ALL IN THE HEAD 1

THE LAUGHING MAN

He who laughs must surely be full of joy but what if that joy is not joy at all, but something disguised as joy ...

In utter darkness he hears it. Laughter, uncontrollable singular laughter. Where is it? Who is laughing? Who is taunting him so simply in this world of lost light? Out of a room and into a hallway he moves cautiously, the repetitive laughter loudens. Someone down the end of the hall places both hands on a table, possibly incapable of making themselves quiet.

This person, once he is close enough to see, is facing away ... hopefully lost in a world of his own, so he approaches slowly ... quietly. What's happening here? Why is this person here? Why is he facing away? Why is he laughing? And most of all, why would anyone presume him to be lost in a world of his own making?

He tries to speak to this laughing man but cannot, words refuse to come out. The laughter begins to become a little more intense, maniacal even, and the laughing man makes a slow move to turn. He is ... is ... is he who is approaching except separate and lost to ... madness. No ... this is not right ... the approaching man and the laughing man are both one and the same, existing together separately at the same time. How can this be?

He wakes hard and fast, sitting right up the moment he does wake. With a cold sweat spread evenly across his brow and a furious panic dispersing into oblivion by the second, he takes a moment to gather himself and his thoughts.

***

Mid-March 1966, fighting rages through forests in Cambodia as yet more troops enter the Vietnam war. Through gun fire and the hordes of helicopter activity flailing through an agenda, a young soldier hears laughter, laughter from what presumably is a single person. With current noise levels being what they are, there should be no way in hell that this soldier can hear the laughter of a single man, especially one so far away that he is not within a current line of sight.

The soldier moves on, following comrades lost in the midst of battle.

'Can you hear that?' he asks his nearest comrade.

'The sounds of war ... nothing like it, hey?'

'No, not that' he says close to the top of his voice, '...sounds like laughter ...'

'Laughter? ... Ain't no laughter out here, kid, unless you see something funny' ... the two soldiers share a brief. 'Well do you, see something funny?'

'No ... no I don't ...' the younger of the two says to himself more than to anything else.

There is a pause in the laughter but only a brief one and when it is heard again everything else seems to drown out until there is nothing visible but a vast plume of grey and white mist. Yeah, the sounds of war have disappeared as apparently the war itself has. That surrounding smoke, the plumes of grey and white mist disperse to reveal a single man hunched down and facing away.

The laughing begins again, it echoes menacingly, an action seemingly not controlled by the individual it escapes from. The laughing individual turns his head. That face ... the young soldier knows it ...

***

'You don't believe it's real, do you?'

'Of course not, it's preposterous ... if you tell me, you believe it then you'll probably set me off into a fit of laughter. That's how it begins, right? It must be the ultimate you're having a laugh gag ...'

'General ... it's no gag and you cannot act as if it is ...'

'You ... my captain of all people ... there is a reason why I made you captain ...'

'Sir ... and sir ... I don't mean to interrupt but ...' but he has interrupted conversation between two of the more high-ranking individuals at this location.

'Spit it out Moid ...' Captain turns towards he who has just entered the General's tent and is still standing by its entrance. 'They're back ...'

'Thank you soldier ... you may go ...' he turns to look the general dead in the eyes, 'c'mon, you're about to see it for yourself ...'

Both believing it to be ridiculous and being slightly intrigued, the general followed his captain not at all sure of what it is he was about to see. In the medical tent he could hear it despite it emanating from the far end. Singular laughter, repetitive laughter. Two men laugh identically, once first and alone then the other and this is not all which is identical about either man.

Both of these soldiers are identical though unrelated. They are identical in every way down to the very last strands of hair on their heads. They stand and turn towards the general.

'Is this a joke?' speaks the general, ready to take someone's head off. 'Is this supposed to be funny? ...'

'No sir ...' a single reply comes softly.

It is uncanny. The general steps forwards to stand and look eye to eye with one of those two men then moves to do the same with the other. If those present didn't know any better they'd say that either of identical men could very well be the general himself when he was a younger man, and this must be the gripe of a subject to which his questions refer.

General Harold Thomas is one of the most decorated generals in the history of the army. He is as close to or has been described in the past as being as near to being a super-soldier as one man can get without being interfered with or enhanced with in any way.

'Who are these men?' scolds the general.

'That's the thing sir, we cannot get any direct answers from either man. Their laughter seems to be convulsive and neither seem capable of speech. However, we have determined that one is corporal Arthur Hardy and the other is lance-corporal Henry McNeil, both men reported missing in action three days ago, only as you can see and from their files, neither man match the photo we have for them.'

'They both look like me ...' grumbles the general.

'Sir?...

'... in my day of years gone by, of course. I do not know how but someone is trying to make a mockery of me. I want answers. Get the best people on it.'

With the general turns and moves away, sent off with relies of 'yes sir' and salutes, only no one knows of what exactly should or could be done. Hell, does anyone even know what is going on?

***

Twenty second day of June 2046 and he has cracked it. He had no idea why he had been tasked what it is he has been tasked but ever since he knew his goal would soon become reality, Colin Anderson has been having nightmares and with good reason. He only saw a military presence on the day he confirmed his goal has been achieved.

Twenty second day of June 2046 and he has cracked it. He had no idea why he had been tasked what it is he has been tasked but ever since he knew his goal would soon become reality, Colin Anderson has been having nightmares and with good reason. He only saw a military presence on the day he confirmed his goal has been achieved.

'Good man Anderson ...' speaks a general with whom Anderson does not know or recognize. 'You have served your country well'. This general turns his attention elsewhere to offer a command. 'Begin time computations ... first trials to be set in Cambodia March of 1966 ...'

What is it he has done? This is so much more than a laughing gas created in his mind to bring unity to the world. It will become, has become, a kind of chemical warfare and not only will it change history ... it will alter it forever ... it will change the very existence of the world as we know it. Can't have this ... he must destroy it ... but before he can even begin to consider such a thing ... he begins to laugh ... and laugh uncontrollably. That nightmare of his has come to be truth. Is this to be the end of the world as we know it ... perhaps it will be a new kind of beginning ...