Chapter Text
It had to be tonight?
Maura Isles was focused on her task, namely, keeping her mind busy, and staying alive... at the moment.
She didn't even think about the things around her as her Sedan steered along another bit of road after switching routes, again. Her breathing even and regular, she found her heart rate was keeping time with the wipers as they worked overtime with the downpour she was stuck under. A touch of lightning lit up the sky and fingered out across the northern part of the heavens. Flickering like a loose bulb in a chandelier...
She unlocked her seatbelt, as the crewmember did, and also stood, gathering her few things. The small business jet taxied into a hanger even as the buildings' doors began moving closed, and the plane's door didn't open till you could hear the echo of those making contact with one another. Even then, there were only 5 small pools of light, leading off to the side. Perhaps to an office or maintenance shop.
Again she considered turning forward and asking her chauffeur... something, but knew that it would be futile. Just like the other 8 questions she'd had in the beginning, ending with-
"Where are we even going!"
"I can't say, Dr. Isles, I'm not cleared for that."
Before their last.. 35 minutes or so, of silence. Just taking turns looking out at the odd light, whether it lit a house, a barn, or a spot of road. That, or, what still rested in her lap. Her hand holding it there.
"Dr. Isles, you need to put all electrical devices you have in this bin, as they will not be going with you."
"Can you say why, Mr?.."
"Mister Green, Dr, and no, I cannot. I'm not cleared for that."
She also looked at, no, she examined the two pages of 'flash-paper' tucked into the simple cream-colored folder she held, and then examined that. Again. And the one word on it's cover. Barcelona
Not Barcelona, Spain . I'm fairly certain we landed somewhere in Pennsylvania, but dear God, at one in the morning?
The morning she woke up to the now day before was pleasant, as early Spring in Boston can be. Two appointments with Dr. Olivia Werth, of Harvard, the sitting Chair of their new Associate Psychiatric counsel, and Dr. Drau Banncroft, leading researcher for M.I.T.'s Brain Mapping Index. Both had different questions for her regarding how the mind, and the Id, structure itself. . .
`What we tell ourselves... how do we 'lie' to ourselves, and get away with it, Dr. Isles?`
`I can not, Dr. My Urticaria would be quite visible.`
`And if we didn't exactly tell it what happened, but inferred?`
`That is how short-term memory loss is handled, correct, Dr. Werth?`
`Perhaps. 'Trauma' is the break in the code of our existence, Dr. What we have here is another chance to examine and prepare, when we "Alt, Control, Delete" a moment of correction, and simply insert the right kind of data when necessary.`
`You would affect someone's mind, Dr?`
`Yes, Dr, when needed. And we have a chance to review some of our prior success as you help us with another patient.`
Another bump in the road, another flash of lightning... showing her an open expanse of gravel parking area they slowly rolled in to.
"Are we finally there, Sir?"
"Doctor, all I know is that I'm where I needed to be." Her driver still looking forward, though they stopped moving, and he turned off the lights.
A thought crystalized in the blonde's head.
"I asked earlier where we were going, and you said 'you can't say, you're not cleared for that.' You weren't allowed, cleared to tell me, or, you didn't have clearance to know where you're going?"
"Immaterial now, Dr," as a small single flash caught her eye. A single strobe of green-yellow light. "You are to stay here, please. Goodbye, Dr." And with that, her chauffeur stepped out into the night, and closed the door. Another flash of lightning showed her they were parked near another car, but she realized they were 180 degrees from each other, so both cars had their right side facing the other, with a gap of about 4 feet between them. She also realized her car was also on and running, as she noticed the wipers were still working, the heater on low, but the dome light never flipped on, leaving her in darkness-
The drivers door opened, and someone climbed in, closed the door, waited... as then the other car moved away. 10 seconds... 20... 30-
Her new driver engaged the transmission, and pulled out, turning away from where the other car went. More silence lingered in their darkness...
"Can you tell me where I'm going, please?"
"Sure thing, Maura."
THAT VOICE
"Jane?"