Quintin lied down on his stomach, Cleopatra told him he needed to be in good physical shape, otherwise he might not survive the procedure, so he decided to start exercising, his weak arms only gave him five, with effort.
"Only five?" Naomi asked sitting next to him on the floor of the bus.
"What did you expect from a sewer rat?" He said out of breath making Naomi gave him a slap.
"Stop calling yourself that"
"Why? it's the truth" He said rolling over onto his back "Lets try sit-ups"
He tried one but his legs kept lifting up. Naomi came over and pinned his feet down.
"Try now"
He lifted, came up and managed one, now face to face with her, he realised how beautiful her blue eyes really was "Why do you pay attention to me like this? Is it because Cleopatra told you to?"
She smiled "No"
Quintin fell back and hit his head.
"You're supposed to go down slowly" She scolded him.
"It's rather difficult in my case"
"Try again" She said.
He heaved until he managed a second, in her face again, she was still smiling.
"So you pay attention because?"
"I kind of like you"
He laughed going back and forgot not to go quickly, he banged his head hard "ow"
"Pay attention!" She said getting up and stuffed a pillow under his head.
He drew up his third attempt, but failed and dropped breathless.
Naomi sighed "Guess we can't expect too much now"
"Yup" He said and looked at her, her smile not gone, but smaller.
"What?"
"Get up, we'll be arriving soon"
The bus veered off road and drove for about 10 minutes on a gravel road, until it came to a halt in front of an old run down building, it was rather large, the lime green paint was faded and peeling, it looked nothing like a lab where important scientific experiments are taking place.
"It's... It's a..." Quintin said climbing off.
"It's not meant to look impressive Quintin" Cleopatra said "Remember, it needs to draw as little attention as possible, it's even registered as an old farm"
He nodded halfheartedly and headed in.
"You must be Quintin!?" A loud short black haired man approached him quickly, he looked Indian, or even Bangladesh, Quintin could never figure the difference.
"I am doctor Ezbar, it's such a pleasure to meet you, please, if you don't mind I would like to see you alone" He asked looking at Cleopatra, she nodded.
"I'll get my girls settled"
Ezbar led Quintin down a long hallway, it looked better inside than outside, almost like a hospital. He suddenly ducked into a office, Quintin actually struggled to keep up.
"If Miss Cleopatra haven't told you yet, what you are doing here is valiant, I'm not saying this because your life is at risk, I'm saying this because we struggle to find the right people who would do it"
Quintin felt that familiar shrill up his spine "Well, explain this process to me doc, I heard I need to be in good physical shape to survive it"
"Physical shape? Well, not necessarily, you need to be healthy"
Quintin chuckled "Oh shit"
"Why do you say that?"
Quintin lifted his shirt exposing his skinny body, but Ezbar smiled.
"Just because you're melfed doesn't mean you're unhealthy, well do some tests to make sure, for now, we need to do some paperwork, if you don't mind?"
"Sure doc"
Ezbar laid a few papers in front of him "These are agreements, it's to say that you volunteered for these tests, and we weren't forcing you"
Quintin picked up the pen and held it ready.
"Remember son, your life is not in danger, and you can back out if you want to, but, it took us a while to find someone willing like you" Ezbar reassured.
Quintin nodded and signed the paper, bringing a smile to Ezbar's face.
"Thank you son, can we start right away?"
"Yes we may, under one condition, I want to see Naomi once a day" He said thinking of her words in the bus, somehow, Naomi also got his attention.
Ezbar looked confused "She have a special spot in your heart?"
"No, well, I'm not sure, for five years I've been deprived of human contact a lot, and she's the first one to really... Pay attention"
Ezbar nodded "I would like you to focus on this program young man, the quicker you can finish phase one, we can do phase two, and phase three will be the final phase"
"Okay, then only for a short time a day, under your circumstances"
"I'll agree to that" Ezbar stood up "Follow me"
Quintin was led deeper into the labs "So what's phase one?"
Ezbar gave a quick chuckle "Though Miss Cleopatra told you you need to be physically fit, phase one really is the phase where we build you up to the needed strength a normal human would need to possess in order to safely become a werewolf"
"Shit, that could take years!"
"Not necessarily, you see that's why you had to sign the papers, because phase one is also experimental, the serum I'm going to use on you is similar to werewolf venom, only it's not going to change you, it implements the muscle growth a werewolf goes through during a shift, but I'm not going to force it"
Quintin swallowed hard as they entered a ward room.
"Jump up here" Ezbar said patting a hospital bed "Because your melfed body is weak, I'm going to administer the serum through a drip, this way it will slowly enter your bloodstream, easing into your system. An injection would be too sudden and too much for you to handle"
"Makes sense" Quintin said holding out his arm.
"Now, when a human is injured or sick, it's always told to rest, the best regeneration of wounds and illnesses in the human body happens when the brain shuts down the digestive organs during sleep, thus focusing more energy into the healing process, and, the serum will have maximum effect then as well.
Ten hours of sleep a day, when you're sleeping you'll be on the serum, if you're awake we test the results"
Quintin nodded wincing at the needle going into his arm.
"Good boy, now try to sleep, I will watch you all through the process, and you will wake up again, I promise"
The lights went out, and the door shut, total darkness. A warmth came over Quintin, he rather enjoyed it, any warm bed was a good bed, he shut his eyes and fell asleep.
Naomi stood in front of him again, again in that night dress. At first he didn't watch her closely, as he wasn't interested due to his background, but now it was a different story, he watched her with new eyes.
She slowly lifted her arms to the straps of the night dress, then started slipping them off, slowly, her shoulders exposed now, she shifted her eyes to him, a seductive smile on her face.
"Good morning Quintin!" Ezbar loudly said switching the lights on, cutting his dream short.
"What? But I just went to sleep?" Quintin asked squinting, it was such a nice dream.
"Actually, you were sleeping for ten hours straight"
"Ten hours!?"
"Yup, lets see if there was any progress, lift your shirt"
Quintin obeyed, both men gasped, he wasn't skinny anymore, he looked like a person with a normal physique.
"Wha? What happened!?" Quintin yelled.
"It worked, that's what happened young man, this is fantastic results, but now we must test if the changes will allow you to perform better, but first, breakfast"
Quintin felt strangely good walking to the mess hall, he had energy, he could feel there was strength in his legs. During breakfast he and Ezbar sat alone, nobody was even moving around, it was only Chantel, the cook.
"Where is everyone?" Quintin asked listening to the silence.
"Still sleeping" Chantel said joining them "Ezbar asked me to be up at specific times in order to prepare you food"
Quintin nodded "So how's Naomi doing?"
She frowned "Strange of you to ask, she also asked every hour on the hour about you, it seems she found a liking in you"
"I'm not saying I like her, or I do like her, but I'm curious about her more than anything"
"Curious?"
Quintin smiled waving a hand "Never mind, just tell her I... well I..."
"You miss her?" Chantel smiled.
Quintin felt his face go red.
"Send her a message at least Chantel, tell her I can allow Quintin to see her once a day, I don't want to interrupt the process too much" Ezbar said getting up "Lets go Quintin, we have to continue"
Quintin got up and left with Ezbar.
The day went by with tests being done, Quintin was told to do the basics, Push ups, sit-ups, jogging and so forth, all round he was doing better than the day before, and at the end of the day, was placed on the bed again, with the drip in his arm.
The day after that proved significant results, Quintin's muscle structure was larger now, both he and Ezbar couldn't really believe it, but to Ezbar it was the most successful two days in his career.
Deciding he needed to study this a little more before continuing, he gave Quintin an hour with Naomi in a room where he could watch them on cctv.
Quintin sat patiently waiting for her when she barged in.
Quintin flew up surprised "Naomi!?"
"You asshole! You could have waited for me a little yesterday! I came in a few minutes after you left!" She said angered.
"I... I uh? I'm sorry?"
"Good" She sat down across the table from him, Naomi noticed a difference in him, his body filled the clothes up more, his cheekbones didn't stick out as it did "You look different"
"I feel different, I have more energy that's for sure"
She smiled "Lift up your shirt"
Quintin returned the smile "No"
"What? Why not?"
"That's a surprise for later, first I want to ask why you wanted to see me?"
"Weren't you the one who wanted to see me?" She taunted.
"Yes, but you said Cleopatra isn't ordering you to take care of me anymore? So why continue?"
She sighed and crossed her arms "It's because you, are you, that's all"
"Sorry?"
She laughed "You're funny, straight forward, and unlike any other guest I entertained for Cleopatra, you're the first one who didn't take full advantage of me.
Usually guests try to get my clothes off as soon as they could, it's disgusting"
"Yeah, that sounds fiendish, but still, I was nowhere near anything any woman would ever take to bed, yet you insisted"
"And you still refused"
"Well, yes"
"And that's why I started liking you. But now you must stop being so in confident, and open up a little"
"Open up how?"
"Have you ever slept with a girl before?"
"No, I'm twenty now, it gives you an idea of what happened right?"
"Wait? So you were fifteen when your parents died?"
"Yes"
"So why didn't you go back home to your house?"
"I did, but the werewolves found me there, and I had to flee"
Naomi felt like a monster, sitting as a werewolf in front of him.
"Don't look so sad Naomi, some of the best life lessons are learnt in the hardest of ways"
"What life lessons could you have learnt, when you're entire life was ruined, by someone like me?" She said sadly.
"Enjoy the little things..." He was thinking now "Being scared isn't living, if you're scared you can't enjoy life.
Notice a good deed even if it's small... stuff like that, I even made a friend, or it was more a pet, no wait, he was just a friend now that I think about it"
Naomi frowned "Okay?"
"It was a rat, I called him Jimmy, shared my food with him if I had any, but unlike a dog he didn't stick around a lot, that's why I'd rather say friend, not pet"
Naomi laughed, she realised liking this man seemed obvious now, he really as a good person. A knock came then Ezbar entered.
"Sorry to disturb, but time's up"
"Seriously doc!? We barely had half an hour!?"
"Sorry Quintin, that's all I can offer for today, maybe at the end of the week you'll have more time" He said and sat down "Before we go, I'd like Naomi to hear this as well, phase two involves going to Angola"
"What!?" Both Quintin and Naomi said together.
"But you can't go with him Naomi, for two obvious reasons, one, you might attract your pack, and two, Quintin will be aided by humans on a full moon"
"What am I supposed to do there?" Quintin asked.
"In order to continue to phase three, you need the blood of a werehyena, in it's were form"
Silence fell over the two in front of him.
"A... Were... Hyena?" Quintin asked.
"Yes, native to Africa the Diphiri clan are werehyenas, and the reason I want their blood is for their bite force. A normal hyena can bite through bone, a werehyena can bite through steel.
But werehyenas are slow compared to werewolves, now your new wolf form will have the speed of a werewolf along with the bite force of a werehyena"
Naomi flew up and slammed the table with both hands "Are you crazy!? How will he get the blood!? Ask them politely!? In case you don't know Ezbar werehyenas are dirty, slobbering back stabbers! They don't play fair, they don't follow rules, and above all! They kill without mercy!"
"I figured as much Naomi, that's why I've made arrangements for him to go with a military escort. With that his chances are better, all the military have to do is wound one long enough for Quintin to get some blood, even if the soldiers get killed, it will be a valid sacrifice"
Naomi folded her arms, she was still furious.
"I don't like it as well doc, I've never heard of werehyenas, and the way Naomi described them, I don't think any human stand a chance, I mean, Cleopatra said that a tank can't hit werewolves, and I recon it's the same with werehyenas"
"It is, but if I know this military I have in mind, they won't go down without a fight"
"They can be the most highly trained men in the world Ezbar, nothing can prepare them for this!" Naomi yelled storming out of the room, leaving the two men in silence.
"I had worried about this young man, she's attached to you" Ezbar stood up.
"And I to her doc, please tell me it will go well" Quintin asked following him.
"I can't promise anything, all I can do is prepare you as much as possible"
"How?"
"Your exercise schedule will be intensified, I'll be increasing the dosage of the serum, and above that, I'll be bringing in a marshal arts instructor to teach you how to fight"
On paper it sounded good, but Quintin still couldn't help being worried about this plan, he just came on good terms with Naomi, now he heard he might be embarking on an expedition that could kill him.