Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

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  Section Ten: End of Times

  Short Story

  Preface

  End of Times follows a number of key people, including Lisa and Johnny, as they attempt to survive the Atlan attack on Earth. Fortunately for George’s family, they have an ally, Akardy, who has been following their every move. He quickly reacts to word of a hostile force approaching Earth.

  “We fear the end of the world, and yet rush to meet its embrace.”

  “Earth can survive the end of humanity, indeed it may even flourish in our absence.”

  Welcome to ‘End of Times’, the fourth short story of the Terran Chronicles Universe.

  Introduction

  Lisa and Johnny remain on Earth, while her husband, George joins the Terran’s expedition to salvage the derelict Gamin spacecraft they discovered thousands of light years away. Lisa is quite resentful of their situation; Johnny’s place at the newly opened ‘European Space Training Academy’ in Germany, was conditional upon George going on this distant mission. As neither parent wanted to deny their teenage son such a rare opportunity, the family reluctantly became separated once more. Their new home in the Harz Mountains is only a short distance from this training facility, and overlooks the German countryside.

  Prologue

  The days quickly turn into weeks, and then months, as life continues as normal for most people. Johnny quickly adapts to his new role as a student at the prestigious academy, and thanks to his experiences on the bridge of the Terran, he becomes somewhat of a celebrity. None of his trainers have ever traveled on the Terran, and although they are all adept at using the facility’s consoles, and quite versed in numerous theories, they lack real-life experience. None have felt the deck-plates shudder beneath their feet as the Terran slows down, nor witnessed the kaleidoscope of colors that bombard the ship when traveling at many times the speed of light. Johnny does not brag about his adventures, but he does question the instructors incessantly when their teachings contradict his own experience.

  Chapter One - Beginnings and Endings

  Location:

  Deutsche Academy der Wissenschaften

  (German Academy of Sciences)

  Halle an der Saale, Germany

  Johnny sighs as he sits and waits outside the Academy Administrator’s office. He stares at the ceiling dejectedly, and with mounting frustration taps on his knees.

  An older gentleman, the Administrator, opens his door. Upon seeing Johnny, he rolls his eyes and says, “I should have known it was you. Come in young man.”

  Johnny shuffles into the room, one he has been in many times since his arrival at the facility, and sits in a chair.

  The older gentleman sits down on the opposite side of his large desk, coughs, then says, “The report fails to mention your name, but states quite clearly that the instructor’s session was interrupted today.”

  Johnny nervously kicks his feet at the floor, and then responds, “Well, he was talking about the systems that allow safe space flight, and failed to mention the importance of the IGD.”

  “IGD?” repeats the older man, clearly baffled.

  Johnny sighs, then relays, “Internal Gravimetric Dampeners, they…”

  “Oh yes,” interrupts the man, acting as if he knows what it is. He continues, “Perhaps the instructor was going to get to that, before you rudely disturbed the lesson. You know Johnny Stanton, if you don’t want to be here…” His voice trails off as he lifts his eyebrows questioningly.

  Johnny looks at the man blankly. He never thought for one minute that his position at the facility could be put in jeopardy.

  The gentleman stands, then states authoritatively, “Go home and consider where you are, and what you’re doing here, young man. I want to see an immediate change in your attitude. Is that understood?”

  Johnny gulps, then stands and politely replies, “Yes sir. I will do my best.” He leaves the office to walk home. It is quite a long walk, but he has plenty of time.

  The man shakes his head as he mumbles, “Teenagers; they think they know everything.” He reaches for his phone, then dials a number from memory.

  Lisa hangs up, and sighs. She understands the Administrator’s position, but also knows that her son has a wealth of knowledge that the school is ignoring. With all the time her son spent with the command crew, she feels that he could probably fly the Terran, or any other ship for that matter.

  Johnny stares at his ringing phone and cringes. He hesitantly answers, “Yes mom.”

  Lisa responds sympathetically, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I just don’t get it.” Johnny replies as his emotions boil over. One second he wants to shout out in anger, the next, to cry. He stops walking and stares at the late afternoon sky. “I’ll be okay, I just need to walk this off.”

  “You take your time. You may not believe me, but I do understand.”

  Johnny stares at his phone, perplexed. He had expected to get into trouble, thus, her support brings a smile to his face. “I’ll be home soon.”

  “Okay,” Lisa replies, then hangs up. She is relieved that her son is fine.

  Johnny glances at the time and decides to take the scenic route home. It is longer, but the view helps him relax.

  Akardy has been listening in on the conversation, as he does all of the Stanton’s calls, and shakes his head. Like Lisa, he understands Johnny’s frustration, and yet he also appreciates the academy’s position. He smiles at the simplicity of his surveillance. Peter’s gift to Johnny and Lisa of the world’s most advanced cell phones, was too easy. Amongst other features, both phones contain specialized tracking chips, allowing him to locate either of them on his own phone’s map software. He leans back in his chair and relaxes. These last few months have seen him drive his incredible car all over the countryside. He has familiarized himself with many of the roads, and put together various threat contingency plans. With Lisa, and Johnny falling into predictable routines, and no threats discovered in the area, he feels better prepared if he simply waits in his cottage, and monitors their activities while he refreshes his German.

  Johnny has calmed down by the time he gets home. He and his mom talk at length about him having to accept the school’s teachings, for now. Once he has passed all of their tests, and has a ship, then, and only then, will he be in a position where people may listen to him. As for a ship of his own, he is the youngest in his class, so even if he is the best, he may be many years away from his own command.

  Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

  The following day, Johnny returns to school and keeps his thoughts to himself. Having missed part of the previous day’s lessons, he has to stay late and make up the lost time. He recalls his mom’s words, and does everything asked of him, even to the point where he is left sitting in the facility’s library, waiting for the hours to pass. He calls his mom and says, “Sorry I am going to be late. I have to make up for yesterday.”

  “Well that’s only fair, the other students didn’t get out early.” Lisa replies supportingly.

  “I am the only one here mom, and I have nothing to study. They just want to waste my time.” Johnny complains.

  “Consider it their time to waste, young man, and accept their punishment. Your father has given up much so that you could have this opportunity.”

  Johnny sighs, “I know. I’ll behave.”

  “Do you want me to come and get you?” Lisa asks.

  “Nah. It’s not that far if I take the shortcut.” Johnny replies.

  “Okay. I love you.” She replies.

  “Okay mom, I have to go.” He responds quietly as one of the school’s facilitators enters the library.

  Lisa grins as she puts her phone away. Like most teenagers, he does not know how to respond to being told she loves him.

  Johnny is the only student in the room, and spends the time playing games on his phone. He is exasperated by the fact that he knows more than most of his teachers, but he also realizes that he has to find a better way
of sharing his knowledge.

  Chapter Two - The Race is On

  Akardy bolts upright in his chair, and stares at the message being sent from Space Station Unity to the European Space Agency.

  ‘A fleet of Gamin ships are here to rescue people from an impending Atlan attack. They request landing coordinates, and advise that we have limited time to respond. Gustav Fuchs.’

  Akardy stares at the screen for a moment with utter confusion. This is not one of the things he had planned for. He brings up the locations of Johnny and Lisa on his phone and cringes. Lisa is at home, while Johnny, his priority target, is still at the Academy. He will need Lisa’s assistance to get Johnny, and with his mind made up, he rushes to his garage.

  The controls in his vehicle are more like an aircraft, than a car, and for good reason. He activates the twelve hundred horsepower engine, and squeals the tires as he exits the garage. Without a second’s hesitation, he activates the car’s gravity drive. The gravity plate provides extremely limited functionality, but it propels his car upward to the road where the Stanton’s live.

  The car lands roughly, then accelerates forward, the tires protesting loudly over the brutal force being applied to them. The car slides sideways on the mountaintop road as he navigates the sharp bends, its bright lights cut through the darkening night.

  Akardy slams the parking brake down before he has even stopped, causing the car’s tires to screech once more. He exits the car and sprints to the Stanton’s apartment. He hammers on the door loudly, and then waits impatiently.

  Lisa slowly opens the door, then fearfully stares at the man and the red four door sedan behind him. She frowns as she feels as though she should know him. “Yes?” She ventures timidly.

  Akardy lifts his hands and quickly states, “My name is Akardy. We have no time to waste. You and your son are in danger. I am under instructions from Peter to take you both to a safe location.”

  Lisa’s jaw drops as she recalls the man. Peter had sent her a message before he left Earth, and with the message was a picture of this very man. She glances outside and with a doubt filled voice asks, “Danger?”

  A few of the villa’s occupants have stepped outside to see the car that made all the noise. Many stare at the strange man at Lisa’s house, and begin to chatter amongst themselves.

  Akardy glances at his watch, and with added urgency, states, “Yes, and we must hurry!”

  Lisa stares at the man, and his idling car, then suddenly recalls the contents of Peter’s message. She feels fear building. Peter had said that if this man were to appear, to do exactly as he says. His sole purpose is to protect her and her son.

  Lisa hesitates, then says, “Johnny is still at the Academy.”

  “I know!” Akardy replies as he glances at his phone.

  Coming to a decision, Lisa runs for the car and gets in the passenger side. She stares at the futuristic controls, then watches the man get into the driver’s seat. The entire forward area looks like a touch screen, even the steering wheel is different.

  The car’s tires squeal as he turns them toward a cliff. Lisa screams as the car launches itself into mid-air. Her heart is pounding as she expects to die any second. Instead, the car accelerates forward, and down, at an alarming rate, but obviously under control.

  “Sorry,” Akardy replies, “we have to get to Johnny fast, and this is the quickest way down.”

  Akardy reviews other messages being sent by Gustav, then apprehensively informs Lisa, “Gustav is evacuating Space Station Unity, and warns of an impending attack.”

  Lisa glances upward in fear and notices a massive shadow moving across the darkening sky, it is a Gamin spacecraft. Although it is only six o’clock at night, the sun sets early this time of year. The spacecraft moves on, blotting out the early stars in its passing.

  Akardy brings the car down to the road, then drives as fast as he can in the evening traffic.

  Johnny stares at his ringing phone, then frowns when he recognizes his mom’s number. He answers quietly, “Mom, I can’t talk right now, the…”

  “Get to the main gate. Now!” Lisa shouts frantically, interrupting her son.

  “I can’t, I’m in detention.” Johnny whispers as he rolls his eyes at her crazed tone.

  A man grabs Johnny’s phone, then speaks into it deliberately, “Whoever this is, you are…”

  “My name is Lisa Stanton,” she screams, cutting him off, “and I am coming to get my son, right now!” She glances to Akardy then adds, “If he is not at the front gate in five minutes, you will have to answer to my husband!”

  The man blanches at her threat. He knows that the boy’s father, George, is in league with the aliens who visited. He stares at Johnny, then sheepishly hands him back his phone and says, “Meet your mother at the front gate.” The man walks away, grateful that he did not tell her his name. He glances at the figure of Johnny departing, then tilts his head in confusion as he wonders why Lisa is coming to get her son, especially since he usually walks home.

  Akardy slams on the brakes and brings the car to a sliding halt at the Training Facility’s main gate. A solitary guard lazily glances up from his television. He looks at the car indifferently, then notices Johnny running toward it. He shakes his head, irritated by the interruption, and returns to the show he was watching.

  Johnny slows as he approaches the sedan, with its open rear door.

  Lisa lowers her window and shouts in a near panic, “Hurry!

  The guard glares at Lisa, annoyed at her loud shrieking. He frowns when seconds after Johnny gets in, the car takes off, literally.

  Akardy activates the gravity plate the second Johnny is in the back seat. He pushes the car’s small thruster unit to full power, as he flies them toward Cindy’s old underground facility. He touches an image on his car’s console, and hopes that the pre-recorded message does its job. He keeps the thrusters and gravity plate operating until the small power cell is almost depleted, then brings the car down toward a freeway. He slows their descent, but the car still lands heavily, jostling them. Akardy slams the accelerator all the way to the floor, then fights the steering wheel as the rear end slides. Regaining control, he presses on. The car’s powerful engine roars as they hurtle down the road. Akardy swerves left, then right, as he passes other motorists at breakneck speeds.

  Lisa becomes fearful of his reckless driving, and then with a frown, asks, “If there is some great danger, why is everyone else behaving as though it were a normal evening?”

  Akardy turns on the radio as he replies, “That’s a good question. People should be evacuating.”

  They both listen to the radio station’s music for a moment, then switch channels. No matter which one they select, there is no news about an attack, nor even any mention about the spacecraft they saw. Finally, after ten minutes of scouring stations, a report comes in of a Gamin ship landing on the French border. It is another ten minutes before announcers begin to inform people that they should board the Gamin vessel.

  They both notice a massive series of lightning strikes. Lisa stares at the magnificent display in awe. Adding to her mounting fear, she realizes that the strikes are coming straight down, and there are no clouds in the sky.

  She turns to Akardy, and then begins to tremble in terror. The man’s hands are gripping the controls so hard his knuckles are white. Without looking at her he says, “I know.”

  Johnny stares out his window and watches a distant spacecraft flying low in the night sky. He does not know if this is the same ship they saw earlier, or another one. All of a sudden, hundreds of bright lights shine on the ship. Seconds later, it explodes spectacularly. Johnny’s jaw drops as debris falls from the sky.

  Akardy swerves around a build-up of traffic, and drives on the shoulder of the road. He stares ahead at the blocked road, then slams the gravity plate control. The car lurches upward, losing speed in the process, but clears the blocked road. He reduces the gravity plate’s power, then as soon as the tires contact the road, he
pushes the accelerator to the floor once more. He glances at the power cell’s reserve and winces. The digital indicator reads zero.

  The radio blares unexpectedly, ‘Leipzig is under attack, evacuate the city!’ The message repeats itself a few times, then abruptly cuts out.

  Akardy frowns as he gazes into the distance, something seems odd. He glances at Lisa, then, on a hunch, activates the car’s positive pressure system. “Try to yawn, it will help.” He states as he yawns.

  They drive onward, and with mounting concern Akardy realizes that they are still at least fifteen minutes away from Cindy’s old facility. Fortunately, he knows of a parking garage, just off the freeway, that has an entry way into the complex.

  Lisa stares fearfully at the peeling paint on the hood, and the black streaks which cover the windows. The car’s windshield wipers glide back and forth, and merely smear the blackness, then they begin to melt. The car’s headlights shine through a faint green mist, revealing bodies everywhere. Those who stopped their cars and stepped outside, are laying on the ground, motionless.

  Akardy stares at the mist, frowns, then says, “Under your seats are hazmat suits. Put them on. Now!”

  Lisa and Johnny quickly find the suits, then in the confines of the car, put them on. It is difficult, and takes them a quite a few minutes.

  Akardy turns the car down an off ramp so fast that the tires squeal in protest, and leave behind huge black skid marks. He slows the car and stares at the road between them and their destination with nervous apprehension. It is blocked by a multi-car pileup, and more bodies. He stares at the gravity plate’s zero indicator for a moment, then, hoping there is some power, activates it anyway. Surprisingly, the car lifts up and over the accident site, then plummets to the ground like a rock as the cell depletes its power. The heavy car hits hard, its undercarriage slams the road as the suspension bottoms out. The impact jars everyone badly and forces the front right wheel to smash up and into the fender, buckling it.