The Twelfth Keeper Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by Belle Malory

  Every second that passed was agonizing. Phoenix felt the blood rushing to his head. His heart beat frantically against his chest. Not Davaris. Don’t let this happen to my friend.

  He wasn’t sure if he believed in a God, but he broke down and prayed anyway. He’d pray to every last God known to mankind if that’s what it took.

  “What’s up, bro?” Davaris said, his voice coming through loud and clear. “Are you and Kennedy all right?”

  “We’re fine,” Kennedy said, wiping tears as she smiled. “How are you?”

  “I’m good, I’m good. Doc’s patching me up as we speak. I got this pain though. I can’t explain it, but it’s not my shoulder. It’s like…I don’t know. It feels like I’m being cut or something.”

  Phoenix watched Kennedy as she stared at the brace and then looked up at him. The horror in her eyes told him what she was thinking.

  “Oh God,” he cried. “No.”

  Her voice trembling, Kennedy said, “Davaris have you heard from Fang?”

  There was a long silence before they heard his voice again. “That’s what this is, isn’t it?” he asked. “I can feel the break. I can feel it just as sure as I can feel air go in and out of my lungs…Fang is dead.”

  END OF BOOK TWO

  OCEAN OF STARS

  BOOK THREE

  “For a star to be born,

  there is one thing that must happen:

  a gaseous nebula must collapse.

  So collapse.

  Crumble.

  This is not your destruction.

  This is your birth.”

  -Unknown

  Prologue

  “We have a shadow.”

  Matilda highlighted the navigation monitor displaying activity along their course of travel in the form of a tiny, flashing red light.

  Activity?

  In hyperspace?

  Kennedy scanned the section of the screen showing their destination. A blue light denoted their host planet. She measured the distance between their ship and that blue light, estimating they were still a month away from arrival.

  One whole month.

  “Should we be worried?” she asked as her gaze drifted back to the flashing light.

  Activity in this empty deposit of space was uncommon; they were still light years away from any life-bearing planets. And yet the monitor said otherwise, clearly showing another vessel on their tail. A coincidence?

  Kennedy snorted. She no longer believed in coincidences.

  “Let’s not worry just yet,” Matilda said. “We still won’t know the vessel’s intentions for a few more weeks.” The tech-savvy robot was most likely running various predictions through her system, one of the skills that made her so invaluable. And exclusive—building the mainframe of a Series Seven robot took years.

  “What if they speed up?”

  “As of right now it isn’t showing signs of speed capabilities more advanced than those of this ship. We’re safe…for the time being.”

  Kennedy nodded, eyes still glued to the screen. Times like these made her wish she’d allowed the doctors put her to sleep along with Colton and Alanna. Space travel mainly offered one of two emotions: boredom or anxiety. About ninety percent of the time she experienced the former, but this moment definitely qualified as part of the other ten percent. If something did go wrong, there wasn’t anything she’d be able to do. She gritted her teeth, angry with herself all over again for choosing to stay awake. Sleep sure beat the everlasting crap out of worrying about that tiny, flashing light. No one had prepped her for this. This wasn’t a war vessel. The Pegasus was an explorer.

  “Here’s an idea, why don’t you make use of the gym? It’ll take your mind off things.” Matilda must have scanned her face.

  Exercise…not a horrible suggestion. But still the last thing she felt like doing. “Maybe later.”

  “What’s wrong with now?” Matilda argued, her monotone voice turning soft. “Plenty of good reasons to go, you know. Your body is showing signs of muscle deterioration, and your body fat has increased by four percent since we departed Earth. A high intensity training session would release endorphins, give you a feeling of accomplishment, and to be honest, serve a better purpose than staring at a screen for the next several hours.”

  Kennedy shot a scowl at the monitor, knowing the manipulative tactics for what they were. She refused to fall for it.

  “Thanks for the info, Til. I’ll take it under consideration.”

  “Or by all means, you can sit on the sofa, eat chocolates, and watch whatever television programs the ship has to offer. You’ve been doing an excellent job of that lately. Your choice.”

  She shrugged indifferently. “You gotta admit, the second option sounds like more fun.”

  “Do you know how many calories and fat grams you consume on average during your television shows? I’d be happy to list the nutritional intake for you—”

  “God, you’re annoying.”

  Matilda clearly wasn’t giving up until she got what she wanted. Why, oh why, did she ever agree to upload the android’s system to the ship’s motherboard? There was no escape from her anywhere on this blasted ship. No matter where Kennedy went, Matilda was there, endlessly harassing her through the intercoms.

  There was no point in putting up a fight. She walked to her closet and pressed the button on the door. A drawer full of shoes appeared, and she grabbed the first runners she saw. “Fine, you win,” she said tightly. “Especially if it saves me from having to listen to your lectures all day.”

  Matilda’s voice turned cheery. “Technically it’s not day or night since we’re not within the presence of a sun—”

  “It’s my daytime. You know what I meant.”

  “But excellent choice, cupcake! Your body will appreciate a good workout. Perhaps it’ll even put you in a better mood.”

  Kennedy paused in the middle of tugging on her shoes. “I’m sorry. Has my mood offended you in some way?”

  “Well, you haven’t exactly been Miss Sunshine and Rainbows these past few months.”

  “I didn’t realize I had anyone here to please.” She stretched her arms out in reference to the surrounding corridors. “Or haven’t you noticed how quiet the place is?”

  “That lieutenant is always on the lookout for you. I’m sure he’d be happy to get away from the other officers in exchange for your company.”

  “Deacon?” Kennedy scoffed, shaking her head. “You know I try to avoid him at all costs, and by the way, it would be really nice if you’d warn me whenever he’s headed to my part of the ship.”

  “And miss out on watching the constant rejection? I don’t think so. That boy refuses to give up, no matter how many times you shut him down. These days it’s my only source of entertainment.”

  “Glad you find my situation amusing, Matilda. I really am.”

  “You could’ve chosen to be put to sleep, you know.”

  How many times did she have to be reminded of that stupid decision? One more month. Just one more month to go.

  Matilda’s tone softened. “You need some sort of outlet, cupcake. The good mood I mentioned earlier wasn’t for my benefit; it was for yours.”

  “I’m okay, Matilda. Really.”

  “I think we both know that’s not true.”

  It wasn’t, but she refused to admit it. Besides, her happiness didn’t matter here. The mission was all that mattered; it must be carried out. A whole planet of people counted on her, even if those people didn’t know it.

  “Look, I recognize the current situation isn’t ideal.” Matilda used her lecturish tone now. “You’re a teenager. You should be back on Earth having fun, surrounded by other teenagers. But since that isn’t possible, there’s only one way to get through each day. Make the best of it.”

  Well…ugh. Matilda was right. She needed to try. Not only for herself, but to ensure her body and mind were capable of carrying out this mission. Otherwise, it would all be for nothing. What did it say about her
that her own robot knew more about life than she did?

  She stood, stretching her arms overhead. “I’ll go train. I’ll even try to enjoy it, just for you.”

  “Glad to hear it. You need the workout, especially since you haven’t been keeping up with the regimen the department provided you with.”

  “Lucky enough, I have you to remind me.”

  “It brings me joy to know you count me as one of your blessings.”

  Ha! A blessing!

  Okay, there were times she was glad to have the company. Despite the fact that Matilda wasn’t human, she was the closest thing Kennedy had to human interaction. She usually avoided Deacon and the other officers. But a blessing? Kennedy shook her head as she headed to the training room. Wired full of conceit, that’s what she was.

  The lights brightened as she entered the gym, the walls taking on the appearance of rolling green hills, a blue, cloudless sky behind them. A tall man with broad shoulders and a trim, fit body appeared, flickering at first and then evening out.

  “Hi, Jo,” Kennedy said as she walked through him. He disappeared and reappeared next to the treadmill.

  “Hope you’re ready for a long workout today, Miss Mitchell. I’ve already preset the machines for you. Let’s start with twenty minutes of running, and then we’ll move on to interval training and finish with a few sets of kickboxing. Sound good?”

  She bent down to reach for her toes, stretching out her hamstrings. The comfort of TV and chocolate flitted through her mind once more, bringing about a sigh. “Sounds good.”

  In this place, she had to be a machine. Staying in the best possible shape was important, especially when it came time to train on their host planet. It was one advantage Alanna and Colton wouldn’t have. Their bodies would be weak from months of hibernation.

  Running, at least, would wear her out, which was nice considering she couldn’t use a sleep agent during space travel. She’d been more than disappointed to find out her bed didn’t come readily stocked with a dispenser.

  Kennedy hopped up onto the treadmill, increasing the speed Jo set for her. It had been a while since she used this thing. Her muscles screamed at first, but it was a good feeling. Although the ship was moving faster than she could ever run, she almost felt like she was going somewhere. How strange it was to be traveling so fast, and yet at the same time, feel so incredibly stuck. The thought of running away, of escaping these tight, confining walls gave her the illusion of freedom. Even if it was an imaginary one.

  “Jo, turn on the ocean setting, please.”

  “Casting background now, Miss Mitchell.”

  Deep blues and greens instantly surrounded her, the squawk of seagulls in the distance. She could almost picture being back on Earth, running along Fernandina Beach’s shoreline. The calming waves, the salty smell, the feel of the sun beaming down on her skin…God, she missed it so much.

  She closed her eyes.

  Those blues and greens were replaced with the stark blacks and whites of space. She was back in Olympus, running around the perimeter of Section 9 during the daily five. She’d try to keep up with Phoenix, and he’d run ahead and look back at her, an evil smirk in his black eyes, because he knew she couldn’t match him. Then again, he never ran too far ahead of her. Always just enough to keep her thinking she stood a chance…

  Kennedy opened her eyes, shaking away the images. Pressing the button above her heart rate monitor, she increased the speed again. Heat spread across her skin, and her breaths shortened, but she didn’t let it stop her. She focused all her energy into running faster and harder.

  Sometimes she wished she really could run out of this place.

  Go somewhere else.

  Anywhere else.

  One

  Six months earlier

  The gun at her side was just for show. Part of the military uniform. It pressed against her hip uncomfortably, feeling like a strange, abstract object that didn’t belong. Standing here, in front of all these people, Kennedy couldn’t help but think about that gun. And death. Well, mostly death.

  Not hers. She had never been concerned with how or when her own life would end.

  She thought about Fang though, and how those last moments played out for the first keeper. Did she know it was coming? When she realized the bots surrounded her, had she been afraid?

  Somehow, she didn’t think so. Even in the face of danger, she couldn’t imagine Fang showing real fear.

  “Thank you for your work, Miss Mitchell.”

  General Vickard pinned the gold medallion to Kennedy’s suit, a heavy reminder of all that had happened. One she wasn’t sure she wanted.

  Nodding dutifully, she said, “Thank you, sir,” and kept her gaze focused on the sea of cameramen and news reporters surrounding the stage. They stood inside the Red Square, in the center of the Neon City, a place renowned for ceremonies and holiday parades. Most of the surrounding buildings towered over one hundred stories high—accurately dubbed starscrapers—with spheres floating in and out of the breezeways. The few times Kennedy had been through this part of the city, it had been buzzing, alive with sights and smells and noises and excitement.

  But the spark of liveliness was missing today; an eerie silence blanketed the city in an almost subdued sense of shock. People were still torn between realizing what had almost happened and feeling grateful it hadn’t.

  No one could blame them.

  As if she weren’t uncomfortable enough, Vickard didn’t move on from Kennedy right away. Resting his hand on her shoulder, he said, “You should feel proud. Millions would’ve died if you hadn’t removed the poison from the tanks. Remember that.”

  The poison.

  Her eyes glazed over. Memories of that experience still lingered in the back of her mind. The effort it took to separate it from the water supply was an act she never imagined she was capable of executing. A miracle, that’s what it was. An intense, mind-blowing, nothing short of amazing kind of miracle. The ray of light in an otherwise bleak night.

  “Th-thank you,” she stammered, “but it was a united effort, sir.”

  He nodded. “Thanks to that effort, the citizens of Olympus have been spared.”

  Something they mustn’t forget. Except for one glaring exception. One sole casualty in the first alien attack known to man.

  Fang.

  Their first keeper.

  Kennedy’s stomach hollowed, and she felt the gun again, digging into her hip bone. She wondered what death felt like. In that moment right before Fang took her last breath, did she feel pain? Somehow she imagined Fang’s transition between this world and the next was quick and flawless. That’s the way their first keeper was, sort of like a majestic firework. Big explosion, slow let down. Fang’s motto was act first, think later.

  In the scope of things, the first keeper’s death, although tragic, didn’t seem like a huge loss in the eyes of the public. That felt wrong somehow. It should be a huge loss, but it wasn’t. Not compared to the number of lives spared that day. Millions could’ve died. All twelve keepers could’ve died, in fact. Olympus was Earth’s major line of defense. Had it been obliterated, it wouldn’t have been long before the planet itself was at the mercy of a Sae-yer army.

  Thank the stars, we only lost one, they said. Only one life was lost, they praised happily. Only one…

  Because that was good news. God, Fang’s death wasn’t even a tragedy. Instead, it was nearly a cause for celebration. There was something really, really sad about that.

  Kennedy watched the waves everyday, curious to know how Earth would react. The majority of the population seemed more concerned over their newly discovered outside threat, which was to be expected. After all, there had never been a time known to man when the human species needed to protect themselves from an alien enemy.

  Everyone assumed this was the first time the Sae-yers had struck. That bothered her more than anything, being one of the few who knew the extent of the devastation the Sae-yers had caused. But if people kne
w the truth, that it wasn’t a meteor shower that destroyed China, there would be widespread panic. Chaos everywhere. The keepers often referred to them as Slayers, as the name seemed more appropriate.

  The Sae-yers managed to slip past their defenses twice. The first time, they wiped out China. The second, they took out their first keeper. Both times solely through the use of machines. Not so much as one Sae-yer had ever entered their atmosphere—that was the kind of destruction they were capable of, and that was the kind of information that must be kept classified.

  And yet, because of their ignorance, people in Olympus were thankful. People on Earth rejoiced. They were losing this fight, but that was okay, because everyone could go on living blissfully oblivious to the firestorm coming their way. They could go on celebrating this victory. No one fully understood what the loss of a keeper meant because no one knew exactly what keepers were capable of. Elements and abilities were all safely tucked behind another veil of secrecy. Why should anyone care if one of them died? As far as the majority of the population was concerned, keepers were nothing more than military celebrities.

  Secrets. Secrets. And more secrets.

  Sheesh. It was like being strangled to death. She looked around, inspecting the faces in the crowd, wondering how they’d react if they knew everything. They were all here to remember Fang, but behind their remorseful eyes, she could see one very blatant emotion uniting them: relief.

  “Fang was a true leader. She gave her life for this world, and for that, let’s all honor her memory with a moment of silence.”

  Painful seconds ticked by as Fang’s image projected alongside the other keepers. Kennedy took in her fierce features and her lean, catlike prowess. There was something admirable about the way she carried herself, always holding her head high, her back straight with all the confidence in the world…like she was always ready to kick some ass.

  The hologram appeared too lifelike for comfort. Guilt stung at the back of her throat, forcing her to swallow. From the moment she arrived on Olympus, the two of them butted heads. Kennedy never tried to understand Fang, never tried to accept her for who she was, never wanted anything to do with her. And why not? She could’ve tried. She could’ve done something.