Zoey looked at the men. The man standing in front had on the red-blood uniform, as did the other two. His blond hair was cut so short it looked almost bald. He had a thick neck, a square jaw, and the pink eyes of an albino. A whip hung on a clasp by his belt. It was thin and made of a glowing green material, almost like a fluorescent light. Zoey could make out small electric charges running along it.
The second man was as big as Agent Vargas, but looked nothing like him. His muscles bulged through a uniform that was clearly too small. His face, neck, chest, and forearms were covered with thick brown hair, and his hands were the size of car rims. He looked like a cross between a man and a bear. He had no weapons on him.
But the strangest one of all was the third man.
His head was abnormally large for his body, and his face was warped. His eyes were glazed over and bulged out of their sockets, and his mouth stretched all the way back to his ears. He looked like an insect. He was bald except for a few black strands of hair that went around his head like a crown. And when he opened his mouth, Zoey gagged.
As his lips parted, two black spindly legs wiggled out, and then a black spider the size of a hamster crawled out of his mouth. It wriggled down his chest and sprang to the ground.
“AH!” Simon jumped as the spider scurried near his feet. He stepped on it. And when he removed his boot, only a pile of green guts and a flattened body remained of the spider.
The man smiled, and five more spiders scrawled out of his mouth.
“That’s enough, Araneae. You’ve had your fun.”
Mrs. Dupont strolled across the room. The man called Araneae opened his mouth and the spiders crawled back in. It was the sickest thing Zoey had ever seen. She wasn’t sure whether she should throw up or be amazed.
Nazar glared at the four Alphas, almost as if he disapproved of them. He turned and made his way back to his chair near the fireplace. He sat down, and the flames reflected in his glass eye.
Mrs. Dupont stepped over Xenor’s body. “I want you to escort our young agents here to the Transfiguration chamber.”
“What’s the Transfiguration chamber?” asked Simon as he shared a troubled look with Tristan and Zoey.
The woman with the globe kept watching Zoey with an icy stare.
“It’s a surprise,” said Mrs. Dupont, as she made her way towards the door. “Bring them,” she called back and disappeared through the door.
Zoey pulled at her bonds, but it was useless. She glanced over to the mirror on the side table. If only she could free her hands!
Something hard pushed her in the back.
“You heard the woman,” said the woman with the globe, and she held it close to Zoey’s face. “Move it.”
Zoey could see that Nazar continued to sit in his chair and stare at the fire.
Reluctantly, Zoey followed the others out of the room and down through the great hallway again. Mrs. Dupont led the way, her black silk robes billowing behind her. She headed towards the southeast part of her manor. More portraits of Mrs. Dupont hung on the walls. They stared down at Zoey with superior expressions, as if they knew she was walking to her doom.
They came to a set of large metal double doors at the other end of the hall. The doors screeched and wailed as the bear-man pulled them open. He stood back and Zoey could see a stone staircase that spiraled down into darkness beyond the doors. The only light came from single light bulbs that hung from the walls at intervals. The ground rumbled under Zoey’s feet, and she could hear machines somewhere down below.
Mrs. Dupont turned and did her best to smile before descending the staircase. Tristan froze at the top of the staircase and stared down into the depths. He looked alarmed.
“Tristan?” Zoey leaned closer. “What is it? What’s down there?”
“I’m not sure,” he said, “but it’s bad. I can feel it.”
“I have a nasty feeling about this,” said Simon. He screwed up his face. “What’s that smell? It smells like a barn.”
“Stop your yapping and move,” said the man with the whip.
But Zoey and the others didn’t move. They stayed at the top of the stairs.
In one fast and fluid movement, the man grabbed his whip and lashed it across their backs.
Zoey yelled out as searing pain tore at her skin like she’d just been burned, but she and the others stood defiantly.
“I’ll slice your heads right off if you don’t move,” growled the man. His whip glowed with green current.
Still, the young operatives didn’t move.
Araneae stepped forward and opened his mouth. A mass of black spiders crawled out, scurried down his body, and headed towards them. The bear-man roared and flexed his muscles. The buttons on his shirt popped open and revealed a mass of thick hair over his bulging pecs.
“Okay, we get it,” said Simon. He hurried down the staircase, slipped, and then steadied himself as best he could with his hands tied behind his back.
The woman raised her red glowing sphere and smiled at Zoey and Tristan. Zoey nudged Tristan with her shoulder and both began their descent.
It was like stepping into the dungeon of a medieval castle. The walls were made of timeworn stone, water trickled from many crevices, and the air smelled of mildew and wet earth. As they climbed down the spiraled staircase, the noise of the machines intensified. They sounded like auto-repair shops.
Finally, they arrived at the bottom and stepped into a giant basement chamber.
Zoey held her breath.
It was like stepping into a horrible science fiction movie. Giant water tanks the size of garages stood in each corner of the chamber. Dozens of beings floated in them—human and mystic. Tubes and wires attached them together so that their fluids traveled between them.
Zoey saw the dead dissected bodies of mystics lying on metal beds. Their insides had been torn apart in operations that looked like they had gone wrong. There were cells and compartments across from the chambers that looked like the ones at the Hive. They were occupied by sad-looking mystics who appeared to be waiting to die.
A large sign hand-painted on the wall read, Oubliette.
Zoey heard a scream. She followed the sound.
A medium-sized creature with bat-like wings and a long bushy purple tail was bound on a metal bed. A girl about Zoey’s age sat on the bed beside it. She had a strange smile on her face. Both the girl and the mystic had tubes protruding from their skin. A metal contraption stood between them like a defibrillator machine used in hospitals. A red light flicked on the machine. The creature screeched as its blood was pumped out and transferred into the girl.
Zoey watched as the mystic’s skin became paper thin and withered until there was nothing left of it but a dried up carcass.
When it was over, the girl doubled over and fell to her knees. At first Zoey thought she was going to die, too. But then her uniform stretched and ripped, and two large bat wings sprouted from her back. A dark smiled appeared on her lips.
“I’m definitely going to puke now,” said Simon, looking green.
The entire chamber was like a horrible scene from an old black and white horror film in which Mrs. Dupont was Dr. Frankenstein’s mad cousin. But what made Zoey sick to her stomach was the long line of Alphas waiting for their turn. Hundreds of men and women, young and old, stood anxiously, waiting to be part of the transfiguration process—to become part mystic. Instead of looking scared, they twitched and paced with excitement. They couldn’t wait to be fused with the mystic beasts. It was appalling.
And then Zoey realized what this was—Mrs. Dupont was creating an army of Alpha-mystic hybrids.
It was no wonder the Alphas that had attacked London Headquarters had nearly finished all the Agents; they were super beings - crossbreed creatures with mystic strength. But why? Why would anyone want to be subjected to such extremes? What was in it for them? And for Mrs. Dupont? Zoey was sure she was going to find out soon enough, and that somehow she would play a part in the madwoman’s plans.
Mrs. Dupont looked delighted that her captives should be so horrified. She turned to Tristan.
“You, of all people, should appreciate what we’ve done, since you yourself are part monster.”
“I was born. I wasn’t made,” He glared at her. “And by the looks of things, you’re the monster here,” he pointed to the mystics in the cages, “not them.”
“I’m not a monster,” said Mrs. Dupont, “I’m a creature of science and power—”
“More like a freak of nature,” laughed Simon, “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
He lost his smile when he realized he’d overstepped his bounds.
Mrs. Dupont’s eyes darkened like a great storm, but when she spoke her voice was steady.
“I want these two transfigured. The redhead comes with me.”
“NO!” Zoey moved protectively between Simon and Tristan. “Don’t you dare touch them! I’ll kill you, I swear—”
Something hard hit her in the back of the head, and she fell to her knees. She blinked the white spots from her eyes only to see Tristan and Simon being dragged away kicking and screaming by the bear-man and the man with the green whip.
She could see the fear in their eyes. Their hands were tied, and they couldn’t fight back. She had done this to them, and somehow she had to fix it.
“Get her up.”
Zoey was pulled to her feet. Her head still spun, and she focused on Tristan and Simon, not wanting to lose sight of them. Tristan kept turning back and looking at her, his face twisted in anguish.
“Let’s go, Zoey. It’s time to show you your big surprise.”
Mrs. Dupont made no attempt to look at Zoey. She turned and walked along the south wall of the great chamber.
“Go on, you heard the woman,” said the woman with the red globe. “Unless you want me to hit you over the head again—I’m afraid I might kill you the next time.”
With her heart in her throat, Zoey followed Mrs. Dupont. How long did she have until her friends were merged forever with mystics? Would they even survive such a thing?
She searched around frantically for a knife, a piece of glass, anything she could use to cut her bonds. But she saw nothing that could help.
They arrived at an elevator, and she followed Mrs. Dupont into it unwillingly. Every step away from her friends was like a stab in her heart.
“Where are we going?” she managed to ask.
“To the fourth floor,” answered Mrs. Dupont, “That’s where the surprise is, my dear.”
The woman with the globe pulled the metal screen closed and pressed the floor button. As the elevator jerked and lifted, Zoey searched for her friends, but she couldn’t find them. They were gone.
Zoey forced the tears from her eyes. She still had time. Think, she told herself, think!
After a short ride, the elevator shifted and stopped. The woman pulled open the elevator door and shoved Zoey out.
They stood in a triangular glass room. The stars and moon glowed above her. The floors were marble and were covered with strange runes from an ancient language. A round stone dais stood on a red circular symbol painted on the floor in the middle of the room. Glass vials that churned with different colored liquids sat above long tables set against the wall to the right. A metal contraption with tubes and wires and a variety of used syringes lay on another table. A single chair with bloodstained leather restraints was the only other piece of furniture in the room.
Zoey imagined that this must be Mrs. Dupont’s secret operating room. And Zoey had a pretty good idea who she experimented on—herself.
An old-looking vial with a metal stopper caught her eye. It was isolated from the other materials and was enclosed in a very secure-looking glass box. Inside the vial a black liquid stirred as though it were alive.
The black oil.
Chapter 16
The Great Junction
Zoey looked away quickly. The last thing she needed was for Mrs. Dupont to figure out why she and her friends had come here in the first place. She continued to glower at Mrs. Dupont and to play the angry victim.
Mrs. Dupont waved a red manicured hand at the woman with the red globe. “I don’t need you anymore, Deathray. You can go.”
“Of course, Mrs. Dupont.” The woman bowed her head slightly. Her eyes caught Zoey’s, and she smiled. “See you later, little girl.”
“Don’t bet on it.” Zoey’s wrists burned from the bonds, and her shoulders started to throb. She watched Deathray disappear down the elevator. That woman gave her the creeps.
Mrs. Dupont smiled. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
She raised her arms. “This is the portal chamber - where the magic happens. This is where I made my first important discoveries about the blood of the Originals. Just one drop of that ancient blood can do marvelous things.”
She paused and looked at Zoey. “A large quantity of it can open portals to the Nexus.”
“Great, you’re going to bleed me to death,” said Zoey. She moved towards the tables innocently.
Mrs. Dupont laughed, and Zoey cringed.
“You’re very funny, you know. I’m not going to bleed you, silly girl. No. I need all your fantastic blood inside you. I need all your abilities and all of your strength.”
“I’m sure I should thank you.”
Zoey scanned the table. If she could find something to break her bonds, then she could get her hands on the black oil, save her friends, and make her grand escape. Trouble was, she didn’t exactly know how she was going to do all that.
“So what is it you want me to do exactly?” said Zoey. Small talk might give her enough time to figure out her next move.
Mrs. Dupont peered at her, and her voice rose.
“You’re the key that unlocks the doorways.”
“I don’t get riddles, never have,” said Zoey.
Mrs. Dupont’s black robe trailed at her heels as she strolled around the room. “The Great Junction, my dear.”
“Never heard of it.”
“The Great Junction is the event that occurs when two portals from different worlds align. They make a permanent doorway, and the two worlds merge together.”
Zoey raised her brows. “And why would anyone want that?”
Mrs. Dupont sneered. “To rule both worlds. The time of the Originals has come. It’s time to bring back the old ways and rid both worlds of the monsters and the weak. Millions will die, perhaps billions. Those who oppose the old ways will die, and those who bend to my will will survive. It’s inevitable. It has been foreseen. Your world is over.”
“You’ll never be able to do this,” spat Zoey. “They’ll stop you.”
“Who’s going to stop me?” questioned Mrs. Dupont. “Do you mean your precious Agencies? By now all the Agencies around the world have fallen victim to the black oil. In just a few days, they’ll be nothing left but memories.”
For a few seconds Zoey said nothing and just glared at the deformed woman.
“So, how did you do it? I mean with the black oil? How did you infect the mirrors and the borders without being seen? It’s not like you’re easily missed.”
Mrs. Dupont adjusted the belt of her robe. “It was too easy. Well, it’s easy to prey on the minds of the young. Give them something that they want badly enough, and they’ll do whatever you ask of them.”
“I’m not following you.”
“It’s of no importance now.”
Mrs. Dupont grabbed Zoey’s arm and pulled her towards the center of the room with the strength of a man.
“It’s time we test your power.”
Zoey struggled out of her grip. “I won’t do it. Whatever it is that you need from me. I won’t. I won’t be part of your sick and twisted plans. I’d rather die.”
“Oh, but you will do it, I can promise you that.” Mrs. Dupont’s smile vanished.
“Right now your friends are being fused with their monsters. But if I want—I can stop the process midway. Their organs will be cut and half
merged, and their skin torn and burning. It will be excruciating for them. They will beg for me to kill them, to stop the pain. It will be exciting for me to watch, but I’m sure it’ll destroy your heart, little girl.”
Zoey blinked the tears from her eyes.
“Step up on the stone,” commanded Mrs. Dupont.
Zoey shook her head. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. “No.”
Mrs. Dupont raised her voice. “Get on the stone—”
“No—”
Mrs. Dupont grabbed Zoey and lifted her in the air. She kicked and screamed, but Mrs. Dupont’s grip was inhumanly strong, and the next thing Zoey knew, she had landed on the stone dais. The second her boots made contact with the surface of the stone, she was stuck. An invisible force from the stone itself held her down.
“What’s happening? What is this?” Zoey wailed and tried to pry her feet from the stone, but they were glued to the surface. She couldn’t move.
Mrs. Dupont smiled wickedly. “And now, we begin.”
She moved behind Zoey.
“What are you doing?”
Zoey winced as she felt something cold against her palm, then she felt hot pain.
“What did you do to me?” She could feel her own blood trickle down her fingertips.
“Blood of the Originals, dear girl. I need some.”
Her blood drained onto the circular symbol on the floor until a ring of blood surrounded her. She heard a click and looked up.
The glass walls stirred and began to glaze over, until finally they were transformed into giant mirrors. Zoey could see her terrified face reflected in the three great mirrors.
“Don’t do this, please!” she cried.
And then she remembered something. “It won’t work, you know,” she said hurriedly. “For your plan to work - you need me to think about the Nexus, don’t you? Well, I won’t do it. So it won’t work.”
Mrs. Dupont’s eyes widened. “I don’t need you to think of anything. I just need you, and your Original essence. These symbols etched into the stone will do all the necessary thinking. Everything’s been planned for years. My life’s work is written on those stones. We tried it with your mother, and it didn’t work. But with you I can see that it’s already working.”
Mystics 3-Book Collection Page 42