“Don’t worry, Eva, I won’t let them near you.”
“You may not even know when they will make their play to capture Jenny. There will be someone within your midst that will attempt taking my mother.”
“Who? Do you know who?”
“I am sorry, General. I do not know who this is. However, I must tell you the ones from Sirius will be coming for me.”
“Do you know how we can defeat these aliens, Eva?”
“Again, I am sorry, General. I do not know how this will be accomplished. However, my birth is very important to the ones from Sirius.”
“Why? Why are you so important, Eva?”
“I am the daughter of the new beginning: the hybrid that will rebirth the ones that were here before you.”
“Before us?” Bennie asked.
“Yes, Father. The ones I speak of are the ones who were here before you.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Eva,” McKenzie said with a slight head shake.
“The ones who were here before were the ones from Sirius. They were the builders of the Great Pyramids of Egypt. They were called the Sons of Horus. They are the ones that are returning.”
“The Sons of Horus are the aliens we’re fighting?” Bennie asked.
“No, Father,” Eva answered through Jenny, “They are the predecessor to the Sons of Horus. They are the ones who prepare Earth for their coming.”
“Is that why they destroyed Earth’s Van Allen Belt? They’re making the atmosphere suitable for these Sons of Horus?” McKenzie quizzed.
“In the past it was necessary to terminate all life on the planet prior to the Sons of Horus’ arrival. Now, it is not necessary since I am being birthed.”
“So that’s why your arrival is so important to them?” Bennie surmised. “They need you to repopulate Earth with a Sirius/Earth hybrid.”
“You are correct, Father. However, my birth was expected to occur on Sirius. Xat-Anah failed his mission in securing the Jenny host. That is why they are returning. They come for me.”
“Are you saying that Xat-Anah and the Noosphere ship is returning?” McKenzie asked, a look of worry grew across his face.
“Xat-Anah discovered that I was no longer on his sphere ship. They ran into resistance with the crew of Salvage-5. Now they are on a return course, but it is not the Sphere ship they travel in.”
“Is it Salvage-5? Did they get captured?”
“No, it is not the crew of Salvage-5. It is the ancient Sirius ship that was sent thousands of years ago. They were to arrive on Earth once my birth took place on Sirius. Then the first ship of the Sons of Horus will arrive. They deliver a piece of technology that will reactivate the gate between our two worlds.”
“What kind of device?”
“General, you should be very concerned with the arrival of this first ship of the Sons of Horus. They will activate the gate once the device they carry is installed.”
“What happens once the gate is opened?” Bennie hesitantly asked.
“My Father, it will allow those on Sirius to cross over to Earth in an instant. The armies that will issue forth from the gate will repopulate this planet with our kind. Your kind, humans of Earth, will not survive.”
“What is your purpose, Eva?” Bennie asked.
“My purpose was to integrate with Human and Sirius to create the first Transcendent. That is my roll. Once I am born, they will use my hybrid blood to create a serum that will prevent infection from your biosphere.
“My birth place was Sirius where they would create this serum there. Then it would be transported through the open gate and given to the arrived Sons of Horus.
“Without me, they will not survive your biosphere. This is why the ones who you fight today must not win. You must defeat them all before it is too late.”
“But how do we come against an army that regenerates?” Bennie again asked.
“The… answer…” Eva began as Jenny winced in pain, “The… answer… lies… close at hand…”
Jenny’s eyes closed and her head fell limp on her pillow before Jenny’s eyes opened and stared at Bennie.
“Wh-what just… happened to… me?” the weak Jenny asked.
“It was Eva, Jen. She spoke through you while you rested.”
“Eva? She spoke through me… I remember now… very tired, Ben… very tired.”
Jenny closed her eyes and turned toward the wall and fell asleep. Her stomach continued to move as the baby inside her grew at an accelerated rate.
“She’s exhausted,” Bennie said, shaking his head.
Jenny turned toward Bennie and grabbed for his hand. With closed eyes, he heard Jenny’s distressed voice, “Fa-Father…” Eva struggled to speak through Jenny, “The city… the alien barrier… mu-must reach city… center… stop the… new sphere from… being con-constructed…”
“Eva?” Bennie exclaimed, “Why Eva? Why here and not at the pyramid?”
“The pyramids are only part of the reactor. The central location to the new sphere ship… that’s… that’s the place they will need to take me… there’s not… not much time,” Eva struggled again to say.
“When is the device arriving?” General McKenzie asked, leaning closer to Jenny’s face.
Jenny’s body convulsed before stiffening. Bennie supported the arching Jenny as she shook, “She’s having a seizure!”
Jenny’s body relaxed under Bennie’s arms and he laid her back down on the cot. Jenny opened her eyes and gazed into Bennie’s, “I do not know when, Father. Not exactly.”
“Do you know an approximant?” McKenzie again quizzed.
Bennie pushed McKenzie back slightly, “We need to give her a break, General. She needs to rest!”
Jenny pulled at Bennie, “It is okay, Father. I will allow mother to rest, but first…” Jenny convulsed once more before relaxing on the cot again, “but first… I must tell you… tell you that there is… a weakness…”
“Go on,” McKenzie said, listening intently to the speaking Eva.
“Weakness… is… salt… saltwater…”
Jenny convulsed once more before falling unconscious on the cot. Bennie held her hand and stroked the back of it with his free hand, “Rest now, Jenny… you rest now…”
“Saltwater, humph,” McKenzie scoffed. “We kind of have a lot of that around here. How do you suppose we get the sphere to the water?”
“You… must bring… the water to… the sphere.”
“How are we going to do that?” Bennie asked.
General McKenzie folded his arms and stood, “We have to breach the seawall. That’s the only way.”
“You mean blow a hole in the underground tunnel?”
“Yes, Ben. We have to get enough explosives to blow up the seawall. When that water comes flooding downtown Seattle, the sphere, or any aliens for that matter, won’t be left.”
“Ye-Yes…” Eva smiled, “You must breach… the wall…” Eva closed Jenny’s eyes and fell asleep once again.
“We really need to let her rest now, General.”
Their quiet was interrupted by a marine sergeant entering the tent, “Sorry to bother you, Sir, but this is urgent, Sir!”
McKenzie hushed the Sergeant and waved to Bennie, “I’ll take this outside.”
Bennie ensured Jenny was comfortably resting before following McKenzie.
Drops fell, littering them with black soot from the lightly falling rain.
Bennie held his palm up to catch some of the rain, “This stuff looks pretty toxic.” He held it up to his nose and took in two brief sniffs, “Smells like it’s got polymers in it. We shouldn’t be breathing this stuff. The plastic will coat our lungs if we get too much of this.”
McKenzie looked over at the marine, “Make it fast, man.”
“Yes, Sir,” the Marine quickly saluted before resting, “We’re getting reports that there’s a fast-moving vehicle approaching the outskirts of the downtown sector.”
“From which direction?�
�� McKenzie shouted with raised eyebrows.
“They’re coming from the south, Sir!” the Marine answered, “It’s a Humvee, Sir!”
“A Humvee? Are you sure?”
“Yes, we have tapped into the camera system. We’ve had a visual, Sir.”
“That means Seattle still has some power, or you’d not be able to access the cameras,” Bennie surmised.
McKenzie inspected his watch and look over to Bennie, “I think it’s our team from Olympia.”
“I thought they were using a Lincoln Town Car?” Bennie quizzed.
“So did I, Ben, so did I.”
“Sir,” the Marine interjected, “I have access to the video feed we saw.”
The rain began falling harder before Bennie pointed to the tent, “C’mon, we better get inside.”
The three entered the tent, the marine turned and dropped the tent flaps, preventing any of the toxic rain from entering.
“Shhh, our patient is resting,” McKenzie nodded toward the sleeping Jenny, “Show me what you got,” he whispered.
The marine removed his data pad and flipped through the menu before playing the recording.
The General took the data pad and watched the video before pressing the pause button, “It’s them! Here Ben, have a look for yourself.”
Bennie took the data pad from the General and examined the still shot. He took his fingers and manipulated the screen to zoom in the image, “That’s J driving!”
“And I think that’s Nadine sitting shotgun,” McKenzie added.
Bennie zoomed in closer to get a better look at who was in the back seat, “I think that’s Kurtis Daniels, but I don’t see Doctor Childress with them.”
“I’m sure they’ll have lots to tell us when they get through,” McKenzie nodded, “Sergeant, I need you to assemble a fire team. They need to skirt the alien line and make contact with this vehicle. They cannot enter the city. They have to skirt around to the south side.”
“Understood, Sir!” the Marine saluted before taking his data pad from Bennie and charging off to his assigned task.
“I better go with them, General,” Bennie said.
“No, Bennie!” Jenny cried out as she rose up on the cot, “Don’t leave me, Bennie. Stay with me.”
Bennie came to Jenny’s side and knelt down. Taking her hand in his, he gently caressed it, “I’ll be alright, Jen. I have to go. It’s J! He’s going to need my help, Jen.”
“Okay, Ben…”
Bennie quickly stood to head out of the tent before Jenny stopped him, “You better not get yourself hurt, mister!”
Bennie stopped before returning to Jenny. He knelt down and kissed her on the lips and hugged her around the neck, “I promise, Jen. I’ll be fine, okay?”
“Okay, Bennie. You better hurry, or that transport’s going to leave without you.”
Bennie ran out of the tent, pulling the hood up over his head, he ran to the departing transport.
The marine ordered them to stop and Bennie climbed aboard before the jeep took off once again.
Chapter 9
Downtown Seattle
January 17, 2068 13:30
Bennie rode in the back of the jeep with four other marines making up the fire team. He clung to the handlebar in front of him. His white-knuckled hands showed his trepidation.
The jeep was driven by Sergeant Mitch Connolly. A sandy blond, six-foot-one, weapons specialist who turned down officer school to focus on his true love: the front lines and big guns.
Riding shot gun was the dark-haired Sergeant Charlie Brevek, also known as Charlie Bravo, but everyone just called him CB, stood just under six-foot tall. Both where E-5’s and have been friends ever since Basic Training. They stayed in the same outfit. They were assigned at every duty together. Their final duty was on the Saratoga for the Mag-Ring deployment in the Keiper Belt. Their marine’s job aboard was to man the armory and defend the ship in battle.
They did their jobs well.
CB is a rather interesting individual as he usually makes odd, off the wall and unrelated comments during conversations. He thinks it’s humorous, but he makes those around him a tad uncomfortable. He watches everyone around him and especially likes seeing an escalated reaction.
Jack Carroll and Kent Williams were the newest to arrive on board. Both Corporal, carrying a rank of E-4, they were chosen for their high ranks in marksmanship. The only thing that made them excited was holding a loaded weapon. This was the exhilaration they craved.
Jack was good.
He stood with his jet-black hair and five-foot-seven frame. He could hit a moving target, dead center of the bullseye, from five-hundred yards.
Every time.
Kent was every bit as good as Jack. They had similar features making them nicknamed the ‘Bobbsey Twins.’ They didn’t care because everyone held respect for their sharpshooting abilities. That’s why they were chosen for this duty. They need a pair of keen sharpshooters that never missed. If they were to succeed in bringing the Olympia team to the Saratoga Base Camp, Corporals Carroll and Williams were valuable assets. Valuable to any team.
Mitch skidded to a stop at their east barricade and spoke to the head Lieutenant manning the gate.
Saluting his superior, Mitch relaxed and asked, “How’s the alien infestation activity on this boarder, Elliot?”
Lieutenant Elliot Higginbotham was a tall, dark-haired, thin build man. Elliot was totally dedicated to serving his country as a Marine and followed military code and conduct by the book.
The Lieutenant returned Mitch’s salute and pointed to his men to open the path for the jeep, “All quiet here, Mitch. Seems as if the main infestation is to the south border. If you’re lookin’ for a firefight, that’s where the heat is,” Elliot looked around Mitch to the others.
“We are looking for action, but not yet. We are perfectly happy with quiet this time, L.T., for now.”
“I’m sure you’ll find some action down the line. But you better hurry. I understand our inbound target is nearing the alien broader. You’ll do good to take this road as fast as you can. Skirt their perimeter and hit them hard on their flank.”
“Thanks, L.T.,” Mitch smiled as he patted the Lieutenant on the side of the arm, “That’s our plan. Just seal this barricade back up behind us.”
“As soon as you get your men through, we will, but we can’t do anything if you keep flapping your gums in the wind.”
“Very funny, Elliot,” Mitch chuckled as he returned to the driver’s seat.
Charlie smiled as he looked up at the leaning down Elliot, “Baboons, because oranges love water…”
“Ha!” Lieutenant Higginbotham smiled, “I see you’re still at it, CB…”
“Right,” CB smiled his answer, “Gas Stations are a blessing, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, okay, fine. Just move out!”
Elliot waved Mitch on across the border, “I’ll never understand Charlie Bravo, never in a million years.”
Mitch popped the clutch and zoomed beyond the barricade opening before Elliot’s team sealed it back up.
“To hell and beyond,” CB shouted, “Because the moon is hot.”
“That’s doesn’t make any sense,” Bennie said with raised eyebrows, “What’s up with this guy?”
Charlie turned in his seat to face Ben, “Not to worry, little man. You can’t understand me, because lemonade isn’t made with limes,” Charlie chuckled.
“Really, well, that’s good, because it wouldn’t be lemonade anymore, because jesters don’t really laugh.”
“Well, oranges, because snakes don’t have armpits,” Charlie pointed.
Bennie laughed, “Yeah, I understand now. I dig you because you make everything not matter, anymore.”
Charlie laughed as he stared at Bennie with pointed finger, “I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”
“Never mind CB,” Mitch Smiled as he dr
ove the jeep. “Hey Bennie, why don’t you look in the back. Get us wired with a multi-connect. We’ll be intercepting the alien forces in two minutes.”
Bennie turned in his seat and looked in the jeep’s rear cargo area, “You have PAM?”
“Yes, we have a portable accelerator module.”
Bennie grabbed the multi-connect and a set of fiber cables before plugging in the fireteam, and himself, into the module.
“Get ready,” Bennie exclaimed, I’ve set the unit to seventy-five amps. It’s going to nearly drain the mod out, but it’ll give us a nice jolt!”
Charlie grew a wide smile, “Hit me with your best shot, Bennie my man!”
“Fire away!” Bennie shouted as he pressed the amp sequence on the PAM unit.
The portable unit shook in Bennie’s lap as it came to life. Gamma waves traveled down the fiber cable to the multi-connect and then into each of the men’s chips.
Mitch nearly lost control of the Jeep as the gamma waves filled his chip. The energy shot it’s powerful amp charge into all of them.
Bennie closed his eyes after he unplugged the cables and packed away the module, “Take the next left! The fist set of aliens are down that block!”
“Roger that,” Mitch answered as he turned the corner.
Swerving two stalled cars in the middle of the road, Mitch went up on the sidewalk before coming to a stop.
Charlie held up a pair of field glasses and scanned the next block, “Kid’s right, because he ate cheerio’s for dinner.”
“Stop kiddin’ around, CB,” Mitch scolded, “What’s down there?”
Charlie glanced over to Mitch before raising the field glasses back to his eyes, “I see three clinkers. No alien presence other than that small squad.”
Bennie pointed to the two rooftops, giving both Jack and Kent a nudge, “How about up there?”
Kent stepped out of the Jeep. Taking his rifle, he scanned the rooftops using his scope.
Panning back and forth twice, Kent lowered his rifle, “Mitch, there are four clinkers up there; two on each side.”
“Can you take them out?”
“Yes, I can get the two on the left, if Jack takes the two on the right.
Bennie stepped out from the jeep and joined Jack and Kent on the sidewalk, “You two get ready to make your shots. With my amp charge, I’ll dampen the ability for the other one to transmit any warning signal before you take your second shot.”
AMP- Aftermath Page 7