The Theta Patient (6 page)

Bradburn heard a noise behind him.
Turning, he saw two more sets of men in black suits. Two were
escorting Anthony Station out of the hospital. The other pair had
Logan Ford by the arms and were taking him the same
direction.

“
They have the wrong men,”
Bradburn said, grabbing Cooper by the arm. Then, seeing disdain
appear on the agent’s face, immediately let go. “You have to stop
them. You already found the Thinker.”

Agent Cooper brushed at the fabric
of his suit where Bradburn had touched him, then said, “We found
our Thinker, but laws are laws. Or, as you like to say, rules are
rules. Right, doctor?”

“
I don’t understand,” Bradburn
said, getting ready to tell his staff not to let the men in suits
take away two of his patients. “They’re”—lowering his
voice—“crazy.”

“
That may be the case,” Cooper
said. “But they broke the law. After all, they did disparage the
Tyranny.”

“
But they need psychiatric
help!”

Ignoring the comment, Cooper let
out a sigh and shook his head. “Which brings me to my next
issue.”

Bradburn felt the agent’s hand
encircle his own hand, then press against the inside of his wrist
so his palm moved toward his arm, which in turn moved behind his
back.

“
What are you doing?” Bradburn
said.

Cooper held one of Bradburn’s arms
behind his back. Then pulled the other to meet it. The doctor felt
cold metal around both wrists, along with a clicking as the cuffs
got tighter.

“
What are you doing?” he said
again.

“
You tried to help a Thinker,” the
agent said.

“
He was a patient! I thought I was
helping someone who needed the hospital’s care.”

Bradburn felt himself being
ushered down the same hallway as the three patients who were
already gone and would never be seen again. Over and over, he
called to someone from his staff to help him. Each time, they
looked away.

“
It’s all a big
misunderstanding!”

The few people on his staff who
were still watching the scene all simultaneously seemed to remember
they had a job to do and moved off to do it.

“
I always did what the Tyranny
wanted,” Bradburn shouted.

“
Until you didn’t.”

“
I didn’t know,” he said. “I
swear, I didn’t know.”

But even as he said it, Bradburn was
approaching the double doors and the black cars of the Tyranny that
would take him away.

“
Sorry, doctor. You tried to help
a Thinker.” And then, laughing, “Rules are rules.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris graduated from Western
Maryland College (McDaniel College). He currently lives outside
Washington D.C. His dream is to write the same kind of stories that
have inspired him over the years. His others novels have become
Amazon Best Sellers and been featured on the
Authors on the Air
radio
network.

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