Discombobulation

“Not too close,” Jebediah waved them back. Samuel and Isaiah were yet again standing too close for comfort, transfixed by the matriculations of the machinery. They moved back, only to gradually draw in closer.

“Sir, fifty percent synchronization,” a researcher from behind reported.

Jebediah reached to the side and swung up a screen on a stabilization arm. The monitor displayed an anatomical chart of the man. Flashing red indicated the work in progress, sections of green, the completed areas. “Fifty-nine percent.” A few more specks flicked green.

The trio watched as the mechanical arms flashed within the tube and mechanized the man. The rotary buzzed amidst the thwacking snaps of frozen sinew. The display gradually lit up green till only the head remained flashing.

Jebediah glanced at the screen, then stared at the semblance of humanity before him. What is a human? Is this it? Is it me? Does he will this to happen? The closed bald eyes stared at him. His eyes registered the deregistered; the man was frigid; unmoving, his heart. His mind followed, resolved. There is no free will; only my will.

“Sir?” a researcher’s voice broke into his thoughts from behind.

“Inject, now,” Jebediah commanded without looking back, tossing aside the frivolous thoughts of humanity. The pillar stood, its icy surface shimmering like salt; reflecting Jeb’s face.

The researcher pressed a few buttons at his station. They stared at the column. Veins bulged, pumping the substance; Facial muscles, facial panels, twitched as it flowed beneath them; Lids flapped, revealing glaring steel balls as machine merged with mind.

“Upload completed,” another researcher read out from behind his screen. The room came to silence as the contractions in the tube calmed down and the humming of the machines died out.

“Begin discombobulation,” Jebediah tightened his hood. He shivered momentarily, then pulled a pair of goggles out from his coat pocket. The researchers mimicked his movements; shielded their eyes in preparation.

“Beginning discombobulation.” They watched as the pillar hissed, billowing out cold within cold mist; Samuel and Isaiah stepped back slightly, flinching; Jebediah stood unmoving.

“Give me them readings.” Jebediah called from behind a mask, tightly wound around his face.

“Temps rising. Internal temp, 4.9 kelvin; exterior, 77 kelvin,” one of the scientists called back.

They stood in silence as the pillar billowed. After several moments the mist ceased. “Heart palpitations detected.”

Nine hoods shuffled in the darkness; the dim light of the second morning’s setting sun barely illuminated their path. The beating of their hearts hammered in their ears in place of their footsteps; all but one of them filled with a sense of fervor, while the lone heart rushed along in angst. The black velvet sleekness flowed around them as they sneaked along the ancient tiling that they knew so well. Through the halls and past the pillars, their muffled footsteps followed in stride, tracing back towards the room at the end of the path.

The door was barely visible in the distance, yet still, they approached it – as blackened and wretched as their hearts. Upon reaching their destination, the headman halted; raised his hand. He traced the frame with his velvet-black-gloved hand. The other eight’s eyes stared from their black sockets at the strange number nine stroking the door. “Nine for mortal men… doomed to die…” he rasped, lowering his hand to reveal an obsidian ring. He chuckled, then inserted it into a perfectly encapsulating perforation. Wssssshhhh! -irrrrrr. A light flickered around where the ring was inserted; above it, another hole lit up – a dim purple glow amidst the black.

The others followed suit; they trickled their fingers across the frame, inserting their rings in their respective placement slots around the door, each new perforation lighting up in turn.

With a final woosh and a whir, all nine rings had been inserted. Clrk clrk clrk. Unseen gears clicked and whizzed about and the purple-rimmed door slowly creaked open – a portal of profanity, leading into the darkness.

Pushing past a curtain, the foreboding fellowship emerged into an even darker antechamber. IR flock sheets lined the walls – they quite literally stepped into the void. A single lamp hung in the blackness, suspended over a lectern of quartz.

The figures gathered around the lectern, the sole illuminated object in the room. Number nine ran his fingers across the book sitting upon it. “We have gathered once again today… my brothers,” he motioned to his companions, “To resume our perpetual studies of our most holy doctrine. Of our code of honor. Of our way of life. Of the original copy of The Commandments of Intersystemic Unity. I have received a divine revelation as of lately, that someone or something has gone amiss. A great change is coming… and we must be the ones to conform it to our will. Have any of us news from our respective entitlements?”

“Nothing auspicious from the Enterprise…” one replied.

“Nor the Association,” another added.

Number nine chuckled, as if remembering something from long ago. The other hooded figures stared silently back at number nine, then followed his gaze toward number six. “Something to say, number six?” Nine singled out; six shuffled as their gazes passed over him.

Number six swiftly shook his head.

“Well then, if no one has anything to report, let us commence our studies.” Number nine flicked through the pages, arriving where they had left off. “Ah, before I forget and before we begin reviewing the next section on somatic alteration, the juicer has delivered fresh stock. As always, don’t forget to partake in confession after our meeting is adjourned.”

After finishing the opening statements, the hooded figures engaged in their ritualistic behaviors and chanted through the rest of their service, only breaking for tea and a nap. Upon completion of their gathering, the hooded figures fanned out, each heading for their confession chamber – each to their own. Number nine to his, number eight to his, number seven, and so forth. Number six glanced at the others as they disappeared behind the cloths, hesitating momentarily before entering his booth.

He pushed through the draperies and entered the solace of the room. A lone goblet stood erect on a plinth before him; red liquid swirled inside it. He shuffled his hands beneath his robes. Pulling out a cloth he wiped his brow, relief that he had escaped suspicion from the brotherhood. With another rustle of his robes, he pulled out a tube, connected to some pouch stitched into a hidden fold. He leaned forward and almost habitually kneeled before the plinth. He quickly got back up from his half-crouch and dipped the tube into the goblet, wiggling his arm to get the pumping action started. As the liquid continuously disappeared past the edge of his garb, he instinctively cast glances over his shoulder.

“Come’on,” he whispered, voice hampered in the soundproof chamber. Slowly the goblet drained. He pumped faster until half the fluid remained. Upon reaching the absolute lowest consumption limit, he fwipped the tube back into his robes. Heart calming down, he let out a long sigh. His hands supported him on the plinth, and he found himself staring into the goblet.

Disgust filled him as he gazed upon his rippling reflection. Some dark part within him yearned for the substance, aside from his poisoned heart which required the wretched ritual – he cursed the righteousness of his past self for choosing this path; how could he be tricked so?

“So be it. I have no choice anymore,” he thought, justifying his resolve, “I. do not. have petty desires. For more reasons than that, I must partake.”

He snatched up the goblet, wrenched back his throat, and downed it in a single gulp. A warm tingling washed through him along with its iron taste.

Fwsssssh.

“Greetings, number six,”

Six whipped around; stared at nine’s unique form.

“I see you have finished.” Nine chuckled, then turned back through the hanging cloths, “Come, the others have finished. We must conclude the gathering.”

Did he see?

With the closure of their cyclical meeting adjourned, the members retrieved their rings, then departed into the night. Six watched as the members slipped down their own passages, avoiding the night-night-life pedestrians. Following their lead, he slipped into a network of tunnels and made his way towards the chamber of common inquiries. Surfacing into the shuttle bay, he punched in a code and boarded his private shuttle, flopping onto the cushions as the shuttle ascended.

“Greetings, what is the destination tonight?” an automated voice resounded.

“Take me to the director,” Six ordered, flipping his robes inside out, transforming the garb into his business suit.

“Affirmative, Dr. Samuel.”

“Where have you been, you maggot.” Jebediah leaned back in his chair, staring at Samuel. Jeb clinked his clippers, lit up, then took a long intimidating drawl on his cigar. Shhfwoofhwooohhhh…

Samuel stared back at him – unblinking.

Guoh-guh-ughuh! A cloud of smoke erupted from Jebediah’s mouth as he broke eye contact in a coughing fit. He crumpled forward, feet falling from atop his desk.

“My business is my business, and my business is my business alone, it is none of your business, so mind your own business and do not mind my business.” Samuel stared down at Jeb, still wheezing from the cigar smoke; his face was as purple as the “portal door” from earlier. Samuel repressed a deep chuckle of irony.

“At least keep your transponder on,” Jebediah coughed, still recovering from the side effects of his lousy habit.

“Transponder this, transponder that, didn’t you hear me last time concerning ‘em? Don’t listen well do ya…”

“Come’on Samuel,” Jeb waved his hand in front of his face, “You know how it is, we’re busy enough as is, with all this darned legal business stuff on our hands. I can’t be buggered to look at it, let alone fill it out; yet here it remains, on my desk, waiting for you to deal with it.” Samuel glanced at the intimidating mound of papers on the desk, nodded his head. “And besides all that junk, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about our plans going forwards. As you know, the implementation into the factories has already been a huge success. Labor is cheaper than ever, and they still don’t even realize what’s goin’ on. I know we’ve had all this mumbo jumbo scripted out several moves in advance, but some new developments seem to be boiling up. I hate to say it, but there may be some writing on the wall.”

Samuel raised his brow.

“Ah, now you’re listening,” Jeb tapped his noggin, “Curious much?”

“Indeed.” Samuel nodded, eyes sharpened.

“Somethings happening, the robots are becoming- well… wait a minute…” Jebediah looked around, up and down and under his desk. Fwished out his drawer. “Ah, I must’ve misplaced it! Looks like you’ll need to sort through all these documents to find it.” Suddenly, Jebediah stood up and dashed off through the door, patting Samuel on the shoulder as he passed, “Good luck!”

“…”