light.
- - - -
When Major Winter's arrived on sight several hours ago, he was briefed on the situation and then supervised the clean up of Avalon. All bodies and papers were burned. Hard drives were wiped and then destroyed. Virus samples collected and stored in special travel cases and all remaining technology destroyed.
Now the Major stood in the light of his jeep's headlights outside Compound A, waiting for the outcome of five years of research. Captain Rogers stood beside him and the base's contingent of soldiers were scattered around the side door into the main room of the compound.
The Major had heard the hum of electricity and the loud crash of its completion. Now he was waiting for Heidenreich to exit the building as Dr. Arkwright or to clean up the mess if he had failed. Which ever it may be. Winters had known Heidenreich since the doctor's first days working for the military as a geneticist. Long before the accident that lead to this current situation. They might be considered friends if Heidenreich was a less selfish man.
The door swung open and in the light of the headlights Winters saw Dr. Arkwright leaning against the door frame looking incredibly smug. The Major had a flash back to a time before Heidenreich was crippled, leaning in the lab door way bragging about his latest success. Arkwright's posture was exactly like Heidenreich's had been then.
'It was successful then?' Winters asked briskly.
Heidenreich smiled, it was nothing like how Arkwright used to smile, this was colder, 'Oh yes. You didn't doubt me did you Major?'
'Never.'
Heidenreich sauntered up to Winters, 'I always knew Charlie was taller than you, but to experience it first hand is...thrilling,' he drew in a deep breath of night air, relishing the taste of it, 'It all is.”
Winters thought it was a little eerie how Heidenreich causally referred to Dr. Arkwright as though he was still here. Like he hadn't just taken the man's life and body. Winters wondered if he could live with the fact he had help Heidenreich do this. When it was first proposed he thought he could, now...
'Let us be gone from here, I am anxious for the next step,' Heidenreich said and brought Winters back from his thoughts. The Major nodded and turned to address the soldiers.
'Pack it up men.'
'Sir. Yes, sir!'
There was a flurry of movement as the men got into their jeeps and drove down to the airstrip. Winters, followed by Heidenreich climbed into the lead jeep as Rogers started it up.
On the back seat next to the doctor was the black velvet hat box he had sent to Arkwright. He smiled and opened the box. Reverently he touched the brim of the had, relishing its feel for the first time in a decade and a half and under his breath sang the same tune Lilith had when Charlie had received the hat.
'Puttin' down my top hat, mussin' up my white tie, and dancin' in my tails...'
In the darkness he laughed quietly to himself.
Characters: Dr. Heidenreich, Charlie Arkwright, Lilith Deforest, Major Winters
Rating: T
Summary: Dr. Arkwright thought he gave five years of his life to create a new military weapon, when what he was really giving was his life.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.
- - - -
Heidenreich -> HI-den-RIKE
Feb 3rd , 2127, United States, Unfinished military base; Location Unknown.
Major Winters sat in his temporary command post and reviewed the dossiers of several recommended geneticists. Some were right out of university, some had decades of experience, all worthy choices to help reach their goals. But the final decision lay with Daniel Heidenreich, the lead geneticist and scientist of the project. It was his theory and if it worked it would change warfare, hell it would change life as they knew it.
'Have you decided yet?' Winters asked, somewhat impatiently at his holographic screen.
The decades old image of Heidenreich flashed and his voice print came up on screen, 'Yes.'
'And?'
'Dr. Arkwright.'
Winters flipped through the dossiers until he came upon Dr. Arkwright's. He opened the file and the moment he saw the picture he remembered the contents.
'He's nothing like you,' Winter said.
'And what does his personality that matter? He's intelligent, dedicated, and in constant pursuit of knowledge. Not unlike myself,' Winters heard Heidenreich smile, 'And he's not half bad to look at.'
Winters scoffed, 'That's should hardly be a consideration. He's not the best in his field, his current assignment is mediocre as were his previous positions.'
'He has potential, he can be sculpted. Arkwright knows he's not the best but strives to better him self. Besides, compared to me, they are all mediocre.'
Winters rolled his eyes, and sighed, 'Very well, I'll have him contacted.'
'Good.'
- - - -
March 15th, 2132, United States, Avalon: Location Unknown.
Charles Arkwright leaned back in his office chair and rubbed his weary brown eyes. The day was far from over, but he was already exhausted. He had survived on only a few hours of sleep each night for the last week and it was starting to catch up to him. Sadly he wasn't as young as he used to be. Closing his eyes, Arkwright brushed a hand loosely over his greying black hair. The military laboratory he worked for had been hustling to try and finished their prototype for this coming Monday, when they would have to present it to their government investors, and that was only two days away.
They have been working on creating a gas that would contain a nanite virus strain. The nanites didn't need to breathed in, instead they would penetrate any exposed skin and then make their way to the brain. From there they were supposed to change the chemical make up of the brain and adjust the size of the various structures of the brain. Which would inter alter the personality of the individuals it affected. Ultimately it was supposed to over the course of a few hours alter how the infected individual viewed friends vs. foes. Basically switching those views.
It involved a great deal of genetic wrangling, nanotechnology and an understanding of the brain, among other things. All in all it was rather sophisticated and Arkwright wasn't sure if it would work, especially for the amount the military was willing to pay for it. However, Dr. Heidenreich -the project lead- had complete confidence in it...and fired those who did not.
In Arkwright's opinion, and the opinion of all the scientists, Heidenreich was a ego-maniacal ass. He was a genius -there was no doubt about that- and they would have never made such progress on the project without him, but he was nightmarish to work for. And nobody ever saw the man.
Heidenreich communicated via phone conference or email when he needed to say something. Generally it was to badger or insult the scientists, however occasionally he would call and give a new perspective on something they were working on and break the metaphorical wall they had hit. No one particularly like taking his 'advice' but he was always right. Unerringly so. Arkwright had long given up trying to puzzle that one out. He just accepted that Heidenreich was to science what Mozart was to music. It was a shame the man was such a cantankerous arse, Arkwright would have liked to share idea's.
'Doctor Arkwright to Lab Two, please,' a female voice announced over the PA system. Arkwright stretched and got up from his chair. He hopped there was not anything wrong with the nanites, they did not have time to make a new batch, again.
He exited his office and made his way down the halls of the military compound the labs were located in, Compound B. Base 15-A-9 code named Avalon, was located in the middle of some desert in the middle of nowhere. Arkwright had lived on site for the last five years -he celebrated his thirty-fifth last month- and yet he had no idea where he was. No one did, well maybe Heidenreich did. The soldiers that patrolled the halls with their sub-machine guns probably knew as well, but the scientists didn't exactly start up conversations with them, so no one knew for sure.
When Arkwright first arrived he did try to be on friendly turns with the soldiers. It seemed like a good idea just in case something required the use of their guns, he did not want to be caught in the cross fire. He found out really fast that the soldiers weren't on friendly orders, a gun butt to the face and a broken nose conveyed that point quite clearly. On the bright side that straighten it from when he broke it as a kid, still just as painful as he remembered though.
'What's up Lilith?' Arkwright asked when he arrived in the lab. 'Nothing amiss I hope?' The last thing they needed was another nanite failure.
'Oh no Charlie, nothing like. It's just that Heidenreich sent you a package,' Dr. Lilith Deforest pointed to the unfamiliar soldier standing rigidly in the lab with a large brown papered package under one arm and a clipboard in the other.
'Apparently only you can sign for it,' she frowned at the soldier in a manner that told Arkwright that she had tried to and been dismissed. Rudely.
He lay a sympathetic hand on her shoulder before approaching the soldier. 'Dr. Heidenreich sent me a package?'
'Are you Dr. Charles Arkwright?'
'Yep, that's me,' Charlie flashed his government ID. The soldier seemed satisfied by that and held out the clipboard for him to sign. When that was finished, he handed Arkwright the package, saluted and left.
The package was about a foot high and circular and it weighed next to nothing in Charlie's hands. It was most peculiar.
'Why on earth would Heidenreich send you a package?' Deforest asked as she sidled up next to Arkwright to watch him rip open the package.
'I have no idea,' he confessed as he ripped the paper open. Underneath was a black felt box, it had a snugly fitting lid and gleamed in the bright lights of the lab.
'What the hell?'
If Arkwright was expecting anything, this was most certainly not it. He thought that it was likely something to do with the project, but this? What was this anyways?
'Okay, this is just getting weird. A hat box, seriously?'
Charlie turned to Lilith, 'A hat box?'
'That's what it looks like, my grandfather used to have one just like it,' she explained. 'Open it.'
Arkwright shrugged and slide the lid off. Inside was a top hat. It was sitting upside own and inside of it were a pair of neatly folded white cotton gloves and a white tie.
'This just gets stranger and stranger,' he mumbled as he pulled the black silk hat from its box. He placed the gloves and tie on the counter next to the box and turned the hat over in his hands.
Beside him Lilith laughed -a light, incredulous sound- and said, 'Where's your tails?'
Confused, Arkwright turned to her, 'What?'
'You know,' She started singing lightly, 'I just got an invitation in the mail, your presence requested, this evening, its formal, Top Hat, White Tie and Tails'... You didn't get tails.'
Charlie made an expression of understanding, and twirled the hand in hands before placing on his head. He ran his fingers along the brim in what he thought was a cavalier manner. It fit perfectly.
'Oh, very dapper,' Lilith cooed. 'And whoa...' she pulled a worn and yellowed card from the bottom of the hat box. 'A Lock and Co. Hat. It must have cost a pretty penny.'
'I wouldn't know.'
'I do and it did,' She paused, 'But why this, and how did he know it would fit?'
Arkwright shook his head. 'I don't now, but I get the feeling the gloves and tie fit just as well.'
Both scientists fell silent as Charlie took the hat off and placed it carefully back in the box with the gloves and tie. He could help but shake the feeling that something sinister was going on here.
- - - -
When Arkwright arrived in the mess hall for supper, (it was located in Compound C along with the living quarters) everyone had heard of the strange package Heidenreich had sent him earlier. There was little that could be kept secret in this place. The scientists were as bad at gossiping as high school girls and news travelled fast among them. Granted there were only twenty scientists -excluding Heidenreich- on base.
Out of the twenty scientists, only six were considered full time employees. The other fourteen were research assistants and lab technicians. The fourteen of them were switched out on a regular basis, depending on the length of their doctorates or scholarships. They never really knew much about what was going on or what they were attempting to create. Not that they needed to, each of the six doctors had their assignees work on things they didn't have time to complete and it was all strictly monitored by Dr. Heidenreich.
Every task given to the assistants and technicians had to be logged, and if it was deemed to be too sensitive they would be pulled off it, immediately. Though that rarely happened anymore. The doctors knew what was appropriate and what was not. And of course, everyone had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but if there was one thing Arkwright had learned in his time here was that Heidenreich was suspicious of everyone.
Arkwright was Avalon's geneticist, and was recruited to help Heidenreich five years ago. In the beginning it was just the two of them, which really felt like only him since at the time Charlie had the entire B and C compounds to himself. As such, Arkwright had been at Avalon the longest, and is considered by the other five to be a leader of sorts. Though they all know who was really in charge.
Lilith Deforest is their newest and youngest member at thirty-two, as well as self avowed brash-blonde. She arrived last year to aid in their development of nanotechnology. They actually started using nanotech two years ago and bumped along until they realized that they really needed an expert in the field. It was then left to Arkwright to convince Heidenreich that they needed another scientist, and what an uphill battle that was. After she arrived, Lilith hit it off with her fellow co-workers and their progress jumped forward by leaps and bounds.
Then their was Dr. Baines, their Pathogen and Infectious Disease expert. He was a thin, chain smoking man of forty-five. Baines worked closely with Dr. Clemmes, a Biochemist who appeared to have jumped right from the 1950's, in both dress and mannerisms.
Avalon's neurologist was Dr. Dixon, a distinguished man of sixty who had a life time of neuroscience achievements behind him. He made some impressive advances in the understanding of brain chemistry and what happens when the brain sustains a serious blow. Specifically changes in personality, which always leads him into arguments with their resident psychologist, Dr. Fairchild. She was a lovely, soft spoken woman of forty who often argued nature vs nurture with Dixon.
It was this group of scientists that greeted Arkwright as he sat down at the table with them, tray in hand. Tonight was curry chicken and rice.
'So,' Dixon began, 'You got a present from Dr. Heidenreich today, a very odd one at that.'
Charlie glanced at Lilith, she grinned and shrugged her shoulders. This bit of news had been too good not to share.
'Yeah, a strange present.' He agreed
'Perhaps it is a belated birthday gift,' Fairchild suggested. 'Forty is a milestone and you have known the doctor for some time.'
Lilith scoffed, 'Oh please. Heidenreich is far to self-centred for something like that.'
'People can change.'
'But they do not.' Dixon replied.
Arkwright laughed, he could see the beginnings of an argument, 'Do we need to get into a philosophical debate over this? It was just a hat.'
'An expensive, well-tailored silk hat made from hatter's plush -something that cannot be manufactured anymore. It's an antique,' Clemmens chimed in.
'And how do you know that?' Baines asked.
'I researched top hat origins and materials when my sister got married. It was a white tie event.'
Baines rolled his eyes, 'You must have fit right in with your Buddy Holly glasses.'
'No more than you would,' Clemmens quipped.
'Where is it now?' Dixon asked.
'I left it in my office, does it matter? A hat, some gloves and a tie. It's not something we need to read all that much into. It was probably a mistake,' but even as the words left his mouth, Arkwright knew they were a lie. Heidenreich didn't make mistakes, that box and all its goodies was meant for him, but for the life of him, Charlie could imagine why.
And then as if he could read Charlie's mind Dixon quietly said, “Dr. Heidenreich does not make mistakes, Charles. At least none that I know of.”
Arkwright shoved his half eaten supper aside and stood from the table, he wasn't very hungry anymore. 'He's not a god Henry, even he makes mistakes.'
- - - -
March 16th
It was dark in the confines of his room when Charlie awoke with the sudden and urgent need to vomit. He ran, nearly tripping over his hastily discarded clothes, barely making it to the toilet in time. He threw up until there was nothing left but bile, and when he was sure he had finished, Arkwright flushed the toilet with a shaking hand. Then he lay down on the cool laminate floor. Even laying down the world seemed to spin and he closed his eyes against the moonlit bathroom.
They were now only a day away from presenting their prototype and this was the last thing Charlie needed, the flu. Or perhaps it was food poisoning. He couldn't be sure with out some tests and there was no way he was going to the labs at this time of night, much less in this condition. Besides, his head was pounding so fiercely that Arkwright doubted he could perform the tests anyways.
He lay on the floor until he felt the ache in his head ease and the vertigo lessen. It was then that he decided to get up and wash the awful taste of bile and regurgitated curry chicken out of his mouth. Arkwright eased himself into a sitting position and gently held his head until the room ceased spinning. He then stood, relaying heavily on the sink edge to help him up. It took a moment for him to feel steady enough to let go of the sink, and when he did, Charlie clicked on the vanity lights and spun the dial to its lowest setting.
Awash in the dim yellow glow of the lights, Arkwright turned the cold water tap on. He let it run as he gazed up into the mirror. A pale and haggard face greeted him, wow he looked like shit.
'...Arrrkwrrright...'
Charlie tensed. He glanced past his reflection into his bedroom, nothing. It was silent, but he swore he just heard someone call his name in a sing-song manner.
He stared into his bedroom for upwards of a minuet, but nothing happened. The sound didn't repeat. Glancing back to his reflection he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a shadow darting past the door. Immediately Arkwright whipped around, the bedroom swam as the sudden movement caused his vertigo to return. He grasped the sink and forced himself to breathe through it.
Staring down at the running water, Charlie decided that he was seeing and hearing things, likely due to the fever he was sure he had. He cupped his hands and drank from the cold water, it did little to ease the burning in his throat but at least the taste of bile wasn't as strong now. Arkwright splashed some water on his face and shut off the tap.
As he reached for the light switch, Charlie glanced back up at the mirror and as he did so his hand froze. There in the mirror, where his reflection should have been was a unfamiliar face. A man, about his age with short blonde hair that was greying at the temples and a pair of the coldest blue eyes Charlie had ever seen, stared back at him. And the small smirk playing at the corners of his mouth was by far the most unnerving thing Arkwright had ever witnessed.
'Hello Dr. Arkwright...' The man in the mirror said, though Charlie never once saw his lips move. He let out a strangled yell and flung himself away from the mirror. Arkwright tripped on the carpet at the bathroom door as he scrambled backwards and landed hard on his ass at the foot of his bed.
Breathing heavily from the scare and from trying to stave off another bought of nausea, Charlie stared into the empty bathroom. He couldn't see anyone in the mirror now, only the ceiling of his bathroom reflected from his position on the floor. As his racing heart slowed, Arkwright began to feel a little silly about the whole incident. His mind was obviously playing tricks on him in his fever addled state. Slowly rising he made his way cautiously back to the mirror.
As it should be, his face was reflected back and if it was possible he looked paler than before. He turned off the vanity lights and headed back to his bed. Sleep, yes that what he needed to conquer this sickness.
However as he drifted off, he couldn't help but think that the voice was familiar.
- - - -
Arkwright awoke with a start the next morning. He had died.
Well nearly, and it was only a dream, but still, it scared the living hell out of him. Christ he hadn’t had a nightmare in years, decades even. The specifics of the dream were quickly fading, but he could clearly remember that someone else had control of his body. Like he was some life-sized marionette, and that they had made him walk off a cliff…or was it a building? Something high. He didn’t hit the ground though; they say that kills you, in reality and dreams.
But considering how awful Charlie felt this morning, maybe death wouldn’t be so bad.
He glanced over at his clock and discovered two things; one, he forgot to set his alarm the night before and two, that despite this he was still awake in time to make it to his shift. Oh joy. As much as he wanted to roll over and wallow in his flu-like misery, he knew he couldn’t. There were a dozen things that Arkwright had to get done before tomorrow and he was the only geneticist on staff. Well, other than Heidenreich and he doubted that the man would…
Wait.. Last night, the voice.. the face in the mirror, it had been him. Heidenreich.
Charlie glanced nervously into the bathroom and shuddered. To be honest though, he couldn’t really be sure about the mirror bit, he’d never actually laid eyes on the man. It was probably just a hallucination. Yes, that what it was. The whole incident with the hat yesterday had been the perfect fodder for his fevered mind.
Course, he’d probably never set foot in that bathroom again.
Arkwright looked at the clock again, he had twenty minuets left to get to his shift. Dragging himself out of bed, Charlie grabbed yesterdays clothes off the floor. That caused him to become a little light headed and he sank down on the edge of the bed. No time for a shower this morning and he didn’t really want to stand for any length of time anyways.
He pulled on his charcoal slacks and blue pinstriped dress shirt, leaving his tie on the floor. Arkwright trudged to the door, slipped on his shoes, grabbed his keys and stepped out into the morning sunlight.
- - - -
He could feel it beginning. The tendrils of his consciousness were starting to latch themselves on to Arkwright's mind. That little stunt in the bathroom the night before was most amusing, already he could manipulate the auditory and visual area's of Arkwright's brain and it would be much longer before he had complete control.
For fifteen years he had waited for this day, slaved, toiled, sacrificed, and soon it would come to glorious fruition. He would walk again, see the sunlight again, and be independent once more. There were no words for the anticipation he felt at this projects completion and in the gloom Heidenreich allowed himself a small smile.
- - - -
When he arrived at lab number two, Charlie flopped down on the stool at his preferred station and let his aching head rest on the cool counter. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of anything. Thinking hurt.
'Christ, you look like shit,' Lilith observed as she arrived with her travel mug of coffee and leaned against the counter. Heidenreich had to agree with that statement, but to him it was rather amusing, to her less so.
Charlie opened one eye to peer blearily at her and closed it again.
'Seriously Charlie, maybe you should go see Ryans.' He was Avalon’s medical doctor, and was only on site two days a week.
'I can’t,' he mumbled. 'Too much to do.'
Lilith sighed, 'Cause you’ll get so much done like that,' she paused for a moment and then leaned in, 'Was it the chicken? ‘Cause it was a little iffy.'
Arkwright gave her a halfhearted shrug just as two lab techs entered. Oh no, it wasn't the chicken, and it certainly wasn't any common virus. Five years they had toiled away on this project and yet when the thing was in motion right before their very eyes, none of then could see it. Mores the shame really, he rather felt like boasting.
The smell of their breakfast sandwiches turned his stomach. She must have seen the look that cross his face because headed over towards them.
'Ah guys, no food in the labs, remember?'
'Yeah, I know. I just needed to grab my papers. Won’t be a sec.' One of them said, though Charlie couldn’t see which from his current position. He heard the shuffling of papers and in his mind’s eye saw the tech’s greasy fingers touching all the important papers sitting over there, smudging the ink, leaving stains. Had he no respect? Common courtesy? For the love of god they were supposed to present those papers tomorrow!
Heidenreich was absolutely furious. How many times did it have to be said? How many signs had to be posted before they got it drill into their thick useless skulls that no food meant none whatsoever? Delicate experiments could be destroyed with their carelessness!
Arkwright found himself suddenly incredibly and inexplicably angry, and for a moment his nausea and headache were forgotten. He stood from the stool and walked part way around the counter.
'Stop,' his low forceful tone caused Lilith to look over at him, as well as the second tech. But the one who he was angry with didn’t hear.
'Charlie?' Lilith took a hesitant step towards him. He ignored her.
'STOP!' Arkwright barked and the lab technician froze, sandwich in his mouth and hands on the papers.
'There is absolutely no food in the labs. Yet here you are, sandwich hanging out of your mouth, greasy fingers touching important files and papers,' a disgusted look crossed his face, twisting it in an unfamiliar manner. 'You obviously have no respect for this lab or your job so I’m certain you won’t miss it.'
Lilith gaped at him, 'Charlie you can’t-'
Arkwright slammed his hand down on the counter top, 'This is my lab, my project. No one has put more time in on this than me!' He snapped at Lilith before turning back to the two technicians, 'We are less than 24 hours from our deadline and you have the audacity to disrespect it in from of me?! Both of you are fired, and if you are not off sight in twenty minuets I will inform the soldiers to open fire on you.'
No one could deny the seriousness of Arkwright’s tone. Lilith stared open-mouthed at him as the two technician scrambled out of the lab.
'What the flying fuck was that?!' she demanded the moment she got her senses back. 'You can’t fire them -or shoot at them- only Heidenreich has that authority and we’re short handed as it is! How do you expect to tell him that you just-'
Arkwright’s hand sliced through the air in a cutting motion. He didn’t want to hear anything else from Deforest, 'Heidenreich already knows.'
Yes he did, and he was going to make sure that those two never worked a day in science again.
Lilith threw up her hands, 'WHAT?!' she exclaimed.
The fury Charlie had felt fled, leaving him feeling odd and not quite whole and he sagged against the counter. His headache had come back in a ferocious rush.
'I don’t know, I don’t know…' he sighed. He couldn’t possibly explain his previous statement, but it was true. However the hell that was possible.
'Yeah well that makes two of us,' she huffed. 'Christ Charlie, for a moment I swore you were Heidenreich. You sounded just like him.'
There was a frightening statement, in more ways than one. But true, a small voice in his head said.
'I’m just tired, sick and miserable. I’ll get over it,' Arkwright said and sat back down on the stool, 'Apparently that combination makes me crazy.'
Lilith reluctantly chuckled, 'And what do we find in the dictionary next to ‘crazy’? A picture of Dr. Heidenreich.'
'His picture is in there a lot. Genius, scientist, ass, jerk, cantankerous, recluse…' Charlie rattled off all the things he could think of.
This time she laughed outright. Charlie smiled along with her, but it felt disingenuous on his face. Part of him didn’t think it was very funny at all.
- - - -
Arkwright was never one to complain or whine about not feeling well. There had been plenty of times during his five year stay at Avalon that he had been ill and worked through it. Heidenreich rarely gave sick leave and no one was brave enough to ask for it so they just worked; rain or shine, well or unwell. Some times Charlie felt a little like a postman.
He might make an exception about this illness though.
While he no longer felt nauseous, and his vertigo was mostly gone, he was exhausted. Constantly falling asleep at his computer, only to awake when his face slapped down on the keyboard. It was rather embarrassing and Lilith was only human. She couldn't be expected to keep a straight face all of the time.
The smell of chicken noodle soup drifted into the lab and this time the smell of food didn’t make him want to barf. Which was nice.
'Here,' Lilith set down a Styrofoam cup of soup next to him. 'I picked most of noodles and stuff out of it and though you probably don’t fell like eating, you need to. Cause not eating makes you feel ill so you don’t want to eat and end up feeling sick. It’s a vicious cycle,' she said and set down something else beside his soup. 'I also brought you a ginger ale to help settle your stomach.'
Arkwright looked at her drowsily from where his face rested in the palm of his hand, 'Thanks,' he said.
'Of course… ah you’re not going to flip out on me for bringing food into the lab, right?'
'No,' he answered immediately, even though he could feel the stirrings of anger in the back of his mind. He mentally promised himself to stay away from the experiments and that seemed to appease it, 'I’m not sure why I reacted like that.'
'Me either,' Lilith said and pulled a stool up to the counter next to Arkwright and set down her own lunch.
Charlie opened the cup’s lid and took a careful sip of the soup. It did make him feel better, and for several minuets the only sound was soup being sipped and the hum of equipment.
She broke the silence first, 'I really think you should go see Dr. Ryans. You’re obviously ill and you’re having weird mood swings. It’s very unlike you.'
'I'm just sick-'
'Exactly. Go see Ryans, I'll look after your stuff,' She promised.
Arkwright opened his mouth to protest, but closed it without saying anything. Maybe she was right, he wasn't getting anything done like this. Perhaps Ryans could prescribe something to help him feel better and allow him to get some work done.
'Alright,' He acquiesced.
- - - -
Arkwright made his way down the hall of the Compound B, and turned the corner of the 'L' shaped building. He had only taken a few more steps when a small niggling thought pushed its way to the forefront of his mind.
He should really just go to bed.
Where was the harm in that? Ryans would probably tell him to drink lots of fluids and sleep it off. Really, there wasn't much of a cure for the flu -he was certain that's what it was- just rest and liquids. He was a doctor too and he could prescribe that for himself.
Then again, if it was serious he'd have to wait until Wednesday for Ryans to be back. What if he was horribly ill by then? Charlie would be hooped; he could miss the presentation tomorrow and may end up having to be shipped off sight to some large and important hospital, named after an ill deserving saint.
'Just go to bed.' Heidenreich whispered in the recesses of his mind. 'You don't need to see the doctor, just sleep. That's the best cure for a weary mind.'
Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. Really, he wasn't that sick, just really tired. By tomorrow he would be nearly better, and able to handle the presentation. Which was really the most important thing, he couldn't be sick at that. Lilith promised to have his work covered, so why not?
But what about Heidenreich? Should he bother telling the man? He would probably just tell him-
'Charlie...'
Arkwright glanced over his shoulder, there was no one in the hall behind him and he didn’t think there was anyone in Lab Three or Four. As he was turning back he caught his reflection in the small window in the door to Lab Four. Or rather, he caught sight of Heidenreich's reflection. He didn't even jump this time, in fact it seemed rather expected.
'I give you permission.'
Well that settled that.
- - - -
This stuff was so over her head.
Lilith knew some things about genetics -mostly high school stuff- but unfortunately it wasn’t anything that could really help her understand the things she was now reading on the screen. Arkwright had left her a list of documents she needed to read and decide if they were relevant to the presentation or not. Charlie couldn’t remember exactly which ones needed to be printed, and Lilith had no idea what disqualified one and not the other. Maybe she should just print them all out and let Charlie go through them tomorrow.
Yes, that sounded like a plan. That’s what she got paid the big bucks for, plans. Ha.
She had just told the computer to send the files to the printer, when Lilith heard two quick pops. It scared the life out of her and she jolted in her chair. The sound had been muffled, but Lilith thought it sounded like gunfire. She hoped those techs were off sight…then again that was like four hours ago. What was going on?
Lilith moved to the lab door and peered into the hall. It was silent, eerily so. Wasn't there supposed to be a soldier on duty out here? She crossed the hall to Lab One, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor echoed down the hall. The lab was dark, that was odd, wasn’t Clemmens in here?
Her instincts were telling her that she should be quiet because something wasn’t right. Pausing at the first counter, Lilith removed her heels and set them down. The floor was cool against her bare feet, but she wouldn’t make any noise this way.
Lilith left the lab and made her way down the hall to the staircase that led to the upper level. The permanent staff’s offices were upstairs and she was certain that’s were the noise had come from. The door to the staircase was wide open. It wasn’t supposed to be. All major doors were to be kept closed at all times. Key card entry only. However the door was propped open with a large book, and that meant that the security systems in the building were shut off. No alarms or panic buttons.
Dread clutched at her heart.
Lilith headed through the door and began climbing the stairs. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but her heart was beating so loudly in her ears that she couldn’t really hear anything beyond it. The door at the top was also propped open, this time by a shoe, a familiar one at that. She pushed the door open and slipped through.
The doors of all the offices were open, and as she walked by, Lilith glanced in to each of them. She stopped dead at Clemmens. Back, by the window a splattering of blood covered the blinds and walls. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she entered the office. Lilith didn’t want too, she knew what she would find, but she also couldn’t stop. She rounded the desk and nearly tripped backwards in horror.
Dr. Clemmens, slaughtered, lying in a pool of blood. It saturated the industrial carpet that lined the entire upstairs. Two dark splotches were on his chest, and his heavy glasses were skewed on his face, one leg hanging down by his cheek. Lilith felt like she was going to be sick. She scrambled out of the office and into the hall. Leaning against the wall she tried to calm herself. That was when she heard the voices.
'Are these two the last?'
'No, there’s one down in the labs,' that voice was familiar. Lilith was sure she had heard it before. Who was that?
'So that makes four, what about the fifth?'
'The Captain said he’d take care of that one personally. A bit of a dispute between those two.'
Oh God… Baines.
'And the last one?'
'Jeez, didn’t you listen to anything the Captain said?' It dawned on her. That voice, it was Lt. Haynes. That son of a bitch!
'Sort of,' A pause, 'We don’t have to kill the last one, right?'
A heavy sigh, 'No, the Doc is going to deal with Dr. Arkwright.'
Lilith’s heart dropped. Charlie.
'What about Dr. Arkwright? What is that bastard going to do with him?!” That was Fairchild’s voice and it cracked with emotion, it was the most emotion Lilith had ever heard out of the woman. She was normally very poised, almost stoic. Apparently it took the threat of death to get some emotion out of the psychiatrist. In different circumstances she would probably be gloating about this revelation.
'What do you think you’ve been do here all these years? Do you still believe you were creating a weapon?' Haynes laughed.
'What..what are you talking about?'
'Look lady, if the situation hasn’t become clear yet, then you’re not going to get it in the short amount of time you have left.'
Lilith crept up to the door; it was Dr. Dixon’s office, the last one at the end of the hall. She peered into the room, the soldier’s backs were to her but she couldn’t see anyone else beyond them. Whoever else was in the room had to be crouched down behind the desk.
'Dr. Heidenreich can’t possibly...' There was a silence after Dixon spoke, then a moment of dawning comprehension. 'No... he can’t. How could they possibly be compatible? We know so little about the brain, to even attempt something of that magnitude is foolish, insane!' Lilith was insanely glad to hear the older man’s voice, but what was he talking about?
'Yeah well genius and insanity share a thin boarder,' Haynes replied. 'Ready your arms, soldier.'
Lilith heard the sounds of movement and then a loud burst of gunfire. Its noise and proximity caused her to jump violently and she may have screamed. But it was hard to tell in the noise. When the firing stopped the silence was oppressive and Lilith felt tears leak down her cheeks. They had killed everyone.
Everyone but her.
She took off running down the hall, rounding the corner so sharply that she nearly took off her shoulder and dashed towards the door to the stairs. Behind her she could hear the voices of the soldiers, they must have heard her. She had to get the hell out of here.
Gunfire sounded behind her, and Lilith felt the bullets brush by her. This time she did scream and instinctively ducked. Her momentum nearly tripped her up, but she ran through it. She was grateful she had the foresight to take off her heels before coming up here, but she wished she had never satisfied her curiosity.
Lilith skidded to a stop in front of the door, and threw it open. Just as she dashed through it, she heard the crack of gunfire again. Three bullets struck her back; the force of it threw her into the railing. The of it pain made her vision swim and she found it hard to breathe. But she keep going, with a tight grip on the railing she started down the stairs. Her legs wouldn't cooperate with her and she tripped. Lilith let out a strangled cry as her legs went out from under her and she tumbled down the staircase.
The soldiers heard her fall, and the accompanying bang of her body hitting the wall at the bottom. They appeared at the top of the stairs and looked down on her still form.
Lilith Deforest was dead.
- - - -
March 17th
It was dark in Arkwright’s room. Night had long since fallen and Avalon was quiet. Charlie was dead asleep. So he never heard the distant pop of gunfire as Dr. Baines was gunned down. Nor did he have an uneasy feeling when Clemmens, Dixon or Fairchild were murdered. And he most certainly did not hear Lilith’s last words before her neck snapped on the way down the stairs in Compound B.
They were 'Charlie.'
Charlie.
'..Chaarliee.'
Arkwright mumbled unintelligibly and stirred slightly in his sleep.
'Dr. Arkwright it is time to wake up.' Heidenreich purred into the recesses of his mind.
His eyes blinked opened and a frown creased his brow. He was tired and wanted to sleep.
'Not yet. There is still one thing left to do.'
'Fine,' Charlie said aloud to the room and dragged himself out of bed. He was still wearing his clothing from yesterday. He slipped on his shoes and trudged to the doorway. Arkwright didn’t bother to grab his keys or ID as he slipped into the night. As he descended the stairs he spotted one of the base's jeeps at the bottom. The keys were in it. Charlie climbed in, knowing it was for him and drove across the base to the one place that no one but Major Winters went.
Compound A.
Every new member of the Avalon staff got a lecture about Compound A. Situated at the far corner of the base, the building was strictly off limits. The only person to ever see the inside of the building was Major Winters. The Major was only on site once a week for inspection and deliveries. Captain Rogers handled the day to day affairs of the soldiers and handled most of the disputes.
Shipments meant for Compound A were off loaded into the attached warehouse. There was nothing of interest in there, just a large empty space that Arkwright had once glimpsed into in an attempt to satisfy his curiosity about the building. It didn’t work. He could recall back in the beginning that all kinds of shipments were taken in to the warehouse. Now, it was just small things, every now and again.
Compound A was also the laboratory of Heidenreich. He ate, slept and lived in there, never coming out. In the beginning Arkwright had always thought he was a little like Boo Radley, scary but ultimately harmless. Now he would never use a word like harmless to describe Heidenreich, he was anything but that.
He parked the jeep in front of the warehouse and shut off the engine. Charlie sat in the dark and listened to the tick of the cooling engine. Something was tugging at him, something that he couldn’t see or even define, but it was dragging him inexplicably to this building. He climbed out and walked to the warehouse’s man door.
The doors on the compound were flat steel, no visible handles or key card reader. The only thing that made then distinguishable as doors were the heavy gauge hinges. Normally the doors were always closed, but tonight this one was ajar. Arkwright slipped his fingers through the one inch gap and pulled the door open far enough for him to slip inside. It was dark in warehouse, but the moon light from outside filtered in from the door crack and illuminated a small triangle of floor. Off to the side, Charlie spotted a faint glow and made his way towards it.
The light was coming from an inactive flat panel computer screen that had been mounted on the wall. The dull charcoal coloured light, illuminated a set of mechanical arms that were welded to a large platform sitting on a rail. The rail disappeared under a large roll door back into the warehouse. Straight ahead there was a hall, the glow from the computer screen showed that. But beyond the light’s reach was a yawning blackness. He had to go down there, it was like someone had a chain hooked to his ribcage, tugging him along in the right direction until he came to the end.
He stepped passed the reach of the light and made his way cautiously down the hall, one hand gliding on the wall. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Arkwright saw doors like the ones that were on the outside of the building. Flat metal, no handles or card locks. These doors were closed. Charlie shoved on one and it didn’t give so he assumed that they were all inaccessible. The further he travelled down the hall the darker it became, until he was feeling his way along as he could no longer discern anything in the dark.
The hand that wasn’t guiding him along the wall he held out in front of him. It didn’t take long for that hand to touch the cool metal of what Arkwright assumed was another door. With both hands he felt around for a means to open it, but he didn’t find anything. He didn’t really think he would. Charlie took a step back and waited. It didn’t take long for sounds of metal clanking and hydraulics to reach him. Then a crack of light appeared at the bottom of the door.
The crack grew.
Foot by foot the door went up, and foot by foot more of the room beyond was exposed. It was dimly lit, but Charlie could see bundles of cords littering the floor, all heading to some central point he couldn’t yet see. When the door was halfway up, he spotted a raised platform in the middle of the room. The cords all headed that way. Arkwright saw the flashing lights of large computer servers, and the backs of flat panel monitors. With the door now up he could see that the monitors were hung from the ceiling of the room, and there were five of them in a semi-circle around a central point. The monitors were blocking his view of just what was behind them.
Charlie took a tentative step into the room. Around the outside of the room along two the walls were tall metal poles and they had a spring like contraption at the top. The room was warm, warmer than anything he would be comfortable working or living in. He guessed that that was due to all the technology crammed into the space. It wasn’t a small room by any means, but the shear amount of things that were in it was staggering. Some of the things he was familiar with and some of it looked like it was straight out of Star Trek.
He stood in the middle of the room gawking at all the things in it, when he heard another hydraulic hiss. Looking up he saw two of the monitors lifting up and out of the way. With them gone he could now see what they were hiding. It was the one person he had been expecting to find ever since he had entered the building.
Dr. Heidenreich.
Though what Charlie always imagined what the man looked like was nothing like the reality. Nor was the man he saw in place of his reflection. This man, who that sat in the medical chair behind the monitors was a mere wreck of man, and hardly human in appearance at all. Tubes and wires ran in and around his body. Some connected to the chair, others travelled back to the servers. Charlie would have never recognized this man from the two brief moments when he saw Heidenreich’s reflection in place of his own if it hadn’t been for the crop of blonde hair on his head. Now Arkwright understood why this building was off limits, why Heidenreich never showed his face. He couldn’t and Arkwright knew he was too proud of a man to be seen in such a debilitated manor. Charlie wondered how much of his life he had spent in that chair.
'Fifteen years, though I’ve had other chairs along the way,' Heidenreich spoke, his voice filling the space like a surround sound system. The sudden sound of his voice in answer to his unspoken question caused Arkwright to jolt.
'Dr. Heidenreich?' there were a million unspoken questions in those two words as he didn’t know how to voice them.
'We needn’t be so formal Charlie, Daniel will do just fine. It’s a pleasure to meet face to face after all this time.' again the voice filled the room, surrounding him. It was then that Charlie realized that Heidenreich never actually moved his lips.
'What the hell is all this?! The hat, the mirrors, your voice? What has been going on?'
He heard, rather than saw Heidenreich smile, 'Haven’t you figured it out yet?'
Charlie was silent.
'It is beautiful isn’t it? It was my great-grandfather’s, when I was a young man I had it sized a little larger to fit.' Heidenreich paused; his voice was rich and ever condescending. Charlie had to think for a moment to figure out what he was talking about. It must be the top hat; Clemmens’ did say it was an antique.
'I only ever had the opportunity to wear it once before I ended up so destroyed but I am looking forward to have the opportunity again. I was so pleased that it fit you perfectly.'
Well that explained everything or nothing about what was going on.
'What happened to you?' Arkwright couldn’t help but be curious about the man, he had looked up to this scientific giant for so long that anything that could pull back the veil of mystery was immediately interesting.
'So curious, that’s what I liked about you Charlie. You were always searching, always seeking new knowledge, never satisfied with the status quo. Not unlike myself.
'Fifteen years ago I worked on a base similar to this, creating a weaponized biochemical gas that could destroy fibrous muscle tissues in a matter of seconds. It could debilitate a man to the extent that he couldn’t hold a weapon, flee or even stand. It was a brilliant bit of engineering and I am still proud of all that we accomplished.
'At the time I was a mere junior scientist and worked under an idiot of a man. He was undeserving of the position and had little knowledge about what we were attempting to create. However as the saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
'Six months into the project we had made enormous leaps in the development of the gas. All of the tests were extremely successful, and we were certain that in another few months the gas would be ready for military combat use. Then our lead scientist forgot to replace one of the gas samples back into the cooler.
'At night the bio-hazardous labs were decontaminated and the chemicals used in that process degraded the glass of the tube. The next morning when myself, our lead and another junior scientist arrived we saw the tube out. Hoping to cover his mistake the lead went and picked it up to place it back in the cooler, it exploded in his hand. Only I survived, and that was only because I was close to the door and only breathed in a small amount before getting out and sealing the whole lab down. As you can see that small amount was extremely effective. The other two died within seconds. At that concentration the gas destroys the heart and caused cardiac arrest. It was extremely painful, if their screams were any indication.
'I was very angry about the whole thing for a long time, but I have mellowed throughout the years. I know now that without that incident, I never would have made it here, to my greatest scientific breakthrough. Fifteen years I have been trying to find a way out of this chair.'
Arkwright took a step closer, 'And have you?'
'Oh yes.'
Another step, 'How?'
'Do you know why this place is called Avalon?' Heidenreich asked, throwing Charlie a curve ball.
'Uh, well I thought it was because Avalon was where Excalibur was crafted, the best weapon of its time and that’s what we were doing here; creating an ultimate weapon.'
'A very logical conclusion, but wrong. Avalon was famous for its fertile soil, many things flourished on that island without the aid of man. That island gave life to many flowers and fruits, in fact Avalon means apple in the old English, something the island was famous for. This place was given the code name Avalon because we were giving new life. A second chance if you will.'
'For you,' A statement, not a question, Charlie was beginning to understand. The pieces were falling into place.
'Yes.'
Arkwright was silent for upwards of a minuet. Puzzling through what Heidenreich was saying and what he knew about the project he had spent the last five years working on. It focused heavily on manipulating the brain and attempting to change not necessarily personality but to switch how one viewed others. Specifically friends and foes.
Dixon had this theory about why certain brain damages caused the formation of a new personality, something about filling the void left after the damage. It was a little out of Arkwright's understanding, he wasn't a neurologist after all, but he gotten the gist of it. Dixon's theory didn't really have anything to do with what they had been working on, it was in a sense a subcategory but now that Charlie thought about maybe it was what they had really been working on all this time.
It all made sense now.
'It was on the top hat wasn't it? The virus. That's why you sent it, something I would touch. Was it engineered only or me? Or did that matter? Probably not. You're just going to fill that void, damaging my own personality so it won't function and then just... step in.' Arkwright clenched his fists, 'So this is your solution? Take what you no longer have?' He laughed bitterly, 'I always knew you were a selfish son of a bitch.'
'Bravo Charlie. I knew you would puzzle it out. Shall we?'
Arkwright sighed, it was a weary sound. There was no point in running, he was already defeated, had been the moment he accepted that package. Christ he was tired. He sat down on the concrete floor.
'If I say no will you stop?'
Heidenreich scoffed, 'Hardly, its too late now.'
'Yeah, I didn't think so.' Charlie muttered as a large motor hummed to life. Soon after the large metal poles that lined the room started sparking.
Long blue tendrils of electricity snaked up the poles, swirled at the top before disappearing. The hum of the electricity grew until it was all Arkwright could hear. It reverberated throughout the room, rattling his ribcage and making his ears itch. The sound reached a crescendo and then for the briefest moment there was complete silence. Then the electricity came crashing down on him and and the last thing Charlie saw was a bright white light.
- - - -
When Major Winter's arrived on sight several hours ago, he was briefed on the situation and then supervised the clean up of Avalon. All bodies and papers were burned. Hard drives were wiped and then destroyed. Virus samples collected and stored in special travel cases and all remaining technology destroyed.
Now the Major stood in the light of his jeep's headlights outside Compound A, waiting for the outcome of five years of research. Captain Rogers stood beside him and the base's contingent of soldiers were scattered around the side door into the main room of the compound.
The Major had heard the hum of electricity and the loud crash of its completion. Now he was waiting for Heidenreich to exit the building as Dr. Arkwright or to clean up the mess if he had failed. Which ever it may be. Winters had known Heidenreich since the doctor's first days working for the military as a geneticist. Long before the accident that lead to this current situation. They might be considered friends if Heidenreich was a less selfish man.
The door swung open and in the light of the headlights Winters saw Dr. Arkwright leaning against the door frame looking incredibly smug. The Major had a flash back to a time before Heidenreich was crippled, leaning in the lab door way bragging about his latest success. Arkwright's posture was exactly like Heidenreich's had been then.
'It was successful then?' Winters asked briskly.
Heidenreich smiled, it was nothing like how Arkwright used to smile, this was colder, 'Oh yes. You didn't doubt me did you Major?'
'Never.'
Heidenreich sauntered up to Winters, 'I always knew Charlie was taller than you, but to experience it first hand is...thrilling,' he drew in a deep breath of night air, relishing the taste of it, 'It all is.”
Winters thought it was a little eerie how Heidenreich causally referred to Dr. Arkwright as though he was still here. Like he hadn't just taken the man's life and body. Winters wondered if he could live with the fact he had help Heidenreich do this. When it was first proposed he thought he could, now...
'Let us be gone from here, I am anxious for the next step,' Heidenreich said and brought Winters back from his thoughts. The Major nodded and turned to address the soldiers.
'Pack it up men.'
'Sir. Yes, sir!'
There was a flurry of movement as the men got into their jeeps and drove down to the airstrip. Winters, followed by Heidenreich climbed into the lead jeep as Rogers started it up.
On the back seat next to the doctor was the black velvet hat box he had sent to Arkwright. He smiled and opened the box. Reverently he touched the brim of the had, relishing its feel for the first time in a decade and a half and under his breath sang the same tune Lilith had when Charlie had received the hat.
'Puttin' down my top hat, mussin' up my white tie, and dancin' in my tails...'
In the darkness he laughed quietly to himself.