by Rob Roth
They turned off the RV and waited for about fifteen minutes until the familiar bus with the large friendly worm painted on it, appeared. The driver parked the vehicle, and true to plan, he wandered over to the Visitor’s Center and went inside. Severs and Davis waited another five minutes, just to make sure he didn’t wander back for some reason.
Stepping out of their RV, they casually wandered over to Gromit and unlocked the left side storage compartment. Davis climbed in and then opened the safe contained within, and dragged the artifact over to the edge, so he and Severs could carry it to their RV. They had just lifted it up and taken a couple steps toward their vehicle, when suddenly the doors of four other cars flew open, and men dressed in black suits rushed over and surrounded them.
“Captain Severs, Specialist Davis, I believe you have something that does not belong to you. Please set it down and step away from it.”
Severs always knew the possibility existed that they would get caught, but that didn’t stop the supreme disappointment he was feeling at that moment. The military handcuffed the two of them, and then led them over to one of the cars where they were pushed in none too gently, onto the back seat, and were locked in.
From their position, they could see that a tall, muscular, very handsome individual dressed in a gold shimmering robe walked over to the artifact, and easily picked it up. He then carried it toward the edge of the crater to a spot where nothing else was around and finding a flat area he set it down. Severs knew that must be Malic, based on the description Jace had provided. And even from this distance, he could hear Malic speak.
“Thank you gentlemen, for helping me recover my artifact. I have actually been waiting for this for quite some time, ever since I decided to take over your world. Now I have the means. You see, I’ve called my spaceships, and they should start arriving the day after tomorrow, at exactly 12 noon. With their power, I assure you that you will be completely defenseless. And to prove my point, I will remain here under my protective shield. You can try whatever you may, but it is completely impervious to your weapons.”
After his speech Malic pulled out the Malicon and closed his hand forming a fist. Immediately, an orange translucent dome about ten feet in diameter formed all around him. With his protective dome securely in place, Malic sat down to relax. He was not one who would get hungry or tired, or even bored, because he could put himself into a light trance, and thus blissfully pass the time over the next two days.
Much occurred during the remainder of that day. Heissman was arrested and locked in a secure military facility. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was not entirely disappointed in that, as he never did like Heissman. Now they were faced with a supremely challenging threat, and it was because of General Heissman. The Chairman vowed Heissman would pay for that.
Captain Severs and Davis were set free, since it became clear they were only trying to prevent Salem from getting his hands on the device. The military tried deploying a number of weapons against the shield surrounding Malic, but true to his word, the weapons had no effect. Given the proximity to civilization they could not deploy a nuke, but they tried various anti-tank artillery, howitzers, stinger missiles, and other weapons, and all had virtually no effect on the shield. Based on measurements taken, they extrapolated that no conventional weapon would likely penetrate it.
Steinmacher discovered how Severs and Davis were caught. Heissman had previously guessed Severs would try to get in contact with the Colonel, given their relationship, and so the Colonel had been followed during the last week. Once Severs showed up at the Victorian brothel, they had the Captain tailed, and watched his every move until he led them to the artifact. Steinmacher himself would likely have been taken into custody for his role, but since he was part of the plot to stop Salem, he retained his position at TUFO.
Severs and Davis went back to the hotel and informed the rest of the team what had happened.
“I think we better call Steinmacher and implement the Stardust protocol,” said Dooley.
“I agree,” replied Allison. “We should plan on getting over to TUFO sometime tomorrow so we can review the procedures with Steinmacher and be ready for the bloody aliens coming the next day. Fortunately, we know when and where they are going to arrive and can have the particle beams ready to blow them out of the sky. That is, assuming we can destroy them.”
“Why would Malic give us that information?” wondered Jace aloud. “He certainly didn’t need to. In every battle, the element of surprise is supposed to provide a critical advantage.”
“I am afraid Malic knows there is nothing that can be done,” said Elysia. “In his arrogance he saw no reason to hold that information back, and indeed, he enjoys instilling fear and boasting of his powers when he perceives no threat capable of opposing him. It’s his way to dishearten everyone.”
“I suppose you are right. Tomorrow we need to get Dooley and Allie in place and trained in the protocols for initiating the LINACs. I will need to get over to Barringer early the next day, in case a distraction is needed. We should all have earbuds and mics so we are in real time communication with one another, as it may require some split-second timing.”
“Jace, I am going to be there with you as well,” said Elysia. “I know what you were planning, that you wished to keep me out of this to spare me, but you cannot. It is as much my battle as yours. I too can distract Malic, and the need may arise for both of us to do so, at the appropriate moment.”
“Davis and I will also be there,” said Severs. “We will bring M16’s with us. If Malic has to drop his shield for some reason, then we will drop him!”
FIFTEEN
The next day, Dooley and Allison called Steinmacher and initiated the Stardust protocol. Having been given directions to TUFO from Captain Severs, they knew the way, and within an hour they arrived at the gate. The guard validated their credentials and confirmed they had authorization to come onto the base and provided them an escort for the rest of the way. Once they arrived at the main building entrance, the escort brought them to Steinmacher, who was at his usual station in the Command Center. As planned, the three of them subsequently walked down the hall to a locked door labeled ‘Restricted Entrance’, and Colonel Steinmacher used his key to unlock it. He then escorted Dooley and Allison into the small LINAC targeting room.
“Hey, look Allie. One for each of us,” said Dooley happily as he noticed there were two consoles on opposite sides of the room.
“You are correct, Mr. Marz,” said Steinmacher. “The left one is connected to White Sands, and the right one is connected to China Lake. The controls are quite simple. The red phone at each console connects you immediately to the LINAC operator at the respective base. You simply tell him to relinquish control to TUFO. Once he confirms, you can then press the positioning button. Nothing fancy is required because it is pre-programmed to the coordinates of the space-time hole and will lock in on any craft detected near that hole. Finally, you may press the button labeled ‘fire’. I assume you can guess what that does. So, only three steps — call, position, and fire. Any questions?”
Severs and Davis also went over to TUFO during the day, in order to acquire the M16’s. Steinmacher thought it would be a good idea for them to stay positioned near Jace and Elysia, for their protection. He assured Severs and Davis they would not be alone. A number of snipers were already in place, positioned with a clear shot at Salem and the power field in case an opportunity arose, but the extra protection for Jace and Elysia would be appreciated.
The military planned to scramble several fighter jets armed with missiles, including tactical nukes in case the situation became dire. The jets would use conventional weaponry and back up the LINACS if necessary. The nukes would only be a last resort if all else failed, because of the risk of EMP and nuclear fallout.
Jace and Elysia spent a considerable amount of time discussing their own strategy, but Jace felt a growing despair as every option considered led to the same inevitable outcome.
“No Jace,” Elysia said sadly. The Elicon is not able to open a portal anywhere near any of the Maliconi. It was a protection that Eld set in place after the Great War.”
“What if we destroy the artifact? Maybe that would weaken him.”
“I do not believe it will. He demonstrated his power with the Malicon before he recovered the artifact. I believe it is just a communications device.”
“If we destroy his ships with the LINACs maybe he would give up and leave…”
“Malic has had nothing but revenge in his heart since Eld cast him out twelve thousand years ago and everything that had been good was lost for him. I know his corrupt nature. He will turn his powers against your realm with an even greater ferocity driven by hatred. It may take him longer without his ships, but his power is unequaled here. The outcome will be the same.”
“What would happen if he were to try to destroy an Elicon stone with his Malicon?”
Elysia paused for a few seconds thinking this one over, as she had not considered it before.
“I do not know what would happen, Jace. I do not know if it would be possible. The Elicon stones are very powerful. Even more than the Malicon, but they do not operate in your tainted realm. The power unleashed could be unimaginable. If it were possible, the Elicon at least would have to be active at the time.”
“You mean, glowing in my hand, I assume.”
“Yes."
Try as he may, Jace could not come up with a good solution that would keep him and Elysia safe. In the end, they could only come up with one option that had any chance for an acceptable outcome. They would just have to head to the Barringer crater with Severs and Davis and remain out of sight until almost noon. Then a few seconds before noon, Jace and Elysia would move in and grasp the Elicons. When they started to glow, Elysia assured Jace that Malic would detect it.
Hopefully they could time this so it would occur at the same moment the ship came through the barrier and Dooley and Allie destroy it. Assuming Malic had to drop his force field to contact the ship, in the split second of distraction Jace would command Severs and Davis to fire on Malic. It wasn’t much of a plan, but Jace didn’t know what else he and Elysia could do.
The night before the ships were to arrive, Jace had a dream.
Jace looked around and saw that he was at the edge of the canyon where he had first found the Elicon. Standing next to him were Dooley, Allison, Captain Severs, Davis, and Elysia. But they were looking up in the sky, not down in the canyon. Suddenly, silvery spaceships started popping into existence overhead. A whole fleet of them.
Elysia said to Jace, “I don’t know how they could come in such numbers. They shouldn’t have the power to do that. Or the means! Now everything is at risk!”
Davis said “The link that binds the two together…”
Captain Severs said, “The hand of man reaches out…”
Dooley said, “To firmly grasp the one seeking...”
Allison said, “And to recover the lost.”
Jace said, “This is the end of all dreams.”
Jace woke up utterly confused. This was the same dream he had had before, almost word for word. But why would he be given this vision now? They had already figured that dream out, hadn't they? The Maliconi had already recovered what was lost.... and as soon as that thought came to Jace, he suddenly realized how wrong they had all been.
Jace did not speak to anyone about his dream the next morning, because at this point he decided it didn't really matter. If he was wrong, they needed to just stick to the plan and execute it exactly as rehearsed. If he was right, they still needed to execute it almost the same, up to the last few seconds, when Jace would have to make a decision. Because he knew in his heart the only real option with any chance did not end well for him.
“Is everyone ready?” asked Severs, as he picked up his assault rifle and slapped a second M16 cartridge into Davis' hand.
“Locked and loaded,” replied Davis.
“May Eld give us wisdom,” said Elysia.
“I believe he has…” said Jace quietly.
They all climbed into the RV, figuring it was as good as any for making the trip, and less easy for someone to see who was on board and what they were carrying. Jace drove so that Severs and Davis could remain armed and ready in the back. Elysia was in the passenger seat next to Jace.
“Daniel, I had a question about the spaceships you and Davis monitored at TUFO,” Jace asked on the way to Barringer.
“Sure Jace. I'm happy to tell you whatever I know.”
“How long did they usually stay in your airspace, once they appeared?”
Daniel conferred with Davis for about five or ten seconds before answering, “Each appearance was just about thirty minutes. It was very consistent, best we can recall.”
“And how many ships have you seen? I mean, did you ever see more than one at any given time?”
“No, only one each time. Hard to tell if it was the same ship or not.”
“Ok. It doesn't really matter. Thanks.”
Severs waited for more of a response from Jace but hearing none he just looked at Davis and shrugged his shoulders.
A military blockade was set up a mile from the Meteor Crater Center, but Jace had pre-arranged authorization from Steinmacher, who was in charge of operational control over the ground forces. They passed through without incident, and before too long had pulled into the parking lot. They picked the space farthest from where Malic was sitting enclosed in his protective force field.
“Dooley, Allie, can you hear me ok?” Jace asked after turning his headset on.
“Loud and clear,” they both responded.
“Listen guys. This is very important. Do not, I repeat, do not fire the beams until I give the order. Do you understand? This is absolutely critical. The timing is critical.”
“Jace, what if we get cut off? Or you are… unavailable. I think we may need autonomy here to decide when things are critical.”
“Listen carefully, Dooley. Very carefully. The particle beams are a Blue Falcon. Do you understand me?”
After a pause, Dooley replied, “A Blue Falcon. Copy.”
Back at TUFO, Allison looked over at Dooley and asked, “What the bloody hell just happened?”
“Please trust me on this Allie. Under no circumstances whatsoever are we to fire the beams, until Jace countermands the order. We are to stand down. Even if we are ordered to fire, we must hold. Are you good with that? I know we’ve had our disagreements, but this is way beyond our petty arguments.”
“Dooley, I don't know what's going on, but if you are absolutely sure, I can trust you. And Jace. If he is telling us somehow to stand down in no uncertain terms, I will.”
After the call, Severs and Davis hopped out of the RV and split up, moving toward Malic from opposite directions. Once they were within easy target range, they found ground cover and settled into position.
Jace and Elysia moved toward Malic but dared to go no further than the edge of the parking lot. There were enough armed military people around that by staying on the edge of the lot they were able to get fairly close but still remain inconspicuous.
It was about five minutes until noon when Jace heard the sound of jets. Sure enough, he thought, the fighters were here and prepared to engage the ship. He hoped they would be a sufficient distraction.
At about one minute to noon, Jace said, “Ok team, get ready. When the first ship appears, Elysia and I will distract Malic. When his field comes down hit him with everything you’ve got. The fighters have missiles and should engage the ship.”
At precisely noon, the first spaceship appeared, and many things seemed to happen all at once.
The field protecting Malic came down, and he placed his hand on the artifact. Imme
diately, the loud sound of gunfire was heard coming from a number of directions, all aimed at Malic. However, the Malicon stone continuously flashed, protecting Malic, and every bullet was stopped. Jace was afraid that would happen. He resigned himself to the fact that he only had one other play left.
Overhead, the fighters began engaging the spaceship, first strafing with traditional fire, then with heat seeking missiles. But the silvery form of the ship was unaffected. Then the ship fired a red beam at one of the fighters, and it went down in flames, although the pilot fortunately was able to eject.
Malic yelled out with a supernaturally loud voice, “We will destroy this planet! You cannot stop our ships! More are coming!” There was hatred in that voice, thought Jace, and uncontrollable anger. Good. He could stoke that anger and maybe throw Malic off-balance.
Back at the LINAC control room at TUFO, Steinmacher came running in. “Fire those beams! Our fighters are not able to take the ship out, and we have no defense against their energy ray. The LINACs are our only defense!” shouted Steinmacher. “Fire!”
“No can do,” said Dooley. “We've been instructed to stand down.”
“By whose authority?!” challenged Steinmacher.
“By the only one I'd trust with my life.”
Jace had stalled long enough. He was now certain he had been right. It was time to confront Malic, he thought. In Malic’s rage he was hoping Severs or Davis could get a shot past the Malicon stone defenses. Otherwise, he would not have any chance to survive the assault. Jace waited for a moment when Elysia was distracted observing the battle, and then ran toward Malic as he pulled out the stone and squeezed it.