They pull him up to the bubble, with those inside waving them forward. They look at each other, and then at the bubble for a second, before leaning into the bubble while closing their eyes.
Dave feels a warmth, followed by it sounding like he’s underwater for a moment, before voices yell at him and people grab at him and tell him to drop his gun. He opens his eyes and sees Maggie and John both pulling them into the bubble, but then his hand stops him. He looks at his handgun just outside the bubble, inhibiting him from getting inside. He looks over at Peter having the same problem with his rifle.
“What’s going on? Why can’t I get inside?” Dave tries to pull again, but this time at different angles.
Maggie gets closer. “You have to drop it. It won’t let metal in, just human flesh.”
Dave looks over at Peter, who drops his rifle and then pulls his handgun from his vest and tries to pull Jason in, but gets stuck at his chest. Dave drops his handgun and pulls his hand in, but then gets stuck at his waist.
He hears one of the strange-looking girls say “hold on” while she taps on her tablet.
“Just a second . . .” She finishes tapping and looks up. “Try—now . . . pull.”
Dave grabs his brother, and he and Peter pull Jason into the bubble. He lies there for a second before he looks up at the three strangers crouching over his brother.
One of them holds the tablet over his brother’s body and then one of them pulls off his backpack and pulls out a mask with a tube attached. He places the mask over his brother’s mouth.
Dave jerks forward and gets up. “What the fuck are you doing? What are you giving him?!”
Both Maggie and John turn around with their hands up, telling him it’s all right, before one of them speaks.
“Relax. It’s just O2. Your brother needs oxygen,” one of the females says.
Dave looks at Maggie and John and then back at her. “Forgive me if I’ve forgotten your names, but who are you again? And where are you from, and what the fuck am I standing in?!” He looks around.
“My name is Ena, and you are standing in a pulse ion generator, also known as a force field, which would be too difficult to explain under the circumstances.”
Dave’s mouth gapes as he looks at Peter, John, and Maggie, and then back to Ena. “A pulse what?” His eyebrows furrow while he looks around.
“It’s not important. Right now we need to help those people out there.” She points in multiple directions, and they see the numerous groups of people still fighting for their lives.
John steps forward and then looks at Jason, still lying unconscious. “Is there anything else you can do for him?”
Ena looks at Jason. “No. He just needs a few minutes with the O2 and he’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Then let’s help these people.” John looks at Ena. “Can this thing get bigger?” He looks around.
“It will grow or shrink depending on how many people it detects, but it will be restricted in size due to the close proximity of the cars as well as those two walls.” She motions behind her toward the corner.
“Okay. Then will this thing protect Jason so we can go help the others?” John looks at Jason.
“Yes, that is fine. Just one second . . .” Ena presses her hand against her ear and looks like she’s listening to something for a moment before looking at Nye and nodding her head, then looking back at John. “We will help you, but John, you need to come with me, and we need to leave.”
John looks at Maggie and then Peter and then back at Ena. “Ah—I don’t think so . . . we need to stay and help. I’m not going anywhere.”
Ena finishes confirming something with Tye, and then she looks at John. “I’m sorry, John, but we need to be somewhere else and soon. I wish I could explain, but there’s just no time. Please, we must leave.”
“Absolutely not! I’m not leaving these people. They need our help!” John motions to where the people are.
“John, what if there was a way to sneak up behind those men shooting at us and kill each and every one of them one by one without them ever knowing it? Then you could go on past them and close the blast door. How does that sound?” Ena slightly tilts her head to one side and waits for a response.
“Ah—I don’t know . . . doesn’t seem very fair . . . is this some kinda trick question or something?” John furrows his brow.
“Not at all. And that’s exactly what I thought you’d say. Okay, then what if there was a way to end all of this the civil way . . . and fighting it democratically? Would you like that better?”
“Of course! Why the hell would I want to kill a bunch of people if it all could be avoided civilly? That’s a no brainer!”
“Precisely. So then you need to come with me so we can handle this exactly that way.” She pulls off her backpack and takes out a shiny-looking garment like the one she and her colleagues are wearing. “Here, take this.” She holds it up, and John cautiously takes it.
“What’s this? Do I need to look like you guys in order to get where we’re going or something?” He furrows his brow while holding it up and looking at it.
“Something like that. Please, just put it on. It’s very important we be on our way.” She closes her backpack and puts it on.
John lowers the garment to his waist and then takes a second to think it over before putting on the robe-like, hooded trench coat-style thing that is covered in tiny shiny disks. He decides not to waste anymore time by asking what they are, instead just deciding to act like he’s ready to go while Ena finishes speaking to Nye and Tye.
John looks at Maggie, who seems overly concerned with those outside the bubble. She glances at her uncle, but then goes right back to standing next to Peter, both looking out the bubble.
“Just go, Uncle John. This has to end, and if it can be done without anymore bloodshed, then you have to try.” She walks over to him and kisses him on the cheek. “Good luck, Uncle John. Just please hurry.” She walks away and back to Peter before he has a chance to respond.
“Just be safe. And, Peter, look after my only niece. She means the world to me.”
Peter turns around and doesn’t hesitate before responding. “You have my word, sir.”
John nods his head just as Ena lets them know that Nye and Tye will stay behind and look after them as well, and that they can stay in the bubble.
John acknowledges their generosity before they discuss a plan of action. Once done, Ena simply steps out of the bubble, and another one forms around her. She motions for John, who hesitates before closing his eyes and stepping through and into hers.
They leave the room, and the bubble disappears as soon as they’re in the hallway.
Chapter 32
John and Ena move through the hallways and staircases, only checking the device strapped to her arm a few times. She maintains a steady pace for a while, until something alerts her to her device and she slows down. She stops and grabs John’s arm, and he stops as well and then looks at the tablet.
She looks up from the tablet and then behind her at what’s moving toward them. She takes his hand and leads him into a nearby alcove, puts her finger to her lips, and then whispers in his ear, “Put the hood on, and make sure the jacket is cinched close.”
He looks down at the jacket just as she grabs the belt and pulls it. He then grabs his hood and pulls it over his head at the same time she does, and they both disappear.
John almost freaks out right before she places her hand over his mouth.
“Quiet,” she whispers.
John nods his head, and she pulls her hand away from his mouth. John exhales through his nose, trying to be quiet, but it doesn’t seem to work. She pushes him further into the alcove, and he bumps into the wall.
The eerie silence is soon broken by the sound of something thundering down the metal-grated hallway. John sees nothing until something runs past, and then another, and then another. A few more pass safely, but the last one stops just past the alcove and comes into view.
&n
bsp; John holds his breath as his eyes widen right when his glasses adjust even more to the light and show an image of a half-dressed man looking close to death. It stands at the opening and sniffs in the air for a few seconds before running off.
He can feel Ena move away from him, and then her device and hand seem to appear floating in mid-air before she pulls off her hood and then pulls off John’s.
“What the fuck?” John whispers loudly, before regaining his composure. “I’m not even going to ask how you have this shit because I didn’t think government agencies have authorized the use of invisible cloaks just quite yet.”
“We need to move.” She doesn’t wait for a response before leaving the alcove and entering the hallway and waiting.
John hesitates for a moment, but then slowly walks out from the darkness and his glasses adjust back to normal.
Ena takes one last look at her tablet and then gets moving again. Soon they are at the pace they were at before and eventually get to the emergency exit corridor, where she stops at the pile of rubble for a second before climbing over. She gets to the holding area with John right behind her, and they stop to check the tablet again, and then down the tunnel.
John looks in the same direction before she takes another look at her tablet and then at John. She asks if he’s all set, and then tells him to stay behind her. John confirms with a head nod, and then gets right on her tail once she takes off.
She moves very quickly through the tunnel, and John has trouble keeping up at times, imagining she’s probably slowing down for him.
They eventually get to the hatch leading outside, and Ena stops to scan the outside using her glasses in conjunction with her tablet. She confirms the all-clear and then helps John pull the handle unlocking the hatch door. They both pull on the heavy metal door that reveals what appears to be a now snow-filled, yet obvious dug-out hole.
They both have trouble packing down the snow that continues to fall into the hole, making it hard to create footing stable enough to climb up and out. Eventually, they’re able to climb out, where Ena pauses again to survey the landscape. But every time John tries to stop moving long enough to activate the special features on his glasses, Ena is ready to move.
They follow the snow path for a little while, but then branch off about halfway to the fence. He follows her about twenty yards before she stops and looks back at him.
“We’re here.” She looks down at her tablet and taps the screen.
John looks around at nothing but snow surrounding them, while looking confused. “Ah—where’s here? I don’t think—”
Suddenly the snow starts to shimmer and change shape, revealing some kind of vehicle John is unfamiliar with.
“Huh? Must be the cold weather or the snow causing issues with the panels . . . that usually happens instantaneously.” Ena looks at her tablet while crinkling her nose.
John’s jaw remains gaped open while he tries to form words into a sentence. “What—ah—how the—?” He stands there with the same dumbfounded look on his face while Ena circles the vehicle as a hatch slowly opens.
“Get in.” She disappears into the hatch opening, but then pokes her head out. “Let’s go.”
John shakes off the confusion and then slowly walks into the hatch and down into something that resembles a cockpit. Ena is seated and in the process of pressing a few buttons before the vehicle lights up even more than it already was.
He slowly moves toward her with caution in every step. She asks him to take a seat next to her, which he finally does after much hesitation.
Once he’s seated, straps automatically cross his body, securing him to the seat. Seconds later, he can feel the vehicle lift off the ground, and he quickly realizes it’s some kind of experimental aircraft.
She presses another button and it takes off straight up in the air, like a ride at an amusement park.
John grabs the seat armrests and clutches them until the downward pulling G-forces finally dissipate and they level off. They start moving horizontally, but he can’t tell what’s going on because of the blacked-out windows.
The straps come loose as soon as they land, and Ena quickly gets out of her seat and tells him to hurry up, which he does even with all his hesitation.
He exits the hatch with Ena waiting for him just outside the plane just as someone walks up and welcomes her back by name. They both slightly bow to each other before she turns and tells John to follow her.
John smiles at the man after he nods at him when he walks by. He hurries to get alongside Ena, but then almost comes to a complete stop when he looks around at the massive hanger full of similar-looking aircraft. He’s not only amazed at its size and grandeur, but also by how technologically advanced it all looks, like something out of a futuristic movie that spins his imagination into tizzy.
He probably looks like a ten year old walking into the world’s largest toy store when Ena tells him to get moving. He shakes off the stupid grin plastered on his face, then catches up to her, and they both get moving.
They enter a door, which takes them to a room full of strange-looking objects and devices. She walks over to one of the walls and pulls down two skateboard- shaped objects, just without the wheels. She drops them both and they seemingly bounce off the air between the board and the ground before it levels off about six inches off the floor.
“I know you’ve seen Back to the Future so I bet you can guess what this is.” She stands on it.
“Is that a freakin’ hover board?” John points at the board with a gaped mouth and then looks up at her.
“You could call it that. We call it something else, but hover board is fine. You’ve ridden a skateboard in the past, so this should feel very similar. Just press your front foot to move forward and lean on your back foot to stop. And teeter the board side to side to turn . . . but don’t worry about that, because it’s set to just follow mine. So get on.”
He looks at her for a second, and then at the board, and then at her again. He stares at it for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and stepping on. The board feels exactly how he had imagined a hover board would feel under his feet, almost like standing on air.
A huge smile grows on his face once he finally settles down and gets the hang of it.
Ena gives him a quick smile before looking forward. “Just bend your knees and let the board do the work. You just have to stand on it and not fall off, okay?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer to what sounded like a question, and the board starts to move. He wobbles a bit, trying to regain his balance, but every time he moves like he’s about to fall off, the board compensates for his movement by stabilizing itself until he finally relaxes.
Once he gets the hang of it and he stops moving around, the board slowly gains speed and quickly catches up to Ena, who just looks back at him and then forward again.
They ride the boards for about ten minutes and soon get to a stopping point. She hops off her board and then grabs it and places it on a shelf in the hallway.
John’s board slowly comes to a full stop and he gracefully steps off of it with his legs feeling a little wobbly, almost like the feeling of sea legs.
He picks the board up and hands it to Ena, who quickly places it on the shelf and then presses a button next to the door nearby.
The door slides open and Ena walks through, with John close behind. They walk down a hallway filled with holographic images of people he doesn’t recognize. Some catch him by surprise when they move and act like they are acknowledging their presence.
John just keeps close to Ena and doesn’t say a word as she leads them around a bend that leads to another door at the end of the hallway. John looks back at all the images looking at them, which send chills up his spine as he slowly turns back around and then continues to follow Ena.
They walk down a dark corridor which soon leads to a large arena-type venue that quickly starts to resemble a massive version of the House of Representatives. The colossal room is surrounde
d by seating from floor to ceiling and completely filled with people. The large raised desks in the center of the room are also reminiscent of the legislative branch, but with numerous smaller desks in front that are facing it, with a country flag on each of the smaller desks.
People sit at each desk, and some appear to be conversing with the larger desk occupants, but John can’t hear what they’re saying.
Ena motions for him to follow her. She leads him to a couple of empty seats and they sit down.
As soon as he sits down, he can instantly hear a conversation about something he’s unsure of. He looks around at everyone focused on the main floor and looking like they’re listening intently.
Ena leans over and, as soon as she starts whispering something, the conversation volume automatically lowers so he can hear her.
“John, this is a high council meeting with all the heads of state representing each country on earth. They are here to plead to the high council their case to continue to occupy Earth . . . they’ve been on trial for the past few months.”
John looks at her with shock and disbelief when he responds. “Plead their case to occupy Earth? What the hell are you talking about?”
Ena leans in closer. “Each country who partook in World War three is here to stand trial for practically destroying Earth, which was something that almost happened. They will each give their side of the story, and if it lines up with what the high council already knows, then your people will be able to stay. But if they lie and attempt to bend the truth . . . well, then, let’s just say it’s not going to end well.” She looks down and away and then sits back in her seat.
John attempts to compute what she said, but he can’t comprehend what she’s talking about. His mind races as he tries to fathom the possibility of her words, along with their repercussions. His attempts seem futile, and panic sets in, followed by the urge to disbelieve her . . . something he soon embraces.
The Ark Series (Book 3): The Ark of Alliance Page 17
