Sunday, April 19, 2009

All after incinerators . . .?

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Pencil entry, messily scribbled, there are food stains on the pages, dated 12/4/2009
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Tha winds of change, they kinda stink, sometimes. This time, though, I got a wiff before tha real stink hit, and tha stink was of death. Time ta bug out. Time ta enact “Grr’s Evac plan #3”. Needed to get do some “shoppin” fer that. Why were we buggin out? Well, tha nasty critter that had gotten loose, run amuck and brought down tha heat from tha Septic Federal’s. Agent Men, wanderin about, huntin. Tha good citizens of Tox, well, they did what they do best, and after tha smoke cleared, and tha agents had been BBQ’d at tha stake, their helio shot down, and tha reprisal strike by ship ta ship missile on tha supply barge, I knew it was only a matter of time till they came back in force. I talked with some of tha Pack, who were determined ta stay, and fight fer their territory, angry pups who’ve never seen battlefield combat with a well trained and equipped military.

Between that, and the breakup of tha Institute, and everythin else that had been goin on there, tha waters were already lookin choppy, but like I say, tha wind brought tha scent of death, and even tha Messenger was absent. When tha Valkyrie depart, its time ta bug out. Didn’t have too much time, but enough ta do what needed ta be done. I collected tha tools of my trade, and set out shoppin. Huntin, is more accurate, though.

My first target was ta be tha easier of tha two, I just put my nose to tha ground, and sniffed about till I found tha right kind of scent. Male, Shifter, new to town. Alone. Spent a while till I tracked him down, then some more time observin. Stayin down wind, stayin outta sight, and sound. Casual, like, not makin it feel like a stalkin, in case his instincts were good. Turns out, though, he was just another turned Fleshie, stumbling about in his War-Form, like he was finding his paws. Poor bastard, well, him or me, I win out every time. I checked tha surrounds, didn’t want any witnesses for this, or tha whole jig was up. The look in his eyes was hardest, when tha first three round burst caught him in tha middle of tha pelvis. Silver hollow-points, make em myself. I keep a couple of 5.56 clips of them handy, just in case. Silver is a sacred metal, and is due tha respect my kin give it. I craft it with prayer and blessin, because there is only one reason for me ta use it. To take my own kind over tha Wide River.

Those three rounds hit him and shattered tha heavy bone of his pelvis, and hopefully, his spine too, I saw his legs bucklin even as tha second burst took him mid-chest, a little high and left of solar plexus, but, I wasn’t at too much distance, and tha MoA was only slight. Heart shot, rather than another spine hit, but, hollow-points make a mess, even subsonic 5.56’s. Tha trick is ta make a big hole, and not over-penetrate, leave that blood-metal in tha wound ta do its work. I kept whisperin my Prayer fer tha Departin, as he jerked and twitched, bodymass dropping him as his hips cracked wider, fallin in slow motion, impacts ta his chest, rib shards and silver mushrooms sproutin in his lungs and heart. His head turned to me, as he dropped, reflexes and canine hearin getting triangulation on tha second burst, even suppressed. That’s when tha third burst landed. His eyes landed on my position, in tha bushes by tha tattoo parlour, and he opened his mouth to try to howl for help.

Even lung-shot, my kin can let out a howl loud enough ta be heard by all those who would listen, fer quite a ways, and as it happens, I was ready, in case that happened, but, fallin as he was, mouth opening ta howl, my third burst found tha mark I gave them, mouth is as good as throat, and he ate at least two of tha three rounds. He crumpled, and lay still, back of his head a wet mess, where bone fragments and silver shards punched through tha back of his skull. I had ta move fast, in case I gotr spotted, but tha hours I keep, and picked, made that pretty easy, no one much is ever about when I am, so, I was in luck. I gathered my brass, slung my weapon, and double timed it over to him. I wondered what his name was, but, Coyote knows, and will add it to my tally. I reached him ,saw his tattered clothes and realised how young he must be, maybe his second moon as Kin, not even old enough ta know how ta deal with clothes. Too bad fer him. Dog eat Dog. I whipped out a poncho liner and rolled him onto it, tied him in, and threw him over my shoulder, and got my tail back to the Library.

I got him in, unseen again, I think, and stashed him in tha store room, before changing, and re-equippin myself fer my second item. A couple of hours had passed, not sure how much longer we had, and with tha time tickin away in my head. I got myself together, and headed back out. As I wandered, I got word that a supply ship had been spotted comin in, and we were expected ta make a show of gatherin intel. Well, that’s what we do, and it’d have raised more attention if I hadn’t. Her Ladyship was still out, makin her own arrangements. So, it was up to me. I passed tha crowd, squablin over booze and eats, as they stood about tha docks, all tha while, I was scanning bodies. Size and shape, needed ta be Fleshie, if this was gunna work. There were folks talking about tha critter, and that it had been loaded up ta be shipped off. I boarded tha barge, and poked about, myself, even whe nit pulled away, I kept lookin through what was left. Folks on tha shore yelled ta get back, that I’d get taken, but, I just waved cheerily, seemed ta me like them seein I was finding a way of tha island fer a holiday wasn’t a bad thing, would add to tha confusion, and if there were repercussions? Well, all tha better, blame tha Mainalnders fer what they were gunna find, later on.

I disembarked as tha barge turned tha corner near tha harbour, out of eye-line from tha docks. Double backed through tha sea wall, past tha Pit, and towards tha Park, tha fountain. Always one by tha fountain, or at least, in tha old days. I was in luck. All alone, again, bloody good fortune, pardon tha pun, and I set up quickly in tha rubble behind tha Vet Clinic, under tha toxic vat. I had my M-70 this time, and a different load. Folks think that bein in tha Institute is all about reading books, and filin reports. What they forget is that we larn everythin, we collect everythn, we never throw anything away. As Praetor, I had access, and knowledge.

I had tha anti-Fanger Serum, to de-Fanger folks, as used in tha Fanger-Lycan War, two strains, actually, because we had developed our own, too, a legacy of Shiny, Lyra tha Furf. I had taken that, and loaded it up into tranq darts, tha same kind that used ta get used on me, when I was in tha zoo, when I was learnin ta think like a Fleshie, in tha 7RAR-L. Tha same I’ve used on my own kin ta drop them when they go moon-struck. I had two of each strain, and had them on paw, just in case.

Tha female was not big, but she moved with tha fluid power that comes with tha Fangers, sex on a stick and as cool as a Melbourne eve. Her hair wasn’t dark, wasn’t light, so I was hopin it was tha right colour, but in tha end, that’s just icin on tha cake. I lined up as she fed from tha trough, tha fountain I helped build. At least she had tha grace ta use a cup, Her Ladyship would have been pleased ta know. I was pretty sure she didn’t have a clue I was there, again, I wasn’t that far off, and this could get messy if I bullocked it up.
Tha first dart hit her in tha back, about kidney height, she flinched, and spat her mouthful out and wheeled on tha spot and looked around fer what had hit her. Not seein anything, she reached back to grab at the dart, and struggled to reach it. I loaded up tha second kind, and drew another bead on her, and tagged her, upper right chest, above her teats, below collarbone. When she took that one, she staggered a little, off balance from reaching fer tha first dart.

When she plucked it and looked at it, tha look of contempt and spite that crossed her face was something outta tha movies. Classic Fanger rage face, fangs dropped, predator’s snarl, and she was on tha road ta revenge. She heard tha second shot, too, just like my kin had, and came at me, or at least, my way, a keening call made its way out of her mouth, as she ran towards tha vat I was under, I expect that she thought she’d zip under, and tear out tha throat of tha fool who tried to dart her, like some mortal. Well, I was hopin tha serum was fast actin, and that a mixed double dose would do tha trick, because tha next round I loaded was just a regular copper jacketed steel core. She had crossed tha park in good time, rounded tha tank, and was getting ready to vault tha chainlink fence I was behind, when she slowed. Makin tha jump, she only got half way up tha fence, and with a look of rage, and anger, had ta go hand over hand up it.

I took that as a sign my plan, and tha serums, had worked, and unloaded tha third round, mid-chest, iron sighted. Tha full military load cracked hard, kicked hard, and did it’s job. She was still goin up, but when that round punched through her chest, she just crumpled and sagged mid-air, and dropped off tha fence into a heap, behind tha vat. She wasn’t quite dead, makin that raspy, wheezy sound folks make when they are getting ready ta Cross, after takin one to tha lungs. I re-chambered, gathered my brass, and slipped around tha fence, at-shoulder, keeping her covered, in case tha serum wore off sudden-like whilst she was still kickin. I looked her in tha eyes as tha life went out of her, and whispered tha same prayer I had fer tha first target. She might have deserved ta die, but she wasn’t even my enemy, just needed her fer tha plan. Another name on Coyote’s list. Rolled her ta see that it was a through and through shot, then bagged her too, and after slingin my weapon, carried her as swift as i could without lookin like I was runnin with fresh meat, back to tha Library.

I got back, and again, as it often was, these days, found it empty, dumped tha almost-Fanger in tha store room, and got tha rest of what I needed. Clothes. Two sets, mine and Hers. I stripped tha two bodies, and changed them, hard work when ya think about it, harder ta do, even more so when they are all bloody and fucked up like these two were. I managed, I had to, time was tickin down on us something fierce. I dragged tha two bodies out, and Her Ladyship was there, ready, and lookin . . . grim. She nodded to me, and looks sadly at the two bodies, dressed like us, but, not us. Tha once-Fanger still had tha fangs, but tha thing that makes them be undead was dead in it, so, she was just in-between. She wasn’t even old enough ta go ta ash, just kinda looked dead and sickly. My kin had gone back to Fleshie form, reverted slowly after tha silver had done its work. I looked at them like so much meat, I had a job ta do, and I was gunna see my mission to tha end.

I reached up and yanked a pawfull of fur out, and tossed it at tha couches and look out my KA-BAR, and lookin away from Her Ladyship, stabbed myself through tha forearm. Whimpered, I did, it’s a hard thing ta do, without rage goadin ya, ta stab yerself, but I did it, and left tha blade in, and spun my arm about a bit, ta spray some blood about. Pulled it out again, and at tha same spot, sliced a chunk outta my arm, skinned a patch tha size of a dog food can lid, growlin as I sawed it off, and tossed it against tha fire place. Tha look in Her Ladyships eyes at me hurtin myself made me feel bad fer doin it, but, I could feel tha regeneration as I got to tha next stage, so, no harm done. Her Ladyship surprised me then, but, and said “I suppose I should offer the same evidence to our pursuers, don’t you think?” and before I could say anything, she bit her wrist and flicked it at tha wall and floor aways from tha bodies. I nodded, and bowed my head in thanks to her forwards thinking.

Last step. I got a metal canister out of my supplies, and slopped tha sticky, stinkin mess out of it, all over tha bodies, makin a mess of it, makin sure I didn’t spread it too far off them, but, its good stuff, made it myself, real thick and sticky. Napalm. Covered tha bodies but not tha Library. I had told tha Library Spirit our plan, and I got tha feelin it was just as unhappy as we were about tha situation, and I got tha feelin it was thinking tha same thing. It had dropped a book, for me when I had first told it about my evac plans, tha book was “You Only Live Twice” by Ian Fleming, a spook book, but I didn’t get ta read it, maybe next time . . .

We set tha bodies, and with our small bags of things, look out tha grimy windows into to that grimy city fer what was probably tha last time. I reached inta my pouch and fished out my mirror and asked Her Ladyship if she was ready. She smiled, a fierce, determined smile and nodded, I offered my paw, she took it in her smooth as stone hand. “See ya on tha flipside, Library, its been swell, but tha swelling’s gone down” and with that, we flashed outta that place, leavin mystery and misadventure in our wake, misery and muck in our past.

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