by Chucho Jones
“First of all, how do you know the Bald Eagle? So, he is real. Second, I’ll tell you what I saw, but you must tell me what you know first. It’s necessary if you want me to go on with this mission,” he said.
Oliver knew the doctor would bite as they both appreciated knowledge for the sake of science.
“Alright, boy. What you will know is for you alone and no one else. ‘Specially your uncle, understand? Or anyone else kin to you, got it?” Doctor Dickens said to Oliver.
He nodded in agreement.
“There are more secrets than you can imagine. My great grandfather was one of the founding members of the official family team back in the 1700’s. I’ve been in this because of an heirloom. I didn’t ask to be involved in this either, it just happened. Now I must do what I can to work with the events that unfold before us. We all do. I promise to explain more later. Right now, what should be important to you is knowing that this is not entirely about you and that you are not alone,” Dickens reassured Oliver.
Oliver took a deep breath. He was grateful that Dickens was there to keep him focused.
“You’re right We’re here for science and mankind. What did you figure out? It all happened so fast for me,” Oliver replied in better spirits.
The moment went interrupted when thick smoke came out of the console. The data was quickly fried. At that moment, it was up to Oliver’s wit and the power of the alien arm. He was having trouble putting together a coherent explanation for just transpired. No scientific explanation could gather the information, yet he explained what he could.
“I’m not sure what I saw, but there where coordinates calling out to me. The thing even said my name.”
Doctor Dickens looked at the untested console as it flashed when Oliver moved his alien arm. He focused on the arm and had a sudden idea.
He asked Oliver to help him move hoses from the chamber where Oliver once laid to the third untested console. Doctor Dickens hooked them to the machine then on to Oliver’s arm. He then brought a gallon sized canister filled with a diluted pink substance and inserted it into the machine.
That’s probably a synthesized version of the alien vitro-plasma, Oliver thought.
The doctor explained.
“This machine was built from your theories. We never had the chance to test it. Somehow, your arm is working as a conduit and allowing the machine to translate its data. Quick, think of operating the arm. See if it stored more data,” Doctor Dickens said to Oliver as he turned some nobs and flipped switches.
Oliver felt a rush of adrenalin course through his body and into the arm. All the information that was previously clouding his mind was suddenly arranged. The arm began reacting to the console, and the plasma meter display read depletion.
Oliver’s arm was glowing from its creases as the spherical indentation of its hand filled with not stale pink liquid, but bright and glowing vitro-plasma. Oliver was filled with new found energy. His muscles flexed with a surge of adrenaline.
“Wow, Doc. I can feel the information. We don’t need a reading anymore. I can talk to it now. I think it’s the vitro-plasma… It’s alternating it, feeding it to itself and into my body. I feel great!” Oliver said joyfully.
“Alright, boy, what is it then?” The doctor held him by the shoulders.
“I know where they are, and they have my mother and Victoria. They’re coming for us next!” Oliver said.
15
Chapter 15
Victoria’s hands caressed her new furry companion as she tried to keep herself calm, turning to it as a child would to a favorite teddy bear for comfort.
The humid environment made it hard for her to breathe. Through the energy field of the main gate of their containment, she could see groups of aliens running from one side to the next. Victoria paid attention to the noises, attempting to figure out what was going on, but she had no such luck. Armed guards stood outside.
The pink substance started to dematerialize toward the borders of the gate. Chuggy ran and hid behind some bushes. Two more alien escorts entered the room, guarding the exit.
Victoria noticed the bushes closest to the entrance starting to move slightly. A soft growl filled the room, and Chuggy sprung out. Knocking over a guard and taking its alien baton, it shocked the second jailer unconscious.
Victoria sprung to her feet, knowing the chance was right then and there. She followed Chuggy and grabbed an alien rod of her own, realizing the thing handled just like a phatasfa.
She followed her furry friend as it scurried down the hallway, hoping to turn their temporary prison into a distant memory. They entered into a round chamber where a giant fifty-foot-tall pink cocoon hung from the ceiling. Technology that resembled giant luminous eggs were embedded in the floor.
Chuggy swung around the room in desperation. It paused to grab at another pink cocoon attached to hoses and consoles.
“Nanook, nanook!” it shouted while trying to crack the cocoon.
The blows revealed what was inside: a six-foot, albino Neanderthal. Victoria couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. An electrical bolt shot from the cracks in the casing. It shocked Chuggy and rendered it lifeless.
“Chuggy!” Victoria screamed.
She turned her attention to a loud scratching noise, green talons tearing into the ground. Kha Tse stormed in, causing Victoria’s heart to swell with fear. She wanted to close her eyes at the gruesome sight, but with the looming danger, a simple blink couldn’t be afforded.
Kha Tse raced over to Victoria, seizing her by the neck. She felt an unbelievable strength constricting her wind pipe. The alien then screamed a dialect that Victoria could not comprehend. Kha Tse’s head tentacles latched on to Victoria right below her ears, and a blinding white light dominated her vision.
Recollections of Oliver and happy times invaded her cerebellum. She could smell the pleasant breeze of the lake while walking towards the malt shop. A pleasant sensation, but it didn’t last long before an ominous figure lurked in her feelings.
It was an itch she couldn’t scratch that generated irregular moments inside her head. Images of events of the past flashed before her eyes. Auroville, the Silverwing Academy, McCoy and the boys.
Leon, dashing as ever, blowing a kiss quickly came to mind. Another sudden memory was of Oliver, who held out his robot arm and reached out for Victoria, but then he shrunk into the distance as he yelled her name. A second blinding event brought her conscience back to the moment.
Kha Tse unbounded her tentacles from Victoria and tossed her back into her confinement. The sinister embrace had left marks on her body. She curled up in a fetal position behind a prehistoric bog plant. Chuggy was also thrown at the same spot with her, alive but still unconscious.
Victoria was traumatized from the probing moment. Kha Tse yelled at both furiously again in her alien dialect and stormed out, dutifully followed by her minions.
Victoria reached out for Chuggy. She should have found a shred of relief as the creature’s chest still moved, signifying it was breathing and alive, but she was incapable of compassion.
The remnants of the psychic link between Victoria and Kha Tse remained. She felt torn and enraged. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she rose and ran full tempo at the gate, furiously banging her fists at the mucus coated door that held her inside.
A siren blared in the room, possibly sounding at her futile attempt to break away. Her knuckles became dotted with blood, yet she persisted. She did this for what seemed like forever until exhaustion came calling, and finally, she slumped over. This battle was lost, and sleep took over.
* * *
Kha Tse stormed into the ship’s main control room. Her intimidating presence overpowered the room. An alien minion addressed her.
“The scouting brigade has fallen to the human attacks mistress and…” he began just before she knocked the minion out mid-statement.
“I don’t need a status update. I know where we stand. Send a full invasion brigade now!” she yelled at
her subordinates, as they all worked their stations frantically.
Her face twitched as she ordered everyone around. A vivid image of Leon blowing kisses with a confident grin and deep stare distracted her. She felt an odd sensation, something she had never felt before. A hot flash as her human heart pounded and alien blood rushed through her cold body. Maybe a remnant of her previous mind meld.
An alien minion interrupted her, confused by the previous instruction. “Mistress, we need to confirm the order. We only have two brigades left, and this will leave the Forefather unprotected,” it said.
Kha Tse regained her self and responded firmly. “Prepare an invasion brigade now and send a gargantua. I’ve already come this far.”
Kha Tse came close to the console where she saw a holographic display of the attack’s preparations.
Alien pilots readied their spherical ships in the comb-like hangar. A colossal robotic marvel stood stout while it’s massive, spherical body was being placed to transport. The fleet of atom-shaped saucers flew out the mothership like bees leaving a hive. On the console’s hologram, a green rendition of the robot rendered it clear for launch.
Kha Tse raised her hand and pulled a lever. The robot stood surrounded by a ring of energy beams that dematerialized it. She couldn’t help but feel her heart pounding at the thought of her mandate soon being fulfilled and the Forefather’s promise met.
The quest would soon be over.
Joy filled her villainous heart. There was zero margin for failure. She approached the control board once more to howl a final order.
“Leave no survivors, bring me the Quantessence!’’
16
Chapter 16
A strenuous ruckus shook Alphaville’s grounds like a tremor. Doctor Dickens hit the ground hard. Oliver was dexterous enough to manage staying on foot. He helped the good doctor to his feet as they managed to make a run for the hallways.
“Doctor Dickens, are you ok? What happened? Oliver asked.
The Doctor shook his head and thought for a moment. Oliver anticipated an answer, knowing it was no tremor that shook the ground.
“Something really big with a lot of power must have hit us to shake the ground like this. And it knows where we are,” said the doctor as he picked up his pace.
The lights where dim, the computer screens everywhere read a percentage bar that indicated the time left until auxiliary power would kick in. Oliver had a slight sense of angst, just as he did when he preambled his first day at the lab withDoctor Dickens and his crew.
He and the doctor regrouped with General Banks, Leon, and Commander McCoy as they trudged the hallways discussing facts.
“McCoy take what men we have and front the assault on those green ingrates. They’re coming in hot,” Banks said to McCoy.
“Yes, sir. I hope those swings give us the edge we need,” Commander McCoy replied as he quickly took action and made his way for the exit.
“I managed to get one ready. I’ve put your academy kids on duty for the rest. They should be ready by now,” Leon firmly said to McCoy as he walked past.
The general looked at Leon assertively and nodded his head. “Leon, you come with me. I’ll need a second pair of hands on ground control for the assault,” said the general. Leon’s expression showed discomfort at the idea of pairing up with the general, but instead raised his thumbs.
“Oliver and I will head over to Tomorrow Sky,” Doctor Dickens added.
“The discovered data might allow us to expedite the launch process. I’m able to communicate to the symbiotic arm now,” Oliver interrupted. He felt a pulsating sensation in his right limb.
“Just don’t go all mad scientist on us, kid,” Leon said with a grin.
“You worry about keeping them safe up there,” Oliver fired back.
Oliver and Doctor Dickens walked past the launching pad, up the pad’s freight, and into Tomorrow Sky’s cockpit. Oliver looked around the control panel. He spotted a central console with a Vitro-plasma canister slot in the middle. He placed his finger around the crevice.
“This is where the vitro-plasma is supposed to go right?” Oliver asked.
“Correct, my boy. However, none of the vitro plasma batches I made have worked since… Well, until today,” the doctor said.
Oliver looked at his arm before closing his fist and inserting his arm into the hole. The cockpit ignited for a brief moment. A humming sound filled Oliver’s head as he felt watered down. The reaction threw him across the cockpit before he was abruptly stopped by the wall. Doctor Dickens propped him up.
“Magnificent! Did you see that?” Doctor Dickens asked Oliver.
Oliver shook his head.
“What happened?” he asked as he struggled to his feet.
Doctor Dickens took off his glasses and gently cleaned the lenses with the bottom of his vest.
“It was the same reaction as before. Your arm is igniting the vitro-plasma, making it possible for it to energize,” the doctor said.
Oliver looked at his alien arm.
“Yeah, I could feel it quantifying the energy as it went through me,” he replied.
Doctor Dickens pushed his glasses back in place with his finger and smiled.
“We must prepare Tomorrow Sky with new modifications. We can’t have it throwing you around every time you put your arm inside the slot. Let’s prepare for launch!’’ he said with excitement.
* * *
The room was dimly lit, and Leon stood in front of an assorted array of tube monitors. He had to think very hard in order to remember his years of training.
As a pre-teen, he loved all the tubes nobs, and switches, but he had changed all that for pistons and gears in his later years. I need to get in gear, he thought.
“Leon, come on, son. You have the commander’s eyes in front of you. What’s going on?” the general yelled.
Leon took a second look and saw a screen with a radar, another with information, and a third one that showed Commander McCoy’s S-Wing’s point of view.
“Quickly, damn it. Put on your head phones and talk to McCoy. You’re his eyes on the back and my prompter on the ground, got it?” General Banks rambled impatiently.
Leon nodded his head in agreement, put on the head phones, and manned the station.
“Commander McCoy, Leon… Ground control here, Commander. Bogeys at eight o’clock, sir,” he swiftly said over the radio.
A crackling noise out of tune resounded before Commander McCoy’s voice through the microphone.
“Roger that, ground control. Alpha Wolf here, loud and clear. Wolf pack, count yourselves up!” the commander replied over the radio.
Through the speakers, Leon heard another voice.
“Wolf One, go!” said a pilot.
The lineup continued all the way to Wolf Forty-two. Leon addressed the team avidly. He gave a command to a cluster and a call of warning to another.
“Wolf Thirty-three, on your tail, Thirty-three!” Leon yelled through the microphone.
General Banks looked over and smiled at Leon. For a moment, Leon thought the man was unrecognizable, almost friendly.
“Good work, son. Now watch how it’s done,” the general said.
They both glanced at the biggest monitor in front of the room. The display highlighted a topographical image and atmospheric altitude. The general turned a couple of nobs and flipped some switches.
“Quick, feed me coordinates from the radar, and make sure to lock it on a green sucker,” the general said.
Leon looked at the screen, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Readings of latitude and longitude displayed on the screen, and dials on the side lit up accordingly. He remembered his training, and just like that, Leon knew how it all worked.
“Latitude thirty-seven degrees, seven minutes, thirteen seconds. Longitude hundred seventeen degrees, fifty-five minutes and twelve seconds. Eight miles above ground!” he yelled.
The general moved two nobs, flipped a couple switches, and pushed
a button. A low humming resounded in ground control. The radar screen blinked on and off. A new reading now showed on screen.
“Wow, the radar shows six alien ships are down. What is that?” Leon yelled in excitement.
From McCoy’s screen, he could see a few atom-like saucers crashing into the lake as the Mercuranium stricture became bland. Leon picked up his mic.
“What’s your status, Alpha Wolf? Over,” he said.
From the radio the raspy voice resounded again. “You got ‘em, General. Thank you. You know when the next round will come? Although the swings handle blazin’ gloriously, these guys are rapid fires. We’re down seven men already,” the commander answered.
Leon saw multiple allies and foes blinking on and off. He spotted a couple of alien foes gaining on Commander McCoy.
“General, quick, do you want coordinates?” Leon shouted.
McCoy was in a hot spot. The general kept working his station without responding.
“General, quickly. Latitude thirty-eight degrees, ten minutes and twenty-one seconds. Longitude hundred eighteen degrees, fifty-three minutes and fifty-seven seconds, nine miles above ground.”
The general operated the console and fired again. Leon looked at McCoy’s feed and saw the saucers closing in fast. The impact hit a saucer that crashed into McCoy.
The screen went white.
“General, damn it. I messed up. McCoy went down,” Leon said nervously.
The radar showed very few Silver Wings on screen. The static echoed before words could be made out from Leon’s headset.
“Wolf Twenty-two here. Alpha Wolf is down. I repeat, Alpha wolf is down, ground control. We’re getting pummeled here. What do we do? Over,” a pilot said over the radio.
Leon’s hands were shaking. He couldn’t believe his decision had cost a man’s life. The general saw the events displayed on the main screen.
