Galactic Satori Chronicles: Book 1 - Earth

by Nick Braker

  “Bill me my part,” Magnus said.

  “I don’t want anything from you,” Grep responded.

  Magnus ignored his jab.

  “Let’s get this show going. Music?”

  “Covered as well,” Grep said.

  Grep worked the bar most of the night when the doorbell rang again.

  “I got it,” Magnus yelled over the music.

  He opened the door. The Jamaican woman, Toni, smiled at him. Her hair was still short and styled with locks. Her outfit was different though. This time she wore a pair of jeans, a tight, long sleeved shirt and a pair of tennis shoes. In her hand was a strange looking gun.

  “Your luck has run out, mon,” she said in her Jamaican accent.

  She fired point blank.

  Magnus was already moving but he was not fast enough. The gun’s energy hit him in the left side, knocking him back and spinning him in mid-air. Six trained WSO agents were already pulling their guns out but Toni was still firing. She hit Gisele but missed Brock and Warren. Gisele dropped. Magnus twisted in mid-air out of instinct and landed smoothly on his right knee, hand and left foot. His side wrenched at him and his mind reeled with pain. Everyone but Magnus and Grep leveled their guns to fire.

  “Fire!” he ordered.

  Six shots rang out, including Gisele who was now lying on her back, hurt. It sounded like something akin to a short-burst machine gun round. Toni was already moving and it looked like each shot hit everything but her. She fled into the hallway. She had to take the stairs but that could be a trap.

  “She’s hit,” Ruth yelled. “I got one in the bitch.”

  Magnus managed to stand and saw that Warren had already darted out after her. He wanted to yell at Warren to be careful but it was too late. Warren was hot on her tail. The group rushed the door with Magnus pushing through just after Brock. Behind him were the girls and finally Grep who had been the furthest away. Brock went for the elevator and pushed the button. Magnus got a brief view of Warren’s feet as he ran up the stairwell to the next floor.

  “She must be going up,” he yelled. “Get her but don’t let her draw you--”

  His order was interrupted by a blast from the stairwell. A bomb had just exploded in it.

  “Warren!” he screamed.

  He had no time to find out whether he was okay or not. He hated this role. His friend could be dead or bleeding out but he was forced to continue on, leaving Warren behind. All of them depended on him.

  “Ruth, check on Warren, now,” he ordered.

  Ruth grabbed Li Xin and motioned her to follow. They entered the stairwell carefully, guns raised. The elevator door opened so he and Brock jumped in, hitting the button for the top floor. As the doors closed, the two girls entered the stairwell in military fashion. They were professionals and their training would help them. Warren was probably dead or badly hurt. He hoped neither.

  Maybe Tom is right. Brock and Warren are not ready.

  Grep would be heading to the ground level to cover any exit attempt by Toni below. A cautionary move but necessary. Grep would also have Joannah tend to Gisele’s wounds. He hoped she was okay.

  The elevator took him and Brock to the top floor. Toni was already on this floor if she made an attempt for the roof. She had had plenty of time to reach it. He would flush her out from the top and the rest of them from the bottom. He hit the emergency hold button on the elevator and motioned Brock to the left while he went right. Tendrils of pain shot through his right side. Toni’s first shot was a good one. He would have been dead but he had moved fast enough to avoid a direct hit. The wound wasn’t bleeding but it was bad nonetheless. He ignored it and focused on his surroundings. The top floor was unfinished and, due to building materials and equipment, there were plenty of places for her to hide.

  “Don’t let her get to the elevator,” he whispered.

  Brock nodded.

  Magnus spotted blood. There was a splattered trail of it leading away from the stairway, winding around the stairwell walls, and then behind it. Brock motioned it was clear his way. Magnus pointed to the trail of blood. Brock nodded again and moved to the other corner wall of the stairwell. They both had their guns out. The floor was dotted with support columns and various construction tools. She had to be hiding. There was no time for her to go anywhere else. Magnus pointed to his eyes as he looked at Brock. Brock rolled his eyes.

  “I got it, dude,” he whispered.

  He crouched down with Brock watching his back. He moved to a nearby support column and looked around. She could be using the trail of blood to lead them into an ambush point. He would have to be careful. It was more likely she was simply trying to escape as there was too much of it. She was hurt. He considered waiting her out but that gun she had was alien. It fired an energy pulse. The heat was intense and it burned but most of the energy grazed his side when he dodged. His reflexes had saved him. If she was alien, then she could be healing right now, getting stronger. He motioned Brock again, telling him that he was moving in deeper. The blood trail changed from splatters to streaks. He peered around the right side of the column, his back against it.

  Damn it, where are you?

  He switched and looked left. A blast of energy blinded him and he ducked back. The light it generated was intense. Brock fired several times into the dark toward the source of the energy blast.

  “Are you blind, mon?” she asked.

  The voice came from deep into the open area. She had fired hoping for a lucky shot. That meant she wasn’t moving and instead would gloat a bit before she died. Toni was dying and knew it. The blindness lingered in his eyes a few seconds more before fading and the scene around him returned.

  “Are you deaf too?” she taunted. “Magnus, talk to me, mon. You know I’m dying. I won’t shoot you. Talk to me, no?”

  He moved to another support column to the right side. He stayed low with Brock replacing him at his old spot. He was getting closer. There were several more safe spots before he would be back in her line of fire. Brock motioned to him there was no way to flank her. Frontal assault was all they could do. She was smart.

  “You still don’t know what’s goin’ on, do you, mon?” she said, taunting him again. “It’s simple really. We’re harvesting your best minds.”

  She would see their approach. Toni had chosen the spot so they would have to come to her in the open.

  “We know what’s going on. More than you think,” he said.

  “Liar. You humans have no idea what is happening to your planet. You’ll be figurin’ it out quick enough, mon, but right now, you have nothin’,” she said.

  “What you should be worrying about is me putting a bullet through that pretty little head of yours,” he said.

  “I’m counting on it,” she said, losing her accent.

  Magnus was surprised. She was trying to draw him out or she was serious.

  Damn, she’s playing mental games with me. The bitch is going to lose.

  “You want me to shoot you? Drop your weapon and I’ll be happy to,” he said.

  “Come on out then. I can’t even move my arm. I’m not long for this world,” she laughed, gurgling blood.

  Magnus stood and walked toward her voice. Brock motioned frantically for him to take cover.

  “You got guts,” she said.

  The gun was still in her hand but she held it loosely on the floor. She was sitting with her back against a stack of drywall. She was covered in blood and sitting in a pool of it.

  “Ruth is a good shot,” she added.

  Magnus had the gun on her, pointing it at her head. He wouldn’t miss. All she had to do was flinch and it was over for her.

  “So tell me, what is this all about?” he asked.

  She tried to laugh again, blood pouring out.

  “Drugs,” she managed.

  “You’re fucking kidding,” he snarled. “You are butchering people for their glands so you can make drugs from them?” he demanded.

  He ran at her, kic
king the gun away. Magnus bent down grabbing her by the shirt.

  “Not long now,” she said.

  More blood poured from her mouth as she spoke.

  “Why our leaders? Why those of importance or education?” he demanded.

  She tried to laugh but only managed to move her shoulders in a coughing spasm.

  “The higher the intelligence, the better the quality,” she said, staring into his eyes. “You will all be harvested.”

  Magnus could tell she was near the end.

  “We could give you the chemicals, establish trade, why murder for them? You’re still lying. Covering for something else,” he yelled at her.

  Brock had moved into a covering position and others had joined them. He didn’t know who and didn’t care at the moment. Magnus shook her.

  “Tell me the real reason, damn you!” he yelled at her.

  She struggled to speak but Toni was right, she would soon be dead.

  “Drugs,” she coughed. “Drugs and wealth. Magnus, I’m Toni, and I was damn glad... to meet... you.” She coughed in spasms but managed one last breath. “I’ll see... you again. I promise....”

  She grinned but it faded slowly as her life ended. She was dead. He stood from his knelt position, shaking his head. The alien’s corpse was motionless with two pools of blood forming on both sides of her. Its dark, crimson color moved outward from her, slowing and then finally stopping. He didn’t move from his spot as he watched her.

  “She’s lying. It doesn’t make sense,” Brock said.

  “She looks like a human to me. If she’s alien, we have our work cut out for us to find a way to identify them,” he said. “She’s nothing like the three aliens from the ship.”

  Magnus heard footsteps from behind him but his eyes remained locked on the alien corpse at his feet. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and he tensed at the same time his eyes went wide.

  Warren! Gisele!

  “He’s okay,” she said. “The bomb exploded behind him. He moved up the stairs as fast as he could chasing the alien. Li says the bomb was designed with a small delay. She guesses the alien intentionally set it to take out the middle portion of a group of pursuers. He was lucky. It blew him up the stairs and knocked him out but he’s fine.”

  His body relaxed and his face went neutral again. He chastised himself for putting his emotions on display. They needed him calm, thinking clearly and acting like a leader.

  No weakness.

  “Good news,” he said. “How is Gisele?”

  “She’s on the way to the hospital but she will make it,” Ruth said. “She’s strong and will pull through.”

  “Inform WSO and get their coroner here. We need this area secured now. No one in or out. This is our first alien and we’re not going to screw this up,” he ordered. “Move people, move!”

  Everyone around him went to work. Ruth started barking orders too and soon every access point and exit was secured. They were trained and it showed. Ruth ordered Brock to secure the west side balconies on this floor and he moved without hesitation. He was capable and no one would come in or leave through there. Within three minutes of giving the order to move, there was a WSO helicopter already circling the building.

  He was impressed they were still functioning after all the alcohol they had consumed. Adrenaline and training was his only answer or was there more? Was it their enhancements?

  Tom walked in, spotting Magnus.

  “Damn. Nice job, Magnus. We got one,” he said, excitement evident in his voice.

  “Most of us are drunk,” he whispered. “We need to be replaced. This was not expected as you can imagine and we were on our own--”

  “Say no more,” Tom said quietly. “Round up everyone who you feel can’t do their job. We have plenty of WSO security who can hold this place down until the body can be moved. Get everyone to WSO headquarters. This building has been compromised. There are plenty of beds for all personnel in the lower floors. I’ll get Alice and Max on it. They will have it ready when people start arriving. Grab anything personal you need before leaving. We’ll get crews to pack you all up and moved in a few hours.”

  Magnus nodded agreement. He circled the area and told everyone from the party they could bail from their assignments once their replacement arrived.

  Several hours later, the WSO tenants were all underground in sub-level two of WSO headquarters. That level held forty rooms designed to accommodate agents for sleeping, facilities and food. WSO surprised him again with their preparedness.

  They’ve been at this for roughly fifty years, though. I guess I shouldn’t be.

  All of them but Magnus and Grep crashed in the rooms. Tom got word to Magnus that Warren and Gisele were doing fine. Warren would be released in the morning but Gisele would be spending the rest of the week in the hospital and he would update them on any changes. He also ordered Magnus to the hospital. Magnus complied and, several hours later, they released him. He headed back to WSO, found a bed and got some sleep.

  Tom stood outside the coroner’s facility on the third underground sub-level in WSO. The door to the medical facilities had an electronic security lock. Only the coroner, himself and Alexandria were currently authorized to enter the room. The alien body, known as Toni, lay inside. The main room was surrounded by large panels of bulletproof glass and the coroner’s room lay beyond it through another hardened metal door with similar glass in the door frame. A metal coroner table was bolted to the floor in the middle of the room. It was made of galvanized steel and looked unused. Tom waited on the coroner to arrive before he would allow anyone else to go in. He was making sure of it personally. The elevator dinged and the coroner stepped out, looking his way. The man’s gate was measured and slow.

  Probably due to his age.

  Tom motioned him over.

  “Dr. Lamb. Thanks for coming so quickly,” Tom said.

  “Well, when you land a helicopter on my front lawn,” he said, “you can bet I’ll be here as fast as the pilot can fly. What’s this all about? I was told nothing.”

  “Doctor, we have an alien corpse,” Tom said, watching his reaction.

  “Oh my,” he looked startled. “Well then. Oh my. I guess I better take a look.”

  Tom knew Dr. Lamb was more than qualified but he was certainly flustered. The man was nervous which was understandable considering he was about to cut open a being from another planet.

  “Take it easy, sir. It’s just another dead body,” Tom smiled, trying to be reassuring.

  “I’ll need to take extra precautions obviously. Oh my. We must consider the alien could be contagious. Something it carries that could be lethal to humans,” he said.

  “Of course,” Tom said. “Our equipment here is state of the art and you’ll find everything you need in the first room. The alien is locked in the next room over. This is the only way in or out. I have assistants standing by if you need them.”

  “No. No, that won’t be necessary,” he said. “I can do this. I must be honest. Oh my. I get the reports obviously but I never thought I’d actually be here. Oh my. You have several people standing by? I must be the closest?”

  “Yes, sir, but you are also one of the best.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “Let’s get this done, shall we?”

  “I will be standing guard out here. I have other men in key locations on this floor and no one else is going to get in,” Tom said. “Do you want me in there with you?”

  “Yes. Oh my. I think that will be a good idea.”

  “I understand,” Tom said. “Kenneth, take my place.”

  A man in a SWAT style uniform stepped out of a darkened alcove and took Tom’s place near the door. “No one enters. Shoot to kill,” Tom said.

  “Yes, sir,” Kenneth said.

  Tom opened the door and stepped in with the doctor. He spent the next few minutes stripping down and putting on a full body contamination suit. Tom did likewise and the two men opened the last door and stepped in. The alien body na
med Toni was gone.

  “I... don’t... fucking... believe it,” Tom said.

  Chapter 19

  FIRST MISSION

  Earth - New York City

  August 21, 1987 - 4:00pm

  Friday of the following week, Magnus, Grep, Warren and Brock arrived in New York. Tom had briefed them in mid-flight, giving them the details of their first assignment. He explained that Alexandria’s first responder team was investigating the New York incident when another, higher priority target in France pulled them away. That team had discovered three male bodies located in an upscale high-rise apartment building in the downtown area. The three men were harvested, a term that had grown in popularity among the WSO agents. The manager of the building had found them dead. Tom had plenty more to say but most of it was his standard do not screw this up message he was so fond of.

  The group landed without incident and this time the company had provided them an upgraded Chevy Suburban SUV. It was solid black with tinted windows. Magnus examined the vehicle as they approached, walking around it once. Tom was going out of his way to provide them everything they needed and this vehicle was one of the first to have the new technology.

  “Okay, boys,” Brock said, breaking the silence. “This is where I come in. My training included high speed pursuit and evasion with a mix of Rockford-like stunt moves. My specialty, grunts.”

  Brock was alluding to a television series that had several high-speed pursuits involving 180 degree vehicle spins. “Okay, man,” Magnus said. “You’re up. Don’t get us killed.”

  Brock gave his signature one fingered salute and climbed in. The keys were in the ignition so Brock started it up.

  “Whoa,” Grep exclaimed, climbing in. “Look at these upgrades. The vehicle has an onboard GPS system with navigational maps and tracking. The console screen is huge. This thing,” Grep held it up. “... is a cellular phone. We can place phone calls back to HQ or anyone else I guess with a land line. They’ve really decked this vehicle out.” Grep stared at Brock, “You probably shouldn’t wreck this one.”

  “Do I need to keep my middle finger up at all times?” Brock retorted.