Long time no update. Exam week is now done and I can finish the story!

The holding area wasn't any different than the last time Drew visited it. Although Doc had the glass fixed since the Duah broke it, it didn't feel any different though, plain walls, dark corners, not as dark and dreary as the cells back at HQ but it was still unappealing to an extent. It was the least likely place Drew would expect to find her brother, speaking of which, if he was in there, he was awfully quiet. She crept up to the bulletproof glass pane and peered inside. There was a black figure huddled in one of the corners. She wanted to think it was Doyle but was still slightly afraid of his suddenly hostile attitude. Against her better judgement she decided to call out to him anyway, just to see if he was still knocked out or not.

"Doyle, are you awake?"

A pair of orange eyes appeared, stalking the woman from the back of the cell. Doyle blinked, his amber slits tracing his sister's movements. However, Drew was relieved to see that they were nowhere near as precise and wary as before, instead his eyes were droopy and tired, perhaps the drugs were to blame. He groaned loudly in what seemed to be pain and Drew watched in amazement as he stretched and then got up as if nothing happened.

"Yeah Sis?" He said, his voice rough and groggy. Drew could see that he was still feeling the effects of the anaesthetic as he wobbled and tripped over himself constantly.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, concern clear in her voice.

"I feel like I got shot with a tranquiliser dart", He replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What else do you remember?", she asked, quite amused that he remembered being shot with the dart.

"Nothing at all except for your killjoy husband punching me in the face."

Drew chuckled for a moment before returning to a sympathetic tone because in all seriousness, what was happening to her brother? She put her hand up against the pane and let out a sigh, fogging up the glass. Doyle walked closer to the window, out of the shadows and into the light where Drew could see the extent of his mutations. She gasped and placed one of her hands to her lips. She put her back against the window and slid down, resting her elbows on her knees. She looked up and noticed him gazing down on her from the other side of the jail.

"Do you have any idea what could have caused this?" She asked.

"Not a clue" Doyle said fairly quickly.

"You're not helping" She scolded, "most 'normal' people don't just change into crazed cryptid

mutants overnight."

"Your family is anything but normal Drew."

She scowled. "Well do you perhaps know why you went psycho and tried to attack my son."

"Oh! Zak! Drew is he alright, did I hurt him?!"

"Only a few minor bruises and scratches, he'll be alright, now answer the question."

"I was being controlled Drew" He said flatly.

"By whom?", she asked

"The snake lady sis, she was all up in my brain! I tried to fight her off but—."

"What! Rani Nagi is making you do this!" Drew cried, "How in the world did she manage that?!"

"She kept talking to me like I was below her, she was calling me her 'servant'", he admitted, rolling his eyes and making hand actions.

Drew looked shocked. "I bet that's how she was able to control you", she whispered, yet it was loud enough for Doyle to hear.

"How?"

"Doc sampled some of those scales that are growing on you" Drew explained, "He confirmed that they were of serpent origin. When Zak and I went to sort out the Atlas Pin, Rani Nagi was able to control Kumari Kandam's giant sea serpent like it was nothing, you have somehow gotten serpent DNA into your body and you are now changing into a serpent based cryptid. I figure that if she can control a serpent as big as the one Zak and I faced, it will be a piece of cake for her to control you."

Doyle scratched his head and chuckled nervously.

"As it's clear enough that there is some connection between Kur and the Nagas, those markings are definitely of Sumerian origin, so I'd say that whatever she's using you for, it has something to do with Kur. I bet she's using you to get to Zak. Yet that doesn't explain why and how she turned you into a cryptid to accomplish it" Drew said, a smidge of fear in her voice.

"Ugh why me of all people", Doyle groaned

Drew got up and smiled at him, "sorry Doyle, we can't really let you out with her control possibly still over you." Doyle folded his arms and sighed, "Do you mind if I get some more scale samples from you? It might help me understand the situation a little better."

"Uh if that means pulling them out of my arm that's a big fat no."

"You're impossible." Drew complained, shaking her head at her brother, "stop being a big baby and just give me your arm."

Doyle complied with a mutter and a scowl. Drew chuckled and picked out a scale to remove. Doyle raised an eyebrow at his sister.

"Just get it over with." He growled. So she did.

"OUCH! Sis I said fast not hard!" Doyle snapped, rubbing his hand and then smacking her wrist. Drew then proceeded to pull her brother up by the hair for revenge.

"HEY! Do you mind?!" He laughed, more annoyed than angry.

Drew let her brother go with a smirk. "Alright, I'm going to help Doc and Zak, you stay put, I'll come and see you later okay?" Drew said, walking towards the door, shutting it and then knocking on the glass.

"Yeah, like I'm going to break through three layers of hurricane glass sis", He said sarcastically, knocking on the glass. She rolled her eyes and then left via the door she entered through.

…

Doc dusted his jumpsuit off and stepped back, he and Zak had just finished towing the mangled wreck that was the jet back into the airship storage space. Doc saw Drew walking towards them and smiled.

"Tell your brother that his repair bill is a little high this month", Doc said, looking towards the lump of crushed metal. Drew smirked. "You might also want to tell him that he's gonna have to spend the night in the sterilised box".

"What do you mean hon?" Drew asked.

"Doyle did some major damage to the system. We're gonna need a full solar recharge, we'll have to wait till morning for us to get airborne again."

"And if he wasn't already ticked off enough" Drew sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Hey, it's his fault, I don't see why he should get mad", Doc suggested, putting an arm round her.

Drew looked at him and frowned. "That's not what I'm afraid of." She turned towards Doc, then Zak and then walked a few paces away, "Doyle could turn on us at any moment, I talked to him and he thinks that the Naga are the ones controlling him."

"Nagas?" Doc asked in concern

"Doyle said something about him hearing Rani Naga in his head, he says she's telling him to target Zak."

Doc and Zak gasped and Doc began to think.

"I don't want to leave him in there alone, what if he breaks out somehow?", Drew asked in worry.

"I don't think he will Drew, that unit managed to hold a rabid Nandi bear."

"You fought him Doc, you saw how difficult he was to control."

"Yes, but you said that you were in there with him and that he didn't try to attack you."

"Only because the drugs had left him drained enough to have his mind back."

"Mom's right dad, you know how insane the Naga's are, who knows what they'll make him do", Zak said, taking his mother's side in the debate.

"Exactly and because Doyle is changing into some kind of serpent cryptid, they can control him at will, he can change between annoying little brother and dangerous animal in an instant", Drew stated.

Doc sighed and folded his arms, "Alright, you win, what do you suppose we do?"

"I have an idea…"

…

Drew stepped back and scratched her head.

"When you told me you had an idea of how you were gonna stop me from breaking out, this isn't what I had in mind", Doyle sighed. His wrists were clasped in metal cuffs, leading onto thick heavy chains that held him to the wall. "Seriously, how am I supposed to sleep in these things", he asked, lifting the chains with a rustle.

"It's for your own good Doyle", Zak comforted, giving him a thumbs up.

"Could I at least have something to sleep on", Doyle asked, rolling his eyes.

"It's only for the night, I'm sure you'll be fine", Drew assured.

"So much for great hospitality."

"Look, as soon as we get home we can start working on a cure for this okay?" Drew soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just rest easy, we'll be able to figure this thing out tomorrow" she sighed. The trio left the holding cell and Doyle motioned goodbye to them as they shut the door on him. He sighed and slouched down against the wall, folding his hands behind his back. At least Drew had left a light on for him. At that moment Doyle caught himself feeling guilty and ashamed of what he had become. He thought about telling them the truth, maybe then it would be easier to fix. He grimaced, knowing that either way, Drew would beat him to a pulp for keeping the thing. At least now he wasn't anywhere near that thing, so in theory there was no way he could change anymore. Or was there? Doyle didn't know what to do, he had never experienced a plan backfire quite like this one. He ran his hand through his bizarre hairdo and stretched, this was going to be one hell of a night…

…..

"You said you had some more scale samples?"

"Yep, I thought we might need a few more to be able to fully trace the DNA."

"It could take some time, since we haven't gotten any answers from the machines, we'll have to study each individual strand for abnormalities and compare it to likely candidates."

Doc and Drew had just put their son to bed and were in the lab to run some more tests in order to determine the cause of Doyle's transformation. Doc took out the full Cryptipedia and began to search for cryptids with similar features to Doyle, skimming through looking for reptilian cryptids with black scales, huge claws and orange eyes. After a while he began to analyse the scales under a microscope, looking for any humanoid cells still existing in the samples. On the other hand, Drew was analysing the less practical side of the investigation by looking up all of the meanings of the markings on Doyle in her Kur and Sumerian books.

"Doc!" Drew called, "I found some of the translations."

"What did you get?", He asked.

"This symbol here, the one on his left palm, it is very similar to the symbol for geme."

"Which means?"

"It roughly translates as 'female slave or servant' but in this case, it isn't exact, so it may have no specific gender."

"Why would Doyle be branded as a servant?", He asked.

"It makes perfect sense. Doyle mentioned to me that the Naga Queen had called him as a servant on multiple occasions, if she can control him to do whatever she pleases, then she must see him lower than her, hence him being called like that", Drew said with complete confidence whilst Doc, for once in his life looked completely puzzled.

"For one time only Drew, I think your ancient magic is giving a better explanation than my hard proven science", Doc admitted. Drew turned to him and give him the 'I told you so' smirk. "But that doesn't mean that it answers everything we don't understand", Doc continued, raising one hand in defence.

"Well you better brace yourself honey, there's more evidence then just that", Drew said, turning back to the pictures and books. She held up a picture of Doyle's upper arm, revealing a tattoo like imprint of two weaved snakes. "I'm assuming that the placing of these two marks is significant. The snake, in this case the Naga, is superior, whilst the slave is lower down, beneath the Naga."

"I hate to admit it, but I'm convinced", Doc added, placing a firm hand on his wife's shoulder. Drew chuckled.

"It isn't all good news", Drew sighed, "this might mean that we have to risk confronting the Nagas to get some answers."

"We can't afford to do that Drew", Doc replied solemnly, "we have already given Argost a huge head start, we can't let him find Kur!"

"Think about it Doc, they know more about Kur than any of us and if Doyle continues to change…"

Doc wrapped his arms around his wife. "Don't worry, we'll find a way around this somehow, we have a lot more supplies back at the house to use for tests, worst case scenario: we might have to put your brother on the examination table."

Drew shook her head. "I don't think he'll be too thrilled about that", Drew snickered.

"I think the best thing we can do for now is rest, it's late, we could both use some sleep after today's events."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

…..

Drew and Doc weren't the only ones who could use some sleep at that time. Doyle soon found his eyelids beginning to droop with fatigue. He was exhausted. After all he was only human, all of his cryptid capabilities could only have so much use with a weaker still mostly human body tied to it. But as soon as his eyelids closed…

"My servant."

…..

"Foolish human male."

…..

"Answer me you insolent fleshling!" Doyle tried his hardest to ignore her constant hissing, but eventually, just as he always did, he found himself almost entranced.

"Why didn't you kill the boy?!"

"Because I'm not doing anything you say!"

"Oh is that so? Then why did you attack your family and draw blood?"

"I I-m not letting y-you control me again"

"Not letting me? Oh no, I'm making you do things."

"Then I want answers!"

"Oh human, what is there to answer to? You already know why you are serving me."

"Tell me how to change back!"

"Hah! Tell you?! Why would I!"

"My family will find you, they'll stop you, they'll destroy Kur! It's already over!"

"Your family will soon be destroyed! Their blood will soon be on you! Any part of you that objects is just those petty human emotions of compassion and love screaming at you to stop!"

"NO! You're wrong! I-I would never h-hurt them!"

"Of course you will, you almost strangled that pathetic boy. It was very satisfactory to see you wrap your claws around the throat of that disgustingly innocent human child, so close to sinking your fangs into his flesh. You were seconds from brutally murdering your own bloodline and you still call yourself completely human."

Doyle could imagine the taste blood in his mouth. He felt sick to his stomach, creating images in his mind that made him gag with revulsion. He couldn't take the prospect any longer and his eyes snapped open and he began to retch. He sat up, rustling the chains as he did and clutched his stomach, feeling sickened by her words.

"Like hell that's ever gonna happen", Doyle said through gritted teeth. He sat up and started into the blackness.

"I mustn't fall asleep" He concluded desperately.

"I mustn't fall asleep."

"I…mustn't fall…. asleep."

"I-I…mustn't…. fall…asleep."

"I…. mustn't…. f-fall."

…