Read Online The 39 Clues: Unstoppable: Nowhere to Run by Jude Watson - Free Book Online
Authors: Jude Watson
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original formula? It’s basically a death sentence.”
“A death sentence?” Amy asked. “We knew it was dangerous, but . . .”
“It’s the way it reacts with the human nervous system,” Sammy said. “It shuts it down. It would take about a week and then . . .”
“So, with these experiments, what exactly did you find?” Nellie asked.
“I experimented with tiny doses in a variety of fillers,” Sammy said. “Now we have centrifuges, automated analyzers . . . machines and procedures that Gideon couldn’t even dream of. I basically altered the formula in a sophisticated way.”
“You
altered
the formula?”
“Well, the first job was to make it less toxic. I was able to do that.”
“So
your
version isn’t a death sentence?”
“I don’t think so — but I can’t say there wouldn’t be side effects. There’d be no way to really know without animal testing, and I’m not going to do that. I
was
able to do some rudimentary boosting of the separate traits and then get it down to a daily dose — a small trace element of serum suspended in a liquid — fruit juice worked well. I even made four formula strains for each branch: Lucian, Ekat, Tomas, Janus. The next step would have been figuring out exactly how to combine them in different strengths.”
“Are you sure that you told no one?” Nellie asked.
“I’m positive,” Sammy said.
Dan closed his eyes. Relief flooded him. The leak hadn’t come from him.
Amy picked up her slice of pizza.
“Except for Fiske, of course,” Sammy said. “And he was fine when I said I didn’t feel comfortable doing any more work on it. He agreed.”
Amy dropped the pizza.
“What?”
“You mean
our
Fiske?” Dan blurted.
Sammy nodded. “Your Uncle Fiske. Tall guy, black jeans, silver hair? I recognized him from my dad’s description. He came to see me, oh, about five or six months ago? He said Dan had told him about fabricating the serum, and he guessed that I had figured it out. I told him about the experiments. So he asked for all my notes and said that they belonged in the Madrigal archive.”
“What Madrigal archive?” Amy asked. “Do you know about this, Nellie? Dan?”
They both shook their heads.
Dan swallowed. “What . . . month did you meet him?”
“October.”
“Fiske was in rehab the entire month of October,” Amy whispered.
Sammy’s voice shook. “Are you telling me that the man I spoke to
wasn’t Fiske Cahill
?”
“I doubt it,” Dan said. He felt sick.
“But he knew so much about the Cahills.” Sammy looked pale.
Amy looked at her watch and jumped up. “We’ve got to talk to Fiske. Right now!”
Chapter 10
The Callender Institute was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan near the river, in a quiet neighborhood of town houses and amber streetlamps. It was like going back in time. Nellie cruised by, looking for a parking space, but couldn’t find one. Finally, she pulled into a driveway, right in front of a DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PARKING HERE sign.
“I bet James Bond never worries about parking,” she said.
They walked into the institute. It was set up like a private home, with thick multicolored carpets on the polished wood floors and seascapes on the walls. Shaded lamps discreetly lit a polished mahogany desk, behind which sat an older woman in a navy dress.
“We’d like to see our uncle, Fiske Cahill,” Amy said.
“As you know, we don’t have visiting hours per se at the institute,” the woman said politely. “But we don’t allow visitors after ten o’clock.”
“It’s very important that we see him,” Nellie said. “And we know he’s a night owl.”
The woman smiled at them in a patronizing way. “I’m sure whatever you have to tell your uncle can wait until morning.”
“Actually, it can’t,” Dan said. He threw a
we don’t have time for this
look at Amy and simply walked by the woman. Amy followed.
The woman reached for the phone. Nellie put her hand over it, preventing her from
“A death sentence?” Amy asked. “We knew it was dangerous, but . . .”
“It’s the way it reacts with the human nervous system,” Sammy said. “It shuts it down. It would take about a week and then . . .”
“So, with these experiments, what exactly did you find?” Nellie asked.
“I experimented with tiny doses in a variety of fillers,” Sammy said. “Now we have centrifuges, automated analyzers . . . machines and procedures that Gideon couldn’t even dream of. I basically altered the formula in a sophisticated way.”
“You
altered
the formula?”
“Well, the first job was to make it less toxic. I was able to do that.”
“So
your
version isn’t a death sentence?”
“I don’t think so — but I can’t say there wouldn’t be side effects. There’d be no way to really know without animal testing, and I’m not going to do that. I
was
able to do some rudimentary boosting of the separate traits and then get it down to a daily dose — a small trace element of serum suspended in a liquid — fruit juice worked well. I even made four formula strains for each branch: Lucian, Ekat, Tomas, Janus. The next step would have been figuring out exactly how to combine them in different strengths.”
“Are you sure that you told no one?” Nellie asked.
“I’m positive,” Sammy said.
Dan closed his eyes. Relief flooded him. The leak hadn’t come from him.
Amy picked up her slice of pizza.
“Except for Fiske, of course,” Sammy said. “And he was fine when I said I didn’t feel comfortable doing any more work on it. He agreed.”
Amy dropped the pizza.
“What?”
“You mean
our
Fiske?” Dan blurted.
Sammy nodded. “Your Uncle Fiske. Tall guy, black jeans, silver hair? I recognized him from my dad’s description. He came to see me, oh, about five or six months ago? He said Dan had told him about fabricating the serum, and he guessed that I had figured it out. I told him about the experiments. So he asked for all my notes and said that they belonged in the Madrigal archive.”
“What Madrigal archive?” Amy asked. “Do you know about this, Nellie? Dan?”
They both shook their heads.
Dan swallowed. “What . . . month did you meet him?”
“October.”
“Fiske was in rehab the entire month of October,” Amy whispered.
Sammy’s voice shook. “Are you telling me that the man I spoke to
wasn’t Fiske Cahill
?”
“I doubt it,” Dan said. He felt sick.
“But he knew so much about the Cahills.” Sammy looked pale.
Amy looked at her watch and jumped up. “We’ve got to talk to Fiske. Right now!”
Chapter 10
The Callender Institute was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan near the river, in a quiet neighborhood of town houses and amber streetlamps. It was like going back in time. Nellie cruised by, looking for a parking space, but couldn’t find one. Finally, she pulled into a driveway, right in front of a DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PARKING HERE sign.
“I bet James Bond never worries about parking,” she said.
They walked into the institute. It was set up like a private home, with thick multicolored carpets on the polished wood floors and seascapes on the walls. Shaded lamps discreetly lit a polished mahogany desk, behind which sat an older woman in a navy dress.
“We’d like to see our uncle, Fiske Cahill,” Amy said.
“As you know, we don’t have visiting hours per se at the institute,” the woman said politely. “But we don’t allow visitors after ten o’clock.”
“It’s very important that we see him,” Nellie said. “And we know he’s a night owl.”
The woman smiled at them in a patronizing way. “I’m sure whatever you have to tell your uncle can wait until morning.”
“Actually, it can’t,” Dan said. He threw a
we don’t have time for this
look at Amy and simply walked by the woman. Amy followed.
The woman reached for the phone. Nellie put her hand over it, preventing her from
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