Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller Brandon Ellis (ebook reader for comics txt) 📖

“That’s the plan,” said Slade.

The hell it was.

“You know what I’m looking forward to the most?” said Martelle.

“What’s that, Mr. President?” A lack of care carried through Slade’s voice.

Martelle didn’t skip a beat. “A new, fresh start. No potential wars. No asshole nations to deal with. Just us. A real utopia. Our citizens will enjoy such a luxury.” He sighed. “How long will it take to bring them over?”

“We’re bringing millions, so a few years.”

“That’s right.” He slapped the table and chuckled. “I’ll take that Scotch.”

Slade didn’t move. “We can’t bring them all.”

“What do you mean?”

“With over three hundred million Americans, that’ll take ten to fifteen years, maybe twenty. And that’s weekly trips of hundreds of shuttles docking to starships like this one. And we only have one starship.”

“The SSP has carriers, for God’s sake. They have cruisers, battleships, and you name it. What the hell do you mean we can’t bring everyone?”

“They can’t know about the SSP.”

“You better be kidding me or this will be a short ride for you.”

Slade sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“You won’t see, you’ll do.” Martelle leaned back. His cut-like-a-dagger voice eased. “Speaking of the SSP, we haven’t located Captain Rivkah Ravenwood either. I hear she’s wounded?”

“Hopefully dead and down a shaft somewhere.”

“She’s not on the security cams?”

“Strangely, no. She’s like Batman,” said Slade.

“In what way?”

“She’s there one minute, gone the next. But I’ll find her. I always do.”

A shock hit Jaxx’s core. She’s wounded? Why didn’t he feel her? Was he too busy in his own mind, in his own thoughts, to notice Rivkah had a serious problem? If he didn’t feel her, was she dead?

He closed his eyes. His third eye pulsed, and a blast of waves vibrated outward. In seconds, he latched on to her.

She was badly injured. She shook. Though freezing, sweat doused her body. And she grew weaker. She lost blood and continued to lose more, but she was hidden in the shadows. He couldn’t see where.

He squeezed his eyes more and did his best to get a sense of her injuries. Nothing came back. Either he needed to practice or the pineal gland abilities weren’t as specific. But for a moment, a minor thought came. He didn’t know if it was from his mind, or from this strange energy he threw outward to find Rivkah.

She didn't have long left to live. An hour or so, if that. He swallowed hard and wanted to burst out of room and find her.

The chair moved. Martelle yawned. “You know what, Slade? Skip the Scotch. My wife awaits, if you know what I mean.”

Slade walked the president to the door. “Have a good night, Mr. President.”

“And one thing, Slade. Find Jaxx. He’s the key to the pyramid power. You get me? Get everyone on it, and I don’t care if we have to empty every room. We find him.”

“On it, Mr. President.”

“Good man.”

19

M-Quadrant, Solar System - Starship Atlantis

Snores filled the room.

Jaxx had been under Slade’s bed for an hour. The colonel drank his Scotch, went to the bathroom, and meandered to his bed. In minutes, Slade fell asleep as if nothing penetrated the guy, as if his past didn’t haunt him or the fact that he and his scientists, the politicians, and his military left the United States in a bad state, and it was okay if the country folded in on itself. And the bastard slept like a baby. Another snore vibrated above.

Jaxx closed his eyes in search of Rivkah again. She hated his guts, but she’d saved him in the past, and he’d returned the favor. They were a good team if she’d get over the fact that she though he left her to die. It wasn’t the case, but Rivkah wasn’t convinced it was all a misunderstanding.

Still, she could help him. They could work together and turn this ship around. Starship Atlantis headed toward a portal, but he doubted Slade or the crew had knowledge, so Jaxx would stick that important information in his back pocket.

Where are you, Rivkah? He saw shadows. Blackness. A soft grunt from his core, and he pushed his energy farther. “There you are,” he whispered.

Her energy was an aura of colors, but from a location he couldn’t pinpoint. His sight had passed through several decks and through a wall. But since the last time he sensed her, she’d gotten worse. Her life force waned and he could tell she was in and out of consciousness.

Rivkah, can you hear me?

No response.

He sucked in a deep breath, and focused on her pain. Energy balled in his gut, and Jaxx’s hands warmed. Dots of sweat formed on his brow, and he pushed his breath outward. Mostly imagination, he focused on white light beaming down through his body and used his thoughts to focus that light onto Rivkah.

But, now what? Maybe if he directed it more intensely? Because, at the moment, he sensed no change.

An idea popped into his mind like car backfiring, loud and abrupt. His body jerked in response. Words have power and force behind them. Love seemed to deliver a certain vibration, a powerful happiness, a positive emotion. It felt good. And the opposite was true for harsh words.

He spoke from his mind: Heal, Rivkah. Heal.

He chanted her name and the word heal repeatedly. After ten minutes, a scratchy sensation took over his throat. Several more minutes, and his throat burned. That wasn’t what he expected.

Heal, Rivkah. Heal.

How could the flu suddenly hit him? His throat was dry and in more pain. He yawned and yawned, then his eyelids felt like a ton of bricks. A blink, and another blink. Yawn. Blink. Blink. Why was he so tired? A shake of his head didn’t keep his body from falling into more of a lethargic state.

One last blink and his eyelids remained shut. Eventually, Slade’s snores disappeared behind Jaxx’s sleep. He smacked his lips, and snoozed like the best of them.

20

M-Quadrant, Solar System - Starship Atlantis

A warmth from somewhere came