Chapter Twenty-Six: Product of a Mad Scientist

Cullen Residence - February 2nd

The grandfather clock in the upstairs hall chimed midnight as Carlisle made his way back up to his office to check on Brianna. He also needed a moment away from the constant bickering and arguments downstairs. Three sides, three aggressive points of view, no movement in any direction after hours circling around and around… even as a vampire he felt tired and dizzy from it all.

The room was mostly how he left it. Isabella and Eliza close to Brianna on the floor by the couch, unwilling to leave her side yet. Esme and Rosalie still pressed against the back wall, not that it was terribly surprising but they rarely left the family in times of conflict. Esme, just being in the same room as Isabella would be important to her. But Rose? He couldn't fathom her reasons. Perhaps it was the child's suffering that drew her; she could never resist the call of a child, more than once saving a young human from a grizzly fate.

He noticed the gray lines on Brianna's extremities had remained thin and pale, but when he checked the hazard bin he noted that it was at the cost of too much blood, an unsustainable amount of blood. This was the final detail for his troubling diagnosis. Despite hours of research he hadn't come up with a reason, let alone a solution. Yet the end result was clear; the sample he took from her shoulder had gone through a disturbing change before his eyes, turning black and crumbling to dust.

His only hypothesis was that the tainted blood Joham gave these vampires was some sort of chemical agent designed to utilize a vampire's unique osmosis system to proliferate the toxin. This substance clearly had a secondary purpose, but Carlisle couldn't identify the compound so he had no idea what it was supposed to do to a creature as unchangeable as a vampire. To even begin would require months, if not years of tests to unravel. Unfortunately there was one thing he did find, traces of a second chemical compound that must've been introduced to react with the first. It caused a slow cascade reaction that was literally burning through Brianna's cells at an accelerated rate and now her ability to regenerate was starting to fail, meaning she had hours to live, at best.

"There is something we need to discuss downstairs." This drew the attention of everyone in the room. "Please, join us." Carlisle asked softly.

"I'm not leaving her." Alice said with a determined tilt to her head and a serious expression on her face, "but I'll listen in and participate as needed."

"Just call and we'll be back up in a heartbeat." Eliza gave Alice a warm smile and joined Isabella who was already following Carlisle. Esme and Rosalie both gave Alice a hug before following everyone else.

"... mangy dog here!" Irina said towards one of the pack, Isabella glanced at the pack and found Embry who looked like he was going to explode stopped by Rebekah who put a hand on his shoulder and her touch seemed to help him calm down.

"Jacob, I think tensions here need to settle before we continue talks." Carlisle asked in a very calm tone of voice.

"I think you're right. Let's get out of here." Jacob motioned for the pack to follow, stopping only when Leah shook her head.

"I'm staying." Leah gave him a resolute look.

Jacob stared at her, and Leah glanced toward Eliza knowing that no harm would come to her. Jacob nodded slightly in understanding, "good, Leah is my representative. She has the blessing of the council to make decisions, and she has my permission to broker whatever treaty or alliance can be hammered out. Isabella, Eliza as always we're a call away."

"Thank you Mr. Black, we'll be in touch soon." Carlisle said formally, and Jacob nodded and the pack filed out quickly. Leah moved next to Eliza and looked around the room.

"Leah is mine, no harm will come to her or you will have to answer to me." Eliza said rather brightly, although an edge could be heard as she finished her threat.

"Understood." Tanya nodded, "I guess we should probably take a step back. Emotions are still running high. Let me start with what Edward here confirmed for us." Isabella started to react but Tanya put up a hand to stop her. "We overheard what Brianna said, and Edward was able to read her thoughts as jumbled as they are, and found no attempt at deception. She honestly wanted to help us, which means we need to apologize. We were wrong."

"Can that wait until she is better?" Isabella asked, trying to sound positive.

"Of course. Please, understand we are eternally grateful for what you did out there. We surely would've lost someone in that fight, and there are no words to express the gift you have given us." Tanya's seemed completely different from before, all the hostility in her posture and voice were gone.

"Yeah, Isabella, we're very sorry about trying to kill that girl. She doesn't deserve it, we had just been through so much…" Kate started and it was Isabella's turn to raise a hand.

"I get it, you lost your home and your family was terrorized. It is understandable, and I am willing to put the situation aside as long as you make reparations to Brianna." Isabella kept her expression neutral, but kept her voice a touch brighter to show some positivity. Tanya nodded with a sympathetic nod, glancing up towards the office before looking at Isabella again.

"I understand you have forged an alliance with that pack?" Irina spoke with a bit of clear hostility and her face was twisted up into a scowl.

"Yes. That's correct." Isabella replied neutrally.

"Then is the threat from Eliza here a threat from the Volturi?" Irina asked, unable to let go of her anger over the last twenty-four hours and needing to pick a fight, any fight. Kate put a hand on her sister's shoulder but Irina shrugged her off.

"She's my girlfriend, so back off." Eliza snapped back.

"You're dating a wolf, how can you stand the smell?" Irina said with a grimace of disgust.

"She doesn't smell!" Eliza leaned forward, clearly offended at the accusation.

"Please forgive Irina, she means that the wolves have a scent that must be incompatible with vampires. It is very off putting, no offense." Tanya tried to explain, but Leah just started to shake her head.

"None taken, you all smell like really shitty perfume." Leah said with her arms crossed, feeling a bit defensive. Then glanced at Eliza sheepishly, "except for you."

"I'm curious, what do I smell like to you? Personally, I find your musk kind of sexy." Eliza actually blushed a little. The nearly instantaneous flush of red to her cheeks was missed by most of the room except for a few of the Cullens as she turned towards Leah.

"Um… I… you do?" Leah blushed too, her breath halting briefly with excitement.

"Yeah, and I don't care who knows." Eliza glanced around the room, taking Leah's hand.

"You smell like home." Leah whispered, trying to downplay her feelings, which were already intense and a touch overwhelming. Hearing that Eliza found her sexy, made her almost euphoric.

"I wish I liked girls, that's so sweet." Kate said with a big smile.

"You smell like home to me too, baby." Garrett said as he moved behind her and pressed his chin into the crook of her neck, kissing her right cheek. Kate immediately began to smile ear to ear and reached back to pull his arms around her, wrapping her up tightly. She leaned up and they gave each other a chaste kiss, before she turned back towards the room.

"Well, this is nice but perhaps we need to figure out a few things before this devolves into couples therapy." Edward said dismissively, drawing a few withering glares. "What, I'm like the only one here besides Isabella without a mate."

"You forget yourself Edward, I have no mate either." Tanya said with a touch of venom. "Yet I find my sister's happiness to be very important. I'm glad these two have found one another in this world. I do worry if it is folly for an immortal to commit to a mortal, even a werewolf."

"I'm immortal until I give up my wolf. I'm a year older than Isabella here." Leah explained with a shrug as Eliza snuggled a bit closer to her. She almost closed her eyes at the feeling, longing to just pull her into a kiss regardless of the company.

"There are things we need to discuss, as much as I hate to agree with Edward." Isabella said, drawing the attention of the entire room.

"Um, we should probably start with those enemy wolves. They were definitely different from us and now that we faced a beta again I think I know why they are different." Leah said, trying to figure out how to phrase it.

"How so?" Carlisle asked with peaked curiosity.

"I'm sorry I don't know how else to describe it and I know this won't make sense, but it's like there was something in my bones telling me they shouldn't exist. Like whatever was used to create them is almost artificial. Like something shoved into an improper container." Leah was searching for the right words, and while the explanation would suffice, it still seemed inadequate.

"Like it was forced into them?" Eleazar sounded intently curious and had moved to stand with Kate, Irina and Tanya.

"Maybe, I don't really know how else to describe it." Leah shrugged.

"Sounds horrible." Eliza said with shudder, wondering idly what poor soul was going through that exact experience.

Hanover, New Hampshire - February 2

It was late, and a perfect time for recruiting. The girl was perfect. Eighteen or nineteen years old, and beautiful in an exotic kind of way. She looked Indian or maybe Native American... whatever. All Tully cared about was that she was exactly his type, with long silky black hair and high cheekbones and eyes that made him want to take her right then and there. Of course that didn't matter as much as the fact that she seemed to fit the profile; a specific set of physical traits and scents needed for a potential to survive the process.

He had gone through a couple of dozen recruits, mostly men, who were only partially acceptable. There was always some margin for error in this process, but he'd disposed of more than a few failures, because they simply were not strong enough to survive the transformation process. Not with this one though, there was something special about her that drew him in. She was, as far as he could tell, absolutely perfect.

During the day they would normally do a honey trap, but this late they could stalk their prey, which had the added bonus of pumping adrenaline through their system which always helped with the transition. Tully made his steps a bit louder than needed, and kept to the shadows behind the girl. She glanced back and picked up speed, checking her purse for a phone. He picked up the pace, and she made a quick turn down a short alleyway that opened to a main road.

Normally it would've been the right move, with the buildings locked down at night, there was never anyone in that alleyway and ninety-nine percent of the time it would be safe. This just happened to be the one exception, and Tully's crew was already lying in wait in the shadows. Meaning as soon as she made for the alley and began to run, it was already too late. Two of his pack popped up out of their hiding spots in front of her. Tully moved a few feet into the alleyway behind her blocking her from retracing her steps, his smug grin splitting his face nearly in two. The woman waffled between the two groups blocking her in as if trying to gauge which was the best avenue of escape just as her assailants began to move towards her aggressively.

She ducked low as the largest one attempted to grapple her at the shoulders, and spun around the smaller guy as he grabbed for her. She didn't bother to try and attack, instead she just ran. There was a good two hundred feet until more populated civilization, but as she closed the distance a pulled up to block her exit. She put on as much speed as her legs could push, and still she felt her pursuers right on her heels. She could feel the acid in her thighs beginning to build as she got closer to the end of the block, the woman in the car was now positioned in the gap between the six foot retaining wall to her right and the car partially blocking up the sidewalk.

She had one option that might work, and quickly shifted her angle as she closed within ten feet of the woman who was braced for impact. She sprinted towards the hood of the car, flinging her body over the wide sheet of metal, and nearly made it across before a large arm stopped her momentum and three more sets of arms held her down on top of the heated steel.

"Scrappy, I like it." Tully said with a happy sing-song voice, hiding a bit of his labored breathing and frustration at nearly losing her. She looked up at him and started to laugh, which was very disconcerting to Tully. Then instead of panicking and begging and looking for a way out, she clenched her jaw at him, her face set into an expression of pure hatred.

"You have no idea how big of a mistake this is." She said with conviction. Not that it gave Tully the slightest pause.

"I'll see you on the flipside little girl. Welcome to the pack." Tully smiled maliciously, and signaled his second Kevin, the smaller of the other two men, to knock her out. He nodded happily and punched her across the face with a heavy right hook. She took it and stared at him, her eyes filled with malice and promised retribution. Her steely resolve managed to unnerve Kevin even more.

"Bitch has some stamina. I knew she was perfect." Tully said with a bit of a giggle. Kevin wasn't amused, he thought he'd put more than enough into that punch to knock out a normal human. Apparently one thing the girl did not have was a glass jaw. He leaned back and threw himself into the second punch, and he could feel her jaw bone crack under the strain, but she seemed to fight against the pain and kept her eyes open for several seconds before unconsciousness pulled her under.

The first woman Tully had recruited was a cheerleader, fit and pretty. Tully liked her enough, and she gave him some excitement for those first few weeks until the Alpha collected her. Not happy about losing his prize, he recruited guys until the Alpha seemed satisfied, twelve in all. That's when he found Amy, perfectly attractive and damaged from early childhood. She had a violent temper, despite her somewhat gentle nature. She constantly talked about her dreams of becoming an astronaut, as if that would ever happen. Tully liked her, for a while, but even Amy lost his interest eventually, and he cast her aside and Kevin scooped her up. Tully knew he needed a few more to round out his relatively small pack. Keeping them away from the Alpha was the trick. Thankfully Kevin was also somewhat damaged, a little psychotic runt with a serious Napoleon complex.

Then there was Tommy, dumb as a rock but loyal and dangerously strong. He knew Tommy would be taken eventually for the war effort, but he didn't really care. Tommy was a shock troop, cannon fodder for the meat grinder that was the great purge. Tully wanted more, he wanted his own pack. He wanted to break from the Alpha, but he needed a team he could depend on. Strong, but not strong enough to challenge him. This girl might just be the start he needed. A strong Pack lead female, and a perfect mate for him. Sure she would be powerful, but as a female he didn't have to worry about his position as alpha in the group, she would learn her place and accept it in time.

"Let's get out of here." Tully ordered.

Tommy picked up the unconscious girl and cradled her gently as he made his way towards the back of an old barely running Impala that Tully was 'restoring'. Tommy reluctantly opened the trunk and laid her inside, she was pretty, and he hated seeing pretty things hurt. Tommy didn't have much in the way of smarts, but he had never been mean, not until Kevin and Tully found him. He tried repeatedly to work against the orders he was given, but he just couldn't fight Tully's commands no matter how ugly the task he was made to perform.

The trip to their lair, as Tully liked to call it, was a short one. The former frat house had mostly burned down in a fire the year before, all that remained was a cavernous basement. They had been using it for a couple of months since it was located a block away from the edge of campus. It was isolated, to an extent and only a few squatters and frat boys ventured into the house. Of course they were all recruited. The only real downside was the pervasive smell of ashes, but it was something they had learned to lead with. Amy held the door to the basement open for Tommy carried the girl who was already fighting to wake up. Kevin and Tully followed behind them.

The space had been emptied out for the most part. The unfinished space had cinder block walls, a poured concrete floor, and a couple of pieces of furniture. The electricity had never been shut off, so the mini fridge they set up by the old sink worked to store the catalyst. Tully made his way over to the fridge with a wide smile on his face. Kevin lingered by the stairs, he didn't like the screams that came during the transition. It reminded him of his own fever dreams, nightmares that haunted him every time he closed his eyes.

Tommy laid the young woman down as gently as he could, without looking like he was treating her gently, on an old cot that was bolted to the floor. Amy repressed a smile, she loved the way Tommy cared. In another life she might've even liked him. He was sweet, even though he was a bit dim. It was a shame to her that neither Tully or Kevin could see he was more than a meat shield. Sure he was nearly seven feet tall and built like a Greek god, but he had such a gentle soul. She leaned against the wall opposite from the stairs, because she liked keeping as much distance from Kevin as possible. She reasoned the less noticeable she was, the less likely he was to hurt her.

Of the three of them, Tommy was the only one that hadn't used her. Technically she was Kevin's mate now, but Tully still helped himself whenever he was in the mood. She wondered if things were about to change, if this girl could survive the process she might have some relief, maybe even an ally. Not that she had her hopes up, the last three recruits had died during the transition. She kept her eyes vacant as she took in the sight in front of her, holding in her compassion because it wasn't like it did any good anymore. Arguing or even showing displeasure with Tully or Kevin could end up very painful for her. He was their 'Alpha', despite answering to someone else. So they couldn't do anything against his orders, a fact he liked to remind them ten or twenty times a day.

Tully pulled the kit out of the fridge and quickly prepared the syringe. The dark pink liquid was thick and viscous, kind of like a more vile looking pepto bismol. He truly loved this part, watching with perverse pleasure as the new recruit writhed in pain. "Tommy, she might fight so get the restraints." Tommy obeyed his master, and pulled out the handcuffs attached to the metal frame of the cot and clicked them onto her wrists and ankles.

Her eyes started to open when Tully pressed the needle into her arm. She started to open her mouth when he depressed the plunger. The effect was immediate. Her body started to contort as muscle spasms racked her muscles in the kind of pain that would make even the toughest person cry in agony. Then she began to radiate heat, as her temperature shot up by ten degrees in seconds. Even though the pain was obvious, she only gritted her teeth, only letting through a small moan occasionally. For twenty minutes she pressed against her restraints, as her body twisted again and again.

Tully starred in fascination. In all the times they'd done this, he'd never seen anyone hold in the screams before. He was proud of the fact that he had personally gone almost a minute without screaming in pain when he was changed. Tommy retreated over to Amy, and stood a step in front of her just in case things turned bad. Amy played with her nails, unwilling to look at the poor girl's suffering and pretending not to care. Kevin had inched his way over to the couch that was facing the cot but didn't sit down, instead he opted to lean against one of the arms. He was also intrigued by the relative silence. Then the links holding the cuffs on her right hand gave way. Tully stepped back in shock, a new recruit shouldn't have the strength to do that. Kevin immediately moved in to secure her hand, using a zip tie to attach it back to the frame of the cot.

"That shouldn't be possible." Tully's face had hardened. He'd been warned of abominations, but he hadn't encountered one before. He knew it wasn't his fault if this girl did turn into a monster, because Doctor Tepes himself had personally explained the correct way to administer the catalyst when Tully was given the right to create more wolves for the war effort.

Kevin tensed up, waiting for the zip tie to give way, or one of the other handcuffs, but after a few seconds her breathing returned to normal. Her body temperature remained high, but it was far too soon for things to be over. They all watched her chest in anticipation, waiting for her to gasp her last breath. Then she stilled, and her breathing became steady again. Everyone looked at each other, because the process usually took hours, although in truth Tully didn't care, she had survived. His mouth curled into a crooked grin of joy, and made a mental note to buy new handcuffs, because these were clearly worn from previous use. Then he clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"Well we have a new member. She'll be out for a few hours, so Amy, take Tommy and get her some food. Kevin, why don't you look around for our next recruit. I'll handle her orientation. We can probably get one or two more from the campus before we need to lay low again." Kevin nodded. So did Amy and Tommy. Although Amy wanted to stop him, she couldn't do a thing when he spoke as their Alpha. Tommy gave her a look, he wasn't naive no matter how simple he was, he knew what Tully meant by 'Orientation'.

Then there was a roar, unlike anything any of them had heard. Terror filled their hearts, and they all froze in place. The force of the sound was so unexpected that Tully snapped his head around in shock. Tommy squared his shoulders off ready for a fight. Kevin started to shake, unable to make his feet work. Amy stood in shock, ready to run, but more curious than anything else.

They all had one thought; what had the catalyst done to this girl?

An instant later her form erupted, and far faster than any of them could fathom a giant black wolf stood on the cot snarling at Tully with pure rage in its eyes. Tully sneered, and shed his shirt, though he didn't wait to remove his pants before shifting over the course of five seconds, into a wolf himself. Amy looked between the two wolves in confusion. Besides Tommy, Tully was the biggest of the group by quite a bit. This girl was nearly half again his size, it didn't make sense.

Kevin followed Tully's lead and shifted himself, his mangy dull brown fur was still standing on end, and he couldn't quite force his tail from between his hind legs. Tommy dutifully shifted as well, and so did Amy, although she lingered for a few seconds past what was appropriate for the situation.

"I told you. Taking me was the last mistake you'll ever make." The girl's voice came through clearly to Tully, even though he hadn't brought her into the pack officially yet. "My name is Michelle Abigail Black, I'm the great, great-granddaughter of Ephriam Black, daughter of Jacob Black who is the oldest Alpha ever to walk this earth, and you've just… Pissed… Me… Off!"

The voice radiated with a power and rage that made Tully's alpha voice look meek and tiny by comparison. They all tensed waiting for the attack, but none of them were prepared for her speed. She had Tully by the throat between the blinks of an eye, and in the next instant he felt a searing pain as the bottom part of his muzzle was pulled away. Blood splashed on Michelle's black fur, as Tully fell, dead before his head even hit the ground. She turned towards Kevin who was the closest, but he had already turned to run. She almost went after him, but the other two were still a threat.

Amy stared in disbelief at the limp body of Tully who had shifted back to human after the vicious assault. Tommy on the other hand was focused on Michelle, and had put himself between her and Amy. Michelle stared at him for a long moment before anything happened. Then suddenly he felt something press into his mind, it felt different. It was the opposite of Tully and the painful scream he projected into his pack's mind whenever he issued orders. Though despite the soft natural feeling this new link created, the voice that followed was filled with rage.

"Do you back down?" Her voice was crystal clear, and her will was undeniable. It was the easiest thing in the world to simply back down, to submit to her power. Except he couldn't let Amy be hurt so he puffed his chest out.

"I won't let you hurt her, she's been hurt enough. I'll die first." His heavy voice echoed in both their minds, and Michelle could tell he was absolutely sincere. Then a soft hand touched the side of his face, and he turned to find Amy there, her face serene, accepting. She turned to Michelle and locked eyes with her.

"I swear we didn't want to hurt you. We didn't have a choice. When Tully gave an order, it was like our bodies had to obey. If we tried to fight it, or even argue, he punished us." She bowed her head in a gesture of subservience.

Michelle motioned towards Tommy as if asking for confirmation of what was said. Tommy nodded once in agreement. Then as if a switch had been turned on, they both felt a surge of power and connection that seemed to pour deep into their very souls. Michelle just stared at the two new members of her pack, it was a rush, and it was so much more than what she had imagined when her father had tried to describe it to her. The two people in front of her were looking at her with confusion. They didn't understand what had just happened. She sent out a command for Tommy to change back to human and he obeyed instantly.

Michelle followed suit a moment later, and took a deep breath, looking at the two of them. "Did he do this to you too?" She asked after a moment of contemplation, gesturing with an arm toward the cot she had just been cuffed to.

"Yes... he did. He injected us with whatever that was and then there was pain, and then we turned into wolves. There have been others too, but the last few have died. What are you?" Amy asked curiously, her voice nervous and confused, unsure of what had just happened.

"Apparently I truly am my father's daughter. Stay here." Making the last bit an absolute command she turned and in an explosion of fur again she was up and running out of the house.

Michelle let her rage take over, as she followed the scent trail of the one that had fled. She wasn't going to let him get away. Not after what he tried to do, what he would have done. She felt the pure power of her form, and a dark exhilaration, as she felt her newly awakened animal side thrill at the excitement of a hunt. Her massive paws barely touched the ground as she chased after his scent.

It didn't take her long to catch up, Kevin was in a full out panic flight mode, and didn't seem to have a plan on where to run. He was just running. She caught up to him and charged him from the side, knocking him to the ground. He was up on his feet in an instant, growling threateningly.

She didn't even bother to give him a chance. She pounced.

The fight was over in a single move, Kevin's body shifting to human. His nearly severed head and lifeless eyes gave Michelle a moment of pause. She had grown up with the pack, seen the violence on occasion, but had never thought she would be the one delivering judgment. She had just ended two lives. It was almost too much to take in.

She let herself tremble from that new pain for a moment, before she pushed down the conflict and looked around for a place to hide his body. There was a nearby bush that would work to conceal him until at least tomorrow, it would work for now, she didn't have time to properly bury him. At least she was fairly certain he would be classified as a death by animal attack.

Not sparing the corpse a backward glance she turned and made her way back to the house she had left. Taking the time to calm her rage. She should've trusted her gut and taken the longer and more brightly lit road instead of the alleyway. She didn't have the senses of either of her parents, but she should've trusted them anyway.. She shifted back into her human form as she descended the stairs of the ruined frat house with a small smile. Once she was in their presence again, she couldn't deny the connection she felt to them. That new relationship demanded at least some explanation.

"My father tried so hard to keep me from this, but I guess it was inevitable. I'm from a long line of shifters, werewolves, I was born to be an Alpha. Whatever Tully injected in me just triggered my birthright I think. I guess school's over for the year, shit I was gonna graduate with a perfect attendance record." Michelle sighed slightly, then glanced at the cot where the tatters of her clothes remained from when she originally shifted.

"Do you guys have some extra clothes?" Michelle asked, feeling suddenly very exposed. She wasn't sure who these people were, but they were a part of her life now. So she had to start somewhere. She also knew what she was going to do next. She had to call home. Her parents needed to know about this.


Author's Note:

And here you thought you knew what was coming!

The original introduction for this character was well past this point in continuity. However, things are moving at a different pace in this version. I promise the overall story will remain intact, but some of the filler is being trimmed (believe it or not). I hope the change softening the Denali somewhat will work. I don't think we ever really had an end-game for those characters in the original. We will get more time with Brianna in the next chapter, I promise. Lastly, Michelle will not dominate screen time, but she is important.

Thank you as always for reading! Please drop a comment if you have any thoughts on the chapter (good or bad, I can take it).