Wolf Six's Salvation

Jackson nodded and peered out the window through a slit in the curtains. Quent smiled.

She let her knees give way and she plopped onto the bed. "But that's not possible. Werewolves aren't real..."

Quent came and sat down beside her, his smile gentle and voice soothing. "Why not? Human and wolf DNA in a single entity? We're all just mashups of previous DNA bits anyway. Why not these two bits?"

Chloe frowned. "The Lycan gene. It's connected to werewolves, isn't it?"

"Very good!" Quent exclaimed, proudly praising his prized student and turning into a teacher. "It is related to werewolves. The Lycan gene is a sequence of so-called 'junk' DNA found in certain individuals. It is typically recessive, and it requires compliment genes to activate it."

"So the Lycan gene causes you to be like...this?" Chloe asked, baring her teeth and making a growling noise.

"Not exactly. There are a lot of other genetic factors, as well as environment that come into play." Quent patted her leg. "Having the Lycan gene just means that there was a werewolf somewhere in your genetic history. When the gene becomes important is when breeding between Weres occurs. The gene is complicated and doesn't follow Mendelian inheritance, but basically, if a Were and a human breed, their progeny has about a twenty-five percent chance of having the ability to go through the change and actually be able to become a wolf. If the human carries the Lycan gene, that percentage increases to fifty percent."

"You said the gene is caused by a werewolf in one's genetic history. Is that the result of a Were and a human pairing?" Chloe asked. Her mind was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out the exact genetic components of the werewolf condition, her scientific curiosity overcoming her initial fear.

"Yes, very good, Chloe." Quent beamed at his student. "Any mating of a human and Were will pass the Lycan gene down through their progeny, it's just that the odds are it will be a silent mutation."

"How common is the Lycan gene, then?" Chloe shrugged out of her jacket, letting it fall to the bed. Jackson stood by the window, listening carefully to their conversation.

"Unfortunately, it is very rare. If your brother has the gene, then it would be a good reason for anyone investigating Weres to want him," Quent answered honestly. "The odds are you have it as well."

Chloe nodded, her mouth going into a thin line. "I figured as much."

"You said the gene required activation," Jackson asked, his voice low. "What does that mean?"

"If the genetic criteria is met, the initial change requires a stressor." Quent's eyes followed Jackson to gauge his reaction. "Most times, this is puberty. But for some, like yourself, it takes an emotional toll for the beast to emerge."

"It doesn't always activate with puberty? Why the stressor?" Chloe asked.

"Puberty is usually enough of a stressor, especially with the influx of hormones, but sometimes the environmental component isn't strong enough to induce the change at that time." Quent's eyes went distant for a moment. "The ancient Spartans used to give additional trials to potential Were children at puberty in order to force the change. It was a part of why they were so effective in battle."

"The Spartans were werewolves?" Chloe asked, her voice full of incredulity.

"Not all of them. Only a select few and they were kept a battle secret," Quent replied. He looked over at Jackson. "You'd be surprised how effective a Were can be in battle. Or, maybe you wouldn't."

"Can two humans with the Lycan gene have a Were child?" Jackson asked, pointedly ignoring Quent's comment. Chloe was impressed at the astute question, especially given the complex level of genetics being discussed.

"A full Were must be involved in order to create another Were. The gene is more like a susceptibility than a guarantee," Quent answered.

"I see." Jackson fell silent, turning to stare out the window. There was a world of pain in those two simple syllables. Chloe wondered what exactly had happened to him to put so much heartache in his voice.

"What exactly is a werewolf, then? I know some of the myths, but what does that mean?" Chloe asked, changing the subject slightly to try and make Jackson more comfortable.

Quent sat up straighter, the teacher in him excited to for the lesson.

"The Werewolf is a hybrid of human and wolf that has been around since the dawn of mankind. The exact origins are unknown, despite many origin stories. When in wolf form, we maintain our human size and cognitive abilities. When in human form, we maintain a wolf's senses. There is also a transitional stage between the two that we can enter. In our everyday lives, we are stronger, faster, and heal more quickly."

"Do you change on the full moon? What happens to your clothes when that happens? And if you bit me, would I become a wolf too?" Chloe asked, her questions spilling out like water from a pitcher. "What about silver?"

Quent laughed. "We can shift anytime we wish, but the pull to shift is strongest with the tidal pull of the moon. We can resist, but it is difficult. The clothes usually end up ripped if we wear them when we change, as they obviously don't change with us. The bite and the silver are both nothing more than superstitious myths."

"Oh, that's good, I guess." Chloe said simply. She thought about it for a moment, accepting this new information as though she were in class and this was the lecture. A new thought occurred and she frowned. "On an entirely different, yet related topic, why would someone want to kill me over this?"

"It must have something to do with the file you stole, or something you know. Someone doesn't want you to connect the dots," Quent mused. "Those men were military. Army. Someone on this base didn't want you having that file. You must have enough of the pieces that someone is worried you'll put it together."

"If the file were so important, why was it in an unlocked records room?" Jackson asked, stepping away from the window and pulling a threadbare wooden chair up to the bed. He turned it and sat in it backwards. "It must be something you know, or can figure out with the information you have."

"Something with the Lycan gene, then? I mean, that was the piece of information that seemed to start things. Serves me right for stealing." Chloe made a made a grumpy face and Jackson laughed. She liked the sound of his laugh.