The Lure of the Pack (5 page)

“Is that necessary?” Von Kurst sounded genuinely alarmed.

Slowly, Lana put her cup down, leaned over and kissed her
lover gently on the cheek. “I am afraid so my love. Like you, I fear for
Helga’s sanity.”

Von Kurst’s eyes narrowed, his look now one of inquisitive
mistrust, “and since when have you, my dear Lana, been so concerned about
Helga’s well being?”

“I expected this, you don’t trust me anymore do you Otto?”
Lana picked up her coffee and put the cup to her lips. She sighed again,
quickly turning away from Von Kurst’s powerful gaze. Let’s see what your reply
is to that my darling, she thought!

“Are you okay?” The winch man’s voice snapped through
Piper’s helmet mounted Com-link, his mind and body hastily jolting back to
reality. He looked around as the Sea King continued buffeting against the cold
night air’s turbulence.

“Yes…I’m fine, thanks.”

“No problem…here,” smiling, the winch man held out a half
filled plastic cup from his thermos flask, “it’s not much I’m afraid, but it’s
good coffee.” Piper gratefully accepted the beverage and sipped slowly,
revelling in its warmth and taste as he tried to return the winch man’s smile.

“Don’t play games with me Lana.”

“Oh, you can talk Otto, you lied to me didn’t you,
WELL…DIDN’T YOU?”

Otto Von Kurst fell silent, so too did Lana Franke. She was
right he thought, he had lied to her, the woman he…loved. “SHIT!” Von Kurst
flung his cup at the fireplace, where it shattered into pieces.  Lana looked
shaken. “HE WILL DAMNED WELL PAY FOR THIS!” he shouted.

“Who will Otto, who will?” Ever so gently, Lana took Von
Kurst in her arms, lowered his muscular form across the sofa and laid his head
on her lap. She stroked his thick, silver grey hair from his forehead as her
attractive face came down to his. “Relax my darling,” she whispered, “I am
here. I will always be here for you!”

Von Kurst gazed up at his mistress. “It is time for
explanations my love,” he whispered.

Tenderly, Lana lowered her head to meet Von Kurst’s lips,
her tongue snaking towards his tonsils as her hand began unfastening the belt
around his trousers. “Later,” the beautiful physician said softly, “much
later.” Within seconds she was fondling him as passion began to kindle in Von
Kurst’s loins, their desire growing stronger, their bodies entwining like
writhing snakes. As if seething with sensual energy, Lana Franke sighed with
lust and emotion. I’m not letting you go Otto, she thought, you are mine and
always will be!

“Good morning officer.” The two tall, smartly dressed men
smiled at the Metropolitan Police Constable as he patrolled the London street.
He stopped, looked at his watch and spoke, “good morning, early start in the
office then?”

“Yes, we’re just waiting for a friend to pick us up.”

“Enjoy your day.” The Constable smiled and walked on.

“Oh don’t worry Mister Policeman,” said one of the
grenadiers, “we will.”

The second grenadier took a small notebook and pen from his
inside jacket pocket, “this locality is ideal, not too busy for the time of day
and hardly any police presence,” he whispered.

“Apart from that prick! Make a note, we can easily hide a
device in this shop’s waste bin…okay…good, let’s continue our recon.”

“You look like shit!”

“Nick, I feel like shit!”

“Did you sleep on the flight back?” asked Jeanette Descard.

“I tried, but…” Ash Piper paused, his concentration
momentarily deflected by the look of concern on Jeanette’s face, “it was
difficult. God, I’m tired,” he muttered.

“We’re all tired Ash,” said Jean-Paul, “it’s been a long
night!”

“It’s good to have you back Ash,” Nick smiled happily.

“Yes, it is good to have you back!”

Quickly and with a defiant look of anger, Piper turned
around as Colonel Mann walked briskly towards him. “Thanks for shitting on me,
Colonel!”

“It was a pleasure…Sergeant,” the Colonel’s smile and reply
took everyone by surprise. “Now then,” he said, boldly, “let’s run through your
de-briefing in the Commander’s office. Jeanette, if you please!”

Piper and Jeanette Descard followed Charles Mann towards
Maurice Hertschell’s office. As they did, she whispered in his ear, “are you
alright? I was worried sick.”

Piper looked at the alluring, caring woman at his side and
smiled as they continued down the corridor. “I’m fine Jeanette, thanks for
asking.” With a glint in her eyes, Jeanette returned the smile as they both
prepared for a long and detailed meeting.

“I think this proposed March Against Immigrants is folly,
utter folly,” the newspaper vendor in the busy Rotterdam street was not in a
good mood, “there is enough trouble here already. This will only cause more
rioting. It is a disgrace!”

“I totally agree! It will only cause chaos.” The stocky,
some would say, tough looking man shook his head and sighed, “the police have
to deal with such a lot nowadays, don’t they?” Gratefully accepting payment for
the newspaper, the vendor nodded his head in reply. “Oh, look at this,” said
the man, brusquely slapping his hand across the newspapers front page, “would
you believe it? They have even printed the full route for the march on the
front page.”

“I know,” the vendor sounded disgusted, “making life a lot
easier if those damned terrorists want to plant another bomb or two, hey?”

The tall man nodded his head. “I agree,” he muttered, “it
will make life…a lot easier.”

“So there you have it my love…the truth!” Otto Von Kurst sat
back on the sofa as he gazed tenderly at Lana Franke. “My apologies for
withholding the facts Lana, I thought it was for the best.” Lana Franke didn’t
speak! Instead, she just stared vacantly into the dying embers of the fire as
Von Kurst waited for a reply, her fists clenched tight with emotion…and vile
hatred. “Helga would have died Lana,” Von Kurst continued, “it’s as simple as
that. And of course…” Von Kurst paused as his mistress turned her head and
gazed longingly into his eyes, “…at the time, I was deeply in love with her.”

“Are you deeply in love with her now?” Lana’s voice lay
tainted with bitterness.

Von Kurst shook his head, “no.”

“Look me in the eyes and say that, Otto.” He did so, but the
look in her lover’s eyes thought Lana, was somehow, slightly menacing and
certainly distant.

“No!” 

Lana sighed, her fists still clenched, “so your blood… the
Were’s blood, runs through ‘her’ veins?”

Instantly, Von Kurst noticed the increased vehemence in
Lana’s voice. “Yes,” he replied.

“I am finding this so hard to believe Otto. After all the
wonderful years we have spent together, now you begin to destroy my life with
this…this bombshell.”

Without thinking, Von Kurst grabbed Lana’s arm and pulled
her towards him, his face contorted, angry. “I AM NOT DESTROYING YOUR LIFE
LANA,” he yelled savagely, “I STILL LOVE YOU!”

The ferocity of his reply surprised her. She smiled, “I
believe you my love, I believe you.” Their lips met again as they kissed,
longingly, lovingly. But at the same time, Otto Von Kurst’s thoughts crossed to
the bedroom were Helga Zeist lay heavily sedated.

The jogger took his time. There was no rush; the area had
been mapped out perfectly. As he ran quietly through the Paris suburb he began
making mental notes regarding people, locations and possible police presence.
Now and again he would stop, panting for breath, pretending to be very unfit.
To the untrained eye he acted out his role perfectly.

To the trained eye, he looked very fit indeed.

Every time he stopped and panted, the jogger pulled a small
notebook and pen from the pocket in his shorts and made quick, detailed notes
regarding his surroundings. He smiled again. Another perfect location he
thought, right in the middle of the route itself. Hastily finishing his notes,
the jogger continued on his way.

“The facts are there for all of us to see, and by now
Sergeant Piper has stirred up a hornet’s nest.” Maurice Hertschell, the
Commander in Chief of CEATA sat straight and proud behind his desk.

“How is the man you brought in?” asked Jeanette.

“In shock,” said Piper.

“That’s understandable.”

“He’s above ground, with SHAPE’s medical staff.
Unfortunately he’s in no fit state to talk to us. We’ll just have to be
patient.”

“So Sergeant, how are you feeling?” Maurice Hertschell had a
glint in his eyes.

“Pissed off!”

“Oh, why is that?” Hertschell’s voice was calm and
calculating as he glanced over at Colonel Mann.

“Your timing for the experiment was perfect…sir!” Piper
said, sarcastically.

“DON’T BE IMPERTINANT SERGEANT!” shouted the Colonel.

The Commander held up his hand, “it’s alright Charles, Sergeant
Piper has a right to feel angry.”

“I don’t like the thought of being used as a guinea
pig…sir!” Again, Piper’s tone of voice was fiery, Jeanette Descard watching the
heated exchange carefully, almost…clinically.

“Sergeant,” continued Hertschell, “you knew the experiment
was coming, didn’t you?”

Piper’s blue and amber eyes bored into those of CEATA’s
Commander in Chief, “yes sir, I did.”

“And you knew it would involve bloodshed?”

Piper nodded his head.

“THEN DON’T GIVE ME ANY MORE OF YOUR SELF RIGHTEOUS,
SANCTIMONEOUS BULLSHIT!” Commander Maurice Hertschell was in no mood for
sentiment, as Piper instantly realised. “WE ARE AT WAR SERGEANT PIPER, AND THIS
WAR IS ALREADY ESCALATING!”

“I understand sir,” said Piper, his eyes still fixed rigidly
on the Commander.

“No you don’t Ash,” Colonel Mann continued the strained
conversation, “whilst you were in the field, our staff have been monitoring
various news reports. Riots are erupting in many cities and towns across
Europe. Muslim families in particular are being targeted for retribution after
these wretched bombings, and on Sunday these damned Marches Against Immigrants
are taking place.” The Colonel sighed, “it’s only a matter of time before the
European Muslim Freedom Fighters strike again.”

“We had to test you Sergeant and quickly,” Commander
Hertschell’s tone had relaxed somewhat.

Piper kept silent. Let them do the talking he thought, at
least for the moment.

“Twenty three men, torn to pieces and yet…” the glint in the
Commander’s eyes had returned, “one survived…why was that?”

“The man could be useful to us sir, it seemed prudent to
bring him in for questioning.”

“And who made that decision, Sergeant?” 

The office fell silent, Piper’s mind was racing. “I did
sir…obviously.”

“Obviously?”

“I…the wolf did…sir!”

“Exactly Sergeant Piper, the wolf did…you, as the wolf, made
that distinct and very important decision.”

Again, Piper nodded, seemingly knowing what the Commander
was coming to.

“Ash,” the Colonel interrupted, “out there, on the
battlefield, you proved two very important points to the Commander and I.
Namely, in wolf form, you fight skilfully and with lethal efficiency, without a
trace of mercy for your enemies, and, most importantly Sergeant, you now
control…the wolf inside you!”

“Yes, several locations have been acquired Herr Scharfuhrer.
The proximity of the blasts will cause chaos. Yes…the café is very close to the
route itself…yes…three further locations are also being utilised…very well,
closing communication.” With an impish grin the man with the mobile phone
turned to his companion. “Well,” he said, “let’s get something to eat shall
we?”

His friend smiled in return as they walked across the road
to the bustling café in downtown Munich. “The meals here are actually very
good.”

“I know. It’s just a pity the place won’t be here after
Sunday morning.” Icily, with not a hint of emotion, the two grenadiers began to
laugh.

“So tell me about him Otto, this man who…supposedly, will
kill you?” Lana Franke was tired, they both were, but she was also very
concerned. It had been a long night and the exertions of the couple’s
lovemaking had exhausted them both.

Otto Von Kurst lay once again in his bed, a single, thin
sheet covering his muscular form as Lana, snugly lying beside him, placed a
kiss gently on his forehead.

“The Were I see is a military man, young and strong.” Von
Kurst paused his conversation, the look in his eyes telling of troubled
thoughts, “he will not accept our world, at least for the moment.”

“So you see him in your dreams?”

“I don’t just see him my love, I communicate with him, and…”
Suddenly, Von Kurst sat bolt upright, stood up and with a sense of urgency,
reached for his clothing, “…I need to get dressed! Lana, you check on Helga
then go and catch up on some sleep. I must see Claude.”

“Otto,” Lana stood up, her divine nakedness making Von Kurst
smile with desire, but something was wrong. “What were you going to say, just
then, before you …oh god,” she took a step back, “your eyes Otto, they’ve
become so bloodshot!”

Von Kurst finished dressing, walked over to Lana and kissed
her. “Earlier, in my dreamscape, I sensed him in the Warehouse and he sensed
me! I actually knew he was infiltrating the facility!”

“So?”

“The psychic link between the two of us is growing stronger.
I have been foolish in underestimating him, SO DAMNED FOOLISH” Von Kurst walked
briskly to the door. “I am wasting time! I have to see Claude, the grenadiers
are ready to strike again. THE CHAOS WILL AND MUST CONTINUE!”

“Otto, this man, this lone wolf…”

“YES!” Von Kurst was in a rush, no more questions he
thought, not now.

“What did you really see…just then? Answer me, and no more
secrets!”

“Very soon Lana, he and I will come face to face.”