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

Chapter 7: A Future Foretold

CHAPTER 7

A Future Foretold

Cindy braced herself in the shower. Her frail muscles struggled to support the diminished body once capable of squatting four hundred pounds. Her shriveled legs quaked as she slowly scrubbed a loofah against her skeletal ribs. Soap slid off her punctured white skin and swirled down the drain. Last night had been an embarrassment of epic proportions. She could add spitting on the commissioner to her list of regrets.

The water hit her bullet scars and split into two streams. She pulled the skin of her belly and stretched the malformed scars into narrow slits. The holes seemed smaller than yesterday. A sudden itch scratched at her throat. She grunted then coughed but couldn't clear the irritation. She coughed more forcefully and felt something hard come up from her windpipe. She spat into her hand. There was a gold pebble sitting in between the lines of her palm. It rolled drunkenly between the water droplets as she pushed it with her index finger. Cindy raised her hand to the light and squinted at the strange object.

"Shrapnel? That's impossible."

She turned away as another coughing fit wracked her body. Little rocks bounced atop her tongue. She spat them out one by one and listened to them rattle down the drain. She rubbed her finger across her bottom lip, no blood, no wounds, just the taste of burnt metal. Stranger still, was how much better she felt with them gone. In fact, aside from being forced to walk on crutches, she felt great, incredible even. She turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around her chest, and decided to dress up a bit for Jonas.

She powdered her face, painted her eyes, and wore an irresistible perfume called Christmas in July, Jonas's favorite. The woman in the mirror looked much more glamorous, confident, sexy even. She slung her purse over her shoulder, leaned on her crutches, and ventured off to see a man about his new creation.

________

The front reception area of the Latini building swarmed with men from a company called: Here to There, LLC. Armed with hand trucks, they hauled refrigerator sized cardboard boxes to a delivery truck parked in front. She hobbled past the movers and made her way to the elevator. Before she could press the button, the elevator opened and Michael emerged smiling.

"Wow, look at you all dolled up."

"I don't look homeless all the time." She smiled warmly. "What's with all the dudes?"

"Those are the movers." Michael led Cindy into the elevator. He waved his ID card in front of the RFID reader and pressed the LL button.

"Are you and Jonas going on a date or something? You're like, on another level of hot right now."

She punched him. "Shut up."

"Ow." He rubbed his arm and smiled. "I'm serious."

"Have to distance myself from last night."

"Ah yes. Last night. That's going to be a story for the ages."

"God I hope not." She quickly changed the subject. "Jonas said I get to see your new invention today. Is he here?"

"He's running around getting things done for Raymond. He'll be here soon." He turned and smirked at Cindy. "Trust me, your money was well spent."

"For a bulletproof armor? It'd better be."

"Oh, Cindy . . ." Michael feigned offense. "You have no idea."

The elevator doors slid open into a corridor of reflective silver panels and glossy liquid cement floors which were so clean, she could see herself in the reflection. A blue light ran the length of the hall, cutting the silver panels in half. She had ideas for what Jonas's workplace would look like, but an industrial basement was not it.