by Saxon Andrew
“If they did you couldn’t run as fast.”
“I know my entire back is going to be blue.”
“Get up; we can carry each other from here.”
“Easy for you to say.”
Adams felt a headache take him and he fell to his knees, “Maybe we should just wait here for relief.”
Bowen rolled on his side and winced, “Roll me over when they get here.” Bowen looked at the dead Colonel across the room, “Shouldn’t you have saved him for questioning?”
“Maybe.”
“We could have all sat around and told war stories.”
“His would have been better.”
“Oh…then you did the right thing.” Adams laughed and waited for support to arrive.
• • •
Janet watched the attack move inside the huge fortress at Cheyenne Mountain as Mac hovered the AH 6 two hundred yards out. Janet heard her cell phone ring and looked at Mac; “Hey, don’t look at me, I’m not calling you.”
Janet looked at the display and it didn’t show anything. She shrugged and pressed the answer button, “Hello?”
“Janet Drummond?”
“Yessss?
“This is Major Blackwell and I’ve been looking at the plans for Cheyenne Mountain. I’ve discovered that there is a helicopter pad on the side of the mountain away from the entrance; it was built to afford an escape route if needed. I suspect that if Major Sanders is successful at penetrating the mountain, that escape route might be used. Are you in the AH 6?”
“I am.”
“You might want to go take a look.”
“Are you the one Mike calls Blackwell?”
“I am.”
“He’s of the opinion that I should look you up when all this is over; what do you think about that Major?”
Blackwell laughed, “I see you’re using subtlety to confuse me.”
Janet laughed out loud, “The only thing subtle about me is my absence; if I’m around, there is no subtlety.”
“I’m not that much to look at, Janet; but I’m smarter than the average bear.”
“Looks are highly overrated; I’ll just call you Yogi.”
Blackwell smiled, “I’ll find you.”
Janet smiled as Mac moved the AH 6 around the mountain, “We’ll see.”
• • •
The Little Bird screamed around the side of the mountain and turn toward a flat section cut into the steep slope five hundred feet below the peak, “What have we here?”
Janet looked down and saw an Air Force HH 60 with spinning rotors. Janet shook her head, “It looks like someone is making a run for cover a long way from here.”
“Why do you say that?”
“There’s an Air Force tanker flying on the horizon. That HH has in-flight refueling capability. The tanker is probably there to follow it to a distant destination.”
“Let’s take a look.” Mac banked the Little Bird and moved in over the landing pad and saw a group of four men move out of the brush toward the huge helicopter. Janet used her optical gun sites and locked at the group approaching the HH 60, “One of them is wearing a high ranking uniform.”
Mac nodded, “It looks like the head rat is leaving the sinking ship.”
“Well, we can’t follow it.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t think that tanker is going to refuel us.” Mac shrugged.
Janet’s expression turned grim, “I guess we should give him a bon voyage.”
Suddenly three Air Force Eagles flew low over the helicopter and swung around for another run. Janet shook her head and said, “Use the thirty caliber on it before it can lift. I don’t know if those Eagles could avoid a stinger fired this close to them but we ought to see.”
Mac flew the AH 6 toward the large helicopter and waited until the three Eagles made another pass. He launched three stinger missiles at them and then fired the 30 mm cannon at the helicopter that had just lifted off the pad. The HH shrugged off the initial strikes and then blew up in a massive blast. Two of the three Eagles exploded and the third turned sharply and barely missed being hit by the Stinger. A Raptor came roaring in over the mountain and fired a sidewinder at the Eagle and exploded it. Janet smiled, “It looks like the good guys are here.”
“It’s about time.”
• • •
The Medusa boarded the HH 60 with his bodyguards and buckled into one of the main cabin’s chairs. “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!!”
He heard the rounds hitting the armor on the HH and heard the gunner say, “There’s nothing on my scope!” The Medusa’s last thought just before a 30 mm shell hit him in the chest and exploded his body was he hoped his daughter was ok. He would never know the answer.
• • •
Col. Jameson watched the Medusa killed by something that was invisible. He had followed the General’s group out and hid in the forest where the tunnels exit was located. He sat down and waited until the Seals made a sweep and found him. A Seal handed him a handset and he said, “Jameson here.”
“You helped us a lot.”
“I did what I could, Mike.”
“I understand your wife is sick.”
“She is.”
“I’ll have a helicopter come to take you to her.”
“Thanks, Mike. I’ll turn myself in afterwards.”
“You aren’t being charged with anything. Your telling us about China and Russia saved millions of lives. You will be rewarded, not punished. Now go to your family.”
• • •
Four hours later, the Seals controlled Cheyenne Mountain. Mike found the Alligator surprisingly undamaged. He flew the Alligator out to a clearing twenty miles away and met Jess to return the alien blaster. Jess and Hetzel exited the starship and Mike wondered what was going on. Why was the alien there? He worried about it for only a moment as Tilly jumped out of the spaceship and sprinted to him; she jumped into his arms and started kissing his face. Mike flipped the blaster to Jess, who caught it with his right hand and had it in his holster in an instant; he pulled Elle into his arms and said, “I think we can go home.”
“I’m at home right now. Wherever you are is home.”
Mike put his head on top of Tilly’s and held her close. Elle joined them and put her arm around Jess. Hetzel watched them and smiled, “Perhaps there is hope for your species.”
Jess nodded, “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The President stood in front of the General Assembly and the room was silent. Everyone in the room knew they would be dead if not for the alien’s intervention. The stark reality of a superior civilization controlling their existence was a shock that all humanity was having to come to grips with. The fear of the Assembly was palatable. The President looked out at them and hundreds of cameras were trained on him.
“Yesterday more than six thousand nuclear warheads were launched at population and military targets around our planet. The Alien’s Starships destroyed all of them before they could reach their targets; I confess, I’m surprised they did. Everyone in this room and most of life on our planet should be gone today. It appears the young man that stole one of the alien’s Starships managed to get them to see that destruction of our planet might not be the answer to the danger we represent. They want very much for humans to learn to live in peace. They have volunteered to help us make it happen.”
The President looked up at the vast row of cameras and said, “I know that Congress is in session and is watching what’s happening here. I am going to send a bill to Congress to completely disarm our nation and disband our military forces. The only reason we have such a large military apparatus is to defend ourselves from attack and impose our will on those that don’t do as we want. Those two issues will no longer be something for us to concern ourselves with. The aliens have agreed to defend us against any attack. I think you saw yesterday how effective they are at doing that.”
The President looked down at his notes, “We are going
to play a different role in the new world that is before us. I know everyone wonders what we will do with all the millions tied up in the military and defense industries. We are going back to our roots; we are going to become the largest producer of food on the planet. Those defense factories will convert to industries that process the food we grow and ship it to a starving planet. The tanks that we built to kill humans will be converted to machines to plow the fields and transport our heavy loads. We will no longer pay farmers not to farm. The huge aircraft carriers and battleships will be used to transport our goods around the world.”
The President turned to the General Assembly, “You are going to have to come up with a world government that is charged to represent all humanity; not just the ones that elected them. Their first task will be to devise a way to pay for those contributing to making our planet a better place. There must be some means of rewarding those who are working for all of us.”
The President looked at the cameras with a stern expression. “I am asking Congress to call for a Constitutional Convention to rewrite the framework of our government and the right to bear arms will not be one of the freedoms included in it.” The President paused, “Now before those that are going to go crazy about that issue start thinking, I can’t force this on our country; I ask you to look at that planet that was blasted into a large barren rock. We’ve been given a reprieve; now we need to move toward proving that we can live together without violence. If we’re not willing to throw down our arms, the aliens will be prepared to remove them. I’ve seen what they can do and I really believe you should do this voluntarily; it won’t be pretty if our world government asks them to do it.”
“One of the things we will build to help defend our people from those that refuse to give up their violent ways will be a highly trained force that will find those that commit violent acts and remove them from our society. They will not carry guns or any other weapon to enforce peace; but they will enforce it. I suspect many of the highly trained warriors in all of our countries’ military will be brought together to form the nucleus of this new group. They will be charged to defend all people from those that refuse to live in peace.”
“This is not going to be easy; we’ll have to learn to crawl before we can walk. We’ll have to learn to walk before we can run. Everyone on Earth must understand that this is our last chance to prove we are worthy to go out to the stars and become a member of a large community of civilizations that live in peace. If we refuse to do this…we deserve what we get.” The President nodded and the picture of the vibrant blue and green planet appeared with an airless blasted rock beside it. “It’s now your choice; make it a good one.”
Jess and Elle looked at Hetzel, “What do you think?”
“You’re going to have teething problems making this change.”
“I know.”
Hetzel looked at Jess, “What about our ship?”
Jess sighed, “I really don’t want to give it back.”
Hetzel smiled, “I’ll let you keep it on two conditions.”
Jess’ eyebrows went up, “Now I find that surprising.”
Hetzel laughed, “You took it and improved it far beyond anything we’ve been able to do. I also think your computer might refuse to go back.”
Pete said, “I think you might be right about that.”
“The first condition is that you convert our other Q ships so that they are capable of all the things your ship can do.”
“What’s the second?”
“Your President just said that a select group of warriors will be chosen to enforce peace for all of your species. The ones that pilot our advanced ships are charged to defend every civilization in our community; you will swear to defend them as well. You will be charged to place the welfare of all our planets ahead of any other consideration. That includes your own planet. I suspect you will have to remain here as long as needed to help your species learn peace. Will you and your mate swear to this?”
Jess looked at Elle and said, “That means we would have to be the one to destroy our planet if they fail.”
Elle looked at Hetzel, “Would it be possible to take those that have learned to live in peace to another planet if we are forced to make that decision?”
“They will be forced to build a new civilization without high technology.”
“That’s fair.”
“We will have to look at those selected and why you’ve chosen them.”
“That is also fair.”
“Then yes, we will allow it.”
Jess smiled, “We will swear an oath to give your community of civilizations our loyalty and protection.”
Hetzel looked up, “What about you, Peter?”
“You’ve never lost my loyalty.”
“Would you have allowed your controller to destroy one of our planets?”
“If you destroyed one, why should you be immune?”
Hetzel shook his head, “You have just answered that question I’ve been struggling with.” Hetzel looked at Jess and Elle, “Do you swear to protect all life?”
“We do.”
“I think it’s time we brought those at our holding facility back to your world.”
Jess smiled, “Yes, it is.”
“I’ll have them here in two days. Where do you want them taken?”
Jess told him and Hetzel smiled, “I think that is an excellent suggestion.”
Jess put on his helmet and said, “Pete, please contact him.”
“Sanders here.”
“Mike, will you do me a favor?”
“Sure, what do you want?” Jess told him and Mike smiled.
• • •
The giant alien Transport moved down through the late afternoon sky and settled to the barren ground. A large port opened in the side of the starship and people began exiting the ship with back packs and bags. They were met by several hundred nurses that went to each one as they exited and took them to a set of stands that had been hastily erected for them.
They went to the stands and sat down. They stared at the barren land around them and saw they were in a desert. They began to wonder if their world had been destroyed. A middle aged man approached them and said, “I’m here to welcome you back home. I am the President of the United States and I wanted to speak with you before we transported you to wherever you wish to go.”
The President waved his hands and said, “This is where we first encountered the ones that kidnapped you and took you away from your homes. This is the place where life as we know it began to undergo a metamorphosis that is now just getting started. We owe this to the two of us that managed to steal one of the alien’s Warships and make this change possible. Those two were waiting for your return and their persistence at never giving up is what brought you back. Welcome home.”
The President turned and looked at Jess. Jess walked up in front of the stands with Elle, “Our families were taken from here eleven years ago. I refused to give up on never seeing them again. I stand here now, and I know it was worth everything we went through. I see my family and,” Jess looked at Elle’s huge smile and said, “Elle does as well. My name is Joseph Edward Sanchez Rollins and this is Elle Moreland.”
• • •
Jess’ and Elle’s families were watching the young man and woman and they were talking among themselves about how there was something about them that seemed familiar. When Jess told them his name they rushed out of the stands and embraced their children. Elle’s mother had been brought to the site in a wheelchair and when her husband came rushing up to hug her, she looked at him and for the first time in years, she spoke his name. Elle put her arms around their necks and wept.
“I notice you used your English name.”
Jess smiled, “I think I’ve earned the right, Dad.”
“Can you speak Spanish?”
“Fluently.”
Two hundred helicopters came roaring in over the rise and the President raised his arms, “We will take you wherever you want
to go and provide whatever you need.”
Jess’ father said, “We’ve discussed this; is there a place where all of us can go and live together?”
The President smiled, “There is a community in Florida that Disney built. It’s located in Kissimmee and all of you will be given a home there to live until you decide what you want to do. Is that satisfactory?”
Joe Sr. looked at the others and they all cheered. He looked at the President, “That will be fine, Mr. President.”
Jess listened to the exchange and picked up his new youngest brother. Life was going to be good. He looked over the crowd and saw Mandy with her parents introducing her husband. They appeared shocked by the news but her mother embraced him. It appeared the new beginning was starting well.
• • •
Jeanette sat in the stands looking around and knew her father’s plan had failed. She shook her head and expected to be arrested at any moment and placed in another prison. She looked off in the distance to the north and saw where the blasted sand ended and huge cacti were growing. She looked to her left and suddenly saw the man, who had kidnapped her and caused her to be sent off the planet, was leaning against the stand and staring at her. She stood up, walked down out of the stands, and stood in front of him, “Are you here to arrest me?”
“Kind of.”
“What does that mean?”
“Everyone on the planet has been given amnesty for anything they did prior to the President’s speech at the United Nations; that includes you. You’re free to do whatever you choose.”
“Then why are you here?”
Adams looked Jeanette in the eyes and smiled, “I’m out of work and you are also out of a job. Being in the military is no longer a career. I looked up your records and it also appears you no longer have a family.”
Jeanette stared at Adams, “How did he die?”
Adams shrugged, “He died a warrior’s death; his helicopter was shot down. I killed Mamba. Their deaths ended the rebellion.”
Jeanette shrugged, “Mamba needed killing. Dad was…ambitious. That still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.”