Olento Research Series Boxed Set: A Paranormal Science Fiction Thriller

by Sarah Noffke

  “You want me at Parantaa Research? But you have your own scientists there,” Drake said.

  “Yes, and I don’t need any of them asking questions and wondering why I have special DNA testing being done on an employee,” Mika said, clearing the first hallway with his long strides and turning for the labs.

  “Oh, special DNA testing. Yes, of course, I can help with that,” Drake said, now behaving.

  “I need you to secretly obtain a sample from an Abigail Post. Then you’re going to test it for Dream Traveler genes,” Mika said, pushing open the metal door, narrowing his eyes on a corner where Isha was seated, talking to a scientist in a lab coat.

  “You have a Dream Traveler working at Parantaa Research? But we screen for that to prevent it,” Drake said, following Mika across the room.

  “I do, but if my suspicions are correct then she’s a Dream Traveler and has beaten our test,” Mika said. He’d had his suspicions about Abigail from the beginning. It wasn’t the girl’s bad attitude or brazen nature that flagged her. It was quite simply that he’d tried to read her thoughts and had met a brick wall. He didn’t use his telepathy on everyone, all the time, because it was draining and usually unnecessary. However, he always trespassed into a new employee’s mind upon meeting them. Although Middlings could shield a telepath, it was rare and typically only something a Dream Traveler could do successfully.

  “But I created that test myself. It’s accurate and would be difficult to beat,” Drake said, now sounding unsure of this all.

  “But it can be beat?” Mika said, raising an eyebrow at the other man.

  Drake shrugged his fat shoulders. “Yes, in theory it could be beat, but it wouldn’t be easy,” he said.

  “How about for someone with mind control who told the tester what to report?” Mika said, his heightened hearing honing in on the conversation between the scientist and Isha, over the other sounds coming from the various cages.

  “Mind control?” Drake said, blowing out a breath, his eyes wide with interest. “You think this Abigail has the power of mind control?”

  “I think she’s a Lucidite and more importantly, I think she’s Ren Lewis’s daughter,” Mika said. Abigail met the description that Kris had given him and more importantly she had the motive to spy.

  “Which means she might have the information on how to teleport,” Drake said, patching it all together.

  “I know she does. Now I just have to determine if she’s Abigail Post and spying on Parantaa Research,” Mika said, turning and marching over to the corner where Isha sat. Behind her was a station they’d set up to provide sensory deprivation in order to enhance the potential for clairvoyant visions.

  “Sir, we have good news—” the employee beside Isha said, glancing at her page of notes.

  “I’ve already heard. She’s reporting on the cases we gave her. Now I want you to give her the information on Hunter Smith. Isha needs to find him next,” Mika said, his words directed at the employee but his eyes on the girl who nervously played with her thick braid lying over her shoulder.

  “But sir, she’s complaining of headaches and—”

  “I believe I already told you I heard your conversation. I’m aware of the headaches. Give her another dose of bufotoxin and have her report again,” Mika said, noting that this employee would be reprimanded for this later, possibly fired. For now he needed Isha briefed with information on Hunter Smith. That’s how she was able to have the last vision. Giving her information on one of the werewolves made it so Isha honed in on future events related to them.

  “I think she’s needs some rest and maybe the dosage of bufotoxin cut back,” the idiot employee said.

  “And I think that you’re not in charge. Do as I say,” Mika said, turning and finding Drake at his back, a curious look on his face.

  “Isha reported the whereabouts of one of the werewolves?” Drake said.

  “Yes, David Sanders,” Mika said, breezing by him and to the exit. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate due to the fact that he could hear so many things from a distance. And sometimes it just made things more efficient.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Careless shepherd make excellent dinner for wolf.”

  - Earl Derr Biggers

  Connor’s eyes hovered on Adelaide every few minutes, making her want to slap him. She’d been studying files for hours, only to take a break to send a message to the news reporting department and retrieve her book. The redhead knew she needed to bathe, eat, and sleep. However, meeting her personal needs was going to come second until she had a lead on the werewolf case. And strangely, Adelaide was relieved when she ran to her room to grab her book and found Connor still in the strategic department when she returned. She’d thought he’d drag himself to bed, or off to do whatever it was he did when he wasn’t stalking her with his eyes.

  “I was surprised when you showed up without that book,” Connor said, when she thumped it on the table beside her. “Actually, I was just surprised when you showed up here.”

  Adelaide grabbed a piece of her long red hair and absentmindedly stuck it in her mouth, rubbing the softness against her lips. “Yeah, I usually have it with me, but I’ve been more careful since it got stolen by the invisible woman,” she said.

  Connor tilted his head to the side. He had a pronounced chin, which was the only reason Adelaide could stand to look at him for any period of time. She didn’t like people with weak chins. It says so much about the person, she thought. “Don’t you think that this invisible woman ran back to Mika and told him about the Institute?” he said.

  “I know she did,” Adelaide said.

  “Well, why didn’t you grill her? Keep her here? Protect the Institute?” Connor said.

  “I did protect the Institute. She can’t get back in here. And anything a spy tells us is worthless. She was a risk as long as she was here, since she was invisible and all,” Adelaide said.

  He nodded, his eyes dropping. “The important thing is that you got the book back,” he said.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what I would have done if I lost it. My father would probably come back and haunt me, remind me what a bloody loser I’ve proven to be,” she said with a laugh.

  “Your father sounds about like mine, minus the whole Dream Traveler genius part,” Connor said, sharing a laugh with her. “He could be a real jerk to me.”

  Adelaide thumbed through the book, her eyes resting on a phrase, one that apparently was meant to find her just then. To find Connor too. To be spoken aloud. She cleared her throat.

  “People are crazy to the ones they love,” she said, reading from the book.

  Another laugh. “My dad doesn’t love me. He doesn’t love anyone but himself,” Connor said.

  Adelaide shut the book. The same couldn’t be said for her father. Only the once did he tell her that he loved her, and then he killed himself. “Ren once told me that caring about someone who doesn’t love themselves is emotional suicide,” she said.

  Connor’s eyes shifted slightly, like something was sinking into him. A slow dawning shifted his eyes as a look of understanding traced his face. “So why care about someone who doesn’t care about themselves…” he said, his voice trailing away. “Yeah, good point.”

  “Do you want to see something impressive?” Adelaide said, looking at the clock. It was late enough that no one would be coming to the strategic department until morning, most likely.

  “No, I don’t,” Connor said, his face neutral. “I’d prefer to keep sitting here rereading these files and not having any break in this case.”

  Adelaide pulled her eyes to the ceiling. “God, why do you make your people so annoying?” she asked.

  Connor tapped the table between them, earning her attention. “Yes, of course I want to see something impressive. Is it something from the book?” he asked.

  “It’s something I learned from the book. Working at Parantaa Research has given me evenings to practice since I don’t have all the work from the Inst
itute to drain my time,” she said.

  “And you don’t have your kid to distract you while you’re gone,” Connor said.

  “Oh, like I ever watch that kid when I’m here. He’s Pops’s problem,” Adelaide said, trying to sound careless, but the bubble in her throat betrayed her act of indifference.

  “So something cool, show me,” Connor said.

  “Okay, but I can only do it in the dreamscape. I’m not strong enough to do it in the physical realm yet,” she said.

  “Can we dream travel from here?” he asked.

  Adelaide pulled the book close to her chest, securing it there. “If you don’t mind leaving your body here.”

  Connor slid his arms on the table, tucking his chin down on them and looking up at her. “I’m ready to dream travel. Just tell me where.”

  “It doesn’t really matter where. It just has to be in the dreamscape. I’ve only got one trick for now,” Adelaide said.

  “Okay, then how about…” Connor said, his eyes directed at the ceiling as he thought, “Tower Bridge, the north side.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Adelaide said, her jaw clenching.

  “That’s the worst joke ever, if I am,” Connor said.

  “That’s the first dream travel location my father ever took me to,” she said, realizing there was no way Connor could have known that.

  “Oh, I just picked it because you’re British,” Connor said, surprise on his face too.

  “Yeah, whatever.” Adelaide sighed. “Meet me there,” she said, laying her head down like Connor had his and closing her eyes. There was a strange connection to Connor, to her father, to her. But what in the bloody world could it be? Nothing made sense when it came to Connor, not that anything in her world made sense.

  She soared through the silver tunnels, wind, or something that felt just like it whipping her hair back. Adelaide didn’t understand quite how the elements worked in the dreamscape. They were there, and yet they weren’t. It was only her conscious makeup of how the world was supposed to behave that apparently made that impression. There was no physical aspect to the dreamscape, but still bodies could touch. There were no smells or weather, but still she sometimes felt the warmth of the sun when dream traveling. It was these strange aspects and varying potentials that made what she was about to show Connor possible. This was something she’d been practicing. Ren had mastered it in the physical realm, but she was doubtful she’d ever have that kind of success. That would be about like changing the rotation of the Earth. Or killing yourself and still living. Or randomly picking a location to meet that held an enormous amount of sentimentality. Ren’s voice rang in Adelaide’s head as her consciousness rode through the silver wormhole of sorts. Sentimentality is the knife that cuts away logic and reason.

  The dream travel transport dropped Adelaide on the north end of Tower Bridge just as she had intended. In the physical realm the sun was peeking up over the horizon, bathing the city in a golden light. Commuters hurried past Adelaide, unable to see her from the physical realm. One passed through her like a ghost. Anything with a consciousness couldn’t be felt by someone dream traveling, although two people in the dreamscape could touch each other.

  A heat spread over Adelaide’s chest as she stared up at the sky, wondering if this was one of those moments when she thought she could feel the sun’s rays while dream traveling. But then she found a slight pressure in her chest and realized it was sentimental feelings taking over her body. She hadn’t been back to Tower Bridge since that first dream travel with Ren. She shook off the repugnant feeling. “Don’t,” she said to herself.

  “Don’t what?” Connor said at her back.

  She turned to find him standing a bit awkwardly, his hands pressed into his jean pockets and his foot crossed over his other.

  “Don’t wait around for slow, manufactured Dream Travelers who take forever to show up,” Adelaide said, covering her slip.

  “Well, excuse me. I wasn’t born this superior race of people and I’m still learning how this all works. Sorry that I kept you waiting for half a second,” he said.

  “Two half seconds,” she said, wondering what had possessed her to dream travel with him. Maybe she was lonely from working at Parantaa Research. But hadn’t Adelaide been lonely all her life? Alone, she reminded herself. There’s a difference.

  “I believe that would be one second,” he said with a sideways smile. The sun kissed the top of his head, making the red stand out.

  “Oh, look at the mathematician,” she said, waving her hands in front of her in a condescending fashion.

  “You had something to show me? If it’s math then this is the last time I go on a dream travel date with you,” Connor said, uncrossing his feet and taking a step in her direction.

  “This isn’t a date,” she said, the buzzing in her chest suddenly intensifying.

  “No, I didn’t mean it like that. Don’t worry,” Connor said.

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” she said.

  He bowed slightly to her. “Of course, madam. Would you do me the honor of showing me your clever trick?” he said and Adelaide got the impression this wasn’t normal behavior for Connor, bowing and such.

  “So my father has detailed the process for different skills that a Dream Traveler can learn. Hypnosis, teleporting, and—”

  “Ren could teleport?” Connor said, his mouth falling open.

  “Yeah and it was scary as fuck when he just materialized out of the bloody air,” Adelaide said, remembering fondly when he’d pop into a room, pretending like it was no big deal.

  “Seriously, your father is the coolest man to ever exist,” Connor said, shaking his head.

  “He was all right,” Adelaide said, suppressing a proud smile. “It’s not just annoying that you picked this location, but also ironic. The first time Ren took me here on my very first dream travel, he showed me something. It’s what I’ve been practicing.”

  “If you wanted my attention then you have it. What did he show you?” Connor said.

  “Well, Ren told me that anything was possible in the dreamscape and I told him that was impossible,” she said and then extended her hand. “That’s when he did this.” In between Adelaide’s fingers a tea cup appeared, complete with brownish tea. She slid her hand under the tea cup’s base for support and held it out, presenting the object that had appeared from seemingly nowhere.

  Connor’s eyes widened with astonishment. “No fucking way,” he said. “What is that?”

  “It’s tea,” she said, scoffing at him. “The British drink it because we’re civilized.”

  “What did you just do?” he said, amazement making his eyes light up.

  “I produced an illusion,” she said, handing him the cup. He took it and immediately it vanished. “It doesn’t exist, in this realm or the physical one. And the moment an illusion is touched by someone else the spell is broken.”

  “Wow, okay, dream traveling just became even better,” Connor said, staring at Adelaide with a look that felt like too much. It made her want to run away.

  Instead of looking away she felt jolted, like from the outside. Her shoulder registered a movement. A tap. She turned to gauge if there was something behind her and then turned back.

  “What is it?” Connor said, reading the confusion.

  “Someone is trying to wake me up,” she said, disappearing at once.

  Adelaide’s eyes were blinking open when Connor pulled his head up from his arm. The girl with the blonde hair stood beside Adelaide. Roya. She was the news reporter Adelaide had sent a message to earlier. It had said,

  “Do your fucking job, Roya! Find future events on my pack, you good-for-nothing wanker. Women are being killed in LA and it’s all your bloody fault.

  Sincerely,

  Addy”

  He’d laughed when he’d read it over her shoulder. Adelaide really knew how to inspire people to work. And he’d secretly smiled inside when she called them her pack. That kind of seemed right
, because although Zephyr was their alpha, they wouldn’t be together without Adelaide.

  “Well, hello, Roya. I think you’re sleepwalking. This isn’t the kitchen, since I’m sure you’re looking for your late-night ice cream, fat-ass,” Adelaide said, rubbing her eyes and failing to cover the startled expression on her face.

  Roya, who weighed about as much a large terrier, gave a false smile. “Funny that you wanted me working while you were off sleeping,” she said to Adelaide.

  “That’s really not funny at all. Leave the jokes to me,” Adelaide said and then waved her hand at the other girl. “Report. Give it to me. Adults have lives to save.”

  Connor took his time running his eyes over Adelaide’s expression as she spoke. She was such a different sort than he’d ever met before. And the girl could produce illusions. She probably thought that people respected her because of her father. But he wasn’t impressed by her because of whom she was related to, but rather because she was like whom she was related to. Adelaide was the embodiment of all of the things Connor had heard about Ren Lewis. She was brave and mysterious and powerful and pulled it all off with the perfect degree of snarky indifference.

  “I saw a vision of one of your werewolves,” Roya said.

  “Wow, you’re really bad at this communication thing. Obviously you did. Get to the fucking point,” Adelaide said. “Who, what, and where?”

  “David Sanders,” Roya said.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be.”

  - Virgil

  David couldn’t stand it any longer. He had to escape his sister’s garage, if only for an hour or two. The confining space was starting to feel like the prison they kept him in at that lab. He knew his sister was only trying to protect him. That’s why she’d put the padlock on the doors on the night he changed. That’s why she made him chug a half a bottle of whiskey just before he turned into a werewolf. Apparently the wolf couldn’t handle his liquor because he usually passed out rather than tore up the garage.