There were no answers on the third floor. No answers. Just a crap ton of freaking magical animals. Fire monkeys, water rhinos, lighting zebras, and flipping plant-controlling slugs! Kaleb smacked his head against the metal table he was sitting at. By this point, the lab tech working around him were used to the noise. They didn’t even glance up from their work. Kaleb glanced at the terminal screen again, hoping that maybe the words were different, but nope. ‘Biomolecules not found.’

  Kaleb had tried every combination of chemicals and molecules he had in his little lizard brain about the serum. But nothing was coming up on the computers. Granted, he wasn’t given full access, and he was sure that this terminal was only for the third floor. But they had over a hundred different types of animals on this damn floor alone. Taking a tour of the floor alone had taken them close to an hour, and then Kaleb had to invent an excuse to run off. Listening to a lecture about the breeding habits of various magical creatures was not his idea of a good time.

  He had found himself a small out of the way lab and acted like he belonged. Then he commandeered himself a terminal and got to actual work. But it was all for naught. His search had brought up bupkis and soon the lab workers would start to ask questions. Kaleb angrily rose from his seat and turned to the door. He didn’t need the added headache. He was halfway out when a voice called after him.

  “Hey! You forget to log out of your station!”

  “Yea, yea. Just do it for me.”

  “Protocol states that I can’t touch the terminal until you close everything out and complete your work!” The reedy voice said.

  Kaleb swirled around again, his lab coat flinging out behind him. He wanted to growl in anger, but he just couldn’t dredge up the energy. Stomping back to the desk and terminal, Kaleb glared down at the stumpy-looking alien that was waiting. The man’s squat and square features made him look like a tree trunk, and Kaleb swore he could smell some kind of vegetation on the scientist. The short alien must have seen Kaleb’s nostrils flare, because his face grew slightly pink.

  “The Maxibilis are kind of irate today. Probably the Igsimia getting loose frazzled them a bit. But no matter. It’s not the first time I’ve been covered in mulch.”

  Kaleb gave a nod of commiseration before he jerked the terminal screen his way and started to log off. His last formula flashing on the screen. The tree trunk man gasped and Kaleb froze as his finger hovered over the logout button. He looked down at the short alien as the man was slowly backing away. Trying to keep as much of his cool as possible… Kaleb pounced.

  “Do you know what this sequence represents?”

  “It’s the chemical strain of a very dangerous creature, kid. Don’t tell me you’re working on this.”

  “Maybe. How dangerous a creature are we talking about?”

  “B-Tier at least. You’d need and military unit or a damn good Super to take down such a beast.”

  “And what would said beast be called?” Kaleb asked as he waved a hand at the screen.

  Stumpy glanced between him and the monitor for a few seconds. Confusion written on his face. “It’s what the human government labeled a Jotnar when the alien ancestors landed.”

  “It’s an ice giant?”

  “Closer to a troll, really. Just more akin to an animal than a sapient being. A bipedal animal, or course, but still an animal.”

  “What the hell kind of job could a giant troll be told to do?”

  “Well, they aren’t really that giant. Maybe nine-feet tall and as I understand it, they were used as pack animals, mostly. On some distant star system that housed… the Glyinoids, if I remember right.”

  Kaleb tried to picture a troll being laden with packs and forced up a hill by some alien creature. The image was slightly off-putting, but he set it aside. This was the first hint of one of the creatures he was looking for. He wasn’t going to waste it.

  “Do there… happen… to be any around here?” Kaleb asked slowly and quietly.

  “Jotnar? Oh, gods no! This is the magical animal wing. Alien animals are studied on the floor above by the fifth year students and their teachers.”

  “Thank you!” Kaleb said and turned to leave again in a hurry.

  “But I don’t think there are any Jotnar there, or at least there haven’t been for a while. The military and the private sector snap those up fast.”

  Kaleb grit his teeth as he spun around on his foot. “And why would that be?”

  The stumpy little alien pointed a finger at Kaleb’s still active terminal screen. “For their tusk shavings. It’s a main ingredient in various enhancement serums.”

  Kaleb blinked. “Enhancement Serum?”

  Stumpy laughed. “Ha! It’s no secret, kid. The mundanes have been trying to bridge the power gap for ages. One of the ways the government has found has been serums.”

  “Serums from Alien animals?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Yes! Really, this should be first year stuff? Whose class did you say you were with again?”

  Kaleb coughed to give himself time to think. “I’m a… visiting researcher. From Galveston. I studied magical creatures, but came across a formula I didn’t recognize. This chemical signature was in the formula.”

  “Yeesh!” the short scientist said. “Then I’d dispose of that formula in a hurry. Enhancement serum formulas are carefully guarded secrets. I’m talking about either big business or government. You don’t want to mess with either.”

  “You said it.” Kaleb laughed as he finally logged off the terminal and turned toward the door.

  Well, that was one ingredient identified and filed away. Jotnar Tusk Shavings. He just need a few more things identified and then he could find Daivor. Granted, he had no idea where he’d find the tusk shavings of a troll… but the Gaming Gods would provide. He was sure of that. Kaleb was two steps out of the lab he had invaded when Jar-lock’s dulcet tones rattled his ears.

  “THERE YOU ARE!”

  Kaleb sighed as he turned toward the voice. Jar-lock and Vivienne were walking towards him down the hallway. Well, Vivienne was walking. Jar was almost jogging.

  “Where in the hell did you go?!” Jar-lock huffed, sliding to a stop on the tiled floor.

  Kaleb grinned. “Had to find the restroom. This place is a lot bigger than it looks.”

  “I’m not in the mood for jokes, Professor.”

  “Good to know.” Kaleb snorted as he waved at Vivienne. “Hi, Viv. Did you enjoy the tour?”

  “It was informative and educational.” Vivienne smiled. “And I am happy to say that the animals are, indeed, well looked after and cared for. Although I think they should be allotted a bit more space. But that’s a building issue. Still, I’ll file a paper with society and see what happens. How about your own investigation, Professor? Any clues.”

  “One.” Kaleb said, tapping his temple. “I found the next ingredient for what I’m working on and I think I know how to get the next one.”

  “I’m being ignored.” Jar-lock said simply.

  “I think I can find out the other ingredients fairly quickly. I just need to head upstairs.”

  Kaleb nodded his head down the hall. He could see a large double staircase leading to the fourth floor. The odd-smelling alien had mentioned that alien animals were studied one floor up. So Kaleb turned to venture forth when Jar-lock stopped him with his wordy words again.

  “Doc, we don’t have access to those rooms. Your all-access pass just gets you into the school. We need another invite to wander through those labs.”

  “We’ll just do the tour thing again, Jar. Stop worrying.”

  Kaleb hurried away in excitement as his friends hurried to follow. He almost cackled to himself as he dashed through the hall. He was so close now he could taste it. Just one zig-zagging staircase and an ocean of students in his way to get through. Not to mention the guards.

  “Wait. Guards?” Kaleb slid to a stop after reaching the fourth floor.

  The level was guarded by a floor to ceiling scanner and a four guards standing just inside the hall. Students were going in and out of the floor after being scanned and ID’d by the guards. Kaleb wanted to scream. Then he noticed an even longer line on the right-hand side of the hallway. People in plain clothes were standing in line waiting as two guards processed them for entry. Vivienne and Jar-lock made it up the stairs in time for Kaleb to ask Vivienne.

  “What’s with the line?”

  The mage shrugged. “I don’t know, Professor. Remember, I mostly deal with magical animals. This is the alien animal wing. Although, I’d wager a guess that these people are trying to tame a pet.”

  “You mean like with the penguin outside?” Jar-lock asked.

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, that looks like our way in.” Kaleb laughed excitedly.

  Jar-lock placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded at the guards. “Doc, I’d be careful if I were you. Those are trained soldiers. Which means this floor has a military presence.”

  “Oooo, then I know I’m in the right place.”

  Kaleb practically skipped to the longer line and waited impatiently. For the first few minutes, Kaleb carefully planned how he was going to slip away and find another terminal. But the conversations going on around him proved slightly more interesting.

  “I’m going to tame a Xonark.”

  “No way, dude. Those are restricted.”

  “Bullshit! It depends on what resonates with me. The cops can’t stop the process if the animal agrees. Thems the rules.”

  “Yes, but the military can sign your ass up right there if what you get is too dangerous.”

  Kaleb blinked at that as he turned toward the two voices. “Excuse me? Did I hear you right? The military will conscript you if you get the wrong animal?”

  The shaggy-haired civilian nodded furiously as his more laid-back friend shook his head.

  “No way, dude. That’s a myth.”

  “Nuh-uh! I know a guy who says it happened to his sister’s ex-boyfriend. They shipped him off to Titan or something.”

  The two fell into a heated argument as Kaleb weighed the veracity of the claims. Jar-lock snorted from his position behind Kaleb.

  “I call bullshit. The military would never yank people out of their homes just for taming a creature. They’re more discerning than that.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure, Jar. Some of these alien animals are pretty vicious. I’d wager they’d at least want people trained correctly before they released them back into the public.”

  “Now that I can see.” Jar-lock nodded. “Maybe that’s where the rumor started?”

  Kaleb rolled his eyes. “Who cares? We aren’t here to tame any animals. I just need to get inside and then find a terminal. Then I can look up the other serum ingredients.”

  Jar-lock and Vivienne stared ahead at the line before looking back at Kaleb. It was Vivienne that asked the obvious.

  “How are you going to slip away?”

  “I’ll think of something,” Kaleb said. “But be ready.”

  “So we’re winging it?” Jar-lock deadpanned.

  “It’s what I do.”

  “Joy.”

  Kaleb ignored the sourpuss and stared ahead as the line ever-slowly continued moving. The guards were taking names and scanning people’s faces. It looked like they were just keeping a running record of the floor’s visitors. But once Kaleb was close enough, he could hear the questions the guards asked.

  “Do you have an animal you wish to tame today?”

  “Are you interested in military service?”

  “Are you a permanent member of this school?”

  “Do you have any foreign supplies on your person?”

  Kaleb memorized the questions by the time he arrived and easily blew through them with a grin. The beleaguered guard merely finished his questions and raised his scanner. Shining it in Kaleb’s face. A red light flashed over him and Kaleb was halfway through when a beep sounded from the scanner. The entire line tensed, and Kaleb felt the urge to run as the guard stopped him with a word.

  “Hold! Sir, the readout says you’re a Freelance Hero?”

  “Yes?” Kaleb said before waving at Jar-lock and Vivienne. “So are my friends.”

  “Ah, okay. Then I need you to fill out some more forms real quick.”

  “But I just want to tame an animal.” Kaleb groaned.

  “Yes sir. But there’s procedure that needs to be adhered to and we’ll need to make a note of the creatures you tame for our records.”

  Kaleb stammered as he looked beyond the guard checkpoint to the fourth floor. He was so close now he could taste it. Jar-lock’s hand came down on his shoulder like a guillotine. Kaleb glared at the mage as he was turned toward the guard’s desk.

  “Come on, Doc. We got more paperwork to fill out.”

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “I’m just in love with the process of procedure.”

  “I hate you.” Kaleb growled as he took a seat across from the guard and picked up a pen.