Science and Sorcery (10 page)

“My creator was one of the few who understood the truth.  He knew that the Thirteen
had
to remain sealed away, even if the price was civilisation itself.  But he also knew that the prison would weaken and the
mana
would start to return to the world.  And when it grew strong enough to support them, the Thirteen would be able to return themselves. 
That
is the danger facing your world.”

The Hunter studied him for a long moment.  “You said that they created beings like myself,” he said, finally.  “What am I?”

“Your ancestors were Hunters, humans gifted with a raw talent for killing supernatural beings,” Golem said.  “Your weapon would not have killed a werewolf, had it been fired by anyone but you.  A sword would have had the same effect.”

“I...see,” the Hunter said.  He sounded stunned, leaving Golem to wonder if he’d given too much information too quickly.  Human mentalities were complex, not given to cool and rational analysis.  Golem would have accepted the information and moved on, but a human...?  They were distracted by emotional responses.  “And why...why now?”

“The
mana
is returning,” Golem said, patiently.  “All of the twisted humans – the werewolves, the vampires, the gorgons and many others – are going to start discovering their true natures as the
mana
grows strong enough to support their existence.  Werewolf magic is linked to the moon, which is probably why they appeared first.  The others won’t be far behind.”

“There’s a girl in Memphis who grew a mermaid tail overnight,” the Hunter mused.  “What will happen to her?”

“She will have to learn to live underwater,” Golem said.  Part of his mind noted that the girl herself might find the concept terrifying, but it was just a fact.  He moved on.  “She will find that she can breathe normally while deep under the waves.”

The Hunter looked shocked.  “And...why does the moon affect werewolves?”

It was a pointless question, but Golem tried to answer it anyway.  “According to legend, the first werewolves came from a tribe that attacked a temple belonging to the Children of the Moon, a female cult that considered the moon to be a god.  The priestesses cursed the tribesmen, using magic to ensure that they became monsters whenever the moon rose in the sky.  As they tried to steal silver, the curse included a component that turned silver into deadly poison for a werewolf.  Their descendants became the first wolf people.  Later, the curse would have lost its power as the
mana
faded away.”

“But now the
mana
is coming back,” the Hunter mused.  “How many people are descended from werewolves?”

“I could not even begin to estimate,” Golem said.  Humans often asked themselves pointless – or unanswerable – questions.  “The curse will have been passed down through the families until now.”

The Hunter seemed shocked into silence, so Golem pressed ahead.  “But the werewolves are hardly the main problem,” he said.  “You have magicians already developing their powers.  It will not be long before the Thirteen can return to the world and resume their mad scheme to gain supreme power for themselves.  You have to prepare to stop them.”

“You want us to stop unstoppable magicians,” the Hunter said.  Absurdly, he started to laugh.  “And how exactly do you want us to do it?”

He paused.  “Maybe an atomic bomb would work,” he added, musingly.  “Do you think so?”

“I do not know,” Golem said.  His understanding of what an atomic bomb actually
did
was somewhat hazy.  “However, you may have to prepare for other problems.  Some of your magicians, without proper training, are likely to hurt themselves, or others.  One of them may have already done so.  Worse, you may discover that magic interferes with technology.  Your society may wind up threatened by the same collapse that destroyed the one that created me.”

The Hunter stared at him.  “That isn't possible,” he said.  “If magic interfered with technology, wouldn’t we be seeing the effects already?”

“I do not know,” Golem said, unsure if it was another pointless question or not.  “I merely raise it as a possibility.”

“I need to bring you into the labs,” the Hunter said.  “And I need to have you speak to some others.  Can you stay here for a few hours?”

“I am here to assist you in preparing for the Thirteen,” Golem said.  Logic said that it was unlikely that the strange new society could
kill
the Thirteen, certainly not with Mana returning to the world, but they might be able to return them to their prison.  Or even seal it, if they found the cells in time.  “I am at your disposal.”

“That’s good to hear,” the Hunter muttered.  Golem recognised it as sarcasm and said nothing.  Sarcasm was yet another pointless human concept.  “My name is Matt.  Pleased to meet you, I think.”

“You should be,” Golem said.  The Hunter had sounded ambivalent about his own heritage, which puzzled him.  Back before he’d been put to sleep, women had often seduced Hunters in the hopes of bearing a Hunter child.  Even an untrained Hunter could be deadly dangerous to the supernatural.  Their resistance to magic alone gave them a significant advantage.  “Without me, you would be walking into the darkness without a candle to light your way.”

The Hunter nodded, thoughtfully.

Chapter Ten

Washington DC, USA

Day 7

Caitlyn had known, in theory, about the layers of protection around the White House – and the President, but nothing had prepared her for the reality.  The Secret Service agents fingerprinted her, scanned her retinas and compared both to her FBI file, before carrying out a blood test, putting her through a metal detector and searching her handbag.  She was mildly surprised that they didn't insist on a cavity search as well, but by the time they cleared her to enter the building she felt as if she had been stripped naked, scrubbed clean and then dressed in something that marked her as a human sacrifice.

“They always do that when someone visits for the first time,” Tomlinson said.  “And you’ll have to give your USB stick to the agents before entering the conference room.  The whole building is completely isolated from the internet.”

Caitlyn was still mulling that over as they were escorted down a flight of stairs and into a secure room that, according to the printed signs, was TEMPEST-level secure.  Her cell phone, handbag and USB stick were confiscated at the door, the agent in charge promising to copy her files into the room’s computer once they’d been scanned for viruses, spyware or other unpleasant surprises.  That, at least, made a great deal of sense.  The FBI had tracked Chinese attempts to infiltrate secure computer systems with a great deal of alarm, knowing that eliminating all of the spyware was likely to be completely impossible.  Keeping a system isolated completely was the only realistic defence.  Chances were that her USB stick would be destroyed after it had been copied, just in case.

The interior of the room was surprisingly understated.  A long table, surrounded by chairs; a single computer system and a drinks cabinet that, she noted, didn't serve anything that was actually alcoholic.  Tomlinson smirked at her as he poured them both coffee, an odd courtesy that only bothered her more.  He’d warned her that she would be reporting to the President himself, as well as most of his Cabinet.  She still couldn't decide if it would be good for her career or completely disastrous – or if someone more senior intended to push her out of command of the task force.  And she’d just managed to get the first part of the task force up and running.

She took one of the seats reserved for visitors and watched as the room slowly filled up.  The current President wasn't known for tolerating lateness, at least unless there was a very good excuse, and most of the Cabinet arrived fairly quickly.  Tomlinson chatted to them, building relationships with his ultimate superiors, but Caitlyn felt too nervous to talk.  A single word from any of them could probably wreck her career beyond repair...and she had to convince them that magic was real.  And to think that Matt was exploring Washington, safely isolated from the political storm gathering in the White House...lucky bastard.  She took the time to familiarise herself with the computer system as her files appeared on it, waiting for her to use them.  And then the door opened one final time.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” a voice said, “the President of the United States.”

Caitlyn rose as the President strode into the room.  Up close, the President looked like just another man, even though he was the most powerful person in the world.  He looked tired and stressed, nothing like he looked on television – but then, the camera always lied.  Caitlyn, who had spent time studying footage from CCTV cameras, knew that better than most.  It was easy to make a man look brilliant in front of a camera.

“Be seated,” the President said, shortly.  His voice sounded different too.  Every President who went into the White House had their hair turn grey before they left.  “Director Tomlinson?”

“I formed a task force as soon as the first reports came in,” Tomlinson said.  Caitlyn kept her face blank with an effort.  Her boss certainly knew how to try to grab the credit.  “Special Agent Lyle has the full briefing.”

Caitlyn braced herself as Tomlinson nodded to her, and then rose to her feet.  This was just another briefing, she told herself firmly.  She could handle it.

“Seven days ago, there was a rash of sightings of wolf-like creatures all around the world,” she said, once she’d introduced herself.  “Several of these resulted in deaths that, at least at first, were attributed to wild animals.  However, in New York, a policeman shot one of the animals, which transformed back into a human girl.  Once the information was put together, it was impossible to avoid the conclusion that the girl and the animal were one and the same.

“Later research revealed a number of other oddities,” she continued.  “Various police stations reported discovering people outside their homes, wearing absolutely nothing at all.  When the police asked questions, the naked people were unable to explain what they were doing outside, let alone without wearing any clothes.  With only a couple of exceptions, the general consensus, reached individually by separate police departments, was that they’d been drinking enough to blot out their memories.  No one put it together until I looked at the overall picture.  We have to assume that the naked people were – are - werewolves.

“In fact, the werewolves were hardly the first supernatural event to be noticed.  I did a review of various paranormal researchers and all of them claim that there has been a major increase in sightings of ghosts, UFOs and strange lights over the last several months.  This was largely ignored by the media and it drew no attention from the government until the first werewolves made their presence known.  Events have clearly started to pick up speed in the last seven days.”

She took a breath.  “Apart from the werewolves, and the reported vampire, there have been other strange transformations.  A young girl went into the bath one morning and discovered, to her horror, that her legs had melded together and become a fishy tail.  Another girl has discovered the power to heal people.  Ritual magic like Voodoo seems to be producing actual results.  Several different lottery systems are reporting record numbers of winners, so many that each individual winner may not take home more than a small fraction of the jackpot.  And I have a very strong feeling that we are barely scratching the surface of the events that are changing our world.  This may be just the beginning.”

“This sounds absurd,” the Secretary of State said.  She fixed Caitlyn with a stare that would have made a soldier wince.  “How can this be
real
?”

“The mermaid girl has been transferred to a research hospital and studied intensively,” Caitlyn said.  “I have a copy of the report here, if you want it, but the basic version is that her legs seem to have effectively vanished.  Her bones have merged into a single structure that allows her to swish her tail effectively; the skin of her lower body has been replaced by scales that seem to regenerate themselves very quickly.  And, worst of all, we’ve discovered that she grows ill if she spends more than a few hours out of the water.  Right now, the hospital is keeping her in the swimming pool.”

There were some chuckles at that.  “The changes are more than cosmetic,” Caitlyn added.  “Physically, she’s stronger than the average teenage girl and she can swim like a fish.  The doctors convinced a Navy SEAL to challenge her to a swimming race and she left him in the dust.  The doctors aren't sure how she extracts oxygen from the water, but she’s been recorded as spending hours swimming underwater, without coming up for air.

“We only have three werewolves to study, but their biology raises a number of other mysteries.  All three of them have strange substances in their blood; the two who were born werewolves, for want of a better term, had no trouble eating human flesh – and seem reluctant to eat anything, but meat.  In human form, they’re stronger and healthier than the average human; cuts and bruises heal with astonishing speed.  Even the dead werewolf, the one shot in New York, was remarkably healthy.”

The President held up a hand before anyone else could say anything.  “And you're convinced that this is real?”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Caitlyn said.  “The data may seem frankly unbelievable, but there is too much of it to simply dismiss.”

The President studied her for a long moment.  Caitlyn knew that politicians preferred to keep their options open as long as possible, to avoid backing themselves into a corner, but this was something that might be impossible to control without immediate action.  And yet she also knew that immediate action
was
necessary.  The mood of barely-constrained hysteria sweeping the nation was proof of that.

“Very well,” he said, finally.  “I assume that you have a plan to handle the situation?”

Caitlyn blinked in surprise, and then gathered herself.  “There are several different problems that have to be handled, one after the other,” she said.  “We must assume that there will be other mermaids and suchlike and they will have to be helped.  Their changes are survivable, but we have to inform the nation so that they get the help they need.”

“Or before someone tries something stupid, like dumping them into the sea,” a man she didn't recognise, clad in military uniform, said.  “Or burning them alive as witches.”

“Quite,” Caitlyn agreed.  “The second problem concerns the werewolves, and perhaps vampires, if the reports are accurate.  One of the werewolves currently in protective custody was bitten by another werewolf and apparently infected with Lycanthropy.  He hasn't yet changed into a werewolf, but he is showing all the other werewolf traits; his body is healthier than the average person, he prefers to eat meat and he heals with astonishing speed.  It is quite possible that the other victims will also be infected themselves.  Not all of the people attacked seven days ago died.”

“Hell,” the Secretary of State said.  “We could have an entire plague on our hands.”

She’d changed her tune, Caitlyn thought, now that the Secretary realised that the President believed Caitlyn’s report.  “It’s possible,” she admitted reluctantly.  “We are working to track down and isolate all of the victims, but we may not round them all up before the next full moon.  We’re also working on a test that will allow us to determine the presence of Lycanthropy.  However, this raises another legal issue: can werewolves be held legally accountable for their actions during the full moon?”

The President grimaced.  Caitlyn had hesitated to even mention the legal issue, but she'd known that she’d need an example to show how quickly the issue would become complicated.  Everyone seemed to have their own personal lawyer these days and, if someone was bitten by a werewolf, that person would definitely try to sue.  Which, of course, raised the issue of responsibility.  Exactly when could a werewolf be sued for biting someone and creating another werewolf?

“That isn't the only legal issue,” she added.  “The Healer we discovered and tested was an EMT, licenced to practice medicine.  What happens if we discover a Healer who wasn't in the medical profession when they learned about their powers?  Should we charge them with practicing medicine without a licence?  Or should we insist that they take medical classes before they can use their gift...”

“God help us when the religious fundamentalists get hold of that,” someone muttered.  “Laying on of hands and all that...”

The President tapped the table.  “
Can
werewolves be held legally accountable for their actions?”

Caitlyn – and Matt – had given the question some thought.  “The interviews we conducted with the born werewolves were inconclusive,” she said.  “One of them stated that he’d been angry all day before the moon rose, for no apparent reason; the other remembered nothing until the bloodlust began to rise.  Afterwards, neither of them remembered why they were covered in blood.  One was picked up by the police on suspicion of murder; the other actually
called
the police, convinced that something terrible had happened.

“Looking at it, it seems that they lost control completely to the bloodlust,” she continued.  “As such, they might not be legally liable for what they do, but they could be committed to an asylum because they present a danger to everyone else when they lose control.  But...we make knowingly infecting someone else with AIDS a crime.  We could criminalise spreading Lycanthropy the same way.  Someone who
knew
they were a werewolf could be held accountable if they didn't take reasonable precautions to ensure that they posed no risk to others.”

“And what constitutes reasonable precautions?”  The National Security Advisor said.  “Should we advise them to go to jail for the night?  Or chain themselves to the floor?  Or simply lock the door in a manner that paws can't undo?”

“We don't know,” Caitlyn admitted.  “We’re hoping to get better data from the next full moon, when the werewolves in custody will change again.  But I’m afraid that there will be problems if we don’t try to round up the werewolves before it’s too late.”