Unforeseen Dives – VIIa – A Loony Out Of The Bin

<< 42b – Manipulation

I sucked another sip of latte through the straw sticking out of my mug. I tried to make it look conversational; two friends having a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, being tied to a chair didn’t help me sell the intention.
“I’m glad to see you, you know.” Wayne said, lost somewhere in the curls of my dirty hair. “I’m sorry about the way you’ve been treated. But you know troops. Gotta give them what they want sometimes.”
I refrained from shaking my head in bewilderment. He was actually apologizing for the torture his goons inflicted on me. How about next time he didn’t create an army of crazies? Or, I don’t know, keep me out of it!
In his corner, Ryan grunted. An animal reminder that I should watch my thoughts or suffer whatever consequences they might have. Wayne reacted to the sound more than I did; he shifted on his chair. The palpable tension told me Ryan wasn’t just a watch dog for me; he reported live to Wayne’s partners through telepathic connection.
“Please, love,” Wayne said. He rose from his chair to walk to a cabinet nearby. “Look at the facts. With the Ocean, we can turn people crazy. We can steal a person’s mind and lock it in the past.”
I suddenly realized he was the one who tried to pull me away from Rebecca the last time I dived through my chair. I could now recognize the modulation of the voice. He had done it to other people. Psychics’ consciousness were trapped somewhere in the Ocean, unable to come back to their body. Did severing a mind from its body effectively kill the flesh? Did the mind follow suit? I knew all too well what kind of nightmares lay in the Ocean. I wouldn’t wish an eternal stay on anyone.
And why was Wayne so nice now?
“And the telepaths aren’t any better.” Wayne pulled a bottle of alcohol out the cabinet. “They can implant suggestions in people’s brains. Did you know that? They can program people on a hormonal level.”
I nodded while Wayne bent forward to spike my coffee. He stirred the liquid with the straw then sat back and added alcohol to his own cup. The non-reader was extremely involved in the cleaning of his shoes and Ryan was as purposeless as anyone could be. This whole situation was way too weird so I actually welcomed the alcohol.
“You really need a bath and some fresh clothes.” Wayne snapped his fingers. The non-reader reluctantly abandoned his shoes and disappeared in the next room. Shortly after, water started running. “And you reek of infection. We need to nip that in the bud or you’ll soon be too feverish to talk to. Sip that up while the bath runs.”
I gingerly drank my coffee, unsure what to expect from Wayne. He seemed crazy enough to actually care from me. And he obviously couldn’t win me over if I was dead. His sentiments appeared genuine though. How could that fit in with my previous treatment and the rest of his actions?
Ryan moved from his seat to ensure I wouldn’t try anything while Wayne untied me. With careful and almost tender movements, he helped me up and stripped me. The clothes were already ruined so instead of forcing me to move out of them, Wayne nipped the strands with a scissor. I soon stood naked in the middle of the room. At least, the fire in the hearth kept the temperature comfortable.
And this was still better than torture so I didn’t dare complain.
“Well,” the non-reader whistled after he turned off the faucets of the bath. “We worked her over nicely.”
Wayne glared at him. He tied my hands back together and led me to the bathroom. Hot water filled an old bathtub on legs. Wayne tested the water first, apparently not trusting the non-reader. Deciding it was of an appropriate temperature, he lifted me and slowly lowered me in the tub. Though my body warmed up since my futile escape attempt in the snow, the water still felt blissfully comfortable.
With a soft sponge, Wayne peeled away layers of dirt and dried blood from my skin. I winced from time to time but, overall, he was very careful not to hurt me. I waited for him to break the silence since I hardly knew what to say. I didn’t want a misplaced word to break the relative peace I dwelled in. I shouldn’t allow myself to forget I was surrounded by monsters.
After he washed me all over without soap, Wayne pulled me out of the bath and wrapped me in a towel. He emptied the sullied water, which was really disgusting, and ran a new bath. When he lowered me back in the tub, I noticed the small blood stains on the towel. There weren’t as many as I feared. Through the transparent water, I looked almost human; the bruises and cuts dominated my skin but they looked a lot less scary now that they were clean.
“This part is going to hurt a bit but it’s necessary.”
Wayne washed me again, with soap this time. It stung like hell but I kept my mouth shut. Wayne was right about fighting the infection. My wounds hadn’t been cleaned properly since I was abducted.
“You’re a very beautiful woman, you know. No wonder Casey gave up his habit of variety to be with you.” I stiffened at the mention of Casey’s name. Would he be okay? Could I turn him back to normal? “Don’t worry. He can’t hurt you now.” Wayne said ominously.
Once my body and hair were washed, Wayne dried me with a towel and dressed the worst wounds. He also injected me with something I hoped was antibiotics. He led me back to the main room, where the non-reader whistled again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Clothes were waiting for me on the table, neatly folded. Wayne freed my hands, again under Ryan’s watch, and helped me shimmy my way in a pair of loose pants and a long-sleeve shirt. The clothes actually fit me.
“Now we can talk.” Wayne said once I was tied back to the chair.

VIIb – A Loony Out Of The Bin>>