Chapter 2

I sat outside on the fire escape smoking a cigarette while Buffy and Dawn sat talking to April about all the things that have happened in their lives.

"I know I should have been there when Joyce died, but I was doing a follow-up investigation on a toxic waste spill I did a report on a few years back, and I didn't find out until after the funeral that she had died."

"Don't worry about it, Mom knew you were always busy, I'm sure she would have understood."

"If you needed money you should have called me. You're my family, I'd do anything to help you out. Joyce was my sister after all."

"It's okay, everything was taken care of."

I groaned. All of this mushy family bonding stuff was beginning to make me nauseous. I decided to go sightseeing. I climbed down the fire escape ladder and walked along the street. Most people wouldn't dream of walking the New York streets alone at night, but I was more than capable of taking care of myself. If I could take on the forces of darkness, then a modern day mugger was nothing. I honestly had no clue where I was going, but I had always wanted to visit Times Square and Central Park, even Madison Square Garden. I passed by the local zoo and stopped when I rounded the corner. There was a large truck parked out front. Most people wouldn't think anything of it if it weren't for the fact that there were men loading large crates into the back of it that read Caution: Live Animals. Once the truck was loaded they drove off. I caught a brief glimpse of the license plate, which was from New Jersey. I headed back to April's apartment, there wasn't really anything I could do at that moment. Besides, they could have just been transferring the animals to another zoo. No sooner did I get back did April's phone ring. She hung up a moment later and grabbed her coat.

"I have to go to the station. There's been another robbery at the zoo and they need me to cover it. I'll be back later," she said as she headed out the door.

A short while later we were sitting in the living room watching the report. April was on location at the zoo interviewing a police detective.

"This is April O'Neil reporting live from New York City Zoo where just minutes ago another robbery has taken place. With me tonight is chief investigator Michael Williams." She turned towards the man next to her. "Detective Williams, are the police aware of what has been stolen so far?"

"Yes Ms. O'Neil. A small number of animals have gone missing in the past week. Those including a great white shark from the marine park two nights ago, along with a warthog and rhinoceros in tonight's robbery. We have reason to believe that these robberies have to do with a black market trade in exotic animals."

"Do the authorities have any leads currently?" April asked.

"Unfortunately we do not have any information at this time. We urge citizens to contact the local authorities should they have any information on these crimes."

"Thank you Detective Williams," she said as the man walked away. She turned back to the camera. "We will continue to update as the case unfolds. This is April O'Neil for Channel 3 News."

Buffy switched off the TV and sat down on the couch next to me. I was unusually quiet, at least to her. "You okay Faith?"

"I'm fine B, just got something going through my mind."

"Care to share?"

"Not really."

Oh. Okay."

I could have told her what I saw earlier, but it was April who needed to know. Plus I wanted to know where the thieves were going before I said anything, that way I can give the authorities a location. April came home and flopped down in a chair.

"That makes the third robbery this week," she said tiredly.

"Still no leads?" Dawn asked.

She shook her head. "No. But I did tell them to call me immediately if there was any new information." She stood and stretched. "I'm going to bed, I've got to leave early to do the morning report. Night guys."

"Night April," we all said.

I went to my room and changed. Fortunately April had a three-bedroom apartment, which meant I wouldn't get stuck with the couch like I normally did. I fell asleep quickly only to wake up in the middle of the night. I decided to go for another walk. I went by the zoo and found a few police cars outside on patrol in case the thieves returned.

Nobody is that stupid, I thought. That is until I saw the same truck parked a few yards down the street. Then again...

I made up my mind right then to sneak a ride and see where exactly they were going and what they were up to. I walked past, acting nonchalant, and glanced over to see the driver's seat empty. I opened the back and climbed inside. There were a few small cages and large crates. Inside one of the cages was a red fox. I hid behind the crates and waited for the driver to return. A while later the truck started and drove off. Hours seemed to pass before the truck finally came to a stop. The back opened and a man grabbed the cage with the fox and took it inside. Once he was gone I got out of the truck and walked up to the building. There were large red letters on the roof that read: T.G.R.I.

I climbed the fire escape and peered through one of the windows and saw a man at a large counter looking at some containers with glowing green liquid in them. Another man was sitting at a computer going over some data. I went to another window to a room no one was in and slipped inside. I walked quietly through the building, being sure to not alert the occupants to my presence. As I neared the area I could hear the men talking.

"We are ready to begin phase two Professor Perry."

"Excellent. Let's get to the lab downstairs."

I hid around the corner as the door opened and the men came out. I followed them to a basement laboratory. Inside were cages filled with animals, mostly the ones from the zoo robberies. The professor, and middle-aged gray haired man went to a tank on the far side of the room. The triangular fin circling just above the surface was indication that it was the great white shark that went missing.

"Phase One: Processing of mutagen, is now complete," the professor said. "Prepare for Phase Two: Administration to test subjects. Bring the first specimen in." The assistant came in carrying a golden brown colored cat. The professor took the cat and scratched its head. "Well Manx, you're about to make scientific history. Let's see if you're as big a success as Ms. O'Neil's friends."

My interest piqued at the mention of the name. Could he be referring to Buffy's aunt April? And what did he mean by "friends"? The professor placed the cat in a containment area and inserted a hose through a small opening. The assistant pressed a button on a nearby terminal and the green glowing liquid flowed through the tube and into the cage with the cat. I could hear the cat growling and hissing. I didn't know what the liquid was doing to it, but I knew it wasn't anything natural.

"How long before we begin to see results Professor Perry?" the assistant asked.

"Should be a matter of hours. I've reformulated the mutagen to make it even more retroactive than the batch that was made over twenty years ago."

My curiosity had gotten the better of me. I wanted to see what these men were up to and what would happen to the cat. I found a better place to stay hidden and where I could see everything that went on. There was a deep growl from within the cage as the sides rattled with the force of being struck by its prisoner.

"Have the tranquilizers ready just in case," Professor Perry instructed. He went over to a control panel and pressed a button. The cage opened to reveal the cat. Only it was much larger than when it was earlier. It was the size of a full-grown man and stood upright. It twitched its ears and sniffed the air before taking a step towards the professor. "Hello Manx."

"Hello."

Holy shit! It spoke! I couldn't believe what I was seeing or hearing. Which is kind of odd considering I've killed things that were far stranger than a giant talking cat.

The professor smiled. "Come to me my friend." He extended his hand towards his pet. "We have much to learn from each other."

Manx walked over and sniffed the professor's hand, then nuzzled it with his head like a normal cat would do. The professor took him over to a table and had him lay on top of it. Cables and monitors of all sorts were hooked up to the feline. The assistant wrote down every thing that came up.

"His brain mass is above average and steadily increasing. He's becoming smarter."

"Excellent. Let's see just how fast he learns." The professor leaned over the cat and spoke in a clear voice. "My name is Professor Jordan Perry. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand Professor," Manx said.

The professor smiled. "Wonderful!" He went over to a closet and took out a white lab coat and gave it to Manx. "Wear this."

Manx stood and put on the coat. He went over to a bookcase and pulled out a book, flipping through the pages quickly before casting it aside and taking another book and repeating the action until he had cleared the entire bookcase. "Cybernetics is an intriguing subject, I would like to do some experimentations with it if I may."

"Of course, but we do not have the proper equipment for you to work with unfortunately. But perhaps a... pick-up can be arranged." The professor looked to his assistant. "Stockman, I want you to go back to New York later this week and pick up some computer and electronic supplies. We're going to see just how far Manx's potential really goes."

I decided I had seen enough right then. I left the building and headed to the highway to hitch a ride back to New York. It was almost sunrise by the time I got back to April's apartment. I crawled into bed and crashed the moment my head hit the pillow.