Chapter 6

DNA

(AN: I am so sorry for not up dating. I got so wrapped up in other projects that I just stopped prioritizing this story into it. On the plus side I got the best grades I think I've ever had.)

Howlyn felt like an idiot. He was walking down a crowed street pushing a stroller with a knife up his sleeve. It had taken him 2 minutes to fix a rig so he could slip the kitchen knife into his hand at will. It had taken him 15 minutes to get Justina ready and out of the apartment. He had been rushing around like a madman and she just sat there and smiled at him. If he had to look at her little knowing smile anymore he would go nuts.

Luckily they had finally arrived. On the outside the place looked like any other, but it had no sign, the windows were blackened out, and the door was so unremarkable you would hardly notice it unless you were looking for it. And he was looking for it.

He shoved open booth of the doors managing to not jar the stroller and look menacing at the same time. The lobby same bare, no seating, two elevators, and one desk with exactly one bored sectary behind it. Howlyn marched up to the person and slammed his hand on the counter to get their attention. The person didn't respond for a second but turned to him at last.

"Yes sir, how my I help you?" He asked.

"I'm here to see your sub-basement facilities." Howlyn said watching his eyes closely. He didn't blink or show any recognition.

"We don't have sub-basement facilities." Howlyn grabbed him by collar of his shirt.

"Yes you do, and I'm expected." Howlyn breathed throwing him back into his seat. He man's eyes suddenly grew wide with fear.

"I'm so sorry sir, I didn't realize." Howlyn glared at him.

"Really?" Howlyn drawled. "Now open the second elevator." The man nodded and pressed an unseen button under the desk. The right elevator open and Howlyn without another word pushed the stroller into it. The man followed Howlyn with his eyes and pressed the button to send him down.

"Didn't realize...I should have slit his throat for that." Howlyn remarked to Justina. He didn't have to look to know she was smiling up at him. And while he did hate the fact that she did it; he felt better with the idea that he was talking to someone that wasn't himself.

The doors opened to reveal two well-muscled guards on either side of opening. Howlyn glared them down but didn't move. He really didn't feel like knocking out two hybrids at the moment so he waited. He took a quick scan sizing them up. They had firearms under each arm, the one on the right had once had a limp, and no weapons on their legs.

"May I help you?" Sandoval inquired stepping into view. Howlyn turned his glare to him.

"Yes Sandoval, you can get these extensions of my brethren out of my way before I do." Howlyn said. Sandoval's expression didn't change but a mild recognition in his eyes made it obvious that he knew it was Howlyn.

"Stand aside." Sandoval said. The men stepped to the side and Howlyn stepped into the lab stroller first.

"Did you bring that baby pen?" Howlyn asked.

"As you requested." Sandoval said motioning to the other side of the examination table. Howlyn brushed passed him and stopped the stroller next to the pen. Justina extended her arms waiting to be pulled out. Howlyn wasn't even surprised to see that she had unbuckled herself. So he picked her up and set her down inside of the enclosure.

"Now say in there or I'll feed you to one of them." Howlyn said being careful to sound serious. Justina laughed anyway.

Howlyn spun to one of the computer consoles and started flipping through web pages. It took him second to find way he was looking for. He selected what he wanted, downloaded, and hit play. Speakers all around the lab started belting out Linkin' Park.

"Ok Sandoval, run any tests you want." Howlyn said lying down on the table and closing his eyes. Sandoval motioned and the three scientists came forward and started to work.

3 Hours Later

"Sir, we have good news." Howlyn open one eye to glare at them but sat up.

"Report."

"The DNA analysis proved to be very interesting." One scientist said turning on a screen. It showed what looked like a close up of his blood. "It opened up all new possibilities on what happened."

"There better be more news." Howlyn said making it plain from his expression that he did not care for vague explanations.

"Yes well, we know that the explosion on the ship sent and energy surge through the system. We think that instead of sending your DNA into the human the surge reversed it. The human DNA swamped your system but it was your own DNA that allowed you to survive the change. But here is the good news.

"When we use the joining process we convert the human DNA with a balance of Atavus DNA. But your DNA was invaded; not converted. Some of the genetic code that helped you to survive stayed in your body. And that DNA is reacting to the human DNA as it would to a virus. Killing it and replacing it with the original genetic code."

Howlyn froze as the news sunk into him.

"Then this isn't permanent?" Howlyn asked.

"Correct. You sure should be back to normal in 3 weeks" Howlyn grinned.

"That doesn't give me much time then. I'll have to work quickly on Renee." He muttered lost in thought.

Back at the Apartment

Howlyn and Justina were sitting on the couch watching MTV. Howlyn was pretty much convinced that Brittany Spears had to die and all her works had to be burned once he took over the world. He was thinking this as another of her music videos came on titled Toxic. Justina and Howlyn leaned forward.

"Don't look." Howlyn said covering her eyes with one hand while staring at the TV. Howlyn decided that she could live as long as she didn't try to sing ever again.

"Damn it all!" Renee yelled bursting in the front door. Howlyn leaped for the remote's off button.

"What?" Howlyn said trying to casually hide the remote.

"Nothing. I'm just having trouble finding something that's all." Renee muttered setting her stuff on the table. She caught sight of her daughter and smiled. "Hey baby, were you nice to poor old Jared?" Justina laughed as Renee picked her up.

"She's a very...happy child." Howlyn said staying away from the little family moment.

"Only when she knows a secret." Renee replied. Howlyn stared at her. She looked at him. "So yeah she does laugh a lot."

"She must know a lot of secrets to be that happy." Howlyn muttered.

"Oh that reminds me!" Renee said digging into her jacket. She pulled something out and handed it to him.

"Linkin' Park? You didn't have to Renee." Howlyn said seeing the CD. Renee waved him off.

"Well it seemed to be one of the few things you knew you liked so I thought it would jog your memory." Renee said setting Justina down. Howlyn watched the child carefully.

"Are you just going to leave her to her own devices?" He asked quietly. Renee looked at her offspring again.

"You can't watch them all the time and she especially makes it hard. And anyway I'm guessing you didn't make dinner?" She said with a slight grin on her face. Howlyn gave her a look.

"I don't know how to cook." Howlyn grumbled. "I never had to."

"Come on I'll show you." Renee said waving him toward the kitchen.

"I told you I couldn't cook." Howlyn muttered over dinner. Renee almost laughed.

"Making a salad is not cooking." She said grinning.

"Whom ever thought to slice and mix vegetables together should be mauled by wolves." Howlyn growled stabbing at his meat. He pulled the whole thing to his face and tore off a piece. Renee looked at him and handed him a knife.

"I assume you're used to finger food or that no one told you how to use a knife." She said cutting off a piece of her own food. Howlyn noticed the movement and applied it to his own meat.

"Why bother? The Atavus don't care about how you eat, not really anyway. They only care how much food you get, who takes the first bite, and where you sit during formal occasions." Howlyn said between chewing.

"Now why is that?" Renee said mildly interested.

"I suppose it's how the culture developed, not that I ever thought of it that way. Food's hard to get and they hunt in pacts. The leader traditionally gets the most food in pacts. So the higher you sit, the sooner you bite, and the more food you get is status. And really that's all that's important." Howlyn said taking another large bite.

"And at this table the status is?" Renee asked. Howlyn grinned slightly.

"Two people, sitting at a round table, sharing equal amounts of the food. I'd say we're equally matched." Howlyn said amused.

"Well there's some good news." Renee said grinning too. Howlyn watched her carefully enjoying the inside joke. "Tell me more about the Atavus, everything you know."

"Everything I know can be summed up in one word, survival. Everything that is important to know can be summed up in that one word." Howlyn said. Renee leaned forward.

"Well I'm interested." She said.

"It's a harsh world they come from, similar to prehistoric earth. But instead of a comet coming to help them the Atavus had to work their way up the food chain the old fashion way. You had to stick together, expand, and to be the best on the planet. Some people started to forget that...Howlyn didn't."

"What do you think of Howlyn?" Renee asked. Howlyn looked up from his food.

"Why?" He asked.

"I'm pretty public on my view of him. You can ask anyone, even him. But you haven't really said how you feel yet."

"I think he's doing the best he can for his brethren." Renee snorted under her breath. Howlyn glared at her.

"I wasn't laughing at you. I'm just having a hard time seeing how wiping our people off the face of their own planet is the best thing." Renee said stabbing at her salad.

"Humans wouldn't be the dominant species on this planet if it hadn't been for the Atavus." Howlyn countered.

"And if a comet hadn't sent them underground we would be cattle right now."

"You wouldn't been cattle Renee." Howlyn said quietly. Renee looked him waiting for him to continue. "No, you're a fighter. There is no way that you would've allowed yourself to become the prey. Not you."

His voice was so low, so intense, that for a second he held her in rapturous attention. Suddenly she pulled away from him. She slipped her hair nervously behind her ears and stared at her food once again. Howlyn smiled smugly. He smothered his grin and took her hand in his. Renee's head shot up.

"You're angry at them. But what would you do in their place? If you woke one day and the new world that was you're only hope for the future was gone? If you woke and everything was different? What would you do?" Howlyn asked softly staring into her eyes.

"I'd want to live. But I'd want to keep my morals. From what you say Howlyn came here to start a life. But right now he is killing lives, human lives Jared. So to live right now I have to stop him." Renee said.

"You say 'him'. I was talking about the whole race." Howlyn pointed out. Renee pulled her hand away.

"I'm doing what I need to save my race." Renee said firmly. Howlyn leaned forward.

"What if he asked you to came with him?" He asked.

"What?"

"You want Howlyn and his brethren to leave your planet. So if he offered to leave with you and all his people would you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because it would be a forced decision. And no matter what the cost I will stand by my morals till the very end." Renee said coolly.

"I love that about you." Howlyn responded suddenly. Renee stared at him and leaned forward.

"Do you like me Jared?" She asked pointedly. Howlyn leaned back in his seat.

"You are unlike anyone I've ever met but you have a universal soul. So yes, to put it mildly I do like you." Howlyn said boldly.

"Why? You hardly know me. And I'm sorry to say it but you hardly know your self." Renee said carefully maintaining eye contact with him.

"I'm learning." Howlyn said quietly looking from her eyes to her lips and back again. He watched as her eyes drifted to his lips and then continued down to her plate.

"It's very flattering but I don't have the best of luck with guys." Renee said stabbing at her salad again.

"Maybe life gives you a lot of mistakes so find the right one."

"Well there's a thought." Renee said getting to her feet. She picked up the finished plates and left the table. Howlyn got up too and watched her put them in the sink.

Howlyn stalked up behind Renee and slipped his hands around her waist. He felt her still but not stifen under his touch. His head bent in close so that all he had to do was whisper his next words.

"So do you want to make another mistake?"

(AN: Hey I'm back! And I will be trying to write more than I have been. So I will try to up date before the year is out. Now review.)