Page 18 of The King

“Who am I speaking to?” The doctor commanded.

“This is Darren,” the cocky voice spat. “Who is this?”

"This is your boss. Turn in your keys. You are fired,Darren.”

"But…" And that was as far as he got before a click, click, click of the radio changing channels echoed against what Ettie guessed were block walls reinforced with cold, hard steel and caustic silver.

Two beeps, then the doctor was once again barking orders. “Sergeant O’Hara?”

‘Yes, Doctor.”

"I have just terminated an orderly working in Level 4 Iso. His name is Darren. I do not have his last name. I need you to send someone up and escort him from the building."

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then I need four guards placed outside the door of Isolation 4 Room 5. Only tranqs, Sargent, but use the .50 Beowulf with tranq 7.”

“Tranq 7?”

"Yes, Sergeant. That is what I said. Are you and your men up to the job, or do I need to find someone else who can follow my orders without question or hesitation?"

"No, ma'am. That won't be necessary. We can do the job."

The asshole’s voice sounded giddy. Whatever a .50 Beowulf with tranq 7 was, it couldn’t be good. Not if Deputy Doolittle was happy about it.

"See that you do. Let me know when your men are in position. We are waiting, and I do not like to be kept waiting."

“Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”

“Dude sounds like a puppy after a treat,”Eden snarled.“You need to remember that voice. I want to give him some special attention when the time is right.”

“Gotcha cover…”

Suddenly distracted when her fingers and toes began to tingle, Ettie could no longer speak – even mentally. Feeling was returning to her extremities. Wiggling the tip of the pinky finger under the sheet, away from prying eyes, excitement filled every inch of the Demi-Goddess. The rush of dopamine, serotonin, and all the other happy hormones from realizing the drugs were wearing off were pushing the nasty shit from her system faster than anyone – even her and Eden - could have predicted.

Things were looking up. The feeling and movement were returning to her outer extremities, and everything else was soon to follow. Ithadto be soon to follow. Even so, she had to stay quiet, still and compliant until she came up with a plan of escape – and enough strength to not only get her own butt out of O'Baoill's Hospital from Hell but also all the other unwilling victims.

“You let me handle the plan,”Eden directed.“You listen to Doc Crazy Pants and do not make a move until these four men are gone, or you're sure you can knock 'em down, and they won't get back up.”

And that is precisely what Ettie did.

"You are correct, Nurse Weatherly, but this specimen, this Ettie Featherstone, is also smart and cunning. Never forget that she has fooled countless others by hiding behind a mask of humanity and assimilatingourways to near perfection. My father speculated that was the best defense any of the abominations have, and they have used it as a way to infiltrate human society without anyone knowing it was happening."

“Do you really think she is the daughter of the Celtic God of the Sun?”

“I don’t think she is,” the doctor haughtily corrected. “Iknowshe is one of the Daughters of Lugh.”

The man closest to Ettie's head on the right snorted under his breath. Apparently, he didn't believe a word the doctor was saying. Funny enough, Doctor Psycho was more than ready to take up the challenge.

"Did you say something, Orderly?"

"Umm," he cleared his throat, and the putrid scent of humiliation filled Ettie's senses. "No, Doctor. I didn't say anything."

“See that you don’t.”

“Wow,”Eden mused.“She really is her father’s daughter.”

“Oh, yeah, that spoiled apple didn’t fall far from the rotten tree.”

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