After a short wait a nurse meets us in the reception. He extends his hand to me first, "Hi, I'm Danny. You must be Tanya," He shakes my hand. "And I take it you're Kade?" He asks, extending a warmly welcoming hand.
Kade nods and stands up.
The nurse, Danny, is young and strikingly handsome. He addresses us with a strong local accent, "Dr Rosen is consulting with his patient at the moment. But if you follow me I'll take you down to the basement where you can observe your subjects. Then I'll take you into the office where I believe the rest of your group are waiting."
"Subjects, what do you mean by 'our subjects?'" Asks Kade.
Danny looks slightly taken aback, "The six subjects, that you and your group have kindly agreed to take to your over seas medical facility." He looks behind him, then back to us, "I should add, that I've signed all the relevant confidentiality documentation," he says, in a noticeably lower tone.
"Why do you call them subjects?" Asks Kade.
When two people turn in response to Kade's slightly raised voice, Danny looks suddenly cautious. "Kade, please keep your voice down." He moves in closer and speaks with a conspiratorial whisper, "I thought you both new about them." His face drops and he looks at his ipad, "Crikey, you two are definitely Kade Kendal and Tanya Lebowski – or have I made an error?" He asks, worried.
I step in, to put him back at ease, "No error." I lower my voice, "And we're aware of the patients, it's your referring to them as subjects that has caused our confusion." I say.
Danny's composure returns, "Right. Look, let me take you down to the basement, we can converse more freely down there."
......
In the elevator Danny's tone changes, heaviness hangs in his voice, "It's my professional duty to prepare you for the sights you're about to see. And to clarify why we call them 'subjects' it's because they've all been subject to the most extreme." He stops, thinks, then says, "Let's just say, their injuries are extreme."
I become aware of how far the elevator is descending, when Kade asks, "We're not medics, what value is there in us seeing them?"
Danny's answer is emphatic, "Dr Rosen believes you may recognize some of the injuries and thus have information that could lead to the perpetrators of these crimes," he answers, assuredly.
.......
Eventually we come to a halt and the doors open into a long, dark corridor, its narrow width only allows us to walk in single file.
A cloak of claustrophobia sweeps over me as we follow Danny down the coffin like space.
I inhale a huge breath as the walls appear to narrow, "Why don't you just report these crimes to the authorities?" I ask, breathing heavily to control my claustrophobia. His response is immediate, "The government wants to allay public fear and panic. The Secret Services have intelligence to believe the six subjects are only the tip of a very large operation, that they are victims of some kind of sick global game plan. But my knowledge is limited, I'm just one of several nurses employed to attend to their needs whilst they're here in London."
I have to turn my body as the walls narrow alarmingly – I'm not sure I can continue any further without succumbing to a full-blown claustrophobic panic attack.
Kade, shuffling behind me, grabs my waistband, "STOP. This is getting all too tight, Danny boy!" He says. I feel him engaging a disabling device.
Danny is apologetic, "Soz, I forgot to tell ya. The walls narrowing are a security feature, to keep out intruders. My sensor will activate now and open up the walls."
