to? When are you going to drug me?”
“We already did,” Mr. Shriver said.
I turned to him. “Just now?”
He nodded.
“Well it must not have worked then,” I said.
Mr. Shriver crossed his legs and leaned to one side, peering at me. “This is interesting, I must say.”
“What’s interesting?”
Judy took a few steps forward. “Melissa, I predicted that with repeated overexposure to the Love Drug, its effects would eventually rewire your brain circuitry, making you susceptible to new ideas, new personality traits, and new behavior. We’ve been conditioning you this past month.”
“Should you be telling her all this?” Sean barked. He was back to his foul mood. Something told me it had to do with Mr. Shriver and James walking in together like best buds on the last day of school.
“If the results are as anticipated, it doesn’t matter what we tell her.”
“Can you guys untie me now?” I asked. The impatience I expressed was not pretend.
Judy awaited Mr. Shriver’s instruction, and when he nodded she began unhooking the straps.
Suddenly a thought occurred to me, and I decided to share it. I addressed Judy. “ How much Libido Drug did it take to spike the city’s water supply?”
Judy looked shocked. When she spoke, her voice quivered.
“Thirty gallons,” she said.
“That’s all?”
“It was a high concentration. It takes very little.”
“Same with the Love Drug?”
“Yes.”
I turned to Mr. Shriver, who listened intently. “You know what you should have done? Before you killed that water district guy, you should have sent him back with an equal amount of the Love Drug and spiked the water again—just what Brian was trying to do. You’d stop the rape and murder and chaos instantly, and everyone would forget what happened.”
As I spoke, Mr. Shriver began nodding his head slowly and slamming his fist on the armrest, lightly at first but with more force each blow.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he said. “See what I mean? This girl is full of good ideas.”
“But do you believe she’s safe is the question,” Sean said.
“I don’t believe her,” Kate said. “I think she wants to kill us.”
I snickered and made eye contact with her. “Why are you lumping everyone together?” I asked with a smart-ass wink.
“It’s working,” Judy insisted. “You can’t ignore the difference. The memory retention, the alertness—the cooperative nature.”
Mr. Shriver waved his hand through the air impatiently. “Okay, okay, it doesn’t matter. We’ll know soon enough anyway. I think we should move on to final testing. Let’s all get some sleep and reconvene on Level E tonight at eight.”
With that, he stood and walked to the door.
“What final testing?” Sean asked.
Everyone else seemed to be in the dark, too: Patton, Judy, and even Kate.
James, though, was smiling.
Mr. Shriver opened the door. “Sean, James, see everyone back to their rooms. Do not let Patton and Melissa speak to one another. James, you take Melissa.”
Sean gritted his teeth and shook his head. He was feeling undermined, I could tell, with Mr. Shriver assigning James the more important task. Men show emasculation more than any other emotion.
“And when you’re done,” Mr. Shriver added, “both of you come see me.”
I stood up from the chair, feeling a little wobbly, and in an instant James appeared before me, a big, genuine smile on his face, his elbow stuck out for me to take.
“My lady,” he said playfully.
I couldn’t help but smile. This was James, yes, but James was different now.
When we got in the elevator, my smile went away.
-Final Testing-
“MR. SHRIVER told me about the final testing,” James said as soon as the elevator door closed. “They’re bringing you, Flora, and Patton to Level E and they’re going to make you have a threesome. With Flora’s device activated. In front of everyone.”
My
“We already did,” Mr. Shriver said.
I turned to him. “Just now?”
He nodded.
“Well it must not have worked then,” I said.
Mr. Shriver crossed his legs and leaned to one side, peering at me. “This is interesting, I must say.”
“What’s interesting?”
Judy took a few steps forward. “Melissa, I predicted that with repeated overexposure to the Love Drug, its effects would eventually rewire your brain circuitry, making you susceptible to new ideas, new personality traits, and new behavior. We’ve been conditioning you this past month.”
“Should you be telling her all this?” Sean barked. He was back to his foul mood. Something told me it had to do with Mr. Shriver and James walking in together like best buds on the last day of school.
“If the results are as anticipated, it doesn’t matter what we tell her.”
“Can you guys untie me now?” I asked. The impatience I expressed was not pretend.
Judy awaited Mr. Shriver’s instruction, and when he nodded she began unhooking the straps.
Suddenly a thought occurred to me, and I decided to share it. I addressed Judy. “ How much Libido Drug did it take to spike the city’s water supply?”
Judy looked shocked. When she spoke, her voice quivered.
“Thirty gallons,” she said.
“That’s all?”
“It was a high concentration. It takes very little.”
“Same with the Love Drug?”
“Yes.”
I turned to Mr. Shriver, who listened intently. “You know what you should have done? Before you killed that water district guy, you should have sent him back with an equal amount of the Love Drug and spiked the water again—just what Brian was trying to do. You’d stop the rape and murder and chaos instantly, and everyone would forget what happened.”
As I spoke, Mr. Shriver began nodding his head slowly and slamming his fist on the armrest, lightly at first but with more force each blow.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he said. “See what I mean? This girl is full of good ideas.”
“But do you believe she’s safe is the question,” Sean said.
“I don’t believe her,” Kate said. “I think she wants to kill us.”
I snickered and made eye contact with her. “Why are you lumping everyone together?” I asked with a smart-ass wink.
“It’s working,” Judy insisted. “You can’t ignore the difference. The memory retention, the alertness—the cooperative nature.”
Mr. Shriver waved his hand through the air impatiently. “Okay, okay, it doesn’t matter. We’ll know soon enough anyway. I think we should move on to final testing. Let’s all get some sleep and reconvene on Level E tonight at eight.”
With that, he stood and walked to the door.
“What final testing?” Sean asked.
Everyone else seemed to be in the dark, too: Patton, Judy, and even Kate.
James, though, was smiling.
Mr. Shriver opened the door. “Sean, James, see everyone back to their rooms. Do not let Patton and Melissa speak to one another. James, you take Melissa.”
Sean gritted his teeth and shook his head. He was feeling undermined, I could tell, with Mr. Shriver assigning James the more important task. Men show emasculation more than any other emotion.
“And when you’re done,” Mr. Shriver added, “both of you come see me.”
I stood up from the chair, feeling a little wobbly, and in an instant James appeared before me, a big, genuine smile on his face, his elbow stuck out for me to take.
“My lady,” he said playfully.
I couldn’t help but smile. This was James, yes, but James was different now.
When we got in the elevator, my smile went away.
-Final Testing-
“MR. SHRIVER told me about the final testing,” James said as soon as the elevator door closed. “They’re bringing you, Flora, and Patton to Level E and they’re going to make you have a threesome. With Flora’s device activated. In front of everyone.”
My
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