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

Slade chuckled. “At ease, President.” He grabbed a towel off a chair and dried himself off. “You see, Craig, we don’t have time to talk over everything. We are almost to Callisto.”

Craig bit his lip and pointed at the open entryway into the lab. “You realize you and I are not the only ones who know about the pseudo attack that we’re directing with the Secret Space Program.”

Slade sighed. “Okay, what’s the drama now?”

“They’ve caught wind...the entire government on this ship...and I don’t know how.”

Slade dropped the towel, his arms flexing, veins popping out of his neck. “They know? But you wait how long to tell me?”

Craig handed Slade a piece of paper. “This somehow landed on my desk. We have a mutiny on our hands.”

Slade read the letter signed by a Senator Ken Furr and walked to the window across from the room. “We’re slowing down?”

“Yes.”

“Screw that barrel of monkeys.” Slade pressed a button on the wall, buzzing the onsite Private First Class through the comm. “Get Senator Ken Furr here, now!”

12

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

Rivkah hung over the edge of the cliff, her fingers holding onto a bush. Its roots were giving way. If she fell, she’d be dead.

“Fox, help.” Her voice had a tremor and her eyes were glassed over in fear. This was the first time, in a long time, that she had no control. It was up to someone else to help her. Someone in whom she had no trust. Someone who’d screwed her friends over, more than once.

Fox crouched on one knee and leaned over, purposely flicking white and gray gravel in her face. He put his hand behind his ear. “What was that, Riv? I couldn’t quite hear you. You want what?”

“You bastard. You callous piece of shit.” The bush gave way an inch and she tipped back more. Rivkah quickly inhaled. She was a dead woman hanging by her own hand.

“Oh, you want me to help you?”

If she could take out her phaser and shoot the son of a bitch right where he crouched, she would. But, again, she needed help more than she needed to end this prick’s life.

“Grab my wrist. Pull me to safety...please…Fox.”

Fox stood, hands balled in a fist. “Aw, wouldn’t you like that?”

“I die and you probably die as well. We need you, Jaxx, me and Bogle. It’s that simple. After that, you can try and kill me.”

Fox scratched his temple, glancing over his shoulder and back at her a couple of times, making light of the situation.

It was true, if the prophecy was correct, this moon and these Atlanteans needed Fox, Rivkah, Bogle, and Jaxx in order to save them all, including themselves. He had to see that.

“I’ve tried to kill you so many times, Miss Rivkah Ravenwood. This time, however, it looks like I’m finally going to get my wish.”

Rivkah’s stomach fluttered and her blood drained from her face. He was right. Fox wasn’t going to help and he somehow got the upper hand, and this time he didn’t even plan the upper hand.

She closed her eyes. A cool breeze brushed across her face, the sound of silence surrounded her. This would be the last she’d ever take in a breath, the last she’d ever close her eyes again.

She pulled up her odd, energetic power. Could it lift her in the air, make her fly? She had to try. She concentrated on her feet, rushing up energy through her legs. The root slipped. She gasped, her energy fading.

A soft cracking sound ripped across the canyon and the bush completely gave way. Instinctively, her other hand came up, grasping for a rock, another bush, something, anything.

It caught air.

Rivkah let out a blood curdling scream as she began to fall.

She sucked in a big breath when she stopped mid-air, her forearm being squeezed, her body lifting up like she was as light as a rag.

Fox was on his stomach, his fingers folded around Rivkah’s arm. Small pebbles fell off the cliff as he went into a squat and walked backward, dragging her over the cliff’s rocky lip.

He let go and she lay there, panting, her cheek against the cold stone. “Why did you do that?”

“You said I could kill you later. Give me your word.”

She nodded, pushing herself up, then dropped back on the ground as an explosion, accompanied by a small mushroom cloud, surged upward in the north. Rivkah covered her eyes. The blinding reds and yellows glowed across the horizon. The ground shook and a roar pummeled the land. Wind picked up and sand and rock rushed against them, sliding over the cliff and down into the canyon below.

Seconds later it died down.

Fox flicked his nostril. “The Kelhoon are at it again. Looks like they’re attacking another city.”

“The Atlanteans have no chance, especially with the Kelhoon and Slade coming with the SSP.”

“Nope.”

They stood, dusting themselves off.

Rivkah eyed the north. The entire hillside was lit up like glowing coals. “Let’s find Bogle.”

“Once we find Bogle and get her back into our custody, then I have my eyes on Slade. I can’t wait until he gets here. I’m going to punish that man to hell and back.”

Rivkah pushed Fox out of the way just as a bolt flew by. She unholstered her blaster, letting a few shots go off wildly.

Another bolt cracked across the air and Rivkah dropped. She rolled to the side, aiming in the direction of the shots. She held the trigger as blast after blast erupted out of the muzzle.

Another fizz of electricity buzzed through the air as two more shots went wide.

“Boulders,” said Fox.

Rivkah nodded and bolted for the boulders. She skidded behind one, her gun up, her finger on the trigger. She glanced at Fox, already behind another boulder across the way.

He eyed Rivkah, pointing his index finger and middle finger toward his eyes. He then held up four fingers.

She walked in a crouch to the edge of the boulder and looked around it.