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

Jaxx shoulder’s drooped. “You deleted everything he sent?”

Slade gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry. Should I have asked your permission?”

“I don’t care, anymore.” Jaxx shivered and hung his head. “Fox is either kicked off this operation or I’m out and if you hurt one hair on Drew’s body, I’ll refuse to work at all.”

“You screw up again and I’ll kill you myself. Until then, you’ll do what we ask of you or you’ll be hurting Drew in ways you can’t imagine. Also, start preparing your mind for your ascent into the stars. We’re leaving soon.”

Jaxx’s stomach about hit the floor. “How soon?”

“You decoded the propulsion technology. We already have it locked in and ready. We’ll try to leave in less than a month. June 11th.”

That quickly? How technologically advanced is this place?

“Will Captain Richard Fox be out of my life? The guy is insane.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Jaxx flung his hands in the air. “Then kill me now.” He could tell Slade didn’t want to concede.

“Alright. Fox is off Jaxx patrol.”

“Can Jon Shaughnessy join me?”

“No. Enough of this negotiating crap. There will be another who we hope can be of service to you.” He turned to leave, then stopped. “Well, are you coming?”

“I don’t have a shirt.”

Slade took off his own shirt and threw it at Jaxx. The guy was buffer than Jaxx thought. “Put it on.”

Jaxx slipped it over his head. “Pants?”

“You have pants on.”

“No, dry pants. These are soaked.”

“I’m not giving you my pants.”

“That’s not what I’m…” Jaxx huffed. “Okay…can I go get some dry pants?”

Slade reached around the corner, grabbing a towel. He tossed it at Jaxx. “That’s all you get. Now, let’s get.”

Jaxx wrapped the towel around himself. “Where are we going?”

“To figure out Rivkah Ravenwood through your memories.”

Jaxx smiled for the first time in days. “Is she safe?”

Slade kept walking.

“What are you doing with her? Tell me, or our deal is off. I mean it. I’d die rather than betray her.”

Slade’s lip curled. He probably thought Jaxx bluffed, but he didn’t. He knew, down in his bones, that he would never let anything bad happen to Rivkah.

“Rivkah has the same brain issue you have and we’re going to see how you two interact. We assume that your issue helps you with how you do your archaeological work, which is why you’re able to decode glyphs so quickly and accurately. We also think it helped with your piloting skills during your time in the SSP. We’re going to see more as to what it does for her and what happens when you two are in close proximity.”

Jaxx wiped off water that dripped down his face. He was going to see Rivkah. Things looked up.

“I need you to focus. Stolen SSP documents pointed us to your specific condition. We then conducted brain scans on you when you were out for a couple of days. We did the same for Rivkah Ravenwood—”

“She’s experiencing these blackouts, these memory reconstructions, the stuff you’ve been having me do in the lab? All that mind-reading and telekinesis shit?”

Slade gave a curt laugh. “She’s more hands on than you, Jaxx. More of a ‘throw your punch first, ask questions later.’”

“But, we’re going to be working together?”

“Sure you are. If she doesn’t kick your ass. Or, as Fox pointed out, kill you first.” He flicked his head to the side. “Now, let’s go. We have a hypnotherapy session waiting for you.”

A young man walked into the locker room, barely twenty-years-old and a little over-weight. Rifle in hand, he swallowed. “Sir?”

“What is it?” asked Slade.

“I’m just the messenger, Sir. Just reporting what I’ve been told.”

“Spit it out, Private.”

The young man closed his eyes and recited his report in a monotone. He’d clearly memorized it. “They had it all taken down. Calls from officials, threats of injunctions and jail time, the whole nine yards. The story went dark for a couple of hours, while all major news outlets reported the pictures of Callisto were fakes.” He took a deep breath.

Slade glared at the floor. If looks had been laser beams, he’d have cut holes clear through to Australia. “I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

“But, dark web, alternate sources, the tin-hat brigade, they leaked new pictures. Pictures of the craft, the hangar, and the supplies. It’s all over the news. Everything. They know it’s not a hoax and they’re asking questions.”

Slade turned red and glared at Jaxx; again with his laser-sharp look. Jaxx would have been vaporized, if Slade’s eyes had their way. “Scrap Operation Underfoot. We’re going with Operation Heliotrope.” He kicked a locker. “Shit!”

“Operation Heliotrope. Got it.” The kid-soldier wanted out of there, but couldn’t leave until Slade dismissed him.

“Take Jaxx to Donny. Don’t let him out of your sight.” Slade took off running. “Screw these Assholes. Are they really worth it?”

Jaxx turned to his new escort. “Shall we?” For once, he looked forward to his session with Doctor Donny.

36

June 7thUnderfoot Black, Grenada

Jaxx marched into Donny’s office and lay on the bed. “Bring it on.”

“How are we today, Mr. Jaxx?” Donny was his usual, unctuous self.

“Cut the bull and put me under. There are things I want to know.”

Donny smiled. “Good, good. There are things Colonel Slade wants to know, too. In fact, I have a list of keywords which, with your permission, I am going to feed into your session.”

“Fine, whatever. Do it.”

Jaxx knew he was missing something central. It didn’t add up. Slade wouldn’t just keep him around to ride and ridicule him; he had no interest in the telekinesis and didn’t believe in the mind-reading stuff. Jaxx dug deep into his brain and thought hard. Harder than he had in many, many years. Then it hit him. They—they being GSA—didn’t have all they needed to successfully travel to, or colonize, Callisto and they needed him to find that missing piece of evidence. At least, that was one theory. He tucked it in the back of his mind for