VULNERABLE MIND
Disclaimers apply
CHAPTER TWO: ‘Environmental Control’
Lucas awoke slowly, shivering. He curled himself into a ball to try to warm himself up, but began to wake up as he realised where he was. He was lying on the cold cement of a small concrete cell. The first thing he noticed was that he was completely naked. He sat up quickly, panicking, only to groan in pain at where he was hit on the head. He touched it slightly, realising that someone must have cleaned it up when they stripped him.
He looked around the rectangular cell. It was dimly lit with no windows. Lucas had woken up lying with his back to a bed, which was sitting horizontally across the wall, facing the thick metal door.
Lucas sat on the cold concrete floor and waited. There was nothing to do and the fear of what was going to happen to him was becoming nearly physical. He noticed that there was a black mark on the wall across from the bed. He crawled over to take a look at it.
To his disappointment it was just a power point. Although, what it might be for seriously worried him. It didn’t look like the type of room that would have any appliances.
Feeling exposed by his nakedness, Lucas crawled back over and got up onto the bed. The mattress was thin but the sheets and blankets were clean. Lucas crawled under them, feeling more comfortable hiding himself under the covers. He lay down and was mildly surprised by the comfort of the bed. He shut his eyes, realising how tired he was and fell asleep before he knew it.
***
“It was unmarked,” Tony said, for possibly the twentieth time that day.
He, Tim and Commander Ford stood onboard the SeaQuest, just outside the docking bay.
“Can you describe the van?” Hudson asked as he came into the docking bay. He had just received word from Henderson on shore.
“He already did,” Jonathan Ford answered for him.
“To about ten different people,” Tony said in frustration.
“Sir,” Ford looked at Hudson, looking for answers, “The island is swarming with Military Police. Surely they couldn’t have gotten that far.”
“If it was an ordinary blue furniture van like Mr Piccolo says, Commander…” Hudson left the rest of the sentence unspoken.
“Who would have taken him?” Tim asked.
“That I plan to find out,” Hudson said, “They must have taken him for a purpose, otherwise they just would have killed him….”
He paused for a moment and they all remained silent, staring at the ground.
“We can’t let this get too far out of hand. We have peacekeeping to do,” he said, “Commander,” he turned to Ford.
“Yes, sir?”
“Bring in all our crew. I don’t want anyone stepping foot off this boat unless they have been given a direct order from me.”
“Yes, sir,” Commander Ford moved off, taking out his PAL.
“Mr Piccolo, I know that you’ve been through it many times but I need you to give a full account to the chief of the Military Police of exactly what happened. Try to see if you can remember any thing else.”
Tony nodded quietly.
He looked at Tim, but addressed both him and Tony, “I’m going to start organising the people we need for questioning. We’re going to get the bottom of this,” he assured them.
***
Lucas woke feeling extremely thirsty. The dryness in his throat and the stiffness in his muscles told him that he had been asleep for a long time. He felt his heart beat slightly faster. What the hell was going on?
Lucas got out of bed, using the sheet to wrap around and cover himself and walked over to the door. It was completely sealed and there was no latch or window he could peep through.
“Hey!” he screamed at the top of his lunges, “Hey!”
He felt tears of frustration prickle his eyes as he heard his voice echo throughout the small cell.
“Let me out of here!” he cried, banging on the door.
Lucas didn’t how long he yelled and banged on the door for, but by the time he collapsed to the ground sobbing, his throat and fists ached painfully. He slowly crawled back over to his bed and sat on the ground near it, feeling sorry for himself. He sat and waited.
And waited.
Lucas stiffened as he heard footsteps. He was surprised at the relief he felt as he heard someone fiddling with the door outside and immediately sat up and covered himself.
The door screeched open and a man walked in, quickly closing the door behind him. The man was bigger and taller than the men that had taken Lucas but he didn’t look as hardened.
Steven Cuwley looked at the naked young man before him and tossed over a set of clothes he was carrying. Lucas reached up to catch them quickly.
Lucas watched the man carefully, waiting for him to say something. He realised that he was shaking more than he had realised and his jaw was quivering with fear. He tried to suppress it. He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing he was afraid.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Lucas demanded.
Cuwley felt pleased with himself that he knew exactly what Lucas was going to say, “My name is Steven Cuwley. I’m an agent of Section Seven.”
Lucas looked afraid, “Section Seven?” he said softly. His tone was reminiscent of that which he used with Captain Hudson when he had first come to question him.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Cuwley walked in further, “In fact, you should feel most privileged.”
Lucas looked at him in interest.
“I’m here to offer you a position.”
Lucas’ mouth dropped open and he scoffed, “Nice way of trying to encourage me to work for you,” he said sarcastically, “Why the hell did you wait so long? Where are my clothes?”
“Your uniform has been destroyed,” Steven answered, “You wont be needing it.”
“The hell I won’t!” Lucas yelled at him.
“Raise your voice again and you won’t be receiving any more answers today,” Steven warned. It was an unusual threat. But given the amount of time Lucas had spent in that cell alone and desperately needing to know what was happening to him, it was effective.
Lucas was silent for a short while. So Cuwley continued, “This is your classroom,” he told him, putting his hands behind his back, “Here you will learn all the basics that you need to know.”
“What kind of basics?” Lucas’ tone had returned to its passive sombreness.
“Well,” Cuwley said walking in, “There are few things you need to understand about the philosophy and approach of Section Seven, so that you can understand where we are coming from.”
“You mean, that it’s okay to kill and torture people to get what you want?”
Cuwley smiled, “No. That’s exactly what I mean,” he turned around to leave, “Your lessons will start tomorrow.”
“Wait!” Lucas called.
Cuwley turned around to look at him.
“Could I-uh… I need some water,”
Cuwley turned around and opened the door; “Some food and water will be brought to you tonight,”
“Tonight?” Lucas had no idea how far away that was.
“Soon. In about half an hour.”
“What time is it?” Lucas asked.
Cuwley turned back around and looked at him sternly, “I thought you said you wanted some water?”
Lucas was mildly confused, “Yeah,” he said quietly.
“Your questions are finished for tonight. If you keep asking questions when you’re not suppose to and don’t show me any respect, your privileges will be taken from you.”
He turned and closed the door. Lucas was left alone, shocked. Cuwley had referred to him receiving food and water as a ‘privilege’. He’d hate to see what a punishment would be.
He swallowed dryly and got up; shaking out the clothes he’d been given. There was a pair of long, dark blue pants and white sweatshirt. Lucas slipped his shirt on quickly before disentangling himself from the sheet and putting the pants on. He certainly felt a lot more comfortable now he had clothes on, but realised that as well as being thirsty, he now had the urge to do something else.
There was nothing to do while he waited, so he sat on the bed and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them.
It wasn’t much longer before Lucas heard someone at the door again. This time he was greeted by two other completely different men. One was carrying a plate of food and some water, while another followed him with a large silver bucket.
Lucas sat up straighter as they came in closed the door behind him.
“Hi, Lucas,” the man with his food greeted in a ridiculously friendly tone, “My name is Peter, this is Alec.”
Lucas just looked at them suspiciously. Alec walked over and placed the bucket in the corner of the room, “This is for to use when you need to otherwise use a bathroom,” he told him, “You even got paper too,” he said.
Lucas looked away in humiliation.
“It’ll be emptied daily,” Peter told him. He ducked his head around to try to look at Lucas face, but Lucas wasn’t looking at them.
“You said you were thirsty?” Peter asked him.
Lucas nodded and the man handed him a cup of water off the tray, which Lucas drank gratefully.
Peter placed the tray down on the floor, “This is all you’ll be getting until tomorrow night, provided you behave yourself. So I suggest you eat,”
Lucas looked at him furiously but contained his anger by swallowing hard.
“Why are you doing this?”
Peter looked over at Alec, “Its standard process we need to be sure we can trust you,” Peter explained.
“What?” Lucas demanded, “You came to me. I don’t even want to be a part of this!”
Without warning, Peter struck Lucas hard in the face, knocking him onto the bed. Lucas reached up slowly and touched his cheek, looking at Peter in shock.
“Lucas, you’re lost. You’re confused about the world,” Pete began, “Everything you’ve been told about us, about right and wrong, you need to just forget it.”
Lucas stared at them in shock, “We’re here to help you, Lucas,” Alec added, “We’re going to show you the truth.”
“I already know the truth,” Lucas told them through gritted teeth, “And this,” he gestured around his cell, “Is not a good way to try to convince me otherwise.”
“You’re wrong, Lucas,” Pete told him, “You have the potential to become very dangerous and hurt a lot of people,”
Lucas just stared at him, dumbfounded, “You need us and we’re going to help you. We’re you’re only friends now.”
Lucas stood up to protest just as they left, but no words came out his mouth. He was too shocked to respond.
***
Peter and Alec returned early the next morning. Lucas was already awake but still lying on the bed quietly. He hadn’t eaten much of his meal last night, but still refused to finish it. He turned over to face the wall but didn’t move again as he heard the door being opened and the two men walked in.
Peter brought in a pile of large text books full of reports.
“Good morning, Lucas,” Peter greeted him. He glanced carefully at the way Lucas lay defiantly still on the bed with his back to the room, but went about setting the large pile on the floor.
“Are you going to sit up and say good morning?” Peter asked him, his friendly tone darkening.
“Are you going to make me?” Lucas challenged. In hindsight, even in the current circumstance, it was a pretty stupid thing to do. But when Lucas felt trapped or felt that someone was treating him badly, he tended to rebel regardless.
Peter knew this, and he intended to change it. Peter clenched his fist and stepped forward, only to be intercepted by Alec. The two exchanged a silent glance before Alec reached over and picked Lucas up off the bed, throwing him onto the floor.
Lucas landed hard on his back and stared at Alec angrily.
Just as Alec lunged for him Lucas gave in, “Okay!” Lucas gave in. He got the feeling that all he had to do to stop a beating was to give in and answer Peter. He quickly weighed up the consequences and decided being defiant wasn’t worth it right now. He should save his energy.
Alec stopped. Lucas lay on his side panting.
“I’m sorry,” he gasped out.
“What do you say?” Peter asked him.
Lucas sat up, “What?”
Alec struck Lucas in the back of the head. Lucas winced and looked at him in confusion.
“Not ‘what’,” Alec warned him.
Lucas continued to stare at him.
“I said Good morning to you,” Peter interrupted, “Shouldn’t you answer me?”
Lucas looked over to him, “Good morning,” he said carefully.
Alec stood up straighter.
“There. That wasn’t so hard was it?” Peter said as he started walking back over, “All that because you can’t mind your manners.”
“Sit up on the bed,” Alec said in much more pleasant tone. He caught the look Lucas gave him, “Or stand if you like, whatever.”
Lucas looked at them both carefully and got up to sit down on the bed.
“Now,” Peter said as he walked over and picked up one of the books, “We’ve got a lot of work to go through.”
Lucas’ tried to pay attention but his eyes wandered over to Alec. He noticed that Alec was holding some pieces of rope. Sitting next to the wall was a large cane. Lucas swallowed uncomfortably.
“What are those for?” Lucas asked them.
Peter looked up at him and followed his gaze over to Lucas, “You’re quite tiresome, Lucas,” he explained, “Very disobedient. Not willing to listen at all.”
“You’re holding me captive!” Lucas cried.
“Lucas,” Peter warned in a teacher/parent tone, “Do not use that tone of voice.”
Lucas glared at him angrily, “Well maybe if you’d explain to me what’s going on. Why you’re keeping me here…”
“Maybe if you listened!” Peter boomed, “You would already know!”
The sudden change in level of voice gave Lucas a fright, but he tried not to visibly jump.
“You are here because you are special. You are here because we want to offer you the life that you deserve,” Peter spoke slowly, “You are here because you are not ready for that life and in order to be ready we need to make some adjustments.”
“Adjustments?” Lucas voice shook obviously and he mentally cursed himself.
“In your attitude,” Peter emphasised, still with his teacher/parent tone.
Lucas relaxed slightly. At Lucas’ silence Peter continued, “Now, do you want to start listening or do you want a taste of the stick?”
Lucas looked over at Alec and the cane carefully and shook his head, “No.”
Peter slapped him hard across the face, “ ‘No’, what?”
“No, I don’t want you to hit me,” Lucas said carefully, holding his cheek.
“So you’re willing to pay attention?”
Lucas clenched his teeth and nodded carefully.
Peter sighed, slightly relieved, “Okay,” he said as he sat down on the bed, “First of all, you need to understand our philosophy as Section Seven,”
Lucas tightened his jaw and Peter stopped, daring for Lucas to speak. When the teenager kept his mouth shut, he continued, “It is not, as you said the other day, about when it’s okay to kill people.”
Peter continued, “You’ve heard of the saying, ‘never play their game’?”
Lucas nodded.
“This is all about playing their game,” he looked at Lucas for emphasis, “Learning how to play and beat the enemy at their own game.”
He paused to see if Lucas understood.
“So if their game is mass murder and torture,” Lucas asked as he looked at them both, “We get to play that too?”
Peter looked at him and sighed, “Alec,” he said. Peter got up from the bed and walked over to the wall.
Alec picked up the cane and walked over to him.
“What, so if I challenge you, you punish me?” Lucas demanded.
“No. No.” Peter said gently as he turned around, “Your behaviour is out of line. You need to listen to learn.”
“I can’t ask questions?” Lucas asked, his voice shaking.
“From now on, you are not to say a word unless asked or told to,” it was Alec, “Do you understand?”
Lucas felt his breathing constrict. He couldn’t remember being this angry and afraid at the same time since he was a child.
“B-but, how can I learn if you’re putting forward a completely closed system of logic?” Lucas demanded.
Alec answered his question, “Turn around.”
Lucas just looked at him. Alec grabbed a hold of Lucas and spun him around, slamming him up against the wall. Alec put one knee up on the bed to get his balance whilst he held Lucas in place.
CRACK!
The cane struck Lucas across the centre of his back. Lucas cried out almost immediately. The pain remained there long after the cane had fallen. Lucas remembered the feeling from when he’d received his few beatings from his mother as a child.
“We would usually only hit you once to punish you for your insolence,” he heard Peter’s voice from across the room, “But your in serious need of some deportment.”
“You’re going to get another ten,” Alec told him.
“What for?” Lucas demanded.
“That’s fifteen,” Alec told him, exasperated.
Lucas closed his eyes in frustration and fury.
Peter spoke to him again, “Will Alec have to keep holding you or are you going to put your hands up against the wall and take your punishment?”
Alec didn’t wait for Lucas to answer. He took his arm away from the back of Lucas’ neck and grabbed both of Lucas’ arms, putting them up against the wall so that Lucas’ palms lay flat on the brick and his arms bent at the elbow.
Lucas began to withdraw them as Alec moved away.
“If you don’t do what you’re told, I will come over and hold you,” Peter warned him.
Lucas took his arms down and faced Peter defiantly, still kneeling on the bed. His back hurt as he turned.
Peter didn’t move, “If I have to come over there, you’ll be bending over.”
Lucas felt his face blush in humiliation. He took a deep breath to suppress his anger and fear and slowly turned back to the wall, putting his hands up against it.
He shut his eyes just as Alec began the agonising assault on his back.
***
Lucas found that he was very sore for a lot longer than he expected. He could not lie on his back that night.
The beatings occurred each visit. Both Alec and Peter came in to speak to him about how things should be at Section Seven. Under the threat of more punishment or more severe discipline, Lucas was forced to read hundreds of reports that propagandised the philosophies of Section Seven. He quickly learned that he would be struck or punished if he replied or tried to disagree.
Lucas gradually began to understand that they wanted him to behave in a particular way - obedient, unquestioning. If he complied he would be rewarded more and more. If not, things would gradually get more uncomfortable for him.
At first, Lucas fought inspiringly fiercely against them.
On the third day, he discovered what the small black power point on the wall was for when Alec wheeled in a large TV. The propaganda was continued through videos and sound cards, as well as books and reports.
By the fifth day Lucas’s back was literally black with marks from the cane. Peter had fulfilled his promise and bent him over the bed a few times. As a result, the back of Lucas’ legs and upward towards his torso and posterior were equally uncomfortable.
The sixth night Lucas spent lying awake on his stomach in so much pain he couldn’t sleep. While he lay awake, he tried to switch himself off from what they were telling him. But without anyone to side with him, and without him being able to argue or question them out loud without incredibly painful results, he found that what they were saying gradually made sense.
Lucas’ heart fought against the possibility that some of the things Section Seven had done were for the greater good. But his mind was no longer able form logical arguments.
Lucas felt his stomach growl. The food had gradually gotten worse. He was now being served a small bowl of watery something, which he ate… or drank as it was.
If only he could have something for the pain, he might be able to think clearly. How could he fight if he had no resolve?
Lucas fiercely wiped away the wetness on his cheeks. He wouldn’t let them beat him, he determined. He knew they were trying to brainwash him. He wouldn’t let them win. He tried to think of his friends on the SeaQuest. They were looking for him right now. He just knew it.
His heart jumped as he heard someone outside the door. Surely, it couldn’t be morning already.
Since his capture, Lucas had lost all sense of time. There were no clocks in the room and they had stolen his watch when they stripped him the first day. As a reward sometimes, Alec gave Lucas the time. It gave Lucas something else to think about, and stopped him from going crazy.
The door opened and a small ray of light shone through the room. Lucas groaned uncomfortably, finding that he was in too much pain to turn and see who it was.
“Hey, Lucas,” a gentle voice greeted him.
Lucas recognised Stephen Cuwley’s voice immediately, and was almost relieved. He hadn’t seen Stephen since the first day he had awoken.
“Cuwley,” Lucas said groggily.
“Call me Stephen,” he watched as Stephen came into view and knelt down next to the bed.
Lucas said nothing.
“Peter and Alec told me they’ve had to get rough with you,” Stephen said.
“Is that what they said?” Lucas responded angrily.
“I have something for the pain if you’d like,” Stephen told him.
Lucas felt his stomach flutter. He wanted that more than anything. He searched his mind for a reason why he should refuse.
He swallowed heavily, “How do I know you’re going to give me pain killers?” Lucas asked him.
Stephen placed a hand on Lucas’ back. It was only gentle but Lucas gave an anguished cry from the pain that it caused.
Lucas breathed in. He couldn’t think of why he should refuse, “Do I need to sit up?”
“Yeah,” Stephen said regretfully, “I’m sorry.”
Lucas bit his lip as Stephen helped him sit up onto his side and then onto his knees. Sitting down would be just as painful as well.
Stephen stroked Lucas’ hair from his face affectionately and reached down for the glass of water he had brought in and handed it to Lucas along with two tablets.
“Aspirin?” Lucas asked of the tablets.
Stephen nodded, “And codeine. They work well together. But I’ll come back with something stronger tomorrow night if you behave tomorrow.”
Instead of anger at Stephen’s words, Lucas was shocked to realise that he felt almost guilty. He took the tablets and tried to ignore it.
“Could I ask what time it is?” Lucas asked tentatively.
“Yes, you may,” Stephen told him, “It’s one o’clock in the morning.”
Lucas nodded.
Stephen took a deep breath in and Lucas realised that his eyes were adjusting to the light enough so that he could see him more clearly.
“We’re getting concerned about you, Lucas,” Stephen told him, “We don’t want to lose you okay?”
“Lose me?” Lucas asked, genuinely curious.
“We need you to start learning. You’ll go through life lost and confused, without anybody.”
“I have people now,” Lucas told him determinedly.
“You have us now. No one else.”
“You’re wrong,” Lucas told him.
“Am I?” Stephen asked him. Lucas was silent.
Stephen took another breath in, “Tomorrow Alec is going to bring in a wooden chair. They will tie you in and you’ll have the two hour session…”
“You’re going to make me sit down?!” Lucas was horrified, “Have you seen my back?”
“Lucas, I know..”
“Please don’t do this! Why are you doing this to me?” Lucas felt his voice break.
He started sobbing, hoping to appeal to Stephen’s conscience, “Please.. I can’t, please,”
“It’s okay!” Stephen said as he got up quickly and sat on the bed, “Lucas, okay..”
He leaned forward to pull Lucas into a hug, but Lucas stiffened immediately despite his emotional state.
Stephen took his hands away, “Okay, alright. How about this?”
Lucas waited, his heart pumping, “How about if we give you a short exam on what you should have learned,” he began, “It will only be very easy,” he reassured.
“What if I fail?” Lucas asked.
“If you try you won’t fail. I promise,”
“Okay,” Lucas urged him to continue, his voice still shaking. ‘This is blackmail,’ Lucas thought. But he decided to hear Cuwley out first.
“If you pass, you can kneel on a cushion. You don’t have to stand.”
“Will Alec still have the cane with him?” Lucas expected Stephen to respond, ‘but of course’ and was subsequently quite surprised by the answer.
“No. You’re too badly hurt,” Stephen told him. Lucas felt relief course through him. But it was short lived, “From now on discipline we be administered by electrical shock.”
Lucas felt his heart jump in fear. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he certainly couldn’t reconcile the words with the tone in which they were delivered.
He had, of course, pictured himself in scenarios where he may be tortured. But he had always pictured it to be administered cruelly, and without mercy. This he couldn’t handle.
Lucas struggled to think of something to say. He had to say something. He knew that if he didn’t speak, he would cry.
Instead he did both, “Why do you have to torture me!?”
Stephen went to respond but Lucas interrupted him, “I hate you! Why are you doing this to me?!”
Stephen took Lucas’ head in his hands and pulled him towards his chest, “Listen to me Lucas!”
Lucas struggled against him, but Stephen held him tightly, “Listen son,” he said affectionately, “They won’t hurt you unless you really lose it, okay?”
Lucas was still crying and trying to pull himself away from Cuwley, “Come on, kid, you know they won’t,” Stephen stroked the back of Lucas’ hair gently.
Lucas gradually stopped struggling against him, “They won’t hurt you, unless they feel they have to.”
Stephen dropped the bombshell, “We love you, okay?”
Lucas was shocked into muteness, “That’s ridiculous,” he said, his voice strong.
“Why?” Stephen asked him.
“You’ve kidnapped and tortured me,” Lucas told him.
“We’re trying to help you.”
“Bull, it’s for your own purposes,” Lucas breathed angrily into Cuwley’s shirt.
Stephen stroked Lucas’ head again, “We do have something to gain, yes. But we really are trying to help you. We wouldn’t go this far if we didn’t care.”
“My friends SeaQuest, back at home,” he emphasised, “They care about me.”
Stephen pulled back and looked at Lucas’ angry face, “No they don’t.”
He kissed Lucas on the forehead and got up and left without a word.
Lucas sat in shock, staring ahead for a few moments.
He started to realise that his body didn’t hurt as much as it had been. The painkillers must be kicking in.
He tried to convince himself that what he was being told was false, that his friends really did care about him. But the more he thought about it, the more he remembered how much of an ass he’d been since he’d been commissioned. Who could love someone who acted in the way he did?
Maybe Stephen was right. Maybe he did need to change. And maybe the people here would give him a new chance.