Wanted

by Ho, Jo

  After some fruitless searching, I was beginning to panic when a sign caught my eye. It wasn’t much, but the single word caused a chill to race down my spine. I pointed at the sign.

  GENESIS.

  CHAPTER 126

  SULLY

  Gideon looked at me funny. “What about it?”

  “Genesis. You know what the means? The origin of something. In the Bible, it literally means “In the beginning.”

  Apparently not feeling any of the apprehension that had suddenly flooded my body, Gideon marched towards the door. “Then what are we waiting for?” And with that, he opened it and stepped through.

  I was so unprepared for the move, I froze. When I finally recovered, I limped after him. “Of all the stupid…”

  …And stepped into a giant room. There were cages, seemingly hundreds of them. Inside each was a young dog. The dogs consisted of all breeds and sizes, nothing connecting them except their species. A tablet was attached to each cage with information on it, but I couldn’t see what it they said from here. I moved closer to one cage.

  The dog inside, a German Shepherd, was spinning round and round without stopping. An outsider might think this was a trick or cute behavior, but I knew better. It was a sign that the dog was suffering from a compulsive disorder, most probably caused by living in such a confined space. This was a condition most often seen in shelter animals who had been stuck there for some time, and was essentially a sign of severe distress. A wave of compassion swept over me. I clicked at the dog, making soothing sounds.

  “Hey fella, you OK in there? It’s going to be alright.” The dog didn’t react at all. It was as if he couldn’t hear me. He just continued spinning, round and round and round. It hurt to watch him, so I turned my focus across to the next cage only to find that the Terrier in there wasn’t faring much better. He sat in the corner, staring blankly at the wall. It was his way of tuning out his fears. If he couldn’t see the scary things, then they weren’t really happening. The Terrier was behaving like a terrified young child. Pain stabbed in my chest. These poor animals, what were they doing to them?

  Across from me, Gideon was staring into the cage of a Bull Mastiff who had licked his paw so much, it had caused an open wound. “What’s wrong with him? Why is he doing that?” he asked me.

  But I couldn’t speak for fear I would explode with rage. I looked at the information on the tablet of the German Shepherd’s cage. There was a video file. I hit play.

  Video footage flashed up on the tablet. The German Shepherd was chained up in a room. There was no give to his chain, so he couldn’t move and was forced to stare at a screen. In front of the screen were five large numbers. As I watched, the number 4 appeared on screen. The German Shepherd was panting, showing clear agitation. He whined, but couldn’t get free. Suddenly, a jolt of electricity shot up from the chain to hit the dog. He yelped and pressed a paw onto a button, button two. The screen made an “error” sound, and a jolt of electricity zapped into the dog again. As the dog stood quaking in terror, the screen reset and the number one appeared. The dog got it wrong again and was punished for his mistake. I stopped the video, unable to watch any more, but to my horror, I noted the clip was thirty minutes long.

  Why were they torturing these poor dogs?

  Closing the video, I was automatically taken to a live scan of the dog’s brain, but there was something wrong with it. There was a mass, a tumor growing on it.

  Just like Bandit.

  “No…” Trying to curb the rising horror in me, I sprinted to the next cage and examined the tablet for the Terrier. There was more footage of the torture experiments that I had to click through before I located the live scan. It was the same, though the Terrier’s tumor was in a different position. Gideon watched me, confused and concerned.

  “What is it?” he asked again.

  I went past several more cages, each time finding the same results. Finally, unable to take any more, I stopped at the sixth cage, shock radiating from me. “The dogs have all been given tumors in their brains.”

  “But why?” Gideon asked, utterly baffled.

  Seeing an office across the way, my eyes hardened.

  “I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”

  CHAPTER 127

  ELORA

  The mask on her face was irritating her today.

  Elora looked down at Alpha’s brain, which now lay open before her, like a work of biological art. She checked his vitals, liking what she could see. He was doing better than expected, which was something she had learned to expect of him.

  Although she had voiced her concerns to Forbes, as usual, he hadn’t been willing to listen. The thought that Alpha would lose his intelligence pained her more than she was able to admit. He was always her favorite, and after seeing him with the girl, she felt awful that she was going to sever their relationship with one cut of the scalpel, however, as always, Forbes was watching, and if she didn’t do this, didn’t do what he commanded, her family would be in danger. He had made that threat clear enough.

  She glanced over at the girl, Chase, secured in the viewing room. She was sobbing and banging her fists on the glass. Elora wished she could reassure her, let her know that if nothing else, once the tumor was removed, Alpha could have a chance at living a long and normal life, even if he lost the personality that she had obviously fallen in love with.

  She refocused on the brain now. Missing all those weeks of meds had taken a huge toll. Had they waited any longer to remove the tumor, Alpha’s next seizure would most likely have killed him. Despite how she might feel about the situation, by bringing him home, Chase had saved him. Elora worked swiftly, nimble fingers skimming across the brain.

  With one final cut, the tumor was free, and with it, Elora was finally able to pinpoint the exact placement and position of the tumor that had caused Alpha’s intelligence. This was the missing key they had been searching for. Elora shot a silent prayer of thanks to Alpha. If she were able to use this knowledge to help Forbes, maybe they would all be free of him.

  Elora placed the tumor into a steel tray and moved to seal Alpha’s brain, when Forbes’s voice came over the loudspeaker.

  “There’s no time for that.”

  She stopped, shocked. What did he mean? Her unspoken question was answered as Forbes entered the operating theatre.

  “Stop! His head is open, you can’t just come in like that. Do you know how many germs you could infect him with right now?” She leaned over Alpha, hoping to protect him, but Forbes merely took hold of her arm.

  “You are going to put his tumor into my brain,” he said, eyes gleaming with madness. “This tumor, pressing in such a way on the dog’s brain caused his intelligence. Don’t you understand Elora? It caused his brain to reorganize itself. This is what you’ve been working for!”

  Elora gaped at him in astonishment. “But there’s no guarantee it will work. There are too many unknowns…”

  Forbes glared at her suddenly. Elora could feel his infamous rage simmering at the edges. “Is that a refusal, Elora? Are you saying no?”

  She snapped her mouth shut, not trusting herself to speak. She just stood there, scared, shaking her head mutely.

  “Good,” he said simply, calmly, as his voice dropped back into its normal, soft tone. As he marched her from the room, Elora only had time to glance at Alpha, head lying open on the operating table, before he was out of sight.

  CHAPTER 128

  SULLY

  The office was neat and tidy — and unlocked, which surprised me. Then again, I imagined everyone who worked here already knew what experiments they were conducting and mostly likely condoned them, so there was no need for secrecy.

  A small plaque on the neat desk said this was the office of one Dr. Elora Robins. Aside from a computer, there were a few medical journals stacked neatly on the desk and a pot of identical pens. Dr. Robins wasn’t one for collecting it seemed. Only dogs.

  I pulled open a filing cabinet. Inside were hu
ndreds of suspension files, labelled with a mixture of letters and numbers. Some sort of reference system. I ground the back of my teeth, overwhelmed by feeling. The dogs meant nothing to these people. They didn’t even deserve a name. I opened a file and took out the paperwork. There was a picture on the front page, a Golden Retriever. Her stats were listed beside the headshot: weight, height, size — the usual. There was nothing of interest until the next page, which detailed her tumor extensively.

  While I read, Gideon turned on the computer. He launched the mailbox, sifting through emails, looking for anything that might point them to Bandit and Chase’s whereabouts. There were plenty to go through, and I could tell Gideon was beginning to feel the fruitlessness of our search.

  Eye’s skimming across the file, I suddenly found the answer I had been looking for.

  “They’re not trying to make super intelligent dogs! Forbes has Alzheimer’s and he’s throwing all his billions into finding a cure!”

  Gideon looked at him, not understanding. “But Bandit’s intelligence, how does that factor into anything?”

  “It doesn’t. It’s a miracle, a once-in-a-million side effect,” I answered.

  Thoughts raced through Gideon’s mind, one in particular, something he had read. “But, I’m sure I’ve read that there are other animals that are a better genetic match to us than dogs.”

  “Yeah. Monkeys and pigs are typically closer to humans, but they require more care, and are harder to source unlike stray dogs they could literally snatch off the streets.” I waved the file at Gideon. “There were plans to roll the experiments out to other animals, but Forbes started deteriorating much faster than expected.”

  Still searching the mailbox, one suddenly caught Gideon’s eye. He clicked it open. “Oh no,” was all he could manage to say.

  Dropping the file, I leaned over the boy’s shoulder. The message on the screen was short.

  Alpha is back in the building. Extraction will commence.

  Report to The Nursery.

  I glanced down at my watch. “Dammit! This email was sent an hour ago! We’ve got to find this Nursery.”

  Gideon moved the mouse offscreen, bringing up a 3D image of the entire complex with every section helpfully labeled. He pointed to the one marked “Nursery.” I blinked, not sure what just happened there. “How did you do that?”

  Gideon grinned. “The map is her desktop wallpaper.”

  CHAPTER 129

  CHASE

  I couldn’t believe it!

  After everything he had gone through to get Bandit back, all the people and buildings he had destroyed, he was going to leave him there to die?! I felt a fury so strong, I thought I would explode!

  Throughout the whole operation, I was helpless to do anything. I just sat and watched, as she cut into his head. I will never forget the sound of that blade sawing into his skull for as long as I live. It felt like it was hammering into my own head.

  At first, when Forbes explained what this was about, all I could think was how devastating it would be if Bandit lost his intelligence — if he couldn’t talk to me anymore, or answer any pop quizzes. Then I realized, I loved him. He was my family, and if that meant he was “just” a normal dog, he would be my normal dog.

  The screens monitoring Bandit’s vitals continued to beep, but I could see a clear decline in the figures. I didn’t know what they meant exactly, but I was pretty sure a drop was BAD news. I had no idea how I would save him, I just knew I had to be in there with him. I couldn’t stay locked in here apart from him any longer.

  There was nothing in the room with me expect for a desk and a couple of chairs. I grabbed hold of a chair now, and with all my might, I SWUNG it at the glass. The chair hit the window with a gigantic THUD, and the glass cracked, but held. I backed up another step and took another swing, this one harder than the first. The glass started spiderwebbing as cracks began forming everywhere. Pumped by my progress, I hit the window.

  Bang, bang, bang…

  And suddenly, glass erupted everywhere. As Bandit was some ways away, no shards landed on him. I jumped through the hole I had created and scrambled to his side, fully expecting guards to stop me at any moment.

  Seeing his head open like that, being able to see his actual brain, was terrifying. And the smell. I can’t even begin to describe it. But even more frightening was the thought he might die. I looked for a phone, hoping to call someone for help, even though in the back of my mind, I knew it was hopeless. Who would I call? A newspaper? How would that help him? But in that moment of utter panic, fear, and desperation, I couldn’t get my head to think straight. I needn’t have bothered however. There was no phone.

  No help was coming.

  He was doomed.

  CHAPTER 130

  CHASE

  I wasn’t in the theater long when I heard some kind of scuffle outside. I figured I had only seconds before the guards busted in and finished us off. I took hold of Bandit’s paw, defiant to the end. So be it. If this was it, at least we’d be together.

  Briefly, I wondered how Sully and the others were doing. Now that the end was near, I felt enormous guilt at the pain I had caused him. First he lost everything he had of his wife and the clinic. Now his father’s home was also destroyed, and who knew if Sully’s gunshot was fatal or not. I wasn’t normally a praying girl, but even I was willing to give it a go now. Please God, please save Sully. Don’t let him die too. The noise from outside intensified. Something smashed. I stood in front of Bandit and planted my feet, determined to buy him more time.

  Suddenly, the door crashed open, and in ran Sully and Gideon! I was so stunned I didn’t move, just stood there, gaping stupidly at them. Was this a mirage? Was this wishful thinking? Or was I just dead already?

  Sully took in the scene before him and uttered one word, “Jesus.”

  It was that one word, spoken in typical Sully fashion, that cut through my shock. I ran over to him and threw my arms around him.

  “You’re here?! You’re really here?!” I sobbed into his chest, not the least bit ashamed of how happy I was to see him. I felt his arms tighten securely around me. “You’ve got to help him Sully! Forbes made the doc leave before she could close him up!”

  Sully quickly detangled himself from me. “Block that door,” he instructed Gideon. “They’ll probably try to come through once they know we’re here. I need you to buy me as much time as possible.”

  Gideon nodded and grabbed an unused metal stand in the corner. I’d seen those on TV before, they were usually used to hang IV’s or blood packs. Gideon slid the pole under the door handle, wedging it in place. Then he ran for some steel cabinets, pushing them towards the hole in the window I had created. Realizing what he was doing, I sprang forward to help.

  Sully rolled up his sleeves and rinsed his hands in a sink. Tossing us some facemasks, he told us to put them on, then took position by Bandit. Even though half of his face was obscured by the mask, I could see the tension there. Remembering what he had said back at the ranch, about how brain surgery wasn’t exactly his thing, I knew he must be doubting himself. So I spoke.

  “Sully, you’ve got this. She’s already taken the tumor. You just need to close him up. You’ve got this.”

  He glanced over at me, grateful for the encouragement. Then, with Gideon and I watching out for Forbes’s men, Sully operated.

  CHAPTER 131

  ELORA

  Elora watched as Forbes laid the tray containing the tumor next to the operating table. This room was smaller than the one Alpha was in and more private. There was no window, no viewing room overlooking this. She noticed that everything was already in place for the operation. Forbes must have planned this all along to have it ready, which made her feel like an idiot. She should have known.

  Forbes laid down on the table and waited impatiently for Elora to start. Elora glanced at the two armed guards who had marched her in and were now standing before her.

  “I can’t work with them here like this. I
t’s too much pressure, not to mention, unsanitary.”

  Forbes scrutinized her face as if to assess her honesty. He must’ve decided she was telling the truth, however, as he nodded for the guards to leave. Elora moved to his side and began fastening the arm restraints around him when he stopped her.

  “What are you doing?” he demanded.

  “Securing your arms. It’s standard procedure,” she replied. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Elora stopped, but went on to explain patiently. “In the event the drugs wear off, which can happen one in five hundred thousand cases, any movement from you could have devastating consequences while I am operating. You know it’s a delicate procedure. We can’t afford to have anything go wrong.”

  She stood there, waiting for his answer. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he nodded. Elora reached over and secured the restraints around him. Then she picked up a syringe, depressing the needle until the air was squeezed out. As she approached, Forbes frowned. “Aren’t you going to anesthetise me?”

  “This will do the job,” Elora explained, already sinking the needle into his arm. Forbes’s brow creased with worry. “That isn’t procedure. What is it?” he asked, trying unsuccessfully to mask his fast rising fear.

  Elora smiled. “Ketamine. We usually use it on the dogs. I thought this would be apt.”

  Forbes eyes flared open with alarm as he realized she wasn’t abiding by protocol. He made a move to shout for help, but Elora was one step ahead of him. Covering his mouth with her hand, she spoke.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Forbes. This brings me no joy, but you have clearly lost your mind, and I can’t stand idly by as you destroy any more lives.”