by Unknown
Had they expected him to be extra-strong? Did they know about his recent…troubles?
The room was empty. Painted the same color as the hallway outside and furnished with a cot, a dresser and a toilet, it looked like a prison cell.
One guard stood at the door while the other unlocked the shackles.
“Uh. Do I need to call a lawyer?” Tarik said just before they shut and locked the door. “Well, fuck!” He slumped onto the bed. “What a way to start the week.”
Minutes later, the door rattled. He looked up to watch his boss walk into the room. The door slammed shut behind him.
Torborg’s face was, as usual, completely devoid of emotion. His eyes were flat. His stance relaxed. “Tarik, I’m sorry I had to do this.”
“So, mind telling me what’s going on? Why am I locked up like a criminal? I’ve been working for Omega for years. I haven’t done anything wrong. Haven’t done anything to the company. And we’ve known each other a long time. You know I’m not the kind of guy who ends up handcuffed. Right? There has to be some kind of mistake.”
Still standing by the door, Torborg nodded. “I’m afraid there hasn’t been a mistake, although I understand you wouldn’t do anything to hurt the company intentionally.”
That was an interesting statement. Confusing but interesting. What exactly did Torborg think he’d done?
It made Tarik think. Had he stumbled upon something in his research? His most recent project hadn’t brought him much attention from his superiors. In fact, he’d begun to question his work’s value.
“Care to elaborate?” he said when Torborg didn’t say more. He wasn’t used to this kind of treatment. Up until today, he’d been a valued employee of Omega Corp. Torborg had been a family friend. He’d helped Tarik through a rough patch during his undergrad studies, had hired him right out of graduate school, and had treated him with a great deal of respect. Although his tone hadn’t changed—as usual Torborg was the epitome of cool professionalism—Tarik sensed something had.
“I didn’t see this coming. Thought we’d finally found the right combination, the right location on the genome. It worked on the rats.”
“What are you talking about? What do rats have to do with me? With this?” Tarik motioned to the four solid-looking walls surrounding him. Confusion and frustration pulled his muscles into tight knots. Torborg was skirting an issue. A big fucking issue, like the proverbial elephant in the room. What kind of elephant was he dancing around? “I have a right to know why you’ve basically imprisoned me without a trial. You can’t hold me here.”
“I can and I will,” Torborg shouted for the first time. Ever. Since they’d first met, Tarik had never seen Torborg, the CEO of Omega Corporation, lose his cool. He had always been the same. Flat, lifeless. Almost robotic. But brilliant. Intellectual. A man with vision.
This crack in his icy exterior said a whole lot more than any words he’d spoken so far.
Tarik shook his head. “This is bullshit and you know it. This is America. I have rights.”
Torborg lifted his chin slightly. He visibly gathered his thoughts. “You’d have rights if you were human.” He enunciated every word clearly, like he was speaking to a classroom full of first graders.
A chill raced up Tarik’s spine. “Huh? Of course I’m human.”
“No. Not technically.”
This short and simple statement confused Tarik. Why should Torborg believe he was anything but a human being? He’d been born the son of a man and woman, like every other child. He had thoughts and feelings…understood consequences…made moral decisions…paid taxes…
…and changed into a bear from time-to-time.
Fuck!
“What do you mean?” Tarik asked.
“It’s part of our genetic engineering research. I can’t tell you any more about the whys than that. You were created in Omega’s lab, your genetic code altered before implantation into the woman you’ve known as your mother. Biologically, she was no more your mother than I am. We bought an ovum. From a donor. We replaced a small section of your DNA with that of a bear. The mark. On your hip.” Torborg pointed at Tarik’s hip, where the large black birthmark he’d always despised lay hidden under his clothes. “The Mark of the Beast. That’s the only permanent sign of what you are.”
His head started spinning.
“You don’t exist, at least not according to the world out there,” Torborg continued. “Your social security number is fake. And the minute you started becoming...a liability...all your identification was eradicated. Even your school records. There’s no record of a Tarik Evert ever having lived.”
“What?” He sat stunned for several beats. Then, it all sunk in and he realized what Torborg had just told him.
This was wrong. Wrong! What had they done?
To take an innocent human being and play with their DNA, to see what they might end up with? To lie to them all their life? To deny their very existence? Omega had crossed the line. This wasn’t science. It was inhumane. Insanity.
Human genetics research had its opponents, mainly because of fears about experiments like this. Were there others who’d been created? Like him? “Why? Why!” Tarik demanded.
Torborg lifted his hands. “I’ve told you everything I can. I can’t say more.” His words were weighty. Someone or something was keeping him from being more specific. But Tarik didn’t give a fuck. “You’ve shifted because of The Season, the urge to mate. It should have only happened that once. But it’s already clear you cannot control it and we can’t afford to have you…impregnating a woman.”
It was all suddenly very clear. The urges he hadn’t been able to deny. The loss of control. The sexual hunger. “But why am I suddenly changing now? After so many years?”
“We engineered a pheromone that triggered your change. However, now it appears you can change without exposure to it. And, as you may be aware, your drive to mate is extremely strong-- ”
“You’re afraid of what I might produce, if I do mate,” Tarik said.
“As scientists, we have a responsibility to protect the purity of the human gene pool.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t have done this in the first place.” He wasn’t about to tell Torborg it might already be too late to protect the gene pool, since the rubber had failed.
“I have men searching for the woman, Abigail Clumm. She’s in Anchorage. We’re checking hotels. She must be brought in immediately and examined.”
They knew? What would they do to her? A flash of heat shot through his body. He had an overwhelming compulsion to protect Abby, his woman, even though he understood Torborg’s reasoning. “Leave her alone.” Even to his own ears his voice had become an inhuman growl.
For the first time since he’d stepped foot in the room, Torborg showed fear. The bitter scent wafted to Tarik’s nose. It stirred the instincts he’d struggled to control since changing back to a man earlier. He felt his muscles tighten. His heart race. His breathing quicken. The tingling in his bones started building. Soon it would change to pain as they stretched and broadened.
Seeming to realize what was about to happen, Torborg’s eyes widened. He pounded on the door. Three loud bangs. “I don’t want to kill you, Tarik. But if I must…to protect everything we’ve worked so hard to accomplish, I will.” He backed himself into the wall next to the door and knocked again.
Tarik wanted to jump on him and tear the man to pieces for what he’d done. It was wrong to play with people’s lives like this! To think his life’s research might be twisted and abused. Used to manipulate men, women, children. Ruin lives. For what purpose? It couldn’t be good.
The pungent scent of fear billowed off Torborg’s skin now, like great plumes of wretched smoke. Tarik backed away from the man as far as the room would allow. Still, he knew what was about to happen. He couldn’t stop it.
The pain swelled until it blinded him. Muscles stretching and pulling. Bones reshaping. Tarik screamed, but the sound that came from his mout
h took the form of a loud, angry roar.
Torborg spun around and started pounding on the door. “Open this door, dammit!”
It nearly killed him, but Tarik forced himself to resist lunging forward and ripping Torborg’s throat out. He knew he could kill the man. It would be so easy. In a sense, it would be so satisfying.
His mind was still working, somewhat. The drives of the beast muddied his thinking. The door flew open and he saw his chance.
Escape first. Find Abby. Protect Abby.
He literally trampled Torborg as he charged for the door. The man crumpled on the floor beneath his feet, mid-scream. Tarik barreled past the guards, who he suspected were taking aim at his back. His drive to find Abby pushed him forward. He ran to the elevator. Couldn’t work it. His fingers had shortened. Found the door to a stairwell was propped open. He ripped the door off the wall and threw it at the guards shooting at him. That stopped them.
Minutes later, he charged out of the building and ran for his life, only one thought remaining in his mind.
Find Abby.
* * * *
Some moron was banging on her hotel room door. Dammit, she hated hotels! She never could sleep in one. People were so rude, stomping down hallways, screaming kids, knocking on the wrong doors. Argh!
Sleep. All she wanted was some sleep. It shouldn’t be too much to ask.
Abby covered her head with the pillow and made an attempt at ignoring the idiot out there trying to kick in her door. It couldn’t be Katie. She was still out in L.A. She’d checked. Several times. The strike hadn’t ended yet.
“Go away, you’ve got the wrong room!” she shouted when he didn’t let up. Had to be a guy. No woman would be so stupid. Yeah, yeah, that was a sexist comment. She was in no mood to be politically correct. The friggin’ jerk didn’t stop.
“Dammit!” She threw the pillow against the wall, ripped the covers off herself and stomped to the door. Leaving the security chain in place, she pulled open the door a couple of inches and giving the big, stupid lug standing in front of the door her meanest glare she said, “You’ve got the wrong room, asshole. Get. Lost.”
“Abigail Clumm?” the man asked.
Not answering, she gave him a once-over.
He wasn’t anyone she recognized. Didn’t have on a uniform. She doubted he was a policeman. And even if he was, what would he want with her?
Still, despite her anger and resentment at having been dragged out of her bed, her curiosity got the better of her. “Who’s asking?”
“My name’s Joe. I work for Omega Corporation here in Anchorage.”
His name did nothing for her but the company rang a bell. No, it rang a huge gong!
Omega. That had been the company Tarik said he worked for. Had something happened to Tarik? What did they want with her? And why were the hairs on her nape sticking up on end? “I’m sorry. I don’t know anyone named Joe. And I know nothing about a company called Omega.” She shut the door, locked it and sat on her bed, ringing her hands. Not exactly the most productive thing to do, but what choice did she have?
She hoped the guy would just leave. Leave her alone and go back to Omega. It was probably a silly thing to hope for, but oh well.
The knocking resumed.
Yeah, it had been silly all right. She considered calling the police but figured the guy probably hadn’t done anything illegal so they wouldn’t help her. She picked up the phone to call the front desk.
“Miss Clumm, this is an urgent matter,” the pest shouted through the door. “I’m under orders not to leave without you.”
“Peachy.” She slammed the phone on its cradle and went back to the door. Making sure the chain was still in place, she cracked open the door again. “What’s this all about? Why the hell would I go with you anywhere?” She didn’t bother to keep the exasperation out of her voice. Let him know he’d pissed her off. She was on vacation. How dare he come here and ruin it for her.
“You were seen with one of our employees last night, Tarik Evert.”
Seen? Seen how? How could anyone have seen her? She’d been in a cottage in the middle of the wilderness. People were spying on Tarik? Why?
Or had Tarik sent this guy to her for some reason?
The guy continued, “We believe you may have been exposed to a potentially dangerous material. We would like you to come to the hospital for a brief examination. To make sure you’re okay.”
Dangerous material? Huh? What kind of dangerous material? The only thing she’d been exposed to was Tarik himself. And a few bodily fluids.
Something was fishy about this story. Unless that turning-into-a-bear stuff was catchy.
But really. How likely was that?
She opened her mouth to thank Joe Whoever for his concern when the door crashed inward, knocking her on her butt on the floor. Joe charged inside, grabbed her—despite a really pathetic attempt on her part to stop him—and hauled her down the hallway and out through an emergency exit. With as much care as he’d show a rotten hunk of moldy meat, he tossed her into the back of a rusty white van, and paying no heed to her threats to have him and his company sued for kidnapping and battery, he slammed the door shut before she could stop him.
Well, didn’t this just suck!
Alaska sucked.
Overgrown thugs who thought they had a right to snatch innocent women from hotel rooms sucked.
She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. No signal. Ugh! That sucked too!
This was the absolute worst vacation she’d ever had.
The minute that door opened, there was going to be hell to pay. Someone was going to feel the pain…and it wasn’t going to be her!
Chapter Four
The big creep Joe was in for it. The minute he dared open that door, Abby vowed to let him have it. An elbow in the teeth, a knee in the groin. She’d let him know under no uncertain terms how little she appreciated being manhandled.
Just to give him a little taste of what was to come, and to possibly gain the attention of a passerby, she rolled onto her back and started kicking the door with all her might. She didn’t expect it to come open. It was locked from the outside and she wasn’t strong enough to kick through sheet metal. But it did make a satisfying noise. If there was anyone nearby outside, they’d hear it.
When the van didn’t start up, she took that as her cue and really started kicking hard. Bang, bang, bang, bang! It was a beautiful thing.
Until the door flew open and she was flat on her back, hardly in a position to fight off a pissed-off kidnapper.
Then, quite suddenly, the wisdom of creating a ruckus was lost to her.
He literally pounced on her like a friggin’ cat doped up on catnip and pinned her down. Hands overhead. Legs to the steel floor. Upper body squashed to the point it was hard to breathe. She realized it was futile but the need for air inspired her to do as much squirming and fighting as she could.
Didn’t help at all. If anything, it made him hold her tighter.
“You are absolutely the craziest woman I have ever had the displeasure of meeting!” he spat.
“Fuck you too.”
Still holding her arms, he sat back, lifting his chest off hers. Evidently finding her not only crazy but hilarious, he dropped his head back and started laughing hysterically.
“Go ahead. Laugh. You won’t be for long,” she yelled.
His expression sobered, sort of. His lips were quivering. “Oh yes, you and what army are going to whoop my ass?”
“I don’t need an army to take you on, you egotistical piece of shit.”
Yeah, she realized those were big words coming from a woman who barely stood over five feet tall. But he’d pissed her off. And she had a tendency to run her mouth off when she was pissed.
Unfortunately, that particular habit rarely led to a good result. She could see this situation would probably be no different. He moved carefully, to keep her pinned down while reaching for a bit of rope lying next to the wheel well. Just great. He wa
s going to tie her up.
“I shouldn’t have to do this, you know. You should be willing to come quietly. It’s for your own good, you deranged woman.” He stretched to reach the rope, but lo, it was beyond his reach.
Ha! He’d have to move to get it.
She gave him a sneer. “Looks like you have a problem.” She flinched when he lifted his arm to belt her.
God, he was a bigger psycho than she’d thought!
“Don’t!” she screamed, turning her head. She closed her eyes and tensed up, expecting to feel the pain any second…
Okay.
Any second now…
Any second…
Oh, thank God, he didn’t hit her.
She hazarded a glance his way. He was staring down at her with the reddest face she’d ever seen on a man. Looked like he was either suffering a serious case of constipation or had just swallowed some battery acid.
“You okay?” She jerked her hands, freeing them. Much to her surprise, he didn’t put up much of a fight. The second he flopped over beside her, she saw why.
There was a red stain on his back. Blood was seeping from a torn gash in his jacket.
What the hell? She looked outside the back of the van.
A bear was lumbering around the side of the vehicle.
A grizzly bear?
Tarik?
Has to be. Right?
“Tarik?”
The bear bobbed its head.
It was Tarik! Halleluiah!
“Tarik!” She shouldn’t be so happy to see him again, especially in his bear form. No, it wasn’t a good thing to be so giddy. She’d best be going around that way, away from him. Yes, far, far away.
But she had to thank him.
The bear turned and started running away from her.
“Oh hell!” She dashed after him but he moved a whole lot faster than she did. He paused near a crop of pines at the edge of the parking lot, about twenty yards away. He turned toward her and began pacing back and forth, sniffing the air and snorting.
