Under Loch and Key

by Kathryn Cockrill

  Genetic Engineering in Mammals.

  DNA Sequencing and Modification.

  Mythical Creatures: A Complete Field Guide.

  Evidently, he wasn’t lying about trying to create mythical creatures. I’d seen it, obviously, with Nessie, but he was now clearly trying to create more. I could see how it would work. If you released the actual Loch Ness Monster into Loch Ness and set up an independent company to run boat tours where you could guarantee a sighting, he would be laughing. That sonar they’d been using in Scotland made sense; a way to draw the creature to you and, from above the water, it would be almost silent. I cast my mind back to what I’d seen on the computer talking about Stage 3 and the Lycan Project.

  What would Lycan be? It means wolf but wolves aren’t mythical…

  The wolf in Lab 3 popped into my head, used to carry something that probably wasn’t just a wolf. It dawned on me a second later and I mentally slapped myself for taking so long to get to it,

  They aren’t doing another animal hybrid. They’re making a werewolf.

  That meant human-animal hybridisation. I wasn’t even sure if that was possible. Even the thought itself made me feel slightly nauseated.

  He might, in his mind, be doing this for the people, but there was a large part of this, that he had even admitted himself, was about money. The amount he could stand to make from this would be insane. It would set him up as one of the richest, most powerful people in the world, all from behind the scenes.

  As my mind was spinning, they continued to have their conversation, the hissing whispers breaking into my thoughts every so often. After what felt like an age, my mind going round and round as I tried to unpack what I’d realised, they stepped apart. Caden marched back to me, spinning round and standing stock still. Rick stood up from leaning against his desk, moving towards me, stopping about a foot away. He crossed his arms, the suit stretching across his biceps. His eyes were scrutinising me, the Arctic blue boring into me. I stayed still, even though the scrutiny made me want to squirm.

  “It seems, Miss Farrow, that we have reached an impasse. Caden cannot tell me whether or not you are telling the truth, an oversight on his part.” He shot Caden a glare. “I do not wholeheartedly believe that you were smart enough to have the forethought. Eli, it seems, got all the brains. But I don’t wish to risk GAI and everything I’ve built just in case you aren’t lying. So well done.” He shot me a grin, though it didn’t reach his eyes. I couldn’t pin him down; he was all over the place. But, and I kept the grin to myself as he said it, I’d done what I wanted. I’d avoided, or at least prolonged, whatever ‘removal’ he had in mind and that meant, I could still get to Eli. “That means, however, that I need a bargaining chip of my own. One, I think, you’ll be more than happy to negotiate with. So, Caden, please go and fetch Miss Farrow’s brother and bring him to me. I’m sure she can’t wait to see him again.”

  All the air seemed to go out of my lungs as the words left his mouth. Caden nodded once, curt, and left the room, leaving me alone with Rick. We stared at each other in silence. He seemed to be holding back a smile as he watched me. Could he see that I was on edge? The thought of seeing Eli, and him seeing me, for the first time properly in three years was incredibly nerve-shredding. I was holding my breath as I registered the footsteps coming towards the door of Rick’s office. The click of the handle made me jump and I heard Rick chuckle. I turned around as the door swung open. Caden was first through the door; his eyes met mine and he seemed to try and communicate something, but I was already focussed over his shoulder.

  Eli’s hair was the first thing I saw, the same sunlit blonde as I’d seen hiding behind the storage container. Now I could see him fully, I could see some differences. He was taller, and broader than when I’d last seen him, muscles that hadn’t been there three years ago suddenly jumping up from under his shirt. He had stubble across his jawline, a shadow cast across his mouth and somehow the rest of his face seemed sharper. But the main difference was how he carried himself. He walked with a confidence that I hadn’t seen from him ever; he’d always hung back, keeping to himself around people he didn’t know, but now his eyes were narrowed, and his chin was raised. He hadn’t noticed me; his eyes were on Rick. I realised that I was stood almost in shadow. I couldn’t get myself to move; my feet were glued to the floor. Whilst he hadn’t seen me, I could still pretend that we could go back to how we were. But as soon as he saw me, as soon as I set this timeline into motion, whoever he was now was who I had to accept, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that. I tried to take comfort in the fact that his sea-green eyes, my eyes, were the same. His eyes still looked like him. Not this new, improved version of him. He glared at Rick, no hint of the caution that Caden showed in his posture.

  “What do you want Rick?” His voice carried the same venom as when he’d spoken to Caden in the lab and I was reminded again that I didn’t know him now. I didn’t know what he’d been through. I shook that thought out of my head almost as soon as it entered. It didn’t matter, he was still my brother. That was why I had done all of this, why I had come to Germany, fought monsters. He was worth it.

  Rick didn’t answer him. He simply raised an eyebrow, a movement I knew was directed at me. I took a deep breath, shaking my hands at my side to try and dispel the nerves.

  “Hi Eli.” My voice was quiet, trembling. His head snapped to the side as I stepped forward, eyes widening and mouth dropping open in shock. The world seemed to balance on a knife’s edge.

  “Ari?” He seemed afraid to believe it. I nodded, flashing him a small smile. The disbelief slowly morphed into a huge smile, “Ari!” He rushed towards me, sweeping me up in a hug. I returned it, resting my head on his shoulder. The hug almost felt familiar; the muscles threw me off, but as he squeezed me tight, head buried in my hair, I didn’t care. It took me a couple of seconds to realise he was murmuring something under his breath,

  “You’re here. You’re actually here.” His voice was thick, like he was on the verge of tears and I felt myself tearing up as well. I hated that this reunion was in front of Caden and Rick. I hated it. But, as Eli slowly released me, I realised this was better than I’d been expecting for the past three years. Something inside me, something that had felt empty for so long, was slowly healing. I heard a noise behind me and spun to see Rick walking towards us. Eli was still watching me, his eyes red and puffy, but his gaze flicked to Rick as he placed a hand on my shoulder. The same venom I’d heard in his voice, spread onto his face. I could feel myself shuddering, hating the weight of Rick’s palm on my shoulder but I didn’t dare move. He’d brought in his bargaining chip and I was listening. But Eli had none of my reservation; surging forward he slapped Rick’s hand away from my shoulder, pulling me back until I was at his side. “You don’t get to touch her.” I’d never heard him talk with so much anger before. I cast him a sideways glance but didn’t move away. Rick didn’t seem surprised, smiling at Eli indulgently.

  “Don’t worry Eli, your sister is quite safe for now.” He raised his eyebrows at me, and I nodded. I understood his meaning. I’d have to think of my next move soon, but for now, I was safe and so was Eli. Eli, however, didn’t seem quite so satisfied. His mouth twisted; everything in his posture was defiant, staring Rick down. He really wasn’t afraid of the guy that everyone else feared. They stared at each other for another few seconds, some kind of unspoken battle raging between them. Eventually Rick looked away and Eli smirked.

  “Why don’t we let these siblings get reacquainted?” Completely suave, Rick carried on as if nothing had happened. No one said anything. After a couple of seconds, he simply turned and ushered Caden out of the door. When the door finally clicked shut, I couldn’t think of anything to say. Luckily, Eli seemed to know exactly what to do. He grabbed me into another hug and led me to a couple of chairs at the side of Rick’s office.

  “How the hell did you find me Ari?” He was beaming at me and I felt myself beam back, the awkwardness I’d briefly felt dissi
pating into the air. I kept checking myself, unable to believe I was actually talking to Eli again.

  “It took a while.” I laughed, “The police ruled the investigation pretty much impossible. Our parents hired private investigators but after a year, they couldn’t find anything either. They…they seemed to accept that you weren’t coming back.” I hated how Eli flinched when I said that, “But I wasn’t going to give up on you. I mean you’re my older brother. I wasn’t giving up. So, for the next two years, I started trying to find anything I could. I re read the journal you left constantly, hoping I’d missed something. Then, a few days ago… or I guess a couple of weeks ago now, I keep forgetting how long I’ve been actually out looking for you, I remembered some strange things that had happened, like that email you hadn’t let me see. Do you remember?” he nodded, something flickering in his eyes, “After that, it was easier. I went to your university accommodation looking for Caden. Obviously, I had no idea he was a monumental dick. He claimed to want to help me and we got your journals back from the police evidence. Now I know it was a set up, but I so wanted to trust him, I think because he was a link to you. So, I believed everything he set in front of me; he took me to an abandoned ‘GAI building’. I still don’t know how much of that was fake. But I found some stuff there that I kept from him. Eventually I decided to tell him everything and he kissed me… he manipulated me,” Eli had been quiet, but he jerked as I said that,

  “He did what?! That fuc-” I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

  “He did it but it’s in the past. I let myself believe that too. I feel like an idiot now, seeing all of this, everything he is a part of, that you’ve been trapped in, but I fell for him a little bit. Anyway, I overheard him on the phone and realised he was working for GAI. So…” I ran a hand through my hair. This would be the first time I was admitting what I’d done to anyone other than myself, “I drugged him, tied him up and left him in that abandoned building.” Eli barked a laugh.

  “Ari, that’s not even half of what he deserves. I know you and I know you’re probably feeling bad about it. But you shouldn’t.” I gave him a small smile. I would still feel bad about it though. I tended to dwell on things. I carried on as Eli chuckled to himself,

  “I heard him mention Kincraig and when I questioned him whilst he was sedated, he made a reference to ‘lock and key’ which I realised meant lochs. So, I went to Scotland and began searching the Lochs. In the middle of a thunderstorm, I stumbled into the cave that led to the entrance of the lab and, it was pure luck, ended up in there.” Eli was staring at me, “What?” He shook his head,

  “It’s just you, listing all of this like it’s nothing. You’re a pretty cool little sister.” I smiled at him but continued with the rest of the story.

  “I found your notebook there, the one with your notes to me.” He dimpled a grin at me, “I also found a few other…things. Up until that point I had no idea what GAI was really doing. But then I found the room with all the cages and… a dead hybrid. Half-wolf, half-polar-bear.” Eli looked away, the same anger from before crossing his face, “I also found Pip.”

  “Pip?” He stared at me, confused. I grinned, thinking of Pip and how excited he was going to be to meet Eli. Or, reunite I guess. Hopefully I would get out of here, with Eli, and that could happen.

  “OTT103ACAR.” Recognition dawned, “He’s pretty incredible. I rescued him; I could hardly leave him there, he would have died. I want to know more about him when we get out of here, since I know you made him. Then I found Nessie. I may have passed out. But it reminded me of your journal which is when I read the notes. After that, it went quite quickly; I managed to get to the computer in the room of cages, found a document talking about Freiburg and knew where I needed to go next. On the way out, I was attacked by the panther creature. I electrocuted it.” Even to myself, as I listed the various things I had been through to get here, I couldn’t quite believe that I had done it. I’d almost detached myself from it all, recounting every step like it was someone else’s story. Eli was shaking his head in disbelief. “After leaving the lab, with Pip, I had to climb back up to the Loch to find my way back to the road. Caden found me there…” He wasn’t going to like this. I hoped Caden wasn’t close by. “He’d been watching me. He released the panther to try and kill me. When it didn’t, he… he used the collar’s sonar to incapacitate me.” I could see Eli go still, watching me very carefully, “and he threw me in the Loch.” Eli’s hand balled into a fist.

  “I’m going to kill him.” Eli muttered but I carried on. I needed to get this all out, all in one go otherwise I would lose it. Even the memory of being in the Loch was bordering on panic. The feeling of the water crushing me, not even being able to move… “I was drowning, and Nessie was about to attack me when Pip saved me. He attacked Nessie, again and again, until I could move. I got away and climbed out of the lake. Not unscathed. I have a pretty big gash in my shin. But I was alive. So, I got up, got back to the town and got on multiple trains to Freiburg.”

  “Why trains? Surely a plane would have been easier?” Even angry, Eli was still picking up on the little things.

  “It’s kind of difficult to get through security and quarantine with a genetically modified otter without a passport. So, I snuck him on the trains. It was fun.” I tried to joke, but it was difficult. I hadn’t expected telling Eli all of this to affect me so much.

  “So, you brought OTT- Pip with you?” Eli’s eyebrows were drawn together as he took everything in. I nodded,

  “We got to Freiburg. I left Pip in a hotel room with food and water and set off into the forest, because I’d assumed GAI would hide in the woods to stay out of the way. I got to this huge tower in the woodland and as I was at the top of it, trying to scan the surrounding area, Caden came jogging through the trees. He didn’t see me. I followed him until I found the entrance to this building and snuck in through a vent and well, I got in. I was in the room when you were at the desk. I was behind that storage container. I was going to reveal myself but Caden came in and I couldn’t. I was trying to get to you in Lab 3 when I was caught and brought to Rick and… here we are, I guess.” I finished, running out of breath. I let my shoulders drop and looked at my hands. Eli didn’t say anything. I peeked up to look at him, only to be confronted with another hug. He wrapped me in his arms, one hand against my hair. When he pulled back, he was crying this time.

  “I- Ari- thank you. I don’t know how else to say it. But… thank you. You did a lot of crazy shit to get to me, even after all this time. Hands down, you’re the best sister. I love you Ari.”

  Well shit, now I’m crying.

  “I love you too Eli. You would have done the same for me.” We grinned at each other for a few seconds. I glanced at the door. I didn’t know if they were listening. They probably were. But now I had questions, “Enough about me. I want to know what happened to you. You just vanished from your room.” He passed a hand over his jawline, rubbing across the stubble.

  “I know you know about the email. GAI sent me multiple emails, asking me to join them. They tried recruiting me directly through Caden. I resisted and apparently, they wanted me enough to transgress to kidnapping. That night I was doing some research when this guy came through my window. Before I could say anything, he had me pinned and injected me with something. Everything went dark and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the lab in Scotland. I was there for almost two years. That’s when I met Rick. He told me what he wanted me to do and when I refused, he blackmailed me. He claimed he would send Caden to our house and kill you all. I didn’t know if he would, but I couldn’t take that chance. I started trying to make the creatures he wanted. I don’t want to lie to you Ari, a small part of me was excited to be able to do what I had been researching for so many years, but I would never have chosen to do it that way. Not ‘bringing myths to life’ as Rick put it. I just wanted to see how it could be used to help us. I started small with Pip. I have to say, that name suits him,” he dimpled a grin at me
.

  “He was one of the very first creatures I made and, it seems, one of the most successful. After that, they just wanted more. They had me experiment with loads of different creatures, but their goal was always Nessie. It took me multiple attempts and when I did get it right, it didn’t feel as great as I’d hoped. They took the viable creature and left the one you saw to die. In between all of that, I overheard phone calls with Caden. I knew you were looking for me, but I wasn’t going to get my hopes up. I should have known better when it comes to you. You never give up, never did, even when we were little. Since I’d made Nessie, they moved up to Freiburg to start on the Lycan project-”

  “Werewolves.” I interjected, unable to keep the disgust out of my voice. He looked at me, some unnamed emotion in his eyes; it almost looked like shame.

  “I know Ari. It’s a step too far, but they kept using you as blackmail. I couldn’t refuse anything. They had a camera set up in our house, a live feed and if I tried to say no, they would show it to me. They would tell me what they would do to you and our parents.” I could hear in his voice how much it had pained him. How much they had hurt him. Even so, I had to ask the question that had been burning in my throat,

  “Why didn’t you try to contact us? Surely you could have found a way? You’re so smart.” He couldn’t meet my eyes now and a little bit of me fell, already not wanting to hear his answer. He cleared his throat before answering,

  “I tried when I was first kidnapped but every time, they caught me and every time they threatened me. Eventually, it was like I gave up hope. I shouldn’t have and I’m so sorry Ari. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for you. At least I knew you were alive. I even saw you every so often on the live feed. You grew up so much in three years.” Even though there was still some awkwardness between us, I could see more of my brother in the person in front of me now.