by LM. Preston
Sand flew behind her and around her feet as she maneuvered the hovercraft like skateboard through the sand. There didn’t appear to be any indication of danger. All Shamira saw was the volcano above and the scattering of a few buildings to the left of it. Anthony’s motorcycle was discarded ahead and he’d long disappeared behind the largest building.
Searching about, she confirmed there was no one around—except Anthony. Shamira crept nearer to one of the buildings, her hand poised over her gun. The twenty-foot tower that pumped oxygen into the Mars air, sat as a backdrop to the scattering of buildings. Her foot tapped the front of the hover board to slow it and tilted it to the side. Then she dropped down on the paved ground beneath the four small one-story buildings.
Voices danced within the whistling wind. Someone was with Anthony, and they were arguing. She wondered why she hadn’t heard the other person arrive. They obviously didn’t have a vehicle, or transportation. Shamira bit her bottom lip and pulled out her gun. The suspicion that they’d been there waiting for Anthony nagged at her, but she pushed it away. She’d find out.
Pointing her gun, her steps silently mixed with the sand, as she rounded the building. Anthony’s large form looked ready to pounce. Just beyond them she spied a taller figure. He had a hooded mask that covered his face, except for his gray eyes.
“Keep them out of this!” Anthony yelled.
The other man’s voice was hidden in the howls of the sandy wind.
“I’ll do anything! Just…”
A shot rung out, Shamira charged forward. “Anthony! NO!”
Like black rain, assassins cloaked in black form-fitting suits dropped from the buildings. She growled, shooting with one hand, and throwing wickedly sharp stars in the other. Determined to get to the man who killed Anthony, she kicked, ducked and struggled to get her protective hooding over her face.
Someone landed a blow on the side of her jaw. It stung and she staggered. She grabbed his head. Her knee connected with his covered face. “Ah!”
An arm yanked her by the neck. She snatched her knife from her hip and stabbed back into the soft tissue of an eye. Her elbow connected with her attacker’s stomach and she twisted around, landing a jump kick to his chin.
A laser bullet whizzed by; fire sliced her jaw. Her neck jerked and she slipped, quickly recovering. Finally she pulled her protective mask snug over her face. Fully bulletproof, she was determined to end the lives of those who stood in her way. Anthony hadn’t moved, but the air warred around him. Running at top speed, she slid and kicked another charging attacker. The beast, fight, power deep within her stomach scratched at her stomach, clawing close to the surface. She bit it down, pushed it back and landed a punch to the nose of an opponent.
A long sword sliced at her. Shamira bowed backward and flipped, landing a kick on the face of a masked man. Then did a split, and threw her knife at the neck of the sword handler. He popped, and black, putrid ash rained around her. Quickly, she closed her mouth, unable to stomach the thought of his dead remains dripping within.
Swinging her leg around, she kicked another charging attacker. With a jerk of her feet, she hopped up. Knife in one hand, breathing heavily, she searched for her fallen gun. Her eyes on Anthony, she took a step. Blinding pain from a bat at the back of her head sent her stumbling forward. Tears formed in her eyes, air poured from her lungs, and she fought to push up to her knees. Got. To. Fight get to get to Anthony’s killer.
Anthony’s murderer stood in front of her now. His booted foot kicked her squarely in the jaw. Shamira flew backwards. Her muscle’s tightened and brightness formed behind her eyes as she landed with a bounce.
Shamira gulped, throbbing achiness enveloped her face. He ripped off her protective mask. His face a blur, she watched him through her tears of agony. Straddling her, he motioned to others. Her wrists were secured, with what she didn’t know, didn’t care…she only desired to see Anthony’s killer. The one behind the threats, the attacks, the killing—the one she had to eradicate to end it all.
She gagged, her breath caught in her throat, as her eyes deceived her.
“Cal?” Stars clouded her vision, followed by blinding pain.
Chapter 36
A rancid odor tickled Shamira’s nose. She held back a choke, squeezing her eyes closed. Reminding herself to give the appearance of unconsciousness forced her to relax—a little.
Someone was yelling. She fought back a flinch and listened. Hopefully, they’d give away a clue…anything to get her out of here.
“We need the damn codes! What the hell was in that folder?” A rich deep voice demanded.
“They weren’t the ones we needed. He’s dead, so that lead is useless.”
Someone yelled. “Those codes will give us access to Earth’s research and put the Security Force in the palm of our hands! We’re too close to throw it in now. I’ll get what I need out of her, then toss her dead body to them for a warning.”
“I could’ve just killed Officer Nobles. You know, tortured her for the code.”
“No, we have something she’ll want to protect. When we get the code, we’ll kill them all.” He hit something metallic. “The inside man screwed the damn job up. He didn’t get the final code and left behind a mess.”
She heard a slap.
“Kill him, we gave him what he asked for, and he delivered nothing! I want his head delivered to me skinned by daylight!”
“Done.”
“Keeper, I mean it—pieces!”
Shamira fought to keep her eyes closed. She was sick to her stomach just thinking about the blurry vision of Cal that taunted her. Maybe this guy had the answers. The desire to lay eyes on the one that more than likely attempted to kill her family gnawed at her. The scum who’d killed her father. But she didn’t, her father’s former training was ringing in her ear, wait it out and gain total victory. Her fist twitched. They’d referred to a she, Officer Nobles—that meant her mom. They’d be after her mom next if she didn’t put an end to this.
Rumbling sounds of movement alerted her that there were many others in the room. Someone was shuffling papers and items, obviously searching for something. She remained still. Would it always be this way?
“Deactivate her suit!” the man, behind the threats made earlier, demanded.
More shuffling, then the sound of feet landing heavily coming toward her. “With a sedative like before? Or the poison?”
“Sedative. The nanonytes in the suit will fight back and regenerate, so give her a shot of the virus to disable them. Make the dosage of the virus permanent, that way she’ll never be able to be an Elite again—much less be able to walk.” He added with a dry laugh.
“Yes sir.”
NO! Every cell in her body wanted to yell. He was coming closer. Her muscles clenched with the shift in the air. For the first time in her life—she cried out for help. Activating the device Valens had created for the team, her desperate plea reached for him. VALENS! Help….help!
A static, jumpy connection was made before he answered. “Shamira? We know where the kids are. And are on our way to get them. What’s wrong?”
A cold swipe of something alcoholic was brushed onto her second skin—onto her technosuit. Forcing herself to remain extremely still was killing her. Valens! I’m at the Mons! Anthony’s dead. I’m…
A piercing stab jolted her at the base of her skull. Then another came just under her neck. She could fake it no more. “Ahhhhhhhhh!” she screamed. Her body started shivering, convulsing, and shaking.
The metal rings around her wrist cut at her, but that was nothing compared to the tiny, fire licking needles of excruciating torment that covered her body from the middle of her neck where she was dipped in her technosuit to the tips of her toes.
Valens voice yelled frantically at her, and remnants of his screams filtered through. “Where are you? I can’t lock on you…tracking is cut off… God no!”
Saliva poured from her mouth. Her body jerked and swayed. The lids of her eyes
shuttered closed when her body hit the ground.
The man who did this, the one who’s voice she’d remember for the rest of her life, demanded, “Remember, I need her alive—but torture her as much as you can. It’ll show her not to play a grown man’s game.” He chuckled and she heard his footsteps stomp out of the room, a slam of a door behind him.
Her teeth were chattering, but it did nothing to stop the burning on her skin. Fingers curled up like claws as her body battled the anguish placed upon her, but she fought it—until the beating came.
The pounding of fist on her back, legs, arms, and face still didn’t dull the ache from the virus they’d poisoned her suit with. She opened her eyes against the battery from the beating, promising herself that she would remember each face. Her eyes swollen, she pierced her sight through the walls. She had to find a way out of here—and she would.
She groaned, the fire on her skin didn’t abate, but grew more intense. Her muscles atrophied and she squirmed to flip over on her stomach to ward off some of the blows.
Jeers vibrated around the room. “That’s right!”
“She killed Kan…”
“He shoulda killed her…”
“That’ll teach her…”
Burning power built up within her. Warring pain danced beneath her skin and fought its way through the barrier of the suit…she was on fire.
“Ugh…um.” She struggled against the numbing stings with her back arched and her arms covering her face. Let it go…I have to … let it out. The years she spent fighting to control the energy she held within, were slipping away. She had to let it out, even if it meant her life. Dying this way… today—wouldn’t happen. It was too bad though that her grip on consciousness was slipping away too fast.
Chapter 37
Darkness had been her friend for many years before she’d gained her sight. Now, it allowed her to cocoon herself from an onslaught of torture she’d never truly experienced before. She wanted to stay there forever, but couldn’t. She had to kill the one who’d attacked her family. Cal? It just didn’t seem like he could be this evil, but the other option was just…impossible.
Shamira struggled to open swollen eyes, but gave up, choosing to wait and let her captors make their next move. The smell of blood, her blood, tickled her nose like a metallic mask. Everywhere burned, and she felt as though she was still being beaten. The pull of something strong gripped her wrist. Someone was forcing prickly metal pins in various places on her skull. It felt as though needles were tucked under her skin and were being pulled by strings upward into a knot and taking her skin with it.
“Start the pain emitters. The beating we gave her will keep the suit’s embedded nanonytes from guessing at the threat to her system and allow the emitters to repeat the level of pain as though she’s getting beaten over and over again. Keep feeding her the poison to degrade her suit’s effectiveness and break it down. It will keep her controllable until I can kill her,” the familiar voice of her main tormenter demanded.
Someone grunted. “Can I take the picture now to send to Keeper for the blackmail of Katherine Nobles?”
“Snake, give me a minute to start the pain emitter,” responded a voice she recognized as some sort of doctor.
In a flurry of movement the ache she’d been able to withstand intensified. Her lips shivered, her fist balled and she fought against her binds. Eyes flying opened she scowled at her attacker—the one that looked so much like Cal her heart broke at the possibility of such deception.
This look-alike smiled back at her. His eyes cold, unflinching and filled with hate so intense she knew without a doubt she was as good as dead.
“I’ll…kill…you,” she forced out, saliva dripped from her swollen lips.
His grin widened and he swiped a finger along her chin to catch a wayward dribble. “I don’t think so. You tried before…but failed.”
Realization hit her. RENU! He was alive. But how?
“I see your brain still works. I remember when last we met, you tried to kill me. I thought I’d killed you but…one of my own stepped in your place.” Renu’s lip curled up. “But I killed him instead. Uh, Kurt, I believe was his name. Funny thing was I found out he survived—and joined your little misfit friends to bring down my empire.”
“You’re…dead.” Her stilted threat forced from her lips. Her body throbbed, but her anger empowered her, tickled her inner strength and gave her the ability to speak where most others couldn’t.
Renu nodded at her, his gray eyes assessing her. “I bet you think this is all about you. The assassin attacks, the hunting of you day in, day out…the hit on your family?”
Shamira coughed. “My father…you kill...”
He waved his hand at those around him. They responded by leaving the cement cell she was shackled in. “Yes, I hope I succeeded in killing the one and single man who stole everything from me.”
Confusion marred Shamira’s tormented features. She fought furiously against the metal bindings that held her to the wall.
“Your father turned me in, and because of him, my brother and I failed to succeed in our control of the Department of Galactic Security.” He pointed at his chest. “Not only did your father catch me smothering our competition—he turned me in and talked my brother into testifying! I promised I would make him pay—pay for my traitor of a brother, and for taking your mother from me!”
She shook her head. “N-no! Cal, not…” Her body was wracked by shivering tendrils of pain.
Renu gave her a taunting grin. “Oh, you think Cal was innocent? When we were kids, I came up with the idea that he would run Mars and I would control Earth. He had agreed to help me kill our competition. But your father—his friend came between us and he bailed on me at the last minute. But, now your Cal is dead…”
“How did y-you…dead.”
Renu came close and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I never got on the ship. I cut off some of my flesh and some decoy Monev assassin I pumped up with my blood through a quick transfusion on the ship then I blew the damn thing up. I waited underground for the right time to kill my brother, your father, and his entire family. My cover was almost blown by your attack on the Mons, and we spent months digging our asses out, thanks to your breaking in and stealing my workers!”
“What…do you want? Just…leave us. I’ll give…you what…”
“I need the codes embedded in your parents’ technosuits that will give me access to the main computer of the Department of Galactic Security. Only the embedded codes of the Security Force Elite 300 can get me in. Unless you can carve them out of them from here, you have nothing I want more than what I’m giving you.” He smiled. “Your death, and theirs.”
Chapter 38
Fire scratched beneath her skin, and with each graze it made, the pain emitter counteracted with a pulse of culminated cuts over her body. The convulsions pulsed through her, but her eyes never left Renu’s sadistically grinning face.
“You look at me like you think I’m the crazy one.” Renu reached out and caressed her face. “But this is deeper than you think, much deeper. I’m not the only bad guy here. I’m just top dog, head man, the main man. But don’t think for one second, that if I die—there won’t be others right behind me.” He winked at her and reached over to a nearby table filled with menacing looking knives, needles, and surgical accessories.
Anger boiled deep in her chest, and pounded on her heart egging her to break free and fight. Shamira refused to give into her fear while watching him lift and weigh tools of torture. “Who…help…you? I’ll k-kil…”
He waved a finger at her. “Tsk. Tsk. I’m the one doing the killing here. Dax, was the one that did the killing…there.” He watched her, his snide grin filled with madness observing her realization of his deceit.
Confusion knitted her features. “Dax?” Air rushed out of her lungs.
Renu’s eyebrow lifted. “And others that you know…others close to you. The one I killed in front of you. Led you here t
o me.”
She couldn’t say his name. Piercing aches pummeled her chest at the consideration of Anthony’s deceit. Shamira still couldn’t believe it. Something in her told her Anthony wasn’t playing for Renu’s team.
One of his cronies pushed the door open. “Breach detected!”
Renu’s expression closed. Hardness replaced his sick grin. “Find out what it is. Send Gary in to finish her up and send the damn picture.”
Shamira smirked at him. “Scared?”
He backhanded her. “No, but you should be. No one can save you now. If they do—Mars will suffer and I’ll blow up the air filtration system, to kill you all!”
The sting from the blow spiked the level of pain pulsing from the pain emitter and she choked back a sob as her tormentor’s puppet came in the room.
His pale baldhead and grim expression belied the joy she glimpsed in his eyes. She knew he loved torturing others, and she prayed for the day to come in which she could return the favor.
Others followed, guns drawn as someone captured her image by taking her picture and hastened out the room. Sounds of a struggle just beyond the door tickled Shamira’s sensitive hearing. She fought to hold her eyes steady on Renu as Gary picked up the intensity of the pain emitter’s power.
She bit her lip, praying her team was here and continued to fight against her binds.
Shamira heard Renu direct several of his men to be on high alert and assume positions for defense, the corner of her lip turned down when she heard the first attack. Surging power poured through her and she was revived in the fight. Someone was out there…and they were there to save her.
