A Mind Supreme: SF Short Stories Read online

  A Mind Supreme

  SF Short Stories

  By Thomas Fay

  Copyright 2013

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this e-book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this e-book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover: Yvonne Less (www.diversepixel.com)

  Also by Thomas Fay:

  Apothecary (Fantasy Anthology)

  Izikiel

  Table of Contents

  A Mind Supreme

  Early 21st Century - An interviewer at a centre for gifted children encounters a child unlike any she has ever met before.

  Time Distilled

  Late 21st Century – A man experiencing time lapses suspects he may be guilty of committing murder.

  The Price of Identity

  Early 22nd Century – The benevolent organisation known only as the Farm is accused of kidnapping the very homeless it sets out to help.

  The Human Factor

  Late 22nd Century – A job offer from the world’s largest bank seems too good to be true until the shocking truth is revealed.

  The Intertemporal Displacement of Daniel John Michael Bishop

  Early 23rd Century – A man displaced through time over and over again struggles to comprehend his fate.

  Sirens Call

  Late 25th Century – A former space marine discovers that falling in love with an alien can have unintended side effects.

  A Mind Supreme

  Jade watched as a pair of rainbow parakeets flitted across the jungle canopy. Their multi-coloured feathers cut a swath through the mist as they ducked and weaved their way through the vapour clinging to the trees. Such was the humidity of the jungle that the large viewing pane inside the interview room was almost completely obscured by condensation. The air inside was a perfectly controlled 24 degrees unlike the stifling heat of the lush jungle outside. Jade found herself wondering what it would be like to run barefoot through the trees, sinking into the soft mud with the humidity pressing down on her like a damp blanket.

  ‘Are you alright, Ms. McIntosh?’

  Jade cleared her throat. Adjusting her wire frame glasses she ran her hand through her shoulder length hair. Picking up her pen she looked up at the newest arrival at the Mercer Institute.

  His name was Quentin Sims. He had sandy brown hair, large blue eyes and a freckly complexion. Dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a slightly frayed t-shirt he looked like any other five year old boy. Except that there was something different about him, an unidentifiable quality which set him apart from the other gifted children.

  ‘Yes, I’m fine. I’ve also asked you to call me Jade.’

  ‘As you wish, Ms. McIntosh.’

  ‘Jade’

  Quentin smiled. It was the type of smile that looked completely out of place on a face so young.

  ‘Very well - Jade.’

  ‘That’s better.’

  It was a small victory but it made her feel slightly more in control. For most of their discussion she had felt like he had been in control. Which was ridiculous given he was only three and a half feet tall. If they were standing up he’d barely reach to her elbows. Yet there was something unsettling about him that made Jade wary. A certain detached coldness unlike any other child she had ever encountered.

  ‘Tell me about school, Quentin. Do you like going to school?’

  He made a face.

  ‘It’s ok, I guess. A bit of a waste of time though.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The teachers treat me like a child, as if I don’t know anything.’

  Jade considered her words carefully.

  ‘Quentin, you are a child.’

  ‘Yes, that’s true. But I already know everything they’re trying to teach me,’ Quentin said. ‘It’s so frustrating. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?’

  ‘I believe you.’

  He stared at her intently. Jade forced herself not to flinch as his eyes bore into hers. While Quentin had the body of a five year old his eyes told a different story. There was something there, something that did not fit with the child persona; a knowledge and understanding beyond that of any child.

  As Jade felt herself being drawn into those large blue eyes, Quentin suddenly looked away.

  ‘Thanks. You’re probably the only one,’ he said. Looking around the interview room, he asked, ‘What is this place?’

  ‘The Mercer Institute is a centre for the development of brilliant minds. Those who show exceptional intellectual abilities at an early age are brought here for evaluation and training.’

  ‘Training for what?’

  ‘Medicine, science, psychology, literature; whatever a particular candidate demonstrates an aptitude for. We’re privately funded and free of government and political influence which is one of the main reasons the Institute was built deep in the jungles of Venezuela. To date we’ve trained dozens of Nobel Prize winners who have made phenomenal contributions to humanity.’

  Quentin nodded. Then he frowned.

  ‘So why am I here?’

  That surprised Jade. For a moment she thought that he was playing with her. Seeing the questioning look in his eyes she accepted that he was being sincere.

  ‘You are perhaps the most gifted candidate we have ever come across.’

  ‘Me? Why?’

  ‘You possess knowledge and understanding far beyond that of a five year old child. It’s almost as if...’

  ‘As if what?’ Quentin asked.

  Jade decided to take a chance.

  ‘It’s as if you are a lot older than you appear physically.’

  She watched as Quentin slumped forward. Staring at the floor, he swung his feet back and forth. For a moment he appeared like a frightened child.

  Without thinking Jade reached out and put her arm on his shoulder. It was a natural instinct, something that was deeply ingrained in her very being.

  Quentin took a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, he said, ‘I don’t know how or why but I remember things.’

  ‘What sort of things?’

  ‘The moment I was born. I remember it clearly as if it had happened only a few seconds ago.’

  Jade felt her breathing increase as she realized that she was finally getting closer to the truth behind this mysterious child. Ignoring the impossibility of what he had just told her she pressed him further.

  ‘What else do you remember?’

  Quentin took another deep breath.

  ‘I remember how my parents were overjoyed the day they found out my mother was pregnant with me. My father telling everyone at work that he was going to have a son, my mother getting the nursery ready.’

  ‘You realize that what you’re telling me is impossible? You can’t possibly remember anything before you were born.’

  Quentin smiled. ‘I know. Yet I do. Clearly, vividly as if it had all happened to me. I remember what my parent’s life was like long before they ever met. How they grew up and even before that. The lives my grandparents led and their parents before them.’

  Quentin’s face became more animated as his words tumbled out at an increasing rate.

  ‘I remember the devastation brought by the avian flu, the marvels of the digital revolution and even the atrocities of the World Wars.’

  Quentin stopped to catch his breath. Staring at him, Jade knew what he had told her was impossible. How could a five year old child remember something that had happened over a century ago?
br />   She decided to try a different approach.

  ‘Do you read much Quentin?’

  He seemed surprised by the question. ‘Read?’

  ‘Yes, read. You know books and e-books.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Quentin replied.

  ‘Have you read much about history?’

  ‘A little bit. I find fiction more interesting, particularly stories dealing with the future.’

  ‘So it’s possible that you’ve simply read about all the things that you think you remember?’

  Quentin shook his head. ‘No’

  ‘How can you be so certain that the memories are real?’

  ‘Because I can remember vivid details; sights, sounds and even smells. It’s as if I was there.’

  Jade frowned. ‘You mean you remember what it felt like during the wars?’

  ‘Yes’

  Jade was beginning to suspect that someone was playing a practical joke on her. Certainly Quentin seemed intelligent beyond his years and he possessed a detailed knowledge of human history. But she was simply unable to accept that he was somehow imbued with hundred year old memories.

  ‘You’re telling me that you remember what it was like during World War II, something that happened over a hundred years ago?’

  ‘Yes,’ Quentin whispered.

  ‘What do you remember exactly?’

  Quentin’s eyes took on a troubled expression as he recounted his memories of the Second World War.

  ‘I remember being trapped in a small village near the Polish-German border with the acrid stench of smoke and burning flesh in the air. I remember the taste of dust in my mouth as I crawled on my hands and knees through thick mud. I remember days without food while I hid inside an old abandoned shed, the sound of tanks and heavy footsteps outside.’

  Listening to his voice, Jade could almost feel the fear and exhaustion of living through that particular nightmare period in human history. Her eyes began to water when he described the thick smoke in the air. Wiping the tears away, she could only sit and stare at him.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Quentin asked, after a moment.

  ‘Yes, it’s just…’

  ‘I know. It was horrible.’

  Wiping her eyes again, Jade looked at the diminutive figure seated across from her.

  ‘How can you stand to carry around such memories?’

  Taking a deep breath Quentin’s face took on a more relaxed expression.

  ‘They’re not all like that. While the catastrophes; manmade or otherwise stand out the most, there are equally powerful memories that showcase humanities finer moments.’

  ‘Such as..?’

  ‘Exploration, fuelled by humanity’s unquenchable need to search the unknown has led to innovations in modes of travel from the earliest sailing vessels to space flight. Achievements in literature, science, the arts and every other field imaginable have also helped to inspire and unite humanity. The development of language and culture in itself was a shining example of what humanity is capable of.’

  Quentin paused to take a breath.

  ‘Yes the memories of disasters, war and famine are horrifying but they pale in comparison to those moments when humanity has transcended to a new level. I can still remember the completion of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in ancient Egypt. The workers toiled in unimaginable conditions, under the sweltering heat of the sun surrounded by endless swarms of flies and mosquitoes. Yet once that final stone was placed even the slaves fell back in awe of their achievement.’

  Jade’s eyes remained open as she experienced the suffocating heat of the Egyptian desert, her hands blistered from hauling gigantic stone blocks. She could see the Great Pyramid towering above her, its apex shimmering in the morning light.

  Blinking, Jade looked around the interview room. The large viewing pane was clearer now and she could see the jungle canopy stretching out towards the horizon. Adjusting her glasses she checked the notepad lying across her knees. She hadn’t written a single word.

  ‘That’s incredible,’ she finally said.

  Quentin smiled. ‘That’s only one of many, no - countless memories. I could tell you about the lives of some of the most famous people and their influence on the world. Then there are the truly fundamental events that have shaped humanity such as the birth of language, civilization and even the discovery of fire.’

  Jade had now given up trying to understand how Quentin knew the things he did. He seemed to have a complete understanding of the entire history of humanity. On top of that his recollections were so vivid and compelling that she felt like she was reliving them with him. She knew she had been right about him earlier. The other children at the Mercer Institute were gifted. Quentin was extraordinary.

  There remained only the question of whether there were any limits to his abilities.

  ‘How far back do you remember?’

  Here Quentin’s smile disappeared as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Staring past her, his eyes took on a haunted expression as he deliberately avoided looking at her.

  Jade repeated her question.

  Finally, Quentin answered. His words came slowly, as if he were reliving a terrible nightmare.

  ‘There are memories, strands really, incomplete images at the edge of my consciousness. They’re more like vague sensations of light and dark, warm and cold. I feel like I am floating in some sort of liquid. I’ve tried to focus on them before and each time I feel as if I am becoming less than I am. It’s almost as if I must sacrifice a part of myself in order to experience those memories. It is a terrifying experience.’

  Listening to his voice, Jade felt herself regressing. She experienced a moment of panic as she felt her limbs and body dissolving in an endless sea filled with nutrients and amino acids.

  Her perception of the world changed.

  She could no longer see, for she had no eyes; no longer smell, for she had no nose. Her sense of touch was limited to a distant sensation of an occasional bump against her body. It was a sensation at once frightening and at the same time liberating.

  This was the beginning; the source of all life on the planet. From her would flow all others; fish, reptiles, mammals and then who knows?

  Perhaps Quentin was the next stage of evolution. More likely he was a one in a trillion mutation that meant he was born with the genetic knowledge of all that had come before him. Either way such thoughts were beyond her ability to form now.

  Floating deeper into the ocean she felt herself splitting in two. Each part retained a portion of the original and yet was unique in its own way. Soon she would fill the oceans of the world and then the process would begin anew.

  The End

  Time Distilled

  Like a freight train running through an endless tunnel, Nathan Cartwright's heart pounded in his chest. Dark shapes oscillated before his eyes as he stumbled out of his apartment and onto the street. A young couple moved to the side eyeing him warily. He ignored them. The only thing that existed for him was the scene in his bathroom; Jenny's body lying on the floor, her face lacerated by countless shards of glass, the pool of blood blossoming like an exotic flower around her immobile form.

  Jenny? No, not Jenny. Christine. His wife's name was Christine. But - who was Jenny?

  A light flickered somewhere at the edge of his awareness as he frantically looked around. It was dark. Street lights shone at irregular intervals illuminating the once familiar terraces and apartment blocks of Riley Street in Darlinghurst. They had changed just enough over time to dispel any sense of association. It was as if he had never been there.

  A silver cab drove by, its lit sign attesting to its availability. Instinctively he raised his hand. The cab stopped. Opening the door he slid into the worn leather seat, its surface a crater of cigarette burns and scuff marks.

  'Where to?' the cabbie asked.

  ‘Penthurst Street in Glebe number 725.'

  'Sure thing.'

  As the cab sped off he leaned back against the seat and took a d
eep breath. He still could not erase the sight of Christine's (Jenny's?) body lying on the bathroom floor or the feeling that something terrible had just happened. He only hoped that Dr. Yakov could help him.

  ****

  'Good morning,' the toaster chimed, as Nathan placed a slice of bread in its rectangular slot.

  'Good morning to you too kitchen appliance,' Nathan replied. He still wasn't sure why anyone had thought a talking toaster would be a good idea. Its only purpose was to apply heat to a piece of bread in order to make it more edible. Was there really any need for it to also provide a greeting?

  'The usual setting?'

  Not only did this toaster talk but it asked questions too. He was too tired to argue with it. Another sleepless night had seen to that. How many nights had it been since he'd slept now?

  'Surprise me,' Nathan shot back, as he rubbed his eyes.

  The first rays of dawn shone through the slits in the kitchen blinds as he walked over to the refrigerator. Bracing himself for another chirpy pre-programmed greeting he was pleasantly surprised when the refrigerator remained silent. Grasping the chrome handle he pulled the door open. What he saw inside made him recoil. Staggering backwards he knocked over the toaster.

  'In order for me to operate correctly please position me on a clean, dry surface away from other appliances,' the toaster instructed from the floor.

  Nathan didn't hear it. His eyes were locked on the inside of the refrigerator. What he remembered as fresh eggs, cheese, fruit and vegetables were now almost completely unrecognisable. The stench of rot and decay made his nose wrinkle up in disgust. The colours were all wrong too; dark brown, green and blue. Mould had overgrown everything.

  'No, please not again...' Nathan whispered, as he sank to his knees.

  ****

  Multi-coloured neon lights flashed by on either side as Nathan stared blankly through the silver cab's passenger window. Faces stared back at him from the sidewalk, eyes searching to meet his. He turned away.

  Shifting in his seat he looked through the front windscreen. It had started raining. Individual drops of rain registered on the windscreen for a split second before the relentless pace of the windscreen wipers pushed them aside. Still they continued to fall, more rapidly now and with more force. Soon the wipers were unable to hold them at bay as the world outside disappeared in a wall of water.