Ascendancy: A Near Future Sci-Fi Thriller

by Randal Sloan

  Julie had to hide the twinkle that tried to work its way into her eyes. “Well, about that. I happened to come across a VR message sent to you and copied to me. If you had decent VR here on the island, you would have already seen it.”

  “Yeah, I can only check it at night and I stopped to see you first.”

  “You might want to take a look. You can use my VR.”

  Loraine already started to scan her messages when suddenly she squealed in delight. “Space Academy! You got me in Space Academy?” She danced a little jig in excitement.

  “Yep, a full scholarship too. We’re always trying to expand our international reach, and you had the perfect resume for us to be able to do that. I didn’t have to do anything but show it to them and they wanted to know if they could still get you. I think they were worried you’d get snapped up by someone else.”

  Loraine had tears in her eyes by this time. “Wow! I didn’t get any of that from the schools that I applied to and I didn’t even try for any of the big schools. Without a scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to afford them.”

  “Shouldn’t have sold yourself short, sister, but I can understand. Miranda often felt the same way.” She lowered her voice, speaking in conspiratory tone, “But the best thing about it, I can tell you all about the school. Just wait until you meet my other near sister Emily. She’ll be able to tell you more.”

  Julie looked at her for a moment, trying to use her other sight. “Since I first met you, I’ve felt quite strongly that you really needed to be there this fall. I don’t know what’s going to happen to you, but I sense it’s going to be exciting, a little bit of bother, and then something wonderful will happen.”

  Loraine stared at her in wonder, using her own other sight. “Mama Kash has been teaching me to see auras. Sis, your aura has grown much stronger since I saw you last. You’re visions are also growing stronger, I see.”

  Julie smiled, taking Loraine’s hand. “Yes, one I’ve had in particular I would like to share with you. It’s of my future daughter, several years from now, when she’s about your age.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Loraine exclaimed, as the vision flowed across their connection. They spent several minutes together sharing, feeling the depth behind the vision. Before it was over, they both had tears in their eyes.

  #

  The next morning after their traditional monk breakfast, no coffee only tea of course, Julie took Zeke up the mountain and showed him her other meditation spot. Together they dropped into their meditative state and together they were swept up the mountain to the eagle nest, where Julie saw the mother and the young eagles. The babies were no longer babies but fledglings that Julie sensed would soon be leaving the nest. She sensed the mother’s pride and passed it along to Zeke and together the two shared their pleasure back to the mother.

  Suddenly, the eagle launched into the air with a shriek and a mighty beat of her wings. This time it was to Julie as if she flew along with the eagle but separate and she sensed Zeke flying beside her. Apparently the mother was teaching her that it was time for the two other fledglings to leave the nest. Suddenly she lifted up from them and flew back to her nest, leaving the two of them flying along. Together they flew high ahead and explored the island until finally they returned from their flight and back to the earth, anchored by their bodies to bring them back to themselves.

  The two stared at each other for several moments before they were able to rise and walk back down the mountain, although in truth they were both still flying in their minds.

  Late morning the two met with the Master in his beautiful and peaceful garden. He bowed, master to two high masters. “Ah, my dear ones. Thank you for teaching this old one his lesson yesterday. One must always continue to learn. And in return, I will attempt to teach you both a lesson that I can share with you. Please be seated and enjoy the garden around you for a moment. In a few minutes, I will invite you to follow along with me and show you where I keep my boxes.”

  So the two did as he told them. After feeling the power and deep peace of his garden, they sensed his movement and followed. He led them to a construct in his mind, a steel vault like in a bank and opening the vault, he showed them his boxes. He even picked one up and looked into it before placing it back on the shelf. Backing out of the vault, he locked it again. He then led them mentally back to the garden.

  “You must do the same with your boxes, but I believe you will need to build your vault together because so much of your load is shared. Then carry your boxes in and leave them there. If you ever need to see your box, you simply do as I did, go in, open the vault, and look into the box you need to see.”

  “But before you build your vault and put your boxes in, tonight you must share your burden. A shared burden is a lighter burden. Only then may you put your burden in the vault.”

  “But now, arise my dear ones. Go, partake of the noon meal, and then this afternoon we will assist Brother John in his swim.”

  #

  Julie and Zeke both bowed together, then turned to go for the lunch meal. Zeke had been worried about having to eat the monk’s simple fare, but so far he’d managed, even without the coffee at breakfast. Of course both of them could have gone on board her ship and made a cup of coffee but that would have felt like cheating. So when he came to the lunch meal he watched as they served the simple lunch. Everything they ate was good and wholesome. No wonder those monks were all so slim. Zeke knew he needed the potential fuel that the meal provided. With their nanites they never had to be concerned about weight gain, so he usually didn’t worry about what he had to eat.

  The main topic around lunch was Brother John’s attempted swim of the channel. Already preparations had been made. The monks had been working on the preparations, so for Zeke’s sake they described them. Ropes had been run across at both ends of the channel, attached to buoys anchored between the islands. That would allow boats to go out and stay in position to assist if needed, especially at the exit end. Another boat was ready to follow Brother John in his swim and any one of the boats would be ready to pull him out if necessary.

  As the time approached and everyone was preparing to go watch, the Master came to see Julie and Zeke. “I need your help. I have a very strong premonition that something bad is going to happen right at the conclusion of Brother John’s swim. As you know of me, my other sight is very strong. But for some reason, I cannot see the details of today’s events. I believe it’s because the Agent of Change is here and her light is so bright that I cannot see. But I dare not send you away because you may be needed. I would like for you to take your ship and fly it down to watch over the swim. You may be able to see what is going to happen and prevent it.”

  Julie nodded. “It will be as you request, Master. I’ll watch over my dear brother and our family.” Julie stopped and looked at her fiancé, her distress obvious. Then she turned back to the Master. “Zeke wants to go with the boat and be my communication with your team. He knows I don’t want to let him out of my sight because he finds trouble even more than I do. But he’s right, and I care too much for you and Brother John to not agree with him. But I promise you this, after today you will have modern communication, and you will use it for just such circumstances.”

  The last she said with such force that even the Master swallowed before answering. He felt the energy echo in the energy flow across the island. “It will be done as you say, Master. And today, I will do my utmost to protect your beloved as he is already dear to me.”

  So Julie prepped her ship for takeoff while the others followed the path down to the little beach where the swim would begin. Julie easily lifted off from her landing site, just kicking on the anti-grav and pulsing the fields a small amount to start her moving. “This little ship is like a dream,” she thought. “Everyone will have to relearn how to fly and the wings will gradually become smaller, mostly for control instead of for lift.”

  Once she was airborne and moving, Julie partially disengaged the anti-grav, flying more
like a regular aircraft. She circled the island, coming in from the ocean side, looking at the waves crashing into the cliffs. She suddenly had a vision of a huge wave coming toward the island and she knew what was going to happen. Turning her ship, she flew rapidly out over the water until she saw it. A huge tsunami wave was headed straight toward the monk island. Because of the very high cliffs, she could tell the water would not reach any of the inhabitants on the main island. But the break between the islands would not only be vulnerable, but would in fact channel the water through there. “We’ve got to get everyone out!” she thought. She immediately turned back toward the island.

  “Zeke!” Julie sent mentally. “We have a big problem. You’ve got to get everybody out of there.”

  “We’re almost to the end. He should be finished in a couple of minutes.” Zeke told her. “And it will take several minutes for our boat to get back across. The other boats are almost back.”

  Julie sensed that they didn’t have several minutes. “As soon as you reach the little beach, ground the boat and get everyone up on the beach. I’ll come get you.” She thought a minute. “I’m going to try to send my vision to the Master. He’ll have to get everyone else out and back to the high ground above.”

  Julie felt Zeke’s mental nod and knew they would be beaching their boat shortly. That’s how long she had to send the vision. Because she was getting them out the second she could.

  Julie concentrated on the vision, and feeling the energy of the island flowing through her, she sent a portion of herself along the energy wind. At first she despaired that anything was happening, but suddenly she found herself sitting in the Master’s garden. “What is it, dear one?” the Master asked her, sitting beside her.

  “I’ve seen what is happening,” she told him. “A huge tsunami is about to hit the island. Everyone that is in the area between the islands will be washed away. I’m going to get Brother John and those in the boat with him. You must get everyone else out.”

  “Yes, I see it now. You do what you have to do, and I will do what I must. Thank you, my dear one.”

  Julie didn’t like the way that sounded. She rounded the point and was now flying between the islands. She saw the boats pulling in on the near side and everyone frantically climbing out. A figure she knew was the Master was directing the monks and she saw he was going to be the last one out. Her mind working furiously, Julie had an idea but she would have to get Zeke first. Just then she got his mental call.

  “We just now beached our boat. But I believe we are beginning to see the water drawing back toward the incoming wave. I suspect we only have a very few minutes or so before the wave gets here.”

  “I’ll be there in less than a minute. I need you to be the first one on board, Zeke. Not just because of us, but because I need you here on the station beside me, controlling the fields.”

  “Ok, love, we see you now and we’ll be ready. Be careful of the wind. It’s very strong right before you reach the beach.”

  “Yeah, I remember that from my swim. Thirty seconds, tell everyone to hurry. We’ll only have a couple of minutes to do what we have to do after they’re on board.”

  Julie concentrated on her flying, decreasing the anti-grav when she hit the wind and then sending it back up as she neared the beach but leaving just a little weight so she was able to settle on the beach beside them. Leading the way, Zeke boarded her ship quickly and left a monk in charge of directing the others to the gallery area. Zeke immediately ran up to the secondary station in the control center and strapped in, bringing the console up.

  The last monk came aboard and as he closed the door, Julie was already lifting the ship into the air. Lifting straight up, Julie was able to avoid most of the turbulence in between the islands. The only real issue she had to face was the wind as she topped the cliff beside them, but that was still more of an updraft.

  Talking to Zeke as she flew, Julie sent their craft at high speed back toward the seaward entrance. “Zeke, I need you to figure out a way to expand the shields to hold against the early strike of the wave. The Master and a number of monks are climbing the path out of the channel and they’re not going to make it.”

  “How big an area do we need to cover? There’s no way we can cover the whole channel.”

  “There’s a little nook in the path the last couple of hundred feet. If we can position ourselves outside that nook and hold the water just enough to send it around us, that should be enough. The problem will be holding the ship in position.”

  “I’ve got it. I can anchor the shields on the leading and trailing edges to the rock walls. The only question, is the ship strong enough to handle the stress that will be hitting us?”

  Julie had reached the entrance to the channel and was bringing their ship toward the little sheltered area. “It will have to be!” she told Zeke. The monks, and most particularly the Master, had made it just inside and were climbing as fast as they could. But looking seaward Julie could see the wave rapidly approaching and it was a monster. Without help, there was no way the monks were going to make it.

  Julie swung their ship in so the bottom was facing the cliff, using the anti-grav to make sure their weight did not pull them out and using the drive fields to press them against the rocks to hold them in place. The larger surface area along the top of the ship would be facing the sea. “I’m in position, Zeke. Do it now.”

  Zeke tweaked the shields to the max he could get, sending most of the power to the top of their ship and an extra amount especially on the side facing the ocean, but still sending enough to the anchors to be sure they would hold. He was able to extend the shields just far enough to cover the outside of the ship and the opening in the rocks.

  Then the tsunami struck, the first wave striking the cliffs and surging into the channel below them. Because the surge of water hitting the cliffs had nowhere else to go, it continued to push up into the channel until it reached the area where they were. A torrent of water struck them, pushing against them as it tried to rush through the path of least resistance. Even with the shield anchored in the rocks, their ship slid in the direction of the current, grinding along against the rocks, the water cascading along the shield so that to Julie it was as if she could suddenly see the fields like Zeke. Julie could feel the ship trying to torque and she could only hope that the structural integrity held.

  Finally the last of the monks were clear and Julie reversed the drive fields, jerking their ship away from the cliffs with Zeke at the same time lessening the pull of the anchor fields, until an instant later they were clear and once again flying.

  From there, Julie brought her ship under full control but at this point she was flying only by reflex, her emotional state overwhelmed for the moment. She brought her ship back around to the landing pad, not bothering to tweak the anti-grav until the last moment, reversing the fields instead to slow the ship. As she was shutting down, Zeke was already unstrapping and he rushed over to hold her, her trembling obvious to him if not to the others.

  One of the monks opened the door, yelling out to one of the monks on the ground, and he turned back to tell them, “It’s alright. They all got out, thanks to you two.” Julie breathed a sigh of relief and finally was able to relax. Zeke assisted her in unstrapping from her station and they followed the monks outside.

  When Julie stepped out of her ship, she looked up at the scratches and major dents all along the bottom of her ship. That was the last straw; she burst into tears.

  #

  As usual after a monk is able to reach the upper monk level, the monks had a celebration. The last such event had been when Julie had reached the absolutely highest level in the monk hierarchy by defeating the Master. But this one was special. They were all very excited and thrilled that everyone had escaped such a close call, but the celebration was just a little subdued. It had been an extremely close call and they all knew it.

  Finally Julie had recovered enough to come out to see them all. The Master came over to her, bowing
a bow that totally surprised Julie, low student to high master. Julie tried to protest, but the Master told her, “No, today I learned a very important lesson. If we had had the proper communication equipment, we would have received notification in time to make it all the way up the path and you would not have had to put yourself and your ship at risk.”

  Using the monk silent finger talk communications, the Master sent word out and many of the monks came near to gather around them.

  “It is time for us to pay back our two dear ones,” the Master told the surrounding monks. “They have a burden that they have been carrying alone. Tonight they are going to share that burden and we are all going to help them carry it. Please, my dear one, it is time to share this burden.”

  “Yes, Master. A few weeks ago, Zeke and I had to do a very terrible thing,” she told them, tears once again in her eyes. She went on to tell about their fight against the Organization and the evil that they were, the dreadful choice she and Zeke had made, and the resulting destruction and death on an absolutely horrendous scale. After hearing her story, one by one the monks came up to her and Zeke, each one dropping to a knee, reaching their hands out to the two of them, and taking a portion of the burden.

  Brother John and then the Master came last of all, and it was as if the two of them together took as much again as all the others combined. That night, Julie and Zeke together mentally built the construct of their vault and placed their two boxes in it, each box much lighter than they had been the day before.

  #

  After their breakfast of fruit and tea the next morning, Julie and Zeke went to speak to the Master. Julie had had a suspicion the night before, and she had gone back to her ship to pull up the nearby satellite data from Space Tech. The timing of the tsunami had been just too coincidental to suit her. That was one advantage of being the CEO; no red tape to do something like that. But what she found matched her level of suspicion. She found evidence of an underwater explosion that had caused a massive underwater landslide, triggering the tsunami that had struck the island. So the only remaining question was who had done it. Julie believed that it was the enemies behind the Organization and that meant they were striking out on a new front. She just wasn’t sure who was the target.