Moonlight Medicine: Inoculation Read online

  The bodyguards began descending on the bedrooms, and David rushed over to intercept the one heading towards Evelyn’s room. “Before you go and wake them up, I should tell you that Evelyn is very frail right now.” He spoke to Roberto who halted the bodyguards with a flick of his wrist.

  “Frail? What do you mean frail?”

  “I mean, well she feels responsible for Sara’s death, and Caroline told her that she was responsible for getting a lot of people killed now that the Vulke know that we’re joining against them. She’s pretty torn up, so please be respectful of that.”

  “I see. Of course.” Roberto followed the bodyguard headed into Evelyn’s room and, once the room was cleared, he went over to the edge of the bed where Evelyn lay. David shadowed Roberto into the room and Kim lingered just outside. Roberto leaned down over Evelyn. “Dr. Eisenhart?”

  Evelyn didn’t stir.

  “Dr. Eisenhart, it is very important that we speak right now.”

  Evelyn still did not stir. David took a step towards the man.

  “Maybe this can wait until the morning, Roberto?”

  Roberto seemed to consider David’s words, then without warning, he ruthlessly slapped Evelyn’s face.

  3

  Evelyn cried out and cringed away from Roberto as David launched himself at the older man, but was promptly seized by the bodyguards before he reached his target.

  “What the hell are you doing!”

  Roberto ignored David and stared at a wide-eyed Evelyn. “This is no time for selfish self-pity, Doctor. People are going to die. I don’t care what that woman told you. If it wasn’t for you, we would have no hope of winning this war, none. But we need you, and we need you confident and capable, not some whimpering child.”

  Evelyn stared, stunned, at Roberto as an angry, red mark surfaced on her cheek. Kim hovered in the doorway, her eyes blazing and weight shifting restlessly from one foot to the other.

  “Get your hands off me! Rivest, I’m gonna take your head off!”

  Evelyn brought her hand up to the side of her face, blinked and then looked to David. “No, David, he’s right. Regardless of what the…situation is, I’m not helping like this.”

  David stopped struggling, but his jaw remained tight and his fists clenched. “That doesn’t give him the right—“

  Evelyn turned her attention back to Rivest. “I’m going to need a new lab and access to the files I sent you.”

  “Since I now have free access to a number of secret offshore accounts, that should not be a problem.” Roberto turned to David. “Now if you are quite through being an overprotective ass, shall we go outside and discuss some of the finer points of this war we’re about to wage?”

  David took several deep breaths and set his jaw, but nodded, unclenching his fists. Shaking off the bodyguards’ loosened grips he motioned for Roberto to leave the room ahead of him. Kim hastily sidestepped out of Roberto’s way as he strode out into the living-room with the bodyguards trailing behind him. David then ran to the edge of the bed.

  “Evie are you really okay? Because I would be happy to punch Rivest right in his smug face.”

  Evelyn managed a small smile. “No, but I’m better. I think that was actually just what I needed right now…Is my salad still out there?”

  David nodded and Evelyn scooted off the bed. Her suit was beyond rumpled and David noticed little flecks of blood on her white blouse. Wincing, she stretched out her neck and arms.

  “Listen, I’m sorry for flaking out. I…it was just a lot and Caroline…” Evelyn’s teeth clenched and she swallowed hard. “That was just a lousy thing for her to say right then, even if it’s true.”

  David put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in until his nose was almost touching hers. “No, you listen to me. Caroline might have thought that this thing could’ve been handled all hush-hush, but I don’t believe that for a second. The Vulke wouldn’t have let that happen. They’ve been planning something big from the start. Now we were probably naïve to think that they wouldn’t find out about this meeting, but neither of us has ever been through something like this before, and if Caroline thought that we weren’t handling things the right way, she could have said so or refused to continue the phone chain. Also, Kim had a really good point about something earlier. What if we thought that we had kept the meeting secret, but the Vulke really did know about it? We might’ve done things thinking that we were being sneaky that could’ve turned out disastrous because the Vulke were wise to us.”

  Evelyn nodded. “I just wish…”

  “We all do, Evie.” David put his arms around her.

  “Sara told me that we had to ‘kick their asses’.”

  “We will.” David released her. “Now, let’s get some food in you and…and figure out how we’re going to make the Vulke pay.”

  Evelyn nodded forcefully and they went together out into the living room. Roberto was standing in front of the fireplace staring into the fire, Kim was perched uneasily on the edge of one of the chairs, and the two bodyguards had taken up strategic positions at opposite ends of the room, one by the door and one by the windows. Roberto looked up impatiently when they entered the room and waited for David to sit on another chair before making his way over to the couch. Evelyn nodded to him in passing as she spied the salad on the table and went over to finally appease her neglected stomach.

  David’s eyes trailed Evelyn to the table, then he turned to Roberto. “As much as I don’t want to see her condescending face right now, shouldn’t Caroline be a part of this discussion too?”

  “Perhaps,” Roberto admitted, “but for now I’d like to speak to just you and Dr. Eisenhart and make my conclusions before hearing the…thoughts of others.” He glanced over at Kim. “I’m sorry, miss, I’m not sure that I’ve had the pleasure of being formally introduced to you.”

  Kim looked like a deer in the headlights under Roberto’s scrutiny. “I…um…I’m Kim, Kim Panders. I…er…I guess I’m one of the Vulke’s strays. I wasn’t bitten or injected with anything that I know of, but I’m…I’m a werewolf, like Evie and David.”

  “And how did you end up with Dr. Eisenhart and David instead of with the Vulke?”

  “I’m not sure. I know that the Vulke were watching me, but I ended up in the woods in Tennessee and Evelyn and David found me. They saved my life, twice actually. The Vulke came after me, but David and I got away from them.”

  “She’s been through a lot with us, Roberto,” David interjected. “You can trust her.”

  Roberto turned to face David. “I think that I will have to make that judgement for myself, but thank you for your input.”

  David scowled but didn’t offer a retort.

  “I take it something happened to the original lab for Dr. Eisenhart to request another?”

  “If we can call you Roberto, then you can call me Evelyn,” Evelyn said through a mouthful of salad. “And yes, the Vulke found us and destroyed it just before the meeting.”

  “We barely escaped with our lives,” added David. “We think they traced our cell phone.”

  “Do you think that they gleaned anything useful?”

  “Probably, it isn’t as if we had a chance to destroy any files or anything before we left. We didn’t build in a self-destruct mechanism. Next time I guess.” David smiled ruefully.

  “That is unfortunate news. Now the Vulke have a good idea that Evelyn was, in fact, working on a cure and how far along towards that cure she has gotten. How far along have you gotten?”

  Evelyn was working on gathering up the last few stray slivers of parmesan cheese with her fork, and had just switched to swiping them up with her finger, which she finished licking clean before she answered. “Not far, but maybe now that I don’t have to do it only on the weekends and sneak around, I’ll be able to focus and make some real progress.”

  “Oh, Evie, that’s right, your job,” said David.

  She shrugged. “I had a feeling I wouldn’t have it that much longer with…wi
th everything that happened before. When I negotiated a new contract with Dr. Alverez, it included a clause where I agree to sell him my half of the clinic for base market value if I should be unable to perform my duties as the second veterinarian as described, including missing too many days of work. If we get through this alive, I’ll find another. I’ll just put down Dr. Alverez as a hostile reference.”

  Roberto shook his head. “Americans are very strange in their ability to joke in dire times.”

  “Hey, if we let them take our sense of humor, then the Nazis have already won,” David chimed.

  “Nazis?”

  David rolled his eyes and shook his head, Kim giggled, and even Evelyn suppressed a small smile. “Never mind.”

  4

  David and Evelyn spent the next hour or so recapping recent events with Roberto. At first Kim offered the occasional detail, but eventually she fell asleep in the chair and David sent her to bed. When she had been gone a few minutes Roberto turned the conversation back to Kim.

  “You are both certain that she is not some kind of Vulke informer or mole?”

  Both Evelyn and David shook their heads.

  “No way.”

  “Impossible, when we found her she was almost dead from an accidental injury in the forest, and the Vulke couldn’t have known or even suspected that we would A, run into her, B, take her in, and C, be able to save her life,” said Evelyn.

  “Also, the Vulke tried hard to get to her when we came back from the lab. Why would they try to get her back if she was supposed to be a spy?” David added.

  Roberto folded his hands in his lap. “It could have all been a set-up to keep her closer to you by getting you to think her life was in danger. She could be a sleeper and not even know that she is working for the Vulke. We have intelligence that they are rather good at brain washing.”

  David sat up taller in his chair. “Okay, then why would they have lured us into helping her if they already had an idea where the lab was? Why not just kill us and have done with it?”

  “Your disappearance would have aroused suspicion, but come to think of it, I guess Evelyn has a point. It would be too risky to spend so much time brainwashing her and then risk her dying or being permanently injured and incapacitated if you didn’t find her in time.”

  Evelyn nodded towards Roberto. “Thank you.”

  “But you understand my concern. It is going to be very difficult to figure out who we can trust, and these strays are dangerous. Not only are they a risk to exposing us, but it is going to be near impossible to tell which ones the Vulke have already gotten to. We may already have ticking time bombs strategically placed in packs thinking that they are helping innocent people.”

  “Crap.”

  Evelyn frowned deeply. “Wait a minute, I know that movies and TV depict people being activated by a special word and killing without knowing what they’re doing, but we live in the real world. Do you really think that’s possible?”

  “I am no expert, but we are not exactly normal people either. Who knows what can be accomplished when a new, unsuspecting Wolfkin is subjected to conditioning while in Wolfkin form. What if the rage can be focused and directed? I am just saying that we need to be careful.”

  Evelyn nodded, her brows furrowed and eyes glazed in thought. “Did they use mind control in the last war?”

  “Not to my knowledge, but they did not need it then. Their numbers were much greater and there was no Wolfkin Council to oversee things. Some packs had strong connections, but others were even more isolated than they are now. Truth be told, from what I understand, it was a lucky victory.”

  The three of them were silent for a moment, all lost in their own thoughts, then David spoke. “Well, we’re united this time, and we have a not-so-secret weapon on our side.”

  Roberto glanced up at him and leaned back on the couch casually. “And what, pray tell, is that exactly?”

  David gestured towards Evelyn. “Evie. If she can find a cure, then we can deny them their army of strays, unless you think they’ll do their fighting in human form?”

  Roberto considered this then shook his head. “No. It is not their way.”

  Evelyn opened her mouth to protest, but Roberto held up a hand. “Assassination attempts are one thing, but no, I think for the real war they are going to want to fight with fangs and claws. Besides, it is much easier to track other Wolfkin when one is in Wolfkin form. Despite what you may believe from your own experiences, not all the Vulke are trained assassins. Most are just mindless brutes. The Vulke do not like too many well-educated or extremely skilled members in their lines. It causes too much carnage due to infighting for rank.”

  David scowled. “I hope you’re not wrong.”

  Roberto shrugged. “I doubt this most recent incident was even officially sanctioned. It was likely a rogue Vulke member acting of their own volition thinking that they would come out of it a Vulke hero. It seems to me that it would have been more advantageous for the Vulke to hold their hand closer and not let on that they were aware of the meeting, and of Evelyn’s revelation of the origin of the strays to the rest of the packs. That way we could have thought that we were acting with the advantage of surprise, when in reality, the Vulke had the upper hand.”

  David yawned noisily. “Yeah, we already covered that earlier.”

  Roberto checked his watch. “Well, there is much to do, so I will leave you now, but I take it you will need more suitable, long term lodging, preferably close to a new lab?”

  Evelyn nodded. “I don’t think that it’s safe to go back to either of our apartments, but we’ll need to keep paying the rents, so that we don’t arouse suspicion. I have a little money set aside, and I’ll have significantly more once the sale of my half of the clinic goes through, but in the meantime I won’t have enough for two apartments. Do you think you can spot us?”

  Roberto inclined his head. “As I said, finances are not a concern now. If you provide the keys, I will send someone to collect the bulk of your personal items and empty your fridges and cupboards. I will also provide the two—“

  “Three. Kim will also need a place.” David held up three fingers.

  Roberto sighed heavily. “The three of you with alternative housing under an untraceable company name, and I will have to make some inquiries regarding a new lab for you, Evelyn. It may take a few days, but I am confident that we will not lose too much time.”

  He stood and motioned to the bodyguards whom Evelyn had completely forgotten about with their silent and stony presence.

  “For now, try to get some rest, deal with your own affairs so that you will be unhindered in your assistance, and know that you have my full support and whatever support I can garner from the rest of the packs. I will contact you here shortly, but we will also have to acquire new burner cell phones for you.”

  David and Evelyn also stood and Roberto offered his hand to each of them in turn, and then David let him and the bodyguards out the door. Once David had shut and latched the door, he watched through the peephole then briefly leaned his head against the door before turning and walking over to where Evelyn had slumped back down into her chair.

  “How’re you doing?”

  Evelyn chuckled a little with emotion and exhaustion. “Fan-tastic. You?”

  “I kinda knew that this was coming, but still, it’s a lot. I have no idea what’s going to happen now.”

  Evelyn sat up a little straighter. “Well, if what Roberto says is true, we have around three weeks to figure everything out, where the lines of battle will be.”

  David’s eyes took on a faraway gleam. “It’ll happen in the forests and the hills, the deserts and moors, and other wild places. Not even the Vulke want to risk exposure to the general public right now, unless we force them to and risk innocent human lives.”

  Evelyn nodded with a heavy head. “I think you’re right.”

  “Listen, you go on in and take the other bed next to Kim.”

  Evelyn snickered. “You
’re not thinking of sneaking in with Caroline are you?”

  “Hell no, I’ll take the couch. I’m so tired I could sleep on a bench in Grand Central Station the day before Thanksgiving.”

  Evelyn stood and gave him a grin. “Alright. Good night then.”

  She almost leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth, but at the midpoint altered her trajectory to plant a light kiss on his cheek. She was so tired that she had almost forgotten everything and just done it out of habit. Evelyn hoped that David didn’t notice the adjustment, and he gave no indication that he had as he reciprocated the action.

  “Night Evie.”

  5

  In Evelyn’s dream she was sitting in a fancy café complete with white linens and tuxedo-clad waiters. She was wearing a short, white, summery dress with spaghetti straps and little yellow sunflowers that didn’t really suit her. Her brown hair was free and flowing, lush and curly in a way she never would have been able to accomplish on her own. Across the table from her sat Sara in the same clothes that she had been wearing at the meeting. Her short black hair was in its new, spikey style and she was adorned with her usual assortment of piercings and dark, brooding makeup. Evelyn’s mirth at seeing Sara was marred by the wetness on her friend’s chest from the weeping bullet hole, and the spatters of tiny, red-brown spots on the tablecloth in front of her. The table itself was laid out not with dishes and silverware, but with an array of plastic tubes, pipettes, flasks, reagent bottles, PCR machines, vortexes, and other instruments necessary for the research Evelyn was doing on the werewolf virus, Languorem luporum.

  “I didn’t think it would be like this,” Sara said giving Evelyn her usual sardonic grin.

  “Sara, I’m so sorry!”

  “Why? She didn’t miss. I was meant to do this. This is why I became a Wolfkin, to protect the innocent. You’re not a child, Evie, but you do act very childish sometimes, so I made an exception.”

  “But not like this.”

  Sara shrugged then coughed into her napkin, which came away bloody. “We don’t always get to choose the way. But we should order soon, time is a factor.”