Freddy stepped through first, smiling and adjusting his glasses before waving in my direction. Kara was right behind him, a look of concern on her face. I’d ordered her to stay behind and keep an eye on Erika, but I was really glad she’d ignored me. Stepping forward, I patted Rose on the head, telling her that everything was going to be all right. She was reluctant at first, but slowly allowed me to hand her over. The person receiving her however, looked terrified.
“Don’t worry, uncle Freddy will take good care of you. I promise.”
“Um…yes…um, perhaps someone more qualified…” he stumbled.
“See Rose, he’s more afraid of you than you are of him. You’re in good hands.”
Once we had her settled into Freddy’s arms, I rubbed my knuckles across her chin and gave her a goofy smile. She tried to smile back, but wasn’t quite ready. Kara stepped over and rubbed her head and whispered some soothing words into her ears. But, as much as I would love to let Kara stay here and comfort the girl, Danny needed her more. I got her attention and gestured my head in his direction. She kissed Rose on the forehead before moving over to look at Danny’s wounds. Once I was sure that Rose was stable and Freddy’s scrawny ass wasn’t going to fall over under her miniscule weight, I walked back down to find Vector.
He was just finishing his sweep of the warehouse and heading back towards our prisoner. The sight before me, however, was a bit confusing. DarkBrown’s body was laying there, still a werewolf. A few feet away from him was a man whom I assumed was our prisoner, the former TanFour. He had dark skin and short, dirty, and twisted black hair. Although it’s never easy to tell when they are laying down, I put his height at just over six feet. He was skinny, almost emaciated, and his wrists and ankles were bound in cord. I’d have never imagined that a werewolf would go hungry. But, that was the lesser issue at the moment. The big problem was DB, who was still a werewolf. I worried that the lack of change might indicate that he was still alive and lying in wait. I drew a dagger and started stalking his way when Vector held up a hand.
“You won’t need that,” he said.
“Um, you noticed he didn’t change back, right?”
“Yeah, there’s a good reason for that. Watch.”
With that he stepped up to DB, reached into the fur of his chest, and pulled. The image that followed was hard to describe. The werewolf’s whole body shimmered for a moment and his skin seemed to release as if it were simply a blanket lying on top of him. I don’t know how else to explain it. One minute there was a werewolf there and the next there was a naked man with a huge werewolf pelt on top of him. Vector pulled the wolf skin free and snapped it in the air as one would a towel. He held it up and smiled at my confused face.
“What the hell?”
“These aren’t lycan,” he said.
“They sure look like ‘em”
“There’s good reason for that, they’re skinwalkers.”
“Which is what exactly?”
“As it sounds. It’s a person who walks around in the skin of another. Normally that other is a common animal. I’ve never seen them use lycan skin before,” he shrugged.
“That sounds like a bad thing.”
“Real bad.”
I sighed and looked at our prisoner. The more I looked at him the more I felt like he wasn’t going to be much help. If I were to guess, I’d say he was homeless and a hardcore drug user. In fact, as Vector and I removed the skins from all the walkers, that seemed to be the common theme. I didn’t know who was giving these men their pelts, but clearly they were drawing upon the local homeless population. Sadly, DC has so many that I’m sure no one noticed when these few went missing.
We collected all of the pelts and left the bodies for the security guys to deal with. Once all the walking skins were secured in the back of our van, Vector and I leaned against Vlad and watched the rest of the cleanup. It was hot and humid and not very comfortable, but we needed to make sure everything was finished up properly. I didn’t think there would be any problems, but after our guys got assaulted during the last prisoner transport, I wasn’t taking any chances. Our homeless survivor was still out cold, and it seemed like we’d have to wait until we were back at HQ to question him.
Freddy was walking Rose around, holding her hand and rambling on about things that only Freddy can ramble about. I didn’t catch much of it, but he was describing the various types of pixies and sprites that fly about our local woods. Rose seemed to be in better spirits, the stories obviously helping to take her mind off of things. Once the warehouse was secured and it was time to go however, her mood dampened.
We’d already contacted her parents and they were planning to meet us at HQ. But when Freddy tried to lead her into the team van, she froze. I guess the idea of getting into a large truck after her abduction wasn’t super appealing. Not to mention that we’d put all of those werewolf pelts in the back. So, I gave my brother a look and he shook his head in understanding. He hopped in the back of Vlad and we gave Rose the front seat. She spun around and looked Vector hard in the face before we left.
“Aren’t you a little young to work for the government?” Rose asked, her face skeptical.
“I’m older than I look,” Vector smiled.
“Really? Because we look the same age,” she stated.
“Rose,” I asked, “how old are you?”
“I’m twelve,” she smiled.
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. Vector just shook his head and leaned back in his seat. Rose looked up at me, slightly confused.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“He thinks he looks fourteen.”
“No way,” she insisted.
We both started laughing and Vector just sighed, “Surely the fact that Rose is inside of a dragon is more fascinating than my age.”
“What dragon? This is a car,” she insisted.
As if on cue, Vlad introduced himself, “Hello Rose, my name is Vlad.”
Needless to say, Vlad not only drove us back to the office, he also kept Rose entertained. Luckily for us, she seemed a bit young for her age, and Vlad’s silliness was more than enough to keep her engaged. After a while I wasn’t even sure she remembered that Vector and I were still in the car with her.
Vector was quiet in the back, and I looked out the window, letting my mind wander. We pulled into HQ, Vlad parked, and Vector and I escorted Rose upstairs. Without knowing whether her parents were normal or supernatural, we figured a regular office setting was best. So, we found a small conference room on the first floor, which is actually the second, and returned Rose to her family.
Yeah, that probably sounded weird. Have I ever explained our odd floor numbering system to you before? Well, the actual first floor of the building is the lobby. It’s open to the public and allows access to the other non-GHOST government offices in the other wings of the building. Above that we start our count, from one to five, referring to all the floors above ground that actually belong to the GHOSTs. Obviously Dutton’s office is on the top floor, the sixth story that we call the fifth floor, and everything in between is mostly boring, mundane-looking office space. That’s where more routine work is done, and it provides a normal space in case we have to be shown off to anyone who doesn’t know about the supernatural world.
There are two parking levels underground, the top level where Vlad and most of the other normal vehicles park. The second level is a much larger space and provides room for all of the trucks and vans we use in the course of our work. Below that are the multiple sub-levels of the building. I believe we’ve taken you as far as sub-level six, the armory and the gym. Perhaps one day I’ll show you what’s below that. But for now, I’ve probably bored you enough with architecture talk.
Rose’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, were understandably emotional about the return of their little girl. It turned out that Mr. Garcia was a member of the Potomac Pack, and his daughter had inherited his wolfness. They thanked us profusely and Rose hugged me and Vector go
odbye, before a few agents took them away for some routine paperwork. I won’t lie; it felt really good to reunite a family. I took a second to enjoy the moment and then my brother and I headed down to Sickbay. I knew that’s where we would find the team.
Down to sub-level two and a left into Sickbay showed us three teammates in beds, and Freddy standing watch. Kara wasn’t injured like Danny or Erika, but you could tell from her face that she was worn down. The non-stop magic and very little sleep were catching up to her. For the first time since I’d met her, she actually looked her age. She waved as we entered and indicated that she needed just another minute to pull herself together. Her head promptly fell back onto the pillow and her eyes closed.
Danny was hooked up to machines and a doctor was looking him over. This M.D. was a young Asian man wearing glasses and the standard lab coat over light green scrubs. He glanced our way but didn’t say anything. Erika actually looked much better. She was sitting up, her body more relaxed and clearly in less pain. Her eyes met mine and she gave me a smile that I felt through my whole body. I hadn’t realized just how worried I’d been until that moment. It was nice to relax. Freddy started recounting the sprite stories he was telling Rose, and Vector pretended to listen so that I didn’t have to. After a couple minutes, the doctor finished with Danny and wandered off, and Kara opened her eyes. I knew people were tired, but we needed information.
“Okay, clearly we learned a lot today. So, who wants to start explaining the skinwalkers?”
“Yes, well, a skinwalker is most often a person who wears the skin of an animal in order to take their form. Many Native American tribes practiced this ritual, often as a means to bring themselves closer to nature. But, while anyone can wear the pelt and assume the form of the animal in question, it is a rare gift to be able to create such a suit,” Freddy started.
“He’s right,” Erika said, “Only the most powerful of medicine men can make a walker pelt. It requires the forging of a ceremonial dagger, the handle of which must be carved from the bone of the same type of animal they are skinning.”
“So, you’re saying we’re looking for a Medicine Man with a werewolf bone knife?”
“Yes, and this totally explains the anger…and other things… that the shifter community is feeling,” Erika added.
“How’s that?”
“The wolf is in pain and being torn free of its host. There is nothing left but rage,” she said.
“Okay, so why use kids?”
Erika started to speak and stopped herself. Her face was a combination of disgust and sadness. She looked over at Freddy, hoping he would continue. He took the cue well.
“There is no record of someone creating a lycan walker-skin before, so we cannot be positive. But the children would provide the highest probability of success and we believe that they would survive the process,” Freddy tried.
“I don’t understand? Why isn’t this a good thing?”
Freddy took off his glasses and couldn’t look me in the eyes when he replied, “It means they could perform the ritual more than once.”
“Wait. Are you saying that they have been skinning these kids over and over?”
“In all likelihood,” Freddy frowned, “Possibly multiple times a day.”
“The pain would be excruciating. Surviving would be worse…” Erika tried.
The room went deathly silent. I didn’t know how to make them feel better. Hell, I didn’t know how to make myself feel better. I’d never understand people who hurt children or animals. But there was one thing I did understand…
There would be a reckoning for those who did this. I didn’t even want to ask any more questions, but we had to know as much as we could.
“Okay, you said the kids gave them the best chance to succeed, what do you mean?”
Freddy cleaned his glasses before putting them back on his face and looking at me. “I believe it is the only way to truly create a werewolf skin. Unlike a normal animal, a lycan is basically two life forces. All shifters are. There is the human, and there is the animal. As the lycans age and embrace their wolf, they merge into one spirit. When they are young, they are still two separate entities. If you were trying to steal the essence of the wolf, this would be the time in their life to do it.”
“Yet another reason there is so much rage in the air,” Erika added. “The young wolves have no control of their emotions.”
“And the other emotions?”
“They are new to the change. It’s sort of like the birth of their wolf,” Erika added, her meaning clear.
Kara met my eyes, just in case I didn’t understand what Erika was getting at. But I understood. Something about the birth of the wolf was what caused her to go into heat. At least now we know why she’d broken into my house and acted so very un-Erika like. I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Okay, so now we just gotta figure out why they’re doing it?”
“To build a lycan army,” Danny offered.
“Sure, but for what purpose?”
“Why limit them to one?” Vector asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Just seems to me that they are trying to kill two birds with one stone. Think about it. If you wanted to make an army, you’d build it in secret. Not in the middle of a big city where people would eventually catch on to what you’re doing. Especially since it has such an effect on the current lycan population,” he replied.
“You believe that they wish to be discovered?” Freddy asked.
“I think they wanted the local packs to feel it. I think it’s a coup. They cause the two major packs to fight and weaken each other. If they’re lucky, they even attract a Red to the party. Then, when their opponents are on their last legs, they strike,” Vector said.
“That makes a lot of sense,” Erika said, “Especially since the easiest way force the change of a young wolf, outside of the full moon, is the call of an alpha.”
“Meaning one of the pack leaders?”
“Possibly. Or any other dominant wolf strong enough to be an alpha,” she said.
“Well, this fighting has been going on for weeks. If someone is making a play for the packs, it can’t be long now.”
“It’s going to be sooner than you think,” Erika said.
“She’s right,” Freddy added.
“Okay, why?”
“The full moon,” Vector said.
“Because it stirs up the wolf?”
“Especially in the young. These skinwalkers are made from new wolves. The full moon will bring out their rage and probably make them as strong as they can be,” Erika said.
“Okay, so we have a day and a half, tops?”
“I think you mean half a day,” my brother corrected.
“But the full moon is tomorrow?”
“Correct,” Freddy said. “But in this case I’m afraid tomorrow means after midnight.”
“The full moon is just before one AM,” Vector said.
“What time is it now?”
“A little after two,” Freddy answered.
Just then one of the nurses walked over, an older lady, round and friendly. She wore pink scrubs and thick-rimmed glasses. I caught her eyes first so she spoke to me, although her message was for us all.
“There was a call from upstairs. Gideon would like to thank you personally,” she said.
“Who the hell is Gideon?”
“The Alpha of the Potomac Pack,” Danny said.
“If I’m right and it is a coup…” Vector started.
“…Then Gideon will probably know who’s after his throne. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 25
It turned out that Gideon was waiting up in Dutton’s office. Danny and Erika were staying in bed and Kara could use all the rest she could get. So it was just me, Vector, and Freddy riding in the elevator. Up to the fifth GHOST floor and Ms. No Nonsense sent us right in. As we walked past I noticed one of the Amazon ladies, Twintail, sitting on the couch, waiting patiently. Ms. No Nonsense did
n’t seem the least bit worried, which made Dutton’s secretary even scarier.
We entered the office to see our mammoth boss Dutton, sitting behind his desk, smoking a cigar. He had a half smile as he talked with Gideon. The Alpha wolf was sitting in a chair in front of the desk, one leg across the other, also smoking a cigar. He turned his head and smiled in our direction as we entered.
Gone was the golden tunic and leather bracers of our first meeting. Now he wore a pair of khaki pants and brown loafers with no socks. His short sleeve button-up shirt was purple and there were a pair of sunglasses sitting in its front pocket. But, as I looked him over in the brighter lights of the office, I realized that he didn’t seem quite as weathered as he did in the Circle. His skin was still rough and tanned, but his silver hair had a sharper, less old look. I wondered if the magic or weird lighting of the circle did something to show more of a person’s wear and tear. He got to his feet and gave me a small nod of the head.
“I appreciate what you did today, rescuing the little one,” he said.
“That’s why we’re here, to serve the community.”
“Yes, of course.”
It was very clear that he was speaking to me specifically and not the rest of my team. I didn’t know if I was doing something to draw his attention or if I just happened to be standing in the middle. It was odd. Almost like he was looking for something behind my eyes.
“We think there is a good chance that the rest of the kids are still alive as well. You might be able to help us find them.”
“Anything I can do,” he smiled.
There was so much more behind his smile. I got the impression that he was sizing me up as we talked. It also seemed clear that when he said “anything” he could do, it meant anything that fit his plans. There was a great deal of calculating behind his eyes. I didn’t get the impression that he was plotting something evil, but rather that he viewed life as a chess match. This was just another chance to make a move. Any other time that might have caused me to hold back information and play his game. But kids lives were at risk, and the sooner we rescued them the better. So, I just told him exactly what we thought.
G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters Page 22
