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Chapter -14- Calm Before the Storm

July 6, 1999 - Unknown Time Port of Baltimore ...

"I don't even know what day of the week it is, anymore."

"Tuesday the sixth, Nathan-san." Sinopa offered a weak smile. "Is this what humans call 'Solitary Confinement?'"

Nathan Carrington grunted in reply.

Sinopa, ever an optimist, said, "At least they planned this out by having a toilet."

"It's so they don't have to clean up. Still, they expected to have only me in here. They expected to break me with two weeks in their homemade SHU. That's how Solitary Confinement works, Sinopa. People can't stand being alone in a confined space for long periods of time."

"Then be glad I am here with you," she said.

Nathan looked over at the simple toilet. "It still sucks having to share a bathroom, but whatever, right?"

"It's good we have one another, Nathan-san."

"Sinopa, we've been over this already. You and I have been friends long enough that I no longer require honorifics. Hell, we just spent the last two weeks together, sharing a frickin' toilet. We're close. We're practically besties."

"Best...ies?"

"Yeah. It's what people call their best friends. I don't think the term has taken off just yet. But it will in time, I'm sure."

"Nathan ... how old are you really?"

He offered her a wan smile then said, "That's awfully personal."

"Please?"

He grinned. "What if I told you I'm a hundred ... and twenty-two? More than a third of your age, if I'm not mistaken. Too bad I age. I was in my prime during the fight in Tunguska, back in 1908. I was pretty damn good looking for thirty-one."

She offered a smile in the extremely dim lighting. "You look 'pretty damn good' for your current age, too."

"Yeah, I guess I do. I heal, but I still age. That and the juice is what holds me together." He opened his palm, causing electricity to glow above his fingertips.

"Hai. May I ask another personal question?"

"Hell, why not. What's on your mind?"

Sinopa frowned. "How did you deal with the loneliness you felt after your wife passed away?"

"You miss your husband, huh?"

Sinopa nodded.

Nathan rubbed his left thumb against the bottom of his left ring finger. The old wedding band was loose enough to twist with ease. "I never dealt with the loss," Nathan said. "I kept myself busy. I became friends with my sister-in-law - Karla. I helped fight in a civil war between supernaturals. I became this ... warrior assassin for the Esoteric Council. At least you know you'll see Jonathan again."

"You have been a good friend to this family, Nathan. A true friend."

"Well, I knew Eli Thomas, and his son, Eli Junior. I knew every-damn-Parker all the way up to Jonathan was born."

Sinopa nodded. "Did you know Jonathan's parents just had another daughter recently?"

"Yeah. Her name is Nichole." Nathan smiled. "Nicky Parker - she'll be over a lot to play with your kids. Similar age range and all that. She'll basically grow up at your house, you watch."

Sinopa began pacing again, drumming her fingers along the walls. The thudding of hollow metal echoed in reply. "It is fascinating how much you seem to know about my husband's family."

"Yeah. Like I said, I've watched the family grow over the last century."

Sinopa continued to tap her fingernails against the sides of the vault. "Hai. I understand." All at once the entire room shifted.

Sinopa looked around, eyes wide, as if trying to figure out what she'd done only to realize that the room was being moved.

Nathan sat down on the floor so as not to lose his balance. "God, they're moving us by crane again. Lovely."

A moment later the room grunted with finality.

The old man tilted his head. "Okay, the crane put us back down. Now what?"

Silence.

A few moments later the room shuddered gently but didn't appear to be moved the same way. He scooted back to the nearest wall and put his hands on it.

We appear to be moving," said Sinopa. "But it's different than the cargo ship."

"This vault is too large for a truck. I'm guessing we're on a train. Let's assume we're going west. If they wanted to take us north or south, they would have just shipped us to a northern or southern state. So I'm thinking west."

"A reasonable assumption." Sinopa placed her palms against the wall briefly. She closed her eyes and listened with her fox ears, which poked up through her hair.

Silence.

Sinopa lowered her left hand and placed it beneath her belly. "Goodness, I can only wonder how much longer we'll be in here together." She glanced down at a polystyrene lunch tray. She folded her arms. "You should eat my meal from earlier. You need to keep your strength up."

"You should eat it. You're eating for three."

"I will have you know that you're the reason I know I'm having twins."

"Yeah, I told you when you first began to show. I didn't mean to say anything but I did."

"Hai, and I was surprised when Dr. Sokolov confirmed it. So ... it is now time to tell me how you know, and how you knew what I would be naming my children. As a friend, you owe me that information."

"Sinopa..."

"Nathan, please. I will keep your secret but I must know."

"Tamamo knows. And do you know what she told me?"

Sinopa closed her hands into fists and glared at him. "My sensei knows? I am your friend, Nathanial!"

"Yes, but she told me if you ever found out, she would erase your memories of me. That is why I cannot tell you."

Sinopa moved over besides him and settled on the floor, kneeling on his left. "She doesn't have to know that I know. And my katana is sheathed. She cannot be a part of this conversation."

"Fine. You know how I told you I was thirty-one back in 1908? And you remember how I told you that it was Nikola Tesla that gave me my fashion sense? And you know how Karla and I had a thing back in 1907? And ... you know I gained the immense respect of the Esoteric Council after the Tunguska incident? Well ... it all goes a lot deeper, because all the interesting stuff started when I was twenty-eight. And then stuff got really interesting when I was twenty-nine. Let's not forget my short-lived marriage, before my wife passed away..."

Sinopa bit her lower lip.

"Thirty was my dullest year until I managed to convince Karla to see things my way. All the interesting stuff happened between twenty-eight and thirty."

"So 1905 and 1906?"

"Yeah ... no. Let me try and be a little more, well, blunt." Nathanial stretched then stood up. "It's pretty complicated, so I'll start from the beginning. Then maybe you will finally understand why I can't be around the telepathic kid. But if I tell you, then you cannot hang out around him either, because if he finds out..." Nathan shook his head.

"What would happen?"

"It could potentially create more problems than a plot-hole paradox in an 80's flick."

"I understand. But I have learned how to shut out my thoughts to Marcus Howard."

"I thought you guys were still calling him Chance?"

"No. Marcus Howard. Chance was something Karla named him until he started to remember his past. So ... you were saying?"

"Well ... I guess it will feel good to finally get this secret off my chest, but you cannot tell anyone. When Tamamo found out, she flipped her shit. We hardly talk, now. Not that I care, because I know what kind of childish mistakes she's capable of making."

"I promise, Nathan. I promise, your secret will be safe."

"Alright then. For me, it all started ninety-five years ago, and I was engaged to this beautiful, extremely ordinary girl. She was intelligent, wealthy, classy, and great with a pistol. But she didn't have abilities. She hated being ordinary, but it didn't bother me one bit."

"What was her name?"

"You know what? Let me go back just a little further. I'll get to her, but let me back up a bit more. My story starts back when I was just a normal guy with a normal day job, who loved his fiancée. And let me tell you, Sinopa, I was a cocky little bastard, and I loved that goddamn job. I felt like I was making a difference, but I wasn't. As it turns out, I was just a pawn to the system."

"How so?" Sinopa shifted her weight to get comfortable.

"Well, I was blinded by emotion because I thought my fiancée was dead. I drown myself in my work because I didn't want to think about it. I started to fall out of touch with my brother, the only other person in my life that kept me sane and gave me meaning."

"What happened next, Nathan?"

"It all went crazy the day I met this eccentric teenager from Southern Europe. That was the day I learned I was going through life with my eyes shut. Aside from having a flair for the dramatic, that kid opened up my eyes for the first time. Ironically, I didn't yet know it, because I was blinded by emotion."

"Emotion? Over the death of your betrothed?"

"Yeah, but not just her. My brother was injured and disappeared. I had just lost my girl, I was quick to assume my brother died, and I didn't know how to mourn two people at once."

"It can be difficult to endure such hardships."

Nathan shrugged. "I guess. I had the metaphorical blinders taken off my eyes against my will, I was grieving, I started drinking, and that's when I learned that my day job had no real meaning."

"How did you cope at first?" she asked.

"I shut down. At first, I cared too much. Then I manifested, and that ruined what little I had left in my old life. I had no choice but to repress what I was and embrace what I became."

"What happened next?"

"I had to learn how to finish shedding my old life, and start training to be the best version of the new me. I wasn't a very good chess player back then, and maybe if I was, I might have realized how my life recognized a chess game."

"How so, Nathan?"

"Well, I was still a pawn to the system, but by the time I received my power, I was just one square away from being promoted to become a better chess piece. Hell, even after I became the most powerful piece, I still didn't know what the hell to do on the goddamn board."

"Please, don't be so vague. I will keep your secret, but I need you to trust in me."

"If Tamamo, or if Sigyn finds out ... you'll lose your memories, Sinopa."

"How do you know about Sigyn?"

"That's part of the story, but not until much later."

"Then start from the beginning. I am willing to gamble my memories - the truth is very important to me."

"Well ... okay, here it goes: when I was first given my power, it was, pardon the pun, one hell of a shock. But at first, nothing happened. Apparently, manifestation is triggered when the heart stops. My body jolted itself, and restarted my heart. That's how this power works. If I were to somehow pass on this bullshit, it would likely work that same way for that poor bastard - it wouldn't kick in until their heart stops."

"How did your heart stop?"

Nathanial scoffed. "I was struck by lightning. I attracted it - I made myself a target just by being outside during a storm."

"You do realize that passing on one's powers is a myth, yes?"

"Yeah, Sinopa. It's a myth. But I'm getting old. I've already got my eyes on a kid that was born four years ago. I convinced Mike, his father, to raise his family in eastern California, in the middle of nowhere."

Sinopa nodded. "Very well. Will you tell me your story, now?"

"Yeah, I guess. Okay, so it all started when that teenager from Southern Europe used an ability of some sort to figuratively open my eyes for the first time..."

X

X

July 7, 1999 4pm Las Vegas, Nevada ...

Karla stretched in front of the hotel room TV set. She glanced over her shoulder at Marcus and grinned. "Fifty percent possibility of rain tomorrow. We'll see how good YiaYia's prediction is going to be. She said bring an umbrella, because 'it's going to be a downpour' that I'll 'never forget.' But, you see, Chance?" she said, not willing to embrace his birth name, "The news says it's a fifty percent chance that it's even going to rain at all."

"Maybe they mean it'll only rain for fifty percent of the day...?" He offered a grin, slid off the hotel bed, and walked to the window.

Karla followed him, glanced out at the afternoon sunlight and turned to him. "Assume the position, babe."

Marcus opened his stance.

She placed her left hand over his eyes and reached her right hand towards a can of suntan lotion on the hotel nightstand.

The spray can levitated across the room and met her palm.

She sprayed it over his face while keeping his eyes covered. She leaned in, kissed his lips, and withdrew her hand. "I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"You know, Methos once warned me not to fall in love with you. I'm not ratting him out. I just want you to know that he was looking out for the both of us. And I have to admit ... I didn't follow his advice."

She placed her palms on his cheeks, still damp from the sun spray. She carefully smeared it on his upper cheeks, beneath his eyes, to make sure he would be properly protected from the desert sun. "I like you, Chance. I really like you. And I don't want to hurt you. That's what Methos probably warned about - my need to feed."

Marcus pursed his lips at the thought of Karla feeding on anyone else.

She afforded him a tender smile. "Guess I'll have to rob a sperm-bank, because you're the only man for me."

He replied with a smile. He caught wind of her underlying thoughts. He sensed she didn't want to break the mood by speaking of her worries. Marcus thought of a proper way to voice her concerns. "So do you think we're really going to meet this girl today?"

Karla grinned, glad he decided to change the subject away from sexual feeding. She cleared her throat. "I was never good at being mushy. Flirty I can handle ... mushy is still new for me." She glanced down at the floor. Canary tresses slid forward, framing her cheeks. "Thanks."

"It's okay. I realized the topic was about to become difficult. So, yeah, let's talk about this werewolf girl. I've never met a werewolf before."

A knock at the door startled both. Karla shoved locks of blond back from her face and said, "I wonder if that's her, now." She stepped back and rubbed her hands together, still slick with lotion. "That would be funny timing."

"I don't think so." Marcus turned from the window and said, "It's a man at the door, I think. He's all business and full of worry. It might be Sinopa's husband."

By the time Karla reached the door, it opened.

Standing in the doorway, just as the boy foretold, Sinopa Parker's husband looked up. He held a keycard in his hand. The man stood up straight and nodded to Karla. "It's been a while," he told her, adding, "Sorry to barge in. I have a master coded card. Listen, I got here as quickly as I could."

Karla gestured from the man to Chance, and back. "Jonathan Conner Parker, Marcus 'Chance' Howard. Chance, this is JC Parker, Sinopa's hubby."

Parker stepped in and shut the door behind himself. "Sinopa is all I care about. The job in Rome is finished; I flew here as quickly as I could. I've chartered a flight back out tomorrow night. I plan on taking her with me."

Karla frowned. "She's been helping me with..."

Parker cut her off. "I knew this damn mirror business was going to get out of hand."

With a sigh, Karla motioned back towards Marcus and said, "Jonathan, this is Chance. Chance, this is Jonathan Conner Parker Junior. Do I have to repeat myself a third time?"

Marcus crossed the bedroom.

Jonathan nodded.

Karla continued. "Parker is a professional thief like Sean Connery in that new movie that just came out, but he's way better and way younger. He practices rock climbing, parkour, and his abilities include unnatural grace, agility, dexterity, increased strength ... you've never seen a guy scale a rock wall like this guy. He puts Jackie Chan to shame."

Jonathan lifted his hand towards Marcus in silence.

Marcus approached the hotel door and gestured for Jonathan to come inside. They shook hands. "Can I get you anything?"

"No."

Karla paused and snapped her fingers. "God what was that new movie called..."

"Entrapment," said Jonathan, adding, "I don't really care to make this a game, Karla. I'm worried about my wife. I know you're the kind of person that turns everything into a joke, but I'm not in the mood for playful banter. Are we on the same page?"

"Yes, Conner, we're on the same page" she said. Karla turned towards Marcus and added, "I always call Parker by his middle name, babe. Don't know why, but I always have."

Jonathan acknowledged the boy with a nod. "Everyone else calls me JC." He reached to a clasp on the back of his belt and uncoiled a whip. Parker handed Karla the handle. "I'm told you know how to handle one of these."

Karla looked at the recently restored whip with a glimmer of mirth in her gaze.

Jonathan added, "This one belonged to the viceroy of Poland. I need you to take this and hold onto it for a while. Tamamo thinks you'll be able to handle yourself. We'll see."

"I most certainly do know how to use this," Karla replied with a grin. She took the whip and the belt clip, and stuffed both into her purse.

"So," Jonathan turned back to Marcus. "Are you legitimate, young man?"

"Uhm, so the whip you've just given to Karla was used against Elizabeth Báthory in 1610. She's the woman who killed virgins in Hungary, filled a tub with their blood, and bathed in it in order to keep from aging. How's that for legitimate?"

"You could be well educated, kid. It doesn't tell me squat. So, are you legitimate or what?"

Marcus frowned at the question. "It's still very new to me. But I feel like you want to actually test me so ... I guess I'll play along. Uhm. Red. Thirty-seven. Blue, red again, and now ... wait."

Karla blinked.

Jonathan arched his brows.

Marcus moved closer to Jonathan. "She's here with you?"

"She?" Jonathan furrowed his brows. "You were expecting someone?"

"Your thoughts turned to a girl; she apparently told you that she had dreams of Tamamo and the rest of us. And ... then you told her to come with you. Right?" Chanced trailed off, tilted his head, and added, "So where is she?"

"Christ." JC folded his arms. "No wonder the Esoteric Community has outlawed you people. They value their privacy more than they value a person's life. And it's not going to be easy to be private around you."

"I guess you deem me legitimate now, huh?"

Karla smirked. "He didn't even believe it about himself until recently." She gave Parker a grin

Jonathan replied with a stern look.

Karla frowned and folded her arms to match his stern look. "So, this girl, where is she and what's she like?"

"Mid-twenties, intelligent but weird."

"Weird how?"

"Ornery. Obnoxious at times - worse than you. Her social skills are inconsistent at best. She deflects with sarcasm and her idea of humor. She's serious, then she's nonsensical."

"I like her already." Karla wanted to smile but kept a stern face to further mock Jonathan's scowl.

"I met her when I got into the area last night," Jonathan explained. "She saw me and she recognized me. She said she dreamed we'd meet. She mentioned Sinopa's sensei by name. We got a suite and settled in for the night, then she told me she dreamed I'd meet up with a blond sex demon and gave me the address and room number of _this_hotel. I still had some doubts about all of this mess until just now."

"Outstanding!" Karla exclaimed. "So what does she know so far? Do we have to brief her on the plan?"

"Tamamo told her that the two of you would help me rescue my wife."

"Alright, understood. Have you talked to Tamamo about any of this yet?"

Parker looked away as though the question annoyed him. "I stood in front of the mirror for an hour last night, however Tamamo will not answer me directly. I'm not sure if it's because she's busy, being watched by other deities, or if it's because she's ashamed she put my wife into danger with all of this nonsense. Now, tell me what you know."

Karla frowned. She nodded and crossed her arms. "Tamamo told me that Chance, here, will be able to sense what train they're on as they pass through the area on their way to California. Let's hope it happens that easily. Now, let's go meet this other girl. What's her name?"

"Peri Lynn Darkhean. She seems useless to me."

"Tammy Fox called her 'Darken.' Anyway, Tammy said this girl would be a weapon but that she doesn't know it yet."

"What kind of weapon?"

Karla cracked a grin. "A werewolf. C'mon, let's go meet her." Karla held her hand out. Her handbag sailed across the room. The handle met her palm.

Jonathan stepped into the hallway.

Karla shouldered her large purse. She put the suntan lotion into her handbag, murmured a quote from Silence of the Lambs under her breath to Parker, and headed into the hallway.

Jonathan sighed.

Karla glanced back at him, stuck her tongue out, and added, "...It does what it's told!" She made a right turn.

"Uhm, it's the other way," said Marcus. He looked back at JC with a frown. "Sorry, I didn't mean to read it from you. It just popped up ...like when... you overhear someone else's conversation. It's unintentional."

"Learn to control it." In a scolding tone, he mocked the boy's timidness. "Tune it out ...like when... you're ignoring someone else's conversation."

Karla pivoted on her heel and headed back down the hallway.

Parker fell into step behind Karla.

Marcus stepped out of the hotel room, pulled the door shut behind himself, and made a left.

The trio arrived in front of JC's room. Jonathan opened the door and held it for Karla and Marcus.

Karla looked about the impressive suite. "It's bigger than ours."

Jonathan remained silent.

Marcus nodded towards a simple wooden door. "She's in here, Karla - the bathroom."

"Thank you Chance." Karla stepped into the bathroom, closed the door behind herself, and approached a swanky shower with a large panel of glass covered in condensation.

Karla opened a panel door, coming face to face with a pale white woman.

Standing beneath the dual shower nozzles, one on each side of the large shower, Peri Lynn Darkhean looked up at Karla.

The succubus saw a hint of sunburn on Peri's shoulders and at the base of her neck. Karla withdrew the suntan lotion from her purse, held it up, arched her brows, and put it on the nearby bathroom sink. "For you, for later. Looks like you need it."

The mid-twenties female held a pop tart in her left hand, holding it away from the water. "You always walk in on naked chicks? You look way too young to be room service. Then again, you're probably some sort of sex demon who has recently found star-crossed love."

Karla's brows lifted and then scrunched.

Peri furrowed her own brows in reply.

The succubus tilted her head. "So, you've had dreams about all that information, huh? Tammy-no-Mae gave you way more information than you needed, but I'm sure she had her reasons. So, you're Peri Darkhean?"

The girl took a bite of her pop tart and held it off to the side away from the water. She turned towards the tiles, facing the left showerhead. "Darken, technically. It was Darkhean in antiquity. The name has been around a long time. I like the original version, so that's what I use instead. Now. That_is '_way more information than you needed.' Maybe. Maybe not. What I'm trying to say is, who am I to question the information fed to me by a higher power? Especially one shaped like a talking animal, which carries more weight with me than it should."

Karla tilted her head. "So..."

Peri smirked. "So. Back to my original question - do you always walk in on naked chicks, sex demon?"

"Seems neither of us are bothered by it, werewolf."

Peri glanced back at Karla with a sneer. "Don't you dare fucking call me that, because it's not fucking true. That's a hot button issue with me, so don't mention it again."

"Fine with me, but you're the one titling people."

"Fine, whatever ... cheerleader."

Karla scoffed. "Anyhow. Tamamo said you were going to be a weapon to help us survive."

Peri looked back at the tiled wall. "I only have one ability and it's not the giant, furry, clawed kind that my people have. Mine is fucking worthless. I can hold my breath for a long period of time. Like a goddamn dolphin. What kind of shit is that? Dolphins are just gay sharks."

Karla chuckled in amusement. "Gay sharks, huh?"

Peri took another bite of the pop tart and spoke with the food in her mouth. "Yeah. Gay sharks. That's as far as you can get from being a werewolf. And guess what? There's no ocean in Nevada, so my ability is worthless, meaning I can't help you. Now, let's never bring up my shortcomings, ever again." She remained facing away from Karla, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Guess you're not the only one to get more information than necessary from Tammy Fox."

"Yeah. Stop staring at my ass, succubus. I'm not into chicks, you got it?"

"I'm actually not. I'm far too consumed with my star-crossed love, remember? Now, we're starting off on the wrong foot. I brought you sunscreen. Hi, my name is Karla. I'm a friend of Tammy Foxie. She's the chick that spoke to you in your sleep. What else did you see in your dream? Anything about tomorrow?"

"No. Today is the big day of my so-called prophetic dream. I only came to Vegas to prove to myself that my dreams wouldn't come true. But it did, and that's a little weirder than I care to admit."

"Peri, dreams are..."

Peri interrupted. "Dreams are stupid. But you're as real as Mr. Parker. So, is Marcus Howard real, too?"

"Yes, he is. And he's here, hon."

"Your tone suggests you're about to say 'but...' So what's the but?"

"_But_he's only just getting his memories back. I've been calling him Chance since he lost them and the nickname sticks, so use that instead. It might make him feel more comfortable."

Peri finished the pop tart. She turned back to Karla, chewing with her mouth open. "I'll go by however he introduces himself to me. So ... sex demon, huh?"

Karla arched her brows again. "That title doesn't seem to bother you very much. Can't help but admit that I'm surprised. Most are not so ready to accept that they're talking to a 'demon,' like it's common place, or something."

"I come from a family of people that turn into anthropomorphic dogs," Peri said, emphasizing the last word in a self-mocking tone. "But ... I apparently didn't get that gene."

"Don't blame yourself, sweetie."

"Tch, I don't. I blame the sperm that won. Whatever." Peri turned her face towards the shower spray and bared her teeth, using the water to wash the crumbs from between them. After a moment, she turned back to Karla. "Look, what I meant was I'm no stranger to the Esoteric Community."

Karla grinned and repeated what Peri said earlier. "Your tone suggests you're about to say 'but.' So, what's the but?"

"I just wish I understood the dream I had. I have no idea what happens next and that bothers me."

"How do you mean, Peri?"

"Now that I've actually met the people from my dreams, what happens next? Two freaking weeks of seeing your faces and now you're all here. It's just ... I'm still a bit weirded out. I mean, it's a lot to take in. It's weird."

"Hon, Tammy told me that you're going to be a weapon that helps the rest of us. Also, I've heard the term 'anthropomorphic' before, but I don't know what it means."

Peri shrugged. "It means 'human like.' Ever seen Knight Rider? The talking car has been given human traits, like thought, mild sarcasm, and a voice. To a larger degree, you've got Bugs Bunny. Anthropomorphic rabbit. My family? Werewolves. But apparently you already know that about my people."

"I've always wanted to meet one in person. My friend, Nathanial, has met werewolves. He said they're badass."

Peri grimaced. "Just so we're clear, I'm resentful it didn't happen to me. I trained my childhood away to prepare for my first transformation. That shit never happened."

"I'm sorry, hon."

"My people go through stages of ranking. You wear the Læding amulet before you transform. When you make your first transformation, you wear the Dromi. After your first year as a wolf, you are awarded the better fetter - the goddamn Gleipnir. When you've been a wolf for a decade, or if you've done something your pack sees as 'worthy,' you're awarded the Fenris Amulet for your chain."

"The Gleipnir huh?" Karla paused. She tapped her fingernail against her lower lip. "That's the thing that was, uh, made out of the breath of a fish, and the silence of a cat's footfall and all that impossible stuff?"

Peri smirked. "Huh. You're smarter than you look, Cheerleader. It was made out of metaphors - things that are unobtainable in nature. The problem with the prestigious Gleipnir is that I'll _never_wear one. Meanwhile, my brother, Rue, has a Fenris Amulet made of Platinum."

"That must be hard to cope with. Sibling rivalry and all."

Peri scoffed. "Rivalry my ass. Rue is the only wolf that doesn't judge me for being human. My own parents were disappointed, but my brother treats me like an equal. Rufus is always there for me when I need him, except right now."

"Where is he now?"

"He's on a walkabout in Australia. Fucking dingoes and wallabies and shit. He wants to prove to himself he can survive in that shit. I think he did it because he couldn't handle the fact our parents died recently."

Karla frowned. "I'm sorry for your loss, Peri. I'm glad you can open up to me about things that bother you."

"No, I'm trying to push you away with my social weirdness, and I'm getting frustrated because it's not working. I'm used to being 'the village freak' because I'm some sort of mutant who can breathe under water. But it's never helped me do jack shit with my life."

"Peri..."

"It's true. I'm just a freak - a social outcast. I embrace it, though. I own that shit. I'm not a werewolf, I'm a gay shark." As an afterthought, she added, "I'm not really gay, though. I can't even do the gay-shark thing the right way."

"There's nothing wrong with dolphins, Peri." Karla frowned.

"There is, if everyone expects you to be a shark."

"Peri, we were told that a smart, beautiful were-woman was going to help me and my friends. You're here to make our lives easier. You're here to join the hero squad."

"You were sold some serious snake oil, Blondie. I'm not a werewolf. I'm just a crazy bitch having weird dreams and eating pop tarts in the shower. I could use a goddam beer, though, I'll tell you that right now. I could inhale it for ya, if you like - it tingles if you're wondering."

"Well then." Karla cleared her throat. "You didn't have to get all showered and done-up just to meet the rest of us."

"I wasn't. The shower in this place is big enough to fit a Toyota Yaris."

Karla folded her arms. "What's a Yaris?"

"Oh, sorry, I think they call it an Echo here in America. It's this tiny little ... ah, never mind. Anyways, I wasn't showering just because I wanted to clean up for you guys."

"You're not from America? You sure talk like you are. So where're you from?"

"Born in Savannah, raised in Jacksonville, moved to Detroit for a while, got attached to someone but he died. I was going to go back to the south, but my parents moved to a reservation in Oklahoma."

"Like ... for Native Americans?"

"Yeah. They're the only humans who are allowed to know about werewolves. But I hate reservations. Too many rules and stern looks, so I moved to Ireland. Did you know the Irish saw werewolves as protectors, not monsters?"

"So..." Karla frowned. "Were you hiding in here, then? Did you not want to meet us?"

Peri shrugged. "I come as I am, Cheerleader. And while I knew you guys would be coming here soon enough, I thought I could prolong it by taking a shower. In my dream, I always met you second. I could never remember how I meet you by the time I woke up. But I remembered it was always second, and Marcus is always third, and here you are."

Karla frowned. "I don't follow."

Peri shrugged. "I thought I could just avoid you, or maybe meet you and Marcus together - at the same time. But now I'm learning, real fast, that I have no goddamn control over ... over destiny, or whatever."

"Ah, I think I understand now. You're uncomfortable with some higher power calling the shots?"

"Yeah, to hell with destiny and fate. The concept bothers me. I like to think I have freewill, but..." Peri closed her hands. She looked down at her fists and then opened them again. "You think I'm weird for eating a pop tart in the shower while rambling about things you didn't ask. See?"

"Again, I don't follow you, Peri."

"I remember you judging me over something trivial in my dreams. So I have to admit, I've already judged you back. I've labeled you as superficial and shallow. But I don't care. It's my pop tart, and ultimately I don't give a fuck what people think, Cheerleader."

Karla rubbed her face with a sigh. She folded her arms and forced a brief smile.

Peri scoffed.

Karla away, facing the bathroom mirror over the large sink. Karla glared silently at the reflection. "It's cool. Everything is cool, Peri Darkhean. Finish your shower. I'll catch up with you."

"I wonder how long the hot water heater will last," Peri replied.

Karla walked to the bathroom door without another word. The succubus closed it behind herself and sighed.

Silence.

Karla leaned against the bathroom door and sighed a second time.

"What's wrong?" asked Marcus.

"She's fine. It's all good."

Parker folded his arms. "Something is bothering you. If it's not Peri, then what is it?"

"It's Tammy Fox. Some of the crap she's doing just makes me want to shake my head. She gave us someone who is green, never manifested with the rest of her people, and harbors serious resentment. Plus she's socially awkward."

Marcus tilted his head, unable to read Karla through her frustration. He looked at the bathroom door and back to Karla. "Socially awkward? How so?"

"Not like a virgin who collects action figures, but ... you know, awkward."

"Explain," said Jonathan.

Karla blew a raspberry through her pursed lips. "She wanted to go out of her way to prove that she's awkward, like it's a badge. She was eating food with her mouth open in a shower. She referred to herself as the 'sperm that won.'" Karla offered the two men a weak smile. "I tried to be nice."

"Jesus." Marcus frowned.

"He's not here to help us, Chance." Karla brushed by them and settled on a sofa across from a kitchenette. "I thought I'd like her but now I'm ... God dammit. She's right."

Parker turned to Karla expectantly. After a moment of trying to goad her with his glare, he asked, "What was she right about?"

"She said I'd be judgmental. I gave her a weird look and she picked up on it. God." Karla looked down at the floor. "I'm a big believer in freewill, too. I don't like my every action being micromanaged by some all-knowing being. If anything, I should be the one that understands where she is coming from - we got dragged into some 'hand of fate' thing."

Marcus frowned. "I thought you don't believe in God or gods."

"I didn't, Chance. But then again, I'm a sex demon. Demons work for Hell, right? Maybe the morons in the Middle Ages were right, and there's some sort of being higher than Tammy-no-Mae that dictates..." Karla trialed off and shook her head.

"What?" Jonathan asked. "Spit it out."

"Look, Conner, I don't want to ponder a belief system right now. That crap is time consuming, and can be emotionally draining. Now isn't the time for it, so I just stopped talking about it, okay?"

A voice came from behind. The bathroom door opened. "You'll have to consider that mess at some point." Peri wore a large towel around her body that covered both her torso and upper thighs. She had another in her hair.

Peri thrust her hand towards Chance. "You must be Marcus Howard. I'm Peri Lynn Darkhean. I know, my name is weird."

"Weird isn't necessarily bad," he replied.

Peri scoffed. "P. L. Darkhean. Sounds like a gothic fantasy penname, doesn't it? So, you're the thought-reader ... I'm thinking of a number between..."

"I don't think 'sixteen bajillion' is a real number, and it's definitely not 'between one and ten.'"

Bemused, Peri gave Marcus a firm pat on the shoulder and walked by him. "Romeo gets my star of approval. Juliet still needs work, though." She stepped into the bedroom, wearing only the towels, and closed the door.

Marcus shrugged.

Karla whispered. "What do you think of her, Chance?"

In a muffled voice, Peri called through the bedroom door. "Yes I left my clothes in the bedroom. Yes, that means I walked through the suite naked earlier."

"Ornery," Parker repeated. "That's the only way I know how to describe her. Either that or slightly insane."

Marcus turned from Jonathan to Karla. "I sense she wants to help."

Karla leaned back on the sofa backrest, staring up at the ceiling. "Everything will be fine if we get Nathan and Sinopa back tomorrow, unscathed."

Peri called out from inside the bedroom. "I'm helping to rescue people? I guess I should pay attention to the plan, then. Be out in just a sec."

Karla grimaced. "Trying to like her. I'm not that annoying when I'm being childish, am I?"

"I don't know," Parker murmured in a soft reply. "Do you eat food with your mouth open while taking a shower? I told her I was coming right back. And she thought that was a good time for a shower - why?"

Peri opened the bedroom door dressed in pants and a t-shirt. "I may not be what you guys expected, but I still have slightly better hearing than most people. It's like I told Karla, I was trying to avoid meeting the rest of you for as long as I could, okay? Also, I like cheese. That's right. Cheese, motherfuckers. Deal with it. I'm random like that. Sex demon, I left your bottle of goo on the bathroom sink. I heard it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so I won't need it. Now, let's talk about these people that I apparently came all the way from Ireland to help rescue."

Marcus rubbed his forehead. "I, uh, think we're going out this afternoon to do a rehearsal of the plan. The sunscreen is for today."

"Oh, how thoughtful. I'm from the south - I don't burn, I tan." Peri turned to Karla. "Today is Wednesday - is hump day like some sort of weekly celebration day for sex demons?"

Karla swatted her hand on Marcus' ass. "Guess what Chance? You're patient; you get to be paired with her, babe."

"Hey!" Jonathan Parker held his hands up. "I need all of you to focus, do you understand?" He spoke loud and with authority. "We're talking about my pregnant wife. She's in danger. Either you get on your A-Game, or you leave."

Silence.

Parker continued. "I haven't worked with a team in years, and when I did, we were a well-oiled machine with lots of practice and training together. The four of us have less than twenty-four hours to get this situation figured out. Now stop bickering and acting like children, all of you."

Silence.

Parker waved for the group to follow him out of the room. "Let's go for a ride together. We're going to go over the plan on location, then tomorrow morning we're going to execute the plan and get my wife and her friend back, safe and sound. Let's go."

X

X

Thursday, July 8, 1999 - 10:45am Las Vegas, Nevada

Intersection of West Twain Avenue & Dean Martin Drive

Marcus looked up at the overpass , watching a lengthy train move southwest at a slow pace.

A steady rain came down, starting to collect on the street. The rental sat in a shoulder lane, several meters before the intersection, facing west. Windshield wipers rhythmically snapped back and forth with a mechanical whine.

"I hope this is the train, but it's so long and it's moving so slowly."

"Yeah."

Marcus glanced over at the twenty-something girl with black hair, looked down at a few tribal-looking tattoos on her arms then asked, "So you really dreamed you would meet us?"

"Yeah." She took a bite of her pop tart then chewed it with her lips slightly apart. "This rain is something else, huh, Marcus?"

"I'm not ready to jump into whoever I was until I can remember it all, okay? Just ... for now, keep calling me Chance."

"Alright, Chance."

Chance offered her a thin smile. "Karla was smart to convince Mr. Parker to get us all nice umbrellas."

"He's loaded with money. It doesn't impress me. And on an unrelated note, I'm not a werewolf. I come from a family of them, but I'm not a werewolf."

"Oh...kay."

"Family members went through their first change by the age of ten. I'm twenty-six. No change. It won't happen if it hasn't by now. I know my kind. Trust me. I'm not the 'weapon' that Tamamo told you guys I'd be. I'm pretty much worthless."

"Nobody is worthless, Peri. People just need to find meaning in their life every now and then. You were given dreams that you'd meet up with people who need your help. I'd say purpose found you."

"I guess."

The rain intensified, pounding on the roof of the car. Visibility decreased, making it difficult to see the train up on the overpass.

Chance spoke of his concerns, but the roar of the downpour drowned out his voice.

"What?" she asked. "I can't hear you, speak loudly."

"I said I hope Sinopa is on this train so we can be done with this. Nathanial, too. I thought it was supposed to be dry and hot in the desert. This isn't what I envisioned Vegas to be like."

"Yeah. This is pretty crazy. Crazier than me."

"Whoa." Chance perked.

"What?"

His eyes widened. He reached for a radio handset in the rental car's cup holder.

"What?" Peri repeated.

Chance mashed his finger in on the button and said, "Sinopa and Mr. Carrington just came into range. I can sense her. She's on the train headed southwest. They're both okay, just frustrated and tired. Karla, Nathanial is okay. Mr. Parker, Sinopa and the children are fine. I can't see the numbers on the boxcar in the heavy rain. It's burgundy colored and between two orange boxcars, but this is definitely the one."

"Copy that, Marcus," said JC over the radio. "Thanks again, kid. You did good work. Karla and I will handle the rest. Peri, keep an eye on the boy and keep him safe. Tamamo-no-Mae did say you'd be a weapon. If anything happens to that boy, you do whatever you have to in order to keep him safe. Okay, you two. I'll let you know when we find and rescue them."

"Understood." Chance released the radio button and put the handheld back in the cup holder.

"You really sense them?" Peri asked. "That's pretty wild."

"Yeah. They're at the edge of my range, now. But I was around her for a few days straight. I know what her mind sounds like by now. I just hope I'm right. I hope they find her soon so we can get out of this storm."

"Yeah. Me too."

Chance sat up, alert and tense. "Wait, hold on."

"What?"

"Shit! Turn on the car and get us out of here!"

She felt for the key in the ignition, set to 'accessory.'

A small SUV on Dean Drive, veered in the hard rain. It shifted across the lanes and careened into the rental car with incredible force.

Peri collided with the airbag deployment, which threw her back against her seat.

Chance groaned.

Just as quickly as it started, it ended. All that was left was the sound of rain pounding on the rooftop of the car.

---

Next chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/698261