Free Mind Trace by Holly McCaghren

respect. Her mind began to fill
in the rest of the details from his personnel file. Grant Finnigan, forty-eight
years of age, former Navy SEAL, decorated with more awards and achievements
than even he could recall. He had been working for Eric since the company was
founded. Unofficially, he was Eric's second-in-command, and he was completely
loyal to him.
    He had thick, black hair, peppered with gray. His face had
some wrinkles, but his body was in excellent condition. His arms were thickly
muscled, and she could tell, even through his uniform, that the rest of his
body was too. Of course, he would not have needed that to look intimidating.
    One look at his face would tell you everything you
needed to know.
    The elevator dinged softly, signaling their arrival on the eighth
floor. The doors opened onto another hallway, almost identical to the one they
left. 
    Eric was silent for a few moments before saying, "You
know, Alice, I never expected this. How could someone of your age and
experience hack into one of the most secure networks in the world? What would
possibly prompt you to take on such a task? It’s very curious. Of course, we
shall find these details out shortly."
    They had arrived at a large, steel door, with one tiny
peephole near the top. After yet another retinal scan, the door opened and she
was wheeled inside.
    On the schematic for the complex, this room wasn't
labeled.
     Now, I know why…
    In the middle of the room was a wicked-looking chair, not
unlike the kind found at a dentist's office. It was also covered in restraints.
    Where do they get this stuff? Is there a catalog of
torture devices?
    Alice was doing everything she could to control her
emotions, not letting anyone know how terrified she was. Her heart was pounding
in her ears, while her overactive imagination did its best to derail her
composure.
    Above, and directly next to the chair, were multitudes of
medical devices. Knowing what each of them was for, she shuddered and did her
best to ignore the knowledge.  Alice was trying resolutely to stay calm,
although she was finding it increasingly difficult. Eric had been silent since
they entered the room, watching her closely.
    "Alice, we are going to try to get some answers.
However, if you refuse to cooperate, we may have to take more unconventional means. I am going to do my best to avoid those unpleasantries, but I will need
your help to do so."
    Does he actually believe he's doing me any favors? How deluded
can a person get?
    He turned to the men surrounding Alice and said, "Move
her to the chair."
    No, no, no. This can't end well...
    Whatever fog had been lingering in her brain had abruptly
cleared. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wanted to believe that all of
this was for show. That she would be too scared to risk the consequences of
withholding information. 
    Please, please don't be some kind of sick, twisted
torturer. Surely, he couldn't have gotten this far in life if he was?
    She remained as unmoving and listless as possible, trying
to give the impression that she was still weak from sedation. When her last
restraint was undone, she leapt forward from the chair, only making it about a
foot before all three men tackled her and regained control. They promptly moved
her to the terrifying device, and she was effectively restrained before she had
a chance to react.
    Once she was secured, two of the men took position by the
door. The third exited the room, presumably to stand guard on the other side.
Eric pressed a small button on a console near the door, and a few moments
later, a nondescript man in a lab coat emerged through the door.
    Lab coats? Definitely not good.
    "Alice, this is Dr. Eichmann. He is going to monitor a
few things while we talk. We are developing a new type of polygraph machine
that takes into account much more than any conventional detector. It monitors
brain waves to determine if certain key areas show activity, indicating if a
person is accessing memories or