Don't Order Dog_ 1(66)
“The truth is that I do not know why anyone would want to kill you, Dr. Aleksandrov. I only know what I’ve been asked to come here and do.”
He paused and looked down at something next to his chair. Tatyana noticed his backpack for the first time as he reached down and quickly pulled out a small, cloth-wrapped object and placed it on the table. She glanced at the object and noticed a long cylinder of matte-black steel protruding from the end. A paralyzing wave of fear struck her as she realized she was looking at the barrel of a handgun.
“Now,” the man continued, “there are some things I need to explain to you, but I know this information isn’t going to be easy to process. Dr. Aleksandrov, are you listening to me?”
Tatyana pulled her eyes from the gun and looked up at the American.
“Physiologically speaking, Dr. Aleksandrov, you’re starting to go into a state of stress-induced shock. Your pulse is becoming more rapid, but ironically also more weak, and as a result your body is not getting the oxygen it needs to function properly.” He rested his hand on top of the weapon and gave Tatyana another sympathetic smile. “It’s really a study in contradictions when you stop to consider it,” he continued. “Your skin is becoming wet from the fear-induced production of sweat, but a lack of blood flow is causing your skin to become cold. Your mind is racing to find a solution to this dilemma, but the reduced blood flow is impairing your ability to complete even basic cognitive tasks. Put simply, your body is literally fighting itself right now – and I can tell from experience that the outcome is going to go one of two ways.”
He paused and carefully unwrapped the handgun.
“Either your adrenal glands are going to start pumping a truckload of epinephrine into your system and turn you into superwoman for about forty-five seconds. Or your oxygen deprivation is going to lead to syncope, which is just a fancy term for fainting, and you’re going to end up sprawled across the floor.”
Tatyana stood motionless as the American quickly inspected the weapon, then laid it gently back on the table with the barrel aimed at her chest. Her legs suddenly felt like lead weights attached to her waist.
“Either way, I don’t have much time to tell you a few things.”
“What does it matter if you’re going to kill me?” Tatyana asked.
“I know it seems strange, but I’m required to do this before we continue.”
“You Americans are all completely fucking insane!” Tatyana yelled at the man with a sudden rage. The sound of her own heartbeat seemed to grow to a deafening level. The American studied her intently, recognizing the change. He began speaking in an even, practiced tone.
“Dr Aleksandrov, there are times when we are asked to make sacrifices for the greater good. This necessity doesn’t make the sacrifice less painful, nor can we allow the pain of what’s to come make the sacrifice seem less than necessary.”
Tatyana only half listened as the crazy American calmly recited his speech. She was convinced the man was going to shoot her the instant he finished his rehearsed monologue, and the certainty of this knowledge sent another wave of terror through her body. Her hands began to shake beyond her ability to control them.
“The circumstances in which you now find yourself are not directly the result of your actions, but whether you recognize it or not, you are a key part of something much bigger than anything you can now imagine.”
Tatyana ignored the pounding in her head and kept her eyes fixed on the man. She sensed that she only had a few moments left, but she forced her body to remain still. She knew if she simply ran, she had almost no chance of making it out of the building alive. The research facility’s security system was old, but it still took several seconds to disarm the night alarm that unlocked the main personnel doors.
She needed another option.
“Last year, during your research into a phenomenon known as thermal resonance, you uncovered something highly unexpected. Something that surprised your scientific colleagues, not to mention yourself. What you didn’t – and apparently still don’t – fully comprehend is the magnitude of the potential impact those findings could have on… well, on everything.”
Tatyana shook her head. She had no idea what the American was talking about, but apparently he knew something about her research. She had indeed published most of the findings of her twelve-month study on thermal resonance in the European Energy Review, but hardly a word had been spoken in response by the scientific community. Certainly nothing shocking, and certainly nothing to be killed for. Or was there? Tatyana vaguely recalled the highly irregular outcome of the final two experiments she had conducted using depleted uranium, but she had disregarded them as anomalies stemming from a faulty thermographic imager. Her scientific comrades had generally agreed. The outcomes could be found in exacting detail in her notebooks in the archive room next to her laboratory. She could even show him–