Free RED HAZE: A Werewolf Story for the 21st Century by Ian Redman Page A

from foe. At least my colleagues and I are presuming this…at present.” The look on Charles Mann’s stern face now conveyed bold authority. “Tell me Ash,” he continued, “tell me what it’s like to be a wolf?” It was a clever question, a question to test Piper’s state of mind.
    “Sir…?”
    “The wolf inside you, what’s it like to have the senses and strength normal human beings lack?”
    Piper noticed the Colonel’s use of ‘normal’. He had pushed the word down his throat, testing for a reaction. It was a direct assault on Piper’s sensitivity, an assault to test the possibility of any psychological damage to his mind. “I…I don’t know sir.”
    “COME ON PIPER,” with an almighty thump, his quiet, confident tone becoming a shout, the Colonel’s fist slammed down on his desk, “YOU MUST REMEMBER SOMETHING OF YOUR TRANSFORMATION! THE FIREFIGHT, THE FEELINGS INSIDE YOU? THINK MAN, THINK!”
    Charles Mann’s voice had risen considerably. Was he angry? Inhaling deeply, Piper answered, his thoughts in turmoil. “Sir, the only thing I can remember was seeing everything in red…yes, a sort of mist, a haze… a red haze.”
    “Yes, go on, anything else?”
    “…the sounds around me, very loud, almost piercing…and the smells… gasoline, sweat and blood.” Shaking his head in disbelief Piper continued, “I remember the tracer racing past me, an Iraqi firing at me, the look of horror on his face…” he paused, then flinched, “…the rounds hitting my chest!”
     
    As the two men talked, the same high-ranking officer who had previously conversed with Colonel Mann was listening intently in another office, with every word being transmitted to where he was sitting by a hidden microphone.
    A woman sat listening too. She was deep in thought.
     
    Slowly, Piper ran the back of his hand across his brow, his thick, dark blonde hair, matted with sweat.
    “Alright, relax Ash.” Charles Mann’s tone returned to normal, a calming smile weaving its way towards the worried looking man sat in front of him. What was Piper thinking right now, he thought? Could he control the terrifying beast inside him, and the bloodlust that now ran in his veins? Could he be the ultimate weapon against terrorism? Did he dare show Piper the recorded video footage from Rostov? Only Commander Hertschell and Doctor Descard could answer that question! It was time for him to meet them. “Ash, answer this final question, and I want an honest answer…”
    “Sir?”
    “Are you afraid…of what’s inside you?”
    Piper’s facial expression suddenly became aggressive, the look on his face taking Colonel Mann somewhat by surprise. “No sir, I am not afraid, as you so quaintly put it, of what’s inside me!”
    “How can you be so sure?”
    Again Piper sensed the Colonel probing into his mind. “Because I have to live with it sir. I trust it…the wolf is a friend.”
    Nodding his head with satisfaction Charles Mann rose from his chair, walked across to Piper and patted him warmly on the shoulder. “An honest and admirable answer. Now then…” Brusquely moving towards the door, the Colonel’s mood lightened somewhat, “let’s organise some refreshment shall we? What would you like Ash, coffee or tea?” Again, the calming smile returned.
    “English tea sir?” Piper smiled too, his mind and body relaxing again.
    “Of course.”
    “That would be very pleasant sir. Nice and strong, just a little milk, no sugar.”
    “And a slice of chocolate cake perhaps?”
    Piper laughed, “wonderful sir.”
    “Good! Wait here Ash, I’ll be about fifteen minutes. Your tea and cake will be brought in to you. After that, there are two people I want you to meet.”
    There was now a look in Colonel Mann’s eyes that Piper found interesting. Yes, he thought, the Colonel’s hiding something, of that he was certain. This was certainly turning out to be a de-briefing with a difference. As Charles Mann turned and left the office,