Lynne handed her mother a collar and leash. “I even bought him treats."
I like treats! Treats are yummy. Can I have treats?
“That’s up to Mom, puppy. I’m sure if you are good she will give you treats. So, Mom, are you ready to take your puppy for a walk? He looks like he could use a tree, or at least a puppy pad.”
Smart Sissy. Love Momma, but I really gotta go to the bathroom.
Liam stood fidgeting by the door, nearly shoving the forgotten Guardian out of the way in his eagerness.
Beth took the leash and collar from Lynne, leaning in to hug her daughter and kiss her cheek. "Thank you, pumpkin. I hope you know how much I love you and appreciate what you do for me. I miss Steve so much it physically hurts, but I would never trade you for him. I would be just as heartbroken."
"I know, Mom. I just feel so helpless sometimes. I can see you fading away in front of me, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. Now, go walk your puppy before he pees on Jay."
Beth laughed, then after thanking everyone in the room for their help and apologizing for the upset, she left with Liam pulling on his lead in front of her.
Lynne watched with a smile as her mother was tugged from the room by the eager puppy, then turned to the other two people in the room.
"Thank you both so much. I apologize for the drama. Dr. Graeme, you have been fantastic. Everything you've done for my mom. I don't even know how to thank you. I truly appreciate you still making it work when Liam...injected himself into the Pod-doc. Not many people would have been able to take that in stride, complete my mom's treatment, and make sure it didn't damage the puppy."
She turned and addressed Jay, "I am truly grateful for you being here, and thank God you didn't have to be. I shudder to think what could have happened if Liam weren’t such a sweet-natured puppy, or if my mom had continued to deny him. This place doesn't need an angry or depressed enhanced puppy the size of a pony running around."
Jay just smiled at her quietly. "It wasn't a problem. After dealing with the Marines and the Queen’s Bitches, a puppy was child's play. I'm glad it worked out." He turned towards the door and then paused, turning back around halfway." I know you aren't thinking about it, but someone is going to need to brief the higher-ups about this. Liam could be dangerous at some point, even if he isn't now, and we all need to know what we're dealing with. "
"Wait a minute! Brief who, exactly, and why? He's a puppy, not a new weapon!"
"Yes, he's a puppy. An oversized puppy from a species that was bred to take out packs of wolves, and that was at a normal size. That adorable puppy is already the size of a full-grown hound and has twenty-one months of growing left. I'm sorry, Lynne, but at a minimum, Peter and John are going to have to be briefed on him and his specific enhanced capabilities. "
Lynne collapsed back on to the floor. "I don't know his specific enhanced capabilities! Mom doesn't know his capabilities. Hell, Dr. Graeme probably doesn't even know his capabilities. Can’t we just assume he has similar capabilities to Ashur and leave it at that?”
“The problem is, Ashur wasn’t a puppy when BA put him in the Pod-doc. Nobody knows what will occur with an enhanced puppy. A lot of people are interested.”
“Ok, Jay. I’ll make sure my mom takes care of it.” She turned to the doctor, “Dr. Graeme, Mom and I will be back tomorrow for you to do a follow-up with her and the puppy. Zeus, can you contact mom for me?”
“Of course, Lynne. What do you want me to say?”
“Just let her know that we need to be back here tomorrow.”
Jay interrupted, “If you want, I’m sure you could bring him to the APA for us to run him through an obstacle course tomorrow. That way you get it all done at once.”
“Thank you, Jay. We’ll be there. Don’t know what will happen afterward, but I guess we will see tomorrow.”
The next day Lynne stepped hesitantly into the APA. She had picked up her mother and Liam bright and early and taken them both for medical testing. Now she had gone ahead to meet with the people who would be administering the puppy's physical testing. She had no idea what was going to happen, and it had her worried. Clearing the doorway, she looked around for someone she knew who she could speak to and spotted Jay talking to a large man in loose sweats. She headed toward him, shoving her way between them and speaking as she did.
"All right, Jay, Mom, and Liam are on their way. I still think this is stupid. What fool in their right mind would insist that my mom's puppy could possibly be a danger to anyone?"
"That would be me."
The deep voice came from above and behind her. She craned her head back to look at the speaker and gulped. "Fuck me, you're...you're John Grimes. The John Grimes, aren't you? Oh...my...God, the Queen isn't here, is she? I don't want to be here if this goes bad and my mom and the Queen both are here.
“I'm babbling. Oh Lord, I'm babbling at THE Queen's Bitch. someone shoot me now..." Lynne finally ran out of breath and paused for air, only then noticing that Jay and John were laughing at her. "I'm really not this much of a dork, I promise. I'm just worried. You guys aren't going to kill my mom's dog, are you? " John shook his head, eyes still laughing.
Jay answered her soberly. "No one is going to kill the dog, but...some sort of arrangements are going to have to be made."
"What kind of arrangements? Look, I know you guys don't get this, but the rest of us aren't as tough as you. She already lost my dad, and he was her life. If you take that puppy away from her, I think it might kill her." Lynne turned to greet her mom as she entered the room, leaving Jay and John to continue their conversation.
Beth entered the room with Liam bouncing beside her. There had been no real surprises in the doctor's office. She was fine, completely healthy, and with an extended lifespan due to the nanocytes used to fix her genes. Liam was healthy, currently thirty-eight inches tall at the shoulder, seven feet long from nose to tail-tip, with an expected final height of fifty inches and length of eight feet. His lifespan had also been extended as a result of the nanocytes, and she wouldn’t have to worry about losing him for quite a few years. According to Dr. Graeme, he had the intelligence of an eight-year-old, which would mature to that of a young adult human. He had a sweet and even temperament and seemed eager to please. Now, they just had to get through this mysterious testing.
Momma, Momma, look! There's Sissy. Hi, Lynne!
He ran over to Lynne, chattering all the way. As he did, Beth looked around the room. There were strangers in military PT gear standing around the outskirts of the arena-sized space, as well a couple of well-dressed women in a viewer's area at the far end. On the floor itself, an obstacle course had been set up. It looked like a hybrid of a regular agility course and a Special Forces training course. As she glanced around, she noticed Dr. Graeme come in and start a conversation with one of the men in sweats.
Liam came running back. Momma! Did you see? They have lots of stuff for me to play on, and I get to run and play tug-of-war with some of the soldiers. Some of them smell like doggies. Sissy says they are actually wolves. Do wolves walk on their back legs like humans do?
Beth laughed. "These do. Sometimes they are humans and sometimes they're wolves, though I've never seen it. So, any idea what else you're going to have to do?"
Lynne says she's gonna ask the really big guy. Then I get to play.
The puppy ran back towards Lynne, tripping over his paws and righting himself with a doggy grin. Beth laughed as she watched him run past her daughter to jump around Jay and the large man with him.
"Mom, do you have a minute? We need to talk. You are going to have to make some decisions soon."
"What do you mean? What kind of decisions?"
"This testing, once he completes it, is where they decide if he is a danger to society and the Meredith Reynolds. If they don't think you can control him until he learns better, they are going to take him away from you. That big man with Jay? That's John Grimes, and he's here to report back to the Queen. What he says go
es, unless she contradicts him."
"So how do we stop it?"
"I don't know. I really don't, Mom. I don't know what the right answer is. I guess we just let Liam take the tests, which he seems to be excited about doing, and then worry about it. I might be worrying about nothing."
As Lynne and Beth watched, Jay crouched to talk to Liam, laughing as the puppy licked his face and chattered a mile a minute in his head. The two walked back to the women, with Jay resting his hand on the puppy's back.
"Ok, so here's how this is going to work. Beth, we want you to direct Liam through the agility course first. Don't worry about how he does or if he messes up. We just want to get a baseline on his natural speed and agility. This will also help us to judge how well you are communicating with each other, and how well he comprehends what you tell him. Then, he'll get to play tug of war with one of the Wechselbalg so we can test his strength, and with a machine so we can test his jaw power. Then, depending on the results of all of those tests, we'll have you send him through the obstacle course with me, and he will have certain tasks to do. Nothing will hurt him, and this should give us a good idea of how strong and smart he is. I know Dr. Graeme's testing indicated he is in perfect health, that his muscle and bone density increased to compensate for his added height and weight, and that he has the intelligence of an eight-year-old. We'll try and keep this fun for him, ok?"
"And then what, Jay? What happens when you have your results?"
"Then you decide what you are going to do. Whatever decisions are made, you will be a part of them."
Beth sighed. "Whatever, let's go, Sergeant. The sooner we get this over with, the better." She called Liam to her. "Come on, puppy, you get to go play now!"
Yay! This all looks like fun, Momma. Are you gonna play too?"
"Yes, sweetie, I am."
The two walked off to the start of the agility course.
ONE HOUR LATER...
Beth watched as Liam finished playing tug-of-war with a werewolf and shook her head. This was her life now. Werewolves and vampires were real, she was on a spaceship designed using alien technology by people who worked for a vampire queen, and she was not only healed of a debilitating genetic disease but also enhanced with nanocytes to live into her hundreds.
She also had a gigantic wolfhound puppy who talked to her in her head. It sounded like the plot of a movie that Lynne or Steve would have watched. Her eyes teared up a bit as she thought of her husband. She couldn't believe he had gone and bought her a 'hound. She had wanted a wolfhound for more than a decade, but her health would never have allowed it. They had stopped discussing it years ago. It was so much like him to have bought her one, as a surprise once he knew she was going to be ok. Her thoughts were interrupted by Liam bouncing up to her.
Momma, did you see? I played tug of war with a wolf! I got to run around, and jump over stuff, and swim, and...
"I saw, sweetie. You did really good. Did you get any treats?"
Uh huh. Lynne gave me a hot dog and some cookies. I like treats. Can I have more? You helped me bunches. You told me where to go, and when to turn. Can we do it again?
"Maybe later, baby. Momma needs to talk to Jay right now. Come with me."
Ok, Momma. Then can we go outside? I miss the sky. I want to chase butterflies and roll around in the grass and lay in the sun..
Beth had already started heading toward John and Jay, but paused in thought for a minute at Liam’s words. Walking up to the two men, Beth confronted John. "So, what's the verdict, Mr. Grimes? How'd he do? Are you going to try and take away my puppy?"
John opened his mouth to reply and was interrupted by Liam pushing between them.
You can't take me away from my momma! She needs me. I am hers, and she is mine. Daddy got me for her. You’re a bad man! Liam started growling, raising his hackles at the startled man. Beth gripped him by the collar.
"Liam, stop. Nobody is taking you away from me, but you need to calm down now." Beth looked up at the men. "Go ahead."
Jay looked at John and answered, "There is some concern. He has the jaw strength of a great white, and that's now, as a puppy. He is just going to get stronger. When he gets older, he is going to be a match for a full-grown werewolf in Pricolici form. John thought...we thought...that it would be better if Liam stays here with the Guardians until we are sure he isn’t going to hurt someone."
NO! I will not leave Momma! Bad men! Bad men, to try to take me away. I will stay with her forever! Liam lunged towards the men, barking and howling until Beth's hand on his collar brought him back.
"Liam, down. Stay. As for you two, you can see that isn’t going to work. Liam is mine, and I am his, He will do much better being raised in a loving home by someone who has experience training large dogs than being raised by the military. If you want to make sure he isn’t a danger to himself or others, then I need to make sure his sweet and loving nature is never ruined. You will take him away from me over my dead body." Beth stood between Liam and the two men, glaring up at John. "I don't care who you are, and I don’t care what the Queen says. This puppy belongs with me!"
Jay started to respond and was interrupted yet again, this time by a slender brunette. "She's right, Sergeant. We're supposed to be the good guys. If at all possible, Liam needs to stay with his family. I think you can see by his reaction that he is already loyal to her."
Beth jumped. “Your Majesty! I didn’t mean...”
BA laughed. “Can it, Beth. You meant every word. You would gladly spit in my face right now if you weren’t afraid of what would happen.”
“Only if I thought you were going to try to take Liam away from me. Otherwise, I would never disrespect you like that.”
"And how are you going to take care of him? How are you going to make sure he doesn't accidentally hurt someone here on the ship? I have a lot of patience, Beth, but if that puppy hurts one of my people, you are not going to like my reaction." Bethany Anne's eyes glowed red for a second.
Beth began to respond angrily, but paused. When she started again, she was calmer. "Ok, those are good questions, although I’m not sure I deserved you vamping out on me. I actually do have an idea that might make all of us happy. The job I do for you is actually easier for me to do from Earth. The only reason I was on board was for my treatments, and for Steve’s work. I have responsibilities on the ground that I have been ignoring, like handling the last of Steve’s affairs. Liam misses the sky, and honestly, so do I. So, why don’t I take him home? Back to North Carolina. I can advertise and promote TQB from there, and train Liam. I have a lot of practice training large-breed dogs, and the theory is the same, no matter how much larger he is than normal. He still needs to be taught not to jump on people, and that biting is bad unless he is eating or protecting people.
“Actually, since he understands me, it will be easier. I can explain why certain behaviors are bad, instead of just teaching him that they are. I get that he is making you all nervous, even if I don’t agree, so let me teach him on Earth in slightly less close quarters, where mistakes won’t matter so much.”
Beth paused and looked pleadingly at the Queen. “Let me do this, please?”
BA looked at her and then down at the puppy. “What do you think, Liam? Do you want to go back down to Earth?”
I get to stay with Momma?
“Yes. Nobody will separate you from your momma.”
Yes! Let’s go. I can show Momma my favorite trees, and the pond where I swim, and she can meet my brothers and sisters. Can we go now?
“I guess I have my answer. All right, Beth. Wrap up everything you have going on here, and then get with Cheryl Lynn to see what she is going to need from you while you are on the ground. This is not a permanent move. I will put a Pod at your disposal to get moved down. You will still be expected to come up periodically for meetings, and to show me how Liam is progressing. If this doesn’t look like it’s working, we’ll figure it out then.”
Beth smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” She turned
to Liam. “You ready to go get packed, baby? We are going to Earth.”
Yes, Momma. I am ready. Let me just say thank you.
Liam ran around the room thanking everyone he had been “playing” with on the course with kisses and tail wags, finally stopping at BA. He gently placed his paw on her shoulder and licked her face. Thank you for letting me stay with my momma. You are a nice lady. Okay, Momma, let’s go.
She stands intensely gazing through the Pod window into the depths of space, strong, silent, and straight. Her face is calm, the ravages of tears drying on her face. Beside her stands a large silver hound, her hand on his back. She speaks to an image only she can see, floating in the void outside the window.
"Well, Steve, I have my hound. I think we're closer than you could've ever imagined we would be. I miss you so much every day, but, it is getting better. Liam helps, and Lynne helps. I am going to be strong, and I will make it through this.
“Talking to Liam, spending my time with him and telling him about you, I remember the good times we had. I am going back to Earth to finish my job and take care of your estate. Lynne says she will come visit as often as she can, and I’ll visit her when Liam and I come back for meetings and assessments. But Liam and I are going home. You would be proud of me. Of us."
Tears start trickling down her face. "I just wanted to say goodbye. I love you, Steve. I always will. Thank you so much for everything you gave me throughout our life together. I will always remember you, and our good times. Lynne would make you proud. She finished your project, and she takes good care of me.
“I'm off on my next great adventure. You may not be by my side, but you are in my heart."
She turns away from the window, laughing as the dog jumps up to lick her face clean. "Thank you, Liam. I’m ready now. Sit down. It’s time for us to go home.”
The End
Author Notes T.L. Gryfen
First, before anything, THANK YOU! Thank you for reading, and hopefully enjoying, my story. Thank you to the Fans Write group members who read this story at the beginning and encouraged me to continue. Thank you to MA for letting us all play in his sandbox! A special thanks to Erika and Sarah for helping me when the story had to go in a slightly different direction.
Tales from the Kurtherian Universe: Fans Write For The Fans: Book 3 Page 5