MACHINES OF MIND

FROM THE BEGINNING THERE WAS ALWAYS A CHANCE OF FAILURE, THE NATURE OF THE EXPERIMENTS THAT WE CONDUCT ARE SUCH THAT WE DO NOT SEEK ONLY SUCCESS, JUST A RESULT STOP HE IS LYING ON THE FOOTPATH STARING INTO A CRACK HE HAS FOUND IN THE GROUND, HE IS LOOKING FOR A DOORWAY TO SOME OTHER PLACE, TIME, SPACE, BUT THE CRACK IN THE GROUND IS NOT IT AND THE SEARCH COULD TAKE FOREVER STOP THE MEETING BEGINS, STARCH COLLARED TIES SIT STIFF AT ATTENTION, PENS PAUSED OVER NOTE PADS IN BULLETPROOF BOARDROOMS. DOCTORS, GENTLEMEN, I BELIEVE THAT WHEN WE LEFT OFF LAST MEETING WE WERE DISCUSSING THE EFFECTS OF HIGH LEVEL RADIATION ON UNBORN WOLF FETUSES STOP THE MESSENGER ARRIVED LATE AND WITH BAD NEWS, TWO DEAD AND THREE ARRESTED, WE BROKE CAMP AND DROVE OUT ACROSS THE DESSERT AS THE SUN ROSE IN THE WEST STOP IN THE UNIVERSITY OF TIME THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING TAUGHT, AND LEARNING, MORE THAN JUST APPLICATION, ITS DESTINY, NOT JUST MY DESTINY BUT A COLLECTED DESTINY, KIND OF LIKE THE DESTINY OF A PLANET DEPENDING ON THE DESTINY OF A UNIVERSE STOP SHE SAID THEY BORED A HOLE IN THE BACK OF HER HEAD AND INSERTED A SMALL CYLINDER ABOUT THE SIZE OF A PHARMACEUTICAL CAPSULE, SHE SAID SHE HASN'T SLEPT SINCE BUT THE HEADACHES HAVE STOPPED STOP ABRAXAS SITS IN HIS DARK CORNER OF SPACE METAMORPHOSISING TEARDROPS FROM FOUR DIMENSIONAL LIFE FORMS TRAVELLING ACROSS GALAXIES LOOKING FOR GODS STOP MACHINES OF MIND, ALWAYS REBUILDING, INTERFACING, TURNING, TUNING TO PRECISION THE FINE MECHANICS AND WORKS THAT ENABLE US TO FUNCTION AND CONSTRUCT THE THOUGHT AND THEN ASSIMILATE WITH THE INFINITE POSSIBILITY OF DEFINITION AND CHOICE STOP THE SMALLEST PARTICLE OF MATTER THAT CAN EXIST INDEPENDENTLY WHILE RETAINING THE DISTINCTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE ORIGINAL SUBSTANCE, MOLECULES IN MOLECULES IN MOLECULES IN MOLECULES STOP AND SO HAVING ARRANGED THE PATIENT IN A COMFORTABLE POSITION, WITH WRISTS AND ANKLES FIRMLY RESTRAINED, YOU CAN GO ON TO MAKE YOUR FIRST INCISION, STARTING AT THE XIPHOID PROCESS AND MOVING SMOOTHLY DOWNWARD TOWARDS THE NAVEL STOP THE MOON ROSE COLD, HARD ACROSS SILVER ROCKS LIKE LIQUID METAL OOZING FORTH TO ENGULF US IN BITTER BLUE FIRE. SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE WINDS THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER CUTS THE DARKNESS AND SOARS AWAY IN SEARCH OF YET ANOTHER GREAT COSMIC JOKE STOP WHEN THEY BROUGHT HIM IN HE WAS FOUND TO BE MOST UNCOOPERATIVE, WHEN THE NURSES ATTEMPTED TO ADMINISTER A MILD HYPNOTIC SEDATIVE HE BECAME VIOLENT AND HAD TO BE PHYSICALLY SUBDUED. WE GOT HIM IN THE END STOP ASHES, BODY, SEA, SALT, MOTHER AND THE BLESSED VIRGIN. A WORM IN THEIR ROSY APPLE, A THIEF IN THEIR SACRED GARDEN STOP MICRO ORGANISMS, CHEMICAL SOLDIERS THAT ENTER THROUGH THE PORES AND RESPIRATORY SYSTEM, RENDERING THE BODY UNRECOGNISABLE WITHIN HOURS, AN EFFECTIVE BIOLOGICAL WEAPON SPECIFICALLY TAILORED TO SUIT TODAYS BATTLEFIELD CONDITIONS. BIO COUNTER STRAIN ALSO AVAILABLE BUT ONLY EFFECTIVE IF ADMINISTERED WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES OF THRESHOLD INFECTION STOP IN STUDIES ON THE INSTINCTS OF A FEMALE HUMAN SUBJECT WITH REGARD TO THE PROTECTION OF OFFSPRING IT IS NOTED THAT THE PATIENT BECAME HYSTERICAL AND EXHIBITED SEEMINGLY ABNORMAL LEVELS OF STAMINER AND STRENGTH WHEN CONFINED OVER TIME AND SEPARATED FROM HER INFANT CHILD. THIS STATE CONTINUED FOR THIRTY-SIX DAYS UNTIL THE PATIENT LAPSED INTO DEEP CATATONIC DEPRESSION STOP A MOMENT SLOWLY PASSED AS A MINOR HIROSHIMA, BLOOD, JET SHOT THROUGH SMOOTH, STEEL, GLASS BECOMING ORGANIC RIPPLING ORGASMS OF ELEMENTAL TRANSITION STOP THE BEACHES ARE LITTERED WITH STRANGE CREATURES WHO CRAWLED OUT OF THEIR MURKY DEPTHS ONLY TO PERISH ON THE ONE WAY STREET OF EVOLUTION STOP HE WOKE UP IN A STEAMY AFRICAN MOVIE, THE HUM OF MOSQUITOES, THE SOUND OF DRUMS. HE WIPED AWAY THE SLEEP AND THE SWEAT AND LIT A CIGARETTE, "I WONDER WHERE THEY'VE HIDDEN THE BLOODY SCRIPT THIS TIME", HE SAYS OUT LOUD TO NO-ONE AT ALL, HE SIGHS ANOTHER CLOUD OF SMOKE AND WEARILY PUTS HIS CLOTHES ON, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE A BIRD CALLS HIGH CRAZY SCREAMS LIKE INSANE LAUGHTER, HE SMILES TO HIMSELF, AND TURNS YET ANOTHER PAGE STOP IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS THE BEGINNING STOP THE COMPANY OFFERS ITS SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILIES OF THOSE AFFLICTED, AND DENIES THAT IT HAD ANY KNOWLEDGE THAT PRODUCT AFTERSHAVE CAUSES TESTICULAR CANCER STOP TO THINK THE DINOSAWS COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THEY HAD HAVE HAD MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENTS AND ELECTRIC TOASTERS STOP THE NEXT PART OF THE PROCESS REQUIRED US TO USE LIVE MONKEYS TO CHECK SOUND WAVES OF 11.3 CYCLES PER SECOND, RESULTING IN BLIND RAGE AND MASSIVE SELF ASSAULT UNTIL THE POINT OF HAEMORRHAGE STOP LASERS AT WAVELENGTHS OF 0.35 TO 1.4 MICROMETERS THAT PENETRATE THE RETINA CAUSED IRREPARABLE DAMAGE, THE VISION BEING OBSCURED BY STREAMS OF BLOOD FLOATING IN THE VITREOUS HUMOUR. BLINDING IS DEEMED ACCEPTABLE UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW STOP THE MEN CREATED POLITICS TO ABSORB AND OBSCURE THE MORE DANGEROUS AND POWER MAD AMONG THEM STOP CHAMELEON CRYSTAL EYE DREAM, GREEN STEAM FLESH SHINES SWEAT AND MYSTERY OF BLACK SNAKE EYES DREAM DEATH IN A KILLERS MEDITATION AND AN UNKNOWN REPTILE SONG STOP GEARS SHIFT, CONNECT, SPIN TURNING GREAT HULKS OF MECHANICAL MONSTROSITIES, DRAGGING WRETCHED STEEL CORPSES OF A LONG FORGOTTEN INDUSTRIAL AGE ACROSS BARREN LIFELESS WASTELANDS, THE FINAL MOVEMENT IN A SYMPHONY OF MASS PRODUCED MACHINERY STOP OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO SEARCH FOR ANY ASTEROIDS THAT MIGHT BE ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE EARTH STOP A THIN, SHARP LANCE CALLED A STYLET IS PASSED THROUGH A HOLLOW ASPERATION NEEDLE INTO THE UPPER PART OF THE PELVIC BONE CALLED THE ILLIAC CREST STOP CAREFULLY TRAINED LIKE DOGS TO JUMP THROUGH EQUATORIAL HOOPS OF EXPANSIVE CONSCIOUSNESS, PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION, IMAGES NOT NOTICED, MINIATURE REPLICAS OF CIVILISED MANKIND CAST ASIDE LIKE BROKEN TOYS LEFT TO DIE IN SOCIETIES BACKYARD STOP WE AWOKE BEFORE DAWN AND LIT A SMALL SMOKELESS FIRE, THERE WAS FAR TO GO AND SO LITTLE TIME, WE EACH DRANK THREE CUPS OF CREAMY BITTER TEA, COVERED THE FIRE WITH SAND AND ROCKS, AND MADE OUR WAY OUT ACROSS THE OPEN PLAIN. THE SOLDIERS RIDE AT DAWN STOP WHO JUDGES THE JUDGES THAT JUDGE THE JUDGES STOP SHE CAREFULLY KEYED IN THE EXACT FIRING SEQUENCE AND HANDED HIM THE CONTROL UNIT, "WE'VE BEEN WAITING A LONG LONG TIME FOR THIS MOMENT", " I KNOW" SHE REPLIED. TURNING TO LOOK IN COLD GREY EYES, HE RAISED THE UNIT, CAREFULLY KEYING IN THE SEVEN DIGIT CODE CLEARANCE, IT FLASHED RECOGNITION AND HE LIFTED THE LID ON THE SMALL RED SWITCH. REMOVING THE COPPER WIRE SEAL, THEIR EYES CONNECTED FOR ONE LAST TIME. COUNTDOWN SEQUENCE INITIATED FIVE SECONDS AND COUNTING, THREE........TWO........ONE........ GO © A.D.Fox 1994