Author’s Notes: I’m a sucker for police procedurals, and this story was inspired by a certain long-running American television series, as well as by the brainwashed sleeper classic “Telefon.” I’m envisioning this as a two-part story; the first three chapters comprise the first “episode.” Remember not to try this at home, even if you are a TV detective. Copyright © 2019 by 321, all right reserved and such.
Brainwashed
Chapter One — Subject Three
The woods are lovely.
“Nnnnnnnnoooo... please...”
The woods are lovely. Repeat.
She pressed her tongue against dry lips, hoping to wet them with what little saliva she had left. “Please,” she said, in a voice that was as cracked as her lips. “Let me... let me go... please.”
The woods are lovely. The voice ignored her entirely. Repeat.
“I won’t... I won’t tell... I won’t tell... anyone.” She tried to shake her head for emphasis, but her neck muscles refused to comply, and the swirls soon captured her attention again. “I won’t... tell... I won’t... tell...” Round and round. I won’t... tell... round and round... I won’t... tell...I won’t... I won’t... won’t...
The woods are lovely. Repeat.
“The woods... what are you... what are you doing to... me?” She tried to remember how she’d gotten here, or why she was standing in this dark room, seemingly mesmerized by the round and round and round display in front of her. It was all a blank. Something about a blindfold, maybe. A party? There had been a party? Something bad was happening. Something... round and round and round was... was?
The woods are lovely. Repeat.
“Can’t...” Now everything except the screen was swirling, turning the room over and over again in gentle, lazy cycles. She briefly imagined herself inside a clothes dryer, tumbling over and over again, lulled to sleep by the click click click of plastic buttons against metal walls. With a sigh, she let her eyes close.
The woods are lovely. Repeat.
“The woodsssss...” they’re so peaceful, so beautiful “...are lovely.” Everything in the dryer was floating; her clothes and socks and hair went everywhere, like in one of those old movies about outer space. Zero gravity, feeling nothing, floating, calm and peaceful. It was so warm. The dryer always made things so warm. All of those cold nights spent cuddled against the warm sheets, fresh from the laundry, smelling of-
The woods are lovely. Repeat.
“The woods are lovely,” she breathed. “The woods are... lovely.”
There was a faint buzzing noise. Even through her closed eyes, she could sense that things had gotten darker. The tumbling stopped; clothes and socks and hair fell around her. Her chin dropped to her chest.
“Dark, and deep. Dark, and deep. So dark, Nicole. Dark and deep. Deeply relaxed. Deeply obedient. Dark, and deep. Repeat.”
“So... dark...” Her head felt like someone had filled it with cement. It pressed against her body, threatening to break off and roll away at any moment. It was so hard to hold it up. “So dark...”
“Dark and deep.”
“I’m so tired,” she mumbled. “I’m so tired. I can’t... tired...”
“Dark.”
Her lips barely moved. “...and deep.”
“The woods are lovely.”
“Dark and deep.”
“The woods are lovely.”
“Dark and deep.” Somehow she found the strength to raise her head again. Her eyelids, however, proved too heavy to pry open, and she let them rest. it felt so good to rest. It felt so good to repeat the words. “Dark and deep.”
“You have promises to keep, Nicole. Promises to keep.”
“I have... promises?”
“Open your eyes and watch the screen. You have promises to keep.”
“I... I can’t...” She tried her eyes again, and to her surprise, they opened easily. She immediately focused on the screen, expecting to see the round and round and round display that had captivated her for so many hours. Instead, she found herself watching an actual video. It was jumpy and poorly made, probably by someone with a cell phone. An old cell phone. The video skipped and bounced, and she found herself staring intently at the screen, hoping to catch all of it. She needed to watch all of it. She had promises to keep.
The cameraman trailed behind a pretty blonde with long, wavy hair. Puffs of icy exhalation rose from her head like smoke from a steam engine, and she moved forward with a similar determination. More than once, a pedestrian found themselves jumping out of her way, the camera just catching a glimpse of their annoyed expression as she continued without apology.
Obey. Hear, and obey. Hear, and obey. Promises to keep. Hear, and obey. Watch, and obey.
The woman reached a busy intersection and paused, allowing the camera to capture the street sign above her head. Second and Thirteenth. Remember. Watch, and remember. Watch, and obey. Promises to keep. Promises to keep. The woods are lovely.
The words came easily now. “Dark and deep. I have promises to keep.” She watched as the woman in the video hustled down Thirteenth, stopping in front of a bright red door. She reached down and picked up a green backpack, wrapping her arm around one of the straps and hoisting it onto her back. Retrieve the package. Obey. Watch, and obey. Your package will be in a briefcase. A briefcase. Watch, and obey.
“Watch...” her empty brown eyes captured every second perfectly. “Obey.”
You will pick up the briefcase. You have promises to keep.
“Promises... yes.”
The video skipped to a new scene. It was getting dark. The woman faced the street as a cab pulled away from the curb. She turned and looked up at the nearest building, the camera following her gaze. Archway Investment and Finance. Remember.
She dutifully made a note of the building’s name, address, and appearance. It was important, and she had promises to keep. A part of her mind dimly recalled working there at some point in the distant past, long before round and round and round... before... before...
The blonde turned to face the camera. Her hair framed her pretty face. She looked young; a college student, perhaps. Someone who could blend in anywhere, someone who was never without her trusty green backpack. Her wide, empty eyes stared through the shaky phone, looking right into Nicole’s own glazed eyes. “Miles to go before I sleep,” she droned. “Miles to go, before I sleep.”
“Activate,” said a male voice. “You have promises to keep.”
The blonde nodded. She opened her left hand to reveal some sort of trigger, complete with a big red button. “Miles to go, before I sleep.” Her thumb clamped down on the red button, then released it. It hovered for a moment before making another try, then another. And another.
“Stop. Obey. You have kept your promise.”
The woman nodded again. “I have kept my promise.”
The camera shifted violently, tumbling, a blur of streetlights, pavement, stylish white boots, a passing truck, and finally, a man’s face. He smiled. “Project report number seven. Subject One has just completed her second test run without error. We should be able to train Subject Two with this video, as well as the future Subject Three, once we find a woman with direct access to the floor and target.” He looked away from the screen. “Okay, Svetlana, listen and obey. You have kept your promise. We will go home now.”
“Yes. Miles to—”
The screen went blank for a moment, and the room plunged into total darkness. Dark and deep. A wave of drowsiness swept up from below, and she calmly let it overtake her.
“I never figured you for a pumpkin spice latte girl. Gotta say, I don’t know what to say.” Frank leaned over the counter and placed the change in her hand. “One, two, two-fifty, a couple of pennies for the jar... there you go.“
She smiled as she stuffed the change in her pocket. “What can I say? A girl has to keep up with trends.”
“Don’t you dare come in here wearing Ugg boots, Nicole. I swear it. I mean it!”
“I will, and you’ll love it,” she laughed. “See you next Saturday, Frank!”
She stepped out onto Second Avenue and spun in a lazy circle, uncertain of which direction to take. Lazy, random walks were her latest thing, as long as they included a stop at Frank’s for coffee. She placed her nose over the cup and let the steam warm her face, savoring the smell. Tompkins Square, maybe? She settled on making a left turn, and began to make her way towards the park.
chirp chirp chirp chirp
She glanced at her phone. The display read ‘unknown caller,’ but it was almost certainly Randy, calling from his newest and latest mobile toy. She rolled her eyes and answered. “How can you even afford to live here when you spend all of your money on—”
“The woods are lovely.”
round and round and round “Dark, and deep.” The latte fell from her hand and exploded on the sidewalk. Drops of hot liquid stung her shins. “I have promises to keep.“
“Miles to go, before you sleep.”
She nodded. “Miles to go, before I sleep.”
The phone joined the coffee on the sidewalk as she turned and headed uptown.