Interview with a Werewolf [IC]

[quotemyname]

"Yes, doctor, that would be fine." Thomas reached forward and grabbed the doctors forearm with his hand, allowing him to take Thomas' arm in his own. "Though it is good that you asked. Physical contact is something of a language to my kind. Interact the wrong way, and you might be insulting one of our mothers." Thomas smiled to reassure Dr. Archeville. "It is always best ask. And that tidbit is free."

[Dr Archeville]

You wuss! You should've just grabbed him!

But you said-

I was testing you, you ninny!

"I suspected as much..." he said, though Thomas may not have heard due to the electrical sensation that was making his hair stand on end, and the slight vertigo he was experiencing.

A blink later, Thomas and the Doktor stood just outside a coffee shoppe in the Theatre District. It was a bit busier than the street they had been on, but it was warm and inviting.

"... vhich is vhy I asked. You are not averse to coffee, are you? I know excessive caffeine can be qvite toxic to... vell, to normal canines."

[quotemyname]

Thomas took a step away from Doctor Archeville as they arrived on scene at the Coffee shop. He took in all the smells, and was very pleased. Though his stomach was still full from the previous night's feast, he could do with a warm drink. And the coffee did smell good.

"That is your next question, then, doctor? Do I like coffee?" Thomas gave the man a sly smile. "I suppose it is legitimate enough." He spoke as he walked toward the door of the coffee shop. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Two, please." He told the hostess. Thomas turned to Dr. Archeville as they were following the hostess. "Caffeine is a chemical. A drug. It is not the best thing to introduce into any organic organism. I would suppose that enough caffeine would mess with the biochemical systems of even humans, should they consume enough of it. But to answer the question fully, no. It does not have any more effect on us than it would on you. Perhaps it has even less so. Our bodies are quite resilient, after all."

Thomas assumed his place in the booth that they were led to. He closed his eyes for a moment, before glancing up at the waitress. "You've just finished brewing a pot of Sumatran Blend, am I correct?"

"Yes, I ... How did you know?" She returned his question with one of her own.

"Lucky guess?" Thomas shrugged, lying to cover his wonderful sense of smell. "I will have a cup of that, please."

Thomas waited for Dr. Archeville to place his own order before the waitress left, and he could return to the conversation. "It is my turn, then. What do you know of Faeries?" Thomas had a few suspicions about them himself, but he would like to see what Archeville's point of view was.

[Dr Archeville]

"Make it two, please," he told the waitress before she'd left.

Sumatran Blend? Pfah! You know what I like!

Yes, and you know I like to try new things!

Why drink mud when you can drink real coffee?

"Faeries?" he repeated as he turned back to Thomas. "Dat is an unexpected qvestion! Not much, I am afraid to say, dough dat is someding I intend to remedy soon. I know de term applies to a vide range of beings, in uch de same vay 'undead' is a term dat can apply to a vide array of creatures. Dey are most frequently associated mit nature, untamed wilderness und de like, dough some make deir home in do cottages of men. Dey are reported to haff a vide range of abilities -- stunning beauty, immense strength despite a miniscule frame, illusions und trickery of all sorts -- und just as vide a range of veaknesses. Iron is de most common, dough some legends say Chrisitan iconography can vard em avay; some say varing von's clothes inside-out protects you, as dey vill be too busy laughing at your appearance to do anyding harmful."

Archeville drummed the fingers of his right hand on the table three times, then lightly slapped it. "Do you know of any ozher vere-creatures, other therianthropes? I haff read of verecats und vererats und verebears, but haff you encountered or heard of anyvon who has encountered such beings?"

[quotemyname]

"No, I have never seen or met any." Thomas laid his left arm on the table from elbow to wrist. He lifted a straw out of the holder at the back of the booth to his right side and began drumming on the table lightly with it using his right hand. "But I have heard stories and rumors."

Thomas smiled and looked up at the scientist across from him, "You are in luck. Or you may not be, depending on your disposition. They are more common than you think." Thomas stopped drumming, and let the straw down. He leaned back in the booth and crossed his left leg over his right. "There are no Weretabbycats. Or Werealleycats. Feline breeds tend to be large predatory cats. Ones that might actually bite a human, given the chance. Weretigers, Wereleopards, and in some rare cases, a Werelion or two. I have never seen a Wererat, though I do suppose it would be possible. Interesting, as well. Rats originally carried the Black Plague, correct? If Lycanthropy is some strange strain of infectious disease, that would certainly be possible."

Thomas' expression evened out as he explained more. "Never seen or heard of a Werebear, either. Bears do not bite as much as they claw." He pointed to the tattoo of a bear claw on his left shoulder. "Though again, most likely it is possible."

"I once even heard of a Weredingo living somewhere in Africa." Thomas shrugged, off the cuff.

Faeries, Vampires, Werewolves, what else is on the list? Thomas thought to himself.

"Now, Doctor, what do you know about magic?" Thomas gripped the edge of the table with both hands, looking like an animal about to jump over the table. Not threatening, but eager. Looking into Archeville's eyes, he wondered briefly if he could smell a man's lies in addition to their fear. "As a man of science, I would think you might research your competition. Is it real? How far to the capabilities reach? Who practices it? What purpose does it have?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Yes und no -- bubonic, septicemic, und pneumonic plague are all caused by de bacterium Yersinia pestis, vhich can be carried in de guts of fleas, vhich infest small und mobile animals," Archeville clarified, "such as black rats carried over to from Asia to Europe by de trade routes, und later on Europe's native brown rat population. But dose three diseases vere not de only part of de Black Death, und possibly not even de most prevalent part; recent findings indicate the Black Death may haff been some sort of viral hemorrhagic fever, akin to Ebola, de Hantavirus, or Lassa fever, vhich can be carried in the saliva, urine und feces of rodents."

The young man in the booth behind the Doktor dropped his spoon and dashed off to the restroom.

Tact, man, tact!

I'm a Doktor! What care I for social niceties?!

The beginnings of a sneer had crept onto Archeville's face when Thomas asked about Faeries. At the mention of magic, the sneer manifest fully and abruptly.

'Magic'? Bah!

Now, now, he did not say "magic is real," he asked us what we know of it.

... meh.

"Dere is no such ding as magic," he said flatly, "only dings people do not understand und ascribe a supernatural cause to. People used to believe de vorld vas flat, or dat de Sun und all de planets orbited de Earth. But ve know different now. If de Atom Family or de Psions or de Power Corps vere sent back in time do de days of de Black Death, dey vould likely be branded as vitches und sorcerers, deir abilities seen as magical. Many sources say 'magic' is an inheritable trait, passed from generation to generation und honed mit practice und guidance from experienced mentors -- just like any other metahuman power. 'Spellcasters' are just metahumans mit some psychological hangups, dinking dey must gesture und incant to use deir powers... or are con-men who know vhat dey are, und go through de motions to impress de crowds. At best, de 'spellbooks' dat are passed on from generation to generation vould have information akin to vhat de Albright Institute searches for, how metahuman powers vork und how to use dem, but it vould all be hidden under dense symbolism or dream-fueled gibbering."

He paused a moment, then cleared his throat. "You said dat no von has been able to... reverse your condition, dat none of de traditional remedies have shown any effect. Vhat can you tell me of de history of de condition? Dat is, vhat does your culture say on de origins of de condition, vhere it started, who was first to show signs of it?"

[quotemyname]

Thomas frowned, "Unfortunately, doctor, I don't have all of the answers." Thomas shrugged. Fair was fair, but if he didn't know, he didn't know. "That much of our history is shrouded in a lot of mystery."

At that Thomas looked up to see their waitress arriving with their orders. He thanked her, and accepted his cup. Watching as Doc did the same, Thomas took a sip of his coffee. It was piping hot, and he recoiled some from it, swallowing the burning liquid.

"But I will tell you everything I do know. Which is not much." Thomas cleared his throat. "It was Europe, we believe. By "we" I of course mean my pack. They are my source of information for most of what I know about my condition. Anyway, shortly before the French revolution, there was some trouble in France. Villagers claim that a large beast was terrorizing the area. Many of the people in our pack, at least, accept that as the first real werewolf. Others do not believe it was one. Still others say it goes back further. I am relatively new, which may be a benefit in this case, because I do not really have a solid opinion on the matter. But if I had to hazard a guess it would be this: That beast could not have been a real werewolf. At least not by our standards. In two years with my pack I have learned to keep a lot of secrets. That any lycanthrope would be that public with their acts is shocking to me." Thomas shook his head.

Thomas resumed his story after another sip, "My guess is that it would probably go back further. Perhaps we have always been here. After all, the only way we know how to create another werewolf is through biting. It is not like we can reproduce." The last, Thomas said completely off the cuff. Then turned to look into his cup. Wonder if that will pique his interest.

Thomas was quiet for a moment, before he finally took his turn at questioning. "You seem to not believe that magic exists. While my grandfather would sorely disagree with you at that, I will let it go for now. Instead, I would like to ask about another phenomena: Spirits. What do you know of them? Some call them ghosts, but I am referring specifically to 'spirits of the wild,' and others of that type."

[Dr Archeville]

Thomas clearly saw that his thrown-out line snared Archeville's interest.

Wait... what?

Hah! Bob Barker'd be thrilled!

Well, in any case, we will need to find someone else if we are to track down the origins of this condition, since legends of lycanthropy go back far, far further than the mid-1700s.

Yeah, but, c'mon, look at the kid: he hardly looks the scholarly type. Even if his 'tribe' does know more about their history, they probably didn't bother telling him as they knew he'd forget it.

So interested, in fact, that he did not notice when Thomas had finished speaking. He did eventually notice, of course, and thanks to his near-photographic memory could "rewind" the scene in his mind to hear what he'd missed. And thanks to his lightning-fast mind, this all happened in a a few milliseconds.

"It is my understanding dat Faeries are 'spirits of nature'," he said between sips of the coffee, "unless you are referring to de more 'Elemental' spirits, embodiments of de four Classical Elements of erde, feuer, vind und vasser. Und my response vould be de same as de previous von: ancient metahumans, or incorporeal beings from another reality forming crude bodies from local materials, or impressionable observers taking liberties mit de descriptions of earthqvakes, forest fires, floods und tornadoes."

"However," he added while mixing some cream into the coffee, "dere is a 'spirit of nature' dat I can and vould very much like to study in detail: Freedom's own Doctor Metropolis. I do not know much about him -- yet -- but he seems, both from a metahuman powers point of view, und a psychological point of vifew, a fascinating topic of interest."

There was something vaguely sinister about the way the Doktor said "yet".

"Ah, much better," he said after tasting the coffee again. "Now, vhat vas dat you said about 'it is not like ve can reproduce'? I understand dat bites are de most common vay de condition is passed, but do you mean to say de condition renders you unable to reproduce in de traditional manner? Dat de condition... spays und neuters you?"

[quotemyname]

In the middle of taking a sip of coffee, Thomas' eyes went wide. He nearly spit the hot coffee out all over Dr. Archeville, but luckily managed to hold it in. With a sour expression on his face, he answered, "Hardly." He then finished the sip he had been trying to take earlier.

"Two years I have been with the pack. We are like one big family. Though not in the traditional brother and sister sense. Nor are we like husbands and wives. The only members of the pack that actually have a mate are very few and far between. The alphas are not even married." Thomas gave a very matter-of-fact look, followed by a shrug that seemed to say, "that's the way it is."

"But after two years of co-mingling, not one of the women in the pack has had a child." Thomas gave a frown and another sip. "That's not to say they don't get pregnant. That happens all the time, in fact. But the furthest they get into the pregnancy is a whole month." Thomas left the logical conclusion of the argument for Archeville to piece together, as he knew he would.

"When I talked of spirits earlier, I was referring to the 'spirits of your ancestors' that follows with many native American beliefs. While you may still believe them to be some sort of meta-human or the like, I simply cannot accept that they do not exist. I've spoken with them through my grandfather."

"It occurs to me that we have been talking for some time now. Yet I feel as though I still know nothing about you. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

[Dr Archeville]

Hah! Hit a nerve, I did!

Fascinating. Could the regenerative abilities granted by Lycanthropy also grant an extended lifespan? That could explain the decreased birth rate, since longer-livied creatures tend to have lower birth rates.

Lower ones, not altogether absent ones. Though... there could be another reason. If all the members of his 'tribe' all received their infection from the same source, or a group of closely-related Lycanthropes, then the disease may alter them so that they can no more successfully breed with each other than cousins could. Worse, even, given the problems shapeshifters, regenerators, and the hormonally imbalanced tend to have with getting knocked up.

"No brothers or sister, or even cousins. My birth was particularly difficult, und mein mother passed avay shortly after I vas born, leaving me to be raised alone by mein fazher. He, too, vas an only child, de son of..." He paused a moment, "de son of a very amoral und unethical man, whose many misdeeds I haff strived to fix. He had two sisters, but I know almost nutzing of dem. Of mein mother's side, I also know little; she vas Romani, von of de groups almost exterminated by de Nazis, und even de families dat survived vere often split und cast to de four corners of de Earth."

"De co-minglings you mentioned, vere dey all betveen members of your tribe mit de condition? Or vere dere any between one mit de condition und von non-afflicated outsider? Und a second qvestion -- related to de first, und to de issue of procreation, und, yes, you may ask me two next -- vhat is de lifespan of von mit de condition? Gray volves live for tventy years at most in captivity, at best half dat in de vild. Human live an average of about 70 years, depending on genetics und environmental conditions. Does de condition alter de lifespan?"

[quotemyname]

"Well, I do not have a concrete answer for you one that one. But we age quite well." Thomas took a sip of his coffee and leaned back in the booth once again, "There are a few women in the pack that are quite good looking, if you know what I mean."Thomas said with a sly smile. "I have never seen a lycanthrope die of natural causes. But we do die." Thomas was suddenly sullen.

The mood didn't stay long, however. He soon cheered up, "Sorry I can't be of more help there, either. I do plan on figuring these things out eventually. Even in the past month or so, I have discovered more about myself than I thought I ever would."

"So, Doctor, what would you say is your greatest accomplishment?" Thomas smiled, genuinely interested.

[Dr Archeville]

"Oh, dat is simple," he replied, smiling. "Mein greatest accomplishment is ArcheTech, mein company. Brilliant as I am -- und I am brilliant -- I know dere is only so much I can do, so much I can learn, before de Grim reaper claims me. So I set up a series of research laboratories, und staffed dem mit de brightest und most driven men und vomen I could find. But it is not just de vork dey do, you see." He leaned back a bit and spread his arms slightly, "it is also de people it helps. A sizable portion of ArcheTech's profits go back to de community, to grants und scholarships for continuing education, to hospitals to provide better care for all, und to other philanthropic programs. I aim to leave dis vorld in better condition dan vhen I entered it, but doing so means tackling problems on multiple fronts. Give a man a flying car, he vill fly for a year. Teach a man how to build a flying car, und he can soar for a lifetime."

Ugh, can you be any more schmaltzy?

You may be good at improving weapons technology, but I want to improve the whole world.

It would be improved, under my control!

"Vhich, in a vay, brings us back to vhy I decided to seek you out. You say you haff learned much of yourself in de past month. I vould like to help you learn more, in mein own vay, und in so doing further mein own 'supernatural' research projekt. If possible, I vould like to talk mit your whole tribe, but I do realize dat such a meeting vould take a long time to set up, if it ever could occur. But, for now, vould you be villing to let me run a few tests on you? Nothing overly invasive, some bloodvork, taking vital signs, dings dat vould be done at any normal medical physical examination."

[quotemyname]

"You're a scientist," Thomas smiled, "So you should know about using proper terms. Your first step here should be to stop using the word tribe, and start using the word pack. I may be an Indian, but the rest of the pack isn't. They might be offended." He kept smiling all the way into the cup. "But that meeting may take longer than you think to set up. If jack knew I was talking to you about this stuff, he might snap my neck." Thomas seemed unafraid at the prospect. "Jack is my alpha male. He is likely the reason we have stayed so well hidden. He is very secretive, and does not take kindly to betrayal. The reason I'm doing this, is because I've never agreed with him on that. I would never think of challenging him on it, though."

"I will speak with him," Thomas offered, "And try to warm him to the idea. He likes keeping secrets, but he may want to find out more about us even more than you or I do. It will take time and effort, but I think I may be able to do it. The squeaky wheel gets the grease as they say."

Thomas drained the last bit of the coffee that had been in the cup and placed it off to the side on the table. "As for your last question, yes. I would be happy to provide you with data. On the condition that if I ever feel the tests are going to far, that they will immediately cease." Thomas was serious about that demand. That much was plain to see from his expression alone. "However, I am afraid that it will have to wait for another day. I made a promise to a friend that I must keep today."

Feeling that their meeting was nearing a close, Thomas decided to help it along. "If I may ask you one last question in passing, Doctor? May I consider you a friend? A person to be counted on should I need help? If Jack really does decide to snap my neck, would you help out? And if so, can I start calling you Viktor?" Thomas did not look afraid. Only wary. Archeville got the sense that trusting people outside the pack with his secrets was hard for Thomas. Perhaps he was looking for some sort of insurance.

[Dr Archeville]

Ah, so they are not all of the same ethnic group. That does lead to further questions.

Pft, mutts are mutts, it's only natural they'd stick together.

The Doktor smiled, and responded with his best 'put my patient at ease' tone. "I vould like dat very much, Thomas. Few people actually call me dat, most simply refer to me as 'de Doktor'. Und of course if you are made uncomfortable by any of mein tests, I vill stop."

I will stop when I am satisfied!

No, you will not, we will stop when he asks us to.

"I do hope de call for help offer goes both vays," he continued as he searched his coat pockets for something, "but for me to do dat, und to set up further meetings, I vill need some vay to- ah!" He withdrew a notepad and pen from one of his pockets, and laid them on the table, "I vill need a vay to contact you. Do you have a number I can reach you at? Here is mein, und mein home address," he jotted down on the pad, then tore the paper off and passed it to Thomas.

[quotemyname]

Thomas smiled, "Of course, Viktor!" It had not occurred to him that he had sounded selfish. "I apologize if I came across any other way. After all, we're friends, right?"

Thomas reached across the table and drew the notepad towards him. He scribbled down his own cell number. "I would give you my address, but I think it may be best that you do not stop by there anyway. Lord knows what they would do if they smelled any of that silver on you." Thomas was using a pleasant tone of voice, but the message was clear: "Don't come by my house. You might get hurt."

[Dr Archeville]

Pft, as if I couldn't wipe them all out if I so chose.

No, no, you will not... okay, time for another another tactic... look! A scantily-clad customer!

What are you- Mmmm....

"I haff de opposite problem," he replied, though Thomas could see his attention was starting to drift elsewhere, to a woman who had just entered and removed a heavy winter coat to reveal a more revealing outfit underneath. He took Thomas' number and put it with the notepad and pen back into his pocket. "Mein identity is a public record, as is mein home address. But, de few attacks I haff had to repel from it are more dan made up for by de help I have given to de numerous people who haff come to me. Vhich is another reason I started ArcheTech, in fact, to help more people und to give meinself a bit of privacy vhile at home."

He drained his coffee, then waved the barista over, "cheque, please; I am covering both of us." He turned back to Thomas, "if you must go, I shall not keep you vaiting. I vill give you a call sometime next veek to set up an appointment for dose tests."

[quotemyname]

Thomas grinned when the Doctor announced that he would be paying for the coffee. "Well, thank you for the coffee, Viktor. You'll forgive me if I left my wallet in my other pants pocket, I hope." He patted his jeans to show that he wasn't lying. He'd learned not to travel at night with anything valuable on him. It always seemed to get lost some how.

"Next time will be on me," he smiled as he rose from the booth. "I do have to get going, but I'll wait for your call." Thomas shook hands with the doctor once more, and made his way out of the shop. He too gave a passing look to the lady removing the coat.

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville waved goodbye to Thomas one last time before he made his way out of the shop. As he tuned the corner, the waitress returned with the bill.

"A fine brew, madame," he complimented as he handed her a bill more than large enough to cover it. "Und excellent service, too," he added with a wink.

She smiled back, and dashed off to get change, hoping for a large tip.

I get to tag those, right?

What? The barista and the one whom just entered? Well, I- oh. Those.

Yes, those.

Fine, but only because I am curious, too.

When the waitress returned to the table, it was empty, and had been cleared off. Focusing on the large tip she now had, she assumed one of the other workers had swooped in and cleared it for the next customer.

It did not occur to her that the Doktor had collected his own trash as well as that of his guest. Thomas' cup, as well as the straw he'd used to idly beat on the counter and the paper he'd touched to write his cell phone number on, were in forensic-quality baggies; he had also done a quick scan of the areas of the table he'd gripped with the powerful array of sensors in his wondrous electromagnetic screwdriver. These probably wouldn't tell him much -- the heat from the coffee cup would have degraded much of the samples on it -- but it would give him a start, and give him a few ideas of things to prepare for when they next met and he began testing in earnest.

~fin~