"You don't have to be mad to be institutionalised here, but it helps cover us in the event of a police enquiry if you are" explains the sign on entry. It is a grey, old, spiky, unforgiving building with a bosom to match. See its harsh steely windows... well, the windows aren't steely, but the frames are: it's the only thing that the people on the other side of the window can't chew through. See its harsh steely windows with their bars. See the bars with their steelier-than-glass attitude. See the children's rooms with no bars, just high windows looking in on flaked murals of clean smiley cartoon characters.
Our hero Testtube de Blueink (of the Boston de Blueinks) is dragged in by her hair, strangely muted for one in such pain. A blood sample is taken, and then another one, but for official purposes this time. She's given an internal examination, which her liver finds far too easy and finishes quickly, then sits and reads; her spleen struggles, only just finishing, but much like the episode of Blossom where her dum boyf gets into Princeton and she doesn't, the spleen blows the cocky liver out of the water. Her dental records are stifled.
And then she meets the group:
"I eat babies."
"Oh."
"Oh, don't worry, it was just a phase. I quit a couple of weeks ago. Didn't need patches or anything."
"People talk to me."
"Oh, you hear voices?"
"No, people talk to me and I kill them."
[Wariness]
"Oh, don't worry, I won't kill you. It was just a phase. I quit of my own volition shortly before I was arrested, but y'know how society is, always wanting punishment."
"I think I'm Walker Seward."
"Who?"
"Oh, just some guy."
"I am Walker Seward."
"Oh?"
"He thinks he's me."
"Oh."
"One of us is fucked in the head, and they can't be sure, so they keep both of us."
"I reckon he's fucked: he thinks, you know."
"Really? I'd have said it was me for the same reason."
"I just want to be left alone."
Out she walks, out of the building and into a taxi. "I can take you anywhere."
"Take me to the airport."
"Impatient fool."
And at the airport. "We can fly you anywhere." Her French accent is masked when transcribed, but not when spoken.
"Anywhere."
"Yes, anywhere."
"No, I mean I don't mind. Fly me anywhere. Pick for me."
"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to, mademoiselle," French, y'see? "If we do that then we're liable if you don't have a nice time."
"Ok, I'll just have a ticket for the next flight."
"Done and done."
Then aboard. She sits in an empty row of seats. People sit next to her and she meets the rest of the group.
"I want to die."
"Why don't you?"
"It might just be a phase."
"I get headaches."
"Oh?"
"Not really. I can't sleep."
"Oh?"
"Not really. I want to die."
"Oh?"
"Not really. I think I'm Walker Seward."
"Oh?"
"Not really."
"I'm the pilot."