The Silver Ninja®: A Bitter Winter (Extended Preview of published book)

Chapter 1: From Hero to Zero

CHAPTER 1

From Hero to Zero

Three days ago a member of the Mubarizun of Allah walked into a soccer stadium in France and blew himself up. He waited for the home team to score before pulling the detonation cord on his suicide vest. Thousands of screaming fans were rushed to local hospitals with their limbs lost among the wreckage. Last week, an MOA zealot barreled a van through Times Square. Seven were mutilated and crushed under the weight of the madman's vehicle. It was the age of terror.

This was when she was once human. Before her name instilled fear. Before her body became a weapon. Before she inspired a revolution. She was Cindy Ames, a woman who wore her history through the aged, subtle scars on her left cheek bone and the bridge of her nose.

Tonight the Javits Center was host to a brand new conference called Future Technology Today. All the important political VIP's (except for the governor) were going to be in attendance. The security was so high that even the Emergency Services Unit SWAT team and K-9 unit were on patrol.

Cindy watched the SWAT officers from her security checkpoint near the main entrance. On a normal day, ESU would be all smiles when chatting with fellow LEOs. But tonight, they were severe and quiet with their fingers near the trigger. The threat of another MOA attack was real and everyone needed to be on point. Despite the tension, she was jealous of them. Two years ago, when Cindy used to call herself officer, she had an opportunity to train with the ESU SWAT team. The first time she had tried on a vest and helmet, she remembered being surprised at the heaviness of the gear and how awkward it was to push the stock of an M4 carbine into her shoulder. It was fun though, and made her feel badass whenever she carried it. She missed being a law enforcement officer, being a LEO was definitely better than being a security guard at Javits. Not that there was anything wrong with security, it just wasn't what she wanted.

An officer from the K-9 unit crossed her line of sight. She smiled at the German Shepard being led on a leash with its snout sniffing the freshly mopped floor. She once considered trying out for the K-9 unit but was too afraid of being bitten by police dogs in training. She saw the scars some of the guys had and didn't want to add more to her collection.

A young guy, a hipster type, with the classic horn rimmed glasses, thick beard, flannel shirt, and torn jeans approached her checkpoint. He had a backpack strapped to his shoulders and had willfully ignored a sign which read: No backpacks, luggage, or bags allowed, no exceptions. He took out his cellphone and showed Cindy his barcode to get in.

"Sorry, Sir. No backpacks allowed tonight."

"No worries, it's just for my laptop."

"You're going to have to leave your items with us. You can pick it up after the event."

"Um, I work for the press and I need this to take notes."

"What press?"

"It's a new startup in Bay Ridge."

He handed her a business card. She didn't bother to look at it. "Never heard of it. Use your cell phone for notes, leave the bag and your laptop here."

"This is ridiculous. I have a right to free speech. You ever heard of freedom of the press?"

She questioned whether this kid actually worked for the press, if he did, he would know MOA's sick preference for blowing people up with backpacks. There was no way she was going to let herself be blamed for a bomb getting through. The man shrugged off the straps of his backpack. "Hope you're enjoying your power trip." As he crossed the metal detector he muttered, "You rent-a-cop."