Project Genesis
By Michelle Howard
Published by Michelle Howard
Copyright © 2014 by Michelle Howard
Edited by: Laura Kingsley
Cover Design by: www.estrellacoverart.com
Project Genesis
Dedication
This book is for the first hero in my life. A man who taught me that love is unconditional. Daddy this is for you. Thanks for never making me feel any different when I marched to my own beat. Thanks for not yelling too much when I ran out of gas at the tender age of 16, 21 and again…this year. (But we won’t talk about that). I love you
License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. The eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this novel with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please buy an additional copy for each recipient.
No part of this book may be distributed in any format, in whole or in part without the express written consent of the author.
Thank you for respecting the author's hard work.
This is a work of fiction and is not a reflection or representation of any person living or dead. Any similarity is of pure coincidence.
Chapter 1
Vin handed the Vice President of the United States off to his waiting Secret Service. “Be safe, Vice President Stone.” Maybe the agents would do a better job and not need Vin’s team, Alpha Squad, for another rescue any time soon.
Stone’s silver tipped head tilted to the side as he paused and extended his hand. Dirt streaked his tanned face but Nick Stone’s infamous dimples flashed. “Thank you and your men, soldier, for rescuing me.”
Vin accepted the firm grip and nodded. Though the Vice President lost the jacket to his navy suit, sported several rips in the white dress shirt and stood covered in blood, he offered Vin a pretty damn good salute before backing away.
Behind them the historical brick building, converted into office suites, gave a warning grumble. Even with the front door blown away, the old fashioned bank maintained a stately air that spoke of times gone by. Another rough rumble followed.
Suit covered men in dark shades quickly hustled Stone into the armored car idling at the curb. No thanks, from that group. A smirk curled his lips as the black sedan peeled out and jumped the curb. Vin maintained his guard, weapon up, until the last car pulled off followed by several black SUV’s in the procession. Hopefully, the Vice President’s detail would get him safely back to the White House.
As the six members of the Alpha Squad approached Vin expecting their next order, he tried to focus and plan their return route to their Command Center but his gaze strayed to the burned out brick and steel office four buildings away from the Community Rec they’d evacuated Stone from. Its frame leaned hard to the left, barely holding up on its supports. Steel beams arched under pressure maintaining weight in a manner it wasn’t designed to hold.
Fire burst from windows, sending shattered glass onto the sidewalk. Employees trickled from nearby buildings but they weren’t his mission. Vin’s team had been sent to rescue Vice President Stone and they had. Yet, Vin remained unmoving among the chaos of a ruined downtown street.
The entire block looked like a damn zoo. Alarms and horns blared as chunks of falling bricks falling battered parked cars. Acrid smoke tinged the air, burning Vin’s nostrils and agitating his enhanced sense of smell.
“Vin?”
The inquiry came from his right hand man Harkum. After only three hours of sleep, Harkum looked as crisp and together as he’d been when they rolled out of their bunks in response to the call from their boss to head to Baltimore and bring the VP out safely. That was typical of Harkum. Nothing disturbed the dark haired laid back giant.
Dressed in their customary black fatigues, a synth shirt lined with protective resisting fibers and military issued boots, Harkum cradled his G32 comfortably. Everyone believed the designers of the latest high tech weaponry who claimed it the best gun on the market. In earlier tests, the automatic assault rifle proved effective in simulated ground attacks. Alpha Squad would be the first to use it in field combat against the new enemy.
The new enemy, Vin snorted. A race of aliens, who referred to themselves as Rekabians, hit several prominent cities across the globe today in a premeditated airstrike. Baltimore was one of those cities. The visiting aliens’ actions today declared an end to any doubt as to why they were here. It seemed the battle had begun.
A battle unlike any Vin and his team were used to. Rescuing prominent civilians in war torn countries or retrieving electronic data from leaders who pushed the edge of good will with their actions was a far cry from what took place here. This fight pit the entire planet against life forms from another world. The rescue in Baltimore proved pivotal since it almost took out the Vice President during a speech to a group of business leaders and political allies. A loss of that magnitude led to disruption and chaos the US didn’t need. Of course, no one knew yet if the alien attackers had known of Stone’s presence when they launched the air strike.
The other members of the meeting had left earlier but Stone chose to stay behind to personally greet a janitor who mentioned a wife who had followed Stone’s career from his time as a young councilman. That gracious conversation almost cost the second man in charge of the US his life.
Vin continued to stare at the building that suffered the most destruction in the wake of today’s attack. The huge plated sign for LS&G Headquarters where his ex-lover worked, tilted on its chrome hinges. Helen Scott was the Director for the North Division of the large apparel retailer. Her role enabled her to report from home but more often than not, his little hellcat came to this building without fail each day. Even on Saturdays, like today when the air reeked of violence. Violence Vin became accustomed to so long ago he never thought about it any more.
Maybe his hunch was off. She traveled to Asia frequently visiting overseas plants and distributors. In fact, according to his mental calendar of Helen’s schedule, her return flight was due home this Monday, which meant she shouldn’t be here.
Vin rolled his shoulders in an attempt to loosen the knotted muscles. One day, he’d stop tracking her travels. Like he’d stopped taking her calls. He probably worried for nothing. Helen could be home, blithely unaware yet of what happened at her headquarters. Still that warning flare in his gut wouldn’t go away. Ignoring it wouldn’t change the feeling.
“Should we head out, Vin?” Harkum stared hard at Vin, a hint of concern in his blue eyes. Like all of his team, Harkum would follow wherever Vin led. It was how they’d adapted after what the team had gone through and they wouldn’t veer from the pattern today. “Our mission is complete. We need to hurry back.”
Time was of the essence. Their handler, David Slade, would be anxious for details of the encounter. Information and comparative studies would need to be started as they gradually built a case file on the invading Rekabians. But despite knowing the sense of urgency needed for their return trip to DC, Vin couldn’t force himself to turn his head away from the crumbling structure. Couldn’t force his feet to walk back to the armored SUV they’d arrived in. Duty warred with his heart. Concern battled his conscious.
Turning his back to face the opposite side of the street, Vin surveyed the entire area. It gave him a depressing view of another ruined downtown building damaged by laser fire. Sirens squealed as the ambulance and fire trucks finally cleared out with the injured. The streets emptied, leaving behind a deserted battle zone.
Fuck it. Vin began walking toward LS&G. His men trailed behind him. If the only way he could convince hims
elf to leave involved a thirty second call, he’d make that call. “Give me a minute, Harkum.”
Vin pulled out his encrypted cell and punched in the number he’d memorized long ago. The phone rang twice before a shaky voice answered. “Hello?”
Relief and excitement clashed with fear. Without conscious thought, his steps quickened as he headed toward the once elaborate structure. This was the first time he’d called her in months. Heard her voice outside those first voicemails when he’d initially stopped calling. Vin’s eyes remained on the entry point to LS&G. “It’s me, hellcat. Where are you?” Please be home. The whispered plea meant for whatever divinity available. But he knew her answer before she spoke.
“Oh, God, Vin. The Rekabians have attacked and I’m trapped in my office.”
And just like that, Vin’s senses went on red alert. After all he’d gone through, his only driving motivation was the knowledge Helen Scott was safe in the bubble of civilian life, far away from anything the government forced Vin to endure. He raced toward her headquarters, heart ramping up with the pulse that skipped a beat at her words. Harkum and the others formed a wall behind him, silently offering support for whatever he needed and keeping pace with him.
Vin focused narrowed on reaching the ruined glass and chrome main entrance. The quake in Helen’s voice worried him. No snappish retort for calling her by the hated nickname. No annoyed huff of laughter. Nothing of the woman he’d come to know very well during the time they’d shared together.
“I’m here, baby. It’s alright.” Her fear churned at his gut. He liked ball buster Helen better. This version had him playing hero with every intention of charging into the building without a plan to rescue her. Rash actions like that would see one of his men hurt or worse.
Vin spared a glance for the man at his side only to see Harkum raise a questioning brow. The delay almost cost Vin. He watched in horror as the bottom of the building shifted further.
“Vin!” Helen’s scream followed a loud rumbling groan.
Vin launched himself toward the entrance. Pounding steps behind, confirmed his men raced right along his side. He didn’t waste time telling them to go back. The sidewalk shook and rolled beneath their feet. The hair on the back of his neck curled. Already compromised from the previous hits, concrete and steel battled uselessly. Struts buckled further and the end crashed loudly on its sides, leaving the building even more off kilter than before.
“Vin!” Helen’s second scream sent chills racing up and down his arms. His grip on the phone tightened.
“Vin, what the hell, man?” Harkum barked out the words but Vin couldn’t explain yet. No time as his attention focused on saving the one bit of softness to ever touch his life.
Helen’s choked cry spurred him on.
“Helen, stay with me.” Vin switched the call to his ear com and dropped his cell into a pocket on his belted waist. The com device relayed her rapid breathing loudly in his ear. Every delicate pant increased his worry but at least his hands had freedom of motion. He shifted his weapon in his grip.
“I’m scared.”
“Nah,” he tried to joke as he jumped over what used to be a glass doorway into the building. Glass crunched under his boots. “You’re not allowed to be scared.” His men jumped lithely behind him as they stormed onward without a moment of hesitation.
The lobby was a dangerous minefield set to explode any moment. Lights and wiring hung from the ceiling causing an eerie halo effect. Sharp crackling in the air attested to the danger of those swinging strands as well as the two bodies laying on the floor. Perhaps, killed by laser blasts as they pierced the building walls or trying to escape the debris of a ceiling that now sported a humongous hole.
“I’m not…allowed to be scared. Really?” Her tone dipped, signaling a spark of anger. Helen hated to be contradicted.
Vin chuckled. Anger was good. The best part of riling his hellcat was being the one to soothe her. In the past, he’d soothed her against the wall, bent over her kitchen table and up against the counter in her bathroom. Those days were gone though. “Well, if I wasn’t around, I’d tell you to scream your head off for rescue.”
“Hmph, and what exactly are you suggesting this time? Vincent.” Vin’s cheeks warmed. Only Helen dared call him by his full name. He never should have told her it was alright when she asked but she’d caught him at a man’s weakest moment. Right after she’d blown him away with a soul shattering orgasm. At the time, it seemed a fair trade. Sex with Helen would make the staunchest man agree to foolish choices.
Bransen snorted after hearing her remark and bit off a grin. The pretty boy of the group should be glad Vin stood too far away to punch him. A black eye would ruin Bransen’s caramel skin tone and the green eyes the women whispered over. Or maybe a fat lip to keep him from speaking in Spanish and French to impress any of the ladies who managed to get close to them. The rest of Vin’s team didn’t bother to hide their smirks at a woman calling him by his full name.
“I need a way up,” Vin murmured to the group. He slowed his pace and studied his surroundings, hands braced on his hip, weapon slung over his shoulder. The once beautiful ceramic tile with its sunburst pattern protruded from the floor in jagged pieces making every step a hazard. The main lobby elevator dinged as its brass doors opened and closed repeatedly.
What had once represented a grand foyer now resembled the wreckage of a construction site gone bad. An impressive reception desk keeled on its side, a giant split down the middle of the expensive cherry wood. Papers fluttered in the air to join magazines and other debris on the ground.
Curtis, his go-to scout, retraced their steps from earlier, shaking his blond head when he returned in a no go gesture for the main stairs. Vin signaled to his men and they fanned out leaping into action, no questions asked. He needed a way to get to his hellcat.
If she were one of his soldiers, he’d instruct her to make her way down. But this was Helen. A woman he’d caught in her backyard feeding a stray cat with a crooked tail and a missing ear. The same woman who couldn’t start her day without caffeine. She was also his former lover who silently cried when she climaxed and surreptitiously wiped the tears in the dark as if he wouldn’t hear her sniffles.
“I’m coming,” Vin assured her.
Silence wavered on the line and then, “You’re here?” Doubt and hope filtered through the ear com. His men, able to listen to the line avoided his gaze. Joking and finding humor in his birth name was one thing. A woman scared to death in a volatile situation like this wasn’t something any of them would find funny.
“Downstairs as we speak.”
Harkum gave a short whistle and Alpha Squad hustled through the decimated lobby. Jackpot. To the left, he recognized a secondary stairway. Burned out bulbs lent shadows to the narrow space. An emergency exit sign tilted on the door. “Are you in your office, baby?” Maybe luck would smile in his direction and she’d admit to being on a lower level.
A shaky gasp then she cleared her throat and triumph soared through Vin. Those sounds gave credence to Helen Scott getting herself together. “Yes…um… I was down the hall from my office in the break room getting coffee when everything started.” ‘Everything’, euphemism for shitty alien attack with piss-poor timing.
Shit, her office. Apparently, luck decided to smile at another bastard while Vin rolled on. He remembered the layout from his rare visits. Eleventh f-ing floor.
Vin signaled his men with a hand gesture and received six nods in return. Their boots rang overloud in the hollow stairway, the echo coming back at them in stereo. Curtis flinched but continued on. Sounds occasionally gave his boy problems. Curtis' enhanced hearing tested as the strongest of the group after the experiments they’d endured. Vin studied his scout a moment longer confirming his fitness. Curtis didn’t hesitate and offered Vin a chin lift. Good enough, he’d let Vin know if he had issues.
Considering the state of the building, this particular stairwell remained surprisingly intact with only c
racks in the pale green walls hinting at the damage sustained on the outside. Helen’s breath hitched in his ear.
“Okay, I have a couple questions for you while I make my way up.” Time to distract her with meaningless chatter before she broke down.
“You’re serious. You’re really here, Vin.” Relief crashed through her tone. The strong façade she’d mustered weakened. None of his men could miss the fine tremor in her voice. They exchanged glances. How many times did they perform what was to be a simple in and out only to have hysterics throw a wrench in the works? Damn if that didn’t speed up their pace.
Nothing could happen to Helen. Vin managed to wake up every day and face the changes in his life because he’d tasted happiness once. Happiness from spending time with this woman who had no idea of the power of the gift she’d given him.
Vin needed her alert and strong. A frightened victim was liable to make bad decisions in a situation like this. “Hellcat, I promise, I am here and I will get you out. But you have to promise me something in return.”
Curtis paused on the second floor landing. Harkum came up on his left, dark head cocked to the side. Vin listened and they all heard the same thing. Running water. A quick glance down showed dry ground around their boots. Pipes busted somewhere. Combined with the live wires this place just became even more of a death trap to the unwary.
‘Keep moving,’ Vin mouthed. He added a hurry up gesture. They double timed it around the next set of stairs, a breeze whipping over his face from the increased speed that was in no way natural.
“What do you want me to promise?”
Such acceptance and faith. Had anyone else every given Vin that same level of honesty and trust?
“Promise me that no matter what you hear, you won’t panic and run out of your office. I know where you are right now but if you move from your position, I can’t guarantee I’ll know how to find you.” That was a lie. He’d find her if he had to take what was left of the building apart, cement block by cement block.
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