II: Midnight

    With a swipe of his key card, Reaver opened the door to the cell wing.  It was usually well-lit, but most of the lights outside of a few were turned off.  He could already hear a whimpering sound coming from one of the cells, making him scowl at such a sign of helplessness.
    Reaver casually walked down the path, eventually turning to the first cell on his left.  Inside, the black fox he captured earlier in the day was laying on the cold, metal tiling of the floor.  His head rested on his front legs, peering through the steel bars ahead.  All that accompanied him was a bowl of water and a bowl of dog food.  Its eyes soon moved up to meet with Reaver's.
    He took his card and swiped it again in a nearby device.  The light went from red to green as the locks disengaged.  The door emitted an awful noise, making the fox run back to the corner in an attempt of escape.  Once again, Reaver scorned such a foolish gesture.
    "Shut up your stupid animal!  It's time for your appointment."
    Reaver entered the cell and attempted to pick up the fox, but it bit his gloved hand in response.  Its teeth dug in, but the cloth was thick enough to prevent any harm.  He rose his hand, ready to slap the defiant fox, but he just as quickly retracted it, not wanting to cause harm to his commander's specimen.  Instead, while the fox tugged on the fabric, Reaver grabbed him by its hind legs and lifted him up.  His grip was firm, eventually freeing his other hand from the fox's mouth and holding it shut.
    The walk to the testing area was rather simple.  After exiting the cell wing, Reaver had to make a couple of turns to reach the central chamber of the building.
    The chamber itself was rather large, However, there was only one table in the center and two observation decks on the sides.  Reaver approached the table, where two soldiers were standing nearby.  He handed the fox to them before turning to one of the decks.  The man he was looking for, a middle-aged human wearing an officer's uniform, was overlooking the scientists in the deck.  Their eyes made contact and the man approached a microphone.
    "Those two will take it from there.  You are dismissed."
    "Yes, Major Carver."
    Reaver quickly departed, Carver continued to watch as the two soldiers finished tying the fox down to the table.  He then scanned over his scientists' computers, seeing the fox's vitals appear on their screens as well as details of his physical structure.  "Young and healthy; perfect."
    The two soldiers ran off though the nearest door.  It slid shut behind them, completing the quarantine process.
    "Ready when you are Major," a scientist remarked as his hand hovered a button on his monitor.
    "You may begin."
    The scientist instantly pressed the button.  It vanished, revealing a small list of processes that began.
    Out in the testing area, a single rod rose from the floor near the table.  Inside of it was a purple crystal; an Aurian Crystal.  Once it was completely up, a small barrel attached to the rod  aimed towards the fox and began to charge power,
    Every scientist rose from their seats a bit, Carver remained still.
    The rod finally released the energy from the crystal as if it were a continuous lightning bolt.  The fox yelped in pain as it could feel the sudden flow of energy tear up its insides.
    According to the monitors, his heart rate and blood pressure were rising fast.  The scientists, concerned, turned to Carver, who still appeared to be relaxed.
    "Sir!  We must stop it now before it is-"
    "Not yet."
    The scientist held his tongue and turned back to the fox.  Its movements were now just spasms as more energy was pumped into its body.  His vitals were now reaching critical levels.  Warning alarms were constantly ringing.  The fox's heart could explode at any moment.
    Carver then walked to one of the terminals, gently shooing a scientist out of the way.  He proceeded to enter a short password sequence that instantly stopped the energy transfer.  Carver looked up to see that the fox was limp and unconscious.
    "Dispatch the med team."
    "Already on it Carver."
    "I will be returning to my room.  Report any findings once your readings are complete."
    "Aye, sir."
    Carver turned for the door.  It unlocked itself as he approached.  When the door opened, he could see Reaver waiting, leaning against the nearby wall.
    "How was the test, sir?"
    "He did better than I expected.  I'll know more after the initial readings are in."
    "Of course."
    Carver walked past Reaver, who then turned his head to watch him leave.  "Major, what are you going to call him?"
    Carver stopped and turned around.  "I shall call him Midnight."
    "An interesting choice."
    The officer's expression turned sour.  "He may be our last hope for this project.  I am sure you are aware that command is not in the mood to support this experiment much longer."
    "But what about the others that are still alive?"
    "They do not live up to mine or command's expectations.  I promised those bastards perfection and they will get it," he announced before departing once more.
    Reaver did not ask anything else.  He watched Carver turn the corner to leave his sight.
    Back in the test chamber, Midnight was under the care of the medical team.  He was alive, but barely.  Once he recovered, he would be taken back to his holding cell.
    This would be the start of a long, arduous road.