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Hall opened his eyes while Victor was studying a computer screen at his desk. Megan hadn’t moved in the slightest, and he had hopes she wouldn’t regain consciousness until the conversation had come to an end.
Hall cleared his throat to get his captor’s attention.
Victor immediately turned to face him. “So the great Nick Hall arises,” he began in contempt. “The formidable creature himself, finally in captivity.”
“You bastard!” spat Hall. “You didn’t need to kill our bodyguards! Your beef is with me.”
“You should have worried about your colleagues before you decided to cross me!” shouted Victor, rising from his chair. “Their fate is your responsibility.”
Hall fumed but didn’t respond.
Victor studied his prisoner, dispassionate once again. “Interesting,” he said. “You weren’t surprised to see me alive. And you’re aware that your friends are dead. So you must have read my mind before you opened your eyes.”
“Aren’t you the clever one,” said Hall. “So why am I not dead?”
“You didn’t read that, too?” said Victor.
“I chose not to,” lied Hall. “I’d rather learn what you have in mind organically.”
Hall had read most of what was coming, but he wanted to be underestimated, hoping Victor might lower his guard, and this would never happen if he continued to flaunt his abilities. So he would have a somewhat normal conversation and pretend his mind reading wasn’t as powerful as it was, even if Victor knew otherwise.
“I could have given myself your abilities, you know,” said Victor.
Hall hesitated. He had read about this in Victor’s mind, but should he admit he was already aware? Just how long could he play dumb before Victor realized it was an act and actually raised his guard? “What are you talking about?” he replied.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” said Victor dubiously.
Hall tilted his head. “Now I do,” he said. “I just read your mind, since you were thinking about it. So you partnered with a guy named Browning to copy a data stick.”
“That’s better. Nice to see you living up to your billing. I did partner with Browning.” He smiled icily. “By the way, how do you feel about your president betraying your entire team?”
“Not good,” admitted Hall. “But I have to be honest with you. At the moment, it isn’t my biggest concern. Any guesses as to what motivates this Browning?”
“Not really. But he made me uneasy. I’ve interacted with plenty of psychopaths and mass murderers, but there was something about this guy that makes him seem even more dangerous. Especially now that he has ESP. I’m tempted to go after him and kill him now, while someone still can. This guy’s like fire. If you don’t put it out when it’s just an ember, you risk it growing into a thousand-acre inferno—and then it’s too late.”
“So why don’t you kill him?”
“You know why. Because I made a deal. And I keep my word.”
Hall stared at his captor with great intensity. “So why haven’t you given yourself mind reading?” he asked.
“Because I’m set in my ways. I don’t want to know what everyone thinks. And I’ve seen enough ugliness on the outside of men not to want to see the rest of that iceberg.”
Hall couldn’t help but smile. It had been a good turn of phrase.
Victor was an enigma. Ruthless and vengeful and megalomaniacal. Willing to kill innocent men like Briarwood, Ontiveros, Herman, and Trent without batting an eye. But brilliant and thoughtful. Someone who pondered philosophy and ethics in depth. A polymath. A murderer who was also capable of great kindness and generosity.
Few men in his place could look mind reading in the eye and resist its lure.
“So what are your plans for it?” pressed Hall.
Victor shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve given this significant thought. I think I want to see what happens with Browning first before I decide.”
Hall nodded. “I see,” he said. “Before you test out your mystery bomb, you’d like to see just how big of a crater it makes in Browning’s hands.”
“Exactly,” said Victor.
“So back to my question,” said Hall. “Why am I not dead?”
“You aren’t dead because I need you to lure the rest of your core team here. All of those who are now stationed at your headquarters. But rest assured, once you do, I will take great pleasure in killing you.”
“And you really think I’ll help you get your hands on my friends? You’re out of your mind.”
“I know that you’ll help me,” replied Victor calmly. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to torture and kill Megan Emerson—in front of you. Then I’m going to kill you. And after that, I won’t rest until all the others who took part in the scheme to make me a patsy are dead. General Girdler. Colonel Campbell. Alex Altschuler. Drew Russell. Heather Zambrana.” He flashed a cruel smile. “You’d tell me if I left someone out, right?”
“You bloodthirsty prick!” spat Hall. “You know Girdler planned and executed the op all by himself. He would never have been able to fool you if anyone else knew what he was up to. These others had nothing to do with it.”
“But they’re hardly innocent,” said Victor. “This was the initial group he formed around himself to exploit his coup, so they get to pay for his crimes along with him.”
Hall was deep inside Victor’s head and knew this would be his response, but he was still trying to make himself look as normal as possible.
“Now that you’ve captured me and Megan,” said Hall, “the others will be more cautious than ever. You’ll never get near them.”
Victor laughed. “You know better than that. You know how relentless I am, and how talented. You know the effort and resources I’m willing to put in. You’ve studied me. You’ve read my mind. If I promise not to rest until I’ve wiped them out, you know their days are numbered.”
“But you aren’t positive you’ll succeed,” said Hall. “And you obviously want me to save you substantial time and effort. So what do I get in return?” he said, knowing precisely what Victor planned to trade.
“Lure the rest here and I’ll spare Megan’s life. She’ll walk away without a scratch.”
“And me?”
“I’m still going to kill you, no matter what. Girdler and Campbell also. But if you do help me, I’ll spare the others. Alex Altschuler, Drew Russell, and Heather Zambrana will get to walk—along with Megan, of course.”
“Then why have them make the trip out here?”
“They’ll get a pass physically, but not emotionally. I’m going to convince them they’re about to die. After they’ve stewed in this juice for a while, I’ll force them to witness the executions of their friends. Teach them a lesson.”
“You mean scar them for the rest of their lives?” said Hall.
Victor shrugged. “At least they’ll have a rest of their lives.”
“But I’m dead under either scenario?” said Hall.
“You’re too dangerous. And too involved.”
“So your offer boils down to trading Megan’s life for the lives of two men, Justin Girdler and Mike Campbell?”
“Yes. The civilian woman you’re madly in love with for two soldiers who know the risks of playing with fire. Men I’d kill anyway within a few years, at most. And let’s not forget that in exchange, I promise to never go after the others—ever. They are safe. Don’t take the offer, and I promise to kill the others, in addition to Girdler and Campbell. It will just be a matter of time—and not much time at that.”
Hall had known this moment of truth was coming before he had even opened his eyes. But he had avoided a decision. Maybe engaging in this conversation wasn’t about a cat and mouse game of keeping the extent of his abilities hidden, but about stalling on a decision that no person should ever have to make.
So what was he going to do? From what he read he had the feeling he could spare Mike Campbell, limit the deaths to just his and Gir
dler’s. But even so, could he make this deal?
Could he not?
Could he really trade a life for a life? He wouldn’t just be condemning Girdler to death, he would be the instrument of that death. Luring him in under false pretenses. But if he did nothing, he truly believed that Victor would make good on his vow. Girdler would end up being killed anyway, but this time so would Drew, Mike, Alex, and Heather.
And Megan. Beautiful, wonderful Megan.
He couldn’t lure Girdler to his death. But he also couldn’t stand by and do nothing while Megan was tortured and killed, either. Which is what Victor was counting on.
There was one additional consideration. If he agreed to the deal, he would gain time. If he said no, his and Megan’s end would come quickly. But if he stalled for time, maybe they would find a way out of this. It was very unlikely, but still possible. He and the team had proven their resourcefulness again and again.
Perhaps he was just rationalizing a decision he had already come to. But it didn’t matter. He could use all the logic in the world and it came down to one simple fact: he was not going to let Megan die. Not under any circumstances. He would do anything to prevent it.
He had studied ethics and knew this was a classical situation experimenters had posed to subjects for decades. A thought experiment. Would you sacrifice one woman to save three, if all four were strangers to you? Of course you would. An easy question.
But what if the one you had to sacrifice was your mother? Would you do it then?
Not so easy this time.
Hall was faced with a similar dilemma. Only in this case it wasn’t hypothetical.
“How about a third option?” said Hall. It was a desperate attempt with little chance of success, but what did he have to lose? “You’re a rational man. A brilliant man. But aren’t you letting your emotional need for revenge poison your thinking?”
Victor looked on, but remained expressionless.
“Right now you’re being left alone,” continued Hall. “We thought you were dead, but we also thought we still might be able to use Lucas, so it’s been hands off. We’ve been monitoring other agencies who are hunting for him. And protecting him from them. The last thing we’ve wanted is for Lucas to be captured. But kill me and Girdler and you’ve kicked a hornet’s nest. You think you were wanted before, wait and see what happens after you take us out.”
“Nicely improvised,” said Victor, almost in admiration. “If we weren’t enemies, I’d be impressed.” He shook his head. “But did you really think I might go for this option? Just release you and Megan and forget about the whole thing?”
“Why not? We’ll then know you’re still alive, but in exchange for letting us go I can see to it that you continue to be protected. Or at minimum, much less actively pursued. Make your life a lot easier. And why not forget about the whole thing? Yes, Girdler screwed you. He outsmarted you. Our entire team used you. But so what? Terrorists are working hard to wipe out our citizenry. Insane dictators in North Korea and Iran are trying to hit us with nukes. If you were Girdler and saw a way to keep this from happening, you’d jump at it like he did.”
Victor didn’t respond, but Hall read that he continued to be impressed by his arguments, and that Hall was growing on him. Hall wondered how big a sticking point his hatred of Americans might be. Reading the man’s mind alone couldn’t help him determine which of several close motivations were the strongest.
“So you have a long-standing hatred of Americans,” continued Hall. “Many treated you like shit as a boy, and one killed your mother. I don’t blame you for how you feel. You were exposed to scores of Americans who deserved such hatred. But you can’t paint an entire people with that brush. You must know that. Americans are like any other group of people. A mixture of good and bad and rich and poor. Or are you saying that you’ve never come across people from your own country who were assholes? Or selfish? Or cruel?”
Victor sighed. “I have considered this perspective, and I’ve come to agree with you more than you know. My hatred was formed at a young age and is something that is difficult to be rational about. But it still gives me pleasure to take America down a few pegs, because you are the most arrogant country in the world. Perhaps this goes hand in hand with being the most successful, but it doesn’t matter to those far behind in the race.”
He paused. “But this is less about hatred of America I still can’t shake, and more about damage to my reputation. About sending a signal that I can’t be taken advantage of. It’s a strict rule that I live by. Deal straight with me and I’ll do the same with you. Cross me, and you’ll pay the price. I can’t change that now.”
“Even though if you take my offer you and your organization will be protected by America? And if you don’t, the hunt for you will be intensified a hundred-fold?”
Victor smiled. “This isn’t really true, and I suspect you know it. Even if you don’t tell them, eventually your superiors will learn that I have the recipe for implants and mind reading. Then all bets are off. No matter how much they assured you they’d keep your bargain with me and leave me alone, they’ll come after me with a vengeance—with the same intensity they would have if I hadn’t made this deal.”
He raised his eyebrows. “After all, I assume your President Cochran made a promise to keep the ESP data safe inside your headquarters?” He shrugged. “So just how reliable do you think his promises are?”
Hall scowled. This had struck a nerve. And he read that Victor’s decision in this matter was final, and that he would tolerate no further arguments.
“Nice try,” said Victor, “but we’re left with my original two options.”
“You say my side can’t be trusted,” said Hall. “And yes, I know all about your reputation. But how do I know for sure you’ll honor your word in this case? To people you feel didn’t honor theirs to begin with?”
Victor laughed. “I’ve been willing to go along with you,” he said, “while you pretend to lack abilities I know full well you have. But don’t think I’m stupid enough to believe you haven’t read my mind on this score. You know I’ll keep my word. You’ve read my thoughts, and my intent. Get your team to come here and surrender, and I’ll do as I promise.”
Hall took a deep breath. “Okay. I do believe you’ll honor your word,” he said. “So I am willing to make your deal. But only if you make three concessions.”
Hall couldn’t believe he was really having this conversation, really bargaining for lives like they were trinkets in a third world bazaar. He was trapped in a living nightmare.
“First,” he began, “you’re asking for two additional lives in exchange for sparing Megan’s. It has to be a one-for-one trade. You kill the general in Megan’s place. But that’s it. Mike Campbell lives.”
“No deal,” said Victor reflexively, forgetting for a moment with whom he was negotiating.
“I read your mind while you were answering,” said Hall. “I know you’re willing to do this. You won’t rest until you have my scalp and Girdler’s. But you’re willing to let Campbell live if you have to.”
Victor didn’t bother to argue the point. “And the second concession?”
“The easiest of all. Don’t have Heather be a part of this. No psychic scars, no fear for her life, no witnessing atrocities. She had nothing to do with anything. She stays out of it.”
Victor nodded, knowing Hall had immediately read his willingness to agree to this point. “And the third?” he said.
“Megan will be recovering from the gas soon, correct?”
“Yes. Any minute. She must have gotten a bigger lungful than you.”
“I want your assurances that she’ll never learn anything about our bargain. She never knows that I gave you Girdler on a platter to spare her life. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself. And no handcuffs or harsh treatment when she awakens. I get to reassure her and tell her I love her. You can listen in to be sure I don’t pull anything cute. But I get to say goodbye.”
“Without her knowing it really is goodbye, I presume,” said Victor.
“That’s right. Then I want her in a separate building away from it all. I’ve read in your mind you have a strong knockout drug in pill form. I want you to give it to her right after she gets there. Let her sit on a bed and take it. I want her out cold for a long time. This way she isn’t consumed with worry, and isn’t exposed to violence or any sick lesson you’re trying to deliver. I want her to awaken back at THT headquarters when this is all over, spared all of it.”
A hint of a smile came over Victor’s features. “I assume you don’t want me to shove the pill down her throat. That’s the only way she’ll ever take it.”
“I can get her to take it,” said Hall. “I’ll have to lie to her to do it, but I want her to sleep through this, so I will.”
Victor shrugged. “If you can get her unconscious, I’m willing to go along.”
“I think I have a good chance. But if I’m wrong, she stays in a nice room, away from any violence, and is treated like an honored guest. Other than whatever guard you have manning the door.”
“Okay,” said Victor. “We have an understanding. Under one condition. Why don’t you tell me what it is. I enjoy your mind-reading demonstrations, and you’ve been shy about delivering.”
Hall sighed. “You still don’t want to let Campbell off the hook so easily. So you’ll agree to spare his life, but you’ll still plan to beat him nearly unconscious.”
“Very good. He won’t die, and he’ll make a full recovery. Agreed?”
Hall sighed. He could read that Victor considered this point a deal-breaker. “Agreed,” he replied reluctantly.
“Good,” said Victor. “It’s your job to get them here. Any tricks and the deal is off. They come unarmed, surrender to me, and no backup. No special operators. No drones or missiles. If anything goes awry, Megan dies along with as many of them as I can take out.”
Hall entered Victor’s mind and confirmed that he absolutely intended to honor the deal, and didn’t intend to revisit his thinking once Hall was dead. “Understood,” he said.
MindWar (Nick Hall Book 3) Page 30
