Chapter 12
Three days after their last SPLAT meeting, Dinah was getting worried. There had been no further message from Red Dragon, and according to the information on her profile, she had not logged onto her profile since the day of her last message. She had not mentioned anything to the others, as she had no evidence, but she was horribly afraid of two things: that something had happened to Red Dragon to prevent her from sending anything further, or that the Headmaster was aware of the contact between herself and Red Dragon. She did not know which was worse. Without regular contact between Red Dragon and herself, it would be a lot harder to counter what the Headmaster had planned. If the Headmaster had discovered their contact, this would also make things harder, yet also more dangerous, as he would attempt to neutralise Dinah and SPLAT before they could do anything to stop him.
She decided to go to the library in the afternoon, as she wanted to check one last time if there was any further message from Red Dragon. She knew that if she tried this at home, one or both of her brothers would discover what she was up to, and she did not want to worry them unnecessarily by checking Myspace where they could see. As she went to the library every day if she could, her brothers and the rest of SPLAT would not be suspicious at her destination. As she sat down at one of the computers in the library she began to feel nervous. If a message was not there, she would have to let SPLAT know about her fears. Yet if it was, they would have to get ready to act quickly on any information that Red Dragon was able to supply them with.
Accessing her account, the tension she felt was relieved somewhat by the sight of a new message from Red Dragon. However, the content of the message had her gaping in utter disbelief at the screen for a few moments, unable to process what she had just read. After a few moments she mastered herself and studied the message again. While there was good news for SPLAT, things had seemingly taken a very strange turn:
"Dinah, I apologise for the delay in getting back to you, but something has happened which greatly hampered my access to a computer and the physical ability to actually reply. You see, the Headmaster had the Evolution Accelerator installed in his office, and was studying a new DNA sample when he summoned me to his office a few days ago. There was an...accident, and I ended up on the Evolution Accelerator while the DNA sample was being processed and while the machine itself was fully active.
To put things bluntly, I am no longer completely human. The Evolution Accelerator decided that my DNA was compatible with the other DNA sample and the two are permanently fused. On the positive side, any plans that the Headmaster created which made use of that DNA sample are now void, as he can't use it anymore, which will make things easier for you. On the negative side, this fusion of DNA has taken a great toll on me and I will be unable to relay any information to you for a while. I am physically not up to it, even writing this message has exhausted me. I hope to be recovered soon, and I will still gather information while I am indisposed. I hope my news has given you some relief.
All the best to you
Red Dragon"
Coming to a decision, she checked that no-one was close to the library printers and began printing out the message. She knew it would have taken too long to explain to the rest of SPLAT what the message would mean for them, so it was easier to provide them with the evidence and let them see for themselves. Dinah found herself agreeing with the statement that Red Dragon had made about the Headmaster's plans, this would give them valuable time to plan their next move.
Red Dragon slept for almost two days before she felt restored enough to move about and not feel completely drained by the short distance to the bathroom. During that period, both the Headmaster and Red Dragon were gratified to discover that her shoulder was almost completely healed (although this was for completely different reasons). Red Dragon was glad that she would finally be able to enter other areas of the lab and now leave her bed, while the Headmaster was satisfied that he could now begin implementing his revised plans. Now, the involvement of his Prefect was much more prominent, as her new abilities and physical changes were a major asset.
Red Dragon sighed as she closed the laptop, glad to have completed the task that the Headmaster had assigned. Fearing that Dinah Hunter would move against him more quickly if she did not receive a message from Red Dragon, the Headmaster had provided her with the laptop and ordered her to compose a message that would delay any action. It had taken over an hour and all of her writing skills to achieve the right content and tone, but it was finally done. She felt a light sense of irritation begin to manifest itself as she headed towards the Headmaster's office. Knowing how much of a perfectionist he was, she knew he would not allow her to submit the message until he had checked it over himself. She only hoped it would not take long, otherwise it would be difficult to stop her irritation growing and being expressed in a visible way. Even though she was no longer under his control, she still found herself following his rules and preferences. Bizarrely they actually benefitted her, as it made it easier to retain mastery over her more savage side if she was kept busy and restricted to a certain degree.
The Headmaster was just about to enter his office as Red Dragon turned the corner and he paused for a moment as he caught sight of her, beckoning her through the door. She followed him and sat in the chair in front of his desk, obeying his wordless gesture. Catching sight of the Evolution Accelerator for the first time since she had been changed, she was unable to mask the revulsion and fear she experienced as she saw it. She shuddered suddenly and then brutally shoved those feelings away. She knew she had to concentrate on what the Headmaster would order her to do; she could brood on these memories and feelings later when she was in bed and where she would not irritate the Headmaster by doing so. As she settled her gaze on the Headmaster, who was sitting behind his desk, he silently reached out for the laptop. Gratified that he was not intending to chastise her for her demonstration of fear (even though he had obviously noticed it), Red Dragon opened it and brought her message onto the screen before handing it across the desk. The Headmaster settled it firmly in front of him and began to study the message, while Red Dragon struggled not to fidget. Finally, he pushed it slightly to one side so that they could speak without the laptop obscuring their faces.
"I can see nothing that needs to be changed in the message you have created. It achieves the objective I outlined perfectly and will enable me to refine my plans without having to neutralise any interference. You must send it now before Dinah Hunter decides to act on anything she views as suspicious"
Sliding the laptop back towards her, Red Dragon instantly complied with the order that the Headmaster had just issued. Shutting down the laptop and closing it, she attempted to return it to the Headmaster. However, he shook his head and halted its movement, explaining his actions a few moments later.
"Keep it, I will soon have other tasks that require its use and it will be more efficient if you have access to a computer that you can carry with you. Besides, it will also stop you becoming...bored and exploring the laboratory before you have been taught about its more dangerous areas"
Red Dragon hissed quietly in surprise, wondering how on earth the Headmaster knew what her intentions had been. The Headmaster smirked slightly at her reaction, before rising from his desk and preparing to exit his office, gesturing for Red Dragon to follow him. She did so, collecting the laptop on the way out of the office and wondering what task he was planning to assign her next. The Headmaster stopped when he reached a door labelled 'Security', starting an explanation as soon as Red Dragon was close enough to hear him.
"I have bought you here because this room contains floor plans of every area of my new laboratory. It will be easier to explain about the different areas if you have the plans in front of you."
Opening the door, she followed him inside, stopping at the console that he was now operating, having assigned the white-coat working there a different task on the other side of the room. The Headmaster opened his mouth to begin explaining the first floor plan, but he never had the chance to utter a syllable before he was interrupted by a desperate snarl from Red Dragon.
Red Dragon clutched at her head as a powerful surge of horror shot through her like a blade, so strong that it almost completely obscured everything else. She knew the origin of the surge, but for a moment was unable to connect it with any direct cause. This ignorance lasted only moments as the creature projected the answer, a combination of emotions that she felt in only one single place. Swaying slightly, she stumbled towards the door, ignoring the Headmaster's demands to explain what was going on. She was very close to surrendering control completely at this point; as she knew the creature could get her there faster. However, she just had time to snarl out "Home...home...something very bad" before throwing herself through the door and letting the creature take over.
While the creature had control, she was unable to change direction or fight against anything it might do. As a result of this, her laptop was dropped almost immediately (Red Dragon feeling glad that it was securely fastened in its bag), and it shed her shoes and socks only a few moments after the laptop was dropped. Her confusion over this last act was answered when claws revealed themselves from the ends of her toes, as well as the usual place at her fingertips. On four limbs she sprang along the corridor, barely noticing when she knocked over a white-coat on the way out of the main door. If she still had control, she might have hesitated over running this way where people not connected with the Headmaster's laboratory could see her and also see the obviously non-human eyes (she no longer wore dark glasses inside the laboratory as the people working there knew who and what she was). However, as she did not, she had no chance to hide anything. Leaping down the street, she achieved a speed she only normally managed on her bike, and managed to reach her house in only fifteen minutes.
When she reached it, she immediately discovered what the creature had sensed. Her entire house had almost completely been reduced to rubble. From the amount of debris, and the small fires present, there had evidently been an explosion. As she leapt towards the ruins to see if her family had made it out, she soon discovered that she had no need to search. A group of men were standing in the place the driveway of her house had been, and an involuntary cry of horror was ripped from her as she saw her Dad and her Grandmother lying on the ground in front of them. Without going any closer she knew that they were dead. She could quite clearly see bullet holes in the side of their heads and two of the three men held guns that had only just been fired. The third man released a sinister smile in her direction before shoving her sister towards the two men, who held her up between them. While it was clear that her sister was still alive, she did not know how long it would last. She had no idea if she would be able to reach them in time to stop them shooting her. The third man, who appeared to be the leader, smiled even more nastily as he saw her realisation.
"How does it feel monster, to know how much control we have? You have seen how quickly we operate. Now, give up that power you hold, and you might end up with some family left!"
Red Dragon stared at him, having no idea what he was talking about. As she was preparing to tell him so, it seemed that he took her silence for denial and pulled out a gun of his own. It was too much. She couldn't lose her sister too! Snarling, she leaped at the men, and at first she thought her actions would stop them, as they all seemed completely surprised. This hope did not last for long. There was an almost deafining gunshot. Even as she saw the life leave her sister's eyes, she didn't stop her attack. Now she wanted vengeance, their blood would be spilled to pay for the blood of her family that they had caused to fall. For the first time, Red Dragon and the creature had a goal that matched, and this time she would be the one in control. As the first man raised his gun, her claws struck, slashing his belly open. She did not attempt to see if he was dead, instead designating the second man as her new prey. While he did manage to fire his gun, she dodged it easily, the creature providing her with more dexterity now they were working together. Her claws sank into his neck, and with a single deft twist she cut his throat. The leader was clearly shaken by her swift dispatching of his men, obviously not expecting that she could possess such control. Before she could form a plan to attack him as well, he made his escape. With a snap of his fingers a dark cloud obscured him completely. When it dissipated he was gone.
At this point the creature's consciousness abruptly departed from her senses. She felt completely numb as the knowledge of the situation sank in, as if every emotion had been abruptly cut off. Vaguely she looked around the area, and was startled to encounter some very hostile expressions from the people that we slowly gathering at the ruins of her house. Somewhat belatedly, she noticed her blood-soaked claws and for a moment thought about retracting them. Then she decided against this, it did not matter if she hid them, they had already seen her strike down the two men. To get away from their hostile stares, she suddenly ran to her sister's body, kneeling at her side and studied it, cringing at the look of terror forever frozen on her sister's face. She was surprised to see a photograph close to the body. From the way the glass was cracked, it had clearly been blown from the house when it exploded. She studied it just as intently as she had done with her sister's body, not daring to look up. It showed her entire family; herself included, and had been taken at their annual family holiday only two years ago. Right now, it seemed the most precious object in the world.
Red Dragon was broken from her contemplation at the sound of footsteps crunching across broken glass quite close to her. Abruptly she sprang to her feet, leaping backwards a few feet to face whoever it was. Her fears were banished somewhat at the sight of the Headmaster. She was even glad that he was there, for she knew that he wouldn't treat her like some kind of beast, even if she had killed those men. The Headmaster had been intensely alarmed as she had sprung from the security room, yet did not attempt to follow her. Her parting words had thrown his thoughts down a different track to chasing down his Prefect, and he had instantly ordered the white-coat at the security camera console to bring up the security feed for Red Dragon's house. As he had done while in control of the BRC, the Headmaster had placed security cameras in strategic places around the town, as it would enable him to spot intruders or dangers to his plans much more easily. He had also placed cameras outside of his Prefect's houses (both Rose and Red Dragon) as he wished to ensure that they followed his orders when they involved their homes. When the camera feed was bought up, it was easy to see what was "very bad" about Red Dragon's home.
As soon as he witnessed the explosion and the men bringing Red Dragon's family out at gunpoint he instantly strode off in the direction of the main doors. He was not in any way concerned about the fate of Red Dragon's family. What he was concerned about was further injuries she might sustain in her attempts to rescue them. He could no longer endure any more delays to his plans. As his driver drew the Headmaster's car up to the smoking ruins of Red Dragon's house, he was pleased to see that she did not appear to have been injured. Instead, she seemed to have despatched two of the group of men he had seen, judging by the blood on her claws and the fact they had clearly been killed by slashing wounds at a single point for both men. As she looked up, he was startled by the expression of relief on her face as she saw who he was. Good. If she was happy to be in his presence, it would make it easier to get her to co-operate with his plans. As he stepped towards her, he caught sight of what she was holding. He frowned.
"Why are you in possession of that photograph? It serves no useful purpose at all; it only shows you and your family, such a picture could not be used for research. It must be destroyed."
He reached for the photograph, intending to match his actions with what he had just said. He could not have her distracted by such an item, he needed her full attention. It was at this point that he realised how slim his control of her could be in certain situations. Suddenly she lashed out at him, slashing his arm with the claws of her right hand. He cried out in pain, stopping his movement towards the photograph. Holding it tightly to her chest she shrank back from him and choked out:
"No, no, it's mine! You can't take it, you can't! It's all I have left!"
For the first time in a while the Headmaster was at a loss. He knew that if he made any movement at all towards the photograph, he would only end up with more injuries. Also, while he might be able to hypnotise a number of the bystanders in order to restrain her and stop her attacking him, she would instantly know what he intended to do, as he would have to put them all in a trance first. He doubted he could do this in time, as she would likely attempt to stop him. She had not held back when she slashed him, the wounds that her claws had made were deep; he could see that his sleeve was rapidly becoming stained with blood. The only thing he could do was allow her to keep the photograph. It would not provide either Red Dragon or him with anything useful, but it was the only solution that would stop him being slashed again. Sighing he gave her a curt nod and brought his hands away from her, crouching down so that he would not appear as threatening. She eyed him warily, but relaxed slightly.
"Very well, you may keep it, even though I do not understand why you attached emotion to an inanimate object. Now, I will take care of the arrangements for your...family. What is it you wish to do?"
Red Dragon dropped her head at this question, staring at the ground. While she was still stupefied over what had just occurred, she knew that she could not stay here. She was still attached to her home, even though it was now reduced to rubble, but she was mindful of the hostile reaction she was getting from the people around the ruins. The only place of safety she had left was the Headmaster's laboratory. Even though she knew of the restrictions he would place on her, she still welcomed them. She no longer cared what the consequences would be for everyone else if she allowed the Headmaster to make her a part of his plans. She felt betrayed by their reactions towards her and also afraid. Suddenly she felt utterly drained.
The Headmaster was taken aback when Red Dragon suddenly slumped forward, her head resting against his chest, nearly knocking him off balance, as he was still crouched. He scowled, but allowed the contact. If he tried to push her away her feared that her reaction would be violent. In a voice that was barely audible she answered the question he had just asked.
"Please...take me back"
Sighing he stiffly placed an arm around her shoulders, not wishing for her to move any further and place him further off balance.
"Very well. Come."
