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Authors: James Costall
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wasn’t arrested?”
“Technically,” said Baron, “he was sectioned.”
“That would be fairly unusual, wouldn’t it,” said Alix carefully, her eyes on Harker. “How did you get a court order that quickly?”
“In fact,” said Harker, “one doesn’t need a court order to confine someone to the Innsmouth Institute. That system is... different from the system you know.”
As much as he was a detestable little creep, Alix couldn’t help thinking about Anwick’s lawyer’s complaints about Human Rights. He was right. Innocent until proven guilty. Sane until proven insane. These were the cornerstones of a free state, weren’t they?
“I don’t accept that we have anything other than the system I know,” said Alix, folding her arms and sitting back in her chair.
“Then you are naive. And your acceptance is irrelevant anyway. You’ve seen the Innsmouth Institute. You have been trusted with government secrets. Now is the time to grow up.” Harker let the silence that followed linger for a while before she continued. “As you will have gathered, there are certain institutes in this country that are maintained outside of the general public acknowledgement. This is something which, I must stress, is highly sensitive and subject to the full consequences of the Official Secrets Act lest one of you decide to be careless with the information you are privileged enough to have shared with you today.”
Harker looked round the room dangerously and, to Alix’s surprise, her gaze fell most deliberately on Baron who curled his nose up and looked away, obviously displeased at the insinuation. The tension in the room was oppressive. Alix felt an urge to kick up a fuss but the part of her that wanted to hear what Harker had to say was too powerful to ignore.
“The Innsmouth Institution operates in secret. It is not part of an NHS Trust. It is not subject to Department of Health regulation and doesn’t appear in any budget anywhere. Its operations are only known to those few in the highest levels of government and, generally, it is not necessary to involve anyone else in its existence. However, there are occasions when those that work tirelessly to keep these things from the public are caught off guard and from time to time a little of the broth spills over and out of the pan. It is our job to wipe it away. Quickly. As you may have gathered, places at the Innsmouth Institute are reserved for a very select number of individuals. Professor Eugene Anwick is one of these individuals.”
“Why?” Alix interjected. “What makes Anwick different from any other person suffering trauma?”
This time Harker ignored her outright: “After he was pulled from the fume filled garage and life pumped back into him, Anwick was taken to Innsmouth and detained. He should have stayed there. No one of any significance knew of Sasha’s death or the Anwick cleaner’s murder and those that did know were convincingly silenced.
“But orders were sent for Anwick’s transfer from Innsmouth to Rampton. An unprecedented situation but, perhaps the problem with keeping things so secret is that the chain of command sometimes experiences problems verifying the information it receives. I believe that the orders were falsified but that’s another story. At any rate, the directions were carried out and a secure van dispatched immediately. Anwick was accompanied by four minders. Two in the front and two in the back either side of him. What happened next is unclear. The van was found on its side approximately a mile from where Katelyn and Megan were found. The four guards had been killed, their necks broken, not by any crash or impact but most likely by Anwick, although how he managed to break free and why the van crashed in any event is unknown.
“Anwick was found shortly afterwards, Katelyn’s dead body in his arms, Megan sat in the corner of the barn, fear having all but destroyed her. ”
Ash chewed his tongue thoughtfully. He could feel
“Technically,” said Baron, “he was sectioned.”
“That would be fairly unusual, wouldn’t it,” said Alix carefully, her eyes on Harker. “How did you get a court order that quickly?”
“In fact,” said Harker, “one doesn’t need a court order to confine someone to the Innsmouth Institute. That system is... different from the system you know.”
As much as he was a detestable little creep, Alix couldn’t help thinking about Anwick’s lawyer’s complaints about Human Rights. He was right. Innocent until proven guilty. Sane until proven insane. These were the cornerstones of a free state, weren’t they?
“I don’t accept that we have anything other than the system I know,” said Alix, folding her arms and sitting back in her chair.
“Then you are naive. And your acceptance is irrelevant anyway. You’ve seen the Innsmouth Institute. You have been trusted with government secrets. Now is the time to grow up.” Harker let the silence that followed linger for a while before she continued. “As you will have gathered, there are certain institutes in this country that are maintained outside of the general public acknowledgement. This is something which, I must stress, is highly sensitive and subject to the full consequences of the Official Secrets Act lest one of you decide to be careless with the information you are privileged enough to have shared with you today.”
Harker looked round the room dangerously and, to Alix’s surprise, her gaze fell most deliberately on Baron who curled his nose up and looked away, obviously displeased at the insinuation. The tension in the room was oppressive. Alix felt an urge to kick up a fuss but the part of her that wanted to hear what Harker had to say was too powerful to ignore.
“The Innsmouth Institution operates in secret. It is not part of an NHS Trust. It is not subject to Department of Health regulation and doesn’t appear in any budget anywhere. Its operations are only known to those few in the highest levels of government and, generally, it is not necessary to involve anyone else in its existence. However, there are occasions when those that work tirelessly to keep these things from the public are caught off guard and from time to time a little of the broth spills over and out of the pan. It is our job to wipe it away. Quickly. As you may have gathered, places at the Innsmouth Institute are reserved for a very select number of individuals. Professor Eugene Anwick is one of these individuals.”
“Why?” Alix interjected. “What makes Anwick different from any other person suffering trauma?”
This time Harker ignored her outright: “After he was pulled from the fume filled garage and life pumped back into him, Anwick was taken to Innsmouth and detained. He should have stayed there. No one of any significance knew of Sasha’s death or the Anwick cleaner’s murder and those that did know were convincingly silenced.
“But orders were sent for Anwick’s transfer from Innsmouth to Rampton. An unprecedented situation but, perhaps the problem with keeping things so secret is that the chain of command sometimes experiences problems verifying the information it receives. I believe that the orders were falsified but that’s another story. At any rate, the directions were carried out and a secure van dispatched immediately. Anwick was accompanied by four minders. Two in the front and two in the back either side of him. What happened next is unclear. The van was found on its side approximately a mile from where Katelyn and Megan were found. The four guards had been killed, their necks broken, not by any crash or impact but most likely by Anwick, although how he managed to break free and why the van crashed in any event is unknown.
“Anwick was found shortly afterwards, Katelyn’s dead body in his arms, Megan sat in the corner of the barn, fear having all but destroyed her. ”
Ash chewed his tongue thoughtfully. He could feel
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