Introduction
By Iliana Yanakova
The Study:
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. All four of you have participated in the experiment that I conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry at the Smithsonian University. Thank you for participating. You all contributed valuable knowledge to my research paper; ‘The Thin Line: From law abiding citizens to serial killers’.
I guess you are all wondering why I have invited you here tonight. Well, as the case may be, I was so encouraged by my research that I decided to extend it with a second phase. The first phase of the study, which you have already participated in, showed that serial killers are often created out of quite normal individuals. Nobody can predict in advance who will become a serial killer. They are quite ordinary people, until they begin slaughtering the innocent.
What my research did uncover was some psychological indicators, traits, if you will, whose presence in a persons psyche indicates that they have a higher likelihood of becoming serial killers. The reason I invited the four of you here tonight is that you all have a high score in several of these indicators. As such, I’m forced to conclude that you may be disposed towards becoming serial killers.
[Note to self: Objections from all four subjects]
Relax now, ladies and gentlemen, I’m not making any accusations here. I’m simply stating the scientific truth. All of you carry within you the traits of a serial killer. What I don’t know yet, is whether simply possessing these traits are enough to make the transition. I have proven that all serial killers possess some common traits – but does that mean that anyone who possess these traits also like to kill? And if the transition occurs, what drives the killer to kill? What doe s/he enjoy about the killing? Why does s/he continue to kill? When does s/he stop? These crucial questions are the subject of the second stage of my studies.
The proposition:
The first stage of the study was funded by the university and the state government. I’m afraid that will not be possible for the second stage, but fortunately I possess the means to finance the studies myself. Trust me, I anticipate that it will be quite a costly affaire, but I will bear all expenses. That is, if you all agree to participate voluntarily and without compensation.
Before you answer, let me stress the following: If you agree to participate in the second stage, your lives will never be the same again. You will experience something that will change you all forever. I’m not sure that you have the stomach for it – answering that question is actually part of the experiment. Hard as it may be, I do promise you that participation will allow you experiences far beyond those of regular people. You will experience something so extraordinary, so extreme and so fundamental that you will carry it in you for the rest of your lives. Are you up for it?
[Note to self: Many relevant questions and objections were raised by sobjects]
No, I cannot explain everything to you yet, for reasons that will soon become obvious. However, if you have the least bit of doubt, please leave now. I will give you all a few minutes to think. If you are still here in five minutes, I’ll count you in. Otherwise, you are free to leave, and you’ll never hear from me again.
[Note to self: All subjects remained in the room]
Consensus:
OK, so I see that you are all still here. I hope that you have all considered my proposition carefully, because very soon there will be no turning back. If you withdraw now, I will be forced to take action to ensure your silence - extreme action. Trust me; I have both the means and the will to do so. I will not allow anything to jeopardise my research. If you are not up for it, leave now. This is your final chance.
[Note to self: All subjects remained seated]
All still here? Well, this means that my hopes and trust in you have been fulfilled. You are all going to participate. I thank you all very much. I hope you will enjoy the ride!
The Deal:
So why all the warnings and ill-hidden threats, you are no doubt wondering. What is this all about? As I said, I need to examine how the transition is made from ‘normal’ to serial killer, and my studies revealed that the four of you are most likely to make that transition of the 1036 people in my survey. I will give you the opportunity to make that transition. I will give you the opportunity to make all the secret fantasies that you were kind enough to reveal to me in the survey become reality. I will give you the opportunity to kill.
[Note to self: Subjects exhibited surprise and/or outrage]
Easy now, don’t get carried away. I will explain everything. I’m not saying that you are going to kill someone. I’m merely giving you the opportunity.
[Note to self: Subjects exhibited further surprise and/or outrage]
The journey that we have endeavoured upon together, and which you accepted when you remained seated, in spite of all my warnings, will require total honesty and trust between us. I’m therefore going to be perfectly honest with you. I will leave it up to each one of you to decide whether I’m trustworthy, and what the consequences may be to yourself, if you choose to betray my trust in you.
My name is not, as you have been led to believe, Lisa Remmington. My real name is Ilina Janakova, and I’m the wife of Ivan Yanakova, the ruler of the Russian mafia in North America.
[Note to self: Subjects expressed disbelief]
I understand your disbelief. However, as we proceed with the experiment, I think your doubts will be dispelled. Please have patience. As I said, I’ll give you the opportunity to kill. Whether you choose to exploit that opportunity is entirely up to you. You may refuse to kill, and I will hold no grudge against you. However, if you choose to go to the police or the public, I will stop you before you can reveal anything.
The Rules:
So here is the deal: I have chosen you as active members of our experiment, based on your high scores in the distinguishing traits I mentioned previously. I will give you all individual evaluations in a moment (see 'Personal Evaluation' under each participant), when I have explained the rules of this experiment.
My husband owns a chain of pornographic modelling agencies. During our modelling auditions, the applicants tell quite a lot about themselves – why they want to become models, and what they think they have to offer – but usually also quite a lot about their personal backgrounds. This information allows us to select ladies with limited or no relations, in terms of family, friends and employment. In other words, women that no one will really miss.
I will present this selection of females to our passive participants. Our passive participants assist us through a web page, where they will be allowed to make certain decisions, without coming into physical contact with any of you. They will select the girl who is to be offered for execution, and they will select one of you whom will have the choice to either kill her or let her live. It is entirely up to you.
[Note to self: Patricia Brown appeared somewhat distraught. Other participants listened without objection]
If you choose to kill the woman, you must do so as soon as possible, and then return here, to tell us all the details. You must submit a full report, and I will question you thoroughly about your experience and your emotions. If you choose to let her live, the opportunity to kill her will pass onto another participant. If none of you wish to kill her, the girl will be allowed to live, and the experiment will be terminated.
[Note to self: George Hamilton appeared excited. All expressed concerns about possible legal consequences]
As I mentioned, the women selected for execution will not be missed. A thorough police investigation is unlikely. Should a police investigation be initiated, my husband has several police officers in him employ – he may be able to bribe them into hindering or dropping the investigation. However, there are no guarantees. If the FBI becomes involved, it is out of our hands. Should any one of you become a suspect, we can however arrange that you are transported to South America, where my husband will provide for you, for as long as you should desire.
All in all, the risks are minimal. You are all unattached, which is one of the parameters in my model. This both means that you are more likely to become a serial killer, but it also means that you should have little objection towards this arrangement. The worst thing that could happen is that you have to retire early, to some tropical paradise, where your every need will be taken care of. This is not merely an emergency procedure, but actually a part of the experiment – I want to see how far you are willing to go, if you are unrestrained by the rules and laws of mainstream society.
If you are interested, you are all welcome to read more about my research in the file My research.
Let’s Roll:
Well, as I said you are now participants in the experiment, whether you like it or not. Our passive participants will select the first victim, and the first person who will be allowed the opportunity to kill. Let me just remind you that it is entirely up to you whether you want to exploit the opportunity or not – and also that any attempt to notify the authorities or the public of our experiment will result in immediate termination.
I will notify you as soon as our passive members have reached their decision.
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