Scene 11

"So, Sheriff Carter, it seems like quite an amazing intuitive leap to find some fur and think werewolf," observed Emily Glenn as they walked through the GD hallway.

"Too much time spent watching bad movies on television, I guess," Carter gave a wry grin, as he pushed open the door to the Skycruiser lab. He and Dr. Glenn took several steps into the lab and then Carter paused. Dr. Glenn started to move forward, and he put his hand out to hold her back.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. "Zane?" he called out cautiously.

A low growl was the only response.

"Aw, hell," Carter rolled his eyes.

Dr. Glenn held very still.

Out from under a desk, a black wolf paced, its gaze ferocious, its growl growing in intensity.

"Hey, Carter, is—" Jo stepped into the lab. "Damn," she said, taking in the situation at a glance. "He did get bit earlier. And then he gave Kevin mouth-to-mouth, which meant more saliva exposure. We should maybe have wondered about how contagious this was."

"Stay back, Jo, he's dangerous." Carter didn't take his eyes off the snarling wolf. His lips were pulled back, teeth bared, and the black fur was raised along his shoulders and back. His claws scrabbled at the tile floor as he tried to circle away.

"No, he's not. He's just scared." Jo pushed in front of Carter and Dr. Glenn.

Emily looked uncertainly at Carter, and then backed a few steps closer to the door. "She may be right," she said. "Wolves don't usually attack human beings and since we may not be able to safely sedate this one, we might want to try to calm him down."

"It's not a wolf, it's a werewolf! We have no idea what it might do," Carter burst out.

"It's neither, it's Zane, and he's not going to hurt me. Now back out of here and let me deal with him." Jo's voice was firm, but then switched to a soft croon, as she dropped to her knees in front of the pacing black wolf.

"If he kills you, Jo, I'm going to be really pissed off," said Carter and he and Dr. Glenn backed hurriedly out of the room.

From the door of the lab, they watched, while the wolf stopped pacing. His hackles started to drop and his snarl became half-hearted. His lips dropped down over his teeth, and he took a couple of cautious sniffs of the air, lifting his head.

"It's okay, Zane, it's okay," crooned Jo, stretching out her hand to him.

The wolf yipped, the sound a complaint and an alarm.

"I know this is bad. I know you probably don't understand. But it's me and you trust me, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you," she continued. "It's going to be okay. Dr. Glenn is going to fix you up."

The wolf paced, stiff-legged, a little closer. It bent and sniffed her outstretched hand.

Cautiously, Jo turned her hand, so that it was palm up. She reached under his chin and started tentatively stroking the thick fur, letting her hand slide up and around until she'd reached the soft spot behind the ear, where she started to rub.

The wolf leaned into the caress, letting his eyes half-close for a moment, and then turned his head and began trying to lick her hand.

"None of that," said Jo gently, pushing his muzzle away. "Last thing I need is to turn into a wolf myself."

She looked into the wolf's eyes. They were as blue as the man's, but she couldn't tell from them whether somehow Zane was in there, understanding her words, or whether his understanding was gone, lost in the size of a wolf's brain and body. "I need to find your phone," she said to him. "We think Taggart might be responsible for this and I want to use your GPS app to find him."

The wolf cocked his head to one side as if he was trying to make sense of what she'd said.

"Okay," she sighed. "You can't really understand me. Look for the phone, Carter," she called over her shoulder.

"Is he going to attack me if I come in?" Carter carefully entered, keeping one eye on the wolf while he scanned for the phone. "His pants are over here. I'll check the pockets. Aha, got it. Uh, but I've got no idea how to use it."

"Bring it to Fargo. He'll figure it out," Jo said, still gazing steadily at Zane, who was gazing equally steadily back at her. "Oh, and you need the password. It's 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good.'"

"Lovely," said Carter sarcastically.

"Hey, he didn't make it up."

"Okay, so what are we going to do about him?" asked Carter.

"How much do you think he understands, Ms. Lupo?" asked Dr. Glenn.

"No idea," Jo shrugged.

"Well, let's try to get him into one of the labs that's a little safer, while Sheriff Carter finds Taggart. I'll go get a dog kennel and we can use it to move him to the lab next to the one Kevin's in."

Carter left to find Fargo while Jo and Dr. Glenn tried to get Zane into a dog kennel. He refused utterly. He couldn't be bribed with food, couldn't be tricked, and couldn't be pushed. After twenty-five minutes, he started growling again.

"Cut it out, Zane," Jo snapped.

He whined anxiously, and paced to the door of the Skycruiser's lab. He looked back over his shoulder at Jo.

Head on one side, Dr. Glenn regarded him. "I think he's saying he'll be good," she offered.

Jo sighed. "I'm supposed to be in charge of security. I think that conflicts with letting a werewolf loose in the hallway."

Dr. Glenn shrugged. "He's not really a wolf, you know. The DNA's wrong for it. Let's pretend he's a guard dog instead."

Jo thought about that one for a minute. "Okay," she finally said, "but I'm also going to get security to clear the hallways. We'll try just walking him upstairs."

Ten minutes later, they were safely established in the enclosure next to Kevin's. The wolf was pacing, sniffing every corner.

"We'll get him some food and water, and then we can leave him here for now," Jo stretched. It had been a while since she'd done an all-night hike, and she was tired. While Zane was exploring, she stepped through the door and pulled it closed behind her.

The howling started immediately. The sound of a heavy weight hitting the door started almost immediately. "Uh, Jo," said Dr. Glenn, "I don't think that's going to work."