Olento Research Series Boxed Set: A Paranormal Science Fiction Thriller

by Sarah Noffke

  Hunter nodded, the disbelief still covering his face.

  Zephyr turned to leave when Hunter called out for him.

  “Yes?” he said, looking at Hunter again.

  “I’m glad you caught me. Made me stop,” Hunter said.

  “I only wish I would have done it faster,” Zephyr said, realizing he’d always torture himself for not saving Hunter before he destroyed himself.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  “But since all is well, keep it so, wake not a sleeping wolf.”

  - William Shakespeare

  Pops had asked—well, pleaded—with Adelaide to take Lucien for an hour. The full-time caregiver apparently needed a much deserved break. He’d suggested that she take him to the playroom the Lucidites had set up with various toys for all ages. However, other people’s kids would be there and while Adelaide loved her son, she couldn’t stand other people’s kids. And in truth, Lucien was like an old soul. He was more serious than all other children, seeming to study everything with a critical eye. Lucien was Ren Lewis in every way and she expected he’d go on to do great things just like his granddad.

  “This is the best place to run around and it has the best toys in the world,” Adelaide said, setting Lucien down and tapping the button for the library. The door shot back to reveal a sight she never tired of seeing. The black-and-white marble shined in front of her all at once. “You’re it,” she said, tapping Lucien’s shoulder and pushing him to the side so she could get a head start. It was their favorite game and probably symbolized how she preferred to run from him rather than run to him.

  Behind her she heard him giggling as he raced after her. Adelaide rounded for the staircase, taking the steps two at a time. “You’re never going to catch me, shorty,” she said, feeling breathless from the run.

  “No running!” she heard the librarian yell from the main area.

  “Fuck off!” Adelaide turned around and shouted over the banister at the woman. Lucien had made it to the stairs and was climbing up each step one at a time.

  “I’ll be in the mystery section, but you can’t read so ha-ha,” Adelaide said, spinning around and running for the third row. She was playing. With her son. And it felt kind of good. It also felt fake, like she wasn’t really doing it for him. Actually, she’d been so elated since the werewolves returned and Connor had announced that he had the location for Olento Research. She was going to solve this case and get the accolades she’d dreamed about. If she completed this level five case, then maybe that could help to heal the wound her father created when he left her. Maybe she could finally feel like she didn’t need him anymore.

  The laughter at her back told her Lucien had cleared the stairs and was racing after her. Adelaide rounded into a row of shelves and rammed straight into a figure, sending her back, falling to her hands and backend. She stared up at Connor, who held a book and stared down at her with bewilderment.

  “Are you okay?” he said, reaching down to help her up.

  She checked her palms, which were red from the carpet burn she suffered. “I’m fine,” she said, checking over her shoulder. Lucien had slowed and was ducking his head into each row as he passed them.

  “Were you running? In a library?” Connor said, a lazy smile on his face.

  “Yes, but I’m running from someone,” she said, going around Connor so he was blocking her from view. “Stay there.”

  “Running from who?” he asked, being compliant and standing with his back to her, his chin over his shoulder.

  “That terror,” she said as she spied around Connor when Lucien came into view.

  An easy laugh fell out of Connor’s mouth. “Oh, are you looking for this lady?” Connor said, stepping to the side to reveal Adelaide.

  “No,” she said, covering her face, like that would make her invisible.

  The little boy toddled forward, slapping both his hands on his mum’s knee. “Got you,” he said in his baby voice.

  “That you did, Lucy, thanks to the awful help of this guy,” she said to her son.

  Connor squatted down so he was on the boy’s level. “Did your mom take you to a library to play?”

  Lucien looked at Connor like he was an alien, his eyes roaming over his face and then his arms. “Drawings,” he said, pointing at the sleeve of tattoos.

  “Yes, I drew on myself. Well, I had other people do it,” Connor said to the boy. “So you’re Lucien? Good to meet you. I’m Connor.” He held up his hand for the boy to high-five. Lucien looked at the hand and then his mum.

  “He wants you to high-five him. It’s a dumb thing. Don’t do it,” Adelaide said.

  “K, k,” the boy said and then took off, sprinting for the next row.

  “I’ll come and find you in one minute. Hide in the children’s section,” Adelaide said, like she was talking to an adult and not a child.

  Connor rose from his feet, an amused look on his face. “He’s a beautiful child,” he said and then added, “He looks just like you.”

  Adelaide combed her hands through her hair, her fingernails finding her scalp and nervously scratching. “Yeah, well…”

  “Aren’t you going after him?” Connor said, looking over Adelaide’s shoulder to where the boy had disappeared.

  “Eventually. I’ve got to pick up some books and he’s a super big distraction when I do that. And besides, he’s completely safe in a library and while at the Institute,” she said, realizing Connor was suddenly close. Too close.

  Connor held up the book in his hands. “I was just picking out books for the week. This library is incredible,” he said, his green eyes sparkling with delight.

  “It really is,” she said, her voice suddenly hoarse. A row or maybe two over, the sound of books being unshelved all at once could be heard. “Pull them all off if you can, Lucy. The librarian loves having to clean up after you.”

  Connor smiled at her, a look that seemed to say “I approve of you.” It was a look she could get used to. The way it made her feel, she wanted to get used to it.

  “You’re an amazing mother,” he said.

  An abrupt laugh fell out of her. “I’m the worst mum.”

  “You’re trying and that’s what counts,” Connor said, and then pointed to the hibiscus tattoo on his neck. It was beautifully colored and took up one side of his throat. “See this?”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “I got it to remember my mom. She’s dead now, but she loved hibiscus flowers. And she said flowers always made her smile,” Connor said.

  “Oh…” Adelaide said, and then realized she didn’t know what to say after something like that. Connor’s mom, like her father, was dead prematurely. She should say she was sorry, but she didn’t.

  “I’m telling you that because I know the bond a mother and son share. He’ll know one day that you tried. That you kept trying. That you loved him even though you weren’t perfect. And that’s all that will count,” he said.

  “Thanks. I’m glad you shared that. Maybe you sensed I needed to hear it,” Adelaide said, and then Connor was even closer. How was he doing that without her noticing until afterwards? It must be a wolf thing.

  “I sense there’s a lot of things you need to hear. And more and more, I want to be the one who says them to you,” he said, gliding his hand onto the side of her face. She found herself looking up at him, his eyes honed on hers. His thoughts pouring into her mind. Thoughts that didn’t repulse her. Thoughts that made her blush.

  “I don’t know how I feel about that,” she said across the short distance that separated them, but not for long. Connor leaned down with the grace of the wolf, closing the space between them. He pressed his mouth to hers, breathing her in. Adelaide didn’t pull away. Didn’t want to. Instead she kissed him back, engrossed by the softness of his lips, of the taste of his mouth, at the thoughts that only spoke of how much he accepted her. Of how much he wanted her. Of how much he’d always wanted her. Since the beginning. The pair folded their arms around each other, kissin
g each other harder. And then a crash sounded from a row over which sounded much like a large volume falling to the ground.

  Adelaide pulled back, but only a few inches. Connor still had his arms wrapped around her waist. She held her chin in the air and directed her words in the air. “Lucy? You all right?” she said.

  “Yip,” she heard on the other side of the shelf.

  She smiled at Connor and separated from him completely. “Looks like I better go parent,” she said, instantly wishing she could stay in that moment. Live in it.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.”

  - Lord Byron

  Fingers wrapped around the magnesium alloy bars and pulled. Rio grunted when the prison bars didn’t give way to his super strength.

  “Knowing you’d be returned to me, I had this cell built just for you,” Mika said. “That’s the strongest metal in the world, and even you won’t be able to pry your way out of this cell. I don’t encourage you to try, since I need you in peak condition.”

  Rio whipped around, his gaze frantically roaming over the metal walls, floor, and ceiling. There was no way of escaping this cell. The only option was through the barred door, which Mika didn’t plan to open anytime soon. Rio needed time to lose his mind. Once he’d done that then Mika could make his mind anew. The brainwashing was always easier when the prisoner was at his lowest.

  “Do let us know when you get hungry,” Mika said, a smirking tone to his voice.

  “The Lucidites are coming after me. They’re going to get me out of here,” Rio said, rushing to the bars, sticking his thick face through them. The metal framed his face, pinching his cheeks.

  “The Lucidites,” Mika laughed; it was a cold, dry sound. “Those imbeciles don’t stand a chance, especially now that I have you. You’re the strongest man in the world and soon you’ll do everything that I say.”

  Spit flew from Rio’s mouth and landed on Mika’s face. He didn’t flinch, but instead calmly pulled the handkerchief from his pocket and wiped it across his face.

  “I won’t ever answer to you, asshole,” Rio said.

  “Oh, ever is a long time. I think you’ll change your mind in a few days when the hunger sets in. And if that doesn’t work, then I’ll figure out a way of obtaining your submission.” Mika turned and eyed the lab counter in the middle of the room.

  Most of the cells were empty, but that wasn’t going to last for long. Malcolm stared at Mika from his cell, lined with plexiglass. He had been easy to train and had proven to be a good asset. Rio would be more difficult, but only because he’d been conditioned by the Lucidites. One day Mika was going to make them pay.

  After he had Zephyr and the other werewolves returned to him then he’d go after the Lucidites. Rox Spear would pay for her involvement by spending her final hours confined in a coffin. And Adelaide and the other Lucidites would meet their end. Mika liked the idea of inheriting the Institute. From what he’d heard about it, the facility would be perfect for conducting experiments. It was apparently filled with revolutionary technology, but only used for good. Why an organization would waste their time with saving the world when people were already doomed was beyond Mika. He had Parantaa Research, which synthesized life-saving drugs, but it only made patients dependent on it. Parantaa Research didn’t create cures. That was forbidden.

  Mika revolved in the center of the lab, finally feeling victorious. It had been a long time coming, but he knew it would happen. He had two werewolves back and the investors were off his back. Now he owned the missing information on how teleporting worked. Soon he would master it and then he’d be unstoppable. And his new project… it fueled his core with a brand new excitement. When he’d taken in the lab he turned his gaze on Drake, who had dutifully been waiting by the exit. With a curt nod he marched forward, Drake following behind him.

  “Welcome back, Rio,” Mika said, no warmth in his voice as he left.

  The white hallway stretched out in front of the two men. Doors lined both walls, but Mika had his eye on only one at the far end.

  “You said you had good news,” Mika said to the chief scientist.

  “Yes, I dare say, this is great news. I’ve made fast progress and think I’ve synthesized the first sample for Project Vampyyri,” Drake said, a rare eagerness in his voice. He was like Mika and enjoyed the work. Maybe he’d never admit it, but Drake relished creating the impossible. Making creatures that seemed like fiction. Olento, like the experiments, had been named appropriately. In Finnish, Olento meant “creature,” and creating the things of nightmares and comic books was exactly what it did. Now Mika was excited to create something more from a horror movie than a superhero film.

  Mika halted, facing Drake, whom he stood a head taller than. “The virus? You’ve already created one from the Arcturian? You said that it would take you several weeks,” he said.

  “And it’s only the first sample. It very well could take me many months to construct the right virus, but I have one that I’d like to test. This is a brand new process and I think, if you’re willing, that I’d like to have a large test group,” Drake said.

  Mika lowered his eyes, deliberating. Test subjects. They’d go through many for this experiment. He knew that this was going to be a true trial and error project. Still, covering up the disappearance of several men who didn’t survive the experiment got exponentially tricky.

  “Let’s start with a round of subjects from the homeless shelters, but as you get closer to the right formula then I want you recruiting from the universities,” Mika said. Broke college students would submit themselves for research purposes for a nominal amount of money. And he thought that a young, bright college man would be the perfect final subject for Project Vampyyri.

  “Get started right away,” Mika said, walking past Drake in the direction of his office. “I want an update in forty-eight hours.”

  “It shouldn’t take that long to see if the host can fight the virus or not,” Drake said at Mika’s back. He turned, a wicked grin on his face.

  “Then give me a report as soon as you have it,” Mika said. Things just kept getting better and better. Yes, many men would die in strange ways, but it would be worth it. When Drake perfected the virus he synthesized from the alien, then they would create a real match for the werewolves. Zephyr wouldn’t stand a chance against the man Mika made into a vampire.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  “A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.”

  - Betrand de Jouvenel

  Kris knew she was risking everything by yet again sneaking around Olento Research in her invisible form. She also didn’t care. What did she have to lose? Morgan, her twin brother, was dead. When she thought about his death, it didn’t feel real. Kris was sure that one day he’d walk through the door of her house with an easy grin spread across his face. Mostly when she thought about Morgan, her core burned with an incredible fire.

  The Lucidites weren’t the ones responsible for her brother’s death. Even the guy who did it, Connor, wasn’t to blame. They were only defending themselves, as anyone would do if they’d been abducted and then mutated into werewolves. How had she deluded herself into thinking this was okay? The money had been a factor. And then Mika had started small, only asking her to break into places. Later she graduated to breaking into the Pentagon to steal records. It wasn’t until he asked her and Morgan to abduct men that the uneasiness began to twitch her insides. But she’d pressed away the guilt, which was impossible to do now. It had swallowed her completely.

  At first, Kris firmly believed Olento Research’s main goal was to create experiments that transformed the world. And although Mika’s scientists did create incredible projects, like making women invisible and little girls clairvoyant, they also had no respect for human life. That was because of the CEO of Olento Research. She couldn’t believe that she used to look at Mika Lenna and see a handsome businessman. He was in actuality a demon. The
most corrupted person to ever live. And she may not have been strong enough to take him down, but as an invisible woman, she could sabotage some of his success.

  That morning Kris snuck into the surveillance room. Having stalked Olento Research for so long in her invisible form, she knew everyone’s schedule. For instance, she knew that Bob, the guard who watched the monitors, always took a pee break at eleven in the morning. He was only ever gone from his station for roughly ninety seconds, but it was enough time for Kris to deactivate the infrared feature on the monitors. They’d figure it out by the end of the day, but that was all Kris needed. It gave her the opportunity to sneak around Olento Research undetected.

  Shaking, she pulled the desk drawer back. After the first breakout, Mika had all the keys for the cells kept in his office. He wasn’t taking any more chances with his werewolves escaping again. A row of keys on pegs stared back at Kris. They were numbered and her brain, cramped by panic, was having a hard time remembering which one she needed. Then she noticed one of the keys was a dissimilar color from the rest, like it was made of a different material. She plucked the key from its spot and slipped it into her pocket just as the door to Mika’s office flew open.

  Kris sucked in a gasp, covering her mouth as she did. He could probably hear her heart beating wildly, since she knew he had enhanced senses. She inhaled a long breath, letting it out with a four count. He can’t see you. That’s all that matters, Kris told herself.

  “And Drake,” Mika said, pausing beside the open door.

  “Sir?” she heard the German man say, a bit far off, like he was down the hallway.

  “Have Haiku come and see me,” Mika said. Kris stepped as carefully as she could, making it soundlessly across the Persian rug. It wasn’t Drake’s job to fetch employees for Mika. The scientist had a bucket load of PhDs. However, Mika demeaned the poor scientist by overloading his schedule and also giving him menial tasks. Kris was all too aware of how Mika maintained control of his employees. It had once worked on her.