Endless Advance: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Uprise Saga Book 2) Read online

  CONTENTS

  LMBPN Publishing

  Dedication

  Legal

  Locations and Cast

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Veiled Designs

  Author Notes - Amy DuBoff

  Amy Duboff Series List

  Amy Social Links

  Author Notes - Michael Anderle

  Michael Series List

  Michael Social Links

  ENDLESS ADVANCE

  Uprise Saga: Book Two

  By Amy DuBoff and Michael Anderle

  A part of

  The Kurtherian Gambit Universe

  Written and Created

  by Michael Anderle

  DEDICATION

  To all the Kurtherian fans.

  Without your unwavering support,

  this book would never have been possible!

  — Amy

  To Family, Friends and

  Those Who Love

  To Read.

  May We All Enjoy Grace

  To Live The Life We Are

  Called.

  — Michael

  ENDLESS ADVANCE

  Team Includes

  BETA / EDITOR BOOK

  Kurt Schulenburg

  Curtis Johnson

  Ron Gailey

  JIT Beta Readers - From all of us, our deepest gratitude!

  Micky Cocker

  Kelly O’Donnell

  Kimberly Boyer

  John Findlay

  Sarah Weir

  Joshua Ahles

  Daniel Weigert

  John Ashmore

  Larry Omans

  Tim Bischoff

  Peter Manis

  Mike Pendergrass

  If we missed anyone, please let us know!

  ENDLESS ADVANCE (this book) is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Copyright © 2017 Amy DuBoff, Michael Anderle & Craig Martelle

  Cover by Andrew Dobell, www.creativeedgestudios.co.uk

  Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

  LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  LMBPN Publishing

  PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

  Las Vegas, NV 89109

  First US edition, December 2017

  The Kurtherian Gambit (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2017 by Michael T. Anderle.

  LOCATIONS

  Force de Guerre headquarters – located in Dren Cluster

  Alaxar Trinary (planets: Nezar, Coraxa, Alucia)

  CAST

  Force de Guerre (FDG)

  Ava Landyn – Lieutenant, team leader

  Edwin Caites – Private, Ava’s team

  Nick Rixon – Private, Ava’s team

  Samantha Matthew – Private, Ava’s team

  Luke Carter – Geneticist/Scientist, Ava’s significant other

  Tyson Kurtz – Colonel

  Marcus Widmore – Major, Ava’s commanding officer

  Denise Ortaga – FDG head of security

  Doctor Dwyer – Lead medical doctor for FDG headquarters

  Alucian Alliance

  (member world of Etheric Federation)

  Alistair Connors – President

  Karen Carter – Press Secretary, former Nezaran spy (sister of Luke Carter)

  Nezaran Coalition

  (independent world)

  Cynthia Heizberg – Chancellor

  NTech

  (Research company based on Nezar with a branch on Coraxa)

  Andrea Mason – Director of NTech’s lab on Coraxa (deceased)

  Jared Frey – Andrea’s research assistant at the NTech lab

  CHAPTER ONE

  Eyes weren’t supposed to glow orange. Ava Landyn was positive about that fact, and she was especially sure her eyes should be nothing other than hazel.

  She backed away from the bathroom mirror. What the fuck happened?

  Ava’s mind poured over the events from the last several days—her infiltration of the NTech research facility, her struggle with the mad scientist, Andrea, and… the prick on her wrist.

  “Oh fuck,” she whispered.

  Her medical exam had come back clear. Everything had seemed fine until this moment. But Andrea must have given her the treatment she had been working on in her secret lab—a new strain of nanocytes to turn her into a Hochste.

  But Ava didn’t want to be anything other than herself, let alone some freakish Were-Vampire with fifteen-centimeter claws, rapid healing, super speed, and a penchant for blood. Well, admittedly, the healing and speed would be perks, but the bloodlust might be a problem.

  Luke! With sudden panic, she remembered her ex-boyfriend turned second chance lover waiting in her bed. Her hopes to rekindle the relationship would most certainly meet a premature end if she slashed Luke’s face off.

  She slammed the door to the bathroom and locked it.

  “Everything okay in there?” Luke called from the next room, having roused to the sound of the slamming door.

  “Uh… We might have a problem,” Ava replied.

  “What is it?”

  “Um….” She thought about what to say. Well, can’t exactly hide fucking orange glowy eyes. She swallowed. “So, remember when you thought you saw Andrea slip me a shot while we were fighting in the lab?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, looks like I was dosed after all.”

  Running footfalls sounded in the other room. “Ava, what’s happening?” His voice was just on the other side of the door.

  Ava looked in the mirror. “My eyes are orange.”

  “Ava! What…?”

  “Nothing else seems off, though,” she added. “But I saw what those things did in the lab. If I transform completely, I don’t know if I’d be myself. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Well, a tiny bathroom isn’t the best place for you to be right now. We need to get you somewhere where we can run tests and figure out what’s going on.”

  “Luke, you are being entirely too calm and rational right now considering I just told you I might be a fucking Were-Vampire!”

  “Losing my shit won’t help you.”

  God, she wished she could kiss him through the door. I am never letting this guy go again. She took a deep breath. “Thank you.�
��

  “Now, if I recall, Melissa remained human so long as she was calm,” Luke continued. “I know you’re freaking out right now, but take slow, steady breaths and clear your mind.”

  Ava did as she was instructed. Her heartrate slowed, and she felt she was in control.

  After a minute, she looked in the mirror and saw the orange was fading from her eyes.

  “That worked! Fuck, why is this happening?” She unlocked the door and slid it open.

  Luke was waiting for her on the other side. His brow was furrowed, and his violet eyes searched hers. “Look normal to me now.”

  “I don’t want to be a Hochste.” She wrapped her arms around him, and he held her close.

  “It’s all technology. We can find a way to fix this, or at least to keep you from turning against your will.”

  “Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep.” She pulled away. “Let’s get me into a holding cell while I’m myself. No telling what might happen next.”

  “Right.” Luke took her hand and squeezed it. “I’m here for you no matter what, okay?”

  Ava placed a hand on the side of his face. “Thanks. Nice job talking me down.”

  “I have a gift.” He gave her a quick kiss.

  She ran her fingers through his hair, savoring the contact. There was no telling when they might be alone and close together again.

  “We should get dressed,” she murmured as their lips parted.

  They put on their shipsuits in silence. Thoughts of her future flashed through Ava’s head. As much as she wanted to think that Luke’s advanced training in genetics would help save her from this apparent affliction, she had little hope there would be a treatment for her. To the best of her knowledge, once someone had nanocytes in their body, the technology was there for good. Whatever she was becoming, that would be the new her.

  When they were dressed, Luke extended his hand. “I’m with you. It’s going to be fine.”

  She entwined her fingers in his. “I hope so.”

  They walked through the FDG headquarters station, going from the lower left arm of the star-shaped structure to the medical facilities in the center of the station.

  Upon reaching the reception area, Ava released Luke’s hand and stepped forward. “I am submitting myself for placement in quarantine.”

  The intake nurse’s eyes widened. “What for? Have you been exposed to a contagion?”

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “Then why do you suggest quarantine?” the nurse asked.

  “Because a few minutes ago I had orange, glowing eyes, and I might turn into a Were-Vampire any second.”

  The nurse took a step back. “I’ll get the doctor.” She ran across the room.

  “It’s just my fucking luck.” Ava sighed.

  “On the positive side, now we know what Andrea gave you, at least,” Luke pointed out. “I was worried it might be some sort of sleeper attack thing where we’d forget there was ever a problem, and then ten years from now someone would say just the right words to activate you, and you’d go on a murder spree.”

  “Still might go on a murder spree with this whole deal.” Ava circled her face with her index finger.

  “You won’t lose touch with yourself.” Luke looked her in the eyes. “We’ll get through this, Ava.”

  She was about to respond when the nurse ran back across the infirmary with the doctor who’d given Ava a medical all-clear not an hour prior.

  “What seems to be the problem now?” the doctor asked.

  “Well, Doctor Dwyer, I looked in the mirror and my eyes were glowing orange.”

  The doctor frowned. “They’re not now.”

  “Yes, I’m aware of that,” Ava replied. “And the Weres in the FDG aren’t always wolves or in their Pricolici forms, either.”

  “You think you’re a Were now?” Doctor Dwyer asked skeptically.

  “No, I think I was injected with Hochste nanocytes.”

  The doctor stared at her blankly.

  “Did you not read the mission report?” Ava took a calming breath. “You know what, just lock me up and call Colonel Kurtz.”

  “Wh—” the doctor began.

  Ava set off across the infirmary toward the isolation chambers she’d seen on her previous visits. “I’ll just see myself in.”

  Luke and the doctor followed her.

  “I can’t say I’ve ever had a patient so insistent to be quarantined,” the doctor said.

  “It’s best not to argue with her when she’s made up her mind,” Luke advised.

  “And you are?” Doctor Dwyer asked.

  Luke hesitated and looked to Ava. They hadn’t placed a title on their relationship status yet.

  “Luke Carter, the FDG’s newest genetics researcher,” Ava replied for him. “And he’s with me.”

  “As in, to be locked up, as well?” the doctor prompted.

  Ava sighed. “No, as in a partner—someone with vested interest in my wellbeing. If I’m not myself, I give permission for him to speak on my behalf.”

  Luke met her gaze, his mouth parted with surprise.

  She gave him a smile of affirmation as she reached the quarantine chamber’s entrance. The plexiglass box was on par with the facilities Ava had seen in the NTech search labs, and she was confident it would be able to hold her even if she lost control in Hochste form.

  Doctor Dwyer made an entry on the keypad next to the chamber, and a transparent door slide open with a hiss.

  Ava stepped into the entry tunnel, which ran the depth of the room parallel to the main space. “We’ll talk this through with Colonel Kurtz.”

  She pressed the button inside to cycle the chamber. The exterior door closed and an interior panel in the side of the tunnel slid open. Though the setup was equipped with bolts, no security lock protocols were presently engaged.

  Ava stepped into the room and walked up to the front window next to the entry tunnel. She placed her hand on the plexiglass.

  Luke touched his fingertips to hers on the other side of the barrier. “I’ll meet with my team here. We’ll figure this out.” His voice sounded hollow through the filter of the comm system.

  “You need to talk to Jared,” Ava told him.

  Luke scowled. “I want nothing to do with that piece of shit.”

  “He helped Andrea do whatever was done to me. If it can be undone, he may know how.”

  He nodded. “All right, I’ll make the arrangements to interview him.”

  “No, not interview,” Ava shook her head. “Interrogate. And if he doesn’t want to talk, I’ll pull the answers straight out his head myself.”

  “Oh fuck!” Luke jumped back from the glass.

  “What?”

  “Your eyes…”

  Ava turned away and retreated into the room, willing herself to calm. You’re still you. You’re in control.

  She placed a hand on her stomach and took slow, steady breaths with her eyes closed. Nothing in the outside universe mattered. She was alive, and she was happy.

  The tension released from her body.

  When she turned back around to face Luke, he smiled and nodded.

  “Back to normal,” he confirmed. “I believed you, of course, but seeing it for myself…”

  She smirked. “You mean, you don’t like the glow of hellfire in my eyes?”

  “It’s, uh, a bit disconcerting.”

  “You’re tellin’ me.” Ava sighed. “Is that doctor ever coming back with Kurtz?”

  “I can go check,” Luke offered.

  “I’d like it if you stayed. You can talk me down again if I start to turn. I don’t think any of us want to find out what would happen if I do.”

  Luke’s face paled, but he stepped up to the window. “You’re not like those other people they experimented on. You’ve been trained, and conditioned—”

  “They were Weres, Luke. They at least had an understanding of what it was like to transform into another type of being. I might have my conn
ection to the Etheric with my telepathic abilities, but that’s not the same thing. No amount of FDG training could have prepared me for this.”

  “Regardless, I’d wager that you’re at least twice as stubborn as any Were. You won’t lose yourself as easily as you seem to think.”

  “Yeah, I’ll show them how it’s done.” Ava forced a smile, but she had her doubts. I should have known some fucking shit like this would happen. Everything was going too perfectly. She released a long breath and suppressed the negative thoughts. No, I’ll beat this.

  As she returned to a more rational state, Ava spotted Colonel Kurtz and Doctor Dwyer approaching from the direction of the infirmary.

  Luke stepped back from the glass, giving a nod of deference to the colonel.

  “Ava, what seems to be the trouble?” Kurtz asked.

  “I believe Andrea gave me a dose of the Hochste nanocytes,” she replied. “I don’t know why it didn’t show up in my medical exam.”

  The colonel seemed surprisingly calm. “You said your eyes have changed? They seem normal now.”

  “I saw it, sir,” Luke interjected. “They seem to change when she’s distressed.”

  Except I wasn’t upset when they changed the first time, Ava realized. “Aroused might be a better characterization. And no, I don’t mean ‘turned on’. I was happy the first time it happened. It could be tied to any strong emotion.”

  “That’s possible,” Doctor Dwyer mused. “Weres must achieve a certain degree of arousal to force a shift.”

  Ava frowned. “Suppressing my emotions isn’t exactly my strong suit.”

  “We’ll research the nanocytes and determine if there’s a way to reverse the effects. Even if there isn’t, you can certainly gain control of the new abilities,” Kurtz jumped in. “As a Were myself, I can attest that modifications do have their benefits.”