Mind Bender

by Linsey Lanier

  Above the hum of what must have been a generator, she could hear their scratching and soft moans.

  Were these—experiments?

  She stepped farther into the room and saw microscopes and laptops scattered over a countertop. This was a lab.

  Was this where Drew had cooked up that inky black substance in the amber bottle she’d found? Was this where he’d concocted his mind-control drug?

  No, he couldn’t have done all this alone. There was someone else.

  She peered over the counter and stopped in her tracks.

  Beyond the counter was a chair. A strange looking contraption that reclined back. It had straps hanging from the arm and leg rests. And long wires near the headrest that seemed to be attached to a nearby machine.

  Her blood went cold.

  Was that what she thought it was?

  But no one was in it. No one was in here.

  She risked another step forward. “Parker?” she called out.

  No one answered. Audrey wasn’t here. Parker wasn’t here.

  She saw a shadow flicker across the floor. Someone was behind her. Was it Drew or his accomplice? Before she could turn around, a hand clamped over her mouth and nose.

  Another hand slithered around her neck like a snake. An elbow flashed before her face. The hand at her mouth moved to pull the elbow tight, making the arm squeeze tight against her carotid arteries.

  Years of training had her kicking out behind her, using her own elbows against the attacker’s torso.

  But she wasn’t fast enough. Her blows were weak, powerless now. She didn’t have enough air. Her head began to spin.

  Rear naked choke. She’d been in one before. That time Parker had gotten her out of it. Where was he now? Was he dead?

  He must be, or he’d be here.

  As her heart began to sink with despair, so did her body.

  The lights above her seemed to flicker, then dance in her brain. She felt her muscles go loose as she slid into the strong arms.

  He lifted her up and everything went black.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Silly girl, Drew thought as he took the gun out of her limp hand, stuffed it into his belt, and carried her body around the counter.

  The back of his head and his jaw ached from the blows she’d delivered, but he liked that she’d given him a challenge. Did she really think she could beat him? She might be good, but he’d been trained in Aikido and Taekwondo and Karate since he was five years old.

  It was going to be so much fun to bend her will to his.

  He carried her over to the chair and laid her gently on it. He began strapping her into it. Three straps on one arm, three on the other, three for each leg. He pulled them tight. Had to be tight for this one or she might get up too soon.

  He let out a giggle as he eyed the electrodes connected to Phineas’s machine. That was where the boy genius administered shocks and recorded the brainwaves of their human experiments. That would be an interesting study, something even he’d be intrigued with. But Phin was busy having fun in the war room.

  Besides, he had his own plan.

  He took her gun from his belt and laid it on the counter just where she could find it. He was debating whether to use the gag when the door behind him opened and Phineas ran into the lab.

  He hurried to the counter. “Drew, we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “What are you doing in here, Phin? You’re supposed to be manning the controls.”

  “Didn’t you hear me? We’ve got to leave now.” He eyed the new experiment in the chair. “Just leave her and let’s go.”

  Drew rolled his eyes. “What are you rattled about now?”

  Phin waved his hands in exasperation. “The police. They’re coming. They’ve found the front door.”

  “Just do what you did to Wade Parker.”

  “I can’t, Drew. They’ve disabled the controls.”

  That couldn’t be right. They had backup generators. And the lab ran on a separate one. He had to be exaggerating.

  Phin glanced around the room like he was insane. “We have to get out of here.”

  Drew gestured to the woman in the chair. “Phin, this is my masterpiece. See that over there?”

  Phin turned toward the countertop. “That gun?”

  “Right. It’s her Beretta. I’m going to have her shoot Wade Parker. Won’t that be a hoot? Don’t you want to stay and see it?”

  His eyes wide behind his thick glasses, Phin shook his head. “We can’t do that. It’s too risky. Just kill her. Kill her now. Give her an overdose of the elixir. If we can get to the commune, they won’t find us.”

  “What are you worried about?”

  “About the rest of my life,” he screeched. “I don’t intend to waste my genius in a prison.”

  “We aren’t going to prison. My great-uncle will see to that.”

  “I don’t think so. Not this time.” He grabbed Drew by the arm. “Are you coming with me?”

  Drew shook him off. “Not until I finish here.”

  “I’m not staying here, Drew.”

  “Do as you please.”

  “I’m taking the jeep.”

  “Whatever.”

  Phin stared at him a moment as if he’d lost his mind. Then he scooted around the chair and hurried out the back door.

  “Coward.” The kid didn’t understand what kind of power they had. He was too much of a nerd.

  He’d finish his game here, then head back to the war room and take care of any police that might have gotten in.

  Drew reached for the elixir in his pocket. But first, he pulled out the antidote and put two drops under his tongue. He didn’t want to end up like he had the other day.

  He put the antidote back and took out Phin’s home brew. He looked down at the woman in the chair.

  Her eyes were fluttering open.

  “Ah, there we are,” he said to her.

  Then her eyes flashed with horror. Her face turned a lovely pale shade as she realized where she was. He loved that first expression when they woke up. It gave him such a rush.

  She began to struggle, just like the other two had. But this one was feistier.

  “Get me the hell out of here,” she grunted.

  Drew laughed enjoying the sensation of power. “Now why would I do that?”

  Her heart pounding with panic, Miranda stared up at her captor. She eyed his smooth skin and pure black hair. His black eyes had no feeling at all in them.

  She gritted her teeth. “You’re going down, Iwasaki. The police know you’re here. They know who you are and what you’ve done.”

  He snorted. “Is that supposed to frighten me?”

  “You may have been able to escape prison before, but not this time. This time you’ll be sentenced to death.”

  He let out a disgusting high-pitched giggle. “You are so funny.” He leaned in so close she could smell his breath. “Not before you and your husband are dead.”

  Her heart began to hammer. “What are you talking about?”

  He held up a small amber bottle. “See? This is the secret formula. The elixir. At least that’s what I call it.”

  Her face must have told him she knew what he meant.

  “You found my antidote at the movie set, didn’t you? That was where I lost it, wasn’t it?”

  “Antidote?” she said, trying to play dumb.

  “It keeps me from going under the spell of this.” He held the bottle close to her face.

  It looked a lot like the vial she found. “Are you sure you don’t have the bottles mixed up?”

  “Very clever. But you’re wrong. The antidote has a dropper. Two drops under the tongue will keep me safe. I’ve already taken my dose. But this,” he held the bottle up so she could get a good look at it. “This is a spray. It has the scent of a cologne. I’ve even worn it before.” He giggled. “It drives the women crazy.”

  She glared at him. He was insane. And mad with his own sense of power.

 
“Nothing to say to that?” he jeered. “I’ve found helplessness can do that to a person. You see, once I spray you, all the most frightening things buried in your subconscious will come to life. You won’t be able to tell what’s real and what’s not. And then all I’ll have to do is whisper in your ear, and you’ll do anything I say. You’ll think it will make the nightmares stop. But it won’t. And when I put that gun in your hand, you’ll shoot anyone I tell you to. Even the person you love most.”

  Like hell. Her chest began to heave. She fought hard to get out of the straps. There had to be a way to get free. “You won’t get away with this. If they don’t give you the death penalty, they’ll put you in an institution for life.”

  He laughed again and shook his head condescendingly as he twisted off the cap of the vial. “You just don’t understand, do you? I’ll just have to show you. That’s all.”

  And he raised the bottle to her face. She took a deep breath and shut her mouth tight. He slid his finger over the pump and pressed three times.

  She felt the spray as the droplets hit her face.

  She closed her eyes and turned her face away. Listening to that ugly sadistic laugh, she held her breath for as long as she could. But she didn’t last long.

  And when she gave out, she inhaled a big noseful of the horrible stuff. It smelled like honeysuckle and cinnamon—and lethal poison.

  At first she didn’t feel any different at all. And then the darkness came.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  She plunged down into the deep dark hole. Down, down, down she went. Swirling, whirling, her gauzy dress billowing all around her. She flailed her arms and legs, reaching out, trying to grasp, to hold onto something. But there was nothing there.

  And then she hit bottom.

  Her body crashed against the hard floor with a slap. She sat up and rubbed her face. It ached where she’d smacked it against the concrete.

  She looked around. Where was she? She reached out and felt the rough surface of brick all around her. Had she fallen down a well? It was so dark. And then she saw a tiny light near the corner of the floor. Like a single brick had been pulled out. The opening led to somewhere.

  Her hands and knees protesting in pain, she crawled over to it. It was so small. She couldn’t fit through it. She began to dig at the ground with her nails. If she could make the hole bigger, she could crawl through it.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” boomed a voice behind her.

  Something grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back, dragging her through the opposite wall and into another room. It was a hollow cave-like chamber lined with jagged rock. The light was better here, but still low, and the rocks glowed yellow and orange all around her.

  Pain shot through her head, her neck. She struggled to turn around, to get to her feet.

  “You stupid bitch.”

  A heavy hand struck her face and she went down again.

  She began to cry. “Leon, why are you doing this?”

  “You know why. Because of what you are.”

  His hand came down again. This time she rolled away and his blow went through air.

  “You can’t do that to me.”

  “Yes, I can,” she screamed. “Where’s Amy. Where’s my daughter?”

  “You’ll never find her, Miranda. You’ll never have her.”

  “Yes. Yes, I will.”

  He came at her again.

  She began to crawl as fast as she could. The rocky surface beneath her cut into her knees and legs. She kept going. There was a way out. An opening in the rocks just ahead. More light there.

  She managed to get up and run toward it, but as she did, her feet slipped on the rocks and she slid. Down, down again. Until she tumbled onto a concrete floor.

  Slowly she stood to her feet.

  She knew this place. The musty smell of it. The candles flickering in the bags against the walls. The air was stifling and she felt herself begin to sweat. Not just from the heat.

  A man appeared across the room, half hidden in the shadows. She knew him, too.

  “Hello, Miranda. And so we meet again.”

  “I killed you.”

  His laugh echoed against the walls, vibrated in her head. “And yet I keep coming back. You’ll never be rid of me. Of us.” He pointed up.

  She looked over her shoulder and saw the body hanging from the rafters. Hands tied over her head, tongue drooping from her mouth, blood dripping from the hundred holes he’d poked into her. Hannah Kaye. The young woman she couldn’t save.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered up to the corpse.

  “Don’t be,” the man said. “She doesn’t deserve it. And neither do you. You’ll be joining her in a moment.”

  He stepped into the light and came toward her. She could see the big muscular shoulders, the shaggy dirty blond hair he wore to his earlobes, and those grass green eyes so full of evil.

  He had a rope in his hands.

  “And now it’s time to take your medicine.”

  Medicine. Medicine. His voice echoed with the word as if she’d never heard it before.

  “Get away from me.” She kicked out at him and spun away. Her strength was coming back to her.

  “I have your daughter,” he said. “Our daughter. I’ll always have her.”

  “Oh, no you don’t.” She kicked out again, but this time he grabbed her foot and she came down with a crash.

  He pushed his body on top of her, grabbed her arm and looped the rope over one of her wrists. She fought, she tried to bite him, but her teeth only went through air.

  “No. No. No,” she cried, struggling as hard as she could.

  And then the ropes came free. Gasping for breath she stood to her feet.

  Dizzy, she reached behind her and steadied herself on the arm of a chair. What room was this? It was cool and large and buzzing with the hum of a generator.

  Her vision was hazy and bright colors danced before her eyes.

  There was a door at the far end of the room. A man stepped through it and came toward her. He seemed to be talking but she couldn’t hear him. All she could see was the thick red dots clouding the air.

  “It’s Leon,” a voice whispered.

  Was it Leon? She wasn’t sure.

  “It’s him. Shoot him.”

  It was Leon. She wasn’t going to let him hit her again. Shoot him? Yes. There was a gun on a nearby counter. She picked it up and aimed it at him.

  “Don’t come any further, Leon.”

  But he took a step anyway. He raised his hands. “Miranda, it’s me.”

  The voice seemed familiar. For a moment warmth filled her heart.

  “He’s coming for you. Shoot him.”

  He was. He was almost to her. In a moment he’d be on her. She couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t.

  She pressed the trigger and fired.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  His Sig drawn and his maglight in his other hand, Curt Holloway made his way down the dark corridor, keeping his back to the wall the way he had since he’d stepped off that elevator.

  This was the strangest place he’d ever been in. All the crazy drills and situations he’d experienced during poolee training and boot camp in the Marines hadn’t prepared him for this. He’d been wandering down this dark hall for hours. At least, he’d thought it had been hours, but he’d lost track of time.

  The walls and floors were smoothly polished black onyx. Someone had put a lot of time and thought into the design. And money. Twenty feet then a ninety-degree turn to the left. Thirty feet and a ninety-degree turn to the right. On and on and on. He had a feeling he was going in circles. He was frustrated to no end.

  If they were keeping Audrey in this hall, no wonder she’d been acting so crazy. She must be so frightened.

  No, she wasn’t crazy. It was those drugs. He’d barely been able to hold it together when Fry explained what was in them.

  And then Steele wanted him to stay out of it?

  She had no ri
ght to do that. When he’d spotted her and Mr. Parker looking at the entrance to this place, he knew he was going down there. When they moved to the top of that hill, he’d decided to take action. But just now, he wished he had waited for them. He’d seen Steele coming down the hill after him. He’d assumed they’d both catch up after a while, but they hadn’t shown. The idea unnerved him.

  But he couldn’t focus on Steele now. He had to find Audrey and get her out of here.

  He came to a stop and tried to figure out what to do next. He thought about the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. He couldn’t keep going in circles.

  On a wild hunch he shined his light on the wall across from him. Look at that. There was a niche in it with what looked like some sort of switch. A large industrial power switch. He hadn’t seen that before. Maybe he hadn’t been going in circles.

  But what did it do? Maybe turn on some lights. That would be good.

  He crossed over to it and put a hand on the lever. Feeling the nerves swimming in his stomach, worse-case scenarios went through his mind. Water flooding the hall and drowning him. The walls turning into giant conductors and electrocuting him. A huge ball of flame consuming him.

  He’d been watching too many movies.

  He couldn’t just keep going around lost in this place. He straightened his back and pulled the lever.

  None of his imagined scenarios happened.

  Instead to his right the wall opened, revealing a long dark staircase. Without thinking twice, he hurried down it, two stairs at a time.

  When he reached the bottom, he found another door. He pushed on the handle and it opened to a brightly lit space.

  He turned off his light and looked around, blinking. Walls painted in a chalky white. A white floor with a diamond patterned linoleum. A receptionist desk. A curving hall with rooms off to one side.

  It was a hospital floor.

  Was Audrey in one of those rooms? He hurried across the space and tried the first door. It was locked. He tried the next one. Also locked. He tried the next one and the one after that. No luck.

  Frustration burned inside him. Where was she?