by Lisa McMann
Kelly’s eyes widened. Miko has wings. She could fly herself across the border back home. She didn’t need Prowl or her or any of them. Had she already thought of this? Sure, the US was far away, but Miko had a way out of here and nobody could catch her if she tried it. It made Kelly’s stomach twist a little, thinking about it. Would Miko ever leave them if things got too bad? She’d certainly been practicing her flying a lot lately.
Then Kelly’s thoughts turned to herself. With a start she wondered if she could escape somehow using her camouflage and hypnotism. Could she get past airport security? Sneak onto a plane without a ticket? It gave her a stomachache to think about. Maybe she could swim to freedom… .
Dr. Gray motioned to Kelly that it was time to go back to their hideout. Wordlessly Kelly followed, still thinking about Miko. They went down in the elevator this time, stuck with a crowd of tourists, then caught a taxi back to the ferry.
As they cruised across the lake to the mainland, Kelly hung over the railing and looked around for signs of Mega, but she didn’t see her. She turned to Dr. Gray. “I wonder how Mega’s doing. I thought maybe that’s why you brought me along? To check on her?”
Dr. Gray started. “What? No. I just wanted to make sure you were nearby in case I was in need of your talents… . And I thought it might do you well to get away from the soldiers for a while.” The man shrugged and turned to look back at the island. “I can’t worry about Mega right now.”
Kelly couldn’t stop her face from wrinkling in disgust as she stared at the back of Dr. Gray’s head. What a horrible thing to say about someone who had given so much of her life to help him. If Kelly had had any sympathy left for the doctor, it was gone now. He was a disgusting monster.
Back at the house, Dr. Gray nodded to Cyke in greeting. “Let’s have you and Prowl face off in the backyard so I can evaluate your new abilities. Komodo dragon versus electric eel.”
Cyke nodded and went to find Prowl.
A few minutes later the two were fighting viciously, attacking and rolling around and yelping and yowling, while Dr. Gray observed intently and took notes.
Later he returned to his lab with a spring in his step that hadn’t been present in weeks. He closed the door and locked it, then went to his lab station, where beakers filled with various formulas stood in a line. He studied them, then pushed a few aside and drew the rest around a larger empty one.
He hesitated, frowned, then moved the beakers he’d pushed aside back to their original places with the others. “Don’t second-guess,” he muttered. His fingers shook slightly. “You’ve had years to decide on some of these. It’s time.”
With a deep breath, the biologist measured and poured a tiny amount of the first beaker into the empty one. Then he added the next. And so on, until he’d transferred them all. He mixed them, then held the compound up to the light. “Just about ready.”
Victor went to a locked cabinet and opened it, then pulled out a vial containing a small amount of liquid. He brought it to the table and poured it into the mixture.
With a startling laugh, he brought the new formula to the mist machine and went to pour it into the chamber, but then he hesitated. He slowly set the beaker down, frowning. “Timing, timing,” he muttered. “Let’s not rush this. Think it through.”
He put a stopper on the beaker and slid it, along with a syringe, into his lab coat pocket for later. He paused, thinking, then went back to the line of beakers. He pulled a large, empty container from the sterilization cabinet and set it on the counter, then began to pour all the remaining liquids into it, except for the one he’d kept locked away. “There,” he muttered. He mixed it, then sealed the container and set it on the edge of the table near the door. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head as if he were arguing with himself. “A bit of sleep first might help. This must go perfectly.”
While his back was turned, a ladybug flew off the table and hid in the corner of a windowsill, and a dragonfly slowly backed into the lab sink drain until it was safe to come out again. They had recorded everything.
CHAPTER 35
A Reason to Panic
At the Phoenix airport, the team of doctors and children waited near the gate for their flight to board. Most of them were seated and either reading or working on their phones or tablets. Only Dr. Jakande paced the aisle, going to the window occasionally to peer anxiously for their plane to arrive. She glanced at her new device, similar to Maria’s, which would turn her into a werepanther and allow her to look human when she needed to. After so many years as a hybrid, she sometimes felt a bit odd having human skin again—it almost seemed like she was missing part of herself without her fur and bodysuit. She brought the suit in her carry-on for when she’d need it. It doubled as a security blanket in a way. She could use the extra layer as protection, but perhaps she’d also grown used to hiding behind it.
But Nubia was getting used to being her old self again, and liking the freedom of it. She glanced at the time and frowned, then returned to the group. “Our plane isn’t here yet,” she muttered to Dr. Goldstein.
He grunted and looked up from his work. “What’s that?”
“The plane,” she said, stabbing her thumb in that direction. “It isn’t here yet. We’re supposed to be boarding.”
Jack looked out the window. “Maybe it’s late. I’ll check.” He typed something into his tablet and pulled up details on the inbound plane. “Hmm,” he said. “Delayed. Which means we’ll be delayed too.”
Charlie looked over, having overheard the conversation. “How late will it be?” They had a bus to catch once they got to Guadalajara, and it was a long ride. Hours, her mom had told her.
Dr. Sharma seemed about to speak, but her phone began to buzz. “It’s Erica,” she told the others, and answered it. “Hi. Our plane’s running late. What’s going on?” Dr. Sharma listened for a long moment, at times her eyes widening.
“What is it?” asked Charlie’s mom.
Dr. Sharma held a finger up and kept listening. Finally she said into the phone, “Keep us posted. I’ll let you know when we’re about to take off. We’re coming as fast as we can.”
Just then the airline representative came on the loudspeaker. “Guadalajara passengers, flight 975 has been delayed. The new boarding time is four p.m.”
A murmur spread through the waiting area as people expressed their dissatisfaction.
“That’s almost two hours,” said Mac to Maria and Charlie. “We’re definitely going to miss our bus.”
Mrs. Wilde was up like a shot and heading to the counter to get more information. The rest of the group gathered around Dr. Goldstein, who was looking online for other flights. Dr. Sharma’s conversation with Ms. Sabbith was momentarily forgotten while they assessed how this delay would affect their plans.
Charlie’s mom returned a moment later. “There’s nothing they can do,” she said. “No other nonstop flights go out today. This is still our fastest option. I think we just wait it out.” She sighed, annoyed. “I’ll see what I can do about the bus.”
“I’ll help you,” said Dr. Goldstein, already typing. “Maybe we could hire a passenger van.”
Mr. Wilde agreed. “That might be faster than waiting for the next bus.”
The adults got to work trying to figure out the best way for them to proceed, while Mac, Maria, and Charlie looked fearfully at one another. Finally, Maria tapped Dr. Sharma on the shoulder. “What did Ms. Sabbith say?”
Dr. Sharma looked up, harried. “Oh! Sorry. She said Dr. Gray is further along than we expected.” Her expression turned grim. “He just put together two formulas. A small batch that appears to be only for himself, but he hasn’t used it yet. The other is much larger. We don’t need to guess what that’s for.”
Dr. Sharma continued. “Since he’s got our vapor machine working again, it probably wouldn’t take much work to modify it to work on a larger scale. He’d be able to release it as mist into the air and infect a lot of people at once.”
�
�And he’s ready to go?” Charlie asked, looking terrified. “Like, now? Before we get there?”
“He seems ready,” Dr. Sharma confirmed. “The formulas are done. He just needs to decide where and when to release them. Sabbith said he went out somewhere with Kelly this morning.”
Dr. Jakande leaned forward. “Is Erica sure that one of the formulas is for himself? I never expected him to undergo the transformation—he’s never done it in the past. I always thought he would be too cowardly.”
“That’s what she’s assuming.”
“Maybe he ran out of soldiers to test things on,” said Maria.
“It’s interesting,” said Dr. Sharma. “Erica said he added something to his dose that’s not in the larger formula.”
Mr. Wilde looked sharply over at them. “He added something to it? More DNA?”
“I don’t know,” said Dr. Sharma. “He kept it in a locked cabinet.”
Mr. Wilde tapped a finger on his chin, eyes narrowed. “He hasn’t used that jellyfish on anyone, has he?”
“Not that we know of.”
“He sure wanted it badly, though, didn’t he?”
“He went out multiple times in search of it,” said Dr. Sharma slowly, thinking hard.
Charlie piped up. “They were looking for it all the way back when we saw them at SeaWorld.”
Mr. Wilde glanced at his daughter, then turned abruptly back to his tablet and began typing. “Jellyfish. Jellyfish. I remember … something …” Just as abruptly his fingers stopped typing and he stared at the screen. “The Turritopsis dohrnii,” he said under his breath. “Just as I thought.”
Charlie and the others exchanged uneasy looks.
Mr. Wilde’s gaze flitted down the screen as he speed-read the article. After a moment, he looked up. “When I was researching animal healing properties years ago, I came across something that tempted me, but ultimately I passed on it for obvious reasons.”
“Charles,” said Dr. Sharma, “what are you talking about?”
Mr. Wilde blew out a breath and looked up. “I think I know exactly what Victor is planning. I bet he gave himself DNA from the immortal jellyfish. He wants to live forever.”
CHAPTER 36
A Race to Stop Dr. Gray
As the plane drew up to the gate, Mac, Maria, and Charlie read about the immortal jellyfish. They studied the details, looking slightly horrified. After a minute, Mac set his tablet down. “I guess, unlike most animals, it doesn’t grow old and die,” he said. “It, uh, becomes an adult, and then it decides to just go back to being a kid and starts its, um, life cycle, all over again. And it can keep doing that forever?”
“That,” said Maria, sitting back, “is crazy. So, Dr. Gray wants to be a kid again? He’s been hanging out with Kelly too long.”
Charlie nodded. “Really glad Dad didn’t put that in my bracelet. One time going through puberty is enough, thank you very much.”
“You said it,” said Mac.
With this new revelation churning through their thoughts, Charlie and her friends finally boarded the plane and took off for Mexico. The flight felt immortal too—like it lasted forever.
Once they got to Guadalajara, their hired driver was waiting to take them to the address Ms. Sabbith had given them. It was a long trip, and by the time they got to the town, it was well past midnight. Bored, and with their laptop and tablet batteries dead, Charlie, Mac, and Maria messed around with their bracelets. Charlie kept accidentally activating her night vision and chirping, making everyone cranky. And Mac inadvertently clicked into pangolin mode, smashing the girls into their windows. Thankfully it was dark and Mac was able to change back before the driver noticed.
At last they arrived at the house. Ms. Sabbith came out to greet them as they unloaded their equipment and luggage.
“Anything new happening?” Dr. Sharma asked anxiously.
“Not yet.” Ms. Sabbith looked exhausted. She’d slept fewer hours than Dr. Gray had, since she was alone and constantly monitoring what he was doing. When he was sleeping, she’d had to double-check the other cameras to make sure she hadn’t missed something important. It was a tough job to perform solo.
Once inside, Ms. Sabbith showed everyone the setup. According to the insect cameras, the lab was currently unlocked and the door to the room was standing open. “This hasn’t happened since I arrived,” said Ms. Sabbith. “Victor spoke secretly to Cyke, Braun, Fang, and Morph. Then he took the two formulas and went to his bedroom.”
Prowl stood guard by the front door. As they watched him, they could see Braun and Cyke come inside.
“None of them are wearing their masks,” said Maria. “That’s strange.”
“They haven’t been,” said Ms. Sabbith. “Miko gave up her suit entirely. When Braun and Cyke go out, they wear street clothes. Braun covers up his quills, but not his face. Either they’re feeling emboldened by what Dr. Gray is planning, or they think they are less likely to be apprehended because the news has the photos of them in their full bodysuits.”
“Where’s Kelly?” asked Mac.
“She shares a bedroom with Miko upstairs. As far as I know, she’s sleeping.”
“Speaking of sleep,” said Mr. Wilde, “we should all try to get some.”
Ms. Sabbith pulled herself away from the screens and showed everyone where they could put their things. Dr. Sharma insisted Ms. Sabbith get some rest, too. “I’ll watch Gray’s place for a while. Don’t worry.”
Ms. Sabbith gave her a grateful look. “I appreciate it. Wake me if anything happens.”
“I will.”
Charlie, Maria, and Mac found a room with two sets of bunk beds. They collapsed in them, not even arguing over who got the top. They fell asleep fast and slept hard.
At the surveillance table, Dr. Sharma monitored the screens until her eyes dried out. She rubbed them, then got up and paced the floor in order to keep herself awake. Nearing dawn, with nothing happening in Dr. Gray’s house, she convinced herself she could take a short nap just so she could be refreshed enough to take action in the morning if they needed her. She set an alarm and nodded off.
When it eventually went off, startling her awake, Dr. Sharma turned immediately to the recordings to see if she’d missed anything.
The footage caught Dr. Gray leaving his bedroom. Without fanfare, he carried the mist machine and the large cylinder of liquid past Prowl and outside. Braun and Cyke followed. Then Morph and Fang.
“Where is everybody going?” Prowl asked the last two. “What’s happening?”
Fang stopped and looked coldly at him. “Dr. Gray didn’t tell you?”
Prowl shook his head.
“I guess you’re not meant to know, then. I had a feeling he didn’t trust you anymore.”
Prowl’s eyes widened and his new electric claws came out sparking. But he seemed too stunned to do anything. Fang shrugged and went out the door, closing it behind him.
The leopard man waited a beat, then looked around uncertainly, like he wasn’t sure what to do. Eventually he sneaked out the door after them.
Dr. Sharma’s eyes widened. The cameras didn’t pick up what happened next. She fast-forwarded.
Prowl returned to the house, striding with purpose up the stairs. Several minutes later he came back down with Miko and Kelly behind him. The three were talking heatedly. “They’re heading toward the marina,” Prowl said. “They’ve got the formula.”
With that revelation, Dr. Sharma shot up and ran to wake Ms. Sabbith. If that happened while she was asleep, what could be going on now? Was it already too late to stop them?
Charlie roused with a start when she heard footsteps pounding down the hallway. She woke up Mac and Maria, and the three of them peered around the corner into the surveillance area. They saw Ms. Sabbith, hair disheveled, rapidly working the computer with Dr. Sharma looking over her shoulder.
“Come on,” said Mac. “Something’s happening.” He ran up to the screen. The girls followed.
Ms. Sabbi
th rewound the video. They watched Dr. Gray leave with the machine and the formula, then Cyke and Braun. She zoomed in on Prowl’s face, showing his confusion, and they heard the conversation Prowl had with Fang.
“Can that be true?” whispered Dr. Sharma. “Is Prowl no longer trusted?”
“It can’t be,” muttered Ms. Sabbith. “Why would he be guarding the door if Dr. Gray didn’t trust him? Fang is just trying to get under Prowl’s skin. He probably doesn’t like it that Prowl is one of Gray’s favorites.”
“That makes more sense,” said Dr. Sharma.
They quieted and fast-forwarded through the part where Prowl left the house, and the part where he went upstairs. Then Ms. Sabbith slowed the video again where he came back down with Miko and Kelly.
“All of them,” Prowl was saying. “Everyone but us three.”
“But where are they going?” asked Miko. “Was Gray carrying the formula?”
“Yes. And he had the mist machine.”
“So … ,” said Miko, “he’s going somewhere to somehow spray that stuff? And then everyone around will change into chimeras?” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Why the marina?” demanded Kelly.
“Let’s go find out,” muttered Miko. She said a few other things under her breath, but the insect microphones weren’t able to pick them up.
Watching everything, Charlie was confused. Why weren’t these three a part of this? Had they done something to make Dr. Gray mad? What was going on?
“Kids,” said Ms. Sabbith, “go get ready. Right away. I’m going to see if I can find out where they’re heading. And with any luck, our little ladybug here is going to find them and tag along.”
CHAPTER 37
The Chase Is On
“Let’s not forget these.” Dr. Sharma handed the kids their earpieces for the new communication system. They inserted them and performed a quick test. Everything appeared to be working.