AfterShock: Quake, #2

By Lisa Arrington

And the Story Continues: 

Ali and Caden Morgan were not prepared for what happened a month ago. Their lives are upside following the death of their mother, a best friend and the reappearance of their father, a man they thought had abandoned them long ago. 

The have now learned the truth about the relationship their parents shared and what they went through until they were torn apart. 

Now Ali and Caden must learn to trust a man that hasn't been there for over seventeen years, how to use and control their powers, all while continuing to hide from an advanced Alien race.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lisa Arrington
• Release date: Sep 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493624195

Lisa Arrington

I currently reside in Arizona with my two sons. I love to read for pleasure and love to do reviews for other Indies authors trying to make it. I am my children’s biggest and loudest fan during their basketball games and try to make as many as I can while fighting a disease that fights my body.  Blue is my favorite color, I can recite the movie Clue word for word, Junior Mints make me happy and I will keep wishing for Blue Bunny to make Cherry Cheesecake a permanent flavor instead of a seasonal treat. I’m scatterbrained, too forgiving, a bit neurotic and always busy. And will forever be in a power-struggle over the big screen TV with my youngest until he can get a TV of his own. I also am the author of the Adult Paranormal Series Riders of Sins Eternal.

Book preview

Prologue

Hey you, his deep voice rumbled into her ear while he wrapped his arms around her.  Her smile stretched from ear to ear while being pulled into a hug.  She turned around and found her lips being immediately captured for a kiss.

They got lost in the moment until one-year-old Caden began to pull on her nightgown.  Laughing she gingerly sat back down and patted the space on the bed next to her.  Darrell lifted his son up with a spin before setting him down next to Lanie and turning to the plastic bassinet that now held his baby girl.  He gazed in wonder at the tiny person bundled up in a hospital issued multi-colored blanket, her eyes tight in slumber.  Have you given any more thought to naming her after my mother? he asked his voice in whisper.

Lanie let out a small sigh, No, we are not naming her Eunice, do you have any idea the teasing she’ll get? her face scrunched up in a grimace as she scooted herself into a more comfortable position.  Giving birth the day before Caden’s first birthday was not her idea of a good time, but that little girl wasn’t going to wait any longer.

How about Marie? Lanie suggested, trying to keep her oldest from falling off the bed.  Seeing his son trying to make a daring escape, he scooped him up and admonished him with a look.  I like it, just not as a first name.

Okay, this is progress, we have a middle name! Lanie’s blue-grey eyes gleamed making them stand out even more against her caramel brown skin.

They went back and forth, arguing and shooting down each other’s ideas.  Caden, losing interest in his parent’s debate, had curled up into a ball at the foot of the bed and decided falling asleep was much better idea.  Exhausted and knowing that the baby would be waking up any minute wanting to be fed, Lanie held up her hands.

Okay, okay... how about this?  How about we don’t name her after anyone in the family on either side?

This brought Darrell up short.

Well then who do we name her after? he demanded.

How about the next female person that walks through that door?

Darrell let out a snort, quickly covering his mouth and looking over at the kids, ensuring that the noise hadn’t woken them.

The next female? Are you for real? He threw a look at her. What if her name is Ursula or Eunice?

Seeing the challenge in his blue-grey eyes, so much like hers and their children’s, it reminded her why she fell in love with him in the first place.  And made her forget, at least for the time being, the awful mess they were in.

"Yep, the very next female that enters this room," a devilish grin spreading across her face.

Alright, love, you have a deal.

He sat on one of the visitor’s chairs and glanced gleefully at the door.  For the next few minutes, neither of them spoke as they waited for someone to walk in.

Lanie was beginning to second guess herself when the day nurse finally came in to check on her and the baby.

How are we doing this morning, Mrs. Arnold? The nurse chirped out in a sing song voice.  Lanie held in a cringe, not wanting to appear rude.

How on Earth can anyone be this cheerful this early in the morning without coffee? She wondered.

Oh, I don’t know, babe.  I find it kind of cute. Darrell winked at her, enjoying their silent conversation.  She rolled her eyes and then returned her attention to the nurse.

Where’s Nurse Brown?  She was the one that was on duty last night, Lanie asked for polite conversation, an uneasiness coming over her.  I wasn’t sure whether anyone else would be assisting us during our stay.

Oh no, dear, we trade off every twelve hours. She gave her a warm smile, My name is Alison and I’ll be taking care of you and your little one for now. She walked over to the plastic bassinet and began to unswaddle the baby to begin her assessment.

Alison? He lifted an eyebrow in question.

Alison Marie Arnold, Lanie mulled the name over in her head, before letting out another smile.

I love it.

Chapter One

February 2013, Erie, PA

"Our world lies in shambles, we have this one chance to restore it and you...YOU let the two humans who can ensure its demise escape?" Athavan roared.

Gemma kneeled before her leader, a subtle shiver going through her.  She had failed the ultimate assignment, the mission that she had fought so hard and killed so many to gain. 

I am sorry, my Lord, she spoke in a quiet submissive tone.  I know that I have failed you, but—

But? BUT! he roared at her.  But, what?  You were forced to kill your highest ranking soldier, you allowed yourself to develop feelings for the human boy and you let them ESCAPE after you swore to deliver them to me!  You failed Iresha. Plus, I have had to come down, with my own men to help you clean up your mess! What could you possibly say to defend yourself?

Gemma cringed at the use of her formal name.

My Lord, we have millions of humans under our control.  More than enough to move forward with restoring our world, she paused, allowing her words to sink in.  We can still move forward with what we came to do.  As he paced back and forth in front of her, she resumed her silence.

Iresha, although you have disappointed me, I am giving you another chance.  She snapped her head up at the quick decision.  You will oversee the loading of the first wave of humans to Nibrui.  Once they have been secured for transport, you and I will remain behind here in Erie and set up a control center while the majority of the crew goes home.

Gemma’s mouth dropped open, surprised by her father’s new involvement.

I don’t believe that is necessary, she told him meekly as she approached him. 

I can do this. Let me prove to you that I can do this.

"I disagree with you, daughter. We will track down the Morgan’s and we will find them and return them to our planet for testing. Alive."

She didn’t miss the emphasis he placed on the last word.

No more mistakes, Iresha.

No more mistakes, my Lord.

He stood there, waiting for her to say the words.

No more mistakes, Father.

He gave her a short nod, and then stormed out of the command center, shouting orders at the returning personnel to ready his personal quarters. 

Only a few remained before her, avoiding eye contact or movement.

Feeling heat rising from her collar, she turned to face the remaining crew and to install a healthy dose of fear. She knew that her meeting with her father would be the topic of the day when the soldiers retreated to their quarters at the end of the day.

As you all know, we have been given the great honor of have my father joining us for the duration of this mission. Directing her attention towards two of the soldiers, Piero, Niver you two will be in charge of loading the first of the humans for our planet’s repopulation.  You will need to load five thousand females and five thousand males into the transportation chamber.  As they are still under my control, there should be no problems with this mission.  Understood?

She waited for the two men to nod their confirmation before she continued.  Once the humans have been loaded; Chapra, Osus, Lord Athavan and I will remain here on Earth, so we can hunt down and recapture the Morgan’s, her blue eyes frosting over.

Nero, as we discussed earlier, you will round up the remaining humans and bring them here. It will be your responsibility to load them and transport them to Nibrui.  I will leave about fifty or so guards to stay behind underneath your command. Turning to face the interactive map, she typed in the coordinates of the hospital.

The Morgan’s and those that helped them couldn’t have gotten far and must have a base near here. 

Lost within her thoughts for a few minutes, she retreated from the command center without further word. She desperately needed the solitude of her quarters to gather her bearings and re-center herself.

Locking the door behind her, she looked down at her shaking hands and took a deep breath.  Going to the ornamental cabinet across the room, she pulled out a crystal cut decanter containing a dark blue liquid, strong with spirits.

Not bothering with a glass, she took two deep gulps then coughed as the liquid burned her throat and chest, making her eyes water.  She stared at the bottle before putting it back into the cabinet; squaring her shoulders.  Drinking wasn’t going to solve anything right now and she needed her wits about her if she was going to retain her rightful place as Athavan’s most prized solider.

Daughter or not.

She didn’t understand why they were doing this in phases; it wasn’t as if Nibrui’s atmosphere was different than Earth’s that was one of the main reasons it had been chosen. 

The deciding factor should have been that we can transform ourselves in their image, she thought placing the bottle back where it belonged, allowing her hand to linger over the bottle for longer than it should have. 

A flash of anger coursed through her body when the memory of the Morgan’s escape flew through her mind. Everything had been going so smoothly, everyone was under her control.

At least she had thought everyone was.  How had people escaped my mind control?  How had their saviors known where to find them?

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\MEDIA\OFFICE14\Bullets\BD21295_.gif

The first blast had shocked her, sending her to the floor.  What the hell was that? She demanded covering her head as debris fell from the ceiling.  The soldiers around her were just as confused trying to find cover as gun fire began to sound.

No you fools, grab your weapons! Gemma ordered reaching for her own.  Bring me the Morgan’s. Most of them obeyed, arming themselves with weapons and heading towards the battle.  The few that remained cowered underneath tables and desks, Gemma took care of them swiftly, and she had no time for anything other than total obedience.

She had just reached the hallway when the second blast went off.  Quickly assessing the situation, she determined that if Ali and Caden were escaping they wouldn’t leave without Christine.  She raised the gun and shot the first thing she saw, alien or human, she didn’t care.

How could this happen? She ran to the holding cell they had created for Christine.

Christine had been placed under heavy sedation per the orders of the medical team; the team of doctors observing her believed that she had experienced too much trauma and her mind needed to rest.  They wouldn’t...they couldn’t...she ran to the room with just enough time to see a man sprinting away with Christine thrown over his shoulder.

Outraged, she aimed the gun and fired.  A green light exploded from the tip and soared towards them, Gemma let a cold smile spread across her face as the light was milliseconds away from hitting its target.  As it was about to hit the stranger’s head he ducked into the stairwell, letting the light hit the wall, leaving a hole the size of melon in its wake.

The surprise attack had created just the perfect amount of chaos and confusion for them to escape.

It was confirmed within minutes that Ali and Caden were gone.   

Several heads had rolled that day... literally. 

Gemma released her wrath on anyone that crossed her path.  With no one able to give her the answers she sought, she was in a foul mood when it became necessary to contact Athavan about the escape.

And now she was stuck with dividing her team up, scrounging the Earth to ensure that all those not infected where destroyed, well, all but two.

What in the hell is so special about those two?

Gemma realized that her father had been watching her for the past several days, or getting others to do it for him,  looking for a sign that she was about to break.

I’ll be damned if I give them one. Father chose me. I have to remember that. 

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\MEDIA\OFFICE14\Bullets\BD21295_.gif

Huddled into the corner, Iresha covered her ears as another bomb exploded nearby.  Tears streaked down her face as she risked a glance at her surroundings.  Dirt and dust swirled around her, speckling her gray skin as light peered through the broken wall.  She had ducked into the building at the sound of the Rebel’s footsteps.  At least she thought it was the Rebels...being alone now, she didn’t want to take any chances.

A week earlier, she and

Reviews for AfterShock

[melhay_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story starts back where End of the World starts, but we get the view through Jhaer's eyes, and Unseelie leader's eyes. The day when everyone, except Jhaer, is celebrating the union of Seelie and Unseelie and the day the fey world fell apart at his feet.We get the other side of the coin here. A thought is planted as to why the fey world crumbles and it could be the same reason the Seelie are celebrating. Jhaer, having the Earth magic, survives the collapse and decides to collect other fey to protect and teach them how to survive with the help of Earth born fey.This short story creates a bigger world. We learn a tad of the courts and Danu's pick. And of exiles surviving in the world without the fey help. Jhaer has started searching for some of the Earth born fey, and finding them usually in tight spots, "saves" them. This is where we learn of the sidhe and fey enemies in the world; wizards, vampires and changlings.I liked the Unseelie story side better. Things are not always "good" and you have to adjust with it. The writing descriptions here seemed to resinate in my mind better too. Jhaer has the dark, bad boy feel yet he is doing right by others, but to save himself too.