Profession

Asylum

The orientation at Arkham Asylum was long and detailed. Not that I minded; these patients were those who were too violent to be placed in other populations and a lot of them were considered criminals who had beat a prison sentence with a psych dodge. The staff was fair but realized that not all patients really should be there. The building itself looked like it was straight out of some moldy old horror show and should have been torn down centuries ago and replaced with something modern, with lots more light and... I don't know. It had been built of native stone, pretty much exclusively. There was wallboard in the newer staff area, but that was it. There were old-fashioned--but generally effective--bars on the windows. All of them. There were exposed pipes that occasionally leaked onto the flagstone floors, providing that special atmospheric touch. The chief nurse shook her head when she came to collect me at the gate. A gate and fence like the one I had at home, tall and wrought iron. But not even electrified!! No wonder Grandpa Bruce could stroll in whenever he felt like it. "Budgets," she said simply. "The city can't afford a newer facility that's large enough to contain the patients here. We could use an expansion, actually, but that's out too."

It did not seem conducive to really working on your sanity.

First I was issued a credential, with a stern looking hologram of myself, and biometric data was taken. I noted the software manufacturer--LexCorp, instantly suspicious, a villain's company providing security software?--for later investigation. I might have to shore up the security some. I wanted my biometrics to be safe, especially in a place like this. Once that was done, I was given a tour of the facility, or most of it, anyway. There was a section that interns like me were never cleared for, the place where they kept the most brutal killers and psychopaths. It was guarded physically with police officers in addition to the locks that checked credentials and biometrics, and there were cameras everywhere. "Interns are never allowed back there, nobody but a few of the doctors, nurses, and orderlies who are specially trained, and they have to go in pairs for safety," Angie, the chief nurse and my supervisor, said. "That unit is the most secure in the place, and it has its own kitchen, maintenance, and infirmary. Don't try to access the block under any circumstances. If you do, your internship will be terminated immediately."

"I have no desire to go back in there," I said truthfully, and she smiled.

"We were impressed with the reports from your first psych placement. You'll be observing only for the first week, seeing how things are done here. Then you'll be helping with medication, working into other responsibilities, but with the  lower-risk patients only. If that. What you can do here isn't only determined by your personal abilities but also how the patients respond to you. You're a bit risky. We've got killers and rapists here, you fit into their type, some of them--young, attractive, red hair. You look delicate and vulnerable. They might act up around you, so don't take it personally if your responsibilities aren't as extensive as you might like." Then I was taken back to the security office for orientation with their procedures.

"Normal status is green, yellow is for an isolated incident, and red is for a widespread problem," the security chief said, inducting me in the code of the running lights in the corridors. It was a mark of how seriously security was taken here that he didn't delegate the training to someone else. "If you see red lights, drop whatever you are doing and  head immediately for a safe area, here, here, and here." He indicated secured areas for staff and the few visitors who came to the asylum on the 3D blueprints. "No exceptions, even if you're working with a patient. You're a temporary worker, so you won't be getting training on how to address a red alert. They mean that there's a prisoner breakout or that someone's trying to extract a patient, or that there's a hostage situation." I shivered. He nodded. "Right. You don't want to get in the middle of that. The safe areas are heavily reinforced and have never been breached, so that's the best place for you. However, it might not be possible for you to reach one in time. If that is the case, the red alert changes permissions on all locked doors. Your badge will allow you access to any area except the maximum security area, say, a doctor's office. The first unoccupied, secured room will open to your badge, and once you are inside, will lock for the duration of the emergency. One person per room, so as to prevent hostage situations. The locks on the door are heavy-duty, but they can forced open, given enough time and blunt force, which is why it's better to reach a safe area if at all possible."