Jack—Colonel Jack Tarnition, United States Army—looked down at the dinner he still clutched in his arms, and lifted his head to belt out his victory howl.
I am the king, you stupid assholes!
Chapter 22
“So he’s out there?” Aiden asked. “You really think so?”
“It must be your colonel. I’ve had two calls from Nemir Muhmood. There is most probably a rogue out there, and the Council will have to meet and decide on their response,” Hozan said.
“And that will be?” Keenan asked.
“There is only one response.”
The other three sat in silence for a moment while they digested what Hozan had said. After the Iraq mission, Aiden had been sent TAD[116] to Headquarters, Marine Corps, for the last couple of days where he was undergoing a battery of tests, both physical and psychological. Only Keenan and a Navy doctor were present for the tests. Rob Knutson was not given access to Aiden, to Keenan’s smug approval, but he knew that the CIA wouldn’t stand long for that.
When Hozan had contacted Keenan about the need to talk, Keenan told him to have Claire drive the two of them up to Aiden’s hotel.
Having Council interest in Colonel Tarnition wouldn’t be good for anyone. Keenan felt a duty to inform Dr. Lowenstein, but then he would have to reveal everything, something he’d been avoiding.
“Wouldn’t that solve our problems?” Aiden asked. “I mean, if the Council took care of him?”
Keenan was about to respond when Claire said, “We don’t need any undue attention. Tarnition’s going to be a big, big problem, especially if a bunch of your Council muscle goes hunting just outside of DC. I’m surprised Homeland Security isn’t already getting involved if what you say is right, Hozan.”
“There is more,” Hozan said.
What now? Keenan wondered. Isn’t this bad enough as it is?
“If it is your colonel, then they’ll trace him back to you, Aiden, and your supporters in the Council will no longer be able to protect you.”
“But it wasn’t my fault! I didn’t mean to turn him! He did it to himself!”
“It will not matter. They will not believe you. You turned him, and he has become a liability to the tribe.”
“But I wouldn’t do that!” Aiden protested. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the Tribe!”
“Like these two?” Hozan said calmly, pointing at Claire and Keenan. “Or fighting for your Army as a varg?”
Claire looked guiltily at Keenan. She had purposely infected herself while Keenan had been an unwitting recipient of Aiden’s patronage.
“I do not blame you, cub, for Keenan and Claire. Your heart was good, but you should not have been able to turn them. It is still inconceivable to me that they were turned and are able to shift. It should not be possible. But this colonel of yours, he shifted, it seems, with no help. And now he’s stuck as a rogue. You don’t realize how impossible this is. You, a kreuzung, a patron to three, all who lived and are kreuzung now, too.”
“I don’t know either,” Aiden said, sounding miserable. “I just . . .” he trailed off, not completing his thought
He’d come back from his mission on top of the world. He knew he had helped his nation, and he was rightly proud of his actions. Then the secret testing had fed his youthful sense of excitement, of being someone special, like Captain America, ready to defend the country and all of that. Now, it looked like all this might come crashing down on his head.
“So no kreuzung has been able to turn a normal human?” Keenan asked to give Aiden a moment.
“Not and have one survive transformation, to my knowledge. I have wondered if our research teams would be able to find out why.”
“‘Research teams?’”
“Yes. We have two teams, one in San Diego and another in Potsdam, who are studying our genetic code.”
“You have teams of werewolves in biotech?” Claire asked in surprise.
“Teams, yes. But only the head of each team is of the Tribe. Their human assistants do not know the nature of their research,” Hozan replied.
“You hide what that research is from the people doing it?” Keenan asked, finding that hard to believe.
“It is not difficult, as we have been told,” Hozan said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“And they want to test Aiden?” Claire asked, reaching over to take her fiancé’s hand.
“Yes, they would if they knew about you three, from what I understand about them.”
“So let’s do it. Show them Aiden has nothing to hide. Maybe show them he’s valuable,” she said.
“Valuable?”
“If we tell them about us, I mean Keenan and me, that we survived. Isn’t that important!”
“No!” Aiden shouted. “I don’t want them to find out about you!”
“If it saves you—” she started.
“No. Period!”
“But maybe we don’t have to reveal ourselves. There’s Tarnition,” Keenan said. “They know about him, right?”
“They suspect there is a rogue, and one newly turned, yes. And there are rumors that it must be Aiden who turned him. Others don’t believe it and think the accusations are political maneuvering.”
“So maybe they won’t connect the dots?” Keenan asked.
“No, they will. They will know there is a connection between the two. But more than that. They can prove it with a sample of your colonel’s blood. They will ask Aiden for his, and it will be clear.”
“Like a paternity test on Springer,” Keenan muttered.
“On what?” Hozan asked, obviously confused.
“No matter,” Keenan said. “But if they do the connection, wouldn’t they want to know why Tarnition lived? Wouldn’t that knowledge be worth something?”
Hozan seemed to consider it. “Possibly. If it comes to that, I will suggest it.”
“We’re already testing him for everything we can think of here, so I can arrange for tests out in San Diego, if that’s a good idea. Maybe we should just do it now? I know scientists, and they’ll do anything to help in their research, and that could put someone else in Aiden’s court.”
“No, we need to wait. Let’s see if it really is your colonel first. No use drawing attention to Aiden just yet. OK?”
Claire and Aiden looked at each other for a long moment before Claire nodded to him.
Aiden turned back to the other two and said, “Yeah, OK. We wait for now.”
Chapter 23
Hozan was relieved when Aiden had agreed to wait. He doubted very much that any research would save the cub’s life in the long run. However, it could delay the execution of a kill order. There would be others who wanted to know how Aiden could turn a human who survived.
He’d suggested that they wait until the identity of the Virginia rogue was determined. But Hozan was sure the rogue was Aiden’s colonel. Too many lines pointed in that direction, and in Hozan’s 85 years of life, the most logical explanation was likely the true explanation.
No, Aiden was the “dead man walking” as Hozan had heard while watching television. He’d liked the phrase when he’d first heard it, but now it had an ominous, dreadful meaning. Aiden’s days on this Earth were numbered, and Hozan had nothing that would stop the inevitable.
When the time came, Hozan would grieve, just as he had grieved when his family was gassed, but he made a vow that he would do whatever he could to protect Claire and Keenan. He hoped he could at least do that for his protégé, who he loved as his son.
Chapter 24
“The decision has been made, Hozan Kamaran Mardin. And I want you there, if you will agree,” Nemir Muhmood said over the phone.
Muhmood was on the Council, but he had no direct authority over Hozan. The Council could make decisions to protect the tribe, but it could not compel an individual to do anything specific.
“Your unique abilities would be helpful as there has been no trace of someone shifting, but more than that, I want you there to ov
ersee what happens.”
Hozan knew that if the rogue was Aiden’s colonel, or anyone else newly turned, for that matter, that the rogue was probably stuck in varg form. There would be none of the shift-trace that Hozan excelled at detecting, and he was probably no better than anyone else sent by the Council to track down the varg by conventional means.
And after the recent article in the Culpeper Star-Exponent that Muhmood had forwarded to him, where a homeowner claimed to have shot a werewolf that took one of his dogs, and with the photo of the man standing holding an empty chain and collar, Hozan knew the rumors of a rogue were true. As did the Council. A team was being assembled to track down the rogue and eliminate it.
“And what exactly do you want me to do, Nemir Muhmood?”
The voice on the other end paused, then quietly, “I need to know. I need to know if my Omar’s line is in danger. You must have heard what Council Wais is saying, that this is my—your—Aiden Kaas, that he has somehow been able to turn another human.”
“You know that is impossible. No kreuzung can do that,” Hozan said.
“I know, but stranger things have happened. Who knows the will of God? And if it is true, then Omar’s line might survive.”
As will your line, Hozan thought. Omar was your only get.
He kept that to himself, saying instead, “But if that is true, Günter Wais will have the ammunition he needs to have Aiden eliminated. Your son did not have authorization to turn him, after all, and now Aiden is turning others.
“But of course,” he added, as if he’d just thought of it, “if this crazy rumor is true, if Aiden was able to turn a human, then wouldn’t the Council want to know how he did this? Wouldn’t they want to look into that?”
There was dead silence on the phone for a moment, then “I think you are right, Hozan Kamaran Mardin. As a council myself, I would want to know how that could be as that can impact the Tribe.”
Muhmood sounded more hopefully, more assured of himself than at the beginning of the call.
Seed planted!
“We have the facilities in Potsdam—”
“San Diego might be better,” Hozan interrupted.
Either facility would be fine, but the farther from Germany in Wais’ backyard the better.
“Of course, San Diego would be much more convenient, and Dr. Lopez would be best suited for the DNA sequencing,” Muhmood quickly agreed.
Dr. Singh in Potsdam would be equally as capable, Hozan knew, but Muhmood was no idiot, and he’d immediately come to the same conclusion as had Hozan. The farther away from Wais, the better.
“So, you will do it?” Muhmood asked.
“You know I can only observe? I cannot change any outcome?”
“Yes, of course. I merely want someone there I can trust, someone with whom I share a common interest.”
That interest being Aiden. You because of your line. Me because, because I love the boy.
But he also realized that it was possible he could interfere. The colonel, if that is who he is, had to die. But if his blood samples were somehow replaced with someone else’s, then that could save Aiden from scrutiny.
“If you realize that, then yes, I agree. I will be there.”
Chapter 25
The creature that used to be Colonel Jack Tarnition—and maybe still was, somewhere back in the recesses of his mind—crept through the woods, attention focused on the family camped at the edge of the river. It had been the cries and the laughter of the children that had caught his attention, and it had been the growing hunger that turned his belly into a craving taskmaster that drove him to approach them.
He knew he should avoid the two-legged humans, but he wasn’t quite sure why anymore. He’d left the areas where they seemed to congregate and walked farther and farther into the woods, climbing into the low mountains. He’d crossed several roads as he travelled, but the farther he went, the fewer the contacts. Not just the humans, though. There were fewer dogs, rabbits, and other animals on which to feed. He’d chased deer several times, but the dense brush that the deer seemed to ignore grabbed and tore at him, slowing him down. Yesterday, or the day before—he wasn’t sure which—he’d caught and eaten a toad, and he’d licked up some ants, but he’d had no real food since the last dog he’d caught and eaten.
He hated the animals, and their barking drove him into a frenzy, but they tasted good and quieted his hunger. He wished he had one now.
He’d come down a slope to slake his thirst in a good-sized mountain river, wary of the rumblings of trucks and cars coming from the other side, but he needed to drink. And while crouching at the river’s edge, his snout in the cold water, the happy scream of a child had immediately caught his attention. He started to bolt before his empty stomach cried out for action.
Warily, ever so warily, he crept across the river, the water never more than knee deep. He was so anxious to get out of the open that he almost jumped out at the far side and over the bank and back into the embrace of the trees. The cars whizzing by were closer, but the trees gave him a sense of security, and that emboldened him. Creeping up alongside the river bank, he carefully moved towards the source of the sound.
Now, hidden behind a low bush with pinkish flowers—mountain laurel suddenly came unbidden into his mind—he looked out on a family of five. Two adults sat in folding chairs in front of a parked SUV, drinking beer, while the woman idly tilted a fishing rod up and down as if contemplating actually going fishing. They watched a small boy hit the edge of the river with a stick, sending up splashes of water. A slightly older girl and boy were running after each other between the trees, screeching with delight.
The main focus of his mind was on the family as prey, as food. There was wariness there, though. He knew he should stay away from them, but whether that was because they presented a danger to him or not, he wasn’t quite sure.
However, he also recognized them as a family unit, and a small part of him was jealous. He didn’t understand that feeling. He didn’t remember if he had a family, or if he did, if there was the same kind of family bonding. He just felt as if there was something missing, and he got angry at the family for bringing those feelings to the surface.
The man suddenly jumped up, startling him into retreating quickly deeper into the laurel. But the man was merely dashing to the small boy who had stumbled onto his hands and knees into the water. The man swung the boy into the air and pulled him back a few steps. The man said something to the boy, but it hurt his brain to try and figure out what the man was saying. It sounded angry to him, but the boy was laughing and squirming to get back on the ground and to his play.
His emotions warred with each other, but as he watched the man let the boy down and return to take his seat, the woman casually reaching to place on hand on his arm, hunger and anger overcame wariness. He was stronger than them. He was bigger than all except for the man. He had teeth. Why was he afraid? They were hairless, weak prey, nothing more, and he needed to eat.
The sun started to dip behind the tall peaks on the other side of the river. It was still light, and it wouldn’t be dark for quite some time yet, but he felt better in the dark, more confident. The sun made him uneasy. So he decided he could wait a few moments, until the sun’s rays disappeared from this little river valley. His mouth started to salivate in anticipation as he watched his prey.
He was so focused that the splashing in the river behind him took him by surprise. He jumped up, mindless of the family, and looked back. Wolves were flowing into the river. The water came up to their shoulders, and they had to jump in ungainly leaps, but there was a purpose to their movement, and immediately, he knew what they were. They were his kind, whatever he was, but better, stronger.
He bolted straight ahead, right into the little family group. Screams surrounded him as he ran over the older boy, knocking him into the dirt, but he had already forgotten them. He was in flight for his life, he knew.
Behind him the howls let him know he’d been spotted, an
d they were on his trail. Panic took over, lending him strength to tired and undernourished legs.
Within a few moments, the road on the right came into the edge of the river, narrowing the forested area. He didn’t want to get back in the water, and he’d avoided the roads before, but he didn’t see that he had a choice. He broke out on the road and stretched his stride. A car came around the curve and broke into a slide, horn blaring. It missed him by inches, but it never registered with him. He knew death was following, a death more certain than any car.
He risked a quick glance and saw the wolves reach the road, a flow of dark bodies running in concert with each other. A human who had been in the car that had skidded off the road started to get out, saw the advancing horde of wolves, and quickly jumped back into the car, slamming the door close. The wolves ignored the human, their gaze locked on him as he ran.
Instinct took over to save his life. On the right side of the road, almost sheer rocks rose up for hundreds of feet. With the wolves only a few seconds behind him, he bolted for the rocks and jumped as high as he could, his front paws scrambling for purchase. He knew to fall back would be his end.
He started to slide down before one flailing paw caught an outcropping, and he was able to pull himself up. With panic-driven strength, he scrambled up the cliff. He didn’t risk a glance back until he was higher than the trees on the other side of the road. Beneath him, the pack milled, and a sense of relief swept over him. That relief was short-lived as three of the wolves suddenly shifted, moving upright onto two legs. They were just like him.
Fear drove him up the slope with the three climbing after. He kept looking back, expecting to see them right below him, but he had a lead on them.
The Werewolf of Marines Trilogy Page 52