DAY 12

B.E.A.R LABORATORIES

LEVEL 5

No one really goes down to Level 5. It's actually an entire floor dedicated to the Tekula Project. It has a swimming pool, a track, and a weight room for him to use so we can test his strength and athleticism. That is, if we can get him to cooperate. I still have a hard time believing I am working on a classified project involving a real life werewolf. That, and said werewolf only speaks to me. Me of all people. I have decided to make notes of my interactions with the Project. This way I can catalog my findings and review past experiences.

"So, he has been here for a year, you said?" I ask Dr. Anderson as we make our way to his cell.

"Yes, 386 days, to be precise."

I nod my head. "And his tattoos, those aren't really tattoos, right?" I say, furrowing my eyebrows.

"No, like we discussed earlier, when your test results came back from the two skin samples, we were able to recognize them as something similar to birth marks--areas of concentrated melanin."

"I see, that is why Dr. Lansburry was so startled by my findings," I say as I open the door.

"Good luck, Ms. Odair," he says before closing the door.

I make my way over to the curtain and start to pull it back. This time, Theseus is sitting with his back against the glass, a solemn look on his face. Once he sees me, he jumps up and smiles widely at me. His startling appearance never ceases to surprise me. His long hair and beard are a mess, as per usual, but he still has this handsome look about his features.

I return to my seat and turn on the speakers. "Good morning, Theseus. I told you I would be back soon," I say with a smile. In all honesty, I was looking forward to this interview as well.

"Vee," he smiles back. He sits cross-legged on the ground with his knees touching the glass. He seems excited almost.

"So, today I am going to ask you some questions. You just answer as best you can, okay?" I say, holding the list of questions in my hands. He nods enthusiastically. I start the first entry in my notes: The project shows no signs of apprehension, contrary to past experiences with the other interviewers.

"Alright, number one: what are you?"

He looks down for a moment before meeting my gaze. "L-ly...ly-can. Lycan."

"Lycan, as in lycanthrope?" I ask, making note of his response on my notepad: The Project knows what he is. He nods his head again, seemingly proud of himself. The Project sees speaking as an accomplishment.

"Okay...next. Are there others like you?" I say slowly, to be sure he understands. He simply shrugs his shoulders unconcernedly.

"Can you be more specific?" I ask, leaning forwards slightly.

He shakes his head. Maybe he thinks he is the only one? Is he? I add a new entry to the notebook: Project may be unsure of his origins.

"Okay, moving on. How old are you?" This is a question I have been excited to ask. Due to testing done before my arrival, we were able to figure out that he seemingly doesn't age. His bone marrow is continuing to make red blood cells just like any young person, but he isn't slowing down. At all.

"W-what...y-y--" he trails off, shaking his head.

"We have plenty of time. Just go as slow as you need," I say, crossing my ankles underneath my chair.

"W-what y-year?" He says. His face holds a look of sadness.

"What year is it?"

He nods.

The Project understands time, though he has, at some point, lost track. Could this be due to his apparent infinite youth?

"Its 2019."

His eyes widen and he shakes his head frantically. He stands up and begins to pace. He pulls at his hair harshly and his breaths are labored. His change in mood is surprisingly drastic. I also take notice that pulling his hair seems to be a nervous tick. I take note of this in my notepad for further study.

"Theseus, listen to me!" I say. He doesn't answer and his nails begin to elongate into claws. "Theseus, you have to calm down. You are having a panic attack." I rush forwards to the glass as security enter his cell. What could have happened to make him react in such a way? Was it the question? Maybe the year wasn't what he was expecting it to be, but then again, what was he expecting?

One of the security guards holds a syringe in his hand. Theseus starts to growl as they make their way toward him, obviously feeling threatened. At this point, I have to do something. In his vulnerable state he could hurt them, himself, or both.

"Hey! Back off! Clearly you aren't helping," I say to the guards. It probably isn't my place to give such commands, but I will deal with the consequences later. Theseus continues to growl and snarl as fur starts to grow along his spinal cord. He will kill someone if he shifts.

"I'm going in," I say.

"You will not!" Dr. Anderson says, coming into the room.

"Forcefully sedating him will break any trust he has in us. That, and I think I can calm him down," I say. I'm not sure where this sudden confidence came from, but seeing him in this state both scares and saddens me.

"Let her go. This could be good," Dr. Vanderwall says from the open doorway. He wears a barely distinguishable look of curiosity on his face.

I look back at Dr. Anderson's worried face before rushing out of the room and to the door that opens to Theseus' cell. I take a deep breath before placing my key card over the sensor. The door opens and all eyes turn towards me.

I push past the guards and face Theseus, who stands on the other side of the small room. He has a crazed look in his eyes and his chest rises and falls rapidly. A loud snarl permeates the air as one of the guards steps in front of me, blocking me from his view. I take notice of this and step back into the open. His growls quiet. Interesting.

"Alright, I don't think he will hurt me, so just leave me alone with him for a minute. I think I can calm him down," I say, trying not to betray my fear. My brow is starting to sweat, and my hands are shaking. Part of me feels like I couldn't be safer, which is totally implausible as well as illogical. The other part of me recognizes the situation as nearly life-threatening.

"Are you sure that is a good idea, ma'am?" One of the guards asks. I nod my head, keeping my gaze on Theseus, who is still silently growling.

At their reluctance to leave, Dr. Vanderwall, through the speakers, orders the guards to exit the room. Now alone, my heart rate starts to pick up again at the danger of the situation. I no longer have the protection of the guards, and there is no glass wall.

I raise my hands in front of me and take a small step forwards. "Theseus, I need you to stay calm. I am goi--"

I am cut of by him crushing me to his bare chest. Startled by his actions, I freeze. He buries his head in my red locks and sniffs my neck. His arms wrap tightly around me. I start to squirm in his hold, which causes a growl to emerge from his throat.

"Don't move. Let him do what he wants. This behavior is different from anything we have ever seen from him before," I hear Dr. Vanderwall's voice say through the speakers. Don't move? Is he crazy? Theseus is crushing me!

His arms tighten even more, making a strained whimper of pain slip past my lips. At the noise, Theseus immediately steps back and holds my shoulders, a look of concern etched across his face.

"Mate?" He says, regret evident in his tone.

"You just squeezed me too tight," I say, stepping out of his hold. He whimpers at the loss of contact and reaches forwards again. I raise my hands.

"Hey, hey, no touching," I say in panic. He stops his movements. "Are you okay now?"

He looks down solemnly and turns away. His shoulders are tight with anxiety and his fists are clenched to his sides. Unable to help myself, and going against my earlier statement, I lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. His muscles immediately relax at my touch and he let's out a shaky breath. His skin is soft and warm under my fingertips.

"Can you tell me what made you upset?" I know this probably isn't the best question to ask, for fear of him reacting in the same way as earlier, but I need to know for further research.

He turns around to face me. His features are marred with grief and his eyes are rimmed with red. He removes my hand from his shoulder and gently squeezes it between his palms. His large hands fully encase my small ones, and I recognize the amount of damage he could do to me if he were to turn violent. Yet, he holds my hand as if to draw strength from my presence, not to keep me captive in his hold.

"B-been w-wol--" he stutters. He looks into my eyes as if to apologize for his inability to converse.

"You are doing fine, just keep going."

"Been w-wolf...l-long t-t-time," he finally manages to stutter out. Been wolf long time. What could this mean? Was he 'turned'as Hollywood puts it and he means he was turned a long time ago?

"What do you mean by that? Been a lycan a long time? Were you turned into a lycan?" I say, voicing my thoughts.

He shakes his head. "B-bor...bor--"

"Born?" I suggest, to which he nods. So, he was born a lycan. This suggests that there are, indeed, more like him out there.

"Do you mean you have been in wolf form for a long time?" I remember Dr. Anderson told me he was in wolf form when he was found.

Theseus nods at me and rubs his thumb over my knuckles. I resist the urge to pull away, still not used to the physical touch with a mythological beast.

"B-but, I...f-find mate," he says, smiling gently at me. I furrow my brows in confusion. What is he talking about?

"What do you mean?" I ask, meeting his gaze. He shakes his head, reaching out to touch my hair, effectively avoiding the question. I close my eyes tight as I feel his fingertips tuck a loose curl behind my ear. Why is he being so...so...loving? Theseus was never like this with anyone else--never even civil.

"I have to go now, Theseus," I say, hoping to escape my current predicament. All I get in response is a low growl that rumbles through his chest. "I will be back tomorrow, don't worry," I say to console him.

I pull away from his grasp and open my eyes to see him looking at me with a hopeless expression. His attatchment to me is certainly interesting.

I make my way to the door and look back at him once more. A whimper slips past his lips and he hesitsntly shuffles after me. He looks like a giant, scary, hopelessly lost, puppy. I shake my head. "You can't come with me. I promise to come back tomorrow, though," I say.

He starts to come towards me, a determined look on his face. I quickly unlock the door and slip through just as I hear a body slam against the other side.

"Mate? Mate!" I hear him shout frantically. He pounds a fist against the door and I take a step back in fear. "Vee?" He says sadly.

"I'll be back," I whisper to the closed door. I lay a hand against my chest and take a deep breath to calm my erratic heartbeat.

"Well done, Ms. Odair," Dr. Vanderwall says with a stoic look as he strides intimidatingly down the corridor to me. Something in his gaze scares me even more than being locked in a room with an unpredictable beast. My heartbeat quickens once again.