Jonathan Creed

The gurney had wheels ... so I could wheel it around with me if I absolutely had to ... but it couldn't fit through the door ... and that was a problem.

Sarah was behind that door.

I looked at the handcuffs and then at the gurney. I tried to force my brain into making those superhuman calculations.

I felt a slight tingling in my head. I paused ... waiting for the rush of numbers and ideas.

Nothing happened. I guess I couldn't do it at will.

I sighed. Well they must have gotten this damn gurney in here in the first place. If it doesn't fit through the door then they must have put it together in this room.

I started undoing a bolt on the side of the gurney. To my surprise the bar that my handcuff had been put around popped loose.

Smiling to myself, I neatly slid my handcuff off the bar. Half of the handcuff still encircled my hand ... but at least I could move around.

Carol whimpered quietly in the corner. I glanced over at her. She was slowly inching her way toward a small table in the corner of the room.

On that table was Turner's gun.

I quickly strode past her hobbled form and picked up the gun. I tucked it into the back of my pants and glared down at the injured girl Carol was looking up at me with hatred in her eyes.

Carol's brown hair was strewn about her face, and her dark brown eyes were glaring at me with hatred.

Despite her ragged and rather hostile appearance ... she was quite pretty.

"I hate you!" She screamed.

She broke down into a series of sobs that racked her body.

I peered down at her intently. "Why?" I asked in my Master voice. A voice that came to my lips much more easily than it had previously.

I noticed Carol shiver. "You hurt him. You've hurt my Master. You've hurt him several times. First you ruin him and now you hit him! It wasn't his fault! He never wanted things to go this far. It was those other two ... they are to blame! They were the ones who kidnapped all those girls!"

"Silence," I said.

She simply stared up at me in horror. "How did you manage this? You should be brain dead! You should be a slave to the Master like me! Yet ... you're not ... you move so quickly ... so fluidly ... and your eyes ... there different ... it's like you're a different person."

Carol took a deep shuddering breath. "It's like you're not even human anymore."

-------

I stared into Carol's dark brown eyes.

She looked back at me fearfully ... and she fidgeted ... but never broke eye contact.

As I continued to look at her the back of my neck started to tingle. Carol's mouth dropped open. She moved her hand tentatively to touch the back of her neck.

What was happening?

Suddenly I felt a rush of consciousness, and everything stood still.

-------

A glass wall stood in front of me once again. Symbols danced and moved around just behind the surface. Little numbers moved and calculated themselves as if by magic.

Did I pass out? Am I back in my 'subconscious?'

No.

This was different. This glass wall looked different. The symbols moved differently than mine had. I felt a strange sense of foreboding ... as if I was intruding somehow.

I looked deep into the confusing array of numbers and symbols ... and slowly my mind pieced together their order.

This was Carol's chip. Somehow, someway I was peering into the inner workings of her neural processor. My mind continued to delve into the depths of her processor. Hers didn't seem as complicated as mine. However, something odd did strike me. A couple of symbols looked different than the others. These glyphs appeared black while all the others shone in a variety of colors. They also stood stock still, while all the others moved and danced around.

I extended my consciousness to these curious anomalies.

Almost immediately I wished I hadn't. Whereas all the other symbols allowed my mind to float gently through them ... these did not. It was like mentally hitting a brick wall.

However, I did glean the intention behind these symbols.

They didn't necessarily spell out a sentence but I thought I could accurately put them into words.

My best translation was, 'You will obey the imprinter.'

It sounded so simple ... yet these symbols had power ... and I couldn't change them.

An educated guess told me that these immovable symbols must represent Carol's code.

I remembered what Turner told me about how it was impossible to change the code ... I guess he was right. However, I could change other things. I knew that only too well. I had changed one of my own symbols ... that must mean I could change some of hers.

There were thousands of symbols in her head. Some represented nothing more than idle thoughts, while I stumbled upon some others that looked to represent entire text books worth of medical knowledge.

Even with all these other distractions it didn't take me long to find the ones I wanted.

Interestingly enough, the symbols that I thought would be the most immovable looked identical to all the other floating multi colored ones.

'The imprinter of Lydia is... '

For the life of me I couldn't figure out the last symbol. But I could only infer that this one represented Turner ... and that Lydia was the neural processors 'true name.'

With only a little effort, I waved the symbol away and it turned to smoke.

All the changing numbers floating around me suddenly stopped. The color faded from all of the symbols.

I had just deactivated her chip.

I instantly knew that something was wrong. The symbols all around me were starting to crumble. Even the glass itself was beginning to crack.

The chip had been activated and needed an imprinter. Without one ... it was going down the tubes.

For some reason, I knew that if that happened, Carol would die.

Despite all the terrible things she had done to me ... I knew the girl didn't deserve to die. All her actions were not of her choosing. The blame for her misdeeds rested with Turner, not with her.

I guess that meant I would have to be her imprinter.

Of course ... I had no idea how I could manage that. The normal way of imprinting was not an option. I knew that the sensor that picks up the DNA sample closes down after it has been imprinted on ... I guess I needed to do something else.

I needed to create a new symbol, one that stated that I was her imprinter.

I didn't know how to do that. It was easier to destroy than create.

So I decided to improvise. Using the full force of my new found mental abilities, I attempted to will a symbol that represented me into existence.

To my great surprise, I succeeded.

A new glowing blue symbol winked into existence right where the old one used to be.

The new sentence read: 'The imprinter is Rex'

As if someone flipped a switch back on all the symbols resumed moving and glowing ... the cracks in the glass sealed themselves ... and everything seemed to be alright.

There was just one difference ... everything seemed less alien now ... and I no longer felt as if I was an intruder. Instead, it felt like all the numbers and glyphs were overjoyed by my presence. They floated close to me and brushed up against my consciousness in a playful manner. Almost as if they were saying hello.

It was a wonderful feeling to be so welcome. I knew without a doubt that I was the Master of this chip now.

"Lydia!" I called out mentally.

The numbers and symbols halted for a brief second ... and then began to swirl around me ... I had invoked the chips name ... it was waiting for a command that it could not ignore.

"Prevent your host from attempting to harm me. I expect you to listen for your name carefully, and obey me when I call out to you. Do you understand your charge?" I shouted.

Lydia didn't answer with words ... but it responded by surrounding my consciousness with a feeling of warmth and affirmation.

Satisfied, I withdrew.

-------

Chapter 21

I returned to my corporeal body with a jolt.

It took me a second to reorganize myself ... it felt good being back 'in' my body after being 'out' of it.

Carol was still on the floor ... and was still glaring at me ... strange ... how much time had passed while I was immersed in her neural processor.

I looked down at her, and fixed her with my sternest glare. "Look," I said. "I'll deal with you later. Right now I need to assess the situation."

Carol continued to stare at me. "Do whatever," she said "I don't care."

She was a bad actor. I watched amusedly while she casually slipped her hand into her lab pocket. I had already noticed the familiar bulge of a syringe in that pocket. I had figured it was only a matter of time until she tried to use it.

She had no idea that she wouldn't be able to.

She didn't know that I owned her.

I chuckled to myself. Oh well, I thought. I remembered Sarah was perfectly able to do things I didn't want her to do. I had figured out that the chip just provided 'suggestions' to the subject's brain ... Carol would still be free to act against me despite the fact that unbeknownst to her I was her new imprinter.

I also knew that I had ordered Lydia to prevent her from attacking me.

I grinned; it made me feel powerful to know that I could call on the name Lydia ... that I could control her like a puppet on a string.

I pretended to be unaware of her furtive malicious actions. I turned toward an unconscious Turner.

I bent down and checked his pulse. It was normal and he was breathing steadily. I rummaged through his pockets and retrieved the key to my handcuffs.

I popped the manacle off my left wrist.

I quickly grabbed both of Turner's hands and pulled them behind his back. I clicked the handcuffs onto his wrists.

Now he would be subdued even if he did wake up.

I pocketed the keys to the handcuffs.

All the while I was silently aware that Carol was shuffling up behind me with a syringe. It took a great deal of mind power not to turn around and disarm her. But I was confident that Lydia would protect me.

Besides, Carol needed to experience firsthand how helpless she was before me.

I sensed her hand moving quickly ... she was trying to strike. She was aiming for her favorite spot. She was trying to jab me in the neck ... again.

It didn't work this time.

Her hand stopped like it had hit an invisible wall. She yelped in surprise.

I turned slowly to face my little attacker.

The needle of the syringe was a mere inch from my neck. Her arm was frozen in its jabbing motion. Her face was twisted in a mixture of frustration and panic.

Sweat was beading on her forehead. She was trying to complete her attack still. She was straining against Lydia's hold on her with all her might.

I raised a cool eyebrow at her.

"What are you trying to do my dear?" I asked in my Master voice.

Carol gasped and spluttered. "I ... what? Why can't I ... what is happening? She finally screamed.

"Lydia," I said calmly, "Inform your charge whom her new Master is."

A second passed with Carol staring blankly at me. I watched as understanding slowly dawned on her face.

Her eyes widened in panic.

"No," she said, "He's my imprinter," she gestured weakly towards the unconscious Turner.

I smiled. "I'm afraid I rummaged around through your head and changed a few things my dear."

Carol looked at me as if I was a monster out of a fairytale. "You can't do that! I already accepted my fate. I accepted that would be that man's servant forever. You can't just turn my world upside down like this!"

I shrugged. "Rail against reality all you want my dear. The truth is I have wrested you away from Turner ... you are mine to do with as I wish."

Carol dropped the syringe listlessly. She looked at me with an expression of abject hopelessness.

"So what are you going to do to me? She asked. "I've attacked you ... and made your life miserable. I understand if you are going to hurt me." She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists.

He eyed her. She looked like scared child. I guess she was essentially. She couldn't be more than twenty two year old.

"I'm not going to punish you," I said soothingly.

Carol opened her eyes. Confusion was evident on her face.

"Did Turner beat you?" I asked gently.

Carol pursed her lips ... and looked away.

"Lydia," I said. "Did Turner beat you?"

"Yes," Carol said before she could help it. She clamped her hands around her mouth in shock.

I sighed. "I thought so."

Carol whimpered softly through her hands.

This poor girl has lived through hell. I wondered how many others Ronald Turner had turned into his own personal servants.

"Are there others like you serving Turner Lydia?" I asked

Carol's forehead wrinkled. She looked like she was putting everything into not responding. It was a useless gesture. I was her imprinter, and I called upon her true name.

"No. I am the only other know person with an active chip. I was the trial run specimen, before the X18's were created and the sexual fantasy program disbanded."

I grimaced. "Why you? What did you do to be there guinea pig?"

Carol cringed ... but said nothing. I realized I hadn't said the name.

"Answer me Lydia." I said sternly.

Tears began to fall from Carol's eyes. "Because I was easily accessible."

I frowned, "Why were you accessible Lydia? Did you work for this monster?"

She shook her head pathetically. "No," she said, "That monster is my dad."

-------

"Your own father did this to you! Why!" I exclaimed.

Carol's head rolled up ... and she flopped down on her back. "I don't know ... because he could, because I was never the daughter he wanted. I was into drugs and alcohol, and I was flunking out of Penn State." Carol paused and looked up. "You didn't compel me to say that," she said surprised.

I held up my hands. "I don't mean you any harm ... I don't want to have to compel you to get along with you."

Carol looked at me. Her eyes were red and blood shot, and her knee was beginning to swell.

She sniveled, "Okay ... it feels kinda good to say this stuff anyway." She took a deep breath. "One day my father told me he was going to cut my allowance if I didn't come down to Chicago and meet him in his office. I had no other means of income ... so I flew down. When he met me in his office he told me how disappointed he was with my actions. He had hired a Private Investigator to follow me and report on what I did."

Carol paused.

"Then he had people put a neural processor put in your head didn't he?" I said.

She sniffed and nodded. "He called it an X16 ... but yeah ... pretty much. When I got to his office he told me how disappointed he was with me ... and then he had security take me away. When I woke up ... I found I couldn't disobey him. He made me call him Master. Apparently he stuffed my head full of Medical knowledge. He made me the doctor he always wanted me to be."

"So how did you end up kidnapping me?" I asked.

Carol shrugged. "When he put the chip in me he got me some fake documents. I became Carol Pearson instead of Carol Turner ... so no FBI people bothered me when UniCORP went under. Then one day my father showed up on my door step and started ordering me around again. He made me get a job under Dr. Thompson."

I motioned to continue.

Carol sighed, "He ordered me to sleep with him so he would like me. So he would trust me. He was trying to get me close enough so I could get to you. I would have kidnapped you when Dr. Thompson and I came to you house ... but I thought our only stop was the motel. I would have packed a syringe if I had known we were going to your house. Dr. Thompson and I started developing some neutralizing serums that I didn't really understand ... when I heard we were dropping off the serum directly to you I took action. I threatened him at gun point to lure you to the garage. Then I jabbed him with a tranquilizer before I got out of the car to go get you."

I nodded. "I know the rest of the story."

Carol closed her eyes. She looked ... resigned. "I guess you do." She started up at me. "Now may I ask a question?"

I nodded.

"How did you do this to me? How could you possibly have hijacked my chip?"

I shrugged. "I've been thinking about that ... and I think all this is due to the chip you've put in my head."

Carol cocked her head to the side. "The Z01 doesn't do anything except make people turn into brain dead zombies. It was a failed prototype." Carol paused. "But you're not brain dead ... are you?"

I smiled. "No, instead I'm better than I've ever been. I don't know how it has changed me ... but I know I'm different."

Carol simply looked at me warily.

I looked around, "Where are the two large goons that dragged me in here?" I asked.

Carol shrugged. "Turner sent them to go and make some sort of arrangements ... I didn't really listen ... I was too busy performing the surgery that gave you super powers."

There was an awkward pause.

Carol spoke, "I'm at your mercy. What are we going to do now?"

I took a deep breath. "You're not going to do anything. I am going to go get Sarah out of her cage ... and then we are all leaving this goddamn basement ... you need to get that knee looked at."

Carol looked at me strangely. "How do you know we're in a basement?"

I answered without thinking. "There are no windows and the air is heavy with mildew, and the door over there is really just an old service elevator. I came to the conclusion that we are in the basement of a building built before 2055."

Carol exhaled slowly. "I guess you are different," she said sarcastically.

I smiled wanly at her ... and then walked into the room that held my darling Sarah.

-------

Sarah looked so sad ... so forlorn.

Sarah's head was slumped forward. Dark streaks covered her cheeks, bearing testament to her recent tears. Her red hair was frizzy and sticking up in some places. It was so long that she was sitting on it. She was still chained to the wall ... it looked like she had been ignored while they were dealing with me.

How awful ... to be alone ... and waiting for someone you called master to come back and order your death.

Her chest rose evenly though ... and she didn't appear to be hurt.

"Sarah?" I whispered. "Sarah are you all right?"

She stirred slightly in her bounds. A quiet moaning sound escaped her lips.

"Sarah ... wake up my darling."

Her eyes slide open ... she jerked in her chains when she saw me. Her eyes went wild in terror.

"Please Master! It's me! It's Sarah your slave! I love you ... please please remember me and don't kill me!" She screamed.

"Shhhh," I said warmly. "I know who you are my darling slave. I am not here to kill you ... I just thought you might want out of that cell."

Sarah's mouth fell open in shock. "But Master ... how? They took you away to put a chip in your head! Where is Turner? Where is that little bitch he jabbed you with that shot? Why are you still you?"

Her adorable British accent resounded loudly in the small room.

I smiled ... it is amazing what you take for granite until you almost lose it. "I am fine my dear. I managed to turn the tables on our good Mr. Turner ... and the um ... bitch ... is in no position to jab anymore people with needles ... as for why I'm still me ... well ... that story will take longer and I'd rather get out of here first."

The tension drained out of Sarah's body.

I opened the cage and Sarah's chains using the keys I'd stolen from Turner. Sarah tackled me the moment she was free.

"Oh Master!" She said as she planted wet kisses all over my face, "I was so scared ... I'm so glad you're alright."

Sarah grabbed my head and forced a deep kiss upon my lips. I returned it with enthusiasm and I grabbed the back of her neck to pull her closer.

As soon as my hand made contact with her neck I felt a familiar lurch of consciousness.