Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller

by Brandon Ellis

  Slade pushed him into a chair, then strapped a harness over his shoulders, crossing his chest and hips. He then tethered Jaxx’s forearms to the arm rests.

  “Where are we?” Jaxx heard the panic in his own voice.

  “You’ll be fine, Jaxx. Be calm or I’ll knock you out again.”

  Slade walked away, shutting the door behind him.

  “Slade?” said Jaxx.

  No answer.

  He dropped his chin to his chest, feeling a wave of nausea. Throwing up in the bag would be beyond shitty.

  A door opened and two sets of shoes clacked against the floor. No, not shoes. Boots. Shiny boots, I bet.

  “Who’s there?” Jaxx asked. “Can you help me?”

  “It’s Slade, Jaxx. No need to ask me for help. You ain’t getting any.”

  “There are two people here. Who’s with you?”

  “Captain Richard Fox.”

  Jaxx tightened.

  “Don’t worry, numb nuts,” Fox said, a hint of laughter in his voice. “I’m not here to mess you up.”

  They took the bag off Jaxx’s head.

  Jaxx’s eyes adjusted to a dimly-lit room. The windows were covered with blackout material, as was the ceiling.

  Slade winked. “Time to go.” He dug into his pocket, taking out a piece of gum, then popped it in his mouth. He folded his arms. “Don’t be nervous.”

  Jaxx’s breathing was shallow, his eyes darting from Slade to Fox. “What’s happening?”

  Fox grinned, looking at Slade. “This is fun. Can I stay here and watch?”

  Slade rubbed his hands together, then checked his watch. He turned and exited through the curtains. A glimpse of a white, rounded wall caught Jaxx’s eye through the curtain opening.

  Slade came back, holding a helmet with a black visor and a large, thick, space-age looking sleeping bag. He handed the helmet and bag to Fox.

  Jaxx tried to kick Fox, but the restraints held him at bay. “What’s going on?”

  Slade stared down at his empty palms, his eyes glazed. The guy was tired, as if he’d been up for days. “The rest of the world thinks we blew up right after the launch. You, on the other hand, are the first to see that we haven’t.”

  Jaxx tilted his head. “Launch?”

  Slade bent down, his face only inches from Jaxx’s. The minty-fresh gum did nothing for his drinking-too-much-whiskey breath. “What have I told you about that echo, Jaxx?”

  Jaxx nodded. The man was coming unhinged. Jaxx needed to tread lightly. “Can you at least tell me where I am?”

  “Classified,” Slade replied.

  Fox placed the helmet over Jaxx, and everything went dark, the black visor blocking all light.

  Someone—had to be Fox, he would enjoy being rough—undid the straps that held him to the chair. Fox yanked him to his feet and wrapped him in that space-age sleeping-bag-thingie they’d brought in with them.

  “This will just take a moment,” Slade said. His voice was muted by the helmet.

  The two men messed around with Jaxx’s helmet and adjusted the bag. Jaxx heard two clicks, fastening the bag to his helmet. Then they strapped him back to his chair. Assholes.

  Fox and Slade walked away. The door slammed. Again. His life had become a series of slamming doors. What kind of slam was it, though? A heavy door. Heavy, with multiple locking mechanisms. The shape of the door frame, the heavy blankets all around the room, the sound that door made.

  He wasn’t in a warehouse.

  He was in a freaking spaceship.

  Jaxx took a deep breath, fresh oxygen filling his lungs.

  “I am going to Callisto,” he screamed. No one hears you in a spaceship. “I am going to Callisto, wearing a suit designed for prisoners.”

  The room tilted back… back… back… until Jaxx was horizontal. “Yeah,” he said. “D-day.”

  The vibrations were bone-shaking. Even his teeth rattled in their sockets. Way behind him, there was that loud, continuous roar. “Engines are primed. We are ready for lift off.”

  Jaxx swayed forward, the shaking almost addling his brain. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t.

  Gravity pressed against him like no force he’d ever felt. It pressed on his shoulders and chest, like a boulder slowly crushing him. It was mounting, more pressure every passing second. The ship accelerated.

  Jaxx was certain he was about to be pulverized. They must have gotten the calibrations wrong. Surely not all space travel was like this? He tried to contract the muscles around his rib cage, to protect his lungs. He desperately wanted to remain conscious. He’d blacked out far too many times. Now was the time to stay awake, alert, in control of his life. If they would only listen to him, he would tell them how to design a ring of pyramids and save Earth. He shook his head. Earth would be fine. She always was. It was man who was going to suffer.

  He forced his eyelids open and flew directly into the dark.

  52

  June 12th

  Charlotte, North Carolina

  Drew wheeled his mother on the cement path, heading to Tanner Springs Assisted Living Center’s only scenic view, a small pocket of trees.

  “Mom. I had to see you.”

  “Well, that’s good. Do we know each other?”

  He pushed her into the shade, parking her chair next to a wooden bench. He helped her out of her chair and onto the bench. “No need to fake it anymore, Mom. They won.”

  She shook her head. “Not unless you let them, son. They may have won the battle, but you, my darling, are going to win the war.”

  A rocket blasted off across the way, rocket smoke trailing across the sky and into the heavens. It was loud, though not as close as it sounded. Miles away. Another governor or senator leaving Earth to join the other politicians and their families on a starship destined for Callisto. He wanted to scream to the world that he warned them, that he told them so.

  The entire government was leaving. It was being reported all over the news. Governors and senators left farewell letters, recorded farewell speeches, and told the citizens that they would be back as soon as they established a civilization on Callisto. They said that everyone would be saved from the global warming cataclysm that was on its way. When was the cataclysm going to hit the Earth? They didn’t know, but soon, very soon.

  The politicians wouldn’t be back.

  Laura cast a glance over her shoulder. “They’re still here you know. You need to be more careful. You broke the biggest story that this world has ever seen and there are trials to come. They’re going to try to silence you. You have to stay away.”

  Drew patted her hand. “I love that you believe in me, Mom. And I love, more than anything, that you’re here and can see me and I get to talk to you again. I missed you so much.”

  “They’re coming,” she said. “Game face on.”

  Drew looked back at the facility. Sure enough, the clunky, uncoordinated, overly-muscled G-men were padding across the lawn.

  “Is that a second rocket, Drew?” His mother pointed to another rocket, a different rocket carrying additional politicians closer to the edge of the atmosphere.

  “It’s happening all over the country, Mom. They’re leaving. The politicians are leaving.”

  “Not that I mind. What did the politicians ever do for us?” she said. She patted Drew’s hand. “Listen to me, Drew. Your dad didn’t die.”

  Drew stared at his mom. “I don’t care what happened to him. He left us. Both. He’s dead to me.”

  “Sir is alive.”

  Another rocket propelled into the sky. Drew didn’t bother looking. His mom did.

  “Why did you come here, Mom? Why have you hidden yourself away all this time? Was it because of him? Sir?”

  “Nope,” she said. “Like I said before. It was because of me and because of you.”

  Drew shook his head. “Do not lay that on me. Please.”

  “I knew if you found out what I know, your life would be in danger. I wasn’t happy with your father’s life
style. I left him because he was a fraud, a liar, and part of something black and clandestine.”

  “Do you know where my dad went?”

  She pointed at the rocket in the sky. “He’s in one of those.”

  “What’s his name?”

  She gave me a wink. “You talked with him on the news the other day.”

  “I...uh…”

  “Slade Isaac Roberson, Colonel and once head of the Global Safety Administration. Now flying to Callisto to be a leader there, as well. He always dreamed of living amongst the stars.”

  “You have got to be shitting me.”

  Laura coughed. “I shit you not.” She coughed again, this time harder. “Hand me my water.”

  As Drew reached for her water, Laura pitched forward, out of her chair, and onto the ground. She spasmed and kicked, froth forming at the edges of her mouth.

  “Mom,” Drew tried to scoop the mess out of her mouth, to clear her trachea. “Someone, please, help me.” He turned her on her side and tried to perform a Heimlich. “Please,” he screamed. “I need some help here.”

  He looked back at the Facility. The G-men were back at their posts, guarding the doors. There was an attendant, banging on the glass, trying to get out, but there was no way around those goons.

  Drew looked at his mother’s glass. Had they snuck something in there when the two of them were watching the rockets leave Earth, observing the politicians flee their sworn oaths to protect humanity?

  His mother lay in his arms, still and quiet. He looked into the sky, tears wetting his cheeks and his chin trembling.

  53

  Date: Unknown

  Location: Unknown

  Jaxx lay on a cold table. A hazy light swayed above him, not blinding by any means. It was pleasant, calming.

  He tried to lift his head, to see where he was, but the pain knocked him back. He cringed. It was going to be a hum-dinger of a migraine. He could already tell. He blinked. Vines hung from the ceiling. Green peas. He turned his head, wincing. An ache squeezed his temple. Dozens of long boxes displayed tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. Vegetable planters lined the room’s floor.

  God, I feel nauseous.

  A warm hand touched his forehead. Startled, he tried to get up. Lightning pain shot through his skull, pinning him back on the table. He bit down hard, clenching his jaw.

  “Are you okay?” A woman leaned over, her face blocking out the light. She smiled.

  “Who are you?” Jaxx’s voice was weak, barely audible.

  She stroked his forehead. “I’m Francine. I’m one of the ship’s med techs.”

  “Where am I?”

  She averted her gaze. “Just relax. Right now, we need to get you healthy. Let’s not worry about where you are.”

  Jaxx sat up, squinting at the searing pain in his head. Windows were everywhere. Stars speckled the sky.

  “Please tell me where I am.” He tried to jump off the table, but the med tech held him down.

  “I don’t know.” She walked over to the windows. “I only see stars. I’m not a navigator and I don’t know what quadrant we’re in. From what I’ve been told, we are somewhere between Earth and Mars.”

  Jaxx rubbed his eyes. “Between Earth and Mars?”

  “Yes.”

  He remembered Slade knocking him out. He recalled Fox placing a helmet on his head. After that, nothing.

  Francine put her hand behind his head. “If you’d lift up, just a tiny bit, you can have a sip of this. It will help with pain.”

  Jaxx complied. If they could take the pain away, he’d be able to think. He closed his eyes and counted backwards from three. It was right there, the memory. He’d been strapped to a chair and flung into space. He gasped. It was true. He did launch. “I’m on a ship?”

  “Starship Atlantis. This is one of our grow rooms, though this one is mostly vegetables.” She extended her hand. “Let me help you to your feet.” She took Jaxx’s arm and pulled him up, then guided him to the window. He held himself up on the window sill. A large fan-like object, full of mirrors, surrounded the ship, spinning like a wheel. He looked all around at the stars, almost losing equilibrium.

  The tech steadied him. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m in Starship Atlantis? It’s really called Atlantis?” Maybe they believed him in the first place, that those on Callisto were from Atlantis.

  “Yes. Well, it’s called Space Shaq, according to Colonel Slade Roberson.”

  Jaxx touch his forehead, trying to grasp what was happening. He turned, looking for a door. “We’re in space?”

  “The ascent into space conked you out for a while.”

  “How long?”

  She looked at her watch. “17 hours.”

  “Where’s Rivkah?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know any Rivkah. I can check our flight sheet.”

  Jaxx rubbed the back of his head. “This doesn’t seem real.”

  “It’s real. Do you want me to help you to your room?”

  He rose his brows. “I have a room?”

  “The starship has about five hundred. They aren’t extravagant, but they have a bed, a closet, toilet, shower, and a bit of a kitchenette.”

  Jaxx touched his belly. “I need to sit.”

  “That’s completely understandable.” She helped him back to the table. “Rest here and I’ll be back later.”

  He nodded and laid on his back.

  She left the room. Sprinklers turned on and mists of water covered Jaxx. He didn’t make any attempt to move. Too tired, and lying down helped his headache.

  He touched his arms, making sure this was real. Why wasn’t he weightless and floating?

  He stood, rubbing his temples and dragged his feet to the door.

  He stepped into a hallway, also lined with windows. Outside, the fan, that he could only think was a solar sail, spun around the ship along with the ship’s frame. The inside of the ship, however, wasn’t spinning at all. He rested his head against the window and took a hefty breath.

  He took a few steps down the hallway. Each step was light, almost as if he could float down the hall. He imagined the astronauts on the moon, where each step was like a bounce. It wasn’t the same on this ship, though maybe similar.

  “Kaden Jaxx, I presume?”

  He turned, staring at a man he’d seen a thousand times. Once in person, the rest on TV.

  The man extended his hand to help. “I hear you’re going to help us figure out how these pyramids power themselves.” He grinned long and wide. “You’re the man with the name on a Callisto pyramid. Isn’t that something?”

  How did he know that? No one knows that.

  Jaxx couldn’t speak. He stared at the most famous man in the world, and that man not only knew Jaxx’s name, he knew a little more than Jaxx wanted him to know.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  Jaxx nodded. “The President of the United States. President Martelle.”

  The president patted Jaxx on the shoulder. “Just call me Craig. I hate it when people call me President.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Craig. It’s an honor. I need to find Colonel Slade.” Jaxx couldn’t believe he tried to evade the President, but it was essential he get to Slade and explain what he’d worked out, before he’d been abducted. “I don’t want to sound alarmist or self-aggrandizing, but I believe we have a way to save humanity.”

  “Want to walk and talk?” said Martelle.

  Jaxx ran through his entire “pyramids-are-terraforming-devices-which-punch-magma-producing-vents-through-the-Earth’s-core” presentation, just as he had with Rivkah.

  “So, you’re telling me that ancient people, all over the world, all in different eras, created these pyramids, all for the same reason?”

  “No. I’m saying that the Atlanteans created every major pyramid throughout the world, strategically, and with technology and sacred geometry long lost from man. Pyramids are terraforming devices to ease us into each age as best they can, to lessen the Earth
changes, and to sustain a liveable environment on Earth. I think they created the pyramids on Callisto for the same reason, for better mineral quality, more oxygen, and to create a gravity field humans can live in.”

  “Intriguing,” said the President. “Tell me more.”

  Jaxx wasn’t used to being listened to, but he had the ear of the world’s most powerful man, so he decided to go for broke. “Atlanteans left Atlantis and built structures on Callisto 12,500 years ago. It’s no coincidence that it’s at about the same time the lost city of Atlantis went under, just like the hieroglyphs tell us.”

  “The hieroglyphs?”

  “Yes,” said Jaxx. “They’re all on the laptop.” He stopped. “Please tell me Slade remembered the laptop.”

  Martelle smiled.

  “Oh, good. I was worried there for a second.” The two men continued their walk around Starship Atlantis. “Where was I? Oh, right. The Atlanteans left Earth to continue their way of life. Like us, I suppose. The ones who didn’t leave, dispersed throughout the world. Some made their new home in Egypt, where they built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Again, 12,500 years ago.”

  Martelle laced his hands behind his back. “So what you’re telling me is, we’re repeating the same scenario as the Atlanteans?”

  “Yes, yes, yes,” said Jaxx.

  The President leaned on the railing that went the entire way down the long glass wall. “We have a long ways to Callisto. Care to join me for a drink? There’s a nice bar on the third level.”

  Slade appeared at their side, almost as if he knew they’d been talking.

  “It’s fine,” said Martelle. “He still doesn’t have a clue. The smartest man on Earth and he doesn’t know he’s the key to our future. You’d think they’d teach them common sense, but no. He’s all angles, vectors, and theory.”

  Slade laughed.

  Jaxx stared at one man, then the other, trying, as always, to fit the pieces together.