Prisoners of Paradise

by Brandon Lars Erikson

  Cindy stared at the data on the monitor screen for a few moments and said, “Wow, this is very peculiar. I assume these Military people go through some kind of training and conditioning, but I don’t think any normal human being could withstand this sort of electronic stimulus input…their brain would just melt.”

  Audrey took a drink of her coffee and said, “I don’t know what to tell ya, Cindy…I don’t even know why I’m obsessing over this. I guess I have this, feeling, in the back of my mind…it’s like a voice screaming about how something is just not right. Have you ever done something because you truly believed what you were doing was righteous and moral, only to wake up one morning and start doubting everything you once held to be truthful and right?”

  “I usually wake up every morning with a headache until I get my coffee and a cigarette,” Cindy said sarcastically as she took a long drink.

  Audrey shook her head as she spoke, “It’s like someone isn’t telling me everything. I keep getting this nagging feeling that some crucial information is being held from me…and sometimes I just can’t help thinking that Captain Kalapana is up to something that he just refuses to tell me about. I mean, why does he need this stupid medical file in the first place? What is he doing with this this information?”

  “Wow,” Cindy said as if she had been ignoring Audrey the whole time, “They had this guy on some serious medication…and he was a candidate prescribed for mental modification…”

  “What’s that?” Audrey said as she looked at the screen, unsure of what she was even looking at.

  “What do you mean? You don’t know what mental modification is?” Cindy said as she gave her a strange look. “Are you telling me that you’re involved in law enforcement…and you don’t even know what happens to the people you arrest?”

  Audrey frowned and said, “I’m usually not the one doing the arresting…I coordinate field operations…I compile data from my agents and make decisions…”

  Cindy interrupted her, “Yeah, I get it, you’re a bureaucrat and not a cop…but Audrey, don’t you realize what happens to people, who get arrested for crimes that they committed because they were drug addicts?”

  Audrey seemed honestly dumbfounded as she said, “They go to jail? I don’t know…I don’t deal with petty criminals, I never have. My job is to infiltrate and shut down the big players in organized crime operations. I mean, I know that there are jails in every police station on Ailana…I know how they keep people locked up in cells with bars and locks on the doors. I’ve visited a few of our prisons, and I’ve seen people walking around in orange jump suits and sitting behind bars…but I don’t spend a lot of time in jails and prisons. I have agents that go to those places if we need to ask a prisoner questions in order to compile data.”

  Cindy smirked as she said, “Well, I understand that you are too high on the totem pole to deal with the little people, but for every big time criminal that you are trying to bust, there are thousands of small time crooks and thieves, who steal and commit petty crimes, just so that they can maintain their drug habit.”

  “Yes, I’ve seen the reports…but what is your point?”

  Cindy giggled a bit before she said, “Cutz is incredibly addicting and it tends to make people want more of it. And not too long ago, the Ailanian government decided to deal with these people differently since putting them in jail wasn’t working. Cutz addicts tend to reoffend. The government decided to go another route with these people, rehabilitation.”

  “Ya mean like consoling and twelve step programs? I’ve read reports about the various means of rehabilitation…”

  Cindy chuckled, “Well forget what you’ve read! Apparently your friend Harris has gone through something similar…only his prescribed mental modification wasn’t for Cutz addiction, but the technology used to treat him uses the same principles…plus, he needs to be on medications.”

  Audrey bit her lower lip and made a fist as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

  Cindy’s voice rose in pitch as she said, “And look at this data here…holy shit…this guy has been through all kinds of treatments…this guy must have some serious mental problems. Tell me, Agent Winters, what do you see in the guy exactly? I mean, I can tell he’s really cute and all…but a girl has to think about some other stuff when a guy catches her eye…I mean if the guy had his brains all scrambled…what if he’s some kind of weirdo…what if he’s got some really fucked up emotional problems because of the shit he’s had to see and endure. I’ve about these guys…at first, the find they can’t sleep at night…they feel depressed…they don’t want to talk about it…and they just seem normal, until one day, when ya least expect it…they just snap…”

  “Shut up, Cindy…” Audrey hissed as she got up and left the room.

  Cindy looked a bit perplexed as she said, “Wait! Was it something I said?”

  Location: The Penitentiary Wing of the Hana Paloi Federal Building.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0700 Hours.

  It had taken her quite some time to gain access to the ward, but once the guard let her in, Audrey found herself surrounded by small cells that looked more like tiny rooms in a hospital. The clean, white tiled floors and slowly flashing lights, which were mounted on the plastic lined walls, did not appear as the sort of interior design she expected to find in a prison.

  Audrey walked slowly down the clean, white corridor and read the names and numbers on the narrow cell doors. A couple of them made her gasp as her mind started wrapping itself around a new set of possibilities.

  “Andrea Halaku, Tango Moluki, Hanasi Montulu and Babana Kumtoli…”

  As she read the names on the cell doors, Audrey slowly looked into the frosted window of the closest cell and remembered what Pete had told her, on a chilly night many months ago, when he appeared at her office door, drunk and in a panic. “Those people were scientists…how do scientists become drug addicts? Why would they need to be legally enrolled into a government program in order to make them change how they think and do things?!”

  Audrey gasped as she looked in through the glass and noticed a green skinned woman lying in what appeared to be a hospital bed. She was unconscious and her life functions were attended to by machines she was attached to through wires and clear, plastic tubes. The machines allowed her to breath and feed. A dialysis machine made sure that she would never have to wake up to use the bathroom. Audrey gasped as she noticed how the woman’s eyes were open and blinking from time to time. However, the woman’s eyes were not awake and conscious. Audrey bit her lower lip as she realized that the woman lying on the bed inside the cell was being forced to stare at a monitor that had blinking images on it.

  The woman appeared to be trapped.

  Audrey held her breath and her heart raced as she recalled what Pete had told her, “Don’t you know what is going on around here? Don’t you know what they are doing? Don’t you realize that you are a part of someone’s plan to enslave the people of Ailana?”

  Audrey remembered how she angrily replied, “Pete, I don’t have time for your conspiracy theories! I am investigating a drug cartel and we are on the verge of a break in our case! You need to leave before I call security! Sometimes people just get addicted to drugs and need our help to get clean and sober again…there is nothing wrong with what the government is doing to combat this problem we have here!”

  A chill seemed to pass through room as an icy voice said, “It’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it?”

  Audrey gasped as the voice behind her caused her to jump in fright. She whirled around and saw a white haired man, in the black suit and tie, standing directly behind her.

  “Agent Winters,” the white haired man said. “How lucky of me to be able to find you here…you’re such a hard person to get a hold of.”

  “I’m not supposed to be talking to you,” Audrey said calmly.

  Van Dien passed his fingers throu
gh his white hair and smiled as he said, “Yes, I understand…but would you be speaking with your boss anytime soon?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Audrey, I suggest we drop the bullshit now…I’ve been trying to reach your Captain…and he doesn’t seem to want to answer his com…where is he?”

  Audrey suddenly realized something. She had no idea where Moke was, and that bothered her as she realized the question sounded accusatory.

  She said, “I don’t know where he is…and I’m about to run out the door. I’m taking some personal time off.”

  “Well, I don’t blame you, with all the things you folks have had to put up with…I can imagine that you need a vacation from it all. Just tell your Captain, that I have some information he might want to have…it concerns the leader of the Special Forces Team that just got here from Earth, and it is kind of important.”

  “Well, I’ll try to get ahold of him…but first, I have some paper work to finish up, if you don’t mind.”

  “And does that paper work require you to be up here?” Van Dien said as he took a few steps forward and looked in through the cell’s small window. “It’s such a good feeling…knowing that these poor drug addicts are getting the help they need.”

  “I don’t know about that, sir,” She said as she backed away from him.

  Van Dien turned to face her again. His face was stoic as he said, “I can’t believe that you’ve never been to The Penitentiary before, Agent Winters. They told me that someone with a high priority access pass was in this wing…I just had to see who it was.”

  “What is happening to these people?” Audrey said as she felt the blood draining from her face. The air had suddenly gotten cold.

  “Rehabilitation, of course,” Van Dien said with a smile, “and why do you act so surprised to see this sort of thing? Your Moralist government approved of this treatment. Of course, I suppose it is easy to forget this sort of thing was approved to take place on Ailana…a planet, with a government so dedicated to humanoid freedom and civil liberties. But here these people lay…all because most people don’t pay attention to the news, and Loko Kalaheva probably buried the story in the headlines on a Friday.”

  Audrey felt the pressure building up within her jaw.

  Van Dien inhaled deeply and said, “That’s the beauty of it all, Agent Winters. Most of the High Senators didn’t even read the bill that allowed this facility to be built on this planet, nor did they read the one that legalized this treatment option last year. Having a Moralist majority in the High Senate helps get bills passed into law so quickly that the common man or woman on the street might not even know what is going on…however, since Klunka lost his re-election bid, and Glik and Semnor might be the next to go…that majority might not be around for much longer. That new High Senator, Keiki Karatau, I suppose he might have been someone, who might have objected to this sort of thing at one time or another during his political career. Had he been in office last year…this place might not exist since he has a different set of priorities. But you…what is your excuse, Agent Winters? Are you so busy that you don’t even have the time to smell the roses, and take notice that your government is actually involved in reprogramming people?”

  Audrey gulped down some nervousness in her throat; her eyes looked an animal trapped in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

  “Why?” She said meekly.

  Van Dien smiled again as he said, “What is taking place here is for the betterment of society. These people had their liberty taken away because they made poor choices. They decided to become drug addicts…and their actions have a very negative effect on our society as a whole. You might even compare their actions, and personal decisions, with those of…terrorists. These people need to be stopped…their thought patterns need to be redirected so that they can become productive citizens again. That woman in there, she will be done with her detox program and rehabilitation in six months. She might even be able to be trained to be a cashier at the new Megamall the Aurorians will be building here…”

  Audrey turned away from him and began walking down the corridor, “I have to go…”

  “Oh yes…about your boss, Captain Kalapana…would you please tell him that I would love to speak to him sometime. Tell him that I know about the machines.”

  “What, machines?”

  “The machines, which we brought here from Earth, in order to help your government build this facility…I know that a few of them are missing. And lastly, be sure to tell him…that no matter what he is planning on trying next, there is nothing he can do to stop the future he wants to prevent.”

  “Tell him yourself!” Audrey said as she darted out the door.

  Location: Audrey’s Office in Hana Paloi.

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0705 Hours.

  “Goddamn him! What is he thinking? What happens if these treatments are not successful?” Audrey thought to herself as she quickly tapped a few buttons on her Ready File Computer. The words she read from the medical file made her hair stand on end. Harris and a therapist had been having a conversation some time ago when this dictation was recorded.

  Do you ever think about what it would be like to kill yourself Captain Harris?

  No, but I do think about what it would be like to die.

  What do you mean by that?

  I’ve been to war……I’ve seen what it does……I’m ready for it……I’ve seen so much death, that I’m not afraid of it anymore…but I gotta admit…I don’t want to burn to death……and I do want to go out feeling proud……I want my death to be an accomplishment…let me ask you, have you ever seen how ten billion liters of water, can come falling out of the sky, all at once?

  Are you referring to a monsoon rain?

  No, I’m talking about an ocean wave; they can get enormous on Ailana. Let me tell you……those waves are capable of doing some serious damage. There is so much power in the universe……there is so much energy…..the theory of potential and kinetic energy just absolutely fascinates me. Mankind has the ability to harness all that power that a bomb produces, and stick it inside a shell that is just big enough to fit in the palm of your hand. I just love the idea of seeing destructive power unleashed. I would like to see the power of a fifty meter wave unleashed all at once. I’m thinking all that power, could kill someone rather quickly, and painlessly. That would be the best way to go…trying to harness the power of one of those monster Ailanian waves. If you tried to surf one of those waves, you would either live and be a hero, or die and be a hero. If I am to die…I want to go out like that…

  Audrey just couldn’t stand the thought of sitting here anymore, she was wasting precious time. She grabbed her com off the desk in one quick motion and dialed it. The beeping sounds took thirty seconds to complete before her computer technician answered.

  A voice that sounded like it just woke up said, “Yes?”

  “Tavin, get online with one of those IBOX satellites, I need to find someone.”

  Tavin sounded annoyed as he said, “no, you first need to find an object that person might have been associated with a lot…you need a location…you need…”

  “Look, I need you to find Captain Kalapana, use your retroacts. I planted a homing device on his hovercar last night.”

  “OK…wait a minute…I think I found him. What the hell is he doing way out there?”

  “Give me the coordinates!” Audrey said, “I will need to them for the NAV computer in my hovercar!”

  “I’ll need a few minutes.”

  “Get it done, Tavin…and I’ll give you whatever you want!”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Audrey slammed her com back on her desk and her fingers began flying all over her keyboard as she opened files and logged onto a secret spy satellite that only Moke, Jack and herself had access to.

  “Goddamnit, Moke!” Her mind began to drow
n in a torrid mixture of fear, anger and feelings of sense of undying loyalty. “What are you doing? Why are you doing this?! Why won’t you just come clean with me already?! I can help you! I know I can help if you just let me in…I can help…if you just let me get close to you!”

  Location: The NorthShore of Sacred House

  Ailanian Standard Time: 0706 Hours.

  “What is a surfboard, but a ship to navigate the torrid waters of one’s soul?”

  After a long, hard fought paddle out to sea that was fueled by pure aggression and hate, Harris had managed to push himself through the big, choppy shore break, and out to the enormous waves that were breaking past the reef. He now sat there on the ocean, watching it rise and fall. The noise of the waves breaking in front of him, nearly made it impossible to hear himself think.

  “Who am I kidding, my life is a joke. This bullshit mission will be the same ordeal as last time. The marching orders are not ever going to change.”

  Harris felt the wind drive the ocean mist into his face. He squinted his eyes as they stung with salt water. In front on him, he heard another deafening roar that sounded like the angry cry of one thousand dragons. Harris watched the light blue horizon touch the sapphire shaded water. He watched the horizon rise and fall as he bobbed up and down in the torrid water. He turned his head and looked at the beach; it seemed to be many kilometers away.

  “Things are so much clearer now. It’s like looking through a window, and a mirror…I see my future; I know exactly what will happen. I’ll get a another chance to deliver death to someone, and find out why they deserved it later…I guess their excuse will be the standard one about how we could stop something terrible by ending the lives of some defiant people again…and then the hospital staff will have a chance to probe me for three months after the explosions go off…the doctors will tell me what they think…and I’ll go on being a soldier, playing this role of the angle of death over and over. Maybe, just maybe, my so called wife will still be there when I get back…and she’ll help me find peace with myself again…and maybe, just maybe…those who I have put into their graves…will stay there.”