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Kane leaned forward in his chair, watching intently as the prisoner's eyes fluttered open under the harsh light of the operating room. He smiled as she fought against the bonds that secured her to the cold steel table. She was a tall, dark-skinned woman - under other circumstances Kane might even be inclined to say she was attractive. Her head had been shaved, and her body was riddled with intravenous needles. Yet he enjoyed the sight of it as only a predator could.
"Are you certain it was a good idea to awaken the test subject?" asked the Russian scientist seated next to him in the observation deck.
"This is a momentous occasion in human history, Dr. Petrova," Kane replied. "It is only fitting that she know of the part she played in it." Besides, he always worked better in front of a hostile crowd.
The two of them descended the lift to the floor below, and entered the room. Two armored guards flanked the operating table, weapons at the ready. You could never be too careful - Havoc was still at large, after all.
"Major Alessa Kendrick," he said. "A pleasure to finally meet you in person. I must say, you and your command caused us considerable annoyance in Alexandria. You're nearly as troublesome as your colleague Captain Parker. Better looking, too."
The soldier's nostrils flared. "Kane! You son of a bitch, I swear I'll -"
"Save your breath, Major. I haven't brought you here for a fight."
"I'm not telling you a damn thing, you psychotic fuck."
"I haven't brought you here for an interrogation, either. We've already learned all we need to. Particularly concerning the Mammoth tank project. Very interesting. No, we're here to recruit you."
"Recruit me!? Are you joking, you fu-"
An armored fist clamped down around her mouth as one of the guards moved to silence her.
"Thank you, Sergeant Rawne," Kane says. "Gag her. I don't like it when people step on my lines."
Kane cracked his knuckles as the guards taped over the officer's mouth. When the job was finished, he began to pace about the room. "I understand your skepticism, Major. After all, your tenacity and courage are rare among GDI officers. It does you great credit. It's what interested us in you in the first place. But believe me, I know a way of convincing even you of the righteousness of our cause.
"Tell me, Major, have you ever read Schopenhauer?"
"Grmmff fmmk ymsmmmff."
Kane smiled drily, slowly ambling his way behind the operating table. "No, you don't seem the type. Well, he once said that you can do whatever you want, but that you can't want whatever you want. I've found that to be true of every man. But what if there were a different sort of man? Someone with complete mastery of his own desires? What sort of thing would he choose to want?
"Now, if he were a good man, a moral one, he might choose to desire a better world above all other things. For Man to transcend its weaknesses, set aside false divisions, and take its rightful place in the universe. And if he were a wise man, he might see that he would need to convince others to desire the same thing as intensely as he does."
Kane sighed theatrically, ignoring the muffled protestations of the GDI officer. "But the human will is such a stubborn thing. So difficult to change, even when it needs changing. Even when a man wants it to change. Persuasion and even brainwashing can only get you so far. No matter you want a man to believe, there will always be the man himself getting in the way.
"So, it would seem that the only sure way to change a person's mind..." Kane pulled a syringe filled with luminescent liquid from his coat pocket - "...is to change the rest of him first."
Major Kendrick's suppressed screams grew louder as Kane continued. "This is a liquid tiberium cocktail. Specially designed for its mutagenic effects. It will transform your mind, your body, and - if we've calculated correctly - your soul. We've been working on it for years, but you'll be our first unwilling test subject. You understand why I just...had to be here."
The major struggled in vain against her bonds - made of steel and ultra-durable carbon nanofibers - as Kane leaned in even closer. "Not to worry, Major. When you wake up - if you wake up - you may find you see things a little differently."
He turned his head back toward his chief scientist. "Dr. Petrova - re-administer the sedative."
"It has already begun, sir."
"Good," he said. Once she had safely slipped into unconsciousness, he administered the IV drip and left the serum to do its work.
The automatic door opened, and...
"Are you certain it was a good idea to awaken the test subject?" asked the Russian scientist seated next to him in the observation deck.
"This is a momentous occasion in human history, Dr. Petrova," Kane replied. "It is only fitting that she know of the part she played in it." Besides, he always worked better in front of a hostile crowd.
The two of them descended the lift to the floor below, and entered the room. Two armored guards flanked the operating table, weapons at the ready. You could never be too careful - Havoc was still at large, after all.
"Major Alessa Kendrick," he said. "A pleasure to finally meet you in person. I must say, you and your command caused us considerable annoyance in Alexandria. You're nearly as troublesome as your colleague Captain Parker. Better looking, too."
The soldier's nostrils flared. "Kane! You son of a bitch, I swear I'll -"
"Save your breath, Major. I haven't brought you here for a fight."
"I'm not telling you a damn thing, you psychotic fuck."
"I haven't brought you here for an interrogation, either. We've already learned all we need to. Particularly concerning the Mammoth tank project. Very interesting. No, we're here to recruit you."
"Recruit me!? Are you joking, you fu-"
An armored fist clamped down around her mouth as one of the guards moved to silence her.
"Thank you, Sergeant Rawne," Kane says. "Gag her. I don't like it when people step on my lines."
Kane cracked his knuckles as the guards taped over the officer's mouth. When the job was finished, he began to pace about the room. "I understand your skepticism, Major. After all, your tenacity and courage are rare among GDI officers. It does you great credit. It's what interested us in you in the first place. But believe me, I know a way of convincing even you of the righteousness of our cause.
"Tell me, Major, have you ever read Schopenhauer?"
"Grmmff fmmk ymsmmmff."
Kane smiled drily, slowly ambling his way behind the operating table. "No, you don't seem the type. Well, he once said that you can do whatever you want, but that you can't want whatever you want. I've found that to be true of every man. But what if there were a different sort of man? Someone with complete mastery of his own desires? What sort of thing would he choose to want?
"Now, if he were a good man, a moral one, he might choose to desire a better world above all other things. For Man to transcend its weaknesses, set aside false divisions, and take its rightful place in the universe. And if he were a wise man, he might see that he would need to convince others to desire the same thing as intensely as he does."
Kane sighed theatrically, ignoring the muffled protestations of the GDI officer. "But the human will is such a stubborn thing. So difficult to change, even when it needs changing. Even when a man wants it to change. Persuasion and even brainwashing can only get you so far. No matter you want a man to believe, there will always be the man himself getting in the way.
"So, it would seem that the only sure way to change a person's mind..." Kane pulled a syringe filled with luminescent liquid from his coat pocket - "...is to change the rest of him first."
Major Kendrick's suppressed screams grew louder as Kane continued. "This is a liquid tiberium cocktail. Specially designed for its mutagenic effects. It will transform your mind, your body, and - if we've calculated correctly - your soul. We've been working on it for years, but you'll be our first unwilling test subject. You understand why I just...had to be here."
The major struggled in vain against her bonds - made of steel and ultra-durable carbon nanofibers - as Kane leaned in even closer. "Not to worry, Major. When you wake up - if you wake up - you may find you see things a little differently."
He turned his head back toward his chief scientist. "Dr. Petrova - re-administer the sedative."
"It has already begun, sir."
"Good," he said. Once she had safely slipped into unconsciousness, he administered the IV drip and left the serum to do its work.
The automatic door opened, and...
