by Saxon Andrew
“I wanted to see if being held by the aliens changed you.”
Jeanette stared at Adams and after a moment sighed, “I should kill you for doing that to me.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Jeanette took a deep breath and blew it out, “We have no chance against them; we were incredibly foolish. Being held captive made me feel…small.”
“Good.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you and I are now alone in this brave new world and both of us are going to have to find our place in it.” Adams lowered his eyebrows and said, “I think you and I should search for it together.” Jeanette’s mouth fell open and she shook her head. Adams smiled, “I know you were passed out but you felt pretty good when I drove you off the base.”
Jeanette tried not to smile but only managed to keep her smile small, “Oh, so you only want me for my looks!”
“Well duh! You are beautiful; that’s your strongest asset. You’re also smart, strong willed, and dangerous. That makes you perfect to my way of seeing things.”
Jeanette stared at Adams and saw he was a very handsome man with a high level of self-confidence. She also knew he was strong enough to stand up to her; he had proven that. “Just how do you suggest we do this?”
“We take it one day at a time and see how it goes.”
Jeanette thought about the idea and sighed, “I don’t love you; hell, I don’t even know if I like you.”
“That’s a good place to start; it can only go up from here.”
Jeanette laughed, “Ok, I’ll give it a go. What choice do I have?”
Adams smiled, “Then come with me.” Adams held out his hand and after a pause, Jeanette took it. They walked away from the gathering and Adams told her about everything that had happened while she was off planet. They arrived at the road and Jeanette came to a sudden stop, “Is that my car!?”
Bowen stepped out of the driver’s seat and looked at Adams, “I can’t believe she went for it?” Adams nodded. “Well, I can’t think of anyone else that would offer you enough of a challenge to make your life interesting. Good luck and stay in touch.”
“Thanks, Bowen. I owe you.” Bowen nodded and started hiking up the hill to catch one of the helicopters.
Adams opened Jeanette’s door for her and closed it when she sat down. He slowly walked around the rear of the car and opened the passenger door. He got in and Jeanette said, “You expected me to drive off and leave you.”
Adams nodded, “I’d understand if you did. Why didn’t you?”
“I think your friend changed my mind. He said I was the only one that could challenge you. It started me thinking that you might be the only one that would offer a challenge to me as well. I’ve not found anyone that has ever come close to being of interest to me; I’m willing to see where this goes. What do we do now?”
Adams leaned back and put on his seatbelt, “I have a credit card with unlimited funds. Let’s go see America and talk about what we’d like our future to look like.” Jeanette stared at him for a long moment and then whipped the BMW around and headed towards Phoenix. By the time they reached San Francisco, she was holding his hand.
• • •
Janet turned on the light and looked around the ranch-style home and sighed. The bums hadn’t burned it but they did make a mess of everything. She sat down and looked at the Presidential Pardon and a check for another eight million dollars. She didn’t expect it to be worth much once the new government began printing new money; but, she could hire someone to come and clean the house and not have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life. As she walked in the front door she looked to the right and saw the barn doors had been pulled down and would have to be replaced. She walked toward the kitchen and started to turn on the light but saw something flicker outside the lanai door.
She pulled a gun from behind her and slowly walked toward the glass door. She saw it was slightly open and she looked through it and saw a candle flickering on the patio table. The table was covered with a black tablecloth and a large bottle of wine was in a cooling container. On the other side of the candle was a single red rose in a silver vase. She looked further to the right and saw a man sitting in a chair staring at her with a small smile on his face. She put the gun away and stepped out on the lanai. “How did you find me?”
“I looked up Mike’s cell phone records and tracked all the places he went after he hid Tilly in the desert. This one had to be where he came to find you.”
“That proves you are smarter than the average bear; however, it also shows you’re dishonest.”
“What!?!”
“You said you weren’t much on looks; you’re one of the best looking men I’ve seen.”
“What about you! You said looks were highly overrated and you’re drop dead gorgeous.”
“I guess we’re both getting more than we expected. However, I will not fall into your arms until I’ve had enough time to make sure you’re up to my standards.”
Blackwell smiled, “That’s fair. I’ve booked us a flight to Paris tomorrow and we’ll take all the time we need.”
“Isn’t that a little presumptuous?”
“Just a little.”
Janet chuckled, “Let’s do this instead. I’ve been running all over God’s creation for weeks. Why don’t we just stay here and get to know each other?”
Blackwell smiled, “I’d much prefer to do just that; I am more of a homebody. Besides, I need to get out there and repair those barn doors.”
“Are you a carpenter?”
“I was raised on a farm in Iowa. I know how to do a lot of things.”
Janet sat down and looked at Blackwell, “I’ve killed.”
“Yes you have; but only the ones that deserved it. That only makes you more attractive, in my opinion.” Blackwell paused, “There will be a penalty for not using our plane tickets tomorrow. Would you mind paying it?” Janet looked at Blackwell and frowned. He was a moocher. Eric smiled, “I’m the one that sent you the Presidential Pardon. I also inserted a check that is drawn on the accounts the military had secretly set up to finance their activities. You need to deposit it before I have them closed. Since you have to deposit them, you can pay the penalty.”
Janet laughed and said, “Why did you only make it for eight million?”
“Actually, I made a small deposit myself and turned in my retirement papers to come and see if I could find my future wife. I had it on good authority from someone whose judgment I really trust that she was closer than I thought. He told me if I was able to get her interest, I would be the one that would be the luckiest man on Earth. I’m starting to see he was right.”
“Why did you retire?”
“I needed to make sure I had enough time to convince her.”
Janet smiled and went over and sat down in Blackwell’s lap and kissed him. After a long moment she leaned back with her eyes still closed, “That was nice.”
“I thought you said you weren’t going to fall into my arms right away.”
“You had me at the barn doors.”
“What?”
“When you said you needed to fix my barn’s doors, I knew you were the one. I can try and second guess myself, but in my heart I know.”
Blackwell smiled, “I can also repair the fence beside the barn.” Janet smiled and leaned down and kissed him again. She leaned back and Blackwell said, “Did you notice the siding on the east side of the house is starting to wear?” Janet started laughing and he joined her. She found her life was going to be full of laughter. She could barely say her vows at their wedding because she burst out laughing every time she looked at Eric. For his part he could only look out at the guests and shrug, which made her laugh even harder. He finally had to hold her up to keep her from falling. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was able to say her ‘I dos. Holding Eric is what brought her peace.
Ten Years Later:
It took a year before all weapons
of war were demolished and removed. Some countries had them removed forcefully when the new Government asked for the alien’s assistance in making it take place. Israel asked for the alien’s protection right after the United States and immediately destroyed all of their military assets, including twenty nuclear warheads. Some of its neighboring countries decided to take advantage of the situation and rushed in to overwhelm their hated rival. The situation was resolved but not before Tehran was left a smoking hole in the ground. Four years later, the new Middle Eastern Coalition declared all borders removed and the people in the region were allowed to live wherever they chose. The Middle East became a shining example to the rest of the world of what the future would look like.
China accepted the new world quickly and became the world’s main source of technology. They developed the new super conductor that allowed high speed rail to become a reality. The former defense industries were contracted to build the new structures that crossed oceans for the new bullet trains to open the planet to all continents. Europe and the United States were connected in the first five years and Australia was connected to the mainland of Asia four years later.
Russia was the longest hold out but once the tanks and means of waging war were removed, the people rose up and joined the new community. China and Russia removed all borders and the overcrowding in China ended with the vast migrations to the empty plains of the former Soviet Union.
The last issue of removing weapons of violence was the most difficult. There were more than a hundred million rifles and handguns in the United States. The new Government struggled with the problem for years and finally took a vote asking that all hand guns and rifles be removed. The vast majority of citizens in the United States willingly turned their weapons over for destruction. Those that refused had their homes and vehicles damaged when the tiny, hot beams hit them from space. Some homes were burned but after the population learned there was no place they could be hidden, the final holdouts turned theirs in as well.
Hunters complained but a compromise was reached and bows were granted immunity from destruction. They would only be used for hunting and using them against other humans would result in a death sentence.
• • •
The Hunter looked at his wrist and saw the summons. He walked over to a man directing the harvesting of the current crop, “Juan, I have to leave.”
“At least you don’t have to do this as often as you once did, Senior.”
“I wish I didn’t have to do it at all.”
“Perhaps that dream will one day come true.”
The Hunter smiled and put his hand on the Foreman’s shoulder, “We all pray for that day, my friend.” The Hunter walked over to the barn and found his Second was already uncovering the two sleds. “What is it this time?”
“A domestic confrontation.” He moved to his sled and took the personal field device out of its charging cradle and put it around his neck. He flipped the power lever and felt the sled rise a foot off the ground. He stepped over it and adjusted the leg restraints on the saddle and looked at his Second, “Are you ready?”
“Do we have the forensic data yet?”
The Hunter looked at the panel on the sled and saw the data streaming on the secondary panel, “It’s coming in now.” He moved the toggle forward and the sled started moving out of the barn. He cleared the entrance and touched the map that was on the main display. The two sleds shot up into the sky and disappeared in an instant.
They flew out of California and ten minutes later slowed down as they arrived at the delta of the Mississippi. The Hunter scrolled through the forensic data and found the DNA of the one they were trying to locate. He pressed the panel and the DNA code was entered into the sled’s scanner and it immediately started beeping.
The two sleds accelerated and flew twenty four miles along the delta and stopped above a huge Louisiana swamp. The Hunter flew his sled slowly down into the swamp and set it on hover. He stepped off and lifted his wrist unit and turned a full circle. He headed north as he walked through knee deep water. His unit began beeping slowly and then started beeping faster. He stepped over a log and an arrow with a serrated razor head hit him in the middle of his forehead…and fell to the ground. He lined up the direction it had come from and walked towards a large Bald Cypress tree.
Another arrow hit him in the chest and he ignored it. He knew the tree had to be where the archer was hiding but he had done an excellent job of camouflaging his location. The Second Hunter arrived from the other side of the tree and was hit in the chest with another arrow. The First shook his head and went over to the tall Cypress tree and placed his gloved hands on the trunk. He went up the trunk at an incredible speed and found the archer in the second level of branches. He had built a hunting blind and it was cleverly concealed from the ground. The archer tried to draw back an arrow and the Hunter reached out and pulled him out of the blind and dropped him. The archer screamed all the way to the ground where his screams abruptly ended. The Hunter slid down the trunk and stood beside the archer who was going into shock from the long fall. The Second looked at him, “What did he do?”
“He’s been beating his wife and children for years. She finally got the courage to leave and he stalked her for three days before he killed her with an arrow in a shopping center’s parking lot. He killed her with his children standing beside her.”
The Second shook her head. She went to a knee, balled up her fist, and hit the archer in the middle of his chest rupturing his heart. The First Hunter took the bow and used a device to cut the metal bowstring. He then notched the compound bow; if anyone tried to draw it again, it would snap. He took the bow and jammed it into the ground next to the dead body and took out a can of special paint. He sprayed a red V on the archer’s forehead that penetrated all the way to the skull. Anyone that ran across the body would see he was executed for violent behavior.
Adams sighed and Jeanette went to his side and hugged him, “He deserved it, Dear.”
“I know; I just feel bad that there’s no sport in this.”
“That is what will eventually end us having to do it. Let’s go back to the farm.”
Adams pressed his wrist unit and the two sleds moved through the swamp and stopped next to them. Adams looked at Jeanette, “You know I love you?” Jeanette nodded and leaned over and kissed him. He smiled and followed her out of the swamp. It would be good get back and see their children. Their future looked bright, along with the rest of humanity.
Epilogue
Jess looked down on the planet and saw the two nuclear mushroom clouds rise into the upper atmosphere. He waited and wondered if the militants on the planet had not detected his presence. “A rather large satellite is moving toward us. What do you want me to do?”
“Let it take a shot. They need to learn what they’re up against.” Four nuclear missiles launched from the satellite and hit the Q ship’s force field and a massive blast blew out into space. The blast cleared and Jess turned to Elle, who nodded after pressing a series of switches on her panel. He pressed a button on his chair and said, “We have been watching your planet and have hoped that you would turn from war and learn to live in peace. The use of nuclear weapons against members of your own species has changed your status from observation to intervention. I am sending you what you can expect if you don’t lay down your weapons and learn to live in peace. You have one day to respond; at that time, I will remove your ability to wage war.” Jess ran his hand across his neck and Elle ended the connection through the planet’s satellites.
“You did an excellent job, Mr. Rollins.”
“And you used their system perfectly, Mrs. Rollins.” Jess looked to his left and said, “Are you feeling more comfortable at how to use the ship?”
Mike looked at Jess and tilted his head, “It can do so much; it’s almost overwhelming.”
Elle looked at Tilly, “You will take possession of your Q ship next week. Once you have the information transferred to your minds, it will be a
lot easier than you think.”
Mike reached into his jacket pocket and took out a weathered piece of leather, “This belongs to you.”
Jess took the old holster and saw his H&K P 40. He looked at Mike who said, “That is the last one and it should be kept in a place of honor.”
“Why is that?”
“It saved Tilly and me; none of this would have happened without it.”
Jess stared at the gun like it was an old friend. He sighed and looked at Mike, “Some things no longer have a place.” Jess paused and looked at Mike, “I’ve been wondering why you needed the Seals to take Cheyanne Mountain; none of them could have harmed you with your personal shield.”
Mike blew out a breath, “I thought about that prior to calling in the Seals; however. I just didn’t feel it was right to use the alien’s weapon to kill other humans. I would have had to kill everyone in the mountain; I decided to use it to clear a path into the mountain and left it up to the Seals to handle any decisions on loss of life. We had to do this together to make it stand for something.”
Jess slowly shook his head and placed the P-40 on the floor. He took out his blaster, changed the setting, and fired it at the P 40. It disintegrated into dust.
Mike shook his head, “I just couldn’t do it; that gun is what saved us.”
Jess looked at him, “It is like losing an old friend; but it has served its purpose and to keep it only shows we’re not ready to commit to the future. Putting it in a place of honor only shows we haven’t learned what’s important.”
“I’m surprised they’re allowing us to command one of their starships.”
Elle smiled, “It makes sense if you think about it. They have never attempted to tame a violent civilization; they just destroyed them.”
Mike tilted his head, “While we have gone through the process and know what to expect. You’re right; from that point of view, I would expect them to put more of us in ships.”
“I heard Hetzel say he was looking at Adams and Jeanette for the next one.”