Blood of Patriots (Book 4 of The Humanity Unlimited Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  “The Asharim couldn’t do that?”

  “No,” Brenda said. “Not only do their power storage units fail after a much shorter time frame, they couldn’t make a mechanical cat so realistic. It’s damned eerie. Have you found more of them?”

  Harry nodded. “Cats, dogs, reptiles, you name it. We took a few up, and they reactivated just the same as the cat. We think with the human population grown so large, the widespread use of living pets was low. It probably happened over a long period when resources became scarce, so there wasn’t a die-off. We found a number of real pets in what we think were homes of the very wealthy. They died with their owners.”

  Before he could continue, a man came in and whispered in his ear. From his sudden frown, Harry didn’t like what he was hearing. Once the man finished, Harry sent him on his way. “We’re going to have to cut this visit short. It seems Jess is trying to sneak something dangerous past me, and I need to go put a stop to it.”

  “I’d like to request we send people to help you explore the surface here, or at least to help process what you find,” Krueger said. “This sounds like something we could marshal a large group of people to help out on.”

  “I have no objection to that, though you’d have to clear whatever information you find with all of us,” Harry said. “I’m afraid you’d need a minder to make sure you didn’t try to get fancy. Also, even the existence of this place is so secret that you’d have to keep it limited to just a few important people. Whoever comes will be here for a while with no communication with home.”

  Brenda snorted. “As deeply penetrated as the US government probably is, only Queen and the president can know. No one else.”

  “I can accept that,” Krueger said. “Trust is earned, not given. Can I help with whatever Miss Cook is doing?”

  Harry opened his mouth—probably to decline—but paused. “Maybe so,” he said after a moment. “If you’d like to provide a team like you had on Volunteer World—minus that CIA jerk—I’d be happy to have you along.”

  “I can have my team back together in an hour at the New Zealand base. The one on our Earth, that is. How should I kit them out?”

  “Like you would have if you’d known you were going to be trapped on another planet,” Harry said grimly. “Not that I expect that to happen this time, but one never knows.”

  “I want to come along,” Brenda said into the short silence. “I might be able to help.”

  “You’re welcome to do so. Now, let’s get back to the lifter so we can get this in place before Jess tries to sneak off without you.”

  9

  Queen sat in his armored limousine and fumed as his driver took him to the United Nations building. The paper in his lap was a summary of what Commander Krueger had agreed to with Rogers, and it was far short of disappointing. The US would be tagging along like Cub Scouts on a tour, always under observation, rather than taking the lead as he’d envisioned.

  Oh, the man had explanations of how he hadn’t been able to convince the alliance of weak nations that guarded the base in New Zealand to accept more—and there might even be some truth to that—but deep down, Queen knew that the military officer had given in without any real argument.

  Sadly, Queen could only blame himself. In a moment of weakness, he’d had the not-so-brilliant idea of allowing someone without all the baggage that he and Rogers had to do the negotiating. Obviously a mistake on his part, but one that it was too late to do anything about at this point.

  The man had made an agreement that Queen could swallow. That didn’t mean that he was going to allow Rogers and the rest to keep him down forever. And actually, the arrangement had one upside that he could use against the enemies of the United States right now.

  The United Nations was just about to have the shock of their lives. While their minions now knew about the existence of the base in New Zealand, they hadn’t had a chance to return and brief their masters on any of the sensitive details. Even they weren’t stupid enough to imagine that they could safely send the images and reports home without every major power intercepting them.

  No, that kind of thing had to be hand delivered, and none of them had yet come back in person, though the CIA had informed him that one of them was on a plane to New York even now. He’d be far too late to stop Queen’s diplomatic judo, though.

  That was likely to be Queen’s only source of pleasure today, so he fully intended to enjoy it. The problems with how the US was a junior partner in this endeavor would take more work, but he relished the challenge. It would be all the sweeter when he finally took control of everything.

  But first, he needed to give the Chinese bastards a serious diplomatic headache. One that might even be enough to distract them from trying to fight a war with the US. And, as a bonus, one that would put Rogers into the hot seat.

  The limo pulled into a guarded garage, and the Secret Service detail that the president had loaned him took up protective positions. After the assassination attempt and the declaration of war by the Chinese, they weren’t taking any risks.

  Once the men and women protecting him were satisfied that it was safe to proceed, he exited his vehicle and made his way to one of the rooms just off from where the General Assembly met.

  Yes, it was even more toothless than the supposed security council these days, but he wanted everyone to hear what he had to say. And they’d all be there waiting, not that they knew he’d be here. No, he’d made arrangements to have an allied country give up their slot so that he could spring his surprise with zero time for the Chinese to prepare.

  He arrived just in time to shake the hand of the ambassador from Chile. “I appreciate this, and you can rest assured that we will more than repay this favor, Emanuel.”

  Ambassador Cepeda smiled and bowed slightly. “I have every confidence in you, my friend. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to return to my seat. I would not wish to miss the show. I promise that I will step in after you take the stage. I wouldn’t want to steal your thunder.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  Once the man was gone, Queen took a minute to prepare his presentation files and notes. Once he got started, he wanted to make sure that everything went smoothly and without interruption.

  The attendant that came for the next speaker only raised an eyebrow at seeing him. “Mister Secretary, I was expecting someone else.”

  Queen smiled widely. “Ambassador Cepeda has kindly agreed to allow me to use his time.”

  “I see. Come this way, then. The previous speaker is ending his remarks now, and you will be up shortly. Is there any assistance that I can provide for your presentation?”

  “Thank you, no. I’ll control it from the podium.”

  “As you wish. This way, please.”

  Queen put his papers away and followed the man to the area beside the stage. The ambassador from France was winding down what almost certainly had to be yet one more call for assistance in dealing with the gutting of his nation by the never-ending battle between the forces of order and those they’d allowed to immigrate from the Middle East and Africa.

  He had little sympathy for the man or his nation. The US and others had warned them about allowing large numbers of people in that were unwilling to integrate into their society. Did they listen? No.

  Now they were fighting against what amounted to a civil insurrection hell bent on setting up a Caliphate right in the heart of Europe. It had reached the point that some sections of the country were already under Sharia law. The fight for Paris made it a burning wreck every night now. It was only a matter of time before the French government became one in exile.

  Hell, the Middle Eastern nations represented in this very building were already pushing for the Caliphate in France to be recognized as the legitimate government. They saw it as just one more step towards a total domination of the world.

  Queen knew there were a lot of people that saw such a point of view as racism and bigotry, pure and simple. Sadly, nothing he could do could help p
eople like that. People like those in France who only now realized the trap they’d fallen into, far too late to save themselves.

  He’d never allow that to happen in the United States. People could loath and revile him as a racist or religious bigot all they wanted. He’d be the villain of that tale and never lose a moment’s sleep over it.

  His eyes narrowed a little as the wisp of an idea tickled the edges of his mind. Perhaps he could help them and his own country at the same time while still being true to the agreement he had with the alliance.

  While Rogers would never frame the situation in France with the same bluntness as he did, he knew the man likely didn’t approve of religious extremists warring with the government for control over the land on which his one functional base on Earth sat.

  If Queen made an alliance with France to help them, he might be able to get the French government to agree to cede the land to the United States. That might prove advantageous in the fight to come, though he couldn’t be too plain in how he framed things.

  Yes, that might prove useful if he played his cards right. Definitely something to keep in mind.

  Once the current speaker moved away, receiving almost no recognition that he’d even spoken, Queen waited for the man who’d escorted him to announce his arrival to the crowd of delegates at their seats. A low murmur arose as they discussed his unscheduled remarks with those seated near them.

  He strode out to the lectern and smiled at the men and women gathered around in their tiered seats, the names of their countries on placards before them. The old movie quote was quite correct. “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” suited this building with uncanny precision.

  And, to be fair, he was just as bad as the rest. Only he did his dark deviltry in the service of a great nation that deserved to triumph. He’d do everything in his power to make it so. He was his country’s Cardinal Richelieu.

  Not the buffoon portrayed in the novels or movies, but the staunch servant and advocate of France that did whatever needed doing to see his country survive and flourish. He made a mental note that that would be a good icon to use in speaking with the French later. The French loved icons.

  “I’m sure that many of you have heard of the recent unpleasantness,” he said, pitching his voice to carry. Most of them wouldn’t understand him without the use of interpreters speaking into the headphones they used, but his tone was an important part of his message.

  “The Chinese attacked the United States with no provocation, only declaring their intentions after their agents struck us on our own soil. This body is of course deadlocked on doing anything of substance because all of you listening to the sound of my voice are beholden to someone. Many to the Chinese.”

  That was a lot blunter than his normal style of delivery, but the time for polite, meaningless words was past.

  “The same is true of the body that should be acting to secure world peace—the Security Council—and that will not change with China as a permanent member there. Or Russia. Or the United States. One veto removes the possibility of any meaningful action there, and all the General Assembly is good for is mewling. Pathetic.”

  That certainly stirred up a lot of denial and shouting, which he allowed to play out with only an expression of contempt on his face.

  “What you haven’t heard is why they felt the need to declare war,” he said after a minute, overriding their chatter. “The UN sent a team to New Zealand recently. One of them is on the way back to report, but I think you all richly deserve to hear the truth for yourselves and not the sanitized data that the secretary general might one day tell you about.”

  He could see looks of confusion on many faces, but a few were enraged or showed consternation. Those he made mental notes of. They already knew the truth.

  “The day that many of you were told might never arrive is here,” he said, throwing his arms wide. “We’ve found evidence of an alien civilization that once visited our solar system.”

  That pronouncement caused a fair amount of laughter, but the Chinese representative merely looked confused. Oh, this was going to be rich. The official government of the country that had attacked him hadn’t bothered to brief their envoy on what they’d been after. That was going to prove… awkward for them.

  “I can see many of you don’t believe me,” he said. “That’s fine. I brought proof.”

  With that, he set the presentation in motion by plugging his data chip into the lectern and starting the slideshow. The images started with what Kathleen Bennett had done in her labs, going with pictures of the ship she’d stolen from Clayton Rogers.

  It then proceeded to the abandoned base in New Zealand, including the long-decayed bodies of the fighters. Then it went to the flying comet, Freedom Express. Finally, it was a parade of views from the inside of the base on Mars, gloriously intact.

  The final set of images was taken from Area 51, both before and after the blast that destroyed everything he’d seized from Kathleen Bennett. He’d been explaining in general terms what they’d been seeing as the images had marched across the screen, but he slowed the presentation now and said nothing until the final images were gone.

  “The last set of images were of the equipment we were studying at Area 51. The equipment that a Chinese agent destroyed to deny us access to the knowledge they were already pursuing.”

  That got a reaction from the Chinese representative. He pressed a button that flashed an indicator that he wanted to speak. Too damned bad.

  “I’d imagine this is a shock to them,” Queen said. “You see, there’s an underground movement of genetically modified humans working around the world that have been here for the last thousand years. As one might imagine, that has allowed them to get into many nooks and crannies.

  “The Chinese leadership probably doesn’t even realize that someone is pulling their strings, and even now a ship they built is on the way to Mars to try and capture that base using alien weapons of incredible power. They’ve gone to war at the beck and call of spies in their midst that couldn’t care less about them. All they want to get their hands on is one of these.”

  With that, he started a video someone had taken of one of the gates activating in a dark room made of an unknown metal. When the phenomenon stabilized, the camera wielder walked through and out into the bright sunlight of an alien world. One with two suns in the sky.

  “This is a video of Harry Rogers, an American citizen who was the first man on Mars and now the first to travel to another solar system an almost unimaginable distance away from here. The man who opened the universe for exploration and exploitation, for good and ill.

  “Shadowy figures in the Chinese government don’t want you to know about this, but the only way to stop the war threatening to engulf the world is to expose this den of lies and show you what we face if we do not stand together.”

  The next video was of the heavy-worlders coming through the gate into the French base and attacking the people there with their alien weapons. The bloody attack stopped when he froze the flow of images, leaving the focus of the image on Jessica Cook, who was crouched behind a crate and firing at the enemy fighters.

  “That woman is Jessica Cook,” he said conversationally. “She is the primary shareholder in the company Clayton Rogers formed before his death. By any stretch of the imagination, she’s the wealthiest person on this planet, if one counts the wonders her company controls.

  “The base in New Zealand is mostly wrecked, but the one on Mars is fully operational. So is a mobile ship built inside a comet. That is only the beginning.

  “An alliance of nations and Humanity Unlimited has been formed to defend the Earth and exploit this new technology. The United States is part of that group, which is made up of New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and the island nation of Nauru.

  “China wants what they do not and cannot ever be allowed to have. The weapons to subjugate humanity under the rule of alien overlords long thought gone. Ones that a
re all too real.

  “I ask you to demand the report the UN is getting today. Demand answers from China. Demand that they put down their weapons of war and recall their mission to seize the base on Mars. Only by doing those things can they prove their innocence.”

  He smiled broadly and leaned forward. “And watch their ship in space closely. If it does not turn around, you can be sure that any actions they take on Earth are designed to fool you and continue their program of violent subjugation.

  “Do not let them fool you. Do not let the UN cover this up for the large payment that China would gladly pay to sweep this under the rug. Demand the truth and settle for nothing less. With that, I’ll leave you to discuss this among yourselves. Good luck.”

  With that, he unplugged his data chip and headed back behind the stage. Let them bicker and fight. China would deny everything and refuse to cooperate. The other nations would demand proof from the UN. It was even odds whether the idiotic bureaucrats would comply.

  The alliance would be angry with him, but that was too bad. Let them stand up in the light of day and show the world what they had. As soon as a few of those damned ships started making public appearances, all doubt would fade, and the war with China would become a lot more one-sided.

  The world would not be satisfied with being shut out. Thank God he didn’t have to negotiate that. Jessica Cook and the rest would hate him for this, but it was now their problem. He’d probably saved the United States, and that would have to be enough.

  10

  Jess had thought she was going to dodge Harry right up until the moment she arrived in the gate room aboard Freedom Express. To her annoyance, he was standing there with a smug expression on his face, waiting for her.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” he said blandly. “Going somewhere?”

  She sighed. “You damn well know where I’m going. I’m taking the heavy-worlder leader and two of his aides back to his planet to try and stop this idiotic war.”