Inversion Read online

  “What?”

  “Can I talk to you,” he asked. “Privately?”

  “Give me a second,” Carson said to Jacob. He nodded.

  They walked to the guard rails where they were out of ear shot of anyone else.

  “What’s up,” Carson asked.

  “So there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you,'' Nick said.

  “What’s that,” Carson asked.

  Nick paused. He weighed his choices for the thousandth time. Was he really going to do this? For better or worse there was no turning back. Nick brushed his hand through his hair. He stood up straight and tugged on the bottom of his shirt. Everything needed to be perfect. Or at least as perfect as he could make them. Carson eyed him suspiciously.

  “Everything ok?”

  “Y-yes,” Nick stammered. “I just. . .” He struggled to find the right words. It felt like everything was going in slow motion, like he was stuck inside a dream. Or maybe it was going to be a nightmare.

  “It’s ok,” Carson said. “You can tell me.”

  “Carson.” The wavering in Nick’s voice stopped temporarily. Confidence grew from some place within Nick that was unknown even to him. After years of waiting, it was time to be honest to himself. And to Carson. Consequences be damned.

  “Carson, I lo--”.

  “Wait.” Carson held up his hand. He watched Abigail enter the room, her head buried in the map of the museum that she was looking at. Carson started walking towards her. Without knowing what he was doing Nick grabbed Carson’s arm.

  “It’s important,” Nick pleaded.

  “It can wait,” Carson said. Nick let him go.

  He shouted after Abigail. “Abigail! Wait!”

  Carson’s voice was drowned out by a sudden horrendous screeching. The ear piercing shrill rang through the air. The vibration of the floor grew more intense.

  Everyone in the museum stood deathly still. Everything fell silent, the only sound coming from the buzzing within the tube. The stillness in the air made Carson’s skin itch. Jacob and Abigail looked down at them from the second floor. Carson could see Jacob standing just across the way. He shrugged his shoulders when they made eye contact. He didn’t know what was going on.

  Another screech shattered the still air. Carson clasped his hands against his ears. The windows around them rattled violently in their frames. The surreal calmness disappeared, people bursting out into screams. They started running for the exits, unaware of the people they were pushing around. The static in the air intensified. What sounded like muffled gunshots popped around them. The museum stopped again, everyone’s eyes glued to the center of the room. The beam of energy had doubled in size and was now pushing up against the glass.

  “Abigail--,” Carson started to say. The floor beneath them cracked and splintered. All four of them along with anyone else near them were ripped into the air and thrown across the room. Fire shot up around them as they fell. Anyone left standing continued to run, their screams drowned out by continuous explosions.

  Carson’s head was swimming with pain. His vision was blurry. Nausea came in sickening waves. He rolled onto his side and vomited. Slowly standing back up on wobbly legs, he looked at the chaos that was unfolding around him. Thick black smoke poured into the room. The explosions were nonstop. Each one shook the museum. The walls were illuminated with an angry red glow. Carson frantically searched for his friends. The beam of energy from the God Complex had broken through the glass and was bleeding out into the open air. Carson ran over to the large hole that had opened where they had been standing. Bodies lay scattered all around him. He couldn’t tell if they were dead or just unconscious. Carson cautiously looked into the hole. He could just make out the lab equipment through the smoke and dull glow of fire.

  Walking through the chaos was terrifying. People were screaming. Others were crying.

  Finally he came across Abigail, finding her lying unconscious on one of the grand staircases. He let out a sigh of relief and rushed over to her.

  “Abigail,” Carson yelled over the noise. At first she didn’t move but with a few hard shakes Carson managed to get her to wake up.

  She looked around in a daze. “Wh-what happened?”

  “I don’t know but we need to get the hell out of here.”

  “What about Jacob,'' Abigail asked. She stood up. She grabbed onto Carson for support. She was already sounding hysterical.

  “We need to find Jacob first.”

  “We will,” Carson said. “We can look for him on our way out.”

  They stumbled together, hopping over fallen pieces of debris and around the sinkholes that had opened up. Another deep rumble shook the museum. The floor in front of them splintered, shards of wood flying in all directions. The chasm was too wide for them to get around.

  “Come on,'' Abigail said, running back towards the center of the room. The closer they got to the center the more intense the static grew. Carson could feel it pushing back against him. They stood back to back, unsure of what to do.

  Nick was the first to find them. He ran up to them, out of breath.

  “Thank God you’re ok,” Nick heaved. Caught up in the moment he wrapped Carson in a hug.

  “Nick,” Carson said. “Are you ok?”

  “Sort of.” His face was smeared with ash and dust. His shirt was torn at the shoulder. A deep gash was visible just beneath the fabric.

  “Is she ok,” Nick asked, motioning to Abigail. Carson could see that she was zoning out.

  “I’m not sure. We’re trying to find Jacob.”

  The beam was growing more unstable as they spoke. Carson’s skin started to burn under its harsh light.

  “We need to get out of here.” Carson grabbed their hands and shot forward, crashing into Jacob. All four of them fell to the floor with a loud thud.

  “Jesus,” Jacob cried out. It took him a couple of seconds to realize who he was looking at.

  “You guys are alive?”

  He hugged Carson and pulled Abigail and even Nick into it. There wasn’t much time to enjoy their reunion.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,'' Jacob said.

  “I-I can’t,'' Carson said. He struggled against an invisible force that was pressing against his body. It was impossible for any of them to move at all. Static held them in place, the taste of copper invading their mouths. The sound of metal on metal came from somewhere below them. A powerful burst of energy surged through the room. The four of them felt a strong shock as the wave traveled through each of them. Whatever lights had managed to stay on exploded in their sockets. Another explosion shook the museum and traveled up the broken tube, expanding as it moved. The light from the beam intensified, changing from blue to a blinding white. The force field of static disappeared. Carson fell onto his hands, coughing. Above them a wooden support beam came loose and fell. The corner of it slammed into the side of Abigail’s head. She fell to the floor unconscious. Blood quickly pooled around her. The beam continued falling, tearing a hole through the weakened floor. Jacob and Nick fell with it. At the last second they both managed to catch on to the edge.

  “Help,” they screamed.

  Carson dove for Jacob and pulled him out of the hole. Nick watched with a mix of shock and terror as Jacob was lifted to safety,

  “Carson,” Nick whimpered.

  Carson reached for him but was too late. Nick’s hand had already slipped from the splintered wood. Carson’s scream ripped through the air. All he could do was watch as Nick’s body was engulfed in the fires below.

  Carson fell back onto the ground, the edges of his vision blurring. Jacob and Abigail both lay unconscious next to him. The static had quickly built back up. Carson’s head felt foggy, a sense of exhaustion overtaking him. The pain in his arm had long since disappeared. He couldn’t feel much of anything anymore. He tried to call out for someone to help but his throat was too dry to speak. His eyes grew heavy, his desire to sleep o
verwhelming. Carson closed his eyes and quickly fell into the comforting darkness.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

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  THE DREAM STARTED with a whisper.

  Do you remember?

  Carson immediately knew that something was off. It wasn’t the same voice that he had grown to be so afraid of. They weren’t the same words that he had heard night after night. He opened his eyes to find himself standing in the middle of his house. Everything around him was bathed in an unearthly white glow. Despite everything looking the same he knew that it wasn’t real. His mind raced with images of what happened at the museum. He remembered the screams and destruction. He could remember Jacob and Abigail and Nick, the look of terror on their faces as each of them slipped into the dark.

  Carson touched his arm expecting to feel a burn snaking its way across it. His fingers met nothing but smooth skin. It looked perfect in every way possible, except for one glaring detail. It was small. Carson looked at himself in the reflection of the blank tv that hung from the wall. He was shocked to find a much younger face staring back at him.

  The sound of the front door opening and closing tore Carson’s attention away from the screen. He ran through the living room and out into the foyer. The white glow was there too. The brightness of it all hurt his eyes.

  “Hello?” No one answered him. He called out again. A voice answered, only it wasn’t the one he was expecting.

  Follow him. Let me see.

  It was the woman’s voice again. Or girl. Whoever it was speaking she sounded like she was Carson’s age.

  Carson opened the front door and walked out into the bright morning. The fresh air energized him. A lone car sat in the driveway. It’s worn green paint was far too familiar to Carson.

  “Dad?”

  No sooner had the word crossed his lips the door opened behind him. David Noble made his way down the steps without taking notice of him. In a matter of seconds Carson no longer had any desire to leave.

  “Dad,” Carson yelled again from the top of the stairs. This time David heard him. He looked up, confused.

  “Carson? What are you doing up so early?”

  Carson let out a sound that was a mix between a laugh and a cry. He ran down the steps and hugged his father.

  “I’m only going to be gone for a few days, Cars.”

  Carson pulled away. Those were the exact same words that his father had said just before he left. Everything was starting to make sense now. He was reliving the day that his father went away. The day that he died. Carson hugged him again. He held on as long as he could.

  “I really have to go bud,'' David said, pulling Carson off of him. He crouched down and ruffled Carson’s already messy hair.

  “Let me go with you,” Carson whined.

  David looked down at him. Carson had no control over what he was doing or saying. He could only watch as everything played out as it did.

  His father finally relented. “Fine.”

  Twelve year old Carson jumped up and down in excitement.

  “Get in and I’ll go pack you some clothes and let your mom know that you’re going with me.”

  Carson did as he was told. He pulled his seatbelt on and waited impatiently.

  The voice returned without warning.

  Find me.

  When the light faded Carson found himself lying in the middle of a street. The sky above him was a burnt orange. Dusk had just started to set in. The asphalt he was laying on was warm and almost comfortable. Carson opened and closed his mouth over and over again. It tasted like metal. He reluctantly sat up so he could take in his surroundings. The burnt remains of the Aldridge museum stood smoldering several yards away. Light grey smoke billowed into the darkening sky. Everything was shrouded in silence until the street lights turned on, replacing the still air with the buzzing of electricity. Bathed in the artificial glow he pulled himself to his feet. He stared at the remains of the museum, trying to remember exactly what happened. It felt like it happened a lifetime ago.

  Not knowing what else to do Carson walked down the empty street. Just like before everything seemed out of place, like it was too good to be true. As Carson rounded the street corner he walked back onto the same street that he had just left. Once again the destroyed museum sat smoldering just ahead. Confused, Carson stepped back, placing himself in the center of both streets. From the corners of his eyes he could see two museums. They were an exact duplicate of each other, all the way down to the way the light grey smoke was billowing from it. The street signs had the same name, Silver St. Carson was overwhelmed with panic and confusion. He took off running as fast as he could.

  Carson ran until the pain took over. No matter how many times he went down the street it was always the same. Trying to catch his breath he sat on the curb in front of the museum. Defeated, he buried his face in his knees. The sky remained orange the entire time, the sun never fully setting.

  Carson stayed sitting until he noticed a change in the low electrical hum of the streetlights. Down the street one of the lights looked like it was about to go out. The bulb rapidly flickered. Carson stood up. None of them had done that since he woke up. Carson hesitantly walked towards the light. He didn’t trust anything in this place. A shadowy figure sat underneath the light. Even though he couldn’t make out any details he could tell that it was a girl. The long ponytail that stuck out from the back of her head was a dead giveaway. She sat with her knees pointed away from her, her back against the metal pole of the streetlight. She was scribbling something into a notebook.

  “Hey,” Carson called out to her.

  She kept writing without looking up.

  “Do you know what’s going on,” he asked.

  Remember.

  Was he hearing her voice?

  Carson bent down to grab her shoulder. The moment his fingers touched her everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

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  CARSON’S SENSES RETURNED TO him slowly. His sense of touch was the first to come back. He could feel the itchy hospital blankets that were wrapped tightly around his body. He wanted to scratch his arms but still couldn’t move. He felt trapped. His hearing returned not long after. A mess of garbled sound flooded his ears. Intense pain started in the front of his head and quickly spread throughout the rest of his body. His blood pulsed painfully underneath his skin. He was definitely back in the real world this time. Still unable to move, Carson focused on the voice of a woman he had never heard before. He listened to her words carefully, hanging on to each syllable.

  “. . . passed since the devastating incident at the Aldridge museum. Investigators are still unsure as to what exactly caused the accident that resulted in over twenty deaths and several dozen injuries. The owner of the museum, Dr. Robert Aldridge, is still unavailable for comment.”

  Carson tried to just listen rather than think about what she was saying. The pain that filled his body only grew in intensity as he became more aware of his surroundings.

  “In international news, a Russian space shuttle carrying six cosmonauts has been reported to have disappeared during reentry. The Russian space agency is still frantically trying to restore communication with the crew after. . .”

  The pain was unbearable. He tried to fight the returning darkness but to no avail. Within minutes of waking up Carson fell back into a deep sleep.

  When Carson finally woke up again the reporter's melodic voice had been replaced by a deeper, more familiar one.

  “I’m trying,” his grandfather said. He was clearly annoyed.

  “The board isn’t happy,'' another voice answered. This one wasn’t familiar. The man spoke with a thick African accent. With whatever strength he had regained Carson cracked his eyes open to see who his grandfather was talking to. The man was tall and completely bald. He wore a long, heavy coat and held tightly onto a leather briefcase.

  “You think I don’t know that, Micah?”

  Carson shift
ed his eyes to his grandfather. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.

  “They want to know how you plan on coming back from this,'' Micah said, his voice stoic.

  “I’m working on it. This is just a minor setback. The Complex is still a viable option.

  Micah sighed. “They’re not going to li--”

  “I don’t care what they do or don’t like.” Robert stood up abruptly. “Solaros is MY company, not theirs. I still have complete faith in this project. I’m not going to just give it up at the first sign of trouble.”

  “This wasn’t just some small inconvenience, Professor. People have died. A lot of people. Investors have been steadily pulling out since the day of the accident. Word is they are starting to pursue different, safer avenues.”

  “Nothing great has ever been discovered by playing it safe. There was bound to be some hiccups. What we are doing is nothing short of god-like. What we’ve created is a miracle. Breaking the laws of nature was always going to come at a price, no matter how much we prepared to counteract them.”

  Micah’s hands tightened around the handle of his briefcase. The leather creaked underneath his fingers.

  “So what would you like me to tell the board,” Micah asked.

  Robert stared out of the window. He admired the colorful plants that lined the sidewalks several floors below.

  “Tell them that we will be cutting our losses and continuing with Project Zeus as planned.”

  Micah nodded and left without saying anything else.

  Carson fully opened his eyes when Micah was gone. His mother was the first one to notice.

  “Carson? Robert, he’s awake. Carson, are you ok?” She hurried to the side of his bed and grabbed his hand. With her free hand she reached above him and pushed a small red button on the heart monitor. Within a few seconds the room was filled with doctors and nurses.

  “Is he ok? Why isn’t he talking?” Ellie was asking a hundred questions a minute, faster than anyone could answer.