by Lisa McMann
“Oh, yes,” said Dr. Jakande. “He kept what was left of all of ours. So we can expect to see some of those animals in his ultimate chimera somehow. I only wish I knew which ones.”
“Prowl’s and yours for sure, I’d say,” said Mac.
“I hope to be able to figure out which soldier had the bathtub incident eventually,” said Ms. Sabbith.
“Did you notice anything new?” asked Dr. Goldstein.
“I noticed that Nubia was right on about her hunch—Miko has wings. And Braun has porcupine quills. Those are the only new things I’ve seen. But looking at what Gray is doing with multiple samples and notes and charts, and him working on a few different concoctions at the same time, I think he’ll be ready soon with more animals to test out on his other soldiers.”
“How is he administering it?” asked Dr. Wilde. “Injection? We smashed the machine we made him.”
“Well, he managed to put it back together, because it’s there and in use.”
Dr. Wilde looked alarmed. “I guess we should have expected as much, but that’s a setback.”
“Any indication of what animals he’s favoring?” asked Dr. Sharma.
“I’ll try to get the ladybug over to his notes when he goes to bed,” said Ms. Sabbith. “And I’d better go now, so I can get the miked spies in place.” She hesitated. “But I think you’d better plan on coming soon. Grab tickets for next week. Gray’s got a sense of urgency that we haven’t seen before. And the manhunt down here is going strong—it’s on the news all the time. He knows his days are numbered.”
Dr. Sharma glanced at the other scientists. Charlie looked at them too. Their faces were serious, their expressions stern. “We can do that,” said Charlie’s dad. “We’ll finish up a few more of these DNA reversal devices and make some more formula to bring with us—we don’t want to leave a single hybrid out there when this is over.”
“I’ve finished the work on the Mark Five,” Dr. Sharma reported. “Now any of us can use it.”
“And the kids have been training,” said Dr. Jakande. “They’re ready.”
“Great,” said Ms. Sabbith. “I’ll monitor things until you get here.”
Charlie leaned closer to Dr. Sharma’s phone. “Did you happen to see Kelly?” she asked.
“Kelly is the one who inadvertently let the ladybug into the house,” said Ms. Sabbith. “Got a ride in on her beanie.”
Charlie and Maria exchanged a pained look. “How does she … seem?”
“Honestly, kids, the ladybug has been on Kelly’s hat almost the whole time, until she took it off, so I haven’t been able to see much of her. But I’ll try to capture some footage so you can see your friend, if you like.”
“Thanks, but she’s not our friend anymore,” said Maria.
Charlie nodded in agreement. “Make sure you’re watching what she’s doing, Ms. Sabbith, in case Dr. Gray gives her a new ability too. She’s dangerous.”
Ms. Sabbith was quiet for a long moment. “I’ll watch her,” she said finally. “And I’ll be in touch with anything new.”
“We’ll plan on seeing you soon.” Dr. Sharma waited a beat, then hung up the phone. There was a moment of quiet in the room. And then everybody went back to work with a new sense of purpose to rival that of Dr. Victor Gray.
CHAPTER 33
The Countdown Begins
The final days before their trip flew by for Charlie and her friends. They’d be starting seventh grade soon, but they basically had to save the world before that could happen. They increased their workouts and practiced with their new abilities. They took to the streets after dark so Charlie could practice spotting creatures with her viper vision. Luckily, with the new Mark Six, Charlie could turn off the bat echolocation ability so she didn’t chirp all the time in darkness unless she chose to.
Charlie’s backyard became a training center. They built an obstacle course for Mac so he could work on his agility with his basilisk lizard feature. They created enemy dummies made of old pillows and burlap, dressing them in scary Halloween costumes they found in Charlie’s garage. Maria practiced attacking and tearing them apart so she could gauge the power of her alligator strength and teeth.
Charlie’s mom took care of buying the plane tickets and writing up the details for the other parents. And she arranged for Andy to spend the duration of their trip at Juan’s house, which would be more fun for him, and safer, too.
By the time the day of their flight arrived, the scientists had packed up everything they needed. And the Wildes’ pets had been delivered to a sitter. Mac and Maria arrived at Charlie’s house ready with their devices and their luggage in hand. Before everyone left for the airport, Dr. Sharma FaceTimed with Ms. Sabbith, who filled them in on the latest developments.
“Prowl has his second ability,” she announced. “It’s some sort of electrical shock. He tried it out on Cyke and Cyke popped him one, so it appears to be effective.”
“Oh boy,” murmured Dr. Jakande. “Prowl probably should have known better—Cyke is a react-first, think-later kind of guy.” She smiled, as if remembering other incidents. “And have you gotten a closer look at Braun’s porcupine quills?”
“Yeah, he’s forgone most of his bodysuit because of them. So nobody likes standing next to him. The sharp quills will stick in you if he bumps you hard enough.”
“Yikes,” said Dr. Goldstein. He glanced at Mac. “You’re going to have to take him on.”
Mac nodded.
“What about Kelly?” asked Charlie. “Anything new?”
“Not that I can see, but her features have never been visible like the soldiers’ are. I haven’t noticed Dr. Gray working on her device at all. Apparently Kelly was using it to capture some elusive, very specific kind of jellyfish. It’s a water creature so maybe that’s for her.”
“A jellyfish?” muttered Mr. Wilde. “That’s interesting. I’ll do some research on the plane. Anything else?”
“Cyke seems different today. He’s … thicker, I guess. And something’s changed in his face. I’m assuming he’s been given a second animal now too, but I haven’t had a chance to review video footage of the lab yet. It’s hard to keep up without my assistants.” She gave a tired smile. Charlie, Maria, and Mac elbowed one another and grinned back.
“Have you figured out who the soldier was from the bathtub?” asked Dr. Sharma.
“Yes—that was definitely Mega. She hasn’t returned to their hideout.”
“Oh, dear,” said Dr. Jakande. “I wonder what happened to her!”
Charlie glanced at the woman, feeling her old suspicions creeping up again when Dr. Jakande spoke like she cared about the soldiers. She had so much history with them. But Charlie clamped down on her worry. Nubia was on their side, she assured herself. Just as much as Kelly was on the other.
“I’m not sure where they took Mega,” Ms. Sabbith was saying. “I didn’t have ears in the place until the next day, so I missed all immediate talk about it. Nobody’s brought her up in detail that I’ve been able to pick up since then, other than a brief mention from someone wondering how Mega was doing. It sounds like they may have brought her to a hospital, but that would give them away for sure. It must have been serious.”
Dr. Jakande pursed her lips and nodded. She glanced around the room, finding Charlie staring at her, and tried to smile. “One fewer soldier to fight,” she said. “That’s a good thing.”
Charlie nodded and relaxed a bit.
“You mentioned multiple formulas in the works,” said Dr. Sharma. “Do you know what they are?”
“No. But he’s been building two specific formulas very carefully and secretly. He won’t even let the soldiers near them anymore.”
“How close is he to finishing?”
Ms. Sabbith shrugged. “I really can’t tell without knowing what he’s doing. I think you can make a better guess at that once you have a chance to observe.”
They talked some more about the details of their arrival, which would happen
late that evening, hopefully without anyone in Dr. Gray’s house noticing.
Soon it was time to go to the airport. The trip to Mexico was becoming a reality.
CHAPTER 34
Exploring Options
Dr. Gray had grown more and more reclusive since the incident at the airport. The threat of being discovered was great. He worked as though his life depended on it, and in a way, it did. One wrong move and everything could be destroyed. There was so much at stake—he’d never felt such pressure to finish. Unfortunately, it meant he’d taken a few shortcuts and had accidentally messed up Mega’s formula.
Sure, he didn’t want to do something like that again. And he felt badly about it. But she was a willing test subject. She was getting paid a handsome amount to be part of his experiments. Things like this happened sometimes. And obviously Victor would fix her when he could. Just … not right now.
The formula for his ultimate chimera had to come first. And it had to come fast. Gray spent countless hours alone in the lab, locking himself inside the room to keep the soldiers from distracting him. And to keep the ones he no longer fully trusted away from his work. He even took to sleeping in there, not wanting to leave for more than a few moments at a time. He looked ragged and old, yet he doggedly continued at a pace that didn’t seem sustainable.
He also grew more and more paranoid. “Did you see the police drive by?” he’d asked Prowl a couple of times a day. “Are they closing in?”
“No,” said Prowl, eyeing the man. “There’s nothing unusual that I can see.”
“Are you watching very carefully?” Gray asked, narrowing his gaze. “You have to be on high alert! You have to wonder about every move anyone makes out there!”
Prowl tamped down a growl. “Of courrrse I’m being alert. There’s really nothing going on.”
“If you’re lying to me,” Dr. Gray said icily, “I’ll turn you in. They’re looking for you soldiers, you know.”
Prowl stared at the man. Had he really just said that? After all the years of dedication he and the others had given Victor, he had just threatened to give them up. Prowl looked away in disgust. “I know they’re looking for us,” he said quietly. “We’re all over the news, thanks to you. But I’m not lying. We’re all very devoted, remember?”
Dr. Gray was too exhausted to reprimand him any further. Prowl stared a moment longer, then threw up his hands and went outside, where Miko was practicing flying low under the cover of tall trees and a wall that surrounded the backyard.
Gray went to the window and watched them warily for a moment, then looked up and down the street for any sign of suspicious activity. Seeing none, he went back to his work, no doubt planning to ask the same questions of the next soldier guarding the door.
Kelly had caught some of the conversation as she sneaked around the house in camo mode. Dr. Gray was not himself, and that was unsettling. Scary, even. After Prowl stormed off, Kelly went back to her bedroom and into the closet, where Miko’s suits hung. She stood next to one, hesitating, then reached for the control. It was already tuned to Zed.
She pressed the button to speak. “Zed,” she said. Her throat caught, and she closed her eyes tightly. “It’s me, Kelly. Again.”
There was no answer.
Kelly lost her nerve. She stepped away and closed the closet door, then went back downstairs to the kitchen. She paused at the doorway. Prowl had returned. He and Miko were standing by the sink talking quietly.
“He’ll turn on us if he feels threatened,” said Prowl. “And you know as well as I do that the police are looking for those of us who look different.”
“What if we just … walk away?” whispered Miko.
Kelly’s eyes widened. Did Miko want to escape from this nightmare too?
Prowl’s nostrils flared and he glanced sharply at Kelly, detecting her presence.
Kelly hurriedly looked down and wished she’d been using her camouflage ability. “Hi,” she said. She swallowed hard. Perhaps she could get them to trust her again. All Kelly knew was that things were growing scarier, and she needed somebody to talk to. Whether they wanted her around or not.
Prowl studied Kelly for a moment, then took pity on the girl and waved her to come in. He continued cautiously. “We need to do what he says for now. I’m afraid he’s about to crack.”
“Me too,” said Miko.
Kelly took a few steps toward them but hung back, keeping her head lowered and trying not to cry. The soldiers’ words were serious and frightening.
“Come over here,” said Miko, seeing Kelly’s face. “Are you doing okay, kiddo?”
The endearing term caught Kelly off guard and left her without her voice. She shrugged and stood with them, cautious and careful not to mess up—if she said the wrong thing, they likely wouldn’t forgive her again. “I think he’s terrible,” Kelly finally said. “I want to go home. I’m sorry about what I said before.”
The two soldiers exchanged looks, and Prowl nodded slightly. Then Miko put her hand on Kelly’s shoulder. “Maybe when he’s distracted, we can find our way out of here somehow.”
Kelly’s eyes threatened to flood, and she nodded. But there wasn’t time for more conversation, because Braun came bumbling in.
“Kelly!” Braun said with a snort. He ruffled his quills and eyed Prowl, then continued. “Dr. Gray wants you to go with him.”
“With him?” said Kelly, trying not to show the despair she was feeling. “Where?”
“Not back to the zoo again,” muttered Miko. “Will he ever stop?”
“Not the zoo,” said Braun. “He said something about the marina.”
Kelly frowned. “Maybe he wants me to check on Mega,” she said.
“Yeah—you could swim out to find her,” said Miko. She paused, then gave Kelly’s hand a subtle squeeze and said wistfully, “I wish I could leave the house. Have fun.”
Braun eyed Miko. “If you wear your street clothes nobody will recognize you.”
Miko stared at the porcupine-bull man as if he’d lost his mind. “Um … I don’t think that’s wise,” she said sarcastically, indicating the wings and her hairy body. “I know I’ve done it before and all, but I’m sure we don’t want to risk drawing attention right now.”
“Cyke and I have gone out a few times after dark.”
“Really?” asked Miko.
“I’ve seen you,” said Prowl. “Does Dr. Gray know?” He seemed surprised that Braun would defy the scientist.
“He told me he doesn’t care anymore. He said the people will have to get used to folks looking different real soon, so we might as well break them in. But maybe he just feels that way about Cyke and me. I’m not sure if he’d allow you two to do it.” Braun looked hard at Prowl and Miko.
Prowl lifted his chin. “Why not?”
Braun shrugged and turned to go. “Maybe he’s worried you might try to escape or something.”
Miko and Prowl exchanged a nervous glance. “Interesting,” said Miko. She glanced back at her wings. “I wouldn’t want to get caught anyway.”
Kelly wasn’t sure what to think. And now she had to spend time with the increasingly paranoid doctor without anyone else around. She gave Miko and Prowl a grim smile and went to get a sweatshirt and her hat. While she was in the closet, she eyed Miko’s bodysuits again.
“Kelly!” shouted Dr. Gray from the bottom of the stairs.
“Coming!” she said. She grabbed one of Miko’s suits and detached the communication device from it, then stuffed that in her waist pack. If anything weird happened with Dr. Gray, she could at least contact Prowl through it.
Kelly closed her pack and clicked it around her waist. She zipped downstairs, slipping the sweatshirt over her head and cramming the hat on her head to hide her hair. Dr. Gray locked up the lab and they exited, leaving Cyke to keep watch.
The two went wordlessly down the street toward the lake. “What are we doing?” Kelly whispered eventually.
“We’re sightseeing,” said Dr. Gray
, heading to a ferry. “I’ve been curious about that big island in the lake, haven’t you?”
“I guess,” said Kelly. She hadn’t given it much thought after Dr. Gray had told her about the enormous statue. But it seemed extremely odd for Dr. Gray to suddenly want to leave his work and go visit.
Kelly knew she needed to pretend like everything was normal, like Prowl had said in the kitchen. She searched for something to say that would make her sound loyal. “So,” she said, “are you still planning to give me an extra … you know what?” It was about the last thing Kelly wanted at this point. But Kelly was an actor, and she faked it well.
Dr. Gray’s face flickered. “You’ll have your answer soon enough.”
“So that’s a … yes?”
Dr. Gray sighed. “Yes. Soon.”
“Okay, okay,” said Kelly. “Thanks. I’m excited.”
The paranoid man glanced at her, suspicious, but Kelly’s expression seemed honest. “Good,” he said.
Kelly quietly let out a held breath.
The ferry took them to a commercial dock on the island. The pair disembarked and followed signs to a taxi stand, where they caught a ride to the statue at the center of the island. Once there, Dr. Gray and Kelly went with a crowd of tourists going inside the statue. They avoided the museums and shops on the various lower floors, and instead focused on climbing up the endless flights of winding stairs through the body of the statue. It was an exhausting climb, but it made Kelly feel good to get some exercise again after being stuck in the house for so long. Dr. Gray, as tired as he’d seemed in the lab, appeared to be reenergized by this place.
At the top, they went under an archway and out a door to the observation deck. As they caught their breath after the climb, Dr. Gray strolled around the space, looking out over the island and water. “Lovely,” he said. “Very interesting.”
Kelly looked around. It was cool being all the way up here, with the breeze on her cheeks. She could see for miles, and for the first time in a while she felt like she was free, even though Dr. Gray was right there. It would be so sweet to soar out over the world without any worries. It made her think of Miko and her wings.