Page 28 of Heart’s Prisoner

His hand slipped lower and gripped her jaw, tilting her head up to him. His face edged closer to hers and Lana caught the smell of dark coffee.

"Erradis xi nilla,"Xera whispered as his thumb grazed her bottom lip. In her terror, Lana felt a spark light deep within her, warming her. He released her jaw and brought his hand away and Lana saw her blood smeared on his thumb. He brought it to his mouth and licked the blood away.

"So sweet. Just like I imagined."Xerus' hand slipped back down, this time to encircle her throat."You will be perfect...my prey."

He bared his black fangs at her in a grim smile and his face shot down towards her.

Lana screamed.

Everything was dark and all she could hear was the huff of someone gasping for air. It took her several seconds to realize that someone was her. She blinked several times and found she was sitting up in her bed, her blankets and sheets drenched. Shivering, Lana wiped at her face, brushing away damp hair. She sat for a long moment trying to catch her breath and when she was finally able to calm down she leaped from her bed and went straight for the bathroom.

Going to the sink, Lana washed her face, letting the icy water wake her. As she became more alert, she realized she could still feel pangs of terror washing through her. It was like her intuition had kicked into overdrive and was setting off an alarm.

Something was wrong.

She tapped at the mirror and an LED display appeared. A digital clock on the surface read 4 am.

Washing up quickly, Lana threw on her uniform and took up her keycard. Not bothering to even bring her workpad, she slid out the door and raced down the hall.

***

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Lana was faced with at least twelve security guards all standing by the door as if barricading it. They all had semi-automatics in their hands and were talking quietly, some looking tense.

Lana stepped out into the hall and, without hesitating, made for the door.

"Hey, Lana, hold up," came a voice to her right. Lana looked over and saw Ben, one of the engineers, standing off to the side. She had been so focused on getting to the door, she somehow missed him. He nodded his head to her and Lana paused, thinking whether to ignore him and keep going or stop.

He gestured to her and Lana frowned, approaching him. When she got closer, she noticed the e-cigarette he hid in one hand.

"What's happening?" she asked quickly.

Ben shook his head. "A big fuck up. You'd better brace yourself."

Lana's heart felt like it might jump out of her chest. "Did he...did one of the assets get out?"

When Ben shook his head, Lana had to stifle a deep sigh. He laughed. "You think any of us would be out here in the open if they did? I sure as hell wouldn't be. Nah. No escape, thank christ. But you'd better be careful." Ben took a hit from his cigarette. Lana noticed his hand shaking. "I got here at three and saw... shit, you'll see. Everything was recorded. I told them I'd be back but..." He shook his head again.

Lana thanked him for the warning and turned away. She headed to the security window and asked David to let her in. He gave her one of his icy stares.

"The level is in lockdown, Doctor," he said. "You will have to get permission from the head."

She cursed silently. "Please tell Dr. Kingsley then."

David made the call and Lana was forced to wait nearly fifteen minutes before she was allowed to enter.

When the doors finally opened, the guards stepped aside to let her pass. Inside the facility was under low yellow lights which meant they were in a code yellow lockdown. As she approached the central lab, Lana instinctively glanced up at the monitors, seeking unit three's. She saw Xerus inside, lying in the center of his cell, motionless. Not even his tail flicked from side to side. For a clear instant, panic shot through her chest as she thought he might be dead. But, to her relief, she saw next to the feed his vital signs moving, albeit dangerously low.

When Lana's eyes shot back down, she froze and her stomach dropped. On one of the equipment tables, a Scibot was laid out. Its neck was crushed, it's head almost separate from its body, one arm was ripped to shreds, wires spilling out, the hand gone. The computer on its chest was cracked. It was completely dismantled, its body a jumbled pile of metal. Next to it was a piece of bone, cracked on one side.

Lana stared at the table for a long moment before she heard someone call her name. She blinked as if coming out of a trance and turned her head toward the sound.

Cole, along with Dahlia and another biologist, Dr. Yanlin, huddled around a set of computers. Cole waved her over and Lana approached like a sleepwalker.

"What did he do?" Lana asked.

Cole straightened, placing his hands in his lab coat pockets. He swept his eyes around the room before he locked on to her. "Asset X attacked the Scibot that was distributing his meal."

Lana shook her head in disbelief. "How...how is that possible?"

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