Chapter Seven

Plunged Into Madness

After leaving the mystified Prince Jason, Legrand went to his office, ordering security to "escort" Mr. Inness to his surgery immediately. Within minutes the protesting technician was dragged into the room. He had assumed his employer was planning to pitch yet another fit about insubordination and was puzzled when he saw Legrand in surgical scrubs. His bewilderment gave way to horror when the guards lifted him from the floor and onto the operating table. He fought back to no avail as the restraints were fastened over him, being just as powerless to escape as the Alterran he had left in the extraction room. "No!" he shouted as the straps were tightened, immobilizing him completely. "Curtis, you need me!"

"This is a fine time to think of that," came the unsympathetic reply.

As Legrand's nurse, Napea, began covering him with sheets, the helpless Inness was certain he was about to suffer the same fate as Prince Jason. "Curtis, please, I'm begging you. Don't put those things in my head."

"I wouldn't waste my time," Legrand snorted contemptuously. "I need you're skills, not the minuscule amount of knowledge in your brain."

"Wh…what are…you going to do to me, then?" came the meek inquiry.

"What do you think? I told you what would happen if you didn't keep your mouth shut."

Inness had been voicing his opinion and objections to the project a great deal of late, not liking the direction it had been taking. The irritated Director had responded by telling him if he did not keep quiet, he would cut out his tongue, which was exactly what he planned to do now.

Dr. Legrand moved a cart full of instruments over to the operating table, but it was not until he picked up an odd looking metal object of his own invention that his victim knew what was about to happen.

"No! For God's sake, Curtis! Please!" Inness fought the attempt to force the contraption into his mouth, only to make the mistake of opening it to plea for mercy. "Anyth—" The rest of his words were turned into muffled whines as the metal bit was jammed into place.

With a satisfied smile, Legrand started cranking the device open, forcing the Technician's jaws apart. Inness bit down to prevent this happening, a scream of pure terror issuing forth as the unrelenting metal bands started to win the battle.

"Oh, do stop making such a fuss," Legrand said blandly to his squirming captive. He noticed the veins in his victim's neck standing out, throbbing with every beat of his racing heart. Fascinated, he paused in his efforts to force the terrified man's jaws open, which only caused Inness to struggle all the more.

The Director dispassionately watched this display. He would have taken great joy in slitting the troublesome technician's throat right then and there, but unfortunately he still required his services. He ordered Napea to administer the anesthetic, and waited patiently as the struggling form grew weaker and weaker, finally going limp.

"That's better. Just relax. It'll all be over soon," Legrand purred and finished the job of forcing the immobilized man's jaws fully apart.

"Curtis, if I might make an observation?" Napea said in a low emotionless voice.

Intrigued, Curtis looked up. One of the reasons he liked Napea so much was that she rarely spoke, and when she did, it was always for a good reason. "Yes?"

The nurse pointed out that the procedure he was about to perform would cause undue delay, as Inness would need time to recuperate.

"What do you suggest?" he asked, an evil grin coming to his face when she replied, "If you want to keep him quiet, why don't you just cut his vocal cords?"

In the darkened computer room, Jason was beginning to wonder if he might actually have been abandoned. Was the scene with the sensors the precursor to something else or just a terror tactic? A tactic that worked, he thought with a shudder. Then he wondered if Legrand was planning to drive him insane by letting the probes do the work for him. Had he forgotten they went dead while he was connected into the helmet and the system dormant?

Closing his eyes, Jason fought to get stay in control of himself. He was uncertain as to how much time had passed since his abduction, but was certain a search would be underway for him. The only question in his mind was, how long would it be before the search was abandoned? When would the decision be made to give up? No, Krystovan, you have to think positive. They'll find you. Opening his eyes, he looked around the room as best he could, adding to his dark thoughts. I just hope when they do, they find me alive.

After an hour, sheer boredom finally overtook the Alterran and he fell asleep. It turned out to be the first uninterrupted sleep he had enjoyed since the sessions began. It was the next morning when he was abruptly awakened as his captor came bursting into the room. Two security guards came in behind him flanking—Or were they carrying?—the Chief Technician. Because of the way the couch was positioned, Jason could just see across the room and was shocked when he saw Inness being chained to the console. Apparently the Director had sorted out his little domestic problem.

Legrand worked for several minutes at the computer before he turned his gaze across the room. The look made Jason stiffened visibly. Now it's my turn, he thought, closing his eyes and swallowing hard. The extraction helmet started humming above him and he winced as the implant probes came to life. Next the image translator flickered into life and he sighed resignedly. Here we go again, he thought.

Curtis came over to the couch and punched several commands into the computer before moving to stand over his prisoner. He seemed disappointed when the prince did not react at all. He pulled the gag from his mouth only to be further disappointed when Jason remained silent. "So docile today," Legrand observed, picking up a syringe. "Have you forgotten why you're here?"

"I'm not begging for mercy, Curtis," Jason said in as defiant a tone as he could manage. "I won't give you the satisfaction."

With a smug expression on his face, Legrand replied coldly, "Not now, perhaps. But you will. Believe me. You will." With that he administered yet another drug and watched in sadistic delight as the prince succumbed to its hallucinogenic properties.

The glassy eyed Inness jumped when the Director suddenly ordered him to begin the first program. Looking down at the console in front of him, he shakily complied.

Legrand's new regimen of sessions was now underway, its sole purpose being to drive Jason out of his mind. In addition to the hallucinogenic drugs, computer generated illusions were forced on the Alterran's consciousness. Some came in the form of surrealistic dreams while others were real situations that would spiral out of control. In conjunction with all this, the stimulator patches would be activated to produce pain that would add reality to the unreality of the images.

Powerless to stop the unrelenting assault on his mind and body, Jason eventually lost his grip on reality altogether, his hopes of rescue all but forgotten.