Hearts on Sleeves (Asylum Chapter 17)

‘Andrea trapped me here.’

Though Eddie’s voice was frail, he silenced the others in the cell.

Jordan Deakes’s mind reeled. He must have misheard. Andrea Buchannan, the woman who had recruited him into ARC, was the one person whose motivations he knew to be pure. He looked around the room in the hope that someone could explain this madness.

Harris’s eyes displayed his own shock. Zhu Jing’s lips were held in a tight smirk. The kobaloi, Theo, nodded grimly and said, ‘I knew she was to blame. She must have Cruise as well.’

‘You must be mistaken,’ Deakes said. ‘She wouldn’t…’

Eddie raised his head and gazed at Deakes. His eyes swirled like rainclouds, a storm brewing and threatening to break.

‘I don’t know you’ Eddie said quietly,’ but I suspect I’ve known Andrea longer than you have. Tell me, new boy, what do you know about her?’

Theo didn’t allow Deakes to respond. ‘She’s a lying bitch. She doesn’t want to help, she wants to put us under lock and key.’

‘You don’t know that,’ Deakes defended.

‘And you don’t know the little one is wrong,’ Eddie said.

Deakes turned to Harris. ‘Tell them. Tell them Andrea is not behind this.’

Harris was quiet a moment, then, with an apologetic shrug, he said, ‘Somebody is.’

Deakes’s thoughts churned. Andrea was the reason he had joined ARC. She was the yardstick to which he judged his own actions. If she was operating against the Asylum’s code, how much of what he had done was for the betterment of all cryptids? Had he been inadvertently working to ensnare the non-humans?

His eyes flicked to Zhu. The Chinese man held the smug look on his face.

‘What about him?’ Deakes asked.

‘I don’t like him,’ Theo added. Not that it helped – Theo wasn’t keen on any of them.

Harris shook his head. ‘Highly unlikely. Look at the size of them.’ Zhu was short and slight, as opposed to Eddie who was the second largest in the room. Harris’s pro-wrestler build placed him as both the tallest and bulkiest. ‘Zhu doesn’t have the power to get Eddie anywhere Eddie didn’t want to be.’

‘It was Andrea,’ Eddie said again.

The frustration in the room reached breaking point and they started talking at once.

‘I don’t understand what she would have to gain.’

‘I know who enticed me here.’

‘Why isn’t she here to defend herself?’

‘I don’t trust any of you.’

A ring tone cut through the medley of voices, quietening the cacophony. In his pocket, Deakes’s phone buzzed. What are the chances that Andrea is calling now? he thought as he answered the call.

‘Jordan, I have news.’ The excited voice belonged to Sloane, not Andrea. Deakes was not sure if he was disappointed. ‘I’ve spoken to someone who says that Eddie is alive and-’

‘He’s here,’ Deakes interrupted.

‘Yes, he’s somewhere in the Asylum. Wait – how did you know?’

‘I meant he’s here, in this room. We’ve found him.’

Sloane did not pause but an urgency entered her voice. ‘Where are you?’

‘In the basement of the main building.’

‘Tell her to meet us in the rec room,’ Harris said.

‘Why there?’

‘There is a lot for us all to discuss. We need something to ensure the conversation is honest.’

*

Harland ‘Quinn’ Benson sat in his SUV across from the ramshackle house, watching numerous children coming and going. He’d counted twelve but knew there could be more inside. And, of course, that didn’t include the one that was missing.

Within an hour of Deakes’s call, Benson had arrived at Garthside. He had told Deakes that he could make it by the evening, a deliberate ruse in case their phone conversation was being monitored. Benson knew well enough how easy it was to tap into electronic communications. If his friend was in trouble and the enemy was listening, he wanted to get a head start by pretending to be farther away than he was.

Getting into Deakes’s home had not been a challenge. He didn’t have a key, but he had skills he’d learned both in and after the army. He would reseal the window frame once he was sure Deakes was not in danger.

One of the older kids stepped out of the front door and looked in Benson’s direction. Being made by a group of children was not a concern for him – not outside an active warzone – but there may be as yet unseen adults within the house. Time to make his presence known.

Benson hadn’t found anything of concern in Deakes’s home, no overturned furniture or blood stains. But he also didn’t find anything that shed light on Deakes’s current predicament. Deakes found work as a private investigator after discharging from the army but had recently been involved in something more… unusual.

Last October, when Deakes had called Benson for help, they had encountered a sentient pumpkin. Benson still didn’t fully understand what that had been all about, but that didn’t stop him having his friend’s back. He didn’t have to understand how gunpowder ignited within a NATO cartridge to use an SA80.

He suspected Deakes would not leave evidence of his new clientele laying around and in that he was proven right. His personal laptop, which was not password protected, contained nothing but backups from some of the apps on his phone. Including the mileage monitor linked to his car.

Benson opened the app and studied Deakes routes for the past few months. He’d made several trips to a village in North Yorkshire but most of the journeys were in and around Garthside. After making a note of the last ten places of interest, Benson left the house and began checking them out. At the fourth location, he saw the house frequented by a dozen children. He immediately connected them with the missing girl Deakes had mentioned and knew he was in the right place.

Now that he had been spotted, he got out of the car and jogged over to the house. He opened the front door without knocking and stepped in. The inside was as tatty as the outside; dirty carpet, grimy walls and an internal doorway sans door. Two kids, about four and seven, stopped and gaped at him. A third spoke to him from halfway up the stairs.

‘You should get out of here. We’ve got Ascalon and we will use it.’

Benson lifted his hands, palms out, to show he meant no harm. ‘Look, kid, I don’t know what Ascalon is, but I’m not here to cause trouble. The opposite, in fact. I’m here to help.’

The youngest child blew a raspberry as other children gathered behind her at the doorless gap in the wall.

‘We don’t need help from your kind,’ said the kid on the stairs.

‘Maybe not. But you’re getting it anyway. I think my friend is looking for your friend.’

‘You know about Cruise?’ Hope filled the boy’s voice, but mistrust shone in his eyes.

‘Is she the missing girl?’

‘She’s not missing,’ said a boy from the open doorway. He pushed himself forward and added, ‘Theo said she’s been taken to the Asylum.’

‘Reed, stop,’ said the boy on the stairs.

Benson looked from him to the newcomer. ‘What is the Asylum?’

*

Deakes leaned forward in his easy chair and took a cup of the vile tea. The tray had been set out by Zhu Jing. Although Deakes was reluctant to trust him, he recognised all the ingredients from the first time he had sat in this room with Harris.

Various bowls holding green powder, chamomile, lemon shavings and cloves sat around a metal jug containing hot water. The blend of spices relaxed inhibitions and encouraged the drinker to speak truthfully. Deakes had partaken when he first joined ARC, as he suspected most of the others had. He had felt the subtle effects firsthand so he knew he could believe everything that was about to be said.

As before, Harris placed a small container on the tray for all to use. Zhu’s concoction had a bitter taste and was only made palatable with the addition of the sweeteners. Deakes added two before taking a sip, then added two more.

Sloane and Pippa arrived and took seats near Eddie. At Eddie’s other side sat Theo and Jaq, who had been brought from Gil’s bedside by Fletch. Harris, Zhu and Fletch sat together. The room appeared divided, like opposing sides of an army awaiting the command to charge.

‘I’ve called Dust,’ Sloane told Eddie. ‘She’s on her way.’

Deakes wondered how the siren knew the location of the hidden valley, but remembered that she had worked for ARC before Eddie’s disappearance.

‘I think we need to clear the air,’ Harris said after everyone had drank some tea. His was the only unsweetened cup, having previously declared the drink an acquired taste.

‘Eddie, I want to know,’ Deakes said, ‘why you think Andrea trapped you in the cell.’

‘I thought she was trustworthy.’ The tempest in Eddie’s eyes raged on, building with every passing minute. ‘When she texted me to meet her at night, I didn’t expect it to be an ambush.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She must have snuck up from behind and tazed me. I blacked out and woke up underground.’

‘You didn’t see who attacked you?’ Deakes clung to hope.

‘I didn’t need to.’ The fire in Eddie’s eyes was almost hot enough to scorch. ‘She was the only one who knew I was there.’

Sloane placed a hand on Eddie’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. His glare cooled and his face slackened. In a calmer tone, he said, ‘I’ll not trust her again.’

‘I don’t trust any of them,’ Theo said. ‘We need to get out of here. They’re making monsters in the basement.’

Shocked gasps filled the room. The only ones not to react to the declaration were Harris and Zhu.

‘That’s not what you saw,’ Harris said calmly. He opened his mouth to say more, but Theo cut him off.

‘Don’t tell me what I saw. I know what I saw. You’re creating hybrids. God knows why, but we’re getting out of here before you dissect us too.’ He stood up so sharply that his chair moved backwards a few inches.

Sloane leaned forward and reached for the kobaloi’s hand. She looked into his eyes and said in a soft tone, ‘Listen to me. All is going to be well, but we must think and breathe before we act. Just breathe and find your centre.’

Theo’s posture relaxed and the tension fell from his face. He nodded at her, then took his seat again.

‘We are exploring the idea of splicing genes together,’ Harris said. ‘But it’s not to make monsters, as you called them.’

‘Then what are you doing?’ Eddie’s tone was sharp, accusatory.

Zhu said something which Deakes’s earbud translated as, ‘We’re making the world safer.’ Harris related it to the rest of the room.

‘Safer for who?’ Sloane asked. ‘Only a rare few of us are a danger to humans.’

‘For the cryptids,’ Harris answered. His eyes lit up as he discussed his passion. ‘Most humans would rather eradicate all species of cryptid before learning to understand and live with them. With you. We’re looking for ways to merge various traits to allow all cryptids to exist in the world without the need to hide, to feel fear.’

‘It didn’t help Gil,’ Theo said.

Jaq’s head snapped up. ‘What do you mean? What about my brother?’

‘The thing that attacked us, the giant centipede. It escaped from one of the cells. It was created here.’

Concern furrowed Fletch’s brow. He turned to Harris and asked, ‘Is that true?’

Harris drew in a pained breath before responding. ‘It’s unfortunate that POC-17 escaped. It was unforeseeable but the creature will be neutralised as soon as possible.’

‘I agree with the little one,’ Eddie said, pointing at Theo. ‘We need to get out of here.’

‘Will you take Martan?’ Sloane asked him.

‘You met him?’ There was a touch of respect in Eddie’s voice.

‘Who’s Martan?’ Deakes and Harris asked at the same time.

‘A gorgus,’ Sloane supplied. Eddie threw her a scowl.

Harris’s shoulders stiffened. ‘There’s a gorgus at the Asylum. Why wasn’t I informed?’

‘He’s my oldest friend,’ Eddie said. ‘I brought him here for his protection. And I don’t answer to you.’

‘Where have you kept him?’

Fletch said, ‘I know this valley like the back of my hand. There are only a handful of places he could be hidden.’

‘It doesn’t matter. He’s leaving with me.’

‘And me,’ Sloane said.

‘And me,’ Pippa added.

‘And us,’ Theo said.

‘Looks like your little kumbaya experiment is over, Harris,’ Eddie said. ‘It seems human and cryptids cannot exist closely together, after all.’

* * *

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