In this chapter, Stella is going to find out something horrible. And it's not something that Albert or Leonardo would like to believe, either. Sometimes you just can't handle the truth. Can she save Kate before it's too late? We can only hope.
Let's just say that you don't have to be a monster to be...you know, monstrous.
I will admit that Dr. Mutagen was inspired by a certain anime character though I tried to make the character original to at least a certain extent.
Chapter 7: Wicked Mutation
Stepping through the portal, Stella made her way to the Center.
"Do you need something? I don't have any missions for you at the moment." said MOM.
"I just wanted to check on something." spoke the witch.
"Alright, but mind what you touch." warned the boss of The Center. There are things in the building that agents should not be careless with. Thankfully, most monsters contained in the Center wouldn't result in the destruction of humanity if they were freed, but that didn't mean that they weren't prone to mischief. It was better safe than sorry.
Stella went to where the numerous monsters were being contained by the Center.
She could see that there were several agents that were patrolling the cells. They were determined not to let them escape. After all, that was what MOM was paying them for.
She had to admit, they had captured quite a few over the years. Apparently there were a lot of center agents hunting these creatures. It was likely that there were agents on duty as she surveyed the holding cells.
Some of them were pretty scary. She could tell it would likely not end well if by any chance the monsters escaped from their confinement. They looked like they had crawled straight out from her nightmares.
Fortunately, the Center happened to have a lockdown procedure in case that ever happened...which fortunately did not happen very often.
Others were pretty cute, making her wonder why they were at the Center in the first place. She thought that the Center's duty was to capture dangerous monsters to prevent them from threatening society.
However, she got the feeling that looks can be deceiving. A great way to be dangerous was by simply not looking dangerous. There was a rabbit that could breathe fire, for example.
Eventually, she reached the place where the spider lady was being held. It actually looked scarier up close. Her mouth was dripping with saliva. It was rather impressive that Dr. Mutagen had managed to capture such a fearsome creature.
Not to mention the sharp fangs that she had.
She could tell from the screen that she was staring back at her, with her red glowing eyes. She began to step backwards.
Stella wondered if she would have nightmares if she looked at the spider woman for too long.
She decided to take a closer look.
She then had a look at the picture of Kate's Family.
Much to her shock, the spider lady had the exact same ring as the woman in the photograph.
"Something strange is going on here..." said Stella.
She decided that she was going to have to have a talk with Dr. Mutagen. Something told her that he was hiding something regarding his wife...and that it would break Kate's heart.
Something told her that he was up to no good.
Meanwhile...
Wondering where her father was, Kate decided to look for him. He had been gone for a while and she was starting to get worried.
"Daddy? Where are you?" asked Kate.
It was rather quiet in the house. Currently, Spot was sleeping. She wondered what he was dreaming about.
He had a bone in his mouth.
Kate noticed that her father had left the door to the basement unlocked. It was rather unusual for him.
She decided to head down there. Perhaps she could find her father there.
Personaly she wondered why her father never seemed to unlock the door. She had always been curious what was down there. Whenever she asked her father, he claimed that was where he did a lot of his work.
It was rather dark in the basement, with only one light bulb.
The basement was rather eerie. She wondered if she should be in the basement for long. Personally she was tempted to run back upstairs. However, she was still curious as to what she would discover down there.
Was her father hiding something down there?
Ignoring the fear that she was feeling, Kate looked around the basement.
She then noticed something strange.
There were portraits of the people that had gone missing in the news reports.
"Huh?" asked Kate.
It was very weird. Why exactly was her father carrying those around? It was creepy. Was he lamenting that he wasn't able to save them from whatever fate befell them? Or was it...something else.
Not only that, but there was some sort of strange machine.
It apparently could be used to combine human DNA with animal DNA,according to the label.
She wondered why her father would have that kind of machinery down in his lab. And what exactly was he using it for?
It wouldn't have anything to do with the pictures that she found, now would it?
The more she saw it, the more it freaked her out.
There were also several chemicals on the table. Just what was her father doing with those? She wasn't quite sure.
However, there was the possibility that they served a similar purpose to the machine that he was using.
Eventually, she decided she should leave. This place was becoming more and more frightening by the second.
However, before she leaved, she heard footsteps.
Suddenly, she heard a gasping noise behind her.
As it turned out, it was her father. Apparently, he had come home early. He had been feeling dismayed because MOM was growing suspicious of him. She thought there was something off about the Center agent.
He could try continuing his work in the basement, but it would be rather risky.
"Daddy, there you are! I was looking for you!" exclaimed Kate. She couldn't seem to find him around the house.
Kate noted that for some strange reason her father had a frightened expression on his face.
She didn't know why.
"Kate...how did you get down here?" asked Victor. He clearly wasn't expecting his daughter to be down in the basement.
And yet, there she was.
He knew that he had been forgetting something, but he wasn't sure what.
He now knew what that thing was.
"Father, what is the meaning of all this?" asked the girl.
Dr. Mutagen thought about what he should do. He didn't want to risk his daughter squealing on him. He realized that he had made a mistake leaving evidence around in his basement, even if he DID usually lock the door, though he didn't think his daughter of all people would find evidence of the horrible things that he had done.
If the Center found out about what he was doing, he was going to be locked up forever. They wouldn't take the experiments that he had concocted on innocent people lightly.
Dr. Mutagen thought about what to do, until he then remembered the machine that he had created.
He could use it to turn his daughter into a monster to keep her quiet. Nobody would find out this way, right?
He just needed an animal or the DNA of an abnormal creature...much like the ones that the Center had locked up.
At that very moment, Spot entered the basement as well. He had overheard Kate and had decided to investigate.
"Perfect timing." thought Victor Mutagen.
Suddenly, he grabbed Kate.
"Huh?" asked Kate.
He then placed her inside the machine.
Her eyes widened with surprise.
"Daddy!" exclaimed the girl. What was the meaning of this?
He then placed Spot inside the machine as well, who promptly whimpered. He knew that Dr. Mutagen was plotting something bad.
Smirking with satisfaction, Victor then began to get the machine ready.
He was about to create a werewolf. He would be paid a lot of money for this one, hopefully.
He flipped the switch and the machine began to do its work.
However, he suddenly found a fireball being shot at him.
"What the-" exclaimed Dr. Mutagen.
He turned around, and discovered that it was Stella.
"First Kate, and now this!" thought the scientist. Just how many people were going to enter his basement today?
"Hold it right there." said the witch, aiming her wand at him.
"Stella? What are you doing here?" questioned the scientist.
As it turned out, Stella had made it in the nick of time. She had been planning to confront Dr. Mutagen for what she believed he had done...and it was lucky that she did.
Fortunately, she stopped the machine before the process was complete.
Even so, she noticed that Kate now had a tail and small dog ears, and Spot was nowhere in sight. Where had he gone?
It then occurred to her that perhaps they had been merged together.
Well, at least she had prevented the same fate that her mother had suffered...to an extent.
Stella glared at Dr. Mutagen, pointing her wand at his face.
"I went to talk to her about what had happened to your wife...but I think I already know what's going on now." said Stella.
"How did you figure it out?" asked Dr. Mutagen.
"I could tell you that...but it would help you get away with your crimes in the future. And I don't plan on letting you do that. Not at all." spoke the witch.
Dr. Mutagen clenched his fist.
What is wrong with you? You turned people into monsters just for personal gain!" exclaimed Stella.
"Don't we all want to be rich and famous?" asked Dr. Mutagen.
Stella was appalled.
"You're sick. You turned your own wife into a monstrosity!" retorted the witch.
"She was standing between me and my work. I couldn't let her continue that, now could I?" questioned Dr. Mutagen.
Stella glared at the Center agent.
"Wait, Daddy's behind everything?" asked Kate. She could scarcely believe it.
"I'm afraid he was lying to you about your mother the entire time. He...turned her into a monster." stated the witch.
Kate started to cry. How could her father do that?
"I'm taking you to the Center." said Stella. They would want to hear about all the terrible things that he had done.
"No! You can't make me!" exclaimed Dr. Victor Mutagen.
Stella pointed her wand at him.
Out of desperation, Dr. Mutagen drank a nearby potion on a table.
He drank every last drop.
Stella's eyes widened with shock.
"What did you just do?" asked Stella.
Suddenly, just a few seconds after he had consumed the formula, Dr. Mutagen began to mutate.
Stella gasped. Her eyes widened even further.
Claws grew out from his fingers.
Then a long tail sprouted from his body.
Claws sprouted from his toes as well, and his tongue became serpentine.
His eyes turned green, and his skin became covered with green scales.
Finally, a large set of fangs grew from his mouth.
He let out a roar.
Stella gasped in shock.
Dr. Mutagen had transformed into a monster! Just like his victims, rather ironically.
She tried firing several spells at him, but they seemed to bounce off his scales.
What exactly HAD that formula done to him?
He swiped his hand at her.
It looked like she was going to have to flee. She couldn't take on that creature by herself. She would most likely need Center agents to back her up.
However, there didn't seem to be any nearby. Perhaps she shouldn't have come alone.
Although, Albert probably wouldn't believe her if she attempted to tell him about her suspicions.
Taking Kate with her, Stella attempted to run.
However, the monster chased after them.
She wondered how she was going to stop it.
Chances are it would wreak havoc if she allowed it to wander free...even more havoc that Dr. Mutagen had already done back when he was still human.
She barricaded the door, but it seemed that the monster had super strength.
It probably wasn't going to hold him for long.
Curious, she noticed Kate was sitting in front of the fireplace with her arms on her knees.
"What are you doing?" asked Stella.
"All this terror is making me feel cold...so I figured I'd use the fireplace to warm me up..." said Kate.
"Wait, the fireplace..." stated the witch.
This gave her an idea.
She tried turning on the gas.
"Follow me!" exclaimed Stella.
Kate nodded.
Together, they ran out of the house.
Spot followed them.
"You should stand back." said Stella.
Stella launched a fireball at the house...
...and it exploded.
Dr. Mutagen let out a final scream as he perished in the explosion.
She sighed in relief. It looked like she had put an end to the madness of Dr. Mutagen.
Still, she wasn't sure if they could rescue the numerous victims from what Dr. Mutagen had done to them. Was there some sort of cure? If so, she was looking for it.
Unfortunately, they couldn't simply ask Dr. Mutagen to cure the victims. Not only was he deceased, even if he were still alive, it was unlikely that he would be willing to assist the Center in undoing what he had done to the victims.
"I can't believe my father was behind everything..." said Kate.
"I know..." spoke Stella.
Well, now seemed like a good time to call The Center.
She contacted M.O.M.
"Yes?" asked the lady with purple lipstick.
"I found out what happened to the missing people..." said Stella.
"You did?" inquired the woman. Some of the agents had been investigating the matter, but it seemed to be a cold case. Up until now, that is. Although, she wasn't expecting one of her rookie agents of all people to find out the truth.
But at least somebody had.
"It was Dr. Mutagen the entire time...he was turning people into monsters..." noted the witch.
"I had my suspicions, but I didn't think he would stoop to that level." admitted M.O.M.
"I can't believe he would something so horrific." said Stella. Only time would tell if his many victims would ever return to normal.
"Unfortunately, there are human beings that are worse than the monsters the Center hunts." said the lady. Dr. Mutagen had been one of them.
"I tried to apprehend Dr. Mutagen, but he transformed into a monster. I had no choice but to neutralize him." answered Stella.
"I see..." nodded M.O.M. Well, at least it would put an end to his experiments. Though she had faced many terrifying monsters, she was still unnerved by what Dr. Mutagen had done.
Hopefully she would be able to find a cure for the people that had been turned into beasts. What had happened to them was rather tragic.
A few minutes later...
"I can't believe Dr. Mutagen turned out to be mutating people into monsters the entire time..." noted Albert. He didn't want to believe it, but apparently it was completely sure.
"I can hardly believe it either." remarked Stella. To think that a man who was thought to be one of the Center's greatest agents turned out to be so evil.
"I sure hope that the Center can turn them back to normal. It's a good thing you managed to save Kate from suffering such a fate." said the boy.
At that very moment, Albert's father arrived on the scene.
"Dr. Mutagen was behind everything? I don't believe it..." said Albert's father.
"He's dead now..." stated Stella.
Somehow, Albert's father wasn't sorry to see him dead...though admittedly they had known each other for some time.
The world would most likely be better without people like him.
Meanwhile...
As Martin relaxed in his room at school, he suddenly heard knocking on his door.
"Diana? Is that you?" asked Martin.
"It's your father!" exclaimed Martin's Dad.
"Dad?" asked the teenage boy.
"I figured we could do some father bonding..." said Gerard.
"Oh really?" asked Martin.
Gerard nodded.
"How does a camping trip sound?" inquired the man.
"A camping trip? I could do that. Is Diana coming along?" inquired the teenage boy.
"She is. I hope you two can get along." said Gerard.
"I'll see if I can try." answered Martin. Those two always seemed to be squabbling about something. Perhaps things would be different if they were actually biologically related?
Although, even though he and his father WERE biologically related, his father tended to act more like Diana.
He heard that something ghastly had happened involving a Center agent. It was a good thing that it had been taken care of.
Still, he was hard-pressed that one of the Center's own agents could be so evil. It was most perplexing.
He knew for one thing that, though admittedly he wasn't the most mature teenage boy in the world, he wasn't going to sink to the same depths that he did.
Perhaps it was a sign that he should clean up his act...though admittedly he never thought about doing the same things that Dr. Mutagen had done, even if he did enjoy his job at the Center. He knew that his stepsister wanted him to clean up his act sometimes.
Well, it looks like Stella found out what happened to the missing people in the reports. And yes, Dr. Mutagen was behind everything. Of course, you could probably tell he was hiding something by the fact that he kept his basement locked at all times, now could you?
Well, he won't be mutating people anymore. Stella made sure of that.
I think I'll feature Kate in future chapters of this fanfic. Perhaps if they're lucky her mother can be turned back to normal.
In the next chapter, I'll be doing something a lot more lighthearted. Martin Mystery will be going on a camping trip! However, somebody will be tagging along with him. Oh, and it won't be Java. That would be too obvious.