Authors: Cassandra Cole
Proud of her achievement, she went ahead to speak with the head guard about getting a few men for the job of escorting a shapeshifter, in his bear form, all chained and bound of course, to Area 12 for additional tests and screenings.
She tried to sound as commanding as possible, and apparently, it had worked. As she had presumed, the head guard had no objections and was more than happy to oblige. After all, it wasn’t his job to meddle with the affairs of the doctors in charge, which was what she herself was, after all.
She went with the five guards assigned to the task and told them to wait in the corridor and that she herself would take care of the patient, who wasn’t as violent as before. The guards looked worried, but again, it wasn’t their place to question the decision of a doctor. Plus, they were happy they wouldn’t have to deal with a crazy bear set loose, remembering what happened to the previous technicians who had the misfortune of doing that very same thing.
She entered Thorben’s room, smiling.
“It’s all set.”
“Show time?” He asked, bearing his razor sharp teeth.
“Show time.” She nodded in agreement.
She had seen shapeshifters change before, but this time, it felt more personal. As Thorben’s human skin tore, with the bear form trying to break through from the inside, she could feel his pain. She could barely watch pieces of his skin falling down around him, his jaw crackling and breaking under the pressure of the elongated muzzle that was protruding from his mouth.
A few times, she even closed her eyes, unable to watch any longer. But, she had to. She needed to, for him. So, she’d open up her eyes, and force herself to watch this painful transformation until the very last moment.
Finally, there was nothing left of Thorben the human, and in his place, before her, there was a huge grizzly bear, waving his death-trap paws around his head. She wanted to approach him and feel his heartbeat, just to make sure that he was still in there. But then, she saw his eyes and there was no longer any doubt in her mind that it was Thorben, her Thorben who would get them both out of there, somewhere new, somewhere far away, where they’d be able to start their life together.
She approached the growling bear carefully, binding both his feet and his paws loosely enough for him to be able to break free when the time came.
She went out to get the guards, who were to escort Thorben down to Area 12, with her. The corridors were empty, as if everyone had been previously warned not to walk around unescorted for fear of having their head bitten off by a shapeshifting bear.
She smiled. She felt more powerful, more in control than ever before. And she had him to thank for all of this. She turned around. The bear was right behind her, with five men being barely able to contain it. She knew he was being a good boy for her. For both of them. But once he breaks loose… And the thought sent shivers down her spine again.
Once safely out and in front of Area 12, she gave the signal. Thorben reacted immediately. Crushing his chains and handcuffs, he incapacitated all five guards in a matter of seconds. The poor guys didn’t stand a chance. But, she made sure he didn’t hurt them too much. Just enough to take away their weapons, and knock them out long enough for them to get the heck out of there.
“You need to change now, quickly,” she urged him.
The transformation back into his human form was equally painful and equally bloody as before, but somehow, it was easier to watch this time. And she was ecstatic to have him back in his human form.
“Quickly, put on his clothes and let’s go!”
Thorben quickly took the clothes off one of the guards, grabbing his card as well.
The final door was right there. Just a few steps away. She couldn’t believe it would be this easy to get out. Did they really deserve this?
The door was right there in front of them. All they needed to do was slide their cards, both of them, because the system recognized the number of people passing through.
Easy-peasy.
She slid her card. The light beeped green.
He slid his. Red.
He slid it again. Red.
If he made the third unsuccessful attempt, the guards would be called. It was their last chance.
“Wait!” She grabbed his card and rubbed the part with the chip against his jeans. “A little trick I learned, don’t ask me where.” She smiled mischievously.
“Fingers crossed.”
She slid his card again. The light beeped green.
The doors opened, and they rushed to her car. Once inside, she stepped on the gas pedal and drove out of the lot as fast as she could.
“Where to?” She asked him.
“I know the perfect place…” He kissed her forehead and hugged her.
It was all behind them now. And before them, a whole new life.
The End
WILD PITCH by Ella Hart
Chapter One
It has been said that success is a matter of habit, and Tyler Bennett had a habit of being successful. During his four seasons in the big leagues he had won the Rookie of the Year award in his first season, the Cy Young award as the American League’s best pitcher in his second season, and was now the unquestioned ace of the Detroit Tigers pitching staff. He was on the brink of leading them to yet another playoff appearance, and maybe a return trip to the World Series. Even with all of this, and the fact that he had just shut out the Kansas City Royals for his twentieth win of the season, and still the reporters gathered around his locker would rather talk about money.
“Tyler there are rumors floating around that when your contract is up at the end of the season you plan to explore the possibility of signing with either the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams that play in a larger market and would give you a chance to earn even more money in possible endorsement deals, is there any truth to that?”
“Well if it’s a rumor then it must be true, right?” he asked the throng of reporters staring at him and waiting for an answer. Then he laughed at his own joke and grabbed a towel to wipe some of the sweat out of his long black hair. The reporters laughed, too, but to Tyler it sounded forced an uneasy. He couldn’t believe that with the season he and the Tigers were having that this was all anyone wanted to talk about.
“Look, we’ve been through all of this before,” he said, trying to keep his blue eyes from shooting daggers at the poor schmuck who asked the question. “I’m a Michigan boy, born and raised. I grew up in Battle Creek which is less than three hours from Detroit. I went to college at the University of Michigan, which is basically just around the corner in Ann Arbor. I grew up cheering for the Tigers. I’ve never wanted to pitch for anyone else and I still don’t. I’m not going anywhere. I know I’m going to be a free agent at the end of the season but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving.”
“Have you talked to Mark Lawton about a new contract yet?” asked a young female reporter. She had blonde hair and hazel eyes and a body that said she might have been an athlete at one time. Girls like her were a dime a dozen, even in Detroit. Still, Tyler liked the way she smiled when she looked at him. He had learned to tell the difference between a polite, professional smile and one with more intent behind it. This one was definitely the latter. It didn’t matter, though.
“Mr. Lawton is a busy man,” said Tyler, referring to the Tigers’ General Manager and the man who drafted Tyler. “Besides, I have an agent whose job it is to handle that. My job is to keep getting wins.” Everyone laughed again.
“Does Bruce Malone share your desire to keep you in Detroit?” asked the blonde reporter. Bruce Malone was one of the most successful agents in the history of sports. When Tyler was coming out of college agents were beating down his door from every corner of the country trying to sign him. Bruce’s pitch was simple. He would handle the business so Tyler could concentrate on playing baseball. Tyler was well aware of the man’s reputation for always getting his clients the best deal possible and loved his simple sales pitch. What Tyler never told Bruce Malone was that part of Tyler’s reason for signing with him was his daughter Bryn.
She was at Bruce’s house one afternoon when Tyler had been invited over for a party to try and win him over. Bryn Malone wasn’t like the skinny little Barbie doll types that were constantly throwing themselves at Tyler. She was a little taller, around five-foot ten, and a bit thicker. That, however, was the kind of woman Tyler preferred. The curves gave him something to hold onto in bed. It wasn’t that skinny women didn’t have their place, and Tyler wasn’t the type to discriminate. To paraphrase an old song, Tyler’s motto was always if you can’t be with the one you want, want the one you’re with. In a pinch, a skinny woman will do just fine.
Sometimes Bryn seemed a little too into him. Tyler tried to make it clear to her that there could never be anything serious between them. He always had a good time when they were together, but a good time was all he wanted. Sometimes it seemed like she might want something more.
It wasn’t like Bryn wasn’t attractive. She had a beautiful face and sparkling green eyes to go with her long auburn hair, and of course there we those wonderful curves. She had other great qualities, too. She was smart and funny, and she was one of the nicest people Tyler had ever met. She was always eager to please, and not just in the bedroom. Tyler just never saw himself as a one-woman kind of guy, especially not with the daughter of his agent, who was one of the top names in the business.
The question the reporter asked was a valid one. Malone had a habit taking his top clients to free agency to create a bidding war for their services. This had led to several of his clients changing teams over the years, and seeing them sign with big market teams like the Yankees or the Dodgers wasn’t uncommon. Tyler wasn’t worried about any of that, though. He was going to make more money than he could spend anyway. Not only did he like pitching for the team he cheered for as a boy, but he liked being top dog. New York and LA both had plenty of other famous athletes, actors, and a whole host of other celebrities. In Detroit he was the main man, and you couldn’t put a price tag on that.
“Bruce Malone works for me, not the other way around,” Tyler reminded the pretty blonde and all of the other reporters gathered.
“Are you sure about that?” called a reporter from somewhere in the back, producing another healthy round of laughter from the whole room. “I think some of his other clients would disagree.”
“Well guys, and girls,” said Tyler, “I’m bored now. I’m going to take a shower. Try and come up with more original questions next time.”
When the reporters finally left Cal Stevens, the manager of the Tigers walked over and sat down. Worn and grizzled, the hair on the man’s head had long ago turned gray and only his dark brown moustache was left to prove its original color.
Stevens had been a catcher in the majors for eighteen years before retiring and turning to coaching. Mark Lawton signed him away from the Cubs organization when he took the position as the Tigers’ General Manager six years ago. All of that bending and squatting had ruined the man’s knees and various other baseball-related injuries had slowed him even further. Like Tyler he was from the Midwest, having been born in Defiance, Ohio. His look and easy manner of speech reminded Tyler of his grandfather and he had to constantly remind himself that the only manager he ever had in the majors was only fifty years old. Tyler’s dad was fifty two.
“I heard what you said to the reporters about your contract,” Stevens said when he took a seat on the stool next to Tyler. “The room is empty now, it’s just us. Did you mean it? Are you really planning on staying around after this season?”
“I’m just waiting for Bruce Malone to put the new contact in front of me so I can sign it,” he confirmed.
“You’ve heard of Julio Ramirez, right?”
“Yeah,” said Tyler. “He pitches in Texas. He used to be one of the best pitchers in the game.”
“We had him when I was with the Cubs,” said Stevens. “Back then he was a lot like you are now. Young, full of talent and a small town kid with no love for the big city. He wanted to sign a new contract with us when his first one ran out, but Bruce Malone took him to free agency. The Cubs had to fight with the Yankees, Angels, and Mets to sign him. In the end, the Mets offered him a seven year deal for a hundred and eighty million bucks. He did a few endorsements and made even more, but the big city ate him alive. He only won ten games total the next two years and soon after that he started bouncing around the league. He hasn’t been the same since. That mega-deal of his is up after this season and I doubt anyone will touch him when free agency starts. He’s not even thirty five and his career is over. Bruce Malone only cares about the money, you remember that.”
“Thanks for the advice skip, but like I told the reporter, Malone works for me. He knows I don’t ever want to pitch anywhere else.”
“You just make sure he doesn’t forget,” said Stevens as he slowly rose to return to his office. Even Tyler could hear the crackling of his manager’s knees and couldn’t help but wince a little. “You’ll be old one day too, kid,” said Stevens when he saw Tyler’s look. As soon as his manager left, Tyler showered, got dressed and headed out.
“Mr. Bennett I was hoping to ask you a few more questions,” said a woman, and when Tyler looked up he saw that it was the blonde reporter from earlier. She had changed her look from before. Her hair that had been pulled back in a ponytail was now hanging loose. She had ditched the professional blazer and she had unbuttoned the first two buttons on her blue blouse.
“I was just about to grab a late dinner, but you’re welcome to join me,” he told her with a smile.
“I’d like that she said, and went around and slid into the passenger seat of his Corvette.
She’s a little on the thin side, Thought Tyler. But she’ll do.