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We spent the rest of the evening getting caught up on everything that had happened while I was gone. When they heard Melissa's part in the rescue of my parents Shawna and Arachne latched onto her as their hero. When they wandered off chattering about her heroics Paul asked Thomas why he and Carl were there. "You could have just dropped off Millie and Kara, so why are you really here?" he asked.

"A few reasons." Thomas replied. "First off to drop off Millie and Kara. Secondly, to warn you of the imminent attack. Thirdly because Carl wants to stay here, if you'll let him. And fourthly because of what Carl learned at his last job."

I frowned as I tried to remember what he'd said before the battle. "Genarm Industries, right?" I asked.

Carl nodded, "That's right. Genarm specializes in genetics and weapons research. A few years ago they were working on, for want of a better term, a super soldier formula. It used animal DNA in an attempt to graft on some of the most useful attributes of animals and insects onto humans. An ant's strength, a cheetah's speed, a lizard's ability to regenerate, that sort of thing."

"That sounds familiar." I said.

"Yes," Carl agreed, "it's an awful lot like the mutations you and so many others have experienced, isn't it? Anyway, the experiments were an unqualified failure. Animal trials showed little to no change at all, and many of the subjects died. All of the materials were scrapped and the project was ended. A year or so later people started mutating all around the Pacific Rim. An investigation revealed that the ship carrying the experimental formula, along with various other wastes, had been attacked and sunk. Seeing the goals of the project suddenly achieved by accident, the company went into action to try and replicate the process."

"So they've know what is going on the whole time and haven't told anyone?!" Paul said angrily.

Carl nodded, "Yes. They don't want anyone to know what's really behind all this, because they want to have the information all for themselves. Then they can sell it to the US military, or maybe even the highest bidder. They've made some progress. They've isolated which components are necessary for a successful mutation, and which ones will result in death if they're missing. They've also experimented with the strength of the dose, which has resulted in stronger mutations. Too much will kill them, but too little produces very weak mutants, comparatively speaking."

"Are they building an army?" I asked.

"Not exactly. They've recruited the most reliable of the strongest mutants into their security force, which is rather like an army. The strongest of the less controllable mutants are dumped or killed. The rest they've found a way to make money off of." Carl replied.

I felt a chill run down my spine when he said that. "What do you mean?!" I growled.

Carl sighed and said, "They're selling them as slaves. Most end up being used as prostitutes. Apparently there's a lot of demand for 'exotics', as they call them."

"Where?!" I growled.

"Cat, don't get too excited! You need to rest before you go haring off again!" Paul said.

Carl seemed to be getting used to the growling, or he'd expected it, because he didn't react. "It's in Thailand, a place called the Bangkok Zoo. It's not one building, though; it's spread out over a large area. There's no single place to attack." Carl replied.

That gave me pause for thought. If it had been a single building I could have stormed the place, taken out the guards, and broke everyone out. But this… "Genarm is going to pay for this, but the Bangkok Zoo is a bigger priority. I won't go flying off without a plan." I said, turning to Paul when I said the last. He smiled gratefully and I continued, "But I am going to shut that place down! I don't think going by myself would be very effective, though. I'm going to need Melissa, at the least. She's strong enough to fight if she has to, and her ability to fly will allow her to cover a larger area quickly. I wish we had more flyers, but Leonard isn't strong enough, and that just leaves Melissa and I."

"Another group on the ground would be helpful, to help the mutants out once you've rescued them." Paul suggested.

I smiled at that, he was obviously trying to get himself in on the action. "Okay, you would be a big help there." I agreed. He smiled widely. "Arachne would be helpful, too, but I'm not sure she's up to this. That would leave Mike, Jacob, and Tina as the best candidates. I'm not sure taking Jacob would be a good idea, though."

Paul looked thoughtful and said, "I agree on both counts. Why don't you leave Jacob in charge, but tell Arachne to keep him in line? She's strong enough, and that will assuage Jacob's ego if he thinks he's in charge. We can bring Mike and Tina. The five of us should be able to get a lot done in a short amount of time."

I smiled up at Paul and hugged him with my wing. "I knew there was a reason I love you!" I said. "Now the only question left is how we get there. I don't think Melissa and I can carry all three of you very well."

"I can solve that problem, but I think there's a bigger problem that needs to be solved first." Carl said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Publicity. Genarm will be telling the world that you attacked that carrier group without provocation and try to get the island destroyed. This time they'd attack from much farther away and you'd have no warning or chance to stop it. They might even use nuclear weapons." Carl replied.

"I've got an idea for that." Thomas said. "I've been working on drumming up support for a protected retreat for mutants. Lots of people have shown interest, but nobody wants to host it because they're afraid it might be attacked. If this became that retreat, Genarm would lose a lot of their support. You've already been seen rescuing mutants, so your story will have some believability to it."

"That sounds good." I agreed. "That's pretty much what we've been doing anyway. But do you really need me for that?"

"Well, not right away, I suppose, but eventually. Mainly I needed all of your permission for it to work. The others already agreed, so it's unanimous. If you'll sign this I can use it to get things started." Thomas said, handing over a clipboard with a petition on it with everyone's signatures, even Melissa's and my parents'! There was a pen attached so I signed it and handed it back. "Thanks. Eventually they'll want to talk to you, though. You're already known as the leader of the island."

I snorted at that, "I only got the job because I'm stronger than everyone else and I haven't screwed up too badly yet!"

"Don't put yourself down Cat, you've done really well! Your strength allowed you to put Jacob in his place, but it was your natural charisma and intelligence that convinced us all to follow your lead. That and the fact you're willing to listen to our ideas!" Paul said.

"That sounds like good leadership to me." Thomas said. "I take it you want to take care of the Bangkok Zoo situation before getting personally involved in setting up the mutant retreat?"

"Yes. Do you think it's likely that anyone will attack soon?" I said worriedly. I wanted to shut down the Bangkok Zoo as soon as possible, but I didn't want to put everyone else at risk to do it.

"Not likely. They'll be too busy licking their wounds and trying to explain how you destroyed an entire carrier group by yourself. It'll take time for their PR efforts to pay off, and hopefully we'll counter those before they can do too much damage. Some people are very anti-mutant, though, so some people will latch onto what they say and ignore everything else." Thomas replied.

"So there should be enough time to break up that Bangkok Zoo before I'm needed here, right?" I asked hopefully.

Thomas looked at Carl who shrugged and said, "I can fly them there, so that should work. Just call me when you need her and I'll fly her back. If that's alright with you Kittyhawk?"

"Sure, but my name is Catherine. How many can you fit on that plane?" I said.

"There are only four seats, but we could probably fit a couple more people if they're willing to ride in the cargo area." Carl said.

"That will work if Melissa and I ride in the back. But first we have to find out if they're all willing to come along." I said.

"I’m sure Mike and Tina will go, but I'll ask them to make sure." Paul offered. I nodded and he sped off.

"I'll go ask Melissa, and talk to Arachne while I'm at it." I said before lifting off to find Melissa. She, Shawna, and Arachne were not far away, still talking about the rescue of my parents.

"Hey Cat, isn't Melissa amazing?!" Shawna asked as I landed next to her.

"Yes, I think so." I agreed. "That's why I was hoping she might be willing to help me with something."

"What do you need?" Melissa asked.

"I just found out there's a place in Thailand where Genarm is selling mutants as slaves called the Bangkok Zoo. I want to shut that place down and free all the mutants there. I could really use your help, if you're willing." I said.

"Just let me get my swords!" Melissa said angrily.

"Whoa, wait up! We're not leaving tonight. I'm getting everything set up right now. We'll probably leave tomorrow or the day after that. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone, so you'll probably want to pack up most of your stuff for the trip. And thanks!" I said.

"It's the least I can do." Melissa said sadly, and I knew she was thinking of that mutant in the 'clinic' where she mutated.

"Arachne, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked. Melissa shrugged and went to pack up, and Shawna followed her after a glance at Arachne. "I'm going to leave Jacob in charge while I'm gone…" I started to say, and Arachne started to protest. "I know I said to watch out for him, but he's turning out to be an okay guy, I think. Anyway, I'm not about to leave him here without making sure he doesn't get out of line. I'll have a talk with him, but I want you to make sure he doesn't do anything while I'm gone. You're the only one who'll be left who's stronger than him."

"Stronger?!" she exclaimed.

I nodded, "Yes, stronger. I've seen you, and any one of your arms is as strong as one of Jacob's. And you've got six! You're at least as fast as he is, and you've got your webbing. You should be able to handle him easily. I know you don't have the same confidence in yourself, but you really are that strong. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I weren't sure you could handle it. Even so, if you say no I'll respect that. I told you I wouldn't make you do anything, and I meant it."

Arachne was shaking a bit when she answered, "I am…scared. But I…will do."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked.

She nodded, "I am sure. I will watch dog man."

I laughed and said, "I hope you don't call him that to his face!"

Arachne smiled shyly, "No, I call him by name. But it fits, yes?"

"Yeah, I think so!" I agreed. We both laughed as we went looking for Shawna. Once we found her I went back to where I'd left Thomas and Carl. As I suspected, Paul was already there waiting for me.

"Mike and Tina are in." he said.

"Good, Melissa is, too. I've also asked Arachne to watch Jacob while we're gone. How soon do you think we can go?" I replied.

"Well we're not going tonight, that's for sure! I think you should take it easy tomorrow, but I guess there's no reason not to go the day after that." Paul said.

"Good!" I said with a smile, "That's what I told Melissa and Arachne. Melissa intends to bring her swords, should we bring other weapons, too?"

Paul looked thoughtful and then said, "I think we should bring body armor and a few smaller weapons, but not overdo it. We may want to blend in at times, and carrying around a lot of weapons will make that difficult."

"We won't have a lot of space for cargo, anyway." Carl added.

"Will Melissa and I fill up the cargo area all by ourselves?" I asked.

"No, but I've got fuel barrels back there. I can remove some of them, but we may need the extra fuel so I want to keep a few on board." Carl replied.

I shrugged, "Oh well, we'll take what we can, then."

"You do realize that some of these people may not want to come with you, right?" Thomas asked.

"Why wouldn't they?!" I asked in surprise.

"Lots of reasons. For many it may be the only life they know. Others may be addicted to drugs or just too intimidated to leave." Thomas replied.

"Well, I won't force anyone. If I can't convince them to leave, either on their own or with us, then I'll just have to leave them there. But I don't like it." I said.

"Nobody does, Cat. Come on, it's been a long day." Paul said. I nodded and we went to bed.

The next day was filled with preparations, which I wasn't allowed to get involved in. Except for one part.

"Catherine, I'm not going to let you go gallivanting around in rags! I want you to wear those clothes we bought for you!" Mom said sternly when I tried to pack the few old clothes I had left. She took them away and presented me with the clothes they'd bought in San Francisco.

"But Mom, I'll be fighting to get these people out! They'll be ruined!" I protested.

Mom nodded, "Yes, they may be, but at least you'll be presentable to start with! All of those photos circulating around of you make you look like a vagabond! You can at least make an effort to look presentable. In fact, I think it's time I taught you how to braid your hair. That should work well when you're flying." So Mom spent the rest of the day teaching me about female clothing and how to braid my hair. And anything else she could think of. Paul thought it was hilarious.

Jacob was pleased when we told him to take care of everyone while we're gone. Hopefully Arachne won't have to knock him around too much.

Thomas spent the whole day on the satellite phone getting things going to have the island named as a protected retreat for mutants. Another amphibious plane would be coming for him in a couple of days. He seemed upbeat about it, so hopefully it will work out. I'd hate to take on another carrier group, especially without an electrical storm to draw on!

It felt strange to just laze around while everyone else was busy loading up the plane, but Paul wouldn't let me do anything strenuous. Everyone seemed to be involved in the preparations to some degree. Arachne and Shawna helped Melissa load up her swords and clothes and Elaine packed up some clothes for Tina that she'd made. The guys would be the only ones looking like castaways, except for Carl.

In the morning I went hunting and then got dressed and ready to go. This was the first time I'd actually worn women's clothes and it felt weird. They fit a whole lot better than what I'd been wearing, though. After brushing my hair and braiding it I was all set to go. I met up with Paul on the way to the beach and he did a double take when he saw me.

"Wow Cat, you're even more beautiful than usual!" he exclaimed. I blushed at the compliment but felt a strange warmth from it.

"Thanks Paul, these clothes feel a bit weird, but they do fit better. Do they really look okay?" I said self-consciously.

"It's not the clothes. Well, it is, but it isn't. I mean, your old clothes were kind of shapeless. These clothes aren't! I guess what I'm trying to say is that these clothes look great, but the real benefit from them is that they allow your beauty to be seen instead of being obscured. Am I making any sense at all?" He asked sheepishly. I laughed at his awkwardness, but it also made me feel good that he got so flustered because of me.

"Yes, I think I understand what you're saying." I replied. "Come on, let's go." I continued walking to the beach. He didn't move right away, but eventually fell in beside me. I don't think his eyes ever left me the entire time!

"Good morning Catherine! How are you this morning?" Mom asked from where she was waiting by the boat. We'd be taking the boat to the plane, though Melissa and I could just as easily fly there.

"Great Mom, I'm all set to go!" I replied, grinning.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling well," Mom said, and glanced at Paul who was still staring at me. "Are you beginning to see the advantages of wearing the proper clothes?"

I groaned, "Yes Mom, I am. You didn't have to set me up, you know, you could have just explained it."

Mom grinned and said, "You wouldn't have believed me if I had. When you get back I'll teach you how to use makeup!"

I groaned again, though I was curious now. Mom laughed and Paul just looked confused.

Everyone else arrived shortly thereafter. Everything was already on board the plane, so we didn't have anything to carry with us. After saying our goodbyes we climbed in the boat and Jacob pushed it out while Greg pulled it. Once it was deep enough Greg pulled us out to the plane and held the boat steady while we climbed aboard.

Melissa and I climbed in the back. There were enough bags of clothes to make a reasonably soft nest, especially with the blankets they'd piled on top of them. It was comfortable enough, if cramped, but we'd curled up to sleep for warmth on the way to Boston, so it wasn't a problem. We passed the time talking about what we might find in Thailand. Carl was proving to be quite the pessimist; he was sure most of the mutants would be controlled with drugs and unwilling to leave. Tina was sure they'd hail us as heroes and our biggest problem would be keeping them from slaughtering their captors. Paul and Mike both thought most of them would be too scared to come with us until we'd fought off some of their captors. Melissa brought up the possibility that there might be another 'clinic' operating there, like the one she went to, or worse yet, dumping their 'patients' there when they were done with them. I didn't say anything, but I was beginning to suspect that we'd find all of that and more.

Once we'd explored all the possibilities we could think of the subject turned to Carl himself. "So what did you do at Genarm, anyway?" Melissa asked suspiciously.

"I worked on the original project. When it was scrapped I started on a new, unrelated project. When the mutations began I saw the connection, but I was never involved in the new research on it. I got curious as to why we weren't reorganizing the original team to look into the mutations. One of the others had been eager to try human tests, even though the animal tests weren't going anywhere. I found out he was put in charge of investigating the mutations. He built an entirely new team and cut us out of the loop, probably because he knew we were against human testing.

When I figured out that he was experimenting on mutants and purposefully mutating ordinary humans I was all set to report him. Thankfully, a friend warned me of some of the other illegal things the company, and the head of the mutant project in particular, were doing. My friend and I both believe that, if I had reported him as planned, I would have been the next experimental subject and would probably be languishing in the Bangkok Zoo by now, myself. So I quite my job and left." Carl explained.

Melissa seemed somewhat mollified by that answer, but still seemed a little weary when she asked, "But why do you want to live on the island?"

"My work is part of the reason this situation exists in the first place. I'd like to help resolve it, as much as possible. I doubt we'll find a way to undo mutations anytime soon, and many mutants may not want to change back anyway. So the only way to help is to help to keep mutants safe from people like my former employers. When I found out what Thomas was doing I volunteered to help. He needed transportation, so that's how I helped. So here I am." Carl replied.

"But if you're just going to provide transportation, why not stick with Thomas and cart him around everywhere he needs to go?" Melissa asked.

Carl shrugged, "I wanted to help. And I didn't say I was just going to provide transportation. That's just the first way of helping I could come up with."

"But why live on the island? You could help without moving there." I asked. I didn't have the same suspicions about Carl that Melissa did, but I was getting curious to know where he was coming from. Living on the island could result in him mutating, so it was a big step to take.

Carl sighed and said, "Okay, the real reason I want to live on the island is because I feel guilty. I feel responsible for all of this and I want my fate to be yours. I do want to help, but if things go badly I want to be part of it. It's the least I can do."

"Oh, don't feel like that!" Melissa exclaimed, her attitude changing completely. "It's not your fault; you were just doing your job. You're doing what you can, and putting yourself at risk to do it! I'd say we owe you, not the other way around."

"That's kind of you to say, but it doesn't change the fact that my work resulted in all of you, and thousands of others, mutating. Some have died either as a direct result of their mutation, or through the intolerance of others. I don't know that I'll ever be able to do enough to make up for all of that." Carl said sadly.

"Carl, you're just one of many people who worked on that project! And it never would have had the effect it's having if not for those pirates. There are lots of people to spread that responsibility out to, but none of you knew this would happen or intended for it too. Even we could be considered complicit in this, since we were the ones transporting the stuff. Don't hog all the blame to yourself, you didn't earn it!" Tina said firmly.

"I agree." I said softly. "You're taking the world on your shoulders and you don't have to. Your guilt is misplaced. Besides, this hasn't been all bad. Some people have gained from this, and I don't just mean Genarm Industries!"

"Who else could have gained from this mess?!" he asked incredulously.

"Me." Melissa said softly. "I would have been stuck as a guy if not for this mutation. Now I can be the real me, and even have children some day! There are a lot of people like me who are extremely grateful to you."

Carl glanced back in surprise, "You used to be a guy? And you wanted to change?! Why?"

Melissa shrugged, though he couldn't see it under our wings, "I was never really a guy. Not where it matters most. But I was stuck with a male body. If you woke up one day with a female body, wouldn't you want to change back?"

"Yes, I suppose I would. I sometimes forget about the gender changing aspect of the mutations, as it was never intended or expected in the original project. It's a totally unexpected byproduct. That's probably the only reason that someone isn't already building an army of mutants; half of them would be traumatized by the gender change." Carl said thoughtfully.

The conversation petered out after that and eventually I fell asleep. When I woke we were within sight of land. Mike and Paul were sleeping, but Tina and Melissa were chatting away.

"So, Melissa…do you think I'm attractive?" Tina asked hesitantly. I was surprised by this question, as Tina hadn't been very accepting of her gender change. She had looked oddly at me when we met up at the boat though…

Melissa shrugged, "Sure, I think so. Why?"

Tina shrugged, too, and said, "It's just…after seeing how hot Cat is in those clothes her parents bought for her, I started to think that maybe there's something to this female clothing thing. Elaine packed some stuff she made for me and I'm starting to think I might like wearing them. The only problem is guys. I don't want to deal with guys; I'm totally uninterested in them."

"Oh, yeah, I can understand that. You're certainly pretty enough to attract a lot of attention from guys. I thought I'd have that problem, too, but my friend George was the only guy who could overlook my mutation. He somehow got the impression I was attracted to him, but I'm not attracted to guys." Melissa replied.

"You're not?!" Tina asked in surprise.

"I've always been a girl in my head, but a lesbian girl." Melissa said.

"Oh. I think Arachne will be happy to hear that." Tina said. That surprised me, as I'd not noticed Arachne showing any signs of being interested in anybody!

They lapsed into silence after that and I couldn't help saying, "So, you think I'm hot in these clothes?"

Tina glanced back at me and blushed, "Uh, yeah, you know I've always thought you were beautiful. And those clothes really show you off to good effect."

"Thanks Tina, but you know I'm not into girls. And Paul and I have agreed to not 'play' with anyone else." I said sadly, remembering that Tom had been one of the ones who I 'played' with before Paul and I became serious.

"Yeah, I know." Tina said quietly. "Jill and I 'play', as you put it, sometimes, but it's just physical. That's the problem with living on an island with so few people, there aren't many people to pick from, and right now they're all accounted for."

I frowned in thought and said, "What about Shawna's mother and her neighbor?"

"Millie's straight as a board, like you. Kara's not, but it looks like she and Jill are hitting it off." Tina replied.

"Well, this trip will probably result in a population increase on the island, as will what Thomas is doing." I said in an effort to lift Tina's spirits. I hadn't realized this was bothering her so much, as she was usually very cheerful seeming. I began to wonder how much of that had been an act. I also wondered how many others on the island were getting lonely. It was true that there simply weren't that many people on the island. It was a minor miracle that as many of us had paired off as had. But that still left Mike, Tina, Jill (maybe not for long), Jacob, Greg, Vincent, Shawna (though she's still young), Arachne, and Melissa unattached. That was more than half our population!

Just then Carl said, "We'll be landing in about thirty minutes. If you're not strapped in, now's the time. As for you two in the back, hold on to something!" Melissa and I did as he suggested and waited. Neither of us were worried, we were both tougher than normal people and heal fast, besides.

In any event, the landing wasn't very rough at all, especially considering the size of the plane and the fact we were landing on water and not on land! It was enough to wake Mike and Paul, though. Soon we had taxied in to a pier and started piling out. We had decided to use the plane as our base of operations, as we didn't really have any money to pay for hotel rooms. Besides, none of us spoke the language!

Carl took care of getting the plane refueled and Mike and Paul went out to scout around a bit. Tina stayed behind to guard Carl and the plane while Melissa and I took to the air. The locals didn't pay us much attention, so I knew there had to be a lot of mutants around. Carl had given us a pretty good idea of where the Bangkok Zoo could be found, so we headed straight for it. It was quite late, nearly dark, but we were determined to get to work right away.

Soon we were coming into sight of the area known as the Bangkok Zoo. It was just like any other part of the city, except for the high concentration of mutants and the fact that many, if not most, of them were slaves. I knew we had our work cut out for us, but we were all determined to shut this slave business down for good!

Melissa and I split up to cover more area and I began scouting the area. I stayed low enough that I was able to make out the odd conversation as I circled overhead. Most weren't in English, of course, but some were. One such conversation was about a girl that had been giving her 'owner' trouble, so I knew I was in the right area. They were clearly not afraid of the police, so I assumed they'd been bought off.

I circled the two men and listened. They weren't talking about anything useful for a while, but then another man came running up. He was speaking rapidly in Thai and they seemed quite agitated at what he was saying. After he left one of them turned to the other and said, "Kill that bitch! She's caused me too much trouble already!" The third man nodded and ran off, so I decided to follow. He collected a couple of other men, who were armed with machine guns, and kept running. Soon I saw who they were after, as a tiger woman was running frantically away from the building they were running towards. She was obviously injured and stumbled into an alley. She seemed to be trying to find a way out, but the two men with the machine guns cut her off.

I realized that they were about to kill her, and I strongly suspected she was one of the people I was here to save. She was dressed like a prostitute. Without another thought I closed my wings and dived. At the last moment I opened my wings and grabbed her. In seconds we were out of sight of the gunmen, who hadn't even gotten a shot off. The tiger woman looked up at me and asked, "Who are you?" She sounded like she might have been American.

"My name's Cat. And you look like you might be in need of a career change about now…" I replied. I was smiling, I realized, as I made my way back towards the plane. One down, who knew how many to go!

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To Be Continued…
 
Sorry for the long delay on this one. And thanks to Laika for coming up with the Bangkok Zoo, and the mutant Cat just rescued. In fact, I used their lines verbatim from what Laika posted in a comment on Raccoon Ruckus (she gave permission for me to use this)! We'll be seeing more of both in the next chapter, and I'll probably be doing a side story for her, too, but no promises on how soon that will happen! ;)
 

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