To Be A Killer

Chapter 63: Insane In The Brain

"It's gonna be alright," Sam says comfortingly. "Maxine, you're gonna be alright."

Maxine just smiles from her place on the floor. "I'm good, Sam. I've never felt better. Never. I-I feel-oh, Sam, you don't know the joy, the peace, when you're all united and one being."

"Okay, she's freaking me out. This-this whole thing is freaking me out. I'm freaked out, okay? Officially, entirely..."

"She's not going anywhere," Louise says. "Not runnin' off to bloody Diana, not while I'm sitting on her."

"It feels wonderful." Maxine sighs happily. "You know, Louise, the tones-they're um, I understand them now. They're a language. A beautiful, beautiful language. And they're telling me so many wonderful things. It feels like I suddenly understand my whole purpose."

Paula clasps her hands together. "Sweetheart, remember how you felt like that after you saw 'Bring It On' as well, and it turned out you shouldn't be a cheerleader? Sam, how long until our friend gets here?"

"Oh, you've got friends coming too? That's cool. This vibe just got really tense. I think I might have some weed laying around somewhere," Moonchild says. She has on the same smile Maxine has on, but oddly enough, she hasn't once tried to break the machine. I mean, she can't now since I'm sitting on her just like Louise is sitting on Maxine, but Moonchild has been oddly calm and almost acting normal for someone who I think is under the mind control.

"Uh, probably best we stay alert in a situation like this," Sam says, his voice laced with fear and anxiety. "Holly is on her way."

"That scientist you met on the Comansys ship?" Louise raises a brow. "Isn't she supposed to be on the Comansys ship?"

"She's agreed to risk the trip because we need her expertise. Me and Paula thought-"

"We thought we'd keep it to ourselves, just in case we didn't need her after all. No sense putting her and her driver at risk."

"We would've told you, Five, but..." Sam's voice trails off, and I nod in understanding.

If I were put under mind control, I could report back to Diana about Holly coming. Of course, Paula doesn't know that, but Sam does, and he knows that unless I'm put in that machine, there's a chance of me getting mind controlled. He's doing it to help protect them from me.

And that's exactly what I want.

"You guys have gotten so close," Maxine says with a grin. "That is beautiful. I'm so happy."

Louise scoffs. "Yeah, but you'd be happy looking at a really interesting piece of dust right now, wouldn't you?"

She simply smiles in reply.

"So this Comansys scientist is going to take a look at the machine?" Moonchild asks, shifting under me slightly. I narrow my eyes at her, and surprisingly, she stops moving.

"Not a look. Isn't she blind?"

From what I remember, just nearly.

"Uh, I've told her what happened to the machine. She thinks she can fix it." He pauses. "Five, we need you to pick up some new cabling on the other side of the building."

"What about Moonchild?" I ask. "I'm like, ninety-nine percent sure she's mind controlled as well."

"What's the other one percent?"

"That she's just being weird."

"We need those cables. Paula can watch her while you're gone."

With a small nod I get off Moonchild, and she sits up. "I need to meditate now, man, to prepare myself for this massive change in chakras I'm going to have. I'm just going to sit here in silence."