#13 PRIME VECTOR, YA SF

TITLE: Prime Vector
GENRE: YA Science Fiction

Born into military service, eighteen-year-old Catita wants to join the Queen’s special operations force of highly trained immortals. When her grandmother's secret project files are taken, Catita lands in the middle of a century-old feud to control a virus that gives its host immortality. Now Catita must race to recover the stolen files before the thief deciphers the encrypted information, and the Queen's enemies use Catita to make a new and improved immortal army.

 City of Phoenicis, Mars
Mars Year 103, Month 7, Sols 410
06:00 hrs LST 

I barged into the dim-lit, high-rise apartment. My grandmother, Wela, sat at the breakfast table, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Where did you go at this hour?” she asked, holding her favorite mug between her hands.

“The Queen’s Garden.” I said, peeling off my sweaty pullover, before I bent down to kiss the top of Wela’s head. “Curfew drones leave me alone when I run that close to the wall.”

“What? I thought I’d fixed that for you. I’ll take another look.” Wela hated it when her network didn’t behave. “Coffee? Just made it. It’s so strong, it almost tastes like the real thing.”

I nodded. “I only have a few minutes though,” I mumbled the words fast, then dashed upstairs. Wait for it.

“You’re heading out again? It’s six in the morning, Catita.”

And there it was. I spun, leaned on the banister. “QEC Trials are in only nine sols. There’s no morning or night until I get in the program.”

I put my hands up in the air and shrugged to conclude my argument. This really was out of my control. After a quick steam shower, I fumbled with my hair trying to pin it in place. Clothes flew out of the way as I kicked them off the floor and onto the bed, looking for my dark uniform jacket.

“You’ve been like this for months.” Wela said from my bedroom door.