Experiment

Chapter 22: At the Facility

Laura and Neo scanned the Arizona landscape as the helicopter hovered.

"Nope, not over here." Neo called.

The pilot nodded and moved on.

The searing heat was hardly bearable. No wonder this was where Facility had set up. No one in their right mind would ever come here anyway. Take my dad as an example . . . Laura thought. She sighed. Would they ever find it?

"Wait," said Neo. "I think I see it."

Laura squinted, and she could make out a small gray speck in the distance. The helicopter sped up and headed toward it.

When they got close, Neo spread his dragonfly wings and flew out of the helicopter. Laura tried to follow, but when she did, the rotors started pulling her in, close to its sharp blades.

Laura screamed, but Neo snatched her away just in time. Laura shivered. "Thanks," she said. "I hope I'll get big again."

Neo smiled sadly. "Me too."

They had arrived. Only the officers from the concert got out of the helicopter, and Neo and Laura were the only hybrids with them. The others were being cared for back in Utah.

The huge gray building loomed over them, uninviting as can be. Horrible memories rushed back, and Neo took a step back, but then squared his shoulders and walked inside, and Laura followed. The officers were close behind.

Laura let out a gasp of horror as they burst through the door. She knew they were making more, but not this many. Hundreds of screams resonated throughout the building, and there were so many hybrids that the cages had leaked into the hallways, and there were dozens of new animal hybrids. Pig, cheetah, owl, snake, rhino, rabbit, and various insects were only a few. A fish hybrid with a mermaid-like bottom half peered at Laura with big, darting eyes.

But then, one of the "nurses" spotted them.

"They're back!" she shrieked. "The runaway subjects!"

A male "doctor" grabbed Laura by the legs. "I've got-" his triumphant cry fell short as he saw the five policeman, guns raised.

"Let her go," One of the policemen growled. "Or else."

The man let Laura go and she flew over to the officers.

"Mr. Black should be back soon, right? . . ." someone whispered.

One of the officers smirked. "I see you haven't heard about your little friend. He was taken into custody a few days ago."

They were all shocked.

"What will we do?"

"Without him, we're nothing!"

"He gave us the Clearing! He showed us how powerful he was!"

"Surely they're bluffing!"

The Clearing? Laura thought. I remember my dad muttering that a few times . . .

"Laura," Neo said. "I remember him saying to me when I was little, to get a certain potion if he was ever 'infected with the Clearing'. That may be what they are talking about, and it could help us."