Chained in the Lab

Checking In

Henry

"What do you mean he's not allowed visitors?" Henry demanded. "Why the Hells not?"

The lab assistant shifts uncomfortably. He's not one of the ones Henry is familiar with. He's not on Zar's feeding list, that's for sure.

"Dr. Hauge's orders. He wants closer control of Subject Z's interpersonal interactions while we establish some baselines."

"Baselines?" Henry shook his head. "Dr. Taylor already did all that. He's been here six months."

"And we have next to nothing to show for it in hard data," Dr. Hauge announced, stepping out of the lab. "I realize Ethan's... proclivities... make it difficult for him to work on this subject matter but that's no excuse for the wasted time."

"Excuse you?" Henry growled. Proclivities? What the Hell? "Dr. Taylor has been nothing but professional and respectful towards Zar!"

"I'm sure. It's easy to be... virtuous... when you lack normative s****l drives. However, that doesn't change the fact that we lack several key data points on the subject, and what we do have is questionable due to Dr. Taylor's obvious inability to be objective."

Henry shook his head. "I don't know what data you think you need, but I'm sure Zar will be happy to provide it. Why does he need to be isolated from his friends? I haven't seen him in two days."

"His... friends... are not necessary for this stage of testing," Dr. Hauge said with a sneer.

"I'm not talking about testing, I want to see my friend," Henry insisted.

"I'm sure you can find physical release elsewhere," Dr. Hauge said. "You have wasted enough of my time, Mr. Caldwell."

"It's Cartwell," Henry corrected.

He considered using force to get into the lab. He didn't like the idea of Zar being isolated from his friends, especially after the assault. Still, getting himself fired and possibly arrested would do the incubus no good. Henry needed to be smart. First, he needed to be certain something was wrong. He felt it, sure, but that could be the remnants of finding his friend under attack. Dr. Hauge could just be a jerk with bad people skills, and Zar could be fine in there. But Henry wasn't going to take that on faith.

Henry went up to the security office and pulled up Zar's feeding schedule. He called the first name on the list, and confirmed that he had not been called in to feed Zar. The next two also confirmed that Zauriel was being kept isolated from his approved partners.

Were the lab assistants feeding him? Dr. Taylor had been hesitant to have them involved in feeding the incubus, and there certainly weren't enough of the lab assistants available to maintain Zar's energy levels.

Maybe lab assistants from other departments were being tapped?

Henry called one of Dr. Taylor's assistants, a sweet young woman named Bobbi who was part of Zar's book club. If anyone would volunteer to feed him it would be her.

"Hey, Bobbi. It's Henry."

"Henry... from security, right?" Bobbi asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Hey, I realize this might come off kind of personal, but have you been assigned to feed Zar?"

"What? No, lab assistants are supposed to stay, what is it Dr. Taylor said, impartial. He was thinking about relaxing the rule, I heard, but it's not gone through."

"Oh, huh. I thought it might be different since that new guy took over." Hey, if Dr. Hauge wouldn't bother to recall Henry's name, why should Henry use his?

"Dr. Hauge? Yeah, no. He's not relaxed any of the rules around Zar. Actually, he's imposed more. Said it's for personnel safety and to prevent contamination of the study."

"Well, if Zar's friends aren't being allowed to see him, and the lab techs aren't feeding him, who is?" Henry asked.

"I... I'm not... sure. I was reassigned after Zar called me by name. I'm too familiar with him, so I'm relegated to data entry and compilation. Ron, that's the new guy, has the most contact. He's basically Dr. Hauge's right-hand man now. He'd know who's on schedule."

"Harry, huh? I'll have a chat with him then," Henry said. "Thanks, Bobbi."

"Sure. Um. You don't think... Zar's okay, isn't he?"

"I'm sure it's just the new guy flexing his muscles. Once we explain the situation, things will go back to normal," Henry promised.

One way or another.

He found Harry in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Henry sat down across from the new lab assistant, taking his measure. He was the kind of reedy, pale, fidgety guy that people imagined when they thought of lab techs and scientists. He looked startled to see Henry.

"So, hi. I'm Henry," Henry held out his hand for the other to shake over the table, which he did with clear reluctance.

"Ron Portman," the lab assistant replied, "Is there something you need?"

"Yeah, actually," Henry sat forward a little. "I'm worried about Zar."

"Zar?"

"Zauriel. Subject Z? I'm told you're one of the ones working closely with him."

"Oh. Yeah. He seems stable. His stress hormone levels might be elevated, when compared to some tests Dr. Taylor ran back in the beginning, but otherwise he seems to be in good health."

"That's good to hear," Henry said. "Do you have any idea when Dr. Hauge will be done with his baseline tests, so his friends can visit? We're all just a little concerned."

"Naturally," Ron said. "I'll be sure to ask Dr. Hauge after lunch, and I'll send you an email on your lab account. Security does get lab email accounts, right?"

"We do. Mine's in the directory, or you could just call the security office. It'd be a huge load off my mind."

"If I'm not too busy, I'll try," Ron promised. He swallowed his lunch in a handful of quick bites. "I'd best get back to the lab, we're in the middle of some exciting procedures. I'll talk with Dr. Hauge as soon as the chance comes up."

"Thanks," Henry said.

After that, there wasn't much else to do but wait. And he needed to find Dr. Taylor, and have a chat with him too. The poor man had been shunted aside from his own pet project; he had to be unhappy about that. Still, he had a responsibility to Zar and Henry should not be the only one checking in on his condition.

And just in case, while Henry waited for the call, he'd pen a letter to his grandmother, the Veil Warden. If that unsettled feeling in the back of his mind was instinct and not his own insecurities, Henry wanted to know he had back up available to call upon.