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Chapter -16- Out of the Blue

Unknown... North England ...

A masculine voice faded in, saying, "Large bore," but faded back out before she could make any sense of it.

...

What felt like moments later, another voice said, "Is she waking up? I see her eyes opening, Gov."

Followed by, "No, she's sedated. I need a clamp, nurse." The voice faded out again.

...

There was another female voice - a different one this time. "You have really pretty eyes, mate. Bloody shame about your head."

"Bloody shame about this migraine," said Karla in a tired voice.

"Oi, Christ, she's talking, everybody!" Then, directed to Karla, the nurse asked, "Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital?"

The nurse added, "Do you know your name, and what year it is?"

"Keturah. It's Friday, August 20, 2049. I'm groggy."

The nurse frowned. "No, it is Sunday morning, luv. You sound Welsh." The voice turned away and said, "I think she's Welsh."

Another voice, "We'll try not to hold that against her." There were a few chuckles.

"Cheeky, you lot." Karla murmured.

The first nurse asked, "Do you know the name of the boy that came in with you?"

"Conner Parker," she said. "Is he okay?"

"He's still in surgery."

Karla sighed in relief. "Good, his grandmother would kill me if he died."

...

The succubus trailed off, then asked, "So, why am I so groggy?"

Another woman's voice, different face, darker hair this time. "Pardon? Did you just speak?"

"Groggy?" asked Karla. Her Welsh dialect dissipated into the practiced American one.

"Oi, darling, we gave you Vancomycin. You were under the rubble for two days. You had an infection in your wound. But you had a wee allergic reaction to the Vanc, so we gave you Diphenhydramine. It's the stuff in Benadryl; that's why you're sleepy. Try and get some rest, sweets."

...

"I'll try," said Karla.

Another voice, this time deeper. "Excuse me?"

"The lady said to get some rest, so I will," Karla explained in a groggy tone.

"Oh, that was probably the nurse from the last shift. You're in and out, worse than'a pub crawlin' Irishman. I'm just here to change your bed pan, mate." His voice faded in and out.

"Bed what? Fuck that."

"Oi, you sound American. Are you American? Don't worry. I'll try not to hold that against you."

"Funny, not funny. You son-of-a-Brits say that to anyone who isn't British."

"So, _are you_American?"

...

And then all at once, Karla sat up, feeling wide awake but with a full bladder. "No, I'm Welsh, actually." She looked around but the room was empty. The window near her hospital bed was dark. She wasn't sure what time of night it was, but she felt like she'd slept rather well. She looked around but the room was silent and dimly lit. "Jesus," she muttered under her breath.

Karla pushed a hospital blanket off of herself and checked for an IV but appeared to be unattached to any equipment. She eased herself out of bed, wearing a hospital gown and over-sized yellow socks with rubberized designs on the bottom.

She made her way to the TV in front of the bed and checked the closet beneath but her clothes were nowhere to be found. She headed for the bathroom at the far end of the room, bunched the gown forward, into her lap, and plopped down on the toilet with a sigh.

She flushed, she washed her hands, and she adjusted her gown. Karla made her way out into the dim hallway and found the nurse's station. There was a tired looking brunette girl, slumped over a text book and tablet computer. She looked up at Karla and asked, "Everything well?"

"Hey, uh, I'm in room 2B. I was wondering - where are my clothes?"

The girl typed something into a keyboard adjacent to her textbook.

Karla fidgeted for a moment then asked, "I haven't seen an actual paper textbook in a long time. What's your major?"

"Medicine. I'm working my way up to become a doctor. Looks, here, like your clothes were destroyed."

"You guys destroyed my clothes? Why on earth...?"

The girl shook her head. "No, I mean they were destroyed by the building that fell on your head. You know, you're really lucky to be alive."

Karla frowned. "What about the boy that came in with me?"

"He's in 3A. It's upstairs. Elevator is at the end of the hall."

Karla nodded in reply.

"Cheers, mate."

She afforded the girl a smile then walked away. She thought about teleporting but decided against it.

Once upstairs, Karla found his room adjacent to the elevator. She opened the door and stepped in. Karla turned on the lights, checked the far end of the room to make sure there wasn't a second patient sharing the same room, and then she sat down by Conner's legs. "You look rough."

Conner opened his eyes. His glassy gaze confirmed he was on painkillers. "Cane..."

"I'll find it for you. So what happened to you, babe?"

"Impaled by it," he murmured in a slurred voice.

"By your cane? It went through you? Holy shit, babe. Did they have to cut it in half to get it out?"

"They couldn't cut it in half," he said. "They tried. Was in shock when they were doing it. Was shouting at them to stop, but they couldn't cut through it. Scratched the hell out of it, though."

"Aw, babe. I'll find it for you. Apparently, we were in that building for about two days. Your little buddy, Pendleton or whatever you called him ... yeah, that asshat needs to die. He is officially your arch-nemesis."

"...Kay."

"Not very talkative huh?"

"Don't heal like you," Conner said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Doctor said it's a miracle I'm alive. He's never seen someone impaled for two days and live, let alone awake when they found us, with no serious injuries."

"You were impaled in the torso right?"

"Yeah. I'd be way more upset if it was one of my limbs. I need my limbs."

"You also need your vital organs," she said in a somewhat scolding voice, then, "Conner, I'm sorry. So, you were awake when they found us? And the cane went clear through your gut and missed everything vital? How the hell did that happen?"

"I dunno. But it was Kuda who saved us."

Karla perked. "It was?"

Conner stretched, starting to wake up. "I woke up to him barking. Fire chief was investigating the collapse with an insurance adjuster. They approached Kuda, and I called out to them. They called the police and radioed for a truck, a crane, and equipment. Here we are." He paused then gave Karla a weak smirk. "You were a mess, though. You looked like hell."

The succubus frowned in reply. "How bad?"

"You don't want those kind of details."

"Yes I do. I was vulnerable. What did you see?"

"Infected wounds, puss, and jagged flesh. Covered in urine and dirt, and stuff. Black eyes, swollen face, blood in your hair."

"Oh. Well, then. Lovely. I vaguely remember being brought in, and some stuff right after the surgery, I think. They said something about an antibiotic. How long have we been here?"

"We arrived three days ago. Kalen showed up last night to check on us. He said Sinopa had a premonition that someone in our group died."

Karla swallowed. "Who?"

"No one knows yet. They thought it was us. Sinopa got here early this morning and spent most of the afternoon by my bed. She said she'd look for the cane, so maybe she has it. I hope she has it." He sighed and looked away. "It's important and I was irresponsible. If I lost it already ... the whole Parker family fortune..."

"I'll track it down," said Karla. "Stop worrying. So who else is missing from the group?"

"Just about everyone. We haven't heard from Rufus, or Lance, or anyone that Falcon abducted. Good news, though. Uncle Jaye popped up on the radar at some point today. He has the headdress and it's safe. He'll be taking it to Tamamo in Japan in the next day or two. She'll know what to do with it."

"Where's Kuda now?'

"He went with Sinopa. Karla, we would have died without him."

"I'm glad he stayed with us."

"Karla, he brought us bottles of water for two days. He was stealing them in town and brought them all the way out to the collapsed building. It's a four mile walk, and he's tiny. And a bottle of water weighs almost as much as he does. By that second day, he was almost as dehydrated as we were."

"Christ."

Conner nodded. "Yeah. I think I love that little guy."

The succubus smiled, albeit wearily. "Yeah, me too."

"So now what?"

"I dunno, kiddo. I dunno." Karla leaned down to see if he had a chart at the end of his bed. She sighed. "I'll go ask the nurse how long we're going to be here. Something tells me you're going to be in for a few days. Let's see the battle scar, huh?"

Conner eased down the front of the blanket. He had an IV attached to his forearm and a tube going down into his gown. He eased the front of his gown up, careful to keep the blanket in place to cover himself. "See?"

Karla leaned in and looked over the wound. "Damn. You're lucky as shit. You've got a tube going in there to draw out the crud."

"Crud?"

"Yeah, babe. The extra fluid stuff your body makes from a wound like this. You should have died, Conner."

"Tamamo would've been pissed."

"Yeah, not to mention your grandmother. She lost everyone else."

"She'd have James."

Karla looked up and stared at Conner for a moment. "Do you even understand women at all?"

"Excuse me?"

The succubus rolled her eyes. "Hello? Jesus, Conner. James is the offspring of Jon Parker's second wife. The one that came after his marriage with Sinopa. Don't you think it'd be weird for her to think of him as family? Anyway, you're going to be here for at least seven to ten days. Trust me. You've got a little bit of an infection going on here. Looks like it's healing, though."

"Karla, I was sent to surgery. You were in ICU and expected to die. Sinopa told me that your recovery is considered miraculous. Don't be surprised if they try and study you."

"Nope. No way. If they even try, I'll board the 'FuckThat' train to Nopeville. I'll be clear across the globe faster than they can open a Q-tip package. Mm, that reminds me, babe. I need to go and see what they have on me so far and destroy it. Then I need to call Sinopa and track down your cane. And I need fresh clothes. Is Kalen still local?"

"He left with Sinopa and Kuda this afternoon. You were still completely out. They weren't sure if you'd wake up."

"I was in a coma?"

"No, they said you were responsive to stimulus or whatever. It's just ... you were out cold. You had a serious head injury. To be honest, they thought you might have been brain damaged."

Karla furrowed her brows. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, you head your head smashed in. How the hell did you even heal from that? We were already talking about how we should proceed without you. Kalen suggested that Sinopa's premonition might have been about you ... that you weren't dead, but you might have been brain dead. Or at least dead, metaphorically. Like, you wouldn't be able to help."

"Shit. Well. I'm fine. I might've cracked my skull open, but I didn't lose any of my marbles, babe."

"What?"

Karla grinned. "It's an older expression. People don't say it as often as they used to. It means I haven't lost any of my lobes, goober. Look, I'll call Sinopa and Kalen - whoever answers first. I'll let them know I'm fine and ready to get back in the game. You heal up. I'll bring you some fresh clothes and your cane so you can protect yourself."

"Sinopa is having me transferred back to the states."

Karla nodded. "Good. That's smart. The further you are from that asshat family member, Joseph NeedleDick or whatever, the safer you'll be."

"Yeah. I'm glad you woke up when you did. Else I would have missed you when I get transferred."

"Yeah." Karla leaned up and kissed his forehead. "I'm glad you're alive, you lil' shit. I'd have blamed myself if you didn't make it."

"You should," said Conner with a smirk. "What happened to that telekinetic shell? We should've been protected."

Karla frowned and looked away. "Actually ... I know you're joking but you're right. I let my guard down. I nearly got us both killed. You even told me to save my strength when we came out of the elevator. You said I would need it to get us out of there safely. I, uh ... I fucked up. My bad, honey."

Conner watched her for a moment, seeing how she was affected. He reached over and gave her hand a gentle pat. "Hey."

"I'm sorry."

The teenaged boy sighed, almost as if irritated with her. "You didn't know they were going to blow up the building's top floor. You didn't have any warning. It was really sudden. Don't get all weird on me, Karla."

"I wasn't on my game in February of 2024. I wasn't on my game the other day. I need to focus."

"Third time's the charm, Karla. You'll get it right. And, hey, guess what?"

She glanced back at him. "What?"

"I had a slice of that humble-pie you'd been trying to spoon-feed to me."

"Heh," Karla looked away with a weak chuckle and shook her head. "Thanks for being so big."

"That's what Tamamo says."

"Hey now," Karla turned back to him with a grin. "Alright, goober. Get some rest. I'm going to check myself out tonight. I'll see you back in California."

"Where're you going?"

"Spain."

"What? What's in Spain?"

"My crazy-ass uncle, Raul Poliandro. He's a drunk, a womanizer, and he's bat-shit crazy. He's madder than a Victorian-age hatter. At least, y'know, he was the last time I saw him. He claimed he'd just visited Tarshish, and he was wide-eyed and babbling. Anyway, I'm going to hunt him down because Reno Nevada apparently needs his help. So ... wish me luck."

"Stay safe."

Karla smiled. "You too, babe."

"If anyone asks, where should I tell them you're going? Where in Spain?"

"Seville, Andalusia. It's at the bottom of Spain. Maybe I'll find Tartessos while I'm there. Raul claimed he found that city, too. He drank a lot, and he did a lot of drugs. Opium, hashish ... although to be fair, last time I saw him, he was boasting that he was finally going sober for good. Anyhow, I'll be okay."

"Alright. Do you need any money?"

Karla paused. She shrugged. "Why, you have any on you?"

He reached over to the nightstand and snagged his wallet. He took out one of several credit cards and handed it to her. "Stop at an ATM and take out a line of cash. The pin code is the card's expiration date. That's how I keep from forgetting. Pay for everything in cash, because it's not as easy to trace. If you absolutely need to use a credit card, get a pre-pay card at a store and load it with a large amount of cash."

Karla smiled and closed her fingers over the card protectively. "You're not so bad, I don't care what anyone else says."

He replied with a frown. "Wait, what do other people say about me?"

"It's an expression, you turkey." She grinned.

"Yeah, well, don't forget what I said about the pre-pay credit card."

"Babe, it's not my first time surviving on my own." She paused then added, "Thank you for the advice, babe. You're sweet to consider my needs. See you soon." She slid off the bed, flipped off the light switch and walked out of the room.

Karla made her way to the elevator. Instead of returning to her room, she took it down to the first floor and followed signs towards the main entrance. The succubus ran her thumb over the numbers on the front of the credit card with a wry smile.

"God I love shopping in Europe. Too bad I don't have my ID on me. So much for traveling the 'normal' way." She caught herself talking out loud and immediately stopped.

It was drizzling outside the hospital. Karla sighed with a chuckle. "Typical England. I've won enough wet t-shirt contests; I think a wet hospital gown will go pretty far with the locals and ... dammit, I'm talking to myself again. The little brat was right ... I _do_talk a lot."

X

X

Wednesday, August 25 - 9:30pm San Francisco ...

Reno wiped the sweat from his forehead with the backside of his forearm. "Christ sake, man. Is that the last of'em?"

Kalen looked up from the orange embers of the pyre. He cut his gaze to Sinopa then back to Reno. "Have some respect. I was forced to commit genocide against one of the last known groups of my race, Reno. They left me no choice and I'm disgusted by what I had to do."

Nevada swallowed and frowned. "Sorry, man. I guess I just figured ... if there were a group right here in San Fran that you didn't know existed ... it's likely that there are probably lots of growing vampire groups around the globe. The world is a big place, man. And these guys were right under our nose."

Sinopa approached Kalen and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Reno-san is quite correct. There are small groups of your kindred living in the far east."

Kalen glanced down at the last of the burning bodies on the pit dug into the center of the large room of the abandoned warehouse. "Kindred of the East - did you mean to make that pun?"

Sinopa appeared confused. "Pun?"

"I ... nevermind."

"Should I Google the term?" Reno asked.

Kalen turned back to Nevada. "Google it? Reno, no one says that anymore. Google is known for far more than their browser, now. And ... it's possible you're right. There may be other..."

Sinopa cut off the vampire. "I just told you that Reno-san is quite correct. I personally know of your kind living in Tokyo. They remain beneath the radar, drama-free. Please do not be upset in regards to dispatching these," she gestured to the pyre, "persons."

"So what's next?" Reno asked, trying to change the topic. "We haven't heard from Lance in a few days. Wilfred hasn't either. Do we go after this guy that does the quantum time-thing? Lance was our information guy on that case."

Sinopa frowned. "I have been considering my partial premonition. I only wish I hadn't woken from the dream prior to its conclusion."

Kalen turned away from the fire pit. "What is your consideration, Ms. Guillot?"

"While the loss of Rufus Darken would be tragic and heartbreaking, it would not hinder our progress in preparing to challenge Aris Falcon. Lance Patterson, however, has acted as an unofficial leader and teacher to us all. His death would have the greatest strategic impact. If you were our enemy, you would consider such. And then you would act accordingly. Remember, he is ageless, and immune to viruses and dangerous bacteria, but virulent attacks aside ... Lance-sama is quite prone to injury."

"They better not have killed Methos," Reno said softly. "Alright, Kalen, are you up for playing investigator again?"

"If our kind is under attack again, especially those of us with leadership qualities, it would be best if I resume my initial..."

"Just yes or no, Kalen." Reno folded his arms.

"No. I must decline your offer, Reno. If Lance is dead, Natalia would be the next target. Perform you investigation. If you confirm his death, I will awaken Natalia, as she will be the best suited leader for our group."

"You mean to say you could have woke this chick any time you wanted?"

Kalen folded his arms. "It is not a simple task, Reno. Let me know what you learn. I will not wake her unless it's a matter of..."

"Okay, I get it. I'll get started." Reno brushed away a bit of ash from the front of his tank-top. He buttoned his dress shirt and tucked in the hem. "I'm used to working without a partner. It's not a big deal." He turned to Sinopa and bowed slightly.

She returned the gesture. "Be well, Reno-san. We both await your findings. You will resume your investigation involving the man using temporal abilities to kill when you conclude your search for Lance Patterson. I will say a prayer and meditate on your success."

"Yeah. Stay alive, you two. Sinopa, do me a favor?"

"Hai?"

Reno took her by the left bicep and guided her towards Kalen. "Help him guard Natalia, or ... whatever. Safety in numbers. Conner and Karla nearly died last week. Rufus is missing because he went off alone. We're spread way too thin as it is. So I want the two of you to watch each other's back. I mean it. We can't keep splitting up. Not anymore."

"And what of you?" asked Kalen. "Investigating Lance Patterson alone? Will you work with someone? Wilfred perhaps?"

"Wilfred is old, Kalen." Reno shrugged a bit. "I'm fine, you guys. I won't be on my own for long. I'll look for Lance, then I'll report back. I won't screw around."

Kalen offered his hand. Reno took it. They shook.

"Go on, then," Kalen said. "I will finish up here. We can't leave any evidence."

"Right, yeah." Reno bowed to Sinopa again. All at once his body dissolved into a bolt of lightning, which raced from the room, through a dirty window on the far end of the warehouse. The glass shattered, followed by a powerful clap of thunder just outside the warehouse.

Kalen and Sinopa brought their hands to their ears.

X

X

Thursday, August 26, 2049 - 9:50am Seattle, Washington ...

Rufus Darken grunted. He tugged at the hem of his plain t-shirt, and then stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He stood face to face with a Federal agent in a stereotypical three-piece suit. "Hoss, you'd better damn-well let me into that village. I have it on good authority that you got my people in there, one of which might be my biological son. You got that?"

"Your people huh? And just what people might that be?"

"Werewolves," said Rufus with a grin, watching the man's expression very carefully. "Ever heard of USPRI? Sure y'have."

The agent placed his left hand on a Sig Saur, thumbing the holster clasp open. "Sir, you're delusional. Werewolves don't exist, and you need to leave. This is protected Native American land. The reservation is currently closed to visitors. No one is going in. This land is under the protection of the United States Government. Leave. Now."

Rufus smirked. "You going to shoot an unarmed man, dickhead? I happen to know there's a casino on that land. How're you going to close a reservation to the public, huh? You'd be putting the Native Americans outta business. Now get-on-up outta my way. Or arrest me. I ain't got all day."

"Do you really _want_to be arrested by a Federal...?"

"Shaddaup, ya nincompoop. I ain't stepped a goddamn foot across the line yet. And I know for a fact you know damn-well-true that werewolves are livin' on that-there reservation. You want me to wolf-out right here in public and prove a point?"

"Sir, you need to leave. At the very least, you are loitering. I will have the county police up here in a very short time."

"They can detain me but they gotta let me go after twenty-four hours, 'cause they ain't got a charge that'll stick. Y'know, it's right sad when Canada's damn near free'er than the Land of th' Free; Home of th' Brave, ya G-man dunce. Why're you types always such goons, anyways? If'n you protect Native Americans, and they's been protecting the last of the werewolves, then yer job is to protect me. So where's my Federal protection, huh? I'll wolf-out right here in public, don't think I won't."

The agent brought his right index finger to his ear then said, "Sir, the local authorities are en route. Thanks to you, I'll be filling out an incident report. You have five minutes before they arrive. If you really wish to spend the next twenty-four hours sitting in a county jail cell, by all means stay right here. Else, I suggest you move along. Quickly."

"Y'know what? There are peaceful ways to protest. I gotta constitutional right to gather."

"Sir, it's just you. There's no gathering. You're just one person. You're loitering."

"I'll wait. Tomorrow, I'll be back again. I'm patient." Rufus grinned and folded his arms. "I already hear sirens in the distance. I won't even resist arrest, cause then you'd have somethin' worth holdin' me on. See you tomorrow. Same bat-time. Same bat-channel. Now you watch me be a smart-ass. You just watch me." Rufus eased down onto the ground, hands on his head, fingers interlocked. "I'll keep comin' here every day until a representative of th' village come-on out 'n talks at me, y'hear?"

The agitated FBI agent sighed and folded his arms. "Enjoy county jail food."

Rufus grinned. "Juice boxes 'n fruit, hoss. I aim t' skip out on the three square shlop."

"They're pulling up the road, now. This is your last chance to take off."

"Nope. I'm here peacefully protestin' you - your presence. See you tomorrow when they let me out. I'll be back. Right here, right in this very same spot."

The agent said nothing. County police cruisers pulled up behind Rufus and officers approached...

X

X

That night... Seattle...

Rufus looked around the surprisingly low-populated cell , hands folded. He crisscrossed his ankles, lying on a cot, and leaned forward, speaking to one of only two other detainees. "Why's this'a-here cell so damn empty, son?"

The man nearest to him turned and said, "I don't know. It's weird. There are usually about fifteen of us in here on a slow night. I've never seen only three people sitting in here. And another thing, there's only one cop here. Usually there are at least three or four cops here at any given time. I haven't seen anyone else even walk through the building for hours. And look at the cop at his desk." The man nodded across the way to the single officer on the other side of the bars. He turned back to Rufus and said, "That guy looks nervous. I'm telling you, man, something bad happened. I can feel it in the air."

Rufus folded his arms and leaned back in the corner of the wall. "I'mma enjoy me this free night stay at this one-star motel. Whatever happens ... happens."

"This your first time in holding?" asked the man. "Mister, I've been in this cell at least six times this year, alone. Something is definitely different about tonight."

Rue frowned. "If you say so, son. But not much we can do, sittin' in here."

The man got up and walked to the far end of the large cell and called over to the officer. "Hey. Can you turn on the TV? Put on the news, man."

The officer looked uneasy. "No. I turned the news off for a reason. The TV stays off tonight."

The man walked back over by Rufus. "See? I told you something was wrong."

Rufus frowned again. "Huh. That's right strange, I suppose." He glanced to the third inmate, the only one wearing an obvious prison uniform, and asked, "What'chu in for, hoss?"

The other man looked up. "Cops came in, saying my girlfriend turned me in for coke possession. Cops made me strip down, until they found it. Then they walked me outside, in front of the neighbors, stark naked, and brought me in."

"That's embarrassing," said the second inmate. "You were nekkid?"

"No, I was naked," said the third.

Rufus frowned. "There's a bit'a difference between bein' naked and nekkid. Naked means y'all done got no clothes on. Nekkid means you undressed and up to no good. But it dun' matter. In this'a here country, you got a constitutional right to bodily privacy, son. That got violated. You take it to court, and have that judge drop the gavel - bam. Case clothed."

The man in the prison uniform grimaced. "Yeah, I'll see what my lawyer says about it."

"Just do yerself a favor, hoss. Get'cher self away from that white powder. Ain't no good came of that. It's good fer rubbin' on an open cut, but it'll jack up yer heart."

The officer outside the cell stood up and un-holstered his weapon. Everyone in the cell froze. Silence. The officer took up a fortified position behind his desk, aiming the weapon over the desktop.

Rufus frowned and sat up on his cot. "Shit's about to get real. Y'uns stay in the corner, jus'in case."

Two men came in - Rufus recognized one of them. "Dakota," he whispered with a frown.

Dakota Blackpaw and a second man approached the officer. "Go ahead, shoot us. Or you can open the cell for Jackson," he said, gesturing to the man at his side, "and I'll let you live."

Rue approached the cell and said, "You ain't here to rescue me, jackass. You're here to hunt me. So just let everyone go and we'll have ourselves a lil' ole cage match. You two against me, right here. This'a cell big enough."

Dakota glanced past the officer with the gun. "Rufus. You let yourself be arrested thinking it would keep you safe for one night?"

"Free armed guard, hoss. Hotels don't provide that kinda security."

"You are a dumb hick bastard, you know that? Now you're trapped in there. It makes my life easier. Although I admit, I was hoping you would lead me to the others."

"Ain't that a shame? Yer trail goes cold with me, son."

"So it would seem." Dakota glanced back at the officer. "Lower your weapon or I'll make you eat it."

"Excuse me?" The officer thumbed the safety on his firearm, lifted it even with Dakota's face, and used his free hand to radio for backup. There was no reply on the radio. He tried again, but received no reply.

"Officer," said Dakota in a calm voice. "Do you know what Voice over IP is? Your radio works on a data network, despite its antiquated namesake. And your network works on a server in this building."

Rufus called from the cell, "You hacked their shit?"

Dakota stepped forward, pressing the officer's gun against his cheek. "No, Rufus. I'm not a computer expert. I disabled the man at the front desk, I found the server room, and I pulled every wire and trashed every computer I saw. It's quite effective." Dakota turned back to the officer with the gun. "Either pull the trigger or don't. You're wasting my time."

"You have the right to..."

Jackson flanked the officer from the left. He threw his arms around the guard, forcing the gun straight up. It fired into the ceiling. Everyone in the room flinched from the loud indoor discharge. Jackson used his other arm to subdue the officer.

The guard struggled in Jackson's grip for a few moments but passed out from the powerful forearm around his neck. Jackson lowered the man over his desk and placed his palms on either side of the man's head. "Should I snap his neck? He saw our faces."

Dakota shrugged. "I hunt werewolves. He's a cop with a ring on his finger. Leave him." Dakota slid a pair of gloves onto his hands and took the cop's weapon. He guided the officer's hand towards the cell. "Rufus. I know you'll heal if you transform. But that will expose you. So. I leave it up to you to expose yourself, so that the world finds a werewolf in a cage. Or, you can die from your gunshot wound. I do hope to see you again soon. Preferably with the others of your kind in the area."

Rufus looked around the cell to weigh his options. There was no way to outrun a bullet. "You best not miss."

"Is that your idea of big talk, Rufus? This officer most likely has a full magazine. Man up and take a bullet."

"Won't be the first time."

"Good. If you move, I'll shoot your cellmates, then you. You seem like a real standup guy. You don't want me to shoot the other two, do you?"

Rufus grit his teeth. "Get it over with, jackass."

Dakota leaned over the table, keeping his gloved hands on the officer's hand and service pistol. He gazed down the sights, targeting Rufus' lower center mass. He fired the weapon.

Rufus staggered and lowered to one knee. "Gah't damn that stings like a bitch."

"It's been an honor to hunt you thusfar," said Dakota. "I've really enjoyed our time together."

Jackson folded his arms. "You want me to drug the cop with something from the evidence locker, and then kill the inmates? We can make it look as though this officer killed everyone in a drug-induced rage."

Dakota glanced at Jackson, brows furrowed. "You're a sadist. I told you, this officer has a ring on. Those criminals aren't in here because they're dangerous. This is a holding cell."

"They're going to exonerate the officer."

"Exactly right, Jackson."

"You have a twisted sense of justice, Dakota. Why all the theatrics of using the police officer's hand to do it? Why not do it yourself?"

"Oh, you mean like this?" Dakota eased the pistol from the officer's hand and pointed it at Jackson. "Don't question me. I'm toying with Rufus. This is a game, now. The rest of these pawns are no threat. Once we kill the last of the werewolves in this state, we'll be headed elsewhere. The girl, Aimee, was living south of here, down by the border. The wolves are all over. There are quite a few left in Alaska. We migrate to where they're at. Do we have an understanding?"

Jackson sighed and nodded. "We have an understanding."

"Good." Dakota pointed the weapon back towards Rufus and fired without aiming. The round passed through the bars and struck the back wall. He tossed the weapon towards the cell. "One of you boys will need this if Rufus transforms."

Dakota walked back down the hall with Jackson. They left together.

One of the inmates hurried over to the bars and reached through, grabbing the gun off the floor. "What the hell? They gave us the gun!"

The other inmate paced the cell, looking agitated and worried. "You have a criminal record? I mean a real record? I don't. What the hell are you going to do with a cop's gun? It's just going to get you in more trouble. Get rid of it, you idiot."

They both turned to Rufus who groaned softly and sank to his knees. He wrapped his arms around his abdomen, trying not to let his instincts to transform take over. "God, gimmie the strength to..." He took a deep breath and winced. He crawled over to the cot but it didn't have any sheets on it.

Rufus shrugged out of his shirt and managed to tie it around himself. "Fuckin' burns sum-fierce." Sweat beaded up on his face, which grew pale from blood loss. "If I go nuts, you'll wanna shoot me 'till I stop. That-there's why he gave you boys that gun. To protect yerselves." Rufus eased down onto the cot and drew his legs up into a fetal position. "Really startin' to hurt, now. Goddamn."

X

X

At that moment... San Francisco ...

Reno Nevada gave a tug on the palm of his batting gloves. He turned his hand over and gave another tug on the top where the sports logo was stitched in. He walked through Lance Patterson's empty apartment, looking for anything out of place.

Reno sat down on a comfortable sitting chair adjacent to the sofa. He picked up a tablet from the coffee table and opened it but it was locked with a pattern password. Nevada sighed and put it back on the table. "Okay, Methos. Where'd the hell did you go, huh?"

The sound of footsteps caused Nevada to look up. A man he didn't recognize stood in the middle of the living room. "So, I hear you're looking for me, cop."

Reno's face went blank, glaring at the man with a stoic expression. "Great. You know, you're not pale enough to be a vampire, so I assume you're the guy that does the time-thing. So did you do something to Patterson?"

"Who? No, cop. I followed you here."

"Oh, nice," Reno said with a firm nod. "You're trying to take control over the situation by jumping clear into another crime scene. So, why are you delivering yourself to me?" Reno took off the gloves and stuffed them into his front pocket. "You sure you want to do this right now?"

"You have no idea the things I've seen. The things I've experienced. But if you'd like to see what it's like, I'll show you."

Reno stood up and held his hands out in front of himself. An arc of lightning danced between his palms. "Do you move faster than the speed of light, pal? So what's the deal with slowing down time for the people you kill, huh? You should explain that one to me."

The man narrowed his gaze. "The people who do what they're told get a quick death. It's over in an instant after I show them what it's like to live out of sync with the world."

"Yeah? Not impressed. What about the others?"

"I slow down time for them at the time of death. It takes weeks, months for their heart to take its last beat. They say the brain lives for a few minutes after the body dies. So they experience the agony of death for ... hmm, conceivably years. I reserve that judgment for people I really _don't_like."

Reno licked his lips apprehensively. "You're a sick dude. Why?"

"I'm told it's a gift - my power. The more I use it, the better I get. I want to know what it's like to do more. To actually go forward - I'm doing that now. But to back through time..."

"Excuse me?"

The man looked Reno over then said, "I was born in 1972, cop. I kept going forward rapidly to see what would happen next. But what good is information about the future if you can't go back to the past with that knowledge? So I've been practicing so I can get better. It's only a matter of time before I learn how to reverse it. In the meantime, I learned something about myself."

"What, that you talk too much? I know people like that. Big deal."

"That I like doing what I want to people. I like showing them what my life is like. I like killing them. Why should they have the normalcy I can't? Fuck them. They're nobody. When those freaks attacked the supernatural people? I skipped past that. But I can't go back and warn anyone. I can't go back and stop all these murders."

"What?" Reno arched his brows. "What do you mean 'stop the murders'?"

"That's why I killed someone that first time. I thought if I motivated myself to have a reason to go back and undo something, I'd finally be able to go back the same way I go forward. Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that killing people is quite ... enjoyable."

"Oh." Reno offered a blank stare again. "You get aroused by killing people. I get it. Yeah, you're just another carbon copy killer. You get satisfaction from the kill. Gross, bud. Still, thanks for delivering yourself to me. It's time to see just how fast you can go. Lightning hones in on you, and it moves pretty goddamn fast."

"Let's find out." The man became a blur. He threw the coffee table aside, along with the tablet computer. He went back to his initial place in the living room and stretched. "Unless you think you can aim at something that fast, cop, you'll have no chance against me."

Reno swallowed but kept the resolve on his face. "Bullshit." He pushed his hands together, causing the bolt to disappear. Nevada cracked his knuckles then pulled his hands apart, stretching out the bright white bolt again. "Alright. You're the one that apparently likes being in control. How you want to do this?"

A smile spread across the man's lips. "I want you to take your best shot. And when I kill you, it will be out of self-defense. So here's a suggestion, cop. Don't miss."

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Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/757613