Page 49 of Green Ravens
After the scientist reduced Zorion’s sedation and tubes, they suggested he rest, and they’d be back to get him later in the evening. And that he should try to get some rest as the sedative wore off completely.
He guessed he was supposed to feel disoriented, but he didn’t.
After Dr. O’Reilley led the other scientists out of the room, Zorion began to explore because the last thing he wanted to do was get back on that table and lie down again.
As the sedative continued to fade and dissipate in his system, a foreign sensation coursed through him. Unlike the previous groggy, numbing sensations, it was electrifying.
He eased off the table, his legs trembling on his first few steps, stiff from being unused for weeks. His bare feet were sensitive to the cold floor. It felt like stepping on a sheet of ice after traipsing through the desert.
He stretched and rolled his neck, then continued to survey the vast laboratory. He didn’t know the purpose of the instruments, machines, and blinking monitors, but he had a sudden desire to blow it all up.
He was confined within the walls of a place designed for development, not comfort, and it was fucking with him.
Then he saw something in his peripheral.
A tall cabinet that towered to the ceiling stood against the wall at the back of the room, nestled in a darkened corner where the fluorescent lighting didn’t reach.
It probably wasn’t meant to be climbed, but that didn’t matter to him. The pull toward higher ground felt like more of a need than a want.
He moved without a second thought, gripping the handles and shallow indentations until he was at the top.
He sat on top and folded his legs under him as if he were about to meditate. He hummed, liking the view from this angle.
The machines that offended him looked so much smaller, the persistent drone now distant and unimportant.
The height soothed him, made him feel in control, and eased the anxiousness he’d had a minute ago.
His breathing slowed, eyelids grew heavy, and before he could fight it, his mind surrendered to the darkness and his body succumbed to the calm.
Sitting upright on the steel cabinet, he dozed on and off, dreaming of sunlight peeking through dense canopies of brilliantly green trees. Unseen creatures moved through the underbrush, rutting beneath the damp earth of a vast jungle.
Zorion opened his eyes.
The room came into an even sharper view than two hours ago. He could see the textures of the ceiling, the way the lighting projected subtle shadows within the cracks and grooves.
His senses went beyond the walls. He could hear footsteps in the hall and whispers of people who assumed they were out of earshot. The rustling of fabric as someone shifted from foot to foot, the steadythumpof the heartbeat of a man just outside his door.
They were afraid.
Good.
The scientists hesitated at the threshold before they tipped inside, flanked by five guards, men with hardened eyes and stiff postures. Zorion could taste their apprehension and fear in the air, the flavor tangy and tin-like.
Dr. O’Reilley was in front, scanning the room when she saw he wasn’t asleep on the table. Her face paled and her heartbeat increased.
Dr. Pheung, always quiet and composed, went stiff. Dr. Santana paused the longest, as if he were considering turning around.
Then, in unison, their gazes lifted like corpses roused by a supernatural power, their eyes wide and unblinking.
Dr. O’Reilley stumbled backward into Dr. Pheung before he helped to right her. Zorion wasn’t sure if Dr. Santana shit himself, but it sure looked like he had.
For months, they’d controlled him with their needles, restraints, and potent drugs. But now the tables had turned. His manipulators had never seen him like this—perched over them, his limbs poised in a perfect, unnatural balance. Free and uninhibited.
He wasn’t staringupat them anymore with a vacant gaze but down at them with something they weren’t prepared for him to possess.
Awareness.
“Before we move you to phase two’s physical training, Zorion, we’re going to run a series of tests and simulations to rate your cognitive agility and ability to follow orders,” Dr. Pheung said softly as if he were trying to reason with a grizzly bear.
