Ascension (Ascension Series Book 6)

by Ken Lozito

  "I did say that, but I didn't think we’d end up on a private island," Zack said, and his gaze narrowed playfully. "Is this your island? Tell me you didn't buy this island. You own this island?"

  Kaylan grinned. "Of course not. I didn't buy this island; it's my sister's," she said.

  Zack looked around at the lavish furnishings. He felt like he was standing in one of those places he'd only seen in advertisements. But it was even better than that, or maybe it was the fact that it was just the two of them.

  They left the villa and walked down a stone staircase to the beach—their beach, since they had the island to themselves. The soft white sand felt soothing to his feet and the crystal-clear blue waters were warm and inviting. They walked along the beach, the water splashing at their feet. They'd arrived two days ago and he wanted to stay there forever, but he wasn't sure Kaylan would want that. At some point, they'd have to go back to the real world.

  "I wanted you to know that I started looking for my dad's car," Zack said.

  "That's great, and if we can't find it, I'm sure we can build another one. The ECF was keenly interested in the new fabricators the Boxans used," Kaylan said.

  "Do you really think they're going to leave?"

  "I think they've been preparing to leave for a long time. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but a year from now I think they'll be gone," Kaylan said.

  Zack eyed her for a moment. "I guess you'd know better than anyone else."

  "It doesn't take the Mardoxian ability to figure that out," Kaylan replied.

  "So what do you think is going to happen to us? Where do we go from here?"

  Kaylan was about to reply when they heard a jet flying toward them. They glanced up at the sky and saw a dark, sleek Dux Corp jet do a flyby of the island and then approach the landing pad.

  "Well, it didn't take them long to find us," Zack said.

  Kaylan pulled on his arm. "Come on, we should go see what they want."

  They'd learned that Edward Johnson had died, but they didn't know the details of his death. Zack had no idea how a man like Ed would have gone out, but he couldn’t imagine it’d been due to old age. Ed could plot and scheme with the best of them. According to Michael Hunsicker, Edward Johnson had been instrumental in hunting down the Xiiginns.

  They followed the path to the landing pad. The Dux Corp jet had just set down and the door opened. A tall woman in a black business suit exited the jet and walked down the stairs. Her dark sunglasses were stylish, and Zack could see that she was quite attractive. He used his implants to scan for any tech she had hidden away and his eyes widened at what he saw. He'd expected the sunglasses were more than a stylish accent, but he hadn't expected to see the number of implants and enhancements he’d found. He saw that parts of her skeleton were comprised of a metallic alloy that Zack assumed greatly enhanced her speed and strength. His own implants had been enhanced by Athena, so he doubted that anyone besides him and Kaylan could tell just how dangerous their new visitor really was. The woman arched an eyebrow, which poked above her sunglasses, and smiled as if she were aware of what they'd seen. She headed toward them carrying a metallic briefcase.

  "Iris," Kaylan said in greeting.

  Iris extended her hand to each of them in turn. "Hello, Kaylan, Mr. Quick. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Iris Barrett."

  Zack didn't remember her at all, and since she was with Dux Corp, he wasn't sure he wanted to know her. "What brings Dux Corp all the way out here?"

  "Zack," Kaylan admonished. "There’s no need to be rude. I was really sorry to hear that Ed died. He was quite fond of you."

  "Thank you. I'm actually here to speak to you about Ed. Could we go inside? There’s a lot we need to discuss," Iris said.

  "Of course," Kaylan said.

  "I'll leave you to it then," Zack said and started to walk away.

  "Actually, Mr. Quick, this has to do with you as well," Iris said.

  Kaylan tilted her head to the side and gave him one of those looks.

  "Alright then," Zack said. "This should be interesting."

  The three took a short path to another set of stairs that led to the villa. Once they were inside, Iris closed the doors and the windows. She wore a wrist computer, upon which she tapped a few commands.

  "Sorry for that, but I just enabled several jamming signals, along with a few other things that will give us some privacy," Iris said.

  Zack's gaze flicked to Kaylan for a moment. "Are we being watched?"

  Iris removed her sunglasses, revealing brown eyes that regarded him for a moment. "Of course you're being watched. Did you expect to return here and the entire Athena crew would just go on their merry way?" Iris shook her head and even her neck-length dark hair looked good as it moved. Zack had always felt awkward around beautiful women, and the fact that he was sitting there with two of the most attractive women he'd ever seen made him a little anxious. He took Kaylan's hand in his own and leaned back in his chair.

  "All of you are being watched. It's for your own protection."

  "I love how you just casually throw away our privacy and think that a few people wanting to protect us makes that okay," Zack said.

  Kaylan leaned forward. "Are we in danger?"

  "Nothing imminent. Both of you are VIPs, which could put a few ideas into the heads of certain circles. Ed wanted to make sure that if you did make it back to Earth, you’d be protected," Iris said.

  "So, are we going to have to hire bodyguards and all that stuff?" Zack asked.

  Iris snorted. "It's not as oppressive as you make it sound. But the fact that you're being looked after isn't the reason I'm here."

  "You're here because of Ed, aren't you?" Kaylan said.

  Zack's brows pinched together.

  Iris nodded. "Ed and I studied your mission briefings. He'd always suspected that you had the potential for certain abilities. This briefcase contains a message from Ed, along with some documents, but we'll get to that in a minute. First, I have to tell you how Ed really died."

  Zack listened to Iris tell them how Ed had laid a trap for Mar Arden to get all the Xiiginns into one place and take them all out. They'd tried to hunt them down, but the Xiiginns always remained one step ahead of them. Zack was surprised to learn that the trap almost worked. Mar Arden was the only one to survive.

  "So you were there?" Zack asked.

  "Yes, I was with Ed when he died," Iris replied.

  "How did you survive the explosion?"

  "I'm tougher than I look."

  Zack felt the edges of his lips begin to curve upward. "You fought the Xiiginns? Hand to hand? You know, up close and personal?"

  "I did. I even took out his second in command, a Xiiginn named Kandra Rene," Iris said.

  Zack's eyes narrowed and he looked at Kaylan.

  Iris frowned. "What is it?"

  "Kandra Rene tried to use her compulsion ability on Zack when he was captured," Kaylan answered.

  "I should have realized that," Iris said.

  Zack snorted. "Why would you?"

  "My job is knowing the connection in the details," Iris said.

  Zack blew out a breath and glanced at the perfect day outside. He closed his eyes and for a moment he was back on Selebus, trapped in the pit, hearing the strange sounds of the mutants the Xiiginns had kept there. He opened his eyes and shuddered. He was glad Kandra Rene was gone.

  "I need to play Ed's message for you. Is that alright?" Iris asked.

  Kaylan looked at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's hear it."

  Iris nodded and opened the metallic case. A holoprojector came on and a life-size rendering of Edward Johnson stood in the room. He turned toward them and smiled.

  "As Iris has probably told you, we laid a trap hoping to lure the Xiiginns into one place so we could take care of them once and for all. If you're seeing this message and I'm not there personally to speak with you, then I'm afraid things didn't go as planned. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see you return." Ed's hologram looked at K
aylan. "I know you were aware of my friendship with your grandfather, but I always thought of you as family, even when you walked away to pursue your own path." Ed turned his gaze toward Zack. "Mr. Quick, your participation on the Athena mission exceeded all my expectations. I knew you’d be a valuable asset to the mission, but I never expected you to become as important as Kaylan was to all of humanity. It was your doing that kept us safe, giving us time to build ships and grow technologically by leaps and bounds. Throughout all that you held to your principles. This is a quality I value greatly." The Ed hologram seemed to regard him for a few moments, as if Zack needed some time to consider what Ed had said. "I know you view people like me as the enemy … well, maybe not the enemy anymore. I think your experiences with the Xiiginns helped you recognize a true enemy when you see one, but I’d wager you still view me as someone not to be trusted. So I'm going to cut right to the chase. I'm going to offer you a job."

  Zack laughed and glanced at Iris. "A job? Is he serious?"

  "I'm quite serious," Ed said, as if he'd heard Zack's question. "Now, before you answer, at least hear what the job is. You might find that it's right up your alley."

  The hologram paused and Zack looked at Iris.

  "You need to tell him whether you want to hear what he has to say," Iris said.

  Zack looked at Kaylan. "I don't know."

  "Please, if I may," Iris said. "You probably don't know this, but Ed defended you whenever anyone questioned the things you’d done. He had unwavering confidence in your abilities. I can tell you from my experience working for Ed that this is not something he does on a whim. He has extremely high expectations of the people who work for Dux Corp."

  "It won't hurt to hear what he has to say," Kaylan said.

  Zack wondered if Kaylan somehow sensed where this was going. If she did, she wasn't saying anything. He looked back at the hologram. "Alright, I'll hear what you have to say."

  "Excellent," Ed said. "You might be thinking this job is an offer to work for Dux Corp as a general employee with special perks and benefits, and I'm going to tell you that is not the case. What I'm offering you is an opportunity to run Dux Corp. Be the boss. Decide which direction to take the company and all of its substantial subsidiaries. Help build a new world."

  Zack's face was numb and his mouth hung open. Of all the things he could have imagined, Edward Johnson—a man Zack was sure hadn’t liked him at all when they'd first met—offering him a job running one of the most powerful corporations on the planet wasn’t one of them. He looked at Iris and she calmly returned his gaze. Of course, she'd known this was coming. He turned toward Kaylan, who looked only a little surprised.

  "I thought Ed might have had a few plans for you," Kaylan said.

  Zack laughed nervously. "Gee, you think?"

  Kaylan smiled at him. "You should really consider this. You could do a lot of good in that position."

  Zack snorted. "Are you kidding me? What do I know about running a company like Dux Corp?" He ran his fingers through his hair and gave it a gentle tug. "This has to be a joke, right?"

  Iris shook her head. "No, this isn't a joke. This is real. This job offer is part of the Project Phoenix Initiative, which Ed had been working on in preparation for your return. I believe he started it after your initial mission update you sent over a year ago."

  Zack looked at the hologram of Ed Johnson, who appeared to be waiting for his answer. Instead of answering, he looked back at Iris. "If I did this, that would mean you’d be working for me."

  Iris looked amused. "I would be your assistant and your protection."

  Zack remembered all the implants and enhancements this woman had. He bet she could go a few rounds with several Boxans in power armor. He stood up and paced toward the window, then turned back toward Ed. "Can I think about it?"

  The Ed hologram smiled at him knowingly. "Of course you can. You have exactly one hour to consider this offer and then it will expire."

  Zack's breath caught in his throat.

  "Actually," Ed continued, "I'm just kidding. This offer will be available to you for exactly twenty-four hours, after which the offer will expire. When you do decide, speak to Iris. Once again, I hope you seriously consider this opportunity. Bruce Matherson offered me a job like this once and it changed my life. I know it could do the same for you."

  The hologram flickered off.

  "I'll remain on the island until you've made your decision. I’ll also be available to answer any questions you may have," Iris said and stood up. "I'll show myself to the guest quarters and give you some privacy so you can discuss this between yourselves."

  Iris walked toward the door.

  "Iris," Zack said, "would you take the job if you were me?"

  She regarded him for a moment, her eyes measuring him. "In a heartbeat," she said and left the room.

  Zack blew out a breath and glanced at the metallic case. Iris had left their privacy enforcer on.

  "What do you think you're going to do?" Kaylan asked.

  "I have no idea. I never expected anything like this," Zack said.

  "I did."

  "Really?"

  "Of course. You're capable of so much. I think you underestimate yourself," Kaylan replied.

  "I think you're a bit biased when it comes to me. What would you do if I did take this job?"

  "I'd get you to hire me as a consultant."

  Zack laughed and his gaze slid toward the model of the Athena. He'd put it on the center of the table when they arrived. For some reason, he just liked having it nearby.

  Kaylan followed his gaze. "I miss her too."

  "When she made this thing, she almost had me believing she'd made a true working model. She made the engines start to glow," Zack said.

  He reached out and slid his fingers along the smooth surface, tracing all the intricate details.

  "That's funny. I would've liked to have seen that," Kaylan said.

  Zack pursed his lips in thought. "I'm sure I can figure out how she turned it on."

  He picked the ship up and looked for some kind of switch but couldn't find anything. He shook his head and used his implants to probe for a power source, immediately detecting one, though extremely faint. As he moved to turn it on, an authentication prompt appeared on his internal heads-up display. Zack frowned and then gave the credentials he'd used to access the Athena's systems. The faint power source began to build intensity. He quickly set the ship down on the table and stepped back.

  "What's wrong?" Kaylan asked.

  "I don't know. I just gave it my credentials to turn the thing on."

  The model of the ship began to glow and the interior lights in the villa dimmed as if the power had been drained. A loud hum came from the ship and then there was a loud whooshing noise. Kaylan grabbed his arm and pulled him back. There was a high-pitched ringing, and Zack winced. He inched closer to the table and extended his hand. The model of the Athena was giving off so much heat that he didn't dare touch it. The ship hovered above the table, slowly spinning.

  "That was much more difficult than I thought it would be," Athena said.

  The ship continued to hover in the air, and the lighting in the room returned to normal.

  "Athena! But you were …"

  "Dead," Athena said. "I was."

  "Is it really you?" Kaylan asked.

  "Yes, Commander, and no, I'm afraid," Athena said.

  "You're not making any sense," Zack said.

  "I'll try to be clearer. I did cease to be in order to spread the knowledge to neutralize the Xiiginn influence, but this model wasn't just for aesthetics. I was attempting to create a backup of myself should I become inoperable," Athena said.

  "But how are you here? Have you been in the ship this whole time?" Zack asked.

  "It's complicated. I was and I wasn't, a sort of in-between state of existence," Athena said.

  Zack looked at Kaylan. "Yeah, that explains it."

  "Part of me waited for you to activate the ship while mos
t of me was in a different state of being—a bubble outside the universe," Athena replied.

  "Athena, was this something you learned from the Drar?" Kaylan asked.

  "Yes, that is accurate," Athena said.

  "How do you fit into this little replica?" Zack asked.

  "Most of me is still in the bubble. I was hoping you might be able to help me find a new home," Athena said.

  Zack tried to think of a place they could use to store the AI, but he couldn't think of anything that would work. The Drar had remade the Athena, and Humans just didn't have that knowledge.

  "We’ll have to call the ECF or the Boxans. Maybe Gaarokk or Cardaleer can help us figure something out," Kaylan said. She paced back and forth.

  Zack shook his head. "No, we don't."

  Kaylan frowned. "Why not? We have to tell someone."

  "No, we don't. We don't have to tell anyone about this. Think about it. If we start telling people that Athena somehow survived, how do you think they'll react?" Zack said.

  Kaylan pressed her lips together, considering.

  "Seriously, even the Boxans were about to force us to give the Athena up. No, we can't tell anyone about this."

  Kaylan looked at the small replica of the Athena. "Do you still retain all the data from the Drar?"

  "That is correct, Commander, but in this state my access is a bit limited. Perhaps if you were to help build me a new form I could be of more help," Athena said.

  "Zack, we can't keep this to ourselves."

  Zack's brain was racing in a thousand different directions. He glanced at the metallic case and smiled. "We won't, I promise. We'll share everything in time, and we already have a way to get the knowledge out there."

  Zack gestured toward the metallic case with the Dux Corp company logo.