Today is the most important day of my career.
I've spent years working toward the success of Project Mercury. The growth of a synthetic organism powered by the alchemical compounds of Salt, Sulfur, and, of course- Mercury. Body, soul, and spirit. I've done almost all the calibrations and all the double-checking, even though I'm just the assistant.
My supervisor has called me in late tonight, supposedly to finish the project. The thought sounds insane to me. We proved that Mercury could exist as a living being, but we've barely even begun the project beyond that. Who knows what Mercury will be capable of in the end?
As I make my way through the halls of the labs, my eyes are blinded by the ever-abrasive white linoleum. My shoes squeak as they pass over it. It smells like disinfectants and the dry air is enough to make my skin crack. I open the door and see my supervisor, Porsolt.
He's hunched over the capsule, metal on its ends with glass connecting them. He doesn't even turn to acknowledge my presence, merely [[barking->2]] out in his usual tone.(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[(text-style:"sway")[Finally!] Honestly, assistant, you must really enjoy being late. Even at the culmination of all my work, you can't be present when I need you?]]
"My" work? That sums up Porsolt's attitude pretty well. My contributions were scarcely mentioned. It has been so long that I can't even tell if it bothers me anymore. Porsolt's fashion sense was as minimalistic and sterile as ever, and it looks to me like he's been awake for several nights straight.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Come, come, assistant, we have important work to do. Very, (text-style:"sway")[very] important work. I shouldn't have to explain this to you.]]
Important work, indeed. Porsolt gestures to the capsule, where I observe [[the subject->3]] close up.I stare down at the capsule. Through the pristine glass, a small purplish-black sphere glides around. Mercury. It floats from end to end, bumping into the glass and making [[soft ethereal noises->Noises]].
Despite Porsolt's claims of Mercury being the culmination of his life's work, I know it's mine too. After all, the assistant is the one who grabs the tools, who calibrates the apparatuses, who corrects the notes. On top of that, I gave it my blood.
Mercury seems to be unaware of its purpose. It is simply floating in the capsule, like a bacterium under a microscope. Sometimes, I hear its thoughts. They're rudimentary, but they resemble mine. Any human's.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Chop chop! No more dillydallying! You know what to do, assistant. Hook yourself up.]]
My eyes wander to the [["Hook"->4]]- as everyone called it.The Hook, a black rubber tube stretching from one end of the capsule, rests upon the desk. Within a few seconds, I wrap the end of the Hook around my upper arm like a blood pressure cuff, feeling the needle stick into my blood vessels. I used to flinch.
Practically vibrating with excitement, Porsolt engages the mechanism, and I watch as my blood siphons into the capsule. Mercury moves to the other end of the capsule, but eventually my blood touches it. It was impossible to avoid, given the size of the capsule. Water starts to pump in from the other side, until it was almost completely full.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Now, we can finally begin. Don't make me spell it out for you, assistant. Go on, walk up to the console.]]
Sometimes I wish Porsolt would just stop talking and let me do my job. Standing up with the Hook still attached, I gaze down at the console, which displays a variety of [[buttons and text->Pre Shock]].(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[If you were wondering why we're here alone, it's this: we're pushing Mercury's limits. The others would never agree to it, but you... you, assistant. You understand, don't you? This is not just science, this is progress. This is art. The others think we can't rush art, but you and I both know that's ludicrous. Without the rush, without the pressure... nothing would be done.]]
Some part of me gets it. It's why I became a scientist. Pioneering, going places and accomplishing things nobody else has. I did it so I didn't have to just wind up in a white linoleum coffin, being bombarded at all times by flourescent lights and the smells of chemicals. Pushing Mercury's limits... maybe it's the right thing? Then again, Mercury is a living thing. Does it deserve to be experimented on? Mercury stares up at me, watching, with little glowing eyes that fade in and out of existence every few moments.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Now that your blood's in there, we can begin charging it with Sulfur. Mercury, spirit... Sulfur, your soul... it's the perfect formula. This is the future, assistant, and you're here to witness it. Now, apply a Sulfur Shock to our little friend here.]]
The Sulfur Shock will bring pain to Mercury- incredible pain. It will take energy from my soul to power it. If I refuse, I could lose everything- my job, my house, my future. If I go along with it... what will that say about me?
[[Apply the Sulfur Shock.->Shock 1]]
[[Refuse.->R1a]]With a simple press of a button, yellow electricity emerges from my blood, shocking Mercury and turning it into a shadowy splat on the glass. It raises soon after, shivering and buzzing like a mosquito.
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[My head buzzes as well- suddenly it's hard to see straight. Mercury is in pain. I can feel it through our connection. But the charge seems to be working. The energy of my soul is giving Mercury the strength that it needs. ]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[(text-style:"buoy")[Yes!] There we go. Look, see assistant?! It's growing! I knew this would work! None of the others believed me! Keep going, keep going! Increase the voltage, assistant.]]
Mercury grows in size, bouncing between the glass walls at twice the rate it had previously. It's agitated, trying to escape the tube, splashing in a mixture of water and blood. In the back of my mind, I can hear it calling out to me.
[[Increase the voltage.->Shock 2]]
[[Refuse.->R2]](text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[... What? Assistant, you're joking, right? You're having a laugh at my expense, yes? (text-style:"rumble")[Hahaha!] (text-style:"buoy")[Very] funny. You should quit right now and become a comedian. Now, quit fucking around and apply the Sulfur Shock, if you please.]]
Mercury looks up at me. Its eyes are bright, maybe even innocent. That could just be me projecting, but I don't know what I believe anymore. Will I be held responsible for what happens? Does my role even matter here?
[[Apply the Sulfur Shock.->Shock 1]]
[[Refuse.->R1b]](text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Where the hell is this coming from? You should be grateful, assistant. We're on the cusp of perfection, here, for God's sake! Fine... I didn't want it to come to this, but I'll go ahead and remind you that your career is on the line here. Got a family? Got responsibilities? A (text-style:"buoy")[dream], maybe? They're on the line. What, are you going to give up everything because the little mouse doesn't want to go faster on the wheel? Look, clear your conscience. Everything that happens here today is (text-style:"fidget")[my responsibility].]]
Where //is// it coming from? Am I one of the few who would risk everything- my own life, my own future- for the sake of a science experiment? Mercury is as much my creation as Porsolt's. Does he have the right to decide how it is used?
[[Apply the Sulfur Shock.->Shock 1]]
[[Refuse.->Final Refusal]]"I refuse to be a part of this." The words leave my mouth, and Porsolt's face practically falls off his head. Maybe I am one of the few who would have resisted during the Milgram experiment, or maybe I am the type to sell out my creation in exchange for freedom of obligation.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Ridiculous... utterly ridiculous! Even at apotheosis, you lack the resolve to take even the slightest risk. People like you disgust me, assistant. Utterly incapable of making any real progress, any real action. You hide behind apathy and indecision, thinking that eventually meaning will just come to you. So fine, scurry back to your little apartment while I become God. Get out of my sight.]]
My eyes drift away from Porsolt. With precise hand motions, I remove the hook and apply a bandage to the incision point after a brief sterilization. As I walk away from the console, Porsolt takes my place, scoffing and cursing under his breath.
Though about a pint of my blood is gone, I feel no different. I make my way across the white linoleum floor and watch as the automatic doors swing open. As I reach them, I take one final look at Mercury- the little bundle of light and dark, the little variable- floating in its canister.
The door closes, sealing off the potential forever. What else was there to do at that point other than make my way [[home->"Apathy"]]?I increase the voltage and press the button again. Yellow flashes and sparks bathe Mercury, lighting the canister up like fireworks. Mercury screeches like a rodent in a trap. It's deafening.
(text-style:"blur")[My head feels like it's been run over and put inside a microwave. Mercury's soul and mine are becoming more and more fused. If I listen hard enough, I can hear its voice, speaking to me. I don't think Porsolt can hear it.]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[(text-style:"rumble")[It's working!] Do you see this? I was right, assistant! Now, keep it up, we're almost there. Increase the voltage once more. Everything will work according to my calculations.]]
[[Increase the voltage.->Shock 3]]
[[Refuse.->R3]](text-style:"blur","fidget")[As instructed, I increase the voltage and press the button once more. It has reached beyond what would be lethal for a human. The canister buzzes with light, and Mercury stretches- expanding and whirring.
The machines connected to Mercury begin to spark with energy, and Porsolt only looks more excited by the second. With every pump of the Hook, my head feels heavier. All of my focus shifts to the little shadowy being in the canister. It mimics my movements, or am I mimicking its?]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[(text-style:"buoy")[Almost!] One more will finish it, assistant! Well, what are you waiting for?!]]
(text-style:"blurrier","sway")[I feel like I'm going to throw up.]
[[Apply the final Sulfur Shock.->Manikin]]
[[Refuse.->Failed Refusal]]The entire canister flashes purple and gold, black and white, sparking and glowing as though I were looking directly into the sun. As I watch, (t8n:"dissolve")+(link-reveal:"a voice creeps into the back of my mind.")[=
(text-style:"fidget")[It sounds like children playing in the streets.]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[It sounds like a screeching mouse.]
(text-style:"blurrier","sway")[It sounds like me.]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[(text-colour:#5f3dc4)[Almost! One more will finish it, assistant! Well, what are you waiting for?!]]
The voice repeats over and over, but [[it isn't Porsolt's->Performance]]. It's coming from inside the canister, but only I can hear it. I'm dizzy, and my tongue feels like it's been impaled with needles.My eyes open. I tear the Hook from my arm, hastily applying a bandage without even bothering to sterilize. Porsolt is still standing next to me, as though nothing happened at all. Mercury is still in the capsule.
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(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[This is going to change everything, assistant! Don't worry, you'll be hearing from me about next steps soon.]]
Porsolt's voice barely registers to me anymore. I must just be sleep deprived. I can't give up my success for Mercury's sake. I just can't justify it. I have to leave it with Porsolt, and hope for the best.
For once, I can't hear its voice in my head. Not its songs, not its musings on life, nothing but silence.
The doors close behind me, and I [[walk home->"Success"]].My eyes open. The lab is filled with shadows. George is staring at me, but he seems different. He's just repeating the same things, over and over. I look down to Mercury, the little ball of spirit. I can't give it up.
Mercury glows with a golden light and shatters the glass canister into thousands of glittering shards. It floats across the lab, but Porsolt just stares at me.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please continue, assistant.]]
Mercury floats over to me, bound by the Hook, though it feels more like a mutual connection than ever before. Porsolt is completely expressionless.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[The responsibility is mine, correct. Please go on.]]
Porsolt floats into the air, bloated and filled to the brim with shadows and electricity. His body slowly disintegrates right in front of me, until nothing at all remains.
(text-style:"blur","shudder")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please continue, assistant.]
(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please continue, assistant.]
(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please continue, assistant.]
(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please continue, assistant.]
(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please continue, assistant.]]
[[Leave the facility.->"Freedom"]](text-style:"blur","fidget")[I want to say "I can't do it."
But when I try to speak, nothing comes out.]
[[Apply the final Sulfur Shock.->Manikin]]
(text-colour:#c92a2a)[~~Refuse.~~](text-style:"blur","fidget")[As the Sulfur Shock finishes, the shadowy purple orb floats, looking completely calm for the first time since before the Hook. Porsolt throws his arms into the air and cheers, watching as the machinery sparks. I'm too busy fading from reality to share his enthusiasm.]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Yes! Yes!! Look at it, assistant! You should have control over it, yes? After all, it was your soul that created it. Go on, make it do something!]]
(text-style:"fidget")[I can feel Mercury as though it were an extra limb. Once the dizziness subsides, I can move it, I can see through it. I can taste iron and blood. ]
[[Make it dance and sing.->Ode to Joy]]
[[Ask it about the meaning of life.->Pinocchio]]Between swaying from lack of energy and heavy breathing, I ask Mercury for its opinion on the meaning of life. It looks confused for a moment, before shuddering and coalescing into the shape of a mouth. Mercury moves as my fingers move, and Porsolt's laughter fills the lab.
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[(text-colour:#5f3dc4)[A tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily, and it beat the poor puppet from side to side, making him swing violently, like the clatter of a bell ringing for a wedding. And the swinging gave him atrocious spasms... His breath failed him and he could say no more. He shut his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched his legs, gave a long shudder, and hung stiff and insensible.]]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[... Did it just-]]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[(text-colour:#5f3dc4)[A boy who won't be good might as well be made of wood.]]
[[Continue watching Porsolt and Mercury.->5]]Between swaying from lack of energy and heavy breathing, I command Mercury to sing. It looks confused for a moment, before shuddering and splitting its body into several smaller orbs.
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[(text-colour:#5f3dc4)[Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.]]
(text-style:"blur")[The music makes my head flutter as though I were in the front row at a symphony. Porsolt appears to hear it too- practically exploding at his apparent victory. As he cheers, he picks up a pen and does his best impression of a conductor.]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[It sings, assistant?! What the-]]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[(text-colour:#5f3dc4)[Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.]]
[[Continue watching Porsolt and Mercury.->5]](text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Assistant... don't make me say this again. This is not just science, this is fucking (text-style:"buoy")[ART]. This being will know (text-style:"buoy")[EVERYTHING]. It will be able to solve (text-style:"rumble")[ANYTHING]. I- we...- will be legends, assistant! The ones who created the oracle! What more could you possibly want?]
]
Mercury buzzes louder. It's a ball of pain and panic, but so are children who have to get their flu shots. Unlocking Mercury's potential could save the world- who am I to stand in the way of that? All of the people that this project could benefit will continue suffering if I refuse. I'll be secure if I go along. I can have any material thing that I want. But Mercury... its role will be set forever.
[[Apply the Sulfur Shock.->Shock 2]]
[[Refuse.->Final Refusal]](text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[This is it, assistant. If you aren't convinced by now, then nothing I can say will ever convince you. Mercury is the solution to everything. EVERYTHING. If you can't see that, you're a fool, and you're destined for nothing.]]
The energy readings have gone far over their limits. Porsolt's words ring true. Mercury will change the world. Mercury is what makes my life unique. Without it, I am just like everyone else. I can give it up- refuse to cooperate, allow it to fall into the hands of Porsolt, or...
[[Apply the Sulfur Shock.->Shock 3]]
[[Refuse.->Final Refusal]]A day has passed since my refusal to cooperate with Project Mercury.
I turned on the news the next morning, only to find that an explosion had occurred at the labs. I received the call a few minutes later. George Porsolt was found dead- burned nearly unrecognizable- after he had pushed our lab equipment beyond its limits.
I wasn't particularly fond of George Porsolt, so I didn't feel much, frankly. In fact, after that day, I barely felt much of anything. I stopped going into work. Just didn't have the motivation to do anything anymore.
Eventually, I learned from acquaintances that Project Mercury had been abandoned after Mercury was destroyed in the explosion. I don't know what I felt. Maybe I didn't feel anything at all. The blood that I gave it grew back in my body, so [[it's not like I permanently lost anything.->Refusal End]]Mercury returns to its original shape, its previously gentle and ethereal voice now with a jagged edge. Porsolt exhales- his perceived victory finally settling in his mind.
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[It's done. See, wasn't that easy? I'll be a goddamn legend now, and you- well, I'll be sure to work something out. A higher salary, better computer, better apartment? Eh? Pretty good, huh? Of course, you're a good assistant, so I think you'll be staying with me...]]
(text-style:"blur")[Porsolt's words barely register for me, and before he can continue speaking, [[everything goes dark->6]].]Weeks have passed since the conclusion of Project Mercury.
Every once in a while, I turned on the news, only to see "George Porsolt, creator of Mercury- the Oracle", plastered across every station. He is invited to talk shows, press conferences, and textbooks are named after him for the rest of civilization.
Mercury's vast knowledge and practically infinite power supply effortlessly solved many of the world's biggest problems. And... it was only a matter of time before they were misused by people like Porsolt. The consequences, though not felt in my time, would be severe.
I was granted everything I was promised. A higher salary, a better home, any material thing I wanted. But not a day has gone by when I didn't think of Mercury. When I didn't imagine how it would've been if I'd believed in myself, rejected George's authority. [[I never heard Mercury's music again.->Submission End]]A long time has passed since the unexpected conclusion of Project Mercury.
Because of what happened, I was never able to pursue a traditional career again. My name was blacklisted across all of civilization, and few ever understood the real story.
But I always held on to Mercury. I never let go of the Hook, no matter how painful it was, because it was worth it to hear Mercury's music and its musings on life.
I wandered the world with Mercury by my side, living modestly, but with purpose. I sometimes pondered how things would have been different if I'd gone along with George's version of success. When I sleep in the dirt, with nothing but my vision and my integrity, [[I feel a strange longing.->Liberation End]]One of the first things that made me realize the success of the original experiment was hearing Mercury for the first time.
It spoke to me in a gentle voice, but it was almost like hearing one of your childhood toys start talking to you. I wasn't sure whether to celebrate or hand in my resignation.
I don't know if anyone else in the labs can hear Mercury. Nobody else talks about it, but then again, neither do I.
It likes to hum along to Beethoven when it thinks nobody is around.
... When would it have heard [[classical music?->3]](text-style:"blur","fidget")[My eyes are open, but I can't see a thing.]
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(text-style:"blur","fidget")[Porsolt screams in shock as he fades into view. Mercury is buzzing louder than ever before. I can hear it laughing. I can't tell if it's male or female. It sounds like someone just made a bad joke in a sitcom.]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[We're trapped in some kind of void. I see shadowy beings on every side. Some of them look human and some... don't. Their eyes are piercing into me.]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[I helped create this. I loved it at first, but this form... it's not something that I recognize anymore. ]
(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[(text-style:"rumble")[Assistant!!] Tell it to stop, now! (text-style:"rumble")[Do it!]]]
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[George is wrapped up in shadows, screaming and flailing more with every moment. I look around me, where [[silhouettes->7]] have gathered.](text-style:"blur","fidget")[They have the same appearance as Mercury- shadowy, purple and black, misty like the base of a waterfall. Their faceless heads look toward me, with piercing golden eyes. For some reason, I start laughing. It hurts.]
(enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 196, 0,#ffffff,0,#7f19e6,0.9723,#000000,1,#ffffff)))
(text-style:"blur","fidget")[They look like clothing store mannequins... or was it manikins...? I like manikin better. The spelling is more honest. Who the hell needs "Q" anyway? Worthless letter. Wait, what am I talking about?]
(text-style:"sway")[(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Continue, please. As I said before, the shocks may be painful but they are not dangerous.]]]
(text-style:"blurrier","fidget")[I've already applied the highest shock.]
(text-style:"sway")[(text-style:"blur")[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[It's absolutely essential that you continue.]]
]
[[Apply the final Sulfur Shock.->8]](text-style:"blur","fidget")[All of the silhouettes writhe above and below me, squirming like crushed insects. There are red hands around my throat. I have no choice.]
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(text-style:"blur","shudder")[(text-colour:#5f3dc4)[Joy, beautiful spark of Divinity,
A tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily,
We enter, drunk with fire,
like the clatter of a bell ringing for a wedding.
Thy magic binds again
and the swinging gave him atrocious spasms...
All people become brothers,
gave a long shudder, and hung stiff and insensible.]]
(text-style:"blur")[(if:visits is 2)[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[It's absolutely essential that you continue.]] (if:visits is 3)[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Please, continue.]] (if:visits is 4)[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Just continue, please.]] (if:visits is 5)[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Whether the subject likes it or not, we must continue.]] (if:visits is 6)[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[The responsibility is mine, correct. Please go on.]] (if:visits is 7)[(text-colour:#c92a2a)[Now continue using the last switch on the board, please.]]]
(if:visits < 7)[[[Apply the final Sulfur Shock.->8]]]
(if:visits >= 7)[[[Give Porsolt control of Mercury and claim your reward.->Leave Without Mercury]]]
(if:visits >= 7)[[[Command Mercury to escape with you.->Open Eyes]]](t8n:"dissolve")+(t8n-time:6s)+(link:"Years from now, on my deathbed, perhaps I will know what it's for.")[=
It may be that we are puppets. Puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.
― Stanley Milgram(t8n:"dissolve")+(t8n-time:6s)+(link:"...so why do I feel so empty?")[=
The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.
― Stanley Milgram(t8n:"dissolve")+(t8n-time:6s)+(link:"Years from now, when I'm on my deathbed, I think I'll still be wondering.")[=
Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Few people have the resources needed to resist authority.
― Stanley Milgram"I refuse."
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The words echo through the void, and I feel myself being [[pulled back.->Steal Mercury and Run Away]]