The Atticus Institute Page #5

Sometimes you could hear him

muttering from behind the door.

Things were reaching a tipping point.

I do. I do believe that it drove

Dr. West to that.

Trust me. We did a complete

background check. We knew everything.

We knew about the therapy,

the medication.

What happened was not

a product of psychosis.

Maybe you should take

some time away from work.

Henry? Maybe take some time off?

It doesn't matter where I am.

It's everywhere.

It's like a shadow.

Except it's not mine.

So you feel like it's following you,

the shadow.

I feel like it's already caught me.

To be totally honest, Henry,

I find a lot of this very troubling.

Is that why you're using that?

- Yeah, we always record the sessions.

- Not on a camera.

Well, I... things seem different.

- Did they make you do this?

- Did who?

- Is this to make sure I don't say anything?

- I don't know what you're talking about.

They're pushing it too far. They want

to control everything, but they can't.

It's too powerful. It's too strong.

Take it easy, Henry.

I'm trying to make you understand.

There's something happening.

- To you?

- Yes.

To me, then maybe to you,

then maybe to them.

Whoever it chooses.

There's no science left in the world

for this, but they think there is.

It doesn't even matter anymore

what I say.

It's gonna speak for itself.

So use your goddamn camera.

Write my name.

Write my words across the sky.

I don't give a damn because if it...

if they keep pushing it

the way they are...

Nod if you can hear me.

Good.

What I want you to do now is focus

on the person on the television.

Nod if you understand.

I want you to tell me his name.

Your instructions are clear.

Tell me the name of the person

you see on the television.

Alan.

Turcott.

Next, I want you to tell me

his current location.

Hanscom.

Office. Military office.

Let's get them on the phone.

- Tell them we're gonna try it out.

- We're gonna try it out.

They're ready.

Listen very carefully

to what I'm gonna tell you.

What I want you to do now is attempt

to influence Private Turcott's breathing.

Begin.

Your instructions are clear.

- Tell her to stop it.

- Stop it.

- Tell her to stop!

- Stop.

I said stop!

Hit her!

We eventually figured out

what was going on.

And we felt so foolish

for not having recognized

that that was the government's

intention from the beginning.

To weaponize her.

Having the ability

to remotely collect intel.

To be able to read

the minds of foreign leaders

to know exactly

what their plan of attack is.

Where they were and what they were

thinking at any given moment.

And, if necessary,

be able to collapse their lungs

and stop their hearts.

All from thousands of miles away.

We were looking at the future

of clandestine warfare.

Where attacks could be as strategic

and as untraceable as we saw fit.

The rigors of their testing protocol

increased enormously.

The more they pushed,

the more defiant she became.

Well, it became.

We treated her like the discovery

of any new destructive force.

Much of what we did mirrored

the testing procedures

used in the early atomic testing.

We needed to understand this power

if we were intent on utilizing it.

What are you?

How do you choose your host?

Now.

Tell me your name.

They were getting very frustrated

because everything she said

sounded like gibberish.

They kept shocking her.

When she didn't give them the answer

they wanted, they'd shock her again.

They'd up the voltage

and shock her again.

Our analysts were eventually

able to isolate

certain elements of Judith's speech.

Turned out she hadn't been

speaking gibberish at all.

What are you?

How do you choose your host?

This will all be over soon.

It just proved that she was

in control the entire time.

Just drawing us in.

Drawing us in closer.

And instead of stopping like we all knew

we should, we kept going.

We were too close to something

truly revolutionary to stop.

It was affecting everyone, but that's

the nature of any struggle, any battle.

Push and you will be resisted.

That's why you want to be

the one pushing the hardest.

You would hear them discussing new ideas

and strategies, disruption techniques,

but nobody would talk

about what was obvious.

That there are certain things in this world

that we will never understand.

And Judith Winstead was one of them.

It was acutely averse to all things

related to religion.

Even more than it was to electroshock.

And that poor priest...

he was just a pawn.

We were very much against

involving the Church.

We didn't want to turn this

into a sideshow.

At the same time,

we had to gain control somehow.

This one, too.

Thumbprint on that one as well.

- Do you understand everything?

- I do, yes.

Into the camera, please.

I understand.

Okay.

Do you have any questions?

No.

Good.

That last night in the lab was...

it was crazy.

They told us to double up

on our ammo just to stay safe.

There was a big buildup. Everyone was

mentally preparing for what might happen.

We needed to get it out of the lab

and we couldn't do that with a civilian.

We had to transfer it

into one of our own.

When I arrived at the lab that night

and found out what was going to happen...

I froze.

I wanted to scream for them

not to try that.

But I didn't say a word.

I wanted to get out of there real bad.

I remember, I wanted

to sneak out the back door

when nobody was looking and just go.

And of course I couldn't.

I should've.

- Go ahead.

- Copy that.

Get ready, Corporal.

Hey, hey, hey.

Stop the transfer.

The power of the blood

of Jesus commands you!

Bow to the Lord!

Get him out of there.

- Hit the gas. Hit the gas.

- Help! Help!

Pull him out!

Pull him out. Make sure he's okay.

Are you okay?

- I'm gonna clear it.

- No. No, no, no. Hold on.

- Did it work? Did it work?

- I... I don't know.

Give her a quick charge.

She's still out.

No, no. The electrodes

got disconnected. See?

Sh*t.

- Are you positive she's unconscious?

- No.

- Can we gas her again?

- It might be too much.

Well, I'm not going in there

unless I know she's completely...

- Then don't go in there.

- If we don't get those electrodes...

- Are you crazy?

- We've got nothing if it's dead.

- Hit her again! Now!

- I'm not gonna hit her again.

- Hit her again!

- Don't...

Robert, don't.

Bilateral?

Bi-frontal.

What are you doing? What are you doing?

You need to step back.

I'm gonna check him.

I'm gonna check his pulse.

- That's it?

- That's all.

Let's start clearing again...

Get him outta here. Let's go.

Come on. Let's go.

The situation was a disaster

in all possible ways.

Local law enforcement

got involved, the media.

They all wanted to know

what happened, naturally.

They had a right to the story.

Just not to all of it.

I'm still not at liberty to discuss

much more than I have.

Especially as it pertains to the events

that took place after that night.

But I can tell you this...

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