Rick tried to respond but it came out as a mumble. He didn’t have the strength to fight back. Quinton smirked. “Chain him up,” he said to his two guards. The two guards complied.
As Quinton walked away he said one more thing, “You’ll have a front row seat at the death of humanity tomorrow morning,” said Quinton. “When I sacrifice Sandra Connor, the aliens will pay us back with even more power. Once I have that power, there will be no stopping me. I have made sure that tomorrow will be a special, special day.”
Chapter 49
“I let you use my nano satellites before the invasion,” said Felix. “Now let me use your radio tower.”
Ethan looked at Felix and did his best to look in control of the situation. It wasn’t working. Ever since, he was overruled by John and the camp members months ago, he’d lost a lot of seniority in the bunker. “We can’t give a civilian access to the radio tower,” he said.
“Why? You’re not using it. You don’t know have access to the satellites remaining in the sky to relay any signal off of it. Let me use it.”
Ethan looked around the bunker’s mission control room. He needed to make a stand. “Listen, you can’t just march in here…”
Felix cut him off. “I travelled halfway across the country so I could use your radio tower. Fuck you. We need to know what’s out there. You need to know what’s out there. We need to know what’s blocking my distress signal.”
Tuck was in the control room with them, he stood behind Felix and looked at the billionaire with quiet admiration. He was starting to understand why politicians and members of the media painted Felix with such a bad picture. Felix pushed people around to get what he wanted. He was arrogant, sure, but he wasn’t an asshole. He was a man who knew what he wanted and knew what buttons to press so he would get it.
“What distress signal?” Ethan asked.
“Like I’ve been saying,” said Felix. “I was using my remaining satellites in the sky to send distres signals to stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Hoping that some alien race would hear them and come to help. But the last message I sent couldn’t get through. It was blocked.”
“What do you mean: blocked?” Oleksii asked.
“There’s something out in Kuiper Belt,” Felix said. “Something that is blocking any satellite signal from leaving our solar system. That’s why I left the Gulf. That’s why I came here. I want to make sure it isn’t what I think it is.”
“What do you think it is?”
“More alien ships. Bigger ones. Much bigger. Big enough that they are blocking distress calls to other planets.”
The control room went silent when Felix said this. The implications of his findings were horrific.
“How did you find them? Are you sure they aren’t the same objects NASA spotted in the Kuiper Belt before the invasion.”
“Yes, I am sure. Those NASA findings weren’t like this. These are different.”
“Your satellites, are they still operational?” said Oleksii.
“Yes,” said Felix. “I’ll give you access to them if you give me access to your radio tower. I need its power to measure what’s out there.”:
“That sounds crazy,” said Ethan.
“Fuck you,” said Felix.
“Yeah, go fuck yourself!” chimed in Dirk.
Felix looked at Dirk and smiled. The old man was the only reason why he even had this meeting with Ethan. Ethan didn’t want to talk to Felix. But it was Dirk who knew the ins and outs of the bunker and pushed through the security at the Mission Control entrance. It was good to have some friends on his side.
“Listen, shit head. There are alien ships on our planet right now,” said Felix. “Advanced alien civilizations exist. The one’s on our planet are hostile. I was hoping to find a civilization that is friendly. I don’t think that sounds crazy at all”
Ethan rubbed his temple. This wasn’t going as planned. He turned to Oleksii. “What should we do?”
“I don’t see the harm in giving him access,” said Oleksii. “If something is out there, we will want to know about it. Plus, if he can give us access to the remaining BlueStar satellites, that will allow us to reach out and find other groups of survivors around the planet.”
Ethan sighed. He would have to accept Felix’s request. “Fine,” he said.
“You’ll allow us to use it?” asked Felix. He wanted to be clear.
“Yes,” said Ethan, he sounded defeated. “Use it. Use it all you want. Give us access to your satellites.” He walked to his commander’s chair and sat down. His hands in his face.
Felix watched him as he did so. Felix let off terrible body language. No wonder no one in the bunker listened to him. He wasn’t a true leader. SpaceForce needed someone who knew how to take charge. But that’s not why he was here. He didn’t want to lead what was left of SpaceForce. He just wanted to help.
“Okay,” said Oleksii. “You can come with me. I’ll take you to the radio tower room.”
Tuck and Felix followed Oleksii to the radio tower room. The room was located on the floor below the observatory. It was a small and was stacked to the brim with computer monitors and wires. There was also a thin layer of dust over everything. It hadn’t been used in a long time, if ever.
“Nice,” said Felix, wiping his hand across one of the monitors. He looked at his fingers, there was thick layer of dust on them.
“Radio communications via the tower were pointless after the invasion,” said Oleksii. “We tried to send out some signals, seeing if anyone out there picked them up, but there was nothing. And like you said, there were no satellites in orbit that we could use to bounce our signals off of. I haven’t been in this room in years.”
“Must make life for a satellite hacker like you difficult,” said Felix, smiling.
Oleksii laughed. “You know who am?”
“How could I not?” said Felix. “At sixteen years old your hacked into a secret spy SpaceForce satellite. Had the Russian’s known what you were capable of, they would never have given you up.”
“Yes,” said Oleksii. “So instead of being held captive in Russia, I am held captive in America.”
Felix laughed. “Were you not set up in Hawaii?
“How do you know all this?
“As one of the richest men in America it’s my job to know,” Felix said. “The US government relied on BlueStar satellites for everything. I needed special security clearance. Plus, I have a keen interest in the man who hacked into my satellites. I’m glad you survived the invasion.”
“You guys should get a room,” Tuck said, rolling his eyes.
Oleksii and Felix turned toward Tuck and all three men let out a big laugh.
“You want to give us a hand programming the radio tower,” said Felix. “I’m sure a trailer park prepper like yourself knows a thing or two about computer language.”
“Now your just being a smartass,” said Tuck. “I’ll head down a few floors and grab a beer. It’s been a long day. I’ll leave you two assholes to it.”
As Tuck left the room, Felix and Oleksii got to work. The radio tower on Starpeak Mountain was more powerful than most people realized. They’d have to get it powered up and Felix would have to program in the coordinates into the computer that controlled the tower. Once they sent the signal, they’d have to wait.
In a couple hours, they’d find out if the second wave of alien attackers were on their way.
Chapter 50
The fog glowed orange and it was cold. Rick’s eyes opened slowly. He was still groggy from the shocks, kicks and punches he’d received the night before. His body ached. He hadn’t taken a beating like that in a long time. As he woke up, he checked his surroundings. “You still there, kid?”
“Still here,” said Bobby. “But I’m worried.”
“Dont’ be,” said Rick. “There’s nothing we can do right now. We just have to wait for an opportunity to reveal itself. We will find it, trust me.”
“After they kill my mother, they’re g
oing to kill us.”
Rick stayed quiet. The kid was probably right. He wasn’t in the mood to give some kind of pep talk anyway. He understood why Bobby was scared, thinking about your own mortality is never fun. But thinking about dying wasn’t going to do them any good either. He needed to figure out a way to get out. They just needed to find a break and seize it.
Two guards walked around out of one of the small buildings that stood within the fort. They were the same guards from the night before. The guards that were with Quinton. They walked up to Rick and kicked him in the stomach. Rick growled in pain.
“No funny stuff, hot shot,” one of the guards said. “If it was up to us, you’d be dead right now.”
“I’m glad it’s not up to you,” said Rick, smiling.
One of the guards fists hit him in the jaw. Rick was knocked out cold. They unchained Rick from the tree trunk. “Does he want the boy, too?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” said the other.
“Where you taking us?” asked Bobby.
“You’re going to get to say goodbye to your mother,” the guard who was untying Bobby said, laughing.
“You fucking sickos,” said Bobby.
“Whoa,” said the guard. “Look at the big mouth on this baby.”
“Teach him a lesson,” said the guard dragging Rick.
“With pleasure,” said the guard untying Bobby. He punched Bobby across the temple, knocking him out.
The two guards dragged Bobby and Rick through the fort. Rick’s eyes crept open as his head bumped up and down along the muddy ground inside the fort. There were other guards who joined them on the walk. He counted fifteen in total. In the distance, he could hear a crowd cheering. Every time their was a gap in the cheering, he’d hear Quinton’s voice coming through a megaphone.
They were brought to a big open square still within the fort’s walls. The guard who was dragging Rick let go of his feet and gave him a gentle kick to wake him up. “Get up,” the guard said. “Get up and go over there!” The guard pointed to a stage which Quinton was standing upon.
Quinton noticed Rick and smiled. “Mr. Frost,” he said. “Have you thought at all about our conversation last night? Have you decided to throw the white flag up on humanity and join me in accepting the alien invaders as our true leaders, as our gods?”
Rick stood up, turned to Quinton and spat on the ground. Quinton wasn’t pleased. He hit the trigger in his hand, and Rick collapsed. Electrical currents rushed through Rick’s body, his limbs contorted in every direction. Bobby who’d just been woken up screamed for Quinton to stop.
“You think I’m joking around?” Quinton said. “You think this is some game?” He took his finger off the trigger. “Clearly, you’re not the man I thought you were. I thought you’d be the type of man we could use. After all, society cast you aside, treated you as a rabid dog. They blamed your father for what happened up there. They blamed you. I’d think you’d be done with humanity. I guess not.”
Once the electrical shocks stopped, Rick stood up once more, although he struggled to maintain his balance. “I’m not throwing up the white flag,” he said. “You can follow your gods straight to hell you piece of shit.”
“So be it,” said Quinton. “When we’re done with Sandra, you’ll be next. We shall reap a great harvest from the ashes of you infidels. The aliens will reward us for your sacrifice.”
“No!” Bobby cried.
“Shut up, boy,” said Quinton. “You’ll be next.”
Two guards grabbed Rick by the shoulders, he could barely stand, and dragged him up to the top of the stage. Bobby joined him.
Rick turned to Bobby, and mouthed, “keep your cool, kid.”
Bobby nodded.
Rick looked out into the crowd, there must’ve been a hundred or so people. They all looked at Quinton with the same expression. They worshipped him. They ate up every line of bullshit he spouted out. Beyond the crowd, he could see John, there were chains on his feet. John gave him a sorrowful look. He didn’t look like a man who’d given up on humanity, he was just doing what ever it took to survive. Rick gave John a quick nod. John reciprocated.
Quinton walked back and forth on the stage, waving his hands as he did so. The crowd began to cheer maniacally. He picked up the megaphone. The crowds gaze followed him with every step. “You came here,” Quinton said, “as lost little sheep. You came here because the invaders humbled you. You came here because you heard about my sacrifice, about my rebirth.”
Rick rolled his eyes. What the fuck was this guy talking about? Did these people actually buy this fucking shit?
“You’ve heard this story before,” Quinton said. “But let me tell it again. In hopes that our infidels will believe.” He turned to Rick and Bobby and smiled. “Before I walked into the mouth of the harvester, I gave up my wife to the aliens. She was a pure believer. Devout and holy. She followed my every word and command. She was a true servant of the aliens and my faith. That is why she had to be sacrificed. The aliens willed it so. Our sins had to be washed away by a true believer.”
Everyone in the crowd bowed their heads and raised one hand. They chanted, in unison, “Come to us great ones.”
Quinton continued, “Then you saw me sacrifice my own self. I walked into the same harvester that vaporized my wife. I gave myself up to them. Not to seek death, but to find rebirth. When I was inside, the world went black. When I awoke, I was here.” He opened his arms up and motioned to the land the fort rested on.” I awoke surrounded by the glowing green energy cubes. The machines gave me the answer. They showed me how to rise up to their heights. And when I showed you the way, you followed me and were saved.”
One of the members of the crowd yelled out, “All hail, Quinton.” The rest of the crowd followed in the man’s remark and repeated it.
“Quiet down,” said Quinton, smiling. “All hail, our new gods. Today marks a new day. Today we give the aliens what they really want. We give them the body of a true sinner. When our hunting party brought me Sandra Connor, the one who’d gotten away, I knew the aliens heard my prayers. For years, I hunted her, but I could never find her. It was my failing as your leader that I could not bring her to justice. But that is about to change. The hunt is over. It’s time to kill Sandra Connor.”
A door opened and Sandra walked out of one of the buildings, she was being led by two guards. There was a chain around her neck. She was naked. She looked like shit. Her hair had been cut off and there were cuts all over her face and body. Rick couldn’t stand looking at her like that. He wanted to rush to her aid, but couldn’t. He was still chained up and there were too many guards around him. The guards led Sandra to a large trunk in the middle of the courtyard, they tied her up to it.
Quinton pulled out his trigger. “The energy cubes contain an immense amount of energy. From my estimates, each cube is equivalent to a tiny nuclear reactor. For an engineer like me, it wasn’t difficult harnessing the energy for our own purposes. That’s why the aliens chose me. And now I am going to give them a gift. For soon, they will return.”
Rick interrupted Quinton’s monologue, “What do you mean they will return?”
“Ah,” said Quinton to the crowd. “The unbeliever asks how I know about the aliens and their presence. He doubts my connection to the gods.”
“Listen, shit stain,” said Rick. “If their are aliens headed our way, we need to get the fuck out of here.”
“The unbeliever says we should run,” Quinton to the crowd. “Did I run when they attacked?”
The entire crowd screamed out a defiant “No!”
“Then we will not run today. Not when we know they blessed us for my patience, for my sacrifice.”
“You stupid motherfucker,” said Rick. “You’re going to get all these people killed.”
Quinton pulled the megaphone away from his lips and turned to Rick, saying, “Watch and see, unbeliever.”
Quinton pulled out his trigger and hit it. Both Rick and Sandra screamed out i
n pain.
Once the pain stopped, Rick looked out into the crowd. He needed to get the hell out of here quick. He didn’t have time to wait for a an opening. He’d have to make one. He was about to get up from the stage and start to run, maybe creating a diversion for Bobby to do the same, when he saw what John was doing. The scientist raised his hand, signalling to Rick to stay where he was. Rick followed John’s instruction.
Quinton picked up the megaphone, “Our brothers return,” he said. “Time to accept our salvation.”
It was too late. Rick could hear something out in the distance. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. The fort’s metal walls began to rattle. The ground started to shake. Rick turned to Quinton, “You’re fucking insane,” he said. “I don’t want any part of your salvation. Just let us go.”
Quinton didn’t respond, he just smiled.
The shaking grew intense, the crowd began to chant, “Come to us great ones. Come to us great ones.”
Quinton hit his trigger and the large gate to the fort opened. Rick looked out the gate. For the first time in days, the fog was beginning to lift. He could see what was coming. It wasn’t good.
About a mile away, four harvesters approached. In front of them, was a truck. The truck swerved wildly as it made its way toward the gate to the door.
“Jesus christ,” Rick said. He finally understood it all. Quinton had convinced one his zealots to take a truck and guide a group of nearby harvesters back to the camp. He turned to Quinton and said, “You fucking psycho. You don’t have some special connection to the aliens. You don’t know shit. This is suicide.”
Quinton put his megaphone down and turned to Rick, saying, “When they see what we’ve created in their absence, they will understand. They brought me for a reason. The aliens will understand.”
“Understand?”
“Yes.”
The harvesters rushed toward the fort, they were gaining on the truck. They were half a mile away, they’d be breaking through the fort’s entrance way in seconds. The metal sheets that were holding the fort walls together began to shake violently. While the fort’s walls were thick, there was no way they were strong enough to withhold the power of the harvesters. This wasn’t going to end well.
Battle- Earth Page 24