Page 1 of Broken Bonds

Prologue

Aleixo

Antartica - 2012

The cold is more intense than I was anticipating. I knew it would be freezing, but I hadn’t expected to be this bothered by it. The cold doesn’t usually faze me, since my regular body temperature is quite a bit more…intense than that of a regular human.

As I step out of the helicopter and gaze around at the snowy expanse that is Antarctica, however, I can’t help but shiver at the bite of the wind against my cheeks. That’s about the only exposed part of my body there is, as the rest of me is bundled in thick winter gear that had no business being as expensive as it was. My guide, who’s dressed just as snuggly as I am, noticeably shivers as he ducks his head to hurry out from under the helicopter’s propellers. I duck my head as well and follow him.

Once we’re clear, he stops and turns to me.

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” He practically has to shout to be heard over the din of the helicopter. “You’ll be completely isolated here. There are plenty of research facilities across the continent that have other people stationed in them. You could find a spot in any of them, I’m sure.”

I narrow my eyes, though I doubt he can see the gesture through my protective goggles. We’ve had this conversation countless times already, and my response is always the same.

“I prefer to be alone. I don’t want anyone disturbing my work.”

My guide…I think his name is Charlie or Charles, though I rarely bother to remember other people’s names, shakes his head. “What if you get sick, Dr. Pyrrhos? Or hurt? What if you can’t radio for help?”

I shrug, his worries understandable but inconsequential. “I’m not worried about that. I’m made of tougher stuff than the average person.”

“Everyone thinks that, until they spend enough time out here,” he tells me, his frustration clearly coming through in his tone.

I don’t really feel like explaining myself, because it’s really none of his business, so I change the subject. “Can you show me the facility please?”

The man stares at me for a long moment. He’s half a head shorter than I am and has to tilt his face up to look at me. In truth, though, most people have to look up at me. He’s actually very average in his height, for a human.

I am neither human, nor average, but Charlie or Corey or whatever his name is doesn’t need to know that.

Finally, his shoulders droop and I can tell he’s given up trying to talk sense into me.

“Very well. Follow me, doctor.”

He turns and hurries toward the large iron entrance to the research facility that will be my new home for the foreseeable future. It’s not a large structure by any means, as it was only built to house a few people at a time, but it was designed to blend into the terrain and so it resembles several rounded mounds of snow or ice placed neatly next to each other in a square. Each mound has an arched, covered pathway connecting them together, like hallways made of glass so anyone walking through them can see outside.

I follow Charles inside once he opens the heavy door. The interior is sparse and industrial looking, which isn’t surprising for a facility of this nature. Especially one that hasn’t had any residents for some time.

Charles shuts the door behind us and throws back his faux-fur hood and removes his goggles. His cheeks are bright red from the cold and wind outside, and he reminds me of a gnome as he blinks up at me with wide, dark eyes.

“Well, this is it,” he declares, waving his hand around the entryway. “I’m afraid it’s really not overly impressive, but we’ve kept the maintenance up on it, so everything should be in working order. Would you like a tour?”

I nod. “Yes, thank you.”

Charles turns and leads me down a short hallway into the central hub of the facility. I throw back my own hood and shed my goggles as I gaze around. The ceiling is domed and has bright lights hanging from it to illuminate the space. Gazing around, I see several doors leading through those passageways I saw when we were outside, connecting us to the other parts of the facility.

“Well, it’s pretty straight forward,” Charles tells me as we make our way through one of the passages. “There’s a kitchen, small but very workable. A greenhouse connected to the dome toward the back of the facility, which we planted a few things in for you once we heard of your arrival. There’s two main laboratories, an insulated shed where snowmobiles and other vehicles and outdoor equipment is kept, and of course the living quarters, which you’ll have your pick of.”

I nod as he walks me past the kitchen, which is small, and through another passage to the dormitories. They’re simple and small, with built-in ledges for cots and a small desk in the corner of each room. There’s one bathroom with the bare necessities needed to keep a person clean and hygienic. Once I’ve gotten a good look around, he proceeds to show me the other areas he had listed. The greenhouse is steamy, and the laboratories sanitized.

“This will suit my needs perfectly, thank you,” I tell him once we’re back by the main entrance and he’s shown me all the major parts of the facility.

Charles frowns up at me, clearly hesitant to leave me here on my own. It would be so much easier to just tell him the truth. That even if I’m hurt, my body will simply regenerate itself and heal me. Even aging doesn’t affect me the same way it does him. My body is constantly working to rebuild itself as its strongest version.

That’s the blessing of phoenix shifters…or, curse, depending on how you want to look at it.

“Dr. Pyrrhos, can I ask, what is it you’re down here to study? And why do you insist on doing so completely alone?”

It’s a fair question, if not a tricky one. How to give him a suitable answer without divulging the whole, strange truth?

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