Earth (Vetrix)

by Bill Bush

  “This is definitely his house,” said the Secret Service man.

  “Grab his computer equipment—we’ll want to analyze it,” the Snader ordered. Then burn the place down.

  Eric was glad his most important equipment was in the van.

  The men gathered Eric’s remaining computer equipment. Once they had exited the house Eric ran for the entrance to his garage.

  He shouted, “Forty-two,” and the bookshelf in front of him slip open, then shut itself after Eric passed through.

  The sensor would only open the bookshelf entrance if it detected his voice and the correct phrase. Fortunately he designed it to automatically shut after he passed through. Otherwise, it probably would have been open when his house was invaded and the men would have found his garage, which was now his only way to escape.

  He ran to the garage and sealed it up. He had the room fireproofed because he wanted to contain a potential fire inside the garage. He hadn’t considered that he would some day need to use it to protect the garage from the house.

  He checked the security video feeds on his phone. The first three angles were blank. When he got to the fourth angle—from a tree on the other side of his driveway—he saw why he had blank pictures. His house was engulfed in flames. Another angle showed him the last of the limousines pulling into the street and driving away.

  He pulled out his duffle bag and threw on some clothes. Once the vehicles were out of sight, Eric hopped in his van. He was now a fugitive and fortunate to be alive.

  Chapter 25

  Flipper was exhausted. He barely got more than a catnap at the church because he was so anxious about contacting Finn. He made the call almost two hours ago, he guessed. His phone had died shortly after he called Finn so he had no idea what time it was.

  Finn wanted to pick him up right away, but Flipper refused to give away his location, afraid that it might be too easy for Finn to find his friends. Finn relented and told Flipper to meet him at the New Mexico Military Institute golf course, on the green of the fourth hole.

  It took him about an hour to get to the golf course, which he found easily enough. Finding the correct green turned out to be more challenging. He had been wandering the course for at least an hour looking for the designated meeting spot. He didn’t know anything about golf and was thankful to learn that the flags on the greens had numbers. At least he knew when he had found the wrong green, which he had done seven times so far. That included finding the seventh and twelfth greens two times each.

  The bright moon gave him light to navigate the inconsistent terrain. Flipper was thirsty, cold, and scared. Several times he heard rustling noises coming from the high grass and shrubbery. Twice he saw a jackrabbit, with long back legs, scamper by. He wondered what else loomed just out of his sight.

  After passing the seventh green for the third time he saw two lights, side by side in the distance. The lights were coming closer. A humming noise from the direction of the lights gradually got louder. He figured it was a golf cart and caught himself actually hoping it was Finn and not someone working for the golf course.

  He almost waited too long. The golf cart didn’t slow down and he had to dive to his side to avoid being hit. He heard laughter as the golf cart passed and quickly came to a stop. He recognized the laugh—Finn. That other guy joined in the laughter. Damien, maybe?

  Flipper wasn’t hurt, but he was now wet from the dampness of the grass. And he was mad. It was bad enough he had to give himself up to them, but now they were laughing at him. It felt like he was back in school.

  “Get up, Kid,” Finn barked out.

  As Flipper got to his feet, Finn approached, aiming a gun to his head.

  “Really?” Flipper said. “Two adults against a kid and you need to use a gun?”

  “I don’t trust you or those friends of yours,” Finn spat out. “I want them to know they have to trade your life if they want to ambush us.”

  “So you wanted to meet at the golf course because it’s a big open area?” Flipper asked. “Don’t worry, I came by myself.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t trust you.” The sarcasm was thick in Finn’s voice.

  “So where are your backup hiding?” Flipper asked.

  “We didn’t bring anyone else,” Damien said.

  “Shut up, you fool!” Finn shot him an angry look.

  ”You showed up expecting me to have backup but you didn't bring any?” Flipper would have laughed if he didn’t have a gun pointed at his head.

  Finn ignored him and motioned to the golf cart, “Get in!”

  ”First, release my dad.”

  ”We'll take you to him.”

  ”You said you'd bring him. That was the deal.”

  ”Sorry, Kid, the deal is changed.”

  ”But..but…”

  ”Sue me, Kid. Now get in.”

  Furious, Flipper stood his ground. He had been double-crossed and felt stupid for believing Finn would let his dad go.

  Finn shoved him roughly toward the cart and then into the middle seat.

  Flipper had driven a golf cart once. He didn't think this was a real golf cart. If it was, it was the limousine of golf carts. It looked like one, with an overhanging top and open entrances. But this vehicle was big. There were three rows of seats, a plethora of radio and computer gadgets on the front dashboard, and a trunk in the back. When Finn handcuffed him to the side in the middle seat, Flipper was thankful he didn't have to ride in the trunk.

  Finn sat behind him, occasionally reminding him of the gun pointed at his head. Damien drove, leaving the golf course — taking mostly alleys and dark, quiet roads — and eventually the city. Flipper was cold and wet, and the breeze that hit him as they were doing what looked like fifty miles an hour was making him miserable.

  A few miles out of town Damien drove across a field to a large building that looked like a barn with stucco covering the outside. The large overhead door opened, they pulled into the dimly-lit structure and the door closed behind them.

  Finn and Damien took Flipper into a small room that reminded him of the dentist’s office. There was a chair in the center of the room that looked like it moved up and down, and could spin as well as recline. Along the walls of the room were cabinets, counters, and medical looking gadgets. Flipper knew he wasn’t about to get his teeth cleaned.

  Finn ordered him to sit then strapped him down. Being their prisoner was bad enough, but to have his arms and legs confined was beyond aggravating.

  Finn left the room and Damien approached Flipper with a syringe.

  “I think I would feel better if there was someone else in the room before you poked me with that.” Damien didn’t seem very bright and Flipper was worried he didn’t know what he was doing.

  “Don’t worry,” Damien chuckled in a child-like manner. “I’ve done this plenty of times.”

  That didn’t comfort him at all.

  “What’s in the syringe?” Flipper asked as Damien pressed the clear liquid into his body.

  “I don’t know, but it will make you sleep.”

  Flipper didn’t like how this was going so far. Then he had an idea. “Where’s my dad?”

  Damien didn’t hesitate. “We have him locked up in our Snader training facility.”

  Flipper was feeling very woozy. “Where is that located?”

  “It’s under Carlsbad Caverns.”

  “Shut up, you numbskull!” Finn barked as he entered the room.

  Flipper couldn’t hold his eyes open much longer. He looked at Finn. “What are you doing to me?”

  Finn gave him a devious grin. “We need to know where your friends are. We’re going to read your mind.”

  Those were the last words Flipper heard before everything went black.

  Chapter 26

  It was still a few hours before daylight when Allison sat up with a start. She replayed her dream in her mind—the meeting with the Snaders, the President’s speech, and her capture and discussion with President Charles. This wa
s the second time she escaped imprisonment by waking up. Her dreaming ability worked and was surely coming in handy.

  Allison stood and stretched her legs. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before walking to the bathroom. Their makeshift bedroom was a strange sight—humans and two different species of aliens all sleeping together in the church, her church, that she and her family had attended all of her life. As strange a sight as it was, the presence of the aliens didn't feel strange to Allison. She was already comfortable around them. She believed she could trust them, which was a good thing because they all needed to trust each other. It was a matter of survival.

  She was mad at the Gudes for taking Flipper—she couldn’t get the image of Fox kidnapping Flipper out of her mind. But Flipper trusted them and even considered them friends. She knew that was a big reason she was able to trust them.

  Wait! A flood of panic swarmed Allison as she frantically scanned the room. He wasn’t here. She glanced toward the bathroom but there was no light on. Flipper! Flipper! Flipper! She screamed in her mind. The third time also came out audibly. She clasped her hands over her mouth and fear flooded in.

  Within seconds everyone was awake. There was no sign of Flipper.

  “Did anyone see him leave?” Fox asked.

  No one had.

  “I can’t believe this is happening again.” Allison subconsciously looked at Fox.

  Fox put up his hands. “I didn’t have anything to do with his disappearance this time.”

  “Let’s not rush to conclusions,” Nicole said. “Maybe he couldn’t sleep and is outside.”

  “This is like deja vu,” Josh said, “again!”

  “Let’s go look for him.” Jake reached for the doorknob.

  “Wait!” Fox shouted. “Dyson, you and Nicole come with me. We’ll search outside. You kids wait here until we can determine if it’s safe outside.”

  ***

  Fox led Nicole and Dyson out to search for Flipper. Although they sounded optimistic that he might just be out for some fresh air, Josh didn’t believe it. He didn't have any better theories. Flipper wouldn’t just leave and it seemed impossible for someone to sneak in and take him without waking anyone.

  Jake and Chezlor were by the window, occasionally peeking out—doing the opposite of what Fox had instructed before he left.

  Allison and Alya sat on the couch. Allison was calm, but Josh noticed she had a starry-eyed look, like her mind was somewhere else. “Are you okay, Allison?”

  She looked up at him, released from her trance. “I was just thinking … I had a dream.”

  She told them about Red Fox, Fungus, and President Charles’ speech to the Snaders. It wasn’t long into the story before Jake and Chezlor abandoned the window to listen to her story.

  “You actually talked to the President?” Josh was stunned.

  “Well, it was more like she talked to me,” Allison confessed.

  Chezlord laughed, and everyone looked at him.

  “What’s so funny?” Alya demanded.

  “Can you imagine the President’s face when she finds out Allison’s gone!”

  They all laughed.

  “I bet you’re the first person to escape from Camp David,” Josh said.

  Jake was the first to stop laughing. “We really need to find out if there’s any more news.”

  Josh got the laptop computer that Pastor Rodgers had loaned them. They had been too tired before to do any research. But Jake was right, they needed to find out if there was anything more they needed to know.

  Allison and Alya sat on the couch with the computer on a coffee table. It was too crowded for all five of them to see the fifteen-inch screen, so Jake and Chezlor made their way over to the window to spy outside. After a few moments Josh followed.

  He looked out the window. It was dark, but the moon made it bright enough to be able to see if anyone was near. He didn’t see anyone, and that included Fox, Dyson, and Nicole. They had been gone a while.

  “Guys, listen to this!” Josh, Jake, and Chezlor hustled over and stood behind the couch. “I found a guy who claims to have been eavesdropping on the meeting between President Charles and the Snaders yesterday. He says he has a recording of what they said.”

  In his most sarcastic voice Josh said, “Yeah, I’m sure some guy just happened to overhear what was said between the President of the United States and a group of aliens who have been living beneath the Earth’s surface for sixty years.”

  The kids giggled until Allison started playing the recording. They could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong.

  “What is it?” Josh asked.

  Allison paused the recording. She took a couple of deep breaths before she finally spit out, “This is real. That’s exactly what I heard.”

  They all huddled around her to see the screen on the computer. Josh saw the website—ConspiraciesRUs.com. Allison pushed play and they continued to listen to the President’s speech.

  There was no video so Josh read some of the comments while the President spoke. Most of the comments made fun of the recording and said there is no way that was really the President—that it wasn’t even a good impersonation of her.

  When the speech was complete Allison clicked on a link so they could see the website that the recording originally came from. A message on the screen appeared that said the site was unavailable. Allison kept searching and found a few other websites that thought the recording was great and that our government has always been out to get us, but the majority of sites thought it could not possibly be an authentic recording. They had no success finding where the recording originated from.

  They were about to give up when Allison stumbled on a second, different recording that sounded like a small group meeting. Along with President Charles, Josh recognized the voices of Red Fox and Fungus. There were a couple of other voices neither he nor Allison could identify.

  A lot of the discussion was similar to the things they already knew, but one new item piqued their interest. President Charles and Red Fox had an important meeting arranged for the next afternoon, where she was going to show him how their plan to take over the world had come to fruition.

  The kids decided that the best way they could help right now was to try to figure out what was going on.

  Allison would have to take a nap and attend that meeting.

  Chapter 27

  Fox, Dyson, and Nicole carefully searched a half-mile perimeter around the church, but there weren’t any signs of what happened to Flipper. They had been out for over an hour , which was longer than Fox normally would have devoted to such a mission. For Josh and Allison’s sake he wanted to be extra thorough.

  He waved for Dyson and Nicole to follow. There was only a couple of hours before sunrise. They needed to get moving.

  When they returned to the Youth Center Josh and Allison looked at Fox, but their hopeful expressions quickly faded when Fox shook his head. “We’re going to do everything we can to find them,” he assured them.

  “Of course we are!” Chezlor popped up from sitting on the couch in a sudden burst of energy. “Let’s get going!”

  “We need a plan.” Jake looked at Fox, who nodded, giving him the green light to continue. “Josh, Allison, can you think of any reason Flipper would run off?”

  “No,” they both answered.

  “It has to be related to the Snaders,” Jake continued.

  ”Could it have something to do with his parent's disappearance?” Alya suggested.

  “I'll bet so!” Josh answered.

  Jake turned to Allison. “Tell Fox and Nicole and Dyson about your dream.”

  Allison described her dream and what President Charles said to the Snaders and what she had said to Allison. She went on to tell them about finding the recording and how she knew it was authentic, but they couldn’t determine who had recorded it and placed it on the internet.

  “It sounds like there might be someone on the inside who isn’t going along with th
e Snader’s plans,” Fox said.

  “You mean like one of the Snaders?” Alya asked.

  “I’m sure it isn’t one of the Snaders from underground,” Dyson said.

  “I don’t know who,” Fox said, “but if we can find out who it is they could potentially be very helpful in our battle with the Snaders.”

  “We need to do that AFTER we find Flipper.” Josh emphasized after to keep them on track.

  “Agreed,” Fox said. “It will soon be…”

  Fox didn’t get the chance to finish. The sound of glass shattering, doors crashing, and high-pitched screaming filled the Youth Center. Fox, Nicole, and Dyson immediately drew their weapons but Fox quickly shouted for them to hold their fire. The room filled with Snaders — too many of them — and if they weren’t coming in firing, Fox didn’t want to start it. He didn’t want the kids in the middle of all that cross-fire.

  They kept their weapons aimed at the Snaders. “What’s going on?” Fox demanded.

  A short man entered the Youth Center, stopping between Fox and an equally short Snader with an intense, almost insane, look on his face.

  “Finn, you creep!” Allison screamed as Chezlor and Jake held her back.

  Finn scanned the group. “Five Gudes, two humans, and a Snader. Aren’t you the motley crew?”

  “What are you doing here?” Fox demanded.

  Finn snarled at him. “You guys aren’t easy to find.” Finn’s snarl seemed to turn into a smile. “But we have ways of abstracting information when we need.”

  “Flipper!” Alya yelled. “You have Flipper!”

  Now there was no doubt, Finn definitely wore a smile.

  “There is a world-wide manhunt going on for Gudes.”

  “They’re here to help protect us from the Snaders,” Josh argued.

  “Son, haven't you been watching the news? The Gudes have conspired to assassinate the President and are trying to take over the world. There is an edict from the President that every Gude should be apprehended and detained.”