Long time no update. Keep sending in your suggestions for what if endings that I can write a theory for if you want this series to continue! This story is nearly finished.
Most of the family encircled him in a hug.
"Can't…breathe" he spluttered. Fisk giggled and let him go. Drew also stepped away from her brother and as soon as she did so she put a hand to her mouth. "What?" He asked defensively, folding his scaly arms over his thick chest.
"You look … different," she said piteously, Zak nodded at her statement. Doyle looked offended.
"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically. Drew scowled back at him.
"Don't forget I'm still mad at you Doyle." Doyle looked defeated. "Now what do you have to say for yourself?" The sibling duo looked like a mother and a guilty son.
"I'm sorry Drew," he said quietly.
"That's better," she said solemnly.
"Are we forgetting that he is still an imminent threat?" Doc asked, cutting in. Drew looked over at the smashed relic and sighed in relief.
"Depends if he has any burning desires to kill us," Drew said.
"I think Miniman's quick thinking stopped that," Doyle answered, smiling at his nephew.
"Well next time quick thinking might backfire kiddo," she said, kneeling down in front of Zak, "what if that thing had made you change into that?" She said, pointing at Doyle who ignored her. Zak pouted.
"At least give the kid some of the credit," Doyle said. Drew sighed.
"You would. He stopped you from becoming any more of a brainwashed monster." Doc rolled his one good eye and stepped between the two bickering siblings.
"You're both much too old for sibling rivalry," he said wisely. He looked to Doyle, having to look up slightly because of his sudden growth spurt that meant he was an inch or two taller.
"Do you have complete control of your mind," he asked sternly.
"I-I think so," Doyle replied. Doc looked him up and down.
"You sure?"
"Let's put it this way, I don't have Nagas constantly barking at my brain telling me to kill you guys anymore," Doyle answered in a serious tone.
"I'm not so sure Doyle. That blast did nothing to change your appearance," Doc responded, looking slightly annoyed. "It could take weeks to figure out and reverse what you've done. You've put us even farther behind schedule."
Already in an aggressive mood, Doyle took offense. "Well aren't we just a beam of sunshine today!" Doyle snapped, quipping a quick remark. Doc wasn't so fond of Doyle's habits and quirks so he wasn't at all impressed.
"Well I'm sorry for your loss Doyle but I wasn't the one who thought messing around with dark magic was a good idea was I?"
His opponent (who usually would only fight back with words) balled his hands into fists and prepared to lunge at his rival only to be stopped by Drew.
"Alright boys, that's enough! Let's not turn this into some pointless macho-." She was cut off by her husband.
"I'm not. Your 'little' brother has no self-control, that's all." Doyle growled and would have advanced on Doc if Drew hadn't put a hand on his chest and given him the instruction to stay still.
"Yes Doc, I can see that. He is also very short tempered at the moment so I suggest nobody winds anybody up because you'll both get hurt," Zak and Fisk watched as their mom continued to scold them. "I mean it! Now step away from each other and go do something productive," she instructed. Doc scowled at Doyle and then turned away, walking in the direction of the lab. Doyle sent him a glare in return and then slinked off somewhere in the other direction, the double doors swishing shut behind him. Drew shook her head. "Men," She sighed in disbelief before leaving the room in the same direction as Doc, Zak and his cryptid siblings hot on her heels. She went down to the lab where Doc was sulking. She ignored him and instead logged onto one of the computers and began typing something. After a few minutes she turned to Zak and spoke up. "Zak honey can you go back upstairs and get me the remains of the relic, there's something I have to do." Zak raised an eyebrow at her question but nodded and left them room. As he headed upstairs he noticed the familiar sound of the TV on in the living room. Curious, he entered the room to see Doyle casually stretched out on the sofa, watching TV. Fisk was in the room too but he was hiding behind the other sofa, cowering in fear every time Doyle made any sudden movements. Zak assumed he was still very frightened of the unpredictable hybrid. Zak turned back to his long lost uncle, taking a long stare at his features. Doyle noticed this and sat up.
"If you stare any harder Zakman your eyes are gonna pop outta your head," he said sarcastically.
"Sorry," he apologised, "I'm just not used to the whole cryptid mutant for an uncle thing."
"It's the tail isn't it?" He sighed. He swished his whip like tail gently from side to side for emphasis.
"It is a little odd."
"A little?" Doyle asked "and I thought the scales were bad."
"Oh well, cheer up. I suspect mom's working on changing you back," Zak comforted. Doyle growled. "In fact she asked me to recover the chunks of the relic. I guess all that effort you put into fixing it amounted to nothing huh?"
"That makes me feel so much better Zak, thank you," Doyle sighed in annoyance. Zak got the message that he wanted to be alone. He beckoned Fiskerton over and they left. Zak walked over to the smashed relic and gathered up the largest pieces of it. He and fisk then went back down to the lab. His mom noticed he was a little disheartened when he handed the contents over.
"Sweetie, is everything okay?" Drew asked "Has your uncle done anything you want to tell me about?"
"No mom, nothing like that," Zak confessed, "It's just that he's acting so weird, I know I should trust him but-."
"No Zak, you shouldn't right now. I want you and your brothers to stay down here, where your father and I can see you. If I wasn't so pressured for time, I would go and keep an eye on him as we have no hard evidence against the fact that he could go savage at any moment." Drew sighed.
"Your mom is right Zak. Doyle is incredibly dangerous. I don't want you anywhere near him." Doc added.
"Not for much longer if my theory is right," Drew said, taking the magenta coloured gem that used to part of the relic out of the wreckage and shining it in the light. She pulled up an image on one of the monitors. It was another relic of some sort. This one was painted blue and brown and had a relatively similar shape and design to the one Doyle was restoring but its eyes were empty, pure white. The only exact similarity was the pink gem on the top, the one that Drew was currently holding.
"What is that?" Zak and Doc asked in sync.
"This is the Taru Seru, it is the sister relic to the one Doyle had," Drew stated.
"Taruza Serajuba?" Fisk asked.
"It means 'return back'. According to my sources, the first relic was created by the first Nagas when Kur was wreaking havoc on the ancient world in order to gain more followers loyal to Kur. Apparently they encountered many issues with it and ended up making an opposite force to control it, another relic, the Taru Seru. This one is just as powerful and can remove and neutralise the dark aura from its companion tool. If this thing works, we could use it to get the dark energy out of Doyle's body without causing him too much harm." She explained.
"Where is this relic then?" Zak asked
"That's where it gets a little difficult," she hinted.
"Let me guess," Zak said taking a deep breath, "a booby-trapped tomb? An obsessive artefact collector? How about a famous museum?" He reeled off a long list.
"Much worse kiddo."
"Weird world?" Zak shuddered.
"Not even there. It is hidden in the cave systems under the Chao Phraya river, Thailand, the home turf of the Nagas." Doc, Zak and Fisk gasped.
"The Nagas?!" Zak cried, "How are we supposed to fight them?"
"The aim is not to arouse suspicion. They keep it somewhere in the queen's chambers, we're gonna sneak in there undetected and steal it before the realise what's going on."
"Oh a stealth mission," Zak smirked, rubbing his hands together. Fisk started doing ninja poses, hopping behind the desk and hiding himself away.
"This isn't a mission for jokes Zak. The Nagas are the ones who caused this remember. They did turn your uncle into an evil ahlf cryptid," Doc corrected "Drew are you sure there isn't another way out of this?"
"I wish there was Doc but you know Doyle can't stay like that forever," Drew said quietly "it isn't fair on him."
"Why not? He's the one who's responsible for it, it's his own fault!" Doc shouted.
"I know. I know. But as you already know, we need to focus on finding Kur," She turned to leave the room "But I don't want my brother ending up being caged for turning into some violent monstrosity." She walked out of earshot. Zak and Doc looked at each other. Doc groaned and rolled his eyes.
"I'll go and boot up the airship," he said, sauntering away, defeated.
"Doyle?" Drew asked, stepping into the living room. She sat down on the other end of the sofa he was sitting on. He looked at her with an irritated stare. It gave her chills.
"What's up?" He asked.
"I have some good news for you," She said, smiling softly.
"You have?" He asked, sitting up straight, showing interest.
"Doc and I think we've found the cure," She admitted.
"Took you long enough," Doyle growled. Drew looked offended.
"Excuse me? Do you want us to leave you stuck like this because if that's a yes…"
"Alright, alright," Doyle sighed "thank you sis for supposedly finding a way to stop me from turning into a complete freak of nature." He put a scaly hand on her shoulder. It made her somewhat uncomfortable. She shrugged it off.
"That's better," Drew scolded.
"So, what form does my saviour come in?" He asked, once again stretching out and putting his hands behind his head. She rolled her eyes.
"It's another relic Doyle, the opposite to the one that you had."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"That's not the only problem, the Naga have it." Doyle shuddered in disgust.
"Great. Just freakin' fantastic," He shouted to nobody in particular, putting his head in his hands. "I HATE snakes!"
"Sounds like you have a bad case of Ophidiophobia," Drew announced jokingly, "I guess you won't be ignoring my warnings anymore."
"A bad case of what?" He asked.
"Snake phobia."
"Is there a scientific name for Naga-Phobia?"
"Probably not."
"Anyway, I came to tell you'll that we're leaving in the next hour. We're going to their hideout to get it." Doyle frowned. "You're gonna have to come along with us."
"Why? Don't trust me?"
"I trust you alright but it's those cryptid genes that burrowed their way into you that I'm worried about," She said anxiously.
"Your husband won't be too happy about that," Doyle added.
"You'll survive," she yawned, standing up.
"You look tired."
"It's the middle of the night, I'd be asleep right now if you hadn't broken out and gone killer on us."
"Touché," Doyle smirked, standing up himself. Drew found his full height a little daunting as he was now about 5 inches taller than Doc and twice as intimidating and she couldn't help but gawk at him. He immediately noticed and snapped his fingers in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance. "It isn't that amazing ya know." She blinked and then looked up at him.
"Come on," she said, waving him over to the door "The sooner we get there the sooner we leave." When they reached the hangar Zak, Fisk, Komodo, Doc and even Zon were about to board the airship. Zak gave them a wave, the cryptids looked distressed and Doc wasn't impressed.
"What is HE doing here?" He asked angrily, folding his arms. Doyle tried to ignore him by walking past him and up the ramp but Doc matched his step. "I want an answer."
"Doc, he's gonna have to come with us," Drew said, stepping in before a fight started.
"No Drew, he's not. I'm not putting us in danger like that. What if he turns on us whilst we're airborne!" Doc shouted.
"Well if we leave him home and he changes, he'll get out and we might never find him again," Drew responded.
"We are going to the Naga's home turf, don't forget he's still part snake. Say Doyle, what will happen if we are to face the Naga, who's side will you be on then?"
"Dad!" Zak cut in.
"Are you serious?" Doyle asked accusingly.
"That's why he's staying on the airship when we go inside their lair," Drew answered, shaking her head as if the answer was obvious. "Now let's get going, shall we boys?"
"You better watch it Doyle. If you even think about doing something reckless or irresponsible I'm kicking you into next Tuesday," Doc growled.
"Oh I'm quaking in my boots professor." Apparently the feeling was mutual between the two.
"That's enough. Doc, Doyle can we please refrain from killing each other?" Drew asked. Zak giggled. "Look, as soon as we sort this out, you can silently hate each other until your hearts are content okay?" The scientist and ex mercenary gave each other cold stares before turning their backs on each other. Doc went up into the airship whilst Doyle was stood by the ramp, obviously annoyed until Drew ordered him up into the ship so they could take off. By the time they reached Thailand it was still evening due to the time zones. They suspended the airship above the river to go over a briefing for the mission. Although Doyle and Zon weren't taking part, they were listening in too. Drew paced around the room, giving instruction to the group. "Now, the Naga have a secret entranceway into their hideout, a blocked off drainage pipe that leads directly into their nest. We need to find it and use it to get there as it seems to be the only unguarded ticket inside. Once we're in, we need to find the supposed chambers where the relic is located so that we can get in and out again without detection. Doyle, I want you to stay here with Zon, even if we're in trouble, I want you to stay on the ship. The Naga still may be able to control you and it could turn out deadly to all of us. If we're not back within an hour, call the secret scientists for backup okay?" Doyle looked unsure but he nodded anyway to show his approval.
The Saturdays then began gearing up with high tech weaponry and equipment. Drew was armed with both her fire sword and a cortex disruptor, Zak had the claw and a videophone whilst Doc carried his power glove and had multiple reflex disruptors fastened to his belt. Fisk and Komodo were going as themselves. Doyle watched as they went into the belly of the airship and exited it via a rope ladder before running off into the thick trees where Doyle lost sight of them. He closed the hatch and turned to see the pterosaur that he'd been left with cleaning her wing in the corner she stopped and looked over at the half cryptid with her beady eyes. Doyle sighed and walked past her.
"Sit tight Jurassic, I'm going to go keep watch," Doyle said, about to walk out the door. She squawked and then continued with examining her underwing…
"So, where is this secret entrance then?" Zak asked, trailing behind his brothers and parents, claw in hand.
"It's near the docks. Supposedly it was supposed to be the start of a project that would link both sides of the river through an underground tunnel. Unfortunately, work was halted on it because workers reported hearing eerie hissing noises and seeing shadows in the tunnels, I guess it scared them off and they never finished it," Drew answered. The family moved out of the trees and into the harbour. About a few paces away lay an abandoned building site. "I bet that's where it is." They moved through it until they came across a pipe. About 2 meters both ways and with a few rickety wooden boards nailed across it.
"Fiskerton?" Doc asked. The lemurian pulled the boards away with his bare hands. "Let's go," he said, activating the power glove, filling the pipe with a spooky green glow. They climbed inside, Fisk crouching as he didn't quite fit. As the continued through they began to hear hissing and whispering.
"Dad, what is that?" Zak asked curiously.
"That'll be the Nagas, stay quiet and keep behind me," Doc whispered. The pipe began to lighten and soon it came to a dead end in the form of a sudden drop. They looked down into the pipe to see it opened up into a large clearing. With Hindi and Sumerian designs carved into the floor and marble pillars holding up the ground above, it seemed fairly grand but the Saturdays couldn't help but get an uneasy feeling about them. Silently, Drew dropped down into the hall with a soft thud she looked around and then both Doc and Fisk jumped down, Fisk carrying Komodo. Zak shot the claw onto a wall and lowered himself down.
"That was easy," Zak stated but was silenced by sounds from the two passages that connected the room.
"Is that so fleshling boy?" …
… Within seconds they were surrounded, Nagas of all shapes and sizes blocking their way. Their queen was amongst them. Before they could react she slithered up to them.
"Greetings Saturdays," She hissed, circling the group, "It seems you have come to retrieve our second relic."
"How did you know that we-," Drew started but was cut off by the Naga.
"It was unwise of you to bring the infected one along with you. Although you may have destroyed my stronger telepathic link with him, he is nearby, so I can pick up his thought as feelings without him even realising it." She turned to her Nagas, "Enslave them." The two foremost Nagas slithered forwards and snatched komodo up in their thick arms. He snapped and wriggled around. Drew unsheathed her sword and pointed it at the few Nagas that dared to approach. Doc punched one of them in the chest with his glove as it struck at him with its fangs. He jumped on its neck and rushed over to Drew who was dodging strikes from Rani Nagi herself. Fisk was busy with a different Naga, jumping at it and throwing punches. Drew was knocked down by the queen and Doc was forced to help her instead of fight back so he ended up surrounded. Fisk and Komodo were too busy to help them and Zak was swinging at them with his now extended claw. One of them smacked him upside the head with a clawed hand and he fell, the video phone dropping out of his pocket and skidding along the floor.
"Zak! Get the phone!" Doc cried. Zak staggered up but failed to reach the phone in time before it was crushed under the weight of one of the Nagas. Drew sent a blast of fire at two Nagas, knocking them back and away. She turned to their ruler, charged and sent an expert kick into her head, which swung back and hit the wall.
"How dare you!" Drew seethed. Rani chuckled as she got back up.
"You are just as foolish as your other unfortunate family member," she hissed. Drew watched in horror as Rani began to chant in Hindi, with the other Naga chorusing her. Drew immediately recognised it and called to Zak and Doc.
"Zak! Doc! Watch out, she's summoning backup!" Drew cried but it was already too late. Other cryptids began to file into the cavern, Drew was able to count several species: Tsuchinokos, Namibian flying snakes, Bishopville Lizardmen, Burach Bhadis along with other serpent cryptids all closing in on her, preventing the family's escape. Rani continued to chant as roars and hisses blocked out the Saturday's cries.
"Come my servants, my loyal ones, fight for your master! The Saturdays are ours!"