Read TW08 The Dracula Caper NEW for Free Online Page B

find any more hair samples, but I managed to obtain some skin scrapings from under the deceased's fingernails. There's a limit to what I can do given the primitive equipment at the crime lab, so I brought the samples with me. I'll admit it's a long shot, sir, but I think there's a chance we may be looking at some custom-tailored DNA here. I'd like permission to clock back to base and see if there are any lupine chromosomes in this sample.”
    "Wait a minute." said Steiger, “
lupine
chromosomes? Are you telling me
you
think this policeman was killed by a
were
wolf?"
    "Well, you did say not to overlook any possibilities, sir, no matter how farfetched or remote,” said Neilson. "Since we know Drakov's been creating humanoid lifeforms through genetic engineering, I considered the various possibilities. Conan Doyle could be wrong, in which case we've got somebody running around in the East End who apparently likes to drink human blood and needs one hell of a manicure. Or else Doyle is right and those hairs he found
were
wolf hairs, in which case it could he that we've got a psycho with a blood fetish who's also got a trained wolf. Or maybe he puts sonic sort of metal claw tips on the ends of his lingers and wears a mask made out of real wolf hair, to make people think he's a werewolf. Or . . . he's really a werewolf. Chromosome mapping of the skin scrapings should tell us if we're dealing with a normal human or one that's been genetically designed."
    Private Larson glanced from Neilson to Steiger. "A
werewolf?
Jesus, Fleet Street would have a field day with that. Especially after the Whitechapel murders."
    "That was six years ago," said Corporal Davis, who was assigned to
The
Daily Telegraph.
"There weren't any newspaper records of killings in London at this time that would lit that sort of pattern. Either it was completely hushed up or
we've
got a possible temporal anomaly on our hands."
    "I think this may be the break we've been looking for, sir,” said Neilson. "We know Drakov had Moreau design hominoids patterned after characters out of mythology, such as those creatures you encountered on your last mission. Well. why
not
a werewolf?"
    "It's wild, but it sounds like just the sort of thing he might do," Delaney said, glancing at Steiger. "I say we check it out. It shouldn't take long."
    "Do it,'• Steiger said to Neilson. "Set your warp disc for a thirty-second clockback. I want that chromosome analysis now."
    "Yes, sir," said Neilson. He programmed his warp disc and disappeared, clocking ahead to TAC headquarters in the 27th century. He reappeared exactly thirty seconds later, looking tired and needing a shave. He looked slightly ill. Temporal transition often produced nausea and dizziness and some soldiers never became accustomed to it.
    Well?" said Steiger.
    "There's no doubt about it, sir," said Neilson, for whom hours had passed. "I've been up all night, going over the results. I had them run the samples three times to verify the results. They came out the same each time. The chromosome maps of the samples show definite hybridization with lupine genetic material, probably virally fixated. It's got our genetics people tremendously excited. They say it's extremely sophisticated engineering, very trick. They're guessing that there's a hormonal trigger, which would make the change cyclical. Most of the time, the infected person probably looks completely normal, but once the hormonal cycle triggers expression of the lupine genes. a definite physical change would occur. It looks like we've got a real live werewolf on our hands, sir."
    Damn,"
said Steiger. "We've hit pay dirt. Good work. Neilson. You've earned some rest. Go next door and get some sleep."
    Neilson grimaced wryly. "Are you kidding? Who could think of sleeping at a time like this?"
    "I want you to get some rest," said Steiger. "I'm going to need everybody at a hundred percent from now on. We can't afford any mistakes. A genetically engineered werewolf is bad