by Mel Todd
His heart leapt at the idea of getting to meet McKenna. "You sure she won't mind."
"Positive, been trying to get her to meet you anyhow. Bring something to share, meat is good. These are good people."
They talked for another minute and he agreed to show up. The drive home had him going through all the questions he wanted to ask, nerves at meeting her, and puzzling over the weird actions of the teams, and the unexpected request to be the union's president.
His odd mood lasted through laps until he struggled to get out of the pool, exhaustion pulling at him like dead weights. Bed called for him, and he walked naked from the pool to his bed, collapsing into it.
"Finally." The growl behind his ear had him snapping into position so fast he thought his spine might fuse in place. "Your Commander is here, and you should be assigned soon. I expect you to do your best. This Commander is one of the best, and the missions you will be led on will be stories of legends."
"You know this Commander?" The words were not English, but his mouth made the sounds without effort.
The male blinked and for a second it seemed like the world rebooted, everything flickered, but so fast he couldn't track or swear it had happened.
"No, but it does not matter. All Commanders are the best. That is why they were chosen. Only the best are elevated to Commander of the Kaylid." The odd eyes, Perc realized he didn't have round pupils, but vertical ones, and a shiver of wrongness ran through him. "You are dismissed. Prove to the Commander you are worthy of keeping. Eliminating any that we have spent time training is annoying to our…" he paused, and Perc got the impression he searched for the appropriate word to use, "our leaders. We don't want to annoy the Elentrin. Remember that. That is one lesson you only get to forget once." An image of dead bodies, no a memory, of those who hadn't passed the trials flashed through his mind. A memory of something he had never seen.
The male jerked his head towards another room on the ship. "Head to the training room. Prove you are the best."
Perc found himself heading in the direction indicated and the body he rode, maybe it was his body, without a mirror he couldn't be sure, fell into exercises that he knew were meant to teach him to kill. They moved with this shape, this hybrid body, and he smoothly moved through the patterns as if he'd done them a thousand times before.
"All Kaylid report to the hangar. The Commander is arriving."
No chaos, just ordered filing out. He found himself moving down a long mustard brown hall. He filed in with the rest, males, females, and a few he wanted to look at because the clues his eyes received made no sense. None of them looked human, but then neither did he, but not all were bipedal. Some had four arms, some only a thumb and two long fingers, at least one had three legs and three arms. As much as he wanted to look, his head fixed straight ahead on the vehicle sitting in the middle of the large area.
It's a space shuttle. Holy shit, it's a space shuttle.
He wanted to take a look and figure out how it flew. Did this mean they could travel between planets? But he couldn't even twitch a finger.
"Attention," the voice boomed in and outside his head.
A sound blared over and over and he waited for the Commander, but the sound just kept blaring. Perc opened his eyes to realize his alarm made the awful noise.
He shut it off laying there, thinking. Yes, a day with JD sounded really good. Maybe he'd experienced something similar. That or bad guys were coming for him from outer space.
Perc snorted and rolled out of bed. He had too much stuff to do than allow his subconscious to play back all the sci-fi movies he'd watched as a kid. With that thought he headed through his day, looking forward to drinks with JD and getting to meet McKenna. A nice normal day where nothing more exciting than burning a piece of meat would occur.
14
Epilogue
Promotions are on tap for our local heroine, Officer McKenna Largo, or to be more accurate Detective Largo. After rescuing herself from the hands of kidnappers, getting all the kids back safe, the department has confirmed her promotion to Detective. We here at KWAK news couldn't be prouder of our heroine. We wish her the best of luck in her new role, and we are sure she'll make us all proud. ~KWAK News
The disconnect of the line had a level of finality in it that set his teeth on edge, even as he fought back a smile. While one man with too many brain cells had derailed plans that had cost him every favor and a bit of leverage he had much, much earlier than he had originally planned. But either way the capital he had spent seeded the thoughts and ideas he wanted to start filtering through the public perception.
Leaning back, a slow smile stretched his face. Now if any medical issues come up, the idea had already filtered through the collective consciousness of fans, and people would wonder if something was there to explain it. A bit of long-term planning, but he expected it to be very beneficial when he needed to make his move.
But, he still experienced the desire to throw the phone across the room, instead he set it down and pulled out a spiral journal out of the inner pocket of his suit coat. He had wanted more time to allow the idea of shifters having risky medical issues awaiting them filter into the public space; his ultimate plan did not change.
Though his effort to get the shifters to feel disenfranchised, off balance, and persecuted, didn't work as well. Just because you were equal under the law didn't mean people would hire you, work with you, or date you. Percival Alexander had derailed a lot of that by standing up too fast. He had assumed he'd have been able to get them all to bend much more before any of them pushed back.
His ultimate goal hadn't changed and even this worked towards it. A smile creased his face as he made a note to send social messages to imply the shifters had threatened people to get the suspension lifted. Another bit of misdirection that would pay off down the road. Eventually, he'd have an army of grateful beings that were his to control. But he had time, he didn't need to make his move for another decade or so.
Looking at his notes he tried to analyze exactly where the error in his plans crept in, he should have had at least a month or more before the pressure reached a breaking point. Visibility and scope. The cop would have been easier, as she didn't have an active social presence to speak of, but she had enough fans that it could have gotten ugly. In the long term the athletes were a better bet. Hard to have as much sympathy for people who make millions of dollars and then waste it publicly. People paid attention and are always willing to believe the worst, especially if public features are involved in some sort of scandal. If his people had done their jobs correctly, people would have wondered why they were suspended in the first place, and that would have made them wonder if something was being hidden.
Flipping to his project chart in the back of the notebook, he adjusted it a bit, but the ultimate goal didn't change at all. He just might have to work a bit harder to make some of the pieces move the way he needed them to. A flash of light pulled his attention to the silent TV and the news scroll playing on it. The triumphant escape by Officer Largo.
He snorted in disgust. A smart man would have shot her and kept the younger cop. Even from the brief photos they had shared after the shooting he could see she would have been easy to control. Largo seemed smart, competent. And that meant she would cause problems.
He pushed it away, for now she wasn't his problem. Percival Alexander on the other hand, needed to be removed. He had single handedly destroyed a plan he'd spent way too much political capital on. That would not be tolerated. But for now, it was a problem for another day.
He rose, and cleared off his desk blotter, making sure the three letters on the crest had nothing obscuring them. Reminding him exactly what his job was, to protect this country. He straightened and walked out of the office, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Tomorrow he would start on taking care of business and maybe calling in a few of his less elite favors.
"Goodnight, sir," the security guard called as he walked out. The wage slave was favored with
a smile and a nod, and he walked out of the government building, already planning tomorrow's activities. The ringing of his cell phone caught his attention as he slipped into his car. The number didn't ring a bell though, but he could tell it originated in Northern California. He let it go to voice mail, you never answered a call, it let people think they mattered.
He let his car warm up, and a beep interrupted his thoughts. Not spam. He glanced at the transcript and froze. The car rumbled around him while he stared at the transcript. With narrowed eyes he hit call back.
"Yes?"
"After all these years, you're calling in that favor. Why do I feel it has something to do with a certain shifter cop?"
He leaned back and listened, wondering how he could use this to his benefit.
Home Alone
Kaylid Tales
Mel Todd
Bad Ash Publishing
Atlanta, Georgia
Copyright © 2018 by Melisa Todd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Bad Ash Publishing
Powder Springs, GA 30127
www.badashpublishing.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout © 2017 BookDesignTemplates.com
Home Alone/ Mel Todd -- 1st ed.
ISBN 978-0-0000000-0-0
Moving forward is all we can do in this life.
Adults lie.
― Charley Davis
Day in the Sun
A British mother has donated her children to the zoo. British mom Laura Smythe says she can’t handle her two kids, an eight and ten-year-old boy who can change into grey wolves. “They refuse to change back to human, all they do is run around, howl, and mark everything with their pee. I’m done. They want to be animals, they can live in the zoo.” Outrage and oddly support, has risen for this woman. The zoo in question has not answered our requests for interview. ~ TNN World Affairs
“You’re here, finally.” Charley said, bouncing to his feet from the video game. Playing by yourself equaled boring. The twins might only be seven to his nine, well nine and a half, but they were fun to play with.
“We can’t drive. Mom took forever,” Jessi protested even as Jaime bumped shoulders as he went by.
“Still…” he trailed off, walking in with her as Jaime beelined for the bookcase. McKenna had bought some more books. Charley liked to read, Jaime loved to read. Even shifting and playing occasionally took a second seat. Apparently, this time none of the books were that exciting, because he turned and looked outside where the grill and table were set up, waiting for JD to work his magic.
“Hunter and prey?” Jessi asked, bouncing a bit on her toes.
Charley narrowed his eyes at her. Jessi cheated. Not in a bad way, but she firmly believed in using every advantage to make sure she won.
“Fine. But no mind speech. And you get to be prey first.”
~No fair. Mind speech is the only way to talk in animal.~ She protested crossing her arms.
Charley glanced around to make sure no adults were paying attention. Their parents knew they could talk without them being able hearing them. A separate room in their mind that only had the three of them and maybe room for one more, instead of the big room with everyone. It was theirs and something they didn’t want to risk.
~True but talking to Jaime and making him not find you is misusing it. If we play, we play like we are animals and we can’t talk.~
“Fine,” Jessi said and wrenched open the door stalking out. “I’m still going to beat you.”
“Ha. Go for it.”
He could feel Jamie’s humor as he followed his sister out, though his face stayed like they were forcing him to play.
The adults never seemed to notice anything odd, well McKenna did sometimes, but she and Toni were talking so they headed out. Jessi got to change first and as she streaked out of the changing room in her cat form, Charley started to count.
“1,2,3...” He kept counting and Jaime hopped up and down with a grin spreading across his face.
“29,30. Go Jamie.” Jamie dove into the little curtained area, and before Charley could begin to get antsy he bounced out, tail lashing back and forth as he lifted his head and scented.
Jessi’s excitement and joy of the hunt rippled down the link and he smiled in response, feeling his own excitement rise.
Charley scrambled into the area, stripping off his shorts and shoes and socks, even as he started to change. The last sock he had to pull off with his teeth. Springing out of the enclosure he inhaled sharply, drawing air into his nose.
Jessi’s familiar scent wrapped around him and he grinned, jumping off the deck. He began to hunt his best friend, Jamie right on his tail, literally.
The next thirty minutes were spent chasing each other. Jamie hid the best, rolling in a strong-smelling bush to hide his scent. It took Jessi and Charley fifteen minutes to find him, as opposed to the eight it took them to find Jessi. She always went up the tree, then denied she always hid here. He knew she loved being able to see the area and feel like she could see forever.
Panting, they laid in the shade under a tree with the deck and the promise of grilled meats in their sight. Animal forms didn’t sweat the same and after the first time they had heat stroke, they’d learned to take breaks.
The sound of cars, more than the familiar sounds he knew, grabbed his attention. He heard so much in wolf form that he had learned to ignore a lot of it. But laying in the shade felt good and he let his mind wander.
~Cars pulled up. One is JD’s big thing. Who else was coming over?~ Jessi asked even as she rolled in the dry California grass.
~No idea. Wanna go see?~ Jessi’s ability to be bored was a running joke between the boys. Anything more than a few minutes of quiet and she was ready to get into mischief.
~In a bit.~ Charley smirked as he watched her stretch. Making her wait would drive her crazy. He got a perverse pleasure out of driving her crazy.
They lay there a bit more, her tail lashing back and forth between the two boys as she practiced patience, poorly.
Figuring he’d tortured her enough, she got mean if she got too bored he yawned, his ears catching more cars.
~Huh, more cars. Come on, lets head up. I’m hungry.~ Charley rose, and Jamie followed.
~Think they’re going to start cooking soon?~ Jessi had quit her rolling on the ground and stretched, then followed them.
~Probably, you know none of us want to go hungry.~ Charley didn’t look back, he could feel her coming behind him. The link between the three of them had deepened to a point where they almost felt each other’s feelings but it didn’t scare any of them. They also didn’t spend any time poking at it, it just was.
A weird sound grabbed his attention, his ears perking up. He picked up the pace a bit, breaking into a slow lope as smells that were just wrong assaulted his nose.
~Something wrong?~ Jamie’s asked in his head.
~Don’t know.~ And he didn’t know, but the scream in his head from Wefor took every other thought away and he broke into a flat out run. He turned the corner at the same time he saw adults in all black gear and funny guns coming around the corner of the house. Their weapons aimed at his foster mom.
Run
Renowned child psychologist speaks out against allowing shifter children to spend time as animals. Per Dr. Suzanna Kort, “Children need to develop on the schedule of a human body. We have always known animals develop faster and in different ways than humans. This disturbing rise of allowing children to spend significant time as an animal could cause uneven maturity, issues with emotional control, and even change
s in their physical structure. I implore all parents to prevent their children from shifting until after the end of puberty.” This opinion seems to be held strongly by the medical community but parents en mass are laughing at the very idea of being able to do this. ~TNN Anchor
~Charley, run!~
McKenna's command echoed in his mind even as his body responded, unable to disobey, to the point he almost fell over as his body jerked to a halt. Struggling to stay upwards and wanting to fight the order, Charley spun and raced away from the prone form of his foster mother, of his McKenna laying on the ground with men in black tactical gear and guns headed towards her.
~Jamie, Jessi, run! ~His scream mimicked the one he heard echoing in their minds from their mom, Toni.
~But Mom!~ Their screams echoed in his mind even as they sprang away from the house, their black tails whipping as they streaked across the field.
Charley chased after them as fast as his four paws could carry him. Hide she'd said, away from the men. He wanted to go protect her but he couldn't do much. Even as a wolf with sharp teeth that could shred a man's leg, there were too many with guns.
So he ran.
He heard the shouts and yelling. A frisson of awareness made him jerk to the right and a burning streak went across his shoulder.
“Yip!”
The yelp of pain and surprise underscored the burst of speed he and the twins put on.
~Where are we going? We can't run forever.~
Jessi's tart voice didn't hide her stress or fear. But he couldn't help with that, not when it took all he had not to run back towards McKenna.