Trevor lobbed the plastic ball. JB swung his bat-also plastic-and made solid contact. Trevor flinched as the ball flew by within an inch of his ear.
Jorge Benjamin Stone-four months away from his fifth birthday-laughed hard but found his composure when his mother, Ashley, joined them on the open stretch of frozen lawn near the helicopter/Eagle landing pad outside the mansion.
She said, "Baseball on a day this cold? Are you crazy?"
"Hey, at least it's sunny out," Trevor answered as he retrieved the ball. "I think JB was getting stir crazy stuck inside for weeks now."
"Jorgie, stir crazy? Or are you just running away from all that paperwork on your desk?"
"No comment."
She smiled and purposely annoyed him by saying, "You sound like a politician."
"That's just plain mean."
JB ran over and gave his mom a hug as best he could from inside the heavy winter coat he wore. As she returned the sturdy squeeze she told Trevor, "I came to let you know Shep’s transport touched down at the airport. He should be here soon."
"Good. Now we’re just waiting on Hoth and we can have our staff meeting."
"Another meeting, father?"
"That’s right Jorge, another meeting. Got to have meetings. Meetings and papers…all sorts of papers. Big stacks of them this high" and he held his hand above his head.
"As for you," Ashley ruffled the mad bomber deerskin cap covering JB's blond hair. "Miss Gill is looking for you. Time for class."
"But mommy, it’s Saturday."
Trevor told him, "It’s school time whenever Miss Gill says it’s school time. Roger that?"
"Roger that, father."
The young man then hurried ahead of his parents toward the mansion. A black Doberman Pincher named Ajax followed the boy, as was his charge.
Ashley clasped her arms together and let out a, "burrrr," in regards to the temperature.
Trevor threw an arm around her to provide some warmth. Such could be said about their entire relationship: a little warmth, now and then, to chase away the loneliness they both felt.
Before the invasion, Trevor-or rather 'Richard'-and Ashley planned to wed. She and everyone in her neighborhood disappeared without a trace as had tens of thousands of others across the world in the days and hours before the invasion began in earnest.
Over a year later, she reappeared with her neighbors encased in a kind of green goo; a biological sarcophagus of sorts that had transported them through time.
More and more batches of missing persons popped up in the same areas where they had disappeared, usually not long after those areas came under control of Trevor's expanding Empire, as if their reappearance was timed for a safe return.
Trevor suspected that the mysterious Old Man might have something to do with it, but he would not answer any questions on the matter.
As for those people who had "rode the ark," they showed no signs of physical trauma and no impact from the lost time between vanishing and appearing.
Ashley reappeared pregnant with Trevor’s child, having conceived just prior to the commencement of hostilities. On May fifteenth of the following year she gave birth to Jorge Benjamin Stone.
During her absence-the year he spent with Nina-Trevor came to realize he never truly loved his fiancee. Yet he understood he had yet another role to play, the role of father. He could not abandon Ashley; he could not abandon his child.
And oh, what an exceptional child.
Trevor found out exactly how exceptional from an unexpected source, a previously unknown half-brother who trespassed into the mansion one scary evening.
No shock that night came as more horrific than the accusation Ashley’s pregnancy started Armageddon. In addition, his crazy half-brother said that Trevor's ability to communicate with dogs came from a unique combination of genes in his body. He also suggested that Jorgie held some secret-perhaps a key-to Armageddon.
Cursory medical exams revealed JB’s brain included far more neurotransmitters than the typical human. No one could even guess what that meant.
Trevor pulled his arm from Ashley’s shoulder to catch the front door their son flung open. They followed JB inside where phones rang, couriers shuffled through the halls, and the always-obedient K9 'Grenadiers' sat and lay at guard positions.
Ashley did not know about Nina. Those who did know were forbidden to speak of it.
When Ashley returned from her trip through time, she found her fiance a changed man. Instead of clumsy and misguided Richard, she met Trevor. Cold, distant, and focused. She did not need to know of Nina to know she no longer held his heart.
Nonetheless, in this new world she found a new role, too; the strong and quiet companion to the Emperor.
While they never married, they shared the same bed and sometimes shared their bodies. Even then-even in the midst of passion-they mainly felt alone.
As Trevor often told himself, there were worse fates. In a world that confined him to the prison of his mission, living with the beautiful Ashley was the least of his sorrows.
"Full council meeting today?" She asked as they passed what used to be a dining room but had long ago morphed into Lori Brewer’s office.
"No, just military. Dante and Eva are in Washington in front of Evan’s sub-committees."
"You mean the Senate’s sub-committees."
"That’s what I said, didn’t I?"
"Freudian slip. Well, enjoy your meeting," Ashley gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Oh, I’m sure it will be a laugh a minute."
– Several days each week the den changed from playroom to classroom for a half-dozen children of officers and administrators, including Catherine Brewer and Jorge Stone.
With a backpack slung over his shoulder, JB paused outside the door when he saw 'Reverend' Johnny, a stocky black man on his way to the military meeting in the basement.
"Greetings and salutations young Jorge," Johnny boomed and grinned.
JB replied, "Good morning Mister Reverend Johnny, sir."
The sound of children chattering carried out from the makeshift classroom.
"Today is a school day? When I was your age, Saturday was a day for shenanigans."
"Wow, that must have been a long, long time ago."
"Why yes, Master Stone, it was most certainly a long time ago. Now you run along and mind your manners with your teacher."
Jorge took one step toward the den but stopped. He turned to Johnny again with his eyes cast down and his head tilted, as if struggling with a thought.
"Do tell, JB, is there something else today?"
The young boy found the solution he sought. He told the Reverend, "My father will need you. You can see things more clearly sometimes."
"I do not comprehend your meaning, Master Stone."
"You should be with my father when he goes. He’ll need you."
"Goes? When your father goes where?"
Jorgie’s answer came nonchalant as if- duh — everyone knows what I am talking about.
"Away."
JB walked into class leaving Reverend Johnny standing in the hallway, perplexed.
– Trevor convened his military council at the conference table in the basement. There sat General Jon Brewer; his wife, Lori, who was Chief Administrator; Omar Nehru; Omar’s wife, Anita, who served as "Chief Analyst Hostile Information and Tracking"; Brett Stanton; Gordon Knox, Director of Intelligence; General Jerry Shepherd of Army Group Center; General Thomas Prescott of Army Group South and, of course, Reverend Johnny who held the position of "Chief Analyst Hostile Biotechnology."
Ironically, they waited for General Hoth, the last person anyone expected to be late.
Lori Brewer hung up a phone and reported, "A shuttle from Army Group North landed on the pad upstairs. General Fink is making his way down here."
"Fink?" Stone said. "Where is Hoth?"
Lori shrugged. "How the Hell am I supposed to know?"
Moments later Casey Fink descended the stairs into the basement. Jon Brewer intercepted him before he could reach the table and grilled him as to Hoth's disposition. Fink responded with a whisper in Jon's ear while handing him a note. A moment later Jon came to Trevor's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Could I speak to you for a moment?"
Brewer led Trevor to a corner and carried on a hushed conversation. The others at the table shared concerned glances but otherwise waited.
After several minutes, the two men returned to the table but something was wrong with Trevor; his eyes glazed over and he sort of stumbled as he walked, almost zombie-like.
"Okay, um," Stone coughed and started the meeting. Instead of making eye contact with the others as he always did, Trevor stared at his hands clasped in front of him on the table top. "Let’s go around and get updates from everyone. Let's, um, Shep, let’s start with you."
Instead of reporting, Shepherd said, "Seems to me we should be waiting for Hoth, right?"
Jon answered for Trevor, "He’s not coming. Casey here is standing in for Hoth today."
"That's rather unusual, isn't it?" Shep did not really ask, he more demanded.
Trevor conceded, "General Hoth did not want to leave his post at this time. He did not want to, um, leave because he has a group of missing soldiers out there."
The room waited for more.
Trevor swallowed hard and finally looked up.
"The Dark Wolves failed to report in from a mission. They are considered M.I.A."
Trevor turned his eyes to Shepherd. Nina was like a daughter to him. Trevor understood that Shep deserved an answer.
"Nina Forest is missing."
– The runes emitted a vibration of energy, like static electricity filling the cavern. The nature of that energy-in fact everything about the runes-befuddled Omar, Reverend Johnny, and everyone else who tried to understand the strange objects.
Made of something resembling rock, the two jagged pillars stood six feet tall on a shared base, each crowned by a silver orb permanently stamped with the handprints of Jon Brewer.
Symbols were etched into the columns, seemingly placed randomly and resembling just about every form of alphabet Earth had ever known, yet remaining undecipherable.
After Jon Brewer and his team had returned home from their expedition to the north, Trevor blasted out a cave in one of the rocky mountains behind the estate. Massive iron doors, a complex security system, and a cadre of both humans and K9s stood guard.
Hundreds of aliens resided at the "Chase" prison a few miles away in Jackson Township while they waited their turn through the runes or, in some cases, diversion to the Red Rock research facility for scientific examination.
At any one time the prison held a hundred Hivvans and a few dozen Platypuses'. Plenty of room remained in Chase but humanity rarely sought surrender from the invaders; Trevor and mankind spoke of liberation but beneath that noble cause simmered a dark desire for revenge.
On that particular Saturday afternoon, a line of ten Hivvans-bipedal reptiles-moved through the cave guarded by Doberman Pinschers and Internal Security officers. They marched toward the runes on the far side of a round chamber illuminated by portable lights.
Trevor sat in a dark corner on a pile of boulders. He watched as the aliens, one by one, stepped between the pillars. Each time the letters on the runes glowed as the alien dissolved into molecules that faded away from Earth ostensibly to reassemble on their home planet.
He watched, allowing his eyes to grow mesmerized by the sight while his mind considered that morning's meeting.
Prescott's Army Group South planned an attack on the last two Hivvan colonies of any size at Little Rock and Shreveport. Prescott faced the challenge of knocking out the enemy's defenses without harming the nearly ten thousand slaves at those camps and doing so fast enough that the Hivvans could not exterminate their slaves if they chose that route.
Army Group Center slowed its westward movement due to the poor condition of infrastructure in the Tennessee Mountains as well as the need to disperse Stonewall's 2 ^ nd Mechanized Infantry into smaller units to support Hunter-Killer teams liquidating extraterrestrial monsters in the region.
However, they found a significantly higher survival rate in the Smokey Mountains. Shepherd's Army Group kept finding enclaves of people ranging in size from extended families to small villages, all hardened by six years of survival but eager to join the expanding Empire.
Casey Fink reported on behalf of General Hoth that Army Group North remained in place, stuck outside of Washington Court House. This time the delay did not come from supply problems or sick soldiers. Instead, Hoth held back his advance for a reason that could not be explained on a map or in a report: instinct.
"General Hoth is planning limited operations in the near future and will focus on intelligence gathering until the situation in Ohio becomes clearer," Fink had reported.
Trevor and the others at the table easily read between the lines. While losing Special Forces operators did not qualify as an unusual occurrence, the circumstances around the Dark Wolves' disappearance suggested something larger at work. A trap? A ruse?
On top of that, a sizeable force of crazy 'Roachbots' threatened Hoth's southern flank. Until he dealt with that, major thrusts westward could not be contemplated.
Nina is missing.
And there it was. The gigantic elephant in the room of Trevor's mind. He listened to the reports at that morning's conference but could not hear well because his mind-his heart-focused on the fate of the only woman he ever truly loved.
Time had not healed the wound. How could it? She had not left him but had been taken; her memories-the person she became during that year with him-wiped clean. Time had merely dulled the pain; time and distance.
Could he go back to his office and push pins around a map not knowing her fate?
He knew-he accepted-that Nina would most likely meet a warrior's fate one day. Her purpose was to fight. She knew who she was-a natural born soldier-even if she did not understand the why. The result? A shy woman; an outcast. Yet she never gave in. She refused to change for the sake of acceptance.
Armageddon gave her skills a noble purpose and eventually Trevor unlocked the lonely person hiding inside. He found the compassion in her. He found the warmth. He helped turn the shy little girl into a complete person just as she allowed him an escape from his burdens when the weight grew too heavy.
If she died in battle, her body flown home for a soldier’s funeral, then it would be over and he could grieve the loss. But her fate remained a mystery.
Years ago Trevor fell into the hands of The Order, arguably the most dangerous entity invading Earth. He suffered horrible torments at their hands to the point that he wondered how he remained sane.
What if Nina suffered a similar fate? Could he sit in his office pushing pins and signing orders-doing nothing! — with that possibility? Even now, was Nina covered in Bore Bugs or in the clutches of one of The Order's Torture-Spiders?
Trevor knew he could never be with her again. The woman he loved no longer existed. Yet that did not matter. He could not- he would not — abandon her.
For more than six years he followed the Old Man's orders; he selflessly lived for the cause even when it cost him the love of his life; even when it cost him his soul at New Winnabow. For more than six years he had been nothing other than a leader.
Not now. This time he would be something else; something he had not been in a long, long time.
A man.
– Contrary to legend, Trevor Stone had not instantaneously turned into an all-knowing, all-conquering hero when the invaders arrived on Earth.
Indeed, during those first hours of Armageddon, Trevor pissed himself in fear, ran from every monster he faced, and would have been dinner for a Deadhead if not for Tyr and Odin, his pet Elkhounds.
Furthermore, he probably would have died of exposure in the middle of the forest had he not happened upon the Old Man. At that point the mysterious entity told Trevor of his destiny to survive, fight, and sacrifice.
The Old Man offered three gifts, although the visit by Trevor's crazed half-brother cast doubt on the origin of at least one of those gifts.
Nonetheless, the first gift had been a well-stocked estate, perfect for weathering the initial storm. The second, the camaraderie of the canines, giving him an instant army. Both of these gifts on display for all to see. The third gift, however, remained a mystery even to his close friends. Only Nina had ever seen it, and that memory was erased.
Trevor descended into the mansion basement, the conference table sat empty. He worked his way to a door under the stairs and opened it. Inside this utility closet he found a hot water heater and a cabinet which he shoved to the side revealing a small gray door.
He wondered if the door really existed. After all, the key that unlocked it hung on a chain around his neck yet was never visible unless he needed it, as he did now.
With a dull click the door unlocked. Trevor snapped on a flashlight and descended a dark staircase to a small chamber framed in earthen walls, smelling of damp air, and filled with a soft hum.
Against the far wall waited a table holding the type of cliche treasure chest that a Hollywood Blackbeard might seek.
Trevor opened that chest. A round object drifted out bathing the chamber in soft blue light. Inside the sphere hovered a double helix; the representation of human DNA.
"Time to recharge," Stone mumbled to himself as he reached toward the glowing orb as if warming his hands in a campfire. As he did, a bout of lightheadedness caused him to stumble, nearly fall to the dirt floor.
He did not understand exactly how it worked. He did not feel some flood of knowledge or visions, just a sense of dizziness. However, in the hours ahead he would find new memories in his mental library. Memories of soldiers and scientists, professors and politicians. He knew there were limits but the only boundary he had truly hit was one of medicine; his skills in that arena remained limited to basic first aid.
What puzzled him most, however, was that the knowledge of how to fly the alien Redcoat shuttles-renamed 'Eagles'-came to him from this source. If this was a sphere of only human genetic memories, then why did the memories of an alien pilot exist therein?
Trevor backed away from the sphere as the dizziness grew. As he did, the glowing orb returned to the chest. He then quickly shut the lid, locking it in until he might need it again.
– Trevor read the title of the Sesame Street book JB selected for his bed time read: "The Monster at the end of this book…starring lovable furry old Grover!"
Of course Jorge could easily read the book himself, but Trevor knew JB enjoyed hearing his father do the reading and, as usual, adding dramatic flare to the words. So Trevor lay on the small bed with his son-dressed in fire engine pajamas-curled close.
As for the book, it depicted the friendly monster Grover attempting to stop the reader from turning the pages in order to avoid the monster at the end of the book, as per the title.
Trevor read to his boy but his mind raced in other directions. His bags were packed and he had ordered his personal Eagle pilot-Rick Hauser-to prepare for a morning trip. Most important, he formulated a plausible lie for Ashley about a surprise visit to Ohio to boost morale.
In truth, he planned to recruit a handful of Hoth's men and duplicate Nina's path. If she lived, he aimed to find her. If not, he would bring her body home. She deserved as much.
He did his best to concentrate on the plan instead of his doubt. No, not doubt, guilt.
For more than six years now, Trevor served only one mission. He played the role of a link on the Old Man's "chain" without straying. He had fought, sacrificed, and even murdered in the name of the cause. Now he risked everything to find a memory that existed only for him.
Trevor matched the guilt with anger and determination: I don't give a damn.
The conclusion of the book neared and Grover feared the looming confrontation with whatever creature waited at the end; the cartoon character begged the reader not to turn the page.
Suddenly, Jorgie's hand slapped down on the book, achieving what Grover could not: stopping Trevor from turning to the final page.
"No father! Don’t turn the page! Don’t turn the page!"
Trevor, surprised, asked, "What’s wrong buddy? We've read this a dozen times."
JB visibly trembled and cried, "There’s a monster, father! There’s a monster!"
"Hey, easy does it, look, it’s not really a monster…"
Trevor turned to the last page where Grover stood alone and realizes-to his embarrassment-that the 'monster' at the end of the book is lovable, furry Grover himself.
"See, it's only Grover. He was the only monster in the book all along."
Unconvinced, JB snorted, "Grover turned out to be a monster. I don't like that book. I don't ever want to read it again."
Trevor decided not to fight the battle. "Well, next time we’ll read Green Eggs and Ham. But I have to go out to see the troops for a couple of days. Maybe mommy can read it to you."
Trevor scooted off the bed and pulled the covers to his son’s chin. Then, as per their ritual, he took JB's stuffed bunny and wrapped it in a tiny blanket.
"Snug as a bug in a rug," dad handed the wrapped bunny to his boy and then planted a kiss on JB’s forehead.
"Father, could you promise me that while you’re gone you’ll think of me every day."
"Oh, Jorge, I think of you every day anyway. You know that. But yes, I promise."
"Good," JB sounded satisfied but did not look it. "That way I know you won’t forget me."
– Trevor gave his map with the push pins one last look over. He wondered if the Old Man possessed a similar map. Maybe Trevor played the role of a red or blue push pin. How many other pins did the Old Man have on his map?
He shook away those thoughts, slung a heavy duffle bag over his shoulder, and left his office for downstairs.
First light struggled to rise over the mountain wall surrounding the lake, meaning that most of the support staff working at the mansion had not yet begun their day. Nonetheless, he heard Lori Brewer typing away on her computer. That did not surprise him. Between raising a daughter, keeping her husband in line, and serving as "Chief Administrator" Lori always had something to do.
He decided not to disturb her; she had a tendency to see through his words so even a simple "goodbye" might open the door for more questions than he wished to answer. Yet while he managed to slip quietly by her office, he found the front door blocked by her husband-Jon Brewer-waiting in ambush.
"Where are you going?"
"Just running an errand," Trevor answered.
"Bull shit. I know where you’re going."
"Well then why are you asking stupid questions?"
Jon shot back, "You’re the one acting stupid."
"I’m in charge; I’m allowed to be stupid. A fringe benefit of the job."
Trevor stepped around his tall friend and exited the front door. Snowflakes drifting in frigid morning air greeted him as he crossed the yard to the shuttle idling on the landing pad.
"You are an important symbol, Trev. If something happens to you, it could all fall apart."
"Right. You’d have to find someone else to push those pins around."
"What?"
"Never mind."
Jon implored, "You can’t go running off like this. You need to be in that office."
Trevor stopped and turned to face his friend. Something bubbled in his expression; some contorted combination of anger and fear.
"I never asked to be a symbol. I don’t want to be some god damn statue sitting behind a desk giving orders to people a thousand miles away. I need to be out there. I need to see the smoke from the guns again and the suffering and the courage."
"Why?"
"Because it doesn’t mean anything anymore! It’s just numbers and charts and reports! But when I found out Nina was missing… I mean, I can’t just let her be another number; another name. I have to do this Jon. I’m going to do this."
Trevor walked quickly toward the landing pad as if trying to escape his friend but slowed when he saw two familiar faces waiting for him there: Jerry Shepherd and Reverend Johnny. They carried duffel bags as well.
A drone came from the Eagle airship's idling engines as Trevor met his surprise visitors at the boarding ramp. Shepherd spoke before Trevor could say a word.
"Don’t you go telling me that I can’t go along on this. You damn well know you can’t stop me. So if you’re going to do something stupid like chasing after her then I’m all in."
Trevor knew he could not debate Jerry Shepherd. Certainly not when it came to this. Moreover, Army Group Center had stopped its advance to focus on Hunter-Killer operations, nothing Stonewall could not handle on his own for a while.
He nodded his head and then turned to Reverend Johnny who said, "Praise the Lord, I love an adventure. Besides, it has been suggested to me that you could use another pair of eyes with which to see."
Neither man waited for Stone's answer. Instead, they grabbed their gear and boarded.
Trevor turned to Jon and told him, "You’re not going on this trip."
"I know. Guess it’s your turn to fly off into the unknown."
"I won't be gone long but I may be out of contact for short periods of time. So you’re in charge around her for a bit. I trust you, but Knox is a smart guy. Lean on him if you need to."
"See you when you get back."
Brewer retreated across the lawn toward the mansion. Trevor hoisted his bag and turned toward the open side door but something caught his eye. Standing on the far side of the north perimeter fence watched a white wolf. The white wolf. The Old Man’s familiar.
Trevor locked his eyes on the animal and shot a stern middle finger in its direction.
Yeah, I got a path to walk, but I think I’ll take a little detour.
Trevor boarded the craft and the passenger module door slid shut behind. A moment later, the shuttle gracefully rose vertically from the landing pad. When it cleared the surrounding treetops, the hydrogen engines pushed the craft toward the horizon.
Internal Security officer Ray Roos stood on the mansion grounds and, with a curious eye, watched the Emperor fly away.