Full Moon Rising - 02 (3 page)

“Yeah.  We broke him out shortly after you disappeared.” Matt said, his mind still in the past.  “But, to answer your que
stion, Laura, I don’t know.”

“Did you use silver?  Did you burn the body?” Jack asked.

Matt seemed to snap out of his reverie.  “What?  No.  Not exactly.”  He said, coming to his feet.  He cleared his throat.  “It was her body that we used to… ’create’ the augmentation process for you boys.”

“So you shot us full of her blood?” Jack asked.

“Not exactly.” Laura answered.

“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”  Matt tried to e
xplain.  “I’m no scientist, but…it’s more like ‘gene therapy’.  Or, that’s what they told me.”

“What are you saying, Skipper?”

“It’s not like what I went through, okay?  This is more like…more like you were born with it.  It’s easier on your body.” Matt said.

“More like a natural born wolf…”  Jack said.

“I guess.  Hell up until a few minutes ago, I didn’t know there was such a thing.” 

Jack practically fell into his chair.  If there was a chance that he could control the shift like Nadia does…

“What about this attack, Jack?”  Laura asked.  “Is it imminent?” 

Jack snapped back to the present.  “That depends on what he does.” He motioned to Mitchell.

Mitchell stiffened.  “How’s that?”

“Meet with Rufus, Skipper.”  Jack offered.  “Just…meet with him. 
Talk
with him.  Listen to what he has to say.  If you don’t like it, fine. Consider me flipped out.  Gone native.  Whatever.  But hear what he has to say.”

Matt was stunned.  A meeting with the enemy?  “Are you nuts?  You want me to have a meeting with the very monsters we’ve been hunting down?”

“He’s not the enemy, Skipper.  Hell, you’ve got Evan working for you again!” Jack offered.  “Is that really all that different?  He drinks animal blood.”

“Used to.  Not anymore.”

“But he
used to
.  This guy still does and so do the people on his side.  It makes them weaker, but it also makes them much easier to deal with.”

Matt rolled the idea around a bit.  “I’ll consider it.”  He looked at his watch and nodded at Laura.  “Right now, I’m obv
iously not in my right mind.  It’s too close to the full moon.”

“Afterwards then.  You can meet with him after the shift.” Jack said hopefully.

“Perhaps.”  Matt said, rubbing his temples.  “Jack, you don’t understand.  I’ve been shifting for nearly ten years now.  The more often you shift, the harder it is to control the urges…the aggression.  And the harder the shift hits you.”

“Nadia explained that to me.  The only reason it’s easier for them is because they are born with it and it’s a part of them.”

Matt looked up at Laura and she could see the pain across his face.  It was still early in the day, but he was having trouble adjusting, especially with the sleep deprivation added in.  “Laura, clear him.  I’m accepting his story.”

“Sir?” she was about to object.

“I can’t explain to you in a way that you’d understand, because honestly, I don’t understand all of it myself, but I can tell that he’s been honest and forthright.  He hasn’t compromised the program and he doesn’t have Stockholm’s.” Matt replied.  “Go ahead and clear him, get him with doc for the full workup and make sure we get him caught up on the bane.  I don’t want to risk him shifting.”

“I am caught up, Skipper.”  Jack informed him.  “It was Rufus and his crew that figured it out and Nadia identified the wolf’s bane and got me back on it while I was there.”

Matt simply raised an eyebrow and nodded.  “Very well.  But I still want doc to check you out.”

“Copy that.”

“Laura, get with Apollo and see where Jack will best fit in.  It’s the full moon tonight.  Odds are, we’re going to be busy and probably have more than one op going.  If we are hit with anything light duty, we may split the squads into three five man groups.  Jack is our best qualified team leader so it’s workable.  If necessary, get Lieutenant Gregory called up to man the secondary operations center.”

“Yes, sir, Colonel.”  Laura began gathering her folders and led Jack out of the interrogation room.  Matt watched them leave then went in search of Evan Peters.  He had cooked up a conco
ction that eased the symptoms earlier.  Maybe he could whip him up a double now.  His nerves were about shot.

*****

Nadia was barely able to hold on to the side of the boat as it skipped across the waters and made their way to shore.  The waters had become much choppier since Jack had crossed and their pilot was having to throttle back to keep from beating them to death.  The small craft wasn’t meant to take such large waves and he worried that they would capsize if he wasn’t careful.  “Please, Georgio, can you not increase our speed?” she asked.

“I cannot, Miss.  The waves, they are too large and our boat, she is too small!” he yelled over the noise of the wind.  Nadia’s mother looked like she was turning a nice shade of green as the craft rode up and down the crowning waves.

“But we must hurry!  Jack is in danger.  I must get to him quickly and warn him.  Please, a little faster if you can.” She pleaded.

“S
eñor Jack?” Georgio asked.  “How is he in danger?”

“I don’t know, exactly.  I just feel it.”

“Why do you not simply call him?”`

“I don’t know where to call him at.  He didn’t give me a number.” She said.

“But…the satellite phone.” Georgio said.  “The one we gave him before he left the docks.”

Nadia was dumbfounded.  A satellite phone?  It was news to her.  Rufus had said nothing to her mother of a satellite phone or they would have called from the castle.  “What satellite phone, Georgio?  Rufus said nothing of a phone.”

“Mario, the wolf from the stables, he gave it to me for Jack.  He said it was for him to call us when he was ready to return.” Georgio said.  “I thought surely that Master Rufus had ordered it for him, no?”

“No!  Rufus said nothing of a phone!”  She yelled.  “Do you know the number to the phone, Georgio?”

“I do not.  But perhaps Mario does.  He should be at the docks with your vehicle, yes?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t know a Mario.”  Nadia worked her way to the back of the boat where her mother was now a much darker shade of green.  She definitely looked ready to hurl.  “Mother, do you know a wolf named Mario?  He works the st
ables?”

Her mother looked at her with eyes that belonged to som
ebody staring very far away.  She shook her head in a very slow negative, then she leaned slightly over the edge and threw up.  This was not good.  Nadia grabbed the sides of the craft and worked back to the pilot, “Mother doesn’t know a Mario either.  How long have you known him?”

Georgio thought about it for a little bit, then shook his head.  “I do not remember.  Perhaps a month?”

“There should be no new wolves on the island, Georgio!  Could he be a spy?”

Georgio laughed.  “A spy?  Who would spy on us?”

Nadia sighed.  “I need the number.  Are you sure that this Mario will be at the docks?”

“I am not positive, but I am pretty sure, yes.”

Nadia sat back and bit at her fingernail.  She hoped and prayed that he was there.  She desperately needed the number to that phone.  And if any of the wolves on the dock had another phone, she would call Rufus right away and find out if he had a phone sent with Jack.  Whoever this Mario is, he had better pray that Rufus says ‘yes’.

*****

Damien studied the hired muscle that had been sent with him to the blood den.  They didn’t look like much but he could sense the power rolling off of them in waves.  He alternated from feeling like a badass to feeling like a trapped animal.  He didn’t know why he would feel like he was the target of their animosity, but at times, he did.  They were completely unreadable, their faces like stone, yet he could sense their disdain for him.  He didn’t like feeling powerless and these characters definitely made him feel powerless. 

Any vampire, against a human, has both a physical and ps
ychological advantage.  But vampire against vampire, things became distorted.  One couldn’t judge another vampire just upon their size or perceived strength.  He had seen vampires who looked like linebackers drop and cower before Paul, who was short and slight in build.  But he was old, and
that
was where real power came from.  Plus, Paul Foster was a natural born vampire and that practically made him royalty.  Natural born vampires had special abilities that created vampires lacked, or took centuries to develop and hone in order to use effectively.  Paul could glamour a human and have them think it was their idea to surrender their will and their blood to him.  He could move so fast that even other vampires could barely see him.  It was rumored, that he could even shape shift, but Damien doubted that was true.  Nobody he knew actually knew for sure, it was just rumored and whispered.  In fact, when it came to Paul Foster, most things were whispered for fear he may hear you speak of him.

Damien pointed to the abandoned building where the blood den was, and the van pulled near.  Before it came to a complete stop, the side door slid open and they all exited and Damien found himself pulled to the sidewalk.  The enforcers push-pulled him to the door of the blood den and urged him to knock while they stood to the sides of the door out of eyesight, stakes ready, guns with silver bullets drawn.

Damien knocked twice then a third time and a sliding peephole opened.   A dark set of eyes checked him out, it’s owner recognizing him for what he was.  “Back so soon?”

“Safer to feed here then on the streets.” He chuckled.  “B
esides, I thought I’d finish off my leftovers.” He smiled.

The peephole slammed shut and a series of locks and slides opened.  Just as the door was cracking open, the enforcers pushed their way through, pinning the door guard against the wall.  The stronger of the enforcers held a stake at his heart with one hand and whispered, “Shhh!” before the guard could call out.

The other enforcers pushed Damien through the doors, urging him to lead the way.  Once through, Damien rolled his head across his neck and listened to the joints pop. 
Let’s do this.
He readied himself.

He led them through the dark hallways and into a larger common room.  Alcoves set off on either side with dirty ma
ttresses stained in blood and vampires feeding off of the metro’s homeless, runaways, drug addicted and street people lined the edges of the room.  Damien searched the gloom until he saw the mohawk of the punk he had heard bragging, his leather jacket hung on a hook above the mattress he was currently spread atop, feeding on a bag lady.  Damien pointed at the punk and the enforcers wasted no time in bagging, gagging and securing him.  Damien rapidly searched the room but didn’t see the other punk that had been with this one before.  He screwed up his nerve and marched up to the punk.  He bent low to keep his voice down.  “Where’s your friend?”

Mohawk shook his head, the gag in his mouth hooked on his fangs.  He obviously didn’t know who Damien was talking about.  “Let’s try this again.  A couple of nights ago, you were in here feeding with another punk.  Leather jacket, same bad hai
rcut.  Ring a bell?” Damien asked, thumping the punk in the head.  “Where the fuck is he?”

The punk glared at Damien, his eyes narrowing on him.  He knew that Damien was a baby vamp and had it not been for the others, he would have torn him limb from limb.  He mumbled, ‘fugg yew’ through the gag.

“Fuck me, eh?”  Damien chuckled.  “Well, we’ll see how much you feel like fornicating when Mr. Foster rips your cock off and shoves it up your ass, smart mouth.”  Damien nodded to the enforcers.  “Take him.  If he won’t talk to us, he’ll talk to Paul.”

Apparently the punk knew of Paul Foster because his eyes bulged in his head and he began struggling as if his life depen
ded on it.  Maybe because his life did depend on it.  Damien stopped them a moment.  “Feel like talking now?”  The punk nodded his head rapidly.  “Remove the gag.”

Once the enforcers pulled the gag out, Damien noticed the dark marks around the punk’s mouth.  Had he been human, there would definitely be bruising.  “Monroe.  His name’s Monroe, but he’s not here, man.  He fed on the streets, man.  I swear.” The punk said.

“Fine.  Where can I find him?”

“I dunno, man.  He didn’t tell me where he was going, I swear.  What do you want him for?  Maybe I can…”

“Mr. Foster has some questions for the two of you.  If we can’t bring the both of you, then I guess you’ll have to take Monroe’s pain as well.” Damien said then nodded to the enforcers.  The punk started to scream, but found his mouth filled with the gag again and he was instantly dragged to the hallway and toward the door.  The lead enforcer still holding the door guard at the entrance with a stake to the chest.

As the last of them exited the building, the enforcer slowly withdrew from the guard.  Holding his finger to his lips, he r
epeated, “Shhh.  We were never here.”  He turned to leave and slowly pulled the door shut.  Just before closing it, he looked at the guard and said, “Have a pleasant evening.” And smiled.