Shock Treatment

by Geoffrey Lyon

  “Did Shivan do the mind cleanse on you?” he asked, as if to confirm her status.

  Miriam shook her head.

  “No,” she replied, “And she didn’t even manage to break me.”

  Pama gasped in genuine astonishment. Realizing the situation, Miriam made a sudden dash for the door, but Pama blocked her way.

  “Uh uh,” he said, waving a finger at her and shaking his head, “you don’t get away that easy. Not now.”

  Miriam stepped back. Pama advanced upon her, step by step. She retreated backwards in the room until she bumped into the huge bed. She backed up around it but soon had reached the nightstand. There was nowhere left to go.

  Pama smiled a sick smile.

  “Why fight it?” he whispered as he closed in on her. “Why not just forget all this talk, and let’s enjoy our time together? You like pleasure, don’t you?”

  Miriam felt the wall against her back. Pama slid up to her, pushing his body against hers. She turned her head to on side, holding her breath.

  Then she noticed it.

  He had opened the drawer of the nightstand, and was reaching in for something. It was a hypodermic syringe with a long needle attached to it. The syringe was filled with a light green fluid.

  “What’s that?” Miriam asked, her voice shaking.

  “Something to make you feel calm,” he cooed, bringing it up to her face. She tried to break free, but he had pinned her against the wall with the weight of his body. For a short, fat man he was surprisingly strong.

  He raised the syringe to her neck, preparing to inject her. Miriam struggled and pushed his arm away. He grunted in anger and brought the syringe back, more forcefully this time. The tip pricked the skin on her neck.

  A voice inside her head screamed at her, don’t let him inject you! Get out of here! NOW!

  Miriam twisted her body and slid her arm down and in between them. This gave her some wiggle room and she used it, thrusting sideways with all the force she could muster. She broke free from his grip and he bounced backwards with a jerk. But still he came at her with the syringe, this time lunging for her. She ducked, and grabbed his wrist. Deftly, she swung his arm in an arc and guided it back into his own heavy, protruding belly. The tip of the needle sunk deep into his belly and he involuntarily injected himself with the poison.

  A look of horror came over his face as he looked down at the empty syringe poking out of his belly. He stared at it with mouth open.

  “No!” he gasped, “No! No! No!”

  Miriam slipped to the side and broke into a run towards the door.

  “No!” Pama was screaming now, “Don’t go! Wait! Wait!”

  She didn’t listen. She reached the door, flung it open and darted outside. She ran as fast as she could through the halls and adjoining rooms, down the stairs, and finally out the front door of the building.

  It was dusk and the light was beginning to fade. Miriam looked around desperately. Lights were starting to come on in the building all around. Someone must have sounded the alarm.

  She made a hasty decision. She couldn’t stay here. She turned and ran as fast as she could towards the main gate. She would either get out, or they would kill her.

  “Stop!” Behind her, there were voices shouting at her. She recognized one of them as Shivan’s. But she was not going to stop now, not for anything. She raced out onto the gravel road, leaving the buildings and all the commotion behind her. It became quiet out here, as the cool dusk air brushed against her face gently as she ran. She could hear only her own breathing and the sound of her heart beating fast.

  For a moment she felt like she was alone. It seemed like she might almost make it.

  But then the silence was interrupted by the jarring sound of engines revving. Two vehicles sped past her on either side. One looked like the van that they had been transporting her in, and the other was a Jeep. The van drove ahead and cut in front of her, blocking her path, while the Jeep pulled up alongside her and slowed down to match her pace. Shivan was seated in the passenger seat.

  Miriam slowed down, and then stopped. She stared in defiant anger as Shivan stepped out of the Jeep and walked over to her. She regarded her for a brief moment in the fading light, and then shook her head slowly.

  “To think,” she said, her voice full of disappointment, “I actually believed you. I believed in you.”

  Miriam looked over Shivan’s shoulder and could see the gates of the compound. She had been so close.

  Chapter 17

  It had been a long drive. Agent Dawn was feeling sleepy, her head bobbing up and down as she navigated the dirt road in her Subaru. This location matched the co-ordinates, but it was remote. The light was fading fast. She debated whether she should continue now or find a motel and spend the night. She would be rested in the morning, and this place would still be here. But she remembered Torqus’ warning and she kept going.

  Suddenly, the light from the headlamps revealed a large black iron gate directly in front of her. She slammed on the breaks, rubbed her eyes, and peered out at it. It seemed eerily deserted. Leaving the engine running and the lights on, she unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the car. She approached the gates and looked inside. She could see some lights from building windows in the distance. There were lights from vehicle headlamps closer to the gate. Two vehicles, situated perpendicular to each other. And a small crowd of people gathered in front of them. Something was going on.

  Dawn tried pushing on the gates. They were locked. She looked around for another way inside, but this was the most direct. Sensing the need for urgency, she grabbed hold of the metal railing and climbed up to the top, then jumped down on the other side. Once on the ground, she unholstered her Glock 22 and approached the vehicles and the small group.

  It looked like they were surrounding someone. When she got closer, she realized that it was Miriam, and it appeared that they had bound her wrists behind her back.

  Dawn broke into a run, lifting her sidearm with both hands and aiming it the small group of people. The headlamps from the Jeep cast a bright light on her as she ran past it and into the middle of the gathering.

  “FBI!” Dawn shouted loudly, “Put your hands up in the air.”

  Everyone froze. There was a hesitation in the crowd, people were looking at each other and at her, unsure of what to do. Most had that deer in the headlights look, baffled by Agent Dawn’s presence and her sudden, forceful command.

  “Now!” she shouted, even louder. This was enough to shake people into action. Most complied and raised their hands. But Shivan did not. Instead, she turned and faced Dawn.

  “This is private property,” she stated firmly, “On whose authority are you here? Do you have a warrant?”

  “I don’t need a warrant for what I’m seeing here,” Dawn said as she walked past Shivan and came to stand next to Miriam.

  “Are you alright?” she asked Miriam, as she untied the rope that was binding her wrists. Miriam nodded, massaging her wrists. “Good. Time for us to leave.”

  “Wait,” Shivan said, noticing what looked like atypical behavior from a law enforcement officer, “You’re just going to take her and leave?”

  “You bet,” Dawn gestured with her sidearm for Shivan to step aside. Dawn put her arm around Miriam’s shoulders and led her to the Jeep. They both got in, with Dawn in the drivers seat.

  “Where are you going?” Shivan asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

  “Like I said, we’re leaving.”

  “You don’t have a warrant, do you?”

  “Ciao!”

  Dawn turned the key to start the engine, and then pushed down the the accelerator hard. The wheels on the Jeep skidded and then it lurched forward. Once there was traction, it started gaining speed rapidly. Behind them, they could hear shouting. The driver of the van turned it and began pursuit.

  “How will we get out of here?” Miriam asked her. “How did you get in?”

  “Through the front door.”
r />   Dawn pressed down on the accelerator and the Jeep accelerated faster. The front gate was approaching fast, with her Subaru on the other side.

  “Aren’t you going to slow down?” Miriam asked in alarm, staring at the looming gate.

  “Hold on!” Dawn cried as she drove right at the gate at full speed. The Jeep slammed into the gate with a loud crunch and then stopped. They jerked forward and their seatbelts tightened, holding them in their seats. The metal bars on the gate were deformed and twisted, but they had stopped the Jeep. Smoke was billowing out from it’s engine. The headlamps still worked, though. Behind them, the van was accelerating fast towards their location.

  “Come on!” Dawn unbuckled her seat belt and jumped out of the door. “We gotta go!”

  Miriam struggled with the seatbelt. It had pulled so tightly that it was difficult to unbuckle. Meanwhile, Dawn had jumped up onto the hood of the Jeep and was climbing up the gate. Miriam could hear the van approaching from behind. She fumbled with the straps trying to unbuckle the seatbelt.

  The van stopped. Doors opened and slammed shut. She could hear voices. Dawn turned and looked down at her.

  “Let’s go!” Dawn said urgently. She hopped back down onto the hood of the Jeep and then jumped down on the ground and ran around the side to Miriam’s door. Miriam finally unlatched the belt and was free. She stumbled out of the Jeep. Dawn caught her and they both climbed up on to the hood and then up the gate and over the other side.

  Shivan and the others came running up to the gate just as Dawn and Miriam were getting into the Subaru.

  “Hold on,” said Dawn as she put the car in reverse gear. The wheels skidded momentarily and then they began to pull back away from the gate. Miriam saw Shivan’s face in the light of the Subaru’s headlamps, her face contorted into a frightening snarl.

  As soon as there was enough clearance, Dawn changed gears and turned the car onto the dirt road, speeding away from the 2F compound. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw the gate getting smaller and smaller as they drove farther and farther away from it.

  “Are you hurt?” she asked Miriam quietly. Miriam shook her head, looking down at her hands and arms.

  “What happened in there?” Dawn asked.

  “Too much,” Miriam replied.

  It was a bright and sunny day with clear blue skies and a fresh breeze blowing. The streets were filled with people eagerly shopping and visiting restaurants. It was a lively spot with a lot of activity. Agent Dawn and Miriam were sitting at an outdoor table for an Italian restaurant. The enticing smell of fresh baked pizza wafted out towards them. Surrounding them were several other tables with people sitting and chatting and eating.

  “Before I file my official report, I wanted to talk with you,” Dawn said, “to get your version of events. Off the record.”

  Miriam looked at Dawn. “You want to know the truth about what happened?”

  “I’d like to know the truth, yes. I don’t know how you ended up mixed up in this whole mess, but I do know that your fiancee, Daniel, had discovered something about this 2F cult. And he was going to share his discovery with the world, when they murdered him.”

  Miriam nodded briefly. “I needed to find out. I wanted to know what had happened to him, and why. So I signed up for their seminar and went to their compound.”

  Dawn listened as Miriam described the events that led up to her torture and eventual meeting with Pama in his chambers. She described how Pama had confessed to murdering Daniel, and his plans to poison the city of San Francisco with the neurotoxin TTX.

  Dawn nodded and sighed.

  “Well, we were able to obtain a warrant, and agents are searching the property now. We will find your phone and the videos and images you captured, along with the evidence from Daniel, should be sufficient to bring criminal charges against the entire 2F organization in Federal court. And if we find the evidence of the neurotoxin, then there will domestic terrorism charges against them.”

  “But Pama is already dead.”

  “The remaining members of the cult will stand trial. You will almost certainly be called to testify. He tried to murder you, it was self-defense. No jury will move to convict you.”

  Miriam grimaced. “Is it really necessary for me to testify, though?”

  “Well, the evidence as it is will stand. But hearing from you as a live witness is incredibly important in a case like this. I know it must be difficult, but you of all people realize the situation.”

  Miriam nodded, lost in thought.

  The rain came down in long sheets, undulating like the waves of the ocean. It was dark and cold in the middle of the night. Not a soul was outside. The graveyard was empty, except for one lone figure standing by a tombstone.

  Miriam looked down at Daniel’s grave, her tears running down her face, mingling with and being washed away by the rain. She was wearing a long coat but was thoroughly drenched. She didn’t care.

  She had come alone. When Lisa Chen and Mr. and Mrs. Chen had learned that Miriam was back home and she was alive, they had all come to visit her. Lisa had hugged her tightly amidst tears of joy. But even then, Miriam realized that she couldn’t go back to her old life. Nothing could go back to the way it had been before. Everything was changed forever. Her life had changed forever. She had been permanently altered by her experiences.

  At least she had found the ones who had been responsible for Daniels death. Justice had been served. Just like in those Nova Shock graphic novels, she thought wryly.

  “I came to say goodbye, my love,” she whispered. “I am so, so sorry that this had to happen to you. I miss you so much.”

  She stood for a few more minutes silently in the pouring rain. Then, she turned around and walked away slowly. She turned her collar up and disappeared into the night. Miriam vanished that night, never to be seen or heard from again. She had been permanently changed, the old Miriam was gone. But in her place, something new had been born. Something in the depths of the despair of torture in that tin shed. Something that was stronger, that could not be broken. Something invincible. Nova Shock had been born.

  “I will always love you. Forever.”

  Epilogue

  Leah stared at the news headline on her smartphone for a long while, processing the meaning of what she was reading. “2F cult leader Ntanshi Pama dead, senior leadership being held for trial on charges of domestic terrorism.”

  It was a little too difficult to accept. She shut her eyes tightly, tearing up. To make matters worse, she had finally saved up just enough money for the tickets to the two-week 2F retreat. She was devastated. She couldn’t believe what she was reading.

  Her phone pinged. She swiped down to view the notifications. There was a message on the Tunnel2 app from one of her 2F contacts.

  “Did you see the news on USA Today just now?” the message read.

  She typed a reply back quickly, relieved to have someone from the same group to talk with.

  “Yes, I can’t believe it! Is this really happening??”

  “I think it’s a set up. They’re framing 2F.”

  “Who would frame 2F? Why?”

  “Because we had become too influential and were threatening their power. There are certain groups in the government. Also, I believe that His Holiness is not dead, they are lying.”

  “What???”

  “He is very much alive. He escaped their assassination attempt and is in hiding right now.”

  “OMG really!? How do you know for sure?!”

  “I have been in touch with firstblessed.”

  “You have!? She hasn’t answered any of my messages for days. I was about to sign up for the retreat.”

  “There’s no retreat anymore, there’s no 2F as it was. But His Holiness will be meeting the few who can reach him, and the teachings will continue to live. A small group of us is gathering, we are getting organized, it’s all at a grassroots level. Will you join us?”

  Leah felt hopeful. She eagerly typed her response. />
  “Yes, I would love to. Tell me what to do.”

  “Is end-to-end encryption enabled for this chat?”

  “Yes it is.”

  “Okay, I am sending you the directions and instructions where to meet. Bring only one small carry-on bag. You won’t need any supplies as everything will be provided for you. We have to move fast, you will have to come before 6 PM.”

  “OMG today!?”

  “Yes.”