Blaze (The High-Born Epic)

by Jason Woodham

  Supper was soon carted in and it very much resembled lunch. Fish was on the menu again, and this time Harold cut several large pieces of blackened grouper and only got a heaping helping of squash casserole. As the mood at the table lightened again, Harold looked at the beach scene and relaxed in his chair as he chewed on a piece of fish. He turned to Ralph, who was spooning himself a helping of casserole.

  “So, when did they take the kids from your village?” Harold asked.

  “Fifty-eight days ago,” Ralph smacked without even looking up.

  “I think they took my family on the same day,” Michelle said as she stuck a piece of fish with her fork.

  “As best as we can surmise,” Colonel Stevens said. “It seems that they take half of two separate villages once a month. Though, we’re not exactly positive about that.”

  “Do you have any idea why they take them?” Michelle asked.

  Colonel Stevens looked like he did not want to answer the question, but he replied, “Various reasons.”

  His answer lingered into several moments of silence and everyone in the room just focused on their food.

  “Colonel, I’ve been wondering something,” Harold said.

  “Yes?” Colonel Stevens answered.

  “The other night Gabby and I saw a lot of very big falling stars,” Harold replied. “What was that?”

  “Ah, yes,” Colonel Stevens nodded as he cut a piece of fish. “That was our first strike against the lab rats. When you and Aireon appeared we were less than six months away from an offensive anyhow, so we accelerated our plans because you two forced them to mobilize. The element of surprise had been lost, and we also knew you two were about to be in some serious trouble. I hope you appreciate the risk we took because our best and brightest scientists and mathematicians had spent years accumulating the data necessary and crunching the numbers to make sure that we crippled their satellite network. It wasn’t completely successful, but we took out nearly ninety-five percent of their spying and GPS capabilities. That gave you an advantage in your last battle because the lab rats were unable to bring all of their more advanced smart weaponry to the fight. We also placed our own network of cloaked satellites in orbit that night. The mission was a tremendous logistical success, nothing less than a miracle. You also need to know that part of the reason you and Gabby survived your last battle was because of that satellite network.”

  “Why is that?” Harold asked.

  “Because we saw them moving heavy artillery to locations that would allow them to bombard Atlanta,” Colonel Stevens answered. “We had ATLAS and CASE units positioned near them, and they took them out shortly after you began your attack. So, our forces are more responsible for your success than you realized.”

  Harold nodded understandingly and smiled, “Thank you. So, I guess that since y’all have placed satellites in orbit, we can see them now?”

  “Well,” Colonel Stevens thought a moment. “‘See’ is a relative term. More like, we can, at least, detect them. Especially, if they are moving in mass. Individual units detached from main groups could possibly avoid the sensors.”

  “Another thing I’ve been wondering?” Harold continued as he put down his tableware. “The night before that, Gabby and I saw a big fight, and one of those LAMPP things in the sky, what happened then?”

  “That was probably when they rescued me,” Ralph replied while smacking on his food. “And not a moment too soon because I was toast.”

  “And I guess that it was y’all who attacked the city outside of Foxx Hole, right?” Harold asked.

  “It was,” Colonel Stevens answered as he took a drink of water. “That was an extraction mission that went massively wrong. We never intended on attacking that city. We had a spy within Foxx Hole that we had promised to get out, and when our extraction team was detected and engaged by a lab rat battle group, back up moved in and it turned into a full-scale battle. We attacked the city to draw them away from Foxx Hole. However, we got him and his family out, and he is the reason we knew about you. Since we were already there, we tried to find you, but you and Gabby were off conducting your own private little war.”

  “Spy?” Harold asked. “Y’all had a spy in Foxx Hole? Who?”

  “They’ve been asking to see you, and I was going to have them brought to us after supper,” Colonel Stevens smiled and walked to the door. “They’ve been waiting outside for us to finish the briefing, but I think we’ve learned all we can right now.”

  Harold smiled as Colonel Stevens pressed the keypad to open the door because he already knew who it was. The door to the room slid open and there they stood.

  Phil and Maggie.

  Harold stood as she ran to him with outstretched arms.

  “Hawold!” she said as he scooped her up and hugged her. “I’m soooo gwad to see eww.”

  “I’m glad to see you too, sweetie,” he answered as he shifted her to his left hip.

  She was wearing a sparkling white dress, and had a large white bow in her hair. Her normally dirty face was washed clean and she smelled like roses. As Harold gave her a kiss on the cheek, he extended his hand to Phil whose own hand was stretched in that of a handshake. Harold noticed that he was in a uniform like the one he and the others were wearing, but his had a few medals and pins placed on it.

  “Come here, son,” Phil said as he took Harold’s hand and embraced him in a hug that encompassed both him and Maggie.

  Colonel Stevens, Ralph, Michelle, and the others in the room all smiled as Harold and Phil stepped away from one another.

  “You sly old dog,” Harold said. “I would’ve never guessed it. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Sometimes you just have to play a role for the sake of the mission,” Phil answered.

  “I figured that you’d still be swollen up,” Harold said as he looked at Phil’s face that showed almost no evidence of the beating.

  “Dr. Carter has some very good training and equipment,” Phil answered. “She’s a miracle worker.

  “How long have you been a spy?” Harold asked.

  “My whole life,” Phil answered. “Both my father and grandfather were spies.”

  “We call them generational spies,” Colonel Stevens said. “When the lab rats first consolidated power, there were still military elements throughout the world, and they taught their children how to continue their work.”

  Harold stammered, “I’m just at a loss for words right now. How did you know about me?”

  “You remember that day that I saw you and the other young’uns at the river and Maggie was going to make mud pies with Ollie?” Phil asked.

  “I’ll never forget that day,” Harold nodded.

  “Well,” Phil rubbed his chin. “I had just placed my latest report at the dead drop, and Maggie and I were on the way back to the house, and I just heard all this ruckus and a bunch of hollerin’. So I went back down there to find y’all, but y’all were gone. I saw several pot marks where it looked like something had exploded, and even though I didn’t know what had happened, I knew something had happened. Well, I passed by Scott and Cooper one day in town and they were talkin’ about a fire man.”

  “You put it together then, huh?” Harold asked.

  “Well,” Phil rubbed his chin. “Not exactly. But I started following you and Command had already provided me with a video camera, so I started tailing you. Do you remember the day I saw you and Sarah going to the woods? It was actually the day you figured out how to not burn off you clothes.”

  “Yes,” Harold answered. “I do remember.”

  “That was the first day that I made video of you, but I saw you a couple of times before that doing all of those things that you can do.”

  Colonel Stevens interjected, “He managed to get us some footage of you, and we sent Rat-Trap to investigate.”

  “That was Rat-Trap in the woods that day?” Harold asked.

  Colonel Stevens nodded, “It sure was, and he would’ve extracted you then if he could have.�
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  “I didn’t know what to do when I saw him,” Harold answered. “He gave me a pretty good scare. Speaking of him, when do I get to meet him?”

  “Soon,” Colonel Stevens replied. “Major Young is eager to talk to you as well.”

  “Have y’all had supper yet?” Harold asked as he turned back to Phil.

  “Yes,” Phil answered. “But I wouldn’t mind sitting down and talking to you while you finish.”

  “I would like that,” Harold replied as he put Maggie down and found his chair.

  As the night wore on and the conversation drifted into many different things, Harold almost felt at home.

  Chapter 54

  The next morning Harold opened his eyes and sat up in his bed. He laid there for only a few minutes and then quickly dressed. He walked outside and found Sergeant Reynolds sitting in a chair on the other side of the hall. The soldier quickly stood and nodded.

  “Colonel Stevens would like you to come to Command, sir,” Reynolds said.

  “I will,” Harold nodded. “But I want to check on something first.”

  He walked down the hall to Gabby’s room, and pressed the symbol on the monitor and a peaceful image of a Gabby sleeping came onto the screen.

  “Doc says that she’s gonna’ be fine,” Reynolds said. “Doing real good, in fact. Healing quick.”

  “Good,” Harold replied. “Let’s get to Command. I’m starving.”

  “This way, sir,” Reynolds said, gesturing.

  Then Reynolds led him through the halls. As they moved through the halls, they passed many soldiers. All of whom spoke to Harold and shook his hand. Some even saluted him.

  It was not long before they passed through the large, domed area and once they reached the door leading to the meeting room, Sergeant Reynolds stopped and saluted, then walked away. Harold then entered the meeting room to find Michelle, Colonel Stevens, and the intelligence agents sitting at the table. Michelle and Colonel Stevens had half-eaten plates in front of them and the various agents sat, punching symbols on their respective data-panes.

  “Good morning, Harold,” Colonel Stevens said with a smile. “You better fix yourself a plate before Ralph gets here. There probably won’t be much left.”

  Harold smiled as he looked over the food.

  Biscuits, sausage, ham, grits, and eggs. He got a serving of each and sat down.

  After he spooned a few grits into his mouth, he asked, “Colonel Stevens, I’ve been wondering something. How have y’all stayed hidden all of this time?”

  “It hasn’t been easy, I can assure you of that,” he answered, and took a deep breath. “In the beginning stages of World War III, there were many top-secret projects ran by the various nations involved in the conflict. Submarine warfare proliferated and a few undersea facilities were created at great cost.

  “The largest of these was created in the Pacific Ocean far south of Hawaii. Only the most high-ranking officials in the world knew about it, and it actually became a bunker for very important people in the latter stages of the war. The resistance began there, and it is now called Pacifica and houses close to 50,000 individuals. Most of them are descendants of the last American government.”

  “Back then, those people could do nothing but hide from the lab rats and A.I. Drones. Thankfully, its secrecy had been protected and it gave the resistance time to form. As time moved on and the last Americans grew in strength, they realized that the conflict would be a protracted one. They created the first CASE armor and active stealth submarines. There were still remnants of the American Special Forces at that time and they were outfitted with the first CASE armor. Over the course of many years, these men and women rescued children from the forming communities and brought them back to Pacifica where they could be trained.”

  Harold raised his eyebrows, “The Mid-Night Stalkers?”

  “I don’t understand what you mean?” Colonel Stevens puzzled.

  “Just stories that the old folks in Foxx Hole told us about things that would take away bad young’uns in the middle of the night,” Harold answered. “It’s funny to think that they were actually the good guys.”

  Colonel Stevens nodded, “Yes, many legends are based on factual events. Anyways, now, we have two more undersea cities, Atlantica and Marianas. Several years ago, we found remnants of former allies with whom we have begun coordinating. There are dozens of smaller facilities scattered across the oceans too, but the smaller ones are military in nature.”

  “How have they stayed hidden from the High-Bo– ” Harold shook his head. “I mean, lab rats?”

  “They seem to have an aversion to water,” Colonel Stevens answered. “It’s not a total aversion, because they do have naval forces, but they are more focused on dominating the air and land.”

  “That’s strange,” Harold said.

  “Well,” Colonel Stevens said. “They have chimpanzee DNA in them. That is actually why they are so strong. Their muscles are much more dense than normal individuals, and that is the leading theory on their aversion to water. Most people think that it’s because they don’t swim very well. However, it also allows their bodies to tolerate greater levels of physical stress than normal individuals. It’s one reason they are such extraordinary pilots. Along with their cybernetic enhancements and strength, they can absorb much higher G-forces.”

  Suddenly, Harold understood all of his dreams about the rat-monkey things. Lab rats mixed with monkeys.

  “What are G-forces?” Harold asked.

  “It’s a little complicated as to how they’re created, Harold,” Colonel Stevens answered. “But a simple answer is one G is the normal gravity of the earth. Two G’s is equal to twice the gravity of earth and three G’s would be?”

  He waited for Harold to answer.

  “Three times the gravity of earth?” Harold said, but questioned him at the same time.

  “That’s correct,” Colonel Stevens replied.

  The door opened and Ralph walked in, stooping to keep from bumping his head. Just behind him was another man who looked to be in his early thirties. He was of average height and build with a clean-shaven head, and his blue eyes sparkled with intelligence. As he and Ralph walked towards the table, a diminutive young woman came through the door. She was smaller than most women, and had brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. Her brown eyes held a confident gleam to them and she walked with grace as she made her way to the table.

  “Good to see you again, Blaze,” the man said as he extended his hand to Harold.

  “You can call me Harold, Major Young,” Harold said as he took his hand and pulled him into a hug.

  Major Young smiled as he returned Harold’s hug, and said, “I’m glad that this meeting isn’t as stressful as our first.”

  “That goes for both of us,” Harold replied as he shifted his attention to the young woman.

  “D-Con?” Harold asked as he regarded her.

  She smiled and nodded as she extended her hand, “I’m Lieutenant Amanda McDaniel, Harold. But most people call me Mandy when I’m not geared up.”

  “Thank you for what you did,” Harold said as he took her hand and she leaned in to give him a hug.

  “No,” she answered and stepped back away from him. “Thank you for what you did. It gave me chills when you and Aireon cut down that billboard. All of us down here heard your message loud and clear. And we’re with you.”

  Harold smiled and nodded and then they all took a seat at the table.

  As they ate, Harold learned many interesting things. Colonel Stevens and the others explained to him that it was the year 2173, and that after the lab rats had taken complete control of the world, they had renamed everything. Harold was surprised to learn that he was actually from a place called Dale County, Alabama. In a strange coincidence, Lieutenant McDaniel could trace her ancestors to very near that area since the Mid-Night Stalkers had rescued her father from a village near Foxx Hole when he had only been a child. Her father had been one of the origi
nal children of Atlantica and he had even met her mother there.

  After they got him to understand that, they explained to him that Gabby was from a place once known as Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Ralph learned he was from somewhere near Crystal Springs, Mississippi. Michelle discovered that she had grown up in what was once Charlotte, North Carolina. He also found out that what he and Gabby had called Naxos was at one time a very large city called Atlanta, Georgia.

  As these revelations came to light, Harold hardly even noticed that the morning had faded into noon because he was already getting hungry again. As they ate lunch and discussed various upcoming strategies, a beep came through a speaker on the wall.

  “Colonel Stevens,” a female voice on the other end said.

  “Go ahead,” he replied.

  “It’s just as we suspected, sir,” the voice said. “There aren’t even any scars.”

  Colonel Stevens smiled and pumped his fist in excitement, “Send her up.”

  “She’s already at the door, sir,” the voice answered.

  Colonel Stevens gave a nod to Lieutenant McDaniel who went to the door and opened it.

  “Gabby!” Harold exclaimed as she walked into the room.

  She smiled and ran to him, flinging her arms around his neck and he spun in a circle with her.

  “I thought we were dead,” she said as she gave him a peck on the lips.

  “Me too,” Harold answered.

  Harold put her down and she walked to the table and began helping herself to the food there.

  “I’m starving,” she said as she cut herself a large helping of fish. “Dr. Carter said that y’all expected me to recover rapidly. How did y’all know, Colonel?”