Olaf sat in a large office, sipping from a chilled glass of Johnie Walker, and staring at the myriad of screens before him. Unlike the rest of the facility, the office had been fully done; the carpet, walls, and even the ceiling were pristine, all of which used dark-stained wood to provide a homey feel. Around him were paintings, statues, and even paperweights of his fixation, constant reminders of why he was here and the great work he was doing.

  ?

  The office was the safest spot within the facility. Both in actual security and mood, it was key to keep one’s composure after all. To ensure his mental stability he played his favorite song on a constant loop, I Am the Owl, by the Dead Kennedys. Ironic to be certain, and on two levels as well. It was all designed to keep him safe during such a risky operation. The entire room was reinforced and locked off with the highest-grade locks available to The Company.

  ?

  Olaf was feeling content; a lazy feeling dwelled within him, a rare but all too welcomed feeling. The kind of satisfaction that could only be gained by a carefully laid out plan working as intended. How long had this all been under wraps? How many times had they tried?? But now things were going as they should, they were clear signs this latest batch may just be the one.

  ?

  And among their pawns were some standouts, without a doubt, for Olaf, one of them would be the one. Desmond, Ryan, Kiana, and Vance all showed possible signs. It seemed to be fixated on them all to some degree. It was impossible to predict his Beloved’s behavior with any true accuracy. But it was clear he should keep his eye on them just in case.

  Despite its presence interfering with their tech, he had kept a close eye on the events. Hidden among the ceiling was a space he created himself; the panel covering it was actually a special one-sided transparent material, allowing him to see below without being seen by his pawns or sensed by it.

  Desmond had been its first choice, the man moving to aid the others foolishly. But had somehow gotten lucky to avoid its grasp. With its first choice taken it had moved on, not one to dwell in failure long. The only reason those brothers had been taken was that they showed a moment of weakness. Olaf’s Beloved was a predator through and through, it’d go for the weak and isolated every time. Being away from the others had made them seem easier, and it could sense their character. So when the brother had left his other half to die, he’d sealed his own fate. At that moment the other could have lived, but it seemed even scum had honor, he being unwilling to let his brother die. Shame but survival of the fittest he supposed.

  ?

  Olaf raised his glass for an imaginary toast, sending his best wishes to The Company with glee. He hadn’t been sure all those years ago of working with them, but he was truly glad he had. Before them, keeping it locked down was impossible; it still was long-term. But with The Company’s resources and knowledge, they had come up with a solution, and all they needed were bodies to control the pace of death.

  ?

  His Beloved made it difficult, but even a being of its caliber could be distracted. Giving it such easy access to its preferred food was a good method to placate it while they worked. All the while exposing it to them, allowing it to decide the one It was amazing, truly. Olaf genuinely believed their work would be done, his work would be done, after all of these years. In a mere two days, it would all come to an end…

  ?

  Olaf rose and eyebrows as the small home phone on his desk started to ring. He allowed it for a moment, taking a deeper swig of it as he allowed it to shrilly ring. Once settled, he set down his glass and sitting up straight, he picked up the receiver and answered.

  ?

  “Olaf, I am pleased you picked up.” George’s falsely relaxed tone sounded from the phone. Though Olaf had never seen the man overly bothered, even in situations where it would’ve made perfect sense. “I was worried we may have forgotten the arrangements set in place, and I’d have to arrange a visit to be done.”

  ?

  “Don’t insult my intelligence, George. These guards may pretend to be mine, but we both know you know they're on your payroll, not mine,” Olaf said with a pound of the table. “You know most of what’s going on; you just need to ensure my loyalty and check to see what you missed during its latest outing.”

  ?

  “Ah, you know me too well, Olaf! Yes indeed, that’s precisely why I contacted you. I’d like to know how things are going, from your own perspective. Besides, we both know any muscle I’ve sent your way isn’t nearly as perceptive as you.”

  ?

  “Fair enough,” Olaf replied, a smile breaking out on his face despite himself. “And it's going incredibly well, I truly believe we are on the cusp of something great here! Though before we go any further, I must question why I was short of the thirteen residents I was promised. I was forced to improvise to keep us on schedule.”

  ?

  “My apologies. Some of the batch were defiant and impulsive, acting as if their opinion and lives mattered. I had to correct this misguided train of thinking, and an example needed to be made.” George replied, sounding very unapologetic despite his words. “As for the other, it is confusing to me as well. He was positioned and apprehended as intended originally, but sometime during transport from a local facility to somewhere we had more sway, he went missing.”

  ?

  “Escaped… the timing of that frames well with the recent breaching event…” Olaf said, trailing off tensely in response.

  ?

  “My thoughts exactly. I sent some Detectives to investigate, and they discovered the bus he was being transported on wrecked, and most of the inhabitants inside were slaughtered quite gruesomely, yet the candidate's body did not seem to be among them.”

  “Will he be a problem if he did escape?”

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  ?

  "Not a chance, truly. The man was lost before the Company became involved. Even if he was somehow aware of something, he would have no way to prove it. And would be wanted by the entire country, he wouldn’t last long. If our operatives across the country find any trace of his survival or efforts to expose us, we will suppress them. However, it is more likely that your 'Beloved' chose to disappear early."

  ?

  “Don’t dare call it that. Only I can!”

  ?

  “Fine, then I’ll call it as we refer to it. Entity One wasn’t always under your family's control. Long before you all figured it out, we did. And while your talents, knowledge, and support are valuable to us, they are not invaluable. I can very easily have you replaced Olaf, your family line taken care of as well.”

  ?

  “You’d never be able to control it nearly as well!”

  ?

  “We don’t control it now, Olaf. The fact that we had a recent breaching event is proof enough of that. So let’s not pretend you are in a position to bite the hand that feeds you. I’ve been respectful, but truly it’s nothing more than kindness…”

  ?

  Olaf was silent for a moment. His pride and obsession had gotten the better of him. George wasn’t foolish enough to forget who had the power here. So he gathered himself and continued on.

  ?

  “Fortunately, the survivors from the second attempt were still alive and available. I was able to use them before the others revived; it appears to have succeeded. My Beloved is now exhibiting signs of the Ritual’s influence.”

  ?

  “The current progress?”

  ?

  “There are eight of them left now; three have been sacrificed as planned.”

  ?

  “Three, now that is delightful news.”

  ?

  “Yes, it's why I’m confident things are going well, its appetite is becoming more ravenous. I’m confident that when it strikes again, it will have grown even more…”

  ?

  “The survivors thus far?”

  ?

  “Desmond, Ryan, Kiana, Hector, Vance, Derbius, Michael, and Spencer.”

  ?

  “About what my predictions had assumed. Among them, I suspect four of them have taken your interest.”

  ?

  “More of the interest of my Beloved, I care little for scum like themselves. Ryan has obviously been moving interestingly; the plan for him is going well, with no deviations to report as of yet. Kiana has been performing her work as expected and, so far, has shown no signs of deviation. Though two of the others have been noted for interest. It seems clear to me that, for one reason or another, it isn’t interested in Vance. But it seems rather focused on Desmond.”

  ?

  “That is interesting. It has shown a preference for its prey plenty of times, but never focused aggression or avoidance on prey before.” George said with a hum. “Do you suspect A-Energy?”

  “Most certainly in all four, though it remains to be seen if this will lead to anything significant. It is probably just enough to trigger my Beloved.”

  ?

  “That is excellent news, you're doing well, Olaf, the Directors will be pleased.”

  ?

  “We both know it only matters if you are George.”

  ?

  “And I am indeed.”

  ?

  "A question: my family’s tracking your work, as agreed. Dixon is dead. What happened?"

  ?

  “I didn’t realize you cared for your family so strongly.”

  ?

  “I do not, however, consider any death of the family a matter of concern as head of a family. Besides, detectives within your organization don’t often die in such a controlled operation like this. The coroner’s report suggests a strange death, blamed on a car accident, but the vehicle was never recovered. His body was smashed, as if he encountered something or, in this case, someone dangerous and quite strong…”

  ?

  “So you are aware of the movements of Agent Scorpio.”

  ?

  “I believe he goes by Thurgood now. He’s no longer part of The Company.” Olaf said, knowing he had scored a blow there. Thur’s escape from their grasp was famous in their world. And a control freak like George would hate being reminded of such. “He best not be a problem for us, if he gets involved it could ruin this all.”

  ?

  “You know what they say about that,” George said with a shrug of his own. “There is no leaving The Company… it would be wise for you and your family to keep that in mind as well.”

  ?

  “It matters little if that dangerous fool comes and interrupts my work!”

  ?

  “Agent Scorpio is under control, Olaf, of that rest assured. Agent Bob has been sent after him; we expect the two to have another clash soon.”

  ?

  That gave him pause, he had only met the being named the living weapon once. Bob was something else entirely, and he wasn’t sure any one could stop him if he was sent for them. “He’d better stay away,” Olaf said darkly. “Good, then do you need anything else?”

  ?

  “No, Olaf, work hard and be ready to report back to me tomorrow,” George said evenly, hanging up the phone.

  ?

  Olaf let out a heavy breath. He and his family were playing a dangerous game. The Company was not to be crossed or failed. But it had to be done. It was time. The Supreme Vyto’s purpose was finally to be fulfilled…

  ?

  He turned his attention back to the screens, which displayed images captured by his hidden cameras, showing the candidates as they milled around.

  ?

  It seemed Vance and his goons' efforts had worked; they were camped around the kitchen guardian, some ate while others kept a watchful eye on the other group. With Olaf’s cruel rules he had assured they could do such, all the better for his Beloved. But starving out their competition was a decent thought.

  ?

  Ryan’s group was across the space, building a fort from tables and chairs as some of them had before. It would offer cover and places to hide from his Beloved. It wouldn’t save them forever, but it might help for a short while. A massive difference in a life and death situation.

  ?

  It was interesting: the scum had been brought before him, who openly showed his disdain and hatred of them, his lack of care for their survival evident as well. They should have realized they were little more than lambs for the slaughter, walking meals for his Beloved. Yet even then, it wasn’t their number one concern.

  ?

  It was fitting, he supposed. Olaf’s family had built their fortune hunting down the scourge of societies, and these people were no different. Even with their lives on the line, they were distracted by petty differences.

  ?

  In a way, Vance’s behavior thus far was the wisest. The man recognized they were not necessarily allies; in fact, he even instinctively understood Olaf’s Beloved preferred the weak prey. And using that fact, he intended to preserve his and his party's lives above all else. A logical stance, but his hatred was limiting its effectiveness. By closing off his group based on something as unremarkable as race, they lost out on the potential of the other candidates. If Vance had been more selective and personal with his allies, Olaf was certain he’d somehow make it to the end. Making enemies with Ryan, Kiana, and Desmond definitely wasn’t wise, and perhaps would lead to his undoing.

  ?

  The other group was no better. Ryan picked a fight, pulling Kiana in. The rest—Desmond, Hector, Markel, and Darnell—had to choose: side with the bigger group or oppose them out of protection or dislike. Teaming up with Vance to take down Ryan and Kiana would have served them better in the moment, ensuring their survival.

  ?

  They shouldn’t keep up like this; they were playing right into its hand…