"Mel! No!" Alp screamed at her brother, realizing he’d turned his persuasive powers on her new friend. Friend? She thought. Yes, friend. She jumped between her brother and Lionel. She reached behind her to keep Lionel from plummeting to earth and screamed again. "I said NO!" She threw both the words and the thought like sharp daggers at her brother, aiming for his heart.
Mel staggered back a couple of steps, a grimace of pain on his face as he grabbed at his chest with one hand and his injured leg with the other. So, he had been shot back in Danville, Alp thought. The site of her brother's bloody pants leg pulled at her heartstrings, but she mustn't give in to him this time.
"Ease up, sis. Hey, we're on the same side. Ease up."
"No, Mel. We aren't on the same side,” Alp spit back. “You're on no one's side but your own. And it's evil — you're evil. I won't let you hurt anyone else."
As Mel stared at her, the confused, worried look on his face made her heart ache for him. "But sis, I'm just helping our sisters, our kindred."
"You're helping no one but yourself. That's all you're doing, and it’s gone far enough," Alp replied, but the edge in her voice was tempered by her love for him. She heard a sudden movement behind her as Lionel, finally released from Mel's control, fell back on the platform and into her. The two of them collapsed into a jumbled pile on the gravel roof.
By the time Alp recovered and looked around, Mel was nowhere to be seen. Still dazed by the collision, she watched as Lionel rose and ran over to the helicopter. Having absorbed the bulk of the crash with the larger man, it took Alp a little longer to reach the helicopter. "Are they all right?" She asked. Lionel backed out of the compartment rubbing his right hand with his left, a look of pain etched on his face.
"They seem fine,” Lionel answered. “I'm going to let you meet your sisters and free them from their bonds while I go round up your brother. Chunk should be along shortly to give you a hand." He patted her on the cheek. "Take good care of them, Alp."
"Oh, I will, I will.” She smiled back at him and added. "Thanks for everything."
After Lionel disappeared through the door leading into the interior of the DuPont Building, Alp took a quick assessment of the situation. In the rear of the helicopter, the neatly wrapped packages that were undoubtedly her sisters showed no signs of waking up. Each one was secured by a white jacket that tied their hands together across their chest. The lone pilot seemed to be in a deep sleep himself. Noticing the red and swollen area on the left side of his jaw, Alp suspected it had something to do with his lack of interest in his surroundings.
“But I need you to wake up and get back to work,” she muttered as she looked around the cabin. Spying a bottle of water wedged in the seat next to the pilot, she grabbed it and poured its contents over the pilot’s head. After a few brisk slaps to the sides of his face, he started to come around.
By the time he was awake enough to gaze around the cabin of the aircraft, Alp had sat in the seat next to him; Chickowski's revolver was pointing at the pilot's chest.
“Take just another minute to get your bearings." She spoke softly, but with an edge of authority, she'd learned from Madame Sarrah. "Then you're going to fly my sisters and me out of here. Do you understand?"
A Message from Orrin Jason Bradford
(a.k.a. W. Bradford Swift)
As an Indie Author I know just how important readers are. Without people who enjoy reading, authors are pretty useless. Oh, I know I enjoy the thrill of writing the next great American novel, but that’s really not enough. I need readers like you who enjoy reading my stories. So, thank you. I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to read Seeds of a New Birth.
Perhaps you would enjoy some of my other books and stories. If you’d like to stay up to date on new book releases, special discounts, and my occasional giveaways, you can also join my OJB’s Amazingly Awesome Readers Group. Just go to my author’s website and blog:
www.wbradfordswift.com
There’s one last thing you could do if you would be so kind. Go to your favorite online bookstore and leave an honest review of Seeds of a New Birth. Honest reviews are really important to help other readers like you know which books to try next. And thanks for being an amazingly awesome reader.
Orrin Jason Bradford (aka W. Bradford Swift)
Acknowledgments
A very special thank you goes to the 54 Kickstarter Backers that helped fund this book through their kind and generous contributions during my first ever Kickstarter campaign. That in itself probably would never have happened without the prompting of Instafreebie's pilot program, organizer Maura Fertich, facilitator “Obi-wan” Jay Swanson, and the other incredible indie authors of the class. I also appreciate all the assistance from my book cover designer, Victor Habbick and from my editor, Tracy Cartwright. Most of all, I thank my wife, Ann, for always believing in me and bolstering me up with her love and wisdom.
Porpoise Publishing
Flat Rock, NC 28731
www.wbradfordswift.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN: 9781930328853 (paperback)
Electronic: ASIN
Seeds of a New Birth/ W. Bradford Swift.
1. Science Fiction 2. Speculative Fiction 3. Technology
Copyright © 2011-19, W. Bradford Swift
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from Life On Purpose Institute, Inc / Porpoise Publishing, with the exception of short excerpts used with acknowledgement of publisher and author.
Cover design by Victor Habbick ~ www.victorhabbickvisions.co.uk/
Typeset in Book Palatino
Printed in USA
First Edition
About the Publisher
Porpoise Publishing is the imprint of indie author W. Bradford Swift who also writes under the pen name of Orrin Jason Bradford. It is best known for publishing visionary fiction--stories that entertain while also inspiring readers to imagine greater possibilities for their lives.
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