Punishment

by Guerin Zand

  “Listen, Katie. Just bring those items to Roger. Tell him if he would like to join me for a drink he should bring his own glass.”

  “Put your hands through the slot so I can cuff you and then I’m going to come in and confiscate those items and that whiskey. I’m not your errand girl. And how do you know my name?”

  “How did I get a bottle of whiskey in here? How did I get those items? Just admit to yourself that I may be a bit more than what I appear and do what I said. I may have let you have a little fun with me before but, if you try and come in here and take my whiskey, I won’t be so nice. Just do what you’re told and go tell Roger what I said.”

  She looked at me long and hard. She wasn’t the type to accept being bested by some asshole and I could tell she was trying to figure out how to teach me a lesson. She started to reach for her taser and said, “Ok asshole. You want to play?” She went to fire her taser and nothing happened. My friends were obviously watching now, and things were about to change in my favor.

  “You’re just wasting time, Katie. Take a second, relax and unbunch your panties. Then call Roger. No one has to get hurt here.”

  Katie reached for her radio and said, “Sir. We have a problem with the prisoner. I think you need to come here and see for yourself. He said to bring a glass if you’d like to join him for a drink.”

  “I’ll be right there.” I could hear Roger’s voice over the radio.

  “Would you like a drink, Katie?”

  She just gave me a dirty look and walked back out to the guard station to wait for Roger. I guess she couldn’t handle being that close to me. A lot of women had that problem.

  It only took Roger about twenty minutes to make it over to my cell. He had stopped at the guard station and Katie obviously briefed him on what happened and gave him the devices. Then Roger and my two MPs made their way to my cell.

  “Open it,” Roger ordered. He walked in, handed me his glass and I poured him a drink.

  “Would it do any good to ask how you got these devices and that bottle of whiskey while locked in this cell?”

  “No. The point is that I did. I also had time to do a little digging into your little outfit. Your name is Roger Smith. Not very original, but still it’s your real name. Army Ranger and Delta Force operator. Served throughout the Middle East and other little hot spots during your career. You now run a very covert organization, so covert it doesn’t even have a name. You simply refer to yourselves as the Team.”

  “Go on.”

  “It’s actually very clever. You can mention the group openly and it sounds totally innocuous to anyone listening, except Team members. I always thought code names were stupid when I worked on special access projects. You had to put as much effort into protecting the secret, that was the code name, as you did into protecting the secrets that code name was actually hiding.”

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  “The funding is funneled through a private security firm, which had to change its name after a few unfortunate incidents, that still has several contracts with the U.S. and other governments. There’s nothing unusual about the government making payments to this security firm and plenty of ex-military take jobs with this firm, so you, and your Team, being on their payroll doesn’t raise a single red flag. The government oversight doesn’t reach inside the private firm’s internal projects, so your team appears to be a research division of the firm. All government contracts include some percentage for the contractor’s overhead and it’s these overhead budgets that actually pay your salaries. The firm and the military have an understanding, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’. So, the firm is playing along and you all look like normal employees on paper except none of you actually work for anyone in the firm.”

  “So then how did you figure this all out?”

  “It’s simple. My friends are a lot smarter than you or your Team. It did take a few picoseconds for their machines to piece it together.”

  “Perhaps then you might clue us in on how we could make this information even more secure?”

  “Maybe we could. But what have you done for me so far? Any progress on my request?”

  “Not yet. I’m working on it.”

  “That’s either a lie or I’m wasting my time talking to you. Regardless, you have two days and then I’m leaving here. If you can’t fulfill my request by then, I’ll look for someone else to work with.”

  “These things take time.”

  “Bullshit, Roger. If you have the pull you said you do, these things would already be done. No, maybe you thought you could just stall me on this, but I’m not going to let you get away with that.”

  “I can’t just fulfill your request and get nothing in return. What are you offering?”

  “My friendship, of course.”

  Katie fought to hold back her laughter. Roger and Steve, the other MP, also got a bit of a chuckle out of that.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Seriously, Guerin?”

  “Do you have any friends with a pallet of the finest whiskey in the world in their homes? Any friends that can figure out this much about your Team while sitting back in his Gitmo cell sipping whiskey? Any friends that can retrieve items from a secured location without moving a muscle?”

  “Well, no. Are you offering us these services if we were to become friends?”

  “That would depend on how good of friends we become. Right now, I’m sharing my whiskey with you. It takes time to become really good friends and it usually starts with trust.”

  “What about the devices?”

  “You can keep this one,” and I pointed to the battery. “And I’ll tell you that it’s a battery if you haven’t figured that out yet.”

  “A battery?”

  “Yes. A very smart and powerful battery. It can analyze the circuitry it’s connected to and provide the required power without any converter. As far as the power available, it could power a nuclear aircraft carrier, or a small city, for almost two hundred years. At least that’s what I’ve been told.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about the other items?”

  “Those are mine. I will warn you, the battery is yours to do what you want with EXCEPT using it for military applications. It’s offered as a gift for you to study and learn it’s secrets. If you try to use it for any military application, we’ll take it back, destroy all records of it, and you’ll lose my friendship as well.”

  “So, what good does it do if we can’t use it in military applications? Any technology we derive from studying the device would surely have a military use. We couldn’t ban the tech we derive from studying the device from ever making it into the military.”

  “And we don’t expect that. You just can’t use the device itself for military applications. You’re not allowed to use this device to power an aircraft carrier or an orbital death ray.”

  “The knowledge you gain, and use to advance your technology, can be used for military applications. In some cases, that may actually be desirable. For example, let’s say you made strides in material science from studying this device, and those advances would allow you to make the nuclear reactors, used in carriers and submarines, safer. We wouldn’t want to prevent that, obviously.”

  “The tech in that battery is so advanced it would take you over a hundred years to understand it well enough to even think about building your own. In other words, the advancements are going to take time, and with that time you will understand the advantages and risks of this new technology. This isn’t some cheap sci-fi novel. You’re not going to be traveling in massive starships to the edges of galaxy next week just because we gave you a battery to study.”

  “What else can you tell me now?”

  “Nothing. I gave you that one basic rule and I can’t emphasize how bad things will turn out if you were to violate it.”

  “Why are you giving this to us now?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m not told everything
either. I am holding back a lot of information, but until we have that trust I talked about, I won’t tell you any more. Fulfill my request and we can talk more.”

  I poured us both another glass of whiskey. “Would you two like a drink as well?”

  “Go get yourselves some glasses, both of you, and join us. I think we’re in for the long haul here and we should celebrate this new friendship.”

  While they went to get some glasses, I asked Roger about the two.

  “I assume that those two are trusted members of your Team?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I should make it clear that they are now part of this, and you should appreciate that we can’t let any of this out past this small group for now. Not even your superiors.”

  “How do I explain the battery then?”

  “I could arrange a crash of a small probe in the desert, or ocean, as a cover story for now. We’ve already erased all records of the existence of these devices and soon there won’t be any records of my involvement.”

  “You can do that?”

  “I can do a lot of things. The things I can’t do is what I need you and your Team for.”

  “Like what?”

  “Roger. You know my background. Have you read anything in there that would make you think I’m a military or political genius?”

  “No.”

  “I need someone I can trust who can tell me what needs to be done to accomplish my goals within our system. Maybe that probe crash is a stupid idea and perhaps you can provide a better one? Also, even with the records erased, there are some loose ends.”

  “Are you suggesting we remove those loose ends?”

  “No. I hope that won’t be necessary, and I don’t even like the way that sounds. I think orders from high up would keep the others quiet. They don’t really know that much so I don’t see them as big issues. Maybe I’m wrong. Worst case we might have to wipe some memories.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Well I don’t have a super flash thingy like the Men in Black, but if needed, we could abduct a few to a facility that could do just that.”

  Katie and Steve returned and I poured everybody a drink.

  “I propose a toast then,” said Roger, “to, what should we name our little project, Guerin?”

  “Bullshit. I’ve said from day one, this seems like a load of bullshit, and not much has happened to change my mind.

  Everybody laughed.

  “To Bullshit.”

  As we sipped our whiskey, Roger filled Katie and Steve in on the talk we had when they were gone. They both agreed to join our new team and to the security required for now. Then we all started spitballing on what would be the best way to explain the battery and who should be allowed in on the research teams. He explained that compartmentalization was the key. The research team wouldn’t know the specifics about us or where the device came from. I had a lot of questions as to how the government would be involved and who Roger’s team actually answered to. He didn’t want to answer too many questions at that time and I understood. Trust was a two-way street.

  You could see the wheels spinning in Rogers’ head and I thought to myself I had made a good choice. What I hadn’t told him was that this device would, at some point, be shared with other nations, friend and foe. The model we worked out for the U.S. would be used in other countries as well, if we got it right. There were two goals I was given, at least as far as I knew. Provide humans with technology to learn from and get them working together. To understand the battery, it would take a single country like the U.S.A. perhaps one hundred or more years. If we all worked together it may only take twenty years.

  Chapter 3

  Contact

  The next few days passed quickly. They no longer locked my cell after I gave them my word I would stay inside the building unless escorted. This meant I could take a shower in private again and I could walk around and stretch my legs. Roger had been working on my request and was making progress. Having nothing much to do, except deliver my meals, Katie and Steve spent a lot of time playing cards and keeping up appearances so no one would suspect anything unusual was happening in Camp 7.

  Milly finally reappeared after the two days and she was actually dressed in something other than her onesie. She was wearing an outfit we had bought for her during our vacation on Earth.

  “Why are you all dressed up, Milly?”

  “I thought you didn’t like my uniforms?”

  “Well, yes, but you still wear them all the time.”

  “Not when I visit Earth.”

  “Ok. I don’t really want to spend too much time trying to figure out what you’re up to.”

  “I’m not up to anything. How’s your plan working out?”

  “We’ll see. I think I picked the right man to help me out here, but I still don’t trust him. That’s going to take time.”

  “Well, shall we see how trustworthy he is?”

  “What are you doing, Milly?”

  “Just trust me, Guerin. Why don’t you introduce me to your new girlfriend?”

  Milly didn’t wait for a reply. I just had one of those confused looks that said it all. She grabbed my hand and led me out of the cell and down to the guard’s office. Katie and Steve were having an argument over what their favorite MRE was until they saw Milly and me approach.

  “Who the hell is she, Guerin?”

  “This is my girl, Milly. Are you jealous, Katie?”

  “In your dreams, Guerin.”

  “I’m jealous!” added Steve. He stood up and offered his hand to Milly, “My name is Steve.”

  “I know. Your kind of cute, isn’t he, Guerin.”

  “How would I know? What the hell are you doing, Milly?”

  “Relax, Guerin. Are you jealous?”

  “No! Katie, let Roger know I’ll be leaving now. He can…”

  “Hold on, Guerin. Let me call him. He wanted to see you before you left if he could. He was planning on having dinner with us all and he should be available. Steve was just about to hit the mess and grab us some food.”

  Katie called Roger and explained what was going on. He said he would be right over. They talked about something else that I didn’t get but then Katie said, “Milly, would you like to join us for dinner?”

  “She can’t,” I explained. “I told you guys the rules and she shouldn’t even…”

  Milly interrupted me, which as you know is a quite common occurrence. “Don’t be ridiculous, Guerin. Of course, I’d love to join you all for dinner.”

  “What? I thought there wasn’t supposed to be any contact?”

  “Who said?”

  “I thought you did?”

  “Ignore him. His little ordeal over these last few months is probably causing him some issues.”

  “My little ordeal?”

  “Is there any special diet we need to know about?” Katie asked.

  “She’s a fucking hardcore vegan. No anything that isn’t plant-based. Some carrots or a simple salad.” I was confused and a little pissed off at her referring to my months of torture as a “little ordeal”.

  “I hear the mess has vegan pizza. Is that correct?”

  “Yes. They have a vegan pizza and other vegan dishes.” Katie look surprised that Milly would know what was available at the mess.

  “That would be fine then.”

  Katie had Roger holding on the phone and she got back to him. She told him Milly would join us and we needed a vegan pizza for her. They discussed a few other things then I grabbed the phone from her.

  “Roger, this is Guerin. You don’t want to fuck this up by doing anything stupid. Are you clear on that?”

  “I have no intentions of doing anything but joining you for dinner. Don’t worry.”

  “Ok.” I handed Katie the phone.

  After Katie hung up on Roger, she and Steve had a little conversation before Steve headed out to the mess to get everybody’s dinner. Katie led Milly and me to a conference room, I assumed it was
a conference room. I couldn’t quite figure out why there would be such a room in this cell block. Maybe it was for group interrogation sessions? I had a small amount of concern whenever I was led into a new room here at Camp 7.

  “Go ahead and have a seat. Roger should be here in a few minutes and Steve has gone to the mess to get our dinner. He shouldn’t be too long. Is there anything I can get you, Milly?”

  “Why don’t you be a sweetheart and go grab that bottle of whiskey in Guerin’s cell, and bring us a few glasses, if you would?”

  “Be right back.”

  Katie left for the whiskey and glasses. I looked at Milly, more confused than ever, and asked, “What the fuck are you doing, Milly?”

  “Relax and trust me, Guerin. You wanted to see if you could trust them so let’s find out.”

  “And what if we can’t? How can I protect you down here if a pack of goons come rushing in?”

  Milly kissed me. “Aren’t you sweet, wanting to protect me. I think I can handle a few goons if they show up. Don’t worry.”

  “Oh, I see. When I do something like this, I’m stupid and reckless, but when you do something stupid and reckless, it’s ok?”

  “I know what I’m doing so it’s not stupid and reckless. Most of the time you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s the difference.”

  “Has it been hard not having me around to insult these last few months?”

  “Yes.” Milly gave me one of those looks I couldn’t argue with. I just sighed and shook my head.

  “Here we go. We don’t have any ice for the whiskey but if you want I can contact Steve and have him bring some from the mess.”

  “That’s fine, Katie. The ice won’t be necessary,” replied Milly.

  I was pretty much in shock. I had never seen Milly in a situation like this and she was acting like she had it all under control. Katie handed the glasses out and poured us all a drink.

  “Katie, have you been flirting with my man while I’ve been away?”

  “Only if you count slapping his bitch ass around as flirting.”