Chapter 8

The Truth

Penny sat there, staring at her phone in frozen shock, her mind still trying to catch up with the conversation. "What...?" her mind just could not process what she had heard.

She went back through her phone's memory logs, finding an automatic recording of the conversation, playing it once more, pausing it every now and again when she needed to stop and think. Been even after the replay, she was still struggling to come to terms with the meaning of it all. Bolt's been altered? Calico's planning something, and dad wants me to stop it - Her thoughts ground to a halt. "Dad."

In that moment, it all hit her. Richard's voice seemed to echo in her mind. I don't think I'm going to be coming home for a while... Whatever Calico was doing, and whatever her father was doing to stop it, her father had just become Calico's prisoner, or worse, his victim. That was the reason for the footsteps, she realised. Her father had been running from Calico's men when he had called...and now they had him. "Oh, God. Dad..." Penny slumped in the bench, the realisation of everything hitting her like a physical blow. Dad would not be coming home...ever again. "What is going on?" she whispered, burying her head in her arms. "Why is this happening?!" It just didn't seem fair. All the anger she had felt towards her father disappeared as he struggled to figure out how she was going to cope without him. She knew that she relied on him to keep her going, to essentially stay alive. Without him...she had no-one to rely on...nowhere to go.

Distantly, she heard Bolt's whine and looked up at her friend, seeing the worried look on his face. The sight of the cute, puppy-ish face sent over the edge, collapsing into soft sobs as she hugged him tightly. "What will we do, Bolt?" she asked softly between sobs. "Where will we go?"

After a few moments, Bolt pushed her off, nudging her softly on the leg, where her phone was hidden. He seemed to be trying to say something. Penny looked at him, as he nudged her leg again, before it dawned on her. "The message!" She immediately grabbed for her open, flipping it open and quickly location the massive set of files her father had sent just before the call. He had said that the things he had sent would help...but how? She opened the message, which displayed a whole list of several files, each with strange titles. But it was the top one, labelled simply "READ FIRST!" that grabbed Penny's attention. Exactly what secrets would this single message hold? As Penny's finger hovered over the 'Open File' button, she hesitated. Did she really want to know the truth? Did she really want to immerse herself in the same mess that had turned her father into Calico's captive? Penny was certain, at this stage, that her father was still alive. If Calico had some sort of plan, and Richard was attempting to defy and stop it, then he had information that Calico needed...Calico needed her father alive, it was as simple as that. Penny was also certain that she had no idea what was going on...and not only was she determined to find out, but she knew that the truth, no matter how horrible, would assist her in her next move. With that thought, she opened the file.

It was a simple text message, but as Penny read it, her eyes watered with fresh tears.

Penny,

If you are reading this, then my worst fear has been realised, and you are in grave danger. Before I say anything more, know that I'm sorry, Penny, for everything, and that I have done my best to make amends.

By the time you read this message, I will most likely be a captive of my boss, Calico, and he will most likely be attempting to get information from me. This information I have passed on to you, in these files. It is time you learned the truth about my work.

For the past five years...since you got Bolt from Joe's store, I have been working on an extremely secretive experiment for Calico. I have been using the company's technology to attempt to genetically alter animals, to give them what can only be described as 'super-powers'. Massive strength, intelligence, that sort of thing. Bolt was requested as a test subject, and I, in my stupid blindness, accepted. But I have worked out Calico's plan: To use these experiments to empower himself, and use his power to control the world. I know it sounds crazy, Penny, but trust me, Calico is insane!

I have, at last, decided that something has to be done...Calico must be stopped. I have given you all information I think is vital to your own survival, and destroyed everything else. As I mentioned before, Calico by now will have me as a hostage, but as long as he doesn't find you, I'll be fine. And I have made sure that he will not find you. I have altered Bolt with these 'powers', he can protect you from anything Calico throws at you, along with himself. I have also enclosed several files about the kinds of things Calico uses, and may send after you, so you can avoid them.

Before you do anything, know this: If you are at the house, GET OUT! If not, do not go back! Calico's men will already be on their way to find you, and I do not want to see you suffer the same fate as me! Just get out of the house and run, find a safe place to finish going over my things. Once you have safely gotten away, you must find Joe...I have placed several things in his care that will be vital to you. Find him...and make sure you're not followed. Joe has everything you need to survive. You will have to go into hiding, and I doubt you will ever see me again, but if there's one thing I know about you, Penny, it's that you have a strength beyond anyone I know. If anyone can do this, you can.

But do not, EVER, come after me! You must not put yourself in danger! You're the only thing that stands between Calico and his plan now, you and Bolt. Just go into hiding, use Bolt's protection if you need, and just disappear. If I can, I'll come looking for you, but I don't think that is going to happen. Just go to Joe, and shoe him the voice I enclosed in this, he'll know what to do.

I love you, Penny, and I'll miss you.

All my love,

Dad.

Penny hung her head when she had finished the message. Now it all made sense, in a strange, crazy way. Calico had a plan for taking over the world. It was the craziest thing Penny had heard, but, in a really strange way, it made sense. It explained the secretiveness of Calico's company, and of Calico himself, and the reason he had built a massive technology company, but refused to release any of it to the public...he was saving it for his own needs. Despite her disbelief, Penny decided it was true. Richard would never pull a prank like this on her, no matter how funny he thought it might be, and definitely not so soon after their spat over Bolt.

And Bolt's 'alterations'? Again, it sounded crazy, and again, it was simply the only reasonable explanation. It explained the mark, which just would not fade, and it explained his strange behaviour these past few days. But what exactly had been done to him? Penny decided it was time to find out. Pulling Bolt close beside her, she rifled through the files she had been sent, until she found one with Bolt's name on it. She opened it, and there was, as the headnote from her father explained, a summarised version of the results his experiment on Bolt had brought out. Super-Strength, Super-Speed, Heat-Vision...Bolt had most certainly been super-charged...but how did Bolt use these powers? The file gave no clue as to how Bolt used them, nor how Penny could command him to do so. She was just going to have to wait until Bolt figured it out for himself, she realised. until then, she needed to worked out what to do next. She skimmed over the remaining files, which had lists of the kind of people and technology Calico might throw at her and Bolt, and how best to avoid them. Once she was done, she moved the files to a more permanent location on her phone's memory, and stowed her phone back in her jeans pocket once more.

But what now? she silently asked herself. Dad had said to find Joe, that he would help, but she still had a lot of questions that had not been answered. And she was still a little unsure of what exactly was going on. It felt like some sort of bad dream, just some nightmare that would vanish if she closed her eyes and waited. But she knew it was no nightmare...the feelings, the whole sense of the world collapsing around, was too real for it to be just some dream. This was really happening, but her mind still had its doubts. She just wanted to go home, and wait for -

Home! But the thought crashed almost as soon as it was conceived. Her father had warned her not to return home, that it was simply too dangerous, that Calico's men were probably already there. Penny frowned, not sure what to do, as Bolt whimpered by her side, trying to make sense of his person's violent mood swings. Stuff it, she finally decided, standing. She needed to see for herself to fully believe it. She was going to head home. If there were people there, then she would head to Joe's store. If not...well, she wasn't exactly sure what she would do. But doing something, anything at all, was better than sitting here wallowing in her confusion and despair.

With a proud call to Bolt, who immediately jumped to her side, looking a little happier now that he had something to do, the two of them set off, Penny heading out of the park and down the street, back towards home...and whatever danger, or lack thereof, awaited her there.