scenes in movies-- acted in plenty of them--to know the other show was about to drop.
Sure enough. "The bad news is, I'm still not satisfied you've told me the truth." With that, she disappeared behind me and proceeded to bang around some kind of equipment. "Therefore, we're moving to a different technique. I'd much prefer to simply inject you with sodium pentothal, which would clear things right up--but Mr. Byzantine left strict instructions that no drugs are to be used."
So I'd feel every second of the excruciating pain , no doubt.
"Thus, we must resort to less... civilized methods." When she walked back into my field of vision, I finally got to see what she'd been banging around back there: a gold-plated power drill . As I watched, she pulled the trigger, and the skinny bit spun at high speed in the chuck. The sound of the motor whined in my ears.
And I started imagining what Curie might do with it.
Slowly, she lowered it toward my arm. "Are you an agent of the Heaven Liberation Front?"
I gave her the usual answer. "No! I've already told you a dozen times!"
"Twenty-three times, actually," said Curie. "Having trouble keeping track of your lies , are we?"
With that, she shifted the drill away from my arm and moved it to my forehead. As much as I'd been through already, I felt fresh panic surge to life in my heart.
As E.P. had warned, I clearly wasn't in the true Heaven, the one without pain and suffering. If that was the case, who knew how far Curie would go, and how much damage she'd do to me?
For the first time, I considered telling her the truth.
Just then, just as the tip of the drill touched my right temple, I heard a door open and quick footsteps approach. Then, a familiar female voice. "That's enough!" The voice of my daughter, Lillian.
Suddenly, the drill stopped...though Curie kept it pressed against my temple. "You don't have the authority..."
"Take it up with Byzantine," snapped Lillian. "You've been at it long enough, and gotten nothing. You're just in it for shits and giggles at this point."
"Are you the expert here?" said Curie. " I am, and I say he's not finished ."
"Screw you." Lillian stormed over and swatted the drill away from my head, then undid the straps on my arms. "This man isn't a trained covert operative with resistance to torture. If he was lying , he'd have told you by now."
Curie sighed. "Go ahead then. But I'll report this." She shot me a blistering look. "And you'll be back." Then, she strolled off and disappeared through the door.
As Lillian set to work on my leg restraints, I tried to sit up--but I only got halfway off the table. Lillian had to help me up, then help me slide around and put my feet on the floor.
As soon as I put weight on them, I almost collapsed. I was shakier than I'd thought while still on my back.
"I've got you." Lillian put my arm around her shoulders and supported my full weight. "Don't worry, Dad." Together, we hobbled across the lab.
And out the door, which suited me fine. Though Curie's comment that I'd be back kept rolling around like a loose ball bearing in the hollows of my nearly-drilled head.
*****
"Thank you," I told her as we worked our way through the building. "Thank you for getting me out of there."
"Sorry it couldn't be sooner," said Lillian. "But there are limits to what I can do. You understand."
"I get it." I managed a weak version of my Hollywood smile. "So do you think Curie was right? Will Byzantine just send me back for more?"
"Only if you can get tortured and do a shoot at the same time," she said wryly.
"Shoot?" I frowned.
We reached the exit, and she pushed the door open. "A movie shoot." As we lurched out into the sunlight, she dug out a pair of dark glasses and pushed them onto my face. "You're scheduled for one this afternoon."
As we started down a gold cobblestone path toward the park, I shook my head. "They make movies in Heaven now?"
"Of course," said Lillian. "Just think of all the great stars we've got here.
Sure enough. "The bad news is, I'm still not satisfied you've told me the truth." With that, she disappeared behind me and proceeded to bang around some kind of equipment. "Therefore, we're moving to a different technique. I'd much prefer to simply inject you with sodium pentothal, which would clear things right up--but Mr. Byzantine left strict instructions that no drugs are to be used."
So I'd feel every second of the excruciating pain , no doubt.
"Thus, we must resort to less... civilized methods." When she walked back into my field of vision, I finally got to see what she'd been banging around back there: a gold-plated power drill . As I watched, she pulled the trigger, and the skinny bit spun at high speed in the chuck. The sound of the motor whined in my ears.
And I started imagining what Curie might do with it.
Slowly, she lowered it toward my arm. "Are you an agent of the Heaven Liberation Front?"
I gave her the usual answer. "No! I've already told you a dozen times!"
"Twenty-three times, actually," said Curie. "Having trouble keeping track of your lies , are we?"
With that, she shifted the drill away from my arm and moved it to my forehead. As much as I'd been through already, I felt fresh panic surge to life in my heart.
As E.P. had warned, I clearly wasn't in the true Heaven, the one without pain and suffering. If that was the case, who knew how far Curie would go, and how much damage she'd do to me?
For the first time, I considered telling her the truth.
Just then, just as the tip of the drill touched my right temple, I heard a door open and quick footsteps approach. Then, a familiar female voice. "That's enough!" The voice of my daughter, Lillian.
Suddenly, the drill stopped...though Curie kept it pressed against my temple. "You don't have the authority..."
"Take it up with Byzantine," snapped Lillian. "You've been at it long enough, and gotten nothing. You're just in it for shits and giggles at this point."
"Are you the expert here?" said Curie. " I am, and I say he's not finished ."
"Screw you." Lillian stormed over and swatted the drill away from my head, then undid the straps on my arms. "This man isn't a trained covert operative with resistance to torture. If he was lying , he'd have told you by now."
Curie sighed. "Go ahead then. But I'll report this." She shot me a blistering look. "And you'll be back." Then, she strolled off and disappeared through the door.
As Lillian set to work on my leg restraints, I tried to sit up--but I only got halfway off the table. Lillian had to help me up, then help me slide around and put my feet on the floor.
As soon as I put weight on them, I almost collapsed. I was shakier than I'd thought while still on my back.
"I've got you." Lillian put my arm around her shoulders and supported my full weight. "Don't worry, Dad." Together, we hobbled across the lab.
And out the door, which suited me fine. Though Curie's comment that I'd be back kept rolling around like a loose ball bearing in the hollows of my nearly-drilled head.
*****
"Thank you," I told her as we worked our way through the building. "Thank you for getting me out of there."
"Sorry it couldn't be sooner," said Lillian. "But there are limits to what I can do. You understand."
"I get it." I managed a weak version of my Hollywood smile. "So do you think Curie was right? Will Byzantine just send me back for more?"
"Only if you can get tortured and do a shoot at the same time," she said wryly.
"Shoot?" I frowned.
We reached the exit, and she pushed the door open. "A movie shoot." As we lurched out into the sunlight, she dug out a pair of dark glasses and pushed them onto my face. "You're scheduled for one this afternoon."
As we started down a gold cobblestone path toward the park, I shook my head. "They make movies in Heaven now?"
"Of course," said Lillian. "Just think of all the great stars we've got here.
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