Echo Effect Complete Edition

by Robert D. Armstrong

  “We gotta go! Come on!” Captain Stewart yelled. The Omega’s humanoid-like legs and arms dangled lifelessly. Even the neck muscles seemed fatigued, nearly unable to keep the head lifted as it scurried forward like a spider, giving chase to the convoy.

  The driver stepped on the gas, and Lucas and Garza were tossed against the bed, tumbling around the back.

  “Open fire!” Captain Stewart yelled. Lucas glared at the soldier training his M-4 rifle on the approaching Omega.

  “Don’t do it! Put your weapon down and give up that artifact. You fire a thing and none of us will survive,” Lucas said.

  “Shut up!” the soldier struck Lucas in the face with the butt of his rifle, knocking him dizzy.

  “You’ve made a grave mistake.” The Omega’s voice echoed through the landscape.

  “Faster!” a soldier yelled to the driver.

  “Sergeant!” Garza yelled. He snapped around at her.

  “You got kids?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. He hesitated, glancing into the distance.

  “You do. Hear me out, if you don’t dump that artifact, you’ll never see them again, I can promise you that. It’s the only way,” she said.

  “Stop! I have my orders,” he yelled as the Omega whipped a tentacle toward the vehicle, spinning it, tossing them all out of the truck. Garza and Lucas tumbled for several feet as the artifact bounced down a small rocky ravine.

  “Ahhh-hh, my leg,” Lucas moaned, attempting to suppress the pain. He panned around frantically for the artifact.

  “There,” Garza whispered as the Omega rocketed past them toward Ritter’s Humvee.

  “Stay low. The Omega’s distracted. We’ll wait here, my men won’t be far behind,” Lucas said.

  Chapter Seven

  “Mike, wake up,” Vala whispered from the passenger seat, leaning on his shoulder. Michael was reclined in the driver’s seat with his hoodie on.

  “I wasn’t asleep.” He opened one eye. She grinned. They were parked around back at an abandoned gas station. Iris was in the back, sleeping peacefully.

  “What time is it?” Michael asked.

  “Time for us to make a decision,” she said, glancing back at Iris. Michael nodded, then opened the door quietly and stepped out. Vala followed him, shutting the door behind her quietly. The cool, night breeze kissed her skin as she came around and stood close to him.

  They gazed into each other’s eyes as the sound of vehicle tires roared across the overpass above them.

  Michael put his hands around her waist. “There’s a hotel less than a mile from here, but you don’t want to leave her there, do you?” he asked.

  She glared out into the distance, she squinted as her small facial features seemed to pull in tighter as she thought about it. “Of course, I don’t, but—” she stopped.

  “Maybe we should try and find somewhere else for her? Maybe someone she could stay with.”

  “Like who? We can’t even go anywhere without putting people at risk, and that Aunt she talked about seems weird. I wouldn’t feel right about leaving her there either,” she replied.

  “Maybe we can ask her if there is anyone else. Even though that Cilan hinted otherwise, the problem with us is always that lurking possibility we’ll end up in a gunfight with a teenage tagalong.” Michael said.

  “I hate this, Mike. My parents are gone, but your mom lives alone and thinks you’re dead. Who knows how many years she has left. Hell, either one of us for that matter,” she said. Michael backed away from her a half-step.

  “That’s different. I’d rather it stays that way with my mom. Let her enjoy what she has left. After what my father put her through with his tech addition, I don’t want to give her another worry. Besides, if she takes one look at me—”

  “What?”

  “She wouldn’t even recognize me.”

  “She’d love you just the same. You’d bring joy to her heart the same way you do mine. Going from thinking you’re dead to alive, that’s enough for people that really love you. They’ll take what they can get. Despite all this shit we put up with, it’s worth it, Mike,” she said.

  Michael paused, staring at her. “Really? This brings joy to your heart, on the run, killing slews of people, picking up orphan, tech freaks? This is what you want out of life?”

  “Our fight is different. Everyone has a battle they’re pushing through.”

  He turned his back on her. “I know that but, sometimes, I think maybe I should just go.”

  “Go, where?” She put her arms out to the side and paused as a car drove past them slowly. Michael turned away, obscuring his face with his hoodie.

  “Mike, is this the same shit you brought up a couple years ago. You should leave because—”

  “You can fit in, Vala. I can’t. You could start a new life anywhere. Your abilities are perfect for it. I’m who they want. If I walked away, they wouldn’t come after you, not like this—”

  She pushed Mike hard in the chest, knocking his hood off. “How the hell do I prove this to you? Huh? I chose this life with you. I gave it all up already. What makes you think I’d go back on that now, huh?” she yelled. Her eyes turned fiery-red as her voice echoed off the overpass bridges. Iris began to toss and turn in the backseat.

  “Look, that was out of line.” He showed his palms.

  “You’re damn right, Michael. Let that be the last time this is brought up, got it?” She stabbed her index finger at him, pacing back and forth.

  “I’m sorry. Uh, I guess, sometimes, that pops in my head. I feel like I’m holding you back. I can’t do anything with you in public,” he said.

  “Mike, stop it, please,” she said.

  He nodded. “I’m out of line, and I know it.” They didn’t say a word for several seconds.

  “Uh, alright, please, let’s get back to the subject at hand. What about Iris?” She put her hands over her face.

  “She’s an accident waiting to happen, a ticking time bomb,” Michael replied.

  Vala crossed her arms and placed her hand underneath her chin. “So, we just pass the problem off on someone else?”

  “Not what I said, and we have our own problems.”

  “What about Keith? He told me a year ago that Mia was barren, what if—”

  “No. Don’t you think he’s had his fill of projects? I know he might seem like a good fit, but that would be an absolute nightmare. The girl needs extreme therapy to even have a chance of normalcy in her life, not to mention that puts him at risk with her telekinetic headdress. They’ll be sending people after her.”

  “Unless we take it from her.” She glanced back at the SUV.

  “What? And do what with it?”

  “I don’t know. You think anyone can use it? Like if I put it on?” Vala asked.

  “I’d say so. I don’t see any reason why she’s the only one who can use it.”

  “Well, my point is, we take that headdress away, and she’s one step closer to a normal life. We’re already on the run anyway, so why not? If we had it, who knows, maybe we could use it to our advantage?” she said.

  “That headband could have a lot of potential, I get it, but we don’t know the side effects either. You notice her eyes?”

  “Distant,” she replied.

  “Yeah, like nobody’s home.”

  “I mean, she’s been through a ton of trauma at a young age,” she added.

  “Which is likely why her eyes look that way, but we don’t know what that thing is doing to her brain,” Michael said.

  Vala stared at him. “Either way, it’s a risk, and I can’t just drop her out here in the middle of nowhere. My conscious won’t allow it.”

  “Fine, then we take off the headdress,” he said.

  “What? I didn’t say that,” she replied.

  “I know, but it just got me thinking. If she’s riding around with us, it becomes more of a risk. Let’s take it off her now. She has no use for it anyway,” Michael said.

  “So, she comes with us
, wherever we’re going?”

  “For now. Until we figure something out.”

  Vala sighed and spun around. “I’m fast, but you’re faster. I’ll open the door, then you snatch it.” She crept toward the SUV with Michael in tow. “You ready?” she whispered.

  “Uh, sure.”

  Vala reached for the door handle as it flung open on its own, smacking her arm away. Vala jumped back. “Ahh-hh!”

  The girl rose, stepping out of the vehicle. She floated toward them as they backed up. “Oh, you want this?” She pointed to her head.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Michael said, showing her his palms.

  “We’re protecting you, Iris. It’s not—”

  “No! You don’t want it for yourself, huh? You just want to study it? Sell it?” she asked. Suddenly, the windows in the SUV began to roll up and down erratically, the horn beeped, and the side mirror flapped back and forth. “It’s mine! My father made it for me, and that’s the end of it, you try and take it and I’ll end you, both!” she yelled, gritting her teeth.

  “Shh, shh, shh!” Michael panned around.

  Iris dipped her head, then a blast of energy toppled them both to the ground. Michael rolled once, skidding across the asphalt into a kneeling position while Vala tumbled a couple times before springing into a cartwheel, landing on her feet.

  Iris dropped to the ground, falling over, the horn silenced and the windows and mirrors stopped in place. “Ohh-hh, that hurt.” Iris held her forehead. Michael and Vala glanced toward one another, then at Iris.

  “You okay, Iris?” Vala asked.

  She panted heavily. “Don’t,” Iris said.

  “We want to get you help,” Michael said.

  “Help? I’ve heard that one before,” she replied.

  “Look at us, Iris. We’re on the run. Those men who attacked us at your house, they want Michael’s body. He donated himself to a military program because I was sick and needed an operation, I needed a lot of money to afford it. Once I received my check, I came after him. I can alter my skin, hair, and eyes, but it’s not magic. I paid for it. Right, Mike?” Vala glared over at him.

  “That’s right.”

  “So, you’re still sick?” Iris mumbled with her head dropped.

  “Kind of, yeah. I had an operation so I could find Mike. I’m a Cilan. It appears to be keeping me healthy, so far, but I’ve a higher risk of cancer later. It’s a double-edged sword.”

  “That’s a nice story, but it doesn’t change the fact that you tried to take what wasn’t yours.” Iris smiled.

  “Maybe that was wrong. I can’t go back and change it. All I can do is tell you that it won’t happen again, and I was looking out for you.”

  Suddenly, Vala’s phone rang in the vehicle. Iris glared over her shoulder, then back at Michael and Vala. “You want me to answer that or are you gonna do it?” she asked.

  Michael hurried toward the SUV, opening the door. “Hello,” Michael said, picking up the phone. “It’s Keith,” Michael whispered.

  “Hey. Listen, well, we’re kind of in a pinch right now. Just spill whatever it is. Yeah, I’ll relay whatever message. Okay, yeah. Uh-huh. Wait, what? You’re sure? Now? Hmm, well, let us talk it over and we’ll be in touch. That’s all I can do for now.” Michael hung up the phone, staring into the distance.

  “What?” Vala demanded.

  “You got that app on your wristwatch, the news thing we listened to a couple weeks ago?” Michael asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Turn it on,” Michael said.

  Vala flipped her watch, sliding her finger across the holographic interface. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Just boot up today’s evening news,” he replied.

  “You’re scaring me with that tone.”

  A life-sized image of a reporter projected between Michael and Vala. The image initially had a flickering blue tint that quickly shifted to a realistic portrayal of an attractive female wearing a black, combat helmet and flak jacket. She appeared startled, glancing over her shoulder and holding the microphone. “Are we live?” she asked in a British accent.

  “Good evening. As you can see behind me, about four kilometers, those smoke plumes, officials say a Russian attack drone engaged a chemical plant, igniting the installation into a fiery blaze.” She paused, tugging her helmet. The camera panned above her, following four fighter jets that zoomed overhead, followed by the sound of explosions in the distance.

  “The Air Force says the situation is under control, and the people in and around ground zero in Phoenix, Arizona should stay in their homes and stay calm. If you have a basement or shelter, please go there, but do not, I repeat, do not attempt to travel if you are within the city limits of Phoenix. As you can see, in addition to the Air Force, we have a large wall of tanks headed into the city for additional support as well as civilian vehicles providing additional personnel for strategy. Earlier, we contacted Russian officials, and they’re clueless as to why we suspect an attack from them. They claim all their units are present and accounted for,” the reporter said.

  “Newsflash, that isn’t the Russians,” Michael said.

  “I figured that much,” Vala said, her eyes wide. Iris seemed almost disinterested in the whole thing, leaning against the SUV’s front tire, tapping her feet.

  “Shut it off, Vala. I’ve seen enough.” Michael paced back and forth.

  “What’d Keith say?”

  “First thing he said was that the government was blaming this on the Russians, but it’s that creature Keith told us about. Apparently, they struck a bad deal, and the military tried to capture it.”

  “Capture the alien?”

  “Yeah, long story short, the US Army was decimated in New Mexico, and now the alien’s in Arizona. The Army lost nearly three hundred tanks and several thousand soldiers.”

  “Oh, my God,” Vala said.

  “See, everyone wants more magic, and they don’t care how they get it,” Iris said, dropping down to sit Indian style.

  Vala glanced over at Michael. “So, what now?”

  “We’re going to Minnesota. Keith’s wife, her father died and has a big ranch up there. We’re going to meet up. Lucas and Garza are already there, and they have the artifact.”

  “Wait, what? Why can’t they just give it back to the creature? What’s the problem?” Vala demanded.

  “Apparently, they can’t turn it on. They need a way to contact the creature, get it away from the war zone. Keith says I can activate it.” Michael glared down at his hands like it was the first time seeing them, perhaps the notion of his composition setting in. The Cilan’s last words were that Michael’s body was recovered not from alien structures but from their actual skeletal remains.

  “Hold on. Do we know if there is a risk to you, activating that machine?” she asked.

  “I honestly don’t know.”

  Vala rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, back up a second. We’re driving to Minnesota to activate a machine, but we have no idea what it will do to you, and then we’re handing it over to an alien that’s killing millions of people?”

  “Keith says I can activate it. They need me,” he said.

  “Oh, so now we’re trusting Keith? You get a chance to pitch in against the world threat and we start trusting people?” she asked.

  “Stakes are high. You know this isn’t ego, why even bring that up?”

  “Ego? That’s not what I said or meant, but any chance you get to fall on your sword, you’ll take it. That’s just who you are, I guess. You don’t know what that artifact will do to you when you turn it on, or us, but my point is, why are you so willing to risk us at the drop of a hat? Is it soldier’s loyalty, duty?”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Well, did you ever think to ask me what I thought here? I can tell you’ve made your mind up. Ready to heed the call,” she said.

  “The point is, there’s no other option,” Michael said.

  Iris covered her ears a
nd rolled her eyes. “Really? I want you to think about all those nights I waited up for you before you went missing. How I felt when I laid down in that machine while it burned my body, my eyes. And I would do it again, no complaints. I did that for a chance to be with you again, that’s it. What you did, for me, all the pain, the recovery so we could be together, let someone else carry the torch, Mike. Why does it have to be you?”

  “I’m not sure how much clearer I need to be. We have to set aside everything for the greater good. I don’t like it. I hate this!” he shouted, instantly regretting his aggressive tone.

  “See, you’ve got something in your blood, a conviction that tells you to do the right thing no matter the cost, no matter the pain and blood that leads us to where we are,” she said.

  Michael threw up his hands. “We’re at risk constantly, anyway. Did you forget how many times we’ve been shot at in the last several months? Why not do this? It could be for all the marbles, anyway.” He slumped his head.

  “Stop. You heard the Cilan, we’re in the clear, they’re not sending any more mercenaries,” she replied.

  “Supposedly. We don’t know that for sure.”

  “Just stop with the nonsense, please. If you’re doing it, we go together. We’ve been over this.” She put her hands over her face.

  Vala began to weep softly as Michael closed the distance, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He held her for a few moments, and she began to weep louder, letting it out. “For so long, I-I just wanted us to have some peace in our lives. That’s it. And here we go again, throwing ourselves back into the fray just when it looked like we might have some breathing room.”

  “I know. Believe me, that’s all I want, too. We’ll have our time, we’ve earned it, but this is something we have to address. If we don’t, there might not be an us, anyway.”

  “I wanna go!” Iris stood up clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

  Michael shook his head at Vala. “We can’t take her,” he whispered. Vala glared at Iris, faking a smile.