Read Online Tiger by the Tail by John Ringo, Ryan Sear - Free Book Online Page A

efficient and quick way to break someone. CIA officers who submitted themselves to the procedure ended up capitulating in an average of fourteen seconds. Even Navy pilots and SEALs were exposed to waterboarding during SERE training. Adams was somewhat famous in the NAVSPEC community for having broken his restraints and nearly choking one of his “interrogators,” a tabbed SEAL instructor, to death. They had to break his fingers to get him to let go of the guy’s throat. Interrogators preferred it because of the rapid results it achieved, and because it didn’t leave any marks on a victim—on the outside, at least.
    Mike was planning to use it now for those exact same reasons. He had modified a reclining deck chair and table into a platform that now held the quivering woman, her arms and legs tied down again. Vil and Danes each held one of the chair’s arms, so they could adjust its angle as the Kildar required. He had a medic standing by, and had requested that a pulse oxymeter be attached to monitor the level of oxygen in her blood. This would ensure that she didn’t pass out or even die from the technique. Just in case she suffered a heart attack from the stress about to be put on her body, he’d also had the defibrillator from the ship’s medical stores brought up and prepped. Mike didn’t expect it to go that far, but he wasn’t taking any chances either.
    The pirate captain had been moved below deck, his wounds being tended. The second man, however, still had a ringside seat to what was about to happen.
    Mike looked at his two men. “Vil, Danes, you ready?”
    Both Keldara nodded.
    Mike leaned over the woman, who stared at him with fear-filled eyes, and read aloud the message he’d worked out with Vanner.
    “I know that you are hiding something. Tell me what it is, and this will stop at once. If you do not tell me what I wish to know, it will continue until you answer my questions. Do you understand?”
    She babbled in terrified Cantonese, which Vanner translated.
    “She wants to know why you’re doing this to her. She’s just a whore, and she doesn’t know anything about the green box. She seems to be telling the truth about the box, but she’s lying about something else.”
    “Here’s the truth, honey,” Mike said, bending over to look her in the eyes. “First truth: You’re hiding something. Little black box says so and the little black box don’t lie. Second truth: I want to know what that is. Because it affects my operation and I’m an intensely curious person. Third truth: I may do good things but I am not a good guy. I am a very very bad man. So I am going to enjoy this. You are not. Fourth truth: You can tell me what I want to know which is well, everything in some sort of coherent order, or I can pass my free time finding it out. I’ll enjoy finding it out. It’s a great hobby with fun for the whole gang. But the moment that you tell me what I want to know I will, with great reluctance, stop hurting you.” He waited for the translation then cocked his head to the side. “Last chance. Want to tell me what I want to know?”
    She looked him in the eye then shook her head defiantly.
    “All right, I gave her a chance. Hook her up.”
    The Keldara medic cut open her shirt and attached leads to her chest from an automatic emergency defibrillator, then rigger-taped an O 2 sensor to her middle finger.
    When the medic was done, Mike readied the canteen of ocean water. The salt water would irritate the lining of her nose and throat, increasing her discomfort even more.
    “Let’s give her a drink and see what happens. Vil, Danes, raise her feet until I say stop.”
    The two Keldara began lifting the end of the chair until it was at a fifteen-degree angle to the deck with her head at the bottom, while Adams clamped a cloth over her face and nose. Gripping her chin, Mike positioned the canteen and waited until she exhaled, then began pouring a steady stream of water over her nose and