Perfect Strangers

by Jan Stryvant

  "I'll go through first, let's move."

  "Yeah, the guy just came out of the office and is running back to the other guys," Roxy said.

  Climbing out the window and being careful not to get cut, Sean helped Jolene out next and then Roxy. After that they took off down the street.

  "So, they know we're here, now what?" Jolene asked.

  "We go to the museum. It's after midnight, it's my birthday now. Maybe something will turn up."

  "Happy birthday, Hon," Roxy sighed.

  "Happy birthday," Jolene agreed as they ran, "I was sorta hoping we could have a little party."

  Sean chuckled, "Oh I'm sure we will, I'm just not sure when."

  "Better pick up speed," Roxy murmured, and Sean noticed she had shifted into her hybrid form and was running a lot faster now. Shifting as well, Sean grabbed Jolene, and picking her up in a bridal carry he took off after Roxy.

  "How long until they follow us?" Sean grunted.

  "No idea," Roxy said as he caught up with her. "But I doubt it will take them all that long to figure it out. There's only two places we might be interested in, the State Museum to the north and the railroad to the south."

  "Well, let's hope they check the one to the north first," Sean said as the came around the back of the museum.

  "So, where do we start?" Jolene asked, looking around at the buildings as Sean set her back down.

  "Let's start in the back," Sean said looking at the large building where the maintenance was done. "Odds are the front one with the fancier displays and the gift shop has an alarm."

  "Well, let's be quick," Roxy said in a low voice.

  Sean nodded and shifting back to make it easier to fit through the doorway, he grabbed the doorknob on the first door he came to, and carefully forced the lock using his strength. He winced as the lock mechanism shattered, it wasn't too loud, but it still wasn't quiet.

  "I just wish I knew what we were looking for," Sean grumbled and slowly led them inside the building. It was dark inside, but that didn't present much of a challenge for Sean anymore, or Roxy, and Jolene just cast some sort of spell to see in the darkness as they started searching.

  "You know, if it's going to be anyplace, it's going to be in the front building," Roxy sighed as they slowly made their way back towards the workshops. "Everything here just moves around too much."

  "Still, my dad was a fan of the workshops, so we need to check them out," Sean whispered.

  "At least the place is empty," Jolene said looking around.

  Sean looked around and nodded, and suddenly remembered being here with his father so many years ago. Following the route of his memory, sure enough, they came to the door to the workshop, along with a sign about authorized personnel only.

  Opening the door he stepped through, surprisingly a lot of it looked just like his memory of the place.

  Except of course for the small woman in coveralls standing in the middle of the room with a fairly large hammer in her right hand.

  "Umm, Hello?" Sean said.

  "Who are you, an' just what are you doing in my shop?"

  "Your shop?" Sean gave a laugh, looking around. "I seem to recall an old guy running this place. Samis, something? Heavyset man, black and gray beard?"

  "Yeah, that's my uncle. Now, I suggest you turn around and leave while you still can!"

  Sean looked her over, she was young, probably his age, and had to be all of five feet, if that. She really wasn't that big, or wasn't that strong obviously.

  Sean raised a hand, "Chill, I'm looking for something my dad left for me. He was a friend of your uncle's."

  "Look, I ain't got no time for tweakers looking for stuff to steal to buy drugs. I suggest you leave now, before I take this hammer and start breaking yer bones!"

  Sean rolled his eyes, "Yeah, you and what army. Listen I'm not here to steal anything. Just let me see if I can find this thing, then I'll get the hell out of here."

  "What, you don't think I can take ya' down?" She said, scowling at Sean, and started to smack the hammer into her left hand.

  "Umm, Sean," Roxy started.

  "Are you suicidal?" Sean said staring at the woman, "I'm bigger, taller, and obviously just a little bit desperate, being in here this late at night. You're just a single small woman and you don't even have a gun! No, you can't take me down! God, why do I have to run into the crazy ones all the time!"

  Sean stepped into the room, walking over towards where a part of what he guessed was a steam engine was sitting on a worktable, with tools racked on the wall behind it, and the crazy gal actually threw the hammer at him!

  It hit him in the chest, and he was sure he felt a rib crack as he grunted.

  "Sean!" Roxy said again, "She's a dwarf!"

  "Huh?" Sean blinked as the hammer rather amazingly returned to the young woman's hand. "Dwarves are real?" and then he ducked as she threw it at his head this time, just missing him, but it clipped him on the back of the head as it came back.

  "So," she smiled at him, "still think I need an army?"

  "Oh, fuck this!" Sean growled and shifted. "I've had about enough of this shit for today!" and stepped towards her.

  Sean noticed her eyes got a little wider, and she took a step back, but it didn't stop her from throwing her hammer at him a third time.

  Jumping her, he wrestled her down to the ground and then rolled over rather quickly as he figured that hammer was coming back to hit him again.

  Sure enough, it was, but she caught it as he dodged it and swung it at him, as they struggled. He was rather amazed at how strong she was, definitely not as strong as a young woman should be! But also not as strong as he was. She caught him in the side of the face with the hammer and it spun his head to the side, lighting up with a fire that wasn't natural. Grabbing her hand he pinned it to the ground hard and putting his other hand around her throat he pinned her to the floor.

  "I think the damn thing is silver," Sean growled, he could feel the blood flowing down the side of his face. The wound wasn't healing.

  "Let me see," Roxy said and running over she checked the side of his muzzle.

  "Quit struggling," Sean growled down at the woman under him, "you like getting hurt or something?"

  "Yeah, that hammer's got silver in it, quite a lot. Jo, you got any healing spells?"

  Jolene came over, skirting the struggling woman under Sean and put her hand on his head, a warm pleasant feeling surged through him, at the same time he felt the woman digging her fingers of her free hand into the pressure points of his elbow.

  Looking down at her, he growled. "Stop that."

  "She's not going to stop fighting you, Sean," Roxy sighed. "They're like that."

  "How long until my face heals?" Sean asked Jolene.

  "Oh, twelve hours or so I'd guess?"

  "What?"

  "Silver really messes up lycans, Sean," Roxy sighed. "At least it'll heal. Now, what are we going to do about her?"

  Grumbling Sean looked down at the dwarven woman beneath him. This close he could see that she was really quite cute, no strike that, beautiful was more like it, even with the murder in her eyes as she glared up at him. The body inside that coverall, that he was now sitting on top of, also appeared to be a lot nice than he'd guessed.

  "My name is Sean," he sighed, looking down at her, "Sean Valens. You are?"

  "Daelyn Goldsmith, and I'm going to kill your furry ass!"

  Sean took a deep breath and shook his head. "Look, my father was murdered twelve years ago and he left me something that I need to find, today, on my twenty-first birthday. This was one of our favorite places to come when I was a kid; he was friends with the people who worked here, so I'm hoping this is where he hid it.

  "Now, there are a butt load of people trying to kill me because of who my father was. So if you want a piece of me, you'll just have to wait in line, okay? But right now, I need to get into the main building, and as I see it, you probably have the keys and the alarm code."

  "And
just why would I help you?"

  "Because I don't want to damage anything?"

  "Daelyn," Roxy said, coming over to kneel by Daelyn's head. "If we go in there and set off the alarm, about a dozen people who want him dead and who are looking for us right now will come here."

  "So?"

  "They're magic users with nasty weapons. What do you think will happen to this place?"

  Daelyn gave Roxy an evil look.

  "We have gold," Roxy said with a smile.

  "Like that'll make me change my mind!" Daelyn said.

  "How about this," Sean growled, "after we go through the main building, if we find what we want, you can take us and it to your uncle's house and he can decide if I get to keep it or not?"

  "And the gold?"

  "I've got six ounces left that I haven't enchanted, you can have them all."

  "Wait, you can enchant gold?" Daelyn's eyes did get wide, "Lycan's can't enchant things!"

  "Yeah, well, this one can," Roxy chuckled. "So, deal or no deal?"

  "And if I say no?"

  "I'll tie you up and trash your tool bench," Sean growled.

  "Okay, you got my word, I won't attack you and I'll let you into the main building. But we go to my uncle's afterwards, regardless. Okay?"

  "Deal," Sean sighed and sat back on his heels, letting go of Daelyn and touching the side of his muzzle gingerly with his left hand.

  "Well, at least the bleeding's stopped," he sighed and shifted back to human form, then gasped in pain.

  "Oh, yeah, shifting when you're wounded hurts, I should have warned you." Roxy apologized, looking a little embarrassed.

  "Never mind, let's just go."

  "Man, I got you good, didn't I?" Daelyn laughed looking at Sean.

  "I thought dwarves were supposed to be short, wide, and have beards," Sean grumbled back at her.

  "That's the men," Roxy said, "though I don't remember ever meeting a dwarven girl as tall as you are, Daelyn."

  "If you start telling tall jokes, I'll introduce ya' to Maxwell here, like I did yer boyfriend!"

  "Tall jokes?" Sean blinked, "You're not tall!"

  Daelyn glared at Sean, who looked confused.

  Roxy facepalmed, "You named your hammer Maxwell?"

  "Yeah, well, he's silver," Daelyn said looking back at Roxy. "What else would you name him?"

  Sean looked at Daelyn and decided right now keeping his mouth shut was a good idea.

  "Let's go," he said and pointed to the exit.

  "So, why are you here tonight, anyway?" Sean asked as they crunched across the gravel to the back door of the museum.

  "Thursday and Friday are my off days from work, so I came down here to help with an old brass steam coupling valve set." Daelyn sighed, "They don't make 'em like that anymore, kinda surprising at times that humans were ever able to make 'em in the first place. Anyways, I lost track of the time, and just decided to sack out in the shop instead of going home."

  "Work? What'ya do?"

  "Slot machine maintenance, primarily the old mechanical ones, though I'll work on the new ones too." Daelyn shook her head and Sean suddenly noticed the thick braid of hair that went down her back and past her butt, "The new ones aren't as much fun to fix though. Too easy."

  Taking out a key ring, Daelyn unlocked the back door, then stepping inside she keyed a panel by the door with a code.

  "Okay, we got thirty minutes, then the alarm'll come back on. That's the bathroom break code. If I enter it a second time, people will come."

  Sean nodded, "I don't think it'll take that long. Whatever my father left, I suspect it'll react when I walk by.

  "Fine, let's just be quick. Follow me," Daelyn grumbled and Sean did just that, though he found it a little hard to keep his eyes off her butt as she walked. She really had a nice one he was starting to realize. Sean also quickly realized that she wasn't wearing anything at all under those coveralls.

  "Are you watching my butt?" Daelyn sighed, glancing back over her shoulder at him.

  "What guy could resist?" Sean teased with a grin, and then started looking at the exhibits around him.

  "Wow, this place is smaller than I remembered it."

  "You were eight the last time you were here," Jolene laughed, "of course it is."

  "Better hurry up," Roxy said over from the front door as they walked around the place, which she was looking through.

  "Trouble?"

  "Yeah, one of the cars we saw back at the motel is cruising the lot."

  "Well," Daelyn said a minute later, "we've covered all of it, and nothing's happened."

  "You sure?" Sean said looking around. "This has to be the place!"

  "You sure it isn't over at the V and T?"

  "The Vee and Tee?" Sean asked.

  "Virginia and Truckee Railroad, they run steam engines and put on a show."

  Sean shook his head slowly, "I don't really recall that. Maybe we should look again?"

  Daelyn shook her hammer at him, "We looked, nothing happened; now unless you want Max upside your head again, we're done here."

  "Sean," Jolene said, "nothing happened, or I would have felt it. We need to go, before the others show up and we end up having to fight our way out."

  "Too late for that," Roxy said coming around to them, "the other car just got here and they're all getting out and spreading out.

  "Well, shit!" Daelyn swore.

  Sean fished out the pouch in his pocket with the gold pieces in it and tossed it to Daelyn, "Catch!"

  "What's this?"

  "The gold I promised. No reason for you to get involved in this, not your fight." Sean looked at Jolene and Roxy, "Let's head west up into the hills, draw them away from here."

  Running for the back door, Sean hit it, pistol in hand with Jolene behind him and Roxy bringing up the rear.

  "There they are!" Sean heard someone yell and grabbing Jolene he ducked around behind a train as Roxy sprinted by.

  Sean waited, and sure enough, two men went running by, hot on Roxy's heels. He grabbed the first one by the hair and dragging him backwards as his feet flew out from under him, Sean brought the base of the gun down hard on the man's head, knocking him out.

  Jolene meanwhile cast some sort of spell and the other guy just suddenly locked up stiff as a board as his clothing suddenly shrank tight enough to leave him whimpering in pain on the ground.

  "Kinky," Sean whispered and peeking around the corner he saw six more men running their way.

  "Run, I'll catch up," Sean said and gave Jolene a push. Then calling up his monitor spell and his offense framework he fired off a fireball and then winced as it went off with a rather loud 'boom' and the six men dove for cover. That rattled the windows and no doubt set off any alarms in the area.

  Turning, Sean took off in the direction of Jolene and passed Roxy, who was taking cover behind a rise that had a few trees on it.

  Stopping and turning back to join her Sean hunkered down.

  "Well, we took two of them out, how many do you think are left?"

  "At least ten, I'm sure," Roxy said. "Keep your eyes open for any flanking actions."

  Sean nodded and looked down his pistol sights as a group of men came running around the corner. Both he and Roxy opened up at the same time, dropping the front two as the rest all dove for cover and returned fire.

  "Four down," Sean said and cast a shield spell on Roxy, and them himself.

  "That leaves six," Roxy agreed as they heard the sound of squealing tires in the distance.

  "Great, now they're gonna throw cars at us," Sean grumbled.

  "I'm surprised they're not throwing spells at us."

  Sean checked his monitor spell, and saw that he'd had over a dozen spells thrown at him.

  "Actually, they have been," Sean said and with a series of gestures he threw the last six spells throw at him back at the group shooting at them.

  "That do any good?" Sean asked ducking back down into cover.

  "No idea, and that car is gett
ing closer."

  "Go protect Jo, I'll catch up with both of you in a minute," Sean said and popped a couple more shots off at the guys on the ground.

  "Don't take too long," Roxy said and streaked out of there.

  Sean nodded and watched as a man came running around the corner and started to charge straight at him. Taking aim, Sean, double tapped him, in the body, but he kept coming, so Sean hit him in the thigh, where he was sure there wasn't any body armor.

  The guy stumbled, but kept coming. Swearing, Sean stood up and quickly moved his now empty pistol to his left hand and punched the guy in the face.

  The guy stopped and looked at Sean, and then slowly grinned, "Not bad, but now it's my turn!" and hauling off he hit Sean in the head as well, causing Sean to curse in pain as he hit the damaged spot on the side of his face.

  "Give it up boy, you can't win against me!" the man growled.

  Sean kicked him hard in the balls and then head butted him as the man howled in pain.

  "The hard way then," the man growled and as Sean watched, he shifted, and suddenly Sean was facing a seven-foot-tall werewolf.

  Dropping his pistol Sean shifted as well, roaring in pain from the wound on his face and anger that some dog would even think it could stand up to him! Lunging at the now shorter wolf, they both started to hit and tear at each other, but the look of both shock and surprise on the werewolf's face as he suddenly found himself facing down a much bigger and stronger werelion was clear.

  "It can't be!" the werewolf growled, "You can't be one of us!"

  Sean hit him hard in the chest, pushing him back, and in the space of that moment he cast another fireball back at the men who had started to shoot at them again just as the werewolf in front of him screamed in agony, and grabbed at his side as a bullet passed through his body and just barely missed Sean.

  "Nice people you work for there," Sean growled and grabbed him.

  "I have no choice," the werewolf snarled and tried to fight Sean off as Sean grabbed him by the throat and the belt around his waist.

  "Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot lately," Sean said and picking up the werewolf he threw him back at the others who were still sorting themselves out from the fireball. Scooping up his pistol he ran off towards Roxy, who was now calling his name, changing magazines on his pistol for another full one as he did.