Hadrian's Wall (35 page)

“And you really would have rejected her? As
a patient, I mean?”

Another sigh. “No, I could
not reject her. I
owe her
as much as
I owe
you
, Adrian...
forever
... but...”

I was astounded by the
conversation. It made no sense... Exactly where were the voices
coming from? There was a door ajar a short distance down the hall.
The voices seemed to come from there; however, it was difficult to
hear what they were saying now
because of
the constant noise of the air-conditioning
in the corridor. The cold air was coming right toward
me.

“So, do you or don’t you
want the best for her?”

“That’s a stupid question,
Adam.
More than anyone, you should
know
.” The answer was a growl.

Adam?
Dr. Barringer?

“The Council...”

“The Council has no power over me.”

“No, it does not, but it
was
you who created it
. You
created the rules
when...”

“I created them in another
time
...thinking only to fulfill the wishes
of my father,” said Adrian. “I did exactly what was expected of
me.
But my priorities have never changed.
You’ve known that from the beginning, but you preferred to not
believe me. Very well, I never stopped believing. Now I’m free to
do what I want.”

The air seemed to have
escaped from Dr. Barringer’s lungs with that revelation. His voice
trembled when he spoke. “
You have created
the rules to get us out of the chaos in which we lived...and
according to those same rules, we must stop you!”

Adrian laughed again. This time it was a dry
laugh.

“You can try...”

“Damn it,
Hadrianus!
You know I
never would hunt you or her, but others who are more ambitious
certainly will. You are the last of your lineage! It’s in your
blood. You cannot easily rid yourself of this legacy.” The
nervousness seemed to have accentuated a strange accent
in Dr. Barringer’s voice.

“Let them come! If it’s war
they want...” Adrian’s voice morphed into a roar, something
inhuman.

My heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, I heard
the sound of something crashing violently against another
object.

“
Mmm
... Poor desk! Too fragile to
withstand your rage.” The unperturbed voice of Dr. Barringer
sounded mocking. “I want to see you explain all of this demolition
to the
Laboratory Chief
.”

He’s kidding, of
course.

“After all, do you or don’t
you want what’s best for her?” He repeated the question. I
recognized the Socratic method kicking into action. “Because there
will be only two alternatives: let her go or find a way to allow
her stay to fit with our rules, otherwise...”

“Otherwise what?” Adrian
challenged him to continue.

“As powerful as you think you are, you will
not be powerful enough to protect her.”

The voices went silent, but for me, the
tension was almost palpable.

“
I
issued a decree. My voice was heard throughout the town. You know
that our people
cannot ignore an order from
me.”

“How about the proscribed ones? At this
point, they should now be aware that she is your weakness. If
you’re not around to protect her for even one moment, a rapid
attack may be inevitable and lethal.”

“Proscribed ones are
monitored all the time. Moreover, they don’t have access to the
town.”

“
You are so sure about that!
And what
about our people? Even in the face of your command, there will
always be
dissatisfied
ones
. Moreover, your decree
will be disqualified
if
you leave your
position
. Apparently, the best protection you can give her is for you
to remain in charge.”

“I will never be free...is
that what you mean?” Adrian’s voice was melancholy. “Well, now
let’s find out if, in fact,
what we built
here is solid. If our species have learned to live in a civilized
manner with mortals... or if our society is merely an illusion that
serves as a cover for our real condition—predators—a condition we
think we have left in the past. Have we succeeded in evolving over
the centuries? Or do we continue to be somber people, bloodthirsty
for power, how we were called among humans themselves? Today we
have strict rules about our behavior.
The
rules that I’m violating to keep her here are the same rules that
prohibit somber people from attacking humans.”

“But
her case is different
. Although we
are committed to the rules, this human in question is now a
threat to the hierarchy.
Her sudden arrival took us al
l by
surprise. It’s a shock that we all should recognize—that someone
might actually fail and I’m not foolish to trust her life only to
the loyalty of my team. I know how things happen and how quickly we
could lose control.”
He breathed heavily,
as one who suffers
.
“Even I lose control...like when I came across that animal on
top of her...it was impossible for me to stop. The Council summoned
me to answer for it in order to appease the yellow mantles. Well,
I’m ready to lead by example. Every action has its consequence, but
I will not allow two weights and two measures. No one will touch
her...and anyone who tries will receive the same treatment I gave
that human man.”

“Adrian. I will not.
Neither your brothers nor cousins will be capable of any evil
against her. I’m just telling you that you should not be so
confident in your power. You forget the
hosts
. We are far from eradicating
them. If they win, we’ll all be threatened...including
her.”

“Enough!”

“You have a
commitment!”
The psychiatrist did not seem
intimidated by his tone. “
Many people
depend on your leadership. She also depends on you...on your
ability to make the right decisions. For all that, you will be able
to sacrifice your wishes for love? Will you be able to let her
go?”

Another silence, this time, much longer.

“So I will let her...go,”
Adrian whispered, his voice breaking at the end.
“B
ut not before ensuring her safety. She is
who will decide if she wants me in her life or if I will have to be
content to act behind the scenes. Anyway, I cannot ever stay away
from her.”

“You will make the girl a walking
target.”

“Adam,
you’re the only one that I allow to say that to my face...and
just because I know you sincerely wish her well...” He sighed. “But
do not abuse the privilege or my patience...I know what I’m
doing.”

The threat was real. His voice vibrated in a
rare and strange timbre, which gave me vertigo...like that time in
South Portland.

No, no and no!
That was a hallucination...and this is
too
.

“Have you forgotten that
she’d be dead if I had not interfered?” Adrian said with more
emphasis.
“By my side, she will be safer
than any other human being, anywhere on the planet!”

“In my opinion, you are losing your focus
like you did back in those dark times. It’s bad enough that she
ignores the problem, but she must be protected from the humans that
watch us. It’s not because she belongs to the same species that the
yellow mantles will be complacent with her. They can be much more
cruel to their own than we were...in the old times... even more
than the first, at the height of the carnage.”

“Please, Adam!
No one was more cruel than the first,”
Adrian jokingly countered. “
I thought you sympathize with humans. After all, you chose to
work at servicing their psyche
...”

“That doesn’t mean I’m
blind,”
Adam laughed.
“I wish you would reconsider the situation and put things in
perspective. Accept my help...”

“What? Do you want
me
in
therapy
too?” He playfully hid a hint of annoyance.

“You know,
that’s
not a bad idea!”
Adam’s reply was sarcastic. “Adrian,
promise that you will come to me if the situation starts to
get out of control.”

“You’ve always been the same peacemaker.
Just this once, don’t try to convince me to confess my nature just
to escape from the Inquisition...or the Sacred College of
Cardinals!”

Their laughter dissipated
the tension, as if by magic. I honestly don’t understand
the little secret joke
.

“Bad habits never die
...
and if I remember correctly, you did not
confess anything. Your roar almost killed the poor priest!”
His laughter ended with a sigh. “Seriously,
Adrian...again I say that if you want to keep her here and you do
not want her to become a target of the Council, you should
initiate her in the rules.”

“She has a lot of suffering
to overcome...her own traumas.
I don’t
think she’s ready to face it. Although you don’t like and don’t
want to know the details of the
scheme
I’ve improvised, I assure you
it was absolutely necessary
to protect her
from the main rule. Believe me, I had no choice after what happened
in South Portland
...”

“Do you think
you neutralized judges and hunters?”

“Yes.
If my plan continues as anticipated, then we’ll see about the
next step; otherwise, I’ll have to face them openly and provide her
safe passage. I heard the sound of a loud sigh. “Oh, Adam! If only
you could see how she’s blossomed here.”

“I have seen it, Adrian,” Adam replied
impatiently. “I know it. I just don’t know what weighs more...

Suddenly, the air conditioning shut off and
a heavy silence settled over the gallery. Without the constant
noise, when they were both silent, I could only hear my own
breathing.

“Oh, no...” one of them whispered.

A strong current of air
slammed the door behind me. Instinctively, I turned in that
direction and saw a woman in a white lab coat standing there,
looking straight at me.
Asia “No
Surname.”
My heart was
pounding.

She smiled, but it was not
a friendly smile. Well, nothing from her could be friendly! The
girl stared at me intently, her eyes narrow and shining from behind
the photochromic lenses. She looked like a statue until suddenly
the statue came alive when she put her index finger to her
lips.
Shh!

I heard another door slam. I jumped and then
turned to stare at her again, but she was no longer there. In her
place was Stephen Cahill and his expression was stern.

“You should not be down here,” he said.

“I’m lost,” I managed to
stammer.

“If you’re looking for the
elevator, it’s over there.” He pointed to his left and waited for
me to follow him.

Damn it!

Just as I did in
the
Polish Man Springs
Resort
, I turned my back on him and I
burst into the room where I thought I’d heard the voices. I wasn’t
surprised to see that it was empty with a window that locked from
the inside. They couldn’t have passed me without my seeing them.
So...it was just another hallucination. Just a hallucination...
Just?

I went back to the hallway
and Stephen Cahill remained standing in exactly the same place,
except he was smiling, as if he knew what I was thinking.
Bastard!

“Just so happens I don’t
want to take the elevator. I’m looking for Dr. Barringer,” I said,
unable to avoid the petulant tone.

Stephen casually turned away from the wall
and pointed to his right side. He seemed unaffected by my
anger...not even a little.

“It’s over there,” he
responded with indifference.

I walked head on in the
direction he was indicating. From the corner of my eye, I could see
that he’d accompanied me, his face revealing consternation and
humor at the same time.
Hmmm...
As I did with Charity, I felt latent animosity
coming at me in waves.
Will all of
Adrian’s relatives antagonize me for no reason?

Finally, I reached the door
of the psychiatrist’s office. I looked back and my smile died on my
lips because Stephen was gone. He’s left without even saying
goodbye.

Furious, I entered the
office and I approached the desk of Dr. Barringer’s secretary. She
looked at me strangely.

“You don’t have an
appointment today, Melissa. Did something happen?”

I looked at her for a
split second, feeling like a fool, until I was forced to answer. “I
just wanted to say goodbye to Dr. Barringer, Dana. Today is my last
day in the hospital. Would it be possible to speak to him briefly
before his first appointment? Is he here yet?” I held my
breath.
If he wasn’t in his office it was
because..
.