* * *
Jasper ran out into the hallway, slamming the door and screaming for his assistant. He was excited yet troubled. He hoped him and Andy could get Haley back and thus put an end to his present predicament. “Where is that little weasel?” he asked aloud.
What is it, Dr. Jasper? I’m coming,” said the young technician as he rounded a turn with a large cup of coffee. Suddenly there is a crashing sound, followed by more thrashing and crashing in the Reality Chamber.
Jasper turns toward the door. “What the frickin’ hell is it now?”
He takes a couple steps as he hears two more crashes and a thudding sound. He moves to open the door, then pauses. The hair on the back of his nick stands straight up. He now hears a hissing and breathing sound emanating from the room, even with the thick, tightly-sealed metal door.
What is it? he thinks, now much more frightened than angry. It soulds more like some gigantic caged beast than human.
He musters his courage and throws the door open. Both arms drop limply to his sides. He certainly never expected to witness anything even remotely close to what he was now seeing. Crouched before him was a giant lizard man, a large broken monitor engulfed in one clawed hand, the other hand splayed out on the floor in a small pool of blood. The creature was in a stance akin to some type of reptilian football player. He could see bits of the room from behind the behemoth and it was thoroughly trashed. He stared down to see the Coke can he had finished before leaving to find Andy just a few minutes before, roll in front of the beast. He heard his assistant’s cup splat on the floor, but he could not even turn to look at Andy; he was frozen in place. He also glanced what looked like a trident out of some Hercules movie lying in front of the creature on the floor.
His last thought was: This was supposed to be a cushy job …
YOU ARE READING
Factual Illusions (Novel)
Science FictionA group of scientists at an ultra-realistic gaming company - Virtuallusion - are working on their latest "Reality." They stumble upon a way to travel dimensions ... to shadow Earths and beyond. Unfortunately for them, they allow a powerful and mani...
