Torment of Tantalus

by Bard Constantine

  Mary Jane’s expression was considering, but still doubtful. “Michael believes himself a prisoner unjustly detained by Chimera. Putting his mental state aside, what makes you think he’ll cooperate? He already survived one Aberration. I can’t see him exactly volunteering to dive headlong into another.”

  Blackwell smiled. “We’ll get someone he trusts to persuade him.”

  Her eyes widened as the realization struck. “You mean Nathan Ryder.”

  “Indeed. They’ve connected, grown a unique bond. Nathan will be thrown off balance when he’s offered an opportunity to investigate his theories firsthand. It’s in his nature to be suspicious, but his curiosity will get the best of him in the end. And if not, there’s always other ways to convince him.”

  “Such as?”

  He laughed at her expression. “So distrustful, Dr. Kelley. Not to worry, I won’t have Damon break his ankles. Did you evaluate the recordings of his interaction with Private Ruiz?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then you noted his apology to her for his remarks about her father.” He pulled up the video feed.

  Mary Jane shrugged. “Yes. Nothing noteworthy in that.”

  “Oh, but there is. Nathan is not the sort to offer remorse or politeness for the sake of appearance. If he apologized, it was because he meant it. Which means he has formed an attachment to our little babysitter.”

  “All he’s done is ignore or insult her the entire time she was with him.”

  “You underestimate the value of association, Dr. Kelley. Ruiz is the only real company he’s had in months other than his evaluations with Michael. He might play head games with her, but that’s only to distance himself from any feelings of connection. He’s used to having her around, and will miss her now that he figures he won’t see her again. Imagine if he found out she was on the security detail for our rescue mission.”

  “You believe he’ll find it easier to accept your offer?” Mary Jane pursed her lips. “Which would almost certainly assure he could be convinced to take charge of Michael as well. Did you plan all of this out in advance?”

  “Of course not. A man simply plays the cards he’s dealt the best he can. One must swiftly adapt in a state of flux, after all.”

  Her severe stare indicated a shortage of patience at his banter. He smiled inwardly. Mary Jane was a master of logistics and a genius in her field of thermodynamics, but her straightforward thinking made it difficult to understand manipulation. Particularly when she was among the many being manipulated.

  “If you’re serious about doing this, you have little time to waste.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “It’s definitely crunch time. We need to assemble our team quickly, but carefully. In addition to Michael and Nathan, we’ll need a squad of around fifteen soldiers. Damon, you’ll be in charge of assembling the personnel. I’m talking the best of the best, capable of quick thinking in heavy stress situations. Include Private Ruiz in the roster. She’s inexperienced, but her only task will be looking after Nathan anyway. “

  Damon folded his arms. “I’m not comfortable with civilians on a mission this volatile. Private Ruiz is a risk, too. She’s never been blooded, much less seen any heavy action.”

  “No need for them to get off the ship. Once we find the place, I want only our people on the ground. Ruiz can babysit the others in the control room until we get back.”

  Damon’s reluctance clung to his face, but he nodded. “I can get a unit together in a week’s time. When are we going in?”

  “As soon as we’re sure of our findings.” Blackwell nodded to Mary Jane. “This is where you come in. I recruited you because of your expertise on thermodynamics. Someone on the cutting edge, not afraid to take risks on unproven theory. You did wonders with Nathan Ryder’s findings. I trust you can complete the entire puzzle in time.”

  Only the tiniest curve of her mouth revealed her pleasure at the compliment. “I’ll get a team together now.”

  She swiftly strode out of the office. Damon remained silent until the door slid shut before turning to Blackwell.

  “You didn’t tell her everything.”

  “I told her what she needed to know. And she didn’t need to know Dr. Stein went rogue and is directly responsible for the communication blackout.” Blackwell stroked his chin as the display pulled up feed from Michael McDaniel’s room, where Michael sat on his bedside, shaking his head as though talking to himself.

  “Now I’m telling you what you need to know. I want you to secure a nuke capable of destroying the entire facility. Explosives have been successful in the past to shut down these Aberrations, including the mill where Michael worked. Our first priority is data extraction, along with biological samples Dr. Stein has compiled.”

  “No priority on personnel extraction?”

  Blackwell waved a dismissive hand. “Dr. Stein and his team will either be dead or infected by the time we arrive. We can’t take the risk of an insanity breakout or worse by extracting them. That’s his fault, not mine. The data is the most important thing. The only thing, in fact. If we can use it as I anticipate, Chimera Global will change the world.”

  He glanced at Damon. “You have any reservations about what you might encounter on the ground?”

  Damon shrugged. “Michael’s testimony indicates the creatures can be killed by standard weapons. If one guy with a couple of handguns can get out alive, I’m pretty sure an experienced military unit can make mincemeat of anything we find.”

  “True, but you’re not going against gun-toting terrorists or enemy combatants. You’re more than likely going to see things you can’t explain. Creatures not found anywhere but in your nightmares.”

  Damon lifted his head with a feverish stare. “I don’t have nightmares.”

  Blackwell laughed. “That’s because you’re psychotic, Sid. The very reason why I employ you. Speaking of which, I need you to find the best military commander available. You won’t be leading the team. I need you personally watching my back on the ground.”

  Damon’s head jerked in surprise. “You? You’d really take that risk, after everything you just said?”

  Blackwell stared at the main screen, which had sectioned itself into dozens of feeds. Michael McDaniel taking medication. Nathan Ryder glaring at his chauffeur as he entered the hotel. Elena Ruiz’s eyes widening as she read her transfer papers. Mary Jane assembling a team of physicists. Senator Blackwell gesturing as he shouted at a room full of reporters.

  But in the center was the aberrant cloud, smoldering amid static flickers and grainy snow. Somewhere in its midst was the next leap for mankind. Somewhere in its midst was Alexander Blackwell’s legacy.

  “I can’t leave this in anyone else’s hands but mine. Someone might have to make a life or death call. I prefer that to be me. I have to be there, you understand? I have to be. The risk is high, but now and then you have to toss the dice and live with how they fall.”

  He jabbed a finger at Damon. “Just remember—the mission is to enter the facility, extract the data, then blow the place sky-high regardless of who is left behind. Personnel concerns are secondary. Everyone is expendable.”

  Chapter 5: Quiescent Duress

  Michael winced. The sunlight was so bright it was nearly unbearable. The air was moist and cold, pricking his lungs like miniscule needles. Everything was so wide open that he felt positively exposed.

  Get a hold of yourself. You’re not even off AIT grounds.

  He sat at a table across from Nathan in one of the tightly manicured squares of greenery where employees could catch a smoke or a breath of fresh air while on break. There were no aides hovering nearby, no one timing his activity or waiting to inject him with some sinister, mind-dulling concoction. It should have been liberating.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  Nathan’s expression suggested otherwise. “Sorry, Michael. The proposal is obviously suspect, because of its origin. All I can do is lay out the terms. It’s up to you whether or
not you want to accept Chimera’s insane offer.”

  “They want me to lead them into an Aberration? Haven’t they heard anything I’ve said? That’s suicide, man. And an extremely horrible one, too. No way.” He shook his head. “No way I’d even mistakenly dream of voluntarily going anywhere near another one of those things.”

  “That’s what I told them.” Nathan didn’t appear discomfited by the idea of venturing into a cesspool of madness and murder, but he’d never experienced an Aberration. Michael figured if he had, his preppy outfit would be drenched in sudden and frequent outbreaks of odorous sweat.

  Nathan took off his eyeglasses and wiped them with a neatly folded handkerchief. “But this is the only way you walk out of here. They agreed to sign your release papers. Documents certified to return you to a public life, and sealed to prevent anyone from using your time here against you. I ran them past a trustworthy lawyer. They’re the real deal, Michael. I think Chimera is grasping at straws, desperate for any option they can find. You can use this to get out of here. Get your life back.”

  Laughter exploded from Michael’s throat. He threw his head back and let the mirth flow.

  Nathan gave him a quizzical glance. “I’m serious, Michael. This might be your only chance.”

  Michael wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “You turning into a used car salesman now, Nate? Of course it’s legit. You still don’t get it, do you? They can make all the guarantees they want, because they’re not worried about me coming back. Anyone who volunteers to go into that hellhole is signing their own death warrants, guaranteed.”

  He took a second glance at Nathan, who had developed a sudden interest in staring at the ground. “Wait a minute—don’t tell me you were duped into going?”

  Nathan looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?” Michael felt as though the air had been snatched from his lungs. “You don’t know? What’s there to know? Other than you’ll be gutted like a pig in a slaughterhouse, most likely from your own hands? Do you know what happened to my coworkers at the mill? Do you?”

  “I read the report…”

  “Oh, the report.” Michael threw up his hands. “Letters on a piece of paper. You weren’t there, Nate. You didn’t see the things I did. If you did, you’d rather stick a pistol in your mouth and blow your brains out to spare yourself the agony repeating that torture. Christ.” He blinked back the tears that blurred his vision.

  “I’m ready to go back to my room. I’d rather be imprisoned for the rest of my life than take up that offer. You have no idea. No idea at all. You and everyone on the team will be dead the moment you step in that facility. I’d rather rot in here than experience that again. Not again, not for anyone.”

  Nathan was silent for a moment as a slight breezed swept across the square, stirring the leaves of the nearby trees. A raven sat on a low-hanging limb, swaying in the wind. It peered at Michael with knowing eyes.

  Nathan sighed. “Not even for Cynthia?”

  Michael’s heart nearly stopped. “Cynthia…”

  “Listen, Michael. I don’t know you very well, but I do know you love Cynthia very much. I know you want to see her again. She’s had your child by now, hasn’t she? Are you telling me you’re willing to turn your back on that, based on the chance that this thing is really an Aberration? We don’t even know if it is yet.”

  Michael had stopped listening. He stood and placed his hands on his head. “She’s had the baby. We…we have a child.”

  “That’s right. You’re a father. One that won’t be in his daughter’s life if—”

  Michael waved a hand to cut him off. “I’m in.”

  Nathan paused with a puzzled expression. “What?”

  “Just shut up. I’m in. Hell, how long have I been here?”

  “Nearly a year. You didn’t know?”

  “How could I?” Michael practically shouted the words. “How the hell could I know up from down in this place? They tell me nothing, other than I’m some insane mass murderer who needs a lobotomy.”

  Nathan raised an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure they don’t do those anymore.”

  “You know what I mean.” Michael paced back and forth, surprised at the quivering rush of adrenaline. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stand still.

  “So I sign up and I’m free? No more of this watchdog stuff? I can come and go as I please?”

  Nathan grimaced. “Not quite that easy. Until the mission is over, you’re my charge. I keep tabs, monitor your well-being, and make sure you show up when and where you’re supposed to.”

  “So you’re my babysitter.”

  “Pretty much. I know how it feels, so I empathize. But Chimera’s not fully removing their hooks until they get what they want.”

  Michael nodded absently. “Fine, whatever. Just get me the hell out of here, Nate. How long will it take?”

  “As quick as signing the contract, if that’s what you want. Is it?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Michael.” Nathan stared directly in his eyes. “Just a second ago you said you’d rather kill yourself than do this. So you really need to make sure, because once this starts there will be no turning back. Understand?”

  Michael glanced at the tree, where the raven perched expectantly, as though waiting for his answer. The faces of his dead coworkers flashed across his mind; eyes wide and glazed, blood pouring from their mouths. He shivered.

  “Yes. This is what I want to do.”

  The raven cawed in a guttural voice and soared from the branches. A single inky feather drifted down and landed at Michael’s foot. He bent down and picked it up, staring at the glossy hues of black, purple, and green.

  Nathan didn’t appear to notice, pausing to carefully wipe a smudge off of his shoes with one corner of his brilliantly white handkerchief. “Let’s get this done, then.”

  “One condition.”

  Nathan rose up and adjusted his tie. “You want to see her. I know.”

  Michael felt his heart ram blindly against his sternum as though trying to shatter the bone. “When?”

  “Now.”

  ∞Φ∞

  Droplets slid across the surface of the window in haphazard streaks. The sky was gentle with the release, the rain faint as fog. Michael tried not to squirm in the back seat of the luxury Range Rover. He stared outside as though seeing buildings and sidewalks and traffic for the first time. It felt so strange to be outside. To be moving. He was almost afraid to close his eyes, afraid if he blinked he’d awaken in the confines of his sterilized prison again, a victim of another lucid hallucination.

  He was so engrossed with the thrill of buoyant movement that he was startled when they pulled alongside a curb in an upscale yet unfamiliar neighborhood. He looked to Nathan, who sat beside him in the leather-cushioned interior.

  “Why are we stopping?”

  “Because we’re here. Piedmont Avenue area. Nice neighborhood.”

  “Here? Where is this, Oakland? But…Cynthia lives in Birmingham.”

  “Lived. She moved here when she learned where you were being held, Michael. They never let her see you.” Nathan pressed the intercom button. “Niles?”

  A man responded in a courteous British accent. “They’re pulling up now, sir.”

  “Ah.” Nathan turned as a Mercedes SUV passed them and pulled into a driveway two houses up. A tall man with dark hair and a professional face emerged from the driver’s side with an umbrella in hand. He quickly strode to the passenger side with the gentlemanly gesture of holding the umbrella for the woman who exited the vehicle. Michael’s breath caught.

  It was Cynthia.

  She beautiful as ever. Time seemed to slow as she emerged and offered the man a smile for his courtesy. Her hair was different, immaculately styled instead of loose and carefree like he remembered. Her clothes were different as well—a well-tailored skirt and blouse instead of denim and plaid. She even wore heels instead of sneakers.


  None of that mattered. His pulse raced as the memories surged; all the laughter and passion, the tears and quiet moments they had shared together. The recollections careened and collided in his mind like an afternoon traffic accident. He blinked tears away as he shamelessly stared.

  “Cynthia…” He pulled the door handle. Nothing happened. “What the hell? Cynthia!” He jerked at the handle. “Why won’t this thing open?”

  Nathan laid a firm hand on his arm. “Get a hold of yourself, for God’s sake. You said you wanted to see her, not make a complete ass out of yourself in front of her fiancé.”

  Michael winced as his teeth clicked together. “Her—” He watched helplessly as Cynthia was escorted by the mystery man to the doorway of the cozy townhouse. She took a quick glance behind, almost as if she could sense Michael’s presence through the black-tinted glass of the Range Rover. He placed his hand against the rain-streaked surface.

  See me. Just see me, baby. Come on.

  The door shut, sealing him off as effectively as his cell in the AIT.

  Nathan leaned back. “Fiancé. You can say it. She’s engaged, Michael. To Dr. Wayne Crestor. He was her therapist, helping her cope with your high profile arrest and the news of you being a possible mass murderer. Apparently the therapy connected beyond the sessions. Whirlwind romance, with the good doctor falling hard, apparently. He proposed last week in front of family and friends.”

  “Family and friends? I’m her family. How could she do this? It hasn’t even been a year and she’s already moved on?” Michael pounded his fist against the padded leather armrest. “I want to see her, Nathan. We had a deal.”

  Nathan’s expression hardened. “The deal was you get a chance to see her. You just did.”

  “What? That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  Nathan massaged his brow and gave Michael a sidelong glance. “I’m a bit disappointed in you, Michael. Did you really think things were going to fall in place like some romance movie? What, you were going to dash out in the rain and watch as your true love disregarded her well-meaning but boring perfect man to run back into the arms of her disgraced but faithful loser?”