Desolation Chapter 1

I race down the mountain, leaping over boulders and fallen aspen trees, catching my balance when I slip in the snow. My team follows, struggling to keep up with my Somatic muscle enhancements. A bitter breeze chases us like a great wave, eager to swallow our breath. Despite the thermal layers and thickly lined boots, the chill seeps into my bones while sweat rolls down my spine.

This was supposed to be a standard operation. Go up the western mountain. Find information about a specific quartz that Elpis needs. Return to headquarters to report our findings.

But when we reached the quartz pocket and recorded our findings, we were ambushed. An unknown militia lived in the mountain. Of course it would be part of this test. Prepare for anything. Including unexpected attacks from unknown people. That’s what our instructors have drilled into our brains to prepare for the world outside of Elpis—because we don’t really know what’s out there.

None of us expected anyone to be in the mountains—though we should have. Where did they even come from?

Mistake number one.

A quick survey of the surrounding scene tells me we are in serious trouble. While our snowy camo blends with the surroundings, our enemies are virtually invisible. They must be out there somewhere.

A bitter wind pushes straight through my lungs. I hunker down close to one of the aspen trees and wait, eyeing the mountainous landscape around me. Tudor joins me, with his body so close to mine I would be able to feel his heat were it not for this blasted, bitter cold wind.

A fresh layer of snow coats the ground beneath the aspen trees. Snow. Something we don’t see much of in Elpis. I would marvel at the cold white fluffy blanket, but my focus must remain on the mission.

To my right, crouched beside the adjacent tree, our team leader, Easton, scans the path behind us.

Bullets zip through the air, striking trees, boulders, snow. Ten of us were sent on this mission. The ambush claimed two of our teammates. I can hardly see the rest of the team hiding among the trees.

But it isn’t our visibility I’m worried about. It’s the endless barrage of bullets our attackers have that worries me most. We need a plan. A damn good one too. I sure hope Easton is preparing something.

The gunfire stops. Silence swallows the mountainside. Only the sound of my hammering heart and Tudor’s even breathing breaks the quiet.

These mountain men blend into their surroundings. They know how to use the trees, rocks, and snow to their advantage. It makes spotting and firing at them near impossible.

Bianca—our training officer who also happens to be my adopted aunt—placed Easton in charge of this mission because of his recent test scores. I’ve seen them. While his scores are respectable, they aren’t any better than my own. I should be leading. Tudor agrees, but he won’t say it in front of anyone else. Then they would know about the blossoming relationship between us—something we both agree is better left unknown. It’s against the rules.

Tudor glances at me, and I can see the same uneasiness in his dark eyes that I feel. Why did they stop firing at us?

“Paige!” Easton calls.

Mistake number two. I wince as his call carries on the breeze. Way to announce our location. And he’s supposed to be our leader. Amateur.

Gritting my teeth and dipping my head against the bitter wind, I rush toward him in a crouch and drop to a knee in the snow at his side. Tudor follows on my heels.

“Sir?” I say, aware of the sharpness in my tone. I don’t care for Easton. Not that it’s a secret.

He scowls. “There’s a ridge fifty yards to our southeast. Take Tudor with you and scout to see if we can find cover or slip away through it.” He points down the steep slope toward a rocky outcrop. “Tudor, reach out for signs of others.”

My gaze locks on the ridge. If there is nowhere up there to hide, Tudor and I will be sitting ducks out in the open, begging for a bullet. But twenty yards to the right of that ridge is a gap between two rock formations. It looks like a path leading straight down the mountain—which is where we need to go. We need to get the intel on the quartz deposit back to headquarters.

“What about there?” I ask, motioning toward the gap. “It’s better protected and could lead us right where we need to go.”

“I gave you an order, Powers,” Easton snaps. “I don’t care who your dad is. You don’t outrank me out here in the field. Nepotism will only get you so far.”

Nepotism! I earned my place on this team just like anyone else. Just like Easton. My father, the current minister of the city and legendary Hero of Elpis, had nothing to do with my placement in the Department of Security. Being selected to train as a Specialist is no small matter. It’s one of the most coveted positions in the military. I worked for it, trained for it, just as hard as anyone else.

Besides, if Dad had his way, I would sit behind a desk like my brother, wasting my Somatic Muscle Memory skills. He certainly wouldn’t encourage me to try taking charge of a military operation. He already expressed his dissatisfaction with my career choice.

All my life, Dad has been overprotective. When I was thirteen and my brother Gavin was fourteen, Dad sat the two of us down and told us we had the potential to be different. Special. Our DNA has the capacity to carry not just one Power, but many. Perhaps all. After everything Dad did as a teenager—engaging in fights against Superpowered individuals without a Power of his own, launching a rebellion against the old government and a group of extremists—it feels hypocritical for him to try smothering us with his overprotective blanket.

I may not have developed extra Powers like my brother, but I’ll be damned if anyone—my father or Easton—will hold me back from using what I have.

Easton has some nerve. I know exactly where I want to put his notion of nepotism.

I clench my teeth so hard it makes my jaw hurt. Does Easton want us to fail? Or maybe just me.

The anger burning in Tudor’s eyes reflects my own. I’m not sure if he is angry with Easton’s leadership, or the nepotism comment.

“They are close, Sir,” Tudor says, glancing at the trail we left through the trees and shrubs, winding up the mountain at our backs. His tension seeps into me, and I follow his gaze but see nothing. Tudor’s Power is Parabolic hearing, which allows him to focus on a particular area to filter out sounds. If he says our pursuers are close, he isn’t just guessing. He knows it. “We should make a stand and take them out before we continue back to the city. Otherwise, we risk leading them right to our borders.”

Easton practically growls his response. “I gave you orders. And when we get back, I will report the two of you for questioning my commands. Go. Now. We will cover you down the slope.” His broad shoulders seem to grow as he radiates anger. Perhaps they do grow. Maybe he is flexing his Enhanced Strength like a gorilla would thump its chest to show dominance. The idea is laughable.

Easton gives orders to the rest of the team through the comms to use fire-suppression to cover the two of us while we make a break for the ridge. Part of me wonders if he chose me for this task hoping I would take a bullet. It’s not really a secret that his love for me is in equal measure to my love for him.

Tudor and I wait for them to get into position. We move in unison, rising into a crouching run, me leading the way with him taking up the rear right on my heels.

No sooner than three steps out in the open, the gunfire resumes. Bullets strike around the two of us as we dart behind trees and boulders for cover. A bullet strikes a tree just as we duck behind it. The other six members of the team return fire.

“Tudor, Paige, move!” Easton calls into the comm.

We ignore his command. I wait for Tudor to signal, trusting his hearing to choose the best moment to break cover. He gives a small indication and I dart out first, staying low. The gunfire grows more intense.

Mat’s panicked voice cuts through the comm. “Nate’s dow—” His words cut off with a grunt.

Tudor curses under his breath.

I glance back, expecting to see the rest of the team entrenched in their hiding places, firing at the attackers. Instead, the remaining four members of the team run, with Easton leading the charge. Mistake number three.

The rest of the team isn’t running toward us. Easton leads them right to the gap I had pointed out. Jerk.

Distracted, I slip on the snow, but Muscle Memory kicks in. My body instinctively adjusts. Tudor’s hand clamps down on my arm and yanks me against him behind a massive boulder. Bullets strike the ground where I had been a moment ago. The two of us stand close as we listen, keeping our breathing steady.

“Anything?” I whisper.

Tudor’s eyes glaze over as he focuses on his Power. The only sounds are the gunfire and our careful breathing. “We won’t make it to the ridge,” he whispers back. “They’re closing in.”

“How many?”

A pause. “Eight on the slope. Three on our tail. We lost Benny…” Another pause. “And that was Carlos, and Sam.” Anger contorts his face.

I curse under my breath, then scan our surroundings. Only Tudor, Easton, and I. And Easton left the two of us for the gap. We need to make a stand and finish off the attackers, find a way out, or a place to lie low where they won’t find us. Once they pass us by, we can backtrack and find a different route down the mountain. Then our tracks will be lost among all the others.

Adding a Telekinetic to our team would go a long way in situations like this. Most Specialists in training are Somatic, with the Power to enhance the body. We could do with more variety on our teams. A Psionic Telekinetic whose ability is to move objects with his or her mind, or a person with Divinic Precognition who could see the immediate future. Maybe then we wouldn’t be in this mess, losing our entire team.

Don’t focus on what we don’t have, Paige. Focus on what we do have. Not that it’s much. It’s only the two of us now. Well, and Easton for whatever he’s worth.

“Which way are they coming from?” I ask.

Tudor sets to work with his Power once more, before motioning to the gap I noticed before. “We should be able to get there if we make a quick break for it. Only about twenty yards. Wait until I give a signal.”

I nod. Tudor and I always work well together, a natural connection between us that has only recently started extending off the field as well. If the higher-ups found out about our budding relationship, they would reassign us apart from each other. Relationships between Specialists in the same unit are forbidden. It compromises our instincts in the field. Not that we are Specialists yet.

He brushes his fingers over my cheek. I lean into the touch, even if it is a glove on my skin and not his hand. We are under pressure, surrounded, and I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about how his touch makes my heart skip.

The moment passes quickly. Tudor adjusts the grip on his gun, preparing to move. I follow his lead. “Easton, we are headed your way. Don’t shoot us.”

With his free hand, Tudor raises three fingers, then lowers one. I understand. Only two of those closing in on our location remain.

Tudor drops to a knee and raises his gun.

I bend my finger around the trigger. The Muscle Memory flexes in my legs, ready to move. Breathe in. Out. In. Out.

Tudor fires. I break into a sprint for the gap. Only ten more yards. I can do this. Just as they trained me to do, I keep my body low and use as much of my surroundings to cover my escape as possible. The sound of Tudor’s boots crushing the snow is all the confirmation I need to know he follows.

A gunshot.

Five yards.

My heartbeat remains steady. I’ve grown accustomed to my adrenaline. My body has figured out how to balance it all out.

Another shot.

One yard.

Tudor curses and shoves me through the gap. “Run, Paige!”

I stumble a few steps, alarmed by his reaction, but quickly correct my balance. Gunshots echo off the stone walls of the narrow pass. I glance back.

No one is behind me.

Tudor is gone.

No! They didn’t get him.

“Tudor,” I hiss into my comm.

Silence.

“Paige, keep moving,” Easton snaps through the comms.

I can’t fail. I can’t fail.

The gunshots cease. Eerie silence swallows the narrow stone gap. I hold my gun ready and peer back the way I came, shuffling carefully backward deeper into the pass. Is Tudor dead? Terror grips me. He can’t be dead. He just can’t.

Tears burn in my eyes in the cold mountain pass. I blink furiously. If anyone else is out there, I don’t want to call out and make them aware of my presence. But I can’t leave Tudor behind. Dad never would have. He would gather everyone and escape.

I take a moment to steady my breathing. Easton materializes at my side, yanking me back deeper into the pass with his superior Enhanced Strength. I resist, but he’s stronger.

“It’s just us,” Easton says harshly. “And we need to complete the mission.”

“We don’t know what happened to him,” I snap.

A bullet sends pebbles raining down on the two of us from the rocky walls above. Easton releases his grip on my arm and raises his gun.

I spin around, weapon ready.

Tudor bursts around the bend in the pass, running faster than I’ve ever seen him run before. “Go. They’re coming!”

Easton sprints down the mountain pass, catching his balance carefully with each quick step. I wait for Tudor to catch up, firing at the men hot on Tudor’s heels. One takes a bullet to the shoulder and spins.

There are too many of them. For every one that falls, another appears. We don’t have enough bullets for all of them.

Tudor stumbles as a bullet strikes his calf. I lower my weapon and crouch to haul him up. “Let’s go,” I say.

But his weight is too much. The attackers are closing in.

Farther down the pass, Easton pauses, eyeing the men chasing us. Then he looks up at the snowy mountains above. My heart sinks. He is about to make a sacrifice play for the sake of the mission. Again.

“We need to get this back to the city,” Easton says as he raises his gun and flips the switch on the side to concussive fire.

“Easton, no!” I scream.

But it’s too late. He fires a concussive shot at the mountains above.

A whump cracks across the sky above. Then the mountain trembles. Snow rushes toward the pass, thundering down the mountain straight for us. The attackers cease firing and attempt fleeing, abandoning their chase.

Tudor and I have no chance to escape the avalanche. The first bits of snow burst over the top of the pass and I hold my breath, praying it will pass us by. Easton disappears down the pass to safety.

I will die here. I failed. My team. Bianca. Dad. Elpis.

Snow falls into the pass.

“Pai—”

Tudor’s voice cuts out as the heavy weight of sudden snow crushes the two of us.

I am not my father’s daughter. I am nothing.