Code, p.1
Code, page 1
Other Books by Mary Ting
ISAN, International Sensory Assassin Network, Book 1
Helix, International Sensory Assassin Network, Book 2
Genes, International Sensory Assassin Network, Book 3
Jaclyn and the Beanstalk
Forthcoming from Mary Ting
Ronin Witch
Awards
ISAN—International Sensory Assassin Network, Book I
GOLD MEDAL—Science Fiction & Fantasy
2019 Benjamin Franklin Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Science Fiction—Post-Apocalyptic
2018 American Fiction Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Science Fiction
2018 International Book Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Young Adult Thriller
2019 Readers' Favorite Awards
GOLD MEDAL—Young Adult Action
2018 Readers' Favorite Awards
SILVER MEDAL—Young Adult Fiction—Fantasy / Sci-Fi
2019 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards
FINALIST — Action Adventure
2019 Silver Falchion Awards
Jaclyn and the Beanstalk
BRONZE MEDAL – Juvenile / Young Adult Fiction
2019 Illumination Book Awards
Code
An International Sensory Assassin Network Novel
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 Mary Ting
All rights reserved.
Cover Credit: Michael J. Canales
www.MJCImageworks.com
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher, except where permitted by law.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-64548-068-6
Published by Vesuvian Books
www.vesuvianbooks.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One — Too Late
Chapter Two — Where Am I?
Chapter Three — Aftermath
Chapter Four — Sector Meeting
Chapter Five — My Prison
Chapter Six — Mountain Base
Chapter Seven — The Truth
Chapter Eight — Mr. Novak
Chapter Nine — Black Market
Chapter Ten — Interrogation
Chapter Eleven — Father
Chapter Twelve — New Mission
Chapter Thirteen — Pearl Valley
Chapter Fourteen — Abort
Chapter Fifteen — The Garden
Chapter Sixteen — Unwelcome Visitors
Chapter Seventeen — ISAN East Compound
Chapter Eighteen — Mayday
Chapter Nineteen — Distress Call
Chapter Twenty — CODE
Chapter Twenty-One — Alarm
Chapter Twenty-Two— Rescue
Chapter Twenty-Three — Prisoners
Chapter Twenty-Four — Ambush
Chapter Twenty-Five — ANS
Chapter Twenty-Six — Save the Baby
Chapter Twenty-Seven — Long Night
Chapter Twenty-Eight — A Message
Chapter Twenty-Nine— Room 128
Chapter Thirty — A New Ally
Chapter Thirty-One — New Facility
Chapter Thirty-Two — Sibling reunion
Chapter Thirty-Three — Family Dinner
Chapter Thirty-Four — A Visit
Chapter Thirty-Five— Meeting with Novak
Chapter Thirty-Six — San’s Compound
Chapter Thirty-Seven — New Hope
Chapter Thirty-Eight — All Together
Chapter Thirty-Nine — Novak’s Machine
Chapter Forty — Team Work
Chapter Forty-One —Disaster
Chapter Forty-Two — Pivotal Point
Chapter Forty-Three — Escape
Chapter Forty-Four— Avary
About the Author
Chapter One — Too Late
Mitch
“What happened?” Mitch pitched forward and anchored his hands on Russ’s smooth metal desk. “Why is Payton’s group still here? His team is supposed to attack the rebel base in Hope City. Gene gave Novak the coordinates.”
Russ eased back into his leather seat. With a raised eyebrow, he looked from where Mitch gripped the desk and back to his face. Mitch retreated a step, falling into an at-ease position.
“I don’t know.” Russ skimmed his hologram screen. “According to the log, Novak sent teams from the west. He put Sabrina in charge at the last minute.”
Mitch froze. “What?”
But he knew. Payton’s team had failed to capture Ava at the black market, so Novak had lost confidence in Mitch and opted for another team instead.
Ava had become Novak’s obsession. Mitch understood why he wanted her back. Ava had the ability to temporarily absorb another person’s gift. At the black market, she had produced an electric current and zapped the life from one of the guards from a distance, with no weapon but herself.
Mitch had placed Nina and Cora on Payton’s team—the two girls he’d convinced to join ISAN after they had been captured by Justine and Payton. Nina had the ability to create an electrical spark from her fingertips, and Cora to turn invisible.
The girls were to go with Payton, defect and help the rebels defeat Gene, and then stay there. That was Mitch’s plan at least.
Mitch slammed a fist on Russ’s desk. The water inside the pitcher swished, nearly spilling over. “Do you think Novak suspects something?”
Russ flinched and his nostrils flared as he eyed the three empty glasses next to the pitcher. “Careful. And I don’t know,” he said with a steady tone. “I don’t know why Novak does what he does.”
Mitch inhaled the scent of lavender permeating the air. Russ had told him it helped him relax and think better. Well, it wasn’t helping him on either count.
He shouldn’t admit anything out loud. Russ had been sure his office wasn’t bugged, but who really knew? Novak had a way of springing nasty surprises. Mitch uncurled his fingers. He wanted to knock the glasses or punch the wall—punch anything.
“Did Sabrina log in?” Mitch asked. “Do we know if they found the rebel base? I messaged Zeke as soon as I found out Gene could send Novak his coordinates. It was up to Zeke to get the message to Rhett.”
Russ shook his head, his expression stoic.
That boy cared about Ava more than he should, so he must be apprehensive, too. Though if Lydia were in Ava’s position, Mitch would probably die trying to kill Novak alone.
Mitch straightened when the door slid open, then eased his shoulders. Lydia walked in with a handheld TAB. She swung her arms to the stride of her long legs across the polished tile floor toward them.
“Russ. Mitch.” She gave a curt nod, her long dark hair cascading down the side of her face. When she offered a small smile, she dimpled slightly.
Mitch’s lips tugged at the corner. He melted in her presence, but tried not to grin too widely. She always looked sophisticated and put together no matter what she wore, even a ponytail and a plain gray training outfit, like the one she wore now. However, her eyes were shadowed with puffy, dark half-moons.
She cleared her throat, her long lashes lifting upward. “Mr. Novak sent me a message. He won’t be attending today’s meeting.”
“Do you know where he is?” Russ avoided her eyes, folding the sleeve of his white lab coat.
When Mitch had told Lydia about Russ being on their side, she’d warmed up to him and pretty much told him everything. She’d even told him about being a spy for Councilor Josephine Chang, but not about her relationship with Mitch. No one could know that. It would make them too vulnerable.
“No. He didn’t say.” She swiped her thumb across the tablet, her brown eyes following the words across the screen.
“What about your source?” Mitch stood with his legs a foot apart and his hands behind his back. “Did she get back to you?”
That source was supposed to let the rebels into ISAN’s secret base.
Her pink lips twisted. “No. Not yet.”
“So then we don’t know anything. Anything.” Mitch cleared his throat and tried again with a softer tone. “I meant, we don’t know if the rebels even found the secret facility.”
A muscle jumped in Russ’s jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier about this plan? How much do you trust this person? This could be a trap. If Ava is there, she won’t wait for anyone. She’ll—she’ll—”
“You don’t know that. She might not even be there.” Mitch curled his fingers on Russ’s desk, his knuckles white from the pressure.
“You don’t know her like I do.” Russ cursed and raked a hand down his face, letting out a small sound of defeat.
“Nothing is going according to plan.” Mitch fisted a hand in his hair, rage building inside him. “Novak is always a step ahead of us.”
Lydia touched his arm, then dropped her hand. “There’s something else.” She glanced between Russ and Mitch.
Mitch’s stomach churned. Something else. That was never good.
She scanned her TAB, patting the screen. “According to Diana’s log, Payton isn’t in class. He must be with Nova k.”
Mitch scoffed and shoved his hands inside the front pockets of his black training suit. “What else is new? Novak must have taken his favorite lapdog to the secret base.”
Was this the first time? Mitch searched his memory, wondering if Payton had been to this secret base before and hadn’t been able to tell anyone about it. He should have grilled Payton harder.
Lydia hugged her TAB to her chest. “Do you think the rebels who went to the facility have been captured?”
“My gut tells me Rhett and Ava split up,” Mitch said. Restless, he paced to the sofa in the center of the office and then to the wall. “Rhett would have gone back to the base since those are his people. Ava probably went to the facility to ensure she doesn’t miss the window of opportunity to get inside. And ... and ... Payton.” It dawned on him with cold certainty. Heart pounding, Mitch planted his palms on the wall, needing to brace himself. “Ava went in. That’s why Novak took Payton. I think she’s been captured.”
Russ poured three glasses of water with trembling hands. “I need a drink.”
“Water isn’t going to help shit. I need a shot of whiskey.” Mitch pushed off the wall to Russ’s desk, took a glass anyway, and gulped it down.
Mitch’s entire purpose in signing up for ISAN had been to find his father. His half brother Rhett was the only other person he cared about—and that had taken time.
That little slit in his heart had opened up even more. Now he worried for too many people. Lydia. Ava. Russ. Even Cora and Nina, the newest ISAN recruits. Mitch hadn’t asked for this.
A ping chimed on Lydia’s chip and she set down her half-full glass with a thud. She put her thumbprint on her TAB and paled. She swallowed hard. Twice.
Lydia, the master of deception, master at hiding her emotions—she literally taught the class on it—had fooled Novak for years. Strong and determined, she was the ultimate assassin. Not a brute force killer, but the kind that was quietly invincible.
When her eyes pooled with tears, Mitch’s heart shattered. He knew that expression all too well—the one she tried to hide when an agent died on a mission.
Russ slowly rose from his chair.
“What? What happened?” Dread coursed through Mitch as his fists tightened. His pulse hammered against his temples. Mr. Novak switching teams had caused chaos in his plan and there was not a damn thing he could do to help the renegades.
“I’m reading Sabrina’s log.” Her hands trembled as she scrolled. “Gene is safe.” Her voice cracked, and she paused to regain control. “Rebel base has been demolished. There is nothing left.” She let out a shuddering breath. “We ... we were ... too late.”
Mitch clenched his jaw. He didn’t know when his butt hit the sofa. Disoriented. Numb. He felt nothing. Shock had rendered him speechless.
What of Rhett? And so many others?
Too late. Too late. Too late. The words echoed with devastating finality.
Russ fell back to his seat. Elbows on the table, he covered his face with his hands. Tears covered Lydia’s cheeks as she stood motionless, staring at the screen.
Mitch rose and dragged his feet to Russ ... to do what? He didn’t know, but he planted his hands on the table, his chest rising and falling faster.
He’d lost the battle—the battle to be one step ahead of Novak—the battle to save the rebel base. And now he’d lost the battle to calm his fury. With one swift swing, he’d knocked the pitcher and the glasses off the desk.
They shattered into tiny crystal pieces, bouncing on the floor like hail, water pooling around the shards. Lydia and Russ flinched but didn’t look up or speak.
Mitch let the horrible revelation ride its course. When he was capable, he would work on plan B. But plan B wouldn’t take root if there was no one left.
Chapter Two — Where Am I?
Ava
Mr. Novak’s face hovering over me as I lay helpless on a hard bed, chained to the wall, was the last thing I recalled.
Goodnight, pumpkin. Pumpkin wasn’t an unusual pet name, but that had been a special name my father had used for me. It had to be a coincidence. It had to.
I spun around at the center of an empty room I didn’t recognize. My hands grew slick with sweat as I aimed my Taser at each of the four gray, featureless walls. I inhaled the scent of sterile lab. Then it hit me. I did recognize the room.
A few memories sharpened. I had entered the facility alone—the ISAN secret base. I’d left Naomi by herself near a pile of debris by the entrance. Hopefully she hadn’t shot Janine—the source—the girl who let me in.
I tiptoed to the nearest wall. As I ran my hand along the length, feeling for something to push it open, I recalled seeing my mother wearing a white night gown, and then Gene. Or had that been a dream?
If Gene was here, I didn’t want to think about what that meant for the rebels. I had to find my way out. I would pay dearly for being curious, for thinking I could snoop around an ISAN facility and walk right out.
No guards. No footsteps. Not even a voice outside the room. Only the dim light keeping me company, and my heart thundering and blood rushing to my ears. But someone was watching me; I felt it.
“Who are you? Show yourself.” I checked every corner for a bug or camera. My ISAN black suit, layered on me like a second skin, stretched as I turned.
My voice echoed in the room but no one answered. There had to be a door. With my Taser leveled, I marched toward the wall to my left.
It didn’t budge.
I banged harder, and pain rippled up my arm. I tugged at my Helix to give me strength, but the wall must have been made out of something much stronger, only a dent the size of my fist remained.
“What do you want from me?” I said.
Whoosh, clank, and click, metal on metal. I braced against the smooth wall as the floor lengthened and widened. The room turned midnight dark, and then colorful neon city lights surrounded me. Apartment buildings, shopping plazas, restaurants, nightclubs, and even trees materialized from the darkness.
A simulation room?
Cool wind brushed my face and tousled my hair. Pedestrians strolled about in protective-bubble walkways with their families. Gliders flew in their orderly fashion, while speaking advertisements competed for attention along the faces of office building.
I peered past the skyscrapers and admired the pale moon and pinprick lights scattered over the night sky. The stars looked so lifelike. Too bad they weren’t real. But I’d much rather have this view than be stuck in the stuffy hellhole.
I released a harsh sigh. A group of ISAN guards had marched out of the shadows by the office building to my right.
“Go ahead and do your worst,” I hissed.
The concussion of firearms rent the peaceful air. Bullets whizzed at my forehead, and I whirled. They shattered a shop window and the others deflected off the brick walls. Tasers pelted at me, red tracer lights streaking toward me. I arched my back, twisted to the side, and did a backward flip to dodge them all.
The guards’ footsteps pounded, their weapons firing. I crouched behind a restaurant and checked my side for a weapon. I drew a Taser and shot a few soldiers, but more kept coming in a black-suited flood.
One of me and dozens of them.
So not fair.
I did what any reasonable assassin would do—I ran.
I bumped citizens’ shoulders down the sidewalk, not bothering to apologize. They weren’t real anyway.
An unattended motor glider was parked up ahead by the bakery, so I skidded to a halt. I hopped over it and switched that baby on, its two wheels spinning on the road.
Guards jumped onto the same type of motor glider and gave chase. I tipped sideways and almost lost my balance to avoid bullets. One hit the sideview mirror, another ricocheted against the back.
One guard veered to the side and drew alongside me with a Taser drawn. As he aimed, I kicked his machine. It collided into another glider. I twisted to the side and shot twice at the front tire of another glider pulling close. It blasted apart like a mini bomb and the driver lost control.
I weaved between pedestrians, small street stalls, then into an alley, hoping to lose them, but the alley turned into a maze of branching streets that looked identical. I pulled up my map.
With a blueprint of the labyrinth in front of me, I turned left, and then angled right. Each corner I turned, I went with the confidence of knowing exactly where I was headed until the maze shifted and skyscrapers blocked my exit.
