Read Pulling The Dragon's Tail for Free Online

the octagonal
shell would fall neatly into two pieces, revealing the next layer,
a cube puzzle of simple letters and colors. Recalling the late
1900s version, he marveled again how robotic brains had created a
more challenging edition, and under Dugan’s tutelage Nate had also
conquered that.
    Then the innermost layer, containing the
precious cargo, would be revealed. That would ultimately lead to
his exoneration by Dr. Devereaux. That was the plan. Plans always
go well in computer simulations and in one’s imagination.
    Moments later, he let out an excited, “Yes!” The
outer shell fell onto the floor. A glance at the clock registered
8:56 a.m. Two minutes later the cube was solved. It too fell apart,
and he delicately held the transparent star shape.
    Now if only the rest of the operation would
go as smoothly as this step , he thought. Sliding two points of
the star away from the center, the entire star fell apart onto the
bed sheets. And there it was! Nate resisted the temptation to mug
again for the hidden cameras. The tiny plastic card, no larger than
a thumbnail, contained the digital movie reels that would prove his
story. At the very least Dr. Devereaux would have to stop the Neuro
Shock treatment. He shuddered at the prospect of his brain cells
being needlessly re-arranged.
    The Ellis Clinic had the feel of a musty old
library. Positioned at the top of a regular medical hospital, it
was a mixture of the very old and the very new. Waxed and buffed
floors brightened the dingy wallpaper. State of the art computers
competed for space alongside worn couches and dilapidated chairs.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed haphazardly with the
traditional smells of a sterile hospital.
    Due to the scheduled treatment, Nate had been
excused from morning exercises. Strolling past the day room, he
caught the eye of a fellow patient, Harlan, puffing and panting
along with about two dozen patients. Staff members leisurely drank
coffee off to the side as Keagan held center court. This casual
attitude permeated the staff because, as everyone knew, CLUES did
much of the work. All they had to do was monitor patients. And if
any patient dared to get out of line, the Personal Protective
Device each of them carried would soon rectify the misbehavior.
Violence was virtually eliminated from psychiatric units.
    Keagan looked up. Once again, Nate felt the
burning gaze of hatred directed at the Church of Abraham pendant
around his neck. Stick to the plan , he reminded himself.
    “Hey, Harlan,” Nate called out, “I have two of
the answers to that crossword puzzle we’re working on,” and held up
two fingers in a peace sign, flashing it twice.
    Harlan was a rather large African-American male,
a veteran of World War III, and he was a frequent patient at the
Ellis Clinic. He blamed his psychotic episodes on super-secret
nanotech experiments by the KGB and UN Security Forces. He and Nate
had immediately become friends, perhaps bonded by similar lives of
keeping secrets. They had stealthily agreed upon a plan while
working together on that crossword puzzle. Harlan flashed back a
broad smile. Then he signaled the peace sign two distinct times
back to Nate.
    Nate turned around and approached the nurse’s
station on the other side of the hallway, greeting the nurses
exactly as he had done the other mornings. Casually observing the
offices behind them, he noticed one was open. “I’m going to watch
TV in the common room,” he said to them, none of whom responded.
Continuing on down the hallway, he saw the common room on his
right. He stationed himself just inside the doorway, hoping to make
himself invisible from the computer monitors. Then he waited.
    Moments later a large crash reverberated from
the exercise room. A frantic voice screamed into the overhead
paging system, “STAT 8! EXERCISE ROOM! STAT 8! EXERCISE ROOM!”
    Peering toward the commotion, he saw all five
nurses running into the exercise area. Harlan was doing