PART SEVEN:
CLONED AND DANGEROUS
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PART1 PART2 PART3 PART4 PART5 PART6 PART8 PART9
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
No one slept that night.
Chase, Eric and Allison discussed strategies till they were blurry-eyed and
brain-numb. When rays of golden sunshine shone through the kitchen window,
they were still huddled around the table, discouraged but determined to find
Varina and the saber-toothed tigers.
Chase stared at the notebook in front of him.
Ideas had been jotted down then scratched out. He pushed it away and crossed to
the stove to refill his coffee cup. He wouldn’t sleep until Varina was
safe.
“It’s Monday, isn’t it?” he murmured as he sat
back with Allison and Eric. “Shouldn’t you two get ready for
school?”
“Missing one day won’t hurt,” Eric said, and
Allison nodded agreement. “But what about you? Don’t you have to
get back to work?”
“Titus will understand. I’ll give him a call
to let him know I won’t be coming in.”
“Here.” Allison reached into a baggy
pocket of her overalls and pulled out her flip phone. “Use my phone.”
“Thanks.” Chase punched in the familiar
number. Within minutes, Titus had given him the day off. No questions
asked. Titus was a great guy; more of a father than an employer. Chase
felt all the more determined to stick by Titus and turn down the job offer from
WARR.
When he handed the phone back to Allison, that sinking
sense of discouragement hit him again. “Maybe I should have gone into
work. What are we accomplishing here? Nothing.” He warmed
his hands around his coffee cup, unable to shake off a chill. “I hate to
say it, but this is more than we can handle.”
“What do you mean?” Eric asked, raising his brows.
“We’ve spent all night going around in circles,
getting no closer to finding Varina and Kitty. We don’t have any way of
knowing where they are. We need help -- like the police or FBI. They
have resources to find missing people.”
“Forget the police.” Allison shook her blond
head firmly. “They’d only mess things up. And if they started an
investigation, they might find out what we really are.”
“Clones.” Eric’s shoulders sagged.
“Sometimes I get so tired of being different. I left my family to
protect them. I’m not going to risk everything now by talking to the
cops. I reckon there’s a better way to track down the Victors.”
“Like what?” Chase asked.
“Geneva gave us a clue when she told why Dr. Victor
cloned saber-toothed tigers.”
“You can’t believe anything she said. She
lied.” Bitter hatred filled Chase and his hands balled into fists. “Varina
was too trusting. I should never have left her alone with that witch.”
“Geneva was convincing,” Eric said. “She
fooled us all.”
“Except Sandee,” Allison said. “But then
Sandee doesn’t trust anyone. She’s been burned too many times.”
“That’s for sure,” Eric agreed. “That
girl had more armor build around her than an armadillo.”
Chase glanced away, guilt nagging at him. He
changed the subject. “Eric, maybe you’re right about Geneva leaving us
a clue. But even if she told the truth about her husband’s plans to sell
the tigers to rich hunters, that still doesn’t help find Varina.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.” Eric stood
and gestured for them to follow. “To my computer.”
Minutes later, Chase was peering over Eric’s shoulder
at the computer screen. “What’s that message?”
“An email to my pal, Sam. I told him we’re looking
for an exclusive hunt clubs.”
“You think extreme hunters advertise online?” Chase
pressed his lips together skeptically. “Doubtful -- especially if they’re
hunting illegal game.”
“If they use a computer, there will be a cyber-trail
to follow. Leave it to Sam. He’s a hunter, too; when he goes after
something, not even the toughest security code can slow him down. Sam’s always
online, so I should hear from him soon.”
“You act like Sam’s your best friend, yet you’ve
never even seen his picture,” Allison said. “When are you two finally
gonna meet?”
“I don’t know. We both have school and he
lives about fifty miles from Seattle.”
“Not far from where my parents live. On my next
visit, come along and meet Sam.”
“Maybe.” Eric shrugged. “But I get the feeling
Sam doesn’t want to meet me. He’s the shy, loner type.”
“Or an adult pretending to be a teen,” Chase said
suspiciously. “Be careful when you make friends online. You never
know what they’re hiding.”
“Like being a clone?” Eric teased. “If you
look at it that way, I’m the one deceiving Sam. But there’s nothing to
fear from Sam. He’s cool. I know all about his pesky little
brother, his older sister in college, his parents’ divorce, and his teachers
at school.”
“So you two should meet,” Allison said. “I’ll
buy the plane tickets.”
“If I visit Sam, I’ll buy my own ticket. But
I’m not fixing to go anywhere for a while. I like things the way they are.”
Eric swiveled his computer chair and hit a few buttons. “While we’re
waiting to hear from Sam, I’ll check search engines.”
“For what?” Allison scooted a chair beside Eric.
“Exclusive hunt clubs. Especially Texas clubs
with hunts planned for Friday.” Eric kept his gaze on the screen as he
spoke, his fingers tapping at a furious rate.
Chase shifted his feet and glanced at his watch,
resenting each second that ticked by with no news of Varina. If only her uncanny
ability to connect to his thoughts worked both ways. But he’d heard
nothing in his head, except his own frustrated thoughts.
Waiting sucked. He itched to jump into his truck
and drive away. But too many hours had passed. The Victors could
have boarded a plane and taken Varina to another country by now.
“Have you found anything?” he asked Eric.
Eric stared at the screen in deep concentration and
answered with a distracted, “Not yet. Just clubs for treasure hunting,
bird hunting, hound hunts, and even ghost hunting.”
“What about running a search on the Victors?” he
suggested. “That worked in the past.”
“I tried already, but I didn’t find anything
new.”
“We have to figure out something. Varina must
be so scared.” Allison’s eyes darkened with fear. “We should have realized
that Dr. Victor was still after her. What if he’s planning to sell her
to be hunted like Kitty and K.T.?”
“Hunters don’t stalk girls,” Eric said.
“Dr. Victor is probably still after the Enhance-25X
formula,” Chase said, a knot of anxiety twisting in his stomach. “I
should have taken that creep out when I had the chance.”
“The Victors just won’t leave us alone,” Allison
said, rubbing her eyes and looking tired. “I should have known better
than to trust Geneva. But she saved Varina’s life and she acted
genuinely afraid of her husband.”
“That’s all it was,” Chase said bitterly. “An
act.”
“But why go through the pretense of rescuing Varina at the
zoo? She could have left Varina in the dungeon or turn her over to Dr.
Victor. It doesn’t add up.”
“Sure it does. The Victors suckered us and
scored big by grabbing Varina and Kitty. Two clones at once.”
“And Dr. Victor already has K.T,” Allison added,
her shoulders slumping. “If only we knew where they went.”
“We’ll find out,” Eric said, glancing up from the
computer screen. “Yeeees! Sam just emailed.”
“What does he say?” Chase peered over Eric’s
shoulder at the screen, but he couldn’t make sense of the codes and symbols.
“Sam gave me passwords and links to private hunting
sites.”
“What are those codes you’re typing?”
“Don’t ask.” Eric bit his lip guiltily.
“I’m hacking into places I shouldn’t. But for Varina, I’ll bend
rules.”
“Whatever it takes,” Chase said. “Do it.”
Eric fingers were flying again, new images bursting on
the screen. After several moments, he rang out, “Got it!”
“What?” both Chase and Allison asked.
“The Edgewater Hunting Resort. They offer hundreds of
acres for the expert hunter. Their reserve is located in a remote part of
Texas. That fits with what Geneva told us.”
“If she told the truth,” Chase said, drumming his
hands on Eric’s desk.
“I think she did, at least about the saber-tooths.
The best liars mix in truth to their lies,” Allison said. “Geneva
revealed enough facts so we’d believe her.”
“Check this out!” Eric pushed up his glasses,
his voice rising with excitement. “I used the password Sam told me and
found a private invitation from Edgewater to select members. Large amounts
of money are mentioned for a 'unique mammoth hunting experience.’”
“Mammoth hunting, huh?” Chase murmured. “As
in prehistoric cloned saber-toothed tigers?”
“Could be,” Eric said as new images sprang on the
screen and his printer whirled and split out typed pages.
Chase took the papers and shuffled through them. “The
hunt is being held this Friday.”
“Just like Geneva said,” Allison added.
“I’d have to win a lottery to pay the registration
fee.” Chase gave a low whistle. “If this is the right hunt, we
now know when it’s being held. But we don’t know how Dr. Victor is
transporting the animals.”
“Maybe in a truck,” Eric suggested.
“It’d be quicker to hire a private plane,”
Allison said.
Chase rubbed his chin. “We can’t check every
airline and trucking outfit. If only we knew for sure.”
“Leave it to me.” Allison pushed her blond braid
behind her shoulder as she stood. “What’s the phone number for Edgewater
Resort?”
“You can’t just call up an exclusive club and ask
questions,” Chase said. “Illegal hunts are carried out in secrecy.”
“Trust me.” Allison winked, as she opened her flip
phone. “It’s attitude that counts.”
“You won’t be able to find out anything over the
phone.”
Allison shot Chase an “I’ll show you” look,
then smiled as she spoke into the phone. “Good afternoon. Have I reached
Edgewater Resort? This is Ms. Carruthers-Smythe calling to verify your
receipt of Invoice #284.”
Chase moved closer to Eric and whispered, “I think
lack of sleep is making her delusional.”
“Have some faith. Al knows what she’s
doing.”
“She better. Varina’s life could be at
stake.”
“You heard correctly. Invoice #284-B42,”
Allison said in a crisp professional tone, her whole body language morphing into
a business-like role. “I assure you, my employer, Dr. Victor, is not
mistaken.” There was a pause. “Yes, this concerns the shipment through
Sky Blue Air Freight.”
Allison covered the mouthpiece and whispered, “Hurry!
I need a pen and paper.”
“Got it.” Eric withdrew a notebook and pen from a
drawer. “Here.”
Allison scribbled down a few words in the notebook,
then spoke crisply into the phone. “Well everything seems in order.
You’ve been very helpful. Thank you very much.”
When Allison hung up the phone, she was grinning.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Chase parked his truck in a dark corner behind Sky Blue
Air Freight. His head ached from lack of sleep. Eric and Allison
looked exhausted, too.
“You ready?” Chase turned to Eric.
“Yup.” Eric took off his glasses and scanned
the buildings. A plane flew overhead and a truck rumbled by on the main
road, but inside the car was silent. After a few minutes, Eric gave an
excited cry and pointed at the largest metal building. “The saber-tooths!
They’re in there!”
“Both of them?” Chase asked.
“Yup. They’re sleeping in a large crate.”
“Are you sure they’re sleeping?” Allison asked
anxiously. “They’re alive…aren’t they?”
“They look okay. Just asleep.” Eric’s
glasses dangled from his hand as he stared intently ahead. “There are
some holes punched in the side of the crate.”
“They’re probably drugged,” Allison said.
“What about the Victors or Varina?” Chase asked.
“Do you see them?
“No. Just wall to wall crates and a guy wearing
a uniform kicking back in a recliner in the office. He’s reading a
newspaper and wearing headphones, like he’s listening to music.”
“You’re sure no one else is there?” Chase
persisted.
“I’m sure.” Eric sounded weaker as he added,
“I-I can’t focus much longer. My head aches … too much strain.” He
sank into the seat and closed his eyes.
“Go ahead and rest, Eric. I’ll take over from
here my way.” Chase focused on the building and tilted his head to
listen carefully. At first he heard only mechanical sounds like a generator’s
hum and the whirling of a fan. Then he went deeper into the building and
heard a rustle of a paper and soft music. But no whisper of the Victors or
Varina.
“What did you hear?” Allison asked, touching his
shoulder.
“Nothing,” Chase said, discouraged.
“At least we know where the tigers are,” Eric said,
sitting up in his seat. “Let’s go get them.”
“Wait here, Eric,” Chase said. “You’re
wiped from using your powers. I’ll do what I can although I have
no idea how I’ll get those animals out of here. Kitty must weight about
eighty pounds by herself and there are two of them.”
“If I used my strength,” Allison said, “I could
carry them easily.”
“But you made that promise to your mom.” Eric
patted Allison’s hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.
But we’ll do it as a team. If you think I’m waiting here, you’re
wrong. My energy is already coming back. Let’s get a moving.”
Breaking into the warehouse was surprisingly easy.
No one stopped them and they found a side door unlocked. Heavy machinery
rumbled in the distance from another warehouse, but this building was silent.
Through a window, Chase saw the uniformed man Eric had mentioned. The guy
obviously took his job seriously -- NOT! He’d dropped his
newspaper and had fallen asleep listening to music. Chase could hear the
rhythmic beats of a country melody mingled with heavy snores.
“The crate is back there.” Eric gestured towards
the rear of the warehouse. They made their way to a refrigerator-sized
crate marked “fragile.”
“Check out the shipment order,” Allison said,
touching a large square of paper. “Destination, the Edgewater Resort in
Texas.”
“At least they had the decency to give the animals
plenty of air-holes.” Chase tried to fit his finger inside one of the holes
and brushed against warm fur. He cocked his head to listen and heard
steady breathing from inside.
Eric had taken off his glasses. "I can see
them in there. Curled up against each other.”
“Any ideas how we get them out of here without waking
the guard?” Chase asked in low voice.
“An earthquake couldn’t wake that slacker,” Eric
said.
“I feel so useless.” Allison sighed. “I
could lift the crate with one hand like a weightless balloon.”
“You have muscles in your brain, not just your arms.
And it's your thinking that helped us track down this place,” Eric said.
“Chase and I should be able carry the crate by ourselves.”
“We better hurry.” Chase studied the shipment
papers attached to the crate. “In about fifteen minutes someone is bound
to come for the crate. The plane is scheduled to depart in than an
hour.”
“Do you think Dr. Victor will show up?” Allison
asked.
“Not if he’s smart. He’s probably long gone
to some faraway hideout.” Chase flipped over the shipment tag and read with
interest. “But look what he left us cell phone number and P.O. address
for Larson Bay, California.”
“Larson Bay?” Allison echoed. “I wonder if
that’s near Larson Beach.”
“Where’s that?” Eric asked.
“Up the north coast.”
“Sounds like a good place to look for Varina.”
Chase felt more energized and eager to get moving. “First we get the
tigers out of here. And I just spotted a way to make that job easy.” He
pointed to a wheeled dolly in a far corner.
“Excellent!” Eric said. “Wheeling the crate
sounds better than lifting it.”
“I can at least get the dolly for you,” Allison
said. “That doesn’t take any strength.” Her shoulders sagged
and she twisted the end of her long braid. Chase admired her for keeping a
promise, but knew it was eating her up. He’d feel bad, too, if he
couldn’t use his powers.
Fortunately, the dolly worked fine. Allison
wheeled it to the crate, then Chase started to roll the dolly.
“Wait a minute.” Eric put up his hand.
“There’s something I have to do before we leave.”
“What?” Chase asked, puzzled.
“I have an idea.” Eric grinned and took off
his glasses. He stared around the room, from crate to crate, until he’d
made a full sweep of the warehouse. Then he laughed. “PERFECT!”
Eric slipped back on his glasses, then unfastened
a shipping tag off one of the tiger crates. He ducked into an aisle
between crates and disappeared. A few minutes later, he reappeared
his hands empty.
“What did you do?” Chase asked, but Eric wouldn’t
explain until they were out of the warehouse and the sleeping cubs were safely
in car.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Allison said, reaching
over to caress one of the sleeping tigers. “K.T. and Kitty are so
identical, I can’t tell them apart.”
“I can,” Eric said. “Kitty has the blue
collar. She still has a shaven area from where the Professor removed her
metal tag.”
Chase fastened his seat belt then turned to Eric.
“Speaking of tags, why did you do with that shipping tag?”
“What else?” Eric grinned. “Put it on
another crate.”
“Good move, Eric!” Allison high-fived him.
“So that’s why you were looking around the room,”
Chase said. “You were checking out the other crates.”
“Exactly. And I found the perfect one to switch
with.”
“What was inside?” Chase asked.
“Tofu-burgers, rice cakes, and seaweed salad.
We’re sending those blood-thirty hunters packets of vegetarian food.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Puffy gray clouds blanketed the afternoon sky by the
time Chase, Eric and Allison returned home. They lifted Kitty from the
crate, but as a precaution, kept K.T. kept inside. They left both sleeping
tigers tucked securely in the garage.
It didn’t take Eric long, with the help of his cyber-friend
Sam, to track down the cell phone number and P.O. Box in Larson Bay.
“It’s up north on the California coast,” Eric
reported as he typed on his computer. “Sam says the phone is registered
to a Martin Vincent.”
“AKA Mansfield Victor,” Chase said.
“That what I figured, too.” Eric nodded as he kept
on typing. “But there’s no other address.”
“I checked a map and it’ll take about two hours to
drive there,” Chase said. “You both want to go?”
“Can’t keep me away,” Eric said firmly. “I’ll
miss another night’s sleep if it helps Varina.”
“Count me in, too.” Allison rubbed her
forehead. “But we should leave a note in case the Professor comes home
while we’re gone.”
Eric typed a short note on the computer, printed it
out, then handed it to Allison.
“I’ll put it on the foyer table so the Professor can’t
miss it,” Allison said as she hurried away.
Eric returned his attention to the computer, while
Chase stood for a moment, idly touching his chin as he thought about the next
move. If they left soon for Larson Bay, they’d arrive before it grew
dark and businesses closed. Dr. Victor wasn’t the kind of man who could
move into a community without someone knowing; a realtor or the electric company
or nosy neighbors. They’d track him down, that was for sure. And
if he’d harmed Varina in any way, he would suffer a zillion times worse.
Chase gritted his teeth, anger swelling like a storm
inside him. He wanted to attack, not wait around. Not knowing
what was happening to Varina, made him feel out of control. Scared,
furious, vengeful, possessed by darkness. If Dr. Victor were
standing here before him, he wouldn’t be standing for long.
“Chase! Eric!” Allison shouted from downstairs.
“Come here!”
Chase shared a tense look with Eric.
Without a word, they raced out of the room and downstairs. They found
Allison in the foyer, her brown eyes wide as she pointed at a blue phone.
At first Chase didn’t understand what Allison was so upset
about -- until he noticed the blinking light on the answering machine.
“Nine messages,” Chase said, frowning.
“No one’s checked since yesterday.” Eric
slapped his hand to her forehead. “I can’t believe we forgot.”
“We’ve had a lot on our minds,” Allison said.
“Besides it’s usually Varina who checks the messages.”
“Only she’s not here,” Chase said.
Allison punched the “new message” button, and after
a swirling rewind noise, the first message, from Sunday evening, came on.
The caller was Starr, asking Eric to come home and help her with homework.
The second was from Starr, same question, only this time she sounded annoyed.
The third was from a competitive phone company offering cheaper rates if they
changed their service.
Starr was number four. “Eric, what’s going on
there?" she demanded. "Why didn’t anyone answer when I stopped
by? And none of you came to school? Why don’t you tell me
anything?” A loud click followed.
The fifth and sixth calls were hang-ups.
The seven was for Eric, but it wasn’t Starr.
“You probably don’t remember me,” a sweet girlish voice said. “We
met at the zoo on Saturday. You know Tracy. Anyway, I thought
maybe we could get together … if you wanted. And in case you’re
wondering how I got your number, it was from a friend who knows you from that
basketball fundraiser you put on last week.” She finished by giving her
phone number.
Eric looked dumbfounded. “We’ll I’ll
be…” he murmured with a goofy smile.
But that smile faded when the final message beeped in.
“If anyone’s there, pick up!” a woman said frantically. “I don’t
have much time … shouldn’t be calling … But you got to stop him.
Hurry! To the Pandora II before he-“
There was a click and the message ended.
Chase recognized that voice.
Geneva Victor.