Chapter Text
Chapter 112
********Trigger Warning for Drug Use ********
Elisa is looking forward to this visit with Dr. Stump. Hopefully they can have a good meeting this time and actually get some stuff done. She wishes she had more to tell him though. The truth is that not much has changed since the last time they met. She’s had her assistant file everything with the court and she hasn’t been given a court date yet. Elisa doesn’t know why. She’s done everything that she can do on her end, but the court seems to be dragging its feet. It is strange though. It’s never taken her so long to get a court date for an initial hearing. Perhaps she should look into it when she gets back to the office. Elisa’s got a few friends in the court offices, and they owe her a few favors. She decides to call them later today.
To be honest, Dr. Stump’s situation seems very suspicious and Elisa’s pretty sure he’s being framed. How does one go from being a doctor at the prison for many years to helping two inmates escape during a medical transport to the hospital? Then the ambulance somehow got into a bad accident where it flipped a few times, the driver disappeared, the patient died, and Dr. Stump was injured and freezing to death. Somehow, he ends up in a motel where he called the prison to come get him. He’s brought back to the prison, his injuries are treated, he’s released and then suddenly a mysterious guard that no one knows comes along and tells the warden that Dr. Stump had committed a crime and had been sentenced to five years in the time he was gone, presenting the warden with the correct paperwork. First off, Elisa has never seen a trial happen in a matter of two or three hours. It wasn’t enough time for the case to be presented, evidence introduced, witnesses questioned, closing and sentencing usually happens at a separate hearing. There’s no way that all that happened in such a short time frame. It wasn’t physically possible. Plus, you can’t have a trial without the accused there defending themselves. Next, why would he call the prison with his location and ask them to come get him if he’d committed a crime? That makes no sense. If you had committed a crime, you would run and try to evade the law, not go back to prison. The timing on all this just doesn’t add up, and that paperwork that was presented to the warden must’ve been forged. That’s another thing! It takes time, like several days, for that paperwork to be drafted, notarized and filed, and a random guard wouldn’t have just been able to get a copy of it. There was no way that it could’ve been done in such a short time span.
By all accounts, this case should be open and shut and immediately thrown out, but Elisa couldn’t even get a court date to discuss all this. Someone must really want Dr. Stump out of the picture and will do anything to keep him behind bars. Now Elisa needs to find out who framed him and why, since it doesn’t appear that anyone else, including his coworkers and friends at the prison, is going to fight for him. This poor man is innocent and doesn’t deserve to be rotting in prison and it’s her job to make the court see that and get him released. Prison is a dangerous place, especially for someone who used to work there. There are probably disgruntled patients that he now needs to protect himself from. Dr. Stump wasn’t in the greatest shape the last time she saw him, so she was sure that it had only gotten worse since then. Elisa had tried to meet with him a week after her last visit, but she was told that he wasn’t available and wasn’t given a reason as to why. After she’d pushed more, she was informed that Dr. Stump had been brutally attacked and was in sick bay recovering. It had taken a while to get to the right person, but she didn’t stop until she was given the un-edited, gruesome details, and she’d been shocked. Actually, shocked didn’t seem like it was enough, given everything that had happened to him. Flummoxed might be a better word to describe it all. It had taken her days to come to terms with everything she’d been told. Elisa had even discussed it in a roundabout way with her therapist to help her unpack and deal with all of it.
She’d been so relieved when she was told that he’d been released and that she was able to visit him again. She had no idea what condition he’d be in, but he was alive, and she’d take it. Elisa had gathered everything she had related to his case yesterday before she’d left the office, so she was completely prepared for their meeting. This morning, she’d gone into the office briefly to grab her stuff and to check one last time to see if they’d gotten a court date yet, which they hadn’t. Elisa grabbed her things, got in the car, and started driving to the prison. She felt like she’d been dragging this morning, so she stopped at the coffee shop that she’d seen near the prison the last time she was there. She didn’t have a ton of time though, so it was a good thing they had a drive through. She pulled up, gave them her order, and then pulled around to pay and pick up her order. The person that met her at the window was nice enough. He said his name was Brendon and that he was glad that she’d stopped by. He handed her coffee to her, she paid, and then she finished the drive to prison. Elisa chugged the rest of the coffee in her car before getting out, going through security, and heading to whatever meeting room they told her to go to.
Now she was sitting in the meeting room waiting for Dr. Stump to arrive. Elisa’s been waiting for about ten minutes when she sees a familiar-looking guard dragging a heavily tattooed inmate that could barely walk in, sitting them in front of her, and handcuffing the chains to the table and the floor. This wasn’t Dr. Stump. He didn’t have any tattoos, so there was no way that this was him. She couldn’t see the inmate’s face because his head was hanging down, like he had no control over the muscles in his neck and couldn’t physically hold his head up. This inmate also appeared to have several facial piercings including two eyebrow piercings, a nose piercing, and a labret piercing, from what she could see from the side without seeing his face. which Elisa knew Dr. Stump didn’t have. It couldn’t be him. The guard must’ve made a mistake and brought this inmate to the wrong room. She managed to catch the guard before he’d left the room.
“Um…excuse me, guard?” Elisa calls to him.
“What?” The guard asks, seeming very annoyed that she was even asking him anything.
“There must be some mistake. I think you brought the wrong inmate to my room. I’m here to meet with Dr. Stump.” Elisa says to him.
The guard looks at the inmate and smiles at her, seeming like she just told a joke and he’s holding back laughter.
“There was no mistake, Ms…” The guard leads.
“Yao.” Elisa answers.
“There was no mistake, Ms. Yao. That is Dr. Stump. See?” The guard repeats as he walks around behind Dr. Stump, grabs his head by the hair, and pulls his head up, so she can see his face.
She looks at the man across from her much deeper, past all the tattoos and piercings, and behind it all, she can see that it is him. As soon as the guard lets go of his hair, Dr. Stump’s head goes back to just hanging there like before.
“How is that possible? The last time I saw him, he had no tattoos or piercings.” Elisa asks.
“Well, it has been a while since you’ve been here, Ms. Yao. A lot has happened since then. He’s been given several ‘enhancements’ since then.” The guard responds.
“I see, did he willingly consent to these ‘enhancements’ as you put it?” Elisa asks.
Elisa watches the guard closely to see if he’s lying. She knows how to read body language well enough that she can usually tell if someone, such as a client, is lying to her. He starts out by pressing his lips together.
“Were these enhancements consensual? Is that what you were asking? To be honest, I wouldn’t know. I wasn’t there when they happened. They would happen late at night when I was off the clock. I always return home after I finish work because I don’t see the need to be here if I’m not getting paid.” The guard answered.
Elisa knew even before he spoke that he was lying. He started by pressing his lips together (check). The guard never broke his gaze with her while thinking (check). He started out by asking the question she just asked (check). His answer was much shorter than the rest of their conversation (check). He didn’t use specific details (check). Finally, he didn’t fidget at all (check). That tells her that these “enhancements” were definitely not done consensually. She makes a note to mention that to the warden, although she’s not sure how much good it will do.
“Alright. Do you by chance know who did this to him?” Elisa asks.
“Nope, not a clue. That’s above my paygrade.” The guard replies.
That’s another lie. Elisa decides to play along.
“Ok. Is he ok? He doesn’t look very good.” Elisa asks, already knowing the answer.
“Of course! He said he wasn’t feeling well this morning, but that he didn’t want to miss his meeting with you. I’m sure it’s just the flu or something. He’s fine.” The guard assures her.
More lies! Does this guy ever tell the truth? Clearly, Dr. Stump had been drugged again prior to their meeting, only this time it was way worse. The guard must’ve given him more of whatever he was giving him. He was in bad shape. He couldn’t hold his head up or walk, and he could barely stay awake to accomplish anything. Hell! If he wasn’t chained to the table and the floor, he’d probably be lying on the floor right now sleeping. So much for getting much done during this meeting! She needed to get rid of the guard first and then she might be able to get something out of Dr. Stump.
“Thank you for sharing this with me and answering my questions, but we need to get our meeting started. Could you give us the room please?” Elisa asks.
The guard seemed happy that she didn’t question him on anything. Honestly, she didn’t need to. Almost everything that came out of that guard’s mouth was a complete lie.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll be back for him when your meeting is over.” The guard responds as he turns around and walks out of the room.
Elisa watches the guard leave and then attempts to speak to Dr. Stump, who is currently drooling out of the side of his mouth.
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Patrick had been sitting at the table across from his lawyer the whole time listening to her and Brad’s conversation. Brad was such a fucking liar, which only added to Patrick’s hatred of him. She had to know he was lying through his teeth. What was her name again? Eliza? Emily? Erica? Emma? He couldn’t remember. She told Brad that her name was Ms. Yao, so that was going to have to be good enough for now. His head was so foggy. He didn’t even remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was Brad dragging him into the room and connecting his chains to the floor and the table, which was a good thing, because otherwise, he’d probably be asleep on the ground. It took everything he had in him to try to stay awake and focus on what was being said. Patrick also didn’t blame her for not recognizing him. He looked so vastly different from what he looked like during their first meeting, that he wouldn’t have recognized himself either. He looked like a fucking thug that truly belonged in prison now. He was happy that he hadn’t had to speak yet, since the last time he’d tried, it wasn’t the slightest bit clear or understandable. His mouth also hurt a lot. The talking from breakfast and trying to eat what he could had made his tongue super swollen, not to mention painful. He’d bitten down on his tongue and the back of the labret several times during breakfast and the pain had made him want to jump through the roof. Now that Brad was leaving, he started attempting to pay more attention. Everything he did was such a ginormous effort right now, so he had to really focus hard on what she was asking him, so he could answer. So far, she hasn’t said anything yet, at least he’s pretty sure she hasn’t. Fuck! This was going to be so hard! You’ve got to try, Patrick. Don’t let Gabe and Brad win! I just want this massive cloud sitting on my head gone, so I can think straight again, but that’s not going to happen, so I’m going to do my best and hopefully she can understand me, even with my horrible lisp.
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Brad had left the room as quickly as he could. She’d asked so many questions. Brad understood how she could mistake Stump for another prisoner now. Gabe had done a lot to improve the curb appeal of his property, and made Stump look so different than he had at first. To be honest, Brad loved everything that Gabe had done to him, not only because it caused him insane amounts of pain, but also because Stump actually looked like a prisoner now, like he belonged on the inside. Brad even had momentary thoughts that Stump had become more attractive with the enhancements, but he’d never admit that to anyone. This was all beside the point though. That’s not why he was there right now. His job was to mess with Stump and his lawyer’s perceptions of each other and make it so they couldn’t understand anything the other person was saying. He was so excited about this! It would be great fun, and it will probably make him laugh! Some movie theater candy wouldn’t hurt either.
He took a seat right outside the door to their room, closed his eyes to make contact with both of their minds, and then buried his presence deep in their minds so they couldn’t detect him. Once he set this in motion, he could move onto the other thing he was supposed to be doing, poisoning Stump’s mind, which he was looking forward to almost more than the other stuff. Brad really hated Stump, especially after yesterday, so this is his chance to speak his mind and make Stump believe what he’s saying. He wasn’t even sure Stump was capable of having a coherent conversation right now, but that wasn’t his problem. The few things he said to Brad before they got here were very hard to understand and sounded more like gibberish than actual words. All that’s left to do is wait for them to talk to each other and then sit back and enjoy the show!
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Ok! Here goes nothing!
“Good morning, Dr. Stump! I’m your lawyer Elisa Yao, and we are here to discuss your case today. Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that I was given the explicit details of your brutal attack by the Nuestra Familia gang, so I know how dire your condition was when they found you. They told me that they had no idea how you survived it and that things were touch and go for a while, but that you’d made a full recovery. I can’t and won’t pretend to understand how it has affected you, but I did want you to know that I was so happy to hear that you were doing better and had been released from sick bay.” Elisa starts out.
Dr. Stump keeps blinking his eyes as if he’s having trouble focusing on her. He blinks, then his eyes widen as he tries to make eye contact with her. Elisa realizes that the poor man is drugged out of his mind and he’s trying so hard to participate anyways. She gives him a lot of credit for trying in his state. In an effort to make it easier for him, she continues so he doesn’t have to speak yet.
“I also wanted to let you know I’m doing everything I can to get a court date for your initial hearing. My assistant and I have filed everything necessary to be assigned a court date, but for some reason, the court is dragging their feet. I’ve never had this issue before. It never takes this long to get a court date for an initial hearing. In fact, I plan on calling the court scheduler to find out what’s taking so long when I get back to the office today. I’m very familiar with the details of what happened, and I agree that it appears to be very suspicious. There are a lot of things that just don’t add up, or the timeframes are wrong. For instance, according to the mysterious guard that no one knew, you’d committed a crime, been arrested, tried, and sentenced to five years during the time that you were gone. That’s insane! I’ve never seen a trial happen in a matter of two to three hours. There just wasn’t enough time for the case to be presented, evidence introduced, witnesses questioned and closed. Also, sentencing is usually a separate hearing, which again, there wasn’t enough time for. You also can’t hold a trial without the accused being there to defend themselves. Next, whatever paperwork the mysterious guard gave the warden had to have been forged. It takes at least several days for the paperwork to be drafted, notarized, and filed. There is also no way that some random guard would’ve just been given a copy of it. The paperwork couldn’t have been finished in such a short amount of time.” Elisa states.
She looked at Dr. Stump and he looked very overwhelmed, confused, and frustrated, but she didn’t know why.
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Patrick was trying his best to follow everything. Everything he was hearing was in this low voice that was speaking in slow motion. He caught some of the first things that Elisa said. It was something about his brutal attack by the Nuestra Familia gang. She’d been informed of the gruesome details and knew how badly he’d been injured. There was something about how they told her that they didn’t know how he’d survived and that he’d made a full recovery. Next was her being empathetic about what had happened to him and finally she was happy that he’d recovered and been released from sick bay. That was a lot for someone who was so drugged up, to take in and process. Especially since his brain was moving in super slow motion and it was taking everything, he had to focus enough to even hear it. He tried to look up at her, but she was going in and out of focus badly. Patrick tried opening his eyes wider to see if that helped and tried squinting his eyes to see if that worked. Neither really did but he tried to make eye contact with her anyway.
He was about to respond when Elisa began talking again. That was where things got weird. He was listening as intently as he was capable of doing, but all he could hear were words that didn’t make any sense. Patrick tried watching her lips to see if he could read them, but she was talking way too fast. From the looks of it though, she was speaking English, so, why couldn’t he understand what she said? It literally sounded like she was speaking in a foreign language. He tried focusing harder, thinking he was the problem and that maybe him being so drugged up was the reason he couldn’t understand her, but it didn’t help at all. If anything, it made it worse, because now he could hear more words, but they sounded like complete gibberish. The more Patrick listens and tries to figure out what Elisa’s saying, the more overwhelmed, confused, and frustrated he’s getting. I’m feeling some Deja vu here, like this might’ve happened before, but I can’t remember. Ugh! This is so frustrating! I can see the memory but it’s just slightly out of reach! To make matters worse, he suddenly heard a male voice in his head.
I don’t know who it is you think you are kidding, Patrick. She may be your lawyer, but you can’t understand anything she is saying. For all you know, she is explaining to you how she plans to fuck you over, which you would totally deserve, you worthless piece of shit! Even if she is trying to “help” you, nothing she does will aid you. She will turn on you just like all your friends that you considered “family” have. Serves you right! It’s all your fault too! Your actions made them turn on you. It’s ok though. Someone as insignificant and pitiful as you doesn’t deserve to have friends anyway. Besides, no one cares about you anymore! You made sure of that when you betrayed their trust and helped those other inmates escape! Plus, no one even knows you are here! No one’s coming to help or rescue you! You will rot in this prison, and you will never get out. I will make sure of that. I will keep adding time onto your sentence until you die of old age in here. If anyone questions it, a vampire will compel them to forget about it. You will spend the rest of your pathetic existence being abused daily until the day you die!
When the voice in his head stops talking, he notices that Elisa has stopped talking and is looking at him as if he understood everything she just said, acting almost like they were on the same team. Patrick was at least happy about that part, whatever it was. He hears that strange voice in his head comment on what just happened.
No matter what she says, she’s going to turn on you, just like everyone else did! She’s only pretending to help you so it will be more devastating when she finally turns against you!
Once the voice stops, He decides it’s his turn to try to speak and maybe she will be able to understand him. It’s going to be rough though. IF he can speak, it’s going to be in broken sentences. Hopefully she will get the gist of it.
“Guessing you know this…I was framed. Didn’t do anything wrong…shouldn’t be here. Didn’t know inmates were in ambulance…crashed…injured…cold. Almost froze to death…woke up in room…called prison to get me. Treated and released. Guard was lying…not sure why others believed him. Help me get out…please! Dangerous…not safe!” Patrick manages to say.
Now it’s his turn to look at her and see her reaction. Patrick’s really hoping she understood him, but it looks like she didn’t since she is staring at him looking confused, like he is crazy, or has a hole in his head. That last one is fair though. He did feel like he had a hole in his head that was filled with clouds and haze. Now comes the question of, did she not understand you because you are so drugged, or did she not understand you for some other reason? Patrick really hoped it was because he was too drugged to form coherent words, so he tries again, making it simpler this time.
“Framed…didn’t do anything wrong…shouldn’t be here…please help…not safe.” Patrick spits out.
He knew that he said the words right this time, so he watched her reaction. It looked like she was staring at his lips, so she might’ve been trying to read his lips to see what he said. Her expression shows confusion and frustration but also some comprehension. Patrick will take it! She makes a motion with her hands that he’s pretty sure means to speak very slowly. He shakes his head yes. He is excited about even the most basic success! Elisa now speaks and goes incredibly slowly, hoping he can read her lips, but it is hard for him to see them clearly enough to know exactly what she’s saying. He thinks he caught part of it, saying that she believes him. Part of it is the drugs, and the other part is his terrible vision. He really hopes his glasses come soon. It does feel good to know that they are on the same team, and they might be able to get some things accomplished.
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When Elisa makes eye contact with Dr. Stump, she doesn’t get the reaction she was hoping for. He looked very confused and frustrated, almost like he couldn’t understand anything she said. That’s odd! I spoke clearly and kept it to the point, so why couldn’t he understand me? She could tell that he’d tried to read her lips, but she was probably going way too fast for his drug-addled brain to keep up with. Then Dr. Stump starts talking and now it’s her turn to be confused, because it sounds like he’s saying complete and utter nonsense. She can’t understand anything he’s saying, and his voice sounds very different now. He has a very noticeable lisp when he talks, which he didn’t have before. She wonders why. Luckily, Elisa learned to read lips at an early age. Her sister was born very early, and she suffered some hearing loss because of it. Growing up, they’d both learned to read each other’s lips when they didn’t feel like using sign language. When her sister got older, she had cochlear implants put in, which made it like she didn’t have any hearing loss at all.
Anyways, reading lips had come in very handy in her line of work. She could see what witnesses were saying under their breaths, what the prosecutors said to each other, and most importantly, she could read what her clients were saying while they were on and off the stand.
Elisa started staring at his lips and noticed two tongue piercings, one in the middle and one at the very front tip, that weren’t there the last time they’d met. His tongue was also incredibly swollen, so one or more of them must be new. That would explain why his voice sounds different. Turning her attention back to what he was saying, she caught the last parts of what he said. He said the guard was lying, didn’t know why everyone believed him and asked her to help him get out of prison, saying it was dangerous and not safe. All Elisa had to do was look at his body to see that it was dangerous and that he wasn’t safe there. She was very confused by what she was hearing as he spoke though. It was like she was hearing things in a very complicated language that she didn’t understand at all, which was very strange. If she couldn’t read lips, she’d be feeling angry and frustrated too!
Once Dr. Stump had finished speaking, he looked at her to gauge whether she understood him or not. She was too wrapped up in what she was hearing to relay that she’d understood some of it, so he tries again, making it much simpler. She watches his lips carefully but is somewhat distracted by the strange words she was hearing. He said he was framed, he didn’t do anything wrong, he shouldn’t be here, asks for help, and says it’s not safe. When he looks at her again, she tries to convey some understanding, but she’s also confused and frustrated by what she heard. After that, Elisa makes a motion with her hands to tell him to speak very slowly. He nods his head in acknowledgement. Success!
She tries again, speaking very slowly this time, hoping he can read her lips. It looks like he’s struggling to see her lips from his seat, so, she makes a note to address that and keeps going until she’s finished. He still looks very confused and frustrated, but it looks like he might’ve gotten then end part, where she said she believed him. He looks happy about that. Maybe this won’t be a wasted meeting after all!
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Brad is still sitting outside of the meeting room messing with Stump and Ms. Yao’s perceptions, making it so they can’t understand each other. He was having so much fun watching this happen! It was hilarious! That was until Stump’s lawyer, who is apparently too smart for her own good, found a way around it, that bitch! She can obviously read lips and has now gotten the message across to Stump to speak slowly so they can read lips and understand each other. Brad is not happy about this at all, and he knows he must do something about it. The way he sees it, he has two options. He can fuck with Stump’s brain more and make it so he can’t even understand when he reads her lips, which would be harder for him, or he can give him more Versed, so he’s incapable of reading lips or doing much of anything.
Ooo, that’s a tough one! If I mess with his brain more, it will make it harder for me to monitor what’s going on and what they are actually saying. It would also require much more concentration. I’m not sure that I can do both, still mess with her mind and poison Stump’s mind all at the same time. However, if I give him more Versed, I’d have to figure out a way to do it where Stump’s lawyer didn’t see me do it. I’m leaning more toward giving him more Versed, but how do I do it, so she doesn’t see me?
Brad thinks hard about this when it finally hits him. There are holes in the backs of the chairs they are sitting in. If Brad could get close enough to Stump, he could inject him in the back without his lawyer seeing it. Now he just needs to figure out how to get close to him. He did tell her that he wasn’t feeling well, and it was probably the flu. What if he went in to do a “welfare check,” because of that? He could hide the needle up his sleeve, or he could tape it to his wrist so that it looks like he’s placing a hand on Stump’s back, but he’s really injecting him with more Versed. That’s perfect! Good luck reading her lips or even remembering where you are after this, Stump! Hahaha!
Brad grabs some tape from one of the desks in a different meeting room, measures out the correct dose of Versed, being careful that he doesn’t overdose Stump, tapes the syringe to the inside of his left wrist, and then walks to the door. Brad opens the door, making sure that Stump’s lawyer doesn’t see his left wrist, and approaches him.
“Excuse me? What are you doing and why are you disrupting our meeting, guard?” Ms. Yao asks.
“I’m here to do a welfare check on my inmate. My supervisor asked me to do it since he wasn’t feeling well this morning. He seems to be having some problems with paying attention, and I want to make sure that it’s not from whatever sickness he has. You know, like a fever that’s spiking. We also don’t want to expose you to anything bad. I hope you understand. It’ll only take a minute!” Brad explains.
Ms. Yao rolls her eyes at him. Brad’s mostly sure that she thinks this is bullshit. She thinks for a minute then finally responds.
“Fine! Hurry up! We have about twenty minutes left to our meeting, and I want to make the most of it, since it’s been a long time since we’ve met!” Ms. Yao replies, looking at him very suspiciously.
Brad doesn’t need to be told twice. He approaches Stump, feeling his forehead, asking him questions, having him follow his finger with his eyes among other things to check him out. While he’s checking his ears, he makes sure he’s facing away from Ms. Yao and whispers in Stump’s ear.
“Do not react or make any physical moves.” Brad whispers.
Stump looks up at him, confused. Brad moves to the other ear, brings his left hand around Stump’s back, pushes the needle attached to his wrist into his back, pushing the plunger down with his thumb. Brad is purposefully standing in front of Stump when he does it, so his lawyer can’t see anything. Stump makes eye contact with him right after he does it, clearly angry, but the Versed kicks in fast enough that when Brad’s done doing his last thing, it’s too late for Stump to do anything.
“Ok, everything looks good. His heartrate was a bit fast, and he has a slight fever, but he should be fine to finish your meeting.” Brad tells Ms. Yao as he turns around and leaves the room again, smiling a sadistic smile to himself.
When he closes the door, sits down, and enters Stump’s mind again, it is so clouded by the drug that there is no way he’s doing much of anything. He’s definitely not reading his lawyer’s lips anymore, that’s for sure! I gave him enough to take out an elephant! Brad picks up where he left off, making it so no one can understand each other again. Mission accomplished!