After a lovely morning at the South Street Seaport,

Rakota and Gabrie met Luz Villareal in the lobby of the

EAB building. “Hello, Luzita. Welcome. This is my

husband, Rakota Toyin.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Luz.”

“The pleasure is mine. My mother sent her best

wishes to you, Gabrie. She wanted to make the trip with

me, but I persuaded her to stay in Bolivia. She is visiting

family on the other side of the country we’ve not seen in

ages. Maximo acted like he couldn’t spare us for a single

day. I told her to enjoy herself. She can come to the States

another time.”

“I would have liked to have seen Ana, but come

let’s show you to the commander’s office.”

The EAB’s building was beautifully unique; much

like the agents that made up the bureau itself. Back in the

60’s when it was established, the agency kept a pretty low

profile. In the era of social media, it is much harder to keep

their operation under wraps.

Gabrie and Rakota entered the conference room

with Luz in tow. Commander Hugh Gillette stood up and

extended his hand to their visitor. “Thank you again for

helping us, Ms. Villareal. I know you are not a fan of

Guerra’s, but it still can’t be easy to come forward this

way.”

“It is not difficult, Commander. I have no loyalty to

a man who bullies and terrorizes his own people. Any

people. I created a document to bring you. Here; let me

know if you have any questions.”

“I will go over this with some of my staff. Dr.

Toyin will show you to the lab now. I’ll come find you if I

need any clarification. Again, thank you.”

Luz smiled and gave a little bow. The three turned

and wandered their way to the elevators.

“Have you always known your mother is a

chameleon, Luz?” Rakota asked as he held open the

elevator door for the women.

“Yes. Throughout our family there were many with

the trait. My mother appears to be the last one, but since I

was a very small child I’ve known. Of course people fear

what they cannot understand, so it was not exactly common

knowledge outside the family.”

“Does Maximo Guerra know?”

“He doesn’t. But his father was well aware. It

intrigued him. Claudio Guerra would demand my mother

transform for him. She had little choice in the matter and

knew he would drag her off to his suite to have his fun with

her. A despicable beast.”

Gabrie caressed her shoulder. “I’m sorry Ana had

such a hard time.”

“She’s a remarkable woman. She was very close to

Maximo’s mother. They often dreamt of getting out from

underneath the Guerras, but times were different then. Now

he sees he has messed with the wrong Villareal.”

They stepped off the elevator and made their way

down the hall to the laboratory. Rakota’s passion was

uncovering the mystery of the chameleon, but he was also

top in his field in developing medications, antidotes and

chemicals for warfare. Some of the personnel at the EAB

were medical puzzles to the medical community and his

work had helped them recover quickly from illness and

injury.

“Hey, Rakota. Those test results are in. Do you have

time to look at them?” An extremely tall young man

approached them with a folder in one hand and a stack of

books in the other. “Where are my manners? Hello; I’m

Jasper Marks. Dr. Toyin’s assistant.”

“Nice to meet you,” Luz said as she shook his hand.

“Rakota, please tend to your work. I’m not here to disturb

anyone or get in the way. I’ll chat with Gabrie while you’re

gone.”

“I will only be a minute or two. Show me what you

got, Jasper.” The two men went off to another room in the

lab.”

“I need to go to the ladies room, Gabrie.”

“Sure, follow me.”

They walked down to the opposite end of the hall to

the restrooms. Luz took a brush from her bag and ran it

through her long light brown hair. A very attractive

woman. She was dressed casually in black slacks and a

black blouse. Gabrie was admiring her pretty checkered

trench coat when she noticed movement in her peripheral

vision. A flash of silver.

“Luz…” Before she could issue a warning, a cord

was wrapped around Gabrie’s neck.

A moment later, the two women were surrounded

by a group of six men. Gabrie struggled against the thug

who’d grabbed her, but the cord cut into her throat, halting

her movement.

Two men practically lifted Luz off the floor and

carried her out the restroom. Silver hands; cold as ice were

gripping Gabrie tightly. Her captor would not ease the

tension of the cord.

“Silas, what are you doing?” Gabrie asked her old

colleague. She could hardly believe it was him.

“Just earning my keep, Gabrie. It’s a rough

economy we’re in. A guy’s got to do what he’s got to do to

make it these days, mate.”

“We knew you weren’t happy at EAB, but I didn’t

expect you to go this route.”

“What do you know about me, Gabrie Jordane? Do

you know how frustrated I felt after saving the world just

for them to go muck it up again? Do you know how

hypocritical I find it that this world will accept help from

creatures like us, but you’d better not try to walk around in

your natural state because we must be aliens. What I do

now is more lucrative and more satisfying. Maybe you and

your bloody husband should try it. Let’s go pay him a

visit.”

Silas Strong dragged Gabrie down the hall. Luz

looked petrified and did not fight against the men who still

held her by each arm. Just as they entered the lab, Rakota

and Jasper were ambushed by the rest of Silas’ posse.

“What are you doing? What do you want?” Rakota

demanded to know. Before he could get an answer, Jasper

had been tazed and rendered unconscious.

“Rakota, old pal. I need you to come along quietly.

I really don’t want to break Gabrie’s neck so please don’t

try to brainstorm you’re way out of this. Brainstorm; is that

still your code name?” Silas laughed. “Stupid. Let’s go.”

Not every worker in the lab had phenomenal

abilities, but they were highly trained operatives

nonetheless. Rakota could feel them trying to make their

way to one of the several panic buttons in the laboratory,

but Silas Strong knew they’d go for them, too. He quickly

threw a black hood over Gabrie’s head.

“Don’t even think about it. Grab the good doc and

let’s get out of here!”

Three men grabbed Rakota and covered his head, as

well. They threw tear gas bombs in the directions of the lab

attendants before rushing out the door. They hustled up to

the roof where their helicopter was waiting for them.

There’s no way their ride would have gone undetected by

the EAB, so they scrambled to get their hostages out of

there before the whole plan was a bust.

Gabrie’s pulse was racing. Not from fear, but from

anger. Silas Strong had been an excellent agent with a bad

attitude. He was not a “company man”. He did not like

following rules nor did he like being turned down. Silas

had tried to get a little too chummy with Gabrie a couple

years ago. She told him that she was dedicated to her

husband and her vows. He pretended to have respect for

their marriage, but he just saw Gabrie as a challenge he’d

eventually conquer. Rakota caught him in the act of coming

on to her and put a quick stop to the advances. Silas

mistook Rakota’s calm cerebral demeanor for weakness.

Wrong move. He had had the bumps and bruises to prove

it!

Silas’ body from the neck down was pure silver.

And his heart was just as hard as metal. He was actually

quite a handsome man. An Aboriginal Australian, he was a

beautiful milky coffee complexion with coarse dark curly

hair. He was intelligent and charismatic. However, Gabrie

knew of a few Extraordinary Beings who didn’t quite know

how to handle who and what they were. They joined the

agency to have a sense of purpose, but couldn’t always

come to grips with their differences from mainstream

society. Gabrie couldn’t imagine not being a chameleon,

but not everyone found their abilities to be a gift.

Gabrie was tied back to back with her husband. She

wasn’t quite sure what they’d done to Luz since their heads

were still covered. Flying in a helicopter meant they

weren’t traveling too too far. Or it could mean they were

being transported to a private jet. She was just anxious to

be set loose so she could handle business. Rakota could

sense her angst and caressed her hand to sooth her down.

A couple hours later, the couple could feel the

helicopter landing. Prepared for a fight, they both braced

themselves as they were rustled off the aircraft. Gabrie

stumbled, but her captors kept her from falling. “What have

you done to Luz Villareal?”

“She’s just fine,” Silas answered.

Rakota pulled away from the men that were holding

him. One of the brutes punched him hard in the abdomen.

He bent over slightly, but held his tongue. He didn’t want

them agitated; they might take it out on his wife and Luz.

He had to create a plan, but first he needed to understand

what it was they wanted. It wouldn’t be long before he got

the clarity he was seeking.

As the hoods were snatched from their heads,

Gabrie and Rakota blinked several times to adjust to the

light. They were momentarily baffled at what they were

seeing.

“Amigos, I know this comes as a surprise, but I’ll

explain it to you. Come sit.” Luz pointed to a leather

sectional. “I want to untie you, but I need to be certain that

you won’t try anything first.”

“Luz, how did he get you involved in this?” Gabrie

wanted to know.

The Bolivian beauty smiled. “I’m not part of his

plan. I hired him to help carry out mine.”

“And just what is that?’ Rakota inquired.

“Let’s start with what you do know. My mother

Ana is the last to carry the chameleon trait in my family.

She is a saint of a woman, and would just die if she knew

what I was up to, but for as long as I can remember I’ve

wanted what she has. The ability to transform into

something else. Instead I was doomed to be the bastard

child of Claudio Guerra. Maximo is my foolish half-

brother. He knows we are siblings, but could care less

because I’m a mere woman. Good for nothing in his eyes.

When Claudio Guerra was killed, I came into a great deal

of money. I had no desire to be part of the Guerra’s arms

dealing so I sought other avenues in which to invest my

money. Maximo has no idea how rich I really am. I only

ran his other mansion as a cover. I didn’t need him in my

business. Pharmaceuticals are very profitable. Not your low

life drugs, but elite drugs that fulfill dreams. I have a team

of scientists who have created a serum which transforms

you into a superhuman. It took months to develop it, but it

has limitations still. The effect is short lived which creates

repeat purchases, but strength and agility is not all that I

want this serum to do. I want to be able to become a

chameleon. You, Dr. Toyin are the foremost authority on

chameleons and chemistry. I need you to perfect this drug.

Now cue the evil villain musica.”

“Luz, this is not a smart thing to do. Do you even

know the long term effects of this serum? And you say

strength and agility? How do your customers use this new

found power?”

“What they do with the product is not my concern.”

“If they die as a result of using it should be,” Rakota

said.

“You’ve not used the drug, have you?” Gabrie

asked. “If you were a user, you would have been able to

take care of Guerra’s thugs yourself that day I came back to

rescue you and your mother.” Gabrie pointed out to the

woman who had her completely fooled.

“You are right, mija. I have not indulged. I am

waiting for it to do what I want it to do. And for that I need

your beautiful husband.”

“What makes you think I will help you do this?”

“Because if you don’t, I will have to kill your

beautiful wife.”

Gabrie assumed that was her plan of action. “Silas,

you work for Luz?”

“I’m a very reputable gun for hire amongst a certain

set of people. People who are willing to pay top dollar for

my skills. Much more than the government was dishing

out. I protect, I persuade, I persecute; whatever the client

needs, I provide. It’s just my good luck that my current

employer is so very…tasty.” He laughed loudly.

“Silas, please keep your mind on the mission.” Luz

reprimanded him, but with a sly grin. “In any case, that’s

the deal. I’m sorry it’s not to your liking, but I guess I

inherited some of my father’s ways despite hating him so.

This panic room is impossible to escape from so I suggest

you don’t even waste your efforts. The entire compound is

heavily guarded and totally secluded. I just want you to

solve my problem and then you’ll be free.” Luz gestured to

the men to remove their restraints.

Rakota had to fight to control himself. It wouldn’t

pay to be impulsive, but he wanted to pummel Silas Strong.

Again.

“Yeah, I used to have a thing for your precious

Gabrie, mate. She’s still a looker. But she’s a do-gooder

and that makes her less attractive to me now. I like my

women dangerous and devious. Enjoy your stay.” Silas

gave them a hospitable salute and turned his attention to

Luz. He made a big show of kissing her before they left the

room. Their goons followed, backing out of the room with

their weapons still aimed and ready to fire.

Once the door closed, Rakota cursed loudly. Gabrie

rushed to him and put her arms around his neck. She pulled

him closer so that he’d hear her whisper. “They have

cameras all over this room. It’s probably wired for sound,

as well. That’s why they don’t care about leaving us here.”

She could feel her soulmate’s body tense up. It was

her turn to sooth him. She kissed his ear lightly and softly

sang a French love song her mother had taught her. Rakota

finally relaxed. Gabrie knew his exceptional brain was in

overdrive, but she also knew if he was fueled by anger, this

scenario could get out of hand quickly. They both knew

these people had no intentions of freeing them. Once they

got what they wanted, they would become loose ends that

had to be eliminated.