by Lance Powers
“He must have changed for the worse since you last met him, Dad.” Regina told her father bitterly. “And just because he’s President, he gets away with everything. Someone has to expose him for the monster he is.”
“That someone’s not going to be you, Gina.” Her step-mother entered the lab with a tray of tuna sandwiches and milk. “He’s already framed you once and had you locked up.”
“Yes. And if the aliens were still his allies, he’d have kept you imprisoned for who knows how long.” Her father added as he took a bite into one of the little sandwiches.
“But he’s getting away with anything he does… and people do nothing because they’re afraid.” She said in exasperation, her cheeks flushing red. “He’s not some kind of emperor or dictator to have this much of a hold over the people.”
“That’s the advantage he has, precious.” Milton Scott patted her on the head tenderly. “The people love him; they believe it’s his smart ideas that keep them alive and safe inside the citadel, away from the lethal contamination of the atmosphere outside. It’s the lies he’s sold that make him a hero to them.”
“But you knew about that, Dad?” Her eyes flashed with anger. “You knew what he was doing back in early 2300s. Why didn’t you do anything to stop him?”
“We know more now about him and his twisted agenda than we did then.” Her father replied with sadness. “And besides, you were just a child of four then and I was afraid of anything happening to you and your mother.”
“My mother? You mean my birth mother…” She suddenly felt a sharp pang in her heart. “…you never told me how she died? Did Roberson kill her?”
“What? No!” Milton Scott’s eyes went wide. “Helena was one of the earliest victims of the contamination when it began spreading near the habitats in 2307… after that the domed citadel was built.”
“So Roberson did kill my mother. By using this horrible alien poison… just like he’s killed countless others. This treacherous man has to be stopped, and brought to book.”
“Yes, but not by you, Gina.” Her father sighed and placed the half eaten sandwich back on the tray.
“We won’t be able to bear it if anything happens to you, honey.” Her step-mother added as she cleared the tray and stood up. “Maybe your friend, that handsome soldier, can do something.”
“He already is.” She looked down at the carpeted floor. “And I should be there beside him, Mom, fighting this war.”
“You are, precious.” Doctor Scott senior nodded somberly. “From right here in this lab. Your discoveries are the reason the aliens have been exposed and can also be overcome.”
“This handsome soldier… this Colonel Greg Alvin…” Lilith Hensley-Scott suddenly said.
“Colonel Garth Evans.” Regina corrected her step-mother.
“Yes, this Colonel Garth Evans.” The older woman continued. “How well do you know him?”
“What do you mean, Mom?” She looked at her step-mother questioningly.
“I can tell that you care for him.” Her step-mother smiled warmly. “And that he cares for you too.”
“Well, we’ve been through a lot of crap together…” She nodded, looking away. “Thanks to that snake, Roberson.”
“He is good man. These things I can tell.” Lilith Hensley-Scott kept smiling. “If we survive this alien problem, you can invite him over sometime. For dinner or we could go out.”
“Yeah, sure.” Regina shrugged, pretending to not care about where her stop-mother was going with this. “The alien problem has to go away first.”
“Then stop worrying about Roberson and get back to your job.” The older woman smacked her on her behind. “Your man, Evans, is out there doing his.”
“He’s not my man, Mom.” She glared at her step-mother, rubbing a hand over where she was struck.
“Well, he sure wants to be.” Lilith Hensley-Scott laughed knowingly. “I can tell, and you wouldn’t be blushing so red if you didn’t want that too.”
“Get out of the lab, Mom.” She threw a small eraser at her giggling step-mother. “Go cook something.”
“Look!” Milton Scott pointed to the wall mounted hype box screen. “The aliens have landed.”
“Oh, wow!” Regina’s eyes went wide at the images on the screen, “That’s sector PDZ-18… that’s where it is, the main alien control core.”
“They’re going to try and take it back.” Her father nodded. “Look… our ships are surrounding that alien squadron.”
“Sh... listen.” She held up her hand and turned up the volume.
“…several Earth Gov ships…” The static ridden voice of the narrator told them. “… the aliens have managed to break through the outer barriers… we fear many of our brave soldiers are dead or missing.”
“They have superior firepower and shielding.” Milton Scott gritted his teeth. “They have the upper hand.”
“But not for long… I’m sure Gar… Colonel Evans and his team are on the way there.” Regina said reassuringly. “We’ve developed some tech upgrades, but it’s limited to a few ships.”
“Let’s hope it’s enough.” Her father replied as he stared at the screen wide eyed. “If we lose that core control area to the aliens, it’s game over for all.”
“I think I can see their strategy here, they need control of the core control matrix, without it they don’t have the means to do this…” She said with a frown, pinching at the tip of her nose. “…unless it’s a ‘bait and switch’ move. A running decoy to divert attention from their main objective.”
“That’s some pretty non-scientist speak there, precious.” Doctor Scott senior said with a grin.
“I’ve been around some non-scientists lately, Dad.” She told him, grinning back.
“…we have with us here for a quick update Chief of Staff Greg Evans.” The news reporter’s voice drew her attention back to the screen. A ‘recorded earlier’ banner in bold letters scrolled across the top of the screen. Garth was standing there, beside the newswoman, looking resolute as usual. “Chief Evans, what’s going on?”
“The aliens are using all their strengths to take this place.” Garth’s deep voice was as calm and serene as early dawn. “They haven’t focused their attack anywhere else on the planet or even near the citadel, so we can assume that this is their only objective at the moment. To take over the sector and amplify the corruption in the atmosphere from here.”
“So you’re saying the aliens don’t have any other means to annihilate us other than poisoning the air we breathe.” The reporter responded in her regular breathless manner.
“As of now, that’s what we assume from what we can see.” He nodded with a thoughtful frown.
“And what’s your move?” The edgy reporter asked.
“Our forward lines are keeping the invaders busy. We’ve taken a few losses, but we’re bringing in our ‘A’ game next.”
“So, Chief Evans, what we can see here is the aliens are only a threat if they control the sector and whatever is inside it?”
“Yes, that’s correct, Miss.” He told the reporter and made as if to leave. “And that’s not going to happen with us around. Thank you.”
“Thank you, Chief Evans.” The woman said and turned toward the camera. “That was Chief of Staff Garth Evans, the hero of hour, the day and the week. After leading a covert mission to successfully eradicate the rebel faction, he is now poised to thwart the rebel faction’s evil alien allies. Stay tuned, folks, as Globe-O-Vision News brings you a blow by blow report of this moment of crisis…”
“He has the same idea that you do.” Milton Scott scratched the back of his head as he turned the volume low. “I can see the non scientist influence now.”
“Not you too, Dad. One parent is more than enough to bug me about my irrelevant love life.” She shook her head and exhaled. “And yes, it’s only a logical deduction… if they could destroy us with any other means; they wouldn’t need to retake that sector at all. The only way they can do
this is by poisoning the air, in a more potent way than they have been so far.”
“So in other words, they aren’t so smart or strong, and not even that much advanced than us.” Her father sounded miffed. “And to think Roberson made a deal with these mediocre forms of intelligence.”
“As long as that despicable soul thought he could rule a planet.” She said disdainfully. “And I don’t think he ever thought anyone would oppose him.”
“He didn’t count on you, precious.” Her father said with pride in his voice, making her feel quite good about herself. “And when one person stands up against injustice, others soon follow.”
Yes. She thought. Garth Evans was standing beside her, as were the others in the rebel faction. Eileen Icelander. Jillian Orkney. But they were not united in their cause. Someone more inspirational had to surface, to give people more faith, to have more people make a united stand against Leland Roberson and his tyranny.
“For others to follow.” She said at length. “We need a charismatic leader like Mavis Orkney. Someone who can inspire people to get up and do things. Orkney died for his cause, and so many who followed him. Did you hear what they said about Garth, that he went in undercover only to destroy the rebel faction? All of that is a lie, made up by Roberson to come out on top again. He’s a master of manipulation, and all of us just sit around on our sorry behinds and get manipulated.”
“What happened there, in the rebel base?” Her father was staring at the console screen with the alien data rapidly scrolling down. “The hype box news isn’t very clear. They reported you and Evans as defectors and something about the President’s daughter being held hostage. Then they said all of that was a ruse to effectively flush out the rebels from hiding.”
“We did ally with the rebels after Garth sprung me from the holding cell the same day I was arrested.” She told him as she keyed in more commands into the console that simulated the alien core control programs. “And they had abducted Roberson’s daughter, Cecilia, for leverage against him.”
“And you were there all this while.” Her father looked at her anxiously. “Did you speak to Cecilia Roberson?”
“Yes, in fact I trusted her enough to let her out of the holding cell Garth had kept her in.” She replied, swallowing a lump in her throat. “A bad mistake and I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. She’s as deceptive as Roberson.”
“I suppose it’s in the genes.” Milton Scott rubbed his chin. “Modified or not.”
“Yeah, she pretended to go along with us, convincing us that she would make her father listen to her and end his world domination plan. And then when she had the chance she took it.” Regina nodded, focusing on the codes scrolling on her screen. “Every rebel base was undermanned when Earth Gov hit them, and she killed Orkney in cold blood, that too on camera, smiling like a psychopa… wait a minute, did you say modified? Her genes are modified? What does that mean… modified?”
“Yes.” Her father looked at her sadly as he ran both hands over his receding hairline. “Almost twenty years ago, just about when Leland Roberson took over as President, under his insistence we did some genetic engineering. With his cell extract we spliced in some alien DNA, and… well, created a hybrid life form that he claimed as his child. I was against it from the start, and that’s what kick-started the on-and-off feud between Leland and me.”
“What the hell?” Regina momentarily forgot all about the alien codes flashing before her. “Are you telling me Cecilia Roberson is a hybrid? One half alien?”
“Not half, a small percentage…” Her father rubbed his eyes. “Sixteen point three, to be exact.”
“What does that make her?” She looked at him quite aghast. “And why do it?”
“Roberson demanded it.” He replied with a shrug. “He wanted to secure the future of humanity on a hostile world by engineering a new species suitable for this planet’s changing eco-system.”
“This gets scarier every minute.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “You’re saying he wanted to create a new species of human-alien hybrids to survive in the contaminated eco-system, a planet wide contamination that he initiated?”
“At that time we didn’t know he was behind it.” The retired director of Science Division said slowly. “Though I did have my suspicions when he showed up with some residual alien DNA.”
“Where did he get it from?” She looked at him wide eyed and open mouthed.
“He said he had found a dead alien somewhere in the outlands. He claimed it was possibly the planet’s indigenous life form.” Her father had a mirthless smile on his face. “Others laughed it off, some called it a hoax. Few took it as a joke and even humored him by showing interest. I included.”
“But if it’s true, Cecilia looks and behaves the same as any of us. Nothing about her indicates she has any kind of alien characteristic.” She frowned in confusion. “And what happened to her mother?”
“She never had one. It was an artificial incubation, and controlled gestation in a birthing matrix in the lab.” He said in a low tone. “Roberson hired a woman to play the role of a mother for the child for six years… then staged her fake death and raised the girl himself.”
“He’s more alien than any alien I can think of.” She leaned back on her chair all the way, her head in her hands. “How can anyone with a mind as sharp as… to even think like this, it’s megalomaniacal.”
“I had little to do with him after that,” Her father said with a deep sigh. “…and concentrated solely on my work with the Science Division until I retired.”
“We have to get this sick man removed, Dad, and locked up for life even… maybe on some other planet, far away from New Earth One. And oh, are there any more hybrids like here walking around?”
“Nothing on record.” Milton Scott said. “Cecilia Roberson’s the only one on file. And unless Roberson has a secret lab surreptitiously funded somewhere, then she’s the only one on this planet.”
“I want the exact sequential codes, Dad… her genetic data, the alien data, everything.” Regina began pacing around the small lab space. “I can come up with a detection device to find out if there are anymore surprises like her in store for us.”
“I can get a hold of some of the data files.” Her father replied. “If Roberson hasn’t destroyed them.”
“Oh, wait… there was a lot of secret info from Roberson’s office when Garth spied on him.” She sat up abruptly, making her chair protest loudly. “Most of it we haven’t even looked at. I’m betting we can find something in there.”
“There might be a good chance of that.” Milton Scott gave her a look of concern. “And Gina, not a single word about this to anyone… not even to your man Evans.”
“He’s not my… oh, never mind.” She exhaled, shaking her head at her father. “Yes, I agree… no one else needs to know this. But this Cecilia Roberson… what is her mad father’s agenda with her?”
“What ever it is, it’s of little priority to him now.” The gray haired senior Scott said, and then pointed at the screens. “Look, the readings scrolling down are changing in density and recurrence.”
“Yes, there’s a shift in the dynamics. We’re almost there… another half hour at the most.” She said, focusing back on the rapid flow of columned codes scrolling downward. “Once we initiate the reversal, the aliens have nothing to gain from here.”
“Let’s hope our boys and girls wipe them out long before that.” Her father leaned back and stretched.
“We can hope… what the fudge?” She jerked at the sudden weird series of beeps and buzzes every piece of equipment began making all at once. “Something’s happening… it’s fading away, and freezing… not now, not when we are so close.”
“It has to be happening out there, at the site.” Milton Scott was staring at the screens intensely. “Either the aliens have it in their control or it’s destroyed.”
“It’s destroyed… the connection is dead now.” Regina slammed her small fist into her palm
. “If the aliens had taken it over, we’d still be getting the information feed here.”
And just then her little handheld device started beeping an incoming call. She transmitted the call to the larger receiver in the lab and answered it. Garth Evans looked back at them from the wall mounted monitor. He was inside one of the fighter ships and without his helmet on. He looked visibly tired, but his face held its customary placid demeanor.
“It’s over, Regina.” Evans said in his usual calm voice, but she detected an edge to it. “We had to destroy the core control centre, cave and all. The aliens that took over the cave are all dead. And the rest have scattered all over the area, in retreat.”
“That calls for a celebration.” She tried to sound positive but failed, for she knew what he had to say next.
“Maybe Roberson will celebrate; it all seemed to work out well for him.” Evans looked away from the camera for a moment. “The aliens were almost getting full control of the core control set up, Regina. We had to blow it to hell before they got complete access and initiated a full scale contamination.”
“Yeah, I understand.” She told him, smiling weakly. “We were this close… another half hour and it could have really been a celebration.”
“I’m going to lead an area wide sweep and exterminate the escaping aliens, and then make my report to High Command. I’ll see you in a bit. Evans out.”
“Take care.” She told him.
“You too.” She heard him say as his image on the screen faded to black.
“So what happens now?” Her father asked forlornly.
“We have a few million terabytes of secret alien codes.” She told him. “With nothing to do to reverse the contamination. Without the alien core control center operating, it’ll take forty to fifty years for the natural order of this planet to fall back into place.”
“Too long a time.” Doctor Scott senior looked at her morosely. “And all that while, Roberson will stay in charge… in fact, right now I’m sure he’s working on that plan.”
“Not if I can help it, Dad.” Regina replied with firm resolve. “With all this collected data, we can build a core generator and reverse the contamination. I’ll work on an upgraded model to speed up the process. The planet can be back to its original condition in five or six years.”
