Human Instincts (Excerpt)

Three

The night turned out to be unexpectedly short. Deanna woke up twice, not to check the cultures, but to re-watch the convicts’ message. It surprised her to realize she had been granted access to top secret material without asking for permission in advance. The General counted on her feelings of guilt related to the current situation, on the responsibility of any person of integrity, and lastly, on the curiosity that scientists are so prone to. All of these worked in his favor, and Deanna was well aware of it. In order to decide on the best course of action, she needed to get over the aversion she felt towards Mackenzie and the way he risked people’s lives. But the decision didn’t have to be made until mid-morning, when they established the connection with the prison again.

She didn’t need to leave the lab; she was allowed to assist in the discussion as an unseen, silent witness. The same people from the prison participated in the video conference. This time, the Governor was not the one speaking, but the younger man who had been leaning against the wall during the first video message. He discussed the details regarding the shipment shortly and to the point, and with a self-assurance that annoyed the hell out of the General. His muttering could be heard in the background.

The transmission ended and a text message showed up on the screen.

General Mackenzie requests a private meeting with the convicts’ leader at 12:00.

Regvasia didn’t reply, although she waited for a good few minutes. Instead, the screen came to life, and she realized she had a direct connection with the General’s office. He walked around the room with a strange look on his face.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He smirked.

Deanna was still thinking about the significance of the message, wondering why it had been sent to her too, so she didn’t answer right away. She lacked the context needed to make up her mind. Indeed, the discussion had been within normal limits, lacking overt rudeness or exaggerated demands, but what did she know? She wasn’t a psychologist, what did she know about convicts or psychopaths?

“Are you still there?” Mackenzie waved a hand in front of the camera to catch her attention.

“Yeah… it wasn’t bad if you wanted to leave them with the impression that they had won,” she commented. She hadn’t missed the fact that all the requests had come from the convicts’ end, even if the Governor had nodded his head on several occasions.

“We need to show a bit of good will to get them on our side.”

“And then?” she asked, failing to see Mackenzie’s bigger plan.

“You have a meeting scheduled for 12 o’clock,” he told her.

“Why twelve? Why not right now?”

“He needs to isolate himself from the others without making them suspicious, and I need time to send a technician to install a secure line at your place.” He gestured in her direction. “This is a matter of world safety, so no gossiping with the lab colleagues. I’ll send you the papers to sign.”

Deanna rolled her eyes. Who could she talk to? Abe? Most of her colleagues had given up on her research project and only helped her when she asked, preferring to work on other things with more visible results.

“Was a confirmation received?” The cycle ended at noon, and the cultures had to be checked.

“There’s no need. He’ll be there on time, don’t worry about it.”

“Do you know him?”

“Not personally, but I’ve heard about him.”

Makenzie’s answer put her on guard. “I’ll need his file… and those of the other convicts. And I need a psychiatric expert if we do this.”

The General had passed over the “if” stage already.

“I’ll see who’s left… but didn’t you take some psychology classes in college?”

“They were very basic… there’s no way we can take action without consulting a specialist.” Deanna’s tone changed, becoming categorical. She had something Mackenzie wanted and that sort of made her his equal. At least she had leverage if the General wanted her cooperation. He couldn’t force her. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

“Okay, I’ll send you the most qualified psychiatrist as soon as possible,” he promised. “Until then, see what you can do with him. He might be reluctant at first.”

“What can I offer him?”

“Anything except freedom, we can’t set them free.”

At least they agreed on that part.

“Shouldn’t a negotiator take care of this?”

“They’d be more careful when dealing with a negotiator. You have an advantage here: don’t forget they’ve had no interaction with women in the past three years.”

Deanna’s cheeks flushed at the General’s suggestion. She didn’t remember the last time she had flirted with anyone, and the idea of using her “feminine charms” on those criminals disgusted her.

“Now, I have to take care of other things—the world has not stopped spinning. Good luck!” The General waved his hand, signaling the end of the discussion.

“Don’t forget about the files…”

“I won’t… and don’t waste your times with reports. I’ll watch all the recordings later.”

Of course he would. Mackenzie needed to control everything, down to the tiniest detail. He wouldn’t risk anything now that he had won the war.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading, everyone! If it caught your interest, please go to my website at http://ioanavisan.zxq.net and see where you can purchase the Human Instincts novella.