Hatched

Chapter Eight

June 29th, 2021

1300 hours

Robyn hated the cold sterility of the exam room. Her years of veterinary school never truly prepared her for it, and she sometimes couldn't handle the stark reality. This was death; this chilly, haughty atmosphere, with its sharp instruments, silent test tubes, and faintly stained autopsy table. It was a finality that she wished she hadn't experience so personally, so soon. She was too young to know what that was like.

Her stomach turned as she gazed at the limp body. The glazed, haunted eyes roused a sadness within her. The beautiful, elegant creature would never again grace the waves with his presence, and for some reason this upset her more than usual.

"It's just a dolphin." A soft voice said to her left, and she jumped.

Her assistant, George, gave her a reassuring nod and motioned toward the carcass.

"Right." She said, grasping her mic. "Testing, one, two. Testing." She tapped on the microphone. "Can you hear me?"

Glancing up, she saw the scientists in the observation room nodding. Each one donned a white lab coat and she realized the hilarity of it: sitting up in the viewing deck, completely separated from the actual process, they were there to play a part, obtaining relativity from her hard work. Nevertheless, her nerves were on overdrive from having so many people there.

Her eyes met a pair of stormy, silver ones bearing down on her from the observation deck and she jerked back slightly. Those eyes were dangerous, there was no doubt about it. The man the eyes belonged to, now he was just as disturbing.

Robyn could tell he was extremely fit, and though he was wearing a well-cut, black suit that made him look out of place among the apron-clad doctors, biologists and veterinarians, he had an easy manner suggesting he was unperturbed with standing out. His pale skin shone in the dim light, and she noticed how his black hair fell casually over his forehead. The cool demeanor in which he leaned back against the wall sent a shiver down her spine.

Those swirling grey pools caught her equally torrential blue eyes and she found it hard to remember what she was doing. For a second her breathing stopped, and she wished madly that she would fall into that gaze, floating forever, the world forgotten.

"Uh, Miss Bourke?" An extremely wrinkled, white haired man who sat to the mystery man's right, prompted. "We would very much appreciate a demonstration, if you would be so kind."

She jumped for the second time, feeling like a fool. "Hmm, my apologies, doctors."

She focused her attention back to the dead animal in front of her, purposely taking a deep breath. The scent of decay drew her out of her funk and she shakily continued, exhaling heavily into the mic.

"This is Biologist Robyn Bourke, of the State Park and Recreation service, based out of Galveston Island, the twenty-ninth of June, 2021, assisted by doctoral candidate George Aldridge."

She cleared her throat again, stealing a quick glance at the viewing window. She noticed those piercing eyes had not once left her form. It sent another unwelcome tingle down her spine.

"Hmm..." She sputtered. "Performing a necropsy on Tursiops truncatus," She cast a quick glare in the direction of the suited man above her. "Or, more commonly known, the Bottle-nose Dolphin."

"The specimen is a mature male." She continued. "Three point two meters in length, four hundred and fifty kilos in weight." She glanced at George. "He's a few pounds underweight, note that, please."

The assistant obediently scribbled a nearly illegible scrawl.

"The subject is in good condition, displaying no visible signs of struggle or external injuries."