Involuntary Control (Gray Spear Society) (39 page)

"My type?" Doolittle said. "You don't know me as well as you think. I'm a patriotic soldier and very proud of that fact. Everything I do is about protecting the United States of America."

"From what?"

"From feeble leadership. From fraud and greed. From a criminal underclass that rots our society from within."

"How does mind control do that?" Aaron said.

He had an idea for his next move. He just needed a brief distraction to make it work. Five seconds was more than enough.

"With my technology," Doolittle said, "I can turn a thief into a productive factory worker, or a corrupt politician into a crusader for justice. I can make weak people act strong. We'll be able to close the prisons and shelters. I'll create the golden age of mankind."

"What about free will?"

"Highly overrated."

Aaron shook his head. "You're just rationalizing. It's always about power in the end. I still can't believe what you did to the people of Lemonseed. The smell of all those burned bodies is something I'll never forget."

"They sacrificed their lives for the greater good," Doolittle said.

"Whether they wanted to or not."

"Is this why you came here? To lecture me about ethics? You went to a lot of trouble to waste your breath."

"Actually," Aaron said. "I came because there is one thing I need to know, one last question that still must be answered. You're the best person to ask."

He noticed Doolittle had a combat knife in a sheath on his belt.
That's useful,
Aaron thought.

Doolittle smirked. "Now I'm curious. What's your question?"

"Where did the technology come from?" Aaron said.

"Ha! That's it?"

"Yes."

"You'll never believe me," Doolittle said. "Nobody does."

"I have a very open mind."

"It doesn't matter if I tell you. One morning I woke up and just knew it all. The specifications, the software, the surgical techniques. Every detail was permanently locked in my memory. I honestly can't explain how it happened."

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "That's interesting. Did you dream the night before?"

"Sure."

"About a glowing ball of light?" Aaron said. "Was it brightly colored? Did you see flashes of lightning in the center?"

Doolittle widened his eyes. That reaction answered the question, and Aaron didn't need to know anything else.

"It's funny," Aaron said. "You're trying to control everybody, but it's actually you who are controlled most of all. That wasn't a dream. The information was imprinted on your brain by an alien entity."

"Nobody controls me!"

"Just because you don't know the name of your master, doesn't mean you don't have one."

"If I serve anybody," Doolittle said, "it is the citizens of the United States of America, and I do so with honor."

"Really? Let's conduct a democratic survey of those citizens. I wonder how many of them want to have a controller stuck in their skulls."

"You're missing the point."

Aaron shook his head. "No, I get it, and you're not the first person to spew this garbage. Are you curious about who gave you this magical knowledge?"

"Of course," Doolittle said, "but why would you know the answer? Who are you?"

Aaron spat at his gun belt. Bubbling saliva began to dissolve the leather immediately. Doolittle looked down with a confused expression.

While he was distracted, Aaron spat at the straps holding his arms and chest. It took precious seconds for the heavy nylon bands to break. Then he leaned forward and spat at the straps binding his legs.

Doolittle looked over at him. "What the hell?"

He reached for his sidearm but grabbed only air. His belt had fallen to his ankles. He leaned down to retrieve his gun.

Aaron broke free and stood up.

Doolittle was very quick for an old man and fired his gun before Aaron could get to him. Aaron caught the bullet in his shoulder, but it wasn't a critical injury. He spat at the gun while Doolittle was lining up another shot. The weapon began to break apart immediately.

Aaron tackled Doolittle. They exchanged a few savage blows before Aaron got control over his opponent.

Panting a little, Aaron said, "You're my hostage now. We'll walk out of here together."

Doolittle squirmed. "Guards! Help!"

Guards poured into the room. Aaron grabbed Doolittle's combat knife and held it against his neck.

"Nobody move!" Aaron said. "Or the old man dies!"

He heard a hissing noise and looked up. White gas was spraying from tiny nozzles in the ceiling. The guards quickly cleared out, but Aaron was stuck holding onto Doolittle.

"I always have a backup plan," Doolittle said.

"Smart man," Aaron said.

They went to sleep.

* * *

Marina was driving the garbage truck back to the military base. She didn't know who would meet her at the extraction point. Aaron, Smythe, and Norbert had kept their phones off the whole time, so there was no way to track their position. It was possible they had wandered off for some reason and would miss the rendezvous.

Or were dead.

Marina rarely engaged in prayer. She believed if she did her job well, God would take care of her. If not, then begging for special favors was pointless. The Lord rewarded performance, not need. However, she was nervous enough now to consider sending a quick plea to the Almighty. At least she could say she had tried everything.

"Lord," she whispered, "please, protect my friends. They are Your loyal servants."

She drove the truck around a corner, and the base came into view. She immediately noticed one of the larger buildings had been destroyed. It looked like bomb damage or maybe a catastrophic fire.
Aaron,
she thought,
my love, you've been busy.

She arrived at the gate. The security procedure was the same as last time except even more stringent. The guards were clearly unsettled.

Finally, they allowed her to drive through the gate. A big guard with black skin and a fierce scowl rode with her as an escort.

Marina didn't waste any time. She drove straight to the spot where she had left her friends before. According to the plan, this was where she would pick them up.

Norbert and Smythe stood by the dumpster, and they weren't even trying to hide. Seeing Aaron missing made Marina's chest hurt. It couldn't be good news.

Marina parked the garbage truck. Smythe touched his throat and then pointed to the escort riding with her. She immediately drove her fingernails into the guard's carotid artery. He was asleep in seconds.

She jumped out of the cab. "Where the hell is Aaron?"

"Captured," Smythe said. "Probably still alive, but we can't be sure."

She sighed and crossed her arms. Anxiety made her sway back and forth on the balls of her feet. She didn't know what to do. This was the nightmare she had always feared.

"I have a plan," Smythe said. "I'll stay here and try to locate him. When I do, I'll turn on my phone. That's the signal, telling you exactly where we are. At that point your job will be to cover our escape, but you'll have to be quick. The enemy will track our signal, too."

"That's why you turned off your phones?" Marina said.

"Yes. It seems the whole base is wired to detect unauthorized transmissions. We almost got caught before."

"I don't like this plan much. In fact, I don't like it at all."

"You have a better one?" he said.

She thought for a moment. "No."

"Then the only question is, how will you cover our escape?"

"I already asked the twins to find an attack helicopter for me. I'll fly in and fire every weapon I have. It will be a huge distraction. You should be able to sneak out then."

"This base has air defenses," he said. "A lot of guided missiles will be shot at you."

"The helicopter will be stealthy, and I'll fly fast and very low. That's all I can do."

He furrowed his brow.

"You don't seem happy," she said. "This was your plan."

"And I don't like it either. At least we'll go out fighting. I'll wait until nightfall before I send the signal. We'll have a better chance of survival if it's dark."

She checked the garbage truck. The unconscious guard hadn't moved an inch.

"What about Norbert?" she said.

"Get him out of here," Smythe said. "He'll just trip me up. You need a new escort anyway."

"You'll be OK alone?"

"Sure." He shrugged. "I'm a military man and these are military men. I know how they think. I can blend in perfectly. Don't worry about Aaron. I'll find him."

Marina gave Smythe a hug. "Thanks. You're a true friend."

With Norbert's help, they pulled the sleeping guard out of the cab and deposited him in the dumpster. Norbert took his place as Marina's escort. From a distance nobody would notice the difference. Norbert was dressed exactly the same as all the real guards.

Smythe hurried off.

Marina turned the garbage truck around. She had no interest in actually collecting garbage. She just wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

She reached the front gate and squealed to a stop.

A guard came forward. "What happened?" he said. "You just got here. You're leaving already?"

"Fucking elliptical coupling broke," she said. "This piece of shit truck is giving me all kinds of trouble. Now I got to go
back
to the shop again! I'm wasting the whole damned day on this one job." She rolled her eyes.

The guard looked at Norbert curiously.

"He wants to talk to my supervisor," Marina explained. "I guess the service I'm providing isn't good enough. As if it's my fault. I don't own the truck."

The guard nodded and backed away. She drove forward.

When the garbage truck was a few hundred yards from the base, she said, "You can turn your phone back on."

"Oh," Norbert said, "right."

He reached up his sleeve and pulled his phone out. He pressed the power button.

Marina counted out loud, "One... two..."

His phone rang, and he put it against his ear. "Hello? Calm down, girls. I'm fine! Really. Not a scratch on me, but we have a big problem..."

"Let me talk to them," Marina demanded.

He handed over the phone.

"Bethany?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am," Bethany replied, or maybe it was Leanna. It didn't matter.

"Aaron was captured, and Smythe is still on the base. I'm going to need that attack helicopter to get them out. What's the status?"

"We found one in Missouri that meets your specifications. It's on a Marine Corps base about 260 miles from your position."

"What kind of helicopter is it?" Marina said.

"The AH-3X. It's a top secret model. We chose it because of the advanced stealth and radar jamming capabilities."

Marina smiled slightly. "Is it fueled, armed, and ready to fly?"

"We sent the orders a few minutes ago, and they were accepted."

"I could kiss both of you."

"Ma'am?" Bethany sounded confused.

"Never mind. I don't have time to go to Missouri, steal the helicopter, and bring it back here. Could you forge another order for me? Have a Marine Corps pilot fly the helicopter to the helipads near Springfield. I want it delivered to me."

"I think we can do that, ma'am."

"Great," Marina said. "One last thing. Bethany and Leanna, can you both hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," they replied. It sounded like the phone had an echo.

"This is a defining moment for you. Your boss, our leader, and the man I love more than life itself are in trouble. If you make a substantial contribution towards his rescue, your standing in the Society will be on much firmer ground. You'll earn precious respect. On the other hand, if you disappoint me with a weak effort, there will be repercussions. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Their voices were more timid than usual.

"Bye." She closed the phone and returned it to Norbert. "I'm starting to like your girlfriends."

"They're very special," he said.

"But I still can't imagine you having sex with them."

"It was an awkward experience. They want everything planned ahead of time. They hate spontaneity. Last night we actually wrote a script before getting into bed. I felt like I was performing in my own porn movie. Of course I had to repeat the entire script for both girls. They like to do everything exactly the same. Did you know they talk to God, and He talks back to them?"

"I'm past the point where anything about them surprises me," Marina said. "Let's get back to the issue at hand. When Smythe sends the signal, I'll attack with the helicopter. What are you going to do?"