Howling Dead

by M. H. Bonham

  “Pretty sure,” Kira said. “He was talking to me about something two days ago and sounded really nervous.”

  “What was it about?” Jim asked, his voice becoming increasingly interested.

  “Well, it was about some computer stuff,” Kira said. “I didn’t understand it exactly. He was so cagey about it.”

  “What’s his name again?”

  Kira gave him the specifics. She could hear him typing the information in the background.

  “Look,” he said. “It’s probably nothing. If he’s a geek like you say he is, maybe he found a girl and went on a vacation or something.”

  “Yeah, I suppose,” said Kira. “Let’s hope so.”

  “I’m sure he’s fine. I’ll send a uniformed officer to check on him, okay?”

  “Okay. I just wish I knew where he lived.”

  “We’ll find him,” Jim said. “Anything else?”

  “Yeah, there’s also something else you need to know.” Kira swallowed hard.

  “You’re married?”

  “No.”

  “Engaged? Have kids?”

  “No and no,” Kira said. “Let me finish. We’ve got to meet early. I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.”

  “You’re not a criminal, are you? I mean, I already ran you through the database.”

  Kira felt like slamming down the receiver. “Will you listen? We just need to talk.”

  “Is this our first argument?”

  “It will be, if you keep that up,” Kira said. “Meet me at my apartment at five, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  CHAPTER 32

  Kira checked the time. It was three o’clock, which meant she had time to shower and change. As she stepped in the shower, she remembered that the Enchanted Forest was still waiting for her on her computer. If she had time, she’d pay a quick visit before meeting Jim for dinner.

  Despite the fact that he was a cop, Kira had to admit she liked him. He had also seemed to be interested in her—something pretty unusual, since she was a geek. Normal guys didn’t date geeks. Geeks dated geeks, and even that was uncommon in Kira’s experience, since many of the geeks she knew didn’t have the interpersonal skills to even ask someone out for a date, let alone really date.

  As she rinsed her hair, her mind turned to Alaric. He wasn’t a geek at all. In fact, if he hadn’t been a werewolf, he’d be the first one she’d think about pursuing. Unfortunately, he was locked in a cage in Denver Animal Control. And now, she was going to have to try to convince Jim that Alaric needed to be saved.

  As she got out of the shower and dried herself off, she wished she had a time machine. Her life had been so much simpler before the attack. Hell, she might have even let Susan talk her into moving back to So-Cal.

  After drying her hair and getting dressed, Kira sat down at the computer once more. The link to the Enchanted Forest had timed-out, which was not unexpected. Kira retraced her way through the links until she came to the welcome message: Welcome to the Enchanted Forest.

  “Now what, Spaz?” she said. She did a quick ls –l and found herself in /bin. “Okay,” she said. “Now what?”

  She listed the files again. Something didn’t look right to her. She went through the UNIX commands one by one. She was on the “E’s” when she noticed the word Enchanted. It was, naturally, executable.

  “Okay, Spaz, you’ve got my attention,” she said. She entered the word. Nothing. “Great, just great.” At the same time, she heard a peculiar buzzing just to her right. Great, she didn’t need the old computer to be on the fritz.

  She was about to get up when she noticed that it wasn’t the computer buzzing, but the headset. She picked it up and felt it hum beneath her fingertips. It was a very slim thing—she had no idea it even had a battery pack—but it was obvious it had some microcircuitry in it. It looked and felt like a headset she might wear with an MP3 player, but with two more ear sets. She slowly put the headset on...

  Suddenly, she was no longer standing in her apartment, but in an alpine forest—the kind she’d seen in tourist ads for Colorado. She was surrounded by coniferous trees and was standing on a small path that wound its way through the darkened woods. The wind was blowing, giving her goose bumps along her arms. She gasped and raised her hands, fumbling for the headset and pulling it off.

  Kira found herself in her apartment once more. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear it in her ears. She stared at the headset. What had happened? The headset still buzzed. She gingerly put it on.

  What’s happening? she wondered.

  Suddenly Spaz appeared in front of her. She almost jumped back. His hair was slicked back and he actually had a suit on. Welcome to the Enchanted Forest, he said.

  A recording? she thought.

  He turned to her but there was no recognition in his gaze. Yes, I’m a recording. I’m a comprehensive FAQ guide to the Forest.

  What is this? she asked.

  Please define.

  The headset. This world. Everything.

  Please state your text in the form of a query.

  Damn computer, Kira muttered. Okay, what is this headset I’m using?

  Headset is MIL-SPEC 1158, manufactured by Northrop Grumman Skunk Works, serial number 00129387...

  Stop! Kira nearly shouted. This was manufactured by Northrop?

  Yes.

  Shit.

  I don’t recognize that command.

  Pause FAQ and recognition software, Kira said. She pulled the headset off and stared at it. She could just faintly see where the Northrop logo had been filed off. “Damn, Spaz, what were you doing with classified shit?” Kira had heard of the military’s interest in thought readers for tactical displays for weapons—but what the hell was this? And why would Spaz have access to classified military inventions?

  Resume recognition software. State applications and versions.

  Spaz smiled. Enchanted Forest, version 1.32. TPRE – Thought Pattern Recognition Software version 2.43. EPRE—Emotion Pattern Recognition Software, version 2.45. CPI – Command Parser Interface 4.7.0. Msh – M-Shell version 3.32...

  Stop, said Kira. TPRE and EPRE? Kira had heard of this code being developed, but thought it was only in the early stages.

  Kira’s first thought was to shut it down and go to the police. Or maybe not the police; maybe the FBI. She had never thought of Spaz as a thief, but there were a lot of things Kira was finding out about him. Ten years tended to change a person. She had become what Spaz would consider a stik, while his spider tendencies had nudged him over to shady activity.

  She put the headset back on. The FBI could wait. Resume FAQ, she thought. The Spaz image became animated but looked out vacantly as though it did not see her. Resume recognition software. How am I able to use this?

  Define ‘this.’

  How am I able to use the headset?

  The headset requires wireless communications of the hi-rFreq band...

  Like the Intermountain wireless?

  Spaz paused and looked confused. Define Intermountain...

  Kira frowned. The logic of the speech parser was good, but not that good. She had to remember she was dealing with a machine. Do you take commands?

  Command mode, Spaz said. Command?

  Break, up one level.

  Okay. Command?

  Query connection software.

  Enchanted Forest, version 1.32. Author William Tagura. Host Enchanted, LLC layer. Headset, client. Proximity, 500 meters...

  Proximity? Wait. Pause.

  Okay.

  Kira thought about the software. Proximity was the distance between a transmitter and the headset. 500 meters wasn’t that much but was good for a city block where there would be numerous transmissions. Proximity to headset, serial number 00129387?

  1.23 meters, Spaz said. Okay.

  Signal strength?

  Excellent. Okay.

  Kira took off her headset and stared at the computer. It was a little more than a
meter away. The wireless router was hooked in right behind it. “The damn thing runs off the hi-rFreq,” she muttered.

  She walked over to her Sun and pulled up a web browser. She wasn’t willing to use the headset just yet. She pulled up Slashdot and went through the rFreq, TPRE and EPRE information.

  “Lizard97 writes “The MIT cowboys are at it again, this time with the rFreq. Can it possibly change the way we hook into the Internet?”

  Kira went through every post, looking for TPRE and EPRE without success. She was getting ready to quit when she saw a reply to a post that looked intriguing. Interfacing the new rFreq.

  Has anyone noticed that the rFreq bands affect animals in studies?

  The post was by Anonymous Coward. Which meant that the person hadn’t signed in or had decided to not sign in. She typed in rFreq and Animals into Google and came up with a number of Animal Welfare and Animal Rights sites. As she paged through them, some of the statements bordered on hysterical, claiming that rFreq shrunk animals’ brains or caused stillborn deaths. Most of the claims had no foundation in scientific study. But one noted unusual reactions among mice, and cited a study funded at MIT.

  Kira clicked on the link and received a 404: File Not Found. She groaned.

  At that moment, the door buzzed.

  CHAPTER 33

  Kira jumped up in surprise and glanced at the clock on the computer. Five o’clock.

  “Shit!” she exclaimed. She stashed the headset and ran over to the intercom. The Enchanted Forest, no matter how intriguing, would have to wait. “Who is it?”

  “It’s Jim,” came Jim’s voice over the speaker. Kira pressed the button to let him in the front door of the apartment building and then yanked her apartment door open.

  “Wow,” Jim said, “you got rid of the pizza cartons.” He looked good in casual clothes. He held out a bouquet of flowers.

  “Very funny,” she said, scooping the flowers out of his hands and smelling them. “I knew I’d have to clean off the couch at least.”

  “So, I see,” he said. “Hopefully, not just for me?”

  “No,” she said. “But how about if we pretended I did?” She paused as she put the flowers in a tumbler filled with water. She had no idea where a vase was or if she even owned one.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, sitting on the couch. “So, what’s the big secret? What couldn’t you say on the phone?”

  “It’s hard to explain,” Kira said, and took a deep breath. “You know the wolf.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It can’t be put down.”

  “Why not?”

  “What do you know about the wolf attacks?” Kira asked, looking for a hint of recognition in his eyes. There were none.

  “Well, there were five attacks, almost all centered around LoDo, with the exception of yours.” He paused. “Kira, why don’t you tell me what’s up?”

  “It’s bizarre,” Kira said. How do you tell a potential boyfriend you’re a werewolf? “That wolf really isn’t a wolf.”

  “Oh? Some kind of nasty dog?”

  “No.” She felt her voice sink as her hopes did. “There is a subculture in Denver that I knew nothing about until a few days ago.”

  “Really? What kind of subculture?” He was looking interested.

  “Lycanthropic.”

  “What?” Jim frowned. “You mean people who think they’re werewolves?”

  “No, people who are werewolves.” Kira saw disbelief in his eyes. “Look, I know it sounds crazy...”

  “Have you been drinking? Taking pain meds?”

  “No and no,” she said. “Susan and I were attacked by a werewolf.”

  Jim laughed. “Good joke, can we go eat now?”

  “No,” she said. “I can prove it to you.”

  “It’s not a full moon.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” she said. “I don’t need a full moon.” She paused. “Do you have a gun on you?”

  “I’m an officer. What do you think?” Jim said.

  “Whatever happens, don’t use it on me—I won’t attack,” she said. “Although it might be a little embarrassing when I change back, so I’ll go into the bathroom and you’ll need to hand me my clothes—if you’re not too shocked.”

  “So I get you out of your clothes? On a first date?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “You won’t feel you’re lucky when you see me.” She paused. “Promise you won’t shoot.”

  “Promise you won’t bite.”

  “Deal.”

  At that, she concentrated, knowing full well that he didn’t believe her. As she changed, she heard him yelling her name, but she couldn’t answer. When the dizziness subsided, she looked up and saw Jim standing plastered against the wall with his gun out.

  “Kira? Kira!” he was shouting.

  Kira nodded once. She turned toward the bathroom and trotted off. Once inside, she changed back. “Jim, could you hand me my clothes?”

  Silence greeted her.

  “Damn, are you still there?”

  “Yes. Barely.”

  “I told you I wouldn’t bite.”

  “Are you in human form?”

  “I can’t speak as a wolf,” Kira said in exasperation. “Can you bring me my clothes? It’s cold in here.”

  Jim walked over to the bathroom and she peered out. His face was pale. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have done that,” Kira said. “But Alaric is running out of time.”

  “Alaric?” Jim asked, handing her the clothing. “Is he your boyfriend?”

  “No,” Kira said. “To be honest with you, I barely know him. But he’s in charge of the Denver werewolf pack.”

  “There’s a pack?”

  “Yeah,” Kira said as closed the bathroom door and she slipped her clothes back on. “Damn, I really didn’t want you to know all this. I was thinking I was so close to having a real boyfriend.”

  “So, how do you know this Alaric?” Jim asked.

  “I turned into a wolf on the full moon. Those bites turned me into a werewolf.”

  Jim sounded relieved. “So, you’re not used to this.”

  “Hardly,” Kira said, walking out of the bathroom. “Well, you can tell the guys at the precinct you got me out of my clothes on a first date.”

  “Not funny,” he said.

  “You can put your gun away.”

  “What?” Jim looked down and saw he was still holding it. He holstered it. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I would’ve too. It’s a big shock,” she said. “Anyway, Alaric saved me from some werewolf thugs. He had escorted me home. Somehow, one of your men caught him.” She paused. “I suspect he didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “I think he would’ve—they darted him seriously,” Jim said. “They’ve been giving him water and food with tranquilizers in it to keep him under control.” He paused. “Look, are you sure that wolf is, is...”

  “A werewolf? Yeah,” Kira said. She thought about telling Jim about the telepathy but decided against it. It was bad enough he knew about the weres.

  “Why doesn’t he change back?”

  “Yeah, right, a naked man in a locked cage with no way out. He’d do it if he had no choice—and at this point, your friends at Animal Control are probably keeping him so doped up, I doubt he could do much of anything.”

  Jim nodded slowly. “Well, if he’s the leader of the wolfpack, why don’t they rescue him?”

  “I went to Cathal earlier—he’s second in line and he’s not going to do anything to jeopardize his promotion. And none of the other werewolves are going to step in and help him without Cathal’s approval.”

  “Nice group,” Jim said. He paused. “Cathal? You mean Cathal Murphy?”

  “You know him?” Kira asked.

  “How many Cathals do you know?”

  Kira shrugged.

  “The guy’s been arrested a few times, but managed to get off,” Jim said. “You’re running with some tough thugs.”

  “Werewolves,” Kira replied.
“Suppose I handed Cathal over to you and had something that you could make stick?”

  “What about this wolf pack loyalty?”

  “They have none—and I couldn’t care less what happens to Cathal. But I do care what happens to Alaric.”

  “Okay, okay,” Jim held up his hands. “Let’s get dinner. I promised you a nice dinner—and I’m not going to renege—werewolf or no. We’ll talk about Alaric over dinner, okay?”

  “Okay.” Kira grinned. Maybe not all was lost.

  CHAPTER 34

  I don’t get it,” Kira said as they walked downstairs. “You should be disappearing right now, never to return.”

  Jim grinned. “You don’t get rid of me this easily.”

  “Really? Maybe I’ve been hanging out with the wrong people. I didn’t know cops were so difficult to dissuade,” Kira said coyly.

  “It might be the badge.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s my past. There are legends of skinwalkers with my people. I guess I don’t find it all that strange.”

  “Strange enough to pull a gun on me.” Kira gave him a sidelong look.

  “I was startled.”

  “Yeah, that’s one word for it.”

  “You want dinner or not?” He looked at her.

  Kira laughed. “Of course.”

  “Then, don’t argue. I like a woman who’s a little on the wild side,” he said. “I just didn’t realize how wild. You like Italian?”

  “Yeah,” Kira said.

  “There’s a great Italian restaurant not far from here. Have you been to Maurice’s?”

  “No, haven’t tried it yet—it’s a bit pricey and I’m on a budget until I get another gig,” Kira admitted as they walked outside. “The life of a contractor.” She sighed. “I need to get a real job.”

  “Your buddy Will Tagura didn’t need one.”

  Kira raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” They started walking.

  “You hang out with some rather unscrupulous characters,” Jim said. “Cathal Murphy...”

  “I don’t hang out with Cathal...”

  “Will Tagura?”

  “Spaz? He’s harmless.”

  “Spaz.” Jim shook his head. “Your pal ‘Spaz’ is wanted by the FBI for identity theft, stealing government property, cybertheft and other assorted crimes. And you tell me he’s harmless?”