Involuntary Control (Gray Spear Society) (27 page)

"Obvious to you. Remind me never to play chess with you."

"I don't like chess," Aaron said. "It's too hard to cheat, and that's how you win in the real world."

He looked over at Marina. She was putting hot nails into Hurly's knee in an apparent effort to tear apart the joint. She had dislocated the kneecap so far. It looked incredibly painful.

Norbert came over. "Sir," he said, "would it be appropriate if I prayed for his soul?"

"I'd rather you helped with the interrogation," Aaron said.

Norbert appeared shocked. "You want me to torture that man?"

"Have you done anything like that before?"

"Not personally, sir."

"Then this will be a learning opportunity." Aaron patted him on the shoulder. "The art of torture is the simultaneous pursuit of two incompatible goals. The first goal is to inflict pain, obviously. More than that, you want to cause horror. You're trying to crush the subject's will to resist by using the most diabolical torments imaginable. You want him to believe you take unholy pleasure in the misery of others. For him, the only possible escape is cooperation. If you show even a glimmer of leniency, the interrogation will fail."

"Yes, sir," Norbert said. "What's the second goal?"

"Keeping the subject alive. He's no good to you if he's dead. So, you have to choose methods that don't cause excessive bleeding or major internal damage. Marina is using hot nails because they cauterize the wounds. She's attacking Hurly's legs because they're the least vulnerable part of his body. The art of torture is inflicting maximum pain with minimum real injury."

Norbert looked at Hurly. "I understand, sir."

"We're going to walk over there," Aaron said. "I'd better not see any weakness or compassion on your face. To him, you're just a beast without a heart. Got it?"

"Why isn't Smythe helping with the interrogation, sir?"

"He's a healer. You don't have that excuse. Let's go."

Aaron and Norbert walked over to the collection of tools on the floor. Hurly's constant screaming was annoying. Marina had finished pounding nails into his right knee, and now she was working on his left.

"Choose your implement," Aaron said.

Norbert looked at the wide selection and frowned.

"Suddenly real, isn't it?" Aaron said. "Moments like this are when you learn something about yourself."

Norbert selected an old fashioned C-clamp.

"A reasonable choice," Aaron said. "What are you going to crush?"

Norbert looked up at Hurly.

"Use a little psychology. What kind of man is he?"

"A doctor," Norbert said.

"A surgeon. So, what part of his body does he care most about?"

Norbert furrowed his brow. "His hands."

"That's right." Aaron nodded. He grabbed Marina's shoulder and said, "Let the rookie have a turn."

The two of them backed away.

Norbert took a ladder that was leaning against the wall. He used it to reach Hurly's hands, which were about ten feet off the ground.

"What are you doing?" Hurly said in a desperate tone.

Norbert was silent but his face showed sadness. He applied the clamp to Hurly's index finger and tightened the screw.

"No!" Hurly struggled, but the iron spike in his wrist pinned him to the wall. Blood dripped down his arm.

Norbert gave the clamp a hard turn. Hurly screamed like a wounded animal.

Marina turned to Aaron and kissed him on the lips. "I'm glad you came," she said. "I was starting to get lonely."

"Me, too." He kissed her back.

"The twins are settling in?"

"Very much."

"That's great." She raised her eyebrows. "Now we just need to work on their personal hygiene."

"They'll happily take a shower and brush their teeth if you pester them. They get so caught up in their computers that they forget everything else, even sleep. Speaking of which, I let them use our bed last night. I didn't need it, and they had nowhere else to go."

She curled her lips in an expression of disgust.

"I'll change the sheets," he said.

"Please do. We have to find permanent accommodations for them."

"They want to stay with Norbert."

"I'm not surprised." She looked away.

Aaron waited for her to explain, but she kept her mouth shut.

He looked up at Norbert. Despite his obvious lack of enthusiasm, Norbert was doing a good job. Hurly's index finger was twisted and purple from having all the bones broken. Norbert was already working on the thumb.

"What do you think?" Aaron said.

Marina stared at Hurly with a thoughtful expression. "We're getting close. He's not a strong man." She walked over to the tools and picked up a brown bottle filled with liquid. "Here." She handed the bottle to Norbert.

"What's this?" He tried to read the faded label.

"Acid. Pour a little bit on his fingers, and don't get any on yourself. Try not to breathe the fumes. It's potent stuff."

Cautiously, Norbert unscrewed the metal cap on the bottle. He dribbled some clear fluid onto Hurly's fingers, and the chemical reaction was immediate. Yellow smoke drifted towards the ceiling, and the skin turned black.

Hurly let out a howl loud enough to raise the dead.

Norbert coughed, covered his mouth, and leaned away. "Ugh! Makes my eyes water!"

"OK," Marina said. "Now just a few drops on his palm. Not too much."

When the acid touched his palm, Hurly thrashed around despite the spike in his wrist. His screams were getting hoarse.

"Come down," Marina said. "Let me have a turn."

Norbert got off the ladder and handed over the bottle.

"Chemical burns are really nasty," she explained. "If you don't wash the wound, the acid keeps destroying the flesh. The pain just gets worse and worse."

He grimaced. "I see that."

"Let's try a little on his penis and see how he responds." She tipped the bottle.

"No!" Hurly yelled. "For God's sake, stop!"

She looked up at him. "You have something to say? No?" She poured a few drops.

"Ahh! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"Go on," Aaron said calmly.

"It's a mind control device," Hurly sobbed.

"How does it work?"

"When it's activated, it makes subjects extremely suggestible. They follow orders, any orders. It doesn't matter how stupid or dangerous. They can't stop themselves."

"How is the device activated?" Aaron said.

"A special radio signal."

"And when the signal turns off, the subjects go back to normal?"

"Except they don't forget their orders," Hurly said. "The commands remain effective for days, even weeks."

Aaron narrowed his eyes. "I see why this technology is so interesting to a certain category of scum. What are its limitations?"

"The implant doesn't work right after the surgery. It takes time for it to adapt to the subject's neural pathways. During the conditioning period, he must be kept in isolation. He must receive specific drugs and be exposed to special stimuli. It's a complex process, and sometimes it doesn't work."

"Then what happens?"

"Unstable behavior," Hurly said. "Severe psychosis."

"Suicide?" Aaron said.

"Yes. That happened often in the early days of the experiment. I answered your questions. Get me down from here!"

"We're not nearly done. Tell me about the failsafe."

"The what?" Hurly's eyes opened wide.

"There must be a way to stop subjects who are out of control," Aaron said.

Hurly lowered his head. "There is a kill switch that sends a different signal to the device. The subject stops breathing, and he dies of suffocation unless the signal is turned off."

"Who's in charge? Who runs the show?"

"I don't know any names. They're just voices on the phone. Please, get me down. The pain is too much."

"One more question," Aaron said. "Where did this magical technology come from?"

Hurly shook his head. "I don't know anything about that. The devices are built somewhere else and delivered to us. I just install them."

Aaron turned to Marina. "Do you have any questions?"

"I think we're done," she said. "This guy is just another stooge."

"Are you going to get me down?" Hurly yelled.

"Sure," Aaron said. "Norbert, cut him down. Use that." He pointed to an axe amid the tools.

"Sir?" Norbert said.

"You heard me. Start with the ankles, but watch out for arterial spray. It can really stain your clothes."

Norbert picked up the axe. Grimly, he walked over to Hurly.

"No!" Hurly yelled. "Don't!"

Norbert looked at Aaron again, and Aaron nodded. Norbert took a huge swing and partially severed Hurly's foot. Somehow, Hurly found the strength to scream even louder than before.

It took a dozen swings for Norbert to chop through both ankles and both wrists. Hurly fell to the floor in a moaning heap.

Aaron walked over to him.

Hurly looked up. "Why? I cooperated."

"I told you I wouldn't show any mercy," Aaron said. "I didn't lie. The good news for you is your pain will end soon. You're bleeding badly. I can tell by the color of your skin you're going into shock. Use the time you have left wisely. Think about what you'll say to God when you meet him in a few minutes. I don't envy you." Aaron walked away.

Silently, he left the church. He filled his lungs with warm, summer air. The farmland smelled of fertilizer, and he preferred that scent to the garbage stink of the city.

Marina, Norbert, and Smythe joined him outside.

"Mind control," Aaron said softly. "This investigation gets crazier every step we take."

"It's an evil technology, sir," Norbert said.

"Depends on how it's used, I suppose."

His phone rang. According to the caller ID, it was Jack.

Aaron answered the call. "Hello?"

"I'm seeing news reports," Jack said. "Something big is happening in Lemonseed. Lots of casualties. I suggest you check it out, sir."

"I'll do that right now. Thanks. Keep watching those reports."

"Yes, sir."

Aaron turned to his team. "Sleep will have to wait."

* * *

The sedan moved slowly through the streets of Lemonseed. Smythe was driving, and Norbert was riding shotgun. Aaron and Marina were holding hands in the back seat.

Aaron looked out the window. Everything about the town appeared normal except for one detail: most of the people were gone. He saw a few pets wandering without owners. Cars had been left in the middle of the road with the engine still running. The front doors of houses were wide open. It appeared the population had simply dropped whatever they were doing and walked away.

The car drove past the Friendly Diner. Aaron saw a confused man near the door.

"Stop!" Aaron said. "Let me talk to him."

Smythe pulled the car over, and Aaron rolled down his window.

"Hey! Where is everybody?"

The man was dressed like a farmer. He turned and said, "Damned if I know. I just came into town for a nice breakfast. The sign says it's open, but I don't see anybody inside."

Three state police cars flew past, their sirens blaring. A fire truck followed close behind. Aaron looked in the direction they were headed and saw wisps of smoke in the distance.

He rolled up his window. "Follow them."

Smythe drove off.

The wailing of sirens grew louder as they quickly approached the source of the smoke. Aaron saw many flashing red and blue lights.

A police barricade blocked the road ahead. Several news vans with telescopic masts were parked on the shoulder.

"Looks like we're walking," Aaron said.

Smythe pulled over. Everybody got out, and they headed down the dirt road.

Aaron smelled burnt meat. The odor filled the air, and he had grim suspicions about the source.

He came around a tree and saw a mob of people at the edge of a bean field. It was a mix of state police, firemen, paramedics, reporters, and many civilians. It seemed nobody could control the chaos. Smoke rose steadily from the center of the field.

Aaron led his team around the edge of the field. They approached the center from the other side, where there was no mob in their way.

Norbert crossed himself. "O Lord, protect with Your right hand those who trust in Your name."

Aaron now saw what had happened to the population of Lemonseed. Their charred bodies were packed together on a huge bed of coals that still glowed red. The pyre had burned unevenly. Some corpses had been reduced to white ash, while others had a little flesh left. A few skulls still had recognizable expressions. The stench was nauseating.