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  RISE of the PHOENIX: ACT I

  Rise of the Phoenix: Act I

  Copyright©2014

  Dameon Gibbs & Corey Ballard

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without expressed permission in written form by the author.

  ISBN: 978-1-312-50393-9

  Acknowledgement

  First, I would like to thank my beautiful wife Tiffany for being by my side and supporting me every step of the way. And to my other friends and family that continues to believe in me when others do not. Special thanks and appreciation goes to my Eastern Shore parents, Mrs. Pat and Mr. Fred, for this would not have been possible if it were not for your dedicated long hours. Last but not least, to my brother in arms Corey, all I can say is, WE DID IT! ------ Dameon Gibbs

  I’d like to thank Dad and Mom for believing in us and all the endless hours of editing you’ve helped with and still are. Thanks to Haley and Gene for committing to help with such a narrow window. To all my friends who’ve helped keep this alive and epic. Last, my co-author for putting up with all my roadblocks and driving me to finish our great novel! -----Corey Ballard

  Prologue

  Bombardment

  Present Day

  6:30 am EST

  The orange sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean; with its morning rays came a cool, refreshing breeze. The bright rays pierced the Venetian blinds of Steve Lawson’s bedroom window creating a zebra-like pattern along the white walls. Steve Lawson woke to the sound of his alarm, the numbers on the clock read 6:30 a.m. Rising to sit at the edge of his bed, he started to think about the endless meetings that were about to control his entire day. But thoughts of work were soon pushed aside as he looked over his shoulder to see an angel lying on her side. Steve lay back down and kissed his sleeping wife, Josie, on the forehead. “Good morning love!”

  “Is it that time already?” she whispered half awake.

  The sound of thumping caused Josie to raise an eyebrow as she looked towards the door. “Ok, I guess it’s time to get the little ones dressed and ready to go. Or I can just call Nanny to do all the work?”

  Josie gave him a soft punch on the shoulder, “Leave my mother out of this and don’t be in such a rush to get rid of the children. You know you’ll miss them.” Laughing, he left the bedroom and walked towards the children’s rooms. Upon entering the girl’s room, he found his three children jumping on the bed giggling.

  “Good Morning Daddy,” shouted Kathy his oldest at eleven. Next to her was Ben at nine and Angela the youngest at eight.

  “Daddy! Daddy! You missed it!” Angela yelled as she ran over to him.

  “What did I miss?” he asked, picking her up.

  Out of breath, Angela tried to tell what they were doing. “Ben was seeing how high……he could jump…..when he fell off.”

  “So that’s what I heard earlier?” He cocks his head as he turns.

  “I didn’t fall…..she pushed me,” Ben cried out, sticking his tongue out at her.

  “I told him to stop jumping on my bed,” Angela argued.

  “And I am telling both of you…now…stop jumping on the bed!

  “Yes,” they both responded.

  Putting Angela down, “Now brush your teeth and come downstairs for breakfast when you’re done.”

  “Ah, man,” Ben sighed.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Daddy always has to ruin the fun,” ruffling Ben’s hair as he passed to exit the bedroom. Steve found himself more excited than the kids. Not only because the kids were leaving for two weeks, but because tonight was the start of his vacation; a vacation which would finally allow him to spend some quality time with Josie.

  Entering the kitchen he turned on the coffee pot and started breakfast. Steve prepared breakfast for Josie, which he planned to serve in bed. He only took his wife breakfast in bed on very special occasions; the last time she got breakfast in bed was a year ago for their eleventh marriage anniversary.

  He peeked over his shoulder at the kids and saw them inhaling their food. “Since you guys have all that extra energy, bring your bags to the car, and you can watch some TV while I take mommy her breakfast and get ready.”

  As Steve walked back to the bedroom, he could only think of the private jet that would fly him and Josie out to Puerto Rico.

  “Wake up Madam. Zee chef is here with your delicious breakfast,” Steve said in a cheesy French accent as he approached the bed.

  Struggling to sit up on the bed, “Oh Honey, you shouldn’t have,” she said pulling the sheets over her legs.

  “Yes you’re so right, I should have fixed this magnificent meal for myself,” he said and turned around to leave the room. She responded by throwing a pillow at him, prompting him to return.

  Returning with her tray, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and then stepped into their bathroom. He began getting dressed.

  Steve had worked his way up the corporate ladder and made it to the position of lead financial manager for Global Trust International Bank. The bank had decided to expand into Turkey and Germany, and he had to work massive amounts of overtime in the past few months. This meeting was the bank’s key project because it was going to save the company millions and open up new opportunities.

  A series of knocks came from the bedroom door. “Dad it’s time to go!” Angela called.

  “We’ll be downstairs in five minutes. Make sure everyone has gone to the bathroom.” He responded.

  At the front door, the kids gave their mom a big hug and hopped into the car, their excitement at going to camp clearly showing. Receiving his goodbye kiss, Steve walked to the car, turning to see Josie watch him descend the walkway. He started the car and popped in the kids' favorite CD. They exited the driveway of their home and headed for the campground.

  ۞۞۞۞

  11:30 AM Eastern

  It remained a typical bright and beautiful day near the Turkey Point nuclear power plant, and for Sara Brent and her friend Amanda, it was just another day at the office.

  “So what’s it going to be today, burgers, salads, or subs?” Amanda asked Sara as they exited the building for lunch.

  “I’m not sure; I lost my appetite after talking to that short snob! I think I’m just going to grab a hotdog and a bag of chips from the street vendor. I figure with a day like this why not enjoy it.”

  “Tell me what he has done to you now?”

  “You mean what he hasn’t done. For starters he keeps bugging me, asking if I finished running those system checks that he wanted me to do. It's done, but it’s more fun to watch the little insect suffer a bit. Seriously, we just ran one last month, and you don't need to run them more than every six months. He knows I have the qualifications to run this plant with my eyes closed but instead he has me following him around doing menial tasks.

  “Or maybe it’s because you’re a woman, and he feels threatened?” Amanda wondered.

  “Or maybe it’s because he’s a JACKASS,” Sara says snickering.

  “Wow! He must be getting under your skin?”

  “You have no idea. You know what? Maybe we should transfer departments?”

  “The idea is tempting, but everyone else we work with is cool,” Amanda replied. “It's just him; he’s always in a bad mood and has that weird expression on his face like a bulldog is constantly biting his ass!”

  Laughing uncontrollably, “Tell me how you feel, Amanda.”

  “Well, you started it.”

  Her laughing was cut short as the vendor asks Sara if she needed help, “Yes, I would like to have a hot dog and a bag of chips please.”

  “She would also like to have chili and cheese on that as
well, she’s having a bad day,” Amanda interrupted. “Oh, I will have the same thing, and I will be paying for both.”

  “Amanda you don’t have to do that.”

  “It’s nothing; what’s it going to be? Five dollars at the most. And it’s my way of sucking up to you.”

  “Sucking up to me for what?” replies Sara quizzically

  Amanda smiled as she walked to a nearby bench.

  “Suck up to me for what?” Sara curiously asked again.

  “Well apparently someone saw you talking to Mark early today and according to them, he was flirting with you. Now, what that’s all about?”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Don’t worry about who told me, just tell me what you guys talked about.”

  “Well you know when I went to drop off our time sheets to Personnel Office, Mark just happen to be there. He just asked me how my day was and of course, I told him about Mr. Snob West. We laughed at that for a moment, and then he asked what I was up to this weekend.”

  “Don’t tell me he asked you out!” Amanda says excitedly.

  “Nooo, he did not ask me out.”

  “Did you, at least, ask him out?”

  “Nooo, I did not ask him out.”

  “Girl he apparently asked what you’re doing because he’s interested and wanted to ask you out, can’t you see? Tell me what guy you ever dated asked what you’re doing and didn’t ask you out? If he asks what you are doing, it’s an automatic sign.”

  “Oh my god, I totally did not see that. I am such an idiot. Now he probably won’t try to ask me again,” Sara said tilting her head back and sighing.

  “You know what that means, Right? It means that you have to ask him!”

  “There is no way I’m going to ask him out!” said Sara “I couldn't get myself to.”

  “Ok fine, be single for the rest of your life.” Amanda taunted looking down at her watch: 12:26. “Lunch is just about over,” she sighed, leaving their now comfortable seats by the fountain to head back inside.

  They entered through the building’s main entrance that leads to a long corridor and reached their offices at the end. “Sara you just have to do it, now that you know he likes you. It’s up to you to make it happen.”

  “I don’t know! Well, I can pretend to drop something off at his office later today, maybe I should ask him then.”

  “See, there is my little go-getter!” says Amanda as she headed into the ladies room, leaving Sara pondering about how to go about asking Mark out.

  Sara realized that she had never been in this situation. Normally she was the one being asked on dates, not the other way around. Pulling out her pocket mirror she looked into it and gave herself a little smile. Ok, Sara, you can do this.

  ۞۞۞۞

  In the heart of downtown, Jason Moorehouse sat nervously alone in his hotel room at the Spindall Tower Hotel, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. He had been up all night preparing himself for a major business deal that his company had placed him in charge of securing. This was big for Jason: he was a first-year graduate from law school and his company, E-TRACE, trusted him to finish a major business deal with the Department of Defense. Their deal would give E-TRACE the exclusive rights to be the sole provider of electronic tracking devices to the US Military for the next five years.

  Nervous yet exhilarated at the thought of landing the contract; he recalled all the years of hard work that were finally going to pay off. Being a young African American made Jason feel as if he had to work harder than his competitors; to him, this deal was a means of proving blacks could work it in a predominantly white business.

  With the commission for completing this deal, Jason would finally be able to start living the American Dream. He wanted nothing more than to purchase a new home for his parents, to show them how much he appreciate their love and support. Finally, the deal would allow him to propose to his college sweetheart. His watch read 1:12 pm, giving him a few hours to his meeting. With his hands resting comfortably in his pockets, he gazed out his 87th story window, getting an amazing view of the bustling city and the sparkling blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

  The vibration of his cell phone startled him, reaching into his pocket he answered the call.

  “Hello Mr. Rowsom,” he answered. Mr. Rowsom was not only a board member but was CEO of E-TRACE as well.

  “Hello Jason, how are things…..how are you?” asked the voice on the other end.

  “I'm fine; just putting things in order for the meeting.”

  “That’s why I'm calling. I’m on my way to the office and want to make sure that you have everything you need to pull off this deal.”

  “Yes, I have everything. All I need now is the ears of those Air Force Colonels.”

  “That’s what I like to hear. Well, I won't ramble on about what this means to E-TRACE because you already know that. Get some rest and I will see you in a little while.”

  “See you soon.” Ending his conversation with Mr. Rowsom, realizing that he had a few minutes to spare he pressed speed dial on his phone. As the phone rang, Jason thought only of how his dreams would be crushed if he failed to land the deal, when the lined picked up, just hearing her voice brought instant comfort and relief as he pushed his thoughts concerning the meeting aside and turned his full attention to his girlfriend.

  ۞۞۞۞

  An 88˚ day in Miami at 3:40 in the afternoon is the perfect time to play basketball and in Miami Beach that was exactly the case. The Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department was holding their annual Miami Summer Classic Basketball Tournament at Virginia Key Beach. Spectators welcomed the cool breeze coming off the ocean as they sat in the sun watching the game. With a score of 72 to 70 and the defending champions down, everyone sat on the edge of their seats cheering their team on. It was the rising basketball star Zack Williamson that everyone was truly cheering for.

  Zack was the leading scorer for his Division I basketball team and a top draft pick for the NBA. It was Zack’s last season at the University of Cranton, rumors of him signing with the Miami’s professional team added a little more spark to the crowd’s enthusiasm. At the moment, Zack had 32 of his team 70 points, and he showed no signs of letting up. If his team planned on winning, the ball would have to stay in his hands. He could feel his stomach tensing up with anticipation.

  “Time out! Time out!” yelled Zack’s coach.

  Hustling off the court, the team gathered at the sideline in front of the coach.

  “Bring it in closer,” the coach said, looking around at his players. “Ok gentlemen this is where you must prove yourself! Not to me, not to the people in the stands but yourselves. And if you wish to carry that trophy home, we must execute, execute, execute,” he continued before drawing up a play on his clipboard.

  A buzzer sounded ending the timeout, “Gentleman, this is it. It’s everything or nothing! Hands in. Whatever you have left, leave it out on the court. On three. One…..Two…..Three,” the team gives a loud "Hoorah!" and sprinted out onto the court.

  With thirty seconds on the clock, the ball was inbounded to Zack. Sweat streamed down his face, his eyes clearly focused, he brought the ball down the court slowly, killing time. He put up a fist signaling one of his teammates to set up a block on his defender’s left side.

  “Look at that folks; Freeman number 32 has set the perfect screen for his teammate. Leaving him wide open for the three-pointer. A three-pointer could win the game,” the announcer quickly yells over the speakers.

  Zack ran around his defender and zoned in on the basket for the shot, a shot that he has nearly perfected. In his mind, nothing can cause him to miss it. With the perfect form, he prepared to shoot, setting his toes just outside the three-point line. Rising quickly, he extended his arm.

  At the same time, with the scoreboard counting down the final seconds of the game, a group of spectators noticed an object flying low off the coast. It was like nothing any of them had ever seen. Slowly at fi
rst, but then more quickly, the attention of the crowd began to switch from the game to the grayish object flying just over the water and heading straight towards them. As it reached two hundred yards off shore, some spectators recognized what it was.

  A C-130 Hercules has a fuselage nearly one-third the length of a football field and a wingspan that would go almost from sideline to sideline. It quickly grew larger, its four Allison turboprop engines propelling it at 329 knots. Seeming to skim the wave tops as its propellers churned the water into white foam, the growing drone of its engines added an air of menace to its approach.

  The Hercules began to climb as it crossed the shoreline but it was still so low when it thundered over the court that anyone looking up could have counted the rivets on the wings. No one was looking up, however because the rumble of the engines caused the aluminum stands to rattle so much that everyone ducked into an almost fetal position to protect themselves.

  Zack so focused on his shot that he never saw the plane coming, startled as he released the ball, the shot went one foot wide to the right as the buzzer sounded. Zack's coach immediately leaped up screaming for the referee to call interference and reset the clock. The officials stood looking at each other in bewilderment, wondering how to deal with such an unprecedented scenario.

  The Hercules increased its altitude as the massive aircraft opened its large rear cargo doors. Six sleek missiles shot out and veered in separate directions as their internal targeting system initiated. In the blink of an eye, the objects were out of sight, and all that remained were six gray streaks trailing into the city - two trails headed south, two west, and two north. The Hercules, having served its purpose, continued west toward the Everglades.

  ۞۞۞۞

  At 3:40 pm, carrying 350 passengers, AmeriSky Flight 709, a Boeing 767 jumbo, was heading due south along the coast on its way from New York City, to Miami International Airport, scheduled to land at 3:55. Onboard, flying coach on their return from Italy was Mrs. Kimberly Steerman and her eight-year—old son, Michael.