“Patience? We don’t have time for patience. It’s after midnight Saturday night, and they will attack on Wednesday. That gives us only three days to get ready.” Steve grew quite animated.
“Calm down, Steve,” Jeremy said.
Steve shoved Jeremy into the nearby couch. “We’ve been too patient. It’s time for action. We need to move now.”
A blaring alarm began to sound.
T-Bone jumped to his feet. “Quick, no questions. Follow me.”
They ran down a hallway to a set of stairs leading down. Other people in the house were also hurrying down the stairs. At the bottom, they all filed into an elevator. The elevator had handrails around the walls and four posts going from floor to ceiling in the middle.
Once they were all in, T-Bone asked, “Is anyone missing?”
“The staff is all here.”
“The family is all here.”
“Hold tight to a pole or rail,” T-Bone said. He pushed the down button, the doors closed, and the elevator dropped like a rock for several seconds and then slowed to a stop and the doors opened.
They stepped out into a forty-foot-square room. It was a simple bomb shelter, with kitchen, beds, and living space all in one room. A second room held food and supplies.
Before they could ask a question, they heard explosions from above. The bomb shelter shook violently, and dust fell from the ceiling. The explosions and rumblings lasted about fifteen minutes.
~~~
The five remaining F-18s raced to catch up to the three Oar-7s. As they came over a hill, they could see the three Oar-7s hovering over the Hill compound. They were destroying the compound from three sides. The F-18s attacked the three Oar-7s. There was no contest. Two of the Oar-7s continued to blast the compound while the third attacked the five F-18s. The Oar-7 raised up high in the sky and hovered there. The incoming barrage of missile and gunfire from the F-18s exploded on the surface of the Oar-7. It spun around, and as each of the attacking F-18s came into view, it shot a single laser beam and, one at a time, brought all five down. The devastation ended, and the three Oar-7s shot south and out of sight, breaking the sound barrier. Three sonic booms shook the ground below.
~~~
A pilot from one of the OAR-7s, along with a Nectorian, entered the queen’s control room.
“What is your report?” the queen asked.
“We watched the compound from the time the Alliance entered until the Oar-7s arrived,” the Nectorian reported. “The Alliance was in the compound when we hit them.”
“The compound was completely leveled,” the pilot reported. “Nothing escaped.”
“You’re sure you killed the Alliance?” the queen asked.
“Yes,” the Nectorian said. “We watched the area in and around the compound for any movement until the sun came up. Nothing survived.”
Pleased, the queen smiled and walked back to her personal quarters.
~~~
Then there was silence.
“You do bring destruction in your wings, my friends,” T-Bone said. “We’re one hundred feet below the surface. We’re safe here for now.”
“The alarm?” asked Jeremy.
“I had it put in when I built this place and have upgraded it several times over the years. It was set to sound if incoming aircraft were heading directly at this compound. It was designed to give about a two-minute warning.”
“What happened up above?” Haven signed to Caroline.
T-Bone looked at Haven and signed back. “The compound was destroyed by Torron. She must have found out the Alliance was here.”
“Alliance?” Haven signed.
Caroline signed back to Haven and explained who the Alliance was and how important they were to the battle that would start on Wednesday.
“Follow me,” T-Bone said and led them to another room. He sat at a control console and brought up a screen. “I have drones on the roof of my restaurant. I’ll fly one over the compound to see what’s happening.”
They watched as the drone lifted off and soon flew over the devastated compound. There was nothing left, not even the outer walls. Everything had been leveled. Only small fires remained.
“Well, that was more destructive than I thought it would be,” T-Bone said, rubbing the gray beard on his chin.
“You expected this to happen?” Matt asked.
“Yes, I knew you would eventually find your way here, and Torron might find that out,” T-Bone said. “If she did, she would level the compound in order to kill the Alliance. I’ve planned for this scenario for a hundred and fifty years. I knew you would come, and I knew Torron would try to kill you. It was a lucky guess that it would happen right here. But like all good Boy Scouts, I was prepared. Once her black clouds began to bring her army, my family and staff have practiced getting down here every day.”
“This must have cost a fortune, and now you’ve lost your compound,” Jesse said.
“Yes, well, I’m wealthy because of this.” T-Bone walked to a wall full of pictures and pointed to one frame on the wall. “This is the note Steve slipped to me before you left Africa.”
The simple frame held an aged and weathered note behind glass. The note read as follows:
Invest in the following companies—Westinghouse, General Electric, Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon
“You gave T-Bone this list?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah, I figured if he made it to Seattle, his family could invest when the companies first got started,” Steve said. “Who knows, maybe they could get a head start.” He gave T-Bone a high five.
“What now?” asked Caroline.
“We wait until just before dawn,” T-Bone said. “By then, Torron’s people will be gone, and we can get to the surface. Don’t worry. We’re not stuck down here.”
Chapter 22
Four Hundred Years Old
“This tunnel is two miles long,” T-Bone said. “It ends right below my restaurant. I’ve built a complete home and lab beneath the restaurant.”
They were riding on golf carts through a well-lit tunnel. It took less than ten minutes to make the trip. An elevator took them to the lab.
“This is where I spend most of my time,” T-Bone said. “I’ve been preparing for your arrival ever since I came to Seattle in the summer of 1867. I believe I’ve got everything ready.”
This is spectacular, Jesse thought as she looked around. The room has to be at least a hundred feet square with twelve-foot ceilings. At one end was a chemistry lab, in the middle was a physics lab, and at the far end was a medical lab.
“I have all the comforts of home upstairs and all the comforts of my hobbies down here,” T-Bone said.
“Hobbies?” Caroline said. “This looks like a place of business to me.”
“Well, it’s taken a hundred and sixty years to get it to this state.” T-Bone smiled.
Haven started signing to T-Bone. “How old are you?”
T-Bone signed back and said out loud, “I was born in 1610, so that would make me about four hundred years old, give or take a few years.”
“That’s not possible,” Haven signed.
“One thing I learned from Queen Torron is how to make a potion that stops aging,” T-Bone said out loud and signed. “That’s why she doesn’t age, and why those she likes don’t age. I’ve kept myself from aging only to help the Alliance when they return. Once the queen is defeated, I’ll stop taking the potion and will destroy its formula. One might think living forever would be a blessing. It’s not. It’s a curse. God didn’t intend for this life to be forever. He intended for us to come here, be tested for worthiness, and return to him.”
“Only the worthy ones will return to him?” Haven signed.
“No, we all return to him. We’ll all see his face again. The real question is not, ‘Will we see him again?’ The real question is, ‘What reward do we have waiting for us when we get there?’ He’s said that there are many mansions in heaven waiting for us. The question each of us must ask is
, ‘Have I lived worthy of a mansion in heaven?’ Only you will know the answer to that question. It’s between you and your God.”
“All right,” Steve interrupted. “Enough of the religious stuff. We have a war to win. What do you have for us?”
The tour of the lab took an hour or so.
He’s created the same lab he had on Gandoral, Jesse thought. The difference is this lab has more detail, better organization, and more modern equipment.
“I’m still trying to bring the dead back to life.” T-Bone seemed a little perplexed. “I suppose it’s the same issue as living forever. It doesn’t fit God’s plan, so I guess it’s not possible.”
“Yeah,” Steve said under his breath. “Dead is dead.”
T-Bone went into the other room while Alpha-6 continued to look around.
“We’re screwed,” Steve whispered to Jesse. “He has no idea about the technology Torron has developed. All he has are elixirs and potions that will do nothing to help us. He has potions to drink that change the color of your hair and the color of your skin. He has elixirs that when added to food, help you have a clear mind and one that changes the color of your eyes. I think he even has Love Potion Number Nine. I thought he would have some real solutions.”
“I’m a little disappointed too,” Jesse said. “I’ve looked at every bottle, jar, and test tube he has. There are hundreds of potions and elixirs. There must be something we can use.”
“He can get rid of your zits, but not Torron,” Steve said sarcastically.
“We need to get back to Travis,” Caroline said. “The best way to help is to advise the military and help them.”
“Remember,” Jeremy said. “Torron believes we’re dead. That could give us an advantage.”
“Okay, but how do we take advantage of that?” Steve asked. “Her technology seems to be much more advanced than ours. We don’t have a chance.”
“I would agree,” Matt said. “But we also know that her advanced technology relies to a certain extent on her magic. It’s our job to figure out the connection.”
~~~
The V-22 lifted off from the parking lot of the mall as the sun was coming up in the distance. The sunrise was spectacular.
“Where are we headed?” Matt asked.
“We’ve been ordered back to Travis,” Caroline answered.
“We should be trying to get to Torron before the battle begins,” Jeremy said.
“We know that Torron is inside the dome at the lake,” Jesse added. “Take us there and drop us off.”
“I have to follow orders,” Caroline said. “When we reach Travis, you can make your case to General Wisecoff. I have my orders.”
“I thought you were on our team,” Steve said. “You’re not. What about you, Jack? Are you on our team?”
“Like the captain, I have to follow orders,” Jack confirmed. “We’re on your team, but we’re also in the military and must follow orders.”
“After all you’ve learned, you still believe the military is the best solution?” Jeremy said. “You’re delusional.”
“Listen, we’ll be at Travis in a couple of hours,” Caroline said. “I know you need to get to Torron. I’ll back you up with whatever plan you come up with. We need to get the general on the same page we’re on.”
“Okay, but we’re running out of time,” Jeremy said. “If the war starts before we get to Torron, a lot of people will die and there will be a lot of destruction.”
Steve was clearly ticked off. “You had better get out of our way.”
“Steve.” Jesse put her hand on his shoulder. “Let’s give the general one more chance. We would be better off if the military was on the same page as we are, right?”
Steve sat back in his seat, closed his eyes, and shook his head. “We’re wasting valuable time,” he muttered. Then he opened his eyes as something occurred to him. “I thought Wisecoff was being relieved of his command.”
Caroline nodded. “So did I. I guess the president had a change of heart.”
~~~
The Alpha-6 team sat patiently along the wall in the control room watching military personnel scurrying from one place to another. Haven was glued to Caroline. The large table in the middle of the room now had a huge map of the West Coast of the United States spread out on it. On the map were thirteen blue domes covering the thirteen locations where the Torron army had been deployed. Spread out all over the map were small flags of different colors representing the US military. There were twenty or so small ships representing the navy sitting in various locations along the coast. Some were submarines.
“This is madness,” Jeremy said to Matt. “They can’t really think they have a chance against Torron, can they?”
Steve shook his head and sighed. “They don’t get it.”
General Wisecoff finally broke away from the planning and approached the Alpha-6 team. “I have a couple of minutes. What do you have for me?” He led them to his office.
Caroline took Haven aside and signed the conversation to her.
The general looked at Haven. “You look like a real warrior.”
Haven smiled.
“As you know, the battle starts on Wednesday,” Jesse said. “That’s day after tomorrow. We need to learn more about Torron’s plan and what new magic she’s brought with her.”
“Have you had any luck attacking the domes?” Matt asked.
“No, every time we try to get close, they attack with brutal force,” the general said. “None of our missiles can penetrate the domes.”
“So the missiles don’t have any effect?” Steve asked.
“We’ve hit them with everything except nukes,” the general confirmed. “The domes are in the middle of our cities, so hitting them with nukes is out of the question. We believe they’re using the domes to protect themselves while their army is getting put in place. If they had no fear of an attack, they wouldn’t have needed the domes. They would have attacked us right out of the sky.”
“You’ve faced their aircraft, haven’t you?” Caroline asked.
“Yes, and they’re protected by the same force that’s protecting the domes,” the general answered. “We have to bring down the protective shields or we’ll have little or no chance of defeating them.”
“We’ve been telling you that since we first met,” Steve said sarcastically. “You think you know it all . . . you don’t. We know Torron better than anyone.”
Matt stepped in. “We know that without our help, you won’t be able to defeat her army. Okay, I said it. You can’t defeat her army. We . . .” He pointed to the Alliance. “We must defeat the evil queen of the Underworld, Torron. Our only hope is to either drive her back to Gandoral where she came from or kill her. We’ve found it to be difficult to kill her, so pushing her and her army back to Gandoral is our best option.”
“Okay, I’m listening,” General Wisecoff said. “How do we send her back to where she came from?” He looked straight at Matt.
“We don’t know yet,” Matt started to explain. “Each time we face the queen is different. The only consistent thing is that we sent her back to Gandoral each time, but each time was different.”
“I’m a little confused,” the general said. “You want me to listen to you, but you have nothing to say. Do I have that right?”
Matt said “yes” and Jeremy said “no.”
“Which is it?” the general asked. He pointed at Matt. “You go first.”
“It’s yes because we need you to listen to us as we learn what to do,” Matt said.
“And no because we need you to let us do what we do,” Jeremy explained. “We have to get to the queen. We can only do this if you give us our freedom to move around. The Alpha-6 team was a great idea. Caroline and Jack can help us when we need it and make sure that communication lines stay open between all of us.”
“We believe you haven’t fully recognized what you’re facing,” Jesse said. “You’re building up a conventional warfare defense against an unco
nventional enemy. Yes, she has troops, some men, some creatures. They can be killed. Yes, she has weapons and aircraft. Under normal conditions, you could go head-to-head and eventually win, perhaps. What you’re missing is her magic. She’s combined technology and magic. It’s never been done before. The Alliance needs to figure out where her Achilles’ heel is and exploit it.”
“How do you do that?” the general asked.
“We need to get close to her,” Matt said. “It’s dangerous, but it’s the only way.”
“Okay, it’s against my better judgment, but you do what you need to do, and I’ll do what I need to do. Captain, you keep me informed, and Sergeant, you keep them safe.” The general turned and went back to the command center.
“What now?” Caroline asked.
“You need to take us back to the lake,” Matt said. “Torron is inside the dome at the lake. If we can set up camp near the dome, we’ll have a better chance of figuring this out.”
Caroline looked at Haven and signed to her. “You need to stay here where it’s safe. We’ll be going into a dangerous place. You can’t come.”
Haven scowled and signed back. “The safest place is with you.”
“You can’t come. That’s final.”
“It’s almost midnight,” Jack said. “We can be ready in thirty minutes.”
“Gather your things,” Caroline said. “We leave in thirty.” She watched Haven kick a chair over as she left the room.
Chapter 23
Surrender
Everyone except Caroline slept during the three-hour flight. The Osprey set down in a clearing about five miles south of the dome. Caroline had brought them in low and undetected. They unloaded the electric ATV and the small trailer and piled all their supplies and equipment onto the trailer.
“The electric ATV will be quiet as we approach the dome,” Jack said. “We’ll still have to carry our backpacks.”
“We have to get moving,” Caroline said. “We’re about five miles south-southwest of the dome. It’ll be slow going, but we should make it before the sun comes up.”
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