Better Off Dead

by Sarah Noffke

  Flinching as he did, he pulled the butcher’s knife off the wall. It came away with a soft chirping sound that reminded him of a sparrow. He’d always liked sparrows; they were small and unassuming. Kind of the wallflower of the bird world. Orion wished he was one now. You’re stalling, he told himself. And it was true. The wolf would be here at any moment. He couldn’t delay.

  The knife vibrated in his hand, looking like it might fly loose, as if he was holding it on a turbulent airplane. Still he steadied himself by pinning his hand palm down on the cutting board sitting in the middle of the shelf.

  I can do this. I have to. I need to do this, he repeated again and again in his head. A tear poked to the surface of one eye and then spilled down, landing on his arm. He looked at it with blurry vision to see the sight that had grown too familiar. The pores of his skin widened and then the tiny, sharp hairs started to rise to the surface. “No,” Orion said in a hush and before he could give it another moment of thought he brought the cleaver straight down, severing his fingers at the knuckles. The pain tore him off his feet and he tumbled over, losing the knife, which clattered to the ground beside him. With desperate inhales he clutched his bleeding hand to his chest. He wouldn’t have the strength to sever the other hand, but the good news was the pain was blinding him, like a burn wrapping his hand in unending fire. Orion wanted, needed, to cry out, but he kept his mouth pinned shut. You’ve been weak your whole life, in this moment be strong. We are that much closer to ending the beast, he told himself.

  He opened eyes spilling with tears to see the hairs now lining his arms. The claws had pierced through his other hand, but he hadn’t felt any of the change because his pain was too great. But he’d been successful at stopping one change, he thought, holding his bleeding hand to his chest, cradling it like one would a baby. And then Orion won against the beast and fell into a sleep that one only receives after a great sacrifice.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Six months after the twelve men were abducted, the first werewolf sighting was reported in San Diego, California.”

  - Lucidite Institute, Werewolf Project File

  “This case has brought more interesting subjects to my lab than ever before,” Aiden said, studying the computer readout report.

  “You’re welcome,” Adelaide said in a dead voice. “I bring the freaks.”

  “Seriously, though,” Aiden said, scanning the report and then pushing his black-rimmed glasses up on his nose. “Super strength, X-ray vision, and the ability to pause time. I’ve never seen powers like this before.”

  Adelaide closed her eyes for a long moment. The bright lights of Aiden’s lab weren’t doing any favor to her eyes, which were the victims of long bouts of insomnia. As a Dream Traveler she should be able to close her eyes and travel off with her consciousness to any place she desired. However, that took focus and at night when everything turned silent, she found her thoughts distracted. Of course she was always thinking about the case, but then there were the specifics of the case, like what would she do next? Who would she go after? How to catch Mika? And where was Connor?

  “Well, don’t forget that our lone wolf has the same power as you,” Rox said from her usual place perched up on a workstation. She really detested chairs, probably because no one could see her panties if she wasn’t seated up high.

  “Yes, Connor and I both share psychometry, but I’ll admit that his is more powerful. He can see an item’s entire history, whereas I usually only get a brief glance,” Aiden said, musing. “It must be the pairing of the wolf with the Dream Traveler conversion that creates the more powerful gift. Or it’s the actual conversion. I’ve actually only converted one Middling and I’m unsure how her skill manifested afterwards.”

  “Why?” Rox said, her eyes skipping to Zephyr’s before going back to Aiden’s.

  “She’s dead and it’s none of your business, FBI Slut,” Adelaide said. No one needed to know about that project. Aiden should have kept his mouth shut. However, Ren had warned her that the head scientist talked too much, being too proud of his accomplishments. It’s how Drake had been able to steal the Institute’s research.

  “She, huh?” Rox said, her mind working. “So you converted a Middling to Dream Traveler in this lab, is that right?”

  “Yes, and we might elect you to be the first Dream Traveler converted to a Middling. Why don’t you offer your monkey brain up for science?” Adelaide said to her.

  “I think she’s hiding something,” Rox said, elbowing Zephyr in the ribs. He merely smiled before turning his attention fully on the head scientist.

  “Are you any closer to a solution?” he asked Aiden.

  “If by solution, you mean taking the wolf out of you three,” he said, gesturing to Kaleb, Rio, and Zephyr, who were leaning against a workbench, “no, at the present I’m stumped.”

  “Why would we want to get rid of the wolf?” Rio said, his voice loud. He always spoke too loud, Adelaide had observed. She was going to take him to Dr. Parker to have his ears examined. It was best if the Institute and all its pesky residents remained as quiet as possible. When the three men had changed into werewolves, Rio sat in a corner howling most of the night. It was ridiculously annoying. And the three didn’t fight, which was also incredibly disappointing. Apparently, Zephyr had outlawed the whole idea.

  “We’re actually thinking of taking the man out of you so you’re just the dog we know you’re destined to be,” Adelaide said to Rio.

  “I’m just saying, I’m the strongest human alive. Why would I want to lose that?” Rio said.

  “That’s your Dream Traveler gift though,” Aiden corrected. “I’m not certain, but I think I should be able to remove the wolf DNA, while keeping your Dream Traveler status.”

  “Didn’t you just say our strong gifts might be because of the wolf?” Kaleb asked.

  “Yes, that’s true, but they might also be a part of being converted. This is all brand new technology and unfortunately I’m going to need—excuse the term, since I dislike it—but I’m going to need a guinea pig to test all this,” Aiden said.

  “You need one of the werewolves to determine what? Whether you can take the wolf out of the man?” Zephyr said, standing up tall, gaining a sturdy look from Rox.

  “Yes, and whether that’s the key to the strong ability or if by keeping the Dream Traveler part intact that we save the gift,” Aiden said.

  “This technology did come out of your lab. CRISPR was your genetic invention. If you gave Olento the know-how to put wolf DNA into a man, can’t you easily take it out?” Adelaide said.

  “Yes, but multiple genetic mutations could have assorted effects. That’s why I’m saying I’m going to need a volunteer. There is only so much hypothesizing I can do when we’re in this new territory,” Aiden said.

  “I guess I could do it,” Kaleb offered. He often bounced back and forth between looking happy and then also lost. The death of his father wasn’t something he could shake easily, although Adelaide guessed he was trying to submerge himself in this world in order to do that. “I hate the wolf and it sounds like Rio has grown attached to it. And we know we can’t lose our alpha wolf yet, so it’s got to be me,” he finished with a shrug that was soon punctuated by a confident nod.

  “No, not you, Runt,” Adelaide said, crossing her arms. “We can’t afford to lose your skill. It’s too valuable and you’re now the property of the strategic department.” Kaleb was the first ever time stopper in the history of Dream Travelers. Whatever Olento Research had done, they’d embarked on new territory that was going to revolutionize the way the Lucidites handled problems. Ren would have been pleased by such a prospect, although he would have pretended to be bored and told everyone to go fuck themselves. Kaleb’s ability was going to prove extremely useful for intervening in the world’s affairs to create better futures. However, the little mutt needed some discipline and training, which unfortunately fell under Adelaide’s jurisdiction.

  “Well, I don’t want to volun
teer,” Rio said.

  “And here your case file said you were a team player,” Adelaide said. “But don’t worry. I need you in the field with Captain Dog Boy and Hooker Shoes.”

  “Then we will just have to wait until you rescue more of the pack,” Aiden said, clapping his hands together eagerly. And then his eyes flicked up. “And to what do I owe the honor of my wife’s lovely presence?” he said to the entrance.

  Adelaide turned to find the girl with long blonde hair and a pursed expression scanning the room. Roya was the opposite of her husband; she didn’t do pretenses or niceties. “Adelaide, I need to see you,” Roya said when her green eyes located her.

  “I believe you meant to phrase that into a request. Like, ‘May I please have the pleasure of your attention, Agent Lewis?’” Adelaide said. “Is that what you forgot to say, airhead?”

  “Oh, I guess you don’t want my newest report pertaining to your case,” Roya said and then turned and headed for the hallway.

  Adelaide spun to face Aiden. “Your wife is a real bitch. I might bloody kill her when she’s no longer of use to me.”

  “I’m sure you two lovely ladies will work out your differences,” Aiden said with a daft laugh.

  Roya waited in the hallway, knowing Adelaide would be along in only a few seconds. This was the same game her father, Ren Lewis, loved to play with Roya when he was alive. “I have something you want, come and follow me if you want it,” he’d often say. It was such a show of theatrics and not as impressive as he tried to make it out to be, but it was effective nonetheless. Roya hadn’t liked nor disliked Ren. He wasn’t a man that you could easily assign such a category to. Ren was too powerful, too cunning, and too brilliant and the problem was he knew it. And Adelaide had inherited just about everything about her father. Which meant she’d go on to do great things and piss off a lot of people in the process.

  “Oh, bravo, you got me to play your little game,” Adelaide said, coming around the corner and stopping a few feet from Roya. “I bet you feel all good about yourself. Maybe you won’t have to continuously breed to build up that self-confidence now.”

  “And hopefully you won’t breed again because we all know that redheads are inferior and we don’t need those bad genetics spread around,” Roya said, matching Adelaide’s stance, arms crossed, chest held high.

  “New report. You said you had one. Or did you just need someone to tolerate your bad attitude for a bit and this was all a ruse to get social attention?” Adelaide said.

  The ache of losing Ren was still carved into Adelaide’s face, Roya observed. She almost wanted to feel sorry for Adelaide when she spied the deep pain in the bottom of her stare. No matter what the girl said, it was still there. Roya had been in a similar position as Adelaide. She had a father who was distant, one who sacrificed himself and his family for the world. It’s an unpleasant thing to digest.

  “I located Connor in a vision,” Roya said.

  “Where is he? I’ll send the team there. Just give me the timestamp and location,” Adelaide said, her voice suddenly neutral, her approach calm.

  “He’s in Portland, at a carnival. Here’s the exact location and timeframe where he can be found,” Roya said, holding out a piece of paper. She was the only news reporter who could hone in on such specific details when spying events of the future. It was her gift to the Institute and her burden to herself. Never did the girl feel that she could work enough, see enough. She always felt that she should be reporting, finding cases where the Lucidites could make a difference. But she also needed to have a life, one outside of news reporting.

  Adelaide took the paper but paused. “What aren’t you telling me?” she said, and she must have read the look in Roya’s eyes, since she hadn’t touched her. Roya was one of the few who knew that Adelaide had inherited her father’s gift of telepathy linked to touch. If anyone understood Roya’s burden of news reporting, it was Adelaide, who also had a gift that felt more like a curse.

  “He’s in bad shape. What he’s done to himself is pretty severe,” Roya said.

  Adelaide’s eyes fell to the ground, a dark place in her seeming to open up and understand the possibilities at once. “Okay, I’ll get my team out there immediately to rescue him,” she said, turning back for Aiden’s lab. Then she turned back. “Is he going to live?”

  Roya shook her head, seeing the vision, the drugs, witnessing his pain when his body tried to change into the werewolf but couldn’t, too deprived. “I don’t know,” she said in a hush.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “The first werewolf change happened six weeks after conversion. The subjects only half changed. Sharp hairs pushed through the pores of their forearms and backs of their hands and aggressive behavior was documented.”

  - Olento Research, Canis Lupus Project File

  Kris waited until the group filed out of Aiden’s lab before heading down the hallway in the opposite direction. The werewolf with silver and black hair and the blonde were sent off to rescue Connor. And now she knew the location for where to find the lost werewolf, which according to Adelaide’s report, was slightly under the weather. Something about the redhead’s face betrayed her words. If Kris’s suspicions were correct then something extremely wrong was going on with the werewolf who had run away. She’d wished she’d followed Adelaide out when she spoke with Roya, then she would have known for certain what Adelaide was hiding now.

  Rio, the newest recruit, had argued that he should go on the rescue mission, but was quickly turned down.

  “You don’t know how to use a GAD-C, Rover,” Adelaide informed him.

  “What’s that?” the meathead said.

  “A form of Dream Traveler transportation that allows us to generate our body wherever our consciousness has dream traveled to, granted that it lands on another GAD-C. They are devices that the Institute has built around the country for easy transport, but using them takes an orientation or otherwise your ears could end up on our feet,” Aiden, the scientist in the lab coat, said.

  “I’ll wait for a proper orientation,” Rio said, looking appeased but disappointed.

  Kris removed her cell phone when she was around the hallway, hoping she could duck into an empty room to make the call. It still amazed her that when she was invisible, her clothes were invisible, anything on her took on that trait. How it was possible was beyond her, but she was currently on a case to recapture werewolves and steal information on teleportation, so she wasn’t sure which reality was stranger.

  The quick high she’d gained when learning the newest piece of information plummeted when Kris spied the reception meter on her phone. Zero. None. Not even one bar. However, she was in an underwater facility, so why was she that surprised. She looked around the empty hallway, doubtful there were regular phones stationed around the place. The Lucidites would have their own form of communication, probably holograms they sent. Geez, these people could teleport their bodies using a machine called a GAD-C. They were making Mika look like a two-bit small business man. But now she realized why he’d ordered her to infiltrate the organization and steal covert information. He’d be very pleased to hear about this GAD-C business and also the location of one of his missing werewolves.

  The sun was a welcome presence to Kris when she exited the submarine after a courier delivery guy. Good thing the Lucidite Institute had two trips out a day due to the delivery schedule, or Kris would have been stuck there without a way to contact Mika.

  She withdrew her cell phone from her jacket once she was a safe distance from any people. Disembodied voices always seemed to freak others out, she’d found. To her relief she had full reception. And also to her excitement, Mika answered on the first ring.

  “What?” he said, using his usual warm greeting for her.

  “I’ve been in the Institute and learned a lot of valuable information,” Kris said.

  “Which is why you’re calling. Start with the most pertinent piece of information,” Mika said. He actually had a nice voice, if
he wasn’t always so pissy all the time. Actually the man himself, with his black hair and chiseled features, was quite attractive, although too old for Kris. She’d guessed he was approaching forty. Still, she enjoyed staring at a well-dressed man who displayed power like it was inborn in his soul. The problem with Mika was she didn’t think he had a soul, which was a problem for her since she’d always wanted to be married in a church.

  “Connor left the Institute and is currently in the back of a semi in Portland. He’s working for Ferocity Carnival,” Kris said.

  Mika didn’t hoot with excitement, like she’d strangely hoped. She needed to get sleep, she realized at once. This spy job made sleeping a challenge. Eating too. “You learned this spying at the Institute, didn’t you?” he said, an angry edge to his voice.

  “Well, yeah,” she said and then released a nervous giggle.

  “And let me guess, the Lucidites have already sent someone to fetch Connor,” Mika said.

  “Yes, but now you can send someone. Beat them there,” Kris said. Why isn’t he more excited? she thought.

  “Kris, I am aware that the Lucidite Institute is underwater, and that informs me that you don’t have cell service there. Consequently, I’m going to assume that you had to travel out of the Institute to make this call, is that correct?” he said.