The Operant Unconscious Project

Dr. Taylor couldn’t believe what he had just heard.  The council no longer cared about the children like it once had. Something must have happened to make them change their minds.  After all, they had hired him to look after their well-being, and now the council was taking Dr. Guise’s side. He also knew that what the council planned was just as bad, if not worse than what already existed. If that was the way things were now going, then he knew he had to do something, no matter what it would cost him. But how was he going to stop them? Suddenly Dr. Taylor had an idea, this project was to be the hope of the world when Dr. Guise started it, and even if there was no way to stop it, Dr. Taylor now knew that this project really was going to be the worlds only hope. Having made up his mind Dr. Taylor headed for the room where the children were kept.

~~~

"Jacob, wake up!" Cobie shouted in Jacob’s head causing Jacob to nearly jump out of his skin.

Having felt Jacob jump, Jesse turned over to see what was wrong.  "Are you ok Jake?"

"Yeah Jesse, I’m ok," said Jacob. "Well now that you got me up, what did you want Cobie?"

"Sir, I’m sorry to wake you, I know you just got to sleep but something’s not right," replied Cobie. "I was scanning the system for anything that could help us come up with a plan to get everyone out of here like you wanted me to when I noticed that one of the bio labs was active; I also noticed that someone has accessed the room where the others sleep after Jesse was there."

"Oh no, which lab is it Cobie," Jesse asked Cobie frantically?

"I’m not sure," said Cobie. "It doesn’t show up on the normal lab registry, someone has removed it from the list but not from the power grid. Someone doesn’t want anyone else to know what they’re doing, but they are doing a bad job at it. That room is drawing a lot of energy from the main grid."

"Can you tell us who they took?" asked Jacob.

"I’m not sure how to say this sir, other than they’re all gone," said Cobie.

Jesse jumped out of the bed and quickly retrieved Jacob’s wheelchair, "Come on Jake."

Jacob nodded his head, "Cobie, can you access a map or something and guide us to that room?"

"Yes sir, but what will the two of you be able to do?" asked Cobie.

"We’ll kick their asses if they hurt any of the others," said Jesse as he helped Jacob into the chair.

"Very well sir, start by going out the door and taking a left," said Cobie.

Jesse opened the door and stuck his head out, seeing that the hallway was empty he pushed Jacob out of the room and then took a left.

"You’re going to want to go to the end of this corridor and take another left," said Cobie. "Jacob, sir, I’m going to change the patrol schedule and have the guards avoid the hallways that you need to travel down."

"Thank you Cobie," said Jacob. "He said to take a left…"

"At the end of the hallway, I was listening," Jesse said as they reached the end of the hall. "Ok, where now Cobie?"

"You’re going to want to take the third hallway on the right, go to the end and then take another left," said Cobie. "It will be the last door on the left."

Suddenly the lights went out and the emergency lights came on.

"Someone has knocked out the main power grid," said Cobie. "The main database is offline and a silent alarm has been sounded."

"Great, just what we need," Jesse said sarcastically.

"Jacob sir, there are sentinels and scuttle dogs heading this way," said Cobie. "We are going much too slow."

"Jesse, I’m slowing us down, I want you to run ahead and take care of the others," said Jacob.

"I’m not leaving you here Jacob," said Jesse.

Just then they heard something howl from the next hallway.

"Jesse, please leave me," pleaded Jacob. "The others need you more than I do, save them."

Jesse started to protest again but as he looked into Jacob’s eyes he knew that Jacob cared more about the others than anything else, including himself. Even if Jesse didn’t care about any of them but Zachary, he knew that they meant the world to Jacob.

Jesse nodded his head, "Ok Jake, but I’m coming back for you." Jesse kissed Jacob on the forehead and then rushed off down the hallway.

"It’s just us now Cobie," said Jacob.

"They can’t hurt you sir, you’re too important," said Cobie.

"Screw important, I’ll give them hell before they take me," replied Jacob as he turned his wheelchair around.

Just as he turned around the guards came around the corner and released their scuttle dogs.

"What are they doing?" Cobie shouted. "Those things could kill you!"

Jacob smiled to himself, "Cobie prepare to scan the scuttle dog’s minds."

"What!?!" said Cobie.

"Cobie…" Jacob started to say.

"Yes sir, sorry sir, I’m ready when you are," replied Cobie. "What will we be doing with this information?"

"We won’t be taking anything from them at first," said Jacob. "Quickly buffer as many files as you can, I’m sending something."

Seeing that the Scuttle doges were getting closer Cobie didn’t argue this time and just did what he was told, "Ready sir."

Jacob looked at the scuttle dogs, tilted his head and imagined unloading that buffer. Upon doing so the scuttle dogs skidded to a halt and began howling in pain.

"Ok now get ready to download," said Jacob as he focused on the scuttle dogs harder. Suddenly the dogs stopped howling and just fell over, twitching.

"What did you do sir?" asked Cobie. "We got everything back plus all of their memories."

"I blanked their minds; wiped them clean," said Jacob. "They don’t even know how to walk now."

"Oh no! Sir, what about the guards?" Cobie said frantically. "Hurry!"

Jacob looked up at the guards at the other end of the hall but just as he was about to ask exactly what was wrong he felt a needle pierce the back of his neck.

"Sir! Oh sir, I’m so sorry," Jacob heard Cobie say. "There were too many for me to warn you about. If I hurry I can contact Je…" But Jacob didn’t hear anything else as he slipped off into a dreamlike state.

~~~

Jesse hurried towards the bio lab as fast as he could. As he rounded the last corner he saw Dr. Taylor coming out of the room he was heading to.

"Dr. Taylor?" said Jesse.

Dr. Taylor looked up and smiled, "Jesse, I was just coming to get you and Jacob."

"Where are the others, Cobie said that everyone had been taken," said Jesse. "Jacob even made me leave him in the hallway just to get here before they did anything to them."

Dr. Taylor got a frightened look on his face, "Jacob’s out of his room? Jesse, the both of you shouldn’t have left your room. I set everyone free; they’re heading for the weapons room and then heading to get the both of you."

"Shit! I knew I shouldn’t have left Jacob, his friends aren’t even in danger and I left him to face scuttle dogs and guards," screamed Jesse.

"Calm down Jesse, if they capture him I know where they’ll take him. I just hope Dr. Guise doesn’t get there first," said Dr. Taylor. "Don’t worry though, I know they won’t do anything to hurt him, he’s too important. Come on."

Dr. Taylor started heading back the way Jesse had just come, "If we hurry Jesse then we can still stop them."

"Stop them from what?" asked Jesse. "Dr. Taylor, what’s exactly going on? Since you seem to be breaking rules tonight maybe you can answer all the questions you said you couldn’t answer before."

"Well…"

~~~

"The Device is ready, did the council give the order yet?" asked Dr. Hager.

"Yes, as soon as we get rid of Jesse," answered Dr. Guise.

"We’re not going to kill him are we?" said Dr. Bender.

"Of course not you fool," said Dr. Guise. "The council wants to keep him as a backup just in case something happens to Jacob. Although I don’t see the need, he wouldn’t make a good backup anyway, he’s too unpredictable. But since we won’t be killing him we will have to move him to a safe location. We can’t even keep him on the planet, he could mess things up even if he’s asleep."

"So that’s why I’m being sent away, so I don’t screw up your plan," said Jesse from the other side of the room. Jesse stood next to a somewhat groggy and disoriented Jacob and was stroking Jacob’s hair. Jesse had just come into the room along with Dr. Taylor.

"What is he doing here?" roared Dr. Guise. "Wait a second, how did you manage to catch him?"

"I told Jesse the truth," said Dr. Taylor. "I told him what your plans are for Jacob, I told him why all of them were created, and I told him where he is being sent to."

"What else did you tell him!" shouted Dr. Guise.

"Just what will happen to him and Jacob. Oh, he already knew that you were his father," said Dr. Taylor. "In fact, he already knew exactly how we created him and the others and who parented who."

Dr. Guise was furious and as Dr. Taylor leaned down to whisper something into Jacob’s ear, Dr. Guise pulled his gun out from under his lab coat and pointed it at Dr. Taylor.

"Oh Jim," said Dr. Guise. Dr. Taylor finished whispering to Jacob and then stood up to look at Dr. Guise. The moment he did the deafening sound of a gunshot filled the room and Dr. Taylor fell to the floor motionless.

Both Jacob and Jesse didn’t have to see what happened to know as it felt like someone had stuck a knife into the base of their skulls; the pain was overwhelming. Jesse even fell over from the shock of it.

"Quickly now, while Jesse can’t move! Bind him!" Dr. Guise shouted to the other doctors that were in the room and they quickly did what they were asked since none of them wanted to end up like Dr. Taylor.

Just then a guard came into the room, "Dr. Guise, the other children have been set loose."

"What?  By who," asked Dr. Guise?

"By Dr. Taylor sir, it was his access code," replied the guard.

"Alert Domach and round them up," said Dr. Guise.

"They’ve already killed Lt. Domach sir, and the children have weapons as well," said the guard. "They are being led by the boy they call Bjorn, and they’re heading in this direction sir; I think they intend on rescuing these two boys."

"Alert Lt. Gemini that he and his men need to take those children out using any means necessary," said Dr. Guise. "Meanwhile Dr. Hagar, get Jacob to the device and Dr. Bender, get Jesse to launch station three. Each of you needs to take at least fifteen armed men with you."

"No!" shouted Jesse as he attempted to get himself loose.

Dr. Guise pointed his gun at Jesse, "I’ve had enough of you boy, and you’ll do as I say and you’ll do it without a fight or I’ll end your life. I don’t care what the council says."

Jesse stared back at Dr. Guise and replied, "Congrats Dr. Guise, you’ve become your father. It seems you’ve worked hard to achieve this.  All you had to do was destroy yourself, and kill your own soul."

Dr. Guise went white, "What did you say?"

"Although I’ll have to give you credit, at least you use a gun to do the work, it's much cleaner and not as tiring," said Jesse.

"Shut up! I’m nothing like my father! I’m better than he was, I’ve become more powerful than that small dirt smudge ever was!" shouted Dr. Guise.

"At least I’ll never get the chance to become you," said Jesse. "And I thank you for that; I suppose that’s about all I can thank you for."

"How…what…" started Dr. Guise. But then men came into the room and interrupted what he started to say. Dr. Hagar got behind Jacob and began to wheel him out of the room followed by half of the guards and Dr. Bender carefully led Jesse away from Dr. Guise and out the door with the other half.

"Perhaps that’s a conversation that should never be finished," Dr. Bender whispered to Jesse as they left.

And Jesse couldn’t have agreed more. "Let him think about that crap I just fed him," thought Jesse. "Maybe he’ll still be there when the others get there.  Maybe they’ll treat him like he did us."