Peace World Part 9

Grant stopped smiling.

Did the Waa speak, or was that voice completely in his head?

"You... can read my thoughts?"

"t.i.tan. Conway. Are either of you picking up on this?"

"Yes," t.i.tan confirmed. "It's a little strange at first, but you get used to it. Just remember to talk out loud so the rest of us can hear you."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Then he turned his attention to the Waa. "So your people used to visit Earth?"

"Ever abduct any humans on your visits?"

"a.n.a.l probes?" Grant let it be known what he was really asking with his mind.

A pause.

"What about Area 51?"

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h. So the whackos weren't whacko."

Grant shook his head. Waking up after six hundred years had not been easy. It had taken him a while to wrap his head around the fact that he-of all the humans that ever lived-had been the one brought back by Tane and his team of scientists. Everyone he had ever known, everything he had ever known, was long gone and forgotten. It was a strange and mind-numbing experience, to say the least.

But he had managed.

On top of that, he'd had to acknowledge that aliens really did exist. The Minith had come to Earth, enslaved its people, and were a fact of his new existence. But the fun had not stopped there. Not only were aliens enslaving Earth, but he had been revived after six centuries for the sole purpose of fighting those aliens. That had been more than a lot to take in and a.s.similate.

But he had managed.

Build an army to defend Earth from future Minith attacks?

Yeah, he managed.

Climb on aboard an alien s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p? Hurtle through s.p.a.ce at faster than the speed of light? Help another sentient species defeat the Minith in another solar system?

Sure. No problem. He managed.

Fly to Waa, come up with the most incompetent plan ever devised, and get all his troops-and probably his own planet-killed in the process?

Oh, yeah. That he managed to do really well.

But this? This?

Finding out that little green men and a.n.a.l probes really did exist was like the biggest cosmic joke ever. And he was the on the a.s.s end.

He wasn't sure he could manage this.

Grant felt his entire being expand as the anger, confusion, and pain of the past seven years swelled. An unbearable wave flooded his body and threatened to burst forth from every pore and orifice. The pressure grew and grew. He crushed his palms into his eyes in a weak attempt to hold back the relentless, expanding pain. A force the size of the universe pushed outward, seeking escape from his body, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He was an overblown balloon, destined to pop. The explosion, long overdue, would paint the walls and those around him with bits and pieces of his soul.

He heard a distant, high-pitched wail and the last rational remnant of his mind recognized it as an anguished scream. His scream.

At the instant of his explosion, he felt a cool tingle in his head.

Then nothing.

Part II Peace World

CHAPTER 14.

"Three weeks?" Mouse asked. It was the same as last time. Three weeks of preparing. Three weeks of waiting.

"At the current speed, yes," Tane confirmed.

Mouse nodded. His fingers went to his pocket and withdrew the list Grant had given him seven months before. He wished it was longer, provided more guidance, or offered more detail. But it did none of those things. It merely stated four items.

"Lead by example."

"Continue training our forces."

"Quickly incorporate Tane's new recruits."

"Protect my family."

He had done everything possible to accomplish the items on the list. The only one he worried about was the last one. He doubted his ability to protect anyone.

The leader of the armed forces on Earth glanced around the table for responses.

Blue's eyes were closed. He rubbed his temples furiously and muttered under his breath probably a Peace mantra.

Randalyn stared vacantly at a spot on the far side of the room. She was lost in thought, probably wondering how she would communicate this development to the Leaders.h.i.+p Council.

Tane was working at his monitor, already focused on the problem at hand.

Just two days ago, they had been ecstatic. Earth's scanners detected a blip-a new object had entered the solar system. Everyone at the table thought it was Grant and his mothers.h.i.+p returning. The timing was perfect. Three months out, three months back, with a month between to complete their mission.

But elation turned to confusion when the blip did not continue toward Earth. Instead, it sat silently at the edge of the solar system, unmoving.

Confusion turned to doubt when the blip was joined by a second blip twelve hours later. The doubt turned to dread when two more blips appeared just this morning.

And now all four blips were headed toward Earth.

Three weeks away.

Mouse ripped up the list. Let the pieces fall.

General Soo was pleased.

All four of the mothers.h.i.+ps had arrived and they had begun their approach to Earth. He relished what was to come.

The Minith had held the planet in a death grip for more than a dozen years with only a hundred soldiers. Now, with four thousand well-trained soldiers at his disposal, stomping out whatever rebellion might have taken place on Earth seven years ago would be child's play.

Knowing that it was the humans of Earth who had destroyed the home planet of Minith had fueled the pa.s.sion inside his forces. Fights among the troops happened hourly, and he encouraged them. The few losses of life that might result were worth the gains they fostered in terms of anger, spirit, and cruelty. The higher the blood-l.u.s.t when they reached the planet, the better.

On top of everything else going his way, Soo had learned of the human defeat on Waa two months prior. Rala had gotten word to him that the human mothers.h.i.+p had left Telgora only days after his own s.h.i.+p departed the planet. While he had headed for Earth, the human s.h.i.+p had headed directly for Waa. The humans had been met with complete annihilation.

Ha! What had they expected? They were outnumbered a hundred to one. They could not have hoped to succeed.

What made that victory sweeter was that none of the humans on Earth knew about it. They probably still held hope that their army would return victorious. It would be his pleasure to inform them of the battle after he slapped the chains back around their throats. Unlike before, this time he would make sure the chains stayed firmly affixed.

He had done his homework during the past two-plus months en route to Earth. He studied the humans. He knew their weaknesses, their aversion to violence. He knew how they were governed and he understood clearly where the threat must have originated. Violent's Prison was the only place on the planet where the sheep had fangs. It was there that he would concentrate his forces. Once that nest of vipers was clean, he would move on to the human Leaders.h.i.+p Council. No longer would the humans be allowed to govern themselves in exchange for meeting their quotas.

Going forward, they would meet their quotas or they would die under the boot of a Minith master. The human council would make excellent examples for the rest of the flock.

Obey or die. It was as simple as that.

His next thought was of his brother. It was hard to believe his sibling could still be alive after so many years, but that was the word Rala had pa.s.sed along. Treel was alive and being held prisoner.

Soo was unsure how he felt about that. He opted to wait until they met before deciding Treel's fate.

CHAPTER 15.

Eli joined his seven-person team for the standard pre-match talk. The team consisted of three girls and four boys, all between the ages of six and nine. At six-and-a-half, Eli was the youngest member of team. As their most-accomplished blader and the acknowledged mastermind behind their string of thirteen wins, one might have expected him to be the team's captain. He was not. That t.i.tle went to Adrienne, the oldest in the group at nine years and ten months.

The young boy did not mind. He knew that the older, larger team member was the right choice. When they had formed teams two months before, she had already known the other members of their squad, and they knew her. As the odd one out, Eli was just glad to be included. The fact that his mother ran the facility had made his involvement a foregone conclusion. Being accepted by the orphans, however, was not.

Those early days seemed like ancient history now. The seven had bonded well over the past eight weeks, and had become a cohesive, well-trained unit. After losing their first few matches, Eli had tentatively offered suggestions to Adrienne on how they might improve their chances against the other teams. To her credit, she had listened to his ideas, recognized their value, and implemented them with the team. They had not lost a contest in their age division for the past month.

The winning streak was in serious jeopardy today. For the first time, they were paired against a team from the ten- to twelve-year-old division. It was the first match ever between two age groups and brought on, most likely, because of the success Eli and his team were having.

Jonah, who Eli had first met with his dad months before, led the older team. As the undisputed leader of one of the larger orphanages that now existed in the former Violent's Prison, it made sense that he was captain of his team. What concerned Eli most about the upcoming match wasn't that Jonah's team was older. What concerned him most was that they were very good. They did not have a lengthy winning streak, but they had won more than seventy percent of the matches they had played in the older division.

Eli had overheard Jonah talking to a group of kids that morning. The twelve-year-old wasn't happy having to play a team from the younger division, and had made it clear they would have no mercy on Eli's crew.

That was just fine with Eli. He did not want mercy. He had relayed Jonah's words to his team and they were up for the match. None of them wanted the streak to end, and would do everything they could to keep it running-no matter who they played.

"Let's do this just like we practiced," Adrienne stressed to her team as they prepared for the match. "They may be older, but that doesn't mean they're better. Keep your heads down and stay out of sight unless you have to move or you're ready to fire."

Jak raised his hand. Adrienne nodded his way.

"Who is on point?"

Eli grinned. The older boy loved taking the lead position, despite the heightened possibility of being taken out early. For him, the chance to get off the first shots of the battle was worth the risk. In their fourth match, he had single-handedly taken out the entire seven-person team they were paired against from the point position. From then on, it was a daily struggle convincing him to give others a chance.

"For a match against our first older team? It has to be you, Jak," Adrienne said. "Is that okay with everyone?"

She got nods all around. They knew their best chance of victory came with Jak in front.

"Okay, everyone make sure your blades and your guns are ready," Eli reminded the team. His dad's instruction to "always make sure" had carried over from the chess board to the paintball field.

Tane had made some improvements to the original blades his dad had asked the scientist to design. The most important-at least to Eli, who had suggested the change-was the ability to convert their footgear from non-wheeled to wheeled mode with the touch of a single b.u.t.ton located on the heel of each boot. When in boot mode, the wheels of each boot rested flat against the outside of the side of the wearer's foot. When activated by the owner, the wheels automatically swung down on mechanical springs and locked into place. The ingenious design allowed the user to go immediately from boots to blades-or blades to boots-at the touch of a b.u.t.ton, without having to change footgear.

The location of the activation b.u.t.tons on the inside heel of each boot was coincidental, but resulted in perfect placement. When Eli and his team were given their new boots, they spent hours practicing with the new design. Through trial and error, they found they could go from boot mode to wheeled mode by jumping and clicking the b.u.t.tons on their heels together. The hours of practice continued and the team rapidly developed an impressive run-jump-click-land move that, when performed properly, started with a sprint on boots and ended in a rolling landing on wheels.

Now, prior to the start of the match, each member of the team neatly activated the wheels on their boots and executed a smart, tight circle. The group then turned their paintball guns on the nearest wall. The concrete, already liberally splattered with various tints, immediately acc.u.mulated seven splotches of purple, the team's a.s.signed color for these matches.

Their pre-match ritual complete, the team spread out across their end of the forty-meter-wide course and a.s.sumed their a.s.signed positions. Jak, Cale, and Adrienne took forward, offensive positions ten yards out from the start line-the farthest they were allowed to proceed until they heard the bell that signaled the start of the match. Once the lights were turned on over the course and the starting bell sounded, their job was to push through the opposing team and, if possible, capture the flag that waited at the far end.

Eli and Suze, the other six-year-old on the squad, were five yards behind the offensive trio. Their job was to stay out of sight, but to closely guard the backs of the initial group. Anyone that managed to circle behind the first group would draw their fire. They were also the reserve force. If two of the first three got painted, Suze would move up to fill a position in the offensive line, and Eli would provide cover. Eli would only move up if all four of his advance teammates went out.

Edward waited just behind Suze and Eli. His role was purely defensive. His position on the course would depend on which track the offensive team members took once the lights came on. Jen, the final member of their team, would remain behind. Her responsibility was to protect their flag in case one or more of their opponents made it that far.

None of the seven could see the other team, but they knew the older crew was making its own preparations a hundred meters away.

Between the two teams sat an ever-changing landscape of walls, slopes, ditches, ladders, and doorways. So far, no two matches had been set up exactly the same. It was a way to ensure that none of the teams memorized the course, and to reinforce the need to develop flexible tactics for offense and defense.

Eli's pulse raced as it did before every match. The excitement to begin was overpowering. Only a month before, his greatest thrill had been racing his new blades through the ma.s.sive corridors of the former prison. Before that, it was the thrill and the compet.i.tiveness of the chess board. But this... this was ten times more exciting than either of those things. This field combined the excitement of blading, his need for compet.i.tion, and the strategy of chess into a single, consolidated... event.

Eli peered into the darkened course ahead. He could see about ten meters past the advance team, but no further. He tried to envision what the course might look like and considered how various obstacles might affect or dictate their movement to the far end. Many of the concepts he acquired from two years of playing chess carried over to this game. For the young boy, this was like playing chess in real-time, with real people. But instead of having a standard playing surface and set pieces that could move only in very specific ways, the human pieces in this game had to adapt to an ever-changing board. The thought made his arms tingle.

The sixty-second chime sounded and the lights over the course came to life. Eli quickly scanned the terrain, using the minute before the starting bell to study the obstacles ahead. He noted three potential pathways the team could take. From their previous matches, Eli had learned that most teams, when offered multiple pathways, tended to take the center path or the one to their right. He didn't know why, but he used the knowledge to make final adjustments so his team could take advantage of the tendency.

With Adrienne's prior approval, Eli always selected their route. He signaled the advance team to take the path on the left, and they rolled quickly into position. That would hopefully put his team right in the oncoming path of the enemy or at least put them in range if the enemy took the center pathway. Eli did not want the older team to slip past their group without a battle, if he could prevent it. If that happened, it would be a sprint to the finish line, with the fastest team to the flag declared the winner. That scenario favored the older, quicker skaters.

With the advance team in place, he nodded to Edward to set up his defensive position along the center pathway. If the other team acted counter to the norm, it was his job to delay them while his teammates sprinted for the flag.

Eli's internal clock counted down.

Five...four...three...two...one...

The starting bell sounded and Jak kicked off toward the left lane. He sprinted for the forty-meter mark with Adrienne, Cale, Eli, and Suze following close behind in single file. They expertly dodged the obstacles placed before them without incident. Edward kept pace to their right, moving quickly down the center lane.

Jak, Adrienne, and Cal reached the designated mark, then slowed, stopped, and took cover. Eli and Suze pulled up behind them at the thirty-meter spot. Eli looked over to the center lane and saw that Edward was also in place. Now, they just waited.

It had been Adrienne's idea before their fifth match to cover the first portion of the course as quickly as possible, and the suggestion made immediate sense to Eli. Most teams were tentative at the start, unsure of how to proceed. So, they moved forward cautiously and slowly when the opening bell sounded. That caution quickly cost them position on the board. By the time they made contact with Eli's crew, they were already playing from a defensive position only thirty meters or so from their flag. It gave Eli and his team a huge advantage.