Chapter 34

(Chapter song ‘Drums Of Odin' by Heldom)

OLIVER The fog in my brain starts to clear. I’m surprised I got any sleep at all. Ezra’s memories plagued my dreams all night. I dreamt of tearing Michael to pieces then shoving those pieces down Cornell’s throat.

After a while, the feeling of my mate in my arms allowed my mind to settle.

I smell her amazing floral spice and my arm tightens around her. Wrapped in the blue medical sheet, I don’t want to move, but I know I need to check on Ian.

I slightly open my eyes and her sweet face is sleeping soundly. Her pink, pouty lips have the tiniest of smiles on them. I wonder if I can get off this hospital bed without disturbing her.

Before I make a move, I take in my Luna one last time. She’s even more beautiful with my mark. A Dire wolf. Who the fuck would ever predict that? A creature from prehistoric times. Wiped out for whatever reason, brought back just for me.

Now, I have a small army of them to boot. I guess the first thing I should do is figure out how to complete the genetic process. Thanks to my father, I now have all the tools I could ever need to do that. It’s about the only thing I’ll ever thank him for.

OK. I can’t lay here anymore. I’ve got shit to do.

I cautiously slip out of the sheet and tuck Ezra back in. She stirs, but falls back asleep as I grab my pants. I throw them on and pad to the door. Slipping out, I look at her through the glass. I’ll check on Ian then come back.

I stretch my back and arms, scrubbing my bedhead, I walk to Ian’s room. As I approach, I see his bed’s empty.

I head to the double doors of the main offices and open them. He’s sitting at a desk with a computer on and a cup of coffee.

“Ian?”

He looks behind him. “Hey, bro. Have a good sleep?”

I walk up to him. “Looks like you did. Feel better?” I take his coffee and swig a sip.

He takes it back. “There’s a cafeteria down the storage hall. Has everything…once we get some food down here, but there’s coffee.”

“I’m guessing that’s a yes.” I pull up a chair and sit.

“Hm? Oh yeah. I'm feeling fantastic. I don’t even need sleep.” He types on the computer keyboard. His concentration is razor focused.

“What are you looking at?” I lean to the screen.

“The main files of the lab. Oliver were in a fucking goldmine.” He says as the pages fly across his screen. “Genetics, robotics, AI, weapons…You name it, dad was into it.”

I get up and steal his coffee. “I don’t doubt it. The lab in White Rock was pretty extensive. Worked there for years with dad while I was recruit. I can only imagine what this place has.”

I sit down and drink the coffee. Turning on a computer, I lean back and click through the file links.

“Oliver, there’s chemicals here I’ve never even heard of.” Ian says from across the aisle.

“Neither has the Alliance. The Torrent lists they have are not even a percentage. There’s a lot more here they don’t know exists.” I say as I read the screens. “Torrent was the start. There’s a crap ton of files here. He only spent a year in Red Rock. The other 19 were here. God. There was barely a town when this happened.”

I click a labelled ‘Draco #45' and a video pops up.

‘No…Please…Adrian…You can’t do this…Let me go.’

I lean in to the black and white video as they drag guy, around 19, into the room. He hair's black hair and he's kind of scrawny. Looking at him, I’d never assume he was the same guy.

‘Shut up, turner.’ One of the larger men growl.

The camera shakes and gets into position. A guy, around the same age, comes into focus.

“Dad?” I stitch my brows together as he smiles for the camera.

‘OK. Are we ready?’ He looks to the bigger men strapping Draco to the table.

‘NO! LET ME GO!...I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!’

‘Draco, quit being a bitch.’

I tick my head. Sounds like a Fredericks.

‘Is he prepped?’

‘Damian! Don’t even, you fucking bastard!’

‘Shut him up, please.’

A guy of around 22 walks in. Fuck, if I didn’t know any better, I would swear that was River.

‘Yes, Alpha.’

They prepare a needle and inject him.

‘What is that? No! Fuck you!’ Draco yells as he struggles on the table.

Damian sighs and takes off his black leather gloves. ‘Just a sedative, Draco. To relax you.’ He says smugly as he takes off his long, black jacket. He throws on a lab coat and walks to the medical bed with the bright light over head. He checks Draco’s eyes and pulse. ‘OK. Now that Draco is quiet. We can begin.’

My father backs away from the camera and pulls a table to the hospital bed. Draco is whining quietly.

Damian picks up a syringe. ‘Compound 1149. Regeneration gene splice. Experiment number 45. Time of injection 12:49 am.’ He injects the syringe into Draco’s arm. Tossing the needle back on the tray, he grabs a scalpel and cuts Draco’s finger off. Draco cries out in agony as Damian tosses the finger and the scalpel back on the tray. I cringe at the heartless treatment.

“What the fuck?” I mutter to myself.

The door opens and fucking Luke walks in.

‘Sam, shouldn't you be with Krystal?’

He struts in and sits down. These fuckers are so brutal, they don’t even register that Draco is bleeding out on the fucking floor.

‘I came for the show. Can’t pass up an opportunity to see the asshole suffer.’ He kicks back in the chair in true Jackson style.

‘Well, the serum should be hitting his healing right about…’

Draco screams bloody murder and thrashes on the bed.

‘HOLD HIM DOWN!’

‘NOOOO!!’

Sam rushes to the bed and all three Originals hold Draco down.

‘WHAT’S HAPPENING?!’

‘HE’S FIGHTING IT!’

‘DRACO! DON’T FIGHT!’

‘FUCK…YOUUUU!!’

The three men fly backwards as Draco breaks the straps and sits up. One of the men move in to grab him and he punches back. The guy goes flying across the room.

“Holy shit!” My eyes widen.

He throws another one and another.

‘SHOOT HIM!’

‘LOCK DOWN THE LAB!’

My father tries to tranquilize him and Draco breaks his arm. My dad screams. Draco picks up the bed and throws it. The camera is hit. It flies around the room and the picture scrambles. The men scream and yell. Draco growls and more sounds of things getting thrown happen in the background of the video Shots ring out and the camera focuses. Draco is on his face on the floor.

‘Is everyone OK?’

‘I told you guys, always pack a gun!’

‘Alright, Sam…put that thing away.’

‘Damian, look.’

‘I don’t believe it.’

The camera shakes as someone picks it up. They step over Draco and aim the camera at his hand.

‘The time is…1:24am.’ My dad pants. ‘As you can see, Project Croak was a compete success.’

A hand comes into frame. My jaw drops as I watch Draco’s finger grow back.

‘I want a full spectrum of tests. Everything. Lock him up. I want him ready for the next serum.’

‘Which one?’

‘Project Ice wolf.’

‘That’s nowhere near clinical trials.’

‘I don’t care, Adrian. Get it on the schedule. 9 am tomorrow. The Foundation is coming tomorrow and I need results for Miranda. If I don’t have the results, she’ll delay our shipment.’

‘Who’s the supplier, Damian?’

‘I told you. You don’t need to know. I trust him and he’s supplying us with the materials we need for these experiments. So quit asking questions or you’ll end up like Whitney. Now. Clean him up and clean up this lab. Next time, strap him down properly.’

Black dress shoes cross over Draco and out the door. Draco is dragged out of the room. The screen goes blank.

I blow out a breath a sit back. I run my hands into my hair and hold my head. I would say they did Draco dirty, but knowing what kind of guy he was, I don’t blame them. He was a self-righteous, evil bastard. If anyone deserved to be experimented on, it was him. Can’t say I wouldn’t drag his ass down here, if I was in my father’s shoes.

“OLIVER!”

I look around and Ian’s gone. The door to the storage hall is open.

“Ian?!”

I run down the hall to my brother’s voice, looking for him in the open doors. I run past a hall and stop. I double back and he’s standing at the door to some sort of vault. The door is open and there’s something in the center of the room inside.

“I made a wrong turn and found this.” He points to it.

The door is a sold metal door with a keypad.

“It must have opened when I activated the lab.” I say as I stare into the darkness.

“Oliver, what is that?” He points into the black.

I cock my head and step in. The lights come on in the ceiling, lighting up my fear that my family has been involved in more shit than I care to admit.

“Ollie. That’s a dead guy.” Ian swallows.

“Not just any dead guy.”

I walk up to the black pedestal. Under the square glass box is an eerie looking black skull on a purple silk pillow. Its dark, empty eyes scream at me from the past.

I lean down on my thighs so I’m nose to nose with it. I study it’s uniqueness and beauty.

“Oliver, who is it?”

I turn to him and smirk. “The guy everyone’s after.”

****

“Now, that we know the skull is here. We can use that to leverage against Cornell.” I tell Ian as we sprint back to the computers.

“Cornell? Who’s Cornell?” Ian asks.

“The that took Ezra. Now, I saw in that video, this lab was being supplied by Miranda.’ I pull up a chair to the computer and start typing.

“Miranda…Miranda Williams? The Shaman?” His brows shoot up.

“She wasn’t a Shaman then. She was a bloodhound for a secret government agency called the Foundation. They control everything. Even Alliance Labs. They know everything too. Dads been collecting information on them for years.

I open a file and thousands of pages with links pop up.

“They have eyes on the council. The High Council. Even…” I smile when I see it. “The Dark Circle.”

“The Dark Circle?” Ian leans on the desk as pictures and articles arise on the monitor. Way more than I could ever pull up.

“A group of mercenaries who sold their services to help people win wars.” I see Cornell’s photo. “This guy is the one I’m after.”

“Oliver. That picture is from 1912.” Ian points to the description.

I study Cornell’s face. He doesn’t look that old, if I remember the current photo circulating around. “Ezra said he was the last Dire. I wonder how old he actually is.

Ian smirks at me.

I do a double take as I search. “What?”

“That.” He ticks his head to my mark. “You did it.”

I glance at me shoulder and give a half smile. “I didn’t have a choice. I love her.” I meet my brothers eyes.

He lowers his head. “I know you can’t help who you love, Ollie. I’m sorry for being a dick. I’m happy for you.”

I sigh. “I just hope the rest of the pack will be.” I turn back to the computer. “I don’t want to have to kill people. Dried blood fucks with my pores.” I grumble as I rub the backs of my hands and scan the links.

Ian claps my back and chuckles, shaking his head.

A box pops up in the middle of the screen. The words ‘New Data' flash in the box.

“What’s that?” Ian asks.

“They must have spiders crawling the web looking for certain keywords which must have been activated when we lit the place up. Let’s see what they have to say.” I click the link and a news report pops up. It’s from last year, but the information might still be useful.

‘Axelridge Enforcers arrested a suspect in the luring and kidnapping case of more than 150 teenagers today. The Alpha Council, led by Axelridges own, Finley Trezner, is elated at the news…’

“Finley.” Ian snorts.

“Shush.” I lean back and watch.

‘The Security Complex released a statement a few hours ago stating that Norwegian born, Gene Cornell, was found to be in the country illegally and has been issued warrants in several other countries. The Council also added that once the investigation is concluded, Gene Cornell will be deported to Romania to face similar charges of kidnapping minors. More at 11.’

I snap my fingers and point to the other computer. “Pull up Axelridges prison records.”

“We won’t have access to that.” He argues.

“Just do it.” I bark.

He sits down and enters Axelridges databases. “Oliver, why do we have access to this?”

“Bells and whistles." I tilt my head to him.

He shakes his head and continues. “OK. He’s apparently still in lock up. Axelridge is releasing him to a guy named John Cheswick. The transfer car is scheduled to leave…in four days at 9 am. Destination…JFK airport.” His eyes meet mine looking for logical answers. I don’t have any.

I turn back to the computer screen and pull up a map. “Is there a route?”

“98 to I-90.” He answers.

I search the map. “We can catch them at 81 outside of Syracuse. It’s well outside of Axelridge territory.” I get up and jog to the medical hall.

“CATCH THEM?! WHAT ARE WE DOING?!”

“RAISING FUCKING HELL!” I yell back to him as I go find my Luna.