Heroic Measures (continued)

He was absolutely certain that Bernat’s handling had been entirely clinical; his response, however, was not. If the olive-skinned physician noticed, he gave no indication. He was probably accustomed to it in his line of work, Walter thought—hoped, and thought it perfectly normal. This rationalization, though, did not prevent Walter’s cheeks from growing warm.

After he had placed all of the contacts, Bernat confirmed the placement and contact of a few of them (none of them, Walter noted gratefully, near his groin) and then stepped away from the platform to join Dr. Robert. They exchanged some quiet words and Dr. Robert motioned toward one of the consoles. Bernat went over and began to adjust the one Dr. Robert had indicated.

Walter quickly grew bored watching their activities, since he had very little idea what was going on or what was gong to follow. The continued delay did very little to ease his remaining disquiet, even as he tried to settle back on the padding and just wait.

The doctors completed their preparations a few minutes later. Dr. Robert approached Walter while Bernat remained near the equipment.

“Okay,” he told Walter, “I think we’re ready to begin.” His eyes swept over the sea of contacts covering Walter’s body in a way that made Walter decidedly uncomfortable. They returned to Walter’s face. “You shouldn’t feel anything at all,” he said. “We’re just measuring the electrical impulses in your body,” he explained. “Something like a body-wide EEG,” he added, as if that clarified everything. He performed one more cursory glance over Walter’s body and then moved back toward the equipment.

Walter remembered hearing about EEG’s, but he had never subjected to one. As far, we knew, most people were not. It was the stuff of television medical shows, not something the average person encountered during their visits to their local family doctor.

“Do I need to lay absolutely still or anything?” he asked, annoyed with the small quaver in his voice.

Dr. Robert’s expression formed an easy, light-hearted smile. “You don’t keep absolutely still or rigid,” he replied. “In fact, it might even be better if you didn’t,” he went on, without explaining why. “But try not to thrash around too much,” he said, giving Walter a quick wink. “You might dislodge some of the contacts.”

Walter nodded his understanding and settled back again, trying to relax.

Dr. Robert patted his shoulder gently and then walked back over to the collection of apparatus. He nodded toward Bernat, said something that Walter could not hear, and then pressed a button on one of the consoles. Walter tensed, although he willed himself not to, and waited for something to happen.

After a moment, he realized that Dr. Robert had been right: he felt nothing other than for the mildly irritating stickiness of the electrode pads on his skin. He looked over and saw graphs move on the small screens mounted into some of the equipment. Both Dr. Robert and Bernat watched them all intently, speaking quietly between themselves. Neither man appeared to be particularly anxious; even Bernat seemed to have relaxed somewhat.

Walter began to feel a slight tingling at some of the points of contact along his body. At first, he dismissed it as a manifestation of his own imagination and boredom at being able to do nothing other than lay there quietly. The sensation continued, though, seeming to spread to more and more of the contacts. It was not exactly uncomfortable, but definitely noticeable. He was about to call out when he noticed that both Dr. Robert and Bernat appeared agitated, deeply concerned over something that the equipment was showing them. Dr. Robert turned toward Walter just as the prickly sensation suddenly surged through him.

Walter felt his body convulse, but the erratic movements of his body felt distant, remote. At the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of power, of an untapped force held captive within his body. The lights in the chamber appeared to dim. The pitch of the sounds coming from the various pieces of equipment oscillated in a jumble of discordant noise. Lights flickered and flashed. Walter felt as he would explode from the pent-up energies kept within him. His body formed a high, violent arch on the platform. He saw and heard and felt as streamers of energy crackled outward from it, connecting to the equipment and even to the two doctors. The two men trembled, trapped in the unrelenting grip of the freed energies.

#

September 7, 1977 . . .

It was over in an instant. The room went dark and Walter felt his own body again. A crash echoed from nearby, following by smaller sounds of other items falling to the floor. There was the acrid odor of melted plastic and burnt electrical components. Walter suspected that the sound had been one of physicians collapsing, impacting one or more pieces of equipment on his way down. The tingling sensation was gone from his body, replaced by . . . something else. It was like that feeling that it got right before a thunderstorm, with the tiny hairs on his arms and back of his neck standing on end. His skin also felt dry and seemed to itch almost everywhere.

For several seconds, he seemed unable to breathe. His throat felt constricted, the muscles of his chest paralyzed. The moment passed and he was able to draw in a deep, rejuvenating breath.

The interior of the chamber remained dark. Walter waited for his eyes to adjust to it, but the room was sealed, with no reflected ambient light at all for his vision to take advantage of. Something stirred on the floor nearby. Walter assumed that it was one of the doctors trying to rise. His guess was confirmed when he heard a male voice muttering something not quite intelligible.

“Walter?” a voice called out from the darkness. It was Dr. Robert.

“Yes,” Walter answered and then added, “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” the physician responded. “I’m going to try to find a light.”

Walter followed the shuffling sounds of movement around the chamber, stopping occasionally as the doctor encountered some unseen obstacle in the dark. Sometime later, a sudden lance of brilliant light pierced the darkness. Walter blinked, momentarily blinded.

The emergency cast a bright, but narrow beam through the chamber. Its light created knife-edged shadows, revealing items in the room in sharp relief. Dr. Robert carried it closer, revealing Bernat still lying crumpled on the floor. Walter thought he saw blood trailing from the physician’s mouth, but could not be certain. Dr. Robert checked on the other man’s condition, paused, and then rose.

“We need to get out of here,” he said. “Can you walk?”

Walter shifted his legs experimentally: everything seemed to be working. “I think so.” He started to rise and felt the pull from the tangle of contact leads still connecting him to the monitoring systems. Ignoring the momentary stings, he pulled them away in handfuls until he thought he was free of them all. He felt a few additional ones snap away as he eased his feet to floor. Its surface was cold against the bare soles of his feet. Dr. Robert gestured with the flashlight’s beam in the direction of the door. Walter took a step and then turned back, grabbing the pile of his clothing where they were stacked on a nearby chair. Like hell was he going to be found completely naked by anyone else.

He and Dr. Robert made their way carefully to the door. It was sealed tight. The flashlight beam played around perimeter of the doorway as Dr. Robert searched for a way to open it. Walter took the moment to pull on his bathrobe and slippers. Doing so made him feel both warmer and a bit more assured.

Dr. Robert tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward a lever mounted next to the door. He gestured for Walter to place his hands on one end of it and turn it counterclockwise. Walter did not know why Dr. Robert did not just speak out loud, but mentally shrugged the question off. He placed his hands where instructed, waiting while Dr. Robert gripped the other end. Dr. Robert nodded three distinct times and then began to pull on the lever. Walter followed his example, applying pressure in the direction indicated, and the lever slowly began to shift.

Walter could hear a mechanism inside the door in motion. The lever moved more easily as it went. After several moments of effort, there came the distinct sound of the locking system disengaging. Dr. Robert pushed on the door and Walter heard the now-familiar hiss of the door seals separating.

The power in the corridor outside the chamber appeared to be out as well, but Walter could see lights operating further away, in the direction of the elevator if he remembered correctly. Dr. Robert led him forward, toward the illuminated sections of the floor.

#

September 7, 1977 . . .

Small red and amber lights mounted at intervals along the corridor twirled their colors against the walls. As they approached the elevator, Walter could hear the sounds of distant alarms. One of the access doors to their left banged open. Through it burst two security guards, hands ready on their firearms, and two figures encased in hazmat gear.

Dr. Robert’s eyes made contact with one of the guards, but did not entirely focus on him. “Bernat is still back there. Needs help.” Something in the physician’s flat tone told Walter that it was too late for Bernat.

The guards hesitated and one of the hazmat-suited figured leaned forward slightly. Dr. Robert shook his head slowly, as if able to interpret their conversation.

“No,” he said dully. “There’s nothing to contain. Just need to restore power.”

The security guard waited and then, when the hooded figure nodded to him, spoke into the handheld receiver mounted on his shoulder, calling for an emergency medical response team.

The elevator chimed a moment later. That was fast, Walter thought.

The doors slid open to reveal two figures in business suits. It took Walter a moment to realize that one of them was a woman.

“What the hell happened down here?” the woman in the severely tailored suit snapped.

“I’m not sure,” Dr. Robert replied, sounding still dazed.

The woman stared at him with a narrow, piercing stare. She seemed to decide that she would get nothing further from him at that moment that might be useful and turned away. Taking another step into the corridor, she seemed to become suddenly aware of Walter’s presence. She regarded him with barely-disguised disdain. Walter felt like a flawed and unwelcome specimen under her brief gaze. Behind her, the equally well-attired man said nothing, but surveyed the scene with a critical, hawkish eye.

“Bring him,” she announced to the two guards, indicating Dr. Robert. She turned toward her companion. “I want a full report—immediately.” Walter could tell that she was accustomed to being obeyed.

The man did not even flinch. “Of course,” he responded coolly, and stepped out into the corridor.

The two guards flanked Dr. Robert escorted him into the elevator. He offered no resistance. To Walter, it did not even seem that he was aware of their presence. The woman preceded them inside. Walter remained in the corridor, having been given no instructions at all. As the elevator doors began to slide closed, he made a decision and moved quickly inside. A slight rise of the woman’s eyebrows was the only indication that she had noticed.