He pushes the stool away from the cart and walks out of the room. Maybe he didn’t like the narcissist comment, or he’s growing tired of my questions. Good. Either way, the clacking has ceased and I close my eyes to relish the quiet.

A few moments pass and then Alex returns to the room wheeling in an archaic-looking instrument that makes my stomach bottom out.

“What the hell is that?” My voice has lost its edge.

He wheels the metal box to the end of the gurney and removes the top casing, then holds a pair of paddles aloft. “Emotion mapping is only phase one of our time together. Electroconvulsive therapy, otherwise known as electroshock, forms a cornerstone of the treatment.”

I huff a scathing breath at the absurdity. “This is insane. Don’t you think that I’ve researched psychopathy before? Listen to me, Alex. I know what I am. I’ve read all the literature, did all the web searches, and there is no cure.”

He starts to say more, and I stop him. “No. Hear me, Alex. There is no cure for psychopaths,” I stress. “What happened to your sister was a terrible tragedy. But I’m not that man. Hell, most psychopaths are not killers. You have to know this.”

He lays the paddles on top of the device. “I do know this. That’s not why we’re here. I’m not seeking vengeance. I understand you are not violent. I’m not delusional. The truth of the matter is, if Grayson Sullivan would’ve been identified early on, possibly in his adolescence, and given a treatment…then my sister might still be alive.” He walks around the bed and touches my hand. This time I recoil away.

“So you’re a humanitarian,” I say, sarcasm thick in my tone. “Kidnapping unwilling victims to undergo unethical and depraved experiments for the greater good.”

He sinks his hands into his coat pockets. “It’s the limit of time, Blakely. What I have to accomplish can’t wait for the rest of the world to approve.” He groans and takes a few steps away. “There has been no definitive research performed on psychopaths to prove or disprove theories,” he says. “On the eve of the industrial revolution, progress with the mind was stunted. Mass production took the forefront while humanitarians cited experiments on psych patients was cruel and inhuman.”

I obviously touched on a nerve with the humanitarian comment. He’s getting worked up, talking faster, pacing. “Alex—” I try, but he doesn’t hear me.

“The amygdala—” he points to his forehead “—facilitates emotional processing. And yet, very few studies have incorporated electrical stimulation of the amygdala to assess stimulation-elicited biological and emotional responses.” He laughs manically. “No one even knows the result. No one has tested it alongside emotional mapping to measure the outcome.”