Technomancer (Unspeakable Things: Book One)

walls, the institution had only one distinguishing characteristic: a tower that loomed over the front entrance. I’d read up on the place online. The building had once served the neighborhood as a chapel. The tower looked unoccupied, but I now suspected Meng lived up there. I was quite certain she never left the premises, as this was her seat of power.
    I put my hand on the worn brass door handle and pulled. It didn’t budge. There was a buzzer to my left and a camera lens above that. I pressed the button for several seconds before letting up.
    After a pause, I heard a female voice come over the intercom. “I’m sorry, sir, visiting hours are over for the day.”
    The intercom was scratchy, but I thought I recognized the voice of the nurse I’d met some days earlier under unpleasant circumstances. What was her name? Miranda, as I recalled. Her tone was professional, but I could tell that Miranda didn’t want to meet me again.
    I looked into the camera, but I didn’t smile. I hadn’t shaved for a while, and my eyes weren’t welcoming. All I could think of was Holly and other friends, most of whom I’d apparently forgotten about. Someone was going to have to do a lot of explaining, and possibly pay a price.
    “Open the door, Miranda,” I said.
    Another pause. “I’m sorry, Mr. Draith, but you’ll have to—”
    “I’m coming in, one way or the other. Tell Dr. Meng I’ve got a lot of things to report.”
    Five seconds later, the door buzzed. I pulled it open and Jenna followed me inside. She looked worried. There was something about mental institutions that made people nervous.
    There was a waiting room inside, but it was empty. Nothing but dusty, green-upholstered furniture and a few well-worn magazines. A TV mounted high in one corner played a video loop of health ads. Maybe visiting hours really were over. I didn’t care.
    There was only one set of doors, so I pushed through them. They led into a hallway that looked vaguely familiar. My earliest memories were of this place. These walls didn’t fill me with a homey feeling, however. Quite the opposite.
    When we reached the nurses’ station, there was no one there. A phone blinked on hold. Another TV was tuned to security cameras, showing the exterior of the building. Acup of coffee, half-empty, sat next to a keyboard. Closed doors lined the hallways beyond the station. Each door was built with thick steel and had a small glass window above the handle. The windows were crisscrossed with silvery wire.
    “Miranda?” I called.
    No response came back, not even an echo. I looked around and realized the entire floor was quiet. Since when was a building full of crazy people as silent as a morgue? I frowned. When I’d been here before, I’d figured it was around 5:00 a.m. so the other patients were asleep. But that excuse wasn’t working for me now.
    “Where is everyone?” Jenna whispered to me. She was standing close to me now, almost leaning up against me.
    All I could hear was the buzz of fluorescent lights overhead. I glanced at Jenna, and wondered for the hundredth time since entering whether it was a colossal mistake for her to be here.
    “This place is really creepy,” she said. “Should we ring the bell or call someone?”
    I looked at her. “Why don’t you go back outside and wait?”
    I could see in her face she liked the idea. She seriously considered it. She’d faced a few security guys before, and had seen the air shimmer and open up to other places. But this was different, somehow. We were invading a dangerous place and we had no backup plan to escape.
    Jenna’s face tightened and she shook her head. “No. I’m in this with you.”
    I didn’t have time to argue with her, so I nodded and led her down the hallway to Dr. Meng’s office. I didn’t bother to tap on the door; I just tried to open it. The door was locked, so I used my sunglasses and let myself in, Jenna behind me. If they could be rude, so could I.
    Dr. Meng was inside. She didn’t look at all surprised to see me. She wore a welcoming smile. When she saw Jenna following me, however, she paused and raised her eyebrows.
    “Hello, Quentin,” she said. “Who’s your friend?”
    Jenna spoke up before I could tell her not to identify herself. “I’m Jenna Townsend,” she said.
    “Oh,” Meng said, nodding. “The bride, of course. Please come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
    We walked in, but we didn’t sit down. Jenna walked closer to the doctor’s