Page 39 of Calico Descending

“Good afternoon, my most esteemed colleagues. In the interest of time, I’ll skip the background on the Alpha Project, as many of you are quite familiar with the program. Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen fairly good progression, minus a couple setbacks that have kept us from getting ahead.” Laughter bounces off the walls, as Doctor Ericsson makes light of Dean’s decapitation. “That said, I’m happy to report that Subject Nine-Seven-Nine has had considerable binding success with two of our three more violent Alphas. Due to multiple rejections of his previously assigned females, we decided to take a chance and test Cadmus, as well. We figured he might be more inclined to play along with an audience observing.”

Oh, God. Cadmus. The one who held me by my neck, back in the yard. Who probably blames me for what happened to him that day. One who nearly killed the female they tried to bind him with.

“Before we get started, I’ll ask Valdys. Do you have any objections to binding your female with Cadmus?”

I snap my gaze to Valdys, and with tears in my eyes, I give a subtle nod, praying he’ll notice.

“No.” His words come down on top of me like a hammer, and it’s clear how deeply his hatred for me runs. That he could watch another Alpha kill me, rape me, or both, in front of all these people, is a testament to how little he thinks of me.

“Ah, Valdys.” Doctor Ericsson’s voice carries the strained amusement I’ve come to know as irritation. “You are an enigma. So then, let’s begin.”

My heart is pounding in my chest, my body in a state of paralysis, to the extent that I don’t immediately notice Doctor Ericsson has left the room, until the doors click in unison. More lights flick on, creating a halo of darkness at the perimeter of the room, and I have to squint past the brightness to see the figure striding toward me. As massive as Valdys, if that’s possible, but far more scarred.

As he accosts me, I back myself away, eyes scanning my surroundings for a place to hide, a place to avoid him.

A solid surface hits my spine, and I turn around, pressing against the door that won’t budge. My heart is slamming into my ribs, and when I spin back to face Cadmus, he pins both of my arms against the door, pressing the weight of his body into mine. Shivering against him, I turn my head, screwing my eyes shut to avoid having to watch the onslaught of what comes next. Like the other Alphas, he drags his helmet over my skin, the cold metal scraping against my flesh.

“You smell like him,” he rasps. “Like shit.” The clang of metal steels my muscles, and I flinch, refusing to open my eyes. His hot breath fans against my neck, and I know he’s removed his helmet. But not even that prompts me to open my eyes. “I’d still fuck the shit out of you, though.”

He releases me, and I gasp with the shock of it as I stumble forward.

Standing in the middle of the room, he looks up toward the observation deck, the lights so blinding that all I can see is his massive silhouette. “You want a show?” His voice lashes out, like that of a lion chiding his pride. “Send me one that hasn’t been stuck in solitary for a week. Preferably fucking bathed.” Swiping up his helmet, he strides back toward the door through which he came, slamming through it, no doubt to a line of awaiting Legion who will escort him back to his cell.

The lights dim, just enough that I can see Valdys hasn’t moved from his earlier stance, and I’d bet my rations, he’s wearing a smile beneath that helmet.

Part of me wants to cry at what almost happened here. Another part of me is far too elated that it didn’t.

“Pity.” Ericsson’s voice echoes through the room, but there’s no sign of him anywhere. I glance up at the dome, searching for his face among those that stare down at me, and find him amongst the crowd. “I was hoping the binding of the third Alpha would prove fruitful enough to avoid having to test the control group.”

Control group?

“By eliminating the human element, we’re left with a very primitive, animalistic mind. Animals don’t have the same reservations as … bathing requirements.”

The group above me laughs again, shifting and moving about. All except Valdys.

“Gentlemen, please refrain from any sudden movement, or sounds. The glass in front of you is a fairly reliable barrier, so there’s no need to be alarmed.”

Alarmed? Of what?

Eyes scanning back and forth between the doors ahead of me and the watching crowd, I back myself as far away as I can. My pulse is racing so fast, it feels as though I could pass out any moment. I steal another glimpse of Valdys, who has removed his helmet, tucking it under his arm, and the expression on his face is the first I’ve ever seen of its kind. Brows drawn, lips set to a hard line, he looks to be very concerned at the moment. But that’s about the extent of it.

The doors click, and two Legion officers wheel an enormous cage into the center of the room, before they both shuffle quickly back out.

Breaths shallow, I blink past the sweat in my eyes drawing tears. A red light blinks in time to a beeping sound. Beep. Beep. Beep. It silences, and the red light flicks off.

A green light flicks on.

A woman’s robotic voice echoes through the room. “Danger. Please step back. Please step back.”

There’s a siren, and the steel door of the cage clicks forward, then slides to the side.

“Danger. Please step back. Please step back.”

I can’t step back any farther. Twisting around, I push on the door, rattling the handle to no avail. I slide down to the next door. Rattle the handle. A panicked cry dies in my throat, as on the wall beside me, an enormous shadow rises upward. Body seizing in terror, I slowly turn around and find an enormous, monstrous creature, with pale white, almost translucent skin, tiny black eyes, and a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

Sliding along the door, I move slow and easy, so as not to set it off on a chase. Perhaps it was once human, but it’s not anymore. My head tells me to scream, but my lungs, clamped down by fear, won’t allow me.

As the creature tracks my movements, lowering itself to all fours, I pause.

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