Unkindness of Ravens

Chapter 2

At the end of the school day, Theo never felt more alive than he did after his conversation with Kate. His mind continued to wonder as he left the campus, shortly getting a message from his trainer, Loxon reminding him of their session today.

"I wonder if Loxon has any advice he can give," Theo said, "I recall him having a similar experience during his time at Trixon."

Theo pulled into a long driveway; his wheels crunching over every small twig and rock. At the end, laid a four story concrete structure. What was meant to be office space and a lab for a company, later became a new training ground for the Lancaster children after the initial company filed for bankruptcy. There are rumors the company did some shady things while others believe they lost their fundings, who knows.

He crawled through an open window on the first floor, shortly hearing his phone buzz again, it was Loxon.

"There's a chair in the main lobby," Theo said, aloud, "Choose your weapon then come and find me."

He laughed knowing this is Loxon's method of training. But without hesitation, Theo sprinted to the main lobby, checking every corner ensuring this wasn't an ambush. Before him laid two weapons, a celestial blade and a dart gun. Theo could only imagine Loxon watching him right now. "He said choose, " Theo said, "Let's go with both; keep the blade tucked away and I'll carry the dart gun. At least then I'll be ready in case he disarms me."

He made his way up the wide staircase with its walls covered in posters of great scientists and other news clippings. The air felt colder than usual as he crawled up the steps, meaning that Loxon hasn't ran through there in a long time, otherwise the air flow would be choppy. He held his weapon in attack mode when he heard a loud slam of a door. His heartbeat slowly speeding up, but his breathing grew heavier to try and contain the nerves creeping in.

"Where are you," he whispered. A narrow hallway or a layout of cubicles were the only options, he took his chances with the hallway. Bending at the knees Theo went into stealth mode, pointing his weapon forward and using his free hand to check every door, none were unlocked. He found one door cracked open, however, a white light piercing through it. Theo couldn't recall any of these doors being left open, each one looked identical, perhaps these were the offices for the leading scientists.

"Doctor C. Frail," he whispered. Theo pulled open the door to expose a short hallway before stumbling upon the late doctor's workspace and desk. Beakers, test tubes, hot plates, and anything else a scientist will need for their lab, existing within these walls. What Theo found strange was that none of the substances had been disposed of since shutting down. "Health hazard," he said, coming eye level with the jars of murky water. Some of them contained tiny creatures that were a bit disfigured or unrecognizable to Theo. 'A hybrid?' Theo thought to himself. All of a sudden he felt his heart drop to his stomach near a double silver door.

"Something feels awfully wrong with this area," he said, pushing his body into that room. Theo's eyes glanced over his surroundings, unable to make out anything, until he took another step forward tripping on the lights. There was a moment he wished he didn't walk into that room, but then again his curiosity got the best of him. Why did everything here look untouched? Was it locked all this time? Theo casted his eyes upon a giant box covered with a blanket, not caring what could be underneath his fingers grazed the sheets, grasping a hand full of the material. He pulled the cloth away to reveal a massive furry creature. Being caught off guard caused him to step back accidentally bumping into a trash bin nearby.

"Shit," he whispered. Frozen in place, hoping not to disturb the beast, Theo approached the see-through box to get a better look. His mind questioned everything before him as he circled around to see its face. To his surprise the beast looked unharmed, but something about his appearance made Theo question what it was. A bear with a deficiency quickly taking notice of its smaller limbs. Unaware of where he placed his feet, Theo heard a crack and snap from a broken piece of glass that apparently was left on the floor, his eyes widened when he saw the creature awake from its slumber.