The Pack

by LM. Preston

  “David, come on!” she yelled then climbed on her cycle, and waited for him. She knew the boy hadn’t followed, for which she was glad. Hopefully, that would be the last she saw of him.

  “Hey, Sis, you ready?” David asked. He already knew the answer from the look on her face, so he quickly put his helmet on and mounted Pearl behind her.

  Chapter 5

  As they approached the house, Shamira knew immediately that her parents were home. She sensed them while they watched as she drove up with David behind her on the motorcycle. Can this day get any worse? she wondered.

  “Shamira, get in here at once!” her father said. She could imagine him as he stood on the front porch with his arms crossed, her mom beside him with her condemning stare.

  “I’m coming,” she said and climbed off her motorcycle. David quickly followed.

  “Hurry it up, Shamira!” her dad bellowed. He’s really angry now. He only yelled at her when she had done something really, really bad.

  “Pearl, go park yourself,” she said then took off her helmet and placed it on her hip. Her motorcycle followed her command immediately and drove into the garage, which opened then closed behind it. She and David took deep breaths and bravely headed to the door. Her parents stood aside while the two kids walked inside the house.

  “David, go to your room. You’re grounded for the remainder of the day because you didn’t have your earlink in. Shamira, sit down on the couch. Now!” her dad said. She felt him point at the place he wanted her to sit, so she headed to the far end of the couch. Adjusting her jacket so it further concealed her weapons, she tried to look casual since she intended to play stupid.

  “I thought I told you last night that I didn’t want you to go out today, especially with David,” her dad said.

  “Nelson, let me handle this,” her mom added calmly.

  Uh oh, Shamira thought, this is big trouble.

  Her mom started in. “Shamira, we’re tired of warning you and giving you rules you refuse to follow. You, my dear, have given us no choice. When you return from your trip to Earth, you are getting tagged.” From the tone of her voice, there was absolutely no chance of coercing her otherwise.

  “Katherine, let’s wait on that punishment, alright?” her dad begged, trying to cut his daughter some slack.

  “For what, Nelson? Why wait? I’ll not keep tolerating her total disobedience. She’s going to get herself and her brother hurt if she keeps this up!” her mom said.

  “Look, don’t argue because of me. When I get back from Earth, I’ll work harder at behaving. Heck, I’ll lay low for the next week and stay in the house, okay? I don’t want you to fight,” Shamira said quietly.

  Her father reached out to touch her shoulder. “Shamira, you are not the reason we’re fighting. We’re just under a lot of stress right now. Your trip to Earth is tomorrow. We have no choice but to do it now because the opportunity may not arise again. Earth will be cutting off trade with Mars until we can get things here under control. We will not delay your surgery any further. Your mother and brother will be staying here while I take you for your surgery,” her dad said gravely.

  “Why can’t David go? He’s never been to Earth. He deserves a chance to see the place he came from, doesn’t he?” she argued then stood.

  “It can’t be helped. It’s too dangerous. Several of the last flights to Earth have been attacked. We can only hope we will make it safely there and back. I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself if we get in any trouble, but David has been unmotivated with his training. That is something you will have to address, Shamira, when we return,” her father added.

  “Is there anything else you want to tell me? If not, I’d better go pack,” Shamira added and stood to go to her room.

  “Yes,” her dad said dryly. “You’re to stay in your room until we leave. You’re grounded.” Even though he was still angry, his words didn’t have the same bite like they had moments before. Instead, he sounded tired, very tired.

  “Yes, sir.” Shamira turned to walk directly to her room. She didn’t have time to spare thinking about her trip to Earth. She had to upload the information she had gathered into the supercomputer at the Security Force Headquarters. She sat down at her desk and keyed in the code that would send her message in the form of a wrapped virus to the supercomputer. They would never know who sent it or from where.

  She got up and took off her jacket and glasses. She knew hiding them would do her little good now that her parents had seen her in them, but she still folded them neatly and placed them in the hidden compartment of her closet with her most treasured weapons. Heading to her shower, she felt the floor warm beneath her feet. She walked directly inside and turned on the hot, pulsing water, unbraiding her hip-length hair while water poured down her back. This trip to Earth is going to be the longest trip ever.

  Chapter 6

  Shamira refused to hurry. She didn’t want to go to Earth, and she definitely wasn’t ready to have her eyesight back. Not to mention, she was scared to death from all the questions running through her mind. Will I lose my abilities when I’m able to see? Willi think I’m pretty? How will this change the comfortable world I’ve build for myself? She also wondered why this was so important to her parents. She wondered if gaining her sight would make her perfect in their eyes. In any case, she hoped traveling and the surgery would be quick. She had to get back before her lead left town. She slowly folded her clothes and longingly touched the makeshift weapons she would have to leave behind.

  After she packed, she was determined to talk to her brother before she left. She closed her suitcase and then tapped in the code on the top to direct it to go straight to the living room. She heard it roll off. It was still earlier than David liked to wake up, but she had to steal a hug from him since it would be at least a week before she saw him again. Quietly, she walked to his room. She could hear her parents while they talked softly in the kitchen, and she planned to practice her eavesdropping skills after she finished with David.

  He sat up in bed like he’d been waiting for her. She heard him move slightly when she stepped over the threshold of the doorway.

  “Shamira, I wanted to come to your room to tell you goodbye. I wish I could see Earth,” David said in a sleepy voice.

  “Oh, you will see Earth one day. I wish you could go too. You’re the first person I’d like to lay eyes on when I get my sight,” she said. Then she sat on his bed and messed with his hair.

  “Well, you already know what I look like. I have brown eyes, stupid dark brown hair, and I’m really big and strong. You know… I look like Dad, only a little stronger, actually,” he said with a chuckle.

  “I bet you do. I can’t wait to come home and see you,” she said. She then leaned in to hug him.

  “You already see me, Shamira,” he said hugging her back tightly.

  “I have to go, goofball. You better be training with Mom while I’m gone. I don’t want you getting soft on me,” she said. She then stood and walked out before he saw the lone teardrop from her eye.

  She walked toward the front door and noticed that her parents’ voices instantly stopped. No eavesdropping today, I guess. “I’m ready, Dad,” she said quite unenthusiastically, waiting near the door.

  “It’s about time. We better get going. I didn’t realize how close we are cutting it,” he said, then opened the door. She felt the air shift, and her mom moved quietly toward her.

  “Shamira, enjoy this. Enjoy being able to see. It’s all that I have hoped for you. I always wanted you to have a normal life with all it has to offer you. You’ll love being able to see, just wait. Now hurry before your father leaves without you,” she added. She tried to make a laugh at the end, but Shamira could hear a tremor of uncertainty in her mom’s voice. Hum, what’s that about, she would ponder that later. She grabbed her bag and walked to the car.

  Her dad drove in silence to the spaceport. They flew at a higher altitude than some of the other air drivers. Most people ten
ded to stay on the ground unless they were going long distances. Her dad only went in flight mode when they were traveling from their Sector to another, something they rarely did anymore. The crime level had skyrocketed in all Sectors, keeping the Security Force Elite much too busy for face-to-face meetings.

  “We’re here, Shamira. Follow me and don’t slow down. The androids will grab our bags and park the car. We need to hurry. This may be the last space flight going out for a while,” he said gravely. She didn’t hesitate when she placed her finger on the panel to release the door. The door slid into the body of the car, and she got out. Her dad touched her so that she would know where to follow him.

  “Dad, you don’t need to lead me. I can smell you, so just walk.” She hated when he treated her like she was weak. He knew some of her unique abilities included being able to differentiate between odors. She could especially pick out the smell of her family. They were the most familiar scents and stood out in the midst of many other odors.

  “Hello, Special Nobel. We’re honored to have you on our flight. Please follow me this way,” said the female android. Androids were not plentiful on Mars because it was very expensive to ship them, but the majority of them could commonly be found in established places like the spaceport.

  “Hello. Can you make sure we have a seat near an exit bay?” her father asked the android. Shamira frowned, wondering what made her dad request to be near the escape pods. Again, she thought about the hushed whispers of her parents.

  “Dad, why would you request that?” she asked, and he pulled her by her arm to keep her moving.

  “Don’t concern yourself, Shamira. Let’s go,” he added, and without consideration to her feelings, he took off in a jog. She reluctantly followed, and before long, they came to a stop. She felt the presence of the massive passenger ship and almost missed her step. Before she could right herself, her father pulled her forward over the threshold.

  “Sit down and buckle up. We made it just before takeoff. You should take a nap because it’s about an eight-hour ride. I’ve got some work to do, so I won’t be much company until we get you to the hospital, got it?” he asked, and she heard him pull out his suitcase.

  Shamira didn’t fight sleep. It was easy to doze right off since she’d had a late night and plenty of questions to keep her from sleeping soundly through it. She had tossed and turned, thinking about the kids and the boy she met. For a moment, she had actually felt sorry for him. Even though she had her issues with her mother, she couldn’t imagine coming home to find her dead and her father and brother missing. She wondered how he made it all the way from Sector One, because it was a two-hour drive to Sector Five. She wondered how he had known to track down Lenny. She’d been tracking the sleaze ball for weeks, of course, using all her devices to do it, but she wasn’t sure how this boy had managed.

  As she thought about it, Shamira was certain her mother would be one of the Elite that would intercept her tip sent to the Security Force computer. Then, they would at least have a place to start looking. The Outlands were a pretty tough territory to search. She dreaded the thought but figured that it may be one of the places she would have to venture into with her new sight. She just wasn’t sure she was ready to actually see what there was to see there.

  In her stupor, she heard various passengers whispering about how dangerous it was to travel and that the Elite Security Force members were being hunted down like animals, many of them killed. Rather than worrying about it, she let their whispers lull her to sleep.

  The loudspeaker woke Shamira from her nap. “Ladies and gentleman, we’re landing on Earth in just thirty minutes. We thank you for flying with us on Space AirJet. Please remain in your seats until we land in DC,” said the voice on the loudspeaker.

  “Dad, did I sleep the whole time?” Shamira asked, batting her eyes several times to cure their dryness. She never slept that deeply, but then she hadn’t been on a spaceship recently either.

  “Yes, you did. Oh, Shamira, you need to be prepared for the slight gravity change when we get to Earth. It’ll feel a little heavier when you walk. It usually takes a good two weeks to get used to it, so take it easy and don’t try to run. Oh, also, your surgery is scheduled for today. We’ll make it in just enough time for you to get checked into the hospital and put under.”

  “Great.” She had very little excitement in her voice, and she figured her dad could tell she was a bit reluctant. She didn’t care if he knew she didn’t want to be here. He gently patted her hand.

  The craft started to descend, and she felt the change in pressure, which was more enhanced than when she flew on Mars. They landed smoothly at the Earth Space Pad.

  Chapter 7

  She instantly felt what her dad had warned her about, a very heavy pressure weighing down on her, like her clothes were made of lead. Wiggling in her seat to adjust to the change, she stretched out while she tried to fight against the pull of gravity.

  “Ladies and gentleman, please take the injection from the vial administered by the robotic arm in the seat in front of you. It will speed up the adjustment to Earth’s gravity pull,” the voice on the speaker said cheerfully.

  “Shamira, it’s okay. The doctor told us this won’t affect your surgery, so go ahead,” her dad reassured her.

  “Fine. Will it hurt?” she asked then straightened her arm. Before her father could answer her, the metal robotic hand held her heavy arm in place, and then she felt a suction of her skin just under her shoulder. She felt tingling when the medicine sank in. Almost instantly, she wiggled her arms and noticed the effect.

  “Better?” her dad asked.

  “Yep. Just like home,” Shamira added.

  Her dad pulled her up beside him and again dragged her forward. She was really starting to get ticked off with his manhandling. He had never treated her like this before, like some kind of helpless ragdoll. Why is he acting like I’m so helpless all the sudden? She pulled back from him and jerked her arm away. “Dad, stop it! Stop treating me like I can’t find my way, okay? You’re ticking me off,” Shamira said. She stood straight and wouldn’t budge, and her dad didn’t try to pull her anymore.

  “I’m sorry, pumpkin. I’m just worried because I know this is all new to you. Just keep up with me, okay? The Earth Security Force has a car waiting for us at the gate. Just follow closely. It’s not much safer for us here than on Mars right now, so let’s go,” he said and walked toward the exit. She followed him and felt the press of others around them while they ran through the Space Pad. She focused on the scent of her father and the path before her. Earth smells were rather overwhelming to her. The odors were so different it started to smell acidic instead of pleasant, and she started to feel dizzy from the onslaught of foreign scents. When they arrived at the vehicle, her dad grabbed her hand and pulled her inside its warmth.

  “This place has so many smells. It’s giving me a headache,” Shamira said. She placed her hand over her nose and shook her head side to side to try to orientate herself to this new environment.

  “I’ll close the windows. Hey, Jake, I didn’t know you were picking us up!” her dad exclaimed. He leaned forward to pat the driver on the shoulder.

  “You know whenever you come to Earth, I have to be the first friendly face you see. I nearly tackled the new guy down to get to the car so I could pick you up. Hey, your little girl grew up to be a beauty! Man, her eyes are stunning. I’ve never seen eyes such a pale blue. She’s got that burnt brownish gold hair just like her mother. How is Katherine, by the way? Still a bad ass?” The guy named Jake laughed.

  “You know it. That’s why I married her. I wanted a woman that could keep up with me. Oh, and Shamira’s eyes are a result of the accident. Hopefully, they can fix the color when we get the surgery today. Shamira, this here is my old friend, Jake, one of the guys that started training with me in the Elite Security Force for Mars,” her dad said. He sounds so happy to see his friend, Shamira thought. She wondered if he regretted his decision to leave his
family and friends to move to Mars.

  “Hi, Mr. Jake,” Shamira said in a flat tone. Her thoughts were not on being polite, for she knew that by this time tomorrow, her life would be changed forever. She took a whiff of the air and realized that Jake had a nice, strong smell to him. It was a bit musty, so she figured he was a larger man. Most large people had a heavier scent. He must be bigger than Dad. She sniffed again and also realized he must be rather hairy, too, because his odor held a deeper smell of heavy cologne. It had to have somewhere to linger at this late time in the day, and usually people with hair carried false scents longer.

  “Oh, she’s a quiet one, I take it. Why did you wait so long to come back to visit? We’ve been hearing a lot about Mars at Headquarters, and it isn’t good. After we drop her off, you only have a short while before the emergency meeting. You’ll not want to miss that,” Jake said, his voice growing heavy. They’d been moving at a steady pace and now were coming to a sudden stop. “Here we are—Johns Hopkins Hospital. Let yourselves out and go to the first floor. They’re waiting for you. Here on Earth, Security Force members are treated exceptionally well. I’ll be back for you in forty-five minutes, Nelson. Don’t be late,” he said.

  Shamira felt the air pour into the vehicle when the door opened. The overpowering odors hit her at once. She focused on getting out of the vehicle without making a fool of herself and walked around it to the other side where her dad stood.

  Jake couldn’t believe how well she got around with her disability. “Hey, Nelson, you sure that girl can’t already see? I didn’t expect a blind person to have that much sense of their surroundings!” Jake laughed.