“Says who?” Stone shouted, angered by this plan of theirs that would likely doom Earth to destruction. “Who are you to condemn the rest of the people on Earth to death?”
The soldier stood there for a moment, letting Stone’s question sink in. And then, he calmly reached for his helmet and pulled it off, revealing his short brownish-blond hair and lightly tanned face. Stone and the rest of the Thunderfox’s crew were shocked into silence.
“I’ll tell you who I am. Jackson Hunter, Vice President of the United States of America.” Seeing their shocked expressions, he smiled and asked, “Are you satisfied now?”
Chapter 9
Date: July 14, 2132
Location: Southern Africa
Still recovering from the sight before him, Jack scanned the city stood in stunned silence as the rest of the team looked at the remains of the smoldering city.
“Well, now what?” Victor asked, not so delicately breaking the silence as he leaned against a large tree.
“We have to keep moving,” Colonel Brown said, his strong New York accent cracking slightly. “Take a minute to stretch up, then hit the road.”
As the officers continued to talk, Jack examined the site, not sure of what he’d find. He slowly walked through the smoldering remains of a structure, taking everything in. From his vantage point, he hadn’t seen a single dead Ribiyar among the rubble.
Jack clenched his fists as he felt a surge of anger flow through him. He had always felt an odd sense of disconnection from his emotions ever since his transformation. He still had them, but they felt dimmed most of the time, giving him a greater control over his reactions. But that control was nowhere to be found right then, and his fury felt as fresh as it ever did.
“Crazy, huh?” Victor asked as he walked up behind them. He jerked a thumb up the hill towards the rest of the group. “I have a feeling they’ll be yapping up there for a while. Figured it’d be more fun down here.”
Jack didn’t turn back towards him, continuing his walk through the wreckage and snapped, “What about this to you seems like fun?”
“The thrill of the hunt, that feeling surging through my veins,” Victor responded, anticipation tinging his voice. “Can’t get it anywhere else.”
“Why would they just slaughter all of these people?” Jack demanded aloud, not particularly to Victor. “These isolated settlements could never pose a threat to the Ribiyar. They could have just rounded them up, transported them somewhe-”
“Pest control,” a voice called out from the center of the demolished building, stopping Jack in his tracks. And he knew it wasn’t Victor who said it. “All this was simply eradicating local infestation.”
Jack glanced backwards, seeing the digital red Ribiyar, Fu’Lyl, stepping through the rubble.
“I don’t have to listen to this,” Jack said firmly. “All you are is a manifestation of a viral computer virus attacking my systems.”
“Um… what?” Victor asked, but Jack ignored his question.
Jack turned around, hoping to tune out Fu’Lyl but found that he couldn’t, for the alien was now standing in front of him.
“I’m much more than an aberrant glitch caused by an infestation,” the Ribiyar growled. “I am a semi-sentient interface, designed to destroy anything that would try to hack Ribiyar technology, independently linked to the computer to remain secure.” He grabbed Jack’s arms, and searing hot pain began to burn in them, and he was powerless to break free. “And this, what you feel now, is only a taste of what you’re going to feel before the end.”
And like that, Fu’Lyl was gone, and Jack fell to his knees.
“You okay, Jackie?” Victor asked, a smirk on his face.
“Shut… up,” he managed to gasp through clenched teeth. Slowly, he got back to his feet. I have to get the group moving again. I don’t have much time left.
He took a step back toward the group, when suddenly he froze. The surroundings around him were quiet, besides a gentle breeze, and the distant chatter of his team, still trying to figure out what to do next. But his technologically enhanced hearing picked up something else, making its way closer to him.
A sharp crack sounded, and he heard a nearly silent object soaring through the air, heading towards him. His lightning-fast reflexes caught the object before he could even get a look at it, and sharp metallic sound ringing out. He pulled up his hand and he saw that he held.
A bullet?
“Where the heck did that come from?” Victor asked as his hand hovered over the Phantom Blade, ready to rip it out at the sign of another attack.
He looked out towards, trying to see where it had come from. And in a grassy field forty feet away at the edge of the crater, he found himself staring into the eyes of a very frightened young boy.
Chapter 10
Date: July 14, 2132
Location: Aboard the U.S.S. Thunderfox, at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean (Check to see if that ocean is near Africa
“How are you still alive?” Stone managed to ask once his mind recover from Vice President Hunter’s appearance. Clearing his throat, he rephrased, “I mean, how did you survive the initial attack? Everyone thought you were at the White House when the invasion started.”
Hunter nodded and signaled the soldiers to lower their weapons.
“I was. President Paul Richards and I were given just enough time to make it out of the White House before it was overrun. We were ambushed by a pack of Ribiyar soldiers but we made it out alive, at the cost of many of the Secret Service with us. I thought we were done for, but I managed to get him to safety by the skin of my teeth. Just lucky, I guess.”
He stepped forward and stretched out his hand to help Stone up. Grabbing hold, he got back up to a standing position.
“Lucky for us,” Chief Payton huffed as he helped himself up.
“Look,” Hunter said, a dark light flashing in his eyes, “You may not like me or my decisions, but I am your superior officer, and I expect to be respected as such.”
Chief Payton clenched his jaw and tersely nodded. “Of course, sir. Sorry, sir.”
Stone took a breath, mentally bracing himself to avoid any more slip ups in protocol. Treading cautiously with the vice president, he asked, “Sir, what about President Richards? The captain of our ship desperately needs to talk to him.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to do for now,” Hunter said, locking his fierce gaze onto Stone. “I made it out of the attack fairly unscathed, but President Richards was critically injured. He’s in a coma, and he may not ever wake up.”
Syvon briskly walked through the corridors of his ship, getting to the cargo bay as quickly as he could. Chief Payton had briefed him on the situation and had informed him the vice president had requested to meet him to discuss their next move. Leaving Commander Ton in charge, he could finally breathe easy now that he knew a little more of what was going on.
All of my officers are clear of danger, Syvon reminded himself. That’s always priority one.
My other concern – keeping the planet out of danger – won’t be so easy.
“Captain?” Chief Lexton called, rushing up behind him.
“I’m afraid I don’t have time to stop, chief,” Captain Syvon huffed out as he tried to keep his brisk pace.
“Understood, sir,” Lexton said as she kept pace behind him. “I just wanted to make sure, are we in the clear out there? I heard there was a commotion.”
He nodded. “There was, but it looks to be sorted out. For the most part, anyway.”
“So Atlantis is here after all?” she asked, her voice pitching. “When do I get to work on the beauty?”
Someone’s definitely looking forward to work. “Actually, that’s where I’m heading right now, chief. I’m meeting with the people in charge. But for the moment I need you to stay on the ship. I want to check everything out before I send more people out there.”
>
Lexton nodded softly. “Understood, sir. What do you want me working on in the meantime?”
“While I’m out there, go make sure all of your gear is ready. Once I get everything squared away, I need all the pieces to start moving quickly.”
As Lexton headed back the way she came, he hurried on and within a minute reached the cargo bay. Syvon’s officers, Lieutenant Commander Stone, Vice President Hunter, and his soldiers were all present, taking inventory of the food and supplies that had been brought for the Atlantis.
Syvon extended his right hand, and Hunter shook it with one firm shake before releasing. “It’s good to see that you survived, Vice President Hunter.”
Hunter nodded, his brownish-blond locks of hair bouncing as he did so. “It bodes well to see you live as well, Captain Syvon. I’ve heard of your heroics on the battlefield.” His eyes wandered over the cargo bay of the Thunderfox. “It is reassuring that this vessel didn’t fall into enemy hands. It will be a great asset.” His eyes focused back on Syvon. “But you didn’t come here just to marvel at your own ship, did you?” He began to turn and motioned him to follow. “Let’s get you started on the grand tour of this facility.”
After he fired off some quick orders to his soldiers, two of them breaking away from the group to provide an escort, Hunter led the way out of the Thunderfox and into the large storage area.
“We were fortunate so many of our supplies had already been transferred here,” Hunter said, gesturing to the stakes of crates and boxes. “With the setbacks we’ve encountered, Atlantis’s journey may have ended before it even began.”
“Setbacks?” Syvon asked.
Hunter nodded. “There’s been a few accidents that have held us back, and we’re still working on getting the engines operational. The system’s incredibly complex, and it has to be precisely fine-tuned in order for everything to work like we need it to.”
As Hunter continued to walk, they reached the wall of the storage depot and were led through a boxy tunnel that cut into the stone. Held up by exposed metal beams, the dirty stone corridor was dimly lit by bare lightbulbs hung on the ceiling.
The group exited the tunnel into a massive construction site, brightly lit by flood lights positioned over the area. Its size enormous, the base spanned eighteen football fields. Two cranes stood at the ends of both walls and watchtowers safeguarded the souls residing there. Along one of the shorter walls, there were a number of windows for more rooms and structures roughly cut into the stone, and on the other wall, a massive set of panels had been placed to keep the ocean at bay.
And in the center of the structure sat the prized jewel, the Atlantis. The massive vessel had been modeled after a dolphin, it’s structure arching downwards slightly, complete with a pair of fins near its stomach, one on its back, and a tail that ended with long, slender flippers. The vessel had been painted dark aqua blue, almost as an embodiment of the ocean. Along its hull, Syvon saw an innumerable amount of Laser Arrays and several missile ports lining the front, broadside, and end of the ship. Currently, the Atlantis was held up by five massive supports on the bottom of the ship, as well as a crane connected to the upper fins.
“Woah…” Syvon said at last, taken back by how magnificent the ship was.
“Breathtaking, I know,” Hunter said as he crossed his arms. “Never gets old, seeing my ship like this, so close to beginning its ascension to the stars. With thirty-two decks, a crew complement of five hundred battle-sharpened men and women, and all the weapons you can imagine, it’s easily the most advanced ship humanity has ever dared to build.” He glanced over at Syvon with a raised eyebrow. “Well, are you satisfied now?”
“About what?” Syvon asked, gesturing for Hunter to elaborate.
“One of your men, Lieutenant Commander Stone I believe, said that you were here to assist in the preparations of the ship’s maiden voyage. But you alone came with me to get the first view of this beauty. Naturally, you’re conducting reconnaissance, ensuring that our base is not swarming with hostiles and not taking the all-clear at face value from a man you’ve known less than five minutes. Am I correct?”
Syvon chuckled, shaking his head as he ran his hand through his hair. “Right on the nose, actually, sir.” He peered over the platform for one final examination and said at last, “I think I’ve seen all I need to. For now.” He turned back to Hunter. “I would like to request that I’m present as you show my officers around the ship, so I can get more familiar with how Atlantis operates.”
Grinning, Hunter said, “Of course, Captain Syvon. I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”
Chapter 11
Date: July 14, 2132
Location: Southern Africa
For several long moments, they both froze, unsure of how to respond. The dark-skinned boy couldn’t have been older than nine, with soot covered clothes and a pistol in his hands. The boy suddenly dashed through the tall grass beyond the ruins, making distance quickly.
“Wait!” Jack called out. The boy didn’t slow down, and Jack took off after him with Victor following suit. Before he could close the gap, Blitz flashed past him and disappeared into the tall grass. A few moments later, Blitz emerged once more, lunging through the air and landing on the boy’s back. The force of the impact brought them tumbling down, and they rolled in a tangled mess for a few moments before they finally stopped.
The boy shoved Blitz off him and stood up, trying to edge away from Jack as he approached. “Keep away from me!” he shouted, pulling up the gun once more.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” Jack said as he held his hands. He knew the gun wouldn’t do much to him, but there wasn’t any telling what the panicked child would do. Blitz stood firm behind the child, keeping him from running again.
“It’s all right,” Brown called from behind Jack. He glanced over his shoulder and saw his leader approaching, with the rest of the team holding at a distance. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
The boy breathed deeply and adjusted his hold on the gun, his hands trembling.
Jack locked eyes with the child and softened his voice. “Why did you attack me?”
“You… you look like one of them.”
“The attackers?”
The boy nodded stiffly. Slowly, he asked, “Aren’t you?”
Jack shook his head and put on a small smile. “No. In fact, we’re here to stop them.”
The boy calmed down a bit and started to breath a little easier. Blitz slowly approached him, and lightly nuzzled his leg. The boy laughed as he took the cat in his lap and lowered his weapon as Blitz purred at the attention.
Brown knelt down and held out his hand. “I’m Vern Brown. You got a name?”
The boy bit his lip, ignoring his outstretched hand. Still a little on edge, he kept rubbing Blitz’s fur as he handed him the grip of the gun and quietly answered, “Abel.”
“Abel,” Brown said slowly, putting the gun aside, “how did you survive the attack?”
“Me and my dad were staying at a house, that way,” Abel pointed beyond the crater, in the direction the group had been traveling. “We were eating when loud noises started going off, and shiny people started marching through the streets, with these huge gun things. My dad hid me and gave me this gun, telling me not to let anyone in. After that… I don’t know what happened to him.” He looked in Brown’s eyes, desperation in his eyes. “What if they got him? What if they took him somewhere?”
“I… I’m not sure where they would take him.” Brown said softly. “Did any other people survive the attack?”
Abel’s brow pressed together. “I don’t know. But… there might have been a few cars driving by the house once or twice.”
Brown looked up to Jack. “Do you know of anywhere some people could hide?”
Jack searched his memory and then said, “There’s a tourist attraction a few miles away, in that general direction. A sinkhole had
opened up some rock formations, that could give good cover to people shelter.”
Brown breathed out slowly. “We need to check this out,” he finally said firmly.
“Do we really have time for this?” Victor asked.
“They’re in the direction we were going anyway,” Brown said as he helped Abel to his feet. “We might find some more fuel to save our reserves for later. Besides, we’re not just going to leave him here.”
With Abel holding Blitz firmly in his hands, they briskly jogged back to their vehicles and took off away from the ruins. Blitz and the other E.V.A.N.s kept Abel distracted as they drove, and Jack sat beside him, making sure nothing activated their repressed programing. While they traveled, the scenery around them slowly became forested, forcing them to stick to the roads for now. About fifteen minutes later, the group reached a large grassy clearing, with some small buildings and a tall rock mound near the middle. They stopped a distance from the parking lot that had roughly a dozen abandoned cars. They got out of their vehicles and got their gear ready.
“River, get ready to siphon the cars if we’re in the clear. Jack, come with me and help me check this out.”
“Can I come?” Abel asked as he hopped out of the car.
“In a few minutes,” Brown said, motioning him to wait. “We need to make sure it’s safe first. Chill with the cats in the car.” Abel was hesitant to obey, but the cats beckoning meows finally convinced him back in.
“The rest of you,” Brown said as he glanced at the other officers, “stay alert and keep an eye out.” Brown and Jack did a quick sweep of the buildings, confirmed they were empty, then cautiously went into the entrance. Stairs carved into the rocks led them deeper down, and the temperature dropped as they went deeper in. The ground eventually leveled out somewhat, and they made their way past the various stalagmite formations.
Galactic Defenders- Perseverance Page 7