Fang and Claw

by Markie Madden

  The techs all appeared to be busy, but a black-haired tech looked up from her microscope and waved. Her hair was tied at her neck, creating a long tail down the middle of her back. As she stood from the ergonomically designed computer chair and stretched like a cat, she beckoned them over.

  Her name was Jessica Jackson, whom Lacey had worked with on a case a few years ago. When Lacey and Colton had crossed the space between the door and her station, she stuck her hand out in a friendly way.

  “Hey, Lace! How’s things?” Her voice held a slight touch of New England.

  Lacey shook her hand, and while Colton did the same, she commented, “Hey, J.J. You know, people just can’t stop breaking the law.”

  “I know, right?” She said it as if it were a single word. Lacey chuckled; in her lifetime she had been able to watch trends in hair, clothing, and speech patterns go in and out of style in a cycle. Now, it seemed, mannerisms from the early 2000’s were all the rage. Before Lacey knew it, they would be speaking aloud in text language, saying Oh-em-gee instead of saying the entire phrase. I hated those years. Language is bad enough to learn, much less throwing in crap like text slang. “The tech you sent over to Fountain Place isn’t back yet. So, what can I do you for?”

  Lacey explained the key card setup for the Fountain Place building and scaffolds, and Jessica pulled up the blueprint of the building. Since the scaffold gondolas were permanent structures, the operational plans had been filed with the city inspector’s office in the permit application the last time the building was renovated. Lacey tried to look at her screen, but the jumble of colored lines and numbers meant nothing to her. The only things she could recognize was the words marking offices, restrooms, and mechanical or storage closets. The rest might as well be Greek to me, she thought with humor, borrowing a phrase she’d heard many a coworker use in the past. Except in my case, it might as well be Mandarin!

  Colton leaned in to peer over her shoulder. “Okay, I get it,” he said, tracing a finger across a series of black lines on the screen. “This is electrical conduit, where all the lines are run through.” He pointed to a set of green lines that ran parallel to gray lines. “This is more than likely fresh water, and the gray ones would be sewage lines.”

  “But that’s not what you’re looking for.” Jessica tapped some keys on the keyboard, bringing up the entire security system of the building, including all motion and sound detectors, pressure sensors in the floors, and the locations of every key card scanner. “Okay, I’ve got this.” She tapped her finger on the screen. “It’s an XI-47 system put in just a few years ago. It’s a fairly good system, if that tells you anything.”

  “How does it work? I mean, it obviously has a wireless network of some kind if the logs go to the contract company instead of security.”

  “Yeah, that’s one of the reasons a lot of places went to the XI. And their corporate office is located right here in Fort Worth, so getting any maintenance or repairs, or even troubleshooting, is a lot easier than if they were based out of state.”

  “Is there a way to falsify the logs?” Colton crossed his arms across his chest.

  “How do you mean?”

  “We’re wondering if it’s possible to scan into the gondola so the system reads the person as being inside it, but allows him to leave the basket without scanning out? Is there anything in the system that registers that the harness has, in fact, been put into the safety ring?”

  “Let me see.” She pulled up manufacturing specs on the gondola as well as the card reader. “From what I see here, there’s no way for the system to know whether or not the harness has been placed in the safety ring. It just opens and closes with each swipe of an approved key card.”

  Lacey exchanged glances with Colton. “So, you were right. Mr. Blyge could have simply scanned into the basket without placing his harness into the safety ring.”

  She nodded her head. “That’s what I suspected. It’s good to have that confirmed. So we have an alibi that might not be an alibi. How do we prove it?”

  His shoulders lifted into a shrug. “At this point, we got nada. Unless the DNA comes back with something.”

  “Or until he strikes again.”

  “You think he will.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I know he will,” she said. “He’s having too much fun to stop now. He won’t stop until we get him behind bars.” She nodded to Jessica. “Thanks for your help. Let me know if you get anything from the tech?”

  “You know I will!” The other woman turned to her screen again.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Colton followed his partner back to the lobby where the elevator seemed to take forever to get to the basement floor. Casually, he turned to her. “So, you were right about that, Blyge could have scanned in without latching his harness properly. What else are you holding back?”

  “Nothing else. It was just a question I had in the back of my mind. I mean, Fountain Place is close enough to allow him time to get over to Mrs. Smith’s place, crash her door in, and get back in only a half an hour or so.”

  “But why her place?” Colton wanted to know. “He acted like he was looking for something. I mean, the guy’s strong enough to kick in her apartment door, he easily could have done the same with those flimsy bedroom doors. It’s obvious he wasn’t looking to hurt her.”

  “Yes, it did seem like he was looking for something.” They climbed into her car. “But the question is, what was it?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” He moved the car’s seat back a few inches, barely catching a glimpse of the scowl that crossed her face before she masked it. Well, she’s gotta understand, if we’re going to be spending all our vehicle time in her car, rather than one of the units, I’m gonna have to make some changes. My legs are too long for her car. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned to stare out the window.

  “I have an idea,” she spoke up suddenly. “We don’t really have a pattern of these attacks, not like a usual serial who has a set MO, right?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “So why don’t we plug all three of the attacks into VICAP?”

  “You do that, and you’re likely to get a hundred hits.” He shook his head, wondering if she had lost her mind.

  “No, bear with me. Put all three in as a single case, see if we can find any other cases with the same inconsistencies as ours.”

  “That’s assuming he’s done this before. And assuming whoever was working the cases had the same idea to group them all together. Still, we’re likely to get more hits than we can handle. I mean, how far back do VICAP cases go?”

  “You’re right, but I’d like to try. I just have a feeling about this.”

  He remembered then that she had felt something familiar about this case right from the start. “Did you ever recall whatever it is that seemed familiar to you?”

  Without taking her eyes from the road, she shook her head. “I haven’t yet. But now that you bring it up again, it really is nagging at me.”

  He hesitated, not really sure if he wanted to get personal or not. What the hell, she is my partner. For better or for worse. “Well, you’ve been with the department, like, forever right? Think it’s one of your old cases?”

  She seemed amused for a moment. “I’ve only been with them for a couple hundred years,” she replied with a dry tone. “But even I can’t recall every case that I’ve ever worked on.”

  “Might be worth it to go back through some of them?”

  She set the car to auto drive and turned to face him. “It does feel really familiar to me. But I don’t get the sense that it’s an old case. More like...something I remember as a child, something hovering just out of reach.”

  “Well, what do you remember from being a child? I mean, before the ‘Change’?” The minute he’d said it, he wished desperately that he could take it back. Damn it!

  “It was a long time ago. I don’t remember the year I was born, but it would have been sometime in the 17th century. I l
ived in a small village outside of Athens, called Piraeus, in Greece.” Her eyes got a far-away look. “It’s about six or seven miles from Athens, give or take. We used to go there to the agora, the market. It was an all-day event, as we didn’t have any horses or mules, nor a cart for them to pull. We walked to the city, and walked home.” She shook her head again. “I don’t remember much from that time. The ‘Change’, the virus, it’s hard on the memories.”

  “Well, that smell, that cinnamon or spice smell. Do you suppose it’s possible that you smelled it before at the market there?”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Suddenly, it was like a gate flooded open in her mind, and she was back in the 17th century, sitting in Aegon’s working hut, watching him as he put the finishing touches on a garment.

  ~~The sound of Wolf song, far off in the distance, caught her attention. Aegon, too, turned toward the sound. “It won’t be long now, my child. They are coming for us.”

  “What do we do?” Fear snaked down her spine.

  “What we must do,” he replied, the sadness evident in his voice. “We do what we must do.”

  She knew her fight wouldn’t last long; though she had been learning from Aegon, and practicing whenever time allowed, she still wasn’t very skilled with the heavy, clumsy broadsword. Lacey preferred her short, well-balanced, and razor-sharp hip dagger. But since their foes had sharp claws and teeth in their armory, it wouldn’t be wise to allow them close enough for her to use the knife in combat. Still, she checked to make sure it was properly secured into her waist sheath.

  The scene shifted, and Lacey saw a sudden flash of red light from Aegon’s work table, and the tantalizing scent of cinnamon and ginger filled the air. “What did you do?” She whispered, all the fine hairs on her body standing on end.

  “What I had to,” he told her. They both startled at a hard knock at the door. “Summoned for help, for the only thing the Wolves are afraid of. I summoned a Skinwalker.”~~

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Colton watched in silence as his partner’s eyes glazed over and her head rested on the steering wheel. Fortunately, the vehicle was on auto drive and continued at the proper speed and heading until it sensed that she was unconscious. A few moments went by, then a few more, and he began to worry. He had just decided to try and snap her out of it when he heard her sharp, indrawn breath.

  With a sharp gasp, she raised her head. The car, sensing an incapacity in its driver, pulled over to the shoulder of the road and turned the hazard flashers on. Before it could call emergency services, she pressed the auto drive button, bringing the vehicle back under manual control. It was only then that she turned to face her partner, who was watching her in confusion and concern.

  “I know what it is.” Her voice was vulnerable and quiet. “We’re dealing with a Skinwalker.”

  Now he was stunned yet again by her revelation. “A Skinwalker?” He shook his head. “Aren’t those just legend? They never even taught about them at the Academy. I thought they were an old wives’ tale.”

  “No, they’re not legends.” Her voice was beginning to regain some of its usual strength. “It’s been five centuries since I’ve seen one, but they are most definitely real.”

  Lore about Skinwalkers said they were beings who could take over the appearance of anyone they came into physical contact with, though their base shape (when not wearing a “skin”), was roughly humanoid with long, coarse hair all over their body. Whenever they desired to change their guise, their outer “skin” would shed off in big bits and pieces, often accompanied by a clear slime. They were nasty creatures who were sly and sneaky by nature and were often found peeping into windows or generally being stalkers and voyeurs. Skinwalkers often had malicious feelings toward any of the Immortal races, even their own.

  Her hands, resting in her lap, were trembling, and she seemed oblivious to that fact. If it were possible, he’d say her pale skin looked more sallow than usual, and for a moment, she looked completely vulnerable. A surge of unexpected protectiveness washed over him, causing him a bit of embarrassment. Though he knew she was just as strong as him, she looked like a helpless child, and a tug of guilt pulled at him. But before he could do something stupid, he asked, “What do you remember?”

  “It’s difficult to talk about,” she began. “I guess you need to know a little bit of background about me. I was ‘Turned’ in the year 1621 in Athens, Greece. I know this much because Aegon told me so.”

  “Aegon?” He stumbled over the unfamiliar name.

  “He made me Immortal, and I quickly began to think of him as a father.” Her voice took on a wistful tone. “He ‘Changed’ me to spare my life.”

  “To spare your life?” He felt his temper flare as he snarled. “So he condemned you to eternity??”

  “It’s not like that!” She was quick to defend the man whom she still considered her mentor and friend, her Vampire father. “I was already dying. You see, I had been infected with Bubonic plague, the bacteria responsible for the so-called “black death” in the 1340’s and ‘50’s?” He gave her a puzzled look. “That’s the outbreak that most people are familiar with, but it wasn’t the only time this illness reared its ugly head. Aegon did spare my life, and he treated me as if I were his daughter. I was a young woman already, and my human parents were just told part of the truth, that I had left town and had died from the outbreak.”

  With effort, he reined in his emotions. “Okay, so you ‘Turned’. What happened next?” He was genuinely curious to learn more about her life.

  “We stayed in town; my parents didn’t come to Athens very much anymore, and I looked a bit...different than their young daughter, so Aegon decided it didn’t matter. He and his wife, Abana, they took care of me, looked after me while I was ‘Changing’.” A small, tight smile crossed her face. “It’s not...pleasant, the process of ‘Turning’. But after I recovered, I felt that I owed them for my life. As I said, they treated me as a daughter.”

  When she trailed off, he prompted, “What happened?”

  She drew in a deep breath. “There was a conflict. Trouble between us and a pack. A pack of Wolves.” She glanced at him but he said nothing. “I’m not sure what even started it, I don’t know if even Aegon knew, but there were more of them than there was of us. Aegon summoned a Skinwalker to help, he said it was the only thing Wolves truly feared. But it was no use. We lost.”

  The silence stretched on until he could stand it no longer. “I know.” She looked sharply at him. “It was my pack.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  She’d never before thought it possible that she would feel that fear again, yet here it was. The shiver worked its way up her spine, and then a chill ran down her, though her temperature remained unchanged, and the uncontrollable trembling set her limbs to shaking. But it was more than just the sheer terror; this time, she was full of rage as well. Her lips quivered as she tried desperately not to speak, or to cry, for she was afraid that once she did either of those things, she would be unable to stop.

  Obviously sensing her distress, he said with quiet tones, “I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”

  Resting her head on the steering wheel once again, she whispered, “How could I have known?”

  “Well, you were there. I wasn’t. I mean, I wasn’t even been born yet.”

  That mattered very little to her at the moment. Her blood cried out for justice, and vengeance. They wiped out my entire family, left me for dead, and he can sit here and nonchalantly talk about it as if we were discussing the weather! Her entire being wanted to flee, her brain wanted to just dump him out on the side of the road and see how he liked walking back to the station.

  Her heart still mourned for those lost loved ones, even after all these hundreds of years. Lacey knew that there was nothing he could say or do that would undo this betrayal, this infidelity. There’s no way I can have him at my back! Then and there, she made the decision to request a transfer.

  Turning away from Colto
n, she flipped the radio onto her usual 24-hour news station, turned the volume to an ear-shattering level, and pulled away from the curb, muscling her way into traffic to the sounds of blaring horns and a few rude gestures from other drivers. At that moment, she could care less about common courtesy on the road. Lacey’s only thought was to get to the station as fast as she could, as if she would be able to out run the turmoil flooding her mind and soul. Deep down inside, she knew that she could run to the ends of the Earth and still never escape.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched with bitter humor as Colton gulped several times and gripped the “chicken stick” until his hand went white. Knowing his fear of speed in general, and his dislike of her driving in particular, Lacey allowed one brief, humorless grin to cross her face as she slammed down the gas pedal with a squawk of tires, zipping carelessly through traffic and changing lanes with the intensity of a jockey guiding his mount from the back of the pack. She pretended not to hear Colton’s strained gasp as she threaded the German sports sedan into a hole more suited for an economy car. She gained a small and petty satisfaction at giving him such a scare.

  At the department, she allowed her long stride free rein and soon outdistanced the man with the unusual gait. She wanted nothing to do with him, didn’t even want to be seen walking with him. Not for the first time, she wished she had an office door to slam; Lacey wanted nothing more than to slam the door as hard as she could. Instead, she threw her shoulder bag into the corner of her office and stood staring out the window, her blank, unseeing eyes focused on inward demons clawing her guts to shreds.