The Safe Zone - Ascension (Book 5)

Chapter 9: The Ascendants' Plan

The dim light of the control room flickered ominously as I pulled off the neural interface helmet, my mind still reeling from the virtual descent into the network. My heart pounded in my chest, the remnants of Ethan's presence still lingering in the back of my mind. He was alive—at least, a part of him was. That part, fused with the network, had helped me navigate the digital maze, guiding me through memories and data streams and revealing slivers of the truth about the Ascendants.

I leaned back in the chair, wiping sweat from my forehead, my thoughts racing. Ethan had shown me enough. The Ascendants were moving faster than we had anticipated, and Phase Four—the culmination of everything the Overseer had set in motion—was on the brink of activation. I could still hear Ethan's voice in my head, warning me of the danger. I didn't have much time.

Marian sat across from me, her eyes wide with anticipation as she watched me pull myself together. Her hands hovered over the controls, her fingers twitching, eager for information. She was as anxious as I was, though she hid it beneath her cool, analytical exterior.

"What did you see?" she asked, her voice tense, though she tried to keep it steady. "Did you connect with him?"

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "He's still in there, Marian. He's... different now, part of the network. But he's fighting to help us. He led me to something. The Ascendants—they've nearly completed Phase Four."

Marian's face went pale, her eyes widening further. "Phase Four? How? I thought we destroyed the Directive's infrastructure. There shouldn't be enough left to power something like that."

"They've been rebuilding it," I said, leaning forward, my voice urgent. "They've been activating old Directive technology across multiple regions, gathering pieces from wherever they could find them. But it's more than just a mind control program now. Phase Four is designed to merge human minds with the network itself. They want to create a collective consciousness, a world where free will doesn't exist, and people's thoughts are controlled."

Marian stared at me, her hands clenching into fists. "That's... it's worse than anything the Overseer tried to accomplish. If they succeed, we're talking about the end of humanity as we know it."

"That's exactly what Ethan said. The Ascendants have perfected the Directive's original plan. It's not about control through fear or oppression anymore. They're going to make people believe this is what they want. It's going to feel like peace—like order. But it'll be a prison."

I pushed myself up from the chair, pacing the small control room. The magnitude of what we were facing was starting to sink in. The Ascendants weren't just a splinter group trying to rebuild the Directive's empire. They were a far more dangerous force with a vision beyond anything we had ever faced. And they were almost ready to put it into action.

"Who's leading them?" Marian asked, her voice sharp now, focused. "Do we know who's behind this?"

I shook my head. "Ethan didn't say, but I got the feeling he knows. Whoever it is, they've been working in the shadows for a long time. They've managed to stay under the radar while piecing together the remnants of the Directive. But now, they're ready to come out into the open. The Harbinger—that's what Ethan called him. I don't know if it's the same person or a figurehead, but he's pulling the strings."

Marian swore under her breath, her eyes narrowing as she processed the information. "We need to find him. If we can remove the Harbinger before Phase Four is activated, we might be able to stop this."

I nodded, my mind already racing with plans. But before I could say anything more, the door to the control room slid open, and Carter stepped inside. His face was grim, his body tense as if he had been bracing himself for the worst.