Valion took a step back from the door as the Dr's friendly tone caught him off guard as his own intimidation began to disarm, as the Doctor continued his greeting. "Yes, yes! I've been expecting you! how exciting! why, i can feel your bloodthirst from here! let me get the door!"

  SCHHHHLINK.

  The small panel quickly slides back into place as a series of clunking and clanging ensues before the heavy door slides itself open, revealing the small frame of the doctor, ushering him in with an open arm. Valion's concerned look amplifies as he takes a cautious step inside the safe house. The room is scattered with research papers with the occasional coffee cup spilled over them. A strong aroma permeates within the room as in the corner of Valion's eye, he scans a pile of pizza boxes, realizing they get older the further down the pile he goes.

  As the age of the bottom pizzas is disturbingly revealed to him, he decides to cast his gaze back to the doctor. His uneven glasses tilt to one side and his lab coat stretches down past his knees while several pens and pencils fill the pockets. His fur is as white as the snow and strangely very clean despite his safehouses appearance. After analyzing his garb, Valion questions his friendly behavior.

  "You were... expecting me?" The mouse nods vigorously as he responds.

  "Oh yes, yes! After seeing your miraculous transformation that night, i had a feeling you'd show up in front of me! Perhaps for revenge, Perhaps with a thirst for knowledge... Perhaps BOTH! ahaha"

  His awkward laughter tilts his glasses to far to one side as he re-adjusts them to sit on the bridge of his nose. Valion's perception of the scientist shifted, sensing no real threat from him, he takes a seat on his messy couch as he interlocks his hands and with a somber tone requests an explanation. "Doctor... What's happening to me? i have heightened senses, extreme strength, speed, and some sort of healing factor? Hell, I'm starting to hear a voice in my head. I mean, am i going crazy?" The doctor's eyes narrow, as if detecting the tonal shift of the room.

  "I see, how interesting. Yes, very interesting. Valion, what you are experiencing is what your people call 'The Bonding'. When the artifact accepts a host, it will bond with them, interlocking your mind with its subconsciousness permanently. You can hear its thoughts, and it will ALWAYS hear yours. It's given you remarkable abilities for... its own reasons."

  The doctors face becomes grimaced as if a knife had been twisted into his side. Almost instantly, the experiment speaks up, eager to disagree with the doctors statement. 'HE LIES! how can you trust him? don't you remember who he worked for?' Its voice was demanding, but with a hint of nervousness. The doctor saw the conflicting face Valion had made, as if having a fierce debate without ushering a word. "He's talking to you now, isn't he? The entity?" Valion's red glowing eyes re-fixate on the doctors gaze before silently nodding.

  "I see. Listen Valion, you need to learn to control it. Even when it wants to hunt, you need to be able to 'reel it in' so to speak. You can't let it have complete control." He shakes his head in agreement, as he mentally logs the conversation they are having before a worried look returns across his visor. "Doctor, i need to know, for what purpose was... this 'thing' created for? what does it want with me?"

  A curled finger taps on the doctors chin as he weighs his options. "Well, its actually one of four-" ZZZZZTTT BRRRRTTT.....

  grrrrrrr~ a series of electronic hisses interrupts the doctor before a low growl emanates from the the new personality inhabiting the mask.

  "Be careful doctor."

  Its low tone causes the doctors eyes to grow wide in recognition. "You... But he deserves to know! He's your host dammit!" the experiment lunges suddenly toward the doctor, digging its claws beep into the maroon cloth of the couch, crunching and cracking the wood underneath.

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  "And he will. When i want him to. But it is not your place to tell him."

  The doctors hairs stand on edge as his instincts scream at him from within his mind. "i... understand."

  As his meek agreement shakily escapes his lips, the experiment slinks back to its seat, allowing his mask to glitch and Valion to return. "-octer? Doctor!?" Valion's voice snaps him out of his trance like state before addressing him. "Oh! uh, what were we talking about?"

  Valion lets a sigh escape his visor before responding. "The entity? what does it want with me?" He nervously adjusts the tie between his lab coat before answering. "Uh, i think its best for you to discover that on your own"

  "i see."

  The red eyes on the visor dilate in response to him before he continues his questioning.

  "So what about these abilities i have? and my bloodthirst. its never been so powerful before."

  "Ah, well the helmet is able to enhance your abilities with its cybernetics. Of the limited research we have, we know it burrows its microscopic electronic tendrils deep inside every muscle and fiber, even your very skeleton! it can instantly repair muscle tears, re-align and encourage healing of broken bones instantly! even gives your eyes a kind of zooming lens that focuses when you need it to. As for your bloodthirst, well that is definitely a side effect that has bled over from the entity itself. It hungers for it, and that hunger seeps into your own sub-conscious, making you feel it, even when you don't want to."

  Valion stands from the sofa, and begins nervously pacing around the room before finally coming to a stop. "Will it kill me? as in... is my life span shortened in any way?" The doctor hums to himself before taking a hold of his arm, raising it to his glasses. "Hmmm, on the contrary. It's actively keeping you from aging ever again. All your cells are being preserved as they are in this moment in time using its healing capabilities. As for anything internal, id have to run several tests on you to know for sure, and I'm afraid you may not have the time for that, right?"

  The eyebrow on Valion's visor raises in response. "That's... right. i don't have much time left here but-"

  "Once you've gotten that rebellion of yours up and running, how about you pick me up huh? I think my current occupation has run its course hahaha!"

  The doctor ushes Vallion out of his seat and toward the doorway as if he were urging a small rabbit out of the room with a broom. "Go on! Go on! reinforcements will be here any second. Those soldiers deaths didn't go unnoticed! Hmmmm, its a wonder how the other one got through those soldiers before you." His ears flicker above his visor, tilting towards him like a radar as he digs his claws into the doorway, stopping his movement.

  "There was another one? like me?"

  "Yeah, another fellow from the bunker! oh he was most intriguing indeed! id never seen anything like what happened to him! a marvel of science!"

  "what did he look like?"

  His eyes narrow along with his questioning. "hmmm, it was tough to see anything under all his military gear." His mind wandered, as flashes of his brother ran across his mind but quickly dissipated. "Couldn't be my brother. But if not him, then..." The roaring of a gunship overhead alarmed them to the end of their interaction, as Valion simply nodded toward the doctor before launching himself into the distance, covered by the darkness of the night.

  His strong muscles propel him back toward the nightclub as the horizon begins to bleed orange and yellow, signifying the suns rise. His eyes darted around the ground below him, scanning passerby's, patrons, and security, trying to spot any signs of his mentor.

  The crows dark feathers absorbed the neon signs lights as he leaned against the clubs walls, patiently waiting for his arrival. With a quick descent and a sudden THUD Valion descends to his mentors side. "How did it go?" His words escaped his beak in a low quiet tone. "it was satisfactory. Were you able to get a driver for me sorted?" The crow slumped slightly as he responded.

  "i did."

  The silence that followed unsettled Valion as he tried to pry for an explanation. "Was there a catch to this agreement?"

  "There was, but one i will deal with on my own. For now all that matters is that we have your driver, you have some information and we have a time to commence this smuggling operation. Now lets get you of this rock." The roaring of their own gravity ship roars to life pre-emptively as they approach with a saunter and a determined purpose, ready to tackle the next day head on.

  If you have the time, please leave a comment telling me if you like the way it is, or if you prefer it shorter/longer! id love to try and accommodate to as many readers as i can! And leave your thoughts as well as to the story or my writing in general! I'd love to hear your opinions! It will all help me to grow and more importantly to engage with my readers!!! :D

  (\ >w< /)