Adopted Son Read online

  Johnston didn’t even wait until his vehicle had come to a complete stop before dismounting. It looked great for the cameras. He strode up to the waiting colonel. “Stand aside Colonel, I’m going in!” he said in a loud voice. Over the years Ray had learned that if you sound convincing enough most people will get out of your way. Unfortunately Col. Hankerton was too experienced of an officer to be intimidated.

  “Senator Johnston, it is an honor to meet you sir, I wish that you had called ahead, we could have prepared something.”

  Johnston moved closer to the officer. Behind him stood two other senators, and, more frighteningly, a whole host of television cameras. “The evidence is coming out Colonel, you can’t stop it now. Stand aside.” Shouts came from the crowd.

  The officer stood at attention. “Senator Johnston, I am obliged to inform you that you are currently in violation of the National Security Act of 1945, and that pursuant to that act I have the authority to use deadly force to prevent the disclosure of classified material to uncleared personnel.” Over the years, Col. Hankerton had learned that if you quote regulations in a convincing manner, most people will do as you say. The colonel motioned to a platoon of military police that stood behind him. They had their rifles aimed at Johnston and his party. They took a step closer and raised their weapons to their shoulders. “Do not make me shoot you Senator.”

  The gathering crowd became silent.

  “Look, Colonel, we’re fighting the biggest threat that humanity has ever known. Now, you know and I know what is in that hangar. We both know how long it has been there and why it has been kept a secret. This farce will continue no longer. I am entering that hangar with these folks here and we are going to open this place up. We are going to give the data to the scientific community, and we are going to find a cure for this thing. Damn your regulations. Now stand down!” He started to walk past the officer, straight towards the hangar doors. Guns didn’t intimidate Ray, he’d stared down the barrel of a gun many times in his previous profession.

  Hankerton took a step back and re-inserted himself into Ray’s path. He quoted the lines that the base PA office had given him for just this sort of emergency. “Look Senator, I don’t know what you think that you are going to find in there, but I can assure you that there are not now, nor ever have been any extraterrestrial visitors or equipment on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Now I again order you to leave my base!”

  “Screw You,” was Ray’s reply. He shoved the Colonel out of the way. The officer fell over into the dust Cameras broadcasting the event live all over the world zoomed in on Hankerton as he struggled to get up. Ray walked forward amid a din of shouts from the crowd, which was now double the size it had been when the jeep had first arrived. “Give ‘em hell Senator,” “We’re with you!” “Johnston for President!” came from the people’s voices. Only one obstacle remained. Four military police trained their rifles on the Senator as he approached. Ray walked towards them purposefully. He was prepared to call their bluff. The men looked down at their commanding officer still sitting up in the dirt. They looked at Ray and his eyes, wild with purpose. They looked at the cameramen behind him, with their lenses trained on the MPs faces. Beads of sweat came down as they went over their orders in their heads. Then, one by one, they lowered their rifles. More cheers came from the audience. The MPs stood aside. They knew that this was bigger than they were. They knew that the secret was coming out. “We’re Real Americans too sir,” one of them said to Ray as he passed by. He smiled as he took a bolt cutter from an airman and cut the lock off of the door. He then headed inside, followed in turn by the journalists, the scientists, and the crowd.

  The hangar consisted of one large room, brightly lit once the lights had been fully turned on. It was cold inside. The chillers that were attached to the building kept the inside air temperature just below freezing. Around the outside edge of the room were workbenches and desks that held papers, tools, and odd-looking pieces of equipment. No one had been inside at this hour. The engineers that worked in this secret place didn’t normally report for duty until later on in the day. Ray walked towards the center of the space without saying a word. Sitting there was a large, partially dismantled piece of equipment that could only be described as a flying saucer. It had no visible engines, but something about its shape just seemed to imply motion. Wires and piping extended limply from one side, where a section of the outer hull had been removed. Ray circumscribed the vehicle, giving it a good look over. He knew that he would never be able to understand its intricacies but he was satisfied that once the media had made its broadcast, the right people would gain access to this treasure.

  After walking around the ship once, he meandered over to what looked to be a large vault of some sort. The group behind him had fanned out, trying to capture different images to sell to the papers. “Don’t touch anything, don’t touch anything,” cried the scientists and some of the military staff. Their calls and the footsteps of a hundred or so individuals on the concrete were the only sounds in the room. The silence was not just occurring here in Dayton, but all over the world. The images were being broadcast on a variety of news stations, and people everywhere had stopped what they were doing to stare at their televisions, not wanting to miss what was arguably the most important disclosure in the history of mankind. Years later children would ask their parents, “Where were you when Senator Johnston opened the vault?” in the same way that children once asked where their parents were they were when President Kennedy was shot or when man first walked on the moon.

  Ray opened the door to the vault and peered inside. No one could see over him at first. For one brief moment he was alone with his knowledge. He just stood there for several seconds, unsure of what to do. In a way, he had hoped that he was wrong about all of this. He had hoped that the only secret that Hangar 18 held was some sort of experimental aircraft design. But what was in the vault made him shiver. He had been right all along. Everything he had said was coming true. The world was indeed under a grave threat. He moved back and allowed some of the cameramen to step into the doorway. The video they shot was grainy, but clear enough. As the cameras panned across the room, they revealed several tables. On each table was a being. They were clearly deceased, and some of the bodies had been damaged. But they weren’t as alien as one might think. Almost everyone who saw them recognized the features immediately. The bodies looked like human adults who were HS-positive.

  Book 3: Persecution

  A few hours after Senator Johnston’s revelations. The Miller Farm, outside of Tyler, TX

  Tom was out in the field when they came for the boy. He hadn’t been watching the news that morning. He hadn’t seen the Senator’s revelation. He left at dawn to begin the daily harvest. He didn’t stay at home like Lorraine had that morning. He didn’t see the news report from Dayton. He didn’t hear about the rioting in Washington DC. He didn’t hear about the looting and out of control fires that were burning across Europe. He didn’t know what was occurring in Africa at that very moment (although the media hadn’t even heard about that yet). He was out in the field riding his big, green machine. The corn was being pulled from the stalk and loaded into the hopper. Tom rode with his companion, little Jim. He was teaching Jim what he needed to know to one day harvest his own field. Tom was worried that the child would have a hard time reaching the pedals, but there was always the hope for a growth spurt. Jim was having fun just bonding with Dad. He watched the dust fly as the stalks fell underneath the machine row by row. He watched the crickets jump for their lives as the noisy beast bared down upon them. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of some fireflies like he had seen the night before, not knowing yet that they only glow after dark. Tom, still unaware of the maelstrom of events of that morning turned to his child and smiled. He watched as Jim poked at a bug that had landed on the dash; astutely, scientifically observing its movements. Tom rubbed the boy’s head roughly, almost knocking the baseball cap off the round, slippery dome.

  When
he turned back to the field he noticed a puff of dust rising in the distance. It was hard to see the vehicles themselves approaching, but you always knew visitors were coming from miles away by the tell-tale clouds that their cars produced on these dusty roads. “Who do you think that could be Jimbo?” he asked the boy. “We’re not expecting visitors today.” The boy shrugged silently. “Maybe it’s your grandpa come to visit huh?” Tom turned the vehicle from the row of corn and drove towards the main dirt road that connected his crops to the farmhouse and silos. Tractors move much slower than cars though, and he was still a fair bit into the field when the trucks met up with him.

  There were three trucks in total. Tom recognized one as belonging to his neighbor, Larry Watley. The other ones he didn’t recognize offhand. Each of the trucks had several people in back. They were approaching fast. The lead truck skidded to a stop on the dirt road just ahead of the tractor. The other trucks followed suit. Tom knew that something was wrong immediately. Men poured over the sides of the trucks, and they were all armed. Tom turned off the ignition to the tractor and reached around behind the seat to where he kept his shotgun. He hoped that the load hadn’t gotten wet since he last used it to scare off some crows. “You stay put Jim.” He said to his son in a serious tone. Then he stepped out of the seat and stood in the doorway of the tractor, several feet above the ground. At the same time, Tom’s neighbor Larry got out of his truck carrying a hunting rifle.

  “Hey Larry,” said Tom, “Going hunting today? You should have let me know, I would have come along.” He tried a smile, but it didn’t come out properly on account of his nervousness.

  “We’ve come for the boy Tom,” said Larry in a deadpan voice.

  “What the hell you talking about Larry?”

  “I said...” he raised the barrel of he rifle and put the butt against his hip, “...we’ve come for the boy. Now just hand him over and they’ll be no trouble. We ain’t got no quarrel with you Tom.” Jim wasn’t sure what was happening but he knew that it wasn’t good. He squirmed in his seat.

  “I beg to differ there Larry. You’re pointing a gun at my child, I’d say we got a problem between us.”

  “Didn’t you see the news this morning Tom? Ain’t you been listening to the radio? Senator Johnston broke the news this morning. That ain’t no kid you got there Tom, that’s some kind of alien invader. Johnston showed it on the TV this morning. They had a crashed spaceship hidden in Ohio. The Army’s been hiding it for years, doling out pieces to companies. That thing you got there is a menace Tom.” He waved the gun in Jim’s direction for emphasis. “And us boys are here to make sure that thing don’t go on no rampage. Now stand back.”

  “Rampage? Jesus Larry, are you drunk again? Jim ain’t going on no rampage. Look at him, he’s barely out of diapers for chrissakes. He’s just a little boy Larry. Whatever the hell this ‘invasion force’ you’re talking about is, Jim here ain’t part of it. Isn’t that right Jim?” He looked over expecting a nod. Jim said nothing. “So now if you don’t mind...” he pumped the shotgun for emphasis, “kindly get the hell off my land.” He glowered at the men in the trucks.

  “You don’t understand Tom. You ain’t seeing things clearly. I know that you and Lorraine tried for a baby for so long. You must of thought that thing was a miracle, even if it was ugly as sin. But you have to look long term Tom. He ain’t one of us, he’s one of them. Someday that boy’s real poppy is going to come looking for him, and when he does, guess whose side Jimmy-boy’s going to be on? They’re trying to get a foothold here, and we ain’t going to let ‘em. Ain’t that right boys?” A cheer of voices arose from the mob. “So now if you’d kindly back off, we’ll fix this problem and be on our way. Don’t make us take you down to Tom.”

  The two men stared at each other from behind their respective weapons. They, like most men in this county, were quite familiar with firearms. Larry and Tom had gone hunting many times together. They were each well aware of how accurate a shot the other one was. A bead of sweat started its way down Tom’s temple. Jim sat in the truck, not fully comprehending what had been said, or appreciating the seriousness of the situation. He would have been much more scared if he had. The standoff was interrupted by the sound of another car coming down the dirt path. It was a Tyler County Sheriff’s Department car. It came to a halt just behind the trucks. Before the officer could get out, Lorraine jumped from the back seat and ran to the tractor. She climbed up the side and grabbed Jim, squeezing him tightly with tears in her eyes.

  Officer Hamilton calmly walked up to the scene. He had his hand on his pistol but resisted drawing it. “What’s going on here boys? We got some trouble?” Craig Hamilton was well known to most of the people here. Tyler was a small town, and Craig had been involved in the community since he was a youth. In fact, Larry once was Craig’s scoutmaster. The officer looked at the old man with his hunting rifle. “Larry, what the hell you doing? Don’t make me shoot you, your wife’ll kill me.”

  “Stay out of this Craig, we’re protecting humanity. We’ve got to get rid of that thing before it mutates into some monster or something.”

  “Larry, you’re drunk again aren’t you? You boys go the hell home.” Tom maintained his death stare with Larry. He kept his shotgun aimed. “You all ain’t got no authority here, who the hell do you think you are, the national guard?” Larry didn’t speak.

  Craig walked around between the two men. He grabbed the barrel of Larry’s gun and pushed it downwards. “Larry, like it or not, this is a free country. And there ain’t no laws against keeping aliens in your house. So you boys are out of luck. No one’s going to remove that boy from this farm without the law on their side, and so far, I don’t have no orders for that. I’ll give you a call as soon as they come through. In the meantime, get off Tom’s farm. Look at Lorraine; hell, you scared her half to death coming up here like a death squad. She didn’t know what the hell was going on.”

  Despite the fact that Craig was one man, and was at least 20 years younger that Larry, he had a badge. Larry wasn’t the type of guy to fight authority. He always gave money to the FOP. He supported the death penalty. He wasn’t ready to shoot a cop. He lowered his rifle. “All right Craig. We’re leaving.” He said dejectedly. “But Tom, you watch your ass, ok buddy. I’m telling you as a friend, this thing is trouble. Someday we won’t have the power to stop that monster.” He turned back to the policeman. “You better hope that this thing gets dealt with before it gets too late.” As he walked back to the truck he passed near Lorraine, who was holding Jim in her arms. As small as the child was, he was getting to big to be picked up, and his legs hung limply and awkwardly as he tried to maintain his balance. “Sorry to frighten you Lorraine,” said Larry, “We was just trying to protect you after all. You folks give us a call if Jim there ever starts eating your brains.” He got back in the cab of the truck. The other men followed suit. They drove off in a cloud of dust, leaving the family and the cop standing in the road. They watched as the cloud of dust shrank into the distance.

  “You’re lucky Lorraine called 911 Tom. You folks better be careful. Maybe it would be best if you thought about leaving. Getting somewhere safe. There’s got to be more tolerant places than Tyler County, you know.” Neither Tom nor Lorraine responded. “Well, call me if they ever come back. But don’t worry too much about all this. That Larry is more bark than bite.” He got back into his car and drove off. Tom felt a tug at his shirt. He looked down and saw his son beside him.

  “I’m not a monster, am I Daddy?” Jim said innocently. Lorraine and Tom looked at each other silently.

  That same morning. Underhill Avenue, Bronx, NY

  “What are the first five books of the Old Testament?”

  “Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy!” replied Franklin, hurrying to maintain Father Blythe’s pace.

  “And who was Noah’s wife?” said the old priest without skipping a beat.

  “Noah’s wife was named...” the child hesitated a second. “
Sara!”

  “Very good Franklin. You are a quick study. All those hours you’ve spent in your room with your nose in a book are paying off.”

  “I just want to be like you Father.”

  The two figures stopped on the street corner to wait for the traffic light to turn. “That’s very admirable of you Franklin, but I’d really prefer it if you spent more time playing and being a kid. You aren’t as friendly with the other children as you should be.”

  “I don’t seem to get along with a lot of the other kids Father. I’d just prefer to be alone I guess.”

  “I’ve seen you pal around with Joshua and Gerald.”

  “Well, they’re a lot younger than me. They need a big brother. I’m just trying to help out.”

  “Well Franklin, being a big brother is admirable, but you should make an effort to get to know some of the children closer to your age. The only way to grow as a person is to surround yourself with people who can teach you. As much as Joshua and Gerald need you, they are not going to provide you with any of the intellectual challenges that will help you develop.” The light turned green and they crossed the street.

  “The kids my own age don’t seem to like me Father. I don’t really fit in with them. I’ve tried a little, but they sort of look at me funny. Joshua and Gerald and some of the new kids, they’re well... like me.”

  “You mean because they also have HS.”

  “Yes Father,” the boy said apprehensively.