Alexander was stomping up the stairs with Anna in his arms. “Don’t make me do it again, goi. I beg you.” He answered to her breathless words with only a grave look.

In the last few weeks, Anna’s illness had gotten much worse, being unable to walk or do anything by herself. Her husband, who seemed to succumb to despair as quickly as she was losing her own battle, had turned bitter and acted senseless, bringing her to the laboratory for hours, something his wife despised.

Claudia held the door of the bedroom for them. “I don’t… want you to do it.” Anna insisted, closing her eyes with the soft touch of her pillow.

The maid picked up the basin and towel, prepared to spend the night with her mistress. Taking care of her constantly was exhausting, but for that woman who had treated her like a daughter from day one, she was willing to do anything. “My wife just needs a rest. I need your help in the basement.”

“The laboratory?” mumbled her, completely caught by surprise. She cleaned every single corner of that house but the basement. Entry to that place had always been strictly prohibited.

“Yes. To help Anna. You want to help her, don’t you? You see, I built a machine that records her brain activity. I will cure her, yes. But I only get a meaningless puzzle. I need data from another subject to compare. Just get some data from you. I need space. Memory. I need more… What? The storage? And the power?… Yes, yes...” He mumbled to himself while walking down the stairs. Lately, she was catching him doing it often, as if explaining his own experiments out loud would help him unravel the problems he was facing.

Claudia didn’t understand any of it and didn’t care. She only knew what girls her age should know. Things a maid should know.

The stench of the underground room was nauseating. A mixture of hodors, none of which were pleasant. The room had no space to spare. Apparatus of all kinds filled every corner, scribbled blackboards with unintelligible equations, surrounded tables and shelves filled with bottles, papers, and boxes of many sizes and shapes.

Directly ahead, there was a gigantic barrel, like the ones used to make wine, though this one had strange round windows around it. Next to it were some shelves full of jars with hearts, livers, brains and many other organs. At first, it didn't disgust Claudia, since she was used to seeing pigs cut up in the butcher’s shop. It was with the sight of a human hand, preserved in one of those jars, when she realized it was not pork remains, but human. A shocking discovery that made her stagger.

Turning her eyes away, trying to resist the urge to vomit, she found another strange machine, one as big as the entire wall. A contraption full of gears, levers, and rollers that rotate constantly.

Victor, sitting at a littered desk facing the gauges, was taking notes absorbed by the zigzag and spinnings of the machine. Spooked by the noise, he jumped up. “Miss Claudia?” He exclaimed. “Professor, what is the meaning of this? Why is she here?”

Alexander dragged her towards a bulky wooden chair with leather straps all over it. “Professor?” Victor asked again to the meandering man who was only muttering nonsense. “Professor?”

“Mister Shelley.” Alexander finally answered, coming back from his thoughts. “It would be great if you can start thinking more like a scientist and less like an enamored youngling.” Victor blushed.

Claudia had not realized her hands were already tied when the professor put a wool cap over her head. She should have complained, tried to get free, but froze instead. She was confused. Scared. In his hands he had now a new hat, connected to the wall machine by two red cables. It was made of leather and with thousands of tiny needles all over the inner layer. As Alexander tightened the chin strap, she felt the metal spikes tighten around her entire head. Squirming to escape, she tugged hard on her bonds.

“It’s fine, sweet. I put a cap to protect your beautiful waves. It won’t hurt.” His words, more than comforting, came out as a malicious mockery. Words that soon proved false.

Victor wished to complain one more time, but he was halted. “Start the machines! Take notes!” Alexander said. With the machine on, the entire room rumbled. the needles bounced and the wheels spun, all faster than before. The tiny metal spikes inside her hat began to vibrate, then came the heat that turned into a throbbing pain all over her head and down her spine. She groaned first. then screamed. “It hurts!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Almost over now.” Reassured the professor with another lie. “Wait until ninety and close, Victor! Seventy percent and add more energy on the second node!”

Alexander stumbled around, wiping the sweat off his face, completely abducted by his experiment. “Last trial, it performed well. The capacitors didn’t record. Why? The vessel, yes, yes. What is dead remains dead? Yes. Now it will work. This is how it works.”

Finding no answer to his calls, Victor stopped the machinery which returned the professor to them. “Alexander. A word?”

“What dies remains dead. Undesired outcome if the receiver is gone,” Alexander muttered. “But then, what? Just what? Erase, subdue? Shut down, but not entirely. I need another computer… yes… turbine, disk generator, yes, yes.”

“Alex. I insist.”

The professor, still lost in his mental tribulations, removed the leather cap, pulling Claudia’s hair and leaving a lock of ash-golden hair between the needles.

A tear escaped down her cheek, and Victor exploded in fury. “That’s enough! I demand a word with you alone!” Alexander put a gauze pad on her head which she clutched tightly, backing away from the chair with short, startled steps. Victor, trying to regain his composure, spoke again, with an uncertain but sufficiently intimidating voice. “ Claudia, leave us, please. We need to discuss important matters right now.”

Victor’s words put a disturbing grin on the professor’s face, who dropped into the same chair where he had tortured his maid seconds before.

She ran up to her room, terrified and hurt. Confused. She checked her scalp with the small hand mirror on her vanity drawer. Although sore and red-skinned, her scalp seemed fine, even in the area where the lock had been pulled out. While combing the mess that was her mane, Claudia couldn’t stop tears of frustration to keep on falling.

In a fit of rage, she grabbed her bag and packed, committed to leaving that house, only stopping at the thought of Anna. She loved her madly. I was sure she'd quit that job, but not yet. Not while Anna still needed her.

Wiping away the tears, she went to check on her mistress. Anna was asleep and Claudia, although her hands were still trembling, found the strength to continue her daily tasks. While preparing the tea, the arguing from the living room made her heart jump.

“Do you think I’m a monster?” Bursted Alexander’s voice from behind the door. “Your insinuations insult me, Victor. I’m deeply offended.”

She stood in the doorway arch without knowing if this time they’d drink tea as usual, like every other day after the morning work had finished.

“You need to understand my concerns, professor.”

“I understand. And like I said, you have nothing to worry about. But I’ve already decided and I can’t work with someone who doesn’t trust me. Even so, to see there will be nothing to worry about, you can come visit us whenever you want, although only as a friend.” Alexander moved to the sliding door and invited Victor to leave with his arms. The young man took his coat but stopped at the sound of the door’s bell.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“It’s Erskin with people from the Navy.” Hissed Alex.

“They cannot find me here!” Whispered Victor.

“It’s too late for that. Seat there and shut up. Claudia, bring that tea on the loo table and sit with him.”

Dr. Erskin was followed by high ranked officers. Their uniforms, a red and a dark blue from army and navy respectively, were both filled with medals all over the chest.

“Gentlemen, may I assume you know Mr. Shelley?” Alexander said, without even a hint of nerves showing.

“I have the pleasure.” Answered Dr. Erskin. “Are you helping professor Alexander with his research, young Shelley?”

“He’s not.” Alexander cut short, without letting the young man speak. “Mr. Shelley’s father is a dear friend of mine. He visits us from time to time. More interested in seeing my maid than my boring chattering, I’m afraid. Youngsters, what can we do, right?”

“Shelley, Shelley? Linee’s University head-master?” Said the man in army red. “A man of your status shouldn’t court a maid.”

“Gentlemen. I assume you didn’t come here to chaperone this young couple,” Alexander mocked.

“No, we are here regarding your research. General Uler and Admiral Flint have been waiting for results that have yet not arrived.” Dr. Erskin said. The maid had the unpleasant pleasure of knowing the doctor. He visited them previously and the impression he had always given was that of a man of vile nature hidden vaguely behind a cloak of cordiality that no one believed. It was university’s gossip that he reached so high not because of merits as a scientist but because of his few scruples in trampling on anyone who got in his way.

She felt exhausted and nauseated. Sick of that house and sick of those men. Sick of having to listen to war nonsense and scientific gibberish. “Professor, with your permission I’ll go check that Mrs. Anna doesn’t need my help,” Alexander dismissed her with a wave, but Victor jumped up at her request with coat and hat ready.

“I’m afraid it’s late for me,” He said. “Gentlemen, it was a short but grateful pleasure.”

“I’ll walk you to the door-” Alexander tried to get up, but Erskin’s hand stopped him.

“I am convinced that there is nothing to worry about. From here to the foyer, there is not much distance and I am sure that Mr. Shelley is quite a gentleman.”

“Yeah, let’s give some space to the lovebirds.” Added the officer introduced as admiral Flint.

After a quick exchange of farewells, Victor walked her to the stairs. “I will come back every time I can,” he whispered, pulling out a gorgeous brooch from his pocket. “Take this. It was my mother’s. If you are in trouble of any kind, wear it during my visits and I will know you need help.” The young man’s fingers brushed her hand and Claudia withdrew it quickly. He crossed the door with a smile of hope, perhaps mistaking rejection for decorum.

Anna, conscious but thoughtful, noticed her after a while. “My husband is going mad,” she blurted. “I guess it’s desperation. What he’s doing needs to end today. I don’t… I-” Anna moaned in pain. Claudia could do little more than help her be more comfortable. “Bring me some tea… for my medicine.”

Anna, at the beginning of taking her medicine, used to complain of its repulsive bitterness even with only one drop of it.

Alexander and the other three were still arguing furiously in the living room. Claudia didn’t dare to enter and knocked on the doorframe instead. “Excuse me. Miss Anna needs some tea.”

“I just need a little more time.” Alexander said.” I promise I’m at the verge of a breakthrough-”

“A breakthrough solving your wife’s sickness.” Dr. Erskin reproached him. “ Oh, yes, we know. We need new guns, new types of ships. You have been using our funds for your own interest, and we got nothing from it.” The professor’s face turned red.

“I heard our Alliance stroke from Mestra and made Herjard give up Tromso and retire North. That’s almost a surrender, isn’t it?” Alexander rambled, clumsily trying to find an excuse for his procrastination.

“We are stronger in numbers,” the admiral intervened more amicably. “ But they are superior technologically. And that retreat is a ruse. They are going to attack from the Silver Isles with all their forces. I’m sure of that. ”

Claudia knocked on the doorframe again, receiving a stare of anger. The professor gritted his teeth and turned his temper towards the admiral instead. “Maybe you should bring back the other half of your ships from the western colonies, then. They are wasted there.”

“Wasted? You definitely know nothing,” the officer scoffed. “The Western colonies are our most precious supply of primary resources and those ungrateful bastards won’t wait a minute to secede. The control of that land is critical!”

“What James is trying to say there,” interrupted the general. “Is that an expert in science should leave war matters to the experts in war.”

Alexander shook his head and let out a disapproving sigh. “You! For the old gods, don’t wait there like an idiot and do whatever my wife asked you to do!”

Spooked, Claudia moved like a little mouse.” Miss Anna needs some tea,” She repeated, excusing her interruption.

The tea on the table was still hot, and although etiquette said it was inappropriate to serve a cup to someone who wasn’t in the room, Claudia didn’t care. The men, locked in their fight, didn’t care either and luckily she managed to get out as fast as intended.

Anna caressed the tea cup as if it was a tresure. “Love, can you close the window? It’s cold.” The girl turned, confused. She didn’t remember opening it.

The woman eagerly drank the tea. “I put some money in that bag over there.” she said. ”Is much more than we owe you. Enough to start a new life. Tonight, you will go. If you desire live in old house, you will find the ownership papers there. I signed it long ago. My husband will never go back there.”

“Mrs. What… Why-”

“Oh, dear. I wish you can call me Anna for once.” She opened her hand, the green bottle of medicine was on her palm. Empty. “This had to end, dear. I can’t continue like this. Not with what Alex has planned.”

Claudia’s thoughts froze. Her mind, that of a simple and naïve girl, could not process what was happening. Although her heart, clenched like a fist, knew it. Her lips trembled, her eyes wet. “Remember,” Anna said. ”A smile on our faces. Yes? Now, go to your room and pack your things. Let me die in peace.”

Anna had to order her to leave repeatedly until the poor maid obeyed. The long hug seemed too short. The warm kiss hurt as frostbite.

As she packed her luggage, she could hear the voices of the men below and the door slamming shut. If she was lucky, Alexander would go drink himself to unconsciousness in the basement.

Claudia carefully opened the door of her room, looking at every corner to be sure the old man was not there. She scooted downstairs, leaving the bag in the foyer.

The living room was also empty. She checked carefully. With quick but silent steps, she searched for the poetry book, barely containing her sobs.

“What are you doing with your jacket on?” the voice from the kitchen paralyzed her in terror. She turned, the world around her moving in slow motion. Her lips trembled again. Her eyes, red and wet, cried once more.

Alexander scowled. “Why are you crying?” Claudia was petrified. “Why are you crying?” repeated him. After a blink, she saw in his eyes: The ephemeral moment of realization. His eyelids rose. His chest swelled, and he stormed to the rooms. The stairs creaked and the whole house rattled with his strides. “No, no, no, no, no!”

“No!” He screamed with a desperation that froze her blood. Then silence. Claudia should have seized the opportunity to run away, but she didn’t. As if she was observing from a place far away, she watched as he carried his unconscious wife to the laboratory. “Don’t do this to me, no, no! Not yet!” he whined.

She wanted to tell him to stop. To tell him not to take her downstairs. She tried but did nothing. Just cried. Lost in thoughts of sorrow, she only reacted when the basement door squeaked. He was crying, the same or more than she.

“I’m so sorry,” mumbled her. He scuffed towards her. “I’m so-”

Her face, not seeing the hand that hit her, broke. Her body jerked and fell to the ground, smashing her head on the wood. Sparks by thousands blurred her vision. A split lip filled her mouth with blood. She tried to crawl backwards, to escape, but her arms didn’t react. When the glimmering faded, his figure returned, stalking from above. “It’s your fault,” he said, tying his belt tightly over the fist. “It’s all your fault.”