Read Online The Traveler's Companion by Christopher John Chater - Free Book Online
Authors: Christopher John Chater
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months? He said that book hits stores tomorrow morning!” Gibbons said.
“A lot of drivel about meditation. Let it come out!” Iverson turned to grab the handle of the pot, but it was gone. The whole pot. The coffee maker. Even the counter. Gone.
Gibbons and Iverson looked around the room for the countertop and the coffee maker as if the items had simply been misplaced. They even looked in the cabinets beneath, thinking that maybe the ceramic slab had collapsed. No such luck.
Baffled and alarmed, they left the break room and walked down the hall to the main lobby. Their plan was to contact security, but there was no sign of other personnel. The large fingernail-shaped receptionist’s desk usually had a receptionist at it, but she was now AWOL. Everyone was gone.
Gibbons used his keycard to access the magneto lock of a frost-colored security door. When the LED light went green, he pushed it open. They entered the research wing. The rows of cubicles in this part of the office were usually alive with activity, but now it was a ghost town.
Iverson immediately went to a desk, checked the contents of a drawer, and found it empty.
“What’s in there?” Gibbons asked.
“Nothing,” Iverson said. He tried the other drawers, but still didn’t find anything.
“Maybe we’re not in Langley,” Gibbons said. “We were drugged and taken to a warehouse where they created a replica of the offices.”
Iverson noticed the top desk drawer handle was gone. He assumed he had pulled it off, so he looked for it under the desk. “You see what happened to the drawer handle?”
Then the entire desk was gone. One second it was there, the next it wasn’t. Iverson walked through the center of the room, feeling like he was demonstrating a magician’s trick.
Shocked, both men began to slowly exit the office. From under the doorframe they watched as more of the decor began to fade away. The walls were suddenly saturated with blackness, islands of darkness devouring the wall art, thecertificates on the wall, the printer, the copier, all suddenly gone.
Iverson, captivated by the spectacle, backed into a cubicle divider and nearly knocked it over. He had to struggle to tear himself away from the awesome sight. As a scientist he couldn’t figure it out. Scientifically speaking, humans didn’t actually see objects; light brought information to the eyes like radio waves to a radio. Here darkness was devouring objects in a room filled with light, one at a time! Impossible!
Iverson suddenly realized he had been abandoned by Gibbons. The director was already halfway down the hall. Iverson quickly gave chase. He threaded his way through the maze of cubicles and ran toward the security door. Gibbons let the door shut on him. Iverson had to frantically dig through his pockets for his access card, bring it out, scan it, and then wait for what felt like an eternity for the LED light to go green. He turned to look behind him. A tidal wave of blackness. The entire research wing was gone.
Breathless and panicked, he pushed open the door and rushed down the hall. Once past the receptionist’s desk, he was only a few yards from Gibbons, who was now fumbling to scan his card at the next security door. Gibbons made no attempt to hold this door for him either, but this time Iverson was fast enough to catch it.
Iverson was nearly on Gibbons’s heels as they rushed down the hallway. A shadow was engulfing them, the hallway was going dark. With nothing under his feet, it looked like Gibbons was running in place. Iverson forced his attention on the door at the end of the hall. Everything else had vanished. As long as it was there, he would continue to run to it. He just kept focusing on it. Get through the door, he told himself.
Iverson grabbed the handle of the door first, but at full speed Gibbons was unable to stop. They both went tumbling into the conference room.
Go and Angela were in the midst of a conversation.
“I sometimes wonder if maybe
“A lot of drivel about meditation. Let it come out!” Iverson turned to grab the handle of the pot, but it was gone. The whole pot. The coffee maker. Even the counter. Gone.
Gibbons and Iverson looked around the room for the countertop and the coffee maker as if the items had simply been misplaced. They even looked in the cabinets beneath, thinking that maybe the ceramic slab had collapsed. No such luck.
Baffled and alarmed, they left the break room and walked down the hall to the main lobby. Their plan was to contact security, but there was no sign of other personnel. The large fingernail-shaped receptionist’s desk usually had a receptionist at it, but she was now AWOL. Everyone was gone.
Gibbons used his keycard to access the magneto lock of a frost-colored security door. When the LED light went green, he pushed it open. They entered the research wing. The rows of cubicles in this part of the office were usually alive with activity, but now it was a ghost town.
Iverson immediately went to a desk, checked the contents of a drawer, and found it empty.
“What’s in there?” Gibbons asked.
“Nothing,” Iverson said. He tried the other drawers, but still didn’t find anything.
“Maybe we’re not in Langley,” Gibbons said. “We were drugged and taken to a warehouse where they created a replica of the offices.”
Iverson noticed the top desk drawer handle was gone. He assumed he had pulled it off, so he looked for it under the desk. “You see what happened to the drawer handle?”
Then the entire desk was gone. One second it was there, the next it wasn’t. Iverson walked through the center of the room, feeling like he was demonstrating a magician’s trick.
Shocked, both men began to slowly exit the office. From under the doorframe they watched as more of the decor began to fade away. The walls were suddenly saturated with blackness, islands of darkness devouring the wall art, thecertificates on the wall, the printer, the copier, all suddenly gone.
Iverson, captivated by the spectacle, backed into a cubicle divider and nearly knocked it over. He had to struggle to tear himself away from the awesome sight. As a scientist he couldn’t figure it out. Scientifically speaking, humans didn’t actually see objects; light brought information to the eyes like radio waves to a radio. Here darkness was devouring objects in a room filled with light, one at a time! Impossible!
Iverson suddenly realized he had been abandoned by Gibbons. The director was already halfway down the hall. Iverson quickly gave chase. He threaded his way through the maze of cubicles and ran toward the security door. Gibbons let the door shut on him. Iverson had to frantically dig through his pockets for his access card, bring it out, scan it, and then wait for what felt like an eternity for the LED light to go green. He turned to look behind him. A tidal wave of blackness. The entire research wing was gone.
Breathless and panicked, he pushed open the door and rushed down the hall. Once past the receptionist’s desk, he was only a few yards from Gibbons, who was now fumbling to scan his card at the next security door. Gibbons made no attempt to hold this door for him either, but this time Iverson was fast enough to catch it.
Iverson was nearly on Gibbons’s heels as they rushed down the hallway. A shadow was engulfing them, the hallway was going dark. With nothing under his feet, it looked like Gibbons was running in place. Iverson forced his attention on the door at the end of the hall. Everything else had vanished. As long as it was there, he would continue to run to it. He just kept focusing on it. Get through the door, he told himself.
Iverson grabbed the handle of the door first, but at full speed Gibbons was unable to stop. They both went tumbling into the conference room.
Go and Angela were in the midst of a conversation.
“I sometimes wonder if maybe
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