Laura and Neo scanned the Arizona landscape as the helicopter hovered.

"Nope, not over here." Neo called.

The pilot nodded and moved on.

The searing heat was hardly bearable. No wonder this was where Facility had set up. No one in their right mind would ever come here anyway. Take my dad as an example . . . Laura thought. She sighed. Would they ever find it?

"Wait," said Neo. "I think I see it."

Laura squinted, and she could make out a small gray speck in the distance. The helicopter sped up and headed toward it.

When they got close, Neo spread his dragonfly wings and flew out of the helicopter. Laura tried to follow, but when she did, the rotors started pulling her in, close to its sharp blades.

Laura screamed, but Neo snatched her away just in time. Laura shivered. "Thanks," she said. "I hope I'll get big again."

Neo smiled sadly. "Me too."

They had arrived. Only the officers from the concert got out of the helicopter, and Neo and Laura were the only hybrids with them. The others were being cared for back in Utah.

The huge gray building loomed over them, uninviting as can be. Horrible memories rushed back, and Neo took a step back, but then squared his shoulders and walked inside, and Laura followed. The officers were close behind.

Laura let out a gasp of horror as they burst through the door. She knew they were making more, but not this many. Hundreds of screams resonated throughout the building, and there were so many hybrids that the cages had leaked into the hallways, and there were dozens of new animal hybrids. Pig, cheetah, owl, snake, rhino, rabbit, and various insects were only a few. A fish hybrid with a mermaid-like bottom half peered at Laura with big, darting eyes.

But then, one of the "nurses" spotted them.

"They're back!" she shrieked. "The runaway subjects!"

A male "doctor" grabbed Laura by the legs. "I've got-" his triumphant cry fell short as he saw the five policeman, guns raised.

"Let her go," One of the policemen growled. "Or else."

The man let Laura go and she flew over to the officers.

"Mr. Black should be back soon, right? . . ." someone whispered.

One of the officers smirked. "I see you haven't heard about your little friend. He was taken into custody a few days ago."

They were all shocked.

"What will we do?"

"Without him, we're nothing!"

"He gave us the Clearing! He showed us how powerful he was!"

"Surely they're bluffing!"

The Clearing? Laura thought. I remember my dad muttering that a few times . . .

"Laura," Neo said. "I remember him saying to me when I was little, to get a certain potion if he was ever 'infected with the Clearing'. That may be what they are talking about, and it could help us."

"Where is it?"

"In his office. I think I can find it."

Neo walked over to one of the policemen. "Make a circle around us to protect us." His voice dropped. "Trust me, they're more dangerous than they seem."

The policemen did that and they slowly started sneaking past the "doctors". But, of course, they noticed.

"Remember what Mr. Black said to do if this happened?"

Laura heard a cry from behind, and saw that an officer had been stabbed with a needle. Cries turned to howls as he turned from a man to a Labrador in seconds. Astonished, they stared at the dog for a moment, but then opened fire.

They've gotten stronger!

"Hurry, Laura! Follow me!" Neo shouted. She followed, but the police were left behind.

He led her into the big hallway, and after countless turns, they were at the door. The door opened easily, and they slipped inside.

The office was very messy. Papers were flung everywhere - on the desk, on the floor, there were even some on the ceiling, and they were all written in a strange code. There was also stuffed animals everywhere, deer and wild hog heads on the walls, and stuffed pheasants and mice on the floor.

Laura alighted on the desk. "Where is it?"

Neo's brow furrowed. "It was a long time ago . . . but I think it's under one of the floorboards."

Someone knocked loudly on the door and people were yelling. They were trying to break down the door.

"Hurry, Neo!" Laura gasped.

He tested each of the floorboards, trying to pry one up.

"Here it is!" Neo said triumphantly, pulling up a dark green liquid in a small bottle. The door hinges rattled.

"How do we give it to them?" Laura asked.

"Just sprinkle it on them. It's so strong, even a little contact can break it."

The door broke down, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere. All of them were there. They raised up net guns, but Neo was faster. He opened the bottle, and splashed all of the liquid over the "doctors" except for a little in the bottom of the bottle.

They all stopped for a moment, staring wide - eyed at the horizon. But then a terrible wailing, worse than the new hybrids, broke out among them. Most were weeping on the floor, and a few were begging forgiveness from Laura and Neo.

Laura and Neo exchanged astonished glances.

"W-Where is the potion that reverses hybridity?" Laura demanded.

"The things we've done are unforgivable . . . the Clearing made us forget our humanity . . ." One of the men muttered, tears streaming down his face. He looked up at Laura on the desk. "Only the second-in-command was allowed to keep it. He was the most trusted."

"And who is the second-in-command?" said Laura.

"Your father." said the man.

Laura jumped back as if she had been stung, but her face hardened. "Then that's where we'll have to go."

But before she left, she said to all of them; "It will take time for me to forgive you, as well as everyone else. Some may not. But Jesus will give you a chance to start over. If you devote your life to him and love him and ask for forgiveness, he will forgive you. I will leave you here. I will not tell them where you are. I know you were deceived and probably did not mean to do all this. Now, go, and have a fresh start."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Laura had called more helicopters to carry all of the new hybrids and the ones who were left at the Haven over to where the others were, and to a hospital. But it was a good hospital, and they didn't question the hybrids, or experiment on them like the Facility did, and the police made sure of it. The new hybrids were there because recently the people working at the Facility had been beating them brutally if they didn't obey them. But of course, the doctors couldn't fully heal them. They were, all of them, still hybrids. There was only one thing left to do. Go home.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hello! If you liked the new chapter, please vote and comment! ^.^ Thanks to all who read this for sticking with me! If you want to, comment your favorite character from the book. The next chapter is soon to come, see you later!

_pure_imagination_