The Werewolf of Marines Trilogy
Page 13
He needn’t have worried. When he ripped open the man’s stomach, he went too far. After a few strained gurgles, the man died.
Aiden felt let down. The man had not suffered enough. Aiden’s impatience had let him die too early.
With four dead insurgents, Aiden knew someone would be coming to investigate soon. He really needed to get out of there. He didn’t want to leave the equipment, though. He wasn’t sure if his grenades would lead to a secondary explosion, but he decided it was worth a try.
This could not look like an accident, though. This was not some incompetent bomb-makers blowing themselves up. He left the one man who had fought him, but with three quick yanks, he had the three heads of the others in his hands. Climbing the ladder was a little awkward, and he more jumped up it than climbed. He listened for a moment, trying to discern if there was anyone waiting to ambush him. He could sense the same people upstairs, but their breathing was more forced. He was sure they were awake, but staying upstairs and out of danger. He slung his M16 over his back and carefully took out his grenades. As before, his varg hands were not as adept with objects, but he managed to pull the pins on each, keeping the spoons depressed, then tossed them down into the room. Grabbing the heads, he bolted.
He was just out the front door when the grenades went off. It didn’t sound like there were any secondary explosions, but they still had to have caused a lot of damage. Aiden arranged the three heads just outside the front door, empty eyes pointed to greet the next person to arrive.
It was still dark, but Aiden knew he still had a ways to go to get back into camp. He wasn’t sure yet how he would get back in, but he figured he would improvise when he got there.
Just before he left, something came over him. Without meaning to, he lifted up his head and howled to the stars his victory.
Chapter 25
One of the advantages of working on the base was that Hozan had access to the collection of used books at the USO. Technically, he wasn’t authorized to borrow them, but one of the attendants let him take books, knowing Hozan would return them within a few days. Hozan discovered his love of books when he had first traveled to Langerich, Germany, as a young member of the Tribe to learn about their history and what was expected of him. He had brought that love back to Iraq and read anything upon which he could get his hands. Hozan liked all genres, and he was just finishing up a romance set in the American Revolutionary War when the howl echoed out through the night. The book fell to the cement floor of his small room as he jumped up. He knew in his heart that it had to have been Aiden.
The more Hozan got to know Aiden, the more he liked the young man. He had begun to hope that the Council would let him be, let him go on with his life. Now, it looked like Aiden had gone ahead and shifted, despite being told not to. He had sealed his fate.
Hozan bolted for his door, already a varg before he ran out onto the street. He looked in the direction to where he thought the howl had originated, then back in the direction of the camp. If Aiden was going to get back, the most direct route would take him only a couple of blocks from where Hozan was. Hozan immediately sprinted off in that direction, senses on the alert.
His heart was heavy, but he knew what the Council would want. They could not have a rogue werewolf jeopardizing the Tribe. It was his duty to become Aiden’s executioner.
He was actually surprised that Aiden hadn’t shifted earlier. There was a natural pull for all members of the Tribe to break free of the human confines and exult in the power of their bodies. It wasn’t even the shifting itself that had sealed his fate, but rather the very public howling that revealed him to the humans that was the issue. While a blood would most likely be able to get away with that, the Council was not going to let a kreuzeung, much less an unsanctioned one, show such a lack of discipline. The risk was too great that this new werewolf would be less than discreet and reveal more to the humans than anyone wanted. He knew a good percentage of the Council wanted him eliminated anyway due to the fact that he was unsanctioned, and this would give that faction a more compelling reason to do so.
He stopped at an intersection that gave him access not only to Aiden’s most probable route, but also would enable him to quickly shift to the two parallel streets that Aiden might take. He pushed his senses questing out into the darkness and within a minute or two, the unmistakable sound of varg footfalls revealed Aiden’s approach. Hozan eased himself back so the building gave him some cover. As Aiden passed, he would step out and break his neck. With a broken neck, Aiden wouldn’t have time to recover before Hozan administered the coup de grâce. At least it would be relatively painless. Hozan would see to that.
The footfalls came closer. Aiden was not in a hurry, and there seemed to be a joyous cadence to them. Hozan felt horrible as he prepared to strike.
He tensed as Aiden ran down the road, and as the Marine flashed past him, he . . . did nothing. He couldn’t. He eased back once again, watching the young werewolf bound down the street and out of sight.
He had been about to act on his own, but the Council hadn’t ordered him to take Aiden down. They would have ordered that, he was pretty sure, if they had known of Aiden’s slip-up. But they didn’t know, and Hozan decided right then and there that they wouldn’t know, either.
He’d try to talk to Aiden one more time before the American went back to the US. He’d stress that the young man had to be extremely discreet for at least the near future while his fate was still up in the air. If Aiden couldn’t manage that, well, he’d be a problem for someone else, not for him. Another member of the Tribe in the US would have to deal with him.
Aiden’s footfalls faded away. The Council had told Hozan to watch Aiden and to take action if the American did anything to jeopardize the Tribe. Hozan had not done what was expected of him, though. On an intellectual level, he knew he had failed in his mission.
On an emotional level, he felt good.
Chapter 26
“MAJ Ward?”
Keenan looked up from his desk to the person standing in front of him. The man could have been a model for Lands End with the khaki cargo pants and dark green chino shirt. He glanced around the desk. Yep! There were the Timberline boots. The only thing out of place was the black shoulder holster, the handgrip of what looked to be a Walther peeking out.
“Yeah, that’s me. “
“Rob Knutson, Major. I’m with OGA.”
That perked up Keenan’s attention. “OGA,” he knew, stood for “Other Government Agency,” and that supposedly meant the CIA.
“So, what can I do you for?” Keenan asked.
His visitor nodded his head slightly in the direct of MT, who had stopped whatever he was doing to watch. Keenan was tempted to ignore the signal. This was his office, not that of some spook’s. He hesitated a moment before deciding to acquiesce. It wouldn’t hurt to find out what this guy wanted.
“MT, how about you going down to the Bean and getting us some coffee,” he said, taking out a tenner from his wallet. “Can I offer you something?” he asked.
“Sure, I’ll take an espresso,” the visitor said, taking out a five and handing it to MT. “Thanks.”
MT didn’t look happy to be kicked out, but he didn’t argue. He took the money and left.
“So, now that we’re alone, why’re you here?” Keenan asked.
“Just wondering how the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night-business is doing,” Knutson said matter-of-factly as he closed the door to the office, turning lock.
Keenan’s heart gave a lurch before he could answer, “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”
“I think you do. I’m talking about your mission, here, your raison d'être.”
“My ‘job’ is to monitor waste management. We can’t be losing soldiers to dysentery and other infections,” he said.
Knutson laughed and said, “Well, I can see the ‘shit’ connection. But we both know that’s not your real job. No reason to pussyfoot around this. You’re looking for werewolves.�
�
Keenan sat there in stunned silence. There was supposed to be only a very small group of people who knew about their mission. It could be that this confident CIA agent was on a fishing trip, trying to get information. Something told him, though, that Knutson knew all about their division.
“And, if your fantasy has any merit, what’s it to you?” he asked after careful consideration of his words.
“Can I sit?” Knutson asked.
Keenan motioned to the third chair in their small office.
“Well, to be blunt, we’re brothers in arms, so to speak. Our missions coincide,” Knutson said after taking his seat.
That threw Keenan. The CIA was looking for werewolves, too?
Knutson must have seen the expression on Keenan’s face, because he laughed before continuing, “Yeah, hard to believe, huh? We’re actually investigating a myth.”
“But . . . what do you . . . I mean, I know what ‘OGA’ means, so what is the CIA doing in this?”
“I’m not acknowledging for whom I work, but suffice it to say that the Russians, the Chinese, the North Koreans, the French, and about a dozen other countries seem to think the subject warrants investigation. If another nation is researching something, then it might be prudent for us to keep an eye on things, don’t you think?”
“Ah, OK. So you’re just watching others, right? You don’t actually believe any of this, right?” Keenan asked.
Knutson’s smiling, wry demeanor faded a bit as he hesitated before answering, “I didn’t. I thought I was being shunted off to some dead-end job, and I felt probably like you felt going from Ranger to this. But, this may sound strange, the more I look into this, the more I think there could be something to it.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Keenan said.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve drunk the Kool Aid.”
“Uh, why do you think this stuff could be real?”
“Well, there’s always been a lot of evidence, things that couldn’t be explained away like a lot of the other paranormal myths, and if you look at history, well, it’s the same thing in almost every culture in the world. People who never had any contact with each other have all had werewolf legends, and all have been pretty much the same,” Knutson said.
“That’s it? That’s your reason?” Keenan asked.
“Well, there’s one more thing. The French DGSE is pretty sure Gabon has two of them.”
“You’re kidding me. Gabon? The Gabon in Africa?”
“That’s the only Gabon I know of. And from what we can gather, France has sent case officers to try and confirm this, but we think they’re pretty confident,” Knutson said.
“And they told you this?”
“Not exactly,” answered Knutson. “No one, not even allies, are cooperating with this. Hell, we’re not cooperating within our own government.”
“Ah, and that’s why you’re here?”
“Yeah, that’s why. This still seems crazy, but it seems crazier not to pool our resources. I’m here to figure out if we can put our heads together and see if we can make sense of what we’ve been able to gather.”
The door rattled. It was MT coming back with the coffee.
Keenan rubbed his chin, looking at the “OGA” officer. It made sense to him, but this was breaking all sorts of procedures. He couldn’t just make a command decision and jump right in the deep water.
“Tell you what. I’m not confirming that we have any interest in what you’ve said. But let me get back to my superiors. If they agree, I think we can meet again,” Keenan said.
“Fair enough,” Knutson replied.
He reached over and unlocked the door, letting MT in with his three cups of coffee. He took his, refusing the change MT held out.
He sipped his quietly while Knutson and MT exchanged Thai-related stories. Knutson had evidently spent quite a bit of time there, and MT warmed up to the man. Keenan still wasn’t sold the werewolves actually existed, but he felt oddly excited. If they did exist, then maybe his job actually had some value.
LEAVE
Chapter 27
“Aiden? Aiden Kaas? Is that you?”
Aiden looked up feigning surprise, hesitating a few moments before letting recognition cross his face.
“Oh, Teri, hi. I didn’t know you worked here,” he told her, hoping he sounded sincere.
It wasn’t an accident that he’d walked into this particular Port of Subs. It had only taken a few discreet enquiries upon coming home on leave to find out that Teri was no longer at UNLV and was back at home, selling subs to make ends meet. The rumors varied, but something had happened on campus, and she and Ben had been kicked out of school. Ben had headed up north to Alaska to try and get on a crabber featured on Deadliest Catch while Teri stayed behind. Aiden was placing his money on drugs being the reason they were kicked out of the university, but that was probably more wishing than anything else.
“You look great, Aiden. I didn’t know you were a soldier,” she said, sounding impressed.
“I’m a Marine, not a soldier. Just got back from the war in Iraq,” he told her, trying to sound nonchalant.
He brushed some imaginary lint from his ribbons. Normally, he wouldn’t be running around in his Bravos, the short-sleeve khaki-colored shirt and blue trousers, but this gave him a chance to show off. His Silver Star medal hadn’t been approved yet, but still, his two rows of ribbons looked good, highlighted by his Purple Heart. That one had been a little touch and go, to be honest, as not many Marines were awarded one for a “human bite,” but Maj Corbin had made it his personal mission to push it through.
“Iraq? Wow! Were you, like, fighting there?”
“Sure. This ribbon here,” he said, pointing to the blue, yellow, and red one, “is a combat action ribbon. This purple one was for being wounded in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.”
She instinctively reached across the counter, then hesitated. “Can I touch it?” she asked.
“You can touch anything you want, sweetie,” he said with a feeling of bravado that he never had before Iraq.
“Oh, man, you’re bad,” she said with a laugh, catching the double entendre, but still reaching out and running a forefinger across the dark purple ribbon.
“So, long time no hear. I guess you and Ben must be married, huh?” he asked, knowing full well that wasn’t the case.
Teri’s eyes seemed to cloud over before she responded with, “No, he’s up north somewhere. We’re done.”
“Oh, too bad. I thought you were a great couple. You looked good together at prom.”
She didn’t hesitate, seemingly forgetting punking him as well as the fact that he couldn’t have seen them at prom as he wasn’t there. “He looks good, sure, but he’s really a prick, if you want to know the truth. But I don’t want to talk about him. So what about you? You seem, well, different. You look bigger now.”
Aiden had only gained about 10 pounds or so since high school, but he figured that the uniform and his changed attitude might give the impression that he had actually gained more weight than that.
“Ah, too much time in the gym, I guess. When you’re not out fighting the bad guys, hitting the weights is what we guys do,” he said, immediately regretting his phrasing as being too lame. His interaction with girls had gotten better since he met Claire, but he still thought he needed more practice.
Teri didn’t seem to notice. Her hand snaked out to squeeze his biceps. “Wow! I can tell!”
She giggled and let go. “So, how’s your love life? You got anyone?”
“No, no one. Too many guys, you know, and most of the girls are lesbians,” he said, feeling a pang of guilt that he was labeling Claire, among others, with an absolutely unwarranted stereotype. He needed the excuse, however, to explain his single status and hence his availability.
“Well, you’re back here now, and it’s hard to believe no one has snatched you up,” she said.
This is it, Aiden thought. Strike now. No reason to be nervous.
“Say, why don’t we get together, you know, for old times? We can have dinner and catch up.”
Play it cool!
“Uh, well, maybe we can hook up. Why don’t you give me your number, and I’ll call you. I might be free Wednesday, so let me know when you get off work,” he said.
A voice from behind him spoke out, “Thanks for your service, there, Marine, but if you don’t mind, I need to get my sub and get back to work, so maybe you and your girlfriend can continue this later.”
Aiden looked back to see a middle-aged man in slacks, a shirt, and tie, the collar button undone in an attempt to combat the heat.
“Oh, sorry sir,” he said, feeling contrite. He looked back at Teri and said, “Uh, why don’t you give me a large grilled pastrami on white.”
When he went to pay for the sandwich, the man told the guy on the register than he was covering it.
“Thank you, sir,” Aiden said, surprised.
“No, thank you for your service,” the man said. Then, as Aiden took his sandwich to sit down, the guy whispered, “And good luck with the young lady. Make the Marines proud.”
He patted Aiden on the shoulder as he went past.
This had turned out much better than he’d hoped. What would happen on Wednesday? Well, he’d find out soon enough.
Chapter 28
Aiden watched out of the corners of his eyes as the airman benched 135 lbs. Four of them were lifting together, and while all looked fit, none had gone over two plates on the bar.
Aiden had his date with Teri set for 9:00 PM, and he wanted to pump up prior to that, so he had made his way to the gym at Nellis AFB. Used to the typical make-do nature of Marine Corps gyms, Aiden thought the Air Force gym was amazing, better than most commercial gyms. He wandered around, taking in the facilities for awhile before getting down to business.