Decisions

by Mel Todd

What the hell, Borden? You’re not in one of your stupid romances, get a grip.

  Her brain caught up with what the man said, and her jaw dropped.

  Oh shit, that’s McKenna Largo and her partner JD, and shit the football player. These are all movers and shakers in the shifting world. Why in the world would I be here?

  More than ever she wanted to run and flee, but where? The heat that surrounded them told her she was in the tropics. She’d been down here occasionally but running around barefoot was not smart in this place.

  At the mention of the laptop her head jerked and focused on the innocuous object sitting there, the one that might explain why they were all there.

  "I take it that laptop isn’t yours?" Cass sighed. Her voice broke as she spoke and she realized she really needed a drink. Water first then booze would be really nice.

  McKenna graced her with a smile and Cass wanted to shrink back. The woman was so confident, sure of herself, and all Cass wanted to do was hide. She sank back down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs, feeling a bit more protected now.

  Sitting there she listened and felt her world fall apart as the stranger on the machine talked about how they needed to kill someone, or their loved ones would die. When Helena and the kids appeared on the screen her breath stopped, and she didn’t start to breathe until her vision started going gray on the edges and she gasped trying to stay conscious.

  The rest of the message barely registered as she locked onto the threat of possible death for her family, that they had been poisoned, and they were expected to kill someone. By the time she came back to awareness they were talking about the situation.

  She knew she squeaked out some words, but no one paid much attention to them. She didn’t even know for sure what she said.

  Her brain finally caught back up at the poison part and verification by Wefor.

  Who the hell is Wefor?

  She stared at the three, JD, McKenna, and a woman she didn’t remember the name of, though she was the one with the kids. She’d been taken from her kids. That thought resonated and Cass felt a bit of her wariness fade as she took in the woman’s defensive angry body language.

  This can’t happen. I won’t let it happen. Those are my niece and nephew and I love them. The hell some asshole is going to hurt my family because I wouldn’t falsify my reports.

  The three people looked at each other, the NFL player standing a bit to the side as if he felt outside the loop like she did.

  "Why are you guys all kinda just looking at each other?" She scooted back a bit further not taking her eyes off them.

  Do you go crazy if you shift too much?

  McKenna sighed, then started to talk. The virus was actually nanobots. They had damaged nanobots in them and she was the commander with an AI in her head. Cass flinched at that part, but she didn’t think they’d noticed.

  Programmed nanobots actually makes more sense than a virus, but an AI in your head? Think I’m glad I only have these drones. But talking to each other? Huh, that’s an interesting twist.

  She watched in interest as Toni, with her back to everyone, said how many fingers Perc held up. A simple test, but she didn’t see any way it could have been faked. McKenna didn’t even speak to give voice clues.

  Telepathy, or near enough. But what does this have to do with the dreams? Were they not dreams? Ewww, eating more raw animals. But I ate the snake fast enough. I hate snakes.

  They discussed how it worked, that they needed to have some of McKenna's blood in them. At the discussion she started to relax a bit, though she still had issues with the idea of having someone read her mind.

  "I am a being of pureness and light." JD said when McKenna teased him about his mind being a dangerous place.

  Cass looked at him and snorted to herself. No one with a body like that was an innocent.

  "So how do we do this? And I’ll admit I’m hungry. How long were we out?" Perc asked. Cass figured whatever they said she had at least twelve to eighteen hours more than them. She was starving and thirsty, but she’d be damned if she said anything. Just glancing at them, she knew she was the least fit of all of them. Because she hadn’t been shifting?

  Twenty hours? Oh gods, no wonder. It’s been almost thirty-six for me then. How do they know I’m a shifter though? Hell, how did this guy know I was a shifter? My journal? Only thing I can think of.

  "On the bright side being a shifter means no blood borne diseases."

  Cass laughed as she stood up and just stood there, tired and if they wanted to look at her compared to McKenna or the other woman let them. Her give a damn was broken.

  "So, let’s do it. Because I tell you I want to get back to kill this guy. But first we need to make sure he doesn’t kill my sister, my niece, or my nephew. Food might be easier for me, I don’t need as much protein, but we’ll see. Let’s get the blood going." She looked around the barren hut. "So, how do we cut ourselves? There’s no knife."

  What followed both grossed her out and fascinated her. The claw coming out of McKenna’s hand created instant lust,—that would be cool.

  She might have made a sound that she swallowed as fast as she could and followed instructions, though she tried to prove it didn’t bug her.

  "I’m only doing this because I know it will heal when I shift, and I’m looking forward to my fur coat. It will make me feel less vulnerable." She thought the quaver in her voice might have told them she was lying.

  "How long does this take?"

  Dang it I wish I had my journal again. I should be recording all this. Seeing if there is a time difference with how long this takes. I wonder what it will be like. Can mental voices have a flavor?

  She was aware of other people talking but she had lost herself with thoughts when something intruded.

  ~Done. Hi.~ The voice sounded like McKenna’s and she couldn’t stop the startled response as her head jerked up and stared at McKenna eyes wide.

  She glanced over at Perc as he whispered what she was thinking, it was real. Holy shit, it was real.

  ~This is so cool.~

  16

  Welcome to the Jungle

  Telepathy has been sought after since our earliest stories when gods would talk to humans in their minds. The question has haunted scientist and people for millennia and new research has discovered it isn’t impossible. While direct brain to brain communication is still a thing of science fiction, researchers have successfully transmitted words from one person to another via EEG while both parties wore special equipment to allow the message to pass. While not something everyday people will probably take up, it does imply that it is possible - someday. ~ TNN News Article.

  ~JD?~ Cass sent the thought as Perc and McKenna talked.

  ~Right here, Cass. You okay?~ His mental voice had the same deep rumble as his voice did and it felt odd.

  She could feel the difference between this private speech between the two of them and the general way everything else sounded. She made mental notes to herself.

  ~Yeah, just figuring this out.~

  Commander, wait my commander?

  She looked up and listened.

  Other people had dreams too, and they were in them? But only that last dream let me see anyone else.

  "What about you?"

  "Yeah. One or two, but never with anyone else in them until the last few. Before I was always in a lab, taking beings out of storage. Then taking classes on medical stuff." She swallowed hard. "I thought it was just me watching too much sci-fi."

  Except that I rarely watch sci-fi, but they don't need to know that.

  "Huh. Well, I guess first we do the mission we were given, then we figure out how to get home and rescue our families."

  Cass zoned out for a bit, her thoughts locking on how Helena was doing. Heck, did she even know? With Oswald in the hospital and Brun there, she might not realize. Cass fought with mixed joy and sorrow at that idea.

  Perc’s question about the hard drive had her looking up at people then a
voice that jangled her nerves, scorched her brain, and left an after taste of burnt wires behind it, spoke.

  [He has a point. Interfacing with the drive should be possible later. Now isn’t the time as blood would start degrading the hardware.]

  Ack, what the hell?

  In an effort to try to remove the taste and feel that existed only in her brain, she had the heels of both hands on her temples beating softly as if she could counter act the after effects.

  [Hello.]

  She jumped again looking at McKenna with wide eyes.

  This suddenly became almost too real. An AI is talking in my head.

  The discussion turned to carrying the hard drive and Cass latched on to that.

  Finally, something maybe I can do, or at least not seem like such a loser.

  "I know macramé, so I think I could help." They all stared at her and she shrank back a bit. "Jungles have lots of vines. If you cut me some, and make sure there are no ants on them, I can weave a small bag that we can carry it in."

  McKenna looked at her but responded much to Cass's relief without derision.

  "That sounds great. What do you need?"

  "Vines? Young, flexible. As much as you can get as long as you can manage?"

  Cass got the feeling McKenna didn't believe her about the ants, but she'd warned her. Until they got to know each other better they wouldn't believe or trust her. That only seemed fair as she didn't trust them, not yet.

  She noticed McKenna just stood there, an odd look on her face.

  That must be what it looks like when you talk to others, or maybe the AI?

  Cass tried to not feel disconcerted when McKenna stared intently at her feet. Cass couldn't help but follow her gaze and saw the creepiest thing ever as the woman's toenails disappeared and her feet seemed to change a bit.

  "That is extremely creepy and fascinating. What and why is that happening?"

  "Trying to protect my feet so I can go get some vines."

  "Huh, makes sense." Cass couldn't take her eyes off the feet as her mind danced with possibilities.

  Verifying the vines, McKenna took off and left Cass there, the odd person out.

  The woman at the door stepped aside to let McKenna go, but then kept her back to them. Cass didn't want to intrude in the woman's obvious grief, so she curled up a bit on herself.

  What am I doing here with these people? The cop is famous, I mean everyone in the world knows her. And the other guy is an NFL player. Why am I here? What was so important about that location?

  Her thoughts swam in circles and she didn't notice anyone had moved until JD crouched in front of her, his hands dropping between his legs so he wasn't thrusting his genitals into her face. Cass appreciated that, more than she would ever tell him.

  "Hey, you doing okay?" His smile softened his hard face and she shrugged.

  "Haven't started screaming yet, so I'm okay by some definition, I think."

  He chuckled a bit, and she knew he was the one kids went to when they were upset. Her eyes strayed to the woman, she couldn't remember if she'd heard her name or not. She stood facing the door and her hand had a white knuckled grip on the rough frame.

  "She okay?"

  He glanced over his shoulder to her and sighed. "Toni? Probably not. This makes the second time she's been separated from her kids and they've been put at risk."

  That statement didn't make any sense until recent events clicked in Cass's head. "Wait, her kids were taken when, the, well, Officer Largo was taken?" She didn't feel comfortable using her first name and had to fumble for the name. When she'd decided to not shift she'd purposefully pushed everything back away from her.

  "Call her McKenna, she won't mind. And call Perc and Toni their names. I don't think formality will get us anything here."

  "Cass, please. Are we going to do this? Go kill some men?"

  His eyes darkened, and she watched curious at the expression on his face.

  "I don't see an option. I don't think we can take the risk, and my guilt level is lower than it would be. But I'm all too aware of the precedent this sets, but I can't see any other way out. Not to mention the poison as an added complication."

  Oh yeah, that. She rubbed her butt. The nodule really did hurt.

  "You sure you can weave the vines and let us carry out the hard drive?"

  "That much I am sure of. The rest of this terrifies me but that, I know I can do. Macramé is relatively easy."

  "Good. Okay, I'm going to go help Perc get that computer torn apart. Let me know if you need anything."

  She nodded, tucking her head a bit, and sat there watching the men pull the computer into pieces with a decent amount of cussing involved.

  Cass wished she could change now and hide, but she watched and tried to figure out how else she might be able to help. If she wasn't careful she'd slow them down.

  Heck, I can't remember what they change into. I mean I know the police officer is a cat, but the rest?

  She hid a sigh as she chewed on her lip feeling way too out of her depth.

  She almost sighed in relief when McKenna came back with the vines. It gave her something to do and helped avoid this feeling of being a burden.

  "Just so you know, those ants Cass warned me about are vicious."

  Cass watched Perc and JD, but neither of them fussed over her, just examined the wounds.

  "Does it hurt?" Perc voice had concern, but they didn't coo the way Helena would have expected them to.

  Is that good or bad? Probably good, given the situation.

  McKenna snorted. "I honestly think getting shot hurt less. At least that was only once. Wefor made the pain less but yes, it still hurts like hell."

  Cass had wide eyes as she looked at McKenna after that statement. "Well, I can tell you it was probably a bullet ant, which means we're in South America not Africa. If that helps?"

  "South America is a big place. At least I won't have to swim an ocean, so there's that. This what you needed?"

  "Yep. Give me a few." She dropped into a cross-legged position then froze.

  I'm not exposing myself like that. Really, would giving us underwear have been so awful?

  She altered her position and began to look at the vine.

  We don't want to cut it, need it to be able to be sized, but I think I can do a fishnet pattern with clover leafs at the end so I can loop them through and together.

  With that idea in mind, she began to tie and weave, doing her best to not pull so tight the vine would break, but making the knots tight enough to hold the drive. As she created the bag part she worked on making a loop that would ride around a neck. By the time she looked up they were all staring at her weaving and knotting. She felt the flush creep up her neck but held her ground.

  A discussion about the probable taste of sap had them deciding teeth did not work as a solution.

  McKenna told JD to change first and Cass couldn't keep her eyes off him. What fascinated her about this man? He didn't meet the definition of handsome at all but she wanted to hide in his shadow, sure he'd protect her.

  Stupid woman, this isn't one of your romance novels. Stop it.

  Shaking her head, she opened her eyes to see him changing and found herself riveted. Watching it live made all the difference, the heat, the sounds, the skin and muscle reshaping in and changing. She couldn't have looked away if she wanted to. When he was done a small bear stood on the floor, shaggy, light brown fur, and paler markings around his eyes.

  "Wow." the word barely a whisper, but she heard it echoed by Perc.

  She didn't move, frozen both by sudden terror and curiosity as JD moved over to her. With hands that felt thick and clumsy she managed to fasten it around his neck.

  "There. If it gets snagged, we'll have to undo it carefully or it might break. And the drier the vines get the more fragile, but we have about two weeks. They're hardy plants. I'm not as impressive as the rest of you, but hopefully I can be useful."

  With a sigh of relief, she stood, ar
ms open and reached for her animal. The wolverine came slowly, almost resentfully, but it came, and she let it wash over her with a sense of relief.

  17

  Adaptability

  Animals that live in the warmer climates have adapted to their surroundings in various ways. Many of them can simply tolerate higher body temperatures than their cold weather cousins can. They often hunt at night when the weather is cooler and many of their favorite foods are at a disadvantage. Animals can and do die from heat exhaustion just like humans if not provided enough water. ~ TNN Kids Science Segment.

  Cass had moved back out of the way and found herself in the shadow of JD. He dwarfed her low-slung form and there was something safe about being next to him.

  She watched Toni turn into a stunning black jaguar with awe and a bit of envy. Compared to the woman in both human and animal form, Cass felt boring and unremarkable. But watching Perc turn into an animal that hadn't walked the Earth in centuries supplanted that feeling and just left her in awe.

  The homotherium stood, a regal aspect to his posture, looking at them and she shrank a bit more, even though he didn't make a threatening move. JD shifted blocking her from the animal’s, no Perc’s, view and she fought to control her reaction.

  He's a friend. He doesn't want to hurt me.

  It helped, but there was something about his form, that animal, that screamed predator.

  Cass growled softly and reminded herself she wasn't prey.

  She listened to the discussion, still feeling like the outsider even as the words echoed in her head. When McKenna shifted she had a smoothness and elegance about the shift that made Cass regret avoiding her animal.

  The cougar was huge, muscled and graceful. It glanced at its front paw, where McKenna had fastened the GPS and then looked up at them.

  ~We need to find water first, so everyone listen and use your noses. I suspect that while we might not make as much noise as humans, we are going to be noisy as all get out to local animals. So, follow me. ~

  McKenna’s voice in her head still felt odd, though it didn’t bug her like the AI’s odd voice.