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

She took in a deep breath as another memory popped up from the recesses of her mind. It was one that brought her the most happiness, one of her most cherished. The time her mother surprised her at school, holding a doll and flowers. Her mom had been gone for months, she didn’t know where to, but there she was, picking her up, a smile on her face, tears in her eyes.

An instant later, the memory disappeared. It was now a blank wall, no longer a remembrance of any sort.

A thousand movies and pictures ran through her mind, then were erased, thrown away like corrupted computer files. Suddenly, a new memory. Claudia was young, too young to be watching this, and stared at her mom’s dead body lying in a ditch, her mother’s car smashed against a tree, its wheels flat and broken, its front-end dented in with steam rising from the engine. She was with her father and her two-year old sister. They were holding each other’s hands, police lights shining and blaring in the background. She stared at her mother’s dead face and blank eyes.

A new memory entered Claudia’s mind.

At four years old, exactly seven years ago, her mother died in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver.

“What’s a drunk driver, Daddy?” Claudia watched her new memory ask that question. Claudia looked up at Doctor Andrea, who smiled back at her. It was Andrea’s question, but coming out of her own lips in this new memory. Then she sank back into the memory, her eyes trained on her father, who looked just like she felt.

His eyes were sad and swollen. “That’s something you’ll learn when you get older.”

Claudia struggled for air, then came to.

Andrea stood in front of her, grinning, combing her hair. “Do you remember what we did to your mommy?” inquired Andrea.

Claudia gave her an odd look. “My mom died in car accident a long time ago. Were you there?”

Andrea shook her head. “No, sweetie. I wasn’t.”

“Can I see my dad yet?”

“Soon. Very soon.”

45

Edge of J-Quadrant, Starship Atlantis (Slipping Further Away from Jupiter

Slade entered Craig’s quarters, and the president spun around in his chair.

Slade could tell Craig had been crying and only stopped a short while ago. “Are both of my daughters safe and accounted for?”

“Yes.” Slade wanted to roll his eyes. He hated emotions. He wanted Craig to grow a pair of balls, to man-up.

Craig gritted his teeth. “You killed my wife in front of my daughters? A Kelhoon wouldn’t even do that.”

“One, they would. Two, we needed to make it look real. We needed the reactions on their faces to pull this off.”

Craig shook his index finger in the air, wild eyed. “Don’t ever...” He balled up his hands. “Never again, do you understand?”

Slade nodded. What he didn’t say was it wasn’t functionally possible to kill the same woman twice. But that would have pissed Craig off more.

“Are my daughters okay, Slade? I need to know.”

“They’re fine. Their minds are being wiped, replaced with new memories of their mother. You’ll be happy to hear that your wife didn’t die by gun, but by a car accident when your children were two and four years old.” Slade paced to a door adjoining this room to the next. “We go now.”

“Your stunt by killing Senator Furr slowed their little mutiny. But by now they’re probably regrouping. You have our transport ship ready?” asked Craig.

“Yes, ready to take us to Callisto. The Kelhoons have a palace already in place for us.”

Craig walked to a dresser and opened a drawer. He pulled out a handful of vid cards. “Have you seen the pictures?”

Slade nodded. “Yes. It’s going to be a different life. Don’t forget that.”

“When are the first shipments of humans due from Earth?”

“In a month. Starting with a batch that includes my son, Drew. He won’t be a slave. I’ll convince him to help us with our new line of work.”

Craig shot him a look. “Drew? He won’t comply. He’ll be like the politicians on the starship.”

“He won’t. He’s the only blood I have left. I’ll change his memory, like I did with your daughters.”

Craig sighed. “If he gives us half the trouble that Senator Furr gave, then you and I will have a canyon-sized issue. Understand?”

Slade didn’t respond. He opened the door to a massive room, filled with weapons and Kelhoon soldiers, all ready to pounce on as many humans as they could find.

Except Craig’s daughters. Slade made damn sure they wouldn’t eat them.

Orders were orders.

46

E-Quadrant, Earth - Whitefish, Montana

A loud roar boomed across the sky and the helicopter bounced, hitting turbulence. Drew shuddered in his seat. He turned, looking out the front window. He moved his helmet mic closer to his mouth. “What was that? If it’s a US fighter jet, then this time I’m making you put Master Sergeant Angel Segarra on the radio.”

Anderle kept his mouth shut and pointed. A large black cloud grew over the horizon, lightning striking all around it, highlighting a massive ship coming through, then more. All ships were shaped like perfect, silver diamonds. “They’re on their way.” Anderle dipped the helicopter. “We’re landing in Whitefish in a couple minutes.”

Segarra inched forward on his seat. “Let me on the radio. Whitefish won’t let you in. You’re in a damn Chinese helicopter.”

Anderle gave Segarra an exaggerated smile. “That’s another reason we needed you.” He flipped a switch on the console. “You’re on the mic. Speak.”

The cloud grew bigger as it moved closer. Drew shifted in his seat. They had no chance against that number of ships, or any ships. No one had a chance. “They’re going to devastate Whitefish. We have to find someplace else.”

Segarra jumped on the line. “Whitefish Global Command, this is MS Angel Segarra. We’ll be landing soon. We need clearance. You have outer terrestrial birds coming your way.”

“Master Sergeant, we copy. What’s your access code?”

Segarra glanced at Anderle and T-hacker. “I can’t give those at the moment.”

“You’re in a Chinese