Ann Marie's Asylum (Master and Apprentice Book 1) (20 page)

“No. Not really.”

“Well, I’m not discussing it, mom. What are you going to do? Ground me so I can’t go to work? I make all the god damned money.”

“Don’t use the lord’s name in vain, honey. And there is no privacy when it comes to you and me, when it comes to family. Now, why don’t you just tell me what happened tonight?”

“OK,” grumbled Ann Marie. “I drove my drunk mother home after some disgusting asshole was harassing her all night. I tried to go to bed but I couldn’t sleep. So I decided to take the car, that I own, and go for a drive through this wonderful, beautiful hellscape of a city. Is that good enough for you?”

“Is it the truth?”

“Nope.”

...

The next day, Ann Marie found Dade in his laboratory and asked him the question that had kept her awake until almost dawn. “You seemed so sure about that man last night,” she started to ask. “You didn’t doubt for a second that he was a monster. It was like you knew what he was even before he did. How did you know?”

Dade quietly considered it.

“Was it just what he did to me?” She continued. “Is that how you were so sure that he was a monster? It was like you could see something on him.”

“What he did to you brought his death sentence,” Dade told her. “There is no doubt about that. But there was something else. Something subtle. There are humans out there that are different. They have a different glow about them. Once you can see, it looks a little like the little mirages you get on the surface of hot road. The odd halo was quite apparent with that man.”

“How can I see it too?”

“Why would you want to? What’s the difference?”

“Because,” she said, “it would be nice to be able to tell the good people from the evil ones. I could protect myself.”

“After one of my early tank experiments, a very deep trip, I started to see the halos on people sometimes.”

“Where does it come from? What does it mean?”

“The impact we leave on the world,” Dade said. “All of our interactions have an effect and these effects are cumulative. After a while, it starts to leave a trace around our bodies. We have evolved not to see it. Or,” he started to say, “the predators have figured out how to hide themselves.”

“Do I have one?”

“Of course.”

“What does it tell you?”

“I don’t think we should go into this,” Dade answered. “It isn’t very helpful.”

“Why aren’t you going to tell me? Is there something wrong with mine.”

“Not wrong exactly,” said Dade. “It’s just that...”

“What?”

“Pain,” said Dade.

“That can’t be right,” she said. “I’m not in any pain. I’m fine.”

“You asked what I saw.”

...

A few days later, Ann Marie arrived to the laboratory to find a black stretch limousine in front. Even though the car was in exquisite condition, it was at least thirty years old and looked like it had come from a previous era. Five Asylum Corporation security SUVs were parked around the thing. She remembered the limo from the day she first met Bernard Mengel.

The Sheriff looked concerned when he greeted her inside. “Good morning, kid,” he said. “We got problems.”

She followed him down the hall, where they found Bernard and Ivy Cavatica peeking through the door to one of the labs. They were being guarded by a group of armed Asylum security soldiers. Just a few feet away, Dade was blocking their path. He was joined by nearly a dozen DeathStalkers, including Bernard’s specially designed escort. The two opposing forces had locked each other in a stalemate.

Bernard seemed to be giving Ivy a tour of the facility. He gloated, shouting, “My dear boy, did you ever think that I would be walking these halls so freely? Oh how I’ve missed this place!”

“The only way you’re getting past me,” Dade told him, “will be as a puddle of red mush on the floor.”

“Hello Ann Marie,” Bernard said, noticing her. “It’s always such a pleasure to see you.” Before she could respond, he told her, “I do hope that our friend Doctor Harkenrider has been a good master. I trust he has been properly training his apprentice.”

“I told you, old man,” Dade said. “I’m no one’s master.”

“Well, I do hope that you change your mind on that particular issue,” Bernard said. He glanced over to Ivy Cavatica. “I, myself, have taken on a very promising new apprentice. Say hello, beautiful.”

“I already know Doctor Harkenrider very well,” said Ivy.

“The hell you do,” Dade said to her. He told Bernard, “You two are getting out of my facility this second or my DeathStalkers are going to swap your appendages for hers before we throw you both out.”

“He has no manners,” Bernard said. “I don’t know where I went wrong with his training.”

“No one trained me,” jabbed Dade. “You have absolutely nothing to do with who I am, old man.”

“Where is the gratitude?” Asked Bernard. “I thought that I could bring my new apprentice to see this very special place. I thought you wouldn’t begrudge someone the opportunity that I gave you.”

“You thought wrong,” Dade said.

“It’s a pity,” Bernard told him. “You two have so much in common. I thought you would hit it off right away.”

“Don’t count on it,” Dade snapped back while glaring at Ivy. He told her, “If you still have any free will left, you need to get away from this man right now.”

Ivy smirked at him, saying, “But it feels so good.”

“See anything special about her, Dade?” Bernard searched his face with a mischievous and knowing grin. “I know you two don’t know each other but I thought she might...” The old man looked as though he was about to come through with a punchline to a joke at Dade’s expense, but he just abandoned the topic. “I suppose you’ll figure it out eventually,” he said.

Harkenrider addressed the soldiers escorting Bernard, telling them, “Gentlemen, this isn’t your fight. The old man and Elvira over here aren’t making it any farther down this hallway. This is going to be true whether all of you survive the next fifteen-seconds or not. You are all just doing your jobs and we work for the same company. I don’t want to rip your spines out. I really don’t. But don’t force my hand.”

“OK. OK,” said Bernard. He threw up his hands in forfeit. “My beautiful apprentice and I will comply with little Dade’s request.”

“It wasn’t a request,” Harkenrider said plainly.

“My fine young thugs,” Bernard said to the soldiers, “let us depart this glorious chapel.” He held out his arm to Ivy like they were on a date. “Come now, my dear,” he told her. “We have some training to do.” He added, “It’s going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me.”

The old man walked away arm in arm with Ivy. Along with his battalion of bodyguards, his DeathStalker followed him on his way out.

...

A few days later, while Ann Marie and Dade were working in the lab, an urgent message from The Sheriff came through the intercom. “Dade, we got a problem,” The Sheriff said. “I’m gonna need you to come down here to the main gate.”

Dade seemed slightly annoyed at the interruption, asking, “What is it? We’re busy in the lab.”

“Well, Dade, you see,” The Sheriff started to explain in a hushed voice like he didn’t want anyone at the scene to hear. “I’m not sure if you remember, but you threw a rather high level executive off a cliff recently. And, since you practically announced it to the world and did nothing to cover it up, you have a visitor.”

“Who?”

“Just get down here,” The Sheriff said before hanging up.

Ann Marie was curious and didn’t heed Dade’s request for her to stay in the lab. “I knew this would happen,” she said while they were in the main elevator. “I knew that man’s family would come looking. I remember when this man got killed in my neighborhood in Philly and everyone knew who did it. People went after him and got him before the police could.”

“I doubt I’m in any danger.”

The elevator doors opened and Dade headed toward the Asylum’s front entrance. Ann Marie followed, keeping up with Dade’s brisk pace as they headed for the door. Across the courtyard, she could tell there was some commotion at the guard booth. The Sheriff was trying to settle down a woman who was hollering something in Spanish.

“Muerte del doctor!” she shouted. “Muerte del doctor!”

“What’s she saying?” Ann Marie asked Dade.

“How should I know? I barely learned to speak English.”

The yelling woman spotted Dade. She started crying and shouting with greater fury as she tried to push past The Sheriff to get to him.

“Let her go,” Dade commanded. “I have everything under control.”

The woman ran toward Dade as though she intended to knock him over like a linebacker. When she got a few feet away, she stopped short and just stared at him. Stunned by something in his appearance, she seemed to forget whatever plan she had for that morning. “You kill my husband?” she asked as though she had to commit the English phrasing to memory. “You throw him into ocean?”

“Yup,” said Dade. “Guilty as charged.”

“And you send money for my son and I to pay us off?”

“That’s also correct.”

“Per favor,” she said with her eyes welling up. “Thank you.” She took a step forward like she intended to embrace him. Dade retreated a few steps back and said simply, “I’m sorry. I prefer not to be touched.” Then he told her, “You don’t need to explain anything to me. I know what your husband was.”

“He bought me on internet,” the woman said.

“Well,” said Dade plainly, “now you’re free.”

He turned and casually walked back to the lab.

...

In the evening after work, Ann Marie walked through the doors of The Pink Pelican to meet her mother, who had been excited to share some important news with her. “I’m in love,” declared Lori Bandini with a smile so intense that it looked like it hurt. “Real love,” she said as Ann Marie slid into the booth. “With a real man and not one of the trashy punks from back home.”

“What are you talking about? This is the first I’ve hear about this.”

“What? Do I have to tell you every detail of my life as they unfold?” She asked her daughter. “I wanted to be sure about things before I told you.”

“And you’re sure of things with this guy?” Ann Marie asked without hiding any skepticism. “Did you ask him to move in yet?”

“Oh, stop it,” said Lori Bandini, who looked so happy that any negativity couldn’t bring her down. “I thought you would be happy for me.”

“I am, I guess.”

“Listen, you would really be impressed by him,” Lori told her daughter in a manner that bordered on a plea. “He’s super professional and charming. Did you know that he speaks six languages?”

“How would I?”

“Well, he does and he knows a lot about science too. I’ve been telling him all about my daughter, the genius mad scientist. He can’t wait to meet you.”

“I don’t know, mom.”

Her expression quickly turning sour, Lori Bandini let her menu fall onto the table. She leaned back in the booth with crossed arms. “I move across the god damned country,” she said without making eye contact, “for you. For your precious career, I give up everything in my life. You know,” she went on, “you came out of my body and I’ve done nothing but care for you for seventeen years. Children are never done taking from you. Don’t ever have one.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” answered Ann Marie, keeping her eyes on the menu in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” said Lori, surprising her daughter. “I know this is hitting you fast. We can talk about it later. I’m just glad to see my baby.” The waiter came over with a vodka and tonic that she had ordered before Ann Marie arrived. She took her first big sip before setting the glass down. “Why don’t you tell me about your day.” She said, changing the subject. “I notice you’ve been spending even more time with your friend, Dr. Dade.”

“We’re working.”

“Well, you seem pretty happy to be working all the time.”

Ann Marie shrugged her shoulders, saying, “I guess.”

“He’s handsome. I’ve seen his pictures on the internet. Kind of intense-looking but tall, strong, right up my alley. I don’t know about you.”

“Stop it, mom. Seriously. He couldn’t be less interested in stuff like that.”

“He doesn’t look gay to me.”

“Mom, he isn’t gay. He’s asexual.”

“He’s a man. There is no such thing.”

“It’s true,” Ann Marie, argued. “He’s evolved past stuff like that.”

“I still don’t believe it,” her mom said. A sudden twinkle appeared in her eyes and, in a matter of moments, she seemed perhaps two drinks drunker. “Take my new man. He’s a little older I guess. To be honest,” she added, “he’s considerably older.”

“That’s kind of gross, mom.”

“I would have thought it was gross too,” Lori Bandini started to confide in her daughter. She leaned across the booth and quietly said, “But this man has a way. Baby, he’s a wild animal.”

“Eww, mom. Stop it.”

Without acknowledging her daughter’s revulsion, she went on with just as much excitement. “I lose all control when I’m with him. It’s magical.”

Ann Marie noticed how happy her mother looked as she explored the recent memory of her new boyfriend. She fought the itch to roll her eyes and found herself wanting to be a good friend to her mom. “I’m happy for you,” she said, reaching across the table for her mom’s hand. “You deserve it.”

Chapter 11

The Shadow People

After an experiment one evening, while Dade Harkenrider recovered on the table next to the tank, Ann Marie admired the green crystals that had taken him out of his body. Sitting in the bottom of an Erlenmeyer flask in the laboratory fume hood, the little emerald needles looked almost alive, like some kind of bizarre, newly discovered sea urchin. Ann Marie stared at the tiny green shards in the liquid like she was the first person to set eyes on an alien spacecraft. She stared at the enchanted stuff as though it could disappear back into some netherworld.

Across the room, Dade’s eyes were closed as he continued to acclimate back to the real world. He spoke in a kind of gibberish, the way he occasionally did while he was unconscious, saying, “I’m sorry Ivy. I can’t help right now. Not now. Too powerful.”