The Curious Case of the Two Dirk Gentlys

21: Genome

Alarms blared and doors slammed, non-essential power had been cut and red lights danced violently against the walls. For all intensive purposes Blackwing was under lockdown. Yet nobody had come to stop Project Marzanna, nobody dared. They'd feared her as a child and feared her even more now that she'd gained a foot or so in height. Not that she had any intention of hurting anyone, if she did the floor would already be littered with bodies. All she wanted was to find more paper, to silence the voice, and to go back to the safety of her box.

"Hey Ken, don't mind me I'm just getting some paper." Announced Bart as she strolled through the wide open office door. Ken wasn't there to hear he; neither was Mr Priest. This didn't bother her too much. She had no issue searching the room and taking what she wanted on her own.

She hunted across the unorganised mess of draws, cabinets, and hastily thrown together stacks of documents. There had to be some blank paper lying around somewhere. What kind of office didn't have any paper? A Blackwing office apparently as she didn't find a single page. What she did find was a thrown aside folder with the word 'disposable' scrawled across in Ken's handwriting.

A spark went off in Bart's brain, a spur of curiosity that had been lying dormant since Wendimoor. She flung the cover wide open and devoured the contents. It seemed like the standard Blackwing fair, something about Athos, a girl who walked past her room a lot as a child. Bart took no issue with that. There was something else that caught her eye: a little box marked 'subproject: Project Genome'. There was no name but there was a birth date. Project Genome was far too young to have joined alongside her.

"Bart? What are you doing here?" Ken had appeared in the doorway and wasted no time on observing.

"What's this?" Asked Bart.

"Where did you get that?" Ken walked into the office. He headed cautiously towards her being sure not to make any sudden movements.

"Who's Project Genome?" Bart questioned.

"You really shouldn't be in here." Ken told her.

"Were you going to break your promise? Were you going to start a new project?" Bart challenged, a red hot rage now growing in her soul.

"No, no, of course not." Ken calmly defended. "Look, Priest wanted to try a few new things, I refused, and that was that."

"...really?" Asked Bart as stray tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Of course, trust me." Ken smiled a shining toothy smile. He opened his arms wide, offering a warm embrace. "You do trust me don't you, Bart?"

Bart nodded and accepted Ken's hug. It felt so incredibly fake, like hugging a wax dummies. Naturally she believed her friend. Why would Ken ever lie to her? Still the universe pushed and pulled her mind. There was something on the outside, something she needed to know, and she couldn't do that with Ken. The glint of the knife he had taken from Mr Priest shone into Bart's eyes. Once again her instincts took over and grabbed the knife, plunging it into his back. Ken yelled and fell to the ground. Bart didn't keep the knife that was now covered in the blood of her only true friend. She dropped it and backed away.

"I'm sorry, Ken." Bart sobbed as she ran towards the exit.