*All characters copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 20

The Power

Of Greed

Johnny fought, bit and kicked at the net, trying to get out. He yelped as he was turned upside down and dumped inside a glass jar. The gryphon vet held his hand over the top of the jar and stared at him, "Unbelievable...This is gonna make me famous!!!!!" He slapped a lid on the jar and punched a small hole in it. After that, he ran to a phone and started calling someone. Johnny stood up in the jar, frightened, and wracking his brain for a way out that wouldn't involve falling to the ground and killing himself. Try as he might, nothing came.

Johnny gulped, "Please, let me go..."

The gryphon's eyes widened. He slowly put the reciever down, "What did you say?.." The gryphon had a look of awe planted on his face.

"Please, could you let me go?.."

"You...spoke..."

Johnny nodded his head, coughing a little to get his voice back, "Please, I have a family. I need to get back to them."

"A family?!!!" A smile spread across the gryphon's face. He started rubbing his hands and talking to himself, "This changes everything...if I found that family, I could get rich! Damn, I need to call the head of sciences right now!" He dashed to the phone again, dailing a number excitedly.

Johnny sighed, "Of all the wrong things to say, why did I have to pick that?! If he finds them..." He slumped in the jar and started crying. The gryphon set the phone down after making his call, and noticed this.

"Hey, don't worry. You'll see your family again soon." The gryphon smiled at him, making Johnny feel like some tiny and insignificant animal. There was nothing he could do to get out! The gryphon went back over to his phone and called other numbers.

He watched through the glass, transfixed as his fate was slowly being sealed by the gryphon vet. Somewhere beyond the door, he heard the sound of a door shut, Don's voice drifted to his ears, sounding tired, "I--" Don took a few deep breaths, "I caught her again..." The vet finished his call and walked over to Johnny.

"We can't have you in plain sight now, can we? I don't want anyone taking credit for my discovery." Johnny gasped as the gryphon lifted the jar and set it in a cupboard.

"No! Please don't do this!"

The gryphon closed the cupboard door and greeted Don, "She certainly hates this place, doesn't she?" The voices were muffled through the wood, but they were there.

Don spoke between large breaths, "Yeah...and I thought...bring the kennel would...would help. Guess not, eh?"

The gryphon laughed, "Not really. Let's make this quick. I just remembered that I have a very important meeting to go to soon."

"Okay. Say, when I ran out, I had accidentally knocked my backpack on the floor, did you see who picked it up?"

"No, I didn't." Vitara yelped for a moment, but soon quieted down. The vet's voice sounded soothing, "There now, all done. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Vitara whimpered for an answer. Johnny panicked and shouted, "DON, HELP ME!!!!!!! DON!!!!!!!"

"What the--" Johnny could hear Don's voice get louder as he came closer, "I thought I heard someone call my name..."

"DON, I'M IN HERE!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!"

The vet's voice came closer as well, "I'm sure it was nothing, Mr. Simons. You and Vitara can go home now, if you like."

"DON!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Eh...hold that thought."

Don walked quickly to his backpack and looked in. Vitara squirmed in his arms before he could get a good look, so he locked her in her kennel, then opened it up. Kim, Maik, and Ania were in the backpack, slightly hidden behind a large fold in it, "Hey, where's Johnny and Jack?"

Kim's voice quivered slightly, "Someone grabbed Johnny...Jack went after them. I don't know where they are..."

"Okay, stay hidden. I think I might know." Don was about to head back to the vet's office, but the desk clerk stopped him.

"Sir, you can't go back there now."

Don frowned and turned to the clerk, "But I left something really important back there. May I go get it?"

"No. If I find anything, I will put it in the lost and found and you can come back tomorrow. The vet has just canceled the next four clients for a conference. He wants no one to disturb him. I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave."

Don persisted, "Please? I'll only take a second..."

"No. All unimportant visits are being canceled until the vet's conference is over. Come back in an hour if you really are that desperate."

"You don't understand. It's very valuable; I--I bought it as a gift. I really need to get it back." He started for the back rooms again.

This time the desk clerk came out and stood in front of him, "Sir, I told you to come back later. I won't hesitate to call the police."

Don had to back out after that, or risk getting arrested. He grabbed his backpack and flew them home, then came back, but the door had been locked. He couldn't get back in.

Jack was still trying to climb up the counter when the vet came back in. He'd gotten about halfway, then discovered to his horror that there weren't any more handholds. The only way up now would be to fly, "Wait! Maybe the fairy dragon is still around...Kyle!"

There was no answer. He serached for an animal mind, finding only Vitara's. He was stuck. When he looked back down, he couldn't move. He'd had no idea he was up so high! Falling now could kill him! He tightened his grip on the side of the counter and held on for his life. It didn't help matters when the vet saw him, "What? Another one?!! What luck!!!!!!" Jack screamed as he was plucked from the wall. The vet held him in his hand, "A water dragon...so that means there are at least the basic different types of you little things as there are of us! I'm going to be famous!" The cupboard that Johnny had been stashed in was opened, and Jack soon joined his friend.

"I tried..."

"It's okay Jack." Johnny put a hand on his shoulder, "Did Don take the backpack?"

"I don't know. I've been trying to get to you ever since that giant got you."

"I hope he did. I don't want Kim getting involved in this..."

The vet leaned close, "Who's Kim?" Neither answered. The vet scowled at them, "C'mon! You can tell me!"

"Yeah right." Johnny leaned back in the jar and sighed.

The vet turned his attention to Jack, "And what about you? Will you tell me?"

"No! Are you crazy?! Let us go!!!"

The gryphon laughed, "Now who's crazy? The two of you are the biggest discovery to date, and you think I'll give you up just like that?! Be serious now."

Jack pounded on the glass, "Damn it, I am being serious! How can you be so heartless?!"

The gryphon pretended to ponder the question, "Well, there's the money involved with a discovery like you, and the fame, and quite a few awards besides..."

"You disgust me! And to think I stood up for you!"

Johnny's eyes grew wide and he started to shake his head, to wave his hands. Jack took the hint and didn't get any closer to little island on the subject. The vet however, "Stood up for me? To whom? WHERE ?!!!!!" Right then, someone knocked on a door at the back of the clinic. The gryphon's eyes grew excited, "They're here!!!!!" He left to bring them in.

Jack looked over at Johnny, "We have to find a way out of here now!"

"God Jack, don't you think I know that?! We can't let ourselves be seen, but I can't get the lid off this damned jar! Have you ever tried to loosen a giant's grip from the inside? You might as well try to move a mountain!"

Jack sighed and thought it over. An idea came to him, "Hey, what about your flame?"

"I--" The idea dawned on Johnny as well, but he sighed again, "No, it wouldn't work. We'd kill ourselves before we got out."

"But there's a chance, right?"

"Not unless you've got an unlimted supply of water inside you. That hole in the lid won't let the heat out fast enough."

Jack smiled, "Unless you made it bigger...It shouldn't be hard to melt the lid, should it?"

"I dunno Jack. We could kill ourselves."

"Or we could get out of here! Try!"