Mind Games

by Moore, TJ

  Dallas walked up to the reception desk and leaned on it casually. “I’ve overseen the construction of this replica for several months now. You’ll get to know it well. And yes, it does go further in. We aren’t just interested in robbing the lobby, of course. But you knew that.”

  Dallas’s boots scuffed the tiled lobby floor. “For today, this is as far as I’ll take you on this level of the compound. As a part of Unit Two, you’ll get plenty of practice in here.”

  “Where’s the rest of Unit Two working?” Cameron asked.

  “They’re further in – already doing their training exercises. Don’t worry, bud. You’ll get your chance. Now on everyone’s first day, I make them get their hands dirty. You’ll be helping with our tunnel expansion with the members of Unit One. It’s important to understand how both units work in case The Leader decides to switch you. That’s up to him.”

  “Does that happen a lot? The switching?”

  Dallas furrowed his brow, letting out a relaxed chuckle. “Let’s put it this way. The Leader does whatever he wants. He can switch anyone across to the other unit with no explanation. But trust me. There’s usually a good reason.”

  Dallas sealed the sliding doors behind them, and they headed for the lowest level. Once below, Dallas unlocked another thick steel door, which led to the main underground area. Cameron had briefly been wheeled through the tunnels the night before, but his exhaustion had yielded a false sense of the immensity of the tunnels. Now fully awake, the progress of the diggers was no less than remarkable. Cameron tried to imagine how a team of only twenty people had managed to dig out such a large area. Then again, the progress seemed to reflect Dallas’s cruel appreciation for extreme productivity.

  Dallas handed him a yellow hard hat, safety goggles, black gloves, and a sturdy shovel.

  “These are your tools for the day. You’ll be working with Unit One. Now, I’m not going to say Unit One is the brighter bunch because they’re not. The Leader placed the brains in the replica and the brawn down here.”

  Dallas led Cameron to an area where a few members of Unit One were digging. Several of the diggers stopped for a moment to track Cameron with their eyes, remembering back to their first tour of the compound with Dallas.

  As the shovels clunked and clinked in the dirt, Dallas’s spurs also seemed to add to the percussive underground sounds. Then Dallas stopped, holding his hand up.

  “You hear that?” A small smile curled his fiery mustache. “That’s the sound of progress. With these tunnels, it’s forbidden to dig upwards – only out. Eventually, The Leader wants us to live down here. We’re thinking of adding nicer sleeping quarters and a big recreation area down here, too. Of course, the main setback right now is our ventilation system. It still pulls plenty of oxygen, but higher quality vents will have to be added on gradually once we make some more progress with the tunnel expansion.” Dallas spat on the ground. “I mean, you saw how crammed we are in that run down house. It’s like a zoo up there.” Then he led Cameron to another steel door, reaching for yet another digital touchpad.

  Cameron noticed the dirt crammed underneath Dallas’s fingernails. “So, what’s the goal down here? What are the tunnels for?”

  Dallas finished typing the numbers. “I thought you’d like to know.” He twitched his mustache and pushed open the steel door, motioning for Cameron to enter first.

  Both awesome and frightening, the sight before Cameron sent a deep chill through him. Two rows of vehicles in various states of disrepair lined the edges of a long tunnel as wide as a three-lane street. The dirt in-between the rows of cars looked darker than the dirt from the largest tunnel, proving to be a deeper dig into an older layer of sediment.

  In a state of wonderment, Cameron slowly entered the long tunnel, passing a Honda, Chevy, Ford, and Mazda as he stepped. The faces from the two units at the compound were completely diverse – different nationalities and ages – and the variance in vehicles reflected the truly random nature of the takings. The space was lit by the same electric lights Cameron had seen when the men had wheeled him into the tunnels. And near the end of the two rows of vehicles, Cameron noticed the SUV from the San Francisco Police Department. Although a total wreck, parts of the vehicle had been welded back into place, and the glass from the windows was crudely replaced with sheets of plywood.

  Dallas remained near the entrance of the long tunnel, leaning against the steel doorframe. “Impressive isn’t it?”

  “There are easier ways to steal cars,” Cameron said, placing his hand on the smashed SUV.

  “The purpose wasn’t to steal them. The purpose was to gather members for our digging units. We needed a way to employ more manpower for the expansion of the tunnels.”

  “And what are the tunnels for? The Leader?”

  “No, not right away. The Leader would only move down here as a last resort. Besides, that’s too far in the future.”

  Cameron walked further into the tunnel and saw a huge metal ramp where the vehicles were towed underground. Two large trucks were parked near the base of the sealed ramp. The first: a large tow truck. The second: a black and white milk truck resembling a huge cow.

  “And what is all this for?” Cameron turned to face Dallas, walking back towards the tunnel entrance. “Some sort of collection?”

  “That’s an interesting thought. Yeah, it’s a collection of sorts.”

  As he neared Dallas again, Cameron eyed a cherry red Mustang Convertible with missing wheels, sitting flat on the dirt with the car body touching the ground. “It seems like it’d be better to sell this pile of junk for parts.”

  “Oh, but its not about the hunks of metal of even the precious engines. The Leader wasn’t collecting the cars. He was collecting all of us.”

  Cameron stopped walking only a few feet from Dallas’s face. Moving his shoulder forward, Cameron rolled his neck and tightened his jaw. “Did you happen to collect my wife as well?”

  Dallas didn’t move an inch. “Your wife?”

  “She’s here, isn’t she?” Cameron formed a fist behind his back. “Is that why I’m here too? To help you squeeze even more information out of her?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dallas said, closing the steel door behind him, sealing them into the long tunnel of vehicles. “You think we took your wife? What’s her name?”

  “Jennifer Frost.” The fist behind Cameron’s back was now tensed into a clump of white knuckles. “She builds security systems for the Empire Bank.”

  “I never heard of her.” Then Dallas twitched his mustache. “What? You think she’s here with us?” He laughed, managing to conceal his teeth. “No. She’s not here. Believe me. No one enters this place without my knowledge. I’m sure you saw the list of unit members posted near the kitchen.”

  “Yes.”

  “And was her name on it?”

  “No.”

  “If she’s not listed, she’s not here.” Dallas pushed past Cameron and walked into the isle between the rows of vehicles. “I’m sure we could find a way to bring her here,” he said, curling his lips, “If that’s what you want.”

  Cameron faced Dallas, walking calmly towards him before raising his fist in one motion, aiming for Dallas’s jawline.

  With ninja-like reflexes, Dallas dodged the punch, and jerked his head to the side in a crazed smile. “I wouldn’t advise this, Cameron.”

  Again, leaping forward, Cameron took another swing towards Dallas, this time aiming for his gut. But Dallas dodged the uppercut by sucking in his stomach and taking a quick lunge backwards.

  Dallas crossed his arms over his chest and clicked his spurs on the dirt. “You don’t want to fight me.”

  “Why not?” Cameron rolled back his shoulders. “Are you afraid?”

  “Of you? No, Cameron. I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of what The Leader might do to you if I told him you tried to hurt me. I’m one of your supervisors. An authority figure. Down here, hitting me would be like assaulting a po
lice officer.”

  “How did you know how to build the replica of the bank? Where did you get the information?”

  “The blueprints were stolen.”

  “From who?”

  “Someone at the bank, I guess. Who cares?”

  “Tell me where she is!” Cameron jolted towards Dallas, but again, his fist only swiped through air as Dallas ducked under the attack, grabbing Cameron’s fist with both his hands. Yanking him forward, Dallas twisted Cameron’s arm with such agility and strength that Cameron fell to his knees.

  “Stop it!” Cameron yelled. As Dallas twisted his arm further, Cameron cried out again.“What do you want?!”

  “It’s not about what I want. It’s about what The Leader wants.” Then Dallas released him, letting his arm swing back into place. “And the Leader doesn’t want us to fight down here against each other. He wants us to work together.”

  Cameron pushed himself back up and backed away from Dallas. “Why? What is this place?”

  “You’ll get answers soon enough.” Dallas leaned against the battered Mustang and snapped a cigarette out of his pocket. Flicking a pocket lighter with his thumb, Dallas lit the end and took a drag. “I don’t know where your wife is. I really don’t.” Then he lifted the bottom of his jeans to reveal a blinking tracker on his ankle. “The Leader keeps tabs on everyone here. I’m not so different than you, Cameron.”

  “Then why don’t you let me leave this place? My daughter needs me right now.”

  “I would love to let you go. I really would. You think I like living in the middle of the woods with forty-some strangers? No, I had a family once too.” Dallas took a long drag from his cigarette. “But we’re here now. It’s out of our control.” He tapped a few ashes onto the ground near the mustang. “My advice – just try to make the most of it. Everyone else here is in the same situation. There’s no reason for us to fight each other. We’re all here to achieve justice.”

  “Justice? For who?”

  Dallas took another long drag from his cigarette, then threw it to the dirt, crushing it with his boot. “I think we’ve wasted enough time talking. You have digging to do.”

  Then Dallas made his way to the steel door at the tunnel entrance and led Cameron to a pile of shovels and pickaxes.

  “Once you choose your tool, start grinding out some dirt from that back corner wall where those other two guys are working. You’ll hear the lunch bell around 1:00PM. I’ll be back later this afternoon to check on your progress.”

  The repetitive digging motion put great strain on Cameron’s already spent body. He’d rather have been on a crime scene scout than do mindless, thankless work like this.

  The other workers in Unit One did not talk to him. From the corner of his eye, Cameron recognized two sullen faces. Digging side-by-side, two of the workers moved their dirt in complete profile, but Cameron remembered their identities with unmistakable precision. The men possessed the features lit by the lone lantern only hours before. These were the men that dragged him inside the behemoth maze of tunnels. The realization happened in a brief moment, and as the men turned their shovels closer to Cameron’s digging area, he gradually turned his own the other direction. Scooting only a few feet to the left, Cameron was able to block most of his body from their potential eye lines. He hoped that a portion of the tunnel wall would obstruct their field of vision. Then, he lowered his yellow hard hat until it touched the tops of his lashes, just for good measure. He felt as though he had to conceal his face from them: his captors.

  Looking at these two men, Cameron tasted a metallic fear in the back of his throat. He carefully watched the men shovel the dirt from his concealed vantage point. Alternating the lifts and turns of their shovels, the men seemed to be joined in a single mechanical motion, like tiny figurines of an ancient clock. The men hacked, raised, and lowered the dirt into piles. And they didn’t say a word. They just kept working.

  By surveying their methodical, almost robotic actions, Cameron might have thought the men were somehow brainwashed into subhuman forms: slaves of this underground world. But then, as he looked and saw their blinking ankle trackers, Cameron understood that these men were just like him. They had not chosen to be in these tunnels. They had not chosen to stay.

  Just like him, they had been taken.

  For lunch, Sheri made cheesy pans of lasagna with garlic bread. Then, during the break, Cameron played another game of checkers with Max.

  “Yeah, the digging will tear you up and spit you out. You’ve got to be careful.” Max jumped two of Cameron’s pieces. “I heard Dallas is moving you up to the bank replica tomorrow – to join the rest us in Unit Two. Lucky.”

  “Really? How do you know that?” Cameron focused on defending his remaining checker pieces.

  “Because, Frosty. I overheard Dallas telling Sheri in the kitchen. Not just that, Melanie’s getting moved to the digging crew. She must have slipped up or something.”

  Cameron looked up from the game. “Melanie? Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. What, you falling for her or something?”

  “No, it’s just, Dallas seems unpredictable.”

  “That’s the understatement of the year.” Max jumped another one of Cameron’s pieces. “Seriously though. You’re lucky, Frosty. Dallas had me digging for a long time. Except they didn’t even tell me why I was doing it. So, I just started coming up with reasons of my own just for fun. I told myself I was digging to China or that I was actually working for NASA and they were making an underground rocket.”

  Cameron looked around the living room. The other members of Unit Two were either mid-conversation in their own board games or gabbing by the freight elevator. “What are the tunnels for, Max? Dallas showed me all the vehicles down there.”

  “Then you know already,” Max said, quieting his voice. “You know about the plan?”

  “No. He didn’t tell me.”

  Max clicked the checkers pieces in his hand, stacking them on the table. “Cameron, only The Leader has the entire vision.”

  “But you must know something. You’ve been here two years.”

  “You want to know what the vehicles are for?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want to know why they were saved and stored instead of loaded off to the dump?”

  “Tell me.”

  Max leaned back and ran his hand through his spiky hair. “It isn’t a secret, Frosty. Everyone here already knows about the vehicles. They’re going to be used for holding cells.”

  “Like metal cages? For what? Wild animals?”

  “Not animals, Cameron. Prisoners.”

  “Oh God.” Cameron rotated the checkers board on the table. “So Dallas is going to lock us in those cars?”

  “Not us, Cameron. Criminals.”

  “From where?”

  “The city.”

  Cameron leaned forward. “Dallas. He talked about…”

  “Justice?” Max grinned. “Yes, the mantra on the plaque.‘Peace from Justice. Justice from knowledge…’ that crap? It’s been the goal since the beginning, Mr. Frost. The Leader wants to rid the city of its criminals. He wants to bring them here.”

  “To an underground prison? Why?”

  “To cure them of their criminal minds.”

  Cameron peered across the room at two workers from Unit Two chatting near the freight elevator. They were talking about football, and they were laughing. “Then why are we locked in here if we’re not the prisoners?”

  Max’s grin faded, and he looked down, moving one of his pieces across the checkers board. “Every prison needs an infrastructure. Guards. Doctors. The Leader believes our two units can be part of the cure.”

  “Max, tell me this…has anyone ever tried to get out of this place?”

  “What, like an escape or something?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Funny you should ask.”

  PERSON OF INTEREST

  On the night of the violent storm on Highway 17, Amy’s search team
didn’t see the tree fall, causing Cameron’s SUV to spin off the road.

  Instead of stopping or looking back, the search team had pressed on through the storm, more concerned with staying on the road amidst the heavy sheets of rain than looking back. Unfortunately, the violent nature of the storm, including its dodgy visibility, fragmented the remaining members of the search party. It wasn’t until twenty miles later when the search team came into a clearing from the storm that they noticed Cameron’s absence.

  Amy instructed the team to turn back and search to see if Cameron’s SUV pulled off to the shoulder of the road. But instead of finding the fallen tree or the crash site, the search team – initially assembled for Jennifer Frost – now held the responsibility of finding Cameron Frost as well. Amy remembered the mile marker where the storm came on at full force, but as the search team zipped past, the fallen tree that caused the accident was nowhere to be found. The tree line was entirely intact. Carefully surveying the area in both directions along the highway, Amy and the search team never found Cameron’s crash site or any other evidence of his disappearance. Devastated by yet another missing person added to the case, Amy told the team to head back to the city.

  Back at the precinct,Vince was eating some pizza he’d picked up from a gas station when his phone went off. Amy had set the active alarm inside Derek Hansen’s weapon closet to trigger when he returned for his stash of money. Upon triggering, the alarm automatically sent an alert to Vince’s cell phone. When Vince received the message, he dropped the pizza in his lap.

  “Finally,” Vince said. “Let’s go make that gunslinger weep!”

  Amy and Vince reached Hansen’s mobile home and knocked on the yellow splattered door. Derek’s pickup was sitting in front of the trashed yard.

  “SFPD! Open up!” Amy pounded on the door.

  Nothing.

  “Derek Hansen,” Amy persisted, “We have a warrant for your arrest.”

  Knock. Knock. Knock.