Red stood beneath the streetlamp. Facing him were two enforcers: a thin, swarthy male, and a woman with closely cropped blond hair.The youth had dramatically changed: his muscles had tightened over his bulk giving him a handsome, chiseled appearance, and his ginger skin fairly glowed with health.Yet Red’s eyes held the look of a trapped animal. And he kept looking over his shoulder, as if fearing he’d be attacked from behind.He looks good, thought Styx, better than I remember -- but he’s as jumpy as a damn cat. I guess smoking that s-- finally caught up with him. “Alright,” she asked, “what’s so important you dragged us out here?”“I got some work for you…I know who messed up that hit on the Council.”The sergeant breathed a sigh of disgust. “Well I can’t very well lock them up for botching an assassination, now can I?”“They burned those twenty-one enforcers too.”Styx narrowed her eyes. “Can you prove any of this? Because my bosses downtown are gonna want evidence. It’s a new day Red! I can’t just throw everybody in detention you got a grudge against! Lee and Gonzales are making too much noise about political prisoners as it is!”“I don’t want them detained!”“Are you saying what I think you are?”Red’s mouth twitched nervously. “I’ll make it worth your while.”“He speaks the magic words,” Styx drawled her voice heavy with sarcasm. “The corporate heads must want them iced.”“Something like that.”“Two thousand bills.”“Done.”“Coming up in the world are we? Alright, be here tomorrow night, same time.”“That’s everything you need to know.” Red handed her a slip of paper.Styx glanced down at the note, then folded it into her pocket. “I’ll take care of it.”“One more thing,” the youth’s voice trembled, “the one at the top of the list, don’t kill her. Understand?”“I thought you didn’t want them detained?”“Don’t put her in lock up, just hold her somewhere! I know you got some place you can stash her until tomorrow!”Styx curled her lip derisively. “What is she, somebody’s private piece of tail that broke out of her cage?”“I mean it Styx! Or all our a---es will be in a sling!”As Mark pulled his key from his pocket, a taser was pushed against the back of his head.“Don’t move…Now turn around, slowly!”They turned to face three, male peacekeepers. There was a huge Fuchsia officer, another tall, swarthy male with eyes like two black beads, and a stubby, Indigo enforcer with pitted cheeks.All wore the full regalia of enforcers. Helmets with pointed tops strapped beneath their chins, black shirts tucked into their pants and knee length boots.“Lace your hands behind your head,” the tall one ordered, “and walk back down the steps!”You think somebody snitched on us, Mark’s voice resounded clearly in Karla’s head, about those enforcers we iced?Maybe, Consuela replied, but why did they wait so long to pick us up?We can take them, thought Karla. There’s three of them, and three of us.Not yet, said Mark, we don’t where Joan and José are.All at once, Karla realized that none of them had spoken out loud! Mark! Is that you?Yes! How are we doing this?Damned if I know! Consuela, are you there?Right here -- freaking out!They were herded downstairs, where Joan and José were being held at taserpoint by twenty-seven more peacekeepers.Well, I guess we know where they are now, Consuela retorted.A diminutive blond woman sidled to the front, her lips a thin, humorless line. Crows feet dotted the corners of her hard, blue eyes. She was the only officer there not wearing a helmet, and her left sleeve was marked with three diagonal slashes.“Isn’t this cozy?“ Styx said. “Good work Josi.”“Don’t mention it,” the thin, swarthy officer replied.“Which one of you is Karla?” she asked.The Others tensed, but remained silent.“Did you hear me? I asked you a question! Which one of you is Karla?…Alright, we’ll do this the hard way. Read that description Josi."We can take them, thought Karla once more.You crazy? It was José. There’s thirty of them and they’re armed!… Wait a minute! Did I just hear you in my head? Uh-huh.Joan?Yeah…! When did we start reading minds?A few minutes ago, Consuela replied. Isn’t it groovy?How do we get out of this? asked Mark. I don’t fancy spending next six months in lockup.Become wolves, she said.You crazy? They’ll kill us the moment we start changing!No they won’t. A idea took shape in the Bronze woman’s mind, and was instantly communicated to the Others.You better be right, thought Joan. I got a feeling we won’t get a second chance.Josi finished his description: “…tall and dark. That would be you sugar,“ The enforcer smiled unpleasantly, “step to the front.”“Kiss my ass!” Karla snapped.Consuela’s cry rang out like a bell. Now!Before their eyes the Others became feral creatures -- sprouting hair over the length of their bodies, fingernails growing into talons, eyes blazing yellow.“Monster! They‘re monsters!” Without further ado, half the enforcers bolted.Styx gazed wide eyed at the hostages, controlling herself by sheer will. No matter what horrors she saw, bills were involved-- lots of bills. And my life. “Turk,” her voice was quivering, and she tried to steady it, “you and Josi go over there and get her!”“Sergeant,” the big man was trembling all over, “she ain’t human! None of ‘em are!”“That’s an order!”“Yeah Turk,” Karla growled, baring her fangs, “come on over here and get me!”“You better cut this shit out!” Styx yelled, her voice wavering on the edge of hysteria. “Or I’ll deliver you in pieces!…Take her!”As they lumbered toward Karla she became wolf, the Others followed her lead. Nowinstead of monsters, the officers were faced with five wolves ranging in color from snowy white to onyx....Copyright 2007 Valjeanne Jeffers-Thompson all rights reserved
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