“Yes, Dr. Solsen was speaking of transferring him to my floor. He doesn’t think he can help Eliot. Or, perhaps I should say, that Eliot cannot be helped. I think the transfer would be beneficial to my studies as well. Being that he is in a state where he is capable of communication, it would be much simpler to be able to study him than some of my other patients. He’s actually in a mental position to answer questions directly. Something most of my patients either cannot or do not bother to without my having to interpret mad ramblings.
“So what you are saying is that Mr. Eliot should be moved to the third floor?”
“Correct. Dr. Solsen believes he is well and truly psychopathic. That there is no reforming him.”
“Perhaps. But there is one major reason that we must decline.”
The professor looked startled. “Why is that?”
Canergak looked from him to Bookworm, and back. “Perhaps we should meet with him together. Follow me.”
Bookworm, surprised that Mr. Eliot hadn’t been put on the third floor to begin with, followed Mr. Canergak and the professor to the elevator, and down one floor. Canergak paused in front of one door, knocked, and opened it.
The feline Moreau inside stood up. “Good evening, gentlemen, lady, and welcome to my humble abode,” said Mr. Eliot. “It’s a bit spartan, but you get what you pay for.”
“That you do,” said the professor with a smirk.
“Tell me, Mr. Eliot,” said Canergak, “did you receive my answer to your application to work at the hospital?”
As Bookworm spluttered, speechless with surprise, Mr. Eliot replied, “Why, yes, I did. It was disappointing, but understandable.”
The professor stared at Cangerak in astonishment. “Work at the hospital?!”
“He applied to be the Chief of Medicine and claimed he was ‘ever so good with a knife.’”
“Believe it or not, I have had some medical training,” put in Mr. Eliot. “Until I found, much to my surprise, that I liked the surgical aspects of it. Far too much for anyone’s benefit. So Miss Solano’s father found other uses for me… darker ones.”
Bookworm shook her head in disbelief, but Canergak continued, “My response to Mr. Eliot was very simple. I had heard what he was doing and told him to turn himself in to the Captain. If he did, I would be sure that he was put on the second floor, and freed from the fear of the treatment of the third floor. I had not expected him to heed my warning, but here he is.” Mr. Eliot smirked. “Breaking my word would not bode very well for future promises,” ended Canergak.
Professor Vartanian pursed his lips, slipping his spectacles off for a moment to clean them on his shirt. “Well, I won’t ask you to break such a promise. But I do think this is a mistake.”
“We have to follow our word, Professor. And Captain, you are still able to question him. Perhaps he will reveal some very interesting things without our more restrictive methods.”
The professor rubbed at his eyes before placing his spectacles back on his nose, pushing them up. “Very well,” he said with a sigh – one that was echoed by Bookworm. “I will take you at your word, Mr. Canergak,” she added. “Later.”
“May I suggest you contact Qismah?” interjected Mr. Eliot, almost cheerily. “The concoctions she made for me kept my urges at bay for ever so long.”
“You see?” Canergak said with satisfaction. “He is offering up much that you can use still. And we have added more security. Dr. Solsen recently added someone to security who knows Mr. Eliot. A Mr. Wright Davis, though I have yet to meet him.”
“Ahh, Mr. Wright. A very good choice.” Mr. Eliot sounded quite unperturbed. “I’ve been observing him.”
“I’ve met him a time or two,” Bookworm said. “I may need to talk to him, too. Later. But I think I’ll station a militia member here inside, Mr. Canergak. Best to be safe.” She nodded to the two asylum administrators. “Good day to you, Mr. Canergak, Professor Vartanian.” She left quickly, feeling Mr. Eliot’s eyes on her until the elevator took her to the ground floor.
later that night Mr Eliot lay upon his pallet, staring off at the darkened ceiling, his eyes glowing faintly from the minimal light seeping around the door.
he closed his mind to the sounds, and smells of the Asylum, the screams, moans, and gibbering, of the other inmates,
and the miasma of filth, and medications, and even the fear from the militia man on the floor below, who other wise smelled of beer, meatpies, and to much mustache wax,
Eliot closed his senses to all of it, and opened that dark place in his mind where he kept his song birds and let their voices come forth, a cacophony of horror, a chorus of pain, and terror the likes of which only hell could match, and he smiled “ah still so few of you, my composition is still incomplete, there were still many more that needed to be taught to sing to the heavens, but oh well at least im safe from that evil Rabbit “
and from the deeper shadows of his mind a voice spoke ” and are you safe from me? do you think i cannot get to you even there? “
the cat closed his eyes and the rabbit in his mind glowed on the inside of his eyelids ” am i not with you here, now? am i not ALWAYS WITH YOU?”
Eliot smirked to himself ” ah but my dear things are different now”
and the voice whispered in his ear, and the sound was so great it drowned out all the songbirds voices, till it alone spoke in his mind ” nothing has changed you still live or die at my whim, i alone command your fate, and i will come and kill you!”
the Moreau giggled, a sound made more unnerving by its innocence ” ah but you see my love i have a new champion now, an Angel of Light, a creature of such purity that its very presence burns the flesh from my soul, i am well protected from you now”
the Rabbits voice dripped with contempt ” there is no such Angel for you Eliot! no protector, i alone choose your time, and place of death”
the cat opened his eyes, the wain light burning the image of the Rabbit from his mind ” no more you evil thing, i hold to a greater power now”
and the voice whispered in hate from the depth of his mind “and what is the name of this Guardian Angel?”
Eliot smiled calmly ” why its Captain Hienrichs Violet, she will protect me……………………………………….. and She will kill you!”