by Paul Moxham
INVASION
The Alien Wars – Book 1
By Paul Moxham
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Copyright 2016 Paul Moxham
Version Updated: 25th May 2016
All rights reserved, without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE ALIEN WARS
This science fiction series will tug at the heartstrings of anyone who likes a thrilling adventure about everyday people trying to survive amid the horrors of a post-apocalyptic world.
~*~*~
Invasion
Striker
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Prologue
Buena Vista, VA, USA, June 5, 1944
To the residents of Buena Vista, Frank Swallow looked no different from the other soldiers who had returned from Europe with lost limbs. However, he had a secret, one that not even those closest to him knew. Not his parents, nor his best friend, and not even his wife knew the alternate life he led.
All she knew, and what everyone else knew, of those three years that he’d been away in Europe was what he had written in his letters. The tragic times, the terrible conditions, the loss of his friends, and the incident. The incident that had cost him the use of his right arm.
All those things flooded his mind as he left the cottage and walked down the country road. As he caught sight of a youngish, blonde-haired woman pushing a stroller, he wasn’t surprised when she stopped and looked at him. “Hey, are you Mr. Swallow?”
As the man nodded, Sandra resumed speaking. “Sandra told me about your ordeal. I just want to say I’m sorry. I balled my eyes out when I heard about your arm.”
Frank flicked a glance at where his right arm should have been, which was now just a stump, and nodded. “Well, it was painful, but now I don’t feel a thing.”
The woman took a moment to gaze at her baby girl in the stroller. “It’s still so... I mean, when I heard the news that my husband was coming back, I was so excited, especially since he had to leave just after I got pregnant. Now, I know it might be different for you, since you and Sandra were only dating when you left, but I wonder...” She cocked her head and bit her lip.
“Wonder what?”
“You know, ah, John lost his left leg, which is getting him shipped back home, but I’m worried that he’ll be, I don’t know, different when he comes back.”
Frank puffed out his cheeks and started to scratch a phantom itch on his missing arm. “Yes, he will.”
As the woman’s face cycled between shocked and terrified, Frank put his remaining hand on her shoulder. “Better you know now than find out the hard way. Look, I don’t want to frighten you, but he will be different and life will never be the same. Fighting and killing changes everyone, especially if you lose a limb. I can’t say I know exactly what he’ll be going through, but I have a good idea. The one thing I suggest is just make him feel needed. If he’s just lying in bed all day without anything to do, he’ll go crazy. Don’t treat him any different than when he left. There’s plenty of stuff he can do while sitting down. Just give him the same kindness and support you gave him before he left and love will take care of the rest.”
The woman fought back the mist welling in her eyes. “I suppose that makes sense. Oh, and congratulations. Sandra told me your baby boy is turning one later this month.”
Frank grinned. “Thanks. Yeah, on the twelve of June. In fact, I’m just on my way to meet them in town, so if you don’t mind—”
“No, no, of course not. Take care.” The young woman gave a wave and walked away, much faster than before.
Frank’s gaze stayed on the retreating figure. Just like everyone else whom he had told, she would never know the truth about his arm. Which was for the best. Even if he hadn’t signed those stringent non-disclosure forms with the government, he wasn’t sure how many people would believe him anyway.
If he had told her that Adolf Hitler had been the one who ordered his right arm to be amputated and that a being from outer space was the one to do the job, would anyone ever talk to him again?
After all, he was just a regular schmock in his freshman year of college when he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force. Or joining the great battle between good versus evil, as that slick recruiter put it. He thought he was clever, joining a cushy support service before they could draft him into the infantry. Yet again, the Army got one over on him. At five foot five with a slim figure, he barely met the physical requirements before being rushed through a few weeks of the new, ultra-streamlined wartime basic training. They shipped him off to North Africa before his boots were even broken in. The first few months had been horrible, absolutely brutal. Everyone who had taken a look at his letters to his parents cried their eyes out. The sad thing was, he actually censored out the worst horrors and only passed along the funny stories. Of course, a combat vet’s sense of humor in the trenches was a bit different from those of civilians living in the lap of luxury back home.
He did write about praying daily, hoping that someone, somewhere would take notice. Though his buddies made fun of him whenever they caught him praying, he was confident that deep down they all wanted to believe in a higher power. It wasn’t as though Frank believed in the Bible completely, but he did believe that there were many unanswered questions about the universe and he refused to accept that they were alone. Made sense, since it was pretty damn clear that they were not alone.
The most disappointing thing was that instead of people focusing their talents on space exploration, they were inventing new weapons to kill people. Why couldn’t everyone just live in peace?
As he walked down the road, his thoughts drifted to his family. Not even Sandra knew of the double life he led. He prayed again that she’d never find out what he had been up to these last two years.
It all started when his fighter crashed in Algeria after being separated from the rest of his squadron during a dust storm. The pilot was killed instantly, but by some twisted miracle, as the rear facing gunner, he survived with little more than bruises and some light burns. He hadn’t been too despondent though, since they landed near an oasis. Could have been much worse. He stayed there for the first couple of days, barely surviving on dates and water.
However, when no one from his squadron showed up, he had to consider his options. Deciding that he would start walking the following day, he watched the sun sink below the horizon. He was just getting himsel
f comfortable for the long night ahead, when a dark shape broke through the cloud cover and descended toward the ground.
As he gazed out at the desert, he saw the biggest aircraft he had ever seen in his entire life. One without a single propeller. It was massive. No words could describe how imposing it looked in the setting sun.
Suddenly, a small craft flew out of the belly of the mothership and headed toward the oasis. As he realized that it was going to land, he hurried to the outcrop of rocks that bordered the southern part of the oasis.
For the next hour or so, he stared on in disbelief as hordes of men dug beside the rocks, creating a massive hole. Overcome by an irrational but desperate need to get a little bit closer, he crept along the rocks. He didn’t get far before his feet suddenly slipped.
As rocks rained down upon the ground, shots were fired. He fled into the darkness but was quickly caught. The soldiers dragged him to some tent set up near the excavation site. His heart skipped a couple dozen beats when they pushed him inside.
On one side of a map table lounged the strangest, yet most familiar figure.
Adolf Hitler curled his pencil mustache in his direction, but never stopped chatting with some kind of mechanical man next to him. What did those trashy pulp magazines call ‘em? Robots? He got a better look at the blood-red eyes behind the steel mask as the guard prodded him closer with the tip of his bayonet. In all those weird fantastic fiction books, didn’t these robo creatures always come from another planet?
Frank could only burst out laughing. The weight of dread lifted from his soul. Obviously, he hadn’t survived the crash. The oasis must have been that purgatory deal the Catholics were always going on about. Judging from his new roommates, he sure as hell wasn’t in heaven.
He reached for a camp stool and kept grinning. “Well this isn’t so bad. Looks like more fun than purgatory. So when’s Cleopatra getting here?”
His giggling faded when the guard buttstroked him in the spine and bounced his nose off the ground. The soldier stared straight ahead, with one jackboot on Frank’s neck, while reporting to his Führer in German. Hitler gave the young stormtrooper a rare smile and lopsided salute, but still kept gossiping with the alien thing, all while Frank was dragged outside for a far less friendly chat with some beefy Bavarian boys.
Even through the beatings, Frank still couldn’t help but chuckle in his lucid moments. Not once did they ask about his unit or even a damn question about the war. Always the same jibber jabber about other worldly people. What the heck was a spaceship, anyways?
Frank spit out a loose tooth and gave a dry chuckle. “Hans, for the millionth time, I’m not holding out on you. I don’t know what you Hun bastards are talking about. Just tell me what one of these ships looks like and I’ll tell your boss that I saw a hundred of ‘em. Whatever you want.”
One of the interrogators raised his steel baton again, but the tent flap opened up. A high-pitched “Nein!” made the SS man drop his paddle and stick up his right arm. Hitler ignored the soldier and just clapped the robot’s armored back. The metallic creature trumped over to Frank in a blur.
In one smooth motion, it unsheathed a sword and slashed through Frank’s right shoulder. He could have sworn there was a glint of a smile on that steel face in the lamplight.
Frank had no idea what happened next, because he collapsed from the loss of blood. When he opened his eyes again, hours or years later, he was lying in some spotlessly clean bed. He shook the heavily bandaged stump on his right arm until the sight of it made him sick. Clambering out of bed, he stumbled to the window and threw it open for fresh air.
As he saw the Big Ben and Westminster Abbey landmarks outside, his heart couldn’t take the roller coaster anymore. As his body hit the floor, a doctor and a nurse rushed in and helped him back to bed.
Over the next few days, he met with several high-ranking officials in the British and American armies. He learned that a dozen aliens, who were working with the Allies, along with several British soldiers, had rescued him from the oasis over a week ago. It took much longer for them to convince him that he hadn’t lost his mind.
Once he agreed to help the officials, he was sent back to the States, where he had a secret meeting with President Roosevelt. And within a matter of days, he was helping the war effort in a rather unique way.
He came back to reality at the sight of Sandra standing by the cafe door, holding Arthur in her arms. He smiled from ear to ear. Aliens or no aliens, he was going to spend time with his beautiful wife.
It wasn’t until night had fallen and he and Sandra were tucked into bed that his mind drifted back to those damn aliens. Tonight was a most critical night. If there was ever a time that he couldn’t afford to miss an appointment, it was tonight. What was going to happen tomorrow would be crucial to the allied war effort and he couldn’t let his country down.
He counted the minutes as they passed. As it neared eleven forty, he inched his way out of bed. While leaving for his very first meeting over a year ago, he had woken his wife, but now, this being his seventh meeting, he had enough practice that he never made a sound.
His bare feet strode across the carpet, and he slipped through the bedroom door, which was partly open. It was a tight squeeze, but one that was necessary. He found that even if he oiled the hinges, the door always made some kind of noise. So on nights like this, he was always the last to come to bed, making sure not to shut the door.
As much as he loved Arthur, the chance that the baby boy could start crying at any minute worried him. That’s why his meetings in recent months had been fewer. But tonight was critical. Absolutely critical.
He hurried along the hallway until he reached his study. He walked over to the bookcase and pulled out the Bible. Behind it was a key. Picking it up, he hurried over to his desk and unlocked the last drawer. Inside was a simple medium-sized envelope. It was sealed.
He picked it up gingerly, replaced the Bible and the key, and strode to the front door. Once he had grabbed a flashlight and put on his shoes, he flitted down the path as quietly but quickly as if he were on patrol. It wasn’t far to the meeting spot, but not wanting to spend a second longer outside than he had to, he jogged down the dirt road.
The blue filtered flashlight bobbed to and fro as he slipped into the forest, giving him just enough visibility to dodge trees in his face, but hopefully not draw notice from a distance. Not a single soul was in sight, although that wasn’t a surprise at almost midnight. Once he reached the field, he climbed over the gate and ran across the grass. He came to a stop in the middle and held the flashlight up to the stars, switching it on and off for roughly a minute or so until he saw a glimmer in the sky. He put the light away as the craft descended. He was always a little annoyed that his government stressed secrecy so much, but then these creatures swooped down in their saucer ships lit up like a carnival tent. Still, by some miracle, the lights had never aroused anyone’s suspicions so far.
As the round-shaped object hovered above him, he had to put his hand in front of his face to protect his eyes from the brightness. A few seconds later, it landed beside him without a sound. As a panel slid open, the brightness remained.
He had no idea why the light was so bright. All he knew was that he had yet to get a good peek at what these odd creatures looked like. All he knew was that they wore white and called themselves Seods.
“You’re on time,” the Seod stated in that flat, toneless, synthetic accent they always favored.
“Aren’t I always?”
“Of course you are.”
Frank pulled out the envelope he had stuck between his shirt and belt and handed it to the figure in white. “There is a letter in here signed by our president, along with several maps of Europe. I trust you can deliver it into the right hands before the night is over?”
“It will be done. Is there anything else?”
Frank hesitated for a moment as he glanced around the field. Satisfied that no one was in view, he resumed speaking. �
��General Eisenhower told me to tell you that Operation Overlord is going to be the largest seaborne invasion in the history of mankind. And if successful, it will go a long way to ending this horrible war. So if your superior can comply with everything that he has asked of him, the United States of America will forever be in your debt.”
“It will be done. I only regret that our earlier mission failed. Though I don’t know why your government insists that we keep undercover.”
Frank gazed away wistfully. “It’s a bit more complicated with my people. If everyone knew you existed I couldn’t imagine the chaos we’d unleash in every country on Earth. Make this whole World War seem like a playground scuffle. Besides, didn’t you tell me that if Lord Zocra knew that you lot were mining on Earth, he would tear Earth apart searching for you and the mines?”
“Yes, that is correct,” the Seod replied.
Frank struggled to avoid rolling his eyes. He’d long since learned to assume nothing and spell everything out as if talking to a child. However these things learned English, it sure wasn’t by a human teacher. “If that happened, humans would no longer rule the planet, and who knows what would happen then. Extremely bad for us, you understand?” Frank glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to get back. Now, is there anything you want me to tell the president?”
“Yes. Tell him that we will cooperate and help him for as long as he does all he can to help us dig. Without the mines, your planet holds nothing of interest to us. That is all.”
Frank watched as the Seod hurried back to its craft. A moment later, the panel slid shut and, a few seconds later, the craft shot into the sky and was soon lost from view. All without so much as rustling the leaves nearby.
Chapter 1
San Francisco, CA, USA, Present Day
The black tie, Logan thought, fit nicely with the suit. Some might say that it was too traditional, but he knew his father and mother would have been proud. Arthur and Mary Pollack had instilled numerous beliefs in him and his younger brother. Some, like not cursing, he had taken lightly, but others, such as marriage, he had taken to heart.