Free No Direction Home by James Baddock Page A

weapon with him at all times – even in his quarters.’
    â€˜He still reacted bloody quickly – there was no hesitation at all there.’
    â€˜There wouldn’t have to be if we’re talking about post-hypnotic instructions. He wouldn’t have any conscious choice in the matter – he would be programmed to do exactly what he did, whether he wanted to or not.’
    Vinter stared thoughtfully at the screen that still showed Teixeira seated at the computer, in what was probably the last moment he ever had of being an independent individual, in control of his own destiny. ‘We’re not talking about simple post-hypnotism here, are we? We’re talking about military grade combat conditioning, by the sound of it. The kind that would have had him leaping out of bed within half a second even if he’d been fast asleep.’
    Naragama nodded. ‘I would say so, yes.’
    â€˜So… could he have done it to himself? He was a computer systems expert, after all. Or was it done to him before he even left Earth to ensure that if he
was
caught, he couldn’t betray anyone?’
    This time, Naragama shook his head. ‘I don’t know. If it was combat conditioning, you’d need to talk to someone who knows a lot more about it than I do. Moreira, perhaps – he’s the interrogation specialist. He might know how such matters work – it would be something that would be very useful in his line of work – deprogramming anyone who’s been given it, for example.’
    Vinter shook his head. ‘He’d probably know something about it, yes – but I’m pretty sure I can think of someone who’d know even more.’

    *****

    â€˜You wanted to see me, Vinter?’ Ferreira said, his entire body language indicating that, whatever Vinter wanted, he’d better make it damn quick, because he, Ferreira, had far more important fish to fry.
    â€˜Yes, I did, sir.’ Vinter sat down in front of Ferreira’s desk, even though Ferreira had made no sign of inviting him to do so. ‘I need some information about combat conditioning.’
    Now, Ferreira’s look was more thoughtful. ‘Go on.’
    Briefly, Vinter took Ferreira through Naragama’s conclusions; so far, Ferreira had shown little interest in Teixeira’s death once he had realised that there would be no interrogations to work with. If anything, he had implied that it had all been UNSEC’s fault that the spy had evaded capture, as he saw it, but he seemed to grasp the implications immediately now.
    â€˜So… you think Teixeira had been given combat conditioning?’ he asked, once Vinter had finished.
    â€˜It was more than simple post-hypnotic suggestion, sir – his reflexes were as fast as any Marine.’
    â€˜With combat conditioning, you mean.’
    â€˜From what I understand about it, yes.’
    Ferreira thought for several seconds, as if wondering how much he could tell Vinter, before asking, ‘Does it make much difference whether he had been given it or not?’
    â€˜It does, really. If it’s post-hypnotic suggestion, then he could have been given it by a fairly wide range of individuals and techniques. If it’s combat conditioning, that narrows down the field quite considerably. Maybe he was given it before he even left Earth, with just this situation in mind – suicide before capture. If that was the case, then he could be working completely alone. But if someone on
Terra Nova
carried it out, then we’ve got problems.’
    â€˜I see what you mean. Very well. You understand that what I am about to tell you is Absolutely Restricted?’
    â€˜I never assumed anything else.’
    Ferreira paused for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts, then said, ‘Combat conditioning is not a straightforward process, by any means, nor is it used lightly. Yes, we can effectively condition military personnel into