I stepped closer. “Look, I’ve had about enough of your endless jawing. Don’t spin word circles around my head and pretend the dizziness is a favor. You erased my memory? Fine. Either you’ll tell me why or you won’t. But you got about five seconds to tell me something worthwhile before I rotate my heels and breeze on outta here.”
He sat down on the stool in the cell. “You know, the thing about this city is it’s remarkably unique — the only Haven that was built after the Cataclysm. Designed to provide every comfort for its inhabitants, every necessity to sustain one’s existence. I know, because I was one of the designers.”
Now that was a kick in the head. “You?”
He chuckled lightly. “Yes, I helped bring this place to fruition. The chief architect, to be exact. It was to be the Haven to set the standard, to raise the bar of excellence for the others to imitate.”
He looked away as though mourning the loss of those lofty ambitions. “Now look at it. It’s a cesspool. A den of thieves and murderers, schemers and predators who launder memories like dirty money. The experiment has failed. I tried to warn them. I tried to show them the way. But those damned Gestalt thugs infiltrated every aspect of New Haven’s infrastructure. So the creator is imprisoned in his own creation. Now, less gentle measures are being taken.”
“Experiment? What are you talking about? Your goon with the mental powers? You’re using him as your patsy while you sit pretty in the cooler, is that it?”
“You’re talking about the prototype. The New Man, as he is called. He is a tool, correct. Just as you are. You simply cannot see the hand which guides you or him. If you only knew the truth, you’d be just as desperate as me to escape this place. Are there any thoughts in your mind I did not orchestrate? Who exactly do you think you are?”
“Last time I checked, I was Mick Trubble — gambler, skirt chaser, hard liquor drinker, and Troubleshooter from time to time. What I don’t happen to be is behind bars. That would be you, remember?”
He tapped his fingers together. “Oh, but you are imprisoned just the same as me. You don’t even realize the reason why you’re here, do you?”
“You mean in New Haven? Does it matter? Either you’re a Haven resident or you take your chances Outside fighting for survival. I’m here because I want to be.”
“Truly?” The Savant’s eyes crinkled with mirth. “I see my memory implants are still locked firmly in place. The world beyond the Havens isn’t quite as bad as advertised. But I was speaking more specifically of you. Why are you here, Mr. Trubble?”
A bead of sweat slowly slid down my temple. “You’re the one who has all of the answers, right? You’re the one who damaged my memory. So you tell me.”
His tone turned sympathetic. “You have to understand I had no choice. When one of the Secret Service’s top assassins is sent to kill you, drastic measures are demanded. Even if those measures require removing his memories and providing him with new ones.”
Chapter 10: Savant Says
My mind spun in loopy circles. I wish I could’ve claimed it was a hangover. “Wait. I know you’re not saying—”
“Your real name is not Mick Trubble. You are not a resident of this Haven. Those are implanted memories I am responsible for.” He looked closely at my face. “Now you know the truth. Don’t think this is a gift I give you. Knowledge might be power in other places, but here… ” his eyes flicked around his cell. “Here, knowledge is prison. Or worse.”
“It’s not possible.”
Dr. Faraday jabbed a finger at me. “You have no idea what’s possible. That’s the whole point of memory reprogramming. It’s how New Haven stays out of the reach of the Secret Service, and any other form of law and order. You have to understand the purpose of my memory experiments was to aid those crippled by trauma; to coax them back into society without the burdensome and crippling memories of war, rape, murder, and abuse.”
I crossed my arms. “Sorry to interrupt your monologue, but what does that have to do with me, Doc?”
“Everything. You have to understand the history before you see the full picture. You see, I was had an association with the same people as yourself for a time.”
“You were with the Service?”
“The Secret Service is the arm of the United Havens. I was a top-level official for the research and development department of the UH. I saw firsthand how corrupted and utterly useless their dominion had grown. So I defected. I diverted their attention long enough to gain access to the Tunnels so I could hack into the transit system. Once I was able to commandeer a shuttle, I recovered my work and crippled their system. By the time they undid the damage, I was long gone. Eventually I joined up with other refugees and exiles, a union which in time gave birth to this Haven.”
I shook my head. “I hear the UH doesn’t exactly take too kindly to their top heads calling it quits. Usually ends up in a dead body or two.”
He nodded bitterly. “You’ve heard correctly. In my arrogance I felt my newfound friends were both wealthy and powerful enough to protect me. I was right, but ignorant of the price involved. For I had foolishly allied myself with the organization known as the Gestalt, and they had plans for me.”
A frown furrowed his face. “They took full control of this Haven through cunning, threats, and sheer murder. They forced me to use my work on memory implantation to hold the residents under their control. They created a dictatorship where they have ultimate control over everything.”
I could only stare at Dr. Faraday in disbelief. “The type of control you’re talking about can’t be done. An entire Haven full of brainwashed residents? That’s impossible.”
His mouth twisted. “There you go with that word again. Science has made us gods, Mr. Trubble. Nothing is impossible anymore. But to your point, complete memory reprogramming would be far too unwieldy to manage. The Gestalt didn’t require mind control, just simple suggestive implants which keep the residents from asking the wrong questions, and more importantly from leaving the Haven. Other than that, their personalities remain intact.”
I massaged my temples. “And that’s what you’re claiming you did to me?”
“To you? Oh no — you were a more extreme case. Try to pay attention because we’ll get to that soon. About two years ago I initiated a plan to rid this Haven of the corruptive influence of the Gestalt. I had grown to regret my decision to leave the UH, and so I contacted them to make a deal for my return.”
I whistled softly. “I guess they were pretty jazzed about that.”
“Indeed. They had never stopped looking for me, as you can imagine. And they were chomping at the bit to get into this Haven. Their previous attempts to gain entry into had been without fruition, because the shield can only be dismantled from the inside. So I agreed to smuggle their operatives into the Haven in exchange for their aid in dismantling the Gestalt. Their other condition was I would allow them access to the tech and research I had recovered from them when I deported.”
“So what happened?”
“They were foolish to believe I would take them at their word, as I was foolish to contact them in the first place. When they sent their lead agent to set up the arrangements, I incapacitated him and scanned his mind.”
His eyes clouded as he recalled the memory. “That’s when I found his directives: to assassinate me, retrieve whatever data he could, and open the main Tunnel so the SS could enter the Haven and storm the city. Naturally I wiped his mind clean and implanted completely new memories, but by then the damage was done. The SS knew of my existence. It was only a matter of time before they found a way to get inside and come for me.”