Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series) by Nancy J. Cohen

many eons ago when Trolleks first began invading Earth. We are tasked with repelling their forces.”
    “How can you stop them? What are you planning to do?”
    “We have to locate their rifts and shut them down. In our last battle, my team was attempting to destroy their jamming device so our sensors could detect the portals.”
    He didn’t tell her how he’d ended up injured, or how he had the innate ability to detect cors particles. She might think him as freakish as his father.
    “These Trolleks, what do they want?”
    “They mean to turn humans into mind slaves.”
    “Weren’t they happy on their own world?”
    “They resented being forced from their homeland and felt this was their rightful place.” He thought it best not to mention the enemy’s plan for genetic manipulation of the human race. Jen might already suspect he was missing a few actuators, and that additional info could fuel her skepticism.
    Then again, she acted as though she believed him.
    “How could the Trolleks appear out of nowhere?” Her fearful gaze darted at the jungle surrounding them.
    He picked up a small rock and twirled it in his fingers. “They can maneuver vectors within the space-time continuum, parallel shifting themselves from one location to another.”
    “You said they capture humans. How?”
    “They transport people who’ve been confounded. Trolleks secrete a chemical substance that directly alters the human brain. They transmit it through touch.”
    “My ears buzzed just before they attacked us.”
    His eyebrows lifted. “Nira Larsen gets the same sensation whenever Trolleks are near. She wears a wristwatch similar to yours and she’s also immune to the confounding spell. Very likely you’re one of the six sisters mentioned in the prophecy.”
    “What are you talking about? I don’t have any sisters.” Jen scrubbed a hand over her face. “This is too much.”
    A flare shot into the air delayed any further explanations.
    Paz tossed the rock aside and leapt to his feet. “Let’s move. They’ve found our aircraft. We don’t want them to find us.”

Chapter Five
    Jen watched her footing as she dodged fallen coconuts, tree roots, and rocks embedded in the sandy soil. It wasn’t easy in a long dress. She had to be careful not to snag the fabric on trailing vines and branches, or it would slow her down.
    She wasn’t ready to believe Paz’s wild tale, although circumstances supported his story. It sounded like something out of a science fiction novel: alien invaders, multiple dimensions, and sentient life on other planets.
    Could it be possible these rifts accounted for the vessel disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle? And who was Nira Larsen? How was her watch similar to Jen’s? And what did Paz mean about six sisters in a prophecy? Jen had no siblings.
    Then again, she’d always been curious about how her timepiece was not only waterproof but kept running over the years without a battery. After seeing what Paz’s wrist unit could do, she wondered about the true purpose of hers.
    Thinking of his device reminded her of the need to call home. “I should try my cell phone. Will it work, or were the components zapped by the EM pulse?”
    “Let’s find out. Did you have it turned off during flight?” At her nod, he said, “Then it might still function. Go ahead but make it quick.”
    She fished the phone from her bag and thumbed it on. A few musical notes sounded, raising her hopes. The screen blinked on, showing the system logo but then it read, No Signal .
    “Well, the good thing is, it still works. The bad thing is, we’re out of range of the network.”
    “Give it to me. I can reassemble it into a PIP.”
    “A what?” She handed him the phone.
    “Portable Intel Platform, or a mobile data unit. I’d hoped to salvage parts from the aircraft but that’s no longer an option. What else do you have in your bag?”
    Jen rummaged inside. “A Swiss Army knife.” She demonstrated its uses before he