Chapter Twelve
The men had forced a wetsuit on Valentino, and were now leading him to an underground room. When the five of them arrived, Sarah was already waiting. One of the first things Val noticed was a solid iron cage in the middle of the room. The other thing was that now Sarah wore her hair in a long pageboy cut, and it had been dyed black. She wore dark eyeshadow, a dark burgundy blush and copper lipstick that shone over everything else. Sarah radiated power.
"You like that, Valentino?" Sarah asked harshly. "It's a Faraday cage of the best sort. Inside is your prison, for an indefinite length of time. The perfect Ganzfield cocoon. Would you like to see?"
Instead of answering her, Val replied, "Why are you doing this to me, Sarah?"
She answered with a sharp laugh. "I warned you. If you trifled with me, I told you that you would be punished. By the way, my name is Europa. Not Sarah."
Europa snapped her fingers, and one of the servants opened the door to the cage. Inside was a big, tank-like machine hooked up to all sorts of wires and the like. It was big enough to hold a full-grown man, and that scared Val. She opened the door for a moment, allowing Val to peer inside its inky depths, to see the inside of the water-filled chamber. His home for a while, as she had promised.
With a resolute motion, Europa shut the door and the preparation began. One of the men pulled a combination regulator and diving mask over Val's head. As if being taught, he began to breathe regularly and adjust to the mask, which had been covered in black to prevent viewing the outside world. When Europa was sure Valentino was breathing nicely, she had the men move on.
They pulled gloves over his hands and put on a straightjacket, forcing his arms down to assure he would not escape like the magician he was. One the jacket was secure; the men began attaching weights to a belt around his waist and to his ankles. Suddenly, this began to feel like an obscure magic trick.
"Pleasant dreams, my dear Valentino. I'm sure you'll find your stay quite refreshing." Europa said evilly.
Someone stuffed earplugs into Val's ears, and the five of them shoved him inside. The door was shut with a resounding clang, and Val suddenly began to feel the effects of the tank. The weights kept him floating in between the bottom and top of the tank, while the water was neither warm, cool, nor tepid. This punishment was far from the last that Gabriel and Mandy enacted on him. While a good psychic would be able to focus his powers, exercise them and relax away from the world in the Ganzfield cocoon, it would drain anyone else. And that's precisely what was happening to Valentino.
A time later, the door to the cocoon opened. Val did not realize it, however, having lost all sense of conscious thought. Five women pulled him out and took off all his equipment, so he there he stood, openly dripping water onto the floor, white and shriveled from being in the water so long. He was a nasty sight, not fit to be in front of five women of any type. But, it did not matter.
The first thing he noticed was that the women looked pretty much alike. Each had black or brown hair done into a bun, with a black suit on and a white lab coat over that; a stethoscope topping off the ensemble. It was what was behind them, which was different than what Val had ever seen. This...Thing looked ready to pounce at any moment, like a Dementor straight out of J.K. Rowling's mind.
It was tall and shining. The thing wore a respirator, and looked as if the mask had melted into a full-body suit. The creature's eyes were blank, as it appeared there was not iris nor pupil to the eye. Valentino was not sure of what purpose it served, save for possibly providing security.
"Am I done?" he asked, his voice horse with disuse.
"No, sir." One of the women replied. "Ms. O'Connell requested you be checked on, and your vital signs brought up to date, sir.
With that, the troupe of women sat him down, and began to check him out. They poked, prodded, listened to his heartbeat, took his pulse, peered in his eyes and ears and a myriad of other things. Finally, when they were done looking at him, they allowed Val to stand up. Before the women could hold him down to put the equipment back on and toss him back into the cocoon, Val stepped toward the thing.
"Sarah...I know it's you in there...How can you do this to me? I'm your father, for Goddess' sake!"
The creature did not reply. It couldn't. Instead, it merely pushed Val to the waiting hands of the women, as if he were some sort of gross mold or bacteria. The thing almost acted as if it didn't want to be in the same room as Val.
"IT says that you're delusional, sir. IT says that IT is neither Sarah, Chakira, nor Europa, sir. IT says that you cannot be Ms. O'Connell's father, sir. IT says that Ms. O'Connell is an orphan, sir."
"How do you know all that?" Val questioned the woman.
"IT is telepathic, sir. That is the only way IT can talk to us and to Ms. O'Connell, sir."
"And so are you?"
"Yes, sir."
With that said, Val submitted himself to the women. The equipment was back on him in a flash, and he was thrown into the cocoon once more. This time, Val would come out in better shape than he did last time. He had a lot to think about. The female servants, IT, and most importantly, what Europa's purpose was, for keeping him in this state...This odd situation of stasis.
It was quite a few days later, when Valentino was finally pulled out of the Ganzfield cocoon for good. Neither IT, nor Europa nor any of the girls were there for his coming out. Merely the five men who had tossed him into the tank in the first place. They took off all the equipment, check his vitals one more time, gave him a towel and a fresh change of clothes, and sent him on his way.
Once Val was back to the outside world, he went straight to the covenstead. He had been staying with Morgaine before the wedding, but he did not know if she still had room for him. Val's keys and cell phone had been returned to him upon his release, so it would be just as easy for him to stay at the covenstead, prepare things for a meeting, then use his cell phone to call the coven in when he was done.
The men had forced a wetsuit on Valentino, and were now leading him to an underground room. When the five of them arrived, Sarah was already waiting. One of the first things Val noticed was a solid iron cage in the middle of the room. The other thing was that now Sarah wore her hair in a long pageboy cut, and it had been dyed black. She wore dark eyeshadow, a dark burgundy blush and copper lipstick that shone over everything else. Sarah radiated power.
"You like that, Valentino?" Sarah asked harshly. "It's a Faraday cage of the best sort. Inside is your prison, for an indefinite length of time. The perfect Ganzfield cocoon. Would you like to see?"
Instead of answering her, Val replied, "Why are you doing this to me, Sarah?"
She answered with a sharp laugh. "I warned you. If you trifled with me, I told you that you would be punished. By the way, my name is Europa. Not Sarah."
Europa snapped her fingers, and one of the servants opened the door to the cage. Inside was a big, tank-like machine hooked up to all sorts of wires and the like. It was big enough to hold a full-grown man, and that scared Val. She opened the door for a moment, allowing Val to peer inside its inky depths, to see the inside of the water-filled chamber. His home for a while, as she had promised.
With a resolute motion, Europa shut the door and the preparation began. One of the men pulled a combination regulator and diving mask over Val's head. As if being taught, he began to breathe regularly and adjust to the mask, which had been covered in black to prevent viewing the outside world. When Europa was sure Valentino was breathing nicely, she had the men move on.
They pulled gloves over his hands and put on a straightjacket, forcing his arms down to assure he would not escape like the magician he was. One the jacket was secure; the men began attaching weights to a belt around his waist and to his ankles. Suddenly, this began to feel like an obscure magic trick.
"Pleasant dreams, my dear Valentino. I'm sure you'll find your stay quite refreshing." Europa said evilly.
Someone stuffed earplugs into Val's ears, and the five of them shoved him inside. The door was shut with a resounding clang, and Val suddenly began to feel the effects of the tank. The weights kept him floating in between the bottom and top of the tank, while the water was neither warm, cool, nor tepid. This punishment was far from the last that Gabriel and Mandy enacted on him. While a good psychic would be able to focus his powers, exercise them and relax away from the world in the Ganzfield cocoon, it would drain anyone else. And that's precisely what was happening to Valentino.
A time later, the door to the cocoon opened. Val did not realize it, however, having lost all sense of conscious thought. Five women pulled him out and took off all his equipment, so he there he stood, openly dripping water onto the floor, white and shriveled from being in the water so long. He was a nasty sight, not fit to be in front of five women of any type. But, it did not matter.
The first thing he noticed was that the women looked pretty much alike. Each had black or brown hair done into a bun, with a black suit on and a white lab coat over that; a stethoscope topping off the ensemble. It was what was behind them, which was different than what Val had ever seen. This...Thing looked ready to pounce at any moment, like a Dementor straight out of J.K. Rowling's mind.
It was tall and shining. The thing wore a respirator, and looked as if the mask had melted into a full-body suit. The creature's eyes were blank, as it appeared there was not iris nor pupil to the eye. Valentino was not sure of what purpose it served, save for possibly providing security.
"Am I done?" he asked, his voice horse with disuse.
"No, sir." One of the women replied. "Ms. O'Connell requested you be checked on, and your vital signs brought up to date, sir.
With that, the troupe of women sat him down, and began to check him out. They poked, prodded, listened to his heartbeat, took his pulse, peered in his eyes and ears and a myriad of other things. Finally, when they were done looking at him, they allowed Val to stand up. Before the women could hold him down to put the equipment back on and toss him back into the cocoon, Val stepped toward the thing.
"Sarah...I know it's you in there...How can you do this to me? I'm your father, for Goddess' sake!"
The creature did not reply. It couldn't. Instead, it merely pushed Val to the waiting hands of the women, as if he were some sort of gross mold or bacteria. The thing almost acted as if it didn't want to be in the same room as Val.
"IT says that you're delusional, sir. IT says that IT is neither Sarah, Chakira, nor Europa, sir. IT says that you cannot be Ms. O'Connell's father, sir. IT says that Ms. O'Connell is an orphan, sir."
"How do you know all that?" Val questioned the woman.
"IT is telepathic, sir. That is the only way IT can talk to us and to Ms. O'Connell, sir."
"And so are you?"
"Yes, sir."
With that said, Val submitted himself to the women. The equipment was back on him in a flash, and he was thrown into the cocoon once more. This time, Val would come out in better shape than he did last time. He had a lot to think about. The female servants, IT, and most importantly, what Europa's purpose was, for keeping him in this state...This odd situation of stasis.
It was quite a few days later, when Valentino was finally pulled out of the Ganzfield cocoon for good. Neither IT, nor Europa nor any of the girls were there for his coming out. Merely the five men who had tossed him into the tank in the first place. They took off all the equipment, check his vitals one more time, gave him a towel and a fresh change of clothes, and sent him on his way.
Once Val was back to the outside world, he went straight to the covenstead. He had been staying with Morgaine before the wedding, but he did not know if she still had room for him. Val's keys and cell phone had been returned to him upon his release, so it would be just as easy for him to stay at the covenstead, prepare things for a meeting, then use his cell phone to call the coven in when he was done.