Sons of Abraham: Pawns of Terror

by Ray, Joseph

  “Just hang tight Sarge,” she continued. “The turret was still pointed up, so you’re coming down and towards the gravity field at the same time. I can’t tell when you’ll start to fall, so just stay ready.”

  He wished he could talk back to her, but the screen was too far away for him to hit the button. His mind poured over everything he would say, but none of it seemed fitting. She’d saved his life more than once today. If she got him through this, his ass was hers. He laughed at the thought, wondering if she’d ever want that offer. She did kiss him, after all, but she probably assumed he was going to die.

  The shells floating in mid-air kept his mind occupied. They were all slowly spinning, inching their way towards the ceiling. He had no way of knowing if he was descending fast enough, but he was certain fate would see him through. There was no way in hell he’d survived everything today, just to die from falling. He was about to pray when the spinning, floating shells stopped rising up. He held his breath and watched as the shells slowly came downwards. He’d reached the edge of the gravity field.

  Janys watched the screen, praying the tank would drop another twenty feet before the gravity kicked in. By her guess, he was still thirty or forty feet in the air. She closed her eyes, her mouth moving as she begged God to see the Sargent through this. She opened her eyes, only to see the tank falling face first to the ground. It crashed into the sand, tumbling onto its top as Janys raced back down the hallway.

  Her feet were light, but her mind told her to run faster as she headed towards the south wing. She ran through the cafeteria, the man she’d brutally murdered still lying face up, his face unrecognizable. She grazed the doorway to the kitchen with her shoulder but managed to make the sharp turn as she turned sideways and slid out the exterior exit. The sand slammed her body as she sprinted towards the garage. To her right, she noted a few of the dead bodies from earlier, now partially buried in the sandstorm. She shoved her way through the door to the garage and made straight for the cutting torch. The long shaft, cord, and portable power cell was meant to be carried on a cart, but the wheels would only get stuck in the sand. She threw her rifle over her shoulder, grabbed the entire ensemble, and headed over to the last rover available.

  The engine fired to life as she wheeled through the hole the tank had made. The pulled hard on the wheel, lined up her destination the best she could, and slammed on the accelerator. The rover screamed to life as the six wheels tore through the sand. It took twenty minutes to reach the wreckage, barely visible through the sand that had piled on top of the upturned tank.

  She slammed on the brakes, killed the motor, and dove through the back hatch to the cargo hold. Her fingers clutched the cutting torch as she jumped out of the back, stomping through sand up to her shin, and made her way to the tank.

  “You know that won’t cut through a tank, right?” Bearden yelled.

  Her hands dropped the torch and power cell as she turned around to find the familiar voice. Sargent Bearden was leaning against the tank, his face cut, his shoulder bleeding, but a beaming smile on his face.

  “These tanks have hatches UNDER them, just in case,” he yelled over the storm.

  The two soldiers smiled as the sand beat against their faces. Janys forgot about the soldiers that may still be lurking in the corners of the facility. She forgot about what the soldiers had taken, or what they were planning to do with it. For a brief moment, she even managed to forget the pain throbbing through every inch of her body.

  “How bout a drink Sarge?” she yelled.

  ***********

  “You know I hate flying!” President Garber stated as the group approached the door.

  The sliding glass door opened as President Garber, Vice-President Wilkes, and Colonel Andrew Gates stepped out onto the roof of the building. The transport harrier sat ready, two rows of armed men guiding them to the door on the side. The harrier was dark blue with white windows and canopy over the cockpit. The large, harrier engines pointed down towards the ground, anticipating lift off. Each guard nodded as the President passed, returning their gaze to the door behind them.

  “I know Mr. President,” Jana started. “There’s a festival in the streets today. Your car would never reach the meeting in time.”

  “It’s MY meeting damn it,” he shouted over the rippling wind. “They can wait on me. I AM the President after all.”

  The three were ushered in the harrier. The hatch was closed behind them as two more security guards welcomed the group to Airforce One. Gates told the pilot they were ready as he joined the group in the back of the harrier. The interior was white, with blue plush panels welded to the inside, small, beige buttons in the middle of each panel for decoration. The President sat down in one of the blue, plush seats and fastened the seat belt over his shoulder and lap. The remainder of the group had just finished securing themselves when the harrier’s engines whirled to life.

  “Sir, you have an incoming transmission,” one of the guards yelled over the harrier’s engines.

  “Who is it?” the President shouted. “This really isn’t a good time for a conversation.”

  “I don’t know sir, they just say it’s urgent,” the guard replied.

  Garber nodded as the man pressed a button on his datapad. The large screen on the wall lit up, a dark shadow of a man the only greeting offered. The shadow sat back as the screen showed the President on his side.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. President,” the shadow stated.

  “I’m going to terminate this transmission if you don’t show yourself,” Garber demanded. “I don’t have time for games right now.”

  “No, you don’t,” the shadow replied, the voice swirled and distorted. “However, I suggest you MAKE time for what I am about to tell you.”

  The President looked to Jana and Gates, wondering what either of them could do for the situation. Both returned dumbfounded stares, signaling that he was alone in this venture.

  “I’ll try to make this brief,” the shadow continued. “You have two things that I want, Mr. President. Well, much more than that really, but I’ll settle for the time being.”

  “How did you get through to me anyways?” Garber asked. “This is a secure channel.”

  “Is it?” the shadow answered. “It didn’t seem very secure when I hacked into it.”

  “I’m signing off now,” Garber snapped.

  “YOU DO AND THEY WILL KILL THOUSANDS!” the shadow yelled.

  Garber looked to his team once more. Gates was already on his data pad, sending orders out to the planetary defense. Jana had hers out as well, informing the staff security of the situation.

  “Good, I have your attention. As I was saying, there are two things I want from you.”

  “You just threatened me by taking lives. We don’t negotiate with terrorists.”

  “Oh, I know you won’t. That’s why you will need some convincing in order to change your procedures. My employers are very impatient and felt violence would gain your attention. The truth is that I don’t want to take the lives, especially of innocent civilians. However, history has shown us that the loss of lives marks the greatest advances in our species. War brings out the best technology, tragic killings advances security, and horrid acts of violence change governmental policy.”

  “You should be reaching your point by now.”

  “My, my. So impatient. Very well, I will make my point then. I, rather my employers, require the schematics for the Gabriel Rings AND the plans for the terraships.”

  “You think WE have those?” Garber laughed. “No one’s seen hide nor hair of those schematics for ages. You may as well ask me for the meaning of life.”

  “Oh, we have that already,” the shadow continued. “However, what we need are the technologies I have mentioned. The Cyber, known as Gabriel, was responsible for the creation of these technologies. Our sources have found that the Cyber NEVER left Earth. Therefore, the secrets are still on your planet.”

  “We don’t have….” Garber
started.

  “Don’t insult us,” the shadow interrupted. “We’re not asking for you to surrender, or back off your military, or change your government’s ways. We are asking for technology that YOUR government should have been sharing for centuries. You’ve been selfish, keeping this technology to yourselves while the rest of the galaxy suffers. We are even prepared to create a new Earth, lush in rich soils, bountiful oceans, and vast in minerals. You hand this technology over to us, and your needs will be placed out in front of ours.”

  “I’m telling you, we don’t have the technology,” Garber repeated.

  “I know that you, Mr. President, do not know of its whereabouts,” the shadow replied. “However, once you spread the word, I’m certain that they will mysteriously surface somewhere. You are, after all, the most powerful man on the planet. Tell me, how would your approval ratings fair if you announced a new Earth was underway? You’d be the President that became a savior, would you not? We’ve run the trials and we have discovered that a planet can be COMPLETELY terraformed in a year, given enough terraships to carry out the necessary steps. Our probes have found planets, perfectly primed and begging to become the new mother world. We just need more Gabriel Rings to reach them, and new terraships to form them. Can you truly say that you have NO interest in this, President Garber?”

  The President fell silent as he considered the offer. A new Earth would become a necessity as the resources of THIS Earth were become scarcer with each passing year. It was taking a collection of efforts for multiple planets to sustain the Earth’s population. He imagined an Earth that didn’t rely on the other planets for food, for building materials, fuel, ships, and advancing technologies. This was a well that was down to its last few drops of water.

  “Your suggestion is intriguing,” Garber replied. “However, this isn’t a decision that I can make by myself. Even if I could find what you seek, it isn’t solely within my rights to hand such information out to an unknown source. Let’s meet in person and discuss this. Tell us who you are, show us the data you’ve collected. You’re offering a fair bargain, but you’re giving me nothing to go off of other than your word. It’s difficult to believe a man’s word when he won’t show you his face.”

  The shadow disappeared from the screen, returning two minutes later. The harrier was already landing at the government center when the speakers filled with the disguised voice.

  “We will consider your offer,” the shadow spoke. “We appreciate your consideration in the matter. We had considered a more, forceful means of persuasion, but your efforts have led us to reconsider. We will be in contact, Mr. President. However, I do suggest you begin locating the technologies of Gabriel. We are prepared to go to ANY means necessary to obtain them. Let’s hope both sides are able to find a peaceful solution.”

  “Agreed,” Garber stated as the screen went dark.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Gates stammered as the harrier’s engines slowly died. “He hacks into our secure network, threatens to kill thousands, and THEN offers the deal of a lifetime. Am I the only one baffled by all of this?”

  “No, it makes perfect sense,” Garber muttered. “Whoever they are, they’re desperate. It’s likely these are the same people who took control of the Cybers and turned them against us. However, if the technology is truly what they are after, then they’d need help finding it. I may be old, but I remember some of my history lessons. Gabriel vanished, just up and disappeared from all records in the blink of an eye. If anyone were to find his remains, then the answer to the terraships and Gabriel Rings is likely still buried in his circuitry.”

  “People have been searching for Gabriel for centuries,” Gates mumbled. “It’s almost as ridiculous as finding the lost city of Atlantis.”

  “I’m not saying we spend all of our resources looking for it,” Garber replied. “I’m saying we need to APPEAR as though we’re searching for it to buy ourselves some time. They offered peace today, but they may offer terror tomorrow.”

  “Let’s assume they are the ones who took the Cybers,” Gates stated, turning in his plush seat and leaning forward to speak around the Vice President. “That means we CAN’T negotiate with them since they’ve already attacked innocent people. It’d be like making a peace treaty with Hitler.”

  “I think you’re exaggerating,” Wilkes started. “A room full of people can’t compare to the millions Hitler’s armies destroyed. However, I do suggest we do more than just pretend to look for Gabriel.”

  She turned in her seat and faced the President, leaning back so that Gates could hear and see. She’d fought against his presence, but she knew deep down that they would need his help before the end arrived.

  “Think about this James,” she continued. “What if we found Gabriel and all his technology? We COULD solve every problem the Earth is facing. Today we have allies who will aid us with food and materials, but what about tomorrow? We can’t guarantee that Parasus will continue supporting us, or any other planet for that matter. What if that man was from one of these planets, whom we believe to be our allies, and they’re getting ready to annihilate our planet, JUST to find Gabriel’s knowledge?”

  “You can’t be serious?” Garber replied. “We don’t have the manpower for this investigation. I’m about to go into a meeting with the Planetary Council and our own government and suggest that they tighten our internal security. I can’t just throw this in on top of that, and I’m not going to back down on Homeland Security.”

  “You don’t have to,” Jana replied. “Just give me a small team. A few historians, a couple of lab techs that have been cleared of charges, maybe a few civilian members. I’ll keep it quiet, I promise. You’ll never know we’re investigating unless you want it to appear that we are. What if that shadow was a Cyber? He can scan you and tell that you’re lying. At least, if he calls again, you’ll be telling the truth when you say that we’re searching. You can use this to buy time to hunt these men down. Finding Gabriel would be a bonus, with finding the terrorists the main priority. Be truthful, tell them you’re looking, tell them you need help and FORCE them out into the open. At least, we’ll know who we’re dealing with.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Gates started. “But she’s right. I wouldn’t waste a lot of manpower going on this scavenger hunt for them, but I WOULD use this if I were head of DHS right now. We can peacefully flush them out this way. Maybe keeping the peace will prevent the next attack, give us more time to prepare for this potential war. If the Vice President wants to head this up, then let her. She has some people in her pocket that could probably pull this off. Best-case scenario, we find it, do what the man says, and save the world while maintaining the peace. Worse case, we buy time to discover whom our enemies are.”

  President Garber looked out the window, thinking of the convincing words he would have to use to enable the startup of Homeland Security. They needed time, something they seldom had these days. All he could do was nod his head.

  “Alright,” he said, standing from his plush seat. “Jana heads this up, and we move forward with DHS. That means YOU support us on that Jana. I need everyone on board.”

  “Yes, Mr. President,” she replied. “I’ve already prepared some choice words on your behalf. You state your case. Be firm about it, relentless if you have to. I’ll take up the mantle of the reluctant bystander and slowly agree with you. As I come around, so will the Council.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Gates asked, following behind his President.

  *********

  Abraham stepped out the front door of the abandoned Cyber facility, the sun slowly fading before him. He hadn’t realized it, but he’d slept for three hours and was now attempting to locate his two companions. He circled the structure, finding them next to a lone tree, twenty yards from the building.

  He strode their way, noting the mound of fresh dirt that lay next to them. As he drew closer, he could make out the large hole next to the mound. A quick scan showed
it was seven feet deep, seven feet long, and three point five feet wide. The girls were caked in mud and dirt, the sweat matting their hair to their faces. Both were drinking bottles of water, attempting to rehydrate after the long day’s work.

  “What are you two doing?” he asked. “You’ll kill yourselves in this heat.”

  Sandra looked to Jenna, motioning for her to answer the Cyber’s question. The younger sister took another drink from her container, wiping the excess from her mouth before speaking.

  “Sandy told me what happened, with Cybill that is,” she started. “I know we didn’t know her, but we know you. We kinda figured you were going through enough right now, so we dug your daughter a grave.”

  Abraham looked down at the hole in the ground, adjacent to the tall tree, its shadow stretching out for forty yards in the low sun. His mouth drew tight as he weighed the implication, realizing that he hadn’t given a thought as what to do with Cybill’s remains. He suddenly felt ashamed.

  “I…I don’t know what to say,” he stammered. “I wish she could have met you both. I’m all but certain you’d gotten along splendidly.”

  Sandra was about to speak when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. She whipped around to see two vehicles moving in on their location, speeding along the dirt road and leaving a high trail of dirt in their wake. The tall grass blew down as the vehicles passed though they were still too far away from her to make out who was inside.

  “Jenny, get inside and get our guns!” she ordered.

  “Belay that request,” Abraham offered calmly. “I sent for these men.”

  Jenna looked at her sister in dismay, uncertain of what she should be doing. She slowly back-pedaled, waiting for her sister to respond. Sandra held up her hands for her little sister to stop, then stepped behind Abraham as she watched the two vehicles pull to a stop before them.