Alone in the Crowd (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 3)

by Patrick Stutzman

  “This is the second night in a row.” She shook her head as she mulled over the details of the dream in her head before they faded from her conscious mind. Though the setting and people were different, the sequence of events was always the same. This time, she had been standing next to her parents outside their house in Seattle. The skies had been unusually clear of the normal traffic. Then, one of the Altiki ships had materialized above her and bathed her in a white beam that ripped her skyward. She had stretched her arms toward her parents, screaming for help, but they had only watched helplessly. Just before reaching the vessel’s underbelly, the beam had shut off, letting her plummet toward the ground. The nightmare had ended abruptly before she had hit the street below.

  “Anna?” Kate’s voice called to her through the door. “Anna, are you all right? I heard you screaming.”

  Scrubbing her face with her bare hands, Anna took another deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine, Kate. Just another nightmare.”

  “This is not normal for you.”

  Anna could not help but laugh. If Kate was anything, she was keenly observant of the obvious. “I know.”

  “Do you think it has something to do with the expected arrival of the other beings?”

  “Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mind is trying to tell me something.”

  Anna grabbed her wristcomp and checked the time, which showed 0336 hours. “Oh, god! I’m going to be dead tired again today. I can’t live like this.”

  “You could try drinking a cup of the coffee that Danica gave you last week.”

  Shaking her head, Anna stood, stretched her nude body, and pressed the switch to open the door. Paying little attention to the holographic woman standing on the other side, she walked past, mumbling something on her way to the ship’s head.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.” Kate followed the lone occupant to the doorway.

  “Hmm? Oh, I was just saying ‘Excuse me’. Sorry. I’m not awake yet.”

  Silence fell, and Anna looked at herself in the mirror. “At least the blue color in my face has finally faded. I look human again.” She brushed her teeth while willing herself to wake up a bit more.

  Kate stood in the doorway, watching her for a couple of minutes. “Are you going to be okay today?”

  Anna responded after spitting her mouthful of toothpaste into the sink. “I have to be. With tomorrow being the day we expect them to arrive, I am supposed to be there to help with the final preparations.” She rinsed her toothbrush, washed the rest of the toothpaste from her mouth, and stepped toward the shower stall.

  “Did you remember to tell them that the Altiki can cloak their vessels, Anna? Maybe they are already there, but the colony has not realized it yet.”

  Stepping into the shower, Anna smoothed her hair back as the water cascaded onto her head. “Yeah, that’s possible. I did give them the sensor readouts from our first encounter with their ship. I would think that the jarheads would figure it out and recalibrate their systems.”

  Kate shrugged. “Maybe the Altiki’s cloaking technology has changed since then.”

  “Or, they may not have arrived yet. In either case, I’m going back to the colony to help.”

  As she continued her shower, Anna paused and cast her gaze toward the ceiling upon hearing the roar of an aircraft passing overhead. The sound peaked and faded within the span of a few seconds. “Did you hear that, Kate?”

  “I did.”

  “I’d better hurry, then.”

  Anna arrived at the colony about half an hour later, landing in front of the main hall on the newly-repaired but slightly-rusted skycycle she had taken from the pirates almost a decade ago. She shut down the engine and took in the new sites around the square. Four small bunkers were erected at strategic points, and each of them was manned by two soldiers dressed for battle.

  “That explains the request for clearance.” Anna reflected on her flight around the colony for twenty minutes while they deliberated on allowing her to land. “I wonder if everybody else is going through that.” She let the thought roll around in her head as she jogged up the stairs and through the double doors.

  The sudden quiet that slapped Anna’s ears pulled her out of her cloud of thought, and she stopped and looked down the hallways. Nobody was within sight or earshot. She raised an eyebrow as she wondered where everybody was. Reaching the door to the communications room, she peeked in. The room was completely empty. All of the equipment had been removed, leaving an empty table against the far wall.

  Shutting the door, Anna frowned and crossed her arms. “Where did they go?” As she turned to leave, she spotted Danica pass through the intersection at the end of the corridor. “Danica!”

  The administrator poked her head around the corner, instantly spotting Anna approaching. “Anna, you need to get out of here.”

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I have ordered the colonists to evacuate the area, just in case your friends do arrive tomorrow. They are preparing to depart now.”

  Anna nodded. “Where are they going for shelter?”

  “We dug out a couple of shallow caves on the far side of the farmland. We should be able to make it there in a few minutes.”

  Danica lifted her hand to her ear, gently touching the communicator earpiece. Holding a finger up requesting her friend’s silence, she listened to the incoming message. “Copy that, colonel…I understand…” Her eyes closed for a few seconds, as a wave of sadness washed over her face. Her voice softened slightly after taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. “Okay, you have my authorization. Armstrong out.”

  “What was that about, Danica?” Anna stepped forward, concerned.

  Touching the power button on the earpiece, the leader sighed before answering, “You know about the power losses affecting many of the residences when we first arrived?” Anna nodded. “We are still experiencing them. Many of the scientists believe that the problem is directly linked to the pyramid. In fact, their studies have triangulated the source coming from that area.

  “Well, now the issue is affecting our tactical equipment, particularly our sensors. Our readouts have been showing glitches and false readings recently.” Anna shrugged.

  “I just gave the authorization for a missile strike on the pyramid to disable whatever is causing the problem.”

  Did Anna hear her right? A missile strike…on the pyramid? She blinked as she replayed the statement in her head and confirmed it. “What?”

  “I didn’t want to have to do this…”

  “You can’t do that, Danica!” Anna shouldered her way past her friend, despite the governor’s best attempts to hold her back, and barged through the doors leading to the square.

  Dozens, if not hundreds, of colonists carrying bags of supplies now filled the square, and more continued to trickle in from the connecting streets. The buzz of conversation was barely noticeable from inside the main hall, but its volume multiplied significantly without the barrier blocking it.

  “May I have your attention, please?” Danica’s voice bellowed out from behind Anna, causing her to flinch and move behind her friend. After the conversations died down, she continued, “I need each of you to form small groups of ten to fifteen people. Spread your groups out, so we can move out quickly and efficiently.”

  Anna leaned in and whispered into Danica’s ear, doing her best to keep her message discreet. “You have to stop the attack on the pyramid. I don’t think that it’s going to help you look good when they arrive.”

  Turning her head, Danica whispered back, “I have to look out for the interests of my people. If they cannot understand that, then that’s their problem.”

  “I’m looking out for their int…”

  Danica turned away and shouted to the crowd, “Move quickly, people. We don’t have much time.”

  A sigh of defeat escaped through Anna’s lips. She shook her head. She knew she could not change Danica’s mind.

  Just then, a deafening roar erupted ne
ar the airfield. Covering her ears with her hands like everyone else in the square, Anna looked toward the airfield, as two military-grade fighter craft ascended vertically.

  “No!” Anna could barely hear her own words and Danica’s attempt to stop her as she bolted past Danica and down the steps. Pushing her way through the throng, she moved through the square toward the airfield. She barely paid attention to what or who was in front of her as she kept her eyes glued to the fighters. The presence of two armed soldiers impeding her path brought her view back down and forced her to stop running toward the airfield. She instantly recognized Russell standing on the right.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” The large, muscular trooper directly in front of her hefted his rifle as if to emphasize his query.

  Anna, a little winded from the dash, tried to catch her breath between her words. “To…the airfield.”

  Russell shook her head, her mouth drawn into a tight line. “The airfield is off-limits to non-essential personnel. You don’t have sufficient clearance, Ms. Foster. Please return to the square and join with the other colonists.”

  “You don’t understand.” Shaking her head in return, Anna tried to move around the human barricade. “I need to reach the airfield. They must not attack the pyramid.”

  The soldiers moved with her, preventing any forward movement. “You are not permitted to visit the airfield,” he replied. “This is your last warning.”

  “Please don’t make us use force to restrain you,” added Russell.

  Anna stopped and stared at them incredulously. “Are you serious?” Seeing Russell’s subtle nod in response, she opened her mouth to speak, but a new sound mixed into the roar. Looking up, Anna watched as the fighters each launched two missiles toward the distant pyramid. She mouthed her dissent, wishing that what she was seeing was not real.

  The missiles shot from beneath the fighters’ wings and streaked through the air, until they exploded in midair about half a kilometer away. The shockwave from the explosion rushed past Anna and the two guards like a strong, but short-lived, wind. The sound coming from the fighter engines drowned out the distant gasps and cries from the center of town.

  “What the hell happened?” Russell asked aloud as she and her compatriot turned to see the fiery burst fade to a cloud of gray and white smoke.

  Anna chanted in a whisper while anxiously shaking her head. “No, no, no. They can’t be here already.”

  The other guard glanced at her over his shoulder. “What did you say?” But, Anna had already moved away, running back to the square.

  Rushing past the houses lining the lane, Anna focused on the path ahead, keeping an eye out for anyone who would try to stop her as she ran back to the main hall. When she finally reached the square, she found everyone talking among themselves and paying little attention to what Danica had previously asked them to do. She figured they were gossiping about the failed missile attack but could not discern their words over the wall of sound created by the hovering fighters.

  “Anna!”

  She turned to find Jason standing by her shouting over the deafening wall of sound. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. “Hi, Jason.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Not really. No time to explain. I need to get to Ms. Armstrong.”

  Jason pointed to the main hall. “She’s up there. It looks like she’s trying to get everybody organized, but nobody can hear her.”

  * * * * *

  With a quick nod, Anna pushed her way through the crowd. Jason glanced around hastily before rushing after her. “Wait! I need to tell you something.” Before he knew it, his pursuit came to a sudden halt, when Catherine appeared standing in his path.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Catherine, I need to follow Anna.”

  “Why?” She crossed her arms and adopted a stern expression.

  Jason, taken aback by her prodding, creased his brow. “Because, I’m her assistant and need to help her with what she’s doing.”

  “Oh, really?”

  Exasperated, he shouldered his way past her. “I don’t have time for this.”

  Anna eventually emerged from the mass of colonists at the foot of the stairs. Jason arrived a few seconds later, stopping short to avoid colliding with her.

  “Anna!” Danica cried. “Where have you been?”

  “You need to get the colonists to safety!”

  The administrator strained to hear her friend’s words. “What?”

  “Get the colonists to safety!”

  “I’m trying! They can’t hear me! I keep…” Danica stood upright and stared into the sky, just as a nearby colonist shouted to look. Anna and Jason turned to see the fighters fire two more missiles. Like before, they exploded a few hundred meters out. This time, Anna noticed a slight blue shimmer around the explosion.

  “There!” Anna pointed toward the explosion. “Did you see that?”

  Jason shook his head. “What? The explosion?”

  “No, there was a blue energy fluctuation around where the missiles detonated.”

  Behind her, Danica muttered something that barely reached Anna’s ears. “Oh, my god!”

  The entire group watched in silence as a large, hexagonal ship faded into view before their eyes. The vessel hovered effortlessly in the air and loomed over the landscape as though watching and waiting. To Anna, it appeared identical to the one she had encountered a decade ago, and she wondered if it was the same. What would it do? Was it going to attack or attempt to make peaceful contact? Considering that it had just withstood two missile attacks while cloaked, she felt less than optimistic about a nonviolent result.

  “Anna, is that the ship you’re expecting?” Danica’s shout snapped her out of her cloud of thought. Turning to face her, Anna nodded and returned her gaze to the Altiki ship.

  While she watched, she could barely make out Danica’s words. “Haven Control, Armstrong. Anna confirmed that it is our expected guests… Understood. Armstrong out.”

  “Danica?” Anna’s question barely reached her own ears. Stealing a glance at her friend, she found that the administrator still watched the sky and turned back in time to witness the two fighters rotate and launch two more missiles directly at the alien craft.

  Chapter 33

  “No!” Anna screamed, pulling clenched fists to her chest as she witnessed the explosions resulting from the missile salvo against the Altiki vessel. The energy shield surrounding the alien ship flared blue around the point of impact and faded as the incendiary effects faded.

  Three more streaks of white vapor penetrated the sky, originating from near the airfield, moving toward the large hexagon, while multiple smaller impacts created tiny blue ripples along the side of the craft facing the colony.

  Anna wheeled about to face Danica, a look of utter horror on her face. Her friend had her hand to her earpiece as she spoke.

  “William, get these colonists to safety. Now!”

  “Why, Danica? Why are you attacking them?”

  Danica looked down at Anna, appearing cool and collected. “You told us that they would come and take action against us. We decided to cut down on our losses and attack them first.”

  Anna stared at the administrator, her face shifting from horror to contempt. She shook her head, willing herself to not believe what she heard. “You don’t understand, Danica. You believe you’re trying to save the colony. What you just did was to start humanity’s first interstellar war.”

  “No, Anna. You don’t understand.” Danica’s eyes spewed flames into Anna’s very soul as the roar from the fighters’ engines faded, producing a welcome silence save for the myriad conversations from the finally moving colonists. “I am going to do everything in my power to protect this colony and its inhabitants.”

  “The Altiki are a superior force. They will destroy every living being in this colony if this attack continues. There must be a better way.”

  Danica shook her head, denying Anna’s conclusion. “We h
ave a full military contingent here prepared to defend this colony. On top of that, we have a colony ship in orbit with a frigate providing escort. If this vessel of yours proves to be a threat, then the frigate will come into play.”

  “One ship?” Anna scoffed at the Danica’s confession. “If my suspicions are correct, that one ship doesn’t stand a chance.”

  “And, what do you suspect?”

  “I believe this is the Altiki’s homeworld.”

  Danica recoiled from the statement. A second later after the initial shock wore off, she chuckled. “This?” She raised her arms, indicating their surroundings. “This is their homeworld? What makes you think that?”

  “Did you notice the creatures living here? You’ve seen the ones your hunters have brought back. You’ve seen the images from my reports and presentations. They all have six limbs configured in the same way as the Altiki. Where else have we found anything like that? And, what about the underground ruins discovered a few days ago?”

  “Ruins. That’s all that’s here is ruins. Where is this mighty civilization of theirs?”

  Anna stared darkly at Danica. “They’re a subterranean race. They don’t live on the surface like us. In fact, I believe that most of their population is on the dark side of this moon. If I am right and this is their homeworld, it would explain why you’ve never found any ion trails in the space leading here from anywhere else besides Earth. And if I’m right, they’re poised to launch an entire fleet of ships to take out any ships Earth sends out here.”

  Danica glanced at the Altiki ship. “Well, it doesn’t seem to be much of a threat so far. Maybe you’re wrong.”

  Several more missiles slammed against the alien craft’s energy shield, while small arms fire continued to pelt the ship from below. The soldiers positioned in the bunkers around the square withheld their fire, while the colonists rushed in an orderly fashion toward the tilled fields north of town.