Forbidden Quest (3 page)

             
"That's the beauty of it. We'll think we're eating wild boar while sitting next to a mountain stream or in a tavern somewhere in this enchanted realm when we'll really be sitting at a card table eating chicken." Todd grinned, "I think it's a hoot."

             
"And . . ." Jack stared blankly.

             
"We'll find a campsite and go to sleep. They'll have sleeping bags or cots or something ready for us
.
The days will last around six hours, and then we will think it's night and Strong will send us into a deep sleep for a couple hours and then off we go
.
It'll seem like a week has passed by the time it's over
.
When in reality we'll have only been here for a few days.”

             
"Is it okay to be hypnotized for so long?"

             
"Don't be such a baby, Jack. Where's that crazy sense of adventure that's always getting us into so much trouble
?
Remember kayaking down the Zambezi?" Todd grinned.

             
"What if we don't like it? What if we want to stop?
"
Jack
didn't
like the idea of someone playing with his mind for an extended period of time.

             
"If it gets too hairy or you feel uncomfortable with your character, just give the
word and Strong will bring you out."

             
"What kind of credentials does this guy have?"

             
"Come on Jack you
’
r
e
starting to sound like Nicole. She questioned this every step of the way. It all checks out. He's legitimate
.
Hypnosis is just like vegging out on the couch totally involved in some movie at 3 a.m. If you get
bored
you get up and go to bed.
 
There's no mysterious control factor going on." Todd picked up his dossier, and then paused to stare at Jack and added, "Zambezi."

             
"I swear I didn't know about the crocodiles." Jack
said with a sigh
, not wanting to rehash

the
past. 

             
"And the friendly devil worshiping natives that lined the Amazon?"
  Todd grinned wickedly at Jack.

             
"Just what would you do if you hadn't eaten any meat in a year or so?" Jack laughed despite himself, tossed his bag into the corner of the room and fell back on the bed. 

             
"You know Nicole's right, if this trip is as wild as Strong claims it to be. The good doctor could have a real money maker on his hands." Todd added with a grin, "And this time we are in no danger of being eaten by man or beast."

             
Jack had to admit i
t was hard to ignore the potential of this new adventure. Nicole was talking investment and Hopper
was sold
on the idea before they even got started.  Sarah had even given it her medical stamp of approval. Jack leaned back against his pillow and hoped his friends
weren't
too disappointed if the entire weekend turned sour in the morning.

             
Yet in the two years he'd known Nicole, she'd never even considered anything remotely speculative
.
Perhaps there was something about this adventure she was not telling the rest of them. He'd just have to wait and see
.
The 'Ice Lady' was no fool. She
wouldn't
drag her friends, or herself for that matter, away for a weekend if there was the slightest chance Dr. Strong wasn't legitimate.

             
"Hey, don't you have a game Monday?" Jack asked.

             
"It's an exhibition. Besides I
should be back
in plenty of time
.
They'll never know I was gone."  Todd winked at Jack and went back to his file.

             
"You didn't tell them?" Jack grinned.

             
"It's one weekend out of my life. The only secret
I’ll
ever keep."

             
Jack shook his head at Todd, the most
straight laced
guy he’d ever known.  "Tell you what,
I’ll
run
downstairs and see if I can get that receptionist to give me another room. These
can't
be the only usable ones in this oversized barn.  You and Sarah deserve some alone time."

             
"It's all right, Jack. Sarah and I will have the next two days together. She was

getting
a little nervous about spending the night alone in the same room with me anyway."

             
"What are you saying, Todd?" Jack stared at him. "You and she . . ."

             
"It's none of your business, Jack.
"
Todd countered
.
"I have a great deal of respect

for Sarah
.
She knows her own mind and I like that."

             
A soft knock at the door drew Jack away from his impending interrogation.  "You've been dating for over
2
yearss
, Todd," Jack managed before he reached the door and opened it to find the sultry receptionist standing there smiling at him.

             
"Jack, Dr. Strong would like to meet with you before the session tomorrow. He wants to make sure Tom's dossier is right for you. We don't want any last minute . . . complications." She cooed as her long red-tipped fingers reached out to take his hand.  "It won't take long."

Feeling drunk with the anticipation of being alone in the elevator with the blonde seductress, Jack turned back and flashed a wicked grin at Todd before disappearing down the hall.

             
"I’m Shala. I was also hoping we'd have a private moment together, before
your adventure begins." She spoke softly and slipped her hand into the crook of Jack's
arm.

             
"Shala, you read my mind," Jack replied as they reached the elevator.
"After Dr.
Strong and I talk, how about you show me the sights of Landon."

             
"The most exciting thing in Landon is in my suite." Shala whispered and leaned
hard against him, forcing his back to the wall. Her fiery smile sent an unexpected chill
through
him
.  Jack squirmed uncomfortably as he glanced up at the panel above the elevator doors.  The second floor indicator lit
and held. The doors silently slid aside to reveal a large banquet hall just as Shala's fingers penetrated his
shirt front
.

             
"We're here." Jack managed, then slipped out of her grasp and headed into the
hall. Massive twin chandeliers twinkled dimly above them, giving off just enough light
for the pair to avoid the series of athletic equipment scattered throughout the pale
green carpeted
room.

             
"What is this place?" Jack asked, squinting at a ten-foot high pile of thick foam
mats resembling a pyramid.

             
"This is where your adventure will take place," Shala answered. She stopped in
front of a large wooden door at the far end of the room. “Dr Strong's office is through that door. I'll return for you in one hour." Shala spun and headed toward the lift.
 
Jack's eyes focused on her swerving hips as she glided across the room. Shaking off the tantalizing effect, Jack knocked softly on the large ornate door. Receiving no reply, he pushed it open to find, a tall, white-haired
gentleman
striding across the large room toward him.
             

Unlike the previous room, the light in the doctor's office was bright. The room
was extremely cluttered
.  Piles of books of every size and shape lined the walls. Amidst the worn, dusty shelves were beakers filled with thick dark liquids, clay flasks stopped with large corks and small cloth bags stuffed full of unknown treasures.

             
Dr. Strong held out his hand and addressed Jack in a surprisingly deep voice, "Jack Tyler, this is an unexpected turn of events. Although I'm sure we'll have no trouble compensating." The broad shouldered doctor had an iron grip. He looked to be more than three times Jack's age but walked with the strength and agility his handshake portrayed.

             
"That’s good to hear, Doc.  I’d hate to have to explain to the others that our trip up here was a waste of time." Jack answered as he sat down in the straight-backed chair the doctor offered.

             
Moving around to sit behind the large oak desk situated in the center of
all the clutter Dr. Strong smiled at Jack, "No more than I, Mr. Tyler."  Jack found the doctors smile a little cold; it set his senses on alert.  "So tell me Dr. Strong, exactly what kind of a doctor are you? I mean what
type o
f degree is necessary to be considered an expert in hypnosis?" Jack leaned back in the chair staring at the intricacy of the carved figures that decorated the dark wood of the desk.
  They appeared to be all sorts of gargoyle and bat-like creatures.

             
"I have a Doctorate in Psychology. I studied at the University of Chicago.  However, my expertise in hypnosis came from years of personal study. My father was a Psychiatrist obsessed with the inner workings of the mind. His goal in life
was
to enter into the depths of the human thought processes through hypnosis. He believed it to be the key to unlocking mental illness."  Dr. Strong's dark gray eyes searched Jack with such intensity, Jack felt
as
if he had just had a full body MRI. "But enough of me
.
I'll explain everything you'll need to know about the procedure tomorrow morning, before we begin
.
What I would like to do now is discuss your personal background."

             
"I'm afraid I'm not very interesting." Jack answered, suppressing a yawn.

             
Dr. Strong insisted, "It is essential that I have a concept of the type of person you are. How you grew up, your family life and the extent of your education." The doctor leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk before him.

             
"Well, I'm a travel consultant with a large firm in St. Louis. I handle international flights and tours for several of our larger corporate clients. My mother died when I was very young.
I'm
afraid I was a disruptive child.  I grew up in Maine, in a series of foster homes.  Most were great; they took decent care of me
, a
few weren't
.
Finally I landed at the Tyler's home and they decided to adopt me
.
They were old enough to be my grandparents, but I had a good home and lots of love. I graduated from high
school, went to a trade school and here I am." Jack suddenly wanted to get the meeting over with quickly.

             
"I see. You may well be the only person I've ever met that's capable of describing their entire life in less than sixty seconds." Dr. Strong said, quietly. "Are you satisfied with your life, Mr. Tyler?"

             
"Satisfied?" Jack stared back, hesitating. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I get to travel all over the world for practically nothing. I've seen and done more than any of my hard working, high paid corporate type friends
.
Being a travel agent pays terrible, but it's not a bad job."

             
"How old were you when you arrived at the Tyler's home?"

             
"Twelve." He answered, shifting uneasily in his chair. "
You making
a point?"

             
"What did twelve year old Jack want to be when he grew up?" Dr. Strong asked,
unaffected by Jack's growing annoyance.

             
"Most of my friends wanted to be an outer space hero. I wanted to be a fireman
.
Because
that's
what my new dad was.  He was the only real hero I'd ever known." Jack answered, "But I daydreamed a lot about fighting my way through the galaxy."

             
"Dreams of adventure with a practical attitude."
  Dr. Strong said quietly staring at Jack.

             
"Well now you've condensed my life into one simple sentence." Jack answered, bluntly. "I'm not sure I like that."