The Lion's Purpose

by Billie Willow

  The animal inside him had been waking up slowly over the last few hours as the tranquilisers were wearing off. Archer could feel the animal inside pacing and scratching to get out, his lion didn’t like to be caged up. When Lara walked closer to her cell, near Archer, he could feel his lion become alert, his ears twitch in her direction. It was as if his lion was stuck in a fog, still drowsy from being tranquilised but as Lara moved closer, his lion woke up completely, attention fixated on Lara.

  Archer couldn’t remember a time when his lion had paid attention to anyone but himself, he was usually an uncontrollable monster, satisfied only when he was in the midst of a fight at the club, but this was different. His lion was sitting quietly, watching Lara intently from the inside of Archer’s mind.

  As Lara stumbled slowly into her cell, resting her hands against the wall for support, concern swept through Archer, interrupting his thoughts.

  “Lara…Lara are you okay?” Archer pleaded. He couldn’t see her anymore since she’d disappeared inside her cell, the guard had locked the cell door and was now making his way down the hallway back towards the door.

  “I..I think so” Lara’s soft voice echoed, she sounded exhausted. I’m going to kill those bastards for what they did to her Archer thought to himself.

  “What did they do –“ Archer began

  “Did you shift?” Seb interrupted, standing at the bars to his cell with eyes pinned in Lara’s direction. Archer would give anything to see what Seb was seeing right now, to see Lara and know that she was alright.

  “No” was all she said but there was hesitation in her tone.

  Archer could hear soft sobs come from Lara’s cell as the instinct to comfort and protect her became even stronger. He could feel the lion pacing impatiently inside his mind now, growling to be let out. The way the animal twitched his head and ears in the direction of Lara made Archer think his lion felt just as protective as he did over the fragile woman in the next cell. Not now. We can’t shift yet Archer thought to his lion and for the first time that Archer could remember, his lion listened. The animal inside his mind sat back and ceased growling in a motion that left Archer speechless. He was used to the constant tug of war with his lion, the continuous fight to take over his body but now that his lion appeared to be listening to him, they just might have a chance at escaping this place.

  Archer gripped the bars to his cell “We have to get out of here”

  “No shit Sherlock” Seb said casually, walking away from the bars and to the back wall where he leaned against it and crossed his arms “but unless your animal has some magical teleporting abilities, I don’t see how that’s gonna happen.” He leaned forward “Wait. Do you have magical teleporting abilities?” Seb asked sarcastically

  Archer ignored him “Lara, I’m going to get us out of here. I promise.” He wanted to reassure her, give her hope instead of the suffering she was going through right now. The pull he felt towards her was getting stronger with each encounter and she was quickly becoming important to him, too important and too precious to be locked away and tortured like this. He made a silent oath to himself that he would get Lara out of this place, even if the feat was impossible, he had to at least try.

  “I don’t see how” Lara whispered, barely audibly. The defeat in her voice broke something inside of him, it took every ounce of courage not to let his lion take over his body and try to break down the wall between them.

  “When I see an opportunity to escape, I’ll take it but listen Lara, you have to hang in there okay? I don’t know what they…” he broke off as the thought made the blood boil in his veins. His hands gripping the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white, he took a breath to compose himself and continued “I don’t know what happened to you out there, but you have to stay strong. I will get us out of here or I’ll die trying”.

  The sobbing from Lara’s cell slowed down but she didn’t say anything. What could she say? She didn’t know him, she didn’t know anything about him or if he was even capable of breaking out of this place. Hell, he didn’t even know if he was capable of breaking out, but his instinct was tearing him apart, telling him to save this woman. Save her because she was important. How? He didn’t know but he knew he wouldn’t find out while they were still locked up down here.

  Archer noticed her hand holding the bars of her cell, within reach of his own. Without willing it, his hand moved instinctively until it laid directly over hers. It was the only thing he could think of to do to comfort her but if he was being honest, he was relishing in the touch, the soft warmth of her hand underneath his, it felt…right.

  Before Archer could say anything further, the moment was rudely interrupted when the door at the end of the hallway blasted open and old man spice stormed in, carrying a tranquiliser gun at his side. He glared into Lara’s cell as he walked slowly past and didn’t pull his eyes away from her until he stopped directly in front of Archer.

  “You” he pointed to Archer “Come with me. Now.”

  He placed his finger on the scanner outside of the cell and after the beep, pulled opened the heavy door. Archer considered using this opportunity to attack and break himself, Lara and the others out of here. With his lion so close to the surface, he could shift and have the old man on the floor, bleeding out within seconds. As if the old man heard his thoughts, he lifted the tranquiliser gun and aimed it directly at Archer.

  “Just in case you try to be a hero” he said. Archer took a deep breath, pushing away the thought of escape for the moment, bide your time Archer thought. He stepped out of the door and in front of Lara’s cell, when he turned to look inside, he stopped suddenly at what he saw there. She was sitting with her back against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees, pulled in tightly against her body with her head resting in her arms. She was hurting. Not the physical hurt that he was so familiar with, she was emotionally hurting. And sometimes, that was worse. Instinctively, he moved faster than humanly possible towards her cell and took a hold of the bars “Lara?” he whispered softly, wishing there was nothing between them.

  When she didn’t respond immediately, he tried again “Lara” he whispered louder.

  Lara lifted her head and locked her gaze on his. She had dark circles around her eyes that were red from crying, she looked tired and exhausted but despite all that, she lifted up the corners of her mouth and gave him a smile that didn’t meet her eyes.

  The old man feigned a cough impatiently as Archer’s attention was brought back to reality and to the barrel of the tranquiliser gun that was pointed at his back. Archer turned and made his way down the hallway, followed closely by the man until they reached the door at the end. Once the old man scanned his finger and opened the door, the bright fluorescent lights blinded Archer for a second before his eyes adjusted. The hallway was lined with closed doors and he watched as a couple of people in white coats placed their fingers to the scanners before hearing a beep and entering the room. It’s going to be harder to break out of here than he thought. Shifter or not, these humans had this place rigged.

  The old man ushered Archer into a room that was labelled “Exam Room 4”. Once inside Archer took in his surroundings. There was a giant cage in the middle of the room and a trolley next to it with strange looking instruments and what looked to be a stick taser resting on it. He swallowed hard as the old man walked to the middle of the room and turned to face him. “I don’t think I introduced myself at our last meeting. My name is Dr Seville and as you probably are aware by now, I’m the head of this research facility –“

  “Torture chamber” Archer interrupted

  “Tomato, tomato” Dr Seville said with a shrug. He opened the door to the giant cage he was standing next to, letting his hand with the gun rest to his side.

  “You see, as head of the research facility, there is a level of expectation I must meet. The hierarchy in this corporation are not patient people, Mr Benson. They want results. You must have met Jen by now, she has given us our best chance at results t
hus far but, as the saying goes, you can’t flog a dead horse.” He leaned back against the cage casually and continued “Your little friend Lara however, is a rare black panther. She was my ticket out of this hell whole and into the corporate world where I would be promoted and no longer have to deal with filth like you.” Archer couldn’t help the growl that escaped his throat as Dr Seville lifted the gun, aiming it towards Archer once again.

  “You think I enjoy being stuck down here with a bunch of… of… animals? This is beneath me! I should be sitting in an office with a view by now, directing people below me to be doing this dirty work.” He was shaking his head slightly now, his eyes locked on Archer’s “No… no…. You will just have to give me results worth reporting.” The corners of his mouth lifted up suddenly into a smile “It will be interesting to see how your lion responds actually, since you are your father’s son. He repressed his inner Alpha by hitting the bottle…but how do you repress yours?”

  Archer lowered his eyebrows in a mix of confusion and rage “I’m not an Alpha” he said through clenched teeth.

  Dr Seville looked intently at him for a few more moments before he shrugged “Very well, then”. He pushed his glasses up his nose and Archer could see a smirk appear as he jerked the gun in the direction of the cage “Now…. give me those results.”

  Archer didn’t like his chance of escaping right now considering there was a tranquiliser gun pointed directly at him, so humouring Dr Evil, as Archer had nicknamed him in his head, he unlocked his legs and walked towards the cage slowly. The clicking sound of metal locking behind his back told him Dr Evil had closed the door and when he turned around, he saw backup had arrived. Men in black uniforms piled in through the door and lined the back wall, there must have been 5 or 6 of them. One lion locked in a cage and they still felt the need for extra guards? Archer didn’t know whether to be concerned or complimented.

  “Take your clothes off” Dr Evil prompted from next to the trolley

  “What, you aren’t going to buy me dinner first?” Archer crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his eyebrow casually. If he’s going to go down, he’s going to have a little fun first.

  Dr Evil sighed “Mr Benson, we are going to make you shift and in case you don’t remember what happens when you change back into your human form after shifting – your clothes don’t shift with you. By all means, if you’d like to return to your fellow inmates completely naked, be my guest”

  As much as Archer had imagined being naked with Lara over the last few hours, this was not what he had in mind. He began to take off his clothes, which currently only consisted of jeans and briefs, as a shifter, he was used to being naked, so this didn’t bother him, but he hoped at least that it made every other man in this room uncomfortable.

  Before he could put his clothes neatly in a pile, every muscle in his body tensed and spasmed as pain shot through him, exploding from his back. As Archer fell to the floor on his side, he caught a glimpse of Dr Evil holding a taster and smirking as electrical currents continued to pulse through his body painfully. Even though the taser was no longer in contact with his body, he could still feel every ripple of every current as if it was ripping off his skin with each pulse. Once the throbbing and pain subsided, he looked out of the cage to see Dr Evil carrying the taser like a baton in one hand and tapping it against his other hand in a casual motion.

  “The sooner you shift, the sooner this will be over with, Mr Benson” Dr Evil spat out.

  Archer could feel his lion just beneath the surface, he was growling now, and he couldn’t tell if it was coming from his mind or from his throat. If he could see himself, he was sure his dark brown eyes would be a rich gold colour from the animal bursting to get out from inside of him. Bide your time, he thought. “And once I’m shifted, what will you do?”

  “Shift and find out” Dr Evil said abruptly as he aimed the taser at Archer. Before Archer could sit up or say anything more, a stinging sensation hit his stomach like a wrecking ball to a building. Wave after wave of electrical currents ran through his body, sending every tensed muscle into pulsating pain. His lion wasn’t used to accepting this level of pain, he was roaring inside Archer’s mind, pacing and trying to claw his way out.

  If what Dr Evil had said was true and Lara didn’t give him the results he needed, then Archer would stay here all day being tasered if it meant they left her alone. As a lion or as a man, it didn’t matter, he would take on all the pain and do what was asked as long as they spared her. Dr Evil wanted a shifted form so that’s what Archer would give him. He took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs as every bone in his body broke and distorted to become a larger than life lion. The human yell had turned into a fierce roar as the lion ripped out of his skin, his head almost hitting the top of the cage and his tail twitching against the bars to the side.

  “There we go” Dr Evil said with a content smile. He put down the taser stick and picked up what looked like a lance. Archer’s lion began pacing back and forth inside the cage, eyes focused intently on Dr Evil as he positioned the taser between the bars on the outside of the cage, aimed at Archer.

  “Now, let’s see how much pain you can take” Archer could see the smile on Dr Evil’s face as he thrust the lance through the bars, aiming at Archer’s stomach…he missed.

  Archer let out a snort in his lion form and continued to pace back and forth, the human part of his mind was growing concerned at the lack of space in this cage. If Dr Evil tried again, harder this time, there would be nowhere for him to run and next time, Dr Evil wouldn’t miss.

  As if the evil doctor could hear his thoughts, he took a step back and projected the lance again, this time harder than before. Archer let out a roar as the lance contacted his shoulder before the evil doctor ripped it back, twisting as he went, making the wound bigger as blood poured down the lion’s legs. At least he missed all the vitals Archer thought just as pain erupted from his stomach. His lion let out another roar in agony as blood stained his tawny coloured fur. He tried to stand on his hind legs, a move that was so instinctive for his lion, but locked in this cage, his shoulders hit the top as Dr Evil thrust the lance just below his shoulder blade, on his chest. Minutes felt like hours as thrust after thrust of the lance meant that Archer’s entire body was covered in open wounds which were bleeding profusely. Archer tried to fight as long as possible, roaring, clawing the cage and pushing his giant paws through the bars to swipe at the doctor but the agony was overpowering. His lion wasn’t used to fighting against weapons and as he collapsed on to the left-hand side of his body, his fur coat stained with blood, he saw Dr evil put the lance down on the trolley and rub his hands together, smiling wickedly.

  “Wonderful…. Now for the real test. Let’s see your healing abilities without your animal”

  ‘No….No!’ Archer tried to yell out but the only thing that came out was a deep growl. If they put his animal to sleep now, he would be practically human, and most humans wouldn’t survive this number of wounds. Archer watched in horror as Dr evil picked up the tranquiliser gun that was resting on the trolley and aimed it at his back leg.

  *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

  Archer felt the sting of three tranquiliser darts as they punctured his leg. His lion let out a whine of defeat as cool numbness spread rapidly from his leg to the rest of his body. He was no longer in control as his body convulsed and twisted, his bones breaking and snapping with each movement. He let out a roar of pain, the wounds that were beginning to heal as a lion were ripped open again as he transitioned back into his human form.

  “Take him to the infirmary” Dr Evil said, he opened the door to the cage and stood back as two guards rushed over with a gurney.

  Chapter 11

  Lara had no concept of time right now, but she knew Archer had been gone a while since the small cockroach she’d been watching through the bars of her cell managed to scramble three laps of the hallway.

  He’s been gone too long. What if he’s not coming back? she
thought. Dread rushed through her as she entertained the thought that she may never see him again. She couldn’t understand why he felt so important to her, or why seeing him again meant so much, but she wished with all her might that the door at the end of the corridor would open and he’d walk in.

  They had only exchanged a few words and touched for merely seconds, but the hoard of butterflies that enveloped her stomach each time she thought about him, left her breathless. When they locked eyes on each other, she felt a connection that she’d never experienced before. It was like lightening shot through her veins. There was nothing painful about it, just a powerful tugging sensation in her chest that made her want to reach out and touch him. Lara shook her head at the ridiculous notion. Not even a day locked up and she’s already going crazy.

  Exhaustion from the last twenty-four hours began creeping up on her, she hadn’t slept, and the adrenalin was wearing off. No. I need to stay awake in case Archer needs me. I need to stay awake until he comes back She thought to herself, but the fatigue was taking over now. Without meaning to, she laid down on her side and used her hands as a makeshift pillow, her eyes fluttered for a moment as she fought the urge to sleep but within moments her mind drifted off into darkness.

  ✽✽✽

  The sound of whistling jolted her awake, she flung open her eyes and saw the familiar bars to her cell. Had she fallen asleep? It felt like only minutes ago she was wide awake waiting for Archer to return. She looked into the hallway to Seb’s cell, he was sitting on the bench seat, with his arms behind his head and his legs stretched out in front of him. Whistling a happy tune like he hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Is Archer back yet?” Lara barely recognised her own raspy voice. She swallowed hard against her dry throat and moved to stand up, but they were cramping as if she’d been lying down for a while.