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A violent cramp in Jax's right arm pulled his entire body over. His biceps bulged between the straps.
He screamed.
"You will disclose the code to destroy the SEED vehicles."
Jax craned the knotted muscles of his neck to look up. "What?"
"You will disclose the code to destroy the SEED vehicles."
"There is no code!"
The cramp intensified. Jax moaned.
"You will disclose the code."
Jax blurted groups of words between waves of pain. "There was none...too dangerous...never know the future...no way to get them back...no way to stop them...once gone...."
The cramp released. Hard, iron pain yielded to a horrendous ache.
"You must terminate the SEED program."
"Even if there was a code, the transmission would take centuries to reach--"
The left arm cramped.
"No!" Jax said.
"We can execute the transmission. We can reach the vehicles. You must terminate the SEED program."
More gnashed words. "No vulnerable subroutines...you can't penetrate...always sleeping...no code...."
The arm relaxed.
Fire raged in his ripped muscles. "God.... Oh God."
"You must terminate the SEED program."
"I can't!"
"You will not disclose the information?"
"There is no information!"
"You will not disclose the information?"
"Can't!"
A pause.
Then, a statement.
"You will not disclose the information."
Jax started to cry.
Tears spattered his stained shirt, his arms, the exposed bits of chair.
Across the room, a door of light opened.
Jax drew a quivering breath. At first, he didn't understand what he was seeing. Who he was seeing.
His project chief, Mikale, the best member of his staff, stood in the doorway. He held two thin lines and a large syringe. In the slice of brightness, Jax traced the lines back to his chair. They were the IV's leading into his arms.
Mikale had bled all over himself. His scalp, hair, and underlying fat had been rolled back on the side of his head. A small bundle of wire leads poked into what looked like living brain. The skull was cut away.
"We will have the information," Mikale said.
The voice. Altered, not right. But now Jax heard the similarities to Mikale's.
Mikale, who was a medical doctor by training, moved the syringe to the lines. Jax fought to get out of the chair.
On to Part 9.
Back to Part 7.
11 comments:
jason evans you write beautifully!
that was me, lucy
Lucy, thanks so much for the compliment!
Now i am wondering what life form so wants to stop the proliferation of humanity through the universe. there are so many philosophical questions being posed in this series Jason...I like it.
Love it! Love it!
Whoever they are you can hardly blame them for wanting to stop humanity prilferating can you?..;-)
Walking Man, in a way, I am examining our place. Maybe it's not what we think it is. Or it's less sure and fixed.
Four Dinners, there are times I really don't want to see it proliferate. Like some of the politics going on in this country.
Chilling, even horrifying.
Bernita, yes. A brutal invasion.
SEED series just keeps reminding me that its been real long that I've read one of Asimov's. Must make time (if only one knew how to :P)
loving it.
Aniket, reminding you of Asimov is a high compliment!
Raj, excellent!
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