“Why do you care? Why would you stay? These aren’t your people.”
Rivkah slowly shook her head, looking off toward East Rise. “The girl. That was me, except she didn’t make it. She didn’t have a chance.” She twisted around, walking after Morning Star and his troops, looking over her shoulder. “Please join us, Kaden.”
Jaxx watched her disappear down the descending path and into the woods. He sat down and opened the heavy book, its pages brown, though almost perfect and untouched, the glyphs printed in Atlantean.
Each page had a year, starting back to the days of Atlantis. He perused page after page, reading nation-state treaties and Atlantis’s history. He went to the back of the book, seeing that the date was this day of all days – if he had been counting correctly.
He slid his finger down the parchment, finding his name, and then Rivkah’s, Fox’s, and Bogle’s. The symbols on the page spoke of the three, and one overseer, then the one within the three.
What the hell does that mean?
He continued on, moving his finger down the page, sucking up each symbol like a sponge. “I’m the main key?” He put his hands up, still wondering what that meant.
He paused, gasping. “I’m the sacrifice? What the hell?”
He slammed the book closed. “No, there has to be another way.” He patted himself down and then looked at his hands. “If Katherine is the overseer, directing us what to do, and I’m the main key...” he paused, biting his fingernail. “The sub keys are here to kill –”
A starfighter flew overhead, then another and another, exiting through a large square door in the dome.
He opened the book back up, wanting to finish the last page. “Zan and Leo? They are the change? Change for what?” He read more symbols. “Coordinates and star systems?” He put his hand to his mouth. Coordinates were written throughout the page. It was a map. He could stay and fulfill his destiny or he could follow these coordinates – if he was fast enough — and fulfill his destiny an alternate way, one in which he wouldn’t need to sacrifice his life to save an entire Atlantean civilization.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Why me? I’m a nobody.” He nodded. “That’s probably why. Why sacrifice a modern day Nikolai Tesla or a Joan of Ark? I’m just a washed up archaeologist that no one needs. Chances are they only need a warm body to set this in motion.” He didn’t believe — not for a single second — that he was an Atlantean-human hybrid, who’d been written about in their ancient books. He wasn’t the key. He was Kaden Jaxx. Just boring old Kaden Jaxx. No one special. Never had been, never would be.
He shook his head, shifting his negative thoughts back to his translations of this book in front of him.
He smashed his cheeks in his hands as he leaned forward on the table. He closed his eyes, thinking. The book said his DNA was similar to a lever. Once it was pressed down, it would end all dark frequencies on Atlantis Alta in exchange for his own frequency. So, indeed, his death was on his doorstep. He was supposed to die to cancel out the negative vibes.
Unless he followed the star coordinates on the map and did something else he hadn’t yet deciphered.
But, hell… either way, he needed to do something first.
He grabbed the book and tucked it under his arm and ran after Rivkah. Wether he was going to live or die, he needed to tell Rivkah how he felt about her, and now.
34
J-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Callisto Orbit
Fox leaned back in his chair, his exo-suit lying on the floor, his hands behind his neck. He was in his Oospore, watching Callisto as if it was a movie on his vid screen. He pressed his ship’s cloaking mechanism and yawned. He listened to the wheels vibrating against the dropship’s inner walls, pivoting the outer armor like dragon scales poking outward, the outer armor revealing radar-deflecting mirrors. Hopefully that would keep the Kelhoon away for the short duration he’d be in Callisto’s orbit.
His control panel beeped and Slade appeared on the screen. Fox flinched, not expecting to hear from Slade until the Secret Space Program entered the system.
“Welcome, Colonel. I’m here, awaiting your arrival. I have a lot of information I want to –”
“It’s more than that, Kajka Okbak,” said Slade.
Fox rubbed his forehead. “What was that, Colonel?”
The screen switched and a Kelhoon appeared. The mother fucker was grinning, slightly baring his teeth – if you could call a no-lipped, straight mouth a grin. “Koojkaka Gonoij.”
“Excuse me,” replied Fox. “Colonel, can you please –”
“No, no, Kajka Okbak.” Slade obviously couldn’t hear him. He was talking directly to that Kelhoon fuck. “That’s not what I’m saying. Once we take Callisto, my people are all yours, not just some of them, all of them.”
The scaly freak gave a satisfied nod. “Shakja Sivjka Goojna.”
“Thank you for that gift. I’ll gladly accept it once the invasion is over. Things have not gone as planned, so plan B is in effect. I applaud your continued loyalty, Kajka Okbak. We’ll be initiating human-farms as you’ve agreed.”
Fox checked the comm line. He had intercepted a frequency. Or, better yet, someone had nudged his energy comm dial to receive a line from a private conference call.
Kajka Okbak put his fists together. “Kja Oovgoj.”
Slade mimicked him, punching his fists together as well. “Kja Oovgoj.”
The transmission blipped off.
“Kja Oovgoj?” It was the Kelhoon party line when it came to genocide. Even Fox knew how to translate it. “To kill them all.” It meant that no matter how many extraterrestrial Beings inhabited an area or were part of an allied cause, the victors were never the allies, the victor was the remaining combat unit or units left alive from a particular race. In this case, it meant that the Atlanteans and the Humans were to be killed, exterminated, with the exception of Colonel Slade Roberson, once this war had ended. And the ones that weren’t exterminated, he’d use for factory human-farms?
Slade was sick.
Fox tapped his teeth with his fist. It couldn’t be. Would Slade really throw his entire invading men and women, Senators and Governors, into the slobbering maw of the Kelhoon? He didn’t know Slade too well, didn’t know his intricacies of diplomacy. Maybe Slade was setting the Kel up, positioning him to expose who the Kel truly were so the Secret Space Program would end Kajka Okbak and his fleet the moment the battle for Callisto was complete?
He stood, pacing back and forth, thinking...thinking...
If Slade recorded the conversation, Slade could use it against the lizard-heads. If not, then Slade kept the conversation on the down low, making sure no one knew what ace Slade had up his sleeve. In such a case, Slade was going to throw his own blood under the bus, slap some bombs by the tires, and detonate them.
He checked the comm line. He pressed a few holographic buttons, patching into the call he’d just mysteriously received. He pressed play.
Static.
He brought the call up again and pressed more buttons. The word DEADLOCKED filled the screen. The call had been erased, no recording available.
He pounded his chair, his face flushed in red. “I’m going to kill him. There ain’t no shootin’ his noose when he’s hanged.”
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. He could be chased 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.”
35
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee ~ Earth
Two leather bucket seats faced each other i
n 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 all wore helmets with a thick microphone boom rounding to their mouths, a microphone at the tip.
Drew watched out the window as the helicopter descended toward a clearing on Lookout Mountain, the top of the mountain stretching north and south for miles, trees and shrubbery all across the high landscape, not to mention the streets and richy-riches 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 looked out the window. “The fake launch. It got me here, didn’t it?”
“Where is here?”
The helicopter’s skids touched down and the cabin jostled. T-hacker opened the door. “We’re at the new White House. Welcome.”
T-hacker stepped out of the helicopter, the wind whipping across his perfect hair. Drew unstrapped himself and Mya, then grabbed her and walked out of the helicopter, the crunch of gravel under feet. The helicopter lifted and Drew bent down, shielding Mya from the helicopter’s gust. It slowly moved 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.
“Step this way, Drew,” said T-hacker, gesturing at two large rocks butting up against a cliff.
A click and kajijijiji pierced the air. The rocks were splitting 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 his eyes, 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-laden 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 few steps. “What the...”
Anderle gave a funny look. “Oops, did he just disappear? Oh, yeah, ’cause he’s not real. Just another hologram.” He pointed to his chest. “Guess who’s the President?” He slowly nodded his head up and down, 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 fine, but the guy didn’t act like he was from the United States, his body-language shouted foreigner – the way he stood, the way his head bobbed up and down when Drew made eye contact with him, and not to mention he didn’t so much as shift a mouth muscle for a smile or a frown. He was foreign and military. What the fuck was going on?
Anderle glanced at Drew then at the man next to him. “Yeah, yeah. 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 fuckin’ with ya, bro. This is General Lin Yu. He’s here to help.”
Drew had read that name before, but 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.”
36
J-Quadrant, Solar System ~ Flood of Dawn, Callisto
Jaxx had a hand on his hip and held the large book against his chest. He was panting, perspiring, and perplexed. He had 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 was studying coordinates and troop movements displayed in a hologram just above a large, round table. High officials surrounded her, studying the hologram as well.
Morning Star, Bogle, and Rivkah were nowhere to be seen.
Liberty ran her finger over a mass of Kelhoon troops and dragged an arrow near a hill. “Our transport crafts will drop Din Team here. Din Team will flank the Kelhoon at this spot, more or less to distract the Kelhoons.” She looked up, eyeing her commanders. “We have found that the Kelhoon learn quickly and adjust appropriately, so this will need to be a fast hit.” She drew a line across the hologram and circled one of the pyramids. “Sey Team teleports and exits East Rise’s Akmon Pyramid. Once Sey Team is in position, we search for as many survivors as we can. We’ll have Ehep Starfighter Squadron inbound the moment Sey Team teleports in. Ehep will strike the Kelhoon from the rear and trap them in front of Din Team.” She glanced at Jaxx. “You’re Dut Team, if you so wish to join us in the fight. If you do wish to join us, then you are on standby.”
“Too many names. Too much strategy. I’m not a warrior. I’m an archeologist…”
Liberty smiled. “You’re the key, Kaden Jaxx. You’ve always been the key.”
He didn’t want to join a war, a battle where his fate – his death – decided the outcome. “I have somewhat of a problem.” He then realized his loophole, his eyes brightening. “Fox isn’t here anymore and Dut Team – Second Team...” he wanted to remind her that he knew Atlantean, “can only work with Rivkah, Bogle, Fox, and me.” He tapped the book, telling her he’d read it. Well, a few pages of it, and with Fox out of the picture, his destiny of giving his life to save theirs – the shitty plan he wasn’t at all thrilled with – would no longer be an option. He could go ahead with the other plan to follow the star coordinates and figure out his next steps after that. Perhaps they led him somewhere that had the alternate method spread out before him.
Liberty dipped her head. “He’s on his way back.”
Jaxx’s heart dropped. This wasn’t good. “Oh, I see.” Yet, it couldn’t be. Why would Fox exit the exosphere and come right back? He wouldn’t defy any higher ranked officer in the Secret Space Program. He was soldier through and through. He took orders from the SSP higher ranks as if they were straight from God.
All eyes turned to Jaxx, as if the commanders had also read what Liberty read – his mind. She spoke, her eyes calm and steady. “You do not wish to proceed with the prophecy?”
Jaxx shook his head like a wet dog. Hell no, he didn’t want to. Who would? “I wish to help in another way.”
Liberty snapped her fingers and the hologram disappeared. She took an elegant stride forward. “Perhaps if we showed you first hand the terror these Kelhoon have wrought upon our
people, then you would change your mind and enter the pyramid coffer?”
“I understand your plight.” He didn’t. “But I just want to live a wee bit longer.” He put his thumb and finger up, showing her a small space in between them.
“You will live.” She touched her chest. “You will live in our hearts for eternity. Statues, bridges, and temples will be built in your honor. People will sing songs about you. Oh, you will live forever, my child. Do you know how many Atlanteans would thrown themselves down to partake in such an honor?”
“I understand and thank you. That’s flattering. I just have a few hang ups about it.” Jaxx went to run, but was held in place by some force of nature he couldn’t break. He winced, doing his best to trudge forward, but a paralysis set in, anchoring him to the floor. “Let me go!”
“I can’t, Jaxx,” responded Liberty. “Your DNA forbids it. It’s not only us who wants you to live your destiny. It’s your DNA. You’ve been programmed since you were a child.”
“Well, turn the program off. This book I’m holding says there is another way.”
“We didn’t program it in you, Jaxx. The Law of One did. Your body knows there is not enough time to go on a trip to the stars, flying from coordinate to coordinate and sector to sector.” She touched his back, her expression lack, her chin trembling. “You are truly amazing. You are the seat of our souls.”
“The seat of...what the hell does that mean?”
He tried to break free, he tried to kick out of this fucked-up, gripping force that rooted him in one spot. Nothing worked, nothing gave way.
A door opened and in came four people carrying an ornate chair on a platform, long wood rods were on each side and resting on their shoulders. Their shoes clacked on the tile flooring, getting louder the closer they came. They rested the chair on the ground and stepped to the side, smiling. The two men who Liberty had ordered to take Jaxx to the coffers lifted him off the ground and gently placed him on the chair.
Atlantis Quadrilogy - Box Set Page 43
