Part 4
Vin opened his eyes and clenched his teeth against the pain. He could feel someone's rough hands touching his bare skin and he wondered why his shoulder hurt. His eyes finally focused on the tall figure of Osborne. He hissed as he felt something cold applied to his shoulder. The painful sting telling him it was some kind of antibiotic ointment.
"Jesus, Osborne!"
"Just lie still for a minute. I'm almost done."
Tanner closed his eyes and tried to sort out the confusion of jumbled thoughts dancing inside his head. His eyes opened wide as one memory came back and he sat up on the tiny single bed. "We have to get him out of there."
"There's nothing we can do for him right now. The wound in your shoulder is deep and you lost a lot of blood. You must rest."
"I can't rest," Tanner snapped as he swung his legs over the side. "I have to get Chris out of there and find out what happened to the others."
"The others are probably being held in Moore's lab," Osborne told him as he shoved a glass into Tanner's trembling left hand. "Drink that."
"What is it?"
"Whiskey. Not the good stuff. But it'll cut through some of that pain."
Tanner sipped the warm liquid, grimacing as it burned a fiery trail down his throat. "You weren't kidding. Must be what they used to call Rot Gut."
Osborne smiled at the younger man. "I've heard it called worse than that."
Tanner handed back the glass and leaned against the rock wall behind him. "Chris is my best friend and I can't leave him there."
"You're not going to be any good to him until you get some strength back. I'll do what I can to help, but you need to rest."
"Can't rest. Have to get the guys and help Chris," Tanner yawned and his eyes closed.
Osborne gently placed the sleeping form back on the bed. "You sleep, Tanner. I'll see what I can do for your friends."
"Ezra, I thought you could pick any lock!" Dunne exclaimed impatiently.
"This is not a normal lock, Mr. Dunne. I've been unable to get the pick to connect with the internal tumblers, which suggests that the lock doesn't work in the usual manner."
"You saying you can't open it?"
"That's correct, Mr. Wilmington. However I shall continue to try."
"Anything, Josiah?"
"Nothing, Nathan. There doesn't seem to be any breaks in the joints," Sanchez explained as he examined the bars attached to the solid limestone walls of the cave.
"Someone's coming," Wilmington told them. Standish immediately moved away from the door.
"I've brought you some food," Daisy smiled at JD as she set the tray on the floor beside the cage.
Wilmington nudged the youngest member of the team.
Dunne pulled away from him and walked towards the young woman. "Daisy." JD waited for her eyes to meet his before speaking. "What's going on? What is Moore doing to Chris?"
"I'm sorry, JD," she muttered turning away.
"No, Daisy, please don't go. Help us."
"I can't, JD."
"Why not. You don't seem to like what Moore is doing."
"I don't, but he owns me."
"What?" Dunne asked in disbelief. "Nobody owns you."
"He does. He's my father and I have to do as he says or he hurts me."
"We'll help you."
"You can't help me, JD. I've been part of my father's experiments and I'm just as guilty as he is."
"I don't believe that, Daisy," Dunne assured her.
"Believe it, JD," she said with tears in her eyes. "I've helped him with everything."
"We'll talk to the police. Maybe you could testify against him and they'll give you a reduced sentence or something."
Daisy's eyes shone with hope as she listened to the young dark haired man. "I...I want so m..."
"Daisy, get away from there!" Moore's booming voice snapped, causing the young woman to jump.
"Y...yes, Doctor," the terrified young woman stammered as she ran from the cavern.
"She will not help you."
"Where's Chris?" Jackson asked as he stepped angrily towards the door of the cage.
"He's in his room. He's becoming so much easier to control now that you people are out of the way. Oh don't worry I'm going to let you all see him again when the time is right. He's such an interesting subject now that he doesn't have to listen to you people."
"I'll kill you!"
"Such anger, Buck!" Moore laughed at the harsh words from the formidable moustached figure. "I have to get back to my subject. There are still a few things we have to, ah, shall we say, discuss?"
"What are you doing to him?"
"Why I'm teaching him a lesson in control, Nathan. Let's just say if he doesn't cooperate and let me control him he suffers the consequences," Moore laughed. "I'm afraid if this experiment is successful it will end in your deaths at Chris Larabee's hands. He's already been programmed to kill Vin Tanner," he watched as five pairs of angered eyes grew stormy. "Oh, don't worry, he's not dead yet, but if he shows up Chris will kill him."
"You sick sonofabitch."
"I am not sick, Josiah," Moore's angered voice snarled. "I am a scientist."
"A mad scientist," Standish hissed.
"You will all regret those words," Moore shouted as he wrapped his hands around the cage bars. "I will make sure my subject makes your deaths long and painful!" With those words he left the men alone in the cave once more.
"Dammit, there has to be a way out of here," Wilmington's angered voice snapped.
"There is, Buck. We just have to wait for Vin to find us," Dunne told him. "Moore doesn't have him and when he finds out what the quack's done he'll get us out of here."
"JD's right, Buck. In the meantime we continue to try and escape on our own," Sanchez ordered, turning his attention back to the bars.
Moore moved quickly to the bed, grinning, almost lovingly at his subject. "You will prove that my compound works won't you, Chris?" Moore asked, stroking the blond's cheek. "Open your eyes, Chris, we have some things to discuss."
The voice was back. The voice he hated. The voice that controlled him. The voice that belonged to the man in his nightmares. The one that made him hurt Vin.
"I said wake up, Chris! Open your eyes!"
'No, oh, God, I killed Vin, I killed my best friend,' he thought, the painful memory of stabbing his best friend far outweighing the pain Moore imposed on his body.
"Wake up, damn you!" Moore ordered, slapping the pale face. "Open your eyes or I'll make the pain worse."
'Nothing worse. I killed my best friend,' Larabee thought as he felt something sharp enter his neck.
"You will obey me," Moore ordered.
Larabee once more gasped as the pain grew worse. His eyes snapped open and he fought to control his thoughts. He reached out and wrapped long slender fingers around the other man's throat, ignoring the burning agony in his body.
Moore grinned, almost lovingly at the younger man. He gently took the hands from his neck and placed them back on the bed. "Now, Chris, you know that was a mistake. I told you that I will own you soon. I will own your mind, your body, and your spirit."
"No! Won't l...let you!" Larabee gasped as he fought the hands that held onto his.
"There is no choice for you," Moore laughed as he released Larabee's hands and reached for something attached to the bed. He slipped a Velcro strap around the right wrist, pulling it tight, allowing no space between the wrist and the strap.
"No!" the injured man cried as he tried to fight.
"Yes," Moore said as he snagged the left hand and snapped the strap around the wrist. "I can see you've still got some fight left in you. No matter, a few more shots of C. M.5 should take care of that."
"No, you bastard! Let me out of here," Larabee swore as he struggled against the bonds holding him to the bed. He continued to struggle until Moore had both legs strapped to the bed. Helpless and alone, Chris Larabee knew things had just gotten worse. His eyes fastened on the syringe Moore was filling. "What the hell is that?"
"It's called C. M. 5 and it's something I developed years ago. Those bureaucratic idiots never believed in it. But they will. Once you've been programmed into the perfect killing machine I will give them a demonstration they'll never forget," Moore smiled as he placed the filled syringe to his victims shoulder and depressed the plunger. "Now you just let that help you sleep."
"I...I..." the blond stammered as he felt his emotional control slipping away.
Moore pulled his tiny recorder from his pocket as he watched the warring emotions on the younger man's pale face. "Control subject is still showing signs of rebellion. If the drug is not given on time he is able to fight me. I have to make sure the shots are given at the proper intervals or I will lose control of the experiment. There are only two days left in phase one. Once phase two is started I will begin testing Control Subject using one of his friends as a guinea pig. Until phase two is completed Control subject must be kept restrained as his anger will manifest itself in savage, uncontrollable rage. My voice will be the only thing that will control him until then. He will be unable to remember his own name by the end of phase two. There is still no sign of Subject Tanner. Maybe the animals did get him, but I will need to make a search to verify this. I am so close to success and cannot chance failure." He clicked off the recorder and turned back to the quiet blond. "Chris, can you hear me?"
"Hear you."
"What will you do if the man who calls himself Tanner returns?"
"Vin's my friend..." a hand clamped on the wound and he screamed.
"What will you do?" Moore asked, applying slightly more pressure.
"Must kill Tanner. Stab him. Kill him. Not Vin. Vin's dead."
"That's right, Chris, Vin's dead. They killed him and you must kill them."
Some small part of his mind knew he couldn't let Moore know he'd already stabbed Vin Tanner. The small part continued to fight the drugs, but it was an ongoing battle that Chris Larabee had little chance of winning without help. 'I'm sorry, Vin, didn't mean to hurt you,' he thought as he continued to listen to Moore's suggestions.
Moore turned on the recorder as he watched Larabee slip into the deep sleep caused by the mind control drug he'd been given. "Control Subject is still reacting to pain stimuli. This is important to the success of my complete dominance over his mind. He will come to realize that to disobey my command will cause pain. To obey will mean rewards. It is similar to the rat in the maze experiment where it's trained not to eat the cheese or it will feel pain. My own experience with this is that the rat dies of starvation. I must ensure this does not happen. Control Subject must not get to the point where he dies. I need this experiment to succeed if I am to exact my revenge on my enemies."
'Can't let him do this. I have to get out of here. I'm not an experiment,' Larabee thought angrily. 'I won't let you win!' he silently swore.
"Sleep well, Chris, you are proving to be a most exciting subject and I will not allow anything or anyone to interfere in the outcome of my dreams," Moore smiled lovingly at the pale blond. In a fatherly show of emotion he bent forward and placed his lips on the sweat soaked forehead. "You will be my greatest success won't you, Chris? You will prove once and for all that I am not a madman. That what I set out to do is more than a madman's dream," he whispered before leaving the room.
'Never!' Larabee thought as pain welled up from his side. 'Jesus,' he cried silently as tears filled his tightly clenched eyes.
Osborne searched the perimeter for signs of life. He waited until darkness fell before he made his way towards the house of his enemy. So far the only person he'd seen was the pretty young girl who helped Moore. He'd tried to talk to her before, but she ignored him, her face filled with terror as she turned away from him. Slowly he made his way towards the front door, intent on getting inside and searching for Tanner's missing friends. He knew they needed to be freed or there'd be no chance of getting Chris Larabee away from the danger he now faced.
The drugs Moore used so lovingly were beginning to take a firm hold on Larabee's mind and time was running short. He knew there was less than two days left in phase one and could only hope they stopped Moore before phase two was completed. Tanner said that Larabee would fight the drugs with everything he had and Osborne knew what the final results would be. The two victims he'd seen in town were proof that the drug would turn strong men into mindless shells of the men they once were. He'd nearly slipped up while in town, but quickly slipped away when he ran into the men working for Moore.
He slipped through the darkness, using his experiences from Vietnam to mold himself into the background. There was no sound as his heavy boots dropped softly into the grass surrounding the house. Slowly he made his way towards the back of the structure, hoping he'd be able to find the entrance to the tunnel that led to the cave. He'd seen the girl use the tunnel earlier and knew it was nestled somewhere at the back of the house.
Osborne smiled as his foot struck the slightly raised platform. He knelt down and searched for a handle, gently pulling the lid upwards once his hand had a firm grip on it. He dropped silently into the tunnel and looked in both directions. He pulled the lid back down once he was sure no one was in there with him. He pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and turned the strong beam in both directions. The air in the tunnel was decidedly cooler and almost uncomfortable as Osborne turned away from the house and headed towards the cave he knew he would find at the end. He'd never been inside it before but he'd seen Moore and the girl bringing things inside and returning empty handed.
Osborne swore softly at having to reveal himself so soon. He'd wanted to wait until he was ready to deal with Moore but now there was no choice. He could not sit back and watch as the evil man continued his experiments on innocent victims. 'Damn you, Moore,' he thought, wondering why he found it so difficult to remember the man's real name.
He heard voices ahead and extinguished the flashlight as he continued to move through the tunnel.
"There has to be a way out," Wilmington hissed as he moved around the cage.
"We've tried everything, Buck."
"I know, JD, but I'm not giving up. There's a way out of every cage and there's got to be one out of here."
"Be quiet for a minute you two!" Sanchez snapped.
"What's wrong, Mr. Sanchez?" Standish asked as he continued to work on the lock.
"Someone's coming," the ex-preacher told them.
"Moore, you Bastard, I'm gonna kill you when I get out of here," Wilmington snarled as he watched a shadowy figure enter the cold cave.
"That's not Moore," Jackson stated as he watched the large form slide along the cave wall, staying just out of the light. "Who are you?"
Osborne moved into the light and up to the gate of the cage. "A friend," he answered as he searched for the keys to the gate.
"Can you get us out of here?" Wilmington asked.
"I'm trying," The Vietnam vet said as he searched the cave for anything he could use to release the prisoners. "Did you guys see where he put the keys?"
"Moore took the keys with him," Standish informed the newcomer.
"Dammit, the sonofabitch isn't as confident as I gave him credit for," Osborne said as he came back to the cage carrying a crowbar. He tried to pry the lock from the metal but it held fast. Ten minutes later he threw the crowbar in through the bars. "I can't stay here much longer. Try using that to dig up a couple of the bars. I have to get out of here before I'm discovered," he muttered as he moved back to the shadows.
"Wait," Wilmington pleaded.
Osborne turned back to the cage. "Look I can't stay."
"Why not?" Dunne asked.
"Because Moore will be down to check on you guys soon. If he catches me your friends have no chance of survival."
"Friends? You know about Chris and Vin?" Jackson asked.
"I know about all of you and the plans Moore has for you."
"Where's Vin?" Standish asked.
"He's at my h...home."
"What's wrong with him?" Sanchez asked, knowing the younger man would've been here if at all possible.
"He was hurt. I cleaned him up but he's lost a good bit of blood and he's weak."
Jackson's training kicked in and he stared at the man. "How was he hurt?"
"Moore's programming your friend to be a killer."
"Chris? Are you saying Chris hurt Vin?" Wilmington asked incredulously.
"He stabbed him in the right shoulder area with a scalpel."
"How bad is Vin bleeding?" Jackson asked as he held onto the bars, his knuckles whitening as he clung tightly.
"I stopped the bleeding, but if he moves around too much it's liable to start again. That's why I have to get back to him. Your friend Chris is going to need help."
"What's Moore doing to him?" Jackson asked angrily.
"He's using drugs to make him open to suggestions. To make him obey his commands. To take away his humanity and turn him into a killing machine!" Osborne snarled angrily.
"How do you know all this?" Dunne asked.
"Because I've experienced his treatments first hand!" Osborne snapped, his eyes clouded with the memories and his face filled with anger. "I know what your friend is going through and what he'll go through if Moore's allowed to continue his experiment."
"What?" Wilmington asked.
"If he fights Moore, he turns into a mindless vegetable. The drug the bastard is using will literally cause your friend to sink into a hell much worse than you could possibly imagine. I'll do what I can to help, but you people need to get out of here."
"Can't you get Chris out of here?" Standish asked hopefully.
"Moore has him locked in a room. I am going to try to get him out of there but..."
"Quiet, someone's coming," Wilmington whispered.
Osborne looked around for a place to hide before he was discovered. As his eyes lit upon the only possible place a deep, familiar voice caught his attention.
"I've been waiting for you, my friend. Now why don't you just stay where you are?"
Osborne turned to the older man, anger and fear warring for control on his face. "You bastard I'll kill you!" he snarled as he ignored the gun pointed at him.
The sound of the gunshot reverberated around the cave as Osborne slumped towards the ground, blood flowing from the wound high on his right leg.
"You haven't learned. Even after all these years you haven't learned that I am and always will be your lord and master."
"Never!" Osborne hissed as he tried to climb to his feet. Another shot drove him back to the ground as searing pain erupted in his left shoulder.
"Stop it! You're going to kill him," Jackson shouted.
"I won't do no such thing. Daisy, get out here now!" Moore ordered and the men in the cage watched the young woman step out of the tunnel. "Thank you, my dear," Moore said as he lifted the syringe.
"What the hell is that?" Osborne snarled.
"Just something to make you a little more controllable. Do you remember how close I was to completing the experiments on you in Nam? Well this would've been one of the last things I gave you. Chris has been injected with it a couple of times and if he could speak right now he would tell you how much it enhances pain."
"You sick, sonofabitch!" Jackson hissed.
"Daisy, inject this into Mr. Osborne's shoulder. You don't need to worry about swabbing the area just make sure he receives the full benefit of the drug."
Daisy moved to the fallen man, "I'm sorry," she apologized softly as she inserted the needle and delivered the drug to the injured man.
"I'll kill you, Moore."
"Oh I don't think you'll be in any shape to kill anyone," Moore laughed as he watched the man trying to fight the effects of the drug. "That's it, fight because the harder you fight the worse the effects become. Daisy, attach the manacles to him," he ordered as he pointed to the two equal lengths of chain attached to the wall.
Daisy did as she was told and soon watched the older man scream his torment as the agony erupted in his body.
"Come, Daisy, we have work to do with Chris," Moore laughed as he linked his hand through his daughters arm, leading her out of the cave and away from the shocking screams of the man he'd so viciously shot.
Vin shivered as he opened his eyes, it took a few minutes for him to remember where he was and why he was there. He slowly sat up on the tiny bed and tried to force the cobwebs from his mind. As he moved he became aware of a sharp throbbing pain beating unmercifully in his right shoulder and chest area. He reached up with his left hand and felt the thick pad of bandages present there. 'What the hell happened?' he thought as he looked around the room he was in. 'No, not a room a cave. What the hell am...Jesus, Chris!' he thought as he struggled to his feet in the cold cave. "I'm coming, Cowboy," he groaned as he sank to his knees. "Get up!" he ordered his tired, aching body as he slumped further to the damp floor of the cave.
'I'm coming, Chris,' he thought as darkness once more descended.
Early morning light flooded the single window where the pale form struggled to open his eyes. He could hear the voice calling to him and wanted to fight it. He didn't want to face the possibility that his nightmares were actually reality.
"Control Subject has more strength than I'd ever imagined. This is day six and he still shows signs of fighting the effects of C.M.5. By now he should be easily influenced by my voice but he is still able to defy me. I am about to inject him with the compound again and I have decided that pain will ensure he obeys my commands until he's completed phase two of the experiment. The second drug will also be injected to maintain the level of pain I need for positive results. I have searched the surrounding area for signs of Subject Tanner, but so far the search has ended without success. I may have finally had some good luck for a change." Moore turned off the tiny tape recorder and began speaking to the restrained form. "Chris, open your eyes," he ordered.
'No! Can't. K...Killed Vin,' Larabee thought as he fought against his awakening mind.
"You can't fight me, Chris. I'm too strong for you," Moore said as he swabbed Larabee's shoulder and injected the two drugs into him. He gently placed his hand over the wounded man's abdomen and waited for him to obey.
'Bastard,' the blond thought as he kept his eyes tightly clenched.
"I said open your eyes."
Larabee gasped as he felt pressure put on his wound. His eyes snapped open and he glared at the man standing above him.
"I see you still have some fight in you. No matter, we'll soon have phase one completed and move on to phase two. Once that starts you won't want to fight me. You'll practically beg me to let you relieve your rage and if I don't you'll scream as the agony rips through you. You see the second phase will release any dark desires you have."
"D...don't have a...any d...dark d...desires," Larabee hissed angrily.
Moore laughed as he leaned over his patient, making sure the IV was still feeding into his arm. He'd kept it running in order to keep the patient hydrated and would soon start force feeding him in order to keep up his strength. "Everyone has deep dark secrets, Chris. I can't tell you how many times I've heard that line and been able to prove them wrong. You will find out before long just how far you will go to please me."
"No!" Larabee cried out as the hand on his abdomen increased it's pressure. "D...Don't" he screamed as the pain intensified and took his breath away.
"Are you going to do as I say?" Moore smiled demonically as he felt the sticky wetness on the bandage.
Larabee swallowed, painfully aware that he was under this man's power for now. He had to stay alive for Vin and the others. 'V...Vin, I...I'm sorry,' he thought as he felt himself slowly losing control.
"I asked you a question, Chris. Are you going to do as I say?"
"Y...No! You sonofa..."
Moore pressed down harder, ignoring the long drawn out scream emanating from his subject. "You will obey me, Chris. There is no way you'll be able to fight me on this."
"F...fuck y...you!"
"I don't think so. Now why don't you get some sleep? In two days you won't have the will to fight me. Good night, Chris," the older man laughed as he released the pressure on the seeping wound. He watched the green eyes close and quickly changed the bandages. "Soon, Chris, you will do anything I say, including killing your friends."
'N...no,' Larabee thought as the last of his strength gave out and he succumbed once more to the nightmares that haunted his drugged sleep.
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