Protopia – Tour and Giveaway

The pounding on Olivia’s front door awoke her at—what time was it? The digital clock on her
nightstand said 3:17 a.m. What the hell is going on?
She pulled on a robe and stumbled toward the foyer, stubbing her toe on a chair leg en route. She
swore under her breath. There were flashing lights in her driveway. The side of the SUV was
emblazoned CYGNUS POLICE. Was it Alexandra?
The pounding continued, echoing in her vaulted ceiling.
“Okay, okay,” she said, her voice hoarse from sleep.
“Sergeant Cynthia Martinez, ma’am,” said the stocky police officer when she swung the door open.
“Sorry to be pounding on your door. We tried calling.”
“Turned my phone off,” she replied, still trying to overcome the sleep fog. “What? I mean, why…
why are you here?”
“They’re coming for you,” Martinez said.
“They?… Who?… I mean, who are ‘they?’ And why are they coming for me?” Olivia stuttered.
Martinez held an AR-18 in her left hand. She pulled her standard-issue sidearm from its holster and
handed it to Olivia.
Olivia stared at the gun in her hand as if it might tell her what to do next. She had handled guns
before. She’d been in battle. She knew what to do, didn’t she? She felt the supercomputer part of her
brain switch off and the primitive part take its place. Her heart began beating a little faster.
“I’m not sure how many there are,” Martinez said as she scanned the living room and walked toward
the back of the house. Then she turned toward Olivia and added, “Too many windows. We need to
hide.”
“Basement,” Olivia replied. Her breathing quickened, and she could feel beads of sweat forming on
her forehead. “The best place to hide is the basement.”
“Let’s go,” Martinez replied. As they headed for the basement door, she answered Olivia’s question.
“A small group of guys… commandos… three or four… maybe five. We assume they’ve been
ordered by the same person who ordered Eric de la Rocha’s death.”
“And, who’s that?” Olivia asked over her shoulder as she descended the stairs two steps at a time.
“We think it’s Oliver Grimes,” Martinez answered. “At least, that’s what Alexandra thinks. But we
have no evidence connecting him to it.”
“Speaking of Alexandra…” Olivia began.
“She’s on her way. I got a call from one of my officers saying he had spotted some suspicious
activity… guys dressed in black, loading weapons into the back of a truck. So, I headed here right
away. I called Alexandra… woke her up. She’ll be right behind me.”
A crash above told them someone had entered the house. Martinez turned toward Olivia and said,
“I’m going up. Keep your back to the wall.” She took one last look at Olivia and added, “Don’t be
afraid to use that weapon. The safety’s off.”
She waited a moment, not disengaging, until Olivia nodded her agreement. Then she handed Olivia
her phone and said, “Call the emergency number. It will connect you with reinforcements from
Elyria.”
Olivia nodded again and felt her head wobble from the effort. Her hand trembled slightly as she
dialed the number Martinez had given her. She rehearsed the words she would say when someone
answered and hoped the cavalry would show up before it was too late.