The box sent was a typical brown, medium size that could fit a small bag of pet food in it comfortably. When the barcode was scanned to the destination it was prioritized as overnight unlike the snail mail Andrew hoped. Any package to that addressed was automatically overnighted.
The package exchanged hands to arrive on the desk of Dr. Hyde, Caswell. He had just grabbed his mug that had finished filling up from the nearby coffee machine. The package did make him curious. Usually packages were orders, results and samples from the other labs, and sometimes personal items. However, he knew about those packages coming. This package was not one he knew about. He looked over to see who it was from. There was no name. Devious. An unknown package. He read to see who it was exactly addressed to.
"To Mister Caswell 'Envious' Cabots," Caswell scrunched his eyebrows. No has called him envious. Except. His eyebrows shot up and his eyes widen in shock. He slammed down his mug, spilling the hot liquid all over his hand. "Ow-ow-ow-OW!" He shook it while fumbling with his other hand to get the package opened.
It took him a while but he opened it. Some of it was ripped. He could have grabbed a box cutter but was anxious to see what has been sent. He lifted the second tabs. Inside was two mangled harnesses that had brown crusts and seemed to be chewed on. He set them down next to box. A pair of mismatched shoes. One was a female shoe. The other male. Both chewed on and same brown crusts. The last item was a camcorder memory card.
He had devices to read any disk or card. Caswell hooked it up so he could watch it on the monitor next it. He pushed play.
An image of Andrew was on the screen. Caswell wasn't liking this already.
"Remember me?" Andrew smiled. Caswell could see that he was in some desert area. "Well, if not, I will remind you. I am the guy who you turned down. You turned me down for this." He walked towards the opening of the lab. Caswell could hear the faint familiar voice. Andrew took a gun from someone out of camera view. He aimed and fired.
Caswell flinched at sound of the gun being fired.
"He's awake," a voice spoke right next to the
"Oh," Andrew turned around. "Let him watch."
Caswell could see guys bringing in a man's body. He could tell that the guy was gagged and bound up. Caswell looked up to see two other guys pulling on the rope. He watched them hoist an unconscious Rose dangling in her harness. Her shoulder blood red. His heart started to clench.
The tied man must be Wes, her body guard. Caswell watched him struggle.
"Isn't this the beautiful and elusive Dr. Frankenstein," Andrew walked over to her. "She is something. Now I know what all the fuss was about with Caswell. He could have been famous with us but instead chose to follow her. Tsk. Tsk." He grabbed her face, pulling it to the left and the right. "Wouldn't mind having a taste." He took a kiss from her. "Hm. About the same as every other woman." He dropped her head, letting it droop back.
Anger started to boil up in Caswell. He didn't want to watch anymore but he needed to see what all Andrew is doing to her to pay it back tenfold.
"Look a failure of a body guard," Andrew mocked. "Couldn't even be there for one measly scientist. Oh, but it looks like you're are deathly sick. Aww. You must have gotten sick and the scientist here tried to save you." He looked back to Rose. "How sweet. Pick her clean."
Caswell clenched both fists. "Don't you touch her anymore!" He raised his voice to the screen.
"Do the same to him," Andrew ordered. "Drop her." He waved his hand. The henchmen let loose on her rope. She fell back down to where she was first hanging.
"NOOOOOO!" Caswell lurched forward, cupping his hands around the screen. His eyes searched the screen to see if the rope had snapped.
"She will be bait, well actually an appetizer," Andrew explained. "We need to calm whatever is in there. Don't worry though." He came over to Wes. Behind him the henchmen closed the opening. The rope was still there, slightly swinging back and forth. "You'll be the main course with those muscles of yours. Bring him with us. He may be useful to get into their lab."
The next clips were black screens but Caswell could hear the screams and bones crunching. "No-no-no-no-no-no-NOOO!" Tears were streaming down his face.
Andrew came back on screen showing the same thing happening to the bodyguard. The similar black screen with similar screams and bone crunching. Caswell didn't care much about Wes but it was still awful.
Once more Andrew showed up on screen. He had a drink in hand. "See what happens when you disregard me. You blew me off for some pretty woman who is now creature fodder. Could have had her if you joined my company. No, you wanted to become better as you thought she would like. You could have been married by now with her. Had children, a nice home. Instead, you're in a secret government facility and she is in a secret creature. Sad, but that's what you wanted Romeo. Your star-crossed lover, Juliet is dead. Now you shall wish for death too. And by the time you get this, we will be long gone and no hope to ever getting precious Juliet back. Look on the starting date of this recorder. You'll see how late you are." He smiled and gave a wink before the screen turned black.
Caswell went back to the beginning. The date was almost three and a half weeks ago. His eyes caught the harnesses. He moved over to them. Caswell gave it a sniff. He rubbed the brown crust between his fingers. It was dried blood. This boot was hers and that boot must be her bodyguards.
He pounded on the door of his office to be let out. He was ignored. Caswell was still locked in from his last adventure to Perfection. He has been on good behavior but still not allowed out without permission.
"Please let me out! I got to go! She needs me!" He pounded against the window trying to get the other workers attention. He tried other sides of the office as it had windows everywhere so he could see what was going on. He kept pleading to be let out.
Cartwright, Dr. Jekyll, had come in from his time in the Galapagos. He saw that his twin was making a ruckus early in the morning. He ignored him to meet with two workers on computers.
"Morning," he came over to him.
"Morning Dr. Jekyll," the two greeted.
"What can we help you with?" One spoke after the greeting.
"How is my lovely counterpart in Perfection?" Cartwright always wondered how she was doing.
"Last work was sent in on this day, last email this day, nothing since," they updated him. "However, her tracking shows back and forth from the mobile lab to the PF lab. Also, the semitruck has been active daily."
"Any reports of what she has found?" Cartwright was curious. She usually has information coming in almost every day. Its unlike her to be so radio silent. She gets focused but she still is a team player.
"No," the person shook their head. "No updates from either driver or Dr. Frankenstein."
"That's odd," Cartwright was taken aback. "What about her bodyguard? Any new reports?" He looked over to the other person.
"Says similar dates for emails and reports as Dr. Frankenstein," they informed. "Tracking information is the same. Both of them are back and forth."
"Satellite images," Cartwright looked over to a monitor hanging on the wall next to them. The three watched the timelapse over the campsite. It was a cloudy for majority of the time. Cartwright tilted his head.
"Br-brother!" Caswell pounded on the window yelling out.
"Bring up for Perfection itself and compare, I just want to make sure," Cartwright didn't think it would be cloudy like that. He had it bookmarked of Perfection and there were warm days. "I'll see what he wants since he has never called me that. Must be important." Cartwright walked over to him. "What do you want?"
"Let me out," Caswell was serious.
"No," Cartwright crossed his arms.
"Then come inside and I'll show you why you need to let me out," Caswell bargained.
Cartwright saw Caswell was wearing the specially made shock collar. "Step back and I will." His brother was over trying to hurt him. Also, the shock collar would prevent him if anything did happen. Cartwright could see some red marks on his neck. "Have you been recently shocked?"
"Yes," Caswell moved away for Cartwright to put in his password and to move in. The door closed behind him. "Brace yourself." Caswell played the tape.
The two at the computers saw the brothers watching a monitor. They were still working on getting the weather from the town. They put it next to one another side by side. Just then an email was sent to both of the workers. They opened it at the same time. It was an email from Dr. Lewis Thorpe. Explaining the details of his whereabouts and what has been happening.
One of them pushed a few buttons. A siren went off with red lights.
Caswell looked around. "Did you inform them about this?"
"No!" Cartwright was getting angry as he watched Andrew on the screen.
"Then why is there already an alarm when I'm showing you this?" Caswell could see guards coming in. He headed over to the door. "Hey! Hey! I need to speak with Dr. Moreau, NOW!"
"You will get your turn," Dr. Moreau came swiftly in.
"No, now!" Caswell urged.
Dr. Moreau ignored him as he walked to the two people at the computers. "What's going on?"
"Dr. Lewis Thorpe is in Utah with one of the Proudfoots conducting graboid experimentation," one of them informed him. "He says its time to come get him. He has given coordinates and passwords to get into their secret labs."
"Dr. Moreau!" Cartwright opened the door with his brother in tow. Caswell was being held by the scruff of his shirt. The group looked at them. He pushed his brother forward. "Tell them!"
Everyone stared at Caswell. "Andrew Proudfoot has taken over the Proudfoot lab. He fed Rose and her bodyguard to the creatures. It's been almost four weeks since then. If we heard right, then the graboid experimentation was a distraction to get back into the lab."
Dr. Moreau clenched his jaw. He started to bark off orders. He turned towards the twins. "Both of you go with the team to Perfection! I will go with the team to Utah. Rest of you, I want our field crew to take back those semitrucks and trailers. Track down as much as you can from Dr. Thorpe's email. We won't let them get away!"
In Utah, Burt had killed the fourth shrieker. He was back in his hotel room, washing up. Tyler was getting the truck ready to go back. Burt had his voice recorder with him. He was still documenting everything.
"I have killed three graboids and four shriekers," Burt was pacing. "However, these two species were not connected. Tyler thought I may have miscounted but I know that it was three graboids and four shriekers. I never miscount. I went back through all the reports and sightings. Three graboids. There was not four. I also went back to the areas and examined the remains of the three graboids. Adult looking graboids but still young compared to others I have met. The same with the shriekers. These seemed like newborns. Tyler thinks that my head injury is causing me to suffer even more but I don't think it has. Although I do get headaches and I am starting to forget some things. The doctor has informed me if I keep having high stress levels, I may induce more memory loss but right now is not the time to worry about that. The question is where do these graboids and shriekers come from? The only place plausible is Fish Springs. That is the area where they have come out from. We have not made it back to that area. I will not go back until I have figured out if there are more coming. This is an unusual hunt that I have ever been on."
Tyler came bursting through the door just as Burt was about to say something more. Burt looked over to him. "There has been an Assblaster sighting." Burt shook his head in disbelief. He had just killed all of the shriekers.
"Let's go!" Burt clicked off his recorder. The two headed back in to the truck. Tyler was letting Burt know everything he heard about the Assblaster sighting.
In Perfection, the town was abuzz trying to capture these snake creatures. It took some ingenuity and teamwork but they had several live ones caught. Casey and Roger were securing them in cages. Rosalie left Harlowe to check on the ranch. Cletus was helping Harlowe handle the snakes. Donna was checking any updates from the lab. Melvin and Jack headed back out in the jeep. Larry and Nancy were on top of Chang's keeping a lookout for more. Jodi was on standby with the radio in hand and watching the seismos.
At the lab, the team had made cleared the second floor. They had come up to take a quick break while another team was putting the creatures in the trailer.
Andrew was in front of the next team ready to go down again. "We are on the brink of greatness. This is the last level. The secret level. This is the level where Mixmaster must reside as we have not fully come across it. We have gathered all sorts of things. When we sweep this place clean, I can guarantee you the riches that we will have. The black market will line our pockets with gold! So, let's get down there and mine us some nuggets!" The henchman cheered. They marched past him to head down the opening.
He headed back to the mobile lab. Some of his scientists hooked up live cameras to the henchman to see what was going on. He was enjoying every second of this. It took an hour or so but the crew was capturing more creatures.
The clicks from the creature were now rapid and intensified. Donna threw off her headphones as she rubbed her ears. She has never heard of something like that. It was coming in, one right after another. Clip after clip. She moved outside to look in that direction. Nothing so far. She could take her vehicle to go see what's going on, as she was the only one who knew where Rose was located but she was also afraid she could endanger them more. She just hoped everything was alright.
Jack was driving the jeep. "See anything?" He glanced at Melvin who was looking around with binoculars.
"Nope, nothing," Melvin turned different ways. He put down the binoculars.
"Something is weird going on," Jack wasn't liking how this town was vibing. It was all off. "There is something bad brewing. It's in the air."
Melvin raised his eyebrows. He knew Jack was a different type of guy but he forgot how different. Melvin saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked straight. "STOP!"
Jack stomped on the breaks. Dust was all around them. The two began swatting it away. They started to cough. Once the dust started to settle, they could see a looming body in front of them.
"WUUAAAAAAHHHH!" El Blanco was beached right before them. Tentacles sprayed out.
"HOLY!" Jack flinched backward.
"Is-is-is t-t-that El Blanco?!" Melvin stuttered. His fears from the first graboid encounter started to roll back in. All those years of therapy and hypnosis of trying to get over his fear of being helpless and unable to do anything that helped him become someone who could do anything, all shattered when a looming graboid was blocking their way. "Is-is-is it going to become those squeeler things?!" Color started to drain from his face as he turned to Jack.
Jack could see Melvin starting to go into a panic attack. He jerked back to see El Blanco who screamed again. "No-no-no. El Blanco is albino. It's unable to." Jack put the jeep into reverse and put some distance between them. "It's okay. I got us. We're going to be okay. El Blanco can't transform. Hasn't transformed. Won't ever transform. Remember something weird is going on. Its' probably affecting our neighborhood worm too." Jack fumbled for the radio. He pressed down on the button. "Hey, Jodi, its Jack. Come in."
"Jack this is Jodi," she heard the panic in his voice.
"We almost hit a beached El Blanco," Jack could still see the graboid above ground.
"El Blanco is beached?!" Jodi was shocked.
"Yeah, its screaming but albinos can't transform so do you know its beached?" The fear started to seep into Jack as his voice gave way. "L-like it won't transform into those shriekers, right?"
"No, El Blanco is albino," Jodi was confident. "Are there any wounds on El Blanco? Do you think something scared it enough for El Blanco to be beached?"
"You want me to get closer to it and examine it?" Jack blinked. Melvin was trying to calm himself down by doing breathing exercises.
"You are there, how else will we know what's going on," Jodi reminded him. "I don't know when Burt and Tyler will be back but Dr. Debevic is getting all sorts of readings. We need to do all we can before help arrives."
"Okay," Jack nodded. He put the jeep in park. He took the binoculars to look through them. El Blanco didn't look as if they were wounded. He didn't see the other side but Jack thought it was safe to assume. He clicked the radio again. "No wounds on El Blanco."
Jodi let out a breath. She was relieved that El Blanco was okay.
El Blanco retracted the tentacles only to start snapping their beak together in a pattern of clicks.
"Ugh, I think El Blanco is trying to communicate with us," Jack was in awe and confused.
"WUUAAAHHHH!" El Blanco screamed one more time before nose diving back into the underground and taking off. The seismograph was indicating El Blanco's movement.
"Follow El Blanco," Jodi watched the seismograph.
"Are you nuts?!" Jack couldn't believe the words she just said. Melvin is trying his best to over come a panic attack caused by El Blanco and now he's supposed to follow that thing and continue giving fear to Melvin.
"El Blanco probably knows what's going on," Jodi was trying to make sense of it all. "Follow the graboid and see where they go."
"This is not Alice in Wonderland," Jack argued. "I am not going down that rabbit hole. We'll watch from a distance. Could be a trap! Over and out!" Jack slammed the radio back into its place. He moved the jeep forward. He was not going into danger. Not when someone was panicking and unable to help himself.