Page 46 of Immersed
Asher straightened, genuine disturbance crossing his features. “He was performing unauthorized experiments. Using psychiatric patients as test subjects.”
For a moment, Levi forgot to maintain his wariness. The empathy in Asher’s voice sounded authentic—horror at human suffering,outrage at medical abuse. It was the kind of reaction that made him seem entirely human.
“These aren’t medical treatments,” Asher continued, flipping through more files. “It’s torture disguised as research.”
A photograph slipped from one of the folders—a group shot of medical staff posed in this same laboratory. Dr. Faine stood in the center, a thin man with wire-rimmed glasses and an unsettling smile. Around him, nurses and orderlies arranged themselves with the casual confidence of people who believed their work was justified.
Levi studied the faces, looking for anyone familiar. None of the medical staff resembled his current companions, but something about the photograph felt significant.
“The locked door,” Levi said. “If Faine was conducting secret experiments, he’d have a private workspace. Somewhere the regular staff couldn’t access.”
They approached the secured door together, examining the heavy deadbolt. The lock appeared newer than the rest of the building’s hardware, as if it had been installed specifically to protect whatever lay beyond.
“We need a key,” Asher observed, testing the lock mechanically. “Or maybe I can work around it. I did some locksmith work in college—beer money, you know?”
Levi returned to the filing cabinet, searching the remaining drawers. Medical supplies, administrative paperwork, personnel files—and at the bottom, wrapped in oiled cloth, a set of keys on a simple metal ring.
One key fit the deadbolt.
The locked door opened into a corridor even darker than the research lab they left behind. Levi’s flashlight beam swept across more scarred linoleum floors and peeling wallpaper, revealing a section ofthe hospital that felt fundamentally different from the patient rooms they explored earlier.
Asher stepped through the doorway first, his own flashlight cutting through the gloom.
“Administrative Wing,” Asher said, reading a faded sign on the wall. “Dr. Faine’s private office should be along here somewhere.”
They moved deeper into the corridor, footsteps echoing against damaged floors. This section showed signs of deliberate abandonment—file cabinets left open, papers scattered, desk drawers pulled out and emptied. Someone had searched through everything in haste.
“Looks like someone cleaned this place out before it closed,” Levi noted, photographing the ransacked offices with his phone.
A metal examination table dominated the center of one room, its surface scarred with decades of use. The restraints looked sturdy despite their age—thick leather straps designed to hold struggling patients. Levi reached out to examine one of the mechanisms, curious about how the buckles operated.
His fingers brushed against what looked like a simple placemarker, but the moment he made contact, machinery whirred to life beneath the table. Metal clamps shot upward like striking snakes, slamming shut where his hand had been mere seconds before.
“Sh-shit!” Levi jerked backward, his heart hammering as he stared at the vicious steel jaws that had nearly caught his fingers. The clamps remained locked in position with blunt serrated edges designed to hold—or crush—whatever they captured.
Strong arms wrapped around his waist, yanking him away from the table. Levi found himself pressed against Asher’s chest as they both tumbled backward, Asher’s momentum carrying them away from the triggered device.
They hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, Asher’s arms tightening around Levi to cushion their fall. For a moment, they lay frozen in an awkward embrace—Levi’s back against Asher’s chest, those arms still circling his waist.
“You okay?” Asher’s voice was breathless, his face close enough that Levi felt warm air against his ear. “That was close.”
Heat flooded Levi’s cheeks as he became hyperaware of every point of contact between their bodies. Asher’s chest rose and fell against his back, solid and reassuring. Those arms around his waist felt steady, protective—nothing like the violence he remembered from previous encounters.
“I’m fine,” Levi managed. He started to push himself up, but Asher’s arms tightened, holding him in place for another heartbeat.
“Are you sure?” Concern colored Asher’s tone. “Your hands—let me see.”
Only then did Levi realize his fingers were trembling. Asher caught his wrists, turning his hands palm-up to examine them for injury. His touch was careful as he checked each finger for damage.
“Nothing broken,” Asher announced, his thumbs stroking across Levi’s knuckles—a gesture so gentle it made Levi’s breath catch. “You were lucky.”
Lucky. Right. Levi’s pulse hammered as those thumbs continued their gentle movement across his skin. The tenderness of the touch made his chest tight with confusion.
They disentangled slowly, both of them sitting up on the dusty floor. Asher released Levi’s hands reluctantly, fingers trailing across his skin as he pulled away.
“Thanks,” Levi said, not quite meeting Asher’s eyes.
“Of course.” Asher stood first, extending a hand to help Levi to his feet.”Can’t have my partner getting crushed by antique medical equipment.
