Voices – Page 37
“You really think you can help me with this, John?” Brian asked.
John made a gesture of uncertainty. “Who knows? Worth trying, I think. If you can control it, it could be useful.”
“For what?”
“Oh, come on, Brian,” Jen said. “I don’t have a list of specific jobs you should apply for, but I think we can find something useful for a giant, super-strong werewolf to do.”
Brian grinned, and nodded. “Okay, you’re probably right.”
“You said that fear triggers it?” John asked.
Brian shook his head. “Not fear. Danger. Sometimes I don’t even know I’m in danger yet when it happens, so it’s not fear. It’s more like a sixth sense. One time I changed for no reason that I could figure out, and then like a minute later these guys showed up. They were drunk and shouting and breaking shit, and I guess probably looking for someone to beat up. They found me instead.”
“Did you hurt them?” Jen asked.
“No. Just sent them running. Then after I changed back, I ended up wandering around the fucking tunnels wrapped in the remains of my shirt, looking for clothes. It sucked. That’s why I wear baggy clothes mostly, now.”
“The sweatpants were sort of amusing,” John said. “I mean, you know, after I got over feeling like I was going to piss myself in terror.”
Jen kicked him gently in the leg. “Don’t be vulgar,” she said.
“This from the girl that asked Brian point blank if he ‘banged’ the cute nurse,” John said. “Anyway, as I was saying before, I’m getting better and better with my abilities. I think you guys will, too. Practice makes perfect, and all that.”
“Where do we practice, though?” Jen asked. “You can read minds anywhere, John. If I blow up your apartment again, though, I think you’re going to get evicted.”
“That explains the bookcase,” Brian commented to himself.
John grinned. “You shoulda seen it in action, Brian. I think if I hadn’t been half-asleep at the time, it might’ve been scarier than meeting you for the first time.”
“Hey, look, that was only after you almost melted down in a diner just because I was thinking too hard at you. We’re none of us perfect!” Jen exclaimed.
“Wasn’t claiming to be,” John said.
“You almost melted down at a diner?” Brian asked.
“It’s a long story. Up until recently, the only thing I could do was hear whatever people were actively thinking about. Jen thinks… at top volume.”
“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!” Jen shouted, and then burst into laughter. Brian and John simply sat there, waiting for her to finish.
“To answer your original question, Jen,” John said when she was done, “I think we practice down in the subways. It’s open, it’s empty for the most part, and no one’s going to care if we blow up a bunch of old trash and bricks.”
“What happens when someone finds us, John?” Brian asked.
John shrugged. “Hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“It’s bound to happen,” Brian continued. “How do we explain the miracle of the talking werewolf, the girl who blows things up, and the guy who gives people headaches?”
Jen spoke up. “I’m not real concerned about explaining it to the people living in the subways. No one’s going to believe their shit anyway. We need to keep it from people topside, though, or it could get really bad. We’ll end up being stuck in a lab and dissected.”
“Good point,” John said. Brian nodded.
“First things first, though,” Jen said. “We need to figure out how to get Brian’s changing under control. I was a little worried about sending you home with that girl last night, man.”
“Me too, but usually I get a couple of days’ grace period, so I figured I’d be all right. How do you think you can help, John?”
“First I figured we could try to trigger it, and I could, uh… listen to your brain. Then if that didn’t work, I was thinking maybe I could try to force it to trigger, and see if I can find out what’s going on in your head that makes it happen.”
“How would you force it to trigger?”
John grinned. “Put you in danger,” he said.
