The Facility
Chapter 2: The interview
300 million people and counting, from all corners of the globe tuned in to a daytime TV show that normally had 5 million viewers on a good day. The world held its breath as four people, two young men dressed in suits, and two young women dressed in skirts and blouses took their seats.
“Welcome to the show! We’re here with four people who are from the sex slave facility in Colorado that was revealed to the world last week. We’re glad you could be here with us today. The public is both outraged and intrigued in regards to what they see as a giant human trafficking operation right in their back yard. Yet you guys say that’s not exactly the case?”
“Correct. We don’t see ourselves as typical human traffickers. Most of our slaves chose to stay willingly. The few who weren’t given that choice are rescued men and women from actual human trafficking operations.” Doug, Vanessa’s handler, replied.
“Li Juan is it? I understand that you were brought here from China with no choice in the matter. How do you feel about that?” the interviewer asked.
“I will answer with a question. How would you feel being removed from a dirty factory and placed in a clean happy place where you don’t get yelled at?”
“So in other words, you’re happy where you’re at now?”
Li Juan put her arm around her handler and smiled. “Yes I am happy where I am at now.”
Maxine and several others were huddled around a large HDTV, watching the interview, ready to evacuate if the word was given. Several contingency plans were in place, including a possible storming of the building that the talk show was being filmed in. Everybody in the room was jumpy. They were waiting for the doors of the studio to be broken open or something and police to flood the stage. However the interview continued.
“It was stupid to send them there. Why not just do an interview over video?”
“It strengthens our case, to have them appear in person there. It makes them more real and human to the viewers. That doesn’t mean I like it.” Maxine replied.
The subject changed to the hypnotic conditioning. Vanessa decided to answer questions on that.
“Well for starters, I’ve obviously not been made to act like a robot. I was asked to come here, not ordered to.”
“Are you hypnotized right now?”
“As far as I’m aware, no. I’m too alert and lucid.”
“Could your handler there say some kind of trigger word and put you under?”
“He could, but he won’t. We’re not here for that.”
“Do you feel like you’re under his control?”
“You know, that’s hard to explain. See, I’m still basically me, though I’m a different me compared to a year ago. The change is not so much due to the hypnotic conditioning that I went through. It’s due more to my handler getting to know the real me, and working to untangle the utter mess of problems that I had. When someone does that for you, and shows you things about yourself that you weren’t aware of, and gets you, gets where you’re coming from, it has a very deep impact on you, hypnosis or not. I obey him because I want to, because I’m grateful, and I like how he treats me.“
“That’s interesting. Are you saying that you would have stayed even without the hypnosis?”
“Not exactly. Without the hypnosis I would have tried to kill him on day one. Being unable to do that, and being unable to escape leaves you with few options. I actually tried to starve myself in protest, but they, uh, fed me in a, well a kinky way. Um, not safe to talk about on daytime TV I imagine.”
“It sounds like you were opposed to staying at first. What changed your mind, or was your mind changed?”
“I started realizing that I liked it, what he was doing to me. Also he’s always calm. Despite how much I tried to defy and annoy him, and how much I yelled at him, he never got upset with me. Somewhere along the way it finally sank in that he wasn’t going to hurt me. Still, I forced them to sedate me after I made the choice to stay. I like being defiant, still do, but now we save it for roleplay.”
“It sounds like your handler is very understanding. Is that common?”
Doug started speaking.
“As handlers, we’re trained to work with recruits on a psychological level. Their hypnosis serves mainly to prevent them from attacking us or attempting to escape, and gives us information on them to work with, helps us get to know them.”
“Do they tell you about themselves while under hypnosis?”
“Yes.”
“Can you elaborate?”
“Unfortunately, no. I will say though that the information that’s gathered is kept in strict confidence.”
“There’s talk of state and federal law enforcement shutting down your operation. What do you think about that?”
“It’s a concern, but one we’re prepared for. As the data we released shows, we’re a global operation, with facilities around the world. We are ready to evacuate at a moments notice.”
“And the women that your facility has acquired, they would all go with you? Willingly?”
“We’ve left it up to them. So far we haven’t had anyone leave yet.”
The interview ended on a rather tense note, and the four of them made their way out of the studio a lot quicker then they came in. Once they entered their bulletproof limo, they began to relax.
“Man I didn’t think we were going to be able to pull that off.” Vanessa said.
“I had my doubts too.” Doug replied.
“Did I do okay? I have never been interviewed before.”
“You did just fine Li Juan. I think it went better then we could have hoped. I’m surprised as hell that police didn’t storm in.”
“I’m not.” Doug replied.
“Why not?”
“Lets just say I have a feeling. Lets leave it at that for now.”
Their ride to the secret location where the helicopter would pick them up was a complicated one. For safety, and to get the reporters off their tail, they changed vehicles in a parking garage. They left in a sedan with tinted windows. There were a few tense moments where it looked like they were being followed, but they made it to the helicopter without incident.
In the helicopter, Vanessa passed the time by playing games on her tablet. Li Juan, who hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before due to being nervous, curled up on the bench in the back and soon fell asleep. Their handlers passed the time by helping their pilot look for possible enemy aircraft, and listening to the radio, waiting for the signal that the shit had hit the fan and to take the girls somewhere else.
Everything was all clear. There were no reports of forces being mobilized. Things were very quiet, maybe too quiet.
“I wonder what the government’s plan is?”
“I have a hunch, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. I will say I’m pretty sure we bought ourselves time. It’s just a question of how much.” Doug replied.
They arrived back at the facility to a welcome party, complete with snacks and champagne. It was a celebration of them making it back unharmed. Li Juan and Doug didn’t care for the champagne, but Vanessa got pretty tipsy after a few glasses. Barbera was next to her. Vanessa bumped into her on accident.
“Girl, you’re going to end up passing out.”
“Nah. This ain’t shit compared to how much I used to drink.”
They all believed that they were saved now, that they’d be free to continue operating as if nothing had happened. Well, all of them except Maxine, who wasn’t drinking. Doug went over to her.
“So what do you think?”
“I’m happy you guys made it back of course. Wondering why it was so easy.”
“Yeah I’m wondering too. Do you think the government might want a piece of the action? Hell, maybe the whole pie?”
“You took the words right out of my mouth, Doug. Yes. They’re probably talking it over in the White House, or maybe in some underground bunker right now. Trying to make us think it’ll all blow over before they show up in tanks or something to ‘negotiate’. My guess is we’ll be hearing from them soon.”
“Yeah that’s what I think. You know they’re salivating over our hypnosis technology.”
Vanessa ended up getting hammered. Doug guided her off to bed. Maxine was rather amazed to see Chloe and Mitzy holding their liquor pretty well. Selena was trashed, and giggling like an idiot with her hair in her face. A lot of them were going to have hangovers in the morning, but so what? If it was all going to go to hell, might as well let them have their fun.