Every Thought Captive
AN: Some old CIA directed projects are named in this chapter. Project Midnight Climax, the Stargate Project with its emphasis on remote viewing, and the practice of interrogating suspected collaborators and dumping their bodies into the sea are all documented. There is no such thing as Project Silent Arrow. It is my creation but it contains elements of other known CIA past projects.
Disclaimer: I do not own The A Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A Team.
Chapter 8 Professors and Test Subjects
"Oh my, oh my, oh my."
Face let his mouth gape open in mock confusion and panic. The thick lenses of his glasses magnified his widened eyes. Two armed guards leveled their M16s at him.
"Sir, you do know you are trespassing on government property." The taller of the two men said it as more of a fact than a question.
Dropping his pick and shovel and clutching the specimen bag to his chest with both hands, he hoped they were buying his act. "Oh my, no. I was sure this was where I found geode specimens a few years ago. I must have taken the wrong road. Here, let me check."
He opened the top of his field bag and dug through its contents. Both guards took aim as he did.
With the map in his hands, Face let the specimen bag drop to his side from its shoulder strap and raised his arms straight up above his head. "Don't shoot. Don't shoot. All I was getting was my map. See?" He waved the folded map at them but kept his arms where they were.
Neither man relaxed his position. The shorter guard kept his M16 trained on Face's chest while the other guard lifted a walkie-talkie to his mouth. "We picked up a trespasser half a mile off the road, sir. He seems to be a rock collector."
"Geology professor," the conman interjected.
The guard turned cold eyes on him before speaking again. "Do you want us to bring him in for questioning?"
He listened to the response and let his eyes flicker briefly again on the conman. "Will do."
"You'll have to come with us, sir." He motioned with his gun for Face to move ahead of them. The security patrol Jeep was parked on the road leading to Granite Peak.
"Is that really necessary? I mean, it was an honest mistake. What if I took my things and left and promised to be more careful next time?" Face glanced down at the shovel and pick on the ground beside him and back at the soldiers. He wished they would at least allow him to lower his arms.
Instead of answering, the guard with the walkie talkie motioned again with his weapon. His expression went from impassive to menacing.
"Okay, okay." Face used his most accommodating tone as he took the first step toward the vehicle. "But can I bring along my equipment?" He gestured with his head toward the ground only to see the two guards advance toward him, M16s still raised. "No, huh? Okay, I can take a hint."
As his hands were cuffed behind his back and he was helped into the Jeep, he let his gaze stray toward Castle Mountain in the distance. One guard trotted over to retrieve Face's pick and shovel and deposit them in the front seat beside the driver. He took his place in the back with his gun pointed at the conman.
It had been an hour since Face watched the helicopter fly over the Dugway Ridge and return to land at the installation again.
I sure hope Hannibal's plan involves a little more than having me taken to Granite Peak for questioning.
He thought about the small electronic device in his pants pocket, the device he was supposed to use to track down the whereabouts of the mini-camera.
And I hope I'll find out where Murdock and Amy are while I'm there. If one of them still has the camera, it shouldn't be difficult. But what if they don't?
He didn't want to think about that.
oooooo
Doctor Stafford paused outside the lab door. His hand lightly resting on the doorknob, he considered what he would do with Miss Allen after the flunitazepam took effect. There were a few rooms in this underground installation where he knew he would have the utmost privacy to get better acquainted with her.
Such a pretty girl. But too many other things are requiring my attention.
A flurry of activity, salutes from guards and an oppressive tension in the atmosphere drew his attention away from his thoughts. Approaching him from the direction of the entrance to the underground facility was trouble. He knew it when he saw it.
Military types did not understand that work on the kind of surveillance tools and weapons they wanted him to develop took time and patience. Trial and error. The right test subjects.
No. Military types like General Brandler wanted results right away.
I can pretend I didn't see him and walk the other way but he'll track me down. Or he'll have Jackson ride my tail even more than he is now. Best to look the General in the eye and tell him I need time.
"Doctor Stafford. I understand you found a volunteer for Project Silent Arrow. I assume you have begun preparing him for his assignment." The General's hard stare made the doctor uncomfortable.
Volunteer? Oh yeah, we found a volunteer.
The doctor removed his glasses and wiped them with a clean white handkerchief before responding. Even though Captain Murdock had been one of the more promising subjects in the old Stargate Project, Stafford could not be sure how much of the previous training the pilot had retained.
Even if he retained the basics of remote viewing, can he be persuaded to use it for Project Silent Arrow?
"Preparation takes time. There are many facets to the technique we are using that have to be practiced before it can be used in the field. Pushing the subject too fast in this area can lead to permanent mental debilitation." Stafford chose his words carefully. He wasn't sure how much the General already knew. He did not want to give General Brandler too much information about their test subject.
If Brandler knew that the test subject was hand-picked by Jackson, he might have questions . . .
The other man carefully appraised the doctor's expression. "The volunteer was taken from a mental institution, wasn't he? That was what we agreed upon."
Doctor Stafford knew the reason behind those instructions. If the test subject went stark raving mad during the preparation or while on the field, the man's mental health history could be blamed. It would look like a natural part of the patient's mental deterioration. He could be returned to the psychiatric ward to live out his days in a straightjacket and under sedation.
No one would be the wiser and nothing would be gained or lost.
"Yes, the subject is a mental health patient. He suffers from intermittent memory loss and paranoid delusions but is otherwise perfect for our purposes."
That, at least, was the truth. Because Captain Murdock had been previously trained, many of the steps to becoming a remote viewer would not be difficult for him to remember. Because he had no family there would be no one asking questions if something went wrong.
Of course, there is Miss Allen. And the members of his old unit might try to cause problems. But how much can they do, being fugitives? They'd be crazy to try to walk into this installation and rescue him.
"How soon will the test subject be ready for deployment?" Brandler's persistence unsettled Doctor Stafford.
Thankfully the training time shouldn't take as long as if we had a subject totally new to the technique. But we will have to step up the pace to keep the General happy. And if the General's happy, that means whoever's pushing his buttons higher up will be happy, too.
"I can make no sure guarantees. If we push too fast we'll lose the test subject and have to look for a new volunteer. That will waste more time than you want, General." Stafford stared back at the military man, hoping his argument would decrease the pressure that was being placed upon him.
He wanted time to add a few more bells and whistles to what Murdock would eventually be able to do as a human surveillance tool. Things which might improve his own standing in the intelligence and scientific communities.
The General broke off their conversation abruptly with a short nod of resigned agreement. "You have until the end of the month when Cazador makes his monthly visit to Gema Escondida."
Doctor Stafford breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, that should give me enough time.
"Now if you would tell me where I can find Colonel Jackson, I will leave you to your work."
"I don't know for sure but the last I saw of him, Colonel Jackson was going to talk to our test subject in Room 27. I have to warn you. The test subject was not lucid the last time I spoke with him. You may want to have the Colonel step out into the hallway." The doctor readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "In fact, I advise it. The subject should not be disturbed any more than he already is."
The General nodded again and set off for the room where Jackson was re-establishing his acquaintance with Captain H. M. Murdock.