by Justin Sloan
“I’ll get on the secure line, put this in the right hands, but you’ll need to go to them, get them the proof.” He looked the group over—Shrina, Triston, Alicia, Marick, and Pete. “All five of you. Over the next few days, you’ll be what stands between civilization as we know it and New Origins’ plans to overthrow the governments of Earth. Can I count on you?”
“Sir, Mr. Ambassador,” Triston said and ran a hand through his hair. “You want me on this?”
“There’s nobody I trust more than you, and I know you’ll do the right thing. If push comes to shove, you’ll stand up for what you believe. I know that because I know you, and your being here right now solidifies that point.”
Alicia glanced at the Taipan who had joined them, betraying his colleague in the process, and frowned. He’d made the move, but how committed was he? For all she knew, he could be part of some grand scheme. Then again, if the others were taking leaps of faith here, maybe she needed to also. She’d keep an eye on him, but for now she’d accept him onto the team. If he was legit, having another former Taipan with them would mean more security and less worrying for their lives, especially now that Nightshade and the rest of her team were out of the picture.
“You can count on us,” Alicia said, nodding. “Just get us where we need to be, and we’ll take it from there.”
He agreed, then went about making arrangements for a jet to get them there ASAP, one that would stay out of Space Station Horus’s range. The last thing they needed was to be setting off alarms so the attack would begin sooner. If they moved fast enough, they could cut the attack off before it even truly began.
The team was dismissed and found themselves out in the lobby, waiting for the jet to be readied. It wasn’t just that it needed to be fueled. The ambassador was having his best people go over it to ensure it couldn’t be tracked, as well as outfitting it with extra weapons in case they came across trouble. He, of course, took time to look over the data on the chip and assured Alicia they were risking their lives for good reason. He was proud of them, and said it was people like her who had inspired him to serve the people in the first place.
“All of you,” he said to the team, “the future is in your hands. Grasp it, take control, and ensure it’s a future you’d want to raise your children in.” Then he wished them luck, sending them on their way.
As the team of five settled into the plane, they took turns washing up and getting into more comfortable clothes, Pete being very glad to be out of the Taipan armor.
“Although,” Alicia pointed out, “don’t ditch it in case we need it when infiltrating the space station.”
“You really think it’ll come to that?” Pete asked with a frown.
Marick grunted. “Who else would they send? Nobody else has our training or our knowledge of the station.”
“It’s the only sensible move,” Alicia agreed.
“Damn.” Pete reclined in his seat, closing his eyes. “Well, that’s all well and good, and I’ll do it, especially since we still need to get Trish out of there. But right now, I need my beauty rest.”
Marick laughed but then stretched with a yawn. “I know what you mean.”
But not Alicia. She had her screen up, already connecting to the plane’s computer system, looking for ways to get through to Horus. She tried to tune the others out as they discussed Kazuo and Kumakura’s betrayal and then moved on to asking questions of Triston. He seemed great, but they needed to rest and she needed to send this message. From the sound of their mission ahead, they’d have plenty of chances to get to know Triston.
After a few attempts, she saw a blinking message: Communication received. Swinger ready and waiting. Keep us updated.
Alicia turned from the screen, leaned over, and kissed Marick on the side of the cheek.
“What was that for?” he asked groggily.
“We did it. We got a message to the team.”
“One way or another,” he said, beaming, “this is all coming to a close shortly.”
They sat back, at ease. Anything could happen in Washington. It was entirely possible that they’d get shut down or told to go into hiding, but that wouldn’t stop them. They were fighters, determined to see this through.
Alicia watched the sunrise outside, smiling at the sight of the clouds turning orange beneath them, but she preferred the sight of her husband sitting next to her with his eyes closed. She scooted down in her chair, put her head on his shoulder, and drifted off to sleep.
THE END
Author Notes
I hope you’re having fun with the Biotech Wars! I thought it would be fun to spend some time getting to know these characters more, but also getting to see Marick and Alicia as if they were on their honeymoon that they never got. Okay, it’s not exactly a honeymoon, but they got to see the world and were able to spend some fun time together, even if they didn’t get exactly fully acquainted again as husband and wife should, lol.
This second book launched fairly soon after book one released, as I didn’t want to keep you waiting. To accomplish this, I have to give a big thank you to my newest editor, Myra Shelley! Also, to my amazing BETA/JIT readers, and everyone who helped support book one as well! I’m already hard at work on book three, and it’s going to be a special one.
After all of this, you just might see some more stories with your new favorite characters (big assumption, but I hope it’s the case).
If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review! Thank you!
About the Author
After serving five years in Marine Corps Signals Intelligence, Justin studied fiction at the Johns Hopkins MA in writing program and screenwriting at UCLA. He went on to work in games and screenwriting, where he has optioned several screenplays and written on such games as Game of Thrones and Tales from the Borderlands.
Justin has presented on writing at the Austin Film Festival, San Francisco Writers Conference, the San Diego State Writers Conference, Gen Con, and more. You can hear his interviews with authors on the Creative Writing Career podcast.
His books are available in audio and print editions, and he has sold Turkish and French rights to several of his series, with the Blade of the Sea series being published under Hachette Publishing Group (under the shared penname with PT Hylton of Jesse Nethermind).
Justin loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.JustinSloanAuthor and JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to receive a free book, receive free giveaways, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!
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What Next?
Thank you for reading PROJECT EXODUS Please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Would you like to join my newsletter and get a free book? Join now and you get a copy of SHADOW CORPS!
And…
Don’t forget to pick up book 2!
Now I have become Death, and my shadow shall consume worlds.
Samantha continues her journey with the Shadow Corps, an elite group of the universe's most deadly warriors. They must stop the other two ancient guardians turned evil, the space dragons, in order to find out who is really behind this upsurge in the enemy's power.
Once again she must come out swinging, to bring destruction to evil that lurks in the darkest corners of the universe.
Have you checked out the Seppukarian Universe? If you would like to check out the spinoff series, as listed in the SHIFTING DIMENSIONS anthology.
Marines think outside the box, but what happens when they think outside the known universe and time itself?
Whisked away through time loops that distort reality, a group of Space Marines explore different worlds and shifting dimensions as they combat an alien invasion. The edge-of-your-seat adventures in these alternative realities form the backbone of this anthology, which is full of exciting stories from debut and best-selling authors in the science fiction genre. Come aboard and experience exhil
arating battles against mechs, drones, alien warriors with biotech armor, and tales of future combat that will blow your mind.
Featuring a Foreword by Nick Cole
Featured Authors:
L.O. Addison
George S. Mahaffey Jr.
Kyle Noe
Gentry Race
Justin Sloan
Jonathan Yanez
And you can now get Jonathan Yanez’ spinoff series!
Because the universe can’t save itself.
When others run from danger, Riot runs toward it.
When others throw up, she throws down.
And when there’s a brawl in a bar, well … she’s probably the one who caused it.
But now, the person voted least likely not to blow stuff up by her unit has been given another mission: explore the universe and forge bonds with new alien races in order to save earth from another invasion.
Backed by her ride or die crew - the only guys she’d trust on a mission such as this - and a scientist, because, well, science, Riot blasts off in a spaceship headed to distant galaxies, the fate of the planet resting on her shoulders.
Bring the thunder is a fantastical space marine adventure with rollercoaster-like action and the kind of snarky humor you’ve come to love in movies like guardians of the galaxy.
If you like the whiplash action of The Ember War and the ridiculousness of We Are Legion (We Are Bob), then you’ll be obsessed with the War Wolves series.
Get your copy today to blast off to non-stop fun and war-games.
Also, you can check out the Syndicate Wars books. The first three are published by Podium in an Audiobook boxset!
Grab it on Amazon