Chapter 196
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Dominique was acting strange.
Hayden could see it as clear as day.
While he didn't talk much most of the time, he was never relegated to the background, and his opinion was always taken into account by the group, as well as his boss.
It was refreshing in ways that he never expected it to be.
Outside of their little group, he was usually overlooked, but that didn't bother him as much as it once did.
So, yes, Hayden was usually in the 'background' so to speak, but that was only because he liked being there. More than talking, he preferred to listen and watch.
But whenever he spoke up, he was heard and listened to.
Which was why it was so strange. The little connections that he had with his team remained, except for Dominique's strange reactions. It was like their connection, unspoken though it may be, had disappeared overnight.
The first thing that tipped him off was that Dominique's scent had changed.
Before that, Dominique and Lukas had taken to disappearing together as they worked out whatever pent up aggression they had against each other.
It was subtle at first, and anyone who knew Dominique less might have just brushed it off, but Hayden immediately informed boss of the change within their party's grumpy member.
Everything from his scent to his actions.
But boss didn't do anything. He just stared at Dominique for a while before looking away. Boss gave him the slightest of nods, and something in his expression told him to keep his thoughts to himself.
Of course. The person that Dominique was closest to was boss, who would definitely have noticed that something was off.
Hayden wouldn't pretend that he understood what was going on in his boss' mind half of the time, but he did know one thing. Their boss cared. Perhaps even too much at times.
Despite seeming like a gentle and genial personality, he knew that the boss was anything but. Yet, for some strange reason, it seemed almost as if only the Spectres knew about the other side of his boss.
In fact, he was certain that part of the Spectres didn't know at all, only seeing the pleasant and gentle exterior, despite their harsh training.
So, if boss said that they should leave Dominique to his own devices for a little despite everything in him screaming that he shouldn't, Hayden was willing to wait… for a while.
He could feel that there was a bigger plan in motion regarding Dominique, but he didn't know what.
Anyway, Dominique was acting strangely. His scent was off, almost like he'd been possessed.
Hayden's eyes flashed a little. If that was true, then everything made a lot more sense.
Both little and big things that everyone who knew Dominique noticed.
Little things, like Dominique's abject lack of bloodlust lately, leaving Lukas feeling a little off balance when he hadn't received or returned a glare from the man for a good few days.
Then, there were the big things. The huge things that everyone couldn't help but take notice.
Dominique, who always looked at their boss with slightly fanatical eyes, had actually stopped doing it.
Not only that, he'd actually stopped following boss around like a loyal golden retriever!
It was unconceivable, and frankly, about as subtle as a slap in the face.
The alien had probably taken over or influenced Dominique's decisions lately.
Even the group that had barely seen Dominique knew that something was wrong, from the way they shot him strange looks, to the way they gave him a wide berth.
Hayden was waiting for it all to come to a head. Any day now.
He was not as prone to bloodlust or violence as the rest of his team, but that didn't mean he didn't feel it at all.
His blood was boiling for battle. How dare the alien take their teammate away?
Hayden bared his teeth, causing Rosabel and Yuki to back away slightly, alarmed at the change in their party member's expression and mood.
-
Lukas was feeling off balance.
There was something wrong with Dominique, that Alec-crazy idiot.
Since they brought back the alien from J City's lab, it had been roughly two weeks.
In his past life, spending two weeks in the base would have been unconceivable to him, but he was doing it now. He felt a lot more settled when he was able to keep his brother and Karen in his sights.
However, he hadn't realized that his circle had grown slightly to include Alec, and while Alec acted as if everything was normal, Lukas couldn't help but feel that the boy wasn't as casual as he appeared to be.
Let him give you an example.
Dominique had all but stopped reacting whenever Lukas deliberately got near his favourite person and did things he was sure would set off the other like briefly touch or hug the much younger boy.
Where before Dominique had reacted almost explosively, thus giving their 'sparring' sessions a lot more heat, he had pretty much just glanced over and glanced away.
Lukas could tell that it wasn't because he was trying not to react either.
He really was just glancing and looking away like it didn't bother him at all.
Impossible.
There was no way that this was the same man that practically breathed fire whenever Lukas so much as glanced in the boy's direction.
So, there was only one plausible explanation.
He'd been affected by the alien's consciousness – however outlandish that might sound – but Lukas was convinced.
If the way Alec recounted how George Bailey felt when he recounted his own experiences were to be believed, Lukas was not above believing something like alien possession.
There had been people who had similar magic abilities in the past – the future? – that he knew enough not to discount that theory.
But he missed the high intensity fight, damn it!
Lukas was getting rusty without someone with bloodlust and killing intent come at him like he meant it. His growth was stagnating, which put him in a rather bad mood, even if he didn't show it.
Even when he compared his growth to before his death in his previous life, he never had such an explosive growth compared to when he fought with Dominique.
Of course, he wasn't worried about the man, but mainly because he felt like Alec would be sad if something happened to Dominique.
Lukas frowned.
They were all walking on eggshells mentally, though they tried not to show it lest the alien realized that they'd all realized it had taken over Dominique's body.
The only person who didn't seem to realize that something was wrong was Natalie.
That was another person Lukas wasn't quite sure about. His instincts told him there was something wrong there as well.
While he didn't know her very well, months on the road together had at least given Lukas an estimate of the woman's personality and thoughts.
While Natalie *seemed* fine, that was for certain, she was also progressively descending into what appeared to be an intellectually filled bout of insanity that her curiosity couldn't contain.
Natalie was producing stellar work, but the one thing that she'd been most enthusiastic about when she talked about her work – curing the zombie virus – remained absent in her current conversations with them.
Closing his eyes, Lukas rested his eyes as he caught up on sleep. The rest of the apartment went about their activities without his presence.
It was in the middle of the night that the faint sounds of the front door opening and shutting caused Lukas' eyes to snap open immediately.
He was immediately out of bed and ready to go. No one with good sense in the apocalypse slept in pyjamas anymore since they had to be ready at any time.
Just as he was about to reach for the door, his hand was caught in a firm grip, causing him to tense as his magic roiled. How was it that he never caught anyone sneaking up on him? Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
His eyes met Alec's.
Alec placed a finger to his lips, his smile still as genial as ever, causing Lukas to furrow his brows. What did he want? Couldn't he see that they were getting away?
Lukas made to open his mouth and ask, but he was dragged away before he could say anything by a grip that was deceptively strong.
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Dominique was acting strange.
Hayden could see it as clear as day.
While he didn't talk much most of the time, he was never relegated to the background, and his opinion was always taken into account by the group, as well as his boss.
It was refreshing in ways that he never expected it to be.
Outside of their little group, he was usually overlooked, but that didn't bother him as much as it once did.
So, yes, Hayden was usually in the 'background' so to speak, but that was only because he liked being there. More than talking, he preferred to listen and watch.
But whenever he spoke up, he was heard and listened to.
Which was why it was so strange. The little connections that he had with his team remained, except for Dominique's strange reactions. It was like their connection, unspoken though it may be, had disappeared overnight.
The first thing that tipped him off was that Dominique's scent had changed.
Before that, Dominique and Lukas had taken to disappearing together as they worked out whatever pent up aggression they had against each other.
It was subtle at first, and anyone who knew Dominique less might have just brushed it off, but Hayden immediately informed boss of the change within their party's grumpy member.
Everything from his scent to his actions.
But boss didn't do anything. He just stared at Dominique for a while before looking away. Boss gave him the slightest of nods, and something in his expression told him to keep his thoughts to himself.
Of course. The person that Dominique was closest to was boss, who would definitely have noticed that something was off.
Hayden wouldn't pretend that he understood what was going on in his boss' mind half of the time, but he did know one thing. Their boss cared. Perhaps even too much at times.
Despite seeming like a gentle and genial personality, he knew that the boss was anything but. Yet, for some strange reason, it seemed almost as if only the Spectres knew about the other side of his boss.
In fact, he was certain that part of the Spectres didn't know at all, only seeing the pleasant and gentle exterior, despite their harsh training.
So, if boss said that they should leave Dominique to his own devices for a little despite everything in him screaming that he shouldn't, Hayden was willing to wait… for a while.
He could feel that there was a bigger plan in motion regarding Dominique, but he didn't know what.
Anyway, Dominique was acting strangely. His scent was off, almost like he'd been possessed.
Hayden's eyes flashed a little. If that was true, then everything made a lot more sense.
Both little and big things that everyone who knew Dominique noticed.
Little things, like Dominique's abject lack of bloodlust lately, leaving Lukas feeling a little off balance when he hadn't received or returned a glare from the man for a good few days.
Then, there were the big things. The huge things that everyone couldn't help but take notice.
Dominique, who always looked at their boss with slightly fanatical eyes, had actually stopped doing it.
Not only that, he'd actually stopped following boss around like a loyal golden retriever!
It was unconceivable, and frankly, about as subtle as a slap in the face.
The alien had probably taken over or influenced Dominique's decisions lately.
Even the group that had barely seen Dominique knew that something was wrong, from the way they shot him strange looks, to the way they gave him a wide berth.
Hayden was waiting for it all to come to a head. Any day now.
He was not as prone to bloodlust or violence as the rest of his team, but that didn't mean he didn't feel it at all.
His blood was boiling for battle. How dare the alien take their teammate away?
Hayden bared his teeth, causing Rosabel and Yuki to back away slightly, alarmed at the change in their party member's expression and mood.
-
Lukas was feeling off balance.
There was something wrong with Dominique, that Alec-crazy idiot.
Since they brought back the alien from J City's lab, it had been roughly two weeks.
In his past life, spending two weeks in the base would have been unconceivable to him, but he was doing it now. He felt a lot more settled when he was able to keep his brother and Karen in his sights.
However, he hadn't realized that his circle had grown slightly to include Alec, and while Alec acted as if everything was normal, Lukas couldn't help but feel that the boy wasn't as casual as he appeared to be.
Let him give you an example.
Dominique had all but stopped reacting whenever Lukas deliberately got near his favourite person and did things he was sure would set off the other like briefly touch or hug the much younger boy.
Where before Dominique had reacted almost explosively, thus giving their 'sparring' sessions a lot more heat, he had pretty much just glanced over and glanced away.
Lukas could tell that it wasn't because he was trying not to react either.
He really was just glancing and looking away like it didn't bother him at all.
Impossible.
There was no way that this was the same man that practically breathed fire whenever Lukas so much as glanced in the boy's direction.
So, there was only one plausible explanation.
He'd been affected by the alien's consciousness – however outlandish that might sound – but Lukas was convinced.
If the way Alec recounted how George Bailey felt when he recounted his own experiences were to be believed, Lukas was not above believing something like alien possession.
There had been people who had similar magic abilities in the past – the future? – that he knew enough not to discount that theory.
But he missed the high intensity fight, damn it!
Lukas was getting rusty without someone with bloodlust and killing intent come at him like he meant it. His growth was stagnating, which put him in a rather bad mood, even if he didn't show it.
Even when he compared his growth to before his death in his previous life, he never had such an explosive growth compared to when he fought with Dominique.
Of course, he wasn't worried about the man, but mainly because he felt like Alec would be sad if something happened to Dominique.
Lukas frowned.
They were all walking on eggshells mentally, though they tried not to show it lest the alien realized that they'd all realized it had taken over Dominique's body.
The only person who didn't seem to realize that something was wrong was Natalie.
That was another person Lukas wasn't quite sure about. His instincts told him there was something wrong there as well.
While he didn't know her very well, months on the road together had at least given Lukas an estimate of the woman's personality and thoughts.
While Natalie *seemed* fine, that was for certain, she was also progressively descending into what appeared to be an intellectually filled bout of insanity that her curiosity couldn't contain.
Natalie was producing stellar work, but the one thing that she'd been most enthusiastic about when she talked about her work – curing the zombie virus – remained absent in her current conversations with them.
Closing his eyes, Lukas rested his eyes as he caught up on sleep. The rest of the apartment went about their activities without his presence.
It was in the middle of the night that the faint sounds of the front door opening and shutting caused Lukas' eyes to snap open immediately.
He was immediately out of bed and ready to go. No one with good sense in the apocalypse slept in pyjamas anymore since they had to be ready at any time.
Just as he was about to reach for the door, his hand was caught in a firm grip, causing him to tense as his magic roiled. How was it that he never caught anyone sneaking up on him? Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
His eyes met Alec's.
Alec placed a finger to his lips, his smile still as genial as ever, causing Lukas to furrow his brows. What did he want? Couldn't he see that they were getting away?
Lukas made to open his mouth and ask, but he was dragged away before he could say anything by a grip that was deceptively strong.
Dominique was acting strange. Hayden could see it as clear as day. While he didn't talk much most of the time, he was never relegated to the background, and his opinion was always taken into account by the group, as well as his boss. It was refreshing in ways that he never expected it to be. Outside of their little group, he was usually overlooked, but that didn't bother him as much as it once did. So, yes, Hayden was usually in the 'background' so to speak, but that was only because he liked being there. More than talking, he preferred to listen and watch. But whenever he spoke up, he was heard and listened to. Which was why it was so strange. The little connections that he had with his team remained, except for Dominique's strange reactions. It was like their connection, unspoken though it may be, had disappeared overnight. The first thing that tipped him off was that Dominique's scent had changed. Before that, Dominique and Lukas had taken to disappearing together as they worked out whatever pent up aggression they had against each other. It was subtle at first, and anyone who knew Dominique less might have just brushed it off, but Hayden immediately informed boss of the change within their party's grumpy member. Everything from his scent to his actions. But boss didn't do anything. He just stared at Dominique for a while before looking away. Boss gave him the slightest of nods, and something in his expression told him to keep his thoughts to himself. Of course. The person that Dominique was closest to was boss, who would definitely have noticed that something was off. Hayden wouldn't pretend that he understood what was going on in his boss' mind half of the time, but he did know one thing. Their boss cared. Perhaps even too much at times. Despite seeming like a gentle and genial personality, he knew that the boss was anything but. Yet, for some strange reason, it seemed almost as if only the Spectres knew about the other side of his boss. In fact, he was certain that part of the Spectres didn't know at all, only seeing the pleasant and gentle exterior, despite their harsh training. So, if boss said that they should leave Dominique to his own devices for a little despite everything in him screaming that he shouldn't, Hayden was willing to wait for a while. He could feel that there was a bigger plan in motion regarding Dominique, but he didn't know what. Anyway, Dominique was acting strangely. His scent was off, almost like he'd been possessed. Hayden's eyes flashed a little. If that was true, then everything made a lot more sense. Both little and big things that everyone who knew Dominique noticed. Little things, like Dominique's abject lack of bloodlust lately, leaving Lukas feeling a little off balance when he hadn't received or returned a glare from the man for a good few days. Then, there were the big things. The huge things that everyone couldn't help but take notice. Dominique, who always looked at their boss with slightly fanatical eyes, had actually stopped doing it. Not only that, he'd actually stopped following boss around like a loyal golden retriever! It was unconceivable, and frankly, about as subtle as a slap in the face. The alien had probably taken over or influenced Dominique's decisions lately. Even the group that had barely seen Dominique knew that something was wrong, from the way they shot him strange looks, to the way they gave him a wide berth. Hayden was waiting for it all to come to a head. Any day now. He was not as prone to bloodlust or violence as the rest of his team, but that didn't mean he didn't feel it at all. His blood was boiling for battle. How dare the alien take their teammate away? Hayden bared his teeth, causing Rosabel and Yuki to back away slightly, alarmed at the change in their party member's expression and mood. - Lukas was feeling off balance. There was something wrong with Dominique, that Alec-crazy idiot. Since they brought back the alien from J City's lab, it had been roughly two weeks. In his past life, spending two weeks in the base would have been unconceivable to him, but he was doing it now. He felt a lot more settled when he was able to keep his brother and Karen in his sights. However, he hadn't realized that his circle had grown slightly to include Alec, and while Alec acted as if everything was normal, Lukas couldn't help but feel that the boy wasn't as casual as he appeared to be. Let him give you an example. Dominique had all but stopped reacting whenever Lukas deliberately got near his favourite person and did things he was sure would set off the other like briefly touch or hug the much younger boy. Where before Dominique had reacted almost explosively, thus giving their 'sparring' sessions a lot more heat, he had pretty much just glanced over and glanced away. Lukas could tell that it wasn't because he was trying not to react either. He really was just glancing and looking away like it didn't bother him at all. Impossible. There was no way that this was the same man that practically breathed fire whenever Lukas so much as glanced in the boy's direction. So, there was only one plausible explanation. He'd been affected by the alien's consciousness however outlandish that might sound but Lukas was convinced. If the way Alec recounted how George Bailey felt when he recounted his own experiences were to be believed, Lukas was not above believing something like alien possession. There had been people who had similar magic abilities in the past the future? that he knew enough not to discount that theory. But he missed the high intensity fight, damn it! Lukas was getting rusty without someone with bloodlust and killing intent come at him like he meant it. His growth was stagnating, which put him in a rather bad mood, even if he didn't show it. Even when he compared his growth to before his death in his previous life, he never had such an explosive growth compared to when he fought with Dominique. Of course, he wasn't worried about the man, but mainly because he felt like Alec would be sad if something happened to Dominique. Lukas frowned. They were all walking on eggshells mentally, though they tried not to show it lest the alien realized that they'd all realized it had taken over Dominique's body. The only person who didn't seem to realize that something was wrong was Natalie. That was another person Lukas wasn't quite sure about. His instincts told him there was something wrong there as well. While he didn't know her very well, months on the road together had at least given Lukas an estimate of the woman's personality and thoughts. While Natalie *seemed* fine, that was for certain, she was also progressively descending into what appeared to be an intellectually filled bout of insanity that her curiosity couldn't contain. Natalie was producing stellar work, but the one thing that she'd been most enthusiastic about when she talked about her work curing the zombie virus remained absent in her current conversations with them. Closing his eyes, Lukas rested his eyes as he caught up on sleep. The rest of the apartment went about their activities without his presence. It was in the middle of the night that the faint sounds of the front door opening and shutting caused Lukas' eyes to snap open immediately. He was immediately out of bed and ready to go. No one with good sense in the apocalypse slept in pyjamas anymore since they had to be ready at any time. Just as he was about to reach for the door, his hand was caught in a firm grip, causing him to tense as his magic roiled. How was it that he never caught anyone sneaking up on him? Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. His eyes met Alec's. Alec placed a finger to his lips, his smile still as genial as ever, causing Lukas to furrow his brows. What did he want? Couldn't he see that they were getting away? Lukas made to open his mouth and ask, but he was dragged away before he could say anything by a grip that was deceptively strong.
