The yellowish light of the office shone down on Ava as she scrubbed down the containers, the running water echoing harshly in the tense silence. Dr. Walsh slumped back on the chair behind her desk as she fiddled endlessly with a pen, her gaze adrift as she tried to formulate a solution to the predicament she'd put everyone in.
Her eyes finally landed on the cabinets housing the secrets of Project Chimera. For a moment, she wondered if those answers could be found in the old files her student had unearthed. The project now appeared to be more alchemy than real science, yet, with no other options simmering on the back burner, she knew she had to grasp at even the faintest wisp of correlation. The dust-laden files in the cabinets beckoned, their secrets whispering promises of forgotten clues.
The doctor pushed herself up from her chair and towards the cabinets, her hand lingering for a second on the cracked plastic handle before pulling the drawer open. There, laid most of the files of the project. But not all. Two were missing. Unbeknownst to the doctor, Ava's back stiffened.
-"Ava, dear,"- the scientist inquired in a gentle tone, yet it made the student freeze mid-scrub. -"Have you been going through the files again?"-
-"What? Why?"- Ava made a point to avoid her mentor, shakily putting away the containers. But the words choked in her throat, bitter and heavy. The truth was etched on her face, in the tremor in her hands, in a glance towards the cabinets. Her entire body betrayed her.
Dr. Walsh closed the drawer slowly, the noise slicing through thick and suffocating silence. -"You know you're welcome to them. But please, when you're done-"-
-"He stole them,"- Ava blurted, the words tumbling out nearly on their own. She didn't have to turn around to picture Dr. Walsh's face going pale. She heard the creaking of the drawer as the doctor gripped the handle so tightly her knuckles bled white.
-"What... Do you mean?"- She spat out, her voice tense as her calm demeanor began to crack under the tension. The cabinets creaked under the doctor's stress, and finally, she let the handle go. She approached Ava, who shrunk in the corner behind the sink. -"How could that possibly happen? Weren't they safe in your care?"-
Her voice was like a sharpened blade, cutting through the chaos of the bustling lab and causing even the bio squad to go silent for a beat.
-"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry! I went after him, but..."-
-"Ava, how...? Why did you...?"- The doctor felt a sudden rush of frustration and disappointment. She let out a deep sigh and bit her tongue, trying to control her emotions. Another defeat was too much to bear.
Her fluffy, curly hair cascaded down her shoulders as she ran her fingers through it in a feeble attempt to calm herself. -"Okay. Okay."-
The scientist's footsteps echoed off the walls of the office as Ava watched her pace back and forth, her face etched with worry. Ava gripped the edge of the sink, feeling the cool steel against her fingertips as tears blurred her vision. She felt a lump form in her throat as she replayed the disappointment in her mentor's eyes, the weight of her failure heavy on her shoulders.
The doctor took a few deep breaths to control her emotions before settling down on a clear, unoccupied corner of her desk. Her body language betrayed her unease as she fidgeted with her pen, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. -"Ava. Come here."-
The student reluctantly left the comfort of the corner and dragged her feet towards her mentor, her head hanging low. -"I'm sorry..."- she whispered.
-"No, scolding you would achieve nothing,"- Dr. Walsh's tone was far from the kindly chime Ava was used to, but it wasn't as harsh anymore. -"Let's focus on fixing this."-
The scientist's heart sank when she saw her student lift her head up slightly. Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears, hinting at the deep emotions stirring within. The doctor couldn't help but wonder if she had been too harsh on her.
She struggled to find the words to continue. -"Tell me. Who took the files? What were they like?"-
-"I... I don't know,"- Ava muttered, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. The student racked her brain for information. -"Tall, with red hair... Glasses... Not wearing a lab coat..."-
The name she associated with that description, a whisper from a long-buried past, clawed its way into her mind. No, it couldn't be. Not him. -"What else?"- She urged Ava. -"Tell me everything."-