Daryl now knew why he was here. It was somewhat bittersweet. It was nice of the General to not mention his weapon stealing and subsequent incarceration. Bittersweet, as no one would see the medal except him in prison. Still, his family would be proud. “Daryl Jones, please come to the podium. Daryl walked to the podium as thunderous applause roared around him. He was overwhelmed. Daryl walked up the few steps to the podium and faced General Straub. General Straub carefully pinned the medal on his chest and shook his hand vigorously. It was then that Daryl saw his wife and daughter sitting a few rows back on the podium. He was stunned. General Straub spoke softly into his ear. “Turn around and face the audience. When their applause dies down, go and sit with your wife and child.”
Daryl did as told. After the thunderous applause died down, he walked to the seats behind the General. His wife Hilda rose and embraced him, while Astrid hugged his leg. Daryl sat down because his legs were shaky and he was emotionally overwhelmed. It was then that Hilda said, “General Straub asked me to give you this letter.” Daryl took it and ripped it open and read it.
“Dear Daryl Jones,
It is with great pleasure that I, President Rushmore, with the concurrence of General Tyler Straub, General of the Global Armed Forces, offer you a conditional pardon. We do this step because of your bravery in the face of enemy fire. In your actions you saved humanity from great loss. We are willing to overlook the fact that you made a serious mistake in the heat of the battle. Stealing an alien weapon with intent to transfer said item to RUSS is an act of terrorism. This pardon does have a condition in order to be valid. You must accept service in the civilian arm of GAF. You will be assigned as an intelligence specialist in MI’s Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Unit headed by Major Hauser. Should you accept our terms, you and your family will be transferred to Area 51 where MI, Under Colonel Lanzo, has its headquarters. You will be given a salary, base housing, your child will be schooled, and your wife will be offered work. Should you not accept, you will be returned to prison at the conclusion of today’s ceremony. Of course, you are expected to cooperate fully in your new position. If not, the consequence will be prison. To accept, remain in your seat with your family.
Sincerely,
Darius Rushmore
President of the United States”
Daryl gave the letter to Hilda. After reading it, she gave him a questioning look. Daryl smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll do it. We can be together again. Stay in your seats, both of you. Someone will come for us.” Daryl then saw General Straub walking toward him along with three other GAF soldiers. Daryl shivered, as he recognized two of them as the guards around him in the audience. “Daryl, I see my confidence that you would do the right thing wasn’t misplaced. Major Hauser here will be in charge of your transport to Area 51, as well as your supervisor. The guards are not guards in a sense now, but until you earn Major Hauser’s trust, they will be around. Good luck, Daryl.” With that, General Straub walked away. Hauser looked at Daryl with mixed emotions. Here was the guy who evaded him, then was captured, and now is pardoned and under my oversight. Still, he had gone from Captain to Major because of the earlier events. All in all, not a bad trade, he thought. Hauser smiled and said, “Let’s go, we have a flight to catch.”
The next evening, Straub stood in the living room of his base apartment. Topsy Part 2 suddenly came on the Slacker Radio on the 50s Hits channel. Straub smiled as memories from that era of his youth rose up. He couldn’t decide whether the music or his glass of wine was making him feel the bliss of slight intoxication. He thought out loud, “Wine, world’s best pain killer; better than aspirin.” He started to dance with the moves of his youth as the beat of the music echoed in his head. It was times like this that he missed his wife. Too bad she had died in a car accident several years after Brian was born. Still, this was what his grandchildren, Thomas and Cathy, would call a happy, happy, joy, joy dance. Thinking of them he knew it was time to visit Brian, Mary and the grandchildren. He poured himself another glass of cabernet sauvignon from California and smiled. Yes, things would be OK now, he thought. Aliens and RUSS faded into the background of his mind. Humanity’s future was assured.
Epilogue
So dear reader, by now you wonder who wrote this record for future humanity. Was it John Cabrot, alias Paul Laurent? You can be forgiven for thinking that, given the detailed thoughts and statements attributed to John Cabrot aka Paul Laurent. No, that is incorrect. Was it Ralph Miller or Ahmed Gupta, alias ….. No, wrong, wrong. It was I, Zack Johnson Cabrot-Laurent. Surprise! So how do I know all this stuff? Did I make it up? Was it because I turned out to be an empath? Well, partially. I can sometimes read someone’s mind, but I always know when they are telling the truth or lying. If I sensed lies, I pressed them hard for the truth. I didn’t write this record down until I was satisfied that my interviews were true. Another reason I know these things was I worked with and associated with these people in the narrative at various points of my life after THE INCIDENT. And yes, Paul Laurent/Cabrot was my mentor. He was a good man, a wonderful man, and a father figure. I am so glad that Paul was convinced by me to pass on his oral history for future generations. I thank him for his encouragement to go on to college and graduate school to specialize in technology management. I miss him terribly. He guided me until I was ready to take on his challenge. While he is gone, he’ll never be forgotten, as long as our human race lives on.
As to the aliens, you had better watch out. Humans learn very fast. From the two captured space crafts, we ultimately built a fleet to protect our solar system. These ships are Earth First Solar Avengers, or EFSA class vessels. The first was EFSA-Douglas, named after the General in charge of weaponry under General Straub. It was General Straub himself who insisted that the first one be named after General Douglas. Of course, the second one was EFSA-Straub, and then there was EFSA-Cabrot, and many more after that. The EFSA class vessels are four times bigger than the Wedgies, employ wormhole technology, and have superior weaponry. If the aliens return, they are in for a big surprise. And yes, we are working on another class, the EFD, the Earth First Dreadnought. Memories of the fictional Star Trek and its Starfleet are now our reality. When we finish that fleet, you can be sure we’ll go after those alien butts on their home ground and kick their collective ass. However, that is another story and will have to wait until a later time.
Zachary Johnson Cabrot-Laurent, Ph.D.
Director, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Outreach
MAJOR and MINOR CHARACTERS in ORDER OF THEIR APPEARANCE *Denotes minor characters
Dr. Paul Laurent aka John Cabrot, an epidemiologist recently retired from the CDC, suddenly finds himself thrust into the role of humanity’s savior. An unknown plague released by a destructive alien invasion threatens to destroy all human life. John, having been infected, struggles to survive, while bringing a team together from the surviving scientists to understand the plague and to find a cure. Hindering the efforts is a religious zealot who plots to kill Dr. Cabrot, believing the Rapture is upon the world and Dr. Cabrot is the Anti-Christ. Will he survive the plague or religious extremism? Will a change of identity be enough to protect him from religious fanaticism?
John Munger, a military communications specialist, inadvertently sees an alien space ship near the back side of the moon. Without any physical proof, he is soon ridiculed and reprimanded by the military. He struggles to reclaim his reputation to no avail until years later more of the alien ships show up. His skills are pushed to the limit as he tracks their movements for the military who are no longer laughing at him.
*Drs. Lars Chapman and *Rachel Kofranek Paul Laurent’s dermatologist and internist, respectively.
Joseph Torelli, Lisa Stockton, *Jamal Williams, and *Liu Ping are soldiers who must guard the life of a very important asset around the clock. Assassination attempts are an ever present danger and sometimes the US government is more a hindrance than a help.
General Tyler Straub is thru
st into leading the U.S. military against the aliens and their technologically superior weaponry. Choices must be made rapidly, now that the President is dead and contact with the Vice President is too time-consuming. It soon becomes apparent that General Straub must work with his Russian and Chinese counterparts to assure humanity’s survival. With some old air force technology, nuclear weapons, and experimental weaponry from Area 51, can he beat the aliens? Even if he does, can humanity survive the alien plague? Even if humanity survives, can General Straub create an armed global military force capable of besting the aliens again when they return?
*Edward Rabideau is Zachery Johnson’s teacher. He has no idea that Zack is a special student.
*Thomas Soule, Director of the CDC, is put to the test early after his appointment. He is not up to the task through no fault of his own.
*President Braddick Tomlinson has the misfortune of being POTUS when the aliens arrive. His tendency toward keeping secrets and hesitancy to use forcefulness is a weakness.
*Peter Vickers is a high school student who finds something the government would rather not have anyone know about. He passes it on to a friend, not wanting to be burned by the “hot potato.”
*James Morehouse is a high school student who writes a blog about the government’s supposed secrets in Area 51. He comes into possession of some information that gets him and his family into more trouble than he could ever imagine.
*Maria Longo saw an injustice and raised hell on social media. Little did she know she was about to unravel the government cover-up of the alien invasion.
*General Milo Thadford was Secretary of Defense when the aliens arrived.
*Admiral Sebastian Hawthorne was Director of the National Security Agency. He helped cover-up the invasion of the aliens as the government tried to avoid mass panic.
Alexi Utkin is a New York Times reporter who will do anything to get to the bottom of secret meeting of the military and politicians, even if the unknown price might be his life.
*Elmer Tolbero works in the UN food service. His actions unintentionally help expose the aliens’ arrival.
*Jack Wingate is newsroom boss at the New York Times Jack Wingate struggles with the decision to release the first news about the alien invasion as it was obtained illegally.
*General Yao Liang of the Peoples Republic of China is the first to order his Air Force to fire on the alien space crafts.
*Pilot Lee Hong is the only survivor of the Chinese fighter planes that clash with the aliens.
Vice President Luanne Chung is thrust into the role of POTUS with the death of the President during the alien invasion. She struggles to overcome her image of bunker hiding and pushes back against the General who she thinks does not respect her as Commander-in-Chief. As the reality of a world government and a diminished U.S. role arises, she fights back with political acumen, dirty tricks, and feet dragging. She will do anything to become an elected president.
* Sergeant Sean O’Malley is General Straub’s Aide.
*Dr. Benedict Kaminski, a member of General Straub’s science advisory team, helps hone a surprising defensive strategy against the aliens’ space crafts.
*Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Hopper commands a squadron of Fighting Falcons. His squadron is the first to shoot down an alien craft after the aliens show hostile intent.
*Meredith Parker is a college student heading to a party and ski-filled weekend. Unfortunately the aliens impact her weekend in a bad way.
*Anthony Ianelli is Meredith Parkers boyfriend. His fun-filled party weekend with Meredith turns out to be anything but.
*Gerald Lohnstein is Commandant of the NYC National Guard Headquarters and has his hands full during the alien invasion.
*Director Richmond Garrett of the NYC Homeland Security Office is thrown into action when the biological sensors sound an alarm.
Kyle Lanzo is part of the U. S. military intelligence known as MI. He is promoted to MI head by General Straub. His skills are tested as he works up intel on the enemy aliens, the religious extremists that see the aliens as God’s angels, and the anti-government militia that emerged below his radar. Can he keep the scientists safe that are working on a cure for the plague? His methods create friction between himself and the General, as Kyle Lanzo tends to see people as expendable assets.
*Brian, Mary, Thomas and Cathy Straub are General Straub’s son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, respectively. Brian must get over his dislike of guns if his family is to survive during the alien invasion chaos.
*Arlo Donaldson and *Stanley Tauck are FBI agents involved in the first quarantine roundup in New York City.
*Captain Irene Newcomb commands a squadron of Warthogs tasked with protecting NORAD and meets the aliens head-on.
General Reginald Douglas heads up weaponry development in Area 51. These weapons help to turn the tide against the alien attack on Area 51. Now General Douglas heads up the race to provide more and better versions for the future battle to come. Can he win the arms race?
*Captain Jesus Alvarez commands the air squadron tasked with defending Area 51.
*Fire Officer Lieutenant Bruce Hefflerman is tasked with defending Area 51 from aerial alien assault with ground to air weapons that are essentially experimental.
*General Leonid Kosilov survives the destruction of the Russian leadership by the aliens. He has an all or nothing plan for payback, but will the cost be too high?
*General Chang Xiang survives the destruction of the Chinese leadership by the aliens. He has a dangerous plan for payback, but will the cost be too high?
Reverend Jerimiah Cooper is troubled with visions and dreams that he believes come from God. Based on these dreams he saves his entire congregation from the alien plague. Afterwards his visions and dreams become darker and he plots to kill the anti-Christ who he thinks is thwarting the Rapture being orchestrated by the aliens. He is convinced they are God’s tools.
Ralph Miller aka Melvin Hopkins, MD, heads up military medicine at Area 51. His medical skills are pushed to the limit as he tries to save the military’s only asset for organizing the fight against the alien plague. Unfortunately, the asset has the plague. Clinical trials and perhaps shortcuts loom in his future. He soon finds himself a target of the religious alien loving zealots and needs an identity change.
Nurse Roberta Harrington becomes attracted to John Cabrot while administering to him when he has the alien plague. She resists the attachment as he is likely to die. Sometimes love is hard to ignore, even if risky.
Ahmed Gupta aka Bhanu Rajani, PhD, pushes his molecular biology skills and biochemical knowledge to the limit as he tries to understand the alien plague and how to fight it. He soon finds himself a target of the religious alien loving zealots and needs an identity change.
*Surgeon General Dr. Tanaka Mitsui must help the American public survive the alien plague.
Zachery Johnson is orphaned by the alien invasion. Zack is a sad boy with undiscovered potential. As his potential becomes realized, some attempt to guide it for good, while others see it as a threat, but one that could be used to their advantage. Zack struggles with events that attempt to shape him, while brushing against the bruising psyche of an alien POW.
*Dr. Harvey Monroe, a retired veterinarian, is Zack Johnson’s friend and is determined to help Zack survive.
*Edmund Doe Smythington the IV, his wife Blanche Smythington, and daughter Jasmine Smythington live the high life in the 0.1% bracket thanks to his leadership of a hedge fund that operates on the shady side. Unfortunately, Edmund’s sense of entitlement will be their undoing.
*Eric Cosalino is the opportunistic boyfriend of Jasmine Smythington. Does he really love her or the family’s money?
*Eduardo Rosales is Blanche Smythington’s masseuse.
*Manny Sabo is the caretaker of a wealthy hedge fund owner’s vacation home on St. Croix. He never passes up a chance to make a financial killing, even if it might kill him.
*Parker Tallman and Nate O’Leary guard the airp
ort at St. Croix. Their job is to stop the entry of the alien plague through airplane arrivals. They never overlook an opportunity, even if it might come back to bite them.
*Dr. Susan Cafflin gut instinct tells her the alien plague might have arrived on St. Croix. She wonders if the best course of action is to follow her medical oath.
*Thomas Clayton is Chief of Police on St. Croix. He is suddenly faced with the alien plague and must move fast to prevent its spread.
*Peter Garber’s retired life is destroyed when his wife and dog are killed by a driver high on designer drugs. His grief turns to anger and a thirst for revenge when the driver gets off scot free. The alien chaos provides him the perfect opportunity for revenge.
*Anthony Balfano uses all his mobster power to get his son free from a manslaughter conviction resulting from a drug fueled automobile accident.
*Anthony Balfano Jr gets away with manslaughter thanks to his father. However, payback can be a bitch.
*Frank Travers is a bought jury member who carries the day for Anthony Balfano, Jr. The payoff carries a steep price.
The Manhattan Incident Page 48
