by Lisa McMann
CHAPTER 13
Maria Begins to Doubt
The scientists had entrusted the three friends to do this very important job. Mac and Charlie had chosen their animals well, and they wanted to continue to prove that they made good decisions by finding something right for Maria. They began jotting down notes as they paged through encyclopedias and other books and magazines full of animals. Every now and then they’d share an interesting finding with one another.
“The cone snail has enough venom to kill twenty people,” Charlie remarked.
Maria wrinkled her nose. “A snail? Slimy. No thanks.”
“The poison dart frog is pretty awesome,” said Mac. “You could be bright blue—that would be cool. But if we touch you, we’re basically dead.”
“So much death, you two,” Maria muttered. “Can’t I be ferocious but in a non-killing way? Like scary and able to fight, but not to accidentally kill my best friends?”
“I’d prefer that too,” Charlie said.
They went silent again, and then Maria muttered something about a grizzly bear. She seemed to rule that out too, for reasons unknown. “Hyena?” she said.
“I thought you didn’t want anything with a strange howl,” said Mac.
“Oh yeah.”
“What about a spider—”
“NO.”
“Okay, okay,” Mac said. “I’m with you on that one—just thought I’d mention it.”
Charlie flipped past a whole section of poisonous creatures in pursuit of something ferocious. “How about a hippopotamus?” Charlie suggested after a long silence. “They’re the most dangerous animal in Africa. They can destroy a whole vehicle.” She looked up. “You could take out the white van!” She showed Maria a picture.
“Qué bárbaro,” muttered Maria. “Hippos are huge. I wonder what features I’d take on. The mouth is great, but it seems like it would be uncomfortable to open it that wide.” She rubbed her jaw, imagining it, then looked at the other stats. “It can run fast, so that’s a plus. But I’m not sure growing to thirteen feet long and three thousand pounds would be very convenient—that could really hurt. Plus, it’s hard to hide a hippo, as they say.”
“Who says that?” asked Mac.
“I guess I do.” Maria hesitated. She looked doubtful. “I’m starting to wonder if we’ll ever find the perfect one. Let’s just put hippopotamus on the list with a question mark. It has some of the things I like, anyway.”
Charlie patted Maria’s shoulder sympathetically while Mac wrote it down. They searched on.
“Any interest in snakes?” Charlie asked. “Nonpoisonous, I mean,” she hastened to add. “A python has teeth to catch prey, but then it squeezes it to death.”
“No snakes,” said Maria decisively. Then she added, “I think I’d like an animal that nobody else has.”
“So that’s a no on the African elephant, too, I take it?” said Mac.
“You are correct, my clunky friend.” She looked up at him. “What’s on the new list so far?”
“Uh,” said Mac, looking at his notes, “hippopotamus.”
“That’s it?”
“Yep.”
“Sheesh,” Maria said. “I’m so picky.”
“It’s fine to be picky,” said Charlie. “You didn’t get to choose the monkey, and the shock of that one nearly put you out of commission.”
“Yeah, well, I’m over that shock. The monkey, anyway. Now that I know my appearance will change, I’m pretty good with the idea of it, I guess. It’s … it’s kind of exciting, you know?”
Charlie tilted her head. Maria didn’t sound very excited. She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself that she was.
“But still,” Maria went on, “some animals seem like a better choice than others when you take the physical changes into consideration. There are definitely things I don’t want.”
“I would imagine any new animal is going to take some getting used to,” Charlie replied. “Like Dr. Jakande said, you should choose something you really want. An animal that you like. Let’s keep searching until we find the exact right thing.”
Maria nodded at Charlie. “Thanks,” she said.
Several minutes went by, and then Maria said, “Hmm.”
Charlie looked over. “What? Did you find something?”
“All this time I was thinking I didn’t want to be a reptile, so I’ve been skimming past those. But then I landed on this page about alligators.”
Mac perked up. “Totally ferocious,” he said. “But crocodiles are better.”
Maria scoffed. “Better how? They’re practically the same thing. I like alligators.”
“Well,” said Mac, moving to his iPad and typing swiftly. “I read once about the Nile crocodile—they can grow to be twenty feet long and they’ve killed more people than alligators have. Or something like that.”
“Isn’t that a book?” asked Charlie. “Nile, Nile, Crocodile?”
“That’s Lyle,” said Maria, rolling her eyes. She turned to Mac. “And that’s exactly my point. I just want to scare people and be able to defend myself and you two. I think an ordinary, smallish alligator is more than tough enough.” She studied the page. “Besides, I like the wider shape of the alligator snout better than the pointy shape that the crocodile has. I’m a little worried, I guess … ,” she confessed. “Like what if my brain gets smooshed if my head changes too drastically?” Her brow furrowed as if she were picturing how her body might change. “Maybe I’m not so ready for a second animal after all,” she muttered.
The other two were skimming the details and didn’t hear her. “The alligator’s teeth are hidden when its mouth is closed,” Charlie noted. “The crocodile looks like it’s grinning because some of the bottom teeth stick up over the top ones.”
“See, Mac?” said Maria. “Alligators even have better orthodontics. No need for braces. And maybe not quite as hard to get used to as a croc mouth would be.” She frowned.
Mac shrugged. “It’s your animal. I’m just saying the crocodile is what I’d choose.”
“Good thing it’s my choice, then,” said Maria, sitting up. “Put alligator on the list.”
Mac obeyed and didn’t argue further.
By the time dinner was ready, they were getting tired of all this research. And Maria, picturing herself as an actual hippo or an alligator, was starting to doubt both options and question her choices. Charlie was right—the howler monkey had taken a lot of getting used to. It had been so … so shocking to turn into an animal. Was she fooling herself, thinking that taking on features of a hippo or alligator was really going to be no big deal?
She’d have to get through it. What choice did she have? If they were going up against the soldiers with new abilities, she was going to need another animal no matter what. Anything she picked would alter her body in some way. Could she really be as brave about it as she thought she’d be? With grim determination, Maria knew she had to suck it up and handle whatever came her way for the sake of humankind. This was not fret time—it was fight time. And boy, was she going to fight.
CHAPTER 14
Some Unexpected News
That night Maria called Charlie.
“What’s up?” asked Charlie. “Did you finally make up your mind?”
“I’m sorry, but I have to go away,” said Maria.
“What? Where? You can’t leave! We need you.”
Maria sounded torn. “I’m heading to Puerto Rico. Abu Yolanda called. She asked for help cleaning up her community—things have been a mess there from the hurricane but they finally have their electricity back. She wondered if I would come for a week to lend a hand.”
“Oh,” said Charlie, softening immediately. “Of course, you should definitely go.” She hesitated. “When are you leaving?”
“Next Friday.”
“Oh cool. That’s soon.” Charlie was relieved. Maria would probably return before anything important happened.
“Yeah,” said Maria. “I hope i
t doesn’t mess up the plans.”
“It won’t,” said Charlie. “You’ll be back before we know it.” She felt glum, though. She didn’t want to be away from her friend, not even for a week. “Does Mac know?”
“Yeah. He’s bummed but he understands.”
“I wish we could go with you,” said Charlie.
“I wish you could come too. Abu could use more help.”
“Aren’t your parents going?”
“Nope. Sin padres, chica. They have the boys for the summer. Plus, Ken has to work.”
“Dang. That’s too bad.” Charlie blinked and an idea began to form. She thought about the amount of work the scientists still had to finish before they could go after Dr. Gray. Then she thought about all the news reports she’d heard about the devastation in Puerto Rico: people without water or electricity, trees blocking roads, cars flipped over. Finally, she thought about her abilities. Strength would really come in handy there, she imagined. If the Mark Six was ready in time, her powers could be used to help those in need.
“Hey,” she said softly, putting all her thoughts together. “Maybe we should go with you.”
An hour later Charlie had talked to her parents and Mac had talked to his, and then they’d all talked to one another. They agreed it was a great opportunity for the kids to lend a hand where it was needed, and Charlie’s parents were glad it would give the kids a chance to get away from the lab and do something good besides focusing on fighting a monster of a scientist.
When it was settled, Charlie got Maria back on the phone. “I can go!” she shouted.
“I know! Hooray!” Maria yelled.
“And Mac’s coming too!” they both said together.
“Oh my gosh,” Charlie said as the reality set in. The three best friends were going to Puerto Rico together. “I can’t believe it. I’m really glad we can help Yolanda and her neighbors.”
“And maybe if we work really hard, we’ll get some of Abu’s cooking,” said Maria.
They discussed the trip for a while, and then Charlie moved the conversation to the work they were doing to stop Dr. Gray. “This means we need to focus hard to help the scientists before we leave,” she said. “So they can be ready for action when we come back. We have to stay ahead of Dr. Gray no matter what. You know what this means, Maria.”
“Yup,” said Maria. “It means I need to make a decision.”
“That’s right. Have you?”
“As a matter of fact, I have.”
Charlie’s eyes widened. “What animal?”
“Can I talk to Dr. Jakande first? I want to get her opinion. Is she still there?”
Charlie made an impatient sound, then went to the lab where the scientists were just packing things up for the evening. “Dr. Jakande,” Charlie announced, holding out the phone, “Maria wants to talk to you.”
The panther woman looked startled, then set down her things and took the phone. “Is everything okay?” she asked. The doctor listened for a long moment, and then she smiled. “I agree, Maria,” she said. “That is an excellent choice.”
CHAPTER 15
Making Wings
Miko and Kelly entered the lab to see what Dr. Gray had in mind for them that day. Scattered on the table were the results of Fang’s and Morph’s recent evaluations. Kelly studied them curiously. On Morph’s pages, “crab claw” was circled with a question mark next to it. “Chameleon” was crossed off. On Fang’s, “rattlesnake” had a check mark next to it. Wolf was underlined twice with a few words in Dr. Gray’s familiar scrawl: “Loyalty. Subspecies?”
Her eyes wandered to a clipboard near the landline phone. On it was a list of every zoo and aquarium in California. All of them had been scratched off and the word “banned” was written next to each one. At the bottom of the page were the letters “GDL” with three question marks.
Kelly wasn’t sure what any of this meant.
The scientist beckoned to Miko. “Your formula is ready,” he said gruffly. “And with any luck the machine should be working. I ran an H2O test and all seemed well.”
Prowl, from the doorway, looked up curiously. He still hadn’t had a discussion with Dr. Gray about what his second animal would be. The wings would have been a good choice for him, he thought. He tried not to let his jealousy show—he wouldn’t want Miko to feel badly about it. It wasn’t her fault. It just seemed like Dr. Gray cared less and less about them, and their feelings and ideas, lately.
Gray used to consult with them all a lot more—he used to care about what they wanted, like with their initial animal. But not so much lately. He’d been in a terrible mood for the past two days, but no one knew why.
Miko bounded over to Dr. Gray, nimbly hopping over a lab table in her haste, while Kelly came and stood nearby to watch.
“Are you ready for this?” Dr. Gray barked at the chimp woman.
“Now?” she asked. “Like, right now?” She looked around nervously, confused by Dr. Gray’s harsh demeanor. “Are you sure it’s ready?”
Dr. Gray frowned at her. “Of course. I said it was.”
Miko flushed. “I’m sorry. I’m just nervous.”
The scientist grunted. He turned to the workstation in front of him and the genetic mist machine. It was the reconstructed masterpiece that he’d forced Charlie’s dad and the other scientists to build for him during their captivity—the machine he hadn’t been able to create on his own after all these years. And even though it had been broken in the fight, Gray had managed to gather the pieces before he fled.
It had taken him a while, but he’d finally got them put together properly again, and he was eager to test it out for real. With some slight alterations, this was the thing that would make his dreams come true. But its current form was perfect for the task at hand.
Dr. Gray poured a small amount of formula into the machine, which reminded Kelly of some kind of fancy espresso machine with an oxygen mask attached. He turned it on. It whirred, and Kelly could see a cloudy mist welling up inside through a glass window.
“Come on, then,” the scientist said, glancing at Miko. “I haven’t got time to waste. Take your suit off so it doesn’t hinder the wings.”
Miko had trouble controlling her nervousness. She pulled one hairy chimp arm out of her suit, followed by the other. Then she pushed the suit down to her waist, revealing tufts of fur poking out of the arm and neck openings of her tank top. Dr. Gray took a scissors and cut a slit down the back of her top.
“Have a seat.” Dr. Gray pointed to a stool in front of the lab table. Then he explained what Miko would be doing.
“Rest your chin in this little holster,” he said, “and when you’re ready, put on the mask. Breathe normally until after the mist is gone and you feel something tingling. Then you can pull back.”
Miko’s eyes widened, but she did what she was told. She rested her chin on the curved bar and glanced anxiously at Kelly and Dr. Gray. Then she strapped the mask to her face and took a breath.
Dr. Gray muttered something to her that Kelly supposed was meant to sound reassuring. He turned to observe Miko’s back, where the wings would emerge once the formula kicked in.
Miko kept inhaling and exhaling. Her fists clenched and unclenched on the table.
“You’re doing great,” Kelly called out.
“Remember to keep breathing even after the mist has disappeared,” said Dr. Gray. “Wave your hand when you start to feel tingling on your back.”
Eventually the mist cleared. After a moment, Miko waved her hand.
“All right. You can take it off,” said Dr. Gray.
Miko took off the mask and pulled her face away from the mist chamber.
“What do you feel?” Dr. Gray asked Miko.
“The skin on my back is tight. It’s trying to stretch.”
“Good, good.” Dr. Gray seemed to relax a bit, and laid a hand between her shoulder blades. A moment later Miko shifted uncomfortably and made an odd noise. “Oh! Something weird is happening!”
Dr. Gray pulled his hand away. Black and white feathers burst out of Miko’s back. Kelly gasped. Dr. Gray stepped farther out of the way.
The chimp woman cried out again in surprise, but she didn’t seem to be in pain. “Wow!” she said, turning to look over her shoulder as the wings reached their full extensions. “Holy cow, they’re big! And heavy.”
Dr. Gray examined the wings all over. He stretched them out, then folded them, testing their joints, and seemed extremely pleased. “Can you move them?”
Miko strained, trying to figure out which muscles to use. The wings bounced a little.
“Great,” said Dr. Gray. “Keep at it. Once you get used to controlling them, I imagine you’ll be able to tuck them in closer.”
“I hope so.” Miko turned to Kelly, eyes worried. “What about my head? Is it still normal?”
“Hmm. Just a little pink,” said Kelly, coming closer to see the wings.
“What?” cried Miko. Her hands flew to her face.
“I’m kidding,” said Kelly. “It’s normal. You don’t have an ugly condor head.”
“Whew,” said Miko, visibly relieved. She checked the rest of her body, finding nothing else had changed, and returned her attention to her wings, straining to see the reflection in the window.
Nearby Prowl studied her new appendages and seemed impressed. “Nice. But they’ll be difficult to hide in public.”
“We’ll come up with something to cover them,” said Dr. Gray, giving Prowl an annoyed look. “That can be your job.”
Prowl narrowed his eyes. “Is that supposed to be a punishment?”
“Whatever you want to call it,” Dr. Gray said lightly.
Prowl stiffened and turned back to the window.
“Let’s go to the mirror,” Kelly suggested to Miko. “Then you can see better.”
Miko looked to Dr. Gray for permission to leave, and he nodded slightly. “Hurry back, though,” he said.
The two barely heard him as they went off to the bathroom to check out Miko’s wings.
“What’s his problem?” whispered Kelly.