Chapter Seventy-Five: Notes from Experiment 17

Kimberly screamed.

“Oh my god!” Anna yelled.

I stared at the corpse, looking for some trace of what might have done it. It was the work of something very strong, that much was certain. It didn’t really help narrow down my top three theories very much, though out of ghosts, demons, and psychic phenomena, the latter was still in the lead by quite a bit.

But there was more to learn.

Camden slowly walked into the elevator.

“Please present your identification,” the voice repeated.

He knelt down over his former supervisor and plucked the ID badge from his chest. He backed out of the elevator and showed it to us.

“This might be able to get us into the patients’ rooms,” he said. “When it’s time for that.”

I took a closer look at the body in the elevator. The wounds were clean as if done by a blade, but I couldn’t imagine how a blade large enough to do this would be snuck into the facility.

As I turned to leave the elevator, I noticed something quite concerning.

“The elevator only goes up or down one floor,” I said.

That was strange, even within the world of Carousel. Unless… there was something about this building we didn’t know yet. “Wait a second, this isn’t right.”

I saw that the floor above us was labeled, “3B.” We were on “2B.” That seemed backward.

In the other elevator, it looked like 2B was two floors underground, a sub-basement. But this made it look like there were any number of floors between us and the surface.

“We are a lot further underground than they told us,” I said.

The others ducked their heads into the elevator to confirm my findings.

“But why would they lie to us?” Kimberly asked.

Why indeed.

“Where do we go?” Antoine asked.

“Well,” Camden said. “I have to think going up is better. We aren’t safe here.”

“But the thing that did that was up there, wasn’t it?” Kimberly asked.

Actually, it wasn’t that clear. Had the entity been in the elevator when it brought the body back down to this level?

“It doesn’t matter,” Camden said. “We can’t stay here.”

“He’s right,” I agreed. “Down here we’re sitting ducks. At least up there we might find the way out.”

And so, it was agreed.

For obvious reasons, we chose the stairs over the elevator.

It might have been a mistake. It was clear that floor 3B wasn’t right above 2B. There appeared to be a great deal of distance between the two floors.

“This is like a hundred feet,” Antoine said. “More than that.”

He was right.

After many flights of stairs, we eventually made it to an exit. The stairs stopped. They didn’t continue upward. The exit was a simple wooden door with the label “3B.”

Antoine took the lead, his baseball bat in hand. He gave his baton to Anna and his pepper spray to Kimberly, though I could hardly imagine that helping much.

Antoine tested the door. It didn’t even require ID.

The door opened easily.

As it did, a woman’s body slumped out to greet us.

Kimberly screamed again. I swear, I thought she might have pepper sprayed the corpse if she hadn’t gotten control of herself.

“That was one of the lab techs,” Camden said, staring down at the woman’s body. She wore a blood-stained lab coat.

Antoine took a few breaths and stepped over the woman’s body and into the well-lit room beyond it.

We followed one at a time.

The room inside was another laboratory. This one was far more sophisticated than the ones on 2B.

“Why did they have me lugging that machine around when they had that?” Camden said, looking at a giant series of monitors that showed five of the Mercers’ vital statistics, all of which appeared to be updating in real time. Their hearts were racing. Alarms were going off.

His attention was soon stolen away from the monitors. The laboratory, it seemed, was an even more prolific murder scene than we knew.

There were three more bodies strewn about. All of them were killed with large, clean gashes carved into their bodies.

The room smelled of blood.

“What the hell did this?” Antoine asked.

The private elevator doors for this floor were to our left. A door led out and around. Antoine took the lead and slowly crept out of the room and into the hallway.

The longer we walked, the more bodies we found.

“They were running away from something,” I said, having noticed the orientation of the bodies.

“The elevator is that way though,” Camden pointed out.

It was true. They were running away from where the main elevator would be located.

“We have to risk it,” Antoine said.

He moved forward.

We followed him.

As we walked, the differences between this floor and 2B became more obvious. This floor was more populated, for one. Or at least it had been. Bodies littered the ground in every direction. More than that, this floor appeared more well-used. There were desks, calendars, snack tables, and all manner of office equipment on this floor that didn’t appear on the one below it.

The further we walked, the more the layout began to diverge.

“There’s the elevator,” Antoine said.

“Please present your identification,” this elevator said. Just like the last one.

The major difference between this one and the last one was that this one had its outer door ripped open. The elevator car was visible, though it wasn’t even with the floor. It appeared as though it had begun to rise when something stopped it. The elevator car was not level either. It had been damaged.

As we walked near it, there was a loud crack as the elevator car snapped loose and fell.

There was a screeching of brakes, but the brakes failed too as the elevator car continued to fall far below 3B. Very far below. Eventually, we hear a crash hundreds of feet down.

“Guess that’s what yellow means,” I said.

“Look,” Kimberly said. She pointed to a large door, a bigger version of the secure door that was on my control room downstairs.

The door was open just a little bit. I stepped forward and slowly built up the courage to pull the door open further.

“Oh shit,” I said, as I pulled open the door and found a severed hand still wedged into the handle on the inside.

“They were trying to get out,” Anna said.

She was right. A group had crammed themselves into this room for safety but had found none.

This room was a surveillance room like mine, but it also housed a series of desks and computers. It was much larger than my room. It had far more surveillance monitors than mine did too.

I saw a familiar face on the ground. It was Mr. Rowe. He was supposed to be at home on his five days off. What was he doing at work?

“Look,” Camden said. He pointed at one of the monitors. It was an image of a stairwell. It wasn’t one of the ones we had been in. It showed Dina walking down to one of the lower levels.

None of us commented on it, because at that moment, we heard a cough.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

The cough had come from the other side of the room behind a large desk. As we slowly moved over there, we saw him.

It was Dr. Truman Mentes.

He was in terrible shape. He made eye contact with me as soon as he saw me. He couldn’t speak, his throat had been slashed superficially and his stomach had been gouged open.

“How do we call for help?” I asked.

If he heard me, he didn’t show it. Instead, he pointed up toward his terminal computer. I made eye contact with him for a few moments more. Was I supposed to try to help him? To patch his wounds? No. Moments after pointed at the terminal, a gargling sound came from his throat. Soon, he stopped moving.

He was dead.

I looked at the terminal. It was a simple computer that apparently ran on a strange, older OS. On the screen was a list of log entries.

“What that?” Anna asked.

“Audio logs,” I said.

I took the mouse and clicked on the first one and then the second and so on. The logs told us almost everything we wanted to know and more. As the logs played, the camera went on and off screen, capturing snippets of the audio before leaving. I could only imagine that there was a flashback or similar. I couldn’t know for sure.

Logs of Dr. Truman Mentes, Project Distortion, Experiment 17

Audio Journal 17.1:

Date: June 07, 2006

The Mercer-Psychokinetic Entity or, informally, the Distortion, so named for its unassuming appearance on recorded video, remains a subject of much intrigue. I seek to prove my hypothesis that the entity is self-determining, rather than an extension of the Mercers themselves or an embodiment of pure id as previously believed. Observations continue to reveal the intriguing nuances of the Distortion’s manifestation. A crucial requirement we’ve noted is its dependency on an external host, distinct from the Mercer family, to anchor itself, thereby gaining its potent and often destructive properties. It appears that the act of tethering to a host is destructive in nature and the Distortion is either unwilling or unable to tether to the Mercers themselves. This could also be the work of some passive immunity bestowed by the Mercers’ unconscious gift. Perhaps this could explain why the Mercers are largely unaware of their connection to the entity. Further research is required.

We’ve noted some considerable variation in how the Distortion manifests depending on the type of individual it tethers to.

Without a tether the Distortion is a harmless oddity. It is capable of manipulating the physical world, though it tires to do so. It seems unable to pass through solid objects only in the act of tethering itself. Mostly, the Distortion knocks on walls and moves small objects in an unaggressive state. Of course, it has not been so passive of late.

When the Distortion finds an anchor in the average person, it manifests as a formless psychokentic force. Its actions appear aimless, seemingly guided by nothing more than a sense of capricious chaos and destructive urges. This version has little military use.

When tethered to an individual of high intellect, the Distortion’s form remains elusive and unfound. Yet, its behavior changes dramatically. It evolves from a state of aimless destruction to a more focused and malevolent entity, displaying a disconcerting degree of cunning and purpose in its actions. Granted, we may never know how the entity behaves outside of captivity.

The most profound transformation occurs when the Distortion attaches itself to an individual who possesses latent psychic abilities. Under these circumstances, it is the current hypothesis that the Distortion may take on a visible, tangible form – at least to the individual it’s tethered to. Despite considerable advancement of modern technology, our cameras are still unable to capture this form.

Given these observations, the presence of Molly Lawrence’s descendants could be crucial in our quest to fully understand the Distortion. Genetic analysis does not show any common ancestors between the two clans, an obstacle that had made past experiments less useful. It remains to be seen whether their abilities will allow the Distortion to become a more stable, predictable entity, or perhaps even assume a true physical form, thus shedding further light on its relationship with the Mercer family. This is the stated goal of Experiment 17.

Audio Journal 17.2:

Date: June 07, 2006

We have successfully sedated the Mercers during waking hours. This should prevent previous incidents from reoccurring. This medical strategy is designed to curb their natural psychic manifestations and enable the entity to become more active during the night when Subject 1 is awake for his assigned surveilance duty.

Subject 1, a descendant of Molly Lawrence, presents a remarkable potential for psychic ability, according to brain scans, though he appears unaware of this power. Positioned in the surveillance room at the center of Floor 2B, we anticipate that his abilities will trigger some level of activity with the Distortion during nighttime.

Subject 2, also a descendant of Molly Lawrence, does not demonstrate the same degree of psychic potential on her brain scans. Despite this, she shares a genetic trait, which could still allow for a connection with the Distortion. Her role as Subject Manager puts her in direct interaction with the Mercers, which we hope will facilitate a link with the entity.

Subject 3, another Molly Lawrence descendant, appears to be a powerful empath, even though she seems unaware of her ability’s origin. Her performance in preliminary exams was impressively close to Subject 1’s results. With her empathic abilities in mind, we’ve assigned her as a therapist in direct contact with the Mercers. An unexpected factor to consider in our observations is her pregnancy, which she is currently unaware of. It is not known what variables this condition may introduce.

Subject 4 does not exhibit psychic abilities, but his high intelligence could potentially attract the Distortion.

Similarly, Subject 5, lacking psychic ability, may nevertheless influence the entity through his connection to Subject 3 and her empathic abilities. He will have occassional night shift duties.

The final living Mercer, a new addition to our collection, has shown through brain scans to be a potent conduit for the Distortion. His presence within the group is likely to significantly impact the behavior of the entity.

All subjects are now under continuous surveillance, with data collection proceeding as expected. This configuration’s inaugural night has us optimistic about the prospect of meaningful interaction with the Distortion.

Audio Journal 17.3:

Date: June 07, 2006

In order to manage the potential risks posed by the Distortion, we’ve implemented a series of precautions. Paramount among these is the design of our research facility, a labyrinthine structure brimming with locked doors and complex passageways. Though the Distortion can form a psychic tether with an individual in proximity despite the existence of physical barriers, it seems unable to transcend solid material unless it is tethering to a host on the other side.

In several instances, we’ve witnessed the Distortion strain itself to the brink of dissipation in its attempts to bypass solid obstructions. These observations have led us to the conclusion that while the Distortion may exhibit signs of self-determination, its ability to interact with the physical world is bound by conventional physical laws, provided it is connecting to a new host.

The medicinal regimen we administer to the Mercers is designed not only to suppress their psychic manifestations during the day but also to weaken them during the night. This serves a dual purpose of controlling the Distortion’s manifestation and preserving the mental and physical wellbeing of the Mercers.

Interestingly, we have observed that disorienting the Mercers appears to depower the Distortion. This lends credence to our working hypothesis that the Distortion, while potentially self-determining, only possesses the knowledge and understanding of the Mercers themselves.

These discoveries necessitate further investigation and underline the importance of the safety measures we’ve put in place. As we progress with our study of this enigmatic entity, we must remain vigilant.

Bethany and Logan Mercer’s mother attempted to sneak into the facility again under her maiden name. She appeared to have communicated with the test subjects. I can only hope she did not tell them anything that would jeopardize this experiment. We have locked her on a cell on level 3B. I am not sure what we should do with her. It would be interesting to see how the Distortion interacts with the mother of two Mercers, even if she has no Mercer blood herself. I will need to wait for approval from HQ before conducting such experiments.

Audio Journal 17.4:

Date: June 08, 2006 – Morning

This is Dr. Truman Mentes. Observations from the morning of the 24th. It appears Subject 1 is showing signs of deep contemplation following his first night in the surveillance room. He hasn’t voiced any specific concerns, but his behavior… it indicates suspicion. Subject 2 remains surprisingly unaffected, professionally carrying out her duties, interacting with the Mercers without any apparent sense of what’s transpiring around her.

Audio Journal 17.5:

Date: June 08, 2006 – Afternoon

Afternoon observations from the 24th. Subject 3’s first meeting with Bethany Mercer happened just yesterday. There are already signs of a deepening rapport between them. We’ll need to watch this closely. Subject 4 has become a thorn in our side, asking probing questions about the Mercers and the tests we are running on them. We underestimated his motivation. We’re navigating a delicate balance between transparency and operational security.

Audio Journal 17.6:

Date: June 09, 2006 – Morning

Morning observations, June 25th. Subject 1’s second night in the surveillance room seems to have escalated his suspicions. He’s quiet but his behavior, particularly his constant reviewing of last night’s footage, it suggests an understanding is dawning on him. He may very well be the first subject to witness a fully corporeal manifestation of the Distortion. I have waited my entire career for such an event. Subject 2 remains engrossed in her duties, seemingly oblivious to the growing tension. Her supervisors believe this is a ruse. I am not sure. I will watch her closely. Subject 3 has continued developing her relationships with each of the Mercers. Subject 5 appears troubled. Perhaps he is plagued by past trauma. This could be problem for the Experiment. I will continue to monitor the situation.

Audio Journal 17.7:

Date: June 09, 2006 – Afternoon

Subject 3’s connection with Bethany Mercer is intensifying faster than expected. After only a few meetings, the strength of this bond… it could introduce new variables to our experiment. Meanwhile, Subject 5, our security guard, seems increasingly tense. His vigilance will be paramount going forward. His presence was designed to help keep the other subjects calm. I worry he may be doing the opposite.

Audio Journal 17.8:

Date: June 09, 2006 – Evening

Subject 1 is growing more unsettled. He’s yet to voice any concerns, but there’s a heightened awareness in him. I believe he’s become fully aware of the Distortion. Reviewing last night’s footage, it appears he guided Subject 5 away from the Distortion. Perhaps he is paranoid. He attempted to play his concerns off. Interesting. Subject 4’s frustration has abated, fortunately. I instructed his supervisor to give him more difficult assignments in the laboratory. His distractions have allowed us to maintain the necessary secrecy around our operations. Had the circumstances been different, I might have considered hiring him into KRSL.

Audio Journal 17.9:

Date: June 09, 2006 – Evening

There’s been a breach. The Distortion… it… it has tethered to an employee who stayed too long on 2B. Her access to the elevator should have been denied. Alas, she brought it to us!

It’s moving! Ascended to a floor with… with the rest of our staff. The chaos… it’s indescribable. It is a… a whirlwind of horror.

The entity is killing everyone! The destruction is… unimaginable. There’s… there’s so much blood… We… we sought a psychic weapon of untold destruction. We have succeeded.

We underestimated it… we underestimated its need… its anger. Our failsafes have not been successful. It’s weakness to sonic frequencies… was it all a ruse? We thought we could control it, study it… oh god… what have we d-

Subject 1.

I was Subject 1. We weren’t employees. We were the guinea pigs. So much made sense now. How had we not seen it before?

We were rats in a maze.

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