Andy rubbed a fingertip against the bridge of his nose and had a quick think. “Don’t you find it a bit weird?”
“It’s extremely weird,” Nessie said. “He’s kinda cute, though. I mean, in a devilish rogue sort of way.” When no one answered, Nessie looked at her shoes and said, “Nevermind.”
“I meant the timing,” Sun said. “Right before you catch the batling, you also have a mysterious, non-human stranger turn up and ask for Andy?”
“The timing could be entirely coincidental,” Dr. Chandelling said. “We can’t find any correlation between the two. The batling has terrestrial relatives. Lucas, as you call him, is something else entirely. They don’t seem to be related, at least, not organically.”
“Maybe spiritually?” Nessie said. She’d apparently recovered from her embarrassment. “Many ancient texts delve into the war between light and darkness, good and evil. It’s woven throughout history, regardless of culture or time. When the evil spirit shows up, a savior appears.”
“You think the Manx man is the savior?” Andy asked.
Nessie shook her head. “He could be. But he also fits into the mold of a prophet. Someone who foretells of a savior. Remember… he gave us your name, Mr. Dennison-Jones.”
Andy frowned.
If I’m the savior, then we’re all doomed.
Chapter Nine
Who do they think they are?
Dr. Gornman paced the floor of Kane’s office on level 2. The carpet beneath her feet was a deep pile and her heels caught every few steps, adding to her frustration.
I’ve dedicated the best part of ten years of my life to this facility. Is this any way to repay me? Letting outsiders come in and undermine me? Who does Kane think he is, chastising me in front of them? Without me his precious facility would grind to a halt. It’s not like that incompetent, misogynist fool, Chandelling, could take charge if I decided to leave.
That’s exactly what I should have done years ago. Left. With my experience I could work in any lab in the world. I only came here because I mistakenly thought I was doing some good in the world. But that was nothing but a fantasy. This isn’t God’s work. The Spiral is nothing but a prison—and like any prison it is ineffectual and does nothing to change the inmates. All we’re doing is warehousing a bunch of creatures that could be of real benefit if we actually did something with them other than keep them in cages.
This whole place is a paean to old-fashioned thinking. A bunch of flashy new computers doesn’t change that.
I could have gone somewhere else, where my skills would be appreciated, instead of deep down in this cesspool where nothing worthwhile ever happens.
But then, I would have missed out on these recent events…
“Dr. Gornman?” Kane entered the office and moved over to his desk. “Please, take a seat.” He gestured to the chair opposite.
Gornman dumped herself down, folded her arms.
Kane leaned forward on his desk and sighed. “Look, Doctor. You are a valued member of this team and undoubtedly the brightest person here.”
Gornman blinked. She wasn’t about to be swayed by flattery. She knew she was smarter than anyone at the Spiral—she didn’t need an antique General to tell her that.
“But when we have guests at this facility, it is our obligation to welcome them and to accommodate their needs.”
Gornman stayed completely neutral.
A twinge of frustration—perhaps even anger—flashed across Kane’s face. “The Dennison-Joneses are here at the request of the President via the Director of Homeland Security, who may I remind you is the Grand Registrar of the Order, like his father, and grandfather before him. We are sworn to follow his instructions to the letter. That is the oath you made, Dr. Gornman. Am I correct?”
“Yes.”
“So you will work alongside the Dennison-Joneses and avoid acrimony. But most of all, you will never again question my authority or circumvent my command of this facility. Is that clear, Dr. Gornman?”
Gornman gave no answer.
“Is. That. Clear?”
Gornman said softly, “Yes, it’s clear, General. I understand. I understand that my time here has amounted to absolutely nothing at all.”
Kane remained sitting. He kept his tone calm. “You are an ordained knight of the most secretive organization in existence, with access to secrets beyond most people’s imagination. But, as always, you are free to give that up. You can retire your membership and leave any time you want.”
You wish I would. But I have other plans.
“I advise against that, however,” Kane continued, “because your commitment here has not gone un-noted. I’m an old man, Dr. Gornman, and there are not as many Generals to replace me as there once were. The time of personnel-laden wars is over. Drones and computers have replaced flesh and courage. The Order does not have access to the human resources it once did.”
Gornman stayed silent, letting the man talk. It was one of her strengths.
“You heard about Oklahoma? Their new Head of Facility?”
Gornman nodded. “Dr. Gary?”
Kane blinked slowly. “Yes, Doctor Gary. The order is changing its policies. It is no longer a given that a facility head position is only available to those who have served in the military. Before Dr. Gary was promoted, he was doing your job.”
“Are you saying that I could be in charge here?”
Kane nodded. “I am saying that you most likely will be in charge when I’m gone. But only if you show that you can follow orders and respect the chain of command. The Senior Wardens won’t accept someone questioning them.”
Gornman took it in, made it fit into her head. Then she nodded. “I understand. I wasn’t thinking about the bigger picture. I allowed my ego to take over. I felt like I wasn’t being given the credit I was due.”
“The thing about credit, Dr. Gornman, is that it takes a long time to accrue but can be lost in a heartbeat.”
“I won’t question you again.”
“Good. You can go now.”
Gornman stood up and hurried for the door.
“And Dr. Gornman,” Kane said before she exited.
Gornman turned around. “Yes?”
“One more thing. I was reviewing some security footage, and saw you at Cell 4 with the faustling. You were holding pieces of paper up to the glass but not speaking.”
That’s because I didn’t want you hearing me, you voyeuristic fossil. I knew you had nothing better to do than spy on your personnel.
“I was showing it some pictures, trying to gauge its intellect.”
“What pictures?”
“A variety. Animals, landmarks, famous people. Just trying to provoke a response. Obviously it didn’t work. Its first communication was with the Dennison-Joneses.”
General Kane tapped his fingers together. “I see. Dismissed.”
Gornman left the office, hiding her smile as she did.
Chapter Ten
Breakfast was as over-the-top as everything else in the Spiral, and Andy’s stomach had been overwhelmed by the selection offered by the cafeteria buffet on level 4. Through the kind of anomaly only possible at breakfast buffets, he had somehow ended up with a bowl of muesli, a plate of eggs, several slices of bacon, some yogurt, and a banana. It was a strange selection, but he wasted no time in digging into it all.
Sun had opted for a lighter breakfast of an apple and two slices of toast.
Both of them had slept well; the bed in their suite being even softer than the one they had been given in the Coronado the night before. Now that a new day had begun, they were both ready to get to work.
“I can’t believe how different this place is from Samhain.” Andy said as Sun bit into her Granny Smith. “The produce alone is a revelation.”
Samhain had fed its staff from two large freezers, with deliveries being sparse.
“I guess things have changed,” she said. “Now the government hides its secrets in plain sight. They probably bring supp
lies in here every day and gag any attempts to bring attention to it. The Press may as well have their paychecks signed directly by the US treasury these days.”
Andy bit a strip of bacon in half. “I wouldn’t doubt it. This place is pretty amazing, though. It must have cost billions.”
“Let’s just hope they spent it wisely.”
Jerry came over with a plateful of sausages and a tall glass of orange juice. He was wearing a white T-shirt with StopGovernmentSecrets.com emblazoned across the chest, obviously an iron-on made with a desktop printer. He took a seat at their table and noticed Sun appraising his large stack of pork-links. He shrugged. “I’m cutting out carbs,” he said, before tucking in like a starving caveman.
“There are carbs in the OJ,” Andy said.
“I know. But those are liquid carbs, not food carbs.”
Andy considered telling him there wasn’t a difference, but decided there wasn’t any point.
After devouring several of the dozen sausages, Jerry wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sipped his juice. Then he pulled a face. “These sausages are tiny. The ones in England are big and fat, much nicer.”
“Maybe they have a suggestion box,” Sun offered.
Jerry took a big gulp of orange juice. “So all the rumors about Project Samhain, keeping ol’ Scratch under lock and key, those are true?”
Andy put down his knife and fork and laced his fingers together in front of him, elbows on the table. “You know you’re sworn to secrecy, right?”
Jerry nodded. “Big bloke named Rimmer came to see me last night, made me sign a stack of papers while he flexed his biceps, trying to look mean. Said if I ever said anything about this place to anyone, he’d make sure I ended up having an uncomfortable experience with that unicorn on subbasement 1.”
Andy and Sun exchanged a glance. It felt strange to be talking about it, since they hadn’t in so long, but Andy eventually said, “It’s true.”
“Was it actually the devil?”
Sun nodded. “It was like the batling in the cell on Level 5. Only a lot bigger.”
“But was it Satan?”
“Let me put it this way,” Andy said, pushing away his plate. “If Satan does exist, Bub was a prime candidate.”
Concern crossed Jerry’s face. “If it was, is, Satan, that means there’s a heaven and hell, don’t it?”
Sun said, “I don’t know, Jerry. It could be.”
“So we could actually be punished for eternity for things we’ve done in the past?”
“It depends on the religion and the dogma,” Sun answered. “Is it true that you’re wanted by the police back in the UK?”
Jerry’s expression became even bleaker. “I robbed some money from a tosser. He had it coming.”
“But you’re wanted,” Sun said. “Aren’t your parents worried about you?”
Jerry started shovelling more sausages into his mouth, swallowing them down in loud gulps. When he was done he let out a long sigh. “I don’t have any parents. My mom died last year of lung cancer and my dad… my dad is the ‘tosser’ I stole from.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” said Sun. “You must really miss her.”
Jerry nodded. “She was the only person that ever really cared about me—well, her and my best friend, Ben. But now he won’t even talk to me after what I did.”
“Why not? What did you do?” asked Sun.
“Never mind. I don’t want to get into it. What are you guys up to today?”
Sun smiled, seemingly content not to push the subject. “We’re heading back down to level 5,” she said. “Did you want to tag along?”
Andy shot his wife a stare, but she ignored it.
Jerry’s face lit up. “Yeah, I would really like to. Even if I can’t tell anyone.”
“Knowledge for the sake of knowledge,” Sun said. “A noble pursuit.”
Andy cleared his throat to gain the floor. “What we’re doing is going to be very dangerous, Jerry. You need—”
“I won’t be any trouble. I’ll do whatever you tell me to. Just let me come.” He stared at Andy for what seemed like ages and then said, “Please, man. I need this.”
Andy sighed. “Okay, fine, but don’t get in the way. And follow every direction we give you.”
Jerry smiled and nodded.
“Okay,” Sun said. “Looks like our new research team is ready to go. Let’s head downstairs.”
They left the cafeteria and headed down to level 5 via the large, buttonless elevator, calling out the level in order to do so. As they walked, they met General Kane in the corridor. He was standing outside one of the cells and glaring at whatever was inside. At one point he even stabbed his finger against the glass and raised his voice.
Kane saw them coming and stood to attention. “Ah, Mr. and Ms. Dennison-Jones. Good to see you up and about so early. Shows a good work ethic. And Mr. Preston, am I to understand that you will be accompanying them?”
“If that’s okay,” said Jerry. “I promise not to get in the way.”
“Just remember what I said and behave yourself. Anything you do, I will hold the Dennison-Joneses accountable for. Bear that in mind.”
Jerry nodded.
Andy glanced inside the nearby cell—cell number 5. It belonged to the werewolf creature. The animal seemed to be glaring intently at Kane, snarling as he did so.
“You two know each other?” Andy asked.
Kane turned and glared into the cell again. He prodded his finger at the glass and the werewolf snarled louder. “Me and Fido here have a history. When I first started at the Spiral, I made the mistake of going inside his enclosure to take some samples.” He rolled up his left shirt cuff to reveal a gnarled streak of scar-tissue from his elbow to his wrist. “Not a mistake I’ll make again.”
“Can you change into a werewolf?” Jerry asked.
“What? No, of course not.”
“Then it isn’t a werewolf. It’s just a big wolf.”
“It doesn’t really matter what he is. He’s the last of his kind, so it won’t be long until werewolves really are just a figment of people’s imagination.”
Jerry moved up closer against the glass. He looked inside at the snarling beast. “He’s the last one?”
“Yes. There used to be more, but they grow old and die eventually. This one just turned eighty last month. Another thirty, forty years and he’ll be dead and buried.”
“Extinction shouldn’t be allowed,” Sun said, her veterinary background obviously speaking up. “Why haven’t you tried to breed them?”
“There aren’t any left to breed with.” Kane moved up closer to the glass and knelt down so that his eyes were level with the creature’s. “You hear that, Fido? Once you’re gone, your entire species will be finished. No more mongrels like you.”
The beast rumbled deep in its chest.
Jerry said, “Maybe he bit you because he doesn’t like being locked up. Or being called Fido.”
Kane shot him a stern glance, and the boy cowered.
Andy cleared his throat. “Where can we find you if we need you, General?”
Kane straightened up and adjusted his shirt. “My office is on level 2.” He strode off down the hall without another word.
Andy looked into the cell. The werewolf had stopped snarling and had padded away towards the back of the cell. There was a bundle of blankets and what looked like some rubber chew toys there.
“Dude doesn’t like Wolfie,” said Jerry. “Not surprised he chomped on that old fart. Don’t blame him for being grouchy when they lock him up like Hannibal Lector and tell him that his whole race is about to become extinct. That shit was cold.”
Sun nodded. “I understand that these creatures are considered dangerous, but if General Kane escaped with just a bite on the arm, he got off lucky. A wolf this big could have bitten him in half.”
Andy shrugged his shoulders. “The guy’s been here for years. Who knows what these animals have been responsible for in th
at time? Maybe everything in the Spiral really is evil. We only just got here. Let’s keep an open mind.”
Sun gave him a sideways glance. “Evil? Like that family of tiny imps upstairs? I would be surprised if they were any more evil or dangerous than foxes or badgers. They’re just animals. Animals that the church once decided it didn’t like the look of and shoved underground. Wouldn’t be the first time the Catholic Church buried something.”
“Sun,” Andy said. “We know evil exists, right?”
“If you want to get into a philosophical discussion of evil, Andy, we can leave out animals.”
“Bub wasn’t evil?”
“He was selfish. A murderer. He understood the misery he caused because he was self-aware. But you can’t apply that line of thinking to a wolf or a spider looking for a meal or defending itself.”
“You’d think differently if you were trapped in its web,” Andy said.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying it’s too soon to go all Greenpeace when we haven’t seen what any of these animals are capable of. Maybe Wolfie here is really a cuddly Corgi in his heart, but let’s give the two thousand year old secret society a little bit of credit before we start petting him, okay?”
Andy thought he’d angered his wife, but after a small hesitation she nodded.
Dr. Chandelling appeared at the end of the hallway. He waved a hand at them excitedly as he jogged towards them. “Ah, you’re all here. Wonderful. Eager to get started, I’ll bet.”
Sun waved back. “Good morning, doctor.”
“Good morning. Do you have your access fobs yet?”
Andy pulled the blue rubber disk from his pocket and examined it. “If you mean this thing, then, yeah.”
“Good. It will give you access to the cells if you punch in your code, but don’t do anything without informing General Kane and getting armed security guard assistance. That’s how we do things since the General’s, um, accident.” Chandelling gave a sideways glance into the werewolf cell.
“I think that guy is more of a cat person,” Jerry said.
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