Ducie by Chris Freeman

  Chapter 19. A little story?

  There was a surprising lack of activity at the Institution for a place that had just hosted an unexpected and slightly sinister looking death. This was what struck Adam as he and Kate sat alone in the security office. The corridors seemed quiet and the earlier commotion appeared not to have woken anyone. Adam and Kate were again under instruction to stay put in the office, but given that the day’s events had sent Adam past the point of caring what happened to him, he rose from his chair, wincing at a sudden pain somewhere on his spine and optimistically gave the door handle a tug.

  - And you really expect them to have left it open?

  Kate was recovering and spoke with a strain.

  - You really think they’d leave the door open for you to have your wicked way broadcasting your little story to any mug that’d listen?

  - ‘Little’ story did you say Katey? Little fucking story? Just how little is all this exactly Katey? What more would have to happen before this was a big deal to you?

  - Look, Adam…

  Kate rarely showed Adam any degree of outward sympathy. She may have felt it, but to show it would be to appear weak, and to appear weak might offer the slightest crack for her true heartache to come gushing out. She felt she owed him something here though.

  - … I know all this must have rocked your world. I honestly understand that. I’m begging you as a friend to co-operate with them though Adam.

  - I don’t have much of a choice do I? If I don’t play along, they’ll stick their little saber light toy in me again and zap me back into line.

  - They’re going to tell you everything anyway, once they’ve finished scraping Harry off the floor. Then you’ll know what I know and trust me Adam, I can’t wait for the moment I don’t have to have these conversations with you any more.

  - So why don’t you tell me yourself. Huh? Come on! Right here and now. Save them a job and just tell me what’s going on here. So what is it? Oh yeah…some egghead scientists tried to come up with a cure for addiction and they ended up testing it on some poor sod. Blah, blah, blah… Then it all went wrong and something else happened. What happened Katey? What’s all this about?

  Kate would never have contemplated giving him the ending to his story that he was craving, but she paused as if she were thinking about it.

  - Adam, if I told you anything whatsoever, I’d be breaking my the oath I swore not to breath a word, and you’ve seen what they’re capable of.

  - But they’re going to tell me anyway you said, so how does it matter if you save them the trouble?

  - It’d be better coming from them. You’re a paranoid mess at the best of times Adam and for once, you probably have good reason to be, but please just trust me on this one.

  Adam looked like he was thinking about what Kate had just said, and cocked his mouth to one side, as if to signal that he wasn’t completely on board with it. The sound of the key in the lock arrived at an opportune moment, where neither of them quite knew what to say next. Harrison Morgan entered the room carrying a look of exhaustion that told you all you needed to know about how low down this Institution was on the list of places he’d actually like to be right now. Although Harrison and Joe were both employed in security at the Institution, Joe was Harrison’s senior, and it was only in situations where Harrison worked without his friend that he allowed bits of his natural West Indian twang to seep out from beneath the well-spoken, professional mask that he wore when Joe was around. With Joe nowhere to be seen, this was one of those situations.

  - Kate, Adam. Joe a ask that we pick up dis business inna di marning. You two get some rest now and we’ll be arowund t’see you first ting.

  Kate’s objection was instantaneous.

  - Oh come on Harrison! You can’t do this to him. Adam’s cracking up here. You’re going to mentally scar the man if you’re not careful. Just sit down here with me right now and we’ll tell him the basics. It’ll take ten minutes, tops! You owe him at least that much.

  - Sorry Kate, Joe wanna be there when we speak t’Adam . It be inna di marning now.

  - You’re fucking sick, you know that? This is all a game to you isn’t it? Prolonging the agony unnecessarily to give you your sick power kicks. You fucking love this don’t you Harrison?

  Adam broke from his pensive gaze to offer a rare show of support for Harrison.

  - Katey, I’m ok, just leave it. I’ve gone this long without knowing, another few hours isn’t going to change anything.

  She shot Adam a confused look that in an instant begged a thousand questions about why Adam had suddenly changed his tune from feeling pretty hard done by.

  - To be honest Katey, whatever this show-stopping news you have for me is, I think I’d take it a whole lot better after a few hour’s kip. I’m so tired that even normal things aren’t making sense to me any more.

  Harrison was clearly grateful of the unexpected and probably undeserved cooperation he was suddenly getting from Adam.

  - Man just mashed his ‘ead ‘cross the floor, Kate. Jah be witness, I’m just doing what need to be done. I-man, nah gettin’ pleasure from a dis.

  Having lost the backing of the very person she was trying to argue for, Kate didn’t see the point in continuing. She downed the cold dregs of tea from her plastic cup and threw it at the bin, rather than into it. As they stood to leave, Adam picked up the discarded cup and placed it next to a stack of familiar looking invoices on the desk.

  Harrison led the pair back to their respective rooms and advised that he’d be back around 7:30am to pick up where they’d left off. They were under orders not to leave the room and of course not to speak to anyone.

  Unlike Adam, Kate would sleep soundly for the remainder of the night. She entered the kind of sleep where the night just passes you by and for those hours of deep slumber, somebody had pressed the pause button on your very existence. No tossing and turning, no dreaming, no nightmares. The kind of sleep that is so hard to wake from that you often feel less rested than you did before you nodded off. Harrison had promised to wake Kate around 7:30am, but in fact he woke her at 6:43am. As she rubbed her eyes and glanced at the infuriatingly bright digits on her digital alarm clock, she felt robbed of those 47 minutes sleep between now and 7:30am. Feelings of injustice quickly evaporated however, as she quickly learnt that Harrison was coming with the news that Adam was gone.