A Year of Transformations

Prologue

	Jack climbed out of his car and walked to the mailbox at the
curb.  Hoping that bills were not waiting for him after his long day at
work, he pulled open the small metal door.  Peering inside, he sighed with
relief.  Only a large manila envelope lay inside slightly rolled up.

	"That better not be a bill," Jake said to himself slightly
laughing.

	He examined the envelope while walking back to his house.  "The
Monthly Club" was written on the return address.

	"I never heard of that club before," he thought and opened the
door to his house.  He removed his coat and threw it on the back of a
chair in the kitchen.  Plopping down on the couch, he turned the envelope
over once more and then opened it.

	He pulled out a few papers and a small flyer.  Thumbing through
them he found a welcome letter and began to read it.  "Mr. Jack Higgins,
welcome to the Transformation of the Month Club.  A friend has given you
this gift for Christmas.  By his/her request, we will start your
membership on December 1.  Your membership will last until December of
next year.  You will be sent another notice next December for a renewal at
a discount.

	"We hope you enjoy being a member of Transformation of the Month
Club."

	Jack reread the letter several times.  He could not believe what
was written.  "Transformation of the Month?" he asked himself.  He looked
at the other pieces of paper.  They informed him of the history of the
club and some rules.  Apparently the forms had already been picked for
him, and they will all be surprises.

	This is too good to be true.  The letter definitely got Jack's
hopes up, but there was no way that it could be true.  He tossed the
envelope and papers on the floor by the couch and turned on the TV.

	"Well, if it is true, I'll find out tomorrow since it's December
1."

	While watching TV and eating dinner, his thoughts kept drifting
back to the club.  If it were true, what would the first form be?  He kept
forcing those types of thoughts out of his head as to not get his hopes
up.  He did not want to wake up disappointed because he is still himself
in the morning.  Who would have given him that for a Christmas
present?  And what forms did they pick for him?

	Finally it came time for bed.  He turned on his alarm so he could
go to work in the morning. If the club were true, then he could have time
to call in sick for work.  That would give him a three-day weekend to sort
things out.  That also got him thinking.  What would he do if he were a
frog in the morning?  The rules said the new form would last for the whole
month.  Would he still be able to work?  Would they allow him to work if
he were able?

	"Stop thinking about that," he said.  "I'll still be human in the
morning."

=======================================================================

December

	The night's sleep was a good one even though Jack was
subconsciously looking forward to seeing if he could actually transform
from that Transformation of the Month Club present some anonymous person
sent him.  He dreamed several dreams about being something else.  In one
he dreamed he was a snake and couldn't get outside because he couldn't
open the doors.  In another he dreamed he was a fish swimming in a
river.  He had others as well.  None of them lasted long because upon
realizing he was an animal from the effects of the Club, he instantly
changed back into his human form.  Even in his dreams, the fact that the
club couldn't change him kept his excitement down.

	Turning over in bed, something woke him up.  His head wouldn't
turn.  He slowly opened his eyes.  Sticking out in front of him was a dark
furry shape.  It was hard to make out from the narrow beams of light from
the streetlights peaking between the blinds.  Reaching up with his hands
to see what it is, he poked it, and he discovered it was his nose.

	Sitting up quickly in bed, he felt of the rest of his head.  From
the large nose, big ears, and antlers, he determined he was a moose.  The
antlers must have been what had woken him up.  Since he was lying on his
back, the antlers would prevent his head from turning.

	He threw off the covers and found a brown, furry body
underneath.  It was still human enough to where he could sit up, but he
was definitely more moose than human.  His feet were now cloven hooves at
the end of his moose legs.  His arms were still arms, but his hands now
only had four fingers: a thumb, two large fingers, and a small
pinky.  Each ended in a hoof-like tip.

	Climbing out of bed, he stood on his new legs.  His legs were
definitely more like the hind legs of a moose than human.  But, they were
human enough to where he could stand upright.  He took a step and fell
face forward.  After staying on the floor for about a minute, he managed
to stand up again and attempted another step more slowly this time.  With
that one being successful, he tried another.  Down on the floor he went
again.  Bellowing in annoyance, he pulled himself to his hooves once
more.  Determined to reach the light switch on the wall, he slowly and
carefully took each step.  With just a few more stumbles, he made it to
the light switch and turned it on.

	In the lighted room he could now get a better look at
himself.  Fur covered his body, and he even had a stubby tail.  He walked
to the bathroom and turned his head sideways in order for his antlers to
make it though.  The smell of soap and bathroom cleaners flooded his large
nose.  It had been a few weeks since he actually cleaned the bathroom, but
the cleaner odor that he didn't smell the day before lingered in the air
along with a mildew smell.  He looked in the mirror, and a moose head
looked back at him.  His eyes were solid black, but yet had some
intelligence behind them.  His antlers were huge.  They spanned a little
over three feet, much smaller than a real moose's antlers.  Since it
looked like he was only slightly taller than his human body, he was glad
the antlers weren't average moose size.  He would have been trapped in his
bed because he wouldn't have been able to move his head.

	"This has to still be a dream," he said.  His large mouth moved
easier than it looked.  His voice was deeper and gruffer, but he could
still speak.  He pinched himself with his hoof-tipped fingers and bellowed
in pain.  His black eyes widened in panic.

	He propped himself with his arms against the sink and concentrated
on slowing his breathing.  "Ok.  Calm down," he told himself.  "This can
be taken care of.  I just need to call that Transformation of the Month
Club and get this straightened out."  His stomach growled.  "But,
first.  Breakfast."

His stomach growled again to make sure he knew he was starving as he
slowly headed for the kitchen.  Changing into a moose must take a lot of
energy.  It must have been a sight to see.  Too bad he didn't set up the
video camera to tape it.  He would have liked to see his human body change
into a moose-man thing.  Was it a slow process, or did it happen fast?

Managing not to stumble too much on his new legs, he made it into the
kitchen and poured himself some cereal.  He didn't feel like cooking eggs
or bacon this morning.  He wasn't sure if it was the moose appetite, or if
he was just too busy thinking about his situation.  Putting the milk back
in the refrigerator, he scanned the shelves for some water plants.  He
quickly backed up and shut the door when he realized what he was doing.

After eating his fill of Corn Flakes, he called his boss and told her he
was not going in to work.  There was no way he was going out in public
like this.  She believed that he sounded sick especially since his voice
was deeper and rough.  When Monday rolls around, he will have to think of
some other excuse not to come into work.  There was no way he would go out
in public as a moose.  He had to find out about this Transformation Club
and convince them to cancel his membership.

	Searching through the paperwork that came in the Club's envelope,
he did not find a phone number or a mailing address.  Nothing even hinted
as to where the Club was located.  Throwing the papers down on the floor,
he clomped into the computer room.  Maybe he could find something about
them on the web.

	Walking into the computer room, he banged his antlers on the
doorframe.  He let out a painful bellow.  "I hate these antlers!"  Then he
looked up at the cable modem and bellowed again.  The cable light was
flashing.  That probably meant lines were down somewhere.  "Just
perfect!" he said and stomped a hoof.  He hadn't had trouble with the
cable modem in over a year, and it had to pick this day to go out.

	Focusing on slowing his breathing again, he calmed down.  Turning
away from the computer and heading back into the living room, he banged
his antlers on the doorframe again.  "OUCH!"  Going into the living room,
he flopped down on the couch.  He unconsciously tried to sit as he
normally did, but it didn't work out with his new legs.  His knees were
higher than they normally were, and so were his ankles for that
matter.  Squirming some until he got comfortable, he clicked on the TV and
thumbed through the morning news programs.

	Flip, flip, flip.  He kept skipping through channels.  He couldn't
focus on anything.  His thoughts kept drifting back to the obvious problem
he was in.  It was hard for him to get his mind off of being a moose with
the huge moose muzzle between his eyes blocking a lot of his view.

	"I need to go for a walk," he said and stood up and grabbed his
coat while headed for the door. Swinging it open, he put one hoof outside
and stopped.  "I can't go out like this."  With a scan of the
neighborhood, he quickly backed back inside and closed the door.  Taking a
deep sigh, he threw his coat on the back of a chair and flopped back down
on the couch.  "I hope no one saw me like this!"

	Throughout the day he checked the papers from the Club over twenty
times.  None of those times revealed any new information.  He also got
used to walking on his new legs.  It was actually easier than he thought
it would be.  He had imagined changing into other forms before, but he
never gave it much thought about how to walk on legs built like these.  He
never thought he would have to learn.

	The next day, he woke up and looked at himself.  Just as he
thought, he was still a moose.  Sighing, he got out of bed and went
through his modified morning routine.  While he was toweling off with his
third towel, the phone rang.

	Dashing into the bedroom where the nearest phone was, he answered
it.

	"Hello?"

	"Jack?" Julie, his sister, said on the other end.

	"Yes."

	"Are you sick?  You sound different."

	Jack slightly snickered.  "You can say that."

	"Anyway, I'm on the way there," she said.  "Remember we were going
Christmas shopping for Mom and Dad."

	"I don't think I can do that today."

	"And why not?!  We have to get presents for them."

	"I know.  I know.  It's just...."

	Julie cut him off.  "You are going to go.  You don't sound THAT
sick.  I'll be there in ten minutes."  With that she hung up the phone.

	Jack hung up his phone.  "Great.  Just great."

	As she said, ten minutes later, she knocked on the door.

	"The door's open!" Jack bellowed from the kitchen.  He didn't want
to answer the door in his condition.  He had also been keeping his window
blinds closed.  It was too much of a risk to have some neighbor catch a
glimpse of a moose vacuuming his living room.

	Julie walked in and took her coat off.  "Jack?  Where are you?"

	Jack took a deep breath.  "I'm in the kitchen, but don't come in
here yet."

	"And why not?"   She threw her coat at the couch.

	"I just want to tell you something first."

	She snorted.  "And what's that?"

	Jack took another deep breath.  "Well, I'm not myself anymore."

	Julie walked into the kitchen.  "What do you mean by...."  She
stopped.  Her mouth was gaping open and slightly moving.  Her eyes were
staring straight at Jack's eyes.

	"Julie.  Julie, it's me, Jack."

	"J...J...."  Julie blinked and rubbed her eyes.  "Jack?"

	Jack nodded.  "It's me."

	Julie stood there staring.  Jack didn't know what to do.  The
silent pause seemed to last forever.  Julie finally said, "How?"

	Jack shrugged.  "I'm not really sure.  There's this thing I got in
the mail...."

	"Jack!  Why aren't you wearing any clothes!?"

	Jack looked down at himself.  She was right.  He didn't even dress
this morning.  He felt his face heat up under his fur.  That coat of fur
must have felt like clothes so he didn't think of putting anything extra
on.  Good thing he didn't go outside.  At least the fur covered up a lot
of what would be exposed.

	"I.... I don't know why.  Having fur, I guess I didn't think about
it."

	"Well, put something on!"

	Jack nodded and walked back into his bedroom.  He found some
shorts and slipped them on.  They still fit.  Pants sure wouldn't fit
anymore.  Apparently Julie had gotten over the sock of him being a moose
rather quickly.  She was already back to her normal self.  He could hear
her making herself at home.  She had taken a Dr. Pepper out of the
refrigerator and was drinking it.

	When Jack entered the living room, Julie was already reading the
Club's information packet.  She looked up from it and saw him wearing his
blue jean shorts.  "That's better."  She held up the packet.  "This is
what you were talking about?  This is what changed you into a moose?"

	Jack shrugged.  "That's the information packet.  I don't know if
it changed me itself, or if something else did."  When he said that, Julie
quickly dropped the packet on the table and backed away from it.  "Of
course, it doesn't say what exactly or any contact information.  I don't
even know who the friend is that ordered it for me."

	"Why not look on the internet?" Julie asked.

	Jack bellowed.  "I would, but the cable modem lines are down."

	"And you haven't called them?"

	"I can't call them.  I can't let them in my house while I'm a
moose."

	"Oh yeah.  How could I forget something like that?"  Julie
smirked.  "Call them Monday, and schedule them to come out after I get off
of work.  That way, I'll be here when they come by and you can hide in a
back room somewhere."

	"Ok.  That sounds like a good plan."  That meant he still had to
wait the weekend out before he could connect again.  Jack noticed Julie
staring at him.

	Julie looked away.  "Well, I guess we can't go Christmas shopping
with you like that."

	"You got that right," Jack said. "And I can't online shop
either."  Jack stroked his dewlap.  "How about I give you my list, and you
go shopping for me."

	Julie stopped pacing around the living room.  "You better pay me
back."

	"I will," Jack smiled.

	They sat down and thought up a list of gifts for their
parents.  Jack noticed that Julie would periodically stare at him.  He
could see the gears turning in her head about his predicament.  Or maybe
she was just figuring out what he could do for her to pay her back for the
trouble.

	Finally, they settled on the shopping list and Julie headed out
the door.  He waved from the middle of the living room.  He didn't want to
go near the open door just in case someone was looking.  She closed the
door behind her.  It was a good thing he had already bought most of her
gifts before he became a moose.

	Jack went into the kitchen to put away the breakfast dishes.  A
knock at the door made him almost drop the glass he was holding.  Why had
Julie returned already?  "The door is still open," he yelled from the
kitchen.

	The door opened. "Jack?"

	It was Gina's voice!  What was she doing here?  Maybe she was
checking in on him since he didn't go to work the day before.  She did
that every now and then.  And since she worked with him, she knew when he
was sick.

	"Jack?  Where are you?"

	Before he could do anything, Gina came around the corner.  She had
pretty much the same reaction that Julie had.  With her mouth gaping open,
she did eventually manage to say, "Jack?"

	Jack took a deep breath.  "Yeah.  It's me.  I'm a moose."

	She burst out laughing.  She was laughing and not
fainting.  "Jack, just like you to state the obvious."

	Jack rolled his eyes.  It was just like her to laugh at a
situation like this.  He did see some humor in a large moose standing in a
kitchen washing dishes, but she didn't have to laugh.  Actually, he was
relieved that she wasn't screaming.

	Between chuckles she said, "You make a good moose."  She slowed
her laughing and caught her breath.  He didn't think it was that
funny.  She wasn't the one stuck as a moose.  "So, this is why you are
sick?  I hope it's not catching."

	"Well, if it is, you'll be one of the few that will find
out," Jack said wiping his hands off on the dishtowel.  "I was trying to
keep it a secret."

	"And for how long?" she asked walking around him inspecting
him.  "Someone will bound to suspect something if they see antlers poking
out of the driver's window of the car."

	"I wasn't planning on going out."

	She stopped in front of him.  "And how would you do that?  What
about your job?"

	"I can go on a sabbatical until I'm human again," Jack said.  The
idea had just popped into his head.  Hopefully his boss would let him go
on one.  Otherwise, it would make a very interesting work group.

	"Oh yeah.  I didn't think of that," Gina said and walked into the
living room apparently done with her inspection.  "So, how long are you
supposed to be a moose?"

	Jack followed her into the living room.  "Only a month."

	"That's not too long."

	"But, after that month, I'll be something else."

Gina looked at him silently for what seemed like ten minutes.  Jack turned
away to get the Club's information packet from where Julie left it on the
table.  When he walked back into the living room, Gina was at the door.

"I'm sorry, Jack.  I need to go."  She opened the door.  "I hope you are
back to normal soon."  She walked out and quickly closed the door behind
her.

	Jack went to the window and cracked the blinds.  He saw Gina's
black Cavalier back out of the driveway and almost hit the white Accord
parked across the street.  As the black car drove off down the street,
Jack sighed and let the blinds snap shut as he walked to the couch.  He
had thought Gina took it well at first, but it must have been too much for
her.

	Julie came by after she finished shopping at the mall.  Jack was
watching TV yet again when she walked in.  She put her armload of bags and
packages on the floor.  "Those stores were crowded!"  She said and
collapsed in a chair.

	"Good thing I didn't go," Jack said walking over to the bags to
see what she bought.

	"You probably wouldn't have even been noticed.  There were just so
many people."  She took off a shoe and massaged her foot.  

	"I'm sure none of them had antlers," Jack replied.

Julie grinned.  "I didn't find everything we thought of, so I improvised
some."

	"That's fine.  Just as long as this is for Mom and not Dad."  Jack
pulled out a pair of fluffy bunny sleeper pants.

	Julie laughed.

	Jack left the bags alone and headed toward the bedroom.  "I'm
going to have to write you a check.  I can't just go out and get cash."

	Julie laughed again.  "Aw.  Come on.  Don't you want to see
yourself on the news tonight?"

	Jack snorted and retrieved his checkbook.

-------------------------

	The next few weeks were completely boring.  Jack did nothing but
stay in the house.  There was no way he was going to be seen outside.  The
cable modem started working by itself.  A line must have been down in the
neighborhood and the cable company fixed it without him having to phone
the problem in.  Jack lucked out on that.  Julie was forced to work late
every day, so she couldn't have come out to meet the cable guy anyway.

	Even with the cable modem working, he still could not find any
information about the Club.  Nothing resembling the organization came up
on any of the search engines.  It bothered him that whatever company did
this to him didn't even exist as far as the business world was concerned.

	He talked with his boss over the phone.  He didn't tell her that
he was a moose, but she agreed to let him take a sabbatical.  She said
that Gina would bring by the paperwork that he had to sign.  Gina did, but
she didn't stay long after he signed them.  He had until next January to
stay away from work, so if the information about the club membership
lasting until then was correct, he won't have any problems.  He won't get
paid, but he had enough saved to get him by.  His house and car were paid
off not too long before, so those bills were of no concern.

	In his boredom, he did do something constructive.  He finished
wrapping the Christmas presents Julie brought over.  The only problem that
he discovered about wrapping presents as a moose was that his fur kept
getting caught in the tape.  But, he got them all wrapped and furless,
eventually.

	Julie had told his parents about what happened to him about a week
before Christmas.  They called him up to check on him.  His mom was
worried sick, but his dad kept kidding about hunting season.  At least
Jack hoped he was kidding.  Over the phone they seemed to be taking it as
well as could be expected, but arriving at their house for Christmas a few
days later would be the big test.

	That day finally came.  Jack waited until late at night before he
loaded up his car with the gifts so he wouldn't draw unwanted attention to
himself.  The back of the Blazer was loaded, and he crawled into the
driver's seat.  He hadn't even thought about how he would fit in his truck
before hand, but now he had to find a way.  His antlers were too wide for
him to shut the door, so he had to lean to the right until he was all
inside.  Scooting the seat back and reclining it all the way helped as
well.  That way his strangely angled legs could operate the pedals, and he
didn't have to duck down as much for headroom.

	Driving was a little more difficult than he expected.  He managed
to keep his hoof on the gas, and he could find the brakes when he needed
them.  However, the angles weren't built for legs like his.  His
"ankle" rested on the floor about two feet back from the pedals.  Not many
people were on the road that late at night, but he still felt like
everyone was staring at him.  He also stayed under the speed limit.  He
didn't want a cop to pull him over.  His driver's license photo sure
didn't look anything like him now. 

	After the two-hour drive, he finally arrived at his parents'
house.  Pulling into the driveway, he was glad his parents left the porch
lights on.  He didn't really need them with these moose eyes of his, but
they helped.  He unloaded the presents and carried them up to the back
door.  The door was also left open for him.  That saved him from fumbling
with the key and the presents.

	Walking in, he saw his dad sitting in his chair in the den
watching TV.  "Hey, Dad," Jack said setting the packages down on the
floor.

	"Jack, your drive went well...." His dad cut off as he caught
sight of the moose-man standing in the den.

	"Yeah, it's me," Jack said before his dad could ask.

	His father looked at him for a few moments longer and then
grinned.  "Your mother is going to go into shock."

	"I know," Jack said.  "Where is she?"

	"She's in the living room."

	Jack picked up the presents and carried them into the living room
where the Christmas tree and his mother were.  She was asleep on the
couch.  She must have been staying up to see him come in, but couldn't
stay awake.  He put the presents under the tree quietly and walked out of
the room.  Going back to the den he said to his dad, "She's asleep, and I
don't want to wake her up like this."

	His dad chuckled.  "Aw. Come on.  She would get a kick out of it."

	"No.  I'm sure I'll get a kick out of it.  By her!  And, I'm not
sure if my ears could take the screaming," Jack said with a grin.

	His dad got out of his chair and walked into the living
room.  Jack followed, but he stayed just outside the door out of sight
from his mother.

	"Honey, wake up," his dad said gently.  "Jack is here."

	With a yawn his mom woke up.  "He is?  Where?"

	"Brace yourself.  Remember that he's a moose."

	Jack could hear her sigh.

	"Ok, son.  Come in," called his dad.

	Jack ducked through the doorway slowly and stepped into the living
room.  His mother gasped and covered her mouth.  She stared as her eyes
teared up.  "Jack?"

	"It's me, Mom."

	She slowly rose out of the chair and walked to him.  She circled
him looking at him from all directions and then stopped in
front.  "Jack...."  She hugged him.  Jack hugged her back gently.

	"It's ok, Mom.  I've kind of gotten used to it."

	Jack and his parents stayed up late discussing his situation.  He
explained to them that next month he would wind up something else and that
he can't find any information about the Club.  They all hoped that if his
"membership" couldn't be canceled early that at least it would stop at the
end of the term.

	Julie came in late from one of her outings while they were still
up.  They had moved on to the subject of who's coming out for Christmas
day.  Fortunately, just his aunt and uncle were coming.  His cousins had
prior arrangements.  That didn't surprise him.  For the past few years,
they only showed up on Christmas for just enough time to eat.  So, not too
many more people will have to see him that day.

"Just put Christmas lights in your antlers, and you'll be all set," Julie
said catching part of the conversation.

	They all laughed.  His parents seemed to be taking it better
now.  Maybe it was because they realized that he was still Jack
inside.  He hoped they weren't just faking it.

----------------

	Christmas day came, and they all opened their presents.  Jack got
some new clothes that would have fit his human body, but now only the
shirts could be worn even though some were a little tight.  His parents
seemed to be a little uncomfortable about the clothes situation, but Jack
didn't mind.  There was no way he could wear the pullover shirts.  "I
could save them for when I change back," he said.  "I really like
them.  Thanks."

	Julie fetched her battery-operated Christmas lights and strung
them in Jack's antlers while he was eating breakfast.  "There you go.  Now
you're a Chrismoose," she said.

	Jack just rolled his eyes.

	His aunt and uncle came over around noon and ate with them.  They
were surprised about Jack even though his mom had warned them in
advance.  However, their shock wore off enough for them to eat.  Nothing
was going to stop them from eating.

	That night, Jack sat in his bed looking out the window.  The
streetlight nearby illuminated the dusting of snow that had begun to
fall.  He smiled to himself and thought, "This may end up with a happy
ending after all.  It hasn't been too bad yet."

	He felt an itching feeling at the base of his antlers.  Reaching
up to feel of them, they fell off onto the bed.  He had hated them before,
but now he missed them.  His head felt so much lighter, but he was rather
proud of his antlers.  He crawled out of bed and sneaked into the living
room as best as he could with those hooves of his.  Quietly, he placed his
antlers under the tree.  They lay there alone under the tree where the
presents had been that morning.  Sighing, he went back to bed.

------------------

	"Brrring," the phone rang.  Jack turned down the volume on his
TV.  He was watching the Discovery channel because they were having a show
about moose.  When he saw that listing on the on-screen cable guide, he
knew he had to watch it.

	"Hello?" he answered the phone.

	"Jack?  It's Gina," said Gina on the other end.  "I'm glad I
caught you at your house.  I didn't know if you were going to be at your
parents' or not.

	"Hi, Gina.  I haven't heard from you in a while."

	"Jack.  I'm sorry.  It's just that I don't know what to do
around... around an animal."  Gina hesitated again. "I don't mean you're
an animal, but you look like one... I mean...."

	"Gina.  It's okay."

	"Jack, I was wondering if you still wanted to go to my sister's
New Year's party.  I know you don't want to be seen too much, but there
will only be a few people there."

	Jack thought for a moment.  This would be a chance to get out of
the house like he wanted to do.  Moose weren't meant to be cooped up
inside.  However, he didn't want to be out because no telling what would
happen.

	"Gina, I would like to go, but I'm not sure...."

	"I was thinking we could arrive later.  Somewhere closer to
midnight.  That way you wouldn't be there for too long.  And besides, they
will all be drunk by then.  They would be seeing pink elephants along with
a moose-man."  She sounded like she had been thinking of that solution for
a while.

	"That sounds like a good plan, but I don't know...."  Jack thought
a bit more.  This would be a good experience.  He can't stay inside his
house all year long.  Plus, he wanted to go out with Gina since he hadn't
at all that month.  "Ok.  I'll do it."

	"Great!" Gina said.  "I'll drive you.  How about I pick you up at
11 o'clock?  My sister's house isn't far from your place."

	"Sounds good," Jack said.

	"Ok.  See you then.  Bye."

	"Bye."  
	
	They hung up.  New Year's Eve was only a few days away.  One of
the shirts he got for Christmas and some shorts would work well for
clothes.  It was cold outside, but the fur helped keep him warm.  He still
hadn't found a pair of pants that would fit his awkward legs anyway.

	The day finally arrived, and Gina picked him up at 11 o'clock like
she said.  He quickly got into her car and scooted the passenger seat
back.  Without his antlers, he had a lot of headroom.

	Gina pulled out of the driveway and headed toward her sister's
house without saying a word.  For a few blocks, only street sounds could
be heard.

	"Thanks, for doing this, Gina," Jack said breaking the
silence.  "I really did need to get out of the house."

	Gina actually smiled. "I thought you would.  And my sister said
the party isn't going to be that big."

	"That's good."  Jack looked back out the window.  A forested area
could be seen beyond the houses on this street.  He longed to run through
those woods, but he didn't dare.  He wanted to see what it would be like
to be an actual moose.  He was so close now, but he was still far
away.  Realizing what he was thinking, he forced his thoughts away from
running wild.  The Discovery channel must have put those ideas into his
head.

	"Here we are," Gina said as she parked on the street in front of a
house.  Six other cars were already parked in the driveway and on the
front lawn.  "Hm.. More than I expected."

	Jack crouched down as he walked to the front door.  Without his
antlers, he figured he didn't stand out as much, but he still had a huge
nose that could be noticed from miles away.  He followed Gina to the front
door.

	Gina knocked and a woman about five years older than Gina answered
the door. She had the same dark brown hair and blue eyes that Gina had.

	"Gina!" the woman said.  "And I take it this is.... oh my."  She
looked behind Gina as Jack stood to his full height.

	"Cindy, this is Jack.  Jack, Cindy," Gina said trying to sound
casual.

	Jack held out his hand.  "Nice to meet you, Cindy."

	Cindy snapped out of her trance and shook Jack's hand.  "I'm
sorry.  I didn't know what to expect when Gina said you were a moose.  I
thought it was some code or new slang or something."

	"That's quite all right," Jack said.

	"Come on in."  Cindy backed up and held the door
open.  "Everyone's getting ready for the countdown.  Just thirty minutes
to go."

	Gina and Jack walked in, and Cindy closed the door behind
them.  She ran into the main room before they could get there themselves
and shouted.  "Everyone!  This is my sister Gina and her friend Jack."

	Gina and Jack walked into the room.  Everyone waved and said,
"Hi!"  Then went back to talking and having a drink.

	Gina leaned in close to Jack.  "See.  I told you they wouldn't
make a big deal about it."

	Jack nodded and followed Gina to the refreshment table.  All sorts
of goodies were set out.  The finger sandwiches and crackers and cookies
were covering the table.  No water plants, but Jack was fine with the
selection.  He picked up a few finger sandwiches and munched on them.

	"Smile for the camera!"  Jack almost dropped the sandwich he was
eating when a video camera was thrust at his face from the side.  Jack
casually grinned and went back to eating.

	"Sam, go away with that camera."  Gina shoved the guy holding the
camera.  "You know I hate it."

	The guy stopped recording and lowered the camera.  "Sorry,
Gina.  I'm just trying to get the life of the party captured on film."

	"Uh huh.  Do that over there."  Gina pointed at the other side of
the room.

	Sam sluggishly walked away while Gina made shooing motions behind
him.  She turned back to Jack.  "Sorry about that.  He loves that camera
of his."

	Jack nodded.  "Yeah.  I can see that."  He finished the sandwich
he had and took some more from the table.

	"Okay everyone!  Turn on the TV!  It's time for the
countdown!" Cindy yelled as she brought in more sandwiches to replenish
the supply that Jack had eaten.  Jack picked up a few of the new
sandwiches and followed Gina going into the living room.

	A woman sitting by the TV turned it on and flipped to the local
news station where they had a countdown live from downtown.  Everyone
gathered around the TV.  Gina and Jack ended up near the back.

	"Ten!"  They all
said.  "Nine.  Eight.  Seven.  Six.  Five.  Four.  Three.  Two.  One!  Happy
New Year!"

	"Urk!" Jack suddenly didn't feel so good.

===================================================================

January

	The crowd around the TV cheered and blew their noisemakers as they
celebrated the New Year.  All except Jack.  He rubbed his head with a
hoof-hand, as his world seemed to slow down.  Couples around him hugged
and kissed in slow motion while other people took forever to take a sip of
their wine.

"Happy New Year, Jack!" Gina said in a slow drawn out voice.

	Jack said, "Happy New Year," as well.  At least he thought he had
said that.  He wasn't sure what he actually said if he said anything at
all.  Gina's expression slowly turned from that of excitement to worry.

	"Jack, are you okay?"

	Jack didn't try to answer that question as he tried to clear his
mind and focus.  Instinctively he fumbled over to a chair and sat
down.  He fell down right on his tail.  His tail was a stump when he was a
moose, but this one felt different.  Slowly reaching a hand back he felt
feathers.

	The other guests had turned around by now and were staring at him
frozen in time.  He scanned the crowed.  Every pair of eyes was on
him.  Gina was staring wide-eyed close by him.  Reaching out a hand to
her, he saw his arm was covered in feathers instead of fur as well.

	Gina mouthed slowly.  He could not hear her with his head is
ringing with echoes, but he thought she was saying, "Jack."

	Jack wanted to hide.  He didn't need to be in the crowd.  He
didn't know where he needed to be, but this was not the place.  His cloudy
thoughts needed to be clear, and the mumbling echoes coming from the group
were not helping.

	Gina must have understood what he was thinking.  Or maybe Jack had
said what he was thinking out loud.  Whichever way, Gina picked him up
from the chair with the help of her sister and carried him to a bedroom.

	The open space helped.  The ringing in his head stopped.  He could
understand the voices now.  "Jack.  Jack?"  Gina was beside him.  He
turned to look at her.

	"Jack.  Are you alright?"

	His thoughts clearing up some, he nodded.  "I'm starting to feel
better."  His voice sounded completely different than before.  It was
higher pitched and almost raspy.  He looked about the room.  Gina's sister
was standing by the bedroom door.  He and Gina were on the bed.  When he
panned past the dresser mirror, he stopped.  Staring back at him was a
goose.  A large Canada Goose.  He honked in surprise.

	"Jack, are you sure you're okay?" Gina asked again.

	Jack looked down at himself and saw that he was the goose.  The
Club has supplied him with the next form: a goose.

	"Well.  I'm a goose," he half honked.  "I just need to be out of
the crowd for a while."  He waddled back over to the bed on his skinny
legs and climbed up on it to sit down.  He was a lot shorter than he was
as a moose.  It looked like he was just less than five feet tall.

	Now that his mind wasn't muddled, he took a better look at
himself.  Gray and black feathers covered his body.  His arms were almost
wings, but they still hand hands on the ends.  The hands had three fingers
and a thumb and were covered in the same rough skin as his large, flat,
webbed feet.  The wings would never be capable of flight even with the
large flight feathers on them.  His torso leaned more forward, and his
neck was long and skinny.  It was a drastic change from his previous form.

	Gina sat quietly beside him.  She put a hand on his feathery
shoulder.   "Jack.  I...."

	Jack placed his taloned hand on hers.  "It's alright, Gina.  I got
used to being a moose.  I'll get used to this."

	"But you're a Canada goose!"

	"It just one letter difference," Jack tried to grin, but his beak
wouldn't let him.  Maybe his eyes were capable of showing his smile.  He
wondered if all the other forms would be related to each other in
spelling.  What would be after goose?

	"Do you want me to take you home?" Gina asked.  She didn't have
anything to drink, so Jack felt safe about that.  Maybe going back to his
own house would help his disoriented feeling.

	He nodded.  "Yes, please.  If you don't mind."

	Cindy spoke for the first time after just blankly staring from
over at the door.  "I understand if you go," she said.  "I'm not sure if
I'll remember this in the morning though."  She laughed obnoxiously.

	Jack pushed himself off the bed and landed on the hard wood floor
with a loud slapping of his feet.  Holding his shorts up, he waddled to
the door.  Gina followed.

	"Thanks, for inviting us," he said to Cindy as she opened the
bedroom door.  "I'm sorry about this."

	"It's ok," Cindy said bending down to get eye-level with
him.  "You're just so cuuute."

	"Uh. Thanks."  Jack waddled out of the bedroom before she could
pinch his cheek.

	"I'll call you tomorrow," Gina told Cindy as she walked by her.

	Jack made a beeline to the front door.  The crowd seemed to be
preoccupied with the party to pay much attention to the strange
guest.  When he reached the door, he turned around to see where Gina
was.  All of the guests were standing still and starting at him.  As soon
as he looked their direction, they quickly went back to what they were
doing.  Gina came up behind him.

	"Let's get out of here," Jack said.

------------------------

	Jack relaxed while floating in the tub.  Taking a bath seemed
better than taking a shower, and he was glad he went with the bath.  His
goose body floated easily on the surface of the water.  If only he had a
pool he could float in.

	"Ring!" the phone rang.  Jack climbed out of the tub and dried his
legs and feet off.  He ran to the nearest phone.  The phone gave him a
good excuse to get out of the tub.  He had been in it for a few hours.

	"Hello?"

	"Jack, how are you doing?" Gina on the other end asked.

	"Doing fine," he said.  "I found out baths are relaxing."

	"Uh.... Okay.  Anyway, I was just checking on you.  I got worried
the other night."

	"Thanks for checking on me.  I think I'll get used to it."  He
laughed a short laugh, which sounded more like a honk.  "I got used to
being a moose, didn't I?"

	Gina laughed a bit.  "Yeah.  I guess so."  Two short beeps emitted
from the phone.

	"Hang on, Gina.  I have another call."

	"I'll go ahead and hang up," she said.  "I'll talk with you later.
	
	"Ok.  Bye."  Jack quickly pressed the button and answered the
other call. "Hello?"

	"Jack.  We were hoping you would be there."  It was his mother.

	"I'm here," he said.

	There was a pause on the other end.  "Jack?  You sound different."

	"Mom.  Well, I am different.  I'm a goose."

	There was another pause.  "Anyway, we were heading into town for
some shopping and wondered if you needed us to pick you up anything."

	"Actually, you can.  Thanks."  Jack read his mom a list of things
he needed.  Mostly food.  He wasn't sure what a goose would eat, so he
listed off things that sounded good.

	When he finished his mother said, "Ok.  We'll be there
soon.  Bye."

	"Bye."  Jack hung up the phone.  He looked about the living room
and decided he better clean up before his parents arrived.  Several
feathers had already gotten in the carpet and furniture.  He wasn't sure
which was worse: moose fur or goose feathers.

--------------------

	Robert Higgins walked into the kitchen.  His wife was staring at
the phone.  "Did you talk to him?"

"He's a goose," she said not looking at him.  "Our son is a goose."

	Robert walked over to her and put his arm around her. "Paula, we
knew it was going to happen someday.  That club said he would change every
month."

	"I know.  But a goose?  At least he wasn't one during
Christmas."  She smiled.

	Robert smiled too and headed for the back door.  "So, he wants us
to pick up something for him at the store?"

	"Yeah," Paula said following him. "I have a list.  And he isn't
expecting the surprise we have for him either."

	Robert went over to the large box sitting on the back
porch.  "That's good.  Can you get the back doors?"  He picked up the box
and carried it out toward the van.

	Paula beat him to the back of the van and opened the
doors.  Robert slid the package in and made sure it wouldn't slide too
much during the trip.  "There.  Are you ready?"

	"I'm ready."  She went to the back door of the house as he got
behind the wheel.  She yelled as she leaned in the doorway.  "Julie, we're
going into town now."  She walked back to the van and climbed into the
passenger seat.

	Putting the van into reverse, he backed out of the driveway and
headed to Jack's house.

--------------------

	After cleaning, he had time to sit down for just a few minutes
before his parents pulled up in the driveway.  He looked out the window
and saw his mom and dad taking bags out of the van.  His dad also pulled
out a large box from the back.

	Jack unlocked the door so they could come in.  He stood out of
view from any outside passerbys.  His mom came in first with some of the
bags, and she held the door open for his dad.  He was carrying the large
box under one arm and the rest of the sacks with the other.

	His mother took her sacks into the kitchen, and he followed to
help unpack the groceries.  His dad came in with the other sacks.  All
three of them put the items in the fridge and in cabinets in silence.

	"So, is being a goose better than being a moose?" his dad finally
asked.

	Jack shrugged.  "It's just different.  But, I can fit through
doors easier."  His parents laughed at the joke much to Jack's relief.

	Finally finishing putting the groceries away, his mom said, "Now,
you can open that box."

	"What's in the box?" Jack asked.

	His mom was already walking into the living room where the box
was.  "Open it."

	Jack waddled into the living room.  His mom was sitting on the
couch already watching him enter.  His dad followed.  The box was just a
plain brown box taped with packing tape.  Using one of his talon-like
fingernails to cut the tape, he opened the box and pulled back the
flaps.  Inside was a pair of antlers.

	"My antlers!?"  He pulled out the antlers that had been mounted on
a plaque.  "You had my antlers mounted?"  He would have grinned if his
beak had let him.

	"We thought you would like to have them back," his mom said.

	"Oh, I do.  I do."  He held them up as high as he could getting a
view of where they would look best hanging on the wall.  "Can you help me
hang them?  I'm kind of short now."

	"Sure, we'll do it," his dad said. "The tools are still in the
closet?"

	Jack nodded and walked around figuring out where to hang his shed
antlers.

---------------------------

	Over the course of the next week whenever Jack would walk into the
living room, he would look at the antlers hanging next to the
entertainment center longingly.  They were in the way when he had them,
but now he really did miss them.  The goose form must not have grown on
him as well as the moose form did.  Or maybe it was because the moose was
the first in what will be a long series of new bodies.

	Getting back to reality, he clicked on the TV to have some noise
while he worked out.  He didn't know why he was working out.  No matter
how strong he got his wings, they were incapable of flight.  He had tried
in the back yard at night but was unsuccessful.  The part of them that
made them useful as arms made them useless as wings.

	Another discouraging aspect about his predicament was that no
matter how much he worked out, he would end up with a brand new body in
the next month.  He wondered if anything would carry over, or would he end
up back at square one in the new form.  Whatever the outcome, working out
was a good way to keep busy while cooped up in his house.

	He did like his feathers, though.  They would glisten in the
moonlight when he tried to fly.  In his own opinion he made a good-looking
goose-human thing.  Not that he knew what a goose-human thing was supposed
to look like.

	Finishing his round of pushups, he turned his attention to the
news as he rested a bit.  "The next story may startle you," the newscaster
said.  She seemed nervous while reading her teleprompter.  "In our very
own city, we have a natural phenomena.  Some may consider it unnatural."

	Jack reached for the remote and turned up the volume.

	"As a matter of fact, it aired earlier today on 'The Odd Show.'
This tape was shot a little over a week ago at a New Year's Eve
party."  The view of the anchorwoman cut to a jerky video of a party.  On
the side of the frame was a human moose figure.  It was Jack!  The
countdown could be heard, and as soon as "Happy New Year!" was yelled,
Jack watched in horror as his image began to change.

	His eyes were locked on the screen as the moose changed into the
goose he now was.  He had wanted to video tape a change to see what
happened, but this was not the way he wanted to see it.

The scene cut back to the newscaster.  "As you can see, something odd was
going on at that party.  Some person is capable of shape changing.  And
that person is in our very own city."

	The scene switched to that of a police chief.  "We think a person
with this capability could be a security risk."

	Jack honked.  "Oh. Perfect!  Now, I'm a security risk."

	"We have to verify the validity of the tape before we decide on
any actions that need to be taken," the chief continued.  "So, there is no
cause for alarm at the moment."

	The phone rang causing Jack to almost jump to the ceiling.  The
closest he had been to actual flight.  "Hello?" he said.

	"Jack!  Did you see the news!?"  It was Gina.

	"Yes, I saw the news!" he said squawking.

	"Calm down.  Don't panic."

	Jack honked. "Don't panic?  There's probably already a panic
throughout the city!"

	"Jack.  Calm down.  We need to figure out what to do.  They
haven't tested the validity of the tape yet."  He could hear the
nervousness in her voice despite her trying to sound calm.

	"We both know the validity of that tape."  Jack tried to not make
any more goosey noises.  "And how did they get a hold of it?  Who was it
that was taping the party?"

	"Sam," Gina said with a sneer in her voice.  "I'll talk with him
later, but right now we need to figure out what you need to do.  I don't
know if you're safe there."

	"I could go to my parents'...."

	"No, that would be the next place they look.  How about that
friend of yours over in Arkansas?  It's not that long of a drive from here
is it?"

	Jack thought for a moment.  She must have been talking about
Chris.  "It's a few hours drive.  I'll give him a call to find out...."

	"No.  Don't call him.  They can check your phone lines," Gina
interrupted.  "Just go and call from a pay phone."

	Jack's stomach turned.  "Okay.  I'll get packed and leave right
way.  Can you tell my parents I'll be out of touch for a while?"

	Gina paused.  "Sure. I'll do that.  Be careful, Jack."

	"I will," Jack said.

	There was another pause.  "Bye, Jack."

	"Bye."

	They both hung up.  Jack stood by the phone for a few moments as
his thoughts ran wild.  What if they found him at Chris's?  What if an
angry mob beats him to death on the way to his car?  He forced the
thoughts from his mind.  They were giving him goose bumps.  The news
didn't say whom it was that changed.  They may not know.  That gave him
some slight hope.  He ran to his bedroom and quickly began to pack some
bare essentials.

------------------------

	The radio finished its report on the mysterious shape-shifter in
the city and began playing "Werewolves of London."  Turning off the radio,
the man shook his head in disgust.

	He looked up and saw the Blazer parked at the house across the
street back out of the driveway and quickly drive down the
street.  "Where's he off to now?" he said to himself.  He suddenly
realized that if the radio reported the mysterious shape-shifter, the TV
news must have done the same.  Jack was fleeing.

	Instead of following, the man decided to stay behind to see if
anything turned up.  He could be more useful here than chasing after
Jack.  He should be easy to find.  There's probably only one place Jack
would think to go.

---------------------

	Pulling into Chris's apartment complex under the cover of night,
Jack looked around for a parking space that would allow easy access to
Chris's door.  He pulled into one that wasn't too far away and pushed the
seat back.  He had it pulled forward so his legs could reach the
peddles.  He quietly climbed out and closed the car door.

	Jack sneaked up to the door and knocked.  Finally Chris
answered.  "Jack?"

	Jack looked up at his college friend.  "Yeah.  Hi, Chris."

	Chris stood there for a while.

	"Chris, can I come in before someone sees me?" Jack said motioning
inside with his wing.

	"Oh!  Sure.  Come on in."  Chris stepped aside and let Jack
in.  He closed the door and burst out laughing.  "You really are a goose."

	Jack turned around surprised.  He shouldn't have been
though.  Chris could see the humor in almost any situation.

	"When you drove here, did you honk at anyone?" Chris laughed
again.

	Jack honked a laughed.  "Ok, that's enough goose jokes."  He tried
to grin.  He couldn't get out of the habit of doing that.  "Did you tell
anyone I was coming?"

	Chris motioned to the couch and took a seat in the chair.  "Of
course, I didn't."

Jack went over to the couch and sat down.  His feet dangled over the
edge.  Looking around the apartment, he saw that Chris had hastily cleaned
up.  He apparently didn't get finished since there were stacks of mail on
the coffee table.

	"I saw you on the news," Chris said.  "I didn't know it was you
until you called me."

	"I'm just glad that you're letting me stay here.  I really
appreciate it."  Jack tried smiling again, but failed.

	"There's no problem at all.  It's exciting!  Having a fugitive
Canada goose with a southern accent hiding out at my place."  Chris
grinned large enough for the both of them.

	"Gee, thanks."  Jack said sarcastically.

	Chris got up.  "Let me show you your nest.... I mean your room,
and then I'll go out and bring your stuff in."

	Jack nodded and climbed off the couch following Chris to one of
the rooms in the apartment.

------------------

	"I tell you, we should have gotten the FBI to do this part,
Dave," Rich Kenmon said taking the keys out of the van's ignition.  "I
hate doing this."

	Dave Winthrop unbuckled his seat belt from the passenger side.  He
hated doing this part of the procedure as well.  "I know.  But, we have to
get the subject into the lab somehow.  The police are here.  They will do
most of the dirty work."

	Rich nodded and got out of the van.  Dave got out and walked up to
the police car parked in front of the van.  The sheriff stepped out of his
car.  "This is the address.  Jack Higgins lives here," he said.

	Dave nodded and looked at the house.  "Good.  We need to contain
the foul creature before he wreaks havoc on the city."

	The sheriff and the officer getting out of the passenger side of
the police car held back snickers.  Dave turned his attention from the
house back to the men.  "What?"

	The sheriff chuckled. "Oh, nothing.  That was just overly
dramatic."

	Dave grimaced.  "Anyway.  Let's go get it."

	The sheriff motioned to the other police officers and they
surrounded the house.  The two standing by the door waited after they
knocked.  With no one answering, they kicked in the door and rushed
in.  After a few minutes, they came out.

	"No one's inside," they said.

	Dave was afraid of that.  The news report must have frightened it
into hiding.  But, maybe it left something behind.  A feather
perhaps.  Dave signaled for Rich to follow him, and they went into the
house.

	"I hope someone is going to fix this doorway," Dave said leaning
back outside so the sheriff could hear.  The sheriff looked at him but
didn't respond.  He must have heard.

	Turning back into the house, he told the police officers to look
for feathers or some type of animal shedding.  Combing the house turned up
nothing.  Jack must have cleaned thoroughly before leaving.

	"Look in the garbage cans outside," Dave told three of the
officers.  They went out with that order.

	Dave searched under the couch and chair to see if any feathers had
gotten under there and were forgotten.  Nothing.  He got back to his feet,
and one of the officers that were looking in the trash was standing there.

	"The trash has been picked up, Dr. Winthrop," he said.

	Dave nodded sadly.

	"Dave.  Come look at this."  Rich was looking at a pair of mounted
antlers hanging on the wall.  "These are moose antlers."

	The goose had been a moose.  And the moose was antlerless in the
video.  It must have shed them prior to the party.  "These have to be its
antlers.  They are too small for an ordinary moose.  Take them to the
lab."

	Rich removed the antlers from their hanger and took them out to
the van.  Dave gave the house one last look and left.  At least he didn't
leave empty handed.

---------------------------

	Jogging down the street helped break the monotony of watching
Jack's house.  Always keeping it in view, the man didn't run too
far.  This time, it also put him out of the way of the police and what
looked like scientists that invaded Jack's home.  He didn't get a good
look at the two scientists to see if any were recognizable.

	He reached his car several minutes after the caravan of squad cars
left.  Getting in his car and strapping in, he jotted the time down in his
notebook and prepared to drive.  There wasn't any use to sticking around
here.  Jack was in another state.

----------------------

	"Tonight's the night," Jack said when the commercial started
during the news.  "It's January 31."

	Chris picked up the remote and turned down the TV's volume.  "The
night for what?"

	"I change at the beginning of each month, and at midnight tonight
February will begin."  Jack looked at his hand.  "Who knows what I'll be
this time."

	"You mean, you don't know?"

	Jack shook his head.  "Nope.  I wish I did.  I could at least plan
ahead."

	"You'll probably end up a groundhog."

	Jack shook his head slowly.  "I hope not.  I don't want to be
scared by my shadow!"  He honked a laugh.

	Chris chuckled and then said excitedly, "I want to see it happen,
if that's alright with you."

	Jack shrugged.  "It's fine with me.  Just don't scream too
loudly."

	Chris grinned devilishly.  "I won't, but I'll get out my video
camera."

	"Don't you dare!" Jack honked and flapped his wings.  "No more
video cameras."

	Chris put up his hands in mock-defense.  "I'm kidding.  I'm
kidding.  Take it easy."

	Jack settled back down.  "I know.  I just don't want to take any
chances."  He didn't really want Chris to watch, but there shouldn't be
any harm in that.  He hoped there wasn't.

	As midnight approached, Jack waited for the inevitable.  Chris had
begun to nod off twenty minutes before, but Jack was too nervous to
sleep.  Hopefully the next form would be a gorilla.  Then maybe he could
actually go outside unnoticed for the most part.

	The clock struck midnight, and Jack felt his skin
tingle.  "Chris.  Chris!" he hissed.

Chris snapped awake and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.  "What?"

	Jack honked, "It's happening!"

=======================================================================

February

	Just like a month before when he changed into a goose, Jack began
to feel dizzy.  His ears rang as he saw Chris straighten up in slow motion
in his chair looking tense.  Jack's skin tingled more as it forced the
feathers out creating a large pile of them in the chair.

	The room seemed to spin.  Jack gripped the chair armrest to brace
himself.  He could feel the tense muscles in his taloned hands shift under
the changing skin.  He could not force his head down to look at himself to
see what was happening.  Was it because he wasn't able to physically?  Or
was it because he was too out of it to do anything.  He wasn't sure.

	The only thing he could really see was his beak pulling back and
thickening into a snout.  He could somewhat feel the rest of him changing,
but his mind was growing numb and muted most of the sensations.

	Finally his head began to clear, and he saw Chris standing close
to him.  When did Chris get there?  Jack blinked his eyes and slowly
looked down.  What he saw was something he hadn't expected.  His legs were
almost human, but they were merged almost down to the knee, and his feet
were almost flippers.  His hands had stubby fingers and a thick webbing
between them.  His whole body was covered in a short dense coat of dark
brown fur.

	"Jack, are you alright?" Chris asked.

	Jack looked back at Chris.  "Yeah," he said in an almost barking
tone.  "I'm fine now."

	Chris nodded.  "It looks like you're a seal or something."

	A seal?  That explained the almost merged legs and the
flippers.  How was he going to walk on those?  "I want to go look in the
mirror."  Jack got to his feet and stood on the new legs to get used to
them.  He seemed to be about as tall as his human body.  He took a step
forward by only bending one leg at the knee.  That being successful, he
took another and then another.

	Walking into the bathroom, he clicked on the light and saw himself
in the mirror.  Chris was right.  He was a seal.  His head had no human
features.  His dark eyes stared back at him.  He grinned.  He was able to
grin!

	"This is good.  It's going to be an interesting month, but this is
good." Jack said looking at Chris's reflection in the mirror looking at
him through the door.  At least he wasn't a groundhog.

------------------

	Rhonda Richards took a sip of coffee and stood up from her
chair.  Her eyes needed a break from looking at the computer screen for
the past twenty minutes.  She was putting the finishing touches on her
latest story.  A few more changes here and there and it would be finished
for printing in the next day's paper.

	"Rhonda," Mr. Sloan said appearing out of nowhere at the entrance
to her cubicle.  "Are you finished with that story on the monkeys loose in
the zoo?"

	Rhonda spun around and quickly set her coffee cup down causing it
to slosh over a little onto her desk.  "Yes, sir.  I'm putting the last
few changes in now, and it will be ready for editing."

	"Good.  Good.  See that it is," Mr. Sloan said.  "After you give
that to editing, start on this story."  He handed her a sheet of paper
with her new topic.

	Rhonda read over the brief paragraphs typed up on the paper.  It
was about that moose guy who turned into a goose on New Year's Eve.  "You
want me to write a story on this?"

	"I know you think it is under you level but I tell you this story
is going to be big!"  He raised his arms up as if to show just how big it
would be.  "I know you can handle it."

	Rhonda was thrilled.  She had a story that was finally a
challenge.  "I'll get right on it, Sir."

	"After you finish the one you're correcting," he said with a sly
grin.

	Rhonda looked back at her computer monitor.  "Of course.  Of
course."

	Mr. Sloan nodded and left the cubicle.  Rhonda wheeled her chair
closer to her desk and quickly finished up the corrections on her current
story.

-------------------------

	Jack relaxed in the tub.  He had been lounging in the water for
half the day.  His new body was more at home there than the goose one
was.  If only Chris had a larger tub or a private pool, then Jack could
really test out his seal form.  The tub was just too small.  There wasn't
any room to swim.

	The water had turned cold, but Jack didn't mind.  His thick coat
of fur kept him insulated.  Fortunately, he grew this coat in the winter
and not in the summer.

	There was a knock at the door.  "Jack?  Are you still in
there?" Chris asked through the door.

	Jack barked back at Chris, "Yeah.  You need to get a Jacuzzi!"

	Jack could hear a chuckle behind the door.  "Well, don't stay in
there too long.  You need to do more than just sit in a tub."

	"Yeah, yeah," Jack said and settled back down in the water.

-----------------------

	Dave closed the book and set it on top of the increasing
stack.  Just like all the others, it didn't contain much useful
information on the current problem.  Taking another book off the shorter
stack, he searched the index and thumbed through the book writing an
occasional note on his notebook he had been keeping on the Higgins case.

	"Dave, I've discovered something," said Rich walking into the
office.  "Well, actually the FBI did."

	Dave looked up from his notes and rubbed his eyes.  The last seven
hours of research had not given him any clues as to why it changed from a
moose into a goose.  "What is it Rich?"

	Rich held up a sheet of paper with a printout of some
sort.  "Right after the news broadcast about Mr. Higgins, he received a
phone call."

	Dave raised his eyebrows.  Could this be a clue to where it
was?  "Who called?"

	Rich looked at the paper.  "Gina Williams.  I have her address
here."  He held up another piece of paper.

	Dave closed his notebook and leaned back in his seat.  "Let's pay
her a visit."

-------------------------

	Walking on his semi-merged legs was difficult, but Jack was
getting the hang of it.  Lounging in the tub for the past week wasn't
helping his walking skills.  He wanted to practice his swimming
skills.  No, he *needed* to practice swimming.  He was a seal after all.

	He waddled into the kitchen to find something to eat.  His waddle
was different than his goose waddle, but it was similar.  Since he didn't
really have separate upper legs, what else could he do?  He hadn't eaten
since morning, and all that had been was some cold cereal and milk.

	Opening the fridge with a flipper-hand, he saw some fresh fish
Chris bought earlier that day.  The smell was overpowering, even though
they were wrapped tightly in meat packaging paper.  The first thought that
went through his mind was "Delicious!"  After that came in thoughts like
"Eat," and "Now."

	So, he did.

	"I see you found the fish," Chris said walking into the
kitchen.  "It's stinking up the apartment."

	Jack finished eating the small raw fish he currently held in his
mouth.  "Sorry about that.  I could smell it too, but I wasn't sure how
much it would smell to a human."

	Chris gave a puzzled look but it quickly changed back into his
normal happy expression.  "Well, I bought them for you anyway.  Just
incase you decided to balance any beach balls on your nose or some other
tricks."

	Jack grinned and shook his head.  "I'm not a trained sea
lion.  But, I'll eat the fish."

	"I'll go out and get some fresh air," Chris said and walked out of
the kitchen.  At the front door he yelled back, "And maybe I'll dig out
some scented candles when I get back."

	Jack chuckled to himself and proceeded to eat more of the
fish.  He hated sushi as a human, but this was scrumptious.  It was a good
thing the fish were small.  He pretty much ate them whole.

----------------------------

	"Slow down, Rich," Dave said not looking away from the
passenger-side window.  "We are getting close to Miss Williams'."

	Rich let off the gas pedal as they drove down the suburban
street.  Dave scanned the houses and mailboxes for the address
numbers.  Her house would be on the right side, so he watched while Rich
kept his eyes on the road.

	"Dave," Rich said causing Dave to miss a number. "I don't think
she's going to be home when we get there."

	"Why do you say that?"  Dave turned his attention from the houses
to Rich.

Rich pointed in front of him.  "Because it looks like she just drove
away."

	Dave looked down the street and saw a black Cavalier just
finishing backing out of a driveway and driving away from them down the
road.  As they passed the driveway that the car backed out of, Dave saw
the address he was looking for on the mailbox.

	"You're right.  That must be her."  He searched through the print
outs he was holding with the woman's information.  "She has a black
Cavalier registered."

	Rich sped up to keep pace with the car in front of them, but not
close enough to be suspicious.  At least Dave hoped she wasn't
suspicious.  He couldn't afford to lose her.  Especially if she was going
to see Higgins.

	The black car drove normally down the road heading into the
city.  Rich was able to keep up, even through stoplights.  So far, so
good.

	"She's turning into the mall?" Rich said confused as he drove into
the parking lot.  "She's not going to Higgins."

	Dave sighed.  She was definitely going into the mall.  She had
already found a parking spot near the door.  "It might be hiding in the
mall somewhere.  Go in and follow her."  Dave pointed at a space farther
down the same row of cars Williams had parked.  "I'll wait out here."

	Rich nodded and parked the van in the parking space.  After
donning a hat and sunglasses, Rich strolled off into the mall with his
hands in his trench coat pockets.

	"Not conspicuous at all," Dave thought to himself and pulled out
his notebook.  He thumbed through the pages and began reviewing his notes.

----------------------------------

	Rhonda looked out at the unlit house she was parked in front
of. She looked at a page in her notebook and double-checked the
address.  The house definitely belonged to Jack Higgins.  But, where could
he be?  Maybe he didn't want to look like he was home now that he was on
TV.

	Putting her purse's strap on her shoulder and grabbing her
notebook, she got out of the car and walked up the drive way to the front
door.  Getting closer to the house, she didn't hear any noises inside.  No
TV.  No radio.  No honking.

	She walked up to the door and knocked.  The door swung open.  From
the looks of the door, it had been forced open.  However, nothing appeared
to be stolen.  The TV was still on its stand in the living room.  The
stereo was on a shelf.  Nothing seemed to be disturbed.  Someone wouldn't
have broken in and cleaned the house, would they?  Of course, there are
stranger things that have happened.  Like a guy who's a moose turning into
a goose.

	"Mr. Higgins?  Are you here?"  She called from the door.  There
was no answer.  "Jack Higgins?"  Still no answer.

	Going against her instincts, she walked
inside.  "Mr. Higgins?"  She called again.  "I am Rhonda Richards, the
news paper reporter."

	The occasional drip from the faucet and the wind outside were the
only noises.  No lights were on.  The light from the windows did not fill
the hallway going back to the rooms.  Her hand shook as she opened one of
the doors.  Hopefully she would not find him dead.

"Mr. Higgins?"  She said before peeking in.  The room was a spare bedroom,
and it did not contain anything that looked like a goose or a mangled
goose body.  No blood either.

	She checked another room.  The bathroom did not have Mr. Higgins
in it either much to her relief if he were dead or alive.  The other rooms
were empty as well.

After making her way back down the dark hall, she checked the kitchen.  No
sign of him there.  Even though it reminded her of a scene that would be
in some cheesy horror movie, she checked the refrigerator and the freezer.

	"He's not here," she said with a mix of relief and
frustration.  After making sure she left everything the way she found it,
she walked to the front door.  Outside no one was around, so she went out
and closed the door the best she could, and walked back to her car.  She
will have to find out where he's hiding.

---------------------------

	Dave looked up from a photograph of the antlers retrieved from the
goose's house.  "How long is she going to be in there?" he asked
himself.  Miss Williams had been shopping for nearly two hours.

	As if to answer his question, Miss Williams walked out of the mall
carrying two sacks.  She walked to her car in a normal way.  She wasn't in
a hurry or anything.  Apparently, Rich had not let her know he was
following her.  As she was putting her sacks into the trunk of her car,
Rich appeared at the mall entrance.  He casually strolled toward the van.

	Rich turned around and looked toward her car, as she started it up
and drove off down the lane in front of the mall.  He ran to the van once
she was a good distance away.

	Dave watched where she was driving while Rich jumped in the van
and buckled up in the driver seat.  "We have to keep up with her.  He
wasn't in the mall," he said starting up the engine.

	Dave nodded and buckled up.  He put his notebook away and helped
Rich keep track of Miss Williams.

	"She was only in the mall for shopping," Rich said when they
pulled out onto the road after her.  "There was no sign of Higgins."

	Going through more city traffic, they were still able to keep up
with her.  Finally she pulled into a grocery store.  Rich pulled in and
parked a row away from her.  "I know.  I'll go follow her again."

	Dave nodded.  "Yes.  You do that, and I'll do more research."  He
pulled out his notebook.

	Rich climbed out of the van and followed Miss Williams into the
grocery store.  Dave watched him enter the store, and then turned his
attention on his notes.

----------------------------

	Jack stretched in the rocking chair and stood up on his so-called
legs.  That "Andre" movie was a good one.  Chris just had to rent seal
movies.  Jack had to get up and move around before watching "Secret of
Roan Inish."  Maybe he will save that one for later.

	He paced around the apartment.  Chris was not at home since he was
at work.  Jack was by himself in the apartment most of the time.  Chris
tried to give him things to do, but either Jack's lack of real hands and
legs would keep him from doing the activities, or it would involve going
outside.  This day was movie rental day.

	Stopping by the window, he stared at the closed mini-blinds.  The
protective shield keeping the rest of the world from seeing him also
prevented him from seeing much of the rest of the world.  Taking a chance,
he barely cracked one of the blinds and peeked through.

	Nothing going on outside either.  The parking lot contained a few
cars, but there was no activity.  People were either inside, at work, or
at school.  With no one around, it would be the perfect time to go
outside.

	Jack let the blind snap shut and walked away from the window.  He
couldn't go outside especially in the bright daylight, and he knew it.  If
only there was a way that he could swim.

	Frustrated, he sat down at the table in the dining area where he
had an incomplete puzzle spread out on the tabletop.  The scene was of a
moose in a lake with Canada geese in the water in the foreground.  Another
item picked out by Chris.  He looked over the pieces and began trying to
fit them together.  It at least helped work on his dexterity with his
flipper-hands.

------------------------------

	Rhonda pulled into the post office parking lot.  While she was
out, she figured she might as well pick up some new stamps.  She parked
her car and walked up to the front door.  People were coming and going
through the doors, but one man walked out and almost bumped into
her.  With a quick "excuse me" he hurried off.

	Rhonda stood holding the door for a moment staring at the
man.  Under the hat and trench coat, he looked familiar.  He climbed into
a white van, and then she saw the man sitting in the van
waiting.  "Dr. Winthrop," she said to herself.  And the guy wearing the
trench coat was Dr. Kenmon.  The two scientists that were researching Jack
Higgins.

	She let the door go and hurried back to her own car.  She could
get stamps later.  Following these guys took priority.

-----------------------------

"And now she leads us back to her place," Rich said frustrated.  He pulled
over to the curb and parked.  "All that, and we end up back here."

	Dave nodded and pulled out his notebook again.  He had not yet
discovered anything new yet.  "Go see if it's in her house."

	"How am I supposed to do that?" Rich said turning sideways to face
Dave and put his elbow on the steering wheel.

	Dave shrugged.  "Go check her air conditioning filters."

	"In February?"

	"They can still get dirty.  Now go check."

	Rich grimaced and opened the van door.  With a grunt, he climbed
out and headed across the street to Miss Williams's house.

	Several minutes later, Rich opened the van door and got back
in.  "He isn't there.  She did get a cute outfit at the mall, though."

	"That's nice."  Dave figured Higgins wasn't here.  She surely
wouldn't have hidden it here.  "We'll just have to wait here and see where
she goes next."

	Rich rolled his eyes.  "Ok. If you say so.  We aren't detectives,
you know."

	Dave nodded but didn't back down from the stake out.  He wanted to
make sure where Higgins was before calling in the forces again.  Besides,
it was something he always wanted to do.  He never had the chance while
doing research in a lab for many years.

----------------------------

	"What are they doing?" Rhonda asked herself.  "Staking out that
woman?"  She took out her binoculars and focused in on the two men in the
van.  Comparing them to the photos she had on the Higgins story, she
discovered that her hunch was right.  They were Dr. Winthrop and
Dr. Kenmon.

	She got comfortable in her seat and prepared for a long night.  If
they can stakeout, then she could as well.

----------------------------

	"Dave!  Wake up!"

	Dave opened his eyes as his shoulders were
shaken.  "Wha?"  Groggily, he turned to see who was waking him up.  Rich
was leaning from the driver's seat of the van looking back at Dave
sleeping in the back.

	"Dave.  She's going somewhere," Rich said pointing out the window.

	Dave sat up quickly.  "Follow her."

	Rich cranked up the engine when the black car drove off down the
dark street.  Dave climbed into the passenger seat as Rich speed after her
and then slowed to match the pace some distance behind her.  Hopefully,
this time she is going to see Higgins and not go to some nightclub.

------------------------------

	"Still working on the puzzle?" Chris asked.

	Jack put the piece down he was trying to fit into the lake part of
the puzzle.  "Yeah.  It's harder without having full hands."  He wiggled a
flipper at Chris.  He wasn't frustrated with the puzzle yet.  It kept him
busy for several days.

	Chris walked over to the couch and turned on the TV.  "Good. I was
hoping you could keep busy with it.  I hope you like the subject
matter."  He smiled smugly.

	Jack barked and turned back to look at the puzzle.  He had about
half of it done.  The lake part was difficult since it was almost all the
same color.

	There was a knock at the door.  Jack turned to look at
Chris.  Chris was staring at the door with a worried look on his
face.  Whoever it was at the door knocked again.  Jack got up from the
table and quietly ran as fast as his merged legs could carry him to the
bedroom.

	Jack shut the door and listened.  He could hear Chris get up and
answer the door.  He couldn't make out the conversation, but he could hear
voices.  Even though he strained to listen, he still could not understand
what was being said.

	"Jack!  It's Gina!" Chris said loudly.

	Gina?  What was she doing here?  Jack opened the bedroom door and
slowly came out.  He peeked around the corner and saw Gina standing near
the door.  Chris had already shut the door and locked it behind her. 

	"He's in the back.  Let me get him," Chris said heading for the
bedrooms but stopped when he saw Jack. "There he is."

	Gina stood looking at Jack.  He waved a flipper-hand.  "Hi, Gina."

	"Jack?  You're a seal?" she asked.  Her eyes wandered up and down
scanning him.

	Jack nodded.  "Yeah.  I'm a seal."

	She ran over to him and gave him a brief hug.  She never hugged
him before.  "You're so cute as a seal."

	"Thanks.  I guess," Jack said as she let go of him.  "It's
different."

	She backed up some and scanned him up and down again. "Yeah, I can
see that.  But, a cute difference."

	Jack rolled his eyes.  Then he sniffed the air.  "Do I smell
fish?"

	Gina went back to the door and picked up a small grocery sack she
must have placed there when she came in.  "I bought some today, so I
figured I'd bring it here."

	Jack smiled and took a deep breath of the fishy odor.

	Chris was peeking through the mini-blinds.  "I hate to ask you
this, Gina, but were you followed?"

	She turned her attention from Jack and looked at Chris.  "I don't
think so.  Why?"

	"Well, there are two men dressed in lab coats walking this way."

	Gina stood there moving her mouth, but nothing was coming
out.  Nothing comprehendible that is.  She looked at Jack with fear in her
eyes.

	Chris, still looking out the window, said, "Yeah.  They are
definitely coming to this apartment.  Hide somewhere."

	Jack waddled into the bedroom he was hiding in a moment
before.  His heart was pounding.  What were these guys in lab coats coming
here for? Surely it was because of him.  They wouldn't be after Chris.

	"Gina, you, too.  If they don't know you're in this apartment,
then they will think they have the wrong one," Chris said walking away
from the window.  "If they insist on searching, climb out the window in
the bedroom."

	Gina didn't say anything, but ran into the bedroom after
Jack.  She closed the door, and they both waited silently.  Gina looked
around franticly, and then stood by the window examining its frame.  Jack
grabbed his wallet and car keys just in case.

-------------------------------

	Dave marched up the sidewalk leading to the apartment door.  He
was certain the woman went into that apartment.  There was only one other
apartment door in that area she could have gone into, so the choice is
narrowed even if he was wrong.

Rich followed behind him.  He said he was also sure that Miss Williams
went into that apartment.  He was to keep a lookout around the apartments
in case she and Higgins tried to escape.

	Dave walked up to the door and was just about to knock when Rich
grabbed him.  "I think I hear something in the bushes over there," he said
pointing to the shrubs lining the apartment wall.

	Dave dug in his pocket and pulled out a flashlight.  Scanning the
bushes, the beam finally landed on a person.  A woman.

	"Ok, come out.  We see you," Dave said.

	Slowly, the woman stood.  It was not Miss Williams.

	"What are you doing here?" asked Dave.  "Who are you?"

	The woman pushed her way out of the shrubs.  "I am Rhonda
Richards.  And I dropped my keys in here somewhere."

	"Oh really?  Then why do you have a tape recorder in your
hand?" Rich asked.

	Rhonda looked at the tape recorder she was holding and
sighed.  "Ok.  I didn't drop my keys.  What are you two doing out here in
lab coats?"

	Rich turned casually toward Dave and muttered, "I told you the
trench coats were better."

	"We came to see our old friend who lives here," Dave said.

	Rhonda crossed her arms.  "Oh?  What's your friend's name?"

	"Aaron," Dave said.  He didn't know where he got that name from,
but it was the first one that came to mind.

	"Oh.  I think I want to meet Aaron.  Does he have a lab coat,
too?" Rhonda said going up to the door and knocking.

-------------------------

	Gina was looking out the window.  "Some woman jumped out of the
bushes and started talking with them.  That short one looks familiar."

	"What?" Jack asked in shock.  "What would someone be doing in the
bushes and then strike up a conversation with some strangers on the
sidewalk?  On second thought, I don't want to know."

	"They are all three going up to the door now," she said.

	There was a knock at the front door.  Jack could hear Chris get up
from the couch pretending to have been watching TV and answer the
door.  He still could not make out the words, but he could hear the
voices.

	Gina paced back and forth by the window.  Jack knew what she was
thinking.  He was thinking the same thing.  Should they leave or wait?

	Jack could hear footsteps in the apartment now.  The men were
inside.  He motioned to the window, and Gina nodded.  They both opened it
quickly and climbed out.  Luckily Chris lived in a first-floor
apartment.  Gina closed the window behind her as Jack hid in the bushes.

	"I parked over here," Jack whispered.  "They know your car."  He
handed her his car keys.  Gina nodded, and they ran to his SUV.  Jack was
mentally kicking himself for not bringing the fish Gina bought with them.

---------------------------

	"Aaron, do they always insist you have someone hidden
here?" Rhonda asked the apartment's owner as Dr. Winthrop and Dr. Kenmon
walked around the living room area of the apartment looking at everything
and in every closet.

	"I am not Aaron," Aaron said.

	"Oh?" Rhonda asked in mock surprise.  "And I bet you don't even
have a lab coat, do you?"

	"What?" the man who wasn't Aaron asked.

	The two doctors searched the back rooms.

	"You know, you can have them arrested.  They are searching your
house without your permission," Rhonda said.

	"Yeah, I know," the man said.  "I already called before I answered
the door."

	As if on cue, sirens blared right outside the apartment.  Blue
lights flashed in all the windows.  "Come out with your hands up," a
policeman said through a megaphone.

	"Fast service," Rhonda said.

	The man nodded.  "I just wish the pizza delivery was that fast."

	The two doctors glared at the man as they walked out of the
apartment.  "You are coming, too," Dr. Winthrop said to Rhonda as he
passed.

	"I know," she said waiting on him to reach the door first.  "But,
if they start shooting, I want you to block the bullets for me."  She
grinned at his sudden worried expression.

------------------------------

	"Where are we going?" Jack asked looking out the passenger side
window.

	"I have no idea. Just away," Gina said driving his Blazer.  "We
need to get as far away as possible from here."

	Jack nodded.  "Yeah.  And we need to go someplace that no one will
think of to look for us."

	Gina suddenly got a sly grin.

-----------------------------

	"Where in the world could they be going?" the man asked himself
driving a good distance behind the Blazer.  Neither Jack nor Gina knew
anyone in this area of the state.  Or did they?  "Oh, well.  I guess I
better keep a close watch on them."

	The radio station started fading out.  He reached over to his
collection of CDs and popped one in.  "Ah.... Enya."  Settling back
listening to the music, he looked back at the road.  He didn't see anyone
in front of him.

	"Darn it!  Where'd they go?"  He scanned the area for side roads
they could have taken.  The dark woods surrounding the roads were not
helping his search.  He had no choice but to keep looking, so he continued
down the road.  "If they aren't found in the next town, I will back track
some and search these side roads."

------------------------------

	The lake was beautiful.  The reflections of the stars twinkled on
the surface.  Overjoyed, Jack took a deep breath and dove in.  It was
fresh water, but it was water.  And it wasn't a bathtub either.  Even with
the human bits, he could still swim easily.  Much better than he could as
a human, but probably not as well as he could if he were all seal.

	Gina was standing with her jacket on at the edge of the
lake.  Jack swam up close to her and barked, "Come on in.  The water's
fine."

	"For you, maybe.  I don't have fur," she said laughing.  "I'm glad
you like it."

	"Like it!?  I love it!  It's the first time I've actually got to
swim as a seal thing!"  Jack performed a back flip and sped out a ways and
then floated back.  "It's great!"

	"I hope I kept that number for the circus," she said grinning.

	"You better not!"

	She giggled.  "I need to go in.  It's getting colder.  I'll keep
the back door unlocked."

	Jack nodded.  "Ok."

	"How long are you going to stay out here?"

	Jack shrugged.  "I don't know.  I want to swim some more since it
is my last night as a seal."

	"If you stay in the water any longer, you may end up a fish," she
said turning away and walking back to the cabin.

	"I'll be in before midnight."

	"Ok.  Good night, Mr. Seal."  She walked down the path to the back
door.

Jack watched her enter and turn on the back porch light and shut the
door.  He dove under and swam about.  It was the most fun he has had in a
long time.

	"It must be close to midnight," he thought to himself after racing
out to the middle of the lake and back.  He climbed onto the ground and
dried off with the towels Gina left for him.  He was mostly dry by the
time he got to the back door.

	Entering the cabin, he saw that Gina must have already gone to her
bed.  Most of the lights were out, and her bedroom door was shut.  Jack
put the towels in the bathroom and glanced at the clock on the wall.

	"Only, 11:30.  I could have swum a bit longer," he thought.  But,
then he realized how tired he was now that he had actually stopped
swimming.  Going into the living room he sat on the couch and was asleep
before he knew it.

========================================================================

March

	Rebecca ran the last item over the scanning eye.  The register
beeped and the price of the box of cereal illuminated on the small
screen.  She punched the total button on the keypad.  "That will be
twenty-three and eighty-four cents," she told the middle-aged woman
waiting in front of her register.

	The woman began writing in her checkbook, and Rebecca reached for
her pen sitting on the register.  The woman ripped out the check and
handed it along with her driver's license to Rebecca.  

"Thank you," Rebecca said with a smile.  Mrs. Simon's picture looked like
what she did in real life, and that was not saying it was a good
picture.  Rebecca scanned the license for the expiration date, license
number, and the other information needed and wrote it on the front of the
check.  She handed it back to Mrs. Simon and then inserted the check into
the scanner.  She waited for it to verify and endorse the check and then
placed it in the register drawer.

	She ripped off the receipt and handed it to Mrs. Simon.  "Thank
you for shopping with us," she said.

	The woman nodded and pushed her basket with her grocery sacks
away.

	"How are you doing today, Sir?" Rebecca asked the man next in
line.  He only had a few items.

	"Doing fine," he said.  "How about yourself?"

	"Better than yesterday.  I'm glad I'm on the express lane," she
answered.

	"Busy day yesterday?" he asked as she scanned his groceries.

	"Oh yeah.  I was on lane thirteen, and this woman came up with
like two baskets full of food."

	"Really?  That is a lot," the man said.

	"Yeah.  We have people come up here in the hills for the week and
stock up, but not that much.  Maybe she is planning on having a large
cookout"

	"Oh, she bought a lot of meat?" the man asked.

	"Yeah.  And some other stuff, too."  She punched the total
button.  "That will be twelve seventy-nine.

	The man handed her fifteen dollars and she entered that amount so
the register would tell her how much change to give him back  "There you
go," she said handing him his change.  "Thank you for shopping with us."

	"My pleasure," he said putting his wallet away and taking his
sack.  "Thank you for the conversation."  He smiled and walked away.

	Rebecca turned to face the little girl who was next in
line.  "Hello. How are you?"

-----------------------------------

	Jack had a pleasant dream.  He dreamed he was swimming about in
the ocean freely.  His streamline seal body propelled him through the
water without the cumbersome human parts he had in the waking world.  At
one point he climbed onto an ice sheet and flopped around to gaze at the
ice filled ocean.

	He heard a growl behind him, and he spun his head around.  A polar
bear was running toward him.  Fear filled his flippers so that he couldn't
move.  He just stared at the polar bear as it charged closer.  Its weight
began shaking the ice.  Jack shook from the vibrations and fear, but he
still could not move.  The polar bear continued charging shaking the ice
again.

	Jack shook awake.  He was back in the cabin.  Taking deep breaths
to slow his racing heart, he finally calmed down enough to sit up.  He was
still lying on the couch.  The night before, he must have dozed off where
he sat.

	Then he realized what he should have been expecting.  He wasn't a
seal anymore.  He knew he was going to change, but he didn't expect what
he was.  He was a bear.  Not a polar bear like in his dream, but a brown
bear.  Maybe a grizzly.  He'll have to look in the mirror to find out.

	He stood up and was surprised by his height.  He was much taller
than his human self was.  Maybe he was about ten feet or so.  He wasn't
sure.  From the look of himself, he was almost completely a bear.  He
still had opposable thumbs, but other than that, he looked like a big
bear.

	The clothes he was wearing the night before were missing.  They
weren't in a shredded pile by the couch either.  Maybe Gina had gotten up
early and cleaned around him.  His large belly rumbled with hunger, but
first he wanted to go to the bathroom.

	He took his first step and didn't fall forward.  After a few more
steps, he discovered he could walk upright, just not as well as he could
before.  He was determined not to walk on all fours.  He was going to
stick to walking on his hind legs as much as he could.

	His squeezing through the bathroom door was rewarded by being
cramped in the small room.  He managed to move into an angle where he
could see his face.  Sure enough, he was a bear.  And he was a grizzly.

	After that confirmation, he glanced at the toilet and just shook
his head.  There was no way that was going to work.  Good thing they were
out in the woods somewhere.

	Lumbering outside, the March wind ruffled his fur.  Taking a deep
breath, the crisp morning air tingled his nose, and relaxation spread
through him.  He sat near the back door and gazed out at the scenery.  The
mountains spread out in the distance on all sides.  So did the trees.  The
trees never looked so lovely.  They were not green yet, but they looked
like they were about to be.  He got up on his hind legs and headed for the
nearest tightly packed group of trees.  

	While walking back to the cabin, he did not want to go back
in.  The outdoors was great.  He was a bear in the woods. What else could
be better?  But, he knew that he couldn't stay outside.  What if someone
saw him?  As much as he looked like a bear, someone could probably still
tell there was something different about him.

	Grunting, he went back indoors.

	"Oh!  Jack.  You scared me," Gina said almost running into him as
entered the kitchen from the backdoor.  "It's nice to see you finally got
up."

	Jack looked outside at the morning sunlight and then around the
kitchen for a clock.  He couldn't see one from where he was
standing.  "What do you mean by 'finally?'  It's morning isn't it?"

	Gina snickered.  "You've been asleep for over a week."

	"A week?!"  Jack did feel rested, but he had not expected that he
was asleep that long.  He didn't even think it was possible.  Of course,
now, he's a bear.  Maybe it was some hibernating thing.  Hopefully it was
out of his system.  He didn't want to sleep through the rest of the month.

	"Yeah.  You've been sleeping soundly over there.  Well, except for
the loud bear snores."

	"Why didn't you wake me up?"

	Gina snorted.  "Yeah, right.  Like I was going to wake up a big
sleeping bear."

	Jack nodded.  He wouldn't have hurt her, but who knows what he
would have done if he were suddenly brought out of his deep sleep.  It
must have been deep.  His stomach growled again.

	Gina grinned at the sound.  "I knew you would be hungry.  I bought
lots of food while you were sleeping."

	"Great!" Jack roared and lumbered over to the cabinets sniffing
for food.  He smelled something good in them.  

	Before he could explore the cabinets, Gina had opened the
refrigerator and pulled out a few pounds of meat.  "I'll cook this up for
you real quick.  I'm kind of hungry, too."

-----------------------

	"What do you mean, you don't know where he went?" Mr. Sloan said
almost shouting.  Him slamming his pencil on the desk helped emphasize his
anger without the blatant shouting.

	Rhonda summoned all of her strength to keep calm.  Mr. Sloan
wasn't frightening her.  She was more furious at herself, but she did not
want to show that.  How could she have let a great interview slip through
her fingers?

	"I did collect a lot of important information on the story," she
said pointing to her story Mr. Sloan had in front of him on his desk.  "I
just haven't interviewed Jack Higgins himself."

	Mr. Sloan looked at the paper in front of him.  "This is a good
story, but it's not great!  It's not THE story.  I want you to write THE
story about this guy.  He's out there somewhere doing no telling
what.  That's why you need to find out."

	Rhonda nodded.  "This story is important to me, too.  I will find
him.  I just don't know how long it will take."

	"Do whatever it takes.  Even if you have to spend more than a
night in jail."  He leaned back in his chair.  "I know you can do it,
Rhonda.  That's why I gave the assignment to you.  Now, get out there and
find that story."

	Rhonda nodded.  "Yes, sir.  I will.  I will."  She turned and
walked out of the office.  She needed to find a lead to his new location.

-------------------------

	"Guys, I don't think we should be up here," Ryan said.  His mom
always told him not to trespass on the Old Man Richards's land as far back
as he could remember.  He stood at the rusted barbwire fence and watched
Johnny and Mark stop running.

Johnny knew Ryan's mother would not approve.  He was his next door
neighbor ever since Ryan was five.  Mark and Johnny were both two years
older than Ryan, but they didn't mind him tagging along.

	"Ryan, come on.  No one is going to find out.  I bet Old Man
Richards doesn't even exist," Johnny said turning around.  "Your dad knew
about him when he was little."

	"Well, he is called 'Old Man,'" Ryan said staring at the fence
post.  It was easy to go between the wires of the fence, but he wondered
if he could climb the post to get over.

	"You can go back and play with the babies, if that's what you
want," Mark said.  Ryan did not want to go play with his younger
sister.  She was five, and he was almost ten.

	He also didn't want to be left out in the woods by himself
either.  "Ok. Ok.  I'll go."  He didn't try to climb the post, and crawled
between the two bottom wires.  He didn't get hung on a barb once.  He
stood up and looked back at the fence.  Then he turned around and caught
up with the others.  "So, what do we do now that we are in here?"

	Johnny shrugged.  "I dunno.  Let's go this way," he said and
started walking away from the fence.  Mark shrugged as well and
followed.  Ryan gave one last look at the fence and then followed the two
older boys.

	The land was covered with woods.  If Old Man Richards had a house,
it was buried deep in the forest somewhere.  Or maybe he lived in a cave
in the side of the hill.  It would be all filled with mud and bones.  It
would be something interesting to see, but a chill ran through his body at
the thought of seeing Old Man Richards run out of the cave at them.

	The trees started to thin out a bit.  Maybe it was the house.  Or
it could be a stream.  Johnny suddenly stopped and held up a hand to alert
the others to halt.  Ryan froze in his tracks.  Johnny put his finger to
his lips in a silent "shhh."

	Ryan listened closely.  He heard birds and the wind blowing
through the trees.  Also, there was water running.  It must be a stream on
the other side of the small ridge.  But, then he heard what Johnny must
have heard.  Splashes.  There was a splash and then a flopping noise.

	Johnny sneaked closer and Mark followed.  Ryan stayed put for a
moment, but curiosity got the best of him.  He tiptoed behind the other
two.

They got close enough to see over the ridge.  Ryan was right.  There was a
stream.  But, it wasn't the stream that he was interested in.  There was a
huge brown bear fishing in the stream.
 
	Ryan froze.  The bear was scary!  He was slapping the water and a
fish would go flying onto the bank.  Then the bear walked to the bank and
placed the fish in a basket.  Why would a bear put fish in a basket?

	The bear turned toward the stream and started wading out into
it.  Probably to get more fish.  Then he stopped.  He turned his head and
looked straight at the three boys.  Letting out a short growl, he walked
toward them.

	Johnny and Mark took off instantly.  Ryan ran after them.  "Wait
up guys!  I don't want the bear to eat me!"  The other two didn't slow
down at all.  It looked like they even sped up.  Ryan tried to dig for
more energy inside him somewhere.  But, he was running as fast as he
could.

	He was too worried about the other two leaving him, getting lost,
and the bear chasing them to see the rock he tripped on.  All went black.

---------------------------------

	Jack lumbered after the boys.  His attempt at scaring them off
seemed to work.  He must have been convincing.  Running on all fours
probably helped.  It also made it much easier to run.  Maybe he was more
bear than he thought. 

	Suddenly, the little one fell.  He didn't move.  The other two
kept running.  Jack ran as quickly as he could over to the boy.  He was
alive, but unconscious.  He looked up, and the other two boys were gone.

	He backed away from the boy.  He didn't want to hurt him any
further, and with his current bear strength he could easily do that
without knowing.  He had already hurt him enough.

	"Come back!" he yelled in the direction the other two boys
ran.  He quickly stopped.  A bear yelling?  He shouldn't even be talking.

	He waited a while, but the boys never returned.  The little one
was still not moving.  Jack couldn't just leave him there.  If he was
careful, he could carry him to the cabin not too far away.

	Trying to be as gentle as he could, he picked up the boy and
walked to the cabin.

	The boy groaned.  Jack was almost to the cabin.  If the boy
struggles, he could drop him.  That was not what needed to happen.  "Stay
calm," Jack said partially to the boy and partially to himself.  "Just
stay calm."

	The boy stirred a little in Jack's arms.  Just a little while
longer and then he wouldn't have to worry about dropping him.  "I'm not
going to hurt you.  You have a nasty bump on your head," Jack said not
sure if the boy was conscious enough to hear him.

	Jack made it to the door and kicked it with his
foot.  "Gina!  Hurry.  Let me in!"

	He could hear her footsteps coming closer to the door.  "What is
it?" she asked through the door when she was close.  She opened the door
and gasped.

	"He bumped his head," Jack said rushing inside toward the
couch.  He lay the boy down on the couch and stood back.

Gina knelt beside him and examined the bump on his head.  "It looks like
just a bump, but we should take him to the emergency room just in case."

	Jack nodded.  "Well, I sure can't take him.  I've done enough
damage as it is."

	Gina looked at him curiously for a second before she stood and
gathered up her things.  "Help me get him out to the car," she said
pulling out the keys to the Blazer.

	Jack carefully picked up the boy again and carried him out the
front door that Gina was holding open.  When he was through it, she ran to
the Blazer and opened the back door.  She helped Jack lay him in the back
seat, and she then ran around to get behind the wheel.

	"I'll call from the hospital.  I don't know how long I'll be," she
said starting up the SUV.

	"I'll be here," Jack said and peered through the back window at
the boy.

	"He'll be alright," she said.  "I'm sure he will."  Putting the
Blazer in reverse, she backed out of the dirt driveway and then drove down
the gravel road.  Jack waved as she speeded down the road.

---------------------------

	Jack practically paced a trench in the hard wood floor of the
cabin.  "The boy is ok.  He has to be," he said to himself over and
over.  The last thing he wanted to happen when he scared the boys was to
hurt them.  He must be convincing as a bear.

	He walked in front of the window.  The darkness outside caused the
glass to almost be a perfect mirror.  His form was frightening even to
him.  Grinning a toothy grin and waving around his claws, he saw that he
was definitely convincing as a bear.

	The phone finally rang.  Jack rushed to answer it and knocked over
the coffee table on the way.  "Hello?"

	"Jack.  It's Gina...."

	"How is he?  Is he alright?" Jack interrupted.

	"Calm down.  Ryan is alright," she answered.  "He is doing
fine.  It was just a bump."

	Jack finally took a breath.

	"His parents have been contacted.  They are on the way to pick him
up."  She paused for a second.  "Do you know what happened to the other
two boys?"

	Jack's heart sank.  He hoped they didn't both get hurt running
from him as well.  "No.  What happened to them?  Are they fine?"

	"They're fine.  Don't worry.  But, they went to the police saying
that there is a bear in the woods."

	"Just great!"  What else could go wrong?

	"Jack, calm down.  The police aren't worried.  There are bears in
the woods.  Just not grizzlies.  So, you are safe for now.  Stay indoors."

	"I will.  Don't worry."

	"I'm going to head back to the cabin once Ryan's parents
arrive.  I'll see you then."

	"Ok.  Bye."

	They hung up the phone.  Jack collapsed on the couch.  The little
boy was going to be fine much to Jack's relief.

--------------------------------

	Gina hung up the phone and walked down the hall back to the room
Ryan was in.  He was alone in the room when she walked in.

Ryan looked up from his coloring book and smiled at her.  "Hi, Miss Gina."

	"Hi, Ryan."

	"Did you talk with the bear?  Is he alright?"

	Gina stopped on her way to the visitor's chair.  "What do you
mean?"

	"You were calling the bear to say that I was fine, weren't
you?"  Ryan asked in an excited way.  "I remembered you two talking before
you took me to the hospital."

	"Ryan, you had hit your head.  You could have imagined it."

	"That's what I thought, but that guy that just left said you knew
the bear and that he could talk.  I want to meet the bear.  He sounds
friendly now."

	A man was in the room?  A man that knew about Jack?  "Who was just
in here?"

	"He didn't say who he was, but he asked if I met the
bear.  Jack?  Is that the bear's name?  I want to write his name down on
this."  Ryan held up a crayon drawing of a brown bear.

	Who in this area would know about Jack?  "That's a nice drawing,
Ryan.  Did you tell the man where the bear is?"

	"No.  I didn't have to.  He already knew where Jack is."  He
started coloring on the picture again.

	Gina looked at her watch.  When were Ryan's parents going to get
to the hospital?  She needed to go to Jack.

------------------------------------

	"But, Mom!  There was a bear chasing us!" Johnny said.  Mark
leaned up between the front seats of the car and nodded.

	His mother smiled but kept her eyes on the road.  "I know,
Johnny," she said.  "You've told me.  But, there isn't anything I can do
about it.  There are bears in these hills.  You've already told the
police, and they are going to look into it.  You've already given me a
heart attack!  The police calling me up and saying you were down at the
station."

	"Sorry, Mom."

	"At least Ryan is ok.  I don't know why you drug him up
there.  You should know better than that."

	Johnny hung his head in shame.  Hopefully his mother bought
it.  He looked up in time to see them pass the exit to their house.

	"Mom, where are we going?"

	"We are going to the hospital to visit Ryan."

	"But, mom!"

	"We are going to visit Ryan.  It's your fault that he's there."

	Johnny grunted and grimaced glancing back at Mark in the back
seat.

	When they arrived at Ryan's hospital room, Ryan's parents were
there.

	"Hi, Selma," Mrs. Keefer said waving at Johnny's mother.  She
walked over to them.  Mr. Keefer stayed by Ryan's side.

	"How's he doing?" Johnny's mother asked.

	Mrs. Keefer answered in a whisper.  "He's doing great.  It was
just a small bump.  I don't know why he's still being held here, though."

	"Maybe they just want to make sure," Johnny's mom said and
Mrs. Keefer nodded.  "Johnny, don't you and Mark have something to say to
Ryan?"

	Johnny reluctantly walked over to Ryan's bed.

	"Hi, Johnny.  Hi, Mark." Ryan said happy to see them.

	"Hi, Ryan," Mark said.

	"Johnny...," his mom said behind him.

	Johnny grumbled.  "Ryan, we're sorry we took you into the woods."

	Ryan smiled.  "That's ok.  I had fun.  I wouldn't have met Jack if
I didn't go."

	Johnny looked questioningly at Mark who returned the look.  "Who's
Jack?" they both said almost simultaneously.

	Ryan held up a piece of paper he had been coloring on.  It was of
a bear that was saying, "Hi, I'm Jack" in a word balloon.

	"Jack is the talk...." Ryan began.

	Ryan's dad put his hand on Ryan's shoulder.  "Now, Ryan.  What did
we say about that?"

	Ryan looked disappointed. "I know.  I know."  He put down his
drawing.  What was Ryan about to say?  The bear talked?  Now, that would
be something interesting.

	"We were so thankful that a woman who happened to be up in the
woods found him and brought him to the hospital...," Mrs. Keefer began
saying to Johnny's mother.

	Ryan interrupted with more important conversation.  His battle
scars.  He showed off his bump and a few scratches that he got while
running through the woods.  Johnny was almost jealous.  Mark looked on in
awe.

------------------------------

	Several days later, Jack was sick of the cabin.  Mostly he was
just sick of the inside of the cabin.  He wanted to go outside.  But, with
the talk in the town, he couldn't.  So, he sat looking out the upstairs
bedroom window.

	The view was fantastic.  The lake behind the cabin shimmered with
sunlight and the trees were starting to turn green.

	"Jack?  You still up there?"  Gina asked coming up the
stairs.  "Ah, there you are."

	Jack turned away from the window and gave a slight grin then
continued with his gazing outside.  "I hate being cooped up.  I didn't
like it as a human, and I really hate it as a bear."

	"Jack, you know that...."

	"I know.  I know," he interrupted.  "I just don't have to like
it."  Not saying a word Gina sat beside him looking out the window,
too.  He liked it when she stayed with him.  Having to stay indoors alone
while she was out making trips into town was unbearable.

	Jack stood.  "That's it.  I'm going outside."

	Gina held his arm.  "No, Jack...."

	"Gina, you're here to help watch out for people.  I need to go
outside.  It's calling me."  He lumbered toward the stairs.

	Gina ran in front of him and stood her ground at the front of the
stairs.  "Jack, don't go out."

	Jack raised to his full height.  "Gina, out of my way.  I only
want to go out for a few minutes."

	"I can't let you."  She said standing firmly.

	Jack did not know what came over him next.  With a short growl, he
raised a paw and prepared to swing.

	"Jack!"

	He stopped his arm before he could finish the blow.  Gina
continued standing there, but he could see fear in her eyes.  He was sure
fear was in his eyes, as well.

	"I'm sorry," Jack said as he fell to all fours.  He turned his
back toward Gina.  He didn't want her to look at him.  Why would he have
tried to attack her?

	A knock at the door interrupted the silence.  Jack turned to look
downstairs.  Gina's face wore a worried expression.  She turned toward
Jack about to say, "Stay up here." But he nodded and slowly walked back
into the bedroom to wait out the visitors.

	Gina walked down stairs and answered the door.  Jack tried to
listen to the conversation, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the
moment just before the knock.  He was actually going to attack Gina.  All
because he wanted to go outside.  Maybe he should go outside,
forever.  No, that would be giving up.  But, did he have anything to lose
anymore?

	He heard Gina's footsteps coming up the stairs.  "Jack, they're
gone."  She walked into the bedroom and found him huddled in the
corner.  He didn't raise his head to look at her.  "Jack, it's
alright.  It was just some policemen telling me to watch out for the bear
in the woods."

	"You better listen to them," Jack growled and turned his head to
look away from her further.

	She walked closer to him, but not too close.  She must still be
shaken up about the incident, too.  "Jack, I know you may look like a bear
on the outside, but I know it's still you on the inside."

	"How do you know that?  I'm not even sure of that myself."  Jack
said and held out a paw to look at it.  "Am I losing myself the longer I'm
not human?"

	Gina sighed.  "I don't know."  She walked over and pushed his arm
down.  He looked up at her.  Her eyes were sincere.  "But, I do know that
you will work through this."

	"Gina, I'm sorry."

	She put her hand over his muzzle.  "I know.  Let's forget about
it.  There is something else that I need to tell you.  It's why you
shouldn't go outside."

	Jack looked at her curiously.

	 "Someone in town knows more about this bear in the woods than
everyone else.  He knows it's you, and he knows you can talk."

	"But, I thought Ryan was the only...," Jack began.

	"Apparently not.  This guy visited Ryan.  It wouldn't be Chris. He
would have at least stayed to talk with me."

	"You didn't see the guy?" Jack asked.  Gina shook her
head.  Butterflies filled his stomach.  "Those guys in lab coats know I'm
here?  But how?  If it's not them, who?"

	Gina remained silent.  Jack could see her composing her
thoughts.  "I don't know who it would be," she said.  "But, it means that
you need to stay indoors for now.  Maybe he doesn't know you're in this
cabin."

	Jack nodded.  Hopefully she was right.  But, if Ryan told him
where the cabin was.  Even though Ryan remembered Jack talking, maybe he
didn't remember where Jack brought him.  "I'll stay inside," he said
dejectedly.

-------------------------------

	"Hurry up, Mark," Johnny said crouching behind a stone.  Mark
quickly ran from behind a tree to the stone.  His flashlight beam flailed
wildly.  Johnny shook his head.  "Don't swing the light like
that.  They'll see us."

	"Sorry," Mark whispered and peered toward the unlit cabin.  "Are
you sure this is the place?"

	Johnny nodded, although Mark probably couldn't see
him.  "Yeah.  Ryan was saying that the talking bear lived in a house in
the woods.  This must be the place."

	"And if it isn't?"

	"Then we won't see the talking bear," Johnny said.  He shined the
light on his watch.  "It's almost mid-night.  Surely they are
asleep.  Let's get closer."

	Johnny darted from behind the stone and ran to the side of the
cabin wall.  A window was nearby.  He signaled at Mark, and the other boy
followed pressing up against the wall next to Johnny.  He was muttering
something about being out there in the middle of the night.

	"I'll look through the window to see if anyone is in
there," Johnny whispered.  Mark nodded.

	He crouched below the window and slowly raised to look in.  From
what he could see, it was the living room.  He could see the dark outlines
of lamps and furniture.  He didn't see anyone, so he brought his
flashlight up to the window.

	"What are you doing?" Mark asked.

	"I can't see much.  It's all dark in there.  Come look."  He
shined the flashlight through the window as Mark peered over the
sill.  "Yep.  It's a living room."

	"What's that on the couch?" Mark asked.

	Johnny swung the light over and saw a furry lump on the couch.  A
huge furry lump.  "It must be the bear," he said.  It was the bear's feet
and legs that they were looking at. He moved the light farther to the
left.  The beam hit the bear's face.  It was sleeping soundly.

	"Wow," Mark said.  "The bear does live in a house."

	Johnny moved the light back down to the bear's stomach.  It was a
big bear.

	"Now what?" Mark asked.

	"Want to go inside?"

	"Are you kidding?  No, I don't.... What's that?" he asked.

	"Where?"

	"Those two glowing things to the left of where your flashlight is
shining."

	Johnny saw what Mark was talking about.  He didn't know what they
were at first, until they blinked.  "Duck!"

	They both crouched down as quickly as possible and hugged the
wall.  Johnny's heart was racing.  "He's awake.  He was looking at us," he
whispered.

	"Let's get out of here!" Mark said about to dart off into the
woods.

	Johnny grabbed him.  "No.  That's just where the bear wants us to
go."

	Mark gave him a frightened but frustrated look.

	"Besides, the bear didn't hurt Ryan, did it?"  Johnny relaxed his
grip as Mark sat back down under the window as tight against the wall as
he could get.  Johnny looked at his watch.  It was mid-night.  They hadn't
been there for too long.  Maybe the bear will go back to sleep.  Then
he'll figure out what to do next.

========================================================================

April

	"And you want to wait here while the bear is just on the other
side of this wall?" Mark asked not budging from his rigid position pressed
against the wall to the cabin.

	Johnny nodded.  "If we run, he will be sure to see us."  Johnny
was pressed against the wall as well.  The window above them held back the
thing inside the cabin.  Maybe the bear didn't see them.  Maybe those
weren't his eyes glowing from their flashlight beam.

	He looked around scanning for a place to run.  The window faced
the direction they would go to get home.  If they ran that way, the bear
would surely see them.  If they ran to the left or right, then he probably
couldn't.  If only he knew where the other windows faced.  Would the bear
even be looking out them?

	A thump came from inside the cabin.  Mark's eyes grew big.  But,
the thump wasn't the sound of a bear banging on the window or trying to
knock the wall down.  It was a thump of someone or something hitting the
floor.  The bear fell down?

	Curiosity got the best of him, and Johnny raised up to peer
through the window.

Mark grabbed his shirt.  "What are you doing?"

	"I'm going to see what's going on in there.  He obviously isn't
coming out to get us."  Johnny said and switched on his flashlight.  He
slowly shined it into the living room.  The bear was not on the couch
anymore.  His heart raced.

	He began to sweep the room with the flashlight.  He was hoping it
wouldn't hit the bear's teeth right in front of his face.  The bear had to
be in there somewhere.  Then he saw it.  It had fallen down between the
coffee table and the couch.  Johnny couldn't see all of it, but he could
see the fur.

	"He fell down," Johnny said.

	"He what?" Mark asked and peered through the window, too.

	The bear stayed on the floor not even trying to get up.

	"Is he alright?" Mark asked.  "We didn't kill him, did we?"

	"No, we didn't kill him. See, he's breathing."  Johnny moved the
light beam to the bear's chest.  Sure enough, it was still breathing.

	"Did you see that?" Mark asked suddenly.

	"See what?"

	"Look.  His fur is different.  It's changing color."  Mark got
closer to the windowpane as if he could see better.

	"Don't be silly.  The fur wouldn't change color."  Johnny looked
again.  The fur did seem to be a different color.  It was more tan than
brown.  It could be the flashlight playing tricks.  He shook the light and
aimed it at the bear again.

	"I think he's getting smaller, too." Mark said.

	Johnny looked.  Maybe the bear was smaller.  How could that
happen?  Something suddenly moved just out of the flashlight beam.  Johnny
swung the light over and saw something he did not expect.  The bear's tail
was growing rapidly.  It was long with a tuft of fur on the end.  He
quickly moved it to the bear's head.  Long fur was growing around the
bear's neck and head.

	"L-lion?" Johnny muttered.

	"He's changing!" screamed Mark. "Werewolf!"

	Johnny screamed and ran down the dirt road to town.  Mark was
right behind him.

------------------------------

	Jack thought he could hear some screaming as he slowly regained
normal consciousness.  Somehow, he ended up in the floor during the
change.  He did remember a beam of light shining through the window just
before the change started.  Did that have something to do with him
changing?

	Sitting up on the floor he looked at himself.  It was still dark,
but he could see well enough to see his new body.  He had a long tail with
a clump of fur at the tip.  His feet and hands were practically feline
paws.  With a few trial runs, he even had the retractable claws.  Feeling
of his face and head with his paws, his guess was confirmed.  He was a
lion.

	He felt like going to see what he looked like in the mirror, but
he climbed back onto the couch instead.   With a huge yawn, he lay his
head down and fell back asleep.

------------------------------

	Johnny and Mark did not stop running on their long journey to the
police station.  They ran inside huffing and puffing as they stood by the
front desk.  A woman officer was behind the desk doing some paperwork.

	"Officer!" Johnny managed to get out between breaths.

	"What is the matter?" she asked with concern in her voice.

	"Officer!  There's a... werewolf in... the woods," Johnny panted.

	The concern instantly vanished.  She leaned over the desk to get a
better look at them.  "A werewolf, huh?"

	"Yes, ma'am," Mark said.

	"And what did this werewolf look like?"  Did she have to have that
smug grin on her face when she asked that?

	How could he describe what that thing looked like?  Johnny raised
his arms out.  "He was big and furry."

	"And sharp teeth!" Mark added.

	"And he looked like a lion," Johnny finished.

	The officer's grin grew.  "A lion?  Oh dear.  And where did you
see this werewolf?"

	Johnny and Mark both pointed towards the woods. "In a cabin in the
woods."

	"On Old Man Richards's land," Johnny added to make sure she knew
which cabin.  Of course, he just gave away that they were trespassing on
that property.

	"I see," the officer said and leaned back in her chair.  "Aren't
you the two boys who came in here the other day about a bear in the
woods?"

	They both nodded.  "Yes.  It's the bear that changed into the
werewolf." Johnny said.

	The officer grinned again.  "A bear and a lion?  No tiger?  You
two got up mighty early to pull an April Fool's joke."

	"What?  It's no joke," Johnny said.

	"Sure it isn't," she said.  "Besides, you should know that a
werewolf is a man that changes into a wolf, not a bear that changes into a
lion."

	"But..." they both began.

	"Come on, Banes," another officer said walking in.  He set his
coffee mug on the desk.  "There's nothing else going on tonight.  Why
don't we go check this out?"

	Banes looked at the other officer and glared.  "Fine.  We'll go
check out this April Fool's joke."  She looked back at Johnny.  "You two
run along and stay out of trouble."

	The two officers escorted them to the door.  Johnny and Mark stood
on the sidewalk watching the officers get in the car.  The man nodded at
them as he got in the passenger side.  "Good work, boys.  We'll track this
werewolf down for you."

-----------------------------------

	A loud clang from the kitchen woke up Jack.  He blinked the sleep
out of his eyes and raised his head over the back of the couch.  "What's
going on in there?"

	"Sorry, Jack," Gina said from inside the kitchen.  "Some pans fell
out of the cabinet."

	Jack yawned and stretched.  He was only startled for a second when
he saw his arms.  He forgot he was a lion instead of a bear.  He snorted a
short laugh at how odd that sounded.

	He was still able to walk on his hind legs, so he padded into the
kitchen.  "Good morning," he said as he entered.  Gina was closing the
cabinet door.  She had already put the pans away.

	"Good morning, Jack," she said and looked him over.  "I see we
will need a lot more shampoo."

	Jack reached up and felt of his mane.  It was long and
thick.  "What are you doing up so early?"

	Gina laughed.  "We set the clocks forward an hour last night." She
glanced at the clock on the stove.  It wasn't set yet.  "At least we were
supposed to."

"Oh yeah," Jack said walking all the way in to the table.  "I forgot about
that.  So, what's for breakfast?"

	Gina leaned back on the counter.  "Nothing yet.  Why don't you
help me cook some sausages?"

	"Sure.  If you don't mind fur in them."  He held up his hands and
wiggled his furry fingers.

Gina pulled out some large freezer bags and rubber bands from a
drawer.  "That's what these are for."

She grabbed Jack's left hand and covered it with the bag and wrapped the
rubber band over the bag around his wrist.  "See.  Gloves to fit you no
matter what you are."

	Jack tested out the makeshift gloves.  They did allow him to grab
things, but the baggy, stiff mitten quality of them didn't allow him to
use his fingers much.  "Gee, thanks," he said and went to the fridge to
retrieve the sausages.

	"And don't try anything funny.  I'll put tape on your paws,
next," she said with a sly grin.

	Jack growled under his breath and began work on the sausages.  He
wasn't doing very well at it.  Not only did he have to get used to these
new paws or hands or whatever they were, but he had those baggies over
them as well.

	"Ding dong," the doorbell rang.  Gina and Jack both stopped what
they were doing and looked at each other in frozen confusion.

	Gina put down the bowl of scrambled eggs and walked out of the
kitchen to the front door.  Jack stayed motionless by the counter.  He
almost had a feeling of crouching down onto the floor, but he
resisted.  Instead he remained frozen in place while listening.

	She answered the door, and Jack could hear part of the
conversation.  Something about werewolves, bears, and lions.  He didn't
have any doubt who that was about.  Gina managed to claim she didn't know
what they were talking about.  If he didn't know any better, he would have
believed her, too.

If they did decide on searching the house for the werewolf during daytime
for some odd reason, Jack was near the back door for an easy
escape.  Though once outside, where could he hide?  There were no lions in
the woods.  Maybe mountain lions, but not African lions which he
was.  However, he would be outside.  The thing his bear-self craved for
during the last part of the previous month.  As a lion, he still wanted to
be outdoors.  Maybe there would be some zebra to track down.

	Jack stiffened.  Did he just think about chasing down
zebras?  There were no zebras around here and besides, he should not have
been thinking about tracking anything down, much less zebras.

	Gina closed the door and walked back into the kitchen.  "Those
were some cops asking if I knew anything about a bear and a lion in my
house," she said then a sly grin grew on her face.  "You wouldn't know
anything about that, would you?"

	Jack shrugged.

	"Jack, lighten up.  They believed me when I said I didn't now what
they were talking about.  And I believe it, too.  You may look like a
lion, but I know you're still Jack in side."

	Jack shrugged again.

	Gina grimaced and scrambled the eggs some more.  "And you have to
believe it, too."

	Jack didn't say a word and finished getting the sausages ready for
cooking.

--------------------------

	The lab was filled with equipment and gadgets, but it was quite
empty of the test subject it was waiting for.  Dave Winthrop slowly walked
down each isle.  Occasionally he would stop and adjust a wire here or turn
a knob there.  Nothing he moved mattered to the operation of the
equipment, but he was bored.

	Mr. Higgins was out there somewhere.  It was out there avoiding
being put into the lab to see why it changed from a human to a moose to a
goose.  Dave just had to find it.  He just had to know.

	The door opened and Dave turned to face it.  Over the equipment,
he could see the top of Rich's head.  "Dave?  Are you in here?" Rich
asked.

	"Over here."  Dave walked down the isle to meet Rich.  "What is
it?"

	"You have a phone call at your desk," Rich said as he stopped
after seeing Dave come around the corner.

	Dave walked down the isle to the door past Rich.  Rich turned and
followed beside him.  "Who is it?"

	"I don't know." Rich said pushing the door open.  "But, they say
they have important information regarding Higgins."

	Could this be the lead they were waiting for?  They had not heard
a word about Higgins since that night they were put in jail for the
night.  Now, out of the blue, there's this phone call.  Dave tried not to
get his hopes up.  They had followed a few false leads over the past
month. This could be yet another.

	Dave walked into his office and sat behind the desk.  Picking up
the phone receiver and pushing the hold button, he said, "Dr. Winthrop
speaking."

	"Dr. Winthrop, I have information you will find valuable," the
raspy voice on the other end of the line said.  Whoever is on the other
end was definitely trying to disguise their voice.  "Information about
Jack Higgins."

	Butterflies filled Dave's stomach.  Hopefully this was information
he needed.  And hopefully the informant didn't want some kind of
payment.  "What information is that?"

	"I know where he is located currently," the person said.

	"Where?"

	"A small town near Clarksville, Arkansas.  Here are the
directions."

Dave wrote the directions down on a nearby notepad as the informant said
them.  There was also no payment mentioned.  It must have been Dave's
lucky day.

	"Thank you," Dave said.

	"Good luck, Dr. Winthrop," the person said and promptly hung up.

	As soon as Dave put the receiver back on the phone, Rich jumped up
from the seat he was sitting in on the other side of the desk.  "You know
where he it?"

	Dave held up the notepad with the directions with a huge smile on
his face.  "I know where he is."

--------------------------------------

	The view from the upstairs bedroom window was still beautiful to
Jack.  Even though he was a lion and not a bear, the woods still looked
tempting.  He sat on his hind legs staring out the window.  His tail
flicked back and forth.  It surprised him that he could sit like that as
easily as he was, given that he wasn't completely a lion.

	The birds outside were frolicking in the air and singing.  It was
spring, and he couldn't go outside and enjoy it.  So, he just sat at the
window and stared out.

	"Jack.  Someone's here to see you," Gina said coming up the
stairs.

	Someone's here to see him?  Who would want to see him?  "Who is
it?"

	The boy that hurt his head in the woods last month walked in the
room behind Gina.  "Jack, this is Ryan," Gina said as the boy walked
around to stand in front of her.  "You remember him, don't you?"

	Jack nodded.  "I sure do.  How are you doing, Ryan?"

	"I'm doing much better.  It was just a bump.  See?"  The boy
pointed to his head.  Jack nodded.

	Walking a little closer to Jack, Ryan's eyes flared with
curiosity.  "So, you aren't a talking bear any more?  I liked the
bear.  But, a lion's neat, too."

	"I'll let you two talk," Gina said and walked out the door.  Jack
knew what she was up to.  She thought she was being so sneaking trying to
keep Jack sane.  Would "sane" be the right word?  He wasn't sure
anymore.  He watched her walking out the door and then was caught off
guard when he felt something touch his arm.

	Looking down, Ryan had gotten up the nerve to touch him.  When
Jack jerked his head down, the boy jerked his hand away.  "I'm sorry."

	"No, it's ok, Ryan," Jack said.  "It just seems odd to be
petted."  He smiled.  The nervous look on Ryan's face told him that it was
too toothy.  He will have to work on a friendlier smile.  He closed his
lips but still in a smile.  Ryan seemed to relax after that.

	"So, what do you want to do, Ryan?" Jack asked.  He didn't know
how to entertain a kid.

Ryan shrugged.  "I dunno.  What do lions do?"

	Jack shrugged.  "I don't know, either."

-----------------------------------

After a huge yawn, Rhonda removed the coffee cup from the cup holder
sticking out from the dashboard and took a sip.  She had been up all night
waiting across the street from the lab where Dr. Winthrop worked.  Her
instincts told her she needed to keep tabs on him.  This day, her
instincts were saying it was soon.

	She pulled out her laptop and began revising some notes and story
drafts.  The data was lacking in specifics though.  She needed to find and
interview Jack Higgins soon.

	A door slam caused her to look up from the computer
screen.  Dr. Kenmon was loading some equipment in the
van.  "Perfect," Rhonda said to herself.  She shut down her laptop and
waited.  Dr. Kenmon continued loading the van.  Dr. Winthrop was
supervising the process.

	Finally, the two men were finished and climbed into the van's
front seat.  Rhonda waited until they drove down the street some before
starting her car tailing them.

------------------------

	After stacking all the ham sandwiches on the plate, Gina carried
it upstairs.  She knew Jack must be hungry by now, and Ryan was a growing
boy.  She hoped he liked ham.

	"Boys," she called as she reached the top of the stairs and headed
for the bedroom.  "I have a snack for you."

	No response.  When she walked in the room, Jack was looking out
the window again sitting on his hind legs with his tail twitching back and
forth.  "Jack.  I brought some ham sandwiches up."

	"I can't eat right now," Jack said not looking away from the
window.

	"Oh?  More for Ryan then," she looked around the room.  Ryan was
nowhere to be seen.  "Where is he?"

	Jack shrugged.  "I don't know."

	He was in his little mood again.  She sat the plate of sandwiches
on the bed and stomped over to Jack at the window.  "Jack, now you
listen.  You don't need to act like this.  You are still you inside,
and...."  Jack did not move his gaze at all.  A horrific realization
passed through her mind.  Ryan wasn't around and Jack wasn't
hungry.  Could he have...?  She felt like she was going to be sick.

	"Jack, where's Ryan?"

	"I said, 'I don't know.'"  He growled and bared his fangs as he
spoke.

	She was going to get sick.  Backing away from the lion, she tried
to say something, but couldn't.  She got far enough away from him and
bolted for the door.  She didn't hear any footsteps behind her, but that
didn't stop her from skipping every other step going down the stairs.

-------------------------------------------

	"Gina?!" Jack roared from the bedroom.  What was that woman
thinking?  He dashed to the top of the stairs just in time to see her grab
her purse and keys to his Blazer.  "Gina, I was...." The door slammed
shut.

	He raced downstairs and opened the front door.  "Gina!"  She was
already in his truck driving away.  Sighing, he stepped back inside and
closed the door.

	Thinking back to what was said during the conversation he tried to
piece together what had happened.  Surely, she could have been thinking
that he had eaten Ryan.  Did she not trust him that much?

	"Ryan!  Come on out.  We can't play Hide-n-Seek right now," Jack
shouted.

	Some rustling could be heard in the upstairs closet and finally
Ryan emerged from it.  "We can't play now?"  He walked downstairs.

	Jack shook his head.  "No, we can't.  Gina didn't it like it when
we were playing.  She thinks I hurt you."

	"She does?  I don't think you would hurt me," the boy said. "Want
me to go tell her I'm ok?"

	Jack wasn't so sure if the boy was right, himself.  He did try to
maul Gina when he was a bear, and as a lion he thought about chasing down
zebras.  Good thing Ryan wasn't wearing a black and white striped shirt.

	"Yes, if you see her tell her you're fine.  I don't know where she
is though."  Jack figured she would be heading to the police
office.  Maybe he should go turn himself in.  He could ask to be put in
the zoo.  It's where felt like he belonged anyway.

	"How did you get here, Ryan?  Did your parents drop you off?"

	Ryan shook his head and smiled proudly.  "No, I walked here by
myself.  I know these woods."

	Jack wished he did.  "Well, you go on home and let your parents
know you're alright just incase Gina or the police show up saying a lion
hurt you, ok?"

	Ryan nodded.  "Ok.  I didn't mean for you to get into trouble."

	"It's not your fault, Ryan.  I'm the one to blame.  I'm the
lion.  Now you run on home, and I'll look for Gina."  Jack opened the
front door.

	Ryan nodded.  "Good luck, Jack.  I hope you find her, and I hope
she understands."

	"I hope so, too.  Now run along home."

	Ryan waved and headed off down the road.  A little ways down, he
wandered off the road and entered the woods.

	Jack stood at the door.  He finally had the chance to go outside,
and now he's reluctant.  Gina was out there somewhere.  He needed to find
her, but he didn't need to put her or anyone else in danger by being
loose.  The police will be the first stop.  If Gina were going to the
police, he would see her there.

	He shut the door to the cabin behind him and ran down the
road.  Out of experimentation, he tried to run on all fours.  He could do
it much easier than he thought, but it felt awkward.  Maybe it was because
he wasn't all lion.  At least he wasn't all lion physically.

	Alternating between running like a lion and a human, he made it
into town.  He stopped running and walked upright down alleys and side
roads.  Even though he was going to turn himself in, he still didn't want
to have attention drawn to him.  If anyone saw him, they didn't scream or
shoot.  Finally, he reached the police station.

	Panting, he walked inside.  The two officers behind the desk at
the front stood up quickly when he padded up to them.  They did not say a
word and stared at him.

	"Has a woman been in here to report a lion in her house?" Jack
asked as he reached the desk.

	The woman officer moved her mouth some but finally got words
out.  "Er... No."

	"Oh."  Either she hadn't gotten here yet, or Gina wasn't going to
the police.  Maybe she just needed to get out of the house.  He was
already at the station, might as well go through with his entire
plan.  "Well, anyway, do you mind locking me up?  Maybe send me off to the
zoo or something?"

	The two officers looked at each other and then back at Jack.  "Why
should we lock you up?"

	"Because I'm a lion loose in your city.  Don't you think I should
be in the zoo or in a cage?"  Jack motioned at his body showing off that
he was indeed a lion.

	"Well, I guess...," she said trailing off.  "We'll let you stay
here and then we'll call the zoo if you still want us to tomorrow.  Sound
good?"

	Jack nodded.  "Sounds good.  Do I just go back there or
something?"  He pointed to the doors leading to the rest of the station.

	The man snapped out of his gaze.  "Oh.  I'll lead you back
there."  He walked toward the doors and motioned for Jack to follow.

	Jack did but stopped at the doors turning around to face the
female officer.  "And if a woman comes in asking about me, tell her where
I am and that everything will be ok."

	The officer nodded and watched as Jack walked through the doors
followed by the male officer.  The other policemen in the station stopped
what they were doing and watched Jack be lead to the jail cells.

	The policeman did not put him in a cell with anyone else. He had
his own cage.  It was a small rectangle of cement, but it was what he was
going to call home for the night.  "Thank you," Jack said as the officer
closed the cell bars between them.

	"Don't mention it," the officer said.  "Oh, what is your name so
we can keep a record?"

	"Jack Higgins," he answered.

	The man nodded and walked back to the front of the building.  Jack
couldn't help but wonder what everyone in the station was thinking when a
humanoid lion turned himself in.  The looks alone were priceless.  He
would have been laughing if he weren't surrendering his freedom.

----------------------------

	Driving back up the driveway to the cabin, Gina wondered if coming
back was a good idea.  The past few days in a hotel room gave her plenty
of time to thinking about the situation.  Maybe Jack really didn't know
where Ryan was.  Maybe she was too hard on him.  Maybe Jack was still
Jack.  She kept hoping that Jack was still Jack.  She kept trying to
convince him of that, but she needed re-convincing herself.

	She opened the cabin door and walked in.  "Jack?  Are you
here?"  No response.  She searched all the rooms but could not find
him.  Did he run away?  Did he run away because he was a wild lion, or
because she was too hard on him?  What if he was...?

	The man Ryan said came to visit him in the hospital knew about
Jack.  She hoped he did not stop by and capture him.  Maybe Jack ran away
because of the man.

	Too many scenarios ran through her head.  She needed to find Jack
to make sure he was safe and to apologize.

	"Gina?" she heard a voice outside.  Walking out she saw Ryan
coming up the driveway.

	"Ryan!  You're okay!"  She ran to the boy and gave him a
hug.  "Where were you the other day?"

	"Jack and I were playing hide and go seek," he said.  "He wanted
me to tell you that I was ok.  Have you seen him?"

	She gave him another hug.  "I'm glad you're ok."  She let go and
looked at him.  "I don't know where Jack is.  Now, I want you to go back
home, and I'll look for him.  Alright?"

	Ryan nodded reluctantly.

	"Good.  I'll go find our lion."

	Ryan smiled.

	Now, where to start looking?  The police came by asking about a
lion the other day.  Maybe they know of him now that he's loose.  Yes,
that was a good idea.  She walked back to the Blazer and drove back down
the driveway.  Ryan watched her leave and returned her wave as she headed
down the road.

--------------------------------

	Jack sat in his cell trying to keep the anger at bay.  He had
already lost track of how many days he was locked in there.  Each day, the
police came by saying that the zookeepers would pick him up the next day.

	If he wasn't going to the zoo, he surely did not want to stay in
the jail.  They wouldn't let him out either.  They were insistent on
keeping him locked in or handing him over to the zoo.  That is if the
zookeepers ever stopped by.

	"Mr. Higgins," a policeman said walking up to the bars.  "The
zookeepers are here."

	"Finally," Jack growled and stood up.  The policeman still looked
nervous or curious or a mix of both, but he still opened the cell
door.  He led Jack out to the front where two zookeepers were standing.

	"This must be the lion," one zookeeper said.  He did not seem too
surprised at the fact that Jack was not a real lion.  "I trust you will go
peacefully into the van?"

	Jack nodded.  "Yes.  I've been waiting for you to arrive for
several days now."

	"Then, come this way.  The van is out front."  The zookeeper
opened the door and walked outside.  The other one waited for Jack and the
policeman to exit.

-------------------------------

	On the way to the police station, Gina hoped that the policemen
knew where to find Jack.  Someone was sure to tell them about a
lion.  Especially one that talked.  If he still talked.  He had to still
talk.  She wouldn't forgive herself if he didn't.

	Turning a corner on the mountain road, she saw a truck on the
side.  It looked like it had a flat.  The closer she got she could tell it
was a business truck.  A zoo truck.  What would a zoo truck be out here
for?  "Jack!"

	She pulled over behind them and got out.  "Do you need help?" she
asked.

	The two men were in the process of getting the spare tire
out.  One of them came over to her.  "No, thanks.  We have a spare."

	She looked at the side of the truck.  "Zoo?  What are you doing
out here?"

	The man chuckled.  "We got this call from the police about them
having a talking lion that wanted to be in the zoo.  So, just to humor
them, we headed out.  But, we got a flat on the way."

	Jack wanted to turn himself in?  At least he wasn't wild.  "That's
odd.  A talking lion?"

	"Yeah.  But, if they do have one, we want to see it," the man
said.  "It will make our zoo famous, don't ya think?"

	"Sure will," Gina said with a snicker.  "Well, if you have
everything under control, I need to head into town."

	"Thanks for stopping," the man said.  "Take care."

	Gina headed back to the car.  "You, too."  Climbing back in she
drove down the road.  She had to talk Jack out of going to the zoo.  He
did not belong there as a lion or what he will be next month.

	Arriving at the station, a van was parked out front.  There was
one man closing the back of the van and another talking with the
police.  The two men looked familiar.  Where had she seen them before?

	She parked across the street and ran over to the
station.  "Officer!  Officer!"  She stopped by the rear of the van.

	"What is it, Miss?"  The policeman asked.

	"I'm looking for my friend.  I think he may have come by here."

	"Who's your friend?"

	"Jack Higgins."  How was she going to talk them into letting him
out of the van?

	"Higgins?"  The officer said.  The other two men gave a sideways
glance at each other.

	"Yeah.  He thinks he's a lion.  He even made an elaborate
costume."

	"It's a costume?!"  The policeman looked astounded.

	"So, you've seen him?"

	"He's in the van going to the zoo," the man that was talking to
the policeman when she walked up said.  "We are just about to leave."

	These were not the zookeepers.  "You're the zoo keepers?  Then who
had the flat on the edge of town?"

	"What are you saying?" the policeman asked.

	"We need to get going," the man said.

	"No.  You can not take him to the zoo or where ever you're taking
him."  She started to open the door to the back of the van.  The second
man stood in her way.  "Get out of my way!"

	"Miss, please step away from the van until we get this sorted
out," the policeman said.

	"Gina, is that you?" a muffled voice came from the back of the
van.  Jack was definitely inside.

	"We will just be leaving," the man near him said getting into the
van.

	"Not so fast," the policeman said.  "We need to figure out what's
going on here.  What were you saying about the people with the flat
tire?" he asked Gina.

	"The real zookeepers had a flat just on the outside of town," she
said.

	"These aren't the real zookeepers?" Jack rumbled.

	"Let me see your IDs again," the policeman said to the two men.

"They are in the van," the first man said and signaled for the one
blocking Gina's access to the door to get into the passenger-side door.

	Gina ran to the door as the two men ran to get into the van.  They
had started the van while she was fumbling with the odd latch.  "Jack! I'm
going to get you out."

	"Gina!  Hurry!"

	"Freeze!" the policeman yelled at everyone.  "No one is doing
anything until I'm clear on what is going on."

	Gina froze.  She could not see the policeman from behind the van,
but she did not want to risk him pointing a gun at her.

	However, the fake zookeepers did not listen and drove off with
Gina still hanging onto the latch.  Fortunately, it loosened the latch and
she and Jack tumbled to the ground as the van drove away.  It stopped a
few yards down the road.

	"Get back in the van!" the driver said.

	"No!" Jack roared baring his teeth.

Gina looked up at the police officer.  He did have his gun out, but it was
not pointed at her or Jack.  It was pointed at the van.  He looked down at
Gina and motioned her to go.  She got to her feet and grabbed Jack's
arm.  He was still growling at the van.  "Jack, come on."

	His look of anger snapped into a look of surprise and fright.  He
got to his feet and ran with Gina to the Blazer parked across the
street.  As they climbed into the truck, she could hear the policeman
telling the fake zookeepers to step out of the van.

	With them detained, she drove quickly down the road.

------------------------------

	"Do you know what you have just done!?" Dave said to the
policeman.

	"Quiet," the officer said.  "You have been impersonating a
zookeeper to kidnap that man.

	"It was a lion," Dave said.

	"It was a man in a costume," the officer said.

	"He is a mad man."  Dave did not like looking down the barrel of
that gun, but his anger of letting Higgins slip through his fingers get
the best of him.

	"Just because he has a lion costume, and a very good one at the,
doesn't make him crazy," the officer said.  "Now get out of the van."

	Dave sighed, and he and Rich stepped out of the van and stood on
the sidewalk.

	"You have the right to remain silent," the officer began reading
them their rights.

	Dave wondered how many more times they would end up in jail
because of Higgins.  "There better not be a third time," he
thought.  "There just better not."

	Another car parked on the side of the road sped after Higgins's
car.  Dave recognized the driver.  That reporter!  She was chasing after
Higgins.  That made him stomp into the police station after the officer
finished his speech.

-----------------------------

	Jack road in the back seat of his Blazer in silence.  Neither one
of them had said a word since they drove away.  He kept thinking what
would have happened if she didn't come get him.

 He leaned into the front seat.  "Gina, thank you for coming to get me.  I
realized that the zoo isn't the place for me.  I couldn't stand being in
that cell at all.  Of course, no telling where I would have ended up with
those two."

	"No need to thank me, Jack." Gina said.  "I should have trusted
you.  It's all my fault."

	"Gina.  No, it's not.  I'm the one that got in that depressed
mood.  I'm the one that did not tell you Ryan and I were playing a
game.  I'm the one that turned myself in.  You had nothing to do with it."

	"Jack.  I...."  She seemed to change what she was going to
say.  "I don't know who those two men were, but they looked familiar.  I
think they were the ones in the lab coats at Chris's apartment."

	"How did they find me?" Jack asked.  Did those kids rat on
him?  They wouldn't have known to call those two guys though.

	Gina didn't answer, and he didn't expect her to.

	After many hours of driving, they stopped at a hotel just inside
the Oklahoma border.  Gina looked like she needed rest, and Jack knew he
did.  He would have driven some, but she insisted on driving.  Perhaps she
was afraid they would be pulled over because of an animal driving.

	"Gina, what day is it?" he asked when she returned with the keys
to the rooms and he was getting out of the car.

	"April 30," she said.  "That's why we aren't going to drive
through the night.  I don't want you turning into an elephant in the
car."  She grinned and headed inside.

	Jack sneaked in behind her.  They walked past a gift shop in the
lobby, and he saw two things he needed to buy.

	Getting to his room, he first tested out the bed. Nice and
comfy.  Much better than the bunk in the jail cell.  After the thorough
examination of the mattress, he called Gina's room.  It was next door to
his, but they did not have a connecting door.

	"Gina, will you go down to that gift shop and buy that stuffed
bear and lion that's in the window?"

	"Why do you want those?" she asked.

	"I want to mail them to Ryan," he said.  "With a note saying that
we're doing fine and thanking him for the help."

	"Aww.  Jack.  That's so sweet.  You are just a big cuddly
lion," she said.  He couldn't tell if she was mocking him or being
serious.

	Later, she returned with the two animals.  "They were about to
close, but I got them."  She put the bag on the bed.  Jack pulled them
out.  They were two great looking stuffed animals.  They almost looked
like him.

	He pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil and began writing his
letter to Ryan.

	"Jack, it's about time," Gina said interrupting him.

	"Time for what?"  He glanced at the clock.  It was almost
midnight.  "Oh!  I hope I have hands to finish writing this."

	The clock struck midnight, but nothing happened.  Jack was still a
lion.  Both of them looked confused.

	"Jack. You're still a lion," Gina said.

	"I know!  Am I stuck this way?"  He hoped he wasn't.  It wasn't a
bad form, but.... Well maybe he could get used to it.

	"I thought it was supposed to last a year."  Gina's face wrinkled
as she puzzled out the problem.  She did finally come up with a
solution.  "Daylight Savings Time," she said.  "It's not really midnight
yet.  It won't be until 1 o'clock."

	"Oh yeah!  I forgot all about that," he said and looked back at
his letter.  At least he could finish it with his current hands.  He could
end up a fish in an hour.

	He finished the letter and gave it to Gina all ready for her to
box up tomorrow at the post office.  She had Ryan's address from when she
took him to the hospital.

	"I hope he likes them," Jack said.

	Gina smiled and scratched his mane.  "I know he will, Jack.  I
know he will."

	Jack smiled his less-toothy smile then fell over on the bed from a
sudden dizzy spell.  The clock had struck 1 o'clock.

========================================================================

May

	The bed was nice and comfy.  Jack snuggled against the pillow and
suddenly realized he was asleep.  He must have blacked out from the
change.  Reluctantly opening his eyes, he realized that he was also tucked
in bed. Gina must have moved him there.

	If that were the case, he must be small enough for her to pick him
up.  Either that or he fell on the bed.  Moving the covers back he saw
that the former was the case.  He was small.  He looked to be about four
feet tall if that much and was covered in fur.  That wasn't a big surprise
to him.  He moved his thick striped tail.  Raccoon?  He must have changed
into a raccoon.

	Climbing out of bed, he tested his bipedal capabilities.  Much
like the bear, it seemed like he could walk on his hind legs or on all
fours easily.  Scurrying about the hotel room he tested out that
theory.  It was true.  From what he could tell, when he was running on all
fours, he looked no different from an oversized raccoon.

	There was a knock at the door.  "Jack?  Can I come in?"  It was
Gina.  She must have heard him running about and knew he was awake.

	The doorknob was at eye level with him when he reached the
door.  He was smaller than he thought.  Opening it up, Gina walked in and
closed it behind her.

	"Oh! You're so cute!" was the first thing she said when she saw
his raccoon body.

	"Careful, raccoons are supposed to be ferocious," he said with a
toothy grin.

	"I'll just make sure you have your rabies shots the next time
we're near a vet," she snickered.  She walked over to the unmade bed and
sat on the corner of it.  "I'm going to mail the package off this
morning.  I'm sure Ryan will like it."

	"I hope he does."  Jack walked past Gina.  He was still below
eye-level with her and she was sitting down.  Plopping into one of the
chairs, he made sure his tail was through the hole in the back.  How
convenient!

	Gina sat there looking at him for a while.  She was thinking
something, but he couldn't read the expression.  "Well, I better go mail
that package."

	"Ok."  Jack said.  What was she thinking?

	"I'll be back in a bit.  I have to drive to the post office."  She
stood up and headed for the door.

	Jack nodded and got out of the chair.  Gina opened the door and
stepped out into the hallway.  "Later, Fuzzy."

	Jack waved from inside as she closed the door behind her.  He went
into the bathroom to finally get a look at himself.  His face looked
exactly like a raccoon's face only larger.  Not much larger, he guessed.

	There was another knock at the door.  Surely, Gina wasn't able to
mail the package off in that short amount of time.  "Housekeeping," said
the female voice from behind the door.

	"Housekeeping!?"  Jack thought he had a do-not-disturb sign on the
door handle.  Maybe some prankster pulled it off.

	The woman knocked again.  "Housekeeping."  This time, Jack could
hear keys rattling.  She was coming in!  He couldn't let her find him
there.

	He tried hiding under the bed, but it had a wooden frame that
reached the floor.  No good there.  The closet!  He ran to the closet and
closed the door right before the housekeeper opened the door to the room.

	Jack sat in the corner of the closet as still as he could
be.  Hopefully she won't open the door.  He could hear her moving stuff
around in the room.  It didn't really sound like she was cleaning.  What
was she doing?

	There were sounds of drawers opening and papers shuffling.  This
woman was definitely looking for something.  Did she think they had a lot
of money?

	The closet door opened.  A woman dressed in housekeeping clothes
stood above him.  Jack didn't move.

"What's this?"  She poked his leg with the tip of her shoe.  Jack remained
motionless.  "A stuffed raccoon?  That explains the receipt for the
stuffed animals from the gift shop."

	Stuffed raccoon?  Either he was fluffier than he thought he was,
or she needed glasses.  Whichever the case, he remained still to maintain
the stuffed animal façade.

	The woman continued searching the room.  With the closet door
still open, he could tell that she was doing everything but clean.  She
was searching more drawers and shifting through papers that were around
the room.  Most of them were blank pieces that were part of the hotel
room's stationary.  However, there was a rough draft of his letter to Ryan
in the trash.

	"The letter!" he screamed in his head as she began reading
it.  Did he say anything in there that he didn't want her to know?

	The woman stopped reading and looked back at him sitting
motionless in the closet.  She stared at him for what seemed like a long
time.  "Don't blink," he told himself.  "Don't blink."

	He heard footsteps down the hall.  The woman broke her stare and
ran to the door.  Jack could hear her crack it.  Then she left quickly.

	"Oh, hello, Miss," the woman said to whoever was out in the
hall.  "I was just checking up on the room. Do you want fresh towels?"

	"No, thanks.  I'm fine for now," Gina said.  She came back just in
time.

	The door opened again and Jack remained still just to be
sure.  Gina walked in and gawked at the room for a moment then she began
her own search.  "Jack?"

	Jack crawled out of the closet.  "I'm here.  Who was that?"

	Gina shrugged.  "I don't know.  What was she doing in here?"

	"Searching for something.  She thought I was a stuffed
animal.  Luckily, you came by when you did.  I think she was second
guessing herself about me."

	"Well, she sure wasn't cleaning," Gina said pushing some of the
drawers shut. 

	"Yeah, I saw that much."  Jack was still shaking from the
incident.  What if the woman discovered what he was?  "I don't feel safe
here, anymore."

	Gina grinned.  "I was thinking the same thing.  Let's check out
and get on the road."

	Jack nodded and began gathering up the few things he had.  Gina
went to her room and did the same.  When they were done packing, Gina got
a roller cart from the lobby and put everything on it including Jack.  He
wrapped himself up to pretend to be one of the pieces of
luggage.  Sneaking in at night as a human-sized lion in a trench coat was
much easier than sneaking out as a short raccoon in the daytime.  But, he
figured if he could pass for a stuffed raccoon, then he could pass as
luggage.  Pretty soon, they were on the road.

---------------------------

	The lobby was busy at this time of day.  People were checking out
of their rooms at the last minute.  Rhonda sat in an easy chair along one
of the walls half reading a newspaper and half watching the crowd.

	The Williams woman will probably check out now that "a
stranger" was in Mr. Higgins's room.  Rhonda did not expect her to return
so quickly.  And that raccoon in the closet.  It must have been
Mr. Higgins.  She didn't know why that didn't dawn on her until just
before Williams returned.  She could have gotten some interview time.

	That was behind her now, and she needed to keep track of where
they were heading next.  Another opportunity could arise to where she
could get Mr. Higgins alone.

	There she was.  The Williams woman was rolling out a luggage
cart.  If the raccoon was indeed Higgins, he could be easily hidden on
that cart.  Peering from behind her newspaper, Rhonda could see Miss
Williams stop by the front desk and check out.  Rhonda folded the paper
and grabbed her purse.  As Miss Williams rolled the cart out, Rhonda
followed.

	Rhonda had made sure to park close to the Blazer.  Not too close,
but close enough that she could easily keep an eye on it.  Sure, enough,
when the cart's contents were loaded into the Blazer, Miss Williams got in
and drove off.  Rhonda wasn't sure, but she thought she saw the silhouette
of the raccoon climbing into the front seat.

	Rhonda started her car and followed a safe distance behind the
Blazer.

-----------------------------------

	"Dave, I think that's them!" Rich said pointing at a Blazer
driving by their van.

	Dave sat up in his seat to get a closer look.  Sure enough, that
was the Williams woman.  And following her was that reporter!  "She's
still trailing them!" Dave said slamming his fist on the armrest on the
door.

	"Want me to follow?" Rich asked.

	Dave grimaced. "Yes.  Follow."  Sometime Rich got on his nerves,
but it was Rich's idea that got them out of jail the last time.  He
wondered how long those policemen were going to keep watching themselves
for any signs of changing into a lion since they were exposed to the
"contagious lion-man."

	Rich drove a few car lengths behind the reporter's car.  He was
getting better at tailing people, not that he had any trouble with it
before, but Dave noticed a definite improvement.

	"Do you think they will stop at another hotel?" Rich asked.

	"I don't know.  I'm guessing they will unless they know someone in
the area.  I hope they do.  It will make it easier to set the traps."  He
turned to look in the back of the van.  The assortment of large raccoon
traps seemed to be riding well.  "I just hope that the informant is
correct about Higgins's new form."

------------------------------------

	Jack leaned back in the chair.  The view from the hotel window
wasn't spectacular, but it was nice.  There was a small grassy area with a
few trees before the row of buildings on the next street.  Being yet
another woodland creature, he wanted to be out there again.  Each morning
when he woke up in that hotel room, he longed to go out, but he knew he
couldn't.  He just had to keep telling that to the raccoon part of him.

	Gina was out getting some groceries.  They ran out of sandwich
meat the day before.  Jack couldn't eat a sandwich, however.  He always
had the urge to wash it before he ate it.  And soggy bread wasn't tasty.

	There was a knock at the door.  "Housekeeping."

	"Housekeeping!?  Not again!"  Jack scurried to the closet to
hide.  No, that was too close the last time.  Running around the room, he
tried to find a hiding spot, but could not.

	He heard a key unlocking the door.  Ducking into the bathroom, he
closed the door just before the housekeeper opened the main door.  "Just
great," he thought to himself.  She is bound to come into the bathroom.

	Looking around the tiny room, he spotted his escape route.  There
was a small window above the toilet that was big enough for him to fit
through.  It could also be opened!  Climbing onto the top of the toilet,
he opened the window and surveyed his surroundings.  A tree branch hung
close to the window, so he could easily reenter once the housekeeper
left.  With his heard racing, he leaped from the window and landed with a
thud on the grass.  Luckily he was on the first floor.

	He ran behind the tree and waited while he caught his
breath.  Didn't any of these maids read signs?  He distinctly remembering
hanging the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door this time.

	He could hear the woman in the bathroom now.  She wasn't
cleaning.  Just like the maid in that other hotel wasn't cleaning.  He
slowly peered around the tree trunk to see what was going on.  The maid
left the bathroom and went back to the bed area where Jack was sitting
looking out the window.  With the curtains opened there, he could see
her.  She was the same maid.  The same woman that was searching the other
hotel room!  At least this time, she would not find the stuffed raccoon in
the closet.

	Who was she?  Why was she looking in his room?  Well, that was a
dumb question to ask himself.  He knew she was looking for him because of
his "condition."

	Finally, the woman left.  She either gave up the search or just
called it off for the time being.  Either way, he waited a while
longer.  He was finally outside.  There didn't seem to be any danger of
him being out there either.  The danger was inside at the moment.

	He decided to explore.  The tree will still be there for him to
climb back into the window.  Besides, he wasn't going to go far.  The end
of the grassy stretch ended at the edge of the hotel.  That would be a
good place to turn around and head back.  At least he would be outside
some.

	Making sure he walked on all fours, he strolled toward his
goal.  If someone saw him, they would think he was only a large
raccoon.  Which in fact, he wasn't much more than that.

	He reached the end of the grassy area much sooner than he
thought.  He didn't have enough nerve to walk out onto the sidewalk that
runs next to the parking lot.  As much as he wanted to stay outdoors, he
decided to head back to the hotel room.  Plenty of time had passed for
that snooping woman to be satisfied with not finding anything.

	Heading back, he was hoping Gina returned soon.  They needed to
leave this hotel as soon as possible.  Hopefully, the woman won't follow
them to the next hotel.

	The tree stood in front of him.  He rested at the base of it
looking up and then at the branch positioned close to the open
window.  Surely a raccoon could climb it.  Surely *he* could climb it.

	Digging his claws into the bark, moving one paw at a time, he
scampered up the tree easily.  Sitting on the branch he needed to
traverse, he leaned against the trunk.  He will have to do that more
often.  He would if there was a chance that he could be out near trees
again.

	The branch looked like it could support his weight.  He was about
to find out if it could or not.  Clinging tightly to the branch, he eased
out toward the window.  The branch shook, but it held him.  Finally, he
reached the end of the branch, and the open window beckoned him to enter.

	"I can do it," he said to himself.  "I've gotten this far.  I can
jump in a window."  He wiggled into a good crouching position and leaped
for the window.  He didn't quite fly as far as he hoped.  Managing to grab
hold of the windowsill with his hands, he hung against the wall.  It
wasn't a long drop down, but he didn't want to try jumping again.  Climbed
up the wall with his back paws and pulled himself in.  He jumped to the
floor and lay there for a while catching his breath.

	Slightly thrilled about his mini-adventure, he began to pace the
hotel room.  Nervous energy or adrenaline rush, he couldn't sit
still.  Occasionally glancing at the door, he hoped Gina returned
soon.  They needed to leave, and he felt like they needed to leave soon.

---------------------------

Dave let the mini blinds snap shut and walked away angrily from the
window.  The traps did not catch Higgins.  That is if the large raccoon
was Higgins.  It had to be.

	"Maybe, we need to put the traps in a different location," Rich
said taking a look out the window.  "Perhaps closer to that tree."

	Dave picked up his notebook and jotted down information he
noticed.  Higgins seemed nervous when it was outside, but it also seemed
happy.  If a raccoon could look happy, that is.

	"No, that won't help," Dave said putting the notebook down.  "You
saw why it left the room, didn't you?  That reporter woman was snooping
around.  Higgins won't stay here."

	Rich sighed.  "Yeah, you're right.  I'll go gather the traps."

	"And don't let Higgins see you," informed Dave just to make
sure.  He hoped Rich already knew, but he had to be certain.

	Rich nodded and walked out of the room.  Dave peeked back out
between the mini blinds.  Nothing new was happening out there.

------------------------------

	The hotel room at some exit off the interstate just inside the
Colorado border was as nice as the other rooms.  Jack was sprawled out on
the bed almost drifting off to sleep.  It was a long day on the
road.  Gina was in her room or down in the lobby or somewhere.  He wasn't
sure where.

	His thoughts wandered as he drifted closer to sleep.  Visions of
trees and trashcans danced in his head.  It was a very odd dream.

	"I think Jack will love to meet you," a voice woke Jack out of his
slumber.  It was Gina at his door.  "He's in here."  She said.  Who was
she talking to?

	Not taking any chances, he ran to the bathroom and jumped out the
window.  There was an old cardboard box in the alley lying against the
wall.  Jack scurried over to it and hid in it just in case Gina showed the
person the alley.

	Hopefully, they wouldn't stay long since Jack was not in the
room.  Once they did leave, Jack would just climb back into the
window.  His heart sank.  There wasn't a tree leading to the bathroom
window at this hotel.  The alley was empty of anything tall enough or
portable enough to climb back into the room.

	"No need to panic," he said to himself.  "I'll yell for Gina once
the other person leaves.  Yes, that's the plan."  He stayed hidden in the
box for the time being.

	Waiting and waiting, Jack grew restless.  Gina and who ever it was
in there with her were still talking.  His legs were getting stiff from
staying still for who knows how long.  His tail twitched waiting to do
something besides sit.  Jack finally decided to get out of the box and
walk around.

	He stayed against the wall as he walked down the alley hoping no
one looked out their window.  But, it was night.  Raccoons were
nocturnal.  It wouldn't be out of place to see a raccoon in an
alley.  However, Jack was a huge raccoon.

	A paranoid feeling came over him.  Something was watching
him.  Could it be someone in a window?  A stray dog in the alley?  A
hungry gargoyle?  The last one that crossed his mind was kind of out of
the question, but considering his current condition, a hungry gargoyle
wasn't that far fetched.

	There was another small heap of wind-piled trash that seemed to be
a good resting and hiding spot. It was another cardboard box and a few
pieces of paper.  There even seemed to be a discarded T-shirt.

	Skidding to a halt under the box, he peered out to see if there
was anything following him.  The alley was empty.  Nothing was following
him, and he didn't see anyone obviously looking at him from a
window.  Taking a deep breath, he relaxed.

	Click.  A heavy metal door swing down in front of his
face.  Pushing on it, he discovered that it was stuck.  Looking around, he
saw that he was in a metal box.  A trap!  Someone hid a trap under the
cardboard box!

	He could see the lock when he stuck his eye next to a ventilation
hole, but his paws were too large to fit through.  The lock sat there
taunting him.

	Footsteps echoed in the trap.  Someone was coming.  Jack stayed
motionless in the trap.  Maybe the person approaching wasn't the one that
set it.

	The cardboard box was taken away from the top of the trap.  The
dim alley light crept through the ventilation holes.  "Mr. Higgins, I
presume," a man said.  Jack could not see him from this angle, but the
voice sounded familiar.

	The trap jerked as the man loaded it onto a two-wheeler.  The man
began wheeling the trap down the alley.  From what Jack could tell, it was
also in the direction of his bathroom window.

	"Mr. Higgins, we are going to go for a ride.  And then, we'll have
fun in a high-tech lab.  Doesn't that sound great?" the man said as if he
were talking to a dog he was taking to get neutered.

	Jack recognized the box he was originally hiding behind.  He was
being wheeled close to his hotel room.  Maybe Gina was still in
there.  Stranger in the room or not, he wasn't about to let this guy take
him.

	"Gina!" Jack yelled.  "Gina!  Help!"

	"Quiet, you!" the man said and stopped the dolly.  A large needle
poked through one of the holes in the trap and something was injected into
Jack.

	Growling, Jack banged the side of the trap.  "Let me out of here!"

	The man did not say anything and started to push the two-wheeler
again.

	"Gina!  Help!"  Jack yelled again.  A sudden wave of dizziness
flowed over him.  He could hardly keep his eyes open.  Did he hear Gina
call for him or was he dreaming?

--------------------------------------

	Groggily waking up, Jack found that he was not in the trap
anymore.  He was in a cage however.  The cage was much larger than what
would be needed for a raccoon.  Maybe his captors knew that he could
possibly change into an elephant.

Tables and lab equipment filled the room.  All of it was conveniently far
away from his cage.  Everything seemed to be neatly in place and
clean.  At least Jack won't be living in squalor.

	There was a smaller cage next to his on a table.  Getting up
enough energy to stand on his hind legs, he saw that the cage contained
another raccoon.  A real raccoon.

	"Hello up there," Jack said.

	The raccoon stirred and then looked over at Jack.  It chittered
something at him.  Jack did not have any idea what the raccoon was saying
or intending even though he was a raccoon himself.

	"Making friends, are we?" the man's voice from the alley said.

Jack turned around and saw the man who owned the voice.  It was one of the
men who pretended to be zookeepers.  They found him!

	"Hello, Mr. Higgins.  I am Dr. Dave Winthrop.  I would shake
hands, but... well... you don't have any."  The doctor grinned slyly.

	Jack let out a small growl.

	"Oh.  Don't do that.  We are going to have to work together for a
long time," Winthrop said and then looked up.  "Ah, Rich.  Come meet
our... guest."

	"Hi, Mr. Higgins," someone said from behind Jack.  Turning around,
Jack saw the other man who posed as a zookeeper.

	"This is Dr. Rich Kenmon," Winthrop said.

	Jack did not say a word.  Somehow he had to get out of that
cage.  Nothing was left close enough to it for him to reach and use as a
tool or weapon.  Perhaps someday these two doctors, or whatever they are,
will slip up.

	"You'll be seeing a lot of the both of us," Winthrop said.  "So,
please make yourself at home."

	Jack snarled and sat down in the middle of the cage.  They may
have him, but he's not going to cooperate easily.

======================================================================

June

	It's been a few weeks since Jack's kidnapping (or was it
raccoonnapping?), and Gina was getting worried.  She wasn't sure where he
could be although she had an idea.  Those men disguised as zookeepers a
while back had him.  She was sure of it.

	Her suspicions were being validated by what Horus Templeton told
her.  Horus had been a long time friend of hers, but they had been out of
touch for a year or so until recently.  He had gotten his doctorate in
something.  He never told her.  Or at least she didn't remember.  Perhaps
it was philosophy or something.

	The day Jack was captured, Horus told her that he had seen the
"zookeepers" staking out the hotel.  He seemed to know them, as
well.  How, she wasn't sure.  She will have to ask him when he got back
from gathering information on the kidnappers.

	It was pure luck that she ran into Horus.  She had just gotten
back to the hotel after some supply shopping.  While she was walking
through the parking lot, he had to stop his car to let her walk by.  The
glare on the windshield hid Horus's face from her view until she was out
of his way.  Then she flagged him down.

	Pacing the room, she tried to think of a way to help Jack, but
nothing came to mind.  The lab Jack was supposedly in seemed very
secure.  At least it did from the outside when they drove by it the week
before.  The solid-white stone structure stood looming from behind the
security fence.  Guards were posted at all the entrances.

	She hoped Jack was okay.

-----------------------------

	Sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the cage, Jack tried to
relax.  He was bored beyond belief.  Winthrop and Kenmon frequently
visited, but he was always alone when they went off to test
something.  They were in the same room, but the rows of equipment
separated them from his cage.  Even though he was alone, he at least
didn't have to be with those two all day.

	Being alone was not completely true.  The raccoon in the cage on
the table was still there.  They were keeping him around for the time
being even though Jack wasn't a raccoon himself any longer.

	On another nearby table was another cage this one contained his
new animal counterpart: an iguana.  The day Jack lost his fur and gained
scales, Winthrop brought in the new friend.  He also brought two heat
lamps.  One for the iguana, and a large one for Jack.  Currently, Jack was
enjoying the lamp.  Even though he was still somewhat human, he was
cold-blooded.

	He was not given a mirror, so he had no idea what his face looked
like, but from what he could tell, it was very similar to the iguana's
face in the cage.  However, Jack was human sized.  He guessed he was
probably the same size as his human self.  He looked like a very large
iguana.  His tail was huge!  It reached from one end of the cage to the
other.  Lying in the middle like he was now, he had to make sure he curved
it enough so it would not stick out.  Winthrop would probably break it off
on purpose for an experiment.

	Footsteps approached.  Jack looked toward their direction and saw
Kenmon bringing a bowl.  "Lunch time, Mr. Higgins," Kenmon said when he
saw Jack looking at him. "I threw together a nice salad for you."

	"Thanks," Jack said quickly.

	Kenmon pulled out a tray near the bottom of the cage, placed the
bowl on it, and slid the tray back in.  There was a gap between the tray
and the cage just big enough for the bowl.  Jack already had a bowl of
water in the cage.  He was all set for lunch.

	Jack had lost track of the days.  It felt like he was an iguana
for a long time.  Except for watching out for his tail, it was a fine body
to be in.  Of course, he wasn't doing anything either.  Sitting in the
cage for days on end was not his idea of fun no matter what animal he was.

	Every now and then, they let him out of his cage; however, they
drugged him heavily before they did.  He could barely crawl much less try
to get away when he was lead to one of the devices.  He thought it was an
X-ray machine, but in his groggy state he couldn't tell.  From his cage,
the machine hid behind other equipment, so he could not see what it was in
a clear mindset.

	Stray paranoid thoughts would creep into his mind.  After all the
testing he has been through, he wasn't surprised about that.  What if they
decide that they have had enough live testing and want to dissect
him?  What if that machine is tampering with what the Club did to him and
will keep him an iguana forever.  What if these men are the Club?

	He would never discover any information from the two
scientists.  They were busy talking above his head with scientific jargon
and ignoring him completely.  Every time they did speak to him, it was in
a way someone would talk to an animal.  Winthrop sounded more
condescending than Kenmon, but they were both still bad with their
human-lizard relationships.

	Day after day it was all the same.  They would feed him, do tests
on him, and then let him sleep.  Fortunately they let him sleep.  Doing
nothing all day tired him out.

------------------------------

	Gina leaned back in the couch and looked up from the piece of
paper in her hands.  The schedule Horus printed out for her was detailed
and specific for what she had to do.  His part was vague.  "Are you sure
this is going to work?" she asked.
	
	Horus sat on the edge of the chair.  The hotel room wasn't that
big, but it was big enough for a couch and chair.  "I don't know if it
will work or not, but it's worth a try."

	Horus was a little older than Gina.  He grew up in the same town
with her.  Just a few blocks away, as a matter of fact.  They always had
some sort of game to play.  Sneaking around the neighborhood to play on
the playground unsupervised was one thing they loved to do.  Back then, he
was meticulous at his plans.  That did not change one bit.  Except this
time, he had better equipment.

	"Ok.  I'm ready when you are.  So, all I have to do wait by the
pay phone down the street and call this number when you signal me on this
palm pilot."  Gina held up the small computer that he gave her.

	Horus nodded and pulled out a pen from his shirt pocket.  Pushing
the button on the top, the screen on her palm pilot began to flash.  "Just
like that," he said and put the pen back in his pocket.

	"Got it."  Gina turned the flashing off and put the palm pilot in
her purse.  Horus gathered up some more equipment and put it in his
pocket.

	"I still don't see how you can just walk out the front gate with
Jack."  Gina was still confused about most of the plan.  Her part was
simple enough, but Horus was being secretive about his part.  He was out
scouting about the facility for the past few weeks, so he should know what
he was going to do.  She hoped he knew.

	"Don't worry.  I'll be back with Jack.  Just call that number on
time."

	"I will."  She was definitely going to stick to the plan.  Jack
depended on her.  He depended on both of them.

-------------------------------

	The salad Kenmon brought Jack that day tasted scrumptious.  Jack
was never a big salad eater as a human, but as an iguana, he loved
them.  At least they were feeding him properly.  He wondered if they could
have fed him the same way if they managed to keep him when he was a lion.

	The two men were a few rows of tables away.  Jack could not see
them from his position, but he could hear their voices.  Kenmon apparently
thought he found something, and Winthrop was cutting the theory to pieces.

	Jack tried to ignore their bickering, but couldn't manage to
succeed completely.  So, he ate more salad.  He had to use his hands to
eat it.  They didn't allow him to have a fork.  It took him long enough to
convince them to provide a bowl.

	The door to the lab opened.  "Dave!  How's it going?" a male voice
said.  Whoever the person was, they walked in the lab like it was public
property.

	"Horus!  What did I tell you about your unexpected
visits?" Winthrop said.  Kenmon stopped his argument when this Horus
entered.

	Horus chuckled.  "Oh, come on.  What top-secret thing are you
working on now?  Not like it's really top-secret."

	"Well, if you must know, I'm studying that over there."

	Jack looked up from his salad.  The three men approached his
cage.  He did not recognize the third guy.

	"That is a huge iguana!" the new guy said.

	"He isn't an iguana...." Kenmon said before Winthrop stared him
down.

	"Interesting," Horus said and stared at Jack.  The man reached in
his shirt pocket and pulled out a notepad and pen and started jotting down
something.

	Jack could barely hear the phone ring in the next room.  Winthrop
looked at Kenmon expectantly.

	"Oh!  Excuse me.  I need to go answer the phone," Kenmon said and
hurried off.

	"Quite, alright," Horus replied.  "So, if he is not an iguana,
what...?"

	Winthrop grabbed the man's shoulder and began walking him away
from the cage. "Don't worry about that.  It is a mystery we are trying to
figure out."

	"I still think it is fascinating," Horus said looking back at
Jack.

	Kenmon rushed back in the room.  "Dave, the woman on the phone
needs to know some information.  I don't know what to tell her."

	Winthrop shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry about this.  I should go
check on this call."

	"Understood," Horus said as Winthrop rushed off to the other room
with Kenmon.

	The man made sure the coast was clear and then ran over to the
cage.  "Jack. I'm a friend of Gina's.  I'm going to get you out of here."

	Jack was startled.  Gina was springing a rescue mission?  But, who
was this guy?  "How are you going...?"

	The man pulled out a vial of some liquid from his shirt
pocket.  "Drink this."  Jack stared at the vial.  "Quickly!  Before they
come back."

	Jack looked back at the door to the other room.  If Gina could
trust this man, then he could, too.  Besides, whatever the outcome, it had
to be better than his current situation.  He took the vial, clawed off the
top, and drank the liquid.  It had an odd taste to it. Like cinnamon and
grass.

	"Now, give me back the vial before it takes effect."

	Jack handed the man the vial and felt a sudden wave of
lightheadedness sweep over him.  He was changing again.  But, it wasn't
the beginning of the month.  Was it?  Had he been an iguana that long?  He
was shrinking.  His skin did not change.  No feathers or fur sprouted.  In
his daze, he could still see that his hand was still iguana-like.  No, it
was changing.  It was becoming more like an iguana's.  Falling to the
floor from his vanishing ability to stand upright, he realized what was
happening.  The serum was changing him into an iguana.  Not the
human-iguana thing he was before, but a true iguana.  He hoped his mind
didn't slip all the way to an iguana's mind.

	His mind cleared, and he looked back at himself.  He was
right.  He was an iguana.  A real iguana.  Luckily, he seemed to retain
his human thought.  At least he thought he did.  He wasn't sure if he
could tell if he was still thinking like a human or an iguana.  Would he
even know?

	"Quick," Horus said opening the cage.  "Get into this other cage."

	While Jack was changing, the man had gotten the other iguana cage
from the table and taken the lizard out.  Jack climbed out of his cage and
into the other one.  Horus placed the real iguana into Jack's cage and
closed the door.  Then he closed the cage Jack was currently in and put it
back on the table.  "Just wait.  I hope this next part works," he said
with a wink.

	Jack nodded.  He wasn't able to speak in this form.  He kind of
hissed something.

	Horus stood by Jack's old cage, closed his eyes, and took a deep
breath.  Then he acted surprised and ran to the room where the two
scientists were on the phone.  "Come quick!  The iguana thing began
shrinking!"

	Jack could hear both Winthrop and Kenmon say,
"WHAT?" simultaneously, and all three men ran from the room.  They
clustered around Jack's old cage and stared at the real iguana in
there.  Jack could only feel sorry for him.  Who knows what tests they
will do?

	"How could this happen?" Winthrop asked.  "How?"

	"I hope it's not contagious," Horus said.

	"Contagious?" Kenmon asked with some worry in his voice.

	"Don't be ridiculous.  Our tests showed that it wasn't
contagious," Winthrop said not taking his eyes off the iguana.

	"But, our tests didn't show that he was going to change into an
iguana, either," Kenmon added.   "I used the contagious excuse to get away
from the police, but what if it's true? What if it's true, Dave?  Those
policemen could be lions by now."

	Horus stared at Kenmon with a look of horror.  "Is that a green
scale on your face?"  Jack thought he saw something as well, but it
couldn't be a scale.  Could it?

	"WHAT!?"  Kenmon said and ran out of the room.  Apparently, to the
bathroom.

	Winthrop finally looked up from the iguana and at Horus.  "You
don't think it really is, do you?"

	Horus shrugged.  "How would I know?"

	Winthrop felt of his face in a panic.  "If I were you, I would
leave, Horus.  And now."  With that Winthrop ran out of the room.

	Horus smiled and quickly went over to Jack.  "It worked!  Now,
let's get out of here."

	The rest of the building was in a panic.  Apparently, Kenmon or
Winthrop warned a few people they ran across as they checked for any signs
of scales.  Of course the news was spreading.  People were running from
room to room or out of the building.  Horus followed the flow out and
carried the cage with Jack in it.  Jack tried to dig his claws in the
metal floor, but he only slid around from all the jarring.

	Horus made it outside and quickly walked to his car.  Jack braced
himself as his cage was placed in the back seat.  Horus got in the driver
seat and drove out the front gate.

	"Sorry about keeping you in the cage, Jack, but I wanted to get
out of there before they blocked the gates."  Jack understood.  He was
used to being in a cage anyway.  At least now he was away from those two
scientists, and he'll go back to Gina.  That is if this guy is really with
Gina.

	"I'm not sure how long that serum will last.  It's not
permanent.  I know that much.  It was the only way I could think of to get
you out of there.  But think about it this way.  You won't stand out
anymore."  Horus chuckled.

Jack, of course, did not reply.

"How about some music?"  Horus leaned forward to turn on the radio.  Jack
could hear the CD player swallow a CD.  Calming music flowed out of the
speakers.  "I just love Enya's music."

	Jack liked it, too.  He always heard that music calms the savage
beast.

	About four songs later, Horus pulled into a parking lot.  "We're
here.  Gina will be waiting," he said after parking the car.  He climbed
out of the car and got Jack in his cage from the back seat.  "I hope the
hotel doesn't mind pets."

	Pet!?  He hissed, but then realized that to everyone else, that's
all he was.  A pet.  He was always at least part human before.  But, he
was a real iguana now.  Except for his mind.  At least he thought he still
had his mind.

	People in the hotel watched Horus and Jack as he walked to the
elevator.  Jack tried to act like an iguana, but he wasn't sure
how.  Maybe just sitting there was enough.  It felt right.

	Finally, Horus knocked on a door to one of the rooms.  The door
opened and there was Gina!  Jack lit up with delight.  It had been so
long.  Gina's expression was a mix of delight and worry.  That was to be
expected.  He was an iguana.

	"Jack!?"

	Jack nodded.

	"Oh Jack."  She took the cage from Horus and set it on the dresser
in the room.  "Are you alright?"

	"He can't speak," Horus said.  "He had to go all the way to iguana
form to get out of the lab."

	"What!?" she glared at the man.  "So, that's why you didn't tell
me your part of the plan."  Her face twisted angrily.

	"It won't last long," Horus said.

	"It better not," Jack thought.  He did not want to stay an iguana
much longer.

	"It better not last long!" Gina said.  She looked back at Jack in
the cage.  "Jack, I'm sorry.  I didn't know."

	It wasn't as bad as that.  At least she didn't have to get mad at
the guy.  He did get Jack out of the lab.  How could he communicate with
her?

	"I'll leave you two for now," Horus said walking to the door.  "I
need to check on some notes in my room."  He walked out and closed the
door behind him.

	Gina kneeled down so she could look at Jack at eye level.  "Jack,
I'm so sorry.  I did not know you would end up like that."

	Jack nodded.  If there were a time that he needed to talk, this
was it.  And he couldn't.  She blamed herself too much.  She had done a
lot for him since this whole thing started.  There was no need for her to
berate herself.  He couldn't figure out how to console her.  It's not like
he could rub against her leg. Especially since he was still in the cage.

	"Anyway, we are going to leave tomorrow."  She was completely
changing the subject.  "Those scientists are bound to look for you again."

	Gina stood and sat down on the bed.  "Jack, even though you are an
iguana, why don't you share Horus's room?"

	Jack hissed a laugh.

	"Is that ok?"

	Jack nodded, and Gina walked over and picked up his cage.  She
carried him down the hallway to another room.

Horus answered the door.  "Ah, bringing me the pet for the night?"  He
grinned slyly.

	"Yeah.  I'll let you two guys get to know each other better."  She
raised the cage and looked in at Jack.  "I hope you understand."

	Jack nodded.  That Horus guy was a stranger.  In his current
state, he hated meeting new people.  But, Gina trusted him, and he did get
Jack out of that lab.

	She handed the cage over to Horus.  "Good night," she said and
walked back down the hall.

	"Gina, he will be back to normal soon.  Don't worry," Horus said
as she was walking away.

	"Normal?" Jack thought.  "How would he ever be normal again?"

-------------------------------------

	Flipping through the channels, Rhonda found nothing to watch.  She
couldn't focus on any movies at all.  Her thoughts kept drifting back to
what Mr. Higgins was doing.  She followed Miss Williams and some other guy
to this hotel after Mr. Higgins was captured by those two scientists.  She
was surprised they were able to capture him anyway.

	It looked like Mr. Higgins was a lizard.  At least that's what the
guy with Miss Williams was carrying back to the room.  Although, the
lizard looked like a real lizard.  Not like those other forms he had where
there was still some human left.  It must have been a result of Winthrop's
incompetence.

	There was no need to try sneaking in and interviewing now.  If the
lizard were Mr. Higgins, then he wouldn't be able to answer any
questions.  She had to just wait and see.

	She turned off the TV and got ready for bed.  If she knew Higgins
and his crew, they were planning on leaving in the morning.

---------------------------------------

	Jack was not sure where they were anymore.  He stayed in the back
seat in the cage.  It was easier to do that than to try to strap himself
in.  He surely did not want to be flung around in the Blazer.  Especially
since Gina just slammed on the breaks.

	"I'm just a few cars behind you," Gina said in a two-way radio
Horus gave her.  "I can see you so, don't worry."

	"Ok.  Just making sure," Horus's voice crackled out of the small
speaker.

	She put the radio down in the drink holder.  "There's a lot of
construction here, Jack.  Everyone's slowing down."

	Jack was relieved.  He was hoping it wasn't a wreck.  Gina was not
insured on his Blazer.  He laughed to himself.  "What does that have to do
with anything any more?  I'm an iguana."

	An iguana in a cage.  What a life he had now!  Horus said it
wouldn't be too long that he stayed in full-iguana form, but it had
already been a few days.  Jack has been as much iguana as he was that day
when Horus got him out of the lab.  No changes at all.  At least none that
he could tell.  He could still understand the humans talking, and he still
remembers being human, so his mind must not be going.  At least it wasn't
yet.

	He hoped he would get back to normal soon.  Well, as normal as he
could be.  Being part iguana was better than all iguana.  However, he can
blend in better as an iguana.  He was just a "pet."

	A few days later, they stopped at another campsite.  Life on the
road was getting expensive.  That was another good thing about being an
iguana.  He didn't count as being another person.  But, Gina and Horus
still had to get rooms.  The past few nights, they set up camp at cheap
campgrounds instead of hotels.  That saved a lot on expenses, and this
night he wanted to be outside.  If he were counting his days correctly, it
was the last day of the month.  He was still a full iguana, but he would
most likely still change.

	Horus wasn't sure how that stuff he gave Jack would affect the
change.  Jack wanted to speak so he could ask Horus about that stuff
anyway.  How did he know how to do that?  Of course, Gina said he was a
doctor.  She wasn't sure of what.

	Jack figured for the worst though.  If he were going to change
into an elephant, then he better be outside.  That formula could cause him
to be a full-sized elephant, and hotels would not like one of those being
in their rooms.

	"You better keep that dang lizard in its cage!" said the man in
the camp not too far from where Gina and Horus set up.  The man was out
camping with is son.  "I don't want that thing crawling on us at night."

	"Don't worry," Horus said.  "He won't be a problem."

	"He better not," the guy yelled back and continued cooking their
supper.  The boy watched Jack until Gina put him in the tent.

Horus had one of those multi-room tents, so they put Jack in one of them
for the time being.  The plan was to move him outside close to one o'clock
in case he changed into something large.  Horus didn't want to mess up his
tent.

	Jack waited and waited in his tent partition.  He had no idea what
time it was.  Gina and Horus were in the other rooms in the
tent.  Hopefully they weren't sleeping.  Jack crawled to the zipper and
tried to open it, but he didn't have the right leverage.  He made a few
hissing sounds out of frustration and also for attention.

	A loud snore came from the other side of the canvas.  Horus was
sleeping.  Well, Jack didn't think Gina snored like that.  He crawled back
to his cage and rattled it.  Maybe Gina was awake.  How could anyone sleep
through that snoring?

	Jack went back to the zipper and tried it again.  He bit down on
it and pulled up.  No use.  The canvas curled up with the zipper instead
of letting the zipper move freely.  Trying to put his front claws on the
bottom of the canvas, he pulled the zipper with his mouth again.  It
moved!  But, it only moved up a few teeth.

	With new hope, he tried it a few more times.  Eventually he
managed to get a hole big enough for him to slip through.  Crawling into
the next part of the tent, he was alone.  The other two rooms were zipped
tight like his.  Gina was in one, and Horus was in the one with all the
horrible sounds.  The zipper to the outside world was zipped tight as
well.  At least now he knew how to manage it.

	He unzipped an iguana-sized hole and crawled out into the night
air.  Now, all he had to do was wait for his time to change.  Hopefully,
he would change into one of his humanoid forms.  Then he could get back
into the tent easily and hide.  Then, again, he could end up a full-sized
whale and be beached in the forest.

	"Aww.  There's a nice lizard," said a voice as a hand grabbed him
and picked him up.  The kid from the other tent was holding him!  "My dad
said that you shouldn't be out."

	Jack squirmed in the kid's clutches.  He looked to be about eleven
or so.  Jack couldn't really tell at his current size.

"Want to play?" he asked as he went over to a rock.  What was this kid
doing up this late?

	Grabbing tighter, the kid was able to maintain his grasp even
though Jack wiggled some more.  Jack could hardly breath.

	"You're not trying to get away are you?  Bad lizard!"  The kid
held Jack on the rock with one hand and was fishing around in the grass
with the other hand.  Finding a twig, the boy started poking Jack in the
side with the stick.

	Suddenly, Jack bit a finger that came close to his mouth out of
defense.  The kid jumped up and threw the stick at Jack.

	"You're going to get it now, lizard!" he yelled.  Jack took this
opportunity to scurry away.  Maybe he would be fast enough.  Hopefully, he
would be fast enough.  He could hear rustling in the tents now.

	"What is it, boy?" the father asked.

	"That lizard bit me!" the boy yelled.

	"Why that...." The man stomped over toward Horus's tent.

	"What's going on out here?" Horus asked coming out of his tent.

	Jack ran from the tent.  He did not want to be caught by the
man.  Horus seemed to be calming him down some, but the man was still
furious.  Gina was out of the tent by now looking around for Jack.  He
stopped to wave at her, but she didn't see him in the dark.  The man
turned on his flashlight and started searching the area.  Gina and Horus
got out their lights as well.  The kid was holding his finger watching.

	Jack found a gap in pile of rocks that he could fit in and hid
there.  He did not want to be found by anyone at the moment.  If the man
found him, no telling what would happen to Jack.  If Gina or Horus found
him, then the man would surely try to hurt him in some way.  It would be
best to wait it out.  At some point in the night, he wouldn't be a lizard
any more anyway.  Well, at least not an iguana.

	The man approached Jack's hiding spot.  Jack remained
motionless. Hopefully his tail wasn't sticking out in plain view.  What
time was it?  He did not need to start changing right then.  Unless it was
a bear.  That would get the man running.  Of course, he had already been a
bear.  Maybe a tiger.

	"Where are you?" the man was saying to the ground.

	"Go the other way.  Go the other way," Jack kept thinking as the
flashlight beam got closer.  Jack suddenly felt lightheaded.  The change
was starting.  "Just perfect," he thought to himself.

========================================================================

July

	Jack tried to stay hidden as long as he could.  However, the pile
of rocks fell away as he grew bigger.  Grayish brown fur covered his
scales as the changes to his iguana body continued.  He was able to stand
on his hind legs again.  Perhaps he was getting his human attributes back.

	A beam of light blinded him.  "Who's there?" the man from the camp
asked shining his flashlight into Jack's face.

	Jack was going to say that he wasn't going to hurt the man, but he
couldn't speak.  His muzzle was still lacking the human parts.  He sighed.

	"A kangaroo!?  What's a dang kangaroo doing out here?" the man
said.

	"A kangaroo?  He's with us!" Gina shouted and pointed her light at
Jack.  "Yeah.  That's ours.  Come here, Bucky."

	"Bucky?" Jack thought.  Well, if it got him away from that man,
then he's going along with it.  He hopped over to Gina.  Much to his
surprise, he did it with relative ease.  Hopping around was a much
different way of locomotion than scurrying around on all fours, but as a
kangaroo, which he seemed to be now, it felt natural.

	Gina reached out a hand and petted Jack's head when he stopped by
her.  The man continued to stare at him.  The boy was as well.

	"Don't let him mess with my boy like your lizard did," the man
said and went back to searching. 

	"Bucky, now you stay here," Gina said while shaking a finger at
Jack.  Jack sat on his tail.  "Good boy."  She scratched him behind the
ears.  It felt great!

	Gina and Horus continued looking for the iguana, too.  They had to
keep up the façade that the iguana was still out there somewhere and
wasn't the kangaroo.

	Jack stayed put in front of their tent.  He took this time to feel
his muzzle and examine his paws.  No human traces were to be found.  He
was a full-fledged kangaroo.  Luckily his mind still seemed
unaffected.  Hopefully that was the case.

	"Hi, Bucky!" the boy said suddenly appearing next to Jack.  Jack
jumped from being startled but then tried to glare at the boy.  "I won't
hurt you."  The boy reached out a hand.

Jack tried to hop backwards but couldn't.  He couldn't back up!  He slowly
turned and hopped a little ways away from the boy.  Navigating this form
is going to be a completely new experience.  The hopping was natural, but
the lack of ability to back up was almost scary.

	The boy came closer, and Jack hopped away a little farther.  He
knew better than to actually touch the kid this time.  He needed one of
the humans to come back and get the kid away from him.

	"Bucky, are you playing with that boy?" Gina asked coming back to
the tent.  Jack could see the lights flickering between the trees where
Horus and the man were still searching for the missing iguana.  Jack was
relieved that Gina came back.  Maybe she will get rid of the boy.

	Jack glared at Gina.  She smiled evilly and scratched him behind
the ears again.  "Bucky doesn't like strangers," Gina said to the boy.  He
had stopped chasing Jack when Gina walked back into camp.  "Don't chase
him around.  We don't want him running off again."

	"Yes, ma'am," the boy said and backed up closer to his tent.  "I
was just wanting to pet him."

	Gina nodded.  "That's fine, but don't chase.  If Bucky doesn't
want to be petted, he won't let you."

	The boy grimaced at Jack and sat down in a folding chair in front
of his tent not taking his eyes off Jack.

	"Come on, Bucky.  Back into the tent."  Gina held the flap of the
tent open for Jack to enter.

The tent was big enough for him to turn around in so getting stuck due to
his lack of backwards mobility wasn't an issue.  Hopping however
was.  There was no headroom.  He found that he could kind of crawl in.  He
leaned forward and put his weight on his forepaws.  Then he slightly
hopped his back feet closer.  That worked easily, and he repeated it until
he was in his own room in the tent.

	"Good night, Bucky," Gina said closing the flap.  "We're going to
get back to sleep soon."  She zipped the flap slightly.  Jack could hear
her footsteps stop in front of the tent.  She must be sitting down in one
of the chairs.  Keeping guard, he figured.

	Hopefully they will give up the search for the iguana soon.  Jack
hated worrying about that man and his kid.  Hopefully it would turn
daylight quickly, and they could leave.  Hopefully he would get more
human.  That stuff Horus gave him better not keep him a full animal the
rest of the year.  He stopped hoping and eventually fell asleep.

	The next morning came rather fast. 

"Jack.  Jack.  Wake up." Jack could hear Gina calling him.

	Jack opened his eyes from his dreamless sleep and saw Gina partway
in his portion of the tent.  He propped himself up on an elbow and tried
to smile at her.  He couldn't.

	"Jack, we're packing up to leave."  She backed out of the tent and
let the flaps hang open.

	Jack quickly nodded and eagerly got up to all fours.  He crawled
out of the tent in the same manner he got in last night.  Outside, he
stood up and breathed in the fresh morning air while studying the
campsite.  Horus was busy loading sleeping bags in his car.  The camp was
mostly packed away except for the tent.

	"We already had breakfast.  We weren't sure what you
wanted."  Gina pointed to where bacon and eggs used to be on a
plate.  "I'm guessing you would rather have grass or something like that."

	Jack nodded.  He missed eating bacon and eggs, but his
kangaroo-self wanted vegetation.  He found a nice spot of green and began
to graze.  How bland!

	While eating, he noticed that the other tent was gone.  The man
and the boy must have left already.  Maybe Gina or Horus will say what
happened after he fell asleep.  It wasn't like he could flat out ask
them.  Not yet.

	Pretty soon, they were on the road again.  Jack lay down in the
back seat of the Blazer as Gina drove.  Even though he was back to
human-size, he was in no shape to drive.  Horus was driving in front
leading them to who knows where.  Neither one told him their destination.

	"That man and boy left early this morning," Gina started up a
one-sided conversation with Jack.  "They were pretty angry at us, but they
were mostly angry at you.  Well, the iguana that was you, but you know
what I mean.  I think it was just because they couldn't find you.  Why did
you bite him anyway?"

	Jack shrugged even though Gina couldn't see it.

	"Nevermind.  It's over with.  And you're closer to a human-form
than before.  Although, it's harder to blend in with a pet kangaroo than
it was with a pet iguana."

	Gina continued talking to him to stay awake.  Jack didn't mind
except for the fact that he couldn't participate.

-------------------------------

	Rhonda sat in her car at the rest stop.  The Blazer she had been
following was there.  She lost them on the road for a day or so, but when
she saw the Williams woman leading a kangaroo on a leash to the bushes,
she knew she had the right people.

	Jack changed into a kangaroo a few days ago at the start of the
month.  There might be a connection to that.  He had been changing forms
frequently, but usually once per month if she remembered correctly.

	The fact that he was fully an iguana last month and fully a
kangaroo this month worried her.  She wouldn't mind interviewing either
one of them, but he couldn't talk.  Would he be like that from now
on?  Was it his way of blending in?  If he could have done that to start
with, then why didn't he try to blend in before?  No, something must have
happened to cause him to go all the way to animal form.

	What that was, she had to find out.  Along with how he was
changing to start with.

-----------------------------

	This night was another hotel night.  Jack hopped into the room
followed by Gina who was holding the leash attached to the harness he was
in.  He wasn't sure if Gina or Horus got the harness or where they got it,
but he hated the thing.  Can't a kangaroo hop around publicly in dignity
any more?  It was better than being in a cage though.  Or maybe he was
just used to it in the past few days.  They had him strapped in it
whenever they were in public.  Such is the life of a pet.

	Horus left the room to find a newspaper or something while Gina
took the harness off.  Jack shook trying to get his fur in the right
position again.

	"I know you hate that harness, Jack," Gina said.  "But, you know
we have to use it."

	Jack nodded and hopped over to a spot on the floor to lie
down.  It was an almost human position.  He was lying on his side and
resting on his elbows.  It was very comfortable as a kangaroo.

	Gina sat on the edge of the bed.  "I thought you would like the
kangaroo, but I didn't know you would end up like this."

	Jack cocked his head to the side and looked at her.  What did she
mean by thinking he would like the kangaroo?

	"I was going to tell you earlier, but I never got the nerve up.  I
should have told you when you could still speak, but I guess now will be
the best.  At least you can't interrupt me."  She grinned.

	Jack got to his feet and continued to look at her.  She was on the
edge of tears.

	"Jack, what I'm trying to say... I'm the one that ordered the
Transformation of the Month Club for you."

	The shock tingled all of his muscles.  His mouth gaped open.  Gina
was the one that ordered it for him?

	"Let me explain.  I thought it would be an interesting gift for
you.  I didn't think it would actually work, but I knew how you were
always thinking about how it would be to be an animal for a while."

	Well, she did have that right.  He had thought about it many times
before, but it was only thinking.  He never actually figured he would be
something else.  But, now he was.

	Jack hoped over to Gina.  He wasn't really mad at her, but he was
disappointed that she didn't tell him before.  Now, all he could do was
lean his head on her shoulder.  She took it the right way, he
thought.  She stopped crying and petted him behind the ears.

	"Thanks, Jack."

	He felt like she needed to tell him something else, but he didn't
press it.  It could have been worse news, and he didn't know if either one
of them could take it.  Then again, maybe there wasn't any more news.

	At least not bad news.

-------------------------

	The next night was another camp-out night.  Horus was finishing
setting up the tent while Gina was unloading sleeping bags.  This time
they made sure not to camp near anyone.  Jack was glad of that.

	Trying to be useful, Jack hopped around looking for firewood so
they could cook something.  He would forage for what he wanted, but he was
sure the others were tired of eating ham sandwiches.  He found that
breaking off smaller pieces of wood from large branches was easy for
him.  Hopping with just one stick was awkward enough, but he was carrying
six.  He didn't try carrying any more than that.  It would probably be
fruitless.

	The hills they were in were humid, but it wasn't too hot.  He
still wasn't sure where they were.  It wasn't like he could ask
them.  Horus was about finished with the tent, so Jack went out for one
last load of firewood.

	After getting two pieces, he thought he heard something.  His ears
twisted around listening for the sound.  It was a stream or a river, he
thought.  So, he decided to head in that direction to see.

	He hopped to a ledge and looked down.  About thirty feet below was
a large stream or a small river.  He couldn't tell how deep it was from
the ledge.  The sun sparkled in the current, which made it harder to judge
the depth.  If only he had his camera.  If only he could use his camera.

	The ledge gave way a bit under his large feet and he found himself
tumbling down the steep incline.  Dirt and rocks raced by as the river's
surface rushed toward him.  He clawed at the slope with his paws, but his
descent did not slow.

	With a splash, he landed in the river.  He got his answer to how
deep the river was.  It was deep, and he was swept away by the
current.  He never tried to swim in his kangaroo body before and in fast
moving water wasn't the best time to learn.  Kicking and paddling were not
doing any good against the flow.  Especially, once he hit the rocks.

------------------------------------

	"Jack should be back by now," Gina paced around the camp.  "Where
is he?"  Jack had been gone for a good thirty minutes gathering firewood
for them.  She guessed he was feeling like he needed to do something for
them since he couldn't really do anything else.  He didn't have to do
that. Especially after all he had been through.

	What if he ran off?  She wasn't sure he completely forgave her for
what she did.  He couldn't say one way or the other, but she thought he
handled it well.  Hopefully he didn't run off.

"We'll go look for him in a little bit," Horus said scanning the nearby
tree line.  "Maybe, he's just having fun hopping around."

	Gina shrugged and continued to pace occasionally looking out into
the woods.  Hopefully Jack was just enjoying hopping around.  He had been
on that leash often lately.  Hopefully he didn't start thinking like a
kangaroo.  He shouldn't though.  That wasn't part of the deal.

	Horus had pulled out a book and started to read.  Gina grimaced at
that and stared back out into the woods. "Jack?  Where are you?  Can you
hear me?"

	No answer.  If Jack didn't show up by the morning, she was going
to the police.  There wouldn't be anything odd about someone asking for
help finding a lost kangaroo in the woods.  All they had to do was come up
with some documents saying they had the right to own a kangaroo.  That
would be easily handled.

--------------------------------------

	Parked at the entrance to the park camping grounds, Rhonda sat in
her car writing notes in her tablet.  Jack and his group were in there,
and according to the map, this was the only entrance in and out of the
campgrounds by vehicle.

	She didn't think they knew she was following them.  Her plan to
sneak in their hotel rooms as a maid wouldn't work anymore.  As many times
as that failed before, they would be sure to suspect something.

	Of course, now with Jack being a kangaroo, and completely a
kangaroo for that matter, wouldn't help anything anyway.  He wouldn't be
able to answer any of her questions.

	Her boss was being lenient as to the deadline of the breakthrough
story, but she could tell he was impatient.  She couldn't put it off for
too much longer.  She continuously sent him small bits of information
back, but she wasn't sure if it was enough to tide the readers over.

Eventually, she would interview Jack Higgins.  Eventually, she would get
her story.  So, she waited.

---------------------------------------

	Jack's head throbbed as he slowly came to.  He reached a paw up to
his head and felt a knot.  "Just perfect," he thought still feeling
groggy.  At least he wasn't still in the water.

	His eyes focused on the room he found himself in.  It was a small
one-room house.  A cast iron stove set in one corner and a chair and table
were along a wall.  A small TV was on the table.  It seemed out of place,
but it definitely was a TV.  He couldn't tell if it was battery operated
or not from his position.  Nothing else in the house seemed electrical.

	He stood up and hopped toward the TV.  Something jerked him back
by the neck.  A rope was tied around his neck and attached to a pipe
coming straight out from the floor, turning at a ninety-degree angle and
then going through the wall.

	Jack tugged at the rope and tried to claw the knot loose, but his
lack of hands prevented any escape.  The rope was too thick to claw his
way through, and the knot was too tight.

	"You're up?  Well, good morning to you," a gruff voice said.

	Jack spun around and saw a scruffy looking man walking in the
door.  The man's dirty brown beard hung to the neckline of the plaid
shirt.  "I don't know what you kangaroos eat, but here's some leaves and
stuff I picked."  He emptied a pouch he was carrying into a bowl and set
it in front of Jack.  It had grass and tree leaves.  Jack was hungry, so
he ate it anyway.

	The man went about his house putting up other things he gathered
in the woods. When he was finished with the few chores he was doing, he
walked over to Jack and petted him on the back while Jack was eating out
of the bowl.

	"There's a good boy.  I never seen a kangaroo in these parts.  I
guess I'm the first one to have one as a pet.  The kids will love to see
you when they visit."  Jack ignored the man and continued to eat.  His
kids?  Just what Jack needed.

	"I'm going to have to give you a name, I reckon.  Hoppy?  Nah.  I
bet all kangaroos are called that, aren't they?  Hmm.... How about Hymie?"

	Jack rolled his eyes slightly.

	"Ok.  Hymie it is."  The man went over to a cabinet and pulled out
an old dog collar and some tools.  Hammering on the old tag, with a
chisel, the man finally finished his handiwork and held it out for Jack to
see.  "There, Hymie.  You like it?  Thought so."  There in glittering
chiseled letters was the word "Hymie" written above the scratched out name
of "Rex."

Suddenly he grabbed Jack's head and stuck it under an arm.  Jack squirmed,
but he couldn't pull loose as the man fastened the dog collar around
Jack's neck.  "There.  Looks perfect."

	Jack reached up and prodded the collar with a paw.  It wasn't too
tight, but he couldn't get it off, either.  The man watched with
anticipation.  Jack put his paw down and tried to look like a happy
kangaroo although he didn't know what a happy kangaroo looked like.  And
besides, the man probably didn't know either.

	"You sure are lucky, Hymie.  No telling what would have happened
to you if I didn't see you in the river.  I can't wait to tell the guys
about this fish story."  He chuckled.

	So, the guy found him in the river.  Jack was gracious for that,
but that didn't give the man the right to collar him.  That collar was
going to come off as soon as the chance arose.  And so was the rope.

	That chance was a long time coming.  Fred, which over several days
Jack learned was his name, would only leave the house when he was out
hunting or gathering.  When the man was gone, Jack was not able to get the
rope untied, and of course, the more he pulled the tighter the knot
became.

	Jack ate the food Fred brought him while the man watched TV.  The
TV was running on batteries, so the man must have some money
somewhere.  He mostly watched cop shows and game shows.  No news
broadcasts unless one came on right after a game show and Fred fell
asleep.  Jack had no idea what was going on in the world outside the
shack.

	"You like TV, don't you, boy?" Fred asked and petted Jack behind
the ears.  "Yeah.  You're a smart 'roo, Hymie."

	Jack began liking the petting and scratches the man occasionally
gave.  Of course, he liked them when Gina gave them to him, too.  Where
was Gina anyway?  Shouldn't she be looking for him?  Of course, she
probably just hasn't come by this building yet.

	Fred turned back to watch the TV.  Someone was about to buy a
vowel.  Sheer excitement.  Jack stayed in his corner using his tail as a
chair.

-------------------------------

	"If anyone is watching the news, then they will know about your
kangaroo," the policeman said turning his flashlight off.  "But, I'm sure
our search parties will find him for you."

	Gina only nodded and turned away.

	"Thank you, officer," Horus said as Gina went back into the
tent.  "We're sure you're doing the best you can."

Gina didn't hear the rest.  She curled up into a ball in her section of
the tent and tuned everything out.  Jack was out there somewhere.  He
could be lost or even worse.  She tried to force those images out of her
mind.  He was only lost.

	She should not have told him about her involvement with the Club
when she did.  It would have been better if he could have replied
verbally.  "Oh. Jack.  I'm so sorry."

---------------------------------

	Jack woke up when the sunbeam hit his eye.  Fred was not inside,
and Jack couldn't hear him outside either.  Jack liked those moments.  He
was alone and not someone's pet.  In spite of the collar and rope.

	Jack got to his feet and stretched.  His legs were atrophied from
lack of use.  At least Fred could have taken him for some walks.  Or
rather hops.

	Undoing the rope was still no use.  The knot was as tight as ever,
and he still lacked thumbs.  You never appreciate them until you lose
them.

	Sitting on his tail again, he slumped.  How far was he from the
camp?  Maybe Gina just hasn't come this far looking for him yet.  He
wasn't even sure how long he had been here.  He lost count several days
ago, or had it been weeks.  Obviously it hadn't been a month yet.  He was
still a kangaroo.

	A glint of sunlight in the corner of his eye caught his
attention.  It was reflecting off the blade of a knife lying on the floor
under a nearby table.  To Jack's amazement, it was close enough for him to
reach.  Or so he thought.  Stretching out with a paw, he couldn't quite
reach it with the restraint around his neck.  He tried sticking out a
foot, but soon remembered that he couldn't move his legs
independently.  Laying down he extended his legs and feet toward the
knife.  "A few more inches to go," he thought as he stretched.  "Got
it!"  His feet reached the knife and he pulled it to him.

	Taking the handle in his mouth and using a paw to help keep it in
position, he quickly sawed at the rope.  Fred could arrive at any
moment.  The knife wasn't too sharp, but it was sharp enough.  His jaw
started aching when he got about halfway through the rope.  "Just a little
bit more," he kept thinking.

	Finally, he cut through.  Jack dropped the knife and leaped as
quick as he could for the door.  He still hadn't heard Fred outside the
house yet. Hopefully he wasn't around.  Once Jack could get through that
door he would be home free.  Once he could figure out where he was, for
that matter.

	He grabbed the doorknob between both paws and turned.  Luckily, it
was easier than he thought.  He swung the door open and hopped out into
the sunlit clearing of the woods. So, he was correct in assuming he was
still in the woods.  That was a good sign. Finding the camp would still be
difficult.

	He quickly hopped into the forest before Fred could walk into the
clearing.  No telling where the man was, but Jack did not want to stick
around to find out.

	The plan he quickly developed was to find the river and follow it
upstream.  Perhaps it would lead him to where he fell in. Then he could
find the camp.  That is if Gina and Horus hadn't left.

	Turning his ears around, he tried to listen for water.  He thought
he heard some in the distance, so he hopped in that direction.  He was
getting farther away from Fred's shack, so it was a good direction.

	The sound of the rushing water drew nearer.  It was definitely
water.  Picking up the pace of his hopping, he darted through the woods
avoiding logs and undergrowth but kept traveling toward the river.

	There it was.  He could see the river through the trees.  He
stopped at the edge of the tree line to see if the coast was clear.  So
far so good.  No one was around to see him.  Especially Fred.  Staying
just inside the woods but keeping the river in view, he hopped upstream
looking for the cliff he tumbled down.

	Stopping to catch his breath, he looked up through the trees.  The
ground started to slope up.  He slowly went out to the riverbank and
looked up.  Finally, he was there.  There was the cliff.  And there
standing on the river bank was Fred.  The man was fishing in the
river.  Before Jack could hop back into the woods, Fred looked his way.

	"Hymie!?  What are you doing out here?" the man asked in a
scolding but disappointed way.  "You wanted to watch me fish?"

	Seeing that the man wasn't doing anything other than fishing, Jack
darted back into the woods and started uphill.  He hoped Gina was still
there.

	Jack heard Fred running after him.  "Hymie!  Come back!  I promise
I'll feed you more treats."

Jack was a little faster than the man, but he didn't want to stop.  Up the
hill he went.  He would rather be hopping on an open flat area than an
incline with obstacles, but he didn't have a choice at the moment.

	Reaching the top, he recognized the area where he slid off into
the river.  All he had to do now was remember which way he came from the
camp.  Hopping off into a direction that felt right, he widened the gap
between him and Fred.  Even though the obstacles were still there, the
slope wasn't.

	"Hymie!  Come on back."

	Jack hopped faster.  The camp had to be around somewhere.  If they
were still there.  They had to be.  Gina wouldn't have given up on
him.  Would she?  Maybe they did leave.  Maybe they wanted to get rid of
him to begin with.  Maybe....

	The camp!  Jack could see the huge tent of Horus's set up in a
clearing just ahead.  If Gina or Horus were there, then he would be safe
from Fred.

	Hopping into the clearing, he almost stopped.  Not only was the
tent there, but there was also an RV.  Jack hopped over to the tent and
rustled the flaps.  If anyone were in there they would see what was
outside.

	"Hymie.  What are you... doing to these people's... camp?" Fred
said running into the clearing.  He was clearly out of breath.

	Jack thumped with his feet trying to make some noise.  Someone had
to be there.  Someone just had to.

	Fred was slowly walking toward Jack.  He had his arm stretched
out.  "Come on, Hymie.  Let's go home."

	"What's going on out here?" a man said standing in the door of the
camper.

	Both Fred and Jack froze.  Jack was hoping it was Horus, but it
wasn't.  He did not recognize the man.

	"Sorry, mister," Fred said still catching his breath.  "I'm just
trying to...."

	"Jack!" a shrill scream came from the camper.  It was Gina!  She
pushed the man in the camper out of the way and ran toward
him.  "Jack!  You're back!"

	Jack hopped quickly to her.  He found her.  He was finally back
with Gina.

	"Jack?  His name's Hymie," Fred said.

	Jack and Gina met and she gave him a big hug.  He gave one back as
best he could.  She leaned back and just looked at him with a big
smile.  Then she saw the collar.  "Hymie?"  She looked back into Jack's
eyes.  "Jack, it is you, isn't it?"

	Jack nodded enthusiastically.  She didn't say anything, but gave
him another hug.

	The man from the camper went over to Fred and was talking about
something to him.  Fred seemed happy about whatever it was.

	Gina took the collar and the rope loop from Jack's neck.  That
felt so good to have them removed.  She went over to Fred and handed him
back the collar.

	"Thank you so much.  We have been looking for him for weeks."

	"My pleasure, ma'am," Fred said.

	Gina hurried back to Jack.  "We had a reward out for whoever
returned you.  I guess it would be this guy."

	Jack shrugged and then tried to smooth out the fur around his neck
with his paws.  Gina helped.  Oh, how he missed her petting him!

	"Horus is in town at the police station waiting for any word
there," she said as she straightened out his fur.  "We'll get him after
all the paperwork is taken care of and then head off to a safer place."

	Jack cocked his head sideways.  A safer place?

	"We'll find out where that place is when we get there," she said
grinning.

------------------------------

	It was just like old times.  Gina was driving the Blazer following
Horus down the road.  Jack stayed in the back seat occasionally taking a
kangaroo nap.  He was glad to be back with Gina again, but he didn't like
having to be cooped up in the car.  At least he could get out and hop
around at rest stops.

	He was about to drift off into another nap when he felt a tingling
through his body.  He couldn't be changing now.  Gina said the end of the
month was a few days away.  He didn't get light headed like he did
normally.  He was in a clear state of mind when he saw his paws changing
into a more human-like form.

	The formula was finally wearing off!  He raised his head and
looked back at the rest of his body.  It didn't change too much, but he
could definitely tell that he wasn't completely a kangaroo any more.  He
could move his legs independently now.  And he had thumbs!

	"Gina!" he said.  "The formula is wearing off!"  The first words
he had spoken in more than a month.  He was surprised he could remember
how to speak.

	Gina looked in the rear view mirror at him.  "Jack!  Great!  Glad
to have you back."

	Jack flexed his hands.  "I almost forgot what it was like.  I
remembered having hands, but I almost forgot what it felt like.  I can
speak!  I have hands!"

	"And you make a good looking kangaroo man," she said with a smile.

	Jack leaned forward between the front seats.  "Thanks, Gina.  I
couldn't thank you before."

	Gina glanced at him, and then turned her attention back to the
road.  "Well, you do."

	"No. No. Not that.  About everything.  Especially this
opportunity.  Even though the gift was pretty odd, being a member of that
Transformation of the Month Club is probably the best gift I've had in a
while."  He finally was able to tell her that.
 
Gina chuckled.  "Really?  Even with all this trouble?"

	"Even with all this trouble," Jack said.  "It makes it more
interesting."

	"What did those guys in the lab do to you?  What happened out in
the woods?  Where'd you go?"

	Jack leaned back to the back seat again.  "Hang on.  One question
at a time."  Jack laughed.  It had been a while since he had done that,
too.  "It's been a long time since I could talk, so I have a lot to
say.  I just wanted to tell you that first."

	Gina nodded and stayed quiet.  Jack began telling her the stories
of his life in the lab and in the woods.  She would only occasionally
interrupt to ask a few clarifying questions.

It took him the rest of the month to get what he was going to say out.  He
would think he was finished, but then he would remember something
else.  It kept going like that until the final night of the month.

	The last night, they were camping out again.  Jack made sure not
to wander off this time.  He stayed right next to the tent.

	"So, what did you schedule for me to become this time?"  Jack
asked when Gina came out of the tent with some bug spray.

	"I can't tell you that.  It wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Her
grin was sly.

	Jack took a few last looks and a few last hops in his kangaroo-man
body.  He only had this one for a few days, but it was going to go
soon.  Might as well enjoy it while it lasted.  He wished he had more time
in this body.  Being a complete kangaroo was fine, but this was a nice mix
of both worlds.

	He started feeling light headed.  So much for his nice mix.  Only
Gina knew if the next one would be as comparable.  He went over by the
tent and waited for the change to sweep over him.

======================================================================

August

	Becoming more lightheaded, Jack went to all fours to keep from
falling over.  The tent would not support him if he tried to prop himself
up with it.  He was vaguely aware of his body changing again.  The
kangaroo was fading away to something.  His mind was not clear enough to
comprehend what he was changing into while it was happening to him.

	His bearings slowly came back.  He was lying on the ground.  Gina
was by his side.  Sluggishly he propped himself up into a sitting
position.  Looking down, he saw he had cloven hooves for feet.  Had he
changed into a moose again?  His hands were similar to the hands he had as
a moose: two thick fingers and a smaller thumb.  Even the brown fur seemed
similar to the moose.  But, something wasn't the same.

	"I thought you might like this one, but I wasn't sure," Gina said
sitting next to him.

	Jack felt his face with his new hands.  He had a muzzle and long
ears.  Near his ears were horns.  Horns?  "A bull?" he asked which came
out almost as a small bellow.

	"Yes.  A bull."  She rubbed his nose a little.  "I hope you like
it."

	Jack looked at his hands again.  It wasn't too different from the
moose hands.  He seemed shorter and a little bulkier than the moose, but
it had been so long since his first change, he couldn't remember.  "I
think I'll like it."

	He flopped his tail around on the ground.  That was something new
compared to the moose body.  The moose tail was a short stubby
thing.  This one was actually long and skinny.  It wasn't as long as the
kangaroo tail, but it was still a tail.

	Jack stood up on his awkward legs hoping it would be like riding a
bike.  After getting his initial balance, he took a few steps.  They came
easily.  "I'll get used to walking on hooves again quickly."  He looked
back at Gina as he walked out from the tent a few yards.

	She stood there watching with a small smile on her face.  Jack
turned back and walked toward the tent.

	"Think I'll still fit in there?" he asked reaching the tent flap.

	Gina shrugged.  "I guess.  You can try.  Just be careful of those
horns."

	Jack reached up and felt of his horns again.  He forgot they were
there for a moment.  "Maybe I should walk around with corks on the tips
for a while."  He bellowed a laugh.

	The zipper to Horus's section of the tent opened.  Horus leaned
out obviously woken up by Jack's laugh.  "Oh.  Hi.  Looking good,
Jack. Now can you two get some sleep?  We have to be on the road
tomorrow."

	Jack and Gina both reluctantly nodded even though Jack knew he
needed some sleep.  Gina held the flap open for him as he carefully
crawled into his portion of the tent.  He was definitely going to have to
get used to those horns.

-----------------------

	The back seat was not as big as it was when Jack was a
kangaroo.  He couldn't really duck down like he could before, but he was
able to lie down enough so people in nearby cars wouldn't know that a bull
was sitting in the back seat of the Blazer.

	Gina didn't say where they were going, but Jack doubted she
actually knew.  She was following Horus the whole time.  They were out in
the plains in Kansas somewhere driving on the lesser-traveled highways.

	"We are going to get on this dirt road just ahead," Horus's voice
crackled over the radio.

	Gina picked it up.  "Ok.  I'm still following you."

	Jack leaned up a bit to look forward instead of only watching the
scenery race past the side window.  "Where's he taking us?"

	Gina shrugged.  "I don't know.  It's the safe place he mentioned."

	"Oh yeah.  The safe place."  Jack leaned back down and looked out
the side window again.  Horus had mentioned that "safe place" of his, but
never elaborated on it any further.  All Jack knew was that it was safe
and it was a place.  He guessed Horus owned it or knew someone that did,
but there was no telling.

	Gina slowed down and turned off the highway onto a dirt
road.  Jack hoped Horus knew where he was taking them.

	Jack leaned forward again to see where they were going.  The dirt
road seemed to lead nowhere, but Horus drove with determination.

	Something that looked like a small shack appeared on the
horizon.  Jack wasn't sure what it was because of the distance and the
dirt spilling out from Horus's tires.  As they drove closer to it, Jack
saw that it was a shack.  The walls were barely standing and the roof was
on the verge of collapse.

	Horus slowed down as he drew closer to the shack and parked next
to it.  "We're here," his voice said on the radio.

	Gina parked next to him.  She and Jack exchanged confused looks,
and she got out of the car.  "This is the place?"  Horus was already out
of his car.  Dirt swirled off of the white paint into the air as he closed
the door.

	Jack opened the door and climbed out.  He walked around a bit to
stretch.  "This is the safe place?"

	"This is the place," Horus said and stepped up on the rickety
porch.  "We're miles from anywhere.  No one will even think to look for
you here."

	Gina and Jack shrugged at each other.

	Jack tested his weight on the porch and stepped up on it.  "If you
say so."

	The door hinges creaked as Horus pushed the wooden door open, and
he walked into the dark interior.  Jack followed.  He could hear Gina
getting onto the porch behind him.

	Inside, Jack's eyes adjusted to the low light.  The shack had two
rooms.  One had an old wooden table and a chair.  The other room had
nothing in it at all.

Horus led them into the empty room.  They gathered into the center of the
room, and he pulled out his car key ring.  With a button press, the room
jolted, and then the floor started lowering.  It was an elevator.

	"And elevator?" Gina asked.

	Horus grinned.  "Pretty nifty, huh?"

	Stunned, Gina and Jack both nodded.

	The wooden walls remained with the house while four steel walls
lowered with the floor.  The elevator lowered for about two
minutes.  Either they were very deep in the earth or the elevator moved
slowly.  Jack wasn't sure which.  Eventually, the elevator slowed to a
stop and one of the walls slid open.

	"Here we are," Horus said with a large smile on his
face.  "Welcome to my place."

	Gina gasped.  "Your place?"

	Horus nodded.  "Indeed."  He walked off the elevator.  Gina and
Jack slowly followed.  The elevator door slid closed as soon as Jack was
out of the way.  He checked to make sure his tail was still in place.

	They were in what looked like a large lobby.  Potted plants were
placed along the walls of the room.  Lights lit up the place like it was
outside.  Many closed doors led from the room.

Horus walked over to one of the doors.  "I'll give you the tour of the
part we'll be staying," he said as he opened the door.

	They stepped into a hallway that stretched out before them for
quite a ways before turning right.  Horus closed the door behind them and
headed down the hall.  "This way."  Jack and Gina followed him down the
hall.  They passed several doors.  Some had labels for bathroom or
closet.  Others had no labels at all.

	"There's a lounge in here," Horus said opening a door.  The three
of them peered inside.  The room had few couches and chairs.  A TV was
against one wall.  Another door was on the right wall.  "That door goes to
the snack room."  Horus backed out of the lounge and to the next door in
the hallway.  Inside were vending machines for snacks and sodas.  "The
vending machines are there simply because of convenience.  They don't
require any money."

	"Wow.  This place is amazing," Gina said.

	Horus grinned.  "You think?  Let me show you your rooms."  Horus
walked down the hall again.

	Gina and Jack looked at each other and then followed.  After a few
turns in the hallway, they came to a section which Horus named the guest
area.  Another lounge and vending machine room was in this section as
well.  But, most of the rooms were bedrooms.

	Horus stopped at one of the bedroom doors.  "Gina, I think you'll
find this room to be to your satisfaction."  He opened the door and let
Gina walk in first.

	She stared in amazement as she walked into the room.  Jack ducked
to make sure his horns didn't hit the doorframe as he followed behind her,
and when he got farther in, he saw what she was gawking at.  The room was
furnished with everything she probably needed.  It was more than enough
stuff for Jack, but Gina would probably find something she needed that
wasn't there.

	"Horus, this room is fabulous."  She sat on the fluffy bed to test
it out and then ran over to the drawn curtains.  She flung them open only
to see a window with a painting of a mountain landscape behind it.

	"Sorry about that," Horus said.  "I haven't installed the
holographic scenery screens yet."

	Jack only stared at Horus.  Holographic scenery screens?  It
sounded impressive.  How much did this guy make?

	"Horus.  It's nice the way it is.  I think I'll enjoy staying here
while Jack is... still a member of the Club."

	"I hope you do, because we still have a long time for that.  Don't
we, Jack?"  Horus turned with a grin.

	Jack snorted and nodded.  "Yeah.  A few more months."  A few more
months of being less than human, and then he would be ready to go
back.  Or would he?  Glancing down at his hands, he realized that he
wasn't sure at the moment.

	"Let's show you your room, Jack," Horus said walking out of the
bedroom.

	Jack and Gina followed him into the hallway again.  A few rooms
down, Horus stopped at another door on the opposite side of the hall from
Gina's.

	"Here you go, Jack."  Horus opened the door and stepped aside for
Jack to enter.

	Jack ducked again and walked into his room.  The room was
huge.  Much larger than Gina's.  The bed was big enough for a whale, which
was a good idea.  He might end up a whale.  He had curtains on the wall as
well.

	"This is nice," Jack said looking in the bathroom.  "Very
nice.  Thank you."

	"No problem, Jack.  I figured this one would be best for you in
your condition.  If you would rather have some straw to bed down in, I can
get you some."

	"No.  No.  The bed is fine," Jack said.  He hadn't slept in a
decent bed in a while.  And his bovine body wouldn't mind a nice bed
instead of straw.  His room didn't have all the features that Gina's room
contained, but it suited him fine.  As long as he had a place to sleep and
not worry about any scientists or angry villagers chasing him.

	"Let me show you where the kitchen and dining room is."  Horus
stood by the door waiting for Gina and Jack to leave.  The two of them
walked back into the hallway and Horus lead them farther through the
corridor.

	Several other hallways joined the corridor they were currently in
as they follow Horus.  Jack figured he should be drawing a map of the
place.  He would probably get lost of he got the mid-night munchies.

	"And here we are," he said as he stopped in front of two huge
wooden doors.  As he pushed them open, Jack and Gina stood in awe.  The
dining room was straight out of a fancy restaurant.  The lights were
dim.  All the tables had matching table clothes on them with napkins
folded at each placement.  Potted plants decorated the corners and around
the railings separating the different tiers.  Soothing orchestral music
drifted in the air.   Walking inside, Jack looked for the chamber
orchestra, but he discovered that the music was coming from hidden
speakers.

	"Horus, this is amazing." Gina said as she walked down the main
walkway gazing all around.

	Horus stood near the entrance.  "Thank you.  I put a lot of work
into it."

	"I can tell, "Jack said being careful that his bulk didn't knock
anything out of place as he followed Gina.  "Why do you need all these
tables?"

	Horus shrugged.  "I like the restaurant atmosphere.  And besides,
I could have a huge party here if I needed to."  He walked over to a table
that could seat about six that was in the center of the room.  "This is
where I eat most of the time.  You are welcome to eat here, but you can
also eat at any of the other tables that you wish."

	Gina laughed.  "Well, if we stay here until the end of Jack's
membership, we'll have plenty of chances to try out all the tables."

	"That's the truth," Jack agreed.

	Horus smiled.  "Let me show you the kitchen."  He walked to a door
on the opposite wall from the door they came.  It was a swinging door, of
course.

	Jack's hooves clomped on the linoleum floor as he followed
Horus.  The kitchen was large.  A restaurant style kitchen to match the
restaurant dining area.  It also had a welcoming feel to it.  It was more
like a large kitchen at home than a restaurant kitchen.  And Jack was sure
Horus used it for both.

	"Feel free to take anything you like from the kitchen," Horus
said.  "I'm sure you will get hungry, Jack." He grinned.

	Jack nodded.  "Thanks."

	"No problem."  Horus walked back toward the dining room.  "I think
I showed you everything you need for the moment.  I will let you get
settled in."

	Gina followed him out the swinging door. "Oh.  Thank you,
Horus.  We finally don't have to worry."

	"Yes," Jack said walking behind the two of them.  "This is a
perfect hideaway spot.  How did you build it?"

	"Oh.  I'll explain later.  Right now, I need to check up on some
items of business, if that is ok with you."  He looked at Gina.

	"No problem," Jack said.  "I think I'll take a short nap anyway."

	"That sounds like a good idea," Gina said.

	"I trust you can find your rooms again?"  Horus walked out of the
dining room and into the hallway.

	"I think so," Jack answered and pointed toward the direction he
thought they came from.  "Just down that way, right?"

	"That's right," Horus pointed in the opposite direction.  "My room
is down this way, but I'll show you that later."

	"Thanks, again, Horus."  Gina gave him a slight hug and headed off
down the hallway.  "See you after you're done with your chores."

	"Yes, thanks."   Jack trotted to catch up with Gina.  He looked
back and Horus was walking the other way.

	"This place is huge," Gina said as they turned one corner in the
hall.  "I wonder how he got this place."

	Jack shrugged. "I don't know, but it's nice."  They passed Jack's
room.

Gina looked back after a few doors down.  "Wasn't that your room back
there?"

	"I'll help you find yours first," Jack said.  "It's not too much
farther."

	They walked down the hall.  Gina was looking around obviously
trying to remember landmarks in the hallway.  Jack had picked up on most
of them the first time through, but he noticed more now that he was going
the other direction.

	He stopped in front of Gina's door.  "Here we go."  He looked up
and down the hall at the other doors.  "Yeah.  This one is it."

	"Thanks, Jack.  I know we'll be safe here."

	Jack nodded.  "I hope so."

	"Well, have a nice nap."  She gave him a hug and then walked into
her room.

	Once her door was shut, Jack walked down the hall back to the room
assigned to him.  He found it easily.  He went in and closed the door
behind him.  The room was inviting.  Especially the bed.  He got out of
the baggy shorts he was wearing and crawled onto the mattress.  It was
better than any of the hotel beds he had been in and much better than the
back or the Blazer or sleeping bag in a tent.

	Before he knew it, he was asleep.

-----------------------------------------

	Parked far away from the shack in the middle of the plains, Rhonda
sat on the hood of her car looking through a large pair of
binoculars.  She was able to pick those up a few years ago for a story she
did on bird watching.  She knew they would come in handy again
eventually.  She was right.

	"One of them is going to have to leave at some point," she said to
herself.  "They couldn't have supplies for three people. Especially if one
of them is a bull-man."

	She made sure she parked far enough back to where she wouldn't be
noticed from their windows.  There was a slight hill she was hiding
behind, too.  But, the shack was at least a mile or so away.  In the few
days she's been camped out there, she hadn't been noticed.  At least she
didn't think she was noticed.  They hadn't left yet like they usually did
when she was close.

	She waited for one of them to leave for groceries and supplies, so
there would only be one person there with Jack.  It would be easier to get
an interview with him.

	Day after day she waited.  No one had even stepped outside the
shack.  The cars hadn't budged.  "Could they have left the cars there as a
decoy?  What did they use to get away if the cars were parked there?"

	Doubting if they were even in the shack, Rhonda decided to
investigate.  She set out on foot toward the small house so not to draw
too much attention to her.  If they were there, she could say she had car
trouble.

	She reached the house.  No one came to the door or window that she
could tell.  Maybe they did leave.  She tried the front door, and it was
open.

	"Well, this is either easy or very bad," she thought to herself as
she opened the door and looked in.  There were two rooms.  Both of them
were empty.  She went into the smaller room and looked around.  Nothing to
even show that they were there.

	She flipped the light switch to help lighten up the room even
though the sun was shining.  The light did not turn on.  That didn't
surprise her.   The shack didn't look like it had electricity.

She started to walk out of the room in frustration, but then the room
jerked.  She saw that the floor was lowering and metallic walls slid out
from behind the wooden ones.  "An elevator!  Interesting."

	The elevator eventually stopped and the doors opened to what
appeared to be a lobby.  She stepped off the elevator, and the doors slid
shut behind her.  The lobby had no receptionist or any kind of
directory.  It was just a room with several doors along the wall.

	Cautiously, she cracked open each door and saw that they all led
to hallways.  None of them gave any clue as to where the three people
would be.  Starting somewhere, she picked the door to the right of the
elevator and walked down the hall.

	She stopped at every door along the way and listened.  Not a peep
was heard.  Some of the doors were locked, but others she was able to look
in. Some looked like bedrooms.  Some looked like social rooms.  Others
looked like storage rooms.

	After turning several corners and going through several
intersections in her search, things started looking familiar.  She wasn't
sure if it was because she had been there before or if it was because the
halls were mostly all similar.  Either way, she still hadn't seen anyone
yet.

	She heard talking in front of her.  Someone was coming down the
hall.  She ducked into a nearby storage closet and waited.  The people
apparently didn't see her because they didn't stop.  Leaning against the
wall to listen, she heard the people get farther away.  She waited a while
longer just to make sure.

-------------------------------

	Jack woke up from his nap.  He had gotten into a habit of taking
short naps during the day.  Underground, it was hard to tell what time it
was anyway, so he figured it didn't matter.  He was having a wonderful
dream.  He was completely a bull and was grazing out in a
pasture.  Several cows were around him.

	He hated waking up from dreams like that.  Getting out of bed and
putting on the bovine-sized shorts Horus brought him, he decided to check
on Gina.

	His hooves clomped on the floor as he walked down the hall to
Gina's room.  He knocked.  No one answered.  She was probably in the
lounge or dining room.  She could also be in any of the rooms in this huge
place, but Jack didn't know many of them yet.  He wasn't sure which rooms
Gina knew about.  She could have been exploring while he was taking naps.

	Going down the hall, he eventually heard voices coming from the
dining room.  He walked in and saw Gina and Horus having a meal at Horus's
table.  It was probably time for lunch.  His stomach rumbled as he walked
in. Maybe he had more than one stomach now.  He wasn't sure, but he was
hungry.

	"Oh, hi, Jack.  Have a nice nap?" Gina asked after his stomach
stopped growling.

	Jack nodded.  "Yep.  Sure did."  He sat down at the table.  There
were some raw vegetables out for him, so he took a few and ate.  "But, the
air conditioner was a little high."
 
	Horus nodded.  "I'll get my people to look into it."

	Gina didn't react to that statement at all, but Jack stared
confused at Horus.  "Your people?  Who are...?"  Jack asked with celery in
his mouth.

	"The staff.  You don't think I can keep this place up by myself,
do you?"  Horus seemed surprised that Jack was surprised.  "I would
introduce them to you, but they are pretty busy at the moment.  You
haven't seen them in the halls?"

	"I haven't seen anyone in the halls," Jack said.

	"I saw a few," Gina said joining in the conversation.  "Just the
other day in fact.  They were restocking the snack machine."

Jack finished swallowing his celery.  "I guess you're right.  You do need
a staff for a place this big."  He took another bite.  It was quite
tasty.  He wouldn't doubt it if Horus had an underground garden down here
somewhere.  "Do you mind if I explore some?  I've pretty much learned the
hallways around this area, but I know there's more.

	Horus chuckled.  "Be my guest.  Just stay out of the staff's
way.  Several of them take their work seriously."

	Jack nodded.  "They won't have any problems out of me."

--------------------------------

	"This place is like a maze!" Rhonda said to her self as she
sneaked down the hall.  She wasn't even sure if she was going in circles
or not.  She turned at another intersection and tried that direction.

	At some point, she figured she would find Mr. Higgins.  No luck
yet.  Several people were in the halls, but none of them bulls.  Jack
Higgins should be easy to spot.

	She heard more voices.  This time from behind her.  Hopefully she
hadn't been spotted already.  She opened a door and went in to hide from
the approaching footsteps.

	She stayed by the door motionless listening.  The people passed
her door and she breathed a sigh of relief.  She then noticed that she
wasn't in a supply closet this time.  It was a large room and standing in
front of a computer monitor was a man in a lab coat.

	It wasn't Jack, because the man was definitely not a bull-man.  It
wasn't that man that had been with them for a while either.  The man in
the room had almost orange-tinted hair instead of black.  Rhonda tried to
see what he was looking at on the screen, but his bulky shape was blocking
the view.

	Easing farther into the room, she craned her neck to see.  Still,
she couldn't make out what was on the monitor.  The man turned around and
stared at her.  It wasn't a man at all.  Well, it was, but it wasn't.  It
was a tiger-man.

	"Who are you?  What are you doing here?" he snarled.  His sharp
teeth glistened from the florescent lights above.

	"Uh.  I am..."

	"You are not supposed to be here," he growled and ran toward her.

	Letting out a light scream, she ran out the door and down the
hall.  The lights in the hall were flashing.  The tiger-man must have
signaled an alarm.  She turned the corner, but stopped.  A barricade had
sealed off the rest of the hall.  She turned back, and she could see a
barricade down the other way as well.  The tiger-man was strolling up to
her.

	The doors leading out from the hall were all locked.  The
tiger-man was upon her before she knew it.  She backed up against the door
she was trying to open.

	"Miss.  Come with me," he said and grabbed her arm by a big
paw-like hand.

---------------------------------

	Jack walked down yet another new hallway.  His hooves clomped
against the floor and echoed through the long hallways.  During the past
few weeks, he explored section by section, and he always found some new
corridor.  At least it seemed like he found new corridors.  All the halls
looked alike except for the door placement and the occasional potted
plant.

He was determined to learn the lay out of this whole facility even if he
could only learn the landmarks of a few hallways at a time.  Every hall
seemed to have another hall connecting to it that he hadn't been down
before.  The whole thing could span half the US for as all he knew.

	The strange thing was that he had yet to meet someone other than
Gina and Horus.  If Horus had staff that took their work seriously, where
were they?  He found evidence that people did live there and work there,
but he hadn't seen the people.

	"They may all work on another side of the facility," he thought to
himself.  That would explain why he hadn't seen any of them.  If the place
were as huge as he was imagining, he would probably never see them.

	As he passed one door, he thought he heard some voices.  They were
too mumbled to make out, but they definitely weren't Horus's or Gina's
voices.  He leaned closer to the door, but that did not help.

	Swinging the door open he let out a threatening snort.  He wasn't
sure where that came from, but he felt like that was the right thing to
do.  More bull-like thoughts seeping in.  He needed to stop that.

Inside the room, a man in a lab coat was looking in a cage.  In the cage
was a woman.  Jack knew she looked familiar somehow, but he couldn't place
it.  Why would she be in that cage?

	The man turned toward Jack.  The man wasn't a man at all.  He was
part tiger.  The tiger-man snarled at Jack.  "Who are you.  Oh.  You must
be Mr. Higgins."  The tiger seemed to relax some.

	"Who are you?  Are you a member of the Transformation of the Month
Club?"  Jack was hoping he wasn't the only one.

	The tiger looked confused.  "Club?  No."  He didn't offer any more
information.

	"Why is she in that cage?" Jack bellowed.  Why was he getting
angry?  He took a deep breath to calm his bull-side down.

	The tiger looked back at the woman then to Jack again.  "She was
caught trespassing in the halls.  She should not be down here."

	"I am a reporter!  I needed to get an interview with
Mr. Higgins," the woman said standing up in the cage leaning against the
bars.

	Trespassing?  That sparked Jack's memory.  She was the maid that
searched his hotel rooms.  She was following him.

"Interview me?  I don't want to be interviewed."  Jack snorted.  "At least
not now."

	The woman smiled.  "Oh?  Let me know when you want to."

	The tiger smiled slyly.  "You'll know where she is."

	The woman grimaced and sat back down in the cage.

	Jack nodded.  "I'll go now.  I am just exploring the halls."  He
turned and walked out the door closing it behind him.

	He should ask Horus about the woman in the cage.  But, she didn't
seem to be mistreated.  That was a good thing.  He only wished that those
scientists that captured him were the ones locked in a cage.

	The tiger-man is the thing that occupied most of his
thoughts.  There was someone else that was part animal.  But he wasn't a
member of the Club.  Yet another question to ask Horus.  He should
probably tell Gina first.  Besides, he was due to change in a little
while.  He ran down the hallways toward his room.

---------------------------------

	Gina knocked on the door again.  Jack wasn't answering.  "Jack?  I
need to talk."  She really wanted to see him one last time as a bull.  In
a few hours, he was going to change.  She hardly saw him any more now that
he was exploring the hallways.  She would have joined him, but Horus asked
her to help him with some gardening.

	The sound of hooves hitting the floor grew louder.  Jack was in
the hall still exploring.  At least he wasn't locking himself in his
room.  He was running for some reason.

	The large figure of Jack turned the corner quickly and continued
to run toward her.  A large grin split across his muzzle.  "Gina!" he
bellowed.  "I need to talk with you."

	He slowed down as he approached and opened his door.  Letting her
in first, he followed and closed it behind him.  "I saw something
strange."  He wasn't out of breath even after running through the halls.

	"What did you see?"  She sat down on one of the chairs.

	Jack walked over to another and sat down.  "When you saw the
staff, did you notice anything different about them?"

	Gina thought back to when she saw a few leaving the vending
machine room.  "No.  It was from a distance though.  Why?"

"I saw a tiger-man!" he said excitedly.

	"A tiger-man?"

	Jack nodded.  "That's what he looked like.  Just like what I would
look like if I changed into a tiger next."

	"Really?  You know there could be other members of the Club."

	Jack shook his head.  "No, he said he wasn't."

	Gina didn't know what to say.  She figured there would be others
that were this half-man-half-animal thing, but not one that wasn't a
member of the Club.  "That's odd.  We'll have to ask Horus about it."

	Jack nodded his big bovine head.  That form did seem to suit
him.  Or maybe she wanted it to.  Either way, she was going to miss the
bull.

	"He just better tell us," Jack snorted and stood up.  That was a
habit he could do without.  He snorted too often.  But, it added to his
intimidating stance.  Especially with her sitting down at the time.

	"We'll talk to him about it in the morning.  Right now, you need
to not worry about that.  You're going to change in a little bit.  You
don't need any extra stress."

	Jack nodded and paced the room.  "But, it just bothers me that
there is someone else out there that...isn't human any more, and he isn't
a member of the Club."

	Gina nodded.  "I know.  But don't worry about it
now.  Ok?  Please, Jack."

	"There was a woman there, too."

	"A woman?  A tiger, as well?"

	Jack shook his head.  "No.  She was in a cage.  'Caught
trespassing,' the tiger said.  She's a reporter, and she's been following
me!"

	"How do you know?"

	"She is the woman that was in the hotel rooms disguised as a
maid."  Jack snarled and snorted.

	Gina figured someone was following them, but not this
close.  "We'll bring that up to Horus, too.  Ok?"

	Jack nodded.

	Gina stood up.  "Now, try to get some sleep.  It's late, and you
know what's going to happen tonight."

	She gave him a big hug.  He hugged back wrapping her in his thick
arms.  His course fur scraped against her.

	"Good night, Gina," he said as they stopped hugging.  His dark
black eyes stared at her.

	"Good night, Jack.  I'll see you all new, tomorrow."  She grinned
and walked to the door.  Opening the door, she looked back at his large
muscular shape half knowing what it would look like the next morning.

----------------------------------

	Jack sat in his room.  His stomach or stomachs rumbled as he
waited.  Giving in to his hunger, he got up and went down the hall to the
vending machines.  Getting a bag of chips, he started walking back to his
room.  He was now in this "safe place," so if he changed on the way, it
wouldn't matter.  It wouldn't be like he changed in the middle of a
hotel.  A bull-man thing in the middle of a hotel to start with would not
be widely accepted.

	Halfway back to his room, he felt the lightheadedness come
again.  He was changing then and there.  He dropped the bag of chips and
went down to his hands and knees.

=====================================================================

September

	The wall of video monitors dimly illuminated the room.  Glancing
at the clock, Horus saw that it was time for Jack's change.  He made sure
the record light was on.  This one he wanted to see.  It was a first, and
hopefully it worked correctly.

Rolling his chair closer to one of the screens, he saw Jack's bovine form
on the hallway floor.  He was already changing.  As Jack grew bigger, his
fur vanished with thick green skin underneath.  So far so good.  A thick
tail extended behind him. The almost reptilian form on the screen was just
what Horus was expecting.  But, that wasn't what Horus wanted to really
see.

	Suddenly, four large spikes sprouted from the tip of Jack's
tail.  Running up the tail and his back, large plates shot out from his
skin.  Horus winced.  It looked painful.  Fortunately, Jack didn't react
to it much.

	Horus leaned back in his chair with a big smile on his face.  It
worked.  He actually created a humanoid dinosaur.  He looked back at the
stegosaurus in the monitor.  And it looked like a good model.  His work
was not finished yet.  There were other dinosaur species to develop.

-----------------------------------

	Jack slowly regained consciousness.  He was vaguely aware of the
changes happening, but he couldn't tell what he was this time.  He had a
green furless hand.  Perhaps he was a Komodo dragon or something this
time.

	He didn't try to stand up yet.  Instead he looked back at himself
to see what he was and to judge as to how he would get up.  The first
sight of his back and large tail lying behind him told him what he
was.  He was a stegosaurus.  At least that's what he thought the name
was.  He certainly looked like one of those dinosaurs with the ridge of
plates on their backs.

	"Just perfect," Jack said.  "I'm extinct."

	Getting back to his room would probably be the best bet.  He was
tired anyway.  Sleeping out in the hall wouldn't be a good
idea.  Especially since he nearly completely blocked it.  Hopefully he
could fit into his room.  The bed was big enough for a whale, but would
the door be large enough?

	He slowly stood up on his hind legs.  He was still built for
bipedal movement at least.  However, his head brushed the ceiling.  At
least he didn't have horns or antlers to worry about.  He twisted his long
neck to look behind him again. But, he did have a whole back of vertical
plates to worry about.

	He bent back down to pick up his bag of chips and then lumbered to
his room.  He had to get on all fours to squeeze into the doorway.  He
only hit the largest two plates on top of the doorframe.  Once inside, the
room was spacious, and the bed was still big enough for him.

	Seeing the bed made him realize how tired he was.  He crawled onto
it and forced himself not to sleep on his back.  He would get a rude
awakening if he rolled over during the night.  Lying on his side, he was
soon asleep.

----------------------------------------

	The printer spit out new sheets of data into the tray.  Dave was
standing there waiting for the document to finish.  If his calculations
were correct, he and Rich would not have to stay in the quarantine area
any longer.   The rest of the staff was unaffected, fortunately.  With a
whine, the printer stopped.  Dave picked up the papers and began browsing
through them.

	"Any luck?" Rich asked from the other side of the room.  He stayed
away from Dave.  Probably since he was more affected by Horus's
prank.  Dave only had the hands of an iguana while Rich had the head and
tail of one.

	"I believe so," Dave said walking over to Rich.  "The iguana cells
have not increased.  It looks like we are stable."  Dave handed Rich the
paper as Rich waved his hands in warning.  "And we aren't contagious,
either.  So, stop that."  He forced the papers into Rich's hands.

	While Rich was looking over the information, Dave was making his
way toward the door.  He needed to let the assistants know everything was
fine, and then they could be let out of the chamber.  It had already been
too long in there.

	Dave pressed the buzzer button, but no one came to the station on
the other side.  Perhaps they were all at lunch or something.

	"You're right!" Rich exclaimed running to the door.  "You're
right!  We can get out of this place."

	Dave nodded.  "And then we need to find Horus.  I'm sure he
switched Higgins with that real iguana and ... gave us our ... features."

	Rich was trying to grimace, but it did not translate well on his
reptilian face.  Dave was glad he only had iguana hands.  He couldn't
imagine what Rich was going through.  Horus was going to pay for it
somehow.

	"Do you know where he would be?" Rich asked.

	Dave shrugged. "I'm not sure.  But, I think I remember where he
was trying to get his operation started."

--------------------------------------

	Jack woke up feeling refreshed.  He couldn't tell how long he
slept at first.  He had turned over the clock next to the bed and being
underground, it was hard to tell what time it was.  He crawled out of bed
and twisted around to make sure he didn't break off any of his new
ornamentation while sleeping.  Everything appeared normal.

	He took a quick shower and was ready for breakfast.  He gained a
lot of mass the night before, and he was starving.  Taking a bed sheet off
the unmade bed, he draped it around him almost like a toga.  He knew none
of the clothes that were provided to him could fit his current body.  He
didn't know how he could wear anything with those plates and tail anyway.

	Carefully moving through the doorway, he checked again to make
sure all the plates were there.  No damage was done that he could
tell.  He pulled the door to and lumbered down the hall toward the dining
room.

	As he drew closer, he eventually heard voices coming from the
dining room.  He walked in and saw Gina and Horus having a meal at Horus's
table.  It was probably time for lunch instead of breakfast.  His stomach
rumbled as he walked in.

	"Jack?  Good morning.  Looking good," Gina said after his stomach
stopped growling.

	Jack smiled.  "Thanks.  It's odd.  I feel so.  Big."

	"There's a reason for that," she giggled and took a bite from her
sandwich.

	Jack made his way through the tables and chairs toward their
table.  One look at the chair there, and he put it aside.  There was no
way he could sit in it.  He was too big for one reason.  There was no
place for his plates and tail, either.  He sat down on the floor, which
actually was a good height for him to the table.

	"This is an interesting choice for this month," Jack said looking
at a bowl of lettuce in the middle of the table.  "A stegosaurus?  Not
that I'm complaining, yet."

	Gina shrugged.  "I hoped you would like it.  It seemed different."

	"That it is," Jack said and ate some lettuce.  They must have been
expecting him.  They had a lot of lettuce set out on the table.

	"I will have to say that your new form is remarkable," Horus said
getting up and walking over to Jack's side.  He began looking closely at
Jack's arm and then his plates.

	Jack looked around as far as he could to see what Horus was doing,
but he gave up eventually.  He looked back at Gina.  "So, any more
surprise forms waiting for me?"

	Gina smiled and took another bite of her sandwich.

	Jack felt something poke one of his plates.  He looked back at
Horus.  Horus stopped what he was doing when he saw Jack
watching. "Oh. Sorry.  You can feel that then?  Interesting."  He went
back to looking Jack over.

	Hoping Gina could understand reading his new lips, that is if you
could call them lips, Jack mouthed, "Have you asked him yet?" to her.

	Apparently Gina understood and shook her head.  She may have just
known what he was going to say.  Either way, they were going to have to
ask Horus about what Jack saw the other day.

	"This is simply remarkable," Horus said again.  "Jack, do you mind
if I do some research?  You're the first living dinosaur since they went
extinct.  I'm sorry.  That sounded odd."

	Research?  Jack didn't really like the sound of that, but what
harm could it do?  He was staying in Horus's facility and eating his
food.  Besides, it could work to his advantage.  "No problem.  But, in
return will you answer some questions that I have."

	Horus never looked up at Jack's face.  He was fixated on the
tail. "Of course.  Of course.  But, not now.  I have to take care of a few
matters.  If you excuse me."  He nodded gracefully at Gina and hurried out
of the dinning room through the main doors.

	Jack and Gina were both staring at the doors for a few moments
after Horus left.  Jack finally turned to Gina, "He's getting stranger the
more I see him."

	Gina nodded and took another bite of her sandwich.

-------------------------------

	Making his way down the long monotonous hallways, Jack tried to
remember where he found the reporter.  He thought he found the room one
time, but it turned out to be a storage closet.

	Several days passed without asking Horus about the tiger-man and
the reporter.  Horus hadn't even come to ask Jack for that further
research he mentioned.  Jack did not like the sound of that anyway.  The
only problem with waiting was that he wasn't getting his own answers
either.

	Trying another door, he found another empty room.  He didn't have
any problem mapping out the layout of the halls before.  He couldn't
figure out why he was having difficulty at the moment.  He hadn't been
wandering the halls since he changed into a stegosaurus, so perhaps he
lost it due to the change or lack of use.  Either way, he needed to find
that room.

	He came to another intersection.  Sticking to the right, he
wandered down that similar hallway.  That room had to be around this area
somewhere.  It had to be unless he took a wrong turn early on.  He should
have been drawing a map instead of relying on his memory.  The brain of a
normal stegosaurus was no bigger than a walnut.  Was that why he was
forgetting the layout?  Shuddering at thinking what else he may have lost
due to his primitive brain, he continued down that hall.

	Rounding another corner, he saw Horus walking out of a room about
halfway down the hall.  Horus immediately spotted Jack.

	"Jack!  I was just about to go looking for you," Horus yelled
walking in Jack's direction.  "I have a room set up for that research I
was talking about."

	Jack didn't walk toward him.  The moment was upon him.  He was
about to find out what this research of Horus's was.

	Horus walked toward Jack.  "Jack, it's not going to be
bad.  Mostly it's x-rays and stuff like that."

	Eventually, he was going to have to go through with this
research.  Jack understood why Horus wanted to do it.  Jack was a living
dinosaur, or as close to one as can be.  He would be very popular in the
world now.  He also needed to get some answers out of Horus.

	Reluctantly, he started walking toward the approaching man.  He
wanted to just get it over with.  

Horus stopped and smiled when Jack began walking that direction.  He
waited for Jack, then walked along side him.  "This won't take long.  I
promise."  He opened the door to the room he came out of and walked
inside.

	Jack stood in the doorway for a moment and ducked to look inside
the room.  All sorts of equipment filled the room, but in a neat and
organized way.  There were devices that Jack recognized as some medical
equipment.  There were electronic displays on one wall with a control
panel type of thing under them.  Most of the equipment, Jack had never
seen before.

	Horus walked over to the control panel under the displays.  "Just
go over to that booth over there," he said and pointed to what Jack could
only guess to be an X-ray machine.  "I'll take a few X-rays first."

	The machine didn't look too frightening as Jack walked
closer.  Surprisingly, it was large enough for him.  It was probably large
enough for a full-sized blue whale.  Why would Horus need such a thing?

	Standing in the booth, Jack waited.  Horus gave a signal and the
machine hummed for a second.  Horus then gave a thumbs up.  "That was
perfect," he said.  "Want to take a look?"

	Jack nodded and lumbered over to the screens in front of
Horus.  It would be the first time he had seen anything other than the
outside of his new bodies.  This was an interesting one to start
with.  Horus moved out of the way when Jack drew near.  There on the
screen, was a three dimensional image of a stegosaurus skeleton standing
on its hind legs.

	"The computer generated that picture that quick?" Jack said
staring at the rotating image of his bones.  It looked like something that
should be in a museum.

	Horus nodded.  "Amazing, isn't it?"

	Jack wholeheartedly agreed.

	"Care for some more tests?" Horus asked looking up at Jack.  "They
will be just as painless."

	Jack shrugged.  "Okay, I guess."

	Horus walked over to another machine.  "Great!  We'll start with
this one.  It measures your heart rate."

	Jack nodded and walked over and sat in the chair as Horus hooked
up the probes to his thick skin.

----------------------------------------

	Jack sat at the dinning room table eating some leafy
vegetables.  Gina was eating some kind of sandwich across the
table.  Throughout the course of the week, Jack had gone back to that
testing room a few times as well as a few other rooms in that same
area.  Horus was collecting all sorts of data on the dinosaur form.  Most
of it, Jack didn't understand.

	"Did you ask him yet," Gina asked putting her sandwich down.

	Jack shook his head.  "Not yet.  He gets caught up in the data
he's collecting and doesn't pay much attention to me after he's done for
the day."

	Gina nodded. "I haven't asked him anything either.  He's always
locked in that lab."

	"I don't even know where that room is any more."  Jack sighed.  "I
wanted to go by and check on that reporter and to see if I can get any
answers out of that tiger guy, but I don't know where it is."  He still
wasn't sure if they moved since he found them, or if he had lost all of
his sense of direction with the form change.

	"I'm sure they are here somewhere, and once we ask Horus we'll
know...."

	"Ask me what?" Horus said interrupting Gina.  He walked in from
the hall and sat down at the table.
 
	Jack leaned on the table.  "I was exploring the halls the other
day, and I found a room of particular interest."

	Horus only nodded.

	Hoping for a better reaction, Jack continued.  "There was a woman
who says she is a reporter and a tiger-man watching over her.  What's
going on here, Horus?"

	Horus looked at Gina.  "You haven't told him?  I thought you told
him."

	Gina gave a look that was a mix of shock and confusion.  She
managed to get a glare in there as well.

	"Tell me?  Tell me what?"  Jack asked looking at both of them.

	Gina rolled a piece of bread between her fingers.  "I didn't tell
him everything.  I told him that I was the one that signed him up for a
Club membership."

	"Gina, what didn't you tell me?" he asked.  He tried not to sound
angry.  It was rather hard at the moment.

	Gina looked down at her plate and moved the fork around on
it.  "Jack.  This is the club.  But, I honestly don't know anything about
that tiger...."

	Jack stood up quickly.  The elusive Club showed its face.  And it
was Horus's.  "This is the Club?"

	Horus got up from the table.  "Yes, Jack.  I am the founder of the
club.  And this is the headquarters.  As you can see, we don't have many
members yet.  To be precise, you are the first member of the
Transformation of the Month Club."

	"I'm the first?  I'm the first?  Ok.  That brings up my original
question.  Who is that tiger-guy?"

	Horus showed no signs of fear even with Jack's huge dinosaur body
towering over him.  "I said you are the first member of the Transformation
of the Month Club.  The 'tiger-guy,' as you put it, is not a member of the
Club.  He is one of the employees.  A volunteer, so to speak."

	"Oh.  That makes it much better," he said sarcastically.  "I'm the
first to get these monthly forms, then right?"

	Horus nodded.

	Jack stormed off toward the door.  The lights hanging from the
ceiling vibrated.  "I don't appreciate being a guinea pig for this."

	Horus took a step toward Jack as he was going out the door.  "Now,
Jack.  You don't...."

	"I don't what?" Jack interrupted and spun around glaring at Horus
and stopped the man in his tracks.  "I don't understand why?  You bet I
don't.  And right now, I'm not in the mood to hear it."

	He stomped out the door and into the hall.  He didn't feel like
going back to his room.  He didn't know where to go though.  So, he
stormed down the winding hallways rattling flowerpots and light fixtures
along the way.

---------------------------------

	Watching several video screens at once, Horus sat
expectantly.  Jack was still roaming the halls checking every room.  He
had been to the same area more than once already.  Perhaps he has a
shorter memory as a stegosaurus.  Or perhaps he doesn't have a sense of
direction as developed as the bull form.  Horus jotted some notes down on
his pad for later.

	Another image appeared on one of the screens.  It was Gina, and
she was heading toward Horus's room.  He should have never told her about
his room.  He watched the screens and opened the door just before Gina
could knock or barge in, whichever she was going to do.  Judging from the
look on her face, it was the latter.

	"Hello, Gina."

	"Horus!" she shoved him back inside and barged in anyway slamming
the door behind her.  "You. You."

	"What, Gina?"

She grunted frustrated.  "You know what."  She forcefully poked him on his
chest as she spoke.  "You made it sound like I knew about all of
this!  And I know nothing.  Nothing!"

	"You knew more than he did, and you kept it from him," Horus said
casually walking back to his chair in front of the screen.

	Gina did not move a step, but Horus could feel her scowl the whole
way to his chair.  "You know more than both of us, and are keeping it
secret."

	Horus grinned slyly and shrugged.  Gina let out another one of
those little frustrated grunts.  Suddenly her face moved from glaring at
him to concern behind him.  He spun around quickly.

	"Jack!" she said running closer to the video screens. On one of
the monitors, Jack was heading for the elevator to the
outside.  "Jack.  Don't go out there."  She grabbed Horus's
shoulder.  "Don't let him go out there."

	Jack was already in the elevator going up.  "I can't do anything
now," Horus said.  "Besides, he will be back.  There is nothing out
there.  We are in the middle of nowhere, remember.  Let him blow off some
steam."

	She shoved the shoulder she was clinging to and hurried out of the
room.  Horus walked to the door and locked it.  Perhaps he should hire
some more security.  He will work on that next.

Strolling back to his chair, he watched the screens showing Gina running
to her room.  A moment later, she emerged from the room with some blankets
and pillows.  Near the elevator, she laid out the items and created a nice
area for her to wait on Jack's return.  That had to be what she was doing.

	Horus picked up his pad of paper and began writing down his
brainstorming on increasing security.

---------------------------------

	Bundled up in her blankets, Gina stayed in the hallway.  It had
been a week or so since Jack left, and she hasn't moved from her
spot.  Well, except for the occasional bathroom break.  A pair of
restrooms wasn't too far down the hall from her camp.

	Horus would bring her food for every meal.  He hadn't tried to
talk her out of waiting yet.  She wasn't about to give in.  She should
have gone up to look for Jack, but he could return without her knowing, if
she left the facility. Jack didn't seem to be in the mood to be around her
anyway.

	She knew she should have told Jack everything.  Horus wanted to
keep it a secret as long as he could for some reason.  Doing more
research, she guessed.

	Stretching out her legs causing some empty potato chip backs and
snack wrappers to fall from the blankets, she fluffed her pillow.  She
felt like taking a nap.

	As soon as she laid her head down, footsteps echoed from one of
the hallways.  Opening her eyes, she sat up glancing at each of the
doorways leading to the halls trying to determine which one it was coming
from.

	Suddenly, a woman ran through the doors to the left of the
elevator and skidded to a halt when she saw Gina in the floor.

	"Oh, hi," the woman said catching her breath and walking over to
Gina.  "Do you know where Mr. Higgins is?  I wanted to ask him some
questions."

	Gina shook her head.  "He's outside somewhere.  He ran away."

	"Ran away?  I need to find him."  She ran to the elevator and
pressed the call button.

Gina sat up some more.  "Are you that reporter he was talking about?"

	The woman turned around to face Gina again.  "I am a reporter, and
he saw me a few weeks ago.  I guess I'm the one he mentioned."  The woman
paused for a second.  "I am Rhonda Richards.  You must be Gina Williams."

	Gina nodded.  "You do know about us, then."

	Rhonda shrugged it off. "Some.  I know your names, and I knew
enough to get here.  But, I wanted to know more about Jack's
situation."  She looked back at the elevator door which hadn't opened
yet.  "Mind if I ask you some questions?  You may know the answers, too."

	Little did the woman know that Gina probably knew the answers
better than Jack did.  "I don't mind.  I hope I can answer them."

	"Well, you obviously can't answer anything about what it feels
like.  Do you know the reason this happened to him?"

	"I do know that one," Gina said.  "I signed him up for the
Transformation of the Month Club for Christmas last year."

	Confusion crossed the other woman's face.  "You signed him up for
what?  The Transformation of the Month Club?  Interesting.  And what is
this Club?"

	Gina shrugged and snorted a laugh.  "I don't really know any
more.  But, you are in the right place.  You are in the Club
headquarters."

	The confusion changed to happy surprise.  "This is the
place?  Somewhere here, I can find what's actually causing Jack's
predicament?  This is too good to be true."

	Gina shrugged.

	The doors through which Rhonda ran through opened again.  A large
tiger-man stepped through followed by a wiry man with rat-like features.

Rhonda looked back and saw the two creatures.  "Darn."  She turned to
Gina.  "Thanks for your help, though.  Maybe we'll see each other
again.  I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon."

	Gina nodded.  "I won't be either."

	"You should not have run away on your bathroom break," the tiger
said walking toward Rhonda.  The rat darted into the room and was behind
her in a flash holding her by her shoulders.  The tiger walked in slowly
with handcuffs.  "I suggest you do not do it again."

	"Don't hurt her."  Gina stood up awkwardly with the blankets
slightly tangled around her.

	The tiger fastened the handcuffs to the reporter's wrists.  "Don't
worry, Miss Williams.  We will not hurt her.  She is getting fairly good
treatment.  She would get better if she cooperated."  He glared at her
when he said that.  She had an indifferent look.  "We will take her back
to the cell for now.  Sorry for the inconvenience she may have
caused."  He walked toward the door.

The rat pushed the reporter, and the two of them followed the tiger.  Gina
watched them leave and then sat back down to resituate her bedding.  She
probably shouldn't have freely given that answer to Rhonda.  Perhaps it
was in defiance.  Horus already ruined her relationship with Jack because
of that secret.  Hopefully not permanently.

--------------------------------------------

	"This was definitely a bad idea," Jack said to himself as he
walked out of the makeshift shelter he made.  He was out in the middle of
nowhere and not any place to go.  Well, there was one place, but he didn't
really want to go back there yet.  Even if it had been several weeks.

	Jack was surprised that he survived out in the wild as long as he
had.  But, the plains provided plenty of plants to eat.  And the small
grove of trees he found helped provide shelter.  It was a good thing he
found that discarded tarp not far from the road.

	The shack with the elevator to Horus's house of horrors wasn't too
far either.  It was a good half-a-day's walk, but not too far.  He figured
staying within walking distance was a good idea.  Maybe Gina would come
out looking for him.  It was too far away for him to know if she did, but
he didn't want to be too close to it.  No telling what kind of spying
equipment Horus had.

	After a few stretches, Jack lumbered away from his shelter in
search of food.  He was getting tired of the same vegetation that the tree
grove provided, so he ventured out to a new area.  He had been to the
small cliff once before, and it had a few more plant varieties which were
tasty.  That's what he craved.

	Fortunately, the plants were still there even that late in
September.  He wasn't sure what they were, but they seemed to like growing
in the shade from the cliff.  Picking a few of the plants, he started
carrying it back toward his shelter.

	"Daddy!  Look!  A dinosaur!" a loud young voice said.

	Jack spun around looking for the owner.  Parked previously out of
view was a pick-up truck.  Sitting in the back of the truck was a little
girl and a man presumably her father.  He had a camera out and was taking
pictures in the opposite direction of Jack.

	"What did you say?" the man asked.

	"Look!  A dinosaur!" the little girl said again finishing with a
scream of delight.  "A dinosaur!"  She held the side of the truck bed and
started jumping up and down.

	Jack searched the area.  The closest place for him to hide was
down against the cliff, but they would soon spot him again.

But, it was too late to do anything.  The man had already turned to look
in the direction his daughter was pointing.  His eyes grew large and then
he pulled his daughter closer to him.  "Stay back.  You don't want to
startle him."

	The girl did what she was told and stared at Jack in wonder.  The
man slowly pulled his camera up to his eye and started clicking pictures.

	Jack went to all fours and bolted for the trees in the
distance.  Hopefully they wouldn't follow him.  "Just perfect," he said to
himself as he ran.  "Just perfect."  Most of the month, he was able to
avoid humans, and after this he will probably have pictures posted on
every newspaper and tabloid in the country.

	He looked behind him.  They were not following, but he could feel
the lens of the camera focusing on him.  And the direction he was
going.  He was leading them straight for his shelter.  That was not a good
idea.  He saw another small cluster of trees off to his right and quickly
went in that direction.  It was still away from the truck, but he had been
out in the open too long.  There were not enough low hills between him and
the truck.

	Making it to the trees, he zigzagged through them going deeper
into the grove.  He then stopped to catch his breath and listen.  Nothing
could be heard except for his breathing.  He never heard the truck start
up while he was running.  He didn't hear one coming toward the trees
either.  Lying down, he waited to see if anyone would come.

	After what seemed like several hours, Jack assumed it was
safe.  Going to his shelter was probably still a bad idea.  If that guy
tells where he took the picture of a living stegosaurus, every inch of the
area would be searched.

	If he changed before they started searching, he could probably
hide easier.  That is if he changed into something smaller.  Changing into
an elephant would stick out just as much as being a stegosaurus.  He
wasn't even sure what day it was.  The chance of him changing overnight
was slim.

	There was only one option that came to mind.  He had to go back to
Horus's place as much as he hated the idea.  At least there he would not
be out in the open, and surely no one would find the place.

	Getting back up to his two feet, he carefully went to the edge of
the trees.  No trucks or anyone was in sight.  What a relief that there
wasn't a squad of trucks and a semi to carry him off to the museum!  After
checking every direction and seeing nothing that shouldn't be there, he
headed for the shack.

	Night fell during the journey.  That was expected since he was
quite a ways from the shack.  The moon wasn't full, but it was bright
enough for him to see very well.  That was one thing he liked about being
various creatures.  Nightvision!

	The shape of the shack finally appeared on the horizon.  He ran
for it as quickly as he could.  So far no one had seen him, and he
definitely didn't want anyone seeing him go toward the shack.  He squeezed
inside the small doorways.  The lights in the elevator turned on and
practically blinded him as he started riding the elevator down.

	His vision cleared just before the doors slid open.  He took one
step out of the elevator, and someone screamed, "Jack!"  Gina was rushing
toward him.  She had made a nest on the floor in front of the
elevator.  Somehow she had managed to untangle herself from the sheets she
had wrapped around her and latched herself onto him in a tight hug.

	"Oh, Jack!  I was so worried!"

	Jack gave a gentle hug back.  "I was spotted out there.  I think I
lost them before I came here."

	Gina hugged tighter.  "At least you are alright!"

	"I'm doing better."

	She stopped hugging, but she was still holding his arms as she
leaned back.  "Jack.  I'm so sorry.  I didn't mean for all this to
happen.  I would have told you sooner, but...."

	"Don't worry about it," Jack said smiling as best as his saurian
face could.  "Like I said before, it is a neat experience.  I just don't
completely trust Horus as much as before."  Jack snarled down the
hallway.  "Maybe we should...."  The lightheadedness hit.  He was about to
change again.  "It's starting."

	Gina held on to him and helped him to the floor.  He was vaguely
aware that she was sitting by his side as the change hit.

=====================================================================

October

	Jack was vaguely aware of his body shrinking.  The room spun even
though there could have been someone holding him.  If there were someone
holding him, it would have been Gina.  She was at his side when the
changes hit him.

	His head started to clear to the point where he could remembered
that he was by the elevator.  He could also feel that his skin was covered
in fur again.  Being a stegosaurus for a month probably caused him to get
used to not having fur because it felt thick and heavy.

	Lying face down on the floor, he rolled over to make sure it was
Gina that he felt beside him.  Sure enough it was.  She placed her arm on
his shoulder as he sat up.  And crushed his tail.  He winced and moved it
out of the way.

	"Jack, can you understand me now?" she asked peering into his
eyes.

	Jack nodded.  "Yes.  My head is clearing."  He looked down at
himself.  He was definitely a furred animal again.  A thick gray pelt
covered his body.  Judging from his tail and legs, he guessed a canine of
some sort.  Feeling of his ears and seeing the large muzzle in his vision,
he confirmed that he was.  What kind, he wasn't sure yet.

	"A wolf?" He guessed.

	Gina grinned and nodded.  "You were able to tell already?  I
figured you would have guessed some kind of dog."

	Jack shrugged.  "Instinct, I suppose," he said with a sly grin on
his face.  Or so he thought he was grinning slyly.  He'll have to test out
his facial expressions in a mirror again.

	Pulling himself up to his hind feet, he tested out his new
balance.  Gina stood by for any help that he needed.  This time, he didn't
need any.  He was adjusting to the new forms quicker he suspected.  He had
been switching for almost a year now.

	"I thought the wolf would be fun," she said as she intently
watched him making sure he wasn't going to topple over.  "It is
October.  You have the perfect werewolf costume for Halloween."

	Jack chuckled.  "You're right.  I wonder if it would be ok to go
trick-or-treating."

	"On Halloween, who would notice?  Just don't go out there now."

	Jack nodded.  He definitely agreed with that.  Although, the
people hunting for the stegosaurus wouldn't even think to look for the
wolf-man.  Of course if they found either one, they would probably try to
catch him anyway.

	Feeling comfortable on his new legs, Jack headed for the hallway
leading to his room.  "I think I'm going to sleep some.  I haven't had a
good night's sleep in a while.  And now, I can actually sleep on my back."

	Gina snickered and followed.  She followed him all the way to his
room.  When he walked in, she stayed in the doorway.

	The room seemed larger now.  Of course, it was the first time
since he had been there in a size close to his original size.  Or so he
thought it was his original size.  The only thing he could base his height
on was Gina.

	He looked over at the bed.  "That bed is going to feel so
good," he said dragging out the last two words.

	"I bet," Gina said from the doorway.  "You have a nice
nap.  Wolfie."

	Jack smirked.  "I will.  Good night."

	"Night," she said walking into the hallway and closing the door
behind her.

	Jack turned out the light and leaped into bed.  He felt more agile
than he did the previous month.  That didn't really surprise him.  After
being a stegosaurus, anything would feel more agile.  He nestled into the
blankets and was asleep before he knew it.

-------------------------------------

	It was definitely not the fact that he was a stegosaurus that
caused him to get confused in the hallways.  Jack was confused as a wolf,
too.  He never got lost finding his way back to his room, but he could
never be sure where he had been when wandering.  Gradually, he was picking
up on the distinct features of the halls.  The bull had a much easier time
for some reason.

	The dinning room wasn't too far away.  He could smell it before he
realized he was in the hall leading to it.  His stomach rumbled at the
smell of hot dogs cooking, so he headed that way.

	As he walked in the dinning room, Gina was entering from the
swinging kitchen doors carrying a plate of hotdogs and buns.  "Jack," she
said seeing him.  "I was just about to go get you.  Hungry?"

	"You bet," Jack said quickly getting to the table.  "I'm
starving."

	Gina set the plate down in the middle of the table.  "Have you
been walking in the halls all morning?"

	Jack nodded.  "Pretty much.  I'm trying to refresh my mental map."

	"How is that working out?" She sat down and took a hotdog.

	Jack took a hotdog as well and ate it rather quickly.  "I think
I'm getting it down again.  I still haven't found the room with that
reporter again."

	"She's still here," Gina said.  "I saw her the other day.  I don't
think Horus wants her to leave."

	Jack took another hotdog.  "Speaking of Horus.  Where is he?  I
haven't seen him at all since I've been back."

	Gina shrugged.  "I haven't seen him either.  He's probably keeping
his distance for a while.  He's giving you some time to calm down."

	Jack snarled for a moment then ate the hotdog.  "Perhaps that's a
good thing."

	Gina nodded.

--------------------------------------------

	The grocery store checkout line was moving slowly.  Dave sighed to
himself as he watched the regular checkout lines move faster than the
express one where he was trapped.  He was the next one in line, so there
was no point in leaving it now.

	Hopefully Rich was doing fine out in the van.  He said he did not
want to go in, and Dave didn't blame him.  His iguana face would sort of
stand out in public.  At lest Dave could wear gloves to hide his
deformity.

	"The machine isn't reading your check correctly, Ma'am," the
cashier said to the woman in front of Dave.  She shoved the check into the
reader again.

Dave rolled his eyes and began perusing the magazines by register.  It was
the typical stuff.  Celebrity couples breaking up or on the verge of it,
how to lose half your weight in a week, dog phones 911, and stuff like
that.

	Then, one article listed on the front page of one of the tabloids
caught his eye.  A stegosaurus was found alive in the plains.  He picked
up the magazine and thumbed to that page.

	"How are you, sir?" the cashier asked him.  The woman in front of
him was pushing her basket containing one small bag away.

	Dave smiled.  "Doing good.  And you?"

	"Keeping busy," she replied and began scanning his
groceries.  Dave turned his attention back to the article.  The dinosaur
was spotted not too far away from where they were.  The photo even looked
realistic.  Could it be Higgins?  It did have a human quality to it.

	"Did you want to buy that, too?" the cashier asked.

	Dave looked up from the pages quickly.  "Oh.  Yes.  I do." He
handed her the tabloid and she ran it across the scanner.

	"Do you want it out or in a bag?"

	"The bag's fine," he said reaching for his wallet.

	She dropped it in the bag.  Dave tried to hurry her along.  He
paid with cash to speed up the process.  With a quick, "Thank you," he
hurried out the door.

	They were close.  He knew it.

-----------------------------------------

	The tray of food was slid through the narrow horizontal slit in
the cage.  Rhonda pulled the tray the rest of the way in and thanked
Larry.  A grin cracked his tiger muzzle.

	"You eat up, hear?" he ordered.

	Rhonda nodded and took the tray over to where she sat against the
bars looking out into the room.  Larry was already sitting in his
chair.  It was his guarding position.  Reggie, the rat-man, was sitting in
a chair by the door.  Those two were the two that were normally watching
her cage.  There was a late night shift that came in.  That varied among a
few different people, but there was always two there at a time.

	The food was pretty good.  The cafeteria or kitchen must have been
excellent.  She will have to visit there later.  If they let her.

	The door opened and both Larry and Reggie jumped out of their
chairs and stood attentively.  A boar-man walked through the door and the
two guards relaxed.  The boar looked familiar.  He may have been on a
night shift one time.

	"Reggie, the Doc wants to see you," the boar said.

	Worry filled Reggie's rat face.  "He does?  Now?"

	The boar nodded.  Larry's eyes grew big.  He seemed just as
concerned as Reggie did about this meeting.

	Reggie sighed and looked towards Rhonda.  His eyes were filled
with fear and sadness.  He took a deep breath and walked out the
door.  His tail, which was normally pretty active, hung limp as he
disappeared out the door.

	The boar stayed behind.  Apparently filling Reggie's post.  The
door closed, and no one said anything to break the unsettling silence.

---------------------------------------

	After no telling how many days of not seeing Horus, Gina finally
found him.  He didn't seem to be bothered with her finding him.  He was
more surprised that it took her or Jack that long especially with Jack's
nose.

	"Horus, where is that reporter?"  She got down to business.  "Why
are you keeping her here under guard?"

	Horus shook his head sadly.  "Gina, I thought you would have
known.  I don't want her blabbing about this place to the press.  Not
yet."  He put the paperwork he was working on in a desk drawer.

	"That's it?  That's why you've kept her here for... what is it
now?  Two months?"

	Horus shrugged and nodded.

	"I don't believe that you're doing these things," Gina was at the
desk and leaning over it to stare him in the face before she knew it.  "I
thought I knew you."

	"Gina, calm down.  I'm not completely holding her against her
will.  She's in a cage for now until she decides on a few options."

	She snarled at him.  "And I'm supposed to trust that?"

	"Go ask her yourself.  She should still be in her cage."  He
pulled a pad of paper over to him and wrote down a few directions on
it.  "This is where she is.  I'm sure she will love to have some
company."  He handed her the paper.

	Gina snatched it and grimaced at Horus again.   She then turned
and walked out closing the door hard behind her.

	She read the brief directions and began following them through the
corridors.  She knew she was in a part of the facility she had not been in
before.  Perhaps she should have gone exploring with Jack during his
walks.

	Eventually, she reached the door to the room that the reporter was
apparently being kept.  She opened the door, and two animal-men leaped to
their feet.  The closest one, a boar, blocked her entry.

	"You are not allowed in here," the boar-man said.

	Gina could see a cage against the far wall.  In the cage was the
reporter she saw before.  The boar kept moving to block her view.

	Gina held out the directions Horus gave her.  "Horus said I could
talk with her."

	The boar looked at the paper and snorted.  He smirked and moved
aside.  The other man was the same tiger man she saw taking Rhonda away
from the elevator.  He stood unmoving but eyeing Gina.

	Rhonda stood when she saw Gina enter.  "Gina.  Hello."

	"Hello, Rhonda," Gina said walking closer to the cage.  The
tiger-man offered her his chair, which she accepted.  "Rhonda, I was
talking with Horus."

	Rhonda nodded at that statement before Gina could continue as if
she already knew what Gina was going to ask.

	Gina continued since Rhonda didn't seem about to say anything
first.  "What are you doing here besides getting your story?"

	Rhonda smiled.  "Well, the story is most of it, I guess.  The
other part is just pure curiosity."  She paused and motioned Gina to come
closer.  Gina pulled her chair almost up to cage bars.  Rhonda leaned
closer to her and spoke is a whisper.  "I want to personally know what
it's like."

	Gina had an idea what she was talking about, but wanted to be
sure.  "What what is like?"

	Rhonda pointed at the two guards.  "What that is like.  What not
being 'human' is like.  What the process was like.  All of it.  I have
tried to interview Mr. Higgins, but he's elusive.  I've tried to interview
these guards, but they aren't open as well as I would like.  And then
Dr. Templeton suggested that I try it out."

	Gina recoiled back a little in astonishment.  "Really?  After all
this that Jack has been through?  I know you have been following us.  You
know what he has had to put up with.  Part of that was because of your own
snooping."

	Rhonda nodded. "That's precisely why I have been snooping.  I want
to know what it's like.  I wanted to find out how Jack did it.  And the
offer fell right into my lap."

	Looking back at the two guards, Gina thought about being one of
them.  About a year ago it sort of intrigued her as well.  That was part
of the reason she gave the membership to Jack.  Little did she know at the
time how much trouble it would have become.

	She looked back at Rhonda.  "And you're going to go through with
it?"

	Rhonda nodded.  "It will make a great story."

	"Rhonda, I don't think you should...."

	The door opened.  Rhonda and Gina both turned to look.  The
boar-man jumped into position and stood guard.  Horus stood in the
doorway, and the boar allowed him to enter.  Horus strode in with some
paperwork in hand.

	"Ah, Gina.  I see you did talk with her."  He walked over to the
cage and looked in like he was checking on a pet.  "Now, if you don't
mind, we need to discuss the details.  Privately."

	Gina paused before getting up from her chair and walking
out.  Rhonda seemed to have her mind made up, and she didn't know her
enough to try to talk her out of it.  She will get her story all right.

	Taking one last look back toward the cage, Gina saw Horus sitting
in the chair she was sitting in watching her waiting for her to
leave.  She pulled the door closed, and walked down the hall.

-----------------------------------

	Holding the piece of paper, Jack headed for Gina's door.  Perhaps
she knew something about it since she had talked to the reporter a few
days ago about something.

	Knock knock.

	Gina opened the door.  "Oh.  Hi, Jack."

	Jack held up the piece of paper.  "Did you get one of these?  It
was slid under my door."

	Gina nodded.  "Yeah.  I did."

	He turned the paper around so he could read it.  "So, what is this
'Rebirth Ceremony of Rhonda Richards?'"

	Gina snorted a laugh.  "Silly name isn't it?"

	Jack nodded in agreement, but he still didn't know what it
meant.  "What is it?"

	"She's volunteered to join in the ranks of the others around this
place."  Gina walked back into her room.  Jack followed.  "I don't know if
she's signing up for the same thing you're part of, or if it's like the
others."

	Jack looked back down at the paper.  "You mean, she's going to be
changed into an animal?"

	Gina nodded.

	"Well, it may not be too bad," Jack said.  "This is a good hideout
here.  Although, Horus is running the place." He snarled.  "But, they may
get along."

	Gina shrugged.  "So, are you going to go?"

	Jack nodded.  "Of course.  It's not like there's anything else to
do.  And besides, she invited us."

	"It's tonight.  What does one wear to a Rebirth Ceremony?" Gina
said going to her closet.

	Jack snickered.  He got a sudden image of the wolf in the Tex
Avery cartoons dressed in a suit.  "I don't know.  If most of the people
are animals, I doubt many of them would be wearing much."

	Gina rummaged through her closet and finally settled on a simple
outfit.  It looked like one she would wear to go hiking.  Jack agreed that
it could be appropriate.  She hung all the other clothes back up.

	"Now that that is settled, let's go have lunch," Jack said
realizing that his stomach was growling.

---------------------------------

	The room where the ceremony was to take place was in a section of
the facility that Jack hadn't explored much.  He had seen the hallway, but
never went down it before.  There was a double door in the middle of the
hall with a sign hanging next to it.  "The Rebirth Ceremony of Rhonda
Richards," it read.

	"This must be the place," Jack said.

	Gina nodded and walked in.  The room was large.  Several rows of
chairs were stretching across the room facing a stage.  There were about
twenty animal-people sitting in the chairs.  Jack had no idea there were
that many.  There were probably more.  These were probably the only ones
that could get off work.

	Gina took a seat on an empty row about halfway down, and Jack sat
next to her.  A skunk walked up to them and handed them a program.  Gina
and Jack took one and thanked the skunk.

	"They make a big deal of this, don't they?" Gina whispered.

	Jack nodded.  He was wondering of Gina felt uncomfortable. She was
the only pure human there, that he could see.  Horus was probably
backstage somewhere along with Rhonda.

	As if Jack's thoughts were a cue, Horus walked on stage.  "Good
evening.  I welcome you to the Rebirth Ceremony of Rhonda Richards."

	Rhonda walked on stage and stood beside Horus.  The audience
clapped.  Jack and Gina joined in.  Rhonda didn't appear nervous at
all.  He would have been sweating buckets if he were the one up there.

	Horus walked over to a podium set up on the right corner of the
stage.  "Rhonda, you have signed up for a permanent change.  That is a
very popular choice."

	The audience clapped again.  Probably because they all had the
same option.  Jack was still the only one that changed every month.

	Horus held up a piece of paper with some formal writing on
it.  Jack could not read it from that distance.  "Here is your contract
that you signed.  Come place your hand on it to confirm your agreement."

	Horus held the paper out flat.  Rhonda walked over and placed her
hand on it.

	After about ten seconds, Horus removed Rhonda's hand from the
paper and placed it back onto the podium.  "Rhonda, in a few moments, you
will be a new woman."

	The audience was quiet.  All were leaning forward in their
seat.  Jack found himself leaning forward as well.  He was curious as to
what she selected as her new permanent form.

	A minute passed by with nothing happening.  Then Jack recognized
some symptoms.  Rhonda looked around dazed.  She collapsed to the
floor.  Permanent or monthly, all the changes must be similar.

	She stared blankly out into the audience.  Her eyes darkening some
as brown spotted fur grew on her body.  Her face pushed out into a
muzzle.  Within about two minutes, what looked like a hyena was lying on
the stage.

	A few more minutes passed, and she started to come around.  Horus
went to her side to help her up.  When she sat up, it was definite that
she was a hyena-woman.  She blinked a few times and looked down at her
hands. A grin stretched across her muzzle.

	"It worked?" she asked looking at the rest of herself.  "It
worked!"

	"Of course, it worked," Horus said helping her to her feet.  "I
hereby announce you as a member of our animal society."  He looked out at
the audience.  "Let us all welcome her."

	The audience erupted in howls and screeches and chitters.  Jack
found himself joining in with the howling.

	Eventually the noise stopped, and the other animals formed a line
leading up to Rhonda.  They were shaking her hand.

Jack stood and motioned for Gina to join the line.  "We must."  He said.

	She nodded and they walked to the end of the line.  They didn't
say much while waiting.  Jack was halfway listening to the conversation
the two badgers in front of him were having.  They were discussing how
nice it was to have a hyena around.  Apparently, Rhonda was the first one.

	Eventually, Jack was next.  He walked up on stage and shook
Rhonda's hand.  "Congratulations, Rhonda.  Nice choice of animal.  I hope
you enjoy it."

	Rhonda smiled.  "Thank you.  Jack?  Nice form this month."  Jack
moved out of the way to give Gina a chance.

	"I hope you don't regret it," Gina said shaking the hyena's paw.

	"I don't think I will, Gina."  Rhonda barked a laugh.  "I need to
get used to it first."

	Gina nodded.

	"I know how that is," Jack said.

	Horus walked over to Rhonda.  "Let me show you to your new
quarters," he said escorting her off stage.

	Gina gave Jack a shove, and they both left the room.  The ceremony
was short, but he was glad he didn't miss it.  He began wondering if they
had other ceremonies or traditions that he didn't know about.  He'll have
to look into that.  Hopefully, he would be informed of any.

	"Well, she went through with it," Gina said after a long silence
in the halls.  "I figured she would, but I was hoping she wouldn't."

	"Why not?" Jack asked.

	Gina pointed at him with one hand and then with the other she
ruffled the fur on his arm.  "Well, look at you.  You've been through a
lot of trouble because of this."

	Jack nodded.  "Well, yeah.  But, she's in this environment.  She's
not up there."

	"She's a reporter. She did this for a story.  How long do you
think she will stay interested?"

	Jack shrugged.  He honestly had no idea.  He never really spoke to
her before.  "Well, we'll see."  

They continued down the hall to their rooms.  Gina went to hers and told
Jack, "Good night."  Jack wasn't really tired, but it was close to his
bedtime, so he went on to his room.

	Sitting on his bed with the bedside lamp on, he was reading more
of a book about wolves he was given by Gina.  She got it from Horus's
library, no doubt.

	Then he heard a scratching.  Getting out of bed, he tried to find
where it was coming from.  It wasn't the door.  No one was there when he
answered, and it wasn't from that direction anyway.  He followed his
ears.  The noise grew louder as he approached the dresser.  Shoving the
dresser out of the way, he spotted a hole in the wall.

	Getting down on all fours, he peered into the hole.  A rat poked
its head out.  It cleaned its whiskers and scurried into the room.

	"Well, hello," Jack said to the rat.  "Come in here to look for
some food?"

	The rat had climbed up onto a chair and was sitting there looking
at Jack.

	"I'm sorry.  I don't have any food in here."

	The rat didn't move from the chair.  He flicked his tail and
studied the room with his beady eyes.

	Jack figured he could use a bite to eat himself, so he told the
rat to stay put while he opened the door.  The rat did not make any notion
of leaving, so Jack went down to the snack room.  He bought a few potato
chip bags and some cheese crackers.

	The rat was still in the chair when Jack returned.  Jack placed
the opened package of cheese crackers on the chair.  The rat sniffed of it
and began nibbling.

	"I'm glad you like them," Jack said opening a package of chips.

	The two of them ate their snacks and Jack eventually went to
sleep.  He was curled up on his bed when he woke up the next morning.  The
rat was curled up on the chair.

	There was a knock at the door.  The rat jerked awake and dashed
into his hole in the wall.  Jack was just as startled, but he answered the
door instead of running into a hole.

	"Happy Halloween, Jack!" Gina said as soon as he opened the door.

	Jack rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  "It's Halloween already?"

	Gina nodded.  "Sure is. Aren't you excited?  We can try going to
the surface and walk around town if you want."

	The idea was tempting.  He did have the perfect costume.  "Ok.  If
you think it's safe."

	"It should be.  You'll just be a guy in a very good werewolf
costume."

	He agreed, and the two of them headed off to breakfast in the
dining room.

-------------------------------------

	Gina's plan seemed to be working.  He was walking down the street
of a nearby town and no one really paid him much attention except in
congratulating him on his costume.  He scared a few children, but he saw
the same children later running screaming from a too-cute dog costume.

	Jack managed to get some candy, too.  He didn't actually go to
people's doors saying "trick or treat," but several people liked his
costume so much, that they gave him some candy.

	"Don't feed a dog chocolate," Gina said snickering in his ear.

	Jack growled at her.  He decided not to risk it though.  He will
be something else next month.  Maybe something that can eat
chocolate.  Gina wouldn't say. She still refused to tell him what she
signed him up for.

	After an eventful night, they headed back to Horus's facility.  It
was getting close to midnight, and with the time change back to standard
time, Jack was going to change at midnight instead of one o'clock like
during the summer months.

	Entering his room with a sack of candy, Jack was startled to see
the rat sitting on the chair again.  Jack gave him a piece of candy, which
the rat accepted eagerly, then he flopped on the bed after an exhausting
night.

	He was asleep before he knew it.

======================================================================

November

	Jack stretched as he started waking up.  He had a good night's
sleep after the fun Halloween night before.  It was nice to finally get
out among the general public again without causing a panic.  

Slowly, he cracked his eyes and saw the rat sitting on the nightstand
looking at him.  He seemed bigger, now.  Then it dawned on Jack that it
was November, and obviously, he had changed into something smaller than
the wolf he was in October.

	"Good morning, Rat," Jack said stretching again.

	The rat squeaked and leaped off of the nightstand and scurried up
into the chair he seemed to like to occupy.

	More awake now, Jack looked down at his body.  He still had
fur.  It was tan and got darker brown on his paws and on the tip of his
thick tail.  He wasn't quite sure what he was.

	Climbing out of bed, he walked to the mirror.  He was definitely
shorter than the wolf.  The top of the mattress was at eye level to
him.  It was a tall bed, so he guessed he was around three feet
tall.  "Short again," he said as he walked to the mirror.

	He stared at his new face in the mirror.  He wasn't sure exactly
what he was.  A prairie dog perhaps.  Seeing his tail again, he dismissed
the idea.  Maybe one of those meerkats.  Gina would know.  She picked it
out for him.

	He found a pair of shorts that were small enough for his new body,
said a good bye to the rat, and headed down the hall to Gina's room.  He
slept late, so she was bound to be up.

	Before he could reach the door, Gina walked out into the
hall.  "Jack?"

	Jack nodded.

	She smiled.  "Good morning.  Looking good."  She caught up to
him.  "Heading for breakfast?"

	"I'm starved," Jack said turning back down the hall toward the
dinning room.  Gina did the same.  "So, what am I?  A meerkat?"

	"That you are," she said ruffling her hand through the fur on the
top of his head.  "I need to get used to you being short."

	"You're not the only one," he said trying to match her pace.

---------------------------

	Now that he didn't have to guard Rhonda, Larry was a little more
open about being part tiger to her.  The fact that she was part hyena now
probably helped some, too.  She was still determined to write her story
even if she had to go to extremes to get it.

	However, while they were eating lunch, neither of them said
much.  She was still getting used to a slightly new diet and method of
eating, so concentrating on that didn't help with keeping conversations
alive.

	"You know, Mr. Higgins is a meerkat now," Larry said trying to
start up a new conversation.

	"Meerkat?  One of those prairie dog type of things?" Rhonda asked
and then took another bite of fried chicken.

	Larry nodded.  "Yeah.  One of those."

	"I'll have to go visit him.  That sounds like it would be
interesting to see."

	Larry nodded and chuckled some.  "He's short.  Very short."

	"Oh?  This I have to see."  She took another bite of chicken.  A
thump was heard in the air ducts.  She looked up.

	Larry leaned over to her.  In a low gruff voice he said, "That's
what we ignore.  Remember?  The Doc isn't supposed to know."

	Rhonda nodded and looked back down at her meal.  Dr. Templeton
could have seen her look up if he were watching.  He could have had a
monitor on them, right at that moment.  Hopefully he didn't.  She didn't
want to be the cause for someone to be captured.

	Larry had told her that there are tunnels and secret passageways
that some of the workers have built without Dr. Templeton knowing.  Mostly
they were for any kind of emergency escape, but no one had used them for
that in a long time.

	"This chicken is delicious," she said getting onto a different
topic.

	Larry nodded and took a bite of his.

--------------------------

	"Do you think anyone will hear us?" Rich whispered from behind
Dave

	"Keep quiet, and they won't," Dave whispered angrily marking down
the intersection they reached on the map he was drawing.  The main
hallways were mazelike, but the air ducts and secret passages were even
more so.  At least he thought the other tunnels were secret
passages.  They seemed to be built after the original structure, and they
appeared not to be used a lot.
 
	Rich nodded and then remained motionless.

	Dave finished the section of the map.  "Let's go this way," he
said as he started crawling into the side tunnel.

	Rich nodded again and followed.

-------------------------------------------------------------

	It took some work, but Jack got used to being shorter than
usual.  He had to reach higher to use the doorknobs, but opening the doors
was easy.  His bedroom door was a little larger than the other doors in
the complex, so it took a little more effort to open.  It didn't have to
be opened too far since he could slip in with it partially open with his
small and narrow body.

	The rat was sitting in the chair still keeping busy by nibbling on
a cracker.  The rat had always made sure he ate everything he was given
and never left a mess.  However, this time the rat had left a mess.  Some
was partially eaten food.  Some were items from the room.  All were thrown
about on the floor.

	Jack made sure his tail was out of the way and let the door slam
behind him.

	The rat squeaked and looked at Jack then at the mess.

	"Bad rat," Jack said.

	The rat looked up at Jack again then at the mess.  He didn't seem
bothered with it at all.

	Jack grumbled something under his breath and began picking up some
of the trash.

	With a loud squeak, the rat flew off the chair and grabbed a hold
of the wadded up piece of paper Jack was holding.  He wrestled it out of
Jack's hand and placed it back on the floor in the exact location it came
from.

	Jack stood there puzzled staring at the rat.  The rat looked up at
him expectantly.  Then it scurried near a piece of candy bar wrapper and
looked up again.  Jack continued watching.  The rat then scurried along
between the trash pieces until he reached the other piece of the candy bar
wrapper.

	Sudden realization hit Jack.  The trash was a maze.  No.  A
map.  More specifically, a map of the complex.  Jack recognized the turns
in the corridors.  The first candy wrapper was Jack's room.  The second
was....  He had never been in that part of the complex before.  At least
he thought he hadn't been there before.

	Taking a pencil and piece of paper, Jack jotted down the map and
the route to the room the rat showed him.  "So, you want me to go to that
room?"

	The rat nodded.

	Jack shrugged and headed out the door.

	Most of the map Jack already knew, but he was following it closely
when he got to the new section.  He was correct in assuming he had never
been in that part.  The hallway he turned down was one of many at an
intersection he had only frequented a few times.

	No one was in the hallways in this area.  He hardly saw anyone
when he was roaming anyway, so it didn't surprise him, but he had a
feeling that he shouldn't be caught looking in the room.  Double-checking
to make sure no one was looking, he slowly opened the door.

	The room was dark, but Jack saw the handy light switch on the wall
at arm's length above him.  He clicked it on and quickly scurried in
closing the door behind him.  The room was filled with rows of filing
cabinets.

	The rat was sitting on one of them waiting on Jack.

	Jack went over to the cabinet where the rat was
sitting.  "Something's in here?" Jack asked pointing to the cabinet.

	The rat nodded.

	Jack opened the top drawer.  There were lots of folders filed away
in the drawer.  They were alphabetized by people's names.  Jack took one
out at random.  A folder for Tom Norris.  Skimming through the papers
inside the folder, Jack found out that Tom was working in the complex as a
lion.  Some other papers looked like some kind of financial account.  Or a
record of payments.  That's what it was.  It was payments made by Tom's
family to Horus.

	The rat let out a loud squeak.  Looking up from the papers, Jack
saw the rat had been rummaging through the draw and had his tail caught
between two folders.  The rat squeaked again and pointed at the folder
with his nose.

	Jack put the folder on Tom Norris back into the cabinet and pulled
out the rat's tail and the folder he was indicating.  "Reginald Jones?"

	The rat nodded.

	Jack scanned the papers inside that folder, too.  Reginald was
working in the complex as a rat.  At the bottom of the paper, there was a
large red stamped box with "Demoted" written in it with a date in October.

	"This is you?" Jack asked the rat.

	The rat nodded and motioned with his head as if he wanted Jack to
read on.

	Jack scanned the other pages.  Reginald's folder also had records
of payments made by his family to Horus.  However, the last entry was
marked as "not paid."  It was dated the day before the date entered for
Reginald's demotion.

	"Oh no.  This is where Horus has been getting his money?!" Jack
asked.

	The rat squeaked affirmatively.

	Jack had wondered how Horus could afford to run an elaborate
headquarters, but he had no idea he was using blackmail.

	Reginald squeaked again.  This time he was at another filing
cabinet.  Jack opened up the drawer and let the rat point out which folder
to read.  He pulled one out on Amanda Loots.  She had been working in the
complex as a wolf.  She was demoted as well over a year ago.

However, her payment record did not have any late or unpaid payments
listed.  Thumbing through the other papers, Jack found a record of bad
conduct.  Apparently, before being demoted herself, Amanda had tried to
help some of the demoted animals against Horus's command.

Since Horus knew where her family was living, he managed to change them
all into cougars.  There was a newspaper clipping in the folder.  It was
about three cougars running loose in the suburbs of Denver.  The male had
to be taken down while the female and cub where able to be captured and
taken to a zoo.

	"That's horrible!" Jack said.

	Amanda's demotion was dated after her family's tragedy.  She must
have been so enraged, that Horus changed her into a full wolf.  From the
looks of it, she was sold to the same zoo the cougars were taken to.

	"That's just horrible!"

	"Isn't it though?" a voice said behind him.  Jack looked up from
the papers.  The rat was gone.  Turning around, he saw Horus standing in
the door.  "Which one are you reading?  Mr. Leigh's report or Miss
Loot's?"

	Jack didn't say anything.

	Horus "It doesn't matter.  There are lots more with similar
stories.  It's such a tragedy.  I hate when things come to drastic
measures."

	"But, you caused that man to get killed...."

	"I did not kill him!"  Horus yelled.  "He was a cougar,
remember?  And I didn't cause him to go running about the town.  That was
his own doing.  Now, if we could discuss this somewhere else."

	"No.  No where else.  Why not here?"  Jack stood his ground.

	Horus shook his head sadly.  "I'm going to my office where it's
more comfortable.  If you want to come, you may.  I'm sure you know the
way.  You found this room somehow."  He turned and walked out the door.

	Jack stood there alone in the room.  Reginald was gone.  He must
have been hiding.  Maybe he was afraid that Horus would do something
similar to what was done to Amanda's family of he was discovered helping
Jack.

The next step was obvious.  He needed to show Gina the file.  If she
didn't know already.  He hoped she didn't.  She could go to the
authorities.  She was the only one that could.

	Jack grabbed the folder and headed out the door.  He turned off
the light before closing the door behind him.

	Slam!

	A metal cage fell from above the door trapping Jack.  He grabbed
the bars and tried to lift the cage.  But he was too small, and the cage
was too heavy.

	Horus and a horse man walked out of a door a little ways down the
hall.  "Why, hello again, Jack." Horus said was a large grin on his face
this time.  "I'm really sorry about all this.  But, you know I can't keep
this place running if certain secrets are known."

	"Horus!  Let me out of here."

	"All in due time."  He looked at the horse.  "Take him to the
holding facility."

	The horse whinnied a "yes" and pulled a flatbed cart out of the
room they were in moments before.  He then pushed the cage and Jack onto
the cart and wheeled it down the hall.

-----------------------------

	The new prison was much smaller than the cage in which he was
captured. Jack could barely fit inside.  This one was also had thick
plastic walls.  Horus and the horse had sedated him when he was wheeled
into a room full of similar plastic cages of various sizes.  When he woke
up, he was crammed into his current accommodations.

	"Oh, good.  You're awake," Horus's voice sounded slightly
muffled.  Partially because of the plastic box and partially because
Jack's ears were pinned closed from lack of room.

	"Horus, let me out of here."

	"Not yet.  Not yet."  Horus walked over to a table in the middle
of the room.  He picked up a glass vial that contained some thick black
liquid.  "That cage will be the right size for you shortly."

	He walked over to the box.  He held the vial over the top of the
cage.  When he pulled the vial back, the liquid was gone.  Jack figured
there had to be some air holes in the top of the cage somewhere.  He
couldn't see them from his current cramped position.  And whatever that
liquid was, Horus must have poured it into the holes.  Jack didn't feel
wet, but he could feel an itching on his back.

	Horus set the vial back onto the table.  "I wanted you to be awake
for this.  It's similar to what you had before as an iguana.  But a bit
more... permanent."

	"No!" Jack yelled.  His voice already sounded more like a chitter
than a yell.  It could have been the enclosed space messing with the
sound, too.

	"Jack.  I am extremely sorry for having to do this to you.  You
were a great first subject for the monthly formula.  Unfortunately, this
will not counteract your monthly change, but I will take care of that in
time."

	Jack squirmed in the plastic case.  There was more room that
time.  He was able to turn his head some to look straight at Horus.  "I'm
still going to expose you.  Somehow."

	"Jack.  Jack.  Once I figure out how to counteract the monthly
change, you'll be in a meerkat display in a zoo."  He took a deep
breath.  "Like I said.  I hate having to do this.  It always breaks my
heart when the Animal Control truck drives away with a coworker or a
friend."  He smiled at Jack.  "It is fast acting, isn't it?"

	Focusing back on what was happening to him, Jack saw that he could
now turn around in the case.  He still could not stand up.  His hands were
pretty much paws.  Now that he had some room to move about, he couldn't
even try to manipulate any locks.  Of course, after a brief inspection, he
discovered there was no way for him to open the case from inside even if
he had hands.

	Struggling to speak, Jack did manage to form a few simple
words.  "You.... You... b...." His speech was gone.  As much as he tried,
he couldn't even form the words on his meerkat muzzle.

	"Looks like you're just about done."

	Jack was able to stand up in the case now.  He pressed himself
against the glass snarling at Horus.

	"Don't worry," Horus said scratching the plastic on the other side
of Jack's face as if he was trying to pet him.  "I do take care of
everyone.  You'll be fed and watered."

---------------------------------

	"Horus, have you seen Jack?" Gina said opening the door to the
control room where Horus liked to hang out.  "I haven't seen him in
days."  She was getting extremely worried.  Hopefully he didn't run off
again.

	Horus shook his head.  "I haven't seen him either."

	She walked over to the wall of monitors.  "You mean, with all
these cameras throughout this place, you haven't seen him?"

	"I can't watch them all," Horus said.  "I'm not in here all the
time, either."

	"Well, can you find him?"

	Horus pointed at the monitors.  "I'll look for him here, and I'll
let everyone else know about him missing."

	Gina glared at the man.  He had a tone she didn't
like.  "Good."  With a quick spin, she stormed out of the room and down
the hall.

	Horus was definitely not taking the situation seriously.  Jack was
small this time around, and she was worried about him if he ran away to
the surface.  He surely wouldn't have done that again.  Although, a
meerkat could probably hide better than a stegosaurus.  A three-foot
meerkat may not be odd enough for the tabloid magazines anyway.

	Her thoughts trailed off to reporters.  "Rhonda!" she said to
herself stopping in the hall.  Rhonda was in the circle of animal
employees, and perhaps she acquired some useful information as to Jack's
whereabouts.

	Finding Rhonda was the next problem.  The hyena-woman did develop
a very distinctive laugh since her change.  Gina could find her easily if
she heard the laugh.  However, Rhonda would have to be laughing and Gina
would have to be in the right location in the huge complex for that plan
to work.

	Gina headed toward some of the labs or storage rooms.  Some
employees may be there.  They may know where to find Rhonda or Jack.

-------------------------------

	After several hallways and doors, Gina was beginning to wonder if
everyone had the day off.  She hadn't seen anyone other than Horus.  With
all the people that were at Rhonda's ceremony, it seems like someone
should be easy to find.  Of course, she never saw any of them much before
anyway.

	The next door she tried was yet another closet with nothing in it
except janitorial equipment.  There seemed to be several of those around
the place.  "I guess with all these animals running around, a lot of
cleaning up is needed," she chuckled to herself.

	She closed that door and went to the next one.  Bingo.  It was a
room full of bookshelves containing lots of hardbound books.  In the
middle of the room was a table with wooden chairs around it.  In one of
those chairs was the person she was looking for.

	Looking up from reading the book about hyenas, Rhonda
smiled.  "Hi, Gina.  How's it going?"

	"Not too great, Rhonda," Gina said sitting in a chair across the
table from the hyena woman.  "Have you seen Jack?"

	Rhonda shook her head.  "Not in a while.  I hear he's a meerkat
now.  I bet he looks adorable."

	Gina snorted a laugh.  "Yeah, he did look adorable once he got
over being three feet tall."

	Rhonda burst out laughing.  Gina laughed a little more but not as
long as Rhonda.  With a sudden look of realization on her face, Rhonda
stopped.  "Oh.  Sorry.  I guess I fit more of the stereotype hyena than a
real one."  She grinned showing off her teeth again.

	With an understanding nod, Gina smiled, too.  "That's ok.  So, are
you liking your... your new body?"

	"Oh yes.  Very much," Rhonda said enthusiastically.  "I'm going to
have a killer story once I get it written.  There are still lots of ideas
to explore before I can really start.  My boss is eagerly expecting it,
but given the situation, he's being lenient on the deadline."

	"Your boss knows?!"

	"About me being a hyena?  Not exactly.  I told him that I'm going
undercover, and it will take a while to gain trust to get enough
information for the story."  She placed a clawed finger under her chin as
if to pose.  "And I would say I found a great disguise, in a manner of
speaking," she said with a sly grin.

	"That you did."  Gina could tell that Rhonda was truly enjoying
herself even if it was just for a story.

	Rhonda's grin faded to a more serious look.  "If you had to
choose, what would you have Horus change you into?  If you don't mind me
asking."

	That question came out of nowhere.  Gina hadn't given it much
thought before.  Even after hanging around Jack and then with all these
human animals in the complex, she never tried to consider herself being a
specific animal species.

	"Well," she shifted in her chair.  "I honestly don't
know.  Granted, I have occasionally thought about what it would be
like.  But, I haven't thought what would best suit me."

	Rhonda nodded but still looked like she was waiting for an answer.

	"I just don't know," Gina said again.

	Rhonda gave a slight shrug.  "I guess I have always thought about
being a hyena.  I'm not sure why."

	"Why do you ask?" Gina asked.

	Rhonda seemed thrown off guard.  "Since you are the only other
human here, besides the Doc.  I mean Dr. Templeton.  I was just wondering
what you would pick if you decided to join everyone else."

	"Actually, I don't think I will."  Gina folded her arms.  "It is
interesting to imagine what it would be like, but actually going through
with it is out of the question for me.  I've seen what Jack has been
through this past year.  I should never have gotten him signed up for the
Club.

	"And with Horus seemingly having a secret scheme, I don't think I
will trust him with any one else's form much less my own.  I didn't want
you to go through with your decision, Rhonda.  I really didn't."

	Rhonda looked down.  Perhaps she was looking at her furry hand or
the muzzle she probably sees all the time between her eyes.  "Thanks,
Gina.  But, I had to go through with it.  I just had to."

	Gina gave a shrug.  "If you say so, but I still don't trust him."

	Rhonda didn't say anything but continued to look down at her hand
or muzzle or whatever.

	"I should continue looking for Jack," Gina said getting up.  "If
you see him, or hear anything about his whereabouts, will you let me
know?"

	Snapping out of her daze, Rhonda looked up at Gina. "Yes.  Yes,
I'll do that.  I hope he's all right.  I don't think anything will happen
to him down here, but if he went topside again...."

	Rhonda trailed off.  She apparently didn't want to mention all the
trouble a three-foot talking meerkat could get into out in the real world,
either.

	"Thanks, Rhonda."  Gina said heading toward the door.

	"Thanks for the chat," Rhonda said picking her book back up but
still watching Gina.

	"Let's do it again, sometime," Gina said and headed out into the
hallway.  Jack had to be somewhere.  He had to be.

------------------------------------------

	Jack awoke suddenly from a deep sleep.  The horse had entered the
room and clomped over to his prison.  Jack stood on his hind legs and
watched.

	The horse scanned the cage for a second and then went over to the
table.  From his angle, Jack could not see what the horse was doing.

	A minute or so later, the door to the room opened again.  Horus
rushed inside.  He looked frustrated.

	After whispering something to the horse, Horus walked over to
Jack.  "Hello, little meerkat.  Doing well today?"

	Jack snarled.

	"Good.  Good."  Horus said with a twisted grin.  "Gina has been
looking for Jack, but no one seems to know where he is.  Do you?"

	Jack scurried to the plastic wall and snarled again.

	"Didn't think so."  His smiled disappeared.  "Anyway.  It seems
that you won't be a meerkat for much longer.  I haven't been able to
cancel your monthly change."

	Jack was hoping for that.  Perhaps changing at the start of the
month at least bring his capability to speak back.

Horus must have known what he was thinking.  "Don't get your hopes
up.  You won't regain any human characteristics.  Just like when you
changed from iguana to kangaroo."

	Jack grimaced.

	Horus walked back to the table to check on what the horse was
doing then walked over to where they had left the flatbed.

	The horse looked up from what he was doing.  "Doctor, if you want
to get rid of him, why don't you just kill him now?"

	Horus shot the horse a quick angry look, and the horse went back
to what he was doing.  "I have to admit, that would save me a lot of
trouble, but curiosity has the best of me.  His next form should be
interesting.  Then we can kill him."

	He sneered at Jack as he rolled the flatbed to the cage.  "Do not
do anything stupid, Jack.  Remember that family of cougars?"  He actually
looked remorseful for a second.  "Just think about Gina.  She is already
here in my grasp."

	Jack snarled.  The man would do it.  Jack had no doubt about
that.  He had to warn Gina.  Somehow, he had to let Gina know what is
going on.

	Horus motioned for the horse.  The horse put down whatever he was
doing and went over to Jack's cage.  Horus went to the table and began
looking over the horse's project.  It was a spray can of some sort.

	Jack couldn't get a good look at it after that.  The horse had
picked up the cage and placed it on the cart.

	Holding the spray can, Horus appeared from behind the horse.  "We
are taking you on a little trip."  He put the nozzle into an air hole in
the case and released the gas inside.

	Coughing, Jack felt dizzy.  He curled up on the floor.  He felt
stable there, although he was still spinning.

	Before drifting off to sleep, he thought he heard Horus tell the
horse to take him to Containment Cell D.

---------------------------

	Jack awoke suddenly.  He had to warn Gina.  She had to get away
from Horus.  He had to get out of that plastic prison.

	He blinked.  He was out of the plastic prison.  He was in a large
room with no windows.  A huge door was on one wall.  Besides that, there
were no other features.

	Looking down at himself, he was still a meerkat.  "Why would they
put me into a large room like this?"  He thought.  Of course, he was
small.  The room could be a normal sized room, and it would still look
huge to him.  

	His next form must be something large.  Something Horus was
interested in.  Even when Jack was a threat to Horus's secret operation,
the man could not suppress his curiosity.  Yet again, Jack's roll as an
experiment was more important to Horus than anything else.

	That frustrated Jack more than anything did.  However, in this
case, it has kept him alive.  But, for how long?

	He had to get to Gina.  Scurrying around the walls of the room, he
searched for any kind of opening.  Something Horus could have
overlooked.  Something...

Something like an air vent.  In one of the corners of the room, there was
a small vent.  Jack ran closer.  It was small, but big enough for a
meerkat to fit through.  If only he could pry the grate off.

	He reached the vent and peeked through the slits into the
darkness.  He couldn't see anything beyond a few inches, but it was
definitely worth a shot.

	As he studied the grate for the best way to remove it, he heard a
squeaking from inside the tunnel.  Looking back into the darkness, he
could see a pair of beady eyes looking at him.  It was a rat.  It looked
like Reginald, but Jack couldn't be sure.

	The rat squeaked again and shook his head.  If it were Reginald
and if he were trying to tell Jack something, Jack had no idea what.  Was
he saying that the vent wasn't a way out?  If it wasn't, then how did he
get on the other side of it?  Was he saying that the vent couldn't be
removed?

	Jack shrugged as best as he could.  The rat squeaked and turned
around.  With his teeth, he pulled a beat-up watch from behind him and
tossed it close to the grate so Jack could see it.  It was almost
midnight.  Reginald was warning him not to enter the tunnel.

	Jack nodded and backed away from the vent some.  The rat squeaked
and nodded.

	Then the dizziness hit.  The changes were starting.

======================================================================

December

	His head spinning, Jack staggered a bit and then plopped onto the
floor.  He could vaguely feel himself changing, like all the previous
times.  Through his cloudy vision, it seemed that he was growing.  Growing
at an alarming rate.  His growth crammed him into the corner he was in and
caused his body to push out into the room as it continued to swell.

	Finally the changes stopped.  His mind focused some.  Instead of
lightheadedness filling his mind, exhaustion filled his body.  He had
grown.  He had grown quite a lot.  But, into what?  He could wait and find
out after a short nap.

	Jack could see Reginald looking through the grate squeaking, but
Jack didn't have the energy to try to decipher rat speak.  He laid his
head down and drifted off to sleep.

	It seemed that he had just closed his eyes when he
awoke.  Reginald had removed the grate from the vent he was behind and was
sitting in front of Jack.  Jack blinked his eyes to clear the sleepiness
from them and raised up.

	He was huge.  He kept lifting his head, and it kept going
up.  Looking down he saw the front legs of a huge reptilian body.  Was he
a dinosaur again?  Looking back proved him wrong.  The large leathery
wings on his back told him at once what he was.  But, how was it possible
for him to be a dragon?

	His long tail behind him swished impatiently.  He had to get out,
and being a dragon might come in handy.

	There was definitely no way he could fit through the vent in his
current condition.  The only other way out was through the doors.

	He headed over to the doors on all four legs.  The doors were his
height now.  He wasn't sure how tall that was, but with his long neck bent
down some and standing on all fours, his head was at the top of the door.

	He reached up with a clawed hand and tried the doorknob.  Locked
of course.  He could try ramming it.  There was a lot more mass to his
body now.

"Move back," he said motioning to the rat to get out of the way as he
started to back up.  He readied his new muscles for the charge then
froze.  He realized something he wasn't expecting.

	"I can talk?" he asked.  "I can talk!" he yelled.

	The rat squeaked happily.

	Jack looked down at Reginald.  "I bet Horus didn't expect
this.  Not that talking is going to get me out of this room, but I can
talk again!"

	If Horus was sure that Jack could not talk when he was a dragon,
what else did Horus not know about dragons?  Just like the stegosaurus
form, Jack must be one of the first people to be changed into a dragon, if
not the first.

	"I wonder if I can breathe fire," he said with a grin.  He aimed
toward the middle of the room.  Reginald scurried behind Jack.  With a big
breath, Jack blew toward the empty middle.  Nothing came out but hot
breath.

	He didn't give up, however.  There had to be something in him that
he didn't activate or control.  But, what?  He kept trying and trying with
only blowing out his breath.

	"I'll have to practice on that," he said to the rat behind
him.  "Let's get out of here first."  Jack motioned Reginald out of the
way again and charged for the doors.  He slammed into them with his
shoulder.  They didn't give way.  And fortunately, neither did any body
parts.

	Grunting in pain and frustration, he banged on the door with his
arms or front legs or whatever you would call them on a dragon.  There was
a squeak behind him.  Letting his arms rest, he turned around to see what
Reginald wanted.

	The rat wasn't around.

	"Reginald? Where are you?" Jack called out.  No answer.  Jack
searched around and could not find the rat at all.  Jack looked under his
feet hoping he wouldn't find him.  Luckily, there was no sign.

	Giving up on the door, Jack paced the room.  Reginald would
probably come back.  Hopefully.  He flexed his wings every now and then
resulting in an interesting feeling.  He wondered if he could actually fly
or glide with the things.

-----------------------------

	"Interesting," Horus said to himself watching the monitor.  Jack
had changed into a dragon.  The best looking one to date.  And he was
apparently an upgrade.  "He can speak.  I hadn't planned that a full
version of a dragon could speak."

	The dragon was one of the few creatures that Horus had been
experimenting with since it didn't really exist.  At least it didn't until
Horus began his work.  Taking parts from various creatures and mixing and
matching, he was able to create a dragon.  At least his first attempt was
supposed to be a dragon.  The man that changed ended up more like a bat
with scales.

	"This version of the dragon formula seems to be almost perfect."

	He leaned over and pressed an intercom button.  "Henry, come meet
me in the control room."

	"Yes, sir," Henry's voice said over the speaker.

Horus picked up his clipboard and jotted down a few notes.  In a way, he
was pleased that he could not figure out how to keep Jack as a
meerkat.  The dragon was a form he needed more information on.  Especially
the new formula.

	The door to the control room opened.  Henry clomped in. His equine
ears twitching.  "You wanted to see me?"

	"Henry, it appears that the recent method of creating dragons has
worked."  He pointed to the monitor that showed Jack pacing the room.

	With excitement in his eyes, Henry walked over to the monitor and
watched the pacing dragon for a long time.

	"Congratulations," he said.

	Horus sighed.  "Henry.  You know that I still need to do some
tests on him to make sure.  The form is still experimental."

	Henry nodded quickly.  "You want me to prepare the lab?"

	"Yes.  Prepare the lab.  I will study how he moves a bit
longer," Horus turned to look at the screen again.  He could hear the hoof
steps leave the room.

----------------------------------

	Taking another bite of her sandwich, Gina glanced around the empty
dinning room again.  Still, no one was there.  She had gotten used to
eating by herself, but she never gave up hope that Jack would walk in and
eat lunch.

	The few trips to the surface proved useless.  She did not find
Jack while she was up there.  Surely he wouldn't have gone up there
again.  Horus must have seen where Jack went.  But, she did not want to
ask him about it anymore.  He was definitely covering up something.  She
had to find Jack on her own.

	Jack's subscription to the Club was over.  Meerkat was the last
form she picked.  Hopefully Jack was human again.  Without having to hide
from the public, he would be more than happy to leave Horus's facility.

	However, Jack had mentioned something about thirteen months
instead of twelve.  She couldn't remember exactly what he said.  It had
been so long ago.  If Horus threw in another form after meerkat, what was
it?

	"Gina, mind if I join you?"

	Gina almost choked on the bite of ham sandwich she was chewing and
spun around.  Rhonda was approaching her with a plate of fried chicken.

	After finally swallowing Gina said, "I don't mind at all."

	Rhonda sat down at chair a few places down from Gina.  "How are
you doing?  Any luck finding Jack?"

	Gina shook her head.  "No luck at all.  I don't even know if he's
human again, if he's something else, or if he's stuck as a meerkat."

	"Oh?  What happened?"

	Gina explained about how she signed Jack up for a year, and how
she thought he said something about thirteen months.

	"That's odd," Rhonda said.

	Gina nodded.  "There's no telling what's going on.  I don't trust
Horus."

	"I've been on the lookout for Jack, but I haven't seen him
either.  Now that we don't know what he is, it will be tougher." Rhonda
chewed another bit of fried chicken.  "Larry has been looking for him,
too.  No luck yet."

	"Thanks, Rhonda.  I really appreciate it."

	Rhonda nodded and took another bite.

	A thump was heard from the ceiling.  Rhonda quickly glanced up
with her eyes and then went back to focusing on her meal.

	Gina looked up.  "What was that?"

	Rhonda said from behind the chicken, "Act like you didn't hear
it.  Horus may be watching."

	Gina jerked her head back down and reached for her glass of
milk.  "Why?  What was it?"

	Rhonda spoke in a low voice.  "Horus doesn't know everything about
this complex.  And there are some employees that don't want him to find
out some things."

	Not wanting to press the matter, Gina only nodded.  She figured
there were some air vents or tunnels in the complex.  Surely Horus knew
about those.  Maybe he didn't know about all of them.  Could Jack be
hiding in one of those tunnels?  He could probably fit in them as little
as he was when he was a meerkat.

	Another thump was heard.  Both women tried their best to ignore
it.  Rhonda was asking about how Gina's food was, and they ended up on a
topic about cooking and how Rhonda was having to figure out her new
dietary restrictions and needs.

	"It's pretty fascinating," Rhonda said talking about some
information she read in the book on hyenas.

	"I bet," Gina said finishing the last of her milk.  "Hyenas are
intriguing."

Rhonda embarrassedly smiled.

	Gina stood up and picked up her dishes.  "Thanks for the talk,
Rhonda.  I should go look for Jack some more."

Rhonda looked startled.  "You aren't going to go look for him where I
think you are, are you?"

	Gina kept her voice down.  "I need to find him, Rhonda."

	With a sigh Rhonda nodded.  "Yes.  You do."  She stood and picked
up her dishes, too.

	They both headed into the kitchen and put the plates in the sink
to be cleaned up later by whoever had kitchen duty that week.

	"Good luck," Rhonda said as they exited the dining room.  She was
heading down the hall in the opposite direction Gina was going.

	"Thanks.  I'll need it," Gina said and headed toward her
room.  She needed to pick up some equipment if she was going to search the
air vents.

------------------------------------------

	The ducts were dark and cramped, but there was room enough for
Gina to crawl through.  She had passed several vents.  The rooms they
opened into weren't that interesting.  Most of them were empty.  Others
were to break rooms or the dining room.  She turned off her flashlight
whenever she approached a vent just to make sure no one would notice.

	She heard a thump ahead of her in the tunnels.  "Jack?" she asked
quietly.

	No answer.  Not wanting to make any extra noise, she crawled
forward toward the sound.  She turned a corner and saw what looked like a
tail move out of site down another tunnel.  "Jack?"

	Still no answer.  The tail looked reptilian.  Perhaps an iguana
tail.  Jack had already been an iguana.  Was he going backwards through
his previous forms?

	She crawled toward the tunnel the tail went into but stopped
halfway.  Her flashlight beam moved across an odd looking box halfway down
tunnel.  She moved closer and saw that the box had wires coiling out of it
and going back into the box.  A bomb?

"A bomb!"  Having no idea how to defuse it, she had to warn
everyone.  Besides, she didn't want to be next to it when it went off.

	Quickly crawling through the ducts, she made her way back to her
bedroom.

--------------------------------------------

	After more attempts, Jack could still not figure out how to
breathe fire.  Something just wasn't clicking.  Maybe Horus hadn't figured
out how to cause fire breathing.  Of course, Horus also said that Jack
wouldn't be able to talk.  Fortunately, that was false.

	Jack tried the doors again.  They were still locked and as sturdy
as before.  He had to get out.  He just had to get out.

	Knowing he would regret it, he decided to ram the doors again.  He
backed up all the way to the opposite wall this time.  Taking a deep
breath, he charged forward on all fours.  His speed built up as he
approached the doors that were already opening.

	Skidding the rest of the way, Jack slammed into a tiger-man that
was standing in the open door.  The tiger let out a muffed roar from under
Jack's right wing.

	Regaining his composure, Jack got to all fours.  He was not about
to stick around to figure out why the tiger was there.  He shook his head
and started down the hall.  He skidded to another halt when he heard a
squeak behind him.

	Looking back, he saw Reginald was scurrying about next to the
tiger-man that was just then sitting up.

	The rat ran toward Jack a bit then ran back to the tiger.

	The tiger rubbed his head.  "Reggie didn't say that you would
crash into me."

	"You know the rat?" Jack asked not moving closer.

	The tiger nodded.  "He came to get me.  He wanted me to let you
out.  I couldn't let the Doc do to you what he had done to the other
dragons, so I followed him here."

	Jack walked closer this time.  "What did he do to the other
dragons?"

	The tiger made a disgusted face.  "Let's just say that the Doc
knows a lot about dragon anatomy now."

	Jack gulped.  With his long neck, it was a pretty long and loud
sound.  "Thanks for letting me out.  I'm sorry I ran into you."

	The tiger stood up.  "That's alright.  I don't notice any damage
so far.  I'm Larry."  He held out a paw.

	Jack held out a clawed hand.  "I'm Jack."

	The tiger nodded as if he already knew.  Jack was sure he did
already know.  In fact, the tiger looked familiar.

	"Are you the one that was in the room with the reporter a while
back?"

	The tiger nodded again.  "That was me.  We're on a better
relationship now.  I've been showing her the ropes of this place.  And she
seems to be taking well to being a hyena.  Now, you need to get out of
here.  The Doc is going to know you are loose soon."

	Jack looked up and down the hall.  He did not recognize any
features.  "But, I don't know the way out.  I was unconscious when they
brought me here."

	Larry nodded.  "The elevator isn't going to be safe.  It's far
away, and Horus will be checking there first.  There's a back way.  It's
stairs that lead out to a hidden door in a small valley.  I'll show
you."  He hurried down the hall.

	Not moving from his spot, Jack said, "But, I need to find Gina."

	Larry stopped and turned around.  "Don't worry.  I'll tell
her.  You shouldn't be in the hallways."

	Jack nodded.  "Lead the way."

	Larry headed down the hall again.  Jack started following.  Reggie
squeaked.

Jack turned back to pick him up and let him climb onto the back of his
neck.  "Hang on tight."

	Reggie squeaked again, and Jack followed Larry.

---------------------------------------------

	"So, they are all set up?" Dave asked as Rich came closer to the
base camp they threw together.

	Rich nodded.  "They are all in place and ready for activation."

	Dave smiled.  "Good."  Horus was going to pay for the problems he
caused.

---------------------------------------------

	"Rhonda!" Gina yelled bursting into the library.  Rhonda was
sitting at a table again reading another book on hyenas.

	"What is it?" Rhonda asked looking up from the book.

	Gina ran to the table and leaned on it.  "There's a... a... bomb
in... the air... ducts," she said trying to catch her breath.

	Rhonda's eyes grew wide.  "A bomb?  Here?"

	Gina nodded.  "Yeah.  I saw it... when I was looking... for Jack."

	"Did you find him?"

	Gina shook her head.  "No.  No sign of him."  She was hoping
Rhonda had an idea for what to do about the bomb.  Being a reporter, she
had probably heard stories or written stories on similar instances.

	Rhonda stood quickly.  "You continue looking for Jack.  Warn
anyone you see about the bomb.  They know the way out.  I'm going to go
find everyone else and warn them.  Do you know about the back entrance?"

	Gina shook her head.  "No.  I didn't know there was one."

	"Hmmm...," Rhonda thought.  "Ok.  In about an hour, you meet me at
the dining room."

	"Do you think an hour is enough time to find Jack?  Or is it too
long since the bomb may be going off sometime soon?"  Gina kept thinking
off all the possibilities that could happen in that amount of time.

	"Gina.  Just meet me there in an hour.  Ok?"

	Gina nodded.  "Ok."

	Rhonda ran out of the library.  Gina looked at her watch and then
ran into the hall, too.  She had to find Jack.  Soon.

--------------------------------------

	The room was about ready.  Horus laid some surgical instruments
out on the table and then walked over to a computer terminal.

	"Doctor!" Henry said bursting into the room.  "The dragon has
escaped!"

	Horus spun around and glared at the horse.  "He escaped!?  How?"

	Henry mouthed wordlessly.

	"Nevermind," Horus logged out of the computer terminal.  "We need
to find him.  And whoever let him loose."	

	Henry nodded and waited for Horus to walk out the door before
following.

	The closet where Horus kept his tranquilizer gun wasn't too far
down the hall.  He had made sure it was a big gun.  He was going to need
the large size against Jack.  They reached the closet and, Horus unlocked
the door.  There it was.  His huge tranquilizer gun.

	There was a loud boom and the hallway shook.  "What was
that!?" Horus asked grabbing his gun.

	Henry shrugged.

	The alarms were starting to sound.  Red lights flashed in the
hall.  That meant there was a fire somewhere in the complex.

	"Jack," Horus snarled.  He looked angrily at Henry.  "Go find Gina
Williams.  Bring her to the lab.  I'm going after Jack."

	Henry nodded and trotted off.

	If he couldn't find Jack, having Gina would lure him into the
lab.  Then taking care of both of them would be easy.

	"No one interferes with Horus Templeton's plans!  No one!  Not
even a fire-breathing dragon!"

---------------------------------------

	Gina had no idea where the blast area was, but she was glad she
wasn't near it.  The floor shook and a few ceiling tiles fell when the
bomb exploded.  Other than the alarms, the flashing red lights and the
sprinklers watering the hallways, she didn't see any other signs of an
explosion.

	She still had not found Jack.  Hopefully he was not in the blast.

	She rounded a corner and skidded to a halt.  She found where the
bomb exploded.  The walls down the hall were enveloped in flames.  A wall
of smoke hid most of the damage.

	She turned the other way and started to run.  A cough stopped
her.  There was someone coughing behind her.  Somewhere in that wall of
smoke.

	"Hello?"

	More coughing.

	She saw the outline of a large figure stumbling toward her out of
the smoke.  Then it collapsed on the edge of the smoky area.

	Running toward the inferno, she held her shirt over her mouth and
nose and tried to pull the person out of the smoke and flames.  It was a
bear-man.  Very similar to what Jack looked like when he was a
bear.  Could it be him?  If it was or not, she had to get him out of the
smoke.

	"Come on.  You can make it," she said.  The bear groaned some and
tried to get to his feet.  She helped support him.  His heavy bulk
weighted her down, but he was trying to stand on his own enough that she
could move.  Together, they got out of the smoke and flames and farther
down the hall.  He sat down against the wall and coughed more.

	"Feeling better?"

	The bear nodded.

	She looked for any signs of the bear in front of her being
Jack. She didn't see any that would say he was or wasn't.  "Jack?"

	The bear looked at her confused.  "No.  Steven.  I don't know
Jack.  Is he a bear, too?"

	She shrugged.  "I don't know what he is."  She looked down the
hall toward the fire.  The flames did not appear to be dying down even
with the sprinklers spraying everywhere.

	"Think you can make it to the exit?  There's a back exit
somewhere."

	Steven nodded.  "I know where it is.  I'll show you."

	Gina shook her head.  "No.  I still need to find Jack."

	"He may be outside waiting on you."

	The bear did have a point.  Rushing into a fire to look for
someone that isn't necessarily there did seem kind of
pointless.  Especially after she has seen what the explosion had done.

	"Ok.  I'll go.  But, if he is not there, then I'm coming back in
to look."

	The bear nodded sadly, and she helped him get to his feet.  With
Gina supporting Steven, they were able to move quickly down the hall.

-----------------------------------

	The crowd of people that was running for the exit was remarkably
in an orderly fashion.  Everyone heading for one place probably helped
some.  The smell of smoke seemed to follow some of the people.  They must
have been close to the blast.

Rhonda was standing at a major intersection directing some of the
traffic.  There wasn't much to be done other than giving some
encouragement to some.  They weren't too far from the exit.

	"Keep going.  You're almost there," she would say as people passed
and was directing them toward the exit.

	A cheetah came up to her.  "What about the animals in the cages?"

	"What animals in cages?" Rhonda asked.

	"The ones that went all the way and the real animals," he said
with a look of confusion on his face.  "They're probably still in their
cages."

	Rhonda's eyes widened.  "I didn't know about them.  Can you lead
me to them?"

	The cheetah nodded.

	"Good."  She scanned the crowd and pointed at a three able-bodied
people.  "You.  You.  And you.  Come with us."

	The bull, the wolf, and the elephant nodded and followed along
with Rhonda and the cheetah.

------------------------------------

	"Jack, come back. We're almost there," Larry said standing in the
middle of the hallway.

	Ignoring the tiger, Jack hurried down the hall.

	"You're putting yourself into a lot of danger," Larry called out
running in front of Jack attempting to block his way.  "True, you're a
dragon, but that doesn't mean you're fireproof."

	Jack paused just long enough to say, "I need to find Gina," before
he shoved Larry to the side and continued down the hall.

	Reggie squeaked.  He was hanging on tightly to one of Jack's horns
that ran down his spine.

	Jack stopped.  He reached up and carefully lifted the rat off of
his back and handed him to Larry.  "I want you both to get out of here."

	"But, Jack, you don't know the way."  Larry said.

	"I'll find it.  Don't worry."  He turned and headed down the
hall.  "Now, get out of here."

---------------------------------------

	Steve's weight on Gina was decreasing.  His strength was
returning, slowly but surely.  The two of them were moving faster through
the halls.  He was pointing out the way to her as they made their way
through the maze.

	"That way," Steve pointed right as they reached an intersection.

	Gina turned right and stopped.  Standing in front of them was
Horus.

	"Hello, Gina," he said fingering a large gun he was holding.

	"Horus! Get out of here."  Gina pointed back the way they
came.  "The hall back there is on fire.  There's a...."

	"There's a friend of yours that needs to be stopped before he does
any more damage," Horus interrupted.  "So, if you come with me."

	"I am getting Steve out of here," Gina said.

	"Steve, you come with me, too," Horus said.

	Looking back and forth between Gina and Horus, Steve finally said,
"No.  Gina and I are getting out of here."

	Horus raised the gun and pointed it at them.  "Gina, you are
coming with me.  With the bear or not."

	Steve roared and bared his teeth, "I said that we are getting out
of here."

	Horus shrugged and fired.  Steve bellowed in pain and fell to the
floor.  A tranquilizer dart was sticking out of his arm.

	"NO!" Gina yelled.

	Horus reloaded.  "That dart was intended to be strong enough for a
dragon.  I think that the bear will be sleeping for a long time."

	"Horus!  You..."

	Horus raised the gun again.  "Do you want to join the bear in
Slumberland?  Come with me."

	Looking down at Steve, she asked, "What about him?  We can't leave
him here.  The fire...."

	"Bring him if you can carry him," Horus said keeping the gun
pointed at her.  "I'm not going to help."

	Gina grabbed Steve's feet and began dragging him down the
hall.  He was very heavy now that it was all dead weight.  Horus walked
behind her with the gun aimed at her.

--------------------------------------

	The animals were pacing their cages as Rhonda and her
thrown-together crew entered the room.  Screeches and howls and roars
filled air.  They knew something was wrong.

	Dashing over to the left side of the room, the cheetah pointed at
the cages near him.  "All the ones on this side of the room are real
animals.  They will have to be lead out."  He pointed to the other side of
the room.  "All the ones on that side of the room have human minds.  They
know the way out."

	Rhonda nodded.  "Ok.  Do you think the former humans could help
lead the real animals out?"

	The cheetah shrugged. "I guess."

	Another bomb exploded near by.  The whole room shook causing the
animal sounds to grow louder.  The sprinklers kicked on creating more
panic.

	"We need to get them out of here, now!" Rhonda yelled over the
chaos.

	The others nodded and started opening the cages of the animals
that were once humans.  They waited around for the real animals to be set
loose.

	The cheetah man was hugging a cheetah.  "Diane, I told you I would
be back."

	The real animals were eager to get out of the room.  An antelope
dashed out of the room.  In a flash, Diane raced after the animal herding
it toward the exit.

	More animals fled the room and the human-minded ones helped guide
them.  The wall farthest from the door burst into flames causing the
stampede to run faster.  Finally, all the cages were empty.  Rhonda and
her team helped round up all the animals that were too confused to know
what to do and steered them out into the hallway.

--------------------------------------

	Horus muttered something about Jack under his breath after the
second explosion.  Gina couldn't hear what he said from the sound of a
large bear being dragged across the floor.

	"In here," Horus said loudly and pointed to a door.

	Gina turned her head and looked in the room.  It was a large
laboratory.  The layout of equipment on the tables caused it to seem
waiting for its next victim.  She pulled Steve into the room.  As soon as
he cleared the door, Horus stepped over him and grabbed Gina's arm causing
her to drop the furry legs with a thud.

	Pulling hard on Gina's arm, Horus led her over to a Plexiglas
enclosure.  "Normally, I would give you a choice, but under these
circumstances, I had to whip up something quickly."

	"Horus, don't do...."

	"Hopefully, Jack will come to your rescue."  He threw her into the
cage and quickly shut the door.  "I'm counting on it."  With a snarl of a
grin, he headed over to a computer terminal.

	With a ding, a panel slid open on the side of a contraption next
to the computer.  "Ah, it's done," Horus said as if he were just finished
with baking cookies.  He reached in and pulled out a beaker of some inky
liquid that had sort of a pearly sheen to it.  Holding it up so Gina could
get a good view of it, he turned it around as if to examine it.  "Isn't it
pretty?  It's so dark, but yet colorful."

	He set the beaker down on a nearby table and retrieved an empty
beaker.  He placed the new beaker into the compartment where the first one
was, and closed the door.  He began typing away at the computer terminal.

	"There, now that will be ready for Jack," he said walking away
from the computer and retrieved the first beaker he pulled out.  "Might as
well continue with you."

	"Horus, please don't do this," Gina pleaded.  "I don't want to
be...."

	"You're involved in this, if you like it or not," Horus said.  "I
need a bargaining chip, and you're it."

	He stood door to the cage and held up the beaker.  "This is what
is going to change your view.  A rather low view.  It was my first animal
form to perfect.  A guinea pig."

	In any other situation, Gina would have that that to be
funny.  The fact that she was about to become one sucked the humor out of
the comment.

	Horus stuck his finger in the inky liquid and held it up letting
drop fall splashless back to the surface.  "That is all you have to
do.  Just touch the liquid."

	Gina gasped.  Why didn't he change if that's all that had to be
done?

	Noticing the look on Gina's face, he wiped the rest of the ink off
on the inside of the beaker.  "Oh.  This won't affect me.  This is your
formula.  Now, if you would to be so kind and...."

	"No!  I'm not going to become a guinea pig."  Gina backed as far
as she could away from the door.

-------------------------------------

	The halls were empty.  Everyone must have been running for the
exits.  Jack could smell the smoke drifting from somewhere, but with the
maze-like corridors, he wasn't sure where it was coming from.  He would go
through it if he had to find Gina.

	Something on the floor caught his eye.  As he was going through an
intersection, the hallway that crossed had a streak across the floor.  A
wet streak.  Something big and wet had been dragged down the hall.

	Jack followed the trail.  It was too out of place to not
investigate.

	The trail eventually led to a room with double doors.  Jack peered
in.  It was a lab.  A soaking wet bear was sprawled out on the floor near
the door.  Along the other wall was Gina in a cage and Horus trying to put
some of that inky liquid on her.

	Bursting into the room Jack roared, "Don't do anything to her,
Horus!"

	Both humans were startled.  Horus turned with a sly grin.

	"Jack?  Jack!  Don't!"  Gina yelled from inside the cage.  "He was
trying to lure you here!"

	Horus glanced over at a computer terminal for a second then looked
back at Jack.  "You're a little earlier than I expected."  He started to
duck behind a counter.

	In a flash, Jack was in the room and on top of the counter.  He
found he could move rather quickly for a huge dragon.  He knocked Horus
back sending the man into the wall of the cage.  The container of liquid
flew out of his hands and onto the top of the cage.

	"Jack, violence never solved anything," Horus said looking up at
the spilled contents.

	Jack growled and pushed Horus out of the way to reach the door to
Gina's cage.

	There was a cracking sound and a sudden pain on the back of Jack's
neck.  He reared back and bellowed.  When he looked down, he saw Horus
tossing a broken chair to the side and running for the computer terminal.

	Jack turned and pinned him on the ground with his large clawed
hands.  Horus was still smiling.

	"Wipe that silly grin off of your face," Jack said leaning his
head closer to the man and baring his teeth.

	Horus didn't. "Why should I?  I'm still about to get my guinea
pig."  He glanced toward Gina.

	Jack turned to look.  The inky substance was spreading out across
the top of her cage.  Some of it started to seep through the ventilation
holes.  Gina was in the corner closer to the door trying to stay out of
the way of any of the falling liquid.

	Jack snarled and looked back and forth between Gina and
Horus.  Even though Jack knew Horus had something else under his sleeves,
he let go of the man and bolted for the cage.  He hardly fumbled with the
latch before it unlocked.  Gina swung the door open and dashed out.

	"You still aren't going anywhere," Horus said from behind Jack.

	Jack turned and saw that the man had a gun pointed at him.  A
thundering boom filled the air as the room shook.  The far wall
collapsed.  As the flames next door subsided for a second, Jack could see
that another bomb had exploded a few rooms down.  The sprinklers kicked on
and showered the room.  A few sparks came from the computer equipment.

	Horus sneered.  Even with the explosion, he did not move the gun
from being aimed directly at Jack.  "I guess that batch is ruined."

	"Horus, we need to get out of here.  Look around you.  Look at the
explosions."  Jack pointed around.  Gina dodged his arm as he moved
it.  She was standing by his side.

	"You should have thought of that before you started setting fires
with that breath of yours," Horus said.

	"Me?  I don't know how to breathe fire."

	"Don't give me that."  Horus continued to stare down the barrel of
the gun.  "You're a dragon.  You're trying to destroy this place and
didn't worry about all the people here.  Just to ruin my plans."

	"Plans to kill more people after you turned them into
animals?" Jack asked.

	"I did not kill those people!" Horus yelled.

	Gina piped up.  "Horus, Jack didn't cause the explosions.  It was
someone with a lizard tail.  They planted some bombs."

	Keeping the gun pointed at Jack, he glanced toward Jack's
tail.  "Looks like a lizard tail to me."

	"Just put the gun down," Jack said calmly.

	"He's not small enough to fit in the air ducts!  This was a
human-sized person," Gina said.

	Horus moved his eyes toward the ceiling.  "The air ducts.  So,
that's how....  Nevermind."

	The fire in the next room crept closer.  The sprinklers held it
back some, but it was still spreading.  Horus looked back at the
destruction behind him.

	"Horus. See?  We all need to get out of here," Gina said.  "Let's
all get on Jack's back and get out of here."

	Them getting on his back hadn't crossed his mind, but he probably
did run faster than they could on foot.

	"...stupid scientists.  They don't know anything about...," Horus
muttered to himself.

	Another explosion could be heard in the distance.  Horus slowly
lowered his gun.  Jack let go of the breath that he wasn't aware of
holding.

	"Yes.  We need to get out of here," Horus said.  "If Jack isn't
behind this, I think I know who is."  He tucked the gun under his arm and
slowly walked toward Jack.

	"What about him?" Jack asked pointing to the sleeping bear.

	"We can't leave him," Gina said and ran to the bear's side.

	Jack nodded.  Horus was digging in one of the cabinets for
something.  Jack watched him closely.  The man could have another trick up
his sleeves.  He didn't doubt it.

	Horus pulled out a large coil of rope.  "I have this. We can strap
him to Jack's back."

	Jack reluctantly nodded.  He still did not trust the man, but he
couldn't leave him here.  He was letting them get out of the burning
complex.  Or so it seemed.

	Jack lay down and let Gina and Horus strap the bear onto his
back.  Then they climbed aboard, and Jack headed out into the hall.

The sprinklers were on in the hall as well.  Luckily the way they were
going wasn't on fire.  Jack dashed down the hall as fast as he could
without knocking his passengers off.

	One of the doors ahead of them in the hall had smoke billowing out
of it.  Jack ran by carefully.

Horus screamed.  "My research!  I need to save it!"

	"No!  We need to get out of here," Gina said.

	Before Jack could do anything, he felt the man slide off his
back.  Jack stopped and craned his neck around.  "Horus! Get back here!"

	"I need to save my work!" he said and leaped into the smoke-filled
room.

	Jack turned around, but before he could even take a step toward
the smoky doorway, a smaller explosion blasted flames from the room and
into the hall.

	"No!" Gina yelled.

	Jack blocked the heat with an arm and turned around.  He raced
down the hall as Gina called out a few more times.

	Doorways and intersections passed by them.  Jack hoped he was
taking the correct path to the exit.  He thought that this was the way
Larry and Reggie were heading when he left them.  But, did they turn
somewhere else?

	"Jack! Stop!" Gina shouted and poked him in the back.  "Stop."

	Jack skidded to a halt.  "What?"  He turned his head to look.

	There in the hall way at an intersection the had just passed was
Rhonda.  She was waving at them to follow her.

	"Rhonda! Thank goodness!" Gina said to her as Jack ran to the
hyena woman.

	"You're lucky I saw you pass by," Rhonda said.  "I had only
glanced down here for a second before I saw this big dragon dashing
by.  Now, hurry. You aren't far from the exit."

	Rhonda ran down the side hallway, and Jack followed behind her.

	Boom!

	Another bomb exploded in the hallway they were just in.  The
flames raced down the hall after them.  The blast pushed them
forward.  Jack scooped up Rhonda with one hand and ran as best as he could
with his other three legs.

	The exit stairs were in sight.  The daylight was cheering them on,
as the glow from behind them grew brighter.  Jack ran with all his might
up the stairs.

	Then they were through the door.  He turned sharply as he entered
the small valley and tried not to run over any of the other people that
were standing around.  The flames shot out from the door and sizzled a few
plants before retracting back into the complex.

	Jack set Rhonda down and he lay down onto the cracked
dirt.  Rhonda helped Gina untie the bear from his back as he caught his
breath.

	Gina sat down near Jack's head and leaned against his neck.  "We
made it.  We made it."

	"We did.  Didn't we?"  Jack said and closed his eyes.  The
adrenaline rush was gone, and he needed to rest.

---------------------------------------

	The flames had died down after about the third day.  Everyone had
been staying in the little valley in the back.  It was secluded enough to
keep out of the public eye, but everyone stayed as secretive as they could
just to be safe.

	The wild animals were being watched over by the members of their
species that were formerly human.  Most of them were a lot of work to keep
in submission, while others weren't being any trouble at all.

	Jack wanted to try flying so badly, but he restrained
himself.  Someone would surely spot a flying dragon.  If it were only him
that was at risk, he would do it in a heartbeat.  But, that wasn't the
case.  He did plan on flying at night once everyone was able to move back
into the complex.

	There had been no sign of Horus.  When Rhonda told everyone the
news, most were relieved, but they were also saddened.  Jack wasn't sure
if it was because they would actually miss the man, or if it was because
they couldn't change back to normal.  Rhonda had given them some hope by
telling them that maybe some of Horus's notes survived.  Many of the
people had helped Horus with his studies, so that also provided some hope.

	Part of the complex near the secret exit was in tact even though
badly burned.  After about a week, Jack tested the supports, and it seemed
safe enough for everyone to move inside for the time being.  Perhaps in
the near future, they could all move to an equally secret but safer place.

	If Rhonda had her way, they wouldn't have to live in secret any
longer.  She had been planning on gradually exposing the public to their
kind.  She was going to start with her big story on Horus, and then try to
play on the sympathies of the populace.  Jack wasn't too sure about the
whole plan, but Rhonda was set on it.  She first had to finish her
story.  It had to be perfect or it could backfire.  The whole group was
going to vote on the plan once she got the first draft completed.

	The first night when everyone had moved back into the complex,
Jack stood at the entrance and gazed up at the sky.

	"It is a beautiful night," Gina said walking up beside him and
looking up at the stars.

	Jack nodded.

	"I have always wondered how close I could get to the stars," she
said and leaned against his foreleg.

	"Let's find out."  Jack scooped her up and set her on his
back.  "Hang on."

	He strolled out into the middle of the valley and spread his
wings.  His muscles tingled from lack of use.  "We'll try for a short
height at first," he said.

	He flapped and flapped his wings.  Dust billowed around
them.  Then he felt it happen.  His feet left the ground.  Soon, they were
above the valley wall.  Something instinctively told him it was time to
start gliding.  He stopped flapping and stretched his wings out
far.  Catching an updraft, he floated almost effortlessly through the air.

	Gina laughed with excitement from his back.  Jack joined
in.  Together they soared through the night sky.

=====================================================================

Epilogue

	"Here's the mail," Rich said as he entered the office and put a
stack of envelopes on Dave's desk.  A few co-workers still had worried
expressions whenever they saw Rich or Dave, but most appeared to have
grown accustomed to appearance.

	Dave took the mail and sorted it by bills and junk mail.  He found
two envelopes that stood out.  They didn't fit into either category.  One
was addressed to him.  The other was addressed to Rich.

	"You got something," Dave said and handed Rich his envelope.

	Surprised, Rich took his letter and opened it.  "Oh, how nice!  A
Christmas card."

	Dave opened his.  He had a card, too.  On the front was a picture
of Santa pulling the sleigh while the reindeer were riding in it.  Dave
chuckled and opened the card.

"May your holidays be filled with surprises," it read.  There was no
signature, however.

	"I wonder who sent these," Rich said.

	Dave shrugged.  "No idea." He looked back at his envelope.  It
didn't have a return address.

	"I don't feel so good," Rich said.

	Dave looked up at Rich.  The sudden head movement caused him to
get dizzy.  The room began to spin slightly.  Through his blurry vision,
he thought he saw Rich fall to the ground.

	Then as suddenly as it started, the vertigo stopped.  Dave shook
his head and reached up to rub his eyes.  His clawed hand brushed across
his face and he gasped.  He turned his head sideways and saw that he had
the body of an iguana.  A full iguana.

	Looking over the edge of his chair, he saw another iguana
squirming out of Rich's clothes.  Those cards must have done it.  Only one
man could have sent those cards.

	If Dave could have spoken, he would have been cursing Horus
Templeton.