Zach Hughes - The Stork Factor

talk and talk fast. I want you to tell me where you learned medicine. I want you to tell me where you have hidden your tools, your drugs. I don't want to hear any more rot about Soul Lifter, do you understand?» «Yes, sir, I mean, well—» Luke was truly baffled. «I'll tell you anything.

I'm a good citizen, sir. I mean, I've never been busted. And I try to do all I can—» «Last night,» the Brother said, breaking in, «you healed a Fare called James Trimble. He had been wounded in a street fight. You used medical knowledge and equipment to heal his wounds. I want to know what you used and where you learned the skill.» Luke sighed with vast relief. «Oh, that,» he said. «Praise, God, I'm glad you brought that up. Brother, I healed! I mean I really healed.» «Yes,» the Brother said. «I got this sign from God, you know.» I mean I prayed and this sign came and—» «All right,» the Brother said. «I will not question your sincerity. How did you heal the Fare?» «He was cut, Brother, you know?» Luke said, excited now, trying to talk faster than his lips and tongue would move. «He was cut bad. I looked at him and I knew he was dying. And I knew that I couldn't help him. I've got this gift, you know, sir? I mean, sometimes I really can heal. I mean, I've healed things before. But I knew I couldn't heal this Fare, because he was dying and his entrails were hanging out and then God sent this sign and I

felt this tremendous surge of—something. I felt it. I got this sign from God. I mean, the whole heavens lit up—and they told me later it was the station blowing up, but it was a sign, nevertheless, and it gave me this power and I said, HEAL! and the cut closed and there was nothing left but some blood and—» «Put him on the rack,» the Brother said. Two Brotherfuzz leaped toward Luke. He gasped in surprise as he was seized, lifted. He was hustled into an adjoining room. He recognized the shakeshock rack and his heart leaped and his throat went dry. «Brother,» he cried out, his voice choked. «Brother, please.» But they were throwing him onto the rack and he was too shocked and too frightened to fight. He felt the straps go around his arms and his legs and then the big strap across his forehead. «I'm giving you one last chance,» the Brother said. He stood beside Luke, the control panel for the shakeshock rack in one hand. «Tell me where you learned the medicine. Tell me where you've hidden your equipment.» «I'm telling you, sir,» Luke cried. «It was faith and the power from God!» A teethshaking jolt hit him. His every muscle spasmed, tightened, screamed. A muffled grunt was shocked from his throat and his heart stopped momentarily, leaving a great, tearing pain in his chest and he couldn't even scream and it went on for an eternity and then it stopped and his spasmed body plumped back down onto the rack and he screamed, once. «Where and how?» the Brother said. «Oh, God,» Luke sobbed. «Oh, my God.» «Talk,» the Brother said. «Brother,» one of the high-ranking Brotherfuzz said with humble deference, «I would point out to you that you have the machine turned to two-thirds power.» «I know,» the Brother said. «I have little patience with such as this.» He looked down at Luke. Tears were streaming down Luke's cheeks. «Now, Parker, now. Where is the medical gear?» «Oh, God, Brother, as God and the Holy Book are my witnesses—» Jolt. Rippppppp. Terror. Heart stopped and body thrown into convulsions of unbelievable pain which went on again for the eternity and left him in a half-fainting condition and sobs coming with metronomic regularity and tears and fear and hopelessness. «Oh, God, help me,» his voice said and it was from somewhere outside of him. «The gear was not in your room,» the Brother said. «We know you practiced medicine. We know, do you understand? We have witnesses. We have a half dozen Tired and Fares who saw you practice medicine. They saw the cut in the Fare's stomach and they saw you close it. Now, tell me. What did you use to suture the cut? What medicines did you administer?» «God gave me a sign,» Luke sobbed. «And I felt the power—»

— Wereeeeeeeeeeeee— Blue flames in his eyes and body supported by

the back of his head and his heels as the incredible pain hit and lifted and tightened and bucked and shook and his voice keening— eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee— «Once more,» the Brother said. Luke was limp. The room swam before his tearful eyes. He heard a great roar in his brain. His eyes ached, were hot. «Where is the medical equipment which you used?» «Brother,» Luke whispered, «Man of God, believe me I healed—with—faith!» And, just as the shakeshock force hit him, Luke heard a voice from afar. «—can't stand much more. Brother. « And blackness, merciful blackness. He awoke in blackness. Things moving around him. He opened his eyes. Blue stars swam, exploded in blackness. He moaned. His throat was sore. He tried to move his arms. He cried out in pain. Every muscle in his body was a small sea of pain. He tried to scream and nothing came but a groan. Blackness. And pain. And a voice. At first he could hear and not understand, then. «Easy, easy, boy.» Darkness. «Easy. Just lie easy. Don't try to move.» A pinpoint of pain in his arm. And, spreading from that pinpoint, a radiating wave of blissful numbness. He could breathe again. But he couldn't see. He was blind. «Help me,» he managed to say. The numbness spread, made him feel sleepy, killed the pain in every muscle fiber. «I can't see,» he said. «Just lie easy.» Eternity Blackness. Then a glow of light, dim, far. «Can you hear me?» «Yes,» Luke said. «There's nothing but muscle damage, fortunately. You'll be all right.» «I can't see,» Luke said. «That will pass.» Glow. Brightening. Movement. He tried to lift his head. He couldn't move. Numbness was everywhere. But the light was growing brighter and

then, far off, he saw the face. An old face. White hair. A man's face close to his. Fingers at one eye, lifting the lid. «Can you see me?» «Yes,» Luke said. «Good. Now I'm going to let you sleep.» When he awoke the soreness was there. Not much pain as long as he didn't try to move, but flaming soreness when he lifted his hand and let it

fall back weakly. The face He could see it more clearly. «Just take it easy, boy. You won't be able to move for a long time. You see, they hit you so hard it tore down all the muscle fiber. It's as if you had exercised every muscle in your body for ten hours at maximum potential.» Bite of needle at his arm. «Just something to help you.» Numbness. Later. «Do you feel like talking?» The man's face was close. He had blue eyes, a beard, wrinkles, gray hair. «Yes,» Luke said. «It was faith. God gave me a sign.» «Easy. They're not here.» He could see clearly. The man was dressed in white. The room was white. A table nearby was laden with strange, gleaming instruments bottles, containers. «I had the power,» Luke said. «I know, I know. Now listen to me. They'll be back for you soon.» «Oh God—» «Just listen. I'm a friend. What did you use to heal that Fare?» «Oh, God,» Luke said. «It was the power.» «I'm your friend. Tell me. Did you have tools?» «No,» Luke said. «God gave me a sign.» «Medicines?» «No.» «This is important,» the man in white said. «Very important. I'm not the one who put you on the rack, boy. I'm your friend. Tell me, exactly, how you did it. Tell me how you felt. Tell me everything you can remember.» Luke told him. He told him about the healing, how, at times, he had the feeling he could see inside people. He told him about knowing that there was something wrong inside the woman's side when he put his hand on it, how he straightened things in there, how the pain left her, how he felt. He told how the Fare's stomach was cut, how he stuffed the things, the coils, the pulpy, hot wet things back in with his hands, how he saw the light in the heavens. How he felt the power. «Where did you feel it?» the man in white asked. «Here,» Luke said, holding his stomach. «It shot into me there and—» «Burn?» «Kinda,» Luke said. «Funny. But I knew it was the power And I could feel the way the things were supposed to be inside the Fare and I put them together with my mind—» «With your mind?» «—the power,» Luke said. «Do you think you could do it again'?» «I don't know,» Luke said. «All right,» the man in white said. «They're going to be coming back for you soon.» «Oh, God, no.» Luke said. «I couldn't stand it.» «No, you couldn't,» the old man said, «not with that maniac jolting it to you at three-quarters power.» He lifted Luke's hand, held it for a long moment, his fingers looped loosely around Luke's wrist. «Hummm.» «Why are they doing this to me?» Luke asked. He felt a strange warmth for the white-haired man in the white coat. «Because you're rocking the boat, boy.» «Huh?» He started to add that he didn't understand, but the white-haired man put his finger to his lips. «You just lie here,» the white-haired man said. «Don't open your eyes and don't make a sound no matter what you hear, do you understand?»