Eddie (Asylum Chapter 16)

Sloane Cambell sat in a comfortable office chair across from Martan Kosmatka. Though they were underground, with the room’s only illumination being three computer screens behind him, Martan wore sunglasses.

A snake head hovered behind his left shoulder, its gaze fixed on Sloane. The tail attached to the back of Martan’s head and had given her the initial impression that it was a ponytail. She had never met a gorgon before and, until today, had not known that male gorgons were called gorguses.

She recapped Martan’s last statement.

‘You think Eddie is still at the Asylum because of a bond the two of you share?’

Martan and the snake nodded in unison.

‘Our friendship was forged eight hundred years ago. In all that time, nothing has divided us.’

Sloane thought about Dust, the siren for whom she was working. Dust’s love for Eddie transcended rationality. She had been told Eddie had died, but that had not diminished her feelings. Instead, her devotion had driven her learn about Eddie’s fate.

If her affection for Eddie was so strong, was it equally reciprocated?

‘What about,’ Sloane asked tentatively, ‘Eddie meeting someone else? A lover?’

Martan smiled broadly. The snake opened its mouth, appearing to be chuckling.

‘He’s a good looking man,’ Martan said, ‘and has caught many eyes over the centuries. Every time he took a paramour, they became family. I feel for Dust as I would a sister.’

‘You know about his relationship with Dust?’

‘Of course.’ Martan’s reptilian symbiont nodded at the words.

A thought drifted into Sloane’s mind. She prayed she was wrong, but she had to ask.

‘How did Eddie feel about her? Is there a chance he walked away from both of you?’

‘Edvard loves Dust powerfully. He would no sooner break her heart than he would abandon me.’

Sloane’s heart rose to hear the declaration. Which made the drop seem further when her next thought occurred.

‘Then where is Eddie?’

*

‘Where is Theo?’

Jordan Deakes addressed the room but was looking at Jaq. The kobaloi ignored him as she moved to her brother’s side. Gil’s breathing was steady, his face serene.

Harris’s hands went to his pockets. Irritation flashed on his face.

‘The little bugger’s taken my ID card. He could be anywhere.’

Dr Zhu pulled out his phone. He said something in Chinese, prompting Deakes to access the translator app on his own mobile and don an earbud.

‘Yes,’ Harris said in answer to Zhu. He pointed to Jaq and Gil and said to Fletch, ‘You stay here and keep an eye on them,’ before following Zhu out of the room.

Deakes’s stomach churned at the thought of the two kobaloi being left alone with Fletch. The only reason they, and Theo, had accompanied him to the Asylum was so he could prove ARC was not responsible for the disappearance of their Sage, Cruise. But the attack of the giant, mutated centipede had rattled his nerves, and Fletch’s reluctance to discuss the creature rang a warning bell in Deakes’s mind. If anybody at ARC was likely to have kidnapped Cruise, Deakes would lay money down that Fletch was the culprit. To leave the kobaloi in his sole care defied his better judgement.

Not for the first time, he wished Andrea was here. Of all the people at ARC, she and Harris were the ones he trusted the most. It was unfortunate that these events were unfolding while she was away on Harris’s secret mission.

His eyes fell on Jaq as she fussed her unconscious twin. He had little knowledge of the kobaloi, but his limited experience told him that the females were wise and bore an inner strength greater than that of the impulsive and reckless males. In that regard, they were very similar to humans.

Praying that his gut was right, he ran after Harris and Zhu.

*

Motion sensor lights flicked on as Theo descended the staircase. The grey walls and concrete floor informed him of the utilitarian nature of the corridor. This area was purely functional, akin to the access of a boiler room. Yet the door at the top of the stairs had read Live Specimens so it was unlikely to lead to something so mundane.

Certain he was on the track to finding Cruise, he pushed on.

The corridor ended in three doors, one in each wall. The one on the left opened onto a large room full of caged mice, rats and rabbits. Opposite this were aquariums of insects and bugs. The final door, directly ahead, held the legend Proof of Concept. Theo recognised the phrase from Dr Zhu’s computer screen but he could not fathom how it related to his missing Sage.

Only one way to find out, he reasoned, and used Harris’s pass to enter. He stepped through into another corridor stretching left and right. The lights which switched on revealed that the passageway curved in both directions, suggesting it formed a large circle.

He chose a direction at random and approached a door on the inner side. Above lintel, a digital display read POC-3. At head height – human head height – a sliding panel revealed a small observation window. Theo had to stand on his tiptoes to see. Behind the door, a lamb blinked dolefully at him. From its back, two great wings stretched up, fluttered, then folded back on themselves.

At the next door, the display showed POC-7. Next was POC-8, then POC-12, POC-13, POC-15. With no discernible pattern to sequence of numbers, Theo guessed that the missing numbered POCs had served their usefulness – whatever that may have been.

He looked in at POC-15. A merman swam inside a huge aquarium. Almost a merman. Instead of a fishtail, its lower region was a half-dozen squid tentacles.

The window of POC-17 showed an empty room. In the far corner, the lower section of the wall had been carved away, leading to a black tunnel. The opening was wide enough to fit a giant centipede, Theo realised with a shudder.

He moved quickly on, passing POC-22, POC-23, POC-30, and stopped at a door which piqued his curiosity: POC-0. Peering inside, he saw a single cot against one wall. On the bed lay a man, seemingly asleep. He was thin, not quite gaunt, with unruly dark hair flecked with grey.

Intrigued by both the number and the fact that the occupant appeared to be normal as opposed to the hybrids he had seen, Theo opened the door and crept inside.

The man did not stir.

Theo moved closer. Unable to detect signs of breathing, he worried that the man was dead. He placed a hand gently on the stranger’s chest.

The man’s eyes shot open. His head snapped to Theo, and Theo was transfixed by storm-grey eyes.

*

The snake at Martan’s side shook its head as Martan said, ‘I have only a basic knowledge of the Asylum grounds, so I do not know for certain where Edvard is.’

Sloane bit back her frustration. As friendly and helpful as Martan was being, he was still a gorgus with the power to turn her to stone should she upset him.

‘The open lands north of the village would not detain him,’ Martan went on. ‘And I doubt there is anything in the warrens and caverns that could cause him concern.’

‘Which leaves what?’

‘Only the village and the main building.’

Sloane’s brow creased as she thought. She and Pippa had come to the Asylum nine months ago. After an induction interview they had spent the time since in the village and exploring the valley. They had met many of the resident cryptids. Though some were aloof, none had given the impression that they fostered ill will toward their follow non-humans. She doubted Eddie was being hidden in the village.

The main building was a different matter. She had only been there once, while talking with Thomas Harris, Dr Zhu Jing and Andrea Buchannan upon her and Pippa’s arrival. Dust had warned them to be wary of Andrea but Sloane’s own opinion was that the woman was honest and trustworthy. She had read Harris the same. Zhu, on the other hand, had gotten under her skin.

She could overlook his refusal to speak English even though he clearly followed the conversation. Everybody had their quirks – maybe he feared ridicule for the way his Asian tongue pronounced Western words. What set her nerves on edge was his guarded responses and body language. He acted as though he was hiding something.

Such as the fact that Eddie was captive somewhere within the ARC complex.

*

Deakes caught up with Harris and Zhu in time for his earbuds to translate the Chinese man’s words.

‘The security system shows your pass has just accessed the pock facility.’

He had no idea what the facility was, but the repetition of the word ‘pock’ confirmed he had not misheard Zhu earlier. There was something secret going on at ARC that the doctor was involved with. He wondered how much Harris knew about it – and how much Fletch was involved.

Deakes had not spent much time in the Asylum building. His job involved being out in the world, locating lost cryptids and inviting them into the fold. The informal interview room and Harris’s office were his usual destinations, though in his last visit he had ventured as far as the kitchen.

They passed there now, heading for the door marked Authorised Personnel Only. Zhu swiped his ID, opened the door and let Harris through. As Deakes stepped forward, Zhu blocked him.

‘You’re not permitted beyond here,’ the translator said in Deakes’s ear.

Deakes narrowed his eyes as he stared at the doctor. The Chinese man was of modest size and build. Deakes was not a large man himself, but he would cut through Zhu like he was made of paper. A small part of him wanted to.

But brawling with Zhu would not help locate Theo. Right now, all Deakes was concerned with was getting Theo away from the Asylum and beginning their search for Cruise.

‘I’m coming,’ he growled.

Zhu turned to Harris but not before Deakes saw fear flash in his eyes.

‘Jordan, I think that-’ Harris began. Deakes cut him off.

‘I am the only one here that Theo trusts.’ When Harris raised his eyebrows, Deakes rephrased. ‘I am the one that Theo distrusts the least. If there is any chance of talking him down, you need me. I’m coming.’

Harris considered the argument for two breaths, then nodded.

‘Your role here is solely to secure Theo and return him to the other kobaloi, understood?’

Now it was Deakes’s turn to nod. He shot another glare at Dr Zhu, then crossed the threshold.

The corridor beyond had a medical feel. The scent of chemical cleaner and a chill in the air reminded him of being in a hospital. He expected to see signs hanging from the ceiling, pointing the way to various wings.

They hurried past Zhu’s office and a large laboratory and stopped at the next door. Zhu opened it and together they descended a set of stairs into a concrete-floored passage. The atmosphere was less hospital now, more military bunker.

At the end of the corridor, Zhu ignored the two doors on either side – Rodents and Insects, Deakes read – and opened the one which declared Proof of Concept.

Deakes saw his error immediately. He had been mentally visualising Zhu’s words as ‘pock’ – ‘pock seventeen’ and ‘pock facility’ – not the acronym POC.

Zhu led them into another corridor and turned right. Deakes followed, took in the curve of the passage and estimated the circle it described was probably three hundred feet in diameter. This place was underground because it stretched beyond the reach of the building above.

They had walked past several doors when the posture of the two men changed; shoulders straightened, heads lifted. Even without witnessing this, Deakes would have known something was wrong. One of the doors was open.

Afraid Zhu would try to close the door before he could see what was inside, Deakes rushed forward and entered the room. Theo stood beside a bed, helping a withered man into a sitting position. The man was so pale and thin, he looked like a corpse. Why was Zhu keeping him down here?

Harris followed Deakes into the room. His quiet voice was heavy with disbelief when he spoke.

‘Eddie?’

Deakes looked closer. This was the man Dust loved, the one she had implored him to find – after also asking Andrea then Sloane and Pippa the same.

Eddie raised his face to Harris and, behind him, Dr Zhu. His features darkened, like a sky heavy with thunder clouds. Light danced in his eyes, precursors of lightning that would trigger a storm.

Deakes stepped between the men, taking Eddie’s attention.

‘It’s okay now, Eddie. I’m going to get you out of here.’ It was a promise he was not certain he could fulfil. With Zhu at his back and Fletch guarding the two kobaloi upstairs, Deakes would be hard pressed to get them all out safely. Again, he wished Andrea was here.

‘You’ve been here a long time,’ he continued. ‘Can you stand?’

Theo flashed him a look of disdain and blew a raspberry. Eddie only groaned.

‘Can you talk?’ Deakes asked.

Eddie swallowed, the discomfort clear in his grey eyes. ‘Y-yes.’

If Deakes had any chance of getting all of his charges away from the Asylum, he would need Harris on board. Right now, he was not certain that Harris saw Zhu and Fletch for the danger they were. He would need something definitive to make him see the truth.

‘Do you know who put you here?’ he asked Eddie.

Eddie nodded slowly. He grimaced as he swallowed again.

This was it, Deakes knew. The moment of revelation.

Eddie’s voice was a mere rasp when he uttered the name: ‘Andrea.’