Gracie’s Touch: Zion Warriors Book 1
Gracie’s Touch
By S. E. Smith
With thanks to:
My husband, Steve, for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. A special thanks to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write but read it as well.
-S. E. Smith
IMPRINT: Science Fiction Romance
GRACIE’S TOUCH: Zion Warriors Book 1
Copyright © 2012 by Susan E. Smith
First E-Book Publication July 2012
Cover Design by S. E. Smith
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is strictly coincidental.
Synopsis
Gracie Jones was little more than a child when the Earth was invaded by an alien species. Escaping into the subway tunnels of New York City, she hid in fear of being captured. Discovered by four men who became her protectors, she fought alongside them and they became known as the Freedom Five. At seventeen, she made a decision that turned the tide on the war between Earth and the Alluthans but in exchange she gave up all that she knew.
Kordon Jefe is a Zion Warrior and commanding officer in charge of the Confederation of Planets military. When an unknown species begins attacking some of their outer settlements, he is assigned to discover who they are and stop them…at any cost.
Gracie unknowingly finds herself stranded millions of light years and hundreds of years in the future in a distant galaxy on an undeveloped moon. When an old enemy threatens once more, she does not hesitant to use her knowledge to try to stop them once again. Only this time, it is not just Earth she will be saving but the Confederation itself.
When their two worlds are thrown together, Kordon is unsure what to do with the strange, delicate creature that fights and behaves unlike anything he has ever encountered before. One thing he does know, he plans to keep her.
By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please get a refund for this book. It is designed for the entertainment of mature readers only.
Chapter 1
“Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to all the citizens of the world. This is Gracie reaching out to touch each and every one of you with love and hope. The Freedom Five, along with groups from around the world, are pushing back against the Alluthans. Forces around the world have freed thousands of captives over the past several weeks. Over two hundred Alluthan fighters have been destroyed in the past week. Our fight for freedom is heating up and we expect a break through soon, so don’t give up!” Gracie Jones leaned into the microphone attached to the bank of computers and continued sending out news, stories, and hope to the millions of listeners in fifteen different languages. She spent at least three hours a day during different times sending the messages of hope out. Adam worried it would open them up to attacks if the Alluthans traced the signal but Gracie was a master at bouncing signals off of the satellites the Alluthans hadn’t destroyed.
She was just ending her broadcast when Chance came in. One look at his face and she knew he was furious. She also knew what the cause was…Adam or Adrian finally told him about her plan. She winced when she looked at his face again. The confrontation about to come was not going to be a pleasant experience.
“This is Gracie’s Touch signing off.” Gracie said in a husky voice filled with emotion.
Fifteen minutes later she was ready to scream. She knew it was going to be difficult but she never expected it to be this difficult! Gracie turned to Adam pleading silently for his help.
“It’s the only way! I’m the only one who can do it.” Gracie said again quietly looking intently at the four men standing around her. “There is no other way.”
“Like hell there isn’t!” Chance said fiercely. He jerked away from Adam who grabbed at him.
“Chance…” Gracie began softly.
“He’s right, Gracie. There is no way in hell we are going to let you do this.” Mark said softly.
Gracie sighed again in frustration. “Adam, you talk to them. You know I’m right.”
Adam watched as Gracie rose gracefully from the chair in front of the row of computers. He shut his eyes’ briefly in an effort to get control of the rage burning inside him. He knew she was right but he didn’t want to be the one to admit it. Adam opened his eyes and looked at his younger brother, Adrian, who hadn’t said a word through the whole argument. He had the same look of resignation in his eyes.
“Gracie is right. She is the only one who can do this.” Adam spoke quietly but with authority.
As the leader of one small group of New York rebels known as the Freedom Five, it was up to him to make the tough decisions. He wasn’t sure he would be able to live with some of those decisions if they survived the fight for their freedom. Five years before Earth had been invaded by a group of ugly-ass aliens. There had been no warning, no promises for peace, nothing. The half-organic/half-robotic aliens had simply begun gathering up as many humans as possible and placing them in huge holding camps protected by shield of some kind. Millions perished from lack of food and medical care. It was later learned, thanks to the work of computer hackers, or geeks as Gracie liked to be called, that the aliens were planning on using the humans as renewable parts for their own deteriorating forms. The Alluthans were experimenting on the captive humans to test their limitations and compatibility. Gracie lost her parents and an older sister when the aliens first attacked New York. Adam, his brother Adrian and two other survivors, Chance and Mark, found Gracie hiding in the old subway system six months later. Gracie escaped with her laptop, some external hard drives, and had managed to tap into one of the maintenance room’s access points to monitor what was happening. The governments of the world finally banded together to fight the threat but not before a devastating number of humans had died or were lost to the large alien holding camps.
Gracie was the youngest daughter of two university professors at NYU. Her ability to understand computer language, and languages in general, was unbelievable. By fifteen, she had mastered eight different languages fluently and another seven on a conversational level. She also used her skills at deciphering computer generated languages to stay one step ahead of the Alluthans. For the past two years, she focused on studying the language and computer applications of the Alluthans so she could find a way to defeat them.
Adrian looked at his brother with a tense frown on his face. “You know it is suicide. She’ll never make it out.”
“That’s not true!” Gracie said turning to frown at the four men towering over her petite five foot four frame. “I have an excellent chance of escaping.”
“And how, pray tell, do you figure that?” Chance growled folding his arms across his massive chest.
“Chance, I can speak, read, and write their language. I’ve been studying it extensively, as well as their computer applications. Team Two has the supply ship of one of them in the old warehouse down by the river thanks to me. All I have to do is program it to auto-pilot to the mother ship. Once on board, I’ll upload the programs I’ve developed that will bring down the shields protecting all their bases and the prisoner camps around the world. Once it has downloaded, I reprogram the ship to bring me back to Earth.” Gracie said with a plea for understanding in her voice. “I know I can do this!”
Chance walked over and drew Gracie against hi
m holding her close. She was the closest thing to family he had left besides the other guys standing with them. He had lost his family also and vowed to protect Gracie from the first time he saw her emerald green eyes staring fearfully back at him in the dark tunnel five years ago. He didn’t want to admit for a long time that as she matured his feelings for her grew beyond a brotherly love. At seventeen, Gracie was still too young. Chance was waiting as long as he could before he claimed Gracie as his own but he feared he would never get the chance to tell her how he felt about her.
“What if they find you? What if it doesn’t work and you get trapped there?” Chance asked huskily as he held her against his hard length.
“They won’t. It will work. I’ve double and triple checked the programs to make sure they would work. You saw for yourself how the shield collapsed and I was able to take control of the ship and bring it down. The alien didn’t have a clue about what was happening.” Gracie said softly as she wrapped her arms around Chance. She wanted to give him reassurance but she also needed it herself.
“When do we do this?” Adrian asked.
“Tomorrow morning.” Adam replied. “We’ve received confirmation from around the world that everyone will be ready.”
Mark nodded. “You better come back, little britches, or I’m going to be mighty pissed at you.”
Gracie smiled softly before replying. “I will, Mark. I will.”
Gracie slowly walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. She tried to calm the trembling in her hands as she pushed her short, thick strawberry blonde hair away from her face so she could wash without it getting wet. Gracie wouldn’t say she was beautiful, more like cute. Her strawberry blonde hair was cut in a bob that came to her chin, her eyes were too big and a deep, dark green. She had a short button nose and lips just a little on the full size. She was very pale from having spent most of her time underground in the subway tunnels of New York. She was also very petite for her age but that was mostly due to not having very much food for too many years. The guys had finally set up grow lights in one tunnel and they grew what they could. Mark had been the farmer of the group having come from the Midwest in search of survivors. Chance knew a little but that was mostly because of the pot plants he used to grow when he was a teenager. Adam and Adrian were native New Yorkers used to the mean streets. They were the fighters of the group and were instrumental in saving the lives of each of them on more than one occasion.
Gracie watched as her hair swished around her face as she leaned forward and drew in a deep breath. She tried to sound confident about what she was about to do but in reality, she was scared to death. She wasn’t sure it was going to work and she knew if it did, there was an excellent possibility she wouldn’t survive. She figured it would be a one-way ticket but she also knew if the guys knew that, they would never let her go. If there was a chance they could turn the tide on this war and defeat the aliens, she was going to take it. The only reason she was the best candidate for this mission was because if the aliens figured out what she was doing and tried to stop her, she had a chance of counter-acting their programming. So, scared or not, she was it. Gracie washed her face and brushed her teeth before pulling on a comfortable pair of worn jeans, an oversized T-Shirt with a picture of New York on the front and slipping into her running shoes. She grabbed some personal items and shoved them into her oversized leather bag along with an extra shirt and her hoodie. Last, she grabbed her tablet pc and chargers. Looking around for the last time at the little cot up set up against the stone wall, Gracie pulled aside the blanket she used as a door and walked down to the main staging area.
Chapter 2
Adam, Adrian, Chance, and Mark were waiting for her by the time she got to the center area they used as a main living quarter. Chance helped Gracie up onto the platform then stood back as the other six men who made up Team Two looked her over.
“Not much to you.” One of the men said spitting on the floor. “Maybe if they catch you they won’t think there is enough of you to eat. You sure as hell aren’t big enough for parts.”
Adrian, who was standing slightly to the left of the man, turned in a blur of motion and struck the man in the jaw sending him to the floor on his ass. “Shut your mouth!” He snarled clenching his fists tightly. “She is risking her life to do something no one else can, you piece of shit. Give her the respect she deserves.”
“And don’t spit on the floor. This is our living area.” Gracie said as calmly as she could.
The words of the man sent a shiver down her spine. They frequently received reports that the aliens were using humans for parts to repair the damage to their own organic bodies. Gracie didn’t want to think of her family ending up that way. Chance could sense how the words of the man upset Gracie and it took everything inside him not to just kill the bastard right then and there. He walked over and pulled Gracie close to his body, trying to give her what little protection and support he could.
“Gracie.” Chance called out quietly a few hours later.
Gracie and the guys went over the plans again with Team Two before calling it a night. They looked over every aspect of what they were about to do. It was essentially Gracie’s plan. When she first worked out the programming to not only disarm the shields protecting the Alluthan spaceships but how to override their system and bring it down using a simulator she had been ecstatic. If a world-wide, systematic coordination of attacks could be organized then it was possible to turn the tide on the war and possibly even bring it to an end. It took over two months for Gracie to finally convince the other four guys it was a possibility and that only happened when she took over the supply ship now down in the old warehouse. The Alluthan on board had no idea that it was not following a direct order from the mother ship. Once Gracie proved she could override, control, and operate one of the spaceships Adam began communicating with other rebel forces around the world through the ham-radio and low frequency signals set up.
Gracie knew she would never be able to sleep after the other team left. Crocker, from Team Two, said he would have the things she would need on the supply ship for her arrival at five the next morning. Everything was ready. Now, she sat listening to the communications going on back and forth between the different bases of the Alluthans on the ground and the mother ship. That was where their downfall would be…Gracie thought. They put all their eggs in one basket, on in this case, one ship. The Alluthans believed the humans too primitive to attack them in space. Everything was run from the mother ship…all communications, orders, even power was distributed from there. If it was destroyed then all their resources were gone.
Gracie started when she heard Chance’s voice call out to her softly. Turning, she watched as he came into the small computer room the guys had set up for her. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched him. She loved him so much. She had since the first time she saw him five years ago. His gentle touch drew her out of the alcove she was hiding in and his strong arms made her feel safe. She knew he loved her too. She tried to act upon their love six months ago but Chance said it was not the time. He had made a promise to Adam to wait until she was eighteen before he claimed her as his. Gracie had argued but Chance remained firm. Adam was the father figure to them all and they respected him.
Adam wanted to make sure Gracie was old enough to understand her decision. Gracie did understand. She also understood life could be short. With considerable reluctance, both Gracie and Chance agreed they would wait until she was eighteen to act upon their physical desires. Now, it looked like their love would become another tragedy in history –for Gracie knew deep down she was never coming back. In a way, she was glad they never made the finally commitment to each other. Perhaps it would be easier for Chance to move on. Gracie knew she would always regret not forcing the issue for her own selfish reasons as she would have loved to have that memory to take with her when she died.
Gracie forced a smile on her face and the tears away as she looked at Chance’s worried face. “Hey, Cha
nce.” She said in a husky voice filled with emotion.
Chance heard the tears she was fighting so hard to push back. Rushing forward, he wrapped his strong arms around her tightly. “Let me go with you.” He whispered against her forehead. “Let me go with you and we can both come back. I’ll tell Adam that you need me.”
Gracie squeezed Chance close to her and closed her eyes. “You can’t. I’m good but not that good. The Alluthans scan each ship for heat signatures. If they pick up two signatures in a supply ship designed for one then they will destroy it before it ever gets near them. Besides, Adam needs you here to help with the attacks. You are supposed to take out the camp holding my parents and sister. You promised to see if they survived.” Gracie said looking up into Chance’s eyes, pleading with him not to argue with her.
Chance slid his arms up and gently cupped Gracie’s face between his large palms. He pressed a kiss to her lips groaning when she opened to him. Tonight could very well be their last night together, forever. Chance briefly thought of his promise to Adam then thought to hell with it. Gracie was his.