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

He needed to smell a little better before heading back out to raise funds for his disposable phone.

After the wash, he found himself outside the store. And, damn, Portlandians were free with their cash. He juggled, offered up quadratic equations which apparently sounded impressive if you had no idea what quadratic equations were, and juggled his way to a new, disposable phone, a whole bagel with pastrami, mustard, and all the fixings, and been able to leave an overly-generous tip to the staffer who’d been kind enough to point him to the co-op, when he’d been sure he was going to die of starvation. Things were looking good.

His story was out there, his source material was safe. Slade was on the ropes. Drew hadn’t prepped but he didn’t need to. He had the facts on his side. He idled his way around Portland’s friendly streets until it was time for the show.

Normally, calling in at least forty-five minutes before WNN’s Nightly News was usual protocol. Things needed to be said, orders had to be listened to, and going over prep again and again was a must.

Ten minutes before airtime, he dialed WNN’s Nightly News producer, Michelle Lowry.

“It’s about time you called. Where have you been? Colonel Slade Roberson has been on standby for almost a half an hour. He’s prepared. You’re not.”

Drew looked out over the Laurelhurst Park. A cluster of brush and trees stood between him and the sidewalk, hiding him from view. “I’m ready when he is.”

“Fine. Interview starts in three minutes.”

“Put me through.”

The moment she did Drew heard the opening credits. It was a big deal, this interview. There was more to the story and he needed to get Slade to stumble or at least fumble a pass. Trouble was, he couldn’t see the man’s face. He knew exactly what he’d be looking for. He’d seen it in that Rock Magazine interview. But without a visual, he’d be relying solely on the tone and tempo of the man’s voice. Beads of sweat formed on his lip and he rubbed his pant leg nervously.

The credits came to an end. “From WNN’s Nightly News headquartered in Chicago, this is Connor Eves.”

Drew could remember the beginning credits as if watching the opening from his couch. Connor probably smiled into the camera, his good looks and large eye brows dominating the screen.

Connor spoke with conviction. Everything he said was smooth and convincing. “Today, we have a remarkable story. From what we’ve all heard, science fiction is no longer something of the future. It is here, now. It’s science fact. In stunning developments that came to light late yesterday and early this morning, our very own WNN reporter, Drew Avera, has come by documents, satellite images, and an email correspondence with a Global Safety Administration insider to give you a detailed look at what’s going on behind government scenes, particularly with the Global Safety Administration. And, he’s here today, along with Colonel Slade Roberson, who’s been mentioned in all but a few of those documents, for a special edition of Tonight Talk.”

Tonight Talk was a segment where two guests haggled it out, without much interviewing between. Entertainment that often turned into a fist fight, instead of a well-curated interview, where the guests could do their best to persuade the viewer to their side.

“Welcome Colonel Slade Roberson,” Connor said.

“Thank you,” replied Slade. “It’s a pleasure to be here.”

“And, nice to hear your voice again, Drew.”

Drew bobbed his head up and down. Here we go. It’s time to use my mature voice. “Thank you, Connor. It’s a pleasure to be here.”

“Colonel Roberson. GSA documents, GSA satellite images, and like I said, email correspondence from an inside source has been all over the news the last thirty-six hours.”

Drew wished he could see Slade to watch the worry build on the Colonel’s face, but when Slade spoke, the guy was confident. “I can’t say much about the email correspondence, other than it was an uncle and his nephew—”

Drew butted in. “‘Uncle and nephew mean nothing in this situation. All we need to know is whether Kaden Jaxx does in fact work for you?”

“Yes, he is an archaeologist hired to research highly classified satellite images taken by the TECS IV satellite. What he was not hired to do was to speak with anyone about military and government classified information outside of the Global Safety Administration. There were several laws broken but let me first start out by saying that there is a reason for classified material. We don’t want other governments co-opting the United States special interests. Our goal is to keep the citizens of the United States safe and secure. This leak, which has now consumed the entire globe, is no longer in our hands. It’s now in the hands of governments that do not have the interest of the American people at heart. They have their own, self-serving interests. The email correspondence between Kaden Jaxx and Drew Avera was—I’m sorry to say it Connor—treasonous. This leak is going to set us back as a nation.”

“How is it going to set us back, Colonel?” inquired Connor.

“When researching highly detailed material, like the reported structures on Callisto, it is best to take it slow. We need to be methodical. We can no longer do that. This has created a race between us and the other major powers in the world. A frantic race creates mistakes.”

“Drew, anything to add?”

“I do.” He eyed the cars that approached a traffic light. All of them, too slow. “Let’s forget about Kaden Jaxx for the moment and get to the meat of the issue. The photographs of the underground bunker, which I sent to—”

“Which you stole,” Slade barked.

Drew shifted on the grass. Even over the phone, and hundreds of miles away, the man was intimidating.

Slade calmed himself. “Of course we want to investigate the discovery on the Jupiter moon, Callisto. How did those structures get there? Who built them? How old are they? Those are basic questions anyone would ask themselves. This