Enigma at the Greensboro Zoo (Ultimate Ending Book 4)

by David Kristoph

  "I'm Dave."

  "We saw an email at the Visitor's Center," you say. "From the Warden. He wanted you to subdue Project Fusion."

  Dave smiles. "Yeah. I told him I was leaving, but that was just to throw him off. The whole time I've been in here, trying to track down Gabrielle before she hurt herself."

  87

  Jerry swallows. "Gabrielle?"

  "Yeah, that's what we call her." He sits cross-legged on the ground and the gryphon copies him, folding her wings and laying her head in his lap. She closes her eyes as Dave begins to rub behind her ear.

  "Attendance hasn't been good at the zoo. So the scientists, under the supervision of Warden Oxford, began working on an exciting new animal exhibit. One that was sure to attract a lot more visitors. Something the kids have never seen."

  "Project Fusion," you say with realization. "Fusion, because you're combining two animals."

  "Exactly. And what better animal than the mascot of the Greensboro baseball team? It wouldn't be too hard, or so the scientists told us. Mankind has come a long way in the field of genetics. They tried some other combinations first. Hopefully you didn't come across the Gorilla Spiders over in the Insect Enclosure. Anyways, once they were confident enough they began trying to splice lion genes with those from an eagle. Within a year they had Gabrielle here."

  The gryphon purrs louder at hearing her name.

  "Well the science was the easy part. What they couldn't predict was that she would be so stubborn. Yeah, I called you stubborn, girl. Don't deny it."

  "Stubborn?" Jerry asks. He's slowly growing more comfortable with the situation.

  "Yeah. She hates being locked up. She's too big. Those wings are as long as a school bus, and made to fly. And I'm sure you can guess that they don't just let her fly in the open sky. Well I wasn't even working on her project, I was assigned to the Penguin Palace. But I discovered her one evening when I was the only one here in the park. I've been visiting her every night since then. Talking to her, feeding her treats. She likes the company."

  88

  You say, "So what went wrong with the park?"

  "Nothing went wrong," Dave said. "It just... didn't go exactly as I had planned. I tried sabotaging the power, so the enclosures would open and Gabrielle would be free. But all that did was shock one of the other employees. So I waited until a night when I was alone, when the other night shift employee called in sick. That's when I went to the Power Station and disabled part of the backup functionality before blowing the main circuit. The backup generator came on, but it had no power to the Bird Bastion, which is where they let Gabrielle fly at night."

  "You tried to set her free!"

  "I tried, but like I said it didn't go smoothly. Instead of going through the open door at ground level, Gabrielle tried smashing through the glass dome! I had to climb up onto the scaffolding on the outside and smash it with a wrench to help her. But I didn't break open a large-enough hole, and when she flew out she cut her wing on the glass."

  Gently laying her head down, Dave gets up and walks around behind her wing. You make a wide circle around the animal and join him. He sticks his hands into the puffs of feathers and parts them so you can see a long, deep gash.

  He must have touched it, because Gabrielle swings her head around and hisses at him.

  "Easy, girl. Just showing them what's wrong." He looks at you. "She can fly, but only for a few seconds at a time."

  You share a look with Jerry, remembering your orders from Captain Beckett. "Dave, I know you care about Gabrielle, but she's a wild animal. And she's enormous! It's dangerous for her to be wild."

  He shakes his head wildly. "No. No, she's not dangerous! She only eats fish, nothing else. She's shy, believe it or not. She just wants to be left alone. Honest."

  Jerry is still holding his rifle like he's ready to use it. It's obvious what he thinks you should do. You look down at Gabrielle, staring into her eyes. She looks at you with the pitifulness of a cat at the animal shelter. Pleading with you.

  This isn't some vicious animal, you realize. She's a misunderstood creature that doesn't belong here.

  And you have the power to let her go.

  89

  "Jerry, do you still have that medical kit in your pocket?"

  He fishes around on the outside of his uniform. "Sure. Right here."

  You take it and open it up. Rolls of gauze, bandaging tape, and some needles filled with a liquid pain killer. "Let's bandage this girl up."

  Dave shows you how to hold apart the feathers while he cuts off lengths of gauze. He gives her shot of the liquid painkillers. Gabrielle hisses through her tiny bird nostrils while he applies the bandages and tapes them into place. By the end of it Jerry has put down his rifle and is petting the gryphon on its neck, whispering soothing words to her. The moment is so peaceful you don't even tease him for it.

  "That ought to do it," Dave says, wiping his hands. "Okay, Gabrielle. Give it a test."

  The gryphon obeys, flexing her wing open and closed. She still doesn't seem 100% functional, but she's much better than before.

  "Now what?" Jerry asks.

  A noise down on the ground is your answer. The three of you rush to the roof railing and see a line of headlights snaking its way through the forest. In your direction.

  Dave runs back to his animal. "Gabrielle, I know you're still in pain, but you have to go. They're coming!"

  The bird--cat?--cocks her head at him, confused.

  He points to the sky. "You have to go. It's time, like we talked about. The ocean is that way, with all the fish you could ever want."

  The sound of car engines drew nearer.

  The gryphon seems to understand now. She makes a sad sound and gently headbutts Dave, rubbing her head against his chest. Then, to your surprise, she does the same to you, purring all the while. Jerry comes last.

  With a final look she leaps into the air, wings beating so strongly that it whips your hair and clothes around. Her wing beats are a little lopsided, but she steadily flies toward the ocean, in the opposite direction as the approaching cars.

  90

  The three of you run down the stairs, silently proud of your actions.

  You reach the ground just as a line of black, windowless vans comes roaring around the corner and into the clearing. One by one they zoom past and halt at the base of the Observation Tower.

  The door to the first van opens. You immediately recognize the two bars on the man's uniform. Indicating the rank of Captain.

  You scramble forward and salute. "Captain Beckett, sir!"

  Jerry is still standing there, looking surprised. Only when you clear your throat does he jump next to you and mimic the salute.

  Captain Beckett eyes the two of you. He's a bull of a man, sixty years old with broad shoulders and muscular arms. His uniform is tight and orderly, his face chiseled with discipline. You can't tell if he's happy or angry.

  Before he can say anything, another man hops out of the passenger side of the first van. He looks like Teddy Roosevelt come alive: tan safari uniform, round spectacles, and reddish mustache.

  "What happened to it!" he exclaims with a formal, precise English accent. "My creature. It was on the roof of the Observation Tower not five minutes ago. What have you done?"

  You clear your throat before answering. "Warden Oxford I presume? We have contained most of the zoo. Some of the animals are still on the loose, but we did the best with what we had. Per your instructions, we visited the Warden Hut and retrieved..."

  "Forget my instructions." He waves a hand. "Project Fusion. My creature. What have you done with it?"

  "Her," Dave says. "Not it."

  The Warden rounds on him. "I've had enough out of you, Dave. I know you're behind this somehow. Now, good officers. Have you seen it?"

  You put on a confused look. "Project Function, sir?"

  "Project Fusion. The premiere research project at the zoo. Do not feign confusion. If you've been here all night then surely you
saw it!"

  "Her," mutters Dave. "Not it."

  You shake your head. "I'm sorry, Warden, but we have no idea what you're talking about."

  Jerry nods. "No idea at all."

  91

  The Warden looks at each of you one at a time, searching your faces for any hint of a lie. You get the impression he's a man who is good at reading people.

  After an uncomfortable amount of time he grits his teeth and grabs Dave. "I want you to tell me everything that happened," he says, leading him away. "Everything!"

  "Sir, I don't know anything. The power went out, and since then I've been hiding..." they trail off in the distance.

  You and Jerry are left standing in front of Captain Beckett. He crosses arms and takes a deep breath. "So. Officers Rodriguez, Holman. What really happened?"

  "It happened just like we said it did," you say carefully. "We secured as much of the zoo as we could, then retrieved the tranquilizer rifles from the Warden Hut to take down some of the bigger animals."

  "Just like that," Jerry repeats.

  "Sir, if you were expecting more, then I apologize. I take full responsibility for any failures in our mission tonight. Officer Holman and I did our best." You glance over in the direction of the Warden. "I suppose that was not good enough."

  Captain Beckett arches an eyebrow. "Rodriguez, I've played poker with you. And you have a terrible poker face."

  You blush.

  "I want you to know that I think you did a wonderful job," he continues. "And as for what Oxford might think... well, he's a pompous oaf. We've had half a dozen complaints about a large animal at the zoo and he's ignored all of my warnings. I've visited him on numerous occasions to insist he shut down that project."

  "Oh?"

  He nods. "Let's just say... if someone were to have released Project Fusion into the wild, so it could live free and away from everything, then I would be okay with that."

  Jerry's mouth hangs open. "You would?"

  "Absolutely. An animal like that doesn't deserve to be in a cage. I would have done the same in your position... err, had you actually done that. Of course you didn't, though."

  You smile slyly. "Of course not, sir."

  92

  The Captain puts his arm around your shoulder and leads you back to the van. "Regardless, I think two promotions are in order."

  Jerry coughs. "Two? You're promoting Rodriguez all the way up to Captain?"

  He laughs. "No, Holman. She's getting that Lieutenant promotion, and you are also getting bumped up to Sergeant."

  Jerry trips over himself and falls face-first in the mud. Laughing, you help him up. "You ought to watch where you step, dude."

  He wipes away the mud. "Hey! Don't call me that!"

  "And Lieutenant," Beckett adds. "When we do get back to my office, I want to hear the real story. All of it. Just between us."

  You and Jerry share a look. "I think we can do that."

  CONGRATULATIONS!

  YOU HAVE REACHED THE ULTIMATE ENDING!

  In recognition for taking up the gauntlet, let it be known to fellow adventurers that you are hereby granted the title of:

  Executive Animal Adjudicator!

  You may go here: www.ultimateendingbooks.com/extras.php and enter code:

  JL48841

  for tons of extras, and to print out your Ultimate Ending Book Four certificate!

  And for a special sneak peek of Ultimate Ending Book 5, TURN TO PAGE 169

  93

  The laughing sound slowly grows louder as you stomp along the trail. You steal a glance behind you and see them following twenty feet behind. They're bounding along lazily, hardly exerting themselves. It's a game to them.

  "We need to get safe, fast!"

  "I'd love nothing more," Jerry says between gasps, "but what do you suggest?"

  The trees are tall and thick, with no low branches to climb. You might be able to shimmy up one, maybe, but you'd need to throw down your gun. And then you'd just be trapped.

  But what other alternative is there?

  "Hey!" Jerry points. "Look!"

  Ahead of you the path ends at a chain link fence with a gate. With a rush of hope you sprint faster, sliding to a stop in front.

  The gate is barred with a padlock the size of a baseball glove.

  "What now?" Jerry asks.

  "Only one thing to do." You toss your rifle through the gap in the gate and begin climbing. Jerry is quick behind you.

  The hyenas begin barking as they approach, angry with your escape. One of them leaps into the air but slams into the fence just below your feet. It tries again but still misses, its teeth snapping through open air.

  When you reach the top you jump the ten feet back down to the ground. Jerry lands on his back clumsily. "Oof!"

  Grab your rifle and TURN TO PAGE 138

  94

  The tree is drawing near. You've got a twenty foot lead on the hippo, so if you time it right you should be able to scamper up a branch and into safety.

  Ten steps. Five. Zero.

  You leap with all your strength, your fingers slapping against the branch. Your fingers stick! A boot scrapes against the trunk and you pull yourself up. Although you think you're safe, you quickly reach for the next branch to put more distance between yourself and the pachyderm.

  THWACK.

  The entire tree is shaken just before you grab the next branch. Without a grip your feet slip on the wet branch and suddenly you're falling. Your back slams into the branch and you roll, throwing your hands out, desperate to grab onto anything. Your fingers scrape against wet, smooth bark. You're going to fall...

  Your arm wraps around the branch, stopping your descent. You're able to crawl back onto the branch and climb higher, this time being more careful of your grip.

  When you feel safe enough you stop and look down. The hippo is far below you, stomping around like it owns the place. Though as far as you know, it is his place. After snorting at the air he wanders back in the direction of the water.

  The rain is still coming down, but it's muted inside the tree's foliage. The leaves also make it difficult to see very far in any other direction.

  "Jerry?" you whisper into the radio on your shoulder. "Err, officer Holman. Report, officer Holman."

  Silence.

  What are you going to do? Sit in the tree ON PAGE 82

  95

  You grab the tray of fish. Cats like fish, right?

  As you turn you see that two of the lions have already entered the room, heads hanging low, steps slow and careful. The lead lion's mouth is open is a wicked snarl.

  With a heave you upend the tray. Fish and ice slide across the floor. There's only one exit, and it's blocked by the lions, so there's nothing for you to do but watch.

  The first animal steps forward and lowers its nose, sniffing the nearest fish. Its tongue flicks out, brushing against its scales. It sniffs some more. The other cats approach. It's working!

  The cat takes a step back and shakes its head.

  Uh oh.

  You try to side-step to the right, but the lions are already picking their way through the ice toward you. Any second now they'll pounce. They're big. It will be easy for them.

  You slide down onto your ankles and begin to whimper. Maybe they'll take pity on you. Or maybe it won't matter at all. You never even got to find out what Project Fusion was. No, in that blocked-off room the only thing you've found is...

  THE END

  96

  You follow Jerry across the field and toward the structure, which you realize is a building. You slip inside and close the door.

  "This is the building I wanted to go to in the first place," you say. "I called out when we were running from the hippo..."

  "I heard," Jerry said. "I just wanted to come around from the side, to try to confuse the hippo."

  "Oh."

  He frowns at you. "What'd you see back there? On the lions?"

  You take a moment to wipe all the mud off your unif
orm. "They all had their hips shaved," you say. "With big, red injection points in their skin."

  "So?"

  "I've seen someone donate bone marrow before. It's in the same spot, up by the hip in the pelvis. That's what it reminded me of."

  Jerry gives you a level look. "Why would the zoo need lion bone marrow?"

  You shake your head. "I don't know. It's probably stupid. I just thought of it."

  He shrugs. "This is where I got the steaks. Maybe we can take a quick look around the office before heading on?"

  Inspect the empty lion enclosure ON PAGE 73

  97

  "That guy Dave sounds like a friend of mine," Jerry says as you walk back into the cavernous room. "Always pulling pranks. Joking on people. He'd do that kind of thing, changing up the codes..."

  Your arm brushes against one of the desks and tears a hole in your uniform. "What the..." You stop and look. There are two sharp objects sticking out of the wood in the side of the desk. You pull one loose. It's two inches long, curved and sharp at one end.

  "That's a talon," Jerry says.

  You can see that he's right. "It's awfully sharp. Tore a hole right in my uniform."

  "Always worrying about that uniform," Jerry mutters.

  "I like to appear presentable," you say defensively. "But that's not what I mean. Why is it here, sticking in the desk? It's as if the bird swooped down and tried to grab something, but missed and got it stuck in the wood."

  PLOP.

  You both whirl. "What was that?"

  "I don't know."