Shadows to Light (Shadows of Justice 5) Read Online Free

bizarre moment, Mira couldn't rely on how much time she thought had passed. She knew the shock of events distorted perception. Almost like going blindly into a coma patient.
    Digging into the paper bag, she found a small box atop a janitor's uniform, including the headscarf and protective mask. The order of healers she'd been born to was nothing if not germ phobic.
    She changed quickly, between worried glances toward the door. A closer look at the box revealed a pair of colored contact lenses and a key. With the lenses in place, she pocketed the box and key. Stuffing her inquiry scrubs into the bag, she buried the bag under the other trash bin in the closet. She snapped on the protective gloves to complete the uniform and made her way to the service corridor.
    She found it more challenging to keep from tugging at the head scarf than she did to continue at a sedate pace as she worked her way closer to freedom.
    As she neared the first intersection, something flickered at the edge of her vision. Blinking only made it brighter until a green box hovered just in front of her. Automatically she reached for it, but her hand passed right through the odd image.
    Two small dots, in red, jarred her from the confusion as Mira recognized the purpose of the device. She blinked and shifted her eyes, the display moved with her, lighting up a path that kept her away from the red dots.
    If her mother was up to speed on technology, things were dire indeed. Mira didn't have the luxury of assessing who turned her world upside down or why. Right now she simply had to get away with her gift for healing in tact.
    She'd groaned as much as the next novice during training, but she couldn't imagine life without her power, no matter the often overwhelming side effects.
    The path illuminated on the display was pulsing now, and she picked up her pace. It wasn't audible, but somehow she felt the cadence and her body was drawn to match it. Entering the next stairwell as directed, she rushed down, past the ground floor and into the first sublevel.
    The black bag her mother described was right there. She picked it up, fighting the urge to look inside.
    According to her display, the area was free of red dots and she needed to exit the stairwell. Still, she hesitated.
    The display pulsed twice and she watched her arm lift toward the door handle. If she survived, she'd definitely track down the biomedical engineer behind this little miracle.
    Following the cues promptly now, she moved toward the exit with the determination of an employee in search of fresh air.
    Just one last guard desk. And now, one small red light on the display. She bit back a curse, and tried to think utterly boring thoughts to calm her racing heart.
    "Hold on a minute," the guard came around the counter. "Cuff." With a security wand in one hand, he motioned for her to raise her left wrist.
    The display overrode her natural resistance. The wand beeped what she hoped was the correct sound. The guard didn't appear bothered or surprised by the readout. He set the wand on his counter and pulled a display from his pocket, turning it so she could see. " You seen this woman anywhere?"
    She studied the image of herself, surprised no one had drawn in fangs and a mustache on her graduation picture. Of course, the Five didn't have a sense of humor. Mira managed not to cringe at the straight fall of black hair and happy expression in her blue eyes. So much had changed inside her since that day, but not much had changed on the outside.
    "No, sir. She hasn't been anywhere on my route."
    The guard picked up his wand, studied it and huffed a little. "Inquiry was even on your floor. Wonder how she got by ' em. And they call me incompetent." He waved her on. "Enjoy your break. Take a few extra minutes. I'll fix the log for ya."
    She gave him a small smile, then remembered he couldn't really see it behind her mask. "Thanks."
    The small display at the edge of her vision changed color when she stepped outside so