A woman with shoulder-length ginger hair and a man side stepped into Chloe’s vision from the right, while another man and a Hashmedai sidestepped in from the left. All were armored with eRifles pointed directly at them while equipped with UNE combat armor. The smoke escaping from the transport triggered small bluish ripples to skittle across the shields of the four aggressors.
This time, Chloe raised her hands in the air, as demanded by the looks on their faces and their fingers on the triggers of their rifles. The woman from the armed group stepped forward and asked, “Peterson, where are you?”
“Dead,” Chloe said.
“Tetsuya,” the woman said to the Asian man with them. “Check it out.” As requested, Tetsuya entered the transport. He had his semilong black hair tied back and a five-o’clock shadow taking form across his face. Chloe heard him rummage around through the smoke before coming back outside, shaking his head. “Fuck’s sake,” the woman said. “He was a good agent, with some damn good intel.”
“What do you want?” asked Chloe.
The woman looked at the name tags of Chloe and Sarah, and then smiled as she said, “The Vaughan sisters,” her rifle aimed toward both Chloe and Sarah. “Which of you is Chloe?” she asked. Silence was their answer. “If I don’t get an answer, people are going to die.”
“I’m Chloe,” it was Sarah, and her untruthful reply put fear into Chloe’s eyes.
“Step forward,” the woman requested.
“What are you doing?” Chloe whispered to Sarah.
“I got this,” Sarah whispered back and then walked toward the woman with her hands raised.
“Destiny,” the Hashmedai said to the woman. “I don’t see anyone with a ‘Chambers’ name tag.”
“Nope, but Boyd here…he’s worth keeping around,” said the final man to Destiny.
“Says who, Justin?” Destiny asked.
“Says the Hashmedai Empire, according to my sources,” said Justin.
Destiny stared at Chris for a few seconds, before waving him over toward Sarah and herself. Reluctantly, Chris walked over in the same manner Sarah did and then the two were forced on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Chloe and Ella were later forced to do the same by Justin and the Hashmedai.
Chloe looked up at Destiny as the ginger-haired woman walked in circles around her and Ella. Chloe wondered what was going through this woman’s head. Why was she working with a Hashmedai? And what did she plan to do with her lover, Chris, and her dear sister, Sarah? The only saving grace she felt was to the fact that they claimed Chris was valuable, so for the time being, they clearly weren’t going to kill him. But at the same time, they held him captive next to Sarah, who they think is Chloe. If one were to divide hostages in this manner, logic dictated that one group was to live, while the others were to be executed. Otherwise, all four of them would have been taken away by now.
Chloe’s body froze with a level of fear she had never felt before. She and Ella were part of the group to be executed. An ePistol that Destiny gripped from the side of her suit confirmed that as she aimed it toward the side of Ella’s head. “Sorry, love,” Destiny said. “I have my orders.”
Whatever Ella was doing to stay calm during this fiasco instantly shut down. She burst into tears and uncontrollable trembling. But only for a few seconds. A single bullet through the side of her head sent her body to the ground, and her blood from the exit wound splashed across the left side of Chloe’s head. Both Sarah and Chris erupted in an intense emotional symphony of sadness and anger. Chloe couldn’t quite make out what they were saying; the shock of the situation blocked out her mind’s ability to process any sounds, especially when the ePistol came into contact with the back of her head.
Sarah’s mouth was constantly moving, probably screaming at this point, and tears were streaming down her flushed face. Chloe couldn’t quite remember the last time she saw her sister cry in this manner. High school perhaps? No middle school, middle school for sure when she twisted her ankle playing soccer. Strange, Chloe thought. The imagery of that time jumped right into her head so clearly, like it happened seconds ago. Various other memories came into her head as if she were experiencing them for the first time. Everything Chloe experienced in life from growing up in New York, to 9/11, joining the marines to stick it to the terrorists responsible for that—Afghanistan, Iraqi, Hashmedai invasion of Earth, traveling to Alpha Centauri, coming back to Earth—and now this.
Destiny’s bullet ripped a gaping exit wound through Chloe’s forehead, ejecting bits of blood everywhere. Her body fell over face-first into the snow, turning it pink as Ella’s and her blood oozed into it.
… … …
►► Port Shala, Morutrin Prime
► Morutrin System
Avearan awoke from her slumber, screaming and yelping in pain while her hands held on to the side of her head. She felt almost as if someone shot her with a Radiance projectile weapon. The pain wouldn’t leave her, and so she rolled out of her hotel bed and limped her way into the bathing area. The motion sensors detected her presence and illuminated the bathing area with light. She activated a hologram that displayed a live-image video feed of her standing in front of it, a holographic mirror.
She saw no visible damage to her head, nothing out of the ordinary at all, just her in her nightgown. Avearan tilted her head toward the floor; the pain was starting to make her nauseous as her body slowly became weak. And then in an instant, it all vanished, replaced with the warm touch of a hand resting on atop her shoulder. A hand? Who else is here?
With her newfound strength, she turned around while shoving the hand away. A figure stood before Avearan, a woman…she had long dark hair, which went down to her feet. She wore a two-piece snow-white mesh dress, the dress was bright…almost as if it was giving off light itself.
Avearan was dumbfounded at the woman’s presence. “How did you get here?” she asked.
“Confused, she is,” the mysterious woman said. “In time you will understand.”
“Understand what? Who are you?” Avearan asked.
“You are the gateway, the link to the one who refers to herself as Ella,” Ella, Avearan remembered that name. It was the name of the woman who touched her mind earlier. It was the very same mind that somehow deposited the knowledge of a human and Radiance language into Avearan’s memories. “You must attune with the orb within the gem. Ella must not leave her corporeal form, not while the other rests within her.”
The strange woman’s hand reached out toward Avearan’s face as she flinched backward. Avearan’s back was now mashed against the wall behind her, there was no place else to backpedal. The woman closed the gap, her hands still reaching toward Avearan’s face. Soft, gentle, warm, her hand stroked Avearan’s cheeks, then rested it below her ear.
The woman shut her eyes, as if she was trying to focus. Avearan had one thing to say about it. “This is madness.”
“The gem, attune with it now. I shall guide you.” Her eyes reopened and began gazing into Avearan’s eyes. “Do it, or you will expire along with Ella.”
“Why me?”
“Your minds have linked,” the woman softly said. “You two are one; when one expires, the other will as well as long as the link remains.”
… … …
►► ESV Winston Churchill, Earth Orbit
► Sol System
Gavin stormed onto the bridge, rage powered his legs to swim his way thought the zero-g environment. Captain Xavier along with several other bridge crew members floated next to their designated work stations, hysterically interacting with their terminals and holographic displays. Word of the transport being downed is the sole reason everyone was moving so quickly, so desperately, trying to get answers.
Gavin floated next to Xavier as he intently looked at a 3-D holographic picture of a snowcapped mountain range. At the peaks of said mountain, a red flashing circle beckoned. “What happened?” Gavin asked.
“We lost contact with the transport EDF-o
ne was aboard,” Xavier explained to Gavin. “A single blast of plasma from the surface took ’em out.” Xavier pointed toward the red circle on the hologram. “They crashed about here, that’s all we know for now; I have a team going in to check for survivors…But.”
“But what?” Gavin asked.
“We suspect this was the act of the HLF, and if that is the case, there may not be anyone left alive.” Xavier faced Gavin with grave look on his face. “Like the Hashmedai, they don’t take prisoners.”
“In addition to that,” EVE chimed in as she operated multiple holographic displays, “I detected a psionic teleport in that region not long ago.”
“As did I,” said the Rabuabin psionic Michei from his station behind them. “Whoever was responsible teleported away minutes after the crash.”
Humanity achieved world peace, but still has problems with radical groups, some things will never change. The thought made Gavin groan, and then he inquired, “What the hell is the HLF?”
“Hashmedai Liberation Front,” said EVE. “A Hashmedai and human terrorist group opposed to the treatment of Hashmedai living on Earth and the alliance between the UNE and the Radiance Union.”
“Wasn’t thrilled about the joyride you and Aura took,” said Xavier. “But now? It bloody well just saved your life.”
“Captain, I’m receiving a communication from the search team,” said communication officer Holly Bryson.
“Report,” Xavier said to the young woman sitting next to her computer terminal.
“They…they found casualties, sir.” she reported.
… … …
►► HLF Headquarters, Northern Canada
► Sol System
Sarah’s eyesight slowly refocused back to normal from the bright flash of blue light. Both she and Chris had their arms and legs bound while Destiny called forth for a second Hashmedai, a psionic at that, to teleport them all away from the mountains into some kind of dark shelter. Their base of operations probably…whoever the fuck these people are.
The loss of Chloe and Ella still weighed heavily on Sarah. After all, Sarah pretended to be Chloe to protect her, but in turn, the complete opposite happened. Her actions killed her older sister and now made her a prisoner to these people—people who might just end up killing her if they discover that she lied to them. Focus, Sarah thought to herself. Dwelling on these fuckups of yours will make her death in vain.
Right. Need to make the best of this situation.
Sarah did what she could to remember every detail of the current situation. Should she escape, the UNE would need to know everything. Who was she kidding? She needed to know everything. Chloe’s death must be avenged. As their captors hauled them down the adjacent hallway, Sarah’s mind quickly began to match names with faces as they spoke.
The murderous ginger bitch? Destiny. Young male, brown hair, fair skin, medium build, Justin. Japanese male with a thin beard, Tetsuya. Hashmedai, Vuyin, and the shirtless Hashmedai psionic with purple hair who teleported them all here…what the hell was his name? They only mentioned it once before he walked away from the group. Fuck. What was it?
Right.
Whigli. His name was Whigli.
They entered a small room, a bedroom of some sort, or quarters. Whatever it was, it was someone’s personal sleeping space. The bed was covered in black satin bedsheets, pillows, and blankets, lying directly in the center. A slender woman, wearing a black Victorian-era-like dress, sat up instantly, watching Sarah and Chris with a spaced-out look on her face. She then brushed away a strand of her long black hair that covered her face.
“You have arrived,” the woman said.
“My apologies, Hannah, but Gavin was not on the transport,” Destiny said.
Hannah, eh? Another name to add to the hit list. Sarah grinned.
Hannah’s finger pointed at Chris as she stepped closer toward Sarah. “Who is this?” she asked.
“Chris Boyd,” Destiny said. “Apparently, he is wanted by the Hashmedai Empire.”
“This is wrong,” Hannah interjected as she grabbed Sarah’s chin, examining her as if she were some kind of object to be purchased.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” shouted Sarah.
Hannah ignored her demand and leaned in closer to Sarah’s face. Their noses nearly touched while her physical prying continued. “Wrong, wrong, wrong! This is all wrong.”
Shut the fuck up, Sarah internally yelled as she spat directly into Hannah’s face. Hannah paused briefly, causing their captors to stare at Sarah in shock. Sarah’s body fell backward with a swift backhanded strike across her face, delivered by Hannah, whose saliva-covered face flushed with wrath.
“How dare you disrespect the seer like that!” Destiny yelled, her hand stopping just inches away from her ePistol.
“She is…wrong,” Hannah said to Destiny. “You have brought me Sarah Vaughan. She tricked you. And you weren’t able to bring me Gavin. You didn’t bring me anyone I requested!”
Destiny grimaced in a worried manner as Sarah’s mind overflowed with anxiety. They now know she’s a fraud. How this crazy-ass woman figured it out just by feeling her face off, is something Sarah didn’t want to know. Destiny finally spoke; Hannah’s furious body language demanded an answer. “I’m sorry; Peterson was the one who had the intel in regard to who was who.”
“Well he was wrong!” Hannah yelled.
“He is dead,” said Destiny.
“Dead?” Hannah’s face aimed toward the metallic ceiling. Sarah’s spit started to slowly drain off the sides of her face. “I did not foresee his death anytime soon.” Hannah’s face returned to Destiny. “No matter, bring me Chloe and dispose of this one. Her demise is necessary; this I assure you.”
“And as for him?” Tetsuya asked, pointing toward Chris.
Hannah grinned, then started to circle around Chris, staring at his dark skin from top to bottom, and then stylishly rested both of her hands at the back of his head. Her eyes shut and then she began to gasp, as if she was receiving some kind of perverse pleasure out of touching the back of his head. Hannah’s eyes opened wide as she said, “He needs to die. But not at our hands. You did a great thing bringing him here and not killing him. I missed something in my vision, something very important.” She turned to Destiny and asked, “You remember Jazz, yes?”
“Yeah... I do,” Destiny said with shock powering her voice.
“Jake ‘Jazz’ Johnson is coming to Earth. He is coming for Chris Boyd. He is coming to kill you, Christopher.” Hannah concluded her fanatical chanting by addressing Sarah’s and Chris’s captors. “He is going to help us locate the half-breed once and for all.”
This woman is either incredibly insane or incredibly gifted. Either scenario was going result in a whole lot of people dying, unless she was stopped.
Chapter 8
►► Port Shala, Morutrin Prime
► Morutrin System
For a brief moment, Jazz felt like he was back on Earth while his dark hands firmly wrapped around the hilt of his custom-made plasma katana. He remembered a time when life was normal, when he was still married to Alisha. She and Jazz often had light kendo duels, her way of exposing him to her Japanese heritage and her way of light practice of the elegant martial art. Occasionally they would have naginata versus kendo bouts; she never got around to teaching him the techniques of using the naginata polearm however.
Jazz had transformed one of the spare bedrooms in his apartment into a makeshift gym and practice area. Exercise equipment was stored along the walls, while a fitness mat lay within the center of the room. A punching bag hung from the center of the ceiling and two training dummies were lined up next to the entrance of the room. He stood next to those dummies wearing nothing except a pair of shorts as he raised his blade in front of him like a samurai. No plasma was being fed into the blade; no need to raise the air temperature any more than it already was. That and dummies were hard to find, hitting them with the blade charged with plasma would have reduce
d them to ashes after a few hits.
Jazz continued his swordplay practice on the dummies for an hour; the workout built up sweat all over his dark skin. It caused his bald head and muscular body to shimmer in the light, beads of sweat dripping off his chest and six-pack abs. He stopped suddenly after hearing the main door to his apartment slide open. Phylarlie entered, and like him, she was covered in sweat as she limped in. He guided his blade to its resting spot, a weapons rack on the wall that held a pair of plasma daggers, a Radiance magnetic rifle, and his foldable plasma rifle.
Jazz quickly entered the foyer where Phylarlie stood; she nearly dropped to the floor as his hands rushed in to hold her. Her body was warm, too warm for a Hashmedai—as if heat stroke was taking effect.
“You need to be more careful,” Jazz said. “This ain’t Earth, and you complained about Earth being extremely hot the entire damn time.”
“I thought I’d be fine,” she said.
“I’m human, and I struggle with the heat on this planet,” he said, dragging her into the washroom. “If I have to stay cool and hydrated to not die outside then—”
“Spare me the lecture, Jazz. I fucked up,” she said.
Jazz’s hands interacted with the holographic interface for the bathtub controls. Text written in the Linl language asked him to confirm the request he inputted: The bathtub to be filled with water and ice. His finger tapped the blue-colored holographic “confirm” button, and then seconds later it began to fill with the water type he selected.
Phylarlie limped over to the tub, shedding her attire and footwear. Jazz saw her struggle to raise her pale blue legs into the tub, and so he moved over to assist. Her naked body slowly lowered into the freezing water below her, she was facing Jazz and holding on to his broad shoulders. He could tell she was hesitating to let go. Her eyes locked into his chest. Eventually she sank down as the tub finished filling up; water mixed with crushed ice submersed her whole body. Her head popped out from the cold abyss sometime afterward for air, and she sighed in relief.
Uprising of the Exiled (Splintered Galaxy Book 2) Page 11