The Ammagan Invasion of Earth: A Chronicle of the Quest to Save Earth from an Alien Invasion Force

by TJ Viola

  Tony noticed what was happening, broke through the crowd, and yelled, “You can’t trust their results! He has a reputation for cheating!”

  As Danny and Crystal turned to confront Tony, he reached into the display. Danny shoved his arm away, into the override switch, causing the current density to increase to the maximum level for each cell. The temperatures on five fusion cell circuits immediately increased exponentially. What happened next seemed to Danny and Crystal to unfold in slow motion. As the temperature rose, people backed away, and when the display holding the twenty-five samples burst into flames, bedlam took over. People were falling down and others were yelling fire while Danny desperately tried to shut down the power. It was too late—several of the cells completely melted and burned a hole not only into the table, but through the gym floor as well.

  Danny’s dad and Jason were fighting against the crowd to get to the children but suddenly stopped dead in their tracks as they saw the condition of the exhibit. Simultaneously, they thought about the claims made by Pons and Fleishmann that the temperature of their palladium material superheated and melted through a lab table and concrete floor. Phil ran to the kids and didn’t notice Jason using his communicator.

  “Code lockdown, Wyoming Mountain High School Gymnasium, escort required!”

  Mrs. Fitzgerald came running over with a fire extinguisher, which Danny’s dad grabbed and used to put out the flames. Mrs. Fitzgerald, looking deranged, exploded into a torrential rain of verbal abuse.

  “I told everyone this project wasn’t worthy of our science fair. All you accomplished was to disrupt my fair and almost burn down the school!”

  Just then, Jason stood on the small stage that was set up to acknowledge the winners and informed the crowd the situation was under control and the proper authorities would arrive momentarily to assure everyone’s safety.

  As he put down the microphone, all the doors to the gymnasium burst open and military commandos appeared in full battle gear, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the building. Jason and the unit commander exchanged a few words and then Danny, Crystal, and both his parents were taken into custody and escorted by armed guards to an awaiting stealth helicopter. Their science fair equipment was secured and removed from the gym. In addition, Mrs. Fitzgerald’s office was stripped of all filing cabinets and the contents of her desk emptied. She was shocked into silence and stood alone with a befuddled look muttering incoherently to herself. After sufficient photographs were taken of the scene, Jason readdressed the students and parents and tried to reassure them that any potential danger had been removed and they should continue to enjoy the science fair.

  Jason joined the O’Malleys and Crystal in the helicopter and gave the order for the unit to move out. Before anyone could compose themselves to ask questions, Jason explained why he took such extraordinary action.

  “I realize you are probably in a state of shock, but it was necessary to act quickly to protect all of you and the contents of the science project.”

  Jason reached over to reassure Phil and his wife, but they were repulsed by his gesture.

  “Phil, somehow Danny and Crystal were successful in duplicating the claims of Pons and Fleishmann and have proven that cold fusion exists. Until we understand how this was possible, I have no choice but to treat this as a national security issue.”

  “Jason, it’s just a science fair project. Maybe they stumbled on a new way to create cold fusion, but I don’t believe there is a need for all this melodrama. I’m sure all their work is well documented and available to the authorities as needed.”

  “Did you work with the kids? It’s hard to believe they could do this on their own.”

  Danny and Crystal couldn’t believe their luck; this was the best thing that could have happened. Surely, cold fusion development would now be accelerated. Finally, they were making real progress and maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for the world.

  “My dad didn’t help with the design,” Danny said. “That would have been against the science fair rules. We just used his home laboratory located in our basement and had the cells, that we designed, fabricated at his work.”

  “Crystal, did your parents help in any way?” Jason asked.

  “No, they’re not interested in science. To them this was just another school project.”

  Jason thought for a few moments and then informed them of their destination.

  “We’re going to spend a few days at a secret military base and bring in some top scientists to review your project and try to duplicate what we witnessed today. I’m sorry for any inconvenience, but I know you understand the significance of what took place tonight.”

  Phil was about to object, but Danny and Crystal agreed with Jason and looked forward to working with others on their discovery.

  “Crystal,” Jason continued, “I’ll contact your parents when we arrive and explain the situation. I’ll probably need you to reassure them you’re voluntarily cooperating with the government. Phil, since you know the parents, I would appreciate your presence on the call as well.”

  After a few minutes, everyone was resigned to the situation, and, in fact, Danny and Crystal were excited that the first phase of their mission was accomplished successfully. Zeiss and Yolan were also pleased and congratulated them, through Danny, for solving the mystery of the Pons and Fleishmann experiment.

  Shortly after midnight, unbeknownst to the O’Malleys, two stealth helicopters hovered over their home and five commandos silently descended through the winter mist and entered their house. Several hours later, a large moving van arrived and every computer system, recording device, piece of laboratory equipment, micro disc, and scrap of paper was removed.

  The Journey Continues

  Earth

  2040–2050

  Grillion and Ammag

  2070–2080

  (in Earth years)

  Chapter 20

  Reflections

  DANNY

  It’s been nine years since the helicopter came in the night and lifted Danny, his parents, and Crystal up through the cloud of time that meanders through lives bringing all to face their destiny. The burden of knowing the future had been a heavy one for Danny. The images of mass destruction and suffering, as well as the knowledge that everyone and everything he loved and cherished would vanish had become a yoke no individual should have to bear.

  At first, he took solace in his mission, focused on the objectives he established a lifetime ago in a damp cave located in the Rocky Mountains. It all seemed so exciting, seeing the future, being the instrument to save mankind, having instant knowledge and absolute mind-body control. But now after ten years of effort, he realized the future had an immutable strength of its own pulling everything to its core, similar to the gravitational pull of the planets, trapping all that enter its sphere of influence. The questions he was pondering were fundamental to his sanity. Is it possible to change the future? Could the actions of two people change the course of history? Could Earth be resurrected with a different future? Can it break free from the gravitational pull of destiny?

  During those years, he and Crystal had actually changed the lives of mankind by making cold fusion available to all nations, but were they on the correct path? Would new technologies change the future they witnessed?

  The US military establishment was set on keeping cold fusion as a national security secret to be shared with the world only after a clear advantage had been secured. Fortunately, Danny had the foresight to realize the potential existed for such a scenario and took appropriate action. Prior to leaving for the science fair, he deleted all the files in his and his father’s computer systems that had any reference to their experiments. There were no written records, and the status reports presented to the science board didn’t contain sufficient information to duplicate their results. He and Crystal were the only ones with the knowledge.

  After months of negotiations, veiled threats, and promises of unimaginable riches, the government
finally had agreed to their initial terms. Cold fusion would be made available to the world through the United Nations Science Committee, and Danny, Crystal, and his father would lead NASA’s efforts to incorporate cold fusion into the space program. The next phase of the negotiations was even more difficult, because they had refused to duplicate their results without UN supervision. They knew that if the government announced the discovery of cold fusion, little progress would be made elsewhere in the world because of the many skeptics who still believed cold fusion was simply impossible.

  To overcome this hurdle, Danny insisted the US government announce at the UN Security Council that a significant scientific breakthrough had occurred, and due to its potential to help all of mankind, the details of this discovery would be duplicated at a UN-designated laboratory facility to assure its simultaneous availability to all nations. As it turned out, this was a successful tactic, and cold fusion was finally introduced to mankind, vindicating the past efforts of Pons and Fleischmann.

  But something had gone wrong. Cold fusion hadn’t been the catalyst to finally unite mankind. The geopolitical landscape continued to degrade. Each nation, or bloc of nations, developed cold fusion for its own advantage, and there was not a focus on uplifting all nations but continued efforts by a few to dominate the many. The basic ingredients that composed mankind’s psyche were unaltered. No, he concluded, technology alone would not be the key to uniting Earth. He only had twenty years left. Was a solution even possible? As he contemplated these reflections, he continually came back to the same question: Is everything in the Universe preordained?

  CRYSTAL

  As Crystal looked back over the years, she was struck by the dichotomy of their progress. On one hand, cold fusion solid-state cells had lived up to their promise, providing cheap, readily available, and efficient energy to all, thus spreading the wealth of the industrial and computer age throughout the globe. Both Danny and she had received the recognition they so desperately needed in order to have the ability to influence future events in the desired direction.

  Certainly, mankind was better off. Whole cultures had been lifted out of poverty, space exploration accelerated, the greenhouse effect diminished, and new benefits continued to mount with each passing year. But, were they on track to save the world? This was the burning question that she faced every day, and, in her heart, she knew they needed to do more, do it quicker, and wiser.

  Her feelings toward Danny had also changed; no longer did she view him as a brother. Their mission in life had brought them closer together, but at the same time they were separated by the impenetrable barrier of the future. All their combined energy, thoughts, and abilities needed to be focused on 2060. There was no alternative.

  DANNY’S PARENTS

  As they looked back on that fateful night, the fear and confusion they had felt rushed back with the same intensity. They still wondered how it had been possible for their son, who had such difficulties coping with the stresses of everyday life, to become the child prodigy the world believed him to be. Even though they had marveled at his contributions, his ability to converse with the world’s great minds, and the confidence he easily exuded, they mourned the loss of their little boy.

  They certainly had benefited over the past years. Danny’s dad had been appointed head of the cold fusion space program and was rewarded greatly for his contributions. Financially they were better off, but they were concerned for Danny and Crystal, who seemed to be driven to achieve more than humanly possible. In many ways, they wished the science fair had never happened and that they were still living under the specter of the Wyoming sky.

  BIOSPHERE INHABITANTS

  On the surface everyone had been pleased with the progress made to prepare Earth, but there was a tension in the air that dampened any sense of accomplishment. The news of the Ammagans’ progress toward universal dominance seemed to cast a dark shroud over the mission. Did they have the time required to complete their strategy? Would the Ammagans discover their deception and destroy Grillion before Danny and Crystal confronted the Ammagans? These were questions no one could answer, not even Zeiss.

  Zeiss and Yolan were satisfied with the progress Danny and Crystal had made, but they were also troubled. Something was missing. Danny appeared correct in his reflections: technological advancements may not be enough. Some critical ingredient for success was missing, and its elusiveness was probably due to their lack of insight into humankind.

  ROLO and BOUNCE

  Rolo and Bounce had never been the same after their impersonations of Danny and Crystal. They had enjoyed the freedom, spontaneity, and superior physical and mental capabilities compared to other humans. Consequently, they had become discontent with simply hibernating in their home base and had spent the past years plotting their escape to the outside world.

  The newer androids, which Zeiss and his crew were familiar with, would have been automatically debriefed upon returning to the home base, and any memory associated with an impersonation assignment would have been copied and then erased from the androids’ memory modules. However, the older models needed to be deactivated manually, which the androids performed by physically attaching themselves to their computer console and activating the appropriate program. Unfortunately, they needed to be commanded to perform this procedure, and, due to the team’s ignorance of this difference between models, Rolo and Bounce remained in a state of continued frustration and planning.

  MUGLAR

  Uranium arrived from Earth in sufficient quantity to recharge the grids, but not enough for long-term survivability.

  The other planets that were identified as having some deposits of uranium resisted and suffered the same fate as Earth. One planet, which launched a surprise counterattack soon after mining operations had commenced, was obliterated by Doran by using his newly developed Gaser/Laser combo weapon. This sent a clear message throughout the Universe that resistance to Ammagan demands was fatal.

  Muglar never felt comfortable with the devastation and death he had unleashed, but survival of his species was all that mattered.

  Chapter 21

  Ammagans Change Strategy

  C ommander Muglar returned to Ammag a triumphant hero after having secured sufficient uranium to recharge the radiation grids on the levitated government and military bases in time to keep all government personnel alive. He had several reasons for his visit home: to accept the commission of a new spacecraft outfitted with the latest technological advances, to address the graduating class of the elite Special Forces Military School, and to present a new military strategy to the High Command of Ammag.

  Vorlov, the Exalted Leader of Ammag, received Muglar with the highest military honors and presented him with the Medal of Exaltation, reserved for those who change the course of Ammag’s history.

  The following morning Vorlov and Muglar discussed conditions on Ammag and the status of his military mission.

  “Exalted One, why are the military bases still isolated from the surface?” Muglar asked. “We shipped sufficient supplies of uranium to recharge both the civilian and military grids as we search for additional planets with uranium resources.”

  “Not in time to prevent the Undesirables from overrunning the major population centers. The existing uranium depleted faster than the computer models predicted—the Undesirables have committed genocide on a massive scale.”

  “What is the current status?” Muglar asked.

  “The Council decided it would be best to eliminate the threat to the rest of us by keeping the surface grid depleted. As predicted, they are turning on themselves. It won’t be long before we can return to the surface.” He paused for a moment, then redirected. “Enough of these unpleasantries. Tell me of your mission and the status of my son—has he developed any leadership qualities?”

  Muglar looked down and shuffled back a few steps. “If you’re looking for a brash, impulsive, heartless dictator, then Doran will make a great leader. If you’re looking for a leader that is wise,
strategic, and compassionate—I suggest you consider another offspring.”

  “Give him time. Tell me of your mission.”

  “Earth mining operations are at full capacity and will continue shipping for years. The quantity, however, isn’t sufficient to charge the grids at maximum capacity.”

  “What is your recommendation?”

  “To ensure long-term survival, we must continue our search for additional sources.”

  “I expected nothing less from you Muglar; we are fortunate to have such a dedicated military commander. I suggest you inspect your new warship and your cadets.”

  *****

  Since the military victory of 2060, the Ammagans had been systematically increasing their sphere of influence by skillfully adapting technologies obtained from subsequent victories for military use. It was the responsibility of the Department of Military Dominance, managed by an old friend of Muglar’s, retired Commander Zard, to leverage new technologies for military purposes. Zard had notified Muglar that a new type of military spacecraft with several innovative advances in weaponry was ready for commission.

  “Muglar, welcome home! It has been too many years since we last met.”

  “Zard, my dear friend, how are you getting along?”

  “Ah! Let me tell you one thing; time has no sympathy for the old, but let’s not despair, my friend—science is the ultimate equalizer.”