Chapter 79

 

A week had passed and Fred was back to police work, but at a much more leisurely and controllable pace. He heard a tap on his office door and in came Marv Atwell. He pulled out a small leather pouch and handed it to Fred. “I believe this is yours.”

It was a miniaturized electronic device of some type that Fred had never seen before. Numerous tiny wires were extending in all directions from tiny holes in its plastic cage.

“What is this, a hearing device of some type?” Fred asked.

“Hardly. You remember in the warehouse you stated that you were not sure that I would show up?”

“Yes, I was very grateful.”

“Well, that’s not my point. I really wasn’t taking any chances. I knew from the start that I would be in control of the situation.”

“How could you possibly have known that?”

“Simple, what you have in your hands is a copy of the electronic device that was sold to the Chinese.”

“I don’t understand; one unit went to the CIA and one to the Chinese. How come there are three?”

Atwell continued, “One was a prototype which was attached to Miss Lang’s brain by Dr. Anderson. She was going to be the company’s test case. You see, Miss Lang had no God-given extraordinary ability at all. All she had was what this device provided to her—nothing more.”

“So Dodd lied to me about the number of the devices,” Fred responded.

Atwell said, “Don’t blame Dodd, he never knew.”

Fred asked, “So that device was the sole basis for all the power she displayed?”

‘Yes.”

Fred asked, “So why hadn’t Donna’s device been removed before now?”

“Before I answer that, let me give you some background. The operation was officially never supposed to have taken place, not because there was a high chance of her dying during the procedure, but because we didn’t know about the potential impact on her psyche. Think about it, all types of new mental processes are suddenly unleashed in this person; and we don’t even know if her psychological defensive mechanisms are adequate to deal with them. For all anyone knew, she could have become stark-raving mad.

“Dr. Anderson’s idea was to place it in her and then put her through a series of complex operational tests to evaluate her new capabilities. Because of the extreme secrecy of the operation, only the three of us knew about it. All of our tests were conducted after normal business hours. The tests indicated that our experiment was only partly successful. She had gained powers as a result of the device’s insertion, but to our understanding those powers were at best minimal. Still, they proved a major breakthrough in our field and they even exceeded the contractual standard insisted upon by the CIA. Her basic personality did not seem to have been altered as a result of her new skills. All the news was positive. Of course, Miss Lang received an exceptional monetary bonus as a result of her contribution.

“There was one problem—a major one. Miss Lang refused to have the second operation to remove the device. She said she would broadcast to the world what was done to her. Dr. Anderson didn’t know what to do; he was in perpetual fear of losing his medical license. So in the end, he did nothing.

“Dr. Anderson felt that her new powers were minimal, and assumed that the retention of the device in her brain would not cause any significant psychological problems, so he decided to let it remain in. One thing he did not know at the time, nor did I recognize, was that Miss Lang seemingly had received abilities from the device beyond what she let on. She, in effect, cooked the results of our tests to drastically understate her real ability.”

Fred asked, “I still don’t understand, with all her powers how you could have assumed, when we were in the warehouse, that you were superior to her?”

“That’s simple, Lieutenant, who do you think the device was prototyped from?”

“You?”

“Of course, I only provided a small fraction of my innate abilities, so I knew she would never come close to equaling the full extent of my powers. You see, I really wasn’t that much of a hero after all.”

“Well, your talents are certainly beyond that of any person I have ever known.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course.”

“Do you remember the pen that rolled off the conference room table when you were interviewing me?”

“How could I forget it?”

“Well, it wasn’t me that did it.”

“You mean I did it?” Fred said disbelievingly.

Atwell smiled.

Fred had trouble processing this new unsettling information. He shifted back to the subject at hand.

“Sounds to me like Dr. Anderson will have to be prosecuted, I am not sure of the charge but—”

“—Ah, Lieutenant, you forget—he had authority to conduct the operation.”

“Who gave him the authority, I thought you said he did it without the backing of anybody.”

“That was the first operation, when he introduced the paranormal device in Donna’s brain. But I’m talking about the removal operation, for which you at gave at least tacit approval for him to perform.”

Fred did not know what to say. 

Atwell continued, “I believe, Lieutenant, that you are now thinking that sometimes the end justifies the means. Besides, you have something of untold value in your hand; wouldn’t it be great to have all those great powers introduced into a basically good person such as yourself? 

“Atwell continued, “Think about it. With the embryonic power you already enjoy, you might even exceed my talents.” 
Marv Atwell walked out of Fred’s office and, Fred was certain, out of his life. Meanwhile Fred would be thinking about it for a long time.