{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}+{+} CH 2
Present Day:
Violet walked out of the elevator and onto the empty floor that was going to house the newly formed Genetics and Medical research division of Xanatos Enterprises.
Looking around, the floor, or at least as much as she could see of it, was entirely ringed in offices, with the actual laboratories in the center of it all.
Everything was bright white and pristine.
And empty.
Xanatos was giving her the reigns on the hiring, the firing, and the purchasing of equipment. She had visions of fresh vials and beakers. Bunsen burners and a centrifuge blood machine. Blood analyzers and a DNA sequencing machine.
She and a good team could do a lot with what they could potentially produce within these walls.
And the best thing?
At the end of the day?
She could leave.
She had her own small apartment on a different floor to sleep in.
If she wanted to go out, she could go out. To a movie, shopping, or just out to smell the fresh air.
She would never again take for granted the feel of the wind through her hair or the sun on her face.
Never again.
She'd lost a year of her life within the confines of her three room prison, blindly working on a project that she'd had no knowledge of what it had even been for.
Now, she had access to information that could help potentially help alleviate the suffering of a lot of people. She could use that knowledge to do a lot of good and once she could identify and synthesize the healing properties that she'd discovered hidden within the blood of the young woman, Nayeli.
She had been hesitant to ask Nayeli for another sample, but the young woman had insisted that she wanted to help in any way that she could. Nayeli had even gone before her parents and asked their permission to do so.
Permission had been granted, but she was hoping to do with taking as little as possible.
Her main goal was to isolate the healing property in the blood and go from there.
Today was for making a list to outfit the labs and to go meet with the other cloned gargoyles to compare the rate of deterioration if there was any.
She began by counting the gas lines for the burners, the electrical outlets for the machinery, the tables and desks for the laboratory assistants she'd be able to hire.
List completed, she left it on the front desk as Owen had requested, then used the elevator to go back to her small apartment that overlooked the city.
It was a bit of a shock to realize that it was mid-October, and despite her best efforts to keep track of the dates that she'd kept underground in that secret lab, she had been off by almost two weeks. The temperature was dropping significantly at night, warning everyone of what was sure to be a long, cold winter. Keeping this in mind, she dressed warmly as she'd been warned that the housing situation that the clones were in would be fairly cold as well.
She answered the knock on her door to find Elisa there, similarly decked out in warm clothing.
"Are you ready?" Elisa asked.
Violet zipped up her new thick winter coat. "I think so," she replied, snagging her oversized purse from the small table inside the door. Inside the bag, she had a notebook, a pencil case full of pens, a couple of permanent markers to write on the labels with, and the necessary medical equipment to take blood samples from each of the clones.
Needless to say, while it wasn't so heavy that she couldn't carry it on her own, it wasn't feather light, and it was bulky to boot.
Elisa eyed the bag. "Looks like you're prepared for anything," she said with a grin.
"I hope so," Violet said with a laugh. "It's my first time working with gargoyles and clones."
"Welcome to Manhattan," Elisa said with a smile. "Where the only thing you won't find are alligators in the sewers."
Violet tilted her head. "You mean that one's not true?"
"Not that I've seen," Elisa said with a laugh. She pressed the elevator down button, and they waited together.
They rode in a comfortable silence to the parking structure and didn't feel the need to talk again until they were in Elisa's car and on the way.
"Were you able to get that list completed?" Elisa asked.
"Yes," Violet said, shifting her large bag on her lap to lay at her feet. "There's a lot of room and a lot of equipment to order. It'll probably be at least a week before we can get the things we need, but I can at least get the samples drawn and some basic things done with what I have available through the clinic."
"Oh, sweet, innocent Violet," Elisa said, shaking her head with a laugh. "You haven't truly seen what Xanatos Enterprises…or, more specifically, Owen Burnett… is capable of."
Elisa made the turn into a small parking area, flashed her ID at the guard there, and pulled into the fenced area. The fencing surrounded a small brick building and she parked her car in a "reserved" spot. She put the car into park, turned the engine off, and threw the younger woman a look before opening her door. "Chances are, when we get back, at least half of the things you requested will be there waiting for you."
Violet blinked. "Really?"
"Really," Elisa said, moving to help Violet wrestle her large bag out of the car. "Jeeze," Elisa said, finally wresting the bag free from where it had gotten stuck. "Just how many bricks do you have in this thing?"
"I didn't know what I would need," Violet said defensively. She reclaimed the bag and swung it up and over one shoulder.
"Fair point," Elisa said.
Violet turned to look at the building, noticing that there was no sign. Nothing to let anyone know what the building was supposed to be. "Where are we?"
"Nowhere," Elisa said, sending violet a small smile. "I mean that. There is literally no use for this building for the moment, other than to cover the entrance to where we are going."
"Intriguing," Violet said, trying to use humor to cover her unease. Had she gone from the proverbial frying pan into the fire? Had she been too quick to trust those who she'd seen as her rescuers?
"Take a breath," Elisa said softly. "You're safe, I promise you. We're going underground, that's true, but we're going down there for a reason. I'll be with you the whole time."
Violet took a deep breath and wondered how long she'd been holding it. Honestly, she felt a little lightheaded, so who knew.
Elisa stopped at a set of doors, "This is a newly installed cargo elevator. Normally, I'd take the stairs, but I'm not sure you're up to that just yet."
"Thanks," Violet said with a whoosh of air.
Elisa swiped what looked like a plain white credit card over a small sensor, and the elevator doors slid open. "There are two options for the elevator," Elisa said, pointing to the panel. "Ground floor and basement." She reached out and pressed the "B" button. "Now that we're in a secure space," Elisa said as the doors shut and the elevator car began its descent, "Let me tell you a little about what you're going to see down here. We've told you about the clones," Elisa said slowly, "But you're about to meet my…"
The door slid open, and Violet jerked at the sight of the sleek black panther looking creature standing against the wall, arms crossed and watching the doors of the elevator.
"Hey, sis," the creature said. "Long time, no see."
"Brother," Elisa said with a sigh.