The Power of Forgetting (2 page)

‘There is
something that I want to tell you. A secret that I know has
frustrated your beloved Janey for a long time.’

‘Oh?’ I feel it
couldn’t get really any more disheartening, and I was not in the
mood for other mysteries.

‘The missing
cord… you remember what happened.’

‘Yes?’ I sit up
straighter again.

‘I know who
took it.’

‘You know.’

‘Yes.’

‘You do?’ I
couldn’t think of a more unlikely person to really find it out.

‘I know who did
it. And I know why.’

‘Okay…’ I was
acting casual now. I pocketed the USB stick and stared at him. I
was trying to find out if he’s lying. He’s pretending not to trust
me. He knew that I would not take something to another person and
open it, if I had been asked not to look. Perhaps he didn’t like
the fact that I do have an honest side. But one side it is. He’s
close enough on the rest to subdue me.

‘I know… Who,
Why, How; and I can tell you something else as well: about another
project from the Bank Collective.’

‘Is that what
they’re calling it now?’

‘It is better
than a lot of other names that were suggested.’

‘Who suggested
them?’

‘You know I
won’t tell you that.’ He said brusquely.

‘So what did
you want to say?’ I think I’m glaring just a little too intensely.
Hanson looks away. But it’s only to get a file from a drawer. He
drops it in front of me.

‘This is worth
far more than you can imagine.’ said Hanson heavily.

‘Oh, I don’t
know. I can imagine quite a lot.’ I shifted in the chair ready to
move, ‘but you do know that.’

‘I think you’re
a very paranoid individual whose flights of fancy have often got
the better of you.’ He lowered his voice, and said in a whisper,
‘there are other experiments in progress…. I am very important to
one in particular…’

‘So of course,’
I said, as I got his drift, ‘if I said anything about it; you’d
just refer to the psychiatrist’s report, to get whoever it was to
not believe a word I said?’

‘You are
smart.’ Said Hanson smugly, ‘I will concede on that point. But if
course…’

‘What is it?’ I
asked him, beginning to push myself out of the seat, ‘Are you
afraid of the crazy guy now?’

‘Those are your
words.’ He said confidently, ‘I never said anything about it. I
just refer to the report.’

‘Which was
written by?’

‘The most
respected scientist in the outfit.’

I’m shaking my
head to clear the vision of sitting in that room, pouring out all
that stuff. I was not meaning that any of this should be used
against me. I felt a sense of injustice that was getting stronger
by the minute. There was just one thing left to ask. But Hanson had
got in there first: ‘You have to read it of course. I can’t give
you a copy of that. It really is confidential!’

‘I’m honoured
Hanson…. that you should regard me as a fit person to view this.
After all you don’t want it to get into the hands of any sane
people. They might do something useful with it… like cure some
terrible disease, or stop bombs from exploding.’

‘That’s just
silly,’ Hanson said, ‘I have been part of this long enough to prove
that it works. I mean really works!’

‘What
does?’

‘I can see
through different eyes at the same time. It just takes a little
time to get used to. And then it’s alright.’

‘What on earth
are you talking about?’

‘It’s all in
the file.’

‘I’d much
rather you told me.’

‘Tell you
what?’ He reaches for another smoke and lights it straight
away.

‘Who took the
rope… and who is taking over the experiment.’

‘I think you’re
confused.’ Hanson said, ‘No one is taking over anything. That was
never on the cards. I think you suddenly resigning from the Main
Board was rather abrupt though. What do you know? No… wait; don’t
answer that.’

‘I want you to
tell me who took the cord?’

‘If I tell you
that; then you tell me what you know.’

‘You want to
ask me what I know.’ I said surprised. This wasn’t keeping the
distance in quite the right way, ‘what do you want to know?’

‘Just who has
taken the samples from the expedition? Just that…. Then you can
know everything… I meant it Jared… I really do!’ he leans forward
searching my face. This again is unexpected. There is something
inordinately unsettling about his manner. It’s as if he’s had part
of his personality expanded, while another part has contracted. I
feel queasy… always a bad sign. I know that feeling; nothing to do
with anything I’ve eaten.

‘Do you have
anything to drink?’ I asked.

Hanson reached
immediately into the deep drawer of his desk. He produced two
glasses and a bottle of vodka, Russian of course. He pushed the
small glass over to me. A moment and the curling fire stills that
tremble inside. I stare at the window. It’s clouding over
again.

‘I have no
knowledge of what happened to the samples,’ I said simply, ‘I
wasn’t with the rest of them.’

‘Of course…’
Hanson sips and then traces his finger round the rim of the glass,
‘but I suppose you might say that, if you knew who did know; and
you weren’t disposed to recall that fact.’

‘I really
wasn’t there. I was…. I was….’ I take another sip.

‘Got to watch
that Jared…. could be difficult to find yourself on the other side
of some parallel world.’

I breathed in
sharply then. How could he know? I stared at the light and the thin
black cigarette in the edge of the wooden surface. A lecturer’s
desk, I remind myself. All those eager young minds, ready to
receive a lasting impression will be fed from the man who spreads
his secrets on this desk. And I was one once… I was that snow
field, marked with no foot print.

‘You are
familiar with the experience. And I know that you have experienced
first-hand the crossing of reality. That jump back into one’s self.
It is true isn’t it? You did this without drugs…. Without any kind
of scientific interference….’ Hanson’s voice became lower, softer,
and more persuasive, ‘We want to know how you did it; and perhaps a
little information on the samples would be helpful too. Then you
can have the thing you most desire. That way out you want so
desperately.’ He was in control now. He was offering me that end to
the torment…. And even if he was part of the reason why it had been
so wide and so deep… I still felt that pull; that willingness to
accept the credibility of the notion that Hanson held my answer in
the palm of his hand.

‘What possible
guarantees have I, that this isn’t just a trick?’

‘Read the first
two pages, and then you tell me.’ He pushed the file into my
hands.

I flicked it
open and scanned down the sheets. I looked back at him. I picked up
the cigarette and clicked a flame from the slim red disposable.
Hanson looks nonplussed. I pulled the ash tray towards me and tap
the first flakes in. I feel that slight buzz; just a hint, and the
thin white ribbon of smoke curls round me like the spell from a
magician’s wand.

‘Well?’ He
clears his throat rather unnecessarily, and frowning holds out his
hand for the file. I glanced back down at it again. The ability to
speed read is never lost and I’ve been scanning the pages while he
was distracted by the cloud of tobacco fug.

‘It’s not a
very safe thing to do is it? Keeping a portable transmitter on a
person?’

‘You got to
that bit?’

‘Of course,’ I
was flicking through a little bit more, as he leaned forward a
little more.

‘The file
please,’ he said firmly, ‘I really need to get on. There is only
half an hour to the next lecture.’

‘I’m sure
they’ll wait,’ I glanced at the clock as I held out the closed
folder. Quarter past Ten. Hanson takes hold of it. And at that
moment I moved… springing out of the chair and slamming my other
hand down on his left hand as he reaches across the desk. I slid
across the corner and with the small pen delivered the shot into
his shoulder… high up near the neck.

He reacted by
reaching back and grabbing me with his right hand, and twisting out
of the chair into the same swift movement. I end up sitting on the
floor, with Hanson crouched over me. He was growling like a dog and
his chest was heaving with anger and shock. I felt the weight of
his whole body on my shoulders. He prized the pen from my hand. I
let him take control. The drug will be swift and effective. Two
minutes.

He released me
and slumped on the floor. I edged away from him; I’m breathing
rather quickly myself. I look at the clock. It will only last ten
minutes at full intensity, and leave the system within the next
five. The chemistry of it is activated as soon as it goes into the
body. There’s some relaxant in there as well. It helps the subject
be much more compliant. I can see it’s working…. time to hear the
truth.

‘I’m going to
ask you some questions Andrew, do you understand?’

‘Yes…’ he looks
at me surprised.

‘You will
answer briefly and clearly.’

‘Yes.’

‘The first is
this: Who do you work for in the Bank Collective?’

‘The circle of
Five.’

‘Who are
they?’

‘Alexander
Rimmington; August Charles; Ira Shore; Io Ream; and John
Briar.’

‘Who is in
charge of these five?’

‘Ira
Shore.’

‘Do they act
with the knowledge of the Board?’

‘No.’

‘Do some of the
Board know what they are doing?’

‘Yes.’

‘Who
knows?’

‘I do, and
Janey Amber.’

‘What?’ I am
startled, but must make use of the time I have…. It could be part
of the parallel.

‘We pass
messages to them.’

‘Does Janey
Amber know she is doing this?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘A suggestion
planted.’

‘Who else?’

‘I……’

‘Who else has a
suggestion planted in their mind?’ I look at the clock again.

Hanson looks as
if he’s trying to get the words out, but something is stopping him.
It must be him. I try the next.

‘Forget that
question. Tell me about the “Warren” project.’

‘I’m one of the
test subjects.’

‘How many test
subjects?’

‘Twelve.’

‘Name
them.’

‘I don’t know
who they are.’

‘Very well.
Show me the portable generator.’

He lifts his
shirt. There is was; a little flattish black block strapped in a
band around the torso, at just about the natural waistline.

‘Is it
controlled by a central program?’

‘No. they are
all separate.’

‘Does it send a
signal back to a central control?’

‘No.’

‘When do you
next call in to your control?’

‘On the first
of April.’

‘Indeed,’ I try
not to smile, ‘when does the experiment run to?’

‘It has no end
point.’

‘Does the box
have a limited power supply?’

‘Yes.’

‘How long will
it last?’

‘Eighteen
months.’

‘How long has
it been going?’

‘About eight
months?’

I looked at the
clock again. I could risk a couple more questions, before the
answers became unreliable. ‘Did you volunteer?’

‘I don’t
know.’

‘Do you
remember starting the experiment?’

‘I….err…’

‘What is the
earliest memory you have before today?’

‘The Christmas
party…. I think you were there too?’ Hanson is starting to come out
of it. I’ll have to make this quick.

‘What happened
there?

‘I was there.
And then the assistant said I should leave. Then….’ He looked at me
startled, ‘you punched me!’ he rubbed his jaw as if the memory was
still fresh. ‘Why did you do that?’ he asked.

‘Do you
remember what you said?’

‘No.’

‘Do you
remember anything?’

‘Rimmington
asked me to speak.’

‘What did he
ask you to do?’

‘To….to….’
Hanson was blinking and shaking his head. I thought I must have
gone too far. Eleven minutes after the start point. But I needed to
know. It was the only think that mattered.

‘Damn that
woman!’ said Hanson vehemently.

‘You mean
Lorraine?’

‘Yes. She was
doing something…. But I don’t know what.’ He looked up at me, and
put his hand up to rub his neck. I didn’t ask him any more
questions. A few more minutes and the disorientation would pass.
Hanson clambered to his feet and sat back in his chair. He seemed
to be trying to say something. As if running through a list. Truth
serum, plus a little this, and a little of that…. George was a
clever sod! This was one that had a little sting in the tale. In an
hour he wouldn’t remember anything that had happened in the room. I
would melt away like the ghost I was. I suppose though that there
was no accounting for Hanson in the normal sense of the word.

I was about to
sit down again, but he grabbed my wrist. ‘I want to know why you
hit me Arden.’

‘I hit you,’ I
said trying to shake him off, ‘because you insulted me very badly.
And frankly you have had it coming for a very long time.’

‘Really?’ he
grabbed by left wrist as well. There we were, two combatants locked
together. I locked my hands around his forearms too. I wasn’t to be
outdone and pulled him to his feet.

‘Lorraine’s a
bitch,’ I said, ‘you really ought to avoid her.’

‘That, we do at
least agree on.’ He pushed me backwards a couple of steps. Outside
it had started to rain.

‘You’re hurting
me.’ I said.

‘Can’t handle a
little game?’ asked Hanson as I pushed him back.

‘Game? What
game?’

‘Oh you don’t
what to do what I can do Arden!’

Then I was
trying to get him to release me. I felt the burning in my
fingertips. It was like rope burn. I could feel that electricity of
the tension between two realities. But his wasn’t two. I was
falling now. Down and down. I tried to stop it. But he had me, and
wouldn’t let go. The room was full of him. Different points in
time; and different versions all interacting with each other. It
was like Rimmington and his creatures. But this was like being in
the nightmare. Hanson’s mental images were rough and undisciplined.
I had found that the connection of time impressions was usual met
with a rather unpleasant sensation of vertigo. But his was far
worse. It was time spinning out of control. I saw Hanson meeting
Rimmington… or rather; I saw it through his eyes. Then I saw
another Hanson facing him. But I also saw him through his eyes,
while looking out through the eyes of the other at the same time.
Them another was added, then another; until I was begging Hanson to
let go of me.