The Ocoda Chronicles Book 1 Paladin

by Daniel OConnell

  A moment later, a Doctor enters Caleb's exam room, saying, "Commander, I need to double check these test results. Do you mind answering a few questions while I do this?"

  Caleb, feeling defeated, replies, "That's fine Doc." Caleb mutters to himself under his breath, "What does it matter anymore?"

  The Doctor asks a series of health-related questions, which continues for almost a half an hour. Caleb notices Val leaving his exam room from across the hall. Then two more Marine guards show up, along with two more nurses. The Doctor then leaves the room. Caleb thinks. Well, I hope Val is Ok. They look like they're letting him go.

  Moments later, Colonel Jackson enters the room, and asks, "Commander, you have anything you want to tell me?"

  Caleb looks at the Colonel and asks, "What can I tell you, I think you know more about what's going on with me, than I do."

  Colonel Jackson says, "These tests they did on you are off the charts. No human can have readings like this, your heartbeat, your blood pressure. Hell man, everything is off the scale. I'm sorry Commander, but I'm going to have to hold you here until some experts from Washington get down here." Jackson thinks. I'm sorry Caleb. I may owe you my life, but I have to follow orders, just like everyone else.

  Caleb, apathetic asks, "Is Val affected too?"

  Jackson apologetically replies, "No, Commander. It appears to be just you."

  Caleb pauses, confused, he thinks. Paladin. Why am I hearing my flight name echoing in my head?

  A few minutes later, Caleb and three Marines walk from the hospital to an office nearby on base. There the Marines stand guard, watching Caleb as he waits in the office.

  After a few hours, Caleb is so bored he begins looking through the base computer system.

  One of the guards noticing Caleb using the computer says, "Commander that computer isn't tied into the net, it's just a historical archive computer."

  Caleb replies, "Thank you, but I'm just looking to kill time while I'm stuck here, if that's Ok?" The Marine chuckles and goes back to waiting outside the room.

  Caleb continues looking through the computer when he notices naval battleships again. Not sure why he seems so focused on them, he stops and studies the images for several minutes.

  Then things start to happen. The computer locks into the USS Massachusetts and Battleship Cove, which is only 40 miles away.

  Caleb's body stiffens straight as he stands, knocking the chair over. Then he begins to float a few inches from the floor. His muscles strain as he is in deep agonizing pain. He grunts out in utter agony, "Oh, my god! The pain is unbearable! I feel like I'm being ripped in half." Caleb then passes out striking the floor with a loud thud. The Marines rush to Caleb's side, just as a force of energy explodes from Caleb's body, stunning the Marines.

  A brief moment later, the mysterious blue orb appears from Caleb's body. The orb rises upward with incredible velocity and blasts a hole through the ceiling. It quickly disappears into the night sky.

  Sirens sound, and more guards charge the room. Caleb lays unconscious.

  Commander White is the first officer to arrive. The Marines give detailed information about what they saw. Several medical personnel arrive moments later, quickly determining that Caleb's condition is grave and that he requires immediate medical attention. They rush Caleb back to the base hospital, escorted by heavily armed guards.

  Later in the night, about two hours after the events at Otis, news reports come in that the museum battleship, USS Massachusetts has disappeared from its pier, which was located at Battleship Cove in Fall River. This information catches Commander White's attention. He immediately races back to the holding area where Caleb was being held. He finds the holomonitor has the USS Massachusetts with all its specifications detailed on the screen.

  White concerned asks the Marine sergeant on duty, "This is not a coincidence, this screen is locked on to the exact dimensions and stats of the USS Massachusetts, and just a few hours later, it disappears, but why? What threat could a museum ship possibly be?"

  The Marine sergeant confused replies, "Sir, I don't know why sir."

  "Sergeant, what exactly was Commander Ocoda doing on this terminal?” White asks the guard.

  The sergeant replies, "Sir, he was just killing time. The holomonitor has no outside access. I didn't see it as a threat."

  White, accessing everything asks, "Ok sergeant did the Commander act or say anything before he collapsed?"

  The sergeant replies, "No, sir, he just dropped to the floor. We charged in when that blue thing appeared from out of nowhere. It knocked us to the ground, and before we could get up, it was gone."

  A few moments later, White receives a call from Jackson on his com. "Commander, what have you found?"

  White replies, "It appears Colonel that Caleb may have something to do with the disappearance of the USS Massachusetts. Other than that, I have no new information on this blue orb."

  Jackson now very annoyed replies, "I want you to get his brother-in-law back here now."

  White turns to the sergeant, saying, "You heard the Colonel, go get that man."

  The sergeant salutes, and runs off to go get Val Arao.

  Twenty-five minutes later, at the base hospital's lab department, a lab tech looks over Caleb's blood work. He’s in total astonishment. He immediately calls out to the air force guard, "Go get Colonel Jackson immediately."

  Five minutes later, Colonel Jackson shows up, and asks, "What have you found?"

  The tech walks over to a holoscreen, which shows Caleb's blood work and says, "Sir, this blood isn't human, at least not completely. There's a large amount of silica material attaching itself to his D.N.A... His body is being altered on a genetic level."

  Jackson confused asks, "Any idea what's causing it?"

  The lab tech, astonished replies, "No sir. Nothing that I can explain, it should be impossible for something like this to occur. It's well beyond any science that we could even imagine."

  Jackson leaves the room, and calls out on his holophone, "This is Colonel Jackson. I need a full containment unit down here now. We have a class one situation."

  Jackson hangs up his phone. He says to himself, "I'm sorry Caleb, but whatever you are, you're not the man that saved me anymore."

  Several minutes later, Val is rushed to the hospital's ICU, under heavy guard. Jackson sees him as he enters. Frustrated by recent events Jackson races over to him, grabs him, and throws him up against the wall. Pinning him there he yells angrily, "Ok, I need to know everything that's going on here, and I need to know it now!"

  Val shocked, yells back, "Get your hands off me now!"

  The sergeant approaches the Colonel from behind, and says, "Colonel, sir, he is just a civilian."

  Jackson backs off, letting Val back on his feet.

  Val regains his composure, and sharply asks, "What the hell is going on? Where is Caleb?"

  Jackson angry says, "Here!" He pulls back the curtain, and reveals Caleb lying on a hospital bed. His body is covered with tubes and needles. Machines pump oxygen, as two Doctors monitor his vitals.

  Jackson continues, "He collapsed in a holding room and that blue orb that you claim to have never seen. Well, it was there, it knocked out three Marines and vanished into the night sky, ripping apart a roof in the process."

  Val shocked, asks, "Is he all right? What's wrong with him?"

  Jackson, studying Val replies, "We don't know what's wrong with him, but from the tests and blood work, we know he isn't the man you knew before. His body is changing, becoming something alien, and with an aggressive alien force sitting out in high orbit waiting to destroy us. Well, Caleb just became a very big concern."

  Val stunned says, "Colonel, I don't know what to tell you, but I never saw this blue orb. I don't know what is happening."

  Jackson frustrated to no end says, "Well get comfortable then, because you're not going anywhere, not until we all know."

  Four additional days pass. Caleb is still comatose.

&nbs
p; He remains on life support, and the outlook is grim. Some of the world's top scientists have arrived at the base to study Caleb. They conduct thousands of tests and determine nothing. They do conclude, however, that moving him will absolutely kill him. Meanwhile, Val remains under heavy guard at the base. He agonizes through hours and hours of intense interrogation, by some of the top military and government officials.

  Colonel Jackson becomes aggravated with getting the same answers. He finally decides to try something different.

  "Val.” Jackson says, "I'm going out to Battleship Cove. I would like you to come with me."

  Val, exhausted asks, "Do I have a choice?"

  Jackson smiles, "You can stay here and go through a few more days of interrogation if you want."

  Val quickly follows Jackson to a helo waiting for them outside.

  After a brief twenty-minute flight, the helo lands near the last known location of the USS Massachusetts. Investigators and naval personnel have searched for days to find out what has happened.

  Jackson asks, "So Val, any ideas where our battleship is?"

  Val, fatigued replies, "Look, Colonel, I'm an engineer. I'm just a simple boring Filipino. I read the most boring things on the planet, and I have a bunch of useless degrees in science and engineering. Cale got me a good job working with him as his flight engineer, so that we both could spend more time with our families. A month later, the world goes to hell in a handbasket and I'm public enemy number two."

  Jackson irritated asks, "Well, how would you see it if you were me Mr. Arao? Your brother-in-law, a very highly decorated pilot is flying his jet when one of those fireballs heads right for him. He shouldn't have been able to avoid it, but he did. Then he lands this crippled jet on a major interstate. Avoids hitting over fifty or more cars, trucks, and buses and the moment the plane stops, the engines fall off. That’s a little bit beyond amazing Val. You know we have dozens of pictures of that blue glow encircling the plane. Then we found out that your brother-in-law is some kind of alien. Wouldn't you be a little suspicious?"

  Val snaps back. "Look Colonel, my brother-in-law lost his entire family in those attacks! He spent a week with me looking for something, anything, just to bury them! When I went to his home, two days after we got back, I found him lying unconscious on his floor. Caleb tried to kill himself Colonel."

  Jackson surprised, asks, "We have interrogated you for days. You said nothing about his attempted suicide. Do you think he knew he was changing? Maybe that's why he was trying to kill himself?” Jackson thinks to himself. He is very loyal to his brother-in-law. I've seen harder men crack under far less than what he was put through and not once did he let that information out.

  Val frustrated replies, "Colonel, I've known Cale for almost thirteen years, ever since he met my sister, and became part of our family. I know Cale as if he was my very own brother, and Colonel, he wanted to die because of losing his family, not because of this alien thing you're saying is inside him. Hell Colonel, he didn't even know about it until your Doctors started sticking needles and probes in him."

  Jackson impressed states, "Alright Val, I guess I'll take you at your word on that.” There's a lot more to this man than he lets on.

  The two sit down on the pier looking around, when Jackson speaks, "You know, I wasn't completely forthcoming to Caleb when he asked me if I remembered him."

  Val curious looks over, asking, "You do remember him?"

  "Yes.” Jackson smiles replying, "I remember him. He saved my ass that day. I was with my wing, and we were flying into restricted airspace over Myanmar. One of those missions that isn’t on the books, I was caught in some heavy flak, and I was hit. I could've, and probably should have returned, but when your father is the Admiral, you relentlessly have to be the example of a good soldier. You have to make sure not to embarrass the old man, so I stuck it out. Then, as if things couldn't get worse, my radar jamming went out half way through the mission. I was a sitting duck, just waiting for my ticket to be punched, when this insane pilot came out of nowhere. He put his fighter within an inch of mine and used his jammer to shield me until we got out of missile range. For some two hundred and fifty miles, he held his fighter inverted less than an inch from me. That was some of the best flying I had ever seen, and until the day he told me it was him, I never knew who that pilot was."

  Val grins as he replies, "Well Colonel, he has always been like that. You're a pilot, and that makes you his family in the air." Val humbly continues, "Our people have always, and always will be a family-based people. He was just protecting you, just like he would protect a brother."

  Jackson says, "Well Val, family is not one of my strong points, as I said before, my father was an Admiral and not really a family person. No, his family was his duty, and his country. We were just there for decoration, raised to be shining examples of his greatness…. Ah hell, never mind, anyways, I want to return the favor and apologize, for getting aggressive with you Val . . ." Jackson pauses again realizing just how he acted. He continues, "You are free to go, I doubt there is anything more you can tell us. Go back to your family."

  Val humbled, "Thank you Colonel, I'm sure my family would love to see me but I need to know Cale is ok. If you don't mind, I'd prefer to stay with him and see this out?"

  Jackson laughs, saying, "Yeah, I knew you were going to say that anyways."

  Val, cautiously states, "Cale, had mentioned serving under your father before. I believe he didn’t envy your childhood, but you should know too. Cale had no father or mother for most of his life. They died when he was very young. His grandparents raised him as best they could, but they were so very old, so as soon as he was able to go into the military he joined the Navy. He made that his family. When I finally met Cale, he was as distant and alone as any man I had ever met. It has been thirteen years and he still pulls away from his heritage. If he recovers, the two of you may find out you have much more in common, than not."

  Jackson replies, "Well Val, let's hope we get to find that out."

  The two men stand and start to walk back to the helo, when they both hear a momentary loud thunderous noise. They turn and see nothing. Then look at each other.

  Jackson surprised, asks, "You heard that too?"

  Val stunned replies, "Yeah, it was loud enough."

  Marine guards also hearing the noise quickly charge down the ramp, looking all around. Suddenly, the noise begins once more and the wind blows wildly like a hurricane. The noise becomes almost deafening, like the roar of a rocket taking off.

  Then, as quickly as it began, it is gone. Jackson, Val, and the Marines all look to one another completely dumbfounded.

  Jackson shakes his head, saying, "This is getting to be one hell of a month."

  The Following morning, in Washington D.C., some ten hours after the strange occurrence at Battleship Cove, President Angela Baker meets with the new Secretary-General of the United Nations, Wu lei Chan, of the People's Republic of China, in a closed breakfast meeting.

  President Baker greets Wu, saying, "It's a pleasure to see you again Wu. How is your daughter?"

  Chan focused on his objective replies, "Very well Angela, thank you for, asking, but I think its best we skip the pleasantries and get right to business."

  President Baker smiles and says, "Very well Wu, we have mobilized our military and prepared as many of the resources as we can. We are trying to use mostly prisoners and volunteers for our contribution to their demand for humans, but we are obviously coming up short. We don't see much action from other governments, including your own."

  Chan replies, "My government was crippled in the attack and is doing what it can. It appears that we may not be able to meet their deadline in time." Pausing for a moment Chan continues, "However, this is not the reason for my visit Madam President.” He pulls out a holopad, shows Baker a picture of Commander Caleb Ocoda, and asks. "It has come to my attention that you have captured one of these aliens, is this true?"

  Baker is astonished, and r
eplies, "You're speaking of the Naval Commander in New England." President Baker pauses, as she pulls a file out of her desk and then continues, passing the file to Chan, "He is not an alien Wu, at least not yet." Angela stands up, and looks out her window as she contemplates what she is about to say, "Our scientists think he may be some form of experiment, and these T-Challa may be testing to see what our people are capable of. Regardless of his importance, he is dying. Our Doctors don't believe he will live much longer."

  Chan glances at the file and asks, "I see, and what of this blue orb and the loss of your old battleship? What is their connection?"

  Baker's eyes go wide as she replies, "Well your people are very well informed aren’t they. We haven't gotten any information on either, but they are believed to be connected, we just don’t know how or why."

  Chan troubled replies, "This is very unfortunate. I would like to ask your permission for my daughter to see this man. My government would greatly appreciate it."

  Baker thoughtfully replies, "Your daughter will be allowed full access Wu, but only with our people present during her examination. And I will want to see her report, of course."

  Chan smiling replies, "Of course Angela, you’ll understand, with only 16 days left until the deadline, my government wants to consider all our options."

  Baker smiles, grabs her phone, and makes a call.

  Three hours later, a Chinese diplomatic jet carrying several Chinese security officers a few dignitaries and a very attractive Chinese woman lands at Otis. The woman is Doctor Qui Shi Chan. She is one of China's foremost Doctors, and the daughter of the current Secretary-General of United Nations, Wu lei Chan.

  Colonel Jackson, and several honor guards wait at the end of the tarmac.

  Jackson greets her, and is immediately smitten with her, he thinks. My god, she is incredible. What a body and a face like an angel. Qui Shi seems timid around Colonel Jackson as the two meet.