Page 115 of Elas

“Alright,” I whisper, and he swallows roughly before his mask slides back into place. A few from the group out front have walked around the building and are making their way towards us as he climbs from the SUV.

The black scaled one—Gale, I remind myself—leads, and the Curtiphan who appears to be his assistant hurries behind him. A pale green guard brings up the rear, focused on Elas as he walks to my side of the vehicle and opens my door. I steel my spine as I step out into the humid evening.

I offer a meek smile as Elas turns to address them. “Gale, this is the human we were discussing.” Elas glancesat me, cold indifference on his expression. “Where are your manners? Introduce yourself.”

“Yes, sir, I apologize,” I say, turning to Gale as he sneers. “My name is August Beckett. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Instead of eyebrows, he has prominent cartilage ridges above his eyes, and they rise in shock. “He’s a polite one, then, is he?” There’s a low rasp to his voice, and sharp teeth line the inside of his mouth.

“Of course he is,” Elas says with a scoff. “Do you think I’d allow anything else?”

Gale flicks his eyes over to Elas before a smile spreads over his lips, but it doesn’t strike me as friendly. “Apologies, Officer. I meant no disrespect.”

Elas gestures at the darkening sky overhead. “Let’s get on with it, then. There isn’t much daylight left, and I need to survey the grounds.” He sniffs, unimpressed and oozing disdain as he glances around the base. It’s worlds apart from his normal curious excitement, and would make me laugh if I wasn’t intentionally keeping a straight face.

And if I weren’t terrified.

“I wasn’t aware the grounds neededsurveying,” Gale responds, not hiding the snark in his tone.

Elas stands to his full height and pushes out his chest, lifting his brow. He towers over Gale, staring down at him. “And I wasn’t aware it was your place to question my orders.”

Gale balks, and it’s clear he’s not used to being reprimanded as his head lowers subserviently. “Of course not, Officer. Accept my apologies. It’s been a long day.”

“Then let’s not take any longer,” Elas says, gesturing for Gale to lead the way. I fall in line behind Elas, excruciatingly aware of the guard at my back as we walk the grounds.

Besides the central building, there are four other structures. Two barracks sit side by side, one for guards and the other for scientists and medics, and a larger structure for storage and offices.

“It used to be the main lab, before the current facility was constructed,” Gale explains as he gestures at the single story brick building. It isn’t tall, but it stretches half the distance between the ten-foot chain-link fences. “The project grew, and we quickly realized that our infrastructure wouldn’t be sufficient. We’re not only housing subjects and equipment, but decades of research. It’s dangerously close to capacity now.”

Elas only nods, not showing any outward signs of discomfort. “Is that why Chief Aeliphis had files at Glaston?”

“No, Aeliphis was holding files because she continues her research during her off time. Strictly on paper, of course,” he adds. “Though I hear she was quite…” His eyes flicker over his shoulder to me, and I shudder as the evening light reflects off his teeth. “…carelesswith her handling of the data.”

“Yes, and here we are as a result,” Elas says, a touch of impatience in his tone. Gale nods, but moves on to the last building.

“That is the living quarters for our… moreagreeablesubjects. They’re given small apartments and creature comforts. Meals and necessities are provided.”

“What about the less agreeable ones?” Elas asks, mirroring my own thoughts.

Gale makes a derisive noise, a half laugh, half scoff in the back of his throat. “We’ll get there, eventually. Come.” We finish our tour outside the compound in relative silence as Gale points out anything significant. Aside from the buildings, there are watchtowers in all four corners. They’re small, metal stands, lifted on stilts twenty feet in the air with barely enough room for a single person to stand inside.

“How is the security here?” Elas asks.

Gale gestures at the open, barren land surrounding us. Hardly any trees dot the horizon, aside from a few dead trunks that jut from the ground like gnarled tombstones. “The terrain means we can spot someone coming from miles away. There’s no sneaking up on us, which allows for fewer guards. There aren’t many who know of our existence, and the secrecy lowers our risk.”

“Do rebels ever pass through? I imagine a small, isolated base would greatly interest them.”

“Occasionally,” Gale says with a smirk. “Nothing we can’t handle.”

“With so few guards?” Elas asks, and Gale stares at him for a moment too long. It makes my pulse ratchet so high I’m afraid they will see the thud against my neck.

“Glaston’s strategy might be brute force, Officer Elas,” Gale finally says, resuming his stroll, “but around here, we do things smarter. You don’t need an entire army to tackle every problem if you handle it the right way.”

His ominously vague statement doesn’t help us understand their defenses, but Elas realizes that asking morequestions only increases suspicion. “I’ve always said we run too heavy on bodies at Glaston. They could do with some notes from your operation.”

Gale seems pleased and puffs out his chest, though a small snort comes from the guard behind me. I resist the urge to look back at him and continue following in silence. Once we finish outside, Gale leads us to the main building. A soldier stands watch and opens the door at Gale’s silent direction.

It’s quiet inside, the murmur of a low voice floating from somewhere distant as a single guard paces the lobby. The interior is far more modern than I expected, given the weather-worn brick exterior. The floors are the same polished concrete I’m used to seeing at Glaston, and a security station sits in the center of the enormous room.

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