Even with the frailty of his new weapon, Aen had a plan. He would fight with the men and women of the military and when it came down to it, he would play the card of the Amarra and use it as a final act of desperation to delay the fall of mankind. Help was coming, but Aen was going to do everything he could to make sure that when they arrived there was something left worth saving.
Groom Lake Military Installation –
Code Named Area 51, Nevada -
Two Months and Eleven Days until Arrival
It was a monumental discovery, and one that rattled the people of Earth as much as the discovery of the new world by the Spanish; a high school astronomy class had gathered at night to make some observations of Jupiter and its moon Io when they had caught the first images of the alien craft. Shining brilliantly in the sunlight, it was impossible to miss as it slowly passed by the gas giant and her system of moons—the long held secret was finally out.
Like a spark in a forest that had long since seen its last drop of rain, the news spread across the globe like wildfire beyond control. After less than twenty-four hours of the discovery, most of the planet knew that they weren’t alone in the universe any longer. Religious groups huddled their flocks close, some telling their members it was a trick of the devil and that Armageddon was here, while the younger and more tech-savvy generations honed telescopes and their interest in on this new obsession.
World leaders gave speeches, governments instituted martial law, and panic was held back by the thinnest of veils as great webs of deceit were told to the masses to mask the truth. But conspiracy theorists began to see the holes in the fabric of lies and also the absence of some of the nation’s mightiest of assets, as aircraft carriers and other forces began to be deployed to unknown destinations. The recent readiness of the militaries had been noticed by some, and those who had made a point to make sure the rest of the world saw this too. It was an internet junkie’s dream come true as social media and the World Wide Web were lit up brighter than ever before.
It was soon discovered by the scientific community; those not involved with the military end of it; that the craft was indeed headed straight for Earth. Some tried in vain to communicate with the enormous vessel as protests against doing so raged outside radio telescope arrays. Contests were held by the media to get the best possible images of the craft resulting in a flurry of pictures and images so great it crashed most media servers within hours. The world was torn; some in a panic of fear and some panicking to learn more, but none knowing how great the hidden danger truly was.
Unbeknownst to the public, certain members of government began disappearing one by one in an attempt to move them to secure and safe locations. As people’s obsession with the aliens growing by the minute, it was an easy task for them to slip away unseen along with the rich and famous. Like expected, bunkers and compounds began to form on the mainland and private islands began advertising refuge as large amounts of money were needed to buy one’s way to perceived safety. Greed was, after all, the most motivating factor in modern society.
Rioting was surprising low, but still was happening. The populace was still in shock and a few days of the media barrage kept them in a state of ‘must see T.V.’ and in a trance. The Vatican was the most outspoken of all religious groups as they denounced riots and violence while trying to calm the people without directly acknowledging the momentous occasion. But through all of it, the modern world held itself together; for now.
Patterson was worried though, because once the aliens announced their true intentions it would be bedlam. He and the other military leaders knew what was coming, but as they had planned they stayed extremely silent. Unfortunately there would be heavy casualties; their estimates were at least a quarter to a third of the population would be lost when the Husk attacked. Some said they were acceptable losses, but he wondered how many of them had spirited their own families away to safe zones so they wouldn’t be among those losses. He, like the others, had shipped his daughter and her family off to safety; not to the designated areas like all the others, but to a place Aen had whispered to him in secrecy. With them in such an isolated locale, the General breathed a bit easier. Hell on Earth was a few weeks away; he didn’t much care if he burned with the rest of the world but he was sure glad that his loved ones were safe in the clouds where these aliens might overlook them.
Himalayan Mountains, Mount Kailash, Tibet -
One Month and Twenty One Days until Arrival
Sara and Krista watched with a shiver running up their spines as refugees from the Western world began to show up to the gates of the monastery. At first, it was a few at a time as they staggered in exhaustion up the mountain to fall to their knees at the gates, begging for shelter. It wasn’t as if these were ordinary people, or that they had come with throngs of others—they were arriving in twos and threes and seemed to be people of some importance. The two women jumped right in to help situate all these newcomers and showed them to modest accommodations that had been prepared long ago for this exodus. In helping these people, Sara and Krista learned what exactly had brought them to the top of the world.
The ship had been spotted as of a few weeks ago, but the women knew this as they too had spotted the now new “star” shining in the night sky. As it approached, these selected few had been passed notes, texts, and formal letters telling them that their presence would be accepted through the gates of Lyarra’s Light. And so, in small intervals, they had left their lives as doctors, scientists, judiciary officials and others of note to be purified by the climb up the mountain so as to be worthy of entry. Sara even caught a glimpse of a military woman in a wheelchair being pushed through the giant gate, by an older man as she helped a family with their arrival. It wasn’t the wheelchair that caught her attention, but the shocked look in the woman’s eyes as she stared back at Sara, as if she knew Sara from somewhere.
It was a question she decided to chase after later as she helped a young mother and her two children to a small house near the center of town while catching up on the latest from the world she had been apart from for a few months now. Sara held the daughter, somewhere around five or six years old, as the woman herded her older son into their new lodgings along with a few modest bags they carried with them. With all they had suffered to get here, she was surprised the woman still smiled cheerfully.
“Thank you so much for the help.” The woman sang glowingly. “It is a relief to be so far away from...all that.”
“It’s only going to get worse, but I am sure you knew that or you wouldn’t be here,” Sara replied.
“That’s what my dad said, and why he sent us here. I’m Maria and this is my son, Wyatt. You know my daughter, Alyse, already.”
“Sara.” She returned the introduction. “You are the first people I’ve met that were sent by someone else. Everyone else was summoned or invited. Your dad must have some serious connections.”
“I used to think so, but to be honest I don’t know him as well as I used to. He’s a general in the army and I don’t see him much anymore. I guess this is his way of trying to make up for all the years he missed.”
Sara looked back at the woman who had now lost her smile and gave her one of her own. “If it meant he was saving you from what I know is coming, it makes up for that and more. He gave your kids a chance to grow up by giving you his ticket into this haven—that is a gift that should make you proud.”
Tears welled up in the corners of Maria’s eyes as the words from Sara seemed to be exactly what she needed to hear. Without words, she hugged Sara tightly and cried. She was safe here and for now she knew there was people here that cared and would make sure her kids were safe.
—
Emily Phillips was in shock—not from the fact that she had been whisked away to the other side of the planet and up a mountain to a monastery that modern life had forgotten about, but the fact that one of the first faces she saw was that of the daughter
of the man whose life she had a part in stealing. As her weary father pushed the wheelchair past the gates and following the Asian monk to where they would be staying, her eyes fell upon Sara Foster and the woman returned her gaze. A brief panic gripped her heart as she silently wondered how much this girl knew. Emily knew she was a reporter and had been obsessed with digging for the truth about her father’s disappearance.
But the girl just smiled in response to the Major’s curious stare and Emily relaxed, lowering her gaze. Fatigue began to catch up with her and she longed to find a bed of some sort to sleep off the jet lag and wear from the trip up the mountain, her body still mending from the damage of the day Subject 54 awoke.
There would be time to pick the mind of the young Foster girl to why she was here amongst the best minds and elite of the world in probably the one true safe place on the planet. It was her training that had pushed through the fog of weariness to notice the well-hidden but strategically placed generators just inside both doors of the enormous gate. She had been brought to a fortress, one disguised as a simple monastery. Although she knew that the truth would come out soon about her involvement with the Foster girl’s father and his demise, she knew that here was as safe as she would get and that alone would help her sleep, at least for one night for once.
Mars Orbit, Sol System - Fifteen Days until Arrival
The gigantic ship passed by Mars, creating a massive shadow on the surface of the red planet as it did. Using the gravity of the dead and dusty red rock, it thrust itself towards its final destination: Earth. Once clear of obstructions, a structure extended from the nose of the ship and spewed metallic globes—projectiles that rocketed ahead, towards its target.
True to what was known about the Husk, they had done their research on the human world and noticed a glaring weakness that they intended to exploit. The Harvesters had launched their opening salvo that would soften the Earth up for when they arrived. In just over a week, Terra Sol and its inhabitants would have their first taste of the power of the Husk, and soon after they would arrive to take what they wanted.
Groom Lake Military Installation –
Code Named Area 51, Nevada - Fourteen Days until Arrival
He watched the feed as it tracked the new contacts at a speed far greater than the ship that launched them. Patterson read the reports on these globes; about the size of a compact car each; they were more than likely not probes as they numbered in the thousands as they blazed through the darkness to reach the Earth.
The old general had done his homework too and knew as much as he could about his alien adversaries and their tendencies. He knew that the planet was over dependant on technology and the enemy would use this weakness to the fullest—this action proved that hunch. This was an EMP weapon of some sort, an attempt to severely cripple the human forces before the all-out invasion took place, to better limit any unnecessary losses on their part. A perfect strategy, if only Patterson wasn’t ready for it.
“What is the ETA of the objects? I need to know when they are a few miles from the Earth,” he barked.
“ETA is six days, fourteen hours, give or take a few hours,” one of the privates manning the computers replied.
“Well, get me an exact time and get the word out to all the assets to get someone standing beside the power switch. When these things get here we gotta turn the fucking lights out before these things turn them out for good. Because if they hit us with that EMP and we aren’t ready, we are done before we start!”
Himalayan Mountains, Mount Kailash, Tibet -
Eleven Days until Arrival
Aen sat on a rock ledge a few hundred meters above the hidden encampment, quietly contemplating what was yet to come. He was tired—his mind still struggled to cope with what he had become and he was emotionally exhausted after exacting his revenge. There had been no time for reflection, no time to heal his tattered soul. But here he found some quiet time to reflect a little on what had transpired; here the beauty of the mountains soothed him for the moment as dawn broke over the range and cast deep shadows on the valley.
Below, he could sense a bit of activity, as the sounds of voices and shuffling feet drifted up to him. He sought to ignore it; he wanted so badly to be left alone even though he knew he should help them. Pausing for a moment to bask in the warm glow of the rising sun, Aen climbed to his feet and slowly made his way down to the compound below.
It was a little known path, overgrown with wild grass and brush. Carefully Aen pushed through the vegetation and, after some time, came out into a clearing near the camp entrance. From here, he could see the people scurrying about, most heading to the center of the village which he knew held the temple. Joining the crowd, Aen walked at a slower pace to better hide in the crowd. On and on he followed them, until the surrounding buildings cleared and gave rise to the old structure of the Temple of Light. Voices inside spilled out to the walkway, obviously an important meeting of some sort. Quietly, Aen edged inside and stealthily climbed the oak stairs to the second floor, which was unoccupied save for two women—Sara and Krista. Sticking to the shadows to stay unseen, he crouched and began to listen to the grand debate.
“It all broke loose this morning!” a man shouted at Nyun. “Our government finally told us to brace for hostility; the world is chaotic and you expect us to remain here and do nothing?”
“We have family and friends out there!” another man chimed in. “What about them?”
“Can’t we tell them where we are?” a woman pleaded, “Can’t we show them the way to safety?”
“I understand your concerns for others as my heart aches for them as well. It is a hard decision, but the village is taxed past its occupational limit as it is. Any more people and the shields won’t be able to mask the heat signatures.” Nyun responded nervously; sensing the crowd about to turn on the monks.
“And all this is on your word only?” a military woman shouted. She was bruised and in a wheelchair; obviously she had been through the ringer. As she turned back to the crowd, Aen recognized her immediately and smiled to himself; the last person he expected to see here was Major Emily Phillips. “What if we took this place by force and made our own rules?” the soldier continued.
“There would be no force needed, we would simply allow you to do as you wished. But we would leave you to your own devices, and with us we would take all that protects you from the Husk.” Nyun replied.
“What is wrong with you people?” yelled Sara from just a few feet from Aen. “These people have offered us sanctuary and you threaten them? This is why we face destruction, we are stupid and arrogant!”
“Shut up little girl!” the crippled woman shot back, unwilling to take any insults from anyone.
“No, I won’t!” she spat back. “You fuckers sat on this as they came for us, and now you want to steal the roof of our heads? Assholes like you were the cause of all this! People like you are the ones that killed my dad for the greater good to suit your needs!” she was seething mad and letting loose years of frustration. But it was having an effect; some of the crowd began to calm down.
“Are you insane?” the soldier hollered back. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
The conversation was heating up, and Sara was intent in fuelling it more. Rising from her spot on the balcony, she strode past the hidden Aen and darted down the steps to confront the main agitator of the group. The crowd parted for her, and she marched right up to go face to face with the soldier intent on taking charge.
“If you are here,” she began, her voice still raised, even from a distance, “Then obviously you are someone important, and someone important would know about black ops projects. Ever hear of a project in the Colorado Mountains? Do the words ‘Subject 54’ ring any bells?”
This caused a stir in both the soldier below and Aen from his vantage point. He hadn’t realized how deep her research had dug before it had been halted. This new d
evelopment caused him to shift forward, making the floorboards creak, giving away his presence—the sound was slight, but loud enough to be heard by Krista, who was still seated a few feet away. She turned to see what had caused it, then gasped at the sight of the eerie blue glow from his eyes that stared below. She could make out most of the features of his face, but the fear of discovering this lurking creature made her scurry down the bench to put more distance between them. Aen saw this from the periphery of his vision, but he was far to engrossed with the argument that continued below.
“Anything like that is beyond classified, young lady,” Phillips shot back.
“There is no classified anymore, you asshole,” she screamed, pointing to the sky. “They changed everything! In a few days your fucking government—your precious military—whole fucking countries won’t exist! They aren’t here to make friends and kiss our asses; they are here to conquer and enslave us! Don’t give me that classified bullshit and answer my fucking question!”
Major Phillips was stunned, though her reddening face showed her anger was about to get the best of her soon. Murmurs rolled through the gathering as all eyes fixated on her, awaiting a response.
“What do you know of ‘54’ besides a name?” Emily’s voice was laced with venomous hate. “The details of that project are so far beyond you child that I couldn’t begin to make you understand them.”
Before she could respond, a voice from above took everyone off guard. “Then try me, because I have a great understanding of it.” Aen could take no more of the Major’s blatant denial of the subject and sought to intercede before she struck out physically at Sara. Slowly emerging from the darkness, he stood tall and jumped effortlessly down to the floor below.
Rise of Aen Page 29