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| - Special Medical Director Dobashi noticed that his own breathing rate was elevated and his hands were shaking. For a moment he wondered if the drugs had reached his own brain. He checked his nose plugs and decided he was just excited by how Shimousa was responding. Was it really going to be this easy? Could that fool Masahiro have randomly selected an effective combination of drugs? Or maybe Lieutenant Shimousa was just a perfect combination of intelligence and suggestibility. Dobashi stood up and went to the shelf to get a bottle of water. In the small office he had to reach over Shimousa to reach a bottle. Her eyes remained locked on his. He found it hard to think with her staring like that. He took a long drink and tried to calm down. Still, he could not resist looking down at her upturned face from the corner of his eye. No question about it...she had a rugged charm. Dobashi cursed himself for his weakness and thought for a moment about the power he now had over her. He could suggest anything to her at this moment and she would do it! He went back to his chair. "You will demonstrate to Colonel Masahiro that her mission has been successful. You must show her that you are willing to do anything you are told to do." Shimousa bounced out of her chair. "Yes! I will do it now!" She had the door open before Dobashi could stop her. "Stop! Halt! No! That is wrong! Sit down! Do nothing without my explicit orders, Lieutenant! We are still discussing the nature of what you must do. I have not yet given you an order. Do you understand that distinction I'm making?" Shimousa bit her finger, "Yes, it is clear. I will wait until you say, 'these are your orders... and then I will act." "Very good, that is perfect. I may have given you too large a dose of AJK32...it might not be safe for you to leave this room. Do you know what I'm talking about?" Shimousa closed the door, sat down and replied, "Of course, Doctor. We are testing the drugs to see if they will make me do anything I am told to do." Dobashi was surprised that Shimousa seemed completely coherent. It was as if she could switch back and forth between two minds, one a willing slave to the ideas he had suggested and the other a perfectly rational military officer. Was the drug wearing off already? He decided on a small test. "Tell me what was in the orders delivered to Colonel Masahiro yesterday by the courier." Shimousa disclosed the secret orders without hesitation, "The orders were from Admiral Dardtso, demanding results. It contained an explicit order that higher doses of the drugs be used, even if you objected. Dardtso ordered that you be replaced if you object." Dobashi muttered, "Those weasles! Replace me? This is my project!" Shimousa asked, "Weasles? It is not proper to speak thus of superior officers. You will get into trouble, like I have." Dobashi asked, "Who would take my place if I was removed from the project?" "Dardtso mentioned no names, but indicated that a military doctor could be dispatched on 24 hours notice to replace you." "That's not true. Nobody could replace me. The project would fail if I were removed from my position." Shimousa cried, "The mission must not fail!" Dobashi chuckled. Shimousa was completely his puppet! All that remained was to see if she would do something outrageous when ordered. Dobashi feared for Shimousa's safety. Maybe there was nothing she would hesitate to do while under the influence of these drugs. "Well, Shimousa, this is important information. As a friend, you should have warned me that I am in danger of being replaced." Shimousa hung her head, "I am ashamed that I did not warn you. Still, you seemed to sense from Colonel Masahiro's manner that you should not object to her orders, so all was well." "Well, friend, I do not like using you as an experimental subject for untested drug combinations, yet here I am, doing so. We both do what we must do, eh?" Dobashi asked, "Do you feel well?" Shimousa replied, "I feel great shame. Let me act. I will show you that I am your friend. I will regain my honor. I will do what I must do." Dobashi tried to imagine a test for Shimousa, some task that would clearly demonstrate the power of the drugs over her. It had to be a task that would impress Masahiro and stop the Colonel from having any further thoughts about removing Dobashi from the project. Something dramatic was needed. These tests had originally been moved to sea in order to retain a military environment while at the same time limiting the number of people with any knowledge of the project. Even the ship's Captain did not know the true nature of the research and he had asked no questions after Masahiro had waved her Military Intelligence credentials in his face and made clear that the test subjects would be the two army soldiers that accompanied her and Dobashi. Still, there were unavoidable situations that raised the profile of the project. What must Seaman Shinsaku have thought about being ordered to feed nails to Private Oya? What would happen when Captain Yutak learned that one of his own crew was now a test subject for the drug experiments? An idea popped into Dobashi's mind. He asked, "The courier is still on board, isn't he? Shimousa nodded. "He will leave on today's mail helicopter." She looked at her watch. "In about an hour." Dobashi flicked on his computer and checked the available data for how quickly AJK32 was removed from the body. He decided that Shimousa would probably still be under the influence of both drugs for at least another hour and probably far longer. "Here is what you must do. You will go to the helipad and wait for the courier. When he arrives at the helipad, you will tell him to report to Colonel Masahiro's office. You will then get on the helicopter, take the place of the courier and leave the ship." Shimousa asked, "Are you ordering me to leave the ship?" "I will do so, soon. Now we are still discussing what must be done and how to do it. Normally you would not lie to a military courier and go AWOL from the ship. Doing so will show Colonel Masahiro that you are willing to do anything I suggest. Now, tell me what you must do in order to make sure that you get off the ship." Shimousa was confused. "In order to leave the ship, I will need a written pass, but within minutes the courier will reach the Colonel and my lie about her wanting to see him will be revealed." Dobashi assured her, "No, I will be there and I will take care of that. Still, no not waste time. As soon as the courier goes below deck, get on the helicopter and go." He printed out a 48 hour medical shore leave pass for Shimousa. For the next half hour Shimousa and Dobashi formulated the details of their plan. Then Dobashi said, "These are your orders. Take this written pass to the helipad. Send the courier to the Colonel's office. Tell the helicopter pilot to take off and that the courier will stay on board another day. Don't let the pilot think about what is going on. Flirt with him. Invite him to dinner. Do what you must do to get off the ship and get away without being caught. Remember, you are trying to impress the Colonel with your willingness to do anything I tell you to do. Use your intelligence to solve any minor problems that arise. Oh, and one more thing! If you are challenged by a superior officer, you must still place consideration of my orders first; that is the only way to regain your honor." Shimousa saluted and said, "Yes, sir!" She headed for the door, then she paused and turned back to Dobashi. "But won't my going AWOL just get me into more trouble with the Colonel?" "No, this is exactly what is needed to show the Colonel that her mission is a success. I could order you to do any number of meaningless tasks, but you must do something that will shock her. Remember, she ordered me to give you the drugs and hurry things along so that we can complete the mission. So, do as I have ordered you to do and all will be well. Your honor will be restored. Even Admiral Dardtso will be impressed if you can get off this ship. You will become a famous military hero!" Dobashi wondered if he was pushing things too far with the 'military hero' crap. Shimousa was no fool and she was clearly still able to think rationally about what she was doing. But Shimousa showed no more hesitation and left the office. If she followed instructions, she would pack a small travel bag and then head for the helipad in time to be waiting there early, before the scheduled departure of the helicopter. Dobashi logged off the computer and locked away all the drugs and his notes. He still half expected the drugs to wear off and Shimousa to come back sheepishly and unable to carry through with the ridiculous orders he had given her. He put the nasal spray bottle with the drugs in his pocket and went to wait for the courier, expecting to intercept him outside the Colonel's office.
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