Trust

by Mel Todd

  Cass nodded a bit. She'd turned sideways a bit to watch him, and he had to fight not to hunch more at being the center of her attention. "Deal with it when it gets there. It would be more manageable, more resources, and more support. But either way," Cass smiled at him, "I think we have a date."

  "Yes, we do. And here we are." He parked at the very back of the lot, not worth the effort to try and park closer. "I figured you'd like American." It was a nice restaurant with a large outdoor seating that looked out at the Coast Range. The sun had just started to creep down towards the highest points. In a nice area of Rossville with lots of foot traffic going by to other small stores. It was an up-and-coming area, trying to get people to enjoy walking around and create a sense of community. There was a parade scheduled for the area later the next week.

  Wonder if that will actually happen.

  He pushed the thought away, it didn't matter. So many things didn't matter. This did. They were seated quickly with a view of the street, letting them both people-watch, though the faux grape vines provided the shade still needed this time of year.

  "This is nice," her voice soft as she looked around. A waiter started to come over, saw them, froze and left. A minute later another waiter came over so JD just shrugged. Maybe he knew Cass or something. Either way, the beautiful woman sitting in front of him was more important.

  "I'm glad you like. Wine?"

  "Please." They placed orders and she fiddled with the wine glass when the waiter left. "I really want to talk about what's going to happen, but this isn't the right venue. Then there's the fact that we don't know. And I don't want to talk about the jungle." She shuddered saying that.

  "I don't blame you. It's one of those things I'm really hoping fades from my memory quickly. I meant to ask, why are you back at work? The rest of us have a decent amount of time off to recover. That wasn't exactly a stress-free event."

  Cass shrugged. "You have bosses that care. I work for a corporation and the manager of my lab cares only about results. Heck, we barely have an HR. It wasn't worth arguing. Besides, working means I don't think."

  "True. And I'm thinking too much lately."

  She gave him a wise look. "All the things that can go wrong and all the people we can't protect?"

  "That would be it. And dreams." The vague wisps of a memory, wings and claws, flitted through, but he couldn't grab.

  Cass started to say something but froze, her eyes widened as she looked behind him.

  ~JD, trouble,~ her mental voice tight but controlled.

  He turned even as he took in her pushing her chair back a bit giving herself room. He turned to see a large group of people marching towards the restaurant via the side walk. That isn't what set his nerves on edge. It was the signs, signs that had been prepared a while ago, that said "Turning into Animals is an Abomination before God!" and "God made Man to be whole." Though the one that made him stand up said, "Death to the shape of Satan."

  9

  A Good Day

  Russia has gone quiet which has political insiders worried. Russia has always excelled in having a constant stream of chatter coming out. For all that they have been our allies in every major conflict, the inherent differences between our countries have always made our interactions fractious. But silence has never been a technique of theirs. Oh, don't get me wrong. They will offer us vodka and never talk about what we want to talk about, but they are not silent. Right now there is nothing coming out of the Kremlin, not even banal trivialities. This is concerning. ~TNN Talking head

  JD wanted to sigh, instead he rose to his feet slowly. His bulk had the effect of making a few of the crowd slow down in their approach. He could see them puffing themselves back up as they clustered around the small knee-high fence.

  ~Manager and staff are collecting behind us.~ Cass's calm words whispered in his mind. ~They look stressed, but one of them looks awfully smug.~

  ~Think they called this group?~ JD watched people as they got closer, they weren't quite in talking distance yet.

  ~Yes. Do you want me to call the cops?~

  ~I am the cops,~ he made sure humor laced through his thought. ~Give me a few minutes, see if I can get this to go away. Though if they knew what was coming they might have a valid point about saying we're evil. I mean aliens coming for us?~

  ~Yeah. I almost feel guilty, except they don't know and I didn't cause any of it.~

  A mental laugh was his response as he prepped for the crowd. He didn't have a weapon on him, it was a date.

  I should have known this wouldn't go well. Granted, I was expecting her to tell me she liked me, but only as a friend.

  He preempted their challenge by smiling and taking two steps forward, putting him right at the edge of the fence, something he could probably step over if he needed to.

  "Hey, guys. What's going on here?" He nodded at their signs, keeping a genial smile on his face. ~Wefor, if I have to change is that okay?~

  [You and Perc have the mass to support it, though it will take longer to rebuild up your muscle mass if you shift.]

  That he could live with. He pushed the mental chatter to the back and focused on the people who looked a bit confused at his calm and polite greeting.

  "We recognize you. You're that cop that got bit by the cougar and changed. She started this and is spreading the disease to good Christians, making them fodder for the devil."

  He couldn't help it, JD burst out in a laugh. It didn't last long, but they all looked at him and one or two took a step back.

  "So McKenna bit me? When? She was on camera the entire time, and if you watch it carefully, you'll see me shifting a few seconds after she did. So how or when did she bite me?"

  And we won't address the good Christian part, that would cloud the issue.

  "Well, she's the devil and she would've bitten you beforehand, so you can help her spread this evilness. You are all instruments of the devil. You should be locked up and kept away from the rest of us that God has not abandoned." The person speaking fit all the stereotypes of an uptight church-goer. Khakis, short-sleeved button-up shirt, and a matching supercilious look on his face.

  "I'm pretty sure she isn't the devil, and I'm really sure she hasn't ever bitten me. How Shifters are created isn't anything that has been established. They're still looking for answers, and I'm sure when they're found, it'll be made public."

  He caught the sound of Cass choking behind him. ~You okay?~

  ~Yes, trying to not fall down in laughter. That was masterfully worded.~

  "That is what the devil would say. Lies that deflect the truth."

  Dude, you have no idea, but it isn't the devil.

  JD shrugged, puffing up his chest as he did, he missed the extra twenty pounds he hadn't gained back yet. "Be that as it may, what do you think you're going to accomplish here?"

  "We will beat the devil out of you and prove to people that the devil doesn't have to be listened to."

  ~They're going to what?~ Cass sounded shocked. ~There are like ten of them. If you shift, you'll go through them like a hot knife through butter. Do they even know how to fight? Do they have weapons?~

  Her mental voice got tight at that point, and he sent a wave of reassurance to her. ~Don't worry about it. I don't see any weapons, a bat and maybe a pair of brass knuckles. That one guy might outweigh me, but he's pure fat and not a threat.~

  ~Okay, but I have my phone out, ready to call 911 the second you say. And I think the staff is about to freak out.~

  JD had noticed the rest of the patrons slowly move out of the small patio area, as well as being aware of the rapid whispers going on behind him, but he made sure all his attention stayed on the group in front of him.

  They had started to shift and move forward as he'd stayed quiet, talking to the voices in his head for too long.

  "I really think you will regret the choice you're about to make. And trying to beat the devil out of me might prove more costly than you expected."

  "What? You think you can take a
ll of us?" A huge man, possibly Chinese and Western from his build and features, but he looked more like a sumo wrestler without the slabs of muscle under his rolls of fat. His voice came across as belligerent and angry as he shoved his way to the front of the little group.

  JD heaved a sigh, only part of it was faked, and pulled forth the claws. Bears have long, strong claws, and his warrior form provided claws that made them look like wicked brown knives extending from his finger tips. "Yes, actually, I do." He lifted them up in the air.

  The gasp from behind him matched the sharp intakes of breath from the front as the group took a collective step back.

  "So either we can have a fight, and I'll guarantee one or two of you will die and everyone will end up in jail, but me as a cop will get the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention all of you against me protecting my date. Or you can go home and chalk all this up as a bad idea." He kept his voice friendly and even as he stepped over the small fence.

  The crowd as one scrambled backwards, a few of them stumbling into the street to the annoyance of at least one driver, from the amount of honking. As a group, their gazes didn't move from the claws emerging from his fingers.

  "I'll ask you again, do you want to fight? Or go home?" He let a bit of growl enter his voice this time.

  The crowd actively melted away, leaving only the uptight guy standing there clutching his sign, looking defiantly at JD.

  "This doesn't change anything, you are still spawn of the devil and an abomination in the eyes of God!"

  JD shrugged. "Be that as it may, don't you think you should leave that up to Him to decide?"

  The man had courage of conviction, JD had to give him that. He lifted his nose in the air, sniffing, and then turned and walked away, managing to not break into a run.

  With a sigh of annoyance, he pulled the claws back in, feeling a little woozy. ~That didn't hurt me did it, Wefor?~

  [It was an efficient expenditure of energy. Eating should replace most of the calories expended.]

  He did notice her avoid the question and turned to look behind him. The wait staff all had wide eyes and looked like thirty seconds from peeing themselves. He sighed and wanted to shrink into himself. Having an ugly mug and being huge was an advantage as a cop. As a man it was disconcerting. Forcing down a swallow he let his gaze move over to Cass, steeling himself. When his eyes caught hers, he froze as she beamed up at him.

  "You're the most amazing guy I've ever met."

  JD couldn't help himself, he turned and looked behind him. No one was there, so he turned back to her where she just grinned more.

  "Yes, you. You could‘ve arrested them, you could have killed them, instead you proved to be the bigger man and made them leave. No damage, no danger. Just wow." She started to move toward him but stopped, aware of the audience. Instead she cleared her throat and sat back down.

  She must have stood when I had my attention on the group of idiots.

  The manager rushed over to JD before he had a chance to fully process everything.

  "I'm so sorry this happened. But thank you. That could have been really messy. Your meal is on us. Thank you, thank you," he all but babbled as he ushered JD back into his seat, then he and the wait staff disappeared.

  ~Really? You aren't scared of me?~ He couldn't ask that question out loud, so he drank some water, mouth dry from stress. The idea of attacking anyone really wasn't anything he looked forward to, even if he had in Colombia.

  "Why would I be scared of you? You're the biggest teddy bear I've ever cuddled with." She smirked at him, and he started laughing.

  He trusted McKenna, just maybe he could trust Cass, too. With a bit of fear, he reached to take her hand when his phone beeped.

  They both froze. Most of the people he knew could just ping him, and he was off so work shouldn't be calling. With a groan that was a mix of apology and disappointment, he pulled out his phone instead. He had every intention of glancing at it and shoving it back in his pocket. Cass had already been ignored enough tonight by him. But the sender on the screen caused him to halt.

  Joey Tran.

  "JD? Something wrong?" Her voice concerned.

  He glanced up but held his tongue until the waiter who was approaching delivered their food and disappeared. They had the patio mostly to themselves, other people not liking the trouble that he had attracted.

  "Remember the hard drive?"

  She snickered and picked up her wine looking at him. "Not like I could forget it. I wove the bag."

  "Well, yeah." He wanted to duck his head out of embarrassment but continued. "I dropped it off with a tech down in Sacramento asking him to see what information he could get. Yesterday." He held up the phone to her. "He just texted."

  "What does it say?" She leaned forward, brows furrowed.

  JD glanced at her then unlocked his phone and navigated to the message. He read it in his mind, letting her hear the words.

  ~Need to talk to you. What I've found out is like Tom Clancy shit, and I want to make sure you want me to keep digging. Call me~ JD looked up at Cass who watched him, an unsurprised look on her face.

  "You're okay with that? It doesn't shock you?" He looked at her, puzzled by her calm acceptance.

  She flashed him a smile before she responded. "You didn't think it was going to be some fly-by-night guy, did you? I mean, look where we ended up. I figured government contracts or at least connections. Though I think even less of the men who left us there than the man who ordered them to do it. But it doesn't surprise me."

  "True. Figured had to be something like that. But I'll call him later. If the world ends next week, this won't matter, and at this point you're more important."

  She grinned over a fork-full of salmon. "What you're saying is you want to spend you last days with me?"

  "Yes, I do." Every word full of intent. Her smile faded, and something else grew in her eyes.

  10

  Heart of a Child

  Brazil is blessed with the highest number of cat Shifters in the world. Most of those that have self -identified are either jaguars or black jaguars. This has spawned a sharp increase in Jaguar God religions even as the attendance in Catholic churches is dropping fast. There are rumors of even stranger Shifters that hide in the depths of the Amazon. Could this be where the old gods came from? Are the legends and myths based in reality? ~TNN News

  By the time JD got back to McKenna's that night, after dropping Cass off at her apartment, he'd all but forgotten the text from Joey. Ice cream, walking, laughing, it qualified as the best date ever, even with the idiots.

  A night of deep sleep with no dreams that he remembered had him waking up in a good mood.

  "Morning, guys." He strolled into McKenna's kitchen voice cheerful, and before his first cup of coffee. McKenna shot him a puzzled look which JD ignored, focusing on the coffee. "Charley, ready to work on our project this morning?"

  "Yeah," the boy all but bounced in his seat. But they both finished eating first, JD still remembering the calories he expended, and Charley because he shifted constantly. McKenna and he were pretty sure Charley spent more time in wolf form than he did sleeping. It made food mandatory for everyone.

  Someday I'm going to get this muscle back on, this is getting expensive food-wise. But at least I'm more tolerant of carbs than the cats or the wolf are.

  Charley had wolfed down his food, not literally, but it disappeared quickly, and by the time JD got outside with gloves and his tools, Charley stood at the pile of supplies they'd bought the other day.

  "This is going to be awesome. Jess will love it. Jamie will tolerate it for both of us." He paused, some of the radiance fading from him. "Nam, I don't know."

  "Nam? Is that the girl you asked McKenna to invite?"

  Charley nodded even as he focused on the wood planks. "Yeah, Nam Bara, I think. We didn't get to actually talk much at that place." All of them referred to it by euphemisms, mainly because no one could think of a good name for it overall. Maybe Hell.

/>   "That's what McKenna said. Though apparently she talked about me a lot?"

  The sidelong grin Charley sent him told him that was a fact.

  "Well then, if you didn't talk, why just invite her? Why not the other kids?" If Charley had been five years older he might have teased him about liking her, but it didn't make sense for this situation.

  "That board should go there." Charley was busy creating his project as they talked, and JD could sense he was thinking through how to explain it. Instead of pushing, he followed Charley's instructions, helping nail a board to where he directed. It was obvious Charley had a vision for this, so JD just let him be the foreman. Playing the brawn wasn't anything new.

  "You know how in your mind, McKenna is like a switch that's bright or dull if she's too far away?"

  "Sure."

  Charley nodded, his pale head ducked in concentration. "For me they're little lights with the colors meaning different things. When we were separated from you, I could see the connections to all of you, but they were gray and nothing I did could make them light up."

  JD just grunted to let him know he was listening even as he worked on securing the ramp.

  "This needs to go on top of the post, but really secure so we can jump on it." Charley pointed to another piece of plywood that was about three feet by three feet.

  He fell silent for a bit, but JD gave him time. There wasn't any hurry and it was obvious Charley was trying to feel his way through explaining this. "Well, I have the dots for Jessi and Jamie and they're always on. I can feel them, know where they are, what they're doing, and I don't think we ever close them. But in my head there's a dot that isn't a light, but almost the absence of a light. But there's something there, like there should be someone on the other end." He huffed a bit in frustration. "Well, that not-light, and really there are too many not-things right now. Not mom, not dreams, not lights, but they are. McKenna is mom. More than mine ever was."