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The savvy psychic operative Lyrissa is a Major-General in the secretive Psy Ops program who is working to ensure the safety of the Americas. When an attempt has been made on the Queen’s life she must go to the Palace in New Montréal to meet with QET Jenkins her uncle and find out why. Now, Lyrissa is faced with questions from her past. Assisted by her uncle she will find the saboteurs and help prevent fourth world war catastrophy!
Chapter 1
I looked at the 3-D image of the house, plastic stairs cracked and broken while the
rest of the Victorian-like clapboard structure lay in splinters. The outcropping, with its
sweeping vista, was a pristine monument to my memory of that day. It made me think of
the Suits and Christie’s Agency, all but disbanded now. It took years of hard work for us
to dismantle the infrastructure the Agency had created, but Christie was still missing.
And then there was Peggy, the person who helped us start it all. Why did Peggy leave like
that? I wish—
A knock sounded at the door interrupting my thoughts. I tapped my finger on the
desk then swiped the image clean. Uncomfortable and vivid sensations from my day on
the outcropping and at the old farmhouse crept into my psyche.
“Come.”
The door opened wide revealing a stocky lieutenant who snapped to a salute.
“Major-General Donaldson, the QET is on his way over. He would like to see you in
thirty minutes, Ma’am.”
“At ease, Lieutenant.” Can’t blame him. He wasn’t there. I forced a half smile.
“Thanks, Doug.”
His face bore confusion. He hesitated. “Ma’am?”
What are you doing, Lyrissa? You can’t leave your mind stuck in the past. “That
will be all, Lieutenant Turnis.”
He forced a smile as he shut the door and left.
When the door clicked shut, I spun around in my chair and scanned the expansive
Pacific out the window. Waves crashed on the shore. A storm has picked up off the coast.
I wonder if the rumbles to the southwest are a sign.
I touched the visicom pad again, and the debris-strewn image reappeared.
Thoughts about Peggy’s spaceship leaving the coastal outcropping became a distraction
over time. I’d hoped the thoughts would stop when they tore down the farmhouse last
week, but they didn’t; they still resonated in my head. The most recent occurred with
such intensity and clarity I thought it was real. I could see Peggy coming toward me in
the same ship she’d left in. It seems like a lifetime ago. I tore my eyes away from the
screen and looked back out over the ocean. I wonder what she’d think of us now with all
of these changes. Robots now serve everywhere.
Before the revolution, robots remained items used only by royalty which caused
some discontent among the populace. Then war broke out and further stirred the citizenry
up. When the Queen came to power, she demanded the techs step up production which
enabled everyone to afford a robot. She said it was something her father always wanted to
do but couldn’t since he’d been fighting a war for so long. The revolution placed robots
as service personnel in hotels. They also drove taxi hovercars and even served at the
Palace. “So many changes in ten years,” I mumbled to myself.
Another knock sounded at the door. I spun around just as the Queen's Exchancellor
Translator, Ralph Jenkins, strode into the room. I rose in a daze and glanced at
the wall chronometer. Thirty minutes have passed? I smiled and reached for a salute.
“At ease, Major-General. We have no time for formalities. Besides, you don’t
need to salute your uncle.”
My arm fell to my side.
Ralph closed the door behind him then stared at the holographic image still open
on my pad. His eyes softened as he came toward me. “Let it go, Lyrissa.” His hand
squeezed my arm. “We may never see the likes of her kind and caring ways again. I
suspect we’re on the brink of war again.”
I sat in stunned silence. I didn’t want to believe it when I first noticed signs of
growing discontent among the populace with respect to angry gestures from the Jurick
Empire. Come, on. You knew this could happen. I drew in a breath. “Yes, but are we
ready? Are the people ready?”
He sat down across the desk from me and gazed over my shoulder out the
window. The waves still crashed on the shore. “The winds of change move slowly, but
still they move.” He looked back at me. “Those are difficult questions to answer at the
moment. I wished I’d never asked you to return. It would have been better for you to stay
on your island in the Archipelago.”
Stretching my spine and shoulders, I sat tall in the chair then let my legs relax.
“No, I needed the change. We needed to get Christie.”
“I knew I could count on you.” He leaned in toward me and motioned toward the
pad.
With one swipe, the ocean vista scene disappeared. I tapped the controls. The
titanium inner walls retrofit into place with a muffled clang. The plexi shields reinforced
the windows and darkened the secured room.
“There was an attempt on the Queen’s life earlier today. We suspect Christie’s
son is involved in some way, but we’re uncertain how or why. We need your PSI
abilities. The assignment requires the highest security clearance. Can you work on this?”
He paused.
I leaned forward with my head in my hands. “I’d hoped I was done with all of
that.”
He grabbed the edge of my desk. “We need to find this saboteur and maybe, just
maybe, we can clear up some of the mess haunting the Americas and put things to rights
before the whole endeavour goes to shit and another war starts.” He shifted in his seat, his
face grim. “You know what kind of a war it’ll be this time.”
My face tensed. Christ, not a PSI war—just how free am I? When I came back as
an operative, I thought my new rank would give me more latitude. Ralph’s eyes narrowed
as he mentally strained to read between the lines made physical on my forehead.
“Lyrissa, we need to stay positive. The voices in your head, the ones you
experienced during childhood, they showed us you had great psychic potential, and that
potential could help us now. We had no idea Christie fathered a son with royalty on
another continent. It was so hush, hush. You had no—”
“It’s all right, Ralph.” I sighed. “What do you need me to do?”
“The Queen’s palace in New Montréal needs to be investigated. It is at your
disposal since she’s staying at her winter cottage in New Southerton on the southern
shores of the Lake Mississippi. All of her meetings will take place there until we get this
matter settled.”
“The place is empty?”
“Except for a skeleton staff. Otherwise they’re all down in New Southerton.”
“What about my prescription?”
“Clavesh, your new pharmacy contact, has as much zytrofin as you need.”
I drew in a deep breath and sighed. Sure glad my past has been reconciled. “That
stuff packs a much bigger kick than zyloftin. Makes my head spin.”
“But your abilities are so much more heightened, aren’t they?”
Do I tell him about my vision of Peggy? I decided to remain silent on the matter.
“That is true, but—”
“The secret trials five years ago indicated no negative side effects, other than…”
Ralph moved away from my desk and crossed his legs. “Two of the test participants
experienced strange visions.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Lyrissa, it was a four-percent chance. A mere two out of the fifty tested went
loopy, and those two were junkies. Hopped up on Crylotin at the time. We found ten
thousand credits of the stuff up their noses once they were detained.” Ralph rose from his
chair. “Their gifts don’t even compare to yours, Lyrissa.” His face changed became taut,
more serious. “I will tell you this—they kept spouting something about life waters.”
“What are life waters?”
He paced around the room. “We’re not sure. The woman, Shanlon, died a while
back. She overdosed on some kind of new designer drug mixed with a detergent. But the
guy, Carlos, is still alive.”
Ralph passed me a scan card. “Here’s everything you’ll need for your flight to
New Montréal.”
“Where can I find Carlos?”
“He lives in Clarenville now, at 5527 Sheffield Road. He was the only participant
from the zytrofin trials with any promise.”
I rose from my seat. “And—”
“It’s all in there, Major-General. If you need anything else, you know where to
find me.” He grimaced. “Welcome back to service life, Lyrissa.”
My shoulders slumped as I watched him stride out and close the door behind him.
I pocketed the card then tapped a few icons on my pad to bring the room back to normal.
It’s been a long time since I’ve visited New Montréal. I shook my head and looked
toward the southwest and the ocean. “We’re a long way from that,” I mumbled
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