***
A few
nights later the entire group, now fourteen in total, joined together in the Viking room. Charlie, Colin and Jeremy rolled in carts containing a meal fit for royalty and in quantities large enough to feed a small army. The conversation was easy and although it was on the minds of many present, no one asked about Bliss.
Sitting at opposite ends of the table Zack and Madison went through the motions. To the others there was nothing out of the ordinary, but Austin, who had an eye for the slightest detail, noticed Zack’s gaze wandering in Madison’s direction and her avoiding his. Austin knew he was to blame. More than he understood her feelings, he heard them. Eve’s gift to him.
Feeling his eyes upon her, Madison looked across the table at Austin, steeling herself against the reaction she expected. Her heart, as always, rammed against her rib cage causing her breath to stop in her throat. Her resolve was spineless and weak, angering her as much as it made her sad. She gave Austin a half smile and returned to stirring her food.
Austin wasn’t the only one who picked up on the vibe. Edward too noticed the strangeness and experienced sadness for everyone involved, but especially Madison. During their absence she’d shared the emotional roller coaster she’d road before the Sundogs appeared. He knew better than anyone that she deserved someone who could love her exclusively, someone who didn’t live with ghosts.
On the subject of ghosts, the silence from the man next to Edward resonated loudly. Austin hadn’t touched his food, other than to push it around his plate. This meant one thing, the captain wasn’t going to stay for long and this time Ed wanted to go with him, to wherever he might be heading. Glancing across the table, Ed and Luke’s eyes met. Ed got the sense Luke was thinking the same thing.
Luke understood full and well what the expression on Austin’s face meant, and this time better than Ed. The captain was planning to return to Bliss. He was going to go back for his son. He was going back to destroy the vampire things. Luke thought of them as vampires, knowing they weren’t really vampires, for lack of another name to call them. He didn’t care what they were, if Austin was going back, Luke was going with him.
A couple of hours after dinner, per Austin’s request, Madison, Edward, Luke, and Zack met Austin in the control room. All but Austin sat in the recliners. The screens on the walls were black. The climate on Earth had not changed. The three suns hung in the sky during the day, temperatures hovered at zero and the night skies were void of all light. The aliens were still very much in control.
They had discussed the time flip on the ride back from Cheyenne and shared with Ed and Madison. Zack theorized the switch was orchestrated in order to provide the Sundogs optimal time for eradicating humans from the Earth. In the first forty eight hours it was critical for them to create mass confusion. From there on the humans who remained were under the Sundog’s control.
Austin partly agreed with Zack’s theory, but thought there was still too much they didn’t understand about Eve’s people or the Sundogs. He believed Agra had every intention of returning to Earth and would bring his armies along with him. When Ed asked why they would need armies when they’d already killed most all humans. Austin replied they had no proof this was the case. He went on to say the U.S. might have been first because of Eve and if so it was possible they’d only just begun to take over the planet.
The tale of the temple was retold by Austin, excluding the truth discovered when he’d kissed Eve. Excluding the strange effect her bite was having on him. To the question of Roxanne he simply replied she was dead. All were befuddled by his lack of emotion, but no one dared ask more about his wife.
Austin went on to describe the warehouses full of people and although Eve had said they were beyond saving, Austin no longer believed this to be accurate. The monitors showed hearts still beating, and some had beats stronger than others, indicating to him there was life left in their bodies.
Heartbeats aside, the warehouses he saw on Bliss only held thirty thousand people at the most. Not even a drop in the ocean compared to the number gone and that was taking into account those dropped back to Earth. Knowing now that there was a time differential between Bliss and Earth, Austin questioned if it was plausible the Sundogs were carting bodies back and forth through the portal.
“Maybe they have a base here.” Madison offered. “Or many.” She told them of the map she confiscated from Roth’s office.
“It makes more sense that way.” Austin replied. “Which is why I brought Roth’s files and journals. Somewhere in all his rants is the answer. Or at least a clue.”
“What’s your plan?” Ed asked.
Looking them over as they waited for him to answer, he again questioned if he was doing the right thing. But what choice did he have? He didn’t. This was the only choice.
“First, go through Roth’s stuff until I find that clue. And while I’m looking at pictures, Zack’s gonna design a weapon. One that will kill a Sundog.” Zack gave him a nod, his mind already kicking around prototypes.
“What about the vampires?” Luke looked down embarrassed. “I mean the alien people?”
Austin shook his head at Luke’s question. He didn’t know what to do about them. His son was one of them. Eve, who was somehow his son’s mother and his wife, was also one of them. Eve, who had saved his life on numerous occasions over the years, had risked her father’s displeasure by letting Luke and Zack go free. She’d done this for Austin. And Austin, despite his efforts to the contrary, was conflicted in his feelings about her.
“And second?” Ed asked.
Austin smiled at Ed’s attentiveness. “And second, but more important, I’m going back to Bliss.”
“How? You destroyed the portal.”
Austin gave Luke a half smile. “I only shut it down.”
“They’ll kill you.” Zack said.
“Then they kill me. But I’m not abandoning my son without a fight.”
“I’m going with you.” Luke stood up. “And don’t say no or try to sneak outta here. I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
“Ditto.” Edward stood up next to Luke. “If there’s a chance at saving even a few people I want in.”
“Don’t even think about it.” Austin raised his hand when Zack stood up. “You’re needed here.” He glanced at Madison. “The world needs you man. They need your brains, your ability to create and solve shit so things can be made right again. When Eve’s people return, we have to be prepared to stop them. You’re the only one smart enough to figure out how.”
Zack opened his mouth to protest, but Austin shook his head at him. Zack plopped back down, knowing Austin was right, but hating the thought of missing out on the adventure. The only plus was having Madison here. And, guilt aside, if Austin wasn’t around, maybe Zack stood a chance at winning her over. It didn’t go unnoticed by him, or Austin, that she didn’t put up a fuss about staying behind.
“I’m leaving in a week for Bliss with whatever information I have.” He knew he was rushing, but the time lapse could make all the difference. One week would be over a month gone by on Bliss. “Zack can you have something for me by then?”
“I’ll do my best.” Zack replied, knowing he’d do better.
“Madison, Luke and Edward, you’ll help me look through the files?” He’d make faster progress with them helping.
“Of course.” They answered in unison.
“We leave in a week then.” Austin looked around at them. Their thoughts mingled with his and he resisted the urge to rub his head, as if this action alone could silence their voices. He hoped the gift Eve bestowed upon him would provide the strength he needed to see this thing through.
EPILOGUE
COLOGNE, GERMANY
12:00am
Military Counterintelligence Service
Sitting in a room filled with computers and tech gear a soldier looked up at the large screen on the wall with disinterest. The live stream of video gave a bird’s eye view of the United States or at least where it should be. His eyelids drooped, threatening to close down at any second. He fought the sleepiness by tapping his foot. Tap. Tap. Tap. He rubbed his face. It was a losing battle. His eyelids fell.
He jerked awake and immediately glanced behind him to see if any of his superiors noticed. They did not. He turned his attention back to the large screen. At first all he saw was the same white mass that had covered the United States for over a year. As he watched his eyes opened wide, he leaned forward and then stood. He absently waved his arm to catch someone’s attention.
One of the officers noticed the soldier waving and walked over to him. About to say something to the soldier, he stopped when he saw the white mass moving, spreading down towards South America.
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