Snippet time! Here is the first Snippet from Alpha Class 2

Sneaking past the darkened house I stepped over the lawn Pixie nest and carefully pried open the fence. Grabbing the packet I shouted up at the closed window. "Mine! Mine!" Dancing away I forgot the Pixies! Who knew those little things bit so hard?


So it's snippet time! Here is the first Snippet from Alpha Class book 2. Enjoy.

The boy was running! Small creatures scurried out of his way scenting danger. He had no idea why those that chased him were after him, but he only knew he had to flee. He ate when he had to, and slept if possible, but running was all he knew. Why hunt me? The forest gave way to rocky ground causing him to stumble and fall, clawing at the earth as he went down. The boy lay on the ground panting. He paused for just a moment to listen to the sounds of the forest and his surroundings. A faint breeze wafted across the clearing and he took a deep breath. His conscious mind screamed in terror as he scented his pursuers yet again.

“Which way did it go?” The heavily armed man stopped running and scanned the tree line.

The second man, gasping for breath, reared back so he wouldn’t get sick. “Not sure.”

Scowling the first man gave his companion a hard push knocking him over to the ground. “What good are you then? I need to catch this thing!”

“Why? Our orders were to secure the technology and eliminate the subjects. This thing can’t possibly have any of what we seek.” The man on the ground sat up and stared at his companion.

“I hunt what I want. This thing has eluded me for far too long. If I catch it, you can have the head. Your masters will be satisfied.” The hunter scanned the ground for signs of his prey. Its  usual wild uncaring trail now hidden by the rocky ground. Smiling to himself Chang nodded his head. Challenges were good.

“Why are you smiling? Do you see the trail?” Jìshù looked around scanning for movement.

“No trail. Just a challenge. I like challenges.”

Jìshù pulled his pack off his back and dug through it. “Do you even know where we are? It’s been two days since we left Dunhuang. Did we cross the border into Mongolia already?” He pulled out a GPS unit and began to fiddle with it.

Chang looked at his adviser with disgust. He would have caught the beast already without this man’s interference.

The small electronic instrument made a beeping noise. Jìshù stared at the numbers not recognizing any of them. He grabbed his hard-copy map book and started tracing the numbers. “Chang! Did you realize where we are?”

Chang smiled down at the scientist they’d saddled him with. “Yes.”

“We are already across the border! Our orders were very specific. Do not cross into Mongolia. Now according to this, we are there. China is that way.” He pointed to the South.

“Quit your bellyaching. We both know this section is patrolled and that your masters lay claim to it years ago. National borders are fiction, isn’t that what that little red book of yours teaches?” Chang pulled out his hunting knife. He made long sharpening motions with a tool from his pocket.

Jìshù’s eyes followed each stroke of the knife. It made a short screeching noise as each stroke was finished. Like nails on a chalkboard, it chilled him to the bone. The realization that he was alone in the middle of nowhere with this man was starting to be frightening. Beijing would never even ask if it were reported he died. His hand clutched the satellite phone but didn’t remove it from the pack. He would wait a short while to call. Jìshù looked down at the small electronic device in his hand. “Chang, what if we capture the creature alive? There is an army outpost at Loulan we could take it to.”

“Loulan?” Chang looked at the rock-covered hills around them. Sparse greenery and short, parched trees littered the landscape. “This is paradise compared to Loulan. It’s in the middle of a desert!”

“But the map says…” Jìshù stopped talking at the look he received from Chang.

“Maps don’t tell the entire story. The detachment at Loulan is mostly security used to watch the tourists. I doubt the Intelligence unit even knows what year it is there. Westerners only care about broken rocks and ruined cities in Loulan. This thing is heading North. No need to involve outsiders in our hunt. Finish your rest. We have a beast to hunt!”

Jìshù put his GPS away and stood. Chang was checking his gun and preparing to move out. Surreptitiously he palmed his phone. His work was too important to waste on a pointless hunt. The beast they sought was alone and couldn’t possibly be carrying anything of value. There would be a chance to call.

Bai Hu, for that was the boy’s name, watched as his pursuers went off in another direction. The tree he lay in barely bent with his slight weight. Maybe he could rest for a moment. He was so very tired. His eyes closed thinking of his parents and home. The times he could barely remember now.

“Bai Hu, come.” His mother? A large woman and man grabbed him by his hand and yanked him from the house. His entire world was in that dwelling. No playmates were allowed that were not clan according to his parents.

He gazed in wonder at the town he had never seen as they hurried him along the sidewalks. Soldiers were coming!

“Why mama, why?” Bai Hu cried to his mother as she stuffed him into a large truck he had only seen pictures of before. She didn’t answer as he crawled through the small hole and found himself surrounded by others of the clan. Shhhh, they all whispered at him.

He tried to ask and speak, but a cousin he could barely remember put a hand over his mouth. Looking up he could see the gleaming eyes of his family. Many of them had produced claws and sharp teeth to counter a threat he couldn’t see. Suddenly they all relaxed as the truck jerked and swayed.

“Good boy, Bai Hu, good boy.” A large hand tousled his hair.

“Mama, where’s mama?” Bai Hu whimpered.

“You must be quiet. She and your father are driving the truck. All must look normal. Soldiers are hunting us.” The speaker was an Auntie that watched him occasionally.

“But why?” Bai Hu didn’t understand at all.

“They think we have something. Something that will make them powerful. We cannot live among them anymore. Settle down and stay quiet. We have a great distance to travel.” She pushed him down and threw a blanket over him.

Bai Hu listened to the adults as he drifted off to sleep they talked of many things he didn’t understand. What was an Empress? And what did TQB stand for?