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

Slade pursed his lips. “So, what is so unique about Jaxx?”

“Remember the documents that one of our operatives acquired from SSP, before their cover was blown?”

Slade nodded. “Get to the point, Donny.”

“Well, one of the documents was written by a doctor. They were acutely aware that Jaxx had an active, uncalcified pineal gland. In fact, it had grown from pea size, which is the normal size, to the size of an almond.”

Slade shrugged. “So?”

Donny glared at Slade, who apparently didn’t get the gist of this discovery. “This explains his telekinesis and his psychic awareness. I don’t think he has figured out how to use it as well as Rivkah, but a woman is different, more powerful in emotional strength than a man—”

Slade clapped his hands together, snapping Donny to attention. “Donny, I just want to know about Jaxx right now. Get me there or I’m leaving. I have a shit-ton of things to do before the launch.”

Donny swallowed. “Okay, do you see the rest of his brain? It’s off the charts. Billions of synapses are firing. Can you imagine what it would be like if he was actually awake?”

Slade couldn’t have cared less. “No.”

“This explains his ability to translate glyphs so quickly and precisely. And you know when we put him under in a hypnotherapy session?” Donny’s eyes brightened. “It is probably what allowed him to intuit enemy starfighter presence and movement before the enemy even moved. It explains how he could hit targets so well and fling space debris at will.”

“Huh. Well, good job.” Slade didn’t know if Donny wanted a slap on the back or a gold medal. He gave him a slap on the back.

“No, no. You don’t get it. Do you know how many people have a pineal gland that is activated and has grown like Jaxx’s?”

Slade grabbed Donny by the shirt and pulled him in. “I don’t have time for twenty questions. Just give me the facts.”

Donny put his hands up. “Okay. I’m sorry. Now, I have only witnessed one other person with this brain activity. Rivkah Ravenwood. And, that’s it. We are experiencing something powerful, here, Slade. This is a jump in the human genome. It’s a DNA activation that science hasn’t seen before, at least not to my knowledge. I’m going to be doing more research, but I think what I’m seeing here is the beginning of some type of superhuman.” He back peddled. “Don’t get me wrong, Rivkah and Jaxx are far from superhuman, but they’re on their way. If any more DNA sequences open up in their bodies, then look out. The sky is the limit.”

“How did they get like this?”

“We don’t know. But, I’m calling it twist DNA, because that’s exactly how we see the signals traveling from the DNA into the pineal gland on both Rivkah and Jaxx.”

Slade found a chair and sat. He figured he’d be in here for a while, listening to science talk. He watched Jaxx shift back and forth.

Donny continued, “Science has discovered genome DNA that does not encode proteins. They call it junk DNA. What I’m finding here is that it’s not junk at all. Not all non-protein-coding DNA is useless.” Donny’s eyes beamed as if he unraveled the greatest mystery in the Universe. “So, I’m calling it as I see it. Twist DNA.” He smiled. “You see, twist DNA interacts with the surrounding genomic environment by providing important signals to genes. Once every twist DNA is expressed, or unlocked, then we will encounter a completely different type of human. This type of human would have activated areas in the brain that were once dormant, and the areas that were not dormant would become more excited, more in-tune to the body and everything around it. Diseases wouldn’t harm the body. Aging would be something of the past. And telepathic communication would be the norm. In regards to Rivkah Ravenwood and Kaden Jaxx, a portion of their twist DNA has been unlocked, turning on their pineal gland. As you have undoubtedly seen, a human with open pineal gland can defy the laws of gravity.”

“Why is Jaxx such a dweeb, when he’s not under hypnosis, if he’s this super-human?”

Donny shrugged. “My guess is he did something the Secret Space Program wasn’t equipped to deal with and they shut him down and wiped his memory. Without those memories, his twist DNA is just sitting there, waiting for him to fire back up.”

“Sounds a bit far-fetched to me.”

“Yup, but so does moving things with your mind and we’ve both seen that in real time.”

A loud wa-bam jerked them both out of their seats. They threw up their arms to protect themselves. Jaxx lifted another chair on the far side of the room and shot it toward the glass.

Wa-bam.

The crack in the glass grew and the chair landed upright, then slid back to the position it had been a second earlier.

“His eyes,” said Slade.

Jaxx’s eyelids were open, his eyes rolled back to reveal only the whites. He smiled, then closed his eyes and hung his head, shifting on his feet again.

33

June 6thPortland, Oregon

Nearing 10:30 PM and Drew took a walk down the streets, waiting to turn his phone on. He didn’t want his motel location compromised and perhaps aimlessly walking the sidewalks might confuse anyone tracking him—if he was still able to be tracked.

Earlier in the day, he had spent hours at the library. He created a new email address and sent all the pictures he took of the underground stash of planes, trains, and dune buggies to as many contacts as he had, using the subject: This is Drew Avera, Vital Information Enclosed.

With his name plastered all over the news, crediting him with securing the Callisto satellite images, this subject line would get many eyes, especially by those contacts that might look over an email they were unfamiliar with. At the library, he also had time to think. There were structures on Callisto. There were space-ready craft in