Ann Marie's Asylum (Master and Apprentice Book 1) (35 page)

Before Dade could answer, an electric whiplash cracked across the desert. Bernard had teleported and was standing right behind him. The old man poked and grabbed at his stomach wound, shouting, “Injured! You think you can beat Bernard Mengel injured!” The attack was working and he took Dade by the throat. “Age hasn’t slowed me down as much as you think,” he snarled. He tore Dade’s stomach cut open and blood began to drench his shirt.

Holding him by the throat with one hand, Bernard pulled something from his tattered front jacket pocket with the other. A syringe filled with a murky black syrup was dangling at Dade’s neck. “You don’t have to thank me for this,” Bernard joked.

Before he could sink the needle, a flash of green light blinded Bernard. The beam sent the old man back and he dropped the syringe. He reached for his eyes, trying to regain his sight.

The mother DeathStalker had just hit Bernard in the face with a laser blast. It was standing guard in front of Dade, who was now on the ground. The platinum-coated electric insect looked ready to strike. All the tools and weapons on its body were spitting sparks and rattling like maracas. It faced Bernard down with a clear look of challenge.

The old man’s eyes were still watering from the laser blast. He said to the DeathStalker, “Back from your acidy grave, you electromechanical rodent.” Bernard took a step toward Dade, who was struggling to get up. The drone kept him back. “My goodness,” he told Dade, “how proud you must be of your little monster. It’s protecting its master.”

Bernard circled Dade’s bleeding body while the drone tracked his every muscle twitch. The old man seemed to be searching for some vulnerability in the technological armor. He came across the black syringe sitting on the road. He picked it up and dangled it in the air.

“I was just trying to share an important discovery with a colleague,” Bernard joked. “Sorry if I was a little aggressive. I didn’t mean anything by it. Besides, I brought you this because I knew you would be one of the only people who would understand. We’re scientists, Dade. Let’s not let our petty bickering set back the entire world.”

“DeathStalker!” Dade tried to shout. The pain in his abdomen twisted it to more of a groan. “Attack. Attack. Kill that bastard with everything you have. I command you to attack.”

The drone just looked at Dade and ignored his order.

“How about that,” Bernard remarked to him. “Seems your little beasties don’t even listen to you. It’s very curious though. It seems to me that its computer has determined that protecting you outweighs its very purpose in life. That’s love, I guess. Some killer you invented.”

Dade gave another order to attack but it was disregarded by the DeathStalker. It continued to stand guard in front of its injured creator.

“This has been most entertaining,” Bernard said. “But I must get rambling.” He held up the black syringe and stared and the billowing black cloud of liquid inside. “Do you see that? It’s truly alive.” Then he carefully set the needle on the pavement in front of the DeathStalker. “I’ll leave this with you,” he said with a venomous smile. “I know you won’t disappoint me.”

Then the old man headed down the road toward Mexico. His walk was so strong, swift and surefooted that it seemed superhuman. Almost like an ostrich, his legs bounded and contracted, propelling him away faster than a champion sprinter. The force of the movements shredded the remaining bits of fabric that had been his clothing. Then Bernard faded into the desert horizon.

With the DeathStalker clicking, beeping and buzzing, Dade pulled himself up from the pavement. He went over to the black syringe. The black syrup jumped and sloshed around in the glass tube. When he picked it up, the stuff started to vibrate like the horn on a speaker. It seemed to be responding to his touch.

The DeathStalker was staring at him. He told it, “Gather up your babies. We’re headed back to the lab.”

...

The Sheriff had arranged for a makeshift hospital room to be created in one of the cleanroom laboratories on the fourth floor. In there, Lori Bandini and Ivy Cavatica were recovering from Bernard Mengel’s chemicals. Ivy had intravenous lines hooked up to both of her arms. She looked to be in a deep, comfortable sleep. Her expression looked like she was untroubled and perfectly at home. There was even a glimmer of a smile, like she was having the most pleasurable dream.

Lori Bandini, however, was sitting up in her bed, wide awake. Her face had taken on a frightened, traumatized quality. With her mouth limp, she just stared blankly at the laboratory wall like something horrible was scorched into her retina.

Ann Marie walked in to check on her and noticed right away she was awake. “I’m so happy you’re up,” she said, taking her mom’s side at the bed. “I’ve been waiting to talk to you. You’ve been out for days.”

“Can you put me back to sleep?”

“No...I...” Ann Marie said, stumbling. “I don’t understand, mom. Are you OK?”

“No,” Lori answered, coldly. “Should I be? I’m starting to remember some of what happened and I wish I’d forget. Bernard. That awful monster. I don’t think he’s human.” She stopped and looked at her daughter like she had something to tell her. “Why does this happen to me? What is it about me? Why do I always bring the monsters?”

“It isn’t you, mom. It isn’t your fault. Bernard was after me and Dade.”

“I know,” Lori said, like that made it hurt more. “That’s the way it seems.” She pointed over to Ivy, who looked to still be in dream heaven. “Skinny over there is dreaming about that boss of yours.”

Ann Marie was revolted at the idea for some reason. She said, “I don’t know why she would. What makes you say that?”

“She keeps mumbling his name. Dade. Dade. Seems pretty happy about it too. I wish I could have a dream like the one she’s having. I met him, you know.”

“Who?”

A smirk moved into the vacant space on Lori’s face. She looked at her daughter like she knew one of her secrets. “Stop it,” she said. “You know who.”

“So. You met him. No big deal.”

“I’m just saying,” Lori went on. “He and the Sheriff have been checking in on me. Been taking good care of me, giving me some kind of antidote.” Her smile got wider. “When I woke up to those sunglasses and saw the man behind them, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“It’s you, baby girl. Just you being here is healing me.” Lori told her to come closer so she could whisper something to her. “You don’t have to worry about me moving into your territory. I’m your mother. We have loyalty. But Skinny over there,” she said, pointing to sleeping Ivy. “I’d watch out for her.”

“I’d argue with you the way I usually do,” Ann Marie said. “But you’re recovering from something horrible and you need to get your strength back. Your raving mad talk gets to go unchallenged.”

“I knew it was my lucky day.”

Ann Marie took on a more serious tone. “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “I haven’t been very fair to you.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Lori. She looked surprised.

“You’re a good mom,” Ann Marie said. “A really good mom. I saw something that gave me some perspective and I think I’ve been way too hard on you.”

“Shit. I must be dying.”

“It’s true,” Ann Marie went on. “I was wrong about that letter from dad that you threw out. I was mad but you’re my mom and it’s your decision.” She put her hand on her Lori’s shoulder. “I’m sure you have a good reason to keep it from me. It must be hard keeping secrets like that. I’m sorry you have to do that. I’m sorry you have to carry that burden.”

Lori Bandini’s eyes were spilling over in tears. She tried to talk but she was too choked up.

Ann Marie went on, saying, “We’ll forget about it. I won’t bring him or any of it up again. From now on, you’re my sole parent and that’s just the way it is. No more questions about it.”

“Thank you, baby,” said Lori. She was sobbing.

...

That evening, Ann Marie found Dade alone in his laboratory. He was working, with his full attention on something inside the fume hood. There was a look of brimming excitement in his face. When she got closer, she saw Bernard’s black syringe. Dade had the thing in a set of clamps in an attempt to take a sample.

The black, oily contents of the syringe vibrated and made the entire clamp fixture shake. When Dade put his hand a few inches from the glass barrel, the stuff reacted. The liquid seemed to lunge for his fingers. When he waved his hand around, the stuff followed his movements.

“What are you doing?” She asked. “Isn’t that the stuff Bernard tried to inject you with?” Ann Marie examined the vile stuff, saying, “I can’t even imagine what kind of horrible shit this is.”

“I know,” he whispered like he didn’t want the black liquid to hear him. “But, it’s extraordinary. Bernard wouldn’t be so interested in something unless it had serious potential.”

“Yeah. Potential for something awful.”

“If I’m careful,” Dade said, “If I approach it with the right safeguards.”

“You’re crazy!” She blurted out. “You can’t put that stuff into your body.”

At that moment, The Sheriff interrupted. He was holding his hat to his chest as though delivering some kind of condolence. In a hushed voice, he said, “Dade, it’s time.”

“I know,” he answered.

“Time for what?” asked Ann Marie.

“Should we just let her come?” The Sheriff asked.

“I don’t want to hide anything from her,” Dade answered. “There shouldn’t be any real danger in it.”

“I’m still bringing my usual twelve best guys,” said The Sheriff.

The three of them took Asylum One on what ended up being a very short trip. When the truck stopped in front of a nursing home, Ann Marie looked very confused. When they all got out, she asked, “What are we doing here? I don’t understand.”

They were met by the Sheriff’s group of soldiers, all dressed in black fatigues. The men were all armed with what looked like powerful, super-advanced cattle prods.

The Sheriff told them, “Look alive, gentlemen! This is no drill. The package inside is running low on medication and she’s in an extremely unpredictable and dangerous state. Be alert and stay alert until Dr. Harkenrider is finished with his procedure. We’ve done this before and we know our goal. Let’s handle this like professionals!”

When they got inside, Dade’s mother was surrounded by a halo of soldiers. Each of them had his weapon primed as though the comatose woman could leap up at any time. The men seemed so careful, like they were facing something far from routine.

Elaine Harkenrider still looked to be in a vegetative state. She just stared off as though no one was there. Her skin was as pale and dead as a shed snakeskin. Her eyes were dried-out red and glassy. Her gray hair was shaved down to a buzz cut.

“She’s in the process of waking up,” the Sheriff said. “Let’s be fast about this.”

Dade brought out a syringe filled with a clear liquid and tapped the bubbles out.

“Wait,” Ann Marie stopped him. “What are you doing?”

“Putting my mom back into a coma.”

Dade took a step forward with the syringe while the soldiers waited in anticipation. Elaine Harkenrider just stared off like a corpse. When Dade got close to her, he held the syringe up to the jugular vein in her neck.

At that moment, his mother’s eyes came to astonishing life. She slowly turned her head and inspected everyone. Then she focused on Dade. She stared at him like she wanted to slit his throat.

When Ann Marie saw the expression in the old woman’s face, it made her stomach twist. She even retreated back a few steps in alarm.

“Give her the needle now, Dade!” hollered the Sheriff. “She’s waking up for Christ’s sake!”

“Take off your sunglasses,” hissed Elaine Harkenrider just before he could plunge the syringe.

“Don’t listen to her, Dade,” argued the Sheriff with mounting intensity.

“Take off your sunglasses, my son.”

Inexplicably to Ann Marie and the Sheriff, Dade lowered the syringe from her neck. Then he slowly slid his sunglasses off.

“Dade!” shouted the Sheriff. “This is crazy!”

When Dade’s glasses were off, his mother studied his face like a math puzzle. Then a crooked smile started in the corner of her mouth. In an unnaturally short moment, she was in the middle of riotous laughter. The old woman was laughing so hard that she was shaking her wheelchair. It went on and got more uproarious the longer she looked at Dade.

He knelt down in front of her like he had no fear whatsoever. He said to her, “I’m happy you’re enjoying yourself.” Then he got the syringe in position to deliver the injection.

At that point, his mother’s laughter became even more spirited. She hollered, “It worked! I can’t believe it worked!” She howled so loud that it shook Ann Marie’s chest. “It worked! It worked!”

Dade didn’t ask her what she was referring to. He pushed down on the plunger of the syringe, rendering his mother’s body perfectly limp. Even before her eyes closed, the evil life seemed to drain away.

“Damn it, Dade!” shouted the Sheriff. “Sometimes I just don’t understand you. One of these days, I’m gonna get rid of that god damned thing!”

“It will be near impossible to kill someone as powerful as she is,” he objected. “Even in a coma. Something would go wrong. Something terrible would happen. The best we can do is keep her contained. At least she isn’t running around out there.”

“Well, that’s just a god damned matter of time,” said the Sheriff. “That coven found her and they’re still out there. Do you even want to imagine what would happen if your mom got out and took control of a group like that?”

“She would be worse than Bernard,” Dade answered. “Much worse.”

...

Late that night, Ann Marie was looking for Dade and found him on the deck outside his lab. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t even notice her approaching. His face looked troubled and his eyes had the haunted quality that struck her when she first saw them.

She stood with him in silence. The surf was so quiet that it seemed as though the entire Pacific Ocean had vanished. The starlight had an abnormal vigor. Below them on one side, the streetlights of LA twinkled and the insides of homes formed hazy specks. On the other side, there was just the black void of sea.