Chapter 20

I awoke in a strange room with brown walls with no windows, and I couldn't move at all. I was laying in a bed of some sort, but not just any bed. Belts bound my wrists to the corner posts of this bed, and my ankles too were bound by belts to the corner posts of the bed. A huge belt like a weightlifter's belt bound my torso to this bed, and another one bound my legs. The belts completely immobilized me. Was this the United States of America?

"Hey, someone let me out of here!" I yelled, but nobody came. I struggled and strained for hours to free myself of the restraints, but nothing worked. Had I died and gone to Hell? I heard nothing but silence and my frequent screams. Where were all the other people? Was I trapped to spend eternity in isolation?

I panicked, but I couldn't move. I strained and struggled some more, but still nothing helped. Finally, I heard a squeaking sound. The wall at the foot of the bed opened, and a woman entered. She had red shoulder length, wavy hair and stood about 5 foot 6. She wore a black top, and a black skirt.

"Where am I?" I asked. "And what am I doing like this?"

"You're in San Diego Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Sanglao," said the woman in black. "You created quite a commotion at SPAWAR. It took ten security guards to restrain you. The MP's took you straight here from there."

"So you're a shrink?"

"Dr. Maria Kortright," said the woman. "I'm a psychiatrist. You had a psychotic episode in of all places, a defense laboratory."

"What do you mean?"

"The Security Office at SPAWAR said you were screaming things about demons and running wildly," said Dr. Kortright. "Tell me, Dr. Sanglao, do you hear voices in your head?"

"What does it mean to you?" I answered. "Let me out of these things."

"As soon as you aren't a danger to yourself or others," the psychiatrist replied. "Answer the question. Do you hear voices in your head?"

"No," I said.

"Come on now, Michael. You can tell me. I'm a physician."

"No," I continued to deny the voice of God speaking to me. I couldn't tell a psychiatrist my visions either. I'd never get out of that nuthouse if I did. Worse, I'd never get a job as a military scientist again. The DoD would take away my security clearance.

"You wouldn't be here, Dr. Sanglao, if you didn't have some sort of psychiatric illness. Tell me this, do you have any special powers or abilities?"

"No."

"Do you broadcast your thoughts to other people?"

"No."

"Do you have a mission from God?"

"Possibly."

"Now we're getting somewhere," said Dr. Kortright. "What is your mission?"

"I don't know."

"Would God give you a mission without telling you what it is?" Dr. Kortright pulled a chair into the room and sat down. "I can be here all day."

"When are you letting me out of these things?" I said as I struggled to break free.

"Just as soon as I understand what your problem is." The doctor just sat there and folded her arms. "Tell me, do you see things that nobody else can see?"

Just then, I broke down, and I told the psychiatrist everything, from the cross of fire and Rosary of fire to the bat-winged being that assaulted me at SPAWAR. She left and retrieved a yellow legal pad and took notes on my "confession". I felt humiliated, but worse why would God allow this to happen to me? All I wanted was to serve my country and find a woman who loves me, a woman I could give my rosary bracelet.