Invaders of Tomorrow's Sky

by Chucho Jones

  “Doctor Dickens had to pull some mad science, from what I know. If it wasn’t for him, Leon wouldn’t have made it. While he was out, Laura made sure she became indispensable, she used to say it was her job to become the best of F.A.M.I.L.Y.’s members,” he said, as he chuckled at the end of his statement.

  “Regardless, Doctor Dickens discovered the greens changed Leon. The interaction made him different,” the general continued.

  Oliver looked at Leon as he clenched his fists while reliving his past. The general took yet another puff, giving them a moment to allow the first wave of information to sink in before he continued his speech.

  “At the time, Leon proved to be impervious to vitro-plasma. You know that alien pink goo? It must have happened on first contact somehow. I’ve only been involved since I left the Tuskegee men back in ‘43. From what I was briefed on, when Thomas and McCoy got there, you were already unconscious.” The general paused to once again smoke his cigar.

  Oliver’s thought where spiraling as he struggled to make sense of it all. It felt easy to connect with Leon at that moment, as he showed the same aloofness to the matter as him. The general kept pouring out the much-needed information.

  “We learned the hard way that vitro-plasma was bad for human beings, and we lost many on account to the deluding matter. The good Doctor’s task became to make sure we could be fit to complete our missions. Leon was put to the test for endurance. He excelled, until the pressure was too much for the young boy. We all knew it, but still, we let it happen on account of the mission’s progress. Something I’m not personally too proud of.

  “After some time of research, Dicken’s created a vaccine out of Leon’s blood, but only a few of us had clearance for this information. The whole operation moved to Auroville with their families, so that we could continue Alpha Omega. A major flu shot campaign was raised in town so that we could all become impervious to vitro-plasma, should the occasion present itself.” He paused.

  Awareness filled the room. Oliver realized the series of events were not so much at random, but more consequential than what they initially appeared to be. A sudden rush went through his body and raised a thought in his mind.

  We can’t manipulate the upcoming events we will face. We can only manipulate the outcome of previous experiences.

  He saw Leon’s calm demeanor as a facade and finally understood the conviction behind it. It then became clear. At that point, it didn’t matter if the changes had come from an alien parasite. He was relieved that the burden was not entirely his. Oliver listened to the general’s words as the man continued to brief them on the matter.

  “I’m really sorry for whatever pain and frustration those years might have caused all of you, but we had to discover the truth. Everyone who got involved knew the stakes, specially Thomas and Laura. Then Oliver was born, and everything changed,” the general rambled on.

  Oliver’s guts felt as heavy as lead at the sound of his father’s name. He’d personally never had the fortune of meeting him. His memory traveled swiftly to the stories of greatness his mother would tell about Thomas. They always seemed like the stuff of comic strips. Not much different from what he was going through at the time.

  He looked at Leon, who was speechless as ever with that natural dumb smirk of his plastered on his face. Now more than ever, Oliver felt the bond with him. The general expressed his sympathy in his tone as he continued with the story.

  “I don’t know if you realize this, but Oliver is the youngest in town. That’s because he’s the only first-generation Vitro-Human. After he was born with his condition, we had to quarantine Auroville. This is way beyond you or me, you understand me? We best stick together.” The general’s face was highlighted by the dim cautious lights.

  His eyes glared as he held his tears back. “Hell, I don’t know if I’ll ever see my daughter again, and she’s been caught in the crossfire because of the answers we’re looking for. What’s out there and what does it want with us?” Banks stopped for a moment, rubbing at the back of his neck and taking a look at his bad knee.

  Oliver glanced at his uncle, who seemed to tout a serious expression, yet could not help but start to grin. Oliver thought that made him appear like he was laughing at life. Like it was a big joke and everyone else a clown in it. Leon palmed his baseball bat.

  “I hold on to this, because it’s the only thing that keeps me sane. It has for over a decade. The only memory of my parents I held onto. Before Auroville, before contact. I usually turn away from things like these, but now? I really want to know who has been out there and why. I’m ready to be done with this for good,” Leon said with a determined stare.

  A gush of air came from beneath the platform. Oliver felt the sterile environment and immediately knew he’d been cleared to enter a secret base.

  The freight stopped at an underground facility fifteen stories tall. A giant bunker packed with various rooms as scientists and engineers worked in isolated clusters. Upon further inspection, he noticed people working closely with hydro jet fuel, commonly used with Tesla theory-based technology.

  He looked down at another cluster of engineers and saw how they dismantled a super advanced rocket engine. The joy overcame him. “My Nucleo-Tesla engine!”

  He propped his glasses in place with his android fingertip. Leon and Oliver were both in awe. Turning in unison, they both were wowed by a manta ray looking airship with a spherical cockpit that was small enough for a single pilot.

  The bulbous cockpit and side engines alluded to the UFO’s the aliens traveled in that had the appearance of an atom. Banks took his cigar out of his mouth and happily placed his hand on Oliver’s shoulder and spoke.

  “Those things right there are the ‘S-Wings.’ These will be the future of aero-dynamics. Not only do they use hydro jet fuel, they’re also the first powered by Nucleo-Tesla engines.”

  Oliver could not believe what he had heard and replied. “You mean these could potentially go out to space?”

  He saw the sleek marvel and thought, finally, my ideas came to fruition.

  All his work had reached maturity and was treated with respect. A sudden rush made him feel empowered. Despite the situation, his euphoria was at an all-time high, but he managed to keep his cool.

  At the center stage, shining bright, was a white and orange rocket ship with three Nucleo-Tesla launch systems. The vessel resembled a magnificent spear, and at the tip was a sleek cockpit design. A true marvel of mechanical design. A large group of scientists and engineers worked the on platforms on what seemed to be the rocket’s final details.

  Doctor Dickens awaited the trio at the base. His face showed remorse at what the crew had very recently had to endure, yet he seemed entertained at Oliver’s and Leon’s expressions as they couldn’t take their eyes of the manmade spaceship.

  He couldn’t help to shout. “This is Tomorrow Sky, the latest in human-alien engineering!”

  The freight finally came down to a halt. Dickens impatiently waited to proceed with haste as he rambled on.

  “Tomorrow Sky? You are missing the possessive apostrophe. It should be Tomorrow’s Sky” Oliver wittily said.

  “Yes, Yes. Our painters were in a rush and we didn’t have time to fix it. Now, come quickly, we must go to command center. Time’s quintessential, kids, and I need everything you know about that mechanical thing, so we can stop this nonsense once and for all. We also need to figure out what that glowing orb was that they took along with the girl. Again, my sincerest apologies, General. I certainly hope our plan succeeds in rescuing your child as well.”

  Oliver looked at Banks, who seemed stout as ever, like the solid rock everyone needed to lean on in those times of desperation. It certainly helped Oliver remain calm and brave.

  “Thank you, Doctor. I guarantee you, I will personally look into the success of this mission,” General Banks said.

  “Very well, then. I have something further to show you, but first… Welcome to underground Alpha, or as we li
ke to call it, ‘Alphaville’ on account that some of us practically live down here. Easier for me to traverse town underground,” said the good doctor with a bit of excitement.

  Oliver had heard at times Doctor Dickens was a tad odd, but he’d never seen him so jumpy before. Not even when they would hit a mark on one of their theories.

  The men began to walk through Alphaville. Standing at attention was Commander McCoy. His weary expression reflected the damage the alien destruction had caused as he briefed the general.

  “Ground Control is done for, sir. As well as half a’ town. I rounded up what men we could and got ‘em ready. The rest of the locals are in the refugee zone here underground. Academy cadets—like my son—that showed aptitude and the will to fight are training to fly the S-Wings. I will lead the air strike myself,” he said to General Banks.

  The general nodded without hesitation. He then turned to Doctor Dickens. “Get someone from engineering to ready the swings!”

  The general requested Dickens.

  “We can’t, General. We have every man on Tomorrow Sky,” Dickens replied.

  “Damn it, Doctor, if we don’t clear the town first there will be no Tomorrow Sky to look forward to. Do you understand? We need those S-Wings ready!”

  The general yelled, irritated at the lack of hustle.

  “I still remember working the kinks from a regular Silver Wing. If I can get my eyes on how the S-Wings work, I’ll have ‘em ready. Just don’t expect me to be jumping into one of those cockpits any time soon,” Leon said with reassurance.

  “Good enough for me,” Commander McCoy added.

  The general took an autocratic pose and addressed the group.

  “Fine, Commander, get your men ready. Leon, go to engineering. I’ll have somebody escort you to the archives and walk you through. I’ll head to the command center. Doctor, you and Oliver have a few hours to figure this out, we need to get that rocket ready to confirm launch time ASAP. Alright everybody, don’t just stand there. Let’s go!”

  Oliver looked at the group of men in Commander McCoy’s fleet. They already seemed defeated, but on point. A lack of enthusiasm was evident, but they had to push through.

  The doctor calmly addressed Oliver. “Come with me, my boy. We must figure out how this thing works if we plan to understand the relevance between it, the glowing sphere, and the creatures,” Dickens said calmly as he strolled out of the room and into the hallway along with Oliver.

  Oliver looked back and saw how everyone responded to the general’s heated demeanor. The picture was becoming distant, but everyone was moving. Oliver noticed that, unlike the troops, the doctor still had a glimmer of determination. They continued to walk down the hallway.

  14

  Chapter 14

  Oliver felt energized. He knew most of it was adrenaline, but he couldn’t help but wonder what alien fluids might have merged with his physiology and changed him. His eyes, were dry. His lacrimal glands unable to produce tears. An obvious side effect from the symbiosis.

  He followed behind Doctor Dickens, looking around the facility. Everything seemed so bizarre and out of this world. It had to be if he belonged there. The facade was off. He did belong.

  For a moment, his thoughts went back to Victoria and his inability to help her. Oliver also remembered his mother and how she might have died. Pressing on, he did his best to shake those worries.

  The doctor stopped at the end of a hall just before the wall scrolled to the side to reveal an entrance.

  “Welcome, my boy, to your world unfolded,” Doctor Dickens said.

  Oliver couldn’t believe his eyes as he stepped into the room, suddenly feeling cold. Rows of computers filled most of the space, and Oliver walked to the center of the room only to find technology far beyond anything he’s ever seen. He suddenly realized that the three main operating consoles had familiar gadgets and widgets.

  “Are these based on my quantum theories?” Oliver asked.

  The doctor strolled across the room with an energetic gusto while he explained each console to Oliver.

  “This console right here enables exploring satellites to read matter based on the energy’s wave cycle.” The doctor smiled.

  “A matter-energy reader,” Oliver said.

  He looked around the room recognizing the rest of the consoles functions. Doctor Dickens continued his stroll around the room as he carried on with his explanation.

  “After the data is collected, it transfers to the second console. This one can chart matter and energy to specific landmarks in the universe. I’m still working on the third one, but in theory, it should predict a universal anomaly based on the readings of the first two.”

  Oliver walked around the room, taking a glimpse at the third console when he saw something different. At the corner of the room was a chamber resembling an industrial freezer. It had hoses attached at the top and Tesla coils coming out of alternators at the base of the structure. Inside the chamber were hoses and a rig for holding a body.

  “What’s this?” Oliver asked while frowning.

  “This, Oliver, is what will help us figure out what that thing on your arm is. Your mother said she found it inside a cave on the moon, and now these creatures seem to go to an awful lot of trouble to get it back. We need to figure out what it is and why they want it. It might be the piece to solving this cosmic mystery,” Doctor Dickens said in a calm tone.

  Oliver started to share his uncle’s paranoia, and a sudden feeling made him second guess everything happening right then.

  “And how exactly will this chamber help us?” Oliver asked with hesitation.

  The good doctor held Oliver by his arms and explained further.

  “I can’t be sure just yet, but you seem to have an alien symbiote on your arm. I need to figure out the molecular structure and physiology of the alien to understand what we’re dealing with. We need to best understand what they want and why. Plus, don’t you want to get your lady friend back? I will need you to get into the chamber for that. If you don’t mind.”

  Doctor Dickens began preparing the machine. Oliver looked around the room once again. He carefully inspected the machines around the room. He felt comfortable with those he recognized. It was the chamber that he wasn’t too sure of.

  Unfortunately for him, it was the same one he had to step into. As he wandered into the crowded space, the doctor looked at him with a calm expression. Oliver peered back at the doctor with a stout look, but the unnatural sheen of his glasses caused by the alien’s energy hid his eyes from the rest of the crowd.

  “I know I have a symbiotic alien. I can feel it. I just want to know what it is and where it came from, so we can all end this and go home,” he said with determination.

  “Don’t worry, boy. You don’t have to latch yourself to any rigs. The chamber is conducted with wireless energy that will attach to any element that is alien to the periodic table. We will then use the data to find a reading from the other consoles,” the doctor said with a reassuring tone.

  Oliver took a deep breath. The chamber closed in front of him as the thought of Leon enduring similar tests crossed his mind. Everything was becoming clear for him.

  He could start to scope the dimension of the stakes and the reason why everything had been kept underground. The doctor made a signal from outside warning Oliver of the machines activation.

  Blue rays spread across the chamber. Oliver could feel the magnetic field around him, and although it didn’t affect him, he felt the small hairs on his body pricking up. A thick energy crackled, and Oliver couldn’t move, even though his brain urged him to do so.

  Oliver stared at Doctor Dickens through the window of the chamber. He wanted everything to stop, though he knew he had to follow through.

  Suddenly, his world went white. All Oliver could hear was a heartbeat, unsure if it was his own or someone else’s. For a brief moment, thousands of years of knowledge manifested in his mind.

  He saw Orion’s belt in the far reac
hes of space. He realized his mind was away from his body, only thoughts remained. A wasp-like silhouette called out his name.

  “Oliver.”

  He tried to shake it, but this only created more manifestations. The feeling of urgency and his sense of time disappeared. While the situation was still insane, clarity was ushered in.

  A specific coordinate in space appeared before him, and Oliver realized the arm was being summoned. Lucidity quickly passed, and Oliver made an effort to retain as much information as possible. The image of his mother’s face pulled him from the trance state.

  He was tired, as if coming out of the strongest seizure ever—only this time, he was completely aware of every emotion and thought before going into a deep sleep.

  Can it be that the symbiotic arm is feeding off my condition? Now more than ever, he was willing to look for answers with Doctor Dickens.

  The next thing he saw was the doctor’s pout. “I’ve got you, boy. I’ve got you,” Doctor Dickens said to Oliver as he helped him to a comfortable chair.

  He sat looking at the doctor and his surroundings. He analyzed the mechanical chamber once more and realized it seemed dated.

  “Have you used this on an alien before?” Oliver asked.

  Doctor Dickens’s frowned, but remained calm as he spoke.

  “You should understand that everything we have been doing has been for the good of mankind. You have no idea how long this race has lasted. It’s not always been aliens, son.”

  The doctor brushed his hand against his cheek.

  “What are you doing to us? Why is this happening? I saw my mother while you were extracting the molecular encryptions. This thing spoke to me. They want us up there?” Oliver said firmly.

  “Calm down, my boy, calm down. I understand explanations are required. To tell you the truth, I’ve been involved in supernatural matters since long before the ‘Bald Eagle’ and long before your uncle’s first contact,” the doctor said.

  Dickens looked at him closely with a glare of honesty in his eyes. Oliver knew exactly how to tell if his mentor was being elusive or not, a skill he kept proudly for himself. He felt safe and fed the conversation.