by Lisa McMann
Dr. Gray lifted the mist machine onto the tripod. He tightened the fasteners, then slid his fingers down the machine’s electrical cord and plugged it into the generator. Once he seemed satisfied with the placement of everything, he picked up the large cylinder of formula and began pouring it into a chamber.
“Oh no,” muttered Charlie, her heart sinking. Serious emergency. Where was everyone? She couldn’t stop him alone. She glanced at her device, remembering what Ms. Sabbith had said. This was definitely an emergency—she needed help. She held her finger poised over the button, then pressed it, holding it down. She hoped it had worked.
“Hearing you loud and clear, Charlie,” came Ms. Sabbith’s calm voice in her ear. “The others are nearby and I’m telling them you need help.”
Charlie didn’t dare to make a sound. A moment later she heard a scuffling sound from across the room, but when she looked, no one was there. Wishful thinking, perhaps. She was still alone.
When the large cylinder was empty, Dr. Gray set it down. He picked up the small beaker and put it in his lab coat pocket. Then he opened the toolbox and removed a remote control device. Leaving the mist machine in place, he slipped inside the glass door and stood just a few dozen feet from Charlie.
The man turned to look at the contraption. The liquid inside shimmered in the sunlight. When the door closed, he lifted the remote and clicked it.
Charlie gasped. What was he doing? The generator roared. The machine’s fan engaged. Then the mist began to siphon out through a makeshift tube. It shot high into the air, the tiny particles arching and flying with the wind.
It was the ultimate chimera formula. And it was being dispersed into the air, like a flu virus, over the island. People wouldn’t know what was happening. But they’d be feeling some changes. Soon.
“Nooo!” cried Charlie, abandoning her hiding place and running at the man. She had to stop the machine! Before Dr. Gray could turn around, Cyke and Fang appeared from one of the hallways. Seeing Charlie running at the doctor, they tore after her. But Charlie was faster.
Feeling desperate, she dived at the man, knocking him to the floor. But before she could grab his remote control, Fang shot out in front of her, teeth bared. Suddenly the two soldiers were on her, pinning her to the cold floor. Then they picked her up by the arms. Her legs swung forward and she hung in the air between them. Fang hissed, his yellow irises glowing as he stared into her eyes.
And still no one came.
CHAPTER 44
Island of Chaos
“You again,” said Cyke. He sounded disgusted to see Charlie. His voice had taken on a strange high-pitched howl at the end of his sentences, and Charlie thought she caught a glimpse of a few needlelike fangs inside his mouth. “You’re a little too late.”
“And a little too weak,” said Fang. His tongue flickered.
Cyke looked at Fang like he could barely tolerate him, but said nothing to him. “Are you okay, Dr. Gray?”
“I think so.” Dr. Gray got to his feet and dusted off his pants. He checked his pockets and all seemed to be to his liking. Then he lifted his gaze to the intruder.
Charlie struggled, trying to use her strength to escape, but dangling between them with their iron grip on her arms made it impossible to get any traction.
“Just this one?” said Dr. Gray, stepping back slightly in disdain. He turned to check his masterpiece. “No doubt there are more coming.” The man sighed, but seemed strangely at peace now that his formula was being spread out into the air. “I thought we were through with them, but it doesn’t matter. They’re too late.” He turned fully to the glass door. “Come here, Charlie. I want you to see what I’ve done.”
“You’re a monster!” yelled Charlie, unable to go anywhere in the soldiers’ grip. “Stop what you’re doing! It’s against … humanity!” Charlie was so impassioned she could barely find words.
“It’s for humanity,” Dr. Gray insisted. “Your father’s been lying to you. And I’m not a monster yet. That’s next. In fact, let’s do it now before your friends come.” He reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out a syringe and the small beaker full of formula. He held it up to the light. “Concentrated,” he said. “Watch this.”
Charlie’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to watch!” she cried, though she couldn’t look away. She stopped struggling and felt Cyke’s grip relax a little. Where were the others? It had been stupid of her to rush at Dr. Gray without backup around. But seeing that chimera formula had made her throw all caution to the wind. If she could catch Cyke and Fang off guard she’d be strong enough to get loose. But she was trying to buy time so her friends would arrive. They had to be coming soon.
“Put me down!” Charlie yelled as loudly as she could, trying to warn them that something was going on. Where were they? She couldn’t fight all three of these men alone. Especially if whatever was in that beaker would turn Dr. Gray into a chimera with all sorts of unknown abilities.
Dr. Gray looked lovingly at the liquid. “I’ve put so much into this,” he said. “My whole life’s work for this moment.” He slipped off his lab coat and pushed the sleeve of his T-shirt up. Then he uncapped the beaker. He put the syringe inside and drew it full of the liquid.
“Don’t do it!” Charlie begged.
“You can’t stop me,” said Dr. Gray. Then he slid the needle into his arm and pushed the plunger until the liquid was gone. “It won’t be long now,” he said, satisfied.
Charlie stared, half-devastated and half-dying to know what would happen. “Why didn’t you just stand out in that mist and inhale that stuff?”
Dr. Gray looked at the small amount that remained in the beaker. He swirled it, shrugged, then drank it down. “Because my dose is special,” he said, dabbing his lips. “Incredibly powerful. As the new world leader, I need to be … obeyed. Forever, so to speak.” He closed his eyes. “Here it comes.” He began to smile as his body lines began to waver. He started to morph … into what, Charlie didn’t know.
Fang’s jaw slacked. “This is amazing,” he said.
Charlie watched in shock. Dr. Gray grew taller and bigger all around. His fingers became long, sharp claws like Prowl’s. His toes pushed through the tips of his shoes; claws there, too. Wings started to grow from his back. His mouth widened and his teeth became sharpened, reminding Charlie of Mega. He turned and peered at himself in the window’s reflection, and began to laugh.
Charlie wasn’t sure of all the animals he’d put into his special formula, but they definitely looked powerful. And Gray was looking eager to use them. She began to wonder if her friends had all been captured somehow. Was she alone here with these monsters? She knew she shouldn’t look at the stairs, because that would give the soldiers a clue that she was expecting backup. But she couldn’t help it. She glanced. There was no one there. Her heart sank.
Dr. Gray began to howl with laughter, like a wolf laughing at the moon. He was really losing it now.
Suddenly Dr. Gray’s hair turned from gray to brown. His face lost its wrinkles. His hunched shoulders straightened and he became … almost boyish.
“What’s happening to me?” he cried, his voice cracking and returning less deep than before. He looked down at himself.
“You look like a young man, sir!” said Fang. He relaxed his grip, and Charlie slowly flexed her biceps to create more room for when she planned her escape.
Dr. Gray had grown younger. “The jellyfish,” Charlie muttered under her breath. He had regenerated into a youthful version of himself. “Did you mean for that to happen with the immortal jellyfish?” Charlie asked, trying to catch him off guard. “Is that why you’re acting so … immature?”
“Be quiet.” Dr. Gray growled at her and began to test out his other abilities. He hopped from one foot to another with a new spring in his step. Then he slammed his fist into a pillar and broke the tile. “Nice,” he muttered.
Not nice, Charlie thought, eyes widening. Now there was really no way for her to beat all three of
them.
A flash of red appeared at the top of the stairs. Charlie’s viper vision picked up someone in camouflage sneaking toward them. Her heart surged. Kelly! But then she grew worried. What if it was Morph? She glanced toward the stairway again, and saw Dr. Jakande nearly flat against the steps like she was ready to pounce. When Charlie caught her eye, the woman nodded almost imperceptibly. She and Kelly were there, and hopefully Maria, too. And they were ready.
It was now or never. With a wild yell, Charlie jerked her arms loose, then rammed her elbows backward with all her strength, hitting Cyke and Fang in the stomach. Then she flipped her fists up to catch them in the face.
Fang struck out with his poisonous fangs, just grazing Charlie arm, but the suit stopped him from breaking the skin. She kicked him in the chin and whirled out of his reach, then leaped at Cyke, getting a better look at his face as they went down. Charlie could definitely see two long, thin needles inside his mouth. Two poisonous chimera soldiers at a time was two too many for Charlie.
She saw Kelly on the move, heading fast toward Fang, who was struggling to get up. Charlie stuck with fighting Cyke, throwing punches at the side of his head when he tried to get up. Then he clocked her hard in the chin and she realized he now had Komodo-dragon-like claws instead of hands. No wonder he’d had such a sharp grip on her!
Kelly, in camouflage mode and with her spikes extended, whirled around with her leg outstretched. She caught Fang in the hip. He yelped in surprise, looking all around to see what had hit him. Then he began howling in pain. He raked the air with his wolf claws, trying to find his camouflaged attacker.
Dr. Gray noticed Cyke struggling under Charlie’s grasp. He came toward them with a beastly swagger.
From the stairwell, Dr. Jakande saw her opportunity. She bounded forward and pounced on Dr. Gray’s back, sinking her claws into his new toughened skin. He yelled, surprised, and whirled around, slapping at her, trying to get her off him. Then he backed into a stone sculpture as hard as he could, flattening the panther woman and knocking the wind out of her. Her claws retracted and she slid to the ground, gasping. He turned around and looked at her. His face was filled with surprise, then became pained. “Zed,” he said. “You … came back.” He looked confused, then his face cleared and turned stony. “But not to help me.” He shook his head at her. “You joined them? How could you do that to me?”
Dr. Jakande slowly got to her feet, trying to catch her breath and collect her wits so she could be prepared for whatever he’d do next. Then, impulsively, she tapped the communication button on her device so Ms. Sabbith would be able to hear the conversation. Perhaps she could get a confession from the man.
“How could you do this? Try to turn everyone in the world into chimeras?” she asked him. “You’ve taken this way too far, Victor.” She hesitated. “And I think you know it, too.”
“There’s no such thing as going too far to save humanity,” said Dr. Gray.
“When you make everyone into animals, humanity loses! It’s a mistake!”
“You’re wrong!” said Dr. Gray, his anger building. “If that’s what you believe, why did you come with me in the first place?”
“Because back then your intentions were good.” Dr. Jakande tested her leg strength and prepared to pounce again. “Or at least that’s what you told us. But now …” She sighed, almost with regret. “Now you think you’re going to rule a world of obedient beasts. You hid it from me, but I know the truth about you. Do the other soldiers?” She stepped around him slowly. “Do you, Cyke? And, Fang? Do you know how badly Victor Gray has lost his way?”
Dr. Gray exploded, tearing at the air and coming at her, ready to destroy her.
Dr. Jakande dodged him. “Where are they all, Victor? Where are Prowl and Miko?”
“They’re not to be trusted!” Dr. Gray roared, unable to help himself from responding. He went after Dr. Jakande again. “They don’t see the benefits of my plan. But I’ll terminate them. Just like I’m about to terminate you!”
Dr. Jakande tsked. “After all they’ve done for you, that’s how you reward them?” She glanced down to make sure her microphone was still on. Then the panther woman ran and sprang over Victor’s head, jumping out of reach. She climbed the wall and leaped, grabbed on to a chandelier, then dropped on top of him again, claws extended and sinking in. He shrieked and tried to wrestle her off him, but she was stuck fast.
Finally Dr. Gray managed to get his own claws in Dr. Jakande. He ripped her off him and threw her over his head with all his newfound strength. Her body flew fast and smashed hard into the wall. She dropped to the floor, broken and still. The scientist stared at her for a moment in horror, like he couldn’t believe what he’d done. But then his face hardened. He whirled around accusingly and started toward the other fights. “You are the cause of this!” he roared when he saw Charlie still struggling with Cyke. “And you won’t make it out of here alive!”
Charlie glared.
Kelly, who’d just stabbed Fang again with poison, looked up and saw Dr. Gray acting crazy and going after Charlie. She left the soldier half-paralyzed and hissing, and struggled to her feet. She limped toward the doctor, checking her device as she went, and accidentally clicked off her camouflage. Kelly glanced up to see Dr. Gray staring at her. In a panic she turned her camo back on again, but it was too late. Before she could attack him, the man swung his arm out like a tree trunk and smacked it into her, sending her skittering across the room. “You’re a traitor too, Kelly?” he said in disgust. “After all I did for you? I saved you.”
Kelly cowered and stifled a cry, her head spinning and her ear and face on fire. She crawled farther away, blending into the marble floor, but his narrowed eyes followed her. “You got me stuck in Mexico,” Kelly said, scrambling to think of something to say that would give her a few moments to recover. “And … you broke your promise. You never gave me another ability like you said you would.”
“I told you I would in time!” shouted Dr. Gray. “And that time would’ve been now—you’d have gotten the same amazing abilities as all my lovely new chimeras. Plus, I would have let you keep your bracelet.” He lowered his voice. “If only you’d been loyal. But I saw what you were doing. Braun was watching you. You and Miko whispering. Miko and Prowl sneaking around these last few weeks, talking about me behind my back. I knew at the end that I wouldn’t be able to trust any of you. And now, because of what you’ve done, I won’t give you the satisfaction of receiving these abilities I’ve worked my entire life to collect and refine. Because you don’t deserve them. Cyke,” he commanded, turning to the soldier, “this fight is to the death. Call in the others from downstairs.”
Cyke blocked Charlie’s fist and cringed. “I’ve already tried. They’re not answering.”
“If you’ve done something to my soldiers … ,” warned Dr. Gray. Before he could say what he’d do, Maria came charging at the scientist, werealligator mode deployed. She lunged at him and grabbed his arm in her mouth, chomping down hard.
Dr. Gray howled and shook her off. He picked her up and drop kicked her down the flight of stairs. Then he turned back to Charlie.
Charlie smashed her foot into Cyke’s chin, sending him reeling and flopping to the floor. “Go poison yourself!” she yelled. Then she saw Dr. Gray charging toward her. “Kelly! I need help!” Winded and bruised all over, Charlie wasn’t sure she could handle Dr. Gray and Cyke at the same time. But escape was a temporary option. Fingers tingling, she sprang for the wall and stuck to it, then climbed up out of reach of Dr. Gray. She caught her breath, then moved onto the ceiling and crawled so that she was above Dr. Gray’s head. She scaled down onto a chandelier and started swinging on it, then let go of one hand and foot so she was hanging, ready to kick him in the face if he got too close.
Dr. Gray sprang at her. Charlie wasn’t expecting him to jump so well, and didn’t pull back in time. He grabbed onto her ankle and they hung there for a moment. Then he yanked her to the floor. Charlie hit hard. S
he lay still.
Dr. Gray stumbled and lost his grip. He righted himself and charged at the unconscious girl.
“I don’t think so!” From the stairwell, Mac appeared in full pangolin mode. He clanked toward the scuffle, sharp scales pivoted outward and claws bared. Mac plowed into the scientist and began spinning, slicing into the doctor with his sharp pangolin scales.
Maria came hopping back up the stairs, in monkey mode this time. She climbed the banister and leaped for the chandeliers. Then swung from one to the next and slammed her feet into Dr. Gray’s chest, sending him reeling away from Charlie. Maria turned and headed toward Cyke.
Mac noticed Dr. Jakande still on the floor in a heap, and ran to help her. Kelly reached Charlie, who was stirring. She took Kelly’s outstretched hand and pulled herself to her feet. Dr. Gray, Cyke, and Fang were all down—Fang was paralyzed by Kelly’s poison and seemingly out of the game. But Dr. Gray and Cyke were stirring.
“We got this,” said Charlie to the others. She spat out a mouthful of blood. “I hope my teeth grow back or my mom’s gonna kill me.”
“Look out,” warned Mac. “Cyke’s up.”
“Not for long,” said Charlie, stepping toward him. Cyke lunged at her and she stuck her arm out, clotheslining him. He flipped and landed on his back. Charlie cracked her elbow into his face.
“Nice one,” said Mac.
But Charlie’s expression turned fearful as she stood up. “Oh crud,” she said, looking down at her arm. Cyke’s fangs had connected and sunk into Charlie’s skin. Her arm began to ache and swell. “No!” she cried as the venom pulsed through her. She kicked Cyke in the stomach with all her strength, sending him flying into the wall. Her friends chased after him to try to keep him down.
Charlie couldn’t join them. She broke out into a cold sweat and bent over, feeling dizzy. The room began spinning. She couldn’t control her movements. She stumbled forward and went down to her hands and knees. She never saw Dr. Gray coming.