Cosmic Fracture Volume 1: Cosmic Fracture Saga, #1

By Jeremy Witt

The year is 3024. Humanity has gained alien allies, expanded tens of trillions of our population beyond the solar system, developed heavily advanced technology once thought to be the realm of science fiction in the twenty-first century, and so much more.

 

But now the solar system is in danger from a merciless, bloodthirsty alien empire known as Lagorians and a lethal criminal bent on something wicked. Everyone, military and civilian alike, are in mortal danger. Thus, the United Terran Space Defense has built up a fleet and fighter force the likes in which we've never seen before, but even the grand admirals of the UTSD believe it is not enough, which is why they secretly contributed to building the Deep Space Intelligence Agency, which they say is meant to create and train special agents for their genetically enhanced capabilities.

 

Because of one's enhanced abilities in the thirty-first century, whether it be a perfect aim, speedy, agility and flexibility, hyperintelligence, or inhuman endurance or if they simply ranked high in boot camp within the UTSD, only they are chosen for a trial by fire before being recruited as an agent, and Jay Columbus is one of them. Once he succeeds in his test, how will his training go in the DSIA? Should he pass everything, what shall he do to foil the operations of the Lagorians?

 

Furthermore, what will he do about the lethal criminal, Lucy Finch, that wants HIM captured, of all people?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeremy Witt
• Release date: Feb 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781662447068

Book preview

Chapter 1

Date: Monday, June 21, 3024

Time: 06:00

Location: Orlando Outskirts, Florida, USA, Earth

Most people lived in large cities and skyscrapers, and thousands of those towers around the world extended to at least forty stories high. They were wide too, which made for monumental amounts of living space for billions around the world. Not only that, but with all the deep space and science technology, these huge towers were freakishly luxurious; between zero-gravity baths, mechanical beds that massaged people, housekeeper bots, holographic projectors, and speed-cooking ovens, people worked extra hard in society to even be able to afford this expensive technology. At least nine hours every day for the average adult.

As for myself, let’s just say I’m not most people. Although my mother worked extra hard like everyone else, she chose not to live in crowded cities. The reason why was that she wanted to save her money to prepare for the worst. She also just wanted a quiet place to settle, relax, and raise me and my little sister, Alice.

My family and I lived in the outskirts of Orlando, where things stayed fairly rural. Skies were usually clear, and it was quiet outdoors. Our house mostly consisted of red bricks and wood, kinda like how they used to build houses back in the twenty-first century. The house had only two floors, which included upstairs rather than a basement. It had shingles on the roof as well and a garden full of cherry trees and red rose bushes, always providing a refreshing scent around the house. As for the inside, the walls were painted teal in most rooms, excluding the two full bathrooms and kitchen. The kitchen’s walls were painted orange, with the latter being painted green. Almost all appliances inside the house were over eight hundred years old but restored to look brand-new.

My own room contained a full-sized bed with a frame made of brass. It had a few thick, warm blankets on top, which proved to make cool nights comfortable. My clothes were stored in a wooden dresser, and there was also a table lamp on it, being the only light source in my bedroom.

It was so cozy to me. I guess I’m simple like that.

And there I lay in bed, sleeping with silence all around me. I was only under one of my thick blankets, which covered me up to my shoulders. The room slowly began to gain lighting from the sunrise to the east.

Within seconds, my phone’s alarm began to go off with an obnoxious tune. My eyes opened a slit, and I groaned, trying to move my hand to it to press snooze. I fell asleep again for ten more minutes.

Then it went off again, waking me up once more. Sitting upright in bed, I rubbed my eyes and pressed Dismiss on my device. I sat there for a few minutes, trying to wake up my mind and gather my thoughts so that I wouldn’t do or say anything dumb.

My feet moved out from under the blankets and onto the carpet. I wore nothing, other than a pair of shorts and boxers underneath. Making sure the room was shut, I began to get dressed for the day, removing my shorts and slipping on nice black pants. I slipped on black dress shoes over a pair of black socks. As for my torso, I slipped on a tank top and a white button-up shirt. I made sure nothing was wrinkled.

Now, you might be wondering, why this nice getup? To answer your question, I figured looking formal would give off a good impression for when I joined the ranks of the UTSD pilots through boot camp.

I’d been training for this since I was just twelve. I’d gone to various engineering classes, learned how to street-fight and perform martial arts, aced high school, and well, pretty much aced all that. My mother even bought me materials to make myself a makeshift hovercraft, and years later, it still worked like a dream!

With all that taken into account, I believed that I’d make a fine addition to the UTSD.

Once I was completely dressed and my clothes straightened out, I exited my bedroom and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I noticed the lights on in the bathroom, its door still open. I approached the door and saw my sister.

Oh, Alice, how come you’re up as early as me? I asked her with curiosity, my voice being a baritone.

I heard your alarm go off, and I woke up, she began quietly with her soprano pitch as she readied her toothbrush. Seriously, that tune is so annoying. It’s so loud too. Why do you need to have it like that anyway? Is it really that hard for you to get up in the morning?

She was the complete opposite of me in many situations. She’d always been a morning person, while I was always nocturnal, which explains why my alarm would blare obnoxiously. She also tended to complain a lot, unlike myself. Her favorite flavors of food were anything sweet, and I more so appreciated sour things, even a bare lemon slice. As for skills, she always practiced programming and hacking, which got pretty annoying whenever she’d prank me by hacking my phone and inserting inappropriate files; you don’t even wanna know what’s on those files.

But as for grades in school, video games, creating things, and of course flesh and blood, we were always inseparable. In fact, I believe our differences were what made our brother-sister relationship special, especially the things we’d made together. One time, we made a makeshift remote-controlled drone with a camera on it, capable of recording hours’ worth of videos and having a long-lasting battery. Also, remember when I said that I made that makeshift hovercraft? She did all the computer programming and majority of the electrical components; I just did most of the physical work and heavy parts.

By far our most cherished, most prized memory of all was the 3D blueprint she and I made together, kept on one of my personal flash drives exclusively labeled Imagine.

Anyway, that’s off topic. Back to the story!

I rubbed the back of my neck and smiled softly to her. Come on, you know me too well to ask such a question. She began to brush her teeth and nodded in response with a small chuckle. I placed my hand on her shoulder and looked at us both in the mirror.

My hair was the color of oak and short on the sides but long and slightly spiked sideways on top. My pupils displayed colors of chocolate. My head might be a little bigger than others, but I thankfully grew into it over my childhood years, making its size a little unnoticeable. I came with a bulky yet lightly built body but looked balanced with strength and flexibility. I stood at five feet and ten inches, and I weighed about 195 pounds; I looked like I would be about 20 pounds lighter, however.

As for my sister, her straight hair barely reached her shoulders and was the same color as mine. Her eyes were the same color as well. Her body came in a petite shape, being about four inches shorter than me, only weighing about 144 pounds. I once teased her for being small; that ended quickly when she kicked me in a sensitive spot.

Oh, that reminds me to mention: unlike me, Alice has quite a sassy personality.

Heh, just look at us now, I began with a joyous smile, combing my hair sideways. It feels like yesterday, we were less than ten and fighting over petty things. Now I’m going to be a pilot, and you’re going into your senior year. Not only that, but just like me, you’re graduating at the top of your class. I gave her a small hug, and she chuckled, pushing me off her.

Brush your teeth, stink-breath. I’d rather hear you than smell you, she demanded, and so I did. I readied my toothbrush with toothpaste and watered it. As I began, Alice had already finished, spitting out her toothpaste and rinsing her mouth. I’m happy for you, bro. You’ve worked hard for this, and now you’re finally going to be flying in space… Just like you always wanted.

I then noticed a look on her face that concerned me. She seemed depressed and worried. My head tilted slightly as I looked at her through the mirror. Her eyes were down. Alice, what’s wrong?

Huh? Nothing! She faked a smile, and I would not buy it.

Alice, I’ve known and lived with you since you were born. You can never fake your feelings to me. She shook her head. I proceeded. If you don’t tell me, all it’s going to do is make me question you more.

You’ve put me in a bit of a tight spot, she began sullenly. What is there for me to say? You know I’m gonna miss you… We’ve had our fights, and we’ve said things we shouldn’t have, but no matter what, you were always someone I could talk to, someone I could count on. I spat out my toothpaste and rinsed my mouth out, then looked at her as she continued. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Maybe I’m just worrying too much, but how can I not?

Alice, I’ll come back, I swear I will, I said with hope.

That’s what they all say!

Hearing her raise her voice silenced me then. I held my tongue and allowed her to speak more. And what if you don’t come back, Jay? What will I do then? What will we, Mom included, all do when you’re gone?

My face had straightened, and my eyes met hers. I could tell she was about to cry right there and then. I wrapped my arms around her, tightly hugging her.

You can cry over me if I die in any battles to come, but I don’t want you to dwell on it, I stated softly to her. Instead, I want you to move on if I pass and cherish my name and memories of me wherever you go. I don’t want to be the reason why you stop living. Promise me that, please.

I noticed her look up at me with tears in her eyes. I can’t say I blamed her. After all, we’re brother and sister; plus I was about to apply for something inevitably dangerous.

"So I guess that means you don’t swear that you’ll come back, she stated blandly before taking a deep breath, her frown curving into a soft smile. I’m glad you’re honest when you need to be, Jay. I promise to not dwell on your death, if it ever comes of course. She giggled and stepped away from our hug. I’ve seen how you fight and pilot a hovercraft, and a space fighter shouldn’t be any different. I know you’ll do just fine out there in that crazy galaxy."

Well, that was a quick change in your demeanor, I said.

How could it not be quick? Unlike all the other poor saps in the city, you give me hope. You always have. To be honest, I feel silly for doubting you. After all, once I join you in the UTSD, I’ll—

You’re applying too? I interrupted with slight shock.

Don’t interrupt me! she snapped for a second, instantly silencing me once more. What can I say other than that she’s scary when angry; she takes after our mother. As I was saying, yes, I am applying, and once I’m in the UTSD, I’ll do whatever it takes to be your personal copilot so that your safety is guaranteed.

Pilots are divided into individual squadrons, I stated. By the time you join, it’ll be difficult to join my squad, let alone be my copilot. After all, I’ll already have a squad once I finish boot camp.

I’m sure that if we demonstrate us working together, they’ll let us partner up, even if you already have your own squad, she said cheerfully.

Well, that’ll be for later on when you graduate, I told her. I found it very ironic that she wanted to join an actual military, and it’s because I’ve known her to be very disobedient. It wasn’t like her to obey rules easily unless she was threatened or bribed.

We made our way downstairs, smelling freshly made breakfast. Alice inhaled deeply and sped up to the dining room, where Mother was standing, placing plates of pancakes and eggs on the table.

Mother smiled to me and hugged me tightly. Oh, I can’t believe my baby is gonna fly in deep space!

"Hey, I thought I was the baby," said Alice sarcastically and smiled.

Oh, you’re right, Mother said as she released me. You certainly act like the youngest too, you know, what with how bratty you tend to be.

Alice grunted sourly, and I began to laugh. She kicked my leg and looked at me with a face that implied the words shut up!

The three of us were the religious type. We bowed our heads and began to pray for my protection in the vast galaxy beyond Earth and other things. After we said amen together, we all began to eat. Mother and Alice ate their breakfast a bit slowly, while I basically inhaled mine. I’ve always been a fast eater, not to mention that I wanted to get to the launch station and get to boot camp in outer space as soon as possible.

Don’t you want more food? You’ve always been a hefty eater, Alice said to me.

I’ll be fine. I wanna get to boot camp as soon as I can anyway, I responded.

Then Mother looked at me. You packed everything, right?

I only packed light. Militaries prefer that from new recruits.

Mother nodded to me. As long as you have your essentials.

Honestly, it never occurred to me that Mother didn’t appear as emotional as Alice. She was excited but not about to cry at all. Maybe she had faith in me that I’ll come back, more so than my sister.

Within minutes, I had my supplies in my hovercraft. All I took with me were a few light clothes, a toothbrush, deodorant, batteries, and a few electronics. Gotta have those necessities, right? Before I got into my hovercraft, I hugged Mother and my sister.

You’d better call us when you can, Mother requested.

Yeah, we wanna see what it’s like up there, and maybe I’ll find a way to embarrass you, Alice said with a mischievous smile.

I promise I will, I said to them both, ignoring my sister’s last remark. I’m sure they won’t just isolate us.

Don’t forget that I’ll be in to join you too, once I graduate, Alice said out loud, and it surprised me that Mother was unfazed. Maybe Alice told her already.

After exchanging words to each other for a minute, I then entered my makeshift vehicle and shut the door. I waved to them, and they waved back. I saw Mother wipe tears from her eyes, finally. I began to raise altitude then pushed the joysticks forward, moving away from my home.

This is it, I thought to myself, I’m going to be a pilot, starting today.

Chapter 2

Time: 08:30

Location: Downtown Orlando, Florida, USA, Earth

My next destination was the Deep Space University of Orlando, where anyone can get their wings, or so their motto said.

I’m glad that my own hovercraft was deemed sky-legal, because I could reach my destination in just under five minutes. Unfortunately, figuring out where to park turned out to be a hassle, what with all the other hovercrafts in their areas, which took an extra few minutes. Eventually I found a spot on the third floor of a parking garage.

For twelve hours every day, the UTSD accepted new recruits of all kinds. Some people wanted to be pilots, while others wanted to do programming, engineering, and many other jobs.

Despite the twelve hours every day, I felt like I had to rush to get into space. I was so excited and eager that I almost ran. I felt like a child again who had this dream of becoming a part of something big, and it was about to happen. I’ve always wanted to see other planets for myself.

I had to wait in line for a while. All around me, I saw all kinds of beings exchanging words with one another. Some others stood alone like me. It wasn’t like I worried about striking a conversation with anyone, so I was one of the alone people.

Then I began to get bored after about ten minutes. For Alice, she would’ve been able to handle being antisocial. I was having a hard time with that. I couldn’t not be social when there were so many people around me and nothing else to do.

At the same time, it made me feel awkward and shy to talk to new people. I never really liked starting conversations on my own. It was sort of like two beings in my head were fighting against each other to secure an answer.

Looking around for something to keep me occupied, my eyes caught a glimpse of a strange person wearing a black cloak and fedora, covering his face with what looked like a ventilation mask. He appeared to be watching me with only emerald-colored eyes showing from his mask. I stared back for a moment then heard a deep voice behind me.

Haven’t I seen you before? I instantly turned around to see a wolf man standing behind me in line.

This one appeared to be muscular and was covered in gray fur. He looked down to me with his ice-colored eyes, because he towered at least six inches higher than me. Knowing that wolf men don’t usually wear anything on top, it didn’t surprise me that he was shirtless. His ears were long and pointy, and his fangs slightly arched out of his mouth. His tail hung low with patches of black fur within the gray.

What do you mean? I responded. I haven’t seen you before.

Sorry, you just look familiar, that’s all, he said before pausing, then continued. My name is Shoah. Yours?

Jay. Pleased to meet you, I inquired with a polite smile, holding out my hand. He grabbed it firmly with his large paw and shook it. I looked back to see if the strange man was still there, but then he vanished. Despite how sketchy that was, I shrugged and looked back to the wolf man. Thank heavens, I thought to myself, someone to talk to!

It’s strange. You remind me of someone I remembered from my past, Shoah proceeded to say. I’m not sure why, but you do. You seem to smell familiar as well.

Not sure who you’re referring to, but I hope he wasn’t anyone terrible, I inquired.

It’s nothing you need to worry about, honest, he said.

I guess that was that, so I decided to change the topic. So what will you be doing for the UTSD?

Oh, me? I plan to be a gunship pilot, he replied.

I see. So you prefer heavy weapons and armor over speed? I asked.

Well, yeah, he said. I’m not the best when it comes to speed. My reflexes just aren’t fast enough. What about you?

Not sure yet. To be honest, I’m okay with being a fighter pilot, gunship pilot, or bomber pilot, I stated. Now that I think of it, being that we’re both gonna be pilots, I wonder if we’ll be assigned to the same squad.

I would certainly hope so. It’s only been a few minutes, and I feel like we can already be friends. He spoke with kindness in his deep voice.

We continued to talk on and on about casual things, like how our schools were, what we liked to do, and other things. He told me about his family and that he had four other siblings, and mentioned that one was a sergeant at the Mars Station Hoto IV. He also told me that his grandfather used to be an admiral of a UTSD cruiser and how his ship was involved in the Battle of Pluto, a brief event that drove black market criminals off the Dwarf Planet by force.

Your family sounds amazing, I complimented, followed by him nodding with a fanged grin.

I made it up to the desk for my sign-in, and I was excited. Everyone else seemed so sad and/or afraid. I wasn’t. I wanted to go out into space. I wanted to see other planets and star systems.

And then this happened.

Please type your name and details, said the lady behind the counter, pointing at the computer with a smile. I did what she told me to and waited.

Then her smile faded. I’m sorry, but you’ve failed to meet expectations on the exams.

Wait, what? You’re joking, right? I asked with a little bit of shock.

I’m afraid not, she said, showing her screen. See? You failed by two points, it seems.

That’s ridiculous! I know I succeeded, I’m smarter than that! My voice was growing with volume.

Sir, you need to calm down.

I remained silent for a moment or two. Behind me, Shoah was looking at me with confusion. I looked at the lady and saw a stern look on her face. If I got any madder, security would remove me by force.

And so I nodded and proceeded out of the building with a depressed look on my face. I couldn’t understand it. My results seemed fine before when I registered. Why would they reject me now? Why not do it sooner so that I wouldn’t get my hopes up so high then save myself a trip?

I sat in my hovercraft and remained still for a while. I couldn’t believe that I failed the exams. Unbelievable!

What did I do wrong on them? Not only that, but what would be Mother’s thoughts about this? What would be Alice’s?

My fingers scratched through my hair and against my scalp. I was just about ready to pull my hair out of their roots just thinking about the fact that I couldn’t get into what I’d been training for since I was in middle school. I didn’t think anything would make me feel such high amounts of confusion or sadness like this, and it was starting to give me a headache.

While I thought long and hard about it, I then heard a knock on the window of my hovercraft. My eyes lifted, and then I saw him again: the strange man in the black cloak.

The man appeared to be human, but his face was covered by a mask. His black hat shaded his eyes. His uniform overall made him seem like some sort of spy. I couldn’t see much else other than his green pupils.

I rolled down the window just slightly in case he was going to do anything drastic. Instead of doing so, however, he began to speak in a quiet voice. So I heard you were rejected from the UTSD. I believe they deleted your name off of their caseload as well, as standard, of course.

Obviously they would, I said with frustration. Then a thought occurred to me. Wait, how would you even know that?

Let’s just say I’m part of an agency, he said to me. It isn’t one you would know about, but as you can imagine, I have my resources.

And why are you telling me all of this?

The man remained silent for a moment then spoke once more. I’ll tell you later. Come with me first.

Just what makes you think I’ll go with a complete stranger? I asked him defiantly.

I understand your concern for safety, but there is something I need help with. And if my studies are correct, then you’ll be perfect for the job, he said.

I wasn’t sure where this guy was going with this, but all he did was make me less likely to even trust him. The way he described his studies left me with a bunch of questions, considering how he spoke so vaguely. If you supposedly have your resources, then you don’t need my help, do you?

The man’s expression seemed to remain unfazed under his mask, although I couldn’t see much of it. It put me off even more. What was this guy’s deal anyway?

Then I suppose we’re finished here. Such a shame too. I might’ve even allowed you to become part of the agency if you met my expectations, he said after a sigh. I ignored him, ready to roll up the window before he continued. I thought you’d be happy for some sort of opportunity to potentially fight against Lagorians and criminals of the worst kind. It’s our jobs to roam this galaxy in search of high-priority targets. Hell, we even offer some of the best opportunities to create weapons, gear, and starships to make combat situations as efficient as possible. That is, if one shows that they’re more than capable of handling such a thing. It’s no wonder why we’re so exclusive, but it’s all a helluva ride no matter how you slice it.

Was this guy trying to bribe me? If so, he succeeded.

He shook his head and started walking away. But you only wish to be a military pawn of the UTSD, which is something out of my personal control, so I’ll leave you to your…gripes.

Hold on a moment.

Nah, I know you’re still gonna say no, he said.

Stop! I raised my voice. He then stopped in his tracks and turned his head toward me. I looked at him and began to ask him for his name, then he stopped me by raising his index finger.

So it turns out your motivation comes from incentive, and a strange one as well. After all, it’s not every day you see someone who wants to be part of combat. Quite ironic. Or maybe it’s the ‘creating’ part that caught your ears, he stated. My expression remained the same. Call me Joe.

I guess you already know my name, considering the information you have on me so far, I said. Fine, I’ll help you with your task, but you have to promise me that you’ll make me an agent, or whatever.

Only if this task turns out successful, he said calmly as he held out his hand. If it fails, you will get nothing from me. Do we have a deal?

I rolled down my window and grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly, willing to take the risk. Deal.

Chapter 3

Time: 13:00

Location: Downtown Orlando, Florida, USA, Earth

I was out of my vehicle and walking with the cloaked man. He had told me to bring anything that could be used as a weapon, as if I wasn’t already off ease. Then again, if he had any ulterior motives, I would at least have some form of protection on me.

For a weapon, I decided to go with an eight-inch hunting knife for melee and a revolver rifle which I customized myself. It was rusty on the outside, but the inside was fresh and oiled. The barrel held six standard .308 caliber bullets. It was taken apart so that it would fit into the bag I carried.

Don’t you think it would be a good idea to use my hovercraft to get to the location faster? I asked, followed by Joe shaking his head no. Perhaps there was a reason, but it all seemed like reverse logic to me.

Oh right! He never told me about this mission. Silly me.

Hey, Joe, what exactly are we going to do? What’s this whole plan of yours? I asked curiously.

Within the city happens to be a small cult or gang on the rise, he began as he readied a high-tech bayoneted sniper rifle, which, I admit, looked really cool. It’s being caused due to fear of the Lagorians, and they’re committing some of the worst crimes, murder and abduction being the most. This is the first sign of such an organized group of criminals in years, since these crimes happen with one criminal at a time, but leaving it unchecked would ultimately lead to chaos. What we need to do is sneak into their hideout, find their headmaster, and capture him alive.

Two questions.

Go ahead.

First, why do we want him alive? I asked Joe.

The master has fooled everyone else in the cult, but those who weren’t fooled came up with a theory, only to suddenly disappear, according to locals, he said. Those who disappeared believed that the master of the cult is a Lagorian disguised as a human. Since we don’t know all of a Lagorian’s capabilities, we need to find out whether or not they can shapeshift. Therefore, he must be brought in alive for questioning and testing. The local police would’ve done so weeks ago if they had found the place. Unfortunately, they kept coming back empty-handed. Strange that such a thing would happen, huh?

I guess that explains a few homicides in Orlando, I said to myself. It was true. The media, internet, and people themselves explained a whole variety of murders and other crimes within Orlando, and they all happened within the span of a month. It would only make sense that an organized group was doing this. Second, how do you expect us to get in?

Not us, he began. I’ll be using stun bullets on my sniper if anyone comes after you, if I have an opening. You’ll be the one doing the infiltration. What you must do is go in undetected until you’ve reached their master. If anyone spots you, I’ll put them to sleep. I’ll show you where to go and what to do once we’ve arrived.

We traveled through the center of Orlando City, where the skyscrapers touched the clouds. There were only a few cars and a few hovercrafts on the streets, though, and many of them were police. You’d think such a large city would be more lively, but with the crimes spiked, it’s hard to blame anyone for this kind of scenario.

"Hold on, I thought you said we were sneaking in," I said with confusion in my voice.

Did I? Well, I meant you. I’ll just be watching your back from a distance, he responded, making me even more tense.

I let out a heavy sigh. That sounds cowardly to me.

If I were a coward, I wouldn’t even bother taking on this mission.

I stopped right then and grabbed Joe’s arm, stopping him too. Don’t you think that’s easy for you to say? This better not be some sort of trap! Why else would you make me come along with you and then send me into some dangerous building by myself?

I didn’t make you do anything, Joe said surprisingly calmly. "You decided willingly to come with me because you wanted me to put you in the agency. And if you were truly in doubt, you would’ve stayed in your little hovercraft instead. That tells me you’re interested in the mission."

I opened my mouth to say more, but I froze. If his words weren’t true, they were nothing.