Earth (Vetrix)

by Bill Bush

  He stumbled to the ground.

  She stopped and shouted, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Dyson stood and waved her off. “I’ll meet you at the spaceship!”

  She turned and darted between two spaceships, veered right and out of sight.

  Dyson took off running again. He glanced back and noticed there were no guards following him. He heard a roar and saw a spaceship take off. They had failed to stop it.

  Dyson reached spaceship 12895 and ran to the cockpit. He laid on the floor and bent his legs so he could move his handcuffed hands under his feet and to the front of his body. He didn't know if he could fly with his hands stuck together, but he didn’t think he had time to wait for Fox and Nicole. If he delayed he wouldn’t have time to catch up with the first spaceship to prevent the attack.

  Dyson fired up the spaceship. As the engine warmed up he ran to the back to close the ramp.

  “Wait! Wait!”

  It was Fox's voice. Dyson heard footsteps run up the ramp.

  ”Give me your hands,” Fox shouted.

  Dyson held his hands out and watched as the handcuffs unlocked and flew out the door.

  “I’ll raise the stairs, you finish getting the spaceship ready for takeoff,” Fox ordered.

  “I’m glad you made it!” Dyson sprinted to the cockpit.

  Less than two minutes later they were in the air. Dyson piloted the spaceship while Fox sat in the co-pilot's chair, familiarizing himself with the weapons system.

  “I saw what you did for Nicole—jumping between her and the Snader’s fire,” Fox said. “Thank you.”

  “I lost her after that,” Dyson said. “She took cover amongst the spaceships and I never saw her again. I didn’t want to leave you guys…”

  “I know.” Fox paused, as if reflecting, before he continued. “I saw Nicole. She was captured. I wanted to go after her, but stopping this attack is our top priority and there wasn’t time.” He choked.

  Dyson placed a hand on Fox's shoulder. “We’ll get her back after we stop this attack.”

  “The list of the people we need to find just keeps growing,” Fox said.

  Chapter 35

  Red Fox watched the security camera video of President Charles mingling around the Congressional Room with the other world leaders. The way she interacted with and charmed people she despised was extraordinary. He could never pull it off.

  Finally, the President’s advisor entered the room and approached her. There was no audio but Red Fox knew what was being said. It was part of the plan.

  He had his group plant Gudes in the cockpit of three spaceships and do flyovers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. By now pictures and video of the Gudes would be all over the news. This gave the President a plausible excuse for her absence when the attack took place a few minutes from now.

  The President said a few words to the speaker in charge and quietly left the gathering. She now had her cover as to why she wasn’t in the room when the spaceship dropped its bomb.

  Red Fox and Fungus made their exit from the building to a safe place to watch the attack.

  ***

  “You know, it’s really weird having an invisible co-pilot,” Dyson commented.

  “I forgot you can’t see me.” Fox was familiarizing himself with the controls. “I’ll take the bracelet off when I have a minute.”

  “No, that’s okay,” Dyson said. “I kind of like the weird and strange. Remember, I’ve lived all my life in an underground colony of Snaders.”

  Fox chuckled. “I hope you get your choice of living arrangements when this is all over.”

  “There it is!” Dyson shouted, steering the spaceship to the right.

  Their elevation was well over ten thousand feet, but before they were able to get within firing distance the spaceship ahead of them began to descend. They were running out of time.

  Dyson followed the spaceship downward, steadily getting closer.

  Just as they got within firing distance the clouds broke and the city came into view. Washington D.C. lay below and they were currently flying over a residential area.

  They soared past houses. They saw a school, a hospital, then a mall.

  Dyson shifted nervously. “We can’t shoot them down here, too many people will be hurt.”

  He could hear the tension in Fox's voice. “We have to stop them. If we don’t, a lot more than a few hundred innocent people are going to die.”

  Dyson stood fast. “There has to be another way.”

  “I’m open to suggestions!”

  Dyson didn’t have any good ones. Maybe it was best to go ahead and blast them out of the sky.

  “If I was in their spaceship I could disable the weapons system,” Fox said. "But there’s no way to get me onto the ship.”

  “That gives me an idea.” Dyson dove their spaceship down so they were several hundred feet below the other spaceship.

  “I can’t get you onto their spaceship, but I know these spaceships inside and out,” Dyson explained. “I can show you where to shoot to take out their weapons controls.”

  “According to this map we are only a couple of minutes away from reaching the Congressional Building,” Fox said.

  “I’m going to veer up toward the underside of their spaceship. You’ll want to aim on the right side, about a third of the way back from the front. Blowing a hole in the weapons room will cause the weapons system to reboot. They'll be past the targeted area before it comes back online.

  “Here we go!” Dyson veered up toward the other spaceship. “Okay, get ready.”

  Fox aimed carefully and fired. A dark blue laser shot from one spaceship to the other, obliterating a large hole in the side of the attacking aircraft. Debris scattered out then dove downward. Sparks flashed for several seconds.

  “You got it!” Dyson exclaimed.

  As they neared the Congressional Building, Dyson noticed the other spaceship was quickly descending. “I think they've lost power.”

  “They're going to kamikaze into the Capitol.”

  ”They'll try,” Dyson agreed. “If it crashes anywhere in this area it’s going to be a disaster.”

  “I have an idea,” Fox said. “Switch the controls over to me.”

  Dyson made the adjustments so Fox had control.

  The other spaceship continued to gradually descend. Fox cautiously but quickly eased their spaceship directly below the other. As the other spaceship descended it landed directly on top of them.

  Their spaceship jolted downward upon contact. Dyson's head went back then snapped forward. “Ow!” He thought he could taste blood.

  Fox maintained a gradual descent, careful to keep below the other spaceship. “I can’t keep it on top of us very long. We have to find somewhere safe to let it crash.”

  They flew past the Congressional Building; the world leaders were safe, but there were buildings and people everywhere.

  Dyson looked at a map on the spaceship's radar. “There’s some water not far ahead.”

  “I see it!” Fox exclaimed.

  They were only a couple of hundred feet in the air. Dyson looked down and saw people gathered, pointing at them.

  They were down to about fifty feet and almost to the water, a large river big enough to hold the spaceship. There were two bridges that crossed the river on either side of their approach, but there was enough room in between them for the spaceship. It was fortunate, because turning was not an option with the spaceship on top of them.

  “Brace yourself.” Fox made the spaceship quickly dodge down then braked.

  The other spaceship continue its path, crashing in the middle of the river. Dyson and Fox narrowly avoided a large building. They rose in the air and sped away.

  Dyson took the controls back from Fox, who readied himself with the weapons. They expected company and got it. Three United States fighter jets quickly approached.

  “I don’t know how fast those planes can fly,” Dyson said. “We could try to outrun th
em. Or we could fly out of the atmosphere. Do you know if they are capable of following us that high?”

  “They aren’t built to leave the atmosphere,” Fox said. “But it looks like it isn’t going to matter.”

  Dyson looked down at the screen showing their rear view. The planes peeled off and disappeared out of sight.

  “What do you suppose that was all about?” Dyson asked.

  “I don’t know,” Fox admitted. “But we better get ourselves out of here before they change their minds.”

  “We’ll fly back to Eric’s cabin and make a plan to rescue Nicole,” Dyson said. “I think having this spaceship could come in handy.”

  Chapter 36

  Red Fox and Fungus were in a small conference room with President Charles and a few of her advisors, including Finn and Damien. Their spaceship sent to attack the Congressional Building had just crashed into the Potomac River. It was a great victory for the people of the world, but a striking defeat for the Snaders.

  “Aaahh! I have to get out there and congratulate everyone on a near miss!” President Charles had a rare moment of losing control.

  Red Fox smiled and enjoyed it.

  ”Why not send another spaceship to attack?” Finn asked.

  ”The leaders have been moved to varied secure locations. We missed our window,” Vice President Langston explained.

  “Even though the attack failed, hopefully the near miss will stir enough fear to prompt the world leaders to allow us to fly our spaceships around the world. But I’m not optimistic—after visiting with many of them the last few days most still want to try to resolve this peacefully. They don’t want the spaceships to spread out around the world because they’re afraid it could be seen as a sign of aggression and provoke more attacks.” The last part she said in a mocking voice.

  “Let the people have their moment,” Red Fox smirked.

  “How can you smile?” Finn said. “We just missed a great opportunity.”

  “Fungus, tell the President what you did last night and this morning,” Red Fox said.

  “Last night I snuck into the lab where they are developing the poison and, uh, borrowed some. This morning we put it into the drinks being served to the world leaders.”

  “By now all of them will have consumed the poison,” Red Fox said.

  “But the poison hasn’t been fully tested,” Damien said.

  “It’s being tested right now on the world leaders,” Red Fox smirked.

  President Charles exploded. “I was down there! I could have drank the poison! You could have killed me.”

  ”You were only there a few minutes. And with everything going on there was no way you would risk eating or drinking in an environment like that without extra precautions, which I knew you hadn't taken.” It was true, Red Fox put her in a predicament by not telling her. But the risk was minimal and by the fact she didn't have him thrown out or arrested told him he was dead on in his assessment.

  “How can we be sure the poisoning will be pinned on the Gudes?” Finn asked. “This could backfire. It could just as easily be blamed on the Snaders.”

  ”Chili is down there!” President Charles blurted out as if she suddenly realized his predicament.

  ”Why would he be there with the attack happening?” Red Fox inquired in a judgmental tone.

  ”I sent him to mingle after the attack failed.”

  ”Oh, well. Collateral damage.”

  The President glared and Red Fox prepared himself for a tongue lashing.

  The door opened and a secret service man stepped inside. “Ma’am, Silvia Tracy is here.”

  “Send her in,” President Charles said. “And call Chili and let him know not to drink the punch.”

  Red Fox knew Silvia’s story and that she was a cross-breed, part Snader. Still, every time he saw her he couldn’t believe how pale white her skin was. He didn’t fully trust these half-breeds, and he doubted she was part Snader. Maybe all of the red went to her freckles, because she was covered in the reddest freckles.

  Silvia let the President look at the screen on her camera so she could see the pictures she took of the two spaceships flying overhead.

  “Very good pictures, Silvia.” President Charles handed the camera to Red Fox. “Do you know the Snader flying the spaceship that spoiled our plan?”

  If Red Fox thought he was shocked when the attack on the Congressional Building was thwarted, he should have seen his own face when he saw the pictures of the spaceships flying past. There, clearly the hero of the day flying the spaceship that saved the world leaders, was his brother Dyson. Red Fox was flooded with anger and embarrassment.

  He had always known Dyson was different, but he always seemed to go along with things when push came to shove. Red Fox never dreamed that he would go this far in his protest of the Snaders’ ways.

  Fungus looked at the pictures over Red Fox's shoulder. “That’s Dyson!”

  Red Fox wasn’t going to admit he knew Dyson, but Fungus just made that impossible. “That’s my brother.”

  Finn laughed. “Your brother!?”

  Red Fox stood and slapped the table. “Yes, my brother!”

  Red Fox knew that Finn was tough, but he was no match for Red Fox from a physical perspective. Red Fox would love to have someone to tear into.

  “He’s always been different. He wants to live at peace with everyone. Thought we should just stay underground and enjoy our lives, like it was paradise. I tried to keep him in line and he has been helpful, though reluctantly, in our preparation to leave the underground. He chose to stay there when we came to attack. I don’t know why he decided to come up and challenge us, or how he got that spaceship.”

  “Well, your brother is going to be a hero, and I am about to go sing his praises to the world,” President Charles announced, clearly enjoying this new twist that had Red Fox in a tizzy.

  “Why would you do that?” Fungus asked.

  “We have pictures of two spaceships,” the President explained. “One is of a spaceship being flown by a Gude, the other being flown by a Snader. Undoubtedly there are a lot of other pictures and videos of the rescue. The only shots fired came from the spaceship being flown by the Snader. I have to make sure the story is spun in a way that is beneficial for our cause.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Finn asked.

  “I’ll convince the people that the Gude was attacking and the best defense was the Snader spaceship and pilot.” President Charles turned toward Red Fox. “Let’s make your brother the poster child for the cause he is fighting against.”

  Chapter 37

  After Fox, Nicole, and Dyson left, Flipper and Allison left the others watching the constant news coverage to see if they could help.

  Eric was working feverishly, trying to figure out an antidote for the poisonous goo. He mumbled to himself. “There has to be something that will work.”

  They had discussed this at length already. Since the Snaders wanted to colonize Earth they wouldn't spread their poison without access to an antidote. Eric had hours to figure out what the Snaders probably spent years developing.

  ”Is there anything we can do?” Allison asked.

  Eric didn't answer or look up so Flipper thought he hadn't heard Allison. “Is there anything…”

  ”I heard her!” Eric slapped his hand on the counter and both kids jumped. “Sorry, I'm stressed. Flipper, I could use two more gallons of water. Allison, if you would grab that box in the corner and bring it over here.”

  Flipper grabbed the five-gallon bucket Eric used for water and went outside to the well and filled it halfway. When he returned Allison left with an empty box. She returned a couple of minutes later with a glass of soda on ice. Eric took a sip and set it down. “Thanks. I'll let you know if I have more for you to do.”

  Flipper and Allison left.

  ”Wow, was he grouchy,” Allison observed when they returned to the living room.

  The next few hours the kids watched the news. Flipper felt
useless and anxious. They all did.

  They just finished watching the President’s speech about the attempted attack in Washington D.C. for the second time when the windows began rattling and a loud roar rumbled. Eric joined them. The whole cabin shook. They ran to the door and watched as a spaceship landed in a large field.

  ”That's them!” Alya shouted. “That's Fox, Nicole, and Dyson!”

  ”How do you know?” Chezlor questioned.

  ”The number on the spaceship is the same as the one that kept the other ship from crashing into the Congressional Building.”

  The spaceship quieted and Flipper heard ringing in his ears. The ramp lowered and Fox trotted down.

  ”I've got to get back to work,” Eric grumbled then turned and left.

  The kids ran out to Fox.

  “Dyson’s picture is all over the news!” Josh said.

  “What?!” Dyson said as he exited the spaceship.

  “President Charles pronounced you a hero,” Alya said. “I think her exact words were, ‘this brave Snader proves they are here to protect us from the evils that have traversed space to annihilate the human race.’”

  “That’s ridiculous!” Dyson was clearly agitated.

  “The news reporter said there are hundreds of videos on the internet showing the rescue, with Dyson clearly driving the spaceship that saved the world leaders,” Chezlor said.

  “It was awesome how you forced the spaceship into the Potomac River,” Flipper said.

  “Actually,” Dyson said, “it wasn’t me flying. Fox had control of the spaceship and was the one who saved the world leaders.”

  “But all of the videos show you,” Alya said. “There was no mention of a Gude being involved.”

  Fox's voice sounded deflated. “That’s because I was invisible.”

  “That would have been awesome if they saw Fox making the rescue,” Chezlor said.

  “It doesn’t do us any good to think about what could have been,” Jake commented.

  “The important thing is that you saved the world leaders,” Flipper added.

  “That’s true,” Fox said. “For now. How is Eric coming on an antidote?”