X. A Chameleons Colour - Part 1 of 3

The island of Lendia and the city of Big? were at war. The island
fought to free the city's populace from a political system it could not
tolerate, the city fought to protect that system. The war, which had
been furious and bloody at first, was now silent. Both sides licked
their wounds and raced to rearm. Not a shot had been fired in over a
year, but the war was still fought, on different battlefields.

At the entrance to the secure wing of Big? Hospital Mysko chewed his
bottom lip and watched the soldier examine his papers, the mechanical
scrutiny of the man making him feel irrationally guilty. Beside him the
Lady Grey endured the same process impassively, the poise of
aristocracy he thought.

"You are due an Intention Check Mam." Said the soldier.

"I know." She said.

The soldier handed her back her papers and said awkwardly. "Good luck."
The lady smiled sweetly and said she was sure luck had nothing to do
with it. Mysko watched the exchange over his shoulder.

"Agent Mysko Sir." Said the soldier. "Everything seems to be in
order."

Mysko took back his papers and walked together with the Lady through
the empty corridors, both familiar with the layout.

"Were you nervous Mysko?" She said, chiding him gently.

"Armed guards have that effect on me."

"You have to remember they are far more scared of you than you are of
them."

"I don't see why, they had all the guns."

"But you are important." She said, turning to him. "One bad word from
you could end their career. They are as unsure of their own minds as
everyone else so act officious and formal to disguise their own doubt,
and allay any you might have."

He looked up at her, she was about an inch and a half taller. "And are
you sure of your own mind?" He asked.

She smiled. "None of your business."

Outside the room two more soldiers, each resting a rifle on his arm,
ready, challenged them.

"Agent Mysko and Lady Grey." Said the Lady, "the front desk should have
called ahead."

"They did Mam." Said the soldier. "Please go in."

"All this security." Said Mysko as they walked past. "Is he really this
important?"

"He's really this secret," The Lady hissed. "So be careful what you say
in earshot of the grunts."

Mysko closed his mouth tight and they continued in silence to where a
single guard held the door open. Embarrassed by the lady's snobbery,
Mysko thanked the guard as they entered the room. The guard said
nothing and locked the door behind them.

The room was a large hospital room, there was an empty desk in the
corner and beside that a stack of four plastic chairs, with its back to
the centre of the far wall was a bed, and in the bed was Stanley
Tierson, sitting up reading a newspaper and pointedly ignoring his
visitors. There were no windows at all.

"Good morning Mr Tierson." Said the Lady. "I am Lady Grey from the
Department of Exterior Confidence and this is Agent Mysko from Covert
Operations."

Tierson laid down his newspaper, looked at them both, one after the
other, and said. "This is illegal imprisonment. I am a subject of the
island of Lendia and I demand you release me immediately."

The Lady Grey did not react but pulled a plastic chair next to the bed
and sat down. Mysko remained standing. "Do you know why you are here Mr
Tierson?" She asked.

"I was kidnapped."

"I mean do you know why you are in hospital?"

"This isn't a hospital, it's a prison."

"No Mr Tierson, it is a hospital. You are not well Stanley and we are
here to cure you."

Emotions flitted fast across his face, he looked fearful and then
suddenly angry. "You keep your fingers out of my mind you stuck up
bitch. I don't work for you anymore."

She smiled. "So you do remember."

"I remember leaving." He said, clearly upset. "I remember leaving this
stinking city."

"I remember you leaving too Stanley." She said evenly. "It was four
years ago. And I am very sorry we had bring you back like this."

Stanley Tierson looked directly at her for the first time. "What do you
want with me Sophia?" He said, sounding almost close to tears. "Why am
I back?"

"Your time was up Stanley, we had to pull you out."

"Pull me out of what? I don't understand. What have you done to
me?"

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Actually." She said. "You know. And
will remember in time."

He shrunk away from her and rolled onto his side, pulling the sheets up
to his neck. "You fucking bitch." He said, half to himself. "You
absolute fucking bitch. What have you done to my mind."

The Lady looked at Mysko and flicked her eyes towards the door. He
knocked and it was promptly unlocked and opened by the guard. They both
walked out.

"Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" The Lady asked the
guard.

The guard offered the room opposite and they went there, the Lady
closing the door behind them. Mysko sat on the end of the bed, it was
the only furniture in the room. He said "Well?"

The Lady Grey sat beside him and leant forward with her elbows on her
knees and her head in her hands. "It is not good." She said. "It is not
good at all."

"His memory seems muddled." Said Mysko.

"That is not good either." She said. "But the hostility... The
hostility is all wrong."

"Is he unstable?"

She dropped back prone onto the bed, her hands still holding her face.
"I think so." She said. "Very."

Mysko twisted to face her over his shoulder. "I didn't know you knew
him."

"Yes." She said. "It was a long time ago."

"Four years."

She exhaled wearily, remembering.

"Were you close?" He asked.

She dropped her hands to look at him, not sure why he had asked. "At
the time."

"I should call in invasive therapy." He said slowly. "We can't risk
loosing him altogether."

"But you can't..." She started.

"Sophia." He interrupted. "He's ours."

She paused before speaking. "Can you give me some time?"

"How much?"

"Give me the day." She said.

"The day." He said. "But for god's sake don't push him over the
edge."

She smiled and touched him on the shoulder. "Thanks John."

They walked back into the room. Same positions, the Lady sitting close
by the bed and Mysko standing in the corner, watching. Stanley Tierson
more composed now, ready. No, Mysko thought, not ready but resigned to
what would come, not prepared, for he had no idea what to prepare for,
but prepared to find out. Mysko thought of how fragile the man's mind
was and of the value of the information it contained. He thought of the
relative values, of the man, the mind, and the information, and he
resigned himself to what would come.

"Stanley." Said the Lady. "I'm going to have to tell you some things
that will distress you and I would like to give you something to keep
you calm. Is that okay?" She removed a hypodermic and a small medical
bottle from her briefcase.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No." She said, taking both men by surprise. "I will have the guards
hold you down if necessary but it would be better if you
cooperated."

Stanley Tierson offered up his forearm and the Lady administered her
injection.. "I want you tell me what you remember about leaving Big?."
She said. "Do not strain yourself, do not try and remember everything,
just tell me what you can."

He pulled himself up so that he was sitting against the headboard,
coughed, and began to speak. "I worked at the DoEC with you and? other
people, but I had wanted to join the republic in Lendia for a long
time. So I discretely made some enquiries and eventually they offered
me asylum. One night in December I left on a fishing boat and once in
Lendia made an application for defection. After about a year it was
accepted and I became a Lendian. How's that?"

"Very good." Said the Lady. "You say you remember wanting to leave,
could you tell me more about that."

"The Big? regime is repressive, it arbitrarily judges people and holds
them back. The city is run by the privileged few who jealously guard
all power and luxury for themselves while preventing anyone else from
rising above their deemed position. I did not want to leave my home and
my friends but I could not tolerate a Meritocracy."

"Tell me what you do in Lendia." Asked the Lady.

"I work for Martial Consequences. I can't talk about the
details."

"Why not?"

"I am constrained by the war secrets act. I can't say any more than
that."

The Lady said "Okay Stanley. What do you know about the Intention
Check?"

"I know what everyone knows. It is a test that tells what you really
think."

"Do you know how it works?"

"They ask you questions and evaluate the answers. I've had it done a
bunch of times."

"The Intention Check differs from any other interview", she replied,
lecturing him, "in that it is impossible to deceive. It does not
evaluate the answers you give but the brain activity that takes place
as you answer. The answer itself is immaterial. The test tells nothing
about the answer but everything about the question. It cannot read
minds but it can detect certain emotions, discontent, obsession, fear.
More usefully it is also very good at determining loyalty. As such both
Big? and Lendia use it as a security check for key personnel."

Stanley Tierson rubbed the needle mark on his arm. "Why are you telling
me this."

"It is possible to cheat the Intention Check."

He said nothing.

"The process? persuades a person to think in a different way to how
they actually feel. The Intention Check cannot see past it. Four years
ago you volunteered to have this done and be sent to Lendia as a spy. I
performed the process on you and your defection to Lendia was
arranged."

Mysko watched closely. Stanley Tierson said simply. "No."

The lady said. "You never really wanted to go Stanley."

"But I remember it." He said.

"That is a false memory."

"You did that." He accused. "You put false memories inside my head."
The drug was working, he was clearly angry but remaining calm.

"Actually you did that Stanley. It is self induced fantasy."

"No."

"Yes. The process only works if the subject is willing and conscious of
what is being done to him, at all times you retained the knowledge that
you did not actually believe what you thought. Your brain constructed
false memories to make sense of the situation and keep you sane. We
call them complex rationalisations."

Stanley shook his head. "I do not understand this at all."

"I think it would be better if we took a break now." Said the Lady.
"Just relax Stanley, try not to think about this if you can." She
looked at the clock on the wall and went over to Mysko and hissed in
his ear. "Something is not right."

They huddled in the corner of the room, facing away from the bed, and
whispered.

"What?"

"He's responding too slowly, almost as if he is reluctant to
return."

"Of course he's reluctant."

"No. His mind, his subconscious, should be dying to free itself from
the process. Once it starts the memories should rush back all at once,
like a damn breaking."

"There's about a dozen huge contradictions at the moment."

"I know, if he does not remember soon he will go insane."

"I still don't understand what's gone wrong."

"That's just it." Said the lady. "I think they've done something to
him."

"Done what?"

"I don't know, perhaps they discovered he was a spy and tried to break
the process."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Mysko opened it a crack
and the guard peered in. "Phone call for you sir."