Page 52 of Green Ravens

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. Somethingwas 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.

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