Chapter thirty four

Rumours of Black Boxes exist, places where mad scientists work on their art and where the craziest of inventions are tested. Some believe these tales. Me? I think they’re merely bedtime stories meant to scare the cowardly. – extract from “Stories and Secrets of the Galaxy”

George woke up in darkness. Not the type of darkness of a dream, not that type of comforting darkness, no. This was a deep darkness, one that spoke of endless eons of loneliness, one that was cold and apathetic, one that just didn’t care. He felt the sheer futility of his existence, the sheer uselessness of anything he did. He curled up in a ball, trying to protect himself from the uncaring outside. Then, he woke up.

“HELPHELPHELPNOWHYDONTPLEASE” He shot straight up, yelling and trying to thrash around. It took him a minute to realise he was restrained. As he calmed down, he noticed he was in a featureless room, with a man sitting next to his bed. The man was Hispanic and looked at him with sympathy.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!?” The man winced for a second at the volume of his outburst, before replying.

“I am sorry about the procedure you have experienced, but it was necessary for your job.”

“What? Where am I-Oh. I got black boxed. Is this a Black Box? Where are my squad mates? What is my job?”

“In that order, Yes, in another part of this facility and tester.”

“Where are they? Tester of what?” The man chuckled.

“All will be revealed in due time. For now, just try to move your body and tell me if there are any uncomfortable spots.”

George swung his arms and flexed his muscles. He felt no real imbalances or pains in his body, except for a dull ache at the back of his neck.

“I feel no pain except for at the back of my neck.”

“That is to be expected, it is the linking port for the neural interfaces after all and needs time to acclimate to your nervous system. It should go away in a few days. Now, get up and come over here.”

George stood up, following the man over to a large cube with glowing white lines all over it. There was a large oval attached to the cube, that opened up into a pod when he got close.

“Now, please step into the pod and do not resist.” George complied. He stepped into the pod and let the restraints close over his arms and legs.

“Now, this is the most delicate part. Do Not Move. If the neural probe connects wrong, you could become a vegetable.”

George didn’t move. He felt a sharp pain in his neck, before He SaW EvErYtHiNg. He saw fireflies of light flowing down great highways of green, he saw blobs of nothing float in a sea of everything, he saw green and red and blue and purple and black and white and nothing.