Project Chimera Read online

  Dedication

  To Brandi and Faith,

  and superhero booksellers everywhere

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: The Ultimate Threat

  Chapter 2: The Scene of the Crime

  Chapter 3: Coming Clean

  Chapter 4: Top Secret Stuff

  Chapter 5: Pulling It Together

  Chapter 6: Maria’s Big Problem

  Chapter 7: Skills and Complications

  Chapter 8: Getting Some Answers

  Chapter 9: More Trouble

  Chapter 10: Scrambling for a Story

  Chapter 11: To the Warehouse

  Chapter 12: Despair

  Chapter 13: Relocating

  Chapter 14: Just a Normal Day

  Chapter 15: Disaster on the Field

  Chapter 16: Really Not Funny Anymore

  Chapter 17: The Non-Rescue Plan

  Chapter 18: Trying to Be Patient

  Chapter 19: Monkey Business

  Chapter 20: Abducted

  Chapter 21: Trying to Communicate

  Chapter 22: Testing Mac’s Device

  Chapter 23: A Minor Breakthrough

  Chapter 24: Maria Embraces Her Inner Primate

  Chapter 25: Making Progress

  Chapter 26: Exterminated

  Chapter 27: Kelly Resurfaces

  Chapter 28: Kelly Goes Wild

  Chapter 29: Venturing Out

  Chapter 30: A Gift from Above

  Chapter 31: Communication Breakthrough

  Chapter 32: The Showstopper

  Chapter 33: On the Run

  Chapter 34: The Chase Is On

  Chapter 35: Coming Together

  Chapter 36: No Time to Lose

  Chapter 37: Going for It

  Chapter 38: Casualties

  Chapter 39: A Wrench in the Plan

  Chapter 40: Hanging by a Thread

  Chapter 41: From Generation to Regeneration

  Chapter 42: Cleaning Up

  Chapter 43: A Stronger Team

  Chapter 44: A Disappearing Act

  Back Ad

  About the Author

  Books by Lisa McMann

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  CHAPTER 1:

  The Ultimate Threat

  Dr. Victor Gray held out the photo of young Charlie Wilde. In it she was scaling the side of a burning house like a lizard. She wore a silver bracelet on her arm. Victor tilted his head at the girl’s father, who was tied to a chair. “No sense playing innocent, Charles. I suspect you know full well that your daughter has been using your Mark Five. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Where did you get that photo?” With a surge of fury Dr. Charles Wilde lunged at his former friend, nearly knocking into the unconscious biologist, Dr. Jack Goldstein, who was tied up in a chair next to him. He lost his balance and tipped over, landing hard on his side on the floor. “What have you done with her?” He struggled, completely unable to do anything but wriggle helplessly. Pain seared through his shoulder, which had taken the brunt of the fall. “Give me that! This is blackmail!”

  Dr. Gray watched him curiously with a bit of sympathy. A strange look crossed his face. “You’re starting to convince me, actually,” he mused. “Either you’ve been taking acting lessons or you really didn’t know. Hmm.” He tapped his lips with the corner of the photo. “I’m surprised you’d be that careless with such a powerful device.”

  “I told you I don’t know what you’re talking about,” sputtered Charles. His face burned. Years had gone by since he’d spared a thought about Victor Gray, and he could hardly believe he was sitting here, tied up, like this. Decade-old memories of his job at Talos Global, working on Project Chimera, had come screeching to the forefront of his mind ever since the soldiers had abducted him earlier that day. Reminders of Victor returned, too—how his personality had seemed to change as their work had progressed. It had been hard to pinpoint exactly what it was about Victor that had become troublesome. Perhaps it had been his growing obsession with the project or his irrational overreaction when the government shut it down.

  Charles hadn’t been alone in his concerns. Two of the other scientists had noticed that Gray was coming unglued, too. They’d considered reporting him, but Gray hadn’t actually done anything wrong. Instead, the scientists had decided to stay in touch. They’d put together an emergency contact plan, just in case they learned of any strange behavior from Dr. Gray—or in case anything more serious ever happened. But nothing had, and the three scientists eventually got busy with their lives, lost touch, and forgot about Victor.

  Now Dr. Gray seemed truly unhinged. He called to a couple of his soldiers, and they came quickly. “Pick him up, will you?”

  While the soldiers acted on his order and righted the chair with Charles in it, another one approached. “The other two teams have arrived,” he said. Dr. Gray beckoned him closer, and the soldier whispered something in Gray’s ear.

  Gray reared back. “They failed? Both of them? Against children? I’m . . . shocked.”

  “And . . . it seems the kids may have taken the three devices we had retained.”

  Charles watched them, confused. Children? Three devices? Was he talking about Charlie again? What was going on?

  Dr. Gray stood rigid, angry, staring at the soldier, who shrank back as if he hoped the doctor wouldn’t strike out. Had Victor become violent, too? But after a moment he turned sharply and paced to the other side of the desk. He pinched the bridge of his nose thoughtfully. “I don’t need any of the bracelets,” he muttered. “I have something even better now.” Then he shrugged and said icily to Charles, “It appears your daughter got away from my soldiers. I imagine your wife knows by now that you’ve disappeared.”

  Charles, bewildered and red-faced, looked like all the veins in his neck were about to explode. “Leave my family alone,” he warned through gritted teeth.

  Dr. Gray turned his head slowly to look at Charles and Dr. Goldstein next to him. “If you agree to help me, I will,” he said patronizingly. “It’s very simple, Doctor.”

  “Help you with what?” Charles hated asking it. It made him feel weak. But he wouldn’t sacrifice his family for anything. “What on earth are you trying to do?”

  “I need you to build a new device,” he said. “If you can convince Jack to help, all the better. Maybe he’ll feel sorry for you—if he ever wakes up, that is.”

  Charles let out a frustrated sigh. “Why are you doing this? The government shut down this project for a reason, Victor. It was too risky. And now you’ve ruined these people. For God’s sake, look at them! When the government discovers this, how are you going to explain that you’ve continued Project Chimera on your own? Have you lost your mind?”

  “I won’t be discovered until it’s too late for anyone to stop me,” said Dr. Gray coolly. “Besides, I think it’s the perfect solution.”

  “Solution to what?” asked Charles.

  Dr. Gray blinked at him, as if he thought the answer was obvious. “Solution to the threat of human extinction.”

  Charles’s eyes widened. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “The idea behind Project Chimera was a good one—I believed in it wholeheartedly. And now that I’ve been successful making these hybrids, I want to pursue the direction you were headed in with your device by giving my soldiers powers from multiple animals.”

  Charles was completely bewildered. “B-b-but the project was shut down—it’s too dangerous! Why are you doing this?”

  Dr. Gray continued, growing impassioned while explaining his plan. “We need a stronger hybrid race to jump-start evolution. That’s what we’re setting out to do here. That’s why I need you.” He gazed a
t the largest soldier in the room, then turned sharply toward Charles. “So. Will you work with me to create a new device? Or do I send my soldiers after the bracelet on your daughter’s arm again and do this myself while you sit here with Jack? The lab is just down the hall, and the choice is yours.”

  Dr. Wilde clenched his jaw and tried to breathe. Gray sounded like a psychopath—he had grown so much worse. The options he had given . . . obviously neither was acceptable. Charles glanced at Jack, ragged and half-starved for refusing to help. He’d do the same if he didn’t have his family to worry about. The soldiers had already messed with Charlie. Was she panicking? Would Diana remember what he’d told her all those years ago? Would she know what to do? He held out little hope. It had been too long.

  He closed his eyes in defeat. There was no way in the world he could let those thugs go after Charlie again if he could do anything within his power to stop them. There wasn’t a choice to make—it was already made. Now all he could do was stall for time.

  “Charles?” Victor prompted, interrupting his thoughts. “What is your decision?”

  Dr. Wilde could see no way to get out of this—not at the moment, anyway. “If I say yes, you need to take care of Jack immediately. He’s no use to us in that condition. And . . . the job will go faster with two of us.” He stared grimly at the floor.

  “Cyke will make that happen,” said Dr. Gray. He nodded slightly to the large soldier. “Take care of Goldstein.”

  “Of course,” said Cyke.

  “And keep your soldiers away from my family,” warned Charles.

  “I told you I will.” He narrowed his eyes. “But if they cause trouble, all bets are off. Do we have a deal or not?”

  Charles blew out a resigned breath. There was no other way. “All right,” he said. “Take me to the lab.”

  Dr. Gray seemed pleased. “I will,” he said, pulling a cell phone from his pocket. “But first, let’s make a little call to ensure everything will go as planned.”

  CHAPTER 2

  The Scene of the Crime

  Charlie Wilde expelled a breath of relief when her mother pulled up to the curb at Andy’s school. “There’s Mom! Come on.” She and her brother sprinted to the car and got in. Charlie flung her arms around her mother’s neck. Andy leaned in from the backseat and hugged them both.

  Mrs. Wilde held her children tightly. “Are you all right?” she asked. She drew back a little so she could see their faces. Andy was crying.

  Charlie’s lashes were wet. Her stomach was in knots. “We’re okay, Mom,” she said. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “So am I,” Mrs. Wilde said, her face filled with emotion.

  “I’m scared,” said Andy in a small voice. “What are we going to do about Dad?” Andy’s earlier annoyance with his father for not picking him up on time had quickly turned to fear when Charlie revealed that someone had broken into their house and abducted him.

  “We’re going to figure this out,” their mom said, “and everything’s going to be okay.” Diana Wilde’s voice was firm and reassuring—the kids could always count on their emergency room doctor mom for that in stressful times. “So let’s not panic quite yet.” But she couldn’t hide the worry in her eyes.

  Charlie nodded and let out a held breath. “Okay. No panicking.” She released her grip. Her mother’s presence provided some relief—at least three out of the four of them were together and safe. But she didn’t feel any better about her father’s situation. She’d seen how bad the house had looked, especially his office. They had to find him.

  Charlie settled into her seat and closed the car door so they could get moving. Andy sat down too and put his seat belt on. He wiped his eyes on his shirtsleeve and sniffed.

  “This could all be a big misunderstanding,” Mrs. Wilde said as she put the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. She started driving quickly toward home. “Charlie, are you positive Dad didn’t just walk to the Summit soccer field for your game? Maybe he didn’t get your text message about it being canceled. Or maybe he took the bus to do some errands, and he just left the house a mess and accidentally forgot his phone at home?” Her phone rested in the console cup holder—no doubt she’d tried calling him too.

  “I’m sure. Dad’s phone was smashed to pieces.” Tears sprang to Charlie’s eyes again, and she choked up. Hadn’t her mom been listening? “Don’t you believe me? I’m not exaggerating. His office was totally trashed.”

  “Oh, Charlie—of course I believe you. I’m just trying to . . . I don’t know . . . process all of this. And I’m so sorry you had to face that alone. That must’ve been very frightening.” She punched the gas pedal and the car roared through a yellow light. “Tell me everything from the beginning.”

  The question made Charlie hesitate, feeling a little guilty. The beginning? Which beginning? There had been a lot of shocking and unusual events recently that she had been keeping secret from her family, and she didn’t know how to start explaining them all. Besides that, she didn’t understand half of what was going on. Charlie knew that strange soldiers in black bodysuits were after her . . . and her bracelet. They’d broken into Maria’s house and kidnapped Mac—though luckily Charlie and Maria and Kelly had found him in the soldiers’ warehouse and rescued him. But the soldiers were after Dad, too. And that’s the part she didn’t quite understand. What exactly was his connection to them and the bracelet? There were several pieces to the puzzle floating around in her brain, but she hadn’t yet had the time to put them together.

  Charlie pushed up her sweatshirt sleeve and peeked at the silver device, which she’d found in a mysterious package with her name on it. The sleek Chimera Mark Five gave her five different animal powers and basically turned her into a superhero when necessary. Unfortunately it was also stuck on her wrist, and she couldn’t remove it no matter how hard she’d tried. And it was somehow at the root of all the horrible things that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. But suddenly trying to explain to her pragmatic, no-nonsense mother the powers it gave her—the speed of a cheetah, the strength of an elephant, the healing ability of a starfish, the climbing skills of a gecko, and the night vision of a bat—seemed completely overwhelming, not to mention how ridiculous it would sound to anyone who hadn’t experienced them. The thought of explaining the soldiers, like the leopard man with fur growing on his face . . . And the Project Chimera folder . . . And the envelope with the Talos Global logo on it, which was the company her father used to work for, and the top secret papers inside, at least one of which had her father’s name on it. . . . Where exactly was the beginning of a tale like that? Charlie’s throat felt tight and numb, and she could hardly concentrate on any of it with her father missing. Abducted. The soldiers had gotten to him.

  But she had to say something. Charlie collected her thoughts and decided to start with the most recent events, from the time she’d headed home after rescuing Mac and fighting the soldiers in the warehouse. “Well,” she began, “I came up the street and saw Jessie running around the yard, barking her head off. Big Kitty was crouching under the bushes near the front door, which was open. So I ran inside—”

  Andy interrupted, sounding anxious. “You probably should’ve gone to a neighbor.” Both children had been taught plenty of rules about what to do in an emergency, not only from their parents but also from classes at the local Y in Chicago, where they’d lived before their recent move to Arizona.

  “Yeah, I know, but I wasn’t exactly thinking straight,” explained Charlie. “I’d been trying to call Dad for a while, so I was already worried.”

  “Me too,” said Andy. His voice hitched. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “We’re trying to figure that out right now, sweetie,” their mom said. “Keep going, Charlie.”

  “I went inside,” Charlie repeated. “Stuff was knocked over and thrown everywhere. I called for Dad and rushed to his office. It was totally ransacked. His cell phone was on the floor in pieces, and he was gone. So I ran straigh
t to Andy’s school and called you. Did you talk to the police?”

  “Not yet.” Mrs. Wilde put her hand on her phone, then frowned and pulled away. She glanced at Charlie. “What do you mean, you ran to Andy’s school? From home?”

  Charlie froze. Her cheetah ability on her bracelet had activated, allowing her to run at a speed of seventy miles per hour. She’d gotten there quickly, but a normal kid might take forty-five minutes to go that far on foot. Her mom didn’t know Charlie was abnormal as long as this bracelet was stuck on her. “Um, yeah. I mean, I was scared. I guess my adrenaline really kicked in.”

  From the backseat Andy was straining forward against his seat belt so he could hear everything. “Did you put the pets back in the house?”

  “Yeah, buddy. Of course I did,” said Charlie over her shoulder. She turned back to her mother. “Why haven’t you called the police?”

  Mrs. Wilde turned down their street and gunned toward their driveway. “I just . . . I wanted to see what we’re dealing with first.”

  Charlie stared at her. “So you actually don’t believe me. And now we’re wasting time that we could use to find Dad!” It wasn’t as though Charlie wanted the police to come, because she’d probably have to tell them about the bracelet. But that didn’t matter now. This was serious. It was life or death! Why would her mother wait to call them?

  “Charlie, trust me. I know you wouldn’t lie about something like this,” Mrs. Wilde said firmly. “It’s just . . . there’s something . . . strange. . . .” She shook her head slightly and parked the car in the driveway. As she turned the engine off, her cell phone buzzed. All three of them stared at it in the cup holder, as if expecting to see Charles’s name appear as the caller, even though they knew his phone was smashed. But instead of a name or number, the screen read “Private.”

  It buzzed a second time, and Charlie and her mother looked at each other, alarmed. Then Mrs. Wilde picked up the phone. “Hello?”

  A man’s voice came through, loud enough for Charlie and Andy to hear in the silent car. “Diana, this is a friend of your husband’s. He has something he’d like to tell you.”