by Sarah Noffke
You mean when.
“One of the reasons you might be experiencing muscle spasms is diet,” Liesel was now saying to Jack. “Do you eat meat?”
“It starts with some casual conversation about running, and in no time, our chief engineer is going to have Jack dancing around with a rain stick,” Eddie joked loud enough for everyone to hear.
Jack cut his eyes at Eddie before saying, “Don’t you two have somewhere to be?”
Eddie yawned loudly. “Not immediately. Ricky Bobby is still en route to Paladin system.”
Tell the captain he’s an idiot, Pip chimed in.
I tell him that all the time. It doesn’t affect him.
Grab him by the arm and drag him out of the office, then. He’s messing up Jack’s chances.
For what?
Lordy, lordy, lord. You two are meant for each other.
What? No!
You and Teach are both as dense as a jar of mayonnaise.
Hey, don’t you lump me into the same category with the captain.
You’ve been lumped.
Julianna grabbed Eddie by the arm and yanked him out to the hallway. “Come on, mayonnaise. Let’s go speak with Knox.”
“Mayonnaise?” Eddie laughed, allowing himself to the be pulled. “Who you calling salad dressing?”
“It was from Pip,” Julianna explained.
“Tell him that he’s a monkey’s ass.”
Tell the captain, ‘Okay, see you next Tuesday’.
That doesn’t even make any sense.
Sure it does.
“Why the look of confusion?” Eddie asked, giving Julianna a quizzical look.
“Pip said he’ll see you next Tuesday? Do you know what that’s about?”
An abrupt laugh fell out of Eddie’s mouth. “Damn. I see how he plays.”
“What?” Julianna asked.
“His name-calling gets mean fast,” Eddie said.
Julianna was immediately confused. “Name-calling? How is something to do with Tuesday name-calling?”
“Take the first letter of ‘see you next Tuesday’. It’s a clever way to call someone a bad name.”
Julianna grimaced. “That’s not how you spell that word. It starts with a ‘C’.”
“When did you become an English teacher?” Eddie joked.
“I’m not, I’m just saying,” Julianna said.
“Well, you’ve got to hang with me if you want to know the hip lingo,” Eddie said with a wink.
“Not that I would, but why wouldn’t you just call someone that word, rather than saying, ‘see you next Tuesday’?” Julianna asked.
Eddie shook his head. “Because calling people names is rude, Jules. This is much classier and less insulting.”
“Now I’m taking lessons from you on how to be less offensive. Fuck my life,” Julianna said with a sigh.
CHAPTER TEN
Onyx Mental Facility, Onyx Station, Paladin System
Julianna has to be the woman of a thousand disguises, Eddie thought, strolling beside her through the solid white hallways. Her facial expressions, for one, always seemed to be hiding something.
The pantsuit she was currently wearing made her look like a completely different woman. Maybe he’d gotten too used to seeing her in combat clothes and sporting boots to appreciate her more feminine side. It’s not that he didn’t notice that she was a woman; it was fucking hard to miss. But Julianna was a different kind of woman than most.
“You’re staring,” she said through tight lips.
Eddie shot his focus forward. “Blue is a nice color on you. That’s all.”
Julianna peered down at the powder blue suit she was wearing. “It’s the color of the sky. Everyone looks good in blue.”
“I’ve been on some planets that didn’t have a blue sky,” Eddie imparted, fidgeting with the belt on his slacks. “Tell me again, why did we have to wear starched suits, but Knox here gets to sport his frayed jeans.”
“Do you own a pair of frayed jeans?” Julianna asked.
“No.” Eddie looked back at Knox, who was trudging along behind them, no enthusiasm in his eyes. “Can I borrow a pair, Knox?”
The kid smiled weakly but didn’t answer.
“We need to blend in,” Julianna told Eddie. “Believe me, I’d rather not be wearing these shoes—they pinch the fuck out of my toes. But if I strode in here with a holster and my usual bad-ass attitude, then we’d raise suspicion.”
“Yeah, I hear you on the shoes,” Eddie said, staring down at the loafers he’d been forced to squeeze his giant feet into.
Julianna plastered a polite smile on her face as they neared the nurse’s station. The nurses, all dressed in starched scrubs, sat behind the desk with their chins down.
“Hello,” Julianna said in a voice that didn’t sound at all like her usual one. “We’re here to see Bennet Harrison.”
Unhurried, the nurse in the middle of the three looked up, running her eyes over Julianna and then Eddie and Knox at her back. “And you are?”
“Samantha Harrison,” Julianna stated. “I’m Benny’s sister.”
The woman, who had grey eyes absent of any joy, darted her gaze at Eddie and Knox. “And they are?”
“Her husband,” Eddie said in a rush. It sounded so strange coming out of his mouth, but there it was. “And this is my brother, Chris. Our parents had me first and then Chris here a full decade later. We’re best buds now.”
“I don’t care,” the nurse said, her tone dull. She extended a hand to Julianna. “I’m going to need two forms of identification.”
Julianna unclipped the purse hanging on her shoulder. Eddie never thought he’d see Julianna carrying a purse unless it had a gun in it; however, this one was full of makeup and other feminine essentials, since she expected to be searched at security.
“Here you are,” Julianna said, handing over the fake documents that the general had provided them with. “If you check my brother’s file, you’ll see that I’m his sister, Samantha Harrison.”
The nurse handed back the identification. “I don’t care. Second door on the right.”
Julianna took the IDs, looking to be holding back a snide remark. “Okay. Thanks. See you next Tuesday.”
~~~
Julianna knocked on the door to Dr. Bennett Harrison’s room.
“I’m naked! Don’t come in!” a man yelled in reply.
Julianna turned the handle for the door. Eddie reached out and grabbed her arm, a startled look in his eyes.
“Didn’t you hear the man?” Eddie asked. “He’s naked.”
“It may surprise you, but I’ve seen my fair share of naked men. Maybe he’ll show me something I haven’t seen,” Julianna stated unabashed.
Eddie glared at her. “Dammit, Fregin. I can’t take you anywhere.”
“This is how I act out when I’m not allowed to have my gun,” Julianna said, turning back to the door.
“Well, as your husband, I insist on going in first,” Eddie said, sliding around Julianna to open the door enough to admit him, and then swinging it closed again.
Julianna cast a look back at Knox, who didn’t appear at all entertained. “Isn’t Mr. Fregin a doll?” she asked him.
“I heard that,” Eddie said from the other side of the door. “And it’s all clear. Dr. Harrison is completely clothed.”
Julianna stepped into the room and immediately ducked.
Bennett sat on a bed in the middle of the room, launching things through the air in her direction. Julianna blocked her head with her arm and looked down at the floor where one of the objects had landed.
“Is that a rubber chicken?” she asked, pointing to the floor.
“Yes,” Eddie said, also shielding his head from the strange attack. “But he’s only got one more, so we should be okay.”
“Which I’m not throwing until you lower your hands,” Bennett said in a hoarse voice.
“They’re rubber chickens. Not bullets.” Julianna rolled her eyes at her
partner. “Dr. Harrison, we’re here because we really need your help,” she said, pulling her arm away from her face.
“Well, our friend Knox does,” Eddie said.
A rubber chicken careened into his head.
In an effort to keep a straight face, Eddie brushed his hands down the front of his pin-striped suit.
He looks good, polished. Almost refined, Julianna thought.
I heard that!
Shut the fuck up, Pip.
When I’m in the captain’s head, I’ll be sure to relay these sweet nothings.
Not if I erase you beforehand.
Your idle threats mean nothing to me.
Would you go away? I’m trying to get a mad man to help us.
Okay. See you next Tuesday.
“Dr. Harrison,” Julianna began. “We understand that you’re the very best with hypnosis, and we’d—”
“Cluck! Cluck!” The doctor sprang off the bed, flapping his arms by his sides. He hurried over to the fallen rubber chickens laying by their feet. “My babies! Don’t step on my babies!” Dr. Harrison gathered up the rubber chickens and piled them on his bed.
Eddie gave Julianna a look that seemed to say, “This guy is as nutty as a fruitcake,” However, Julianna wasn’t entirely convinced of that. Pip and she had their own speculation about this doctor and now that she was here, she thought they were right. Julianna had met a lot of insane people. Hell, many of them, she’d made that way. And this guy…well, he was entertaining, but there was something about the look in his blue eyes that made him seem more lucid than he was playing at. He had stringy gray hair and a face full of wrinkles, but somehow, he still seemed young. Maybe that was because he was petting a rubber chicken.
“I know, Clare,” Dr. Harrison said to one of the chickens he was holding. “I’m working on your pen now. Give me another day, and you’ll have a proper place to lay your eggs.”
“Dr. Harrison, do you still practice any of your old hypnosis strategies?” Julianna pressed.
The man held the chicken up to his ear, like it was a telephone. “Aunt Daisy, I’ve had the best day at the farm. Let me tell you all about it.”
“Jules,” Eddie said, his voice a hush. “I don’t know if this is going to work. This guy is—”
“Acting,” she said firmly, cutting him off.
“What?” Eddie asked, his brow wrinkling.
Dr. Harrison spun around, the chicken still clutched to his ear. “Aunt Daisy, I have to go.”
“Doctor, I read your file,” Julianna began, “It is very curious indeed. I had my AI cross-reference your symptoms with those of a dozen other patients displaying the same ones. Do you know what we found?”
“That those poor souls died a miserable and lonely death?” Dr. Harrison asked, suddenly scratching his flaky skin. “I’m certain my shingles are back. And my restless leg syndrome is worse than ever; it’s going to be a long night for sure.”
Julianna ignored his complaints. “Pip and I discovered that those patients were all faking. What I can’t figure out, though,” she continued, “is why someone with your education in mental illness would do the same.”
Eddie spun around to face her, a look of shock on his face. “He’s faking? Are you sure? When were you going to tell me that?” He sounded offended.
“Now,” she told him simply.
Dr. Harrison looked to the right and then to the left, as if trying to find a way out of the conversation.
“Doctor, we’re not here to hurt you,” Julianna stated. “We need your help. If you can give us that, then maybe we can do the same for you. That’s got to be better than pretending to be crazy for the rest of your life.”
Dr. Harrison slid the rubber chickens off his bed and took a seat, looking defeated. “Pretending to be crazy is better than lying in a casket.”
“So you are faking it,” Eddie declared triumphantly.
The man nodded.
“Why, though?” Julianna asked. “And why are you, an expert in mental illness, displaying every symptom imaginable?”
“The treatment of mental illness has progressed rapidly under the Federation,” Dr. Harrison explained. “We can stabilize even the most serious cases of mental illness, which means most patients are released from this institute within three years.”
“But you can’t be released if you have an illness that’s not classified,” Julianna stated, figuring it out at once.
“Now the question remains, why are you faking being crazy?” Eddie asked.
“How easy was it for you to get in here?” Dr. Harrison asked.
“Well, for a normal person, it would have taken a formal written request, a submission of identification records to the board, and a background check, along with a pat-down upon entry,” Julianna stated.
“I’m guessing you’re not normal people,” Dr. Harrison said with a morbid laugh.
“We work for a powerful man,” Julianna said. “You also have probably guessed that we’re not the bad guys who are trailing you.”
“No because they have fish breath and a dorsal fin,” Dr. Harrison explained.
“So the Trid are after you,” Eddie summated.
Dr. Harrison nodded. “You must have connections to get in here so easily. For most it takes a clearance and cutting through a lot of red tape.”
“You’ve been faking being crazy to remain protected inside this facility?” he asked. “What kind of life is that?”
“It’s an easy one,” Dr. Harrison admitted. “I’ve worked my entire life, tirelessly producing research for journals and doing everything I can to make myself an asset to the mental health community. Now I wake up, do what I like and eat pudding for breakfast. It’s really the life I’ve been pining for.”
“Then your secret is safe with us,” Julianna stated. “But in return, we’d like you to take one last patient.”
She stepped to the side and presented Knox, who had been standing in the corner like a shadow.
~~~
The bed smells like the old man, Knox noted as he nestled deeper into the sheets.
“That’s it,” Dr. Harrison encouraged. “Make yourself comfortable. The more relaxed you are, the better.”
Right, Knox thought. Just lay down in a stranger’s bed and relax. No big deal.
“With your eyes closed, I want you to continue to focus on my voice,” Dr. Harrison said. “It will be your guide. Wherever it tells you to go, you go. My voice is your ruler, and you must do whatever it says.”
Dude. This guy has some gnarly skills, if he can really control people with his voice. No wonder he’s hiding from the Trid.
“Now, even though you are incredibly relaxed, you’re not going to sleep,” Dr. Harrison ordered.
“I’m not going to sleep,” Knox said, and was surprised to hear his own voice. Whoa. I didn’t even think that...
The old man had already taken Knox through three guided meditations, mostly involving sitting calmly in the forest or lying on a beach. There was a freedom in Knox’s mind that he’d never known before.
“Let’s begin with what you did today, from the moment you woke up,” Dr. Harrison prompted.
Knox’s eyes moved under his closed lids.
“Do you recall that clearly?” Dr. Harrison asked.
“Yes,” the boy answered.
Dr. Harrison had agreed to help Knox and keep his findings confidential in exchange for Ghost Squadron’s promise to keep the doctor’s sanity a secret. Julianna and Eddie had readily agreed, and briefed the doctor on what they needed Knox to remember. They’d also given Dr. Harrison certain details about Knox’s life that would help trigger the memory.
“Good, good. Now, what about the day you were reunited with your father? Can you recall that day in its entirety?”
“Yes, I remember that day,” Knox stated.
“That’s fantastic,” Dr. Harrison said. “I want you to go back further. Can you remember the day your father took you to the aquarium?”
&
nbsp; Knox had been seven years old, and it was one of his favorite memories. He thought of it often, so he had no trouble calling it up now.
“Yes, I can,” he answered.
“Wonderful,” Dr. Harrison cheered. “Now, can you recall the day that your father disappeared?”
Knox’s head tightened. His eyes flinched. His fingers clenched.
“Take a deep breath, my boy. It’s only a memory,” Dr. Harrison said.
Knox saw a swirling of colors: reds, blues, browns, greens. They all spiraled together until turning crisp and forming the picture of Knox’s childhood home. He was walking through it, calling out for his father. It was like the vision he’d seen in his old house, when he’d tried to recall the memory the first time.
“I see it,” Knox said, his voice a whisper.
“That’s great,” Dr. Harrison declared. “That memory is easy to recall. You can see as much of it as you want. You can zoom in on specific details, and even rewind it if you like. Did you know that?”
Knox felt his head shake. “I didn’t.”
“It’s true. That one memory is clearer than any other, and the more you study it, the more you remember. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Knox felt his mouth smile. “Yes.”
“Now, tell me what you see as you play the memory,” Dr. Harrison said, his tone neutral.
“I’m walking through my house, looking for my father,” Knox began.
“Do you find him?” Dr. Harrison asked.
Knox shook his head against the pillow. “No, I go out to his workshop. I see the Tangle Thief.”
“That’s nice. What do you do next?”
“I reach out and take it. I think it will take me to my father,” Knox said, living it like it was his present reality. He felt the object in his hand as his fingers wrapped around it. He sucked in a breath and initiated the device. It was all coming back to him; this was where the memory had stopped before.
“Where does the Tangle Thief take you?” Dr. Harrison asked.
Knox saw only blackness. He was certain the memory had vanished, like before. He let out a breath, about to sit up and admit defeat, when he was suddenly able to make out high walls and hundreds of storage units filling the space around him. The locker in front of him popped open when his feet hit the ground, after being transported. Inside the drawer was another Tangle Thief, both the receptor and client pieces.