“My wife and kids were in Philadelphia when it was nuked,” continued Hatter, taking off his helmet and laying down his rifle. “I doubt if they even knew what hit them before they died.”
“I was supposed to be married next month,” Private Denise Mayfield said with a faraway look in her eyes. “Matt was at Norfolk when it was taken out.”
A screaming noise hurtled from the sky and they all threw themselves flat on the ground. It was one of the Trellixians’ warp missiles launched by their small attack craft. With an earth-shaking explosion it struck the ground, throwing dirt and rocks over a wide area.
“I hate those damn missiles,” muttered Marlin as he crawled back to the edge of the crater to peer over the rim again.
All he could see was smoke and burning vehicles. Occasionally he could hear weapons fire but it was markedly reduced from what it had been a few hours earlier. The battle was winding down and the defending humans were not on the winning side. He slid back down and looked at the others.
“What do we do, Lieutenant?” asked Private Mayfield. “I don’t want to die.”
“Make for the mountains,” Marlin replied.
In the last two days he had seen too much death. Now he just wanted to escape and get away from the fighting. He had done his share. His parents had a cabin in an isolated area. If they could make it there they might have a chance to survive. A shadow suddenly fell over him. He saw Private Mayfield grab her rifle and fire at something behind him with fear in her eyes. Just as Marlin turned around a beam of energy struck Mayfield in the chest, cutting her in two. She didn’t even have time to scream.
Standing at the top of the bomb crater was a Trellixian clad in full battle armor with helmet and protective visor. He aimed an energy rifle toward Corporal Hatter. Marlin brought up his rifle but before he could pull the trigger, a searing pain passed through his chest. Looking down, he saw a smoking wound with very little blood. He collapsed to the ground with his head turned toward Corporal Hatter and the other two privates. All three were hit by multiple energy beams from more Trellixians. Marlin could feel his heart beating wildly and strangely there was no pain. As he lay there, one of the Trellixians descended into the crater to stand over him. With a snarl the armor-clad Trellixian kicked Marlin in the head, sending him into oblivion.
-
At the underground Command Center, beneath the smoking rubble of the White House General Mason turned toward the president. “We’re beaten. All our forces defending Washington have been annihilated. Our few commanders still alive in the field report heavy casualties and a total breakdown of command. The few troops who survived the battle are fleeing, trying to escape the advancing Trellixians.”
“We still have some communications with USSTRATCOM,” reported Dwight Meadows. “The Trellixians have been using their battlecruisers to bombard the surface with energy weapons wherever they’ve met strong resistance. In several instances the battlecruisers have descended to just a few miles above the surface before they commenced bombardment.”
“What about our Air Force?”
“Useless,” General Mason replied. “In the few instances where we put up aircraft the Trellixian attack craft have shot them down. It’s the damn energy shields. We just can’t get around them. Even in this last battle we committed over one hundred attack helicopters. I don’t think they lasted an hour.”
“What does General Mitchell say?” President Drummond knew things looked bleak. All over the world the reports were the same. Defeat after defeat with massive casualties.
“All the secret facilities are locked down and have gone silent. Communication is only through secure underground lines. He’s hoping if they can discover the secret behind the Trellixian energy weapons and energy shields they may be able to launch a counter offensive. But that’ll be months away.”
“There won’t be many of us left by then,” said Drummond grimly. He knew from the scattered reports they had managed to receive from other world governments the loss of human life was already over four billion. Tens of millions were dying every day.
“A lot of people made it to the mountains,” Dwight said. “There will be survivors.”
“We have military units positioned to help them,” added Mason. “We also sent a lot of regular Army units as well as some Reserve and Guard units. The Trellixians will have a hell of a time digging our people out of there.”
Drummond was about to reply when the Command Center shook. “What was that?” Even when the nuke had struck Washington, the ground had barely moved. The Trellixians had dropped another nuke a few days back, attempting to destroy the underground Command Center.
“Trellixians have arrived,” reported Colonel Taylor, turning away from his command station.
“We can’t escape,” General Mason said softly. “All the underground escape routes were caved in by that last nuclear blast.”
“What about radiation?”
“It’s dissipated,” answered Colonel Taylor. “I don’t know what warheads the Trellixians used but after thirty hours nearly all the radiation was gone. We’ve received the same reports from every nation hit by the aliens’ nuclear weapons.”
President Drummond looked around the Situation Room; in none of the faces did he see any signs of fear. “Can we get to the surface?”
“No,” replied Colonel Taylor. “All the emergency exits are blocked, and we only have two ventilation shafts still functioning and they’re too small to crawl through.”
President Drummond let out a deep sigh. The country he had sworn to protect was all but gone. Only a few military units were left still fighting and in the next few days even those would be annihilated. “Do you think they know we’re down here?”
General Mason nodded. “We’ve been doing a lot of communicating. Part of that was to make them look for us and not General Mitchell.”
“It was necessary,” Drummond replied, his tired eyes focusing on the general. It had given General Mitchell time to get to the primary hidden military installation and make preparations to resist the Trellixians using guerilla warfare. It was the only option left to them.
“Mr. President, we could always fire off more of our nuclear weapons and make the planet useless to the enemy,” suggested Colonel Taylor. “We still have two Columbia Class subs sitting on the ocean floor waiting for orders. They have twelve missiles, each equipped with multiple warheads.”
President Drummond felt his breath catch in his throat. It was so tempting to deny the Trellixians the use of Earth. From what he had been told the use of those missiles would shove Earth over into a nuclear winter, something even the Trellixians did not want from the limited number of missiles they had used.
For a moment he considered it. Perhaps some humans would survive in the hidden facilities and other bunkers around the world. Shaking his head, he knew when the nuclear winter was over the Trellixians would return. It would only delay the inevitable.
“No, it would kill too many survivors. We have to put our trust into the research being done at our secret facilities.” Plans had been made for years, ever since the Roswell crash. It would be up to Professor Wilkens and others like him to save what was left of the human race.
The room shook again, and President Drummond looked at General Mason. “That one was stronger.”
“They’re hitting the surface with powerful missiles, trying to reach us.”
“I’ve lost contact with USSTRATCOM,” reported Dwight Meadows. “The receivers must have been destroyed in that last blast.”
“All our communications are down,” added Colonel Taylor, turning away from a large console. “We’ve lost satellites, everything.”
“Then this is the end,” said President Drummond, squaring his shoulders and looking around the room. “Let us pray that our fellow Americans continue this battle and someday free our planet from this oppression.”
The room shook again only more violently. The lights flickered but stayed on.
-
Battle Commander Balforr gazed at the ship’s main viewscreen showing the capital of the United States. Most of the buildings in the city had crumbled or had been destroyed by the nuclear blasts, one when the Humans had attacked his flagship and the second used to try to take out the Humans’ Command and Control Center. Sensors indicated the Humans’ command facility was located beneath one of the bigger destroyed buildings. Large numbers of enemy soldiers had gathered to try to prevent the Trellixian military from taking the city, demonstrating its strategic importance. That had suited Balforr as his forces and Battle Commander Traven’s had destroyed large numbers of the enemy.
“Missile bombardment continues,” reported Second Officer Jaltor. “Are you sure you don’t want to use a nuke to take out the command facility?”
“No, too many of our own troops are now in the city. We have crushed their resistance and, by blasting downwards and destroying this Command Center, we will demonstrate our power to the surviving enemy combatants.”
“We have never encountered such stiff resistance on a planet before,” Jaltor said as he watched several massive explosions shake the ground where the Human Command Center was located. The missiles were nonnuclear and had an explosive force of two kilotons. Each explosion penetrated deeper and deeper into the ground. Already a huge smoking crater was visible.
Battle Commander Balforr’s eyes narrowed sharply. “These Humans are resisting us at every point. Even their civilians fight. We have suffered more casualties than any invasion I have ever been involved in. This planet may take months to pacify and several years before the last human is hunted down.”
“What of the first colonization ships?”
“They will come with the third invasion fleet,” Balforr replied. “By then we should have some areas of the planet cleared of Humans where our colonists can settle.” He knew the High Command was anxious to begin sending the transports because of the intense population pressure from the overpopulated home worlds.
Second Officer Jaltor gazed at the viewscreen. Smoke covered much of the city where the missiles were targeted. A few buildings were still on fire. “It is good we attacked this world before they expanded to the stars.”
“The Jelnoids were troublesome enough. These Humans would have been much more so,” Balforr answered. He looked down at the three fingers on his right hand and the sharp, pointed nails. The nail on his thumb was trimmed shorter to make it easier to handle equipment.
“The third invasion fleet will be here in a few more days. We’ll use it to quell any hot spots on the planet where organized resistance remains. Then it will be just a matter of hunting down the scattered survivors. Without an organized military that should not be difficult, though it may be time-consuming. We have a number of reports of Humans fleeing into the mountains and there are numerous mountainous regions across this world.”
“We have other smaller battles raging across the planet. Wherever our forces go we’re meeting resistance.”
Balforr looked at Jaltor. “They throw their lives away uselessly. Our soldiers are covered in battle armor which their primitive weapons cannot penetrate. Our hover tanks and attack craft are protected by energy shields. To kill one of us they sacrifice thousands.”
On the viewscreen, the next missile struck the pit where the previous missiles had detonated. A huge pillar of fire and smoke erupted, throwing debris high into the air.
“That’s the end of their Command Center,” Battle Commander Balforr said, his eyes cold and harsh. “To resist us is futile.”
Second Officer Jaltor studied the latest report from Battle Commander Traven. “We lost twenty-seven hover tanks and 284 soldiers in the assault on their capital.”
“But they lost thousands and the battle field is covered with their destroyed armored vehicles,” replied Balforr dismissively. “We will continue to bombard them from orbit or lower if necessary. In time, this world will be ours.” Balforr was determined to conquer this planet. Other battles awaited his fleet on countless worlds. The Trellixian Empire must continue to expand to meet the demands of its rapidly growing population.
-
Just outside Denver on Interstate 70, a unit of the Colorado National Guard loaded up supplies on military trucks old enough not to have been affected by the EMP blasts. They were parked at a convenience store that had been looted by other fleeing survivors.
“That’s it,” reported Corporal Owens. “We loaded up all the water and all the canned goods. We lucked out as there were a lot of items in that back storage room.”
“What about diesel for the trucks?”
“Plenty,” Owens answered. “Private Lance is very good at using a siphoning hose. All the trucks are full as well as a number of spare fuel drums.”
Sergeant Tucker nodded as he stepped out of the door. The trucks were all parked beneath the big metal canopy covering the fuel pumps. It should prevent any Trellixian shuttles or attack craft from spotting them. Looking at the highway he saw a few vehicles race by heading toward the mountains. Denver had been hit by a nuke and most of the downtown area was leveled. In the distance he could still see smoke rising from some of the smoldering fires.
“We shouldn’t stay here too long,” said Corporal Owens. “There’s still a lot of traffic on the highway and about an hour ago a large group of civilians passed by on foot.”
Looking at the highway, Tucker saw an old truck take the exit ramp leading to the convenience store. It was dangerous to be out in the open during the day. Trellixian shuttles and their small wedge-shaped attack craft constantly patrolled. The old pickup pulled up and stopped when the driver saw the heavily armed soldiers. The driver hesitated for a moment and then opened the door and got out. Tucker could see a woman and at least one child in the truck.
“I just need some fuel,” the man stammered, staring nervously at the soldiers.
“Where are you from?” Tucker asked as he stepped nearer. The man appeared to be in his early thirties and was unarmed.
“Bennett,” the man replied nervously.
“Where are you heading?”
The man looked as if he wished he had stayed in his truck. “My parents run a small deep-woods camping area west of here in the mountains. We’re trying to get there.”
“Corporal Owens, have Private Lance fill up this man’s vehicle. I think Lance can siphon a little more diesel.”
The man looked relieved. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I pulled in and saw the military vehicles.”
“I think we’re all in the same boat. We’re just trying to find a place safe for our families.”
“I have my wife and daughter with me. We didn’t know where else to go.”
“The mountains should be safe for a while,” replied Tucker. “If your family is already established there and the campsites are far enough into the mountains you should be fine once you get there. We’re heading into the mountains ourselves.”
“They’re way back,” replied the man, nodding his head. “We’ll have to use a couple ATVs to get where we’re going.”
Private Lance came over with a couple containers of fuel and filled up the family’s pickup.
The man had a relieved look on his face once his vehicle was full. “Thanks,” he said. “We couldn’t make it with what fuel I had left in the truck.”
Sergeant Tucker thought for a moment. “If you want, you can come with us a ways.”
The man shook his head. “Thanks for the offer but we need to be on our way. I want to get to my parents’ lodge before dark.”
Tucker watched as the man got back into his vehicle and sped off, taking the ramp to get back on the highway.
“I hope he makes it,” said Corporal Owens as he watched the truck drive away. “It’s the middle of the day and his vehicle is in plain sight on that highway.”
Tucker nodded. He planned on leaving about an hour before dark, which should give them enough time to reach the part of the mountains they were heading f
or before the sun set. Tomorrow they would unload everything and hike deep into the national park. He had twenty guardsmen with him as well as their families. The old trucks were loaded with camping gear, food, water and whatever else they might need to survive. Owens knew of an old cabin deep in the park the park rangers occasionally used when on fire-watch duty. It would make an ideal base of operations if no one else was there.
“What now?” asked Owens.
“We wait,” answered Tucker, glancing at his watch. “We’ll leave in another three hours. Keep some guards posted. We may have others stopping by to check out this convenience store.” Tucker glanced toward the highway. For the moment it was empty of vehicles. It was no wonder as only older cars and pickups without a lot of electronics had escaped the EMP blasts.
-
Two hours passed by rapidly. Several times other vehicles or people came to the convenience store, looking for supplies or fuel. They stayed away from the heavily armed soldiers, though several did ask for help.
“I hate sending these people off without protection,” muttered Corporal Owens as he watched an old van pull away after getting fuel. Two older couples were inside. They weren’t sure where they were going, just away from the cities. From what Private Lance had reported they didn’t even have any camping gear.
“I wish we could do more,” replied Sergeant Tucker. “But we don’t have anymore room in our trucks and we have only limited supplies. It’s our families we have to be worried about. We did help them with the fuel and suggested they head up into the mountains.”
Corporal Owens nodded. “Most of those people won’t make it. They’re not prepared to survive in the mountains. Hell, most of those people don’t even know how to build a fire on their own. Camping out in an RV over the weekend is not the same as surviving long-term in the mountains.”
Earth Fall: Invasion : (Book One) Page 10
