In the Blink of an Eye

by Mark Dutkiewicz

  As she passed through the living room she noticed a blinking message icon on the computer terminal. I wonder why that didn’t go to my mobile, she thought reaching into her pocket. Of course, she’d left her phone on the table she remembered finding her pocket empty. Setting her glass on the desk she sat down calling out, “Alex, why didn’t you answer the phone?” Silence answered. Tapping the message icon, she saw it was from a military feed. Recalling that Jeff mentioned coming home for leave in a few weeks, she smiled and shook her head thinking Alex had ignored it out of spite. Her day dream was cut short as an incoming call began flashing on the screen accompanied by the familiar electronic ringing sound. Tapping the answer icon brought with it RJ’s frantic voice urging, “Mom, turn on the news!” before she had a chance to say hello.

  “Which feed?”

  “It doesn’t matter, it’s on all of them.”

  Another quick tap flashed the screen to a news anchor speaking in an obviously forced calm, “we have no reports on the severity of the situation other than the UECN space fleet has suffered a devastating defeat.” Linda’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “Jeff.” Was that message from Jeff or somebody else? “It is feared that Drac forces could potentially breach the orbital defense network,” the broadcast continued.

  “I’m sure Jeff’s okay,” RJ’s voice interrupted the man. She hadn’t realized she said his name out loud.

  “President Mintz has issued an immediate emergency evacuation of the planet, and local authorities will be coordinating all space worthy—”

  Cutting off the broadcast, Linda quickly switched to the message waiting on the monitor. RJ was saying something, but she didn’t hear the words, her finger hovering, quivering over the icon, afraid to find out what it was. Closing her eyes, she tapped the screen and wailed in relief at the sound of her son’s voice.

  “Mom! Mom are you okay?” RJ’s voice sounded frantic now.

  Opening her eyes, Jeff looked bedraggled but very much alive. “Oh thank God,” she whimpered. She paid no attention to Jeff’s message closing the window. The fact that he was alive was good enough for her right now. “Your brother’s alive,” Linda said directing her attention back to RJ.

  “That’s good. Stay there I’m on my way.”

  “You’re driving?” Linda chastised him, “RJ you know that’s dangerous.”

  “We don’t have time. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “Okay…okay,” Linda said shakily ending the call. She sat there a moment trying to collect herself before shouting, “Alex!” Once again silence answered her. Where the hell was that kid? Fear, concern and anger competed for emotional supremacy. Turning to get up she knocked the forgotten water glass off the table. The crash it made echoed through the house as she began searching for her youngest son in a near panic.

  CHAPTER 36:

  THE GATHERING MIGHT

  High above the moon, flashes of light danced in the endless vacuum of space as the remnants of the First Fleet limped out of superluminal. Lean frigates, squat cruisers bristling with guns, and other assorted support craft formed a defensive ring of the three carriers returning to Earth. The scorch ridden hulls of the vessels slowly began to converge on the decidedly reduced remnants of the defense force orbiting the blue and white globe. Behind this last line of defense, the massive UECN fleet yard bristled with activity. Shuttles raced about, equipping any capable craft with hastily adapted weapons in an effort to build a makeshift armada. Victoria, flanked by her escort, moved deliberately into a high orbit. Spreading the defenses as thin as they dared, the motley assortment of ramshackle craft formed something as close to a wall of vipers as could be expected. Beyond the meager show of force, the rapid flashes of superluminal drives produced a sparkling halo around the planet. The evacuation was proceeding at a furious pace while the hopes of every person, whether they be frightened civilians or the lowest enlisted soldier, officers, admiralty or haughty politicians rested on this last line to defend their home.

  ***

  On board Victoria, a bedlam of well-structured chaos played out. A gunner inspected his firing station, a cook passed out meals, pilots donned their flight suits or strapped into their craft ready at a moment’s notice to defend their home to the bitter end. Determination painted their faces. And they threw themselves into their duties, displaying the true grit expected of Earth’s finest.

  Amongst the hectic preparations of the war weary veterans, Commander Kameryn Thomas set a brisk pace. She sought the council of the one person she could confide in on the mammoth vessel. Her training had prepared her for the thankless responsibility of command. But that training did nothing to help the knot of emotions tormenting her now. The thought that she could fall in love with Jeff Grant of all people frightened her. The man was brash and cocky and rarely showed an ounce of decorum or responsibility. Far from the spit and polish that she’d grown accustomed to. Her father would never approve of him. He had little respect for people who flew through the ranks based on family name or dumb luck. Worse were his similarities to Todd. Always taking foolish risks, not caring about where it would land him. He was foul mouthed, a drunkard, and, and probably the most handsome man she’d ever met.

  It was her father’s fault really. At least that’s what she convinced herself. More interested in his career than raising his family. Moving them from base to base, or being gone for months at a time. The stress of it all left her not only socially stunted but with a dead mother and holding the reins on a deadbeat brother. All these thoughts put her into a sour mood, and Kami practically punched the call button when she stopped before Emily’s cabin.

  “Yeah, come in,” the speaker chirped in reply. The room was in shambles. Clothes and personal effect were thrown haphazardly in every corner creating a ring around Emily standing at the center frantically trying to button her coat on. “Kami!” she squeaked, “I’m sorry, I’m almost ready.”

  “That’s not why I’m here,” Kami said quietly.

  Emily looked up, her face painted with concern. “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s…It’s…He doesn’t remember! He doesn’t remember a damn thing!”

  “Didn’t we go over this already?” Emily said rolling her eyes. “You yourself said he drank himself stupid.”

  “It’s not just that,” Kami spit. “He goaded me. He insulted me. He wouldn’t let it alone when I told him we had more important things to worry about.” Tears began welling in her eyes as she all but lost control of herself. “How could I be so stupid? Fall in love with that jackass? Expect him to feel the same way?” Collapsing onto Emily’s rack she sobbed, “What does it mean?”

  “That you’re human,” Emily said. Sitting beside her, Emily wrapped an arm around Kami’s shoulders. “Emotions can do funny things to people. But I know he loves you.”

  “Bullshit!” Kami snapped. “Someone who loves you doesn’t call you a bitch with an iceberg for a heart!”

  “Tell me everything,” Emily said soothingly.

  “We don’t have the time.” The response earned her a raspberry from Emily.

  “The bridge will still be there when we’re done so a few minutes won’t make any difference.”

  Reluctantly she did. The memory of the whole affair choked her up as she embarrassingly recalled every sordid detail. The meeting in the captain’s office and feeling of disappointment she got from him, the reprimands, Jeff dogging her through the passage pressing for answers. The part that hurt most was remembering Jeff tell her outright she cared more for the ship than anybody on it.

  “Well there’s your problem,” Emily mused. “He got frustrated with your cool demeanor, again. And you responded violently, again! I don’t know how you can’t see it Kami. He can’t read you. Nobody can. So he does the one thing that ever gets a reaction out of you. It’s clear as day Kami. He purposefully draws your attention to him. He doesn’t know why, at least not consciously I think. You railing him from sunup to sundown just added to
it.” Sighing Emily finished, “You need to go talk to him. You need to talk to him now, before it’s too late. And you need to do it calmly.”

  “Yeah, in front of all those other pig headed pilots?”

  Smiling Emily looked her in the eye and said, “It’s a good thing I just happen to know where he likes to go and think then. And I think it’s a sure bet he’s there right now.”

  ***

  “Captain on the bridge!” bellowed the marine by the hatch as Captain Styles strode onto the deck.

  “Stations,” he said approaching Mister Flores. “Where’s Commander Thomas?”

  “Sir, the XO didn’t say where she was going.”

  He was afraid of this. Though he couldn’t help but feel happy for Kami. So long as she and Grant settled their personal issues he didn’t care. He wanted his XO back, now more than ever. “It’s not important Flores, what’s our status?”

  “We’ve assumed an orbital position at two-hundred-thousand klicks. Patrols are out and all available tubes are loaded with alert fighters. Admiral Brunner organized the defensive perimeter before evacuating with the president and her staff. He said the fleet is yours now Sir.”

  “Very good Lieutenant, please take the helm.”

  Styles barely noticed Flores acknowledgment before returning to his station. Folding his arms, he stood gazing at the view screen in thought. Caloway boasted he’d give them days to complete an evacuation. He also boasted to eliminate the Drac with his bold assault. The man was a fool when it came to strategy. More suited to sitting behind a desk making sound bites for the press than commanding an attack force. Days would be nice. He prayed for days to prepare for what was coming. As things were he didn’t believe he’d get more than twenty-four hours.

  “Schwartz,” he called, “patch me into the crew.”

  “Aye-aye Sir. You’re on Captain.”

  Clasping his hands behind his back Styles announced in a firm voice. “This is the captain! I know I’ve asked a lot from all of you these last few years. Too much really. It pains me now to have to ask for a little more. You know what we’re up against. That a Drac force with a devastating weapon is about to descend on our home. Their numbers, overwhelming; their tenacity, unrepenting. But we have determination. At every turn in this conflict we have not yielded ground easily. We’ve made them pay in blood for every scrap of territory they’ve conquered. Do that for me again. Be vigilant. Be bold. We’ve never run from the Drac without first giving them a bloody nose. Outside the hull of this ship is our birthright. That is our planet out there, and I’ll be damned if I just roll over and let those bastards have it without a fight. You are the crew of the UES Victoria. And you are the finest crew I’ve ever had the pleasure of commanding.”

  Every eye on the bridge was fixed on Captain Styles. Each chest seemed more puffed, each face more stern, and a euphoria had spread to everyone in the room. The same could be said across the myriad decks of the giant vessel. Bolstered by the strong words, the men and women of the crew threw themselves more fervently into their tasks. The pride in the Victoria and her skipper beamed from every face. And every compartment became awash with a hustle of dedication. All save one.

  CHAPTER 37:

  PRELUDE TO BATTLE

  Far below on the Earth's surface, authorities struggled to maintain order at the many spaceports dotting the landscape. The night skies of the western hemisphere were littered with the shapes of evacuation craft of every shape and size rocketing off into the stratosphere. Families banded together in the chaos, parents clinging to children and others their most cherished heirlooms or trivial yet sentimental worldly possessions. They all waited anxiously in writhing masses, some praying for salvation for their children if nothing else. It was all they had left, with no word from the government about how much time remained, or how the military planned to save them.

  “There’s so many people,” Linda said in nearly a whisper. Her gaze took in the jumbled mass of bodies clambering to get closer. Heads bobbed up and down in every direction, while overhead speakers belched instructions urging everyone to stay calm. A heightened sense of fear, bordering on panic, permeated the air. Shouting and rough jostling rippled through the throng. “There’s no way they can take everyone.”

  “Don’t think that way Mom,” RJ quickly encouraged, his words almost drowned out by the roar of an escape ship blasting off into the night sky. “They’ve prepared for this.”

  “Have they?” Alex scoffed. “The same brilliant minds that got us into this mess, and put our planet in danger, are the ones you trust to pull this off?”

  “Shut up Alex,” RJ seethed. His head whipped about scanning the crowd, no doubt searching in vain for a way to move them closer to the waiting ships. A pocket opened and he was quickly hauling them towards it.

  Alex continued his belligerent tirade, “I won’t shut up! I’ve been saying this for years.”

  “Yeah, you’ve been a pain in the ass for years. I got it,” RJ snidely replied pulling the two along his head never resting in a single spot for more than seconds.

  “Fuck you RJ!”

  “Alex!” Linda shouted at his language. The admonition didn’t even slow him down.

  “Your fucking heroes in the military did this. Poking their Goddamned noses where they weren’t wanted. Dad and Jeff are the same. They’re fucking murderers!”

  RJ wheeled about delivering a sharp slap to the boy’s face. “Don’t you ever talk about Dad that way, or Jeff. He’s out there, right now, doing a hell of a lot more than you’ve ever done.”

  “No he’s not RJ. He’s dead! Just like Dad. Just like we’ll be soon because of those fucking warmongers! If they cared so much about us, why wait until the last minute to evacuate the planet?”

  “Maybe if you didn’t take off without telling anyone to organize another one of your fucking protests we’d be on a ship right now,” RJ shouted back, his patience obviously exhausted. “We spent two hours looking for your stupid ass! Two, you selfish little shit. Now shut-the-fuck-up!”

  “Alex, RJ, this isn’t helping anything,” Linda screamed at the both of them just as the crowd heaved and bodies began to press in from all sides. RJ was quick to move, engulfing Alex and herself in his arms, attempting to hold back the press.

  The high arched gates of the spaceport loomed a bit closer now. In-between the bobbing heads, Linda could make out soldiers frantically working to maintain order against the thriving mass. Someone near the front attempted to climb the fence followed by a wave of angered shouts. A spotlight from one of the security towers quickly illuminated the person. He was a man of middling years, so far as she could tell, shrugging out of his jacket to escape the hands holding him back. Soon others began to imitate him. What could only be described as a stampede pushed into the fence, the soldiers moving quickly to tear people away from the dizzying climb.

  “Sir, you are trespassing on government property. Remove yourself from the fence immediately or you will be removed by force,” a soldier’s voice cried from a bullhorn. The climber paid him no mind continuing his ascent. “I repeat, remove yourself from the fence. I will not warn you again.” The climber was unfazed by the threat, continuing his harrowing climb whilst being pelted by insults and small objects alike. At roughly half way to the summit of the chain link barrier, gunfire rang out peppering him bullets.

  The now truly panicked mass erupted in hysterical screaming as the man dropped to the ground. The jostling took on a new, much greater, force showing signs of morphing into an all-out mob. RJ grunted in the effort to keep them from being crushed, and Linda soon felt Alex wrap his arms around her. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried, “I’m sorry Mom. I’m sorry Mom.” His words were instantly washed away by the panicked screams.

  More and more bodies pressed the family towards the waiting ships, the social fabric of mankind tearing right before their eyes. The press soon began suffocating the smaller people lucky enough to be still standing, the unfortunate who had f
allen were soon trampled to death in the human stampede. A tear trickled down Linda’s cheek at the sight of it all. She felt a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder and RJ whispered in her ear, “I love you Mom.” If he said anything more, the words were consumed by the roar of another rocket blasting its way into the stratosphere.

  ***

  High above the unfolding calamity on Earth, in the eerie black vacuum of space, the sparkle of superluminal drives littered the panoramic view port of Victoria’s observation deck. Standing with crossed arms Jeff looked out at the mass exodus. Wondering how things could have gone so terribly wrong in so short a time. His mind wandered as his gaze drifted toward shining globe of Earth far below. The planet peacefully rotated slowly in the quiet of space. Most of the surface was obscured, darkened by the suns position on the far side. But the twinkling light of the cities down there wove a tapestry across North America which was just now coming into view. It was funny to him, that for most of his childhood he spent hours gazing at the heavens, reveling in the beauty that was the cosmos, that he now found the artificial lights that illuminated Earth's night skies just as beautiful, if not more so, when seen from above.

  In a childish fancy, he focused his attention on the west coast of the continent and vaguely imagined he could see his house from afar. It seemed such a long time ago. He imagined the feel of a cool breeze on the nearby lake. The afternoons spent hiking through the hills with his brothers. The camping trips into the north woods or just plain lazy days fishing on the dock or enjoying a simple picnic. He longed for those simpler times. Away from all the technology, and worries of the world, and the Drac were just boogeymen. Resting his arms on the handrail he thought of his family. Thought of them and prayed they found a way off the planet. Prayed they could find a way to escape the Drac for good.