Species Unknown [Book 1: Aves]

SEVENTEEN

"You think I did all this for the good of humanity?" Dr. Grant mused, gesturing to the room around them. When Jeanine failed to respond, he let out an amused chuckle before continuing. "Now why would I want to do that?"

"Because y-you..." Jeanine stuttered, scrambling through her memories of her years working with Dr. Grant. She thought back to when they first met. She was just a nervous college grad, not unlike Miss Hall. She remembered how he was intrigued by the fact she left her family and friends behind, and she remembered him vaguely paying attention to the other attributes she listed during her interview. At the time, she was just excited to be accepted into her dream career. She didn't think that perhaps she was chosen because without family or friends to care about her absence, she was disposable. Then the truth hit her, the truth that perhaps, Dr. Richard Grant never had good intentions at all. She opened her mouth, and closed it.

Dr. Grant smiled anew, his lip curling up to reveal his teeth like a cat who had finally cornered a mouse. "Congratulations Dr. Pierce" Dr. Grant mocked, her name like poison on his tongue. "It's ruly noble of you to give your life for the greater good. It's a shame we don't share the sentiment. Though I have to give you credit, perhaps at first my intentions bordered on noble, but now I see the truth. Why would I want to help anybody, when all they have done is reject me and my ideas! I gave them a solution and they humiliated me! Why would I give those hypocritical bastards anything!" Dr. Grant growled, his voice rising in anger.

Jeanine was too shocked at his outburst to rely and she simply stared at her boss, her eyes wide with fear. She watched how Dr. Grant's chest rose and fell with each heavy breath he took as he calmed himself down.

Running a hand through his salt and pepper locks, he took a long breath. "When I first created the subject and the Aves department, I had one goal in mind. I wanted to be respected. I wanted to make them regret every turning me down. I wanted to prove to them that my idea was the solution and shove their hypocrisy right in their faces. But to help..."

Dr. Grant paused for a moment, before his lips melted into a sinister grin. "Never."

"But you can help! The subject is proof of that! Just show them what we have done and they will surely respect you after what you have accomplished, after what the subject had accomplished!" Jeanine pleaded, trying to appeal to his side of reason while his temper had ebbed.

Dr. Grant shook his head. "That was then, I no longer want their respect. I don't need it. The only thing more reliable than their respect is their fear."

Jeanine's brows furrowed. "Surely you don't want this Richard-"

"I do!" Dr. Grant shouted, cutting her off. "And I know exactly how to get it," He said, his steely eyes glimmering with triumph that made Jeanine's skin crawl.

"Why don't I show you?" He said stepping closer.

Before she could respond, Dr. Grant held out the device in his hands and pressed the button.

Immediately, a high-pitched wail followed and Jeanine had to cover her ears. Seconds later the surrounding glass walls shattered, followed by the lights above them, casting the room in darkness. Within moments the building's alarm system went off, illuminating the room with interval flashes of red warning lights.

Jeanine slowly lowered her hands, and looked around blindly in the dark. Her breath came in quick gasps that athletes when Dr. Grant's voice echoed from the darkness, "Over the years, I have been working on a new project. A successor if you will...I figured now would be a good time to introduce you, after all, I can't have you running off to try to save your precious subject now can I?" he added, his words giving way to a cruel laugh that filled the darkness, leaving Jeanine's heart beat to speed up to a frantic pace. She feared for her life, and more importantly, for the life of another.

No...Elias...

Too panicked to speak, the room fell silent for a moment, and in the next bought of red light, Jeanine saw that Dr. Grant had stepped away from the shattered entrance of her office, instead, leaning against the wall beside the entrance. The cruel smirk had returned to his face as he watched, waited.

All too soon, the room went black again.

Then she heard it.

The crunch of glass under the slow, unmistakably calculated steps of a predator.

She kept her eyes ahead, toward the approaching sound.

With the next flash of light, Jeanine sucked in a breath when she the once empty door to her office was now occupied by a hunched figure. She watched as the figure sniffed the air and she gasped when it snapped its head in her direction.

Eyes like burning embers met hers and she forgot how to breathe. When the lights went out again, the room went black, hiding the figure from her view.

Clutching her chest, her breath returned in short gasps as she took a few steps back away from Dr. Grant's creature. Despite the blinding darkness, she could hear the glass crunch as it approached her.

With the next illumination of light, the figure was standing at full height only a few steps away from her cowering form. She gasped at the sudden change in proximity, stepping back and yelping as she bumped into the desk behind her. The desk shifted and its contents fell on the floor beside them.

"Shift," She heard Dr. Grant command from beside them and in response, the figure cried out as it clutched itself. Jeanine watched in fear as the figure's body spasmed and twitched. The sounds of bones cracking filled the room as the figure's cries turned into ones of pure agony.

Jeanine felt bile rise up in her throat at the horrifying sight and she looked away, focusing on the ground beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw the control button for the building's intercom hidden among the fallen papers and broken glass. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea. She knew she wouldn't be able to save herself, but perhaps she had a chance at something better.

A chance to warn Elias.

A chance to save him.

Glancing back at the struggling creature, she took advantage of the momentary distraction, lunging for the button. With both hands she grabbed it and pressed down before yelling with everything she had.

"RUN ELIAS R-"

Before she could finish, a pair of claws dug into her legs and she let out a cry of pain that echoed throughout the buildings speakers. The claws sinked deeper into her flesh and yanked her back, away from the intercom. Suddenly a new creature was upon her, a giant black wolf with the same piercing red eyes as the figure. With startling strength, it pinned her shoulders to ground and she pushed against its furry chest to keep its snarling jaws at bay.

The creature was very strong, and she was surprised she was able to even attempt to hold it off. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the numbers 0193 tattooed on the inside of his furry wrists. Her heart sank. She was astonished at the monstrous thing Dr. Grant had created. This snarling creature was a far cry from the beauty of Elias, and the comparison sparked sympathy within her. She wondered how well this creature was treated, being raised solely by Dr. Grant. She had seen how tough he was with Elias during his first few years of life, and could only imagine the pain and suffering this creature had gone through.

A wave of sadness washed over her as she looked deep into the red eyes of the creature above her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the creature. If it could understand her, it didn't show it. It's red eyes burned with the unrelenting fury of an animal. The wolf snarled and snapped, pushing harder as it reached towards her neck for a fatal bite. Feeling helpless, she turned to Dr. Grant who stood silently in the corner of the remains of her office, quietly observing.

Like a true scientist.

"Richard please!" She begged, hoping that their years together would mean something. Awaken whatever humanity he had left. But when her desperate eyes met his cold grey ones, she knew there was nothing left.

Resignation settled over her like a dark cloud, and she felt the weight of her next move. With one final breath, she kept her eyes on Dr. Grant.

"I hope you burn in hell," She said before she released her grip on the creature and the world went black.