Yet I start to get an idea when I recall the questions I asked Numbria about the Telar’s role in modern society. I listen to my own answer, studying it for clues as to what he wants.
“Numbria said the Telar were involved with business and politics at the highest levels. But they disliked sharing their scientific knowledge with mankind. Then I asked why the Telar were still interested in humanity. That’s when she got upset and I had to sedate her.”
“You are skipping something here,” Haru says.
“What?”
“You tell me.”
“Can you give me a hint?”
“Yes.” Haru reaches over and turns the dial.
The pain is instantaneous and unlike any pain I have ever known. I don’t feel it in a particular part of my body. It’s like my mind is filled with pain. First it feels like nerve pain, then a burning sensation. It changes as it grows. I keep trying to get a handle on it, to block it, but I can’t because it’s too deep. My thoughts of the pain are made of pain. I feel I no longer have a name. I’ve lost all sense of identity. I exist only to experience pain.
Far off, I hear someone screaming.
It takes forever to realize it’s me.
The pain suddenly stops. It is just gone.
I open my eyes and wince in the light. Blood drips from my lower lip, where I bit it. My heart pounds, and I gasp for air. Haru speaks in his calm, cold voice.
“That was three, Sita. You see the dial goes up to ten. No one has ever experienced ten and been able to talk afterwards. The brain, whether it is human, or Telar, or vampire, cannot stand such a level of torment. As it is, you were thrashing around, and we had trouble holding you down. You may have damaged your brain already. My advice is for you to stop lying and answer my questions to the best of your ability.”
“Did you do this to Yaksha?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder he killed so many of you.” For the first time since being captured, I feel despair. The Pulse is more powerful than I imagined. I doubt I can resist it. To willingly invite another twist of the dial would be insane. I can’t block even a portion of the pain. The reason is both subtle and obvious. The device appears to have the ability to obliterate a person’s sense of “I” and replace it with pain. Therefore, there is no one left to try to resist it. Haru senses my despair and smiles faintly.
“Enough. What did Numbria tell you about our interest in humanity?”
“She said you have no desire to help humanity. That you see them as a plague spreading across the planet. A plague that has to be wiped out.”
“Did she tell you how we plan to do this?”
“No. But she said you wouldn’t exterminate everyone. She said you would keep a few alive, to study, to learn from them.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’m repeating what she said.”
“What she said isn’t true.”
“You would know.”
Haru stares at me. “How do you feel about our plan?”
“I told you, Numbria didn’t explain your plan to me.”
“Forget that. Should we destroy humanity or not?”
“You’re seriously asking for my advice?”
“I’m curious how you feel about the matter.”
“Your plan is monstrous. No one knows people better than I do, their strengths and weaknesses. But this is their planet. They have a right to life. You can’t just wipe them out like you would a swarm of mosquitoes.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken. Several times in the past, we have destroyed the bulk of humanity. In fact, Numbria told you about the plague. We were the ones responsible for it.”
“But why?”
“Humans breed like rats. What better way to halt their growth than to use rats?”
“Are you going to use disease again?”
“Not necessarily. Whatever method we use, the earth cannot bear the weight of seven billion people. You know the story. The poles are melting. The oceans are polluted. The ozone layer has a hole in it. If we don’t act soon, and decisively, the earth will be ruined forever.”
Odd. Brutran had given the same speech.
“Then work with humanity to help clean up the planet. You obviously possess tremendous scientific knowledge. But you’re few in numbers. They can help you if you point them in the right direction. You know, I’ve lived a long life, I’ve seen everything. But I’ve never seen a case where mass murder has led to a higher standard of living.”
“I respect your arguments. But the decision has been made.”
“By who?”
“The Source.”
“You’re the head of the goddamn Source.” When he doesn’t respond, I ask, “How are you going to do it?”
“That’s irrelevant.”
“When are you going to do it?”
“Soon.”
“God,” I whisper.
“Do you believe in God? That is one of my questions.”
“You can’t be serious.” Haru reaches for the dial. “Wait! Okay, you are serious. I’ll answer as best I can. I don’t know.”
“You met Krishna. You were deeply moved by him. Surely you must have thought he was a divine being.”
“He radiated extraordinary love and power. He was definitely not a normal human being. But to say someone is God, what does that mean? I honestly can’t say.”
“But you feel an obligation to do his will?”
“I wouldn’t put it that bluntly. I’ve disobeyed him on occasion.”
“When?”
“I promised him I wouldn’t create more vampires. But I made two.”
“Why?”
“In order to save their lives.”
“Are these two still alive?”
“You read Seymour’s books. You know they’re both dead.”
“Still, we come back to the original question. Do you feel compelled to obey Krishna?”
“I try to follow the example he set. I don’t always succeed. Why?”
“You know why. He told Yaksha to kill as many of us as possible. If I let you go, I assume you’ll try to do the same.”
“Not if we can come to an understanding that benefits us both.”
“What do you have to offer?”
“You know my abilities, and you know I’m no friend of Brutran and the IIC. Perhaps we can work together to put them out of business.”
“Do you have a plan to destroy them?”
“I’m working on one.”
“How can you get near them when they’ve got the Array?”
“Is that the main thing holding you back?”
“Answer my question.”
“I’ve discovered a way to block the Array. I’ll be happy to share it with you if you release me.”
“Share it with me now.”
I hesitate. “I can’t.”
Haru turns the dial on the Pulse.
I scream. I cannot stop screaming.
The pain cannot get any worse, and yet it keeps getting worse. I lose all concept of time. My agony feels eternal. I cannot recall a time when there was no pain, because the pain has wiped my memory clean. Yet I manage to remember the name of the machine. The Pulse, he calls it the Pulse, as if it were designed to generate waves of pain. But that’s a lie, because there’s not the slightest gap in the torment.
All that exists is pain and a desire for it to end.
Finally, it stops. My body is racked with spasms I can’t control. I fear to open my eyes. I know I’m a mess. I’ve vomited on my shirt and urinated in my pants. And if my bowels had not been empty, I would have shit myself.
“Sita,” I hear Haru say.
“Stop,” I whisper.
“You want me to stop the pain?”
I keep my eyes tightly shut. “No more.”
“I’ll be happy to stop if you will just answer my questions.”
“I’m trying.”
“Not hard enough, I’m afraid. You have no real desire to jo
in forces with us. Granted, the IIC is your enemy as much as ours, but you’re the same as Yaksha and Krishna. You see the Telar as something that must be wiped out.”
“Only because you’re talking about . . .” I feel too weak to finish.
“Wiping out humanity? I told you, we’ve reduced their numbers before and they’ve survived. Think of what we intend to do as a deep pruning. With the bulk of humanity gone, the planet will have a chance to heal. It’s the only chance it has. You can talk all you want about humanity joining us to repair the damage they’ve caused, but it’s a dream. Mankind won’t take any serious steps until it is too late. Humans are bound by the silly political institutions they’ve created. Every elected official in every country has to show immediate improvements to his constituents or else he’s voted out of office. For that reason alone, your leaders are unable to plan ahead. No, Sita, earth is our home too, and we’re not going to stand by and let it be destroyed.”
I manage to open my eyes. “There must be a middle ground.”
“It’s those Telar who have urged compromise that have pushed us to the edge of this present catastrophe.”
“You mean you’re not all of the same mind?”
His hand lingers over the dial. “Are you trying to annoy me?”
My disgust helps to restore my strength. “Are you so utterly devoid of compassion that you can bury seven billion bodies?”
“The Nazis incinerated six million Jews and didn’t lose any sleep.”
I grasp his hidden meaning. “You helped them!”
“We have been behind every great war humanity has fought.”
“But why?”
“To keep human beings in their place. We were surprised the Cold War lasted so long. It was supposed to heat up with the exchange of a few nuclear warheads. Mankind surprised us there, by keeping the genie in the bottle.”
“There! You admit they’re capable of great acts. Come out of the shadows, Haru, and give them a chance. The worst that can happen is you’ll have to fall back on your original plan.”
“Now you’re behaving like a cheerleader for your precious humanity. You know as well as I do that when people learn we’re immortal, they will have only one goal—immortality for themselves.”
“I’m glad you brought that up. It’s key to what I’m proposing. Living short lives has made most people complacent. Why should I bother about the environment? I’m going to be dead in a few years. Yet that will all change if they see that they can live forever. Share your gift of long life with them and they’ll do everything in their power to preserve the earth.”
“So says the vampire who refused to share her blood with another soul for five thousand years.”
“You know why I fought to keep my blood to myself.”
“Because Krishna told you to.”
“Yes.”
“That’s pretty weak, Sita.”
“It’s the truth. You keep saying you want the truth.”
“What I really want is for you to join us. You’re right, you could be a help in our battle against Brutran and the IIC, especially if you’ve discovered a weakness in the Array.”
“You can hear the truth. You know I have found a hole in it.”
“But you refuse to share it. How can I trust you enough to release you when you won’t answer a few basic questions?”
“You don’t trust me and I don’t trust you. I fear that whatever I tell you will just expose my friends to greater danger.”
Haru nods. “It is a paradox.”
“I didn’t intend to kill Numbria. I was going to let her go.”
“Because you knew she was insignificant.”
“I felt sorry for her. I had no desire to kill her.”
“Useless human emotions. After all these centuries, I’m surprised you haven’t outgrown them.”
“If I didn’t still have feelings, I wouldn’t be bothered to get out of my coffin every night.”
“You don’t sleep in a coffin.”
“I was trying to lighten the mood with a joke.”
“This is no time for jokes. Unless you can convince me of your value, I’m going to kill you. Here, in this room, tonight.”
“Go ahead.”
“It won’t be that easy, Sita. A moment ago I turned the dial to five. If I decide to kill you, I’ll turn it to ten and leave you here, and you’ll die in an agony so terrible, you’ll leave this world cursing Krishna. You understand?”
“Sure. You’re a sadist.”
“I told you, it gives me no pleasure to see you suffer. But I need you to understand the penalty of disobedience.”
“You’ve zapped me twice. I screamed my head off. I’m covered in vomit and piss. I think I have a pretty good idea what the penalty is like.”
“Then you’re ready to answer my next question.”
“Ask.”
“How does the Array work?”
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me what you do know.”
“They use children to make it work. And teenagers.”
“How do they use them?”
“They ask them questions over the phone.”
“What kind of questions?”
“Yes or no questions.”
“About stocks?”
“I think so.”
“Do you know any of these children?”
“One. The girl who came with me to Arosa.”
“What’s her name?”
“Shanti Garuda.”
“Why did you befriend her?”
“She’s very sweet, kind, and compassionate. She’s suffered in her life, but she doesn’t complain. I admire her.”
“Why did you bring her to Arosa? You must have known it could be dangerous.”
“I brought her with me for protection.”
“Who are you protecting her from? Us?”
“The IIC. And she protects me from them.”
“I don’t understand. Clarify.”
“She can block the Array from attacking me.”
“That’s ridiculous. How does she do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re going to have to do better than that.”
“All I can say is the instant she touched my head in that motel room in London, where Numbria died, the Array’s compulsion stopped.”
“Is she psychic?”
“I don’t think so. She’s kind.”
“You said that already.”
“Yes. But I just realized something. Maybe that’s the answer.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Is it possible the Array doesn’t work in the presence of kindness?”
Haru acts impatient. No, actually, he looks a little . . . spooked.
“That’s ridiculous,” he says.
“I’d say it’s a reasonable theory. At least until you come up with a better one.”
“She’s a kid. Do you know how many psychically trained Telar we sent against Brutran and the Array? Hundreds. You were right, most did not come back. But those we were able to recover had to be killed. Their minds had been ruined.”
“How so?”
“They were like zombies. They ran around trying to eat the brains of whoever they saw.”
“Gross.”
“I’m not satisfied with your answers when it comes to Shanti.”
“I’ve told you what I know.”
“Shanti took a copy of Yaksha’s book when she left here.”
“Yes.”
“Where did she take it to?”
“Seymour Dorsten.”
“Where is he? Give me his address.”
“I can’t. I only have his cell number. I arranged it that way so that I wouldn’t know where they were in case I got in a situation like this. But I suppose there’s no harm in telling you that Shanti has instructions to call Seymour as soon as she lands in New York. He’s supposed to pick her up and take her somewhere secret.”
“In the city?”
br /> “Seymour’s too smart to stay in New York.”
“But you know his number. If you call now and ask where he is, he’ll tell you his location.”
“He has instructions not to tell me where he is.”
“Then how will you find him?”
“He’ll find me. A part of him always knows what I’m doing.”
“How?”
“We have a telepathic bond.”
“So that part of his books was true?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never met a human who was a true telepath.”
“You’ve never met Seymour.”
“But everything you say means you know where he is.”
“It’s not like that. He can block me when he wants. I can do likewise. He has orders to block me now.”
“We’ll come back to him later. Right now I want to talk about Paula Ramirez and her son, John. Are you ready to divulge their location?”
I feel pain and he hasn’t turned on the Pulse.
It’s like he has burned it into my brain. I’m scared.
I sigh. “I don’t know.”
“Do you need more pain?”
“No!”
“Do you believe John was born of a virgin?”
“No.”
“But Paula said she didn’t have sex before John was born.”
“Paula never said she was a virgin. And as far as when she last had sex, before John was conceived, I had trouble with that part of Seymour’s story.”
“Why?”
“Everyone lies about sex. It’s human nature.”
“Do you believe Paula’s the reincarnation of Suzama?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m not asking what you know. I’m asking what you believe.”
“It’s possible, I suppose.”
“Has Paula shown psychic abilities?”
“Yes.”
“Has she accurately predicted future events?”
“Yes.”
“When did you last see her?”
“A week ago.”
“Where?”
I hesitate. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t let you get to John.”
“Sita. You understand if you don’t tell me, I’ll have to use the Pulse. And this time I will turn the dial up to eight. Do you want that?”
“No.”
“Then answer my question. Where are Paula and John?”
I feel tears in my closed eyes. “I can’t tell you.”