by KG Stutts
"That's enough," Blanchard snapped.
"The truth hurts, General." Nova shrugged. Suddenly he stood up straight and began checking his pockets. “Ah, man. I’m out of gum.”
“Forget your gum,” Lewis grumbled. “Focus.”
“It’d be easier to focus if I had gum.”
"All right." Morris clapped his hands together. "As much as it pains me to say anything in support of General Windbag, Earth is in trouble if Rudo has activated his machine."
The trio looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
"Wake Ember," Lewis ordered. "We'll do it."
It was the first time Liam had heard anyone refer to the woman by her first name. The dynamic of the group intrigued him. Admiration and an edge of danger mixed in their voices when they spoke of their leader. A part of him wondered just what he was getting into with this group. Thankfully the trio seemed to disregard the Major completely, probably thinking he was there to act as muscle in case Wilson got out of control. If that was the case, they were only partially right.
A lab technician carefully brought Ember Wilson out of stasis. Liam stood back as her team surrounded the final pod. Her violet eyes fluttered open and Liam’s hands began to shake. He couldn’t believe how stunning she was.
"What the hell?" she groaned.
"You'll feel sick to your stomach for a moment, but it will pass," Lewis informed her.
"My head," she muttered, rubbing her temple. "What did that empty-headed, bureaucrat ass kisser Blanchard to do to me? How long have we been out?"
“Two years,” he replied.
"Wilson, take a second to get your bearings," Morris said.
“You’ll feel back to normal in a moment,” Nova added.
She scanned the lab, coming to a stop the moment her eyes locked on the General. Her foot pressed against the back of the pod, her eyes wild with anger.
"You son of a bitch!" she yelled as she used her foot to launch herself in the air.
Nova and Morris caught her before she could reach Blanchard. She kicked and screamed for freedom but the duo wouldn't budge. She jerked against the hold they had on her arms, spitting and cursing.
"I know," Lewis calmly said as he stood in front of her. Her foot was inches from his chin when she kicked. "Hey, it’s okay. I know. But there are more pressing matters at hand than him."
"Rudo?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"You got it."
"You moron!" she shouted, looking over Lewis’ shoulder to Blanchard. "You had the chance to stop it before he could act but you were too much of a coward!"
"I'm sorry--"
"Sorry? Sorry?" Her voice was nearly shrieking. "Not yet, but you will be."
"Wilson, Rudo used the weather machine," Nova stated, his face contorted as he strained to keep his hold on her.
"Of course he did! And now we've got to clean up the mess."
"Whatever problems you and I have aren't important right now," Blanchard said.
"You got that right," she snapped. "I'm going to finish what I started and kill Rudo and maybe you'll be lucky not to meet my blaster."
"There's no cause for that," Liam spoke up.
Her purple eyes looked upon the Major for the first time. He instantly regretted interrupting. She stopped struggling against Nova and Morris. A low growl rumbled from deep in her throat as her eyes narrowed. He shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with the hem of his dress blues. The coldness in her eyes made him shiver.
"Who's the uniform?" She nodded in his direction.
"This is Major Liam Ross," Blanchard introduced. "His team will be working with yours on this mission."
"Absolutely not." Ember shook her head as Nova and Morris let go of her arms. "We're all you need."
"President Packer disagrees."
"I don't give a flying monkey's butt what Packer says."
"This is bigger than your raid on Rudo. You need the man power."
“No one else could’ve broken into the compound! We don’t need or want the help.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
"Doesn’t matter.” Ember fumed. “In case you’ve forgotten, we don't work well with others."
"I know. The leader of the Luteus team still isn’t one hundred percent after the skirmish your two teams had."
"It was a training exercise. Besides, if Mark is still healing after all this time, he should spend time in a therapy tank. That's not my problem."
"Regardless of how you feel, this is the situation. Or you can be put back into the stasis chamber."
"Not on your life." Ember's lips twitched.
"Glad we've reached an accord." Blanchard nodded.
Wilson turned to Ross again, sizing him up. He was tall and, judging by the way his Air Force blues molded to him, was very muscular. His brown hair framed his handsome face but didn't touch the collar of his impeccably clean uniform. Soft brown eyes were watching her intensely.
“Can your pretty boy even hold a blaster?" She questioned Blanchard, nodding toward Liam.
“Direct your inquiries toward me." Liam stood up straighter.
Ember raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. "Oh, yeah?"
"I'll have you know that I'm the number one ranking sharpshooter in the world," he told her.
"It's cute you think like that. Rankings don't mean shit," she said. "Scores on a piece of paper are useless in the field."
"I assure you, Major Ross and his five squad members are more than capable of the task," the General said.
"Five?" The members of Amethyst began to laugh.
"You need a squad of five?" Ember chuckled. "Rookie."
"You only need three on your team?" Liam incredulously asked.
"I only need two, but Nova grew on me."
"Aw, thanks, Wilson.” Nova grinned. “That may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
Ember's eyes burned into the Major's as she continued to assess him.
"All right, pretty boy. Let's see what you and your boys can do," she said. "Collect your squad and meet us in the training center."
Chapter Two
Amethyst was already in the training center when Ross arrived with his squad. The quartet seemed unimpressed by the Air Force team in their fatigues. They looked thoroughly military trained which to Ember meant they didn't have a creative thought between them. All rules and regulations. The perfect soldier.
She scowled. Of course her father would assign a bunch of boy scouts for this mission.
“Kevin McKnight, Henry Lassiter, Corey Johnston, Robert Martin, and Conner Walsh," Major Liam Ross said, introducing his team and gesturing to each member in turn.
Kevin McKnight blushed as he was introduced. He was short and lean with dirty blond hair and green eyes. Henry Lassiter waved at her. He was a man of average height and build, albeit plain looking. Ember rolled her eyes as he grinned at her. Corey Johnston was incredibly tall, towering over all the other men in the room. He was bald with a full beard. Conner Walsh was a chubby man with red curly hair and blue eyes. Ember wondered if he was over the military weight limit.
“There's no way I'm going to remember your names," Ember stated.
Liam pressed his lips together in a thin line. “Are you even going to try to cooperate with the General's orders?”
“Not likely.”
Liam sighed. "Come on, men. Let's show her what we're made of."
Among the science labs and military offices, the Lunis Two space station was fully equipped with a martial arts studio, a shooting range, and training simulators. The training room was Ember’s favorite place to be in the station. Dozens of silver stripes, which housed thousands of microscopic holographic projectors and sensors, lined the black walls. On a separate wall hung a computer console. Next to the console was a line of various handheld weapons of different weights and lengths. The upper level of the training room housed a gallery to view the sessions so the instructors could survey the cadets as they train without distraction. The
Amethyst team went into the viewing gallery and watched Ross' team activate one of the hologram simulator programs.
"Children," Lewis said as they watched the military team spread out. Ember nodded in agreement.
The chosen training program was designed to recreate a battlefield. The black walls disappeared as the computer created a realistic looking city torn apart by a war. Below them, Amethyst could hear the crumbling of buildings and painful cries as a horde of robots attacked. The goal of the exercise was to incapacitate the robot enemies and save twelve civilians.
"How much time do you think?" Nova asked.
"I'd give it fifteen minutes," Lewis said.
"Under ten minutes before Major Tight-pants is alone," Ember chimed in.
Morris chuckled. "I bet a lithium bar they are all eliminated in twelve."
"I'll take that bet," Nova said. “What are the odds someone will bleed within five?”
“Safety protocols are in place to avoid that,” Morris replied.
“I know but this group looks like they would figure out a way to gush blood.”
"Platinum bar says they don't save all the hologram people," Morris said.
"Look at you throwing out lithium and platinum bars," Ember mused, not taking her eyes off the field.
"I've invested wisely."
Lewis grinned. "Two pounds of chocolate says the chubby one drops his blaster."
"That's not nice." Ember clicked her tongue at him. "But a gold bar says he's the first one stunned."
"You're on."
Several of the Air Force servicemen quickly became overwhelmed. They scurried around the field, trying to formulate a plan. No one dropped their weapons, but the one Ember pegged did get knocked out first. Lewis sighed and said she would get the bar after dinner. Eight minutes into the training exercise, five of the military personnel were stunned. Major Ross was alone with only three civilians saved and a platoon of robots after him.
"He doesn't stand a chance," Morris said.
Ember leaned forward in her chair, her elbows resting on her knees. Her eyes focused on the Major, curious about his plan.
"You can learn a lot about someone by watching them fight," she said. "Pretense doesn't matter in a battle."
The Major proved to be smart, resourceful, and fast with a blaster. He managed to rescue eight of the civilians on his own.
"He's good. I mean, damn good," Nova noted.
"Probably better than Lewis." Morris teased.
Lewis elbowed Morris in the ribs. "Not a chance."
Ross was stunned to the ground as he attempted to save the last person, ending the simulation. Amethyst descended on the field as the computer quit projecting the fake city. The military squad gathered around them, looking battered from the trial.
"Not bad," Ember said.
"Not bad?" One of them with the name Lassiter on his jacket echoed. "I had never taken part of a simulation like it."
"Yeah, like you could do better," another one, McKnight, scoffed.
"We can and we have," Nova bragged.
"Prove it," Walsh said.
Ember grinned but there was no amusement behind it. "Stand back, ladies. You don't want to get hurt."
#
Once Amethyst was alone on the field, Ember gave the order to start the exercise. The computer filled in the space around them, recreating the earlier exercise.
"Lewis, you're with me," she ordered. "Nova and Morris, save the kids."
Nova and Morris sprinted off to where they could hear cries for help. Ember charged her battery pack on her blaster as Lewis pressed his back into hers. They waited until several enemies had discovered their location. Ember launched herself in the air, landing on the shoulders of an approaching robot. It tried to toss her off, but she reached under the metal collar and pulled out several wires. She rolled forward as it fell to the ground.
Lewis blasted the mechanical head off another robot as Ember blew a hole through the stomach of one that tried to grab her. The duo continued in tandem, disabling the enemies around them in less than seven minutes. Nova and Morris converged on their location, grinning ear to ear. The simulation came to an end.
"You guys are fantastic!" the guy with the name Johnston exclaimed.
"Barely broke a sweat." Lewis shrugged.
“Come on, guys. Let’s get something to eat,” Morris suggested.
Lewis and Ember held back as the others went to the mess hall. A small smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth as Lewis pulled two bamboo swords from the wall of weapons next to the console. She rolled her shoulders back as she felt the weight of the shinai weapon in her hands.
"Think you can hang?" he asked.
Ember raised an eyebrow as she tapped the end of the bamboo cane on the floor. She held the stick just above her right shoulder, her left arm bent defensively at her stomach.
Lewis swung his stick at her midsection which she casually blocked. The duo circled each other a few times before he swiped at her ankles. Their weapons knocked as she parried the strike. She swung up and connected the tip of her stick against his wrist. Lewis dropped back, swearing under his breath as he cradled his wrist against his stomach. Her lips curled into a snarl as she advanced toward him.
The sound of the wood cracking echoed in the training room. Lewis pushed off against her cane and struck her wrist.
"Now we're even," he said.
"Not for long," she taunted, continuing her assault.
He raised his stick over his head and swung, connecting against her shoulder. She winced and landed a strong kick to his midsection. Lewis fell to the ground. Ember was favoring her shoulder but still managed to disarm him.
"I win." She flashed a smile.
#
Watching Amethyst destroy the training simulation made Major Liam Ross incredibly nervous. His team was completely outclassed by the quartet. Doubt filled his mind as Ember dismantled a robot in one swift motion.
Unbeknown to them, he hung back in the observation deck as Ember Wilson and Michael Lewis continued their exercise with bamboo swords. The sound of the wood smacking together filled the small arena. He watched Ember with great interest, trying to get a read of the woman.
No doubt she was beautiful. Raven hair down the middle of her back, porcelain skin and those striking violet eyes ... she was unforgettable. But there was something beneath her surface that seemed to draw Liam closer to her but he couldn't pinpoint what.
A chill ran down his spine as the duo continued their combat. She could fight like no one he had ever seen. Suddenly he knew why General Blanchard ordered his team to work with Amethyst.
Liam swallowed the hard lump forming in his throat. She was strong, fierce ... and deadly. One thing for certain was that Ember, and the three other members of Amethyst, were dangerous. Failure to keep that in mind could cost him and everyone on the planet their lives. Every member of Amethyst deserved respect for their abilities but they should also be feared.
He watched as Ember disarmed her teammate with extreme precision. She was different. Assertive. Confident. Sexy.
Deadly.
Chapter Three
Lewis knocked Ember into the wall of her quarters. Picture frames rattled as his mouth covered hers. She tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth, pulling his shirt free from his pants. His tongue traced her lip before plunging deep into her mouth.
Ember ripped his shirt open and discarded the scraps. A mirror on the wall shattered from one of her shoes when she hastily kicked it off. Lewis impatiently tore at her shirt. He bit her shoulder as her bra came off. He picked her up as they kissed, knocking items off her dresser. Her nails clawed his shoulders as he unbuttoned her pants. Ember shoved him off and removed her clothes. Lewis kicked his remaining garments off and they collided on her bed.
Afterward, Ember stared up at the ceiling as Lewis went into her private bathroom to clean up.
"It certainly has been a while," Lewis said when he came out.
"Don't talk,
" Ember ordered.
Lewis grinned as he pulled up his pants. "Same old Ember. No cuddles?"
Ember rolled her eyes as she reached for a clean shirt.
"Want cuddles? Go find a girlfriend. Want dirty, toe curling sex? Talk to me."
Lewis sighed and bent down to kiss her but she pulled back.
"You know the rules. No kissing after sex."
Lewis shook his head. "You're a real piece of work, Wilson."
"I don't do nice," she flatly said. "I don't do intimacy."
"Stasis hasn't thawed the ice princess."
"I resent that."
"Forgot how much you hate the word."
"Laura is the princess, not me."
“And you despise your sister so much, you even dyed your hair to avoid looking like her."
Ember's eyes flashed. "Goodnight," she sternly said.
#
A part of her hated the way she acted the moment Lewis left. So what if he wanted to kiss her? Was that really a bad thing?
Yes, she decided. She didn't want emotions and feelings to get confused with their occasional physical relationship. So much of her focus over the last couple of years had been on preparing for the Genesis Project.
Genesis. The brainchild of a scientist who lived more than a thousand years ago. Once, Earth used clones as a tool for mankind. That was before the population knew the existence of other worlds and races. Now there were five teams of genetically enhanced humans to protect Earth's people and resources.
Each team had something different to offer. Led by Lance Daniels, Aureus was a team of pilots, characterized by their bright yellow eyes. They were the best of the best when it came to battles fought in space. Vinidus, known for their unnatural emerald green eyes, were weapons specialists. They were led by Jacob Conner, whom she had known since childhood. Mark Hopkins led the pumpkin-eyed Luteus team of sharpshooters. The teal-eyed team of information specialists, Caeruleus, was led by Shawn Silvers.