Cuddy was well aware both ships were simultaneously hit. Each had lost a drive, resulting in right thrusters flaring out. He watched as the Howsh ships accelerated off in opposite directions—arcing around, while firing off their own plasma weapons. The orb began a series of evasive maneuvers that went well beyond the capabilities of the inertia stabilizers. Grabbing ahold of the console supports and seat backs, all three were violently jerked left and right and up and down. Suddenly, Tony lost his grip and was thrown across the compartment—face first—into a bulkhead. Blood erupted from his already damaged nose and he fell to the deck, unconscious.
“A ship!” Kyle yelled, pointing out the starboard window. He instinctively ducked as enemy plasma fire flashed past by what looked like mere inches.
Cuddy watched the display, noting the second Howsh ship was approaching them from their underside. He was tempted to tell the orb, but he was certain the hovering AI was tracking everything now happening.
Cuddy briefly wondered if the enemy ships were piloted by Howsh crewmembers or by the furry-looking robots? The answer came to him in the blink of an eye—the robots! For the first time since the Howsh alien attacked Momma back at the house, he once again felt the orb’s presence within his consciousness.
When the deck suddenly dropped away beneath Cuddy’s feet, as the Revenge took multiple hard-hitting plasma strikes, he fell hard to the deck, next to Tony’s inert body. An overhead klaxon alarm began to wail and a growly voice repeated an alien phrase over and over again.
Kyle, remarkably, had remained on his feet and was asking the orb questions. But with the loud klaxon blaring and the growly warnings overhead, Cuddy couldn’t hear what the orb said back.
Three more powerful strikes hit the Revenge, one after another, and Cuddy felt the ship’s speed suddenly decline. One of their drives had been struck. Suddenly, the Revenge banked left, then abruptly right. Cuddy found a chair support to grab on to, as Tony’s body slid further away. At least he wasn’t conscious now to feel anything.
Using both hands, Cuddy rose to his feet and stood next to his brother. When he looked out the window, he saw they were up in space. When did that happen? He felt his heart rate increase. We’re in space … does this make us astronauts?
Kyle leaned in closer and said, “Hey … snap out of it! If you haven’t noticed, we’re up shit creek, little brother. Orb’s not sounding too confident we’re going to pull this endeavor off.”
Cuddy noticed more trails of bright red plasma fire crisscrossing the blackness of space. For us to survive this, Cuddy, you will need to assist me.
Cuddy stared at Kyle, then the orb. The request had not been a verbal one … it was instructing his mind. He knew what the orb was asking, but he’d been unable to conjure up those mental powers—whatever they were—ever since the alien altercation with Momma at the ranch.
How?
I will bring the enemy into your field of vision.
Sluggish in its response, Cuddy felt the Revenge change course. It took several moments before a Howsh ship came back into view.
I am here with you, so calm your mind, Cuddy … do not question your capabilities … do what must be done to save those you care about … to save your world …
Cuddy liked the tone of the orb’s mental voice, found it comforting. He concentrated on the fast-moving enemy vessel visible out the forward window. Nothing seemed to happen for several long moments when, all at once, one of the stubby wings on the other spacecraft began to glow. As the wing disintegrated, red hot embers trailed away into space. Next, the back of the fuselage began to glow—first yellow, then red—and then, here too, red hot embers erupted like a Fourth of July sparkler. The Howsh ship was adrift in space.
“Are they … dead?”
“Yes, the hull has been breached. I am not detecting any signs of life,” the orb said.
Beyond exhausted, Cuddy wavered on his feet. It reminded him of being underwater, when he and Kyle were swimming down at Long Pond as kids. Submerged beneath the surface, where it was so quiet only the faintest of sounds made their way into the watery depth.
Cuddy was aware of the other enemy ship, now approaching from directly ahead. He saw that the orb was bringing the Revenge back down into the atmosphere. Red plasma fire filled his field of view, but darkness was closing in around him.
“What are you doing? Do something, Cuddy!” Kyle yelled.
Cuddy fought to stay awake—needed to stay awake. But he was tired and so very weak. Cuddy drifted into unconscious just prior to his body hitting the deck.
Chapter 34
Jackie was still fuming. Who did Cuddy think he was? Who all of a sudden made him the boss? It wasn’t so long ago he had trouble counting to twenty. Now he’s dictating where she can and cannot go!
She arrived at the hospital only to find the parking lot was a total madhouse of activity. Hordes of people coming and going. A hell of a lot more people than lived in the little town of Woodbury. She glanced over to Rufus sitting in the passenger seat. “This is crazy, huh Rufus?”
Having given up, she was now looking for a place to park several blocks out on a side street. She was surprised to see her father was there—slowly walking—arm-in-arm with Momma Perkins. She spotted the old Maxima up ahead. Jackie lowered her passenger side window and pulled up alongside them.
“Dad … Mrs. Perkins … what are you doing here?”
Momma gave a little wave. Her father glanced over to her with a surprised expression. She saw him remove his arm from hers—obviously using her for support. She saw him attempt to stand a little taller.
“What’s it look like we’re doing?” he said. “Are you daft? We’re walking to Dotty’s car.”
“I can see that, Dad … but why are you out of the hospital? You just had surgery … not to mention a heart attack.”
Her father stopped and looked at her. “I’m well aware of what I’ve been through. Heart attacks aren’t something one easily forgets. Dotty’s taking me home. It seems my daughter has been too busy to make time for such trivialities.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. Then saw that there were two cars now waiting behind her—wanting to pass but the opposing traffic was pretty much non-stop. “Any word on Sheriff Bone’s condition, Mrs. Perkins?” Jackie asked.
“Oh, he’s got a few broken bones. Two ribs and he has a cast on his left arm. His wrist I think. Also has a concussion. Other than that, he’ll live. Already making a fuss about getting back to work.” Looking concerned, Momma asked, “Any word about my boys?”
Jackie shook her head. “No. Sorry.”
The two of them had arrived at the Maxima. Momma used a key fob to unlock the passenger door. She opened it and held it wide for her father to lower himself into.
Jackie felt guilty. She should be the one driving him home. The car behind her honked—then the one behind that and the one behind that one all honked their horns. She held her left hand out the driver-side window and flipped the lot of them the bird.
Momma was making her way around her car.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you back at Dad’s farm.”
“Okay, dear … we’ll see you there.”
* * *
She spun the dial determining only two local radio stations were still broadcasting—both so filled with static, it was nearly impossible to hear what was being said. She glanced in her rearview mirror and saw the Maxima was there, three cars back. She spun the dial again and hit pay dirt. She recognized the announcer’s voice as that from the local CBS affiliate all-news station.
“… the amount of damage … the devastation along the eastern seaboard is nothing short of catastrophic. Death tolls are estimated into the millions. With that said, there are population pockets … even within Manhattan itself … that were, miraculously, bypassed. Moving on to Washington D.C. … there too has sustained much damage. But I’m reporting that the White House still stands … I repeat … the White House still stands. As does the Capitol Building.
The President of the United States is said to be safe and conducting business from an undisclosed safe bunker location. The Naval Station at Norfolk, in nearby Virginia, has been completely destroyed. As were the bases at Newport, Annapolis, Charleston, Kings Bay, and Jacksonville. It is apparent that the alien attackers’ primary targets were … and still are … primary U.S. and worldwide military installations. Let’s quickly turn our attention to the events going on over Europe and Russia. We go now to Peter Colten … our on-the-ground correspondent in St. Petersburg, Russia. Peter … what can you tell us?”
“Yeah, Simon, what we’re getting, and this is from multiple eye witness accounts … is that two alien crafts had entered the Russian airspace. The Russians were ready for them … deploying a substantial number of their MiG29k jet fighters. All of which were quickly destroyed. Then came what seemed to be an almost endless rampage of Russian surface to air and sea to air missiles … unfortunately, these too had zero effect on the alien crafts. The aliens began strafing the ground with their energy weapons … just as they had done along the eastern seaboard in the U.S. and then to other countries in Europe and China. As the attack ensued, much of Moscow has been turned to rubble. But here’s the really bizarre part, Simon … reportedly a third spaceship engaged the enemy, identical looking to the other two alien crafts … From which point an aerial battle ensued. Eventually, the battle continued up in space.”
“So how do things stand now, Peter?”
“Simon … one alien spacecraft has definitely been destroyed. That has been verified. The other one was either destroyed or at the very least incapacitated in high orbit over Earth.”
“And what has happened to the other spacecraft … our apparent savior … or was that the craft which was destroyed?”
“There’s no way to know, at this point, there’s still much more to come, Simon …”
Jackie had reached her father’s farm. She turned off the engine and continued to stare at the car radio. There was a good chance, Cuddy and Kyle … as well as Tony Bone were dead. Killed by the alien craft. She didn’t want to think about it. She couldn’t think about it.
She watched as Mrs. Perkins and her father extricated themselves from the Maxima. Momma helped her father walk toward the house. It should be me helping him, she thought—but, surprisingly, she was fine with Mrs. Perkins taking on that responsibility.
Jackie got out of her car and slowly followed behind them. Then, snapping out of her funk, she hurried forward and opened the front door for them. It was unlocked—always unlocked—she didn’t remember, even as a child, the door ever being locked.
Momma gently guided her father toward the back of the house where the master bedroom was located. Jackie felt numb. So much had happened—all starting days before, with the frantic call informing her that her father had had a massive heart attack. Hell … in a normal world, that would have been terrifying enough. But it had only been the beginning of a string of implausible events that were … well … beyond incredible. But was all of it a nightmare? Certainly not Cuddy’s mental transformation. Now that presented its own unique set of problems for her.
She noticed a red light was blinking on her dad’s old fashioned answering machine on the kitchen counter. She pressed play and listened to a series of well-wishers for her father’s quick recovery. There was a message from the pharmacist about new prescriptions being ready for pickup, and then there was a message for her. It was Brian. He was worried sick about her. Couldn’t understand why she wasn’t picking up on her cell phone. She tried to remember where she’d left it—then remembered she’d last had it in her pocket when she’d been taken aboard the Howsh ship. She brought her attention back to Brian’s voice
“Babe … if you get this message, please call … day or night … Jackie, let me know you’re all right.”
She listened to the phone machine say, “End of messages.”
She looked up to see Momma was coming down the hallway.
“He okay?”
“Yes … wants to rest for a while.”
“I can’t thank you enough for helping with Dad … It should have been me—”
Momma waved her words away. “It’s a welcome distraction with everything going on. The attacks around the world … Cuddy and Kyle gone.” Momma gestured toward something undefined above.
Jackie said, “I found a radio station … while in the car. Reports about the attacks on the other side of the world.”
Momma’s attention was piqued, “Well? Anything about … the boys … what they were trying to do?”
Jackie nodded. “There was a third ship … it must have been them … the report said it attacked the other two ships … up in space. One was definitely destroyed … not sure about the other one … it may have reentered the atmosphere.”
Momma stared back at her, waiting for Jackie to continue.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Perkins … there’s no way to know. I guess all we can do is wait.”
Chapter 35
Cuddy awoke to the loud, grating voice of Tony Bone. Clearly upset, he was complaining about his nose.
“ … of all the places on my body I could have been smacked … an arm … an ear … hell, my nuts, but no … I get hit again, right in the nose!”
Cuddy slowly sat up, realizing Kyle was crouched down next to him.
“Easy there, little brother, you hit your head pretty hard.”
Cuddy thought back to the last thing he’d seen—the Howsh spacecraft coming right at them, from out the observation window. “We’re … still alive!”
“Thanks to you. You and the orb. How you did what you did, making that ship disintegrate, like that …”
Cuddy’s vision was only now clearing—capable of focusing on his surroundings. The AI orb still hovered in front of the forward console and Cuddy noted they were again up in space. He glanced over at Tony, now seated with his back up against the opposite bulkhead. Dried blood covered much of his lower face along with practically all his T-shirt.
“Sorry about your nose, Tony.”
“It’s not your fault, Cuddy. It was already reinjured.” Tony gave Kyle a mean look.
“Can you help me up, Kyle?” Cuddy asked. With the help of his brother, he climbed to his feet. He wavered then steadied himself. “Orb … where are we? What are we doing back in space?”
“On three occasions I attempted to return to Earth’s atmosphere. Of those still functioning sufficiently, Earth’s strategic defenses—primarily ballistic missile systems—are all on high alert. The Revenge has taken numerous direct hits and our ability to cloak our presence is no longer possible. Added to that, our protective shields are ineffectual.”
Tony, sounding nasally, asked, “Can’t we just tell them who we are … that we’re the good guys?”
Cuddy and Kyle looked at each other. Kyle shrugged and asked, “Is that possible?”
The orb stopped what it was doing—as if momentarily considering the question—then replied, “This vessel has a variety of communication capabilities, including radio frequency transmission.”
“Who would we talk to?” Tony asked. “I mean, who would believe us? We’d sound like prankster ass-clowns …”
Kyle nodded and pointed a finger at Tony. “That’s why you’re going to contact your father … the sheriff. Who else do we know who has any clout? Since he’s been on this ship, it won’t be all that far-fetched.” Tony gave back a pained expression.
“What’s the big deal?” Kyle asked.
“I don’t know if he’s even out of the hospital yet. And I don’t get along very well with him, anyway.”
“Tough. Would you rather die up here? Be atomized by a fucking missile from Iran, or maybe Poland? You want to die from a Polish missile, Tony? Would that make you happy?” Kyle asked.
Tony started to laugh at that. “Fine … um … you, orb, do you know how to connect to, communicate with, the Woodbury Police Dispatch? That’s always the best way to get ahold of my father.”
“Stand by … I will attempt to make the necessary connections.”
“Whatever,” Tony said, rising to his feet. “He still may not believe me.”
Cuddy wasn’t sure Tony was right about that, since the sheriff had been taken prisoner too—had been a prisoner on this same alien ship. It wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to realize his son was still on board.
They were startled by the sound of loud static, then Sheriff Bone’s craggy voice, blaring into the bridge compartment: “Who is this …? This is a police emergency frequency.”
Tony looked around the compartment, like he didn’t know in which direction to address his words.
“Just start talking, Tony!” Kyle said, annoyed.
“Dad? Um … it’s Tony …”
There was a long static pause before the sheriff spoke again. “Tony?”
“Yes … like … your son.”
“Where the hell are you? I’ve been looking for you, damn it. What are you doing on this frequency?”
“Just listen, Dad … I want you to know I’m not fooling around here. This is for real, okay?”
“I’m extremely busy, son. I’ve just gotten back from the hospital … what is it?”
“I’m up in space. I’m still in the Howsh ship. This is the spacecraft that just destroyed the other two spaceships … like over Russia.” Tony shook his head and stared over at Kyle then Cuddy. He mouthed the words, He thinks I’m pulling his chain.
“That was you? How …?”
“Well, I’m not flying it … that’s the orb’s doing. Anyway, it’s a long story, but it’s all very true. Even I couldn’t make shit up this crazy.”
“Watch your language on an open channel, son. Are you coming home now?”
“Yeah … just as soon as Poland stops firing missiles at us.”
“Poland?”
“Look, Dad, the rest of the world has no idea what’s really happened. They don’t know we’re the good guys up here. You need to call … I don’t know … like NASA or the President or someone. We need to be able to land. Dad, weren’t you in the Navy? Can’t you call someone?”
The Simpleton: An Alien Encounter Page 18