Chapter 28

Dr Isaac stood framed in the doorway of the office, backlit by the illumination from the hallway like some demonic presence. He regarded the panting brunet with sadness and some anger and as he walked into the room, Starsky saw the small, compact, but still deadly Firestar pistol in the doctor's right hand.

'Step away from the desk, there's a good man' Isaac said in a reasonable voice.

Slowly Starsky straightened, his hands coming up and out to his sides showing he was unarmed and not about to make a stupid move. His eyes fixed on Isaac's. 'Why?' he asked.

'Why what?'

'Why do all this? Why go to so much trouble? You could've just left us in the wreckage of the car. You want me and Hutch dead right? So why all the fancy shit?'

Isaac nodded. 'I see your memories have returned. Shame. You were a promising subject.'

'I'm glad to oblige, but it don't answer the question. Why?'

Isaac's gun remained trained on Starsky's head as the doctor walked into the room and closed the door behind him. 'We needed you and Hutchinson out of the way and we needed to achieve that without anyone wondering if there was foul play involved.'

Starsky snickered. 'Foul play huh? What do you call brainwashing two cops?'

'I call that creative. What could be more subtle that having one partner kill the other and not remember why they did it? That way the powers that be wouldn't suspect. Maybe David Starsky had gone mad with grief over the death of his beloved Joe Durniak and had turned on his best friend? Maybe there was some other reason that Hutchinson had killed you. In the long run we would have had two dead cops and an unsolved mystery. I believe it's called a cold case in cop speak?'

'Very neat.'

'Yes it was, and it was going well for a while, until Hutchinson proved to have too strong a mind. Despite the full treatment he still retained some seed of his memory, although in fighting the drug and the treatments we did get an awe inspiring glimpse of his darker side. It was disappointing because it was going so well with you.'

'What made me different?' Starsky asked, his natural competitiveness resurfacing even now.

'You were more badly damaged, but it was your past rather than anything else that made you a better subject.'

'Define past.'

'Your little stay with the Viet Cong to be precise. Whatever you think Starsky, that experience will scar you for the rest of your life. Once they've maltreated a prisoner as they did with you, that man will never be the same again. Let's face it Davey, your mind will always be that little bit weaker than Hutchinson's and that's what I'm relying on.'

Starsky stared back down the barrel of the gun defiantly. 'You can't make me do shit. I'm back. I remember everything, including all the crap you fed me about being some hot shot Army guy. So I was stupid enough to get captured back then. It cost me four of my men and a year of my life in some fuckin' Army hospital. That don't make me weaker. If anything I'm stronger now than I ever was.'

'No Davey, you're not and I'm going to prove it to you.'

'Like hell you are' Starsky said beginning to move away from the desk. A gunshot sounded in the confines of the office, loud despite the silencer on the end of the weapon. A bright light flashed from the muzzle of the gun and the smell of cordite lay heavy in the air as Starsky let out a muffled grunt and cradled his bleeding left forearm against his body.

'That was just a warning. It's merely a flesh wound but it lets you know I'm serious. Now, I want you to step away from the desk and walk slowly towards me. Any sudden moves or any attempt to stop me will result in another hole in another portion of your anatomy. There are plenty of other places I can shoot you that will hurt but won't kill.' Isaac flicked the gun to the side indicating Starsky to move.

Starsky's body trembled. The shock of the shot and the immediate pain of the wound was an assault too far on his senses. His hands shook and his legs turned to rubber and yet the brunet refused to give Isaac the satisfaction of seeing just how hurt he was. Reluctantly the brunet obeyed. The wound on his arm bled freely leaving ruby droplets dripping from the tips of his fingers to cascade across the carpet. There was a crazed look in Isaac's eyes leaving Starsky in no doubt that the doctor would shoot him again given the opportunity. He would just have to do as he was told and bide his time. Maybe by then Hutch would show up. But then again, maybe not.

'You should get me some gauze' Starsky remarked calmly.

'Why?'

'Coz right now I'm bleeding all over your soft furnishings and when Hutch gets here it's gonna lead him straight to me.'

Isaac snorted. 'You're so sure he'll come?'

'Oh hell yeah, he'll come.'

'Good, that's what I'm bargaining on. And the trail of blood is just what I need to get him into the right place at the right time. Continue bleeding my friend. I know I can always trust you to be helpful. Walk ahead of me through the door and take a left. No sudden moves, I have a lot of bullets left.'

Feeling dizzy and sick Starsky walked softly past the doctor, his eyes never leaving the gun. As he got to the door he looked back to see Isaac with the gun still trained unwaveringly on him.

'It won't work' he said. 'You already said Hutch is stronger then me.'

'I also said you had the weaker mind. That's what I'm counting on. Keep walking to the end of the hallway and take the steps up to the fifth floor. Oh, and what do they say in the TV shows? Keep your hands where I can see them.'

Starsky lifted both arms out to the side of his body. The left arm hurt like hell and the pain sickened him but at the same time seemed to bring the world into sharper focus. Slowly he followed the doctor's instructions, walking carefully down the corridor in the hope that someone might see him or some nurse might make it back to work early. By the time he'd got to the stairwell however, he'd passed no-one and the idea of climbing further up the building filled the brunet with dread.

'Why not just shoot me now?' Starsky tried again, talking over his shoulder at Isaac.

The doctor sighed. 'You still don't get it do you? My boss always said cops were thick as pig shit and I never believed him. I mean, you solve the occasional crime for goodness sake, don't you? There must be some brainpower there and yet you still don't get it.'

'Explain it to me' Starsky asked, playing for time.

'Keep walking. Up the steps to the next floor then take a right. We don't want to be incriminated. Mr Da Luca has invested a lot in his business, both in money and effort. It's not cheap to convert a place in the desert and it's not easy to find a while bunch of men and women who have no backgrounds and no families. But Mr De Luca managed it and it is my job to make sure that they follow his instructions to the letter. They kill for us. They do the dirty work and they never remember why. That way Mr Da Luca is free to continue the family business without having to trouble the criminal justice system.'

'He has it all worked out don't he?' Starsky said bitterly.

'Oh yes. Mr Da Luca is the best businessman I know.'

'And now what?' the brunet asked as he stood in the hallway of the fifth floor.

'And now we ensure his business is still safe. Open the door on your left please and go in.'

Starsky reached for the door handle but didn't turn it. Another shot rang out, kicking up pieces of floor right next to the brunet's right foot.

'Don't fuck with me Davey. You're getting tiresome. Open the door and go in or I'll take the foot off with the next shot.'

With a sigh, Starsky opened the door to a small room decorated entirely in white. The walls and ceiling where white as was the tile on the floor. In the harsh illumination of the fluorescent strip lights, the place was blinding and it took a moment for Starsky to focus on the single black chair in the middle of the room. It loomed like a malevolent beast in the middle of the floor, its bulk heavy and bolted to the floor. No bigger than an average dining room chair, it seemed to be constructed of metal. It had a high back although it was narrower than a man's shoulders and the top of the back came higher than a man's head once he was sitting tall. There were skeletal arms to the chair and the arms, back and legs were all decorated with heavy black leather straps. The sight made Starsky swallow hard and memories of his time in Vietnam rose up like a tide. Now of all the times, he would have preferred to have had a blank memory!

'Sit down Davey. We're wasting precious time here' Isaac said, flicking the gun at the chair.

'I'll stand if that's ok' Starsky retorted. The pain in his arm made his temper short. Come hell or high water Isaac was going to kill him. The doctor seemed intent on killing Hutch too but if Starsky could make Isaac mad enough, maybe the doctor would lose his cool and take Starsky out immediately. Not that the brunet wanted to die, but if he could save Hutch's life……

'I said sit down' Isaac's voice rose and became harsher.

Starsky turned and lowered his arms. The left had developed such a shimmy anyways that he had little control over it. The right hand came to lie by his side and Starsky eyeballed the doctor. 'What if I said I didn't want to? What if my weak little mind told me to stand here for eternity huh? Would that ruin your plan Doc? You might kill me but you're gonna have to go over my dead body to get to Hutch.'

'I asked you once nicely Starsky. Sit down in the chair before I lose my patience.'

'Or what?'

Isaac sighed. 'Or I will make you.'

Starsky grinned defiantly. 'Prove it.'

Another shot rang out and this time Starsky couldn't subdue the scream. He clutched at his right thigh as the blood started to flow from the hole towards the outer quarter of the muscle. The brunet collapsed to the floor, balling himself around as he tried to deal with the pain. He panted heavily, the breath hissing through his teeth as he looked up at the doctor. 'Nice try' he grunted, his right hand covering the newer bloody wound.

'Get on the chair Starsky. On the chair right now. I know what you're trying to do and I won't play your game. You don't die till Hutch gets here and I have plenty of time to keep filling you with holes. Now sit on the fuckin' chair or we go for the other leg next.'

Despite wanting to protect Hutch, Starsky's body was not fit enough to endure too much punishment. The brunet's resolve was as strong as ever but his body was not ready for the punishment. Reluctantly he looked at the chair and tried to stand. His right leg refused to move and he grunted at the pain.

'Can't stand' he whispered.

'Then crawl' Isaac hissed.

Gritting his teeth, Starsky managed to haul his ass over to the chair. The metal was cold and unforgiving against his flesh and as he collapsed into it Isaac followed him over, the gun trained on the brunet the whole time.

'Put your left arm on the arm rest and buckle it down' the doctor commanded. 'And make it tight, I'll be checking.'

Starsky did as he was told, the leather strap biting into the flesh of his wrist. He glared back at the doctor once the task was complete.

'Now place your right arm on the arm rest' Isaac continued and when Starsky obeyed, the doctor tightened that strap too. The rest was easy and within minutes Starsky was strapped into the chair, his ankles, wrists and head immobilised so that he was forced to stare at the white wall opposite. His heart hammered in his chest as Isaac came around the front of the chair to look at his prisoner.

'I have a phone call to make. Don't go away' Isaac said mirthlessly. The doctor walked out of the room leaving Starsky alone with his thoughts and his pain. Half of the brunet wanted Hutch to come and save him. The other half wanted the blond man to stay away. Whatever Isaac was going to do next, however, Starsky was now no more than a puppet in the game.