Lycanthrope: Cover of Night

As they pressed forward, the sound of vehicles and voices rumbled overhead. Their ears pricked up as they sensed they were drawing closer to the surface.

“I’ve read a little bit about some of our stranger abilities. Can we communicate telepathically?” Roxanne asked, ringing the water out of her braid.

“Somewhat, our senses allow us to pick up electrons coming off certain werewolves trying to reach us. However, Grexis uses special microchips to understand the dialogue.”

“Can someone just tap into your head?” Roxanne asked.

“No, it’s only if I respond to the one that’s trying to reach me, and it’s whatever message I want to send.”

“Like a blue tooth inserted into your head? How do you know a random thought you have won’t be passed through?”

“That usually doesn’t happen if you practice and concentrate. Speaking out loud can help censor the dialect.”

“So, earlier in the woods when it looked like you were talking to yourself, you were communicating with your partner?”

“That’s right.”

“Anywhere I can sign up for one? I’m always losing my cellphone,” Roxanne joked.

“They’re not toys. They’re extremely rare and expensive commodities that only members of Grexis have.”

“If I join Grexis can I have one inserted?”

“Yes,” Axel humored her. “When you join the Pack, you can have one of those fancy blue tooths inserted into the back of your neck.”

His voice sounded like a grumble, but the low tone of his existing humor made Roxanne grin.

The sewers thankfully came to an end when more light lit their way. Axel motioned for her to stop as they came underneath a manhole.

“Phew, I was starting to doubt my navigation skills,” Roxanne teased as she climbed the ladder.

They came out just beyond a low concrete guardrail that was lined with old fishing crates. Axel carefully closed the hole as he crawled out next to her. Very cautiously the two peered over the wall.

Several rough looking workers were carrying crates out onto the docks and into the boats. The packages were sealed under layers of tape.

“Something tells me that’s not mackerel they’re carrying,” Roxanne whispered.

“Of course not. Why would they be loading fish back on to the boats?” Axel asked and then scanned the numbers. “Nice going, it looks like you led us past the whole lot of them.”

“Thank you. Told you I could help.”

“Indeed,” he said and then turned behind him. “Anyway to get in?”

“Yeah. There’s a back entrance on the south side,” Roxanne pointed over the yard of crates to a green door facing the south.

The two maneuvered around the yard between the crates while avoiding the few guards. Once the distance was closed and their backs were turned, Axel quickly choked them into unconsciousness. Roxanne knocked another out with the side of a plank and retrieved his set of keys.

Unfortunately, the keys didn’t do any good.

“Dammit, I hope I didn’t lead you through all that just to end here,” she growled.

Axel patiently tapped the back of his neck.

“Hans, we’ve come to a little road block at the back entrance. Would one of the guards out here have keys that work? Really? I see, but can’t you just come down and open it yourself?” Axel paused and then sighed. “All right. We’ll figure something out.”

“What’s wrong?” Roxanne asked.

“For precautions our little smuggler friends have put one-way locks on outer exits. The guards have to enter around the front after patrols.”

“Guess they like to keep tabs on who’s going in and out around the drugs, but we can’t go in the front. They’ll spot us,” she remarked.

“I know. We’ll have to get in another way,” he said as he paced the side of the building. Roxanne obediently followed.

Axel stopped as he studied the ventilation coming from the building. “Well how about that? Seems I’m learning a little from you as well,” he smirked.

“What do you mean?” she asked, uncertainly.

“Shall I give you a boost?” he asked smugly.

Roxanne realized what he meant.

“Geeze what do you want me to do? Take the keys, crawl in like a monkey, and let you in the back way myself?”

“You read my mind. Are you sure you need a telechip?” he joked.

Roxanne raised an eyebrow and cocked her head.

“You won’t be by yourself. I’ll tell Hans to keep an eye out for you when you get in. He’ll be on the first floor.”

Axel cupped his hands over his knees beneath the vent.

“Okay, I just hope he has an observant eye,” she said, stepping into his hands.

“Better yet he’s got two,” he replied as he boosted her up and then added, “Believe me, he’ll notice you.”

***

The vent was grimy and smelled of musty air, but Roxanne climbed through none the less. All of a sudden, a strange sensation overcame her. Her hands trembled and her skin tingled. She jolted her head in the direction of a skittering rat passing by.

“What’s happening to me? It’s like my senses have increased or something.” Roxanne looked down on her hands and felt her face. “But I’m not even in my wolf form?”

She paused until the tingly sensation slowly ceased and then waited to feel something else pick up, but nothing happened.

“No time for that now,” she told herself. “Axel’s waiting.”

The vent dipped and Roxanne gracefully moved down without making any loud noises. The bottom opening was luckily out of view of workers, though she still worked quietly.

With a little bit of werewolf strength, she pushed the screws sticking through the hatch and crawled beneath a table closest to her.

Peering beneath the table cloth, she saw what looked like the best way to leave the room unnoticed.

“I can’t just wait for this guy to show himself. I better just go and sneak Axel in,” she thought as she crawled forward and couldn’t help but here the conversations above her.

“Hey, Keith, did you hear the rumor about the raise?” one of the smugglers asked.

“Yeah, but that’s all it is, Rob. A rumor,” a second one answered.

“You never know, I heard from one of the higher ups that Olaf is pretty pleased with the revenue. Means he just might have a reason to keep us motivated.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t bet on anything until I hear it from him myself,” a third one added.

“Pfft, you know we don’t hear anything from him. He always has one of those brutes to send messages to his ‘little serfs’.”

“Yeah, who are those guys anyway? Never seen them before this job. Do they work with him with his treasury position?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care to ask them. There’s something off about them, something in their eyes.”

“Look, if we don’t get these shipments sorted, we’re not even going to expect a paycheck. Let alone a raise,” a fourth called.

The chattering quieted down, causing the scuffing sound beneath the table to sound noticeable. She paused as one of the smugglers’ boot stopped short only a few inches away from her hand.

She held her breath and only let it out when he walked away. As she continued forward one of them must have heard her.

Roxanne let out a cry when she felt a hand grip her ankle and roughly drag her out.

“What the hell do we have here?” the man asked, eyeing her up and down.

The other three smugglers looked just as shocked. Roxanne staggered to stand up as they moved to form a circle around her.

“Is she a new recruit?” the one named Rob asked in a taunting tone. “I think we would have noticed her.”

They chuckled like hyenas. Their expressions left Roxanne filled with dread.

“Stay calm,” she thought, “Don’t change yet.”

“What are you doing?” the one named Keith asked. “How did you even get in here?”

Roxanne gripped her arm fretfully, driving her nails into her flesh. Her eyes darkened as she smelled her own blood. She was at loss for words and ideas for the moment.

“Cat got your tongue?” another asked bringing his face in front of hers, his leer stretching.

“I’m bound to be a dreadful sight”, she thought. “My clothes are damp and dingy from the sewers. My skin is pale and my eyes are blood shot. Hopefully they’ll buy this.”

“I…I heard about this place, and I just had to get in,” Roxanne stuttered as they exchanged looks. “I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I had a real fix. All the local stuff has no substance,” she said nervously. “Please… I didn’t mean any harm.”

“Great. Some street junkie trying to get a free sample,” the fourth one snorted.

“Do you want to know how long we’ve been working ourselves, tootz?” the third addressed her. “I’ve been busting my ass every day for the past week and a half and I don’t even get one single fuckin’ ounce. What makes you so special?”

“I say we boot her out and be done with it,” the first one suggested before she could answer.

Roxanne was fine by that. She felt like her knotted stomach was going to strangle itself.

“What the hell is going on here?” another voice called.

They turned their heads to see a young blonde man with slight stubble walking toward them. “You do know we need to have this ready in less than hour?” he barked.

“Sorry Jessup. We just had to deal with this rat first,” Keith apologized.

Jessup examined Roxanne. “What seems to be the problem?”

“She broke in and thought she could just help herself to the product,” the third told him.

Jessup stepped forward, eyeing her intently.

“Is this true?” he asked softly.

“Look, I just came to see if y’all could help me out. I wasn’t going to steal anything,” she stammered.

Jessup advanced till he was practically pressing against her and cupped her chin.

“I doubt you have enough cash to afford our product. How were you planning to pay me?” he asked, his face creeping into a wolfish grin. The others laughed as Roxanne remained silent.

Jessup turned his head to the side.

“Not a problem. Y’all get back to work. Me and the lady will discuss payment exchanges in private,” he taunted darkly.

The smugglers wolf whistled behind Roxanne as Jessup roughly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the circle and into the hall.

Roxanne winced. His grip was like a vice.

“Just keep acting as the scared, lost addict,” she warned herself. Don’t jump him until you two are out of sight.

Jessup pulled her to stop in front of dark, vacant room. Three smugglers turned their attention to them from down the hall.

“Whatchya got there, Andy?” one called.

“New customer. Figured I would take a break and help her out,” he replied, matching their tone.

“Who am I kidding? This isn’t an act!” Roxanne thought.

She began to doubt her sureness of the situation. Her fingers tingled as she prepared to make her knife appear.

Jessup unlocked the door and shoved her forward, causing her to fall. He cautiously turned back and slowly closed the door behind him.

“Now that we have some privacy…,” he purred loudly enough so the thugs walking in the hall could hear him. “How should we discuss our little business transaction?” he asked as he turned to face her.

“Back off!” Roxanne hissed as she violently slashed her knife towards him.

She caught him by surprise as she kicked him in the arm and back against the door, holding his hands up to shield himself.

“Dammit, Axel, I didn’t sign up for this,” she growled.

“I know! Mayleim told me that he was sending you through!” Jessup cried before she could strike with her knife.

Roxanne stared back at him in shock. Jessup coughed and then cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry about the hostilities but I had to make it look convincing,” he confessed.

“Wait, what?” she sputtered, loosening her grip on her weapon.

He wearily offered a hand. “Hans Tristock. Second agent in command of the order of Grexis.”

“Uh… Roxanne Gwenvi,” she replied, shaking his hand in return. “Damn, Axel could have told me what you look like to avoid the confusion.”

“It would have been nearly impossible to sneak you in the main area without the asshole, dealer/druggie charade. Shape shifting isn’t just spouting fangs and fur, but blending in.”

“My compliments on your acting. If it’s any consolation.”

“Oh, so much,” he chuckled.

Roxanne leaned against a table and then jolted up when the tingly feeling started again. It felt like little sparks were flowing through her blood. All the smells in the room grew so fragrant, they almost seemed to be moving.

“What is going on? Am I on something?” she thought. She turned toward Hans and was relieved when he had the same reaction, except he appeared to be expecting it.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked seriously.

“Yeah, I felt it when I first entered the building,” she nodded. “What is it?”

“The reason why we’re here,” he replied. “You feel your Lycan senses increased even though you haven’t made the physical change. What you are experiencing is a vibrance, the different electrons reacting with your body leaking from Allosfaire. It’s what’s enforcing your werewolf powers.”

Roxanne’s eyes lit up. “You said Allosfaire? The angel and demon created realm where our wolf mother came from?”

“Yes, the physical realm that they passed down to hybrids and shifters. The mystical energy collides with the solar storms from this realm, creating a leak.”

“I went there many years ago,” Roxanne mused. “And I remember the sky always had the Aurora lights swirling in and out.”

Hans continued, “Enough force both mystical and solar causes a tear on the dimensions. When the gate forms it’s our job to seek and close it.”

“But that can happen anywhere. How do you know where to look?”

“We keep an eye out on the global weather reports, and can tap wire on human’s having suspicious sightings. Key words include ‘strange animal sightings’ or ‘supernatural readings.’ Luckily solar storms are a rare occurrence.”

“But when one occurs, Grexis gets in an uproar?”

“Almost certainly. It’s to prevent all things that go bump in the night from running amok.”

Roxanne reflected on the subject matter. “Axel mentioned haints being animated by something; he must have been talking about the energy leaking from Allosfaire.”

“Haints? When did you see one of those?”

“Past four years, that would explain the trail from the harbors to the sewers,” Roxanne noted before continuing to address Hans. “You know for someone pretending to work on the black market, you’re very versed with openings in dimensions, aren’t you?

“Where I’m from, it was something we learned to specialize in,” Hans said, grabbing a leather jacket. “Anyway, we oughtn’t keep Axel waiting any longer.”

“Crap, I forgot about him,” Roxanne exclaimed as she grabbed her gear.

***

“We’ll cut around this way to open the back for Axel. You still have one of the guard’s keys, right?” Hans asked.

“Of course, be a shame to come all this way for nothing,” she replied. They walked until they heard voices up ahead.

“You’re not supposed to be here. Hide!” he ordered.

Roxanne abided and crouched around the corner out of sight. Hans casually took a puff from his vape as the fellow smugglers turned the corner and passed him by.

“Hey Andy, what happened to your customer?” one quipped.

Hans shrugged but smiled. “I sent her on her way. We both parted on good ends.”

“Hmm, hmm. What end did she get?” the other joked.

Roxanne rolled her eyes at his pig like joke.

Hans scoffed and the smugglers quickly regained composure.

“Have you heard anything from the guys watching the crate yard?” Keith asked. “They’re not answering their radio.”

“Probably indulging in too much booze,” Hans snorted. “I’ll take the back watch. You two see what Olaf wants.”

The two nodded and continued down the hall, and Roxanne joined up with Hans.

A commotion could be heard outside the back door. Apparently, Axel had been caught up in an uproar with a few smugglers.

“Hang in there ol’ pal. We’re going to help you out,” Hans telepathed Axel, “…. Alright, will do.”

“What did he say?”

“For you to stay out of the fighting,”

“Only indirectly,” she replied, breaking off to the side. “Tell Axel to watch his footing.”

A brawl continued as Hans joined in the fight. Roxanne took out her trip wire and strung it behind the smugglers.

With the cover of the crates and their backs turned, Roxanne gave it a hard tug and caused them to trip, leaving them to the mercy of her male companions.

While assisting her werewolf companions, she forgot about her own precautions when one brute sneaked up behind her.

She rolled to the side and let out a shriek as he brought his club down beside her. His eyes narrowed into slits as he hastily prepared to strike again.

A sharp impact struck him from behind as he fell to his knees beside her. Roxanne stared up in shock as she noticed a knife in his back. Axel had made his mark and saved her life. She climbed to her feet shakily as Axel walked over to meet her.

“We’re not practicing a demonstration here,” Axel declared while bending over to retrieve his knife. Roxanne trembled all over at the sight of the dead man and then turned to him.

“Thank you.”

Axel nodded. “You did well though. Good strategies.”

Roxanne smiled weakly but kept from meeting his gaze. Hans walked over to her side. “Even when it’s justified, dealing with human casualties is one of the worst in our affairs,” he told her.

“It’s not the worst?” she asked.

“No,” he replied but didn’t elaborate.

He and Axel exchanged acknowledgments. “Long time no see, Axel.”

“Just a few days,” he corrected. “I trust you have stayed busy.”

“Yeah. The portal is leaking in the broiler room and I have a specific count on the rabids.”

“Good. Let’s hear it.”

“There’s five guarding the broiler room, three recruits packaging, another three working on revenue, and two working directly with Olaf Sermis.”

“It’s a big number but I think we can get it to work,” Axel said thoughtfully. “We should head to the boiler room and cut off the portal. When they feel their escape route closing, they’ll come running.”

“Why didn’t you just do that to begin with?” Roxanne asked.

“Because the night the humans are finishing up, there will be too much going on to take notice in our affairs,” Axel answered.

“And plus, it’s to give the rabids a fair chance to leave,” Hans added. “They may be wild, but they’re still shifters. . . just driven feral by lingering in Allosfaire.”

“Better move then,” she told them.

Hans led them down to a musty staircase that descended to the broiler room. Roxanne felt her senses once again infused. “More vibrances,” she noted out loud.

Hans put a finger up. “Hold on. Someone’s coming our way.”

Roxanne and Axel dodged behind the wall. One of the rabids engaged Hans.

“Heading somewhere?” he asked, suspiciously.

For a second Hans had a tinge of uncertainty in his eyes but he found his smooth demeanor again.

“There’s a commotion going up in the shipping yard. I think one worker pissed off another and now there’s a bloody brawl. Olaf insisted that you and your boys could handle it.”

“Did he now? And why doesn’t he just have his upstairs pals do it themselves?”

“Shit man, you can ask him yourself. I don’t know why he wants you.”

“Clearly you must not know a lot,” the rabid said, amused. “If you knew anything about Sermis you would know that we have the strictest orders to stay pinned here,” and then he continued. “Do you think I haven’t had my eye on you and your little round about inspections, Jessup? If that really is your name?”

Hans didn’t say anything. The rabid stepped forward. “Take some advice. Get yourself and whoever else you have working with you and call this order off. Tell Grexis you were in over your head.”

“Not likely,” Hans replied calmly.

With that, he head butted the rabid in the face and knocked him flying with his boot. The rabid reached for his pistol but Hans already had his drawn and let three rounds make their mark into the rabid’s hide. The thunder of bullets echoed off the walls and drew the attention of the remainders.

“What was that?!” they cried.

“We’re under attack, take cover!” one called. The trio did the same.

“What the hell are you thinking?” Axel growled after seeing how things turned out.

“Spontaneously,” Hans shouted back. “Remember to make each shot count. You don’t want to maim them.”

“What do you mean?” Roxanne asked as she stayed under cover as the fight went on around her.

“These are defected werewolves, if they feel on the verge of death they will go in a rampage. It has something to do with the madness harbored in them.”

He was right. One of their bullets grazed one of the approaching rabids.

Startled at the sound and the repercussion, his eyes went blood red and fur sprouted on every part of him. He stood on his hind legs and lunged forward. The trio spread out to avoid his claws.

As Roxanne got a good look at him, her horrid sight of this creature challenged her worse nightmares. Even creepy haints seemed like more of an annoyance in comparison to this unnatural fury.

Bullets ripped off him, but he seemed immune to pain or fear of being killed. He tore over the crates, boxes, and gear with lighting speed and raked at them with razor claws and teeth. Roxanne barely missed his nails by an inch as she drove around the other side of a crate. The thing gnashed his teeth and flecks of saliva flew from his gaping mouth.

“He won’t stop until he’s dead. Roxanne, stay out of his way!” Axel ordered while trying to bring the brute down. With the precious free moments, Roxanne strategized a plan.

She took the contents of an aerosol can out of her bag and sprayed a thick row along the floor leading to her.

“Hey, over here, you inbred mutant!” she called.

Its attention was still on Axel and Hans. She braced herself from the sharp pain as she drove her nail into her arm, blood bubbling from the cut as she waved it in the air.

The beast caught hold of the scent and stared at her intently. Roxanne felt her entire body shake but stood her ground and held a lighter in one hand. The beast charged, intent on killing. As soon as he made his way to the spray can line, Roxanne flicked open her lighter and set a fire blazing toward the mad rabid in a fatal line and caught him underneath his belly. With its footing lost for the moment, Axel and Hans made short work of the beast

When it was over, the two staggered over to meet her. The two eyes widened with shock. Roxanne was both horrified and proud.

“Well, how would you rate my special hunting tactics?” she asked. Axel looked impressed.

“Your parents should have sent you to Grexis a long time ago.”

“We may have a good start, but the others are sure to come down here any moment,” Hans informed them. “I say we cut off the leak now.”

Just at his words the commotion of the remaining rabid swarm ricocheted off the walls.

“Listen Roxanne, I’m going to give you a very important task,” Axel said, he reached for something around his neck and handed her what looked like to be a compass with grooves of some kind carved into it.

“Take this compass and head over where you feel the vibrances the strongest, you won’t mistake it. Plus, the needle is drawn to Allosfaire’s particular magnetic field. Once you’re there, close your eyes, you’ll see the light then. When you do, hold the compass out toward it and whisper these words,” he recited an incantation.

Roxanne recognized the Latin phrase. “The deed is done and the way may shut,” she translated.

“Good, you do know your Latin,” Axel smiled. “Take it and go now. We’ll provide some cover.”

Roxanne nodded and took it. Crouching low, she searched for the pin point of the leak by changing form and sensing the vibrances.

Hans was right, the remaining rabids were pulling in. “They all are affected by the portal,” she said. “Their instincts are triggered when threatened.”

Three had come in to engage Hans and Axel while Roxanne fought off two from both sides and one sneaking up behind her. She set up her tactical wire to make a barrier around herself.

On instinct, two more rabids had been set off as they went into a fury, ripping through crates, pipes and even their own companions and whatever obstacle lay in way. Roxanne stationed herself by her wire and triggered it whenever one drew too near.

She now had the chance to hear the commotion behind her as Hans and Axel fought back the remainder troupe.

“Wait, where did that girl go?” one of them called to the other.

“Oh, shit where do you think?” a female voice asked. “Out of our way you fucking dogs!”

Roxanne knew they would come after her and quickly turned heel to search for the portal. Remembering Axel’s instructions, she closed her eyes and breathed in the air around her deeply. To her amazement, an all matter of scents and surreal colors and shapes took form in the darkness as Roxanne sought it out. Finally, she saw a light beneath closed eyelids and could almost taste the otherworldly smells.

“Almost too intoxicating to resist,” she stated at Allosfaire’s seductive calling. However, she remained in place, held out the compass, and chanted the mystical command.

“The deed is done. The way may shut.”

A loud burst of energy swirled from an opening and began to draw back within itself. Roxanne opened her eyes and noticed the hole was slowly growing smaller around the edges.

“Hey I got it!” Roxanne called over to her companions, but gasped when she saw the three remaining rabids between her and Hans and Axel.

“Dammit,” the female hissed.

The older male glared at Roxanne. “Hand that compass over here, girl,” he growled.

Roxanne narrowed her eyes and bristled her fur. Instead of submitting she clutched her knife defiantly. “Not happening.”

He must have thought she was bluffing the way he approached her, but Axel and Hans had them under their aim now.

“Stay the hell away from her,” Hans yelled.

“You have a choice,” Axel spoke softly. “You can retreat back before the leak shuts or you can die here.”

Hans grew impatient as the rabids hesitated. “Bad day to be a martyr,” he warned them.

The younger male drew back and began to persuade the others.

“Come on, let’s go,” the female followed after him through the door and out of sight, but the older male turned to face them.

“Just remember, only one storm stands between your world and us,” he glared and turned back to Roxanne. “I’ll be looking out for you the next time you visit Allosfaire.”

With that, he retreated through the portal before it shut completely around him.

They stood in silence for a moment, as if waiting for the rabids to rampage one last time. Finally, Hans broke the silence.

“I call bullshit,” he said in regards to the warning, as the other two studied him. “I’m more worried about a brownie stealing my food.”

The three laughed in relief.

“A brownie?” Roxanne asked.

“Those red imps that look like a cross between a lemur and a squirrel. When you go to Allosfaire you will see a lot of them,” said Axel.

“Aww they sound kind of cute,” Roxanne stated.

“Yeah, that almost makes up for the fact that they’re annoying as Hell,” Hans grumbled.

She chuckled. “I would rather run into them than the rabids.”

“Agreed, now that’s out of the way, let’s take on the home stretch,” Axel declared. The two followed him out of the basement.

“Are we free to call the police?” Roxanne asked.

“Yes, but once we make the call, they’ll be storming in with half the unit. We’ll want to be well clear of this place when they arrive.”

“Let’s make sure their leader Olaf is still here, I want to rest easy knowing he didn’t already duck out,” Hans stated.

He led them up the stairwell and crouched near his office.

Staying out of sight, Hans stretched his nose to test the air. However, he didn’t need to for long because Olaf’s raging voice quickly gave away his position.

“I don’t give a damn how close we are to finishing. I like to know where my men are!” he berated one of his secretaries. “Desmond and Patrice wouldn’t have just run off for nothing! Where did they go!?”

“I saw them meet up with a few of your elite guard. They said something about a door in the boiler room,” he told him. For a second it sounded as if the clocks stopped ticking.

“What do you mean, why would they all of a sudden go down there?”

“I wouldn’t know, Olaf. They just looked like they were in a hurry.”

“What about the shipping overseer, Andy Jessup?” Olaf asked. “Was he a part of it?”

“No, I didn’t see him go down. Besides what’s so important about them anyway. They’re just muscle for hire, right?”

“They’re the unique. Tell the others to look for Jessup, if anyone has answers he would.”

“Why him, what’s this all about?” the secretary asked.

“Just do it!” Olaf barked. The secretary huffed but abided and left the office. The lycanthropes watched him go.

“Now that we know he’s here, I say we put some distance from this place. They’ll be looking for you next,” Axel whispered to Hans.

They headed back down the stairwell but were intercepted by the smugglers in the packaging room from earlier.

Roxanne used her small size to her advantage as she backed away behind Axel and hid behind a crate stack. Due to it being dark in the dimly lit room, they hadn’t seen her hide or even her for that matter.

“Act casual,” Axel whispered to Hans. The second in command braced himself but stayed calm.

“Hey Jessup, don’t tell me you found ‘another customer’ already,” Keith asked. “First one was cuter.”

“That’s no concern of yours,” Hans told him.

“Maybe not, but it might be for Olaf. He had some pretty strict orders to escort your ass up to him.”

“Something about some guards that you’re acquainted with going missing,” another chimed in.

Roxanne discretely began to crawl forward and out of sight.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that, but if he insists, I’ll head up there on my own,” Hans replied, looking ready to leave.

“Naw, I think we better make sure you don’t take any detours,” Rob threatened.

“C’mon, where’s your sense of trust?” Roxanne’s voice asked, amused from above. They shot around to see her stretched casually on the crate pile in her half-changed form. She curled her tail in and out like a cat as she stared intently.

“Wha…What the… who are you??” Rob asked, his eyes bulging. Roxanne smiled as her comrades took the opportunity to jump them. Axel brought one in a choke hold as Hans knocked the other out with his gun.

“I’m a reminder not to use drugs,” Roxanne chuckled as she hopped down beside them once the struggle was over.

Several remaining smugglers must have heard the commotion because they shot down at them from the balcony. Two out of the three returned fire. Roxanne ducked below and crawled over to Axel.

“Axel, make the call now,” Hans shouted.

“Wait, we’re still in here though!” Roxanne cried.

“No, he’s right, we need backup. The police should do the job,” Axel told her.

“What about us, we can’t be caught here, right?” she asked frantically.

Hans looked over in concern to Axel, who was making a call to the sheriff.

“Listen, we know where the drug chain is going on. It’s the shipping yard on the harbor, just off of East View. The man behind is the treasurer from West End, Olaf Sermis. You have to get down there quick, it sounds like a blood war is going on!” Axel called before shutting off the cellphone.

“How long do we have?” Hans asked.

“Judging by the interest in his voice, ten minutes tops.”

The red and blue siren lights that followed two minutes later declared they had less than that. The three wolves bolted out the back way.

“Hands up! Let me see your hands!” She could hear the police forces’ voices, but she didn’t dare turn around until she and the others had made it out into the night’s sanctuary.

Roxanne, Axel, and Hans climbed to the safety of a nearby roof top as the police raid made their rounds. Their lights flashed the surrounding area and lit the shipping yard up in a red and blue affair as the police began making arrests.

The smuggler named Keith uneasily shifted around as one of the officers tried pushing him into the back of his car.

“None of you saw her? That crazy red-haired woman that looked like she crawled out of some fairy tale?” he asked frantically.

“Come on pal, don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” the cop ordered, ignoring his plea.

“I’m serious, this girl’s eyes grew huge and she just spouted fur and a tail,” Keith wearily persuaded.

“Look, when you get down to the station, you make your report about little red riding hood,” the cop told him as he closed the car door on him and then grumbled.

“Goddamn druggie.”

***

The next hour passed surprisingly peacefully as the raid began to die down and the police hauled off the offenders. Hans pulled a silver flask from his leather jacket and three little shot glasses as the three watched from above.

“Think this calls for my good friend Jackie “D”,” he declared, filling the glasses with whiskey.

Roxanne smiled and lifted her glass in front of her. “To our successful order and the ones to follow.” The three clinked their glasses.

“Look at you, already up for the next one,” Axel noted, amused.

“There’s bound to be more,” Roxanne replied.

“Not for a while I hope,” Hans laughed.

“You taking some time off before returning to Ipsum?” Axel asked Hans.

“That’s the plan, hit a few places in Charleston,” he smirked. “Sorry you still have to teach in the morning.”

“It’s all right, I suppose it will be nice to let that original professor Finchley get back to work when I pull out,” Axel said.

“Poor thing, hope people think she’s as senile as she looks when she tries to tell what kept her,” Hans chuckled.

“Wait, what?” Roxanne asked looking confused. The two men avoided her gaze. Roxanne’s eyes grew ablaze as she realized what they meant. “You kidnapped Professor Finchley?!”

“Not exactly, just hustled her on the nearest train that will be making its round trip back the day I conveniently decide to leave,” Axel answered. “The Pack insists that I have some type of education alias, so I had to keep her out of the way briefly.”

Roxanne shook her head. “The poor old woman, I can’t imagine what she must have been thinking waking up on a train out of the blue.”

“Probably that she should start taking a sleeping aid that doesn’t knock her into a coma and make it so easy,” said Axel.

“You’re not worried someone’s going to find out when she somehow returns the day you conveniently disappear?”

“She’ll probably be so embarrassed she’ll force herself to forget and besides even if the school does press the matter, the fake alias Ivan Andrews will be as helpful a lead as John Doe and the Easter Bunny.”

Roxanne looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Axel, are you suggesting that someone uses “Easter Bunny” as an alias?”

There was a pause and all of them burst out laughing.

“Gotta give him some credit for his style,” Hans joked. “The system he has to just break into whatever house and leave his colored egg calling card is pretty ballsy.”

Roxanne fell over snorting. Maybe it was the jokes, or the whiskey, or the fact that she felt at ease for the first time that day. The three relaxed in each other’s company.

The majority of the commotion below had died down so the three arose from the roof.

“Shouldn’t be too bad to go now,” Axel declared.

“If you like, Roxanne, I will see to it that you are safely escorted back,” Hans offered kindly. Before she could answer Axel spoke sternly.

“Thank you anyway, but I’ll see that she is back home, Hans.”

Hans shrugged. “Not a problem, anyway Axel, I’ll see you in a week or so back in the valley. And Roxanne?”

She listened patiently.

“Even though my arm will be aching for a day or so, it was lovely getting to work with you. I hope it can happen in a more formal manner.”

“Thanks, and sorry about your arm again. Hopefully that position will be reserved,” she smiled as she glanced over at Axel for his approval. Axel nodded his head in lieu of a response.

After one last salute, Hans changed into his wolf form and leapt from the roofs and bounded out of sight.

Roxanne watched him go and grinned. “Well isn’t he a charmer.”

“Yes, that’s what concerns me.” Axel grumbled.

***

At the crack of dawn Axel finished walking Roxanne back to her apartment. The South Carolina air was cool and fragrant, being that it was early in the morning, and the two carried on with small talk.

“Oh, the poor boy,” Axel teasingly sympathized as Roxanne gossiped about her ex-boyfriend.

“What you mean? He shows up at the dance drunk and pukes on my dress and he’s the victim?” Roxanne asked appalled.

“Did he get suspended?”

“Oh no. Students don’t pay the consequences as long as they have their parents to bail them out,” she snorted.

“Can’t learn anything that way.”

“Sure can’t,” she replied as she unlocked the front door and then turned back to face him. “Well this has been a very eventful and hectic day,” she laughed.

“Indeed. However, it’s another one now that we’re pushing the AMs,” he concluded. There was a brief silence before Roxanne looked up to meet his eyes.

“So. . . what happens now?”

Axel shrugged his shoulders.

“The rabids have been taken care of and the humans have been arrested. It’s a closed case,” he declared. “I expect Sermis is in for a dreadful night.”

“I mean with me.”

Axel paused and then addressed her in a grateful tone.

“You played your hand right in our success. The Pack will be happy to add you to our ranks, but that is not until your graduation,” he told her.

Roxanne remembered the promise she made to her parents and knew that he would also abide by it.

“All right, but can you at least give me a number I can contact? Like the cell phone you used to make the police call?”

Axel bit his lip. “I can’t use that except for anonymous reasons, it would be considered a liability.”

“Aren’t you the head field agent, can’t you tweak some of these rules?” she asked, her voice hinted with annoyance.

“I do,” he told her plainly.

Roxanne sighed. He was so damn professional.

“What about the microchips you use? Can’t you give me one so I have some means of contact?”

“Even if I did just carry around a spare, it would need to be surgically inserted. You can’t just stick it in the back of your neck and hope that you don’t damage some nerve,” he laughed.

“I will have it marked on June 14th that I will return and have you brought to Ipsum.”

“How do I know that?” she asked suspiciously. He held her in a penetrating stare.

“Roxanne, you and I hadn’t even met before today, yet regardless we placed our trust in one another,” he stated. “Have I given you any reason to doubt my words?”

Roxanne studied him and knew there was truth in his words, so she answered him honestly in return.

“No, you’re right.”

He relaxed a little. “Thank you. Believe me, that is more valuable than any fancy lycanthrope technology,” he said and then added lightheartedly, “But you’ll get to decide for yourself in a few months.”

“I’m sure I will,” Roxanne smiled.

“See you soon, Ms. Gwenvi,” he said as he turned to leave.

“Oh Axel,” she called before he was gone. “Just in case something does come up that causes you to conveniently forget…,” she said in a taunting manner, “Remember I will get to Ipsum, hunt you down, and make you apologize to me personally,” she threatened.

His eyes remained penetrating but a subtle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“I would have no doubt.”