Going Wild #3 Read online

  “I don’t know,” said Miko. “Cyke and Morph were gone yesterday checking out zoos and came back empty-handed. Maybe Dr. Gray is running out of DNA to work on now that mine is done.”

  “Hmm.” Kelly wondered if the clipboard zoo notes with “banned” written all over them had anything to do with Morph and Cyke’s failure to get DNA. She hoped that didn’t mean she and Morph would be stuck camo-ing their way through all the collecting from now on. Morph was dull and the only thing quick about her was her stupid punchy crab claw.

  They stood in front of the broad mirror, Miko turning so that her back was to it and looking over her shoulder. The wings were thick at their base and hung at odd angles.

  “I have a handheld mirror that I brought from home,” Kelly said. “I’ll be right back.” She left and returned with it, then helped Miko hold it up so she could see her back better.

  “Can you flap them?” said Kelly. “Have you figured out how to?”

  Miko’s look of concentration affirmed that she was trying. The wing joints moved a little. Then they moved a lot, haphazardly. “This might take a while,” she murmured, still watching herself in the mirror. She kept at it for several minutes until the wings were moving together. With an enormous strain, she made them fold in like a feathery backpack.

  “Okay,” she said. “That was a workout. A bit of a learning curve, but I’m sure it’ll come.” Still, her face held a hint of concern. “Prowl made a good point. I can’t really hide them,” she said. “I mean, I’m not stupid—I knew that would be a problem. Dr. Gray said … Well, he insisted I’d be okay with it. It’s just …” She glanced at Kelly in the mirror. “It’s just that I was getting used to going outside without my mask. But now … yeah. Not so much going outside at all.”

  Kelly frowned. “We’ll figure out a way to hide them if you want to. But you could just fly out in public, you know. Way up above people’s heads so they can’t tell what you are.”

  Miko recoiled at Kelly’s insensitive choice of words. Her face hardened. “What am I?”

  Kelly looked down. “Oh my gosh. Sorry. I meant … people wouldn’t expect you to be human if you were flying above them.”

  “But I am human,” said Miko.

  “Right, of course, I know,” Kelly hastened to say. “You just have … a unique look. More so now than before.” When Miko’s face didn’t change, Kelly said more quietly, “I’m just going to stop talking now. Other than to say I’m sorry again. And I think you look wonderful. Your feathers are really shiny.”

  “Thank you,” said Miko, softening a bit. But the fearful look remained. Having wings would clearly take some getting used to, just like when she’d first become a hybrid. Abruptly she turned and headed out of the bathroom. “C’mon, Kel. Let’s go see what these can do.”

  Kelly followed Miko out of the building. As they went past Prowl, he stopped them. “Did you hear the announcement? Gray didn’t wait for you.”

  “What was it this time?” asked Miko.

  Prowl looked annoyed. “We’re leaving San Diego. Now that he knows the machine works, it’s time to kick his plans into high gear and he needs more DNA. And apparently we’re banned from parks across the whole state.”

  “What?” said Kelly, going pale. “Because of me?”

  “Not just you,” Prowl said, with a hint of kindness. “Cyke and me, too. Anyway, Gray thinks that the SeaWorld people alerted the other zoos and aquariums in the area about us. He’s paranoid they’ve got the whole country’s various attractions on the lookout.”

  “The whole United States?” said Miko. “No wonder he’s been cranky today. What are we going to do? Where will we go?”

  Prowl narrowed his eyes. “Dr. Gray said he has some associates in Guadalajara. We’re going to Mexico.”

  CHAPTER 16

  On the Road

  While the soldiers spent the day before their departure prepping for the journey, Dr. Gray finished the formula for Braun and arranged for their arrival in Mexico. Once he had all the details secured, he called Kelly into the lab.

  “You have your passport, right?” he asked her.

  “Yes,” said Kelly. “I took it from home when I hypnotized my parents, like you asked me to.”

  “Good. You probably won’t need it, but bring it just in case.”

  Kelly frowned. “Why wouldn’t I need it? You need one to get into Mexico—I was just there with my mother.” She paused, thinking. “And I’ve been wondering: How are the soldiers going to get into another country? They’ll have to take their masks off and they don’t even look human.” Kelly folded her arms and said knowingly, “They’ll never make it through customs. I mean, Miko has wings now. Maybe you should’ve waited until later… .”

  “It’s under control,” said Dr. Gray quietly. “Don’t worry about it. I have an old friend—a Mexican official—who will meet our plane and take us in without asking any questions. That’s all you need to know.”

  “Like a government official?” Kelly asked. “Somebody who’s friends with the people you work for in our government?”

  Dr. Gray’s eyes flared. “No—I mean, yes. It’s under control,” he said again, clipping his words this time.

  It sounded shady. And a little scary. “Why do I need my passport, then?”

  The scientist’s face turned red. “In case I decide to leave you in Mexico,” he said indignantly, “for asking too many questions.”

  Kelly stared at the man. What a horrible thing to say, she thought. Tears burned her eyes and threatened to spill. She pushed her chair back and ran out of the office.

  Dr. Gray called after her. “Kelly, come back.”

  But Kelly kept going. And the old questions returned. What was Dr. Gray’s real goal? If he was working for the government, why did he have to be so sneaky? Why couldn’t the government help him get the DNA he needed, rather than making him drag everybody to some faraway place in Mexico that wasn’t even a resort town? What he was planning to do sounded illegal. Would the government want him to do that? They must have told him to do it this way. But it seemed weird.

  Kelly didn’t have any answers. As she burst out of the house into the yard to get some air, she saw Miko out there alone, trying to figure out how to fly. The chimp woman gave a lackluster wave.

  Kelly wiped her eyes and went over to her. “How’s it going?”

  “Slow. The wings are heavy and floppy and I’m … I’m having trouble… .” Miko’s eyes grew shiny. She couldn’t speak for a moment.

  Kelly forgot her own pain and reached out a hand. “Are you okay?”

  “It’s just hard,” Miko whispered. “Frustrating.” She turned her head away.

  “You’re like a baby bird,” said Kelly. “It takes time to learn. But soon you’ll be great at it. Just as great as you are at being a chimp.”

  Miko nodded. She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Thanks. I’m fine. I just need to work more at it.” She looked up at a low-flying airplane that had taken off from the nearby airport and shook her fist at it. “I think it’s mocking me.”

  “I’ll help you if you want. Or at least hang out and watch. Like you did for me at the beach.”

  “That would be nice,” said Miko. She laughed, a little embarrassed by her momentary breakdown. “I can’t see what I’m doing, you know? Can you maybe just watch me and tell me what I’m doing wrong?”

  “Sure, I’ll try,” said Kelly. “Go for it.”

  Miko ran through the backyard, wings flapping awkwardly, while Kelly shouted out suggestions and encouragement. She forgot about Dr. Gray’s cruel words for the moment. But her uneasy feeling about his real motives was beginning to grow.

  By the time darkness fell, Miko had managed multiple liftoffs after which she flew for a few seconds. But each successful takeoff ended with a crash to the ground, for she was still unable to maintain momentum.

  Finally, exhausted and bruised, Miko called it a day. They went inside to pack for their trip. Then they che
cked in with Prowl, who was nearly finished sewing a canvas wing cover for Miko. He said it would look like she was wearing a large backpack. “I’ll have it to you by morning,” he promised. “See you bright and early.”

  Kelly and Miko turned in for a few hours of sleep.

  Way too early the next morning, nobody seemed particularly excited to be awake.

  Kelly stumbled into the kitchen to get breakfast and ran into Miko, who was carrying a floppy piece of canvas that had straps attached to it.

  “How did you sleep?” Kelly asked, noticing Miko’s red-rimmed eyes.

  “Terrible,” said Miko, pointing her thumb at the wings. “I can’t lie on my back anymore. My muscles are so sore from practicing and falling. I’m covered in bruises.” She groaned as she lifted the coffeepot and poured a cup.

  “It’ll probably be a while before flying becomes totally second nature,” Kelly said, trying to sound encouraging. “But you came a long way yesterday.”

  “A long way down, maybe,” said Miko, rubbing her lower back. “I can hardly walk.”

  “I can help you carry your stuff,” said Kelly. She pointed to the canvas. “Is that your wing covering?”

  “Yeah. Prowl left it outside our door. I’m not sure how to put it on.”

  “Let me see.” Kelly examined it, then slipped what looked like the bottom part under Miko’s wings. She helped Miko slide her aching arms through the straps and tightened them, which brought the upper part of the pack in place over the top of the wings.

  Miko adjusted the straps to fit snugly. “Is this right?”

  “Yeah.” Kelly looked her over. “It’s nice.” It should sufficiently cover Miko’s wings and hold them in so she would blend more easily in a crowd. And it looked like a backpack, as promised. It might be large and a bit bulky, but Kelly figured no one would suspect the woman had wings under it. “I think it’ll work great. A few nice buttons or patches would make it downright cute.”

  “Thanks. Maybe you can help me decorate it in Mexico,” said Miko, but she didn’t seem enthused. When they finished eating, Kelly picked up Miko’s luggage and carried it, along with her own, to the van in the dark. Miko sat by the window in the second row. Kelly got in after the chimp woman and sat down behind her. Kelly fidgeted with her Mark Four and checked the time. “I’ve never been to Guadalajara before,” she said idly. “I wonder how long the flight is.”

  “It’s a few hours,” said Miko. “Dr. Gray rented a private plane, so that makes everything … easier. I guess.” Miko sat awkwardly against the seat, her backpack full of wings keeping her from relaxing against the seatback. She looked uncomfortable. “Easier for people who look like me, anyway.”

  Kelly grimaced and changed the subject. “So, are we just leaving the van at the airport? Are we coming back here? Like, ever?” They had to. Right? Fear struck Kelly. What if they were never coming back to the United States?

  “Cyke’s dropping us off. He and Morph and Fang will be driving the van to Mexico later with the equipment. Prowl told me he thinks we’ll come back here once we get all the right DNA.”

  That was a relief, though Kelly wasn’t quite sure why. She had no one to come home to. She pushed the lonely thought aside. “What kinds of animals are we looking for in Mexico?”

  “Jellyfish, for one. They’ve got a jellyfish display and a culture lab at the Guadalajara Zoo,” said Miko. “I saw the website open on Dr. Gray’s computer. Maybe they have the right kind there or something. The Mexican wolf is an animal Dr. Gray mentioned once, too, though he already has a different kind of wolf DNA leftover from Fang. And, of course, the elusive shark, if we can find one. I’m not sure what else.”

  Kelly frowned. “It seems like we should be able to find those all in the United States. Does Dr. Gray really think all the zoos and aquariums will be watching out for us? That’s nuts. Besides, why can’t Morph and I just sneak in using our camouflage? I mean, it’s not my first choice spending that much time with her. But if it means we can stay here, why not?”

  “Dr. Gray is paranoid,” Miko said, sounding annoyed. “I don’t understand him lately.” She bit a hangnail on her monkey-like finger and spit it out. Then she examined it. Satisfied, she glanced out the window as Prowl came up. “But traveling by plane is kind of cool, I guess. We don’t usually get to see much of the world except through the van windows these days.”

  “Who’s the Mexican wolf for?” asked Kelly. “Me?” She hoped she wouldn’t get the shark or the jellyfish. She had too many water abilities already.

  “I doubt it,” said Miko. “You heard what Dr. Gray said. Yours will mysteriously come later.” She made a face.

  Kelly sat back and studied Miko. It sounded like she didn’t think Dr. Gray had meant what he said. Why were things so confusing with this group?

  Prowl slung his bag into the back of the van with the rest of the luggage. “Mexican wolf?” he asked. “Hmm. Wonder if that’s for me. A mix of canine and feline could be interesting. Though you’d think I’d be consulted.” He sniffed.

  “That combo could be a disaster,” Miko declared. “You’d be constantly fighting with yourself.”

  Prowl scowled at her and sat next to Miko. “We’ll see what happens, I guess.” He looked back at the house impatiently—now that he was here, he was ready to get moving. Soon Dr. Gray came out of the building and held the door as Mega and Braun, the bull soldier, came outside. Braun was sporting new porcupine quills under an oversized coat. Apparently he’d gotten his moment with the mist machine last night. He walked gingerly, bickering with Mega as he often did. Neither seemed to be early morning people. They stopped talking abruptly when they got to the van.

  Dr. Gray locked up the lab and followed. The three stashed their luggage and Dr. Gray slammed the rear door shut. The two soldiers eased their large bodies into the back with Kelly, and Dr. Gray went to the front passenger seat.

  Braun snorted and shuffled to his seat. Kelly eyed his quills, which were showing through the opening in his jacket. She swiftly slid over to smash herself against the window, trying to stay clear. She didn’t like the bull and rhino soldiers much. They usually ignored her, and that was just fine. They were cranky and loud, and they often argued about the fact that Mega was going to get the shark DNA. It sounded to Kelly like Braun wished he’d get that instead. It made Kelly feel uneasy. It seemed silly to argue when everyone was getting a new animal feature—they would all be excellent abilities, Kelly was confident of that. Dr. Gray was all about research and finding the best of everything, and porcupine quills were really dangerous, which was cool. So what was Braun’s beef?

  Soon they were on the road. With Morph and Fang staying behind, only Zed was missing from their team. Nobody mentioned her.

  Dr. Gray was quiet in the front seat, poring over his tablet, no doubt doing more research. Everybody else was quiet too, but it didn’t feel pleasantly so. Prowl’s sharp eyes followed the line of the roadside. Miko shifted uncomfortably. Braun farted and Mega slapped him, then cried out because a quill pierced her hand.

  “Settle down,” Dr. Gray muttered, not even bothering to look back. There was a strained tension in the air that had been developing ever since they’d left Navarro Junction. Everyone was anxious to move forward and get their new abilities. But then what? More testing? When would he determine what the ultimate chimera would be like? And who was getting it? Was that Kelly’s special surprise—an updated Mark Four device with all the best features? Nobody seemed to know.

  Kelly reached into her pocket for the cell phone that wasn’t there, then laughed at herself—she hadn’t done that in a long time. The action had once been so automatic every time she was stuck in a vehicle with one of her parents and didn’t want to talk. She thought she’d broken the habit by now. Kelly looked around sheepishly to make sure no one had noticed, and caught her reflection in the van window. She was almost startled by it. Here she was in this van full of animal hybrid soldiers and a strange scientist, heading to Mex
ico to collect animal DNA from a zoo. It was super strange when she thought about it.

  She glanced at the device on her wrist. Maybe she could play a trick on Braun by hypnotizing him. But the idea didn’t sound nearly as fun as it had when Kelly was first learning about her new powers. Besides, Mega was sitting on the other side of him, and if she noticed, she’d just be cranky and make Kelly stop.

  Kelly glanced at Miko, who was perched at the edge of her seat, strapped in by her seat belt but unable to sit back properly. She was looking out her window, her eyes shining again, and Kelly felt a wave of emotion for her. Wings were great … until they weren’t. Miko’s life had just changed dramatically, Kelly realized. Was her chimp-condor friend having an even harder time getting used to it than she’d let on? Kelly wanted to reach over the seat and take Miko’s hand and assure her that she’d get used to the wings over time, but she felt weird about doing that. Miko was a grown woman, and Kelly was just a kid who was still pretty new here. It didn’t seem like she could offer any real assurance. Besides, Kelly wasn’t very good at close friendships. Sure, she was the most popular kid in her class—at least she used to be—but she’d never really gotten close with anyone. Maria was about as close as she’d ever gotten. But Maria had her best friends, Mac and then Charlie.

  Not that Maria was even a distant friend anymore.

  Kelly sighed and rested her head against the window, her breath fogging the pane, making the nearing airport lights seem like bright stars muted by a thin layer of clouds. Cyke stopped the van alongside a private hangar. Dr. Gray opened his door and all the interior lights turned on, making everyone blink. They piled out and collected their luggage, then trudged to a small plane. They’d be well on their way before sunrise with no annoying security lines to go through. That’s a plus, thought Kelly.

  As they boarded, the pilot poked his head out of the cabin to greet them. Kelly glanced over her shoulder and saw him give a curious look and a slight frown in Miko’s direction, perhaps because of the bulkiness of her backpack. Kelly pushed up behind Miko to help hide it and tried to act normal. But then Braun came aboard. The pilot’s expression changed for the worse, but Dr. Gray stepped up and greeted him. The pilot seemed to recognize him. They conversed for a moment, and then the pilot’s face cleared and he nodded. Once everyone was settled he closed the cockpit door and went back to the controls. Dr. Gray sat down. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.