Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller by Brandon Ellis (best novels to read in english .txt) 📗

Megan quickly took the lead, and they moved down an alleyway between two old-time bars. Phaser fire and machine gun sounds riddled the city, almost taking over the thunderous starfighters flying overhead.

Megan peeked around a corner and put her hand up. “More fighting.” A dozen Marines in battlesuits retreated behind a two-story, brick building. Megan’s eyes went wide. “Back up, back up.”

She practically pushed Drew over as she backtracked, heading the way they came. A handful of Agadon warriors, their cannons in hand, chased the Marines.

“Okay, we’ll go to the train station another way, and—”

“No,” said Mya, interrupting Megan. “It feels icky over there.”

Megan cocked her head at Mya as they made it around the corner. They were on the same road they were on a minute ago. Megan’s bar was no more than a hundred feet away. “I promise, we will be safe. We’ll just go another way.”

Mya grabbed Drew tighter. “Okay.” There wasn’t any confidence in her reply.

Megan raced down the sidewalk, and Drew followed. They passed broken buildings, stepped around shattered glass, and side-stepped fallen brick and cement.

A loud roar rumbled across the heavens and Drew looked up. Giant ships the size of cities were coming through the clouds. He stopped. “That doesn’t look promising.”

Megan glanced up as well. “It looks absolutely horrifying.”

Mya closed her eyes, concentrating. “They are trying to find me again. And they will find me, and they want to have me forever. If they get me, then you two can’t rule.”

“What are we ruling, Mya,” responded Megan, her eyes still up at the sky, more starfighters inbound. She backed up, bumping into Drew.

Mya put her hand out, touching Megan. “Everyone here and farther away. A new, pretty time is coming for us if we close the doors that lets the mean people in.”

Krackowoooooosh-chk-chk!

A building a few blocks down took a massive hit. The roof caved in and wood and cement was thrown everywhere. A burst of cloudy debris rose from the center.

“Crafts are heading right for us,” said Drew. “We have to go.”

A cluster of starfighters, picking up incredible speed, flew closer and closer. The ships’ noses pointed down, and any minute they’d be on top of Drew’s position.

Vvvvvvvvzzzzzzzzzz!

The city shield turned on, a massive transparent-white dome covered the whole of the town, shining brilliantly like the greatest beacon of hope Drew could have ever imagined.

The starfighters pulled back.

Krackowoooooosh!

A starfighter sped into the shield, electricity shot outward and spread around the shield like veins popping from someone’s forehead, and the craft buckled in two. Flames streaked up from the impact and shot outward. The ship grew into a ball of fire, then the next ship hit the shield, and the next.

Balls of flames and starfighter remains burst into the sky as the shield took more crafts, burning more Agadon pilots to dust, in a blink of an eye.

“Holy shit,” yelled Drew, his eyes reflecting the fire show above.

“Follow me,” said Megan, almost out of breath from what she was watching.

They hurried down the sidewalk, passing vacant shops and restaurants, and ran across a huge lawn that led to a building that looked like a small, square White House. “Keep going,” screamed Megan.

Brat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Wapooo! Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

More machine gun fire and phaser blasts filled the city. The ships couldn’t bomb them at the moment or fly into the metropolis and strafe the streets, buildings, or people thanks to the shield, but Agadon soldiers were still inside the dome. The shield didn’t have the ability to push them out, but the Marines sure as hell were trying.

“Up ahead,” Megan pointed out. A gorgeous, German-style built lodge, massively wide and three story’s tall, was a hundred yards away. A mountain range topped with white peaks stood far behind it. “That’s the train station.”

Drew carried Mya, his arms burning from the weight. Even though she wasn’t heavy, Drew wasn’t terribly strong either.

Mya shook her head. “No, stop. We can’t go in there.”

Drew halted, though Megan continued toward the station.

More shots rang out.

“Let’s go, Drew.” Megan was panicked, her eyes wild.

Drew held his ground. “It’s best we take Mya’s advice on this. Let’s trust her.” He lowered his chin, whispering in Mya’s ear. “Where to, Mya?”

“It’s too late.” Mya wiggled out of his arms and dropped to the ground. “They were waiting for me.”

Drew looked around, his hands out. “Who?”

Megan jumped up and down, throwing her arms out toward the station. “No time. Let’s find cover in the bunker underneath the station.”

Metallic laughter came from a building next to them. The door popped off its hinges and flung out onto the sidewalk, cracking in half. Drew jumped. An Agadon stepped out of the building and into view, a large gun its his hand.

A second laugh. Drew turned around. Several Agadon were exiting buildings and coming forward, all holding larger-than-life guns.

More laughter filled the street, and more than twenty Agadon assholes piled out of the train station. Again, holding weapons.

Mya, Drew, and Megan were surrounded.

“That’s the one that leads them all,” said Mya, pointing to the largest of the Agadon.

“How do you know?” asked Drew, his heart racing, his mind doing its best to calm himself down. One way or another, he was probably a goner, and Megan with him.

Mya shrugged, her lower lip protruding, her eyes sad. “He was in my dream last night. He told me to come to him.” She looked down. “I’m going to go to him.” She ran toward the Agadon.

Megan lunged forward, reaching for Mya and missing. “What is she doing?”

Drew, hands shaking, feet sweating, did everything in his power not to rush after Mya. There was a sense in him that told him that Mya knew what she was doing.

“That’s a good human,” said the leader. He put his arms out and picked Mya up, holding her like any father would hold a six-year-old. He glanced around at his men. “Don’t kill these two until Mya—”

He fell to his knees, Mya still