The Experiment (16 page)

“About what? He’ll probably ask.”

He sighed and threw his hands up in the air out of frustration. “Atlas you haven’t been thinking about this?”

“I have, of course… It’s not easy… Ok what about this?... I’ll just say I’m afraid someone will hear me
and it’s really important… It’s not like I’ll have to explain myself once we get there… Worst case scenario - he’ll make me wait until we’re done with injections for the day.”

Kayin didn’t look impressed… “Well it’s not the best plan but I’m sure you can get him back to the lab… Take this.”

He handed me a small gun.

“It’s really quiet so don’t worry about putting a few in him.”

“Ok perfect…”

He turned and looked through the asirium for a few more moments; I could tell his mind was racing.

“I have to go Atlas… Good luck. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.”

I didn’t tell Kayin about the rest of the plan… That was between me and Horus… I’d only be using the gun to get him on that table; a bullet was too quick and easy for him…

Today was seemingly the longest day of my life… I didn’t want to spring this on Horus until he had gotten a few groups of the natives “processed”, as he likes to call it.

I didn’t want him to feel like he was being pulled away from his work. He might tell me to wait until later if I ask too soon and the last thing I wanted to do was wait. I’ve been wanting to do this for over a year… I’ve never witnessed anyone who deserves it
more.

I was so happy this would be the last day I had put on my act for Horus’ ego… If I had to congratulate or praise him one more time I was going to snap… Most importantly, it would be last day of injections and experiments; his sick little world was going to come falling down around him. And he was going to experience what it’s like to be one of his subjects before he dies…

As I watched him readying the next group I thought about what this meant for them as a people… There have to be hundreds of millions or even billions of them on this planet and we’re going to be leaving a few thousand with vastly superior intelligence...

Most likely they’ll take control… The only problem is they could use what Horus did to them to enslave and manipulate the rest. If you read any history book on Aeris, it’s very clear that humans are prone to that type of behavior.

Some use their intelligence to advance society as a whole and others use it to take advantage of people to gain wealth and power… And for whatever reason it always seems like those willing to cast away morality in order to reach their goals are more successful…

In this case, even the later generations would most likely inherit the same traits and continue to make it so a small group has all the power. Horus could be
responsible for the construction of a very bleak future… The exact type of future we’re trying to prevent on Aeris by destroying his research as soon as we can.

Really, there’s no telling what could happen because of what we’ve done. I just know it won’t be good, that it won’t help them… It will only separate them, promote hostility, and eventually lead to wars…

After a few hours he seemed to be slowing down and we had gotten a lot of work done so I went for it.

“Horus.”

He turned around “Yes?”

“I have something I need to talk to you about…”

I looked around to make it seem like I was nervous. “It’s about 3.”

He looked surprised “Well not here Atlas, once we’re done for the day just follow me back to the lab.”

I knew that’s what he was going to say… It wasn’t the end of the world, but I didn’t want to wait…

I looked him in the eyes and said “It’s kind of important, there’s something I need to tell you.”

He started getting annoyed “Atlas what could you possibly have to tell about this right now?”

I didn’t say a word, I just looked at him and tried to portray urgency.

Horus leaned his head back and sighed “Alright come on, let’s go.”

As we headed to the lab I started getting really nervous, my breathing escalated, and I could even feel myself beginning to sweat. I had to calm down… He’s probably already suspicious. I couldn’t let him see me like this.

While we walked I did my best to relax and calm my breathing… I thought it was helping a little but then I noticed my hands were slightly shaking. I had to keep telling myself I’d have the strength when the time comes. If I can watch what Horus does to them all day, I should be able to do this…

I followed just behind him in the hopes that he wouldn’t notice how obviously nervous I was.

Luckily, by the time we got there I was starting to feel a little better… I was starting to feel good about everything again. I guess it was just some initial fear I had to get past…

As he led me to the back he said “I don’t know what this is about Atlas but it better be something important, we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”

When he came to stop and started to turn around I took out the gun.

When he saw it his eyes widened “Atlas what are you doing…”

I brought it up and pointed it at his face. I had the barrel lined up right between his eyes. “Shut up, turn around and put your hands on the wall… NOW”

I could tell he wasn’t taking me seriously, he was
just angry.

He yelled. “What is this!? You put that down right now!” and started walking towards me.

Kayin said the gun was quiet… so I shot him in the leg.

Horus fell to the ground and started to yell so I ran over and hit him in the face as hard as I could… He was out cold before his head hit the floor.

I stood there for a while and watched the pool of blood start to form around his leg. I had to stop the bleeding otherwise he’d be dead soon… And that’s not what I wanted. Not yet.

I picked him up, strapped him down on his experimentation table, and stuffed a rag in his mouth.

Then I went over to one of the cabinets and started looking for medical supplies. I quickly found some bandaging and wound packing gel so I was able to easily stop the bleeding…

I combed through his bottles of injection fluids, I was looking for what he used to paralyze the natives. I had no idea what it was called, but I’d seen him use it every day so I knew exactly what it looked like.

I wanted Horus to be able to talk, so I only filled up the injector with half of what he usually does. Then I walked back over to the table and injected him in the neck.

While I waited for him to wake up I looked over all his tools; I kept going back to the drill. I wanted him
to experience everything the natives have… I needed him to know the fear of being paralyzed but completely aware of the pain and what’s being done to him. I wanted him to hear the sound of the drill and experience the indescribable terror of knowing what’s going to happen next…

After a few more minutes he still hadn’t regained consciousness so I slapped him in the face a few times… He was an old man; maybe I hit him a little too hard…

When he opened his eyes and saw me standing above him, he realized where he was and immediately started to panic. The paralyzing drug had already taken effect, so he could move and speak, but just barely.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him try to struggle free with that terrified look on his face. So I just watched… He was trying to speak the whole time but I just ignored him… Today he’d be the one listening.

I leaned over him, wrapped my hand around his neck and squeezed just a little… he stopped moving.

I got in so close I could feel his hot breath on my face… I looked into his eyes and said “I’ve administered a half dosage of that paralyzing fluid. Even if I unstrapped you, you’d just fall down… You’re too weak to yell and no one can hear you anyway.”

He just stared at me… he was already sweating…

“I’m going to take that rag out of your mouth and
we’re going to have a conversation… If you yell, I’m going to hurt you… Badly. Do you understand?”

He did his best to nod and I pulled the rag out of his mouth.

He coughed a few times “Please Atlas, I”

I hit him again and told him to shut up “I’m talking first Horus!”

After I did that, he just stared at me again, didn’t even try to talk. I could tell he wanted kill me. That he hated me…

I paused for a few moments… “So… My first question… What makes you think it’s ok for you to murder 1000’s of the natives?.. For any reason!.. I want to know Horus.”

He was obviously terrified… he even started to stutter “I, I… I did it for everyone on Aeris! For the benefit of all mankind… The natives should be thanking me for making the necessary sacrifices and advancing them!”

“So it’s ok because they aren’t advanced like we are? Their lives don’t matter?”

I could tell he was angry “Yes Atlas! Yes! Don’t you see the benefits greatly outweigh the sacrifice!? They were like animals and I turned them into people!”

“No Horus… They were people before you ever got here… And you know, I might have actually believed what you’re saying. Unfortunately I’ve come to know you too well.”

I walked over, picked up the same knife he always used to cut open the natives, and started circling the table. I didn’t plan on doing anything yet, I just wanted to scare him even more…

“I know that you and the ACI plan on using your research to take over Aeris… You’re all in it for power, nothing less, nothing more.”

He eyes widened…

“That’s right Horus, I figured out your plans long ago… I know that all of this was for your own glory and so you could turn yourself and all your friends at the ACI into some kind of super geniuses… Just like I know you planned on killing me once this was all over…”

I continued to walk around the table and stare at him…

“I also know that you picked an assistant like me so you’d have a fully evolved human to sacrifice when the time came… I know everything Horus… Don’t you get it? You’re nowhere near as smart as you like to think you are.”

He was still struggling to speak “That’s not true Atlas… I wanted you to be my permanent assistant. You would have had such a wonderful life... You could be at my side when the ACI takes over our pathetic government and brings order and the law of logic and science to Aeris!”

I scoffed “Oh Imagine that… The great Horus
believes he should rule the world. That everyone should worship him and bend to his will… It’s why you smiled that day we found out the natives began worshipping us as their creators!”

He didn’t say a word. I guess he was starting to understand that I had him all figured out…

“I know exactly who and what you are… And I know the men you’re working for are just like you. Probably worse… Your lies won’t work on me. You may think they have been this whole time…”

… “But as you can see, you were very, very wrong… And now you’re going to pay for every crime you’ve committed against the natives Horus.”

He started to lightly laugh “Spare me from your idiotic moral high ground… You obviously plan on killing me so just shut up and do it… I have nothing more to say to you. If you want to throw away the gift I’m offering you so be it… but know you’re a fool and that they’re going to kill you anyway!”

I slammed my fist down on his leg where he’d been shot. He let out a whimper and I could see him trying to tense up and twist because of the pain but he couldn’t… I bet it actually hurt more that way...

“I am going to kill you Horus!.. But I have some great news to give you first…”

As he glared at me I could see tears starting to form in his eyes.

“Because of everything you and the ACI have done…
And forced people to do, almost everyone has turned against you… We’re days away from coordinating a seizure of the ship and all the mining sites. We intend to free the natives and stay as long as it takes to mine the rest of the chrysos without their help.”

With immense rage, he said. “You won’t be doing any such thing!.. You’ll be tried and executed for treason as soon as you all return home. Just so you could help some animals escape a little bit of hard work!”

I hit the wound on his leg again. This time as hard as I could.

“They’re not animals Horus!.. They’re more human than you…”

This time he was actually able to move… He started trying to lunge at me in a blind rage. A mix of drool and blood was running down the side of his face and he was spitting it everywhere.

I said “Who’s the animal now Horus!? Look at you!..”

The light dosage I gave him was obviously starting to lose its effect so I injected him again. I said what I had to say and I was sick of hearing his voice.

He started cursing me and saying he’d be there to watch me die, that I couldn’t kill him… Then the drug kicked in, he laid his back and became silent – his mouth hanging open and eyes fixed to the ceiling.

I leaned down “You’ve gotten a little taste of what
it’s like be one of the natives Horus… How does it feel to be completely powerless and immobile, yet totally aware?.. Now I’m going to give you the whole experience.”

I could just faintly see the panic in his eyes, but I knew it was there… When I looked down at his hand I could see it was just barely moving… He was probably trying as hard as he could – screaming on the inside.

“Sorry Horus… You don’t remember how this works? You can’t move a muscle but you can feel everything…”

I walked over and picked up the drill. He couldn’t turn his head so he didn’t see it yet… Just to scare him, I pulled the trigger a few times.

It must have worked because even though he had a dose and a half I could actually see him moving his legs little now… It had to mean he was just that terrified... Which is exactly what I wanted…

I purposely made my way back over slowly, switching the drill on and off the whole time.

As I looked down at Horus he was still doing everything he could to struggle, but he could barely move… Now tears were streaming down his face and he was sweating profusely…

Then I noticed the wet spot forming on his pants…

I leaned over him and said “Oh Horus, now you’re just embarrassing yourself… And we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!”

…“We’re going to start by drilling 12 holes… You remember that right? You’ve done this so many times I figured you want to experience it for yourself… don’t you Horus?”