Genetically Altered Complete Box Set

by Sarah Noffke

  “Because sometimes her clairvoyance works in reverse. Think of it like being paid in arrears,” she said.

  “Did you just use an accounting term?” Rox said.

  “Zeppy, did you hear something?” Adelaide said, looking around like she couldn’t see Rox. “I smell something foul, but I don’t see anything.”

  “Damn it, motherfucker,” Zephyr said, pinning both of his hands to the side of his head. “We can’t afford to lose another werewolf. That’s two.”

  “One plus one does equal two. Good job with the calculus,” Adelaide said.

  “We’re going into Olento Research. We will get Derek and Malcolm. Don’t worry, Z. Mika has some wins, but you know we’re winning this war,” Rox said, knowing this was internally destroying Zephyr. Every member of the pack was connected to him and having them together brought him peace and the opposite brought him torment.

  “Put down your pom-poms, whore face,” Adelaide said. “We don’t do pep rallies here. We work with strategy. And currently we don’t have one for entering Olento Research. So let’s wait on the whole ‘win the war’ speech.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry about your dad,” Rox said, meaning it. Losing a parent at any age couldn’t be easy. She didn’t know how she’d handle her daddy’s death, which she hoped wouldn’t come for a long time. Rox had inherited her skin resistance from him, so hopefully he’d live longer than most.

  “You know, I had always wondered what Rox was short for,” Adelaide said.

  Immediately Rox tensed, her eyes showing her nervousness. “Obviously it’s because I’m hard as a rock,” she said, scoffing at the other girl.

  “It got me to wondering, was your full name Roxanne? That’s why I decided to peek into the files the Institute had on you,” Adelaide said, her voice singsong.

  “Well, Zep, you should probably run along and tell the others about Roya’s mistake. Poor girl. You all should go tear up all her stuff, like a puppy would,” Rox said in a quick rush.

  “True,” Zephyr said, turning to Adelaide. “I’d always assumed Rox was short for Roxanne. What’d you find?”

  Adelaide studied Rox before placing her hand on her hip and smirking at her. “I just can’t figure out why you don’t go by your real name. I know that from now on I’m going to be calling you by your God-given name, Helga.”

  And that was it. Rox couldn’t undo that moment. All her careful planning and hiding and one angry redhead ruined it with one word. Fuck! She hated that name. Hated that it followed her around. She’d wanted to change it for years, but that would break her parents’ hearts since it had belonged to her grandmother.

  The sudden laughter crowded Rox’s head with irate frustrations. However, there was no getting away from this moment. From the teasing. Shouldn’t she be used to it by now?

  “Helga?” Zephyr said, laughing into his hand. “That’s your name? I can’t wait to tell the guys about this.” He strolled for the exit, still laughing.

  “Zephyr, no! I won’t ever call you or the guys a name again. Please don’t tell them,” she pleaded to his back.

  He only shook his head, still retreating. “Nope. Karma is a bitch, you should know that, Helga!”

  “Happy?” Rox said, turning her attention on Adelaide, who looked about as pleased as she’d ever seen her.

  “I’m mildly content,” Adelaide said.

  “Look, I really meant my apology. I don’t know why you had to unload my secret. Those guys will be ruthless now,” Rox said.

  “What do you care?” Adelaide said.

  “The old adage isn’t true about sticks and stones. I can’t stand my name. It’s by far the ugliest name to ever exist,” Rox said, remembering the taunting. It’s one reason that she beat up those boys when she was fourteen and that was the reason they’d locked her in the old shed. Her imprisonment over that long night still lived in her bones, a reminder of the one way she was vulnerable.

  “Well, I think against your resistance to good behavior, you’ve learned your lesson. Don’t fuck with me, Helga,” Adelaide said.

  “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m a bit hardheaded, if you know what I mean,” Rox said.

  “Whatever,” Adelaide said, turning for the door, strolling off.

  “I came to the library yesterday to apologize,” Rox said.

  Adelaide halted in place and turned to face the other girl. “But you got distracted by something shiny and never made it past the entrance?” Adelaide said.

  “I made it all the way to the second story, but decided that interrupting such a sweet moment between you and Connor was unwise,” Rox said.

  “Hey, there’s nothing going on between—”

  “No, by the way you kept shutting him down, it appears that there’s in fact nothing going on. But damn, that boy has it bad for you. Why are you pushing him away so hard?” Rox said, her tone shifting to one that was different from her normal one. It was casual. Kind.

  “This is truly none of your business,” Adelaide said.

  “I’m not going to remind you that you put a hard rule down on dating, which I checked with Trent and doesn’t actually exist,” Rox said.

  “I think you just did. And as the presiding agent on this case, I’d like everyone to stay as clear-headed as possible. So don’t worry. I’m not being a charlatan,” Adelaide said.

  “You seem to think that we control our hearts. That you have reins on yours and can direct its path. But to be honest, the greatest asset any of us can use is our heart, which doesn’t care about having a clear head. Maybe you’ve been approaching this from a black-and-white perspective when you should realize that integrating your life with this case could be the one way that you overcome your demons,” Rox said.

  “I don’t need your advice,” Adelaide said, gnashing down on her lower lip.

  “No, you don’t. And I don’t fault you for falling for Connor,” Rox said.

  “I didn’t fall for him—”

  “Well, I think you should. The lone wolf persona doesn’t fit him anymore and I honestly don’t think it suits you anymore either. You’ve both grown out of it and just think how you could grow together.”

  “I get that you’re just saying all this to give yourself permission to be with Zephyr, but that manipulation isn’t going to work on me,” Adelaide said.

  “I’m saying it because although you and I have mastered the act of pretending to hate each other, there’s few I respect as much as you. I’m truly sorry about Ren, and I wish I hadn’t said anything about you earning your position because of his influence. My father was a CIA agent and for too long I lived in his shadow. I heard the whispers. I know how it feels, at least I used to. Truthfully, I forgot until yesterday. I forgot how great it is to have a good father and also what a curse it is to never feel you can stand on your own prestige,” Rox said.

  Adelaide didn’t look like she was expecting that answer. And for Rox, it was a surprise too. All of her old demons had surfaced after the events of yesterday. It was the reason she’d decided she was ready to purchase the cabin. That she deserved to.

  “So this isn’t about legitimizing your relationship with Zep?”

  Rox shook her head. “Actually, I’ll admit that although I’m attracted to Zeppy, it would never work out. It tormented me at first because we could get close, but it was never enough for me. There was something missing. Then I figured it out. And I was mad at myself, because I knew it all along, but I’d forgotten that too.”

  “Sounds like you have a shitty memory,” Adelaide said with a rare smile. “What did you forget, Alzheimer’s?”

  “I forgot that he couldn’t ever give his heart to anyone because it would forever belong to the pack. Zephyr is an amazing man. Probably one of the best I’ve ever met, besides my dad. However, he’s married to his pack and I’m okay with that. Being the alpha is what he really wants. Protecting his men comes first. And I’d rather have him happy, than have him with me,” Rox said.

  “And you can’t
be with a man who can’t give you all of himself,” Adelaide said.

  “Exactly, and I know that his men don’t have that same restriction. They can give themselves to someone fully,” Rox said, the implications strong in her words.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “The place a person visits while dream traveling is referred to as the dreamscape. Only Dream Travelers can access this place. The dreamscape is an exact replica of our waking world. The events happening in real time are something those dream traveling can witness. However, those in the physical realm are unaware of the Dream Traveler observing.”

  - Dream Traveler Codex

  Either Mika had been scammed, or he wasn’t strong enough to teleport. Charles Knight, his old mentor, had sold him the information on teleporting, but for all his efforts, Mika had yielded no results. It was hard to believe that he’d paid a large sum of money for a set of instructions, a philosophy mostly. When he’d first been given the information he’d complained to Knight that he doubted the likelihood that it would work based on thought alone. To Mika, science was always behind everything, but maybe that was because he was so accustomed to manufacturing skills and creatures now. Knight had simply batted his eyes, devoid of eyelashes, at Mika and said, “If you don’t believe then you won’t be successful. Teleportation is about the thoughts we hold, not about our physical body.” And then Knight had vanished. Literally. That’s how Mika knew that he actually held the power of teleportation and was willing to pay him for it. However, after trying for days now, he’d yielded no results. Not even anything that could be considered a result. Mika only remained firmly standing in the same place, unmoved.

  Knight couldn’t be found now though. However, that wasn’t atypical of Knight. He had disappeared after training Mika years ago. Actually, it had been Knight who had found Mika recently, asking for an investment in his new venture. That’s when he asked him to train him on teleporting, but Knight refused, saying instead he’d sell him the information. What he gave Mika wasn’t working and he doubted that this would change.

  “Haiku just radioed to give you good news,” Drake said, from behind Mika. He turned to find the older man framed in the doorway to his office. Maybe his problem with teleporting was the constant interruptions.

  “Why is it that you feel the need to introduce information rather than just telling me outright? You do realize I’m a busy man, who has two companies to run,” Mika said.

  “I do realize that. And I apologize for the way that I speak,” Drake said, not sounding sorry about all. “Maybe I can create a drug to change the way I am.”

  Mika scratched his eyebrow, not because it itched, but rather because he was irked. “This news…” he said, trailing away, allowing Drake to fill in his sentence.

  “Haiku and his team have Derek in custody and are returning him to Olento Research,” Drake said, his hands behind his back as he rocked up on his toes and then back on his heels.

  Well, that was something, at least. Derek was the true runt of the pack, but that shouldn’t be dismissed as unimportant. It is often those who are underestimated who go on to do great things. However, Derek was also the trusting sort, which was exactly how Mika suspected that he was abducted this time. Those who throw around trust are as wasteful with their safety as those who walk into a road without looking both ways for traffic.

  “I wonder what his skill will be,” Mika said, his eyes on the large globe in the corner that rested in an elaborately carved holder. He’d been to every country on that globe and it only made him hungry for more.

  “According to the short conversation I had with Haiku, he’s a technopath,” Drake said.

  Mika should have been the one to receive the call, but he’d been directing many of his tasks to the scientist since he was spending all of his time working on teleporting lately. That endeavor would have to end though. Not micromanaging everything was a surefire way for his company to suffer.

  “Why does he think that he has the power to control electronics?” Mika said.

  “Because Derek awoke from the chloroform and the radio, phones, and other devices were doing strange things. He couldn’t call me until he gave the order to sedate him again, after figuring out it was the werewolf who was making his phone not work,” Drake said.

  “Interesting,” Mika said, stroking his goatee, a habit he was trying to break himself of. The runt did in fact have a power that made up for his small stature. In this day and age, someone who ruled electronics was incredibly powerful and useful.

  “Have Haiku start his conditioning the very same moment they arrive. It sounds like Derek could be rebellious if left to his own devices,” Mika said, cringing at the accidental pun. He despised things like puns or jokes. Anything related to humor. It was such a distraction.

  “Sir, I’d like a chance to check over Derek. He’ll be sedated, which will make it easy, especially if I’m given permission to keep him like that for a little while. I didn’t have the chance to examine Malcolm when he came in,” Drake said.

  “That’s because he was drunk and we were trying to capitalize on his hunger. But yes, that’s fine. He’ll be even hungrier if we keep him sedated for a day or two. That will make conditioning even easier, in theory,” Mika said.

  “Yes, as long as you don’t take it too far and lose him to starvation like that one subject,” Drake said, his tone teasing.

  Mika didn’t like teasing either. It was in the same vein as joking and had no use at Olento or Parantaa Research. “Where are you with Project Vampyyri?”

  “I’ve lost three more subjects,” Drake said, his tone shifting to more of a growl.

  “Only three?” He’d expected that Drake would have tested the process on many more subjects by now, tweaking the procedure each time. “What else are you working on?”

  Drake’s eyes rose up to the ceiling. “No other projects, sir,” he said.

  That was a lie. People often looked up and to the right when they lied. Mika had learned that long ago from his mentor, Charles Knight.

  “What other projects are you working on?” Mika repeated.

  “Only the ones you assigned me to update the formula for your enhancements,” Drake said.

  “Then why didn’t you say that the first time?” Mika said, still skeptical of this chief scientist.

  “It skipped my mind,” Drake said.

  “I want six more subjects put through Project Vampyyri. I’m counting on you creating a vampire. That’s how we are going to catch Zephyr and his beta,” Mika said, putting his back to Drake, dismissing him at once.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Dream Travelers in the dreamscape pass through those with a consciousness in the physical realm.”

  - Dream Traveler Codex

  Sitting with his elbow on his knees, Clay Morris leaned forward, studying the concrete under him. This had always been his favorite place. The levee was where he’d go as a boy to skip rocks. Later he made out with the girl of the month on one of the steps. And then he’d made the decision to join the Marines while sitting in the place where he was now. However, currently, the usual calm that he gained by visiting this treasured place wasn’t entering his body. Actually, if he was honest, he hadn’t felt that calm since before the labs. Since before they changed him into a werewolf. He’d thought that by returning to his roots in Baton Rouge, he’d invite the calm back into his being, making the werewolf have to exit. In his mind, peace and the wolf couldn’t exist in the same being. However, he was wrong about the wolf leaving him and he was right about how the two couldn’t coexist.

  Clay lifted his chin to look at the cityscape across the Mississippi River. He’d once worked in one of those shiny buildings. Wore a suit to work every day. He’d been someone. But then he’d been abducted all because he’d decided to go out for a late cup of coffee at his favorite diner. Most people tucked their children in at night or read a book or maybe talked to their spouse. That’s how others found peace. Clay drank coffee. There was some
thing about the aroma, the nostalgic flavor of chocolate and bitter undertones that always gave him a sense of peace. He drank it even when he wasn’t tired. However, the coffee didn’t offer him the same serenity anymore, although he never went back to the diner after the abduction. Maybe their brew with its special chicory flavor would do the trick, although he doubted it.

  Blowing out a hot breath, Clay pulled his gaze away from the buildings that were too far away and also too close. He hadn’t gone back to his old job as a stockbroker. He hadn’t really done anything but returned to his hometown. And now he wasn’t surprised to find himself lost. How could he create himself anew when he didn’t know who he was? That’s why it hadn’t been a lie when the homeless shelter asked him who he was. He told them that he couldn’t remember. That wasn’t untrue. Who was he? A werewolf, but who was the man in him? Everything was blurring now. He needed to reestablish roots, but how does one do that when they change into a monster once a week?

  Bringing his gaze back to the concrete of the levee, Clay let out a scream he’d been holding in. It echoed off the opposite bank and made a flock of birds startle and fly into the air. And then the concrete under him cracked and splintered. He’d finally let it out and Clay was sure it would only get worse. Since he escaped the lab he’d had the ability to move the earth. Crack it. Do things to it with his intentions. But now his emotions wanted out and he was afraid of what would happen to the land around him because of them.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Objects in the dreamscape can be moved by those dream traveling, but they will be moved in the physical realm, creating a poltergeist effect. Ren Lewis is crowned with creating more poltergeist effects in the 1980s than any other person in history. It has since been made illegal by the Lucidite Institute to move objects while dream traveling.”

  - Dream Traveler Codex

  With her eyes pressed gently closed, Adelaide drew in a breath to a four count. On the exhale she focused her intention, repeating her mantra. We’re only energy and that can be displaced. Something stirred deep inside of Adelaide, like her insides were made of feathers and an internal wind had just swept through her. She opened her eyes, firmly believing she’d teleported.