Heart's Prisoner (Dark World Mates Book 1) Page 13

  As the door opened, she walked out but saw Cole was already gone.

  "Where is he?" she asked.

  Torrence leaned back in his seat and shrugged indifferently. "He left. Probably for the night. It's not your business what–"

  "I want to see the recording." Lana stepped closer to his desk. "I want to see it."

  "Afraid not, Ms. Hart."

  "Why?" she nearly yelled.

  Torrence put up his hands. "Classified. And you need to calm down. Or does someone need to escort you to your room again?"

  Lana made a frustrated noise. "No thanks." She stalked past his desk and left the lab. As she went to the elevators and thought to go up to Cole's room and demand he tell her what he said, she stopped herself and a wave of cold hit her.

  If she harassed him he could boot her instantly. And she feared she was already on thin ice. As she pressed the button for her floor instead and headed back to her room, she knew whatever had happened was beyond her to fix now.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lana barely slept the night before the test. As the lights in her room brightened and the soft ding of the alarm went off, she groggily rose from her bed and made for the shower. Anxiety already began to claw its way up her chest and into her throat as she washed quickly and put on her uniform. Nicole still hadn't gotten back to her about Cole as she ate breakfast while checking her messages.

  It didn't matter anyway. She would see Cole later today and would be sure to give him her exact thoughts. For now, her main focus was on Xerus.

  When she finally made it down to the lab, the generals were already there looking over some of the less problematic specimens and general experimentations being done throughout the facility. Her eyes instinctively flew up towards the monitors where she saw Xerus standing with his back turned away from the camera. He didn't move. Even his tail lay still on the ground.

  "Good luck today, Dr. Hart."

  Lana looked down and saw one of the lab tech's, Sara, smiling at her. Lana reluctantly smiled back, giving her a slight nod. As the girl passed her, Lana saw Galger nearby with Torrence and his group of men, readying themselves for when the generals assessed the higher risk assets. Galger's eyes met hers and he gave her a wink. Lana looked away and immediately went to her work desk and slunk down in her chair.

  She pretended to work on her reports but, in truth, she was too distracted–too on edge–to concentrate. Her eyes kept flipping up to Xerus who still hadn't moved from his spot. Rubbing her temples, she went back to the work on her computer, trying to ignore the eyes of the guards.

  The day dragged as she watched the generals pass by a few times. Jacob smiled at her once, then turned away to focus on the massive tank of coral specimens before him as one of the biologists talked through their examinations. At one point Lana had to leave to take a walk and calm her nerves. Cole was nowhere to be seen and that worried her a lot. When she returned, he was still not there and she was very close to contacting Nicole again to figure out what was happening.

  "I don't know anything," Dr. Yanlin said when she tried to ask him. "I'm too busy now to worry about it. Why don't you call him."

  "I've tried," Lana said. "Don't you think it's a little crazy though that he wouldn't be here for this?"

  Dr. Yanlin turned his nose up at her. "He likely isn't feeling well and had to call off. Shouldn't you be worrying about other things, Dr. Hart."

  "Then shouldn't we know about it?" Lana said, ignoring his comment.

  Dr. Yanlin shrugged and stepped around her, going back to his task. Lana put her arms up in defeat. The generals were assessing the last unit before the test and were almost done. Lana made her rounds, checking on Xerus yet again. He still was motionless. She frowned as she watched him, but tried to think nothing of it. He was likely meditating, that was all.

  When the door to unit four finally opened and the generals, along with Galger and his team, stepped out, Lana could see the tight grimaces of General Vearez and General Williams, the look of excited curiosity in General Holk, and the solemn look of General Hartin as they re-entered the lab. They just had their first–and likely last–encounter with Asset T.

  "Thank you, gentlemen, for your time," Dahlia said as she followed close behind them, the door beginning to slide shut behind her. "I will send you all the records and data on Asset T as soon as possible just as you asked, General Holk."

  "Yes, thank you, Dr. Gray. Fascinating, seriously fascinating," General Holk replied, shaking her hand.

  "Sure. If you have a hard-on for giant spiders," General Vearez said. The generals laughed as did Galger and his men.

  "And I'd like a sample of that venom you've acquired as well, Doctor," General Williams said. "Grotesque as it is, at least it might contain something useful in that."

  Dahlia bowed her head. "Will do, sir."

  "Good job in there." He shook her hand as well and the others followed suit, congratulating her on her work. Dahlia grinned, her eyes bright and proud.

  As they took a small break to ready themselves for the final assessment, Lana gathered her ISpad and waited as patiently as she could, watching Galger and his team prepare to enter the unit. Their guns locked and loaded. Torrence gave Galger permission to use the window's electro-defense system in case of an emergency as he would be observing from the lab.

  A hand fell on her shoulder and Lana jumped.

  "You look tense." Jacob gave Lana a smirk.

  Lana let out a deep breath. "Yes."

  Jacob placed his hands behind his back, taking a military stance. "You got this, Lana. Just relax."

  God, she wished she could. She gave him a tight smile and he patted her on the back. "Let's do this."

  Once the generals and Galger's team were ready, Torrence opened the door to unit three. Clutching her workpad tight, Lana followed close behind as they made their way inside.

  The room was dark as usual and someone had turned the cell's lights back to red. The milky screen rippled as sparks of electricity jumped across the glass.

  "Did someone spill burnt coffee in here or what?" General Williams asked.

  "That's just the asset's pheromones, General," said Lana behind them.

  They looked at her curiously. General William's and Vearez's lips tightened and brows furrowed. "It smells awful," General Vereaz said, crinkling his nose. "It stings my nose." He took out a Kleenex from his pocket and wiped his forehead and his neck. The others seemed to be sweating as well, their faces glistening. And it wasn't because the room was hot. Far from it. All of the men shifted uncomfortably on their feet and cleared their throats. Galger and his team looked on edge, their fingers trigger ready.

  Lana, on the other hand, felt perfectly calm. In fact, the scent smelled lovely to her, like freshly brewed coffee. She eventually learned that the scent was coming from Xerus when she concluded that no one had been going into his unit to make or drink coffee. He hadn't really given her a reason as to why he was secreting the pheromones, only that it had varying purposes.

  And right now it was clear he was using it to tell the men that they should be running for their lives.

  "Let's just get this over with," General Williams said, wiping his face with a shaky hand.

  The door behind them opened and Cole entered the room.

  "Sorry I am late, gentlemen." He didn't so much as glance at Lana as he passed her and Lana could see there was still something off about him even in the red light. Following behind him were two other lab techs whose names Lana couldn't remember. The boy and girl duo looked over at her with blank expressions though the boy had more fear in his eyes than the girl.

  Cole nodded to the boy who went over to the wall controls and lifted the screen. He backed away quickly as it disappeared, revealing Xerus standing before them.

  "Holy fuck," Lana heard someone whisper close by. A few others cursed and subconsciously took a step back.

  "No need to be afraid, gentlemen," Cole tried to assure them. "It can't harm you." He knock
ed on the glass and a little smirk tugged on his lips as he glanced at Xerus. "The window and room itself have electrical defenses and are thicker than your fists."

  "Damn thing assaults me just looking at it," said General Vearez in a low voice.

  Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, General Holk took a cautious step towards the glass. "My god...it looks..."

  "Like a damn demon," General Vearez said.

  "I would be careful what you say, General," Lana piped up, moving closer to the glass. "He can understand you."

  The generals frowned, shifting uncomfortably. Lana turned to face Xerus who stared back at the generals with narrowed, hellfire eyes. His eyes shifted around the room to each of the men, his eyes falling last to Cole. His mouth tightened, revealing the tips of his fangs and his eyes darkened. Lana had an odd feeling she'd seen that look on him somewhere before but couldn't place where. It made her heart race.

  Cole didn't seem too concerned by the look Xerus was giving him. He turned his back and gave the generals a brief understanding of how the QS translator worked.

  "Xerus," Lana whispered, wanting him to look at her. To say something. When his eyes peeled away from the doctor to finally look down at her, Lana felt an icy cold drip down her spine. For the first time in weeks, she felt fear.

  He didn't see her. It was like looking at a stranger.

  "Now that you have some understanding, why don't we say hello," Cole said in his calm manner. "Hello Asset X. How are you today?"

  Xerus' eyes flicked back to Dr. Kingsley. His tail curled but he remained silent.

  "Oh, come now, Asset X, I know you aren't shy," Cole said. A few laughed nervously. "Come on, introduce yourself."

  Xerus didn't move or speak. His eyes only focused on the doctor.

  "I–I think he's just a little overwhelmed right now. He's not used to so many people," Lana said, hoping the excuse was enough.

  "Well, we have plenty of recordings of the asset speaking that I will gladly have sent to you each," Cole said with disappointment. "For now let's begin the test." He nodded to the girl who brought up her own ISpad and began tapping and sliding her finger. " Yevonne here has been running tests on various animals also housed in the facility and using them to gauge responsiveness to extraterrestrial stimuli. We thought this might make the perfect opportunity to engage both sides."

  As Yevonne worked the controls on her workpad, a small hole–not large enough for Xerus to fit through in the slightest–opened up from the ceiling above his cell and a glass container dropped down slowly. Inside was a chimpanzee.

  The container opened and the chimp, likely through training, exited the container and shut its lid. Yevonne acknowledged the chimp as Max. Gesturing in sign language for him to do as she said.

  When the chimp entered the cell, Xerus' head shot over to it and his nostrils flared. His pupils narrowed and he shifted his body towards it.

  Lana watched with growing fear. Anxiety twisting her insides.

  "Let us see how well Asset X interacts with Max," Cole said. "Though Max isn't human, he is our closest choice in order to gather information in the safest way possible."

  The chimp reluctantly moved closer to Xerus per Yevonne's orders. Xerus, however, did not move a step to approach it, only looked at it with intense curiosity.

  "Xerus, it's okay," Lana said quietly, placing her hand on the glass.

  As the chimp got only a few feet away, it stopped abruptly, looking to Yevonne for reassurance. It didn't move despite Yevonne signing at it to move closer. Xerus this time stepped closer, his head raised, his eyes rolling back and shutting as he sniffed the air. He remained that way for some time as if he were searching for something, some scent they couldn't detect. When he lowered his head and opened his eyes he shot his gaze towards Cole and there was such hatred there in his expression Lana felt the heat.

  Before she could shout for them to get the chimp out, Xerus bared his fangs in a snarl and narrowed his eyes into red slits. His mouth widened and a low, feral growl ripped from his throat. Lana knew where she'd seen the expression before. From the video feed that Torrence had shown her from the night of Xerus' capture.

  "Get Max out," Lana said to Yevonne. The girl's face went pale and she frantically signaled for the chimp to get back into the container.

  The chimp yelped and screeched, backing away, as Xerus crouched into a predatory stance.

  "No, Xerus don't!" Lana shouted. He seemed to pause for only a moment at her words. His eyes, wicked and murderous, looked back at her. And she saw, for only a second, something mournful in his gaze. His face twisted and he straightened.

  "Xi xilera ni kissala."

  He said it to her. And Lana froze, uncertain if she had heard him correctly. As she tried to register his words, Xerus lifted his tail and swung.

  With whip-like reflexes, his tail cut through the air and hit the chimp square in the chest, slicing it in half. Blood spurted against the wall and on the glass. Yevonne screamed.

  "Christ!" General Vearez shouted.

  "You two get them all out of here," Galger commanded his men. The others took up their guns and moved to the window. Galger brought up the controls for the glass and hit the charge. Volts of electricity slashed through the room.

  "No!" Lana cried. "No!" She could feel hands encompassing her arms but she fought them.

  "Gentlemen, I am so sorry," she heard Cole say. "Yevonne, Derrick, come."

  Yevonne, with tears streaming down her face and her mouth covered, trying to keep from being sick, turned and followed Cole. She gave Lana a hateful look before exiting.

  "Calm down, Dr. Hart, let's go, you have to go," said the soldier, tugging her away. Lana watched helplessly as Xerus was once again shocked into submission. His eyes found hers and he roared as the lights flashed and the soldiers shouted.

  "Get her the fuck out of here," Galger shouted. Lana was lifted from the ground and forced from the room.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "I'm not leaving this lab until I get to see him," Lana snapped. Five guards made a human wall around her, preventing her from getting closer to the unit doors.

  "That isn't your call, Ms. Hart," Torrence said from his desk.

  "It's been eight hours. Asset X is mobile and I want to talk to him before..."

  Torrence swung around in his seat to look square at her. He took out a wrapper and popped the gum in his mouth. He chewed slowly before saying, "Your work is finished here. The asset will remain in complete lockdown before we move to the next phase. I suggest you start gathering your things."

  "That isn't your call," Lana said. "Cole still–"

  "Dr. Kingsley has given me the permissions necessary to move forward, including what shall be done with staff. For security purposes, you will be removed from the facility and unauthorized to return. They shouldn't have let you in even now."

  "I will speak with Dr. Kingsley myself then," Lana said through gritted teeth. She stepped back and turned from them, heading for her desk.

  "I wouldn't advise it, Ms. Hart," Torrence called to her.

  Lana ignored him as she took out her phone. Instead of calling Cole, however, she pressed the number for Nicole.

  Lana cursed as the voicemail went off yet again.

  As soon as she had been booted from Xerus' unit they had taken her straight out of the place and forced her back to her room. She hadn't had a single chance to speak to anyone. She had tried several emails to both Cole and Nicole but neither responded. She hadn't slept since the test and could only make it a single shift cycle before she left her room and went back to level twelve in hopes of talking them into letting her see Xerus.

  It should have been no surprise that Cole was missing yet again and the security team was taking control.

  Desperation took hold of her and Lana did the last thing she knew she should. She called Jacob.

  Several long beeps went through before she heard a soft click.

  "Lana..." Jacob's voice was low.

  "
Jacob," Lana said softly. "Please I need your help."

  When he said nothing, Lana continued. "I...I know there's no hope now for...for Asset X." She paused trying to keep her voice from cracking. "But please, I need one last session with him. I can't get a hold of Cole and the guards won't let me in."

  "Lana, I'm sorry, I really don't think–"

  "Please, Jacob, I know it's not fair to ask this of you, but I need this as a friend. I don't expect...I know I can't save him now, but I need to at least speak with him one last time."

  There was a long pause before he blew out a breath. "Give me an hour and I will be down."

  Lana closed her eyes and pursed her lips. "Thank you. Thank you, Jacob."

  When she hung up she made sure to take her sweet time at her computer, pretending to work on any final reports, watching the guards carefully for any signs of change.

  When the doors to the facility opened and Jacob stepped through, the guards paused in their affairs and saluted. Torrence stood up from his desk with a frown.

  "General Hartin," Torrence just barely remembered to salute before saying, "what are you doing here, sir?"

  When Jacob's eyes looked over to Lana, Torrence's expression went from surprise to red-hot anger.

  "Sir, I'm sorry, but she isn't authorized–"

  Jacob put up his hand. "One moment, Officer Torrence, please." He approached Lana who met him halfway.

  "Thank you, Jacob, for coming. I didn't know what else to do and..." Lana shook her head and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. "I'm sorry I failed you. But I need this last favor."

  Jacob went to place a hand on her shoulder, but when he saw Torrence eyeing them, he thought against it and dropped his hand. "I'm sorry this happened. And the failure wasn't yours. Not by a long shot. You did everything you could do, Lana. And despite what the others think, you did better than the rest... but getting through to Asset X was clearly impossible."