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Chapter 1

Thursday night, 11:59 PM, early April


Margo Green sat at her new desk in the darkened New York Museum of Natural History, yawning heavily. She had been working overtime for the past few weeks since coming back to the Museum, trying to work out the one problem that had been bothering her for several years now: the mystery of the Mbwun lily serum. How in hell had it affected its victims so amazingly speedy, with the same results each time? There were no more lilies in existence, so the sea critters affected had long since died, but that had not stopped Margo from at least trying to unravel the mystery, the antiserum.

She frowned, blinking slowly, trying to fight off the extreme tiredness that threatened to take her down there and then. She knew she should just let the problem die, just drop it all and go home, but... For some reason, she knew she just couldn’t. She just had to know how to cure the serum, what they missed those years ago that could have saved lives.

A sudden ring jerked Margo out of her thoughtful stupor. She stared at the phone for a moment, confused and kind of stunned, before finally giving in to the insistent rings. She plucked the receiver up lazily.

“’Lo?”

A deep voice, honeyed and mellifluous, drifted to her ears, making her frown. “Doctor Green, I presume?” He sounded... somewhat familiar. Margo stifled another yawn.

“Yeah.”

“Oh good, still awake. I have been... researching,”—the way he said this made Margo shiver uncomfortably—“a certain project of yours.”

“Really?” How nice! Margo perked up, her fatigue forgotten. “Which one?”

“The project involving lilies.”

Margo frowned uncertainly. What did he mean, lilies? “Um, right now I’m not doing any projects involving lilies. Are you sure that you’ve been researching my projects?”

“Oh come now,” the voice was quiet, slightly frightening. “That surprises me greatly. Pray tell, Madame, why then are you up at such a late hour?”

“Oh, well, see...” Damn. Cornered. “I — I’m working on a project of mine,” Margo said weakly, well aware of how foolish it sounded.

“I am well aware, Doctor; for that is the one project I mean.”

It took a moment for this to sink in. Margo’s eyes widened and adrenaline rushed through her body. She made herself calm down. Surely he didn’t mean...? There was no one who knew about this but her!

“...And what, sir, would that ‘one project’ be? I’m currently working on several, and—”

“Please do not play stupid with me, Margo. It is most unbecoming.”

Margo was taken aback. “E — excuse me?”

“Excused. Now, I was wondering if you have found the antidote to the lilies yet.”

What the—“Listen, I have no idea what you’re on about, all right? What antidote?” Margo was fast losing patience. It was past midnight, she hadn’t slept in sixteen hours, and this guy...

“The antidote for the—”

“For?” Margo interrupted angrily, her tone cold. Surely he couldn’t mean what she thought he meant. There was no way in hell.

“I would greatly appreciate you calming down. I do hate being interrupted.”

“Just tell me!” She hated him now with every fiber of her being. This was ridiculous and she was rather pissed at how calm he was.

“The antidote for the Mbwun lily serum.”

This was met by a long silence as Margo sat back in her chair, shocked into silence. Her blood went cold suddenly. How...?

“Please do not lose consciousness, Doctor. It is exceedingly difficult to speak to those who are incapacitated.” A pause. “Margo?”

“Yeah.” Margo said weakly, vying for time, trying to find out what to do next. Should she just hang up?

“Good. Now, as I said before, I need—”

“How did you find out?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“No, actually.” She heard the dangerous anger in his tone.

“How did you find out about my project?”

“Unimportant.”

“No, actually!” she retorted angrily, “it’s very important!”

A few more moments passed in silence. “I did some research. Now—”

“Research? RESEARCH?! That is a load of bull, okay? I want some answers, freakshow!” Margo had finally snapped. The lack of sleep and high stress factor coupled with the freakiness of the whole ordeal had finally made her break somewhat. “It’s midnight in a creepy museum and some freak just up and calls—”

“Doctor,” the voice started quietly, threateningly, but Margo took no notice.

“—and expects me to just give him what he wants! And what is it he wants? Information on a top secret project that only a freaking stalker would even have the gall to even figure out—”

“Margo,” the voice started again, but this caused Margo to begin yelling loudly.

“—and STILL expects me to just up and answer him like we’ve been together for YEARS!”

Silence ensued as Margo sat back, breathing heavily, glaring into the darkness that her small desk lamp could not fight back. Finally he spoke.

“I do not think, Margo, that you fully understand the situation here.”

“WHAT situation?” she asked angrily. A low chuckle.

“The situation you are, unfortunately, creating for yourself.” Margo frowned and began to speak, but he spoke over her. “Right now, Miss Margo, I can see you. You have your back to the window, yes, but I know it is you. You are the only one in the museum up at this hour who is not a security guard.” A pause. “I am standing here, Doctor, looking at you and thinking of New York streets. There are so many things that can befall an unfortunate young lady such as yourself in this dreadful part of town... It brings a tear to my eye just to think of what could possibly happen to you out here.” Another chuckle. Margo shivered. “It would be just terrible, terrible, for something, anything, to happen to you on your way home, would it not? As I recall... You don’t own a car.”

Margo realized she was holding her breath and that her blood ran cold again. He was threatening her.

And somehow Margo knew he would do just about anything to her. His voice continued on, like he had never said anything before then. It seemed his voice was even cheerful.

“All I would like to know, dearest Doctor, is if you have discovered an antidote. I know that Professor Frock had made the serum just so, mutating it to take away the horrid body transformations, instead invoking the deepest, darkest obsessions of one’s mind. Am I correct?”

Margo reviewed her choices mentally and found that she really didn’t have a choice anymore. “...Yes.” Her voice was so quiet she could barely hear it through the rushing in her ears.

“Good. So?”

“So what?”

“Is there?”

“What?”

“Margo... An antidote.”

“Oh! Um...” Margo bit her lip, looking down at her notes. “N-not yet... But I feel I’m making a breakthrough here...”

“How nice.” Margo could tell he was going to leave.

“W — wait!”

A pause. Margo bit her lip, afraid he had hung up. “Yes?”

“...Who are you?” she asked finally.

A low chuckling met her ears and she suddenly became very frightened indeed. “Well...” he began, as if reluctant. “I suppose you would know me as... Pendergast.”

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