Ascendant Saga Collection: Sci-Fi Fantasy Techno Thriller by Brandon Ellis (easy to read books for adults list txt) 📕

to harm you and I’ve convinced my friends not to harm you either. Your men, on the other hand...they can’t know about the red cones. They can’t know what you and I know about them. Your friends have to be eliminated.”

40

J-Quadrant, Solar System - Flood of Dawn, Callisto

Fox moaned on the table, then twitched. His eyes were closed but moving rapidly as if watching a montage of action. Or, as Jaxx remembered from the hypnotherapy sessions with Dr. Donny, Fox was probably very much inside the action, experiencing it as if it was happening now.

A strange pull invited Jaxx closer to Fox like a moth to a flame, generating a pulsing heat at his heart. He took a step forward, his mind wandering, wanting to know what Fox was seeing. Yet, how did he know Fox was experiencing a past memory?

He took another step, his hand shaking as he lifted it over Fox’s chest. Like a positively charged magnet to a negatively charged one, Jaxx’s hand landed on Fox’s chest as if an extra-strength vacuum was on high, practically welding his hand in place.

He tugged back, but his hand didn’t budge. He leaned to the side, gritting his teeth, pulling with all his might, but it was as if his hand was attached to Fox’s chest with extra-strength super glue. It wouldn’t move.

Jaxx stiffened and unconsciously stood on his toes, his veins nearly popping out of his skin, a flash of electricity blasting through him. He opened his mouth, wanting to yell, to scream from the pain consuming him. But silence. His voice was gone, inactive.

A sharp breeze sung into his ears and he closed his eyes, only to open them a second later. He held a phaser, aiming it at Fox, his foot on Fox’s exo-suit, the Chi-like power racing through every cell of his body.

He was strong and in control. “Leave, now.”

Fox slowly shook his head, his external speakers on full. “My men are coming. Enjoy your last few breaths.”

Jjjakhoo! Jjjakhoo! Jjjakhoo!

HPC-11-Rapid Fires small cannons from Fox’s team, let loose a hail storm into the air and toward Jaxx’s tree-covered position. For a moment, silence, and then a flock of flying creatures screeched and fled from the treetops as the deathly quiet turned into whistling particle charges heading in fast.

Jaxx went to one knee, his other foot still on Fox’s chest and placed his hand toward the incoming cannon fire, switching on an energy shield from a gold cuff on his forearm.

An explosion rocked Jaxx’s friends into him from the eruption against their shields. A plume of energy sucked in like a wind. It attempted to grab them and expose them to the incoming S.A.S.M. team. Then another hit and another.

A few shields malfunctioned, turning off, leaving two Taiyonians defenseless. They brought their bow like weapons up, firing one photon tipped arrow after another in rapid succession. They bounced off the incoming S.A.S.M. team’s exo-suits like sticks against a cement wall.

The S.A.S.M. team was fast, well-trained, and spread out. The closest soldier unclasped his PR-8 from his back and zipped two quick shots at the two Taiyonians, landing with deadly accuracy. The two flopped to the ground, dead.

More incoming fire and the rest of Jaxx’s small company held strong, their shields energized around them, allowing them to release bow shot after bow shot, temporarily halting the advancing S.A.S.M.’s.

Jaxx looked down, seeing the moss-like grass at his feet, a few red pinecones on the ground, but no Fox. A moment ago he had his foot on Fox’s chest. How did he not feel the guy’s escape? A few trees jostled a short ways to the west.

“Mako-zan, Kiyo-zan,” he motioned toward two warriors in his group. “Fox is heading west. We need to stop him before he actually understands what to do with the red cones.”

They detached from the rest of the group, moving swiftly through the forest, jumping over broken limbs and downed trees.

Jaxx stopped, stretching his arms out wide. “Divert!” The Taiyonian war against the Kelhoon and the Secret Space Program had been intense and the surrounding nature had taken the brunt of it all, including what was right in front of them; a roaring forest fire.

“Call in Zan-Ops. We need to get this fire contained,” ordered Jaxx.

Kiyo-zan lifted his wrist cuff to his mouth. “Sozoko mozi no kazai. Fukuma rete kudazai.”

Mako-zan pointed his long arm to the east, his tall seven-three foot frame in a defensive crouch. “Fox-zan, azuma!”

Strangely, he felt Fox and knew they guy changed direction and headed east, racing away from the fire.

Jaxx tapped on his forearm cuff, bringing up a map of the terrain surrounding them, seeing a mass of infantry circling in on the S.A.S.M. team. “Kasai Company closing in. Do we have air support?”

Mako-zan nodded. “Watashizachi za dekiru kaziri ozu.”

Jaxx drew his mouth in a straight line and bit his lip. “That’s not much, but it will be enough. When is ETA?”

“Ichibu.”

“One minute? Too soon. That’s not enough time to retrieve Fox.” He paused, crossing his arms, watching the forest burn in front of him, anger slashing through him like a sword. He came here to help the Taiyonians against this illegal, uncalled-for invasion to steal natural resources. He wanted to choke Gentry’s neck. He wanted to kick the living shit out of Fox. He also wanted to save Fox because there was something about Fox, something that tied he and Fox together. There had always been. And Jaxx could change the guy and get him to help Jaxx and the Taiyonians. He knew it. There was a light not yet aflame in that guy’s heart. Jaxx could reach it. He could change the killer.

“Relay for air support to delay another minute.” Fox was heading right for the trap they set. It was funny, here Fox came to extract Jaxx. And here Jaxx came to insert Fox into his resistance.

Mako-zan spoke into his cuff, sending the message off to air support.

“Let’s go.” Jaxx ran forward and away from the