by Alton Reich
> "How did you get hurt," Zenya asked, nodding at the lines of stitches on > him, most of them across his chest.
> Collins opened his eyes, looked down at himself, and frowned. He closed > his eyes again. "I.. I don't remember. I think I saw something, but I > couldn't have seen what I thought I saw. You know?" > > "Tell us what you thought you saw." > > "You ever seen The Curse of the Werewolf?"
"It's a cult classic," Jordan said, "I've seen it a couple of times."
"Everything happened so fast that I'm not sure what I saw, but I think it was a werewolf," Derek said.
"What makes you say that?" Zenya asked.
"For some reason I remember feeling fur. Also the thing's breath... It smelled like a dog's."
"You sure it wasn't just a wolf, or maybe a large dog?" Jordan asked.
"I don't think so," Derek answered, "It was fast, but it didn't seem to move like a wolf. It was more upright."
"Like a werewolf?" Jordan offered.
"Yeah."
> *****
> [Brookhaven, south gate, 9:50PM]
> Jordan stopped the car several feet from the gate, just out of range of > the > street lights, and shut off the engine. The sky was slightly overcast, > making it darker than usual. And it was quiet. Almost too quiet, Zenya > thought, then grinned at the clich�. She stopped grinning, though, when > she saw Jordan pull out his gun, check it and then put it away.
> A rustling in some bushes to their right caught everyone's attention and > all eyes turned in that direction. They were silent, listening for > something more, but nothing happened.
> "Probably just the wind," Martin muttered.
> "Please step out of the car," a deep male voice said from somewhere on > the > left.
"What should we do?" Martin asked from the back seat.
"Nothing for the moment," Jordan replied.
"I said, step out of the car," the voice repeated and a man in fatigues carrying an M-16 said as he stepped into a nearby circle of light.
Isaac opened the door slowly and got out. Zenya and Martin followed suit.
The armed man approached and stopped in front of Jordan, "You're in an exclusion zone around a restricted Government facility. What are you doing here?"
"My girlfriend and I just came to watch the sun set. There aren't too many places on the east cost you can watch the sun set over water," Jordan answered.
"Who's he?" the armed man asked indicating Martin with a jerk of his head.
"Our chaperone. Her family is devoutly Catholic and they won't allow us to be alone before the wedding."
The man looked at the sky and said, "I don't think you'll see much of a sunset tonight. I'll be back this way in about 15 minutes. Just make sure you're gone by then." He added quietly, "Good luck loosing the tail."
"Thanks," Jordan replied as they settled back into the car.
They watched the armed man walk off along the perimeter fence. After a couple of minutes the right rear car door suddenly opened. Jordan spun around reaching for his gun. Martin had already drawn his.
A man with glasses sat on the edge of the rear seat with his hands almost touching the inside of the roof, "Don't shoot!" he exclaimed with a squeek.
Martin lowered his gun but didn't put it away.
"You're from the FBI," Dr. Kleinberg said hopefully.
"Jordan Stern."
"Good. We have to talk, but not here. There's a state forest about 5 miles east of here. We should be able to talk there."
As they drove, Kleinberg said, "I suppose you're wondering what this is all about."
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't," Martin said.
Kleinberg looked around nervously.
"We aren't being followed," Jordan said.
"It all began during World War 2."
"Project Grey Wolf," Jordan offered.
"How do you know about that?" Kleinberg asked.
"I met a Dr. Goldman in Brooklyn the other day."
"I've read some of Goldman's papers. He was quite brilliant in his time. But we've come a long way since then."
"He said that the research project ended after the war ended," Jordan prompted.
"It did, mostly. A skelaton staff was kept on mostly to monitor what was happening with genetic research in academia. The project was in neutral for almost 20 years. It began again in ernest durning the VietNam War. By then genetic research had progressed a great deal."
"Enough to make significant genetic manipulation of dogs possible?" Martin asked.
"At first the changes were almost insignificant. We could increase their visual acuity some. Things like that. However, selective breeding and further advances in genetic manipulation have made a lot more possible in recent years," Kleinberg explained.
Jordan pulled off the main road and on to the deserted access road into the state park.
"Has the technology advanced to the point of creating a werewolf?" Zenya asked.
Kleinberg nodded slowly, "They might be seen as such. We have given them enough inteligence to carry out simple tasks. They have the ability to walk upright, although they prefer to stay on all fours when moving for long periods. They have been bread to be agressive, although they are highly protective of their masters."
"Like a German Shepard," Jordan said parking on the side of the road.
"Many of the original animals were Shepards, and their characteristic traits have continued to be passed down."
Suddenly there was a long, mournful howl.
"What was that," Kleinberg asked, looking around.
"Probably just a wolf," Martin said.
Jordan wasn't convinced, and from his appearance, neither was Kleinberg.
NRPG:
What are the odds it "just a wolf"? I'm thinking they aren't good. Jordan might actually fire his gun this mission (I don't think he has before).