Operation Ashes Book I

(Individual Title Coming Soon)

The dystopian world has fallen under the control of a pseudo-government group called the O.P.D. - the Organization for Progress and Development. Nicole "Nikki" Storm was originally hired to work for the Organization, along with a group of friends they call "the Phoenix." When they learn the horrible truth about the O.P.D., however, they find themselves left with no other choice but to leave the Organization and form a small rebellion. But problems continue to mount for the small group of rebels, desperately hoping to rise from the flames.

To rise from the flames, first, a Phoenix must burn. And they burned. 

Their greatest adversary is an AI-created device known as The Machine. Able to create terrifyingly realistic holograms, able to track any object, able to cloak any object, and even able to bend reality, no one is safe from its reach. While Kenneth Arison, the "tech-guy," works to find a way to hide from it, Nicole and her friends lead the O.P.D. on what was supposed to be a wild goose chase. 

What it turns out to be is a showdown that could crush the Phoenix and the rebellion forever. 

Operation Ashes is one of my first "real" attempts to write dystopia, so as you might guess, maybe it isn't as good as it can be. And who knows? Maybe it'll go nowhere. Sign up for the Imagination Reawakened Newsletter to join the snippet series, keep me motivated to keep writing, and help me improve my dystopian writing style, as I share monthly installments with my subscribers! 

Cast of Characters

Nicole "Nikki" Storm

At sixteen years old, Nicole finds herself in the center of a dark and dangerous plot when she accepts a much-needed job offer from a pseudo-government group. Dark discoveries lead to her own small group's break with the O.P.D., the Organization for Progress and Development, and she becomes the unlikely leader of a rebellion: the Phoenix. But though the fight is slowly sapping her strength, she sees no other choice but to keep going. In up to her neck, if she goes any further, she'll be in over her head. 

Savannah Storm

Nicole's fifteen-year-old sister, Savannah has managed to keep some light and life in her, and tries to bring it into her sister as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working. Yet. Savannah, always the optimist, keeps trying. But don't let her bouncy, light-hearted manner fool you - she's deadly in a fight, and when her sister or her friends are threatened, she will have no mercy. 

Xern Arison

One of the first members of the original Phoenix group, his nosiness - or curiosity - or both - get him into trouble, while at the same time revealing the dark truth of the O.P.D. 

Kenneth Arison

Xern's older brother, Kenneth is the "tech-guy," specializing in computers, algorithms, technology, and even planning a system that could foil the dreaded Machine. 

Colin Wilde

Cousin to the Arisons, Colin is easily the youngest member of the team - and the most vulnerable. Anyone on the team would go to any lengths to protect him, but Colin isn't as innocent and vulnerable as he seems: when the need arises, he is fully capable of looking after himself. 

Amelia Warren

An old friend of Savannah's, Amelia's only fault is she tends to be hysterical at times, but Nicole has become an expert at calming her down quickly and efficiently. 

Zachary Gray

Called Zach for short, Zachary was scrounged from a list of Xern's friends to round out the Phoenix's number. He's interested in tech, though without Kenneth's genius, and is helping Kenneth with the project that could turn the tide of the rebellion. 

Scarlett and Elliot Ray

The siblings came to the Phoenix for protection from the O.P.D., terrified and horrified after they too learn the truth by chance. But when they unwittingly begin to drive the members of the Phoenix apart, Nicole must make a choice: does she force them to leave, and put them at the mercy of the O.P.D.? Or does she put the very bonds of the team she has worked so hard to build at risk? 

May I Still See the Magic

A Phoenix Christmas short story

The world has changed so much in a post-Operation Ashes world (which I haven't technically figured out yet). As Nicole and her friends work to rebuild the world, they are still trying to rebuild their own lives. Meanwhile Nicole, haunted by a former-favorite Christmas song from her past, struggles to remember what life was like before her world turned upside down...