CHAPTER 2: "Mnemonic Hunt"
Step, step, step, 6's footsteps echoed in a hall. He grasped door handles with each hand and swung two doors open. He let go and raised his hands higher up the door and stopped them. The man behind the desk looks down. As if he knew this were to happen and didn't want to deal with it. 6 paces back and forth slowly, his anger rising.
"I'm handing in resignation," he slams it on the desk. By hand is scribbled on it. He continues, heavily emphasizing the first word that comes out, "It's not right. You know it."
He slams his fist on the table again and says, "I quit!". The bald man with thick glasses behind the desk tea cup and tray break. 6 walks off and as he grabs the doors, the man behind the desk speaks up.
"What's not right?"
6 slowly turns around as if by surprise the man's words caught him.
"Come again?"
"You broke my tea cup and won't even tell me why."
6 stands there looking at him.
"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"
"No. And I never did."
6 suddenly comes off what feels like a dizzy spell. He's exhausted and sweating. His vision slightly blurred. It slowly clears up to reveal a man sitting in a chair directly in front of him. The man is starring at him, but in some sort of trance. His gaze is almost that of a person half awake. He sees Number 2.
"What are you doing to me?"
He gets up about half way when two guards force him down. Each puts a hand on his shoulder and arm. 6 looks at the man in front of him and sees his number.
"04 ... haven't I seen you somewhere before? How did I get here? I don't recall."
"All in good time old chap."
"Don't old chap me."
6 gets up quickly. He falters and the room seems to spin. He puts his arms out in a fruitless attempt to gain balance.
"Your equilibrium is off balance. You should lose consciousness at any moment."
"Sss ... well ... I ..."
6 collapses to the floor. A side door to the almost empty room opens sideways into the wall. Number 42 walks in. He bends down and examines 6.
"What happened? You assured me this procedure was safe. 04 was supposed to delve into his mind for goodness sake."
"He did," rebukes 42.
"Why did he collapse then? If he's damaged it will be your head on the stick."
"He's not damaged. Help me get him up. 04, you have done an excellent job today. You may leave."
04 walks through the same electric door 42 came through. It closes.
"You must understand. The brain requires energy to function. His brain is operating at above normal capacity. Coupled with that he has 04 immixed in his mind. That's like one person feeding two high energy consuming minds. You're lucky with the starvation you did it didn't kill him. As it is we might have to feed him an IV."
2 raises his head and points his second finger at the arched red phone.
"Unless you would like to be the messenger, I suggest you keep Number 6 alive."
"I will, but you must also realize he isn't the only one at stake here. We only have 12 Remote Viewers here. How do you expect Rover to work properly if he's a card short."
2 looks down at 6.
Number 6 wakes up in his bead. It all comes flooding back to him. He gets dressed quickly and darts toward his front door. Before it can open he shoves it. He hears the door's electronics break. He looks back and hears over the towns speaker system,
"Maintenance to Number 6 quarters. Maintenance to Number 6 quarters."
His ears then hear the radio in his room start up.
"Good morning!" comes The Village morning announcement.
He walks back in.
"As long as they are coming..."
And he picks up and drops the radio. It shatters into pieces. Within thirty seconds he is in the Green Dome. He enters 2's Control Room and walks behind the spot on the floor where 2's chair comes up. The half hemisphere rises from the ground.
"Number 6?"
"Right here."
2 spins around to face him.
"What are you doing there?"
"I know," he twitches his head, "it's quite a surprise. Right where I shouldn't be."
"If you are referring to yesterday, I gave you fair warning. No harm, no foul."
"There is at least one foul here..."
2's face terns stern.
"Now my dear chap, please watch what you say."
"Hum, why? I'd like for my words to escape. Even if it's only by my lips. At least something is free."
"I'm trying to help you."
"You are?" he says in a suspicious manner.
"I am. You were warned on several occasions that we had other methods. All you ever had do is, but to give us the information. Why won't you tell us?"
"It's no longer a matter of that, but rather a manner of principles. Had I not been brought here, you may well have had you answers."
2's jaw drops.
"I believe you, but one must always be sure of these things. If it were up to me, I would have you home tomorrow - free to go where you want. In exchange all you would have to do is talk and be truthful at it. But it's not up to me."
"It's up to Number One?"
2 looks at him and doesn't answer immediately. He stands up.
"You hold sensitive information. You can't expect to just resign and not be confronted with that action? You packed your bags. Leaving on a whim. What do you expect us to make of this?"
"Nothing much, seeing as how fruit cakes are the only thing made here."
Some thunder rumbles off in the distance.
"Looks like rain. So much for your sunny days."
He walks out.
"Be careful out there. You never know what to expect."
The door shuts. The big red arched phone to Number One sounds off. 2 looks at it.
Number 6 starts to head for his apartment, then changes his mind. He sees an electric cart come his way. He hails it down. The female cart operator talks to him.
"Bonjour! Où peux-je vous prendre?"
"The beach," a short and swift reply comes from Number 6.
After a couple of minutes the cart stops aside the beach front. She asks for his credits and motions with her hand. He pats himself down looking for his card while backing off. He smirks.
"Sorry. Be seeing you."
The cart operator keeps asking, but gives up when she realizes he isn't coming back. She drives off.
6 walks to the shoreline. He looks to his left and right and starts to take his coat off. Number 2's chair rises from the ground. He spins around to face the screen.
"Where is the Supervisor?"
"Number 76 is not scheduled for today," replies Number 68.
2 looks at the screen. He squints his eyes.
"Close up. Number 68 close up please."
"That's the closes one sir."
"Of course it is."
2 fiddles with the camera zoom controls until it goes as far as it can. 6 takes his shoes off and walks into the ocean with his cloths on.
"Persistent to the last drop. Code Orange."
The bottom of the sea floor bubbles and Rover bursts from the sea top like a raindrop falling from the bottom up of a puddle. Number 6 continues to swim. The Rover roars as it makes it's way to 6. It's path almost erratic. He swims to his left as fast he can. Rover catches up. 6 stops and dog paddles. He heads back to shore.
"A wise decision my friend." Number 2 says to himself quietly.
6 gets his shoes and jacket. A cart heads for him. He watches Rover head back to sea. He gives a half smile.
Step, step, step, 6's footsteps echoed in a hall. He grasped door handles with each hand and swung two doors open. He let go and raised his hands higher up the door and stopped them. The man behind the desk looks down. As if he knew this were to happen and didn't want to deal with it. 6 paces back and forth slowly, his anger rising.
"I'm handing in resignation," he slams it on the desk. By hand is scribbled on it. He continues, heavily emphasizing the first word that comes out, "It's not right. You know it."
He slams his fist on the table again and says, "I quit!". The bald man with thick glasses behind the desk tea cup and tray break. 6 walks off and as he grabs the doors, the man behind the desk speaks up.
"What's not right?"
6 slowly turns around as if by surprise the man's words caught him.
"Come again?"
"You broke my tea cup and won't even tell me why."
6 stands there looking at him.
"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"
"No. And I never did."
6 suddenly comes off what feels like a dizzy spell. He's exhausted and sweating. His vision slightly blurred. It slowly clears up to reveal a man sitting in a chair directly in front of him. The man is starring at him, but in some sort of trance. His gaze is almost that of a person half awake. He sees Number 2.
"What are you doing to me?"
He gets up about half way when two guards force him down. Each puts a hand on his shoulder and arm. 6 looks at the man in front of him and sees his number.
"04 ... haven't I seen you somewhere before? How did I get here? I don't recall."
"All in good time old chap."
"Don't old chap me."
6 gets up quickly. He falters and the room seems to spin. He puts his arms out in a fruitless attempt to gain balance.
"Your equilibrium is off balance. You should lose consciousness at any moment."
"Sss ... well ... I ..."
6 collapses to the floor. A side door to the almost empty room opens sideways into the wall. Number 42 walks in. He bends down and examines 6.
"What happened? You assured me this procedure was safe. 04 was supposed to delve into his mind for goodness sake."
"He did," rebukes 42.
"Why did he collapse then? If he's damaged it will be your head on the stick."
"He's not damaged. Help me get him up. 04, you have done an excellent job today. You may leave."
04 walks through the same electric door 42 came through. It closes.
"You must understand. The brain requires energy to function. His brain is operating at above normal capacity. Coupled with that he has 04 immixed in his mind. That's like one person feeding two high energy consuming minds. You're lucky with the starvation you did it didn't kill him. As it is we might have to feed him an IV."
2 raises his head and points his second finger at the arched red phone.
"Unless you would like to be the messenger, I suggest you keep Number 6 alive."
"I will, but you must also realize he isn't the only one at stake here. We only have 12 Remote Viewers here. How do you expect Rover to work properly if he's a card short."
2 looks down at 6.
Number 6 wakes up in his bead. It all comes flooding back to him. He gets dressed quickly and darts toward his front door. Before it can open he shoves it. He hears the door's electronics break. He looks back and hears over the towns speaker system,
"Maintenance to Number 6 quarters. Maintenance to Number 6 quarters."
His ears then hear the radio in his room start up.
"Good morning!" comes The Village morning announcement.
He walks back in.
"As long as they are coming..."
And he picks up and drops the radio. It shatters into pieces. Within thirty seconds he is in the Green Dome. He enters 2's Control Room and walks behind the spot on the floor where 2's chair comes up. The half hemisphere rises from the ground.
"Number 6?"
"Right here."
2 spins around to face him.
"What are you doing there?"
"I know," he twitches his head, "it's quite a surprise. Right where I shouldn't be."
"If you are referring to yesterday, I gave you fair warning. No harm, no foul."
"There is at least one foul here..."
2's face terns stern.
"Now my dear chap, please watch what you say."
"Hum, why? I'd like for my words to escape. Even if it's only by my lips. At least something is free."
"I'm trying to help you."
"You are?" he says in a suspicious manner.
"I am. You were warned on several occasions that we had other methods. All you ever had do is, but to give us the information. Why won't you tell us?"
"It's no longer a matter of that, but rather a manner of principles. Had I not been brought here, you may well have had you answers."
2's jaw drops.
"I believe you, but one must always be sure of these things. If it were up to me, I would have you home tomorrow - free to go where you want. In exchange all you would have to do is talk and be truthful at it. But it's not up to me."
"It's up to Number One?"
2 looks at him and doesn't answer immediately. He stands up.
"You hold sensitive information. You can't expect to just resign and not be confronted with that action? You packed your bags. Leaving on a whim. What do you expect us to make of this?"
"Nothing much, seeing as how fruit cakes are the only thing made here."
Some thunder rumbles off in the distance.
"Looks like rain. So much for your sunny days."
He walks out.
"Be careful out there. You never know what to expect."
The door shuts. The big red arched phone to Number One sounds off. 2 looks at it.
Number 6 starts to head for his apartment, then changes his mind. He sees an electric cart come his way. He hails it down. The female cart operator talks to him.
"Bonjour! Où peux-je vous prendre?"
"The beach," a short and swift reply comes from Number 6.
After a couple of minutes the cart stops aside the beach front. She asks for his credits and motions with her hand. He pats himself down looking for his card while backing off. He smirks.
"Sorry. Be seeing you."
The cart operator keeps asking, but gives up when she realizes he isn't coming back. She drives off.
6 walks to the shoreline. He looks to his left and right and starts to take his coat off. Number 2's chair rises from the ground. He spins around to face the screen.
"Where is the Supervisor?"
"Number 76 is not scheduled for today," replies Number 68.
2 looks at the screen. He squints his eyes.
"Close up. Number 68 close up please."
"That's the closes one sir."
"Of course it is."
2 fiddles with the camera zoom controls until it goes as far as it can. 6 takes his shoes off and walks into the ocean with his cloths on.
"Persistent to the last drop. Code Orange."
The bottom of the sea floor bubbles and Rover bursts from the sea top like a raindrop falling from the bottom up of a puddle. Number 6 continues to swim. The Rover roars as it makes it's way to 6. It's path almost erratic. He swims to his left as fast he can. Rover catches up. 6 stops and dog paddles. He heads back to shore.
"A wise decision my friend." Number 2 says to himself quietly.
6 gets his shoes and jacket. A cart heads for him. He watches Rover head back to sea. He gives a half smile.