Chapter 10
"Tell me what the encryption code is, Jack. I don't want to waste anymore time on this," Irina said angrily, as Sloane entered the room.
Sloane paused, taking in the scene. Irina, gun raised and angry. Jack, jaw rapidly swelling, shoulders slumped, shaking his head from side to side, trying to clear the stars from his eyes. "I hope I'm not interrupting another tender reunion?" he said sardonically. "I gather you haven't made much progress, Irina?"
Irina shook her head in disgust. "I'm not sure what he's hoping to achieve. He'll tell us eventually."
Sloane turned his attention to Jack. "You fool. How long did you think it would take for us to find that you had encrypted part of the sequence?" He leaned over and grabbed Jack's face with his hand, forcing Jack to look up at him. "It's a mistake to underestimate me, Jack," he hissed. "When we're done with you today, perhaps you'll be more inclined to cooperate next time." He waved in the doctor who had accompanied him. "Your patient, doctor. I want that encryption key. I need to use him again in the future, so don't put him out of action."
"No permanent damage. I can use sodium pentothal or methyl phenylidate. Pentothal will be quick and painless. Methyl phenylidate will be neither. What's your preference?"
Sloane turned to Jack, who was regarding him mockingly. "A little rusty at this, aren't you, Arvin?" Jack taunted.
"Methyl phenylidate," Sloane snapped. Nice job, Jack, thought Irina irritably. I hope you know what you're doing.
The doctor nodded and began to lay out his equipment, hanging IV bags on either side of the chair. He rolled up both of Jack's sleeves and carefully swabbed his arms. "Wouldn't want you to get an infection," he smirked. He inserted the needle in the left arm and started the drip. "This one," he began conversationally, "is a stimulant. It heightens the responsiveness of your nerves and will keep you from passing out from the pain. It gives us the opportunity to achieve much higher pain thresholds." Jack watched as he turned the wheel on the IV and the fluid began entering his arm. Professionally, Jack admired his technique. He was sweating and nothing had happened yet.
The doctor moved over to the right side, and inserted the needle for the second bag into the right arm. "This one is the methyl phenylidate. It travels through your bloodstream and attacks nerve endings throughout your body. I like it because I can rapidly adjust the pain level up or down." Jack watched him turn the knob to the lowest setting. Instantly he felt a low buzz throughout his body, as if each individual nerve ending was standing up and being counted.
Jack took a deep breath. He looked up at Irina, standing on the other side of the room, pale and composed. I hope you know what you're doing, he thought to himself.
Arvin pulled up a chair and made himself comfortable. "You know, Jack, I *am* a little rusty at this. Perhaps you can give me some pointers as we go," he sneered. He turned to the doctor. "How long?"
"One question, and you can validate the answer he gives so we'll know if he's lying?" Arvin nodded. "Two hours on the outside."
Arvin regarded Jack with venom. "The encryption code, Jack."
"F*ck you," said Jack, with feeling.
Arvin smiled and leaned back. "He's all yours, doctor."
"Marshall, do you have anything for me yet?"
"Nothing, Agent Vaughn," radioed back Marshall's perplexed voice. "I've run diagnostics, and everything's functioning properly. He's just not transmitting."
Irina almost passed out several times over the next 3 hours. She would have left the room, but decided that if Jack had the courage to go through with it, she should at least have the courage to watch. Arvin, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself.
The doctor stood behind Jack; Jack didn't know when he was going to turn up the drip, and when he was going to turn it down. When Jack, soaked in sweat, covered in vomit, and twitching uncontrollably, finally broke down and begged him to stop, she wanted to weep. Instead, she calmly stepped forward and demanded the encryption key. Haltingly, Jack gave it to her. She wrote it down and passed it to Sloane, who left the room.
Irina accompanied the doctor to the door and spoke to him quietly, then returned back to Jack with a syringe and some tape. He sat slumped in the chair, still twitching, eyes unfocused, breathing ragged. "Jack," she said, choking back the lump in her throat, "it's over." She leaned over and taped his fingers together, activating the transmitter. "I'm injecting a sedative. It will numb your nerve endings and give them a chance to recover. You'll pass out soon."
She could see his lips moving, but had to bend over him to hear. "Realistic enough for you?" he said, with the ghost of a smile. She stayed with him until the sedative started to take hold, and his breathing became more regular. Gently squeezing his shoulder, she left the room.
