Prison of the Mind

Chapter 2

He was met inside by a smiling secretary in a nearly empty reception area. Lancurst had been in contact with several government workers concerning Kuvrik, but they had mentioned little of what may meet him in Schurst.

"What can I help you with?" the secretary asked him.

"I was told to come here by 'Mrs. Heplin'. She said to be here as soon as possible." Lancurst answered. "For Daniel Kuvrik," he added.

"Oh, yes, she mentioned you'd be here," the woman said. "One moment please." She turned to the computer behind her and began to peck rapidly at the keyboard.

Lancurst tapped idly against his briefcase and looked around. Turned away from him, an officer had a two-way radio pressed to his ear and was mumbling unintelligibly into the mouthpiece. The officer spun around and spotted Lancurst staring at him. After giving Lancurst an inquisitive look, he turned again and walked down an empty hallway. Nerves not improved by the sighting of a guard, Lancurst proceeded to examine the rest of the room.

The place was clearly new, but it appeared there were still finishing touches to be made.

Wet cans of paint accompanied the spotless beige walls. The carpeted floor showed no signs of wear, although he noticed a patch covered in dust in a dark room down the hall. Several of the fluorescent walls down that same hall were left exposed without the covering found in the reception area.

The entire area had a slight blue tinge to it, caused by the bright and artificial lighting. Lancurst felt there was a very cramped and hostile feel, not helped by the bulletin board covered in police reports. This was not new to him. He'd been dealing with criminals and their conditions for long enough to become accustomed to the lifestyle.

"Dr. Lancurst, with a 'c,' correct?"

Slightly startled by the voice breaking the quiet, Lancurst took a few seconds before he managed to respond. "Ah yes, Dr. Lancurst, with a 'c.'"

The secretary nodded in acknowledgment and returned to the computer. He wasn't sure what needed to be entered, but he'd become familiar with the painstakingly inefficient systems common in his line of work.

Lancurst returned to his examination of the room. He hadn't noticed before, but the unnatural quietness was very apparent now. He assumed all of the officers and workers were busy working in the other sections of the massive building. Still, the silence was unnerving.

"Mrs. Heplin will be with you in a moment," the secretary informed him.

Lancurst nodded his thanks and checked his watch. He'd made great time.

He checked himself one last time, finding his appearance to be acceptable at best. His tie was regrettably twisted, and his suit was marred by wrinkles. Sighing in resignation, Lancurst quit fussing with his clothing and readied the papers he'd brought. More to keep his hands busy than anything, Lancurst clicked open his briefcase and shuffled absentmindedly through its contents. Consequently, he didn't notice the approaching clicks of heels on the hard floor.

"Dr. Lancurst?" said a voice, reminiscent of the secretary's.

Swiveling his head with the intent of responding to the secretary, Lancurst found, to his surprise, a woman staring at him. Lancurst stuck out his hand, attempting to give the woman's outstretched hand a shake, forgetting the open case in his arms in the process. The case fell to the ground at the woman's feet with a thump, spilling papers across the floor.

Within seconds, Lancurst was on his knees attempting to clean the mess, red-faced and apologetic.

"Very sorry about that." Lancrust babbled as he returned to his feet with papers in hand. "Mrs. Heplin, I presume? A pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, the pleasure is likewise felt," She responded with an exasperated sigh.

Lancurst hurried to stuff the mess of papers back into the case as Mrs. Heplin turned and gestured for him to follow.

"This will be your first time here, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, though I'm fairly familiar with the layout from the building plans," Lancurst responded.

"So you've done your homework," she said in approval. "In that case, I think we'll skip the general tour, which I think is for the best. Kuvrik has gotten...anxious."

"Anxious?" Lancurst implored.

"Yes. He's quite unlike the others. You'd think him to be an average citizen if you met him on the streets."

"That's actually not out of the ordinary. In fact, if—"

"No, he's different from any of the others that I've ever seen." Mrs. Heplin said conviction. She turned to him as they walked and said, "I'm confident in your proficiency at your job, but I don't think there's any hope helping that young man."

"Well, I must try," Lancurst replied. "That's what they're paying me for, after all," he continued with a weak laugh.

Mrs. Heplin ignored him and instead turned sharply into a connecting hallway.

"The cell where Daniel Kuvrik is currently held is at the far end of the western corner," she informed him. "You will speak with him in the secure counseling rooms for the first few meetings."

Lancurst listened intently, already aware of the arrangement.

"Unfortunately, those rooms are near the center of the complex. Due to Kurvik's current security level, he must be brought down through a secure hallway, accompanied by several guards. This all takes time, so you will regrettably be waiting here for a while," she said, pointing through a tinted window into a dark room containing a conference table and chairs.

"Great! That'll give me time to reorganize my papers." Lancurst said with a nervous smile.

Mrs. Heplin laughed dryly, clearly unamused. She unclipped a plastic badge from the inside of her coat and swiped it across the door lock. Lancurst heard a metallic click emanate from within the lock He muttered his thanks and stepped past her to open the door.

"Your wait shouldn't be too long," she remarked as he passed.

Once inside, Lancurst flipped a light switch on the wall adjacent to the door. More fluorescent lighting filled the space, not leaving even a trace of shadow. Unnoticed by him before, a smooth stretch of wall gleamed an oily black. The strange wall was directly opposite the door, and stretched from floor to ceiling, meeting both at a sharp, clean line.

Lancurst gave a low whistle. The entire wall was the bulletproof glass he'd heard about. He set his briefcase on the table and pressed his nose to the glass. On the other side, a lone chair was just barely visible, standing alone amidst bare flooring. The glass felt exceedingly sturdy and slightly cool to the touch. An inmate would need armor-piercing rounds to reach him behind that kind of protection, he thought appreciatively.

After a few more seconds of scanning the room in the vain hope of spotting something else, Lancurst gave up and turned his attention back to his own room. There were ten chairs spaced evenly around the conference table, each looking as hard and uninviting as the last. Lancurst was unsure why ten would ever be necessary for this kind of work, but he didn't complain.

He found them to be surprisingly comfortable, despite their initially hostile appearance. Sighing out of dread, Lancurst sank into the chair and stared at the briefcase lying on the edge of the table. Inside, he knew jumbled papers awaited, begging to be sorted.

Lancurst checked his watch reflexively. Mrs. Heplin had said the wait wouldn't be too long, but how long that may be, Lancurst was unsure. Organizing paperwork did not seem at all pleasant to him. The possibility of a short nap was much more appealing.

He let out an involuntary yawn. The lethal combination of a comfy chair and weariness were beginning to take their toll. Lancurst checked his watch a second time and considered the length of the wait.

Five minutes, he could afford that. Then he'd organize the papers. Lancurst knew he shouldn't risk being caught sleeping on the job, especially on the first day, but he couldn't help himself.

As he released a series of yawns, Lancurst fiddled with his watch and set an alarm. He leaned back with a sigh, this time in content, and was asleep within seconds.