Zombies of Sleep
by E. Jim Shannon © 2007
At least the rain stopped, for now. I could barely see their faces from behind the beaded rain soaked window of our club van. I recognized some of them. I could even read their signs. 'Theta can save you,' one read, another read, 'Trust in Theta'. One guy even gave me the finger while the Military police held back the protestors. Another sign, the one that hurt worst of all because it rang true read: 'You sold us out.' These folks are in a foul mood.
“Don't believe them Ken.” My blonde assistant Marlene said beside me, while our driver pulled half inside the gate.
The crowd began rocking our van. “Christ.” Marlene cried, when one of the Theta's pushed her face right up to the glass, saying something I couldn't lip-read even if I tried.
Fort James army base is our last stop for the Magic and Imagination tour doing a show for the troops. I looked forward to this show most of all because my father fought in ‘ Nam. The connection meant something to me.
The driver rolled down his window and flashed his security clearance folder. The gate guard held the identification steady and nodded. “Building fifteen Corporal.”
“I know Sir.” Our driver said pulling us away from the Theta's. “Fans of yours Mr. Silverfield?” He said sarcastically driving away from the angry mob behind us.
“No.” I could see the guards closing the gate behind us and I breathed a sigh of relief we got through. “That part of my life is over now.”
“Relax Ken. It's just one more show then we can head for home. Are you guys all right back there?” Marlene said over her shoulder to my supporting cast of magician's, juggler and assorted people in my band of travelers.
The gang seemed mostly upbeat and replied favorably.
The Thetaology movement as of late increased in its popularity over the years and me being one of their celebrity poster boys leaving them, set them back big time. I just want to get this last show out of the way and put last night's press conference behind me and get on with my life. Thetonogists don't like losing celebrity's even small time stage magicians like me. But I couldn't let their wacky belief of a praterhuman intelligence like Theta ruin my career, such as it is. I mean, I have a family across town to think about and as soon as this show is done I want to spend some quality time with them. I hope.
Our driver made a right turn. “Well, I'm glad you came forward and spoke out about their plans to establish some kind of Armageddon. Do they really think wiping out millions of people will bring out this Theta character and save mankind?”
“They seem to think so, besides not all Thetan's are fundamentalists.”
“They're idiots,” Marlene said.
“I wouldn't go that far.” I knew them too well; some of them were even personnel on this base. “The epiphany I had last week almost made a believer out of me. I couldn't be sure if the voice I heard was Theta or one to many beers talking,”
The driver paused at an intersection, giving an oncoming vehicle the right of way. It being late afternoon, the audience wouldn't be arriving for a couple of hours anyway. I felt the van shake slightly, and was looking out the window at a shadow of a figure bolting away from us.
“Driver?”
“I see him.” The driver picked up his radio mic from the dashboard. “This is Corporal Fuller delivering Magic to the hanger. Have a security detail arriving at intersection three/seven, unauthorized personal have breached security and is on foot lose and alone in the area.”
“Confirmed. Carry on Corporal.”
Background radio traffic from the MP's accompanied our approach to the building to a stop. Why would the Theta's want to break onto the base? We did our public show last weekend. The Corporal went to the rear of the Van and opened the back doors for everyone to get out. Our road crew had been here the day before setting everything up. They were always one stop ahead of us on tour.
Dressed in a white one-piece jump suit with a matching waist jacket, I led my supporting cast through an exit door. I didn't want my epaulettes to get wet from another round of rain so I turned my ball cap on backwards. Add the white boots that ran up under the knee, I looked like an artic Napoleonic Hussar of the French guard. These were my working cloths for tonight. Marlene wore blue jeans and a sweater under her jean jacket. The stage lights were already on. We couldn't see where the audience would be because all the house lights weren't on yet. We paused there at house right. Tables and chairs were set up on stage for a finale rehearsal. A tapered curtain hung the length of the stage beside me. Our stage manager nodded and indicated the observation porthole where the sound guy sat opposite our cue card gal. We were ready to go.
“This is great Corporal. Well done.” I said, shaking his hand and handing him two free tickets to tonight's show.
He put them in his jacket. “Thanks. This building used to be the quartermasters office after the cold war. We set it up for entertaining the troops. I'll post a security guard at both ends.” He said as I heard a door creak from somewhere beyond the stage. “Oh that's probably one of them now. McNally?” Fuller shouted into the darkness.
“Yes, Sir.” I heard somebody mumble in the distance, and saw a crack of light from a lobby door. “Right here.”
“Ok folks we've got security.”
“Is there a place where we can freshen up?” I asked.
The Corporal pointed to the other end of the stage to a set of stairs. “Your dressing rooms are down the hall. The service elevator platform to the crawlspace is here. ” The Corporal said pulling the curtains apart. “Let me show you how it works.”
We stepped onto the elevator platform. I smiled in appreciation.
The elevator platform gave a bit with our weight revealing more of the seam along its rectangular floor edges. Fuller bent down and pulled up some kind of handlebar apparatus embedded in the floor that clicked into place when in an upright position. It contained two buttons on it.
“Red is up, black is down. Simple. Have a great night.”
When Fuller left off the platform and disappeared behind the curtain I began to play around with this thing to get a feel for how it works. There was enough room from the handlebars to the edge of the platform cue card and sound pit underneath the stage. The platform stopped on the finished concrete floor below in the lighted crawlspace. I could see the ladder going up at the other end some five hundred feet away necessary for my grand finally tonight. I saw a wooden ladder into the sound pit to my right under the stage and climbed up to meet Jerry.
“Hi Ken. Strobe light and soundboard are in place. I'm ready to go.”
“Good Jerry. Radio me if you need anything.” I climbed back down over to the next pit ladder and climbed up to see Susie going over the story board and editing some cue cards.
“Hi boss. Everything is set from here.”
“Great. Pretty nice set up isn't it?”
“Best on the tour.”
I climbed back down and looked out to the rest of the crawlspace that ran the length of the hanger and took a walk. About halfway, I noticed the steel finish of the bank vault wheel where the quartermaster must have kept all the money for the troops. When I got to the other end of the crawlspace I looked up at the exit ladder and noticed a hatch. I opened it and stuck my head outside. I could hear the crowd just around the corner lining up for the show. I closed the hatch and scattered down the ladder and hurried back to the platform and up to the stage. Slick.
“Hey, how about some music.” One of the others said turning on a radio as I emerged from behind the curtain.
The lights came on suddenly illuminating the rest of the hanger. Fourteen hundred chairs had been lined up. I pulled out my hearing aid like radio and placed it in my right ear and put my finger in my ear like the old radio announcers once did.
“Smitty, are you and your crew ready?”
“FX here in the reception room boss. They made us a really nice party buffet.” Shirley replied.
Marlene placed a finger in her ear. “Is that all you people can think about is food? We got a show to do. Save it for later.”
“Easy there Marlene. We ate earlier but they've been working all day.”
“Sorry. I'm just spooked over the press conference last night and the Thetas outside.”
“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news; a house in the West end is surrounded by Police in a stand-off hostage incident. All we can say at the moment is that the house is surrounded by fundamental Thetaologists. We'll have more as this develops.”
“God, Ken, isn't that your end of town?”
“For all we know it could be something unrelated entirely Marlene.” I said.
“But what if it's Vicky and the kids?”
“It might not be. Look, I'll call home just in case.” I pulled out my cell phone and dialed.
Marlene made a, 'what the' face. “The line is dead. Most likely I forgot to pay the phone bill before we left on tour.”
Marlene's eyes widened worriedly. She held my hands in hers. “The line is dead my ass. We've got to get our publicist and cancel the show. Your family needs you honey.”
Now she's got me worried. “We can't leave the base, not with the Theta's out there but if it is Vicki then you and the rest of the crew can cover for me. I'll see about getting an escort out of here. Maybe fly out by helicopter or something.”
“I'm surprised they didn't do that for us in the first place Ken,”
“We have further developments from the West end hostage incident. We can now confirm that Thetaologists have barricaded themselves in the home of stage magician Ken Silverfield. We have no information as to their demands.” The rest of the broadcast turned into a bio on me that read like a eulogy. Time hung like a frozen pendulum.
I slumped in a chair
Oh my God no, Vicky. I felt sick inside. How could I have let her down? I thought about being a whistle-blower more then the safety of my own family. You irresponsible jerk. My mouth felt dry. I wanted to scream but no sound came. I've got to do something, anything.
“Well, well, look at the Sensational Silverfield. You don't look so sensational now Ken.” Aleister said in his dark ninja like clothing from the stairs and onto the stage. I knew it was him, I could see his silver goatee from under the black mask he pulled off. “I almost feel sorry for you.”
I swallowed. “I figured that was you running from our van.” I said rising to my feet.
Marlene moved behind me. “What do you want with Ken's family?”
Aleister smiled weakly. “That's a smoke screen to keep local authorities busy. Those forces are expendable anyway, people that have already met Theta and are willing to die for him. Unlike some people.”
I met his cruel gaze and saw the eyes of a diabolical man. “What exactly are you doing here Aleister?”
Aleister showed teeth when he smiled. “The base has a suitcase nuclear bomb. The only one in existence in this country and I want that bomb and your going to help me get it. I will then save your family from the evil fundamental Thetaology group that has the bomb,” he said making quotation marks with his fingers. “The President will install me as a Senator and I'll keep the terrorists at bay.”
“Bomb? Where did you get this information?”
“I have people on the base sympathetic to the Theta cause Ken.”
“Why stop there? Why not the big chair itself?” I knew how to push his ego button.
Aleister leveled a hand and revealed a twinkle of evil in his eyes I've never seen before. “Don't try and make friends with me. Senator Aleister Fraser has a nice ring to it don't you think?”
“What's next?” I pierced his eyes with determination.
“While the base is enjoying the show we're going to steal us a bomb.”
“But I'll be performing in the show. Or have you forgotten?”
“Forgotten? Never. You're going to do a standard disappearing trick right?” Aleister asked.
“It's not so standard. There are special effects involved.” Then it registered what Aleister wanted from me. “There won't be enough time.”
“We're going to modify your illusion slightly by applying massive Theta waves to the whole base. Everyone will be asleep. All we need is fifteen minutes easy.”
***
I've got to do something. I could feel my pulse escalate along with my anxiety. I can't let this mad man get away with this. If Aleister got a hold of the nuke and used it claiming it to be fundamental Thetaologists this could have far reaching implications, a religious war right in our own country.
Aleister looked at his watch. “The show is ready to go in two hours. Here, look at this.” He said pointing his wristwatch to empty air. I placed a comforting arm around Marlene. A holographic image showed the layout of this hanger. “This is the crawlspace under this building you're going to use for the grand finally?”
“Yes, because it runs underneath the audience. I'll be coming up here,” I pointed on the image to where Aleister came in as a security guard. “The platform behind this curtain will take us down and your cargo up.”
“Why the hell are you aiding him?” Marlene pulled away from me.
“I don't want anyone to get hurt.” I turned to wink at her.
“Most wise Ken. You and I will be going here,” he said pointing at the halfway mark of the crawlspace.
“But there's nothing there but an unused bank vault.”
“Exactly. The crawlspace will be unguarded because you're going to be using it for a short time for your act, they don't think you'll notice or they're not concerned you'll notice since you cleared security because the bank vault is where they keep the bomb.”
“And what if they post a guard?” Rupert our hypnotist said.
“Well Rupert, this is where you come in.” Aleister said pulling out a Mark three Dream machine.
I've seen Theta auditors use these to induce a hypnologic state, or a deep sleep. In theory under these conditions we are able to see Theta. The device Aleister held looked like a harmless strobe light. Like the one we're going to use for tonight's show.
“I'm sure you know what this is?” Aleister said.
Rupert accepted the device in his right hand. “You want me to hold it like Hamlet holding the skull?”
“No, you and I will insert it into the strobe light. We'll hook it up to the universal serial bus inside the strobe light, which is plugged into the sound board and the satellite dish on the roof.” The holograph image disappeared. “Some clinicians refer to this as a dream machine. We can't sustain the Theta wave emissions for long. Maybe half an hour, but that's all the time I need. I suggest everyone go to your dressing rooms and have a nap. You'll need the rest. And Ken, don't even think about getting word of this out to anyone. I can contact my people back at your residence and kill your family in an instant. And I'll be long gone before the police can react. Rupert, lets get to work.”
Rupert looked at me like I'm harboring a fugitive. “Just do as he says Rupert. I'll take responsibility. I swear I'll get you for this Aleister. Somehow.” I gestured for Marlene to lead us away as we walked in silence.
We headed to our dressing room with my options dwindling. This whole operation of Aleister's reeked of it being an inside job. Marlene found our dressing room door and inside I brooded over the party tray the base left for us and nibbled on something. Nibbling helps me think. I looked at my watch. One hour and twenty minutes to show time. Maybe if I can tamper with the dream machine somehow change the setting to a lesser tempo, Marlene's pacing drove me nuts.
“And that's it?” Marlene asked closing the door behind us. “We're going to give up without a fight?”
“I've got an idea. It might foil Aleister's plan and buy us some time.”
“You heard what he said.” She extended a hand out to the stage.
“I need to get Jerry's attention, if I can change the settings on the dream machine long enough he won't get away with this. My radio range to Jerry will be a few feet and I can whisper him to make some setting changes. If this works Aleister will have to abandon this operation and release my family. Sit tight, I'll be back.”
“Ken.”
I stood at the door I just opened looking into her brown eyes. “I'll be all right.”
I headed down the hallway and walked slowly towards the steps of the stage stairs when I heard someone speaking into a microphone. It was Aleister. Don't panic. Keep calm.
“Testing, one, two, three. Jerry, are you sure this thing is on?” Aleister said as he recognized me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Forgot my smokes.” I said on stage pretending to find them. I was facing Jerry and trying to get his attention “What's with the microphone?” I asked Aleister trying to divert his attention away from my eye contact with Jerry.
“I'm going to be your MC for tonight Ken. Testing,” He spoke into the mic looking at Jerry. I knelt behind Aleister as if tying my shoelace looking through his legs.
“Jerry, Can you hear me?” Radio static.
“This guy is psycho Ken.”
“I know.” I spoke fast. “I need you to lower the settings of the dream machine. Can you do it? Jerry?” Gone. I heard a loud squelch of radio feedback in my ear before I heard a click and felt something cold pressing above my temple.
“You don't smoke Ken.” Aleister reminded me leveling the gun in his hand. “Nice try, now back to your dressing room. I'll call you when it's show time. Oh and I'll take that radio of yours too.”
I handed the radio to him and stood slowly backing away. A desperate man with a gun is something I didn't want to dance with. Desperate men are dangerous men and Aleister is not the man I want to take lightly.
I headed back to my dressing room. “We got ourselves a new MC.” I said, closing the door.
“Plan failed huh?”
“Yeah huh.” Sarcasm raised my voice up a notch even I didn't like to hear.
“Radio please, Marlene.” I inserted her radio in my ear. “Can you guys hear me?” Static. Just great.
“Marlene, we'll have to play this by ear. In the meantime, I'm going back to nibbling.” Apologetic eyes were not becoming of me.
Marlene placed a hand on my shoulder. We just ran out of options.
***
Showtime. Aleister called Marlene and I onto the stage and introduced us to a chorus of excited applause, Aleister in a clown suit? Now I've seen everything. He fit right in with the other street performers we use in the show. We worked through our first number that wowed the crowed. The other acts were as good as always, even our juggler surprised me with new material.
“I need a smoke.” Marlene said at the intermission. “I'll be back; I'm the main part of the finale.”
Aleister nodded to the exit.
Rupert would be up next as we were about to end the show. Aleister and I were house left, watching the changes where we came on stage when Marlene came back five minutes later.
“What's to prevent us from falling under those same Theta waves?” I asked, watching the dancers do their set.
“I put an inhibitor in your food earlier. We should be unaffected. Now it's time to introduce Rupert. You know what to do Rupert?”
“Yeah. I've done this a hundred times, scum bag.”
“Now, now. Play nice. Talk like that makes me edgy.”
Aleister said walking out to the mic stand during the applause, “lets give them a big friendly round of Fort James applause.”
“Hoo Ra!” The crowd shouted. People whistled in shrieks of appreciation.
“And now, Rupert.”
Aleister did a fine job of being an MC and getting the crowd into the show, but I had other things on my mind as Rupert worked his act getting the audience involved as well. The crowd appeared relaxed and suddenly - nothing. They were all asleep under the influence of Theta waves, including Rupert crumbling to the floor. By now the whole base would be asleep like the audience. Even Marlene slumped there on the floor.
A sharp buzz pierced my eardrum. I reacted like I'd touched a hot stove.
“What?” Aleister said beside me.
“Nothing. Come on then, let's get on with this,” I said as we made our way behind the curtain to the elevator platform. I didn't want to him to know I had a second radio. “What about your escape plan?”
“I'm going out the same way I came in, your club van. After you.” He said holding the gun.
The platform took us down. Noise didn't matter now. I followed Aleister through the crawlspace but I felt tired, exhausted from the day lagging a few paces behind him. Why not?
***
“Come on Ken, pick it up already.” Shit. He collapsed right there on the floor. Christ. The mic must have compromised the inhibitor somehow. What the. He's getting to his feet? “Ken. What's going on here?”
“Must..Get… nuke.” He said walking like Frankenstein's monster. He's sleep walking just like the others. This is amazing. He could be possessed by even Theta himself. “Just a few more steps Ken and we're at the vault.”
Without instructions Ken turned the wheel of the vault open for me like he'd done this before. I wish all my slaves were this obedient, especially my concubines. The vault opened without too much trouble. I found the light switch placing the gun in my belt as Ken waited patiently outside behind me with arms reaching out like some kind of sleep zombie.
This is almost too easy what with the van out back, before anyone could react and realize anything I'd be out of here.
“What?” I don't understand. Empty? The vault is empty. How? I had to get out of here, figure out what to do, where I went wrong. “Damn. What the?” Everything happened so fast. For the first time this evening I felt out of control.
***
“Looking for this Aleister?”
“My gun. Your not sleep walking.”
“I never was. I only wanted you to think I was. When the radio squelched in my ear before you took it from me, that's when I got the idea, when I saw your reaction.”
“What about the bomb?”
I noticed a clipboard on a hook. I held the gun at Aleister glancing at the manifest and tossed it to him. “There's your answer.”
He knelt down and read. “They moved the bomb out of here three months ago to another location? Impossible. I checked for every possible angle with Corporal Fuller. I left no stone unturned. I even know this signature. ”
“Your forgetting one thing.”
“What?”
“My show. Do you think the army is going to leave a nuclear bomb lying around underneath the feet of civilians like me? It's over Aleister. Now call your people off holding my family.”
“I can't Ken. For like you claimed to be sleep-walking my crew over at your place are also under the influence of their own dream machine there. A production truck nearby is pumping out massive Theta waves tapping into the city's power grid.”
I found my cell phone and with one hand flipped the lid open. Just as I began dialing Aleister lunged at me sending the gun out of my hand and my phone somewhere behind me. We wrestled on the floor. I had pinned him choking him, leaving him disorientated long enough to get to my feet.
“That's enough now.” Aleister had the gun again and holding his throat. He slapped me hard on the face with the back of his hand. “Fool. I should kill your wife right now. But I've a better idea.”
“No Please don't do this. You can still get away.”
“Back you go.”
Anything you want jerk. “I'll remember this and if it's the last thing I do I'll find you, somehow.”
Aleister closed the vault leaving me inside.
At least I had the cell phone. I could call the police and they'd take over, I can call out. Damn, the phone is broken. I tried the radio.
“Won't work Ken. This is my frequency now.”
Christ. I'm shaking like a leaf on a tree in a windy day. I'm in for some serious trouble here. I looked around for a way out. This vault is airtight. “Vicki!” I slammed both hands on the bank vault. “Help.” Some magician I am.
I've gotten out of tighter spots before but nothing like this. I couldn't think of anything else to do. I failed my family, my crew and myself. I slumped to the floor and cried myself to sleep. I thought I heard Marlene in my head. Later they found me unconscious. I felt being placed on a gurney and an oxygen mask over my face, Marlene by my side as I was slipping in and out of consciousness.
“He'll be all right.” I think a Doctor said. “We caught him early. No brain damage.”
They brought me to the stage on the way out. I could see police struggling with Aleister's limp body being helped up and placed in hand cuffs. My people walking around like zombies.
“When he got to the stage he fell to his own dream machine.” Marlene said. “He wouldn't have gotten very far anyway without these.” She said holding out spark plugs.
“The other radio in your ear woke me up Ken. I changed settings as soon as I saw Aleister on stage. He didn't get very far,” Jerry, said from the sound portal recovering from under the influence of the dream machine, faring better then the others.
Marlene nodded to Jerry. “Once police realized what was happening, they were able to induce your house with a harmless nerve gas and turned off the power that stopped the machine there. They had it plugged into a simple wall outlet Ken. Vicky and the kids are fine. We'll go on with the show without you.” The audience was all standing around trying to figure out what had happened. I felt Marlene's hand. “Ken can you hear me? Ken?”
I brought up my hand to my face and smiled at Marlene and gave her thumbs up sign as we began to pass by Aleister. I pulled my mask off and gave him the finger. “Good luck in the pen creep.” I passed out.
The End
E.Jim Shannon is 54 years old, and has been writing and submitting science fiction stories casually since 1992 to various anthologies and other markets. His first short story was accepted in 1994. Life got in the way when he took a hiatus from writing but better late then never. He has published two other short stories since and is working on the revisions of a novel written two years ago. He lives in Edmonton Alberta with his wife Anne, and and 4 cats. Visit his Blog.
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