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THE BRAINIAC

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The Grand Inquisitor against the heretic Capravedapia,

apostasy in Mexico City and all the kingdoms,

states and seigniories of the provinces of the New Spain

and its viceroyalty and government and district of the royal audiences

in ail cities and states reside.

And we, the second inquisitors, gathered before an audience

in the secret chamber of the Holy Court of the Inquisition of Mexico,

carry out justice in the trial against said Baron, Vitelius d'Estera,

of unknown origin and who has never confessed,

attentive to the decrees and merits of this trial

and the evidence and suspicions that result from it.

"In relation to the hearing and sentencing

"that this Holy Court has followed against said

"Baron Vitelius d'Estera.

"For being a heretic and inciting others into heresy.

"For being a dogmatiser. For having used witchcraft,

"superstitions and spells for twisted and dishonest purposes.

"For dedicating himself to necromancy, invoking the dead,

"and for trying to foretell the future using corpses.

"As well as for seducing married women and maidens.

"Attentive to the decrees of this trial,

"we sentence Vitelius d'Estera

"to be tortured for his aforementioned crimes.

"He has hereby been forewarned

"that if, in the exertion of this sentence,

"he is crippled, mutilated, or even dies, it will be entirely his fault,

"on account of his impertinent relapses into hideous beliefs and activities.

"Having been notified of this sentence,

"the accused said 'Go ahead'

"and added that this Holy Court could torture him all it wanted.

"He was, therefore, taken to the torture chamber,

"his arms were tied and the rope was turned thirty times in a row,

"and the accused laughed, making a mockery of these acts of justice.

"So, he was then sent to lie on the rack.

"And, lying there, admonished, he mocked our Holy authority!

"The gentlemen Inquisitors, having seen this,

"ordered the torture to be stopped.

"Not considering him to nave been tortured enough,

"they promised to continue whenever it was deemed necessary.

"He was notified of this, and said, 'Go ahead and continue.'

"With this, he was untied and taken to a cell,

"close to the torture chamber from where he was brought,

"for the resolution of the trial and his sentencing."

And now, to further mock the court,

a witness has come forward to defend the accused.

The audacity, gentlemen Inquisitors!

Are we going to tolerate this?

Bring the witness to the secret chamber.

This Holy Court understands that you have come

to present arguments in favour of the accused.

Indeed, gentlemen Inquisitors.

Do you know that he who appears

before the Holy Court of the Inquisition of Mexico

is bound by oath to always tell the truth?

Yes, I do.

Tell us, then, who are you?

My name is Marcos Miranda,

from the village known as Villa de Covillana, in Portugal.

What do you have to say for the accused?

I wish to declare that I know Baron Vitelius d'Estera to be an honest man,

of high virtues, respectable because of his wisdom,

dedicated as a true apostle of science

to the well-being of the poor and the Indians.

I have never heard such audacity, Lord Inquisitor!

Marcos Miranda, your insolence sentences you to two hundred lashes

that will be administered to you immediately at the torture chamber.

With ample proof of the crimes committed,

and with the agreement of the gentlemen Inquisitors,

the Holy Court of the Inquisition of Mexico

sentences the impenitent and repeat offender Vitelius d'Estera

to wear the Samarra hat and the Shirt of Flame.

AH his property will be confiscated,

and he'll be burnt alive in an open field.

That seems fine to me.

But without chains.

At last he will pay for the offense he committed against you, that bastard.

The vice-queen will be very sad,

seeing they are killing her lover, won't she?

Mm mm

the Inquisition people have ears everywhere.

Mm.

Álvaro Contreras.

Sebastián de Pantoja.

Herlindo del Vivar.

I will return to your world in three hundred years

when this comet passes through our latitude again.

Then I will carry out my revenge.

I will eliminate all of your descendants

and exterminate your cursed bloodline!

My goodness, it's quarter to two, we barely have time to get there.

- What happened? - Please forgive us.

We must meet the professor at the observatory.

- Work is imperative. - Work at this late hour?

When do you want an astronomer to work, at noon?

Remember that what I am after is a true star.

- So long. - So long.

Excuse us for being late. We were invited to go dancing.

Don't worry, Reinaldo. I was sure you would be here on time.

Now, Victoria, tell me.

Out of our known, periodic comets, name two of the most important ones

due to their periodicity.

The one known as Olbers, which appears every seventy-two years,

and Halley's, every seventy-six.

Very good. And you, Reinaldo, tell me, how far from the sun

does Halley's Comet travel in its aphelion?

3,258 million miles, Professor.

And at its closest?

- 54 million miles. - Exactly.

Well, this evening's session is especially important. Look.

These books were written three hundred years ago.

They mention that a comet will appear in October 1661.

The first thing that can happen to the investigator is to think

that it is the great comet of 1680,

the one Newton used to prove his theory that comets,

just like the planets in our solar system,

are governed by solar attraction.

Nevertheless, we know that the great comet of 1680

moved within a parabolic orbit,

having the sun as a central focus.

Nevertheless, according to the predictions these books tell us about,

we can assume that the comet of 1661

moves within an elliptical orbit.

That is to say that it is a periodic comet.

This is the most interesting thing about what I am telling you.

According to my calculations, the comet of 1661

should appear over our sky at precisely 2,620,700 sidereal hours.

Specifically, that comet of 1661

should appear in the field of vision of our telescope

at 2:37 this morning,

moving on its perihelion within the Earth's orbit

at a distance of 53 million miles.

But, Professor, it is almost time.

I am seeing Andromeda, Professor, but no comet.

No, no, no, no. That's completely wrong.

At latitude 40 degrees north.

Move south.

Further south, on Orion's Belt.

Focus on the nebular, we should find it near there.

Nothing, Professor.

That's not possible. Something must be wrong.

Professor! Professor!

Look! Look at this.

Yes, there it is!

There it is! Reinaldo, I Wasn't wrong.

Look at this extraordinary sight.

It could move the most insensitive man.

Look at this.

Please, allow me.

Come. Let's go and see it from outside.

Here it is.

Here it is. Look.

How beautiful!

That's weird.

A strange light emanates from the comet.

Come, let's investigate.

Sir, have you seen a meteorite fall?

A meteorite?

- Yes.

You must think it is strange to see me around here.

I usually take my evening stroll at this time.

I should explain myself, too.

We are astronomers.

We were observing a meteor.

Reinaldo, the gentleman doesn't understand what you're talking about.

I understand much more than you think, Miss.

For me, astronomy is one of the most important sciences.

I have dedicated a large part of my life to it.

- Really? - Yes.

In that case, allow me to give you my card.

When you want to visit us,

I'll show you the work of my mentor, Professor Saturnino Millán.

- It'd be a pleasure. - Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

Who are you?

I didn't see you come in.

Excuse me, sir, but there is no service at this hour.

Oh, he's an old friend of mine.

Serve him a drink, please.

The same.

AH right, but just one.

Give him a brandy. You may leave, no need to wait.

You know,

I feel like we have met before,

but I cannot remember where.

Please don't think that I want to get rid of you, already.

It's just that Roberto doesn't like to see me with other men.

He thinks I shouldn't have friends...

like you.

Cheers.

You haven't said a single word since you got here,

but you say so many things with your eyes.

I feel scared when you stare at me like that.

But I like it.

I want you to keep staring at me.

It's useless.

In all the years I've worked in this place,

I've never encountered anything like this.

The two victims' skulls were perforated by a drill.

Possibly, an electrical one.

I mean, look at the skill, the mastery with which the orifices were made.

And the most incredible thing about this, gentlemen,

is that the encephalic mass was completely extracted.

See for yourselves.

The same orifices in the exact same place as in the other skull.

Yes. The characteristics are identical.

There's no doubt we're dealing with the same criminal.

He also has a great deal of knowledge about anatomy.

Is that what he uses his anatomical knowledge for?

To become a dangerous maniac?

What a strange coincidence.

Last night, someone robbed the International Bank.

They took jewels and money from safety boxes, without leaving a trace.

But, what does it have to do with these deaths, Chief?

The bank is on the same street as the bar where this girl was killed.

You just hit it right on the hail, Chief.

Let's suppose she witnessed the robbery, and, in order to stop her from talking,

- the criminal... - Very good. Very good.

But what about the other one?

Did you forget he was found on the side of the road, far away from the city?

Yes, it's true.

Having investigated the case, there is no use in continuing...

Don't pay attention to me, Chief.

Thank you doctor, sorry to have bothered you.

Not at all.

Let's go.

Excuse us, Doc.

Coffee, Reinaldo?

- Victoria, look at this. What?

"Two corpses were found this morning.

"One by the side of a road, the other one a few metres away,

"in a ladies' bar.

"The first one is a man who hasn't been identified.

"The second, a woman.

"The strange thing is that both had the same perforations in the skull,

"and, according to the autopsy, didn't have a gram of encephalic mass left."

That's horrible! What did you read me that for?

I thought for a moment of the guy we saw last night.

I thought he had been the victim.

But no.

They look completely different. See?

I don't want to. It upsets me.

Talking about that guy,

I have a feeling I've seen him somewhere, but I don't know where.

You must have met him in another life.

"In front of this place

"was the burning site of the Inquisition

"from 1596 to 1771.

"Directorate of Colonial and Republic Monuments."

Did you come to consult the archives? I'm sorry, but it's closing time.

"Trials of the Inquisition,

"Year 1661."

Don Baltasar de Meneses.

Don Álvaro Contreras.

Don Sebastián de Pantoja.

Don Herlindo del Vivar.

Got a light, handsome?

What did the doc say, Chief?

Same as the others.

Skull perforated with a sharp object or a drill.

Total absence of encephalic mass.

Come on, Chief, I was really enjoying my pastry.

It is undoubtedly a case of schizophrenia.

We need to put the whole city under surveillance.

Here are the brain tacos.

This isn't possible.

The comet should be within our field of vision, and I can't see a thing.

A comet doesn't just disappear, or fall, or go out of orbit for no reason.

- It is truly absurd. - You have to rest, Professor.

We've been working day and night for two weeks.

- What if it was all an hallucination? - An hallucination?

No, Reinaldo, no.

The comet exists. We have seen it.

Professor. - Thank you.

London...

Nothing.

Moscow...

Nothing!

Palomar Mountain...

- Nothing! - Look.

No-one knows or heard anything about this comet.

"Baron Vitelius d'Estera has the honour of inviting you

"to the reception he will host at his residence in Loma del Halcón

"on Tuesday, the twelfth of this month at 21:00 hours."

Baron Vitelius d'Estera? Do you know him?

Honestly? No. But, that's not important.

What matters is that we try to forget about this comet for one night.

At last, I found you, Chief. We are important people, it seems.

We were invited to a very fancy party.

Well, you are invited.

Baron Vitelius d'Estera.

This is not an invitation, man.

It's an order for us to watch over the party.

There will be lots of jewelery, which will attract thieves.

Well, if we can go to the party for free, let's do it.

Mr and Mrs Luis Meneses.

Mrs Meneses, Mr Meneses, would you please come in?

- It's an honour, Baron. - Thank you.

Miss Ana Luisa del Vivar and Mr Francisco Coria.

- Sir. - Baron.

- Welcome. - Thank you.

WU,

Professor.

It is an honour to have such a notable historian at my home.

You are very kind, Baron.

The honour is mine, being invited by such an illustrious gentleman.

Please, come in.

Miss Victoria Contreras, Professor Reinaldo Miranda,

and Professor Don Saturnino Millán.

Miss Contreras, Reinaldo, it is a pleasure to see you again.

Congratulations, Professor Millán.

You have two students who truly admire you.

I am proud of them.

They are indeed my most distinguished collaborators.

Please, come in.

- May I? - Thank you.

Professor.

Thank you, Baron.

And you?

I never drink. I have a condition which prevents me from drinking liquour.

I am sorry, Baron.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

Are you feeling ill, Baron?

Slightly indisposed. Make yourselves at home.

Please, excuse me.

You have to be very alert.

These high society parties are very attractive to experienced thieves.

There are many suspects here, right, Chief?

Thank you.

Stay near the entrance.

I'm going to walk around in the main hall.

My admiration for pre-Hispanic culture has caused me to extend my stay

in this beautiful country.

I have valuable documents that I will gladly make available to you, Baron.

I appreciate it.

Remember you promised to attend our wedding, Baron.

- It will be a privilege for me, Miss. - We'd be delighted.

- Thank you very much, sir. - I reiterate my offer, Baron.

It will be an honour to have you as a guest.

- I thank you again. - It was a pleasure.

Thank you very much.

The observatory is at your disposal. Don't forget, Baron.

One of these days I will pay you a visit, Professor.

Good night, Baron.

Good night, Miss Contreras.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

- See you soon, Baron. - Good night.

We're leaving, right?

The thieves probably knew we were coming and nothing happened.

You're right.

Let's go.

All these minutes belonged to the Inquisition.

They are from second half of the 17th century. Look at this.

"Don Sebastián de Pantoja."

Well, talking about the Inquisition, and its peculiar approach to justice,

is not an easy thing nowadays.

The black legend...

Good evening, sir.

My daughter, María de Pantoja. Baron Vitelius d'Estera.

Pleased to meet you.

My daughter is my greatest pride, Baron.

She has been by my side since her mother died.

She will get her doctorate in history this year.

Congratulations, Miss.

It is a fascinating subject.

Arid she is an authority in religious history.

Oh, Dad, please. These are really interesting minutes.

From the way they are written, we can clearly see

the religious obscurantism of that era.

For example, look at this.

How strange.

Here they mention the trial of a defendant whose name is the same as yours.

"In relation to the hearing and sentencing

"in the trial the Holy Inquisition followed in Mexico City

"in the year 1661

"against Vitelius d'Estera,

"of unknown origin and who's never confessed,

"for being a heretic and inciting others into heresy.

"For being a dogmatiser.

"For having used witchcraft,

"superstitions and spells for twisted and dishonest purposes.

"For dedicating himself to necromancy, invoking the dead,

"and for trying to foretell the future using cadavers.

"As well as for seducing married women,

"and maidens."

It will be interesting to know what his punishment was.

"...to be tortured for his aforementioned crimes.

"The Court of the Holy Inquisition sentenced him

"to wear the Samarra hat and the Shirt of Flame.

"They confiscated all of his property,

"and condemned the impenitent... to be burnt at the stake."

Was Vitelius d'Estera an ancestor of yours?

No.

I have never had descendants.

I was burnt alive by the Inquisition, by your ancestor,

Don Sebastián de Pantoja.

I am Vitelius d'Estera.

Forgive me, Baron, but this is a pretty bad joke.

That's impossible.

This is the same method of execution.

That mad man is more dangerous than we thought.

Now he burns them in order to delete any trace.

Take them to the lab. They must be carefully examined.

Go with them and let me know when everything is ready.

Okay, Chief.

You heard him. Take this junk to the lab at headquarters.

I need to examine them and find out who's the funny guy that poked them.

Maybe some maniac who loves to play with fire.

Please number the bones. If you lose one, I lose my honour.

- Look, Reinaldo. It's so sad. - What is it?

"The notable historian Don Indalecio Pantoja,

"and his daughter, both victims of the homicidal maniac."

- Impossible! - Unfortunately, it's true, Professor.

Poor man.

What a horrible death!

And they were both so full of life at the Baron's party.

More reports, Professor.

Thank you, child.

London...

Nothing!

Moscow...

Nothing there, either.

San Francisco...

Nothing!

Paris...

Nothing, nothing! Nobody has seen a thing!

No-one knows anything about this comet.

This is exasperating.

But it exists, I saw it myself, and you saw it, too, didn't you?

Of course, Professor.

AH three of us couldn't have made the same mistake.

It says it here. Let's see.

Here it is.

Here.

No. Here!

Look here.

Here!

"Cursed...

"comet."

Sorcery.

I sincerely congratulate you.

This melting process is truly wonderful.

Now I see why it is considered one of the most important in the country.

Thank you, Baron, but it is solely the result

of my husband's efforts and sacrifices.

I would be a nobody without my wife.

Let's go to the lab.

I particularly want to show you the oven where I do my alloy experiments.

Follow me, please.

I am certain I can prove my theory.

With this alloy, I will make an extremely resistant metal

able to withstand very high temperatures.

Do you think this oven would work for your experiment?

Yes, sir. This oven can go up to 8,000 degrees.

Give me the metals and chemical compounds I listed and I will do it.

It would be wonderful. We could become immensely rich.

Forgive me, Baron.

I know the financial aspect is of very little interest to you.

Of course not.

Luis Meneses, descendant of the damned Inquisitor,

Baltasar de Meneses, who ordered to have me burnt alive.

You will pay with your life

for the life he took away from me three centuries ago.

"It seems that both the engineer and his wife

"perished during the fire caused by the explosion."

I try not to, but I can't stop thinking

that Baron Vitelius brings bad luck.

Pantoja and Meneses were at his party, remember?

And now, look.

Stop that nonsense and hurry up, we have to go back to the observatory.

Baron Vitelius d'Estera.

I will announce you to the Baron.

How can I help you, gentlemen?

Good evening, Baron.

Forgive us for intruding, but I need some information.

I am at your service.

Are you aware of the crimes committed by this homicidal maniac?

Yes, I read about it in the newspapers.

By the way, do you know who he is?

That is precisely what we are investigating.

Do you know that a few days ago,

Pantoja, the historian, was murdered?

I read that, too.

And that last night, Mr Meneses and his wife

died in a fire, under very similar circumstances?

You don't say, Inspector.

That is a true shame.

They were here a few days ago.

That is why I came to visit you, Baron.

You were friends, maybe you can give me some useful information.

I understand, Inspector, but unfortunately,

the victims and I were not close friends.

A common friend introduced us in Europe,

and I invited them over with others. That's all.

Don't forget, Inspector, I've only been in the country a few weeks.

That's true.

You mentioned it the other night.

Well, too bad. Excuse us.

On the contrary, Inspector, I remain at your disposal.

Inspector, please extend my sincere condolences

to the victims' families.

That won't be possible, Baron.

None of the victims had family members.

Excuse me. Let's go.

Now that all the guests have left, I'd like to take this opportunity

to wish you all the happiness in the world.

Please forgive my delay in doing so, unfortunately I had something to do.

Your presence is enough, Baron.

Thank you for your gift, Baron. It was the best one of all.

Please, Madam, it was a pleasure.

- We hope you can visit us soon, Baron. - I will be delighted.

Do not let me stop you. Are you leaving now?

Not until next week, Baron. I have pending matters.

We will contact you upon our return.

I wish you much happiness.

So long.

We thought you wouldn't make it on time, Baron.

Anna Luisa was asking for you.

Yes, I've just apologised.

How do you do, Miss Contreras?

- Tired. Lots of work. - We've worked too much.

The comet's disappearance drove us crazy.

The professor never leaves the observatory.

Therefore, we don't either.

So you are still thinking about that comet?

Yes, we all saw it.

- Right, Victoria? - Yes.

It appeared on the night we met.

How could I forget it?

It was the beginning of our friendship.

Thanks for the compliment, Baron.

Did you hear of what happened to the Pantojas and the Meneses?

- I met them at your home. - Yes.

I read it in the newspapers.

It's terrible, isn't it?

A true coincidence.

Both had been at the same place a few hours earlier.

At your home, Baron.

Mr Miranda, don't tell me that a man of science like you is superstitious.

I wouldn't say it's superstition, rather, curiosity.

Baron!

You scared me.

I didn't hear you come in.

Can I help you?

Francisco is in the bathroom and...

Baron, please.

What's happening to you?

Francisco!

Francisco!

Francisco!

Francisco!

Francisco!

Francisco!

Your ancestor, the Inquisitor Don Herlindo del Vivar,

condemned me to be burnt alive.

You, Ana Luisa del Vivar, will pay for it!

Thank you. Let's go.

Wouldn't it be good to get out of this crowded place, Chief?

Let's go.

The same holes in the skull and absence of encephalic mass.

Baltasar de Meneses, Álvaro Contreras, Sebastián de Pantoja,

Herlindo del Vivar, Luis Meneses, Indalecio Pantoja,

Ana Luisa del Vivar,

Victoria Contreras.

I'll send you the reports as soon as I've completed the autopsies.

Very good, Doctor.

How would I know, Commandant?

They left about an hour ago.

Did something happen?

Professor, we must know where they went.

It's a matter of life and death.

You're frightening me, Commandant.

Reinaldo and Victoria were invited to dine at Baron Vitelius d'Estera's home.

At Loma del Halcón.

Thank you, Professor. Let's see if we can make it in time.

- To the Baron's house, Chief? - Headquarters, first.

- Drive as fast as you like. - All right, Chief.

Still suffering from your condition, Baron?

- Not as much, fortunately. - You take- good care of yourself?

What is necessary, Victoria. Only what is necessary.

I cannot wait to see the data you said would help us

locate the comet from 1661.

Don't be impatient, Mr Miranda.

There are still twenty minutes to go.

By the way, it's time for my medication.

Please, excuse me.

Mr Miranda, I was thinking that, since you two are going to get married,

would you allow me to gift a jewel to Victoria?

It would be my wedding present.

It could never express the affection I feel for you both.

Baron, you're overwhelming us with kindness.

You shouldn't.

On the contrary, Mr Miranda, it is my pleasure.

- May I? - Could we do this later?

We won't be able to locate the comet for another twenty minutes.

The jewels are in my office. I'd like Victoria to choose one herself.

Without the influence of others.

Do you doubt me?

Not at all, Baron.

You can completely trust Vitelius d'Estera, Reinaldo.

They are beautiful, aren't they?

But none of them compare to you.

You can't be mine the way I want you to be.

I want to love you and adore you above everything else.

But I can't.

My hatred is stronger than my love. Stronger than everything else!

Why did it have to be you?

Precisely you.

Victoria Contreras,

descendant of the damned Inquisitor, Álvaro Contreras,

who had me burnt alive three hundred years ago.

Me, Vitelius d'Estera!

But I came back to get revenge on my executioners,

and you are the last descendant.

Reinaldo! Reinaldo!

Get away, Miranda!

I need to fulfill my revenge.

Your ancestor defended me three hundred years ago.

Don't make me forget it. Get away.

You won't be able to stop me.

Run, Victoria! Run!

Reinaldo!

THE END