Chapter 10
When I finally woke up, I was no longer tied up. The room was no longer spinning, but my head still ached and I had a distinct feeling of disorientation. Hidalgo and Hollow Point were the first two faces I saw as I began to emerge from my psychologically-induced slumber. I could only hope that I hadn’t betrayed my brothers or my country with my words during the interrogation.
“What happened to you? You were out for a really long time. If it wasn’t for your breathing, we really thought they had returned you to us as a corpse.” Hollow Point was genuinely relieved that I was alive but still wanted to know about my experience with the Cobra inquisitor.
I closed my eyes for a brief second and tried to shake out some of the cobwebs. It had not been easy blocking out the constant probing of their brain scanning device. The atmosphere of the room had really turned my psyche onto its side. I could still feel the remnants of the waves of vertigo and hear the soothing, yet prying voice of the doctor. I began to recap how I had been bound to a chair with zip ties in a dimly lit small concrete cell. I could hear the echo of dripping water but wasn’t completely sure if it was actually dripping on me. I explained how I had never really gotten a clear view of my captor, the so-called doctor, yet I could hear him turning knobs on the machine in front of him.
The whole ordeal had been beyond uncomfortable, but I had not been beaten like so many of the previous captives. My torture had been mostly psychological in nature with the administration of a serious sedative. Their eyebrows furrowed as I recounted my ordeal. It was as if I had been questioned by an entirely different person than the others who had each experienced traditional torture in the form of intense electrical shocks and pain.
“Why do you think they changed their questioning tactics?” Hidalgo inquired.
At that moment I remembered that I needed to thank my Hopi spiritualist for the experiences he had shared with me during our free time at the barracks. I didn’t really have any other answers to their questions, as I didn’t know the nature of the questioning used on the others until now. Maybe they knew I was somehow linked with the G.I.Joe team and if that was the case, we were all in far worse trouble.
It had been days since any of us had seen Pathfinder and we were starting to wonder if we would ever be saved. I started to rethink my whole outlook on infiltrating the base and had wished I didn’t volunteer myself for this assignment. I felt completely in over my head and the residual effects of my torture manifested themselves as feelings of extreme hopelessness. I stopped talking to the others and wanted to simply be left alone. I found a dark corner of the cell and lost myself in a deep depression, although I had never been depressed before. Not like this. This had to be something the doctor did to me in an effort to break me down further. I knew that I needed to remain strong mentally, but was having a really hard go at it.
Hidalgo could sense my desperation and hopelessness and responded to it the only way he could. He invited me to join him on the far wall in spiritual meditation. At first, I wanted to yell at him to get out of my face, but I knew he was probably right. What I needed was to clear my head and get back to reality...back into the game. We sat down as comfortably as we could. Hidalgo chose a cross-legged position. I preferred to sit with my legs in more of a butterfly position. He started chanting softly and I could feel the waves of relaxation forming within short order. I closed my eyes and continued to listen to the sound of his voice and then found myself drifting off into the spiritual realm. I could hear the voice of the Cobra doctor once more in my head, but this time I could actually see through the dense clouds of mental energy. I began to see the source. A rather eccentric looking middle-aged man with crazy red eyes and a dark mustache and beard who was sitting comfortably on a chair and holding a rather large, flat circular object. It resembled a shield and the more I stared at it, the more I began to understand. The shield was the cause of the waves of mental disturbance. I could see the colorful waves of energy circling in distinct patterns on its surface. It was completely hypnotic.
As I described the situation to Hidalgo, I could hear his soothing voice giving me specific instructions.
“Look beyond and through the shield. You must not let it keep control of your subconscious mind. Concentrate on spinning the colorful waves in the opposite direction.”
I began to concentrate intently on the shield. I was starting to feel less hypnotized now.
“Do not listen to his voice. He is powerless over you. You are a Marine! And Marines don’t quit!”
Hidalgo’s voice was more forceful this time. I resisted with everything I had left. I could hear the voice of the Cobra inquisitor starting to trail off into the background, but not before he laughed one more maniacal time. It was then that the internal mind waves ceased to exist and I once again felt...free.
“Cursed! That miserable Marine has found a way to evict me from his head. It cannot be! How?”
The Cobra hypnotist banged his fist on the table in front of him. Rarely had he encountered someone who could detect his intrusion after a session. Let alone mentally force him out of his head. This Marine was truly hiding something from him. He extended his hands in front of him and touched the tips of his fingers together in a crude triangle as he stared intently at the doorway. Then he pressed an intercom button on his desk and awaited a response.
“Yes, Crystal Ball. What can I do for you, sir?” The voice coming through the speaker was loud but had a slight undertone of trepidation. “I need you to reach out to another of our specialists. Although I’m sure he’s busy moving around and investing the Commander’s bank accounts, I still have the need for his. . . other skill sets.”
“I’m not completely sure who you need sir,” the voice replied. “Do you wish me to contact Extensive Enterprises?”
“Not the twins. I have need of the Commander’s accountant. He is a bit… eccentric if I do say so myself.”
There was a pause on the other end of the intercom. An audible gulp could be heard before the next response.
“You want me to contact Raptor sir? But he is truly an unruly character.”
“You dare question me? Get in here immediately!”
The door buzzed open shortly thereafter and a tall slender Tele-viper wearing a communication headset walked in trying to convey confidence. The Tele-viper saluted the man who kind of resembled a cross between Vincent Price and Albert Einstein. Crystal Ball glared at him with a rather evil smile. He then produced his electronic LCD-lit shield from beneath the desk. Upon pressing the "on" switch, it began to produce a wide array of colorful circular waves.
“Come closer soldier,” his voice resumed its soothing qualities once again. “I need you to put aside your reservations and never to question my orders again. Please sit down.” The communication’s operator stepped forward and sat in a chair near the hypnotist, his gaze set intently on the hypnotic swirling shield. “Now, you’re going to reach out to Cobra Commander’s private accountant for me and bring him into the fold.”
“I am going to reach out to Cobra Commander’s private accountant and bring him into the fold.” The response was word-for-word and clearly, the hypnotist could manipulate his own soldiers as easily as the enemy.
“You will call him now and I expect him here within the next few days. Indeeeeed.”
As the words trailed out of his mouth the Tele-viper arose from his seat and returned back to his desk on the other side of the door. He listened as the monitor rang and the voice of the Cobra Falconer responded.
“Yes... How can I be of service?” the bird enthusiast’s voice was anything but melodic.
“Hello a Mr. Raptor, sir, Cobra is in need of your special skills here in Kenya. Crystal Ball has specifically requested your assistance in an urgent matter.”
The figure on the other side of the screen perked up suddenly. “Does he now? PeKaw!”
With that slight bird call, the room behind him erupted in a dissonant array of bird sounds, and one particularly large hawk landed on the desk next to him. He picked up a whistle hanging loosely around his neck and blew into it. A piercing and shrill sound emerged that silenced the room almost as quickly as he had excited it. He then leaned into the screen and cocked his head to one side as if he was trying to see through to the other side.
“Do tell!” And he screeched this time.
“You will be briefed further upon your arrival.” The Tele-viper swallowed hard. “Try not to be late. I have sent you the coordinates. Crystal Ball anticipates your arrival within the next few days.” The accountant squinted his eyes before responding.
“I will be there as the crow flies. PeKaw! Cakaw!” The room once again erupted into a cacophony of bird calls. Then the screen went black.
The Tele-viper breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly felt back in control of his mind. He then looked to Crystal Ball who was now standing in his doorway.
“I’m sorry sir, he is just so...strange. He makes me uneasy.” The hypnotist did little more than laugh. He turned back around to re-enter his private room. He sat down behind his desk, placed his elbows down and touched the tips of his fingers together in front of him once again in the shape of a triangle.
“He isss, indeeeeeeed!”
* * * * *
At the other end of the console, the eccentric bird man stroked the feathers of his prize raptor. He then reached into his lower desk drawer to produce a feathered helmet that closely resembled his favorite falcon. Once he placed it on his head the whole atmosphere of the room physically changed, as did his overall demeanor. He then opened a closet on the side of the room that revealed his complementary ensemble. The total transformation took a little more than six minutes. The accountant then grabbed his suitcase and walked towards the large sliding glass doors of his 32nd-floor office suite. He slid it open and jumped out with a legion of large birds of prey in tow. He extended his wings within moments. As he glided through the air, two small rocket packs ignited on each of his arms. This trip would require extra flight power.
No comments:
Post a Comment