by Sarah Snyder
“Mav? We need to go.” Wil commented gently as Maverick’s hands hovered over the controls.
Sawyer and Wil exchanged glances, both men understanding the boy’s reluctance; neither wanted the guilt of leaving the man behind, but they couldn’t allow Maverick to live with the act. Wil moved to the pilot’s chair, regarding Maverick empathetically as he claimed the controls. “Mav? It’s alright, I’ve got it.”
“I can do it,” Maverick whispered the statement without confidence, making no move to retrieve the controls from Wil.
Sawyer sat in the vacant Captain’s chair, fastening the five-point harness around himself as Wil and Maverick did in their pilot and co-pilot chairs. The ship shuddered and skipped, her engines and thrusters stretching muscles unused for decades. Anastasis lifted from the ground, scraping through to opened roof and into the night sky. Maverick sobbed softly as the doors sprang closed behind them – the clatter shaking the ship with its finality.
They hovered – staring down at the building they’d abandoned – none of them wanting the guilt of making the final call to leave a man behind. Maverick looked to Sawyer pleadingly, his eyes begging for something his big brother couldn’t provide. With a heaviness he knew would last the rest of his days, Sawyer claimed the responsibility; “Wil, get us out of here.”
“Yes, sir,” Wil spoke with a relieved glance over his shoulder before turning to Maverick. “Let’s see if Carl is the genius you say he is.”
It was the first time Wil spoke Carl’s name without the ‘Crazy’ before it and Sawyer sensed its significance. Maverick met Wil’s gaze with tears streaking down his face; “He is.”
Sawyer’s head was flung back as Wil took control of the helm, sending the Anastasis hurtling toward the burning remains of their compound. “Wil, what are you doing?” Sawyer’s voice grew in tone and volume as they flew toward the burned out remains of the headquarter building.
“Woohoo!” Wil shouted as they crashed through the last standing walls of the main building, coming out the other side in a rain of sparking aluminum and glass.
“Do you know how to fly this thing?” Sawyer asked, feeling the question was left unasked in error before they lifted off.
“Normally, I’d lie and say yes, but considering we just flew through a building,” Wil steered them through another building, this one untouched before their arrival. He cleared his throat before finishing his thought. “Make that two buildings. I assume you already know the answer to that question.”
“Do you want me to do it?” Maverick offered, his hands braced on his own panel as he stared – wide-eyed – out the window in front of them.
“No, no, I got this. I, got, this,” Wil growled as he pulled up on the stick, avoiding a collision with a third building. “There she goes!”
“You got it?” Maverick asked, turning an incredulous look toward the man at his side.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Wil chuckled, rubbing a hand over his jaw sheepishly. “It’s just like driving one of the original shuttles. You know, how the controls always stick a bit at first?”
“We need to get higher.” Wil pulled back on the controls in response to Sawyer’s statement.
Sawyer’s head spun in response to the thinning air – every breath shallow and halting. The engines groaned, the thrusters sputtered and flared, and the hull bucked and shuddered. The atmosphere became unbearable – too heavy, too light, too loud, too quiet, too rough, too smooth – and then a disturbing, unnatural silence. The approaching sunrise burst through the clouds, turning the sky blue before the Anastasis raised into the black. The orange orb glared at the ascension of their craft, blinding them with its unfiltered brilliance until their eyes adjusted to the contrast.
“Sunrise.” Wil whispered in awe of the sight.
They reached the upper layers of atmosphere; land and space merged as one, making time and place meaningless. The void glittered with silver beacons of light, bursting with promise of new, uncharted worlds. The Terran Space Station – its central core a mass of lights with a ring of solid, metal around her middle – spun in slow, steady circles, dividing the Anastasis from the verse beyond.
With no sound in space to emphasize the event, the sudden venting of light from the station felt anticlimactic; it was a silent stream of fire, no more meaningful to those onboard than if they lit a fire to entertain or keep warm. The flare’s true purpose wouldn’t be felt by any watching from above. The people on Flamouria’s surface would feel the consequences of the light; the deliberate extermination of hundreds.
“Wil, we’re too high.” Maverick’s anxious tone shook with emotion as every panel on the bridge flashed bright red; a high-pitched squeal echoed around them.
“I know; I’m trying,” Wil’s arms strained as he wrestled with the controls. “She isn’t responding.”
“ANA, diagnostic!” Maverick shouted over the roar of the engines.
“Thrusters… failing. Power systems… failing. Flight control… failing.” ANA’s voice was garbled and halting until she cut off entirely.
“What happened?” Sawyer asked as the ship bucked and shook.
“She’s on auto-ascent; I can’t stop her.” Wil informed as Maverick struggled to aid through his own console.
“There’s not enough power to run her program. We’re straining her engines; we have to get lower.” Maverick’s shouted words echoed as Anastasis darkened, only the Terran Space Station’s light offering visibility.
Momentarily suspended in silent shadow, Sawyer felt weightless – simultaneously a part of the universe and removed from it. Anastasis sustained their altitude until the assault ended, the following fall straining the limits of Sawyer’s conscious. The surface rose to meet their descent, dramatically altered from when they left – glowing fissures splintering the surface and spewing molten fire across shards of blackened land. As oblivion circled his vision – emphasizing the shattered world below – Sawyer’s only fear of death was knowing his brother and Wil would share his fate.
About The Author
Author’s Logo:
Lotus Bloom for Overcoming Obstacles
Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness
Gray Petals for Brain Cancer Awareness
Black and White for Balance
SARAH SNYDER writes from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and four sons. Between bouts of creation, she works as Assistant Director of a Daycare in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and volunteers with her school district’s Junior Achievement program. Sarah has finished a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and English with a Minor in Professional Writing through Southern New Hampshire University. Her goal is to help individuals develop their passions for creation and writing, reach their potential, and find a place in the writing industry.
The thoughts behind her stories stem from her desire to create a unique, eye-opening experience for her readers. Each plot maintains, in some way, her basic philosophy of finding your passion, following your dreams and creating your own destiny. Each novel holds the basic goodness of the human condition and in the ability to overcome obstacles.
Visit: www.authorsarahsnyder.wordpress.com
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/authorsarahsnyder
Other Books By Sarah Snyder
Novels
Outrun the Rain: https://www.amazon.com/Outrun-Rain-Through-Storm-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00TEMP7U8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368747&sr=8-9&keywords=sarah+snyder+books
Catch the Wind: https://www.amazon.com/Catch-Wind-Through-Storm-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00TEKR8AC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368747&sr=8-3&keywords=sarah+snyder+books&dpID=61OnVLFkcoL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Once a Pirate: https://www.amazon.com/Once-Pirate-Mystical-Realm-Book-ebook/dp/B00V0R5868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368747&sr=8-1&keywords=sarah+snyder+books&dpID=51YPHMmuWxL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Twice Bitten: https://www.amazon.com/Twice-Bitten-Mystical-Realm-Book-ebook/dp/B016ATAHNY/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368
747&sr=8-10&keywords=sarah+snyder+books
Counting Stars: https://www.amazon.com/Counting-Stars-Sarah-Snyder-ebook/dp/B01AU8SCTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368819&sr=8-1&keywords=counting+stars+sarah+snyder
Children’s Caps Lock Books Series
Caesar Gets Lost: https://www.amazon.com/Caesar-Gets-Lost-Caps-Books/dp/1519762941/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368847&sr=8-1&keywords=caesar+gets+lost+sarah+snyder
Let’s Eat!: https://www.amazon.com/Lets-Eat-Caps-Lock-Books/dp/1537245600/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510368834&sr=8-1&keywords=let%27s+eat+sarah+snyder
A Note from the Author
Dear Reader,
I understand – more than most – how valuable your time is; in our hectic, fast-paced lives, it is a rare treat to find time to read fiction. I am so humbled and grateful that you chose my book to fill the rare moments of reading time you found. Thank you.
I hate to ask for any more of your time, but if my story has left an impression – in a positive way, a negative way, or as a coaster for your favorite beverage – I would love your feedback. As an artist, I am always looking to better my craft, so every bit of information I receive helps me grow.
Please, consider leaving a review for Revolution Rising: Rebirth. And, if you enjoyed this story, keep your eyes open for the next in this series: Revolution Rising: Rebellion. You can submit your email for updates on my website at www.authorsarahsnyder.wordpress.com or through social media at https://www.facebook.com/authorsarahsnyder
Thank you for your support.
Creatively,
Sarah Snyder
