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

Another beep, this one different. The lights switched to combat red, imbuing the ship’s insides. Fox leapt up, checking his own radar. He had inbound—three Leaping Lizards—Kelhoon Starfighter LL-class 4’s. He was being targeted.

So much for his cloaking device.

He flicked his engine to overdrive. They could chase him all over the galaxy if he ran, but thought better of it. He was fast, but mostly defenseless when it came to a star battle.

He clenched his jaw. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He pressed forward, adjusting his craft to forty-five degrees. “I’m on my way back. Sheeeit.”

44

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee - Earth

Two leather bucket seats faced each other in the helicopter. Drew and Mya sat on the rear seat, the suit-wearing young man, acting too old for his age, sat directly across from them. They wore helmets with a thick microphone boom rounding to their mouths.

The helicopter descended toward a clearing on Lookout Mountain. The top of the mountain stretched north and south for miles. Trees and shrubbery were across the high landscape, not to mention the streets and rich mountain homes.

The man across from them smiled. “By the way, I’m Nick Thacker. They call me T-hacker.”

Drew cocked his head. “You were on the launch that was aired on TV. You were part of Slade’s crew.”

T-hacker winked. “The fake launch. It got me here, didn’t it?”

“Where’s here?”

The helicopter’s skids touched down and the cabin jostled. T-hacker opened the door. “We’re at the new White House. Welcome.”

The guy stepped out of the helicopter. The wind whipped across his perfect hair. Drew unstrapped himself and Mya, then grabbed her and walked out of the helicopter, the crunch of gravel under his feet. The helicopter lifted and Drew bent down, shielding Mya from the helicopter’s gust. It slowly flew forward and over a line of trees, disappearing from view, the sound dissipating the farther away it went.

Drew picked up Mya and studied the area. Large rocks, trees, and grayish-brown soil littered the area. Nothing stuck out as unusual.

“Step this way, Drew,” said T-hacker, gesturing at two large rocks butted against a cliff.

A click and kajijijiji pierced the air. The rocks split apart like opening doors.

Mya squeezed Drew. “Don’t go in there.”

He patted her back and whispered in her ear. “We’ll be fine. They know where your daddy is.”

They walked toward the opening, then Drew halted as three men exited and made their way toward him. Drew squinted, wishing it wasn’t so dusk. Is that? No, it couldn’t be. “Anderle?”

Anderle slapped his hands together then pushed away his long, dyed black hair that draped over his eyes. “Hey, buddy.” He laughed, his belly jiggling through his black, anime shirt. “This is the new White House.” He gestured to a man standing next to him. “Meet President Jefferson Kennedy.”

The president waved, then vanished.

Drew shuffled back a step. “What the...”

Anderle rose his brows, wrinkling his forehead. “Oops, did he just disappear? Oh, yeah, ’cause he’s not real. Another hologram, thank you very much.” He pointed to his chest. “Guess who’s the President?” He slowly nodded his head, exaggerating his movements. “Uh-huh, me. I’ve got the whole world thinking President Jefferson Kennedy is an actual person. But, nope, it’s my words coming out of his digitally enhanced voice.” He shrugged, already over the incredibleness of it all.

Drew looked at the man standing next to Anderle. The guy was Asian, which was great, but the guy didn’t act like he was from the United States or Japan or Taiwan or another allied country. The man’s body-language shouted angry foreigner—the way he stood, the way his head bobbed up and down when Drew made eye contact with him. He shifted a mouth muscle for a smile or a frown. He was military. What the heck was going on?

“Yeah, yeah,” said Anderle. He threw a sideways thumb at the foreigner. “This is Timothy Johnson, or who I like to call, Spank-a-lot. He’s not a hologram.”

The guy shot Anderle a look.

Anderle laughed. “I’m just playin’ with ya, bro. This is General Lin Yu. He’s here to help.”

Drew had read that name before and the titles, rank, and accomplishments quickly flashed to the forefront of his mind. “That’s the Senior General for the People’s Republic of China. What’s he going to help with?”

“Oh, don’t be scared. He’s harmless.” He pinched the General’s arm.

The General gave him a sick stare, this time his lips were in a frown. “Tíngzhǐ tā, nǐ bù chéngshú de xiǎohái.”

“Sorry, man. I don’t know what you’re saying. We’re in America, speak English.” Anderle rolled his eyes, then walked toward the shadowy opening between the rocks. “It’s beautiful in here. Come join us. We’re the head of the Resistance, the all-seeing eye that’s ordering all United States military units.” He stopped, turning, blending into the shadow between the two giant rocks. “We also have full on dialogue with Senator Ken Furr on Starship Atlantis whenever we want. We have something up our sleeves, if you know what I mean.” He turned, then hesitated. “Oh, I almost forgot. You’ll be safe here during the earth changes. We’re high enough for the flood to just miss us and we’re on top of and inside thick stone that won’t be harmed by the massive earthquakes heading our way.” He stepped inside, his voice echoing through the opening. “And, I ain’t shittin’ you about that, bro.”

45

J-Quadrant, Solar System - Flood of Dawn, Callisto

Jaxx had a hand on his hip and held the large book against his chest. He’d just run a great distance uphill, following the slate rock path that led him past forests, empty adobes, and a myriad of glass temples that were filled to the brim with scrolls and books, until finally making it to the top temple and inside where Liberty stood. She studied coordinates and troop movements displayed in a hologram just above a large, round table. High officials surrounded her, studying the hologram as