by Jay Cannon
***
“XO, good to see you join us,” greeted Captain Shisal. “I hope you enjoyed your liberty.”
“Yes, captain. It was most relaxing. I got in a couple of shows and even had time to get a massage and think about the future.”
“Good. I need you to be alert. We will be departing shortly and there could be complications.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“All departments are ready to go. Once the replenishment crew has finished its work we can calculate the final coordinates for departure. I want you to take over the departmental reports and drills. I’m going to make sure those guys finish their work in a timely fashion and get off my ship. You have the bridge.”
“Aye, captain, I have the bridge.”
***
At 4:30 a.m., Paul and Roger conferred with other scientists at the Kitt Peak National Observatory about the fact that Uranus was gone as well. At this point it seemed evident that something was impacting all the planets in the solar system except Pluto and Neptune, and that whatever was happening would eventually reach Earth. With this final revelation, Paul and Roger were at a loss for words. How could one justify not panicking? They reported the news to the White House without explanation or advice.
At 7:00 a.m., Dr. Turner finished her paperwork and began her rounds. She first looked in on Morgan’s mother, eager to see how she had progressed. She wondered if Pico’s ability could be duplicated with technology. Pico’s treatments had decreased the patient’s cranial pressure, permitting her to start moving her arms and legs and to exhibit periods of near consciousness.
Dr. Turner passed the guard and entered the room. She removed a syringe from her pocket and drew blood from Mrs. Stewart’s arm. She filled a vial and took it to the lab for analysis.
***
The door to the bridge opened. “Captain on the bridge!” everyone shouted as they jumped to attention.
“You have the bridge, captain,” said the XO. He moved away from the captain’s chair to let him take the seat.
“I have the bridge,” replied Captain Shisal. “Navigator, set a course for the Terran System. Hide us behind Earth’s moon, 400,000 kilometers out. As soon as we arrive, send out a scout ships to deactivate Earth’s artificial satellites and direct a simultaneous EMP blast against the planet. After that, place us in orbit around the planet and begin the invasion according to plan. We will have a short window to avoid the possibility of a nuclear counterstrike. Don’t mess this up! Navigator, when you are ready, initiate our transport to the Terran System.”
“Aye aye, captain,” responded the navigator. “Engaging now.”
“All departments on standby,” Shisal ordered. “Scout ship commander, is your ship manned and ready to launch?”
“Aye, captain.”
“Invasion fleet commander, is your fleet ready to depart?”
“Aye, captain, the fleet is ready to launch.”
Shisal opened a ship-wide channel. “Crew, this is your captain speaking. We are departing to complete our mission in the Terran System. This will be challenging. We need to stay focused until we have secured the planet for deployment of our mining vehicles. This mission has great earnings potential for many of you. Don’t jeopardize that by succumbing to complacency. Stay on the ready until this mission is concluded. Communications, play our battle music.”
“Aye, captain,” The communications officer had the music already queued up and he pushed a control to pipe the music throughout the ship as it slipped into dimensional space and disappeared from sight.
CHAPTER 46
MORGAN GETS CORNERED
Morgan woke up rubbing his eyes. He grabbed some clothes and headed upstairs for a quick bowl of cereal. Cheryl walked in as he was finishing.
“Morgan, is that all you’re going to eat for breakfast? I can cook you some pancakes and bacon.”
“I’m in a hurry, mom. I have to save the world.”
“Of course you do, son. Bring those planets back while you’re at it.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Gotta go now.”
“That kid is too strange for words,” she said to herself.
On his way back to the basement Morgan grabbed a couple of lemons and a handful of nails for Pico. He placed them in his quiver and slung it over his head. He placed a hunting knife in the quiver just in case he ran into Uan or another assassin.
“Pico, are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Today is a big day. We should start with you adjusting my brain so I can stay alert and focus on our mission.”
“Okay. Sit on the bed and be still.” Pico pulled out his shaman stone. It glowed blue as he concentrated on giving Morgan the focus he needed. “Done!” Pico announced.
“Great. I’ll call the hospital to check on my mother real quick and then we can execute our plan.”
Morgan headed out the door with Pico safely hanging on the outside of the quiver, keeping a lookout for Uan the assassin. Morgan pulled out his mobile phone and gave the nurse’s station a call to see if he could reach Dr. Turner.
Figure 14. Pico with Morgan hanging from quiver
“Eighth-floor nurse’s station. May I help you?” answered a nurse.
“This is Morgan. Is Dr. Turner available?”
“Yes, Morgan,” replied the nurse, “and she has some wonderful news for you. Hold on and let me go get her.”
A few moments later Dr. Turner picked up the phone.
“Morgan, this is Denise. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Denise. I don’t think I can come by today. I’m worried about that assassin coming back after me and Pico. It’s a shame, too, because I wanted to talk to you about the planets that have gone missing. I just don’t think it would be prudent to come by now.”
“I can understand that, but you might want to make an exception once you hear the news. Plus, there is a guard outside your mother’s room, so we should be safe. We haven’t seen or heard a trace of either of those two men who were here before.”
“What’s the news?” asked Morgan anxiously.
“I took some of your mother’s blood to the lab to check her white blood cell count and it is nearly normal.”
“That’s great,” replied Morgan.
“But that’s not the real news. When I returned to your mother’s room to check her vital signs, she was awake. With the tumors gone, the pressure on her reticular activating system was relieved, bringing her out of the coma. She’s still weak and groggy, but she is conscious and she asked for you.”
“Are you serious?” asked Morgan, about to tear up.
“Yes, I’m very serious.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there,” said Morgan, ending the call. “Pico, I need to make a quick detour to see my mother. Keep on the lookout for that assassin.”
“Will do,” Pico replied, although he was uncomfortable about Morgan’s decision.
Morgan went down the street to the first busy intersection and flagged a cab. “Take me to General Hospital. Drop me off inside the visitor’s garage and not out front, okay?”
“Okay,” replied the cabby.
The cab driver dropped them off inside the hospital garage, and Morgan paid the fare along with a tip to cover the parking fee.
“Pico, do you sense anything?” asked Morgan.
“No. It’s all clear,” replied Pico through their bond.
Morgan took the stairs to the eighth floor and walked down the hallway to his mother’s room. He opened the door and saw his mother, conscious and listening to Dr. Turner go over what had transpired the past few months, leaving out any mention of Pico or the assassin. Morgan closed the door behind and rushed to her side. He gave her a big hug.
“Momma, I missed you,” cried Morgan. “I missed you so much.”
“I know you did, Morgan,” she replied in a weak voice. “I’m so happy to see your face again. I wish I didn’t have to put you through this.”
“I’ll let you two
get reacquainted,” said Dr. Turner.
“Denise,” Morgan whispered, “could you take Pico and have him look at your brother?”
“Of course, but are you sure you want to do that?”
“Yes, I should be okay. I just want to spend a little more time with my mother before we go. Pico and I will stay in contact through our bond. Okay, Pico?”
“Yes, Morgan,” replied Pico, giving him a thumbs up. “I’ll be fine.”
“There are some lemons and nails in the quiver, which Pico needs for nourishment. He shouldn’t need anything else.”
“Don’t worry,” replied Denise. “I’ll take good care of him. By the way, Pico, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that thing you did to me. I haven’t been tired since. I’m sort of worried about the side effects, though,” said Denise as she walked down the hall toward the elevator.
At about 6:30 a.m., Calvin and Uan arrived at the hospital and parked outside on the curb with a clear view of the entrance. Uan pulled out his UCD and checked to see if his surveillance device was still in place and working. He could still see the closed door to Morgan’s mother’s room. He placed the device on his lap and alternately watched it and monitored the area around the hospital. He activated the UCD’s alert mechanism to signal him when anyone inside was detected, though most of the time it was just a nurse or patient walking by.
“Do you really think they will show up again?” Calvin asked. “After what happened the other day I would expect this to be the last place they would show their faces.”
“For now, this is our best lead,” responded Uan. “Eventually the boy will want to see his mother.”
“What happened to the radio?” asked Calvin as he twisted on the knobs. He looked around and noticed that the cars on the street had stopped their occupants were getting out, looking puzzled.
Uan looked around in surprise and missed the UCD’s alert announcing that Morgan had showed up and entered his mother’s room. Being impervious to EMP burst, the UCD still received the alert. “The invasion must have started. I can’t believe it is happening already. We have to get the alien right away.”
“What invasion? Who is starting what invasion?”
Uan ignored him and checked his UCD to see what alerts he missed. He noticed that Morgan had entered the room and Denise later left with Pico, leaving Morgan inside, next to his mother’s bed.
“They are back,” snarled Uan. “This time they will not get away.”
Uan cloaked, jumped out of the SUV, and headed to the hospital. On the eighth floor he found the guard banging on his flashlight, trying to get it to come on. Uan approached quietly and knocked him out with the handle of his spear. He dragged the guard’s limp body to a nearby closet and returned to the room where he opened the door to see Morgan next to his mother.
Morgan looked at the open door. Though he could not see Uan, he sensed his presence. Uan uncloaked and addressed Morgan.
“This time you die, Earthling!”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly I would like to thank my wife Renee for her support and patience as I wrote this book. My son Davon, who runs http://FamilyLobby.com, not only performed the first review of my book, but helped me find resources to complete my book and create a web presence to promote my book. A special thanks to Derek Canyon at http://derekjcanyon.blogspot.com/ who gave me a lot of guidance with how to publish and where to get additional assistance. I would like to thank Lisa Wu for assisting me with reviewing the Mandarin text.
Lastly, I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues for their inspiration with the content of this book.
