Eden Book 1 (Eden Series)

by David Holley

  “Yes, of course I am. I’m just trying to process everything.” He sighs and shifts to the edge of his seat, combing both hands through his hair. He falls back and looks to the ceiling. Reluctantly, and not really wanting to know the answer, he asks, “So I can only assume you’re telling me this because there is something I need to know about my future. Is that right?”

  Mia is relieved, and shocked, that her brother has accepted what she has told him, but she dreads what she must tell him next. “You’re right Max. There is something you need to know about your future. It’s still rather vague — I’ve seen just fragments of time — but I know what I always know to be true.”

  Max swallows hard and his chest tightens. “And what might that be, exactly?” he whispers.

  She turns to face him, staring deeply into his eyes. “Whenever I have had a vision of your future, it has always been tied to your mortal danger. And the one thing I am certain of is that you are in danger, grave danger.”

  “I am?” he asks weakly.

  Mia nods and gives his hand a small, sympathetic squeeze. Max can sense the fear in her voice and it terrifies him. But staying true to character, he puts on a brave face and remains optimistic. “Okay, since this is an event tied to my future, if you tell me everything you know now, then I will be able to avoid whatever it is that you saw, right?

  Mia’s eyes light up. “That’s exactly right Max!” Thank God, she thinks to herself. This is going so much better than I could have possibly imagined. “Okay, this is what I know...”

  She is immediately cut off by an announcement over the intercom. “Good day, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are now nearing our destination and we will be preparing for our final descent and landing. Conditions in Auckland are partly sunny skies with a chance of rain this evening. The temperature is a very comfortable twenty-two degrees Celsius and the current time is…” The captain’s announcement ends abruptly, followed by a series of loud thuds and then a few seconds of rustling before cutting out completely.

  Max takes notice, turning his attention toward the front of the cabin. “That’s odd,” he states, trying to make sense of what’s happening.

  He doesn’t notice Mia sinking further into her chair. Her face has turned pale and the familiar nausea has a stranglehold on her stomach. She forces a whisper. “Max.”

  Leaning out into the aisle Max turns to look at his sister. “Yeah? What is it?” In one look, he knows something is terribly wrong. Her hand trembles as she grabs his shoulder and pulls him closer.

  “I just had a vision, it’s happening. Oh God, Max, it’s terrible.” Her bottom lip quivers uncontrollably.

  “Wh… what’s happening?”

  She reaches across to his flight station and pushes the button that enables his shoulder harness and then does the same for herself. She places both hands flat against the armrests, squeezing them so hard that her knuckles turn white. “Brace yourself,” she gasps.

  Before he has a chance to respond, the shuttle drops suddenly, sending objects and flight attendants flying through the air. The sound of passengers screaming, along with the din of items rattling in their compartments, turns the seconds into hours. But just as quickly as it started, the shuttle rights itself and levels out. As the moment of fear subsides, the relief in the cabin is audible and a certain odd calm begins to settle. Mia releases her shoulder harness and pulls herself out of her seat, looking quickly to her right and further back as if waiting for something to happen. She sees a man quickly moving down the aisle toward the front of the shuttle.

  “It’s him!” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

  “Who?” Max is confused, not to mention completely freaked out.

  “Max, listen to me carefully. There is going to be a woman who is going to give instructions. Listen to her and do exactly as she says. You got me?”

  “Okay... but... what about Mom and Dad?”

  Mia’s eyes glaze over and a frown reveals itself as she turns to the woman who is now giving instructions.

  Chapter 4

  Noah hangs precariously against a sheer cliff, his fingers consumed with pain as he grips a narrow slit in the face of a jagged peak. With his feet clinging to what little foothold he has, he peers straight up to determine his next move toward the summit. He loosens his left hand from the tiny crevice, quickly dipping it into the chalk pouch nestled in the small of his back, and places it on a small ledge that will help him advance to the next obstacle.

  With that ascension he has now entered what free climbers call the point of no return — the only way out is to keep going; retracing his steps is no longer an option. With no room for error, knowing any misstep will be his last, he glances down at his shoes growing damp, as they often do, from the condensation surrounding the mountain. Before he steps on to the next foothold, he delicately wipes away the collected moisture by rubbing his climbing shoe against the back of his knee. The methodical process is repeated over and over again, until finally the top of the mountain is just a few more pull-ups away.

  When he reaches the summit, he realizes he is not alone. He encounters a man he often sees in his dreams — his father, Jackson. He has his back to Noah as he takes in the breathtaking view of endless mountains and a marbled vanilla sky. Jackson wears a red nylon windbreaker and a pair of dark khakis, and his feet are bare. He turns to greet his son with a smile. Jackson has a head of thick white hair and a matching cropped beard. His violet eyes are piercing and stoic. Noah bears a striking resemblance to the man, though he stands three inches shorter than his legendary father.

  “What took you so long?” Jackson teases.

  Noah laughs. “Had I known I was dreaming, I would have just flapped my arms and flown to the top.”

  Jackson still smiling, agrees. “Yes, I’m sure that you would have.”

  Noah breaks eye contact with his father and looks beyond him to the row of mountains that stretch on as far as his eyes will allow. Dream or no dream, it is a sight to behold. “Absolutely stunning.” He looks back at his father. “Why are you not wearing shoes?”

  Jackson looks down at his feet and shrugs. “This is your dream, son, not mine.”

  Noah nods. “Fair enough.”

  “So what now?” his father asks, changing the subject.

  Noah cracks a smile. “That’s a good question. What would you suggest?”

  His father shrugs. “I have a thought, although you may not like it.”

  Any trace of a smile has vanished from Noah’s face as he replies, “You always said if someone has enough courage to ask you a serious question, then you should be brave enough to answer it truthfully.”

  Jackson beams at his son, nodding in approval. “I was always fond of that phrase. You do realize I was quoting Milton?”

  “I’m aware,” Noah says. “Although I prefer to give you the credit.” He gives his father the signature family wink.

  “Before we get into that, I need to give you something.” He retrieves a long rectangular box from the inner recesses of his jacket and hands it to Noah.

  “What is it?”

  “It is the single biggest regret of my life,” Jackson says matter-of-factly.

  “You? Regret?” Noah looks down at the box, made from wood and painted royal blue. It is trimmed with gold inlay around the edges and feels heavier than its size would suggest. His inspection is interrupted by an audio transmission that comes seemingly from out of nowhere. He looks to the heavens and tries to decipher what is being said, but the words are indiscernible and he soon diverts his attention back to the box. As he is about to lift the lid, the sound ends as abruptly as it began. Again he is interrupted, this time by his father.

  “Noah, what time is it?”

  Noah opens his eyes and turns to his sleeping wife. “Eve, wake up. Did you hear that?” He looks around the cabin; no one else has noticed it either.

  “Huh?” Evelyn stretches her arms high above her head, her eyes at half-mast. “Wh
at did you hear?” she asks, dazed.

  “The captain. He was making an announcement and then suddenly was cutoff in mid-sentence.” He releases his harness to stand. “I’m going to take a look about. Stay awake.”

  Evelyn is quick to come to, as she recognizes from the tone of his voice that Noah is on full alert. “Oh dear,” she sighs.

  Before Noah can slink past her, the shuttle drops like a lead balloon, leaning hard to the left, throwing him off his feet and across Evelyn. Passengers scream in horror while Evelyn struggles to help him back to his flight station. He gets in his seat and pushes for the harness. Just as it buckles around him, the airship rights itself.

  Evelyn turns to her husband. “Was that an air pocket?”

  Noah again releases his harness. “I don’t think so.” His tone is grave as he faces her. “I’m going to the cockpit. I need you to do something while I’m away.”

  “Of course, what is it?”

  He pulls Evelyn’s face into his and kisses her gently but passionately, leaving her slightly lightheaded. He looks deep into her eyes. “Prepare for impact.”

  Evelyn’s face freezes, and all she can do is nod, her mouth half open. She is terrified but focused as she releases her harness and pulls for the emergency life vest under her seat, quickly sliding it over her head. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm her nerves, before standing and addressing everyone within earshot.

  “Can I have your attention please? It is imperative that you put on your life vests immediately. They are located directly under your seat. You do not need to inflate it. It will do so automatically when it comes in contact with water.” This announcement is met with confused chatter. Evelyn, unfazed, continues.

  “You must then buckle your lap belt followed by your shoulder harness. When you are secure, pull your overhead compartment down into the locked position. After impact, unlock your station by pressing the red button on your control panel and release your belt and harness. Leave the shuttle through one of the four exit doors nearest you and swim as fast and as far away from the shuttle as you can and look for the life tubes.”

  Evelyn sits down and follows her own instructions.

  Meanwhile, Noah moves briskly down the aisle, scanning the rows of passengers. He senses a calm spreading through the cabin, reinforced by a sprinkling of laughter. He can’t share in their relief. Where are the flight attendants, he wonders, his eyes darting back and forth, scanning nuance after nuance of human interaction.

  He searches for the faintest clue that the shuttle is under a terrorist threat. He is momentarily caught off guard when he makes eye contact with a young woman peering over her station in the row opposite him. Noah’s mind, which he has trained to work as a mental filing system, is capable of recalling thousands of people in the blink of an eye. He has never met her before, he is certain, but she looks at him as if she recognizes him. He keeps moving toward the exit of Section Two, determined the girl poses no threat. As he passes into Section One, he encounters a huddled group of flight attendants treating a few of their own staff and a passenger who were hurt during the free fall.

  One of them raises his left hand to halt Noah’s advance. “Sir, there is no reason for you to be in this section. If you need assistance, I will send an attendant to you. Now please, go back to your seat.”

  A loud bang from the front of the shuttle sends Noah into action. With the attendant distracted, Noah grabs the man’s left hand and pulls it hard sending him flying behind him. He makes a beeline to the cockpit door. Only inches from the intended target, another shot is fired. Noah knows the sound of gunfire better than anyone.

  The cockpit door is ajar, but the moment he grabs the latch, he is thrown hard to the right and slammed against the wall. Noah holds on to the door latch for dear life as the shuttle nosedives yet again. The ship hurtles downward for a second time, but now the power is cut off. If not for the emergency lighting, they would be hurtling to earth in total darkness. Passengers and crew scream as time seems to pass in super slow motion. The shuttle has straightened in its fall, forcing the cockpit door to swing away from the wall, while Noah keeps a death grip on its handle.

  He peers inside the cockpit but his view is fleeting, obscured by a shadowy figure barreling straight toward him. He instinctively reaches for the man’s arm and the inertia of the man’s fall throws both of them down the fuselage and crashing violently against the partition wall between the two sections. Noah, now pinned against the far wall, looks toward the cockpit and sees the pilot and co-pilot, their bodies rocking ever so slightly, lifeless arms dangling over their heads as if descending on a roller coaster ride.

  He turns his attention to the man he fell with and notices he is wearing civilian clothes. Noah assumes the man was an air marshal. Was because a large part of the man’s skull is missing and he is clearly dead. Noah searches for the man’s weapon, but finds only an empty shoulder harness with the pistol nowhere to be found. He frisks the man’s pockets, emptying their contents into his own. He struggles to pull himself to the ledge of the partition and peers toward the rear. It is an eerie scene, with the cabin illuminated only by the faint blue glow of emergency lighting outlining the walkways and exit doors. He can hear the muffled screams of the passengers locked into their flight stations, as if trapped in the trunk of a car waiting for the inevitable.

  Through the dim interior he can see an open aisle to the back of the shuttle, beyond the restrooms, to where the flight attendant stations are located. He grabs a fistful of the marshal’s lapel and drags him closer. He clenches both hands under the man’s armpits and, with no time to waste, he rolls himself off the ledge in a free fall toward the back of the shuttle. Time seems to slow once again as they tumble together through Section Two. Noah uses the dead man as a human shield as their conjoined bodies collide against the back section with a resounding thud. Noah hears the man’s sternum crack, along with several of his ribs, but the fall has left Noah no worse for wear, albeit slightly woozy.

  He claws his way toward the flight attendant station, where he is forced to climb over a dead stewardess whose mangled body is wedged against the entrance. It takes all of his strength to pull himself against the force of the falling airship and into the jumpseat. He manually locks the shoulder harness in place as he scans the control panel of the Mei Long. Not only is the main power grid offline, but the emergency response protocol has been deactivated.

  Whoever wanted this shuttle to go down certainly didn’t want any survivors. He rifles through the contents of what he took from the air marshal. With only a spotlight overhead, Noah fumbles through the items: a gold Zippo, a pack of cigarettes, and a set of keys lay in one hand, while the other holds a wallet and a COM. He lets everything go but the COM, sending the objects flying overhead. After inspecting the device closer, he realizes it’s not a COM at all, but something else entirely. The computer screen projects a holographic blue orb filled with optical static that pulses a bright white light from its core. Unsure of what it is, he suspects it may have something to do with the power outage inside the shuttle. He does the only thing he can think of and smashes the device rendering it inoperable. The moment he does the shuttle is back online, and with only moments to spare, he punches a series of commands to activate the ERP. Instantly, he hears the parachute deploy, causing a noticeable change in velocity. The series of protocols are underway. With their impending doom averted for the time being at least, Noah allows himself a moment to breathe. He closes his eyes and empties his head while slipping the mysterious device back into his trouser pocket, exhaling in the process. He braces himself for the impact that is only seconds away.

  Chapter 5

  Phoenix Space Shuttle

  Excerpt taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  The Phoenix Space Shuttle is a marvel of modern aviation. Phoenix is the first and only private company to provide commercial sub-orbital transport to twenty-two locations around the world. The luxury airline, owned by Chinese phi
lanthropist Bao Sang Zhào, was founded in 2014. His inaugural fleet consisted of seven shuttles, each named after a famed winged reptile from the ancient Chinese fable “The Seven Dragons.”

  On its maiden flight in the summer of 2017, the first shuttle traveled from London to Los Angeles in under four hours, shattering all previous records for commercial air travel. Powered by a supersonic hybrid rocket-propelled engine and a modified hull inspired by NASA’s defunct Space Shuttle Program, the airship can climb to altitudes of 110 kilometers and can reach self-sustained speeds of over mach 6. These innovations, along with its deluxe accommodations, make the Phoenix Space Shuttle the preferred method of travel for the world’s elite.

  The state-of-the-art aircraft can transport seventy-seven passengers and crew, and the cabin is spacious, with sparse seating. The flight stations come equipped with a fully retractable lounge chair and a flexible overhead compartment, allowing passengers to pull down the console at any time and lock their individual stations, encapsulating the traveler in a chamber of privacy.

  Beyond its numerous amenities and advanced technology, the Phoenix Space Shuttle is also the safest in aviation history. Now in its fifth year of operation, and with an expanded fleet of eleven shuttles, the luxury craft have logged more than 25,000 flights with zero reports of mechanical failure, let alone fatalities or injuries.

  In the case that a crash landing is unavoidable, the aircraft is designed to activate an emergency response protocol to ensure the highest probability of survival for both passengers and crew. The first action is to deploy a parachute from the tail section, reducing the airship’s descent velocity by a third. The second protocol, and probably the most extraordinary, is its ability to determine whether or not a full detachment of the shuttle itself is possible. Sensors pinpoint the exact geographic location and proximity to civilians on the ground. If the sensors determine that humans on the ground will not be harmed, the shuttle will separate into two sections. The nose, also known as Section One, encompasses the cockpit and one third of the passengers; and the tail, or Section Two, will also separate in order to increase the probability of survival during a crash landing. The wings of the shuttle contain all of the fuel cells, so their detachment will eliminate any risk of passengers and crew dying from fire or smoke inhalation — the leading cause of death in plane crashes. Each section, along with the wings, is equipped with its own set of thrusters, so if the sections detach, they will pull away from each other in opposite directions.