by Eric Burney
“Just be careful and watch your backs,” Agent Simmons warned before finally departing. “You're about to become the biggest celebrities this world has ever seen.”
Chapter 92
“Ladies and gentlemen! I'd like to officially introduce myself. I’m what you'd call a real-life superhero. I go by the name Speed!” Nick announced. “I'll gladly take all your autograph requests, but please, no pushing and shoving. And take it easy on the flash photography!”
“So, you think you're hot stuff now, huh? You're hopeless,” Michael muttered.
A rejuvenated Nick ignored him and continued to practice his coming out speech to the media and the waiting public. Agent Simmons’ words had invigorated him, and not in a good way. I suppose I couldn't blame him. We did deserve a fair amount of credit for all the good we'd done for the world. My only concern was that some would not see it that way. They would eventually see us as a threat to their way of life. The adulation would someday turn to fear. But, for now, I was content with the current idea of no longer hiding in the shadows.
A blinding array of light flashed and Standeval suddenly appeared, trademark cane in hand, directly in front of me.
“Nice to see you made it back from your travels in one piece, little brother,” he remarked. He studied me with tired eyes, shifting his weight on the cane.
“I wish the same could be said about you,” I remarked, choosing to ignore his "little brother" comment just this once. “You should be in bed or something, getting rest. You look like you got steamrolled by a truck.”
“I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. But, again, I could not bear the thought of sitting out such an epic confrontation. And besides, what is family for? You know, you can be quite the motivator when put to the task.”
Kara tried to stifle a laugh by pressing her face into my side. It didn't work.
“Yes. What is family for?”
The air suddenly shifted to a darker, more tense atmosphere.
“Finally, my two greatest achievements together,” Viktor remarked with a wide smile that made me cringe. Standeval, for his part, wasn't exactly oozing with excitement either.
I had to remind myself my father had earned a reprieve, however brief, for coming to my aid. But the clock was definitely ticking.
“I'm gonna give you guys some space.”
Kara stood on her tiptoes and planted a wet kiss on my cheek. Then with a toss of her ponytail, she wandered over and joined Michael and Nick.
“Now that I have you both alone, I have something important I need to discuss,” Viktor said.
Standeval groaned.
“I know I don't speak for my long-lost brother, Charlie, but I for one won't be joining you in any nefarious schemes. You know that.”
I stared hard at Viktor, conveying my own thoughts on the matter visually.
“You both misunderstand my intentions. What I wanted to share with you is much bigger than that.
Standeval chuckled lightly. He made little effort to hide his skepticism.
“You expect me to believe that? Too long have I been running from my past. From the awful things I helped you do. I'm washing my hands of you. I'm only here because of Charlie.”
“So, you’d rather go back to entertaining on street corners, performing parlor tricks for pocket change, oblivious to everything that is going on around you?”
Viktor shook his head in what seemed genuine disappointment.
“You've learned nothing from the past have you? We survived the destruction of our home planet while countless lives perished—men, women, and children. An entire civilization wiped out by MY actions. I have to live with that. But what I want the both of you to realize now is of much more importance: Do you think it pure coincidence that this primitive government here on planet Earth would possess a substance in its stockpile that could incapacitate me? Or you for that matter, Charlie? Wake up!”
A silence fell between us. If what Viktor was suddenly implying proved true, we indeed had a much bigger problem on our hands.
“So, let me get this straight,” I said, “you're trying to say the serum used on us was not man-made? But, then that would mean …”
“I think you already know, son. You've felt it. An enemy far worse than you can fathom has been lurking in the shadows. Watching, observing. They have been for a while now. And my gut feeling tells me they are about to reveal themselves soon. Real soon. We’re all in grave danger.”
Epilogue
Capt. Juan Castillo rose from his chair and attempted, in vain, to stifle a yawn. He'd been on post for thirty-six hours now, twelve over his usual shift. The anomaly that had disabled the satellites at the remote deep space tracking outpost had called for all hands on deck, and being the senior ranking military officer on duty meant he was in charge until relieved by someone of higher authority. He stared at the dead hi-tech monitors, unsure when they'd kick back to life. Several computer techs were busy trying to remedy just that, scurrying about the room like dedicated worker bees. Some drummed away at their cubicle workstations, while others manned the phones. This wasn't Capt. Castillo’s first experience with faulty equipment, having spent three years early on in his career at northern-tier installations that frequently experienced such power outages. Snowstorms and other natural catastrophes were common in this line of work. But, this type of hiccup wasn't supposed to happen at a top-notch government facility like Pinnacle-1 though.
“Room, ATTENTION!”
Every soul in the room stopped whatever they'd been doing and snapped to. General George T. Howe entered and promptly waved off the gesture. He was in no mood for military formalities.
“What's the situation, Juan?”
General Howe's voice was a deep, southern baritone that often came out as a low sort of growl when he talked. He had the unorthodox habit of calling the officers serving under him by their first names. A third-generation military officer, Howe's grandfather had served alongside the famed General MacArthur during World War II. He even preferred the standard buzz cut, a hairstyle made popular during the Second World War to control lice infestations among soldiers that were kept together in cramped conditions. Certainly the last of a dying breed, he often kept a half-burnt cigar fitted tightly in the corner of his mouth.
“All systems are down at the moment sir, but we're working diligently to get them back up.”
“I don't need to tell you the importance of this program, son. We need to get these satellites up and running ASAP.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I think we may have just found a workaround, sir,” Dr. Lee, an Asian-American astrophysicist, piped up. He was known for his eccentric behavior. Brought in by General Howe's headhunters from one of the country's most prestigious universities at the ripe age of twenty-three, he rarely offered much in the way of courtesy.
“The systems are coming online now,” Dr. Lee said with a nasally voice. The poor man always appeared to be suffering from a severe bout of allergies, evidenced by the stained handkerchief stuffed carelessly in the upper pocket of a badly wrinkled Hawaiian shirt.
Capt. Castillo stood next to the general, his expression professionally blank, while they watched the multiple screens flicker and come to life one by one. Cheers and laughter erupted from the usually mild-mannered group of scientists and analysts. All their hard work had finally paid off. Now they could get back to watching the skies.
But General Howe was in no laughing mood. His hardened gaze remained fixed on one of the upper right displays.
“What is that?”
Capt. Castillo leaned in for a closer look.
“I... I don't know sir.”
“Lee, what is that thing? Can you bring it up on the big screen?”
“Yes, General.”
Dr. Lee tapped a combination of keys on the keypad in front of him and the real-time image filled the entire "big board”.
At first glance, the image appeared to be that of a giant rock or mass of some kind. Every ey
e in the room was now transfixed on the unidentifiable object. Dr. Lee regarded the image with childlike fascination.
“This is amazing,” he said, barely able to contain his excitement. His mind was already running through all types of scenarios and scientific possibilities. Not to mention the monetary gains from such a discovery.
“What's amazing?” General Howe demanded, eyeing the mass warily. “What is that thing, Dr. Lee? An asteroid? A space rock?”
“No sir,” Dr. Lee replied. “That...is definitely not an asteroid or space rock.”
“Then what is it?”
“Isn't it obvious, General?”
Dr. Lee tightened the image on the screen with the central control knobs until little doubt remained of what the large mass could be. Sharp, black angles met to form the imposing hull of an otherworldly craft--much larger than anything currently in the U.S. arsenal.
Panic spread through the room. Several analysts retreated to their cubicles, frightened. One person fainted. More than a few gasped openly, frozen with fear and apprehension.
General Howe's cigar fell from his mouth.
Dr. Lee seemed to be the only one in the room fascinated by the arrival. Unable to contain his growing excitement, he proclaimed, “I think it's safe to say, we are not alone in the universe. And whoever—whatever is on board that spacecraft—is headed straight for Earth.”