~ ~ ~
Joel pulled Kayla into his arms, crushing her to him as his lips attacked hers. His cock hardened, pulsing with desire.
She opened to him and his tongue slid deep, meeting hers in a tantalizing dance of passion.
The heat of her soft curves against him sent his senses soaring. He pulled her closer, took everything she offered and returned all he had. Overwhelming, intoxicating, and so damn sexy.
Stepping away from a precipice he didn’t dare tumble over, he forced himself back. “We can’t.”
Not yet.
“I know.” Desire cloaked her tone. “But soon. As soon as you—”
“Yes.” And there were things he could do right now to start the ball rolling. He shot off emails and texts from the computerized part of his brain. The sooner he got this done, the sooner he and Kayla would be free to pursue . . . whatever this was.
~ ~ ~
The particle beam from the POS—and yes, Kayla was definitely going to continue calling it that—caused no kickback.
“You must unlearn some of the things I taught you.” Jason Pike was in Yoda mode, teaching her how to use her new handgun. “Draw, aim, and fire. Now.”
She pulled the gun from her holster. Unlike the television Star Trek phaser, this gun only fired a short particle burst, not a true beam of energy. She needed to sight in the body mass before pulling the trigger.
Because paper targets wouldn’t record energy bursts, Jason designed a moving electronic target to register her hits.
And misses.
This was harder to master than she’d thought.
“Better. You hit the shoulder.” Jason reset the target with the remote in his hand. “That would have probably put your target on the ground, but not unconscious. You need to hit the body mass dead center.”
“Sorry.” If she was going to join Joel and Chris in the field, she’d need to do better.
“You know, you don’t have to be on the field team. You’re plenty valuable right here in your lab.”
Kayla pulled and fired, this time striking the target dead center. “Joel prompted you to tell me that, didn’t he?”
Jason shrugged. “He’s worried.”
Kayla holstered the POS and turned to confront him. “It’s his turn. I worry about him every time he goes out. If I’m with him, I can at least cover his ass.”
He laughed, handing her the remote. “Exactly what he said you’d say. Another hour of target practice, then I want you in the gym for Krav Maga and Muay Thai practice. No matter what Joel says, you stay out of the field until I say you’re ready.”
~ ~ ~
Five against one. And the one was Kayla. Joel rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tension.
He stood on the second floor of the Xi Force Headquarters looking down on the north practice field. Outside, five hulking members of Pike’s Rangers closed in on her, handguns at the ready. Sure, they held paintball guns, but other than that, Jason pulled out all the stops.
Joel asked for it and dreaded it all at the same time. Kayla begged for it.
If she passed this test, Yoda would certify her field ready.
Damn it.
Kayla’s shape-hugging black costume accented her stunning figure. She’d really outdone herself with the design. The eye mask gave her enough anonymity without hiding her new, darker hair style and oh-so-kissable lips.
She’d dyed her hair black to match her costume and to help hide her identity more. In doing so, she’d gone from pixy to fierce. Black, evidentially, was the new black again.
The press was going to love her. How could they help it? She looked amazing. She was amazing.
Joel hated the thought of sharing her with the world. The paparazzi were rarely kind. If a picture of her got out like the one featuring Chris’s butt, Joel would have to pound in a few faces.
If only she’d agreed to stay in her lab.
It was no longer his decision to make. Aaron now controlled Xi Force. Joel had begun the paperwork to make himself a civilian contractor. Just another member of Xi Force under Aaron’s command. An equal status to Kayla’s.
Well, equal if she passed this test. Despite Aaron’s new rank, Jason Pike had the final say. But, she’d met, and in most cases exceeded, expectations. He could think of no reason to deny her a position on the team. She fought like a hellion, shot like a marksman, and could phase in an instant. She’d be a real asset in the field.
She’d pass this test. Xi force would now have three members.
Four if he counted Wylde. And Joel sure as hell wanted to.
Three of Pike’s Rangers took aim and fired their handguns as the other two rushed Kayla.
The paintballs passed harmlessly through her shimmering form. That was a new move she’d been working on, getting objects to phase through her. Then she solidified, swiping with a round-house kick to the jaw of one of the charging men.
The man jolted sideways tumbling to the ground. His lip bloodied, he rolled away.
Kayla wasn’t holding anything back, even though she fought against men she considered friends.
Continuing her spin, she brought her fist around into the face of the second charging man.
“Ouch.” Joel shuddered. The impact sent the man tumbling to the ground. And that was with her off hand.
As she punched with her left, Kayla drew her weapon, fired, pivoted, then fired again. Two of the three men shooting at her went down instantly. The third got off a second shot, but Kayla phased once again and the projectile went right through her.
Bullets fly faster than paintballs, that tactic might not work in the real world, but damn, the woman was impressive nonetheless. She’d been training hard. Her nimble body had honed into a deadly weapon without losing any of its appeal. If anything, she was all the sexier.
Heather conjectured something in the chemical soup had upped Kayla’s metabolism. Speed, agility, and balance were all enhanced beyond the norm. Yes, she also trained hard, but Pike’s Rangers had trained for years to peak fighting status. Kayla learned enough in just a few weeks to hold her own against five.
As Kayla phased, her blaster fell from her hand to the ground. A mistake? The gun only phased with her when it was in its specially designed holster. She was now weaponless with her remaining opponent yards away from her with his weapon drawn and aiming at her.
Kayla sprinted toward the man, diving into a summersault as his third shot flew through her. The control it must take to keep parts of her body solid while phasing others boggled the mind. She tumbled forward, solidifying suddenly, to drive the heel of her boot into his chin.
The man backpedaled, dropping his paintball gun and wind-milling his arms as he struggled to stay on his feet.
Scooping up the paintball gun, Kayla leveled it on him, then pulled the trigger, splashing his chest with blue paint. She spun and brought the weapon to bear on the two men she’d left rolling in the dirt behind her.
The whole encounter took less than three minutes.
She was more than ready to join Xi Force.
Joel’s hypersensitive hearing picked up the footfalls in the hallway before the tentative clearing of the throat pulled his gaze from the scene below.
Aaron’s eyes shifted side to side, refusing to look directly at Joel. He had some bad news.
“What?” They’d been partners and friends for years. There wasn’t much Aaron wouldn’t easily share with him.
“Susan Mullins, AKA Amber Harris, just escaped prison.”
The dark specter from his past rose up and froze his gut. Anyone but her. God. Anyone but her.
~ ~ ~
Jason’s test had Kayla sweaty, fatigued, and slightly bruised, but she’d passed with flying colors. The pride in his face spoke volumes.
“Stop by my office later.” Jason’s eyes twinkled. He shook his head, but his mouth broke into a broad grin. “I’ll have all the paperwork ready for you to sign.”
She would effectively be quitting her job. Xi Force members were considered independent contractors to the U.S. government. Joel set that up for Chris and any future members to protect them. It allowed superheroes to opt out if they had moral or ethical issues with mission objectives. They couldn’t be ordered to do something against their wills.
The change also brought with it a significant pay increase, and she’d still retain her lab on the third floor to continue her research.
She would have to live here at the Xi Force Headquarters, but even that would be a step up. Having to leave her shabby one-bedroom apartment and her snoopy landlady behind only broadened her smile. “I’ll be down to see you after I shower.”
Once in her room, Kayla stripped down and placed her uniform in the specially designed sterilization chamber. Turned out tumble dry was hell on anchor atom alignment.
As she stepped into the shower Kayla felt like she could take on the world.
~ ~ ~
“How the hell did this happen?” Joel was really tired of asking that question. “She was in a maximum-security prison. Guarded day and night.”
Aaron double-clicked the video file on the computer display. “They sent us this security camera footage.”
Long, radiant red hair, emerald eyes, ruby red lips. Even in the drab, prison jump-suit, most men would call her beautiful, stunning, breath-taking.
Amber Harris turned Joel’s stomach.
Her real name was Susan Mullins, but Joel had only known her under her assumed name. The bitch killed him, took over his body, and used it to tread a bloody, chaotic path. It hadn’t been him, but Joel had been forced to watch the death and destruction his body caused.
And, forced to her arms at night, Joel had learned new depths of sexual depravity. The pain, torture . . . murders that Amber had used to fuel her sexual hungers, gave Joel nightmares for months after. With others, she played the sexy minx, but with Joel her slave, she unleashed her true, much darker lusts. Therapy brought him back from the edge and helped him block out the worst of the memories.
Now one view of her brought everything rushing back.
Obviously whoever filmed the prison grounds activity that day had no problem following her as she sauntered her way toward the outer fence. Probably one of the male prison guards. Amber knew how to draw attention to herself.
With a startling suddenness, a black-clad figure appeared in front of her. That damn teleporter.
Showing no surprise, Amber wrapped her arms around the figure like an octopus. A second later, they were both gone.
Amber Harris was on the loose once again.
Chapter 11
Two days.
Joel’s head swam. He’d come to the Agency right out of the service. His training as an Army Ranger translated well into field work with the FBI. It was the only life he’d known before Xi Force. The only life he’d known before he died.
Life is change.
Apparently, so was death.
“Duh.” He rolled his eyes. In two days he’d be a civilian contractor, no longer employed by the U.S. Government, even though his paychecks would still be government issued.
Aaron came up to speed quickly as the new director of Xi Force, allowing Joel time to transition.
Too much time.
Too much time to think about Kayla and the things they couldn’t do together right now. He needed to keep coming up with distractions.
The intensive therapy sessions helped him separate the horror of his experiences with Amber from the passion he felt for Kayla. He’d learned how his mind could play games with him. A touch, certain scents, and jumbled emotions could unleash horrible memories and associations. He’d have to fight to keep that from affecting any intimacy with Kayla.
Was he foolish even to consider jumping into this? He was so broken.
But damn it, Kayla was worth fighting for, even if the struggle was with himself.
~ ~ ~
“Anything new?” Joel clapped Kirk on the shoulder. He’d miss their morning updates. This job would soon fall to Aaron as well.
Kirk Peters sat at the center of the Xi Force web of technology. He programmed and ran the Cray supercomputer, monitored the building security, and interfaced with Chris’s and Joel’s internal computers to feed them information and special programs while in the field.
The Zombiebot computer memory was limited to basic human functionality with only a small amount of RAM available for firmware upgrades and customization apps. The program, as designed by Heather, was to reanimate a dead body and make it useful, not augment a superhero.
With his brain working and running his body again, the internal computer was used to enhance functionality and offer options like updated sight, hearing, and detection routines. It certainly did augment his capabilities, but Heather admitted she’d have designed the configuration differently if she’d known how it was going to end up being used.
No one expected Chris and Joel to actually come back from the dead and retake their bodies. They still didn’t fully understand what happened. But it did happen. Joel was back. Alive.
Legally now, as his death certificate had been officially rescinded by the courts. The ruling also determined that the Zombiebot Program could not legally continue. He and Chris would be the only ones. The only legally produced ones anyway. There remained a possibility that the data files from the program had fallen into Ghaim hands. In any case, the program was dead, he and Chris were alive, and Heather happily pursued some new lines of research.
Kirk took a quick sip of coffee as he brought a video clip up on the Cray’s main display panel. “This happened overnight. Our teleporter makes an appearance about ten seconds in.”
The video displayed an internal shot of what looked to be a museum. Ancient armor and weapons on display. Placards describing events. This exhibit appeared to be Japanese in origin. A curved samurai-type sword in a glass display case held dominance.
Sure enough, ten seconds in a black-clad figure appeared out of nowhere, breaking the glass, snatching up the sword, and disappearing.
“Where?” And why was he stealing an old sword?
“Tokyo.” Kirk ended the video. “And sir, that’s a Muramasa sword.”
The designation meant nothing to Joel. “Is that significant?”
Kirk must have anticipated Joel’s question because he had the corresponding article up on the screen in seconds.
Of course he would have. Kirk was usually two or three steps ahead. The guy had incredible instincts.
Joel quick-scanned the document. Pulling the pertinent facts.
Muramasa Sengo. 16th century Japanese swordsmith. Demon blade? Sword must draw blood before it’s returned to its scabbard.
What the fuck?
“Send the full text as an attachment to my email address.” The data arrived at the same time as an email alert. He’d have to study the file later.
He picked up Kirk’s desk phone and hit the intercom button to announce to the building. “Saddle up people. We’ve got a mission.”
~ ~ ~
Heart thundering in her ears, Kayla pressed her back against the tree trunk.
Her first field mission with Xi Force. Time to prove herself.
The assignment: Two top level Ghaim overlords discovered at one location. Suspected illegal arms and drug shipments on the premises along with millions in illicit cash funds. All the evidence they’d need to put these scum-buckets away for years. And capturing the Ghaim leaders could cripple an arm of the organization for months.
The Xi Force team took the Xi-1 as soon as they’d gotten
word, leaving the lawyers to hash out the legalities. Warrants were needed before they could engage, but they could at least do some reconnaissance. While Jason Pike and his men set up the perimeter, Kayla accompanied Joel, Chris, and Wylde to check out the premises.
The three-story rural compound looked part mansion, part fortress. Hidden in a copse of trees, down a secluded driveway, the huge structure would have been easily overlooked even by the local neighbors.
Not that there were many local neighbors. The surrounding lands were mostly forest and farmlands.
Temperatures in the sixties and the fragrant evergreen trees gave the air a crisp, refreshing feel, tainted only by the occasional waft of manure from a nearby farm field.
But this wasn’t a walk in a park.
Guards, armed to the teeth, patrolled the grounds and stood at each of the doorways. The back entrance offered the most cover, though it still featured about thirty feet of trimmed lawn between the trees and doorway.
Joel pulled them all back into the woods. “Chris and I go first to draw their fire.”
His gaze locked on Kayla. “You and Wylde follow, but take care. We’ll clear the way to the door, and if it’s locked you can phase through to open it. Once inside, we stick together. Yoda and his team will snag anyone trying to escape.”
The warrants still hadn’t been issued, but Aaron expected them to come through at any time, so they pulled back to the Xi-1 to wait on the legalities.
Kayla paced and twiddled her thumbs. It took an hour and a half, but finally they got the green light.
“Warrants are all in place.” Joel had that glazed-eye look he got when checking his internal messages. “Let’s do this.”
They snuck around the perimeter of the property once again to the back of the building.
Phaze Page 8
