Never Forsaken

by Michael Anderle

  Pete stopped looking at the pod and looked at Bethany Anne, “It can handle non-humans?”

  She nodded, “According to TOM, it is all about genetics. It can read DNA and figure out what the code is supposed to do. During our little game, I thought about how you guys are in a bad shape against vampires. For weapons, you have to be in human form, for ultimate in speed and to have claws and teeth; you have to be in your werewolf form. I asked TOM if there wasn’t a reason you guys can have a middle form.”

  Pete nodded, “There are some historical stories that suggest a couple of Wechselbalg had this form, but that it was lost centuries ago.”

  “That’s my theory. I’m thinking the basics are there, but either the knowledge is not, or the genetic changes that allow you guys to change have mutated. Something is different.”

  Pete shrugged, “Beyond me, and I don’t know of anything off hand. You’re wanting me to jump in?”

  She smiled, “Am I that transparent?”

  He grinned, “Pretty much, yes. When you get a scratch for something that doesn’t make sense, you use a large tool to beat it until something comes up. When that tool doesn’t work, you get something bigger. You want to know why we can’t change and it matters for our safety. Mind you, I know we will be more powerful and dangerous and that works perfectly for my Guardians. But you will notice your first comment that you thought about was how we are in a bad shape against vampires, so I take it your concerned with our safety first, our abilities next.”

  “That’s…. fair, I guess.”

  “So, want me to jump in? How long will this take?”

  TOM?

  Just to run an analysis? Probably a few hours. He is human, just changed so we have most of the details already. The pod only has to figure out a few things, not everything like on Ashur.

  “Have you back in time for dinner, at most breakfast?”

  Pete shrugged, “Who is going to take care of my team?”

  “Who would you suggest?”

  “Well, Tim if he wasn’t working on getting over a concussion. Probably Matthew next.”

  “Ok, I’ll do it that way. If Tim is still out of it, I’ll have Matthew handle it until we get you back.”

  Pete nodded. She explained he had to strip. It wasn’t a big deal to him, a werewolf was stripping all of the time to change. She pulled out the little bench and he folded his clothes and placed them there. Getting into the doc, she spoke, “I’ll be here when the tests are complete. Go inside, put your arms by your side and close your eyes. You will fall asleep and wake up seconds later. Piece of cake.”

  Her ‘piece of cake’ comment was having the opposite effect on him than he presumed she was going for.

  Once the pod-doc was working and TOM confirmed it was how he wanted it to work, she left and told Todd no one was to go around the craft for the next few hours. Todd nodded and she went to help Pete’s crew. Tim was tracking just fine by the time she got there. She told his crew that Pete was working on a project with her, but he wouldn’t be available until that evening.

  They talked for a little while, going through the game and how she had worked it from her side. She admitted that they had a really good plan. If they had gotten the flag out of the door, she would have tracked them down. Matthew had been wolf number two. He admitted he would have run out of the room and then jumped off the back of the boat. Wechselbalg could tread water for a very long time.

  She stared at the guy for a few seconds and then smiled, “That was damn devious. You guys are fucking nuts, and I mean that as compliment.” The guys all high-fived each other. They felt good about Pete’s plan, their effort and really good knowing that they had surprised Bethany Anne so thoroughly.

  She left them as they started to figure out how they might best her next time.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Bethany Anne was back inside the medical room on TOM’s ship, sitting next to Pete’s clothes. She was trying to come to grips with what TOM was telling her.

  “You mean someone from your group changed them, too?”

  Well, not exactly my group. I think it was one of the seven. The missing piece is in him. He can change to a man-beast form, but the form is going to be hard to control.

  How did they get here? Are they still here? What a fucking mess. You Kurtherians are worse than a soap opera. That’s what you guys are, a Gott Verdammt space opera. It’s like twelve siblings going around the galaxies stirring up shit.

  TOM just stayed quiet. She could compare his race to something worse.

  She exhaled, loudly.

  What’s the chance of him ever changing if we don’t modify him?

  Not high at all. The nanocytes in his body are a different type. Maybe a slightly older version than what is in yours? They aren’t as sophisticated.

  Well, for not being so sophisticated, they sure seem to work efficiently with the Etheric power load.

  Yes, well that is true. I’m not positive how that works and it would take putting the computer back into the ship to possibly figure it out.

  No. Fucking. Way. I am not going through that shit again.

  I wasn’t suggesting it, merely mentioning what it would take to understand the energy transfer and how it is accomplished. It would mean no more blood drinking.

  TOM, you can be an ass, you know that? You really want to know how this works. Well, have you considered that Ashur might be a clue?

  How do you mean.

  How much energy do you think I pull through him when we go traipsing across the world? It has to be a huge spike. What makes him able to pull it, but I’m having issues? The Wechselbalg all pull a huge amount of power, but they turn into a canine. At least, I think wolfs are canines. Then there are bears, too. Well, ok, animals. Have you considered the animal side to this, yet?

  In a word? No.

  Fine, work on that angle before you start trying to bribe me with not drinking blood. For now, I’ve got Ashur the wonder battery along for the ride. Not that I would use that phrase around him.

  He does seem remarkably smart.

  Are you sure you don’t know what happened to him?

  I told you I figured he would be smarter. Dogs are already early childhood possibly. He might have gone late childhood?

  How late? Are we talking out of diapers, out of cribs or, god forbid, teenagers? Because a hundred and whatever pounds of snarly teenager with teeth is not my idea of fun.

  Well, he hasn’t required much in the way of blood.

  Yeah, but he eats bags of dog food. Not to mention he cleans every plate someone leaves unattended in the mess. He should weigh five hundred pounds by now.

  She stood up.

  This isn’t getting us anywhere. I have the answer; it just leads to more questions. I don’t know what to do with Pete, change him or keep him as is.

  What would Pete want?

  Balls to the wall, I bet. He is putting everything into the Guardians. If he could learn something to make them even more bad-ass, I’m sure he would do it. However, this isn’t Pete’s decision, it is mine. Why am I doing it? If I knew he could control it, I would do it in a heartbeat.

  What about any of the others?

  Oh, God no! I only trust Pete with this situation. I don’t need a Tim with this ability if we don’t know how it is suppressed or how they control themselves. Tim is bad enough without Hulk urges.

  Hulk urges?

  Big green guy, grows into a mountain of muscle. Wears purple pants for who knows what reason. What was the original setting, can you tell?

  Yes, it was supposed to turn on when under a substantial amount of duress.

  Kind of like a Berserker warrior. Well, if Pete was ever in that situation, I can imagine it would be a good time to have a chance to change things. How long will it take?

  Just a few minutes to change the settings, I don’t know how long for it to change throughout his body. I would guess a couple of days at the minimum.

  Will he still have his mind wh
en this happens?

  Where would it go?

  No, I mean will he have his ability to think when in this state. Will he be able to tell friend from foe?

  I can’t tell from what we have seen so far, but I would be very surprised if he couldn’t.

  Why is that?

  Because the seven clans weren’t known for wasting their people by having them unnecessarily kill each other.

  Oh, trust an enemy to be smart about it, huh?

  Yes.

  She tried to figure out all of the angles and finally went with the one she trusted the most, her gut.

  Ok. Let’s make it happen.

  She hoped she wouldn’t regret this later.

  She was there an hour later and cracked the case for Pete. He was blinking his eyes, getting his bearings.

  “How did it go? Did you learn anything?” He sat up, shaking his head.

  She pulled on his arm and he popped off the bed. “Yes, get dressed you hooligan.” He grabbed his clothes and started dressing.

  “Not only do we have a good idea who is responsible for creating the Wechselbalg…”

  Pete interrupted her, “No fucking way!”

  “Way. Now shut up and stop interrupting me or you will be the first and last of your kind.” He held in his comment, “The guilty party is another one of the Kurtherian clans.” Pete almost let slip another comment, but caught himself in time. “Unfortunately, not the good side, but rather the other. Wechselbalg do have a command to allow you to change to a man-beast form.” She had Pete’s full attention and she could tell he was anxious to ask questions. “But it comes with a price. So, knowing that the original intent is from a race full of inimical aliens.”

  She noticed his desire to interrupt again. “Fine, what is it?”

  “Inimical?”

  “Hostile.”

  “Why didn’t you just say ‘hostile’?”

  “I’m trying to teach the wolf a new word, now shut up again.” Pete smiled at her. “So, back to the basics, bad alien wants to make changes to humans for their own purposes. You guys have a switch to change into raging man-beasts full of destructive power. Should we try it out?”

  “I have a choice?”

  “Of course you have a choice!”

  “Then let me back in and let’s do this. No time like the present.”

  “Ah, no need.”

  Pete stopped unbuttoning his shirt, “You already flipped the switch, didn’t you?”

  “Well, I had a discussion with TOM and we agreed it would be probably what you wanted.”

  “You discussed my future with an alien, a similar alien to the one’s that created Wechselbalg and came up with ‘change him already’?”

  Bethan Anne smiled, popped the pod-doc and pointed to it, “Want me to change it back?”

  Pete put his hands up, waving her off, “No, no! I’m very good exactly like I am.”

  “Really? Because with as much shit as you’re giving me, I’m pretty sure that you are about to either get another dose of the doctor, or you’re going to be treading water for a really, really long time.”

  Pete grimaced, “Matthew spilled the plan, didn’t he?”

  “Not so much spilled it as we had an after action review. You had an amazing plan.”

  Pete tried to fish for information, “Would it have worked?”

  “Against a Nosferatu? Possibly. No, probably. They are more desire driven than intelligence driven. On me? No, but I wasn’t trying to be me, so yeah, you guys might have pulled off a win. That was some seriously creative shit your team came up with. I’m impressed.”

  Pete looked at the pod doc, the top still open, “Um, are we good here?” He waved at the pod-doc.

  “I don’t know; do you think we are? I wouldn’t want you second guessing my second guessing again. As in, ever.” She stared frankly at the young man.

  “No, no I’m really good.” Pete looked down, trying to school his face and stop it from betraying his humor.

  She closed the pod-doc. “Good, finish getting dressed. The short answer is that the change can happen anytime, but it is generally duress driven.”

  “Like, stress driven?”

  “No, I think more action oriented or highly emotional state change if you want to get a little more clinical.” She set the controls on the pod doc to reset. This time, TOM didn’t have to direct her on the controls.

  “And if I want a more simplistic answer?” He finished tying his shoes.

  “Don’t get really, really mad. People might not like you very much when you get mad.”

  “Ah, got it.” They left the room together.

  Todd confirmed everyone was out with Bethany Anne as Pete went to join his team, she trans-located over to the Polarus after she had grabbed Ashur.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Before Bethany Anne was able to sleep for the night, John cornered her and gave her a piece of his mind. In this case, it was a short and abrupt set of comments about her, ‘tearing off across Europe without him… Uh, without the team’. She decided to ignore the change in clarification. She knew where he was coming from, but couldn’t promise she wouldn’t ever do it again, but would try.

  They sat down at the conference table and had a frank talk about what she could and couldn’t do. Right now, she was able to easily bop between Miami and the boats. However; she wasn’t sure just how many she could take and where. She moved two humans and Ashur a couple of miles easily enough, and then moved them all to Miami. The problem was getting everyone to touch.

  John considered what she said, “What happens if they aren’t touching you?”

  TOM?

  Well, technically you could do it, although the power needs go up directly correlated to how far away from you they are. Those that actively touch you are requiring the minimum amount of energy.

  What happens if I run out of juice?

  When? I don’t think you could partially pull a person into the Etheric, however; our race rarely ever took chances so I don’t have anything to support my assumptions. If you run out of juice on the way to the other side? Good question, either you lose people or everyone just stops in between. If you should lose your connection to them, I imagine they would be stranded. I can’t believe too many humans left in that dimension would last very long either physically or mentally. It would be bad.

  She answered him, “I’m not comfortable trying that yet. The farther away the more energy I need and while Ashur hasn’t let me down yet.” She was interrupted by a ‘woof’ from her bedroom. She rolled her eyes and continued, “I don’t know the amount of energy is truly safe to pull through him. TOM says that the amount of energy could go up logarithmically. So, how many people can we deal with? I have to hold on to Ashur.”

  John was quiet for a moment. It was obvious she couldn’t take the whole team with her every time. “How did you take Stephen and Michael to Miami?”

  Bethany Anne got up and went for the refrigerator, bending over to make sure she could see in the back. Satisfied no satan spawned beverages were hiding, she pulled a Coke out, “You want anything?”

  He didn’t so she closed the door and came back to the table. “I slung Michael over my shoulder. Ashur with one hand and Stephen grabbed my arm I think. Well, that’s what I remember, we were a little busy.”

  John latched on to that statement, “So, people can grab you just fine?”

  She gave him the fisheye and he blushed, he put up his hands, “Not what I meant!”

  She continued eyeing him while his face got redder. She finally let him off the hook and smiled, “I know! I’m just kicking you while you’re down. I wanted to see if you could lighten up a little. I know my trip to Romania upset you; however, I wasn’t about to try going that distance and put you guys in danger.” She held up a hand, “Don’t, just don’t. I will never do it no matter how much you complain, ok?” He finally nodded. “Yes, I suppose I could put out one arm and maybe the five of you could grab hold, but it isn’t someth
ing I’m happy trying out yet, ok?”

  That was the best John could hope for, so he grabbed the small victory when he could. They finished talking about inconsequential things. Bethany Anne asked whether he had any chance to hook up with anyone on either of the boats and he pulled up his empty wrist to stare at it. “Oh! Look at the time, got to run. Great talking to you and everything boss, but someone is calling my name.” Nothing happened for a second, so John raised his voice, “I said, SOMEONE is calling my name!”