Helix
Mary Ting
(International Sensory Assassin Network #2)
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: September 10th 2019
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Alliances are forming. The resistance is growing. Everything is about to change.
With her memory still fragmented, Ava returns to the International Sensory Assassin Network (ISAN) to find the twin sister she never knew she had.
But as Ava hunts for information, she finds herself tangled in a web of yet more lies and conspiracy. The Helix serum may not be required to access her superpowers, and the number of male assassins—previously considered too volatile to tolerate Helix—is growing in every territory.
The more Ava uncovers, the more of a threat she becomes to ISAN. Her only salvation may be to join the rebels—if she isn’t killed first.
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Excerpt
When the floor shifted again, I yanked a feather from my mask. Pointing upward, I pushed the tiny release button and a thick cord unspooled to anchor in the ceiling. Tamara did the same. It reeled me up and I dangled in midair as the floor opened and shut like a flytrap.Mitch and Drew jumped on the table. Mitch pointed his cane, which Kendrick had converted into a rifle, and fired. And Drew, with a Taser in one hand, unclipped a tiny dagger from his mask.“Ava, are they here?” Mitch stopped, a trickle of sweat dripping down his forehead.“I don’t know. I can’t detect them.” I twirled to get a view of each wall. Nothing.The floor stopped opening and all was quiet.Too quiet.The walls groaned, getting louder. The room began to spin.“Hold on, Tamara.” I reached for her with my outstretched arm, but our hands missed.Tamara screamed, holding onto her rope for dear life. Mitch and Drew slid off the table. Mitch stabbed his cane at the wall and steadied himself, but Drew fell right into the hole that had opened up.The walls spun faster, changing direction every five to ten seconds. My cord kept me grounded as I swung to the adjacent wall, leaped into the air, and dodged the open floor. Sweat drenched my forehead, my muscles ached, and even with Helix, my reflexes slowed.Dizzy. So dizzy.I jerked back. A thick barrier shot up from the ground to the ceiling, dividing me from Tamara.Bam. Bam. Bam.More slammed into place like a knife on a chopping block. One nicked my back, and I collided with another wall as it soared to the ceiling. Blood soaked through my suit. The barriers were sharper than they seemed.I twisted and threw myself awkwardly to avoid getting crushed. Swirling to keep another from boxing me in, I rammed into the metal statue in the middle of the room and collapsed on top of it.The statue trembled. Something inside must have been triggered. I felt it before it happened.The explosion slammed me into the wall. A gust of air whipped around me. Then a tornado formed in the center of the room, uplifting furniture and everything in sight. My cord unleashed from the force, but I held onto the bookcase.Tamara’s screams died when she got zapped. Then Mitch fell in. The beast of a tornado slowed, returned into the open space.I ran to a hole in the floor and caught a glimpse below. Gunshots echoed and red Taser beams flashed across the darkness. I had no choice. My team needed me.I jumped in just as the floor sealed.
About the Author
Becoming an author happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she had in high school. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, Mary retired from teaching after twenty years. She also had the privilege of touring with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book: No Bullies Allowed.
Mary resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two little dogs, Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry.
