Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  Igor sighs, he had noticed the same thing, but did not want to share his thoughts, nor dwell on the matter. Instead, he concentrates on flying the shuttle.

  As the minutes pass, fewer and fewer squadrons are observed engaging the alien forces. Neither man comments, but both know that this can only mean one thing; they have lost the battle for the air.

  BOOM

  The nuclear blast is close, and tosses the shuttle like a piece of paper in the wind. The screen automatically filters out the blinding light, while the shuttle’s armor absorbs the initial wave of radiation.

  Pavel points ahead as he shouts, “No! They’re leaving without us!”

  A massive spacecraft hovers near an equally enormous cave entrance. Three alien craft are firing at the hovering craft, and seem to be toying with it.

  Another nuclear blast distracts them for a moment. This one is further away, but still poses a potential threat should they have to leave the shuttle.

  Pavel stares at the craft they were flying toward, and says, “The attackers are systematically destroying Kliper’s thrusters and sub-light engine ports.”

  “Bastards!” Igor angrily spits out.

  Kliper suddenly drops like a stone. As it plummets, a bright light begins to glow from its main drive’s engines.

  Mere meters from the ground, the main drive engages, propelling the ship into space at many times the speed of light. The ground fractures at their launch point. The sheer power of the kinetic energies unleashed shatter buildings, instantly turning them into dust.

  Igor frowns as he points to the path of Kliper’s departure, made obvious by a dust trail that reaches up from the ground. He wonders aloud, “What the hell is that?”

  Bent and buckled armor plates rain down from the sky, littering the ground below.

  Pavel sits back in his chair, defeated, and says, “Well that’s it then.”

  Igor stares off into the distance at yet another nuclear blast. Everywhere he looks, mushroom clouds dot the landscape. Suddenly, a crazy idea comes to mind. He turns to Pavel and says, “What have we got to lose?”

  “What are you thinking?” Pavel asks with mounting curiosity.

  Igor sighs then replies cryptically, “Space!”

  “Space?” Pavel repeats, still perplexed by Igor’s comments.

  Igor taps on his controls as he flies them higher and higher. They avoid the green gas, and the nuclear blast sites, with equal care. Passing through the upper atmosphere, and into space takes little time.

  They are all stunned by the amount of debris that orbits Earth. Gazing down they are shocked to see that Earth is no longer blue, but instead has a hazy hue to it. The alien fighters are flying toward four carriers, one of which is a monster.

  Pavel asks fearfully, “Won’t they see us?”

  Igor grimaces as he replies, “Probably. I will cut power, and let us drift. Hopefully we will look like a remnant of this battle.”

  Minutes later they all feel the weightlessness of space as Igor shuts down all of the shuttle’s systems, including life support.

  Pavel stares at the rotating stars and says, “Okay, we’re orbit. Did anyone bring any food?”

  Igor replies, “Were you ever a soldier? I have MREs onboard.”

  Both women shake their heads in dismay. Less than an hour ago, both were living privileged lives, and wanted for nothing. Now they are adrift in space, with nowhere to go, and the only thing between them and starvation are military ration packs.

  Chapter Three - Run, Flee, Hide

  Location:

  Deutsche Academy der Wissenschaften

  (German Academy of Sciences)

  Halle an der Saale, Germany

  Scott leads Akardy, Lisa, and Johnny, out of the room and down a spiral staircase. At the bottom is a sealed door which looks like it belongs on a bank vault. In the middle of the door, at face level, is a small circular window. A scared looking boyish face peers through the thick glass at them. Akardy glances left and right, then picks up the phone he was hoping to find. He holds it up in front of the small window, and points to it. Finally, the person on the other side picks up theirs.

  Akardy immediately speaks, “I have George’s son and wife with me. If you do not let us in, I will contact Regent Voknor. The last time his wishes were not met, he shut down America’s power grid. Would you like that to happen here?”

  Lisa frowns as she listens to the empty threat. She knows that if he could contact the Regent, he would have already.

  Seconds later, a hissing sound comes from the door as it opens. The scared face belongs to a young man. His voice is unsteady as he states, “No need for threats, I was going to open it for you.

  Akardy holds the door open, then ushers everyone through. Once the last of them is inside, he shuts the door then turns to the young man, and says, “Thank you.”

  The scared young man looks down and asks, “Who is George anyway?”

  Lisa stifles a chuckle as she walks on, thinking. For all the stock that Akardy put in my husband as a threat, and this ‘boy’ has no idea who he is, and why would he? Only a few people really know who my husband is, and what he does.

  Akardy gets Lisa’s attention when he states authoritatively, “You and Johnny can take those outfits off now.”

  Scott watches as the crowd moves on, then deciding that his chances of survival are probably better with Akardy, waits. As soon as Lisa and Johnny are ready, the four of them follow the rest of the group down another dimly lit passageway.

  A loud commotion up ahead gets their attention. They step out of the corridor, onto a steel grate that overlooks a large room. Florescent lights and air-conditioning ductwork hangs from the ceiling of this three story room. Gazing downward, the light reveals hundreds upon hundreds of people.

  Lisa grabs Johnny’s hand, so as to not be separated, while Akardy leads them down a stairwell, and into the throng. Scott taps Akardy’s shoulder, and motions to a side wall. Akardy stares at Scott for a moment, then nods in agreement. The four of them make their way to the wall, and then slowly force their way to yet another impressive door. This one does not have a window, but there is a phone on the wall below a computer screen.

  Akardy reaches for the phone when a loud voice interrupts him.

  The announcement resounds from hidden speakers in the room. “You will all be safe where you are. The inner containment area is only designed for one hundred people, and it is at capacity.”

  Akardy picks the phone up anyway, but when no one answers, he becomes increasingly agitated. He puts the phone down and scrutinizes the solid door. It is clearly designed to keep out intruders as much as other hazards. He puts his backpack down, then sits with his back to the door. He takes a deep breath, and observes those around him while he thinks.

  Fifteen minutes later, the message repeats itself. Lisa looks up fearfully; the entire afternoon has a surreal feel about it. She pulls Johnny closer, and is surprised when he does not resist, but instead, moves as close as he can to her. A thin layer of dust falls from the ceiling, and settles on them, causing her to frown. Whatever is happening on the surface, it is sending powerful shockwaves deep underground. All they can feel at their depth though, is an occasional mild vibration.

  Chaos

  The Gamin fleet flees into the depths of space, allowing the Atlans to focus all of their efforts on their vengeful attack.

  The Vanguard’s commander stares at Earth with hate filled eyes. He shakes his head as he mumbles, “I find it hard to believe that this is the species responsible for the death of my son, and the destruction of his Warmonger.” He continues to watch from his vantage point as his forces wreak havoc on the populace below.

  Groups of Atlan fighters fly in formations, strafing the ground with weapons fire. Buildings, cars, and people, are blown to bits by the relentless attack. These small craft are protected by powerful shields, and pack destructive energy weapons.

  A squadron of European fighters rush to intercept the al
ien attackers. The Atlan crafts engage in combat, dodging and weaving, as they play with their ineffective opponents. Bullets and missiles either miss, or impact harmlessly against the craft’s shields. Every now and then, the Atlan craft destroys one of the defenders, then continues with their games.

  The battle drifts into France; dozens of fighters from various countries arrive, and engage the alien attackers. The Atlans lure the defenders into dogfights in and around Paris. To the Atlans, the tall buildings and narrow streets add to the thrill, to the defenders, it is disparaging to be engaged in aerial combat over the city.

  Suddenly, an Atlan fighter clips the top of the Eifel Tower. The craft spins wildly out of control and loses altitude. The tumbling fighter impacts the ground, and as it slides, creates a long furrow in its wake. The craft explodes in a spectacular fiery plume.

  The remaining Atlan fighters instantly turn on the defenders, dispatching them all in a matter of seconds. They are not playing games any longer. Next, they destroy a distant wave of attackers before the hapless defenders get the chance to launch a single missile.

  Britain manages to rally over three hundred fighters to the defense of London, with more arriving every minute. London’s long unused anti-air batteries are armed and ready.

  The Atlan carrier’s commander is about to obliterate London from space, but instead, decides to give his squadron who lost a pilot, an opportunity for revenge. He orders the gas attacks on the rest of the island, but leaves London, and the surrounding area alone, for now.

  The Atlan fighters approaching London are outnumbered twenty to one by the time they cross the English Channel and get to the city’s outskirts. The anti-air batteries create an impenetrable curtain as they fire relentlessly. The attackers dive headlong through the city’s defenses. Impacts cause the shields on the attacker’s craft to glow, and even on occasion jostle a craft, but the projectiles do little else.

  Hundreds of defending aircraft converge on the smaller Atlan force. Fifteen minutes later, the battle is over and the skies are clear. The Royal British Air Force, bravely fought to the last plane. The streets of London are littered with the remains of aircraft, air defense sites, and debris from collapsed buildings.

  The Atlan force, having suffered no losses, swings back to Europe where they strafe city after city. Paris is leveled by the ferocity of their attack, along with cities all around the world.

  The Atlans discover the Gamin lunar base, then destroy it with such an overwhelming blast, that massive chunks of the moon are heaved into space. The Gamin Power Unit that powers the base completes the devastation when it explodes. A massive shockwave radiates out from the destroyed base, rippling across the moon like the waves on a pond from the splash of a rock.

  The commander of the Vanguard turns to his subordinates and orders, “Prepare to leave as soon as our task is done. We have to meet with the other Vanguard commanders.”

  Underground

  Location:

  Deutsche Academy der Wissenschaften

  (German Academy of Sciences)

  Halle an der Saale, Germany

  The message replays itself every fifteen minutes, causing more than a few people to wonder if it is automated. People whisper fearfully that there is no one inside. The hours pass slowly, with no one answering the phone no matter how long Akardy lets it ring on the other side of the door.

  With mounting apprehension, Akardy begins to pace the area he, and the hundreds of others, are in. He and Scott attempt to perform a head count, but the crowd is less than cooperative, and they have to estimate, giving them numbers from eight to nine hundred people.

  Astonishingly, the chamber has limited facilities, and even less in the way of supplies. He stares at his backpack and cringes, there are only enough MREs to last them for ten days, and that is if they do not share with anyone else. He shakes his head at the shower and toiletry facilities. Six showers and eight toilets for so many people, what were the designers thinking?

  Scott locates Akardy, and whispers in his ear, “I found the food supply cabinets.” He glances around, then with increasing distress, says, “They’re empty.”

  Akardy turns to the closed door and hisses, “Selfish bastards. They’re in there alright.”

  “Hey look at the pretty colors,” says a small awe filled voice.

  Akardy’s head whips around, and up. He stops and stares at the door they entered through, and at a little girl who is standing on her tiptoes peeking through the glass.

  With mounting apprehension, Akardy hurries to the door, pushing people out of his way as he moves through the crowd. He rushes up the steps, and looks through the glass with his hands shielding his face for a clearer view. The dim lighting on the other side has a greenish tinge to it. The gas moves on invisible air currents, and coalesces around the fluorescent lights, where it turns blue-grey. A light at the end of the corridor flashes off and on, then off, and stays off.

  The little girl tugs on Akardy’s trouser leg as she says, “Pretty, isn’t it?”

  Akardy hurries back to the solid door, then grabs the phone once again. He points to the door with the window, hoping that someone can see his actions.

  “What is it?”

  Akardy is startled by the voice coming from the phone, then gathering his thoughts, says, “The alien gas has breached the corridor, and as the door on the far side is the same as the one to this chamber, I expect it will fail as well.”

  The voice from the phone callously replies, “And what is your point?”

  “Everyone in this room will die!”

  “Well, we can only hold one hundred people, and are at capacity.”

  “Capacity! Who gives a rat’s ass about capacity? You are consigning hundreds of people to their deaths, including George’s wife and son. You know, Cindy’s friends.” Akardy closes his eyes and hopes that the person on the other side has at least heard of Cindy.

  Scott puts a hand to his mouth in fear, then suddenly, his eyes open wide as an idea springs to mind. He rushes to a wall panel, opens it, and then turns a series of red valves. He shouts across the room, “Every wall has these, open them, it may be our only chance.”

  A faint hissing sound comes from the air ducts overhead as more air is pumped into the room. The increase in pressure is slight, but it still causes a few people to yawn. Scott’s smile freezes on his face when the hissing ceases moments later. Someone has shut off the air lines to the room. Even the normal flow of air from the air conditioning has stopped.

  Akardy leans his head against the door, completely defeated. He feels the vibration before he hears the sound of gears turning. He steps back as the massive door swings open, letting out a swoosh of air. He shoulders his backpack, grabs Lisa and Johnny’s hands, and then hurries through the open door.

  Scott shouts across the room, “Do not panic, but hurry inside!” He sighs as people rush toward the door in a mad dash. He steps inside before he is crushed, and rushes to catch up with Akardy.

  They follow a series of tunnels, and pass through yet one more vault-like door, before finally arriving at a circular courtyard. Corridors radiate out in all directions, each of which is clearly marked.

  An elderly gentleman steps in front of Akardy and says, “I do hope you realize that we will all die now. This facility was designed to keep one hundred people alive, not one thousand.”

  Akardy sighs, then replies, “To watch a person die is one thing, to be the cause of their death is another matter. Don’t feel bad that you couldn’t sit idly by as people perished. Opening the door was the right thing to do.”

  Scott chimes in his own sarcastic thoughts, “No, that’s not it at all. He was worried about how he would look to any rescuers.” He shakes his head in disgust, and walks away.

  Akardy stares at the old man, then also walks away. He secures a space at the end of one of the corridors, where he makes room for Scott to join them. The four of them take turns watching the backpack, and their limited supplies.

&
nbsp; The old man considers his actions, then requests that all the food and water his group of one hundred had stored, be divided evenly amongst everyone. The hours pass slowly as people stand, sit, or lay down, and wait.

  The window on the door the girl was peering through, turns brown as the gas slowly erodes the glass. The multiple rubber seals around the door’s frame, fail, one by one. At first the green vapor enters the abandoned room in faint wisps, but soon it fills the room. The heavy components sink lower, until finally coming in contact with the solid outer door. Miniscule corrosive elements fill the door seal, where they begin to eat away at the rubber linings.

  A bright red light flashes in the central room, causing everyone to look at the solid door in fear.

  Scott turns to Akardy and says, “I hope that is not what it looks like.”

  Akardy stands, silently nods, then strides away to look for the elderly man from earlier. He finds the man hunched over a computer desk in one of the side chambers.

  The old man turns to look at Akardy and says, “The chamber between the doors is losing pressure. We are increasing the air flow, in an attempt to compensate. If we can keep that gas from reaching the door on this side, we will be fine.”

  Akardy frowns as he asks, “Won’t we run out of air?”

  The old man’s fear-filled eyes glance at Akardy, his only answer.

  Epilogue

  In a matter of hours, Earth is reduced to a near lifeless rock. The Atlan forces leave as soon as their work is done. All life on the surface has been extinguished. The oceans slowly turn brown, as the heavier elements of the gas infiltrate the watery depths. Aquatic life is extinguished as effectively as life on the surface.

  Survivors huddle in hundreds of underground facilities all over the world. None of them are able to send or receive communications; every orbiting satellite has been destroyed, while shortwave radio is no longer able to transmit through the atmosphere.