This story is set in the future where every planet depends on a crystal. Its the job of a girl named Serenity and her team to protect it. Hehe it sounds a bit Sci-Fi in the begining but its one of my favorite stories. & no they're not aliens....
Chapter One

My name is Serenity; I live on the planet Epryoth with my sister. We�re both part of an organization called T-5 along with three other members. Our job is to deal with intergalactic enemies and other top rate priority missions, but most of all we protect the planets crystal, the source of life of on our planet. We�re different from the police enforcers here; instead we�re like a special elite team.

I quickly pulled my blue hair into a bun and pinned it as I walked into the palace, my shoes making a clattering noise as I walked through the hallway. I�m late for the meeting, and I have no idea where I�m going.
You�re probably thinking, future, and a palace? They don�t mix. True, but some planets like to keep it traditional.
Out of the quietly calm air I hear a familiar laugh come from a door to my right. They must be in there.
I turned the knob; hopeful that I�d be able to sneak in unnoticed. But as I stepped into the room that idea became impossible. The room became dead silent and I tried not to blush with embarrassment.
�Sorry guys.� I sat down in the chair nearest me.
�Its alright Serenity, you haven�t missed anything.� Replied a woman dressed in elegant purple sapphire. She was our queen, and my team�s boss.
A girl with shining long black hair rolled her eyes, �That�s because we�ve been doing nothing for the fifteen minutes.� Her name was Merie, my older sister by a couple months, and co-commander of our team. 
�You guys should have started without me then.� I replied.
Merie laughed, �That�s what I said, but Queen Aurora keeps insisting it�s important.�
Vince, Jack, and Sara, the other members, lounged on the other chairs.
�Ok well Serenity is here now, so what is this meeting about?� Asked Vince.
  Queen Aurora nodded and pressed her lips together. �Our neighbor planet, Fregoron, had their crystal stolen last night-�
�Good, I hated that planet.� Interrupted Merie.
The Queen frowned. �But that�s not what this meeting is about. What I�m concerned about is who the crystal got stolen by.�
We all had confused blank stares on our face; she smiled and continued. �Somehow the same people who stole Fregoron�s crystal have already stolen thirty other crystal lights in less than three days.� Someone in the room let out a whistle.
  �Is that even possible?� Whispered someone else.
�That means we could be next,� The Queen paused and straightened a wrinkle in her dress, �I want Team Epryoth to be on their best guard.�
You have to understand that the planet�s crystal is VERY important. Each planet in space depends on one. A crystal provides life to the other wise inhabitable planets. IF the planet�s crystal is taken, mostly for power, than the planet sadly will become inhabitable again and collapse in instability. But I�m just talking about the basics here.
Merie jumped up. �Queen you don�t ever have to worry about that! Everyone who lives here on Epryoth loves you; and their devotion to the crystal is more than life itself!�
I nodded in agreement; it was true. The Queen smiled, relief in her eyes. But still the whole crystal incident on Fregoron is bizarre, and I couldn�t help but feel nervous. What was to come?

Chapter Two.
Let me introduce the T-5�s team members. We have Jack, the team�s technician, red headed and a bit shy. The other man on the team is Vince; he�s barbaric and quick with his tongue. He�s the poster board for all lazy men in the galaxy. He�s what you can say, a weapon specialist. If you ever need a sniper down to a pistol, or maybe even a grenade he�s the one to go to.
Also on the team is Sara. I like to think of her as a multiple personality. She can be quiet and self-reserved at times. But deep down inside she likes to pig out on pizza on Friday nights just like the rest of us. Well only when no-ones watching. She and I are the only ones with �special� talents on the team. Not that everyone�s else�s specialties are good, its just that ours are �different� in a way. I�ll get to the later.
Next on the explanation board is Merie, my hotheaded stubborn sister otherwise a great leader. She�s practically good at everything. She�s smart and knows how to handle a gun, she�s tough but can lighten up when needed. Lastly is me. My real name is Serenity, but my teammates tend to call me Blue; why Blue? Because of my hair. 
My specialty is healing and otherwise I tend to help with the strategies. I�m not that special, even though I am pretty proud of my teams title �strongest girl with a punch.� I�m an optimist. I see the glass half-full and I tend to keep things bottled up inside.

City-Condo- 6pm.
Merie came out of the bathroom modeling her new long golden dress.
�Well, what do you think?� She asked. After the meeting everyone had headed home to prepare for the annual Queen�s Ball. It�s the only old fashioned festival where everyone has to dress up and look elegant, plus dance waltzes. Call us old-fashioned if you want.
I smiled at Merie; she looked stunning. �You look wonderful.� I commented.
She looked at me still in my robe and frowned.
�Serenity, what are you planning to wear?� I gave her a sly smile and took off my robe. Underneath I was wearing a shimmering knee-length dress with a low cut back, its light blue color identical to my hair.
Merie whistled in approval. �Well I think we�re just about ready to knock�em dead!� I looked out the window nervously.
�What�s wrong Serenity?� Merie asked while tugging at her dress.
�I don�t know, I just have a bad feeling.� I asked quietly.
�Is this about the meeting we had? Don�t worry, those guys don�t stand a chance against us.� I swallowed my gut feeling and headed out the door.

Queen�s Palace- 6:15pm.
The ballroom was packed with dancers, waiters, and on watchers. As soon as we stepped inside Merie took out a cigarette and started smoking.
I began to cough loudly, feeling the smoke fill in my lungs. �Merie, just for once can you not smoke around me!?�
She shifted her eyes around the room, her gaze, steady and emotionless.
�Merie? What is it?�  I asked quietly. I looked out into the open, trying to find what was troubling her. My eyes stopped on a man wearing an all black tux, his face hidden with a masquerade mask. I tried to get a better look at him, but he was all the way across the room.
�There are five more of them stationed around the room.� Merie replied as if hearing my thoughts. Sure enough I spotted five more people wearing masks. At this my stomach began to churn.
Merie threw down her cigarette and stomped on it. �I have a bad feeling about this. I�m going to call the others, keep your ear piece on.� She opened her cell and disappeared into the crowd. Is this happening already?
For the next ten minutes I waited around expecting a call from Merie. The whole time I had an uneasy feeling someone was watching me. A couple times I looked for the guy in the black tux but he was nowhere in sight.
�Excuse me miss. Would you care for a dance?� I tuned around and faced a handsome brown haired man.
Perfect, I needed to get my mind off things. As I took his hand I felt him begin to sweat. Was he nervous? We began to dance with other couples deciding to join us. Soon the dancing stage was packed. His hands began to sweat even more now, and he kept stepping on my feet. I wanted to shout out in pain. What an idiot this guy is.
Suddenly the music changed and everyone switched partners. I was thrown to a plump short man with spinach in his teeth. He smiled and danced until the song switched again. This time I found myself in the arms of the black tuxedo man.
He stayed silent but took my arms and began to waltz. His lips didn�t smile, but they didn�t frown either. And he proved to be an excellent dancer and the more I danced the more I wanted to know who he really was. I wanted to say something, but something told me he wouldn�t really answer a reply.
As the song ended he took his arm off my waist but he didn�t let go of my arm.
�Um excuse me?� I said trying to pull my arm away. But his grip stayed firm. Again I tried to pry them away. Even though I didn�t look it, I was one of the strongest people on the team. But he still didn�t let go.
What is he planning to do? He�s just standing there.
I smirked, whatever he�s trying to do, its not going to work on me. I took out my pistol strapped to my leg and brought it up to his cheek. This went unnoticed because people kept on dancing, and the music kept on playing.
�Now I�m going to kindly ask you to let go of my arm. NOW.� He looked unfazed by the gun and merely tightened his grip. His boldness surprised me. Something about him�
He half smiled right before I heard a scream. I turned to the sound and saw two figures fall out of the window; breaking the glass. This room is on the third floor!
As the figures fell I caught a gold fabric on one of them. Oh crap.
�Merie!!� I turned around and the guy was gone.

Chapter 3.
Damn, how had I let him go? I looked around the ballroom for any sign of my teammates.
�Hello, anyone there?� I asked into my earphones.
�Serenity? Where the heck are you?� Asked Jack, the team�s electronic specialist. 
�Jack what happened!?�
There was some static buzzing in the background. �I�m not quiet sure. But someone tried to steal the crystal. Merie went after them.�
That�s all I needed to know. Quickly I buzzed for my motorcycle, in a matter of seconds it was zooming in as the crowd ran away to make room. I hoped on and drove to the broken window, and out. I was soaring, down a three-story building. It was exhilarating and I felt the breath fly out of me. A few feet before impact I turned on my gravitational wheels and I began to slowly descend onto the ground. Piece-of-cake.
�Jack, do you know what way she went?� I asked through the headpiece, Instead of a reply I got some more static buzzing. The crooks must have shut down our communication.
I looked around my surroundings, a quiet garden. It was dark, and I could barely make out the objects in front of me. Where to now?
A buzz came in through my earpiece.
�Serenity- I�m�. on�buzz�buzz� the� roof..� I recognized Merie�s voice.   I looked up at the roof.
I took out my string gun and shot it up at the roof with perfect aim. * Clank* Quickly I tied the other side of the rope around my waist and pressed the switch. In a matter of seconds I was jolted up toward the roof.
It took me less than a minute to reach the cemented roof. I hosted myself up and over the edge. There were six figures on the roof. Three were from what I guessed the crooks team, and the other three were Merie, Sara, and Vince.
I rushed in behind an enemy I was closest to and banged him on the head. He fell down unconscious. Merie was fighting with a white haired woman a few feet away from me.
�Merie! Where�s the crystal!?� I asked. Her eyes darted around the dark in panic while trying to fend off the attacker.
�I don�t know. I had it, but then it disappeared�� She replied grunting and pushing off the woman. She wobbled into my direction and stared at me. The white haired woman smiled at me and shifted out her knife. Quick to my instincts I kicked the knife out of her hand. 
She stared back at me with alarmed eyes. I blink and she�s gone.
I�m about to go run after to her when I feel a wisp of wind behind me. In panic I look around, but all I find is my shadow.
A thundering sound came from the far side of the roof. It was a space ship no bigger than the size of five cars.
  �They�re going to get away!� Shouts Vince. A man in a black coat began to run towards the shuttle. At the corner of my eyes I see a glimpse of the crystal in his pocket.
�Sara!� I shouted and pointed to him. Sara nodded calmly and closed her eyes, raising her hand to pull the crystal in. Sara has the special power of gravity. It�s a very powerful gift but its also a very hard one to master. She can float and pick up objects without ever touching them.
The man doesn�t suspect a thing as the crystal slips from his pocket. Sara urges it to come to her. It�s slow but it obeys. I bite my lip. How long until anyone sees? But the man keeps on running towards the shuttle.
Sara floats the crystal some more but it starts to wobble.  She doesn�t have enough practice, its just too hard. Since I�m the closest she flings it into my arms with the last of her strength. I barely catch it.
Merie starts running towards me, shouting something.
Suddenly I�m hit by something hard. I stumble, my head spinning, still clutching the crystal.
Dizzily I turn and see Merie fighting with my attacker. It�s the woman with white hair. I try to get away from her, and more importantly get the crystal to safety. Its dark and I�m fumbling around. I can�t stand straight; the whole floor is spinning.
Suddenly I�m falling. I realize I must have stumbled off the roof. I try to reach for my gravitational belt, but I can�t see the button. I�m falling off a three-story building. Help.

I hold on tightly to the crystal, keeping it safe in my arms. Everything is going by in a blur. I glance on the floor to see if I can find anything soft, nothing but cement. I�m a couple yards away from death when I feel something tie around my waste. Its hard to see it, its more like a dark shadow. The thing pulls me to a complete stop in mid-air.
The sudden jerk sends the crystal out of my arms. The shadow lets go and I fall after the crystal. I reach for it, but I can�t quiet reach it. That�s when I hear glass break, Merie screaming, and me hitting the cement.
I blink around. My head is throbbing, but more importantly I have to find the crystal before that white haired woman gets it. Something shiny catches my eye; it�s the crystal. Or should I say crystals. It�s broken into two.
�Oh no.� I say to myself. A black shadow slitters over to the two pieces and covers them with darkness.
�No!� I shout. I plunge my hand into the shadow, trying to retrieve the crystal back. It may be broken, but its just as important. My hand takes out one-half of it. Where�s the other piece?
�Leviticus!� Shouts a unfamiliar voice. The shadow seems to respond and its starts to disappear towards the space shuttle. It�s taken the other piece of the crystal, our life source, and it just saved my life.
I try to go after it, but my feet collapse and I feel myself hitting the cold pavement for the second time today.
Chapter 4.
 
  I hear Sara and Merie�s shouts. I open my eyes and look at them. �Oh my God, you�re waking up!� says Merie. I blink up at them as my thoughts rush back in.
�How long have I been passed out?� I ask.
�Just a few minutes.� Answers Sara. 
�The crystal!� I shout. �We have to get the other piece back!�
Merie nods. �I know, I�ve already sent Vince and Jack after them.�
My head throbs and I reach my hand up to touch it. My fingers come down red. �Oh-� I pass out again.

Waking up.
I wake up in the hospital. My head feels numb and it still stings a bit. I reach my hand over and feel a wrap around my head. A nurse walking by notices I�m awake and calls Merie in. She looks worried and relived at the same time.
�Serenity, finally you�re awake.� She says coming over and hugging me. I push her away.
�Why am I in the hospital?� I ask. She looks at me as if I�m still crazy off medication. �I can heal myself.� I say.
She shakes her head. �You passed out, I didn�t know what to do.� I rolled my eyes and tried to get off the bed.
�Ow!� I shout my legs have huge bruises. They�re from when I fell off the roof and hit the ground. If it weren�t for the shadow I�d probably have more than just a couple bruises. I shudder at the thought. Who was that shadow?
�Merie, did Jack and Vince get the crystal?� I ask hopefully. Merie shakes her head slowly.
�No. But we do have the other half thanks to you.� She says.  I feel as if I�ve failed.
�What are we going to do?� I ask.
She pauses and sits down. �Tomorrow we�re going after them, there�s no other choice. This planet can�t survive on only a half of the crystal.�
�After them?� I repeat. Something about that team who stole the crystal isn�t right. �I better be ready then.� I take my hand and lay it across my bruised leg. I release a flow of energy and string it into my leg. I feel a buzz, the tissue is starting to re-group and re-generate.
Merie watches in amazement. �I still don�t get how you do that.� She says in awe. I finish with my other leg and start with the next.  �Serenity, does that mean you can never get hurt?� She asked even though I�ve told her the answer to that many time before.
�No. I still get hurt, and there are some spots that even I can�t cure. If the wound is too large or if the weapon is part of some sorcery then its useless.�  I unwrap the bandages off my head and take my hand to the spot that hurts the most, wincing at the pain.
Merie sucks up some air, looking green.
�What did Queen Aurora say about all this?� I ask changing the subject
�She was upset and tight about it. But she�s thankful you were able to get half of the crystal. We wouldn�t be here without it.� The words hang in the air. �I�ve already sent the rest of the team to prepare the shuttle.�
�Do we know where they went?�
She nods. �Vince placed a tracking device on the ship.�  It�s all personal from here on out I say to myself as my head begins to buzz. The image of the white haired women striking me in the head with a pole burns in my memory.

Shuttle grounds- 4am.
Departure. I feel fully recovered, all my energy has been restored with last nights extra bed rest. We�re leaving earlier because Jack says the tracker vanished off the screen a couple hours ago. Luckily he mapped out the route and we have a direction to follow.
I�m standing on the shuttle runway, looking up at the shuttle. Jack built it himself; I feel a little safer knowing that. Sara comes up next to me holding some fruit.
She groans. �I hate waking up this early.� I smiled; her normally sleek brown hair is tangled up in a bed-headed style. She looks at me.
�You look like you�re ready to run a marathon.� She remarks. I shrug and get on the shuttle. The exterior inside is a dark blue color. It�s not a big shuttle, but its fast. It�s what we�re going to need if we ever want to catch up to them.
I find Merie talking to Jack at the control panel. It�s underneath a huge window that switches to a screen when you get an incoming call.
�Morning.� I say loudly. Both of them look up at me drowsily.
�Where�s Vince?� Asks Merie. �He better not be late again.�
Sara strolls in holding a brush. �He said he was going to be a little late, he had to pick up a breakfast.�
�That moron, I don�t know how he ever got on the team.� Muttered Merie. The big glass screen flickered and connected. It was Queen Aurora herself. She smiled at us through the screen.
�Everything ready?� She asks.
�Almost, we�re just waiting for that idiot Vince.� Merie replied quietly.
The Queen laughed and then in a split second turned serious. �I�ve gathered information on the team from last night. Not much is said about them, but they�re extremely powerful. And my guess is they�re even more powerful now from all the stolen crystals. This team isn�t safe, I was thinking maybe I should send out a few swat teams with you guys-�
�Are you kidding?� Asked a voice from behind the room. It was Vince. �We can�t possibly sneak in there with a whole parade of ships following us!�
�Maybe you�re right.� She said her face already lost in thought.
�I am. Now excuse us Queen but we got a mission to run. Jack start up the engine.� Everyone looked at him with open mouths. Who was this guy? He certainly wasn�t the lazy beer-drinking guy we know. A few seconds later the screen flicked off and everyone still stayed silent.
Vince shrugged. Merie rubbed her eyes and took a second glance at Vince.
�I guess I spoke too soon.� She said muttered quietly.
Jack strapped himself in the front seat and pulled the switch. Everyone was jerked to the side as he lifted the aircraft off the floor.
�Mind warning us ahead of time? Like a good air pilot?� Merie asked sitting down in the seat next to him. I watched from the side windows as we passed the clouds and flew into the exosphere. The shuttle began to slow down and I heard Vince grumble something about traffic on wednesdays. The pause only lasted half a minute before the car speed off again.
I began to feel cold looking out into the darkened sky and turn around. In the front the tracking signal gives off a steady beeping noise, Jack turns the final ignition and we fly, soar through the cold black waters.
Many light miles later.
I was watching Sara play with her pencil in the air when the engine of the shuttle gave out. Jack had completely shut it down, for the second time today everyone jerked to the side as it spun to the side. I felt my leg bang against
�They�re stopping.� He announced. Everyone turned to the beeping screen; their ship had stopped too. I looked out my window and saw a planet just near below us.
�I guess this is the stop guys.� Merie said. �Jack, take us down!� The shuttle veered a downward direction so quickly our necks nearly snapped. When Jack drives its best to close your eyes, grip onto your seat for dear life, and struggle to keep your breakfast inside you for a little bit longer.
The planet came into view and I couldn�t believe my eyes. It was so small. Are they really on here? Someone who poses thirty crystal lights cannot have such a planet. Jack landed the shuttle anyway.
Merie paused and looked at the abandoned terrain; slowly thinking up her next decision. �Sara and Blue, you two head on out. Their shuttle isn�t far from here. When you find it ring us. Vince and I will inspect the area. Jack you see if you can find anymore information about this location.�
We all listened to my sister�s commands. I quickly put on my oxygen clip and began our sprint to find their shuttle. There wasn�t much scenery, a mountain here, a 50,000 feet deep trench here. I listened for any sounds. But this planet didn�t even have any wind.
Serenity
Chapter one - four
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