Species Unknown [Book 3: Canis]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DAY 07
CANIS DEPARTMENT
BLACKWATER
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

I AWOKE TO the startling pain of something hitting me across the face. Sucking in a gasp, I immediately made to sit up from whatever hard surface I was leaning against only to stop upon feeling something restricting my movement.

Frowning, I slowly squinted open my eyes against the bright fluorescents hanging above me. As my eyes adjusted to the torment of light, the room I was in slowly came into vision.

The first thing I noticed was that it looked different from the room I had last been trapped in, which sent a wave of panic rushing through my body. Looking around, the room was a lot bigger than the smaller one I had been in the day before. I let my eyes trace up and down the large concrete walls of the new room and down to the floor that was littered with large metal drums that surrounded me until they settled upon a large figure kneeling before me. Upon recognition, my eyes narrowed.

"Welcome back, Agent." Dr. Grant drawled, his dark grey eyes watching me with mild amusement.

My cheek still burned from where I assumed Dr. Grant had hit me to so gracefully bring me back to consciousness. Without thinking, I lurched forward at him, trying to grab his neck or face or any part I could get my hands on to strangle. However, my efforts were in vain. Though my arms were not chained to prevent me from reaching out for him, he still sat infuriatingly out of reach. When I tried leaning forward, once again my movement was restricted and I felt something cold and hard press into the skin of my neck, halting me.

Glancing down, my eyes widened in shock as I saw that now, I was pinned to the wall by a single large metal restraint that wrapped around my neck chaining me like some kind of dog. At the thought, my face heated as anger rolled across my body in waves and I immediately began pushing at the restraint around my neck. My hands fumbled over the metal fruitlessly until a sharp pain shot through my right hand, reminding me what I had done to free myself last time.

I glanced at my hand only to see that it was still folded at an awkward angle from when I had broken it. The pale skin was now painted black and blue with the bruising of the break, and it had begun to throb painfully the more the drugs I was injected with began to wear off.

Letting out a breath, I let my hands fall to my lap before glaring up at the man before me. I couldn't help the glare that crossed my features as I regarded him with all the hatred and disgust I could manage. I was beyond frustrated to be stuck back in chains and boy was I pissed. All the while, Dr. Grant watched my poor attempt to escape, his amusement growing.

"I apologize for how uncomfortable these new arrangements are but I had to change things up a bit. I can't very well risk you trying anything like yesterday's charade again." Dr. Grant explained, standing up to stare down at me, a smile crossing his lips.

I huffed. Apologetic my ass.

Watching him stand, my head spun at the sudden movement and I realized that I was still quite out of it from the most recent dosage of drugs Dr. Grant had injected me with. It was unnerving, not knowing what the hell he had dosed me with twice already. Though, I counted myself lucky that at least he wasn't pumping me full of whatever he gave to Seven that made him transform into that thing. Or at least, I didn't think he was.

"Where's Seven?" I croaked, my voice still rough from the after effects of the drugs.

At my question, Dr. Grant laughed aloud. "Oh, you mean Subject 07. He's over there. My Agent, I think your mind is still a bit cloudy from your last dose of sedatives."

Following his gaze, I looked past Dr. Grant to see a large figure slouched against the far wall. As my eyes took in his appearance, I sucked in a breath. Across the room was Seven, however, a severely injured Seven. Leaning limply against the wall, he wasn't even chained. His eyes were closed and dark circles lined beneath them; evidence of his exhausted state. He also had his head hung so that his dark hair fell over his face, but the parts of him I could see were covered in bruises and long angry cut wounds, some reminiscent of claw marks that dragged down from his eyes to his cheeks.