Jack Kilborn - Disturb

Bill blinked. He blinked again.

“This-this was a put on?”

“You’re cute.” Theena touched him on the end of the nose. “But I’m not that easy. And my father did just die yesterday. Call it an integrity check. You passed. Come on, I’ll show you the other rooms.”

Theena took his hand and led him out of the pseudo apartment. Bill felt as if he’d just been subjected to a battery of psych tests. He had to remind himself she was mourning, and people did crazy things while mourning.

But had it really been a gag? Bill was positive, if he’d wanted, he could have had her right there. Was he that easily fooled? Or was she that good?

Or was he that needy?

“We call this the Sweat Room. Treadmill, Nautilus Machines, Stairmaster, free weights. One of our testing criteria is to judge N-Som’s effects on motor skills and muscle fatigue. Lack of sleep makes a person physically tired. Before Manny was put on the drug, we did a series of control scores. Prior to N-Som, he could stay on a Stairmaster for three hours before collapsing from exhaustion.”

Bill studied Theena. She was acting like a professional again. Part of him was disappointed.

“And while he was on N-Som?”

“We had to quit at nine hours because the machine blew a gear.”

She took him to a room across the hallway. Bill recognized several machines, including an EEG and an oscilloscope. Both were in operation, the electroencephalogram drawing a jagged polygraph line on an endless ream of paper.

“Is someone being tested right now?”

“Those are Manny’s. He has remote sensors surgically implanted in his scalp, and they send the signal here. It’s the only way to be sure he never sleeps, since it is almost impossible to watch him twenty-four hours a day.”

Bill was familiar enough to interpret the data. The frequency of the peaks and troughs indicated beta waves. Manny was awake and aware. Curiosity made Bill flip through the pile of folded pages, all with the same, continuous pattern.

He looked for a variation which would indicate unconsciousness. Delta, theta, or spindle waves were obvious signs of sleep; the frequency would slow and the voltage would increase, making bigger and wider peaks. But he couldn’t even find alpha waves.

“Doesn’t he ever close his eyes?”

“Amazing, isn’t it? Normally closed eyes slow down electrical activity, because the brain isn’t being visually stimulated. Manny’s brain remains in beta, even when he keeps his eyes closed for hours.”

“Shouldn’t this show when he was put under for his operation last night?”

“Manny didn’t go under. He insisted on a local anesthetic.”

“To repair a collapsed lung?”

“He didn’t want to jeopardize the experiment.”

Bill thought about invasive surgery while being conscious. He shuddered. The guy was either very committed, or out of his mind.

The EEG needle began to move faster, the small peaks and troughs so close together it was hard to see the cycles between them.

“What’s happening now?”

Theena looked closely at the readouts and frowned.

“Beta 2 waves. I’ve seen this before, usually when he’s very irritated, or having an argument. But the police have a guard on him, and no one is allowed into his hospital room.”

“Maybe some reaction to medication.”

“No. He’s not on any medication.”

“Not even antibiotics?”

“He doesn’t need them. His immune system is incredible.” Theena pursed her lips. “No, he’s definitely arguing with somebody. I wonder who?”

Jack Kilborn

Disturb

“How did you get in here?”

Manny’s voice was high pitched, frantic. The flimsy hospital gown he wore made him feel even more vulnerable.

David smiled at him.

“Your armed guard is taking a nap outside. Remember naps, Manny? Don’t you miss them?”

Manny tried to rise out of the hospital bed, but David put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t bother getting up. I won’t stay long. Pity about Dr. Nikos, isn’t it? You know what I saw in his eyes when I slit his throat? Not fear. Not pain. Just disappointment. It was delicious. How’s your chest?”

David lifted up Manny’s gown and peeked.

“Looks nasty. What is that tube?”

Manny tried to melt into his mattress.

“A drain.”

“Does it hurt?”

David prodded at the protruding plastic, pinching it between his fingers. Manny forced courage.

“What do you want, David? Did you come back to finish the job?”

“I wasn’t after you, Manny. You know that. But you tried to get in the way. Don’t you see the only way we can be free is if the experiment ends?”

“I told the cops.”

David grinned, patting his brother on the cheek.

“No, you didn’t. You lied to them. I know you did. Now-who should we kill next?”

“Please…”

“How about the computer geek, Dr. Townsend? All those ridiculous graphs and charts, as if he could reduce us to just statistics. Or Dr. O’Neil? Aren’t you sick of his fumbling attempts at taking serum samples? Maybe Dr. Fletcher. He tries to poke around in our heads with all the subtlety of a linebacker. Or Theena…?”

Manny’s eyes got wide.

“Maybe I should pick up your Theena.” David rubbed his face, as if mulling it over. “We could have some fun together. I bet she’s a real tiger.”

Manny tried to raise his arm, but it was taped to the rail so the saline drip IV wouldn’t pull out. This greatly amused David.

“Yes, I think Theena it is. Unless you’d prefer someone else. Who should I kill instead of Theena? I’ll let you pick.”

Manny stared at his brother with tortured eyes. This was worse than being attacked. David was going to kill someone, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

But at least he could save Theena…

“Townsend.”

David’s smile was ghastly.

“The computer geek. Excellent. I’ll come back later with the details. Maybe even some pictures. See you, bro.”

David left. Manny looked at the phone. He had to talk to Jim Townsend, warn him what was coming.

He called DruTech and got the number from Barry, the head security guard. Barry attempted to wish him well, but Manny hung up on him, anxious to make the call.

Townsend wasn’t home. His machine picked up. Manny left a message.

“Dr. Townsend. This is Manny. Your life is in danger. The same people that killed Dr. Nikos are going after you.”

Manny squeezed his eyes shut at the lie. How could he still be protecting David, after all he’d done? He swallowed hard, and continued.

“You have to go away for a while. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going. These people-they can’t be stopped. They’re maniacs. Please believe me. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

He gently set the receiver in its cradle and laid back down. Outside, clouds had covered the sun, turning everything gray.

Manny closed his eyes and wished, for the thousandth time, that he could just go to sleep.

Jack Kilborn

Disturb

Dr. Jim Townsend hated days off. The call from Rothchilde’s secretary came while he was in the car and already halfway to work. He’d briefly argued with her, insisting on coming in anyway, but she told him security had been informed not to let anyone in.

Irritating.

He was essential to the project. Without his organizational skills the experiment would be all over the place, untamed. Townsend had been the one to lay out the plans, run the schedule, catalog the results. His conclusions dictated what would be tested next. Though he didn’t invent N-Som, it would never be ready for FDA approval if he wasn’t on the team. The Nobel Prize people had better be aware of that when the time came.