The Drop Off (closed)

[Elizabeth]

Doc It was nearly an hour later, before Doc was knocking on Lizzie's door. He lugged, more than carried the army surplus duffel that contained a the dead remains of a garou. When she said she wanted a carcass, he had been surprised. He had one in cold storage already, for a time where he could devote a lengthy evening dissecting it; but that didn't seem like her forte'. But she had hidden depths. He knocked on her door.

Elizabeth: As to not alarm those that occasionally tomed into the rooftop gardens in the tower, Elizabeth had moved her...workings; art and otherwise to a penthouse she had not visited in some time. Which meant it was highly unlikely she would be visited by anyone there, unless an invitation was personally extended. Elizabeth had been curious about werewolves for a couple of nights now...what was true and what was not given what she had read. The knock on her door had Elizabeth standing, closing the book Diederik had acquired and then moving to the door. She opened it and offered Charles a small smile. "Come in." Elizabeth glanced down at the duffel bag and smiled, as she moved out of the door. "Do you need help with it?"

Doc "No .. I've got it. It is heavy, ungainly, and dead weight, but I got it. Where do you want it?" He said as he stepped inside the apartment. "It's a female." He raised his eyebrows. "I nearly kept it for myself. But you did ask so nicely." He gave her a wan half-hearted grin. The grin turned more curious, as he lugged it. "What are you planning to do with it? Sketch it? Paint it? Or.. dare I hope cut it open? If you cut it open, can I watch? I will be quiet as a mouse. A pesky, curious, mouse."

Elizabeth: She moved a little more out of the way, eyes on the bag and then moving towards him. “I appreciate it greatly. And, well, if you must know...I plan on doing a few things with it. I have never...seen one of these before now. Before you spoke of this place.” Elizabeth admitted and then closed the door behind him once he was inside. “My thrall, Diederik brought me some books on the creatures, but I dare say that I am skeptical of all of it. Born as one of these creatures or bitten? What are your thoughts on the lore...or of her?” Elizabeth studied Doc curiously, wondering what if anything, he had discovered. “And yes, I do plan on cutting her open...have you cut one open yet?”

Doc His Interest was piqued immediately. The wan lackluster grin become a look of intrigue. ( http://imageshack.com/a/img674/5695/PY1noZ.png ) "Not as of yet. I have a well nourished male on ice in a location.. but this is a female. First one I have found, that was relatively undamaged, except for broken neck and bullet through the brain." He pondered her question. "To be truthful, I haven't read up on the lore. I wanted to see what I could learn without having any preconceived ideas. I know human muscular structure. Vaguely know canine. Haven't actually dissected a canine. I like animals." He paused and shrugged, "Except these. I don't like these."

Elizabeth: “My ideas are purely skeptical...but your idea is an interesting one. Perhaps the better one.” Elizabeth confessed before she moved around the bag. “I must confess I know a little about the the human body, and know a great deal less about a canine form.” Elizabeth laughed, then rolled her shoulders. “But, regardless to what I find or do not find, if there is blood...then there can always be painting.” Elizabeth’s lips quirked a little into twist, before looking over at Doc. “So not all will be lost…” She trailed off, Elizabeth glancing to Doc. “Is one interested in staying and...doing some research?” The woman knelt down to the floor, her charcoal coloured knit knee length dress pluming out around her as she unzipped the bag.

Doc "Yes. Yes I am." He immediately shrugged out of his jackets and discarded it on a chair. He started rolling up his sleeves. Pausing he frowned in contemplation, "You wouldn't happen to have a scalpel would you? I am more adept with a scalpel. However We will need a skinning tool as well. What kind of blades do you have?"

Elizabeth: She hadn’t expected a quick response, but was pleased for it. While Elizabeth was curious to research the things she had read about and verify them or disprove them, it was likely she had no idea what she was actually looking for. “I do not have a skinning too, and items one probably does not use often-or ever.” Elizabeth said with a light laugh as she finished unzipping the bag and stood up to glance at the large beast inside the bag. “I...have a few things…” Elizabeth said almost whimsically before holding up a finger. “Wait here.” Elizabeth moved out the main living space of the penthouse and disappeared for a few minutes, to come back with a brown leather satchel of miscellaneous items in them. She dropped them to the floor and the items inside shifted, clattered and clanged. “This may be unconventional, but...it suits us, yes?” Elizabeth’s blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she knelt down for a second time and unzipped the bag. Slowly, the woman pulled out a variety of items. Anywhere from a heavy duty gardening shears, to a couple of handguns (unloaded), to carbon fiber straight razor, corkscrews, ice pick and various small blades. “Surely something can be of use in there?” She asked as Elizabeth started pulling the objects out one by one.

Doc Doc crouched and started going through the items on the floor. He set aside the straight razor, the small blades, and then the ice pick. He picked up straight razor and held it. flipping it through his fingers and couple of times. "This is actually quite nice. Lightweight, and has a good feel in the hand. I think we can skin with this." He looked around the room. "How big is your kitchen? Do you have a bar? About.. two meters long? The kitchen has a tile floor? It would be a lot easier clean up... and I am guessing it has better lighting as well.." He stood up suddenly, and went over to his discarded jacket and searched the pockets for his phone, "We will need photos as well. Especially if we find something we do not recognize.." He offered her his cell, "You want to be in charge of photos,, or skinning?"

Elizabeth: She watched Doc, hopeful something in the bag would be of use. When Doc had found something, Elizabeth smiled, relieved a little. “The kitchen?” Elizabeth asked, then shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose average or above average to that of an apartment. There is no bar, but there is a counter...three. However, the counter in the middle is perhaps the best to use in this scenario.” Elizabeth thought aloud as she watched Doc move away. “I...have never skinned anything before.” She saw the phone and then pondered it. “Perhaps, we could take turns? What I may think is important, you may not think as much and vice versa.” Elizabeth suggested, interested in learning about anything once before rejecting the idea. “If one is not in a hurry to go anywhere this evening, that is…” Elizabeth trailed off, thinking back to the brief interaction between Doc and Mortll in the cathedral. “If you do, I suppose there will be other opportunities and wolves for me to play with later after learning from someone with experience.”

Doc Doc nodded, as she said he had three counters, he meant the Island counter, it was what he called a bar. “The middle one will work, would be great if there is a light overhead.” He said in answer to her suggestion of the counter. But as she added she had never skinned before, he stopped, canting his head slightly to the side, “Really? I just presumed that you would have some experience from years ago, rabbits.. Deer.. No?” he paused, as she suggested taking turns, He grinned. “Sounds like a plan; since I had no other plans. Unless you count reading the latest AMA Journal.” He picked up the duffel, “Kitchen is.. Which way?”

Elizabeth: When he stopped and offered his thoughts, Elizabeth smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, what I meant to say is I have never skinned a potential person.” If the wolf was made, then at some point they had been a person. “Based off the potential mythology.” Elizabeth followed with that final closing thought, before she pointed to the left. “This way.” She led the way, listening for sounds in the penthouse, wondering if her thrall were about. If he was, he would certainly be in for another surprise; one Elizabeth suspected he would not like. The lights to the kitchen were flipped on as soon as Elizabeth entered the partially enclosed room, the woman moving out of the way to allow Doc to unload the wolf sooner than later. It had to be a couple hundred pounds easily.

Doc Doc spent the next few minutes fighting with, and eventually freeing the Werewolf carcass from army surplus duffel bag. He positioned the werewolf on its back, abdomen up. Only after he was pleased with the way the thing lay, did he start speaking again. “What I find interesting, is that the body stayed true to the werewolf state. Upon death it did not morph back to that of a human. Which then, raises questions. Were these ever humans? If so, how did they become this? Was it a process similar to Vampires? If not, and they were born this way, how did they get a hold of weapons? Because this one used a gun on me. So who was the guy who saw this monstrosity and said.. ‘Hold my beer.. I am gonna give this monster my gun.’

Elizabeth: She too had noticed that and wondered what, if anything it had meant. Perhaps then, they were born this way. Then again, Doc had a good point. How did they get ahold of weapons? “Perhaps from those they killed...or….someone-something, who does not see them as an enemy, but a potential ally.” Her mind wandered to that of the Fae and those tied to that sect of beings, simply because Elizabeth believed no human-one within their right mind would give any ‘monster’ a weapon to use against them and the Fae were devious creatures. “Then again, they could be subjected to this...being once they are made by whatever means they are made.” A bite was the one theory she had read, but certainly there had to be other theories out there? There were about vampires. “I guess...one could try and see if there are any bite marks upon the being to see if that may be a logical theory?” Elizabeth offered, feeling no more helpful now, than five minutes ago.


Doc “My guess.. Is if it were via a bite, that it would have healed by now. But .. if you want to get your LAdy Schick we can try to shave it. It will be time consuming. For very little chance of a payout.” He gnawed on his lower lip. “I am not sure how long we have before this carcass corrupts. Vampire bodies, some hang around.. Some don't. But the ones that do, do not hang around long. And ..if there are different strains of these werewolves, which I do believe, i have noticed three distinct categories of them in the Cathedral, but if there are strains inside strains..well.. The act of dissecting could be a different challenge each time.” He paused, “Personally.. I want to see the guts and muscular structure. I want to see if they resemble Humans that undergone a transformation.. Or are they a beast until themselves?” He aimed his cell phone camera at the corpse and took it’s photo. “It is your kitchen.. Your call. We either shave her, skin her,.. And I will see if I can tan its hide.. Or we skin, and save the pelt.. For a taxidermist I know.”

Elizabeth: Doc had some valuable points and Elizabeth only found herself nodding in agreement. It was unlikely it would have been bitten recently; as in a few days ago. The comment about her shaver made Elizabeth’s mouth twitch in amusement, before she waved a dismissive hand. “The pelt, I am the least interested in. It is yours.” In truth, Elizabeth wanted to know first and foremost if the werewolves were born or made. If they were made, then while all werewolves could be a potential threat, Elizabeth would shift her focus to dispatching of the females first and foremost. “Shall we begin?” Elizabeth asked as she moved around Charles and gently claimed the camera from him. Eventually they would get to what interested her the most, she was patient and willing to let Charles play with the parts he wanted to play with first.

Doc “In that case, on behalf of Ric, thank you. I am sure he can make something stunning out of it.. It stays in its corporeal form.” He collected the razor, and cut along the underside of the jaw, from one side to the other. Then moving to the center of the jaw, He sliced down, in a straight line, cutting all layers of the epidermis, down to the top of the ribcage. He turned the blade to follow along what he presumed was a type of clavicle to the top of the shoulder. Then he repeated this on the side. He rolled his shoulders, and glanced at Lizzie, “So now with these cuts complete, I will start to peel back the pelt, skin, whatever you want to call it, and expose the neck muscles. Take a shots from different angles, please?”

With short deft nicks with the forward tip of the razor, Doc slowly started to peal back the epidermis exposing the neck muscles. Due to the morphing, of a human to a canine, the neck muscles were too close in nature. At least that was his first impression. He stepped back, “Can you get an overhead shot of this set of muscles?” He pointed to what he presumed were the mylohyoid and stylohyoid muscles. “Do you see how they attach? I will need to research this, but this looks human, not canine. Do you see,” He pointed with the tip of the razor, how these are at an angle? That is human. Canine muscles in this area.. As best I can remember are straight. Also.. if this was a canine by nature, there would be glands.. That I am not seeing. Bringing me back to .. this is human.. Or humanoid in nature.”

Elizabeth: As Charles made his incisions, she moved around him, observing his methodology. There were minor differences in how she would have approached it, given anything she had ever skinned (mostly rabbit, squirrel and other small, gamey animals), Elizabeth would have left the head alone. There was little to nothing in respects of gaining meat. This was done for different reasons, however, so Elizabeth could understand the route that Doc had taken. When he asked about pictures, Elizabeth nodded her head and did as he requested. “Of course.” She would take three or four pictures at each point she stopped, in case some did not turn out. Some at a closer angle, while others at a wider angle.

She moved around him when he asked for a specific shot and then listened to what he was saying. Since Elizabeth had no familiarity with how the human muscular system looked to that of a dog’s, she could only nod and take in what he was saying. “So, perhaps bitten after all...or...hrm.” Elizabeth pondered other ideas that came to mind. “Or born human...and gifted with the ability in a sense...or…’cursed’ to it. As some would say we are.” Elizabeth laughed in mild amusement, never finding vampires to be cursed. There were certainly downfalls, as she suspected with each species in the world, but in no regards ‘cursed.’ “I wonder what, if anything, the natives of the lands know about these creatures.” Elizabeth said as she snapped another picture, her eyes glancing towards where the chest cavity was. It would be interesting to see if they had a working heart, or if they followed the same rules as vampires did.

Doc Doc paused as Lizzie made the comment about the First Nations People while she was studiously taking the photo. That would be a logical source for information. Ruth had been a First Nations People, of that Algonquin Nation, but he had lost touch with her years ago. Normally, since Ruth was Pi’s sibling, he could ask Pi, but she was out of Harper Rock and had been for more than a year. Which meant, if he wanted to find Ruth, he would have to ask.. Schmelliott. **** that.

Stepping out of Lizzie’s way as she snapped, viewed and re-snapped the photographs, he asked her, “I think you may be onto something there. Do you know any First Nations People? The only one I know, I haven't seen in ages. Years more like. If you know an elder.. All the better. They would have more ancestral knowledge and perhaps know the legends.” The body did not seem to be exhibiting signs that it was about to evaporate, dissolve or do anything apart from the standard act of decomposing as a normal dead thing would. “Do you by chance have any ziplock baggies? Or clingwrap? I am going to do a DNA Genome mapping on a sample. And I want to keep it as pristine as possible.”

When Lizzie stepped back from the body, Doc moved back in with blade in hand, starting at the top of the sternum he cut through the skin all the way down to the pubic symphysis. The blade then sliced perpendicular from the initial cut, along the superior pubic ramus on both sides. Then began the slow and methodical removal of the epidermis from the abdomen muscles beneath.

Elizabeth: Did she know any? Not anymore. Elizabeth shook her head and then frowned. “No. The one I had encountered centuries ago would be long dead by now. And, it was not a pleasant encounter either.” Elizabeth admitted with a lift of her shoulders. Even if the woman was alive, it was for certain she would not help Elizabeth or any vampire. “Still, it may not be difficult to find someone from a tribe? Just a walk in the woods. Care for a stroll at some time or another?” Elizabeth shot Charles a devious look, knowing all too well, a ‘stroll’ meant a quick search before they were potentially shredded to pieces by the creatures that tried to keep the woods as their own. “The town where she came from was deeply surrounded by the woods...I wonder if there may be some form of fae presence there. And if there may be a connection between our furry friend and the fae.” Elizabeth was more or less implying that they may be allies, unfoundedly, but if anyone knew the truth to that, it would be those that once owned all these lands; the natives.

Zip lock baggies or clingwrap. “Perhaps…” Elizabeth trailed off as she set the camera down on a different counter and then moved to the drawer. “I do not think the zip lock bags are very large though. Elise used them to keep her hair items categorized...in some manner. Though, I do have cling wrap.” Diederik had informed Elizabeth about the importance of such an invention for someone who needed to eat and did not always eat everything in one sitting. After searching through a couple of drawers, Elizabeth pulled out sandwich sized bags, and pint sized bags, followed by some clingwrap. “Genome map?” Elizabeth asked, eyes watching as Doc sliced into the creature more. She grabbed both boxes of bags and the roll of wrap and moved over to peer at his handiwork. “I must admit I am curious as to their behaviour patterns as well. Meaning would they attack everyone, or just certain types of individuals.” finding that information out would be more difficult than slicing it open and glancing at organs and muscle mass, however.

Doc Doc gave her a grin, “The bags do not have to be big. I can genome map with a sample the size of the end of a Q-tip or less. I want more than that, because I am going to sequence it several times.” He stopped cutting and looked at her, “I bet you have never taken a DNA sample before have you?” he waggled his eyebrows at her, “You are going to learn. We will need the baggies, one for each sample..and a sheet of cling wrap for each sample. A container that we can seal that wont drip, once the ice melts.” He turned back to start slicing again, and then added, “and a Sharpie.” He glanced at her, gave her a quick wink, “We have to log the time date, and sample location on each sample.” He said before looking back at his work.

He worked in silence for several minutes before asking, while keeping his eyes on his work, “Do you shape shift Lizzie? Ruth told me that her tribe had spirit animals. Ruth was Algonquin. I haven't seen her in years. But.. if you can shape shift.. The fae tend to leave you alone in the wilderness. But the minute you use powers, they are on you. But telepathy..” He slid her a quick look, “May not be caught.. A First Nations person communing with his spirit animal ..could be a way to get what you want to know?”

[Doc]

Elizabeth: Most of what Doc had said and asked at first went completely over Elizabeth’s head. She shook her head, thinking about ‘sequencing.’ “No, I can assure thee I have not.” Elizabeth said with a slightly perplexed look, before asking a question. “What would sequencing something multiple times do that the first time could not...do?” It seemed a fair question in Elizabeth’s mind, given she assumed some machine would be doing whatever it was Charles intended to do with the samples. “A..sharpie?” Elizabeth glanced around, eyes falling to the butcher’s block on the counter closest to the sink. It was the only place where something sharp could be found within it, outside of what Doc was holding in his hand.

When the conversation moved to shapeshifting, there was a flicker of familiarity that came into Elizabeth’s eyes. She nodded her head, and smiled. “Indeed, I can. Though, I do not shift into it often, but that is a wonderful idea. Though...does one believe they would converse with an animal that may, or may not be talking to them, in a sense? Some, if not most, would question their sanity.” Elizabeth laughed, then looked at him. “Do you have the ability to shift into an animal?” Elizabeth could easily find the information out with just a few seconds of her time, but she had promised Charles that she would stay out of his mind and for the most part, Elizabeth had kept that promise to him, knowing how he felt about telepath’s that did such things.

Doc “Yes a Sharpie.” Maybe it was the indecision in her voice as she said it, he stopped and looked at her. “A permanent marker.” At her blank look, he said, his left eyebrow raised, “A pen..? To write on the baggie.. Where the sample came from and date etc..?” It was only after her look smoothed back it normal passive look, did he return to his slicing. ‘I can’t believe you don’t know what a Sharpie is. Didn’t you ever..” he stopped. No she never did. She wouldn't have that sort of thing when she was a child. “Never mind,” he paused, as he realized how much her creativity was stifled as a child. He too was stifled, held back, forced to watch others but not partake. How much worse it must have been to want to be creative, but having nothing to use. He cleared his throat and continued, “but we need the type of pen that can write on the plastic baggie and not be smudged off.”

In attempt to move away from the uncomfortable memories of childhood, He asked, “What animal form do you take?” He didn’t give her time to answer, because he was trying to shove his own memories back into its black hole. “My form is a Puma. Some call it a Cougar or Mountain Lion. It is one of the biggest cats that purr.” He had no idea why he added that.

Elizabeth: Permanent marker. Now that was something she was familiar with. Elizabeth slowly nodded her head, wondering where she could find one in the penthouse. Diederik’s room, she was certain of it. “Yes, now I know.” Elizabeth finally chimed in, as Doc started asking her a question, then decided against it. She was positive whatever he was going to ask her, she had never did whatever he was inquiring about. “I am almost certain I saw a red and blue one months ago in Diederik’s possession. I shall acquire it.” Elizabeth started to leave, but stopped at Doc’s question of her form. He moved past it, sharing his animal form with her. Puma was not something she was familiar with, but cougar and mountain lion brought a light of recognition to her blue eyes. When he admitted that his form purred, Elizabeth tried to imagine Doc purring, even in animal form. Purring, usually to her, indicated a happy cat and so the admission of truth piqued Elizabeth’s interest briefly. “White Raven.” Elizabeth replied to Doc’s question, before adding in, “Let me go get the marker.” She moved out of the kitchen and across the width of the penthouse where Diederik’s room was. After a brief search of his computer desk, Elizabeth was triumphant and found a blue one, as she suspected. Where the red had gone to was a mystery, but the blue should do the trick. She returned with it and held it up, as if it were a prized possession. “Apparently white ravens are larger than that of the black species and have blue eyes, not black or pink like that of the albino raven..” What that meant was as good of a guess to anyone, as it was to Elizabeth, so all she did was shrug. She did not add in that there was the theory that they were also more intelligent than that of the black ones, and supposedly enjoyed collecting shiny trinkets from time to time for their nests. “More pictures, or should we start bagging and labeling?” Elizabeth asked, changing the subject incase time was of the essence.

Doc A raven. Doc had always admired them. Mainly because his father hated them. And in turn the Ravens hated his father. His father tried shooing them away from the house with a rook gun. But that only proved to issue a challenge to the birds. Every morning, his father go out find Raven **** all over his windshield. So when his father had a garage built, he would go out to find his newspaper covered in Raven ****. Doc always thought that a bird that was smart enough to get the best of his father, was bird a to admire.

It was interesting, When Doc got his first car, his father wouldn't let it be parked in the garage. Doc knew it was his father’s way of wielding his power over him. And more than likely his father wanted to see his son humiliated by a bird. But the Raven’s never **** on his car. But if his father ever forgot to pull his into the garage, it was covered in **** the next morning. When Doc would leave for school, he would leave part of his toast for the Ravens, as tribute for being able to piss his father off.

When Lizzie returned, her face wore the expression of triumphant conquest. She held it up as though it were Excaliber. He couldn’t help but grin his lopsided grin at her. “The Conquering Heroine Returns!” He moved away from the corpse, and held the razor out to her, blade first, “Trade you. You cut, I will bag. Let’s get a sample from around the area under the eyes, the neck muscles, chest area,” he paused at look from Lizzie to the Corpse, “Only two mammary glands. Canines usually have at least eight, as many as twelve on some. But this.. Only two.”

Elizabeth: The razor blade was offered, and in return, Elizabeth offered the thin blue permanent marker to Doc. She listened to what he had to say about the mammary glands, and that caused a small pause. “And so that implies that at one point, she very well could have been human at some point, yes?” Elizabeth asked with a tilt of her head as she approached the once humanoid creature laying on her middle counter.

“Under the eyes?” Elizabeth asked, making certain she had heard right. She found that to be a slightly peculiar request, but lifted her shoulders into a gentle roll. “How much, or, rather, deep do the samples need to be?” This was most certainly unfamiliar territory to the telepath, but not something Elizabeth was shying away from either. She just needed a little instruction to get her going and once she had that, the woman would be all too happy to help Doc uncover nasty little secrets about the werewolf creature. “Does one plan on investigating the reproductive organs of the creature?” Elizabeth asked once she was given some form of direction from Doc, the blade in her left hand moving towards the space beneath the right eye of the werewolf woman. The blade was tipped at an angle, before Elizabeth slowly brought the blade in her direction as she peered down over the werewolf creature, hoping that by the time she had finished slicing in an oval-like shape, was good enough for the starting point of Doc’s specimens.

Doc Nodding in agreement to her assessment. “Was human once. Or is a completely different being. The samples you are excising, are for the genome mapping. The genome mapping will tell us the base DNA. Whether it is human or canine. I am guessing it is something else. But we won't know for sure until we run DNA. And I want different samples, to make sure it isn't a type of chimera. If the samples come back with different DNA attributes from one another, then I could subscribe to the ‘bite theory’.”

Doc watched her, as she seemed to hesitate. “Pretend the blade is an icing knife. The icing on your cake is too thick, and you need to remove some bulk, but not all the way to the cake, because you want to leave a nice layer of icing. Simply slice a thin layer off. If you have to touch it, use the clingwrap to grab it. I want to make sure we limit any contamination from us.” He had done some DNA testing without gloves, and he purposely contaminated the samples. The DNA testing did not pick up anything foreign from him. But he didn’t want to take chances.

When Lizzie asked about the reproductive organs, he grinned. “If there are any.. Yes. I want to have a good look at it’s organs. And I will want lots of photos.” Doc readied one of the baggies, by writing the date, time of Death, the type of tool used to excise the sample, and lastly the location from where the sample came from. “When you have it. Place cling wrap and everything in this bag.

Elizabeth: The visual Doc gave Elizabeth was...quite frankly, perfect. Once Elizabeth envisioned the scenario, the woman had no difficulties in slicing away a layer that was too much for the ‘cake.’ Everyone loved frosting but too much of it made the actual cake part less appealing and unable to taste as the frosting overtakes one’s tastebuds. When Elizabeth finished the oval shape, she set the blade down to the left of her and grabbed the wrap. She tore a small piece off, fished out the piece of tissue Elizabeth had sliced away, folded the wrap over the sample, and then held it out for the bag Doc had labeled.

“Was the carc-body, whatever this is...was it warm when it first died?” The first, and only wolf she had brought to the penthouse to paint with its blood had been cool to the touch, but that could have been due to her mild fascination of its blood in the water. An hour, easy must have passed as Elizabeth watched the blood swirl and swish around, before thinning out completely and being lost to the larger liquid it was within.

“If so, that would imply a working heartbeat, if not...it may suggest the creature has more alike with us, than that of its human form, once upon a time.” Elizabeth felt a rush of excitement as Doc confirmed that he was interested in organs-all of them, which would answer her very eager and anticipated question. “Neck was it?” Elizabeth asked, already knowing the answer, but decided to steal a glance in Doc’s direction to assess his appreciation of how she was going about the carving of muscle and attempting to be careful as to not contaminate the specimen.

Doc Doc wore a crooked close lipped smirk, “You’re a natural at this. You take better samples than some of my lab techs who went to school for this. They are good with procedure, great with making sure everything stays pristine, but taking samples.. They are a bunch of hamfisted cunts.” He zipped up the sample on the first sample she gave him and set it aside as he made ready to start labeling the second bag. “Yes, please.. The neck.”

When Lizzie asked about the body temperature, he paused and gave her a genuine look of admiration. “Warm. But it cooled quickly. Which is why I was concerned whether it would stay viable. I have killed several of these, and by the time I have returned to the area, after hunting, they are gone.” He paused to write on the baggie. When he finished, “That is why I was wondering if it disappeared due to supernatural reasons. But I have had this one in my sight for two hours now. There are no signs of unnatural decay or degradation. So someone .. or something is removing the corpses? Which could mean a very large.. Den.. colony.. Whatever it is called, of were-things.

“Which brings up the next question, in my mind, how long have they been there? Are they a product of the rift? Or have they always been here, and we have just now found them? The fact they have weapons, and can manipulate them with these phalanges, is impressive. Which means they have had practice. These weapons were made to fit in a humanoid hand. Not these elongated phalanges.” His word faded off. He had more questions than he had answers. And questions beget more questions.

Elizabeth: Either Doc was being very kind, or Elizabeth wasn't doing as bad as a job as she thought. Again, skinning something for samples was not something she had ever done before and so, thanks to Doc, the task at hand seemed easier once Elizabeth used his suggestion about icing and cake. “Your flattery never ceases to exist, does it?” Elizabeth accused Doc playfully before she started to shift her attention back to the dead wolf woman on her counter.

Her left eye winked at him as she caught his glance, Elizabeth ignoring the comment about cunts. She had heard that word a fair few times back in England, though it had been a while. And usually in a different meaning, so it was amusing and interesting to hear it used when describing the sloppiness, or inability to collect decent samples for Doc. Elizabeth had just made the first nick on the muscle of the neck when Doc mentioned the wolves disappearing. How? If it was due to their 'colony' or 'den' members, why? Some sort of burial necessity? And if it wasn't them, then who? Someone trying to protect their species for some, unknown reason?

As Doc asked his next set of questions, Elizabeth continued with collecting the sample from the neck, this one a little larger than the last. She once again grabbed the cling wrap, grabbed the specimen and then pondered. “Wolves have existed long before you or I walked this earth...there are stories of our kind, and the fae from the...first nations, surely, if there are stories about wolves, they would know best. Still, would the library not have records of any potential wolf attacks? Wolf...or werewolf?” Elizabeth asked, wondering how far back the library records went and the person she might be able to ask. That was, if Mora was within the city, which was unlikely. “Though, I am quite interested in knowing how they manage to use anything other than claws. It is certainly something to think about.” Elizabeth offered Doc the new specimen, then turned to face him. “What is it one knows about wolves...generally speaking? Territorial? Primitive? What is their primary drive, or focus? Survival?”

Doc Doc watched as she took her time collecting the sample. She wasn’t nervous or trepidatious as she had been before. No, she had found her zone, and was collecting with the skill and ease of someone who had done it before. “Credit where credit is due Lizzie. Nothing false about my praise. And in answer to your question, If the library has laserfiche archives, it should be pretty easy to research it.” He waited for her to deposit the next sample in the baggie. Then he sealed it and set that one aside as well. “Do you know what laserfiche is?”

He started writing the details on the next baggie. “It s a program that allows for records storage - including image files to snapshots of the original documents. It used to be just printed materials, but now it can include voice and audio files. More and more First Nations tribes are having their elders store their histories on audio files like that.. For the future.” He paused and watched her work. “I hadn’t even thought about that being a source for investigation.” He found more and more he appreciated her presence. She made him think differently. Look at things differently. Think outside his normal lines of thought. He would never made that connection, except for her.

He was silent for a few minutes as he made other revelations that he did not give voice to. Lizzie had the next sample ready, and Doc bagged it. “I know wolves mate for life. I know that the pack, has a hierarchy. Most people think they are ‘be strong or die’. But that isn’t the case with wolves. I read that wolf packs… travel in a certain way. The old and sick wolves lead the pack. So they can set the pace. So they do not get left behind. Behind the old and sick, there are stronger wolves, they protect the old and sick in case of an ambush. In the middle are the young and average members. Followed by the strongest, and bringing up the rear is the alpha. He can see everything and he controls the rear, to cover their six. They work together. Take direction from the alpha, but they all play a part.”

Elizabeth: Laserfiche was not something Elizabeth was familiar with, so she shook her head. A more indepth description was offered by Doc, as Elizabeth took two steps sideways to get a better angle at the next specimen that was to be collected while Doc confessed that the first nations were taking part in this procedure, which interested Elizabeth. So much, it was shown in her eyes as they brightened. She wondered how far back the first nations information went, if they had taken this route. What did they say about the wolves? The fae? Vampires?

“I would not mind looking into any information some evening at the library.” Elizabeth did not hesitate to volunteer herself in hopes of finding out more information than just wolves there. The possibilities could be endless, and no one seemed to know the better. Or if they did, they had not professed to such. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and focused on the chest of the wolf woman, deciding where best to cut for the next sample. “So, the question begs...where is the pack’s alpha? Or perhaps, who is their alpha?” Elizabeth asked before she started making her next cut at the chest muscles not far from the woman’s neck muscles. “If what you say is correct, then they have been watching this entire time, but have not acted. That is most peculiar, do you not think?” Elizabeth stopped for a second and looked over to Doc. “Imagine, for instance, someone comes into your home, and starts slaughtering your spawn for no reason...you are there, yet do nothing. Why?” Elizabeth frowned, wondering if perhaps there was a bigger picture to the group of wolves in the sunken cathedral. Elizabeth went back to cutting the chest muscle as she thought about her own set of questions, then paused again. “Perhaps...tactical in a sense? Gauging the enemy for their strengths and weaknesses. Though if they share the mentality of a pack like their wolf relations...that seems unlikely…” It was perplexing to say in the least.

Doc Doc grinned, “I can show you how to use the machines. It’s not difficult. We keep patient records that way. So I do have some experience with it. The key to laserfiche is,making sure you select all the pertinent search perimeters at the beginning. I am sure this doesn't make sense now.. But when we are in the library, it will start to make sense.

“Also,” Doc paused, “Do not get discouraged when you do not get the hits you think you should. The information is entered by other users. They entered it based on ‘their’ personal perimeters. So they could be focusing on a murder on a certain day.. The feel good story with the First Nations tribe could be buried and only found through one of the last searches.” He paused, “Again, I know this isn't going to make sense at the moment, but it will begin to, when you get familiar with the system. I will show you how to use the system.”

When Lizzie mentioned the Alpha, he slid her an appreciative sideways look, he had, had the same thought about the alpha. He had killed at least twenty of them. Why had not the alpha shown himself? Were twenty not enough to warrant the Alpha’s presence? If not.. Then how many? And If those that he killed were.. ‘Babies’, how much stronger was the Alpha?

“Great Minds Lizzie. I was thinking the same thing. Unless.. The Cathedral is not the home.” He raised an eyebrow, “If the cathedral was the home of those that did not make it in the pack. Those that were ousted from the pack to become ‘lone wolves’. I could imagine that .. more than I could imagine an alpha letting his pack being attacked. Which,” He lifted an eyebrow, ‘begs the question.. Who -is- in charge?’

Elizabeth: It seemed as if Doc were keen to escort her to the library and help with the search. She couldn’t blame him for two reasons. What Elizabeth may have found important, may be, but he may find something as equally, or more important. And did he want to miss the possibility of uncovering something new? Unlikely. Doc, was a lot like Elizabeth in the respect of gathering or obtaining new information. “I would like that very much.” Elizabeth was positive someone could help her in the library, but for only a few minutes. It was unlikely they would do as thorough of a job that Doc would do.

Elizabeth gathered another decent piece of clingwrap and removed the sample from where it rested on the wolf woman, while Doc shared his thoughts. It was a good theory-that those inside the cathedral were not of a pack mentality, but simply outcasts or survivors that have banded together, but perhaps in the end, only really care about themselves. “A mystery to be solved.” Elizabeth said as she offered the specimen to Doc and watched as he bagged it up and set it aside. “Moving on to the guts?” Elizabeth asked as she set the blade down and pressed both hands to the surface and rocked forward, somewhat excitedly.

Doc Doc would have had to be blind to miss the the rather eager way she leaned forward when she asked about the ‘guts’. He gave her a crooked grin. “Yes.. only the organs..” He picked the blade and mad a ‘y’ incision at the top of shoulder to the top of the sternum, then straight to the where one might expect a belly button, then made a reverse ‘Y’ incision toward the pelvic region on each side. Beginning the process of revealing the organs, he began peeling open the abdomen, which slowly started to expose the bones of the sternum and ribcage.

“Lizzie..? Do you have to have a pruning shears here? Handy, perhaps?” He asked without looking up. There were few quick swipes of the blade to some of the light connective tissue, before the abdominal walls were laid open revealing a very non-human ribcage and sternum. “These bones are not humanesque. The sternum is too rigid and narrow, and ribs,” He paused, “..they are quite substantial. Normally I would use a sternum cracker, but I don't have one on me.. But pruning shears would work..”