The Safe Zone - Ascension (Book 5)

Chapter 7: Rallying the Resistance

The wind whipped across the barren landscape, carrying the taste of dust and decay. I stood at the edge of our makeshift camp, looking out across the vast wasteland that had once been a thriving city. It was a stark reminder of what the world had become—ruins and rubble, the remains of a civilization that the Directive had ripped apart.

But now, we faced something worse. The Ascendants, an enemy that felt even more insidious than the Directive itself. They weren't coming to enslave us with brute force. They wanted something more profound—control over not just our actions, thoughts, and souls.

I gripped the edge of the rough stone wall in front of me, my knuckles white. Ethan's signal was faint, still flickering on the edges of Marian's equipment. We hadn't found the source yet, but every time it appeared, it was like a tiny pulse of hope—a reminder of why we were fighting. But with the Ascendants growing in power, every moment felt like a race against time.

I closed my eyes, trying to gather my thoughts. We couldn't do this alone. The resistance had fractured since the fall of the Directive, factions scattering across the wasteland, each trying to rebuild in their way. Some didn't even believe in the Ascendants, choosing instead to think the danger was over. Others like Elias were looking for shortcuts, willing to embrace the technology we had fought to destroy.

I had to bring them together. We needed to be united if we had any chance of stopping this new threat. But part of me feared that the resistance had lost its will to fight after all these years of hardship.

Footsteps crunched behind me, and I didn't need to turn to know it was Carter. He had a way of moving that was both quiet and purposeful, like he didn't want to disturb the world around him but was always ready for the next battle.

"You're going to wear yourself out, staring into the wasteland like that," he said softly, stopping beside me.

I opened my eyes but didn't respond. I wasn't in the mood for his dry attempts at humor. He must have sensed it because his expression shifted, growing more serious.

"We're not going to be able to do this alone, you know," Carter said, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Even with the crew we have, it's not enough. If the Ascendants are as big as we think they are, we'll need everyone we can get."

"I know," I muttered, pushing off the wall and turning to face him fully. "But how do we convince them? Most of the factions don't even believe there's a threat. They think the fight ended when we took down the Directive."

Carter's gaze met mine, steady and unwavering. "You're Lena. You convinced them before. You'll do it again."

I wanted to believe him. But things were different now. The resistance was fractured, and Elias' faction was already causing trouble, pulling away from our leadership. They believed the Ascendants offered a better future, that somehow, this new iteration of the Directive's technology could be harnessed for good.

But I knew better. I'd seen what happened when people believed in the lie of control. It started with promises of peace and security, but it always ended with enslavement. The Directive had taught us that hard lesson.

"We need to go," I said, my voice stronger now. "We need to talk to the factions ourselves. They need to see that this isn't just another power grab. The Ascendants aren't offering salvation but a new kind of prison."

Carter nodded. "Agreed. Where do we start?"

I thought for a moment, weighing the options. There were factions scattered across the wasteland, but some held more influence than others. If we sway the larger groups, the smaller ones might follow. But Elias... he was already working to undermine us.

"We start with the Ironclad," I said, making up my mind. "They're the largest faction left after the fall of the Directive. If we can get them on our side, others might follow. And if they see what the Ascendants are about, they'll fight with us."

Carter nodded again, but there was a tension in his expression. "You know Elias is going to try to turn them against us. He's already spreading his message—about how the Ascendants can help rebuild faster, how we should work with them instead of fighting."

"I know," I said, my voice hard. "But I'm not letting him poison the resistance with his lies."

Without another word, I turned and returned to the camp, Carter following close behind. We passed rows of tents and makeshift shelters, the remnants of our once-united force. People watched us as we walked, their expressions tired but curious. They knew something was happening. They could sense the shift in the air, the coming storm.

As we approached Marian's tent, she stepped out, her eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep but still sharp. She clutched a tablet to her chest, her fingers tapping rhythmically against it as she approached us.

"I have something," she said, her voice urgent. "The signal. I think I've found a pattern."

My heart skipped a beat. "What kind of pattern?"

Marian glanced down at her tablet, swiping through data. "It's not perfect, but the signal isn't random. It's been bouncing around the network, like I told you, but it stabilizes at certain points. I've cross-referenced those locations with known Directive facilities, and... well, it looks like one of the key stabilization points is near the Ironclad's main base."

Carter and I exchanged a look. It was too much to be a coincidence. If Ethan's signal was stabilizing near the Ironclad, that meant something—maybe someone—was trying to use it. Maybe the Ascendants had already infiltrated their ranks or used the facility to harness the old Directive technology.

"Then we need to go now," I said, the urgency rising in my chest. "If the Ascendants are already influencing the Ironclad, we must stop it before it's too late."

Carter nodded, but Marian hesitated. "Lena, we still don't know exactly what's happening with Ethan's signal. It's dangerous. If the Ascendants are involved, they could use his consciousness against us."

"I know," I replied, my voice steady. "But we can't leave him there. We can't let them twist him into something he's not."

Marian sighed, glancing at Carter for support. "Alright," she said, her tone resigned but determined. "But we need to be careful. This isn't just about rallying the resistance anymore. If the Ascendants control that signal, they might be preparing for something much bigger."

I didn't need the reminder. I could feel the tension, pressure, and ticking clock in my bones. The Ascendants were playing a long game we hadn't fully grasped yet. But whatever it was, we couldn't afford to wait.

When we gathered the small team accompanying us, the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows over the wasteland. We set out in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts. The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: the fight wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

As we made our way toward the Ironclad's base, the weight of leadership pressed heavier on my shoulders. I had rallied the resistance before, but this time was different. The factions were divided, the enemy was hidden in shadows, and the hope of finding Ethan felt closer and more impossible than ever.

But I couldn't let fear guide me. I had to trust the people beside me—Carter, Marian, and the men and women who still believed in this fight. I had to trust that Ethan was still fighting with me despite losing a fractured signal in the network.

Most of all, I had to believe we could pull this shattered world back together, one piece at a time, even if it meant facing the darkness again or the Ascendants head-on.

We had no choice but to fight. And I wasn't about to let the Ascendants take everything we had worked for. Not without a battle.