Before we left, Ngoi pulled out a high-powered rifle from the back of the truck. “We only have the one,” he said, “but the way he shrugged off two bullets, we will need the extra punch.” He was referring to Rich taking two bullets, and it basically did not affect him. They did not hit critical areas, but it was still pretty impressive, like a certain Kangaroo.

“Pay attention to Eliza and Rich,” I told Soph as we walked through the savanna toward the anomaly. “No more Mutations.”

Soph nodded.

We moved slowly and on foot. Ngoi can now boost his hearing and Neke her smell. Everybody was twitchy. Eliza was out there somewhere, so we were in the same order as before. I was weary of the Kangaroos, but they grazed peacefully. There were cattle around as well, as there were outback ranches in the area. Well, there used to be ranches in the area. I wonder what benefits eating mutated meat would bring? It probably depends on the mutation. The Roo meat didn’t seem to have any effect, and the Roo was definitely flooded with essence.

Neke signalled, and Ngoi changed course. We skirted a larger tree, groaning under the weight of a monster python. Neke and I could smell it.

We changed course again to avoid a carcass of a steer. It was swarming with flies, and some that came near were registering on Soph and Riches' essence sense. I wondered if the flies had brought down the steer.

We paused when we came to the river. We were probably and hour away from the anomaly and this pace, and from here, we would travel parallel to the river. The problem was Rich and Eliza. They were starting to struggle. We were closer than we had ever been, and this was their current acclimatised limit. I was constantly sending waves and had been for a while. I think Cala and Soph had only just started their waves. They had both spent more time in the anomaly zone than I had.

Ngoi found us a slight hollow to rest in, and Neke disappeared scouting.

Soph spent her time with Rich and Eliza. She was focussing on the bonds with them.

I moved closer to Carla. “Do you know what she is doing? Your bond has grown, right?”

“She is teaching them.” When I raised an eyebrow, she said, “You gave her the idea, and when Ngoi and company discovered how to be flooded with the essence, she spent time with each, learning what they did and working on a plan to teach them. Now she is doing that.”

“She is quite a talented teacher, isn’t she?”

Carla nodded, “I would never put up with a classroom of brats, but she thrives in it.”

“What is your bond like? You guys haven’t mentioned it.”

“It is a mental connection transmitting emotions, so way outside your understanding. It has brought us closer together, but you must be prepared for brutal honesty. Emotions can change, so while they play an important part in a relationship, they are not the basis of it. You need a bedrock of commitment, even if emotions shift.”

“Can you break the bond?”

“Either of us can. We can restrict it as well, so not so much is communicated. That is hard, too, when one of us wants more and the other wants time out. It has made normal communication more important and has made us much more honest than before, which can be hard.”

“You are right. It is way beyond my understanding.”

“You are a simple bloke, and that is why this works.”

“Thank you, I think.”

She patted me on the shoulder, “I have been thinking about the river. If we end up in the river, my shark form will be much more useful.”

“It is a wide river. I am pretty sure Ngoi is planning to stay inland to avoid the crocs. The anomaly is on the other side, so he is planning to keep his distance. Will your shark form help or hinder you on land?”

“It won’t hinder. I will need to slit a hole in the back of the fatigues for the fin and go barefoot, but” she shrugged, “Shark scales. The shark scales don’t stand out as much.”

“It is a lot to go through for a maybe, and it will be obvious it takes less time than we have indicated,” I said.

“I am much faster in the water as shark-girl, with the same defence of scales. The only difference on the land are the fins and the teeth.”

“You just want to show off your teeth to Ngoi and make him feel inferior.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Idiot.”

“Your choice. You probably need to talk to Ngoi. We will be here 2-3 hours to change and recover.”

“Which is why we need to make the decision now. If we need it, I can’t change in a fight.”

“Can you keep repelling the essence while you change? That is critical. If you start mutating, this mission is over, whether or not you survive.”

“I am pretty sure, but we would have to go to the skin, then back to the shark.”

I indicated she should go and talk to Ngoi, so she got up and went over. I could have listened, but I didn’t bother.

Ngoi was in charge. If it were me, I wouldn’t let her. What are the chances of ending up in the water? I have jinxed it now, haven’t I?

Fuck. If she goes in, then I go in.

Maybe we should be ready. Mutated Crocs. Fuck. Why are we here? Just let them bomb the place.

Ngoi said something about samples. I don’t recall him expanding on that. What samples for what purpose?

I wander over to catch the end of the conversation. Ngoi is caving too easily to Carla.

“Just a quick question, Ngoi. What samples are we collecting and why?” I ask.

“The brains want all types of examples of biological material within a kilometre of the anomaly. Our packs are chocker with temperature-controlled containers.”

“I am sure they do want that, but that doesn’t seem to be enough reason,” I said.

He looked at me for a minute, then said, “There is strong evidence from overseas that the more strongly the creature is infused with essence, the stronger the chances of the mutation being strong.”

“You are hunting a mutated croc.”

“Not just a croc. Any creatures and plants in the zone. Mohan proved plant mutations are very viable. Preferably, we shoot the Crocs on the bank,” he patted his high-powered rifle.

“That’s why you are letting her change. This is not just an, go in, observe and collect. This is a hunt.”

“We are a day behind schedule already due to the attack. Several volunteer fire teams are arriving at the base camp as we speak to mutate before the anomaly gets blown to shit. The big shots think we need strong mutations to defend our country from these things. That is why the Americans are here. I imagine it is why the Koreans were here. It is the new arms race, but the enemy is not human.”

“Not only human, you mean,” I said, thinking about the North Koreans.

Ngoi nodded.

“The North Koreans were probably wanting us as live samples,” I said.

“That occurred to the brains,” Ngoi said, “along with your knowledge. Dr Mohan has 24-hour protection now.”

“Shit. If the North Koreans have an anomaly to mutate their people and want a variety of source material, to mutate their army…”

Ngoi nodded, “The race is on, and our job is to get the samples back so they at least have a chance to mutate with the good stuff. Experience inside the anomaly zone will have to come later.”

“So why are we waiting?”

“For you. You three are experiment number one. And we are not technically waiting. Neke is up ahead, scouting and collecting. We are only 3km from the anomaly here.”

I narrowed my eyes at Ngoi, “The evidence for the spooks Neke collected yesterday…”

“Included DNA samples, which were sent back by drone last night,” Ngoi said. “They didn’t need their fingers anymore, and the fingerprints were a bonus. I expect they will be analysed to determine their mutations and see what we can discover about their anomaly, rather than somebody attempting random mutations from them. Might as well do the 50/50 coin toss. We allow our people a choice, as well. Volunteers only. That is probably not the case everywhere.”

I thought about my mutations. Carla and I were on the rock right next to the anomaly with creatures that were right there. Soph was mutated from a dog that had only been in the zone for a few days. Did that make a difference? It seemed like it might have, but Soph is turning quite powerful, so there is still a large randomisation. Amanda’s plum was close to the edge, and she lucked out well. Maybe she would have had more if she was closer.

I looked at Carla, “Do you need Soph?”

‘Probably not for the change to the skin, although she will monitor me. Definitely for the shark change,” Carla replied.

“You don’t mind it being recorded, do you?” Ngoi asked. “The brains were annoyed last time when you disappeared off camera and reappeared with scales.”

Carla frowned. I just waited for her. It was her decision. I guess Ngoi was polite enough to ask.

“I guess it would be OK,” she said.

We went to the edge of the hollow, and she stripped off naked and started her whirlpool. She was pulsing the pool and sending waves through her body at the same time. That is clever; I must try that. I unblocked the river, and she started her change. Six minutes later, she was exhausted and in skin.

We waited an hour for her to recover, and while we waited, Soph said, “Good girl, here is a special treat.” Eliza had flooded her body with essence. Her ‘teleports’ were longer and cost less essence now.

Then, I fed Carla the remaining essence to top her pool up. Soph paid attention, and Carla lay on her side. This was the painful one. She tried not to scream but had more important things to worry about. Seven long and painful minutes later, she was an exhausted Shark girl. This time, we waited the full two hours, and even then, my essence pool was only half full. Carla wanted to doze but had to keep out the foreign essence. We fed her energy bars and talked and walked the exhaustion off.

“Neke is going to be pissed she missed that,” Ngoi said.

“Good boy, Rich,” Soph said. I guess we were good to go. Thanks to our fantastic teacher.