This story is part of an ongoing series.
The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography, which is currently not updating. Stories after Ethical Dilemmas are:
We'll Always Have Paris, Causing a Commotion.
Feedback and
constructive
criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.
This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.
Part 12 - Commotion of Motion
Upon hearing the three words, Cindy began waking up. She opened her eyes, blinking them, then began moving her arms. Then she looked up at me.
"AAAUUGGGHH!!" Cindy screamed out, raising her arms as if to ward me off.
"Easy, Cindy!" Teresa said, grabbing Cindy's forearms. Cindy looked at Teresa and screamed again, and began fighting Teresa's hold on her. As they grappled, I rushed for the door and opened it. Dr. Yates, Laura, and a couple of nurses came in.
"Cindy!" Laura shouted into Cindy's face. "Calm down! You're okay. You're among friends, now!" As she was saying this, I was physically pulling an absolutely stunned Teresa away from the bed and to the door. We went out into the hallway.
"As I feared." I said. "She was frightened of us. That must've been part of the program they were running on her."
"You never acted like that." said Teresa, still in shock.
"My programming was different." I said. "They were trying to extract information from me, so they re-wrote my reality. With Cindy... I think the result they wanted is what they're getting now: make her hate her closest friends and relatives..."
I could see that Teresa needed a hug, and she collapsed into me as I took her into my arms. I guided her to the waiting room...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
An hour later, Captain Ted Orosco of Internal Affairs emerged from Cindy's room with Detectives Theo Washington and Joanne Warner, to whom Cindy's case had been formally assigned. Laura and Dr. Yates also emerged.
Callie and Maggie had been admitted to the room shortly after Cindy had awakened, so it was just me, Teresa, and Chief Griswold at the moment they came out.
"Chief Griswold," said Laura, "why don't you go see Cindy. I think you'll have a very positive effect on her, but if not, come back out." The old Chief got up and went down the hallway and into Cindy's room. Dr. Yates went with him.
"Don, I know you don't want to know." Laura said. "But what I do have to tell you is that they programmed Cindy to believe that everything being done to her... was being done by
you
. And that Teresa was helping, holding her down, restraining her, physically hitting her and stuff."
"So if she looks at us..." Teresa said, not finishing the sentence.
"We're going to have to do a lot of work to get her to realize you weren't the ones." Laura said. "But Don knows how hard that's going to be... he still remembers the dream sequences from his ordeal, and not the reality."
"Except in rare spots." I said. "Laura, when Dr. Eckhart gets back, you may have to let him try to treat Cindy. I know you and especially Dr. Yates don't want to do that, but it might be the only way to bring Cindy fully back."
"I'll see what I can do." Laura said. "You're right: Dr. Yates thinks Eckhart is a quack, and will never assent to letting Eckhart medically treat her, nor you, in any way."
"Once she's physically cleared, release her from the Hospital." I said. "Then Yates will not be able to say anything. See what y'all can do in the meantime. Okay, Captain Croyle, we have no place here. Let's go back to work."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Noon, Friday, September 28th. Teresa was in my office with me.
"You're going to be 'Acting Commander' while I am gone." I said. "I'm not going to put you in a bind by making you promise not to divulge where I'm going. Suffice it to say I'm going to do what I am honor-bound to do, and exact revenge for what this bastard did to Cindy."
"Need help?" Teresa asked hopefully.
"I wish I could take you, but I need you to stay here and hold down the fort." I said. "Try to hold off my wife and the Deputy Director of the FBI from knowing for as long as you can, but you can tell Todd and the Misaki clan people once I'm away."
"You're not telling Laura?" Teresa asked, looking stunned.
"Not until I've completed this." I said. Teresa nodded, and preceded me out of the office.
I went into MCD. "Cindy's green crowbar, the one that was found at the BigAgraFoods warehouse... where is it?"
"Right here, sir." said Theo Washington, handing me the solid iron implement. "Yes sir, I know we should put it in the Evidence Room, but we were going to give it back to her when she gets back."
"That's fine." I said. "In the meantime, I'll hold onto it." Theo handed it to me, and I left with it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Ichimoku Industries small jet landed at County Airport. One passenger boarded the flight. Teresa waved goodbye, then drove my Police SUV back to Headquarters. She did not notice another small, sleek jet coming in for a landing.
After takeoff, as I settled into my seat and looked out the window, my mind was fixed with inexorable purpose. The CIA Director had crossed the line. He had lied to the DepDirector and my wife, and had attacked me by attacking my sister, and now Cindy. His actions were unforgivable, and I had no intention of forgiving a thing. I realized my hand was clutching the green crowbar a little too tightly when it began to cramp up...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The DepDirector came to Laura's office in the Hospital. "I've got the report on that Clinton County facility and what was going on there."
"How'd you get that?" Laura asked. "I know for a fact that the CIA Director shut down all access to information about that facility. Put a 'TS-Eyes Only' classification on everything to do with it, including the Eldon murders and everything that went on back then."
"Right now Washington is in an uproar." said the DepDirector. "Several Democrat Senators are going to the President today, to tell the President that the CIA Director has to go before... things... start going public. Israel is preparing a series of news leaks to expose the CIA Director's hostility, and to confirm his being the one that ordered the assault on Kurchikov in Paris."
"In the meantime," said the DepDirector, "I still have friends in Washington, and some of them were friends of Admiral Keating. So I have the report. The gist of it is that the Clinton County facility was technically abandoned, but was maintained in good working order with some communication equipment in case of war. The instruments and medical stuff used on Commander Ross were brought in from Langley. Very similar stuff to what Casey B. Walker used on Don, but with some improvements such as the use of VR masks to speed up and enhance the effects. The drugs were the same as those used on Don."