He couldn't remember a time when he didn't hear them. When he was a boy, they dogged his footsteps like a hungry puppy. There were whispers about how he dressed and how smart he was or how dumb he was, depending upon the person. He learned early on to ignore them. Those were the easy whispers to escape. Others weren't as easy.

Whispers followed him through his military service and his quick rise through the ranks. Surely there must be something to it besides his natural leadership abilities and tenacity. Again, he ignored them, but he always listened. It always amazed him what people would say when they didn't think anyone was listening.

They followed him on the job and here, they were even more the difference between life and death. Whispers now served him well. He'd had three enemies on his heels when a voice whispered in his ear to hide in this room.

It was filled with crates and a grime-streaked, cracked window permitted sunlight to filter in. He took refuge in front of it and waited.

From the door, he heard his partner call, "Napoleon?" His partner's voice was soft.

"Over here. By the window." He purposefully kept the window behind him as he crouched off to one side. The glare blinded anyone coming through the door, so it was the perfect hiding spot. He watched Illya bob from one safe spot to the next until he was to Napoleon's left. "Glad you made it."

Illya nodded. "Me, too. Anything?"

"Not a peep. Either they have given up or they are regrouping for another go. How are you holding up for ammunition?"

"I have two more clips, plus some I picked up along the way. You?"

"About the same… oh, and a flame thrower." Napoleon smiled. "Hardly the Alamo, but we've faced worse odds with less."

"Just thought you'd mention that, did you?"

A whisper.

Napoleon held up a finger and Illya silenced immediately, lowering himself to the floor. A moment later, two figures appeared in the doorway.

"Anything?"

"Thought I heard something in here." For a long moment, too long to Napoleon's way of thinking, the two men stood there staring into the room, weapons poised.

"Should we go in?"

"With what they have in those crates? Not me."

Then there was a shout.

"We have to go. It's nearly time for the solar eclipse. The boss said we had to be in position or else."

"Do you know what this secret weapon is?"

"Only that we are to load silver bullets into our guns."

"Maybe THRUSH found an honest-to-God werewolf. Wouldn't that shock the shorts off of Solo?"

"Funny guy. Let's go."

It took Napoleon a full two minutes before he relaxed enough to move. One leg grumbled at him as he did. Illya blew out a mouthful of air and changed clips.

"Werewolf?" Illya muttered. "A werewolf? Now I've heard everything."

"Considering some of the stuff we've seen, nothing surprises me anymore. What's this about a solar eclipse?" Napoleon ran a hand over the crate. "I wonder what's inside."

The sun was taking on an odd color and Napoleon swore he could hear the whisper of movement inside the boxes.

"Illya?"

"I heard it, too." He looked around and found a crowbar. Checking, he bobbed up and away, carrying it back easily. "What do you think?"

It sounded like the scratching got more excited and Napoleon pulled back. Still, if there was something alive in those boxes, it deserved to be free.

"Cover me."

He slipped the tip of the crow bar under a board and pried it off. A sudden noise from inside the box made him leap back and reach for his weapon.

A man crawled out and looked around. His eyes were wild, almost possessed and he moved quickly without any sound. Instantly, he was in front of Napoleon.

"You. You released me."

"Yes," Napoleon answered, lowering his pistol slightly. "Why was THRUSH holding you captive?" The sun was nearly blocked out now, casting an orange glow to the room.

"They thought they could control us. We control us. My brothers, it is time." He abandoned Napoleon and hurried to another box, easily opening it and then another and another.

"Napoleon?" Illya was against his back now, his own weapon aimed as they were swiftly outnumbered. "Any great ideas?" One man lunged and Illya was ready to fire when a shout made him pause.

"No!" It was the first man they'd freed. "Not them. They are not our enemy. They released us."

"But so hungry."

"Then feast upon the hearts and blood those who would enslave us." The man held out a long slender hand. "This man is of us. We will protect you. Now, go. Tell everyone that you carry Geraint's blessings. They will not harm you. "

Then, suddenly, they were alone.

"Napoleon, how could so many men move that quickly and that quietly?"

"Guess they must be in stealth mode. Let's get out of here before they change their mind." Napoleon started toward the door, but stopped at the first scream. Then the sound of gunfire made both men return to their hiding place.

"Maybe we should let the crowd die down first," Illya murmured.

The room was nearly dark now and Napoleon pointed to a shadow on a crate. "Look, it's the eclipse."

They waited until the room lightened and there was nothing but the distant sound of traffic.

"Think the coast is clear?" Illya asked. "I'm not anxious to have a second meet up with that Geraint guy."

"Agreed."

They exited the room and Napoleon headed back to their starting point. As he did, he checked his watch. Two hours. They'd only been here two hours. He made snap decision then. "Let go see if we can break up the party in the nerve center. After all, that's what we came for."

As they drew closer, the bodies started piling up. At first, they were men dressed similarly to Geraint and Napoleon caught his breath at the corpse he turned over.

"Is it him?"

"No…" The body, as injured as it was, stirred at Napoleon's touch, moaning.

"It's all right. I'm a friend of Geraint's. We'll get you out of this."

The further they went, the more THRUSH corpses they found.

"There's Brannagan over at that console." Napoleon pointed.

Illya checked for a pulse and shook his head. He pulled the man off the shorted board, then leapt back at the sight of the man's open chest.

"Who would do that to him?"

"Geraint. I think I've figured this out."

"If you have an explanation, I'd love to hear it."

"Have you ever heard of a whisper?"

"Is this a trick question?"

"I mean, a creature called a whisper."

Illya grinned at Napoleon. "Aren't we both a little old for fairy tales, my friend?"

"Not a fairy tale. There's one theory that they evolved from werewolves, but they feed on the hearts and blood of people."

"Like vampires? Human vampires, I mean."

"Sort of. They are more demon than human. Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye, but then when you looked there was nothing to be seen?"

"A whisper?"

Napoleon nodded. "They can only feed during a solar eclipse. That's what THRUSH was working on – a way to create an artificial solar eclipse and then I guess they were going to release our friends back there onto an unsuspecting populace."

Illya chuckled. "I can't wait to read your report."

"Laugh it up, old man. The head of the whispers was supposedly a guy called-"

"Let me guess – Geraint?"

"Guess that's how they figured to control them. Control him and you are king."

Illya looked around the control room at the various bodies. "But where did they go?"

"Back into hiding on the fringes of our society." Napoleon looked around. "Do you have any explosives?"

"Enough."

"Then let's do what we came here to do."

"But what about your friend, Geraint?"

Napoleon saw a shape in his peripheral vision. A man nodding and moving with the speed of light away from them. "I suspect he's good."

"And you?"

Napoleon heard a soft whisper in his ear. "Couldn't be better. Let's go home."

"Sometimes in the thick quiet of those soft summer nights, I listen. For it is in the quiet that the voices of things deep and marvelous and adventurous whisper simply because a world of noise grants them no space. Therefore, if we have no quiet, we will hear plenty of noise, but we will not hear a single voice."

Craig D. Lounsbrough