Project: Wolf World

by Tommy Donbavand

“Could they all be werewolves, like you?” Fangs asked.

  “I don’t think so,” I said. I’d only met a handful of other werewolves since I first transformed, but I’ve been able to recognize them straight away by their smell. A werewolf’s nose is very sensitive, and the aroma of a fellow lycanthrope is as obvious as someone wearing a T-shirt that reads “I Howl at the Full Moon”. Today, I’d not smelled a thing, although I supposed that could have been down to me, not them. I’m not exactly a normal werewolf.

  You probably know that werewolves only transform once a month, when there’s a full moon in the sky. But that’s not how it works with me. Something went wrong with my first transformation and I ended up permanently stuck as a hairy wolf – apart from at full moon, when I turn back into a human girl. Talk about bad luck!

  My school already had a couple of werewolves, but unless you were with them at full moon, you never saw them with their fur and claws. The opposite was true of me. Half the school thought it was hilarious, while the other half kept a wary distance. It wasn’t easy for my mum and dad either. They tried to make me look normal by covering up my fur with baggy jumpers, gloves and trousers, but it just looked like I’d raided a jumble sale. All in all, I was pretty miserable.

  That all changed when I was recruited by MP1 and teamed up with Fangs Enigma – the world’s greatest vampire spy (at least, that’s what he calls himself). Since then, life has been a whirlwind of weapons-training, computer-hacking and secret assignments – and I love it!

  “Right… This should do it,” said Cube. “I’ve set the transmitters running backwards, so they should give us a fix on wherever Claw was when he sent us his message.” He hit “Enter”, but instead of a map reference, Lucien Claw himself appeared on the screen!

  “Well, I wasn’t expecting that to happen!” Cube exclaimed.

  “You mean he can see us right now?” Fangs asked.

  “I can also hear you, Agent Enigma,” said Claw with a smile. “Please offer my congratulations to Professor Cubit. I knew he’d immediately try to reverse-engineer my receivers, effectively turning them into transmitters as well.”

  “Oh, so that’s how he’s doing it!” said Cube.

  “Cut the chitchat, Claw,” said Fangs. “Why are people howling?”

  “Straight to the point.” Claw beamed. “I like that.” He paused to take a sip from a glass of red wine. “Do you know what else I like?”

  “Don’t tell me,” said Fangs. “Long, romantic walks in the rain, and curling up in front of a log fire with a good book?”

  Lucien Claw sneered. “No. I like the way things used to be, in the days when vampires and werewolves were mortal enemies. Two species prepared to fight to the brink of extinction. Before we were expected to put it all behind us and get along like old friends, so we would be accepted by the human race.”

  “The old days are gone,” said Fangs. “Things are different now.”

  Claw let loose a throaty laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong, Agent Enigma. Some of us are ready to go back to the way life should be, with vampires and werewolves at one another’s throats.”

  The camera pulled back to reveal two creatures with wolf-like fangs and sharp claws. Both of them were completely bald! They were ripping up chunks of raw meat and stuffing it into their mouths. Could they be werewolves? Had they been in a fight with a vampire? Was that how they had lost their fur?

  “With these creatures, we shall create a master race of werewolves, bred to despise vampires and everything they stand for,” snarled Claw.

  Another wolf, a female this time, threw more meat at the creatures. “And when our beautiful wolves are fully transformed, they will hunt down your kind, Enigma,” she said. “Hunt you, and attack you until vampires have no choice but to bite back. The old way of life and death shall be restored.”

  I gasped. “You’re planning to start a war between vampires and werewolves.”

  “Your little sidekick is correct,” said Claw, “although I must admit to being rather disappointed by her willingness to spend time with a coffin-sleeper like you.”

  “Fangs is my friend,” I cried.

  “For now,” said the female werewolf with a wicked smile.

  “But soon, like all other supernatural beings, you will have to choose a side – vampires or werewolves,” Claw added. He leaned closer to the camera. “You’re a curious werewolf, Miss Brown,” he said, taking another sip of his drink. “All teeth and fur, but without the full moon. I should like to get to know you better. Perhaps we can—”

  Fangs cut the video link. “That’s enough of him.”

  “He’s a werewolf, boss,” I said.

  “Yes, I spotted that, too,” said Fangs. “The clues were all there.”

  “No, I mean he’s a werewolf like me,” I said. “It’s not full moon, but Claw and the wolves with him were fully transformed. They had their fangs and fur.”

  “But those two weird ones eating the meat looked like they’d shaved all their hair off,” my boss pointed out.

  “Maybe Claw could help me,” I said. “If he can transform without the power of the moon, maybe he can show me how to become a normal werewolf. One who only changes once a month.”

  “Hang on,” Fangs said, whipping off his sunglasses. “This guy’s got people howling at the moon, remember? And him and that female werewolf want the likes of me and you to tear each other limb from limb. This isn’t someone you can go to for transformation tips, Puppy. We have to stop him.”

  “Of course,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. “I know that. So where do we start?”

  “Were you able to trace Claw’s position during the video call?” Fangs asked Cube.

  Cube nodded, before handing over a piece of paper. “He’s in Naples, Italy. Number Eighty Via Francesco Cilea, to be precise.”

  Fangs slid his sunglasses back on. “Then let’s go knock on Claw’s door…”

  Thursday 1740 hours: MP1 Private Yacht, Tyrrhenian Sea

  Fangs slowed the engines of the sleek white yacht and dropped anchor less than half a mile from the entrance to the port of Naples. Then he joined me on the boat’s deck.

  “Looks like we’ve got a clear run into the city from here,” he said. He pulled a small bottle of black pills from his pocket and popped one into his mouth. Cube had invented the tablets for him. He claimed they contained the “essence of midnight”. In whatever way they worked, they allowed my boss to go out in daylight without being harmed. It wouldn’t be long until sunset, but the fading light could still seriously injure a vampire – or worse. Luckily, so far Fangs had always been all right.

  “Still no word on how Claw made all those people howl boss,” I said, looking at my laptop.

  “Well, no matter how he did it,” said Fangs, “we’re going to stop him.”

  “And I have just the equipment to help you do it,” said Cube, coming outside with a large flight case.

  I moved my laptop from the table on deck to make room for Cube to put the case down and open it. He took out what appeared to be a hardback book with a silver cover. “I am very proud of this.”

  “It’s a book,” said Fangs.

  “Yes, but it’s not just any book…”

  “Then what is it?” I asked.

  Cube beamed. “It’s the AnyBook.”

  “Hang on,” said Fangs. “You just told us it wasn’t just any book.”

  “It isn’t any book,” Cube confirmed. “It’s the AnyBook.”

  Fangs pulled off his sunglasses and rubbed at his eyes. “I’m getting a headache, and he’s only on the first gadget.”

  “I think I get it,” I said. “You mean this book is called the AnyBook.”

  “Precisely,” said Cube. “Take a look at it.”

  “I don’t want to worry you, professor,” I said, flicking through it. “But all the pages are blank.”

  “Indeed they are,” said Cube. “For now, at least… Inside the cover, you’ll find a micro-thin keyboa
rd. All you have to do is type in the title of the book you wish to read, and it is downloaded instantly from the archives at the British Library. Harry Potter, Scream Street, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – whatever you want.”

  “But … how is it going to help us stop a maniac from turning the world into one big werewolf-only club?” asked Fangs.

  Cube waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll find a way! Next, we have this…” He took what looked like a kitchen cleaning sponge from the case and handed it to me. “Now, this isn’t just any sponge—”

  Fangs groaned. “Don’t start that again.”

  Cube ignored the comment and continued, “This sponge is infused with the most powerful antibacterial detergent ever created. And I should know – I created it. It will clean up absolutely anything with just a single wipe.”

  “Let’s just hope Claw hasn’t done the dishes by the time we track him down,” Fangs said dryly.

  “There’s no need to be sarcastic, Agent Enigma.”

  Fangs took the sponge and gave it a squeeze. “Actually, I think there’s every need.”

  “Is that all you’ve brought us?” I asked.

  “Not quite, Miss Brown,” Cube replied. “I have, of course, left the best until last…” He opened the case and took out a harmonica.

  “What are we supposed to do with that?” asked Fangs. “Play Claw a lullaby as he drifts off to sleep?”

  “Only if you are intent on suicide, Enigma,” said Cube. “In the right hands, this musical instrument is a weapon.”

  “I can believe that,” said Fangs. “I had to go to my niece’s recorder recital a few months ago, and it was torture.”

  “How does it work?” I asked.

  “It all depends on what tune you play on it,” said Cube. “Play Silent Night, and the harmonica releases a dose of knock-out gas. Blast out a chorus of Pop Goes the Weasel, and you’ll start the five-second countdown on a powerful explosive charge. I’ve emailed a list of which tunes activate which response to Puppy’s laptop.”

  “OK,” I said, slipping my laptop into its waterproof pouch. “Let’s go. I presume we’re swimming ashore?”

  Fangs nodded and handed me a wetsuit. “Phlem has promised to have a vehicle waiting for us at the port.”

  Once we were suited up, Cube handed us our snorkelling equipment. “I think you’ll find these will help you get into Naples undetected.” Each mask and breathing tube was attached to a helmet with a plastic seagull bolted to the top. The end of a snorkel jutted out from the gull’s beak. “The perfect camouflage!” Cube grinned.

  And so Fangs and I swam from the yacht to the harbour in Naples, looking like a pair of seabirds bobbing along on the waves. We climbed onto the dock to find a rusting motorbike and sidecar waiting for us.

  Fangs eyed the vehicle suspiciously. “That can’t be for us,” he said. “I’m sure Phlem would have ordered us something a little more … comfortable.”

  I had to admit that my boss was right. MP1 kept cars on standby in every major city in the world, but they were usually up-to-date deluxe models and not as old and low-tech as this.

  I examined the peeling paint on the sidecar and was surprised to find a state-of-the-art fingerprint scanner embedded in the rusty metal. There was only one organization that could have put that there…

  “This is ours, boss,” I said, pressing my thumb to the pressure pad. A green light flashed and the motorbike’s engine spluttered into life. There were two safety helmets and two pairs of goggles on the floor of the sidecar. We put them on, and a few moments later we were chugging along in the morning traffic, clouds of black smoke erupting noisily from the bike’s exhaust pipe.

  “This isn’t exactly how I pictured a visit to Italy,” Fangs shouted over the roar of the engine.

  “What do you mean?” I yelled back.

  Fangs glanced at me. I could just about see his eyebrow arch upwards behind the thick lenses of his driving goggles. “I thought we’d end up cruising the streets in a sleek sports car. This is hardly likely to impress the girls.”

  I smiled. After settling back into the sidecar, I opened my laptop and launched the GPS software. “He’s right, you know,” I said, looking up from my computer screen.

  “Who?” Fangs asked.

  “Lucien Claw. You and I shouldn’t really get along.”

  “Why? What have people been saying about me?”

  I laughed. “Not like that. I mean as a vampire and a werewolf. Our races have always been enemies in the past, but look at us now – working together.”

  “I never went in for all that vampires versus werewolves nonsense, even before my kind came out of the coffin,” said Fangs. “We are all the same deep down, no matter what species we are. I get on with just about anyone.”

  “Especially the pretty ones,” I teased.

  Fangs arched his eyebrow again. “I do have the odd weakness,” he admitted. “Pretty girls… Garlic… Wooden stakes through the—”

  WHIZZ! SMASH!

  Right on cue, a pointed wooden stake zoomed past. We were under attack!

  Thursday 2023 hours: Naples, Italy

  “It’s Clang!” I cried.

  Fangs spun round. An ice-cream van was speeding along the road behind us, its speakers blasting out a rendition of Greensleeves. Hanging out of the passenger window was Clang. He was reloading his crossbow with another wooden stake. If one of those was to hit my boss in the back, he’d be finished.

  “Activate your cloak, Fangs,” I cried.

  “I can’t,” Fangs shouted. “I need both hands to drive.”

  I ducked underneath my boss and held the cape wide as I pressed a button hidden in the material. Once solid, Fangs’s cloak would be able to withstand almost anything. The cloak stiffened just in time as—

  WHIZZ!

  Another wooden stake rocketed towards us. There was a deafening

  CLUNK!

  as the stake bounced harmlessly off the rigid material.

  Of course, the cape only started at Fangs’s shoulders. His head and neck were still vulnerable.

  WHIZZ! CLUNK!

  Another stake clipped the cloak and ricocheted away.

  Fangs had the accelerator twisted round to full. The motorbike was travelling as fast as it was ever going to and it just wasn’t fast enough. “Do we have anything we can fire back at him?” Fangs asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing.”

  WHIZZ! CLUNK!

  “That one hit my shoulder,” cried Fangs. “Think of something, Puppy!”

  I made a quick mental inventory of everything we had with us. There wasn’t much – just our bird-shaped scuba masks, and the AnyBook and harmonica that Cube had given us. The harmonica. Of course. That was it!

  I whipped the musical instrument out of my utility belt and raised it to my lips—

  WHIZZ! CLUNK!

  “Puppy!” Fangs cried.

  “Don’t worry, boss. Clang’s about to go out with a bang!”

  I began to play – which isn’t easy with werewolf lips and enormous teeth.

  “Half a pound of tuppenny rice,

  Half a pound of treacle,

  That’s the way the money goes,

  Pop goes the weasel.”

  I had five seconds before the harmonica exploded. One … two … three … four…

  I dropped the harmonica.

  BOOM!

  The ice-cream van rocked and Clang dropped his crossbow and fell back in his seat. His driver somehow managed to retain control of the vehicle. They were still coming after us!

  “Clang’s lost his bow, boss,” I yelled, deactivating Fangs’s cape. He would be able to drive faster without the cloak restricting his movements. “But we haven’t lost them.”

  “I wooden worry,” Fangs quipped. “We’ll soon sort him out.”

  We drove on, opening up a gap between the vehicles. Clang gave a frustrated roar and pushed his driver out of the van. Then he slid into the driver’s sea
t and floored the accelerator. He may not have had his crossbow, but he would still be able to do my boss some serious damage if he got close enough to stab him with one of the remaining stakes.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve got a better motorbike tucked away in your utility belt by any chance?” Fangs called to me.

  “Not quite,” I replied. “But I might be able to give us a bit of a boost.”

  I pulled a grappling hook from my belt and fired it at a road sign. The hook blasted forwards, trailing a length of strong steel cable behind it. It sailed around the sign’s pole, and I pulled the cable taut.

  “Hold on tight!” I shouted. Then I looped my end of the cable around the sidecar and pressed the “Retract” button. The cable began to rewind and the motorbike was dragged faster and faster along the road. Behind us, Clang cried out again as we sped away.

  Fangs steered us to the curb. We snatched up our equipment and then jumped out of the motorbike. A crowd of tourists, attracted by the hook stunt and Clang’s angry shouts, had gathered at the edge of the road.

  “We need to lure Clang away from members of the public,” I hissed. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt by accident.”

  “There!” said Fangs, pointing at the entrance to a local bakery. “Fewer people inside.”

  We pushed our way through the crowd just as Clang brought his ice-cream van to a halt behind our motorbike. We had to make sure that he could see where we were headed, so he would follow us. The safety of the public remained our top priority.

  Fangs was right. There weren’t many people inside the bakery at this time of day. In fact, we were lucky the bakery was open at all. There were still enough customers to cause concern, however. Luckily, I quickly hit upon a solution and slammed my elbow against the fire alarm. It may not have been the most elegant of plans, but I was certain it would work – and quickly.