Connexion : The Atlantis Project, Book.1 (18 page)

“
You’re back!”
it said.
“It’s about
time! We really thought we’d lost you.”

…
Who
are you talking about? Why did you hurt my ear like
that?

“
Which ear are you talking about, Charlie?
Are you injured?”

…
Of
course I’m injured! What a question! You’re the one who bit my ear
and made it bleed, and now you’re asking me if I’m
injured?

“
Listen, Charlie. I’m not sure if you’re
quite with it. I don’t know what you can see right now, or who you
think you’re talking to, but it’s me – your brother.”

…Jacques?

“
Yes, that’s right! What’s been going on
all this time?”

…Oh, it would take far
too long to tell you! And I’m not sure I’m capable of explaining
it. The connection is much more complex than Francisco thought.

“
Aren’t you managing to find your way
around in Victor’s memory?”

…
No, that’s not the root of the problem. You can’t be
physically connected to someone’s
brain without fundamentally changing the
way it functions.

“
You mean the connection is damaging
Victor’s brain? This time you really need to get out of there. I
don’t like the turn things are taking at all! We have to stop this
experiment as soon as possible.”

…
No,
Jacques! If you disconnect us now, I’m not sure I’ll make it back
in one piece.

“
But the longer we wait, the deeper you
seem to sink into the recesses of Victor’s mind. This time we had
to give you an adrenaline shot to change your level of wakefulness
and try to re-establish contact with you. The process seems to have
worked, but it’s not without risk. After the shock caused by the
injection, your heart started to race and your brain activity rose
to a level never before seen in a human brain. Then the activity
decreased drastically and your heart stopped again for several
seconds. I’m telling you, Charlie: you need to stop the experiment.
If you don’t do it for me, do it for yourself. You and I both know
that you have to be willing for us to get you out of
there.”

…
I
know all that, Jacques, but I just need a little more time. There
are some things I still need to do here. The injection had an
unexpected effect. I think it enabled me to see some things that
were beyond me before. It really would be too complicated to
explain it to you and I’m not sure if we have the time, but I think
I managed to partially free myself from Victor’s hold on me. The
change may have been linked to my level of wakefulness. The
adrenaline must have increased my state of awareness. But there’s
more!

“
What is it, Charlie?”

…
Our
brains are no longer strictly speaking two distinct entities.
Victor calls it “convergence”.

“
What do you mean? I don’t see what you’re
getting at.”

…
It
doesn’t matter, Jacques. Not now. The process has already been
operating since the beginning of the connection. It’s unavoidable.
Francisco should have foreseen the phenomenon before beginning the
experiment.

“
If you’re sure of your choice, I can’t
stand in your way, but you need to know that everyone here is very
tense. I’m not the only one who’s worried about you. When we last
talked, the neural probe was disconnected even though you were just
starting to show some sense. Since then we haven’t been able to
find the cause of the communication failure. Today we can talk, but
the technicians still don’t understand what happened. They think
the neural probe must have some fault that they didn’t notice
before implanting it. According to their hypothesis, the
malfunction is occurring intermittently, which explains why we can
still make contact sometimes. If it gets worse, we might simply
lose contact with you for good, Charlie. If that happened, we
wouldn’t have any other choice but to disconnect you without
warning you. God only knows what would happen then!”

…
I
know what happened.

“
What?”

…
Victor disconnected the neural probe so I wouldn’t abandon
him.

Behind them, Francisco, whose anxiety had
been on the rise for several days now, turned to Mario, his head
down and eyes glued to the floor.

“The situation is becoming worrisome,” he
said. “Charlie is losing contact with reality. He thinks he is on a
mission and is starting to believe he’s omniscient. He insists on
continuing regardless of the danger. If the neural probe gives out
completely, we’re headed for disaster. We have to do something,
Mario.”

“Yes, Francisco. I think you’re most likely
right, but what can we do? If we disconnect him now, while he’s
completely delirious, he might never find his feet again.”

“Maybe we should try to replace the neural
probe, but the operation is risky and it would require a partial
disconnection, at least while we do the implant.”

“What would the consequences be?”

“Charlie would lose all access to expressive
language for several minutes.”

“And then?”

“Logically, it should not have too much
impact, but we do not know if he is using that area of his brain to
navigate or communicate with Victor.”

“If I understand, you mean that there is a
significant risk that the procedure would greatly disturb the
equilibrium that Charlie has developed with Victor.”

“It’s a risk that I have no way of
calculating.”

“What do you imagine the consequences would
be if such a phenomenon occurred?”

“Well! In that case, they could both lose it.
Their respective minds may no longer be capable of sorting and
organizing their sensorial perceptions.”

“Is there no other solution, Francisco?”

“Yes. We could decide to wait and do nothing
except monitor Charlie’s physiological state, in the hope that
he’ll make the right decisions.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, Mario. I’m afraid so.”

Giuseppe, was present that day, but had
remained in the background. If he was not more forthcoming, it was
undoubtedly to avoid interfering in the close relationships which
had developed within the little group; leaving Francisco and Mario
to manage the situation. Now he decided to intervene and what he
said was categorical.

“Let’s trust Charlie. There’s too much we
don’t know, for us to take any risk other than that of trusting him
and letting him continue. Settle for managing his state of
awareness through the use of adrenaline. It seems to work. However,
I think it would be preferable to give him more frequent shots, but
of a lower dose. That should reduce the risk of damage to his
heart. If need be, tranquilize him slightly, but only if you have
strong reason to do so. We must have information about Victor.
Also, try to get him to talk as much as possible when you make
contact. Ask him about Victor; have him tell us what he knows. Do
you understand?”

“Yes, Giuseppe,” answered Francisco.

Mario said nothing. He was both relieved that
Giuseppe had made the decision for them, and at the same time he
was concerned that Charlie’s safety was being neglected in the
interest of the experiment.

Meanwhile, the conversation between Jacques
and his brother continued, via the neural probe. Charlie had just
explained to him that Victor had detected the neural probe and
managed to put it out of operation, but that since then, something
must have changed. Perhaps Victor wanted Charlie to be able to
communicate again, or maybe he had lost control of the neural
probe. He was also considering another possible explanation, which
he only alluded to.

…
Jacques, you know that it’s not like me to overestimate
myself. I usually do the opposite.

“
That’s true, Charlie, and I’m pleased
that you have gained confidence in yourself since agreeing to this
mission; but you still need to bear in mind that you may not be
quite your usual self right now. In addition to the adrenaline shot
we gave you, the brain makes its own chemicals. Besides that,
Victor’s brain is not neutral, either.”

…
You’re probably right, but I’m sure something new has
happened in my relationship with Victor. It was as if I had the
upper hand for a brief moment. I trusted myself and my own
intuition, but above all, I managed to read their writing system as
if it were my own language.

“
Do you think you managed to regain
control of the neural probe?”

…
Maybe, but I don’t know how.

Mario joined the conversation.

“Jacques, Giuseppe thinks it’s better to
leave the decision up to Charlie. However, he will need to inform
us a little more about what he has discovered concerning Victor. We
need to gather as much information as possible about him. The more
we know, the better equipped we will be to make the right
decisions. You should try to find out more.”

Jacques had heard what had just been said
perfectly well, but he did not want to reply. It was clear to him
that the proposition was not completely sincere. Above all,
Giuseppe wanted to take the experiment as far as possible, and he
knew it. Nevertheless, he complied, and steered the conversation
toward the discoveries Charlie had made about Victor.

“
What exactly do you know about
Victor?”

…
Well, things are still a little hazy, but apparently he seems
to have been hibernating in this cave for a lot longer than we
thought. He is part of a species not too dissimilar to ours. In a
lot of respects they make me think of us, but their technology is
much more advanced.

“
Maybe not to the point of prolonging life
for such a long period – keeping beings in hibernation for several
centuries already seemed unlikely. Charlie, are you sure you can
really trust what you perceive in that artificial realm?”

…
Listen, you asked me to tell you about Victor and that’s just
what I’m doing! You’re probably right; now is not the time to talk
about it.

Clementine had been keeping a constant eye on
Giuseppe and Francisco. She had never completely trusted Giuseppe
and did not particularly appreciate Francisco. Those two surely
know a lot more than they cared to let on. She drew near to Jacques
and whispered something in his ear. He looked up from the screen
briefly in Giuseppe’s direction, and then continued the
conversation with Charlie in a lighter tone.

“
You’re right. Who am I to question what
you tell me? Here I am, lying on my seat, waiting all day for you
to answer my calls. The rest of the time I eat, drink and chat with
Clementine and Mario. Francisco too, of course, but he’s not
exactly very talkative.”

…
They’re taking good care of you, I’m sure. I think about you
all the time. Tell them I can’t wait to get back there with you
all, and sit down to a good meal together; to see your faces and
smell, touch and taste the flavor of things again.

“
That won’t be necessary – they’ve just
read everything you just said.”

... That’s right! I
was forgetting that our conversation was public.

“
Not exactly, Charlie. They can only see
your answers. After each conversation, I tell them the questions I
asked you and they use them to transcribe our conversation. Don’t
forget that you’re hearing my voice because I’m communicating via
telepathy.”

…
Yes-

“
No! Don’t answer. Listen carefully to
what I tell you. This needs to stay between you and me. Clementine
has just shared her impressions of Giuseppe and Francisco’s
attitude with me, and I have to agree. We are more and more
convinced that they’re hiding something from us. I think that from
now on, it would be better if you told me as little as possible.
Just be evasive and especially keep the most pertinent information
to yourself. Maybe it’s nothing to worry about, but it’s best to
play it safe. I’m not sure that your safety is a priority for
Giuseppe. Who knows what they intend to do to Victor? After all,
they may be scientists, but they’re working for the army, let’s not
forget it. Let them believe that you are making important
discoveries but don’t let them know what they are until you’re back
here with us. For now, don’t bother about all that. Just try to get
back as soon as you have done what you think you need to do. Don’t
be too long. Good luck, Charlie!”

The screen remained blank. Everyone waited
expectantly for a reply but none came. Jacques turned away and
spread his hands slightly, signaling that the communication had
just been lost.

24 A FRESH START

There it was, lying peacefully near his face.
It had just closed its eyes after laying its head on its front
paws. Charlie, straining his ear, could just hear the tiny animal
breathing. He contemplated it with much tenderness and a little
nostalgia. It did not seem like much, but that little mouse
suddenly meant a lot more to Charlie than a mere imaginary animal.
He dreaded the inevitable moment when it would run away, leaving
him alone again. He dared not move, lest he woke it up. It
symbolized the link between himself and his brother; a link that he
was now fully aware of again.

This animal cannot be of Victor’s making, he
thought, Therefore, its image and presence here can only be the
product of my own mind. Consequently, I should be able to keep it
near me. I just have to want it.

Charlie slowly reached out his hand and
picked up the little rodent gently. The mouse did not move. Its
small, warm body fitted neatly in the palm of his hand. He could
feel its regular, rapid, little heartbeats on his skin. As it still
was not moving, Charlie began to believe he had been right. He
would never be separated from his brother now; at least not
completely. Leaning on his free arm, he got to his feet, being sure
not to make any brusque movements that might wake up the mouse. It
was still asleep in his hand, unperturbed. He took several steps
forward, without knowing where his feet would lead him in this
luminous void; a void that seemed at first to be limitless.
However, he could feel the ground beneath his feet again – a sign
that he was gradually getting back in touch with reality. This was
a very unique reality, where he and Victor were the architects.