Saggar was still deep in thought on why the Kissing Bandit did this to Sheila and the other women when he heard the door of the room opening. He saw two men wearing the uniform of the orderlies of the hospital. Both were also wearing masks as they wheeled in a movable bed into the room. The two glanced at the undercover cop and when they realized she was fast asleep, decided not to disturb her.

The two men carefully lifted Sheila from her bed and transferred her to the second bed. They then quickly pushed the bed out of the room. Saggar silently followed them. Sheila’s transformation was still in the early stages. The antidote for the venom of the Kissing Bandit could still work.

Saggar already knew the identity of the Kissing Bandit even before he landed in Montreal. He was aware of the bandit’s skills and personality. He knew about the types of venom he could produce and their effect on the victim. This was the first time the bandit injected his venom through a kiss. He had two types of venom. The first one could kill or weaken anyone after a few minutes. This venom would also turn into a powerful acid once mixed with air. This acid had the ability to even melt thick metals. The second venom had the ability to change and transform the body of a victim. But Saggar never thought that the altering venom would spread this fast on the victim’s body! He thought it would take weeks before the effects of the altering venom would show up on the women’s bodies.

He feared the first two victims had already fully transformed and were no longer human.

But in the case of Sheila, there was still time to stop the spread of the venom in her body. She could retain her human shape. But he wasn’t sure if Mane would be able to reverse the changes that had already happened. The scales on Sheila’s feet might remain. But since those could be easily hidden by socks or shoes, Sheila would still be able to live a normal life.

Saggar planned to take Sheila to Mane as soon as possible so the antidote could be administered to her. Once Sheila was in her new room and the orderlies had left, he would act. He couldn’t wait for another second more. The bandit’s venom proved to be too lethal. Every second counted if he wanted to preserve Sheila’s humanity.

Saggar was perplexed when upon getting inside the elevator, one of the men pressed the button that would take them to the basement of the hospital. He began studying the two men. He could hear the fast beatings of their hearts as if they were worried or afraid. He also noticed the beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. When the elevator reached the basement, one of the men went out first, looked around suspiciously before turning to his companion and signaling him to push Sheila’s bed out.

Saggar suddenly realized who these men were! They were the ones abducting the bandit’s victims! It’s also possible that they were the bandit’s accomplices. Because the police had become aware of the disappearance of Olivia and Emma, their abductors had decided to stop posing as relatives and straightaway kidnapped Sheila from the hospital.

Saggar’s eyes quickly surveyed the basement. It was an underground parking space for the staffs and employees of the hospital. The two fake orderlies quickly pushed Sheila’s bed toward a dark blue van parked several meters away. One of the men quickly opened the back door of the van. The car seats that usually occupied the van had been removed. There was now a big space inside the van. The second man carried Sheila in his arms and laid her on the floor of the van. He sat beside her and carefully folded her knees so, her body could fit in the van’s space. The first man then strode toward the front of the van, opened the door on the passenger side and sat himself beside the van’s driver who had been waiting for them.

“Let’s get out of here,” ordered the second man to the driver.

“Are you sure the police didn’t notice you?” asked the driver.

“That’s not important! Now, let’s go!” the first man urged.

The driver started the van’s engine. Saggar could easily render these men unconscious but they could take him to where the other two women were being held. He jumped on top of the van, shaking it. The three men were startled.

“What was that?” blurted the man on the passenger seat. He quickly got out, walked around the van and looked for what had caused the van’s shaking. But since Saggar was invisible, he didn’t notice him clinging to the roof of the van.

“What was it?” asked the man beside Sheila.

“Nothing! Maybe this van is just too old and creaks a lot.” He said before getting back on the van.

The van started to move. Saggar released his claws and used it to tightly grip the roof of the van.

After an hour of travel, Saggar noticed that they were leaving the city and were now heading to a forested area. Could the abductors be heading into a cave in the forest where the Kissing Bandit was waiting? He wouldn’t be surprised. The bandit had a penchant for caves and underground caverns.

His right eyebrow rose in surprise when they left behind the forest and the van began climbing a small hill. He craned his neck and saw that the van was heading toward a walled compound on top of the hill. Several tall buildings could be seen despite the high walls. Armed men guarded the large gate of the compound. A logo was printed on the wall beside the gate. It contained the image of a blue earth surrounded by five heads of wheat. Beneath it was the company’s name, United Pharmaceuticals.

The gate opened for the van. It was clear from the greetings that passed between the men in the van and the guards that they knew each other or they were co-workers.

The van stopped in front of a five-storey building located in the middle of the compound. A bespectacled man and a woman with short hair walked out of the building. Both were wearing lab coats. Following them was a man pushing a gurney.

“Has she started to change?” asked the woman, controlling her excitement.

“Not yet. She still looks human,” answered one of the men.

The bespectacled man nodded in approval.

“That’s good! We would be able to observe the start of the metamorphosis happening in her body!”

They put Sheila into the gurney and brought her inside the five-storey. Saggar tried to follow them but before he could put his foot on the other side of the door, a loud alarm began blaring! The doors automatically closed and locked itself, preventing the two abductors from entering the building.

“What the fuck?! Is the building’s alarm malfunctioning again?” growled the first abductor.

Saggar began thinking. It’s possible that a detector was installed on the door. An alarm would sound off if heat, weight or other physical traits of a person not allowed inside the building was detected.

“Maybe they have yet to put back your name and information into the system,” suggested the second man. “You had just come back from your vacation, remember? Why don’t you try contacting those assigned in the security department so, that the system would again recognize you as one of the employees of the company.”

The first man still looked pissed.

“Damn this security system! In other companies, a company ID is enough to let you get pass through the system. But here, they need to scan your whole body and once it doesn’t match their records, they would close the door on you and set off the alarm!”

Saggar backed way from the door. He was invisible but the high tech system in the building still managed to detect his illegal presence. It would be impossible for him to enter the building and follow Sheila using the door undetected. He looked up and studied the building. His sharp eyes spotted something on the third floor. One of the windows there had a small crack on the corner. He grinned. That small crack would be enough for him to enter this building.

He changed shape. He remained invisible but he was no longer a six-foot-three man with long blue hair tied in a ponytail behind his back. If he became visible, the only thing that would be seen was a two-inch blue dragonfly.

Saggar flew toward the crack in the window. He was confident he would also find Olivia and Emma in this building. But he was beginning to doubt that the bandit was behind all of this. The bandit didn’t have enough time to set this up or contact the people in the compound and made them his accomplices. Only a few days had passed since the bandit left Alfheimr.

He entered the building by flying through the small crack in the glass window. He found himself inside a small roon. He was surprised to immediately find Olivia Anderson there!

But the woman was no longer human. Her transformation had become complete. She had turned into what humans would call a monster!