Proxima

by Chase Hildenbrand

  “What do you mean?”

  “The most likely scenario is our new interstellar friends are coming to harm us one way or the other. We don’t have all the information, but that’s what I’m feeling, and unlike before, I think now we do need the ships.”

  “Are you proposing a deal? Get to the point.”

  “I know you hate me, but let me get through this next part without you attacking me again.”

  “No promises.”

  “Fine. Earlier today when you were escorting the last of my guys out of your office, I plugged in a usb drive into your computer. The WWLO has some excellent hackers. The program only needed a few minutes to find every file it needed and then transmitted it to our headquarters here in Orlando.”

  “Shit!” Liam put his fist through the nearest wall. Dust and drywall filled the air. “You just keep screwing me, Percy. So while we’re finding out we’re about to be invaded, you were sending those bastards what? Ship schematics? Launch dates?”

  “Everything. That was the plan. The first attack was to get you to hire me. Once I was in, I needed to bring in more people that would eventually help me take out the rest of the ship still being constructed. Meanwhile, I needed to get that drive on your computer. They have it all now, Liam.”

  This time the anger got the best of him. He threw himself at Percy delivering a mighty blow with his right fist to his stomach. Percy doubled over, the wind knocked out him. He prepared to strike another punch to the back of Percy’s head, but hesitated. He grabbed Percy by the shirt collar pulling him back to an upright position. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Me and you are going to walk out of here like nothing has changed. We’re going to get in my car and drive straight to the police.”

  He grabbed Percy’s arm and began walking him to the office door. Struggling to breathe, Percy managed to weakly squeak out one word: “Wait.”

  They stopped as Liam’s hand rested on the doorknob.

  “If anything happens to me, if I get arrested, they’ll know. They’ll assume you’re aware of their plans and they’ll implement their back-ups instead.”

  “What are those?”

  “I don’t know. I just know that my mission was plan A. They kept us separate so we couldn’t rat on each other.”

  Liam released Percy’s arm and stepped in front of him. “What do you propose then?”

  “Let me go. I’ll work with you. We carry on as nothing has changed like you said. The alien news isn’t public yet and as far as I know they’ve never managed to plant an inside person on the commission. So I think I’m the only one who knows about it. I’ll go to the headquarters and break it down for them. Maybe they’ll view the situation like I do and back off.”

  “Or maybe they’ll put their plans in motion sooner. Time frame for plan A?”

  “Four weeks. In the middle of the night between shifts,” Percy answered.

  “To limit loss of life. Not a good idea to kill so many of the best and brightest minds needed to save the planet.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, aren’t you a bunch of saints? So if we carry on, we have four weeks to stop it. If they figure out I know about the plan and that you’re helping me we’re both dead and an unknown plan is set in motion. Alright, you go back to them. Find out as much as you can about—well, what did they need with the files on my computer?”

  “Schematics mostly—to know the strategic places to plant the bombs in order to cause the most damage. If I had to guess, they also wanted the launch schedule for plan B. If infiltrating the facility was plan A, then it would make sense, to me at least, that plan B would be to destroy the ships when they’re not securely guarded in here, which either means when they’re in transport or when they’re on the launchpad.”

  “That makes some sense. You’ll have to see if you can dig up more information on plan B. What about the other campuses around the world?”

  “All the ships are designed alike. We only needed one set of schematics and nobody else has a relationship with any of the higher staff at the other campuses. That’s why I was chosen here.”

  “So no one has infiltrated the other campuses?”

  “That’s what I was told. We needed the information here before we could begin infiltrating the campuses for ships six and seven.”

  Lied to most likely, Liam thought. He would need Percy to find out for certain. He wanted to believe that the man he fought with, the man he once considered a brother, still stood in front of him today. But that man would never have fallen in with this WWLO cult. How did he end up with them?

  “Go and figure out what you can.”

  Ann’s childhood loomed over her as she stood in its shadow. Her father was inside waiting for her to return. What would she tell him? Hey Dad, aliens are coming to kill us all, thought you’d want to know.

  Instead, she found herself wandering up and down the street lost in her own thoughts. She knew she had to travel back to Orlando as soon as possible. Her assistant was capable, but she’d rather be there herself now that the launch had been moved up.

  Her cell vibrated in her pocket. It was Liam. She ignored it.

  She wanted more time to process everything. The thought of an alien fleet chilled her to the bone. Her and Liam occasionally watched old science fiction films—every once in a while they included aliens. The movies never scared her, but now the terrifyingly real threat produced an overwhelming fear that crawled up her spine. They existed and they were coming.

  A bird shrieked from the trees behind her making her jump. Her hand flew to her heart and she laughed at herself. Get it together.

  Several minutes later she felt composed enough to return home. She opened her father’s front door and the refreshing air conditioning and the nostalgia of her childhood memories greeted her. She remembered playing on the living room floor with her mother. She recalled watching the last Tennessee snowfall during the winter of 2108 and how excited she was to go outside and build a snowman. Her parents helped and they made three, one for each of them. Memories flooded her mind as she made her way to her father’s bedroom down the hallway lined with family portraits.

  “That you, Ann? You were gone longer than my nap! How’d your phone call go?”

  “It was...informative,” she said. Would she lie to her father? Ann didn’t think so. She never lied to him and wasn’t about to start now when this may be the last time she saw him in person.

  She sat at the foot of the bed, resting her hand on his leg. “Dad, I have to tell you something. It’s top secret and cannot leave this room.”

  “Are you sure you can be telling me this, then? Not like I have anybody to tell, but still. I understand if you have to keep secrets, you have an important job.”

  “I’m going to tell you this. But remember, top secret.”

  The incredulous story stumbled out of her as she tried to make sense of it herself. Her father did not interrupt, but merely nodded along as she told him all she knew.

  “How’s that for irony?” he finally said when she finished. “We’ve been killing ourselves slowly since the industrial revolution and then just like that some aliens come to finish us off. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Nobody did.”

  “You have to get back, don’t you?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, I wanted to stay longer, but with the timetable so messed up now, I don’t have a choice.”

  “I understand, sweetie. You’re my hero, you know that? You’re helping to save the human race.”

  “I’m a glorified botanist, Dad.”

  “Nonsense. When you get to Proxima, who will be analyzing the plant life to make sure it’s safe to eat or not? You.”

  “I’m just one of several, but thank you. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Annie. I couldn’t be prouder.”

  She leaned over to kiss the top of his head. They spoke for a while longer neither one ready to say goodbye.

  Debra Sizemore shuffled her clothing
back into place before leaving Captain Landon Jameson’s office. Over the last five months the two have carried on a secret affair and after that meeting, finding out aliens exist and heading their way, they needed to relieve some mental stress.

  She and Jameson knew each other from their time at the Air Force, flirted often, but never hooked up until she was brought on by the commission. Her final rank before leaving the Air Force was Command Chief Master Sergeant. After climbing to the top of that ladder the commission recruited her and she felt it was her duty to serve.

  She led the crews of their two smaller craft fleets including Z56s which were specially modified space ships capable of quick movements mimicking a fighter jet in atmosphere. They spanned about fifteen feet in length and ten foot width. Only one pilot could fit inside. Built over ten years ago, they were capable of taking off from the ground and flying straight up into space, no rocket required. Outside of training for their pilots they had yet to experience any real action. Debra didn’t think they ever would, until an hour ago.

  Another type of craft, the Z48s, would also make up their own mini-fleets on board each STS ship. These would primarily be used for shuttling around cargo and crew. Much slower and less versatile than the Z56s, they still featured the capability of direct take off to space sans rocket.

  Similar to what other department heads would be doing this instant, she gathered her pilots, maintenance crew, and any other position that fell under her to a meeting in the Z56 hangar. She thought of Landon. Right now he would be talking to the hundreds of staff making up the administrative crew assigned to The Hawking.

  Her people slowly trickled in one-by-one. She didn’t tell them this was an emergency meeting because she wanted the time to think of what to say—the craziest thing she would ever say in her entire life.

  She studied the faces of those joining her, waiting for her to tell them what all the commotion had been about. There weren’t that many young faces staring back. Yes, she recruited the best of the best from the Air Force, which required years of experience, but even still. A hundred years ago the average age in this room would be ten years younger. Not enough youth anymore and not just in her field, but life in general.

  Time to begin.

  “Alright, everyone. I think most of you are here. The rest will find out soon enough. What I’m going to tell you is being withheld from public knowledge for now. It will not leave this base, got it?” Her audience agreed.

  “Our schedule has been bumped up—significantly. Our Z56 crews, you need to double your training regimen. Most likely, you will see combat soon.” The looks of confusion spread throughout the crowd. Time for the crazy part...

  “Three alien ships have been spotted at the edge of the solar system. They’re coming our way.”

  Blank stares greeted her. She wasn’t sure what to expect; maybe some people walking out, or yelling at her. But the reaction was minimal if not non-existent.

  “Um, did you guys hear me? Aliens. I expected a bigger reaction.” A hand shot up from the front row, a Z48 pilot named Liz.

  “I can’t speak for everyone else, ma’am, but...what? Maybe we’re just not sure we’re understanding.”

  “I know it’s insane. To deal with this on top of everything else? But it’s true. The commission is attempting communication, but who knows how that will work out. The alien ships will be here in six months. We have to be prepared to fight them off.”

  She answered question after question as best as she could, but overall her people took it well.

  That night she talked it over with Landon back at her apartment. Ten years her senior, she thought he looked young for fifty. She sat next to him stroking his salt and pepper hair.

  “Believe it or not, my bridge crew are actually excited. They’re having a Star Trek marathon tonight in the barracks,” Jameson said.

  “A Star what? That the one with the wookie?”

  “Oh, dear. Much to learn, you still have.”

  “I’m so lost.”

  “You just need to brush up on your classics.”

  “I’ve never been into sci-fi. I like drama and comedies.”

  “Well, you’re about to be living sci-fi soon.”

  “That’s the truth.” She poured herself another glass of wine. They sat together on her couch, the local news playing on the wall-screen. The anchor talked about one small town in North Dakota where the birth rate actually increased in the past three years. Not that big of a deal when only a thousand people resided in your town in the first place, she thought.

  “It’s funny. We just received the biggest news in human history and it’s not even on the evening report,” Jameson said.

  “It’ll leak. Thousands of people around the world were told to keep a secret today. No way everyone will. Someone will tell their family, who will tell their friends, and on and on. I give it twelve more hours.”

  “You’re being too generous, Debra. Six hours.”

  “You’re on, captain.”

  Chapter 5

  THE NEWS LEAKED five hours later.

  “Do we know who blabbed?” President Foster asked. He stood in the new White House oval office along with Secretary of Defense Todd Blake.

  “I’ve got some people trying to figure that out, but realistically we knew it wouldn’t stay a secret when we told them.”

  Foster paced the room, furious. What a day, he thought. Long ago he resigned himself that he would die on this planet. Sure he wished to be on one of the STS ships, but he at least figured he’d grow to be an old man on Earth and perhaps be remembered in future history books on whatever planet the crews eventually settled on, as the president who oversaw their heroic departure from their dying planet. Now he faced a new reality which likely saw him dead in a few months by the hands (paws? claws?) of an alien species.

  A steady stream of noise had been building up louder and louder over the last thirty minutes. Despite the late hour, a crowd was gathering outside the White House. He made his way to a window and looked out at the growing mass.

  “I need to tell them something,” he said.

  “Agreed. I had my people draft a speech as soon as we discovered the fleet,” Blake said.

  “No. I don’t want a speech written by someone else. Not for this. I’m going outside to the gate.”

  “Sir, I must dissuade you. They’re scared and angry. It could get violent.”

  “I’m aware of the risks, Blake. I fought in Africa, damn it. I’m not doing this in the press room. I want to look in the faces of my people and answer their questions, not the reporters.”

  Before Blake could protest again, he exited the office. Blake rushed after him, followed quickly by the president’s aides. Listening to nobody, he used the southwest exit and an indistinguishable roar from the amassed crowd greeted him.

  Blake and at least a dozen other staff members trailed behind Foster who marched with a purpose. The president stopped ten feet from the gate and scanned the crowd. He estimated a thousand people, maybe more. He raised his hand; the crowd silenced.

  “I want you to hear this from me, not from the press. Please, stream this so your fellow Americans can hear this as well.” Foster watched as hundreds pulled out their devices and pointed them at him—he was live in front of everyone on social media.

  “What you’ve all heard is true.” He studied their reactions as he recalled the discovery of the alien fleet. Shock, fear, and anger resonated through the throng of people. The few parents present grabbed their children closely as they cried.

  “What are you going to do about it?” a man shouted from the depths of the crowd.

  “We are expanding our efforts to assemble the STS ships in space so they can begin their journey. That remains our primary goal. In the meantime—”

  “What about us?!” a woman asked. He found her toward the front clutching a young child.

  “Communication is being attempted with the alien lifeforms and we’re awaiting a response. They’re so fa
r away that it takes our signal hours to reach them, and their response would take hours to travel back to us. Because we haven’t heard anything yet is no reason for alarm. If worse comes to worse we are prepared to launch nuclear missiles at their ships when they are in range.

  “When I took office I understood that I waived my rights to be saved on an STS ship. I do not take my duty to protect you lightly. Since I was young I felt called to be here for our country and to help us through such a difficult time in human history. As you all know I began serving our country in the military—I fought wars for you. From there, I fought for you in the senate. And now I stand before you on the lawn of our nation’s symbol of perseverance where I will fight for you again.

  “I don’t know how this will all end. I wish I had more answers for you. Tomorrow I will begin working on those answers along with leaders from around the world. But believe me when I tell you that we will not lie down for them. We will strike first. If it comes to it, we will go down swinging with everything we have.

  “I’ll be happy to listen to your questions and I will be completely truthful and tell you all that we know.”

  A thousand questions came at once.

  As the sun rose, Ann crossed the runway to board her hovercopter that would take her back to Orlando. She was groggy and hoped to grab some sleep on the flight back. She and her father ended up talking most of the night; neither able to fall asleep after the news of the day.

  She pulled out her cell and called Liam before the noise of the hovercopter made it impossible.

  “Hey, Liam.”

  “Good morning, Ann. How’s things up in Tennessee?”

  “They’re fine as can be expected. I’m about to head back to Orlando. Boarding the copter in a minute.”

  “No! You can’t come back to Orlando.”

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t divulge the specifics, but it’s not safe. I don’t want you here right now.”

  “Liam, I can handle ‘not safe’.”

  “Please, do this for me. Stay in Tennessee.”

  “I can’t stay here,” she said, her voice rising in frustration. “I’m needed down there. We have to get things in high gear. The job is too important.”