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Authors: Carl S. Plumer
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse
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their brains inserted into a new body. But the bathwater wasn’t working as planned.
What do you mean?
There were complications. Some of the heads died after a few weeks, others had brain-wave patterns indicating various states of brain dysfunction. Those we removed from the bath straightway and refroze. This process, regrettably, destroyed some of them.
What happened next?
In just the past two or three weeks, as a matter of fact, we began to observe a remarkable phenomenon. Not only were the brains reanimating, but if left in the bathwater long enough, some of the more responsive heads where, in fact, reanimating. Let me restate that: not only were the brains coming alive, so was the whole, bodiless head.
What does that mean, Alena? I’m not sure I understand.
Well, Zoë, we began to see facial movements, including movements of the eyeball behind the lid, like REM sleep. Facial tics appeared. The faces started to make expressions—anger, sadness, joy, laughter. Much like an embryonic baby in the amniotic fluid. This phenomenon progressed quickly, until one day one of the heads in the bath opened its eyes.
My, that’s incredible.
Yes. This was, as you might expect, quite shocking for all of us scientists in the room. Equally as shocking was the speed of development. The timeline from open eyes to full interaction was remarkably fast. It was as if these celebrities and billionaires had themselves reappeared from beyond the grave. These heads had no bodies, however. Nor were they their old selves, not by any means. They were their own “evil twins,” so to speak.
This seems more like science fiction than fact.
Exactly. Imagine how we all felt. But it got worse. The heads snapped at our hands, like dogs, whenever we reached into the Plexiglas containers, or “eggquariums” as we called them—that name is patented, by the way. Anytime we reached in to make any adjustments to the wiring connecting the brains to the computer systems, or to check the condition of the water, or just to pet the heads, they would bite. The attacks were becoming more and more vicious. The heads were rebelling.
Meanwhile, as our viewers are now well aware, the overflow tanks containing these heads and chemicals poured directly into the aquifer. Chemicals from ATELIC were ending up in the local drinking water, in other words. Here in the city and other parts of the Bay Area. Unfortunately, we’re out of time. Alena, great having you here. I’m Zoë Krant. Thanks for watching. Good night
Chapter 28
When Donovan came to, he found himself feeling claustrophobic in a tight, closed little room. He sat up, his head spinning slightly, his brain sluggish. He peered out the window to an empty parking lot. The tarmac was torn. Weeds grew up through the cracks. A fast-food wrapper blew across the lot. He tapped the glass of the window. It seemed thick, possibly bulletproof. No doubt, it was soundproof.
Donovan forced himself to stand up from the room’s only piece of furniture, a kind of prison cot. He walked to the door. Almost absurdly, he tried the knob. It was, also absurdly, unlocked. Weird. A trap?
He sat back down and went over the events of the past two or three days. It had only been two or three days, hadn’t it? Being drugged unconscious had none of the beneficial effects of a real night’s sleep and lack of sleep was starting to play tricks with his sense of reality.
How long had he been out? An hour? A day? A week? None of what had happened seemed real, more part dream/part nightmare. Cathren was dead. The city poisoned. A hell of a big mess.
The door to Donovan’s prison cell opened. In walked Burkhart Egesa, sporting a vicious scowl.
“Ah, good, you’re awake. And, don’t fear, I’m not scowling at you,” Egesa said. “This is actually how my face looks in full repose. Also when I’m expressing joy, fear, delight, exasperation, orgasmic rapture, and so on. This is it. This is all
What do you mean?
There were complications. Some of the heads died after a few weeks, others had brain-wave patterns indicating various states of brain dysfunction. Those we removed from the bath straightway and refroze. This process, regrettably, destroyed some of them.
What happened next?
In just the past two or three weeks, as a matter of fact, we began to observe a remarkable phenomenon. Not only were the brains reanimating, but if left in the bathwater long enough, some of the more responsive heads where, in fact, reanimating. Let me restate that: not only were the brains coming alive, so was the whole, bodiless head.
What does that mean, Alena? I’m not sure I understand.
Well, Zoë, we began to see facial movements, including movements of the eyeball behind the lid, like REM sleep. Facial tics appeared. The faces started to make expressions—anger, sadness, joy, laughter. Much like an embryonic baby in the amniotic fluid. This phenomenon progressed quickly, until one day one of the heads in the bath opened its eyes.
My, that’s incredible.
Yes. This was, as you might expect, quite shocking for all of us scientists in the room. Equally as shocking was the speed of development. The timeline from open eyes to full interaction was remarkably fast. It was as if these celebrities and billionaires had themselves reappeared from beyond the grave. These heads had no bodies, however. Nor were they their old selves, not by any means. They were their own “evil twins,” so to speak.
This seems more like science fiction than fact.
Exactly. Imagine how we all felt. But it got worse. The heads snapped at our hands, like dogs, whenever we reached into the Plexiglas containers, or “eggquariums” as we called them—that name is patented, by the way. Anytime we reached in to make any adjustments to the wiring connecting the brains to the computer systems, or to check the condition of the water, or just to pet the heads, they would bite. The attacks were becoming more and more vicious. The heads were rebelling.
Meanwhile, as our viewers are now well aware, the overflow tanks containing these heads and chemicals poured directly into the aquifer. Chemicals from ATELIC were ending up in the local drinking water, in other words. Here in the city and other parts of the Bay Area. Unfortunately, we’re out of time. Alena, great having you here. I’m Zoë Krant. Thanks for watching. Good night
Chapter 28
When Donovan came to, he found himself feeling claustrophobic in a tight, closed little room. He sat up, his head spinning slightly, his brain sluggish. He peered out the window to an empty parking lot. The tarmac was torn. Weeds grew up through the cracks. A fast-food wrapper blew across the lot. He tapped the glass of the window. It seemed thick, possibly bulletproof. No doubt, it was soundproof.
Donovan forced himself to stand up from the room’s only piece of furniture, a kind of prison cot. He walked to the door. Almost absurdly, he tried the knob. It was, also absurdly, unlocked. Weird. A trap?
He sat back down and went over the events of the past two or three days. It had only been two or three days, hadn’t it? Being drugged unconscious had none of the beneficial effects of a real night’s sleep and lack of sleep was starting to play tricks with his sense of reality.
How long had he been out? An hour? A day? A week? None of what had happened seemed real, more part dream/part nightmare. Cathren was dead. The city poisoned. A hell of a big mess.
The door to Donovan’s prison cell opened. In walked Burkhart Egesa, sporting a vicious scowl.
“Ah, good, you’re awake. And, don’t fear, I’m not scowling at you,” Egesa said. “This is actually how my face looks in full repose. Also when I’m expressing joy, fear, delight, exasperation, orgasmic rapture, and so on. This is it. This is all
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