“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, John.”
Favazza pulled out a document from his briefcase. “Mr. President, this is a standard nondisclosure form you must sign before I can brief you.” Etchberger read the standard form, no longer smiling, then signed it before sliding it back at the civilian.
“I have a lot to do, so lets get this over with.” Etchberger did a poor job of hiding his displeasure.
“Mr. President, I was part of a scientific endeavor similar to SETI, except we made actual alien contact. That was back in 1999 on Howland Island.”
“The visitors had monitored our world for the last hundred years and were impressed with our growth, though not so much with all our wars. They call themselves the Organization. It’s a collective of over a thousand worlds. Our government has been in negotiation with them for thirty years. Enough with the history lesson, though. We were going to come under the protection of the Organization effective June of this year. A rogue entity, the DyB’buk, attacked us while they still could. They planned to come in, strip the planet of all they could, and then transport us to another world as slaves. We are cheaper and more economical to use than robotics and industrialization in the galaxy economics, especially when we reproduce and eliminate the cost of shipping and handling. An Organization ship that was monitoring Earth destroyed the ship responsible for the attack on us. Unfortunately, they did it without asking for orders. Now there are a couple of court cases on the docket out in space, one for unlawful destruction of a spaceship, and one for aggression against an under-developed world. The courts have forbidden anyone to come near us until both cases are decided. The only exception is a single representative of the Organization.” Favazza looked at the shock and disbelief in Etchberger’s eyes, almost laughing as he brought out a small box the size of a pack of cigarettes, and placed it on the conference table.
“You thought I was crazy a minute ago? Watch this, Mr. President.” Favazza pressed the single button on the box and an apparition appeared to float in the air above it. Etchberger could see through the figure before him. It was approximately six feet tall. It appeared similar to a human, except it was gray and hairless with a bulbous head that dwarfed a body that appeared malnourished in comparison. It had a nose similar to a human’s, only tinier. The main feature was the pair of huge, black almond-shaped eyes that were out of proportion for the head. The alien wore a simple gray tunic the same color as its skin. There were protrusions on the front of the tunic that made Etchberger think they might be breasts.
“President Richard Etchberger, I am Ambassador Tomi from The Organization. I bid you welcome.” Etchberger was looking around nervously, trying to see how the trick was being played on him. He began to sweat.
“Mr. President, this is no trick. We need to establish a dialogue so that The Organization may help mankind. At this moment, you lead the largest government on the planet. As such, it was accepted that you would represent Earth’s government in any negotiations.” Tomi stopped for a moment to let the words sink in.
“Mr. President, I need you, as the current representative of Earth, to formally ask me to be the agent for Earth. I will then be able to demand through the court that the invasion be declared illegal. That will not stop the DyB’buk, but if the court agrees the invasion was illegal, then they will order them to withdraw from your world. They will refuse, and that’s where The Organization comes in. We will show ourselves as a friend of Earth and accept the responsibility to remove them. Our fleet is larger and will deter them from any more offensive operations. I believe they will come back to retrieve the survivors of their ship that was destroyed, and then leave.”
“What about a cure for the plague they launched against our world? Can you help us with that while we wait for the courts to make a decision?” Etchberger asked.
“Until court is in session and a ruling is made, both sides are required to stay away from the planet and not interfere.”
“Fat lot of good that does us while people are dying! Do you know the cure for the plague? Scientists in Israel claimed to have a cure but were nuked by their neighbors before they could share it. At least tell us what to do to help ourselves.”
“The weapon used against you had two main purposes. The first was to stop your people from putting up any defense against them. The second purpose was to use those infected to spread the infection to those that were not infected in Phase One. After an adequate number of humans were infected, then the infected would receive orders for more complicated tasks, like to report to specific locations to be extracted from your world. That next step would also enable higher reasoning for the infected to include using tools. When their ship was destroyed, the only source for transmitting to the infected was destroyed with it. I will pass on to our scientists that your own scientists found a cure but were killed before it could be utilized. I would assume it was something simple, based on your technology and current science available to you.”
“I must go now; I will be in contact later.” Etchberger sat in shocked silence as the image of the alien just disappeared.
“Mr. Favazza, do we trust the Organization, or do you think they could be complicit in the attack on Earth?” Etchberger looked accusingly at Favazza.
“The Organization enjoys the trust of the current administration and all the administrations for the last thirty years. I’d bet my life they had nothing to do with the attack.”
“Mr. Favazza, you already have. You may leave now.” Yeah, I trust you and the alien implicitly, he thought ruefully. Peters watched the pair and had an involuntary shudder at the thought of the president saying ‘no’ to the Organization. “General Peters, you are dismissed also. The next time I see you I want to see plans to liberate Cheyenne. That is a more appropriate city for our nation’s temporary capital to be in. You would also have better resources, I assume, if you moved your headquarters to the C-130 National Guard base there.”
Peters rose from his seat with mixed emotions. On one hand he had been prepared to consult with the president about the aliens, yet on the other hand he was more than happy to leave the office. If there was anybody to replace me, I’d resign immediately and get as far away from this idiot as possible, he thought.
Chapter 6
Surprise, Arizona. April 11, 2029
The tricked out pickup he was following made him even more aware of how uncomfortable the moving truck was, especially without any tunes. That would have to be remedied. She’s speeding just to bust my balls, just the same way I would, Caleb thought, grinning. Screw it, I’m going to try and talk her into going to Texas with me. He finally managed to get closer to the truck in time for it to turn into the Sport Distributor’s parking lot. He slowly drove by as he headed towards the side of the building where the loading docks began. He did not wait for Gloria to follow as he quickly backed into one of the few open parking spots along the loading dock. Jumping up onto the dock, he was surprised to see Gloria already up there walking to him.
“Did you ever think of just moving in here?” Gloria was looking through the many open bays at the huge shelves full of everything possibly needed to survive.
“If it had my parents in there, I’d say ‘sure’, I can’t believe I waited this long before heading back to Texas.” Caleb replied, walking into the darkened building. “Oops, I didn’t notice that before. Do you sense it?”
Gloria gave him a curious look, then tried to feel for others. “There are others in here, like us, maybe a dozen.” She replied, impressed with herself for being able to tap into her abilities.
“Don’t bet the farm on that, El tee. I’ve learned the hard way that when the infected are sleeping, or even norms, they can’t be sensed.” Caleb pulled out his 9mm and fired a couple shots towards the distant opening on the wall behind them. Immediately shrieking could be heard from well over a dozen different areas in the dark ahead of them. Gloria pulled up her M4 to the ready position, the same time Caleb was dropping his 9mm back into his holster.
“Put that away. Why do you want to go and shoot any of those poor bastards?” Although lecturing, Caleb had a grin on his face. “They won’t hurt you, if you don’t hurt them. We’re in their home, so just be cool. Now tell me how many of them you can sense.”
Gloria gave him a dirty look, and then closed her eyes and tried to sense the infected. Her eyes popped open and stayed wide open as she looked at Caleb in utter surprise. “I can’t even begin to count how many are in here!” She started to make her way back to the entrance when Caleb grabbed her hand.
“Whoa there, what did I say earlier? ‘They won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt them,’ I said. I’ve been around them in every type of situation including when they were in a total frenzy attacking norms. The only rule when you’re around ‘our cousins’ is ‘don’t be seen firing at them’. They are very unforgiving about that.” Gloria pulled her hand back from Caleb’s grasp, but stopped walking, and turned to face the inside of the building. Hesitantly, she lowered the M4.
“Just stop your fricking games. I’m not in the mood for any of it.” She held back the urge to pull up her M4 when she noticed that she could now see the infected in the far side of the warehouse, staying as far away from the sunlight as possible. “They’re agitated, something is wrong, and it’s not us. They’re curious about us but not mad or afraid.”
“You’re doing really good there, El tee. What else can you sense? I already felt it but was waiting for you to pick up on it, too.” Gloria looked hurt, but closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, when the sound of truck engines could be heard. The vibrations of the motors could be heard reverberating off the sides of the building and the high concrete fence surrounding the building. “I think it would be a good idea to get back in the shadows until we know who it is that’s visiting.”
The first vehicle to pass by the open doorway was a joint light tactical vehicle with a Ma Deuce heavy machine gun. Next was a Guardian that stopped in front of the open bay and turned its turret towards the building. “I think I may know those guys.” Caleb sounded relieved as he headed for the loading bay and saw the turrets machine gun begin to track him. He began to have doubts as the weapons were trained on him, yet no one cracked a hatch or tried to communicate with him. He looked to his left and right to find the easier escape route, when the commander’s hatch loudly clanged as it fell back against the armored vehicle. The sound of the engine seemed like it was magnified as it was all Caleb could hear, then the engine shut down and there was only the sound of the wind blowing in through the open bay.
“Cut the crap, you guys.” The slightly whiney voice could only have come from his old friend Asher Brown. He continued out into the sunlight and could see Brown and Fotos standing by their truck, and then Wetzel popped his head out the commander’s hatch on the Guardian, a huge smile on his face.
“So what are all you bums doing out here?” Caleb asked forcing some joviality into his voice. If they’re here to hunt me down I’m not going without a fight, he thought, subtly holding his M4 so he can bring it up quickly, yet not being obvious.
“Caleb, did you rip off a radio or tablet before you bailed on us? I thought I was tracking another lieutenant they wanted us to hunt down and bring back. Her name’s Alban, Gloria Alban. It sounds like she’s Public Enemy Number One.” Brown sounded slightly confused.
“What’d she do?” Caleb asked as he sensed her emotions change from initial relief to fear and then anger.
“She’s guilty of being infected. Good thing you got out when you did.” Fotos replied as she walked towards him alongside Brown as the crew of the armored car got out, with the exception of the gunner who stayed alert in the turret.
Fotos, Brown, and Wetzel walked up to him, he could sense they were relaxed and happy to see him. “I heard she killed Major Wilson’s brother. He was bad news and had it coming. Oh well, we can honestly tell the major that that it was a wild goose chase.” Fotos said relieved.
“No, you can’t. She’s in the warehouse behind me.” All three of his friends stiffened at the news. He felt the flash of anger and betrayal from Gloria. “The place is packed like crazy with Zs. You guys go in and it’s a one-way trip. Even though I’m a civilian now, I’ll go in and get her for you.”
Fotos looked around in a conspiratol manner, and then spoke. “We can just say we didn’t find her. Screw that crazy major.” Fotos replied, both Brown and Wetzel nodded their heads in agreement.
“Bullshit! You don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing orders just because you don’t like the officer giving them. Something always slips out and I don’t think you want that guy giving you a court martial since he’d probably line you up against a wall and gun you down. You all, just stay right here, and I’ll be right back.” Caleb pulled his M4 up and flipped the switch to ‘auto’ and gave them his best grim smile.
He heard the other flip their safeties off as he walked further into the darkness, he felt their anxiety, just as he felt anger coming from Alban ahead of him in the dark.
“Stop right there, hero. You’re not taking me out there, I’ll die first and take as many of them as I can with me. They were ready to let me walk! Why the hell are you playing Boy Scout now? The next thing you know, they’ll gun you down for being infected.” Caleb made a point to drop the M4 so it hung by the patrol sling and raised his hands slightly. She looked at him confused since she didn’t feel any emotions coming from him that came across as betrayal. Down the row a loud noise rang out as a box fell from a shelf as an infected tried to get closer to see what was going on. They both turned towards the infected at the same time, only Caleb used the opportunity to give Alban a punishing roundhouse kick to the head, instantly dropping her to the ground. Before she could make a move, she was looking up at Caleb’s M4 a couple inches from her head.
“Roll over in your back now, hands straight out away from your body!” Caleb reached down and unsnapped the M4 from her sling, and tossed it behind him. He then reached for her throat and slipped his hand under the neckline of her tan t-shirt as she shuddered in revulsion, not anticipating what was coming. He found her dog tags and gave a quick tug, breaking the chain, then rubbed them against her cheek where she was bleeding. “Lay still and don’t move!” he whispered. He took aim at the ceiling and opened up with four short bursts as the warehouse erupted in shrieking. Caleb grabbed the M4 from the ground and ran back to the others as many of the others began to chase after him, until he closed with the sunlight.
He saw all three of them were aiming in his direction as he ran. He held up the extra M4 in a ‘stop’ motion as he ran as fast as he could. He made a point to drop to the ground as they watched him and for any movement in the shadows. “Lieutenant Alban didn’t want to return with me.” He slammed down her M4 and bloody dog tags for all to see. “With that I officially am no longer a Boy Scout. Your hands are all clean.” He fought back a sob as he continued. “The infected in there are a little pissed off, and hungry. Before the first ones were even near me, others were already dining on the lieutenant. I was lucky to even get her dog tags.” He took a deep breath and looked each of them in the eyes. “You should all head back to the base. The infected are getting all upset and I still have to go back in there and start filling my truck with supplies for my trip home.” Each of them shook hands and Asher took him to the side.
“I’ll make sure you still have your access to the net. Keep in touch, Compadre.” The hug surprised him as Asher seemed to squeeze the air out of his lungs. He turned in time for Fotos to hug him equally hard as he felt her melt into him and release just as quickly. Wetzel stood off to the side, his two crewmen standing behind him. He assumed the position of attention, his men following suit, then saluted him as one. Caleb felt the tears beginning as he returned the salute, before quickly heading back into the warehouse, glad he had his shades to hide the waterworks, and then began to cry uncontrollably. He heard a few shouts, then the engines starting up. He dropped to the deck and wait
ed for the sound of the trucks to disappear. He sensed movement and looked up at Alban standing over him. He didn’t see her let go with a hard, fast open-handed slap against the side of his face until he was on his side.
“You could have told me what you had planned. I almost killed you back there!” Gloria shouted, hurt, angry, and relieved.
“I don’t think you’d have easily just handed me your weapon after you heard me talking to the others. Everything worked out in the end. He rolled back over so he was sitting upright, then reached up to her. She took his hand and easily pulled him to his feet, surprising him.
“So do you want to go with me to Texas, or do you have other plans?” Gloria looked back at him disbelievingly, still unsure of anything.
“You have yourself a nice life, cowboy.” Gloria practically sprinted to her pickup. She noticed her tablet on the passenger seat and removed the battery and sat for a minute. She liked the feel of power from the engine as she gunned it, before heading out to the road, not knowing where she was heading.
Chapter 7
Douglas, Wyoming. April 11, 2029
The conference table was filled with all the colonels and lieutenant colonels, their own staffs sitting in the chairs surrounding the table, ready to pounce when called upon by their own commander. I can’t believe it’s possible to spend all this time and nothing is really said or done. I need to come up with something better than a staff meeting. “Major Arnot, you’re up,” Peters’ Chief of Staff, Brigadier General James Davis announced. Consummate professional that he was, Arnot managed to hide his displeasure at briefing those who had no reason to even be in the meeting other than to say they had been there. He just knew they would leak the information he was about to give.
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