In case you haven't noticed I did change the end of chapter 10, I just didn't like it, sorry for the inconvenience! I have also been quite poorly, hence no updates, but I'm starting to feel a little better, I hope you like this one, just a bit of filler to give the story some flow. Much love!
Chapter 11
Antigen security employees stood around the front door to the mansion in deep discussion, however everything turned silent when I reached the bottom of the staircase. They stared at me with smug smirks as I nervously made my way the kitchen, I could feel their eyes on me all the way until I disappeared from sight.
"Morning Victoria," Dr Lane said, not even looking up from his morning newspaper, his glasses hanging onto the tip of his nose. He was sat at the kitchen island, picking at his bacon and eggs, flipping the pages for anything of interest. A male chef stood at the cooker, awaiting orders. Lane really did have a sickly amount of money, but then again I bet the poor soul is another Lycan under Dr Lane's thumb.
"Morning," I greeted quietly, taking a seat at the opposite end of the island.
"Would you like anything to eat Miss?" The chef asked.
"I'm not terribly hungry, maybe something small please?" I asked, remembering back to my scrambled eggs.
"How about a granola bar?" The chef asked with a smile.
"Please," I smiled.
"Cherry or Strawberry?" He asked, reaching into a cupboard above the kitchen sink.
"Cherry please," I said politely. He brought down a whole box of cherry granola bars and handed me two.
"One for the road,"
"Thank you George that is all then," Dr Lane waved the chef away, his head still in his newspaper.
"Will Mr Quint not be joining us?" The chef asked, placing the box back in the cupboard.
"No Mr Quint has decided to go AWOL, you may leave," Dr Lane said bitterly.
"Of course sir," The chef said, taking a bow and leaving. Geez it was like being in a house with superficial royalty. I opened one of my granola bars up, tearing at the packet as quietly as possible, scared to offend the ears of my overbearing boss.
"You don't happen to know where Quint has skulked off to, do you Victoria?" Dr Lane questioned, pushing the glasses up on his nose and lowering his paper. Why was he asking me? I'm not his babysitter.
"No sorry, I don't," I gulped, taking a nibble of cherry goodness.
"Okay, it's no worry, he will come back, he always does," The doctor smiled, folding up his newspaper and climbing down from his stool. "I will be heading off now, Benedict will drive you to work once you're ready," I smiled and thanked him as he took his leave, my smile soon falling from my face as soon we he was out of my sight. I finished my granola bar off, binning the wrapper and placing the other one in my skirt pocket for later. I wandered back into the hallway to find the hoard of security officers gone. Only Benedict sat in an armchair near the front door.
"How long until we need to set off please?" I asked politely, unsure of the travel time to work from the north of the city. Benedict checked his watch promptly.
"You have around ten minutes Miss, I will be outside heating the car, it's very nippy out this morning so be sure to wrap up warm," Benedict said. I smiled at the man, he was still way too nice for a Lycan, but I just couldn't imagine Dr Lane hiring a human driver. It must be Dr Lane's no bullshit attitude and firm hand that carves these polite employees. I felt pretty ashamed to be one of them, a polite robot ready to serve. He had conditioned me to be like every other employee in his care. As Benedict slammed the door shut behind him, I clambered up stairs to my new abode, grabbing my coat and handbag from the arm chair. I said goodbye to Monty, and promised to find him some cat food, the poor mite must be starving. He hissed in reply, hiding under the chaise lounge. I popped on my coat as I descended the stairs, hooked my bag around my arm and left through the front door. The car was waiting down the steps. George got out of the drivers side, circling around the car and opening the back passenger door.
"Oh it's no trouble really, I can open the car door, its fine," I smiled, embarrassed and slightly ashamed to be served on in such a manner. I jumped in, popping my seatbelt on, and took the scenic drive to work.
We arrived perfectly on time, I thanked George, I was unsure whether I was supposed to tip. I had no money anyway so I made sure to thank him twice. I entered the lobby nervously, my first day at work as a Lycan. Act normal Victoria I told myself. I approached the lift ready for my morning chit chat with Oliver, except it wasn't Oliver on shift. I recognised the man, but I didn't know his name. It suddenly hit me I'd seen him in the house this morning, gossiping by the front door with his peers.
"Badge," He demanded, stepping towards me, weapon in hand. I pulled the lanyard that hung around my neck out of my coat and presented it to him. He studied it for a while before sneering.
"Dr Lane would like to see you on the eighth floor," The guard spoke. "You know the access code," He added bitterly, pressing the 'call elevator' button. I waited awkwardly for the doors to open, and once they did I scurried inside. I pressed the eight on the control panel, and the lift began to ascend. As it came to a complete stop I punched in the code, releasing the doors. I stepped onto the floor, which looked a lot less petrifying under the fluorescent lights.
"You must be Victoria," A tall slim lady in a white lab coat greeted me. "I'm Dr Lida," She smiled, shaking my hand. She was very pretty with raven black hair and dark brown eyes. Something didn't smell right about her. "Dr Lane's been expecting you; he's just down the hall," She pointed to the hallway I'd taken last night. I smiled and thanked her before proceeding down the hallway.
"There you are Victoria, are we ready for that MRI?" Dr Lane asked, appearing through a lab door, he shut it quickly behind him.
"Yes Sir, is she…?" I trailed off, unsure of my question and not wanting to appear stupid.
"Yes Victoria, she is human and oblivious, Dr Lida helps take care of some of our subjects, now if you'd like to follow me," He said bitterly. I followed him further down the hallway silently; we passed the destroyed statue on our way. He led me through a lab and into a back room where the MRI machine was apparently located.
"Good morning Victoria," Dr Stevenson greeted from the computer terminal in the protected booth. "If you'd like to put this on we can get started, no metal on your person please," Dr Stevenson said, handing me a white hospital gown, I looked around for somewhere to change.
"Well come on we don't have all day," Dr Lane's irritated voice barked as he sat in the chair next to Dr Stevenson. I turned my back to them, peeling off my jumper, and pulling my bra straps off my shoulders and out from my arms. I put on the gown next, not wanting to expose my modesty, I unhooked the bra at the back, this one was a plain nude t-shirt bra, not a sexy lacy number thank god. I placed it on the pile with my jumper. I slipped off my shoes and finally pulled off my skirt, gently folding that onto the pile also.
"Lie very still, no talking," Dr Stevenson added as I wandered over to the machine. Of course I already knew what to do, this wasn't my first rodeo.
The MRI took around thirty minutes, at one point I began to drift off, only waking due to feeling like I had slipped dramatically on some ice. I'd forgotten how exhausted I was, the first mission after this was to find myself a Redbull, or maybe I could scrounge the rest of the day off sick. I quickly got dressed as Dr Lane and Dr Stevenson looked over the scans.
"Unbelievable," Dr Lane exclaimed as I slipped on my shoes.
"I have the all clear?" I asked hesitantly, not wanting to get my hopes up.
"You're in perfect health," Dr Stevenson said, still staring at the images of my brain. "In fact, your tumour, as I predicted," He added portentously pompously, "has completely gone," I smiled, biting my lip to keep from yelling, shouting, crying out in happiness. I don't know what came over me, I was going to be healed anyway, but this felt like an actual miracle, and not medicine.
"Remarkable," Dr Lane said, "I'd like to carry out a few quick studies on you in the next room Victoria," I felt like a lab rat, to be prodded and poked, I was just like the test subjects in some regards, except I had to pretend to be grateful. It didn't surprise me though; the man used his own son as a science project.
Dr Lane escorted me into the lab next door and sat me on the counter. He made sure to lock the door leading into the hallway. Dr Stevenson stayed, scribbling down notes over print copies of my brain, analysing them.
"This will sting," Lane said, pulling out a tourniquet, I held out my arm expectantly. He tied the band tight around my upper arm and slapped the inside of my elbow a few times. He swabbed a cotton ball of antiseptic over the area, and tapped the joint a few more times. He inserted the needle, pulling the blood into the syringe. He took four vials in total.
"So you think Quint passed on some of his special abilities?" I asked suddenly, making conversation.
"Yes, it's quite extraordinary really, Quint has three daily injections to enhance him, you however, you were created special," Dr Lane boasted, like I was a prize pony. He handed me a cotton wool pad to place over the tiny bruising hole in my arm.
"No one ever told me how Quint got his enhancements," I wondered, applying pressure to my arm.
"He is hybrid," Dr Lane said simply. "His injections are derived from tissue samples of a vampire-Lycan hybrid,"
"Am I a hybrid, part vampire?" I wondered allowed.
"That's what I wish to find out," Dr Lane smiled, pulling my hand and cotton pad away from my arm to find nothing but bare milky white skin. "You're definitely a healer like Quint," He mumbled, mainly to himself.
"What other qualities does Quint have?"
"Extreme strength, instant healing, and immunity to silver," Dr Lane answered as if he was checking off the list, "The perfect Lycan," He hummed. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Dr Lane unlocked it promptly and opened the door marginally, glaring out through the gap. Slowly he opened the door, and allowed Quint entry. You could cut the tension in the air with a plastic spoon; there was obviously bad blood between the father and son. He soon slammed the door shut behind his son, throwing on the latch.
"How is she?" Quint mumbled, leaning against a nearby counter. The doctor pulled on what looked like oven gloves, and pulled a silver knife out of a drawer
"Well you may as well have killed her," Dr Lane spoke calmly, causing me to almost choke on my tonsils. "The tumour is gone, completely healed, that's more of my money down the drain," Dr Lane's prickly voice scorned his son. "Hold still Victoria," He ordered as he pressed the silver knifes face against my flesh. Nothing.
"Imagine if I'd killed her, you wouldn't have a new guinea pig to study," Quint said bitterly, I'm not sure who his comment was aimed at, his father, me or both. Probably both.
"Amazing, I'm going to create a small incision on your palm," Dr Lane forewarned, ignoring his sons remark. He pressed the knife into my hand, drawing blood. I hissed, it hurt like hell, and it stung like a bastard. Pulling the knife away the doctor leaned in and examined the wound. It wasn't 'instant' like he'd described Quint's healing, but eventually the skin began to knit together. "Fantastic. The healing is not as advanced as Quint," I heard a stifled laugh as Quint smirked, knowing he had the superior abilities. "But it is still remarkable, and without any injections at all," Dr Lane was bewildered. "And all this from a bite, transferred across from maker to progeny."
"She might yet grow into her abilities, she hasn't had her first moon yet," Quint added.
"Of course, yes! Friday is full moon, the night of the gala; you will undergo your first change. All the board directors will be there, we must introduce you to them, and then we can evaluate your transformation, it will be an excellent show of the progression in our work," Dr Lane said with glee. "Quint you will be there also," He added.
"I already know the board members," Quint groaned, It obviously wasn't his style to attend official events.
"Yes but they will want to see your abilities too, especially your new Lycan form. You also have to take care of this one," Dr Lane pointed to me. Quint scoffed. "You bit her, she is your responsibility," Lane lectured, as if I was a puppy. A Lycan's for life, not just for Christmas kind of thing.
"What shall I tell the hospital?" I interrupted, stopping the bickering.
"Quint you can take care of that, hopefully better than you were suppose to take care of her," Her? Her has a name! It was as if the two men were having a testosterone war. "You're dismissed Victoria, please make an itinerary for tomorrows board meeting, then you may go, George is usually waiting by the entrance to the parking structure just next to the lobby." Dr Lane said, waving his hand at me. I nodded with a small smile, hopping off the counter and headed towards the door. Quint in contrary jumped up on to his counter, and promptly removed his shirt.
"I thought you were going to skip your morning injections, where were you?" Dr Lane questioned Quint angrily as I unlocked the door and slipped through it. I heard the latch be thrown on as it closed behind me. I sighed, thankful to be out of that room, it felt as if it was getting smaller and smaller. I smiled to myself like an idiot as I realised health issues and brain tumours were a thing of the past.
Maybe this was supposed to be, Quint was meant to bite me, turn me, this was how everything was going to be okay. They do say things get worse before they get a whole lot better. I crossed my fingers in hope as I wondered down the corridor to the elevator, a big grin still plastered on my face.