Custodian_Monster of Earth Book One

by Patrick F. Johnson

  “Fighting giant lizards with just a sword.” Frank was thoughtful. “I guess that's as good a way to die as any.”

  Phildan realized Frank wasn't joking. “What troubles you Frank? And I don't mean the Mingrein.”

  “I don't really want to talk about it, Phil.”

  Phildan was far too polite to press.

  Frank changed the subject back to planning. “What's a fog dome?”

  “The Li were also a reptilian species. As they sought to conquer worlds that were cooler than their home world, they discovered the lower heat would literally make them slow. So they developed the fog dome. I'm not sure exactly how they function, but I do know they somehow polarize a section of atmosphere in a radius around the dome generator. It causes the air inside the dome to heat up to their desired temperature. In some instances the air will steam up. Hence the name 'fog dome'.”

  “Can weapons penetrate the dome? And how do they deploy them?”

  “They are affixed to their versions of landing boats. Frank, you can simply walk through the barrier.”

  “Sounds easy enough. Take out the generator and then the Mingrein are easy pickings.”

  “Frank, the bigger the ship, the bigger the dome. And also the bigger the army of Rotinoms they carry.”

  “I knew their was a catch. Tell me about the Rotinoms.”

  “They are mindless organic automatons. They will follow orders to the specifications of their programming. They have been used for everything from construction to agriculture. But they are very astute with projectile weapons. They differ from automechs as they don't need charged by a power cell. They actually consume plant matter for energy. So in that way they are well matched with the Mingrein, as they pose no threat to their food source.”

  “What kind of numbers are we looking at?”

  “The Rotinoms may very well number into the billions overall. It is unknown how many are in route to either the Earth or the moon base. Mingrein numbers are unknown.”

  “Speaking of the moon base, why don't we just nuke it.”

  “We don't have any nukes, Frank. I could probably figure out how to build one, but they would torpedo it before it hit them.”

  “Well I guess I better sharpen my knives.” Frank could only laugh at the futility of it all.

  “May I sharpen them for you?”

  “Hey, if you want. But I want to make something clear between us. You can help only if you want. I mean with everything. I ain't gonna make you do anything you don't want to do.”

  “I certainly appreciate the sentiment, Frank, but I would most likely go insane if I didn't help.”

  “Well, alright then. I'm pretty much the same way. I haven't worked for a few days now and it's driving me nuts.”

  “Technically you are working now. What line of work are you in, normally?”

  “Construction.”

  “A most noble profession, Frank.”

  * * *

  Frank actually enjoyed having someone to talk shop with for a change. After a short conversation about some past building projects, Phildan took his leave to attend to his duties aboard the landing boat. Frank sat on the beach and stared once more at the waves. It seemed he could see farther today. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of the familiar orb flying quickly into view.

  “Frank, we've got company. Get aboard the boat please. Quickly.”

  “Yeah, sure thing, Gladys.” As he ran to the boat he mused over her quick mastery of less formal English. He positioned himself under where he knew one of the red circles to be, and was quickly raised into the ship. He followed the remote orb to Phildan's workshop. There was no command center by name, as wherever Phildan's pad was located became the bridge. “Who is it?”

  “Unknown.” Phildan flipped the pad around so Frank could see the screen.

  “That's a fishing boat guys. Nothing to worry about. But you probably don't want them to see us here. Talk about a big fish story...”

  “Agreed. Phildan activate the reflection array. Take her up in a low orbit, and avoid that moon!”

  “Okay, wow, what's a reflection array?”

  Phildan looked at him, considering the long answer and thought better of it. “It's camouflage.”

  The landing boat rose quickly, gaining speed as she went, but Frank could feel no movement. There were no g-forces felt at all. He was about to ask about it but didn't. It probably was something he wouldn't be able to understand, yet possessing some ridiculously simple name.

  “What's our next move, Mistress?”

  “I must admit I'm at a loss. I'm a scientist, not a strategist. How are your supplies holding up?”

  “We'll need more food by tomorrow at the latest.”

  “Hey guys?”

  “Yes, Frank”

  “While I've enjoyed my beach vacation and all, I really would like to shave and shower.”

  “Mistress, I believe we could drop Frank off on the surface while I come replenish our stores.” Phildan thought this was the best option for keeping Frank away from the Main Ship, and away from the Mistress.

  “That's a fine idea. But he needs a way to reach us should he need to.”

  “Hey, Phil, is there any room left in this bracelet for any more tech?”

  “I think I see where you're going with this.”

  * * *

  For the next several hours Frank wandered around the landing boat with Gladosanthos' orb in tow. He gave extra care to not step on any red circles.

  “They won't open on their own, Frank.”

  “Hey, accidents happen.” He wasn't ready to trust all this technology that he had zero understanding of. “While I have you alone, I want to ask you something.”

  “What is it?”

  “Well, I talked to Phil and I think I understand his motivations. But I have no clue why you are doing all of this? What's in it for you?”

  “I don't believe the Mingrein should be permitted to invade any more planets.”

  “There's more. Go on.” He could sense her holding back. “What aren't you telling me?”

  “Frank,” she paused, searching for the words, “I am very old. I last visited the Earth over two thousand Terran years ago.” He almost felt bad for giving her an old lady nickname. “There was another group of space travelers attempting to colonize here. In my studies, I had spent a great deal of time in this sector and I suppose I had grown rather sentimental. I was able to halt their efforts through diplomacy. I have considered myself to be something of a curator ever since.”

  “Are all of the Sessik so sentimental?”

  “Quite the contrary. I am definitely in the minority. I was unable to gain any support for this mission from the Grand Council, so I basically stole the Main Ship, and I'm afraid Phildan and I are all that exists of this movement.”

  “I can't speak for all humans, but I for one and very thankful for your sentiments. And stealing a spaceship is pretty fucking awesome, if you ask me.”

  “Thanks. It's my ship, really, but it's supposed to only be used for scientific endeavors. There are no armaments. Only a basic velocity shield.”

  “I'd still like to see that garden sometime. I used to do a little gardening myself.”

  “I didn't consider you as a gardener.”

  “I grew simple Earth vegetables and flowers for my mother and my neighbor.”

  “We'll have to trade tips sometime.” She sounded so sincere. He could sense the weight of her burden.

  “Tell me about your world.”

  “Sessik Home is a moon orbiting what you would call a gas giant. Our gravity is very low. I once heard a colleague say that if our world were any smaller, there wouldn't be gravity enough to hold down the atmosphere......”

  Just then Phildan found them and asked for Frank's wrist. “I installed a button, a light, and a vibration activator.”

  “Huh?”

  “Press the button when you want picked up. The light goes green when you're clear and cent
ered for raising. When the bracelet vibrates it means the Mistress wishes to speak with you.”

  “Oh, so there's a homing beacon then?”

  “Naturally.”

  “Phildan, if it's okay with Frank, I would like to accompany him to the surface.”

  “That's cool but I might have to put you in my pocket. I wouldn't even know how to explain your, uh, remote. I think its best to keep a low profile.”

  “Agreed.” Gladosanthos projected an image of the planet. “Where are we heading?”

  “Can you zoom in here?” Frank pointed to the area just below the Great Lakes. “Okay, more here.” They repeated the process until he was looking at the street level view of the East Side of Indianapolis. “My van should be sitting right there. So drop me off in this alley right here.”

  * * *

  As Phildan was operating the pad, he handed Frank his knives. “Here you are, all sharpened the best I could. I hope they are to your satisfaction.” Frank opened the oldest of the three. It was a razor.

  “Holy shit, Phil, this is amazing. This has to be the sharpest knife I have ever seen. Great job, Bro.” Phildan darkened and bowed.

  “We're here.”

  Frank looked to the orb as he stepped into the red circle. “Remember. Low profile.”

  It was a much farther drop than he anticipated. At first he feared there was a malfunction but as he fell closer to the surface his descent slowed and placed him gently onto his feet.

  “Damn, that's so awesome,” he said as the orb flew right into his pocket. He rounded the corner and was pleased to see his van was still parked where he had left it. He looked down the way toward Clyde's and saw some workers cleaning out the place. “Oh, shit.” He jogged down the sidewalk to investigate.

  “Sammie?” He popped his head in the door and quickly spotted his old friend inside, picking up pieces of broken glass. The place was in shambles. “What the hell happened here?”

  Sammie rose up from his crouched position. He looked like he had been hit by a truck. “I wish I knew. Frank Ford? Wow. Long time no see.”

  Frank walked behind the bar and located two of the only cans of beer that remained. They were the cheap stuff. He handed one to Sammie and opened the other one for himself.

  “I remembered coming in and opening up. Then the next thing I know, I'm in Detroit, Michigan.”

  Frank said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

  “So me and these other ten folks from around here end up at the police station up there. All these doctors and feds kept asking us a bunch of dumb fucking questions for a couple of days before they let us leave. I get back here and find the place like this. I'm ruined.” Sammie looked genuinely distraught. “Funny thing is I don't remember shit. They said it had been happening to people all over the place.”

  Frank drained half his beer in one drink. “Sammie, I got some money saved up. It ain't much, but I want to give it to you to help out. And I'll do as much work as I can, too.” Sam didn't even remember that Frank had been with them. “I just picked up a big job with some foreign contractors, so it will be hit and miss.”

  “You made my day Frank. I don't see you for God knows how long and you just roll in to save the day. You always were a good guy.”

  “I'm trying to get out more. But I'm late for a meeting so I'll hit you up later.”

  “Okay, Frank. Thanks again.”

  “Don't mention it.”

  * * *

  As soon as Frank pulled away in his van, Gladosanthos' orb floated out and positioned itself on the console, out of sight of any passing motorists or pedestrians. “I recognized him from the test. I feel just horrible about that now. I didn't consider those types of ramifications.”

  “I wish I had more money to give him. I'm afraid my time might be more useful elsewhere in the near future.”

  “Yes, undoubtedly.” She paused for a moment. “Frank, do humans still covet gold?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” He didn't think much of it at first. “I personally don't have much use for it. I had a ring once but that didn't last.”

  * * *

  She rode in his pocket once more, this time as he walked up the steps to his tiny one bedroom apartment. It was modestly furnished with little to no thought given to design. There was one recliner with a small table next to it holding a lamp. The chair was facing a medium sized flat screen television which shared a stand with a small stereo unit. Frank's tablet computer was sitting on the recliner.

  “You have a pad?” Gladosanthos was confused.

  “It's just a tablet computer. It doesn't do much except browse the internet and play games. I usually just use it to read books. It doesn't control space ships.” He chuckled.

  “Someone is supplying you with Li technology, and I need to find out who it is.” She positioned herself on the window seal. The sun had just peaked out from behind the clouds and the glare hit Frank's eyes.

  “Careful, you might roll off there.”

  “Oh, it will be fine. I'm just giving my remote a little charge.”

  “So it's solar powered?”

  “Just about everything we have is.”

  “Hey, excuse me for a second.” Frank opened the sliding patio door open to walk out onto the tiny balcony. He lit up a cigar, took two puffs, then put it out and returned inside.

  “What was that?”

  “Oh, just a nasty habit. One that I love. But you gotta die of something, right?” He grabbed a beer out of the fridge, turned on the television, and headed toward the bathroom. “I'll just be a little while.” He left Gladosanthos to watch a cable news channel.

  Frank entered the bathroom and began to disrobe. He then turned to the sink to begin the shaving process. He noticed the lines in his face seem to be less noticeable than before. And his five day growth of gray beard had black roots. He hit it once with a trimmer and debated on whether or not to used the regular razor. He went for it, as he didn't know when he'd have time to shave again. He needed a haircut but wasn't going to worry about that now. Unable to remove the bracelet, he called out to Gladosanthos, “Hey, is this bracelet waterproof?” She confirmed that it was so he took a long drink from his beer and got into the shower.

  A short time later, Frank opened the door to leave the bathroom to find the orb waiting in the hall, floating at eye level.

  “Jesus, Gladys. You scared the shit out of me!”

  “Frank,” her tone was grave, “you need to see this.”

  Frank was wrapped in a towel as he walked behind the orb into his living room. The news corespondents on the television were trying to keep their composure as the picture on the screen showed a large gray dome in what appeared to be somewhere in open country. The words on the screen read 'Near Ft Davis, TX.'

  “Cattle ranch.”

  “They are gathering food. They must be arriving in force.”

  “Well, I better gear up. It's a good day to die.”

  She didn't answer. The remote orb just hovered silently as Frank got dressed. He picked out his only pair of carpenter jeans that didn't have holes. Then he grabbed a plain gray t-shirt, then a clean gray hoodie. He decided over his choices of footwear. Instead of boots, he wore his skateboard shoes. Frank didn't skate, but the shoes were some of the only ones he could find that didn't hurt his feet. He loaded his knives into his pockets, with the two big ones in either front pocked and the little one on the side pocket of the right pant leg. He then walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out the ham and the cheese.

  “Do I have time to make a sandwich for the road?”

  “Frank, you can't eat that.”

  “Why not? It doesn't expire for a couple more days.”

  “Eating meat is taboo on my world. The thought of it is repulsive. I don't think we could work together if you were to continue.”

  “Oh, I see.” He dropped the ham into the trash can and grabbed a granola bar instead. So much for a last dinner. “Is the balcony big enough for a pickup?”<
br />
  “No. We better go in the yard behind this building.”

  Frank grabbed his keys, wallet, phone, and as an afterthought, the tablet computer. They rushed out the door, down the steps, and around the building. She didn't bother with getting into his pocket.

  “Frank, please grab a handful of that dirt for me. I need a soil sample.” He complied just as the light on his bracelet blinked green. One second later he was being raised into the landing boat. Frank was opening his granola bar when Phildan rounded the bend.

  “Sorry, Phil. I would have brought one for you but it's my last one.”

  “That's okay Frank, it looks disgusting.”

  “I'm sorry about the whole meat thing,” Gladosanthos said.

  “That's okay, Gladys, it's not a deal breaker.”

  “Humans weren't always meat eaters, you know?”

  “I was unaware.”

  Phildan was confused, “Beg your pardon, Mistress, but we can discuss Frank's diet later. We need to decide on a course of action.”

  “Hold tight, Phil,” Frank interjected, “how fast can you get me some internet on this?” He produced the tablet.

  “More Li technology, it shouldn't take long.” He took the tablet to his work bench and began working.

  “What are your thoughts, Frank?” Gladosanthos' tone was even more grave.

  “I want to get a live feed from that news channel. They have cameras on site. We should hold back a few miles and I don't know, recon?”

  “We're going to follow your lead on this.”

  A few minutes later, Phildan had the tablet up and running. Frank punched in the address for the news channel and located the link for the live feed. “Well, what do you know, the boat now has WiFi.” His mood was one of a death row inmate taking a cheerful stroll to the gas chamber. “Nothing is happening outside the dome yet. The military has set up a partial perimeter. They look like they're not trying to appear too hostile. Maybe they can talk them down.”