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  Leon tried to bat the wires off, but it was too late. In an instant, Oliver could feel as the metal wires climb up the rest of his arm. Shocking jolts of excruciating pain shot from within his bones outward. The cybernetic arm and Oliver were now one.

  “My arm!” Oliver turned his hand over to see the new robotic limb in full effect.

  * * *

  General Banks lead a command of twenty jeeps on the backroads of Auroville. As he puffed his cigar, he scanned the horizon for Pod 0102. Laura said this was the answer they needed—this could be the final piece of the puzzle Silver Wings needed.

  Up ahead, Banks saw a cherry red 1950’s Chevy and immediately recognized it as Dave McCoy’s. General Banks raised his walkie, leaning to the side view mirror. “Commander McCoy, you see Dave’s car?”

  “Jesus. What’s he doing out here?” the commander radioed back. “If I had any wit over my son, I would say he’s brought a crowd.”

  “Make the call.”

  General Banks watched in the mirror as Commander McCoy waved his hand out the window to signal a pull over. The battalion of Jeeps slowed, and an infantry began to pour out each Jeep respectively. Banks hopped out and saw the broken-down trail and snapped off twigs.

  “Looks like they may have gotten to it first,” Banks said.

  “Let’s find ‘em. I want groups of five, ten feet apart,” the commander said, signaling to the troops.

  A flash of light illuminated the trees on the other side, and Banks’ gut dropped. “I got bad feeling about this.”

  Banks broke through the trees with the help of his Army Standard-issued baton, holding a large flashlight. Soldiers aimed their rifles high with flashlights attached to the barrels. Just as they broke through the thick foliage, Banks saw the hundreds of knocked down trees.

  “My God,” Commander McCoy said.

  Banks followed the thick, fallen tree trunks that had been snapped like twigs. Just beyond the vast forest, he saw a group of kids and the familiar poodle dress of his stepdaughter, Victoria. “Damn you kids! Get away from there!”

  Banks looked closer and saw what looked like a small boy wrestling with something over his arm.

  At that moment, he had a familiar feeling wash over him. As soon as he could make out Leon from the crowd, he remembered the time when they met. A time where strange things happened in Auroville. Things that probably turned Leon into what he was. This could not happen to Oliver. Not now that his mother was gone.

  “They’re in trouble!” Commander McCoy yelled.

  A flash of light burst from the sky above. Banks watched the ray of light widen and then focus tight onto Victoria. His eyes widened in fear. Banks raced toward the light but couldn’t get there fast enough.

  A jolting pain with every stride was a horrible reminder of not being as fast as he once was, as a young college quarterback when football was a thing of the future.

  “Victoria! Run!” Banks yelled to the group.

  Banks watched as a forcefield formed over Oliver, protecting him. Oliver raised his hand firing a bolt of energy into the light. Sparks of electricity showered down on the kids as a giant alien spacecraft revealed itself above.

  “They’re back!” Commander McCoy yelled. “Fire on that craft!”

  Gun shots rang out, and red-hot ammunition ricocheted off the craft. Banks looked to see if his daughter was all right. What was that light doing? And then the stunning realization of what was happening fell down on him when he saw the orb-like device float above the group along with his daughter.

  “Victoria!” Banks yelled with all his might, turning around. “Hold your fire! Victoria’s up there.”

  The crushing feeling of a void forming in the pit of his stomach consumed him. Banks was overwhelmed while he witnessed Victoria being pulled into a pink membrane, unable to do anything about it.

  And then in a flash of light, the ship—and she—was gone.

  General Banks recognized Delores and McCoy. He looked at Oliver with tears in eyes, and at the strange robotic arm that was now bonded to him.

  The general had no more time to react. Time was overwhelming as the thought of his daughter possibly gaining lightyears ahead of them settled in. Time was of the essence if’ he was to prepare Oliver for what Laura tried to warn them about.

  “I’m sorry, General. I tried to save her,” Oliver said with tears in his eyes.

  The general couldn’t help but see himself in the broken boy’s eyes as he stood there with a powerful weapon for an arm, but still completely helpless. The general had all the power U.S. Army and all the knowledge that went with years of training, but he was ignorant about what to do next.

  Banks smiled a little, admiring his arm. “You will, kid.” He reassured himself as well, wanting to cling to whatever sense of hope they could.

  10

  Chapter 10

  Leon had a familiar sense of discomfort from looking at the general’s underlying expression. There was a familiarity of lies behind the words that were spoken to Oliver that resounded hard in Leon’s head. “You will, kid.”

  It took only a moment for him to understand what he was feeling towards the situation. He wasn’t going stand there and watch Oliver be pulled through the same situations he was forced to endure.

  “What the hell are you talking about? You’re not gonna have him fight those things, are you? Are you crazy?” Leon barked at the general.

  Leon noticed the general’s contemplative look, the expression of someone possibly forming a divisive plan.

  Delores and McCoy were embraced while the rest of the men surrounded the perimeter in a flashlight extravaganza. Commander McCoy recognized his son and nodded to him in an American hero fashion. “General, I’m sorry… Your daughter… Doctor Dickens wanted to see if there was any alien matter retrievable for studies,” McCoy said.

  “She’s not a casualty. She’s a P.O.W. You can take that metal carcass to the good doctor. See what he can find and have him rush it to Mission Control Alpha. The boys and I will have to meet you inside. I’m gonna have to show them something first.”

  The general took his usual leading posture and headed to Dave McCoy’s car, yelling at Leon when he arrived. “Are you taking the wheel, son, or should I?”

  Leon looked at the general. He could see in his face the embodiment of a man that had lost it all but continued forward with no time to think. He hoped there would be time for answers later.

  “Okay, where are we going?” Leon asked, gripping the steering wheel.

  “The scrapyard’s hangar,” the general relayed.

  “What’s in the hangar?” Oliver asked, as he jumped swiftly into the backseat.

  Leon thought he saw Oliver’s disposition change as he looked in the rearview mirror. He revved the car up and pushed the pedal to the floor. Leon drove, noticing the strange green headlights tailing them from behind. He turned around looking away from the road. The car swerved a little as he got distracted.

  The general grabbed a hold of the door and yelled, “What the hell ya’ doing?”

  A green jolt of light hit the ground hard, causing a crater the size of a giant tortoise. A fleet of bright silver, atom-like orbs with round cannon shafts and a pink cockpit swarmed around them.

  On a second glance, Leon noticed it was the same kind of flying object that took Victoria. “They’re back! Watch out!”

  A flying saucer tailed Leon’s avid driving. Its green laser projectiles missing the car just in the nick of time. Leon smiled as he veered into more stylish swerving. The general opened the glove compartment and reached for the standard issue military Glock. He cocked the gun, turned, and shot. Leon nodded as he looked through the rearview mirror. He noticed the saucer lowering in altitude as it tailed the car.

  The round tips of its cannons started to shine a bright green. Leon felt the world stop. No driving skill in his bag of tricks could help them from what was to come. A feeling of dread filled him as he saw his nephew looking for shelter, d
ucking in the seat. He saw Oliver use the alien metal parasite of an arm as shelter.

  The car shook a tremendous amount but didn’t lose speed. Leon saw a jolt of blue expand around them, creating a force field. He then watched with amazement as he realized Oliver’s new arm was protecting them.

  What is this alien thing?

  “Wow, did you see that?” Oliver asked.

  “Great job, kid!” Leon yelled.

  Leon looked back at the kid and realized his eyes had a different gaze about them—a lively glow. He smirked and kept driving. “What else can that thing do? Can you shoot something?”

  The general’s military instinct landed them in the middle of a pursuit. A second saucer gained on them, appearing suddenly and shooting from above. The skill of the oncoming car caused Leon to flail. “If you’re gonna test it out, now’s the time, kid. Do it!”

  Oliver reached out and looked away from the prongs that stuck out from the palm. A flurry of blue energy showered the incoming saucer into an explosive crash that lit the back of the road in a fiery red explosion.

  “Great one, Oliver. I’m starting to understand what your mother meant with her answers,” the general said with a grin.

  Leon couldn’t help but notice the military advantage that F.A.M.I.L.Y. might take if they were to obtain alien technology from Oliver’s arm.

  “Whatever that thing is, it sure is buying us time. We’re closing in on the bridge, General. You better start giving us some answers.” Leon held on tight and pushed the pedal to the floor.

  The persistent saucer closed in on them again. This time, the general’s bullets kept being deflected by the green rays from the red car. Taking notice, Oliver calculated symbols and made observations from the curved display in his forearm. “I can feel this. Here it goes.” He stretched his arm once more and shot another flurry of energy.

  Some of the blue jolts grazed the atom-like exterior of the vessel, making it lose flight balance.

  “Hold on!” Their tail spun around, making one final rash attempt to make their recovery.

  In a flash, Leon drove through the bridge, his last maneuver causing the saucer to Ping-Pong around the bridge’s frame and crash in a beautiful explosion with hues of green. Leon felt a rush of greatness after they defeated not one, but two saucers. A huge weight lifted from him. Oliver beamed with pride. They were on top of the world.

  “Wow, kid, that was incredible. How did you do that?” the general asked.

  “It’s the law of reflection. When you hit an object at the right angle, the force will cause the opposite object to fly into the direction in which its projected,” Oliver responded.

  Leon couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment on how Oliver handled himself through it all.

  Finally, some answers would follow. Not just for Oliver, but for Leon as well. A reason at last, he thought.

  Leon continued his driving, distracted in his thoughts, when suddenly, their car started to shake uncontrollably. Leon struggled to shake it off when their car spun out of control, turning in endless circles until it collided into a stump.

  “Whoa! What happened? Was it the explosion?” Oliver asked.

  “No, it was something else. I had no control. It was almost like something was pulling us,” Leon replied.

  The general turned in his seat and looked off in the distance. Leon looked at his reaction and at the distance as well, his eyes now in complete disbelief. A gargantuan metallic beast barged through, towering through the sequoia valleys of Auroville.

  “Is that a robot?” Oliver shouted.

  From the thickness of the trees, Leon could feel layers of secrets piling around him. So many questions connecting him to years passed. Why now? Why my F.A.M.I.L.Y.? Why not me?

  At that moment, Leon realized he was essential, and now was the time.

  “Everyone, out of the car! Now!” he screamed.

  Oliver and the general jumped out. Leon held the wheel tight, revved the engine, and began driving towards the menacing beast.

  Standing stout and tall, it raised its arms out towards them, preparing to envelop him. “Leon, don’t! Please—come back!” Oliver’s voice echoed in the back as it faded under the car’s roaring engine. No more questions, no more answers, just actions.

  “You go on, kid. My turn now, green bitches!”

  Leon floored the car into the distance, with intent to destroy.

  11

  Chapter 11

  A blindingly bright pink and white light took over the environment. Nothing could be made out through the hue. Victoria found it difficult to breathe. The world started to spin, reflecting her feelings, like a flickering zoetrope of emotion. Her heart raced, and her she imagined she could feel the blood coursing rapidly through her body from head to toe as she fell into a fetal position. The rush made it seem as if time was spinning as well.

  The sensation was eerily similar, resembling the moment when she was found by her adoptive father, General Banks, under the debris of her fallen home in Italy. Collateral damage from an airstrike back in WWII.

  Cold shivers took hold. A shock to the system alerting her to the dire situation she now found herself in. Victoria looked around through the translucent pink viscosity where she laid. Turning her head just enough to see through the cockpit window, she saw the blue marvel of her home planet grow smaller as the craft rocketed farther into space.

  She peered upwards in an attempt to recognize her current surroundings. A short, ant-like alien with tentacles held controls propped next to an unrecognizable metallic structure that was attached to a central console.

  The outside metal rings of the saucer spun like an atom. The alien glanced down at her then back to the holographic screens illuminated by images of Earth and the robotic limb that Oliver was affixed to.

  A symbol on the arm was blinking. Next to the gooey sack she found herself inside with the glowing sphere in a metallic alloy that was taken along. A surge of fear overcame her body and she couldn’t help but scream as loud as she could.

  The gelatinous fluid inside the alien control room muffled her cries. Left with only the ability to think, she wondered, could that glowing sphere be the cause behind all the town’s secrets?

  She felt the warmth of the strange matter wrapping around and cradling her body, creating a sense of relaxation. Her lungs began to function better, allowing her to breathe without impediment.

  She couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was being exposed to. A gurgling sensation eased the void in her stomach. Another thought crossed her mind. I’ve been taken by aliens.

  Victoria knew she must remain calm. Remembering all the things her father always lectured her on. How to be prepared, regardless any situation. Survival, even if it meant to comply with what life throws at you as he always said. She kept repeating the mantras in her mind, giving her a calm sense of familiarity.

  She looked around once more, reassessing her situation. Unable to make out the planet anymore—as it was being enveloped by metallic adherents framing pink pockets of Vitro-plasma.

  It’ isn’t supposed to be like this, she thought. Her dreams of leaving the world and becoming an astronaut like her hero Laura were supposed to go much differently.

  I bet she could find a way to get out of this, Victoria pondered. At least I’m still alive, but to what purpose? What do they want with me? What do they want with Oliver? A myriad of questions filled her mind. Did Oliver ever try to stop this from happening? Did my father see me being taken? Will he come get me? Will they know where I am? Is this the end?

  The atom shaped saucer came to a stop and docked at a hangar built like a bee hive. Nearly a hundred UFO’s were docked, each one inside a hexagonal indentation on the wall.

  “Oh my God! It’s aliens!” Victoria managed to shout through the membrane.

  It was a late reflex from everything that had gone through her mind. The alien turned it’s insectoidal head towards a holo pad. His tentacles stretched to touch the
console. From below the cockpit, a large retractable arm fitted with a vacuum sucked Victoria away from her surroundings.

  She floated uncontrollably through the vacuum tubes connected to every quarter of the ship. She then came about a spherical suspension chamber, where she stopped.

  Through the haze, she saw another chamber across the room that held the glowing metallic sphere. She looked around a control room, again the room filled with metallic adherences and pockets of pink goo and a purplish glow from the dim lighting that accentuated the alien’s shiny, green skin.

  A horde of aliens were handling all sorts of different labors. Each one in its own luminous, spherical station. She remained floating in place while a menacing female alien approached her, her stature ever so elegant and sleek.

  The alien queen, she thought.

  Her mantis-like limbs caressed the glass of the chamber intently. Victoria couldn’t help but feel sick to her stomach. The gruesome sight was like an abomination straight out of a biology encyclopedia she had read once at the academy.

  Her body was like a mix between a praying mantis and a squid, yet with elegant, graceful mannerisms that were disturbingly close to those of a terrifying human.

  The aliens seemed to be riled up about her imposing presence. The alien queen, pointed at Victoria, then at the biggest hologram in the room. It depicted not only the glowing orb, but Oliver’s symbiotic arm that was attached to a Schematic of GR-3G. Victoria realized the aliens were not pleased to see they got her instead of the alien arm that Oliver was attached to.

  She looked around the room in panic, a pink cocoon with a human silhouette hung from a metallic adherence. Her heart pounded in excitement. Through the pinkish haze, she could make out a female figure. Could it be Laura? she wondered.