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

by Christopher Rankin

  The laboratory was already seized by pandemonium. There were more than a dozen black SUVs and assorted military hummers parked outside. Scores of armed guards in fatigues lined the entrance. Countless men in black suits and sunglasses were walking the grounds, talking into their radios. Two helicopters spun overhead at low altitude, loaded with the biggest guns Ann Marie had ever seen. A massive black armored van was parked just outside the entrance with the terrorist locked in the back. Machine guns pointed to it from virtually every direction.

  Just behind her, an old man wearing a plaid fedora hat seemed to come out of nowhere.

  He rested his hand right on her shoulder. “Hello m’dear,” he said in a very relaxed manner. The old man acted as though he didn’t notice any of the confusion and was simply enjoying the morning. “I’m Bernard Mengel. You haven’t seen that supervisor of yours, have you?” Like a bird of prey, the old man’s eyes scanned the entire scene. “Nobody has been able to locate him this morning.” He spoke to her with the confidence and comfort of someone that had known her for years.

  Ann Marie realized that Bernard wasn’t alone. He was being protected by a coterie of special forces men, guys dressed black fatigues with faces covered in a coating of black makeup. There were perhaps ten men and they had Bernard Mengel surrounded.

  There seemed to me more men stationed to protect Bernard than guard the Camel Spider. All of them were primed and alert. She heard someone on one of the radios say, “We still can’t find Harkenrider. Keep eyes and ears everywhere and don’t let him get close to the interrogator.” The men swarmed in a tight orbit around the old man.

  “What’s going on?” Ann Marie asked him. “What are these guys protecting you from?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about, m’dear. These national security matters do tend to make everyone a bit fearful.” Bernard was carrying a large steel briefcase, which he had handcuffed to his wrist. Ann Marie asked him what it was for.

  “Oh, this,” he said. “It’s my interrogation kit. I’ve got the basics like sodium amytyl, some barbituates and a few experimental drugs that I shouldn’t say too much about.”

  While she was talking to Bernard, Ann Marie heard a message come through one of the guard’s radios. The voice said, “Keep eyes and ears out for Harkenrider. Use nonlethal force but do not let him reach Dr. Mengel.” Someone else on the radio came back with, “Still no sign of him, sergeant. Stun weapons and tranq darts ready.”

  “Oh dear,” said Bernard, who pulled a pocket watch out of his long black coat. “I believe it is nearly time to begin.”

  In front of the laboratory, soldiers removed the Camel Spider from the back of the armored van. He was bound with shackles and had a black sack thrown over his head. For a moment, Bernard’s benign expression was taken over by dread. He scanned the landscape like a paranoid fugitive that had just reached free ground.

  “Is anything wrong?” Ann Marie asked him.

  “Heavens no. It’s just that one can’t be too careful when the whole world is at war. It’s been very nice speaking with you, Ann Marie.” He corrected himself, saying, “I mean Doctor Bandini. I look forward to our next opportunity.” Bernard marched toward the front door with his team of bodyguards forming a tight circle around him. The soldiers protecting him seemed to be expecting not just an attack but an onslaught. The cage of men around Bernard looked impenetrable.

  Just as Bernard and his bodyguards reached the main entrance of the building, Ann Marie thought she saw something move on the roof over the men. At first, she thought it may have been a hawk or pelican perching up there. However, it was too large and seemed to move too fast. It appeared as a shapeless shadow or blur, like a tiny, isolated storm cloud sitting far too low in the sky.

  Then, the shape dove at Bernard. Ann Marie knew somehow that the shape was Dade Harkenrider.

  It landed right on the bullseye, right in the middle of Bernard’s protective circle and right on top of the old man. As Ann Marie ran toward the scene, the struggle seemed to move too quickly for her to make out the details. Bernard and Dade were wrapped up in what appeared to be a miniature but powerful tornado, a blur of rolling, kicking and punching. The soldiers seemed to be moving in slow motion compared to the brawl.

  When the two battling men finally slowed down enough to become distinct, Dade had both of his arms wrapped around Bernard’s throat. The soldiers were already trying to free the old man. Ann Marie heard a few dull whistles, which came from the tranquilizer darts beginning to accumulate on her boss’s body. He continued his choke the old man without much reaction to the darts. Then, a few more soldiers came over with sparking cattle prods.

  Dade had Bernard in a deadly squeeze and had no intention of letting go. He looked like he was almost in a trance as he held on to the old man like a spring-loaded hunting trap. The soldiers were screaming for him to let go and threatening with the cattle prods. Dade took no notice of the warnings or the fact that he had more than a dozen tranquilizer darts sticking out of his back and shoulders. Bernard’s face was starting to turn a paler shade and his eyeballs looked like they might jump out of his head.

  The first shock from one of the cattle prods made Harkenrider loosen his grip for just a moment. The second shock brought some oxygen back to Bernard’s brain and he started to struggle to get away. The third cattle prod finally got Dade to let go but he didn’t give up entirely.

  “No!” he shouted to the soldiers. “Don’t let him go. No!” The soldiers kept shocking him. He tried to hold on to the old man’s throat but the tranquilizers and electric shocks were making him lose his grip.

  Ann Marie was horrified by the sight. The soldiers continued to hit Dade with their stun weapons. Eventually, his grip started to loosen like a machine with draining batteries. She wondered how her boss’s body could stand that kind of punishment. Then she remembered his impossible dive from the building. She wondered if she had been hallucinating.

  Dade Harkenrider’s body was nearly limp but, because his sunglasses had been knocked off in the struggle, Ann Marie saw that his eyes had lost no life. He looked wilder in that moment than any animal she had ever seen at the zoo. When the team of soldiers was finally able to get Harkenrider’s hands from Bernard’s throat, the old man sprung back to life instantly. He picked himself right up while the group of nearly ten shoulders held Dade down with their sparking cattle prods.

  Ann Marie yelled to the men to stop. When the sparks ceased, the soldiers all backed away from Harkenrider as though they expected a swift retaliation. “We’re sorry, sir!” hollered one of the men. “You left us no choice! Please desist in your attack!”

  A few of the men attended to Bernard Mengel, who appeared to be fine. His steel briefcase was still dangling from his wrist. The prisoner had heard the whole attack from the inside of the black pillowcase over his head. A few soldiers had him secured beyond all the commotion. After Bernard finished catching his breath, he ordered that the interrogation continue without delay.

  “Don’t leave him alone with the prisoner!” Dade shouted to the soldiers.

  “My goodness, young Dade,” said Bernard. He took a step toward Harkenrider, who was still on the ground. “Have you no confidence in my skills?” Then the old man smiled in an almost threatening way as he held up the steel briefcase handcuffed to his arm. “I’ve got something very special in here, something I believe you remember very well.”

  Harkenrider’s body jerked on the floor as he struggled to regain control from the tranquilizers. He tried to get up but his legs were still too runny to stand on. “I’m gonna kill you, old man,” he said, looking like a cobra waiting to strike. “You’re never going to make it into that room.”

  The men guarding him looked increasingly afraid as his body started to regain functionality. “We’re really sorry, sir, but you left us no choice,” said one of the men, who seemed to be deciding whether to lower his stun gun.

  “If you let him in there,” Da
de told the soldier, pulling one of the tranquilizer darts from his shoulder, “many, many people are going to die. That old bastard is nothing more than a torturer. That’s the only reason he’s here today. He doesn’t care about getting answers. He just wants to inflict pain.”

  Bernard stood over Dade Harkenrider, who was still sprawled out on the floor and still picking out tranquilizer darts from his upper body. “It’s a pity you feel that way,” said the old man. “It saddens me that you wouldn’t show a fellow scientist the respect he deserves.”

  “You’re no scientist and you deserve the opposite of respect,” said Dade. His voice was mixed with a growl.

  The soldiers received orders to prepare the prisoner for interrogation. Bernard said to Dade, “I’m afraid I must leave you laying on the floor, my old friend. Discovery awaits.” Bernard held up the steel briefcase handcuffed to his wrist as though he intended to taunt, saying, “Thank you again for giving me everything I need.” He directed the soldiers to bring the prisoner into one of the secured interrogation rooms deep in the core of The Asylum. “I’ll be along in a jiffy,” he said, smiling at Dade in a way that was meant to mock.

  Three soldiers still had their cattle prods aimed and sparking at Harkenrider. One of them said, “Please don’t go anywhere, sir. We’re sorry that we had to secure you this way. We have our orders.” They all looked at him like a man-eating polar bear just waking up after surgery. “Please understand, sir,” said another one of the men. “Please don’t consider this an attack on you.” Even though the man was armed and Dade was on the ground, he seemed to be pleading for mercy.

  “You have nothing to fear from me,” Dade told him as he finally stood up. He pulled the last tranquilizer dart from his lower back. The men kept their stun weapons pointed. At this point, Bernard Mengel was halfway down the corridor.

  “Then we are all just going to let this happen,” said one of the soldiers, who looked relieved. “The doctor over there is going to interrogate the terrorist. We’ll get the information we need, and then we are all going to call it a day, sir.”

  Ann Marie went over to Dade and, with her voice shaking, asked him if he was OK. She realized that her hands were trembling. The attack had left quite an impression on her.

  Her boss looked back at her and, with what appeared to be something like regret, apologized. He said, “I didn’t want you to see that.” Then he added, “Or what I’m about to do.”

  Looking confused, she asked him, “What do you mean?”

  Dade Harkenrider suddenly vaulted over two of the soldiers and knocked another to the ground on a mad charge toward Bernard Mengel. He took a few hits from the cattle prods but they barely slowed him down. Instead of grabbing hold of Bernard, he locked onto the steel briefcase and started bashing it. It was still connected to Bernard’s wrist and, as Dade smacked it against the floor, it whipped the old man’s body around. By the time the soldiers were able to reach him, the contents of the briefcase were smashed and dripping all over the hallway floor.

  Bernard gasped when he got up and saw the jars of broken interrogation chemicals. “Look at what you’ve done,” he said. “That was my entire supply.”

  “I know,” said Dade, smiling.

  “I was going to use that today.”

  “I know,” Dade said with his smiling blooming even more.

  “You little shit!” Bernard started to reveal his anger and quickly got himself under control. “How am I supposed to interrogate him now?” Then he shouted to the soldiers, “Everyone keep away from the spill! These chemicals are very, very dangerous!”

  “You could try just asking him nicely,” said Dade almost gleefully.

  A military police sergeant, who was apparently in charge of the operation, came into the hallway. He looked angry but seemed to do his best to contain it when he spoke to Dade. Ann Marie thought that the sergeant even seemed afraid but she couldn’t understand why. “Dr. Harkenrider,” he said, “can you tell me what the hell is going on here?”

  “Of course,” said Dade. He was now being perfectly polite as though the entire struggle never happened. “It’s very simple. Mengel isn’t going to interrogate the prisoner. In fact, he is going to get out of California right this second.”

  “Dr. Harkenrider,” the sergeant said in a manner that seemed like begging. It was almost like speaking to a difficult child. “You are aware of the national security emergency?”

  “Sure am.”

  “Then what are we going to do about it?”

  “I’m going to interrogate the man. I’m more qualified that that old hack. Besides, Bernard doesn’t give a shit about your national security emergency. He’s got his own agenda.”

  Bernard shouted, “He’s a lunatic!”

  “Listen Sergeant,” Dade went on, “let me tell you how this is going to happen. I’m gonna walk into that interrogation room. You’re going to leave me alone with the prisoner and I’m going to get you more information on that bomb than you know what to do with. Stop listening to this old fool and start letting me take care of business.”

  The sergeant seemed as though he was about to agree but still asked, “If I refuse?”

  “Sergeant,” Dade went on, “how many times have I been through this kind of thing with you people? I’m going to do exactly what I want. The more you try to stand in my way, the more you will fail. You people should have learned that by now. In this case, Sergeant,” he glanced at Bernard, “I’m the only one that’s going to help you.”

  Bernard Mengel argued, “I can come back with supplies in a matter of hours and finish the interrogation. We don’t need to continue to entertain this monster.”

  “Tick Tock,” said Harkenrider. “Tick Tock.” He scowled at Bernard. “Fifteen minutes and I’ll have the entire matter handled.”

  “Fine,” said the Sergeant, sounding exasperated.

  “Very wise decision, Sergeant,” Dade told him. “Very wise indeed.”

  Bernard was so furious that one of the veins in his neck looked ripe enough to explode. “I can’t believe you’re going to let this monster get away with everything he’s done,” he said. “I don’t understand why I’m allowed to be victimized by this lunatic.”

  “This is just the beginning, Bernard,” said Dade. “We both know that. I don’t care if no one else sees what you really are. It doesn’t matter. I got you in my sights, old man. Your plan here isn’t going to work.”

  Bernard Mengel shook his head in total exasperation. He seemed unable to listen to another word. “It’s a shame what’s happened to you,” he said. “Such a young man. So much potential.” Then Bernard turned to Ann Marie and looked at her as though he was about to dispense some fatherly advice. “Please be careful around that boss of yours.”

  Dade told Ann Marie, “Be extra careful of old pricks bringing advice.” He looked at Bernard as though another attack may come at any moment. He told him, “Stay far away from the kid. The farther the better. Every bit farther increases your chances of survival. If you try a god damned thing with her, those chances drop to zero.”

  At that, Bernard started down the hall with his wrist still attached to the mangled steel briefcase. The Sergeant brought Dade and Ann Marie to the secure interrogation room. Ann Marie followed with the fanciful hope that she would be allowed to observe. When it became clear that she would be asked to wait outside, she attempted to make a plea to her boss.

  “Pretty please let me inside with you,” she said to Dade.

  “Did you really just say, pretty please?”

  “I’m sorry. I did,” she said, realizing that she had sounded even younger than her actual age. “It’s just that I want to help.”

  “I don’t need your help. I don’t need anyone’s help. Besides, you don’t want to know what I’m going to do to him.” He left her standing in the hall.

  The Camel Spider sat shackled to a steel table surrounded by mirrors, even on the floor and ceiling. It made
the disorienting room seem infinite. A strange hum, like white noise, filled Bander’s ears. When he concentrated on it, the sound started to seem deafening. There was something very strange about that room. He found himself wishing for the pillowcase to be put back over his head.

  An opening in one of the mirrored walls revealed itself and Dade Harkenrider strode through.

  “What is this place?” Asked the prisoner.

  “An experimental interrogation facility. I designed it.”

  “The room is making me dizzy.”

  “Do I call you Bander or Mr. Al Zahrani, or Mr. Spider?”

  “Bander is fine.”

  “Where’s the bomb, Bander?”

  “I’m really sorry you asked me that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there is no damn bomb! Because I don’t know what you’re talking about! I was hoping you wouldn’t be like the others. I was hoping you would believe me.”

  “Why should I believe you? Humans are always drowning in their lies. What makes you any different?”

  “You say that like you’re not a human being yourself.”

  Harkenrider leaned in closer to the stainless steel table and glowered at him. “Let’s get something straight, Bander. I may resemble one of you apes, but looks can be deceiving.”

  “Are you honestly telling me you’re not human?”

  “Whatever I am, I’m the one that’s about to torture you. You’d think you’d want to be on my good side.”

  Bander was quite confused. The odd way Dade stared at him made his pulse quicken. “What are you going to do to me?” He asked.

  “Me? I’m not even gonna lay a hand on you. That other guy though, the guy they almost let in here.” Dade shook his head, saying, “He wasn’t going to be so nice. The rest of them, they just want to torture you and kill you. Most of them don’t even care if the bomb goes off. That old man, though, that would have been much worse than death. Don’t get me wrong. There is still a good chance they’ll kill you after I leave but no one should go through what Bernard was going to inflict on you.”