“I don’t think Zolkos opened them,” Talon said. “Look at the hinges. They’re nearly rusted through.” He frowned. “These doors have been open for a long time.”
“I thought Arca sealed the base completely,” I said.
“Guard dogs,” Killian muttered.
Cade’s expression hardened. “They sealed the entrance facing New Arca so nothing inside could ever get out,” he said. “But they left the rear open on purpose. Anything from the north that wandered in became part of the security system. Killian's right. Living guard dogs.”
He glanced at the open doors, eyes narrowing. “If someone ever forced their way inside to get Arca’s secrets, the creatures would make sure they never made it back out.”
The weight of that settled over us as Ryker tightened his grip on his weapon and Talon continued to scan the hangar. The base wasn’t empty. It was baited.
“And we just walked into it,” Killian muttered.
"We need to take Rowan back to base. Now," Cade ordered.
“No!” I protested immediately. “We're already here! We need to find out what Zolkos was after. The science department is right around the corner. We'll be quick. Please, Cade. I need to know!”
Cade’s head snapped toward me. “That sounded like you were just arguing with me, Rowan.”
I swallowed.
“You said you were going to listen to every commandexplicitly.No arguments.” His voice dropped, dangerous. “That just earned you a punishment.”
“Worth it,” I shot back without hesitation. “You can spank me as many times as you want later. I don't care. The answers are too important!”
Ryker snorted behind me. Killian looked like he was trying not to smile. Talon muttered something that sounded like, “Unbelievable.”
Cade exhaled sharply, pulling his watch up to his face. He tapped the screen and set a timer.
“Ten minutes,” he said, leveling his gaze at me. “Not a second longer. Then we move out.”
I nodded, heart pounding.
Cade pointed down the hall. “Let’s go.”
We moved as a unit. I stayed between the alphas, and they flanked me on all sides, weapons raised and eyes constantly scanning for threats. The science department came into view at the end of the hall. Zolko's team had cracked the wall scanner off its mount, exposing the wires and tampering with them, opening the metal doors that now stood slightly ajar.
Cade and Talon slipped inside first, clearing the room with quick, practiced sweeps. I waited in the hall until Talon poppedhis head out and motioned for us to enter.
“Find something to barricade the door. I don't want anything interrupting us while we're searching for answers,” Cade ordered.
Killian nodded and immediately got to work, pushing two massive steel desks across the floor and bracing them against the doors.
We all fanned out investigating the space, looking for clues. The science lab was larger than I expected, and colder too, as if the temperature itself had dropped the moment we stepped inside. Stainless steel tables lay overturned or shoved aside, and shattered glass glittered across the floor. Paperwork scattered everywhere in chaotic piles, pages curled and yellowed with age. Thick layers of dust caked every surface, and open cabinets revealed empty shelves where equipment had once stood. Someone had torn through this place in a hurry.
Along the far right wall stood a massive glass observation window, identical to the one in the lab back at Falcon City. Deep gouges raked across the walls inside the chamber, long and angry. The scientists had kept a shifter inside. I could almost feel the echo of its desperation clinging to the air.
“Looks familiar,” Talon muttered. “Arca has been experimenting on us for a long time.”
“Five minutes,” Cade reminded everyone as he rifled through drawers that Zolkos had already picked clean. I prayed they hadn’t already taken everything of value.
To the left of the room, there was a small metal door with a plaque beside it.
It read,Dr. Melker. Chief of Science.
This was his office.
I went inside. Just like the main lab, it looked as ifsomeone had gutted the office. Desk drawers were open, their contents shredded or too heavily redacted to reveal any secrets. Old monitors sat in thick layers of dust. Folders lay emptied and tossed aside. Even the bookshelves sat bare, leaving behind only faint rectangles where books had once sat.
