Subroutine Ch. 11

So far, though, Jae's stolen keycard had gotten them through every door. Harper's heart was pounding furiously, and every time she heard the slightest noise she jumped like a startled mouse, suddenly sure they'd been discovered by a security guard, but despite her anxiety Harper was having difficulty suppressing the ludicrous urge to laugh. It was just so ridiculous, sneaking around her own school like a spy in a movie or something. For what felt like the millionth time, she found herself questioning how she'd ended up in such a surreal situation. Mentally reviewing that twisted path, though, completely took the humor out of it. Harper took a deep breath and did her best to steel her nerves. There was too much at stake for her to be acting like a naughty child.

"Here," Jae said suddenly, coming to a halt. "It's right here."

Harper looked at the door they were now standing outside of. She held up her phone to provide a little light. The name panel read 'Private: Professor Elbourne.' Mounted on the wall beside the door was a small electronic key-reader. As she looked at it, a question occurred to Harper; something she'd neglected to ask about before.

"Who did you say you swiped the keycard off of?" Harper whispered.

"Just one of Elbourne's TAs," Jae answered dismissively, already reaching to swipe the card.

"Wait," Harper hissed, grabbing their hand. "How do you know they have access? How do you know it won't, like, trip an alarm or something?"

"They come in and out of here all the time," Jae told her impatiently. "I told you I'd been watching, remember?"

Harper nodded slowly and removed her hand, although she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong. "Fine. Just... you're really sure this is safe?"

"I'm sure," Jae said, and swiped the card.

Harper held her breath, but she needn't have worried. There was a small buzzing sound, and then a green light appeared on the card reader. A loud, metallic click came from the lock on the door as it opened. Without any of the hesitation that Harper was feeling, Jae pushed the door open and stepped inside. From within, Jae beckoned Harper to follow. Harper couldn't shake her reluctance; once she crossed the threshold, she somehow felt certain there would be no going back. But she knew that the longer she delayed, the more likely they were to be discovered, and so she stepped inside and allowed the door to the lab to fall shut behind her.

Even though the lab's lights were still switch off, the whole room was illuminated by the flickering, sickly glow of a dozen computer screens, spread out throughout the lab. Harper could tell the room was large and windowless, but she couldn't see much more besides that until Jae felt around for the light switch on the wall. Harper was momentarily dazzled by the brightness as the fluorescent lamps on the ceiling came to life. Once she adjusted, she was able to see that the lab was divided up by three rows of desks, with the computers mounted on them and stools in front of each one. The computers looked state-of-the-art; no surprise, given Professor Elbourne's academic and professional standing. At one end of the lab, next to the door, was a large workbench, with a bunch of electronic components scattered across it and many more in various bins and containers underneath. There were some tools Harper recognized, like a soldering iron, and many more that she didn't and that seemed to be far more advanced. At the far end was a set of large, metal cabinets that stood from floor to ceiling.

"Come on, let's get to work," Jae instructed. "We've got some time, but not forever. We need to find something."

Harper nodded. Jae headed straight to the workbench and started inspecting it, although Harper had no idea what exactly they were looking for. Harper decided to start with the desks. There were some papers scattered across a few of them, and that seemed like a good place to find something incriminating. Harper took her time looking around the lab as she made her way over. In most respects it seemed completely mundane, but there was just something about it that was bothering Harper. Why were all the computers left on? What were they doing? What was the purpose of the workbench, or those big cabinets? Why so much security, for something like this? It all seemed just slightly off.

Once she reached the nearest desk, Harper looked at the computer screen. There were lines of code written on it, hundreds of them, perhaps even thousands, all scrolling by almost too fast to read. Harper suddenly wished she'd spent more time studying. She didn't recognize what kind of code it was or what kind of software was running. As far as she could tell, it was some kind of program being compiled. Whatever it was, it was clearly incredibly complex. Harper had never seen anything like it. She could only guess at its purpose. It could have been completely innocent, of course, but her mind was racing with possibilities. Maybe it was a brainwashing program. Maybe it was the code lying behind those mind-warping spirals that had taken Harper and Lori's free will away. Maybe it was the very program that those spirals had placed in her head. Harper was lost in thought for a moment, stunned by the idea that she might be looking at the instrument of her misfortune, right there on the screen. But she pulled herself away, once she realized that the constant, endless, scrolling lines of code were becoming uncomfortably hypnotic.

Next, Harper's attention turned to the nearest stack of papers. She picked up a few, and started looking through them. They seemed to be a stack of printouts, perhaps ready to be filed away. Once Harper started to read them, she realized they were a long series of case files, each of them marked ominously by a four-digit serial number. Harper flicked through them, her heart pounding, but there was no #7005 or #6193. But there were other numbers: #7137, #7428, and a dozen more besides. Harper's eyes widened. What did that mean? More victims?

She started reading furiously, searching for more details, but the files were maddeningly obscure. There was little more to each of them than a set of basic physical descriptors, and a set of coded references that Harper assumed to be describing how their brainwashing was progressing - 'Subject reached Stage Five', 'Subject has undergone Procedure Seven,' 'Subject's responses consistent with that of a Type Three inductee'. Frustrated, Harper threw the papers back onto the desk. Knowing what she knew, it was incredibly troubling, but to an outsider it wasn't proof. It was nothing. There could even be some kind of alternative explanation. For all she knew, it was still faintly possible that Professor Elbourne was innocent. They needed to find something more explicit. Something truly incriminating. Harper looked to the far side of the room.

"Hey, I'm gonna check out those cabinets," she called to Jae.

There was no response. Jae still seemed to be preoccupied with the workbench by the door. Harper decided not to interrupt. Instead, she moved slowly past the rows of flickering computer screens until she was standing in front of one of the huge, metal cabinets. They weren't locked. Unsure what to expect, Harper outstretched her hand, and opened one. The moment she saw what was inside, Harper took a step back and clasped her hand over her face. It was a wardrobe. And inside, were rows and rows of black, latex bodysuits, each one with a matching black hood and mask. This was it.

This was proof. There was no possible innocent way to explain this. It was Professor Elbourne. It had been her all along. Harper had already suspected, but now that she was seeing positive proof, she couldn't describe what she was feeling. She could feel her blood pumping in her ears. She started fumbling for her phone, and began taking photo after photo. Perhaps there wasn't anything inherently sinister about some sets of latex clothing - at least, to an outsider observer - but Harper felt certain there was no way Professor Elbourne had told anyone that this was what her research was all about. Maybe she could use them to get the university to start an investigation. Maybe they would be able to uncover it all. Maybe-

"I thought I asked you to leave, Miss Williams."

The moment she heard the stern, clipped, familiar voice coming from the entrance of the lab, Harper's blood ran cold. She turned slowly, dreading what she knew she was going to see. It was Professor Elbourne, stood tall in the doorway, looking disturbing calm and in-control. She sighed and shook her head, her lab coat hanging all the way to the ground.

"You shouldn't have come here, Miss Williams. That was very unwise."

"Fuck you," Harper spat, but inwardly she was terrified. She looked over at Jae. They were staring at Professor Elbourne too, looking just as dumbfounded as Harper felt.

"It's a shame, really," Professor Elbourne continued. "Your experiment was proving such a valuable source of data. I'm going to regret having to terminate early. It's going to take such a long time to find suitable candidates for a repeat. But I suppose there's no helping it."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Harper spat. Her hands were balled tight into fists, her body running on adrenaline. There were so many things she wanted to say, so many questions she wanted to scream. But, with her head so scrambled by fear and panic, the only one she could formulate was: "Why? Why did you do this to us?"

"I'd love to explain. I really would." Professor Elbourne started walking slowly towards Harper. "But I think it would take far too long for you to grasp the purpose of my work, and I'm sure you're already thinking about how to escape, or perhaps attack me. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our conversation short."

"W-what are you talking about?" Harper started looking around nervously. There was nothing she could use as a weapon. Could she overpower Elbourne? Maybe. Could she get past her? The door was the only way out. But one phrase from the professor was all it would take to shut her down.

Professor Elbourne looked at her pointedly. "Beta... beta..." She looked down and snapped her fingers in frustration. "What was the number again? I can never remember."

Harper couldn't believe her luck. Maybe there was actually a way out of this. She looked over at Jae, trying to catch their eye. She flashed significant looks between them and the professor, hoping to try and signal for them to both try and tackle Professor Elbourne at once. Jae's expression, however, was unreadable. Harper wasn't sure they understood what she was trying to convey.

"I suppose I'll have to use this instead, then," Professor Elbourne announced. She reached into one of the large pockets of her lab coat, and withdrew a tablet computer. She tapped at the screen for a couple seconds, her fingers deftly inputting a password and then pressing a series of other buttons. The professor's face was bathed in light emanating from the screen, but Harper couldn't see what was on it. Not until Professor Elbourne held it up for her to look at it.

It was a spiral.

"Look," the professor commanded, but it was unnecessary. Harper was already looking. Her gaze was utterly rooted to the spiral. The entrancing effect of the swimming, spinning graphic were diminished from across the room, but it was still enough. Harper could already feel her strength being sapped. The idea of closing her eyes or averting her gaze suddenly seemed as impossible as the idea of swimming up a waterfall. She'd been full of fire, ready to fight or flee at any moment, but now submission and defeat felt inevitable. An all-too-familiar coldness was starting to take root in her mind, slowly reactivating the programs and subroutines Harper so longed to be free of. Was this the end? It was starting to feel like it. Obedience was pleasure. Resistance was impossible. She was a-

"No!" Harper cried. She wasn't willing to let this be the end. Not after how far she'd come. Mustering all of her will, she managed to tear her gaze off of the spiral. The instant she did, she broke into a sprint. She was still feeling dizzy from the spiral, but she could remember the path to the door, even with her head down. It wasn't far. Just a few seconds. All she had to do was make sure Jae was safe too. In what felt like only an instant, Harper was across the room and next to the workbench, at which Jae was still standing.

"Come on!" Harper yelled, grabbing Jae's hand. She started pulling towards the door. She could feel Jae responding and starting to follow her, sluggish but still responsive. Now there was only the professor in the way. She was between them and freedom, but she wasn't blocking the door. All Harper needed to do was shove her aside. She had the pictures on her phone. The nightmare was almost over.

Fueled by another surge of adrenaline, Harper brushed past Professor Elbourne with ease. She was tall and slight; easy to throw off balance. The professor didn't even try to resist or hold her back. Harper raised her head. The door was right in front of her. Just a few more paces. She was there. She was free. She was free.

That hopeful thought died in Harper's mind as she felt an iron grip on her shoulder, holding her back. Harper wheeled. It wasn't the professor. It was Jae.

"Jae... why?" Harper asked, but she already knew. The look on Jae's face told her everything. It was a look she knew all too well, from all the times she'd seen it on Lori's face. It was the look of a hypnotized, brainwashed drone. It took Harper a long moment to recover and try to pull away, but she found she couldn't. Jae was suddenly inhumanly strong and impassive. Harper's own strength started to fade, replaced with a soporific sense of despair.

"Thank you, drone," Professor Elbourne said, setting her glasses back on neatly after Harper had knocked them askew. She turned to look at Harper. Her smile was cold. "I told you, Miss Williams. You really shouldn't have come here."

Harper's mouth opened and closed uselessly. She had no more words of defiance.

"Drone, subdue this girl," Professor Elbourne commanded, already turning away.

"Command accepted," Jae intoned. Their voice, now robotic and without emotion, felt like a death knell. "Beta-6193."

Everything went black.