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

“Hold on, Global Command.”

The helicopter moved in closer to the city, a large mountain looming in the distance. Beyond it, a blue sky was being overrun by a tornado of black clouds.

Drew tilted closer to the cockpit, focusing on an anomaly on the city streets. Something he’d never seen before. Several turrets, hundreds and counting, with large boxes on each side, all connected by large wires to wood-shed like structures, littered the city.

Some were in the middle of the roads, others on a small airport, some on top of the few buildings lining the four streets making up the downtown area.

They rotated, the cannons extending upward, aiming at the oncoming enemy ships. A couple of turrets twisted around, targeting the oncoming helicopter—their helicopter.

Segarra eyed the back of Anderle’s helmet. “Take off your helmets. All of you.”

“No can do, bro,” said Anderle. “You give them the code. We’re fine hearing it too.”

Drew had enough, plus he had the big guy behind him to back him up if anything went awry. He unstrapped his chin strap and took off his helmet. He slipped his hands under Anderle’s neck and unclipped Anderle’s chin strap.

Anderle swatted Drew’s hand away and went to move. The helicopter dipped and Drew rocked forward, grabbing Anderle’s seat to keep him from crashing into the cockpit window. Anderle pulled the control stick back a fraction, yelling obscenities Drew couldn’t hear. Drew yanked Anderle’s helmet off and tossed it into the cabin.

Anderle lunged for Drew a second time, the helicopter pulling to the right. Anderle jumped back into his seat, grabbing the control stick, mouthing more expletives.

Drew sat, seeing T-hacker slowly slipping his own helmet off and putting it on his lap.

Anderle gave T-hacker a look, shaking his head.

Segarra said some things in his helmet then gave the thumbs up.

Drew eyed the turrets aimed at them. They rotated and changed direction.

The cloud grew more and giant robots, ten-stories tall, at least three or four-stories wide, flew from the sky and toward the city like jets, fire blazing out of their boosters. Military jets, though nothing of this world, followed the mechs.

Drew sat, putting his helmet back on, breathing heavily.

Segarra squeezed his shoulder. “Thank you.” He glanced out the cockpit window. “We got a shit-show coming our way.”

The helicopter shook again as thunder erupted. Drew squeezed his fingers around the edge of his seat.

A click came over Drew’s helmet’s audio. “Don’t ever do that again, Drew,” said Anderle, who now wearing T-hacker’s helmet.

“We have permission for a landing,” said Segarra. “Hurry your ass up, pilot.”

“I’m in the process, genius.”

Anderle brought the chopper into a hover and pressed the collective lever down, lowering the bird. The back of the skids hit the ground first, then the front, rocking the cabin.

Humvees and small Jeeps pulled up. Several Marines ran out of their vehicles.

Anderle and T-hacker pulled out their guns, hiding them by their inside thighs. Anderle grinned at Segarra. “Tell them we’re with you, or you and your daughter won’t live.”

“Aye, boss,” said Segarra. He huffed, opening the cabin door. A siren blared throughout the city. Segarra put his hands up, making sure his daughter was behind him. “Master Sergeant Angel Segarra, United States—”

“Oorah,” yelled several men.

Drew hunched over and walked forward. They needed to hurry. They needed to find some way underground. There was no way in hell they could survive the coming onslaught. An onslaught only minutes away.

Segarra motioned inside the cockpit. “Everyone in there is with me. Take us someplace safe and by God, initiate the reflector shields.”

“They’re initiating. It’s taking time. Something is caught in the software loop. We’re fixing it now.” The Marine was anxious.

Drew scooted out of the cabin and jumped on the tarmac. A shadow spread across the tarmac. “Well, shit.” He eyed the Humvees and Jeeps. All the drivers’ seats were spoken for. If he could drive everyone out of here, away from the battle and as far from Whitefish, he would.

Segarra frowned. He glanced back at his daughter, then at a Marine. “Get the shields online.”

“They—”

Vvsshrommm!

Drew faced a cannon turret. A white light expelled from it, and the more he eyed the turrets, the more he saw that every cannon did the same. The beams of light reached hundreds of meters into the sky, then widened, each beam touching the next. The light expanded, creating a white translucent mushroom dome over the city.

Bwoom! Bwoom!

Blasts from the enemy ricocheted off of the dome, shielding everyone below. The entire city, including the suburbs, were covered.

“What the hell?” stated Drew. “Where did we get those things?” He gestured to a nearby turret. “And what are they?”

“We took the turrets off black ops and into the public eye just after the government fled to the stars. These were in the underground duorail tunnels under Whitefish.”

Drew remembered the tunnels quite well. He was in them no longer than a month ago, running for his life, exposing the story on Slade, his evil as shit father.

“And regarding the bastards shooting at us now?” continued Segarra. “We don’t have a clue what they are or where they came from. The turrets, well, the good news is that it will keep the enemy ships at bay. The bad news, the shields don’t go all the way to the ground. If they did, they’d electrocute every person in the city. That means the shield won’t keep any of their ground troops away.”

T-hacker and Anderle jumped out of the cabin.

Anderle walked toward Segarra. “We have to use your daughter. And now.”

“You’re right.”

“What? Why use Mya?” asked Drew.

A boom swept across the city as the ET’s dropped something even bigger than their initial bombs.

Mya wrapped her arms around her dad. “I’m scared.”

“You’re going to have to do it now, sweetie,” Segarra said.

Mya nodded, her chin trembling. She closed her eyes and began shaking, her eyelids fluttering. She let out a scream and her head whipped back. She fell to her knees and raised her