Chapter 1
One year ago today. Shamira’s eyebrows knitted into a frown. She should be over it. Going back to where it ended should give her a sense of peace, triumph even. But it didn’t. She felt the cold punch of nausea in her gut as a slice of dread seeped into her veins and flowed upward to her chest. Releasing a sigh, she bit her lip to force the sickness down. The voices of her friends’ filtered through her darkened thoughts and she leaned back against the black leather seat of the car trying to keep her hands from fisting.
The desert sand blew around them. The shrieking howl of the wind seemed to warn them to retreat. High in the sky, the sun reflected its light off the wavy terrain which was littered with rocks. Poles of silver reached for the sky to suppress the strong sandstorms that often riddled these outerlands, making them difficult to navigate.
“Shamira?” her best friend, Hedi, called.
“She’s spaced out dreaming again,” Anthony chuckled. “This place still gives me the jitters.”
“Me too. The name Monev still leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I don’t know what’s worse—the drugs they sold, or the kids they killed to do it. The way Monev had those kids mining scream from the Mons, starved and beaten...” Hedi’s shoulders shivered. “If we wouldn’t have gotten them out of there before the place blew up…” her voice trailed off.
Friends. Shamira couldn’t help but smile. Over a year ago, she’d never had friends. Didn’t want them, because then she was blind, an anomaly kids picked on and demeaned. Shamira still had the palest blue eyes that she’d demanded remain the same after her surgery. It was a reminder to stay true to who she was—even before she had sight.
The only friend she’d had then was her baby brother. He’d accepted her blindness and her surly angry disposition. He loved her in spite of it. Heck, who was she kidding? The edgy anger always hovered nearby, but she didn’t give into it anymore.
Anthony was driving his big, bad car that Valens had given him. His rich deep voice filtered back to her as she sat sandwiched between Valens and Dion. She took a deep breath to cover up her anxious fear-laden sadness.
“Don’t bug her, she’s in the zone, frowning again.” Valens’ rich soothing voice rumbled in her ear. He leaned in to land a quick kiss on her neck, his curly blond hair tickling her shoulder.
She couldn’t help but smile a bit at his protectiveness, and the way his kiss tingled. But she couldn’t let her self get absorbed in the safety he gave her, the haven she hadn’t known she’d craved until Valens came into her life.
Her gaze strayed out the window to see her two other team members on each side of the car, racing to get to Olympus Mons in their matching silver motorcycles. Shamira took a deep calming breath, stilling herself to get it together for the sake of her team. They drew closer to the one place that still gave her nightmares.
The Mons, they called it, an imposing location for their final training session. It was indisputably the largest dead volcano on Mars, thanks to them, just 365 days ago, in 2161. A constant reminder of how Monev had used kids to mine their product of death. It was a ghost that taunted her with memories born from the scars she’d thought she covered up.
Cal, their Security Force Elite Leader, pulled up the rear in his cycle, always a constant teacher and protector to them all. Her mentor was determined that they had to have their final session of training here before summer break. He wanted them to go back to where it had ended. A symbol of sorts, she figured, to represent the take-down of Monev and the beginning of their training as cadet Security Force Elite members.
“Shamira? You hear me?” Anthony’s booming voice filled with laughter broke through her troubled thoughts. “Stop daydreaming and give us the scoop.”
She shook her head and surfaced from her brooding. With a grin, she leaned up between him and Hedi. “Scoop? What scoop?”
“Before Anthony pulled you out of your murdering and maiming daydream,” Hedi giggled and flipped her fiery red hair, “we were talking about the adoption.”
Shamira broke into a beaming grin and wiped a chestnut curl from her forehead just to prolong the moment. “Oh, the skinny is—it’s final. I’ve got a new brother and sister for good. Now I have more than one kid to worry about, and a sister that follows me around like glue when I get home.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh joy.” She couldn’t hold back her goofy beam.
“Stop playing like you don’t love them. You run home from training to see them.” Dion laughed and laid his head on her shoulder.
“Yeah, well, what can I say…being worshipped by kids makes me feel special.” Shamira pointed at his wavy head.
“Hey, don’t go smoochin’ other guys while I’m sitting here. You know I’m possessive.” Valens tickled a soft spot on Shamira’s neck.
Shamira moved his offending finger away and sat back as Dion winked at Valens.
“Stop it, you guys.” Her expression turned stern, “Okay, we have to get serious here. This is the last training mission before we go home. Cal said he wants some readings on the landmines surrounding the Mons.”
They all huffed when they recognized her working tone as the future head of the Security Force Elite for Mars. Grumbling a bit, they quieted.
A shot boomed behind them. Hedi screamed. Her head hit the window. Anthony fought to control the wrenching car. One after another, raining laser shots hit their car. Flashes of lights sparked off the hood, which deflected the rain of fire. The brown sandy terrain was unforgiving, and they slid into a fishtail before recovering to pick up the pace.
“Jerk it left! You’re going to hit Mitch’s motorcycle!” Shamira leaned over Valens to roll the window down, her gun drawn.
Anthony swore under his breath. He yanked the wheel just in time to avoid fatally crashing with Mitch’s motorcycle. Dion and Valens slid out their guns, angry and ready to fire.
Valens pulled Shamira across his lap and moved over to the middle of the seat. “I’ll take the roof, let’s switch!” He pushed the button to release the sunroof window.
“What the hell is this?” Anthony hit the steering wheel with his fist. “Hedi, drive while I get my smokin’ gun from under my seat,” Anthony barked.
Hedi reached over to steer for him. “What’s with the adjectives, Anthony? Just shoot the weapon. Kay?”
Shamira’s gaze slid from side to side, but she didn’t see anyone—nothing. Her chest tightened with terror for her team, but she suppressed it. She grunted, pushing her sight deeper, tapping into her enhanced ability to see through most objects. She growled. Nothing was working. Whatever it was that was attacking them was muted. She couldn’t even pick up the sound of a motor, and her hearing was exceptional. Blue, tiny blast of laser shots that looked like needles of fire hit the car in rapid motion with excessive pops.
“Who’re the bastards doing this? I can’t see a thing!” Anthony aimed his gun in the direction of the erratic fire attack.
“Me neither. Just blast the bastards!” Dion fired. Attempting to get a better aim, he kneeled on one knee with his head slightly out the window.
Shamira spotted one of the motorcycles veering off. “Kurt’s going after something. Follow him!” Shamira commanded. Her super-enhanced eyes delved deeper within the red dirt pack terrain of rock and dust around them. Still she couldn’t get a glimpse of anyone or thing that was raining firepower at them. It was like ghosts were pursuing them.
Shamira adjusted her body to prop on her knees. “Crud! The wind is picking up and the sand with it. Can’t see through it. I can’t cover Mitch. He’s following Kurt, and Cal’s passed them both to run down some ghost.”
The car swerved. Anthony attempted to dodge the spray of attacking fire. Hedi let out a yelp. Her head hit the top of the window frame. Hedi’s hands slipped off the wheel causing them to veer out of control.
“The wheel, girl! Get the wheel.” Anthony dodged another random onslaught of laser shaped bullets.
Hedi recovered and grabbed the steering wheel f
irmly, pulling them out of an erratic tailspin.
Shamira’s eyes continued to scan the land. They fired their weapons in the direction of the moving targets that seemed to surround them. Valens hit something dead on and Shamira caught a glimmer of a camouflaged motorcycle before some type of cloaking device recovered. The attacker disappeared before she could lock her gun on him. It was as though whatever hid it, shorted for a brief second.
As suddenly as the onslaught of random fire started, it ended. Hedi’s fingers came off the wheel and Anthony’s smoothly replaced hers. He pushed the car faster, chasing an invisible foe.
“Anthony, go left, I see something.” Shamira pointed and Anthony snatched the car left.
“No! Mitch is down!” Hedi shrieked.
Anthony swerved the car left then right, trying to decide whether to follow the attacker or save Mitch.
Shamira held in a sob. “Get Mitch, I’ll find out who’s doing this.” Then she fell back into her seat.
“I don’t know guys, it could be a trap,” Dion warned. His eyes scanned the area. He rested back in his seat to reload his gun.
Shamira leaned further out of the window and took another cursory glance around them. “I bet it is, but we don’t have a choice but to play along.” She sighed. “At least the laser fire stopped— for now.”