Eden One, Episode One Read online

  Eden One

  Season One

  Episode One

  By: Raven K. Asher

  Copyright ©Raven K. Asher 2014

  Published by Raven K. Asher at Smashwords.

  This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give, copy, scan, distribute or sell this book to anyone else.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

  Any people or places are strictly fictional and not based on anything else, fictional or non-fictional.

  Other Books by: Raven K. Asher

  “Barely Alive” (The Story of Alexis Rose) Book 1

  “Running Scared” (The Story of Alexis Rose) Book 2

  “Dead End” (The Story of Alexis Rose) Book 3

  “The Complete Story of Alexis Rose” Books 1-3

  “The Invisible Butterfly”

  “When Worlds Collide and Stars Align”

  “Damage Me” Book 1

  “Colton Clark” (A Damage Me Novella) Book 2

  “The Hidden Angel” (The Angels Evermore) Book 1

  Eden One, Season One

  **Coming 2015**

  “Alone” (Among the Dead Trilogy) Book 1

  “Bound” (The Onyx Wolves) Book 1

  “A Touch of Frost” (The Winter Fae) Book 1

  “The Captured Angel” (The Angels Evermore) Book 2

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Prologue

  Earth had been a planet that was lush and full of life, and maybe that was our downfall. We had foolishly thought we were invincible. We had thought that nothing in the world could hurt us.

  What happened, didn’t just happen overnight.

  We had plenty of warning signs that we stupidly chose to ignore.

  Everything died, plants, animals, humans, we all died.

  It was our fault that the planet had met its ultimate and untimely fate.

  It wasn’t a bomb that took down our planet.

  It wasn’t even something we could fight.

  Earth as we knew it, came to an abrupt end when an uncontrollable super-virus took over the planet, killing everything in its path.

  Nothing was safe from its reach, not the animals, not the plants, not even the once vast oceans were safe from its reach.

  Most believed it was an act of God.

  Others believed that we all deserved our end, our fates.

  Yet others saw it as an opportunity.

  They saw it as a new start to a better future.

  Those were the ones who had planned ahead. They were the ones who built the space stations that now held the last hope for humanity.

  It’s been two hundred and thirty seven years since Earth died.

  We are the future.

  Chapter 1

  It’s been two hundred and thirty seven years since Earth as we knew it became unlivable. I’ve been living on one of the seven space stations that our scientists had foreseen to construct.

  Each station has its own special reasons, and each has a certain group that will be able to travel to any new planets we find and begin life anew.

  These seven stations consist of the farmers, the engineers, the scientists, the breeders, the doctors, the military, and the alphas, or also known as the future leaders.

  I was lucky enough to be born on the military station, and I was quickly following in my father’s footsteps to becoming a leader of my very own squad.

  It was a high honor to become a commanding leader, and it was an even bigger honor since I had managed to snatch the highest spot in our ranks at only eighteen.

  “Hey, Mac, did you hear the news?” Max, or better known as Mad Max, rushes over to me as I walk down the hall towards my living quarters.

  “No, what’s up?” I stop to study my second in command as he pants for his breath.

  “The Alphas are coming, here, today.” He pants as he leans over to place his hands on his knees. “Something big is happening, Mac.”

  “What do you mean? The Alphas always come to our station when there’s a big meeting, Max. It doesn’t mean that something big is going to happen.”

  “No, but they don’t always bring Killian with them.” He grunts as he finally stands up straight and runs his hand over his short military style hair cut.

  His hair was such a dark brown that it almost appeared black.

  Pair the dark hair with his equally dark brown eyes and dark look he had about him, and you would understand why the younger military trainees called him Mad Max.

  Max was a very harsh trainer, but his students all graduated with the best and highest scores.

  Groaning, I continue my walk with Max by my side. “I really don’t want to see him, are you certain they are bringing him along this time?”

  “Yes, they are definitely bringing him, which also sucks for our team because he’s going to want to watch us work and I can’t stand how judgmental he can be. I’d really like to see him go against one of us. I bet he wouldn’t last a minute.” Max replies.

  “I don’t know if I would take that bet, Max, the Alphas are trained just as well as we are, if not more so.” I reply as I reach the metal door to my quarters.

  Swiping my wrist over the red laser light next to the door it reads the micro chip implanted in my wrist, beeping to allow me access.

  “I still say that you could easily take him on, Kenzie.” Max responds with a laugh.

  Just as Max turns to leave my father appears around the corner, both Max and I fall in line with each other.

  With our backs held straight and our chins held high, we salute him as he comes to stand in front of us.

  “At ease, Dunn, you may go along with your business. I need to speak alone with my daughter for a moment.” My father commands using Max’s last name.

  “Yes Sir, Captain Frost.” Max salutes him once more before walking off leaving me and my father alone.

  “At ease, Mackenzie, I only want to talk.” My father sighs as he glances back to where Max had just left. “I’m sure Max has already informed you of the Alphas arrival for later today?”

  “Yes, he did, and before you get angry with him he was only warning me that he heard that Killian was going to be coming along with them.” I reply.

  “I’m not angry with Dunn. I understand that he watches out for you, that’s why he’s your second in command. You need that kind of trust when choosing your team.” My father sighs again roughly as he rubs his hand over his short cut, graying black, hair.

  “Killian will be coming, and I’m afraid that since you’ve just turned eighteen, he’s coming before the council to demand that you become his.”

  “Isn’t there anything we can do to stop him?” I question feeling absolutely helpless.

  In our world, women were treated as property even if they proved themselves to be worth more. We were looked upon as if we were nothing more than just baby carriers to continue the survival of humans.

  And I guess in a way it made sense, but it was unfair to us females who longed to be more than that.

  We should have had the right to at least choose the path we w
anted to follow.

  He sighs again looking years older than his actual age of fifty.

  “Our hands are tied, Kenzie. You know how things work here, when an Alpha wants something the council has no choice but to hand that thing, or person, in this case, over.”

  His shoulders sag and I see the slight sadness that he carried in his eyes that he always tried to hide.

  He was one of the few men who were for female rights.

  Especially since his only daughter was being forced into something neither of us wanted or even thought was fair.

  Killian had a bad reputation with my father and me.

  I mean, he had been the one who took away my mother, and my father’s mate.

  Who could blame us for holding a grudge?

  “Try to get along with him, Mackenzie, because the Alphas being here isn’t the only thing we’re dealing with at the moment. The scientists have found a planet that can support life and the council is going to be putting together teams to send down.”

  “Wait, when were they going to tell us this information?” I question.

  “They’re going to be holding a meeting later in the week. It’s also when they will be officially calling out the teams that will be leaving.” He answers.

  “I know my team has to be at the top of that list, Dad. Is this whole thing with Killian going to postpone us leaving, or is it going to speed things up?” I question curiously.

  “I’m sure you are, Mackenzie, you and your team are unlike any other, and I’m proud of you for being the first female leader.” He sighs. “Killian is probably going to speed things along. You know they want whole groups with Alphas to go down, and I’m afraid that this time the teams won’t be returning to the station.”

  “What do you mean, the teams always come back unless…” I trail off.

  Teams didn’t come back when the stations decided to colonize a planet.

  What that meant for me and my team was huge. We would be leaving our home, the only home we’ve ever known, for good.

  That meant leaving our families and friends behind, it meant that we would be on our own to survive.

  It also meant that we could possibly even die.

  I wasn’t a big fan of that, I was a survivor.

  “You’ve trained for this, Mackenzie, you know this won’t be easy, but it’s what we do.” Dad reassures.

  “I know, Dad, but it’s going to be hard leaving you behind.” I tear up, quickly hiding it from my father.

  I knew I had failed when his hand comes up to brush away my stray tears.

  “Don’t cry, baby girl.” He whispers softly.

  Team leaders were never to show emotion, it was seen as weakness, but I needed this moment.

  “I can’t help it this time.” I whisper back.

  “I know, but you mustn’t ever let anyone see your tears. You need to be the strong girl I raised you to be, the strong girl that your mother wanted you to be.” My father replies gently.

  I nod wiping at my eyes as my tears continue to fall out of my control.

  “Captain Frost.” A familiar voice rings out, and I inwardly groan.

  It was Killian.

  His voice alone, made me want to crawl into a meat grader rather than face him.

  But I was going to have to face him.

  Just not at the moment, not until my tears were gone.

  Dad turns around quickly hiding me behind him as I fight to control myself and wipe any evidence of my tears away.

  I couldn’t be seen like this, especially not by him, an Alpha.

  “Alpha Killian, Sir, I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were here already. I was told that the Alphas would be arriving later tonight.” Dad salutes, his back straight and his chin up.

  “At ease, Frost, I’m here to talk with your daughter. We have much to discuss.” Killian replies quickly, not even caring to explain to my father why he and the others had shown up earlier than expected, but that was almost expected from Killian.

  Killian only said what he wanted, when he wanted.

  “May I speak freely, Sir?” My dad questions and I peek around to see Killian nod.

  “What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”

  “As you know already, I’ve been watching her and her team, they’re at the top, as am I, and I want them to follow under my lead.” Killian skirts around my father’s question.

  My father nods. “I understand that, but you have shown other interests in my daughter.”

  “I have, I admit that I have formed a soft spot for her. She would make a good match for me, would she not?” Killian questions my father who can only agree, if he would have disagreed then it would be possible for Killian to thrown him into the cells.

  I hated our laws.

  No one would ever dare to disagree with an Alpha.

  It wasn’t fair.

  “She would make a good match for you, Killian, if it wasn’t for her deep hatred of you.” Dad answers wisely.

  I grin behind his back.

  My father always had a way with words where he could speak the truth and the Alphas could do nothing against him.

  “That is unfortunately true, and between you and me she isn’t my first choice, but as an Alpha I must take the best of the best.” Killian admits easily, making me hate him that much more.

  He didn’t honestly like me anymore than I liked him.

  We hated each other.

  Stepping to the side, I salute Killian and flip him off as his jaw drops.

  “Alpha Killian, Sir, you have some nerve…” I trail off, stepping closer to him not caring one bit about protocol.

  I was ticked and I didn’t care if he threw me in the cells, at least then I wouldn’t have to be paired to someone I hated so deeply.

  “You are out of line, Mackenzie.” Killian grunts as he grabs my hand before it can slap his face. Twisting it behind me, I cry out in pain as he pushes me until I fall down on my knees in front of him.

  “Throw me in the cells then, Killian.” I taunt knowing that he wouldn’t.

  I was far too valuable to him to just throw me away.

  “Fine, if that’s where you want to be, I’ll take you there myself.” Killian grunts as he pulls me roughly back to my feet.

  “Are you serious?” I question as I turn my face to look at him with shock.

  His blue eyes pierce mine with anger.

  Something was different about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it but normally his eyes weren’t filled with such hatred towards me.

  Normally, they would soften and his anger would leave.

  This time he wasn’t changing his mind, he wasn’t bluffing.

  I was in big trouble.

  “I’m dead serious, Mackenzie, I’m tired of these games you always play with me. I’ll give you two choices, either you spend a few days in the cells or you take ten lashes publicly, which will it be?” He grunts.

  There was only one right answer to that, and he knew it as his lips form into a smug grin.

  “I’ll take the lashes, I can’t be seen in the cells, it would ruin me and you know that, Killian.” I clip out.

  “Good. I’ll meet you in the grand hall in two hours for your punishment. After that, we can talk like I wanted to in the first place.” Killian lets my arm go before walking off.

  “You really did it this time, Mac.” Dad grunts before pushing past me disappointed.

  “I’m sorry.”I whisper as I watch his back disappear around the corner.

  Slowly, I stand to my feet feeling completely disappointed with the way I had acted out, I should have acted differently.

  If only I could turn back time.

  Turning around I walk back over to my door and swipe my wrist under the red light to open my door once again.

  Reluctantly walking in, I lay down on my bed.

  I was angry with myself for coming so unhinged around Killian.

  I really needed to learn how to keep those emotions in check.
/>   My emotions were bound to get me into trouble far worse than this, I just knew it.

  How was I going to stand strong against ten lashes, I didn’t know, if I failed, it would make me appear weak, and I couldn’t let him make me out to be weak just because I was female.

  I had to prove to every one of the other leaders in this station that I could stand with the best of them, being beaten down was not going to be an option.

  Beating Killian at his own game would be a plus, especially since I knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to show his dominance over me.

  It was something most guys had tried while training alongside me.

  An unwarranted poke here, a swift kick, behind a commander’s back, there.

  It was never ending.

  Most girls, and women submitted to the men, that’s why we were treated as pawns and given away instead of treated as equals.

  Thankfully, I wasn’t most girls.

  I was one of the few who decided to show the world I would do more than just sit back and allow my life to be controlled.

  Choosing this life had its complications though, like being stuck with Killian just because I would look good by his side.

  Even with the status I had, I had to admit to still being a pawn.

  I was still looked upon as an object, a very valuable object.

  And that’s the way it would always be, sadly.

  Unless women would grow a backbone and stand up for themselves, which was something I definitely didn’t see happening in my lifetime.

  Chapter 2

  Fifteen minutes before I had to report down to the grand hall I get a beep at my door, announcing that someone was just outside.

  Opening it, I’m not surprised to see my team standing before me.

  “What have you gotten yourself into this time, Mac?” Grey Dixon, one of my favorite team members and the quietest one of our group, questions with a dark raised brow that matched his dark hair and the dark mysterious look he had about him.