She stared at the waves washing onto shore. “This is wonderful. I think your suggestions are exactly what I’m going to do.” She frowned, becoming serious then. “I don’t think you understand. You’re trying to, and I appreciate that. I’ve had the Starcore meddling in my mind for a long, long time. I have to get used to being myself again.”
I nodded.
“But Logan…”
I looked at her.
“I want you come back for me,” she said.
“I will.”
“Promise?” she asked.
“Cross my heart,” I said, grinning.
She touched my forearm before turning around and heading back for the hotel.
I watched her go. She looked great. I wanted to be with her, and I wondered about the guys who would be hitting on her soon.
Finally, I took out my communicator. “Rax,” I said.
“Here,” the crystal replied.
“Bring me aboard,” I said. “We have work to do.”
-56-
The Chinese publically backed the North Koreans. They said the Koreans hadn’t ignited any nukes. The Chinese spokeswoman on TV said the only people on the planet who had ever fired a nuclear bomb in anger were the Americans. The spokeswoman also accused the Americans of going mad, launching several terrible tests in Greenland.
Publically, none of that sat well with the President of the United States or with the American people. They were angry, and there were growing demands to teach the North Koreans a lesson. If the Chinese stood in the way, they could learn those lessons, too.
The Chinese publically made veiled threats regarding American carrier groups stationed several hundred miles off China’s coast. The Chinese said they had ways of dealing with any American submarines as well.
That wasn’t all. There were news reports of people having seen UFOs. Some of the more scandalous newspapers actually had headlines about alien space battles having taken place around the Earth.
I always used to think those outlandish stories were as fake as could be. Now, I wondered if those rags were the only papers left that told the unvarnished truth.
It was crazy.
I was on the Guard-ship after having been to Vegas. I’d watched TV and Internet reports. I’d listened to people talk as I’d wandered around some of the casinos.
“Rax,” I said. “I don’t know what to do. The standoff between the superpowers is getting worse. The idea of real live aliens out there has gotten stronger. Should we show them the Guard-ship and tell everyone what really happened? I think some people already know.”
“Under no circumstances shall we do that,” the little crystal said. “That is against all Guard regulations. You have acted like a provisional Guard agent throughout the emergency. Until the fathership returns, you have a duty to the Galactic Council to help keep the peace on this backward, banned planet.”
“How do I do that? Earth is about to start a nuclear war.”
“You must defuse the situation,” Rax said.
“Yeah, I know that. What I don’t know is the right method of getting it done.”
“Analyzing…analyzing…I have a possible solution.”
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
“We must destroy all the Earth’s nuclear weapons.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “First, I don’t think we can do that easily. The various militaries would soon start setting traps for us. Second, I don’t want to make Earth weaker. What if more aliens show up?”
“You and I will take care of that problem,” Rax said.
“Maybe and maybe not,” I said.
“If you will not disarm the aboriginals then you must help them see sense.”
“That,” I said, “is easier said than done. Too bad I couldn’t…” I snapped my fingers.
“What is wrong?” Rax asked.
“I have an answer,” I said.
“Tell me.”
“You’re not going to like it. In fact, you’ll say it’s against Guard policy. But it’s the only thing I can think of.”
“Please, Logan, tell me your plan.”
I did, and I was right, Rax hated it and refused to play any part. I kept at the crystal, though, and two days later, he finally relented and said I might as well try.
By that time, it seemed the Chinese and Americans would launch at each other any hour.
***
I’d been studying the situation for several days already. I had made my pick. Well, Rax had made the analysis and told me the right choice given my parameters.
First, I donned a special piece of Guard equipment. It fit around my neck, giving me a holoimage disguise over my features. I figured it was best to keep my true identity a secret as long as possible.
Afterward, I transferred into the U.S. Secretary of State’s bedroom. The man was asleep in his bed and alone, as his wife was visiting their daughter in Cleveland. It was dark in here, although the drapes were open, admitting starlight and some nearby porch lights.
As quietly as possible, I grabbed some of his clothes, socks and shoes. Then I went to his bed and gently shook his shoulder.
The older man smacked his lips, clearly not ready to wake up.
“Sir,” I whispered. “I have something to show you.”
“Go away,” he said in a groggy voice.
“I can’t do that, sir. World peace depends on you.”
He opened his eyes and looked up at me. He had messy white hair and craggy features.
“Who are you?” he asked in an even voice.
I smiled, saying, “We’re ready.”
“Roger,” Rax said from my communicator.
The Secretary of State bolted upright in bed. He began to shout. As he did, the bedroom faded from view.
We reappeared on a lonely hill in Virginia, with Washington D.C.’s lights visible from here, although I don’t think he knew that yet.
The Secretary of State fell back to his prone position. I staggered, each of us having fallen an inch from the air.
The older man jumped to his feet, staring at me in shock. He was a bigger man, an inch taller than I was. He wore tighty-whiteys and seemed to be in relatively good shape given his age.
“Here,” I said, shoving his clothes at him. “I don’t want you to get cold.”
He accepted the items meekly, which surprised me. The Secretary of State was known as a bulldog. His shoulders squared once he tied his shoes. He ran thick fingers through his snowy-colored hair.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It certainly does,” he said.
I sighed. “Look, sir, I’m trying to avert the end of civilization. I’ve been studying the U.S. leaders. You strike me as the only one among them with enough of a logical mind to hear me out.”
He blinked several times, scowled finally and nodded. “Are you a Chinese agent?”
I laughed. “Right. I teleported you out of your bedroom in order to assassinate you. First, though, I gave you all your clothes.”
His scowl deepened. Clearly, the man did not like anyone laughing at him. Soon, he turned away. His head swayed. I think he noticed the D.C. lights in the distance.
“Is that Washington?” he asked, pointing.
I said it was.
“I don’t believe I’m hallucinating,” he said to himself.
I told him he wasn’t.
He looked at me. “You’re going to have to tell me who you are and how I got here.”
“I’ll tell you this,” I said. “But I doubt you’re going to believe me right away. I stumbled on an alien invasion about a week ago.”
He stared at me.
“I know,” I said. “It sounds crazy. But I’m sure you’ve seen some strange reports about happenings in orbital space.”
“Go on,” he said slowly.
“The aliens abducted me, but I got away. That happened in Greenland.”
“The nuclear detonations,” he said. �
��They’re your fault?”
“Not a chance,” I said. “But I know who dropped them on Greenland and off the West Coast. That’s not as important between you and me. Long story short, I stumbled onto an alien vessel with fantastic technology. It also had an entity onboard.”
“A what?” he said.
“The alien ship I found had a creature that’s been helping me. Again, long story short, we destroyed the other alien menace, but not before it launched several hell-burners. You know about those.”
“I know there have been several massive nuclear detonations. The whole world knows that by now. I also know there have been far too many missiles launched into space, and all the satellites are gone.”
“Right,” I said. “The point I’m making is that the North Koreans and Chinese had nothing to do with any of it. The aliens did all those things.”
He stared at me harder than before. “Why would these aliens do this?”
I smiled without any humor. “You’ll love this, sir. The aliens wanted an ancient extraterrestrial treasure buried somewhere on Earth. The aliens found the extraterrestrial treasure but also woke up an ancient menace. The aliens got themselves killed in the process. I slew the ancient menace.”
“You expect me to believe such nonsense?” he asked.
“Soon,” I said. I took out my communicator. “Rax,” I said. “Transfer us…” I looked up at the Secretary of State. “Where would you like to go, sir? You choose our destination.”
He stared at me as if he thought I was a lunatic. “There’s a castle in Germany. It should be empty right now, as it will be dawn there.”
“What castle?” I asked. “You have to be specific.”
He was.
“Did you hear all that?” I asked Rax.
For an answer, the little crystal transferred us to the castle in Germany.
***
The U.S. Secretary of State put his hands on the castle’s stone battlements. Below us, several early-morning joggers moved past. In the distance, the Sun barely peeked over the horizon.
The older man turned to me. He seemed perplexed. “I can’t deny my senses,” he said. “You clearly possess this teleporting technology. That doesn’t necessarily make the rest of what you say true.”
“It sure helps, though.”
He rubbed his chin as he studied me. I was gladder than ever that I’d worn a holoimage disguise. I imagine he would to go to the best police sketch-artist later to help make a wanted poster of me.
“Do you have a raygun, perhaps?” he asked.
I detached a Guard weapon from my belt, aimed it at a small tree below and beamed it out of existence.
The older man stared wide-eyed at the burning tree before looking at me with fear in his eyes.
“Rax,” I said. “Transfer us down.”
***
The Secretary of State and I were in the Guard-ship’s piloting chamber. We cruised through the depths. I sat in the piloting chair until I dogged an American submarine several hundred miles off the Chinese coast.
“Amazing,” the older man said. His knees seemed to weaken. He leaned against a piece of equipment for support.
I waited.
After a time, he straightened, studying me carefully. “What do you plan to do with this all this incredible technology?”
“Not much,” I said. “Wait for the Galactic Guard fathership to show up.”
“What does that mean?”
“This is a Galactic Guard insertion ship,” I said. “You could think of it as an advanced form of shuttlecraft. A fathership will show up in time to reclaim it. They’re a peacekeeping force as far as I can tell. They don’t want low-technology aboriginal beings like us to know about them or the greater Galactic Civilization.”
“That means…?”
“That I’m playing by their rules. If any more bad aliens show up, I’ll try to stop them. Once the fathership shows up and reclaims this vessel, I’m back to being a regular person.”
The secretary shook his head. “You must realize that the Galactic Guard will not allow you to stay on Earth.”
I shrugged.
“You’re taking a lot on yourself, young man,” he said.
“Maybe.”
He pursed his lips. I don’t think he liked me saying that. “Why show me all this? What are you expecting me to do?”
“You know the truth now, sir. But here’s a very important point. Only you can know the truth. I believe you’re the kind of man who can keep a terrible secret. You also have the power to help put an end to this stupid showdown with the Chinese.”
“I see,” he said. “Is that all?”
“I don’t know what the future holds. But I’d like one person in authority to know the score. I picked you because you seemed the most level-headed and honest.”
“I might blow your cover and that of this Galactic Guard.”
“Do you want worldwide panic, sir? Things are already getting out of hand. I’m sure others out there have guessed the truth, but that’s different than knowing for certain.”
He studied me.
“Maybe you can help get the ball rolling for the right kinds of technological advancements,” I said. “Humanity needs to get out there, but I guess it has to do so under its own steam.”
“You seem to think I should trust you,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Why should I do that? You have too much power without any oversight.”
“I did the right thing this time,” I said. “Besides, how much power can I really wield? I could threaten Earth, I suppose. But when the fathership returns, I’ll be in deep, deep water with the Galactic Guard. I don’t think I want that.”
He thought about that, finally nodding. Then he studied the depths for a solid ten minutes. At last, he turned to me.
“Thank you, son,” he said in a softer voice. “I appreciate your vote of confidence in me. It’s time to send me home. I have a lot of work to do if I’m going to help defuse this madness between the Chinese and us. I also give you my word of honor to keep your secret. I may be a politician, but I have always kept my word.”
“That’s one of the main reasons I came to you, sir.” I stood and we shook hands. Then, I had Rax send him home.
-57-
Three days later, the worst standoff since the Cuban Missile Crisis began to wind down.
The Secretary of State had kept his word so far. I wondered if he could keep it in the long term. I decided that wasn’t my worry today.
Instead, I went to Kauai. I rented a car, bought some new clothes and swim trunks, and went to the Koa Kea Hotel.
For the next few hours, I lay in the sun, soaking up rays. I had a few beers, ate a beef sandwich and watched people.
Finally, I had the awesome reward of seeing Debby in a bikini. She carried fins, mask and snorkel, returning from the beach. She went to the outdoor shower, rinsing the saltwater from her.
She was tanned, seemed content and looked better than the last time I’d seen her. Debby returned the equipment to the sports shed on the side. Then, she crossed the big lawn to her apartment.
“Hey,” I said.
She ignored me.
“Debby,” I said, louder than before.
She turned her head, saw me, stopped and smiled so beautifully that I allowed myself the faintest of grins.
I got up, walking to her. Without thinking about it, I took both her hands in mine.
“You did it,” she said. “The standoff with China—”
She wasn’t able to say any more because I kissed her then. As I kissed her, I held her tightly. Finally, I let go.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hello,” she said with a smile.
“Would you like to go out to eat?” I asked.
“I’d love to.”
“Great,” I said, taking one of her hands.
I didn’t know what the future held for us. I didn’t know if any more aliens would show up or not. I didn’t
know if the Secretary of State would try to form a secret cabal to try to hunt me down. What I did know was that today the human race had averted a terrible disaster. I also knew that I was going have dinner with a beautiful woman.
I was looking forward to it, and to whatever would happen after that.
The End
Thanks Reader! I hope you enjoyed Invaders. If you liked the book and would like to see it become a series, please support it by putting up some stars and a review. Let new readers know what’s in store for them.
—Vaughn Heppner
Invaders Page 31
