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"I can't believe you're playing that thing while we're here."
Adam stopped playing his holographic video game, looked up at his sister, and rolled his eyes. "What else is there to do? Dad has been in that meeting with the President for nearly three hours now."
Ashley sighed. Her brother had a point, but she also knew what an honor it was for the President of the United States to invite her father and his two children to spend a week in the White House while their father attended meetings in Washington D.C.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Ashley as she rolled off the bed and strolled across the Lincoln bedroom to the portrait of Abraham Lincoln. She stared at the portrait for a few minutes and then turned to the flat-screen television that hung on the wall. "Maybe there's a good movie on. Television ? power on."
The television came alive, and a female reporter appeared on the screen. Ashley nearly fell over. "Adam!"
There was no response.
Ashley turned and looked at her brother, who was fully engrossed in his video game. "Adam! Put that thing down and look at this."
Adam rolled his eyes, stopped playing the game, and looked up at the TV. The video game fell from his hand as he stood up and moved closer to his sister. "What the ? turn it up."
"Volume up," Ashley said.
The volume on the television went up, and both Ashley and Adam were able to hear the reporter's voice.
"It is still unknown who is behind this attack. There are rumors that a terrorist group is to blame, but that is not yet confirmed. ? Again, for those of you just joining us, twenty minutes ago, just after midnight Paris time, an unknown enemy viciously and heinously attacked Paris, France. The attack has left nearly half the city in ruins."
Ashley gasped as the next image shown on the television was of the famous Eifel Tower. The tower was in flames and was about to topple over. Again, the reporter spoke.
"Wait ? we're getting reports now of smaller aircraft coming in ? wait ? no ? get a shot of that!"
Adam and Ashley watched as the cameraman focused in on what seemed like thousands of aircraft swooping down from the air. The aircraft were spewing what looked like red laser fire all over and laying destruction in their paths.
"Are those laser bolts?" Adam questioned.
Ashley was speechless. She continued to stare at the television with horror in her eyes. Suddenly, there was a deafening explosion just outside of the White House. The power inside the Lincoln bedroom went out, and the room shook violently. Adam dove for his sister and tackled her to the floor just as hot, flaming fire burst through the windows.
The door to the bedroom flew open and two secret service agents bolted in. The agents grabbed Ashley and Adam and hurriedly escorted them down the hallway and down into the Oval Office where their father was along with Michael Konrad, the President, and what seemed like hundreds of U.S. military personnel.
When they arrived in the Oval Office, Ashley broke free of the secret service agent's grip and rushed toward her father. She enjoyed the embrace of her father for a few seconds before she looked back up at him. "Dad ? wh ? what's going on?"
Kevin was about to speak, but was interrupted by a tall, lanky man with snow-white hair. The man stepped forward and looked directly at Kevin when he spoke. "That's just what we were discussing with your father before these attacks occurred."
Ashley looked at her father as he bowed his head in what seemed like defeat, and then back at the tall, lanky man. She glared at him and spoke. "With all due respect, Mr. President, why would my father have anything to do with this?"
President Clifford Galbraith first glared back at Ashley with his dull, gray eyes and then flashed his trademark smile, which always sent chills up her spine. "I am sorry," he said. "We're not blaming your father for this. It's just that there are no other explanations for what is happening here."
Ashley was confused and gave the President a look to show it. "It still sounds like you're blaming him."
President Galbraith stepped closer to Ashley while maintaining his same smug smile. "No ? no ? we are not blaming your father. It's just our satellite images have verified more than three hundred unidentified spacecraft in orbit around Earth, all of which are similar to the space shuttles your father helped design and build."
Ashley looked back at her father just as a secret service agent whispered something into the President's ear. "Dad, is this true?"
Kevin looked at his daughter with a look of despair that told her that he knew this would happen. "Yes, Ashley. The ships are similar to the design I helped NASA with, but-"
Suddenly, there was another loud explosion, but this time it wasn't outside. It was within the White House itself. Ashley heard gunfire as her brother pulled her by the arm and onto the floor. Ashley looked up and met the tear-filled eyes of her father, who was lying on the floor in front of her. They ducked their heads again as the gunfire penetrated the Oval Office.
Just as Ashley turned her head to see where the gunfire was coming from, a secret service agent fell to the floor, clutching his head and screaming in pain. She jumped to her knees and turned around.
"Ashley! No!" Kevin shrieked as he grabbed her ankle.
Ashley's eyes met the black boots of the enemy that had penetrated one of the most secure rooms in America. Her eyes followed the body of the enemy up to its face. To her surprise, she met the eyes of what looked like a human male, not a grotesque alien.
The man looked past Ashley. Ashley followed his eyes and noticed that he was looking directly at her father.
"Are you Kevin Palmer?" the man said.
Kevin staggered to his feet and replied, "Yes, I am."
The man gave Kevin an evil smile and began to raise his weapon.
"No!" screamed Ashley as she jumped to her feet and instantly felt the burning sensation of the weapon's blast as it penetrated her chest. Everything went silent as she stumbled back into her father's arms.
Worlds Without End: The Mission (Book 1) Page 80