Shadow Warrior: Destiny of a Mutant

by Larry Townley

  Will took one long last look back at his home planet and the bright yellow sun that hung in the sky like a golden orb, and then sped off towards Saturn and his adopted home. Somehow he knew this would be the last time he would ever see his family alive again. He also hoped that Hanna would one day find happiness and forget about him.

  Chapter 60

  The White House

  Oval Office

  1943 A.D.

  The private line on the President’s desk rang, startling the president who was deep in thought. What now? he wondered.

  “Yes?” he said as he answered the line. “Put him through please,” the president told his secretary.

  As the president listened to the caller, he turned pale. At the end of the call, he said, “Thank you for letting me know, Admiral.”

  As he hung up, he reached in his desk for a bottle of aspirin, popped two of them in his mouth and dry swallowed them. The news regarding the attack on the convoy by the German U-boat had disturbed him deeply.

  He then reached for the same private line and when the White House operator picked up he said, “Get me General Bolte down at Fort Benning in Georgia, immediately!”

  Fort Benning, Georgia

  Will and his team had just finished their last jump of the day. Will was pleased with the progress the team had made in such a short time. As they landed and their chutes repacked themselves, a corporal in a Jeep came screaming up next to the hangar where Will and his team were getting their gear squared away.

  The corporal got out of the Jeep and ran towards Will’s group.

  “I’m looking for Colonel Clark,” said the 19 year old corporal.

  “I’m Colonel Clark, Corporal.”

  The corporal saluted. “I have a message for you, sir. Your eyes only, sir,” he said, handing Will a manila envelope with the words ‘TOP SECRET: EYES ONLY - COLONEL WILLIAM CLARK’ stamped across the front and back in large bold letters.

  Will returned the salute, took the package and dismissed the corporal, who re-entered his Jeep and sped off of the tarmac. Will opened the envelope and read its contents. It was a message from the president telling him cryptically about the alien weapon being used against the Allied convoy in the North Sea, and that Will and his team would need to push up their timetable for deployment.

  Damn, they had better ready for this.

  “Gentlemen, I have some bad news.” Will told them about the attack on the convoy by the Nazi submarine. “I had hoped to give you gentlemen a day off and do our final briefing tomorrow, but it looks like we’ll be heading out sooner than expected for our mission. Let’s finish stowing this gear and head back to camp. After dinner we need to do our final briefing, and I have some additional gear to give you.”

  Final Preparations

  After dinner, the team met inside of Will’s tent. Against one of the tent walls several boxes were stacked two high with each of his men‘s names on them. Will instructed them to open the boxes and inspect the new gear. Inside were used German uniforms, with ranks from corporal to colonel. Included with each was a real German Wehrpass identification and individual service record card that identified them as part of an SS detachment.

  “Memorize the names on those identification cards, gentlemen. We used your real dates of birth, height, weight, etcetera, to make it easier for you remember. Those of you with German first names will keep your names, but you will have different last names. Unfortunately Sergeant,” Will said addressing Serrano, “’Jaime Serrano,’ doesn’t sound very German, so you are now ‘Hans Gorman.’”

  This elicited a round of smiles and a few chuckles.

  “Jawohl, Herr Standartenführer,” said Serrano with a smile, while clicking his heels together and bowing his head slightly in Will‘s direction.

  “So what’s the plan, sir?” asked Hauser.

  Will went to the chalkboard he had in his tent and began to talk and illustrate as needed and referred to a map of the area around the Eyrie as well.

  “The basic plan is fairly simple. We will parachute into Germany at a point approximately ten miles west of our destination. To save time, we will wear our German uniforms under our insulated jumpsuits. Once we land, we will have a German staff car and a transport truck at our disposal, which will be provided by the local Underground. It will be here at this point,” he said, pointing to a position the map.

  “Brunner, Wakefield and Becker will travel to this point on the east side of the mountain,” Will said, indicating the point on the map he was referring to, “scale it and take out any sentries or snipers they encounter, and then make their way westward to the front entrance of the Eyrie. From there they will continue pushing forward until they link up with Schultz, who will be dropped off here,” he pointed to a third location, ”as we are approaching the road to the facility, and wait for us to pick them up.” Will then gave them the map coordinates as well.

  “We will then drive to the secret location where they are keeping the aliens, and I will present their commanding officer with a letter signed by the Führer himself authorizing them to release the aliens into my custody. If all goes according to plan, we should be in and out with the aliens within an hour after arriving at the location. We will then pick up our four comrades and rendezvous with the plane to extract us at a clandestine airfield ten miles south of the town of Füssen.” Will pointed to a fourth location on the map.

  “And if things go to shit, sir?” asked Hauser.

  “Then we go to plan ‘B.’” said Will.

  “What is plan ‘B,’ sir,” asked Schechter.

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I come up with one,” said Will, without smiling.

  “What happens if the Germans try to contact Berlin to see if we’re legit?” asked Hess.

  “We’ll monitor their communications, and Schultz will intercept any calls out to Berlin. All incoming calls will be blocked while we are inside of the facility. Schultz will give them the verbal confirmation they need to release the prisoners to my custody.”

  “Who are you going to tell them you are, sir?” asked Hammond.

  “I will be SS Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Hoffmeier, the new commanding general in charge of the alien interrogations.”

  “What about the alien spacecraft, Colonel?” asked Hauser. “I mean, doesn’t Washington want us to bring it back somehow?”

  “Yes, Captain. You are correct…that is what Washington wants to happen.”

  “But, how do they think we can pull that off, sir?”

  “Let me worry about that, Captain.”

  “Yes, sir.” Hauser didn’t question Will; he had learned his lesson about doing that.

  “Also,” Will continued, “at some point we are going to destroy the facility where they are keeping the aliens as well. I have some special explosives that will take care of that when the time comes. That duty will fall to my two explosives experts, Hess and Hammond.”

  After some final instructions, he went through a briefback with his men where they explained to him what their individual roles would be. Will then sent his men off to bed, except for Hess and Hammond. Will then brought out some plastic explosives, which he identified as C-2, a precursor to C-4, and spent the next several minutes showing them how to set the timer and detonators. Later, on board the plane, he would give them something a little more powerful that would be used to destroy the Nazi facility.

  Afterwards he dismissed them, and then at hyper-speed, he stowed his gear and came up with his own plan ‘B.’

  Chapter 61

  Altrusia

  1497 A.D.

  Months had passed since Will’s return from Earth. The quashing of the rebellion on Avtaehr V and the aversion of the seismic destruction on Trebulon IV were distant memories. Other missions had come and gone since then as well. But no matter what Will did, he still found himself preoccupied with thoughts of his family, and Hanna; a fact not lost on Portak.

  One day Portak called Will to his chambers to discuss another as
signment.

  “Will I have several missions that will require your special skills to accomplish,” he began without preamble.

  Will just shook his head in affirmation.

  “I can also see that you are still missing your family and are wondering whether or not you have made the right decision to leave Earth for good. I‘m also sorry it did not work out with the woman you spoke to me about.”

  Will looked surprised.

  “Yes, I am still having doubts about doing so,” he admitted.

  “Will, from the beginning of this venture, the Elders and I fought amongst ourselves as they thought the idea of approaching a Terran - even one as unique as you - was a mistake. I told them it wasn’t, did not listen to their wise council, and took what I felt was the most logical course of action.”

  He paused for a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Will was focused intently on Portak and was more than a little uncomfortable accepting Portak‘s praise.

  “It was a mistake that I’m glad I made, and would do so again without hesitation.”

  Will nodded and said, “Thank you.”

  “Will, although you are modest regarding your abilities, you must realize that you are undoubtedly one of the most unique and powerful beings in the entire universe. And I don’t say this lightly. There are many powerful and unique Guardians that have sworn to protect the planets they are responsible for and would lay down their lives if necessary. I am proud to be associated with such a group. I am also most pleased to consider you not only as one of the Guardians, but also as my friend.”

  Will nodded again in agreement.

  “And I also consider you not only a mentor, but a friend as well, Portak. I cannot begin to tell you how much it means to me to hear you say all of that. I will not let you down.”

  Portak acknowledged Will’s comments with a nod of his own.

  “Excellent. Now, in addition to your primary mission of protecting your sector, I must also ask another favor of you. One of our missions as Guardians includes that of being historians. Many of the worlds you have sworn to protect are in various stages of development. Some are very advanced civilizations, while others are more primitive than your Earth. Therefore, reviewing their historical records and documents is impossible as it is often unreliable or unavailable. Oftentimes all we have are the various myths and legends of their cultures, which are usually substantially embellished or totally fabricated.

  “With your unique abilities to travel through time and alter your appearance, it is the Elders’ request that you use these abilities to travel to various periods of time and record the history of the worlds where our records are incomplete, and in some cases non-existent.”

  “That will not be a problem.”

  “In some cases you may have to live with these beings for decades or even centuries. In others you will be able to skip around to different time periods in their development. You will have to be the judge of that on a case-by-case basis. However, since you are immortal, this will not be an issue. Once you have completed an assignment you can simply return to this time period without missing even a single second of your primary responsibilities as a Guardian.”

  “I am intrigued by this idea, and I am looking forward to the challenge.”

  “However, you must be aware that in the past history of these various worlds you are simply an observer, and you cannot influence, alter or change the course of their history in any way, shape or form.”

  “I understand,” Will said.

  “It may be easier said than done, my friend. As a Guardian you are sworn to protect innocent life above all costs. There will be times when you will simply have to watch one or more beings die in front of you, knowing that you could have easily saved them, but doing so could very well affect the entire course of that planet‘s history.”

  Damn, I hadn’t thought of that. His expression gave away his thoughts.

  “Therefore, you should give this assignment careful consideration before accepting it.”

  “You are right. I would like to think this over for a couple of days and get back with you, if that is permissible.”

  “Please do. Take your time, and when you’re ready, let me know one way or another. I will leave you now to get some rest.”

  Portak gave Will a slight bow and left Will to his thoughts. Will then flew to his home and made himself some dinner. Afterwards, Will laid down for the night, but could not sleep right away. He knew this would be a difficult assignment, but he also knew that he was the only person who could accomplish it. Will finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the Altrusian morning.

  ***

  Will arose at daybreak in order to exercise. Will started out with a 10,000 mile “jog” around the planet. Will was so fast that even at a jog, he finished in less than two minutes. Will then made a couple of flights to Altrusia’s closest moon. What had once taken him seven minutes to make the round trip, he could now accomplish - not even flying at top speed - in less than one minute.

  He then went into the special gymnasium that he had built in his house. One of the specially designed machines he used simulated gravity in place of weights. Will was so strong that he was able to lift the equivalent of the Himalayas like it was a bag of potatoes. He finished up his workout with a 5,000 mile swim, 5,000 pushups, 5,000 sit-ups, and 5,000 pull ups. All of which was accomplished in less than ten minutes.

  Will then took a shower and ate breakfast. He felt refreshed after his “light” workout. Will then got dressed and flew to the command center facility to find Portak so he could give him his answer.

  Upon arriving at the facility, Will found Portak in the Command Center.

  “Good morning, Will. I hope you rested well.”

  “I did,” Will lied. “I have come to a decision: I will take the assignment as your historian.”

  “Excellent! We still have a few details to discuss, but I would like for you to begin tomorrow. Are you going to be able to stand by and be an observer, even in an emergency?”

  “It will be most difficult for me to do this, but I will just have to remember that these are events that have already occurred, and that if I try to prevent them, I could cause irreparable damage to the planet.”

  “Very well then. We have much to talk about before you begin tomorrow. I have prepared a list of the planets that we need to chronicle the histories of, and where the gaps regarding their histories are.”

  Will nodded, took the list and memorized it. He was anxious to get started.

  Chapter 62

  Historian

  Will excelled at being a historian. With his photographic memory, specialized recording equipment, ability to alter his appearance, and fluency in more than 14 million languages and forms of communication, he was able to chronicle the history of hundreds of planets, some of which little or absolutely nothing was known of the planet‘s history and development.

  Will spent several decades on Crenoulus II, moving between various stages of the planet’s history, a world inhabited by humanoid-like beings with four arms, green skin and large pink eyes, chronicling their rise from an industrial and agrarian society to one on the verge of interstellar flight.

  Narcinium, a verdant planet on which plant-like creatures were the primary sentient life forms, had long been a planet clouded in mystery as to how these creatures evolved in such a short amount of time. Will discovered that a meteor containing spores that reacted with their body chemistry to turn them into sentient beings in only a few centuries had crashed on their planet.

  Will spent several years on Titus VII, a world of humanoid creatures that were on par with Earth in the early 21st century in terms of their planetary development. The Titusians, like the inhabitants of Earth, also believed that they were the only sentient beings in the universe.

  The demon-like creatures of Forlan V were surprisingly peaceful and scientifically advanced, considering their horrific visage. They valued peace and scientific advancement above all th
ings.

  Xerenius was populated solely by creatures similar to the dinosaurs that once inhabited Earth in the distant past, only they were much larger and more intelligent.

  Zarinia’s inhabitants were a species of many different races of giant cyclops with lizard-like scales all over their bodies and only holes on the side of their head for ears. They averaged twenty feet in height, and they were cannibalistic.

  Will’s most memorable time was spent on the planet Krelios. The Krelians were an advanced scientific race that cherished peace and science above all things. Earlier in their development they had been warlike and savage, but one of their greatest leaders, Noltran, had led them to develop the peaceful, scientific society they now lived in.

  Will lived among the Krelians for more than 200 years and became close friends with one of Noltran’s descendants, Volnar. In his guise as a Krelian, Volnar knew Will as Kaltran.

  The Krelians were humanoid in appearance. The males were slightly taller than the average human and leaned more towards the thin side. The females were the size of an average human female. Both sexes had three points, one at the top and two at the bottom of their ears. Their eyes were pale green, and their skin tone was light blue. Each of them was polydactyl, having six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. They had an average life span of 500 Earth years. Their women were absolutely gorgeous, and Will became romantically involved with Volnar’s younger sister, Sareena.

  After several years and against his better judgment, Will took Volnar into his confidence and revealed his true identity as both a superpowered Guardian and a Terran. Volnar was shocked, especially when Will transformed into his real appearance in front of him, but he was a true friend and did not reveal Will’s secret to anyone.

  Over the years, Will taught Volnar several of Earth’s languages, to include English, German, French, Latin, Spanish, and a few others as well. Volnar was a natural linguist and picked up the languages very easily. Will talked often of his life on Earth, how beautiful the planet was, and how fiercely independent its people were.