Kandryl entered Djaisiuk’s workroom early in the morning of the third day of capture while the latter still slept. Kandryl had been a little surprised that Djaisiuk had not called for him on the night previous, but he considered that perhaps the young Komislavian had a stronger constitution than he had expected. When he saw that Djaisiuk was asleep, Kandryl congratulated himself that the young man was indeed perfectly human and therefore prone to human weaknesses. Try as he must have done, the boy-computer had been unable to keep awake all night. He was certainly no Vukasovian. The guard, however, had obviously been remiss in allowing Djaisiuk to sleep. He would have to be reprimanded.
“At what time did he fall asleep?” Kandryl asked the guard.
“Just after you left, sir,” was the immediate response.
Kandryl was shocked. Djaisiuk had not even tried to stay awake then. Such blatant defiance was quite unexpected. Suppose Kandryl had decided to come back a few minutes after leaving. Surely Djaisiuk had thought of this. Why had he then displayed such open rebellion? The other boys had been perfectly compliant, save only the three that refused, from the start, to work. This one was different; he was unpredictable, and that could be dangerous. This rebellious nature must indeed be crushed.
Djaisiuk had awakened upon hearing the voices and raised his head from the table. He blinked only once, then turned to glance at Kandryl and the guard. They both returned his gaze. Without change of expression, Djaisiuk straightened himself and turned to sit in his somewhat relaxed posture of the night before, tangent to the round table, staring at the wall, his back to the door. Kandryl looked at Djaisiuk for a short time without speaking, but the latter did not move.
“You may return to your work,” said Kandryl at last. “But do not think that your insubordination will be overlooked.” With that, he turned and left the room.
Djaisiuk arose, moved to the computers, and again began to work. Again Kiacyl entered soon afterward, and again they sat together in silence. This time, however, Kiacyl had work to do, left over from the previous day.
When the door opened again, the orderly from the day previous entered with a single meal tray. This he set on the circular table but did not then immediately leave the room. Kiacyl looked curiously at the single tray, then questioningly at the orderly. Djaisiuk continued working for a moment or two, then turned and stood up. He would have advanced to the table, but the orderly stopped him.
“A meal was not sent for you,” said the orderly. “This is for your assistant.”
Without a word or even the slightest change of expression, Djaisiuk turned again, sat, and returned to work. Kiacyl looked at him as if unsure of what to do, but then got up and went to the table. He ate his meal in silence and then returned to his desk as the orderly cleared away the tray.
Kiacyl finished the assignment given him by Djaisiuk to the best of his abilities shortly after breakfast. He told Djaisiuk so, and Djaisiuk gave him another within an hour, this time without a word of instruction. Kiacyl was becoming used to Djaisiuk’s silence by this time and set to work immediately without asking questions.
Lunch was served about noon, but again only one tray was brought. Again Djaisiuk accepted this fact without a word. Kiacyl ate uncomfortably, wondering why Djaisiuk was not being fed, but also annoyed with the constant presence of the orderly during the meal. He was glad to return to work afterwards.
As the afternoon wore on, Djaisiuk began to work more and more slowly. The tremendous energy required to keep his brain functioning at maximum efficiency required a substantial amount of nutritional input to sustain it. As the time without food lengthened, Djaisiuk’s ability to work efficiently declined. About two hours after the noontime meal, Djaisiuk suddenly rose from his desk, stood for a moment without moving, then walked into the adjoining room. There he lay himself down on the bed and proceeded to fall asleep, the single act of living that required the least expenditure of energy.
Kandryl entered Djaisiuk’s workroom shortly after Djaisiuk had retired. He knew that by now Djaisiuk would be very hungry and would understand perfectly Kandryl’s intent. He would receive no food until he was prepared to submit to Kandryl’s authority in all areas. At least, this was what Kandryl wished Djaisiuk to think. His self-confident smile slipped a bit however when he saw that Djaisiuk was not in the room.
“Where is the Komislavian?” he asked Kiacyl.
Kiacyl had risen in respect when Kandryl had entered and now indicated Djaisiuk’s sleeping quarters. Kandryl opened the door, stepped into the little room, and, without ceremony, took hold of Djaisiuk’s shoulder and lifted him out of bed. Djaisiuk was instantly awake and stood, looking up at Kandryl expressionlessly.
“What do you mean by sleeping in the middle of the day?” Kandryl demanded. “You are to work, not sleep.”
Djaisiuk simply looked at him without answering. Then, for the smallest fraction of a second, his expression changed very intentionally to one of contempt. Immediately it was gone, and Djaisiuk’s face was again emotionless. He lowered his eyes to the floor and did not look at Kandryl.
That brief moment had been enough. Kandryl’s eyebrows rose slightly; he understood. Djaisiuk despised him for stooping to such measures as he was employing. Djaisiuk was not angry with him; he was disgusted with him. And he would not submit. That look told more than an hundred words, for it was not open to misinterpretation.
Kandryl slowly released his hold on Djaisiuk. “Not yet ready?” he asked softly. “Perhaps another day will change your mind.”
That night, Kandryl had much to consider. He did not again visit Djaisiuk’s room, preferring to leave him alone until the next night, unless Djaisiuk sent for him. It seemed very possible that this behavior of Djaisiuk’s was not open rebellion, but rather a mixture of stubbornness, arrogance, and laziness. He again came back to the single most important question: was it worth the risk to trust him? Again and again he came back to this question, and always the answer was the same: no. Or at least not yet. In time, perhaps he would, but for now Djaisiuk was too dangerous. Was it worth the risk to allow him to continue to work? Here, the answer was an unequivocal yes. Djaisiuk's abilities were such that they could not remain unused. Thus far, he had given Kandryl no reason to doubt his work. Yes, he must be allowed to continue to work, though Kandryl decided that he would still continue with the breaking techniques, in the hopes of eventually being able to control Djaisiuk, mind and body. If these techniques were successful; very good. If they failed, they would at least have bought him more time in which to observe Djaisiuk, after which Kandryl might be able to make a more informed decision as to what should be done with him in the long-term. For now, Kandryl had but to watch and wait.
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