"Hello, my name is Dr. Evans and I need your help." I stared at the young man sitting on the cot. He may be young but he's had to endure more trauma than most wolves will ever have to experience in their lifetime.
"And why would I help you? You're a traitor." He word laced with venom, and he was glaring at me with hard eyes that would have made a guilty person look away in shame. It only made me stand taller.
"You should be careful who you aim those accusations at," I warned.
"I will do and say whatever I want. Then maybe you'll kill me quicker." He made a move to stand up.
"You will sit and you will obey." My wolf flashed in my eyes and he flinched in fear.
"Who are you?" He asked. The disrespect that was previously there was now replaced with curiosity.
"Not someone you want to disrespect freely. And my mate is the crown alpha. So you will obey and show me respect." His eyes widen and he bowed his head in submission. I didn't really want to play the whole mate card but I needed him to cooperate.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me. I just assumed you we-" I cut him off with a raise of my hand. I didn't care who he thought I was, we were wasting time.
"Nothing to forgive. The government is hunting a friend of mine. They want her and her powers, and I can't let that happen. You've been here longer than most. You know how things operate. I need your help to stop them. And in return I will get you out." He glanced at the wall in concern. I knew on the other side of the wall lay a small fae child taken from his home.
"I will get you all out." It was a promise. And I knew he heard the determination in voice because he nodded.
"What do you need from me?" He asked.
"Intel. I got as much as I could from Dr. Porter but it's not enough. Walters kept her in the dark about some things. I need to know if he's ever came down here personally to see you? Ever told you anything?"
He shook his head, "No, Walters never came to see me. Serena on the other hand, he was interested in her. Never talked to her that I saw but he was interested in her powers."
"She's a witch," I mused. I need to find out what kind of tests they ran on her. Whatever they did to her was probably just practice for what they have planned for Ayla.
"Alright that helps, thanks. I have to do some research and planning but in a couple of days I'll have a plan and we'll be getting out of here." He seemed content with the answer so I walked towards the door but stopped and turned back with a grimace.
"One more thing," I looked at him with regret in my eyes, "I have to keep up appearances. I can't stop the experiments."
"I know." He lay back on his cot, accepting the pain that was to come.
I shut the door to his cell and walked backed down the hall, pausing at Serena's cell. She glanced up and her red eyes bore into mine.
Well this would either hurt like bitch or she'd trust me and not hex me to death. I pressed the intercom button by the door.
"I'm going to enter your room and you're not going to hit me with a spell." It wasn't a question but a command.
She glared at me and whispered under her breath. Her cot flew into the window, splintering into pieces. She raised an eyebrow when I didn't flinch.
I pressed the intercom button again. "Okay, one more time because I think you might be hard of hearing." She glared daggers at me for the insult. Vampires had enhanced hearing and clearly she was sensitive to her heritage.
"I'm going to enter your cell. You're going to behave and listen to what I have to say." I paused and then added, "And I'll get you a new bed."
She glanced at the pieces of the cot that was in shambles under the window and if her nod seemed a little obligatory, I didn't press the issue.
I opened the door to her cell and her eyes widen. Curiosity, fear, disbelief, disappointment. They all flashed through her eyes.
"Your aura. You're a werewolf." She pointed out; well it was more like she was accusing me. I guess it's better than her hexing me, I thought.
"Yes." I was puzzled now. If she could see auras, I was standing on the other side of that glass for over ten minutes.
"Wait, the glass prevents you from seeing auras as well as stopping your spells?" I asked her.
"Yes, very inconvenient if you ask me." She grumbled and sat down in the middle of the room. I raised an eyebrow but didn't question her actions.
"I'm surprised that another supernatural is abusing our kind, but I figured that Walters would get to our kind eventually." The betrayal and accusation in her voice wasn't hard to pick up.
"You should watch where you point fingers little girl. Someone might actually be trying to help you." I walked over to the wall where her cot used to be and sat against it.
Now she looked surprised and stumbled over words. "I don't understand?" She finally asked.
"I'm not here to hurt you. Unfortunately though to keep up appearance I can't stop the testing. But the government is hunting my friend. She's like you." Serena looked stunned.
"What do you mean she's like me?"
"She's a witch, but she's not just a witch. But no one really knows what else she is, just that she's powerful. And they want her powers." As I explained it I saw the information clicking together in her head.
"Ayla, that's your friend? I mean logically I knew she was real but growing up and hearing about her and her powers, a part of me just thought she was just made up ya know?"
"Well I assure you she's real and she's in trouble. The people who are keeping you here are the ones who are trying to get to her. And I think that the experiments they've done on you are preparation for her. So I need to know what they've done to you in more detail and if they've ever asked or told you anything?" I pressed her for information.
"Don't you have records of that now that you're the new doctor?" There was an undertone of hostility when she asked but I suspected it had more to do with having to think about the past experiments than me asking.
"Yes but I need to know it from your angle if there was anything that you think they wouldn't have put in the records." I stood and did a quick walk around the room to keep my wolf at bay. I'd been down here long enough and if we didn't hurry this along I have no doubts that my nervous assistant would assume I've been harmed and send someone in after me.
"They just tested how long I could use my powers before being exhausted. Uh, they.. they cut into my skin with silver to see how quickly it would heal. But I think that was more for my vampire half than the witch half. I can't think of- wait!" She exclaimed and stood. I perked up and took a step closer in interest.
"A few weeks ago they took my to this room for a new experiment they said. But all that was in the room was this machine looking thing."
"What did it do?" I asked.
"I don't know." She furrowed her brows. "I saw down in one of the seats and they hooked me up to the machine but nothing happened. I'm not sure if it didn't work or if they decided not to use it but after about ten minutes they unhooked me and brought me back to my room."
"Do you remember where this room is?"
"I was knocked out when they brought me there but they didn't on the way back. All I know is its two floors below us." She bit the inside of her cheek nervously.
"Alright I'll look into it. Look, I can't stop the experiments because I need to keep appearances, but I'm hoping in the next couple of days I'll have a plan and you'll all be getting out of here."
"It's okay, do what you have to." She walked back over to where I had been sitting against the wall and she slid down, pulling her knees against her chest.
"And I'll get you that bed." She looked up and smiled. With a final nod I closed her cell door and headed to the elevator.
Two floors down. According to the elevator we were already on the last possible it could go. But I saw the floor plans, and I knew Serena was right. There were at least five levels below where we were right now.
I scanned my badge but nothing happened. This couldn't be right, I'm the lead doctor so they would definitely give me access to the floors I just don't know how. I glared at the buttons and took a step back looking for what I could be missing. I glanced at the left side of the elevator and noticed a small black button that you would miss unless you knew it was there but being a werewolf with enhanced sight definitely came in hand sometimes.
I stepped over the to the left and pressed the button which opened a panel to reveal a retina and audio scanner.
"Casey Evans." I stated clearly, and once it was confirmed the retina scanner flashed over my eye briefly confirming my identity before revealing a new set of buttons just like it had when I first arrived at the building.
I pressed the button I assumed the room would be on and felt the elevator shift as we descended even further below the city.
When the doors opened the lights in the hallway were dimmed. I automatically went to reach for my gun only to remember I didn't have one on me. Damn metal detectors I cursed and made my way down the hall. It was hard where to figure out where to go, there was only a single door at the end of the hall.
I scanned my badge to unlock the door and slowly turned the handle, I didn't know if anyone was inside. There weren't any widows peering inside so I was going in blind. But luck was on my side because the room was empty besides the machine that you could tell was meant to instill terror.
I surveyed the machine trying to decipher its function but because it wasn't in use at the moment it was actually pretty hard to figure out.
I kneeled down by the chair and glanced around. The chair had metal restraints to keep the person contained and I was relieved that they hadn't used it on Serena. Anything of this caliber wouldn't be pleasant.
The machine was heavy duty and almost looked like a chamber the way the chair was positioned in the middle with the rest of it encasing the chair. Almost as if to contain the person. I glanced to the right and there was a vial built into the machine with a meter. Not to contain the person, but to contain the power.
This was what Dr. Porter was talking about. It's a machine to take Ayla's powers and who knows who they'd give them to. They were going to test it on Serena but for some reason they didn't. Maybe her vampire half would compromise it, I'm not sure. But they can't use this on Ayla, or anyone.
My wolf was starting to panic, which didn't happen often. This wasn't good. A machine like this shouldn't exist. But if I destroy it now they'd know it was me and I would most likely be killed and I wouldn't be able to get these kids out of here and they'd probably just build a new one. I need to take down this whole place. But to do that I'm going to need Ayla. I'm starting to form a plan, but she's not going to like it.