by Jeff D Ellis
“You’re lucky I’m at my desk. Reboot the computer with the USB stick installed and let me knows when it reboots.”
“It rebooted on its own.”
“You can remove the device now and I’ll start my work. You can move on to the rest of your work and I’ll let you know what I find when you get back to the office.”
David put his phone back in his pocket. “Jeff is working on the computer now and suggests we get on with our work.”
“Good idea. Why don’t I check other parts of the house while you finish up here in the office?”
“Sure. It won’t take me long and then I’ll join you.”
“David, she is a Dryad. Could she be hiding in a tree around the house?”
“I didn’t notice any magical trail when I went around to the back door, but I wasn’t thinking of that. I will give things a closer look and be back in a few minutes.”
David headed out the back door. There must be some sort of clue around here to show where she went. Nothing stood out as something she could use for tracking magic. Anything they could’ve used must be with her.
Abby went out to meet up with David.
“Find anything useful?”
David pointed. “This tree has the aura of magic about it. Maybe it’s Ash’s tree. I have no idea what a Dryad does with a special tree, but it doesn’t seem like there is a connection leading away from it.”
“I’ll call some crows to watch over the house and tree. I don’t think there’s anything more we can do here. She’s too smart to leave clues or anything we can use to track her.”
David nodded. “We better go back to the office and see if the team has any new leads to follow up on.”
***
Hammer’s hunger was almost unbearable, and the walls felt like they were closing in. The mystery meat was looking much better, but he still hesitated to eat it. The fear of it finishing the job of making him into a monster was still strong enough to stop him.
Otis Thorn and his assistant entered the private room that was his cage.
“How are we feeling, Detective?”
Hammer couldn’t look them in the eye. “Hungry. Is there anything you can do to help that?”
“You have food. Why not eat it?”
“Only the meat calls to me and I’m scared of what it represents.”
“There are only a couple of tests left before we give you the cure.”
“Then get them done.”
The woman stood. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Dr. Mackie. I’ve been helping with the tests and research. You’re a very lucky man to be included in what should be the last phase of our testing.”
“Doctor, I would have been happy to have traded places with you.”
“I don’t think you have the education needed for the research. Take a seat and relax. You shouldn’t feel a thing and we’ll be done in just a few minutes.”
Hammer sat on the edge of the bed. He felt a heat rising as she came close. It was almost as if he could smell the blood running through her veins. His heart beat faster.
She dabbed some alcohol on his arm. “Don’t worry this won’t be was as bad as a shaving cut. Really just a scratch.”
A scalpel lightly touched his arm and he started to bleed. The smell of his own blood was too much. It wasn’t the bleeding that was the issue; he had been hurt many times in the line of duty. But his vision was going red. The copper smell in his nose was overpowering. Lashing out, Dr. Mackie stumbled away holding her arm. Blood was seeping through her fingers. Springing to his feet, Hammer went after her.
Thorn yelled, “Detective, look at me. Look at me!”
Hammer growled and turned to look at the new threat only to see a gun in his hand. It barked several times and Hammer felt weak and dropped to his knees.
“Now, Detective, you really are a Windigo.”
Looking down at his hands, Hammer noticed his skin was gray and his nails had grown to sharp claws. Now he was a monster.
***
After checking in with Gwen and Perry, Abby took her seat at her desk and started doing her own searches from her computer.
Ember squawked.
“Do you have something to tell me, Ember?”
“Movement at the house. A Human approached the tree and disappeared.”
“Let me see through their eyes.”
A wave of vertigo washed over Abby as her vision changed. It was hard to make out using the eyes of a crow, but it looked like Ash was injured and stumbled to the tree and disappeared when she touched it.
Abby shifted her sight back. “David, we need to go now. Ash is back at her tree.”
“It will be faster if I take flight and you met me there. We don’t know how long she’ll stay, and I don’t want to lose her.”
Ember, let the crows know that a Falcon will be coming and don’t bother it.
David headed over to the elevator and hit the up button. “See you soon!”
Using the other elevator, Abby took it down to the parking garage.
***
Dr. Mackie had rushed out of the room, leaving Hammer to process what had happened.
Looking at the physical transformation of his arms, Hammer felt despair for the first time.
I’m the monster I’ve spent my life hunting! At least the Human monsters I’ve brought to justice could be locked up. I’m a danger to everyone around me.
The door opened and Otis Thorn came in.
“Time for the cure, Detective.”
“What are my chances?”
“This should work. Sit down and let me give you a shot.”
Hammer sat and Thorn injected something directly into his vein. It was like fire running through his body causing a spasm, and for a moment it blurred his vision.
“Did it work?”
Thorn smiled. “I’m hopeful. Look at your hands.”
His hands were looking more normal now, and come to think of it, his hunger was a bit less.
“Now what?”
“I feel like this time will work, but it’s going to take a while to reverse the changes to your body.”
“Is this a cure or something I’ll need to be treated for the rest of my life?”
“It’s too soon to know if you will need repeat treatments. The idea is to suppress the negative aspects of being a Windigo while leaving the positive ones. I’m hopeful that the addition of shapeshifter antibodies to the formula we have been developing was the final key.”
“You set up David to be infected?”
“I missed the chance with his father. I had thought that it would only need some elements of his father’s DNA, but he was killed before I knew so that didn’t provide all of the answers we needed.”
“By ‘we’, you mean you and Dr. Mackie?”
“She is my daughter and a brilliant scientist in her own right. We have been working on this together.”
“Will she be all right? I’m very worried that I hurt her.”
“She will be fine. You weren’t contagious yet, and we are hard to hurt. It takes a full transformation before you can create more Windigos.”
“You’re not Human?”
“Now you aren’t Human either.”
“What am I?”
“Unique.”
“You mean a monster.”
“You are the first of your kind. You are no longer Human or Windigo.”
“You have me dependent on you. Tell me the truth. Why are you doing this? And don’t tell me it’s to better humanity or for money.”
“Someone we love is a Windigo and we will cure her.”
“I’m supposed to be happy being a lab rat for someone you don’t want to risk the cure on.”
“You’re expendable, but if the cure worked, and I’m extremely hopeful, you will benefit as well.”
“But not all of the people you’ve tried and failed on?”
“Better this than dinner for a Windigo. I will be back later to check on your progres
s.”
Thorn turned and left.
I may be a monster, but not as big of one as they are. I hope the cure worked and I can bring them to justice for everything they’ve been doing. I need to wait until I know I’m back in control and won’t be a danger to others first.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Taking Flight
DAVID HADN’T TRANSFORMED into a peregrine falcon since their first case as Marshals. There had been no need when Abby could get Ember and the crows to scout areas from the sky. It would really suck if after being sick and losing many of his abilities, he was no longer able to change into a falcon and had to get someone to give him a ride to meet up with Abby. Being a falcon was one of the first forms he had learned, and it worked for him still.
The air beneath his wings was refreshing. He should do this for fun, and not only when needed for work. At times he would go for a run as a coyote through the hiking areas behind their house, but this was so foreign to him, it brought its own sense of enjoyment. As a falcon, he could fly up to seventy miles-per-hour horizontally for short distances, but he could dive at more than two hundred. Nothing he did as a coyote or jaguar was more exhilarating than doing a high-speed dive. The peregrine falcon was one of the fastest birds there was, and it made him feel like the king of the skies. When he wasn’t being chased by a murder of crows. Being fast was nice but they had strength in numbers and didn’t have human nature getting in the way of their flying. It was hard for David to let his falcon body be in control at times.
Slowing down to his fifty miles-per-hour cruising speed, he still would make it much sooner than Abby could by land. The house quickly came into view and the crows squawked but didn’t attack. He landed in a tree next door where he could keep an eye on things but not alert Ash if she was still there. The magic was strong radiating out from the tree, so she must be there.
Abby, I’m here. I think you should keep your distance to not spook her when you arrive.
You don’t want to bring her in for questioning?
I don’t think she would talk, and we might be running out of time for Hammer. Let’s follow her and see where she goes.
Abby’s laugh almost tickled in his head. You just want more flight time, don’t you?
What can I say? It’s been a long time since I’ve done this and after being sick, it’s very liberating.
Fine, stretch your wings, bird brain, but I’m sending Ember to help. You might get tired or lose her on your own, and being a spirit animal, she isn’t limited to the physical restrictions of her raven form.
Yes, dear.
Maybe Abby was right to send backup. Feeling good wasn’t the same as being back to his full abilities. If he lost Ash because he got tired quickly, he wouldn’t forgive himself anytime soon.
I wonder how long Ash will be in her tree.
***
It felt like forever to David waiting for Ash to emerge from her tree. It was dark and gloomy, and he was tired and hungry. It wasn’t like a normal stakeout with food in a nice warm car. He was up a tree trying to watch and getting tired of a dog barking at him. One thing he didn’t want to do was go hunting. The idea of ripping a rabbit to shreds offended his human mind, but it was exactly what his falcon body wanted.
Abby, I can’t wait anymore. I’m tired and hungry and have to admit that it’s time for Ember to take over for me.
Ember is watching. Come down and join me in the SUV and have something to eat.
Crap! Ash just emerged from her tree and she is moving quickly.
She must be feeling better. Ember can watch from above and we can follow from a distance.
I better follow her.
David, listen to me. I want you to come down and get in the car. You were very ill recently, and even with your abilities, you’re not at one hundred percent yet, and you have a fight coming if we find a Windigo. Save your strength. You’ve been in falcon form way too long for your condition.
Abby was right, but it was hard to face the fact that he wasn’t up to his normal abilities. It sucked he couldn’t do his job properly, but an off day could get Abby hurt.
He flew down from the tree to meet up with Abby. With wings stiff from sitting so long, David faltered when jumping from the tree and he fell several feet before his wings caught him. It was good Ember was there to take up the slack or he would have lost her.
***
Abby wasn’t impressed that David didn’t make a clean transformation as he landed. He looked more like when he was first learning and not displaying the skills she knew he had. It was important he get food and rest. It had felt like he was coming back to work too soon, and now she wondered if he should sit this out. But she couldn’t rescue Hammer or fight a Windigo without him.
David got in the SUV.
“Let’s get you some food. Ember will let me know where Ash ends up.”
“You don’t think we should follow behind?”
“I can’t drive while looking through Ember’s eyes and we need you fresh when Ash finally stops. You can trust Ember; she isn’t saddled with the needs of a physical body and won’t lose Ash.”
David shrugged. “I’m not so sure about her needs, but let’s play it your way.”
“Okay, let’s stop for food and I can watch through Ember’s eyes while we eat.”
***
David watched as Abby’s eyes lost their focus. This must have been what it looked like when she viewed things from Ember’s point of view. He didn’t want to intrude, but he just had to know.
“Any luck?”
“Ember is still following Ash’s car. Seems like she is taking the long way to wherever she’s going to avoid being followed.”
“I guess she didn’t expect Ember.”
Abby laughed and her eyes went back to normal. “She has to know what I can do with Ember, but seeing a Raven in the sky at night would be almost impossible.”
“I don’t know how you could even do it during the day while driving.”
“That’s true since Ember can be really sneaky when needed.”
“If Ember could do all this, why let me fly off to watch in the first place?”
Abby smiled and patted his leg. “I felt you needed to stretch your wings, and if we were going to arrest her on the spot, one of us needed to be there when she came out of her tree. We had no way of knowing it would be hours.”
“Was it all a test?”
“I wanted to see if you were as recovered as you said.”
David rubbed the back of his neck. “Now we know, I’m not at one hundred percent.”
Abby gathered him in her arms. Their hearts beat together for a long moment. She rocked him a little. “It’s okay, you almost died, and even though your body feels fine, it’s like you’re relearning your abilities. But you’re progressing much faster than the first time.”
“Did you ever regret your decision to get engaged?”
Abby looked into his eyes. “I did think about what it meant, but never regretted the decision.”
“Even after what Kat said that night after dinner?”
Abby smiled. “Did you ever worry while trying to save me?”
“My only worry was if I would be in time, not that I might die trying.”
“Then you know exactly how I felt while you were sick.”
Abby’s eyes went out of focus again. “Ash has stopped at Thorn Technologies and hid her car inside the loading dock. Ember will keep watch and let me know if the situation changes.”
“We better get back to the office and brief the Chief.”
***
As time went on, Hammer felt more his old self. Maybe the cure was working. He tried getting angry, as if that would turn him into a monster like the Incredible Hulk. But it didn’t make him change, nor did punching the wall. It didn’t cause as much pain as he expected it to, and caused no damage to his hand and very little to the wall. He must still have some sort of advanced healing. That could come in handy if he had to fight his way out of
here. It also showed him that the extra strength of a Windigo wasn’t his. It could be that the strength came with growing in size from eating human flesh. That he wasn’t going to test out. Normal fruit seemed to help with the hunger, and he didn’t crave the mystery meat now.
The last key to the puzzle was whether he would need repeated treatments. He couldn’t turn against his captors until he was sure of that.
Dr. Mackie entered the room with Otis Thorn.
“Do I need to restrain you this time to do a blood test?”
“I’m sorry for hurting you. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine now. Will you be good?”
Hammer took a seat. “Yes, Doctor. You have nothing to fear from me.”
She smiled and sat next to him. “It was a joke, Detective. I’m completely healed now and knew the risks. Now let’s see how much you’ve improved.”
She jabbed him with a needle and took some blood. After wiping off the area, the puncture was gone as if she hadn’t done it.
She stood. “All done. I will do my tests and let you know the results.”
They moved to the far side of the room away from him, but he could still make out what they were saying.
“You’re right. He does seem to be showing signs of the cure working as hoped.”