by William Lee
“Hey Mike, let’s go for a walk in the vineyard.”
“I don’t think it’s allowed,” Mike protested.
“I promise you will not regret it.” She tilted her head down and puckered up her lips as if to pout.
She grabbed Mike by the hand, and they slipped into the darkness. Their eyes quickly adjusted to the night, and they walked by moonlight toward the cliffs that overlooked the river. The large rustic lodge of a winery faded away into the distance. The sound of music was replaced with the soft sound of the river lapping at the small sandy beach at the bottom of the steep cliff.
Nikita dropped to her knees in front of Mike and unbuttoned his jeans. She pulled down his zipper and took him into her mouth. Mike closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A few minutes later Mike patted her on the head indicating that she should be prepared for the big finale. She didn’t stop until it was over. She rose to her feet and hugged him. He hugged her back and whispered, “That was incredible.”
“I wish I could do that for you more often. There is a way out for you.”
He stood back with a puzzled look on his face.
“I know who you are. I know you are from another planet. I know you work for a top-secret government agency, building weapons. I can help you escape.”
“What? How do you know? How can you help me escape? You are a spy?” Mike was clearly horrified. “Oh, my god. They could kill me just for talking to you. Do you know I have body guards? They will probably be here any minute. Shit.” Mike shouted.
“I disabled their tracking device; we lost your security hours ago,” Nikita said. “I made them the first day we met.”
“You were sent here to spy on me? All this time we have spent, it has just been to what? Get me to leave my job and come work for you? I feel like such a fool. I was falling for you, but you played me. You played me for a fool.”
“That’s not true. I really like you. I would have spent this past week with you regardless of my job. I had a great time and would do it again! Yes, I met you because of my job, but that’s how a lot of people meet. Yes, I was doing my job, but the sex, the sex I did for myself, for us.” She was desperate for him to understand her.
Should I drop the L word? Things are really coming unglued here. Shit, if I have to kill him, can I even do it? Where is the Master?
“So, what now? If I say no? What if I just walk back to the winery?”
“Don’t, please don’t! I love you. I want you to be with me. I know that means you have to quit your job, but we can offer you so much more. We can make you free! You want to live out in the open; it can happen. You want to be a politician; it can happen. You want to be with me, it can happen. Just don’t turn around.”
He stood there, looking into the tears pouring out of her eyes. He knew she believed what she was saying. Whether it was true or not, was another story. She could believe every word she said, but she could still be wrong, dead wrong.
“I believe you. How could your people promise so much? The U.S. Government will chase me down if I leave. You know that.”
“I don’t work for a government. I work for an alien nation. A nation that controls all governments, including the U.S. Government.”
Mike looked confused, “But how?”
“Trust me. Are you willing to come with me? Are you willing to trust me?”
Mike looked directly into her earnest eyes. “Yes,” he answered. “I will go with you.”
No sooner had the word passed through his lips, did the Master’s antigravity fighter materialize. It was hovering at eye level, just over the cliff, 40 feet below the slow-moving river. Mike jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the strange craft. It silently moved towards them so that it was above the vineyard, between the cliff and them.
“What is that?” Mike asked.
“It’s a space ship. You should know that, Mike.” Nikita rolled her eyes.
“Damn it. I know it’s a space ship. I meant, what is it doing here?”
“That’s my boss, our boss now.”
A hatch opened near the bottom of the craft, and stairs descended to the soft earth below. Calidus walked down the steps and directly up to Mike.
“My name is Calidus Delusor.” The alien stood seven and half feet tall and had a dark gray complexion with large black eyes. He appeared to be thick and muscular, but his body was mostly covered by a dark metallic armor.
Mike looked up at the beast towering over him. “Nikita tells me you can offer me a better deal than the Americans?”
“I can offer you freedom from your captors. I have a secret base, as large as a small country, where you could move about freely and work in the field of your choice. But coming to work for me is a reward.”
“A reward for what?”
“You must bring me something, something of value from your current employer.”
“What do you need?” Mike asked.
“In time.” The beast paused, “You must first prove to me your loyalty.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Mike stood before the powerful creature. He had never seen a Large Gray alien in the wild. He had seen them in captivity; most of them had been killed in battle. Seeing one in person, standing almost eight feet tall in full battle armor, was frightening, to say the least.
This thing could kill me at any moment. Every word I speak could be my last.
“What would you have me do?” Mike asked, fearing the answer.
“You must prove that you are loyal to me,” the creature hissed in its throaty voice.
“But how?” Mike asked again. The creature stood between Mike and the disc shaped craft near the cliffs. Mike noticed that all the clouds had disappeared and that thousands of stars were sparkling in the sky behind a bright, full moon.
The self-proclaimed Calidus Delusor pulled a Glock 22 from a concealed compartment within the armor on his right leg. In the blink of an eye, Calidus was holding the pistol by the barrel with the handle facing toward Mike.
“Take the gun,” Calidus ordered.
Why does he want me to take the gun? Is it a trick, so he can kill me? But why do that? He has the upper hand he can kill me anyway.
Mike reached out and took the pistol. Calidus released his grip on the barrel. Mike dropped the hand with the pistol to his side, telegraphing to the creature that he was no threat.
With an evil twinkle in his pitch-black eye, Calidus said, “Now, shoot Nikita.”
Mike saw the terror and surprise in Nikita’s eyes, she took a step backwards.
“No, why?” Nikita took another step back. It was clear she was surprised by Calidus’ command.
“I have done nothing but serve you. I did everything you asked. Why would you have him kill me?” she demanded in a trembling voice.
“Shoot her.” Calidus’ voice was louder and more terrifying.
Mike looked back at Calidus. “Why do you need me to kill her? She has done nothing wrong. There has got to be another way for me to prove my loyalty.”
“Shoot her, or I will shoot you both,” Calidus demanded, his voice raising.
What if I turn the gun on Calidus instead? I could shoot him, and then Nikita and I could run.
“Please, Calidus Delusor, I want to prove my worth. I will do anything else you wish. I will kill someone else for you. I love her.”
Nikita looked at him.
“The only way to prove your loyalty is to kill her now,” Calidus hissed.
If I don’t kill her, he will kill us both. Maybe this is just a test. Maybe she is in on it. Maybe if I pull the trigger, I will prove my worth and she will be okay.
Mike turned to Nikita and slowly raised the Glock. Nikita was less than five feet from him. The moonlight reflected off her face, showing the fear in her eyes.
She is a spy. She probably practices looking scared in the mirror.
“No. Don’t. Please don’t shoot me,” She screamed.
Mike pointed the Glock directly at her face. He peered d
own the short barrel, the fixed barrel sights lined up on her tearful eyes.
“Please don’t shoot me. I love you,” she sobbed.
I have no choice. The beast would not hand me a weapon that could kill an Ondagra. This pistol probably only has one shot anyway. I bet the bullet would bounce off his armor.
With that justification, Mike closed his eyes and jerked the trigger. The gunshot was deafening, as the Glock recoiled in his hand. He dropped the weapon and opened his eyes. He saw Nikita reach for her face and fall back in the dirt between two rows of grape vines.
“Why did I have to do that?” Mike cried, as he began to hyperventilate.
“I have to be able to trust you. If you would kill the woman you love, then maybe I can use you,” Calidus said.
“What next? Do I come with you?” Mike asked, between short, and shallow breaths.
“No. You go back to work and pretend this never happened. I will be in contact with you,” the large creature explained.
“But how? I stay on a top-secret military base where all communications are monitored.” Mike glanced over at Nikita’s body.
The large creature stepped toward him and withdrew an ornate dagger from his armor. With his other hand, the creature grabbed Mike’s wrist, and with lightning speed, sliced open his forearm. Blood flowed down Mike’s wrist and fell into the soft soil.
“Hey, what the hell. Why did you cut my arm?” Mike demanded, as he glanced over at Nikita’s motionless body.
The creature, still firmly gripping Mike’s hand, said, “We will have a psychic connection. One that your human security forces will not be able to detect.”
“You need to implant a devise in me for a psychic connection?” Mike asked skeptically.
“No, the psychic connection is completely biological, but it only works when we are within 50 miles of one another.”
“Well, I’m going to be in Utah,” Mike responded flatly.
Calidus pulled a small, hairy device from a compartment on his chest armor.
“Hey, what’s that? Is it alive? Is that hair? They will be able to detect a device in me.”
“You ask too many questions. This implant is biological and contains no metal. The human scanners will never be able to sense that it is inside you. This device will amplify your thoughts, so that I can communicate with you from thousands of miles away. Just say my name, and it will activate; then we can speak.”
“What do want me to take from the humans?” Mike said, as his breathing became more relaxed. But, even in this tense situation, the guilt from killing Nikita was starting to weigh heavily on his mind.
“You will know when you see it. Until then, go about your day as if nothing has changed. I will be waiting to hear from you.”
Nikita’s body twitched. Mike spun around to see her struggling to pull herself up off the ground. She made a coughed and gasped for air. Mike rushed to her side and dropped to one knee to help lift her head.
“Are you okay?” he asked, as he helped her turn over.
How can this be? How could she be alive? I shot her in the face.
Calidus stepped toward them, his hulking body blocking out the moon light. “She should be fine. You shot her with a cotton ball. The cartridge had gun powder, but I replaced the lead bullet with a wad of cotton. She had no idea.”
“You. Fucking. Asshole. You shot me in the face!” Nikita screamed. She jumped to her feet. Mike stood up with her, holding her steady.
“I’m so glad you are okay,” Mike sputtered in shock.
Nikita thrust her knee into Mike’s groin as hard as she could. Mike doubled over in pain and dropped to his knees.
“You love me? You’re an asshole!” Nikita screamed.
Nikita punched Mike in the face. Mike could not block the powerful blow to his left cheek and eye because he was still clutching his aching balls with both hands.
“You tried to kill me. How can you fuck me and then try to kill me?”
Calidus stepped back. “Well, I see you two have a lot to talk about. Nikita, you can get your revenge, but make sure he gets back to his hotel in one piece. He works for me now, just like you. Is that understood?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Last Week
Major Morgan “Snap” Slade stepped from behind the low, stone wall and fired the laser rifle at the AK-47 wielding man wearing a black hood. The 100-kilowatt laser beam instantly burned a hole through the chest of the hooded gunman. The gunman dropped to his knees and fell face-forward into the dirt, still clutching the archaic Soviet assault rifle. Snap ducked and ran forward, toward the blackened hulk of a late model pickup truck, keeping his eyes on the compound the whole time.
Snap and his twelve-man squad were attempting to neutralize a terrorist compound that was holding an ambassador’s daughter hostage. Intelligence reports indicated that the compound contained 25 insurgents and three hostages. Peering around the front bumper of the wrecked truck, Snap could see three terrorists on the compound’s wall. Snap’s Head Up Display, or HUD for short, built into the visor of his helmet, indicated that the hostile nearest to him on the wall was armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher, or RPG for short. “That’s the one to target first,” Snap thought.
Snap stood from his concealed position and easily lifted the forty-pound laser rifle, also known as a DE Rifle, up toward the RPG wielding terrorist. The HUD in his visor glowed red when the laser locked on the target, Snap squeezed the trigger. A flash of light burned a hole through the center of the hostile’s chest. The target fell off the wall, dropping his RPG. Snap immediately shifted his weapon toward the other two terrorists, the HUD glowing red in his visor when the laser had locked on both targets at once. Both terrorists fell from their positions on the wall, their AK-47s having never fired a shot.
The HUD indicated enemies in red and team mates as green dots on the visor screen. Most of his team was still behind him, and the remaining terrorists were inside the walled compound. “I’m going to breach the door!”
“Roger that, Major,” Josh Miller said through the communications device that was built into his helmet.
Snap ran toward the steel door. The 200-pound armor suit he was wearing, commonly referred to as FALOS armor, also known as Fusion-powered Armor Light Operator System, allowed him to run at 25 miles per hour because it was powered by a micro modular fusion reactor, or MMFR for short. Snap reached the door and kicked it with his right foot. The titanium exoskeleton that supported the weight of the heavy armor easily smashed down the steel door.
Snap immediately backed away from the gaping hole that had once been a heavy security door. His squad ran through the opening, weapons ready. INTEL suggested that they would have to secure the building in less than four minutes if they hoped to save the hostages. Once in the compound, the team ran toward the two-story building, taking out two more rooftop terrorists as they ran. Breaching the building was even easier than breaking down the compound door. Half the team entered the building; the other half branched off to secure the rest of area.
Inside, the building was dark, as all the windows were boarded shut. Snap’s visor automatically switched to night vison.
“Target eliminated,” Snap heard in his COM system.
“Target eliminated.” This time it was Moore.
“Target eliminated,” Martin said.
Snap ran up the stairs to his left. As he turned on the balcony, he saw a man holding an AK-47. He was too late. The man opened fire at point blank range. A barrage of 7.62x39 rounds slammed into Snap’s chest.
Shit. Am I going to die? This can’t be how it ends, in some shitty town in the middle of nowhere.
The kinetic force of the rounds pushed Snap down the stairs, but they did not penetrate his FALOS armor. Snap regained his balance and aimed the DE rifle at the masked man. The man knew it was over; he tried to back up and run, but it was too late. Snap pulled the trigger before his targeting system locked on to the man. It did not matter. At this range, Sn
ap could not miss. The masked man was nearly cut in two by the laser.
“Target eliminated,” Snap said into his COM so that the rest of his team would know.
“Courtyard clear,” Jackson reported.
Snap turned right at the top of the stairs to see a long, dark hallway with several closed doors. The helmet’s built-in night vision allowed Snap to see in the dark. He kicked the first door on the right, and it swung open with the sound of splintering wood to reveal an empty room.
The next two rooms were empty, also. Williams and Johnson were at his back.
“Rear of compound, clear,” crackled over the COM system.
“First floor clear,” Neal West said.
“Rear entrance clear,” Ryan Taylor said.
Where are the hostages? There are more doors upstairs. They must be here.
Williams and Johnson were wearing the same exoskeleton armored suits that Snap was wearing. Williams pointed at the next door, indicating that he would kick it down and that Snap and Johnson should rush in. On his cue, Snap rushed into the dark room, Johnson directly behind him. Snap felt a crushing pain, as the terrorist’s huge fist slammed into his face. He tumbled back, and Johnson shot the terrorist with his laser gun. Snap, sitting on the floor, looked up and realized that the terrorist was nine feet tall and wearing advanced battle armor. Snap jumped to his feet, the FALOS suit easily lifting the hundreds of pounds of armor and laser gun.
Snap tried to raise his DE rifle up to the huge hostile, but he was once again knocked to his knees. Three more flashes of light. Three more direct hits. It seemed his laser was completely ineffective against this insurgent’s armor. Snap’s eyes focused on the giant’s face; it is not human. The tall creature had taunt grey skin. The rest of his features were shielded by his helmet.
The creature threw its hands up, as if to surrender, and three shards of light burst from a device on its chest. Williams, Johnson, and Taylor were violently thrown against the wall and slumped to the floor. Snap knew they were dead. The creature stood over him. He tried to raise his DE rifle, to no avail. The shard of light cut through Snap’s armor and flesh like a hot knife through butter. Everything faded to black as Snap lost consciousness.
