Chapter One
If I didn’t hurry I was going to be late. Without thought I
stepped into my boots sans the hidden height implants and thus stayed my usual
five foot four inches. My mind was engaged with other matters. First and
foremost, if I didn’t get my ass in gear I was going to be tardy to my command
appearance before Lt. Certze. That wasn’t an option.
My name is Sophia Burrelis, Soph for short, and I am one of
many female Jr. Enforcers. In fact the only female I know who is a full-fledged
Enforcer is one of my best friends, Emma Certze, Lt. Certze’s daughter. Emma
had been activated three weeks earlier and sent to the fifth quadrant, a place
both longed for and feared by active Enforcers. It was a hotbed for criminal
activity and many Enforcers never made it back, not even in a body bag.
My dream is to actually get off the desk job and become an
active Enforcer. I’ve trained for years. I can kick ass with the best of them,
but my height, or lack thereof, is frowned on. Remember Emma, my friend and
only female Enforcer? Yeah, well she’s six feet tall in her bare feet. If we
hadn’t been raised pretty much like sisters I’d probably hate her. But the two
of us and our friend Mandy have been together since we were just babies.
We were all born within twenty-four hours of each other.
Mandy is the oldest. Emma is exactly six hours older than me. Yep, I’m the
baby.
“Hurry up,” Mandy urged holding my quetchin out to me
as I finished zipping my standard-issue Enforcer black pants into the boots.
With one hand I pulled my long blonde curls up and wound
them around my head before placing the quetchin over the looped hair.
After pressing one button I had my wealth of hair secured and was ready to go.
“Good luck!” Mandy gushed, giving me a hug and then a slap
on the butt as I turned to leave our quarters.
Mandy. How do I even begin to tell you about her? Mandy is
the whole package. Unlike me, she’s tall, beautiful, and hands down, the most
intelligent woman I’ve ever met. She is the top code breaker in our region and
highly sought out by other regions. I can’t really tell you exactly what she
does or how she does it—not my cup of tea—but believe me when I say that she is
definitely someone you can trust. Oh, and she’s also the only virgin I still
know. I tease her constantly about this, but honestly, I’m a little in awe of
her.
“Go, go,” Mandy said behind me and I was off like a flash
down the corridor, heading toward my meeting with Lt. Certze.
What was the meeting for? If anything had happened to Emma
it would have been announced to the general population and there would be no
need for a meeting with me. Besides, if it was about Emma then Mandy would be
included in the meeting as well. We were all three raised as sisters, remember?
I stepped into the vestibule outside the lieutenant’s office
and placed my hand on the controller. My identifier came on and I spoke my
phrase to allow for voice recognition as well. In mere seconds I was welcomed
and the door slid open.
“Welcome, Jr. Enforcer Burrelis,” the lieutenant’s secretary
Amanda greeted me. “Lt. Certze is awaiting you.” With that she hit a button and
the doors to his inner sanctum slid open. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you
that my stomach was in my throat and I was seriously terrified I might vomit.
I stepped through and stopped no closer than two feet from
his desk as protocol dictated. I immediately came to attention and stayed that
way. Was this the opportunity to remove the Jr. from my title? Was this what
I’d been hoping and praying for? Please don’t let me throw up in front of my
lieutenant.
“At ease, Burrelis,” Lt. Certze said and I immediately
relaxed my stance—feet shoulder width apart, hands clasped behind my back.
He sat at his desk, fingers laced, just looking at me. I
could feel the weight of his silence like the squeezing of a hand around my
heart and lungs. I wasn’t being
If I didn’t hurry I was going to be late. Without thought I
stepped into my boots sans the hidden height implants and thus stayed my usual
five foot four inches. My mind was engaged with other matters. First and
foremost, if I didn’t get my ass in gear I was going to be tardy to my command
appearance before Lt. Certze. That wasn’t an option.
My name is Sophia Burrelis, Soph for short, and I am one of
many female Jr. Enforcers. In fact the only female I know who is a full-fledged
Enforcer is one of my best friends, Emma Certze, Lt. Certze’s daughter. Emma
had been activated three weeks earlier and sent to the fifth quadrant, a place
both longed for and feared by active Enforcers. It was a hotbed for criminal
activity and many Enforcers never made it back, not even in a body bag.
My dream is to actually get off the desk job and become an
active Enforcer. I’ve trained for years. I can kick ass with the best of them,
but my height, or lack thereof, is frowned on. Remember Emma, my friend and
only female Enforcer? Yeah, well she’s six feet tall in her bare feet. If we
hadn’t been raised pretty much like sisters I’d probably hate her. But the two
of us and our friend Mandy have been together since we were just babies.
We were all born within twenty-four hours of each other.
Mandy is the oldest. Emma is exactly six hours older than me. Yep, I’m the
baby.
“Hurry up,” Mandy urged holding my quetchin out to me
as I finished zipping my standard-issue Enforcer black pants into the boots.
With one hand I pulled my long blonde curls up and wound
them around my head before placing the quetchin over the looped hair.
After pressing one button I had my wealth of hair secured and was ready to go.
“Good luck!” Mandy gushed, giving me a hug and then a slap
on the butt as I turned to leave our quarters.
Mandy. How do I even begin to tell you about her? Mandy is
the whole package. Unlike me, she’s tall, beautiful, and hands down, the most
intelligent woman I’ve ever met. She is the top code breaker in our region and
highly sought out by other regions. I can’t really tell you exactly what she
does or how she does it—not my cup of tea—but believe me when I say that she is
definitely someone you can trust. Oh, and she’s also the only virgin I still
know. I tease her constantly about this, but honestly, I’m a little in awe of
her.
“Go, go,” Mandy said behind me and I was off like a flash
down the corridor, heading toward my meeting with Lt. Certze.
What was the meeting for? If anything had happened to Emma
it would have been announced to the general population and there would be no
need for a meeting with me. Besides, if it was about Emma then Mandy would be
included in the meeting as well. We were all three raised as sisters, remember?
I stepped into the vestibule outside the lieutenant’s office
and placed my hand on the controller. My identifier came on and I spoke my
phrase to allow for voice recognition as well. In mere seconds I was welcomed
and the door slid open.
“Welcome, Jr. Enforcer Burrelis,” the lieutenant’s secretary
Amanda greeted me. “Lt. Certze is awaiting you.” With that she hit a button and
the doors to his inner sanctum slid open. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you
that my stomach was in my throat and I was seriously terrified I might vomit.
I stepped through and stopped no closer than two feet from
his desk as protocol dictated. I immediately came to attention and stayed that
way. Was this the opportunity to remove the Jr. from my title? Was this what
I’d been hoping and praying for? Please don’t let me throw up in front of my
lieutenant.
“At ease, Burrelis,” Lt. Certze said and I immediately
relaxed my stance—feet shoulder width apart, hands clasped behind my back.
He sat at his desk, fingers laced, just looking at me. I
could feel the weight of his silence like the squeezing of a hand around my
heart and lungs. I wasn’t being
Similar Books
