The Kilian Experiment

The Kilian Experiment

The day had just started, and Evelyn Kilian was lost. Now for many being lost in a beautiful city like Boston wouldn't be a problem. Evelyn would have loved it any other day. Just not today. Today was the day of her interview, her day to make her mark with the boss of an up and coming business. Evelyn was on a mission to take her work to the next level.

She took a deep breath reminding herself that she could do this. She placed her sunglasses up on her blonde hair, shouldered her pack and headed across the street to the magazine kiosk. Obviously, the phones GPS wouldn't be of great assistance today. Luckily the kiosk still sold paper maps.

A paper map the bane of modern existence. Who used these things anymore? Other than a lost young woman who would need a clear location stating you are here before she could move on. She purchases the map, opened it and started to find the street she was currently on.

"Excuse me miss?" A tall, handsome man called approaching Evelyn.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Evelyn asked not quite believing that the man had stopped very close to her side.

The man looked a little flustered. "I'm sorry but you bought the last map, and my GPS isn't working correctly today. Do you mind if I use your map to get my bearings?"

Evelyn giggled a bit. "Well, it seems we're in the same predicament I was just utilizing the map for the same purpose."

"Well then maybe if we work together we can find what we're looking for? Avery Dellis."

"Evelyn Kilian," Evelyn said before turning back to the map. "Where're you heading Mr. Dellis?"

Avery grinned at the slightly flirty smile on Evelyn's face. "E Main, 2622 E Main. I have a meeting with a potential business partner. Unfortunately, all her information was on my phone, and it somehow erased this morning. All I have is the address, lucky me."

"Really that's weird. We seem to be building the same boat at this point." Evelyn said reading the look of confusion on his face she added, "My appointment information was erased too. I had a job interview lined up for today at 2622 E Main. I flew in last night for this appointment. I've never been to Boston, so I had all the information for the trip stored on my phone and backed on my computer. Power outage last night wiped out everything."

"Wow, that is a weird coincidence. Your interview, do you remember anything about the job?" Avery asked.

Evelyn looked surprised at the question. She could've sworn that she had remembered the information from the job description a few minutes ago. "I think I did, but now I can't seem to recall."

"Yeah, my memories of my appointment faded fairly quickly when I noticed the kiosk was selling maps." Avery turned back to the kiosk to ask the attendant if she knew anything about their predicament.

Only the kiosk was gone.

"Oh, My..."

"Yeah," Avery said turning a slow circle. "Does this street look different to you?"

"You mean the fact that it looks dirtier than it did two minutes ago, yes I'm getting the feeling this is a setup," Evelyn said following Avery's gaze. "Let's get out of here this place is giving me the creeps."

Avery nodded taking Evelyn's hand and leading the way toward E Main. The path they followed still coincided with the map, but everything looked very run down. The tall buildings that had shown in the sunlight one minute took on a dirty dark appearance the next. Evelyn pulled closer to Avery; the only other person there seemed to be in the slowly dying city.

Avery's hand slipped from hers, and he stopped on a street corner. There may not have been any traffic, but that wasn't a reason to take chances. Avery turned to Evelyn. The suspicious that he was somehow a part of stalking occurred to her, and she started to pull away. There was a bit a sneer on his face.

"You were a set-up." The two said at the same time. "Me? Yes, you."

Evelyn growled. "Agh, you just conveniently show up at the kiosk after I had bought the map asked for directions to the same location. Our coincidental problems were meant to get me to trust you. I hate to admit it worked for a few minutes. What have you done to me? Drugs, some type of memory altering thing..."

Avery looked stunned. "Nice acting. You're the one who happened to right there the moment I needed a map and help. Who are you? Who do you work for a competitor? Well, you will never get your hands on my invention."

Avery turned suddenly to leave when the city around them changed again. Noise filled the street, and people started to fill the sidewalk surrounding them. Evelyn seemed to be lost in thought not noticing the change right away. Avery quickly pulled the young woman out of the way of a vendor's cart.

"What the..."

Evelyn grabbed Avery's arm pulling him into the building nearby. "What invention?"

"Excuse me?" Avery asked not liking the turn of conversation if his tone was anything to go by or the thunderous look on his face.

"The invention was it meant to be used with a virtual reality program. A program that this soon to be partner created." Evelyn said watching the man carefully.

Avery's eyes cleared. "Yes, I was supposed to meet her at the Embassy Suites on E Main. Now I remember."

"Yeah I think that's a problem," Evelyn said glancing around the room. "As soon as you said invention I knew I could control the environment. But I don't think they know that yet."

"They? Who's they?" Avery said surreptitiously glancing around.

"I don't know whoever put us in the VR program. I created a back door if you will allowing the creator to control and manipulate the program as needed if a problem should occur. An option that allowed the user to have a potential partner in the system. How would anyone know of my program and your machine? Why would they want it?" Evelyn said fear in her voice.

Avery rubbed a hand over his face. "There are a lot of practical applications for something like this. From medicine to military to recreational. I remember when I was putting the machine together I considered what would happen with the right programming. Now someone is using it against us."

"What's that last thing you remember?" Evelyn asked eyes moist with tears.

"I remember going to bed. Sleeping fitfully, I never sleep well before a meeting. There is a strange pain in my chest. Then I got up to take a shower. That's it that's all I remember." Avery said looking thoughtful.

Evelyn nodded silently. The building's lobby faded around her. She let the tears flow. "He doesn't remember anything about that day. The meeting the kiosk were there but nothing else. I even pulled up the parade where we first kissed."

Evelyn blinked to clear the sudden haze from her eyes.

"Oh, Evelyn you knew it was a long shot. The program can help it'll just take time. If the memories are there, he'll find them." Dark skinned women said as she places a comforting hand on Evelyn's shoulder.

"Thanks. But if the memories still existed they should have been routed out by the machine. The bullet took him away for good. I can rebuild a life though in his dreams. He started to trust me." Evelyn said taking the hand of the comatose man on the bed.

"No Evelyn you can't live in a virtual reality with him. He is still there somewhere. He just needs time to heal. A mind is an incredible place even if Avery doesn't remember you now or ever remember you can build a new life with him when he wakes up." The woman said.

Evelyn shook her head. "That's not going to happen Jessica. Avery doesn't want to wake up. He's scared. I have to go to him. There's no other way."

Jessica knew the look in her friend's eyes. The boss would need to remind Evelyn that she couldn't waste her life hoping for life with a virtual man. "Evelyn, you know that you can't. You tried before. Avery was shot outside E Main and Park Ave the day you were meant to meet. He's been in a coma for over ten years. I know you tried to change his path with the machine. I know about the life you created in virtual with him, and I let it go at first. But I cannot in good conscience let you go back in there and set up shop again."

Evelyn's head snapped around to her boss/friend. "He's mine you will not take him away from me."

Jessica knew she was in a tight spot. Avery Dellis has been shot by a random street thug as he arrived at the Embassy Suites for his meeting with Evelyn Kilian. Evelyn witnessed the event and based on a twenty minute over the phone conversation decided to set up the program using his machine. Evelyn convinced Avery's dying brother to sign over Avery's care. She then dove into the program to rewrite the day Avery's coma started.

Now Jessica watched the expected outcome occur again only with less and less lucidity on the part of her friend/employee. When she'd agreed to fund the project they had high hopes of being able to help the sick. The slow mental degrading of her friend wasn't the outcome she expected.

"Evelyn I know you have created a relationship with Avery, but it wasn't real. It was just a story you created to help him past the shooting. Do you remember that?" Jessica said moving to take her friend's hand.

Jessica realized her mistake a moment too late. The syringe inserted into her neck held a unique poison that she had been working. The poison-filled her vein and took effect almost instantly. The last thought of Jessica Dain was how'd Evelyn get that poison.

Evelyn smiled sickly sweet as she reset the machine with her program. This time she wouldn't emerge she would be with her love.

The night janitor would find the body of Jessica Dain two days after her death. The bodies of Avery Dellis and Evelyn Kilian wouldn't be discovered for many years as Evelyn Kilian was a master of subterfuge. The room where the subject was located locked automatically, and a fake wall slid into place when Evelyn moved her equipment into the room.

Evelyn smiled glanced down at the map with a slight smile on her face. This time she wouldn't let the memories bleed together. This time she would let time flow as it should without any obstacles.

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