Chapter 29. * * * * * HANSEN'S ISLAND FRAN PARKER'S P. O. V.
(SEPT. 17, 1993)
My new roommate was back. During the interim he was gone, he appeared to do have developed a triple personality! And, I thought my solitary confinement in a Somalian guerrilla sweat box had left _me_ with mental issues.
"So, your name is Brian Stark, now, huh?" I sarcastically asked: "Any relation to Anton Stark?"
He glared at me in sudden suspicion.
"That's my old man! How do you know him?"
"Are you kidding?" I declared: "He's the chief paper-pusher in this overgrown booby hatch."
* * * * *
HARRY D'AMOUR'S P.O.V.
"A selkie?" I echoed (only half-pretending to be puzzled): "You mean, one of those Celtic mermaids who cross-dress as sea lions?"
"Grey seals, actually,* " corrected Merrick: "But, perhaps, I should explain from the beginning. Your parents met in London, during World War Two. He was a Bone Gnawer serving in the U. S. Army K-9 Corps as a veterinarian. While she was a Royal Navy nurse from the Shetland Islands. They got married after a whirlwind romance. And, it was on V-E Day that they discovered she was pregnant!"
"The morning afterward, however, she disappeared. And it wasn't till nine months later that Anton Stark learned why. It seems he had married a wulver! Half-Fenrir Garou; half-selkie. And, as that technically made you a metis, your mother was compelled by age-old Garou custom to give you up for adoption to the Children of Gaia. One of whose theurges delivered these ill-tidings to your father."
"I see," I replied (my arms skeptically criss-crossed): "And, how did Dear Old Dad take this news?"
"Not well. He went ronin, in fact! Affiliating himself with some hush-hush American outfit, called the Initiative, as a special consultant on Garou behavioral psychology. Nowadays, though, he has a new title: 'Assistant Director of Banality Induction.' "
"You mean, he brainwashes people to be dull?"
"No. He brainwashed werewolves and other supernatural creatures to lead what he considers 'normal' lives. And he does so through a combination of narco-hypnosis, electroshock therapy, and selective neurosurgery!"
HANSEN'S ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA
(FRANK PARKER'S P. O. V.)
I could not believe this. My new roommate gets taken away for "individual counseling" (as Gregor Buza); and, ninety minutes later, he's brought back. Claiming to be a fugitive eco-terrorist named Brian Stark; claiming that he's been hiding out, from both the Feds and the Russian mob, by _posing_ as "Gregor Buza;" and claiming that his old man, Anton Stark, is a self-hating werewolf-turned-psychiatrist!
"You poor bastard!" I muttered: "What the frig did they do to you?"
MEANWHILE, IN DOCTOR STARK'S OFFICE. . .
The response from the voice on the other end of the speaker phone was immediate and unequivocal.
"What kind of baloney are you trying to hand me, Stark? Do you have D'Amour in custody, there, or don't you?"
"We have his corporeal body, Mr. Director. But, either he's memorized an elaborate bogus story, through previous hypno-conditioning, or. . ."
"Or what?"
"Or his body is currently occupied by a yulan-jin. A subspecies of kuei-jin, or Asian vampire, that can astrally project from one host body to another. Hence, the Sino-Japanese portmanteau, which roughly translates as 'soul jumper!' If such is the case, here, then we have the first known occurrence of one of these creatures in the Occident."
"Find out," replied the Director: "One way or the other. . .at all costs."
HARRY D'AMOUR'S P. O. V.
"OK," I said: "You've convinced me that you know I'm really Brian Stark. But's what this about my family being in danger?"
"Please, do not take me for a fool," replied Merrick: " We both know your son's disappearance was most likely arranged by the Sitka Apparat as a means of luring you out of hiding. And, obviously, it worked!"
"Of course, it did!" I retorted: "I might not be the real-world equivalent of Mike Brady. But, I still love my son enough, in my own way, to trade my life for his."
Merrick shook his head: "The Russians will never settle for just that. They'll want to massacre both sides of your wife's entire family just to set an example for anyone else who might be tempted to steal from them. Even unintentionally!"
"So what do you suggest I do? Have the governor call out the National Guard to occupy Dos Pueblos and baby-sit the birthday party?"
"Nothing so dramatic," the Englishman conceded: "Though I have the glimmerings of an idea that might be just as effective."
MEANWHILE, BACK AT BENTLEY HIGH SCHOOL (FROM SAM BECKETT'S P. O. V.). . .
The last period of the school day was gym period. And, for the girls of the varsity squad, this meant cheer practice. So back I went, inside Lynne Parker's sports bra! Which meant I didn't see daylight again until about quarter of three. Fifteen minutes after school let out for the day.
At which point, Lynne asked which of the cheerleaders wanted me all to herself for the weekend. And, immediately, three right hands shot up! Specifically; those of Debbie Wong, Wanda New Moon, and Suzie Kamanawanaleia. Lynne just laughed.
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you what. You three do ' Rock/Paper/Scissors ' for him. Whoever wins best two out of three gets him for tonight. The others can then compete to see who gets him for tomorrow night. With the third-place contestant getting him Sunday night, by default. Agreed?"
It was Debbie who wound up being my Friday night custodian, while Suzie and Wanda won custody of me, in that order. Yet, just before handing me over, Lynne removed the Scotch tape from both my mouth and my upper torso. Only to put a peculiar-looking black leather band around my waist. Complete with a silvery-looking padlock!
"What's this?" asked Debbie.
Lynne grinned: "One of my mom's spare anti-barking collars. She uses them to keep her Chihuahua quieter than a basenji! Every time it tries to bark up a storm over nothing, a voice-activated circuit is completed and. . .ZAP! Instant electric shock. A mild one, of course. But, still strong enough to make the ratty-looking bitch keep its mouth shut! So it should do just as good a job with him."
Have a Happy One, all!
Glossary
*Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus): native to both sides of the North Atlantic, this pinniped marine mammal is also known as the horsehead seal. A fact which might also make it the basis for all those Scottish and Irish legends about "water horses."
Metis: Garou euphemism for the children born of two werewolf parents. Such unions are forbidden, by most of the Garou tribes, as the offspring are usually born sterile and physically misshapen.
Theurge: the wizarding caste/auspice of a Garou tribe, made of up those born under a crescent moon.
