War Dog

Chapter 4

one year and nine months later.

"Lieutenant, my office."

A frown creased my face as I looked down at the text message. Captain Price always held his cards close to his chest, but this was closer than usual. Hands splayed across my desk as I stand, I slip out of my office with an ease and agility that did not match my frame. Soldiers stopped to nod politely, murmered "Lieutenant"s followed in my wake. Finding myself in front of Captain Prices door rather quickly I lifted a hand to knock. Before I could even touch the door, "Simon, come in." I shift my outreaches hand to the door nob and glide into the room smoothly taking a seat casually across from Captain Price. 

"Captain? what's got you in such a state?" I ask, my voice rumbling through my chest, concern laced through my Manchester accent as I speak. Eyes rove over the Captain, tense, concerned. But also excitement? 

Price continues to sit there for a moment, letting a comfortable silence creep into the office. His fingers played with a folder on his desk, his eyes were focused blankly at the folder. He came to, eyes pinning me to the spot. "We have... a unique opportunity." I lean forward, elbows on my knees. "Captain, this must be quiet the opportunity. But I hear a "but" coming." My voice rumbled, amused that the Price was being so cagey. 

He nodded confirming my suspicious. "There's a couple of but's. But I believe the positives outweigh potential negatives. The biggest one however comes down to your decision on the matter. Let me start from the top." He flipped the folder around so I could see the front, Big red "confidential" on the front. A picture. Two pictures. A woman. A beast. Looking closer I noticed that the beast resembled the woman in a way. I look at Price. "What the fuck is this?" I pick up the folder, looking at the pictures closer. The same eyes. The same hair colour. Even to a degree same facial structure where it wasn't impacted by her maw jutting out. I glance at Price, feeling a knot form in the pit of my stomach. "I've seen some fucked up shit, Price, but what is this?" I growl out, shaken and disturbed by the potential implications of what I was looking at. 

"Simon, everything is voluntary. She underwent the experimentation voluntarily. I believe she was quiet well compensated for it too." The knot of horror in my stomach eased slightly knowing she was a willing participant. I looked back at the pictures. Her sharp intelligent eyes peered back through. Hazel eyes pinned him to his chair, almost as if she was standing right there looking at him. Her hair in a neat bun in the first image showed in long golden waves in the second complimenting the same golden coloured fur along her face and neck. The second image showed her grinning. Or maybe snarling, showing off sharp canine fangs. Her ears in the second photo pointed forwards, her attention on something as if she had her attention on something behind him.

"How have I not heard about this kind of experimentation until now?" I look at Price, my face hidden behind the mask. I know my eyes are showing the turmoil, darkening to an emotion close to anger. My voice though, tightly controlled. 

"The Australian Government has kept this tightly wrapped. I'd heard rumours until now. It's a small program that's been running only the last half a dozen years."

I jerk back slightly. "Australian Government? Of course they'd be the crazy bastards to actually attempt this." I growl out softly. "If this is an Australian experimental program, what does this have to do with us?" I finger the folder, tempted to open it already. 

"Cerianis Griffin." Price jerks his head at the folder in my hands. "Underwent experimentation that was even by the facilities standards something radical. The other hybrids that have gone through their program were either Malinois, or German Shepherd. Cerianis however was cleared to trial being a wolf hybrid. It was meant to be a gateway to testing alternative hybrid options. By all means, according to her files, it was an outrageous success."