Raging at the Stars

by Lesley Davis

  “Not bad for a basement dweller’s lair, is it?” Dink grinned at her mischievously before taking his seat at the huge bank of monitors.

  Emory settled herself gingerly in another seat. Sofia felt the pain Emory was obviously trying to mask.

  “You brought that saucer down, didn’t you?” Sofia folded her arms across her chest to stop herself from running her hands all over Emory to check for any more signs of injury.

  “Theoretically? With you being next in line of Dionysius? That kind of makes you very nearly my boss.” Emory maneuvered her leg up to rest it on an open lower drawer she’d been using for that exact purpose. “Well, Ellen Mays’s boss to be exact. And seeing as she doesn’t exactly exist I don’t think I need to answer your question.”

  “You can dance around it as much as you like, but I know you were the idiot who tested out a theory with the Rooty Tooty Point and Shooty you stole from Euphoria.”

  Dink snorted at Sofia successfully mimicking Emory’s name for the missile launcher. Even Emory had to smile at her mockery.

  “I swear, Emory, you’ve got to stop this desperate need to risk your life every time you are out in the open.”

  “I promise you that was the last time I will get that close to a saucer’s freezing beam.” Emory shuddered. “It was frightening being totally paralyzed in it yet being completely aware. I don’t ever want to experience that again.” She tapped at her leg. “And being the dumbass who falls from a great height out of the sky to land on a shed rooftop and then fall off it. Not my finest hour after bringing down an alien ship with one well aimed shot on my first go.” She high-fived Dink and they both grinned at Sofia like idiots.

  “Yes, you are a perfect markswoman considering never having training with such an unwieldy weapon, and I applaud that. Right after I want to kill you because you’re going to drive me insane with your antics.” Sofia sighed. She knew Emory had been involved. She and that damned launcher Sofia had expressively told her not to touch. “Have you had your leg properly checked out?”

  “Dink stitched it up for me,” Emory said.

  Sofia raised an eyebrow at him. “Doctor Dink?”

  “DVM to be exact, a doctor of veterinary medicine. It was the only way I could get in on cases of mutilated cattle.”

  You got seen to by a vet?”

  Emory just grinned and took the dig with good grace. “And a damned good one too.”

  “Then there’s my numerous PhDs, my MCS, that’s a master of computer science, I totally aced that course. Oh, and MIT. You know, it’s amazing what you can study on the Internet and add to your credentials.”

  “MIT?”

  “It won’t surprise you that I ended up not taking the standard route a graduate of MIT would usually take.”

  Sofia looked around the room. “So why conspiracy theories as your profession?”

  “The exposing of the truth behind the lies, Sofia. It’s been a fascinating journey, quite the learning experience. I’ve met some powerful people with stories to tell who were kept silent by their superiors. Who wouldn’t want to hear what they know?” He slipped from his chair and picked up Sofia’s laptop. “And it’s brought you to us now. If you’ll excuse me, this little beauty and I need to get better acquainted.”

  “You’re not going to use it in here?”

  “I’m sure you’re very sincere in this gift, but I’m taking no chances this is a Trojan horse ready to infect all my computers. So I’ll be back shortly.” He waved a hand around the room. “Make yourself at home. As you can see, we have plenty to keep you occupied.” He disappeared back up top and left Sofia and Emory alone.

  Sofia took his seat before the monitors and stared at all the views they were offering. “Do I want to know how exactly he gets all these feeds?”

  “Probably not,” Emory said.

  Sofia watched the screens flick from one country to another. The devastation around the world was undeniable.

  “You really had no clue what Russom was going to reveal to us, did you?” Emory rested her elbow on the desk and her chin in her hand. She was watching Sofia’s reaction closely.

  “No damn clue whatsoever,” she admitted. “I’d worked for him for years. I’d worked on the saucers exclusively and never knew how deep we’d sold out to an alien race that I’d been told didn’t exist anymore. I had no reason to dispute it. I never saw any evidence otherwise…until you led me down Euphoria’s hidden levels and I got to see what lay hidden away.”

  “So why didn’t you say anything in the lab? You never uttered a word, either about what we were seeing with all those bodies just suspended there, or to even question Russom on it.”

  “I was too shocked to be honest. And I knew I needed to keep my mouth shut because Russom wasn’t watching you checking everything out. He was watching my reaction, and I couldn’t let him see how much it disgusted me.” Sofia closed her eyes at the memory of that awful room and what it said about certain members of the human race. “Everything I had been led to believe came crashing down around me in that room, Emory. You know all too well what it’s like when something you believe so passionately in turns out to be built on lies and subterfuge. It makes you question everything you’ve ever believed to be true.”

  Emory nodded. “So why are you here?”

  Sofia reached inside one of the paper bags she’d carried in with her. She pulled out a bag of Tootsie Rolls and held it out to Emory. “I believe I owe you these. I think you’re going to need them when I tell you what else Russom is up to.”

  Emory took the bag and dipped her head in a bow at Sofia’s gesture when she finally realized Emory was right about something.

  Sofia’s eyes fell on a monitor displaying the black triangular craft.

  Emory ripped open the bag and pulled out a Roll. “Russom wants that big ship for his collection, doesn’t he? To complete the set. And I’m guessing he wants you to work on it, given your success with the saucers.”

  Sofia nodded, not surprised Emory already had a theory in her head. “He wants me to fly it.” She knew how crazy that sounded, and judging by the look of incredulity on Emory’s face, she wasn’t alone.

  “Fly it?” Emory rolled the candy around in her mouth, coughing a little as she nearly choked on it. “Fly it where exactly?”

  “He didn’t expand on that,” Sofia admitted.

  Emory swallowed the candy and reached for her soda. “These saucers of yours. Have you tested them in outer space or do you guys just ride around in them in your own backyards?”

  “I’m no astronaut. I’ve not taken a ship outside of our orbit.” She looked back at the screen. “So why does he want this ship so badly that he hasn’t deployed the weapon that can bring the whole lot of them down?”

  “Excuse me?” Emory spluttered and inadvertently sprayed some of her soda over Dink’s extensive keyboarding. She hastened to mop it up as quickly as she could. “What the fuck did you just say?”

  “I guess we have a lot to talk about.” Sofia patted Emory’s knee gently. “The Tootsie Rolls were for you being right about Tesla’s energy weapon having been made at the base that bears his name.”

  “I knew it!” Emory gloated. “So why isn’t it being deployed? It would bring an end to the invasion.”

  Sofia pointed at the activity all over the black craft. “This is the reason for his hesitation.”

  “What is Russom doing holding the world to ransom while the worker ants crawling all over that ship can’t even begin to get into it?”

  “And what exactly is going to happen once they do get in?” Sofia wondered aloud as she shifted closer to the screen to watch the workers try to crack the hull. “They won’t get in that way. What they’re doing is pointless.”

  “Do you know how to get in that ship?”

  Sofia smiled. “I might have a better idea than them employing laser cutters or deciding to use explosives. I’m guessing Russom has already warned them not to dare try that method. He’s still pissed it
was shot down in the first place.”

  “Then how did he intend to capture one?”

  “I have no idea, but he has ways and means of doing anything he wants and no one stands in his way.”

  Emory nudged Sofia gently. “Until you?”

  Sofia nudged her back. “Until us.”

  *

  “Emory! Emory!” Dink’s voice carried down the steps, and Emory’s head shot up at his excited calls.

  “What’s up, man?”

  Dink appeared clutching the laptop above his head like a banner. “It’s the Holy Grail of military information! It busts Dionysius wide open and spills its secrets for all to see.” He grinned hugely. “And by everyone I mean ME!” He cackled like a maniac.

  Emory just laughed back at him. Sofia shook her head.

  “Remind me again why I came to you two clowns with such highly sensitive information?”

  “Because, my dear captain, you knew only we could make sense of the madness Dionysius orchestrates.” Dink laid the laptop beside Emory and flipped open the lid. “Guess what they have at Tesla Falls?”

  Emory felt terrible for bursting his bubble, but she couldn’t resist. “Proof of Tesla’s death ray.”

  His face fell. “Fuck!” He spun around and pointed a finger at Sofia. “No spoilers, Sofia! That’s cheating!” He stomped over to a seat and flung himself in it.

  “Russom won’t employ it, even though it would wipe the alien ships clean from our skies.” Emory pointed to the monitor. “He wants this little beauty before he starts playing war of the worlds.”

  Dink pointed at the laptop. “That little Pandora’s Box coughed up the answer to another mystery. The reason why those huge triangular ships have managed to stay hidden for so long.”

  “It’s got to be that they either hide out in volcanos or they are a seafaring craft,” Emory said. They’d had this discussion numerous times before.

  “You’ve always said that anything could be hiding in the deep, dark depths of the sea. There’s one report that states they’ve been swimming with the fishes all along. Which would explain the Bermuda Triangle and all the other no-go areas where ships and planes mysteriously disappear. We have more than enough water covering the planet for crafts of that size to submerge themselves out of sight in. With their technology, they’ve got to be equipped to plunge to depths that would crush our submarines like beer cans. Sofia, what are the chances of that craft being flyable once it’s dug out of Maine and dried out?” Dink pulled his chair closer to her.

  Sofia studied the feeds they were watching. “I don’t know. The saucers were made from a very durable material, nothing like we had here on Earth, but they still crashed and broke up. I’d hazard a guess the black ships are stronger but still damageable. And crash-landing into the sea and a land mass won’t make it the easiest of rescues to get it back out again unless someone gets inside and tries to fly it.”

  “Which is what Russom wants Sofia here to try,” Emory added and watched at Dink’s eyebrows rose.

  “Interesting…” he murmured.

  Sofia made a face at the screen at what she was seeing. “What they are trying to do isn’t going to work. If these black craft are anything like the saucers, it should have a pressure point on the surface that opens the hidden door.”

  “And let me guess. That pressure point is either deep under the sea water or buried miles deep under tons of Maine’s soil,” Emory said. “So unless they can levitate this ship up and out of both jams, they’re not going to be able to get in the easy way.”

  Sofia shook her head. “They’re going to realize sooner or later diamond-tipped drills and lasers aren’t going to do the trick. They’ll switch to explosives, and Russom will rain all kinds of hell on them if they damage his precious prize.”

  “If they do blow a hole to get inside, what will they find waiting for them?” Emory had a feeling whatever it was wasn’t going to be friendly.

  Sofia just shrugged. “I’ve never seen inside one of those crafts, but I’m going to guess there’s a full complement of alien life forms on board. Whether they are dead or alive at this point, I can’t honestly say.”

  Emory leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling. “The bigger question is, what kind? We know the saucers house the little gray aliens, but the bigger blue ones have yet to show themselves.” She sat back up abruptly and hissed at the accompanying pain in her leg. “Dink, do you still have a contact out there or was he shipped out?”

  Dink switched on a screen that had been dormant in the top row of monitors. The screen flickered to life and showed a perfect front line view of the downed ship.

  “Oh my God,” Sofia breathed. “Do you have eyes everywhere?”

  Dink smiled sweetly at her. “You’d be surprised how far my reach goes. For the past few days, I’ve been watching the Senate running around like headless chickens. That got old real fast.”

  “You have someone spying for you in the government?”

  “More than one actually. However, they don’t wear the same gear Emory sports so kindly. They get me the information the old-fashioned way. They give me their passcodes and let me troll their computers.”

  “I’m wondering if I should be more afraid of you or Russom,” Sofia muttered.

  “I’m just a concerned American citizen, seeking the truth amid all the lies we keep being fed through mass media and those in power.” Dink pressed a button on his desk. “You’re live on air, Echo Three.”

  Sofia looked at Emory with a frown and mouthed “Echo Three?”

  “Soldier boy is a big Star Wars fan. Dink thought it was only fitting he had a code name to match.”

  “What’s your code name?”

  “I rarely use one. As a journalist I was known by my real identity. But Ellen Mays always served me well when I went undercover.”

  “It’s a miracle you weren’t found out all those times you stepped where others wouldn’t have dared to.”

  “If I’d followed that rule, Sofia, I would never have met you and that would have been a terrible shame.” Emory loved the smile that curved Sofia’s lips and softened her dark eyes. “You wouldn’t be here now, consorting with the enemy, and looking to bring down more than just the spaceships.”

  Sofia snorted. “You’re a bad influence.” However, her smile grew. “You’re undoubtedly a scoundrel.”

  Dink interrupted them. “If you two can put your flirting on hold for just a second, I think our boy is next up to work on the ship. He’s an explosives expert. I think you were right, Sofia. They’ve lost patience barely scratching the surface. They’re going to force their way in.”

  Sofia shot upright. “They need to be careful where they set the charges. Those ships don’t run on the usual power sources. If they plant explosives over the engine room they could probably kiss good-bye to the rest of Maine in the resulting blast.”

  “And you’re only mentioning this now because…?” Dink’s voice rose in his fear.

  “Because I didn’t think they’d go against Russom’s orders not to scratch the ship. But then they didn’t exactly follow orders when they shot the damned thing down either.”

  Emory purposely stood between them before things got any more rowdy. “Okay, time out, you two. Dink, you need to tell your man on site not to blow a hole over the engines. Surely they can scan for energy signatures or something?”

  Dink turned back to his mic to relay the message as quickly as possible.

  “Sofia, do you have an educated guess as to where the engines might be?” Emory asked. Sofia shook her head, obviously having no clue seeing as these weren’t the ships she’d worked on. Emory started to grumble until her eyes fell on Sofia’s laptop. “Would Dionysius know?”

  Sofia quickly began searching. “Let’s see before more innocent lives are lost for one man’s need for power.”

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Emory, Sofia, and Dink crowded around the monitor, their attention fixed on what was happening
on the black craft.

  “I hope to God the instructions we gave to Echo Three prove correct,” Dink said, rubbing his hand over his beard nervously.

  Emory was working out her nerves by chain chewing Tootsie Rolls until her jaw began to ache. She noticed how still Sofia had gotten beside her. Emory recognized that when Sofia was worried, she was unusually silent and motionless, as if any false move would let the fear escape. Emory slipped her hand around Sofia’s and gave it a comforting squeeze. Sofia smiled a fraction. She threaded her fingers through Emory’s and squeezed back.

  They all jumped as the explosives blew a large gaping hole in the side of the black triangular craft. Smoke billowed from the crude cavity, and thankfully, everyone had been far away enough not to get pelted by the shards of ship that flew off in all directions.

  “It shattered like glass,” Dink said. “How odd.”

  “Russom is going to be livid,” Sofia said, her eyes never shifting from the screens.

  One screen showed the outside of the downed ship; the other was Echo 3’s viewpoint via his camera glasses. He was one of the first wave of troops set to enter the craft. Guns drawn, the soldiers were ordered into the ship. Emory felt like she was watching some surreal movie of soldiers entering a spaceship, the mood dark and foreboding inside. One by one, the soldiers switched on the flashlights attached to their weapons, and white beams began lighting up the dull interior of the craft.

  “Please let whatever was on board be dead from the crash,” Dink muttered.

  “What if they house the abductees in there? I need to know they’re alive at least.” Emory reached for the last of her candy and stuffed it into her mouth. The gooey mess made her teeth stick together, but at least it stopped her from voicing her fears.

  The army shifted through the corridors with stealth. Their lights bounced off the smooth walls but revealed nothing in the beams or in the shadows cast. Every hatch or eve or door they came upon, they searched. It was all to no avail.