Chapter 31
Jack watched as Laura closed her eyes and released some of then tension from her body. He glanced down at the heart rate monitor, which was at 68 beats per minute. Laura was a runner, usually running for half an hour at least three times a week, and so her resting heart rate should be fairly low. He waited.
He was surprised that she was actually trying this; just the fact that she was doing it made it clear that she really did want to cooperate with the CIA. He would be shocked if it worked. It would only work if she trusted him completely, because she would be putting a lot of power in his hands. Surely somewhere within her was a kernel of distrust; he was her country's enemy, after all.
A slight change came over her body, so small as to be all but unnoticeable- the final release of tension. Jack glanced at the monitor; as he watched, it dropped from 60 to 56. It was time, then. Moving slowly and being as quiet as possible, he picked up the syringe he had ready and injected it carefully into the IV line. Then he watched the heart rate monitor intently; now was when it was really important. By the time he was done with the injection, her heart rate had jumped to 62; she must have heard him, he realized. Then it jumped up to 72 as the drug first started to take effect; that was normal, but it still made him nervous.
He almost jumped when the number suddenly dropped. The monitor updated every five seconds, and so it jumped from 72 to 59, and then five seconds later down to 38. Jack's hands began to shake slightly. She was in Twilight.
He hadn't told her the whole truth about this strange mental state, because there was no way she would have gone through with it if she had known. He had the power now to do far more than just ask questions; he could, if he wanted, alter her memories, or even-theoretically-brainwash her. He suddenly wondered if that was Dawson's real plan; if this worked, maybe Dawson wanted to alter her memory to make her believe that she had never been caught by the CIA; he could then feed her false information to pass to the KGB without her being aware of it. Jack hoped that wasn't the plan; he didn't think he could pull off that sort of deception for very long. He certainly wouldn't be nearly as good at it as Laura. Hell, he couldn't even fool his own daughter.
Jack shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Laura. He started the tape recorder that Dawson had provided him. "Can you hear me?" he asked.
"Yes."
"What is your name?"
There was a pause. "Laura Bristow. Irina Derevko."
Jack was surprised at that. It meant that her alias was as true to her as her real name. But then, he supposed that ten years with the same alias would tend to do that. "Are you loyal to the Soviet Union?"
"No."
"Are you loyal to the KGB?"
"No."
"Are you loyal to America or the CIA?"
"No."
Jack frowned. He asked a question that wasn't on the list. "Where do your loyalties lie?"
"With myself. With my family."
Jack raised his eyebrows at that, but pressed on. "Since you were discovered by the CIA, have you truthfully answered all questions asked by the CIA?"
"Yes."
"Do you intend to cooperate fully with the CIA?"
"Yes."
"Do you intend to tell the KGB of your discovery by the CIA?"
There was a pause, and then Laura sneezed. A moment later, her body went rigid, and she let out an ear-piercing scream. Sh*t. The sneeze had knocked her out of Twilight and right into a hallucination. Jack stood and quickly but carefully removed the IV line, then shut off the tape recorder almost as an afterthought. He glanced at the heart rate monitor, which now read 126. Worrisome, but not dangerous.
He bent and gingerly took her by the shoulders, ready to let go if she reacted negatively. She did, twisting to try to get out of his grasp; he let her go. "Laura," he called in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "Laura, it's all right. You're safe."
She sat up abruptly, her eyes open but clearly not seeing him. "Nyet, Papa. Pozhalujsta!" {No, Papa. Please!} She jerked back down to the bed quickly, as though she'd been hit. She turned to her side, put her arm over her eyes, and began to sob like a child.
Her father again, Jack thought with a frown. "Irina, it's all right," he said in Russian. "You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore." He touched her shoulders again, and this time she didn't pull away. Carefully, he got onto the bed and climbed over her, then pulled her into his arms and let her sob against his chest.
Jack watched as Laura closed her eyes and released some of then tension from her body. He glanced down at the heart rate monitor, which was at 68 beats per minute. Laura was a runner, usually running for half an hour at least three times a week, and so her resting heart rate should be fairly low. He waited.
He was surprised that she was actually trying this; just the fact that she was doing it made it clear that she really did want to cooperate with the CIA. He would be shocked if it worked. It would only work if she trusted him completely, because she would be putting a lot of power in his hands. Surely somewhere within her was a kernel of distrust; he was her country's enemy, after all.
A slight change came over her body, so small as to be all but unnoticeable- the final release of tension. Jack glanced at the monitor; as he watched, it dropped from 60 to 56. It was time, then. Moving slowly and being as quiet as possible, he picked up the syringe he had ready and injected it carefully into the IV line. Then he watched the heart rate monitor intently; now was when it was really important. By the time he was done with the injection, her heart rate had jumped to 62; she must have heard him, he realized. Then it jumped up to 72 as the drug first started to take effect; that was normal, but it still made him nervous.
He almost jumped when the number suddenly dropped. The monitor updated every five seconds, and so it jumped from 72 to 59, and then five seconds later down to 38. Jack's hands began to shake slightly. She was in Twilight.
He hadn't told her the whole truth about this strange mental state, because there was no way she would have gone through with it if she had known. He had the power now to do far more than just ask questions; he could, if he wanted, alter her memories, or even-theoretically-brainwash her. He suddenly wondered if that was Dawson's real plan; if this worked, maybe Dawson wanted to alter her memory to make her believe that she had never been caught by the CIA; he could then feed her false information to pass to the KGB without her being aware of it. Jack hoped that wasn't the plan; he didn't think he could pull off that sort of deception for very long. He certainly wouldn't be nearly as good at it as Laura. Hell, he couldn't even fool his own daughter.
Jack shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at Laura. He started the tape recorder that Dawson had provided him. "Can you hear me?" he asked.
"Yes."
"What is your name?"
There was a pause. "Laura Bristow. Irina Derevko."
Jack was surprised at that. It meant that her alias was as true to her as her real name. But then, he supposed that ten years with the same alias would tend to do that. "Are you loyal to the Soviet Union?"
"No."
"Are you loyal to the KGB?"
"No."
"Are you loyal to America or the CIA?"
"No."
Jack frowned. He asked a question that wasn't on the list. "Where do your loyalties lie?"
"With myself. With my family."
Jack raised his eyebrows at that, but pressed on. "Since you were discovered by the CIA, have you truthfully answered all questions asked by the CIA?"
"Yes."
"Do you intend to cooperate fully with the CIA?"
"Yes."
"Do you intend to tell the KGB of your discovery by the CIA?"
There was a pause, and then Laura sneezed. A moment later, her body went rigid, and she let out an ear-piercing scream. Sh*t. The sneeze had knocked her out of Twilight and right into a hallucination. Jack stood and quickly but carefully removed the IV line, then shut off the tape recorder almost as an afterthought. He glanced at the heart rate monitor, which now read 126. Worrisome, but not dangerous.
He bent and gingerly took her by the shoulders, ready to let go if she reacted negatively. She did, twisting to try to get out of his grasp; he let her go. "Laura," he called in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "Laura, it's all right. You're safe."
She sat up abruptly, her eyes open but clearly not seeing him. "Nyet, Papa. Pozhalujsta!" {No, Papa. Please!} She jerked back down to the bed quickly, as though she'd been hit. She turned to her side, put her arm over her eyes, and began to sob like a child.
Her father again, Jack thought with a frown. "Irina, it's all right," he said in Russian. "You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore." He touched her shoulders again, and this time she didn't pull away. Carefully, he got onto the bed and climbed over her, then pulled her into his arms and let her sob against his chest.
