Reptilian Deceit

Dinah crept carefully along the corridor, not daring to use the torch lent to her by Simon. If she turned it on, she feared that it would attract attention, something she could ill-afford presently. The secret entrance to the BRC had been just where Simon had promised it would. She only hoped he would not get caught during his careful scouting, if he was, any information would be lost, and Dinah would doubtless be discovered as well. Guiltily, her thoughts flashed to the promise she had made to Mum about going out after dark. She had no choice, the only way they could gather enough evidence was if both Simon and herself scouted the BRC.

Coming to the end of the corridor, she found her way was blocked by a door. She did not want to try opening it yet, it must lead somewhere with other people judging by the steaks of light around the edge and moving the door could alert them to her presence. Luckily the keyhole was uncovered, and if she was very quiet, she could see what was going on. Carefully putting her eye to it, she peered into the room beyond. It appeared to be a large laboratory, with long benches and scientific instruments. There was a computer terminal at one end of the room, with a tank of small green lizards next to it that looked slightly out of place. She frowned at this, finding it odd; as she had believed that the BRC was only working on plant life, judging by the creeper that had been found. She shuddered. If the BRC were working on animals as well, the Headmaster's plans would be even more dangerous, as animals could pose a greater danger than plants, especially if their DNA was changed and messed with.

Suddenly she heard sharp, brisk footsteps coming from the part of the lab that she couldn't see. She had been half expecting to see him during her spying, but it was still a shock to see him in the flesh. The Headmaster strode briskly to the computer terminal, tapping methodically at the keyboard and precisely moving the mouse, glancing up now and then to study the information he caused to flash onto the screen. Dinah held her breath, wishing that she was close enough to see what was appearing. Although she was gaining valuable information about what was occurring in the BRC, she did not dare to move the door while the Headmaster was on the other side of it. She would have to wait until he had gone elsewhere, and she also hoped that the door wasn't locked. She had no idea how she would gain further entry into the BRC if it was. Suddenly there was the sound of another door opening, one she was unable to see, and she was slightly surprised when she saw Rose move to the Headmaster's side. She was not surprised that Rose was in the BRC, she was expecting this. What did surprise her was what Rose was currently wearing. What she saw brought back very unpleasant memories, as Rose was wearing the exact same school uniform that she had worn in the past when she had been a Prefect. The uniform was exactly the same, apart from the fact that she was wearing trousers instead of a skirt.

As the Headmaster was absorbed in the information on his computer, he did not seem to be aware that Rose was next to him. Dinah saw Rose cringe slightly, as it was clear that Rose would be the one who would have to speak first, in order to show the Headmaster that she was there. Dinah smirked at her discomfort, well aware how the Headmaster insisted on silence from others until he had spoken to them first. She still disliked and distrusted Rose, and allowed herself to feel a quiver of mean satisfaction at her predicament. Rose swallowed heavily, and then attempted to get the Headmaster's attention.

'Sir...?'

The Headmaster jerked slightly, cementing Dinah's suspicion that he had been unaware of Rose's presence. Turning towards her, he snapped,

'You do not speak unless spoken to! You of all people should know this well enough by now!'

Dinah saw that Rose was struggling hard not to answer back, with the defence that she had to do so to let him know that she was there. Had it been Dinah in her place, she would have certainly done so. However, a combination of fear and hypnotised obedience prevented Rose from doing this. Pleased that his Prefect had not been impertinent enough to answer him back, the Headmaster seemed to let the matter drop. Stepping back slightly, he studied the uniform that Rose was wearing. As it seemed perfect, he nodded decisively and began to give her orders.

'While you are here, you are to wear your uniform while you perform tasks in the BRC. You may wear other clothes while you are away from this building. I do not want you wearing the uniform outside the BRC, it may attract unwanted attention. Do you understand?'

Rose replied in the affirmative, and seemed to be waiting for further orders or a dismissal. It seemed, however, that the Headmaster had an issue to discuss which caused him to be displeased with his Prefect. He frowned forbiddingly down at Rose, who evidently knew what he was going to refer to, as her hands began trembling slightly. Jaw gritted with annoyance, he hissed:

'Do you think I am so preoccupied with my plans that I am unaware of what you are doing? I ordered you to only use the secret entrance to enter and leave the BRC, in order to keep your visits hidden. Instead I discover that you are using the main entrance! You fool! If anyone catches wind of what I am doing here, and I am unable to hypnotise or neutralise them, all of my plans will be completely ruined. You are needlessly allowing your fear to overcome your reasoning, that creature is incapable of harming you; it is prevented from entering the rest of the tunnels through locked doors. '

At this point he moved forward so that he was looming menacingly over Rose. She swallowed, unconsciously leaning backwards away from him. Glaring down at her he hissed his last comments in a dark tone of voice.

'The only reason you are entitled to a warning is because you are my Prefect. If I catch you disobeying my orders again, your status will no longer protect you. Use the main entrance one more time and I will remove you from your home and keep you here instead, under greater supervision, and I will take your Prefect status from you. My plans are at a very delicate stage, now is not a good time to try my patience'

She shivered at this, managing to stutter out,

'Y-yes S-sir'

Still scowling down at her, the Headmaster pointed towards the part of the room that was hidden, snarling,

'Get out of my sight!'

Eyes wide, Rose shot towards the unseen door, casting a terrified look at the Headmaster as she did so. Glowering in the direction of her retreating form, he snapped his fingers briskly. Instantly, two men in lab coats marched over to him, standing rigidly to attention, seemingly from where they had been guarding the door. The Headmaster was silent for a moment or two, evidently formulating orders. At last he rapped out,

'Fetch Eve and bring her to the laboratory. Then you will guard the main entrance. If Rose attempts to use the main entrance, you are to restrain her and bring her to me immediately.'

Dismissing them with a curt nod, he resumed his seat at the computer terminal. Dinah began to feel frustrated. The longer the Headmaster remained in the laboratory, the shorter time she had available to discover the full extent of what the BRC and the Headmaster were up to. Fuming silently, she was gratified to hear the unseen door open again. Hopefully, as soon as the Headmaster finished with this 'Eve', he would leave the laboratory. Quiet, almost uncertain footsteps sounded from the direction of the door, and then Eve moved slowly into view.

It took all of Dinah's willpower not to make a sound. All she could do was stare at the girl standing near the Headmaster's chair. Her face was one that she saw everyday in the bathroom mirror. Her own face. Dinah was evidently looking at a creature created from the cheek smear that Doctor Gill had obtained from her a few days ago. As Eve turned slightly, it became obvious what other DNA had been used to create her. On her right cheek was a patch of small green scales, evidently a product of her lizard DNA. Her eyes were disturbingly cold and emotionless. Dinah grimaced at this, concluding that she had obviously been created that way by the Headmaster.

The Headmaster turned in his seat to regard his new creation. Something about her appearance seemed to be irritating him, as he was frowning. Eve, unlike Rose, displayed no indication of whether the Headmaster's appraisal was making her nervous. Instead, she merely stared at him blankly. Reaching out, he plucked at a fold of the tracksuit she was wearing, with a look of distaste.

"This will not do! While the clothes you are wearing are practical, they are not correct. I have allocated alternative clothing for you in the living quarters. It is easy to find. You merely leave by the door you used to enter the laboratory, and then enter the first door to your left. Do you understand those directions?'

For the first time Dinah heard Eve speak, and knew that even if they looked identical, they spoke completely differently. She shuddered.

'Yes, master'

Eve spoke in a voice completely without emotion, sounding almost lifeless. Her voice was also very rough and almost tentative, as if she had only recently learned to speak and was troubled over if she was speaking correctly. The Headmaster nodded in satisfaction.

'I also require that you give this note to the receptionist, she is in need of more precise guidelines on how to deal with anyone attempting to gain more information about the BRC. You are to deliver this before you change clothes'

'Yes, master'

She took the note from the Headmaster and began to make her way to the door so that she could obey her orders. Strangely, her steps were now completely firm and even. It seemed as if she was created to learn fast.

It appeared as if the Headmaster had finished what he had been doing, as he abruptly rose from his chair and began to move out of sight. Dinah heaved a sigh of relief as his rapid footsteps faded from audible range. She jumped violently as she heard someone hissing her name. Jerking in the direction of the call she saw Simon heading her way with his torch lighting the corridor and a smile of triumph on his face.

"I found an open window on the other side of the BRC, and managed to sneak close enough to the laboratory to see and hear what was going on."

His smile faded and he shuddered slightly. Dinah guessed that he had seen Eve and was just as shocked as she had been. Simon's next words confirmed her deduction.

"I saw that thing that looked like you. It was horrible, worse than the creeper. There's nothing scarier than something you know being changed into something that's completely wrong."

Dinah happened to agree with him, yet she felt this fear more profoundly than he did, simply because there was something out there wearing her face, yet also completely different, no more than a mindless, emotionless, drone. She fidgeted unhappily, playing absently with the contents of her coat pocket. As she did so, her hand brushed against a texta that she usually kept handy. Suddenly a brilliant, terrifying idea flashed into her brain. She and Simon would be in terrible danger if they put the plan into action, but it was the only one she could formulate in the short time they had which could provide them with concrete proof about the BRC and Lloyd's accident. Urgently gripping Simon's arm, she rapidly outlined her plan. Simon was both sceptical that it could work and worried about the danger they would face, but Dinah eventually persuaded him to help her.

Simon grimaced, feeling very uncomfortable over what he had just had to do. He had managed to intercept Eve after she had dropped the note at reception and had just finished tying her arms securely with a piece of rope he had taken from his insect trap. Eve appeared too confused to struggle, for which Simon was very grateful, fearing any scuffle would attract attention. Seeing her open her mouth to question him, has hastily jammed a hand over it, silencing her immediately. Thankfully, just as she tensed, about to start struggling, Dinah abruptly appeared at his side, having evaded the security guards scattered around the BRC. Eve now seemed too surprised at Dinah's identical face to think about struggling anymore, and Simon breathed a sigh of relief. Dinah echoed him, glad that Simon had managed to get hold of Eve without anyone seeing what was going on.

Drawing the texta out of her pocket, she handed it to Simon, glad that he had not hidden Eve's scales in his effort to gag her. Easing as close to Dinah's face as he could while sill gagging Eve, Simon quickly began to copy Eve's scales, drawing them lightly on Dinah's cheek with the texta she had just handed to him. Satisfied that the scales he had just drawn were completely identical to Eve's, he drew away, glancing from one to the other. Except for the difference in clothes, it would be impossible for the casual observer to tell that Dinah was not Eve. Worried that she might come across the Headmaster while carrying out the plan, she had changed into the clothes that the Headmaster had alluded to. It had not made things any easier that these clothes were the school uniform that she had worn when the Headmaster had ruled the school (with the same slight difference that Rose had been sporting, trousers instead of a skirt). Scowling, she tugged moodily at her tie.

'The best thing to do would be to search the laboratory. That is sure to be where all the important information is kept. It may be risky, but we need that information. It would be best if I were to do the searching, as people won't question who I am if anyone sees me.'

Simon frowned, looking worried.

'I think it's best if I find another door to the lab, a less used one. That way I can act as back up if you need me'

Dinah glanced anxiously at Eve. She was feeling very conflicted. On the one hand, she wanted to be as far away from this abomination as possible. On the other, she was aware that they had to keep Eve in sight, as their plan could be ruined if anyone saw her and knew that Dinah was impersonating her. Simon saw her conflict and smiled reassuringly.

'Don't worry, I can handle her easily. If I keep her hidden with me, no one will know that we have switched the two of you.'

Dinah smiled back weakly. She was still slightly unsure, but they didn't have time to think up anything else. She nodded decisively, carefully peering round the corner of the corridor, to make sure the way was clear. Seeing that it was deserted, she clasped Simon's hand for a moment, and then resolutely strode towards the laboratory. Simon gazed nervously after her, mindful of the greater danger she would be facing. Shaking himself out of his fears, he squared his shoulders and began to drag Eve towards some storage rooms he had seen close to the lab. Hopefully he would find a less conspicuous door, which he could use as a vantage point to help Dinah.

Cautiously easing the door to the lab open, Dinah was gratified to find it completely empty. Clearly, the people who worked in here were otherwise occupied. Fervently hoping that she would not encounter the Headmaster, Dinah swiftly began checking the contents of a row of filing cabinets against the back wall, being careful to remain as quiet as possible. She needed to be ready to slip into the persona of Eve in an instant; a moments delay could give away who she really was. Hearing the handle of a door moving, she hastily made sure everything in the filing cabinets were shut and moved to stand to attention and paste a blank expression on her face. She was gratified to see Rose enter the room; it would be relatively easy to keep up the pretence around her. Dinah was slightly surprised to see that Rose was carrying a computer disk, and wondered what it contained. Rose frowned as she saw Dinah, not as if she wandered who she was, but as if she questioned what she was doing in the lab. Evidently she had seen Eve before. She stepped up to where Dinah was standing, looking her up and down.

'Why are you in here?'

Dinah quickly attempted to come up with a believable reply. Remembering Eve's blind loyalty towards the Headmaster, she finally hit upon something that would seem entirely in-character. Doing her best to emulate Eve's emotionless tones, she replied,

'I await further orders'

Inwardly squirming, she desperately hoped she had managed to fool Rose. As Rose did not seem to indicate that she sensed something wrong, Dinah concluded that she was successfully fooling her. Rose scowled at this answer, glowering down at her.

'Why don't you get your orders from me?'

Wondering where Rose was going with this and feeling very tense, Dinah's mood was not improved by what she said next.

'I am a Prefect, which means that I outrank you!'

Rose smugly gestured to the 'P' on her blazer pocket which caused Dinah to struggle massively not to let any hint of the anger she felt appear on her face. Rose was making it very hard for her not to display emotion, as she longed desperately to slap that self-satisfied look off her haughty face. She felt that she had to do something to relieve her strained temper, and finally decided on a reply that would both achieve this purpose and aggravate Rose immensely. Unable to stop herself smirking slightly she replied,

'I take orders only from my master'

Rose froze, unable to process what she had just heard. Dinah soon regretted her moment of fun at Rose's expense. A vindictive expression crossed her smug face, and she darted to the side of the filing cabinets, pressing a button that Dinah had not seen before. Dinah jumped as a metal gate suddenly ascended from the floor, trapping her in the corner of the room. As she gazed in shock at Rose, she became aware of slight movement in the wall to the left of them. A door silently and slowly opened inwards, and she was gratified to catch a glimpse of Simon's wary face. She was glad to see that he still had firm control of Eve, still effectively gagging her so she could not alert anyone to their presence. Dinah moved towards the gate, and Rose hastily flicked a switch at its side. Instantly, the gate began humming ominously. Dinah struggled not to let the worry she felt manifest itself on her face. Instead, Dinah gripped the hidden texta tightly behind her back, letting the thick marker take the brunt of her frustrations.

She was startled to hear familiar footsteps moving towards the laboratory, and suddenly she caught sight of the Headmaster moving briskly down a flight of stairs on the other side of the lab. She had never in her life thought that she would ever be pleased to see the Headmaster, yet that was how she felt. Her gaze fell on the disk again, and she was certain, by the way that Rose was holding it so carefully, that it contained vital and damning information about the BRC. If she played this right, she would be able to get the disk to Simon and escape the lab without anyone realising who she was until it was too late. The Headmaster strode quickly to the two of them, taking in the scene with an expression of incredulity on his normally expressionless face. He instantly turned his full attention to Rose barking out angrily

'What on earth do you think you are doing?!'

While Rose was occupied in formulating a reply that could placate the Headmaster, with the Headmaster's attention entirely on his Prefect, Dinah hastily slipped the texta into the pocket of her blazer. What she was going to do next would be very painful, but she had to create enough confusion to be able to get hold of the disk or get it to Simon without being spotted. She was certain that the gate was now electrified, and the last thing she wanted to do was touch it. However, it had to be done. She only hoped that it didn't contain enough voltage to knock her out. Steeling herself, she rearranged her blank face into an expression of mild curiosity, and placed a hand on the gate. Instantly, a terrible pain seemed to clamp onto her hand and she released a wail of pain, a sound she was in no way faking, quickly bringing her hand away from the gate. As she had hoped, her exclamation of pain produced the chaotic scene that she needed. Rose jumped violently, abruptly dropping the disk. It slid away from her, settling almost at Simon's feet where he was still watching from the door. Silently, he scooped it from the floor. Now that the disk was safe, Dinah knew she had to arrange a way to get away from Rose. She knew that the Headmaster would not want any damage to occur to his new creation, and was also aware that he would not want Rose around her, now that it appeared she was willing to cause her harm.

Dinah quickly devised a way to achieve this which would seem entirely believable. Slowly, she turned her hand inwards, unsurprised to see that it looked burnt. She allowed an expression of shock to cross her face as she stared at her hand, before allowing the whimpers of pain that she had been suppressing to become slowly audible. The Headmaster quickly flipped the switch at the side of the gate, turning off the electricity, before shoving Rose roughly towards the gate control near the filing cabinets and snarling,

'Lower the gate at once!'

Rose stumbled slightly as she Headmaster shoved her, before jabbing a shaking hand onto the button. Instantly, and to Dinah's relief, the gate fully retracted. Dinah was not prepared to deal with the situation when the Headmaster suddenly stepped close to her. Without a word, he seized her wrist, carefully examining her hand. Abruptly he turned and began moving back towards the stairs, hauling Dinah after him. Dinah instantly attempted to appear docile as she followed him, knowing that to resist his hold could easily give her away. As he reached the stairs he turned back to where Rose was still standing by the filing cabinets, too terrified to move from her position. She knew that the Headmaster was angrier with her than he had ever been before, and she had no desire to provoke him further by moving elsewhere without express permission. As they stopped, Dinah caught a glimpse of Simon smiling at her as he silently closed the door. The Headmaster levelled a heated glare at Rose before hissing irately,

'Do not dare move from this room! You are already due to receive a severe punishment from me for your actions this evening! You will make things infinitely worse for yourself if I have to hunt you down.'

As Rose appeared too terrified to reply, he rapidly turned away and began leading Dinah through a part of the BRC she had not seen before. Pausing at the end of a long corridor, he let go of her wrist and pushed her lightly through a doorway. Dinah was not entirely surprised that they were in a medical room. Pointing towards a comfortable chair by the door, the headmaster ordered tersely,

'Sit!'

She did so at once, and the headmaster moved away from her and began searching through a cupboard. Dinah began plotting how she could escape the BRC and rejoin Simon. Before they had separated, Simon had shown her where the open window was located. As long as it was still open, and she was not discovered by anyone as she used it to exit the building, she would be able to meet him there. Her musings were cut short as the Headmaster abruptly straightened, carrying over a variety of medical items. Dinah could not help but reflect on how surreal the situation was. She had never imagined that she would be in a situation where the Headmaster was actively helping her. She struggled desperately not to allow her conflicting emotions to show on her face and did her best to appear obedient and detached. Finally, the Headmaster appeared to be finished with her hand. After returning the items to the cupboard, he looked down at her and began to give her orders.

'You are to stay in this room until I come to fetch you. There is a bathroom to your left if you need to use it. I will return soon.'

Dinah answered immediately in the way he was expecting her to, slightly worried when she was unable to keep the tension she felt out of her voice.

'Yes, master.'

However, she was pleasantly surprised when the Headmaster did not attempt to pursue this; instead he abruptly left the room, a thunderous expression crossing his face. Dinah concluded that he believed the pain from her hand had caused her to sound slightly strained, and was now gratified she had arranged matters this way. She pitied Rose when the Headmaster got back to the laboratory, he was clearly absolutely furious. However, she knew she could not worry about that now. Creeping to the door, she opened it and found the corridor was empty. As quickly as she dared, she began to make her way to where the window was. She dared not run, as that would attract attention, while she was walking, no-one would question what she was doing, and assume that she was carrying out errands for the Headmaster. Reaching the window, she was happy to see that it was still open. Wriggling her way through it, she dropped down lightly, her face lighting up when she saw that Simon was already there. He smiled at her, holding up the disk. She smiled back, whispering,

'What did you do with Eve?'

He grinned and replied,

'I locked her in a storage closet. Her arms are still tied, so it will be hard for her to get out. I didn't have anything to gag her with though, so she will be able to call for help...if she even knows how'

Dinah smirked. She knew that it would take a while for the Headmaster to realise what had happened, as he believed that he had left Eve in the medical room. By the time he discovered what Dinah had done, it would be too late, as Dinah and Simon would have provided their evidence. He would also be unlikely to send Rose to get the disk back, as he would likely be confining her to the BRC after what she had done. Dinah smiled as they crept away from the BRC. Now they would be able to actively fight against the Headmaster, and she would at last have something that could help Lloyd.