by J. Thorn
Reno nodded.
John handed it to him. “There’s no safety. Just point and shoot. But you be damn sure of what you’re firing at before you pull that trigger.”
Reno looked at the gun before stuffing it into the back of his waistband and clicking on the flashlight.
John stepped up on the curb to address the others. “We’ll spread out, then meet back here in forty.”
Everyone nodded, then headed in different directions. Reno walked down the road on his right, Brandau Street, and moved a block down before crossing over. Like most of what he’d seen already, it was almost impossible to recognize what had been there.
The rubble of the Parthenon sat in hunks of concrete the size of mid-sized cars. Wires and pipes shot out like wild whiskers from the faces of dead beasts. Pockets of fire burned within the rubble and the fractured, raw obelisk burned at the top, reminding Reno of the eternal flames of flare stacks that reach high above oil refineries. He didn’t see any aliens, and unfortunately the only people he saw were dead.
An occasional scream or gunshot punctured the hissing and crackling of the fires. Reno smelled burning flesh and natural gas, both causing his stomach to turn.
A long time ago, and throughout his time as a paramedic, Reno had trained himself to block out the traumatic stimuli of an accident. But this one was pushing him to the edge of what he could absorb. He brought a shaky hand to his forehead and looked around. How was he supposed to find anyone in this mess? He felt ill-prepared without Maya. She was his partner, and he’d gotten used to having her at his side when doing his job. At that moment, more than any others since they’d parted ways, he wished she were there. But Reno forced her from his thoughts, realizing he had to concentrate on what was in front of him because not being entirely focused could cost him his life. Catastrophes weren’t only a matter of life and death for those directly involved in accidents, but also for those trying to help.
He started lifting debris, silently praying that he would find someone, anyone, beneath it. His training kicked in and his mechanical, methodical mind took over. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he paid little attention to the emotional impact of the explosion and instead focused on the search and rescue mission John had initiated. Reno threw debris out of the way, thrusting his flashlight and his head into the crevasses, hoping to hear a cry for help or see the glow of a phone in a person’s hand.
After several minutes of digging by hand, Reno pulled a hunk of drywall aside and then stood up straight. He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. And then he heard a groan. Reno pointed his flashlight in the direction of the sound. A hand extended out of the rubble, dirty and bloody fingers in the air.
“I see you! Hold on!”
Moving across the pile of debris, Reno hurried to the person trapped beneath it. One slip and he could become trapped himself, but he didn’t care. If he could save one person, then he could claim at least one victory from this disaster.
The arm had dropped, resting on the destruction covering the person. Reno pulled away pipes, wires, and hunks of stone until he could see a head, then a torso.
“I’m here. I’m going to get you—” Reno lifted part of a wall from off the person and saw a familiar face looking up at him.
“Jack?”
The man opened his bloodshot eyes. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his face covered in dirt and ash. Reno couldn’t believe it, and apparently Jack couldn’t, either.
“Reno?”
Reno dropped to his knees and put his hand on Jack’s head.
“We’re gonna get you out of here, Jack.” Reno turned around and called out to the other nearby officers. “Help! I’ve got one over here!”
When he looked back down, Jack shook his head.
“You’re not saving me.”
“You’re not gonna die here.”
Jack looked down, and for the first time Reno saw the bright orange glow of the jagged end of a copper pipe sticking out of the man’s chest—covered in bright, red blood.
“Yes, I am,” Jack said.
Reno had enough field experience to know there was no saving him. Under ordinary circumstances, he’d have done everything he could to save Jack despite the mortal wound. But normal had been locked out of Nashville when the dome fell.
“I need you to listen to me, Reno. Just listen.”
“I’m listening.”
Jack coughed. “I…I’m the one who blew this thing up. I know how to take these bastards down.”
Reno leaned in as Jack coughed again, blood now coming in rivulets from the corners of his mouth.
“Their power source. The source. Geothermal. Overheat the radiator; seize the engine.”
“What does that mean?”
“The engine runs the dome. Beneath the obelisk. They need…they need the dome to block the sun.”
Jack was fading fast, and Reno began asking questions faster.
“How did you figure all that out?”
Jack cracked a smile. “I didn’t. Maya did. Her Mustang. Same…same design flaw as their dome.”
Reno’s throat went dry at the mention of his partner. His hands shook.
“Maya? She helped you? Where is she now?”
Jack shook his head, more bloody coughs spitting out of him. “I don’t know if she got out. I…I didn’t bring the dome down, but I think I might have given her a small window to get out.”
Reno held his breath. “Do you know where she was headed?”
“Her mom’s?”
Reno swallowed, and Jack took his hand. A cool, metallic object landing in Reno’s palm made him look down. “What’s this?”
“Good-luck charm. Boardwalk token from Atlantic City. Had it since ’76. Yours now. It…it’ll keep you safe.”
Reno smiled and put the token in his pocket when Jack spoke again.
“Finish it. Take the dome down. T—tell others. Save what’s left of this city. Find Maya. She’ll fight those assholes.”
Reno squeezed Jack’s hand. “I will. I promise.”
Jack’s mouth fell slack, and his head lolled back as he stared blankly into Reno’s eyes.
“Jack?”
Reno placed his fingers on Jack’s neck, but he couldn’t detect a pulse. He closed Jack’s eyes, the only act of respect he could bestow on the dead man’s body given the situation. He deserved more, and someday, Reno would make sure everyone knew of Jack’s sacrifice.
“Goodbye, Jack. And thank you.”
Reno looked down and then away from Jack’s lifeless body, taking ten minutes to pull himself together before he heard people approaching. John and Woods came up beside him.
“You find a survivor?” John asked.
“He didn’t make it.”
“Shit,” Woods said. “We found one guy with only a few scratches. He got lucky. We haven’t found anyone else.”
“Keep looking. Then head back to the others and let them know what we’re doing,” Reno said to him before looking at John. “You and I have to go.”
John stepped back. “Go? Where?”
“Do you know where the closest National Guard checkpoint might be?”
“Sure, there’s one on the other side of the river. But why? Gonna be hell getting over there.”
“I’ll explain on the way, but we need to get there right now.”
3
“Are you sure this is going to work?” John asked as he pulled up to the National Guard checkpoint.
“I am.”
Even though Reno had said the words with confidence, he couldn’t be sure. He’d hardly known Jack, and during most of the short time that he had known him, Reno had thought the guy to be nothing but a crazy prepper—like the kind you heard about on the news because he had 400 grenades hidden in a bunker beneath his patio. But while he’d been just that, that fact didn’t mean that he hadn’t been telling the truth. In that moment, why would he have lied? And if he hadn’t been lying, Reno would make sure everyone
knew that the man who’d helped save the world was Jack.
“I don’t know, man. It sounds crazy. And I mean, I trust you and all, but that doesn’t mean that these guys will.”
“Just get me in front of them and I’ll explain it the best I can. If they don’t believe me, then we’re doomed anyway.”
John slammed on his brakes as an explosion rumbled through the city. Rounds of gunfire snapped like Fourth of July firecrackers, and men and women screamed.
They jumped out of the car and ran two hundred yards towards the entrance to the National Guard checkpoint. Military vehicles of all varieties surrounded what looked like a Chinese restaurant that had been turned into a command center. Soldiers walked the perimeter with rifles, stopping occasionally to gawk up at the sky but not knowing what to shoot or what good it would do. One of the men stopped his patrol when he saw Reno and John approaching.
John pointed to the badge on his uniform and the guard at the entrance waved him closer, where he stopped to talk to the guard as Reno joined him.
“Who’s in charge here?” John asked.
“That’s a damn good question.” The patch on the guard’s chest read Rodriguez. “This attack has been relentless. We’ve lost a lot of people.”
“Well, if you want to beat these sons of bitches, then you’ve got to get my friend here to whoever’s handing out orders.”
Rodriguez looked at Reno, from his shoes to his chin. He smiled before turning back to John.
“What does some EMT know that we don’t?”
“I know why that exploded.” Reno pointed at the flaming obelisk a few miles away. “And I know how to finish the job.”
“Bullshit.”
“He’s telling the truth,” John said. “We just came back from the wreckage. Found one of the guys that caused the explosion.”
“The guy,” Reno said, making sure Jack would get the credit even if he had already passed away.
A building exploded nearby and bricks shot through the air. Reno ducked and covered his head. People from inside the restaurant cried out.
“Goddamnit!” Rodriguez said.
“You’ve got to get me to your commander right now, or there isn’t going to be anyone left to follow orders.”
Rodriguez pursed his lips, and then he nodded. “Stay close to me.”
Rodriguez crouched down as they headed around the side of the restaurant to a parking lot around back that was bustling with activity. Reno followed. To his right, a military transport pulled up and several soldiers jumped out and ran by. Reno looked left and saw the fire in the sky. Soldiers positioned on the edge of the Cumberland River were firing at the pedestrian bridge. Reno followed their aim and saw several aliens firing back at the troops. He ducked his head and followed John and Rodriguez to a green tent in the northwest corner of the parking lot.
Rodriguez entered first, then turned around and waved Reno and John to follow him. Inside, three soldiers stood behind a fold-up table with a map of Nashville lying on top of it.
“I don’t know if that’ll work,” one of the men said.
“We’re running out of goddamn options!”
Reno swallowed. It was clear who was in charge. The man who’d just yelled and spat looked up. Reno glanced at the man’s chest and saw the name Rupp on his patch, almost hidden behind a full array of combat-earned medals.
“What are you doing here, Rodriguez? And who the fuck are they?”
“These men say they know how to beat the aliens, sir. They say they can help.”
Rupp glanced at Reno and John. “They can help by getting their asses out there and firing back at those fuckers. If the EMT doesn’t know how to shoot, then I’m sure you can give him a quick lesson. Now, get the hell out of here so that I can—”
“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s not how we can help,” Reno said.
The man bit his lip as he glared at Reno. “You better have a damn good reason for interrupting me, son.”
“Yes, of course, sir. What if I told you I know how to take down that obelisk?”
Rupp raised an eyebrow. “I’d tell you that someone already tried that, and they failed.”
“Not totally, sir.”
The ground shook from another explosion that caused the sides of the tent to flap. Unsteady on his bad ankle, Reno lost his balance and fell forward, grabbing onto the table to keep himself from falling.
“There isn’t time for this,” Rupp said. “So, if you want to help, then get out there and fight those bastards.”
Reno made a fist and narrowed his eyes. He slammed his hand down on the table.
“Don’t you get it? Your weapons aren’t doing jack shit to them! The only way to get them to stop attacking us is to take that obelisk down! And I know how to do it. So, you all can either sit here trying to come up with a plan, and die in the process, or you can get me on a transport truck with explosives and soldiers, and we can bring the rest of that obelisk to the fucking ground and end this tonight.”
Rupp removed his hands from the table and stood up straight. He put his hands on his hips.
“You better be right if you’re gonna talk to me like that.”
With everyone’s focus on him now, Reno explained what Jack—really, Maya—had figured out. The obelisk’s power source came from beneath the surface, geothermal heat powering a sophisticated motor. But a motor, nonetheless. Destroying the motor would bring down the dome and give Nashville a fighting chance.
“So, you’re saying that if we get you to that beacon with enough explosives, you can bring the dome down?”
“Yes, sir. That’s what I’m telling you. Jack had the right idea, but he didn’t have enough firepower.”
Rupp looked into the faces of the men surrounding him. Then he turned to Reno.
“Rodriguez.” Rupp kept his eyes on Reno.
“Sir?”
“I want you to take mister…”
“Reno Harvey, sir.”
“Mr. Harvey and his cop friend here and grab as much PE-4 as you can find, along with detonators. Hook up with Gibson’s squad and take a transport over to Centennial Park. Hopefully, this guy is right, and we can bring that fucking dome down.”
“Yes, sir,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll go right now and—”
The ground lifted and then vibrated, knocking the men into each other. What sounded like a jet engine mounted on a Harley Davidson roared overhead.
“Look out!” someone outside yelled.
“What in the hell?” Rupp walked around the table and out the door.
Reno and the others followed him to where several people were pointing towards the river.
One of the alien ships had buzzed the National Guard checkpoint, gone over the pedestrian bridge, and now hovered about 100 yards above the top of Nissan Stadium. As they watched, a beam of light shot down from the bottom of the spacecraft. After a split second of total silence, a tower of fire erupted from somewhere near the fifty-yard-line and turned into a blazing mushroom cloud.
“Get down!” Rupp shouted.
Reno fell to the pavement and covered his head. The ground trembled for several more seconds and despite the screaming people, he heard debris landing all around him and in the river. When the shaking stopped, he looked back.
The mushroom cloud of fire had turned into an angry, dark storm cloud of ash obscuring whatever remained of the Tennessee Titans’ home turf. Reno feared what he would, or wouldn’t, see once the wind whisked the smoke away.
But he didn’t want to wait around until that happened.
“Rodriguez, you’ve got to go now!” Rupp said.
“Yes, sir.” Rodriguez pulled Reno to his feet. “Come on!”
Reno and John ran behind Rodriguez, and Reno only hoped they could get the explosives and make it to the obelisk before it was too late.
4
Reno sat in the back of the transport with his elbows on his knees and his head buried in his hands. His legs shook and he gasped for air, so he close
d his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, but it didn’t block out the screaming, explosions, and gunfire erupting all around him.
You can do this. You can make this work.
“You alright there, buddy?”
Reno looked up at the soldier sitting next to him. He shook his head, and leaned back against the wall. “I don’t know.”
“You better be fucking alright,” a soldier sitting on the other side of the transport said. “We’re rolling out of here and risking our lives because you’re supposed to know how to stop this.”
“Hey. Fuck you, Leonard,” the soldier next to Reno said.
He looked back to Reno and rolled his eyes.
“Don’t listen to that prick. He thinks he’s a hard ass, but he has a Care Bears collection.”
Reno laughed, wiping beads of sweat from his brow.
“The name’s Beckett.”
“Reno Harvey.” Reno shook Beckett’s hand.
“Good to meet you, Harvey.” Beckett leaned in close. “Now, you do know how to stop all this for real, right?”
New sweat broke on Reno’s forehead. He forced a slight smile and nodded.
“That’s what I’m talking about!” Beckett said, looking around at the other soldiers. “We’ll be home in time for Leonard to watch The Bachelor.”
Most of the soldiers laughed, except for Leonard. He flipped Beckett the middle finger.
“No thanks,” Beckett said. “I’m too busy with your sister.”
Gibson turned for just long enough to glare back at them from the front of the vehicle. “Alright. Knock it off,” the squad leader said. “We’re just about there, so prepare to move out.”
As an EMT, Reno had been in plenty of tense situations. But those scenarios had normally determined the life of only one person. This one could mean saving the lives of millions.
“You ready, Harvey?” Beckett asked.
Reno curled his bottom lip in and stuck his chin out. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
“Just stick by me and everything is gonna be fine. I can handle explosives the way I do Leonard’s sister. And believe me, I handle her all night long.”
Beckett laughed and slapped Reno on the shoulder. Reno forced another smile and turned his attention to the back of the transport. He made eye contact with John, who sat near the back. The cop gave Reno a respectful nod before moving the rifle he’d been given by the squad into a ready position. He looked plenty prepared to leap from the transport and enter the fight.