Chapter 5: Penny

Kate had spent the entire morning preparing to meet with the police. She had cleaned herself up and enjoyed a pancake breakfast with the others. She had chosen a simple white blouse and a pair of blue jeans to wear. She chose no jewelry or makeup and just placed a light blue headband in her and Sheila had agreed to stay home and watch the children and Gizmo while Rand and Kate would go down to the station. Murray was given a map of the area via MapQuest and had places that Billy had been or would have visited highlighted.

"Plan of action," Rand said as they had entered the station. "We will file the report even if we might have had a head start."

"Clamp said he had hired the best private detectives in the city," Kate said as she had remembered the phone call she received earlier when they made the plans. There were two private investigators looking for Billy along with Frank Forster.

"Great to have friends with power," Rand agreed as they had entered the building.

There was a bit of a wait time and as the time went by she was growing more agitated, only to be calmed by the reassuring hand of her father in law. She could tell he was frightened as well. He hadn't tried to sell any of his contraptions to anyone else in the room.

"When did you say he was missing?" The officer said as he wrote down the information. He looked bored or tired and was twirling a pen in his right hand.

"Yesterday at one forty five in the afternoon. That is what the people at Blockbuster told me," Kate said. "He said he was going to the mall and maybe someone there saw him, but that was the last time he was seen that I know of."

"My son works for Clamp," Rand said as if that would cause some sway.

"Him and half this city," the officer said, brushing him off.

"No my son created this town. He designed it."

"He is the head of city development," Kate explained. "I already spoke with everyone who works with him and everyone in his carpool and I even asked our neighbors."

"We are going to need names and phone numbers and-" He was interrupted when Kate slammed their address book down onto the table. "Is everyone in there?"

"Yes."

"Does your husband have any enemies?"

"Billy?" Rand asked and shook his head no.

"No, not that we know of," Kate added.

"Has he been involved with any one that might seem suspicious?"

"No," Kate answered.

"Was he acting strange or unusual?"

"No he was looking forward to the weekend," Kate said. "We were going to have a picnic in the park and then one of our neighbors was going to babysit so he and I could go to the movies for a little date night."

"I have to ask."

"Please find my son," Rand asked in a weak tone that Kate had never heard him use.

"We will do everything that we can."

Billy had regained the feeling and ability to move his arms in time for his enchilada dinner. He was going to make sure to eat all of it and put the tray back. He was not going to be tempted to eat when he shouldn't. In fact he was going to go to sleep before midnight. He looked up at the clock. It was a few minutes past seven.

"Yummy cheesy food," Darwin said as he ate.

"Called an Enchilada," Gerald explained. "It's from a place called Mexico and I have been to some really good Mexican restaurants and this is nowhere near as good, now this is better than a TV dinner version and better than cafeteria food from like a hospital."

"Mall food court," Billy explained. "This taste like Taco Vida Ole from the food court. I think the pizza from earlier came from the Sbarro.

"I think you are right," Gerald said before he took another bite. He had relaxed by the time dinner had arrived and seemed to be enjoying his meal and talking to Darwin about it. He was also making sure the former mogwai used his plastic fork and a napkin and to excuse himself whenever he belched.

"Glad you are feeling better," Billy told him as he used his plastic fork and knife to cut off another bite sized piece. He took longer than usual to eat his dinner and mostly it was because he didn't want to get cheese on his fur.

"Don't worry about me," Gerald said and gave his arm a light pat. "I was worried about you for a second. You started to scare me a few hours ago."

"I'm sorry." He reached up to rub his head. "I don't know why I keep getting these cravings. I mean neither of you have these cravings to eat late."

"I don't want to eat after midnight," Darwin said and plopped another cheese filled bite into his mouth.

"No, no desires for that," Gerald added after he took a sip from his cup. They were only ever given juice or soda to drink. "At least not yet."

"Unless…unless it is because Razor is like Stripe."

"Razor is Stripe," Darwin said after he swallowed.

"What Stripe?" Gerald asked. "Who is Stripe?"

"It's time I explained everything," Billy said and took a deep breath. He started with receiving a brand new pet years ago, a mogwai named Gizmo. Gizmo was kind and friendly and playful and Pete accidentally splashed him with water, creating five new mogwai. Billy took one of them and created a sixth for Mr. Hanson to study. One of the mogwai was Stripe and he lead the others into tricking Billy into feeding them after midnight. They formed cocoons along with the sixth one and they were gremlins once they were hatched. One killed Hanson while his mother took care of three of them and Billy killed a fourth. Stripe escaped and made it to the YMCA pool where he spawned hundreds more.

"That night," Gerald said softly as his ears lowered.

"Gerald, I'm sorry. It was my fault."

"You said that one tricked you."

"Stripe tricked you," Darwin said. "Stripe died and came back. He was Mohawk."

"Huh?" Gerald asked and looked at Billy for answers.

"There was another attack at the old Clamp Center building in Manhattan about eight years ago. There was one gremlin that had this reddish fin on his head. That could be him. He also mutated into being part spider."

"That's what they want us for," Gerald said as he set his food down. "When they first brought me down here and before they turned me they showed me a slide show. They want more spider gremlins and ones that can fly and shoot electricity."

"Why?" Billy asked.

"Friedrich said he was doing this for the army, make better soldiers," Gerald answered.

"Do they not understand how dangerous that is?" Billy asked

"Not understand Razor is dangerous," Darwin spoke up. "He was Stripe and Mohawk and now Razor."

"How do you know this?" Gerald asked as he stirred his rice and beans together. "You feel a connection to all mogwais?"

"Mogwai," Billy corrected. "Plural is the same as the singular."

"No just Razor and just memories. I came from him, but I'm not like him. He wants to be bad."

"Great," Billy sighed as he cradled his face. "Not only do we have to find a way to escape but we have to make sure Razor doesn't transform."

"How?" Darwin asked.

"Figure out a way to escape first," Billy said. "And I need you to help me in case I start getting certain ideas in my head."

"I promise and you will help me in case I have any other breakdowns?" Gerald asked.

"Yes."

"I will also help," Darwin said. He held his hand out and both Billy and Gerald placed their hands on top.

Dinner that night was good, but then again both Lynn Peltzer and Sheila Futterman were amazing cooks. They barely talked through the meal. Murray did try breaking the ice with questions about baseball and asked Rand what new invention he was working on now, but each discussion lasted only ten minutes at most.

Silence was shattered by the phone ringing and both Kate and Lynn had bolted from their chairs. Kate had reached first and her heart raced when she answered it.

"Kate great to hear you," Clamp rattled off at the other end. "Have you gotten anything new or heard anything about Bill?"

"No, nothing," Kate answered. "Please tell me you have something."

"One of my boys found something interesting. Your husband isn't the only person that went missing in the last forty eight hours and the second one also was last seen in near the Clamp Corners Mall, more specifically the Medical Research building and according to his profile he is originally from Kingston Falls."

"Who is he?"

"Do you know a Gerald Hopkins?"

"Yes." That name was a flash from the past. She hadn't seen or heard anything from Gerald since he was committed. She heard he was released and moved out of town but that was it. "Hadn't heard about him in years."

"Any news?" Rand called out from the table.

"Gerald Hopkins is also missing," Kate explained.

"That pompous prick from the bank?" Murray asked before he shoved more food in his mouth.

"Murray," Sheila gasped while she covered Sarah's ears with her hands. "Don't use such language."

"Not in front of my grandchildren," Lynn added while she pointed at him.

"We used to work together," Kate explained into the phone. "We both worked at the Kingston Falls bank."

"Might be a lead and we will investigate your old hometown as well," Clamp said on the other end.

"I don't think any of our past customers from the bank wants any form of revenge."

"We have to look for and at everything, leave no stone unturned. Call if you have any new leads and will touch base tomorrow."

The mystery was getting even more mysterious and now there were two men to search for. Kate hung up and wondered what was the connection besides being former employees at the same place?

"Might be coincidence," Kate said as she sat down. "But I'm going to help find Gerald also."

"Why?" Murray asked and received a smack on the side of his head from his wife.

June 28, 1998

"This mall food?" Darwin asked as he held up the breakfast meal consisting of an English muffin sandwich with egg and cheese inside.

"No this is an Egg McMuffin," Gerald explained after finishing his bite. "Since our lunch and dinner came from the mall and the mall doesn't usually open until ten then our breakfast came from somewhere else.

"Milk." Billy grumbled after slurping his small carton of milk through the straw. "Guess coffee is too much of a luxury for us."

"I like milk," Darwin said.

"Gives you strong bones," Gerald said. "And it's good for your teeth." He cast a glance at Billy. "We should both be encouraging him to make good healthy decisions."

"It is good, but I'm already missing coffee," Billy said. "Unless that is one of their tests for us today."

"To see how caffeine affects us?" Gerald asked and then shrugged. "I'd volunteer for that."

"I think we all would, but who knows what kinds of tests they are going to run on us," Billy said.

"Testing before they alter us further," Gerald said. "Gives us shocking abilities and wings so we can become better fighters."

"Or take our DNA and clone us," Billy said with a sigh

The footsteps were heard down the hall and Billy could tell by the gate it was Tim. He was not going to get angry at the pasty faced assistant, anger seems to lead to those dark desires and he refuses to allow them to take over.

"How is breakfast, boys." Tim said as he entered the room. He was grinning and that meant he was in a good mood and that made Billy nervous.

"Delicious, thank you," Darwin said.

"We have a special test for today," Tim said without losing that extra chipper tone to his voice. "Who wants to volunteer?"

"Are you going to test how coffee affects us?" Gerald asked before he wiped some of the egg from his mouth with his napkin. "Because I would volunteer for that."

"No, but I like that idea." He smiled as he held up a finger and nodded at Gerald. "We will maybe do that in the future. I just need one of you, or I will have to grab one by force."

"Me," Billy said when he noticed the panicked looks on the others. He set his tray down and stood up. "I promise I won't bite this time."

"Remember I still have the muscle relaxers," Tim warned as he pointed at the syringes sticking out of his pockets. He opened the cage and pulled Billy out "Both Doctor Friedrich and Hector will also be in the room. So don't think of anything."

"I won't, just don't do anything to hurt the others," Billy said as he reluctantly was dragged out of the room towards the one large room that had been set up for something. There was large metal tub, like the kind one would use for apple bobbing, in the middle of the room along with several white plastic bins. He could see a beige picture sticking out of one and a clear gallon of water in another.

"Place the subject into the basin," Friedrich instructed and Billy felt himself hoisted by the hulk and placed into the basin. "Test one." He held out a medicine dropper.

"What are you doing?" Billy asked and felt a drop of something wet on his head.

The humans were silent for a couple of minutes when nothing happened.

"Test number two," Friedrich said as he emptied the dropper on Billy's head.

"Feel anything?" Tim asked he had a notepad in one hand and a pen in another

"Tickles a little bit," Billy answered and watched as both Friedrich and Tim wrote something down. "What are you trying to achieve here?"

"Test three." Friedrich held up a clear vial and poured it on Billy's head. The tickling intensified causing the mutant to giggle. "Test four." He dumped a tumbler size glass of water on him.

"Are you trying to get me to multiply?" Billy asked in shock after he had stopped laughing. "Are you serious?" How many Mogmen did they want? Getting him to produce by water would be better than to just kidnap and mutate another innocent being.

"Test five," Friedrich said and dumped a larger glass of water onto Billy. The tickling turned into itching for Billy and he tried to reach behind him to scratch the itch on his back.

"Still nothing, sir," Tim said.

"I see and now for the final test." He held up a plastic gallon jug and poured the entire contents onto Billy.

The water was cold and Billy kept his mouth shut and his eyes closed as the water soaked him and the itching had turned to burning, a burning that dug deep down into his flesh. He cried out as pain coursed through him. He could feel something tear inside and not only tear but move. He couldn't move as he felt the lump wiggle around under his skin. He fell forward as the painful sensation continued as it moved around growing closer to the surface of his flesh and finally tear free.

"Whoa," Hector gasped as the gray ball of fur landed on the floor in front of them.

Billy watched as it grew while the pain subsided. Poor Gizmo. He went through that several times before and back then it was in multiples.

The ball grew in size until it was three times the size of a mogwai before it rolled around and uncurled, stretching out its limbs—no her limbs. The new creature was female in form and she even had long dark brown hair that contrasted with her grayish fur that was covered with darker gray stripes.

"Congratulations, Pavlov," Tim said. "It's a girl. She even has green eyes like you."

"Cold," the new female mogman said. "I'm cold." She wrapped her arms around her chest. "I'm cold and naked."

"You heard her," Friedrich said. "Get her something to cover up."

"She has breasts," Hector said as he continued to stare at her with his jaw hanging.

"Don't ogle her," Billy said once he regained his voice. The pain had disappeared and he was just as curious about her as the others in the room. Why was she female?

"Yes, have some decorum," Friedrich said as he approached the new mogman. "Do you know where you are?"

"A lab?" The female asked as she continued to look around. "I'm in a lab and you are Doctor Friedrich and I came from Billy Peltzer."

"Yes," Billy said. "But how come she is well a girl."

"Good question, good question," Friedrich said and scratched the top of his beak like nose. "Mogwai are genderless but humans are not and mogmen also have a gender, both male and female. It seems different genders can come from the same mogman, also there is the human trait of usually one birth at a time and it took more water to actually create one."

"Can they also you know get intimate and make a baby that way?" Hector asked.

"Still have yet to find out."

Billy had grimaced at the idea. He wasn't certainly going to sleep around on his wife and not with a female mogman, at least not one that spawned off him. It felt like incest. He would of voiced his opinion except for the fact that he did not want to draw attention to himself as he climbed out of the basin and snuck towards the door.

"You want something that starts with the letter P?" Friedrich asked. "Patricia, Pauline Penelope…"

"I like Pen el oh pee," the new female mogman said as she continued to hug herself.

"Then Penelope it should be."

"It is long though, maybe something shorter?"

"Penny?" Hector asked.

"I found this old shirt," Tim said as he opened the door, not noticing that Billy was behind it.

It was his chance. Billy bolted past Tim and into the hall. He had reached the elevator and reached up to press the button. The doors open and he ran inside. He was about to jump up when he felt groggy and his vision grew blurred. He reached behind and pulled out the tranquilizer from his backside.

"Damn it,' the words barely left his mouth before he blacked out.