ASYLUM: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

   I had just finished for the day and was wrapping things up in my office when Dak Sorenson stepped in. “Daniel? We need to talk.”

   “Sure, I’m just finishing up, but can we talk while we run over to my place? I’m supposed to meet up with the guys and head up to EXSEC’s rifle range.”

   “What about your cart?”

   “I’ll just leave it here and walk to work tomorrow morning; it’s not that far.”

   “Okay.”

   I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Dak, but I enjoyed it when we did. He was a really good guy and easy to be around. He had even joined Debra, Dan, Danni, and I sometimes when we would go to the pistol or rifle range. There was a woman at The Facility, Felicia, he was seeing and the two of them fit into our little group well, but today I could tell something was wrong. “Are you okay?”

   “Yeah, it’s just sometimes working in Human Resources I get some really shitty jobs, you know?”

   “Like when?”

   “Like now.” He slid his hands into his pockets and leaned against the doorframe. “I just got off the phone with the Phase Six Superintendent, Morgan. He got a call from your company’s main office with some bad news.”

   “And?”

   “You have a friend you used to work with, John Cameron?”

   The hair stood up on my arms and I started getting a sick feeling in my stomach. “Yeah.”

   “I’m sorry, Dan, but he passed away yesterday while he was at work.” I finished straightening up my desk and then walked to the door as Dak stepped aside and allowed me to pass. Walking out to where we parked our electric carts, I stopped between the two and couldn’t decide which one to sit in. “Let’s take mine, Dan.”

   “Okay, I need to make arrangements, I guess. He didn’t have anyone that lived close-by. A sister in Frisco and a brother in Sacramento; I’ll need to call them.”

   We sat in Dak’s cart and he started driving us to my apartment. “I’m in the process of making arrangements for you to travel and I want you to take a ten day leave like you’re supposed to anyway. If you need more time in California, just give me a call, okay?”

   “Yeah…sure…thanks.”

   “One more thing,” he said. “Upper management is considering you for an offer of permanent employment. I guess you made a pretty good impression on Morgan. He is always talking you up to them and wants you on permanent, along with at least two more sprinklerfitters to maintain the fire systems. Think about it, okay?”

   “Yeah, okay.”

   He pulled into the parking spot in front of my apartment and I slid out to stand beside the cart. “I can arrange for some others if you want, you know, to travel with you and keep you company.”

   “No one here knew him; they never met him. Why would anyone want to go?”

   “To give you whatever support they can.”

   “How soon before my travel itinerary can be ready?”

   “I can have you out of here tomorrow morning, Dan.”

   “Good, I won’t need to pack much, most of my belongings are there anyway; in his house.”

   “Okay, as soon as I’m back to my office, I’ll start making arrangements and let you know.”

   “Thanks, Dak.”

   He drove away and I started searching through my pockets for my keys and then realized they were still hanging in the lock drawer of my desk. Shit. I leaned forward and rested my head against the cool steel of my apartment’s locked door. Pushing away, I turned and started the trek back to my office, at least I wouldn’t have to walk back. I had reached the main thoroughfare and turned towards Phase Six when I heard the beeping of a cart horn and turned around as the cart pulled to a stop beside me. It was Debra, Daniel, and Danni.

   Debra was the first out and to reach me, “Hey, where are you going?”

   “I left my keys in my office.” Daniel and Danni joined us, “Uh, I’m not going to make target practice today, guys. I need to go home and…”

   “We know, Daniel,” Debra slid her arms around me, “Dak called Packer and had word of your friend, passed on to us. Packer told us to take off and come sit with you for a while, but we’ll need to go and pack our stuff.”

   “Pack your stuff?”

   “We’re going with you,” she said.

   “That’s not necessary, I’m going to have a lot to take care of and…”

   “And you are going to need people to help you who care,” Danni said.

   “Danni’s right, brother, there’s no way we’re going to let you go alone,” Daniel’s voice had an edge of iron in it.

   “Guys…” I broke off as my throat constricted.

   Debra squeezed me tighter, “We’re going, Daniel and that’s final; Packer already cleared it. None of us have taken our leaves in months, so we have a lot of accumulated time.”

   “Are you sure? I mean…”

   “Yes,” Danni said. “We’re sure.”

   “Okay, let’s go get my keys.” We all got back into the cart and sped away, within minutes we arrived, and I went into my office and recovered my keys. I checked to make sure everything was locked up; I had even left my office door unlocked when I left with Dak. Daniel, who was driving, the other cart, swung by the Facility Exchange and bought two twelve packs of Shiners before he and Danni returned to my place, Debra rode with me. Once there, we kicked back and each of us started a beer.

   Three hours later, I had a major buzz going and my three friends left to pack some things for our trip. I stayed up and stared at the walls while I thought of the many things John and I had experienced together. So much of my life had included him in it; so many experiences shared. Sometimes, I had trouble remembering my life before he came into it, that was how strong his influence and guidance had been. I had no idea what would have become of me if I hadn’t overheard his angry phone call the first day I met him.

   I must have dozed off while sitting on the couch but was roused by a knock on the door. Getting up, I answered it to find Debra standing there. “Hey,” I said. “Did you forget something?”

   “No, but I didn’t want to leave you alone tonight.” There was a midsize suitcase by her feet, “I want to stay here, with you; I won’t be able to sleep thinking of you here alone.”

   Reaching down, I picked up her suitcase and then stepped out of the way so she could enter. Often, I had entertained the thought of Debra and I becoming more than the friends we were. In fact, I was actually rather smitten with her, but every time I tried to broach the idea of her and I getting together, I would freeze up.

   “Okay,” I said. “You take my bedroom and I’ll…”

   “I’m not going to chase you out of your bed, Daniel, that’s not going to happen.”

   I looked away in order to not meet her eyes. She was damn attractive. “Debra, I’ve wanted to, uh, well, I mean…” I guess the beers I had earlier loosened my tongue, “I really care about you, I mean in more than just a good friend sort of way, you know?”

   “Really? Why haven’t you ever told me?”

   “I really value our friendship and I didn’t want to say anything that might endanger that friendship.”

   “Geez, Daniel, I’ve practically stood on my head trying to get your attention, don’t you realize a woman likes to be pursued until she catches the man she wants?”

   “What?”

   “I’ve known I wanted you from the first night we met, I mean I wasn’t in love with you then, that came later as I really got to know you, but I wanted you.”

  “I thought you were teasing me after I let you know that I thought Danni and Daniel were together. I realized you were exhibiting tell-tales that indicated interest, but I figured you were just sort of, well, teasing, you know?”

   She stepped in close to me and slid her arms over my shoulders and around my neck, “Is this a tell-tale?” She firmly pressed against my chest, “Is this a tell-tale?” Then she kissed me with a great deal enthusiasm. When she pulled her lips from mine, I could feel her breath on my lips as she said, “Was that a tell-tale?”

   “Debra…” The phone began to ring. “Shit, hang on, Dak was going to make arrangements for my trip home; that might be him.” I picked up the phone and yes, it was Dak. He had already heard of the people who were going to come with me and made arrangements for all of us and we would be leaving by ten AM the following morning. He also told me he had already told Danni and Daniel, but had not been able to contact Debra yet. I told him she was with me and I would tell her myself. We both said a few appropriate things and then hung up.

   Turning back to Debra I said, “Are you sure…”

   “It’s late and we have to get up early, let’s go to bed.” We did, and even though the death of the only person I considered family dampened my joy, it was still one of the best nights of my life.

   I’ve always been a morning person, so I was awake at my regular time, five AM. Once dressed, I went to the kitchen and started making breakfast. I put the fresh potatoes and onions on low heat with a cover over them and then went to wake-up Debra, “Hey,” I said as she started to stir. “It’s about 5:20 and I just started breakfast, do you want to take a shower and wake-up?”

   She released a low moan and stretched, “Only because I have to.” I guessed she wasn’t a morning person.  “You can cook?”

   “Sort of, I don’t burn water,” I replied.

   She smiled and pulled my face down to hers, I started to kiss her, but she turned her face away, “No way, not until I brush my teeth.” So, I pressed my forehead to hers and then sat upright on the edge of the bed.

   “The bathroom is yours,” I said. She got out of bed and headed for the bathroom without getting dressed. For some reason, her relaxed attitude about being nude in front of me made me feel really good.

   While I headed back to the kitchen, there was a knock on my door and I detoured to it. Daniel and Danni were standing there, side-by-side. “Come in,” I said. “I was just starting breakfast.”

   “Actually,” Danni replied. “We came by to see if you wanted to go to the cafeteria with us?”

   “I’ve already started cooking, I’ll just add some more, not a problem.” I pointed at the counter where my coffee maker sat, “Fresh coffee over there and cups in the cabinet above it.”

  Daniel started pouring coffee and Danni took over the knife and potatoes I placed on the counter, “Cubed or sliced?”

   “What I have going is sliced, so we better make those sliced also.”

   In another frying pan, I poured some oil and started it heating for the package of sausage I had in the fridge. “You guys want scrambled or fried eggs?”

   They both replied, “Fried, over easy.”

   “Good, that’s what I prefer with this kind of potato dish. Does Debra like over easy also?”

   “Yeah,” Danni said. “But we couldn’t find her this mor…”

   She abruptly stopped and I saw Daniel spin around and face the back wall of the kitchen. Looking back, I was surprised to see, Debra, standing at the entrance of the kitchen wearing a towel around her hips and a towel around her hair. Her eyes were the size of silver dollars and she made a little squeaking sound as she covered her breasts with her arms, spun and ran back towards my bedroom.

   Danni erupted into gales of laughter.

   “Oh shit,” I said. “I should have warned her the two of you were here!”

   Daniel, still facing the wall asked, “Is she gone?”

   Danni, through her laughter said loudly, “Gone, but never, ever, forgotten.”

   From down the hall, Debra shouted, “Fuck you, Danni!”

   Danni stifled her laughing and said, “Oops, guess I better go smooth some ruffled feathers.” She rose from where she had been sitting at the table as she sliced potatoes and walked down the hall behind Debra. Within a couple of minutes, Daniel and I could hear both of the women laughing.

   “Well,” Daniel said. “I guess we don’t need to worry about where she is any more. We went by her squad bay and she wasn’t there; it never occurred to either of us she might be here. How long has this been going on and why haven’t either of you told us?”

   “It hasn’t been going on, until she came by last night and stayed.”

   “Looks to me like she did more than just stay.”

   I smiled.

   “You lucky dog; that’s one fine woman.”

   “I know.”

   I put the sausage on one side of the pan and as it cooked down, I made sure the leftover grease spread out evenly for the eggs once the potatoes were done. A few minutes later, Danni returned and stepped up beside me at the stove.

   “Let me finish this, Debra is afraid you might think she’s an exhibitionist, or something, and did it on purpose; she needs a little reassurance.” I nodded and left the sausage to Danni.

   When I reached the bedroom, I tapped lightly on the door and heard Debra say, “Come in.”

   Opening the door a little, I stuck my head in. She was smoothing a conservative, form fitting dress over her hips and actually acted a little shy, “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize Danni and Dan…”

   “I know, and don’t worry about it; you can dress like that after a shower anytime you want. You looked absolutely fantastic.”

   “God, I was so embarrassed. I’m still embarrassed; I shudder to think what Dan is thinking.”

   “No reason to worry, the only thing he wanted to know was how long this has been going on and why we had hadn’t told anyone.”

   “That’s the same thing Danni asked.”

   Debra wanted to finish the cooking, but no one wanted her near popping grease since she was dressed so nice. Once we finished eating, Danni brought in her suitcase and used my bedroom to change with Debra’s advice on what to wear. Then they assisted with fixing each other’s hair, though it was more Danni assisting Debra because of Danni’s short spiky hair. When they both emerged, they were looking outstanding. I had never seen either with makeup and frankly, neither one needed it, but the difference was striking none-the-less.

   Dak showed up and told us because of the short notice we would be traveling on a commercial airliner leaving from Tucson, Arizona, but The Facility would provide ground transportation to the airport. That was the first time any of us had even the slightest inkling of where we were. He drove us to the entrance we came in originally and dropped us off. Outside, we were met by one of the shuttle buses and as Daniel’s, Debra’s and Danni’s bags were stowed, he pulled me aside.

   “Daniel, in a few more months your job here will be finished, and you’ll be returning to California.”

   I glanced over at Debra and felt uneasy, yeah, we had just sort of made our feelings for each other semi-official, but I wondered if she would want to return to Cali with me or not. More than once, she referred to California as, Californiastan or Commiefornia, in reference to the socialist government and mindset of many of the inhabitants. John Cameron and I had spoken often of leaving the state someday for an area of the country that was more to our liking.

   “Yeah, maybe,” I said.

   He cocked his head to the side and looked at me, then glanced at Debra, and said, “You know all of them are permanent hires, right?”

   I looked at him, “They are?” I wondered if Debra would even consider leaving. The chances of her finding a job she liked as well as the one she had at The Facility was probably slim and none. Not to mention the pay and health insurance she had.

   “Wait, I thought all of the permanent hires needed to be able to serve dual functions, like you?”

   “Most of us, yes, but finding personnel with the skillsets they have, plus another, is pretty remote. Even so, though Daniel is military all the way, Danni was a dental hygienist in the Navy before she joined the Marines and served with the Female Engagement Teams in the Middle-east. Debra was Air Force Security though she started as Air Police, and then worked for the Dallas PD, so technically both of them are dual trained and both received medals for valor in combat…”

   “What? They did? I have never heard either of them mention anything about medals.”

   “They probably haven’t said anything because that’s just the kind of people they are; they’re quiet professionals. I want to talk about you though; administration is thoroughly impressed with your performance during the construction of Phase Six and your in-depth knowledge of all the different types of fire suppression systems involved. They also have been impressed with your ability to problem solve and develop workarounds when necessary. Like I said last night, I have been asked to offer you permanent employment here at the Facility with the caveat that you consider becoming an EXSEC Auxiliary. Apparently, Lieutenant Packer has heard some good things about your shooting abilities, but you will be required to provide your own weapons and gear; that shouldn’t too much of a problem though, I don’t think.”

    It was too much, too soon, to think about. “I appreciate the offer Dak; can I have some time to think it over?”

   “Of course, but Admin will want an answer pretty soon.”

   “Okay, I’ve got ten days to think on it; I’ll give you an answer when I get back, okay?”

   He shook my hand and then handed me the itinerary for our flight and accommodations, “Like I said before, I’m truly sorry for your loss, Daniel, take care.”

   He made the rounds with the others and then we loaded into the bus and left. Funny thing was, the bus wasn’t blacked out like the one I arrived in and by the time we arrived at Tucson, we knew where the Facility was located and for some reason, I was uncomfortable with the knowledge.