The Phoenix Ascent: The Fifth Column Page 3
‘That was a gamble,’ Zhu said. ‘But it paid off.’
The general was holding a lance, plucked from one of his soldiers. He aimed the lance at Zhu’s head and thrust down
The lance held still in the air, inches above Zhu’s face. Zhu moved his head to inspect it. The general’s hand trembled. He adjusted his stance and pushed his body forward, trying to drive the lance into Zhu.
Zhu pulled himself to his feet. He dropped the empty elixir bottle. It shattered next to the general’s boots. He peered into the bloodshot eyes behind the mask.
‘That third one had a bit of kick to it,’ Zhu said. ‘More than the other two.’
The general struggled with his lance. He tried to speak, to reach out and control Zhu’s mind, to fight fire with fire. But his body trembled beneath his armor. Zhu stepped to one side and let the general fall, an axe driven deep into his shoulder, penetrating the armor.
The soldier who wielded the axe was standing behind the general, staring down at his dying commander in disbelief. He snapped out of it and reached to his belt for a dagger. But before he could sink it into Zhu, a second soldier, controlled by Zhu, fired an arrow. It punched through the back of the first soldier’s neck. He slumped over the general’s body.
Zhu looked over at the other three soldiers. They were his now.
Two of them readied their scimitars. He could smell their anger as he watched them kill each other, under his control, before he safely moved to Syà.
She lay in a large pool of her own blood. Her green eyes were faded, stared past him. He removed the bandage from her arm and tried to wrap it around her neck, even though he knew there was nothing he could do. She had saved him. And now she was gone.
He stood.
The bathhouse filled with light as another meteorite burned through the sky. Through the windows he could see the Mongol soldiers pushing back through the gate, their feigned retreat catching the Imperial soldiers by surprise. They cut through with ease. Zhu watched the light from the meteor move across the blood-splashed walls. And then the meteorite was gone.
Zhu moved for the door, the skystone and the other elixirs in his satchel.
He was the Controller now. And he would change everything.
About Nathan M Farrugia
Nathan M. Farrugia served in the Australian Army in infantry and reconnaissance, and studied film, television and professional writing. He worked as a post-production video editor, colorist and copywriter, where he earned the nickname Fagoogoo because no one could pronounce Farrugia.
Nathan lives in Melbourne, Australia. In his spare time, he discovers hidden places around the world with urban explorers, practices lock picking and escaping from plasticuffs and straitjackets (you never know when that will come in handy, right?) and studies Systema, a little-known martial art and closely guarded secret of Russian special forces. Nathan has trained under USMC, SEAL team and Spetsnaz instructors, the Chiricahua Apache scouts and Aboriginal Australians. He also drinks tea.
Also by Nathan M Farrugia
The Chimera Vector: The Fith Column 1
“Farrugia! Bringin’ the awesome from the first headshot to the last ‘splosion.” – John Birmingham, author of the Axis of Time and Disappearance trilogies.
The Fifth Column: the world’s most powerful and secretive organization. They run our militaries. They run our governments. They run our terrorist cells.
Recruited as a child, Sophia is a deniable operative for the Fifth Column. Like all operatives, Sophia’s DNA has been altered to augment her senses and her mind is splintered into programmed subsets.
On a routine mission in Iran something goes catastrophically wrong. Bugs are beginning to appear in Sophia’s programming and the mission spins out of control.
High-speed chases, gun fights, helicopter battles, immortal psychopaths, super soldiers and mutant abilities are all in the mix in this edge-of-your-seat action-packed techno-thriller.
Perfect for fans of Matthew Reilly, The Chimera Vector melds sci-fi with sizzling espionage action.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/chimera-vector/.
The Seraphim Sequence: The Fifth Column 2
The world is reeling in the aftermath of genocide.
Former black operative Sophia is among the remnants of the Akhana, a once-strong organized resistance against the all-powerful world government known as the Fifth Column. Branded as the world’s most wanted terrorist, Sophia barely escaped her last encounter with the organization with her life.
Now a new threat is emerging from inside the Fifth Column. Project Seraphim: a technology utilizing extremely low frequencies that can make anyone feel and do anything at any time. Mass populations will fall under the influence of an almost unlimited power.
To stop them Sophia must join forces with former friends turned enemies and former enemies turned unlikely allies—first among them Denton, a master manipulator whom she would prefer to run her knife through than work with.
Sophia has four days. Four days before what little freedom the human race has left is gone forever.
The brutal game of betrayal and counter-betrayal that began with the international bestseller, The Chimera Vector, continues in this highly anticipated sequel.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/seraphim-sequence/.
The Phoenix Variant: The Fifth Column 3
Sophia: former black operative, current enemy of the state.
Moments before a catastrophic hurricane hits New York City, a terrorist attack vaporizes a museum and a large chunk of the Upper West Side. Almost caught in the explosion, Sophia gives chase to a suspicious figure running from the blast zone.
Amid the chaos, Sophia recovers a rare meteorite from a black operative and is quickly ensnared in a hunt between clashing factions of a labyrinthine covert government known as the Fifth Column.
The meteorite contains traces of the ancient Phoenix virus. The effects of the virus are unknown to Sophia, but she soon discovers it is more powerful than she dared imagine – and that the Fifth Column will stop at nothing to get it.
Unarmed and outnumbered, Sophia and her allies hurtle towards a confrontation that will determine not only their fate but that of all humanity.
For more information, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/books/the-phoenix-variant-the-fifth-column-3/.
First published by Momentum in 2014
This edition published in 2014 by Momentum
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney 2000
Copyright © Nathan M Farrugia 2014
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
A CIP record for this book is available at the National Library of Australia
The Phoenix Ascent
EPUB format: 9781760082260
Mobi format: 9781760082277
Cover design by Pat Naoum
Edited by Glenda Downing
Macmillan Digital Australia: www.macmillandigital.com.au
To report a typographical error, please visit momentumbooks.com.au/contact/
Visit www.momentumbooks.com.au to read more about all our books and to buy books online. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events.
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