Erin couldn't see the face. The room wavered. The colors changed.

He spoke, "Do you know where you are?" She shook her head. "Better that way. You're as safe as you're ever going to be."

"I'm sick," she said.

"You're drugged," he said. "Not that it matters. You'll be getting worse and worse for eight hours. It will feel like years. I will tell you now, I can tranquilize you, but not until I'm sure you saw nothing."

"Saw?" she slurred.

"You were at home when Hennen's exploded," he said. "You were cooking a meal. You saw the broadcast and were horrified. You saw it on the news. The stress has confused your mind."

"No," she said.

"Yes," he said, "Say yes."

"I don't know," she said.

"Do you know what this is?" he askeed, and showed her a large needle like instrument. "This it an extension of what we're going to do to you. The needle will hurt, and then you will feel your skin burn. You will have a fever, carefully monitored. Then, you will return to the hospital and be committed to a psyche ward for an evaluation. The doctors already know to committ you. You will continue to be drugged, unable to reason. You will be kept insane and hidden. You will disappear."

"You kill me?" she asked.

"Oh no," he said. "You'll suffer with the memories from here and from the imagined bombing. It did not happen. Say it did not happen. Believe it did not happen. You saw it on the news. I will tranquilize you and you will return to an outpatient care to be monitored. Break your promise and we take you here again."

"Where am I?" she asked.

"A bad place that doesn't exist," he said. "It can go away. It can. You were mistaken. Maybe you had a bad reaction to the news and thought you were there. Yes?"

"I saw it," she said. The needle went in her stomach and it hurt. The burning started.

"Rethink that," he said. She cried out. "You're an office worker. You can be a patriot by helping us to keep our country safe by denying all this. You had a post traumatic event. Believe it."

"Why? Why?" she asked.

"The world is under assault," he said. "Many will die if you continue giving information."

"Where's the Agent I saw?" she asked.

"I'm here," a voice said. It sounded like Agent Dempsey. "I'm sorry, but we had to do this. We have to."

"I," she said, "I burn... help."

"Put her to sleep for now," the man said. She drifted asleep.

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