Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 80431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“Zorion, please have a seat.” Dr. Pheung nodded toward the chair. “Just relax. This is nothing more than an evaluation.”
He knew this was far more than an evaluation. It was a demonstration. They wanted to understand what they’d created. More than that, they wanted to know if he could be tamed.
Zorion cocked his head to the side, listening to the breathing and heartbeats of the people on the other side of the mirror.
Dr. Pheung reached slowly toward him and taped some electrodes to his temples.
“We’re going to start with a few simple exercises, Zorion. Don’t overthink the answers. Just respond.”
Zorion didn’t speak.
The doctor sighed and placed a series of cards in front of him.
“Which would be the next sequence?”
Zorion barely glanced at them before he pointed to the correct answer.
“Again.”
Dr. Pheung continued to repeat the process, going faster each time.
“Wonderful.” The doctor’s smile was radiant as he cut his eyes toward the mirror. “Zorion, now we’re going to add some mathematical sequences.”
Zorion went through countless series of exams that tested his memory, attention span, problem-solving skills, reasoning, language, and spatial and visual abilities.
His answers and reactions were fast, exact, as if his mind had surpassed the need for computations and knew the questions before they were asked.
There were murmurs of astonishment as his scores climbed beyond what they’d expected. He also recognized the anxiety and fear in Dr. O’Reilley’s eyes when she administered her executive function tests.
“He’s outperforming every metric,” Dr. Santana whispered. “This is…it’s not just an enhancement of human abilities. This is something else.”
Zorion sat back, feigning disinterest, but inside, he was planning. The more they tested and evaluated, the more he understood himself.
He wasn’t just enhanced. He’d evolved.
Dr. Pheung left their little pow-wow they’d been having in the corner, came to him, and removed his electrodes.
“That’s all for today, Zorion. How do you feel?”
He stayed silent.
A glint of unease flashed in the doctor’s gaze.
“Well, um, Dr. O’Reilley and the guards are going to escort you to your new living quarters.”
Zorion stood and headed toward the door. He threw a final glance over his shoulder at the mirror. He knew the director was behind it, and he hoped he’d been paying close attention.
Zorion noted that the elevator had forty floors, but a key card was required to access certain levels.
Dr. O’Reilley gave him his card and informed him which floors were designated for him.
He stepped off the elevator on the thirty-seventh floor and his muscles tensed as he locked eyes on the single door at the far end of the hall.
A slow shiver crept down his spine. Something was behind that steel door.
A presence that made a phantom weight press down on his chest. His heart pounded against his ribcage far beyond a normal rhythm, as if his body recognized danger when his mind did not.
There was something formidable behind that door.
He tried to ignore the way his stomach coiled as he continued to follow Dr. O’Reilley.
“Here you are.” She smiled.
The guards stood several feet behind him, and Zorion turned slightly, watching them out the edges of his vision.
Each of them had strong, stiff postures. Zorion noted the harsh lines marring their faces and deep divots around their eyes as if a sculptor had carved out all kindness until only cruelty remained.
He took one last look at the foreboding door, unable to shake the feeling whatever was behind it was important.
Dr. O’Reilley opened the door to his new home and swept her arms wide as if displaying a grand prize on a game show.
Zorion stepped over the threshold, and the suffocating tension he’d had seconds ago was replaced with peace and serenity. It truly was a place tailored for him.
He removed his sandals and walked across the smooth dark wood floors. The air was rich with the scent of earth and fragrant flowers, the kind of naturalness found within forests man hadn’t touched.
The walls were textured stones with thick twisting vines creeping upward and into the high, vaulted ceilings. Hidden lights mimicked the warm glow of sunlight.
The living area furniture was various shades of brown and green, the material softer than anything he could remember.
The farthest wall was made entirely of glass and divided his bedroom and living space, filled with big potted trees and a simulated sky-like ceiling.
There were high perches and wooden platforms made of interweaving branches.
A sheer curtain hanging from a wrought-iron rod separating the inside from the outside.
The curved patio could only be described with two words: majestic paradise.
He would never understand how they’d designed a pond with water bubbling over small stones on a terrace. Ficus and broad-leafed palms filled the remaining space. The occasional flutter of small birds darting among the foliage made him feel a twinge of joy. It was a haven of tranquility and tamed wilderness.
“I can see everything meets your approval, Zorion.” Dr. O’Reilley beamed. “I’ll leave you to get acclimated. You’ll have a few days to enjoy your sanctuary, and at the end of the week, you’ll meet your project manager to begin your training.”