Dragon Dreams

by Chris A. Jackson

  The ceramic tiles of the pitched roof shattered under her feet, but she managed to keep her balance, scrambling to the north end of the building. She launched herself into the air once more, but this was just a short jump in comparison to her previous dizzying plummets. She cleared a bus as it passed on Boylston Street, and arrested her flight by grasping one of the ornate light poles in front of the Old North Church. Her claws screeched against the steel pole as she swung around it once and dropped to the sidewalk. A passing couple turned to stare, eyes wide, mouths hanging open. She could only guess what they were thinking as she folded her wings and dashed into the Copley St. subway station.

  At this point, she wasn't concerned if she was caught on someone's cell phone camera or one of the security monitors. Let Johansen worry about that. She had clothes stashed in the tunnel, and seven minutes until the next train passed. Aleksi would be just another faceless figure in the crowd when she caught the train at Arlington station.

  44

  Persephone sat back in Dr. Johansen's chair and watched the video again from the beginning. She had a DHS analysis team going over it frame by frame, harvesting every bit of technical information they could, but still, she watched it again. She couldn't get enough of it, her mind awhirl.

  Dragons…

  She'd read the transcript of Hutch's conversation with Congressman Twain. Would a race of dragons put humans on the bottom of the food chain, even exterminate mankind? Gi-gi had been right about one thing; such a thing was not to be trusted in the hands of the US Government.

  Her computer chimed, an icon flashing on the screen. Mary Buckmann's memory told her it belonged to the Director. He was probably watching the same video. She touched the icon.

  "Yes, sir."

  "This project has become too high profile, Doctor. Control it or end it."

  "Containment is our primary goal, sir."

  "There's been another murder."

  "Where?"

  "You'll get the details. We have a clean-up team on it already."

  "Very well."

  There was a pause, then, "Are you sure it's Penningly doing this, not Rychenkna?"

  "Positive, sir."

  "Then get him."

  "We will." The call ended. She tapped another icon on her screen and said, "Bring Dr. Hutchinson to interview room one."

  "Yes, Doctor."

  Persephone pushed herself to her feet, wobbling with fatigue. She hadn't gotten much sleep since she assumed Buckmann's identity, but there would be time for sleep when it was done. She fished a small bottle of pills from her jacket pocket and shook one into her palm. It went down with the last swallow of her coffee. By the time she arrived in the interview room, she'd be as sharp as a razor.

  Dr. Hutchinson, I hope you slept well." Johansen entered the room bearing two big cups of coffee. "Strong and dark with milk no sugar, right?" She sat down and pushed one cup across the table to him.

  "Yes." He didn't reach for the coffee, though the smell set his mouth watering. "And, as a matter of fact, I didn't sleep well at all. When are you going to release me?"

  "Just as soon as we reach an agreement, Doctor." She sipped her coffee and leaned back in her chair, looking as fresh as if she had just spent a day at a spa. "I'm prepared to do everything Aleksi asked for in return for her help, but I need yours as well."

  "To keep your secret?" Hutch didn't like secrets and he didn't like lies. This woman was full of both. Any agreement from her was worthless. They would do whatever they wanted to further their own ends, regardless of what they promised him.

  "That and work as our liaison with Aleksi Rychenkna."

  "And if I don't agree?"

  "Then your life goes down the toilet, Aleksi becomes a target instead of an asset, and we find Derrick Penningly on our own, probably after he's killed a dozen or so more people." She withdrew a folder from her bag and placed it before him. "Those are his victims so far. Two of them were cops." She flipped open the folder, and the eight by ten glossy photo of an eviscerated woman glared up at him. "Tell me you don't want to help us stop this."

  Hutch stared at the photo, his stomach clenching on his unappetizing breakfast. He tore his eyes away and picked up the coffee. He managed to swallow a sip and breathe. "You know that Derrick wants to do that to me, too."

  "The thought had crossed my mind." That stony mien, humorless, lifeless, stared him down.

  Bait…they want to use me as bait. "Not that I expect you to tell me the truth, but do you plan to kill him before, or after he's taken the bait?"

  "Before, Doctor, but we can't watch you twenty-four seven." Johansen reached into her bag again and slid his two cell phones across the table. "You do have someone else out there watching over you."

  "I don't want Aleksi anywhere near Derrick Penningly." He swallowed and closed his eyes. The image waiting for him there resembled the woman in the photo, but with Aleksi's face.

  "She's proven that she can take him, Hutch. Let her do what she was made to do."

  "What do you mean, made to do?"

  "If she's right, this…affliction evolved to protect mankind." She sipped her coffee and eyed him evenly.

  "From what?" Hutch didn't trust her, but the scientist in him was curious.

  "From ourselves, maybe." She licked her lips and cocked her head at him, that same familiar gesture. Where had he seen that? "Mankind evolved in a dangerous world. We weren't on the top of the food chain then and needed protection. Now we are. I want to keep us there."

  It made sense. Hutch tried to imagine an evolutionary pathway that would yield something like Aleksi and failed. He looked at the two phones. "You've got those bugged."

  "You wouldn't believe me if I told you we didn't."

  "True."

  "So, take them, and help us stop Penningly."

  "And agree to keep your secrets."

  "Yes."

  He took another sip of coffee. It was good, strong with just the right amount of milk. How the hell do they know so much about me? How much more do they know? He knew that their threat to ruin his life wasn't idle. They could manufacture evidence and have him arrested as a terrorist just to ensure his silence. But there was that glossy picture staring at him, screaming at him, pleading with him to end this slaughter of innocents.

  "All right." He put the coffee down and picked up the two phones. "I agree to keep this as quiet as I can, not publish any findings or go to the authorities. Frankly, they wouldn't believe me anyway, and my career would be ruined."

  "I'm glad you see it our way, Doctor." She smiled and closed the folder.

  "Just keep one thing in mind, Dr. Johansen."

  "What's that?"

  He longed to wipe that smirk of superiority from her face. "Whatever I agree to, Aleksi makes her own decisions. I can't guarantee anything from her, and she'll never trust you, not after what you did to her."

  "I'm not asking for your guarantee, Doctor, just your cooperation." She stood and picked up her coffee. The door opened, and the two guards who had escorted him in stood there waiting. "She'll agree because it's the only thing she can do."

  "What do you mean?" Hutch stood and picked up his coffee.

  "She's alone. She needs someone, and you're the only someone she's got."

  Hutch wondered if they would ever let Aleksi go, if they would offer her a cure for her condition, assuming they ever found one. He also wondered what Johansen wasn't telling him.

  Some questions you'll never get an answer to, Hutch. He followed his escort out of the room. He was halfway home before he had one final revelation: She called me Hutch. Why would a woman I've never met before call me Hutch?

  Gobbets of bloody flesh splashed into the icy Charles River, the least appetizing bits of Derrick's most recent kill. He crouched in the shadowed framework of the Boston University railroad bridge, his taloned feet gripping the rusty steel girders.

  This is more like it. He ate at a leisurely pace, watching the waterfront along MIT and the south
ern shore. Figures jogged or strolled along the pedestrian paths. A lone biker rode past, braving the cold and darkness. So many…like lambs in a slaughterhouse, waiting for me to get hungry. He tore another bit of the fatty flesh from bone and chewed thoughtfully.

  He scratched at the thick scab on his shoulder. His other injuries ached, but the dragon healed quickly. His thigh felt stiff and hot, but with food and rest he would be fine. And there was plenty of food.

  He tore off another hunk of meat and dropped the denuded limb into the water. The arm sank. Yes, this was much better, a leisurely meal with a water-front view and an easy means to dispose of the offal. No traces for the cops or Johansen's goons to hunt him down with.

  "Hunting…" he mumbled around a bit of gristle. He looked to the northwest but couldn't see Hutchinson's condo from here. There were other bridges near there. They weren't as concealing as this one, but he could hide there and watch, at least until morning. He knew a number of good hiding places for daytime but couldn't watch from any of them. No, his hunting would have to be at night. Nobody missed homeless people, and with the river to dispose of the bones, nobody would discover his activity.

  Derrick had only one problem left.

  Aleksi… He didn't understand her attachment to Hutchinson. Sure, she had fucked him, but that didn't mean anything. They were too different now. Was she keeping him like a favored pet?

  "You're talking about the woman who kept a lizard." He swallowed and picked out another choice bite. It didn't matter why Aleksi felt the need to protect Hutchinson, so long as she did. It would make her that much easier to find. Then he would make her understand, show her that he was the only one for her. His teeth sheared through the fatty muscle easily. He would feed and heal, then find her.

  And there was plenty of food.

  Hutch opened his door and cringed. His home was a wreck.

  Then he heard a cage being rattled against the kitchen counter and his concerns shifted one hundred eighty degrees.

  "Oh, Iggy! Damn! You poor thing." He dropped his keys in the bowl and hurried to the kitchen. Thankfully, the refrigerator was one appliance that had been spared the mayhem. He recovered a wide range of fruits and vegetables for the ravenous iguana. In short order, he had the cage door open, Iggy in a firm grasp, and was feeding him halved cherry tomatoes and bits of romaine lettuce.

  "I suppose this is male bonding." He offered up a slice of cucumber. Iggy ignored it, so Hutch popped it into his mouth. "Two vegetarian guys hanging out, huh?" He offered a wedge of slightly rotten strawberry and was redeemed.

  He put Iggy on the floor next to the bowl of diced food, and quickly cleaned the cage. Then, he turned to the fridge for his own dinner. Yogurt sprinkled with granola, a few of the lesser spoiled strawberries, some cucumber slices and bleu cheese dressing to dip them in. Add a cold beer and he had dinner for one. He sat at the kitchen counter and surveyed the damage while he ate. The thick marble counter near the sink was cracked, and the cabinetry was knocked askew. The dining and living rooms were utterly trashed, splintered wood, broken plastic, and glass everywhere. The condo manager had at least taped plastic over the shattered glass door to keep out the elements. Tomorrow he would have to contact his insurance company. He doubted he was covered for a battle between dragons, but a tale of home invasion and vandalism wouldn't be too far from the truth.

  With dinner finished, and Iggy stuffed and torpid enough to return easily to his cage, he put the dishes in the sink. It was bent and would have to be replaced. He went to his phone, checked messages, and then plugged in his computer to do some damage control. Eighty-four emails and six phone calls later, he checked his watch—ten thirty—and decided for a shower and maybe something to take his mind off his troubles. Bed and a book sounded way too good to refuse.

  After a shower, he felt better, and he opted for a whiskey in addition to the book. He went to the bedroom, put the book and glass on the nightstand and shrugged out of his robe.

  "Reading Zen again?"

  Her voice went through him like an electric shock. He turned to the shadows beyond the open closet door and saw two faintly reflective golden orbs. They blinked then rose. Aleksi stood from her crouch and came into the soft light. She was garbed once again as a street person, but had traded the coat for a loose-fitting poncho that looked like a blanket with a hole cut for her head.

  "Actually, it's a brain vacation book." He pulled his robe back on and nodded to the book on the night table. "You'd call it make believe. Something to take my mind off…things."

  "Off me, you mean."

  "No, Aleksi. Not you." He rounded the bed, but she backed away. "Are you okay? When you fell, I—"

  "I'm fine, Hutch. This…thing heals quickly, as long as I have food. It's you who's in danger. I'm surprised they let you go."

  "I agreed to stay quiet and to talk to you about Derrick."

  "That's why I'm here, Hutch. We need to talk about this." She shifted, her movements slow, deliberate. Was she injured and hiding it? "Derrick showed up here because I was here. He's looking for me, not you. That's why he didn't kill you earlier. He's probably watching your place every night. Just being here, I'm putting you in danger."

  "That's not true, Aleksi." He didn't like where this was going or the pain in her voice. "You saved my life last night. If you hadn't been here, he would have killed me."

  "If I hadn't been here, he would never have shown up! He's after me. He won't rest until he…finds me."

  "Kills you, you mean."

  "I don't think so, Hutch. The way he was fighting, the things he said…" She hugged herself, her long claws gripping her arms so tightly that they pierced the fabric of her poncho. "I think it's mating behavior. We're the only two…like this in the world, Hutch. Think about it."

  "I don't want to think about it." He took a step closer. "Listen, Aleksi, Johansen wants to use me as bait. She wants to take Derrick out when he comes for me."

  "She's wrong. He won't come for you, Hutch. He's after me! He came here because he knew I care for you." Her gaze fell to the floor. "I need to leave."

  "But if you leave, there's nothing to keep Derrick from killing me."

  "If I leave, he won't have a reason to kill you." She looked up, then away, her golden eyes closing tight. A tear slipped down the angle of her scaly cheek and fell from her chin. "Please don't make this any harder, Hutch."

  "I'm trying to make it easier, Aleksi." She looked at him, and he saw the memory of the last time he'd said that to her flash across her face. He reached out for her, but she backed away.

  "Hutch…don't."

  "Don't leave me. Don't let him win. If the feds want to use me as bait to draw Derrick into the open, then use me! If you think he's after you, then the only way you can expose him for them is to be with me! You said so yourself!"

  "Or I could hunt him down myself." She sniffed and wiped away her tears. "He's feeding on people, Hutch. All I've got to do is think like him, watch for him, and I'll find him. He won't kill me. Not if he thinks I'm…interested."

  "You can't be serious, Aleksi." The cold ball of dread that had been sitting in Hutch's stomach exploded into a full-fledged panic, his heart suddenly racing. "You can't let him—"

  "I have no intention of letting him do anything, but letting him think I might will get him close enough for me to kill him." Her voice was cold now, a predator he didn't know.

  "Do you think you can, Aleksi?" He wasn't talking about her physical ability to overpower Derrick; he was talking about her taking a life. "You're no killer."

  "Killing Derrick won't be murder, Hutch. It'll be an execution for what he's done." It wasn't really an answer, but it was enough. He had to trust her.

  "Promise me you'll come back to me when this is over." He took another step closer to her.

  "I…can't, Hutch." She hugged herself tighter, her shoulders shaking. "They'll never let me be, and if I'm near you, they'll use that."

  "I don't care."

  "I
do."

  They stared at one another for a very long while, eyes of gold and blue fixed upon one another, communicating more than could ever be said.

  "I've got to go, Hutch." She started to move past him, but he raised his hand to forestall her.

  "You can't!"

  "Please, Hutch, I—"

  "No, I mean not until morning. You said yourself that Derrick will be watching my place. He could be watching now." He put his hands on her arms, his fingers interlacing with hers. "You can stay until morning, can't you?"

  "I…I shouldn't."

  "Bullshit."

  She smiled, some of the pain ebbing from her eyes. "Yep, pretty much."

  "Then stay." He pulled her into an embrace, feeling the tremors in her wiry frame, wanting only to ease them somehow. "Stay with me, Aleksi."

  "I'll stay," she whispered in his ear, and it felt like the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. Her arms enfolded him, the sinewy wing membranes wrapping him like a blanket. Her embrace was gentle, her breath warm on his neck. "Until morning."

  45

  Hey, Dr. H!"

  "Hi guys." Hutch dropped his keys in the bowl and waved to the two contractors putting the last touches of plaster on the new sheetrock. His condo looked more like a construction project than a war zone now. "You're working late."

  "Just finishing up. Out of your way in ten minutes."

  "No worries. I'm going for a run, so just lock the door when you leave."

  "Sure, Doc!"

  He stashed his work things in the office, then went to his bedroom and changed into sweats. It was cool out, but there had been a break in winter's grip and people were out in droves enjoying it. The days were getting longer; there was a sliver of twilight at five PM. There had not been a murder reported since he'd last seen Aleksi four days ago; no sign of her or Penningly, and not a word from the mysterious Dr. Johansen. He was feeling strange with the silence, wondering if it had all been taken care of by the government, Derrick dead, Aleksi either dead or captured. His life seemed to be returning to normal; nothing to worry about but work and himself.