HADRON Axiom

by Stephen Arseneault

  A concussion wave bowled over the crouched Mawga soldiers. Mace’s face slammed into the transparent substance that made up the shuttle portal. Falling back to the deck, he quickly pulled himself back up to observe the big ship retaliating, eliminating the clump of trees and buildings where the missiles had originated.

  A dozen Marines sprang into action just in front of the shuttle���s portal. The dazed Mawga soldiers were pushed and prodded into a group surrounding Bontu, their weapons taken before a shot was fired. Mace turned as a Mawga crewman moved toward the hatch with a weapon in hand. As the crewman took careful aim, the heel of a boot struck the center of his back, pushing him through the hatch opening to the ground below. Two Marines were quickly upon him.

  Three missiles rose from somewhere further away in the surrounding area, striking the big ship hard, sending sprays of debris from its outer hull before the great ship pulled up to a much higher position. Dozens of energy pulses shot earthward, impacting the areas the missiles had come from with devastating accuracy.

  A lieutenant looked up through the hatch. “How many of you up there?”

  Mace turned to look back at the two Mawga pilots, who were now standing behind him. “Me and two others. They’re unarmed.”

  The lieutenant gestured with his M16. “Come on down. All of you.”

  Mace looked back at the nervous pilots as he waved toward the hatch. “Just do as they say and you’ll be treated fairly.”

  The pilots walked to the hatch and dropped through. Mace did a sweep of the remaining space aboard the shuttle before pulling the remaining four Mawga weapons from their small armory. The weapons were dropped through the hatch before Mace hopped down after. The Marine motioned for him to join the others.

  With the group subdued and checked for additional weapons, and the Mawga ship having moved up to high altitude, the lieutenant said, “OK, move ‘em out. We’re taking them to the culvert, and then to the compound for interrogation.”

  Bontu said, “You have made a grave mistake here, Lieutenant. My people will come with an overwhelming force.”

  The lieutenant smirked as they walked through the trees toward an open culvert. “Well then, your people will be overwhelmingly dead. Now keep your trap shut and keep moving.”

  The wide culvert passed under a roadway, where it turned into a large drainage system. After walking nearly a quarter of a mile underground, they climbed up a ladder into the basement of a windowless building.

  Minutes later, they were joined by the colonel. “Glad to see you survived that, Mr. Hardy.”

  Mace asked, “What are your plans for us, Colonel?”

  The colonel gestured for the captive group to sit. “You are now prisoners of the U.S.M.C., Mr. Hardy. If the Mawga pull back from our skies, we might be able to arrange a release. We aren’t savages, we just want these gray invaders to leave. We are quite capable of taking care of our own.”

  Bontu slowly raised his hand. “I apologize for our transgressions, Colonel. Perhaps we have been too forward in our attempts to deal with you and your men. We wish no further hostilities, and if allowed, I will call off the fleet that will soon be gathering above. If you desire to maintain your airspace, who are we to not comply?”

  The colonel raised his chin in mistrust. “And just who are you to make such an offer?”

  Bontu slowly stood and bowed his head. “I am Bontu Montak, High Regent of the Virginia to Michigan territory. Those ships out there are under my command. Allow me to make contact and we can bring this violence to an end.”

  “Mr. Hardy, is this true?”

  “It is. Mr. Montak controls the area from Virginia up through Michigan.”

  Daniel Lafayette leaned in. “Well, well, it seems we have a big-shot among us.”

  Bontu continued, “Release me and my men and I will establish a no-fly zone going from this location out five kilometers in each direction. I have the power to do so. We wish no animosity or violence between our peoples.”

  Lafayette scowled. “No animosity? You fly our skies daily even though asked not to. And no violence? What do you call that bombardment out there. You killed Humans!”

  Bontu took a deep breath, holding back the urge to lash out. “Again, my apologies, Colonel. My crews were merely reacting to the situation.”

  The colonel stood tall. “Tell you what, you give us a twenty-five mile perimeter around this city, and I will release you and your crew. Respect our airspace and we’ll leave the rest of the country up to overseeing theirs. If they want you circling overhead, that will be their business.”

  “Allow me to contact my people and I will set those rules immediately.”

  After some thought, the colonel gave a single nod. “Call your people to pick you up in the cemetery. And only in one of those small ships. I don’t want to see another one of those cruisers in my space. And you can leave that downed craft where it sits. Consider it our property, compensation for your transgressions.”

  Bontu opened a comm to his command ship, giving orders in his alien language. “A shuttle will depart for the cemetery after you give me an assurance that it will not be shot down.”

  The colonel gestured for the prisoners to stand. “You have my word, Montak. The lieutenant will see you to your pick-up point.”

  Mace Hardy stood with the Mawga.

  Daniel Lafayette held out his hand. “Not you. You’ll be staying here for a bit.”

  Bontu Montak looked back as he was escorted from the room. He offered a look of concern and a nod of thanks as the door closed behind him.

  The colonel crossed his big arms. “Hardy, spill your guts here and now. Why is it you’re flying around with those clowns? Tell me why I shouldn’t shoot you for treason?”

  “Colonel, all of this, the power issues, the starvation, and then the Mawga showing up, I’ve just been trying to survive and to do what’s right by my people. When they first landed, our local sheriff was there to greet them. Bontu and his people were nothing but kind and helpful. When he asked me for assistance, my first thought was that I would at least get a good idea of what they were really up to. Believe me, Colonel, I don’t place a lot of trust in their story that this interference happened because of some distant supernova.

  “But over the past month I’ve been assisting with the distribution of food and power, and they haven’t given me reason to pause. That doesn’t mean I fully trust them either, but people are starving, and putting an end to that has been my rationale for my continued assistance. From what I understand, there have only been a handful of us holdouts.”

  The colonel scowled. “Handful? We have nine other bases in Ohio alone, Mr. Hardy. And believe it or not, we have our methods for communicating with command. I don’t think this world under the Mawga occupation is anything like what you perceive. They are not all kind and benevolent.”

  “How so, Colonel? Tell me what you know.”

  The colonel pulled up a chair and gestured toward a couch. “Have a sit, Mr. Hardy. First off, our people are reasonable. We evaluate the situation before pulling the trigger. The Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, and a half dozen other countries with militant regimes, came right out on the defensive. I have word the Russians took out six of those big ships on the first day and another three or four since. Fighting there has been fierce, as has been the response by the Mawga.

  “The Chinese managed to down two ships before the Mawga started kicking the crap out of them as well. And the Iranians ��� from what I have heard, most of Tehran is in shambles. These Mawga are not altogether as peaceful as they’ve led you to believe. They’re here for a reason, and it’s not because they want to help.”

  Mace asked, “How have you been able to communicate, Colonel? We haven’t found anything that works.”

  Lafayette leaned in on his chair as he replied, “I can’t divulge that and I’m not going to talk about it. You need to make a decision, Mr. Hardy. Are you on our side or theirs? It’s a very simple question and one
that I need to know the answer to before we proceed.”

  “Make no mistake, Colonel. I’m 100 percent Human. My only struggle is with how to best deal with all this. If I could snap my fingers and they were gone I would do so. As you said, we need to be focused on making it out there on our own.”

  “Good. Because I’m going to be asking you for help with our fight. You’ve been on those ships. What can you tell me about them as far as any weaknesses?”

  Mace organized his thoughts. “Well, they run on fusion power, same as those generators they’ve been distributing. And I’m not certain, but they appear to have some command over gravity. Those ships have inertial dampeners that allow them to move quickly without it affecting those inside. And those balconies that jut out, those you can walk out on at any time, rain or shine, hot or cold. They are protected by some sort of invisible gravity wall. It’s no different out there than it is inside the ship.”

  Lafayette asked, “And what about the weapons? What do you know of those energy cannons?”

  Mace shook his head. “Only what you now know, Colonel. Hell, that’s the first I’ve seen them fire. And as to their hand weapons, I couldn’t say what they do.”

  The colonel glanced toward a door. “We have a half dozen of those now. We can test them on our own.”

  “I can tell you a little about those suits they wear. The material is pliable until impacted. You’ve seen those liquids that harden when a sound wave is applied, well, think of those suits as similar. They go from soft and flexible to hard and rigid in an instant. I could have used one of those over in the Middle East back in the day.”

  The colonel raised his chin. “You spent time over there with the cleanup?”

  Mace nodded. “Two tours.”

  The colonel frowned at the thought. “I did three, but we can talk about that later. Here’s what I want out of you, Mr. Hardy. I want you to be our inside man. I want you back on his ship and I want you to send as much intel on them as you can. Does that sound like something that would interest you?”

  Mace offered a half smile. “I’m sure I could be persuaded, Colonel. What I want to know first, is this a real resistance? Is it widespread, or just among a few of you?”

  The colonel sat back on his chair. “We have a military command structure set up elsewhere. Where that is, it’s best that you not know. Same with home, many are involved. I can only say that it’s substantial.”

  The colonel stood. “I’m hesitant to do this, Mr. Hardy. But I’m going to place my trust in you. I have a device I would like you to make use of. It looks like a standard smart phone, only it has a comm device of sorts built in. For you, and for the Mawga, it will look and act just like a music player. However, it’s going to be your link to us.”

  A sergeant brought one of the phones into the room.

  The colonel held it up. “This little baby will be your link to us. You see this? It’s a highly sensitive laser diode emitter and receiver. We will send you the occasional text message with instructions, you will send us the data we’re looking for. It has your standard camera and microphone as well as a keyboard. We have a special app on there you will use to make a connection for any downloads.

  “You talked about those walkways. Those should be a perfect place to send data from. Record, say, or type what you want, go out on one of those walkways, find a connection point using the app, and blast the data. We’re placing receivers all across this country, with Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia being the first areas to receive them.”

  “So laser bursts with outgoing data in a tight beam, I can guess?”

  “And constantly on the move. Sweep the phone with the app active to find a receiver, point it until you get a connection, and bam… the data is sent. All the while the Mawga will think you’re playing music.”

  Mace asked, “And what if they catch me using it?”

  “You train it to clean itself up with one of several voice commands. Also, if you neglect it for more than eight hours without giving it a similar command, it will wipe itself. If that happens, and you find yourself in need of a replacement, we’ll make sure you get one.”

  “A music player that still works? They might have a problem with that.”

  “We’ve found items that still function. Not many, but some. Tell them you bartered for it. Traded something of value.”

  The colonel handed Mace the phone. “This is our best hope, Mr. Hardy. Guard it with your life.”

  Mace looked over the device. “Colonel, I have two other people in my group that I would like to get one of these to. What are the chances of that happening? They could be an extra set of eyes and ears on the ground back where we reside.”

  “How well do you trust these people, Mr. Hardy. And what training do they have?”

  “Their training is limited to them being competitive target shooters prior to all this, and to helping me defend our residence. I have trusted them with my life a number of times over, Colonel. They are true patriots, and one is already very suspicious of the Mawga.”

  The colonel thought for a moment. “If you vouch for them, I’ll go with your word. Since they’ll be on the ground, I’ll have a set point for them to communicate with using that laser. You’re in Organ Cave, am I correct?”

  Mace returned a questioning expression. “How’d you know that, Colonel?”

  Daniel Lafayette laughed. “I know that because you’ve been riding around with the enemy, visiting every other military bases in Bontu’s area. Your name is well known to us. As is your service record.”

  “I’m impressed with your operation, Colonel. Given what I’ve seen out there flying around with the Mawga, I never would have guessed you existed.”

  “Cincinnati is only the first of our attempts to reclaim our airspace. Over the next six months, we plan to push our boundaries out to cover the entire state. Within a year, this region. And we need the help of every patriot we can get to accomplish that, Mr. Hardy. We’ll be fighting this war one small battle at a time.”

  The colonel turned and yelled toward the door: “Sergeant Leon! Show this man to the garage and get him in a vehicle!”

  A sharp, “Yes, sir!” came back from a voice in the other room.

  Fifteen minutes later, Mace Hardy was on his way back to the cave.

  Chapter 9

  *

  Mace arrived back at the cave in an 1961 Austin-Healey Sprite. It had been acquired from an auto museum and pushed back into service after the EMP wipeout of most electronics. The bright red auto stood out on the largely empty highways. Several rainstorms revealed a poorly sealed convertible top. The drive home had otherwise been a pleasure.

  Tres was sitting up by the roadway when the Sprite arrived. “Mace!”

  The Army Ranger raced the engine as he pulled into the drive. Everyone gathered on the porch in front of the gift shop.

  Johnny asked, “Where’d you get that? Bontu give you a reward?”

  “Nope. We ran into some trouble with the people of Cincinnati. They shot down our shuttle. Bontu made a deal with them if they’d let him go, and afterwards they let me go as well. Even gave me the Sprite to get back here.”

  Jane said, “Wait, your shuttle got shot down?”

  “Yeah, I banged up my shoulder pretty good, but it’ll be OK. The Mawga retaliated with their big ship before a ceasefire of sorts was reached. The Marines in Cincinnati agreed to stop shooting if the Mawga gave them the twenty-five miles around the city as a no-fly zone of sorts. There are pockets of people out there who don’t trust the Mawga to offer truly unrestricted help.”

  Tres was the first to reply. “Those people are idiots! The Mawga have been nothing but kind and generous to us.”

  Mace returned an uneasy look to Tres. “I wouldn’t call anyone idiots. They’re just being cautious.”

  Vanessa moved closer to Tres. “I agree. We should be thankful for all they’ve done. I can’t believe anyone would attack them. And why? What did they do?”

 
“People have their reasons. Most of it is trust. You don’t let people into your home without some level of trust. Simple as that.”

  Tres stood. “Come on, hon. We don’t have to listen to this nonsense.”

  The two walked off the porch and began walking up the drive, all the while bickering to each other about what had happened.

  Mace asked, “What was that about?”

  Johnny shook his head. “I can’t say if that’s married life or because of those nutrient bars. My visit to town this morning brought back some of the same responses. I made some stupid joke, and two townies almost took my head off for it. I think those bars are drugged. That’s almost a zombie response right there. Completely out of character for those two.”

  Jane shook her head. “I’ve eaten a dozen of those over the past week. Are you saying I’m a zombie?”

  “Now even I’m not stupid enough to touch that question.”

  Jasper said, “Maybe we get doc to run some tests on that food?”

  “Has he been eating them?”

  “Ask him yourself. He’s in the cave tending the still. Tres seems to have abandoned it the last few days. Those two lovebirds have the serious googly eyes for each other. Always sneaking off. And I think we know why.”

  Mace laughed. “Well, let’s not condemn them for that.”

  Mace walked into the cave to see a working Jeff Moskowitz. “How’s she running, Doc?”

  “Not sure what happened to Tres. He just seemed to lose interest all at once. Has kind of been belligerent the last couple days, too.”

  Mace looked over at the crates of food bars. “When did we get those?”

  “Just after you left. Johnny and Tres brought them back from Ronceverte.”