Ensemble [Book 1: SEKTOR V Trilogy]

Chapter 20: The Commitment

Chapter 20: The Commitment

The stealth setup the Underground had established was impressive. Stanley knew he'd traveled south and east from Philly two nights ago and he still didn't know much more than that. The Institute, as they called this place, had a university feel with its rural, wide-open layout but, at the same time, it also felt nothing like a higher learning center or research facility. The buildings blended in with the surroundings and, for the most part, were very nondescript. Many of the lecture halls and labs, including the one he was in today, were nothing more than converted grain storage facilities and rural warehouses. These people were hiding in plain sight.

At this point, Stanley really wanted to know how long he was going to be stuck in the Underground's petri dish. He was tired of being in the dark and he wanted some real answers. At least now he was out of the medical labs he'd been stuck in for the past two days. On top of everything else, he'd somehow managed to endure a barrage of brain scans along with several varieties of neuro- and psychological testing with countless additional requests for blood and other bodily fluids thrown in for good measure. This afternoon, however, was supposed to be different. And so far, while he wouldn't readily admit, he actually was having a modicum of fun.

Today Dr. Maddy Wilheim had him looking at a collection of brain-teasers that was designed to compare his cognitive skills and general reflexes with a reference baseline. This prompted Stanely to ask the Director a question, who was sitting directly across from him.

"So this 'baseline' you all keep referring to...when was this done?"

"Baseline?" she asked. "Oh, you must be referring to the comparative cognitive baseline. Well, some of that was done the day before you jumped. You were out cold for about eighteen hours so we had some time to do portions of the analysis while you were unconscious. Not all of it though, since most of your behavioral traits and other cognitive tendencies had to be observed while you were conscious. Much of what we documented and recorded occurred over a longer period, beginning well before your initial Jump."

"Wait a minute. So you were spying on me when I was visiting with Tree Hand and his mostly mute friend?"

Madeleine laughed. "Stanley, we selected you for the task. You had been screened along with many others the ICP had 'interactions' with. Your psychological profile and the genetic make-up we were able to obtain from trace DNA told us a lot about you."

Stanley stared blankly at her. After a moment, he snapped his mouth shut. "Now I just feel dirty."

The Director laughed again. "Oh please, Stanley, we saved you from yourself. You are one of the most self-destructive people we've ever worked with. You got yourself into a world of trouble with the ICPs without any help from us. You lost your job but the endless double down bets are what did you in. You, and your entire family would not be around if it weren't for us."

"You must be joking. You saved me?" Stanley couldn't believe what he was hearing. He pushed aside the last test he'd completed, slid back his chair as he started counting off each point. "Let's see... Somehow, you fail to mention that you sent me on a trip to an alternate dimension where there's other versions of me and my family running around. Then, on top of that, you outright lie and tell me that I can just drive home from the Tropicana after winning the bet. Worst of all, your plan literally was to leave me stranded, to never see my family again regardless of the outcome at the casino. The only reason I'm here is because of the Ministry. Yes, the same 'evil' Ministry you and your righteous Underground cohorts rail against incessantly."

He couldn't get himself to even look in her direction.

"Now wait a minute, Stanley. Obviously you are angry, and from the limited amount of information you have, your reaction is understandable. However, you need to listen to me in order to get the complete picture. Yes, we didn't tell you about the alternate timeline Jump. We knew that might be upsetting to you and the way we operate here is that everything is on a need to know basis and you didn't need to know. And yes, we did tell you that you could drive home. The reason we did that was to eliminate the need to have any handlers involved in the return trip."