By the time Dr. Walsh stumbled back into her office, Ava was rummaging through the same cabinet the cryptic folder had materialized from. Exhaustion tugged at her eyelids, but the creak of the door made her jolt upright.
-"Doctor!"- she exclaimed, relief briefly flickering across her face before dying under the weight of Dr. Walsh's expression. Grim lines etched the geneticist's face, deepening the shadows under her weary eyes. -"How was the meeting?"-
She didn't even look at the wide-eyed student. Ignoring the disarray of her lab coat and crooked glasses, the geneticist practically collapsed onto the bed, seeking refuge in the familiar sheets.
-"Oh, Doc..."- Ava started, a knot catching in her throat. The desire to sit beside her, offer comfort, was overshadowed by the fear of crossing an unspoken boundary.
-"It killed someone, Ava..."- the doctor whispered, her voice a broken echo muffled by the bedclothes. With each word, her form seemed to shrink, strength draining away as she curled up into a ball. The sobs that replaced her quick, erratic breaths spoke volumes of the horror she'd endured.
Ava's heart ached for her mentor. Fear for the creature's victim intertwined with a deeper worry for the woman who carried the weight of a life lost on her conscience. Seeing Dr. Walsh like this, raw and broken, was a stark contrast to the stoic scientist she always strived to be.
The student had no comforting words, no cheeky remarks to try to cheer her doctor up. Words just felt inadequate. Instead, she opted for the quiet comfort of presence, settling on the edge of the bed and gently tucking the sheets around Dr. Walsh's shaking frame. Ava's hand lingered on her back for a beat longer than necessary, a silent message of empathy and support. Her gaze, however, locked on the doctor for much longer.
- - -
Restless shadows danced on the walls of Dr. Walsh's office as Ava tiptoed towards the forbidden front cabinet. Nearly an hour ago, exhaustion had finally claimed her mentor, leaving Ava with gnawing curiosity and a churning dread. The whisper of secrets locked within those files fueled her, pulling her toward the darkness.
She knelt before the cabinet, careful not to creak the hinges, and extracted several folders bearing Dr. Walsh's familiar handwriting. They weren't hers, but the familiar yellow hue resonated with the one that she had found earlier, sparking this clandestine investigation.
Dim light from the desk lamp spilled over the reports as Ava ordered them by number, her heart pounding with each page turned. Names danced before her eyes: Dr. Walsh, prominent and familiar, and the unsettlingly frequent mention of a Dr. Fox. Project Chimera, cryptically scrawled by an unknown hand she could only assume was his. It spoke of experiments conducted before life in the bunker, before the world as they knew it came crashing down.
The reports spoke of a powdery substance, a potential genetic catalyst with the ability to enhance living beings. To make them smarter, faster, stronger. But with each page, the narrative shifted. Dr. Walsh's objections rose like a crescendo against Fox's increasingly dangerous methods. The final folder held a damning truth: Dr. Fox's formal dismissal, signed by both their hands.
A sudden rustle shattered the silence. Ava scrambled to shove the folders back, her face paling. In the doorway stood a disheveled Dr. Walsh, arms crossed; her tired eyes heavy with a mix of disappointment and... Understanding.
-"Doc, I... I'm so sorry. I just... I had to know,"- Ava stammered, the words tumbling out like frightened birds.
The geneticist sighed, a weary rasp that echoed the crumbling remnants of Ava's hope. -"There's nothing forbidden about curiosity, Ava,"- she conceded, her voice rough but her gaze a touch softer. -"But those files belong back in the cabinets. Nothing to see there. Nothing but regret."-
Before Ava could grasp the full weight of those words, a new question, fueled by a flicker of defiance, burst from her lips. -"Who's Dr. Fox?"-
Dr. Walsh, her face etched with a storm of emotions, simply turned and said, -"Follow me."-