by Paul Ormond
“Enraged or not, I cannot have anything interfering with our operation,” Commander Holrathu said as his holographic image sputtered amidst a burst of static. “This situation is sliding out of control, and I intend to corral it before it gets any worse.”
“How is landing a bunch of ships over the White House going to help this situation? You are just throwing fuel onto the fire. Our operation using Mitch Mythic’s image was working, but now you just gave away the game. These terrorist freedom fighters have already seized upon the image, and they are using it to gather support. The one thing that will galvanize the human race into cooperating is an outside attack, and you just handed our enemies everything they need to resist.”
“That may be true if I gave a damn about diplomacy, but the human race is not my concern. Your miserable species may inhabit this planet, but it belongs to the Emperor. I will not allow some ragtag uprising to get in the way of a plan that spans the multi-verse. I am effectively taking over command of the Earth’s defenses and all of its resources. You will continue to act as a liaison between the people and you may continue to call yourself the President, but that will be in name only. If you value your life in any way, I suggest you accept your role in this situation and follow my orders. I understand that this may be difficult to accept, but once you allow the Emperor’s love to fill your heart, I am sure you will be singing a different tune. Submission is strength, President Edwards.”
“But what the hell am I supposed to do about all of this? There is an army of media parked outside the building waiting for me to make a statement. Your ships are hovering overhead and there are a group of terrorists threatening a war.”
“You will put on a brave face and march out there and tell them the truth.”
“The Truth?”
“Yes, Madam President, the truth. This resistance army is in league with Mitch Mythic, and they threaten the security of the planet. But the people have nothing to fear. The Emperor’s love is coming and he will save this planet from its cycle of self destruction.”
“I’m not sure if people are willing to accept such a story.”
“They will accept it or die. There is no other option. I do not see why this is such a difficult thing to understand. The Emperor is not some monstrous beast coming to eat your children. He and the Empress have only the best intentions for every inhabitant of the multi-verse. His goal is to bring harmony and joy to everything he touches. Is that not what you want, to live in harmony?”
“Of course we want to live in harmony, but I’m finding it difficult to understand what is so harmonious about what you intend to do.”
“I’m finding it difficult to keep coming up with reasons for keeping you alive. I could drag you out in front of those cameras and decapitate you. That would get my message across, but I would much rather do it peacefully. The reason you do not understand what I mean by harmony is because you do not understand what harmony is. Your planet is obsessed with this thing you call freedom. But let me fill you in on something: nothing is free. We are all bound by some law or another. The laws of the multi-verse or the laws of our societies. These are the things that allow us to flourish as a species. All you get with this thing you call freedom is chaos and disorder. The Emperor brings harmony through obedience and as his rule expands across the multi-verse, a golden age is brought into being. This planet will be the seat of his Empire, and from here harmony will spread throughout the multi-verse under his direction. Do you not wish to be a part of this bold new age?”
“You haven’t given me much of a choice.”
“I discovered long ago that choice is an invitation to chaos. It is the enemy of the Emperor, therefore I do all that I can to resist these dark forces. But you still haven’t answered my question. Do you wish to be a part of the Emperor’s plan?”
“I will do what I can to keep my people safe.”
“That is not an answer and my patience grows thin, President Edwards. You have disappointed me already in your failure to secure this planet. I was willing to forgive you due to the nature of the situation, but I will not tolerate any further incidents. Our plan is about to enter the next stage. The Emperor’s arrival is imminent. I must stabilize the planet by any means necessary. Aid me in this quest, or I will dispose of you. The Emperor has no intention of eradicating your people from this planet, but if we experience any more resistance, I will be forced to take drastic actions.”
“I will do what you ask. We do not want any bloodshed. I will address the people and tell them what I know.”
“You will tell them what we discussed. This resistance intends to destroy the planet, but the Emperor is coming and he will set everything straight.”
“I’m not sure if that is the best approach. It might be easier to ease the people into this whole Emperor thing.”
“I’m afraid we are running out of time. These new developments only prove that we must act fast, or you will lose control of the population, if that hasn’t happened already. You will state that the Emperor is here to save the people from our enemies. Any that resist will be eliminated. Nice and simple. Do that and report back to me.”
“I will do what must be done,” President Edwards said before the image of Holrathu faded from view.
Stepping up from her desk, President Edwards sighed before walking toward the door. A flurry of activity greeted her on the other side as aides and members of the military scrambled to get her attention.
“Get this stuff out of my face,” President Edwards said, swiping her hand to her side. “I just had to swallow a massive crap sandwich. I’m afraid polling numbers are the least of my concern right now.”
“The cameras are ready for you,” a young woman holding a clipboard said.
“Thank you, Allison. I’ll head there immediately,” President Edwards said. “But first get me on the line with General Vargas.”
“He’s standing by, Ma’am,” a young man said. “Would you like him on screen?”
“It doesn’t matter. I only need a quick word before we go ahead with this.”
“General Vargas, you are on the line with the President,” the young man said while swinging a holographic screen in front of President Edwards.
“Greetings, Madam President, I wish it were under better circumstances of course,” General Vargas said as the screen fluttered for a moment.
“We could all use some better circumstances,” President Edwards said. “Are all of our assets in place? We need to be absolutely certain before we pull the trigger.”
“Everything is in place as we discussed. After you brief the public, we will execute your command.”
“Thank you, General. Stay focused on your task. We’re going to need every last ounce of strength to get through this.”
“We will follow your lead.”
“We’ll see how much longer that lasts, the way things are going.”
“The American people and the people of the world are counting on you to do the right thing.”
“I hope that is what I am doing. Thank you, General. Hopefully, we will see each other again when this is all said and done,” President Edwards said.
She terminated the call and stepped through a set of double doors where a podium boasting the seal of the President sat before a wall of Cameras.
“Is it time?” she said as she came to the podium. Behind her, several military brass stepped to either side of the podium.
“We’re live in a few moments, but we can give you more time if you need it,” a man said from behind the lights.
“No, let’s do it now and get it over with,” Edwards said, glancing at the teleprompter to her left. “I’m ready now.”
“Ok, I’ll count you in,” the man said. “We’re live in five, four, three, two...,”
“Greetings, my fellow Americans,” President Edwards said, gripping the podium. “I come to you now with somber news. Our country and our planet is under attack. The entities hovering above the White House represent a hosti
le force here to take this planet from us. As we speak, I have retreated to a secure location while we prepare for the worst. Although these outside forces took us by surprise, we will do everything we can to fight back. I will not allow the Earth to fall into the hands of alien invaders. I urge you now to find a way to retreat from any major center, as these locations will surely be targeted for attack. Just so you understand the severity of the threat, I would like you to witness our first strike against our enemy.”
A live feed of the White House appeared over the President’s voice as the entities hovered overhead.
“The invaders believe they can take our planet with impunity, but let this be an example to them that we are willing to fight to the end for our home,” Edwards said before several jets shrieked through the air and struck the glowing ships filling the sky with massive explosions. The craft were quick to respond, firing on the jets before turning their attention to the White House. Several enormous blasts tore into the building as it vanished in a wall of fire.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
PEERING OUT OF the window, Sage looked across the valley toward the large dome visible from Shaundra’s parents' house.
“There’s nothing happening over there that I can see, but that doesn’t mean much,” Sage said before he turned back to his friends.
“That’s weird,” Gareth said. “I mean, what we’re seeing on tv is totally insane, so it’s weird that place is quiet.”
“Just cause we’re not seeing anything doesn’t mean nothing is happening,” Candace said. “We all know that the real action takes place underground.”
“It could be, but we don’t even know if they are even using that place,” Darren Francis said, pushing back a strand of hair while he sat in a barstool near Shaundra’s kitchen.
“I saw a whole fleet of trucks pull in there a few days ago,” Donnie said from the couch while images of the White House going up in flames played out across the TV.
“Maybe they are there or maybe they aren’t,” Gareth said. “But it doesn’t really matter where they are. What we need to focus on is getting ourselves prepared for what comes next. Any second we are going to get orders to move. So I think it’s time we cracked open our little present and get ourselves equipped. There’s a lengthy manual within the package that I read, and it looks like the process is pretty straightforward.”
“If we’re going to do something, we better do it quick,” Candace said. “My Dad told me not to go anywhere while they went to the town hall meeting.”
“Everybody is down there to learn what we already know,” Gareth said. “Our parents can’t help us now. Everything we feared is coming true, but we are the ones that can stop them.”
“How do we know this isn’t all some kind of hoax?” Donnie asked. “I mean everything about it is so strange. All this crazy talk about Mitch. It was weird enough seeing him talking to us through the game, but after all that stuff with the president, I just don’t get it.”
“We won’t know the truth until Mitch returns, if he ever does, but if they are giving him that much concern then they are definitely afraid of him,” Sage said.
“It makes sense,” Candace said. “If anybody represents resistance, it’s Mitch. But I still don’t get the whole Mitch and President Edwards thing.”
“That was total crap,” Darren said. “I don’t think anybody bought that. They just wanted to use Mitch for themselves.”
“Everybody seems to be using his him for something or another,” Shaundra said.
“Edwards basically came out and admitted that she had been compromised,” Gareth said. “She let the White House get blown up on national tv, but I think that was a tactical retreat.”
“But we still don’t know who the hell is behind all this,” Donnie said.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea,” Sage said. “Whoever Robert Chapman was in league with wasn’t satisfied with the outcome last time. It looks like they take this whole conquer the planet thing pretty seriously.”
“But how do we know that we are on the right side?” Candace asked. “We’ve been doing the Cell’s dirty for the last little while now. As far as we know, they could be helping the bad guys.”
“If they are helping the bad guys, then that is on them,” Sage said. “All I know is that Earth is under attack, and I am going to fight against whoever it is that is doing the attacking. That hologram of Mitch was right. We have more experience fighting against this technology than most people. If anybody is going to stand up to them, it is going to be us.”
“I’m not going to lie to you. I am absolutely terrified right now,” Shaundra said.
“We all are,” Candace said. “But Sage is right. If not us, then who? The government has already shown us that they don’t have what it takes to fight these guys. But we know that there are a bunch of people out there with weapons just like ours that are ready to fight. It’s pretty obvious to me who the enemy is and they aren’t from Earth. So it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out who the bad guys are when it all goes down.”
“Whatever it is, these guys, the Cell, they went to extraordinary lengths to put all of this together, and then they break O’Dell Grimes out of jail,” Gareth said. “In his statement he comes out and says that they are fighting against these invaders.”
“It’s pretty obvious that there is a lot of confusion going on, but let’s not let it get in the way of what matters,” Sage said. “Are you ready to open up the cube, Gareth? Cause I think we are running out of time.”
“Couldn’t agree with you more,” Gareth said, standing up from the couch. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small cube that had arrived in Sage’s room a few days ago and placed it on the coffee table at the center of the room. “So, from what I can gather, whoever found the item first must lay their hand on the cube and it will activate itself.”
“That’s it?” Sage asked while eyeing the innocuous device.
“Obviously that’s not it,” Gareth said. “Placing your hand on the device will initiate the process. What happens after that is anybody’s guess.”
“All right,” Sage said, stepping forward. “Unless there are any objections, let’s get this party started.”
Swiping the cube off of the table, Sage held it in his left hand for a moment before placing his right hand over top. Upon contact, a green glow filled the room. Sage leaped back and let go of the cube, but instead of dropping to the ground, the cube continued to hover in the air while everyone looked on in shock.
A flash of light forced Sage to cover his eyes again before a sputtering holographic image of Mitch Mythic appeared before them on top of Shaundra’s coffee table.
“Greetings, brave warriors,” Mitch said while looking around the room. “I wish we were meeting under different conditions, but unfortunately, as you are well aware, the situation has escalated.”
“You could say that,” Sage said, folding his arms. “I thought you were dropping this whole Mitch Mythic act, anyway.”
“These new developments compromised any of our efforts to alter the program,” Mitch said, turning to Sage.
“It doesn’t really matter,” Gareth said. “Just tell us what we’ve got to do to go fight these things, or whatever they are.”
“That is what this program is intended to do,” Mitch said before he turned toward the cube. “You have all completed the training process, and you are aware of the capabilities of these devices, but I should warn you that the consequences of miscalculation in a real world setting will have permanent effects.”
“We’ve played this game before,” Sage said. “We’re the ones that fought MindHIve, remember.”
“That is correct, but it is important that I warn all users in advance of the dangers that lay ahead,” Mitch said.
“We got it,” Candace said. “Just show us what we need to do before anything else happens.”
“This unit is equipped with enough devices to outfit your party,” Mitch said. “But you
will need to access it manually using the code provided.”
“I’ve got that right here,” Gareth said, leaping off of the couch with his phone in hand. “ADR2-968J-B137-2392.”
“Hold your horses, big fella,” Sage before he brushed his hand over the device and a 16 digit panel appeared in the air before the cube. “Give it to me one more time,”
“ADR2-968J-B137-2392,” Gareth repeated as Sage punched the numbers into their slots using the keypad provided by the hologram.
Upon receiving the code, the panel vanished, and a pulse emitted from with the cube while it expanded before the shocked onlookers.
“Your code is correct, and the device has been unlocked,” Mitch said as the cube broke apart into several fragments. “Come forth in a controlled manner. Take one item each and place it on your person.”
“Just like that,” Sage said while he stepped forward and grabbed one of the small cylindrical units hovering before him. “It seems pretty simple.”
“This technology is a stripped-down version of what was produced by MindHIve last year,” Mitch said as the others came forth and plucked the remaining cylinders from the air. “Upon activating your devices, you will find similar features to the units you used last year, but we have done away with anything we felt was unnecessary. All that remains are the weapons and motion systems along with the comms and navigation.”
“What about cameras?” Sage asked after he tucked the device into his pocket.
“Cameras and video are available through the comms systems,” Mitch said as the party stored their units on their persons.
“So now that we’ve got these things, what the hell do you want us to do with them?” Candace asked.
“As you know, O’Dell Grimes has been freed. His presence gives our resistance a visible leadership, but there are dozens of actors behind the scenes co-ordinating the movement of our forces,” Mitch said. “If you access your panels, you will find the information you need to meet with allies nearby.”
“Whoa, what are all these blips on the map?” Gareth asked while peering into his panel.
