"A rival is also a simple matter," Hypnose replied as he waved his hand at Diz dismissively.
Karis was tempted to reveal that she was Gavin, but she didn't really know who would keep her, no their, secret, so she kept it to herself. She couldn't believe the depth of Dave's obsession. Perhaps that would give her an opening.
"So you love me?" Karis asked leaning closer to him and playing with her hair.
"Yes," Hypnose declared.
"And you want me to be happy?" she continued.
"With all of my heart," Hypnose announced.
"There is something in the way of our love," Karis hinted, "something important."
"You can't mean this fool," Hypnose pointed at Diz.
"Who are you calling a fool?" Diz muttered.
"He means nothing to our love," Hypnose continued, ignoring Diz’ comments.
"Then what is stopping our love?" Karis prompted.
"There is something out there," Hypnose whispered, "something that wants both of us."
"Why does it want us?" Karis asked.
"It wouldn't tell me," Hypnose explained in hushed tones, "but it is hungry."
"So you've talked to this Something?" Diz interrupted.
"It gave me the helmet," Hypnose divulged as he continued to focus on Karis. "It sent me to find you and control you."
"Why would it want you to control me?" Karis wondered.
"You and your partner are the key," Hypnose screamed. "Everything hinges on you. I was just a poorly crafted tool."
"So Mornigan is the one who sent you?" Karis pressed.
"I do not know his name," Hypnose muttered as his hands slammed on the table. He rested his hands there on the table and remained still.
"Where can we find Mornigan," Diz demanded.
"I do not know where he is now," Hypnose lamented. "I expected that he would come and save me when the battle was finished, but that was a vain hope."
Hypnose fell out of the chair and started twitching. Soon his movements were out of control and his entire body was taken up with the spasms. Several people in white rushed into the room and dragged Hypnose out of the door and down the hallway. Karis and Diz were left with more questions than answers. However, they knew that Mornigan was planning something for them. Xenia reentered the room.
"That was a clarifying, informative session," she announced.
"Informative?" Diz sneered. "We don't know anything more than we did."
"Contrary," Xenia argued, "there was much gleaned from this time. Perhaps his mind will be more open now that you have started the process."
"But what do we do now?" Karis pleaded.
"I believe you will find that out soon," Xenia assured. "In fact, I think you will be sensing a problem right now."
Just as she was saying the words, a wave of images swept over their minds. As always, there were no specifics, just that something was happening and a rough idea of where they needed to look for the problem.
"I hate when that happens," Diz mumbled.
"How did you do that?" Karis asked Xenia.
"That is an answer for another today," she replied. "Go, and we will talk again."
Karis and Diz looked at each other for some kind of response, but there didn't seem to be anything else to say. They rushed for the door, and tried to figure out a way out of the building.
Chapter 21
While there has been talk of larger-than-usual animals roaming in isolated locations around the tri-state area, this is the first time any have been reported in the city. Police and Emergency Crews are not prepared to handle a situation like this, although they are fighting valiantly. This reporter has never seen anything like it, except in the movies. The lizard has been steadily growing since it was first sighted outside of the Zoo several hours ago.
According to sources, this is a Komodo dragon from the Zoo affectionately known as Princess. She has been a staple of the Zoo for over ten years and she has been a favorite of visitors over all of those years. At her last check, Princess was eight feet long, but estimates suggest that she is now over twenty feet long which is well beyond the maximum recorded size for this animal. The National Guard has been alerted, but the Governor has been unofficially cited as expressing doubts that they will make any impact on the situation.
Environmental and Animal Rights groups are up in arms trying to make sure that the Komodo Dragon will be treated properly, although this reporter suspects that the people of New York City might have larger concerns at the moment. Current estimates place damages around five million dollars leaving close to one hundred people homeless and thousands without power.
Wait, I'm just getting word that Karis and the Diz are on their way. Although public opinion is torn on their methods, this reporter cannot argue with their results. We will keep our eyes and cameras on this developing situation.
* * *
Why did it have to be a lizard? Diz thought to Karis as he rushed towards the scene. As Cacy, he had always been afraid of lizards. It was probably because a boy named Eric had scared her with one every time he got the chance. She could imagine the slimy creature crawling around the city and she knew and she was going to have to touch it at some point. Why a lizard? She couldn't wait to get his hands on Mornigan. That maniac was going to pay for this.
At the scene, they found Officer Jones near the perimeter. He was standing by with several men in grey track suits, including Michaels.
"Good to see you, Karl," Diz shouted, "but what are you doing with these guys?"
"Orders from above," Karl grimaced. "I guess these guys know something that we don't."
"That figures," Diz muttered as he walked over to Michaels.
"We can talk about why we are here once your partner arrives," Michaels interrupted. "You will have to be patient until then."
"I'm the Diz. I don't do patient."
"What's all of this about?" Karis asked as she landed beside Diz.
"I'm glad you’re here," Michaels intoned. "We think that we have a plan."
Before Michaels could talk about his plan, Karl's radio started talking.
"All units," a female voice declared, "be on the lookout for the person known as Karis. There is an emergency situation that requires her help."
"This is Jones," Karl spoke into his radio, "I have Karis here with me right now, over."
"There is a plane circling JFK that requires assistance," the dispatcher informed. "Without help, it will crash."
"Can you handle this thing until I'm back," Karis asked Diz. "I promise I'll do my best to be quick."
"I don’t think I can solve the problem while you are gone," Diz replied, "but I'll keep the little thing out of trouble."
Karis took off for the sky as Diz contemplated the situation before him. How do you fight and stop an endangered animal without harming it?
"I know what you're thinking," Michaels interrupted while putting his hand on Diz’ shoulder. "This creature is more than you can handle alone, especially given its nature."
""I think that you underestimate me," Diz insisted brushing the hand away.
"I find that highly unlikely," Michaels responded. "Super speed is great, but it does have limitations."
"I haven't found them yet," Diz gloated.
"Nevertheless," Michaels replied, "you will not have your fair companion to help you any time soon."
"Let's just see if we can find a safe path out of the city," Diz suggested. "After that, we can have some breathing room."
"The Komodo Dragon is an enemy you shouldn't underestimate," Michaels advised.
"I thought it over, and I'm going to take Princess towards Central Park," Diz replied. Set up whatever you have planned there."
Diz ran off without waiting for a response. His main priority was to get the dragon's attention and keep it focused on him. It was a tall order since there were so many distractions around the city.
* * *
Diz rushed at the dragon and ran around it a few times tryin
g to get it to notice him. Before he could adjust his momentum, the dragon's tail whipped around and sent him flying into a building. Once again, Diz silently thanked the Greys for the suit that protected him from these kinds of impacts.
After shaking his head a few times, he stood up and rejoined the dance. This time, he didn't bother with theatrics. The dragon wasn't distracted by spinning in circles, so there wasn't any point in playing that game.
"Look over here, lizard face," he shouted.
That didn't get the dragon's attention. He tried running close and then turning around, but this didn't do anything either. Desperate, Diz started throwing pieces of debris at the dragon at high speeds. This did get a reaction.
The dragon charged at him at a rate that surprised Diz. He didn't expect the animal to have such speed, and then he remembered the warning from Michaels. Fortunately, Diz had speed of his own and was able to dodge the charge. He sent another shower of stones after the lizard.
Now he had the dragon's attention. Once this was assured, he started making short bursts back along the dragon's previous course. As they crawled along the trail, the damage became less apparent, but Diz could see that the dragon was causing more damage to the city on her return trip.
Princess was cutting a path as she traversed, but Diz was trying to find paths that would be safer. Central Park wasn't much further, but Princess seemed to be losing interest in the chase. Diz decided that he would need to try something different and overcome his fears. He ran up to the dragon and actually started running on it. When there was a moment that felt safe, he would throw in a few punches just for added effect, but nothing that would be dangerous. Princess had shown that she could be a dangerous foe.
Diz felt happy with how things were progressing, but then in a careless moment, he noticed a foot moving in his direction and he couldn't adjust his path. The blow sent him rolling into the Park. Princess was charging in his direction at full speed. She lept to land on him, when a beam shot from Diz' left and hit the dragon. The beam lasted for several seconds, and when it was done, Princess was frozen in ice.
Chapter 22
Karis made it back in time to see Princess being frozen by the beams from the Greys. Her side trip had been a waste of time. The pilot of the small plane hadn’t had a problem, and he’d just been playing a poorly thought out prank. He was going to have a lot to answer for with the police after that joke.
"Looks like I missed all the fun," Karis lamented as she landed beside Diz.
"You also missed seeing me get tossed a few times by this critter," Diz admitted. “I could have definitely used your help."
"Sorry I missed the fun," Karis replied as she offered him a hand up, "I certainly wasn't needed out there. This guy was just pulling a prank, I guess."
"Some people just don't understand what they are doing," Diz mused getting to his feet and dusting himself off.
They were about to get a closer look at Princess when they heard a voice all around them.
"So you think you have beaten my dragon," the voice boomed as Mornigan descended from the sky. "You do not realize what you have set in motion."
He reached for his right glove and touched some buttons. He then aimed the arm at the Komodo dragon. A beam shot towards the dragon, and it began to change just as the mouse had done.
First the ice cracked and shattered as the dragon grew and moved. Then the metamorphosis began in earnest as the back began to grow spikes and the tail lengthened. Next wings erupted from the back and the neck elongated. The mouth lengthened and the nostrils began to issue smoke.
"Why does that look like it’s a dragon?" Diz shouted over the noise of the dragon roaring.
"I think because it is a dragon," Karis sputtered.
"Yes," Mornigan affirmed, "I couldn't find a dragon of my own, they seemed like so much fun, so I decided to create one of my own."
"That Komodo dragon is an endangered species," Karis scolded.
"A shame," Mornigan pondered, "if it were in my power, I would transform all of them like I have with this one. I leave her to you as your instrument of destruction.”
"Make me a promise," Diz muttered to Karis as Mornigan disappeared from sight.
"What do you need?" Karis asked.
"I want you to promise me that when we find that guy, I get to be the first one to hit him." Diz muttered under his breath.
"I will make no such promise," Karis argued. "You may be faster, but I think that is one race that I will win."
Before the argument could continue, the dragon lifted on its hind legs and spread its wings. It lifted its head and roared while spewing fire into the air. It pounded the ground with its front paws and snorted. Smoke issued from the nostrils and the creature eyed them hungrily.
"Follow me," Karis roared as she flew at the dragon, hit it in the eye, and flew away.
The dragon roared and flew after its attacker.
Karis was thankful for her invulnerability. Without it she would have suffered intense burns over and over again. The dragon stayed close behind her no matter what tricks she tried. She'd received fire blasts over a dozen times as she tried barrel rolls, cut backs, and dives. She had flown away from the city and to an open part of Upstate New York in an attempt to find a safe place to battle the dragon with Diz. She saw Diz on the top of a hill and she took her path close to the hilltop.
As the dragon passed overhead, Diz threw a high-speed punch into the air that disturbed the dragon's aerodynamics and caused it to crash on the ground and roll down the hill. It came to a halt and was motionless. Karis landed next to Diz and they looked at each other and shrugged. They took hands and walked slowly toward the fallen dragon.
"What do you think?" Karis queried as she floated beside Diz.
"I fought with it before Mornigan messed with it," Diz commented. "I don't trust it at all."
"So what do we do now?" Karis inquired.
"Wait and see what it does?" Diz suggested. "Either that or wait and see if Michaels has something else up his sleeves. They might get here eventually.”
As they were discussing, the dragon started to stir. It rolled onto its legs and stood. It snorted. It blew flames into the air. It started to spread its wings, but something was wrong. It tucked them back against its body and spit flames at Karis and Diz. Karis just stood and let the flames encircle her. She had faced those flames and she knew she didn't have much to fear from them. Diz simply ran to a safe location and waited for the dragon to run out of air.
What do we do?" Karis shouted from the flames. "I can't stand here all day. I had plans for tonight."
"What do you have planned?" Diz asked as he dodged the dragon's tail.
"I might have agreed to go on that double date that Charlie has been bugging me about," Karis revealed as she flew around the dragon's flaming head.
"When were you going to tell me?" Diz snapped.
"Right about now," Karis replied.
"Let's deal with this problem, and then we can have a talk about what you did," Diz insisted.
Karis flew high in the air out of the reach of the dragon's neck. The dragon tried to spread its wings and bellowed in pain engulfing Karis in flame again as it folded its wings back into place against its body.
Flames were all around the forest, but fortunately there weren’t any buildings nearby. Once they were finished with the dragon the heroes could help clean up the mess without too much trouble.
"We've got to do something about that fire," Karis decided. "Dragon first though. Can you find me some cable or something?"
"I'll be right back," Diz said as he ran off.
The dragon looked after Diz and Karis flew in its face to distract it. Princess turned her attention back to the flying creature that wouldn't burn. She started chomping where the creature was floating, but she continued to miss her target. With growing frustration, Princess spit out another burst of flame at her tormenter.
Karis flew circles around the dragon’s head and avoided the
mouth and flames sometimes by inches. Karis moved out of reach of the dragon for a breather. This situation was more than she had bargained for, and she wasn't sure that she would be able to handle much more of the heat that the dragon was spitting at her-she suspected that there were limits to her invulnerability.
Diz returned shortly after Karis started her break. He was dragging a length of cable and had something strapped to his back. Karis flew to him and the dragon followed.
"What do you have there?" she asked from the air.
"I convinced Michaels to let me borrow this ice gun they used before the dragon transformed," Diz bragged. "It wasn't easy, but I got him to see things my way."
"Even with the wings and the fire, this is still and endangered species," Karis argued. "We don't know what will happen if we freeze it."
"I thought about that," Diz insisted, "but we can't let this thing run around. We have to stop it. I think we can keep it alive and control it."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Karis demanded.
"Just take this and it will make sense as we go,” Diz suggested as he took off the power supply for the gun and handed it to Karis.
"How does this work?" Karis asked as se lowered to the ground and put on the pack and took the freeze ray.
"Point it and pull the trigger," Diz advised, "the same as any other gun. You shouldn’t have any trouble flying and shooting."
Karis shrugged in the air and started flying around the dragon again. This time she was extra careful to avoid the flames since she wasn't sure how they would react with the gun. It was easier to stay ahead of Princess with Diz available to drawn her attention from time to time. Karis still didn't know why she had a freeze ray strapped to her back, but she didn't see any point in firing blindly either.
"Go high!" Diz shouted from the ground.
Karis didn't understand his reasoning, but she knew that he had a plan that he wasn’t sharing with her for some reason, so she went with it and flew high out of the dragon's reach. As she came to a stop, Princess lifted her head and opened her mouth to send a ball of fire at Karis, but before the fire could be issued, Karis saw her opportunity and fired the ray down the dragon's throat.
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