Chapter 3
With caution, Shamira bent her legs and navigated the remnant landmines. She hated to admit that she liked working with her team. The uneasy feel of acceptance was still new to her, and now she thirsted for it.
Her gun’s heaviness felt secure. But she clenched her fingers tightly around the handle for comfort. She held her weapon up and tugged at her protective hood with her other hand. Slowly, she made her way around the side of the mountain. The windswept holes from the landmines that had exploded over a year ago caused her to bite back her disgust at the failure of the Mars rehabilitation program. This was supposed to be a place of hope for reformed criminals and their families, but instead it was a place of war. No different than what many were running from, the war with a life of crime or justice. Bits of sand flew around as the wind picked up. She shrugged off the discomfort to press on. Mars weather was always windy which matched her jumpy disposition.
Shamira slipped her shades over her pale blue eyes. The sand was kicking up and coating her suit. Her eyes closed while she briefly tried to pick up any sounds of something approaching. She was thankful that her hearing was still sensitive, a side effect of her fifteen years of blindness—all but two years of her life.
Wind howled and sand splattered against her, stinging the exposed parts of her face and her hands. She walked on, stepping over clumps of jagged red rocks, sand and sparse green vegetation. She came closer to the Mons, the volcano Monev had used kids to mine and produce their deadly addictive drug. They ha sold it on the streets of Mars for the drug heads that hung out in the gaming hells of the planet.
Those places now were burnt to the ground, thanks to them. Thanks to her team. Her concern for Kurt and Cal caused her to sweat and the hairs on her body to stand up. Her heart beat faster in her chest and she prayed for a clue—a glimmer to point her in the direction of their attackers, ones she would kill in a minute had she not been trained to detain suspects instead.
“Where are you?” Shamira bit her lip as she half walked then ran around the perimeter to cover ground on their search for the others.
Annoyed after an hour of searching, she headed back to the meeting spot. About a mile away, she heard a faint call for help. It sounded like Dion, or maybe Anthony. Shamira took off in the direction of the screams and ran until her chest hurt from the exertion. Dread crept from her gut to her chest and she fought against the sting of tears. She didn’t cry, wouldn’t let herself. As their leader, she had to be strong for them all. Fighting, she pushed down the urge to call out. The ever-present fear that she would alert others to their location, made her shake her head against the screams from the others. How could they be so careless?
Finally, she rounded the bend where Anthony and Dion knelt. A stab of fear hit her dead-on when her eyes landed on the fallen body between them. Frantic, she searched around for Cal’s bike. It was strewn in pieces. His helmet rested several feet away from his body and his eyes were opened in shock—in death.
“No! No! No!” Shamira chanted. Sprinting to the lifeless body, she stopped at his feet and collapsed to her knees. Voices sounded around her, telling her he was dead. That they’d found him like this. She shut out Anthony and Dion’s words of sympathy. She could save him, Cal had to live. He was her mentor and friend, like a second father to her. With trembling hands, she grabbed his leather jacket. A broken cry escaped her lips as she shook him, hoping he’d awaken, “Cal, up…get up.”
Power she’d tried to repress during her year of Security Force Elite training bubbled up from her stomach. The heated reminder that it was always present taunted her. It surged up through her body in pulsating waves. Anthony tried to pull her off of Cal. She pushed Anthony away with the force she’d been holding back. Anthony yelled and flew several feet in the air, landing with a thump and a curse.
Trembling hands patted Cal down. Shamira’s erratic gaze pierced through Cal’s form fitting blue training suit, through the thin layer of nano-skin that gave the Security Force Elite officer’s their super strength, to his heart. The heart that had stopped beating. She backed out looking for the moving bio-tech cells that lived in the technosuits of the Elite Security Force members. The cells were immobile, dead, unmoving.
“How? Who… Oh, no,” she slumped on Cal’s chest and for the first time in what seemed like forever, tears flowed. Blood dripped from her lip as she bit back a sob.
Dion’s hesitant touch on her shoulder brought her out of her grief. “We’ve got to get him out of here. We can’t communicate with the Security Force; our coms devices are dead here.”
A quiver of sadness jumped in her stomach. She turned away from him and wiped her face, “I know, I know.” A gulp sat heavy in her throat. “Take him to Anthony’s car.” She inhaled a large shocked breath, then put her hand over her mouth. Shamira’s hand dropped at her inner chastisement at her carelessness. “Anthony. God, I knocked him out of the way.” Standing, she released her breath when Anthony’s thick, dark form limped over to them. Her hands rested on her hips, “The meeting place, we have no choice—we can’t leave him here.”
“That woke me up. Glad to see the old Shamira back, ready to kick ass,” Anthony’s face held a sad smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “What now…who would’ve done this? The planet is supposed to be clean. Monev disbanded and Renu long gone.”
Shamira clenched her fist and collected her jumbled emotions, “I don’t know. The remaining Monev gang members were shipped to Earth and executed in the Waters. Renu’s ship was found in pieces, floating in space. It’s suspected that he’d died. Proven, in fact, with reminisce of flesh and particles left behind.”
Mitch lifted Cal’s limp body. A black wavy curl of hair escaped from his protective hood to fall over his pale skin. Sweat beaded on his brow. “Where do you want me to take him?”
Anthony pointed to his car, his dark skin riddled with patches of sand from his fall. He stepped toward Mitch to help, but stopped when Mitch lifted his chin and proceeded toward the vehicle. “The trunk has a flat bed trailer collapsed under the floor. Push the button on the left and it’ll come out.”
“Hey, you want me to do that?” Dion’s brown eyes scrutinized Mitch’s slight limp.
“No, I got him.” Mitch carried Cal’s body to the car.
Shamira turned to Anthony. Her jumbled feelings back under control. “Sorry about…”
“I’m good. It’s understood. I’d wondered where all that pent up power went to in the last year.” Anthony looked past her, a frown forming on his face.
“Wh-what is it?” Confusion marred Shamira’s features.
“No, not….” Anthony moved Shamira out of the way and took off running, his limp apparently forgotten. Dion followed closely behind.
Air thundered against her chest as she pivoted. Valens was also carrying a limp body. Hedi was walking beside him. Her freckled face damp and red, framed by her wild auburn hair.
“Kurt? Is he?” Shamira couldn’t wait to find the answer. She ran toward them.
“He’s fine, just knocked out,” Valens called.
“What do you mean?” Shamira inspected Kurt’s dark features then ran her hand over tightly curled black hair and brown skin. She touched the gash over his eye, her lighter brown hand a contrast to his darker hue.
Valens’ green eyes were filled with concern. “Something’s wrong with his suit. Like it shorted and attacked his system. I gave him a shot of adrenaline, and it stabilized him.”
“Will he be okay? Man, we don’t need this right now…another one of us down!” Anthony slammed one fist into the other.
Hedi frowned in bewilderment at Anthony. “What do you mean? Who else is hurt?”
Shamira turned to Hedi and crossed her arms in front of her. “Cal. Cal’s… dead.”
“Oh my God! No. No. How? No!” Hedi burst out in tears. Dion pulled her into his arms, his deep tanned skin a contrast to her pale flushed face. She sniffed into his soothing caress and he kissed her face.
“I’ll take him.” Anthony lifted Kurt’s limp body from Valens. The others rushed behind them leaving Shamira and Valens to talk.
Shamira studied Valens while a series of emotions flickered over his face. “We have to take them back to headquarters.” She let out the breath she’d been holding, “I failed them. Screwed up bad. But I’ll fix this…I will.” She walked away from him.
Valens tugged at her shoulder, pulling her to a stop. “When are you gonna give us a chance? You’re not in this alone.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Yes I am. I’m supposed to be your leader. Training for Cal’s position as the Head of the Security Force Elite and on the last day of my training—now the first day of my probable demotion, I let my leader get killed and my teammate hurt.” Anger at herself boiled within her and she had to force herself to look Valens in the eyes.
“C’mon, none of us saw that coming. Not even Cal.” Valens stepped closer and put his hands on her shoulders.
She tensed. “I’m not making excuses for this.” She stepped back from him. But he held firm. “I’m…just give me some time to deal with this, okay?”
His shoulder’s dropped and he stepped in closer. His thumb teased her cheek. “Okay. I love you. You know I’m here when you need it.” Valens dropped his hands from her shoulders.
“I love you too….and, thanks for understanding.” She went to the car.
The others quietly piled in. Valens got in and pulled her onto his lap. This time though, she didn’t resist, but relaxed into his hold.
Dion did the same with Hedi. But Shamira couldn’t stop her eyes from watering as she reached out to touch Kurt, who was slumped over in the front seat. Mitch rechecked the trailer and Cal’s body before he climbed on his motorcycle.
Anthony nodded at Mitch’s wave to follow as he led the way back to the Security Force Headquarters.