Water Witch The Deepening Book 2: The Deepening Series

By kelly brewer

Called "The Deepening," humanity's space exploration is still in its infancy.

Advancing ever deeper, men stumbled into the domain of The Ziz, angering the ancient alien race which has secretly influenced mankind for millennia.

Zen, the alien King, fears humans will commit genocide because Kyle Supplantis, Rockstar and ex-Marine IS the Water Witch: a powerful human foretold to destroy them in an event called 'The Utmost Discordance'.

And Zen will stop at nothing to neutralize whoever he sees as a hostile threat.

How will this inevitable clash of species end?

Can Kyle marshall his friends and new-found 'Witch' power in time?

Can he prevent an alien massacre?

In other words, CAN a ROCKSTAR SAVE the WORLD??

• Language: English
• Publisher: kelly brewer
• Release date: Oct 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201501792

Book preview

Prologue

2492 A.D. 

The Present

Home

Life had been playing out perfectly until an hour before. Mercy manually steered the sleek craft over Texas with shaky hands, her homecoming suddenly bittersweet. She’d always dreamed of creating a memorable life here on Earth, fulfilled at a ripe old age, surrounded by their future family, then dying peaceably. She’d never expected the scenario facing them now, of dying young, their future destroyed only moments earlier by something unimaginable!

Loose soil billowed below their descent, dust devils fleeing a blustery intrusion onto the arid West Texas plain as she maneuvered the ship perfectly onto a pink granite landing pad, a natural formation upthrust from bedrock below. They landed just south of a vast ranch complex where both she and the ship’s spent engines exhaled relief. 

Taking in the first aerial glimpse of her new home, Kyle’s ranch, and finally landing safely on Mother, her relief was great, but her joy was muted by their very narrow escape from a massacre on Neptune’s Rail.

Upon touchdown, gravity made her slump and think, Our future bodes grim after the horror we only barely escaped… a horror that will surely follow us. Try not to think about such a future, girl.

She cringed, numbly powering down, both exhaling again. 

Turning to her lone passenger, she confessed, "I’m relieved that we’re here, but my relief is tempered by the surreal reality that we even had to flee, and under such astonishing circumstances!"

Her passenger nodded acquiescence. The past harrowing hour had capped off a month-long odyssey that had also left him spent, pensive, and speechless. 

Absorbing heat from the high noon sun, the warming ship’s engines expanded and cracked like her mind threatened to, so she sat quietly in the pilot’s chair, feeling Earth’s gravity settling upon her.

A few tears fell down her cheek when she felt Kyle’s warm hand press against the side of her face, and she let the rest go. It’s okay. We made it, he whispered.

Unbuckling her and kneeling down in the soft crush of sudden silence, he slowly spun her pilot’s chair around to face him and smiled, then leaned in and kissed her for a long time. Kissing her, he could communicate his feelings of being at last alone together, being home. Safe for the moment.

Relaxing, the newlyweds caressed each other in the spaceship’s driver seat, both anxious to leave the ordeal behind. 

Kyle whispered, I see unbuckling in your future, love.

The chair leaned back and flattened out, creaking when Kyle added his weight to it above her. I feel gravity returning heaviness to areas of my body unused to the full weight of blood. 

He gently grasped two soft handfuls of her long, thick hair in his hands and with surety in his voice said, You’re okay. We’re home. You’re home. We made it… together.

Stress caused her young body to burn inside. Baby, please take me to your—our—bed. I’ve waited so long, and then all the craziness. I need to feel you… real… I can barely breathe when you’re not touching me! Please? Now. Don’t make me wait any longer!

Willingly he complied with his wife’s request. We don’t have to wait another second, baby!

He banged a button and the rear cargo door hissed and creaked, dropping open in the hot Texas air and glaring sunlight. They stood and he gently picked her up in his arms, turned, and stepped towards the lift door, then wobbled when he began to descend. Whoa! Ha ha! Wait a second! I may not have my sea legs yet after being in low grav for so long! 

Mother Earth infused the sweet smell of real, rich dirt and air into the sterile innards of the craft, stimulating the newlyweds’ senses beyond human patience. Rather than risk further delay, they stripped without a word and covered the lift floor with their thick suits, a hot, fresh breeze wafting in across suddenly naked, electric bodies. 

Not another thing would keep them apart one more instant. 

Kyle looked into her eyes and husked, Come here to me, woman.

Caressing, kissing, licking, grasping, smelling, he rose up, and she opened to receive him. 

At last! he lowered into her slowly, gently. She clenched around him tightly. At last! 

He surged into love, I love you, girl… fierce!

She moaned into his ear, Baby, I love you, too… it’s okay to die now! I’ve loved with my… whole heart!

In the house that evening, after unloading a few things and taking a shower, she lay down for a nap. Kyle woke her reverently and confessed, Baby, you are the most incredible pilot I’ve ever had the pleasure of flying with. Uhhnnn… you saved us at the last second! Damn! You got mad skills, girl! I love you!

She whispered, I love you too, baby. But you know we have to go back, right?

He kissed her shoulder. Yes.

She looked at him questioningly. You know why, right?

Kyle kissed her neck. Because I’m the only weapon we have. We can’t stay here while our friends are dying fighting for us and your whole family is still out there. I’ve already contacted Doc Hadjii about meeting up with us, but he wants me to undergo some testing to figure out why I’m not dead after handling the creature. It did burn the hell out of my arm.

She examined where he’d been rubbing, then dug in her pack and broke out the first aid kit she carried. Look at this—it’s getting worse. Let me treat it.

He smiled as she doctored him. You’ve already treated me, love, made me forget the pain, made me love being alive.

She beamed while she bandaged. Kyle, that’s so sweet. There. Done.

He brightened. Okay, let’s go whup some alien ass!

1

THE ELEVATED ONE

In the beginning, it had craved peace.

Now, at the end, it craved only a death.

The burden of galactic peace had fallen to it long ago. The youngest and most powerful of its kind, it wielded an unwritten genetic-level mandate: to dominate and secure a future for all species under its gaze, a Universal Shepherd.

Simple enough.

But billions of years later, in the end, while other species flourished, it had only managed its own asexual species’ decline, forced to vow that the few left would survive at any cost. But how to ensure this end when it lay frozen in place, immovable since the beginning?

From a great distance, its characteristics most resembled a motionless, chemical spider, molecular appendages poised perfectly upon webs of dark matter and energy, balanced, patient, nearly inert, maintaining a sublime serenity.

Eon

upon

eon.

Nothing was hidden from its vantage point. Nothing could be, for utter stillness sensed every vibration to tantalize the subatomic cobwebs of interstellar minutiae. From an exploding star or collapsing black hole innumerable astronomical units distant, to the tiniest electrical pulse of dividing bacteria on Earth, all plucked upon quantum strings strummed in a universal harmony across the vast swath of the Milky Way galaxy, the domain of the Elevated One and its kind,

T h e Z i z .

Only perfect stillness could interpret and conduct such heavenly music contributed from so many distant yet interconnected players, so to be the Elevated One, to be the Serene On-Looker, Stillness is the primary source knowledge. The creature had rarely moved and never unseated from its pulsating throne in the entire 13.5 billion years of its existence.

A perfect statue.

The Elevated One is the custodian of Perfect Time.

The others had scattered in the beginning, as was meant, but the Serene One stayed behind. By remaining inert, its sacrifice, its purity, should have ushered All-Life into a Ziz-dominated future where none would ever experience the unimaginable, the Utmost Discordance, the end of All-Life.

The dread Water Witch must not arise.

But he was found close, too close, on Neptune, playing music! The Hawk had been sent but had been summarily executed by that Accursed One, who then once again faded into obscurity, maddeningly, no doubt planning the destruction of AllZiz.

Now that once-impossible future loomed large, in spite of the Elevated One’s ceaseless feeling and searching for the Earth creature’s singular vibration and goading AllZiz to hasten the Witch’s demise.

To maintain serenity, the One could not physically seek out this enemy, only direct the others to do so.

Stillness is the key to Time-sight.

Another of its kind similarly served that Mandate by serving the One. Holy aromatic hydrocarbons circulated by the attendant into the throne room allowed the One freedom to focus on Mandate and those under its rule. By continuously being fed and bathed by this servant named Zad, Zadornin the Peaceful, in the abundant gaseous fuel wafting in from the atmosphere of Nibiru to its Serene Chamber, the One could remain.

Contemplative, pure, continually cleansing. The Ziz-form is unburning fire.

In righteous purity through the matrix of hydrogen, the most abundant element in existence, the One’s body and mind regulated the flow of energy into the Milky Way galaxy from within a hexagonal, central chamber adjacent to Nibiru. The chamber was a conduit through which a fixed set of energized hydrogen vines entangled all planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Nibiru, home-world, the Hidden Planet, the largest planet in the solar system and as yet the only one unspoiled by any invasive species.

Hydrogen (and all elements) were used by the powerful entity to feel everything, see anywhere, think anytime, on any world, accessing information along interconnected strings of dark webs of hydrogen connecting the Serene Throne to all that matters.

The One hadn’t spoken in a thousand years and croaked to AllMind,

"In the beginning I craved peace.

Now, in this end, I crave a death!

Find and end the Water Witch, you fools! He has finally arisen."

2

MOONBASE

Picking her way carefully towards Moonbase, Mercy guided their new star-class cruiser towards Hadjii’s med labs, hastily staffed and prepped for Kyle’s exam. He sat watching the world go by and tried to process it all. Aliens. Stinking aliens hell-bent on burning it all down.

He turned to her. I never believed they were real because there’s never been any proof. All the videos could be anything, could be doctored. So little can be believed about any of it. Confusion was all I’d ever heard. No governments have ever officially declared knowledge of aliens, and no one I know ever took the idea seriously!

Said she, Because… it’s fringe.

He shrugged. It’s conjecture.

Said she, It’s lunacy.

He: But now…

She: It’s real.

He: It’s here.

They: It’s happening!

Sweeping into lunar orbit, she dodged several wrecks, remnants of the mad rush to Earth by panicked space travelers, and hovered near the dock of Moonbase, the sprawling, gleaming city clinging to the gray, dead surface. Space Force barges were plowing piles of sad debris away from orbital lanes.

She aimed for the landing pad reserved for law enforcement. Base? This is Mercy Falls, er, Supplantis. We need clearance. Headed to space dock, Pad 63. Out.

Squawk. Pad 63 is wiped and ready. Bring it in. Doc Hadjii is expecting you. Out.

Great. Kyle rolled his eyes. ‘A few tests,’ he said. ‘It’ll be quick,’ he said. When we’re done I’ll find you, and we’ll go kick that alien ass.

They landed smoothly. The army medical team stood waiting to surround them inside the airlock.

Kyle steeled himself and turned to her. Stay calm, baby. Those army wonks will want us to be as upset as they are, but don’t let them in your head. Don’t ask them for anything you don’t need. Whatever you need, anything, we’ll get it. I love you. Nothing is going to hurt you as long as I’m alive!

She squeezed his hand, and they stepped through the airlock and then out to face the clamorous group of doctors. She replied, I love you too, Kyle. Thank you. I’ll be in Command Center checking on my family at Jupiter’s Rail. I’ll see you soon, love!

She let him go when they exited the decompression chamber, and he was swallowed by a clot of scientists who swept him away with their grave purpose.

Hadjii shook his hand and winked at Mercy. See you at the conference in a minute, lady. Kyle, my friend, I have good news and bad. Good news is we have a plan. Bad news is you’re going to be here for a while. We’ve thought up a battery of tests to determine how you beat that alien. Some biological trait inside you is different and must be identified… it’s going to take time. Be a patient and be patient. My staff will make you as comfortable as possible.

They walked towards the lab, and Kyle turned to watch Mercy running down the hall in the opposite direction. He missed her already.

The pang brought out his disappointment and, without much success, Kyle tried not to complain to Hadjii. Doc, just last month I was the happiest lead singer in the best band in the effin’ solar system, touting a hit record on a record-setting tour of the known universe to promote your Deepening.

Hadjii nodded. I’m aware.

Kyle said, Mercy is beautiful, smart, and sweet. She adores me and my house! And that billion-credit bonus we received for getting our Virginity Certificates before we married didn’t hurt. Unbelievable, right? Everyone was betting against us.

Hadjii smiled. I was rooting for you.

Kyle gushed, That and the millions from the Cosmic Mechanix album and ticket sales made me a billionaire and the rest of the band millionaires! He shook his head, still not believing the twist of fate. It’s just that a war RIGHT NOW, it’s so unbelievable! So unnecessary!

One of the techs said, Maybe it’s just another Spike. It will settle down…

The group entered a bright, sterile med bay where Kyle was stripped, laid on a hospital bed, and shaved before he could protest.

Dr. Hadjii reproached the tech as Lt. Zandra inserted a needle into Kyle’s arm. "Another Spike? Doubtful. I think they are the cause of it all—the Spikes, the drug epidemic, the hatred between men, the very struggle of man. They’ve inadvertently exposed themselves, and there must be a reason. Something has changed."

Kyle glanced at the woman gingerly drawing his blood. I was gonna have such a life. It was set up. I had it made, man.

He looked at the serious faces around him. But, shit, I admit and understand, that’s for later. Now, we fight.

Hadjii looked at him. Now we study! Today, like every other day, we face a new challenge. Granted, an unprecedented challenge… more like a galactic pandemic than an isolated series of Spikes. We are caught flat-footed so to speak, but we are working our options and we will overcome even this. A new challenge requires a new hero. Perhaps you are that man?

Kyle had to consider the bigger picture. Perhaps.

He leaned back and squeezed the rubber ball to help his blood flow into bags, thinking, When does the grind end? All my bills are paid, I owe no one anything. I own outright a large stretch of West Texas, complete with mineral rights. Royalties are still pouring in from music and oil, and the future is wide open. I worked hard and it paid off. For a brief moment, I had everything. But, dammit, now everything I’ve worked for is being systematically destroyed… by freaks from space no one’s ever heard of before!

While Lieutenant Zandra labeled the blood bag, Hadjii turned aside. What did it feel like, holding one in your hand?

Kyle nodded. That’s the best question you’ve asked yet. It was hard. I mean, it was hard holding it because it was like an electric eel, hot and slippery, but I could grip it, it had ‘scales’ for lack of a better term. It couldn’t wriggle away, like cemented in my hand. It was scared, and I saw horror in its face. It just started melting the harder I squeezed and yelled, I don’t know why, and it kind of stunk, like rotten gasoline. When it solidified in my hand, I hoped the bullets would have an effect, which, thankfully, they did.

Hadjii nodded to a tech who typed the description into the database.

And brought all this, Kyle mused, the doctor’s team, the army apparatus now enclosing me, probing me, searching for a trait that will supposedly save all our lives.

He squirmed. "Hey, y’all? I think I should be headed back to Neptune right now, smoke me some more aliens. Time to go hunting, not lay in this damn bed. Why don’t you give me your best team? I’ll holler at Angel and let’s go!"

Lt. Zandra took his temp, but Hadjii looked at him sternly as he lined up the tests. Settle down and stop resisting. You must comply. You must be still. This will not be done quickly. Our world, the Deepening, depends on it, young man!

3

ALIEN ACCOUNTING

The Elevated One rehearsed with Zad the record of recent events concerning their impending demise.

Let’s see how we got here, shall we? Follow me here.

1800 A.D.

Bbbb….dd-dd…..Zzz..tttt-ttt… Remember? We both bristled at the familiar sensation. Needling the benzene, that unbalanced electronic vibration arose, recurring again: disturbing harmony, accord, agreement, concurrence, conformity, congruity, consent, consistency, consonance, unanimity, uniformity, union, unison. Unity. Zah!

Zad fanned billows of fresh methane and shuddered. Agreed. Like an electric fly fallen in a delectable soup, I did sense the weak disturbance in serenity.

The One schooled the servant, The anomaly signaled man’s discovery of electricity, AGAIN! And more ominously, reminded of the possibility of the coming of the Accursed One, the Water Witch: The One Who Tilts Symmetry.

Zad’s sides rose and fell in the cloudy chamber, hiding shame. I’m fully aware…

The One stared off into space. I accused you. Once again, your call to peace has failed us, Zadornin. Once again, raw Earth-power violates my senses, disturbing my serenity. Your feet-herders are ineffective at nipping the Witch’s bud.

Zad said, I confess my failure! Despite our energetic attempts to stunt man’s progress, that annoying advancement inevitably does come approximately every 100,000 years. But I assure you, Chamar is putting much biological pressure on the entire planet. Quite unsettling it.

Quite.

Zad winced at the rebuke in AllMind.

The One continued the lesson, This disturbance always results in an eventual confrontation with those humans… what do they call themselves? Astronauts? Cosmonauts? Pilgrims? And then their false humans, mechanical copies of themselves. Abominations. Your repeated failure is regrettable.

Zad replied, I know you’re angry. I remember you bristling in the chamber and strands of frozen helium stood up on your appendages.

That irritating sound I feel is the harnessing of the thunderbolt! the One said. "Next they will ride that raw power here to our home. Do you not understand the peril we face? Must I cease MY galactic duties to take over yours? You who are to be the next Elevated One!? I remember you tried to deflect your guilt by pointing your tendrils at another, saying ‘Chamar has failed us once again!’ You accused. So I again reminded you of the future. Failure means in mere moments, in less than a few thousand Earth cycles, we could face the Water Witch, the one mammal created, born, to end us, our race, the magnificent Ziz!

Planet Herders!

Star Riders!

I argued then as now. You cannot continue to blame Chamar. I gave this responsibility to you!"

Zad remained as calm as one could, but fear threatened its serenity. Zad was desperate to end this analysis, but The One continued.

1900 A.D.

Chamar had reported to you on a taut cluster of hydrogen string, ‘My Time-smell indicates a trace of the creature 692 years from now, during the earth-cycle 2592.’ You told me, ‘This is the prophesy, oh High One.’

Zad said, I remember. You shook the throne-chamber, sending trembles skittering across the dark-matter web, causing a black hole in Sigma-X galaxy.

The One said, I said, ‘Chamar is a fool that possesses no Time-smell! That zit is a hindrance that should be excreted… like your advice!’ Both of you have nearly deleted us all, destroyed us with your slow weakness. I said only a complete eradication of men will end the recurring threat from the war-hungry water deamons! That fool must not think, just be merciless!

Zad admitted the mistake, Chamar’s prediction was 100 years off.

The One held it in check. Obviously! The Witch was just exposed on Neptune! And now that he has disappeared again… It’s time to end it. Eradicate All-Men. Start with the Neptunian infection, then herd them back to Earth.

Zad tried to deflect a Mandate of complete xenocide before it could solidify, saying, Oh, Serene One, the death of an entire species is not necessary. Our Mandate is life, not death. Every option must be considered as part of our herder Mandate before giving an order like that. They still have a measurable value. We must preserve our main culture of warm-blooded incubators.

2100 A.D.

The One, "For 200 years I contemplated the grotesquery of your incubator reference. Humans are overrun with other life-forms! It is amazing to consider that there are more bacterial cells in a human body than there are human cells! Impure! Sacrilege! The human thinks he is the dominant symbiont in his body, but our Archean cousins inside them, they are the dominant, and give us control of mammals’ very water. We don’t need humans, for there are plenty warm-blooded beasts on that planet in which we grow our cultures. Only low-castes like Chamar can be in close