DR. CATALYST DROVE HIS CAR SLOWLY THROUGH THE streets near the canal that ran behind the Doyle house. His tracking device showed his predator was slowly stalking along the waterway, stopping now and then and occasionally circling around to reverse course. Almost as if it wanted to return to finish the job.

But the Doyle home was undoubtedly a swarm of police and emergency vehicles. Now that Emmet was eliminated, Dr. Catalyst could retrieve the creature and return to his important work. He watched the monitor closely. It was vital to recapture his predator before the authorities discovered it.

Dr. Catalyst was overjoyed. Emmet Doyle was finished. Finally. Once Dr. Catalyst gathered up his new hybrid, there would be no one left to bother him. Hopefully the predator had finished Dr. Doyle as well. But even if not, he would be so distraught at the loss of his son, it was unlikely he would further interfere.

The red dot on the monitor moved south along the canal. Dr. Catalyst was on the other side. He needed to find a street with a bridge where he could cross over. Then he could activate the homing beacon and return the creature to his truck. After that, he would think on his next moves. Perhaps it could be retrained and used to curtail the spread of some other invasive species. He pondered that thought for a moment.

The night was quiet, and the streets deserted. Whatever else he might have done, Dr. Catalyst and his hybrid creatures had had a chilling effect on nighttime activity in Florida City. As he tracked the beast, he paused to tune the radio to an all-news station. The reporter was talking about an animal attack in the city. As he listened, Dr. Catalyst’s smile turned to a frown.

“Here at WFCR we have learned that an unidentified animal has attacked a family in their home in Florida City. Details are incomplete, but we have confirmed that one person has been taken to a nearby hospital. The identity of the victim has not been revealed, but it is believed to be a young boy. Our sources indicate that he is in serious but stable condition. Authorities report that this as-yet-unidentified creature is extremely vicious and still at large. All Florida City residents are advised to remain indoors until further notice. We’ll update our listeners as soon as we’ve learned more.”

Dr. Catalyst pounded on the steering wheel in frustration, causing the van to swerve slightly in the road. He had to struggle to regain control of his emotions.

Unbelievable. How had this happened? In heaven’s name, what did it take to rid the world of that little monster, Emmet Doyle? How did he manage, as slippery as an eel, to escape every single time?

It was nearly more than he could take. The time had come to rid himself of the Doyle brat once and for all. The sooner, the better.

Up ahead was a street leading to a bridge across the canal. Once across, the creature was only a few blocks away. It would follow the homing beacon to the van. When the beast was secured, he would return it to the training compound. He needed to think. There had to be a way.

Dr. Catalyst sped off into the night.