Earth Mars Love (The Marsikons)

Chapter 1

Regina was fired. Again.

She was lying on the hood of her car, gazing at the stars and Moon. Why was this happening to her? More importantly, why was this happening again?!

But she knew why. Because when she was fourteen, she was dumb enough to trust a boy. To trust in his love and in his goodness. If only she'd stayed home that fateful night—almost fifteen years ago—and not had gone to a party with him. Then her life wouldn't have crumbled twice now. Three times, if you counted this night as a starting point. And after so many years, it was still waving at her with an imaginary mocking hand, as if saying: Did you forget your fatal mistake? Hey, I'm here, and I won't ever let you forget.

Stupid teenage love.

Her exhale was long and heavy, full of sorrow for her job and the dread of her future without it. She took a sip of her beer and watched the Lunar Eclipse continuing its slow arc to completion. She just hoped she was doing the same thing, but the more she looked back, the more she feared she wasn't like the Moon. She was an asteroid hurtling toward the surface of the planet.

Click.

She stands in the middle of the seedy bar, where she came undercover to trace a suspect, and the bane of her existence, the brother of her teenage love, Michael, calls her out revealing her name and former occupation her for every patron of the bar.

Click.

Michael tells her to run or she would be killed right here and now.

Click.

She almost runs to her car, anger, and embarrassment flowing through her veins. She wants to shout at the universe for the injustice of sending that man into her life again and again—

She shook her head, banishing the memory.

Why now? Why again? That fateful night she only did the right thing, saved the victim, but she was still paying a huge price for it. But she wouldn't give up. She'd find a way to stop Michael and any other criminal who came her way.

Click.

She's driving like mad to the base and got a call from her Boss, who saw everything through a camera hidden in her jacket lapel. She tells Regina not to come there. Her cover was blown and she's fired.

One moment she was a part of the Rescue Operation Team of Rebels, the ROTOR, and the next, she was again without a job and a purpose in life. That team was working off the books. Certain people in the government created the Rescue Operation Team that consisted of former soldiers, police officers, medics, scientists. People who did something on their job, that required in firing them, but were too good to just leave them outside of the system. They were rebels, and later the Boss changed the name to the ROTOR. But from now on, she was on her own.

She didn't know how to operate without her work. She couldn't sleep or think straight in this state of mind. Normal people would call their family, but hers was far away, as she always wanted it. It was better this way, no one close enough to get hurt. She just hated the crushing emptiness she had to live with instead.

It was the price she paid. After what happened to her dad... He'd lost so many opportunities because of her and that scandal. Being a Senator, he would've been a Vice President or even a President now, if not for her mistake.

She ground her teeth and clenched her fists. What was she supposed to do now? Call him and tell him she'd gotten fired again? He'd tell her she shouldn't worry, she'd pick it back up again in time—but that was the point. Unless some miracle dropped out of the sky, she wasn't sure this was ever going to work out for her. Thank God that at least this time, no one would run to the press screaming about her failure.

The Moon was still half-hidden in the shadows, but what part she could see was colored in a red as deep as Mars. Earlier that day she heard in the news that this night Mars would be at the closest point to Earth in several years. If only there were a way to go to Mars to run away from anyone, she would gladly hop on the nearest flight.

She chuckled under her breath. Yeah, sure. If her family was hearing her thoughts, they probably would've sent her to the mental facility.

Still watching the Mars-like Moon, she sat on her hood, her spine straightened, and the most brilliant idea came up to life. She wouldn't tell her dad. She wouldn't tell anyone, even Clare, her sister. She'd find a way to get the job back, and no one would be any wiser.

It was good that she was living on the other coast. That meant there was no one to rat her out.

No one to help, either.

Right. But no one for her to hurt, either.

A small smile tugged the corners of her lips and some weight came off of her shoulders. Yes, it was a very nice idea indeed. If her family asked her what she was doing, she'd just tell them she has a vacation. It's not like they would be calling her anytime soon. They might text her, for they knew that most of the time she worked undercover and couldn't answer the phone while doing it. Yes, if they asked, she would tell them, but in the meantime, she just needs to do something huge and remarkable, so her Boss would call her by herself and plead to get back to the team.

With a small smile dancing on her lips, Regina remembered how she'd made wishes on shooting stars when she was little. That girl was long gone, and in her stead was a hardened with life grown woman. Wishing to be that little girl again, even for a second, she whispered to the Mars-like Moon, "Please send me a very important case to solve so I could get back my job as soon as possible. Maybe something next week?"

Holding her breath, she stared at the Moon for a couple of minutes longer, as if waiting for a reply. When she didn't get any, she looked instead toward Mars and sent her wish there.

I'll take a little green man if it gets me out of this.

No answer came from Mars, either. She shook her head and hopped from the hood with a heavy sigh and drove back home.

If only she'd looked up, she might have noticed the lingering arc of light in the sky. Instead, she didn't see her visitors until she was already home.