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"And not the Soviet embassy here in Washington, as you suggested earlier?" Oates asked, looking at Brogan.
"I think I can answer that," Edgely volunteered. "The communication technology is certainly available to relay data from a subject via satellite to Russia, but if I were in Dr. Lugovoy's shoes, I'd set up my monitoring station nearby so I could observe the results of the President's actions at firsthand. This would also allow me a faster response time to redirect my command signals to his mind during unexpected political events."
"Can Lugovoy lose control over the President?" asked Brogan.
"If the President ceases to think and act for himself, he breaks the ties to his normal world. Then be may tend to stray from Lugovoy's instructions and carry them to extremes."
"Is this why he's instigated so many radical programs in such haste?"
"I can't say," Edgely answered. "For all I know he is responding precisely to Lugovoy's commands. I do suspect, however, that it goes far deeper."
"In what manner?"
"The reports supplied by Mr. Brogan's operatives in Russia show that Lugovoy has attempted experiments with political prisoners, transferring the fluin from their hippocampuses-a structure in the brain's limbic system that holds our memories-to those of other subjects."
"A memory injection," Oates murmured wonderingly, "So there really is a Dr. Frankenstein."
"Memory transfer is a tricky business," Edgely continued. "There is no predicting with any certainty the end results."
"Do you think Lugovoy performed this experiment on the President?"
"I hate to say yes, but if he runs true to form, he might very well have programmed some poor Russian prisoner for months, even years, with thoughts promoting Soviet policy, and then transplanted the hippocampal fluin into the President's brain as a backup to the implant."
"Under the proper care," Oates asked, "could the President return to normal?"
"You mean put his mind back as it was before?"
"Something like that."
Edgely shook his head. "Any known treatment will not reverse the damage. The President will always be haunted by the memory of someone else."
"Couldn't you extract his hippocampal fluin as well?"
"I catch your meaning, but by removing the foreign thought patterns, we'd be erasing the President's own memories." Edgely paused. "No, I'm sorry to say, the President's behavior patterns have been irrevocably altered."
"Then he should be removed from office . . . permanently."
"That would be my recommendation," answered Edgely without hesitation.
Oates sat back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
"Thank you, Doctor. You've reinforced our resolve."
"From what I've heard, no one gets through the White House gates."
"If the Russians could abduct him," said Brogan, "I see no reason why we can't do the same. But first we have to disconnect him from Lugovoy."
"May I make a suggestion?"
'Please."
"There is an excellent opportunity to turn this situation around to our advantage."
" How?"
"Rather than cut off his brain signals, why not tune in on the frequency?"
"For what purpose?"
