“What are you doing to him?” I ask, pushing up from the floor.
“Calm down, we’re just sedating him. You and I need to talk and the next phase will be more effective if he’s disoriented.”
Two assistants hold him in place while another attaches a series of straps.
Clausen turns to me. “You’ve seen things about this room in your visions. It’s time you understand what you’re seeing. We’re not evil, Rebecca. We’re not out to torture our most gifted treasure. We’re on the cutting edge of neuroscience and biopsychology research.”
I gasp and drop to the folding chair. “You are experimenting on him.”
Clausen sighs. “You make it sound sadistic. It’s not like that. By studying all of you, we’re uncovering vast reserves of knowledge mainstream researchers can only dream about.” He turns away and studies his unconscious victim with a disturbing wonder. “Daniel is special in a way that none of us can fully comprehend yet. Even he doesn’t understand his true potential. In Daniel we have a phenomenal test subject that is irreplaceable in his nature, endurance, and incredible mental capacity.”
He faces me again. “We’re talking about advances that can impact millions, if not billions of lives, for generations to come. Think about the implications for the evolutionary chain. Based on what we’ve learned from our research on him and the rest of you, we’ve already laid the foundation for extraordinary scientific leaps.”
I don’t care. He’s insane. Where does that come into play?
“Did you know Ben’s hold on others has nothing to do with traditional sexual attraction? He has the ability to release neurotransmitters that mimic the euphoric rush of heroin. Ben literally creates a chemical reaction in people’s brains that makes him addictive. Think of the implications!”
“So what?” I spit back, sick at the thought that Daniel’s spent eleven years strapped to that equipment. “Even if I accepted your argument that it’s okay to sacrifice a few for the greater good, everything I’ve seen is purely selfish. Daniel pays your bills, and you’re crazy if you expect me to applaud you for hiding in the shadows and scrapping the ethical codes legitimate scientists have to follow.”
Clausen almost looks sad. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I suppose it’s to be expected when you view the situation through his lens, but I assure you there is a bigger picture. Deep down, even he understands that to some extent. It brings me no pleasure watching him suffer, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil. Psychology especially has an extensive track record of paradigm-shifting studies that would never be considered ethical by today’s standards. We’re constantly referencing them with only a quick footnote of conscience. Think of all the knowledge we’re missing because we can’t make someone uncomfortable like we used to do.”
I never hated anyone more. “You’re trying to justify torture. No one deserves this.”
He shrugs. “Accept my stance or don’t, but we still end up here at the present impasse. Give me the name of the person who helped him, and we’ll give you your life back.”
“I don’t know anything. Besides, I don’t believe you’d give me my life back at this point. You probably want to get inside my head too. If what you said is true, my abilities are almost as valuable as his.”
My stomach twists beneath his calculated gaze. “There’s a lot you could add to the advancement of our species. Your ability to impact the future is obviously of particular interest. But we have ways to give you your life back without losing our hold. Regardless, resolving the present dilemma is of more value tome than learning about your gifts, so I’m willing to make the trade.”
“And I’m just supposed to walk away and leave him here for your paradigm-shifting experiments?”
“It’s your choice. You can stay and watch if you prefer.”
“My preference would be for you to enjoy all the wonderful knowledge you’ve already stolen from him and let him live in peace. Hasn’t he earned a normal life? At what point does he no longer have to be sacrificed for the rest of us?”
Clausen waves his hand in dismissal. “Daniel will never have a normal life. He knows that better than anyone. He’s a creature of our system and he’s the heartbeat of our research. He’s the perfect test subject for all that we glean from our studies on the rest of you. He’s irreplaceable, and we’ve successfully created an environment where he has no recourse but to accept his role. He has, hasn’t he? How many times have the two of you argued over that very issue?”
“If he’s so accepting of his fate, why did he try to end his life? Why has he tried before? You can lie to yourself all you want, but you’re just a monster with some expensive degrees!”
“It’s not an easy fate to accept, I’ll grant that. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us, but he’s still human. We all have our breaking points. He’s broken down before. He will again.” Clausen pulls a pair of rubber gloves from a cart. “But we’re stalling. I’ll ask you once more for the name of my staff member who helped him. Help us, and we’ll release you from the burden of witnessing the coming experiment.”
I glare at him. “You know he’d never tell me anything. Especially now.”
“That’s true of most people, but you’re special. You’ve seen things. It’s very possible you know things he doesn’t want you to know.”
“Well, I don’t,” I fire back.
“Okay.” He motions to the assistants. “Go ahead and revive him. We’re ready.” One of them sets up a tripod and camera while another attaches monitors to Daniel’s chest and head. When they’re satisfied with their preparation, they insert an IV and inject another substance into it.
I can hardly breathe through the tension in the air.
Daniel’s eyes flutter, and Clausen pats his cheek to gauge his level of awareness. “Are you with us, son?” He’s met with a vacant stare. “I need him more responsive than this.” The aide springs into action and injects the victim again. This time they’re rewarded with a gasp, and I hate the hideous approval on Clausen’s face. “There we go. Perfect. How are you feeling?”
Daniel groans and shakes his head. “What are you doing?” he mutters.
“I’ve noticed you’ve been spending a significant amount of time studying the central and peripheral nervous system lately. You may actually appreciate where all our work on neural responses to stimuli has led us. I’m sorry for the drugs, but I need you in a receptive pain state for this one. Your will is too strong under normal conditions, so we have to diminish your threshold.”
“What are you talking about?” he mumbles, still struggling to keep his eyes open. His head hangs low, his body pulling against the restraints.
