Chapter 6: The Incident

OR

So You're a Half-Human Half-Wolf Thingy: Living with Lycanthropy

The night was dark in the city ruins. Not much could be seen at all, and in fact, there wasn't much to see in the first place, so any observer wouldn't be missing anything. Two twin beams of light pierce the darkened cityscape. Headlights, those of an elderly looking car that seemed to be sagging slightly to the driver's side. The reason for this was soon made apparent as the car came to a halt. The engine quieted, and Big Mike moved his bulk out of the car. So, this was where the two Hunters were hiding. It would take longer than he expected to find them. No matter, he had managed to arrive early in any case, and he was a patient man.

The two would be found. Found, and taken care of. Then he could go back home and take a nap or something. Big Mike never got enough sleep in the day, being a firm believer in getting at least 12 hours of naptime a day caused him to be surly when he couldn't manage to get said 12 hours. Oh well, he was close to finishing his slightly distasteful task. He could bear another few days of 8 hour sleep. He would begin the hunt tomorrow.

*************

   Aaron sat in his cell, annoyed. Due to his escape attempt, Lydia and Jo were unwilling to allow him out for anything other than bathroom breaks, and were now setting up the lab's defenses on their own. Aaron was more annoyed that now he definitely would be sitting in his cell helpless when the Hunters caught up with the two. Well, it was his fault, wasn't it? After all, he shouldn't have screwed up his escape so badly.

   While Aaron sat and brooded in his cell, Lydia worked on something in the corner of the room. It was a cylindrical object that was currently in half, the inside a tangle of wires and a few sections that appeared to have silly putty in them. It wasn't silly putty, of course. It was C4. It had been kept in the van, to be used only for a darn good reason. Lydia figured that avoiding death at the hands of the Hunters was a noble enough cause for using the C4. Lydia was a little rusty on her bomb making skills, but she figured they were good enough to take care of any intruders, and to destroy the lab if necessary. This was the third bomb she had made that day, and it was also the largest. The other two bombs were simple nail bombs, which were placed in the hallway outside the lab, complete with tripwire detonators. Anyone coming through the hall who didn't know about the wires would most likely have their existence ended in a messy mannor.

   Jo didn't do much to set up security, mainly because it was her turn to watch the werewolf. Gun drawn, she kept it pointed at Aaron the whole time, in case he tried anything to escape again. Glancing down at her watch, Jo noted that it was almost time for her to escort Aaron to use the facilities. Not really willing to do so, but knowing that it had to be done, she stood up, stretching a little as she did so. Her chair wasn't exactly that comfortable, and to add to it she had been sitting there for the past hour and a half.

   "Come on then Aaron. Time for your break." She said, crossing over to the generator to shut it off.

   Aaron jerked slightly, having been lost in his own thoughts. "Eh? What? Oh, yeah, ok."

   Jo beckoned Lydia to open the cage, keeping her gun trained on Aaron to prevent him from trying anything too rash. As he squeezed through the tiny hole that Lydia made for him, Aaron reflected angrily on the fact that he had almost made it out and failed. It rankled. After all, if he had gotten away, he still would have made sure that the two Hunters wouldn't have gotten killed, wouldn't he? He had been serious when he told Lydia and Jo that he didn't like people being killed because of what they chose to do. In his book, the fact that two Hunters had actually decided to study werewolves and not just shoot them was call for sainthood, if not deification.

   The two made their way down the hall, Aaron in front, Jo in the back with her tranquilizer gun pointed at him. Lydia had said to use a real gun, but Jo had never been a killer, and never would be. So she opted instead for a tranquilizer. After all, Jo had learned so much from the few tests she had done on the lycanthrope already and she didn't think it would be wise to destroy their most valuable source of information. The thought came to her that as long as Aaron was out of his cage, she might as well run a few more tests.

   Aaron completed his business, and after washing his hands, opened the door again. "Well, I suppose that it's time to head back to my cage again, huh?"

   Jo shook her head. "Nope, it's time to run a few more tests on you. I apologize, but this time I'm afraid I won't just be drawing blood and sending you on your way. I'd like to study what occurs when you change forms a bit more."

   Aaron snorted as he made his way back to the lab, careful to avoid the tripwires in the hall. "Well, I would have thought that was rather obvious. I grow fur, a tail, and get more wolfish features. What else is there to know?"

   "Nice try, " Said Jo, "But there's other more subtle things that happen too, I'm sure. I need to study those too."

   "Nuts." Was all Aaron had to say.

   Re-entering the lab, Jo ushered Aaron over to a stack of medical equipment. Hooking up sensors that would monitor heart rate, blood pressure, brain-wave activity, and, worst of all, a needle in his arm that would monitor chemicals in his bloodstream, Jo motioned for Aaron to sit down in a chair next to all the monitors. Aaron seated himself as comfortably as was possible with all the equipment attached to him and waited patiently for Jo to test all of the different machinery. Satisfied that everything was working properly, Jo turned to Aaron.

   "Now, if you would be so kind as to transform a few times, we can get you tested and back to your room."

   Aaron snorted a little at the use of the word "room" to describe his cell, then transformed to a wolf. The first thing he noticed was the interested look on Jo's face, and the second thing he noticed was that the equipment was all going crazy. When the equipment calmed down a bit, Aaron transformed back to a human. Once again, the equipment let out various beeps and warning sounds at the readings it received. Jo indicated that Aaron should transform to a wolf and back one more time. Aaron obliged, and the medical machinery complained two more times.

   "Well," Jo said, looking at the readouts curiously. "That certainly was interesting."

   "Was it now?" Aaron inquired. "I don't suppose all those alarms were supposed to happen, then?"

   "I almost expected it, but not this way." Jo admitted. "For example, it looks like your brain use shoots through the roof whenever you transform into a wolf. The unused parts of your brain are suddenly used to help you function as a wolf, I suppose."

   Aaron nodded. "Makes sense. I guess you can't measure it, but when a werewolf changes to a wolf, their sense of smell and hearing increase considerably. It's like we get a wolf's senses for as long as we are in that form."

   Jo considered this. "Well, that would explain some things then. There's just one thing I don't understand. Why is it that we see lycanthropes who act like utter savages, and yet you are able to not only carry on intelligent conversation, but you also have been in wolf form and able to speak as well?

   Aaron shrugged. "It's part of the virus. The first three or four times you transform, the wolf side is in complete control. That's why some attack humans. Once we gain awareness, we're no different from any normal human--except for the obvious part about us changing into wolf-men at will."

   Jo didn't understand this very well, but at least it explained some things. Like what had happened to Lydia's parents. Jo wasn't sure that Lydia would accept the answer, but Jo believed what Aaron had said to be true. After all, he may have tried to escape, but he had also been cooperative. Once more, she found herself doubting whether or not keeping him in captivity was the brightest idea. Putting that debate to the side for the moment, Jo stood.

   "Well, time to return to your room, I suppose."

   Aaron grunted. "Hmm, yes. Wouldn't want me running off now would we?"

*************

   Kate was confused. She had just re-materialized with her elderly companion in a large hall. Sitting in almost a bleacher like arrangement, she saw hundreds of people. People in cloaks. How odd. Her captor (for she hadn't really wanted to come along and that was how she saw him) seemed used to such a scene. Striding into the center of the room, dragging Kate along behind him by some magical force, the man removed his hood and stood before a high throne. Kate wisely assumed that this would be the leader and bowed her head respectfully.

   "My fellow brethren! I have returned, bearing the previously unknown source of the magical use we have been detecting these past months. She claims to be the result of a genetic experiment that our former brother Overseer was responsible for." The old man declared to the figure on the throne.

   A gasp went throughout the room. The figure on the throne leaned forward, and showed itself to be a young man who looked to be only in his twenties, though he was in reality far older. He had the look of a leader, his posture and the look in his eyes declared it.

   "This is true, Brother Modok? You are sure this is the user we have all been sensing?"

   The old man nodded his head. "It is true, my Lord Wyndalf. The girl has told me so herself."

   The Lord Wyndalf leaned forward, peering down at Kate. "This is true, young one? You are able to use the arcane powers?"

   Kate nodded. "That's right. I was trying to teleport myself back to Minnesota when--Modok was it? When Modok stopped me and took me here. Why am I being detained? What offense have I committed?"

   Wyndalf raised his eyebrow, surprised at the young lady's direct manner. "You have used your powers far to much, young one. It is not safe to tamper with the Universe too much in such a short period of time. If you are not careful, you will permanently damage the very fabric of reality! You have used numerous powers in the past week alone, more than most of us do in an entire month! This has put a strain on the Universe, and we cannot allow you to use your powers further for some time. I had you brought here so that you may learn the proper way to use your powers, for the safety of us all!"

   "Well. That did explain quite a bit." Kate admitted. "I suppose we couldn't start after I'm done with a little bit of business first?"

   Wyndalf shook his head. "No, I am afraid that you are too great a risk to yourself and others at this point to allow you to continue in your present manner."

   Kate sighed. So much for finishing things quickly.

*************

   David had slept well the past evening, though his shoulder was still troubling him a little. Doc entered the room beaming. "Well, David, I have splendid news! You're officially released to move about on your own! That, and we've decided that you will begin rehabilitation in two weeks. You should be ready for that by then. The only thing we ask is that you be back in the hospital wing this evening so we can take some more scans of your shoulder and see how it is healing."

   David would have danced for joy, but he really didn't want to risk hitting his cast. Instead, he shouted "Thank God!" and shot to his feet. This wouldn't have been a good idea under normal circumstances, but he had walked about the previous evening all ready, so he was able to keep his balance. He sidestepped out the door and went to tell Ruth the good news. He found her in her room, still asleep. David sat in a chair and waited patiently for five minutes.

   In five minutes, he was too excited about being released and not having to sneak around that he decided to just wake Ruth up and tell her the news. "Hey! Wake up! I'm released from my room!"

   With a start, Ruth awoke, and looked at David as if he were crazy. "What the heck are you doing? It's only..." she trailed off as she realized it was 11:51. "Ok, so maybe it's not early, but still... I was sleeping!"

   David waved that off. "But I'm allowed to do what I please now! I couldn't have taken one more day in there. Two was bad enough!"

   Ruth sat up. "Good. You can push my wheelchair around then as punishment for waking me up."

   "Aren't we little miss sunshine today?" David inquired sarcastically.

   Ruth wasn't in the mood. She slid into her wheelchair that was next to her bed, and wheeled herself over to David. "We would have been if people would let us keep sleeping. Now push!"

   With a sigh, David got up and pushed Ruth out the door, then inquired "Hey, where are you headed anyhow?"

   "To the computer labs. The guys there are combing the law enforcement agencies for further news on Aaron." Ruth said.

   "Hmm, I see." David mused. "You're really worried about him, aren't you?"

   "Of course," said Ruth. "He was the guy that showed me around when I first got here."

   "Really?" David inquired. "But he can't be that old, can he?"

   Ruth laughed. "He's not. He had only been here for a year when I arrived. They always have the newer people show around the new arrivals. They interact a little better, because those that have been here for just a year are only slightly less clueless. He knew his way around here pretty well for a new guy, if I recall."

   "Is that so? How was your first time here, if I may ask?" David inquired out of idle curiosity.

   Ruth continued to tell of her arrival at the facility. "My dad was so excited, he hardly could contain himself. He said he couldn't wait to show me around. I remember that we had just gotten out of the hospital. Apparently, I tried to chase a rabbit when I first manifested. Well, as soon as that happened, it was off to here."

   "Doc was pleased to see Dad again, he was actually an old friend of my father's, I suppose. Well, I spent my time strapped in a bed, and then finally achieved awareness one day. July 10, actually. Well, Doc let me out of bed, and started to show me around a little. Eventually he introduced me to Aaron, and told me that he was going to be my guide for the day."

   "I think the first thing he showed me was the computer labs. Obviously, I suppose, seeing as how he's the lead technician in there now. But when he was showing me around, he was just another rank and file technician. Nearly bored me to death when he got carried away talking about a program he was working on, but he noticed in time and stopped. 'Always get a little carried away.' He said, and he showed me the weapons range. He's an excellent shot, did you know that? Anyhow, he let me practice a little with a gun, even though he wasn't supposed to. Said that he was a good shot because he played paintball all the time. I'm inclined to believe him, I've played with him and against him in a few games. He showed me the hand-to-hand room too, and before you ask, yes, I did get my butt kicked the first time around."

   "The rest of my time that day was spent exploring the place myself. Aaron had to run and fix some guy's computer. I think the first place I went was to the garage. Man, it was interesting to watch all the werewolves come and go. That's when I first saw an extraction team come in with a new werewolf. It was sedated, and I remember talking to one of the leaders about what they were doing. That's when I learned about Hunters and such. After that first day, it was pretty much just training for a while. I asked to be put on an extraction team, and eventually they let me run a solo mission. That's when I got you."

   David raised an eyebrow. "Really? I was your first extraction?"

   "Not my first extraction. My first and last solo one. They usually send you out solo at least once before they let you become a leader of a team. I was just lucky enough to have you become my partner." Ruth explained.

   "Good thing. You're one of the few people I know here!" David chuckled as the two continued through the hallways to the lab.

*************

Big Mike made his way through the crowded marketplace. This was the last place the two had been seen, and so it was the first place for him to start looking. After making some inquiries to the assorted vendors, he learned that yes, the two women from the newspaper had indeed been there recently. One mentioned that the one without glasses had been by just the other day to pick up a some motion detectors. Big Mike smiled to himself. Motion detectors would not help them.

He was also lucky enough to find a merchant who knew which way the pair had gone last time he saw them. Big Mike thanked the man and returned to his car, driving off in the direction the merchant had indicated. After driving down a dilapidated street for a while, the Hunter was rewarded by a glimpse of light coming out of a window. He moved in closer to investigate. Scaling the wall, he was made his way up to the window and peered inside. He saw the two targets, plus a kilted man in a cage, chatting somewhat amiably. That was all Big Mike needed to see. That kilt was the same as the one the werewolf had been wearing. Why had the Hunters not destroyed the werewolf yet? No matter. When he finished with the deserters, he would get rid of the lycanthrope as well. He descended the wall, and headed back to his car. Not wanting to risk the Hunters hearing the sound of his car starting, Big Mike elected to put the vehicle in neutral and push it out of sight. Entering the vehicle, he decided to take a nap. He would finish the job tomorrow night. No use in rushing now that he had them.

*************

Back in the apartment, Aaron thought he heard something. Turning to the window, he saw nothing, and shrugged it off as the wind. Some deep instinct was telling him that it wasn't, but there was no other explanation. Aaron resolved to keep more alert in any case. Experience had taught him to listen to his instincts.

*************

   Kate woke up in a comfortable bed, in a lovely room with thick carpeting and antique furniture. This would take some getting used to. After all, Kate hadn't slept in a bed of any sort in months, her life on the run demanding that she find rest outside. The closest thing she had come to a bed had been the floor of her parent's old apartment. To have a soft pillow and sheets over her as well was something new altogether. Kate decided to spend a few minutes simply savoring the feeling before getting up. Initially, she had been angry at the Lord Wyndalf's insistence that she stay and be trained, but during the night she had had a thought. Namely, if she had proper training, she would be able to easier defeat Overseer and avenge her lost childhood.

   As she slipped into new clothes, there was a knock on the door. Opening it, she found Modok, dressed in normal clothing instead of the robe he had worn the previous day. "Well young one, are you ready to begin your training, or would you prefer something to eat first?"

   "Something to eat, I think." Kate said. It had hit her that she hadn't had a real meal in days. Scavenging didn't pay off as well as one thought it would have.

   "Very well. If you'll follow me, we'll get you some breakfast." Modok led her into a great dining hall where other sorcerers were taking breakfast as well.

   The rush of scents from the food caused Kate's stomach to growl. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. Modok indicated that she take a seat and help herself to the spread before her. Kate needed no second urging, and was soon sampling every food at the table. About a half hour later, she leaned back with a sigh. Kate was beginning to think that she could get used to this sort of thing.

   Modok noticed that Kate was finished and beckoned her to follow. "Come miss, it is time for us to begin your training."

   Kate followed obediently, and presently the two were in a large almost vault-like room. Modok had the door closed, and began teaching. Kate learned more about sorcery in that three hours then she had heard of during her entire stay in Overseer's laboratory. Modok taught her simple tricks, such as creating small fireballs and moving objects by thought. He also showed her the sort of thing a fully trained sorcerer could do, summoning his own private falcon out of the thin air. Not just any falcon either. This particular specimen was as intelligent as a human, and could speak as well. Modok didn't keep it around for long, sending it away after explaining to Kate that the falcon was an example of heavy duty magic.

   "You can't do something like that more than a few times a year. It's just too large of a project to risk. That's why we've been trying to find Overseer ourselves. He abuses his powers far too much. If what you've told us is true and you are the result of experimentation, it's likely he used strong magik to do so. He has no concern for keeping the universe running smoothly." Modok's voice held a note of disgust.

   "So, I take it you've been trying to hunt him down for some time then?" Kate inquired.

   "For the past few years, actually, but he's too crafty. He always manages to get away when we think we've got him."

   "I see." Kate said.

   Training continued on, Kate beginning to realize just how much power she wielded.

*************

   Aaron was feeling worried, and he couldn't figure out why. The morning and afternoon had passed by without incident, and in fact, there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Yet for some reason, Aaron was worried about something. He was growing frustrated with himself, but then decided that he would just have to stay alert and see what it was his instinct was so worried about. He changed to wolf form to take advantage of the heightened senses he gained from it.

   Lydia noticed Aaron shifting forms. "What are you doing that for?" She inquired.

   Aaron turned and looked at Lydia. "Something doesn't feel right. I'm just trying to stay a little more alert, that's all."

   Lydia snorted. "Something doesn't 'feel' right? What, are you getting bad vibes or something? Nothing's wrong, and even if it was, we've got protection." A feeling was telling Lydia that the werewolf was right, something did feel wrong, but Lydia was not one to trust her instincts too often. Certainly not when she had prepared so much against the possibility of intruders. Still, she couldn't help tightening her grip on her rifle....

   Jo listened to Aaron and found herself believing him. Something was amiss, she just couldn't say what. What Jo also knew was that there was nothing they could do but sit and watch themselves more carefully.

*************

   Big Mike checked his watch. He'd waited long enough. It was time. Opening the trunk, he pulled out an assault rifle and two pistols, just in case he ran out of ammo and didn't have time to reload. He then placed a phone call to the leader of the Hunters, telling him that the job was as good as done and to expect his return in two days. Big Mike began walking to the apartment, entered the door, and started up the stairs, moving as quietly as possible.

   Aaron's ears twitched. Someone was coming up the stairs. Beckoning frantically to Jo and Lydia, he mouthed "someone's here,"   not wanting to speak aloud for fear of the assailant hearing him. Lydia nodded and cocked her rifle, being sure not to make a loud noise. Jo picked up a pistol and checked to make sure it was loaded and ready to fire. It was, and so she waited, crouched off one side of the door, Lydia across from her. Aaron sat in his cage, growing increasingly nervous. A sudden realization hit him, that the generator would cut power to his cage as soon as the motion detectors went off. That meant he'd be able to defend himself. Excellent.

   Now Big Mike was at the top of the stairs. He looked down the hall carefully, noticing two tripwires. He made sure to step over them, but forgot about the motion detectors. They went off with a high pitched alarm. It all went quickly from there.

   The computer, receiving the alarm from the sensors, sent a command to the generator's computer. The door electrified, and Aaron's cage was cut off from the circuit. Aaron waited a few seconds after the alarm before bursting out of the wire frame and running from the room. Lydia watched him go, disgust on her features. She knew the werewolf was going to run. Jo saw Aaron take off too, and was crushed. She thought he would stay and help them at least. No such luck, apparently.

   Big Mike leveled his assault rifle at the door and opened fire. The door withstood the bullets easily, but not the grenade that the Hunter lobbed at it a few moments later. The door blew off of the hinges, flew across the room, and slammed into what was Aaron's cage. Big Mike entered, rifle blazing. Lydia dove out of the way, and took cover behind a metal table she flipped over. Jo fired a few shots off before ducking behind the blood analyzer. Their assassin decided to worry about Jo first. Bullets ripped into the machine, and Jo waited for the clip to empty before dodging out to return fire. That fire never came. Big Mike had pulled out his pistol and simply shot Jo. Luckily, the bullet only grazed her leg, but it was enough to cause her to fall. Lydia stood, firing at Mike's back, but he ducked and threw another grenade behind the table. Lydia had three seconds to dive to the other side before the grenade exploded, causing part of the floor to buckle. The shock sent Lydia into the wall, where she lay unconscious and out of the fight. Big Mike turned his attention back to Jo.

   Jo fired off her last rounds, but Big Mike fired another shot, this one knocking the gun from her hand. Trembling in shock and fear, Jo watched helplessly as the Hunter assassin placed the rifle muzzle to her forehead.

   From behind Big Mike there came an unearthly growl. The Hunter spun around, but was too slow and found his rifle snatched from his grasp and tossed out a window. Mike went for his pistols, but a strong grip held his arms in place and grabbed those as well. Mike found himself without any guns and face to face with Aaron in werewolf form. Instead of freezing or wetting his pants, Mike instead kicked Aaron in the knee, causing the werewolf to let go of his hands with a yelp of pain.

   Aaron backed away a few steps, crouched and ready to strike. Big Mike beat him to it, landing another kick to the ribs and a punishing hook across Aaron's snout. Blood spurted from the werewolf's injured nose, and he backed away further. Aaron's mind was racing. This was obviously a powerful opponent he was facing, nearly as strong as he was. Aaron's only advantage lay in his lightness on his feet. Aaron shook his head to clear it and settled into a defensive posture. Mike needed no other invitation, charging the werewolf as if intending to tackle him. Aaron caught Mike as he charged, and neatly tossed the Hunter over his back and to the ground. A paw reached for the Hunter's throat, but at that moment, Mike pulled out a knife. It cut across Aaron's hand, leaving a nasty gash, and infuriating Aaron even more. The werewolf backed off again, waiting for Mike to get up. Aaron would have to watch the knife now. The knife slashed horizontally across the lycanthrope's chest.

   Aaron avoided the strike by leaning back, the knife only succeeding in tearing his shirt. As Mike recovered from the strike, Aaron lashed out with his good hand, solidly striking the Hunter across the jaw. Big Mike reeled back, but did not drop the knife. Recovering from the blow quickly, the Hunter struck again with the knife, this time in a vertical slash. It was exactly what Aaron was waiting for. He crossed his wrists, catching the Hunter's hand and stopping the stroke entirely. Mike tried to out-muscle Aaron and free his hand, but Aaron wouldn't let him. To his credit, however, Big Mike still wouldn't drop the knife. Aaron whirled around behind the Hunter, bringing the knife hand with him. Big Mike gasped as his shoulder painfully twisted backwards. The Hunter's boot met the werewolf's leg again. A gasp, and the hand was dropped. The Hunter whirled around, but Aaron was waiting.

   A powerful kick to Big Mike's chest sent him into a wall, the sheer force with which he was traveling putting a hole in the drywall finish. Hunter stared at werewolf as Aaron moved to finish Big Mike off. One last thought entered the Hunter's mind, the thought that he still had a knife in his hand. Bug Mike flung the knife full force at the advancing lycanthrope. Aaron gave a gasp as the knife tore into his shoulder and collapsed to the ground. The Hunter chuckled madly to himself, and turned to recover his pistols. Aaron struggled to rise to his feet before Mike got there.

   It was then that Jo did something either very brave or very, very stupid. Dashing across the room, she grabbed the rifle from Lydia's unconscious form and fired. Big Mike winced as the bullet tore through his back. He hadn't expected the girl to do this. He staggered upright and made for the door to escape, turning at the last moment to throw another grenade at Jo. Aaron saw the grenade coming. Without another thought, he dashed across the room and, grabbing Jo, dove towards an adjoining room. The grenade went off in the center of the room. The middle of the floor would not withstand such abuse. With a whump, the middle of the floor fell out, dragging the generator down with it. Aaron and Jo were blown through the doorway, Aaron's back fur scorched. The two hit a wall, and collapsed in a heap, the blood from Aaron's wounds dripping onto Jo's unconscious form.

   Big Mike saw the grenade go off. He chuckled. That should take care of them. His gunshot wound was not too serious. It appeared that the bullet had not hit any vital organs. He would get medical treatment and be on his way. Mike was so caught up in the thrill of completing his mission and getting away that he forgot about the tripwires. Too bad for Big Mike. The apartment was shook with another explosion, this one smaller than the two grenade explosions, but the grenades didn't propel shrapnel at the one foolish enough to set them off. Big Mike wouldn't be going home, unless it was in small cardboard boxes.

*************

   Lydia was the first to wake up. Somehow, she hadn't been harmed by the second grenade or trip-bombs going off. Wincing, she stood and surveyed the apartment. There was nothing much to observe. A massive hole was in the center of the front room, presumably having been put there by a grenade. The medical equipment was ruined. Fortunately, Jo had kept the readouts as carbon copies in another room. Lydia hoped that they weren't harmed. Suddenly, it struck Lydia that she had no idea where Jo and Aaron were. She looked out the front door, and was greeted by what was essentially a pile of blood and tissue. Retching, Lydia hoped that the bits of body belonged to Big Mike and not Jo. A groan from another room caused Lydia to make her way around the hole to investigate. The sight that greeted her was one of the most relieving, and distressing, things she ever saw.

   Aaron was still unconscious, the force of the blast and slight loss of blood preventing him from waking. Jo was awake, almost. Aaron's furred bulk was still draped over her from where he had been thrown by the explosion. The knife in his shoulder had fallen out when he had hit the wall, and it lay on the ground, Aaron's blood congealing. Lydia moved into the room and at first thought Jo had been the one stabbed. Her shirt was quite blood-soaked, after all. Relieved to see that it was Aaron doing all the bleeding, Lydia moved to roll the werewolf off of her friend.

   "Jo, are you all right? Jo? Answer me, would you?"

   Jo's vision was blurry, her glasses broken. She figured that the fuzzy shape talking to her was Lydia. "Lydia? I'm ok, I think." She looked over at Aaron with a look of shock and wonder. "He knocked me out of the way...   Oh no! We've got to help him! He got stabbed in the shoulder and I think he's lost a lot of blood!"

   Lydia took a look at Aaron's wounds. She hoped that he hadn't lost too much blood; they didn't have the equipment necessary to perform a blood transfusion in the apartment, and it was doubtful that they'd be able to get a hospital to admit a hulking werewolf. Rushing back to the wreckage of the blood analyzer, Lydia was relieved to see that there were still a few bandages left. Lydia used them to tie off Aaron's shoulder wound, leaving the bloody nose and hand for the moment. She beckoned Jo over and had her apply pressure to the wound while she went to look for something to stitch the wound with. Not finding anything in the apartment, it occurred to Lydia that there would probably be something in the van. Making her way through the distasteful mess of Big Mike's remains, she headed down the stairs and out to the van, where she found exactly what she was looking for. A full medic's kit, complete with sutures and bandages.

   Rushing back up the stairs and into the apartment carrying the kit, Lydia returned to the room and set to work. Aaron's shoulder wound was closed, a bandage attached, and the cut on his had was cleaned and bandaged as well. The bloody nose had stopped on its own, so Lydia settled for cleaning the blood off of Aaron's face as best as she could. Finishing the job, Lydia gave silent thanks that she had trained as a medic when she joined the Hunters. It was odd, helping a werewolf, something that she had sworn to exterminate not so long ago. Yet Aaron had possibly saved Jo's life, and probably her own, so she couldn't just let him die. She owed him her gratitude, even if she still distrusted werewolves as a rule.

   Lydia's attention then turned to Jo, who was staring at Aaron's form worriedly. "Jo, are you hurt in any way? Anything other than bumps and bruises?"

   Jo shook her head, then stopped as she remembered her leg had been wounded. "Wait, there was one thing. My leg got hit, but not badly. I think I was just grazed."

   Lydia examined the leg, noting that the wound seemed to have bled quite a bit for just a grazing. On closer examination, it became apparent that a good chunk Jo's skin was missing, though it would easily heal by itself. "Well, that's not too bad. No worries about that one. Now why don't you get some clothes on that aren't so blood stained?"

   Jo looked at her shirt, which was quite bloody. "Hmm... perhaps that's not a bad idea. Maybe I should shower too, huh?"

   "That might be a good idea." Lydia noted. "Though I recommend using the bathroom in here and not going downstairs. There's a bit of a mess in the hallway."

   Jo didn't want to know. She all ready assumed that Big Mike was no longer with them, vaguely remembering another explosion before she had totally passed out.   Looking back at Aaron's form again, she couldn't understand why he had even bothered to get her out of the way. In any case, there was no way she could keep him locked up now. She went to take a shower, mentally thanking God that her extra clothes hadn't been blown up or bled on or anything else. They'd have to get Aaron another shirt though.

*************

David sat in his room and channel surfed. With his arm incapacitated as it was, it looked like he was going to be stuck watching TV and eating for a while. He couldn't even use the computer, finding it too tedious to type with only one hand. He watched a news bulletin about loud noises being heard in Minneapolis, but he didn't really care about that. David clicked the TV off and got up to use the bathroom. That was another thing he hated doing with one arm. He wished the stupid thing would just heal and get it over with. At the very least, he wanted to be able to at least have his arm just in a sling and not frozen in place. Then he could at least fit through doorways.

Ruth, for her part, didn't mind being in a wheelchair so much. The only part that got to her was having to use her arms to get herself anywhere. It seemed to her that there had to be a better way to move a wheelchair around, such as with a motor. But in the interest of keeping costs from being too high, it was good old fashioned wheelchairs for her. Levering herself into her bed, she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling for a while. Still worried about Aaron, she felt restless. It was like having her big brother gone or something. Ruth hated the feeling. Finally, she was able to fall asleep. After all, Aaron could take care of himself.

*************

   Aaron awoke with a soreness in his shoulder. His memory of the previous night a little foggy, he was at first surprised to find a bandage there. He was further astounded at the fact that someone seemed to have gotten him into a bed and covered him with blankets. To say that he was confused would have been an understatement. After all, hadn't a grenade just gone off? And he had tried to protect Jo, for reasons that even he wasn't sure of. Well, it seemed to him that he must have protected her somehow, for as the world slowly came into focus, he saw that Jo was sitting next to his bed, watching him carefully.

   Aaron thought about going for the traditional "where am I" question, but decieded that where he was wasn't that important. He instead went for a "What the heck happened?"

   Jo looked up. "Before or after you got a knife thrown into your shoulder?"

   Aaron winced. "After, I should think. I remember most of before."

   Jo nodded. "Well, after you fell, that Hunter went for his guns. I shot him in the back, but I guess it didn't kill him. He tossed a grenade at me and fled out the door. You dove and saved my life, and then we spent a happy fifteen minutes unconscious together until I woke up. You had lost a bit of blood, so we stopped the bleeding and patched you up. I wouldn't recommend standing up. We're not sure how much blood you got all over my shirt yet. We both have agreed that you should just stay in bed and rest."

   Aaron suddenly looked worried. "I bled on you? For how long?"

   Jo shrugged. "Not really sure. I think it couldn't have been more than 15 minutes. Why do you ask?"

   Aaron lay back on his pillow and muttered an "Oh crap."

   Now it was Jo's turn to be worried. "What? What's wrong?"

   "Well, I don't know how to break this to you Jo.... But I think there's a good chance you're infected now."

   Jo gasped. "No, there's no way I could have gotten infected! I didn't have any open wounds except for... the one on my leg..." She buried her head in her hands. "Oh no...."

   Aaron shook his head. "Now now, it's not too bad. Look, there's a good chance you weren't. I didn't bleed on your leg at all, did I?"

   Jo shook her head. "No, I guess you didn't..." Jo suddenly had a flash back to the last evening. Hiding behind the blood analyzer, bullets flying overhead. A shelf with the vials taken from Aaron blown to bits. The vials shatter, fragments causing a cut on the back of her hand. Fragments of the vials. Fragments with blood still on them.

   Aaron saw Jo's face fall. "What? Were you still exposed?"

   Jo nodded in confirmation, not sure what to think. She had spent a good part of her life helping to destroy lycanthropes, and now she was going to become one of them? The worst part is, Jo had no idea how Lydia would react to the whole matter. Would she cast Jo out, or even try to kill her? Things were getting complicated fast, and Jo wasn't ready for it. Then again, running away from the issue wasn't going to do anything. Jo knew the possibility of pain, emotional and physical, were likely. Jo also knew that she would have to face it, and so steeling herself against what was to follow, she looked to Aaron.

   "What am I supposed to do now? Is there anything that I should do?"

   Aaron shook his head. "Nope. Not for another two weeks at least. You'll have to tell Lydia, of course, and I'll need to get up and about eventually to help control you when you manifest. Where's the generator?"

   Jo pointed to the hole in the floor. "Down there somewhere."

   "Nuts. Well, I suppose we'll have to just get something new then. We'll need a place to keep you when you Manifest." Aaron had a basic understanding of the equipment needed, but truthfully, he would've rather had Doc handle all of this. The thought had crossed his mind to offer a trip to the compound, but truthfully, it was better to be absolutely certain that she was a lycanthrope before bringing her in. Now that he thought of it, that was standard procedure, wasn't it? The only problem would be telling Lydia that her best friend was now a werewolf. This wasn't something that Aaron looked forward to doing.

   Jo solved that problem for him. "Guess I'll have to tell Lydia, then. I wonder how she'll react."

   Aaron shrugged. "Can't say, really. She'll either accept it or cast you away, in which case, I'll have to take you in I suppose."

   Aaron's answer wasn't very reassuring, but Jo figured it was the only answer that she was going to get. Sensing that Jo was not in high spirits, Aaron wished there was something he could say to help.

   "Look, I know it's not the greatest thing in the world to have happen to you. But listen, at least you're lucky enough to have someone who knows about such things around. I'm not clear on a lot of things, but I know enough that I can help you get through the initial Manifestations."

   Jo tried to smile. "Well, at least I can study what happens during the incubation period now."

   Aaron chuckled. "Yeah, see? That's the way to look on the bright side of things!"

   Lydia, who had been gathering supplies after cleaning up what had been left of Big Mike, returned in time to see Aaron fall back to sleep. Jo didn't seem to have moved in the time Lydia was gone, though Lydia could tell that something was troubling her friend.

   "Jo? Is there something wrong?"

   Jo looked up, forcing a smile. "No, not really. Nothing's wrong, not yet." Jo silently wondered why she had just said that. Why couldn't she tell Lydia what happened? She had to tell her.

   Lydia was a bit confused by the answer. "Not yet? What's that supposed to mean?"

   Jo had another chance to tell Lydia the facts. "Oh, don't worry about it. It's nothing, really." Procrastination reared its ugly head. Jo would tell her, eventually. She was sure of that.

*************

   Another day of training had gone by for Kate. She was rather pleased with herself. Modok seemed to think that she was progressing quite rapidly, having shown the ability to exhibit some control over her powers from the get-go. Privately, Kate figured that this was some part of Overseer's tinkering, though publicly, she merely smiled and shrugged it off as beginner's luck. As far as Kate could tell, nobody knew that she was a werewolf. Wyndalf seemed to suspect something, but he seemed too polite to say anything.

   Relaxing in her room, Kate stared at the ceiling for a few moments, thinking.   What would happen if she tried to use her power in werewolf form? From her own experiences with the werewolf form, she knew her strength increased, but would it also increase her powers of sorcery? This was definitely something that she would have to look into. Not now, of course. Training wore her out. Perhaps she'd ask Modok about it, though she'd have to be careful not to divulge her secret. After all, she hoped to simply use the sorcerers until she no longer needed them, then escape. Kate didn't need regulations controlling when and how she used her powers, she had more important things to worry about. Namely, killing Overseer and toppling his organization.

   For now, she would enjoy the good food and comfortable bed. She would also enjoy the training, because Modok was in fact a very good teacher. Apparently, she was going to be able to create her own Familiar in a week. It was something she was looking forward to with great interest. She had already picked out the form--a wolf, as it appealed to her sense of irony.

*************

   Lord Wyndalf sat upon his throne and brooded over the news coming in from around the hidden world of the sorcerer. Things were spinning out of control, and he feared that reality would not take much more abuse from the rouge sorcerers who seemed to be more and more bold these days. Perhaps it was because few feared exposure anymore, their tricks being accepted as some quirk of the new technology that was spreading out through the world. After all, if people had the ability to create lifelike holograms, they would not think twice of a person who could seemingly conjure things out of thin air. Wyndalf snorted to himself. If only the general population knew the powers that were all around them, and more importantly, the danger that was presented by those powers.

   The problem with being an all powerful sorcerer, Wyndalf had decided, was all the responsibilities that came with it. Having to make sure that those who were unaware stayed that way. It wasn't that the sorcerers didn't like normal humans, it was just that the last thing they needed was every idiot trying to fiddle with the laws of the universe. In fact, they hadn't had a new recruit in centuries, until this girl had shown up. The girl was something that troubled him greatly. After all, Wyndalf had no way of knowing what Overseer had done to the girl. This meant that he could not tell what she could possibly be some sort of weapon against the sorcerer's guild--though Wyndalf doubted it. Overseer knew that he could not take on such a powerful group by himself. No, if Overseer had wanted to do that, he would need to unite all of the other rouge sorcerers, and that just wasn't a possibility. The rouge sorcerers hated each other as much as they hated the governing body they were rebelling against.

   Wyndalf sighed. This job had seemed so much easier 500 years ago.

*************

   Lydia was worried. It had been three days since Jo had been wounded in the attack, and she seemed so distant, almost depressed. The worse thing was, Lydia had no clue as to what the cause could be. She tried talking to Jo about it, but Jo would only look as if there was something she desperately needed to tell Lydia, then force a smile and say nothing. Jo also seemed to be spending an unusual amount of time talking to the werewolf, Aaron. Many times Lydia had found the two in deep discussion over something, something that they would immediately stop talking about as soon as she was noticed. Lydia felt left out, and a little hurt at this sudden detachment that Jo seemed to have about her when they talked. Lydia was beginning to think that perhaps more had occurred in the attack than Jo was letting on, and Aaron seemed to know about it. In any case, Lydia cared deeply for her friend, and would try her best to see Jo through whatever seemed to be happening to her now.

   Jo, for her part, didn't notice Lydia's concern. In fact, she had settled into a sort of depression, not exactly willing to face the truth. Jo knew that she was infected, but she kept deluding herself into thinking that no, she had been mistaken. She wasn't infected, it had been a false assumption. Then the more intelligent part of her mind would tell her to stop denying it. Jo's unwillingness to accept this sudden and (to her) unfortunate development was one of the main reasons that she couldn't bring herself to tell Lydia what was wrong. Jo was too afraid of what Lydia would think. The last thing she wished to do was lose her best friend. Lydia and Jo had been through so much together, and Jo didn't want to suddenly have Lydia look upon her as a freak of nature or an outcast. Fortunately, Aaron had been an invaluable help to Jo in this time, informing her of what was to come. Jo was sure that she'd have been totally lost without the werewolf's help, though admittedly, she still was frightened of what was to come.

   On the other side of things, Aaron had no idea why Jo was so distraught. He couldn't remember having been too frightened about becoming a lycanthrope. Then again, he hadn't exactly known it was coming. He still wasn't even sure how he had contracted the virus. All he remembered was waking up one morning in a ditch with blood on his clothing. The same day on the news he had seen a story on the mysterious mauling of a young boy by what looked like a wolf. The boy hadn't survived. When Aaron had been contacted by Doc and the others and informed of his condition, somehow, he knew it had been him that mauled the young boy. It was a guilt that he had borne since that day. That was perhaps the biggest reason that Aaron was so eager to help Jo. He couldn't in good conscience allow her to suddenly Manifest and then kill Lydia by accident. The last thing Aaron was going to do was allow someone else go through the guilt he went through daily.

   So the three sat in the lab, each with their own thoughts. A cloud seemed to hang over the group. Jo was first to notice the gloom, and decided that the best thing to do would be to get out of the building for a while. She needed to find new equipment anyhow. Standing up, she stretched her legs and spoke.

   "I think I'll go look for supplies. I need some fresh air."

   Normally, Lydia would have offered to go, but at the moment, she wanted to talk to Aaron alone. Perhaps see if he would tell her what was bothering Jo so much. "Ok, I'll stay here and look after Aaron."

   Aaron was about to protest that he didn't need to be looked after, but Lydia shot him a glare that told him to keep his mouth shut. Settling back, Aaron could only assume that Lydia was going to ask him about Jo. After all, Aaron knew that Jo hadn't told Lydia yet. If she had, Aaron would have heard the shouting easily.

   Jo nodded at Lydia's response. "Ok. I'll be back in a little bit." She walked through the doorway, and into the (blessedly) cleaned hallway. Exiting the building entirely, Jo hopped into the van and drove for the edge of the city ruins, where the various marketplaces were set up. Lydia immediately turned to Aaron.

   "Ok, what the heck is going on here? Something's troubling Jo and she won't tell me, but for some reason she'll tell you? What is it that's so terrible that I can't know?"

   Aaron felt, to say the least, a bit reluctant to be put on the spot in such a manner. After all, he wasn't too happy that Jo hadn't gotten around to telling Lydia the truth in the first place, and now that he'd have to avoid telling the truth to Lydia (because he sincerely felt it was Jo's responsibility to do so), he was even more peeved. "It's not my place to tell you what's bothering her. She came to me, and I have told her to inform you of what happened, but she has obviously not. This is really not my problem, it's Jo's, and I can't tell you myself because it's not my place to do so."

   This response wasn't quite enough for Lydia. "Not your place to do so? You're still not exactly in a position to defend yourself, and the only reason I haven't thrown you out in the street is because you saved Jo's life and she seems unwilling to get rid of you yet. Now what else happened during the attack?"

   Aaron sighed. Obviously Lydia wasn't listening to him, or she was just impatient. Probably both. "Look, I told you, it's not my place to tell you. All I can say is that something happened to Jo and I'd suggest that you ask her. I also suggest that you try to accept whatever she tells you. Jo's going to have a bit of a bump in the road soon, so to speak."

   Lydia thought hard about all the possible things that could cause Jo trouble from the fight and decided that she didn't like any of the choices. One in particular seemed to be the most likely, but she wasn't even going to think about that anymore. "Fine. I'll ask her when she gets back. But if she doesn't answer me again, I'm going to ask you--and you better tell me or I won't be so kind next time."

   Aaron lay back and sighed. "I'm sure Jo will tell you when she's ready. Being impatient won't help matters."

   Lydia didn't seem to hear Aaron, instead turning toward the door and waiting on Jo's return.

*************

   David was getting restless. Not being able to do anything really active was beginning to bother him. That, and the brace on his shoulder was starting to itch him like crazy. All he wanted was to be able to take it off, and then perhaps he'd be able to begin rehabilitation. His boredom reaching the breaking point, David decided to head down to the computer lab and see what the techs were up to.

   On his way to the labs, David bumped into Ruth. Happy to see a fellow invalid, David inquired if she would like to go to the lab with him and bug the techies.

   Ruth laughed. "Sure, why not? After all, I've got nothing better to do right now, I was just about to go to bed and sleep 'till my leg healed."

   David chuckled a bit. "Heh, well, it's a lucky thing I found you then. Can't have you asleep for the next three weeks, now can I?"

   "Of course not! What would you do if I weren't around to bother you?" Ruth replied laughingly.

   Chuckling, the two arrived at the computer lab and went inside. A temporary replacement for Aaron had not been chosen, so the techs were for the most part left to their own devices. The technicians worked on their own separate projects, each doing their part to keep the compound informed. One tech was currently hacking into the Hunter's database, to double check for information on their movements.

   Making it in to the main communications network, the tech was astonished to find a message about the termination of two Hunters. The tech's astonishment was further increased when he recognized the picture of the two Hunters as the people who were suspected of having something to do with Aaron's disappearance. Uttering a mild expletive, the tech waved at David and Ruth as they entered.

   "Hey, look here! I found something that may be important!"

   David glanced up from where he was peering at a readout of the FBI's recent business expenses. "Hmm? How so?"

   "Well," The tech said, adjusting his glasses a bit, "I've found some information on the two Hunters we thought might have had something to do with Aaron's disappearance."

   David and Ruth rushed to the screen, eager to see this information. The two read over the message quickly, taking in every word. "Hunters Jo and Lydia have been terminated in downtown Minneapolis for their attempted desertion of the group without seeking permission. The two were also suspected of violating regulation A-13, which states that any lycanthrope taken alive is to be destroyed and the body burned within no less than twelve hours of capture. Their termination was brought about by Hunter "Big" Mike, who reported of their demise three days ago at 9:57 PM."

   David scanned the message again. "Well, it doesn't say anything about a werewolf being involved. Maybe Aaron escaped."

   Ruth nodded, then said quietly, "Or maybe he was all ready dead when they were killed."

   David shook his head. "Nah, these two weren't out to kill him, otherwise that bit about them not following the regulations makes no sense. I'll bet he escaped. Maybe he'll be coming back soon!"

   Ruth shrugged. "Maybe. I hope he's not hurt though. It would be awful if something really bad happened to him..."

   David placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry so much about it. I'm sure that he wasn't there when these two were killed, and I'm sure that he's still alive. He'll find his way back here, or we'll find him eventually. I promise."

   Ruth smiled up at David. "Thanks. You're right, Aaron knows how to take care of himself."

*************

   Overseer still was not happy. So far, he had had absolutely no luck in locating the mysterious prank caller, and to make matters worse, one of his men had spotted one of those damned sorcerer's guild members wandering near the pay phone where the call had been placed. The last thing Overseer needed was for those people to be involved in all of this. He'd been on the run from those sorcerers for too long to be discovered now. Not that he wouldn't go without a fight, of course.

   Not for the first time, Overseer found himself wondering if somehow it would be possible to destroy the pesky guild. That would make his life so much simpler. No pesky mages whining about tearing the fabric of the universe, no worrying about assassination attempts involving powerful majiks, and best of all: a clear path to domination of the planet. He'd have to take down the other rogue sorcerers who had the same idea of course (world domination was a pretty common dream among evil), but Overseer was sure that they would take care of themselves for the most part when the guild collapsed. It always helped when all the rebellious ones hated each other.

   There was one other thing that still troubled Overseer, and that was the defeat of yet another android. This David was harder to kill than he had expected. Of course, Overseer had been unlucky and the boy had had a partner along with him at the time, but it still didn't sit well with the sorcerer that this boy had survived so long. Overseer made up his mind to kill the boy himself the next chance he got. Never send a machine to do a near immortal's job.

*************

   The boy, at this time, was staring at his shoulder in something akin to utter shock and amazement. David had been walking out of the computer lab when he tripped on one of the many cords littering the floor. Instinctively, David attempted to put his arms out to catch himself, and to his shock, he had been able to. The brace had shattered like a china doll and his formerly wounded shoulder now seemed as strong as it had ever been. Utterly puzzled, David went to see Doc about it.

   Doc took a scan of David's shoulder, his eyebrows jumping in surprise as he watched the scan take form on the readout screen. "Well, you're not going to believe this David, but your shoulder seems to have healed totally!"

   "What? How is that even possible? You said it would be at least a month!" David wasn't going to complain about his regained mobility, but it was quite the shock in any case.

   Doc shrugged. "It should have been almost a month. And that was just for your shoulder to mend! You shouldn't have been back to full strength for at least two months, and that's if you happened to progress more rapidly than most."

   David chuckled a little. "Well, it would appear that I've progressed quite rapidly compared to most."

   Doc chuckled a bit. "Yes, that would seem to be the case wouldn't it? Well, I suppose there's not much I can do but tell you that as far as I can tell, you're fully capable of restarting your duties here. We'll get you in touch with the search party immediately."

   David exited the room to find Ruth waiting outside the room. She seemed as astonished as David over his sudden healing, but Ruth was also a little sad. She knew that now David would be off looking for Aaron, and she'd have to wait for her leg to heal, something that she was certain that would take her the full amount of time. Ruth would rather have been out helping with the search. She was also nervous that she'd lose David in the same way she'd lost Aaron, a sudden disappearance. While some part of her dismissed this thought as foolishness, Ruth had to admit that she'd rather grown close to David over the past week. It would be saddening to have him away and not be able to speak with him anymore.

   David wasn't quite thinking along those lines at the moment. In fact, the thought process of the young lycanthrope went more like this:

   "Hey, my shoulder's better! Wow, that means no more brace! Boy, does my arm itch! I'm hungry!" These thoughts were occasionally followed by the thought "Hmm... wonder how this happened?" or perhaps the odd "Boy, it'll be weird going out on a mission without Ruth to talk to."

   So it came to pass that David headed out into the garage and met with the search leader, who just happened to be Jason. After a brief conversation, it was decided that David would stay behind for a few more days to make sure that he was indeed all right; then he'd head out at the next opportunity.

*************

   Lydia was still having trouble getting through to Jo. It wasn't even all Jo's fault. Lydia was about as reluctant as Jo when it came to addressing topics that she was sure she wouldn't enjoy. Lydia's suspicion grew with every day that her fear was true, as Jo and Aaron continued to converse late at night over some manner that Lydia couldn't guess at. It had been a week since the attack, and instead of boldly confronting Jo about what the problem was after her chat with Aaron, Lydia had instead elected to put it off for another day. The problem was, she hadn't quite decided when "another day" was yet.

   Jo, for her part, was getting more and more melancholy as she grew closer to the end of the incubation period. It seemed that no matter how much she tried to convince herself that there was still a chance she wasn't infected, that her memory was just playing tricks on her, deep down, she knew it was true. She was going to become a lycanthrope, whether she liked it or not. All that, and she still couldn't bring herself to tell Lydia. She'd have to do it soon, because she was going to Manifest sometime that week, or so Aaron said. For whatever reason, Jo was beginning to consider Aaron as some sort of a Godsend. His own experiences with becoming a lycanthrope had answered most of her questions. Jo honestly wasn't sure what she'd have done without him.

   Aaron, for the most part, worried more about getting his shoulder in some sort of working condition before Jo Manifested. After all, it was likely that he'd have to contain her when that occurred, and he couldn't do it with an arm in a sling. The wound was healing nicely, the stitches beginning to fall out of their own accord. It still felt stiff and sore where the knife had cut, but for the most part, Aaron was beginning to consider beginning some sort of strengthening routine on it. Hopefully he'd be prepared enough to deal with a confused werewolf when the time came. Privately, he wasn't sure. That wasn't what he told Jo of course. She was enough of a nervous wreck all ready. No use in making it worse.

   Of course, as was all too common among lycanthropes everywhere, when Jo Manifested, it came at precisely the wrong moment.

   Jo had finally screwed up the courage to tell Lydia what had occurred the night of the attack. Breathing deeply and telling herself that it had to be done, Jo entered Lydia's room (Lydia had moved into what would have once been the kitchen as her own room).

   Lydia was a bit shocked at Jo's appearance, for she looked a nervous wreck. "Jo? What is it?"

   Jo took another deep breath. "Lydia, do you remember asking me if something was wrong the day after the attack? I said not yet, and told you it was nothing?"

   Lydia nodded. "Yeah, so I guess something is wrong then?" She waited to see if her suspicion was right. What Lydia expected to hear was that Jo had fallen in love with Aaron or something because he had saved her life. Unfortunately, Lydia was dead wrong, and the truth would be a nasty shock.

   "Well, yeah. You see, I was behind the blood analyzer while the Hunter was shooting at me. It was good cover."

   Lydia nodded. "So, you got the blood analyzer destroyed. No big deal."

   Jo shook her head. "No, it was a big deal. You see, those samples we collected from Aaron were on a shelf across from the analyzer. They shattered, and I wound up having some of the shrapnel cut my hand. So... I think I've been infected." Jo stood silently, waiting for Lydia to say something.

   Lydia couldn't. It was like her entire world was collapsing in around her. It couldn't be true. Not her best friend, not Jo. Not the one who had accompanied her on so many hunting trips since she had joined. It wasn't possible. There had to be a mistake. There was no way that her friend was becoming one of... those creatures. "No, there's been a mistake, hasn't there Jo? You're not going to become a werewolf, are you?" Lydia's voice was almost pleading, hoping that it was all some joke.

   Jo's face fell even more. Quietly, she murmured her response. "No, I am. There's nothing we can do either. I'll probably transform sometime this week. Aaron's offered to help out as best as he can."

   Lydia spat at the lycanthrope's name. "Him? This is probably what he wanted to happen! He's probably ecstatic that you're becoming one of them. It was probably a plot of his from the beginning!"

   Jo shook her head. "No Lydia, it wasn't his fault. I shouldn't have tried to study him by myself. Look what we got ourselves into. We've almost been killed, and now I've only got who knows how many days left before I-" Jo swayed a bit.

   Lydia rose from her seat. "Jo? What's happening?"

   Jo regained control of herself. "Before I Manife--" Jo collapsed on the floor.

   Lydia rushed to her friend's side. "Jo! Jo, what's wrong? Wake up Jo!"

   A furred paw shot up and knocked Lydia out of the way. Jo had Manifested, and Aaron was still asleep. Lydia was alone with a confused and possibly violent lycanthrope that used to be her friend. But despite all of Lydia's pleading, Jo could not hear her now. The wolf was in full command and it was advancing on Lydia.

*************