Warren fell into the backseat of the taxi and let the stillness settle over him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wind will tear the clothes off your bloody back,\u201d the cab driver said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, well, at least it\u2019s dry today.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cabby pulled away and switched on the radio. A sombre female reporter announced: It\u2019s official, we can now add the Butterflyfish to the list of marine species extinct in the wild. Numbers of coral fish have dropped dramatically since the unexplained death of large parts of coral in the Indian and Pacific oceans. <\/p>\n
\u201cIs that for real, another one?\u201d Warren said. He leaned forward. \u201cTurn it up please?\u201d <\/p>\n
But it was too late; the reporter had moved on to the next horror story, yet another fatal air crash over the city. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch had cancelled all flights over central London until they carried out a full investigation into the multiple, seemingly unrelated accidents. <\/p>\n
\u201cBloody madness,\u201d the cabby mumbled. \u201cPeople are wondering why this stuff is happening, ain\u2019t they? Well, if they read the Bible they\u2019d understand…\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren nodded politely and closed his mind to the cabby\u2019s melodramatic reckonings. He was late visiting his mother and would have to put in another all-nighter at his lab tonight. The thought made his head throb.<\/p>\n
The nursing home looked like the other neighbouring Victorian town houses. There was no shortage of profit in converting large houses into homes for the rising number of mentally ill. The only things that identified their purpose were subtle signs set back into the wide driveways. Warren\u2019s mother, Joyce, had never outright said she liked it here, but Warren knew she enjoyed walking the grounds and listening to the residents natter.<\/p>\n
Joyce was in her room. The walls were cream, the carpet a slightly darker wheatgrass. The cleaner had made the bed up with white linen to exact standards. Joyce\u2019s only piece of personal furniture was her pale wooden chair with white floral cushions. A far-side window overlooked well-tended gardens, and the TV hanging from the wall angled down towards the chair, switched off. But Joyce stared up at it as if enthralled by an epic romance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, Mum. What\u2019s happening?\u201d <\/p>\n
She stiffened slightly, but didn\u2019t face him. <\/p>\n
Warren pulled up a stool from under a desk and lightly touched Joyce\u2019s arm. Perhaps there was a hint of a smile, perhaps not. <\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay, Mum?\u201d <\/p>\n
It was a standard question. He didn\u2019t expect an answer, not when she was like this. He\u2019d be lucky to get a coherent sentence out of her today. <\/p>\n
\u201cWork\u2019s busy. The project deadline is this Friday and I haven\u2019t even tested my scanning system yet.\u201d
\nJoyce jolted like she\u2019d just woken up. Her lips curled up into a sharp smile. \u201cYou better get it finished or they won\u2019t pay you,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWell, yeah. I know that, Mum. I was just\u2026 Never mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour grandfather used to spend most of his money hot from the pay envelope, you know? The landlord of the Dog\u2019s Inn did well, mind. I bet his daughters didn\u2019t go hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce\u2019s breathing quickened, and her eyes glinted with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d Warren took her hand and looked her in the eye. \u201cIt\u2019s my turn to look after you now, me and the nurses here.\u201d <\/p>\n
Joyce relaxed. Her frightened expression dissipated through an emerging smile, a breath-taking glimpse of the strong woman she had been. \u201cWarren, I know you look out for me. You\u2019re a good boy.\u201d She giggled, then leant forward, her face darkened to a knowing frown. Warren braced himself. <\/p>\n
\u201cI see them every day now, the hidden people. They fly in the clouds and spit their germs down on us. They make us crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren choked back sorrow. \u201cThings will get better. The work we\u2019re doing is taking us closer to mapping the brain. We\u2019ll soon understand why so many people are falling ill like you. Maybe, one day soon, we will find a cure.\u201d <\/p>\n
Joyce\u2019s expression glazed over. Her gaze stared through her son. He waited a minute, still and silent, then leant forward and kissed her. <\/p>\n
\u201cSee you tomorrow, Mum.\u201d
\n<\/p>\n
Warren connected the MR equipment to a completed electroencephalography system. His head ached from working through the night, and his limbs were vibrating with too much caffeine. But this moment was four years in the making and to meet his project deliverable Warren knew it was make or break. <\/p>\n
With bleary eyes, he glanced up at the clock – a little after 10am. His workplace was also his home. Worktops lined three walls, each filled with equipment, cables, and scribbled notes. A high-powered generator hummed loudly in the corner. On the forth wall, next to a door, was a prototype test tunnel clamped to the ceiling, above a plastic chair. <\/p>\n
Warren\u2019s lab was a 5th storey deserted office building. It had taken him considerable effort to move and assemble his equipment up here, where Warren did his contract R&D work. But he had to be realistic, this place, an ex-Magnetix lab, had a Faraday Cage fitted to the room, something he simply couldn\u2019t afford, and without it the MR system wouldn\u2019t work. <\/p>\n
He used the grant money to fund his research and pay himself a small salary covering the rent. His mother\u2019s care fees took the rest. <\/p>\n
Warren looked out the window. The sun had made a rare appearance firing rays through the parting clouds. He took a moment to appreciate the sight. From the north-facing window in South London, Warren looked out across rolling rooftops and tower blocks, past metal spires, and all the way to the skyscrapers that defined The City. <\/p>\n
His mobile phone rang.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, WJ Technologies,\u201d Warren said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHey Warren, it\u2019s David Harris from Magnetix.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh no. Not now\u2026 \u201cHi David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a quick call to make sure you received my email. I didn\u2019t get a response…\u201d<\/p>\n
Damn. \u201cSorry, I meant to get back sooner, but I was waiting to collate some results. Give you something solid.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a stretched silence. \u201cI should hope so.\u201d David laughed. \u201cThree days to deadline and we still haven\u2019t had a full system check. Look, if you\u2019re struggling to finish this we need to know. We can allocate you some resources, help speed things up.\u201d <\/p>\n
Warren knew what \u2018some resources\u2019 meant PhD students eager to prove themselves. Even if he could reveal to David that he was working in a deserted building he didn\u2019t own, they\u2019d only get in his way. Christ, it would take more than three days to get them up to speed. \u201cThat\u2019s very kind, but not necessary. The scanning module is ready. I\u2019ll have the test results written up before Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, Warren, I trust you, but I haven\u2019t seen you at the last two project meetings and there have been some significant advances in the other camps. The Americans are claiming a novel scanning system using hyperpolarized compounds to increase scanning sensitivity. The Japanese have engineered a similar fMRI EEG hybrid system like ours. Eighteen months ago, we were miles ahead. The commission expects big things from this project, they believe we are world leaders. Anything other than a world-first paper next week will be considered a failure.\u201d <\/p>\n
There was a pause. Warren knew David was gearing up for a sucker shot. He braced himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to get a post-deadline paper in at OTT Conference next week. A full system \u2018hybrid\u2019 test will get us that, but without your contribution, we have nothing. Our reputation as leaders will be gone.\u201d <\/p>\n
David stopped talking as if a response was expected. <\/p>\n
Warren felt his skin grow hot; beads of sweat formed on his forehead. <\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re ready to go as soon as you meet your deliverable. Can we count on you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren didn\u2019t have a test subject to authenticate his system. Even if he did, and it worked perfectly without any modifications \u2013 which was practically unheard of \u2013 it would take at least a day to write his report.<\/p>\n
His mind clouded with panic, he tried to calculate the likely time he would need to complete\u2026 It was technically possible he could finish in three days, but he would be relying on luck and very little sleep. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo problem,\u201d he replied. \u201cI\u2019ll keep you up to date.\u201d He could hardly believe he was uttering the words with such confidence. <\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, great,\u201d David said. \u201cAnd, Warren, if you want my advice, don\u2019t get pulled into the details. Sometimes it helps to step away and look at the bigger picture. The devil lives in the details, and he\u2019s your worst enemy. We need a solution here, not more problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
The phone went dead but David\u2019s voice still rang in his ears. <\/p>\n
His chair creaked alarmingly as he leant back. The enormity of the work was an invisible ocean above him, pinning him to the spot, inactive. Where was he going to start?<\/p>\n
Warren already knew the answer to that. He\u2019d be testing himself. He figured there wasn\u2019t any danger in it \u2013 it might be a little awkward \u2013 but it was his only option. <\/p>\n
Warren rigged himself beneath the makeshift scanning tunnel, provided to him by his old University friend Tony, another researcher working within the project.<\/p>\n
The machine activated with a deafening hum. The scanning tunnel was vertical, attached to the ceiling and chair so he could scan his metabolic activity under normal weight- bearing conditions. It also allowed Warren to control remotely control his magnetically armoured PC from the hot seat. <\/p>\n
It was past 4pm when he finished studying the test results. The sensitivity improvement was phenomenal, even better than he could have hoped. But there was something else, something inconsistent in the reading. A small section of his brain remained active throughout all stages of the tests; it seemed to vary slightly under each phase, but was entirely unrelated to the simple tasks he had performed. A rare pulse of anger throbbed in his temples. Why now? Why couldn\u2019t the results be simple, conclusive?<\/p>\n
He leant back in his chair and clasped his head in both hands. Tears welled in his eyes. He was too tired for this news, news that could only result in more work. <\/p>\n
David\u2019s voice rang clear in his mind: The devil lives in the details. <\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t take a lot to modify the results, take out the anomalous reading, but he needed to study it further. He had to understand the implications. Could it be simple noise, a fault with the Faraday Cage? No, too ordered. Perhaps a glitch in the software? A bug to fix\u2026? No, he would have seen it before. Maybe it was something unseen, an active, undiscovered section in the brain, no, surely not. What if he let this go and later they found his manipulation of the results caused misdiagnosis in patients. Or worse.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, if he didn\u2019t provide something, he wouldn\u2019t get his grant money and that was not an option. He had to submit a successful report. It was that, or fail to pay for his mother\u2019s care. <\/p>\n
Warren stood up, felt disconcertingly dizzy, and steadied himself with a hand on the desk. He had to get some sleep. Then take a break. Well, his mother would be expecting him. <\/p>\n
Joyce was staring out of her window, her hands tightly gripped on the windowsill, knuckles shaking and white.<\/p>\n
Warren stood beside her and took in the scene. The sky was dark grey, almost green.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you see?\u201d Warren said.<\/p>\n
Joyce appeared to deflate, all the tension seeping from her. She smiled, \u201cThe sky is darkened by their cities. Thousands of faces peer at me, filling me with their poison.\u201d She looked at Warren. Her face seemed alive, coloured with emotion, and untouched by medication. \u201cThe doctors think I\u2019m crazy. That to indulge others in my hallucinations is counterproductive. They say medication will help\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce opened a clenched fist, revealing three blue pills in her open palm. \u201cThey make me forget about the hallucinations\u2026 or stop caring about them, I don\u2019t know. But they take away so much more than just the bad stuff. Everything becomes fog.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want to get out of here for a couple of hours?\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce glanced up . Tension contorted her expression. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it, Mum?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren took his mother\u2019s arm. \u201cCome on, Ma, we can go grab a coffee – I\u2019ll look after you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce\u2019s shoulders slouched forward, as if she were trying to fold herself away. She started to shake as if freezing cold. Warren held her until she began to calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cI just can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay\u2026 It\u2019s fine.\u201d <\/p>\n
Joyce quickly swallowed her pills, closed her eyes for a moment. \u201cCome and see me again soon?\u201d
\n\u201cOf course I will.\u201d <\/p>\n
The day before deadline, Warren woke at 6am. The wind hissed outside, rattling through vents like wailing ghosts. Rain pelted loudly against the office window. Through it all, Warren heard pounding footsteps in the dark hallway outside. <\/p>\n
He jumped up and struggled into his tracksuit bottoms and t-shirt. <\/p>\n
A man, completely covered by a waterproof anorak and carrying a heavy-duty umbrella stood outside in the narrow corridor. <\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Tony, what brings you to my little backwater dump?\u201d <\/p>\n
Tony\u2019s face was visible above his pulled up collar. \u201cAre we going to talk out here or are you going to make me a coffee? You have got coffee in this \u2018backwater dump\u2019 I assume?\u201d <\/p>\n
Warren chuckled. \u201cYup, plenty of coffee and toast\u2026 just don\u2019t tell the council I\u2019ve rigged up a 7 Tesla magnet in one of their properties…\u201d <\/p>\n
Warren opened up and led Tony into his workshop.<\/p>\n
Tony discarded his anorak and left it dripping on a wall hook. He was a little taller than Warren but massed only two-thirds his weight. \u201cFancy place you\u2019ve got here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren filled the kettle. \u201cJust because I don\u2019t genuflect for David Harris on a daily basis,\u201d Warren put his hand on Tony\u2019s shoulder. \u201cLike some people. It doesn\u2019t make me a loser.\u201d <\/p>\n
Tony raised a single eyebrow, but couldn\u2019t hide his smile from lifting his cheekbones. \u201cSo you\u2019re keeping it real for the little guy? Battling one research project at a time, taking what you can from the evil corporations?\u201d <\/p>\n
Tony grinned wide, and it made Warren want to drop what he was doing, forget about the project, and take his old friend out and get drunk. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re taking one for the team?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cScrew you, Tony.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren filled two cups with instant coffee, sugar, and milk. \u201cClear a space. Grab a seat on the bench.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren sat back and cradled his coffee. He let the silence settle between them and enjoyed the moment before the imminent heavy conversation ensued. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, if you didn\u2019t keep pissing people off you\u2019d be running your own team somewhere like Magnetix.\u201d He gestured to old test equipment lining the grey stained walls. \u201cYou\u2019d have access to all the equipment you could ask for and not be hiding out in an abandoned shithole with rats and the odd pigeon for company.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren stiffened with tension. He\u2019d tried to explain it before but Tony just didn\u2019t get it. \u201cI do what is necessary to finish a job properly. If I missed a couple of deadlines along the way, that\u2019s because I needed more time to study the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop it, Warren. You\u2019re a bloody control freak, and you\u2019re not a team player.\u201d Tony drilled Warren with stern gaze. \u201cDress it up how you like, mate, but you\u2019re a difficult guy to work with. Believe me. I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why are you here then? Actually, let me guess, David sent you to make sure his \u2018wild card\u2019 isn\u2019t going to cock up his precious publication deadline?\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence answered him clearly enough. <\/p>\n
\u201cDavid spoke to me, sure. He just needs his nerves un-jangled. His reputation is riding on this.\u201d Tony hopped off the bench. \u201cWhich I don\u2019t give a rat\u2019s arse about, but, if he doesn\u2019t get this paper submitted you can be sure he\u2019ll hold you responsible, and he\u2019s the kind of guy you need on your side in this industry.\u201d Tony pulled himself back onto the bench and leant forward, forearms on knees. \u201cRegardless, I didn\u2019t come here for him. I came for you. No results equals no pay. I\u2019m here to help.\u201d He rolled up his shirtsleeves and clapped his hands together. \u201cWhere shall I start?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren wrestled with his instinct to throw Tony out. He figured Tony would forgive him\u2026 eventually. Below his pride, though, Warren felt lingering helplessness, the nagging thought of moving his mother to a cheaper home, the stress of having to spend many more nights in this place. No, he needed a place of his own, but first, he needed complete his part of the project and collect payment.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t deny it. He needed Tony\u2019s help.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a matter of fact,\u201d Warren said. \u201cThere seems to be some anomalous metabolic activity in my initial test.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s the subject?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony grinned. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have expected anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren ignored the gibe. He brought up the results on his PC screen. \u201cLook.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChrist, these are awesome. The sensitivity is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight, but look here.\u201d Warren pointed to the image of his brain on the screen. Red and yellow patches of colour vibrated in various sections. \u201cAt first glance it all looks pretty familiar.\u201d He zoomed in. \u201cBut there are active sections in the thalamus and cortex. Here.\u201d He pointed with a pen to a small coloured segment, zoomed in again. \u201cThis is way outside the current state-of-the-art measuring capability.\u201d Dozens of segments were alight within the area. \u201cThe odd thing is that they remained stable and active throughout the test.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony looked at Warren. He was transfixed. \u201cCould it be noise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought the same, but it\u2019s not random.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony shook his head. \u201cIs this the only data you have, just one test?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLook around, buddy, you think I have an assistant in here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, okay\u2026 perhaps the contamination is environmental,\u201d Tony said. \u201cI\u2019ll play lab rat this time and we can compare results. If the anomalous activity shows up in my test, then we can assume it is noise related, and take steps to eliminate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the next logical step. Warren couldn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n
Warren displayed Tony\u2019s test on the screen. The metabolic activity was so clear that Warren almost dared to believe he would make the deadline. But he knew these results had to be better than good. They had to be perfect.<\/p>\n
\u201cZoom in here,\u201d Tony said. <\/p>\n
Warren zoomed in and corrected the screen resolution. \u201cThere.\u201d Tony pointed. \u201cIt\u2019s the same as yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren felt his pulse jump a couple of beats. \u201cWait a minute.\u201d He hit the print button, got his results up under the same resolution, and hit print again.<\/p>\n
Warren placed the printouts over one another against the window. They didn\u2019t line up. \u201cThe anomalies are similar, Tony, but they\u2019re not identical.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the anomalies are produced by the scanner, I would have expected them to be identical in both tests. This makes it tricky.\u201d Warren pushed his forehead against the window, he let his mind wander with the view of the wet, wind-swept city. \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren stalked back to his PC.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell?\u201d Tony asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe activity is generated in slightly different areas, but that doesn\u2019t mean it isn\u2019t caused by interference in the magnetic field.\u201d He compared two similar segments from Tony and his own tests. \u201cSee? Both are pulsing at the same frequency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I\u2019ll be buggered. You\u2019re right.\u201d Tony slowly shook his head. \u201cMagnetic interference\u2026 fine, so we just need to counter the signal, block it somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight. I can extrapolate the frequency and program the software to block the unwanted noise.\u201d Warren checked the time. 7pm. He had until tomorrow night to submit his results. \u201cI\u2019ll go under the magnet this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren sat back in the test chair. His eyes were heavy, but his mind was reeling with anticipation.<\/p>\n
The scanning tunnel buzzed down on transition stages. Warren looked across the room. Through the window, the sky was beginning to darken. Heavy rain clouds covered in a blanket of swirling grey.
\nThe shapes seemed almost to have depth, as if he could reach out and touch them. <\/p>\n
The humming stopped. The scanning tunnel was in place. <\/p>\n
Warren tried to clear his mind and concentrate on the coming questions. <\/p>\n
\u201cAre you ready?\u201d Tony asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d <\/p>\n
Tony switched on the system. The room filled with the incessant screams of the scanning system, like a malfunctioning robot from an old movie, or the dying splutters of an old floppy disc magnified a hundred fold.<\/p>\n
Tony raised his thumb and mouthed \u201cAll good. Don\u2019t move a muscle.\u201d He started tapping into the PC, presumably activating the signal block. <\/p>\n
Warren continued to stare out the window, trying to block out the sound of the machine. In the sky, thick clouds vibrated. They took on substance. <\/p>\n
What had been miserable grey had somehow transformed into a collection of horrendous structures that hung in the sky like angry gods.<\/p>\n
Warren closed his eyes tightly. <\/p>\n
When he opened them again, the world was a different place. He ducked out of the machine, his gaze transfixed on what lay outside. The structures were shadowed with dark ridges and ugly extrusions that leaked black vapour. Like floating cities, dozens of them darkened the entire sky. Spires rose kilometres further through the clouds above.<\/p>\n
Below them, thousands of machines whirled through the air like swarms of insects. <\/p>\n
Warren felt Tony stand beside him. He heard his quickened breaths above the racket of the machine. A single look in Tony\u2019s direction confirmed that he too saw the impossible picture before them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHallucination\u2026\u201d Tony managed. \u201cThe signal is messing with our information processing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren didn\u2019t take his eyes of the scene. \u201cTell me what you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony\u2019s voice was a throaty quiver. \u201cI see what looks like metallic ships floating\u2026\u201d He pointed. \u201cThere, there\u2026 Christ, they\u2019re everywhere. Flying things\u2026 another one over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren pointed to the north-west. \u201cOver there\u2026 see the cables?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe a mile off, cables as wide as trucks fell from an airborne structure. They penetrated the ground in a park close to the river. All around it, thousands of flying things heaved and shifted in the sky. The black sheet seemed to grow as Warren watched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it,\u201d Tony said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re coming this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren couldn\u2019t drag himself away, and watched as the things drew closer. He could appreciate their scale now – each was size of a house cat. Multiple appendages spiralled out from each individual in all directions. <\/p>\n
Warren\u2019s gaze flicked from one to the other in the cloud of the massing swarm. Each was similar in size and design, but all were fundamentally individual. Different limbs, or colour. The common denominator on each was two central stalked eyes, black and glistening like oil. <\/p>\n
Warren felt the air around him charge with energy, like the moment before a lightning bolt hit. There was an ear-deafening crash behind him. The room filled with the smell of burning plastic\u2014
\n\u2014And the world snapped back into focus. They were gone.<\/p>\n
The room was silent. Smoke rose from the inert scanning machine. The view was clear. Grey, wet, and miserable, and no sign of activity in the sky.<\/p>\n
Warren thought of his mother staring out her window, knuckles white against the ledge. He thought about the billions of Euros spent developing technologies to cater the exponential increase in mental health problems. <\/p>\n
He thought about the freak weather and the inexplicable death of wildlife across the globe.<\/p>\n
Tony stood at the window with his head slumped forward. His eyes were sunken in ashen sockets. The only sign of movement came from involuntary shakes that, on any other day, Warren would have mistaken for laughter. He pulled his phone out and searched for News stations: BBC, CNN, CBS\u2026 all nothing. \u201cIt\u2019s not on the News. Perhaps some kind of shared hallucination\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you see? We are the only ones that could have seen it\u2026\u201d Warren pointed to the machine. \u201cThe scanner is passive; it can\u2019t interfere with our processing of information.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but the signal could have.\u201d Tony said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTony, the system didn\u2019t generate metabolic activity in our brains\u2026 believe me I designed this prototype. We simply blocked what is already there\u2026 Something else is interfering with our processing.\u201d<\/p>\n
He let the thought settle on him, sink into his skin and freeze his blood. \u201cWe unblocked an already existing signal\u2026 then, our reality is a lie. I\u2013we-that bloody machine, just opened our eyes to a hidden world?\u201d Warren joined Tony by the window and gazed over the Greater London sprawl – miles of land where millions of people lived and worked. \u201cThose things are still out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just can\u2019t see them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople need to know. We\u2019ve got to tell someone.\u201d Tony took his phone out and started to dial.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you calling?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police. We need to explain what\u2019s going on and get them to talk to the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren gently took the phone away. \u201cThis isn\u2019t something we can just tell people about. You really think they\u2019ll believe you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony seemed to surrender. His arms went up, palms out. \u201cWell what do you suggest we do?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. Go see your family, girlfriend, whatever, make sure they\u2019re okay. I\u2019m going to see my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren felt the anger radiating from his friend, barely contained frustration born from fright. <\/p>\n
Being scared Warren could understand. It loomed large and heavy, so strong, Warren could taste it like bile, blinding him of all rational thought. <\/p>\n
\u201cLike hell you are.\u201d Tony said. \u201cIf we can\u2019t tell people about this then we\u2019re going to bloody show them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShow them what? The scanner\u2019s fried.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren could see an idea forming on Tony\u2019s face, his eyes ignited with mischief. He ripped off the scanner\u2019s outer shell and poked around inside. \u201cSome components are fried, but I think I can fix it.\u201d He carefully removed a module and handed it Warren. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a magnet a hundred times more powerful at Magnetix. We take your program, bolt on your system, and then rip a hole so everyone can see through this fairy-tale bullshit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren tried to argue, he explored every avenue of defence he could find\u2026 but nothing materialised. <\/p>\n
In the end, he adopted his stance – a single plea. \u201cI\u2019ll do it, but first I want to visit my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was dark outside the nursing home, and well past visiting hours.<\/p>\n
The on-duty nurse was plump and bouncy. Warren watched her through the window as she rushed to open the door. She pulled it open only slightly, the chain still attached.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to see my mother Joyce. It\u2019s an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nurse looked unsure, was about to say something-<\/p>\n
\u201cAn emergency,\u201d Warren repeated. Not wanting to make a scene.<\/p>\n
She mumbled something about signing a register. Warren ignored her and headed upstairs at once. Tony followed close behind.<\/p>\n
He knocked twice and didn\u2019t wait for an answer.<\/p>\n
Joyce was sitting in her chair with the curtains closed. She was watching the News. Images of dead coral reef dominated the picture.<\/p>\n
Joyce smiled. \u201cOh what a surprise. How lovely to see you both-\u201d She stopped talking with an abruptness that sent a chill through Warren\u2019s spine. <\/p>\n
Joyce screamed with deafening intensity. Shock contorted her face into an ugly mask. Her skin turned white and she scrambled to get away from him.<\/p>\n
Warren ran to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! No!\u201d she screamed, her hands coming up in protective defence. \u201cLeave my son alone!\u201d <\/p>\n
Warren stopped dead in his tracks. <\/p>\n
Her expression charged with soft lines of sympathy wrestling against hollow-eyed fright. But her focus was sharp. He couldn\u2019t detect her usual drug-induced glaze. \u201cYou have to run, boy, get away from them,\u201d she whispered. \u201cDo you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren felt strong arms push past him. Two nurses ran past in a flash of white and blue. <\/p>\n
Joyce had fallen to the floor, cowering. One of the nurses produced a syringe and stuck it in Joyce\u2019s arm. <\/p>\n
Warren hurried over and tried to hold is mother. <\/p>\n
The nurse looked back at him. \u201cJust something to calm her. She\u2019ll be okay but she needs to rest now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren backed away, unable to take his eyes off his mother slumped and shivering in the corner. <\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Warren, we can come back in the morning,\u201d Tony said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing you can do here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
The walk to Magnetix passed in a dreamlike haze. Warren carried a rucksack weighted with the scanning modules and components. It rubbed his back with each step. Warren\u2019s mind bounced from the earlier impossible sights\u2014a tear in reality, as he\u2019d come to consider it – to Joyce\u2019s reaction to him. <\/p>\n
But really, it was the opposite to a tear in reality. His\u2014no, everyone\u2019s processing of reality couldn\u2019t be trusted.<\/p>\n
Magnetix loomed above them – a glass building eight storeys high. The lights were off on all floors, apart from the lobby. <\/p>\n
Warren followed Tony through the rotating entrance. Tony flashed a badge at the security guard. <\/p>\n
They rode the lift up to the fifth floor. Tony took white overalls and a hair net from a locker, and passed them to Warren. \u201cPut them on.\u201d <\/p>\n
They walked through two doors into the cleanroom. The lab was a pristine example of what big money could buy. Warren felt a sharp pang of regret that he didn\u2019t have the opportunity to work in such a place, but it passed just as quickly as he considered working for men like David Harris.<\/p>\n
Tony flicked on the lights and the room came alive with a low hum. Before them, in the centre of the open plan lab was a fully operating MR scanner. <\/p>\n
Warren checked his watch. \u201cIt\u2019s gone nine, it\u2019s probably going to take all night to get this hooked up and active. Are you ready?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony nodded. His face was hard to read, but Warren thought he glimpsed a hard line of determination behind the white of his receding shock. \u201cLet\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The morning sun warmed Warren\u2019s forearms as he screwed the panel back into the MRI machine. He looked left. Tony was still asleep, his rolled-up jacket supporting his head. Even in his sleep, his brows were furrowed. <\/p>\n
Warren turned back. Just a few more tweaks and the system would be ready for testing. <\/p>\n
God only knew what was going to happen when he switched the power on. Am I even doing the right thing? Warren wondered. Do people want to know what\u2019s really out there? <\/p>\n
What would happen when the world saw behind the veil? Christ, does it even matter? People have a right to know what\u2019s happening to their world. <\/p>\n
The door behind slammed open. <\/p>\n
Tony sat upright so quickly it looked like he\u2019d been electrocuted. The man that entered hadn\u2019t bothered to don overalls. He wore a tailored suit with a slight sheen. His shiny shoes clipped loudly on the resin floor. He wore the skin of an executive, but it would take more than a good tailor to hide his slime-over cut and bad posture.<\/p>\n
David Harris came straight for Warren and stopped inches away. His eyes were ablaze with fragrant anger. Warren nearly fell backwards from the force of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you doing to my machine?\u201d <\/p>\n
David used a conversational tone that made his anger even more real. Warren felt his shoulders tense and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be away from David Harris.<\/p>\n
Warren stumbled for words, somehow trying to explain the past twelve hours in a sentence but not being able to articulate a single point. <\/p>\n
Tony loomed close and David snapped his focus on him. <\/p>\n
Warren let out a long breath. <\/p>\n
\u201cWarren,\u201d Tony said. \u201cHow long before we can test the machine?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cPretty soon I guess. A few minutes and I\u2019ll have it hooked up with my PC.\u201d<\/p>\n
David\u2019s face creased up into a wrinkled ball. Warren took an involuntary step backwards.<\/p>\n
Tony put a hand on David\u2019s back. \u201cSir, please, just watch. Give us five minutes and you\u2019ll understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
David blinked, as if waking from a bad dream. \u201cNo way. You tell me right now why you\u2019ve destroyed my equipment.\u201d <\/p>\n
Warren slowly backed away. It took him a few seconds to connect his computer to the machine. There were a few panels still to be mounted, and a couple of solder joints that could do with cleaning, but it wasn\u2019t necessary. Not really.<\/p>\n
Warren switched the power on. \u201cHey,\u201d he said, looking directly at David. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d And he set the blocking program running. <\/p>\n
Shadows moved and changed, and the room dropped a shade darker.<\/p>\n
The air became thick with the stench of diesel fuel and the atmosphere vibrated with a low groaning. Warren closed his eyes against the onslaught; it was as if he\u2019d transported to a different room, a different world.<\/p>\n
Warren counted a dozen or more things buzzing about. They held still for a second, then moved to a new, seemingly random, place in a blink. They would linger for just a fleeting moment. Like faces flying past on a speeding train, Warren couldn\u2019t absorb their features. He saw glimpses of metal fused with flesh, engines that spat black smoke, and large stalked eyes as black as his darkest nightmare. <\/p>\n
Warren was aware of sounds from outside, it might have been screams, or the screeching of brakes. Explosions shook the building.<\/p>\n
Warren moved to the window. On the streets below, people gathered and watched the skies. Others ran in panic trying to flee the inescapable horror above them. <\/p>\n
David fell to the ground. He let out a rush of air as he hit the ground. <\/p>\n
Tony\u2019s eyes followed the buzzing creatures that infested the lab. Together they moved towards Warren\u2019s computer. They seemed to slow a beat, heaving slowly as if one independent creature.
\nAnd they disappeared. <\/p>\n
Outside, the floating cities had fallen behind their cloak. The room once again smelt clean and felt safe. <\/p>\n
\u201cDid they switch the machine off?\u201d Tony said.<\/p>\n
Warren checked over the system. He made sure his program was still running. \u201cIt\u2019s still going. All functioning.\u201d He checked his PC and ran some numbers. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe bastards have changed the interference frequency, they modified their blocking signal.\u201d <\/p>\n
Warren said. \u201cWe just need to scan someone again and we should be able to update my program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tony nodded. Then his entire body lifted off the ground as if by magic, and struck the ceiling of the lab. He fell to the ground like a crash-test dummy. Blood spilled from his head in a growing circle of dark red.<\/p>\n
In a similar way, David flew across the lab bouncing off the MRI machine to land in a broken heap next to Tony\u2019s limp body.<\/p>\n
Warren\u2019s body filled with a sharp spike of adrenalin. He ran for the door. He pulled himself into the corridor and ran for the stairwell. His heart pounded in his ears, his breath wheezed alarmingly in his chest, but somehow he managed to find himself outside. <\/p>\n
All sight of the intruders were gone, but everywhere Warren saw the devastation they inflicted. The invisible attackers smashed cars and crushed them into sheet metal. They threw bodies through the air like toys, piling them in hideous heaps of broken limbs and ripped flesh. <\/p>\n
Warren tried to block out the terrible screams and deafening sounds of exploding concrete and smashing glass.<\/p>\n
He pushed onwards, away from the city and the smell of fear, towards his mother\u2019s nursing home. His feet pounded on the floor, step after step until eventually he arrived at the Victorian home. <\/p>\n
All was quiet inside. No sign of the nurses. The only sound was the distant whimpering of residents behind closed doors.<\/p>\n
Warren found his mother in her room. She sat in her chair staring at white noise on the buzzing TV. The curtains were open. Smoke billowed in the distance. Military aeroplanes roared across the sky.<\/p>\n
Warren sat on the bed. He took his mother\u2019s hand in his. \u201cMum?\u201d<\/p>\n
Joyce\u2019s eyes flickered and then focused. \u201cOh hello, Warren. How lovely to see you.\u201d She gestured to the TV with a mild sneer. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing on the damn TV these days. So tell me, how is work?\u201d<\/p>\n
Warren quickly closed the curtains and knelt down. He held his mother\u2019s hand tightly, thankfully. <\/p>\n
He closed his eyes and let his mind search for the words – an explanation for the destruction outside. Words that might soothe the final moments of their lives.<\/p>\n
Finally, he resisted the urge to explain. At least here, they could hide. Wait and hope the threat would pass them by. At least here, Joyce was comfortable, and if they came, Warren knew the end would be quick. <\/p>\n
The sound of splintering wood resounded downstairs. Glass smashed and clattered loudly.<\/p>\n
Joyce seemed oblivious. <\/p>\n
The crashing sounds raged closer. Warren felt the vibration as the invisible invaders tore the house apart below them.<\/p>\n
Warren breathed in deeply and tried to lift his lips into a smile. <\/p>\n
\u201cWork is\u2026 great,\u201d he managed, before the door disintegrated into a thousand splinters and viscous pincers wrapped around his waist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Warren fell into the backseat of the taxi and let the stillness settle over him. \u201cThe wind will tear the clothes off your bloody back,\u201d the cab driver said. \u201cYeah, well, at least it\u2019s dry today.\u201d The cabby pulled away and switched on the radio. A sombre female reporter announced: It\u2019s official, we can now …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":346,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,125,902],"tags":[903],"class_list":["post-7060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","category-futuristic","category-tcl-10-winter-2014","tag-the-colored-lens-10-winter-2014","entry entry-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7060"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139633,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7060\/revisions\/139633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thecoloredlens.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}