Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 5: The Asylum

Jake walked down the corridor of the first floor of Emerson Hospital with Rebecca and the others following close behind. The doors to the exit were still sealed up tight. The four of them could feel the heaviness in the air as they made their way into the bowels of Murray’s madhouse. The sounds of screaming and maniacal laughter had died down, and in their place was a deafening silence. There was something almost sinister about the silence that stretched down the halls.

The hallway opened up to another more open chamber with a large, circular desk in the center. Much like the atrium they’d just left, the desk was all but abandoned. Jake scanned the room for any signs of life or out of the ordinary. There were papers strewn about on the desk, an old computer terminal, and several empty bottles of medication. “Hold up a second,” Jake said, making his way around the desk to investigate, “Take a minute to look around, but I wanna see if they’ve got a manifest of some kind.”

“Good thinking,” Beth nodded, looking around, “We won’t go too far.”

Beth had her handguns drawn and at the ready. She felt a distinct sense of unease that had been steadily growing from the second they’d crossed the threshold. It could have been due in part to Pam’s clear anxiety, but she also knew the type of person that Anna Murray was. The woman was as close to a monster as one could get given her disposition towards modifying and mutilating people for her sadistic pleasure. The woman was truly something out of a nightmare, but her creations were what honestly scared Beth.

Over the years, she and Jake had encountered Anna Murray only a handful of times. The few times their paths had crossed had left a horrifying impression on them and a particularly bad taste in their mouths. IT almost always resulted in the same types of encounters; a mangled and psychologically broken set of Murray’s dolls. Her victims were often operated on with little to no anesthesia, and their supposed recovery consisted of her demented games of smothering, gassing, and other repulsive games. The end results were individuals that were physically, mentally, and emotionally scarred beyond recognition and that would never be the same.

Beth couldn’t count the number of people’s lives that Murray had ruined throughout her stint at one of Metropolis’ most demented rogues. The fact that Murray so often operated from the shadows in back alley operations, abandoned buildings, and other hellish locations made it all the more difficult to track her when she did rear her head. As infuriating as she could be, there was no denying that the woman was cunning and conniving. She made it a point to abduct people that nobody would miss; beggars, homeless, addicts, and more were her preferred clientele. 

More often than not, Murray either found her way to a more publicly prominent target, or her trail of bodies grew until Jake or Beth took notice. However, the damage was often done by the time they picked up on her scent. Beth still had nightmares about the mangled and mummified dolls trying to attack and ambush her. She’d come close to going under Murray’s knife more than once, but Jake had saved her each time. Of course, Beth hadn’t shared any of these horror stories with Pam. 

Beth surveyed the room with a careful gaze. There was another hallway that stretched down deeper into the depths of the asylum. There were old, weathered, wooden doors lining the halls leading to different rooms for patients and victims alike. Another set of double doors was on the far right with another of those red lights hanging above it signifying that it was locked tight. There was another set of doors to the left that were unlocked and waiting for someone to walk through them. Another camera was resting in the upper corner with its red light blinking indicating that it was on and that they were indeed being watched.

“Are you okay?” Beth asked Pam who was clearly more on edge than usual.

“Peachy,” Pam curtly replied, pausing and sighing after a moment, “Forgive me, Kitten. I’m as well as you can expect given our current predicament.”

“It’s alright,” Beth shrugged, “I get it, and I know what you’re feeling. This isn’t exactly where I want to spend my Saturday either. The thing is, we haven’t run into any trouble yet.”

“That is precisely what has her worried, right, Pamela?” Rebecca remarked, running her fingers along one of the dusty surgical trays sitting on a table.

“Don’t start,” Pam warned.

“There is nothing wrong with feeling unease, Pamela,” Rebecca shrugged, “We are clearly being watched. Her unsettlingly warm welcome was proof that she knows we are here. That camera you have been eying, Elizabeth, only confirms that suspicion. The question on our minds is what she is waiting for. You know her, correct? Perhaps you could shed some light on this particular question.”

“I don’t think-” Beth began.

“There’s no point hiding it,” Jake sighed, cutting her off, “We’re already in the deep end. At this point, it’s better for us to get ready for the hellish reality we’re walking into.”

“You’re a  regular ray of sunshine today,” Beth mumbled, shaking her head, “All I can do is speculate here, let’s get that out of the way first and foremost. Based on what we know about the doctor, she’s likely studying us. She’s going to watch us sweat, wait for our adrenaline levels to spike. This may as well be some kind of sick game to her. Everything is some kind of experiment with this woman. She’ll make her move to pick us off, but not before she has her fun.”

“Like rats in a maze,” Rebecca frowned, “I see. So her greeting is coming from a place of overzealous confidence. Her belief is that she has the upperhand despite having not made a move yet.”

“She has Jason,” Pam sighed, “Assuming the others are still alive, she has all the leverage.”

“I think they’re alive,” Jake said, grabbing one of the notebooks and making his way back around, “This looks like an intake manifest. It’s sickening, but someone has been keeping a log of everyone that comes through the gates, where they go, and their current status. Check it out.”

He flipped the pages back towards the front of the notebook. There were three sets of initials with dates beside them. The initials could have been a coincidence, but the dates were what stood out. They were mere days after the Brunswicks had made their first move. Jake flipped the pages forward to show the same initials on multiple pages going forward. The abbreviations on them were something of a mystery, but if Jake was right, it was proof that they were still alive. They’d been moved around the building by the look of things, but they were still there and still somewhere on the island.

“I can’t be sure, but this is the first lead we’ve got,” Jake explained, looking over the book for a second before closing it, “If we can figure out what these abbreviations mean, then maybe we can figure out where they are. I’ll hang on to this.”

“And until then?” Pam asked, looking around, “What do you propose we do in the meantime? Shall we just wander aimlessly in hopes of stumbling upon our allies?”

“We go where we can and see what we can dig up,” Jake replied, glancing up at the camera, “For now, all we can do is play along with her little game. Be on your guard, though, it’s only a matter of time before she sends out what she’ll consider to be entertainment.”

“Lovely,” Pam scoffed, “Let’s just continue to play right into her hand, shall we?”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Beth said, holstering one of her pistols and grabbing Pam’s hand, “Take a breath and center yourself. I’m here with you, remember? You’re not alone in this.”

“You forget yourself, Pamela,” Rebecca smirked, stepping forward and folding her hands, “Do not let your fear make you forget what we are, dear. Give us a moment to work.”

Jake and Beth watched as a ball of light appeared in Rebecca’s hands. The ball of light took the form of a much smaller raven, but its eyes were still the same shade of blood red as the larger one that they’d seen several times before. Rebecca whispered in Latin before pushing her hands forward and sending the little bird flying down the hall. Her eyes turned white as the spectral bird flew off in the darkness. It passed through the walls and the doors while Rebecca stood still as a statue and waited. Jake and Beth watched the display curiously and intently. 

Pam folded her arms and frowned as she watched the projection of a raven flutter down the hall. As much as she hated to admit it, Rebecca had a point. Jake and Beth had their gadgets and they were growing in their understanding of the arcane, but Rebecca and Pam had a far more intimate knowledge of magic. Their styles of magic differed, now more than ever, but they had an innate ability that their counterparts were only just beginning to grasp. 

“Get a grip,” the voice of her furious counterpart growled in her head, “Damn the fear and the hesitation. I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but our former mentor has a point. We have the advantage.”

Pam shook her head and rolled her eyes. It was a fair point to be raised, but putting aside her fear and nerves was easier said than done. There wasn’t much that she was afraid of, but doctors and hospitals had always unnerved her. Her brief face to face with Anna Murray had left a dreadful impression on her that she couldn’t shake. The woman was like something out of the darkest corners of her mind; the embodiment of everything she feared. The feelings of terror and anxiety were creating an awful pit in her stomach, but she felt a gloved hand run down her upper arm. She glanced over to see her pet beside her trying to offer some comfort.

Pam felt her nerves lessen at Beth’s touch. While she was grateful to have Beth close by, she hated the fact that she needed someone to comfort her. Perhaps it was pride that was playing in her mind, but she felt weak and pathetic. It was her place to keep Beth safe, not the other way around. However, she pushed those bitt feelings aside in favor of focusing on the task at hand. They had far more pressing matters to focus on than this.

Rebecca’s eyes lost the glow and she frowned. “Something isn’t right,” she said, turning to face the rest of her group, “There is a silence and stillness that is unnatural”

“What do you mean?” Beth asked.

“The noise that we heard when we first entered,” Rebecca explained, holding her arm out as the projection of her raven returned, “The screams, the laughter, the groaning, all of it is suddenly gone. There is nothing down the hall, and I could see no signs of movement. Pamela, can you sense anything?”

Pam frowned and sighed, “Nothing, not since we walked through the doors.”

“So what does all this mean?” Beth asked, “This place isn’t empty, so where is everybody?”

“That is the right question,” Rebecca replied, holding up a hand, “There are a couple of possibilities. The first, which is entirely unlikely, is that our good doctor has a way to make her patients, if we can call them that, disappear. The second, and far more likely and troubling, is that she has a way to block Pamela and I’s magic. This could be problematic.”

“Don’t start,” Pam shook her head, her nerves starting to spike yet again, “If that were the case, then we would feel it.”

“If it were a dampening field, yes,” Rebecca shrugged, explaining to the others, “We would feel a heavy weight on us, and our casting abilities would be greatly reduced. However, there are a number of ways to block passive abilities, as you know, Pamela.”

“Shit,” Jake sighed, remembering one of several passages he’d read in Pam’s tomes.

Jake walked over to one of the walls and grabbed one of his birdarangs. He scraped some of the material off the wall and looked down at the residue. “You’re thinking that they’ve reinforced the walls with minerals to interfere with your powers,” Beth shook her head, putting two and two together.

“Clever, clever,” Rebecca raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “It seems that you are indeed capable of more than just punching and shooting things. Have you been reading your mistress’ books behind her back?”

“Screw you and that condescending tone,” Beth narrowed her eyes, “You might think that I’m just some hair-brained, half-cocked, hot-head, but I’m way more than that. I’m a detective, same as Jake, I’ve got a degree in information technology, and I am an avid reader, asshole.”

Rebecca was about to lob another insult at Beth, but she stopped when she caught sight of the exasperated look from Jake. She paused to rethink her initial response. “That was not my intention,” she began, surprising both Jake and Beth, “I will not deny my bias with you, but I was genuinely surprised that you were able to draw the connection, Elizabeth. It is something that is not taught in today’s classrooms, and it is something that most people write off without a second thought.”

Beth sighed and relented, “I’m dating a sorceress, alright? I’ve fought against you and a whole lot of crazies that have abilities and powers beyond what anyone considers normal. Yeah, I read through some of Pam’s books and tomes when I had some downtime.”

“Hmm, I think the temperature in Hell just dropped a few degrees,” Jake mumbled, shocked that there was any semblance of civility between Beth and Rebecca, “Alright, so we’re relegated to using our basic senses. We go by what we see, what we hear, and more while we move in. Can you two sense us?”

“I can detect frustration from Elizabeth, shock from you, and anxiety from Pamela,” Rebecca replied, “The range may be limited, but I cannot say by how much.”

“Alright, that’s something,” Jake shrugged, walking around the desk, “We’ll have to figure this out as we go along. Come on, there’s no sense standing around. The longer we wait, the more pain our friends are going to suffer, and the more opportunity Murray has to set her traps.”

“At least we’ve got experience in making it up as we go,” Beth sighed, putting her hands behind her head, “You’re assuming that she doesn’t already have a ton of traps laid out for us. This is Anna Murray that we’re talking about. The woman’s greatest strength is her sociopathic mind and steady hands.”

“Elizabeth,” Rebecca said, her tone hushed as she glanced at Pam who was visibly tense.

“Huh?” Beth frowned before realizing what Rebecca was referring to, “I mean, it’s nothing we haven’t faced before. We can handle her, right?”

“We don’t have a choice,” Jake shrugged, taking the lead, “The only way out is through. She’s left the doors open, so let’s go see what sort of shit she has ready for us.”

“Hmph, you sound like me,” Beth scoffed, following behind Jake, “Cynical and colorful.”

Jake rolled his eyes and smirked. He led his friends through the double doors leading deeper into the bowels of asylum. The black and white tiles were cracked and covered in grime. Whether it was from footprints and shoes, or from bodily fluids, Jake wasn’t sure. He supposed that it didn’t matter. It was .better to not know given what he did know about Murray. The silence was almost deafening outside of their footfalls. He didn't like how quiet it was. Rebecca was right about how unnatural it was. 

“Let's keep that little tidbit to ourselves,” Ashley frowned beside him, “I detest even thinking it, let alone saying it aloud. Still, it begs the question where everyone is.”

“What are you thinking?” Jake asked, checking the doors as they walked further down the hall, “And don't tell me nothing because I know youve been working something out.”

“Flattery in such a dismal place,” Ashley chuckled, “You surprise me, Jake, I had thought you'd put business before pleasure.”

“Haha, you're hilarious,” he rolled his eyes.

“I'm trying to lighten the mood given what we may be walking into,” Ashley sighed, “Excuse me for thinking that we could use a distraction from the proverbial nightmare we are walking into. Pam alone seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and we have only just began.”

“Which is one of several reasons we need to be staying focused,” Jake said, “The place is too quiet. Murray welcomes us in, unlocks the doors, and mocks us before going silent. It's a mind game that I don't like.”

“I think that's her point,” Ashley frowned, “She is deliberately working to heighten the tension. However, that is not what has me concerned.”

“What do you mean?” Jake frowned, pausing to open one of the doors and investigate.

“Is this really the best time to stop?” Pam asked from the rear.

“We need to find a clue, Pam,” Jake replied, “This won't take long, I promise. Stay alert, and I'll be right back.”

Jake stepped into the small room and left his friends in the hallway. There wasn't much to see, but he decided to investigate all the same. A single bed with stained sheets and a pair of leather restraints was in the center of the room. An EKG machine had been left nearby; he noted the distinct lack of dust on the machine. The straps and restraints had a thin layer of dried blood on them, and the sheets of the bed were colored in shades of sickening reds and yellows. Whoever had been in this room hadn't been treated well. He looked down to see that the leather was fraying as well. Either someone had put up a hell of a fight, or the restraints were quite old. His guess was the prior.

“Disgusting,” Ashley mused, walking past him and to the opposite wall, “I've kept prisoners of war before, and even I had standards. This woman calls herself a doctor, hmph, how absurd. Have you seen these?”

Jake frowned and walked over to the wall where Ashley had stopped. The window above had bars on it, but that wasn't what Ashley was referring to. She had stopped and knelt in front of four canisters that were sitting on a roller cart. The canisters had hoses attached to them; two of them had needles fastened to the end, one had a mask, and the last one sat idle. There were labels on them with different abbreviations that Jake didn't recognize: CTP, DBP, and CTT. He started to grab one, but stopped when he saw a familiar looking worm slither around the canister. He frowned and pulled back.

“That can't be what I think it is,” he shook his head, “What the fuck are they doing here?”

“My guess would be perfecting a formula,” Ashley crossed her arms, “If this is the base level, just imagine what else is here. If memory serves, Murray was working with Courtney when she first appeared last year, er, two years ago? Ugh, stupid time continuum freaks.”

“Tell me about it,” Jake sighed, “I keep getting my time mixed up. It seems like just yesterday we were dealing with the potential threat of Eva and her takeover, and now she's running my entire goddamn city. I keep forgetting that we were gone for a whole year until I see Sam, Bruce, or Zoey…”

“Hey, did you find something?” Beth asked from the doorway, “You said a minute, and you've been in there for almost five.”

“Maybe,” Jake called back, “Is there anything coming out there?”

“Dead quiet,” Beth replied, “I don't like it, and I don't like sitting still. It makes me feel like we're just asking for trouble. Hurry it up there so we can get moving.”

“Back to what you were saying,” Jake turned his attention back to Ashley, “What were you saying about Murray before we saw these things?”

“Oddly enough, this only confirms my thoughts,” Ashley began, getting back to her feet, “I think this entire thing is deliberate on her part. The silence, the welcome message, even these abandoned rooms seem almost theatrical.”

Jake frowned and looked around, “That doesn't make sense unless-”

“Unless she was expecting us,” Ashley finished with a scowl.

“How is that possible?” Jake asked, trying to piece together the possibilities in rapid time.

He played through the events of the last forty-eight hours. Their plan to ambush the guards and hijack the truck was seamless, but then he went back to the planning stages. The window he'd managed to slip through with the CCTV cameras had seemed like a stroke of luck, but what if that wasn't the case? That meant that Jason was being used as bait. It shouldn't have been a surprise, but he'd actually started to believe that their luck had turned a corner. They'd managed to pull together a successful operation, but Anna had been expecting them to arrive. How could he have let himself become so overconfident?

“It's not arrogance, Jake,” Ashley sighed, recognizing where his thoughts were heading, “None of us saw the trap until now, and those three out there still haven't seen it. Of course, there's still the matter of these canisters. She's been experimenting with the chemicals and pheromones from your undead ex. The question is what she's doing it for.”

Jake shook his head in disbelief. He was about to turn to leave, but he stopped when he saw something on the table beside the bed. There was a glass jar with a strange slime inside it, but that wasn't what was catching his attention. Jake walked over to it and grabbed the jar. He held it up to the light to inspect it further. There was a small piece of flesh inside the jar, floating in the slime. He wasn't sure what it was, but Ashley seemed to recognize it.

“It's an adrenal gland,” she said, pointing at the jar, “Notice how swollen it is. That's not typical, Jake. The parasites that are keeping Courtney alive work to induce fear and terror in their would-be hosts. Courtney, as you well remember, played on that with the spore and larva stage of the burrowers.”

“Raven, let's get moving,” Beth interrupted again, “We're sitting ducks here, and we're burning daylight.”

Jake frowned but nodded. He stepped away from the nightstand and made his way back towards the door. He found Beth with her handgun at the ready. Pam stood off to the side with her arms crossed and a pensive look plastered on her face. Rebecca stood on the opposite side of the hallway surveying their surroundings. “Find anything interesting?” Rebecca asked.

“Murray has been using Courtney's toxins and parasites in her experiments,” he replied, summarizing what he'd uncovered, “I'm not sure what her end game is, but she's got tanks of the stuff.”

“Seriously?” Beth asked, “What the hell for?”

“I don’t know, but my guess is to further weaponize it,” Jake shrugged, “It’s been a while since I read through the manifestos from when we absorbed the Brunswick’s company. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out soon enough.”

The intercom suddenly let out a chime followed by a static. 

Bing, bong, bing.

“Oh, children,” Dr. Murray’s chillingly cheerful voice came over the speakers in a patronizingly sing-song tone, “I do hope that you’re enjoying your visit to my hallowed halls. I must say that I am surprised at the slow pace that you’re moving at. I would have thought that you all would have been more inclined to rush through. However, I’ve always found the mind of a detective to be fascinating. Well, I suppose I should say that the mind of a boy pretending to be something he’s not. It was once your dream, wasn’t it, Mr. Blackridge?”

Jake frowned and glared at the camera not far down the hall, “Disappointed, Anna?”

“Not at all,” Dr. Murray chuckled, “You four are the latest in a long line of studies that I cannot wait to explore. There are so many variables to consider. The boy with the hero complex that struggles with submissive urges. The young lady with a penchant for violence that masks her insecurities. Then there are the mages…truly the stuff of legend and myth personified into reality. I cannot tell you how long I’ve wanted to study and dissect the Goth Goddess to see how the body of a woman over a century old works, and of course there is you, Pamela. Oh, the fun that we are going to have together…I have so many plans for you and I, dear.”

Pam visibly flinched at being called out by name. She longed for her shroud that she’d recovered from Hell so long ago. It was one of the many things that she and Beth had lost in the attack on their home. She would have given anything to withdraw into the confines of it and hide her apparent fear. As though in response to those thoughts, a small plume of red smoke whisked out from her neck and swirled around her arm. Despite their differences, Rage was attempting to ease the bundle of nerves that was building in the pit of her stomach. 

“Nothing to say, really?” Dr. Murray asked, “How disappointing, but the facade of strength in silence is a trope that is tired and tedious. Please, feel free to keep it up. Oh, I nearly forgot! How about we hear from one of our long-term residents, hmm? Bring her over, now!”

“This woman makes my skin crawl,” Pam shook her head, clenching her fist as the essence of Rage continued to trail around her arm.

“Curious,” Rebecca remarked, watching the red smoke flutter around her former apprentice.

The sounds of a scuffle over the intercom filled the halls before anyone could speak up further. “My apologies,” Dr. Murray mused, “It seems that our esteemed guest is more than a little hesitant to speak. Kaitlyn, dear, do I need to adjust your treatment and medication again? No, then speak to your little friends!”

“She’s got to be bluffing,” Jake whispered to himself.

The voice that came over the intercom next was one that sounded like a shell of Jake and Beth’s nemesis turned friend. They recognized the tone, but her voice trembled and shook with nervousness and fear. “W-what do you want me to say?” Kaitlyn asked, her tone weak and frail.

“I want you to welcome your friends, dear,” Dr. Murray replied, chuckling as though it were obvious, “Feel free to tell them about some of the fun we’ve had, how your lovely little pet is doing, or how that former fat slob is. Better yet, why don’t you tell them about Mr. Graves?”

“She’s toying with us,” Jake frowned, already growing sick of Murray’s games.

“Addie?” Kaitlyn asked, her tone showing that she was more out of it than usual, “W-what have you done with her now?”

“Your little pet is fine, Kaitlyn,” Dr. Murray replied, “Her next treatment is scheduled for a few hours from now. You should be worried about our new arrivals. Come now, this is your chance to send a message. How often do you get this chance, Kaitlyn? We’ve spent a year together now, a little over actually. For the first time, I’m giving you the floor. What would you like to tell your friends?”

Jake, Beth, and Pam clenched their fists in frustration and disgust. There was a long silence before Kaitlyn finally said one word, “Run…”

Anna cackled over the intercom in response. Her laughter was depraved and unhinged, and it seemed to reverberate off the walls of the hospital halls. There was something unbelievably unnerving about it. “There’s a good girl,” Dr. Murray said as her laughter finally died down, “Take her back to her room. Give her an extra dose when you do. Oh, wasn’t that wonderful? I would hate to make a liar out of our mutual friend. Exercise is critical to the success of the body, and I think I have the perfect way to motivate you four to do some running.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Beth shook her head and looked around.

Within seconds, the lights beside every other door leading to a patients’ room started to flash. The red bulbs started to flicker and flash, and then the alarms started to sound. A loud and shrill klaxon sounded as the lights above them suddenly went out. The only source of light came from the flickering red lights. The alarms going off drowned out the sounds of the locks latching behind them. They looked around trying to see what the mad doctor might have in store for them. The sound of heavy footfalls could faintly be heard in the distance behind the blaring alarms. 

“We need to move,” Jake shouted at his friends, “Let’s go, down the hall!”

“Running blind doesn’t seem wise!” Rebecca shouted back, trying to sense something, anything that might point them in the right direction.

“We don’t have time to plan out our next move!” Jake countered, already taking the lead, “This might be part theatrical, but I guarantee she’s sending something after us.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Beth groaned, pushing past the two of them, “Let’s go already!”

Beth took the lead with Jake following closely behind in a sprint. Rebecca and Pam were following close behind, albeit slightly reluctant to charge in blindly. They raced through the halls and pushed another set of double doors open. They could see a large intersection in the distance with a few signs on the walls, but then they spotted a behemoth of a monster walking down the hall. Gray skin, long white hair, a tight leather dress that stopped at her midthigh, and most notably a seemingly bionic hand. The most notable difference was the long black coat that she wore, but it was otherwise identical. There wasn’t a doubt in Jake’s mind that it was the same monster they’d seen at Alexis’ hideout. This time, they had nowhere to run. They were trapped in the asylum with this chaotic monster, and worse yet was the fact that it seemed to be blocking their way forward…