by Jadyn Chase
“I didn’t fall,” I told him, “Trevor had built an escape hatch for me. I jumped down to a collapsible platform and slid the rest of the way out of the Scarlet Wing Lair. I wandered around Black Harbor for a few days and then Shaw found me.”
“Shaw? Who’s that?”
Before I could answer, the sound of someone coming into the lab startled me. I jumped up from the bed and shifted the tray of food around. Hurrying out, I was happy that it was only Eric, but then Shaw came in a few steps behind him.
“When can we expect more of those darts?” Shaw asked.
Eric looked to me, “According to the Council, we have to wait for her to give us the okay to extract what we need from the new specimen.”
“Don’t do this,” I told them, “We don’t know what kind of effects making a large batch serum, off of him and his scales, will do to others. We need a universal specimen.”
“Is that even a thing?” Shaw asked. “Aren’t they all the same?”
“Are we all the same?” I asked him with a raised eyebrow.
“I guess not,” Shaw sighed, “So what do you need?”
“It’s a rumor that there’s one hiding in Black Harbor, but we need an Emerald Siren,” I told them. I only knew of one and to be honest, I hadn’t any idea if that’s the kind of Scaler I needed. I just wanted more time with my new specimen.
“A what?” Shaw and Eric asked simultaneously.
“Turquoise and silver Scaler that swims better than it flies. I heard about them when I,” I stopped myself from discussing anything in regards to Trevor with them. “I just need one. They’re special, unique, and very rare.”
“Okay, I’ll get my men on it,” Shaw assured me, “But once we do get this one for you, can you promise us serum potent rounds and ammunition? We need this Addison. The key to Anthros winning this war lies in that concoction of yours.”
“You have my word,” I lied.
5
Maverick
Something screamed that there was a lot more to this serum than scales and science. And if Addison was right in that all she needed was an Emerald Siren, I only knew of one, and they weren’t going to capture her. She’d drown Black Harbor in a sea of rage and flames if she were ever to feel threatened. Perhaps Addison honestly had decent intentions for me. At least it sounded that way from how she spoke to those guys.
I could tell that I’d hate both of them. But that whiny one? Eric? He made me want to snap his neck. There was something in his voice that just screamed cretin. Finch Skinner had that same aura about him but at least that Onyx Skull lived his creepiness out loud. This guy working with Addison was hiding his, but I couldn’t concern myself with him. I needed to focus all of my energy on getting out of here. As soon as I did, I’d come back with the full force of the Scarlet Wings and burn this place to a cinder.
The scent of the food sitting on the table jarred me from my thoughts. I was hungry, and my stomach refused to be silent about it. I poked around the colorful stuff going straight for the meat. Rabbit; I wondered what other kinds of food they held in this station. I took my time savoring every bite. In doing so, it let me taste it; not the meat but whatever they laced it with to knock me out.
My strength and senses were slowly coming back again. I remembered she said it would take about three hours, but it’s possible her serum was wearing off quicker than she realized. Or maybe I was simply losing track of time. It didn’t matter because I had to leave before she decided to give me another dose or before whatever she put in this meat put me out again.
Moving off the bed, across the cold floor, I made my way toward the barred door. They were solid metal, unable to be bent in my current condition. I could only fit my hand through to my wrist. Suddenly having muscular forearms proved to be problematic. I hoped I could reach the button on the wall to release the gate. Perhaps in another few minutes, I’d be strong enough to punch through the panel from my side. For now, there wasn’t much else I could do.
The lights turned on, and the door opened. Addison stepped in with her nose to her clipboard. Luckily for me, she was alone. I didn’t understand how someone so beautiful, so intelligent, could allow herself to be manipulated by these guys.
“You’re smarter than they are,” I called out to her.
She peered up from her notes, startled as if she’d forgotten I was there.
“What?”
“You’re smarter than they are Addison. You know what they want to do with your research. Why do you stay?”
“What’s your name?” she asked me.
“You don’t want to call me experiment 32 A or something like that? Doesn’t it make it harder on you when your specimens die for them to have a name? You’re going to miss me when I’m gone if you call me by my name.”
“It’s alright,” she put her clipboard down and approached me. The closer she got, the stronger her scent. She stood inches in front of me with nothing but these bars in between us. “I want to know. And for your information, I have no intention of letting you die, or killing you for that matter.”
“Oh, I know those aren’t your intentions, but can you say that for the little one, Eric? Or how about the soldier boy who brought me in here? Shaw? You know I would have killed them all without that damned diseased dart of yours, right?”
“Well they would like a way to stop that from happening,” she shook her head, “You guys just don’t know when to quit.”
“Us? We lived in the dark for centuries while those of you who found out about us did exactly what you’re doing right now. You harvested us. Stole us. Experimented. And when you Anthros realized there wasn’t anything you could do but befriend us, you set out to destroy us. Forgive me if I’m in no hurry to shift the balance of power back to what it was. To be honest, I just want to be left alone, but you guys just don’t know when to quit.”
“I was talking about men in general, across all species, but it doesn't matter. I know I’m smarter than they are. I just need the facility for my research. I have to be sure that people like Avery don’t die in vain. There are more Scalers out there like her and Trevor than you realize and I’m sure they’re petrified because they don’t fit into this space, into this world. I just want to give them a little bit of hope that they can feel normal. Once I find what I’m looking for, once I create a longer lasting serum, I’m done with this place.”
“How angelic of you,” I scoffed, “You know every single one of us is different, right? That’s why cures don’t work for everybody. You need to get the ones who want that serum in here. Stop experimenting on Scalers like me. I enjoy every inch of my body.”
She swallowed hard when I said that. I couldn’t ignore the fact that my cock twitched a little at the thought of her enjoying every inch. But at this moment, I just wanted her to step a little closer to me.
“And if you think that Eric and Shaw are going to let the brains of the operation waltz out of here on some saint-like journey to heal the world, you’re insane,” I chuckled.
“You could be wrong.”
I waved my index finger, motioning for her to come closer to me. She obliged moving so close to the bars; her hair brushed against my hand. The minute she did that, my reflexes kicked in, and I grabbed her by the back of her neck pulling her in toward me. I kissed her.
I didn’t know that would happen, but it seemed like the thing I was supposed to do. I had to distract her somehow, right?
My tongue moved around hers aggressively, in and out, up and around. Her supple lips returned the kiss with just as much passion and fire. We kissed through those bars for what felt like hours until she pushed that button to release them. They moved out of the way, temporarily breaking our embrace. But I didn’t run right away, I pulled her inside, spinning her around against the wall. My hand yanked that ponytail of hers out while the other roamed over her silhouette. She panted with anticipation, but this wasn’t the time no matter how hard my dick got.
Pulling away from her, I smile
d, “My name’s Maverick and right now, it’s time for me to go.”
Her face flushed as she glared at me, touching her reddened lips.
“You can’t leave,” she practically shouted as I grabbed my clothes off of a hook.
No shoes and no idea where I was going to go. I refused to let her tell me I couldn’t leave, “I have to. What’s on the other side of that door?”
“Hallway that leads to the other entrances and other levels to the lab. The rest of the Station, but you can’t leave. Maverick, don’t do this,” she warned me.
I didn’t care. I threw my clothes on and headed straight out of the lab. The sound of the doors opening was sweet relief. The floor out there was even colder than the one in the room. My chest tightened with every step I took while the air got colder. That was fine by me. All I needed was a gust of wind, and I’d scale out of here.
A window at the end of the hall drew me in that direction. There had to be an exit near it. My pace quickened. My heart raced. And to my delight, there was indeed a door at the end of that hallway.
Wrapping my fingers around the knob, I turned it slowly but right on the other side of the door stood an obstacle I hadn’t any intention of taking on. He stood taller than me by a few inches. A buzz cut, blonde hair and every ounce of energy read him as a soldier.
“Awww, where do you think you’re going, Cutie?” he grinned.
That grin was one of the last things I saw before the butt of his rifle smashed against my forehead. The walls spun until they looked like the floor. My body fell against the cold concrete. It made me regret not listening to Addison. Damn it; I should have listened to her.
6
Addison
“Are these really necessary?” I asked Eric as he stood next to me outside of Council Chambers. A shiny pair of handcuffs rested snugly around my wrists. After Maverick’s stunt, he swore I let him out on purpose. Eric was trying to do everything in his power to take over my work, but the only problem with that was … he didn’t know where to begin. I was the only one who knew the base ingredients to the serum and there was nothing anyone could say or do to make me give that up.
Eric nestled his head against my shoulder, inhaling deeply the scent around my neck, and smiling a smile only creeps would encourage.
“I think you look wonderful in a pair of handcuffs. But there might be something I can do for you. I can say that the specimen overtook you and you would never let him go willingly because you and I, well, we’re a pair, an item. You would never betray the love of your life. So you see they’ll believe you even more when you explain you didn’t let him out of the room on purpose.”
I shrugged Eric off of me, aggressively, my face curled with disgust, “I don’t want or need your help. Now get off of me. I’d rather die in these cuffs than have you or anyone else thinking that we do things together, as an item, with them on.”
“Fine,” he sighed, “Suit yourself.”
He pushed the doors open, leaving me outside, but just before they closed he mumbled to himself, “I hope they scorch this bitch.”
Shaw poked his head out, “The Council will see you now.”
He didn’t look anywhere nearly as happy as Eric. His expression read more like he was annoyed.
There was a long metal conference table in front of the room. Across from it, a few feet in front of me was a lonely desk with a single chair. I sat down in it. At the table, Eric was at the end with that stupid look on his face. Next to him was a woman who looked like she could bench press Eric. I’d seen her around, but we never spoke. Now that I think of it, I didn’t really speak to anyone here.
Shaw sat down next to the woman. Natalie, I think her name was. He whispered something in her ear. She eyed Eric through the corner of her eyes. She looked just as disgusted with him as I was. Next to Shaw were three large monitors where the heads of three other Stations glared at me with disappointment. I’d never been in front of them in a disciplinary fashion. I’d only been in this room to give updates on my research and the last update had been months ago.
Natalie rose to her feet and cleared her throat, “We the Council are gathered here to determine the proper procedure on how to move forward as we question the loyalty of Dr. Addison Marshal.”
“There is no question in my loyalties!” I shouted to her. That was true. My loyalties lie with me and my quest.
“Silence!” Eric interrupted, “She’s let the specimen contaminate her thinking and the lab! If you review the security footage you can see -”
“Enough!” Natalie shouted to him. “Dr. Marshal, please explain this.”
She pushed a button on a remote I didn’t even know she had. On the wall, in front of everyone to see, the security tape played off of a projector. There wasn’t any sound. I saw myself walk into the lab with my head buried in my notes. I saw myself get startled when Maverick spoke to me. I saw the frustration grow as he lured me into that confrontation of words which led to the most supple kiss I’ve ever received.
“The specimen and I engaged in a disagreement about the collection of specimens and use of the serum on those who did not want to be saved of their scales. He goaded me into approaching the bars to the point where he grabbed me and forced his mouth onto mine. I had to do something as I didn’t have any kind of weapon to pry him off of me so I released the bars.”
“And what happened after he pulled you into the room? And are there any updates as to why there aren’t any cameras inside the chambers? Why aren’t we watching the specimens in every aspect of their captivity here?”
“Because up until now,” I rolled my eyes, “All of our specimens have been here voluntarily. I would have honest discussions with them and track their results. Forgive me that proper security protocols weren’t put in place because we’ve never had to keep any of them here against their will.”
“So if you weren’t abreast of proper security protocols, then why are their bars to begin with?!” Eric spewed out.
I deliberately addressed Natalie. She was the one in charge, “The bars are there to keep their fiery side contained while we run tests on how the serum works. It’s to protect me, not to lock them in.”
“Well I think we need to evaluate that,” one of the faces in the screen announced.
“I just want to know what we’re going to do about our escapee?” Shaw asked.
“Nothing,” I told them, “He only did what instincts would have told any of us to do in the situation. I told him he couldn’t leave and thankfully enough, Shaw stepped in to stop him from getting any further than he did. If you try to punish him, you’re only going to make my work that much more difficult.”
“No!” Eric interrupted once again, “What makes your work that much more difficult is the fact that you haven’t divulged every aspect and ingredient of the serum! You need to turn over all documentation to me so that I may take over testing and chem work.”
“Never going to happen,” I hissed. “Besides, having the formula isn’t enough. The nuances of testing it on a variety of different breeds -”
Eric cut me off, jumping up from his seat, “You see how complacent she is to the threat of a Scaler in our midst?!”
“BECAUSE YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE!” I argued back, “I never asked for another specimen. I never asked for you guys to take my work and weaponize it! I’m complacent because you get more bees with honey than you do with shit! I’m not going to treat him differently than any other subject that’s been worked on in my lab because I need him compliant! I can’t keep him sedated because it will skew the results of my tests. You just don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly,” Eric sneered, “You’re in love with the freaks. You probably want to go back to being a pet.”
My eyes shot up from the table, locking onto him with fury. How did he know that? Then I remembered. In our early days together, when we were friendly, the little bit of information I divulged was my stint as a pet. I didn’t give him any details beyond that. It
was only to show him we shared a common history. He’d been a pet too. However, he slit the throat of the Scaler who possessed him.
“That's it, isn’t it? You miss being one of their playthings?” he snarled with disgust. The switch was remarkable. I was almost certain that I’d rejected him one time too many, and now in front of our peers, he was furious. I didn’t want his help.
“If this is what you called me in here for, to have this subpar version of an Anthro man degrade me simply because I refuse to speak with him with the same amount of respect I give animals on the cliffs, then I do ask we end this now. Throw me in a dungeon, hell, I’ll even take Shaw throwing me off the cliff rather than to sit here and be subjected to his bruised ego. I just want to know what comes next and how it will affect my work.”
I watched them put their heads together with the other faces on the screen. They purposely excluded Eric, which made him sulk. He didn’t lash out at them like he did with me, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to know my fate.
After a few minutes, they ended their discussion and faced me. The three heads of the other Stations disappeared leaving me with Shaw and the Tough Lady. Eric stood there like a toddler ready to throw a tantrum. His arms folded across his chest and he tapped his foot incessantly against the desk.
“We’ve made the decision,” Natalie spoke, “Shaw is going to reinforce one of the rooms to keep our new specimen contained. You and Eric will continue your work, but seeing how you two don’t exactly get along, you’ll work in split shifts. You will continue your work as scheduled, Dr. Marshal. You will then allow your results to be used by our Station in any way we see fit to protect our position and advance our efforts in strategic military tactics to ensure our progress. This is not up for debate, nor is it up for discussion. Be as nice to your specimens as you want but know and accept that when all is said and done, they will NEVER leave The Rock. Am I understood, Dr. Marshal?”
