An hour later
The clothes that they gave me reminded me of prison uniforms, their bold black and white horizontal stripes did little to comfort me. But I was grateful for the shower and didn't complain. In fact, I said nothing to Mrs. Peabody or the other employees that we encountered as she led me to the staff bathroom and later to Dr. Strange's office. Now that I was no longer blindfolded, I was able to survey my surroundings and had determined that I was in a mental-health facility. The source of the screaming became quite clear as we passed the rooms of the insane. As much as I wanted to help them in some way, they absolutely terrified me. Even the few that were quiet brought a shiver of dread through my heart. As I stood in the shower, it gave me ample time to think about my situation. I don't understand why Galavan sent me here…why wasn't I simply hidden away like Mrs. Kapelput? Even if I can't figure out his plans, he obviously won't let me go to warn anyone. Maybe this is some sick punishment that he had concocted for me interfering with his plans. He kept referring to me as a 'surprise', maybe he resented me for it. As I was drying off with a towel, I then had a chilling reminder of Dr. Strange's flower delivery and his note. God, please give me the wisdom to reason with this man.
Now dressed in the prison-like uniform, Mrs. Peabody led me to what I assumed was Dr. Strange's office. The room had a large desk on the far side of the room, facing the door, covered with files and paperwork. The wall had a couple of certificates or diplomas hanging like badges of honor on the uniform of a soldier. There were several filing cabinets on the left, and a large window with bars on the right. There was a chair identical to the one in my cell facing Dr. Strange's desk and I was invited to take it by the gesture of a hand. I sat down to wait for the man that owned the name plate on the desk in front of me. I had to clear my throat a few times, the scratches and tickles were begging for water. I looked over to the window and saw that it was a dreary morning with grey clouds covering the sun. From this angle, I couldn't see the bottom floors of the building, but I could see the outside masonry which was like a castle in my imagination.
"Ms. James!" Dr. Strange's second greeting made me jump since I didn't see or hear him coming. I turned to him on reflex and saw him with a toothy grin that seemed unnatural on his face. His round rose colored glasses showed my reflection, so I couldn't see his eyes from my seat. It was now that I needed to speak, but again it was rough. "Dr. Strange, thank you for allowing me to shower. I feel much better." "I'm sure you do…" his deep voice agreed as he circled around me and sat on the chair behind his desk, "I've asked Mrs. Peabody to have some tea brought in, that should help your throat. We must take care of that precious voice of yours." As uncomfortable as I was, I smiled and nodded in appreciation. "Now, you must be wondering where you are and why you're here…" he continued, "You are in Arkham Asylum. Now normally you wouldn't have been put in a patient's room, but you arrived so late at night I wasn't even here to receive you! I apologize for the inconvenience, but I hope you were able to sleep well considering the circumstances." I didn't want to provoke the man that held the key to my release, so I smiled again and nodded. "Good! Good…"
The clink of chinaware sounded behind me and I then saw another employee of the Asylum wheeling in a small cart and parked it under the window. "Thank you, Mr. Smith." I was getting up, but Dr. Strange held up his hand to stop me. "Please, allow me…" he said as he got up to make the tea. After a few minutes of clinking and water pouring, he continued to speak, "Fortunately for you, I still had some Chamomile tea left from when I was fighting a cold two weeks ago. Milk and sugar?" "Yes, please…" I croaked. The doctor tsked in pity as he added the milk and sugar to the cup. The stirring of the spoon in the cup accompanied Dr. Strange's next statement, "I can still hear your song from the concert, it was absolutely breathtaking…" He offered the cup to me, and I thanked him silently. The tea was the most comfort I had felt since before Mrs. Kapelput and I were kidnapped. I was savoring the soothing heat in my throat while he continued from his seat. "When I heard that we had a new patient, imagine my surprise when I saw you sitting on the bed. Of course, you aren't an inmate here, that was most certainly a misunderstanding on the part of the night staff. Again, I apologize."
This information gave me hope…if he didn't receive the call from Galavan the previous night, then he wouldn't know about his plans and activities. If I play my cards right, he might release me, and I can get help. God, give me wisdom. Now that I had the tea, my voice sounded better, "I'm sure it was just a mistake. No harm done…" The little I could see of his face behind his glasses seemed genuinely touched by my statement. "The voice of an angel is indeed appropriate in this case…you are so kind…" This gave me another glimmer of hope, so I continued, "And I want to thank you for the lovely flowers that you sent me. I also appreciate that you could attend the concert and enjoy the music…" His face lit up even more after my words reached his ears. "Oh! It was truly a delight. I was worried that I may have crossed the line when I sent those flowers. If I had known how talented you were, I would have brought the flowers to the concert and given them to you then!" As much as I was trying to maintain a calm demeanor, the praise that he was giving me embarrassed me to my core. I could feel my face flush and I lowered my gaze to try to hide it. I could hear him chuckle, "I'm sorry…I've embarrassed you. Though, you should be used to complements."
This was not going the way I had envisioned it. I was hoping that I could simply convince him to let me go home in a few sentences, but he seemed to know just what to say to interrupt my thoughts. "Dr. Strange…" I finally replied, "Thank you, but I'm not that talented, really. There are other singers that are much better than I am…" "Nonsense!" he countered, "You have a natural quality to your voice that is so exquisite!" Okay, I thought, this is ridiculous…is he stalling or what? "Please…" I firmly replied, hoping that he would take me seriously, "Dr. Strange, as much as I appreciate your hospitality, I really would like to go home…" His face changed to one of disappointment before my eyes. "Ah…well…you see…Ms. James, I'm afraid that won't be possible." I could feel a cold chill flow down my spine as he leaned forward and held his hands as his forearms rested on the desk. "You see, Mr. Galavan has informed me of the situation, and he has placed you in my charge." In a panic, I got up from the chair and started toward the door, but two large men in white uniforms blocked my way and firmly grasped my shoulders, turning me around back toward the now standing doctor. He reached into a drawer of his desk and brought out latex gloves, a needle, and a small vial.
I pleaded with him, "Please, Dr. Strange, please let me go! I'm begging you, please! I just want to go home!" As he put on his gloves and prepared the syringe, I tried to fight the men's hold to no avail. My tears were hot on my face as I cried out. The cool and collected doctor slowly approached me with the needle pointed to the sky. "Ms. James…" he said with a voice like a mother trying to comfort her child, "you don't realize it now, but soon you'll thank me." As the needle approached me, one of the men's hand forced my head to be held to the side, exposing my neck. "You'll be even better than before; with my research, I will unlock your hidden potential…" I felt the prick of the needle and the thin metal entering my neck. Then the sensation of the substance being forced into my body spread from the point of entry and started to cause my mind to become fuzzy. "When you wake up…you'll be a new woman…" I felt his latex glove on my cheek, as I felt darkness envelope me.
