What do you do when superpowered teenagers too dangerous for Earth take you hostage?
…not that I’m planning on being taken hostage anytime soon (or ever), but it’d be good to know just in case, right?
Debut author Caryn Lix, whose YA novel Sanctuary comes out July 24th, is here to share the procedure to follow in the highly unlikely event that you happen to be taken hostage by dangerous, superpowered teenagers.
Procedure to Follow if Taken Hostage by Superpowered Teens Too Dangerous to Keep on Earth
[Password accepted. Recognized: Omnistellar Concepts Recruit #061.]
Welcome to Omnistellar Concepts: Secure. Strong. Solid. This guide will serve as your training manual for the duration of your deployment on Sanctuary. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship!
Please make your selection now.
[Selected: Procedure to Follow if Taken Hostage by Superpowered Teens Too Dangerous to Keep on Earth]
WARNING: Omnistellar Concepts does not anticipate or endorse contact between security guards and prisoners. Anomalies are to maintain primary contact with Sanctuary’s artificial intelligence and, in rare cases, the station commander or medical officer. Under no circumstances should other guards interact with such dangerous prisoners. That said, Omnistellar Concepts believes in preparation for any possible circumstance. In the extremely unlikely event of a hostile takeover, here are the steps to follow.
Step One: Attempt to avoid contact with anomalous prisoners. Secure the station and activate all security measures. Seal yourself and any other Omnistellar employees in a safe location, ideally the command center, and place yourself under lockdown.
Step Two: If station security is not sufficient to neutralize the prisoners, armed guards must go into the station to retrieve them. NOTE: AT LEAST ONE EMPLOYEE MUST REMAIN BARRICADED IN THE COMMAND CENTER AT ALL TIMES.
Step Three: If all measures fail and you are taken hostage by the prisoners, be aware that Omnistellar Concepts will NOT negotiate for your return. Earth’s security is too important to risk freeing anomalies for the life of a single guard.
Step Four: Make the preceding information clear to your captors. It is essential that they understand they have nothing to gain by holding you hostage.
Step Five: Remember that all prisoners are chipped to prevent the use of their powers. They may threaten you with supernatural abilities, but their threats are just that.
Step Six: Establish a bond with your captors. Express sympathy for their situation. Do not make accusations or become angry. You will be understandably frightened and confused at this time. Your captors may attempt to play off these emotions. Remember your training and maintain control of the situation.
Step Seven: Do whatever is in your power to escape. Draw on your training. Sooner or later, your captors will leave you an opening to run. Do not hesitate to take this opportunity. Do not be afraid of hurting the prisoners. They are profoundly dangerous and will not hesitate to hurt you if you are recaptured.
Step Eight: If possible, convince the anomalies that you are on their side. Offer any bargain or condition you like, understanding that Omnistellar will not honor negotiations with prisoners. Your first priority is Earth’s safety. Your own is second.
Step Nine: Embrace your fear. Do not reveal the extent of your training. If you can get one of the anomalies alone, without their abilities, they are like animals: vicious, but dependent on the pack for protection. You should be able to overpower them with ease.
Step Ten: IN A WORST-CASE SCENARIO ONLY: If all else fails, the responsibility of every Omnistellar Concepts guard is Earth’s protection. Under no circumstances can an anomaly be allowed to escape. Sanctuary contains a single escape pod. Using said pod triggers a self-destruct sequence. If there is no other way to defeat the prisoners, one guard will be chosen to enter the pod and return to Earth to report to Omnistellar Concepts. Sanctuary will be destroyed automatically as soon as the guard clears the blast zone. Please note that this is a highly unlikely situation that has never occurred in Omnistellar’s history. As stated, however, the company believes in total preparation.
[End document]
[End session]
Thank you for choosing Omnistellar Concepts:
Secure.
Strong.
Solid.
Synopsis
Kenzie has trained her entire life for one goal: to become an elite guard on Sanctuary, Omnistellar Concepts’ space prison for superpowered teens too dangerous for Earth. But then a routine drill at the prison goes sideways and Kenzie is taken hostage by rioting prisoners.
It soon becomes clear that her mother, and commanding officer, is more concerned with sticking to Omnistellar protocol than with getting Kenzie out safely. As Kenzie forms a plan to escape, she doesn’t realize that something ancient and evil that has clawed its way into Sanctuary from the vacuum of space. And she might have to team up with her captors to survive—all while beginning to suspect there’s a darker side to the Omnistellar she knows.
Published by Simon Pulse on July 24, 2018. Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction.
Book Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository
About the Author
Caryn Lix has been writing since she was a teenager and delved deep into science fiction, fantasy, and the uncanny while working on her Masters in English literature. Caryn writes novels for teens and anyone else who likes a bit of the bizarre to mess up their day. When not writing, Caryn spends her time obsessively consuming other people’s stories, plotting travel adventures, and exploring artistic endeavors. She lives with her husband and a horde of surly and entitled animals in southern Alberta.
You can find her on her Website, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer says
Seriously fun post! You have me curious to try Sanctuary.
Crystal says
I’m glad to hear that, Kimberly. I hope you enjoy Sanctuary!
Sophia Rose says
Loved it! This sounds so exciting. I’m marking it.
Crystal says
I love the premise of this book and am looking forward to reading it myself!
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says
I love the creativity the author put into this post! It does make me more curious about the book.
Crystal says
I agree. I love how she incorporates sci-fi elements into the writing of the post.
Kimberly @ Book Swoon says
What a great and fun post—I love books featuring ‘superpowered teenagers’ so I’ll definitely check Sanctuary out!
Crystal says
I hope you enjoy Sanctuary, Kimberly! 🙂