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

Atlantean women and children were in large glass tubes that lined the wall. They floated in a thick, clear liquid with hoses hooked into their mouths. The problem: they were disemboweled and their limbs were sliced off and left floating next to their bodies.

“They’re not even dead,” observed Rivkah, doing her best to keep the contents of her stomach in.

Bogle shook her head. “Humans and other sentient-beings are the Kelhoon’s food. We’re their food. We are nothing more than two-legged cattle to them. In essence, these Kelhoon warriors are farmers, gathering their crop to take back home and to their other worlds.”

“How do you know this?”

Bogle puffed out her lower lip. “I don’t know. I just do. There’s a lot I know that I didn’t know before. Things are changing within me and—”

The door cracked and Rivkah spun. It held but bulged, molten-hot.

Rivkah pointed her Kelhoon blaster—a weapon she’d picked up on the battlefield. She aimed it at the door. “One of them is going to be in for a nice surprise.”

Bogle placed her hand on the top of the blaster and pushed it down, lowering it to Rivkah’s side.

“What’re you doing?”

“Let them in, unharmed.” Bogle bent down on one knee, her head lowered, her hands touching the ground. “Do what I do.”

The door cracked more. A pale light slipped through, sending beams across the floor.

Rivkah lifted her gun. “I’m not liking your plan, so hell no.”

“They won’t harm us if we bow to them. It’s a way of surrender. They’ll look at us as obedient slaves, rather than food. Please do this, Rivkah.”

Rivkah bared her teeth, pointing her pistol at the door. “Not a chance.”

“This is how we can get into Fox’s room and align with him. That’ll give us a better chance at escaping. Don’t let a surrender blind you from the bigger win. We’ll get Fox and start heading toward our goal.”

“Our goal? What are you talking about?”

The door burst open and spun off its hinges. Red flames blazed from the door as the door slid across the floor. A handful of Kelhoons stood at the entrance, rifles at the ready, red laser sights dotting Rivkah’s chest.

“Bend down, Rivkah,” said Bogle.

“Never.”

“Do it for Jaxx.”

“What? How will this help him?”

“Joonka, movat!” growled a Kelhoon.

“That means get on your knees or you’ll die.”

The Kelhoon stepped in, their heavy boots clanking against the floor. “Joonka, movat!”

Rivkah slowly shook her head. She could take out a couple with her Chi and a few more with her stolen weapon. “Nope, lizard-brain. No. Can. Do.” Her hands heated up. “Just come a few steps closer so mama can end your miserable lives.”

The gun leapt from her hand and bounced against the floor. It slid and stopped at a Kelhoon’s feet. The soldier bent at the waist and picked up the gun, looked it over, and placed it in one of his empty holsters.

Rivkah crouched, getting into a defensive fighting position. “However that lizard breath took my gun, he ain’t gonna do it again.”

“They don’t know how to use Chi like we do, Rivkah. He didn’t disarm you. I did.”

Rivkah clinched her teeth. “You’re turning against us again?”

“I’m not.”

“Jooovka mooolkaka,” said a Kelhoon.

“He wants us to know we’re going to be good slaves,” said Bogle.

“You will. Not me. I’ll be dead by morning.”

Bogle trained her eyes to the floor. “When will you trust me?”

A Kelhoon marched toward Rivkah.

Rivkah brought up her energy just as a whip took her legs out from under her, sending her onto her back. A Kelhoon pulled her to her feet, held a device over her hands, and energy cuffs materialized around her wrists.

The Kelhoon grabbed Rivkah’s hands and dragged her toward the exit. “I’ll hopefully Chi your head off soon, Bogle.”

“Fine, but after we meet our ultimate goal, to close the pyramid network and stop the negative ET races from using the portals, then open the network properly and let good flow in all directions. If by then you still don’t trust me, I deserve to die.”

They pulled Bogle off the floor, materializing energy cuffs around her as well.

“Gookja!” came a powerful voice.

Rivkah’s eyes turned cold and hard. Fox and Okbak stood at the doorway.

“Fox, you greedy –”

Fox stared into Rivkah’s eyes. “I’m here to save you and Bogle.”

The energy restraints zipped off Rivkah and dematerialized.

Rivkah pulled her arms loose from the Kelhoon soldier’s leathery hands and stood, rubbing her wrists. “And I’m just supposed to follow you while you’re with that...thing?” She gave Okbak a horrified stare.

“It’s about Jaxx. I have something important to show both of you.”

“Gookja!” hissed Okbak.

A guard marched forward and unclipped a black, metal hilt. He held it up and away from himself. His arm twitched when an energy whip projected from the hilt, humming and shining a bright cyan electricity.

The guard reared back, then whipped it against the wall, slashing a diagonal line, singeing it black. Smoke rose from the imprint and electricity danced all around it, then faded into the wall. The soldier dropped the whip by his side, saliva dripping from of his mouth. He eyed Bogle.

“Goddammit, Bogle. You win. I’ll do as you ask…” Bogle was the other link, the third person they needed around Jaxx to shut the network. Rivkah wanted the bitch to die, but right now she had to keep Bogle safe. She took a heavy step toward Okbak. “I'll take whatever deal you have. As long as you keep miss beauty queen over there safe and by my side. Do you understand?”

Okbak laughed and wiped his mouth. His eyelids opening and closing in his socket like a lizard, his pupils enlarging then narrowing, he dipped his head and extended his hand. “Oojkana.”

“Okbak agrees,” translated Fox.

37

Gallatin, Tennessee - Earth

“This is going to be a stand-off. This is nuts.”

Humvees pulled up and parked parallel to the helicopter, making sure their driver’s side doors faced the chopper. They were no more than ten meters away. The gunners placed the .50 calibers