Ken continued, completely oblivious to Mirissa’s thoughts and the serious danger he was in. “We represent a group of extraordinary people, much like yourself, and would like for you to meet them. I can’t go into too much detail before you have the proper clearance, but let’s just say that these people have their own set of unique abilities and they use those abilities for the greater good of all mankind.”
As Mirissa waited for him to continue, Barbie (the nickname seemed to have stuck) walked over to the door, placed her right eye in front of the scanner, and waited for it to open and slide behind the wall.
Now we’re getting somewhere, Mirissa thought. Twenty-five seconds to put the two of them on the floor and then she would be out. But out to where? What was on the other side of that door? And how many other people were out there? Best to wait, she thought, until she had a better idea of where she was and what she was up against.
Ken grabbed the file from the desk and started toward the door. “You coming?” he asked.
Well, duh, Mirissa thought, as she slowly rose from her chair. Sitting for so long had made her butt numb, but not to worry. She could take out these two with a numb butt and both arms tied behind her back.
Once they were out of the room, Mirissa followed Ken and Barbie down a long white corridor with no windows or artwork of any kind. Their complete lack of decorating skills seemed to be a theme and was starting to get on her nerves. At the end of the hall, Ken used another retinal scanner to open another hidden door, and they entered an office that looked completely out of place in this building. The walls were a warm coffee color and most were covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made of oak. The one empty wall held two rows of photographs of people Mirissa didn’t know. Below each picture were two sets of dates – one birth and one death. On the large oak desk sat a phone and a computer set-up that NASA would envy. There were no papers or personal items strewn across it as you might expect, but the sheer tidiness of the room put Mirissa’s heart at rest. This was the kind of office that she would be comfortable in, if she ever had an office, that is. The overly large leather chair behind the desk was turned around, its back facing her, but she could feel the strength and power it radiated.
When the chair spun around, Mirissa realized her mistake. It wasn’t the chair that radiated power. It was its occupant.
Her mother stared straight at her.
Chapter 5
One Year Ago
Mirissa tried to take in her surroundings and make sense of it all, but just couldn’t wrap her head around any of it. One minute she was in her living room dressed in her prom gown, and the next she was standing in a clearing in some woods wearing – what? A Xena Warrior Princess costume?
Dozens of women, all wearing similar costumes, were in the midst of some sort of battle training. Off to her right stood a twenty-foot-tall statue of a beautiful woman.
The stone woman wore a tunic that came down to her knees along with a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. The statue sported a hunting knife at its waist and in her hands, she held a bow with an arrow at the ready. Her long, braided hair hung over her shoulder to her belt line. She looked regal and powerful and more than a little intimidating.
“Welcome to Tritonia, Mirissa.”
The sound of the woman’s voice quickly brought Mirissa back from her study of the statue and without thinking she took her fighting stance, ready for whatever might come her way.
“Fear not, young warrior. No harm will come to you in this place. This has always been, and will always be, your home.”
Although she had no reason to believe this stranger, Mirissa found herself relaxing. Some part of her instinctively trusted this woman. She had brown eyes, much like Mirissa’s, which showed kindness, and her shoulder-length black hair perfectly framed her friendly face.
Mirissa thought back to what had happened in her living room. The ring must have been laced with some kind of drug, causing her to have hallucinations the caliber of which Hollywood would be proud. Mirissa focused on slowing her breathing until she felt centered – something years of martial arts training had taught her. When she had her mind settled and felt in complete control, she opened her eyes, only to find the same woman staring back at her with a smile on her face.
“Where am I?” Mirissa asked.
“That is a question that is not so easily answered. Right now, your body is exactly where you last left it. It is only your consciousness that has travelled here. This is the island of Tritonia, birth place of all Amazon Warriors.”
Amazons? As in the mythical warrior women from two thousand years ago? Those Amazons?
This wasn’t the first time Mirissa had heard that name. For as long as she could remember, her classmates had made fun of her height. She’d been a head taller than everyone else in her class since kindergarten, including some of her teachers. Although most tall girls tried to hide their height by slouching, Mirissa had never seen the point. She was always going to be tall; she felt no need to add hunchbacked.
In the eighth grade, a particularly nasty girl name Cindy Fossler had made it her life’s mission to destroy Mirissa’s confidence and had given her the nickname “Mirissazon”, which had unfortunately stuck with her throughout high school. At almost six feet tall by the time she was fifteen, there was no hope of ever getting rid of that name.
As Mirissa looked around the clearing at the other women, she noticed for the first time that she wasn’t the tallest person there. In fact, every woman present, including the woman standing with her, was around the same height as her. Wow, she was actually average height for the first time in her life. She could get used to this.
“My name is Myrine and I am queen of the Amazons,” said her self-appointed welcoming committee.
“That’s my mother’s name,” Mirissa said. “I don’t understand what’s happening. How did I get here?”
“Did your guardian not explain this journey to you?” Myrine asked with a slightly confused look on her face.
“Uh, well, I haven’t actually met my guardian yet,” said Mirissa, feeling a little like she’d just gotten caught passing a note in class.
Myrine let out a short breath, smiled, and said, “You are very much like your mother. Walk with me and I will explain everything.”
As they walked out of the clearing, they passed the statue that had captured Mirissa’s attention earlier. Myrine told her that is was a statue of Artemis, the Greek Goddess of the Hunt.
“Amazons have worshipped Artemis for millennia,” she said. “She is the reason that we exist, and she has blessed us with all of the attributes we need to accomplish our task.”
After seeing the doubt in Mirissa’s eyes, Myrine stopped walking and placed her hands on Mirissa’s shoulders. “There is much in the world that is kept hidden. This place, for example, no longer exists in your dimension. Tritonia was a large, beautiful island country off of Africa’s northwest coast. The Amazon tribe lived and flourished there for hundreds of years. Unfortunately, our beautiful home was destroyed almost two thousand years ago during our volcano’s eruption. In your dimension, all that is left of Tritonia is seven small islands you call the Canary Islands. Now, Amazons must travel here in the same manner you have.”
Before Mirissa could open her mouth to let out the litany of questions that were running through her head, Myrine simply walked away, looking over her shoulder to ensure that Mirissa was following.
“Although history has many stories about the Amazons, the truth has been kept well hidden. As with all ancient hidden truths, great tales have been woven over the centuries that may have had a seed of truth in them, but that seed grew into a mighty oak of lies. We were, and are, warriors. Our tribe has only women, but not because we murdered our male children, as many tales profess. We simply don’t have any male children. We have fought many battles over the last two and a half millennia, but none of those battles were for territory or riches. Our battles have always been to save mankind from the demo
ns that wish to destroy or enslave it.”
This was all too much for Mirissa to take. Ancient Amazon warriors, demons bent on killing humanity, and, oh yeah, a Greek goddess. What kind of drug was on that damned ring?
“OK,” Mirissa said. “This has been really interesting, in a crazy sort of way, but right now I’d like to go back to my house and my father, please.”
With an understanding smile, Myrine grasped Mirissa’s hand and spoke with an authoritative tone. “This is not a choice that you can make, Mirissa. It is a destiny that has already been written for you, as it was with your mother and her mother before her. You cannot change your destiny. You must embrace it.”
With that, Myrine was on her way again and Mirissa had no choice but to follow. They were almost back at the clearing where they started and, she thought, that would be her best chance at getting home.
The other women were still doing battle practice when they returned but as Myrine and Mirissa entered the clearing everyone stopped to look at them. A woman that appeared to be only a year or two older than Mirissa came over to introduce herself.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Asteria. Why don’t you come practice with me?”
“Sure. Why not?” Mirissa said. She’d had about all she could take of talk right now and thought a little sparring might do her some good. She hoped that it might help clear her head.
Asteria took her by the arm as they started toward the center of the clearing. “How many black belts do you have?” she asked. “I’ve got five, right now, but should have my sixth by the end of the year. Then I’ll really be able to kick some Kakos butt! Oh, that’s right, you don’t know about the Kakos yet. Not to worry, your Guardian will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about Kakos, and a whole bunch you didn’t want to know. For now, let’s have some fun.”
Mirissa didn’t know why, but she really liked Asteria, and before she even had a chance to question her judgment, she was on the receiving end of an expertly wielded roundhouse kick.
Oh, it’s on.
This was amazing. Mirissa had never sparred like this in all of the years she’d been training. Asteria stayed with her strike for strike, blocking her punches and kicks quickly and easily. Her speed was astonishing, going from a wheel kick to an elbow strike then a spinning back kick in the time it took most of Mirissa’s opponents to just get into ready stance.
Round and round they went. Fists, feet and elbows in a constant flurry of movement. Absorbed in the pure joy of giving everything she had to a fight, Mirissa lost sight of Myrine.
********
Myrine walked over to the statue of Artemis, keeping her eye on Mirissa.
“She will do well, Myrine.”
“Yes, I believe she will, but I am concerned that her unusual upbringing will hinder her. She has been trained well and obviously has the natural talent we hoped she would, but she has had no knowledge of who she is and what lies ahead of her. Can we really expect her to be ready?”
“Are any of us ever truly ready when the time arises? Mirissa’s destiny is a different one than our other Amazons and the upbringing you speak of might just be exactly what she needs. Only time will tell, but as of now we will give her everything she needs to succeed. Have you assigned her an appropriate Guardian?”
Myrine allowed a smile to grace her lips. “Yes,” she said. “I believe I have chosen her Guardian well, Artemis.”
Chapter 6
Steve stared in shock at his daughter lying unconscious on the floor. He’d come into the living room to see who was at the door when Mirissa held out her hand and collapsed to the floor. She was wearing the ring. Please tell me this isn’t happening.
He’d already checked her pulse and found it a strong and steady thirty-five beats per minute. For anyone else this would warrant an immediate trip to the hospital, but for Mirissa, thirty-five BPM was her normal resting heart rate. The world’s top athletes had resting heart rates of forty-nine to fifty-five, but this was another one of Mirissa’s amazing quirks. Her metabolism, her ability to heal impossibly fast, her astounding athletic ability were all a part of who she was. He had hoped that who she was would turn out to be a normal, happy young woman.
Steve carried Mirissa to the couch and gently laid her out, placing her favorite pillow under her head. Once he was sure she was comfortable and wouldn’t roll off onto the floor, he went to the basement to retrieve the box he had hoped he would never need.
At the bottom of the basement stairs, Steve stopped to take a deep breath. Was he ready for this? Was his daughter ready for this? He’d started Mirissa in martial arts training when she was still just a child, and, using his own experience as a Navy SEAL, had himself trained her to be an expert marksman with both handguns and rifles. If anyone could be ready for what was to come, it was Mirissa.
Steve moved the old metal shelves that were leaning against the wall behind the stairs and pulled on a handle that was inlaid into the floor. With the creak of unused hinges, the trap door opened to expose a small, hidden chamber measuring two feet across and a foot in depth. Inside was a single item: an intricately carved wooden chest that hadn’t seen the light of day for over ten years.
The chest was heavier than he remembered, or perhaps the years had just taken their toll on him, and Steve had to struggle to get it up to the living room. Mirissa was still exactly where he’d left her, looking peaceful in her slumber. It crossed his mind that there may not be many more peaceful moments to come for his daughter.
Pushing that thought from his head, Steve focused on the task at hand, explaining the unexplainable to his teenage daughter.
As he prepared to settle in for what might be a long wait for Mirissa’s return to him, he noticed a small corner of paper sticking out beneath the lid of the chest. He was sure that it had not been there when he and his wife last put the chest in its hiding place. Myrine would never have been so careless as to leave one of her papers hanging out where anyone could grab it. The chest itself was locked up tight and could only be opened with the sacred ring his wife, and now his daughter, wore. Could Myrine have left this paper hanging there intentionally? His wife was anything but sloppy and would have known Steve would retrieve the chest at some point, so perhaps this was for him.
He pulled gently at the corner of paper and it slid out easily. Just one sheet of paper with a short note on it in Myrine’s handwriting.
My love,
I want you to know that I love you and Mirissa more than I ever thought possible. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever believe I could have such happiness in my life.
You know my history, my responsibilities, and my destiny, yet you still chose to love me, and for that I will be forever grateful.
I know you will never forgive me for leaving you and our daughter so suddenly. It was the most painful decision I’ve ever had to make, and yet it had to be done.
I know that this isn’t much of an explanation, but it is the best I can do right now. I hope, in time, I will be able to tell you everything. Both of you.
I will love you both forever.
Myrine
The tears flowed down Steve’s face as though a dam had broken. The memories of his life with Myrine came flooding back to him, and with them, the memories of the day she left.
Chapter 7
Twelve Years Ago
“Don’t forget Mirissa’s piano recital tonight,” Myrine said over her shoulder as she poured herself a much-needed cup of coffee. The Kakos she had been tracking last night had proven much more difficult to deal with than she had expected and, as a result, she was sorely lacking in sleep. Missing out on sleep was something, Steve knew, that didn’t bode well for his wife’s mood.
“How could I possibly forget? It’s her first recital and she hasn’t stopped talking about it for weeks. I even picked up a dozen roses yesterday for when she gets her standing ovation,” Steve said with that cheeky grin.
How had he gotten so lucky? He had a gorgeous, super hero wife, a
nd an incredibly beautiful and talented daughter. Whoever was responsible for giving him this amazing family deserved his heart-felt gratitude.
Myrine took another sip of her coffee and said, “My day is pretty hectic today so I’ll meet you at the music hall at six o’clock so I can give Mirissa a big hug and kiss before she gets on stage. Is there anything you need me to pick up?”
“Nope. Mr. Mom has everything under control.” Steve had just retired from the Navy six months ago and decided to take some time to be with his family before starting a new job. After all of the long tours he’d had overseas, he sometimes felt as though he’d spent more time away from them than with them. So, as soon as he retired, he decided to become Mr. Mom. A nickname that Myrine had coined, much to his chagrin.
“Go and save the world, sweetheart, and we’ll see you tonight.”
Just then, Mirissa walked down the stairs in her princess nightgown, rubbing her eyes and holding on to her teddy bear, Rex. Steve loved the way she looked first thing in the morning – all innocent and vulnerable and tugging at his heartstrings.
Myrine stopped in mid stride as she was walking through the front door, turned around, and said “I’ll see you at your recital tonight, sweetie. You are going to be amazing.” She gave Mirissa a big hug and whispered in her ear “I’ll love you forever; I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” It was from a book they read to Mirissa when she was still a toddler and it had become their special way of saying goodbye ever since.
Steve gave Myrine a kiss and then went into the kitchen to make his daughter her favorite chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.
Steve had decided to keep Mirissa busy enough that day to not let her have any time to get nervous about her very first piano recital. They went to the park and threw the Frisbee around, and then they were off to their favorite diner for a really unhealthy lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping at Mirissa’s favorite stores in the mall and, before he knew it, it was time to head home.
Crossfire (Book 1) (The Omega Group) Page 2
