Chapter 32
Assassinations
Reggie and Mark were glad to see Stan and Dr. Gerhardt. They’d been angry when Mo made them stay at the hotel while the rest went to the White House. But when they found out they were joining the others on a search for the Purists’ shuttle they were ecstatic.
They all piled into the 4-wheel-drive Jeep Cherokee provided by the FBI, which would allow them to go off-road if necessary. There were backpacks and assorted gear stuffed behind the rear seat. The Cherokee was equipped with a radio, and they’d also given Stan and Dr. Gerhardt cell phones.
On the way, Stan turned on the radio to see if the President’s disappearance had made the news yet. It had, and a report was in progress:
“The terrorist organization International Justice Alliance is claiming responsibility for the abductions of the President, vice president, and Speaker of the House,” the commentator said. “So, the question now is: Who’s running the government? According to the Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution, the next in line is Senator Rubio, President Pro Tempore of the Senate. We have confirmed that Senator Rubio is under Secret Service protection at this time and is being transported to the White House, in case the vice president or Speaker are not found quickly. The President’s Chief of Staff, Roger Winslow, has promised a press conference within the hour to clarify the situation, which is good news because right now all we’ve seen in the West Wing is general chaos.”
Stan frowned. “The International Justice Alliance? Why would they claim responsibility?”
“Never heard of them,” Dr. Gerhardt said.
“I have,” Reggie replied. “I had to do a paper on them for my political science class. They’re a real nasty bunch.”
“Bet they are a front for the aliens,” Mark said.
Stan looked at Mark. “You may be right. They’ve been planning this coup for twenty years. It would make sense to create what would appear to be a domestic terrorist organization to take the heat and divert the government’s attention away from the real threat.
“Unfortunately,” Stan added, “there isn’t enough time to expose them and thwart their plans. The only way to stop them is to find the President and rescue him, if he isn’t already dead.”
“What if he’s dead?” Reggie asked.
“Then the vice president and the speaker will probably be dead as well, so you’ll have to take a course in Tari, I guess,” Stan said.
Nobody laughed.
“Well, maybe we can find the President before they kill him,” Dr. Gerhardt said, trying to seem optimistic.
“Either way, we need to find the shuttle if nothing else,” Stan said, “so the Loyalists can destroy it.”
They listened to the radio all the way to Brandywine, Maryland, hoping for some good news, but there was nothing new, just speculation as to who would be the next president. They stopped at a gas station in Brandywine and got directions to the Cedarville State Forest. When they arrived at the park headquarters thirty minutes later, they got a brochure, which contained a map, and discovered there were several trails into the forest—orange, brown, green, and blue.
“It’s got to be on the brown trail,” Mark said after studying the map. “It’s a damp, marshy, flat area—perfect for a shuttle landing.”
“Okay, let’s try that one first,” Stan said.
They followed the map to the parking lot of the brown trail. It was spring and the trees were beginning to green. Being a weekday, there were only a few cars in the parking lot. They got out and went to the back of the Jeep to sort through the gear the FBI had provided them. They found food, water, sleeping bags, and four shotguns.
“A shotgun? Lotta good that’ll do against a laser,” Mark complained.
“It’s just for show. If the aliens spot us they’ll think we’re hunters,” Stan said.
“What would we be hunting this time of year?” Reggie asked.
Mark held up the park brochure. “According to the hunting calendar, it would be turkeys.”
“Okay,” Stan said, “down to business. The shuttle will be buried, so look for loose dirt or unnaturally clear areas.”
“Or seven-foot green monsters,” Mark added.
“If you’re talking about the seafolken, they are human and their flesh isn’t always green,” Stan said.
“We should check the swamp anyway,” Mark replied. “They may be feeding.”
Stan nodded. “Maybe, I don’t know.”
They walked the trail until it came to a fork. According to the map, the two trails went along the opposite sides of a pond and rejoined about two miles down the trail. Stan suggested they split up, so Reggie and Dr. Gerhardt went left and Stan and Mark went right.
It would have been a very pleasant hike had they been hunting turkeys rather than aliens, Stan thought. As they walked along the shore of the pond, Mark kept his eyes out for movement in the water, and Stan searched for freshly cleared ground. Suddenly there was a splash in the water. Mark put a pair of binoculars that he’d found in one of the backpacks to his eyes. The water was moving, but the area around it was clear. Then a head popped up with a fish in its mouth.
“Dad!” Mark whispered urgently.
Stan turned and looked at Mark. “What is it?”
Mark handed him the binoculars and pointed in the direction he’d seen the head pop up.
Stan focused on the area but saw nothing.
“It was a man’s head. I’m sure.”
Stan continued to stare through the binoculars in the general area where Mark had pointed but still saw nothing. Finally, he shrugged and handed the glasses back to Mark, who sighed with frustration and then looked back at the spot himself. The face had disappeared.
“I know what I saw,” he insisted.
“Maybe it was a frog?” Stan suggested.
“Bull,” Mark replied, shaking his head.
They continued on, and after a few minutes the head reappeared. This time, Mark didn’t wait; he thrust the binoculars into Stan’s hand. Stan looked again out at the area, and this time he saw the man take a bite of a big fish and start chewing.
“Okay,” Stan whispered. “Let’s keep an eye on him. Eventually he’ll lead us to the ship.”
Mark nodded.
Stan took out his cell phone and called Reggie. “Hey, we spotted a seafolken. We’re going to keep an eye on him. Come around the pond from the opposite direction and look for signs of more seafolken or the ship. Keep out of sight, though. Once we find the ship we’ll call it in to Peter and Hamilton.”
“Roger that,” Reggie said.
Stan and Mark had watched the seafolken feed for ten minutes when they saw another seafolken join him. They heard them talking.
Fifteen minutes later, the two seafolken got out of the water and started hiking through the high grass to the northwest. When they were a safe distance ahead Stan and Mark started following them. When they spotted Dr. Gerhardt and Reggie they motioned for them to come along. After twenty minutes of hiking, the seafolken suddenly disappeared from view.
“Okay, the ship must be just ahead,” Stan said. “Go very slowly and don’t make any noise.”
They walked very carefully through the brush until they came to a huge circular patch of loose dirt. They looked ahead and saw it extended for nearly fifty yards. In the middle of the clearing was a seafolken talking to a much shorter man.
“This is it,” Stan whispered. “Stay down and keep quiet.”
They all sat, hidden behind the tall grass that lined the huge dirt patch. Stan took out his cell phone and called Peter. There was no answer so he called Hamilton.
“Yes,” Hamilton said.
“This is Stan. We’ve found the ship. It’s buried about two miles northwest of the brown trail in the Cedarville State Forest.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“We’ve got binoculars on two aliens as we speak. They’re standing on the ground above the buried ship.”
“Okay. I’ll get a SWAT team over there right away.”
“Ah. You may want to call the Air Force.”
“Right. But for that I’d have to get authorization from the President.”
“The President? The president’s here.”
“The acting President. They just swore in Senator Rubio.”
A chill darted through Stan, giving him gooseflesh. “Oh, my God! He’s one of them.”
“Ah. I’d be careful what you say. You can’t prove anything.”
“Right.” Stan changed the subject. “Have you heard from Peter? I know he’d want to know that we found the ship.”
“No, not for a while. He went to look at one of the Parr Heating & Air vans that the aliens abandoned.”
“Well, I just tried to call him and there was no answer. You better check on him.”
“Right. I’ll call over there and make sure he’s okay and tell him you’ve found the shuttle.”
“So, what’s Rubio doing?”
“He dismissed the alien threat as being ridiculous and is focusing on the IJA.”
“Well, we knew that would happen. So, are you actually sending a SWAT team over here, or are we on our own?”
“No. I’m coming personally,” Hamilton said. “And I won’t be alone.”
“Don’t tell the president. If he knows what you’re doing he’ll stop you.”
“Yeah. That’s kind of what I figured.”
“So, you believe the aliens are behind this?” Stan asked.
“Yes, hanging around your son has made me a believer.”
“Good. Hurry, then. They could discover us at any moment and, if they do, they’ll probably kill us and make a quick departure.”
“Right. We’re on our way.”
Stan hung up and smiled at Mark. “The cavalry’s coming,” he said.
“Good.”
They continued to watch from their hiding place in the grass for what seemed like forever, but the FBI didn’t come. Stain strained his neck, hoping to hear the rotors of helicopters, but he heard nothing except the wind blowing through the trees. Finally, his attention was pulled back to the ship, where there was suddenly a lot of commotion.
The seafolken and the soldier were talking excitedly, and then there was a humming sound from a motor of some sort. One of the seafolken bent down and opened a hatch. Soldiers began pouring out of the shuttle, and five men bound with tape around their arms and torsos stumbled out. Stan gasped when he saw one of the men was the President of the United States.
The prisoners were marched out onto the ground and left standing in a tight group. The soldiers backed off. Suddenly Stan realized what was happening but it was too late. He saw five quick flashes of light and the five men lit up and started jumping and twisting like they’d been hit by lightning. The Purist firing squad had just executed all five prisoners.
“No!” Dr. Gerhardt screamed and started running at the soldiers, firing his Glock wildly at them. One of the soldiers went down. A seafolken picked out one of the bullets from Dr. Gerhardt’s gun than had embedded itself in his skin and angrily threw it to the ground.
Stan, knowing they were all about to die, pulled Mark up and started running. “Reggie!” he shouted. “Come on! Let’s get out of here.”
Reggie didn’t hesitate but ran away as fast as he could. As they were distancing themselves from the shuttle, Stan glanced back and saw Dr. Gerhardt’s body twisting and shaking from a half dozen laser blasts. He tried to run even faster, expecting at any moment to feel the jolt of the deadly lasers. But just then he heard the sound of choppers in the distance. The aliens must have heard them, too, as they all rushed back to the opened hatch and quickly disappeared inside. A moment later, the ship began to twist and then slowly rise out of the ground, spewing tons of dirt and debris in every direction.
Stan looked up to see five FBI helicopters roar by overhead. He stood up and began waving his arms. One of the pilots saw Stan and started to land, but then he noticed the huge ship lifting out of the ground and quickly aborted the landing to avoid crashing into it. Another copter flying overhead had to veer sharply to the right to miss the shuttle as it gained altitude. The shuttle hovered for a moment, and then its big blue beacon started to flash.
“Take cover! Don’t look at the light!” Stan screamed.
Stan, Mark, and Reggie hit the ground, covering their eyes so no light could get in. After a couple of minutes Stan took a peek and saw that the shuttle was gone. By that time all the helicopters had landed and FBI agents were streaming out. They were all wearing sunglasses.
Hamilton ran over to them.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Stan nodded. “Yes. I think so. They killed Dr. Gerhardt, and . . . well, I’m afraid they’ve killed the President.”
Hamilton’s face dropped. “How do you know?” he asked.
“We saw them do it. Over there,” Stan said, pointing and starting to walk toward the big crater left by the ship. “I’d search the perimeter of the crater. They were on top of the ship when they were executed. The bodies probably fell off when it took off.”
Hamilton shook his head in disbelief and told his men to search the perimeter. After a half hour of searching they found a body. It was the Speaker of the House. A few minutes later they found the President’s body and then the vice president’s.
They all went over to where the President’s body was laid out and looked on in horror. He was barely recognizable.
“I guess once Senator Rubio was sworn in there was no need to keep them alive,” Stan said.
“I guess not,” Hamilton agreed.
“Dr. Gerhardt was so outraged when it happened he went berserk and just charged in there, firing like crazy,” Stan explained. “I thought about following him in with the shotguns but it would have been suicide.”
Hamilton nodded. “No, you were right to stay put. You did the only thing that made sense. Are your kids okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to you. If you hadn’t come when you did we’d all be dead.”
“Right, but now I have a big problem.”
Stan nodded. “I know. What do you do about your alien President?”
As they were talking there was a sonic boom, and suddenly three fighter jets appeared overhead and were on top of them in an instant. Missiles shot out from the fighters and two of the FBI helicopters exploded. Stan and Hamilton hit the dirt. The agents working the crime scene scrambled for cover. Mark and Reggie ran away from the melee.
Another fighter flew in low and strafed the area, hitting several agents. Then soldiers began dropping to the ground from helicopters that had flown in behind the fighters and advanced toward them. Stan saw Mark and Reggie trying to escape and ran after them. Hamilton looked back at the advancing line of soldiers and then followed Stan.
“It’s the Maryland National Guard,” Hamilton said, panting hard by the time he’d caught up with Stan. “Peter warned me about them.”
“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to escape,” Stan admitted. “They’ve probably dropped troops all around this area.”
Suddenly, an FBI helicopter flew low overhead and landed in front of them. The pilot motioned frantically for them to get aboard. Stan, Reggie, Mark, and Hamilton rushed over and climbed in. The chopper took off, flying low behind a canopy of trees and then broke out over the swamp. Stan looked back nervously to see if anyone was following them and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw clear skies.
“Where did you come from?” Hamilton asked the pilot.
“I hid the copter when I saw the spaceship taking off. I thought it might try to shoot me down. Luckily, the fighters didn’t see me when they came in. When I saw you running I waited until you were out of view of the troops before I took off and came after you. I don’t think they saw me pick you up.”
“That was quick thinking,” Hamilton said.
“So, where do you want to go?” the pilot asked.
Just then, two fight
ers dropped from the sky and took up chase. “Oh, crap!” Stan said. “We’ve got two more on our tail.”
Hamilton looked backed and grimaced. “Oh, jeez. It’s all over now.”
Stan looked at Mark and Reggie, his heart aching with regret. Why had he let his sons get involved? Tears welled in his eyes. Then Stan spotted a third fighter, a much bigger and more menacing one. It was unlike any aircraft he’d ever seen. It launched one missile and then another. The two National Guard fighters exploded and dropped out of sight. Relief flooded through every vein of Stan’s body. The strange fighter pulled alongside the fleeing helicopter, and its pilot motioned for the chopper pilot to follow him. Stan tried to read the markings on the fighter, but they too were like nothing he’d ever seen.
The fighter flew on ahead, and they followed it north for twenty minutes until it dropped into a valley and made an abrupt landing near a barn. The helicopter set down beside the fighter.
Glad to be on the ground, they all disembarked as quickly as possible. The pilot of the fighter took off his helmet as they approached him, and Mark and Reggie gasped. The man was green.
“Hello, my name is Lt. Lakee,” he said. “I assume you are some of Leek’s . . . er . . . Peter’s friends.”
“Yes,” Stan said. “I’m his father, Stan Turner, and these two are my sons, Mark and Reggie.”
Hamilton smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Special Agent Jason Hamilton. Thank you for saving our lives.”
“Well, I’m just glad I got there in time. We’d just landed when our sensors detected a battle in progress to our south. Our Captain suggested I go check it out. When I saw a military fighter attack your FBI, I knew something was wrong.”
“Yes, Senator Rubio was just sworn in as President, so I’m sure he sent them to finish us off,” Hamilton said.
“We shouldn’t be standing out here,” Lt. Lakee said. “You should go inside. The Captain wants to see you. I’ll be right in just as soon as I camouflage my fighter.”
“Go inside the barn?” Hamilton asked.
Lt. Lakee smiled. “Yes, I relocated the barn to hide the hatch to the ship. Just go inside and you’ll see it. There’s a ladder that will take you down into the ship’s interior.”
Mark and Reggie immediately tore off toward the barn. Stan and Hamilton laughed. Lt. Lakee motioned for them to follow the boys’ example. They nodded and started toward the barn. Reggie reached the ladder first and peered down into the ship. Mark arrived next and climbed down without hesitation, his heart pounding in his chest. When he reached the bottom he was at the intersection of two long white corridors. He looked both ways and then heard voices to his left. Slowly, he walked in the direction of the voices. A woman suddenly appeared in front of him. He froze and stifled a scream.
“Hi there. You must be one of the Turner boys,” Captain Shilling said, reaching out and lifting Mark’s chin and giving him an intense look. “I can see it in your eyes and that chin.”
Mark relaxed and smiled. “I’m Mark Turner.”
Reggie finally made it to the ground level and looked over at them.
“That’s my brother, Reggie,” Mark added. “He’s a chicken.”
Reggie rolled his eyes. “I’m not a chicken. I’m just not reckless like you.”
“Well, I’m Captain Shilling and I am very pleased to meet both of you.”
“I’m glad you speak English,” Mark said. “I was afraid you’d be garbling something at me I wouldn’t understand.”
“Well, I’ve spent a lot of time on Earth, so I leaned the language long ago.”
Stan came down the ladder, followed by Hamilton.
“I never dreamed I’d actually be inside one of these ships,” Stan said.
“Ah, and you must be Stan Turner,” Captain Shilling surmised.
Stan nodded. “Peter and I saw one of these ships several years ago at Possum Kingdom Lake.”
“Yes, I know. And you helped Tehra blow one up when the civil war broke out.”
Stan smiled. “I didn’t do anything really—just encouraged them.”
“Well, you hid them from Commander Kulchz, and they all got back to Tarizon safely because of you. Our Chancellor asked me to personally thank you for your valiant service to our cause.”
“It was the least I could do. How is Tehra, by the way?”
“She’s fine and her baby is beautiful. His name is Sophilo.”
Stan blushed. Mark and Reggie looked at him curiously.
A woman holding a baby walked up and smiled at them.
“Oh,” Captain Shilling said, “I want you to meet Peter’s mate, Lucinda, and their new baby, Tokin.”
“Oh, I was hoping I’d get to meet you, Lucinda,” Stan said, smiling broadly. “I’m so glad you made the trip to Earth. We’d have been forever curious as to who Peter married.”
“Well, I hope you’re not disappointed,” Lucinda said, smiling.
“Oh, no. I think he made a fine choice. You’ve got to come to Dallas when all this mess is over and see Rebekah. She’s dying to meet you.”
“Ah, I hate to interrupt you, but time is critical right now,” Captain Shilling said. “You can spend time with Lucinda and the baby later on. Right now, you must tell me all that has happened.”
“Yes, come back to my quarters when you’re done,” Lucinda said as she turned and walked back down the corridor.
The captain took them into the officers’ conference room to talk. After a few minutes Lt. Lakee joined them. Stan brought them up-to-date on what had transpired and voiced his concern for Peter’s safety.
“Since Rubio has been sworn in I’m worried about Peter,” he said. “He may be in danger.”
“Yes, I know Kulchz has orders to kill him at all costs,” Captain Shilling replied.
“What can we do?”
“We’ve got to find him and bring him back here.”
“I could take the FBI chopper back to DC and look for him,” Hamilton suggested.
“Don’t you think Rubio will have revoked your authority with the FBI?” Stan asked.
Hamilton shrugged. “I don’t see how. What would be his excuse? It would take a lot of bureaucratic red tape to strip me of my authority.”
“Then perhaps that’s what you should do,” Stan suggested. “Go back to DC; find Peter and bring him back here where he’ll be safe. Then we can figure out what to do about President Rubio.”
Hamilton nodded. “All right. I should go right away.”
“Yes,” the captain said.
“I’ll come with you,” Stan said.
Hamilton shook his head. “No, you’re on the hit list, too.”
Stan sighed.
“That’s all right,” Captain Shilling said. “You and I can work on a plan to get rid of President Rubio. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to thwart the Purists’ plans. Since you know a lot more about the current political situation on Earth than I do, I’ll need your help.”
Stan nodded. “Sure, Mark and Reggie are pretty knowledgeable about it, too. We can all help.”
“Good,” Captain Shilling said.
They all got up and escorted Hamilton outside to the helicopter. His pilot was waiting for him. Captain Shilling put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a strange-looking gun. Hamilton’s mouth dropped.
“This is the type of device the Purists used to abduct the President and the others,” Captain Shilling explained. “It may come in handy if you find yourself outnumbered. Simply point it forward, close your eyes tightly, and pull the trigger. Don’t open your eyes for ten seconds. Anyone looking at it will be stunned for five minutes or more and won’t remember the five minutes before you blinded them with the blue light.”
Hamilton took the gun and held it gingerly. “Thank you. Hopefully I won’t need it, but it might come in handy.”
They watched as the FBI helicopter take off toward DC. Stan prayed Hamilton would find Peter quickly and bring him back safely. He knew that wa
s wishful thinking, but if Peter could lead a civil war and defeat a vastly superior army, he reasoned, he obviously could take care of himself in DC. Besides, he couldn’t let himself be distracted right then. After all, he had to help concoct a plan to assassinate the President of the United States.
Tarizon, Conquest Earth, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 3 Page 41
