Chapter One
Holly paced the length of her living room, plotting her next move. Who could she turn to with what she’d learned in these past few days? And most importantly would they believe her? With her two best friends, Bella and Sydney, missing in action, she had never felt more alone in her life.
How would she find the strength to fight the alien threat when her support system was gone? Bella could be goodness knows where, possibly dead. And Sydney was on the run from the law. Her face was on every bulletin board in the city. Holly could only hope she was somewhere safe. Her head began to throb as tension coursed through her body.
“Think, Holly, think,” she muttered to herself. Why couldn’t she figure out what to do? She had nothing.
The tele-communicator let out a shrill ring, jarring her out of her thoughts. She walked to the control panel on her wall and pressed the button to turn on the screen.
Clea Storm, her boss at the plant nursery, appeared, and judging from the tight-lipped expression on her pale face, she wasn’t happy. “Holly, I suppose you know why I’m calling?”
Holly coughed in response. “I’m sorry, Ms. Storm. I’m still not feeling well. I might not be back to work until next week.”
Her boss’s eyes narrowed to dark slits, disbelief stamped on her face. “You look fine to me.”
“I get dizzy spells when I stand for long periods of time.” The words sounded like a lie even to Holly’s ears.
“Then I suggest you visit a clinic. I hope you realize the policy for being out sick more than three consecutive days.”
6
“I know. A doctor’s note is required. To be honest I haven’t visited my physician.
I figured my condition was due to fatigue and some rest was what I needed most.” Judging from the stony expression on the other woman’s face, Holly’s excuses weren’t doing any good. “While I sympathize, I suggest you report to work tomorrow or provide a letter from a medical facilitator upon your return. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to terminate your employment. You’re a hard worker and I value you as a team member at Green Thumbs, but I can’t grant you preferential treatment.” Holly closed her eyes and sighed. She understood Ms. Storm’s position, but how could she focus on work when there was already so much turmoil in her life? But she realized she couldn’t give up her job just yet, especially when being there put Holly in close proximity to the waste management center. Raising her lids once again, she noticed the vein throbbing in her boss’s temple signaling her impatience. “Okay, I’ll be there on time tomorrow.”
Ms. Storm relaxed her expression to a smile. “I’m glad to hear it. I look forward to seeing you then.” Without waiting for Holly to reply, she signed off. The screen went black.
Damn. Now she’d committed to going to work when she didn’t feel like it. But maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. In fact, it was probably for the best. What better way to bring the Cyrellians down than obtaining more evidence against them?
Before she’d gone on the run, Sydney had left her a file obtained from Cryo Cor, the largest food manufacturer on the planet. It contained information about a potent, addictive drug called GXT. This chemical was being put into food produced by Cryo Cor. Apparently its side-effects included an immediate craving for more of the food, and eventually caused a yellowish tint to the skin. When ingested in large quantities it was poisonous.
To Holly, the scariest part was people didn’t realize they were getting sick from eating the products manufactured by this company until they were on their deathbeds.
It was bad enough the Cyrellians were poisoning humans with their food, but their packaged meats were actually made from human flesh. As sickening as this discovery
7
was, she wasn’t the least bit surprised. She’d long suspected all wasn’t right with their alien benefactors.
Several months
Holly paced the length of her living room, plotting her next move. Who could she turn to with what she’d learned in these past few days? And most importantly would they believe her? With her two best friends, Bella and Sydney, missing in action, she had never felt more alone in her life.
How would she find the strength to fight the alien threat when her support system was gone? Bella could be goodness knows where, possibly dead. And Sydney was on the run from the law. Her face was on every bulletin board in the city. Holly could only hope she was somewhere safe. Her head began to throb as tension coursed through her body.
“Think, Holly, think,” she muttered to herself. Why couldn’t she figure out what to do? She had nothing.
The tele-communicator let out a shrill ring, jarring her out of her thoughts. She walked to the control panel on her wall and pressed the button to turn on the screen.
Clea Storm, her boss at the plant nursery, appeared, and judging from the tight-lipped expression on her pale face, she wasn’t happy. “Holly, I suppose you know why I’m calling?”
Holly coughed in response. “I’m sorry, Ms. Storm. I’m still not feeling well. I might not be back to work until next week.”
Her boss’s eyes narrowed to dark slits, disbelief stamped on her face. “You look fine to me.”
“I get dizzy spells when I stand for long periods of time.” The words sounded like a lie even to Holly’s ears.
“Then I suggest you visit a clinic. I hope you realize the policy for being out sick more than three consecutive days.”
6
“I know. A doctor’s note is required. To be honest I haven’t visited my physician.
I figured my condition was due to fatigue and some rest was what I needed most.” Judging from the stony expression on the other woman’s face, Holly’s excuses weren’t doing any good. “While I sympathize, I suggest you report to work tomorrow or provide a letter from a medical facilitator upon your return. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to terminate your employment. You’re a hard worker and I value you as a team member at Green Thumbs, but I can’t grant you preferential treatment.” Holly closed her eyes and sighed. She understood Ms. Storm’s position, but how could she focus on work when there was already so much turmoil in her life? But she realized she couldn’t give up her job just yet, especially when being there put Holly in close proximity to the waste management center. Raising her lids once again, she noticed the vein throbbing in her boss’s temple signaling her impatience. “Okay, I’ll be there on time tomorrow.”
Ms. Storm relaxed her expression to a smile. “I’m glad to hear it. I look forward to seeing you then.” Without waiting for Holly to reply, she signed off. The screen went black.
Damn. Now she’d committed to going to work when she didn’t feel like it. But maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. In fact, it was probably for the best. What better way to bring the Cyrellians down than obtaining more evidence against them?
Before she’d gone on the run, Sydney had left her a file obtained from Cryo Cor, the largest food manufacturer on the planet. It contained information about a potent, addictive drug called GXT. This chemical was being put into food produced by Cryo Cor. Apparently its side-effects included an immediate craving for more of the food, and eventually caused a yellowish tint to the skin. When ingested in large quantities it was poisonous.
To Holly, the scariest part was people didn’t realize they were getting sick from eating the products manufactured by this company until they were on their deathbeds.
It was bad enough the Cyrellians were poisoning humans with their food, but their packaged meats were actually made from human flesh. As sickening as this discovery
7
was, she wasn’t the least bit surprised. She’d long suspected all wasn’t right with their alien benefactors.
Several months
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