Heroic Measures (continued)

“What happened?”

Raynes looked both uncomfortable and troubled by Walter’s question. He glanced at Hansen, who merely stared back at Raynes without saying a word.

“We’re not sure,” Raynes admitted. His looked apologetic, but Walter could hear the frustration buried in his tone.

Walter waited to see whether Raynes would volunteer any more information. When the professor said nothing for several moments, he tried again.

“You did manage to hypnotize me?” he asked. “I think I remember that much.”

Raynes nodded.

“What happened then?”

Raynes glanced at Hansen again, which did not exactly put Walter at ease. Hansen looked grim, but nodded. Walter could not help but notice that as physician tried to covertly prepare an injection.

Raynes took a slow breath and then began.

“You went back to that night at the warehouse.”

Walter nodded slowly. He remembered that night. The vague images that he recalled when reawakened matched those memories.

“Something happened there,” Raynes said. “Something we don’t understand.”

“I know,” Walter responded, a little more impatiently than he intended. “We went back,” he recalled. “And there was nothing there.”

Raynes’ expression grew even more troubled.

“But there was,” Raynes said quietly. He took a slow, deep breath and then looked at Walter. “Walter,” he said. “Something happened to you out there at the warehouse that night. We don’t know what.”

Walter stared at Raynes. The professor obviously believed what he was saying, but it did not match Walter’s recollections of the event.

“When we got you to that point in your memory,” Raynes continued before Walter could interrupt, “we hit incredible resistance.”

His eyes remained fixed on Walter’s. Walter had no doubt that the man was telling the truth.

“Incredible,” Raynes repeated with emphasis. “Something blocked you from remembering anything coherent from that point on.

His gaze moved to a point just over Walter’s shoulder. Walter could tell that he was reliving those moments in his thoughts.

“We . . .” Raynes hesitated, licking dry lips. “We attempted to take you deeper,” he went on, “hoping we you find a way to get you past whatever block had been put there.” He took a slow breath and looked at Walter again. “We were wrong.”

After a moment, Raynes’ eyes moved away from his. Walter could see how conflicted the man was.

“You went into what amounted to cardiac arrest,” Raynes explained.

“Your heart stopped,” Hansen interjected bluntly.

Raynes’ eyes flashed a brief warning at Hansen. “We were able to resuscitate you,” Raynes went on, “and bring you to the infirmary. The rest, I think you know.”

Raynes looked deeply thoughtful. “Whoever did this wanted to make sure that you didn’t remember whatever it was you saw there at the warehouse.”

“I don’t,” Walter admitted irritably.

“Exactly,” Raynes nodded. “At least not now, not yet.” His mouth formed a grim line. “The real question is: Why did they leave you alive at all?”

“They’ve killed heroes before to keep their secrets,” H stated coolly. “Why not you?”

Walter felt a cold knot form in his stomach.

They still think I might be a spy.

#

Walter looked at Raynes and then over at Hansen. Both men regarded him evenly. What Walter saw them appeared to be more like curiosity than suspicion.

But still . . .

Given the tale of what had happened to him while under hypnosis, Walter was starting to believe that there might actually be something to the possibility that he might be a sleeper agent.