Claiming Treasure Ch. 46-50

Ch. 48

Colletta Nygaard's POV

White House

I walked through the millimeter-wave X-ray machine staffed by Secret Service agents, holding my arms up. The female agent staffing it had me turn around, then waved me through. The technology was better than a metal detector as it would show non-metallic objects. I then entered an explosive detector, where puffs of air around my body got directed up to an automated sniffer. When the machine flashed green, I walked out on the other side and retrieved my purse.

Nehemiah Pensky followed me, dressed in a three-piece charcoal-gray suit. I liked the idea of him being on the Council; his centuries as a Pack Doctor gave him a different outlook than an Alpha. Doctors were always learning new treatments and technologies, and they approached problems differently. He was always looking for a way to make things better. He grabbed his wallet and keys as a female agent brought over our badges. "These need to remain visible at all times," the agent said as she clipped it on my blouse. Nehemiah clipped his badge onto the lapel of his jacket. "Remain with Director Patterson or a Secret Service agent at all times, and welcome to the White House."

"Thank you," I said as Hugh Patterson gestured for us to walk with him. "I appreciate you setting this up on short notice, Mr. Director." The FBI Director was the only one I'd met who knew the secret of my kind. When I called him requesting an immediate meeting of the National Security Council, he knew what it meant. This meeting wasn't like last time when it was all legal trouble. "May I introduce Doctor Nehemiah Pensky, my colleague."

"A pleasure, Mr. Patterson," he said as he shook his hand.

"I think I know why we're here, I brought a copy of the surveillance video from Hermantown," he said. "This way to the elevator." It took almost ten minutes to go through the layers of security to reach the White House Situation Room deep underground. "It looks like most of the members are already in place," he said as he ushered me to the end of the table, a bank of televisions behind us. The National Security Council was different than the Cabinet, which consisted of the various heads of the Departments. I recognized Attorney General Marisol Guttierez and CIA Director Peter Sinclair from my last visit here. Around the table were places set for members.

The meeting would be chaired by the President when he arrived. The Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Director of National Intelligence, had the seats closest to him at the table. Other members present included the Secretary of Energy, National Security Advisor, White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Homeland Security, White House Counsel, and the Ambassador to the United Nations.

To say I was nervous was an understatement. I could hardly stop myself from shaking as Hugh introduced us to the most powerful people in Washington. "You're powerful too, don't let them intimidate you," Nehemiah whispered low enough only I would hear it. He was right.

The door opened as the President entered, and the room stood until she took her seat, and gestured for them to sit down. President Laura Kettering had been in office for just over two years, and I could see how the strain of the office was aging her. "Director Patterson, you have twenty minutes," she said as we all sat down.

"Thank you, Madam President," he said. "I will turn this meeting over to my guests who requested it. This is Colletta Nygaard, and Doctor Nehemiah Pensky, here on urgent business and representing the Werewolf Council."

The reaction was priceless; half laughed out loud, while the others looked at Patterson like he'd just thrown away his career. "Say again," President Kettering said.

"The Werewolf Council. It represents the twenty-two Packs in North America, Europe, and Russia. Doctor Pensky and I are likely to be elected to the Council next week, with myself as Chair, but the position isn't official yet."

"Are you serious?" The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs stared at us.

"I am. Director Patterson, could you cue up the surveillance tape?" The screen came alive with the video from the Gander store. "Werewolves have been here since before this land was a country. We have lived among you, keeping our nature secret and living in peace with humans for centuries. I am here because recent events mean our secret can no longer be kept quiet. I need your help to manage the fallout, so there is no panic, and neither side is hurt."

"I find it hard to believe werewolves exist," the National Security Director said.

"This video was taken this morning at a store outside of Duluth. The man in the video is Jack Coffey, the former Chairman of the Werewolf Council. He solicited the bombing of a private plane that killed another Council member last year and hired a man to bomb my daughter's plane in Canada a week ago."

"He's on the FBI Top Ten fugitive list," Patterson added. "The identification he used to cross the border and attempt to purchase a firearm was genuine, but under a different name."

"Coffey is wanted by the Council but evaded arrest. He showed up at this sporting goods store after crossing the border; he was recognized but fled before police could arrest him." The video showed him exiting the back door and hiding behind the dumpster. Pulling his clothes off, he shifted into his wolf form and ran for the fence. Twenty seconds later, he was gone, leaving behind an injured Deputy and his dog.

"Holy shit," the CIA director said.

"I don't believe it," the Homeland Security director said.

I gestured to Nehemiah, who started to remove his clothing and place it on his chair. "I apologize, but if he doesn't strip first, he won't have clothes to leave with."

"You're both werewolves," President Kettering said.

"Yes. It's not dangerous; the wolf nature and the human nature coexist in our minds, and we are fully conscious and controlled in either form. We can shift back and forth at will, and although we love running in moonlight, the moon does not control us. Our kind are indistinguishable from yours until we change." Nehemiah dropped his boxers behind the chair back, then quickly shifted into his wolf.

"Well, suck me dry and call me Dusty, it's true," the UN Ambassador said. The Texan was known for his plain talk.

I scratched Nehemiah's ears, which were at the same level as my breasts. His back was level with the table. With the doors closed and guarded, no one could deny what he was. "Nehemiah, say Hi to the people and let them touch you if they wish."

He chuffed, then walked around the table as the stunned participants verified the enormous wolf was real. He sat in front of the President, letting her scratch him and look into his eyes. When she leaned closer, he licked her face. "Ugh, dog slobber," she said as she sat up and let him go. He finished the circuit and then shifted back, pulling his clothes back on.

"How does one become a werewolf," the Treasury Secretary asked.

"You are born one," I said. "Think of it as a blood curse because we have tested our people, and our DNA is indistinguishable from human DNA. If one or both parents are werewolves, the children will be werewolves."

"Just how many are you?" The President sat back, suddenly making the connection there could be millions of us.

"Thousands," I said. "We don't have the same reproductive success as you, but we do age much more slowly and live far longer. Our females average one birth every fifty years or so. The combination has kept our population relatively stable."

The Chief of Staff looked at me in wonder. "Just how old are you, Colletta?"

"I was a teenager during the Civil War," I said. "I have four children, the youngest twins in their mid-twenties."

"And I served with General Washington's army as a field doctor in the Revolutionary War," Nehemiah said. "I was just over a hundred years old at the time."

"Fuck," the General said as he sat back. "The possibilities!"

"It's not that simple," Nehemiah said. "Although we can reproduce with humans, the practice is forbidden due to the risk of our secret getting out. You couldn't hide from the baby momma that you don't age, and the young wolves need to be with their Pack when they shift in their late teens. The product of such unions historically became weak wolves, too weak to strengthen a Pack's structure. Also, a bite from a werewolf in his wolf form is fatal to humans within a day. Up until recently, I would have said that Deputy Sheriff was a dead man, but Colletta's son may be able to save him."

"The video from Hermantown is going to get out to the press soon," Director Patterson said. "When our agents arrived, multiple officers had already observed it. The junior FBI agent who arrived at the scene took the hard drive into evidence but did not know there was an offsite backup. By the time the oversight was corrected, the hacker had the video downloaded and the file overwritten."

"Why?"

"You saw the video. Someone will pay big money for proof that werewolves exist," I said.

"What a mess," the President said. "You said you represent the Council; tell me about how your kind govern."

Nehemiah and I spent the next five minutes explaining how the Packs organized under an Alpha pair, with Betas, Warriors, and Omegas. The Council was easier for them to grasp, the Alphas electing members who served as a governing body to enact and enforce our laws. "What would your Council do if you caught Mr. Coffey before we did," the Attorney General asked.

"Under our laws, he would be tried and executed the same day," I said.

The President looked at the clock. "It's already twenty minutes past the scheduled end, and I can't stay for more than five minutes more," she said. "What are you here to get, Colletta?"

"Recognition and cooperation," I said. "Our desire to live in peace with humans has not changed. When our existence is revealed, I'd ask that you stand with us and reassure people that there is no danger to them from our kind."

"We don't know that," the Homeland Security Director said.

"That is why this is urgent."

"What if we don't cooperate? We could capture you all before you can threaten us."

"We have contingency plans in place if you try that. You may think you know who we are, but we haven't lived this long without the ability to adapt. We will change our identities and disperse into the population, waiting decades if needed before we come back together as Packs again. We can avoid shifting as long as necessary; all the panic will do is wipe out the truly wild wolves out there, to everyone's detriment."

"And if we do cooperate," the President asked.

"We manage the fallout. Our people continue to own businesses, work to better communities, and contribute as citizens of the United States of America. We would also entertain assisting the President in cases where our unique experience and talents would come into play." This caught the attention of the CIA Director and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. "We cannot force us to do anything, but you could ask," I said.

"I've served in every war this country has been in until World War Two," Nehemiah added. "Our patriotism should not be questioned."

"This has been an enlightening discussion. I want Homeland Security and the White House Counsel to work with you on a plan to manage this video's release." Everyone stood when she did. "I don't suppose vampires are real?"

I laughed. "Vampires do not exist except in books and movies," I said. "Sparkly or otherwise."

She came around and shook my hand. "I look forward to hearing more," she said.

"Thank you, Madam President." She walked out, soon followed by about half of the room. The rest stuck around to ask questions. It was dinnertime before we turned in our visitor badges. "That was exhausting," I said as we waited for our cab.

"Do you think it worked?"

"I don't know. I hope the Council got the message that we won't be their bitches, despite our other forms," I said with a laugh. "We need to get to the hotel and check-in with the others."

Ch. 49

President Laura Kettering's POV

White House

I left the meeting because I had to meet with the German Ambassador, but inside I was seething. I couldn't believe there was a group with this kind of power, operating without oversight in our borders. I looked over at my Chief of Staff as a group walked to the elevators. "Our official position is that we are cooperating with Colletta and her people to make sure their reveal happens smoothly and without panic," I said. "They are American citizens who have done nothing wrong."

"And our unofficial position?"

"I don't know if I can trust them. I want a full briefing from the Attorney General and Homeland after dinner tonight with all we know of them and their activities. I also want all our resources applied to figure out who these people are and where they live. If they aren't the peaceful citizens they say they are, I want to be able to sweep them up on my command before they can disperse."

He thought about it for a minute. "If they haven't committed a crime, how do we justify arresting them?" We all got in the elevator.

"Have an Executive Order drafted that declares them an exigent National Security threat. Hell, it worked for Roosevelt with the Japanese in World War Two. If I sign it, nobody will stand up for a bunch of monsters when they are rounded up and shipped to military prisons." The powers that Colletta had revealed, long life, the ability to shift into huge wolves, and hide in plain sight for centuries? Their allegiance was to their Packs first, not the Constitution, so fuck them. "Pass the locations of any known Packs in our country to the Joint Chiefs. I want contingency plans to bomb or attack the sites on my desk by morning."

"Yes, Mrs. President," he said.

"I also want the CIA to prepare briefings for allies with Packs in their countries. Treat this like we have a large terrorist group with training camps in our borders, and find out what the hell they are doing there. Clear my schedule tonight to deal with this."

"It will be done, Ma'am."

I looked at the Secretary of State. "We can't keep the Ambassador waiting." The two of us walked towards the Rose Garden while the rest returned to their offices. I was getting a headache; I asked one of the aides to get me some Tylenol as we got to the doors.

I thought the Area 51 briefing when I took office shook my worldview, but this was worse.

Beta Peter's POV

Hermantown, MN

"Boss, we lost him. Do you want us to send the dogs after him?" The trail had gone cold, Jack Coffey disappearing into the suburban jungle.

"The press is all over this, and any big dog running around is liable to be shot. No, I've got another job for you. I just texted you a picture. Head back to the store and wait for this security guy. He can't keep what he has in his pocket. Bring him and his stuff to me," Alpha Michael said as he hung up.

I waited for the text to come in, then looked at the photo. He was young, in his twenties, and in a Gander Security shirt. Ten minutes after the call, I pulled into the Gander lot and parked in the back of the lot. The police tape was still up, but most of the customer cars were gone, and a flatbed wrecker was pulling Coffey's vehicle onto the inclined ramp. Nearby, a Bomb Squad technician was packing his gear up.

It was three in the afternoon before I spotted him leaving the store, accompanied by one of the dozens of agents in FBI jackets who had descended on the place. The kid walked under the crime scene tape to an older VW Jetta at the back of the lot, where the employees had to park. I had two warriors in another car, and I sent them out of the parking lot and right towards the address we had on the target.

I followed him out of the lot, smiling to myself as he turned towards home. Once I was confident he was heading to his mother's house, I sent the other car ahead to set the trap. I stayed two to four cars back, making sure I didn't raise any suspicions as he drove. It took fifteen minutes to reach his neighborhood in an older section of town filled with bungalows and standard-sized lots.

"In place and waiting," I heard as I followed at a distance.

As soon as I turned into his driveway, my men already had him. Laying in wait by his home, they had jumped him as soon as he exited his Jetta and injected him with a fast-acting sedative. I pulled up behind him and popped the remote latch on my trunk hood; they carried the unconscious man towards me. He was in the trunk in seconds, and I backed out of the driveway and drove away. My men returned to their car, parked down the block, and followed me a minute later.

There were no signs of alarm. "Nice job, boys," I said as we drove towards home.

"He had a flash drive in his pocket," came the reply.

"You guys go straight to Arrowhead and give that to Spider Monkey," I told him. I was heading back to Oxbow Lake with the prisoner. Even if we recovered the video file, we still had a Billy problem. He'd seen the shift, and couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut.

I drove straight to our Pack prison, where we hauled Billy down to a cell with stone walls and a solid steel entrance. The guards and I stripped him of anything he could use as a weapon or use to kill himself. He'd sleep for another two hours or so, and then the Alpha could have his talk with our little troublemaker.

Ralph Emerson (Esq) POV

Arrowhead Pack House

It had taken me a day to put together all the legal forms that Rori and Chase had requested of me. As I laid the stack on her office desk, I looked at her in concern. "Is it this bad," I asked. "I thought you all were fitting in well." I'd known the secret of the werewolves for decades and had been the lawyers for Rori's parents in the glory days of her Pack.

"I hope it isn't, but the threat of exposure is high right now, and I don't know for sure how people will react," Rori said as she looked at the pile. "We have to plan," she said. "I've already instructed my Pack members to prepare for dispersal at my command. They have vehicles packed and new identifications ready. Many already purchased new cars using their false identities, and some even have destinations picked out known only to them. We can evacuate Arrowhead in minutes if needed."

"Can't you work out something with the Government?" There had to be a better way than to abandon everything she had built here.

"My Mom is trying," Chase said as he started signing forms. "I don't know what terms the administration will accept. We won't be disarmed and herded into camps. I can promise you that." The notary public, one of the Pack Omegas, was stamping and countersigning each form as they finished.

"This is all contingency planning, Ralph. It's probably a waste of your time."

"At two-fifty an hour, nothing is a waste of my time," I said with a smile. It took a while to get through all of the paperwork. The biggest thing was a full Power of Attorney. The document would allow me to act in Rori and Chase's stead if both were deceased or unable to communicate their wishes. The rest dealt with ensuring the Pack could access money and assets while hiding under their new names. Every Pack member had a unique code phrase to include in a letter or email to me; this would allow me to recognize them and provide them additional funding when requested.

It was a dangerous thing to give over full legal control over your finances to another. Once again, I could be controlling millions of dollars in assets in their stead. It was an honor to be trusted enough to do it. I told them that as they continued signing.