I sat on a black training chair and patiently waited for Russ. The large screen above reminded me of the last failed mental mission.

“Do you want the room brighter?” I raised my hand to wave at the sensor.

“No. It’s fine.” Justine leaned back in her seat. She placed her arms behind her neck for support and crossed her ankles.

I shivered. Unlike the just right temperature in my room, the sterile room seemed as cold as it felt. Bored out of my mind, I eyed the high dome-shaped ceiling and marveled at the sophisticated equipment that monitored me during mental missions. Then I examined the machine with countless switches and buttons. I yawned since there wasn’t much to see. A complex room, yet so simple and lackluster.

“So, what brought you here?” Brooke asked no one in particular.

“None of your business.” Justine twirled her chair and gazed up at the lights.

Justine was a tough nut to crack. One minute, she’d act like your best friend, and the next, she hated you. Everyone had a difficult past. Perhaps being insufferable was her defense mechanism.

“I didn’t ask you, Justine,” Brooke said. “You assumed I did and opened your fat mouth.”

Justine growled like a wild animal.

Brooke hiked her eyebrows. “What’s wrong, Justy? Don’t have anything intelligent to say?”

The mocking hostility in Brooke’s tone made Justine flinch.

“Easy.” I reached over and pressed a hand on Brooke.

Yep, I had a fantastic group. What happened to the bond we’d found half an hour ago?

“I killed someone when I turned sixteen,” Tamara said in a monotone. Her eyes were focused on the gray wall.

No way.

The room grew silent. Not even the machine hummed. Not only did Tamara appear fragile, she had a baby innocent face, and with one pout, she would more than likely get her way. Perhaps not in ISAN, though.

“My lawyer tried to win the case by presenting what I did as self-defense, but actually it was premeditated.” Tamara broke the awkward quiet. “I shot my boyfriend. He beat the crap out of me day after day. He deserved it.”

“He did deserve it, Tamara.” Justine sounded sympathetic—unusual for her. Whether it was the topic or she genuinely cared, surprisingly Justine opened up. “I know you’re from juvie, but how about your parents?”

“I don’t know who my dad is. My mom left me with my grandmother and took off somewhere. My grandmother passed away when I was in juvie. I never got to say goodbye to her.”

I sucked at comfort talk, so I kept quiet.

“How about you, Brooke?” Tamara swirled her chair to face Brooke.

Brooke idly ran her fingers on the lead tags, and then cocked an eyebrow. “I didn’t kill anyone, if that’s what you’re asking. I went through a line of foster parents. None of them could handle me. I sucked at school and got into fights. I beat the crap out of anyone who stared at me wrong. Hot Russ entered my life about six months ago. He did blood tests on a few of us at juvie. I had the lucky genes, and here I am.” She stretched her arms sideways with bravado.

“And you, Ava?” Tamara locked her eyes with mine.

I stretched my neck and cracked my knuckles. “I never knew my father. My mom told me he passed away when I was a baby, and my mom passed away when I turned thirteen. I didn’t even know she was sick. My foster father drank heavily and beat the crap out of me. I didn’t want to get smacked around anymore, so I ran away from home. I slept on the streets and stole whatever I needed to get by. I had become an expert at stealing, but I got careless. My foster parents never came for me, so they locked me up in juvenile detention. Then Russ came along.”

None of us had ever opened up about the past. Talking about it helped the hole in my heart heal a bit, but I didn’t let it go. My past had made me Ava the assassin. I hoped one day I would find closure. Through life lessons, I wished to become a new me.

“Wow ... our lives totally suck.” Tamara tucked her fist under her chin. “I guess we’re the lucky ones. At least we have decent food to eat and live under a warm roof.”

“Yeah ... but the kids—” I stopped when footsteps squeaked. The kids still in juvie are not assassins, I finished in my mind.

Russ entered, taking long strides across the room. “Sorry, ladies. I was in a meeting.”

“Wow, boss.” Justine jumped out of her seat. “You look like a hot angel with your white lab coat on.”

Indeed, he does. My heart skipped a beat, and I burst the bubbling feeling slowly rising from my stomach.

Color coated Russ’s face. “Very funny, Justine. Based on your cheerful mood, I’ll assume your team won the first round.”

Justine gave a sidelong glance and sat back down. “I’m always cheerful, boss, and we kicked their ass.” She paused. “I mean ... Yes, we won.”

Polite and ladylike wasn’t usually her style. I almost gagged at her change of words. Kiss ass.

“Congratulations. I knew you would. Today’s round will be more difficult than the last. You won’t be timed. You just need to make it out alive.” Russ knitted his eyebrows together, and then narrowed his eyes at me.

Brooke gulped and let out a nervous laugh. “It’s only a mental test, right?”

Russ picked up his hand-held TAB and a small black case from the table next to the screen. “It’s different.”

“What do you mean, different?” Tamara’s tone rose.

“I’ll explain after I introduce you to the fifth member of your team.”

“You mean M?” I asked.

Hopefully she would be easy going like Tamara and Brooke. God help me if she was anything like Justine.

“Yes, M. Come on out, M.” Russ whistled.

I gasped when a man appeared through the door—tall and built like Russ and sporting an ISAN black training uniform. The man’s light brown hair was brushed back, revealing thick eyebrows and tantalizing blue eyes. I bent forward to get a better view of my team, and sure enough, they practically drooled.

“Ladies, this is Mitch. If your team gets chosen to go on special assignments, he’ll be your director, also known as field operative. Today, he’s going to assist you with Tasers and guns.”

“Hello, ladies.” Mitch grinned. He eyed each of us.

Justine leaned a hip against her chair, biting her bottom lip. “Hi there.” She greeted him in the most seductive way with those two simple words.

Russ coughed to interrupt her daze. “Make sure you pay attention to his instruction and not his face. When he feels you’re ready, your team will move ahead to the next stage of training. Though we mostly use Tasers, sometimes you might need to use a gun.”

“Or body,” Justine murmured.

Brooke removed her hand from the tags and sat taller. “Sounds exciting. I’m up for the challenge. When do we start?”

“Right now. Ladies, follow me.” Russ’s black shoes clicked along the polished floor.

“Gladly.” Tamara made an I’m hot for him smile.

Yeah, she had it bad for Russ.

Russ took us through the double steel doors, across the hallway, and several floors down into another dim room. The room was divided into five shooting ranges. A dummy stood at the back of each. A gun and a Taser lay on top of a table in front of each station.

“I won’t be staying.” Russ glanced about the room. When his eyes settled on me, he parted his lips like he wanted to say something, but then thought otherwise and gazed at my team. “You’re in good hands.” Then he locked eyes with Mitch. As if Russ could read Mitch’s mind, he nodded and walked away.

“Have any of you ever held a gun before?” Mitch asked.

One by one, my team answered they had.

“I have, but I mostly practiced with Tasers.” I lightly poked Brooke to get her attention. “Brooke and I used Tasers on two small assignments. Justine and Tamara have never been on one.”

Mitch nodded. “Tasers are easy to use. The laser marks your target. Since you’ve handled Tasers before, a gun should be easy to adjust to. You only need to work on your aim. But with Helix, you should have no problem.”

“Lucky them.” Justine’s tone became sarcastic. “I never got to use a Taser on a real person before, just on the dummies. I’m going to need more assistance from you.”

“You’re the lucky one.” I tried to keep my annoyance at bay but failed. “It doesn’t feel good to hurt people, even if they’re criminals. You saw the videos in class. Their bodies shake like they’ve been electrocuted, and then they fall on the ground lifeless.”

Mitch made his way to the center. “Ava’s right. It’s awful, but you’re helping our society. It will get easier every time knowing you’re keeping everyone safe. No one knows you exist. No one knows your name. You joined ISAN, not for the fame, but because you’re special. You want to be somebody. You want to make a difference. You got out of detention for a reason. Destiny chose you.”

Sometimes destiny sucks. I thought of my mom. The only person in the world who had loved me had died too young. Sometimes destiny is wrong. I thought about my abusive foster father and wondered how the hell the social worker could have sent me to someone like him. Sometimes destiny presents a new journey ... maybe. The message on my TAB came to mind.

Before he had a chance to finish the rest of the sentence, Justine interrupted. “So, how long have you worked here? I’ve never seen you before. I would’ve noticed you.”

“I’ve been here longer than you.” Mitch paced between the station tables, assessing the weapons. “In fact, I know all your records. Your height, your weight, and every bit of personal information you don’t want me to know. I get into your business, but you don’t get into mine, got it?” His sharp tone shut Justine up quick. Especially when he ended his sentence standing in front of her.

Justine dared to meet his gaze with an obsequious grin, and then cowered. Nobody asked questions after that. I went straight to my assigned station and waited for his instructions.

Mitch pointed his gun at the ceiling. “Let me refresh your memory. This is a 9-millimeter Luger, which you have seen before. This is deadly. I repeat, deadly. Don’t point it at anyone unless you plan to kill the person. Keep it pointing down at all times, especially when you’re running. In order to shoot, you must first release the safety lock on the side. Right here.” Mitch pointed to it and released the handle.

“You see these? Eight bullets in the clip, and one in the chamber ready to go. You get nine shots before you have to reload. These bullets are not made from solid lead. They are compressed air bullets. When the silver pointy part of the bullet hits the target, it will explode inside their body. After you release the clip, you get your new one and push it up like this. Don’t worry about putting on earphones because you won’t need them. These guns are not just deadly, they’re quiet, too. Now, pick up your guns.”

The gun felt cool to the touch, slightly heavy, but easy to hold with two hands.

Mitch directed us. “Hold your gun with one hand and cup it for support with your other. Arms firm, but not tight. Relax, or else the recoil will hurt your arm.”

Mitch helped Justine, Brooke, and then Tamara hold the guns properly. Then it was my turn.

“Relax, Ava.” His soft voice helped me unwind and the musky scent of his cologne had me temporarily distracted. “There,” he cooed, his arms still wrapped over mine. “I feel you relaxing. Now look through the two sights at the top of the gun. Pretend to draw a line from the gun to your target ... just like that.” He moved us slightly to the right. “You see that dummy, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Let out your breath as you squeeze the trigger. Now you’re ready. Aim ... I’m right behind you. Actually, I’m pretty much on you so don’t be afraid. Shoot when you’re ready.”

Unsettled by his closeness, I pulled the trigger when he gave me the green light. I jerked back and let myself adjust to the recoil. The bullet flew, and, to my surprise, penetrated the dummy’s head between the eyes.

“Now do it by yourself.”

Though his words sounded encouraging, they also sounded like a demand. It took me several more tries before I successfully did it on my own.

“Not bad.” He gave me a thumbs up, then headed back to my team.

I exhaled a long, deep breath. After a few more rounds of practice, I had a handle on holding the gun and shooting the targets.

“Great job, ladies.” His words were sincere and proud. “Now, round two. You’ll be using your Tasers. In front of you, you’ll see a screen. There will be innocent civilians, but some of the civilians may be holding a gun. Only stun the ones holding the guns. Your scores will be automatically entered through the TAB data. Good luck.”

The screen glowed with real life images. To the right—a shopping plaza, a bakery, pizza store, and a coffee shop. On the left—a tall office building. When I tilted the Taser to the right, the screen shifted in the same direction. When I leaned forward, it moved me ahead. It reminded me of my foster siblings’ video games.

I shot a man holding a gun without hesitation. More figures popped out. There was no pattern I could detect, just random civilians and attackers.

Three women came at me, but only the one on the left held a gun. I shot her just as she fired. Then I shot a young girl to my right stationed at the shoe store. Shit. Not a weapon. She’d held a flashlight. No time for regret. Move onward.

My aim and differentiating whether it was a weapon became sharper. But still, occasionally, I mistook innocent items like umbrellas for guns. Even knowing the figures I’d stunned were animation, it churned my stomach, especially when I’d shot innocent bystanders.

I maneuvered swiftly street to street, and even through alleys. Focused, I became lost in the digital world. When the test ended, the screen scrolled back up. I turned to my team. They were still in the simulation. I gasped and jerked back when Mitch appeared in front of me.

“Not bad.”

“Not bad? That was horrible. I shot innocent people.” I gnawed the inside of my cheek.

“Not shot, stunned.”

“Same thing, sort of.”

“Not true, but you shot all your enemies, and your team is still searching for them. You did this without Helix.”

I shrugged. Since the others couldn’t hear us, I risked a personal question, even though he’d told us not to. “So, do you live here?”

“Sometimes.” He raked his hair back and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to be seen.” His tone was light and playful.

There was something about Mitch I couldn’t wrap my head around. My gut told me not to trust him. Perhaps it was the way his blue eyes constantly studied me, and the way his answers were clipped. Or maybe I was being paranoid. But he had said, ‘I’ve been here longer than you.’ So why hadn’t I seen him around? It didn’t add up. My mind reeled with ways to find out.

Mitch grabbed a beige hand towel from his shoulder and wiped my gun and Taser. “Never leave your fingerprints.”

“So, you design these tests?”

“Do you start all your sentences with ‘so’?” He chuckled.

I frowned and whirled.

“Ava. I’m teasing. I’m sorry.” His tone dipped softer.

Surprised by his friendliness, I blinked.

“Well, aren’t you cozy? You two know each other or something?”

I hadn’t noticed his hands on my shoulders until he dropped them when Justine spoke.

Mitch backed away. “You’re supposed to stay at your post until I come.” The words came through gritted teeth.

“Why? So I can’t see what you’re doing? Just in case you care, I need help.” Justine scowled and stomped back to her post.

Bitch.

Though Justine had never shared her story of her past, I was sure she drove everyone she knew insane.

“Is she always like this?” Mitch shifted the gun and Taser on the table and tossed the towel over his shoulder.

“Only when she’s in a good mood. You should see her at her worst. Russ told us Helix had no side effects, but I think he’s wrong. I think it made her emotional and unstable.”

He chuckled and headed to Justine.