Mobius (3 page)

Hours later, Sensimion entered Mage’s quarters and jolted me. “What’s wrong with you, Theron?”

I gazed intensely at him. “Memories have been surfacing in my mind over the past few weeks. But they’re unfamiliar, as though I’m remembering the memories of other men.”

Sensimion’s eyes widened. “What happens in these memories?”

“So many things. They’re not memories of my life before this place. Of this I’m certain. It’s as though I have the memories of many different lives tangled in my head. The people and scenery of each set of memories are so distinctly different from the next, it’s like each set of memories takes place in a different age of history.” I shook my head in confusion. “Could I be remembering past lives I’ve lived? Impossible! Ridiculous!”

“Reincarnation?” Sensimion swung a paranoid look to the door. “Don’t let the orderlies hear about this. We must keep this to ourselves. These memories may be a clue as to what’s really going on in this place. We must investigate further.”

“How?” I asked. “I can’t make sense of any of these memories. I know nothing about history or the world beyond the walls of this sanitarium.”

“We do have resources, Theron. Follow me.” Sensimion led me out of Mage’s quarters and back to the congregation room, where he pointed to a table with an inlaid view-panel. “We’re allowed access to the library. It contains everything about the world above. Use it to make sense of the memories. Try to identify any names or places you can recall.”

“This seems impossible. If they
are
memories of past lives, it could take a lifetime to sort through the details of history.”

“Then I suggest you start immediately, Theron.”

I touched the empty seat beside me. “Not until Mage is better.”

Once Mage woke up, I began my investigation. I spent the better part of the next month studying human history. I discovered many correlations between my strange memories and the reality of the past.

I informed Sensimion and Mage. “It’s like there’s a seepage of the past welling up in my mind. I possess the memories of many people, spanning back to the beginning of recorded history, and possibly further. I’m uncertain how these memories can be.”

Maybe I am insane,
I thought.

Sensimion’s mouth hung open. “Whose memories are they? What are the connections between these people, if any? Could it be reincarnation, as you suggested earlier?”

“It’s not reincarnation, since some of the people lived at the same time. There is, however, a similarity shared by many of the people. Most were a part of some significant turning point in human history.” I brought up the image of a man on the view-panel. “Seven hundred years ago, this man perfected the process of cold fusion. It’s odd, for I can recall the moments leading to his breakthrough and the days following. But that’s all. I know nothing else of this man, his thoughts, or the life he led.”

I displayed another portrait. “This man, in the mid-twentieth century, helped develop the integrated circuit, which gave rise to the computer age.” Another portrait was displayed. “And this man, who lived during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, was a great leader who founded the Mongol Empire. My memories of his life are much more extensive.” And another. “This man was a religious icon whose teachings were the inspiration for a religion called Christianity. I have the memories of the last few years of his life.”

“Who else?” asked Sensimion eagerly.

“I’ve made a list of names on this scrap of paper.”

“Be careful!” Sensimion snatched away the paper and tucked it into his pocket. “We can’t let the doctor know about this. There’s something unethical going on in this place, and we’re swimming through the thick of it.”

“I think you’re right, Sensimion.” I surveyed the patients in the congregation room. “Why doesn’t anyone get visitors? Someone must have loved ones worried about them.”

Mage, who had been listening on in silence, spoke up. “The two of you are feeding on each other’s delusions. Please, Theron, stop talking about these strange memories.”

“I can’t ignore what’s inside me.”

“You must, or the doctor will never release you. If we get well soon, we can be together on the outside.”

“We will be,” I said. “I promise you, Mage.”

She placed her hand on my chest. “Then stop this, Theron.”

I displayed another image on the view-panel. “Just look at the things I’m remembering. How is it possible?”

“It’s not possible.” Tears filled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mage. Please, don’t cry.” I watched sadly as she departed. I wished she believed me, for I felt a strong bond with her. I wanted to share everything with her.

Don’t you know how much I care for you?

“She’ll get over it,” said Sensimion. “Now, what are we going to do?”

I sighed. “The answers are with the doctor. We need to see what happens in the chamber of the sphincter beast while someone’s undergoing treatment.”

“I agree,” said Sensimion, “but it won’t be easy. The security door is state of the art. And even if we could bypass it, the doctor and orderlies spend nearly all their time in that room, making it impossible to enter undetected. And don’t forget we’re locked in our sleeping quarters at night, when patients are treated.”

“Don’t worry, Sensimion. I have a plan. It doesn’t require us to breach the door or enter the room. Remember, we only need to see inside.” I didn’t elaborate further, since two orderlies entered the congregation room to deliver lunch.

An orderly served me a plate of the usual synthetic slop. I spoke to him like a madman. “Orderly! My sleeping quarters are unfit! The shit and piss of a thousand men have been deposited within. I fear that this human excrement might rise from the cracks in the floor and envelop me.” I banged my face on the table, causing my eyes to tear and my nose to bleed. “I haven’t slept in days. How can I get well without sleep? I demand a room with more comfort and less stench!”

The orderly grunted in annoyance. “You can relocate to the sleeping quarters next to your current quarters. They’re empty.”

“Unacceptable!” I exclaimed. “That one’s filthy, too. The only clean quarters are at the end of the hall, next to the chamber of the rehabilitation vesicle.”

The orderly slid a feeding tube down the throat of a catatonic patient sitting near me. “Fine. I’ll unlock it after lunch. Now, eat your meal.”

Satisfied, I ate my shitty meal with a smile.

When the orderlies finally left the congregation room, I informed Sensimion. “My plan is unfolding perfectly. When I’m relocated to the sleeping quarters next to the chamber of the sphincter beast, I’ll begin drilling a small peephole through the common wall.” I nodded my head with delight. “It couldn’t be simpler.”

“Where will you find a drill?”

“The walls of this place are crumbling. I won’t need a powerful tool. The broken medical orb left beneath my cot contains a micro scalpel. I can modify it into a pulse drill. It’ll probably take a long time with such a weak tool, but time is what we have in this prison.”

“How do you know about such technology?”

“I know things now. The memories have given me experiences and knowledge of many things. I’m more than I was before.”

That night, I smuggled the medical orb into my new sleeping quarters and began. I pried open a side panel of the orb and revealed its complicated inner workings. They were so familiar. I looked to the memories that crowded my mind and found the memories of a woman. She was an engineer who designed such robots. I recognized one of six power-nodes and removed it carefully, insulating my fingers with some fabric from my shirt. I located the micro scalpel and followed the circuitry to its control chip. This was all I needed. I disconnected the scalpel and control chip and left the rest behind.

How can I know these things?
I wondered, somewhat afraid of myself.

I coupled the power-node to the micro scalpel and began strategically shorting circuitry pathways. When finished, I held my breath for a moment and then used a piece of metal to temporarily bridge two circuits. The micro scalpel shot forth a pulsing beam that made me smile. For some reason, it was the happiest I’d been in the sanitarium.

The next night, I worked out the proper angle and engaged the tiny pulse drill. Despite a slow progress, it functioned perfectly. Worried about an orderly entering my quarters, I positioned my cot against the wall so I could work lying down, with the drill concealed under my blanket.

Every night the peephole got deeper. Occasionally, when the pulse drill’s intensity weakened, I’d replace the power-node. On the tenth night, I halted my work when I heard the door opening. I dropped the drill under my cot and pulled my cover over my head.

“Theron?” came a soft voice. “Are you awake?”

“Mage?” I sat up. “How did you get out of your quarters?”

“I tampered with my door’s magnetic lock before bedtime. I wanted to see you.”

“You’re amazing,” I said, hugging her close. “But you could get in trouble for such defiance.”

“I’m worried about you, Theron.” She took my hand and ran a finger over a row of energy burns. “What are you doing in here? You seem exhausted during the day.”

I looked in her round blue eyes.
I can’t upset her. She doesn’t need to know.

“I know you’re up to something.” She brushed her hand against my blanket. “What’s this dust?”

I can’t lie to her.

I moved the blanket away from the wall. “I’ve been drilling a peephole, so I can see inside the chamber of the rehabilitation vesicle. So I can see the truth.”

“This idea of conspiracy is consuming you, Theron.”

My head sagged. “If there’s no conspiracy and the memories aren’t real, then I am insane.” I placed a finger to the peephole. “This gives me hope.”

She shook her head. “What of me? What of us? With friendship, hope is forged. I can be your sanity. Together, we can live a normal life, despite a few crazy, stupid memories.”

I looked at her fondly.
She’s the only person in the world who cares about me.

“You’re right,” I said. “I’ve been a fool. I risk our future together. I’ll stop. I’ll stop for you... for us.”

She pulled me down on the cot and I felt her warm body against mine. I was soothed by the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

This is right. This is the answer to my madness—the closeness, the companionship, the shared moments, the love.

I sat up. “You must go back to your quarters and fix the magnetic lock.”

“Just a few more minutes.”

I kissed her with passion and then pushed her to the door. “Go.”

She looked back at me. “Is this what love feels like, Theron?”

“I think so.” I felt a strange excitement—the chance for a future, for something more, for happiness. I thought of our possible life together, somewhere else, somewhere far from the sanitarium.