Banner Men
MADAM UNASTA STROFF
The Extraction Room quickly filled up. First came the Attendants, placing the instruments upon the sterile tray, roaming about the room, turning on equipment and preparing the Chair. The Chair had much akin to a torture chair, what with its shape and restraints. Though of the same design, this Chair had another use. Information Extraction.
Next through the door was Madam Stroff, a stern lady with a serious face and an even more serious manner. Finally came a girl, shuffling uncomfortably, dressed in a patient's gown, her eyes downcast. She shivered a little; her tiny frame covered only by a thin garment. The perma-cold. It got everywhere.
"Vona Yung." spoke the malevolent Madam, "It is now time to extract the information. Sit in the Chair, please." Vona did as instructed. Stroff brushed the girl's long yellow hair out of the way as she lay down, still shivering, "It will all be over soon."
One of the Attendants picked up an instrument from the tray and began prepping Vona for the electrodes. The other Attendant began placing the electrodes at various spots on Vona's head, while the first Attendant connected the other ends of the wires to a machine. There were a number of dials and switches on this machine, which the Attendant flicked and turned as was necessary. Extraction was ready. Madam Stroff nodded for the Attendant to turn the dial.
Vona Yung's body convulsed, as an electric shock shuddered through her brain. Her teeth began to rattle, and the other Attendant tightened the straps a little more. The pulse stopped and Vona's body returned to its recumbent norm.
Madam Stroff sighed. She gestured for the Attendant to turn the dial higher. He did so, like an obedient Milgram Experiment Subject. Vona's body arched higher, convulsing like a held snake. But it did the trick. Vona began muttering to herself, fast and unintelligible. But more importantly, the machine began flickering and a sequence of letters and numbers appeared on the tiny view screen. Madam Stroff leaned over and gently stroked Vona's forehead.
"My beautiful girl. Bit stubborn this time, weren't you? Never mind. Nearly done, sweetie." She turned angrily to the first Attendant, "Will you tell them not to bury it so deep next time!? It's killing my girls! Damned ignorant people!"
The Attendant nodded his assurance, before returning to the machine to fine tune the Information Gathering Process, so that it would do minimum damage to the poor girl. He turned knobs slowly, cutting out the interference.
Madam Unasta Stroff, owner of Intelligent Minds Information House, in the convoluted House that was Prudence, looked like a monster, but her love for her girls was immeasurable. Vona was one of her best. Stroff didn't know what she would do without that girl. Vona Yung had an astounding eidetic memory. She was able to store, categorise and filter much more information that any Information Gatherer Unasta had ever known. Vona's mind was precious, but so was the rest of her. Madam Stroff continued to soothe the girl until the information stopped recording into the machine. The second Attendant, as was usual, began to release the straps that held Vona down to protect her while in the throes of convulsions. The first Attendant started to take the electrodes off.
Then, unexpectedly, Vona began muttering again. This took all in the room very much by surprise. The second Attendant suddenly jumped back, the first looked to the machine. Nothing was coming through. Yet the girl was still muttering, and it was getting louder.
"Alpha - charlie - kilo - indigo - november - tango - hotel - echo - bravo - alpha -charlie - kilo -" Over and over she repeated the words.
"What the - Feyll!" yelled Madam Stroff, loud enough to wake the extremely dead. Within seconds a man appeared at the door, "Mattry! Something's wrong with her! Get someone!"
But Mattry Feyll came to the Chair instead, putting a hand on Vona's forehead, "She feels fine, Unasta. Calm down. It's probably an overload -"
"I don't care what you think, Mr Feyll! I'm the boss, and never forget that! You are only the Manager! Get someone now!"
Feyll rolled his eyes and left the room, where moments later a medical team came in to check on Vona Yung's vital signs.
"She's physically fine, Madam. Must be something in her mind needs flushing out." said the Medic.
"See? Told you." said Feyll, completely unnecessarily.
"Don't test my patience, Feyll -" began Madam Stroff, but cut herself short when Vona began to stir.
"What happened?" she asked through her foggy haze. Madam Stroff gestured for all to leave, but Feyll remained.
"It's alright, sweetie. Just took a little longer than usual, that's all." she said, again soothing the girl's forehead with a gentle stroke of her hand. Vona tried to sit up, but the straps still held her down. Madam Stroff quickly undid them and helped the girl sit up.
"My head -" began Vona, putting a hand to her temple.
"What was that other information you said, all those words?" asked Feyll, without a by your leave.
"Feyll. Not now. Let the girl recover."
"She must have said them for a reason. Unless she's broken?"
"I'm warning you -" threatened Madam Stroff.
"What did I say?" asked Vona, cutting the tension. Madam Stroff told her, "I've never heard those words in that order, ever." explained Vona, confused.
"Then a Deep Plant?" spoke Feyll, as way of explanation.
"No one has done one of those in years. Decades, even. They're too dangerous." said Madam Stroff. Feyll shrugged assuredly, "Vona, sweetie? Did anyone produce a small black box at any point during the Information Download?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think - wait. Yes, there was this box he took out of his pocket. He was turning it over and over in his hands as I was taking in the Information."
"Bastard!" vented Madam Stroff to the room at large, "I will kill the -"
"Patience, Unasta." said Feyll, "Maybe there was a reason -"
"There's no reason to do a Deep Plant in this day and age! It's ludicrous!" Madam Stroff took her anger out on a very expensive piece of equipment. Feyll sucked in air through his teeth in concern for the expense the action caused.
"You're sure those words mean nothing to you?" asked Feyll of Vona.
"What are you implying?" asked Madam Stroff.
"That, I don't know, she might be - storing information on the side?" The strike from Madam Stroff nearly threw Mattry Feyll to the floor. As it was, he staggered back a few steps. He felt for where she had hit. There was blood, "You're insane!"
"Don't ever, and I mean ever, imply my girls are in any way dishonest! You, on the other hand, you are a despicable, useless, piece of -" But he didn't hear the rest. Feyll was already out the door, gone.
"Don't worry, Vona, my girl. It must have been a glitch. I'll take you off duty for a couple of days, so you can clear that pretty head of yours of any other glitches." said Madam
#
Three days later, and quite unexpectedly, Madam Unasta Stroff was found dead in her room. It seemed she had got one of her girls in there and performed a sex act on her that had killed her. This had caused the Madam to take her own life. The girl was Vona Yung. Strange, some said, as they knew Unasta was not that way inclined. Still, a tragedy is a tragedy, and someone needed to keep the business going. Luckily Mr Mattry Feyll, the once Manager of the House, was able to drop all his other work and take over. He was reluctant, of course, but wanted to keep Unasta's memory alive in the work they did. Everyone agreed, he was the right man for the job. As did the girls - if they knew what was good for them.
#
The air was tight that day. Something crackled in the air, like destiny, or fate. Something was coming, and they all could feel it. Mattry Feyll, new owner of Intelligent Minds Information House, had come to visit a client.
Feyll smiled efficaciously as he absently scratched the scar on his lip, "Mr Segue intended this for you." he said, handing Silver Teeth, Ruler of Freeride, a piece of paper. Upon it was written the phrase, In The Back. It was the translation of the words the girl had uttered. All Feyll knew was it pointed to the location of what was known as the Hypogeum Vault.
And something to do with an Abstersion.
Silver Teeth put the piece of paper in his mouth and swallowed it. He nodded to Mattry Feyll, who nodded back. He left Silver Teeth there, who was himself preparing to leave. As Feyll left the office, he was passed by another man, a tall man with a wicked glint. Feyll instantly recognised him as the Fence. That man could sell anything. He could also get you anything.
But it bothered Feyll not. He was too busy looking for a new opportunity, but he did hear the first few words of the Fence as the door shut, "Sir! Silver Teeth! Guess what came into my possession earlier today! An object of great value -"
No comments:
Post a Comment