Page 60 of Dark Chains: First Link
"We don't have any," Number Eight said. "If we did, we wouldn't be feared by everyone."
Petrov chuckled. "You are feared because you executed five warriors with your bare hands. Not because of your synchronized act."
"It's a combination of the two," Dimitri murmured. "They are perceived as strange and confirmed as dangerous." He turned to Number One. "Perhaps you need to practice with Mattie what to say when you put in the request."
Number One nodded. "That's a good idea. The question is what we tell Anita. She cannot know about the escape plan."
Petrov's eyebrows hiked up again. "Why not?"
"She's human, and any immortal can access her recent memories. If she knows we're planning an escape, that information is one casual thrall away from reaching the wrong person. Compelling her to keep it a secret is not going to mitigate this either, not unless we compel her to forget about the escape, which makes telling her about it in the first place pointless."
The scientist's foot stopped its tapping. "I see the logic of what you are saying. We will have to tell her just as we whisk her out of here."
"That means we need a cover story for Anita as well," Mattie said. She scratched her head with her good hand, her fingers raking through her blond hair. "What if we frame the visits as being about something she would understand? The Eight don't want other soldiers to know they've lost interest in sex. That's their vulnerability, the thing they're hiding. They request her to come to their room as a cover, so it looks like they're functioning normally. But in reality, they don't touch her. They play cards, watch movies, whatever. The only compulsion needed is for her to keep this a secret, but if anyone peeks into her mind, they will only discover something the Eight are embarrassed about, not our escape plans."
"That's a good cover story," Petrov said. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Anita will be glad to get a reprieve from what she has to do in the brothel. Unlike the women in the breeding enclosure, the ones in the brothel didn't get a vacation because the resort is undergoing repairs. They service the army as well as the guests."
"You should start soon," Dimitri told the collective. "Establish a pattern so when you ask for her right before our escape, it won't look unusual."
"Start tomorrow." Petrov fixed the Eight with a look that was part warning and part plea. "You play cards with her, or watch movies, or talk about whatever subject interests you, but you treat her with respect and kindness, and you do not touch her."
"As you are well aware, after this conversation, we no longer have sexual urges," Number One said. "Your warning is not needed."
Petrov's expression didn't soften, but some of the tension left his shoulders. "Sometimes the mind wants what the body doesn't know it desires, and one thing can lead to another. I just want to make sure that you remember my warning and the fact that I'm the one formulating your drug regimen. Don't piss me off."
It was an interesting observation that the Eight hadn't thought about. The intellectual curiosity about physical intimacy was still there, but it lacked the drive, the motivation to explore. They were content in their asexual state, glad of the clarity of mind it provided and the bandwidth it released for other things.
Perhaps they could talk with Anita about things pertaining to sex and intimacy. She should be knowledgeable in the subject and not embarrassed to talk about it. After serving in the brothel for so many years, any bashfulness she might have brought with her upon arriving at the island must surely have evaporated.
The thing that occurred to them, though, was that Petrov was as much a liability as Anita would be regarding knowledge about the escape plan.
"There's another concern," Number One said. "Petrov, you are human, and your mind is just as susceptible as Anita's."
Petrov frowned. "You are right. What do I do?"
"Don't leave the lab. You're a security risk."
Petrov exhaled. "It's a good thing that I stopped going to the hotel bar, then."
"It is," Number One said, then turned to Mattie. "The same is true for you."
She smiled. "I don't like leaving the lab, and now I have a very good excuse not to, but what about you, Dimitri?" She turned to look at him. "Can other immortals thrall you now that you are also an immortal?"
He looked at Number One, and there was a hint of smugness in his expression. "I found a way to resist your thralling and compulsion even before becoming immortal. Can you read my mind now?"
"We can still get impressions of thoughts that you project," Number One said. "But no other immortal on this island will be able to do even that. As for compulsion, we didn't try to compel you lately, so we don't know. Would you like us to test it?"
"Go ahead."
"Scratch your nose," Number One said.
Dimitri smiled. "It's not itchy."
"Did you feel the compulsion?" Mattie asked.
"I felt a little pressure. It was easy to resist, though. Still, I need to be careful." Dimitri touched his jaw. "My fangs are not fully grown yet, and I have to keep the mask on until they are indistinguishable from my other teeth. Since Mattie and Petrov can't leave the lab, I will have to be the one who ventures out when needed."
Petrov sighed. "I hoped I could see Anita during her visits to your hotel. Now I'm confined to the lab."
