Justice Keepers Saga - Books 1-3

Prologue-2

Something was fused to the skin of his palm: a strange circular device with blinking lights on its surface. A screen of energy appeared just in front of the man. To Doug"s eyes it looked like the static you saw on dead TV stations.

The man thrust his hand out.

Just like that, the wall of static came racing forward. Doug had half a second to fire off a shot before it hit with all the force of a freight train. The next thing he knew, he was flying backward.

He collided with the concrete wall, then dropped hard to the floor. He fell over onto his side, curled up and aching from head to toe. “God help me…” Doug murmured. “My God, please help me.”

The bubble came to a halt, and she found herself in a brightly lit area, encapsulated by a sphere of rippling energy. Through the shimmering curtain, she could make out what appeared to be boxes.

Then the bubble popped.

Dressed in gray pants and a black shirt under a long brown trench coat, Anna Lenai looked around. Her fingers closed around the grip of a pistol in a holster on her right hip. With any luck, she wouldn"t need it.

Her round face was framed by thin strands of strawberry-blonde hair with bangs falling over her forehead. “All molecules intact,” she said, eyebrows rising. “The Companion be praised for small wonders.”

Anna pursed her lips and glanced over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes to thin slits. “The damn thing still works after ten thousand years,” she muttered. “You"ve got to hand it to those Overseers.”

The SlipGate stood silent and ominous behind her, light fading out of the grooves along its triangular surface. After being buried for so long, you would have thought the thing would have stopped functioning, but when her shuttle had detected its presence on the surface, she had known where Denario had fled.

She appeared to be in a large warehouse with wooden crates spaced out across the white floor tiles. Fluorescent lights in the ceiling flickered. So, these people had reached a state of post-industrial development. Good to know.

So, these people had reached a state of post-industrial development. Good to know.Closing her eyes, Anna let her head hang and forced out a breath. “Can you hear me, Dex?” she inquired. When no answer came, Anna tapped her earpiece to re-establish the connection. “Dex?”

Static.

“Great.”

The Nassai within her stirred, no doubt apprehensive at being stranded on a strange planet with no notion of what to expect from the locals. Scans from orbit had confirmed that they were human. A colony world this far out? Why had there been no record? But that told her nothing about their temperament.

A colony world this far out? Why had there been no record?With her Nassai"s assistance, Anna was able to project a mental map of the room, a 360-degree image of her surroundings. Spatial acuity was one of the many benefits of symbiosis. She could see every crate, every piece of junk and every last light in the ceiling without turning her head.

No movement.

After making her way around a few boxes, she found a hallway that led out of the room with the body of a man strewn across the mouth of the corridor. He was rolled up on his side, groaning in pain.

Anna rushed over to him.

The man wore a pair of black pants and a white shirt with an odd flapping garment around his neck. A guard? Most definitely Denario"s latest victim. The poor fellow let out another groan.

Shutting her eyes tight, Anna drew in a rasping breath. “You"re gonna pay for this, Denario,” she said, kneeling next to the fallen man. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

The man stared up at her with his mouth agape, his dark eyes wide with fright. He blinked a few times. How bad are his injuries? The fellow tried to speak, but all she heard was some guttural gibberish.

How bad are his injuries?A shout made her jump.

When she looked up, a trio of guards was marching through the corridor. Dressed identically to the man on the floor, they wore sour expressions on their faces. The one in the middle let out a growl.

He stopped in front of Anna.

Drawing a pistol from the holster on his belt, he thrust an arm out to point the g*n at her. Words came out of his mouth, followed by a jerk of his head, and she had the very distinct impression that this wasn"t going to go well.

Craning her neck, Anna stared up at him. She blinked a few times, considering her words. “I"m not your enemy,” she began in a soft rasp. “I"m here to help. This man needs medical attention.”

The guard snarled.

Anna got to her feet.

In that moment, the other two marched past her to inspect the storeroom. With her heightened sense of spatial awareness, she was able to keep track of them both. No good being taken from behind.

Baring his teeth, the first guard scrunched up his face. He let out a low hiss before proceeding to bark at her. Whatever it was this man said, she was pretty damn sure that he was running out of patience.

“Can"t you see that I"m cooperating?” Anna said. “I don"t want to hurt you, but you"re making me antsy.”

The man shoved his g*n in her face.

I don"t have time for this.

I don"t have time for this.Anna fell backward.

Slapping her hands down on the floor tiles, she brought her legs up to catch the g*n between her feet. She tore it out of the man"s hand and sent the weapon tumbling through the air.

Anna snapped herself upright.

She jumped and kicked out, driving a foot into the man"s chest. The impact sent him stumbling backward, landing hard on his a*s and sliding across the floor tiles. He let out a painful groan.

With heightened spatial awareness, her frenzied mind projected the image of one of the guards coming up behind her. A big man with a barrel chest, he spread his arms wide as if to catch her in a bear hug.

He charged at her.

Anna reached back over her shoulder, catching his wrist in one hand. She bent over and flipped him over her shoulder, dislocating his arm in the process. The man landed on his backside with a shriek.

She spun around just in time to see the third guard trying to draw his pistol from its holster. Sweat glistened on his face as he stared at her with his mouth agape, fear visible in his eyes.

He managed to pull the weapon free.

Anna kicked the g*n out of his hand. She spun like a whirlwind, driving her elbow into his nose.

The man"s head jerked backward, blood dripping from his nose. He stumbled about, then fell over sideways. Now there were four security officers on the ground. A fat lot of good she"d done here.

fourAnna felt her mouth tighten as she stared down at him, her blue eyes flicking back and forth. She winced and shook her head. “I didn"t want to do this,” she began, “I"m on your side here.”

She spun on her heel.

Charging up the corridor, she kept watch of the fallen men with the assistance of her Nassai. The one she had taken down first was getting to his feet, hunching over as he searched for his g*n.

No threat there.

She rounded a corner.

Good fortune had been with her today; she had been able to elude the three guards without having to resort to some of her flashier abilities. Justice Keepers such as herself had a vast arsenal of talents beyond simple hand-to-hand combat, but each use taxed the Nassai and the host. Overuse could be fatal. Much better to disarm an enemy with your hands than to risk passing out.

With a little luck, she would be able to find Denario before he got too far. This city would be a maze to both of them, and it was a good bet that the people here would not be prepared for the technology he had at his disposal. Her greatest concern, however, was for the prisoner he carried with him.

She had to recover it.

After a long trek up to the first floor – one in which she had been careful to avoid the attention of any security guards – Anna found herself in a lobby with a set of double doors that looked out on a city street. Through the glass, she could see what appeared to be automobiles on the road.

Tall buildings in the distance rose up toward the night sky, some with tiny lights in their windows. What level of threat should she expect from these people? The thought of going up against the locals left her queasy.

Anna jerked to a halt.

Pursing her lips, she stared through the window, then narrowed her eyes. “A whole lot of civilians,” she said, shaking her head. “And a b****y good chance that someone is going to get hurt.”

She pushed through the door.

Once outside, Anna found herself on a columned walkway with marble pillars that supported an overhanging roof and steps that led down to the sidewalk. Automobiles that were parked along the sidewalk blocked her view of the road.

She drew her pistol.

Anna stepped forward with the g*n raised in both hands, pausing at the top of the steps. Now, where is he? she thought, looking around. He only had a few minutes" lead on me. He can"t be-

Now, where is he?He only had a few minutes" lead on me. He can"t be-She spotted a man a short ways up the sidewalk, crouched behind one of the parked automobiles and scanning the road as though looking for a chance to run across. The gray hair on the back of his head was unkempt.

“Denario!”

He turned.

Clenching her teeth, Anna felt her face redden. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Stay where you are, Denario!” she screamed. “You move so much as one inch and I swear by all that"s holy, I"ll end you!”

He rose and spun around to face her. The force-field generator fused into the palm of his hand was still blinking away. “This won"t work, Agent Lenai,” he shouted. “I have no intention of coming with you.”

A grin bloomed on his weathered face as he craned his neck to study her. Denario Tarse narrowed his eyes. “Harm me,” he went on, “and the creature I carry dies as well. Your gunfire could break open the stasis pod.”

“I might just risk it.”

Anna fired.

A screen of white static appeared in front of the man, intercepting her bullet at the very last second. The slug bounced off and fell to the sidewalk. “Foolish girl!” Denario growled, thrusting a hand out.

The force-field sped forward, up the steps. Anna spun around and put her back to a pillar just in time to feel the energy wave strike the other side. Chunks of granite fell to the ground.

Anna felt her face crumple into an anguished wince. She tossed her head about in frustration. “Bleakness take you, Denario!” she said. “Your tricks aren"t going to serve you this time!”

She lifted her g*n. “E-M-P!”

The pistol"s sleek black surface reflected the street lights. LEDs on the side of the barrel suddenly lit up, turning white. If her luck held, the charged rounds would short out his generator.

Anna spun around the pillar, raising the g*n.

This time, when she fired, white tracers zipped through the air, causing Denario"s force-field to wink out as they passed through it. The man stumbled backward, pressing his body to the side of a parked automobile.

Denario clenched his teeth, his face turning red. He shut his eyes tight and shook his head. “i***t girl!” he screamed at her. “Do you really think I wasn"t prepared for your interference?”

He pulled his jacket aside, revealing a thick armoured vest with three smoking slugs mashed against its fabric. “I have many tricks,” he said, revealing a small gray sphere in his left hand.

Anna felt her eyes widen.

The sphere suddenly floated up into the air, orienting itself to point a lens at her, a lens that began to glow with fierce orange light. Anna threw herself behind the pillar and dropped to a crouch.

A beam of orange light burned through the granite just above her head, striking the building"s front wall and shattering a window that looked in on the lobby. Shards of glass fell to the ground. When the light winked out, the acrid stench of scorched air hit her like a blow to the face.

A Death-Sphere! The man had brought a b****y Death-Sphere! Anna had to think fast. If she ducked out from behind the pillar, the damnable sphere would target her and fire before she could blink. She needed time.

Anna closed her eyes.

Calling upon her Nassai for assistance, Anna threw up a warp bubble, a sphere of rippling air that formed around her body. Time moved faster for her than for anyone else; minutes here passed as mere seconds out there.

Unfortunately, her mobility was limited. Once it was in place, the bubble could not be moved, and though its surface was permeable to anything but Anna herself, she would be unable to escape.

Anna spun around the pillar.

Through the warp bubble"s rippling surface, she could make out Denario"s sphere as an amorphous gray blob. It was trying to reorient itself, trying to focus that lens upon her once again.

Her temples began to throb.

Crouching down, Anna raised her g*n in both hands. She squinted as she took aim, then fired. Glowing white bullets appeared beyond the bubble"s surface, spiralling as they floated gracefully through the air. Each one was on course for the Death-Sphere. The pain in her head made it clear that Anna could hold this Bending no longer.

She let the bubble pop.

The floating sphere was suddenly knocked off course, blue sparks flashing over its body as the EMP rounds shorted its circuitry. The thing dropped to the ground, landing on the steps, then exploded.

Raising a hand to shield her eyes, Anna grunted. She turned her face away from the blast, ignoring the heat. “Damn you, Denario!” she whispered. “When they finally decide to space you, I"ll push the button myself.”

She got to her feet.

A huge black scorch mark now decorated the concrete steps. She spotted parked cars along the sidewalk but no sign of the fugitive. No doubt he had made his escape while she had been busy with his little toy. And he carried a captive Nassai with him. Her symbiont grew restless at the thought of harm coming to one of its brethren.

Something caught her eye.

A streak of light blazed across the night sky, bright like a falling meteor – a streak of light that exploded somewhere high above the city. The flash was intense but faded away in an instant. Her shuttle? Perhaps Dex had been shot down. Anna felt a sharp ache in the pit of her stomach.

Now, she was alone.