It's A Hoot (mxm)

Chapter 26

The interior of the mansion was everything Toren had expected it to be. Even the interior decorations made him feel like he was stepping back in time to when the world was a much darker and different place. Back in the Victorian ages when shifters were the bane of society. The monstrous statues were a sore reminder. They had once been treated like the disfigured demons they were depicted as.
Yet now he found himself wondering how his cousin felt about creatures like him. Caledon was an enigma. Because of his personality he had to have strong feelings about it, but Toren couldn't figure out where he stood.
The mansion smelled strongly of strange aromas and without a heightened sense of smell, like Michael or Pops, Toren was unable to pick up any underlying scents that it was masking. It was all just a mixture of oils and candles.

Caledon didn't bother with a tour, he took the staircase that, ironically, led downward into the basement. It was a long spiral set of stairs and at the very bottom was a solid metal door with a keypad that was unlocked.
Caledon threw it open to step into what felt like a whole new world.
The basement was converted into a lab of sorts with the most modern and advanced technology. It was like stepping from the past to the future when they crossed over the threshold.

The butler, Toren presumed the man that greeted them to be, was tidying up the worktables, though the room was very clean and organized as it was. The machinery lying around varied from smaller forms of construction equipment to things you'd find in a hospital. There was a lot that looked custom built that Toren didn't recognize, but he was drawn away from them when Caledon began to speak.

"Thank you, Steven," Caledon waved his hand towards the table he stopped in front of. "Bring me my chip reader and then leave us." He shed his coat as the man hurried over with a small device in his hands.
Steven gave them a hesitant look, his eyes reflecting hints of caution, resting on Michael the longest. Bear shifters were so easily pegged that the man had, no doubt, picked up on the musky smell that always accompanied him. A smell Toren found comforting in an unfamiliar place.
Steven swallowed hard and then released a repressed sigh, setting a hand for a brief moment on Caledon's shoulder. Following this gesture, he left the room, but the door remained open.

Toren was somewhat relieved it hadn't been shut, but also suspicious. Why wouldn't they shut the door?

"What is all this?" Michael grumbled. His brow was creased into a frown, the wrinkles on his forehead growing deeper since they'd stepped past the threshold.

"My lab," Caledon responded, speaking over his shoulder. He looked more relaxed than Toren had ever seen him. It made sense that he felt so at home in his own house, nonetheless he had never spared it much thought before.

"What exactly do you do in this lab?" Michael pressed, eyes narrowing on Caledon's back.

"Whatever I want." He turned around with amusement tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Toren flinched at that half crazed look in his eyes. Was it the lighting? They were shaded, appearing unreflective and it reminded him of Zuzana. So unhinged, yet capable of thinking up something malicious and executing it while enjoying the suffering of others.
A warmth touched the small of his back, Michael's hand resting there. The bear had moved closer, letting him know, in a subtle way, that he was there. It was relieving, but not enough to take away that unsettling feeling that now resided within him. Something was wrong with Caledon, he wasn't sure trusting him had been the best decision, but he was running out of options, standing on a thin line. He was walking a tightrope, but the other side was in flames and beneath him was a pit of sharp stakes. None of his options seemed good. There was no light on the horizon.

Caledon shifted towards an examination table, patting the hard surface. "Have a seat, I'll prepare the machine." He walked over to a big piece of equipment on wheels and rolled it next to the table. It had a small computer on it and an arm that stretched out with a claw on the end. Caledon started to calibrate the machine.