Species Unknown [Book 1: Aves]

NINE

Day 09
C.R.O.S.S. Laboratories
Aves Department

SAYING I WAS NERVOUS would be an understatement. My body was humming with anxiety and something else...excitement or maybe curiosity? I sure as hell didn't know, but whatever it was, my body was reacting violently to it.

I drove here in record time, dropping my access badge several times trying to scan my way into Section 1. The slippery sucker kept sliding out of my shaky hands. The California heat didn't help, it just continued to bore down on me like the intensity of my nerves.

I was about to see him again.

Once I finally managed to scan myself in, I walked to my office as casually as possible. I tried to stay calm, which proved difficult when I noticed that a white piece of paper was taped to my door. Pulling it off, I opened it and read it.

Miss Hall, meet me in the Section 3 Training Room. Your access badge has already been adjusted.

-D.J.P.

I swallowed.

Following Dr. Pierce's instructions, I walked through Section 2 until I reached the doorway to Section 3. Sucking in a nervous breath, I scanned my badge, and just like Dr. Pierce said it would, the lock flashed green, allowing me inside.

I rushed down the familiar hallway that was now full of white-coated scientists. I ignored their questioning eyes, instead choosing to mumble curses at Dr. Pierce for not granting me a lab-coat so I could at least pretend to blend in. Keeping my eyes forward, I walked all the way down until I came across a large steel door labeled Training Center. Scanning my badge, the door unlocked and with a deep breath, I stepped inside.

Rather than a huge open space, the door opened up to a poorly lit hallway with a dim light beckoning to me from the other end. The faraway sound of metal clanging both intrigued and frightened me, and I found myself questioning my life's decisions as I made my way towards the light. The sound grew louder the closer I got to the end of the hall, echoing and bouncing off the walls around me. I also noticed was that this room was significantly warmer than the rest of the compound. I sighed when I felt a fresh coat of sweat begin to bead on my forehead.

Wiping my forehead with my blouse sleeve, I walked down the dimly lit hallway until it opened up into a well-lit large open room. Immediately I noticed that in the center of the space was an encased gym surrounded by clear glass walls. Walking a bit further so that I could peruse the perimeter, I peered inside only to see that a lab coat-clad man was working with the subject. The subject was holding what looked to be a bar with massive blocks of iron serving as weights on either side. Despite the thick glass walls and the deafening clang of metal, I could see by the way the man's mouth moved that he was shouting something as the subject repeatedly lifted and then set down the bar.

The next loud clap of metal and floor had me shifting my focus back to the subject. His face was scrunched up in concentration as he deadlifted the weight off the ground once again. Wisps of his ebony locks fell in front of his sweat glistened face as he moved.

Watching him, I couldn't help but think that there was an air of hidden strength about him. A graceful strength that showed in his balance, the way he held himself, the way he focused on the task at hand.

It was truly a sight.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen people lift weights before, but never ones that big. Squinting my eyes, I tried to focus on the numbers printed on the side of one of the weights. When I read the number I sucked in a breath.

One of the huge blocks of metal read 500lbs meaning that the subject was lifting double that. 1,000lbs. Did I read that right?! 1,000 pounds! How is that even possible? I looked back at the body of lean muscle lifting the weights with ease. He didn't look super jacked like a bodybuilder or anything so there is no way he should be able to lift that.