Sera Baine stood still, her dark figure contrasting the blanket of gray cloud. The wind whipped at her dark hair and pristine black coat, animating her still frame. The blades of the helicopter slowed, the stifling hum of motion decaying alongside them.
Sera strode towards the aircraft, pulling a wheeled case behind her.
She was, of course, being erratic for overturning her life in response to an email, but if she wasn't insane, she wouldn't be any good at her job.
Ironic how she had been trained to start worrying if any of her patients began to exhibit that degree of recklessness.
A man opened the sleek helicopter door, offering an uncommonly pale hand to help the woman up, which she ignored. She hoisted the case up after her, collapsing lazily into the backseat. The two pilots shared a look but closed the door. "Ready to go Miss Baine?"
"Doctor," she said absentmindedly, strapping herself in.
The pilots didn't comment.
Sera peered out of the window as the expanse of concrete fell away, the details loosing their definition with the growing distance.
The woman tapped her fingers on her leg, the excitement growing as they passed over the cold, flat sea. Sherrinford. She'd done her research. And she was certain that what was waiting for her, would not disappoint.
Sera remained awake the whole journey, watching the plane of ocean pass beneath the helicopter, almost as if in a trance. It was when they finally touched the landing pad, that a childlike fervor began to stain her cheeks.
"You alright back there?" the pale pilot asked, leaning back. He had an uncommonly short expanse of neck, the skin of which seemed to hang over his brittle bones like cloth.
Sera didn't reply, instead, pushing the door open, her impractically tall heels sinking into the sand. They were cheap anyway. She surveyed the vast, dark building ahead of her, eventually settling on two uniformed figures that were making their way towards her.
"An escort," she smiled, pleased with herself to have earned two guards.
The pale pilot watched the woman from inside.
"You sure we picked up the right lady? What does that detective bloke say- I deduce we've got another loony," he said in a pleasant, but hoarse voice, as he cuffed his colleague's ear.
"Agh, you tosser," the other grumbled, recoiling slightly but nevertheless continuing to fiddle with the blinking equipment.
Sera lifted her luggage, the wheels serving no purpose on the sandy beach as she reaches her little welcoming party. "Dr. Baine?"
Her lips twitched slightly with distaste.
No, sorry, I think you've got the wrong woman. I'm not Dr. Baine. No, no, I just wanted to pop by England's most heavily guarded prison to admire the scenery.
Sera's facial feature assumed a nervous gentleness. An ideal expression for the role she had decided on. And now began the theatrics: the taste of drama... A flavor that would become familiar on her tongue.
"Glad you got the "doctor" part right," she said, offering a shy grin.
The man didn't smile, but the small muscles on the side of his eyes relaxed slightly. Good, Sera thought.
He turned. "This way," he said over one of his broad shoulders. His colleague moved in surprisingly accurate unison: from the length of the gait, to the swing and rotation of the shoulder cuffs, all was mirrored.
Sera tagged along behind them, making sure that when the case slipped from her hands a couple times: even this detail would end up playing in her favor. The pair did nothing to assist her, though she knew they had taken notice.
The doctor was led to an entrance made from thick steel, and most likely, given the setting, reinforced to be impervious to explosions.
The silent guard stepped up to enter a series of numbers into the access control system, next pressing one of his tanned thumbs against the scanner. Finally, he leaned down to murmur something that sounded like "regulus" into a hidden microphone and swiping a card. Sera raised her eyebrows. Four different security systems.
The entrance lurched before receding sideways, the alarms wailing. Sera followed suit as her little entourage of two ducked into a small but brightly lit room. At the other end of it, there was a metal detector framing the only doorway out. Two more guards came forward to take the case from her.
They lifted it onto a table with a clatter, and Sera narrowed her bright eyes and moved around the table, setting a curious expression on her face. She watched as they unzipped the case, flipping it open with a degree of carelessness that almost made her snatch it away from them, but, after an internal conflict, Sera managed to keep her face passive.
They snapped on rubber gloves, sifting through her belongings. One of the guards produced a bra, briefly making eye contact with the young woman: he had something like embarrassment painted on his features. She winked lazily. Idiot. Use your eyes.
Once cleared, the original pair of guards took over, leading her through the metal detector. The chattier of the two lifted her case. "I'm bringing this to your quarters. Jones here'll show you to the Governor," he said, nodding at her and striding off. She had been wrong: that one had a bit of a limp. Sera raised her dark eyebrows as the remaining one set off at a quick pace, leaving her little choice but to follow.
The hallway opened into a large room: to the left of her, behind a sheet of glass, a man clad in a dark but expensive-looking suit sat at his desk, hunched over some papers. The general room was alive with staff, some of which were carrying sleek guns strapped over their shoulders.
The man, who still had yet to speak a word to the young woman, strode over to the glass doors, pulling one open. A blush tinged Sera's cheekbones: a trick that had taken some years to pick up. She had figured out how to concentrate watered-down emotion, blowing it so out of proportion that part of her subconscious mind was convinced the emotion was authentic. After all, she would tell herself, it's the details that act as the tipping factors. The subtle shading of a character is of paramount importance.
The governor, as Sera assumed, glanced up at her entrance. "Ah. Glad you decided to join us, Dr. Baine," at this he stood, making his way around the desk.
"I apologize about the email, but the vagueness is rather necessary..."
"Because," Sera finished for him, taking a seat without being asked. "The internet, even buried beneath passwords, is a public place."
The governor looked at her strangely.
She smiled demurely, resuming her character.
"Dr. Baine, I need you to realize that your work here is to remain entirely secret. You may not disclose your position to any friend, family member. No one outside of this island, no matter their significance. Not even other officials."
Why does a government-sanctioned prison feel the need to keep secrets from itself?
"I - yeah, got it, but what, uh, what will it actually be that I'm doing here?" Sera asked, a minute tremor of nervousness slipping into her voice.
"We have, uh, well, that is to say, there is a certain prisoner in this facility, unique in every sense of the word. She is, to say the least, clinically extraordinary. A genius far beyond her lifetime."
"And you want me to perform a psychiatric evaluation?"
"Yes. Preferably more than a few: we would like to have a more long-term set of data on this one... That is to say, if you remain here."
The young woman's eyebrow twitched at this.
"I should warn you, we have sent two doctors in before you, but there have been... Complications," the governor ran a hand over his receding hairline.
"If you're going to warn me about something, you have to actually specify what it is," Sera said, cringing inwardly when her voice came out colder than she had intended.
"She has a-a way with words. The two doctors couldn't describe it, but both have resigned." he fidgeted with a fountain pen on his desk.
"So, manipulative?"
"It's, uh, a delicate situation. I'm afraid to say that I would only know to describe her as a... ah, psychopathic genius."
Sera shifted in her chair, her pulse tapping erratically within her skin.. She hadn't been wrong. No, not in the slightest. Sherrinford would certainly prove to be a good gamble.