Connexion : The Atlantis Project, Book.1 (9 page)

“Is that what will stop Victor from taking
control of my own mind?” asked Jacques.

“Yes, exactly. Each of you will have a
crucial role to play in the experiment, which is interesting
because your different temperaments seem particularly well suited
to this configuration. I don’t think I’m mistaken in saying that
you, Jacques, are probably the more pragmatic and logical of the
pair. Charlie tends to daydream more and be more in touch with his
own feelings. These specificities are indispensible for neural
connection because the volunteers must let themselves go
completely, without any resistance. Unfortunately, until now, no
one has been there to bring them back to reality.”

Jacques finally found the opportunity to ask
the question that had been bothering him throughout Giuseppe’s
speech.

“What happened to them?”

“I don’t know a lot, but Giuseppe told me
that they recovered after periods of coma of varying length.”

“Well, that sounds like fun!” remarked
Jacques, looking at Charlie.

“That is unlikely to happen to you. Your
situation is completely different and you’re certainly not here by
chance.”

“What do you mean?” asked Charlie.

“I mean that the probability of finding
Siamese twin brothers with the ability to communicate
telepathically, which began at the very moment when Victor’s brain
activity showed an unusual increase, is close to zero. All this
becomes even more troubling when you consider that these elements
came together at the very same moment as a mysterious explosion
whose cause is still unknown, but which could very well be at the
origin of a signal sent to Victor.”

11 FURTHER EXPLANATIONS

At one o’clock on the dot the explanations
began again in the small room adjoining the dome where Victor lay.
Giuseppe had launched into a long description of the experimental
procedure to be put in place for connecting Charlie and Victor. He
wasn’t actually saying anything different than what Mario had
already told them, but he went into more detail and explained the
technical aspects more fully. Jacques noticed that Giuseppe did not
seem to be hiding anything that could be disturbing, including the
fate of the previous volunteers. He even went into some detail
about what had happened to each of them. It certainly was not a
happy story, but in the end they had all pulled without any
irreversible damage. At least, that was what Giuseppe maintained,
and Jacques now allowed himself to be convinced by the elderly man,
who seemed more like a mad scientist than a dangerous manipulator.
Giuseppe was so passionate that he even made the project seem
fascinating to the twins. They felt quite exhilarated at the
prospect of becoming heroes in an extraordinary scientific
adventure which had the potential to change the face of the
world.

Then Giuseppe, noticing that his audience was
showing increasing interest, decided to move on to the visual phase
of his presentation of the procedure. He knew that some of the
technical details could be problematic and that was what he was
coming to.

“As you can see in this video, it is
necessary to temporarily remove the upper part of the cranium, in
order to ensure a direct neuronal connection. The pictures can be a
little shocking when you’re not used to this sort of procedure, but
it is actually a routine operation.”

“Routine?!” Charlie snapped vehemently.
“You’re telling me you’re going to open my skull, but I shouldn’t
be worried because your team is quite experienced? You’ve got to be
kidding!”

Jacques answered him internally, but a
sarcastic smile crept over his face.

“
Don’t worry. The man says you won’t feel
a thing. Trust him. Clementine will be proud of you, and it’ll be
an opportunity for me to become better acquainted with your
anatomy!”

Charlie turned and glared at him, while
Francisco took his turn to take up the explanations, thinking that
perhaps Charlie’s resistance would melt under a shower of
increasingly technical, additional information.

“The bio-cybernetic lab team has been working
for seven and a half years on this project. Our technicians
underwent a lot of training before connecting a human brain. They
started with frogs, then rats, then they moved onto pigs, monkeys
and finally, you. In the beginning we suffered some loss of test
animals, which showed signs of intense pain, but now that problem
has been eliminated. The instruments used for cutting the cranial
calotte have also been greatly improved, you know. The circular saw
has been replaced, thankfully, by high precision laser cutting. The
calotte is then removed and placed in a fluid which ensures perfect
preservation of the bone and epidermal tissues. This technique
ensures optimal healing and limits the risk of brain damage.”

Jacques smiled and said rather sarcastically
to Francisco, “Well, I must say, you really know how to choose the
right words to reassure my brother. I’m sure he can’t see any
reason against trying the experiment now! Can you, Charlie?”

Francisco then attempted a rather shaky
justification.

“Well, it’s just that for me, when things are
explained more clearly, I find them easier to accept. I don’t like
not knowing what I’m committing myself to. You understand? So I
thought it would be the same for Charlie.”

“Thank you, Francisco,” said Charlie very
gently and kindly. “Don’t pay too much attention to my brother’s
remarks. He’s sometimes a bit of a tease. As for me, I think I’ll
eventually get used to the idea of this operation. You seem to know
what you’re talking about and even if you gave me the best medical
demonstration in the world, I wouldn’t understand a thing. I don’t
know anything about the subject. It has never really interested me,
actually, unlike Jacques, who has always been a lot more
down-to-earth. A long time ago I decided to live in the world of
ideas and not concern myself overly with the purely material
aspects of life. It doesn’t prevent me from fearing death from time
to time or behaving like a real coward, but when I do, I always end
up telling myself that if these things happen, they were meant to
happen. There’s no point in fighting them. It’s far better to watch
them unfolding and try to learn as much from them as possible. A
contemplative and somewhat fatalistic mentality like this entails a
healthy detachment which can sometimes save your life when the
conditions become psychologically unbearable. Human beings are
unique in that they can detach themselves, at least mentally, from
reality’s grip and take refuge in a purely intellectual world. They
can therefore escape temporarily from a force that threatens to
destroy their identity. I’m sure you understand me, right,
Francisco? In my humble opinion, that is one of the main themes in
the book by Stefan Zweig that you seem to enjoy so much.”

But Francisco did not answer. Without looking
up, he carefully pushed the book deeper into his pocket.

Charlie turned to Giuseppe and said solemnly,
“Giuseppe, there’s no point in explaining any further. Simply tell
me what is necessary for the smooth running of the mission you’ve
entrusted to me. The rest is not important. I’m ready, and just
like you, I have faith in Francisco. He wouldn’t lie, I know it! I
don’t think he could, even if he wanted to.”

12 MAKING CONTACT

For the first time, Jacques and Charlie were
standing in front of the huge body. The thick, grayish skin which
covered it revealed the contours of an impressive muscle structure,
enlivened at times by barely perceptible twitches. Despite his
enormity, Victor seemed human. Every detail of his anatomy was
similar to ours, down to his feet, each with five, perfectly
aligned toes with translucent nails. Standing there, before this
body at once so totally foreign and yet so familiar, was a
disturbing experience. Charlie would have liked to stretch out a
hand and touch the strange skin, but the thought made him so
apprehensive that he was quickly dissuaded from the idea. Victor
was neither fat nor thin; his rounded torso and massive shoulders
testified to undoubtedly colossal physical strength.

Charlie would soon be united with this being,
whose identity and history were completely unknown. The human
likeness reassured him. He felt closer to him, and even managed at
times to identify with him. Letting his imagination meander, he
even managed to project himself into what he supposed were Victor’s
thoughts. He was probably feeling alone, cut off from his own.
Perhaps he too, would never see his wife, family or friends again.
After thousands of years spent on an uncomfortable, ice-cold, metal
platform, they must all be dead by now; unless they too, were in
hibernation somewhere. Perhaps Victor would notice Charlie’s
intrusion into his dreams. What would happen then? After the
initial surprise, would he be glad of a little company, albeit of a
different sort?

“So, how do you like your new friend?” asked
Jacques.

Jacques had never been comfortable with
moments that seemed too solemn. He always felt the need to lighten
the mood, to Charlie’s great regret. So many times, he had been
arrested in full flight while was savoring a special moment, or a
personal victory. Still, it did not really matter. Over the years
he had learned not to let it bother him. Soon he would be alone in
Victor’s dream.

“
I’ll be keeping my eye on you two! Try
not to forget me when you’re in there. That little voice you’ll be
hearing will be mine. You know – the one that’s always reminding
you to keep your feet on the ground. Pay attention to it!”

“I can always count on you for that. You try
and take the time to listen to Francisco’s instructions and be sure
you aren’t tactless with him, like you are all too often with me.
He may be autistic, but our lives will soon be in his hands. Just
stick to what he asks you to do, no matter what you think!”

“Don’t worry; I can be serious when I need to
be. But you, my brother, will be in a rather less comfortable
situation than me during this business. When you’re lost in limbo,
maybe even I won’t be capable of doing anything to pull you out of
there. In that case, you’ll have to search deep inside of yourself
to remember that you’re not just one person, but two. We are
inseparable, and I’ll be here beside you, whatever happens.”

“You’ll be able to talk to me, but what about
the other way around? How will you know what I’m going through and
how I’m feeling, once I’m in there?”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe I won’t be able to,
but I guess, since our bodies are joined, that I’ll definitely feel
something. It’s already the case when you get anxious. I’ve never
told you before, but when that happens, I feel your anxiety even
before you’re aware of it. There’s no reason why that should
change. Trust me.”

“It will be a bit like when we were children.
I would have bad dreams and often you would wake me up before the
end of the nightmare. I would hear your voice then you would appear
in my dream for a moment, just before I’d wake up and realize you
really were there.”

“That’s right! I’d forgotten all about that.
You’re right; it’s probably going to be something like that.
Unfortunately, it will be a lot more complicated than that, though,
because you won’t be able to get out of your artificial sleep that
easily.”

Mario came up behind them. He had overheard
much of their conversation.

“Victor will be there, too. You will need to
take him into account.”

“Oh, you’re here, Mario! You overheard our
little chat?”

“Some of it. I’m glad to see that you already
have quite a realistic idea of what awaits you. However, there are
some practicalities that you are not yet aware of, which Francisco
is planning to explain to you today.”

“What sort of practicalities?”

Mario did not answer. He pretended not to
hear, and turned to Francisco, who was tapping away on the screen
of the small white console.

“Giuseppe is not here this morning. He will
be joining us later. Let’s go and see Francisco.”

Near the console, very close to the white
helmet which covered Victor’s head, stood a new object. It
resembled a sort of chaise longue with a thick mattress covered in
something like white leather. Its seat was wide, and its back
separated into two very different parts. The right side, furthest
from Victor, looked comfortable. It had a white pillow made of the
same material as the mattress cover. The left-hand side, however,
resembled an egg that had been split in half. It was obviously a
helmet, identical to the one worn by Victor, but of human size. Its
interior was also padded. A semi-circular metal join separated the
upper part of the helmet, which did not contain any padding.

“Hello Charlie,” said Francisco, without
raising his eyes from the screen. “Hello Jacques. I’m just making
some final adjustments before beginning the presentation.”

“It’s quite intimidating being so close to
Victor. He’s enormous,” said Charlie, anxious to share his feelings
with Francisco.

“Probably. You get used to it quickly, you’ll
see.”

There was a short silence while Francisco
completed the final adjustments on the console. His extremely
down-to-earth reaction did not exactly encourage Charlie to further
the conversation.

At last Francisco looked up from the console
and asked the twins to come closer.

“As you might have already guessed, this is
where you will be stationed during the connection experiment with
Victor. If all goes according to plan, it may be necessary for you
to spend several weeks lying on this couch without moving. For this
reason, our team utilized materials in its design that are
especially adapted ergonomically to this type of situation. In any
case, sensors will be installed to take continuous physiological
readings, allowing our medical team to take all the necessary
measures to ensure the operation runs smoothly. Jacques will be
able to eat meals in the usual way, but Charlie will be fed through
a gastric tube, as the stomach is not one of the organs you share.
Of course you will have a urinary catheter.”