CH 058: Leaving the lab? (MR 12)

White stood at the edge of his office, his gaze fixed on the rows of empty cages that once housed his prized hybrids. The sterile scent of antiseptic and metal filled the air, but it did little to mask the underlying stench of loss that seemed to permeate the room. His fingers drummed absently on the cold surface of his desk as he mentally tallied the numbers.

He had called them in, every last one of them, but the faces that had gathered before him were fewer than he had hoped. His eyes scanned the room, noting the absence of many familiar faces. The attack had taken its toll, and the cost was evident in the diminished numbers before him.