Mutation: Parables From The Apocalypse - Dystopian Fiction Read Online Free Page B
Author: Norman Christof
make a path through. Most were full of lab equipment and old computers, but a few particularly heavy ones were loaded with old paper files. One file box labeled “Alpha Trials” caught Chaz’s attention. Could this be referring to patient zero , he wondered. Looking around first to see if anyone had noticed him rummaging through the boxes, Chaz knelt and opened the box.
Mainly it contained a lot of lab results with blood results and DNA sequencing information, that made little sense to Chaz. Flipping through, he finally came up with some handwritten notes. They were signed by Dr. Judith Montgomery almost fifteen years ago. He skimmed through the notes, but a few phrases caught his eye.
“The patient seems relatively unremarkable at first glance. Nothing more than a typical fourteen year old girl progressing along at normal developmental stages. But, upon further observation, she has demonstrated a number of remarkable skills. The least of which being the ability to sleep but still remain fully aware of what is happening around her. Several times, she’s repeated back entire conversations by researchers that took place while she was being monitored in deep REM sleep cycles. Nothing in the standard brain scans during her sleep suggested extra activity. More testing will be required.”
Chaz flipped through a few more pages of notes. From what he could understand of the notes, it appeared that a section of her brain, the anterior hypothalamus was far more active than normal during sleep. Chaz found another section of notes that struck a chord.
“For the first time, we now have other captive infected subjects in the lab. Normal protocol requires that subjects be kept separate from each other, but the technicians noticed a strange behavior when transporting the latest subject in. The subject was initially very agitated, but became instantly sedate when he was transported past the lab containing patient zero. This prompted secondary testing, and when another violent subject was released into the lab with patient zero, they too became suddenly sedate. Left alone for a period of time, the two of them developed a dominant-submissive relationship. Patient zero was able to control the other at will, even without speaking. When she was bored, she often resorted to manipulating the other subjects like puppets on a string. Even causing them to harm themselves by punching themselves, and banging their heads against the walls. After extended periods of time, the other patients would eventually slip into a catatonic site shortly before expiring.”
Chaz wondered, if that ability was anything like the sway Christa seem to have over some of the freaks they’d encountered. She’d never actually deliberately controlled any that he noticed. But as he thought about it, she was the one in charge on the bus. All the other kids seemed to acknowledge her authority. They weren’t freaks though. At least not all of them. The ones that caused the explosion obviously were, but how many were just little kids? Little kids I should have been able to save … too late for that now.
Chaz pushed the rest of the crates aside, and stepped up to the elevator. He pressed the down button, but nothing happened. No beeps, and no lights of the levels numbered above the elevators. Maybe this levels controls were disconnected. Gonna have to do this the old fashioned way. Chaz tried forcing the elevator doors opened. He was only able to wedge them open a few inches, before the locking mechanism increased pressure and snapped the doors shut again. Chaz tried a few more times, but he wasn’t strong enough to keep the doors open. The locks kept kicking in and slamming the doors shut. These aren’t your normal elevator doors, someone really doesn’t want me in here.
Chaz turned back to some of the old crates, and found one with old computer parts. He lined up one of the smaller sturdy components centered in front of the doors. This
Mainly it contained a lot of lab results with blood results and DNA sequencing information, that made little sense to Chaz. Flipping through, he finally came up with some handwritten notes. They were signed by Dr. Judith Montgomery almost fifteen years ago. He skimmed through the notes, but a few phrases caught his eye.
“The patient seems relatively unremarkable at first glance. Nothing more than a typical fourteen year old girl progressing along at normal developmental stages. But, upon further observation, she has demonstrated a number of remarkable skills. The least of which being the ability to sleep but still remain fully aware of what is happening around her. Several times, she’s repeated back entire conversations by researchers that took place while she was being monitored in deep REM sleep cycles. Nothing in the standard brain scans during her sleep suggested extra activity. More testing will be required.”
Chaz flipped through a few more pages of notes. From what he could understand of the notes, it appeared that a section of her brain, the anterior hypothalamus was far more active than normal during sleep. Chaz found another section of notes that struck a chord.
“For the first time, we now have other captive infected subjects in the lab. Normal protocol requires that subjects be kept separate from each other, but the technicians noticed a strange behavior when transporting the latest subject in. The subject was initially very agitated, but became instantly sedate when he was transported past the lab containing patient zero. This prompted secondary testing, and when another violent subject was released into the lab with patient zero, they too became suddenly sedate. Left alone for a period of time, the two of them developed a dominant-submissive relationship. Patient zero was able to control the other at will, even without speaking. When she was bored, she often resorted to manipulating the other subjects like puppets on a string. Even causing them to harm themselves by punching themselves, and banging their heads against the walls. After extended periods of time, the other patients would eventually slip into a catatonic site shortly before expiring.”
Chaz wondered, if that ability was anything like the sway Christa seem to have over some of the freaks they’d encountered. She’d never actually deliberately controlled any that he noticed. But as he thought about it, she was the one in charge on the bus. All the other kids seemed to acknowledge her authority. They weren’t freaks though. At least not all of them. The ones that caused the explosion obviously were, but how many were just little kids? Little kids I should have been able to save … too late for that now.
Chaz pushed the rest of the crates aside, and stepped up to the elevator. He pressed the down button, but nothing happened. No beeps, and no lights of the levels numbered above the elevators. Maybe this levels controls were disconnected. Gonna have to do this the old fashioned way. Chaz tried forcing the elevator doors opened. He was only able to wedge them open a few inches, before the locking mechanism increased pressure and snapped the doors shut again. Chaz tried a few more times, but he wasn’t strong enough to keep the doors open. The locks kept kicking in and slamming the doors shut. These aren’t your normal elevator doors, someone really doesn’t want me in here.
Chaz turned back to some of the old crates, and found one with old computer parts. He lined up one of the smaller sturdy components centered in front of the doors. This
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