“I can hear you.” Julia tried to smile but her lips were twitching.
“Now, I’m going to move the mask in place. Nothing to worry about, it just like a party mask.”
“Really? A party mask?”
“Sorry, force of habit. It’s a mask that focuses the magnetic field on you, so we can get accurate pictures. Better?”
“Better.”
A clear plastic face mask moved down from the roof of the machine and positioned itself a few inches from Julia’s face.
“Put your ear plugs in, hold the alarm button, sit back and we’ll have you out of there in no time at all. Give me a thumbs-up when you’re ready, it’s going to be A-OK.”
Julia squeezed the ear plugs into her ears, welcoming the quietness. Grabbing the alarm button again she gave Melissa a thumbs-up.
The bed gave a quick vibration and then moved backwards into the MRI Machine.
Julia held her breath, as the space around her became narrow and tight. She wasn't a claustrophobic person but she was wondering if she could suddenly become one.
Her eyes flicked around the smooth plastic walls, stopping on a stain that looked like a smeared bloody finger print as it whizzed past.
She closed her eyes.
How long was she going to be inside this machine? What if she was trapped? She opened her eyes and looked up at a small mirror above her face. In the mirror, she could see Melissa waving. “Pull yourself together Julia!” she said to herself and looked down at her feet, they seemed so far away, as if she had been stretched in a candy machine at Willy Wonka’s factory. She nervously chuckled at that but then suddenly her hair stood up on the back of her neck and goosebumps appeared on her naked arms as a thought entered her mind about the mirror. What if she saw IT in the mirror the next time she looked? Saw those rubber lips against her cheek. Should she look? All she had to do was flick up her eyes. If she could see IT in the machine then Melissa would know.
She looked up but all she could see was Melissa at a console. Maybe if she hit the mirror with her head, she could angle it to her face, to see if IT was in here with her. She felt a spasm on her neck as if something was touching it. She started to breath faster, she needed to get out. It was here, she knew it.
“Julia. We are going to run seven tests, maybe eight depending on readability. Each one lasts a few minutes. Now, they all sound a little different, and there’ll be a pause between each test. I know you know this, but don't hold your breath OK? You don’t need to and it can confuse the scan, just breath and swallow gently. Oh, and try to lay still, keeping movements to a minimum. I’m going to start test one in a few seconds.”
Concentrating on Melissa’s voice, Julia calmed her breathing. She looked once more through the mask and into the mirror. She saw Melissa on the phone. On the phone? Who was she talking too? She yawned, feeling tired. When she opened her eyes, she saw Melissa was off the phone and back at the console.
“Test one, will take ninety seconds. I’m starting in three, two, one.”
Small vibrations ran through the metal bed and along Julia’s arms, followed by a wave of fresh air that ran over her semi-naked body, helping her to breathe. Then the loud banging started and Julia squeezed her eyes shut, forcing a single tear that slid over her cheek and settled on her naked shoulder.
EIGHT.
Melissa stared at the images generated by the MRI, while Julia sipped coffee. The heat from the coffee didn't help the shivers she was feeling across her back and neck.
“Well?” asked Julia.
“It’s odd. Take a look. Sometimes there is a mass -”
Julia leapt to her feet, coffee splashed against the wall. “A mass?” There were certain words you never want to hear in a hospital and a mass was one of them.
“It’s OK. Because it disappeared later, see?” Melissa pointed to the images displayed on the twin monitors, “Must be a fault with the machine, because then it’s back here and then gone again.”
Julia shivered. “Like it’s moving?”
Melissa rolled her eyes and put her hand on her sister’s shoulder, “No, not moving, it's in the same spot, see? I’ve seen this mass before, many times over the last few weeks, must be an image left over from the last scan. Let me bring it up.” Melissa worked the keyboard and brought up another set of images,
“This is from a patient last night. He was having severe headaches, tiredness, sleepwalking. See?”
Julia placed her fingers on the screen, as she stared at her images and the one of a W. O’Brien. On all eighteen, of W’s scans there was a large curved mass over the cerebellum. She looked at her scans and saw that the same mass was on five of her eleven scans.
“Just like me. Look, I agree it looks odd. Could this be the virus you mentioned, symptoms sound the same.”
Melissa yawned. “Maybe. But why would it appear and then disappear? We’ll figure this out. I need more coffee. You want some more or are you just going to throw it at the wall again?”
“Ha, Ha.” Julia looked closer at the images, looking for a clue, something that wasn’t right. “Do I have to go back under?”
“I think we should get the machine looked at first, but yes. Are you hungr - ” She was interrupted by a buzz on the intercom. “Ah! Great, this is the Doctor I was telling you about.” Melissa pressed a large green button by the intercom and the door to the room slowly opened.
“The Doctor has been monitoring all the scans lately. Maybe she can figure out what’s going on here. Here she is!”
Julia turned to face the door, suddenly her stomach rolled as if she was on a roller coaster, the hairs on her arms stood up and her mouth went dry. Into the room walked a tall, golden skinned woman with long straight black hair, streaked with grey that fell to her shoulders, her features were so strong it was if they were carved from marble. Her large dark purple eyes looked first at Julia, quickly past her, to Melissa and then back to Julia again. It was hard to tell her age, maybe she was in her 30’s or 50’s?
“Doctor, this is my sister, who I was telling you about. I’m sorry but it looks like the machine is faulty, the scans are confusing. This may have been a waste of time for you.”
The Doctor flicked her large purple eyes between the sisters, “You are twins? What a wonderful surprise.”
“All our life,” yawned Melissa.
Julia tried to place the Doctor’s accent but couldn’t.
“Nice to meet you Doctor,” whispered Julia.
The Doctor reached out and held Julia’s hands making them tingle, “Doctor is so formal, please call me Lillian Fox.”
NINE.
Vince and Keel leant against the Pontiac, Keel with crystal in hand, Vince, hands in pockets, head down against the early morning sun.
“Well here he is! Drexel, it’s been a long time!” Canopus, arms out for a hug, walked up to an overweight bald man in his fifties, who was talking to a woman, holding hands with a small scruffy looking girl.
Sheriff Drexel turned, gave a wide smile and pulled out a large gun. “John frigging Canopus!” The woman and the kid hurried away. Keel silently drew her pistol and placed it under her grimoire.
Canopus continued to walk towards the Sheriff, “You still holding a grudge about that?”
“She was my sister, John,” shouted the Sheriff, waving his gun in the air.
Canopus rubbed his chin, “But also your cousin, right?”
Drexel frowned and then burst out laughing, embracing Canopus, “You know what? I think she was!”
Keel placed her gun back in the holster and smiled at a worried Vince.
“Jeez John, release the grip a bit will you, it’s like being hugged by a bear.”
“What happened here and here?” Canopus pointed to Drexel’s bald head and then his large stomach, hanging over his belt.
“Lost some there, gained it here, doesn't bother the ladies, more to love.” grunted Drexel. “Could still knock down the Cannon though.”
Canopus blushed,
“That was a lucky shot and you know it. I’m pretty sure I was drunk.”
Drexel held up his right fist, “haven’t washed it since.”
“Cannon?” whispered Vince to Keel
“Canopus used to be an amateur boxer, back in the 80s. Cannon Canopus they called him. Apparently, he was quite good,” She thought for a moment and then continued, “Orthodox stance, total fights 49, wins 48, wins by KO 40, losses 1.” She held the crystal to her eye and looked at Canopus and Drexel, as they pretended to box on the steps of the Sheriff's office.
“He’s clear. Canopus too,”
Vince watched Canopus, even though he was joking around with the Sheriff, you could see that he was perfectly balanced.
“Canopus, we are heading to the morgue. All good here.”
“Who are the kids?” squinted Drexel, hand resting on his now holstered revolver. “We’ve had a lot of problems round here lately. Not sure about new folk.”
“That there is Samuel’s daughter, Carina. The other one, is someone who’s helping us.”
Keel did a pretend curtsey.
“Samuel Keel? Damn, didn't know his kid survived. I haven’t heard that name for a long time. So, I’m guessing, seeing as you’re with another Keel, that she’s into the family business too?”
“It’s why we are here, old friend. I think you could use our help. Let’s go inside and get each other up to speed.”
Drexel nodded and together they walked up the steps. Canopus looked back at Keel and gave her a thumbs-up.
Keel reached into her satchel, “Ok, Vince. Let’s see what secrets the morgue is hiding.”
“How can a morgue hide secrets?” asked Vince.
“Ever hear the phrase, ‘dead men tell no tales’?”
“Sure,” Vince replied.
“I have a way around that,” smiled Keel, tapping her grimoire.
TEN.
Keel knocked on the metal door of the morgue, nothing. She tried the handle, it was locked.
“Well that’s that then, unless you have a little trick to open a door?” commented Vince, waggling his fingers. He finally felt back to normal.
“Actually, I don’t,” frowned Keel. “Normally Canopus knocks them down. She opened the grimoire and flicked through the pages, while Vince peered over her shoulder.
Keel pushed him back, “Not for you. Some words on these pages, even said in your mind would 100% kill you.”
“How can you can read them then?” sulked Vince.
“I have protection. Plus, we are old friends.” Keel patted the book and then continued to flick through the pages. Suddenly she stopped, tapped the page with her finger and looked up smiling, “I believe this will work, and it’s a hex I’ve never tried before!”
“Are you sure it’ll work?”
“Yes. But there is a 45% chance that one of us may turn inside out,” Keel shrugged. “More likely you, so I’m willing to give it a try.” She looked at Vince’s shocked face wondering if he understood her joke. Maybe she needed to work on her delivery more, or follow with a laugh. She laughed, but it sounded manic and Vince looked even more terrified. Shaking her head quickly, she continued, “Maybe you want to step back a little, just in case. Oh, and hold your breath. That may help the hex not see you.”
“Now wait a minute here!” exclaimed Vince, holding up his hands as he stepped back.
Withdrawing a long thin knife from her boot, Keel cut a small incision across her thumb and traced a series of intersecting symbols on the door in her blood. “This should force it open.”
Vince held his breath.
“Or maybe I could just let you in?” They both span round to see a tall man in his twenties standing behind them, he had hair of messy brown curls and was wearing a scruffy black jacket with a striped tie underneath. In one hand, he was a holding a brown paper bag, in the other a large black key. He frowned and looked at the door and the red markings, “You two graffiti artists or something? You know this is police property.”
Keel displayed her badge, “Special Agent Carina Keel and this is Special agent.. agent…Vince. It’s just Vince. He’s helping me with a case.”
The man sighed relief, “The name’s Sid. I run the morgue. Just been to get my lunch. I thought you might be trying to break in, a lot of people have been trying to break in here lately.”
His phone played a ‘ding-dong’. Sid took it out and looked at the screen.
“Blu-dates match. Oh, it’s you.” He showed the phone to Keel. Her FBI picture was staring back at her.
“Keeler Queen? Nice username.”
Keel’s phone also played a loud ‘ding-dong’ but she left in her pocket.
“It was added as a joke. I also feel their algorithm is not an algorithm at all. Just plays whenever you are close to anyone.
“Uh-huh, “replied Sid as he read through Keel’s profile, he flicked his eyes at the door.
“Hang on, is that blood?” he asked, peering at the symbols on door. “I know blood when I see it.”
Keel stepped in front of the door, “No. No, it isn’t. Why do you think people have been breaking in? Can you show me? I am an FBI agent.” She tapped her badge on his phone.
Sid narrowed his eyes and then laughed, “Sure, what do I care. They don't pay me enough as it is to hang with the occupants, let alone worry about whatever this all is.” He waved his fingers in front of both Vince and Keel. “Alright, Keeler Queen, follow me and I’ll show you.”
Sid unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Sorry about the darkness, the light switch doesn’t work this end.”
“Keeler Queen?” giggled Vince, “What’s this Blu-dates app? I have to have it.”
Keel glared at Vince as she held up her crystal, watching Sid as he stepped out of view. Satisfied, she put the crystal away.
“You first” replied Keel, shoving Vince into the corridor, “Wouldn't want you to get lost now would we.” Keel sucked on her bloody thumb and followed a sulking Vince into the darkness.
“Can you close the door behind you?” called Sid.
Keel pulled the heavy door shut, the noise echoed through the dark corridor.
“You found that light switch yet?” asked Vince. He couldn’t see anything but he could hear footsteps quickly moving away from him. He reached out and touched the cold walls. Something didn’t feel right. “Hey you there Sid? Keel?” He scrambled in his pocket for his phone.
Suddenly strip lights above him flickered into life, casting out a bright white light along a pale blue painted corridor.
“There, found it!” called Sid waving at the end of the long corridor. “Blue is a little retro eh? But apparently, it calms an occupant’s visitors.”
Vince turned around and saw Keel quickly holstering her drawn weapon, “What? I was 60% sure he may try and kill us. You can never be too careful,” she whispered with a shrug.
“This way! called Sid as he opened another heavy door that lead to an elevator. “I’ll show you were we had the break in. It’s quite far down though. Did you know the morgue is built inside Bonners mountain? Helps keep the place cool.”
“That explains the smell of limestone,” replied Keel, as she followed Sid.
Trailing behind, Vince felt cold lips press against his left ear, the whispers made little goosebumps appear on his arms, “Oh sweet Vinnie. We are getting closer I can feel it. Soon it will be time to let me once more take control.”
ELEVEN.
Canopus sat in Sheriff Drexel’s office, files were piled high on the table in two separate columns. “See these,” gestured the Sheriff to the left pile, these are all the missing person cases.
“That’s a lot for a year.”
“Try a frigging week.”
“A week? Holy crap, Drexel. Why didn't you call in the bureau?”
“I did, see these two files here, that’s them.” He pulled out two files and passed them to Canopus.
Canopus flicked through the files of special agent’s Altair and Bunjil, �
��I know Bunjil, good agent. She still alive?”
“Who the frig knows. Their car has been pulled into our lot, both missing for five days now. I thought you were their replacements. This pile here is missing, the larger pile here is the dead. I seem to be moving more and more from the missing to the dead pile every day.” He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his head and neck.
“So, new agents are on their way down?” frowned Canopus.
Drexel leant forward, his eyes sparkled, “You in trouble again bruther?”
“Let’s just say, we are here on unofficial business, personal, if you get my drift.”
“The girl? If she is Samuel’s daughter, like you say, then all this points to something far more dark and dangerous. I know the cases you and Samuel used to run. Cheezus Canopus, I worked on some of them with you. What screwy mess have we got here?”
“Something bad. Have you heard of this name, don’t say it out loud.” Canopus grabbed a piece of paper and pen from the desk and wrote down the name Lillian Fox. He slid it over to Drexel.
Drexel looked at the paper, frowned and then placed it face down on the table with a hard slap, “Maybe. Rings a bell. I will have to run a check.”
Canopus got up from the desk. “Do that, and if you feel tired suddenly, more than usual, call me.”
“I’m always tired, developed frigging type two diabetes a while back. But this keeps it in check and I can still drink as much as I want.” Drexel waggled an insulin pen in front of Canopus. He frowned. “Something else I should probably tell you. We have found a lot of what I’m calling shells.”
“Shells?”
“Yeah, shells, came up with the name myself. The last I counted we had 44 of them, they are not dead or alive, just empty. They don't eat or drink, just sit there, eyes open. Every day, the hospital sends us a new one or two. It’s like they are in shock or something, damned if I know. They just sit there, like frigging vegetables. Hit them around the head, nothing. Poke them in the eyes, nothing. The hospital asked if we could keep them locked up but I don’t have enough cells. So, I’m keeping them in the morgue. Creepy little friggers though.”
Canopus and Keel - The Hive. Page 8