by Sarah Noffke
He’d been a good sport about it though, letting her practice her hypnosis on him for hours. Not that she’d admit it but Kaleb was like the brother she’d never had. His mischievous disposition was entertaining most of the time, although sometimes annoying, so exactly like a little brother.
Ren Lewis could have had a person passed out in less than a minute using hypnosis. Or if he so desired he could have just subdued a person, so they weren’t a threat. Ren had mastered the art of hypnosis with both voice and visual cues. A single movement from him could cause a trance and then if he wanted he was able to implant suggestions or steal cognitive information.
Adelaide turned the thick page of the book. Lately it had supplied fewer answers and more riddles. More things that made her doubt her every decision. She’d sent the agents to spy on Parantaa Research using dream travel and then opened the book to read:
A silent spy is usually a liability in one way or another. Real agents infiltrate an organization/society.
Now she worried that this meant she should step outside the comfort of the Institute and go undercover, getting into Parantaa Research. The agents she’d assigned were using safe dream travel methods to silently spy on the activity at the research organization. This was something that they never had to worry about happening at the Lucidite Institute, since security measures made it so that unauthorized personnel couldn’t dream travel into the five-story complex. Most also didn’t know where the Institute was which was a crucial part for dream traveling. That’s why Adelaide couldn’t just dream travel to Olento Research.
Unsurprisingly, the agents she’d sent to Parantaa Research hadn’t turned up a damn thing. They watched from their invisible form, observing, but the organization conducted drug trials and donated life-saving medicine to third-world countries. It’s not like Mika left the address for the evil Olento Research and their next set of projects lying around. So far there was no trace of Mika Lenna inside Parantaa Research.
Adelaide knew what her father would do in her situation. It was one of the few times the answer was clear, and yet she kept rejecting it. Ren, as an agent, went out into the field. Only when acting as the head strategist did he sit behind a desk and order other agents on cases, as she was doing with the werewolf case. Ren was legendary for sneaking into private societies to create real change from within the government. He even married an authoritative CEO at one point so that he could stop what she was doing with her criminal organization. The one thing Ren didn’t do was send silent spies to simply observe. But more and more, Adelaide didn’t want to leave the stainless walls of the Institute. It’s where she felt safe and closest to her father. It’s where her son was. And although she didn’t spend much time with Lucien, she still liked stepping into his room at night and watching him sleep. And then there was Pops. He accepted her more than anyone else and she relied on that. Looked to him every day to give her reassuring smiles that told her she was good enough, although she may not feel it.
Her green eyes fell on the next section in the book. Creating Illusions. Adelaide blew out a laugh. She’d failed with hypnosis, so why not try her luck at something impossible, like creating illusions in the physical realm? In the dreamscape they were easier, making it the logical place to start, but the best way to keep up her status quo of defeat was to go for an unobtainable goal. Adelaide’s eyes scanned the notes on illusions:
One can’t create illusions from nothing just by focusing on it. Creating illusions is similar to the process for mind control. One goes scavenging a mind first and then uses the tools already present in it to make things happen. One uses the mind of a person to manipulate itself. The same theory applies to creating illusions. Try searching your space in the same way and then use the elemental energy there to create the projection. Draw from that which is already present. Use existing energy.
Why did her father have to make complex, impossible things sound so simple? She closed her eyes and focused on the energy of the space. This was something she’d practiced with Ren, since sensing energy was a big part of any Dream Traveler’s gift. Instantly she registered the different elements of the space. The temperature and air density. The furniture. The space. The people nearby. It was by pulling from the energy making up her environment that she was supposed to create something that didn’t yet exist.
This is fucking ridiculous, she thought and then sensed a person’s energy shift, growing closer to her. Adelaide opened her eyes and turned her attention for the open doorway, where a moment later a man of about ninety stood.
“Hey, Addy,” Pops said. He didn’t look much like Ren, since her father took after his mother with her red hair and green eyes. At least that’s what Adelaide had learned looking at photos. Grandmum, a Middling, had died long before Adelaide mistakenly entered this world.
“What’s up, Pops?” she said, shutting the book and noticing a message ping her phone at the same time. She grabbed the device she reluctantly carried only for agent purposes.
“I was wondering if you could watch Lucien while I—”
Adelaide’s eyes widened as she read the message on the screen. “Sorry, Pops. Maybe later. I’ve got to go,” she said, grabbing her book and stepping around him at the door.
“Actually, I might be going on a mission. But I’ll relieve you of caregiving when I can,” she said, hurrying to the exit. From her peripheral she noticed her son sitting on the floor in the living room, pulling a blanket over his head. She paused as he dragged the blanket down and grinned wide, his smile full of amusement. Then he drew the blanket back over his face, entertaining himself. He must not have seen Adelaide there or he wouldn’t be smiling. She shook her head and made for the door, pulling her attention away from the two-year-old.
Adelaide eyed the message as she hurried to the strategic department. It was good news, she told herself. However, she still felt disappointed and wasn’t sure why. Maybe if she was honest with herself, which she went to great lengths not to do, it wasn’t the news that she wanted. At least she’d hoped another news report would come through first on the werewolf case. Still, this one was progress and with such a lead they’d no doubt be successful, unless Mika had beaten them to the location. She didn’t think Olento Research had access to clairvoyant reports, though, but that was probably just a gigantic hope. She laughed to herself knowing exactly what Ren would say about hope. People love to bank on hope. God-fucking-forbid we actually use reason to determine circumstances.
As Adelaide expected, the fuck faces she was looking for were hanging out in a side conference room of the strategic department. It had been why she’d retreated to her room to work. Adelaide had been in an adjacent conference room and was repulsed every time Rox’s shrill laughter permeated through the glass partition. Yes, the hooker FBI agent had saved Adelaide’s life, but that didn’t mean they were besties now. And although Zephyr and Kaleb were mostly tolerable, she found she was more on edge with everyone lately.
“Hey, Freckles,” Rox said when Adelaide stopped in the entrance. She had her wedge heels resting on the conference room table, an open file sitting in her lap, thankfully covering her crotch since she wore a miniskirt. Real classy. Why not just sit in a straddle position on the top of the table?
“Hey, Slut,” Adelaide said to Rox before focusing her attention on Zephyr. “We’ve located Rio.”
“Really? That’s great! Where is he?” Zephyr said, putting the file he’d been reviewing to the side, his excitement pouring out of this gaze.
“San Diego,” Adelaide said.
“He’s the one who broke us out of the lab, right? The one with barbaric strength?” Kaleb said, thumbing through his own file. Maybe the three stooges had actually been reviewing the files for missed leads like Adelaide had assigned them to do.
“Yes,” Zephyr said and then looked at Adelaide. “We knew a werewolf was in San Diego, but that’s a fairly large city for us to search. Although it’s good to know who we are looking for there—”
“Hold up, Private,�
�� Adelaide said, knowing this always got under the captain’s fur. “I don’t just know exactly where he is, but I know when he’s going to be there. Roya just reported that he gets into a bar fight in a dive bar in San Diego tonight.”
“Whoa, far out,” Kaleb said. “You all can see the future? That’s pretty gnarly.”
“Shut it, Runt,” Adelaide said, making Kaleb pop his mouth shut. She almost felt a little bad. More than anyone, she knew that Kaleb was immersing himself in the Lucidite world to cover up the pain of watching his father murdered and then losing his family for good. She knew that because unfortunately during the hypnosis sessions, their fingers grazed when he handed her the ballpoint pen she dropped. Now she felt sorry for the guy, but that was a worthless emotion, especially in her position. Looking at Zephyr, she said, “You and Rox need to get there right away, and be in position to approach him. He’s going to be fairly drunk, but I think that if you’re located in the right place at the right time then you can bring him in without confrontation.”
“Why don’t we get to him before he gets in the fight?” Rox asked.
“Because my superior strategic mind has deduced that he’ll be more likely to receive your help after an altercation.” She turned and looked at Zephyr straight on. “Tell him that you know how hard it is to control the wolf. That the guy he threw across the bar deserved it, and if he wants to put his talents to real use then come help us round up the werewolves. From his file, I know he’s a team player. If we use that when he’s at his lowest then you shouldn’t have much trouble convincing him.”
Zephyr nodded, his gray eyes to the side. He was already processing the strategy, trying to get his head around the right words, Adelaide suspected.
“What about me?” Kaleb said.
“What about you?” Adelaide said.
“Well, why don’t I get to work the mission? I know how to use a GAD-C. I’ve read the Dream Traveler Codex,” Kaleb said.
“And I’ve had a dog bone delivered to your room. Good boy,” Adelaide said. “However, I am loath to admit this, but Rox is more valuable than you. She can take a werewolf if there is an altercation, and it’s important to send Zephyr with someone in case something happens. You, on the other hand, have zero gifts and are extremely useless at this point. I’m thinking of assigning you to dish duty in the main hall. Someone has to clean up after our daily meals.”
“Oh, is that the way it is?” Kaleb said, flicking his eyes to the ceiling.
“Well, keep praying to the Dream Traveler gods and maybe they will grant you a gift that’s slightly useful,” Adelaide said.
“Like this?” Kaleb said.
And suddenly both her hands were held out in front of her like she was a zombie. Zephyr and Rox were also in the same position, their arms stretched out.
“What the fuck?” she said, pulling her arms down. She didn’t remember putting them like that.
“Or do you mean a talent like this?” Kaleb said.
And then again instantly the space was different. All of the conference rooms chairs were stacked on top of each other and sitting on the surface of the table. However, Adelaide didn’t remember seeing them move. That meant that Kaleb didn’t have telekinesis. She didn’t know what skill could make him do this.
“What in the bloody hell are you doing? What’s your skill, Runt?” Adelaide said.
“Just something that you’ll call lame,” Kaleb said with a sneaky grin.
“Kaleb, you received your gift. That’s great. What is it?” Zephyr said.
“Oh, just something useless. I apparently have the ability to stop the hands of time,” Kaleb said. “I can pause time and mess with the environment while you all are frozen.”
“Fucking awesome!” Rox said, her eyes bright.
“That would be incredibly useful in the field,” Zephyr said, sharing the smile that was on Rox’s face.
“Except he’s not going into the field,” Adelaide said, earning the stare of everyone in the room. “Stopping time is something that is pretty significant. Good job not fully disappointing me. However, dog boy, you’re not going with these two. Aiden needs to want to see this. With his level of experience on quantum psychics he will be highly interested in a unique gift of this sort.”
“Dang! I still don’t get to go?” Kaleb said.
“No, because I’m mean and want you to be our lab rat. Go see the mad scientist,” Adelaide said and then looked at Zephyr. “Bring me another werewolf and I’ll think about getting you a new collar.”
Chapter Eleven
“In prior trials homeless men were abducted for the experiment. They proved to not have the right physical and emotional makeup. Dream Travelers were used in round two, but their DNA rejected the process.”
- Olento Research, Canis Lupus Project File
The phone rang twice before the receptionist answered.
“Dr. Roland’s office,” the woman on the other side of the line said.
Orion pushed the receiver into his ear and turned so his nose was almost pressing against the wall. The phone in the common area of the brownstone wasn’t as private as he would have liked, but nothing was really private about the residence he shared with six other singles.
“I need to speak to Dr. Roland,” he said and then paused, his hand now shaking next to his ear. “This is Orion Murray.”
“Is this a medical or psychiatric emergency?” the receptionist said.
“No,” Orion said, but that wasn’t the truth. Never before had the panic crowded his mind so much, making him think he’d give himself a heart attack. “Will you please just tell her that I need to talk to her?”
“You said your name was…”
“Orion Murray,” he said, feeling like that wasn’t his name anymore. That he wasn’t himself anymore.
“Hold on. She’s between clients now. I’ll tell her you’re on the line,” she said.
Orion tried to respond but instead nodded at the wall just as one of the other residents walked by. The anxiety prickled his head in the way it always did when strangers were around, even if just passing. However, when he was in the lab having things done to him, the other prisoners made him feel less alone for once. Hearing their screams made his own suffering seem acceptable. Maybe now, if the men from the lab were around him, sharing their traumas, Orion wouldn’t feel on this edge where jumping was the only viable option. He needed someone to grieve with him, to share in the pain associated with the weekly change.
“Orion!” a woman said on the other side of the line. “Is this really you?”
He blew out a breath at the sound of Dr. Roland’s voice. Veronica, that was her first name, but he only called her that in his dreams. “Yes, it’s really me,” he said. Did she miss him? Was she allowed to based on their purely clinical association?
“Where have you been? There was a missing person report? The authorities… Are you all right?” she said, all her questions filled with concern, or so he wanted to think they were.
“I’m fine…” Orion said, trailing away, noticing that Veronica’s voice simultaneously made him suddenly able to breathe and also elevated the pulsing in his stomach. How could she put him at ease and also excite him at the same time?
“What’s going on?” she said, and now she sounded cautious. “Have you been taking your meds?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head at the wall. “Actually, I’m not fine. I was abducted by… well, I don’t know who they were. But I escaped. And now I’m afraid to go to the authorities. I need help though. Will you see me? Come to me?”
“Abducted?” she said, and there was so much doubt in that one word that it instantly sent Orion’s heart back into a series of palpitations. “Orion, you have to start back on your meds. I can write you a new prescription if you need. The paranoia isn’t going away unless we have you balanced.”
“I’m telling the truth,” Orion said, launching his foot at the wall. It produced a long cracking sound and then it shook the
wall. “You have to believe me.”
“Let’s start from the beginning,” she said, her voice returning to the normal clinical tone. “What have you been doing since you went missing?”
“I’ve been a prisoner. I told you,” he said, and cupped the phone to his mouth. He needed to say the next sentence, but a paralyzing fear told him that the phone was probably tapped and this would bring the end for him. Orion sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. “These people, the ones who took me, made me into a werewolf.”
A long pause followed his sentence, seeming to capture it and bind it with doubt. “Orion, do you remember when we talked about reality and the imagined? Remember how I told you that you could ascertain the two from each other?” Dr. Roland said.
She didn’t believe him. His only chance to be saved, and Dr. Roland didn’t believe him. Tears slipped automatically to the surface, welling in his brown eyes, the ones that glowed when he changed.
“Orion!” a voice said at his back.
He swiveled around to find his landlady with her wrinkled hands on her hips. “Was that you? Did you make that loud noise?”
“I have to go,” he said, slamming the receiver down on its cradle. “No, it wasn’t me,” he said, turning away from Mrs. Wilson. The pursed look on the old woman’s face lit a fuse inside him, one connected to something fiercely violent.
“Get back here,” the woman said, as he spun away. The urge to knock her down and break her over and over again was too strong. The strongest it had ever been. The wolf wanted to be let out of the cage and to act on its aggression.
“I’ve got to go,” he said, employing his super speed to clear the hallway and round the corner, up to his room.
Chapter Twelve
“Shortly after the current United States administration installed retina scanners in the Pentagon, a major theft occurred at more than three thousand optometrist offices nationwide, where retina scans were stolen. When the President was questioned, he admitted being encouraged to install retina scanners by a generous donor. An Alexander Drake.”
