The Forever Drug Read Online Free PDF Page A

to walk her off the end of the pier, just for a laugh?
    No, that didn't scan. I hadn't smelled a human scent while following the cat's trail. The cat must have just hooked up with the woman. So who was she?
    As I was pondering these questions, I crept closer, whispering into my commlink that I'd spotted the target. I can move fairly quietly in human form, but I guess my excitement at spotting the cat made me clumsy. Or maybe the cat had some sort of power that cursed its enemies. In any case, the next thing I knew I'd tripped over a rusted piece of fence wire and was taking a header. I dropped the containment cage as I fell, and it hit the ground with a loud rattle.
    Instantly, the cat whirled around, its reflective eyes pinpointing me as the source of the noise. As I scrambled to my feet, the cat shimmered and blurred. It was using its adaptive coloration to blend with the night, to match the black of the pier and the oily glisten of the water behind it.
    Cursing, I grabbed a grenade from my pocket. I pulled the pin from it and hurled it in the direction of the pier. But my aim was off. The grenade glanced off a piling and ricocheted into the water, exploding under the surface with a dull pop. Bubbles carried the pungent herbal scent to the surface, but I knew that nowhere near enough of the drug had been released.
    I ran forward, hauling the tranq pistol out of its holster. Every fiber of my body ached to change, to give chase. But I maintained human form. As I closed the distance between myself and the cat, it reappeared. For just an instant, as I thudded onto the pier, I caught a glimpse of an animal with a black back and white chest, chin, and legs. Its markings were perfectly symmetrical. It had a wide face and large golden eyes, giving it an innocent, kittenish expression. But I recognized it for the foul little creature it was. And I was only about twenty meters away now. I hauled the second grenade from my pocket, pulled the pin and ...
    The cat meowed. The sound was long and drawn out, more a howl than a meow. It echoed through the night, sending a shiver of pleasure down my spine and causing the hair on the tips of my ears to quiver. Too late, I realized dimly that I should have been ready for this, should have brought ear plugs along. I felt my will drain from me, and looked at the grenade I held with slack fingers. It would be so easy to let go of it, to let it fall into the ocean. And then just chase my tail, round and round and...
    Drek. I hate cats. Especially magically active ones.
    Gritting my teeth, I wrestled against the compulsion that had settled over my mind like a thick fog. I jerked my arm forward, bowling the grenade at the cat. The blue egg bounced and rattled its way down the uneven boards of the pier, toward the patch of shimmering darkness that the cat had once again become. By some miracle the grenade came to a stop less than a meter from the creature's paws, then exploded with a muffled crack.
    A spray of catnip flakes flew into the air like confetti. The stuff was super concentrated, grown hydroponically and flash-dried for maximum potency. Even as the cloud of it enveloped the cat, I felt the claw of control the creature had inserted into my mind slip away. The cat dropped its protective camouflage, took one giddy look around, and immediately fell squirming onto its back on the pier. It waved its paws in the air in a frenzy of delight, twisting its head this way and that as it drank in the heady scent of the drug.
    I took careful aim with my tranq gun and popped it one. The dart needled into the cat's flank, and in another moment it lay still. I walked along the pier toward it, pistol still at the ready. When I was satisfied that the thing was out cold and would stay that way for the next hour or two, I went back for the containment cage, unfolded it, and stuffed the cat inside. Despite my distaste for the creature, I was careful not to hurt it. I didn't want to face charges for willfully