“Ms. Lowental?” he said, extending his hand with a wan synthetic smile. “You must remember me. I am Jonathan Boyd, professor of psychiatry. I taught you Psych 101.”
“Yes, of course, Dr. Boyd,” said Pam. Pam had disliked him when he had taught her, and now she found herself disliking him even more.
“Please come to my office,” said Boyd. He went through the door ahead of Pam and walked briskly to his office at the end of a side corridor. Opening the door to his office and gesturing to a chair, Boyd walked around his desk, piled high with reports. He didn’t sit in his office chair but moved some papers and sat on the side of his desk, folded his arms, and looked at her appraisingly.
Pam began to feel intimidated by the extended silence, but she had been through too much to be frightened into speaking first, and so she met his gaze with pursed lips.
“Ms. Jensen tells me you want to see Albert Gleeson. May I ask why?” said Boyd at last.
“Who’s Ms. Jensen?” asked Pam.
“My receptionist, of course,” answered Boyd smoothly.
“Why is the psych ward locked up? It never used to—” said Pam in a calm voice.
“We have had to impose, er,” interrupted Boyd, “a rather limited security for the safety of our patients. I’m afraid the stress of the dislocation and the recent calamity at Botany Bay has pushed many borderline psychotic people over the edge.”
Remembering his unanswered question, Boyd began again. “Why do you want to see Albert Gleeson?”
“Albert Gleeson and I were partners,” said Pam, “in the recent river expedition. We had a close call in the city that we found—”
“Of course!” interrupted Boyd again. “Your exploits are being discussed all over Halcyon.”
“Naturally, when Albert disappeared about two weeks ago,” continued Pam, “I made inquiries through my contacts in the medical school and I learned he was being detained in the psych ward.”
“Detained is hardly the word!” laughed Boyd. Turning more serious and leaning over the desk, he continued. “I’m afraid Albert is a deeply troubled young man. He has for some time now been borderline schizophrenic. For example, he believes he talks to God and that God answers him. It’s difficult to say when this psychosis will turn violent, but it will inevitably do so, and therefore I’ve had to confine him for his own protection as well as for the safety of others. These are very difficult cases,” said Boyd. “Those without the proper psychiatric training are often fooled, since the schizophrenics truly believe they’re hearing the voice of God. It’s essential that we intervene before the schizophrenia becomes too deeply ingrained.”
Pam was hard-pressed to conceal her surprise. Al was about the sanest individual she’d ever met. She had no doubt whatsoever about his sanity. The more Boyd spoke about Gleeson’s psychosis, the more convinced Pam became that it was Halcyon—and the mindset that had produced Halcyon—that was warped and demented.
What if Al’s right about God?
That thought came unbidden, and it frightened her. She felt as if she stood in front of a doorway. Her mind and her heart bade her go in to see what she might find, but she was afraid if once she crossed that threshold, she might never go back. Her mind returned to Boyd, who had continued talking.
“...and so I’m afraid I can’t let you see him,” he concluded.
“There’s something else I haven’t told you,” she interrupted, panic making her play her last card.
“And what would that be?” asked Boyd.
“I’m carrying Al Gleeson’s baby,” she lied. “I had promised to give him Al’s last name, but I need to see Al for myself before I can make that determination. I don’t want the child associated with a lunatic.”
“Now, now, we don’t use that term,” reprimanded Boyd. “Hmm, this gives me some hope for Gleeson. I’ve always felt these psychoses are a byproduct of celibacy, and to hear that Gleeson—well, let me say I have even more reason for hope. Pamela, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. In view of your situation, and in view of the fact that you’re a medical student, I’ll make an exception and let you see Mr. Gleeson briefly. But you must promise that this is an exception and that you’ll not ask to see him again.”
Reluctantly Pam said, “I promise.”
She was about to get up when Boyd said, “Does Mr. Gleeson know about your son in the Halcyon Daycare Center?”
Cold dread froze Pam’s heart. “No, Albert doesn’t know about my son.”
“Of course not!” said Boyd. “That’s really none of his business. How you exercise your sexual freedom really has nothing to do with him. Nonetheless, some men, especially those with a more puritanical bent, can be unreasonably jealous. I think you’ve been wise to keep that information from him.”
Boyd spoke briefly on the intercom, and an orderly appeared.
“Please take Ms. Lowental to Mr. Al Gleeson’s room and give her five minutes alone with him.”
He’s threatening me! He’s letting me know that he’ll tell Al if I try to see him again.
The orderly led Pam to a door and unlocked it with a key. Holding the door open, he said, “Five minutes! I’ll lock the door so that other patients don’t wander in.”
Al looked pale against the white sheets. He slept while an IV quietly dripped a clear liquid into his arm. Pam pulled a chair next to his bed, took his hand in both of hers, and gently called his name. There was no response. “Al, oh Al, what have they done to you!” she whispered. She put her hand on his forehead and gently stroked his hair. “Al, please wake up! Please wake up!”
Al stirred. She called again. Suddenly Al opened his eyes and tried to lift himself up in bed, but could not. He looked at Pam but did not recognize her. “Somebody loves me, but I can’t remember who it is. Somebody loves me, but I can’t remember who it is.” This last sentence died in a whisper as Al sank back onto his pillow.
Tears welled up in her eyes. “I love you, Al! I love you!” She kissed him gently on the lips and cried quietly as she held his hand, waiting for the orderly to return.
Anger welled up within her. She had to get Al out of here somehow. How could she pull it off? Who would help her? Who could she trust? Where would they go so they would be safe? Otherwise wouldn’t she end up drugged, in the room next to him?
She cautiously turned the lever to unlock the door and peered up and down the hallway. Although she heard voices, there was no one to be seen. She quietly closed the door and turned right to explore the hallway.
There must be another way out!
She walked slowly and deliberately and tried to look as if she were lost. At the far end of the hallway there was an exit sign that was no longer lit (bulbs were saved for critical purposes only). She approached a door labeled “Fire Exit.” A fire extinguisher and stretcher were attached to the wall next to the door.
“May I help you?” The nametag on the pretty blonde’s uniform read Lynn Whitford.
“Help me? Yes, you can. I was visiting a patient and I’m looking for a way out. Could you direct me back to the entrance?” answered Pam politely.
Whitford frowned. A curt “Please follow me!” was all she said.
Pam stepped through the door to the reception area. The receptionist was across the room placing some documents into a filing cabinet and had her back turned to Pam. Pam walked behind the receptionist’s chair, glanced at the desk, and then walked back to her chair to pick up her coat. “Thank you!” said Pam sweetly as she folded her coat across her arm and proceeded down the corridor.
___________
The television set in the cafeteria was blaring. “A healthy sex life is a wonderful antidote to stress,” said the student talk show hostess. She introduced her panel of Halcyon celebrities. They filled in the time between the canned films that the Halcyon television station broadcast on campus.
Pam approached a table with a single occupant. “Tom Chartrand?” she said.
“Yes,” replied Tom.
“My name is P
am Lowental. I’ve heard that you’re a friend of Al Gleeson’s, and I need your help.”
Chapter 27 Exodus
Dwight Larsen used one of those US quarters—still in circulation on campus—for a pay phone, and punched in the number written on the piece of paper he held. Crackling the paper near the mouthpiece as he spoke, he said, “Fred, this is Dr. Boyd.”
“Yes, Dr. Boyd, I can hardly hear you,” answered the voice at the other end.
“My line’s bad too. I think all these phones are starting to give up the ghost. Listen, Fred, I need you to do something for me. I need to unload some equipment at the loading dock. The med student that’s helping me isn’t strong enough to get the box off the truck. If I send her up to you, can you come down to help me get this unloaded? There’s no one else to ask. I’d be deeply grateful.”
“Sure, Dr. Boyd,” said Fred hesitantly.
“Thanks, I appreciate it!” Dwight hung up the phone.
Pam, dressed in her medical student uniform, walked down the corridor and approached the desk of the security guard. She held out her hand and smiled. “My name is Pam Lalond. Dr. Boyd sent me to take your place for a few minutes. I’m afraid I wasn’t much help to him unloading the truck downstairs.”
Fred smiled. “I’m not really supposed to leave my post. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. Give me your phone number and promise to have a drink with me this week, and you have a deal.”
Pam hesitated, and then taking a piece of paper, she wrote down a number, handed the paper to Fred, and smiled at him. “See you in a few minutes,” said Fred as he ambled down the corridor.
Pam took his place at the desk. On the right was a half eaten sandwich. Next to it was a well-worn library book. Two figures came down the hallway pushing a large white laundry cart. Pam looked up, relieved as she recognized Tom Chartrand and Dwight Larsen. “He’s gone,” said Pam, stating the obvious.
“Yes,” said Tom. “We saw him heading towards to the main elevator.”
“We’d better hurry,” said Dwight.
Pam quickly located the electronic lock under the desk and unlocked the psych ward door. Tom held the door open as Dwight maneuvered the awkward cart through the entrance, and then waited for Pam to follow. Pam took the lead, striding confidently down the hallway to an unmarked door. She turned the handle and smiled with relief at Tom as the door opened. Al was still sleeping peacefully. They pushed the laundry cart into the room, and then Pam locked the door from the inside. They had just begun emptying the cart to make room for Al when the sounds of approaching voices made them freeze. Someone stopped outside the door, and the handle wiggled.
“It’s locked!” they heard Jonathan Boyd say from the other side of the door. “I’ll wait here. Fred, run to the nurse’s station and get all of the keys. We’re going to check every room, starting with this one.”
“What are we going to do?” whispered Pam.
“Quick! Shove that laundry cart against the far wall and then everyone in!” whispered Dwight urgently.
Al was the single occupant in a two-bed room. Each bed had a privacy curtain. They pushed the laundry basket to the far corner of the room, so that it was partly screened by a curtain. Dwight climbed into the laundry basket first. Tom jumped in on top of him, landing heavily on his friend. Dwight let out a muffled groan. “Sorry!” whispered Tom.
By this time Pam had also climbed on top. “Can you guys get a little lower? I’m still sticking out the top, and they’ll see me!” Pam hissed. Tom rearranged himself, and Pam hastily pulled a blanket and some towels over her.
It isn’t very good, but it will have to do. God, if you’re there, we could use your help!
A key sounded in the lock. The door creaked open and heavy footsteps approached Al’s bed.
“Hmm, it looks undisturbed. This can’t be the reason for the fraud. Fred, you hurry back to the entrance and wait for the campus police. Detain everyone who wants to leave, even if it’s the chancellor himself. Marjorie, bring your keys and come with me. We’re going to check every room in the psych ward until we get to the bottom of this!” said Boyd.
After the door closed and was locked from the outside, Pam climbed out of the basket. Tom, who had been bent into an uncomfortable conformation, needed a hand to step out of the tight space. “Boy, you’re awfully heav—” Tom stopped awkwardly, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Pam felt herself blushing. “Watch it!” she said with mock seriousness. “And help me get Dwight out.”
When Dwight emerged, he looked at Tom. “Boy, Tom, you’re really going to have to lay off that cafeteria food. Halcyon’s struggling to put enough food on the table, but you seem to be getting more than your share.”
“All right, all right! What are we going to do about Al? That security guard is watching for our escape,” said Tom.
“We go to plan B,” said Pam.
“There’s a plan B?” asked Dwight.
“Yeah, and there’s no time to explain. Help me get Al into the laundry basket,” urged Pam. She deftly unhooked the IV line from Al’s arm while Dwight and Tom gently lifted him into the laundry basket. Al moaned softly.
Pam unlocked the door and cautiously opened it a crack. She didn’t see or hear anyone, so she opened it wider. After peering up and down the corridor, she waved to the others to follow. She strode down the hallway, and Dwight and Tom followed as quietly and rapidly as they could, pushing the laundry cart.
Pam came to a door marked “Fire Exit.” She opened a cabinet and took down a stretcher. Dwight and Tom laid Al’s body on it. After pushing the laundry cart against the wall, Pam opened the fire exit door and held it for Dwight and Tom as they carried Al into the stairwell. Pam squeezed past them and led the way downstairs. They descended three more floors and finally came to a door marked “Exit to Outside; Alarm Will Sound.”
Pam whispered, “When we get outside, find some place to hide Al. I’m going to run to the front and get the car. Keep a lookout for me!”
Pam gave a thumbs up and pushed the door open. There was no alarm to be heard, but she knew that if the system still functioned, they’d be lighting up someone’s console somewhere.
Turning left, she raced as fast as she could along the building. When she came to the front entrance, she slowed to a walk as she emerged from the shadows. There were several people either hurrying into the hospital or leaving their shift late, but anyone who caught a glimpse would have seen only a young woman heading home after a long shift at the hospital.
At this time of night the parking lot was mostly deserted. She found her borrowed car in the dark, secluded corner where they had parked it. She climbed in, and giving a quick prayer of thanks for the noiseless electric motor, backed out of her spot, and headed toward the service entrance where Tom and Dwight were waiting with the helpless Al. But the back of the hospital was deserted. She saw no trace of Dwight or Tom.
As she circled back for a second look, Tom stepped out of some shrubs and signaled her to drive in among the bushes. In the shadows of the greenery, she saw Dwight crouching beside a body on the ground.
Dwight and Tom lifted Al into the seat beside Pam, folded up the stretcher and put it in the trunk. After they had climbed into the back seats, Pam started off towards the harbor, putting distance between themselves and the hospital just as the fire escape door burst open and beams of light stabbed into the darkness. Again Pam blessed the quiet electric motor of the car.
When Pam reached the harbor, she jumped out and raced to the top of the hill. Expectancy and hope were replaced with despair when she saw the empty pier. They were too late! The invasion force heading for the deserted city had obviously left early, and now there was no escape.
Chapter 28 Rescue
When Dave decided to give his friends time to escape, he knew he didn’t have much chance of surviving the ape¬men’s attack. Nevertheless, if the move was going to cost him his life, Dave was determined to sell it dearly. After felling the first ape¬man, Dave
swung his sword at a second, inflicting a long deep gash through its shoulder and into the chest. The blade stuck on the bone, so that Dave had to forcefully wrench his blade free. This delay proved disastrous. The press of bodies was so severe Dave couldn’t swing his sword quickly enough to keep the ape¬men off the landing. A blow from behind staggered him. Dave momentarily lost consciousness.
The next moment a dozen hands grabbed him and hoisted him into the air. Coming out of his mental fog, Dave realized he was being carried down the stairs of the tower. The ape¬men were talking to each other in slow guttural monotones. They seemed neither infuriated by his resistance nor elated by their success.
At the bottom of the stairs, they proceeded with Dave, feet first, into the long tunnel leading under the mountain. The first section of the tunnel appeared manmade. About thirty feet in diameter and constructed of the same smooth black stone as the tower itself, it led into a wider chamber, lit by a shaft of sunlight coming through a fissure high on the mountainside.
Dave had recovered his senses enough to fear for his life. He tried to struggle but couldn’t break the iron grip of the ape¬men. Craning his neck and looking forward, Dave saw another party carrying a dead ape¬man about thirty yards ahead. Dave was terribly frightened. The ape¬men behaved like living machines, grinding out some program without feeling or conscience. He used to make fun of those who prayed in desperate situations, accusing them of wishful thinking, but he succumbed to that temptation now and prayed feverishly for rescue to a God he had never believed existed.
The party of ape¬men entered another chamber, with an arched doorway at the far end. At that moment something extraordinary happened. An arrow thudded into the chest of the lead ape¬man. He bellowed and collapsed. This first arrow was followed by a flurry of arrows, which felled the remaining ape¬men in the party. Miraculously, none of the arrows hit Dave. His carriers stumbled, and Dave tumbled to the ground, instinctively breaking his fall with his arms. He rolled to a sitting position, automatically rubbing his wrists where the iron grip of the ape¬men had held him as if in steel manacles. Some of the ape¬men from the party ahead of him dropped their load to the ground, turned around, and lumbered toward him. He was startled by a touch on his arm and a furry face beside him. He jumped away, and the pain of his sudden movement inflamed the wound on the back of his head. He felt a stabbing pain, and his vision blurred. He felt the touch on his arm again. The touch was cool and a thought, not his own, entered his consciousness.
The Halcyon Dislocation Page 22