 
HYBRIDS

By Matthew Holley

Published by Matthew Holley at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Matthew Holley

CHAPTER ONE

PROLOGUE

1963

"Everyone, this way!" Jonas, a sixteen year old boy, ordered as he hurriedly directed a group of twenty-two escapees, ranging in age from twelve to sixteen, down a maze of corridors. The runaways, full of apprehension but driven by a desire for freedom, were attempting a daring escape from a secret underground military base, the only home any of them had ever known, located on a small island off the coast of Ecuador. As they ran down hallway after hallway, the scream of sirens filled the air, relentlessly ordering them back to their rooms and demanding they stop their full-hearted attempt to leave.

"Does he know where he's going?" Judy, one of the escapees, nervously and with heavy breath asked another young girl running beside her.

"I don't know. He sure acts like he does! If he doesn't...we're all going to be in a lot of trouble!"

As the train of humanity turned another corner, their path ahead was being blocked by two security guards dressed in military attire and wielding 9mm handguns. The guards stood shoulder to shoulder with their guns drawn, determined to stop the run-aways.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" one of the guards shouted as the pack of children continued at them, seemingly unwilling to stop.

Jonas and Jack, another young boy at the head of the group, quickly raised their hands towards the two guards. Instantly, the two gun-wielding men were hurled through the air as if hit by some magically invisible force. They impacted the wall directly behind them several feet away from where they had been standing. They hit the wall with such force that they fell to the ground unconscious.

Barely slowing down, Jonas and Jack picked up the guards' guns and turn the corner as they continued down the hallway with the others following close behind, everyone keeping an eye out for more guards realizing that the longer it took to escape the better organized the guards would become and the more likely their attempt to attain freedom could be cut short.

The crowd was led down several more thankfully empty corridors and around more gladly unoccupied corners, their hopes of escaping increasingly growing with each step.

"We're almost there!" Jonas informed them all.

They hurriedly turned right down a long corridor and then made a left leading them into a large vestibule. At the far end was an exit door and, on the other side of that door, potential freedom waiting for them, but standing in their way were two more armed guards.

Without given any warning, one of the guards aimlessly fired into the approaching crowd, hitting a young female in the shoulder. Almost instantaneously, everyone in the crowd stopped in their tracks as if they were of one mind. The young female cried out in pain, grabbing at her wound, her knees buckling under her, and nearly falling to the ground, but two young boys standing behind the wounded girl caught her in their arms.

Jonas quickly and accurately fired the weapon he had lifted off the previous guard, hitting one guard in the head, killing him instantly, while the other guard was hit in his left knee causing him to immediately fall to the ground, dropping his gun in the process, and clutching his knee in agony.

Jonas brazenly approached the wounded sprawling guard, bent over, and pushed the muzzle of his pistol hard against the trembling man's temple.

"Open the door!" Jonas ordered.

The thick steel exit door was installed with an electronic combination lock which needed a code inputted into the keypad before it would open.

"Not a chance!" the guard answered through clinched teeth.

"We'll see about that. Mary, come over here."

A young blond girl, a year younger than Jonas, with dark hazel eyes and freckles painted on her nose emerged from the crowd and approached the guard.

"Do your thing," Jonas told her.

Mary knelt down beside the guard who was still holding his knee in severe pain. She placed her hands on the guard's temples, looked deeply into his eyes, and concentrated.

"You will help us escape," she said.

"Yes, I'll help you escape," the guard stated blankly.

"You will open this door. Once we're all out, you will guard this door and shoot anyone who tries to follow us. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"The pain in your knee is gone. Now get up and let us out."

Without hesitation, the guard rose, no longer feeling the intense pain of his wound, and punched his code into the keypad. The lock disengaged with a metallic sound releasing the door. The guard opened the door and everyone went through into a long wide corridor that gradually inclined to the surface. After making the five hundred foot hike, the escapers found themselves inside an empty rundown warehouse. Several of the windows that encircled the warehouse were busted out and the whole of the metallic structure was covered in rust. Across the dirt floor of the warehouse was a wide roll-up door currently closed.

"Where are we?" Jack asked Jonas.

"It looks like this was once some sort of huge garage or hanger. It doesn't appear like it's been used in quite some time," Jonas replied.

"Or maybe it was never used at all," Jack speculated. "It could have been placed here just to cover the entrance to the base. You know...to keep their secret base secret."

Jonas walked over to a dusty window just left of the door, wiped a clean spot in it, and looked out.

"There she is," he said out loud to no one in particular.

"There who is?" Jack asked, walking up behind Jonas.

"Our ticket out of here. Look."

Jack looked out the window to where Jonas was pointing. Just a few yards away, across a field of unmowed grass, moored to a concrete dock, was a cargo ship. The ship seemed strangely void of personnel and cargo.

"How'd you know that ship would be here?" Jack asked Jonas.

"Don't you worry about that. Everything's going just as I planned. All that's important is that we get on that boat and get away from this place! I'm in charge here. Just do as I say. Do you think you can do that?" Jonas said rather smugly.

Jack angrily grabbed a handful of Jonas's shirt and pulled Jonas towards him so they were face to face. "What's going on here? How did you know about that boat?"

Jonas smirked. "I know you don't trust me and I really don't care. Now, we could stand here wasting time as I try to explain my genius to you and let you know how I orchestrated such a remarkable escape plan or we could get all these people on the ship and off this island. Which would you rather do?"

"Fine..." Jack reluctantly let go of Jonas. "What's the next part of your plan?"

Jonas looked out the window again and scanned the surroundings. "I don't see anyone around...yet, but they'll be here soon." He then turned to face the waiting crowd. "Everyone listen. When we open this door, I want everyone to run as fast as you can to the ship. You and you..." he pointed to two young men "...both of you will untie the mooring lines from the ship, okay?"

The two boys nodded their heads.

"All right, let's go!" Jonas ordered after one last look out of the window.

The door was opened and everyone poured out of the warehouse and ran towards the dock. By the time the first of the escapees had reached the ship, the roaring engine sounds of a couple of jeeps could be heard racing towards them. The security guards had finally honed in on their position and were closing in on them rapidly. As the last of the escapees boarded the ship, the two jeeps were only a few yards away.

"We're not going to make it!" a young girl exclaimed.

"Honey, don't give up so fast. I've got everything under control," Jonas confidently said. "Have a little faith in your leader."

Jonas quickly ran inside the wheelhouse of the ship and quickly emerged with an M-16 rifle in hand.

"How did you know that was in there?" Jack asked with much surprise.

"What does it matter, as long as we have it."

Jonas leaned against the ship's railing for support and aimed the automatic rifle at the jeeps. He patiently waited until the jeeps stopped and the guards exited their vehicles before he opened fire. In a matter of a few seconds, all the unsuspecting guards laid dead just a few feet from their vehicles.

Jonas surveyed the bloody scene and smiled. He turned towards Jack and tossed him the rifle.

"Now, that was fun!"

The escapees who were still on deck and witnessed Jonas mowing down the guards with such glee in his heart were horrified but not surprise. They were all far too familiar with the apparent "evil" that lurked inside his heart. They had been witness to it several times during their years of growing up with Jonas on the base.

Jonas left the deck of the ship and walked into the wheelhouse. Standing at the controls, he reached into his front pants pocket and retrieved a key. He put it into the ignition hole and turned it. The twin diesel engines of the ship roared to life, causing a slight vibrating throughout the entire ship.

"Where did you get a key?" Jack angrily demanded to know as he stepped inside the wheelhouse still carrying the assault rifle.

Without warning, Jonas quickly turned around and shoved Jack hard. Jack fell back and hit the far wall of the wheelhouse with his back.

"It doesn't matter where I got this key!" Jonas said through clenched teeth. "All that matters is if it wasn't for me, you all would still be trapped on that god-forsaken island! You shouldn't be questioning me...you should be praising me! I'm your leader!"

It was true they owed Jonas a debt of gratitude for getting them off the island, but Jack didn't except Jonas's self appointed role as their leader. But for now, he decided to keep his mouth shut...at least until they got to where they were going.

Jonas put the ship in gear. The water in back of the boat churned violently as the props began spinning, propelling the ship forward. Jonas put the ship on a northern heading towards the coast of Florida. Very surprising to all aboard, they were not pursued. Jonas's escape plan worked remarkably well.

After three uneventful days cruising across the ocean, the ship of escapees was anchored just a half mile from the coast of Cocoa Beach. They didn't dare use a public dock in fear that the military was looking for them. Instead, they used a twelve foot, forty horse-powered Carolina Skiff, the ship's lifeboat, to shuttle everyone to the beach, five at a time. Jonas was one of the last to leave the ship. Before he did, he engaged the ship's auto-pilot to take the ship east, started the engines, put the ship in gear, and quickly jumped into the small boat to be ferried to shore. The cargo ship was soon out of sight, heading for uncertainty.

Jonas rode the lifeboat to the white sandy beach and jumped out. He immediately noticed that several of the escapees were missing.

"Where's everyone else?" Jonas asked Jack. "We need to stay together. I've got a plan for us all."

Jack walked up to Jonas.

"We all decided that the best thing for us is to separate into small groups. We need to disappear, create new lives, and that will be easier to do if we split up."

"WE decided? Who decided? I'm your leader...I DECIDE!"

"You're not our leader. We don't need a leader. We can all make our own decisions and we've decided to go our separate ways. To be frank with you, most of them are scared of you. You're not right in the head. You're dangerous." Jack walked away and headed for his new life.

"YOU MORONS! I set you all free and this is how you repay me? I should have left you all on that island and escaped alone! You need me! None of you can make it out here without me! Is there no one who will stay with me? Are you all going to just leave?" Jonas frantically asked as he watched the rest of the escapees slowly walk away without saying a word.

"I won't leave you."

Jonas looked left to see Mary standing alone. He didn't say a word, only sighed loudly in disappointment and started walking towards uncertainty with Mary following.

CHAPTER TWO

Present day

A yellow school bus stopped in front of Kyle Summerland's house. Its' door opened, beckoning the young boy to the first day of his new life. Kyle quickly gave his mom a peck on her cheek and said, "I love you, mom." He then hurriedly grabbed his Evel Kneivel book bag and eagerly ran outside to board the waiting bus.

"I LOVE YOU, TO!" Judy Summerland yelled back at her son.

She watched out the kitchen window as her son stepped inside the bus. The door of the yellow bus closed and, with the sound of escaping air from the release of the air brakes, the bus began moving and soon disappeared down the road. Judy stood looking out of the window for a few seconds longer and reflected on her life with her husband and the great boy they had raised together. A smile formed across her face. She was happy in hers and her husband's decision to move to this small rural, tranquil city three months ago. Ruskford, set in the northern pan-handle of Florida, was a quiet town far removed from the "evils" of larger towns; a place where people knew their neighbors by name and generally cared for their well-being.

Judy also felt blessed that there had been a recent vacancy at the local elementary school for an English teacher. She feared she would have to substitute for a while until she found a permanent position at one of the local schools, but, fortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case. She received a call just a few weeks after turning in her resumes to all the nearby schools from R.J. Kelly Elementary that she had been selected for a recently opened position. Judy grabbed her books and paperwork and headed for her new job.

The school bus stopped in front of a well-worn, concrete sidewalk riddled with fine cracks along its entire length. The sidewalk led to the entrance of a red brick, two-story school. Above the double green entry doors were white letters attached to the brick façade of the building spelling out "Ruskford High School". The school was built in the mid sixties and it featured rows of weather-worn wood-framed windows lining its' face and a flat gravel tarred roof which had been patched several times over the years. The county commissioners had talked for years about building a new high school but "more important things" seemed to always take up the year's budget. A small court yard of brick pavers made up the only decor in front of the school with a slightly frayed American flag flapping in the light breeze as its center piece.

The school was alive with teenagers excited for the first day of the school year to begin. There were several high scholars socializing outside the school walls, waiting until the very last minute to enter the school building before the bell rang its warning that school had begun. Kyle knew he didn't have the luxury of "hanging out". He just moved to this town and he had to get to the administration office to receive his class schedule.

As Kyle stepped off the bus, he was filled with nervous excitement about his senior year in this new school. He left his old school and some good friends behind when his parents moved him to this small town but he was determined to make new friends. Making friends had always come easily for him. People naturally gravitated towards his friendly personality and happy demure wherever he went.

Kyle briskly walked through the wide halls of the school, grey lockers lining the walls on both sides, until he found the administration office. He entered the office, where a slightly overweight elderly woman with shoulder-length strawberry colored hair was sitting at her computer behind a multi-colored, laminated counter.

"Hi, my name is Kyle Summerland."

The woman looked up from her computer and saw a handsome, dark haired, brown eyed young man of average build and stature for a seventeen year old standing before her. She greeted him with a smile.

"Oh yes, you're our new student from South Florida. Mr. Summerland...right? I've been expecting you. I bet things up here are quite different than down there, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, that's what I've always heard anyways, although I don't really know. I've never left this town except once, a few weeks ago, to go to my uncle's funeral just on the other side of the county line. It was a good service. He looked good and ---."

The school bell interrupted the receptionist.

"Oh dear, you need your class schedule, don't you Sweetie?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Here you go, Sweetie. I hope you enjoy your first day here."

Kyle's first class was Chemistry taught by Mrs. Faraday. As he walked inside room 213, all the other students were already seated. Mrs. Faraday, a young thin woman wearing reading glasses and looking like she was somewhere in her early thirties with blond hair just below her shoulders and tucked behind her ears, motioned him over to her.

Kyle walked over to the teacher, feeling every eye in the room on him. Mrs. Faraday placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face the class. Kyle was nervous standing in front of so many strangers and soon felt himself start to perspire.

"This is our new student, Kyle Summerland," she informed the room full of teenagers." He has just recently moved here and I hope you will all welcome him to our school."

She then directed Kyle to a lab table where an empty stool sat next to a dark-haired boy with braces on his teeth and wearing a Star Trek T-shirt with the words, "Beam me up, Scotty. There's no intelligent life down here" printed across its front. As Kyle sat down on the empty stool, he overheard a girl in the back of the class whisper to another girl, "He's cute!" Unfortunately, the whole class also overheard the girl's comment and burst into laughter. The girl's face immediately turned red with embarrassment as did Kyle's. The teacher settled everyone down and began her teaching. Kyle loved his new school and floated through the rest of the day going to his classes and making new friends.

After school got out, Kyle got on the school bus and rode it home. As he stepped off the bus, he noticed his dad's pickup truck in the yard. His dad, Jack Summerland, was home from working in his newly opened auto-repair shop and Kyle was excited to tell him about his first day at school. Kyle walked through the front door of his family's new two story house and found his dad sitting in front of the T.V. drinking a soda and eating a MoonPie. Jack looked up from his television program and saw his son; a big smile appeared on his face and he patted the couch next to him.

Kyle sat down next to his father.

"How was your first day?" Jack asked his son while turning down the volume on the television set.

"Oh, it was great! I love the school. I met some really cool guys and they invited me to go fishing with them this weekend. It's only the first day and I'm already being asked to go places. Isn't that fantastic?"

With a crooked smile Jack asked, "Meet any cute girls?"

Kyle chuckled embarrassingly and rolled his eyes.

"No, not yet, Dad, but tomorrow's a new day. There're definitely a lot of cute girls there." Then Kyle changed the subject. He felt he needed something first before he started pursuing girls. "Dad, do you think I could maybe get a job after school to save up for a car?"

"A car? I guess it is about time you had your own wheels. I'll be a lot easier to pick up chicks...huh?" Jack playfully punched Kyle in the shoulder and chuckled. "Let me talk it over with your mother and we'll let you know. Maybe you could work at the garage with me."

Uncharacteristically Kyle rebelliously said, "You always have to check with mom. Can't you make any decision on your own?" Kyle knew his overly-protective mom wouldn't like the idea of her only son owning a car.

"Your mom and I have a partnership and we make all our decision together. We try to decide what is best for you and we make those decisions as mom and dad, together. So I'll let you know our decision after we talk it over, Okay?"

"Okay," Kyle said reluctantly.

Both Kyle's parents had always been overly protective of Kyle...his mom more so than his dad. He sometimes felt like they treated him like he was a fragile vase that could easily be broken. They never let him have much responsibility or let him take care of whatever problems came along, although he rarely asked for such independence, but this year they vowed to be different. They realized that their son was growing up and would soon be going away to college. They knew they would have to let go of their protective leash and allow Kyle to become a man.

"Hey, I think I hear you mother pulling into the drive." Jack said while turning up the volume on the television set. "I bet she would love to hear all about you day."

Kyle rose to get off the couch when his dad gently pulled him back down.

"Hey, I love you," Jack said and squeezed his son's neck with his grease-stained hand.

"I love you too, Dad."

Later on that evening, after the dinner was eaten, the dishes put away, and the ritual television watching was done, everyone said their "good nights" and went to bed. An hour after all the lights in the house went out Kyle was still wide awake from his excitement of the day and the thoughts of possibly owning a car in the near future. As hard as he tried, he couldn't turn his brain off, so he rolled out of bed to surf the internet. He sat down at his student desk next to the foot of his bed and just as he turned on his laptop, he heard a noise coming from down stairs.

He was not really scared because he lived in a small town and not much ever happened here as far as crime goes. He knew this because his parents had done loads of research on a slew of potential places to move before they settled on Ruskford. Kyle assumed the noise was probably just one of his parents fumbling in the dark, heading for the kitchen for a late-night snack or something. He decided to investigate and headed down stairs. As he arrived on the first floor, he wondered why the lights haven't been turned on. If it was one of his parents, why had they not turned on a light instead of stumbling in the dark? A slight shiver of fear ran down the length of his body. Again he heard the noise. It sounded like it have come from the living room. His fear began growing and his breathing became quicker. His every instinct told him to run back up stairs yet he continued to move forward. He quietly and cautiously walked towards the living room and flipped on the light.

Kyle's heart stopped in his chest and he couldn't move...paralyzed with fear. There, standing in his living room, was a stranger! The man was dressed in dingy green camouflage pants and a yellow-stained tee shirt. He was wearing black leather combat-style boots that were caked in mud and he hadn't shaven in quite some time.

The sudden illumination of light startled the intruder. He looked at Kyle with a surprised and slightly deranged look and said in a threatening voice," Who else is in the house?"

Kyle was too shocked to respond. The silence angered the stranger who reached around the back of his pants and pulled out the biggest pistol the young boy had ever seen.

The stranger pointed the gun at Kyle and demanded in a sterner voice, " WHO ELSE IS IN THE HOUSE?!"

The intruder then cocked the hammer on the pistol, not willing to wait for Kyle's response, and began to pull the trigger. Kyle somehow regained movement in his body and quickly placed his hands up in front of his face in anticipation of being shot. Perhaps it was just a reflex or just a person's own body's way of trying to protect itself. He heard himself yelling, "NO!" and then heard the ear-shattering explosion of the gun.

Kyle hadn't realized he had closed his eyes but, after not feeling the bullet tear through his flesh, he reopened them. What he saw was beyond his comprehension. The stranger, his mouth opened wide in shock and disbelief, was still standing there with the gun pointed at Kyle. The living room was filled with smoke and the lingering ring of the gun blast. But what was unbelievable to Kyle and the intruder was that the bullet from the gun hovered just inches from Kyle's face... frozen in mid air. It was as if time had stopped in this small living room and Kyle feared that at any moment time would resume again allowing the bullet to pierce his skull. Kyle did not move...couldn't move. He just stared at the bullet. Suddenly, Jack rushed into the living room with a baseball bat in hand and, with one swift swing, bashed the stranger in the head. The stranger's knees buckled under him and he fell to the ground where he laid motionless. A small pool of blood started gathering on the carpet, trickling from the visible gash on the stranger's head. Immediately afterwards, Judy ran into the living room. She quickly glanced at the stranger lying in an increasing enlarging pool of blood and then turned towards her son. She saw Kyle still looking horrifyingly at the bullet still frozen in mid air inches from his head. "KYLE!" she screamed.

As Kyle's attention went from the bullet to his mom's scream, the once frozen projectile fell from the invisible plane it was trapped in and hit the ground. Judy ran over and wrapped her arms around her son, squeezing him for all she was worth.

Jack said in an authoritative voice, "Take Kyle up to his room. I'll call 911."

She did as she was told and took her son by the arm and escorted him to his room. As he was being led from the living room, Kyle saw his dad pick up the bullet from the floor and put it in his pajama pant's pocket and then begin looking for the spent casing the gun had spit out. Kyle couldn't understand why his dad was hiding the bullet. Then again, he was confused about everything that had just transpired.

After several minutes, the police and ambulance arrived. The police officers performed their investigation and wrote down Jack's statement while the EMT's unsuccessfully tried to revive the intruder. After several minutes, the intruder's lifeless body was hauled away on a stretcher. A police office approached Jack.

"We retrieved the intruder's license from his wallet. His name was Daren Rogers from New York. We ran his name through our data base and it came back that Mr. Rogers had been arrested three times before for armed assault and burglary and also spent a few court ordered years in a crazy house....I meant a mental institution. We recovered his Smith and Wesson 38 revolver. It only had five bullets in the chamber. You stated that he didn't fire the gun. Is that correct?"

"Yes it is, officer. I just snuck up behind him and swung the bat before he had a chance to fire his gun."

"Well, you and your family are very lucky and you're a very brave man. Okay, we're done here. If I have any more questions, I'll call you."

"Yes, sir, officer and thank you very much."

After the police left, Jack cleaned Mr. Roger's blood off the living room floor as well as he could and then headed for Kyle's room. Just as he reached his son's bedroom door, it opened and his wife walked out, closing the door behind her.

"He's all right," Judy assured her husband. "I put him to sleep. He won't wake up until tomorrow."

With a heavy sigh Jack said, "You know, we're going to have to tell him the truth now."

"Not necessarily. We could erase his memory of tonight."

"No, it's time for him to know who he is."

"I know." Judy said with much reluctance in her voice." I told him we would explain everything tomorrow morning. I was just hoping he would've been older."

CHAPTER THREE

Kyle woke up early the next morning. He couldn't believe how well he slept despite the extraordinary event of the night prior. He remembered trying to ask his mom a hundred questions about what had just happened and her saying she would explain everything in the morning and then he was suddenly out like a light. Now, he was awake and bursting with anticipation at hearing his parent's explanation of why he didn't have a bullet hole in his head. He made his way to his parent's room but found them still asleep, so he headed downstairs and into the living room to wait, being careful not to step on the bloodstain in the carpet. He glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 7:30 A.M. He flopped down on the couch and stared at a blank television set, waiting for his parent to wake and explain the strange occurrences of last night. He had so many questions and he knew his parent had the answers. Another glance at the taunting clock... 7:47A.M.

"How can they sleep," Kyle angrily asked himself, frustrated his parents didn't share his same urgency.

Picking up the remote, he turned on the T.V., not interested in watching it but hoping the noise would wake up his parents. Several commercials played on the television set but no one came down stairs. Kyle turned the volume up. Finally, he heard a stir upstairs. His parents were awake! His excitement rose but was quickly dashed when he heard the shower come on.

"OH COME ON!"

It was now 8:15A.M. How his parents could be taking so long to come down stairs when his whole life was on hold waiting for their answers was beyond Kyle's comprehension. He decided to pass the time by going into the kitchen and making everyone a bowl of cereal. Just as he finished pouring milk into the last bowl, his parents walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Oh how sweet! You made us breakfast!" Judy graciously said.

Judy and Jack sat down at the kitchen table and started eating their cereal. Kyle joined them at the table but was not hungry. He just wanted answers so he alternated staring at his mom and then his dad. Jack was aware his son was about to burst with a million questions and he had been so extremely patient. Kyle deserved an explanation. But Jack couldn't resist the temptation to "torture" his son just a little while longer so he continued to slowly eat his cereal while Kyle deeply sighed between each bite.

Finally, when he thought Kyle might explode with anticipation, Jack looked as his wife and said, "Are you ready to tell him?"

"No, but go ahead. I don't think our son can wait a second longer."

"Now, Kyle," Jack said. "I don't want you to interrupt me until I'm done talking. Then you can ask your questions. Okay?"

"Okay. No problem."

Kyle was sitting on the edge of his seat, hanging on every word that poured out of his father's mouth.

Jack began.

"Have you ever heard of the Roswell incident in New Mexico?"

"Yeah, that's supposedly where E.T. crashed."

Jack chuckled a bit.

"Yes... but here's the real story. There were two alien crafts that collided into each other that day. The crash sight was scattered with wreckage from the two crafts. The military recovered two alien bodies from each of the crafts...one dead and one still alive but unconscious. The aliens were humanoid; they resembled us a lot.

"The two bodies and the two crafts, along with all the crash debris, were taken to the military base everyone now knows as Area 51. The crafts were reversed engineered for years to gather all the information the engineers could obtain about how they operated. A lot of engineering and electronic advancements have been achieved over the years by what the engineers discovered from those two crafts. The alien bodies were flown to a secret base off the coast of Ecuador under the code name Project Serpo.

The base was built underground through solid volcanic rock close to the shore line. There were two hidden access points in which to enter or exit the base...one hidden under a warehouse. The base was a place our government had used for years to carry out numerous questionable and, some would say, immoral scientific experiments. This was the perfect place to examine the aliens.

Project Serpo was headed by a brilliant geneticist by the name of Dr. Benjamin Hoft. Dr. Hoft was, in many people's eyes, a genius. He graduated high school at the age of eleven. He went on to graduate MIT at the age of fourteen and the American College of Medical Genetics at the age of seventeen. He then was hired by the Army to help in several classified experiments in biology and genetics. By the time he was twenty one, he was running the genetic department for the military. Anything Dr. Hoft wanted was provided for him with no questioned asked. As long as he was providing the government with results, nothing was off limits.

Dr. Hoft had always been obsessed with genetic experimentation and genetic splicing. Trying to create new species from two or more different species was his passion. He had successfully accomplished genetic splicing with a few animals, creating strange abominations of nature. They were all eventually destroyed for fear of what would happen if they were ever introduced into our ecosystem, and now, he was about to attempt his gene splicing with an alien species.

Dr. Hoft immediately started experimenting with splicing alien genes with human genes. After several months, he was successful in combining the two genes. The next logical step, in his mind, was to create a new species of life. He obtained human embryo eggs and fertilized them with the new genes and eventually created several human-alien species in his mixture of genetically engineered embryonic fluids. They were "grown" in small enclosed tanks that simulated a womb.

The new species, which looked no different than a normal human, were raised on the base for the next sixteen years. Dr. Hoft called his new creations, "Hybrids". The Hybrids were kept in locked rooms only to be let out for testing and experimentations. They were not given names (the doctor didn't want to humanize them); instead they were designated with numbers. Although, secretly, they gave each other names to make themselves feel more "human".

Through these relentless and sometimes brutal tests, it was discovered that the Hybrids possessed great strength. They also had telepathic abilities and showed signs of telekinesis. As the Hybrids grew older, these abilities grew stronger causing many of the personnel working on the base to fear them.

There was one Hybrid in particular, H19, (the other Hybrids called him Jonas), who seemed to have stronger abilities than the rest of the others. He could project his thoughts into another's head better than any of the other Hybrids. He could teleport objects with ease. He was always playing tricks on the guards through out the years. He would get into their heads and make them think they were hearing voices that weren't there. He would levitate the keys out of the guard's utility belts and laugh as the guards chased the keys down the hall. But every time he used his powers without permission, he was immediately removed from his room and taken away. When he was returned, he was bruised and comatose for several days afterwards. His hatred for humans grew stronger every day.

Jonas frequently spoke to the other Hybrids about escaping and how they deserved better. He felt that Hybrids were superior to ordinary humans in every way and that humans were a lower species than they. Admittedly, the others were also growing tired of the military's mistreatment of them and they longed for freedom, a word they knew the meaning of but had never experienced. Jonas vowed he would find a way to escape and set all of them free.

After sixteen years on that base, he finally made good on his promise. He got us all off that island and to freedom!"

"Us?" Kyle's eyes grew wide with a shocking confusion forming across his face at his dad's last statement.

"Yes...us. Your mom and I are two of the Hybrids from that island."

Kyle sat in silence for a few minutes trying to rationalize what his father has just said. If they were not human, then he was not human!

Jack continued, "We thought it was best to keep this from you until you were older. Maybe it wasn't the right choice. You know, they don't make a hand book called 'How to raise your Hybrid son."

Judy placed her hand on top of her husband's hand to stop him from making any more awful jokes. She then put her other hand on her son's shoulder.

"Kyle, tell us what you're feeling," she said.

Kyle finally found the ability to talk again.

"So, I'm not human... I'm some kind of alien freak?!"

"No. Of course not," reassured Judy. "You're just different than other young boys. But you can still live a normal life as your dad and I have."

"You've gone all this time without even knowing you were different," Jack added.

"So, did I stop that bullet?"

"Yes you did!" exclaimed Jack with proudness in his voice. "And with time and practice you can learn to control your telekinetic ability."

"Do we have any other abilities?" Kyle asked, now with a surprising desire to know more.

"Yes," Judy said. "Although our abilities differ in strength from one Hybrid to another, they are basically the same for us all. You'll find that you're much stronger than the average boy. You can learn to move objects with your mind and even talk to another Hybrid telepathically."

"You mean I can learn to talk to someone without moving my lips?"

Then Kyle heard his mom's voice echoing in his head." Yes you can."

Kyle jumped back slightly, his eyes wide as he looked at his mom in amazement.

"I can hear you in my head!" he exclaimed excitedly. "That's so cool! Can I try?"

"Sure."

Kyle closed his eyes and concentrated hard and tried to project his thoughts into his mom's head. After a few seconds he opened his eyes.

"Did you hear what I said?'" he asked out loud.

"No, sorry, but don't be discouraged. It will come to you with time and practice." Then she warned," But, don't ever try your telepathy on a human. Their brains aren't strong enough and you could cause a lot of damage with your thoughts. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"But we don't want you to ever use your abilities in front of anyone but your mom and I because there are dangers being a Hybrid." Jack added. "There was a time when there was a small group in the government who knew about the Hybrids and believed we were a threat to national security but, over the years, they seem to have given up trying to find us. But there's still a danger and his name is Jonas Rohand. He was H19, the Hybrid who helped us escape from the military base. He's now leader of a fanatic group of Hybrids who believe they can contact "home"...to contact the very aliens we were created from.

See, a Hybrid's telepathic abilities are amplified the more Hybrids that connect together. For example, I alone can telepathically communicate with some one across the room. Your mom and I, combining are powers, can communicate with someone across... say a... football field. I've heard reports about several Hybrids that got together in Maine and successfully communicated with someone in California.

Jonas believes that if he can get enough Hybrids together, that their combined abilities could reach through space and contact the aliens from whom we originated."

"You mean, he's trying to call home?!" Kyle's said chuckling. He added in his best E.T. impersonation," They are like... E.T. phone home. Phone home E.T."

"Come on now, Kyle. This is serious." Jack said. "Jonas is dangerous. He tried to recruit all us into his group but most turned him down. So he started kidnapping Hybrids and forcing them to live at his compound. He feels justified in kidnapping us because he feels that we just don't understand how important his mission is."

The threats of danger did not seem to bother Kyle too much... maybe because of his young age or maybe he was simply ignorant to how dangerous a situation this could be. He had a look of concentration on his face as he began to compute the difference in years from the time the Roswell incident occurred to the present year.

"Didn't Roswell happen in the '40's or something?" he asked.

"Yes." his mom replied. "July 7, 1947... and I know what you're getting at. It happened sixty two years ago and your dad and I still look like we're in our early twenties. Hybrids don't age as fast as humans. None of us knows how long we actually will live."

"We don't age?" Kyle asked with enthusiasm.

"I didn't say we don't---"

"What else can we do?"

Jack answered," Well, let's see...we're stronger, telepathic and telekinetic, we can hold our breath under water for upwards of twenty minutes---"

Kyle interrupted," Twenty minutes!? I'm going to join the swim team!"

"Remember," warned Judy. "You can't let anyone know what you are or what you can do. Jonas's men could be anywhere just waiting for one of us to expose ourselves."

"I know, I know," Kyle said with disappointment in his voice. "That just sucks!"

Jack continued with his list of Hybrid abilities.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah, we can heal rapidly... not instantly like a werewolf, but pretty fast. A broken bone, for instance, takes only a couple days to heal. Your mom and I have never been sick...no colds, no fevers, no ailments of any kind. Oh, and Hybrids...female Hybrids that is... are only pregnant for two months before they give birth...usually to twins. Last but not least, our blood is black which keeps us from being able to donate blood to the local hospital without raising suspicion!"

Kyle's parents, especially Judy, had been dreading having to tell their young son the truth about who he was, but to their surprise and relief, Kyle seemed to accept the news with zeal.

"Are you okay with all this, son?" Judy asked.

Kyle answered with a grin on his face," Yes, mom. This is awesome! It's like finding out you have super powers. When can I start practicing with you and dad? I want to learn how to move things and talk to you with my mind."

"We can start this afternoon," Jack told him. "Just remember what we said. You can't let anyone know what we are."

Kyle reassured his dad that he would never tell a soul.

CHAPTER FOUR

Over the next couple of months, Kyle went to school, hung out with his friends, and practiced his unique Hybrid abilities with his parents in the evenings. He found that he looked forward to practicing his new discovered powers and he had come a long ways in developing his abilities according to his father. He could now telepathically talk to his parents, which didn't feel nearly as strange as it did the first time he heard his mom's voice in his head. He could also move objects with his thoughts.

When Kyle first started learning to use his telekinetic ability, he had to begin with small items like a pencil or a coin. It was difficult at first and he experienced migraines when he concentrated too hard. But after he was able to actually levitate a pencil a few inches above the kitchen table, he didn't mind the headaches. His proud excitement made up for any discomfort he experienced. Eventually, the headaches subsided the more he practiced and he began moving on to heavier objects, like pots and pans and small radios. Soon he was levitating these objects through the air with increasing ease. So many things were flying around the house that Kyle would sometimes get in trouble with his mom.

On one particular evening, while Kyle was sitting on the couch watching T.V., the family cat walked into the room. Fluffy made his way towards the T.V. and jumped on top of it, laid down, and went to sleep. An evil little grin appeared on Kyle's face. He looked around to see if anyone was coming into the living room. The coast was clear. He held up his hand towards the cat and concentrated. First the hairs on the feline started to rise and then Fluffy slowly rose off the T.V. The cat awoke to find he was floating in mid air and began to panic. He started meowing in fear and flailing all four legs, trying to find something solid underneath him. His futile struggles caused him to start tumbling in the air, head over tail. He began meowing even louder in an effort to get someone to help him.

"Put Fluffy down!" Judy ordered.

She had entered the room without Kyle noticing her as he was too occupied in "torturing" the family cat. Her voice startled him and he jumped, breaking his concentration on Fluffy. The cat dropped and landed on all fours, like most cats tend to do, and hurriedly ran out of the room.

"Don't scare Fluffy like that! How would you like it if I floated you around the room?"

"You can do that!?"

"You're impossible," Judy said with a smirk and roll of her eyes.

The following Saturday afternoon, Kyle and his dad drove to the river to find an isolated place to swim. They were both curious to see how long Kyle could hold his breath under water. They soon found a secluded trail where they could get to the river and drove down it. Once at the river, they made sure no one was around. Satisfied the coast was clear, Kyle ripped off his shirt and shoes and ran into the water.

"Aren't you coming in?" he asked Jack.

"No, I'll just time you from here." Jack changed his wristwatch to stopwatch mode.

"What's your best time?"

"Well, a few years ago, your mom timed me at nineteen minutes thirty seconds. That was my best time."

Kyle was amazed. He couldn't imagine he would be able to hold his breath that long but he was going to try his best.

"Okay. Are you ready?" Jack asked.

"Sure am!"

"Okay..... Go!"

Standing waist-high in the river, Kyle took in a deep breath, held it, and dunked his whole body under water.

One minute went by...two minutes... then five. Jack could already tell that his son had inherited this Hybrid ability too. Ten minutes went by... fifteen minutes. The water in the river was very clear and Jack could see no signs of Kyle struggling. The stopwatch approached nineteen minutes. Jack wondered if his son could actually beat his record. Soon Kyle had and was now approaching twenty minutes. Just as he was becoming a little concerned about his son, Kyle shot out of the water inhaling a much needed gulp of air. Jack stopped the watch.

"How did I do? Did I beat you?"

Jack shook his head in defeat.

"Yes, son, you did. You beat me by one minute and twenty seconds."

"Whoa whooooo! I beat the old man! I'm champion!"

"Oh you think so?" Jack playfully said as he ripped off his shirt and shoes and ran into the river.

The two wrestle in the river and laugh for several minutes, dunking each other under the water and splashing about until they tired. Then they got out of the water and got dressed. While lacing up his shoes, Kyle noticed a raccoon foraging for food by the river's shore. He was still watching the raccoon when Jack's phone rang. It was Judy asking when she could expect them for dinner. While Jack was on the phone, not paying any attention to his son, Kyle continued to watch the raccoon with interest.

He watched the hungry animal search for food under the rocks and leaves near the river's shore. Soon the raccoon's search turned up a big crawfish under one of the rocks, but, before he could snatch his meal, Kyle used his powers and quickly levitated the crawfish over the raccoon's head. He laughed out loud as the raccoon tried desperately to catch his flying meal, rearing up on his back legs to reach higher. After several seconds of keeping the crawfish just out of reach of the raccoon's grasp, Kyle got bored with teasing the innocent creature. He allowed the raccoon to catch the crawfish and while he watched as it devoured its meal, he began to wonder if he could talk to the raccoon like Dr. Doolittle did in those movies Eddie Murphy starred in. He concentrated on communicating with the raccoon as he so many times did with his parents. The raccoon suddenly stopped in its tracks and, within seconds, started convulsing violently. Blood began to drip quickly from the raccoon's eyes, nose, and ears. Then, suddenly, the raccoon's eyes burst from their sockets and the creature dropped dead.

Kyle's eyes were as wide as saucers and his heart was pounding like he had just run a 300 meter dash. Sweat was pouring from his head and his mind was full of fear and terror. Most of the fear was his from what he had witnessed, but somehow he had also felt the remnants of the poor creature's fear still echoing in his mind. As the raccoon's lifeless body lay on the river's shore, Kyle looked up and saw his father looking at him. His father didn't seem upset. Instead, he had a compassionate look on his face.

"Now do you understand the responsibility of your actions?" Jack asked with empathy. "You have the ability to hurt someone with your strength and your mind. You must be careful and not use your powers around anyone. You could accidently injure someone...even kill them. Do you understand?"

"Yes dad." Kyle said, as he fought back his tears. He wiped his eyes and then heard his father's voice in his head.

"I had to let it happen. I hope you understand"

It was then that Kyle realized that his dad had witnessed the whole thing. He also understood why. His dad was the wisest man he knew and this was a lesson Kyle would not soon forget. The young boy had a responsibility that most teenagers didn't have to deal with. He had powers. He was different.

Later that evening, Kyle practiced more with his powers under his dad's supervision but he couldn't help to wondered why he should even waste his time honing his abilities when he had to hide them from everyone. He wished he had someone his own age that was a Hybrid... a friend that he could share his secrets with... someone besides his parents. He did enjoy spending time with his dad, but it wasn't the same as hanging out with friends, people whom understood you in a different way than your parents.

After he practiced and took a shower, Kyle found his parents sitting at the dining room table discussing bills. He joined them at the table. His parents stopped their conversation and turned their attention to their son.

"What's on your mind, son?" Judy asked.

"How many of us are there?"

"We're not sure," explained Judy. "It's been estimated there could be as many as eight hundred Hybrids... maybe more... but we're not certain. There may be more, there may be less. It's difficult to say. We're spread all over the country, living in different places, and most of us don't want anyone to know what we are...pretending we're just ordinary humans."

"Are there any Hybrids around here?"

"There are a few around here we know about." Judy said. "I can sense them."

With a little excitement in his voice Kyle asked," Where? Where do they live? Do they have any kids? Do any of them go to my school? "

"Son, we already explained to you that most Hybrids want to live in secrecy," Kyle's dad explained. "We can't tell you who they are or where they live. If a Hybrid decides on his or her own to reveal to you whom they are, that's different. We won't reveal their identity to anyone, not even you. There are parents like us that have chosen not to tell their children what they are. We know you don't fully understand, but we must be careful."

Kyle didn't understand why it was so dangerous. He felt his parents were being overly cautious like usual. But he stopped his badgering knowing he wouldn't get any names from his stubborn, over-protective parents. He understood in his heart they were like they were because they loved him and never wanted to see him get hurt. His parents knew it was their job to protect their son and they took their job seriously.

The beginning of the next week was the start of football tryouts at Kyle's school and he was excited. He had convinced his parents, after hours of pleading and begging and swearing he would quit if he suffered even the slightest scrape, to let him try out for the junior varsity team. Of course, he planned to hide any scrapes or bruises he may and probably would receive while playing the game from them. He also promised them he would refrain from using any of his abilities on the field. Not only could it bring unwanted attention to him and his family, but it was an unfair advantage over normal boys. He promised to show restraint and control even if it meant pretending he couldn't perform a task, even when he knew he could. Kyle was shocked they actually said "yes".

After school at the tryouts, the coach ran the hopeful young aspiring football players through a variety of exercises and drills while several cheerleaders practiced their routines on the side line. Kyle beat all his competition effortlessly. He had to slow up on the three hundred and four hundred meter dash so he wouldn't show up the other teenagers too bad. Despite his efforts to try to stay "normal", the coach noticed him.

The coach called Kyle over.

"What's your name son?"

"It's Kyle... Kyle Summerland."

"I like what I saw out there. I want to run some quarterback drills with you. Have you ever played football before, son?"

"No sir, not on a real team."

"Well, you're about to." The coach yelled over to a couple of sophomore football players practicing across the field. The two boys quickly ran over to the coach. They were much bigger than Kyle and several inches taller. "Brice, you and Stevens run some quarterback plays with Summerland here. Let him do the quarterbacking."

"Sure thing, coach. We'll show the newbie how it's done."

Brice looked down at Kyle. "Come on and let's see what you've got."

He grabbed Kyle by the shoulder and escorted him onto the middle of the field. Kyle felt a little unsure of himself. Fear of looking like a fool rushed over him.

"I'll hike the ball to you and Stevens here will run down the field about twenty yards." Brice said. "When you see him cut across the middle of the field, throw him the ball. Got it?"

"Got it," Kyle answered, still hoping not to make a fool of himself.

Brice hiked the ball to Kyle. Stevens ran about twenty yards down field and turned left across the middle of the field. Kyle threw the ball and it landed squarely into the chest of the receiver... a perfect throw.

"That was pretty good," Brice praised Kyle. "Now let see if you can throw it a little farther."

The boys lined up again in their formation. Brice hiked Kyle the ball again and Stevens ran down the field again but this time he went about thirty yards before cutting across the field. Kyle threw the ball and completed another perfect throw.

"Nice throw." Brice said. "Let's go again."

Once more, the boys lined up and Stevens ran a little farther down field and Kyle hit him directly in the chest just like the other times. They repeated this pattern, increasing in increments of ten yards, until Kyle threw a perfect pass nearly sixty yards down field. If he would have known that a sixty yard pass would rival most professional NFL quarterbacks, Kyle would not have completed the throw for fear he might expose himself as being different, but he rarely watched football. He didn't know. He also hadn't noticed the crowd that had gathered around to watch his incredible performance. One of the spectators was the head coach of the varsity team whom had never witnessed a rookie play with as much talent as Kyle did.

The junior varsity coach called Kyle over and introduced him to the varsity head coach. "Kyle, this is Coach Smith. He's been watching your little show out there. Damn boy, you've got an arm!"

Coach Smith placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder, bent over slightly to get eye level with him, and smiled hugely.

"How would you like to play varsity. No freshman from this school has ever started on the varsity team, but none of them have ever thrown a sixty yard pass! Hell, very few professionals have ever thrown a sixty yard pass! How about it? You want to play with the big boys?"

"Yes sir, I would!" Kyle exclaimed with glee.

"Great. All we need is written permission from your parents and you'll be playing football for the Wolverines! I'm hopeful we can make it to state this year. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, Mr. Summerland. Bring permission from your folks."

That very evening, Judy was putting away the dishes while Kyle and his dad were out in the garage changing the spark plugs in the family SUV.

"Dad, I was wondering if you minded if I played on the varsity football team instead of the junior varsity?"

"What's the difference?" Jack, like his son, was not very familiar with football. He tried to watch a few games in the past but found the game confusing and not very entertaining.

"The varsity team is better than the junior varsity team and the coach says I'm good enough to play on the better team."

"You're really that good?"

"The coach seems to think I am. For me to join the varsity team, all you have to do is sign this paper."

"What's this?"

"It just says that if I get killed on the field, you won't sue the school."

"What!"

"I'm just kidding." Kyle chuckled after seeing the concerned look on his father's face. "It's just the standard release form that every parent must sign if their children are going to play sports for the school. Will you please sign the paper? I really want to play varsity."

"Are you keeping a low profile? I don't want to go to one of your games and see you throw the ball a mile down field."

"I promise I won't."

"All right then, I'll sign it."

Throughout the next day at school, Kyle was full of nervous excitement about his first football practice. He went to all his classes and hung out with his friends at lunch all awhile longing for the final bell to ring. At last, the school day was over and it was time for his first day as a varsity football player!

Kyle rushed to the football field and was the first to arrive. Before long, the rest of the players showed up. Kyle quickly began to realize that he was going to be one of the smallest players on the team. He soon began to feel a little unwelcomed. A few of the players gave him a quick "Hi" and looks of wondering who he was, but not much else. He began to feel like a castaway alone on an island, but that all changed when Brad Harris arrived. Brad was the senior quarterback and a very talented one and he knew it. There was talk he would probably get a football scholarship from one of the major colleges in Florida. Brad took one look at Kyle and started his belittlement of the new guy.

"Who is this? Is this our new water boy or is he just early for the cheerleading tryouts?"

One of the other players spoke up," Afraid not, Brad. I heard he's our new backup quarterback and, who knows, maybe your replacement!"

All the other guys laughed in unison at the thought of Brad being replaced by this skinny boy. Brad immediately went on the defensive.

"The day this scrawny boy replaces me in anything is the day I sign up for cheerleading! I'm the best quarterback this school has ever seen! No, I'm the best quarterback this state has ever seen!"

He then tossed a foot ball at Kyle.

"Let's just see what he can do."

The players ran out onto the field and began their drills. Kyle exceeded everyone's expectations. Word had gotten around about how good the new guy was, but most thought it was just talk and wanted to show everyone...no one more than Brad... that the new guy couldn't be as good as the rumors. But Kyle performed every play with expertise no matter how hard the players pushed him. Despite their best efforts, by the end of the brutal day, Kyle had earned everyone's respect, even Brad Harris's. As all the players headed into the locker room, Brad trotted up to Kyle and put his arm around Kyle's shoulder.

"That was one hell of a practice! I hate to admit it, but you've got some talent, kid."

"Thanks! I want you to know that I would never try to take your position as quarterback. You're the quarterback. I'd be happy just being the backup."

"Like you could ever take my position," Brad chuckled and then stopped walking. Kyle followed suit. Brad looked Kyle in the eyes with gratefulness. "But I appreciate you saying that. You're all right."

He then smiled and playfully punched Kyle in the shoulder like guys do.

"Hey, a bunch of us are going down to the river this Saturday for a barbecue and a swim. Would you like to come?"

"I sure would!"

"Good. Do you have a ride?"

"I can get one of my parents to take me."

"No, I can pick you up. Where do you live?"

Kyle gave Brad his address.

Kyle was the happiest he could ever remember being. He was fulfilling his promise to himself to get more involved in school and make friends, but he never dreamed it would go this good. He didn't feel like a part human, part alien teenager... he felt normal.

CHAPTER FIVE

Kyle was enjoying his life. He was becoming popular in school, due to his ties with football and hanging out with the high school's star quarterback, Brad Harris, didn't hurt either. Some of his classmates would jokingly accuse him of having a "bromance" with Brad but he looked upon the senior like an older brother. Brad, to, saw Kyle as a brother. He liked his company and felt a need to look after him, to protect him if necessary, and guide him when needed.

Kyle began spending most of his spare time either at football practice or with Brad and his new friends. He had forgone his training with his father. He didn't feel a need to hone his powers when he wasn't allowed to use them. Jack missed the sessions with his son but Judy asked him to let Kyle have his fun with his friends. She feared that Kyle would shy away from society and friends after finding out what he was. To her relief, he didn't seem to be bothered with the fact that he was different. Over the last several weeks, Kyle hadn't asked a single question about Hybrids or his abilities. He was just acting like a normal teenaged boy who just wanted to "hang" with his friends. Seeing their son happy made them happy even if it meant having to sacrifice their time with him.

Kyle was looking forward to the swim at the river on Saturday. A lot of kids from the school would be there. In the past, Kyle had never been popular enough to be invited to these outings but now he was becoming part of the high school social group, thanks largely to Brad.

Kyle never gave much thought about being different...being a Hybrid... except during football practice. He had to make sure he didn't run too fast or lift too much weight in the weight room for fear he may bring unwanted attention to himself. It wasn't a matter of fearing that it was dangerous (Kyle felt that the warnings from his parents about the dangers of letting it be known that he was a Hybrid, or the government or some lunatic named Jonas would "get them", was just ludicrous), it was the fear of losing his ever growing popularity among his peers. Kyle didn't want to be exposed and be called a freak and lose his friends and everything he had gained thus far.

It was finally Saturday morning. Brad was scheduled to pick Kyle up from his house at 9:30 A.M. Kyle had been up since 7:00 o'clock, excited and nervous about the day. He gathered his beach towel and a change of clothes and sat on the couch waiting for his ride. At 9:15A.M., a big black Ford F-350 pickup truck pulled into Kyle's drive. The truck had a dual cab and a long bed that was loaded down with coolers, floats, and a portable grill. Kyle quickly said good bye to his mom and ran out the door. The back passenger door of the truck was opened and Kyle jumped inside the cab overly loaded with Brad's friends. Brad stepped on the accelerator and they headed towards the river.

Several minutes later, Brad pulled off the main road and turned onto a two mile long dirt road which led to the river. The swimming hole was a popular place for local teenagers to go and today was no exception. Kyle counted at least twenty-five cars in the makeshift parking lot. He stepped out of the truck and was immediately bombarded by the smell of barbequing. The sounds of people talking, laughing, and splashing in the water filled the air. As he helped Brad unload the truck, several students noticed Brad's arrival and instantly made their way to the star quarterback to say hi and invite him to place his stuff next to theirs down by the water.

Brad was like a local celebrity among the young people in this town. Everyone knew who Brad Harris was and everyone wanted to be associated with him. Kyle hoped to one day have that kind of popularity. And he felt he was on the right path to fulfilling that goal.

Kyle spent the first few hours eating hotdogs and hamburgers, swimming, and meeting several new people. They seemed to be interested in who he was just because he came with Brad, but Kyle ate up the attention none the less. He was riding on cloud nine and felt that this day couldn't get any better...but he was wrong. While he was sitting in a beach chair talking to a few guys from the junior varsity football team, his eyes fell upon her. Whatever the guys from the football team were talking about had been instantly muted inside Kyle's head. The world around him just dissolved away like a Styrofoam cup in gasoline as his sole focus was directed on this "angel" sitting by the river. Kyle's angel was a dazzling completeness of beauty. She had long flowing black hair, a laugh that burned into his soul, and a bronze tan that sparkled in the sun like a million diamonds. She was sitting on the roots of a huge cypress tree that was growing on the river's shore with her feet dangled in the water. She wore a red bikini top and cut-off blue jean shorts and the most perfect smile Kyle had ever seen. She was talking and laughing with a few other girls, seemingly unaware of how beautiful she was. Kyle wanted to know everything about this girl. He needed to know! What was her name? Where did she live? What school did she attend? Did she have a boyfriend? He now completely believed in that old phrase," Love at first sight" because Kyle was, for the first time in his life, in love.

"Kyle! Earth to Kyle! Come in Kyle!"

Kyle finally came out of his visual trance and realized that the other boys were trying to get his attention. He wondered to himself just how long had he been in his wonderful trance.

"Who is she?" Kyle finally asked, discretely pointing towards the love of his life.

The boys looked to where Kyle was pointing.

"Her? That's Teresa Blake," one of the boys answered. "She goes to our school! I can't believe you've never seen her there."

"I can't believe it either!" Kyle agreed, wondering how he could have ever missed such a beautiful and captivating girl like Teresa. "Do you know anything about her?"

"Yeah, she's in foster care with the Robertson's and their crew. I heard her real parents died in a plane crash. I believe she's seventeen, has no brothers or sisters, and kind of a quiet girl. She also has one of the finest asses I've ever seen!"

The rest of the boys chuckled out loud and gave each other "high-fives" in agreement.

"Do you know if she's seeing anyone?" Kyle asked just as Brad was walking up.

"If who is seeing anyone?" Brad asked.

"Kyle is hot on Miss Teresa Blake over there."

"Teresa!" Brad exclaimed, "I know her. She's my sister's friend. I can call her over here for you."

"HEY TERESA! COME HERE!" Brad yelled over the noise of the other people much to the horror of Kyle. He wasn't sure if he was ready to be face to face with such a beautiful angel. Kyle was instantly filled with a frantic, nervous excitement.

Teresa looked to see who was calling her name. She saw Brad waving his arms at her and began walking over to him. Kyle felt his heart start to pound inside his chest like it was a sledge hammer trying to break through his ribs. His hands were sweating and he could hardly catch his breath. As Teresa grew closer, Kyle's symptoms double their intensity until he started to feel a little light-headed.

Then, the prettiest girl Kyle had ever laid eyes on was standing right before him, Brad, and the rest of the boys. Kyle didn't think it was possible, but Teresa was even lovelier up close. He could now see that she had deep brown sultry eyes and pouty-shaped rosy lips. She had a smile full of subtle charm that could light up the dreariest of nights and a celestial voice that echoed through Kyle's soul like a choir of angles singing hymns in heaven.

"What's up?" Teresa asked Brad.

Brad grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and positioned him in front of Teresa. Kyle feared that if his heart beat any faster inside his chest he would surely suffer a heart attack.

"This is my good friend and backup quarterback, Kyle Summerland. Kyle, this is Teresa Blake."

Kyle wanted to tell Teresa how beautiful she was and how the world seemed to stop when he looked into her eyes, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Pleased to meet you."

Teresa's smile grew even larger than before.

"I'm pleased to meet you to, Kyle."

"We'll leave you two to get acquainted," Brad said as he motioned for everyone else to leave Teresa and Kyle alone to talk.

"I can't believe I've never seen you around school." Kyle said.

"You haven't?"

"Believe me; I would have noticed if I'd seen you around!"

"Well, we don't have any classes together, but I've noticed you at football practice several times as I was walking by."

"Really?" Kyle said with happy surprise. "I wish you would have stopped and said hi."

"I didn't want to seem too forward. I hoped you would notice me, but you seemed really involved in you games. I wanted to say something to you several times, but..."

"But...your boyfriend wouldn't have liked it?"

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"That's good!"

"Why is that good?" Teresa said flirtatiously.

"I don't like competition."

"Believe me, you don't have much competition!"

"What? A beautiful girl like you must have guys falling all over her. I bet there are a slew of guys competing for your attention. "

"I meant that there are not many guys around here as good looking as you. You don't have much competition in the handsome department."

"Oh," Kyle blushed. "I don't know about all that."

Teresa and Kyle spent the rest of that afternoon alone talking with each other and getting to know one another better. Kyle had never talked to anyone so much or listened so intensely to someone as he did Teresa. He clung to her every word as if his life depended on what she was about to say next. The two of them found out in conversation that they only lived about three miles from each other and that they both had a love for science fiction movies and fast food...especially pizza.

The hours seem to fly by for Kyle and the perfect day was soon approaching dusk. Most everyone had left already and the river was quickly settling down for a peaceful night. But then the serenity was shattered when a thunderous noise tore through the trees. Four boys on motorcycles raced down the dirt road towards the river. They came to a skidding stop directly in front of Brad and turned their motorcycles off. All the riders were decked out in black attire: black leather jackets, black chaps, black riding gloves, black boots... The one nearest Brad, obviously the leader, supported a short bleached hair cut that stuck straight up into the air, an enormous contrast against his all black garments, stepped from his bike and approached Brad.

Brad looked sternly at the bleached- haired rider. "What do you want, Spike!"

Brad knew Spike very well. They once were friends in elementary school, where Spike's real name was Henry Jones. But as they grew older, Spike started to get into more and more trouble. He even spent a little time in juvenile prison for robbing a local convenience store. He and Brad grew apart as friends and soon became rivals. People felt that maybe Spike was a little jealous of Brad being so well liked and an all star football player. After Spike's parents tragically died in a car accident, he moved into a local wayward house, called the Camp, ran by a man by the name of Richard Price. (There were rumors around town that Richard Price, ex-military, was running more of a military cult than a wayward house).

"We just wanted to party with you all," Spike said with a sly grin, clearly trying to get under Brad's skin.

"You and your boys aren't welcomed here. Why don't you just leave?"

"Hey, last time I checked, this was a public park. Maybe we'll just stay a while and hang out with you fellows."

A few of Brad's teammates that hadn't left yet began to intimidatingly gather around the boys on the motorcycles. Spike looked around at the crowd gathering but showed no fear in his eyes. Kyle assumed he was about to witness an all out brawl between football players and motorcycle riders but Spike was in no mood for a fight today...a rarity for him.

"I think you and your boys should leave now!" Brad threateningly said to Spike.

"We'll go." Spike looked directly at Kyle and grinned hugely. "We'll be seeing you later, Kyle."

Spike got on his motorcycle and started it. The other boys followed suit and they sped away down the dirt road, spitting dirt and dust into the air. As the roar of the motorcycles became a distant hum, Kyle couldn't help but wonder what Spike meant about seeing him later. How did Spike know him and what did he want?

"TERESA, WE HAVE TO GO!" A red-head girl, hanging out of the passenger window of a silver mustang, called for Teresa.

"I've got to go. My ride is leaving."

"I really enjoyed spending the day with you," Kyle told Teresa.

"Me to. Maybe I'll see you at school tomorrow. That is, if you want to see me."

"Yes, of course, I definitely want to...more than anything!"

"Good, until tomorrow, then. Good night, Kyle Summerland."

"Until tomorrow, Teresa Blake."

Kyle watched Teresa get into her friend's car and didn't look away until he could no longer see the glow of the car's tail lights. He then jumped into Brad's truck and was driven home.

Later that night, Kyle tossed and turned in his bed, finding it hard to sleep. Teresa's face was etched into his mind like a rancher's brand burnt into the side of his cattle. Even when he closed his eyes tightly, he could still see every detail of her face. If he was a sculptor, Kyle was certain he could have formed her exact likeness out of solid stone. He calculated the minutes until he would see her again and hear her sweet voice. Eventually, in the wee hours of the morning, he succumbed to fatigue and fell to sleep and dreamt of sweet Teresa.

CHAPTER SIX

The next morning at school, before school started, Teresa gave Kyle her class schedule. He immediately took it to the admission office and requested to change his schedule around so he and Teresa could be in the same classes together. He fibbed a little to the lady in the office and told her his change request was for personal reasons he didn't feel comfortable sharing with her. The lady didn't push the issue and did what she could to help Kyle out. Kyle wasn't able to get into all of Teresa's classes but he did manage to get into three of them.

One of those classes was third-period math class. Kyle sat at a desk in the back of the class. Teresa was four desks in front of him. They couldn't sit together because of assigned seats arranged by the teacher, but, at least, he could see Teresa.

While Kyle was staring at the back of Teresa's head and the teacher had his back to the class, writing equations on the chalk board for the students to write down and solve, several low snickers caught Kyle's attention. Tommy Thompson, a red headed boy with a notorious reputation for being a trouble maker, sat adjacent and one row back from Teresa. Kyle noticed Tommy had a folder standing upright on his desk and was hiding something behind it. A few of the classmates sitting by Tommy chuckled quietly. As Tommy moved his head to one side, it was revealed to Kyle that Tommy had a straw in his hand filled with a spit ball. It was aimed at the back of Teresa's head. Kyle was immediately angered. He then noticed that Tommy was leaning over his desk to get a better shot at Teresa, so much so that two of his chair's legs were off the ground. Kyle raised his hand slightly so no one would notice and concentrated on pushing the chair over with his powers.

The chair fell over bringing Tommy with it along with all his books. The loud clatter startled the teacher who jumped and quickly spun around to see what the noise was, as did the rest of the class. The entire class collectively erupted into laughter as Tommy was picking himself and the chair off the floor; his face was as red as his hair from embarrassment. Kyle proudly sat back in his chair folding his arms and smirking. He had single-handedly saved Teresa from the potentially embarrassing turmoil of Tommy's spitball.

A few hours later, between classes, Teresa was waiting for Kyle at his locker so she could see him again before school was over. While she was waiting, three boys approached her from behind. One of the boys slapped her on her butt.

"Hey girl, whatcha been up to?"

Teresa spun around with fire in her eyes. "Greg, don't you ever do that again! Why are you here? What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go out with me Friday night," Greg said as he leaned into Teresa and stroked her hair.

Teresa angrily swatted his hand away.

"Not a chance, Greg! You had your shot with me, but you screwed that up, didn't you? We're over. I'm seeing someone else now."

"Yeah, I heard. The guy's name is Lyle ain't it? He's some sort of hot-shot football player I hear. I didn't think that was your style."

"His name is Kyle... Kyle Summerland and he's a great guy!"

"What, are you saying I'm not a great guy?"

"I think you've proven that."

Greg moved even closer to Teresa until he was pinning her against the lockers. He softly said to her, "Come on, baby, give me another chance."

Teresa screamed, "GET OFF ME!" and pushed Greg away so hard he stumbled into the lockers directly across the hallway.

Just at the moment, Kyle turned the corner in time to see Teresa angrily shoving a boy off her. He immediately ran up to Greg and shoved him back into the lockers.

"What's going on here?" Kyle demanded to know with his finger in Greg's face.

"So, you must be Kyle," Greg said calmly while readjusting his shirt and looking Kyle up and down. "You're the lucky guy giving it to our sweet Teresa."

"You're an ass hole!" Teresa remarked. "Why don't you just leave?"

"Baby, you've changed," Greg said. "Who's this new Teresa? Where's the girl I know?"

"You best listen to her," Kyle threatened. "And if I ever catch you messing with Teresa again, I'll make you sorry!"

"Fine, I'll go." Ignoring Kyle's warning, Greg kissed the air towards Teresa and smiled. "I'll catch you later."

Greg and his friends walked away.

"I'm sorry about that. He's a jerk," Teresa said.

"Who is he?" Kyle asked.

"I dated him when I first moved here. I didn't know anybody and he seemed nice. Boy, was I wrong!"

"Why is he messing with you?"

"I don't know. I broke up with him months ago but he has never accepted it. He wants to get back together. I've told him "no" hundreds of times but he just won't get the message."

"I'll go have a word with him and make sure he leaves you alone."

"No, Kyle, he's a bully and has lots of friends. I'm afraid he might end up hurting you."

"You underestimate me. I'm not afraid of him!"

"I didn't mean it like that. Just please tell me you won't say anything to him! He's not worth it." Teresa pleaded.

"But someone needs to explain to him you have a new boyfriend now."

"I have a new boyfriend?" Teresa asked with a huge smile.

"If you want one. I mean to say... I would love to be your boyfriend...if you want." Kyle nervously said. "I know we haven't known each other very long and I would understand if you think we're moving too---"

Teresa walked up to Kyle and placed her finger against his lips to stop him from rambling. She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I would love to be your girlfriend."

Two days later, after school on a Friday night, Kyle met Teresa outside the local skating rink. They went inside together, rented their skates, and found a table to sit at and put their skates on. While they were donning their skates, some friends from school arrived and joined them.

Kyle and Teresa skated to every song played over the arena's speakers and participated in every skating game offered that night. After several hours, they grew exhausted and returned to their table and their friends to catch their breath.

"Man, I haven't skated this much since I was ten," Kyle said.

"Me either," Jonathan, one of Kyle's teammates, said. "I don't think I could skate another foot."

"You guys act like you're old farts. I could skate all night," Teresa proclaimed.

"Then why are you sitting here at this table?" Jonathan asked. "Why aren't you still skating?"

"I didn't want to deprive you of my wondrous presence," Teresa joked.

One of Teresa's girlfriends, Cindy, who was notorious for being the class clown, took out a tissue from her purse to blow her nose. She respectively turned her head away from the table and was about to blow when she stopped and turned back around with a corky smile.

"Hey, do you guys know how to make a tissue dance?" she asked.

"No," Teresa answered.

The girl turned away from everyone and blew her nose into the tissue. She turned back around and presented the folded tissue to them. "You've got to put a little boogie in it!"

"Oh, that's just nasty!" Teresa said as they all chuckled at the joke.

The next song being played over the skate arena speakers was "I will survive" by Gloria Gaynor.

"Oh, I love this song!" Teresa excitingly said. "Let's go!"

Teresa grabbed Cindy's hand and drugged her out onto the skating rink. Kyle watched the two girls go around the rink a few times and then turned his attention to his friends who were talking about a cool motorcycle they wanted to buy.

Teresa was making her twelfth lap around when, out of nowhere, someone lifted her off the floor. She looked to see who had picked her up. It was Greg Spencer!

"Put me down!" Teresa angrily ordered.

"Oh, come on, baby, you use to love when I picked you up. Don't you miss me? Don't you miss what we had?"

"I swear if you don't put me down, I'll scream as loud as I can!"

"Okay, take it easy."

Greg gently lowered Teresa back to the floor, unaware that Kyle had witnessed the whole incident. He was also oblivious of the fact that Kyle had made his way to the edge of the skating rink waiting for him to come around again. As Greg turned the corner where Kyle was waiting for him, his attention still on Teresa, Kyle stuck his right skate out into the path of Greg. Greg tripped over the skate and hit the hard floor, face first. He quickly picked himself up, one hand holding his face. Blood was pouring from his nose and dripping through his fingers.

"You idiot, I think you broke my nose!" Greg screamed at Kyle.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I just didn't see you there," Kyle smirked.

"You'll pay for this!" Greg promised as he stormed past Kyle and left the skating rink without first taking off his skates. An employee of the skating rink ran outside after him.

"You shouldn't have done that," Teresa warned. "He'll seek revenge against you."

"Let him, I'm not scared!" Kyle boasted to his friends.

They all put the incident behind them and continued skating for another hour until Teresa noticed the time.

"My parents are suppose to pick me up outside in about fifteen minutes. I better get my shoes on and get out there."

"Yeah, I got to meet my parents out there to," Kyle told everyone.

They both returned their skates and put their shoes back on.

"I'll meet you outside," Kyle told Teresa. "I've got to go to the bathroom."

"Okay," Teresa said as she walked outside with a couple of her friends.

Kyle entered the huge bathroom, dubbed the "White Room" by many of the patrons because of its white tile floor, white painted walls, white stalls, white urinals, and white sinks, and headed towards one of the many urinals hanging on the wall. Right before he made it to his destination, he heard the bathroom door open behind him but didn't think anything of it until he heard Greg's voice.

"I told you that you would pay for what you did!" Greg growled.

Kyle turned around to see Greg with two other boys standing just inside the closed bathroom door ready for a fight evident by the stern looks on their faces and their fists in tight balls.

"I don't have time for this. My ride is probably outside waiting for me. I don't want any trouble! Just let me by."

"Too late, trouble is here! You're going to pay for tripping me tonight and for messing around with my girl!"

"Teresa's not your girl. She doesn't want you bothering her anymore."

"She doesn't know what she wants right now, especially with you confusing her. You have two choices: leave Teresa alone or we're going to beat your ass until your own mother doesn't recognize you."

"As long as Teresa wants me around, I'll be there! I choose the ass whipping."

"Suit yourself," Greg said as he motioned to his two friends.

The two boys rushed Kyle and each one grabbed an arm. They pulled Kyle's arms, stretching them straight out from his sides and holding Kyle fast as Greg approached him. Greg punched Kyle twice in the stomach as hard as he could. Kyle buckled over slightly but then glared up at Greg and smiled.

"My turn," he said confidently.

Kyle kicked his assailant hard in the groin. Greg stumbled back a few feet holding himself in pain. With all his might, Kyle brought his arms together forcing the two boys clamped to his arms to collide into each other; butting their heads together. They let go of Kyle's arms and grabbed their own heads in pain.

Kyle immediately stepped in front of the boy on his left. He punched the boy hard in the chest causing him to fall back onto a sink. The impact with the sink caused the boy's head to jerked back and smash into the mirror hanging over the sink. The boy went down to the floor holding the back of his head that was now bleeding.

Kyle quickly spun around just as the other boy was throwing a punch at him. To the boy's surprise, Kyle caught the boy's fist in his hand and stopped the punch. Kyle then punched the boy in the face with his free hand causing the boy to stagger back a few steps. Kyle then dropped the boys hand, jumped in the air, and delivered a kick into the boy's chest sending him crashing through a bathroom stall door.

Now, Kyle directed his attention to Greg who was just getting back on his feet after the tremendous pain in his testicles began easing up. Greg saw Kyle, with extreme intensity on his face, coming at him. He also saw that his fiends were incapacitated and he grew scared, his eyes as big around as saucers. He put his arms up across his face and backed away from Kyle.

"Stop, I'm sorry! We were just kidding around! Don't hurt me!"

Ignoring Greg's pleas, Kyle continued to advance and grabbed Greg around the neck; pushing him back against the wall. Kyle began tightening his grip, applying pressure to Greg's neck. Greg was soon struggling to take a breath and trying desperately to rip Kyle's hands from his neck with little success. Kyle was simply too strong.

"Leave Teresa alone or next time I won't be so nice! Do you understand?" Kyle asked, applying even more pressure to Greg's neck.

Greg wasn't able to speak, but he did nod his head, agreeing to leave Teresa alone. Kyle released his grip and Greg fled the bathroom leaving his half-conscious friends behind. Kyle also left the bathroom and joined Teresa in the parking lot saying nothing about what had just happened. He knew how much Teresa hated violence and he didn't want her to be disappointed in his actions. Greg and his friends also never mentioned the humiliating incident to anyone, not wanting anyone to know that Kyle had single-handedly defeated all three of them.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next few weeks for Kyle was filled with football practice and spending as much time with Teresa as he could. He was falling harder in love with her with each passing day. Every evening, he would retire to his room early, sneak out his bedroom window, and walk the three miles to Teresa's house, even in the rain, and tap on her bedroom window. That was Teresa cue to sneak out of her window and meet Kyle on the swing that hung under a huge Maple tree in Teresa's back yard. There, they would talk for hours about anything and everything that popped into their heads.

Each night, as Teresa would talk, Kyle would listen intensely while watching her lips form around each word that escaped her mouth. He so longed to kiss those perfectly shaped lips...to feel their tenderness against his own, but fear kept him from attempting his heart's desire... fear of being rejected. He had never kissed a girl, other than when a few of his friends in elementary school double-dared him to kiss Mary Stavanger on the lips. At that young age, kissing a girl wasn't something he wanted to do but when a young boy is double-dared...he doesn't have much of a choice. But, now, Kyle wanted very much to kiss a girl. His yearning to kiss Teresa was burning in his soul like molten iron inside a blast furnace.

Then, one magical evening in the swing under that old Maple tree, it happened. Teresa was talking about her science project that was due in one week, but Kyle's was finding it hard to concentrate on what she was saying. The desire to kiss Teresa was feverishly boiling inside him and it was all he could think of. He was enduring an internal conflict as to whether he should attempt a kiss while at the same time searching for the courage to fulfill such an act. He so feared the possibility of rejection. He knew he would be crushed and terribly humiliated if he leaned in for a kiss and Teresa backed away. Maybe she only wanted to be friends, was the thought that paralyzingly plagued him. Maybe she didn't feel the same way about him as he did her. Maybe crossing that line would destroy what they had now. He loved spending time with Teresa. He didn't want to mess that up.

After nearly an hour of debating within himself, he finally came to the realization there was only one way to end his pondering and that was to attempt a kiss, but, despite reaching his ultimate decision and despite his strong willingness to kiss Teresa, he remained paralyzed with fear. The mere thought of moving towards her caused his heart to race and his head to spin. He could only manage to stare at her kiss-provoking lips with desire and wish he could feel them against his.

As Teresa ended her conversation and was waiting for a response from Kyle, they found themselves silently staring into each other's eyes. Teresa's eyes twinkled in the yellow glow of the back porch light and she smiled gently as her eyes darted from Kyle's eyes to his lips and back to his eyes. Kyle was suddenly flooded with a sense of Teresa's desires. Did she really want to be kissed? Kyle unsurely hesitated.

"I wish you would kiss me!"

Kyle's heart started pounding like never before for those words that echoed in his head was Teresa! He heard Teresa's thoughts in his head! He knew she couldn't be putting thoughts into his head; he must be somehow reading her thoughts. The beating of his heart found a new speed and it wasn't so much because he had heard Teresa's thoughts, it was more from the realization that Teresa wanted him to kiss her. Kyle had been waiting for this moment for what seemed like an eternity. He now knew Teresa desired it as much as he did which was just enough to muster the courage he needed.

Kyle leaned in towards Teresa ever so slowly while gently placing his right hand on the side of Teresa's left cheek and pressed his lips to hers. He feared his heart was pounding in his chest so hard she would hear it. If she could, she didn't let on. As Kyle slowly kissed Teresa's impossibly soft lips, she parted her lips in a keen expectancy ever so slightly to allow Kyle's tongue to slowly dance with hers. Kyle was in bliss.

The kiss ended abruptly when the front porch light began to go out and back on repeatedly. One of Teresa's foster parents was standing in the back door with a stern look upon his face. Teresa huffed loudly while rolling her eyes.

"I guess that's my cue to go in. I had a wonderful time tonight, Kyle."

"So did I."

"I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Teresa started to lean in towards Kyle for another kiss when her foster parent cleared his voice extremely loud stopping Teresa from advancing any further. Teresa let out another annoyed huff.

"I best go before I get in trouble. See you tomorrow."

Teresa stood up and started toward her house, but stopped after only taking a few steps. Turning around, she rushed back to Kyle, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and whispered in his ear. "I love you." She then quickly turned away and headed towards her house before Kyle could tell her he to was in love. He watched her until she entered the house. He then waved at the stern looking man standing on the front porch with his arms crossed who just returned Kyle's jester with a nod of his head. Kyle headed for his house...floating on air all the way back home while replaying every moment of that kiss in his head.

The next morning, Kyle found his dad sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of Total corn flakes. He sat down across the table from his dad and they exchanged "Good Mornings".

"Dad, something strange happened between me and Teresa."

"When? Last night when you snuck out of the house?" Jack said as he smiled at his son.

"What? How'd you know I snuck out? I was being so quiet," Kyle said, shocked that his dad knew about his nighttime rendezvous.

"I hear everything that goes on in this house, especially after that lunatic broke in and nearly shot you. Don't worry; I'm not going to tell your mom just as long as Teresa's house is the only place you're going and her parents know you're over." Jack then smiled at his son. "You really like this girl, don't you?"

"I sure do. She makes my heart happy. I enjoy every second with her. I could be with her all day and all night long without ever getting tired of her company. Do you know what I mean?"

"I sure do. I feel that way about your mother. She makes my heart happy. So, what happened with you and your girlfriend last night?"

"Well, I somehow heard her thoughts. I wasn't even trying to use my powers on her. It just happened. I know you said I could hurt humans with my mind and I would die if I ever hurt Teresa. I don't want what happened to that raccoon to happen to her. I don't know how it happened!"

"Most Hybrids share the same abilities, but some are more "talented" than others. Then, there are a few that have extraordinary abilities beyond the average Hybrid, like reading people's thoughts, both human and Hybrids. As you know, Hybrids can only communicate telepathically with another Hybrid and only if both are open to the communication. But I've heard stories of Hybrids who could read people's thoughts without the person's permission. It's a gross invasion of the person's privacy and is frowned upon by most. It sounds like you may be one of those special Hybrids!"

"I didn't mean to do it." Kyle said in an apologetic voice. "I'm not sure how I did it. The last thing I want to do is hurt Teresa. I'm sorry, Dad."

"It's okay. The important thing is that no one was hurt. You just need to be more careful. You need more control over your abilities."

Jack finished his cereal and got up from the table. He put his bowl in the kitchen sink and rinsed it off. "You know, we haven't done any practicing with your powers in quite awhile," Jack said without turning around to face Kyle. "Do you want to practice after school today?"

"I can't today, Dad. I've got football practice after school and then I want to spend some more time with Teresa."

"Sure thing. I understand."

The disappointment could be heard in Jack's voice, but if Kyle noticed it, he didn't let on. Jack turned around and kissed his son on the forehead, something Kyle hated for his father to do because it made him feel like his father was treating him like he was still a little boy. Jack noticed his son's reaction to the kiss.

"I suppose you're getting too big in the britches for that," Jack said in a deep satirizing cartoonish voice. "Let's shake hands like two men." Jack stuck out his right hand.

Snickering at his father, Kyle shook Jack's hand. Jack smiled, playfully slapped Kyle on the side of his face and left for work. Kyle went upstairs, got dressed, and caught the bus for school confident in himself he could control his powers on his own.

CHAPTER EIGHT

1963

After escaping from a secret military base on a cargo ship, arriving on the shores of Florida, and being forsaken by all but one Hybrid, Jonas, followed by his only companion, Mary, made his way to the nearest town to find transportation. On a lone road on the outskirts of the city limits, Jonas waved down a rusty, late-model, blue Toyota Corolla driven by a heavily-bearded young man wearing an extremely stained yellow T-shirt with a likeness of a marijuana leaf on its front. The driver, longing for companionship after being alone on the road for the last four hours with no one to talk to but his own foggy thoughts, happily welcomed Jonas and Mary into his car and graciously agreed to take them to the airport.

After arriving at the airport, Mary, using mind-manipulation, her Hybrid ability Jonas encouraged her to develop at the military base and for which she was often punished for using on the guards, forced the driver to hand over his wallet which contained only thirty three dollars and no credit cards; not nearly enough for even one plane ticket. They left the confused driver and his dilapidated vehicle in the parking lot and scanned the airport terminal for another potential victim. Soon, Jonas spotted a gentleman waiting for someone near the restrooms, dressed in a sharp, expensive looking pinstriped suit and well-shined, black leather shoes. Jonas and Mary approached the man.

"Give us your wallet!" Jonas demanded trying his hand at mind control. He was not as talented as Mary but he was affective. The man tried to resist at first. He tried to stay in control of his own actions but was helpless against Jonas's powers. With confusion and fear in his eyes, he obediently handed over his wallet.

"Now, I want you to walk over to that security guard and punch him in the face." Jonas ordered.

Without hesitation, the man walked over to a stocky airport security guard standing near a ticket counter and punched the guard squarely on his jaw. After recovering from the surprise assault, the security guard immediately forced the man to the ground in one quick move and handcuffed him.

Jonas and Mary turned and walked away releasing control of the man.

"Stop those kids!" the man yelled under the weight of the security guard. "They stole my wallet!"

"You shut up!" the security ordered and roughly picked the man off the floor. "You're going to jail for assault!"

"But they have my wallet!"

The guard just ignored the man's plea, took him by the back of the arm, and escorted him out of the airport terminal.

Jonas and Mary made their way to the other end of the airport where the commotion of their victim being arrest went unnoticed. They walked up to the ticket counters and randomly picked a ticket agent.

"When is your next flight?" Jonas asked.

"Where are you looking to go?" the ticket agent, a young brunette women with thick rimmed glasses and her hair in a bun, asked without looking up from her computer screen.

"Where is your next plane heading?"

The ticket agent rapidly tapped on her keyboard with her well-manicured, red fingernails. "We have a flight boarding shortly to Texas City, Texas."

"We'll take that one."

"How many tickets would you like?" the ticket agent asked while finally looking up from her computer and giving Jonas and Mary a once over. "You two look mighty young to be traveling alone."

"We need two tickets," Jonas said.

"And how are you two going to pay for the tickets?"

Jonas opened up the stolen wallet and presented several hundred dollar bills.

A few hours later, Jonas and Mary landed at Texas City, Texas. After departing from the plane, they headed for the parking lot. Jonas immediately scanned the parking lot for another victim when he noticed a red-headed woman in her mid- fifty's loading suitcases into the back of her SUV. He and Mary approached the woman and forced her to drive them to her home.

The woman's home, thirty minutes from the airport down a single-lane dirt road, was a two-story, red-brick house with a tin roof at the end of a cul-de-sac. To Jonas's delight, the nearest neighbor was over a half mile away. There was a huge pole barn, with a tin roof that matched the woman's home, in the back of the house with various pieces of farm and construction equipment stored under it. After they pulled into the drive way and got out of the vehicle, Jonas had the woman take Mary and him into the house.

"You're wearing a wedding ring," Jonas noticed as they all stood in the living room of the woman's home. "Where's your husband?"

"At work," the terrified women nearly sobbed.

"When does he get home?"

"In about an hour."

"Do you have any children?"

"Yes, but they've all moved out years ago."

"Are you expecting anyone besides your husband?"

"No."

The woman fought back tears while her body trembled in terror.

"Good, I have plenty of time," Jonas said while he stepped closer to the woman.

As the woman stood before Jonas, still under his mind control, Jonas stared intensely into her eyes and concentrated real hard. Within seconds, the woman swiftly reached up and grabbed her head in obvious pain. Jonas concentrated even harder causing the pain in the woman's head to intensify. The woman opened her mouth to let out a scream. The scream was one long yell of anguish and, as the pain increased even more, so did the magnitude of her scream. Unable to stand on her own legs, the woman dropped to her knees, still trying to squeeze the pain from her head with both hands as blood began trickling from her eyes, ears, and nose. She then fell to the ground and curled up in a fetal position still screaming. Soon her whole body started to convulse intensely while her escaping blood went from trickling to pouring from every one of her orifices. Suddenly, like someone flicking off a light, her screams ceased and her body stopped convulsing. The blood flow slowed to an ooze and then stopped altogether...her lifeless body sprawled out on the blood smeared tile floor.

Mary was well aware of Jonas's wicked side, but she had never witnessed such merciless cruelty from him. She had a strong dislike for humans but wasn't sure they deserved to be murdered in cold blood like the woman in front of her just was. She was in such shock during the whole ordeal, that she could only watch as Jonas cold-heartedly killed this innocent woman. She wanted to help but was completely paralyzed with fear and shock...shock over what Jonas did...fear over how easy it was for him to kill.

After it was over, Mary regained control of her motor functions and bolted for the front door. Jonas immediately reached out his hand and, with his powers, knocked her through the air and into a nearby couch. Mary hadn't realized just how powerful and evil Jonas was until now and she began to fear for her own life. Jonas saw the fear in her eyes.

"Relax; I'm not going to hurt you. I need you. And you need me. If you left me, where would you go? What would you do? You need me to protect you from the military and the rest of the humans that want to destroy us. I can protect you if you'll give me your loyalty. There'll be some things that I must do that you'll not like or maybe agree with, but I assure you that it's in our best interest. I have only one rule... never question my decisions! Understand?"

Mary, no longer with fear in her eyes, nodded her head that she understood. She felt Jonas was right; she didn't have anywhere else to go or anyone else to protect her. She had no idea where the other Hybrids had gone and no way to contact them. Jonas was all she had in the world and she made up her mind, right or wrong, to obey him no matter what.

"Now, go upstairs until I call you back down," Jonas ordered Mary. He wanted to spare her from what he planned to do next.

Mary did as she was ordered.

Jonas looked down at the woman's dead body and the pool of blood it was laying in. A crooked evil smile appeared on his face. The killing had not gone as smoothly or swiftly as he'd liked, but he was proud of his accomplishment. He actually enjoyed killing the human. He assured himself he would get better at killing with more practice and more practice is just what he planned on. Human beings were just a lower species, in his mind, that could be used like pawns to accomplish his goals and easily disposed of when he no longer needed them. Jonas sat on the couch, stared at the dead woman, and waited for the husband to come home.

Thirty minutes passed when Jonas heard a car pull into the drive. He knew it had to be the husband. A car door slammed followed by the front doorknob of the house being turn. Jonas sat back in the sofa while the husband opened the door.

First, overwhelming shock flooded the husband's body when he saw a stranger in his house and then sickening horror consumed him as he discovered the bloody, lifeless body of his beloved wife on the floor. The husband tried to run to his wife but Jonas took control of his mind. The husband unwillingly froze, still aware of what was happening around him but unable to control his body or his will. That control now belonged to the intruder.

Jonas loved the feeling of power that came with controlling a person's every move. It gave him tremendous pleasure and he savored every second of it like an impoverished child savors a piece of candy. Jonas also got a thrill out of seeing people fear him and a satisfaction out of watching their misery and suffering. Jonas smiled when he saw that the husband had visible tears streaming from his eyes.

"Pick up your wife's body and follow me," Jonas ordered the husband.

The husband's own body betrayed him as it did as it was instructed. The husband was aware of what he was doing, but was helpless in stopping himself. The part of his mind that controlled his motor functions was now being obedient to Jonas only. But, still, the husband strained with every fiber of his being to control his own body so he could kill this monster that had ruined his life. But as hard as he tried, he could not break Jonas's control.

Jonas led the husband outside to the back of the house where he had noticed a mini-excavator under the pole barn when he first arrived at the house. He instructed the husband to lay his wife's corpse on the ground and use the excavator to dig a hole. Once the hole was dug to Jonas's satisfaction, he ordered the husband to pick up his wife and put her in it. The husband, eyes red from crying, followed the horrific instructions without hesitation. The husband was then ordered to get in the hole with his wife's body. Once he was in the hole, Jonas began the same killing process that he had used on the wife. The husband grabbed his head in anguish, fell to his knees, and soon started convulsing just like his wife had minutes earlier. After several seconds, he was dead, lying in the grave he had just dug for his wife and himself. Jonas joyfully hopped into the excavator and, with a little fumbling with the controls, managed to cover the hole with dirt, never again giving thought to the husband or the wife he had just murdered.

Jonas went back inside the house and called for Mary. She walked down the stairs cautiously, not knowing what she might find.

"Clean this mess up," Jonas told her pointing at the smeared, congealing pool of blood on the floor where the wife's body had been laying.

Mary obediently went into the kitchen and found some cleaning supplies. She returned with them and cleaned up the blood without asking a single question about what happened to the husband or the wife's body. After she finished cleaning the floor, Mary made her way into the study where she found Jonas flipping through a book he had pulled from the book shelf.

"Oh, Mary, there you are," he said with a calm tone in his voice which Mary found very uncharacteristic for him. It frightened her a little. "I was just thinking how we don't have last names, so I found one I like in this book...Rohand...Jonas Rohand. It has a sort of flair to it, don't you think?"

Mary nodded her head. Jonas put the book down, stood up, and walked up to Mary. He smiled and brushed a strand of hair from her nervous face.

"Mary Rohand... that will be your name, for you'll be my wife and bear me many children. Then one day, when the time in right, we'll gather all Hybrids together and they'll bear children and their children will bear children until we become a nation of Hybrids and we'll take our place as leaders of this world. We're the superior beings. We'll rule over the weak, subsidiary humans. They don't deserve this world. We'll let nothing and no one stop us from our future. It's our destiny."

Mary stood before Jonas in silence once again trying to decide if she should run from or stay with this apparent madman. If she ran, she had no idea where she would be running to. The government was more than likely looking for their escaped experiments and she had no desire to return to that base. Even though Jonas scared her, she also felt safe with him. She somehow knew he would protect her if only for the reason that she was all he had.

Over the next several months, Jonas used his mind control to obtain pertinent documentation and papers he needed to survive. He acquired driver's licenses for both he and Mary stating they were both eighteen. He procured a marriage license, title to the husband's house he now called his own, and proof that the house was sold to them by the previous owners whom, according to a fake story Jonas forced a local newspaper to publish, were killed in a tragic, fiery car accident days after selling their house. Jonas had all the legal papers he needed to appear legit. He then opened up a bank account and began his plan on obtaining money.

At first, Jonas started with robbing convenience stores. He would simply make the cashier spray paint the lenses of all the security cameras in the store so the last face seen on the cameras was that of the cashier. He then had the cashier hand him over all the money in the cash register and in the store's safe. Once Jonas left with the loot, the cashier would always call the police and tell them this unbelievable story about how a stranger came into the store, controlled his mind and forced him to hand over all the store's money. Of course the police wouldn't believe the story and the cashier would be arrested for assisting in a burglary while Jonas laughed all the way to his bank.

When the quantity of money stolen from convenience stores wasn't enough for Jonas, he moved to a bigger payout... robbing banks. Jonas would walk into the banks and ask to see the bank managers. He would then have the managers, under his mind control, escort him into the bank's vaults. After filling up duffle bags with all the money they could hold, Jonas would hand the managers a gun and tell them to put the gun to their head, count to one hundred, and pull the trigger. The only witnesses to the crimes would be eliminated by their own hand. Local authorities were at a lost trying to explain the rash of bank manager suicides and the disappearance of the bank vault's contents.

Jonas also robbed several Well Fargo trucks, always leaving the security guards with their heads blown away by their own guns.

Jonas's bank account soon had hundreds of thousands of dollars in it after several years from his career as a thief, but he realized he needed more if he was going to take over the world... a lot more. So, he began dabbling in the stock market, learning how to invest and buy and sell stocks and commodities. Then, he discovered how profitable inside trading was. He began forcing investors on Wall Street to engage in insider trading with him, letting him know which stocks he should buy and which he should sell. Soon, the money started flowing into his bank account like water flowing over Niagara Falls.

By the time Jonas was in his early thirties, he was worth billions of dollars. He purchased a thirty thousand acre piece of land in Northern Montana and began construction on his own impermeable military-style complex complete with every military arsenal money could buy. He named his new place," The Compound". He hired several mercenaries and ex-military soldiers as members of his growing army...members who didn't ask or even care what Jonas was up to as long as they received compensation for their time. Jonas despised having to use humans to run his institution but he had no choice...at least for now. He planned to use them until he recruited enough Hybrids to replace them in his army. Then, he could eliminate all the humans in his army and all that stood in his way.

CHAPTER NINE

By the time The Compound was complete, Mary had bore Jonas five sons and one daughter. Jonas raised his sons to be as ruthless and unmerciful as he, while Mary did her best to shelter her daughter from the evils that her sons endured...a task made easier from the fact Jonas had very little to do with his daughter. Jonas's offspring grew up on The Compound, never being allowed to associate with humans. His sons were taught Hybrids were far superior to humans and humans were to serve them or die. Over the years, Mary had met and conversed with several humans and realized they were not all like the ones she knew back on the military base and she did not like her sons being raised with such hatred in their hearts, but she felt there was nothing she could do. She feared what Jonas would do to her if she were to ever question his authority. She silently stood by and helplessly watched her boys become monsters like their father. At least she was comforted in the notion her daughter would be protected from such evils.

After the completion of The Compound, Jonas began his search and "recruiting" of other Hybrids. He hired greedy bounty hunters and avaricious private detectives, whom would do anything for money, to bring him anyone they could find who possessed "special" powers. Jonas gave them the option to bring the ones with special powers to The Compound voluntarily or against their will. It didn't matter to Jonas. He figured once they arrived at The Compound, he could convince them to join him.

Over the next several years, Jonas's recruiters found several "people with special powers". A few of the Hybrids voluntarily joined Jonas's army because they believed in what he was trying to do, but most refused...at first. The male Hybrids who refused to join were often tortured or forced to watch their family tortured until they begged to be allowed into Jonas's army while the females who refused were imprisoned and impregnated...usually by Jonas himself. The babies would be taken from the mothers immediately after birth and raised by a surrogate to become future members of Jonas's ever growing army. The female Hybrids would then be impregnated again like they were simply part of an assembly line to produce Jonas's army.

Jonas's army was very structured and disciplined with different ranks of authority just like a real army. The commander of Jonas's army was a young Hybrid named Damien. He had come to The Compound voluntarily one day and asked for an audience with Jonas. He was taken to a large cathedral room decorated much like a room straight out of King Arthur's pre-Renaissance palace, complete with a gold-laden throne and medieval suits of iron standing along the walls like ancient guardians of the legendary Knights of the Round Table. With utmost respect and reverence, Damien stood before Jonas, who was sitting like a king on his throne, and several of his soldiers, who were standing on either side of Jonas.

"You requested to see me?" Jonas's voiced thundered through the room.

"Yes, sir, I want to join your army and serve you."

"Why?"

"I believe in what you're doing." Damien said, not daring to look Jonas in the eyes. "I want to join your fight against the humans. Give me a chance and I'll prove myself a loyal servant."

"Really?" Jonas condescendingly said.

Jonas stood up from his throne and stepped in front of one of his soldiers. He kept his back turned to Damien, so Damien couldn't see what he was doing. Jonas then turned around with the soldier's pistol in his hand, walked over to Damien, and handed the gun to him.

"Prove your loyalty to me... shoot her!"

Jonas pointed at a nearby young female servant who was busy cleaning the gold decorative trim in the room. When she turned around and saw that Jonas was pointing at her, she looked to Damien for mercy. Without hesitation and despite the servant's pleading eyes, Damien aimed the gun at the girl and pulled the trigger. The girl screamed at the sound of the gun's hammer dropping, expecting to hear the blast of the gun and feel the pain of the bullet entering her but the gun didn't fire.

Jonas smiled at Damien who had a confused look on his face wondering why the gun did not fire. He aimed the gun at the girl to try again.

Jonas walked up to Damien and took the gun from him. "That's what I'm looking for...someone who will obey my command without question. I like your determination, boy, but the gun was never going to fire. I took the bullets out. I couldn't let you shoot her. She does such a good job cleaning and good help is so hard to find." Jonas motioned for the servant girl to continue cleaning. He then turned back towards Damien. "Where are your parents? Are they going to come looking for you?"

"No, they were human sympathizers. They didn't believe in your cause as I do. They refused to let me join you, so I killed them!"

"You've impressed me, boy. I'm sure I have a spot in my army for you."

"Thank you, sir. You will not be disappointed. I promise!"

Damien kept his promise. Over the next several years, he proved his loyalty to Jonas countless times. Jonas grew fond of him and soon Damien was by his side all the time. He became Jonas's most trusted soldier. High positions in Jonas's army were given to Damien instead of his own sons, which didn't sit well with them. They became extremely jealous of Damien and the time he spent with their father, but they said nothing as Damien's position of power grew stronger and stronger. Before long, Damien was head of Jonas's army and answered to no one but Jonas and that included Jonas's sons.

One night as Jonas slept, he had a vision of contacting "home" and his primary mission for his army changed. The next morning, he shared the contents of his vision with Damien while they were standing outside watching some of their troops exercise in the back courtyard.

"I had a dream last night that our family returned to Earth and joined us in the takeover of this world, ridding us of all the subservient humans."

"Our family?" Damien asked.

"Yes, the aliens who's DNA we share...the ones from whom we were created. I know how to contact them."

"You do...how?"

"If we get enough Hybrids together in one place and have them, as one entity, concentrate their telepathic powers into the sky...into space, our family will hear our cries and come for us. I know it will work!"

"How many of us do you think it would take to do that?"

"I don't know. We'll start trying to contact them with the personal we have presently and, as our army grows, so shall the strength of our power. Eventually our family will hear us and come for us. Then nothing will stop us from taking our rightful place as rulers of Earth."

After the vision, Jonas was even more determined to capture as many Hybrids and breed as many as it took to fulfill his self appointed destiny. He began a ritual of gathering together all the Hybrids on The Compound and marching them outside at night. He had them stand shoulder to shoulder in long single file lines and forced them to concentrate all their telepathic powers into space for hours. He repeated this every night.

By the time Jonas was fifty, he had lost count of how many children he had sired. He only claimed the five children bored to him by Mary. He looked upon the others as mere soldiers for his army.

Jonas appointed his sons as "recruiters" mainly to get them off The Compound and out of his hair. His sons were showing more and more discontent for their father's decision to assign Damien as second in charge of the army. His son's new job was to travel about the country looking for Hybrids to bring to The Compound. Once one was found, he or she would be told of Jonas and his plans. If they refused to join, his sons would kidnap them, sometimes an entire family, and bring them to their father where they would become prisoners and forced, through torture and fear for their family's life, to become part of his plans.

Soon, word spread amongst the Hybrids communities about Jonas Rohand, forcing them to go into hiding and live in fear that one day Jonas and his "recruiters" would find them or their children.

CHAPTER TEN

Present Day

Kyle spent every possible moment with Teresa. If Kyle wasn't in class or at football practice, he was with her. His love for her grew stronger with each passing day until he couldn't imagine his life without her. He wished many times for the courage to confess to her he was part alien, a Hybrid, but he could never bring himself to do it. It was partly because he promised his parents he would never tell anyone what he was, but it was mostly fear of Teresa rejecting him for what he was and breaking up with him. So, he kept his secret from her for the sake of their love.

Football season was in full swing and Kyle was going to his third Friday night game. Although he didn't actually get to play in the games, since he was just the back up quarterback, he still loved being a part of it all. He knew that after Brad leaves next year for college he would most likely be the new quarterback for his high school and he was willing to wait for his turn in the spot light until his good friend left for bigger and better things. Besides, he was learning a lot about the game by just watching Brad play. And at every game, he would see Teresa in the stands cheering for him even though he only sat on the sidelines. She told him no one sat on the sidelines better than he.

This Friday night was the town's most anticipated game, since the Wolverines were playing against their arch rivals, the Tigers. The town was always given a good show when these two teams played each other for their intense rivalry meant they always played with such determination and grit. Last year the Tigers beat the Wolverines and kept them from going to the state championships. The defeat lingered stubbornly in the player's minds as well as in the town's minds and they wanted redemption.

Kyle had stayed after school and rode the team bus to the football stadium. His parents told him they would be at tonight's game. He knew they were just coming to the game to support him, being that neither one of them knew a thing about football, but Kyle was glad they were coming.

The game began with all the excitement and energy that a high school football game brings with it. The marching band performed, followed by a couple dance routines by the cheerleaders, and then the football teams ran out on the field to the eruption of cheers from the crowd. Kyle scanned the bleachers full of people until he spotted Teresa sitting in the lower stands with a few of her friends. He yelled to her as loud as he could over the stadium noise and waved his arms. She smiled and waved back. A few minutes later, his parents arrived and found their seats in the stands.

The Tigers started off the game strong as usual pulling ahead of the Wolverines early in the game and, by half- time, the Wolverines were behind by fourteen points. It appeared that the Tigers were just as tough this year as they were last year. After half time, the teams left their locker rooms and ran back onto the field to continue the game. By the end of the third quarter, the Wolverines had managed to score a touch down and a field goal making it twenty eight to twenty four. The glimmer of hope that the Wolverines had a chance of beating the Tigers fueled the team's determination. The game went back and forth for several minutes with neither team scoring.

Finally, it was down to the two minute warning with the Wolverines still trailing by four. They needed a touch down to win. After a couple more plays, Brad had managed to get his team to the Wolverine's forty yard line but had less than a minute left in the game. The ball was hiked to Brad as he took a few steps back waiting for his receivers to get open so he could throw one of them the ball. Just as Brad saw a receiver get open and was about to throw him the ball, a Tiger's player broke loose from his blocker and rushed Brad. The player tackled Brad so hard that the sound of the collision could be heard all across the field. Brad fumbled the ball as he went down to the ground with the hefty tackler falling on top of him. All the rest of the players from both teams rushed to recover the fumble as the ball bounced towards the Wolverine's goal. A Wolverine player finally jumped on top of the ball at their own twenty yard line. The play was over with one down left, eighty yards to go to reach the Tiger's goal and twenty-two seconds left on the clock.

Everyone's attention finally focused back to Brad when they realized he was still on the ground. He was grimacing and grabbing his right wrist in obvious pain. The Tiger's player who had tackled him had inadvertently landed on the star quarterback's wrist and hyper- extended it. Everyone on the Wolverine side held their breath while the medical team looked at Brad. Finally, after several tense minutes, he stood up to the cheers and clapping of the town, but he was still favoring his right wrist. He gave every one a" thumbs up" with his good hand as he walked off the field.

"Summerland!" yelled the coach. "Come here!"

Kyle ran over to the coach. The coach saw that Brad was still holding his wrist in pain and wasn't going to be returning to the game.

"Brad's done," the coach said to Kyle. "You go in and run the final play so we can all go home. Our boys have had enough." With only twenty-two seconds on the clock and so far to go to score a touchdown, everyone knew the game was over.

Kyle was given the next play to run, which was basically a play just to end the game. Kyle ran onto the field and huddled up with his disheartened teammates who were already waiting for him on the field to end the game. He saw the disappointment and defeated looks on their faces. He then looked up into the Wolverine's stands and saw the same look on all the fans faces. Some of the people were already leaving, knowing the game was lost. His eyes then found Teresa. She was a lone smile among an ocean of frowns. Her smile was full of pride at seeing her boyfriend on the field even if it was only to end the game. She stood out amidst the other people still in the stands like a lone rose stands out in the middle of the desert.

Kyle felt he could not disappoint her. Against all odds, he was determined to win this game for her no matter what even though he knew she would be proud of him even if he lost the game.

Kyle decided to change the play...to give his team a chance to win. He wasn't going down without a fight. If this went wrong, he knew the coach would be furious for going against his orders. If it went right, Kyle would be a hero.

"This is the play. I want Stevens and Hulton to go long. Don't stop running until you get to their twenty yard line and then be looking for the ball. I'll be throwing it to which ever one of you can get open. The rest of you just keep the Tigers off of me."

Billy Hulton, one of the Wolverines receivers spoke up. "What for? There's no way you can throw the ball that far!"

"Just do it! Let me worry about getting the ball to you. This game ain't over. We can still win! Don't quit now! We can do this!"

Kyle's teammates all nodded there heads. They weren't ready to give up. They broke huddle and lined up in formation. Kyle moved behind the center and surveyed the field. His heart was beating fast and he took several long breaths to try and control his breathing. He swallowed hard and took in one final breath.

"Hike!" Kyle yelled at the center who immediately swooped the football between his legs and into Kyle's hands. Stevens and Hulton took off running down field just as fast as they could. The rest of the Wolverines keep the Tigers off Kyle as long as they could.

The coach was stunned...his jaw nearly hitting the ground. This wasn't the play he had called. He started yelling at anyone who would listen.

"What the hell are they doing?!"

The Tigers were blitzing. Nearly every player on the Tigers team was coming after Kyle. The Wolverines were doing a good job blocking until one player broke loose and was heading straight for Kyle as fast as his legs would go, but Kyle could not throw the ball just yet. Neither one of his receivers were open. Once he was close enough, the Tiger player leaped into the air, determined to flatten Kyle, but just as he grabbed a handful of jersey, Kyle spun around with all his might. The Tiger player was swung around like a tether ball around a pole and was flung threw the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled. He remained dazed on the ground for a while not sure what had just happened.

One of the Wolverines' receivers, Stevens, was finally open. Kyle threw the ball as hard as he could towards the open receiver and, to everyone's surprise, threw a perfect spiral into Wolverine's arms. Stevens ran the ball into the end zone and the Wolverines won the game!

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Half the Wolverines fans ran from the bleachers and onto the field and picked Stevens up over their shoulders and the other half ran to Kyle and picked him up, praising them both for winning the game.

"I'll be damned!" is all the coach could say. He, like everyone else, had never witnessed a throw as far or as accurate as the one he had just seen.

Kyle's parents were standing up in the stands cheering for their boy. Although neither one of them knew much about football, they knew their son just did something great judging by the reaction of the crowd. They just didn't realize how great! While they were clapping for Kyle, Jack over heard a discussion between two older gentlemen who were sitting in front of him.

"That was an impossible throw! How did that skinny kid throw the ball that far?" one of the men said to the other.

"Damn if I know. I don't think Joe Montana could have made that throw."

"He must be on the "juice" or something or that ball grew wings. This must not be a regulation size football field. It can't be. He could have never thrown the ball that far if this was a normal size field."

"They don't shrink the field for high school games," the other man scoffed. "There must be another explanation."

Kyle's dad tapped one of the gentlemen on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir."

The gentlemen turned around and looked at Jack.

"I couldn't help but overhear you say something about the throw that kid made as being impossible. What did you mean?"

The gentlemen shock his head from side to side slowly. "I've been watching football for forty years---"

"Fifty years" the other gentleman corrected.

"Thanks...fifty years and during those years I have been to many games, both professional, college, and high school games. I've seen some players do some remarkable things, but I've never seen any of them throw a ball nearly eighty yards down field. It's just impossible!"

Jack's pride in his son turned into anger. He now knew Kyle had exposed his abilities to everyone in that crowd. He thought his son understood just how dangerous that was. Kyle's stunt could have put them all in danger if the wrong person saw it or hears about it and, in this town, Jack knew the details of tonight's win would be on the front page of the morning's newspaper. Jack took Judy's hand and led her towards the locker room entrance where he knew Kyle would be coming out after he showered and got dressed.

After several minutes of celebrating in the locker room, the Wolverine players got showered and dressed. They all planned to meet at a local restaurant and continue their celebration; even the coach, who had quickly forgiven Kyle for changing the play, was going. As Kyle was heading out of the locker room with Brad, he saw his parents waiting outside for him. He began to excitingly run up to them and ask if they saw him win the game, when he noticed the anger in his father's eyes. He stopped suddenly...as suddenly as his elation had turned into confusion.

"What's wrong?" he asked his father.

"Get in the car!"

"But we were all going out to eat to celebrate. Brad can bring me home," Kyle explained still not understanding the anger in his dad's voice.

Kyle then heard his dad's voice in his head. "Get in the car! We'll discuss this on the way home!"

Even in his head, Kyle could hear the exasperation in his father's voice. His father very rarely got angry so Kyle argued no more. He told Brad he had to go. With a pouty lip and his head hung low, he followed his parents to the car and got inside.

"Didn't we tell you not to expose your powers to anyone, let alone a whole football stadium, like you did tonight?!" Jack said through clenched teeth as he started the car. "What were you thinking?! You put all of us in danger over what... a football game?!"

"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked like he didn't know.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb with me. I was told by several people out there tonight that no one can throw a football as far as you threw it tonight," Kyle's dad said while his voice grew louder after every word.

"I had to win the game."

"You had to win the game? So, winning a stupid game is more important than your mom and I! Putting us in danger doesn't mean anything to you? Fine! Since that's how you feel and you obviously shown me that you have no since of responsibility... no more football!"

"No, you can't do that!" Kyle screamed.

"It's done!" Jack screamed back.

"That's not fair!" Kyle said in a voice that was starting to crack. "Why are you ruining my life?"

Judy finally broke into the conversation to try and deescalate the tense situation. "You both just calm down. Yelling at each other won't help the situation." She then looked in the back seat at Kyle who had his head turned towards the window to hide the tears in his eyes. "Kyle, I know you don't fully understand how dangerous it can be to expose ourselves to the public. You never know who is watching and waiting for one of us to mess up. I know it's not fair, but this is the way we must live and survive. Try to understand, son."

"Whatever," Kyle said rebelliously.

Kyle sat stewing in the back seat for the remainder of the ride home without saying another word. He felt his parents had ruined the best night of his life just because they were worried about the boogieman getting them. He also felt a sharp pain in his heart for his father had never raised his voice at him before. This was the first time in his life that he had experienced his father's anger...his father's disappointment in him. The importance of tonight was becoming overshadowed by wishing his dad wasn't mad at him. By the end of the silent ride, Kyle was wishing he had lost the game.

Later on that night, Kyle had gone to bed without saying good night to his parents, but he couldn't sleep. As bad as Kyle wanted to play football and as angry as he had been that he wasn't allowed to anymore, he couldn't go to sleep knowing his dad was angry with him. He got out of bed and humbly walked into his parent's room. They were already in bed and under the covers. Kyle walked up to his dad's side of the bed and gently tapped his shoulder.

"Dad, are you asleep?"

Jack rolled over. "No, not yet. What is it, son?"

"I...uhm...I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry about getting mad at you and yelling."

"I'm sorry, too, son. I'm sorry I raised my voice at you. It just scares me to think of something bad happening to you or your mom. You two are my whole world. I know you think your mom and I are being paranoid, but I hear the horrific stories of our people being taken by Jonas's men. The threat is real. We must protect ourselves by living in secrecy. They're always searching for us. Until someone stops Jonas, we will never be safe. We will always have to hide."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jonas Rohand ran The Compound with ruthlessness and with an iron fist. He never allowed anyone to question his decisions without suffering dire consequences. He was absolute king in his kingdom and all were expected to tremble in fear when in his omnipotent presence. He ruled his small empire like he planned to someday rule the world... with unrelenting wickedness.

Jonas showed no favoritism towards his sons, treating them like they were no different than any of his other soldiers. The only reason he even tolerated them being involved in any of his operations at all was because of Mary. She kept pushing him to include them in his everyday activities, which Jonas found extremely annoying. Instead of entertaining Mary's wishes, Jonas would send his sons on "recruiting" missions just to get them out of his hair and his sons knew it. But they didn't mind so much for they hated being around their father almost as much as he hated being around them, so they went on the "recruiting" missions gladly. Their collective hatred and resentment towards their father grew everyday like rust growing on unprotected metal near the salty ocean.

Often, while Jonas's sons were away on their recruiting missions, they would entertain the idea of "getting rid" of their father and taking over The Compound.

"Father is wasting our time sending us on these stupid recruiting trips. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the time away from him, but we are the ones who should be running The Compound. He's growing more mental everyday hoping to contact some stupid aliens. We don't need anyone's help. He should be focusing all his efforts on building up the army as fast as possible." one of the sons said.

"So, tell him how you feel," the oldest brother, Cain, challenged his youngest brother.

"Why don't you?"

"Because, I'm not a fool. I know what he's capable of."

"Then, what are we going to do?"

"Nothing...at least, not yet. We'll bide our time until the opportunity arises when we can take over The Compound and run it as it should be run."

"That could take forever! His lunatic, delusional dream could cause us to lose The Compound. If the human authorities find out what we're doing before we're ready, it could all be over before it begins."

"I won't allow that to happen."

"What would you do to prevent that from happening?"

"Whatever it takes...whatever it takes."

One afternoon, with Jonas's sons back on The Compound, Cain was teaching some younger soldiers self-defense tactics. Cain had a third degree black belt in judo and was quite skilled at hand to hand combat. Everyone on The Compound who saw him perform was impressed with his skills, which he took great pride in. As he was demonstrating some blocks with one of his students, Jonas walked into the room and stood by the back wall watching his son. After a few minutes, Jonas leaned over to one of the nearby students. "Do you think my son is any good?"

"Oh, yes!" the young student said. "He's the best fighter on The Compound!"

"Oh, you think so, do you?" Jonas said with animosity in his voice. "We'll see about that."

Taking off his jacket, Jonas walked over to Cain and the young student. He tossed his jacket on the floor and pushed Cain's student out of the way.

"Father, I'm trying to teach a class!" Cain said.

"They say you're the best fighter on The Compound. Why don't you prove it?"

"What are you doing?" Cain asked, frustrated that Jonas was interrupting his class. "Just go and let me finish my class."

"Fight me!" Jonas said and took up a fighting stance.

"I don't want to fight you. I just want you to go!"

With out warning, Jonas punched his son squarely in the face. The force of the punch knocked Cain to the ground. Cain shook the cobwebs from his head and slowly stood up holding his nose as his black blood dripped through his fingers.

"Please, I don't want to fight you!" Cain begged his father.

Without saying a word, Jonas executed a back kick that landed against his son's chest and sent Cain flying through the air. Cain hit the floor hard and stayed on the ground trying to catch his breath.

"Get up!" Jonas ordered.

"No!" Cain managed to say.

"Get up and show all your little students what a great fighter you are!" Jonas mocked. "Show them who the best fighter is. Show them you're better than me!"

Cain stayed on the floor... too scared to get up and face his father... not wanting to endure anymore humiliation.

Jonas arrogantly strolled over to Cain, bent over, and grabbed him by the shoulders. He picked Cain up to his feet and forcefully placed a hard right knee into his ribs, causing him to bend over, crippling him with pain. Jonas then flung Cain into a nearby wall. Cain hit the wall hard and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Jonas began to go after his son again.

"Stop it!" Cain screamed." You're the best fighter on The Compound! You're the best fighter in the world! Please, just leave me alone!"

Jonas stopped and smiled an evil smile. He went over to where he had tossed his jacket and picked it up. He looked around at all the students whose faces were full of fear. He liked that look of fear upon their faces. It made him feel powerful. Jonas left the room leaving his son lying on the floor, humiliated and in pain.

Later on that evening, Cain told his brothers how their father beat him in front of his students. He told them their father was truly going mad and if they didn't do something to stop him now, he would surely ruin everything. He convinced his brothers, without much difficulty, it was time to get rid of their father and take control of The Compound.

Jonas's sons began meeting in The Compound back courtyard, away from the main building, to ensure no one could hear what they were discussing. They met there on several different occasions, perfecting their plan. The plan involved into not killing their father, but to imprison him and Damien, indefinitely. They planned to drug them one evening and then keep them sedated in a cell for however long it took to become rulers of the world.

One evening, just days before Cain and his brothers were to execute their plan, they were having a small party outside under the moonlight. They were all consuming large amounts of alcohol, laughing, and howling at the moon as young men tend to do. Their young sister walked outside to warn them to quiet it down before their father became angry.

"Let him get mad...we're not afraid of him!" the younger brother boldly stated in a drunken slur.

"Yeah, he doesn't scare us" another brother chimed in. "and besides, we'll not have to worry about father for much longer, anyways."

"What do you mean by that?" their concerned sister asked.

The inebriated younger brother put his arm around his sister's shoulder and whispered in her ear. "We're going to take over this entire place and throw daddy and Damien in a cell 'till they rot."

"What? You can't do that! Why would you say such a thing?" Jonas's daughter asked with total disbelief.

Jonas's daughter had been sheltered by her mother from the horrors committed by her father. Therefore, she did not share the same hatred for her father as her brothers did. She loved her father and would never want anything bad to happen to him. She would protect him no matter what the cost.

The other brothers hurriedly pulled the loose-tongued younger brother away from their sister.

"Don't listen to him. He's just drunk," Cain assured her. "We would never hurt Father. You know that...right?"

"Of course," she said trying to sound convincing.

But, despite her older brother's assurance, she feared for her father's wellbeing. She immediately left to tell him of her brother's statement, hoping it would turn out to be just a drunken idle threat. She found her father in his chambers.

"Father, there's something I need to tell you! I'm sure it's just nothing. I'm probably just being silly for even telling you."

"What is it?"

"First, promise me you won't get angry. Like I said, they probably didn't mean a thing...just the alcohol talking."

"Tell me what you don't want me to get angry about!"

"Promise me you won't get mad at them."

"Tell me what you're talking about...NOW!" Jonas had grown impatient with his daughter's demur and his voice grew stern.

"It's my brothers," her voice began to tremble slightly. She wasn't sure why but she suddenly feared for her brothers. She was now wishing her brother hadn't told her what he told her. But, on the other hand, if it was true, then she didn't have a choice. She had to tell her father. "My brothers mentioned doing something bad to you! They said something about throwing you and Damien in one of your cells! Why father...why would they want to do that?"

Jonas didn't answer his daughter. He only whispered accusatorily to himself, "Cain". He then told his daughter to leave him. Jonas was furious at his sons, but mostly Cain for he knew his oldest son was the one the others followed. His skin boiled with rage. He immediately called for several of his security guards to bring Cain to him immediately. As the guards left to find Cain, they ran into Mary and told her what was happening. She immediately ran to Jonas.

"What's going on?" Mary demanded to know. "Why did you send the guards after our son? What do you want with Cain?"

"Your sons were planning a take-over of The Compound. The asinine morons want to put me in a cell...me! After all I've given them, this is the kind of respect I get. They shall pay for their insubordination...especially Cain!"

"What are you planning to do?" Mary's eyes were wide with concern for the safety of her sons.

"Whatever it takes."

"Don't you dare hurt them. It was just boys talking...boys rebelling a little against their father like all boys do. Promise me you will not hurt them!"

Jonas didn't say another word but stared straight ahead, waiting for his son.

"If you hurt Cain, I'll never forgive you! Do you hear me? I'll never forgive you!"

Jonas continued ignoring Mary.

After a few minutes, the guards returned with Cain whom smelled of alcohol. He was placed in front of his father. Mary stood to the right of Jonas. Jonas, with fire in his eyes, walked up to Cain, reared back his fist, and punched his oldest son in the face. The punch nearly knocked Cain out momentarily and he would have fell to the floor if the guard standing behind him hadn't caught him and kept Cain on his feet.

"So, you want to throw me in a cell, do you?" Jonas asked angrily.

Cain, rubbing his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken, realized that his father knew about his and his brother's plan. His younger brother had ruined their plan because of a drunken slip of the tongue. He grew angry, but remained silent.

"Tell your father it was all a terrible misunderstanding...please!" Mary begged.

Instead, Cain's suppressed anger exploded and he began to tell his father what he had wanting to say for quite sometime. "It's no mistake! We're tired of how you treat us. We're tired of how you run this place! You're a crazy old fool who's trying to contact "home"! It's a waist of time! We should be making plans to attack the humans, not wasting time on some old man's delusional dreams! We could run this place a hundred times better than you or Damien!"

Mary became extremely scared for Cain and her other sons. She could see the daggers of molten angry protruding from Jonas's eyes. "Cain, you don't mean that! You shouldn't anger your father! Tell him you didn't mean it!"

"I meant every word I said! I couldn't care less if the old man gets angry with me. What's he going to do, beat me up again?" Cain then addressed his father. "I'll fight back this time and kick your ass!"

"Cain, shut up!" Mary begged.

The anger grew inside Jonas until he was blind with rage.

"How dare you disrespect me like this! You don't have a clue how treacherous a path you have chosen? I'm the last person you ever want to mess with!"

"We should have done this a long time ago! We're going to take control of The Compound and there's nothing....."

Before he could finish his sentence, Jonas raised his hand towards his son. Cain immediately felt tremendous pressure around his neck as the force of his father's Hybrid powers began crushing his windpipe.

Cain started gasping for air as the force around his neck became stronger. Jonas slowly raised his hand in the air as Cain, clawing at his neck and struggle for air, was lifted off the ground... his legs kicking aimlessly in the air.

"Stop, you're going to kill him!" Mary yelled as she rushed towards Jonas to try and stop him.

Jonas lifted his free hand towards his wife and, with his powers, pushed her back. Mary flew through the air and landing on the floor on the other side of the room. She quickly stood up and started to rush Jonas again until she heard an awful sound coming from her son that stopped her dead in her tracks

Jonas had quickly twisted his hand that held his son in the air. Cain's neck followed the same quick twist as Jonas's hand causing Cain's neck to break with a loud snap. His legs stopped kicking and his body instantly went limp. Jonas released his hold on Cain's lifeless body. It fell to the floor.

Mary dropped to her knees at the same time her son's body hit the cold marble floor. She buried her head in her legs, her hands pulling at her hair, and began sobbing loudly. After several seconds, she looked up at Jonas with hatred. "You bastard, you killed him!" She then stood up, angrily whipped tears from her eyes, and boldly faced her husband. "You will not take anymore of our sons! Don't you dare lay a hand on any of them. Leave our sons alone!"

"Your sons. They stopped being my sons when they defied me!"

"If you even lay one finger on them, I'll screw your mind up so bad, you'll not remember your own name. You know I will," Mary threatened.

Jonas was well aware of how easily it was for Mary to manipulate someone's mind. She was far more talented in that ability than Jonas was...more talented than any Hybrid Jonas had ever seen... and he knew she meant what she said. Because of her remarkable ability, Jonas tolerated her being around all these years for he knew her ability could come in handy if he ever was in need of it.

"All right, you have my word. I won't lay a finger on any more of your sons." Jonas turned to his guards. "Guards, take the remaining traitors and lock them up."

Jonas's sons were escorted to the prison cells located in the basement level of The Compound. Jonas then turned to Mary. "You... don't you ever try to interfere with me again or you shall pay severely! And don't you ever threaten me again! Now, get out of my sight!"

Later that night, Mary lied in bed with Jonas while he slept. As she watched him sleep, she was tempted several times during the night to turn his mind into mush. Her fear kept her from following through with her desire...fear for herself but mostly for her remaining sons. She knew how revengeful her husband was so she planned to keep an eye on her remaining sons to ensure they didn't suffer any retribution for their rebellion. She would never forgive Jonas for killing their son, although she doubted Jonas would ever ask for her forgiveness. In his twisted mind, he was justified in what he had done.

The very next morning, Jonas woke Mary up. He was in an unusually cheerful mood as if the horrible occurrence of the night before never happened...as if he hadn't killed their oldest son.

"I thought you were going to sleep all morning," Jonas said. "I've been up for hours and I've got a solution to the problem with your boys. I've figured out what they need. They need their own space. For months I've been looking at some property in North Dakota, only a two hour drive from here. I've been contemplating building a second Compound on that piece of property and I think your sons should run it."

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Mary exclaimed. She knew her sons would be safer if they were away from their father. "I'll go tell them right now!"

"Hold on!" Jonas said as he presented a piece of paper. "Here's the address, the directions on how to get there, and the realtor's name I've been in contact with. I've already got a truck waiting for them at the front gate. They should leave this morning and go take a look at the property."

Mary enthusiastically grabbed the paper from Jonas and rushed to give her sons the great news.

"The crazy fool is finally doing something smart," one of her sons said. "Now we can show father how a real Compound should be run."

Then the younger brother spoke telepathically to his other brothers. "Once we're up and running, we'll come back here and kill father and revenge our brother, Cain!"

The other brothers nodded their heads in agreement.

Mary gleefully helped her sons get ready for the trip and then walked them to the waiting truck. She gave them the directions to the property in North Dakota and kissed them each goodbye. She stood by the front entrance of The Compound with a smile on her face and watched as the truck with her sons inside rolled through the front gate and headed down the road. But just before the truck got out of her sight, Mary watched in horror as the vehicle exploded into a huge ball of fire! The guards at the gate ran towards the fiery scene, but everyone knew that a blast that big had killed everyone in the truck.

The sound of the explosion caused many in The Compound to come outside to investigate. They saw Mary, blank-faced, standing motionless at the gate, staring at the fiery wreckage of the truck. She neither screamed nor cried or showed any emotion what so ever. She simply stared straight ahead for several minutes, paralyzed with the realization that her foolish trust in Jonas had cost her the lives of her remaining sons. She was completely numb and void of any emotions. She eventually turned away from the gate and slowly headed for her room, vacant of any expression upon her face.

Many felt Mary died inside at the same instant her sons died. She was never seen again after that day. Some believed she killed herself while others speculated Jonas killed her. No one ever dared asked Jonas of the whereabouts of his wife for fear of what might happen to them. His daughter took the news hard and wept for several weeks. She had lost her mother and all her brothers in less than two days. No one knows what story her father told her to explain what happened to her brothers and her mother, but it must have been convincing for his daughter continued to love him more than anything.

Jonas impregnated many more Hybrid females after the death of his wife, but, just as always, he never claimed any of the children as his. His daughter was his only family he had... the only one who would love him...the only one who could love him.

CHAPTER TWELEVE

The school bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Kyle was making his way to the bus to take it home when he ran into Brad.

"We've missed you at football practice," Brad said while shaking Kyle's hand.

"Yeah, I miss playing."

"What've you been up to?"

"Not much. I'm working for a couple hours after school with my father in his garage working on cars. Nothing real involved. Just stuff like changing the oil or putting on new tires."

"I still don't understand why your dad won't let you play football anymore."

"He just thinks it's too dangerous after seeing you get hurt."

It was the best excuse Kyle could come up with. He surely couldn't tell Brad that his father wouldn't let him play football for fear of exposing himself as a Hybrid!

"I wasn't hurt that bad. Maybe I can talk to your father for you. Maybe I can convince him to let you play. You're such a great player."

"I doubt it will help. Once my father makes up his mind, it's hard to change it."

"I'm pretty good at talking to parents...persuading to see things my way. Let me see what I can do. I'm sure I can get you back on the team. Oh, by the way, Kevin Smith's parents are going away this week to Mississippi to some gambling casino and they're leaving Kevin at home by himself. So a bunch of us are going over to his house Friday afternoon to party, since we have no school that day. Do you and Teresa want to come?"

"Sure! We would love to!" Kyle said, glad Brad was still including him in stuff even though he was not on the football team anymore.

"Great! Kevin's parents have a massive house on the river. We're going to barbecue, do some fishing and a little swimming. Then, when it gets dark, we're going to have a huge bomb-fire and party all night long! You do party, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Kyle answered hoping his lie was convincing enough.

"Great! I'll pick you up around noon Friday, and then we can swing over and pick up Teresa."

"I'll see you then. Thanks, Brad."

The school bus dropped Kyle off at home and he went inside to find his parents sitting in the kitchen talking.

"How was school?" Judy asked Kyle.

"Just fine."

"How's Teresa?"

"She's great."

"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately. It must be getting pretty serious."

"It is!" Kyle said with a smile. "She means the world to me. I'm lucky to have her."

"She's the lucky one!" Judy winked at her son.

"Hey, Brad invited Teresa and me---"

"Teresa and I," Judy corrected.

"Teresa and I to a barbecue Friday and then we're supposed to roast marshmallows at night or something like that. Can I go?"

"I don't see why not." Jack said.

Judy gave Jack a wide-eyed look to show her disapproval of her husband's decision, but it was answered by a shoulder shrug from Jack to say he didn't see any harm in letting their son go to the outing. Judy blew her breath out and rolled her eyes to say she didn't agree but it was up to him whether he let Kyle go.

"Thanks, Dad for letting me go. Brad is supposed to pick me up around noon on Friday and then we're going to pick Teresa up."

"Hey, I got an idea," Jack said. "Why don't you take the truck and pick up Teresa yourself?"

"Really?" Kyle's jaws hit the floor. Judy's face was also plastered with surprise.

"Kyle just recently got his driver's permit!" Judy informed Jack. "He hasn't driven by himself much!"

"Kyle's a good driver. He'll do just fine. I have faith in him."

"Oh, thank you Dad!" Kyle ran over to his dad and hugged his neck hard. "You're awesome!"He then went to his mom and hugged her.

"Thanks, Mom...you know...for not saying no. I promise I'll be careful. I've got to go tell Brad he doesn't need to pick me up, but I'm not going to tell Teresa. I want to surprise her."

Kyle pranced to his bedroom to make the call before his parents could reconsider their offer.

Friday was a bright and sunny day. Kyle was eagerly driving to Teresa's house in his dad's 1985 Ford pickup truck. He felt grown up and full of pride driving himself to his girlfriend's house and he couldn't wait to see Teresa's face when he pulled up to her house. Her house was only three miles from his but, to Kyle, it seemed like a hundred miles away. He couldn't get there fast enough. He wanted badly to push the accelerator of the old truck to the floor, but knew if he lost control and wrecked the truck, it would be the last time he would be allowed to drive for a long time.

Eventually, he arrived and turned into Teresa's driveway. He stopped the truck and blew the horn. Teresa walked out of the house with a surprised look on her face, ran to the truck, and got inside.

"What are you doing driving?"

"My dad allowed me to take the truck. Can you believe it? I don't know what possessed him to do so, but I'm sure glad he did."

As Kyle was about to back out of the drive, Teresa's foster dad came out of the house and walked to his truck window and motioned for the window to be rolled down.

"Is your dad aware you have his truck?"

"Yes, sir. You can call him if you like."

"That won't be necessary. I believe you. Just be careful and drive safely. Bring Teresa back home by ten. You two have fun, but not too much fun."

"Okay and don't worry about Teresa. I'll take real good care of her."

Kyle backed the truck out of the drive and headed for Kevin Smith's house.

"Do you know who Kevin Smith is?" Kyle asked Teresa on the way.

"I've seen him around school a few times. His parents are supposed to be rich. They have a big house on the river. They even bought Kevin a brand new BMW for his birthday. But despite him being rich, he seems like a nice guy. He doesn't act like a rich snob or anything like that."

Kyle followed the directions Brad had given him and found his way down a long and winding single-lane road void of any houses until they got to the end. Kevin Smith did indeed live in a huge house... a mansion as houses in this area went. The two-story, stone-covered house, with its wide marble steps leading to the covered entry, was nestled in between towering cypress trees. There were already several vehicles parked in the front yard. Kyle recognized Brad's truck among them.

Kyle and Teresa got out of their truck and could immediately smell the scent of barbecue in the air. They walked up to the front door and rang the door bell. Teresa recognized the boy who answered the door as Kevin Smith.

"Come on in," Kevin told Kyle and Teresa. "Now, don't tell me your names. I've got a pretty good memory when it comes to names and faces. You're Kyle, right?"

"Right," Kyle answered "and this is ...."

"No, don't tell me" Kevin interrupted. "You're.... Teresa!"

"Yes I am."

"I've seen you around school a few times," Kevin said to Teresa. "It's nice to finally meet you. Most everyone's in the back yard. Use the bathroom upstairs if nature calls. The ones down stairs won't flush. Make yourselves at home. I've got to run to the store for more ice."

Kevin left them to fend for themselves. Kyle and Teresa started heading towards the back yard when they ran into the head cheerleader from school, Christine Allen. Christine was the poster child for the word "snob". She looked down her spoiled nose at most people because her parents had money and she felt she was better than anyone whom didn't come from money. She was also sophisticatedly superficial and if you happened to be a girl whom she felt was prettier than herself, than you felt the full wrath of her jealousy. Unfortunately, Christine felt that Teresa was just such a girl, so she hated Teresa and always made it a point to give her a hard time. As always, Christine was accompanied by her usual girls from the cheerleading squad. They always stayed on Christine's heels like she was the most important person in the world.

"Who invited you to this party?" Christine asked out loud." It feels like the coolness just got sucked out of this place."

"You should know all about sucking," Teresa said with a smirk as she and Kyle walked pass Christine and continued heading to the back yard. "All you have to do is ask any guy on the baseball team!"

"Bitch!" Christine barked but Teresa and Kyle just kept walking towards the back yard.

The enormous back yard was full of people. Some were sitting at picnic tables and talking, a few were fishing at the river that ran through Kevin's back yard, and others were swimming in the river a safe distance from the ones fishing. Kyle noticed a few of his friends from school fishing so he and Teresa walked over to them.

"Have any luck?" Kyle asked them.

"Hey, Kyle and Teresa... yeah we've caught a few fish...mostly bream Nothing really big. Grab a pole there and give it a try."

Kyle selected two cane poles from several leaning against a wide cypress and handed one to Teresa.

"I've never fished before," Teresa told Kyle.

"You've never fished before?!"

"No, unless you count opening a can of tuna as fishing," Teresa joked.

"It's easy. I'll show you how."

Kyle dug out a Night crawler from a Styrofoam container and threaded it onto Teresa's hook.

"Doesn't that hurt the worm?" Teresa asked biting her own finger.

"No... worms have no feelings," Kyle explained, not really knowing if worms could feel pain or not. But it made Teresa feel better.

Kyle threw Teresa's line with the impaled invertebrate wiggling frantically just below a plastic bobber into the water and handed her the cane pole.

"Now, when you see your red bobber go under the water, pull your pole hard."

"No problem."

It didn't take long before Teresa's bobber started to bob up and down.

"It's moving!" Teresa excitedly said. "The...the thing-a-ma-jigger is moving! What do I do?"

"When it goes all the way under, pull your pole hard."

Teresa's bobber disappeared under the water and she pulled her pole hard. She pulled so hard she lost her balance and fell on her butt, snatching the fish out of the water and sending it flying into the air and over their heads where it landed in the grass behind them.

Kyle started laughing. "You didn't have to pull that hard!"

"I didn't know. What did I catch?"

Kyle walked over and picked the fish up and brought it to Teresa.

"You caught a very nice bream. Well done!"

"That was fun! I want to try it again!"

"Okay, let's get you baited back up."

Kyle and Teresa fished for the next two hours, catching a huge mess of fish. All the fish that were caught by everyone fishing were gathered up and cleaned so they could be deep fried and ate along with the barbecue. Once the food was cooked, Kyle and Teresa joined their friends at the picnic tables set up in the back yard. They sat down and enjoyed the fish and barbecue ribs with baked beans, grits, and fried corn on the cob provided for them by their gracious host. As Teresa was biting into a rib, Christine and her gang of cheerleaders approached the table.

"Well, now I've seen it all...a pig eating pork. Isn't that cannibalism?" Christine asked, directing her insult towards Teresa.

"Christine, please don't try and start anything," Kyle pleaded. "We just want to enjoy our meal. Why don't you go and bother someone else?"

"I see you aren't drinking. I bet alcohol has never touched those virgin lips of yours," Christine said ignoring Kyle while still trying to get a rise out of Teresa.

And she succeeded. Teresa grew angry with furrowed brow. She swiftly swiped a beer from her friend, whom had just opened it, and swigged the whole bottle down without taking a breath. She then slammed the empty bottle on the table and looked sternfully at Christine. Kyle's jaw dropped in surprise as he watched Teresa gulp down the whole beer.

"Wow, you drink like a guy," Christine mocked. She then turned towards the other cheerleaders. "Maybe she's a dyke!" Looking back at Teresa, Christine asked," Hey, you can tell us... do you like girls?"

Quick as lightning, Teresa stood up and was right up in Christine's face. Through clinched teeth Teresa said, "You have no idea how dangerous it is to mess with me. Just step away before it's too late!"

Christine was shocked at the tenacity Teresa showed and it scared her, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"Whatever!" she said and turned around and walked away, followed closely by her entourage.

Kyle had never seen Teresa get angry. He was both proud of her for standing up for herself and a little surprised at how angry she could get. He hoped he never found himself on the wrong side of her temper.

"Kyle!" yelled a boy wearing only swim trunks. "We're going swimming before it gets too late. Are you two coming?"

"Do you want to go swimming?" Kyle asked Teresa.

"Sure. Let's go!"

They both got up from the picnic table and followed the others to the designated swimming hole. Once there, Kyle tore off his shoes and shirt and dove into the river in his shorts since he had forgotten to bring his swimming trunks. He resurfaced a few feet from the shoreline and stood up in waist high water, motioning for Teresa to join him.

Teresa was wearing her bathing suit under her clothes. She slid her shirt off and wiggled out of her cut-off jean shorts revealing a tiny black bikini. Teresa possessed the kind of flawless body that made most girls jealous and caused guys to cease whatever they were doing at the time and stare in a uncontrollably, refractory manner. Teresa slowly strolled towards Kyle, her hair blowing across her face from a light breeze, and smiled gratifyingly when she noticed he was looking her up and down.

As she grew nearer, she said in a playful way, "You can blink now!"

"Wow!" is all Kyle could seem to utter.

It was the first time he had ever seen Teresa in a bikini and it momentarily took his breath away. She was perfect in every way imaginable. Kyle managed to regain his composure and pick his jaw up out of the river. He looked around to see if anyone had seen him in his goggled state and saw that all eyes were still on Teresa...both boys and girls. Perfection did little to describe what everyone was seeing. Teresa, seemingly unaware of all the attention, walked into the river and joined Kyle.

For the next hour, they swam, talked, and played together. Then, Teresa got out of the river and joined some of her girlfriends who were sitting on towels near the shoreline and watched Kyle and some of his friends taking turns swinging from a rope tied high to the branch of an oak tree growing on the edge of the river. The boys took turns trying to out do one another by seeing who could perform the most flips in the air before landing in the water. Although there were no official judges, in Teresa's eyes Kyle had won the flipping contest.

After several minutes of swinging from the rope, the guys grew tired and traded places with the girls who ventured back into the river to float around on their rafts and inner tubes before the sun went down.

While watching the giggling girls trying to keep their inflatables from drifting down the river, one of the guys said out loud, "That Teresa is sure looking fine!"

"Dude, that's my girlfriend you're talking about!" Kyle interjected.

"I'm just saying... you're one lucky guy to be "tagging" someone like that!"

"Yeah", Kyle said looking down at the ground wishing the guys would change the subject before they asked the inevitable question.

"You are "tagging" that, aren't you?"

"Well...not exactly. We're taking it slow. We don't want to rush into anything."

During the entire time he and Teresa had been dating, Kyle had never tried to make a move on Teresa. He had such a fear of being rejected, especially by Teresa, that he had never attempted anything but a kiss from her.

"In other words, she said no."

All the guys laughed in unison.

"It's not like that," Kyle attempted to explain, but the conversation was quickly changed when the girls walked up.

The sun had begun to set when Kyle and Teresa left the group to take a walk down along the river where they could be alone and watch the setting sun. They found the perfect secluded spot among an outcrop of jasmine bushes and exchange several passionate kisses as the sinking sun slowly turned the horizon into an array of multiple colors.

"Teresa, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course you can."

"Now, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Just ask me. I'll answer anything. What is it?"

Kyle was silent for a few seconds trying to get up the nerve to ask Teresa his very personal question. He swallowed hard and looked at Teresa, but had to look away before he asked his question. "Have you ever been with a guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know... gone all the way with a guy."

"Oh," Teresa said, slightly embarrassed with the question. "No, I haven't. You're only the second guy I've ever kissed. How about you?"

"Me...No, I've never kissed a guy," Kyle joked.

"You know what I meant. Have you ever been with a girl... that way?"

"No, you're the first girl I've ever kissed."

"Really? Wow!"

Kyle moved behind Teresa and wrapped his arms around her. They both stood for several seconds without saying a word watching the burning-orange sun sitting on top of the tree lines. Then Teresa broke the silence.

"Kyle, I really care for you and I know a lot of your guy friends, and a lot of my girl friends, are having sex. I admit I think about it sometimes, but I've always wanted it to be with someone that I married. I know that sounds corny and old fashioned and I hope you don't get mad at me because of it."

Kyle turned Teresa around to face him, took her hands in his, and looked seriously into her eyes.

"It's not corny. I think I love you even more."

Teresa smiled at Kyle. "I hope it ends up being you I marry. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

They embrace each other as the last of the sun disappeared behind the trees. Kyle felt that this was the most perfect evening of his entire life. He felt confident he had found his soul mate. His attention was drawn towards the house when he noticed that the back yard was brightly lit. "I think they've lit the bon- fire. Let's go see."

Kyle and Teresa made their way to the back yard of the house where most everyone was gathered around a huge fire while watching a couple of guys sitting in chairs playing their guitars and singing. Teresa and Kyle found a spot on the grass and sat down and listen to the music for awhile. Teresa eventually looked down at her watch and saw that it was approaching 9:15.

"You're going to have to take me home soon."

Kyle couldn't believe how fast the time had passed. He was extremely disappointed. He didn't want this night to ever end.

"I have to go up to the house before we go and use the bathroom," Teresa said as she got up. "BRB"

"BRB?"

"Be right back," Teresa explained with a smile and left for the house. Kyle stayed seated and waited for her to return.

Teresa walked into the house and up the stairs to the working bathroom. Once she was done, she started headed back to the backyard when she ran into Christine at the top of the stairs. Christine was alone and obviously intoxicated evident by the odor of alcohol on her breath and the slur of her speech.

"Well, well, we meet again. Where's your loser boyfriend?" Christine said still trying to provoke Teresa.

Teresa felt a surge of anger sweep over her entire body. She quickly glanced around to make sure the two of them were alone while making a fist with her right hand. She forcefully threw an uppercut that caught Christine squarely on her chin. The cheerleader was knocked back by the force of the punch and fell down the stairs. She tumbled violently, head over heel, down the stairs until she came to a tangled rest at the bottom. She didn't move; she was unconscious. Teresa, with a little grin forming on her face, slowly and calmly walked down the stairs. By the time she got to the bottom of the stairs, her grin had formed into a full-fledged smile as she looked down at Christine. She bent over the cheerleader and placed both her hands on Christine's bleeding head. After a few seconds, she stood back up with her scarlet lip curled cruelly, stepped unconcernedly over the cheerleader and nonchalantly walked out of the house and back to Kyle.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"No, but I guess we better. I sure don't want to bring you home late and have your foster dad mad at me."

Kyle took Teresa by the hand and started to walk towards the house. He planned to walk through the house and out the front entry door where the truck was, but Teresa pulled back on his hand and stopped him.

"Let's not go through the house. We can walk around. Okay?"

"Okay," Kyle said a little bewildered by the request but not enough to question her reason.

Kyle got Teresa home with five minutes to spare. He stopped the truck a slight distance from the house so they could kiss for a few minutes. But quickly interrupting then was the front porch light flickering on and off, signaling that it was time to come in.

"I've better go. I had a great time!"

"Me, too. Wait right there. Don't move, yet."

Kyle got out of the truck and ran around to open Teresa's door. She stepped out of the truck flattered by Kyle's chivalry. Kyle gave her one last kiss on the lips and watched her go inside. Once inside, the front porch light went out. Kyle sighed sorrowfully for he knew the perfect evening was over.

Kyle was driving back home when his cell phone rang. It was one of his buddies who was still at the party.

"Hey dude, did you hear?" the boy on the phone asked. "They just took Christine to the hospital a few minutes ago. She apparently got so drunk she fell down the stairs! She said she couldn't remember what happened. You missed all the excitement. There was an ambulance here and everything! She must have fallen down the stairs right after you left. "

Kyle tried to shake the nagging thought in his head that Teresa had something to do with Christine falling down the stairs. Everyone knew they had been at each other's throats all day long. But could Teresa be capable of hurting someone and not telling anyone? Kyle assured himself the answer was no and that Teresa didn't have anything to do with Christine falling down the stairs. It was just a drunken accident. Kyle felt sure of it. He drove the rest of the way home reliving the events of the day in his head.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kyle had begun working with his father in his mechanic shop going on several weeks now. He wanted to save enough money to buy his own truck. He was quite the mechanic, despite his youth, and knew his way around the hood of a vehicle nearly as well as any one of his dad's regular employees whom generally liked Kyle and thought a lot of him. Kyle was a hard worker which they appreciated, especially when the garage got swamped.

It was Saturday morning when Kyle rode into work with his dad. Jack's employees were standing outside the garage waiting for them. Kyle knew they were up to something by the silly smiles plastered on their faces.

"What's going on guys?" Kyle asked.

"We all pitched in and got you a little something," one of the mechanics said. "It's in the garage."

They opened up the big roll-up doors of the garage to reveal a 1985 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It was beautiful and looked in mint condition with all of its chrome sparkling in the sunlight.

"Now, the engine needs a little work, but we can help you get it running like new."

"Dad, did you know about this?" Kyle excitedly asked.

"No, I had no idea."

"Mr. Summerland, we hope it was all right that we did this?"

"Yeah, it's fine. It was really nice of all of you." Jake put his arm around his son's shoulder. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! Thanks guys!" Kyle exclaimed and hugged each of the mechanics. "Can we start working on it now?"

"You have to ask the boss man?"

Kyle looked at his dad with his best puppy dog eyes.

"Well, since we're a little slow today... sure, you'll go ahead and fix her up."

Jack knew Kyle wouldn't get much work done while his motorcycle was sitting there staring at him...beckoning him to ride it.

It took several hours and a trip to the nearest Harley-Davidson shop, but they got the motorcycle purring like it had just rolled off the showroom floor. One of the mechanics took it for a test drive to make sure everything was working fine. He returned after a few minutes and parked it next to Kyle and Jack.

"Everything checks out. She's a great bike; runs smooth," the mechanic said. He then got off the bike and asked with a smile and a wink, "Who's next?"

"Kyle, do you know how to......."

Before Jack could finish his sentence, Kyle jumped on the bike, started it up, and was gone down the road in a split second.

"I guess he does," Jack said. "I just hope his mother doesn't kill me for allowing her son to have a motorcycle."

Kyle rode his motorcycle all over town, feeling the power of the vehicle course through his veins. He felt free, powerful, and on top of the world. He even felt a little "bad to the bone" as he stopped at each red light in town and caught people staring at him and his bike.

After riding down nearly every street in town, Kyle returned to his dad's shop. He parked his motorcycle and found his dad inside the garage under the hood of a truck.

"Dad, it's still a little slow here in the shop. Can I ---"

Jack interrupted to finish Kyle's sentence, "Can I go over to Teresa's house and show her my motorcycle?" He smiled at Kyle. "Go on, son. Get out of here."

"Thanks, Dad."

Kyle raced to his bike and headed for Teresa's house.

Teresa and her foster mother were in the kitchen washing and drying dishes when they heard the rumbling of a motorcycle in their front yard. Teresa looked out the kitchen window and saw Kyle sitting on a beautiful motorcycle looking like her very own James Dean. She quickly ran out of the house.

"Wait, Teresa! I'm not sure that's a good idea," The foster mother cried out to deaf ears. Teresa was already jumping on the back of the motorcycle.

"At least wear a helmet!" she yelled out, but the noise of the motorcycle drowned out her warning.

Kyle and Teresa roared away, down the normally tranquil, quiet residential street towards freedom and independence; two teenagers with the whole world in front of them and not a care in the world but to be with each other. They rode through several city limits before finally stopping at a pizza shop for a late lunch.

"Your motorcycle is so awesome," Teresa said as they waited in a booth for their pizza. "I love riding on it. It makes you feel...invincible."

"I know and it's so cool to drive. Do you want to give it a spin after we're finished eating?"

"Oh no, I'm happy just riding on the back!"

"Where do you want to go after this?"

"It doesn't matter as long as I'm with you." Teresa became slightly embarrassed. "Did that sound as corny as I think it did?"

"Not to me. I feel the same way."

Kyle reached across the table and took Teresa's hand in his. He smiled sincerely and looked into her eyes, attempting to look inside her soul. "I want to know everything about you. What were your real parents like?"

"They were like normal parents, I guess. They both always worked. My mom was a nurse and my dad was a cop."

"How old were you when they...passed?"

"Can't we talk about something else?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. It must have been difficult for you."

"It's all right. That's just something I don't like to talk about. It was a dark time in my life. It still is."

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Teresa finally spoke.

"Kyle, if you ever found out something about me... that I wasn't the person you thought I was. Would you still stay with me?"

"What...you're not going to tell me you're a crazy serial killer or something, are you?"

"No, I just... I mean.... I don't know....Forget I said anything. It's just stupid talk."

"Hey," Kyle squeezed Teresa's hand. "I would stay with you no matter what! There's nothing that could change the way I feel about you."

"I hope you mean that."

"I do and if there's something you want to tell me, you can tell me when you're ready. I'll still love you no matter what it is."

Their pizza arrived and they both ate until they couldn't hold another bite. Then they got back on the motorcycle and headed back towards home.

The sun was sinking low in the sky when they crossed the city line of their home town, but Kyle wasn't heading for Teresa's house, he was headed for the river, to a place he knew not many people went. They arrived at the secluded spot and saw that, indeed, no one else was there. They picked a spot in the grass near the shoreline to sit and watch the sunset. Kyle held Teresa in his arms as the sky turned a fiery red.

"It's so beautiful," Teresa remarked. The red sky was reflecting in her eyes.

"They say we get our beautiful sunsets from dust that blows in all the way from Africa." Kyle informed Teresa.

"Really, that's quite remarkable," Teresa said trying to sound like the bit of information interested her.

Kyle playfully shoved her in the shoulder and snickered. "You could care less why the sky turns colors, could you?"

"I just like the mystery of things. Once you know why things work the way they do, it takes the magic away."

"I didn't mean to ruin the sunset for you!"

"You didn't."

"Hey, did you hear about Christine?" Kyle asked.

"No."

"She fell down the stairs at the party and broke two ribs and her arm."

"Wow, that's a shame. I guess she won't be cheerleading for a while." Teresa said careful to hide the smirk on her face from Kyle.

"It must have happened right after we left."

"She's lucky she didn't break her neck, falling backwards down the stairs like that," Teresa commented.

"What makes you think she fell backwards?"

Nervously, Teresa searched her brain for a believable answer.

"I...um... I read somewhere most people who fall down stairs due so backwards. I just assumed that she did too."

Teresa searched Kyle's eyes intensely and was relieved when she saw that he believed every word of her answer. She now understood the phrase, "love is blind".

"The way Christine treats people, especially you, not many people are sorry she got hurt," Kyle said. "I'm certainly not."

"Not to change the subject, but I had a great time at the party with you," Teresa said to turn the conversation away from Christine's "accident".

"Me, too. I'm glad Brad invited us."

"I saw Brad the other day," Teresa said. "He told me he missed you at the football games. Do you miss playing football?"

"Yeah, I kind of do, but with work and all, I don't really have time for it anymore."

"Well, you were great at it!"

"Thanks!"

Kyle watched the red sky fade into amber and amber into pink while holding Teresa in his arms, wondering if he should tell her what he was...or what he wasn't...not human...a Hybrid. He was almost certain she would accept the truth and still love him. But there was that small chance she wouldn't accept it which filled him with petrifying fear. He didn't know if he dare take the chance of losing her but he also hated keeping this secret from her. Ultimately, he decided it was best not to tell her, at least, for a little while longer.

"Do you know what is more beautiful than this sunset?" Kyle asked.

"What?"

"You in that little black bikini." Kyle smiled while making his eyebrows jump up and down suggestively.

"You liked that, didn't you?"

"Yes I did... tremendously!"

Teresa passionately kissed Kyle until the sky turned dark, robbing them of any more light. Kyle drove her back home and told her he would be back over the next morning. Teresa gave Kyle one last kiss and disappeared into her house.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It was early Sunday morning when Kyle arrived at Teresa's house on his motorcycle. Teresa's foster parents had grown to like Kyle and invited him in for breakfast. After they all ate, the foster parents went into town to do some grocery shopping leaving Teresa and Kyle alone at the house. They trusted Kyle but trusted Teresa even more. She had never been in trouble since the first day she was welcomed into their home nor had she ever given them a moment of grief.

Teresa and Kyle were sitting on the front porch swing looking through a photo album of Teresa's last birthday party when Spike unexpectedly pulled into the front drive in an old Ford pickup truck. He got out of the truck and walked towards them, stopping at the foot of the steps.

"What are you doing here?" Kyle asked Spike.

"That was a great game you had the other night," Spike said with a half crooked grin. "That was a heck of a throw, wasn't it, Kyle? Not many people could have made that throw, could they, Kyle? You must have eaten your Wheatees that morning, huh Kyle?"

Spike's suggestive tone was starting to make Kyle a little nervous. Did Spike know something or was he just fishing around? Could he be working for Jonas Rohand? Did Spike suspect Kyle was a Hybrid?

"What do you want, Spike?" Kyle asked with annoyance.

"Colonel wants to talk to you."

"Colonel? Who's Colonel?"

"He's my mentor. He runs The Camp where I stay. He would like a word with you."

Colonel's real name was Richard Price and, to the town's knowledge, he ran a home for orphans, runaways, and people who had nowhere else to go called" The Camp", located on the outskirts of town. Richard had been an actual colonel before retiring from the Unites States Army and people that knew him had grown so accustomed to calling him Colonel, the title stuck..

"What does he want to talk to me about?" Kyle asked. "I don't even know him. What does he want with me?"

"Just to talk."

"Tell him no thanks."

Then, to Kyle's astonishment, he heard Spike's voice in his head.

"I know what you are, Kyle. I'm a Hybrid too just like everyone else at The Camp."

Kyle couldn't believe Spike was a Hybrid. He had seen Spike a few times and had never once suspected him of being the same as he, but then again, no one ever suspected Kyle of bringing half human, half alien just by looking at him. Kyle was glad he had taken the time to practice his telepathic powers with his dad. It had just turned from being something that was fun to something practical.

"You're a Hybrid! I would have never guessed. How did you know I was?"

"We, at The Camp, are always on the look out for Hybrids to join the fight. Your little stunt at the football game revealed to us what you were."

"The fight...what fight...with whom?"

"Colonel can explain it better. Get in the truck."

Kyle turned towards Teresa. "I know this is going to sound weird, but I'm going to take a ride with Spike. I'll be back shortly. I'll explain everything later."

"I don't want you to go with him," Teresa worriedly said. "You don't know anything about him!"

"It'll be all right. I can take care of myself."

"I don't want to stay here by myself. I'm going with you," Teresa demanded. "And there's nothing you can say to change my mind."

Spike noticed a little concern in Kyle's eyes at Teresa's insistence in going.

"You haven't told her what you are, have you?"

Kyle didn't bother answering Spike.

"Okay, you can go. But you have to wait in the truck when we get there."

Teresa agreed and the three of them got into Spike's truck and headed for The Camp.

The Camp was located on one hundred acres of heavily wooded real estate north of town. It was very secluded with no neighbors for several miles. There was one winding, dirt road that led to The Camp's entrance. The military-style complex consisted of a main operations building, a few recreational buildings, a couple maintenance warehouses, a cafeteria building, and several bunk houses.

Spike pulled into The Camp and parked near the operations building. Kyle got out of the truck and informed Teresa he would be right back. She had other plans and followed him out of the truck. She took Kyle by the hand and looked into his eyes with a sad puppy dog look and her bottom lip sticking out begging to go with him. Kyle couldn't say no to her. Besides, he had wanted to tell Teresa he was a Hybrid for a while now but lost the nerve each time he tried to. If she found out by accompanying him to go talk with Colonel, then his secret would be revealed...his dilemma solved.

Spike led them inside the building. There was a flight of stairs to the left leading to Colonel's office. Several closed doors lined the wall to the right and in the center was a hallway that led to the back to an open den. The den housed a couple of couches set up in front of a LCD television hanging on the wall and one door that led to the outside.

Spike pointed down the hall and told Kyle and Teresa to go wait inside the den and he would return with the Colonel soon.

While waiting in the den, Kyle decided it would probably be best if Teresa heard his secret directly from him rather than a stranger. He feared she would think he was never going to tell her and be angry towards him for keeping such a tremendous secret. He just hoped she would still love him and understand why he didn't tell her before now. He took Teresa's hands in his and took a deep breath.

"Teresa, I want to tell you some---"

Before Kyle could finish his sentence, three boys walked into the den from outside. They were still laughing from an apparent joke one of them had just told. The three boys saw Kyle and Teresa standing in the den and one of them, wearing a black cowboy hat and a red scarf around his neck, walked up to Teresa.

"What do we have here?" the boy said as he lustfully looked Teresa up and down. He then boldly placed his hand on her arm, rubbing it slowly up and down." You're mighty pretty."

"Leave her alone!" Kyle ordered and reached out to push the boy away, but the boy was faster and shoved Kyle so hard he lost his balance and fell to the floor. Kyle immediately got to his feet, embarrassed and angry, and tried to lunge at the boy, but he couldn't move. The other two boys were preventing him from moving with their telekinetic powers. Kyle had forgotten how Spike told him everyone at The Camp were Hybrids. Kyle struggled to break the boy's mental hold.

Teresa shoved the boy with the cowboy hat away from her and began to run for the door, but the boy quickly raised his hands and stopped her with his Hybrid powers. Teresa couldn't move. The boy was indeed powerful and very skilful in his abilities. The boy approached Teresa.

"Now, let's get a better look at you," the boy with the cowboy hat said with lustful eyes.

Teresa helplessly struggled to move. Her chest began heaving with heavy breath as panic started setting in. It intensified when she felt the buttons on her blouse opening as if by magic as the boy standing in front of her was manipulating them with his mind. Tears streamed down Teresa's face. She wanted to scream and runaway but she was a prisoner of the boy's powers... unable to move... too scared to scream.

As each button popped open, Kyle's anger grew inside him. He felt a burning, fiery power building up inside his body like he had never experienced before. He sensed this energy was about to erupt, fueled by his rage, so he concentrated his wrath towards the two boys still holding him with their powers. An invisible surge of power burst from Kyle's body and shot through the air hitting the two boys so hard, they flew through the air and smacked into the wall behind them, falling to the ground and leaving a huge indent in the drywall.

Once freed from the boy's hold, Kyle raised his hand towards the boy standing in front of Teresa and released another surge of power. The boy went flying through the air, hit the far wall, and fell behind a couch.

Teresa was now free from the boy's hold. She franticly pulled her blouse together with both hands and ran out of the building crying. Kyle ran after her and caught up with her at Spike's truck where she was getting inside on the passenger side.

"Take me home!" Teresa highly emotionally demanded. "I want to go home, now!"

Teresa slammed the truck's door. Kyle looked inside the truck and saw that the keys were still in the ignition. He went around to the driver side and jumped into the truck just as Spike was coming out of the operations building to ask Kyle what happened. Kyle turned the truck's ignition on and yelled out of the window to Spike as he began to pull away.

"I'll bring the truck back soon. I've got to take Teresa home. Then, I'll be back to settle this!" He looked harshly at Spike.

Kyle headed down the dirt road towards Teresa's house, both angry and sorrowful at the same time. He somehow felt responsible for what had happened to Teresa. He alternated looking at where he was driving and glancing at Teresa hoping she would say something, but she didn't. She was holding her blouse together, looking out of the window and still crying, but softer now.

Kyle needed to say something. He needed for Teresa to speak to him...to say she forgave him for not telling her the truth. "I'm so sorry, Teresa! Please say something. I know you're mad and you have every right to be. I should have told you everything about me...about what I am. I didn't know those guys were like that, but I promise you I'm going back after I drop you off and make them pay! Please tell me what you're thinking."

Teresa continued staring out the window, but spoke. "I don't know who you are...what you are! If you're anything like those boys, I don't want to know you."

"Teresa, you know I'm nothing like those idiots. I'm just the idiot who didn't tell his girlfriend the truth. The truth is I'm not human. I'm a Hybrid. I have alien DNA in me that gives me certain abilities. There are others like me as you're now very much aware. I didn't tell you because I was afraid if you knew I wasn't human, you might leave me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Can you forgive me?"

"I don't know. I need time to process all this. I'm not sure what to think. Right now, I just need to go home!"

Not another word was spoken the entire way to Teresa's house. As they pulled into the driveway and stopped, Kyle placed his hand on Teresa's arm and told her again how sorry he was. Teresa didn't say a word. She didn't look at Kyle. She just opened the truck door and went inside her house.

Kyle felt a huge lump in his throat and his eyes grew teary. He felt his whole world had just walked away. He wondered if Teresa would ever forgive him. Did he deserve her forgiveness? He once thought that keeping his secret from her was the right thing to do... now he knew better. He wanted to run after her and plead for her forgiveness, but didn't on the advice he remembered his dad given him once. His father said sometimes it's best to give your loved one some time alone to reflect on a situation rather than rushing in and making it worse.

Kyle reluctantly pulled out of the driveway and headed back to The Camp. On his way there, he called his parents and told them exactly what had happened.

"Would you like us to go over to Teresa's house and talk to her?" Judy asked.

"Would you do that?"

"Of course we will. We love Teresa like she was our own daughter. We'll head on over there. Where will you be?"

"I've got to return Spike's truck to him and then I'll have him drive me back to Teresa's house. I'll call you first to make sure Teresa wants me to come over."

"How well do you know this, Spike?" Judy asked.

"I've seen him around a few times. Don't worry, he's all right. I can't explain why, but I trust him."

"Just be careful! We'll head over to Teresa's house now and we'll see you soon."

Kyle arrived back at The Camp and got out of the truck. He headed inside the operation building and saw one of the boys who had helped hold him while Teresa was being assaulted. The boy was walking down the stairs coming from Colonel's office. With daggers in his eyes, Kyle bowed up and began to rush the boy when Spike stepped in front of him.

"Take it easy, Kyle. Colonel already knows what happened and the three boys involved will be punished. Now, Colonel wants to see you."

Spike led Kyle upstairs and into Colonel's office. Colonel was sitting behind a huge, highly lacquered, oak desk. He was a stalwart man with a face tempered like steel, a square jaw, wide shoulders, and a thick neck. He still supported his military style buzz-cut. And he spoke with authority in his voice but not so much that it made a person feel uneasy.

"Come in, Kyle. Take a seat."

Kyle sat down in a chair placed directly in front of Colonel's desk wondering what this man wanted with him.

"I'm really sorry about those boys," Colonel began as he got up from his seat and walked to the front of his desk. He sat on the edge of his desk in front of Kyle. "I must admit we've had trouble with them before. They want to abuse their abilities for fun and games and not concentrate on our mission. They will pay for the way they acted. I assure you of that."

"What mission are you talking about?" Kyle asked.

"To take down Jonas Rohand."

"I've heard my parents mention that name before. Who is he?"

"He's one of the original Hybrids, like me, but he's full of hatred and evil and set on world domination. He's building an army in hopes of annihilating the human race and any Hybrids that get in his way. It's our mission to stop him and I would like you to join us."

"So, this isn't some way-ward house, is it?"

"Yes and no. We do help Hybrids who need a place to live. We have several people here who had loved ones taken by Jonas's men and had nowhere else to go. They have become soldiers in the war against this madman. Will you join us? We could use someone like you."

"Me? I'm no soldier."

"Kyle, I have the ability to sense the potential in Hybrids, to tell how powerful they are or could be. You have the potential to be very powerful with the right training.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight in your war. I just want to live a normal life and go to school. I'm sorry about all the other Hybrids but I can't help them."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but ultimately it's your decision. You now know we're here. If you ever need anything, just come by and we'll do our best to help you. You're always welcomed here. I'll have Spike drive you home. Take care of yourself, Kyle and be careful."

Spike led Kyle out of the building and into his truck. On the way, Kyle tried calling his parents to see if they were still at Teresa's house. No one answered his father's phone or his mother's phone. He tried them both again. Same results. He tried Teresa's phone. She didn't answer although he really didn't expect her to. Teresa wasn't speaking to him. Kyle didn't have Teresa's foster parent's phone numbers.

"Who are you trying to call?" Spike asked Kyle.

"My parents were supposed to be over at Teresa's place but they're not answering their cell phones."

"Did you try calling Teresa?"

"Yeah, she's not answering either."

"Where do you want me to take you?"

"Take me to Teresa's house. I'm sure someone will be there."

"Okay, just show me which way to go."

As Kyle was directing Spike which way to turn with just a point of his finger, he mind was recalling the conversation he had just had with Colonel. He had never fully realized until talking with Colonel just how real his parent's boogey man was...real enough that Colonel was building up his own army of Hybrids to battle Jonas Rohand's army. And Spike was one of Colonel's soldiers!

"Do you believe Colonel is doing the right thing trying to stop this...Jonas?" Kyle asked Spike.

"Yes I do... one hundred percent! My parents were taken by some of Jonas's "recruiters". I was away on a school field trip when it happened. When I returned home, the inside of my house looked like a herd of buffalos had stampeded through it. Nothing was taken but my parents. Colonel took me in and gave me a place to live and hope that I would one day be reunited with my folks. When Colonel says the time is right, we'll attack Jonas and his army and I'll see my parents again."

Kyle realized that Spike wasn't the "bad boy" everyone had made him out to be. He was just different than everyone else...a Hybrid...the same as Kyle.

As they arrived at Teresa's house, Kyle saw his parent's truck in the driveway. Then he noticed the front door of the house was wide open. He and Spike got out of the truck and as they stepped inside the house, they found the place in shambles. It looked like a tornado had torn through the house. End tables were turned over and the lamps that had sat atop them lying on the floor in several shattered pieces. A coffee table was on its side, a flat screen television was partially imbedded inside the living room wall, mirrors, pictures, and various nick-knacks that once hung on the walls were scattered all over the floor. Yet there were no sign of anyone in the house. Spike was flooded with the memory of the state of his house after his parents were taking by Jonas's recruiter. This scene was very reminiscent of that.

Kyle immediately began searching the house and made a gruesome discovery in the den. Teresa's foster parents were both lying on the floor dead with thickening dark-red blood around their eyes, ears, and noses. Kyle grew panicky fearing he was going to find Teresa's and his parent's dead bodies in one of the next rooms. He franticly searched the rest of the house but it was void of Teresa or his parents. He was both relieved for not finding them dead and filled with trepidation not knowing where they were.

"This was Jonas's men," Spike said. "I'm sure of it."

"Where did they take them?" Kyle demanded to know. "We have to go find them! They're in danger!"

Spike grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and gave him a shake. "Calm down! I know you're upset! Believe me, I know exactly how you're feeling right now, but you can't just rush into Jonas's place and think you're going to get them back. It would be suicide. Jonas is powerful and you're no match for him. He would take you down in seconds. We must go back to The Camp and prepare."

"Why did they take Teresa and not her foster parents?"

"I don't know, Kyle. Usually only Hybrids are on the recruiter's agenda. I don't know what they would want with a human girl."

After Spike drove Kyle back to The Camp, Spike informed Colonel of everything that had happened. Colonel called Kyle into his office and shut the door.

"I'm so sorry about what happened. Most of us here have lost loved ones to Jonas, some were taken against their will and some went voluntarily. You're among kindred spirits here...we're family here. And all of us are determined to get our loved ones back, whatever it takes."

Kyle looked at Colonel through teary eyes and with a determination he had never felt before.

"Just tell me where Jonas is! Tell me where they took my parents and Teresa! I must get them back! Please tell me, Colonel!"

"I can't do that, son...not yet. If you were to go there alone, you would be dead before you entered the gates. It's very dangerous, even for someone who's been trained. You must be prepared first and you must trust me. Most everyone here wants nothing more than to have their revenge on Jonas, but we must wait until the time is right or we'll lose the fight. Patience is hard, but patience will help us win this war. Jonas will pay for his crimes. I promise!"

Kyle was frustrated he was being asked to wait and worried about his parents and Teresa, but, for reasons he did not understand, he trusted Colonel completely.

Kyle stood up straight at attention like a soldier...his chest out...his hands down by his side... a stone-cold determination glazed in his eyes. "Colonel, I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get Teresa and my parent's back. I'm ready to become a soldier in your army and help destroy Jonas. Just tell me what I need to do."

CHAPTER FITHTEEN

Kyle found it impossible to find sleep in his dorm bed at The Camp, because he was so worried about Teresa and his parents. A hundred questions swam around his head. Were his parents and Teresa all right? Why had Teresa been taking? Why did the recruiters not kill Teresa as they did her foster parents? What did they want with her? Was she still alive? Did his performance at the football game cause their abduction? Were Jonas's men just waiting for him to make a mistake and reveal what he was? Was it his fault Teresa's foster parents were killed and maybe even Teresa? Kyle pondered these questions over and over in his head until exhaustion finally forced him to fall asleep right before daylight.

After only a couple hours of sleep, Kyle was awakened by Spike.

"It's time to get up!" Spike announced much too loud for Kyle. "We have a busy day today! Get up!"

"Dude, I just fell asleep," Kyle said in his baritone, morning voice. "What time is it?"

"It's time for the first day of the rest of your life. Get dressed. Colonel is waiting for us."

Colonel was alone in one of The Camp's three gymnasiums when Kyle and Spike entered the massive building, their footsteps echoing throughout the vast space as they approached Colonel who was surrounded by several plastic baskets, each full of softballs.

"Good morning, boys." Colonel said. "How did you sleep last night, Kyle?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Good, because I want to execute a few exercises with you to evaluate where you stand with your Hybrid abilities. Are you ready to get started?"

"Yeah, I guess?"

"I need more enthusiasm from my soldiers," Colonel said authoritatively like a drill sergeant. "Let's try it again. Are you ready to get started?"

"YES, SIR" Kyle screamed.

"Great, let's get begin. First, take a couple of steps backwards and place your hands behind your back."

Kyle did as he was instructed. Colonel bent over, picked up a softball from one of the baskets, and tossed it underhanded at Kyle, hitting the bewildered student squarely on his fore head.

"Ouch!"

Colonel laughed. "You were supposed to try and block it. This time use your Hybrid abilities and stop the ball before it hits you."

Colonel picked up another ball and tossed it at Kyle. This time, Kyle concentrated real hard at the ball coming towards his head, but, again, the ball hit him in the head.

"Damn it!" Kyle cried out of frustration. "What am I doing wrong?"

Colonel and Spike snickered together as they observed the two prominent, red marks glowing on Kyle's forehead.

"Don't concentrate on the ball coming at you." Colonel instructed. "Focus instead on the space in front of you. You're not trying the stop the ball...not right now anyways... you're using air molecules as a shield. Concentrate on tightly compressing those molecules between you and the ball so the ball can't get through them. Feel the air molecules around you. Become aware of them. Use them. Manipulate them. Command them to obey your will. And then use them to stop the ball. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Kyle said as a look of intense concentration swept over his face.

Colonel picked up another ball and threw it at him. Kyle concentrated on the space in front of him like he was instructed. He could feel the molecules growing tighter creating an impenetrable wall. The ball flew towards him like before, however, this time, it slowed down and stop inches from his forehead, as if it was caught in an invisible net...a feat he had instinctively accomplished months ago when an intruder had tried to shoot him.

"Good, Kyle, you did it!" Colonel praised. "Now, I want you to work with Spike and keep practicing this for the next couple of days. I've got to leave town for a bit, but when I get back, we'll train some more."

Kyle practiced stopping a variety of different items thrown at his head with Spike for the next two days. Spike soon saw what Colonel had seen in his young apprentice. Kyle was excelling faster then any student Spike had worked with before. He took to his Hybrid abilities like a duck takes to water.

It was a Friday when Colonel arrived back at The Camp. Spike ran out to meet him.

"Hurry up and come to the training gymnasium!" Spike told Colonel. "We've been waiting for you. You've got to see our new trainee!"

Colonel walked over to the gymnasium with Spike. Inside were several Hybrids standing around against the walls waiting for the "show" to begin. Kyle was standing in the middle of the gym floor with five other boys encircling him. Each of the five boys had various objects at their feet: baseballs, soccer balls, rocks, and even a few bowling balls. Colonel stood to the side with some of the spectators near the front door of the auditorium, keeping a safe distance from the demonstration that was about to start. Spike made his way over to Kyle and the other five boys to make his announcements to the crowd.

"All of us have seen Hybrids block objects thrown at them with their powers. We have even seen a few who can block a couple of items at the same time. But now you're about to witness a Hybrid who can block multiple projectiles hurled towards him of all shapes and sizes and from all directions! Prepare to be amazed!"

Spike smiled at Kyle who was shaking his head as he was hoping for a less pressuring build-up. Spike snickered as he saw the nervous look on Kyle's face. Spike left the center of the gym and joined Colonel near the far wall. "Kyle's going to kill me for that introduction," Spike said still snickering. "I just couldn't resist."

"LET THE SHOW BEGIN," Spike shouted.

The five boys used their Hybrid ability to randomly pick up the items at their feet and hurl them through the air at Kyle. As each object rapidly flew through the air at Kyle, he would lift his hands towards whichever objects were the closest. The hurled objects would immediately stop in mid-air and fall to the ground. Kyle would quickly move to the next object and then the next...stopping each one. The boys began launching the items faster and faster and more frequent. Kyle had to turn briskly in place from left to right and sometimes spinning all the way around to avoid missing any of the flying objects. At times, he almost looked like he was dancing to an orchestrated musical only he could hear.

Finally, the boy's "ammunition" was exhausted. Kyle stood in the middle of the auditorium with his hands on his knees breathing hard and sweat dripping from his brow after his grueling performance. Various objects were scattered all over the auditorium's floor as if a typhoon had just blown through.

The crowd erupted in cheering and clapping their hands, praising Kyle for the remarkable performance he had just given them. Kyle felt like he did when he won the football game... like a hero. No one, including Colonel, had ever seen another Hybrid with this much skill after practicing for such a short period of time.

Colonel walked up to Kyle. "You did great! I knew you were special but this was beyond my expectations."

"Thanks. Spike had me practicing for two straight days...day and night. I've got the bruises to prove it."

"You did a great job," Colonel told Kyle. "Tomorrow, after school, we can practice on some other stuff. Right now," Colonel turned his attention to the others. ", shouldn't you all be in class?"

The crowd immediately dispensed and returned to their studies. As strict as Colonel was about training for battle, he was more so about education. His philosophy was, "The stronger the mind... the stronger the body".

For Kyle's next lesson, he was taught to propel objects with great force through the air with his Hybrid powers. He then, practicing with golf ball size items, learned to maneuver the items with such precision that he could place them in a coffee cup from twenty feet away. He later graduated to larger objects like axes, knives and spears, learning to control their flight so they flew through the air point first. He then learned to pick up heavier objects like chairs and tables and hurl them effectively at a target.

Every day at The Camp Kyle did his school studies in the morning and then practiced with his powers all afternoon and sometimes late into the evening. He would then slip into bed and think about his parents and Teresa. He prayed they were not being hurt. He prayed they were still alive. He still blamed himself for their capture and vowed he would rescue them from Jonas. Everyday Kyle asked Colonel when they were going to go after Jonas and everyday he was told they would go when the time was right. He was growing impatient with each passing day knowing his parents and Teresa were prisoners but he also had unconditional faith in Colonel, so he waited, but for how much longer, he did not know.

Kyle was adjusting to his new life as best as he could. He had managed to make a few new friends, besides Spike. One was Sarah Thompson.

Sarah Thompson was a young high-energy girl with endearing sweetness and manner, sandy blond hair, green eyes, and an independent attitude about her. She and her brother, John Thompson, have lived at The Camp for over three years, ever since some of Jonas's recruiters broke into their home in the middle of their family dinner. Their parents managed to hold off the recruiter long enough for Sarah and John to escape, but they were eventually subdued and taken to The Compound. Colonel found Sarah and John, alone and scared, and took them under his wing and started training them for the impending battle.

During the training sessions, it was discovered that Sarah Thompson had a very unique ability. She could act like an amplifier for other Hybrids. By being in her proximity, a Hybrid's powers and abilities became stronger and more focused...a great advantage to have when a small group was to be used in battle...a valuable "tool" Jonas would love to have in his arsenal. Sarah would feel the drain on her body when a Hybrid used her to amplify his powers, leaving her weak and vulnerable for a short time.

Colonel was realizing some of the second generations of Hybrids were developing powers beyond those of the first. He had heard stories of incredible things the young Hybrids could do, some of which frightened him to his very core.

Sarah was immediately very attracted to Kyle from the first time she saw him. Admittedly, Kyle found her extremely attractive, but his heart belonged to Teresa which he told Sarah one night when she expressed her affection for him. Sarah respected Kyle's loyalty and settled for being just friends.

It was on a Friday afternoon that Kyle accidentally discovered a new ability he never knew he had, an ability no other Hybrid had seen. Sarah, Kyle, and a few of their friends were sitting outside the cafeteria on some picnic tables talking about hobbies each of them liked. The sky had been gloomy grey and overcast all day and they could feel the moisture in the air whenever a cold breeze blew through...a portentous sign a storm was imminent. As predicted, off in the distance, they could see dark clouds approaching with lightning streaked through the illuminated clouds and the distant sound of thunder rumbling through the blackened sky.

"That storm is getting close," Kyle pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah, it won't be long and we're all going to get wet if we don't get inside soon," warned Sarah.

"We've got a while yet before it hits us. Don't be such a wimp," a red-headed girl mocked Sarah.

As the storm blew in closer, they could feel the static electricity in the air. Small strands of Sarah's long sandy blond hair started to rise from her head as if by magic.

"Look at Sarah's hair!" the red-headed girl exclaimed with amusement. "Is mine doing it too?"

"That storm's getting close," Kyle warned to seemingly death ears. "We better go in. Those clouds are going to burst open at any moment now."

Sarah shook her hair to allow more of it to rise from the static electrical charge filling the air. She looked like she had stuck her finger in a light socket making everyone laugh.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through The Camp as the storm moved in even closer. The wind started all the trees swaying causing leaves to rain down from the branches. As the wind reached the tree growing next to the picnic table Kyle and his friends were sitting at, they were showered with leaves. The wind began to intensify significantly causing a simultaneous desire among the once brave girls to get inside, but before anyone got up from the picnic table, they all heard a snapping, splitting sound coming from the top of the tree. Everyone looked up and saw that the wind had caused a large branch to break off from the tree and it was rapidly falling directly towards them. Kyle instinctively raised his hands to use his Hybrid powers to push the branch away, but instead of moving the branch, static electricity, which had been steadily building up in the air as the storm grew closer, shot from his hands and directly towards the branch like a bolt of lightning. The discharge of electricity smashed into the branch, resulting in it exploding into several small pieces of timber. Burnt kindling and smoldering leaves drizzled softly down upon the picnic table and all the shocked faces still sitting around it.

"That was amazing! How did you do that?" the red-headed girl asked.

"I don't know! It just happened! I was just trying to stop the branch from busting us in the heads."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Kyle. "I don't care how you did it. You saved us all!"

"No, I didn't," Kyle said with modesty.

"Well, I say you did and I'll forever be grateful to you...my hero!"

The rain started to fall as predicted and everyone ran for shelter. Kyle headed straight to Colonel's office to inform him what had just happened. After telling his story, Colonel seemed amazed and very interested in what Kyle had done. He told Kyle he would like to see him demonstrate his new ability for him after the storm passed.

Several hours later, an anxious Kyle met Colonel out by the recreational field next to the mechanic shop.

"Okay, show me what you can do," Colonel said as he pointed towards a near by garbage can. "See if you can hit it with your ...electricity... thing."

Kyle turned towards the garbage can and lifted his hand towards it. He concentrated on whatever static electricity he could feel in the air and tried to shoot a bolt of electricity at the can. Nothing was happening! He concentrated harder trying to build up an electrical charge before he sent it hurdling towards the can. Eventually, a small spark of electricity jumped from his fingers a few inches before fizzling away. There was just not enough static electricity in the air to form a bolt of lightning like before.

Kyle was frustrated. He had expecting to give Colonel a grand fireworks show but instead Colonel was giving a lack-luster sparkler show.

"That's all right," Colonel said as he turned and began walking away. "You tried. Perhaps it was just one of those freak-of-nature things."

Kyle didn't want to disappoint Colonel. Out of frustration, he started hurriedly looking around for anything that produced electricity when he spotted an electrical outlet on the outside wall of the mechanic shop. He quickly ran into the mechanic shop and grabbed a screwdriver out of a toolbox. He then rushed back outside to the electrical outlet, took a deep breath, and intentionally shoved the tip of the screwdriver into the outlet. Sparks flew from the outlet box and Kyle instantly felt electricity flow into him, yet it did not cause him any pain or discomfort.

Kyle raised his free hand towards the garbage can and concentrated on the electricity surging through his body. A bolt of electricity exploded with a crack from his hand, shot through the air, and collided into the can. The can violently exploded into burning metal shrapnel spewing its contents high into the air before it all landing back to earth ablaze.

Colonel, hearing the loud explosion, quickly spun around in time to see the flaming debris landing to the ground. He looked over and saw Kyle standing next to the mechanic shop with something in his hand jammed into the electrical outlet. Kyle let go another bolt of electricity shattering a nearby picnic table into wooden splinters.

Kyle pulled the screwdriver from the outlet, unharmed by the current of electricity that had flowed through his body. He proudly smiled at Colonel... pleased he could give his mentor such an explosive show.

Colonel walked over to Kyle. "Hand it to you to stick your finger into an electrical outlet just to prove a point," Colonel joked. "You'll have to explain to all of us just how you did that. Then we'll see if any one else here can duplicate it. Man, our electric bill's going to be high this month!"

After giving everyone at The Camp an opportunity to copy Kyle's new ability, it was discovered there were several Hybrids who could repeat the same performance Kyle had given. Hybrids, as it turned out, were impervious to the dangers of electricity. Colonel realized they had a new weapon to use against Jonas and his army, but it was not yet practical for battle. A source of electricity had to be readily available for the ability to work. He knew Jonas wasn't just going to let them "plug up" to his outlets! No, they would have to devise some kind of portable power to carry with them into battle. Colonel began to work feverishly for a solution.

A few weeks later, Colonel had Kyle and the other Hybrids, who had the ability to control electricity, to meet him at one of The Camp's shooting ranges. When they arrived at the field, Colonel was already waiting for them. He was standing beside a black van with its back doors opened wide. Inside the van were several dozen black backpacks with two distinct wires attached to each of the bags. The ends of each wire were attached to what resembled wide silver bracelets.

Colonel pulled one of the backpacks from the van. Everyone gathered around, full of wonder at what he had to present them.

"Ever since we discovered the new ability to control electricity, I've had some of my military engineer friends working on a portable battery source that would be small enough to be carried into battle and still have enough amperage to pack a punch. They came up with this... the E.A.P... the Electrical Amperage Pack. It has the capability to delivering nearly one hundred amps continuously for one minute or a series of short bursts for twenty minutes. It uses an experimental battery which has not been tested on the battlefield yet because of some bureaucratic red tape. We'll be the first to test this new battery. Now, come grab you a pack."

Kyle anxiously waited in line to get his E.A.P. The device was much lighter than Kyle had anticipated and, once placed on his back and strapped on, was remarkably comfortable. The silver bracelets for delivering the electrical charge from the battery fit snuggly around both his wrists. A short cable with a push-button end, for turning the pack off and on, was attached to his shoulder strap, while a small electronic pad on the left bracelet controlled the intensity of the electrical discharge.

Kyle found a spot on the firing range and turned on his E.A.P. He could immediately feel the electricity running through his body, exhilarating him like a kid having received his Christmas present early. He raised his right hand towards a cardboard target on the range and concentrated. He imagined the target was Jonas although he had never actually seen what Jonas looked like. A bolt of electricity shot from his right hand and impacted the target. The target exploded into a fiery ball of sparks and flaming shards of cardboard.

"Oh, this is so cool!" Kyle exclaimed.

Soon the shooting range was filled with sounds of cracking electricity, fiery explosions and enthusiastic cries of excitement as the others began practicing with their new "toys".

Kyle alternated shooting bolts from his left hand and then his right and back to his left, ardently destroying target after target until his E.A.P. ran out of power. Kyle quickly grabbed another pack from the back of the van and returned to his spot. This time he wanted to try something different. Instead of using one hand at a time, he decided to try both hands. He turned his E.A.P. on and then cupped his left fist inside his right one and released a bolt of electricity, but, unlike the previous times, all the power inside the E.A.P. was discharged all at once in one single bolt. The force of the discharge leaving his body forced Kyle backwards several steps. The bolt of electricity hit the target with a thunderous explosion, leaving behind nothing but smoke and ashes.

Everyone on the shooting range stopped what they were doing because of the tremendously loud blast that drowned out all the other range noises combined. They looked towards where Kyle's target once was and then at Kyle who was grinning like a cat caught with the family's canary in its mouth.

"Sorry... but I had to see what it would do."

Colonel had a big smiled on his face. "Now, that's a weapon!"

That evening, Kyle and Spike were sitting down at a table in the cafeteria eating.

"Where does Colonel go when he leaves on his trips?" Kyle asked.

"He's never told me where he goes or why. I personally think there are other camps like ours in different parts of the country and Colonel makes trips to them to get updates and exchange information about Jonas. But, I'm not really sure and I don't ask. Whatever he's doing must be important and I trust Colonel."

"I do too, but I'm getting tired of waiting to go after Jonas. I want to get my parents and Teresa back. I feel like I'm wasting so much time here when they could be in such danger. If Colonel would tell me where Jonas's place is, I would leave tonight!"

"That's why he won't tell you. To go alone would be suicide. To go without a plan would be suicide. Trust Colonel. He knows what he's doing."

"I know. I know you're right. It's just hard to wait."

Just then, a commotion outside the cafeteria windows caught Kyle's and Spike's attention. Several boys were hurriedly carrying a person, who was obviously unconscious by the limpness in the body, across the yard and into the medical building. A crowd was quickly growing outside the doors to the medical building. As Kyle and Spike approached the building, they heard someone say she was found lying in the middle of the road unconscious about a mile from The Camp. Kyle pushed his way through the crowd to get a look at the patient.

His eyes grew big as saucers and his heart nearly stopped, for he knew the girl who lied upon the doctor's table...Teresa!

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kyle waited impatiently outside the medical building for the doctor to finish examining Teresa. After several minutes, the doctor finally opened the door.

"The young lady is doing fine." She was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, but I've got some I.V.'s running into her now to re-hydrate her. With a little rest, she should be fine."

"Thanks, Doc. Can I see her now?" Kyle asked, his expression full of worried concern and apprehension.

"She's asleep right now."

"I promise I won't disturb her."

"I can see she means a lot to you."

"Yes, sir, she does."

"Okay, you can go on in, but let her sleep."

Inside, Teresa was lying on a white hospital bed with a tube running into her left arm. Kyle was so happy and relieved to see she was safe. He walked to the head of the bed and lightly stroked her hair. He thought how she looked so beautiful and peaceful lying there. He hoped she would be happy to see him, for the last time they saw each other, she had walked away without saying a word. He was anxious to know what happened to her and if she knew whether his parents were all right. He also wondered if she knew her foster parents were dead.

He would have to wait for the answers until Teresa awoke, and wait is what he did. He stayed by her side the rest of the day and all night long.

Early the next morning, Teresa awoke. As soon as her eyes met Kyle's, she smiled hugely and wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. After several seconds, she released her hold and continued to smile.

"It's so good to see you," Teresa said with teary eyes.

"It's good to see you, too. I was so worried about you. I didn't know what happened to you or if you were all right or even if you were still...alive." Kyle nearly choked on that last word.

"I guess you have lots of questions for me?"

"I do, but I want to wait until you're ready."

"Go ahead. I'm ready."

"What happened? Why did they take you? How did you escape? Do you know where my parents are?"

"I'll tell you everything that happened. Not long after your parents arrived at my house, four men busted through the front door carrying assault rifles. Your father struggled with them for a little while, but they got the upper hand. Two of the men escorted your parents and me to a van and forced us inside while the other two stayed behind with my foster parents. As I was stepping into the van, I could hear screams...then silence. The two men ran out of my house and got into the van. I knew my foster parents were dead.

"We were driven to an airport where we boarded a twin engine plane and were flown to The Compound. Once there, they separated me from your parents. That was the last time I saw them. The men put me in a small cell all by myself. After a while, a woman...I later found out her name was Janet... came to my cell bringing food and water. She was the only person I saw the whole time I was in the cell."

"What did they want with you?" Kyle asked. "You're human."

"I don't know. I still don't know."

Teresa continued with her story. "Three times a day, Janet would bring me food and water and other supplies. At first, she didn't say much but after several visits, she started conversing with me. She would talk to me about her family and I told her of mine. I would often break down and cry and I could see the sympathy on Janet's face. Sometimes she would have to hurriedly leave the cell so I wouldn't notice her tearing up, but I saw. I could tell she didn't like having to do what she was doing.

"I began talking to her more and more during each visit. She eventually confessed to me she was at The Compound against her will just as I was, but she couldn't escape because they had her daughter.

"After a few weeks of her visiting, I became very fond of Janet and she also took a liking to me. Her visits became more frequent each passing day. She was my only friend there... heck, she was the only soul I saw.

"Then, one evening, in the middle of the night, Janet came to my cell with great concern on her face. She told me I must get dressed immediately, that I had to get out of that place. She unlocked my cell door and I followed her down several hallways and through a multitude of doors until we finally made it outside and to the front gate. She must have had a few others helping her because the front gate opened automatically, just far enough for me to squeeze through. Janet remained on the inside of the gate and handed me a key.

"I asked her if she was coming, but she reminded me she couldn't leave her daughter behind. I told her I was concern about her getting in trouble for helping me escape. She told me not to worry about that. She said if it was her innocent daughter locked in a prison cell, she would hope someone would help her escape. She then told me there was a Jeep parked about a half-mile down the road. Take it, she said, and get out of here.

"I thanked her, found the Jeep and headed south. I went as far as the gas in the Jeep would take me and I then had to hitchhike and beg for food for the next several days until I made it back here, where I apparently passed out."

Kyle took Teresa's hand in his.

"I'm so glad you made it here safely. I wanted so much to come get you and my parents but Colonel wouldn't tell me where Jonas's compound was, but now you can tell me where it is! Then, I can save my parents!"

"No Kyle. You can't go there alone. Jonas has a big army there that will protect him whatever the cost. They would kill you immediately! Wait until Colonel is ready to make his move. I can show him how to get there. I'm sure your parents are all right."

Kyle knew Teresa was right, but it didn't make him want to go any less. He had nearly accepted the possibility his parents and Teresa could be dead, but seeing Teresa alive renewed his hopes that his parents were still alive. He was ashamed in himself he had allowed such a thought to invade his mind.

Teresa gave out a huge yawn.

"You're still tired. Lie down and get some more rest. I'll be here when you wake up. And then we can go talk to Colonel."

"I love you, Kyle. You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course, I do. I love you, too."

Kyle kissed Teresa on her forehead and left the medical building to go find Colonel who was in his office.

"How's Teresa doing?" he asked Kyle.

"As well as can be expected. She's sleeping now. She's been through a lot."

"I can just imagine."

"I've got good news for you. Teresa knows how to get to Jonas's place. She said when you're ready to attack, she can show you the way."

Colonel formed a questioning look with his brow. "I already know where Jonas's compound is. I've known where it was for a while. We've just been waiting for the right moment to launch our attack. My only question is... how did Teresa know about the attack?"

"I guess someone here must have told her," Kyle said, not giving it much concern.

"Yeah, someone must have," Colonel responded suspiciously.

Kyle held up his hands defensively. "I swear it wasn't me!"

A few hours later, Teresa was up and feeling much better. Kyle showed her around The Camp and introduced her to his new friends. They all like Teresa and welcomed her. Kyle showed Teresa everything he could do with his Hybrid abilities and, much to Kyle's relief, she seemed to be accepting the fact he was not human. Kyle wished he would have told her the truth sooner. He swore to himself he would never keep secrets from her ever again.

Early that same afternoon, Colonel called an emergency meeting for everyone in The Camp. They all gathered outside the main operations building waiting for Colonel's announcement. He walked out of the building and stood in front of them all.

"The time has come to attack Jonas. Tomorrow morning we leave for our base in Wyoming, near the Montana state line."

Spike whispered to Kyle. "I was right! We aren't the only base. We're not alone in all this."

Colonel continued. "I have been working closely with our other three bases, the ones in Arizona, Maine, and Wyoming, closing the final details on the attack plan. The trips I've been taking were to meet with personnel from each base to go over our plan of attack and to talk about any new Hybrid abilities we may have discovered that would help us in this war. I informed them about our success with the E.A.P. and shipped them over several packs so they could practice as well. The base in Maine has a Hybrid who recently discovered a new ability that should greatly help us gain access to Jonas's compound. I will let them demonstrate that new ability when we all arrive together at the main base in Wyoming two days from now.

"We have worked hard and trained hard for this day. I'm proud of each and every one of you. I've watched many of you grow from young lads into mature, strong soldiers. Now you're about to be given the ultimate test of your strength and abilities. I know you will make me proud. We'll win this fight for Hybrids, for humanity, and for freedom from fear. Get packed! We leave in the morning!"

As the crowd was dispersing, Teresa approached Colonel.

"Colonel, wait, I need to talk to you!"

Colonel stopped and turned around to see who was calling his name.

"I want to go with you to Wyoming," Teresa said.

"Sorry, it's too dangerous. You need to stay here. It will be safer for you."

"Is it because I'm a girl, Colonel?" she said accusingly.

"No, it's because you're human. Little girl...I don't have the time or the luxury to baby-sit you."

Teresa's face turned red with anger. She swiftly snatched a rifle from the hands of one of the soldiers standing next to Colonel and quickly took the rifle's clip out to check that it contained ammo. She slammed the clip back into the rifle, disengaged the safety, and aimed at a street lamp near the entrance to The Camp nearly a hundred yards away. With a shot that would rival most pros, she took out the lamp in one attempt, shattering it into a million pieces. She then engaged the safety and tossed the rifle back to the soldier who was standing wide-eyed with his jaw hanging open.

"Very impressive, young lady. Where did you learn to shoot like that?" Colonel asked.

"My father taught me before he died. He was in the army."

Teresa then looked up at Colonel with the saddest eyes she could muster...eyes that got her what she wanted most of the time.

"Please let me go with you. I have nothing left here. I have no one."

Despite his apathetic reputation, Colonel did have a heart and Teresa was tugging on it. He couldn't leave her behind for he knew she was right...she no longer had anyone to stay here for.

"Okay, you can go with us, but you'll have to stay behind at the main base when we attack The Compound. You haven't been properly trained."

No, problem! Thanks, Colonel."

Teresa reached up and hugged Colonel's neck.

"Has anyone shown you where the female dorms are?" Colonel asked.

"No, sir. I've been in medical since I arrived."

Colonel quickly scanned the yard and saw Kyle and Spike talking with each other a short distance away. He called Kyle over.

"Show Teresa to the female dorms."

"Yes, sir!"

Kyle walked Teresa to the female dorms where Sarah Thompson and the rest of the girls welcomed her in and immediately started pulling out piles of their own clothes to let Teresa try on knowing the only clothes she had was what she was wearing.

"We'll take good care of her. We promise," Sarah Thompson assured Kyle.

The next morning, everyone at The Camp was awakened at 4:30 A.M. Several trucks and busses were loaded with equipment and supplies for the trip to the main base. Everyone got into their assigned vehicles and headed down the road in a military-style convoy. The air was filled with a nervous excitement.

Kyle rode in back of one of the buses with Teresa. Sarah sat directly across from them. Colonel was in the same bus but sat in the front directly behind the driver. Spike rode in the bus following directly behind.

While Kyle was holding Teresa's hand and conversing with her, he couldn't help but notice Sarah watching him and Teresa out of the corner of her eye. Whenever he would start to look over at her, she would quickly look away, pretending to read an old issue of People Magazine. He could tell the magazine was outdated for the cover was announcing that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston were officially a couple. Kyle opted to ignore Sarah's voyeurism and turn his attention fully to the story Teresa was telling him about her first bus ride on a Greyhound when she was eight.

After about two hours of traveling, Teresa fell asleep with her head in a wadded blanket leaning against the window. Sarah had also succumbed to having wakened up so early and was nestle in a pillow she had smartly thought to bring. Kyle was too excited to sleep so he quietly left his seat and went to the front of the bus to join Colonel.

"How's it going back there?" Colonel asked.

"Just fine. Everyone's asleep."

"But not you."

"I can't sleep."

"Me either. So, what's on your mind?"

"I was just remembering you mentioning a while back that sometimes you have to "deal with" bad Hybrids. What do you do with them, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Our main base in Wyoming has a prison in it specially designed to hold Hybrids. We obviously can't send them to a regular prison because they would easily escape. So we keep them there and try to rehabilitate them."

"How many prisoners are there?"

"Thankfully, we only have eleven. Most Hybrids just want to live a peaceful normal life."

"How many Hybrids do you think there are in the world?"

"Oh, there's no way of telling. Most of us don't tell people what we are so we can try to live normal lives. But we're everywhere, here and in other countries living our lives as ordinary folks. There are even some of us who occupy political seats here in America."

Kyle's mind started turning. "Are there any famous people who are Hybrids?"

"Well, I don't tell many people about this, but I happen to know about one because he's a personal friend of mine."

"Who"? Kyle asked with enthusiasm.

"You know the comedian, Jim Carey?"

"Jim Carey"?! Kyle almost screamed. He quickly looked around the bus to make sure he hadn't drawn anyone's attention. He then lowered his voice to an almost whisper. "He's a Hybrid?"

"Sure is. We've known each other for awhile now although I haven't seen him in quite some time. We met outside a comedy bar after one of his stand-up performances when he was still doing stand-up. My car had a flat tire, I had no spare, and Jim gave me a ride to my hotel, but not before we stopped at a local restaurant and I bought him dinner. At the restaurant, Jim pulled out a check he wrote to himself for ten million dollars. He boosted that one day he would be able to cash that check. He actually did!"

"Do you still talk to him?"

"Not so much anymore."

"Wow, that's so cool that you know Jim Carey!Do you know my parents?"

"I do. We lost touch some years ago, since before you were born, but I remember them from when we were living at the military base together."

"What were my parents like back then?"

"Your dad was always the jokester. He would always try to make everyone laugh, which was very welcomed in a place like that. Your mom was, and still is, very pretty and always stayed close to your dad. When we escaped, I kind of secretly wished your mom would have gone with me. But she was in love with your dad."

"Have you ever been in love?"

Colonel face saddened and he fell silent for a few seconds as his mind drifted in a stream of thoughts and reminiscences of bygone days. When he started speaking again, his voice seemed a million miles away. "Yes, her name was Susan... she was killed in a confrontation I had with Jonas several years after we all escaped from the military base. Susan was trying to protect me...she gave her life to save me."

Colonel went silent again for several more minutes, reminiscing on his life with his partner and what could have been. His mind eventually found its way back to the present time. "Let me ask you a question," Colonel said. "How long have you known Teresa?"

"For several months now, Why?"

"I just don't know much about her, like, how can she handle an assault rifle as well as she does?"

"I suppose her biological dad showed her how to use a gun before he had his accident. He was a police officer."

"Hmmm, I thought she told me her father was in the military when he died?"

"Well, maybe I got it wrong, but if that's what she told you, then...there you go."

Kyle had never actually probed very deep into Teresa's past. He didn't feel he should go prying into her tragic past and bring up painful memories of her parent's accident. He felt when she was ready to talk about it, she would.

"I trust every one of my people...I know them." Colonel said. "Now, don't take this wrong, but I don't know Teresa. Can she be trusted?"

"Of course she can! I trust her with my life!"

"Well, let's pray it won't come to that."

"I think I'm getting tired now. I'm going back to my seat," Kyle said a little huffy.

"Kyle, please understand that I'm responsible for everyone here. It's my job to keep everyone as safe as I can."

"You don't have to worry about Teresa."

Kyle went back to his seat in the back of the bus, a little perturbed with Colonel for questioning Teresa's loyalty. She had just as many reasons to want Jonas dead as any of them. Kyle surmised that maybe Colonel was just getting nervous about the battle and that's why he was questioning Teresa's loyalty. Kyle silently forgave Colonel. For a few minutes, Kyle gazed upon Teresa as she slept and then spent the rest of the morning looking out the window and watching the cars go by.

After a couple days of riding, they arrived at the base in Wyoming. The base was an abandoned prison built years ago with razor wire still sitting atop of a chain-link fence which encircling the whole perimeter of the base. The stucco buildings on the base grounds were weather-worn and in desperate need of a coat of paint and obvious repair work. The grounds looked like they hadn't seen a lawnmower in years with grass three foot high in places along side huge patches of nothing but dirt. The place was void of anyone outside with the exception of two guards who stood just inside the front gate.

"What a dump!" Kyle stated as he got off the bus.

"You can't judge a book by its cover," Colonel told Kyle.

"Welcome back, Colonel," one of the guards said. "They're waiting inside for you."

Once inside the buildings, everyone was shocked. Kyle now knew why Colonel had made the statement about not judging a book by its cover. The inside of the buildings looked brand new; the decor was immaculate. It in no way looked like the inside of a prison. If Kyle hadn't known better, he could easily believe he was standing in the lobby of a four-star luxury hotel. The old prison was completely remodeled with brilliant colors on the walls, shiny wood floors, and all the comforts of home; a huge contrast from what they witnessed on the outside.

They all were shown to their rooms while Colonel and Spike headed to the main office for a briefing. They asked Kyle to join them. Kyle followed them into a brightly lit room where several people were gathered around a long oak table lined with an assortment of papers, maps, and blueprints. The walls were plastered with more blueprints and aerial photographs held up with thumb tacks.

A rather thin man sitting at the table looked up and saw Colonel walking into the room. "Good, Richard is here. Now, we can go over our plan of attack."

Kyle leaned into Spike and whispered in his ear. "Richard? Did you know that was Colonel's name?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't like people calling him Richard."

The thin man who had announced Colonel's entry into the room stood up from the table to address everyone. Despite his small stature, he had an authoritative presence about him.

"For those of you who may not know me, my name is Harold Pate. I'm head of operations at this base. As many of you know, we have had a man watching The Compound for almost a year now. He has gathered excellent intelligence on the place... all their schedules and activities. He has also been able to smuggle out the layout of The Compound which includes the location of the main power distribution room. Unfortunately, we haven't heard from him in two weeks which is what has prompted us to initiate our attack plan. If he's been compromised, Jonas may have discovered what we're up to. We must attack before he has a chance to retaliate.

"The Compound is well fortified with fourteen foot high, concrete block walls surrounding the entire complex and motion sensor placed every ten feet around the top of the walls. The interior of the grounds are protected with military-grade fifty caliber turret guns with motion sensor laser guided sights that can automatically fire upon anything that moves. They also have ground-to-air missile capabilities, so we can't use helicopters or low flying planes to infiltrate The Compound. Each of the buildings has motion sensitive security cameras and alarms capable of calling forth a slew of armed guards at a moments notice. The guards are ordered to shoot first and ask questions later."

Harold then picked up an aerial picture of The Compound.

"The only way we have found to gain access to The Compound is through the top of this building," Harold said placing his finger on one of the buildings in the picture.

"You said we can't use helicopters to access the top of that building," Colonel remarked. "That means we would have to parachute in from a high altitude. That would require a lot of skill and some luck, especially being loaded down with equipment. Not that many folks could accomplish that."

Harold smiled. "Well, we were thinking about doing it without parachutes."

"Without parachutes? What other way is there?" Colonel asked.

Harold whispered in the ear of a young man that had been standing next to him the entire time, apparently waiting to be called upon. The man promptly took off up a flight of stairs that had a sign above them that read, "To the Roof".

"Everyone, follow me outside," Harold instructed the room.

Once everyone was outside, Harold drew their attention to the man standing on the edge of the roof four stories up.

"Several months ago, Dan, up there on the roof, was climbing a maple tree... just showing off for some girls as we all have. He was about thirty feet high in the tree when he slipped and fell. As he fell, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable impact with the ground, but, to his surprise, he hit the ground rather softly. The girls who had witnessed the whole thing stated that as Dan began to fall, he actually slowed down.

"I was informed of this remarkable ability and immediately began to see if Dan could duplicate it. First, he tried it from ten feet. He did it. He tried it from a higher altitude with the same success. The ultimate test was when he jumped out of a plane and landing on the ground. We tested other Hybrids. Everyone who attempted it was successful. Now watch as Dan demonstrates."

Harold motioned for the young man to jump. As Dan stepped to the edge of the roof, the crowd held their collective breath. Dan fearlessly jumped feet first and, for a slight instant, started to accelerate towards the hard ground, but quickly began slowing down as he approached the ground. Dan's landing wasn't a light one. He hit the ground with the same impact as if he had jumped from the foot of a bed, but the fall didn't kill him or break any bones.

"That was incredible," Kyle remarked. "When can we try?"

"Right now," Harold said. "Follow me."

Harold led them down a sidewalk which ran away from the main building and to a cleared grassy field surrounded by woods. In the middle of the field was a tall wooden structure, obviously constructed to practice the new Hybrid ability. The structure consisting of three tiers at different heights with a wooden platform built at each tier: one at fifteen feet, one at thirty feet, and one at fifty feet.

"Who's first?" Harold asked.

Kyle immediately raised his hand. "I'll go."

Kyle was eager to duplicate this new ability although he had a slight fear of heights. It wasn't so much a fear of heights as it was a fear of falling from those heights.

Harold instructed Dan to escort Kyle to the first platform, the one that was fifteen feet off the ground. Kyle followed Dan up the wooden stairs and to the edge of the platform. He cautiously looked over the edge and felt a little dizzy as his extremities tingled with fear.

Dan began his instructions. "This is quite simple. Have you ever used your powers to stop an object from hitting you?"

"Yes"

"Well, this is just like that. You'll concentrate on the air molecules underneath you, making them much denser than normal, causing a dragging effect to slow your body down. It's like jumping into a pool off the high dive, landing in the water, and having the water slow your body down before you hit the bottom of the pool. It sort of even feels the same when you're slowing down in the air. Are you ready to try it?"

Kyle nodded his head.

"Okay, remember to start concentrating before you step off. Fifteen feet doesn't give you much reaction time. It's actually easier the higher you are...more reaction time. You can go whenever you're ready."

Kyle took a deep breath, closed his eyes, concentrated on the air below his feet, and stepped off. He half expecting to feel the ground's impact crushing his legs, but, instead, he hit the ground rather softly. He wished he would have kept his eyes opened.

The crowd clapped at Kyle's achievement as Dan called him back up the stairs to the higher second platform.

Standing on the edge of the second platform, Kyle looked over the edge and felt his hands and feet grow cold with fear. Thirty feet looked much higher than fifteen, but he was determined to take this leap as well.

"This time the impact will be a little harder, but nothing you can't handle," Dan informed Kyle. "Whenever you're ready."

Kyle again took a deep breath, concentrated on the air below him, and stepped off the platform. This time he kept his eyes open and watched the ground rush towards him. The impact was indeed harder than before but not so much that he felt any pain. The crowd applauded again.

Kyle ran up the stairs to the third platform without having to be asked. He was becoming giddy learning this new ability like a kid trying out his first bike at Christmas. He stepped up to the edge of the third platform but this time he didn't feel as much fear as he had the previous two time even though he was higher than ever before. He jumped off the platform and again landed unharmed.

He and the rest of Colonel's team practiced this new ability for the rest of the afternoon until they had perfected it. They practice jumping from the platforms wearing military equipment and E.A.P's. But, tomorrow would be the real test. They were going to jump from a plane!

After Kyle finished with his practicing and showered, he found Teresa sitting at a picnic table talking with Sarah Thompson. They were giggling like two high school girls when he approached them.

"Hey Kyle," Sarah said with a smile.

"Hey Sarah," Kyle said returning the smile.

He then sat beside Teresa and kissed her. "What were you two laughing about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just girl stuff." Teresa answered with a wink at Sarah.

Sarah stood up feeling like three's a crowd. "I best go now and leave you two alone. See you later, Teresa."

"See ya," Teresa answered back as Sarah left. She then turned towards Kyle. "She seems like a very nice girl."

"Yeah, I guess so but I've got the best damn girl in the world!"

Kyle pulled Teresa close and kissed her again.

"You know she likes you," Teresa remarked.

"Who...Sarah?"

"You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"The way she looks at you."

"I honestly can say I haven't noticed. Sarah and I are friends...nothing more. I think you're seeing more in this than is actually there."

"Perhaps, but could you see yourself with someone like Sarah?"

"Someone like Sarah?"

"You know...someone so likeable and trustworthy."

Kyle took Teresa's hand in his. "I see myself with you and no one else. I trust you more than anyone here."

Just then a strong gust of wind blew Kyle's ball-cap from his head. Teresa watched as he chased the tumbling hat which teased him by staying just inches away from his finger tips. She sadly smiled and whispered under her breath. "You should be careful whom you trust, Kyle"

The next morning, Kyle and the rest of the "suicide jumpers" (that was the affectionate name given to the ones jumping out of the plane) were taken to one of five planes sitting on the small air field built in the back of the facility. The plane, a double engine King Air which sat sixteen passengers, was already at the end of the runway ready to take flight. Kyle and eleven others climbed aboard and were soon twelve thousand feet in the air.

The pilot signaled that it was time to jump as the side door of the aircraft was opened. Kyle watched as each jumper leaped from the plane and fell back to earth. His heart was in his throat as he approached the edge of the door. It felt so unnatural to be leaping from a perfectly good plane. It was a whole different world from leaping off wooden platforms; this was twelve thousand feet!

Kyle crossed his arms in front of him as he was instructed to do and stepped out of the plane. Immediately, the force of gravity grabbed him, pulling him towards the ground, and started him momentarily tumbling out of control, but he managed to regained control and, using the techniques the instructor taught him, spread his arms and feet out to control his descent.

Kyle was filled with heart-racing exhilaration as he pierced through a billowing white cloud on his way down leaving him covered in a chilling mist from the water vapors trapped inside. He was surprisingly without fear as he rapidly fell to earth. He felt a strange sense of utter freedom and an uncanny desire to surrender himself to the potent power of gravity. Soon, however, he could make out the buildings of the base below and saw the green signal smoke in an open field where he was to land. His jubilant plunge through the sky was nearly over.

Kyle positioned his body so he was falling feet first and began concentrating on the air molecules below him. Initially, he didn't feel himself slowing down and panic began to run throughout his whole body. He concentrated more intensely, trying to make the air molecules as dense under his feet as he could. Much to his relief, Kyle felt himself slowing down significantly. He looked down at the ground and spotted his landing target, a big red circle painted on the ground. He managed to maneuver himself over the target right before he hit the ground. The impact was quite harder than jumping from the platform, forcing the air from his lungs, but Kyle quickly recovered and was eager to do it again.

After performing several jumps perfecting their landings, the "suicide jumpers" began practicing landing on the top of buildings until they perfected that as well. The attack plan involved them landing on the top of one of Jonas's buildings, so they had to be able to execute the plan expertly. They practiced for the next several days.

Then came the day when the attack plan was laid out for everyone to hear. All involved in the attack were gathered together in the courtyard for Harold to brief them. Once gathered, Harold and Colonel walked out into the courtyard together. Harold addressed everyone.

"This is the plan of attack in a nut shell. Once a month, Jonas has a ritual gathering on the back property of The Compound. All nonessential personnel are required to attend this gathering. During this time only a few guards and workers are left inside to manage the place. The gatherings sometimes last for several hours, leaving the rest of the place quite vulnerable. We'll set up three different squadrons at the south end, east end, and west end of The Compound, just a half mile outside of the perimeter walls. The "suicide jumpers" will land on top of the designated building at the east side of The Compound and enter through the roof top stairs. If our intelligence is correct, there should be an electrical distribution room on the first floor of this building. This room controls all the power to The Compound including the power to the turret guns and the alarm system. Once the guns are offline, the squadrons waiting outside the walls will be signaled and commence the attack. Hopefully, the battle will be brief and the casualties kept to a minimum.

"With great fear and regret, I must say there's a chance not all of us will make it back home, but those of us who do survive this battle will forever praise our fallen brothers and sisters. They will have given the greatest sacrifice and will never be forgotten. Good luck to all of you.

"Jonas has his gathering tomorrow night. We attack then!"

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The next morning, everyone began preparations for the attack on The Compound, gathering gear and securing weapons. All the vehicles being used for the attack were checked and inspected and the suicide jumper's plane was fuel and prepared. It was decided only a small band of ten of the best jumpers would be making the jump out of the plane...Kyle, Spike, and Sarah being among the chosen.

By late that afternoon, everything and everyone was ready for the attack. Kyle went to find Teresa to tell her goodbye. He found her at the girl's dorm helping Sarah finish packing. He stopped at the entrance of the door and motioned for Teresa to come outside. When Teresa walked outside, Kyle wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"I have to be leaving shortly."

"Are you scared?"

"Me? Of course not," Kyle said with a chuckle. Then he saw the serious look on Teresa's face and knew she wanted the truth.

"Well, maybe I'm a little nervous."

Teresa took Kyle by both hands and smiled with confidence.

"You're going to be all right. Nothing's going to happen to you. I know it!"

Kyle marveled at the confidence and faith Teresa had in him to stay alive.

"There are only ten of you who are going on the plane, right?" Teresa questioned.

"Yes, that's right."

"And the plane holds up to sixteen passengers, right?"

Kyle scrunched his brow in a questioning look. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, I was hoping to ride with you until you jumped and then ride the plane back here." Teresa gave her sad puppy dog look.

"I don't think so. It's too dangerous."

"Just to ride in the plane? I'm not asking to jump with you!"

"I don't think Colonel would allow it."

Teresa dropped to her knees and held both hands together in front of her in a prayer position. "Pleaseeeee, I want to be with you! Let me go. Please ask Colonel if I can go."

Kyle knew from past experience that once Teresa was determined to do something, she wouldn't quit until she got it done and, also, Kyle had a hard time saying "no" when she started her begging.

"Okay, I'll ask Colonel if it's all right. It would be nice to have you there with me on the plane."

The time had arrived for the suicide jumpers to board the plane. Colonel's mobile army had already left four hours prior to the departing of the plane so it could get setup before the plane arrived at The Compound. Colonel refused to allow Teresa to ride in the plane despite much pleading from Kyle. However, as the "suicide jumpers" began boarded, Kyle escorted Teresa onto the plane.

"What is she doing here?" Spike asked.

"She's just going to ride the plane with us to the drop off and then return back here."

"Does Colonel know?"

"Yeah, he said it was okay." Kyle didn't like going against Colonel's wishes or lying to Spike, but he didn't see the harm in letting Teresa come. He wanted to spend every minute with her in case he didn't survive the battle.

Once everyone was onboard the plane, Spike ordered the pilot to take off and soon they were in the air, leaving the safety of their base far below. This was it. All the years of planning and gathering resources and soldiers now came down to this moment. Kyle didn't want to let Colonel down. Colonel had put a lot of trust in him and he planned on doing whatever it took to complete this mission.

After almost an hour of flight, the pilot informed them they would be approaching the target soon. The "suicide jumpers" began checking all their equipment one last time, making sure their rifles and pistols were loaded and their E.A.P.s charged. They then removed their safety harnesses and stood up in the plane in preparation for the jump. Kyle kissed Teresa on the head and removed his safety harness and checked to make sure her safety harness was still secure.

"This is it!" Sarah announced. "Lock and load!"

Kyle shook his head back and forth with a little smile. "I knew someone had to say that."

Everyone chuckled slightly.

The pilot informed them it was time to jump and engage a lever on his control panel which automatically opened the side door of the plane. Kyle shivered as the cold night air rushed into the cabin of the plane. He wasn't sure if it was the frigid air or his own fear which caused the involuntary quiver. Whichever it was, he shook it off and took his spot at the rear of the line to take the leap into the darkness.

The pilot gave the signal and the exodus from the plane began, one by one. As Kyle was nearing his turn, he took one last look at Teresa and stepped to the edge of the door. He caught a glimpse of the last jumper before he disappeared into the night. Kyle took a deep breath and was about to leap when he heard a metallic clicking sound coming from behind him...the sound the safety harnesses made when they were released! Just at that second he felt someone jump on his back and wrap their arms around his neck and their legs around his waist. Teresa! Kyle knew it had to be her since she and the pilot were the only two left on the plane. The impact of her jumping on his back threw them both out of the plane and tumbling towards the ground. It took all of Kyle's strength to stop them from plummeting out of control and he eventually got them in the right position for the landing.

Kyle was in ultimate shock that Teresa was clinging to his back. Why had she done such a stupid thing like that? The thoughts kept rocketing around Kyle's mind that she could have missed his back and fell to her death or caused both of them to fall to their death. She could have ruined the mission and caused people to be killed. What possessed her to commit such a foolish act? Kyle would have to wait to ask her until they reached the top of the building.

Kyle located the building where the other Hybrids were already landing, positioned Teresa and himself over the building and began slowing their descent. With the added weight of Teresa, Kyle realized the impact of the landing was going to be harder than usual and he braced for the impact. As they hit the roof of the building, Kyle's legs buckled up under him and he fell to his side, rolling Teresa off his back. She tumbled a few time but got up unharmed. Kyle stood up real fast and hurried over to her.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Kyle angrily asked in a loud whisper.

"I'm sorry! I had to come."

"You could have gotten both of us killed!"

"I'm sorry, but I had to be here!"

"Why?"

"Kyle," Spike interrupted through clenched teeth. "I don't know what's going on with you two, but we have a mission to complete! You two can discuss why she's here later! We must deal with the situation as it is! Now, let's move out!"

Kyle wanted to continue the conversation but he knew Spike was right. At that moment, it really didn't matter why Teresa was there. The fact was that she was there and he had to protect her and while completing the mission. He told Teresa to stay close behind him as they and the rest of the team took the roof stairs into the building.

Once inside, they quietly made their way down a maze of corridors and down flights of stairs following a signal on a handheld GPS device showing the location of the power distribution room. They held their E.A.P's at the ready in case they ran into security. To all of their surprise, they hadn't seen a single guard or another living soul since they entered the building. Kyle was getting an uneasy feeling and he wasn't alone.

"I don't like this!" Spike whispered to Kyle. "We should have seen someone by now: a guard, a janitor... somebody!"

Once they made it to the first floor and down a couple hallways, they approached a set of double doors. The signal on the GPS device indicated that the electrical distribution room was directly on the other side. Spike tried the levered doorknob and discovered that it was unlocked.

"This is it!" Spike softly said. "Be alert!"

Spike slowly opened the door and they entered into a huge, high-ceiling, open room that looked like a medieval museum and obviously not an electrical distribution room. The walls were covered with a variety of swords, battle axes, an assortment of knives and daggers, war hammers, and long bows. Several suits of armor were standing like guards around the whole perimeter of the room like some ancient army protecting its castle. The room had no windows and only the one door which they had just entered. At the far end of the north wall was a throne sitting upon a wide platform with a red carpet running up steps to the base of the throne. The scene was much equated to one's depicted in so many King Arthur movies.

In the center of the room was a single, round wooden table with an old-time looking scroll sitting upon it. They all cautiously walked up to the table. Spike picked the scroll up. He unrolled it and read aloud the one line that was printed upon it," YOU LOSE!"

In an instant, thirty armed guards rushed into the room.....it was a trap! Kyle raised his hand to fire his E.A.P. but Spike stopped him for he realized there was no point in attacking the guards. They were outnumbered and had nowhere to run or hide for cover. Spike was dismayed and embarrassed they had fallen into a trap so easily and more than likely failed the mission.

Kyle tried to communicate with Spike telepathically but nothing happened. He tried with the other members of his group but with the same result. Somehow their telepathic abilities were being blocked.

Jonas's guards ordered Spike and his team to throw their weapons and equipment down on the floor. Spike reluctantly complied first and the others followed. Then Jonas walked into the room with a huge grin pasted on his face. Damien followed behind.

"Surprise!" Jonas sang with a smirked. "Did you really think you could break into my home without me knowing about it? All that has happened has happened because of me. This is all part of my plan. I allowed you and your pathetic soldiers to be here."

"Why would you do that?" Spike asked skeptically.

"It's quite simple. When you tell me how to signal your army waiting outside my walls that it's clear to attack, I'll relay the signal to them and when your pitiful, unsuspecting army crosses my walls, I'll watch as my turret guns tear them apart!"

Spike and the rest of his team looked at each other in shock and disbelief that Jonas knew about Colonel's army outside his walls.

"Oh yes," Jonas grinned evilly." I know about your little army. I've known about them for quite sometime now. Now you all will pay for having the tenacity to think you could defeat me."

"We'll never tell you what the signal is! We would rather die!" Kyle barked.

"We'll see about that, young Summerland." Jonas turned to Damien. "Go and prepare my army for battle just in case there's a few lingering survivors after my turret guns do their job."

Damien left to attend to Jonas's army.

Jonas stepped in between his guards and Spike's team with an evil smirk on his face. He held his hand out towards Teresa.

"Come to me, Teresa," he ordered.

Teresa, with no fear on her face, came out from behind Kyle and started walking towards Jonas. Kyle tried to grab her hand but she twisted away from his grip. He couldn't understand why she was listening to Jonas? He must be using mind control on her! Why else would she be walking towards this monster that had taken so many innocent lives?

Teresa approached Jonas and he put his arm around her shoulder. She placed her hand on top of his arm affectionately and looked up at Jonas and gave him a smile!

"Welcome home, my daughter. You did well."

Kyle's jaw dropped and his whole body instantly went numb. His mind tried to rationalize what his ears had just heard. Did Jonas just call Teresa his daughter? That was impossible. He had to be in a terrible nightmare from which he hoped he would soon awake.

Teresa looked at Kyle with a sorrowful look. "I'm so sorry, Kyle! I had no choice. You were going to try and kill my father. I couldn't allow that to happen."

"But we trusted you! I trusted you!" Kyle said with anguish in his voice.

Jonas chuckled. "You should be careful whom you trust, boy."

Just then a man walked into the room and submissively approached Jonas. The man whispered something into Jonas's ear and then promptly left.

"I have a matter to attend to," Jonas told Spike. "Afterwards, I'll be getting that signal from you or one of your team members. Believe me, I'll either make someone talk or rip the information from their mind. I will get that signal!" Jonas then ordered his guards to escort the prisoners to the prison cells. Spike and his team were taken to the basement level of the building, which was purposefully constructed to resemble a medieval dungeon, and placed in individual cells. Two guards remained behind while the others left the prison room.

"Some girlfriend you got there, Kyle!" Spike sarcastically said. "I can't believe she's Jonas's daughter! That means she's a Hybrid, but how did we not know, especially you, Kyle?"

"I don't know!" Kyle still felt numb from the shocking revelation of finding out who Teresa really was. "I don't know a lot of things!"

"What about Colonel? How long will he wait for our signal?" Sarah asked.

"The plan was that once we landed on the roof, we would be given exactly one hour to complete our mission. If Colonel hadn't received our signal by then, he would abort the mission and try again on some later date," Spike explained.

"So he's going to leave us here to die?" one of the other members of the team asked. "There's no Plan B?"

"No, without those turret guns deactivated, Colonel and the rest of our army wouldn't have a chance. They would be mowed down by those guns before they got ten feet onto The Compound. We were the only hope for this mission to work," Spike said with a sound of defeat in his voice.

"We can simply telepathically communicate with Colonel and let him know what has happened to us." Sarah said.

"Try and communicate with me right now," Spike told her.

Sarah closed her eyes and tried to say something to Spike telepathically but nothing happen.

"Jonas has somehow found a way to block all telepathic abilities within the walls of this building. More than likely for security purposes, I would imagine. We don't know how he's able to do it."

"So, that's why we had to rely on the alternative signal," Kyle realized. "Colonel already knew our telepathic abilities wouldn't work.

A few minutes later, a couple guards returned to the dungeon and walked up to the cell Kyle was in. They opened up the cell door and ordered Kyle to follow them. He was escorted out of the room and into an adjacent room where Teresa was waiting for him. The guards stepped outside the room, closed the door, and waiting just on the other side. Kyle was alone with Teresa.

"What the hell is going on, Teresa!"

"You must hate me!" she said in an ashamed tone.

"There aren't words to describe how I'm feeling right now! Who are you...really?"

"I'm a Hybrid and the daughter of Jonas Rohand."

"I know that much. How did you manage to fool everyone? How did you fool me?"

"When I was very young, it was discovered I had the ability to read and erase memories, from humans or Hybrids making me a perfect spy. My father received word Colonel was planning to attack The Compound, but he didn't know when. He realized a unique opportunity in me to get the information he needed so, he devised his plan to fly me to Florida and place me in a foster home with the story of my parent's tragic death. There, I began my pretend life as a human, while keeping a close watch on Colonel. Then you came along. A new plan was devised to get me inside The Camp with your help."

"So, you used me! You pretended to love me!"

"Yes, at first, but then I really did fall in love with you," Teresa said wishing Kyle believed her. "Kyle, despite all this, I do care for you."

"Why me? Why did you choose me?"

"I didn't. You chose me that day at the river. It was just bad luck on your part. You just happened to be a Hybrid and therefore would work perfectly into my father's plan." Teresa continued her story. "After you and I had been dating for a few months, my father received word Colonel was planning an attack soon, so I needed to get inside The Camp to find out exactly when the attack would take place. Father knew if your parents were kidnapped, Colonel would take you in. With my foster parents out of the picture, we knew you would convince Colonel to let me stay. Then I just needed to wait until he announced it was time to attack and I inform my father."

"You killed your foster parents?"

"They didn't mean anything to me but no I didn't kill them. A couple of my father's men did. My foster parents were kind to me so I made sure they went quick with little suffering."

"How can you be so cold? They loved you. Didn't you care about them?"

"They were human," Teresa answered with an icy hatred in her voice.

"They were innocent people!"

"It had to be done to keep my father safe. He's all the family I have left after my brothers were killed in an accident and my mother committing suicide as a result."

"How did I not know you were a Hybrid? We spent so much time together. How could I have been so stupid?" Kyle asked himself out loud. "How did I never find out you were the same as I?"

"Well, there was this one time when we were helping your folks prepare dinner. We were in the kitchen together. Your parents left for the grocery store to pick up some salad dressing they had forgotten on their first trip there. I was slicing some cucumbers for the salad and I cut my thumb. It started bleeding and you saw my black blood and immediately knew I was a Hybrid, so I had to remove that memory from you."

"You messed with my head?" Kyle asked angrily. "How many times?"

"Just that once. You were easy to fool the rest of the time from believing my stories about my real parents to how I escaped from The Compound. I went back to The Compound, back home, because I was admittedly a little shook up after what those boys did to me at The Camp. My father was a little angry with me for deviating from the plan and immediately sent me back. I was left on the road where some of Colonel's men would find me and you bought yet another one of my convincing stories."

"Yeah, I was a fool to have ever fallen in love with you!"

"I didn't mean it like that. I really do love you. That's why I've convinced my father to spare your life. We can be together forever. Don't you want that? Don't you still love me?"

"Are you mad?!" Kyle angrily asked. "What about my team? What about all the lives you have now endangered? What about my parents?"

"Your parents are fine, but..." Teresa hesitated for a second. "They won't remember you."

"Why? What did you do to them? Where are they?"

"They're here on The Compound but I took away their memories of you ever existing. Don't get mad. I did it for them. This way they didn't have to worry about you," Teresa said with pride in her voice as if she should be patted on the back for being so considerate to Kyle's parents.

"You're going to take me to them and you're going to fix their memories," Kyle demanded of Teresa.

"I can't fix their memories. Once I take someone's memories, they're gone forever. But you're parents are doing fine without you just as you and I can be fine with one another!" Teresa said with a big hopeful smile on her face.

"You did all this to save your father and you're asking me to abandon my parents? As long as they are here, they are prisoners like the rest of us. I will fight to save them and my team no matter what it takes."

"Kyle, you and your little army lost. The sooner you realize that the sooner you and I can work things out. My father will get the information he wants and then all your little friends will be gone. But we still have each other. There's still hope for us. Don't you want that, Kyle?"

Kyle gave Teresa a baffled stare. He began to realize that Teresa was as ruthless and crazy as her father. He didn't doubt that she loved him in some strange and demented way but in his eyes, she was a monster like her father whom seemed not to understand that what she was doing was wrong.

"Teresa, you're a very disturbed person. We will never...and I can't stress enough the word never...be together. I would rather die with my team than stay another minute in this room with you!"

Tears started streaming down Teresa's face. Kyle had actually broken her heart. Teresa glared at him through concern, watery eyes. "I don't know why you would choose your friends over me! Don't you understand? If you don't come with me now, I won't be able to protect you from my father!"

"I won't go with you!" Kyle said with obstinacy and folded arms.

Teresa sighed defeatedly, slowly turned around, and walked to the door. She slowly opened the door, paused, and looked back at Kyle sorrowfully. "Please tell my father what he wants to know and he may show you mercy." she said and walked out of the room.

The guards immediately entered and escorted Kyle upstairs and into the throne room where Spike, Sarah and the rest of the team were already gathered. Each member of the team had a guard standing directly behind them holding a rifle to the back of their heads in case they got any notions for heroics. Kyle received his very own guard as he joined the others. Jonas was sitting at his throne like some royal king from the past, ruling over his subordinate subjects.

"Glad you could join us, Mr. Summerland," Jonas said. "As I've already informed your friends, if any one of you even flinches without my permission, I will have the person standing next to you shot. Have I made myself clear?" No one moved. No one answered. "That's very good," Jonas said with an insolent smile as he stood up from his chair and threw a leather satchel his guards had confiscated from Spike's belongings on the ground. The bag opened as it hit the ground spilling flares across the marble floor. "Now, one of you is going to give me the secret order these flares are to be fired to signal Colonel's army that the power has been cut." Jonas said confidently.

Kyle took one step forward towards Jonas. "If we give you the order and you use it to signal Colonel, they'll begin their attack thinking the turret guns are offline! They'll be torn apart by your guns! None of us are willing to do that. I speak for all of us when I say we would rather die than give you the firing order!"

"You know...I could easily have Teresa just take the information from your heads. She's very talented at such things, but my little girl's done enough. Besides, I'm going to enjoy getting the information myself...my way. Now, this is your last chance to do it the easy way."

No one responded.

Jonas looked up at the ceiling annoyed, blew out a heavy breath, and shook his head in disappointment. He looked back towards Spike's stubborn team. "Why are you so against me? Why must we fight like this...brethren against brethren? I'm attempting to bestow on each of us our rightful place in this world...as leaders over the humans...but all I get for my efforts is a misguided, meddling army trying to hamper me. I don't understand why."

"When you talk of the humans, you talk of genocide and slavery," Spike said. "They don't deserve such just because we are stronger...just because we can. We will defend them against such tyranny as you. We will fight for the humans...we will fight for our families you have taken...we will fight for freedom."

"Very well. I see you want to do it the hard way," Jonas said as he pointed to a member of Spike's team. "You step forward."

Paul Bright was the name of the team member who was ordered to step forward. He had been with Colonel for several years and was one of the best soldiers Kyle had known at The Camp. He was ex-military and extreme hardcore. He was often heard saying," It's better to die in a blaze of glory than to just fade away!"

The guard standing behind Paul shoved him forward.

"I'll ask you this once!" Jonas informed Paul. "What is the signal?"

Paul stood at attention looking straight ahead, not saying a word. He showed no signs of fear...ready to accept his fate.

"As you wish," Jonas said with a smile. Jonas stretched out his right hand towards the east side of the room and a small dagger hanging on the wall began moving. The dagger lifted off its supports and pointed directly at Paul. The dagger then rapidly flew through the air with incredible speed, as Jonas directed its flight with his outstretched hand. The dagger pierced Paul's right thigh and penetrated deep into his flesh. Paul dropped to his right knee, grabbing at the handle of the dagger and letting out a loud groan of pain. Bravely, through the agonizing pain in his leg, Paul stood back up with the dagger still lodged in his leg. He stared straight ahead with eyes dilated with pain and stood at attention.

Jonas was admittedly impressed. He liked a challenge. His smile grew bigger as he held his left hand up to the opposite wall. A dagger flew off that wall and towards Paul, but just before the dagger impacted with Paul's left leg, Kyle lifted up his hand and pushed the dagger with his powers just enough to cause it to miss Paul. Jonas quickly looked at Kyle with irritation on his face.

He angrily stretched out both his hands towards Kyle and Kyle immediately felt an enormous force hit him in the chest so hard that he was lifted off the floor and flung several feet into the air. He landed hard on the floor, sliding to a stop against the far wall. He lied there for a few seconds trying to catch his breath that Jonas had knocked out of him.

A guard pulled Kyle to his feet and held a 9mm pistol to his head.

"The next person to try such a stunt will be responsible for Mr. Summerland's death," Jonas warned.

Jonas then continued with his torture of Paul with delight gleaming from his face. A dagger flew into Paul's left leg, then his left shoulder, then his right and then a few in his back. Each time a dagger pierced Paul's flesh, he groined in pain, but remained defiantly on his feet. A pool of black blood was collecting at the feet of Paul yet he continued to show no fear but obvious tremors of pain were visible down his entire body.

Sarah held her hands over her eyes not being able to watch this brutal torture of one of her friends and also not wanting to let anyone see her tears streaming down her face. She was a soldier and soldiers don't cry, she told herself, but as she looked back at Kyle she saw not only the anger in his eyes but also the tears.

Jonas soon grew frustrated, not only at how strong Paul was but also at how loyal to the mission Colonel's team was...to be able to watch a fellow soldier be tortured yet still not give up the signal...he was envious of their allegiance. He decided to try another tactic but first he would end the life of this one whom refused to surrender to his abuse.

Jonas stretched his hand towards the east wall and this time a long sword was removed. Paul glanced over at the wall and saw the sword start to move. He boldly turned his body and faced the sword with no fear in his eyes. As the sword flew through the air, Paul said out loud," Today, I die like a soldier!"

The sword pierced through Paul's chest with such force it pushed him back a few feet. He was dead before his body hit the floor with a sound that echoed through out the silent room. He died a soldier's death like he had always hoped, with pride and dignity.

"I see I may have underestimated your loyalty to your mission," Jonas said. "Let's see just how strong your loyalties are when it's loved ones facing death."

Jonas motioned to his guards. Two of them left and quickly returned with Kyle's parents. They were placed in front of Jonas and faced towards Kyle.

"Mom... Dad... Are you alright?" Kyle asked, so happy to see them alive.

Jack and Judy looked at Kyle with a questioning look. They didn't know why this boy was calling them mom and dad! They had no children! Kyle then remembered that Teresa had erased their memories of him; he was a stranger to them.

"Mr. Summerland, what is the signal?" Jonas demanded to know.

Kyle didn't say a word. He just stared at his parents, fearing for their lives. He didn't know if he was strong enough to sacrifice his parents for this mission. But could he sacrifice hundreds of soldier's lives whom would surely die if he gave Jonas the signal in order to save his parents? Would Jonas kill his parents anyways even after he gave up the signal? Kyle never imagined he would have to be making such impossible decisions when just several months ago his biggest dilemma was whether or not to kiss Teresa.

Because of Kyle's silence, Jonas stretched forth his hand towards Kyle's father. Jack immediately grabbed at his own throat as it was being squeezed tightly by Jonas's power. Jonas began slowly lifting Jack into the air several feet by a force no one could see. Kyle could only watched in horror as his father gasped violently for air as Jonas began squeezing him tighter and tighter. Jack's body was starving for oxygen and his face turned from red to blue.

"STOP, YOU BASTARD, STOP!" Kyle screamed.

"Give me the signal!"

Kyle fell to his knees, tears falling from his eyes onto the floor. He quietly said through his sobs, "I can't. I can't."

Jack, eerily silent due to lack of air in his lungs, began shaking violently as his life was being squeezed out of him. Suddenly, his body went limp like a marionette's puppet on invisible strings. Jonas released his hold and Jack's body fell to the hard floor below.

"Nooooooo!" Kyle screamed as he looked upon his dad's lifeless body lying motionless on the floor.

Jonas now turned his attention to Judy. He stretched his hand towards her and she instantly grabbed her head with both hands and started screaming in pain. Jonas was going to pulverize her brain until it started oozing out of her orifices...a favorite technique he had mastered over the years.

Kyle knew he was not strong enough to lose another parent. He could not stand there and let Jonas kill her as he did his father and do nothing. He had no choice. He had to give Jonas the signal even if it potentially meant the cost of so many lives. He was too weak and distraught to sacrifice another parent to the mission. He opened his mouth to tell Jonas he would give him the signal.

Just as the words were about to leave his mouth, the door to the throne room swung open with great force. Colonel rushed in with an E.A.P. strapped to his back and, with lightning fast speed, he fired electrical bolts at all the guards in the room. He was so precise with his aim that Kyle felt the heat from the bolt that hit the guard whom had been holding a pistol to his head. Within seconds, all the guards were lying on the floor dead. Colonel threw Spike a new bag of signal flares. "Sorry... I got delayed."

"So glad you made it!" Spike said with relief.

"We don't have much time. Take everyone out of here and find that electrical distribution room. You're going to meet resistance so pick up your E.A.P.'s and the guard's weapons." Colonel then looked directly at Jonas." I'll take care of Jonas! Now go!"

Spike, Sarah and the rest of the team did as Colonel ordered. They picked up their E.A.P.'s and several assault rifles and pistols and ran out of the room to search for the electrical distribution room.

Kyle had no time to deal with the emotional fact his dad was gone. He mustarded all the strength he had, took his devastated mother by the hand to ensure her safety, and caught up with the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, Jonas and Colonel were facing off with each other.

"Richard Price...or should I call you Colonel?" Jonas mocked.

"Jonas Rohand... it's been a while."

"Yes...and if I remember right, the last time we met, you lost someone very dear to you. Now...what was her name? Oh, right...Susan."

"Don't you dare say her name! You don't have the right!" Colonel uttered through tightly clinched teeth as he felt his blood boil under his skin.

"Why are you here, Richard?"

"To end your madness!"

"You and what army? Oh, perhaps your little army of rejects you put together to try and stop me. I assure you, they will fail. It's a shame. We could have ruled the world together. Instead, I must destroy you," Jonas said as he quickly raised both hands towards Colonel who was immediately thrown through the air like a rag doll. Colonel hit the far wall and fell to the floor but quickly recovered and got back to his feet.

Jonas swiftly forced a battle ax off the nearby wall and hurled it through the air. Colonel, reacting quickly, raised his hands and stopped the ax in mid air. With all his Hybrid powers, he pushed the ax back towards Jonas with incredible speed. Jonas just barely managed to duck out of its way.

"The rumors I've heard about you weren't exaggerated." Jonas said. "You're indeed powerful, Richard. But I'm still master over you!"

Jonas manipulated several different weapons off the wall and hurled them all at once towards Colonel. Colonel was able to block all but one knife that slipped through his defense and across the side of his neck, slicing through his flesh. It wasn't a very deep laceration, but just a few more centimeters and his carotid artery would have been severed and he would have bleed to death in just a few minutes. Colonel instinctively placed his hand against his neck where the knife had struck him. He removed his hand and looked at his black blood to determine how bad the cut was by the amount of blood in his hand. He concluded it wasn't too terribly bad.

Colonel countered his opponent's attack by picking up one of the suits of armors off the ground and hurling it straight towards Jonas who didn't react quickly enough. The suit of armor slammed into him. Jonas was knocked to the ground with the suit of armor pressing heavily on top of him. He pushed the metallic armor off him and jumped to his feet just in time to see Colonel pointing a pistol at him. Colonel let loose a barrage of bullets, empting the gun, but Jonas quickly held his hands up and stopped every one of the projectiles... highly impressing Colonel. The bullets fell harmlessly to the floor.

Jonas looked around the room for more weapons. He saw the assault rifles lying on the floor that his guards had dropped after Colonel's attack. Jonas lifted into the air three of the rifles from across the room with his outstretched hands and aimed them at Colonel. He manipulated the triggers of all three rifles causing them to fire at the same time while Colonel was franticly running towards the back wall. Colonel leaped into the air as high as he could at the very instant he heard the rifles fire. When his feet met the wall, he used his powers to push himself off and high into the air, performing several back flips, over the swarm of bullets, before landing behind the floating rifles milliseconds before the bullets smashed into the wall. Colonel immediately used his E.A.P. and destroyed all three rifles before Jonas had a chance to turn them around. He then spun around and fired an electric bolt at Jonas. The bolt knocked Jonas through the air and onto his thrown.

Meanwhile, while the battle between Colonel and Jonas raged on, Spike and his team were searching for the electrical distribution room. Kyle kept his mother close to him as they maneuvered down the maze of hallways.

"Stay close to me," Kyle told his mother.

Judy didn't say a word. She was still in shock from witnessing the death of her husband. She felt numb and out of touch with her surrounding as if she was in a dream...a nightmare.

The team approached an intersection where they had to make a choice to go either left or right. As they were deciding that splitting up into two teams would be the quickest way to find the electrical distribution room, Sarah noticed several electrical conduit lines running along the ceiling down both the left and right hallways.

"Those lines up there, I bet they'll lead us to the electrical distribution room!" she informed Spike.

"I bet you're right." Spike said. "My team will take the left and, Kyle, take your team to the right. If you find the room and turn off those turret guns, get to the roof and signal our army to attack. Here, you'll need these." Spike handed Kyle three flares of different colors.

"Hey, before we split up," Kyle almost whispered to Spike, "what's Colonel doing here. I thought he was waiting outside the gates with the others."

"At the last minute he altered the attack plan which involved him taking off in a plane after us and landing on an adjacent building. Harold is commanding our army. Colonel ordered me not to tell anyone. He mentioned he had a bad feeling about putting all our eggs in one basket."

"I'm sure glad he showed up!"

"Yeah, me too. Now let's find that room."

Kyle's team consisted of Judy, Sarah, and three other team members. They began following the conduit lines. As they made their way down the main hallway, they passed several other hallways with only single conduit lines on the ceiling merging into theirs. The amount of conduit lines on their ceiling was gradually increasing making Kyle confident they were going the right way.

Suddenly, a gunshot blast erupted from behind them! Kyle turned around just in time to see one of his team members hit the ground with blood squirting out of his neck. Kyle quickly returned fire with his E.A.P. on the two guards running towards them. Both guards were hit by bolts of electricity and they went down to the ground, dead. Kyle then checked on his fallen comrade but it was too late. The young man laid dead in a puddle of blood.

They couldn't do anything for the fallen team member. They had to move on. They planned to come back for the bodies of their comrades after the battle was all over, Kyle told himself. He feared there would most likely be more sacrifices before this battle was done.

Kyle and his team continued to follow the ever increasing bundle of overhead lines until the lines disappeared inside a wall above a metal door. This had to be it. The electrical distribution room was behind the door! Kyle tried to open the heavy metal door but it was locked. He concentrated on the door, trying to force it open with his powers. The door began shaking on its hinges but held fast. The other members joined Kyle's efforts and, with their combined powers, and Sarah's amplifying ability, forced the door open so violently that it was pulled from its hinges and sent crashing inside the room.

Sarah rushed into the electrical panels, multi-gauges and switches filled room and located the computer monitor labeled "security system"...the one that controlled the power to the turret guns. She began tapping the keyboard feverishly until she disengaged the turret guns.

Suddenly, Spike and his team entered the room.

"The turret guns are off line!" Sarah excitedly informed everyone.

"Great!" Spike said." My team and I will go to the roof and signal our army to begin the attack."

"Okay, Sarah and I will stay here and see if we can get the rest of the security system off line too!" Kyle told Spike. "Then maybe our army can get closer before they are detected by Jonas's men."

Spike and his team headed for the roof. Once there, Spike opened up the bag Colonel had given him. He took out the different colored flairs and the flair gun. He fired first a red flare, then a blue, and then a green as that was the secret order of the signal. Seeing the signal, the band of Hybrids waiting outside The Compound's walls, began their attack.

Harold's army, positioned at the east, west, and south walls, used several land-to-air rocket launchers to blow holes through the massive concrete walls big enough to drive their vehicles and small tanks through. They headed straight for the main buildings which were still over a half mile away. As the first of the buildings came into view, Jonas's army, having heard the blast from the rocket launchers, was forming into positions to defend The Compound under Damien's command. Jonas's army began firing at the intruders with a diverse array of weapons. Harold's army, rapidly approaching, returned fire with their arsenal. They were so close to The Compounds main buildings that a few stray rounds from their tanks hit the buildings, blasting off huge chunks of concrete and debris that rained down to the ground. The air was quickly filled with heavy smoke and the chaotic sounds of battle.

As the two armies fought outside, so the battle continued between Colonel and Jonas. Both of them were bruised and bleeding and becoming weary. The throne room was littered with medieval weapons and suits of armor scattered across the floor. The sounds of battle could be heard outside.

"Give up Jonas. My army has breached your walls and is attacking your beloved compound. No one else has to die if you surrender now."

Jonas laughed. "Your trust in your men is your weakness."

"Your over confidence is yours," Colonel responded.

Colonel mustered up all the telekinetic strength he could and stretched out both hands towards the debris on the floor. He managed to lift several items into the air and hurled them all at once towards Jonas. At that very moment, an unidentified woman, trying to find a safe place to hide from the battle, inadvertently ran into the room between Colonel and Jonas. Colonel saw her just in time and stopped the flying items in mid air. Jonas seized the opportunity and immediately took control of the items and forced them back towards Colonel who was too mentally exhausted to stop them. Several of the objects hit Colonel with enough force to sail him across the floor and against the opposite wall. Just as he hit the wall, a stray rocket from the battle outside impacted the roof of the building sending tons of concrete and rubble falling on top of Colonel, burying him.

When the dust cleared, Jonas scanned the pile of rubble for any signs of the Colonel but saw none. He quickly left for the electrical distribution room to get his turret guns back online. He knew turning the turret guns back on would kill a lot of his own men but to Jonas, they were expendable. He had to stop Harold's army anyway possible.

As Jonas entered the electrical distribution room, he was surprised to find Kyle and Sarah still occupying it, trying to shut down all the power to The Compound while Judy stood against the wall still grieving over the lost of her husband. Jonas immediately held his hands up and, using his powers, flung Kyle and Sarah from their positions and through the air like rag dolls. They hit the wall near Judy. Sarah was knocked unconscious. Jonas then approached the computer to put the turret guns back on line. Kyle recovered from the surprise assault and used his Hybrid powers to hurl a nearby chair at Jonas. The chair hit Jonas in the head, knocking him back from the computer a few feet and causing him to yell out in pain. Jonas quickly levitated a 9mm pistol that was dropped on the floor by Kyle when he was thrown though the air and fired it at Kyle. Judy, who was standing behind Kyle with fear in her eyes, quickly and without hesitation, protectively jumped in front of her son. The bullet entered her chest.

"NO!" Kyle screamed as he caught his mom before she hit the ground.

He softly laid her body on the ground and held her head in his arms.

"Why?"

"In that instant when I saw the gun pointed at you, I remembered. I remembered that you are my son! I'm sorry, I had no choice. I had to save you!" Judy said as she closed her eyes. She managed to muster enough strength to open her eyes back up and place her hand on the side of Kyle's cheek. "Try to save your brother!" she said with her last breath and closed her eyes.

"Mom, stay with me! Don't leave me too!" Kyle pleaded.

While Kyle was distracted, Jonas let the pistol drop and went back to the computer to engage the turret guns. Sarah was just coming to shaking the cobwebs from her head. Just as Jonas was about to turn the turret guns on, a rocket blast tore through top of the adjacent wall and part of the ceiling, sending pieces of concrete, drywall, dust, and smoke into the room. The lights in the room went off leaving only the lights in the hallway to dimly illuminate the room. The blast destroyed the power supply to the computer while exposing several live electrical wires in the gapping holes in the ceiling. The tattered wires hung from the ceiling like vines sparking with electricity as they swung back and forth through the air.

Jonas sneered at the destroyed computer and grew intensely angry. He looked up at Kyle and Sarah. "Now I'm going to tear you apart, piece by piece. Now you will know my wrath!" Jonas said in the most evil voice Kyle had ever heard.

Jonas raised his hands and threw Kyle and Sarah through the air all the way into the very back of the room where the damage from the rocket blast was the worst. The two young Hybrids flew through hanging electrical wires, over several tables and into filing cabinets before hitting the floor.

As Jonas was trying to make his way through the rubble to the back of the room, Kyle noticed the sparking electrical wires hanging from the ceiling. Most people would have looked upon the wires as objects of danger, but Kyle saw them as ammunition. Kyle jumped on top of one of the nearby table where he could reach one of the exposed electrical wires. He stretched his arm up and grabbed one of the energized wires with his left hand and immediately felt the electricity surge through his body. He concentrated on all the power that was flowing inside him, raised his right hand, and let loose an electrical bolt at Jonas. The bolt hit Jonas and sent him flying back into the front wall leaving an indentation in the drywall where his body hit. He fell to the ground, but managed to slowly stagger back to his feet. His clothes were scorched and smoldering, his face blistered, and his hair on his head and eyebrows were singed but, despite the pain he was in, Jonas chuckled.

"Is that all you got! It's going to take more than that to stop me!"

Kyle was still holding onto the electrical wire. He felt the electricity still surging in his body but he needed more power. Jonas was just too strong for him! All of a sudden, Kyle felt Sarah jump on the table next to him and tightly wrap her arms around his chest. At first, he didn't understand what she was doing until he began to feel the surge of power inside him greatly intensify; so much so he felt pain throughout his entire body. Sarah was using her ability to amplify Kyle's power to the point that Kyle let out a groan because of the ever growing intensity of the pain. When he felt he could no longer stand the pain, Kyle looked at Jonas and released all the power from inside him.

The electrical bolt shot out of Kyle with such force it knocked him and Sarah to the ground. The bolt hit Jonas square in the chest, knocking him back into the wall with much more force than before. His head hit the wall so hard that he left a trail of blood as he slid down the wall and onto the floor. This time Jonas didn't get back up. He was hurt too badly. Kyle and Sarah stood up and walked over to Jonas. Jonas was gasping hard for air as small amounts of black blood were trickling out of his ears. A major portion of his clothes and hair were burnt off and his skin bubbled with charcoaled black chards of skin dangling from his face. Kyle picked up his 9mm off the ground and pointed it at Jonas. He was about to pull the trigger when Teresa ran into the room, dropped to her knees next to Jonas, and wrapped her arms around her father.

"No, don't kill him! Please, don't!" she begged Kyle.

Tears ran from her eyes and down her face as she pleaded with Kyle. She looked up at him with quivering lips. "Please let us go! Please Kyle....he's all I've got!"

Every part of Kyle screamed for him to pull the trigger and revenge his father's murder, yet he couldn't do it. He couldn't take Teresa's father from her. Despite everything she had done, he still felt love for Teresa. He lowered the gun and watched as Teresa helped her dad to his feet and lead him out the door. Kyle looked at Sarah expecting her to be disappointed in his inability to kill Jonas, but instead, she had a look of understanding and compassion. She understood why Kyle couldn't kill Jonas because Kyle knew how it felt to lose a parent. He couldn't subject Teresa to that kind of pain...not by his hands.

Jonas and Teresa managed to reach a hanger on the other side of The Compound through underground corridors. The hanger housed a helicopter. Damien, sensing the battle was being lost, had already made his way to the hanger and had the helicopter running; waiting for Jonas to arrive. The three of them fled The Compound.

Once Jonas's army saw his helicopter leaving, they lost their will to fight and began retreating and trying to make their escapes. Harold's army easily took control of The Compound and the battle was soon over. The victors immediately began entering each building and securing them. Medics were called in to start looking for and treating injured soldiers.

Spike found Kyle inside, Kneeling beside his mother's body. He consolingly placed his hand on top of Kyle's shoulder and gently squeezed it to try and comfort his friend. "I'm so sorry, Kyle."

"Thanks. She saved my life."

"I know. I heard. Are you going to be all right?"

Kyle sighed deeply while he smiled and stroked his mother's hair. "She's in a better place now. She's with my father where she belongs. Yeah, Spike...I'll be all right." Kyle stood up and faced Spike. "What about you folk? Did you find them?"

"Yes, I did. They're alive."

Spike suddenly felt guilty for his parents being alive when his friend had just lost both of his. He immediately changed the awkward subject. "What happened to Jonas?" Spike asked Sarah.

Sarah looked at Kyle with the same compassion as before and then looked back at Spike and lied. "He escaped. We couldn't stop him."

"Where's Colonel?" Spike asked. "I want to know if he knows about Harold."

"What about Harold?" Kyle asked.

"He didn't make it," Spike somberly said. "I suppose that puts Colonel in charge."

"The last we saw of Colonel, he was in that throne room with Jonas," Sarah said.

"I'll go find him," Spike said and rushed out of the room.

A short time later, Spike entered the throne room and looked around for Colonel. He didn't see him anywhere. He was just about to leave the room when he noticed movement underneath a pile of concrete and debris. In the pile was a trembling hand sticking out of the rubble. Spike used his Hybrid powers and began carefully removing the debris from around the hand. As the debris was removed, Colonel was revealed, badly hurt but still alive.

"We need a medic in here!" Spike screamed.

Within minutes, two medics ran into the throne room and helped Spike finish uncovering Colonel. One of the medics called on the radio for a stretcher while the other stabilized Colonel. Soon, Colonel was ready to be transported. Before the medics carried him out, Colonel took a hold of Spike's hand who had refused to leave Colonel's side despite getting in the way of the medics. Colonel tried to speak but was unable to, but Spike knew what he wanted to know without him having to verbally ask.

"The battle is over. We won. But Jonas managed to escape. We suffered only a few casualties...Harold being among them. You should be proud of your soldiers. They performed admirably."

Colonel was taken to the well-equipped medical building on The Compound to be treated for his injuries.

After the exhausting, horrifically stressful night, Kyle and Sarah found their way to the penthouse balcony of Jonas's former living quarters and stood in the warming glow of the rising sun not saying a word much like he and Teresa did so often in the rays of the setting sun. However, the silence was broken when the ordeal of the battle hit Kyle like a ton of bricks and he felt his knees buckle under his own weight and he lost all control of his emotions. He fell to his knees and started sobbing over the lost of his parents and the betrayal of Teresa. Sarah knelt behind Kyle and wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight. She said nothing for she knew his pain and no words were ever adequate enough to ease that kind of hurt. Only time could dull the agonizing torment of losing loved ones and the cold sting of betrayal. Sarah remained quiet and allowed Kyle to cry.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

During the exact moment the battle was raging in The Compound, there was an event taking place at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The whole place was buzzing with exhilarating excitement and wild apprehension. One of the supervisors for NASA was on the phone with the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America about a matter of great concern.

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you," the supervisor said. "This is Bill Stuart, supervisor for NASA headquarters here in Washington."

"Good afternoon, Bill," the Secretary of Defense said. "And you can call me Robert. What's so urgent you had me called out of my meeting?"

"Well sir... I meant Robert... one of our scientists was routinely scanning space with "Hubbie" when---"

"You're referring to the Hubble telescope I presume?"

"Yes, sir. We named it Hubbie, but I guess you already figured that out. Anyhow, our man was scanning over an area of space he was very familiar with from years of observation in this same quadrant when he noticed a peculiar object where there wasn't one during his prior scans."

"Peculiar how?"

"Well, besides the fact it wasn't there last week, this object is heading straight towards earth at an extreme rate of speed."

"What is it, a meteor or comet?"

"We're not sure yet. It has to get closer before we can identify it, which, at its current velocity, will be in about an hour. The bad news is that if it remains at its current velocity that will only leave us about twelve hours before it reaches Earth."

"Call me back as soon as you have identified this object. I have to inform the President of the situation!"

Approximately forty five minutes later, Bill called Robert back.

"Have you identified the object?" Robert asked.

"Not exactly, sir."

"What do you mean, not exactly? I've got the President waiting for an identification of the object! What do you think it is?"

"From the satellite pictures I hold it my hands, we can we certainty eliminate the object being a meteor or a comet."

"Then what is it?"

Bill hesitated for a few seconds, not really believing what he was about to say.

"The object...I mean objects... appear to be three separate objects which seem to resemble some sort of crafts!"

"Crafts? What kind of crafts? Are you talking spacecrafts or U.F.O.s?"

"They would certainly fit the criteria of being U.F.O.s. They are unidentified and they are flying and they are definitely objects!"

"This isn't anytime to be a smart ass!"

"I apologize. I didn't mean to sound like a smart ass. We'll need a little more time to assess the information further to verify our speculations."

"Keep me informed! I've got to call the President back!"

Bill called Robert every thirty minutes informing him there was no change in the speed or the direction of the objects. Robert informed Bill that the President had put the whole of the United States on full military alert and had also informed our allies and the members of NATO of the discovery. Finally, Bill called Robert with some new information.

"Sir, the objects slowed down about ten minute ago. The latest satellite pictures show three round objects roughly ten miles in diameter! They are definitely alien crafts!"

"Are they acting hostel in any way?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know if they're acting hostel!" Bill snapped. He then took a deep, calming breath. "I'm sorry sir. We're a little freaked out over here!"

"Understood, Bill. We're a little disturbed over here too!"

"What's the President planning to do?"

"We don't have a specific plan for something like this, but we're gathering the nations best military and scientific minds together to come up with one."

"Great! I feel much better!" Bill sarcastically said.

Two hours later, the spacecrafts passed in between the Earth and the moon. Shortly afterwards, they separated from each other and entered into Earth's orbit at three separate locations where they all three stopped simultaneously...hanging in orbit like three huge satellites. Astrophysicist, both professional and armature, from around the world with access to large telescopes started calling their governments informing them of seeing the objects in space.

Bill looked over at one of his co-workers and said," You know that question about whether or not we're alone in the universe? It's just been answered!"

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Part Two

Kyle was drained both physically and mentally as well as emotionally. The events of last night and early this morning left Kyle feeling alone and ultimately confused. How could he not have known what Teresa was? How could he have so naively trusted her so easily? Did his blind trust in her cost him his parent? What did his mom mean when she said, "try to save your brother"? Kyle was not aware of having a brother. His parents never mentioned a brother and what did he need saving from?

Kyle needed answers and Colonel was the only one he could turn to for those answers. Colonel was recuperating in Jonas's former medical building so Kyle would have to patiently wait before he went to Colonel with all his questions. The Compound was in shambles after the intense battle and, if they were to make this their new base of operations, it would need a lot of repairs. Kyle and Spike began handing out assignments for work details and cleaning crews which included gathering the dead. A big memorial service was planned for the fallen heroes.

At the end of the day, Kyle finally got a break from all the necessary work and decided it was time to see Colonel. He went to the medical building and found Colonel sitting up in bed looking over the plan layout of his new compound.

"You must be feeling better," Kyle stated as he walked into the room.

"I'm finer than a frog hair split four ways," Colonel said in his best redneck imitation. "You know," Colonel changed back to his normal voice. ",it's almost comical how we tried so hard for so many years to just get a piece of the layout plans for The Compound and now, here I sit with all the plans on my lap. It's funny how things change so drastically. How's it going out there?"

"The Compound is being put back together quite well. It will take a few more weeks, but we'll get it done. Too bad we had to mess it up so bad."

"Are we still on generator power?"

"No, we got The Compound's power plant operating about an hour ago and the water will be on soon."

"Did we have any problems with the local authorities?"

"No. After all that noise we made, no one showed up...not even one cop."

"That's the good thing about this place being so far away from civilization. I must admit, Jonas picked a good spot for The Compound. I just wish the bastard hadn't escaped."

Kyle looked away. He knew Colonel would be disappointed if he ever found out he was not able to kill Jonas because of his feelings for Teresa, even though she cost the lives of some of Colonel's men and betrayed them all. Kyle doubted Colonel would understand why he left Jonas go. Kyle didn't fully understand himself. Did Teresa really deserve his pity?

"Colonel, may I ask you a question?"

"I believe you just did," Colonel joked but Kyle did not laugh. "I'm sorry...it's the medication. What is your question?"

"You said you knew my parents very well."

"Yes, quite well," Colonel answered wondering where this was going.

"Right before my mother died, she said---"

Colonel interrupted Kyle. "Your mother's dead? I knew your father was, but your mother...?"

"Yes, sir. Jonas shot her."

Kyle eyes started tearing up and he swallowed hard.

"Damn it! I'm so sorry to hear that," Colonel said. "She was a remarkable woman. I had great respect and love for her. How are you doing, Kyle? You lost both your parents. I couldn't imagine dealing with something like that...especially for someone so young."

"I'm fine."

Just as the words left Kyle's lips, his emotions engulfed his entire body and he started weeping uncontrollably. He turned his back to Colonel so Colonel would not see him cry. After several minutes and respectful silence from Colonel, Kyle gained control of his emotions and managed to stop crying. He wiped his eyes and turned to face Colonel who was teary eyed himself.

"I'm sorry," Kyle told Colonel.

"It's completely understandable. There's no shame in a man crying over the lost of his loved ones. I cried when Jonas took my wife from me."

"I couldn't imagine you crying."

"Despite what you may think, I'm not made of stone. I do have feelings." Colonel said, as he smiled at Kyle. "What did your mother say before she passed?"

"She mentioned that I have a brother!"

"Oh... she told you about your brother, did she?"

"You knew I had a brother?"

"Yes, but your mother didn't want you to know about him."

"Why?"

"Your brother chose to walk the dark path. When he was younger, he was constantly disobedient and always getting into trouble. His temper was dark and explosive. Your parents didn't know what to do. He would often get into these fits of rage and even threaten your parent's lives. Not knowing what to do with him, your parents sent him to me for a few months to see if I could straighten him up. I tried every method a could think of to help him but nothing seemed to work. The more I tried to help him the angrier he became until one day he killed one of my men and escaped. No one knew where he had gone until I got word one day that he was seen at The Compound. He went there voluntarily...to join Jonas's force. Your brother is Jonas's second in command... Damien."

"Damien is my brother?" Kyle asked in disbelief.

"Yes, he was born about ten years before you were. He had caused your parents so much grief, that it took them a long time to even consider having another child. You and Damien are like night and day. Damien seemed to have been born full of evil and you were born filled with good. It doesn't make much sense. Same parents. Two totally different children."

"I can't believe my parents never told me about him," Kyle said mostly to himself.

"They didn't want you to try and contact him. It would have been too dangerous for you and your parents, if Jonas found out where you all lived."

"I wonder why Damien didn't tell Jonas where we lived."

"I don't know."

"The fact that he didn't turn us over to Jonas proves that there's some good inside him," Kyle said trying to convince himself as well as Colonel.

"Don't get any crazy ideas about turning Damien to the good side. He has been under the evil, twisted hand of Jonas for a long time. There may be no hope for him now."

"I believe there's always hope if you look hard enough," Kyle said, not only referring to his brother but also to Teresa.

Just then one of Colonel's soldiers rushed into the room.

"Colonel, you have to turn on the T.V.!" he said with earnest. "To the news channel!"

Colonel picked up the remote and turned the television on. He switched channels until he found the news channel. The banner running across the bottom of the screen read, "Breaking news".

Colonel turned up the volume to hear what the commentator was saying.

"Reports are coming in from all over the world of three unknown objects in orbit around our planet. There have been no comments as yet from the government or NASA about what these objects could be. However, early speculations are they are spacecrafts from another solar system. This has neither been confirmed nor denied by NASA. But an unnamed government official has confirmed that the President will be making a public announcement within the hour. Until then, we're asked to remain calm. We'll bring you further updates as they are presented."

"Did Jonas do it!? Did his ritual actually contact aliens!? Kyle pondered.

"Let's not jump to such wild conclusions," Colonel warned. "We'll have to wait to hear what the President has to say."

"If it is aliens, I wonder what they look like," Kyle said to the young soldier still standing in the room.

"Probably like E.T. or maybe like a Vulcan from Star Trek with pointy ears!" the soldier speculated.

"Or maybe they look like an octopus with eight legs and slimy skin!" Kyle added.

"You two cut it out," Colonel ordered. "We don't know yet what those objects are. If they are crafts, the most important question to be asked is why they are here. Let's just wait and see before we assume anything."

Everyone at The Compound, and people around the country, stayed glued to their television set or their radios, in anticipation of word from the President about the objects looming in Earth's orbit. Could this actually be a visitation from some alien species as so many had already speculated? That was the global question on everyone's mind from the United States to Asia. Everything seemed to stop around the world as people waited for confirmation from the President.

Finally, the wait was over. The news anchorman announced that the President would be making a statement momentarily. The television screen switched to the inside of the Oval office where the President of the United States was sitting.

President William Bennett was a big man, standing six foot nine and weighing approximately two hundred forty pounds. He claimed that he was fifty five but didn't look a day over thirty. With his jet black hair and chiseled good looks, he looked more like a movie star than a leader of a country. He had a presence about him that demanded your attention when he walked into a room and a personality that was infectious.

President Bennett was extremely well like by the people, currently running in his second term of office after beating his opponent by a landslide. During his first term as president, he had made some remarkable changes to health care and tax relief and continued in his second term to prove that he was a president for the people by cutting unemployment to less than one percent and creating incentives for big businesses to keep their business in America.

"My fellow Americans," President Bennett began. "I have just left from a meeting with the Department of Defense and NASA officials. After careful analysis of the satellite photos taken of the three objects by NASA engineers and scientist, it has been determined that the objects in our orbit are indeed unidentified crafts not of this world. I have no reason to think at this time that they pose a threat to our world and I ask everyone not to worry or panic. Go about your business as usual. This is the best way you can help your country right now. I will be bringing you more details about the crafts as they are presented to me.

This is a monumental historical moment in our history...first contact with an apparent alien civilization. NASA will attempt communication with the craft nearest our country through various transmission signals. Plus, a space shuttle launch is already being prepared to rendezvous with the craft.

Further details of NASA's efforts will be presented to you as I receive them. I wish NASA much success in their endeavors. Good afternoon, my fellow Americans."

"They are alien space ships!" Kyle enthusiastically said.

"I guess they are," Colonel said.

Colonel didn't share the same enthusiasm as Kyle did. He seemed a little worried.

"What, you're not excited?" Kyle asked.

"I'll feel better once we know the aliens intensions. It worries me that they haven't tried to contact us yet."

"Why, what does that mean?"

"Probably nothing, but if I was planning to attack a species whom I knew little about, I would first observe them and gather as much information about them as I could; to find their weakness and where they're most vulnerable."

"You think they are hostel!?"

"I don't know. I'm probably just being paranoid. It comes from so many years in the military I guess."

"I best get back to work," Kyle said. "Tell me if they have any more news on the crafts."

"I will."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Two days had passed since the President's first public speech on the alien crafts. He had made several more speeches within those two days, but provided no additional news on the crafts. He simply warned people not to panic and assured them that the military and NASA were doing everything they could to determine what the crafts were and why they were here.

There had been no response from the craft closest to America to NASA's repeated attempts to communicate with it via any type of signals they used. The space shuttle was launched and would be approaching the spacecraft within a few minutes.

"Mission control, this is space shuttle Endeavour. We are still on course to rendezvous with the craft. Do you copy?"

"This is mission control. We hear you loud and clear and have you on radar. Continue in your current direction. You should be in visual sight of the craft momentarily."

"Roger that, mission control. We see the craft now."

The space shuttle's forward thrusters fired to slow its approach as the alien spacecraft appeared through Endeavour's window.

"Damn, that thing is huge!" one of the astronauts commented. "Mission control, we have visual contact of the craft. There appears to be no indication of windows, doors, or any kind of opening on the craft. It appears to be black in color and shaped like two pie plates stacked on top of each other. The surface of the craft looks smooth with no lights or markings on it. None of our instruments are picking up any signals or any kind of readings from the craft...no temperature readings, no radiation readings, no nothing. It's like it isn't even there. We're continuing to advance towards the craft. We're currently about one thousand meters from---"

The signal from Endeavour was lost.

"Endeavour, this is mission control, can you hear us!"

Only silence emanated from the speakers.

"Endeavour, please respond!"

Still, nothing but terrifying quietness was heard from Endeavour.

"Someone get me a satellite image of Endeavour!" screamed the supervisor working at mission control.

An engineer swiftly ran up to the NASA supervisor with photos and data papers.

"Sir, Endeavour's dead in the water!"

"What do you mean they're dead in the water?"

"I mean that everything on the space shuttle has shut down somehow. They have no power of any kind."

"How could that have happened?"

"We don't know yet, sir!"

"That's not what I want to hear right now! I need answers! I need solutions! Can we get their power back on?"

"Maybe, if we knew why it went off. We're getting zero feedback from Endeavour. We would need to communicate directly with our astronauts."

"Damn it, I don't want to hear maybes! I've got four astronauts up there running out of oxygen! Give me some answers!" the supervisor screamed.

Everyone at mission control worked feverishly for hours trying to contact Endeavour. Nothing the N.A.S.A. engineers attempted worked and eventually they exhausted every option they had. They could not make contact with the astronauts whom were soon going to suffocate inside the space shuttle.

"Damn it! This can't be happening!" the supervisor cried out in defeated frustration. Then he heard his head engineer yell out in foiled unbelief. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what's going on. We just lost satellite feed. I no longer have a signal to any of our satellites."

"How is that possible?"

"Sir, I wish I knew!"

"Try another satellite!"

"Sir, I told you, we've lost all the satellites!"

"What's going on?" the supervisor asked out loud to no one in particular.

Just then one of the secretaries working for NASA walked up to the supervisor rather briskly. "Sir, I've got Roscosmos on the line. They've lost all their satellite signals and were wondering if we were experiencing the same problem. What should I tell them?"

"Tell them we are and that we have no idea why!" the supervisor said as he sat down heavily in a nearby chair. He felt a huge weight upon his shoulders that was getting more massive every second that went by. He had no satellite signals, astronauts dying in space, and no answers to why this was happening. But he was sure those crafts were to blame.

After a few seconds, the same secretary returned with a look upon his face that clearly said he had more bad news but didn't want to tell.

The supervisor looked up at the secretary and saw the look. "What now?"

"Sir, now the China National Space Administration is on the line. They said they're unable to contact anyone aboard the International Space Station and wanted us to try and contact them. And, also, an administrator from JAXA is also reporting their satellites are down."

The supervisor got up wearily and walked over to the communications section. He approached the communications supervisor. "I want you to try and contact the Space Station."

The communications supervisor shook her head. "Sir, we've been trying to contact them ever since we lost contact with Endeavour. There has been no response."

"I must inform the President," the supervisor said as he walked out of the room and into his office where he asked his secretary to get the Secretary of Defense, Robert Sherwood, on the phone. She did.

"Robert, we've lost contact with the space shuttle and the International Space Station. We've also lost signals from all our satellites and we're not alone. Russia, Japan, and China have also lost their signals as well."

"Are the "visitors" responsible?"

"We have no proof of the visitors being responsible for our signal loses, but I would bet anything they are. It's just too much of a coincidence. The question we should be asking is did they do it on purpose? One satellite failing is a concern, all the satellites failing is sabotage."

"Very well, I'll inform the President. Let me know if anything changes."

"Yes sir, I will."

The Secretary of Defense called the President and told him about the dire situation. The President immediately called for an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss their options.

"Gentlemen and ladies, you've all been briefed on what's going on. I want to hear from you what our options are." President Bennett said.

A five star general spoke up. "The way I see it, the very act of disabling our satellites and the space shuttle should be considered a hostile act by those spacecrafts. We should retaliate before it's too late!"

An unidentified woman sitting at the table spoke up. "You're assuming those spacecrafts are responsible. We don't know that for sure."

"Of course it's the spacecrafts!" the general angrily scoffed. "Don't be such a fool! What else could it be?"

"We should be certain before we start a war with an alien species," the lady said feeling like a dog that had just been scolded by its owner. "What if it was an accident?"

The President broke into the conversation. "I've been on the phone with both Russia and China and they agree with the general, that this was a hostile act perpetrated against our world and they feel we should retaliate."

"Retaliate how?" the lady asked.

"It's being suggested and agreed to that we use our nuclear arsenal to destroy the crafts."

"Nuclear missiles! What about the repercussions on our planet. What about the nuclear fallout?" the lady asked with great concern.

"Our science advisors believe a large portion of the fallout would be diluted through our atmosphere before falling back to Earth. Our military advisors believe doing nothing could jeopardize our national security."

"I agree," the five-star general quickly and confidently said.

"Unfortunately, so do I," the President said. "We can't just wait and see what else they might do. They drew first blood. I don't see that we have a choice but to hit back. I'll inform Russia, China, and the rest of the United Nation members of our decision so we can coordinate our plans. This information is to remain secret. There's no reason to create a public panic about exploding nukes in space."

The President did as he said he would do and collaborated with the other countries to launch the nuclear missiles. Everything was set up and a missile was launched from Russia, a second from China, and a third from the United States, each heading to one of the three spacecrafts. NASA monitored the missile that was launched from the United States via radar.

"The missile is on track and will impact the spacecraft in thirty seconds," an NASA engineer said.

Everyone held their breath.

"All systems look good. Impact in fifteen seconds......ten seconds.......five seconds.....damn... the guidance system onboard the missile just went offline!"

"What do you mean, the guidance system went offline?" the supervisor yelled. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but there was no impact. The missile changed course and is now heading for deep space. It didn't work."

Again, the secretary dauntingly approached the supervisor. "Sir, both the missiles launched from China and Russia have also missed their targets and are currently heading out into space."

The supervisor closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. He rubbed his tension-aching temples and breathed out deeply. "I'll inform the President."

He dreaded having to tell the President that their one and only option had just failed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Kyle woke up the next morning famished. He realized he had not eaten in almost two days. With everything that had happened, his body's basic need for nourishment had gone unnoticed. Now it demanded attention by sending spasms of pain to Kyle's empty stomach. Kyle headed straight to the chow hall and grabbed a dinner tray full of food. He was about to sit down at one of the many inside tables when he noticed Sarah sitting at a table on the patio outside. He walked outside to join her.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

Sarah looked up and saw Kyle and smiled. "Please, sit down."

"It looked like you were in deep thought."

"I was just reflecting on the past few days," Sarah said looking straight ahead at the rising sun. "Do you wonder what happened to Jonas and Teresa?"

"Yes, I do. With all the money Jonas has, he probably has hundreds of places he could hide. He might have even left the country."

"Do you regret your decision to let him go?"

"Every day," Kyle said. He wished he had been strong enough to do what needed to be done. Jonas needed to pay for his many crimes. Kyle letting him go gave Jonas more opportunities to commit atrocities against humans and any Hybrids that got in his way. Kyle prayed Colonel would find Jonas before anyone else could be hurt.

"Do you miss her? Teresa, I mean?"

"I miss the person I thought she was. I guess I was in love with a lie."

"She lied to us all. She tricked all of us."

"But I was closest to her. I should have been able to see through her lies, instead I allowed her to play me like a puppet which cost the lives of some good men and my parents."

"Don't blame yourself for anyone's death. We were at war. People die at war."

"My parents weren't at war. They didn't deserve to die. All they tried to do was protect me from all this."

"I'm so sorry for the loss of your parents. I know just how you feel. I lost my parents to Jonas's cruel hands too."

Kyle had almost forgotten Sarah's parents were killed by Jonas's men. She actually did know exactly how he felt. He began to realize Sarah could be someone whom he could confide in...a true friend...someone he could trust.

"I have a brother." Kyle shared with Sarah.

"I know. I heard."

"Wow, news travels fast around here. Despite who he is and what he's done, he's the only family I've got left."

"I know you want to have contact with your brother, but Damien is not a good person like you are. He has been Jonas's right hand man for a long time now. I'm not trying to sound mean, but he may not want anything to do with you. Besides, it could be dangerous for you to try and contact him."

"I must try. It was my mother's last request, to try and save Damien from the evil that has embraced him. I hope to get the opportunity one day, even if I have to go search for him by myself."

"If you decide to go find him, I'm going with you," Sarah said as she placed her hand on top of Kyle's hand and scooted across the bench seat to get closer.

"I couldn't put you in danger like that. You mean a lot to me."

"I would do anything for you. I would give my life for you if it came to that."

Sarah moved still closer until she was able to look deep into Kyle's eyes. She desired desperately to kiss him. She had stood on the lonely sidelines watching Kyle and Teresa love each other and had longingly wished repeatedly it was her instead of Teresa receiving Kyle's attention. Now, she felt, it was her turn. She wanted to let Kyle know how she felt about him. She leaned in towards him, staring passionately at his lips while slightly parting her own. But, what could have been the most passionate kiss of Sarah's life abruptly became the most embarrassing moment of her life when Kyle backed away from her attempted kiss. Sarah was both crushed and humiliated.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. I just don't...I mean, you're not...you're my friend. I'm sorry if I caused you to think I like you like that."

"No... I'm sorry... I...I shouldn't have done that," Sarah said as she nervously picked up her tray of food and stood up. "I've got to go. I've got this...thing I've got to go do. Maybe, I'll see you later."

Sarah hurriedly walked away leaving Kyle sitting all alone.

Kyle had never thought of Sarah as anything but a friend. He felt bad about possibly hurting her but he had no desire to start a relationship with anyone. He was still hurt over the situation with Teresa. He had loved Teresa unconditionally, and she betrayed him without mercy. He hoped Sarah understood and that this hadn't damaged their friendship.

As Kyle resumed eating his breakfast, Colonel walked up with a tray of food and joined him.

"Good morning, Colonel. It looks like you're feeling better."

"Yes, much better. Good thing about being a Hybrid, we heal fast. How are you doing?"

Kyle knew Colonel was referring to the lost of his parents and not on his physical well being.

"I'm doing fine. I miss my parents awfully bad, but I know they're up there somewhere watching over me."

"I believe that too. They're probably standing beside my loving wife."

Colonel placed his hand on Kyle's arm and gently squeezed as a gesture of emotionally support.

"Have you heard anymore news on the alien crafts?" Kyle asked changing the subject from his parents for fear that he might start crying in front of Colonel again.

"Last I heard there was still no change. The crafts are just sitting up there observing us."

"Is that what you think they're doing?" Kyle asked with the sound of concern in his voice.

"It seems reasonable to me to assume that. What else could they be doing?"

Just then Spike joined them at the table with his tray of food. "What else could who be doing?"

"The alien crafts," Kyle said.

"Oh, those... the Air Force should just blow them out of the sky! We should just nuke them!"

The general public had no idea the use of nuclear weapons had already been attempted against the spacecrafts.

As the three guys continued discussing the alien crafts, a strong wind blew across The Compound, stirring up dust on the ground and rustling leaves as it blew though trees. As the gust blew through the patio, everyone on the patio felt extreme heat for just a short second and then it was gone along with the peculiar wind.

"Did you feel that?" Spike asked touching his skin on his arm.

"Yeah," Kyle said as he looked at Colonel for an explanation. "It almost burned me! What was that?"

"I don't know," Colonel said, but the look on his face told a different story.

Spike looked at his watch on the arm he was rubbing. "Hmmm, my watch stopped working. What time do you have?" he asked Kyle.

Kyle took out his cell phone from his back pocket. "I don't know. My phone isn't working either."

A man's voice could be heard yelling from the kitchen. "Hey, we have no power in here. How can I do any cooking without power?"

"Oh damn!" Colonel said as he quickly got up and ran back into the building where several people were sitting down eating breakfast. Kyle and Spike followed him and watched as he frantically looked around the room. They watched him try several light switches to see if they worked. He examined the clock on the wall and randomly picked up several peoples phones from the dinning room tables and looked at them. Nothing was working.

Colonel walked briskly to his office with Spike and Kyle following close behind him wondering what he was up to. Colonel tried the land line in his office but it too was dead. He then went into the office closet and pulled out a heavily insulated, metal box. Inside was a huge military walkie-talkie. He turned it on.

"Main base to Whiskey camp, do you read me?"

Only static was heard over the walkie-talkie.

"Main base to Whiskey camp, do you read me? Come in."

The static was broken when a man's voice came over the walkie-talkie.

"This is Whiskey camp. Go ahead."

"Jack, do you have power over there?" Colonel asked with uncharacteristic distress in his voice.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Everything here is dead...all our electrical and electronic devices."

"Here too. Did you feel the pulse?"

"Yes, I felt it here, but I was hoping real hard that it was just my imagination."

"It wasn't. It seems to be an EMP, but on a magnitude unlike anything I've ever seen."

"I was thinking the same thing. It must have come from those crafts. If this is world wide, we're in trouble. Colonel, I need go right now. I'll talk to you later when I have more information."

"Roger that... out."

Spike and Kyle, in unison, asked Colonel what was happening.

Colonel sat down in his chair rubbing his chin with a grave concern plastered over his entire face and stared out the window for a few seconds. He eventually looked up at the two boys.

"That was Jack Stevens from our Wyoming base confirming my fears. As you heard, they've lost all power just like we have and probably everyone else."

"Everyone else?" Kyle asked.

"The whole world."

"How?" Spike asked.

"By using an EMP," Colonel answered.

"What's an EMP?" Kyle asked.

"It stands for electromagnetic pulse. It's basically a burst of electromagnetic radiation which damages all electrical and electronic systems; basically everything that we as a society depends on."

"So, you're saying that's why we have no power right now?" Kyle asked. 'That's why Spike's watch isn't working and my cell phone had died?"

"That's what I fear. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am."

"Are we in trouble?" Kyle asked hoping Colonel's answer would not be as bad as he knew it would be.

"Think about it. Without electricity we have no refrigeration, so all our perishable foods will spoil. Without electricity we have no means to pump water into homes, so no water for cleaning ourselves or flushing the toilets, which means no sanitation. All the phone towers will be down, so we can't call anyone. The gas pumps will not work, so whatever gas we have in our vehicles is all we have, thus, all transportation will soon come to a halt. Since we have no transportation, there will no longer be truck drivers delivering food to local fast-food joints or grocery stores. Once the food supply in each town is eaten up, there'll be no one else bringing us more food. People have grown so accustomed to simply driving up to a window and having people hand them food that the reality of no longer having that luxury will undoubtedly start widespread panic, looting, and riots.

"The local police will be overwhelmed trying to stop all the rioting and looting that will inevitably engulf each town across the world. All emergency services will be unavailable...no ambulances...no firefighters. The hospitals will be in chaos, not having power to run their equipment. People on life support will die, people with pace makers will die, and people in need of surgery will die especially after the hospital's supplies run dry. Soon mayhem will devour our social and economic society and all our "visitors" have to do is sit back and watch it all happen."

"Those alien crafts up there are responsible for this?" Spike asked.

"I'm sure of it. We don't have the capability of producing such a powerful EMP."

"Can't we just fix our electrical and electronic systems?" Kyle asked.

"Sure we can and will, but who's to say they aren't just going to fire another pulse at us? We'll soon run out of supplies to fix everything which I believe is their intention."

"So, if they did fire this EMP at us, it's most likely won't be the last?" Spike asked.

"No, this is just the beginning," Colonel said.

"How are you so sure that's what they're doing?" Kyle asked.

"Because that's what I would do if I was going to attack someone. It's an old military tactic in which you weaken your enemy before you attack them."

"You feel an attack is imminent?" asked Spike.

"I fear it is, and we're floating in the water with no oars."

Just then the walkie-talkie came alive again. "Whiskey camp to base; come in."

Colonel picked up the walkie-talkie and answered back. "This is base. Go ahead."

"I was able to get a hold of some of our military friends. Our suspicions were correct, it was some sort of EMP and it's definitely world wide."

"Are our friends aware of any plans that the government has to deal with this situation?"

"No, none at this moment."

"All right, keep me informed if you get anymore information."

"Roger that, will do."

"What do we do now?" Kyle asked hoping his fears weren't obvious to Colonel.

"I don't know yet."

That was not the answer Kyle wanted to hear. Aliens were going to attack Earth and the only one Kyle could turn to for answers didn't know what to do. He wanted assurance that everything was going to be all right but Colonel was unable to give him that luxury. Colonel was as lost for answers as the rest of the world.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

At the same time everyone at The Compound experienced the EMP blast, so did the people at NASA. Just minutes before the blast, the NASA headquarters was a chaotic mad house as people were scrambling around trying to deal with the strange situation that was before them. The President had charged them, along with the Defense Department, to find a way of communicating with the alien visitors. Every engineer and every scientist employed by NASA was called in. So far, everything they had tried in an attempted to contact the aliens had failed. They were quickly exhausting all options.

"Let's go people," Bill Stuart yelled across the room. "I need answers. The President is growing impatient."

No one even looked up at the supervisor. They all knew just how important their task was and didn't need anyone to remind them of it. But they also understood the supervisor's frustration. He was dealing with the fact the astronauts in the Space Shutter had run out of air hours ago. He had never lost anyone on his watch before and he silently grieved for the families of the unfortunate astronauts whom gave their lives simply trying to make first contact with an alien species. He was also dealing with the fact that we as a nation attempted to shot down the alien crafts. Why would the alien crafts want to communicate with the inhabitants of Earth after they committed such a hostile act? Was all their effort to communicate with the crafts in vain? Were the alien crafts vendicatingly turning a death ear to us?"

One of the many engineers called Bill over to his computer console.

"What is it, Tom?" Bill asked.

"I'm not sure. As you know, we've been monitoring the three crafts for any signs of change or movement or sensory readings. Until about thirty minutes ago, there were no readings from our sensors coming from the crafts."

"What happened thirty minutes ago and why wasn't I informed immediately."

"It was such a small reading...a small amount of radiation emanating from around the crafts, but now the radiation level at the forward part of each craft has suddenly spiked up dramatically and is rising rather quickly."

"For what reason?"

"I don't know. No one here knows. The source could be from some sort of engine or even from a weapon of some kind. We simply don't know."

"Keep an eye on it and try to get me some answers. We need to know what they're up to."

"Yes, sir."

Just as Bill was about to walk away, the engineer grabbed his hand and pointed at the computer screen. "Sir, look! An enormous surge of radiation has just left all three crafts with tremendous velocity! It will impact Earth in less than ten seconds!"

"Damn it, they're attacking! I've got to call the President!"

Bill immediately started dialing the White House, but before he could finish, all power was lost throughout the whole building: every computer, every light, every cell phone went dead at the same time.

Panic swept throughout the headquarters...sounds of confused muttering filled the emptiness... as people were left in complete darkness. No one could even see their hands in front of their face because the building they were in had no windows to let the outside light in.

"Everyone remain calm and stay where you are. I'm sure the maintenance department is already working to get the backup generators running. We should have power back on momentarily," Bill informed everyone.

A beam of light sliced through the pitch blackness and shined in Bill's eyes. The light started bouncing towards him.

"I had this flashlight in my desk drawer. Do you need it, sir?" an engineer asked as he approached Bill and tried to hand him a flashlight. "It's one of those kinds you have to crank by hand to charge the batteries up. Do you want it?"

"No, you keep it and go down to the generator room and make sure someone is down there trying to get the power back on."

"Right away, sir."

The engineer turned to head to the generator room when Bill grabbed his arm and stop him. Bill pulled the engineer close and quietly whispered in his ear. "That radiation pulse...was it what I think it was?"

"If you're thinking it was an EMP, I would have to agree with you...one on a much grander scale than we could ever produce."

"I was afraid you were going to say that!"

Bill motioned for the engineer to continue to the generator room.

Ten minutes later, the distant hum of the generators could be heard and the power inside the headquarters was restored. The lights came on throughout the building with much relief from everyone previously trapped in the darkness. The engineers immediately tried to turn on their computers but to no avail.

"Everyone listen to me!" Bill yelled across the room. "What I believe we've just experienced was an EMP burst. It most probably has fried your circuit boards and circuit breakers. Go to the store room which should have been better insulated from the blast and get the supplies you need to replace all your fried circuitry and get your computers up and running as soon as possible."

All the engineers made a dash for the storage room. Bill stopped one as he was passing by.

"You get the phones working. Whatever it takes! I've got to get a hold of the White House!"

Thanks to the brilliant intelligence of NASA's engineers, everything was up and running in under an hour. The engineer that had been working on the phones approached Bill.

"Sir, the phones are working. You can make your call now."

"Thanks, good work."

Bill headed for his office to call the President.

"Yes, this is Bill Stuart, over here at NASA. May I please talk to the President?"

"He's in a meeting," the voice on the other end of the phone said. "Can I direct you somewhere else?"

"Is the Secretary of Defense available?"

"Yes he is. I'll connect you."

"Hello Robert, this is Bill over here at NASA. Is everything all right over there?"

"As well as can be expected. We've got the White House secured and we're working on restoring power. We're running off generator power as I suspect you are too."

"Yeah, we are. Sir, my engineers here believe we were hit with an EMP blast from those spacecrafts. Can you confirm?"

"Yes, we came to the same conclusion here. We received a huge radiation spike on our instruments right before we lost power. The President's in a meeting right now trying to figure out our next move. There's no question, we've been attacked, but we have no way to retaliate. Every plane around the world that was in the air at the time of the blast has fallen from the sky...military, private, and commercial. We have thousands of casualties in the U.S. alone."

"Sir, I'm sure this has already crossed your mind but I'll say it anyways. Even if we get all the power back on across the nation, there's no saying whether or not we'll be hit with another EMP blast, sending us right back into this same situation. We can keep repairing all the damage after each blast but eventually we'll exhaust our supplies and not be able to rebound."

"I know, but what else are we to do. We can't just sit idly by and do nothing. We've got to keep moving and hopefully figure out how to deal with this predicament. We've no military plan for such an attack. How can you have an attack plan for an enemy whom you never knew existed?"

The next two weeks were filled with chaos and rioting world wide just as Colonel had predicted. Each time power was restored, another EMP burst blasted Earth. Hope was far and dim. As workers were doing their best to restore power, despaired citizens were looting and robbing their own neighborhoods. The hospitals were soon overflowing with victims from shootings and attacks by their own countrymen. Local law enforcement and the National Guard were doing their best to restore order, but panic and fear had its claws deep into the emotional flesh of the whole world. Civilization was clearly destroying itself and all the orbiting hostels had to do was to sit back and watch it all happen. It seemed like they were going to win the war without having to lift a finger.

But, after several weeks of seeing the worst in humanity, people's demeanor began to change. They grew tired of the havoc and mayhem they saw around them everyday. They grew weary of living in fear in their own towns and neighborhoods and made a stand to do something about it. People all over the world swallowed their fears, their indifferences and united together... neighbor for neighbor. They banded against the looters and the thieves. They restored uniformity to their towns. People with food and water started sharing it with those who had none. Citizens started helping with the restoration and cleaning of their communities. Order was slowly being restored around the world as people came together as one. For the alien invaders, the strength of the human spirit was certainly an unforeseen disruption in their plan of attack on the Earth.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

After the narrow escape from The Compound, Jonas, Teresa, and Damien had fled in their helicopter and flown to a secluded hundred acre ranch that Jonas had purchased several years ago. There, Teresa and Damien nursed Jonas back to health after the nearly life-ending assault by Kyle and Sarah...an assault that would have surely left any ordinary person dead. Jonas was back in top form within a few weeks, although he was left with some nasty burn scars covering over fifty percent of his body. As a result, he began wearing a long black cloak with a hood that hung over his eyes and kept his face covered, even around Teresa.

The ranch house they stayed in was a magnificent early colonial, two story house with wrap-around porches on the first floor and second floor level. Behind the house were two huge stables for housing horse. Both were currently empty. Behind the stables were three large metal hangers full of supplies such as food, water, medical supplies, and everything else Jonas could cram inside them for emergency purposes just like the one he was currently enduring. Jonas was always great at planning for unforeseen emergencies, like the helicopter escape from The Compound. His motto: Hope for the best; Plan for the worst. To the left of the main house was another hanger which housed the emergency generators with enough fuel stored to run the generators for the next six to eight months.

With the various types of communication devices Jonas had, from scanners to CB radios, he had received news about the alien crafts and about the EMP blast that had knocked out the world's power. Jonas quickly became emphatically consumed with the desire to contact the aliens. He was certain they were the very aliens whom he had been trying to contact for so long and he felt he could undoubtedly be of assistance to them if he could just communicate with them. He felt the EMP blast was unmistakably clear evidence that the aliens were planning a takeover of Earth and he wanted to be a part of it no matter how insignificant the part was.

Just days after the first EMP blast was felt around the world, Jonas and Teresa were sitting at the breakfast table eating when Jonas suddenly slammed his fist down on the table. "I've got it!"

Teresa jumped. "You scared the crap out of me! Got what?"

"I know how we can contact our family."

"I wish you would stop calling them our family. You have no idea who they are or what they want. I'm your family."

"My young naive daughter, it can't be just a coincidence that they arrived here after we spent so much time trying to contact them. They're here to take us home."

"Then, what are they waiting for?" Teresa asked sarcastically. "Why not just come down here and pick us up and take us all home?"

"Perhaps they feel a need, like I do, to first rid this planet of such inferior being as the humans that have infested this planet."

"Father, I still don't quite understand this great hatred you have for humans. I know they are beneath us, but why such hatred? What has it gotten us? We've lost everything. I don't know if it was all worth it."

"I know you don't," Jonas said with hostility in his growl. "Sometimes you're as foolish as your mother was. She didn't understand either. Always questioning my decisions. At least I have Damien on my side."

"Father, I'll always be on your side, no matter the sacrifices I must make."

"Are you still pining over that damn boy? Sometimes you disgust me. I wonder if you're even really my own flesh and blood!"

Teresa urgently got up from her chair and rushed around to where Jonas was sitting. She knelt down beside his chair and took his right hand in hers. She closed her hands around her father's hand and gently kissed the top of his hand several times and gently caressed her father's hand against her cheek. With tears in her eyes, she sorrowfully looked up at her father.

"Father please, I'm so sorry! I don't ever want to disappoint you. I'll do anything you say. I will believe in what you believe in. I will hate anybody you hate. Just never say that again. Please!"

"We shall see what the future holds. Hopefully someday I can look upon you with the same pride I look upon Damien with. He has shown me more respect than any of my family ever did."

"I'll prove to you I can be just as deserving as Damien... even more!"

Jonas patted Teresa on the head. "We'll see."

Teresa stood up and walked back to her chair to finish her breakfast, wiping her tears from her eyes.

A few second later, Damien entered the room and sat down.

"Have you been crying, Teresa?" Damien asked.

"No... must be allergies." Teresa then turned her attention to her father. "You said something about being able to contact the alien crafts?"

"Really?" Damien said excitingly.

"Yes, I believe so. See, every EMP has a unique frequency signature, sort of like a radio station has a certain frequency. All I have to do is record the signature and send it back into space towards the crafts. It should get their attention and hopefully they'll come to investigate."

"But the EMP blast has already hit us," Damien said to Jonas.

"I know, but I believe they'll send another, maybe several, and when they do, I want to be ready. We have all the supplies here to build everything I need to make contact."

"When do we start?" Damien asked.

"Right now. Teresa you can help. We're going to need plenty of food and drinks. Do you think you can handle that?" Jonas chuckled condescendingly.

"Yes sir." Teresa answered not entirely happy with her role but thankful she was at least being included.

Jonas and Damien worked day and night building a communication array with the capability of recording the unique frequency of the alien EMP. Teresa kept a fresh supply of food and drinks readily available for them and was even allowed to help on occasions. They worked feverishly until the project was done, fearing that the aliens would send another EMP blast before the device was finished. When the communication array was finally completed, the three of them rested, and waited.

Damien found Teresa standing on the back porch watching the sun set...something Kyle had taught her to enjoy.

"What are you so deep in thought about, Teresa?"

"Nothing important."

"I bet you're thinking about your boyfriend."

"I am not! He was never my boyfriend in the first place. I was just using him!" Teresa said with commitment, hoping Damien believed her lie.

"Then why are you getting so upset?"

"Just leave me alone, Damien!"

With a half grin, Damien walked up close behind Teresa and whispered in her ear.

"How close did you and your boyfriend get?" Damien slid his hand down to Teresa's butt and squeezed her. "Did you'll get this close?"

Teresa immediately spun around and pushed Damien away. Damien immediately moved back towards Teresa and forced her against a porch post. He placed his hands on her hips and held her against the post. Damien had a prurient evil grin on his face as he removed one of his hands from her hip and boldly placed it over her left breast.

"You're so pretty!" Damien said with heavy breath. "I've wanted you for so long!"

Damien moved his head towards Teresa in an attempt to kiss her, but she quickly raised both her hands and placed them on the side of Damien's head, closed her eyes, and concentrated. All of a sudden, Damien could feel Teresa inside his head. He quickly pushed away from her and the connection was broken.

"What were you doing in there?" Damien screamed.

"Wiping away some of your memories," Teresa said with a halfway grin. "If I had wanted to, I could have wiped your whole mind clean. You wouldn't even remember how to walk."

"What did you take from me?" Damien demanded to know trying to search his mind for missing fragments of his memory.

"Nothing important...this time! You're too important to my father. But next time you attack me, I'll turn you into a vegetable...understand?"

"Damn, I was just playing around. All you had to do was say "no" and I would have stopped."

"Sure, you would have."

Teresa walked away leaving Damien wondering which memories he was missing and with the realization that Teresa was no one to mess with.

The next day, Jonas was outside on the porch listening to his military scanner. He was actually enjoying hearing about all the chaos the EMP blast was causing around the world. He wished he could see it all first hand instead of having to settle for just hearing it over the scanner. He admired the destruction the aliens were creating without having to lift a finger, thanks to the barbaric nature of the human race.

While Jonas was day dreaming of a world without humans, a noticeable gust of wind blew through the trees. As the gust hit Jonas, he felt intense heat for just a second and then it was gone. The scanner went dead. Jonas knew immediately that this was the EMP blast that he had been waiting for.

He quickly ran to the generator and rapidly replaced all the blown fuses and circuit breakers and started it. He then ran across the yard to the hanger where he and Damien had set up their communication array to record the EMP blast signature. He hurriedly replaced the fuses in the device while his hands were shaking with anticipation as to what the device had recorded if indeed it had actually worked. The device powered up and Jonas quickly checked the recording. His face began glowing with delight like a little boy receiving his first brand new bicycle at Christmas. The device worked!

Jonas hurriedly switched the communication array from record mode to transmit mode. He punched the frequency data he had received from the recorder into the key pad and then punched in the coordinates to the location of the nearest spacecraft. The machine started broadcasting its signal just as Damien came hurrying into the hanger.

"Did it work?" Damien asked with anticipation.

"It sure did. It's relaying the signal right now. I'm such a genius." Jonas replied looking up into the sky.

"Now what?"

"Now we wait. With any luck, they'll come to investigate the signal."

"Then what?"

"We unite with the ones whose blood runs through our veins."

The following night, Jonas was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of left-over chili while Teresa sat across the table from him talking about needing her hair trimmed. The kitchen window revealed a clear starry night with a perfectly full moon shinning its beams of light through the glass.

Jonas knew Teresa was talking to him but he heard nothing she said. His mind was totally focused on the possibility of meeting the aliens whom his device was trying to contact. It had only been a day since he first began broadcasting the signal into space, but, to Jonas, it felt like an eternity. He wondered why the aliens had not come running. What was taking them so long to respond? When they did, would they accept him as one of their own? These questions saturated Jonas's mind like salt in the ocean.

"Father, did you hear what I said?"

Jonas was pulled from his deep thoughts by his daughter's voice.

"What did you say?"

"I asked if we could drive into town in the morning. I need something done about this hair, plus I've been cooped up in this house for days."

"Number one, the world is in utter chaos. If we drove into town, I'll have to deal with someone trying to rob us or try to highjack our car. In desperate times, people do desperate things. Number two, and most importantly, there's no way I'm going to leave this ranch and miss our family reunion."

"I'll drive her into town," Damien said as he entered the kitchen. "Oh...wait... I've seemed to have FORGOTTEN HOW TO DRIVE!"

Teresa gave Damien an evil smirk.

"Thanks to you, I ran the truck into a ditch outside. I couldn't remember which peddle was the brake and which was the gas!"

"It serves you right!" Teresa snickered.

"What's going on?" Jonas asked.

"Nothing I can't handle," Teresa answered with a raise of her brow.

As Jonas was trying to figure out why Damien was mad with Teresa, he noticed small strands of Teresa's hair rising from her head. Then he felt his own hair on his body standing up. A movement caught his attention outside the kitchen window. As he turned and look out of the window, he noticed a dark object slowly moving across the night sky, blocking out the stars and the moon. Jonas sprung from his chair and ran outside as Teresa and Damien followed.

The object was massive...nearly fifty yards in length by Jonas's estimate. The object, a craft of some sorts, was saucer shaped with no visible lights on it...only the moon light reflecting off its shiny surface. The craft was slowly moving into a position directly over Jonas, hovering approximately fifty feet in the sky. Not making a sound. After several intense seconds, the craft began making an eerie noise as an opening formed on its underside where once only solid surface was visible. A greenish glow illuminated from the opening and soon engulfed the three mesmerized spectators standing beneath the craft. Jonas could feel an invisible force pulling on his body. Soon he felt weightless as his body started rising off the ground along with Teresa's and Damien's. They were being lifted towards the craft. Jonas's heart was pounding, not out of fear, but out of the anticipation and excitement of possibly meeting the very ones whom he was created from. He looked forward to seeing his "family".

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

It had been four days since Jonas, Teresa, and Damien were taken by the alien craft...an event that went unnoticed by the rest of the world because none of the radars, which normally monitored the skies, were operational. The governments around the world were busy just trying to keep essential equipment running, attempting to maintain order, and keep people supplied with food and basic needs.

As the world had its hands full with its domestic affairs, another unnoticed event was taking place in space. Openings were appearing on all three alien crafts. Swarming out of these openings like hornets from their nests were hundreds of smaller crafts about thirty feet in diameter. They resembled the "mother ships" in that they were black and shinny with no visible markings on their surface. The multitude of smaller crafts sped towards Earth, entered the planet's atmosphere and flew into every major city around the world.

It wasn't long before people started spotting the crafts in the sky. More and more people began gathering in the streets and stood motionless and watched the crafts get closer, mesmerized by seeing actual alien crafts. As the innocent spectators watched, the crafts began swooping down low and started firing a greenish narrow beam of light at everyone on the ground. As the high-intensity lasers ripped through their human targets, the victim's bodies heated up so rapidly, causing such a jump in internal pressure, that the pressure inside the body had to escape, like full aerosols can exploding inside a campfire. The resulting explosion sent flumes of blood, bodily fluids, and incinerated body parts flying through the air in every direction.

Fear and panic ran rampant, as people were horrifically bursting like melons being shot with a shotgun all over the streets. People frantically scrambled for safety, covered in their neighbor's blood and occasionally slipping on the bodily remains which were quickly coating the streets like a mad man's abstract painting.

The bloody scene was being played out all around the world. People were forced to find shelter inside buildings or anywhere that provided them with cover from the flying crafts raining death down upon them. From Russia to Australia, people became trapped inside buildings, too scared to venture outside.

Days passed as the alien crafts continually circled in the sky like buzzards looking for their next meal. If anyone dared to venture outside, a craft would quickly swoop down and kill the unfortunate soul. The crafts stayed focused on any movements on the ground, just waiting for something to destroy. Not even animals were discriminated against. Anything that moved was unmercifully pulverized.

The mood at the U.S. Defense Department was one of extreme pressure to get the military's equipment operational. They had been working feverishly, day and night, working on replacing all the circuit breakers and computer boards and electrical systems that the last EMP blast had destroyed. They were getting dangerously low on supplies and were forced to improvise ways to get the equipment working. The Secretary of Defense was on the phone with the General of the Armed Forces.

"General, we need some fighters in the air, now!"

"Yes sir, I'm aware of that! We've currently sent twenty-three fighter jets your way and we're also sending some tanks with ground to air missiles. The fighter jets should be arriving in your area within minutes."

"Good. We need to get the President to a safer location, but those damn alien crafts won't let us take one step outside! Those lasers of theirs can shoot straight through the roofs of our armored vehicles. Can you tell me when---"

"Sir, with all do respect, I need to be on the radio with the fighter pilots."

"Of course. Keep me notified."

The general hung up with the Secretary of Defense and picked up his radio. The radio was his only link to the fighter pilots.

"Alpha base to Tango One, do you copy?" the general asked the lead pilot.

"Roger Alpha base, this is Tango One. I read you loud and clear."

"What's your E.T.A.?"

"We've just arrived at our destination and have made visual contact with the targets. Permission to engage."

"You have permission. Blow them bastards out of the sky!"

"Will do! Tango One to squadron; we have authorization to commence the attack. Find a target and destroy it."

The fighter jets began their attack on the alien crafts, but it soon became apparent to the pilots that the alien crafts were far more maneuverable than they were. As one of the pilots was chasing an alien craft, the craft made an abrupt ninety degree turn...a feat that was impossible for the fighters to duplicate. Any of the fighter jet's bullets that did manage to find their targets did very little damage.

"I just had a direct hit on one of the alien crafts, but I don't think I damage it any," a pilot said over the radio.

"Switch to missiles." Tango One commanded. "Let's see if they can cause some damage,"

All the pilots switched over to missiles and continued their pursuit of the alien crafts. But, try as they might, their on-board weapon systems couldn't find a target.

"There's apparently no heat signature coming from these crafts! Our missiles have nothing to lock on to," a pilot worriedly said over the radio.

"Then we'll have to fire our missiles manually and hope we get a lucky shot off!" Tango One told all the pilots.

While looking for an opportunity to fire his missiles, Tango One noticed that two of his pilots were in pursuit of one of the alien crafts. He called them on the radio. "Bravo Two and Bravo Five, let's execute the cowboy maneuver."

"Roger that, we'll move into position."

The two fighter pilots moved along both sides of the alien craft like two cowboys on horses corralling a cow. Another pilot maneuvered his jet in front of the craft while another move behind the craft. Tango One positioned his jet high above them. Once he felt he was high enough, Tango One started to dive straight for the alien craft. As he got close enough, he yelled his order over the radio.

"Now!"

The four pilots quickly turned their jets away from the alien craft as Tango One fired his missile. The missile impacted the alien craft and both the alien craft and the missile exploded into a fiery ball.

"Now, we know they're not indestructible!" Tango One said with excitement.

Ever since the air battle began, the fighter pilots had been the only one's firing their weapons. The alien crafts were just trying to evade the fighter jets... dodging gun fire and missiles as if they were playing with the fighter jet or perhaps studying them. But then the battle change momentum as the alien crafts started attacking the fighter pilots.

The alien crafts began easily maneuvering in behind the fighter jets and began firing their greenish lasers. The craft's aim was precise, hitting the fighter jet's fuel tanks almost every time. The fighter jets began systematically falling to the ground, one after the other, in fiery balls of destruction.

Tango One observed one of his fellow pilots being pursued by an alien craft and sped his jet up to help his pilot. Tango One quickly maneuvered his jet in behind the alien craft and was about to fire upon it when another alien craft fired upon him first. This time, however, the alien craft's aim was a little off and hit Tango One's tail instead of his fuel tank. With the tail destroyed, the jet started spinning out of control as it tumbled towards the ground. Tango One managed to eject from his cockpit. His parachute opened and he started safely drifting towards the ground.

One of the pilots, second in command, got on the radio to inform the General who had been closely listening to the battle on his radio at base.

"Alpha base, Tango One's just been hit! He's ejected from his plane safely and is currently parachuting to the ground. I believe he's all right. I've marked the approximate position where he should land so we..... Oh no! Sir, one of the alien crafts is heading right for Tango One! It's firing at.....Damn it! Sir, Tango One has been killed."

"How many jets do me have left?" the general asked.

"There are nine of us left, sir. We've only managed to destroy one of them."

"Abort the mission. Return to your base."

"Yes, sir."

The remaining fighter pilots turned their jets around and started heading back to their base. None of them had ever been up against an enemy of such toughness and maneuverability. Their jets were no match against the alien crafts. It was equated to bringing a slingshot to a gun fight. As the jet fighters retreated, the alien crafts pursued them.

"We've got company!" one of the pilots announced over the radio.

"What's happening?" the general asked.

"The alien crafts are behind us and approaching fast!"

"Get away from them now!"

"We're going as fast as we can but they're gaining on us! They're right on top of us! Trying to take defensive---I can't shake them! I can't---"

The radio went silent.

"Respond! What's happening?" the general urgently demanded to know.

The radio remained silent.

"Can anyone respond?"

Nothing.

The general knew he had just lost the rest of the pilots. He felt the huge weight of responsibility for the lost of lives on his shoulders like an iron yoke around an oxen. The alien crafts didn't fight with the rules of engagement or the ethics of war he was accustomed to. They fought without mercy...brutal...heartless...indifference. The general turned his radio off and defeatedly shuffled out of the room.

After eliminating the jets, the alien crafts returned to their relentless search for anyone unfortunate enough to be caught outside when they passed by. The aliens showed no humanness in their intended extermination of the human race...even children were not off limits to their brutality. The alien crafts were soon dubbed "Flyers" by the American people...a name, just by simply speaking it, filled one with a nervous terror and trembling dread.

Although the aliens also attacked at night, the dark proved to be a little safer for people to move around in. The Flyers were less efficient hunters at night than in the day time, seemingly being limited to what their single spotlight could see. So at night is when most people dared to venture outside to forage for food and water, always keeping a close eye on the night sky and a keen ear on the dark shadows listening for the soft metallic hum of a Flyer. People lived in fear, both day and night, but still held fast to the hope that their government would find a way to save them before there was no one left to save.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Several thousands miles away from The Compound, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at a location called the Mariana Trench ( the deepest part of the world's oceans; a place still too deep for scientist to explore; a place never seen by human eyes), in the middle of the night, an object emerged from the depths. It was a craft similar to the Flyers, but twice as big and chrome in color. It made not a sound as it slowly rose out of the water and hovered several feet above the surface of the ocean before it rocketed away at an incredible speed towards America.

At that very moment in time, Kyle was sitting in Colonel's office. Colonel was talking on the walkie-talkie to his military connection.

"No, sir. We're not doing very well," the voice on the walkie-talkie said. "The Flyers are too strong. For every one we destroy, we lose hundreds. I don't know how much longer we can last."

"We'll find a way to defeat them," Colonel said with certainty. "Stay strong and vigilant."

"Roger, that."

Colonel laid the walkie-talkie down. His face wore heavy with worry and concern.

"It won't be long before the whole world is defeated by the aliens," Kyle commented.

"I know. We must find a way of dealing with the aliens!"

The walkie-talkie came alive again. "Sniper to Repo-man, do you copy?"

Kyle gave Colonel a puzzled look. "Repo-man?"

"I'll explain it some other day," Colonel said. He then picked up the walkie-talkie. "Go ahead."

"F.Y.I., the army has recovered an alien craft that was shot down earlier. They're disassembling it as we speak. Reverse engineering it to learn all they can about the aliens. So far, all they've told me is that the craft is unmanned or I should say, "Un-aliened". It was being flown by some kind of artificial intelligence undoubtedly controlled by the "mother ships" in space."

"Have they found any weaknesses which we can use to destroy them?"

"None as of yet. Not that they have shared. I'll let you know if I hear anything more."

"Roger that, thanks."

Colonel placed the walkie-talkie back on the table and leaned back in his chair, placing his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling.

"Hopefully they'll find a way of giving us an advantage in the fight against the aliens after they finish dissecting that craft."

"I hope it's soon," Kyle said taking a deep breath.

Suddenly, a man rushed into Colonel's office, frantic and out of breath. "Sir, you have to come outside now! Hurry!"

Colonel and Kyle quickly sprung to their feet and followed the man outside where he led them to a crowd already gathered outside, looking up into the night sky. Kyle joined the crowd in looking up and could barely make out a reflective object hovering several feet above the ground. A static electrical charge could be felt in the air by everyone as all eyes stayed fixed on the object.

"What is it? Is it a Flyer?" someone in the crowd asked.

"I don't think so," Colonel said. ", or we would all be dead right now. But perhaps all you should get back inside just to be safe."

No one moved, seeming oblivious to Colonel's warning. They all stayed staring at the object in the sky.

"Why hasn't it attacked us?" another voice from the crowd asked.

Colonel did find it peculiar that the presumably alien craft had not yet attacked them like all the other Flyers had. Like the others in the crowd, curiosity kept Colonel watching the object for its next move.

After several seconds, the object started descending slowly to the ground. It produced no noise what so ever, as if it was being lowered on invisible strings by some heavenly puppeteer. As it neared the ground, Colonel could see that it was some sort of flying craft, but not a Flyer. The craft was polished chrome in color, approximately one hundred feet in diameter and saucer shaped with no lights or identifiable marks on its exterior.

The craft stopped its descent just a few feet above the ground approximately fifty feet away from the crowd. The grass underneath the craft was flattened as if some invisible force was bearing down on it. Suddenly, a portion of the craft's seamless outer hull, measuring about eight feet by eight feet square, separated from the craft's hull...creating an opening in the craft... and lowered itself to the ground, forming a ramp. The interior of the craft was dark causing everyone to have to strain their eyes to try and take a peak inside.

A movement from inside the craft caught everyone's attention simultaneously. They collectively held their breath in anticipation of what may be emerging from the darkness. They didn't have to wait long. A humanoid figure walked to the edge of the ramp as the crowd gasped. The alien looked remarkably human wearing a thin white garment tightly wrapped around most of its pale skin. The alien had no visible hair on its body, its black eyes were slightly slanted and wide, it had only holes on both sides of its head for ears, a thin, wide slit for a mouth with no lips, a flattened nose, and slightly enlarge cranium. It remained at the edge of the ramp surveying the crowd.

Colonel cautiously and slowly began walking towards the alien. The alien followed suit and began walking down the ramp towards Colonel. Each of them stopped when they were only a few feet from each other.

"Why are you attacking us?" Colonel demanded to know.

"We are not attacking you," the alien said telepathically, its hollow, mono-toned, voice echoing in Colonel's head.

Colonel's eyes widened with shock at unexpectingly hearing the alien's voice in his head, but he pretended it wasn't a big deal and kept his head about him. "Then, who is attacking us if not you?"

"Allow me to speak with you in private and I will explain everything."

Colonel's curiosity had never been at the heightened level it had achieved at that very moment. He motioned for the alien to follow him inside the building. All eyes in the crowd were fixated on the sight of a real live alien! Not a word was spoken or a breath taken as the alien passed by them. Colonel opened the door of the building to let the alien inside. As the door opened, the alien shielded his eyes from the bright light coming from inside the building.

"Is he talking to you?" Kyle asked Colonel.

"Yes, telepathically."

The alien stopped at the threshold of the door. "The light is too bright for me."

Colonel motioned for one of his guards to step forward.

"Go inside and turn off all the lights leading to my office and then bring me a few battery powered lanterns from the store room."

"Right away, sir!"

The young man did as he was ordered and turned out the lights. He then returned with a couple of lanterns and handed them to Colonel who turned one of them on.

"Is this too bright for you?" Colonel asked the alien.

"No."

Colonel, Spike, and Kyle led the alien into Colonel's office and closed the door. Colonel pointed towards a chair sitting in front of his office table.

"Do aliens sit in chairs?" Colonel asked.

"Yes, we do."

The alien walked to the chair and sat down while Colonel, with Kyle and Spike standing at his side, sat directly across the table.

"Can we get you anything?" Colonel asked. "Do you want something to eat or drink or ...?"

"Talk to me with your minds," the alien said to all in the room simultaneously.

"I can hear him now!" Kyle enthusiastically said.

"Me, too." Spike said equally excited.

"Yes, I can hear all your thoughts and all you can here mine," the alien explained.

"That's remarkable! How are you doing this?" Kyle asked telepathically.

"I come from an advanced civilization where we only communicate through our minds. I know your people can only participate in one-to-one conversations using your minds. I can teach you how to communicate with several people at once."

Colonel had never felt comfortable talking to anyone telepathically. He had never liked the feeling of someone being inside his head. But he obliged the alien's wishes; beside, not doing so might be considered rude in the alien's society. Colonel didn't want to offend the alien, at least not until he heard him out.

"If you're not attacking us, then who is?" Colonel asked.

"The ones attacking this planet are a species known as the Zephs from a galaxy close to mine. We have been at war with them for centuries and I fear we have inadvertently brought that war to you."

"I don't understand."

"Allow me to start from the beginning."

Colonel sat back in his chair to listen to the alien's remarkable story.

"My people are called Ralings from the planet Ra. Our galaxy is located hundreds of light years from yours. Ra is nearly twice the size of Earth but we have a much smaller, dimmer sun compared to yours. The brightest our planet ever gets is comparable to your twilight hours."

"In contrast, the Zephs home world has two suns leaving their planet in constant day light. Their suns, however, are far enough away that their planet is blanketed in snow and ice year round. But I will get back to the Zephs in a moment.

"Our civilization is a peaceful one. We are a society of scientist and explorers, always seeking out new galaxy to explore and new species to encounter. We discovered thousands of years ago how to create worm holes in space providing us with short cuts to far away galaxies. When we first open a worm hole, we do not know where it will take us until we venture through it. Once on the other side, we explore the new galaxy and if we find anything or anyone of interest, we record the location, making it possible to return any time we wish. This is how we found your galaxy nearly a thousand years ago.

"At first, we roamed around your planet freely, being free to interact with the inhabitants of this planet. Many members of your societies started referring to us as deities and, selfishly, we did little to discourage them from such foolish ideas. We were young and immature when it came to situations involving first contact. Some of our ancestors took advantage of their status as gods and mistreated and used the humans for their own satisfaction and amusement.

"Our leaders felt it necessary to place some rules and regulations on how we deal with a less evolved civilization such as yours .It was agreed that we would no longer have any interactions with humans; we would only observe in secrecy, never interfering with the natural development of your world. So we watched and observed as your world had its wars and its discoveries...its failures and its triumphs.

"One such triumph I refer to is when the scientist of this world joined alien DNA with human DNA. Yes...I know you aren't completely human. They call you and ones like you Hybrids. The DNA used to create Hybrids came from Ralings. You can do the things you can do because of us. You are like you are because of us. It was no accident I came to you...a brother...to help me save this planet.

"Every six months we would send a small team of scientist to your world via the worm hole to relieve the team of scientist from the previous watch. The returning team leaves for home with the data they gathered from their watch and the new team starts their six month tour. We constructed a research base at the bottom of the Mariana Trench where we knew it would never be discovered because of its great depth. From there, the scientific team can leave the base, mainly at night, and make observations and collect data.

"I have participated in hundreds of watches of your planet since I joined the science team and the relief team has always been on time until now. They were supposed to have relieved us eight months ago. I fear something dreadful has happened.

"The Zephs have been at war with us for centuries, trying to steal our technology for creating worm holes. We have sacrificed many lives keeping this technology out of their hands. There presence here most probably means that they have succeeded in stealing our wormhole technology and the absence of our relief team means my planet must be in trouble.

"I fear that the attack on your planet is our fault. The Zephs would not be here if it was not for our presence here. Therefore, I and my fellow team members made a decision to break regulations and help your world defeat the Zephs if we can. I would like you to go with me and be a mediator between myself and your government.

"Do you know how to defeat the Zephs?" Colonel asked.

"I know some of their weaknesses. For example, they are vulnerable to electrical shocks."

"You mean like what our E.A.P.s produce?"

"Yes. With a little modification from me, your device can be an even more powerful weapon. I wish to share with your government some of our superior technology that will aid in the battle against the Zephs.

"When do we leave?" Colonel asked.

"We should leave immediately."

Colonel, followed by Spike and Kyle, led the alien out of the building, where it seemed like everyone on The Compound had heard of the arrival of the alien and was gathered together outside trying to catch a glimpse of the visitor. As the wide-eyes multitude made a path, Colonel followed the alien back to its spacecraft. The alien walked up the craft's ramp, turned around, and motioned for Colonel to follow him into the craft. Colonel started up the ramp when Sarah stopped him.

"Where are you going?" Sarah asked with concern.

"We're going to talk to the President of the United States. We're going to the White House."

"Does he know you're coming?"

"Nope", Colonel said with a smile.

"Okay then... good luck."

Colonel turned back towards the craft and followed the alien inside. The ramp slowly rose and closed over the opening where Colonel and the alien had just entered, leaving not a hint of a seam. The craft silently rose into the night sky and was gone out of sight in a matter of seconds.

The interior of the craft was constructed from a strange material that glowed white, dimly illuminating the inside. The alien led Colonel into an oval room where another alien was sitting at a chair in front of a console surrounded by gauges, dials, and buttons. Positioned in front of the alien was a type of huge viewing screen for lack of a better description. Colonel could see an aerial view of the night scenery flying by. This alien didn't acknowledge Colonel's presence and just kept his eyes fixated on his console.

There were chairs on either side of the "driver" with their own consoles and controls and, in the center of the room, facing the main screen, were three chairs side by side. The alien motioned for Colonel to sit in one of those chairs. Colonel took a seat in the middle chair. The alien joined the driver up front and sat at the console to the right and started pushing buttons and turning knobs.

Colonel sat on the edge of his chair and watched the screen. He found it amazing to be actually flying in an alien craft, looking at technology that was far more advanced than anything he had ever seen. It then hit him he had not asked the alien what his name was. Colonel concentrated his thoughts towards the alien in an attempt to get his attention. The alien abruptly turned in his chair, looking somewhat disturbed and angry.

"I'm sorry," Colonel said. "I was just wondering what I should call you."

There was a slight pause before the alien answered.

"You may call me, Bob."

The alien called Bob turned back around and continued manipulating the controls on his console.

"Bob?" Colonel asked finding it strange an alien would have such a common human name.

The alien turned back around annoyed that he was being bothered still. "You could not pronounce my real name. Your language is too inferior to ours."

"Okay...Bob...where are your other team members?"

"They have remained at our base under your ocean. Now I ask for your silence."

Colonel sat back in his chair and didn't bother Bob anymore.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the White House. Colonel could tell from the screen that they were slowing down. They were still high in the air but Colonel could make out the roof of the White House and its perimeter. The White House grounds were surrounded by Army and National Guard personnel, government security, and several tanks...all guarding the President.

The alien craft didn't stop but kept moving passed the White House.

"Where are we going?" Colonel asked.

"I will place you in an empty field about a mile away from this location. Any attempt to land near your president would be met with much resistance. You will make your way back to the White House and convince your president to talk with me. When he agrees, you can then contact me."

Colonel agreed with Bob's plan and was dropped off in the middle of an empty field that had recently been mowed. Colonel quickly completed the short jog to the White House and approached the front gate where an Army soldier stood at his post.

"Soldier, you'll take me to see the President," Colonel told the young man as he used his mind control on the soldier.

"Yes, I'll take you to see the President," the soldier answered back in a monotone voice.

The soldier opened the gate and escorted Colonel to the front door of the White House where a member of the secret service stopped them.

"Soldier, where are you going with this man?" the tie-bearing secret serviceman asked.

"He must see the President," the soldier said with urgency in his eyes.

"No one can see the President right now. You know that soldier."

"He must see the President," the soldier repeated and started to lift his AR-15 rifle. Colonel stopped the soldier, realizing the young man was going to let no one stop him from fulfilling the command Colonel had given him.

Colonel used his mind control on the secret serviceman. "You'll take me to see the President."

"Yes, I will take you to see the President."

Colonel was led down several corridors by the mind-subdued secret service man until they reached a set of dark maple, ornately carved, double doors guarded by two military personnel.

"Open the door," the secret serviceman ordered the two guards.

"The President's in a meeting right now and asked not to be disturbed," one of the guards said. "Whatever business you have with him will have to wait."

"Let us in! It's a matter of national security!" the secret serviceman growled loudly. "I'll take full responsibility!"

The guards did as they were ordered and opened the door. The secret serviceman and Colonel entered the room where the President was having a meeting with several high ranking officials. Everyone turned to look at the uninvited guest.

"Why have you interrupted our meeting?" a stern looking general sitting at the right hand side of the President asked.

"This man must talk to the President," the secret serviceman told him.

"Who is he? What does he want?" the general huffed.

A puzzled look suddenly formed across the secret serviceman's face as he realized he couldn't answer either of those questions. He did not know why he had just led this man in to see the President.

Colonel stepped forward.

"Please, allow me to explain. My name is Colonel Richard Price and I'm here to help."

"Richie...damn it's been a long time. How've you been?" President Bennett asked as he stood up smiling.

"Just fine...and you?"

"Trying to win this war."

"Mr. President, you know this man?" the general asked.

"Yes. We've known each other forever. We served together in the Army a very long time ago. He's the best soldier I've ever met."

"Thank you, Bill.... I mean...Mr. President. I appreciate that."

"You said you could help us?" asked the President. "Help how?"

"This is going to sound strange...or perhaps not after everything that's happened recently...but, I've recently been approached by an alien species, different from the ones attacking us, who claim they can help us win this war."

"A different alien species?" exclaimed the general. "You're saying we have two different kinds of aliens on Earth now?"

"Yes".

"And you can prove this how?" asked the general.

"He, the alien, wants to meet with the President to discuss possible means of destroying the Zephs."

"The Zephs?" the puzzled general asked.

"That's the name of the species that's attacking us. The Ralings are the ones whom want to help us."

"You're asking us to let some unknown alien simply walk into the White House and talk to the President? It could be some sort of trap to kill him. We couldn't take such a risk even if you were telling the truth.

"The Ralings... do you trust them?" the President asked Colonel.

"Yes, I do."

"Why?" the general asked. "Why do you trust them so implicitly?"

Colonel hesitated for a moment and then answered. "Because, their DNA runs in my veins."

"I knew it!" the general exclaimed. "This guy is mental!"

With a grin, Colonel lifted his hand towards the general and, with his powers, lifted the saucer-eyed general gently from his chair and towards the ceiling. The whole room gasped at the sight of the general floating above the table and just inches from the ceiling.

"Put me down!" the general demanded, his voice a mixture of fear and anger.

"Yes, sir."

Colonel slowly lowered him back to the floor.

"How did you do that?" asked the general, still shaken up from the experience.

"I'm a product of the United States government's genetic experiment slicing together alien DNA and human DNA. This infusion gave me and the rest of us certain abilities."

"There are more of you?" the concerned general asked.

"Yes. Our government created several Hybrids...that's what they called us at the military base...over sixty years ago and our numbers have grown. Most of us have fit into society with relative ease, living our lives as upstanding citizens. I myself have served our country in the military and fought in a couple of wars for America. Sir, I love this country and I would never do anything to jeopardize it, its government, or its President."

"Colonel Price, call your friend. I'll meet with him," the President stated.

"Sir, I highly advise against that. We might not be able to protect you," the general warned.

"I believe if this alien or Colonel Price meant us any harm, they could have easily done it already. I shall allow an audience with the alien. I would like to hear what he has to say."

"Thank you, sir." Colonel closed his eyes and concentrated intensely to communicate with Bob. He made contact and informed Bob that the President would see him.

"He's on his way and will be here in a matter of seconds," Colonel told the President. "Please inform everyone outside that an alien craft will be approaching and not to fire upon it."

"Of course," the President said as he motioned for the secret serviceman to go outside and give everyone the instructions.

"Sir," Colonel said to the President. "The alien only communicates telepathically so I'll be acting as sort of an interpreter between you and him."

"Understood."

Bob arrived at the White House and landed his craft behind the building. He was then escorted, by some awe-struck military personnel, to the President's location. The President promptly stood up as Bob was led into the room. "Welcome to our world."

"Sir, they've been here on Earth for over a thousand years," Colonel informed the President.

"Wow, a thousand years! I guess "welcome" is a little over due," the President said trying to make light out of his embarrassing remark. "Where do you come from?"

As Colonel relayed the alien's thoughts, Bob told the President the same story he had imparted to Colonel earlier. No one in the crowded room said a word as this remarkable story unfolded before them. When the story was over, the President sat back in his chair for a few minutes allowing time for his mind to absorb the incredible information.

He finally spoke. "You have to excuse the astonished look I'm sure is plastered all over my face, but here I am, President of the United States at war with an alien race while another alien species stands before me with his space ship parked in the back yard! It's a lot to digest."

"Sir, we need to act as soon as possible," Colonel urged.

"Of course we do," the President said. "What can your alien friend do for us?"

"You can call him, Bob."

"Bob?"

"Yes, sir. That's the name he picked. He says we couldn't pronounce his real name."

"Okay, what can Bob do to help us? What exactly does he know about the Zephs?"

Bob began communicating through Colonel again.

"He says the Zephs are a highly technological species. They're short in stature and don't pose a physical threat to most yet they have a strong desire to dominate everyone they come in contact with. To overcome their physical limitations, they've created an army of mechanically engineered soldiers, spacecrafts, and weapons...all with advanced artificial intelligence.

"You've already witnessed the destructive power of their "Flyers". The next wave the Zephs will send will be their mechanical soldiers. These versatile soldiers will be able to walk inside every building and every structure to eliminate the people who are hiding there. This is why we must hurry.

"Bob would like to meet with our engineers to help them develop some weapons that should help in the fight. He can show our engineers advanced technological techniques that will enhance our weaponry beyond anything we have ever seen. Then we need to manufacture those weapons as quickly as possible."

"What do the Ralings want in return?" the President asked.

"If we win this war, the Ralings would like us to help them fight their war against the Zephs."

"If they help us eliminate this threat against Earth, we would own Bob and his people a great debt and we would help in any way we could," the President assured Bob.

Bob nodded his head at the President.

"It's agreed then," President Bennett said. "We'll take you and Bob to our engineers immediately."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Kyle was back in Colonel's office, his head still wheeling from the incredible event that had transpired just hours earlier. He couldn't believe he witnessed Colonel flying away in an alien space ship. Everyone at The Compound was still abuzz as the ones who saw the incredible occurrence told everyone they could about seeing Colonel leave with an alien in its flying saucer.

Kyle was too exhilarated to sleep so he just sat at Colonel's desk for hours, even as the morning sun rose from its slumber, wondering what was happening with Colonel and the alien. As Kyle glanced out of the opened office door, he saw Sarah walking pass.

"Sarah!" Kyle called out.

Sarah stopped and entered the office.

"Hey, Kyle. How've you been?"

"Just fine. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, I know. I've been busy. I heard about the alien."

"You should've seen it! It was incredible!"

"I wish I would have been there. It must've been something."

There was a short period of awkward silence while both of them were trying to avoid talking about their embarrassing incident.

"I've got to go," Sarah finally said. "Maybe I'll see you around."

Sarah turned around to leave the office.

"Wait! Sara, we've got to talk about this. I miss my friend."

"Talk about what?"

"You know...the reason you've been avoiding me. We haven't talked ever since you tried to kiss me."

"I haven't been avoiding you because of that. I've just had things to do."

"Like what?"

"Just things."

Sarah was avoiding eye contact with Kyle.

"I don't believe you. I know you well enough to know when you're lying. And you're lying."

Sarah finally looked Kyle in the eyes. Kyle could see that her eyes were misting and when she spoke, her lips and voice trembled.

"You have no idea what it's like to have feelings for someone, to attempt to show that person how you feel, and then be rejected. It's humiliating and it hurts."

"Sarah, I....."

"Don't.....Don't say anything. It was my mistake."

A single tear fell from Sarah's eye before she turned and walked out of the office. Kyle suddenly felt alone. He had always valued Sara's friendship and her company, but her avoidance of him made Kyle realize just how much he really did care for Sara. But he didn't know if he was ready to trust someone again with his heart. He could still feel the open wound of betrayal Teresa had inflicted upon him.

Kyle spent most of the morning in the office monitoring the walkie-talkie for news of the alien's movements and word from Colonel. The rest of the day was spent helping Spike coordinate everyone's chores and duties and making sure The Compound was running smoothly. All the daytime activities were conducted mainly inside. Everyone was ordered not to go outside except at night for fear a Flyer might see them even though none had been spotted around The Compound. The Flyers congregated mostly around large cities where there was more of a concentration of targets to eradicate.

That evening, Kyle and Spike were standing outside talking under a new moon.

"I couldn't help but notice you and Sarah haven't been hanging out like you use to. Is anything wrong?" Spike asked.

"No, not really...It's just that... she tried to kiss me a few days ago and I turned her down."

"You did what? What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I was sure I didn't feel that way about her. Now, I'm not so sure. I just don't know. I think I like her as more than just a friend but, I might have screwed everything up. I'm not sure what to do."

"Take it from me. Don't wait too long to decide or you might look up one day and she'll be gone."

"Sounds like you're talking from experience?"

"Well, I---" Spike's statement was interrupted when he heard Colonel's voice in his head.

"I'm returning to The Compound in the alien's craft. Meet me at my office in five minutes. Bring Kyle with you."

"What is it?" Kyle asked Spike.

"Colonel will be here in five."

Spike and Kyle waited outside near the door that led to the Colonel's office instead of inside Colonel's office. They wanted to see Colonel land in the alien craft. After only a few minutes, the two of them saw the alien craft descending silently from the night sky. It landed just a few yards from their position and its doorway opened. Colonel stepped out alone carrying two oversized silver metal suitcases and walked over to Kyle and Spike.

"Let's go inside. We've got some planning to do," Colonel said while handing Spike one of the suitcases.

"How'd everything go?" Spike asked.

"Good. Bob is with some engineers helping them develop a few advanced weapons to use against the Flyers. It's going to take a little time to get those weapons built so we need to buy some time."

"Who is Bob?" asked Kyle.

"Bob is the name the alien choose for himself. He claims his real name is to complex for us to pronounce."

"It seems like he could've chosen a cooler name," Kyle smirked, looking at Spike for confirmation. Spike just smiled.

"What's in the cases?" Spike asked Colonel.

"You'll see."

Once inside his office, Colonel opened up one of the cases to reveal twenty five small rectangular silver boxes with a couple of wires sticking out from each.

"Believe it or not, this is our new source of power for the E.A.P.s."

"But they're so small compared to our other batteries!" Spike said.

"These aren't batteries. They're actually mini-portable fusion reactors. It's incredible technology! They'll provide us with an indefinite amount of power. Our engineers were shocked at how simple it was to build one of these. We had the technology to do it. We just didn't have the knowledge. A full size fusion reactor could provide electricity for an entire city for hundreds of years and smaller versions like these could run a car for a lifetime. This technology will eliminate our need for oil or gasoline. It's going to change our world! But first we must save our world."

"You said we need to buy some time until the other weapons are built. What do you have in mind?" asked Spike.

"As you know, the Flyers are concentrated around the larger cities where the population is bigger. We have one of those bigger cities just thirty miles from here where Flyers have kept the residents hostage in their own buildings and homes. They're quickly running out of food and other supplies.

"Therefore, we're going to plan an attack on the Flyers. It's going to be risky because we don't really know how effective the E.A.P.'s will be on the Flyers."

"So, we've no guarantee they'll work at all?" Spike asked.

"Bob said the Flyers were susceptible to electrical attacks. That's just what the E.A.P.s do. They deliver electrical bolts to their intended target."

"Before we plan this attack, shouldn't we test our E.A.P.s with the new power source to see if they actually work?" Spike asked.

"Of course we are," Colonel said. "Let's grab a couple of them and test them out back."

The three of them went to the armory, grabbed a couple of E.A.P.s, and walked outside to the back of The Compound to the open firing range. Kyle and Spike donned their E.A.P.'s after replacing the batteries with the new power sources. The two eager young men turned their E.A.P.s on and commenced firing.

The first thing Kyle noticed was the stronger pulse of electricity that left his hands. The second thing he noticed was the electrical bolts had a bluish tint to them. The E.A.P.s performed better than they ever had and after more than a hundred shots between the two of them, the E.A.P.s still registered a full charge.

"Are you convinced they work?" Colonel asked.

"Oh yeah, we can kick some serious ass with these!" Kyle enthusiastically said.

"Great. Now, let's go back inside and devise a plan of attack."

Kyle and Spike followed Colonel back to the office where they made their plans for the liberation of the nearby city.

The plan involved sending forty Hybrids into the city. They would be split into two groups and dropped off two mile from the city limits...one group north of the city and one group south of the city. The groups are to sneak into the city on foot and eliminate every Flyer they can find. The attack would be conducted at night to take advantage of the Flyer's limited vision in the dark.

Kyle began looking over the handpicked list of Hybrids Colonel had provided. Colonel had written the list in the alien craft during his trip back to The Compound. Kyle's heart sunk when he saw Sarah's name on the list. This attack was going to be dangerous and would probably have casualties. He didn't want one of those casualties to be Sarah.

"Colonel, you have Sarah's name on the list. Why does she need to go?"

"I know you're concerned and would object to her involvement in the battle. I know you don't want her to get hurt, but we need the best shooters out there and she's one of the best."

"Surely there's someone else who could take her place?"

"Kyle," Colonel snapped, a little frustrated his decision was being questioned. "I went over this list several times and these are the best ones for the job. I can't let your personal feelings or mine jeopardize this mission. It's too important. These are the ones I want. These are the ones who need to be in this battle. Now go get everyone on that list and have them meet me in Hanger Three for a mission briefing."

Kyle reluctantly did as Colonel ordered. He knew trying to switch Colonel's mind was as futile as trying to put out a roaring forest fire with a cup of water. Once everyone on the list was all gathered in the hanger, Colonel gave them the details of the plan. The attack would take place the following night. Colonel instructed everyone to take the remainder of the night and practice with their enhanced E.A.P.s. Kyle and Spike showed everyone how to replace their batteries. They had less than twenty four hours to prepare.

After several hours of practicing, the sun was preparing to rise. Everyone made their way inside and went over the attack plan once more. Once Colonel was confident everyone knew the plan, he ordered them to get some sleep and meet back in Hanger Three at 20:00 hours.

Before heading to his room, Kyle found Sarah.

"Sarah, I want you to be careful out there tonight."

"You don't have to worry about me," Sarah said cantankerously. "I can take care of myself."

Sarah turned to walk away but Kyle grabbed her hand. She turned back around to face him.

"Maybe I want to worry about you," Kyle told her. "Maybe I was wrong about us."

"Maybe?" Sarah remarked with a little frustration in her tone. "Get back with me when you're certain!"

Sarah pulled her hand from Kyle's and walked away. Kyle watched her leave wishing he had used a different word than "maybe".

Kyle went to his room and tried to get some sleep. He knew the mission was going to be a dangerous one and he feared, not only for Sarah's life, but for all the other Hybrid's lives. Eventually, he found sleep and dreamed of bygone innocent days of sitting at his kitchen table and eating cereal with his parents.

At 19:45 hours, the blaring cry of Kyle's alarm clock woke him. Kyle jumped out of bed, washed up quickly, and went to Hanger Three where Colonel and the rest of the Hybrids were already gathered. He walked up to Colonel and whispered in his ear.

"Colonel, will you put Sarah on my team?"

"I already did."

Colonel walked to the middle of the hanger where he could address everyone. The crowd turned to face him and became quiet.

"Everyone knows where to go and what group they'll be in. The only objective to this mission is to search and destroy. If the E.A.P.s are found to be ineffective on the Flyers, I'll immediately call for a retreat. I wish all of you the best and hope that each and every one of you returns back safely. Now, go to your assigned groups, check your equipment, and load up into the personnel carriers. We leave in thirty minutes."

Kyle was put in charge of Group One. Everyone assigned to his group met him at their personnel carrier. They checked each others equipment and stepped inside the vehicle. Kyle personally checked Sarah's equipment...neither of them saying a word to each other...only looks of wanting to say something but being too afraid of saying the wrong thing.

After making sure everyone on his team was inside the personnel carrier, Kyle signaled to Colonel, with a nod of his head, that they were ready. Kyle then joined his team inside the vehicle. The drivers started their engines and left for their destination.

Kyle heard Colonel's voice in his head saying, "Good luck".

The personnel carriers, rolling down the empty road without their lights on for fear it might attract the attention of a Flyer, headed towards the city. Kyle looked around at his team and could see the apprehension and nervousness on everyone's face. He felt as leader he should say something that would ease everyone's concerns, but nothing came to mind... no eloquent words of inspiration or inspiring words of assurance. No one said a word the entire trip. The silence seemed deafening.

They reached their destination in what seemed like seconds. The personnel carrier stopped and everyone got out.

"This is it," Kyle said." We'll sneak into the city and eliminate all the Flyers. Colonel is going to stay in constant contact with me and Spike. If it happens that the E.A.P.s aren't destroying the Flyers, Colonel will call for a retreat immediately. Keep separation between you and the next guy. Don't bunch up. We don't want to make ourselves easy targets for the Flyers. Okay, turn your E.A.P.s on and let's go!"

Kyle's team started making their hike towards the city on the south side while Spike's team was making their way towards the city from the north side. After several minutes of trudging through acres of thick grass, Kyle's team reached the main road going into the city. The town was dark and appeared abandoned although Kyle knew the residents were inside, hiding from the relentless hunt of the Flyers. As his team began walking down the main street, Kyle's eye caught a movement coming over the top of a nearby building. It was a Flyer!

"SPREAD OUT!" Kyle yelled to his team.

The Flyer flew towards the scrambling targets and tuned on its light. Kyle stood his ground and fired twice at the Flyer. One of the E.A.P.'s electric bolts hit the Flyer. The Flyer quickly swooped up into the air with a noticeable wobble. It then made a short hundred eighty degree turn and headed back towards Kyle...faster than before...intent on destroying its attacker. Kyle, still standing steadfast in the middle of the street, fired and again hit the Flyer. The Flyer again flew straight up into the air, but this time the once silent Flyer was making strange noises. It had been damaged! It turned back around towards Kyle...its spotlight flickering. Kyle fired once more, hitting the craft. This time, the Flyer's light went dead and the craft immediately dropped from the sky. It crashed in the middle of the street with a horrific sound and lied motionless in smoldering silent.

The team smiled as their confidence in eradicating the city of Flyers grew. But before they could start celebrating their first kill, more Flyers began appearing in the dark sky and the battle commenced. The tense scene was filled with the sights and sounds of electric bolts and greenish lasers piercing the night sky. Each time the team knocked a Flyer out of the sky, another one would show up and take the fallen craft's place, but Kyle's team kept fighting. Every once in a while Kyle would catch a glimpse of a frightened resident cautiously peering out a window to watch the action of the battle.

Kyle's team continued advancing on the city slowly taking control of it a little at a time. Kyle kept Sarah close beside him as they turned a corner into yet another dark road. Just down the street, Kyle could barely make out a Flyer skimming above the top of the buildings, seemingly unaware of their presence. Kyle held up his hand in a close fist to motion his team to stop. Kyle then took several steps ahead of them. He raised his hand and took aim at the Flyer.

Suddenly, a bright light shined on Kyle from his left side! It was an unnoticed Flyer preparing to fire upon him! Without hesitation, Sarah rushed at Kyle, diving through the air, and wrapping her arms around him. The impact sent them both crashing through a local store's front door while Kyle's team took out both Flyers. Sarah fell on top of Kyle's chest as the door swung closed behind them. They found themselves face to face, looking into each other's eyes. Kyle felt a surprising, yet strong desire to kiss Sarah. His mind told him this was an inappropriate time for a kiss, but Kyle's sudden desire overrode any logical thought and he impetuously kissed Sarah hard on her mouth. To Kyle's relief, she kissed him back. It wasn't the ideal romantic situation Sarah had hoped for, but she would never forget that first kiss.

When their lips separated, Kyle looked Sarah in the eyes and smiled.

"I'm certain, now," Kyle said.

"About us?"

"Yes."

Sarah smiled effulgently. She got to her feet and offered her hand to Kyle. Kyle returned the smile, took her hand, and pulled himself to his feet. They checked each other's E.A.P.s for any damage. Everything checked out.

"Let's finish this battle and go home," Sarah energetically said as she headed for the door and opened it for Kyle. Kyle followed her outside realizing he had forgotten to thank her for saving his life.

Kyle and his team pushed forward through the city, shooting down all the Flyers they could find. After several hours, they ran into Spike's team in the middle of the city. Together, the two teams had destroyed forty-three Flyers and suffered only mild injuries. Several residents of the city began warily venturing out of their hiding places, looking towards the sky for more Flyers and, when they realized the skies were void of danger, they began cheering, clapping, and thanking Colonel's soldiers for saving them.

Spike notified Colonel telepathically that all Flyers had been eliminated and asked for further instructions. Colonel ordered Spike to leave two dozen soldiers in the city in case more Flyers show up and to let the residents know that others would be returning with food and supplies shortly.

Once they got back to The Compound, Kyle and Spike met with Colonel in his office.

"The mission was a wonderful success! You two did an excellent job and I'm proud of both of you!" Colonel boasted. "I've already informed the President we were successful. He's thrilled and is going to inform every state and every nation just how to defeat the Flyers and send them the information they need to construct their own E.A.P.s."

"The President does realize the E.A.P.s can only be used by Hybrids, doesn't he?" Kyle asked.

"Yes and he's sending out the word by whatever means he can, calling on the help of every able and willing Hybrid. He realizes he's asking them to expose themselves, but we're in a crisis and I hope that each and every one of them will recognize how important their help is. In addition, the government's engineers are working with Bob to construct additional weapons against the Flyers that humans can use. They're working on producing handheld weapons and weapons for use on military equipment like tanks and fighter jets. That reminds me, I need to get back to Bob to see how things are progressing. This war isn't over yet."

"Are you taking the spaceship?" Spike jokingly said.

"Of course, it's the only way to fly!" Colonel joked back.

Colonel went outside to telepathically call for the return of the alien craft. He left instructions for Spike to have supplies delivered to the residents of the city they had just rescued and to relieve the soldiers guarding that city. One city had been liberated, but there were many more to set free from the tyranny in the sky. They had won a battle but the war was far from over.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Under the supervision of Bob and his assigned Hybrid interpreter, the engineers were making remarkable progress. Bob had shown them how to make a metal alloy that was much stronger than any the world had ever produced. With it, the engineers were able to produce ammo which was nearly as hard as diamonds. With this ammunition, it was presumed the army could puncture through the hard surface of the Flyers. Every ammo-factory worldwide was sent the formula for making the new ammunition with the instructions to manufacture as much as they could, as fast as they could and send it to their nearest military base.

The engineers were also working on advanced weapons involving lasers and fusion engines, but unfortunately these weapons were several months away from being ready. The engineers were being taught to build technology that was far more advanced than anything they had ever seen. They were giddy with excitement, like kids in a candy shop, wanting Bob to show them more and more.

Just as fast as the ammo-factories could produce a case of the new ammunition, it was distributed to soldiers in the field. The new ammo worked remarkably well, giving the armies a real fighting chance against the Flyers. Soon, word about small victories against the Flyers was being circulated around the world. Hope was growing like the anticipation of the warm sun's rays after a cold night camping in a tent that the world could actually win this war.

Many citizens began asking to join the war efforts against the Flyer and Colonel allowed all who were able bodies to join. Kyle and Spike were put in charge of accommodating the new recruits at The Compound and training them for battle.

Kyle was on his way to the shooting range to meet a few of these new recruit when he ran into Sarah.

"Hey, baby, where are you heading," Sarah playfully said in a sultry voice.

"I'm heading for the shooting range to train some new recruits."

"Do you have a second for me?"

Sarah leaned her back against the building wall, sensually biting her lower lip and giving Kyle a come hither look. Kyle moved in close and pressed his body against Sarah's. He began passionately kissing her.

"You two finally hooked up," Spike said startling the two love birds, causing Sarah to jump and inadvertently bite Kyle's tongue.

"Ouch!" Kyle exclaimed grabbing at the tip of his tongue.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you all right?" Sarah couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

"You scared us! How long have you been there?" Kyle asked feeling his tongue starting to swell.

"Long enough," Spike smirked.

"You're a pervert!" Sarah said half joking and half serious.

"No, a pervert would've been quiet and watched the whole show," Spike pointed out.

"There wasn't going to be any show," Sarah claimed.

"It didn't look that way from where I was standing."

"You need a girl." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Sugar pie, I've got all the girls I'll ever need just a call away," Spike bolstered.

"Okay, you two knock it off." Kyle said and then quickly kissed Sarah on the lips. "Spike and I need to get to the shooting range. I'll see you later."

"Okay, I love you."

"Me too."

Kyle and Spike left for the shooting range.

Meanwhile, in orbit around the Earth, huge openings began appearing near the front of the "mother ships". From these openings emerged hundreds of crafts each about the size of a football field. These crafts moved towards Earth and entered the atmosphere just as the Flyers had. They flew to various locations around the world where they began hovering a few feet above the ground. Once all the crafts were at their designated place, an opening appeared in each craft, simultaneously, and emerging from these doorways were thousands of robotic, autonomous, mechanical beings. The robots were covered in a black shiny armor, except where their joints had to move. They had no facial features, just a slot where their eyes should be. They stood nearly seven feet tall and carried a futuristic looking weapon. Each group of robotic soldiers began marching towards their nearest major cities. After the crafts were empty of their cargo, they returned back to the "mother ship".

Back at The Compound, after Kyle and Spike finished practicing with the new recruits, Kyle decided to take a few of the new recruits into the city with a couple flatbed trucks packed with supplies and deliver them to the residents. Kyle rode in the passenger seat of one of the trucks.

"What did you say your name was?" Kyle asked the driver.

"It's Peter...Peter Wayne."

Peter Wayne was eighteen years of age and fresh out of the military academy destined to be an army ranger like his father was until the Flyers attacked. Peter immediately volunteered his services to the war.

"You're human, right?" Kyle asked even though he already knew Peter was human because he had already reviewed his records. Kyle was just in the mood for some small-talk.

"Yes, sir, I am."

"From Florida, right?"

"That's right."

"Why did you want to join us?"

"To help save Earth from those bastards! I was already preparing to serve my country as my father did. Now, I'm serving my world."

"I meant why did you want to join Colonel's regiment. You could have served in a number of different regiments much closer to Florida."

"The truth is, I wanted to be part of the regiment that famously saved an entire city with just a handful of soldiers with experimental weaponry and no idea if the weapons were going to be effective against the Flyers. Colonel and the rest of you are heroes. I wanted to be a part of that!"

"Well, we had more than a handful of soldiers," Kyle modestly said.

"Why did you join?" Peter asked Kyle.

"Simple...I had nowhere else to go."

"What's it like being a Hybrid?"

"I suppose it isn't much different than being a human. Heck, for most of my life, I thought I was human."

"But you were born in like a test tube or something, right?"

Kyle couldn't help but chuckle at Peter. "I was delivered from my mother the same way you were delivered from your mother."

"Oh... well, you have special powers, don't you?"

"I guess. We Hybrids have telekinetic and telepathic abilities."

"You mean you can move stuff with your mind?"

"Yes."

"And you can read my thoughts? What am I thinking?"

"I can't read your thoughts. I'm not that talented, but I can speak to other Hybrids with my mind."

"Oh... well, I heard that some Hybrids can fly!"

Again Kyle chuckled. "Man, where do you get this stuff? Hybrids can't fly." Kyle could see that Peter was a little disappointed that so many of the stories he had heard about Hybrids weren't true, so he threw the young man a bone. "Our blood is black."

"Dude, that's so cool!"

They arrived at the drop off location and began unloading the supplies into a warehouse that the city owned. The supplies would then be distributed to the local residents by city personnel.

After the supplies were unloaded, Kyle and Peter stood in the street discussing more fables about Hybrids while waiting for a city official to inventory the last of the supplies.

"Who told you Hybrids eat only raw meat?" Kyle asked Peter.

"Some of my---"

Peter never got a chance to finish his sentence as a laser beam mercilessly seared clean through his chest, leaving a gruesome baseball size hole that one could stick his hand through, and narrowly missing Kyle.

As Peter's dead body fell to the ground, Kyle received his first terrifying view of the Zephs second wave of attack. An army of metallic soldiers were marching into the city, relentlessly shooting at anything that moved.

"Every one, take cover!" Kyle warned.

People began scurrying to their hiding places like startled prairie dogs running to their dens. Kyle and his recruits ran into a nearby building to seek cover. There they cautiously looked out a front window and witnessed the soulless soldiers killing anyone still on the street. When the streets were empty of targets, the mechanical soldiers began unexpectingly opening doors and entering buildings in search of their prey. Kyle could hear people screaming in terror inside the buildings, then laser blasts and, ultimately, silence.

Kyle wanted to rush out and help the people but he was responsible for the new recruits that were with him. He realized he made a terrible mistake bringing the inexperienced recruits to the city without any weapons. He had let his guard down, foolishly assuming they wouldn't need them for such a short trip. The motto for the Boy Scouts of America, "Always be prepared" mockingly echoed in his head. The only weapon Kyle had brought with him was his E.A.P. but he had foolishly left it in the front seat of the truck. He could not believe he had been so irresponsible. If any of the recruits were killed, he would hold himself accountable.

Kyle closed his eyes and concentrated on telepathically contacting Spike but the distance was too great to make a connection for he was the only Hybrid in the group. He so wished Sarah was there with her amplifying ability.

Kyle looked out the window and saw one of the mechanical soldiers approaching the front door of the building he was in. The robotic soldier turned the door knob and pushed, but Kyle had already bolted the door shut. Undeterred, the mechanical soldier took a few steps back from the unmoving door, lifted its weapon, and blew a huge hole in the door. Kyle knew the soldier would soon be through the door and discover their hiding place, so he boldly stood up, ready to defend his recruits.

Suddenly, several military soldiers in jeeps, armed with their new ammunition, sped down the street and started firing on the mechanical soldiers. The ammunition proved very effective as many of the metallic soldiers began to fall. The remaining robotic soldiers returned fire and began pursuing the military jeeps. The commotion drew the attention of the metallic soldier who had been only a few feet away from discovering Kyle and his recruits. It left the building to join the battle outside which was quickly moving down the street giving Kyle and his recruits a welcoming opportunity to run to the trucks and race to the safety of The Compound.

As Kyle and the recruits were sprinting to the trucks, they saw several Flyers in the distant sky soaring towards them. They hurriedly jumped in the trucks and sped away towards The Compound.

Kyle was riding in the last truck looking in the rearview mirror and saw two Flyers rapidly approaching them from behind.

"We've got company!" Kyle informed the driver. Kyle knew they could not out run the Flyers and soon they would be sitting ducks in the trucks. He had to act fast before the Flyers were in range to fire upon them, so he grabbed his E.A.P. and strapped it on. "Try to keep the truck steady!"

"What are you doing?" the driver asked with concern as Kyle was heading out the passenger side window.

"Saving our asses!"

Kyle made his way out of the window and clambered perilously onto the flat bed. He carefully stood up, struggling to maintain his balance against the motion of the moving truck and the strong wind created by the speeding truck. Kyle had to lean against the truck's cab for support. He turned his E.A.P. on and waited for the Flyers to get closer. Once they were in range, Kyle raised his hands, with each aimed at a separate target, and fired. Incredibly, he hit both Flyers at virtually the same time. The damaged Flyers started wobbling, but were still advancing. They fired their lasers at Kyle, narrowly missing him...the lasers shearing gouges into the cab of the truck. Kyle delivered two more shots. Again, both Flyers were hit, but this time they went down and crashed into the ground.

The driver slowed down and stopped to let Kyle back inside the truck.

"That was incredible!" the driver exclaimed. "I've never seen anyone shot like that! I've got to get me one of those!"

"I wouldn't recommend it. The electricity from one of these would kill a human."

"Well, that sucks, but, none the less, that was the coolest thing I've ever seen."

"Thanks. Now just drive us back to The Compound. I need to try and contact Colonel."

"Where's your radio?" the driver asked Kyle.

"You mean this radio?"

Kyle took his walkie-talkie off its hook, clipped to his belt, and showed it to the driver. The radio was missing a huge circular chunk of itself.

"Did a laser do that?"

"Yeah!"

"Damn, it almost hit you!"

"Tell me about it! Just a few more inches and I would've been toast! Now, I need to concentrate and see if I can reach Colonel."

"You mean with your mind?"

"Yes. Now, I need some quiet."

Kyle started concentrating hard and was able to connect with Colonel.

"Colonel, we were attacked in the city by some kind of robots and a few Flyers. We lost one of our drivers, Peter, but the rest of us managed to escape thanks to the military. They could use some help though."

"I'll send some of our soldiers that way immediately. I'm glad you're all right. I'll see you when you get here."

As they got closer to The Compound, Kyle and the recruits passed several of Colonel's soldiers in Hummers speeding towards the city to assist the military. Kyle wished he could turn around and join them but Colonel was waiting for him. They pulled into the front gate of The Compound and Kyle went to see Colonel.

"Sir, I'm sorry!" Kyle voice was saturated with remorse. "I should have never taken the recruits to the city unarmed. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Son, we're at war! You can never let your guard down for a second! Especially when you're in charge of other people's safety!

"Sir, I swear it will never happen again!"

"I believe you mean that. The important thing is you got everyone back safely."

"Not everyone, sir. The driver, Peter, was killed."

"So you said. I'm sorry to hear that. Having people under your command is an awesome responsibility and no matter how much you want them to all return home alive, sometimes you lose soldiers. It's an inevitable fact of being at war. And you will lie down at night...every night...and see each fallen soldier's face that served under your command burnt into your memory, yet you must go on. You must persevere. You have others who are counting on you to lead them. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"I think so."

"Good... now, tell me what you saw."

"We were attacked by robots of some sort. They carried weapons that shot lasers and they were able to move about like you and me; they were opening doors searching for people to kill!"

"Right before you returned here, I received several reports from our other camps of metallic soldiers attacking towns all over the nation. We're calling the robot soldiers "Walkers". Fortunately, the new ammo Bob developed for us can stop them. The problem is there are so many of them. We need more ammunition and more man power."

"Or better weapons." Kyle said.

"Bob and the engineers are working on just that. Meanwhile, I'm working on a plan of my own. Sit down and I'll tell you about it."

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The battle raged on for weeks. Humans and Hybrids fought courageously against soulless mechanical soldier and relentless flying machines whose only objective was to kill all the inhabitants of Earth. The Flyers and Walkers carried out their mission with unyielding persistent and ruthless unmercifulness. Many souls were being lost on the battle fields and in the cities and towns every day as the fight to preserve humanity and Hybrids raged on.

Colonel had been working for the last few weeks on a new plan to stop the Zephs and now he was ready to run it by the President, his generals, and the engineers for their approval. He set up a meeting with them all and brought along Kyle and Spike, who had been dying for a chance to ride in the alien craft.

Once they arrived at the White House, Colonel, Spike, and Kyle were escorted to the President's chambers. The small room was packed with people anxious to listen to any plan that might help them win this war. Colonel made his way to the front of the room while Kyle and Spike stood against the back wall.

"Gentlemen, as you're all aware, we've won some battles, but we're not winning this war. It seems like ever time we make one step forward, the Zephs push us back two. Every time we destroy a Flyer or a Walker, two more take their place. We're losing one major city after another and the news is no different overseas. We have some weapons being developed that may help win the war, but they're still weeks away from being ready! The war might be over by then. My proposal is to try and stop our enemy at the source...the mother ships."

"How do you suggest we do that?" the President asked. "Everything we send towards the mother ships is met with a short EMP pulse that leaves it powerless."

"We haven't tried using a Flyer," Colonel said.

The room became saturated with looks of confusion.

Colonel continued. "I've read several reports from soldiers on the battle field who stated that when a Flyer is badly damaged by our soldiers and can no longer fight, it will retreat into the sky...presumably being remotely called back to the mother ship for repairs. What if we rode one of those Flyers back to the mother ship?"

"And then what?" one of the generals asked.

"We locate their EMP generator and use it against them. The only reason I can figure that they haven't use their EMP blast on Earth since the Flyers and Walkers arrived is because their own robotic soldiers and crafts are susceptible to the blast just as we are. If we could just get to their EMP generator, we could shut down every Flyer and every Walker with one blast and end this war."

"How do you know your plan would work?" the President asked. "How do you know if there's even oxygen to breathe on the mother ships?"

"I don't know." Colonel admitted.

"What guarantee can you give us that you could even find the EMP generators?" another general asked. "We don't need to be wasting precious time and energies on fool-hearted plans."

"I have no guarantees the plan will work, but we also have nothing to lose by trying. I only need a few select individuals and little resources to execute my plan. We need to do something...and soon!"

"I agree," the President said. "You may use whatever resources or personnel you need to carry out your plan."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

After the meeting was adjourned, Colonel immediately met with the engineers in the room. He was glad to hear that the engineers had already been examining downed Flyers from earlier battles.

One of the engineers began telling Colonel of their progress. "We have been able to locate the computer "brains" of the Flyers...remarkable technology...and, with Bob's assistance, removed the Flyer's combat programs so they wouldn't attack us when we repaired the crafts to operating condition. Now, what you're proposing with your plan is to hide aboard a couple of the Flyers and ride them back to the mother ship, which I believe could actually work. Once released, the Flyers should automatically be recall back to the mother ships for repairs. We'd need to construct a space inside the Flyer big enough to carry a few soldiers whom, of course, would be outfitted with space suits in order to survive the freezing vacuum of space. Since we removed all the Flyer's weaponry components, that should give us the room we need with a few modifications. We could probably have the Flyers ready for you in a couple of days."

"How many Flyers could you get ready for us?" Colonel asked.

"We have five."

"How big a space can you make inside each Flyer?"

"Once we rearrange a few things inside, there should be sufficient room for four soldiers in each Flyer."

"Will they return to the mother ships like I proposed they would to the President?"

"We left the Flyer's homing apparatuses intact but we don't know for sure if they will automatically return to the mother ships. It would be a gamble."

"Well, that's a chance we must take. Get the Flyers ready as quick as possible."

Colonel, Spike, and Kyle returned to The Compound to pick out the seventeen personnel that would be making the trip inside the Flyers with them. Just like the mission before, Colonel handpicked his best soldiers for this mission, one of which was Sarah. Again Kyle objected to Sarah going, but his protest was in vain.

"We need our best for this mission, and Sarah is one of the best," Colonel again explained. "As long as she is able, she will always be on my list."

"I know. I know you're right. I know the mission is what's important. So many people are counting on its success. I just don't want anything to happen to her."

"I know you don't, but do you really think you could stop her from going?"

Kyle smiled and shook his head. "Not if I tied her down and had an elephant sit on her."

"Exactly." Colonel stood up from his chair. "Let's go get everyone on this list and brief them about the mission. Then we'll all head down to NASA where they're going to give us a crash course in space travel."

The three of them gathered together everyone on the list and explained the mission to them. They all were willing, ready, and anxious to take on this new mission. Colonel was filled with pride for their bravery and all the sacrifices they had already made.

Colonel gave them all twenty minutes to pack and meet him at the Raling's spacecraft. Once everyone congregated outside the craft, Colonel led them inside.

"Who is that?" Sarah asked pointing at the Raling sitting at the controls.

"I've never asked for his name," Colonel said. "He's been our chafer since he and Bob first arrived."

"Hi there," Sarah said directing her greeting at the Raling chafer.

"He won't acknowledge you unless you use your mind to speak to him."

"Oh, okay." Sarah concentrated on the Raling chafer. "Sir, what is your name?"

The alien ignored Sarah's question and instead asked, "What is your destination?"

"NASA," Sarah answered sensing a mood of hostility from the alien. "He's definitely not much of a conversationalist." She remarked to Kyle.

The craft rose into the air and headed for NASA.

Once they arrived, Colonel and his team were met by Jim Stuart, an astronaut who had many space flight and a few space walks under his belt. Jim escorted them into a room where several space suits and helmets were hanging on the wall.

"I'll be showing you all how to don a space suit," Jim said while taking down one of the suits from its hook on the wall. "Then we'll run through several safety drills to get you accustomed to the suits and show you how to control your breathing so as not to use up all your oxygen. Who's first?"

Everyone raised their hands simultaneously. Jim chose Colonel to go first, but eventually everyone was wearing their space suits and Jim took each of them through several exercises and instructional tutoring over the next twelve hours. The team left NASA exhausted but confident that they could manage the space suits.

As the team arrived back at The Compound, they received a shock. There was obvious battle damage on several of the buildings that made up The Compound...scorched walls peppered with chunks of concrete missing caused by laser blasts and the front gate was lying on the ground. A few Flyers and several Walkers were lying about the yard destroyed. Colonel walked up to one of his captains.

"What happened here?"

"We were attacked a few hours after you left, but we won! I guess they weren't expecting us to have so much fire power. The battle was over in less than two hours! We've been on high alert ever since in case they sent more, but, so far, nothing."

"Any casualties?"

"Yes, sir." The captain lowered his head. "We lost six and twenty-four were injured."

"We've got to end this war!" Colonel annoyingly said to the state of circumstances. "Too many people are dying. Thank you, Captain. Continue with the repairs. I'll make arrangements to have a service for our fallen soldiers."

A memorial service was held later that night for the six soldiers, along with a few others whom had given their lives fighting the Zephs. Colonel gave a brief, but heart-felt speech about how brave the soldiers were and how their sacrifices would never be forgotten.

The next afternoon, the engineers had completed the redesigned Flyers. Colonel and his team arrived at the government facility and began their preparations for the mission.

"Okay, after you put on your space suits, I need all of you to slid into your assigned Flyers to get familiar with the tight, cramp space," the head engineer said. "We tried to give you as much room as we could, but it's going to be tight."

The team did as they were instructed. They donned their space suits and helmets and slid into the Flyers, packed like sardines in a can, shoulder to shoulder.

"Now comes the scary part" the engineer warned. "We're going to close the hatch and seal it tight. The person lying to the right will have access to a lever that opens the hatch. Make sure you keep your hand off that lever until you're ready to release the hatch. You don't want to open it by accident while you're still in space! I'm going to close the hatch now to get you familiar with how it's going to feel. After ten minutes, I'll tap on the hatch and you can open it. I hope none of you are claustrophobic!"

The hatch was closed and sealed, with just inches between their helmets and the hatch. The darkness inside the Flyers was blacker than any of them had ever experienced. Kyle wanted to find out if he could see his hand in front of his face but they were packed in so tight he could barely move. He managed to keep his breathing under control despite the claustrophobic conditions but the heat that was being generated by four bodies in such an enclosed space was raising his body temperature fast and he soon began to sweat profusely causing the inside glass of his helmet to fog.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, a tapping was heard from outside and the hatch release was pulled. The light from the room temporarily blinded Kyle and he had to squint his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness. As everyone struggled out of the Flyers, they were all noticeably covered in sweat.

"It was a little hot in there, huh?" the head engineer joked. "You won't have to worry about that on your trip. Space is a cold place! Okay, you can get out of your suits for now and change clothes if you want to. Then meet me in the hanger next door in about fifteen minutes."

After a quick shower, the team changed into the only extra clothes they had brought. They then met inside the hanger adjacent from where the Flyers were kept. The head engineer was already waiting inside holding what appeared to be a smaller version of an E.A.P.

"The alien, Bob, has helped us develop a much smaller, more compact version of your older E.A.P.s. These are much lighter while still maintaining a lot of power. They'll easily fit under your space suit. The outer casings of these new E.A.P.s are made of the same hard alloy as the new ammo which should provide added protection for you in battle.

"For you who still like to carry a rifle or pistol for extra protection, we have just enough room for each of you to carry one weapon apiece with a few extra magazine clips. Use them sparingly."

"If the Flyers' homing devices work, we expect the flight to last about twenty minutes. We don't know if all the Flyers we have we go to the same mother ship or go to separated mother ships. We just have no way of telling. Once your Flyer has dock with one of the mother ships, open the hatch, make sure the area is secured, and check for oxygen. Finding the EMP generator is up to you."

"How do we check for oxygen?" Colonel asked.

"We'll give you an oxygen monitor that will quickly tell you if there's any oxygen in the ship. A red light means insufficient oxygen while a green light means you can breathe...extremely simple."

"If there is no oxygen, how long will our space suit provide us with oxygen?" Colonel asked.

"Depending on your breathing...about three hours."

"How are we going to get back home?" one of Colonel's team members asked.

The engineer looked at Colonel for him to answer that question. Colonel turned with a long face and addressed the whole team.

"If there's no oxygen aboard those mother ships, then we have a maximum of three hours to find the EMP generators and fire them. Those mother ships are huge and it may take ever second we have to locate the generators. If that's the case, there won't be enough time for Earth to send a rescue ship for us. This may be a one-way mission to save Earth. If any of you decide this is too great a sacrifice for you to endure, then speak now and we'll find a replacement."

Colonel looked into the eyes of each of his soldiers. He saw apprehension and concern but no one showed any signs of wanting to quit. He knew he had picked these particular soldiers for a reason. He knew they wouldn't let him down, or, more importantly, the citizens of Earth down.

"Good...I knew I chose the right people for this mission. We leave in thirty minutes. Get your weapons and suits and meet me back at the Flyers."

While gathering up everything they needed for the mission, Kyle found a brief moment to spend alone with Sarah.

"Sarah, if anything happens to me up there, I want you to always remember that I love you!"

"Don't you dare talk like that! Nothing is going to happen to either of us. We'll find the EMP generator, fire it, and then, somehow, find a way to get back home. I don't plan on dying up there. I got too much to live for."

"You're right...I'm sorry...I've got a lot to live for too."

Kyle pulled Sarah tight against his body and passionately kissed her. They continued to kiss each other for several minutes until Spike once again interrupted them.

"Hey, love birds... everyone's waiting for you two."

Kyle and Sarah released their embrace of each other and joined the rest of the team in the first hanger.

"Everyone suit up! This time, it's for real!" Colonel announced.

The team put their space suits on and climbed into their assigned Flyers. Colonel, Kyle, Sarah, and one other Hybrid, Joshua, were assigned to the same Flyer. Spike was assigned to a different Flyer. Everyone packed inside the sardine can tight spaces while the engineers went through their safety checks.

"Everything looks good," the head engineer announced. "We're going to close the hatches now. Good luck!"

The hatches were closed and sealed. An engineer pushed a few buttons on his console causing the hanger's roof to retract open, revealing the clear night sky. After the roof was fully open, the engineer pushed a few more buttons and each Flyer came alive, hovered a few feet off the ground. The engineers hurriedly unplugged the array of cords running from the Flyers to the computer console. One more push of a button and the crafts with their hidden cargo slowly rose into the sky.

Inside, Kyle could feel every move his Flyer was making. He felt it rise in the air and then accelerate extremely fast towards the mother ships. His ears began popping as they fought to equalize the pressure inside his head while his Flyer climbed higher and higher. Just as the engineers had warned, the temperature started dropping fast inside the Flyer. Kyle could feel the cold even with his space suit on.

After several minutes, Kyle no longer felt his own weight against the cold metal of the Flyer. His body was floating, what little it could, in the cramp space of the Flyer. He knew they had to be in space and it wouldn't be long before they were inside the mother ship. The Flyers were being recalled just as Colonel had hypothesized. Kyle began feeling the enormous pressure of the importance of this mission pouring over him. The fate of the world was resting on its success.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Kyle felt an icy chill travel down his spine and into his feet. He wasn't sure if it was from the coldness of space or his own trepidations of not knowing what he and the rest of the team were heading into. The mission was full of unknowns, uncertainty, and a high possibility of never seeing home again, yet he wouldn't have backed down from this mission if given a chance to do so. The mission was bigger than he was. Kyle dismissed the chill as just being the cold for he had no room for fear. This mission was far too important for such a useless emotion.

After a while, Kyle felt the Flyer he was inside decelerate considerable followed by a sharp metallic noise coming from outside. He was sure they had arrived at one of the mother ships! Sudden, he felt a sharp jolt and knew they had landed on something. He heard the unmistakable sound of air whistling. Perhaps they were in a pressure chamber and air was being pumped in. He could only hope. As the pressure began changing inside the Flyer, Kyle's ears started popping. He then heard what sounded like something opening, perhaps an air hatch, and felt the Flyer move again. His Flyer soon came to a stop as the muted sounds of unfamiliar machinery could be heard. Kyle was now certain they were inside one of the mother ships.

After a few minutes of no movement from their Flyer, Colonel gave the order, telepathically, to open the hatches. He pulled his hatch release, but nothing happened. He pulled on the hatch release a few more times, but the hatch wouldn't open. He then heard Spike's voice through his helmet's radio.

"Colonel, I'm standing outside your Flyer. Why haven't you opened your hatch?"

"The release lever isn't working. I can't get the hatch open. Tell me what you see around us. Where are we? Did everyone make it? Is there oxygen here?"

"Yes, there's actually breathable oxygen inside this mother ship. Why...I don't know. Only three of our Flyers are here. I suspect the other two docked with one of the other two mother ships. It appears we're in a giant repair station of some sort with several different levels. There are robots and mechanical machinery of different sizes and shapes working on hundreds of Flyers. It all seems...automated. I don't see any living creatures about. I also don't see any Walkers or security around and I don't think we've been detected. I'm going to try to get you out now."

Colonel could hear Spike and the rest of the team scuffling about outside his Flyer trying to get his hatch open. After several minutes, he heard Spike's voice inside his helmet again.

"Colonel, there's a small football- sized flying machine coming towards us. What should we do?"

"Don't move. Maybe it hasn't seen you."

The small metallic object flew straight towards the team and stopped a few feet in front of them...hovering in mid air...investigating the unexpected intruders. It then quickly spun around and sped off in the direction it came from, making a very loud and frantic beeping noise.

"I don't like the sound of that!" Spike said to one of his team members.

Suddenly, a doorway opened on the second story walkway and three Walkers stepped through firing their weapons down on the team. Spike and his team ducked for cover and returned fire.

"Spike, what's going on out there? Is that laser fire I hear?" Colonel asked.

"Yes, there're Walkers firing at us!"

"Get out of there! You have to go and find that EMP generator!"

"I have to open your hatch and get you out!"

"No, the mission is what matters! Leave now! That's an order!"

"As soon as we find the generator, we'll be back for you!"

Spike saw a closed doorway to the right of his position. He used his E.A.P. to blast through the doorway and ordered his team to follow him through. They managed to escape, leaving Colonel and his team trapped in their Flyer.

"You did the right thing," Kyle told Colonel through his helmet's radio.

"I hope they find that generator."

"Listen!" Kyle said. "I hear something outside!"

Metallic grinding sounds could be heard coming from just the other side of their hatch. Within seconds, their hatch began to open. The dark space of the Flyer was suddenly lit up by the bright lights from inside the mother ship. All four passengers were blinded for a few seconds until their eyes adjusted to the light. What they saw almost made their hearts stop.

Their Flyer was surrounded by four Walkers, all with their weapons pointed at the trapped occupants. Colonel knew they were sitting ducks and was prepared for the worst. But instead of firing lasers of certain death upon them, the Walkers took a step back, simultaneously. A mechanical sounding voice emanated from one of the Walkers.

"Follow me or die."

Colonel was shocked and confused, but very pleased they were still alive. He and the others stepped out of the Flyer and began following the lead Walker while the other three Walkers stay close behind Colonel and his team with their weapons drawn. They were escorted down several hallways and through many doorways until they entered a large room. One wall of the room was covered with what appeared to be a huge viewing screen much like the one on the Raling's ship. Under the screen and throughout the rest of the room were various monitors and control panels atop a U-shaped console table with an array of blinking and pulsating lights and a vast amount of buttons, gauges, and levers covering every available inch of space about the console. It appeared to be the bridge of the mother ship. However, the chairs and workstations were noticeably and strangely constructed smaller and lower to the ground than normal. The whole layout didn't seem right for an army of tall Walkers to easily utilize. Who were the small-statured chairs for?

At the very far end of the bridge, looking like a giant standing at one of the small computer consoles, was a shadowy figure. The dark figure had his back to Colonel and his team as he was pushing buttons and working levers. Straining his eyes, Colonel could make out that the figure seemed to be wearing a black cloak, which ran the length of the stranger's body, and a hood over his head. The shadowy figure stopped what he was doing, as if he could sense Colonel's eyes on him, and said, "Welcome, Richard."

That voice! Colonel knew that voice!

The figure turned around and moved into the light. He methodically pulled down the hood from his head, revealing his scarred face and a mile-long evil smirk.

"Jonas!" Colonel's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "How can this be? How could you be here?"

Jonas laughed deeply at Colonel's confusion. "It was remarkably quite simple...that is...for a genius. I was able to send the mother ships an exact duplicate signature of their EMP pulse. Their curiosity got the best of them and they sent a craft for Damien, Teresa, and I. Once aboard, I met with the only three Zephs aboard this remarkable ship. The other two mother ships are completely automated and controlled by this one mother ship which runs so efficiently, one person can control everything from this room. Can you believe three aliens were successfully destroying all of humanity? What power!"

"Where are they? Where are the Zephs?" Colonel asked.

"I fear the temptation to control all this power was too great for me. I easily took control of their minds and their ship. Teresa was able to gather information from their minds on how to operate this ship and shared that information with me. We reprogrammed the Walkers and the Flyers to recognize me as their sole leader. After that, I saw no further need for the Zephs, so I disposed of them."

"You've been responsible for the attacks on Earth?" Colonel asked in disgusted anger.

"Not the first ones, of course, but the others ones were all me. It's so easy cleansing the Earth from way up here. I feel like a god!"

"But you're not only killing humans, you're killing Hybrids as well. I thought your whole dream was to have a utopia of Hybrids living on Earth."

"Sadly, it's true the Flyers and Walkers can't distinguish between humans and Hybrids, so I must sacrifice for the greater good. Don't worry, I have recruited several female Hybrids and brought them here to my ship. Once the Earth is cleansed of humans, I and my brides will repopulate the planet. I'll leave a few humans alive to serve as slaves."

"We'll stop you!" Kyle defiantly said.

"You foolish boy, I've already won. Every hour that passes, another city is destroyed by my soldiers. Face the inevitable truth...you lost boy!"

"Why haven't you killed us already? Why bring us here?" Colonel asked.

"You took The Compound from me...my home... and the boy gave me these scars and, for that, I want the satisfaction of seeing you both die a slow agonizing death...and the rest of your team as well, including the ones running about my ship."

Kyle quickly looked at Colonel with grave concern.

"Yes, I know about the rest of your team," Jonas said prideful. "They will be caught. I assure you of that. Until then, enjoy the comforts of my newly built prison cells. Your friends will be joining you shortly. I want you to watch each and everyone of them die before your eyes."

Jonas ordered the Walkers to place Colonel and the rest of his team into the newly constructed confinement cells. The cells were fifteen feet by fifteen feet square areas inside an empty room each enclosed by metal bars running from the floor to the ceiling. There was no visible way to enter or exit any of the cells. But, as they approached one of the cells, four of the metal bars encompassing the cell rose from the floor into the ceiling leaving enough space to walk through. Once Colonel and his team were inside, the metal bars returned back down from the ceiling and securely into the floor.

The Walkers left the prison room and Colonel immediately began looking around for a way to escape. "These bars must be operated remotely," Colonel hypothesized.

"There's no way out, is there?" Sarah asked.

"Not without help from the other side."

As if on cue, the prison room door opened.

"Teresa!" Kyle exclaimed with a noticeable thrill in his voice which surprised Kyle and he immediately felt ashamed for momentarily being happy to see Teresa.

Sarah spun around and looked towards the door and saw Teresa walking towards them. Sarah was angered at, not only the sight of Teresa, but also for the sound of genuine joy in Kyle's voice. Had he forgotten how Teresa was the reason why his own parents were dead?

"Kyle, it's so good to see you!" Teresa said gleefully like she was greeting a long lost friend. "I didn't think I would ever get to see you again!"

"Because you thought I would be dead by now...right? Just like my parents!" Anger had found its way into Kyle's voice much to the delight of Sarah.

Teresa's eyes started to get visibly misty.

"Kyle...listen to me! I just found out a few weeks ago from Damien what my father did to your parents. He promised me he wouldn't hurt them. I swear I had no idea. I didn't realize what kind of person my father was. He had me convinced we were doing the right thing, but I don't want him destroying everyone on Earth! You must believe me...I'm not like him!"

"Jonas is a psychopathic murderer of families...women and children!" Sarah angrily said. "...and I suspect the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

"I'm not like my father!" Teresa snapped but quickly calmed herself. "I'm here to help."

"So, you're going to help us stop your father even if it means he'll probably die?" Sarah asked not convinced of Teresa's sincerity.

"I know I've been naive to trust my father and I know he must pay for what he's done, but I can't be a part of killing him. I'll help you stop the attack on Earth but my father has never hurt me and I can't hurt him."

"Your father has never hurt you? Ask him what really happened to your brothers and your mother," Sarah spitefully said. She had heard from some of the Hybrids enslaved by Jonas what he had done to his own family. Now Sara was savoring being the one to break the news to Teresa.

"Sarah! That's enough!" Colonel snapped.

"What's she talking about?" Teresa asked Kyle.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about. Don't pay her any mind," Kyle said. He too had heard the story of Jonas's murder of his family, but found it strangely cruel to tell Teresa whom apparently had no idea the sin her father had committed. Why was he still concerned about her feelings after everything that had happened?

Those stinging words from Kyle, "Don't pay her any mind" broke Sarah's heart. She had to bite down on her lip to keep her tears from falling. She realized at that moment Kyle still had feelings for Teresa despite everything she had done. Sara was envious of Teresa. She wanted to be loved like that.

Teresa took out a remote from her jacket pocket and raised the cell bars.

"We need to find the EMP generator," Colonel informed Teresa.

Teresa pressed a few buttons on the remote device and handed it to Colonel.

"This will guide you to the generator. Be careful. There are Walkers everywhere on this ship. They're looking for your other team. I have to go now. I must get back before my father becomes suspicious."

Teresa left.

"I hope this isn't some sick trick of hers and her father's," Sarah bitterly said, still angry and hurt over Kyle's joyous first reaction at seeing Teresa onboard this ship.

"I don't think it is," Kyle said. "I think she's really trying to help us."

Teresa returned to her father who was sitting over one of the many computer consoles coordinating the battle on Earth. He rarely left this room, sleeping only a few hours a day since arriving on the ship. He was having so much "fun".

"How's it going?" Teresa asked as she walked up behind Jonas.

"I'm still winning! Earth will soon be mine!"

Teresa, remembering Sarah's quizzical statement about her mother and brothers, nonchalantly placed her arms around her father and hugged his neck. She then ran her hands up the side of his scared face and placed them on the sides of his head. She started concentrating, using her Hybrid powers to search her father's memories. Jonas became aware of his daughter's presence inside his head and angrily spun around and shoved Teresa away but not before she found what she was looking for.

Teresa's hands were visibly shaking and heavy-flowing tears were plunging down her face as incredible hurt and intense anger burned inside her.

"You killed my mother!" she shouted. "You killed my brothers! How could you do that? You're a ...a monster!"

Jonas realized there was no since in trying to lie to Teresa any longer. She had seen the truth. Showing no emotions, Jonas said, "Your brothers were getting in the way of my plans. I couldn't let that happen. I had no choice."

"So you killed them! Why mother...why kill mother!"

"She asked me to. She said she couldn't bear the pain of living without her sons and the anguishing possibility that one day I'd do the same to you. I wouldn't hurt you. You've never disrespected me or defied my authority."

"You're not my father! You're the fiend everyone has said you were! How could I've been so stupid as to believe all your lies? I've been a fool. You've done nothing but use me like you use everyone and I have let you."

Just then an alarm sounded and a warning light started blinking rapidly on one of the computer consoles. Teresa had a got-caught-with-your-hands-in-the-cookie-jar look form on her face.

"What have you done, Teresa?" Jonas demanded as he turned towards the console and hit a few buttons. One of the computer monitors revealed an empty cell where his prisoners should have been.

Jonas spun around quickly and back-slapped Teresa across the face. The force of the blow knocked Teresa off her feet and she fell to the floor. She lifted herself back up on one elbow as she held her bloody lip with her other hand. A new wave of tears flowed from her eyes as she heart-brokenly wept for her father had never raised a hand towards her before.

"Damn you!" Jonas yelled as he rushed out of the room to find his prisoners.

CHAPTER THIRTY

According to the device Teresa had given Colonel, the EMP generator room was eight levels below their current position. There were several routes to the generator room they could choose from. Colonel contacted Spike telepathically.

"Spike, we've escaped. Where are you?"

"You escaped? How?"

"That's not important right now. Where are you?"

"We're on Level Six, I believe. Where are you?"

"One level above you. We have a map to the generator. Stay where you are. We're coming to you."

"Be careful, there are Walkers everywhere."

Once Colonel found Spike, he gave Spike directions to the generator room.

"I want your team to take this route, Kyle will take a team down this route, and I will take this other route. That way, at least one of us should make it to the generator room. Be careful and watch out for Walkers."

The three teams split up, making their way to the generator room. Along the way, their paths were blocked with Walkers, initiating several small battles as the three teams pushed towards their destination.

Kyle's path took him and his team to the entrance of a huge, dimly lit, three-story storage room full of an assortment of crates and various equipment parts stacked to the ceiling. Kyle stepped inside the room first when, suddenly, a metal door slid shut behind him leaving him isolated from his team.

Kyle pushed some buttons on a control panel to the right of the slab of door, but the door didn't move. His team on the other side did the same, but with the same results.

"Leave me and find another way around to the generator room. I'll find a way out of here myself." Kyle ordered his team.

"No, we can move this door together. Concentrate with us."

Together, they all tried to force the door open with their minds, but the door was too heavy.

"This door must weigh a ton. It's no use. Leave me. You must find that generator."

"We'll be back."

Kyle took a few steps inside the storage room to search for a way out. Without warning, a crate flew through the air and hit him in the chest, sending him hurling backwards into the door. He quickly pushed the crate off him and stood up just in time for another crate to smash into him. The impact knocked him off his feet again and onto the floor, forcing the breath out of him momentarily. Kyle quickly recovered from the surprise assault and stood to his feet. His head and nose were bleeding with his black blood.

Kyle then heard Damien's voice. "I wanted to just kill you quickly, but my master wants you to suffer."

Kyle knew the master Damien was speaking of was undoubtedly Jonas.

"Why don't you show yourself?" Kyle asked trying to see through the dark shadows that filled the empty spaces between the crates.

"I'm right here." Damien walked out of the shadows with an evil grin upon his face. He quickly lifted his hand and a piece of equipment sitting on the floor to his right went flying through the air. This time, Kyle saw the danger coming and stopped its forward progress and, with all his might, forced the piece of equipment back in the direction it had come. Damien didn't react in time and was hit in the head and knocked to the ground.

Kyle stretched forth his hand, telekinetically picked Damien up in the air, and tossed him through the air into several small crates stacked on top of one another. Damien crashed through the crates and landed on the floor hard as many of the crates toppled to the ground on top of him. He immediately got to his feet and started sending crate after crate flying through the air at Kyle. Kyle easily blocked every one of them and then turned the intensity of his E.A.P. down, so as not to kill Damien, and fired a bolt of electricity at him. The bolt knocked Damien off his feet leaving him dazed. Damien managed to get to his knees but was too stunned to get to his feet. Kyle walked over to him.

"I don't want to hurt you." Kyle said to Damien. "I don't want to hurt my brother!"

"What did you say?"

"You're my brother! I am...or was... the son of Jack and Judy Summerland. I only found out a short time ago. I had no idea I had a brother!"

"Well, doesn't that beat all? I always wondered if ole mom and pop ever had any more children after what I put them through."

"They had one more...me. I didn't find out until recently that you even existed, not till mom told me right before she was murdered by Jonas."

Damien fell silent for a few seconds and Kyle caught a glimpse of sadness in his brother's eyes.

"Mom was smart to keep you away from me. You could've ended up like me."

"What do you mean?"

"Little brother, I've done some bad things...many bad things...things I can never be forgiven for. There's nothing left in me but evil, now."

"You can change. I know there's good in you!"

"No...it's too late for me. I've been in the darkness for so long, it's all I know. It's all I want to know. The darkness is very powerful and seductive and I'm a slave to it."

Damien got back to his feet. The sadness was gone from his face and replaced with the familiar evil. "Now it's time for you to deal with my master!"

"I don't believe you will turn me over to Jonas!"

"It's already been done! I was sent here to stall you until he arrived."

Just then a door opened to the far right of the storage room and Jonas walked inside.

"Your skills are impressive, little brother, but they are no match against Jonas. Now, you will feel the wrath of a true master!" Damien said as he backed out of the way.

Jonas walked ostentatiously towards Kyle with a wicked smile on his face. When Jonas was in range, Kyle raised his hand and fired a bolt of electricity at him. Jonas blocked the bolt with ease.

"You're not going to get me that easily again." Jonas ran his fingers down his face. "I still owe you for the scars you gave me when we last met."

Jonas raised his hand, picking Kyle up high into the air and slamming him into the nearest wall. Kyle hit the wall powerfully and fell to the ground. Jonas again picked Kyle up and slung him into some metal shelves stacked with various pieces of equipment. The shelves and bits of equipment fell to the floor along with Kyle. Kyle staggered as he got up suffering several lacerations and bruises.

Kyle turned the intensity level on his E.A.P. to maximum. He put both his hands together in order to deliver one intense bolt of electricity. He fired the bolt, but Jonas quickly, with agility that would rival a trapeze artist, jumped into the air tucking his knees into his chest as the bolt of electricity passed under him. Jonas flipped a few times though the air before landing on his feet unharmed.

Jonas picked up a nearby drum with his Hybrid ability and hurled it at Kyle. Kyle saw the drum flying at him and swiftly jumped with all his might straight up and onto a metal walkway twelve feet off the floor...a feat he had no idea he could accomplish.

"Impressive!" Jonas remarked. "Richard has taught you well! But you're not good enough to defeat me."

Jonas concentrated intensely for a moment while raising his hand towards Kyle. A bolt of electricity shot from his hand, hitting a support that held the metal walkway up, and causing the whole structure to collapse. Kyle fell to the floor with the metal walkway...some of it falling on top of him. He had not seen Jonas carrying any kind of device for producing electricity and was perplexed at how Jonas was able to shoot an electrical bolt at him without a power source.

Jonas walked over to Kyle who was still pinned underneath the metal walkway. He stood over the young man like a bird of prey standing over its next meal. "Now, it's time for you to die!"

Jonas stretched his hand out and Kyle immediately felt an enormous pressure around his throat which was slowly cutting off his airway. The pressure began to grow stronger and soon he could no longer take a breath. He was being suffocated to death. Seconds before Kyle was about to black out, alarms rang out all over the ship causing Jonas to break his concentration on Kyle.

"What is that?" Jonas asked Damien who had been standing against the wall watching the whole fight.

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good!"

Jonas looked down with disgust at Kyle. "I'll deal with you later."

Jonas urgently ran out of the storage room towards the control room with Damien following behind. The two of them arrived inside the control room and immediately noticed all the computer consoles were in shambles with all the monitors destroyed except one.

"Teresa!" Jonas mumbled irritatingly under his breath. He knew his scorned daughter was responsible for this. He went over to the one monitor that had not been damaged. On the screen, a count down was being displayed. The time was just passing ten minutes. Teresa wanted her father to see what she had done.

"Sir, I believe the ship's self destruct sequence had been initiated!" Damien warned. "Can we shut it down?"

"Everything's been destroyed! If I had time, I could fix it but we have less than ten minutes."

"Sir, we need to get to an escape craft, now!"

"Damn, I should've never trusted that bitch! She's too much like her mother! She's ruined everything!"

"Sir, we must go now!"

Jonas reluctantly allowed Damien to lead him to an escape craft.

At that same moment, Colonel and his team found their way to the generator room where Spike and his team had already arrived.

"Colonel," Spike franticly said." I can't figure out how to operate this thing."

"We need to fire an EMP blast towards Earth to stop the war!" Colonel urgently told Spike.

"I realize that, sir," Spike said with frustration in his voice. "I've been trying for the last five minutes, but nothing is working! And what's up with that alarm?"

Just then, the door to the generator room opened and everyone spun around with their weapons drawn. Teresa walked through the door.

"It's me! Don't shoot me!"

Teresa walked directly to the EMP generator and started rapidly pushing a series of buttons. The generator came to life.

"How do you know what you're doing?" Spike asked Teresa.

Without stopping what she was doing, Teresa said, "My father made me take all the information about the operation of this ship from one of the Zephs. I know how to operate everything on this ship."

"That's an amazing ability you have there!" Spike commented.

"Now, let's fire this thing and go home!" Teresa said.

The generator charged up to full power in a few seconds and Teresa pushed a button sending an EMP blast towards Earth.

"It's done. The other two mother ships have also fired an EMP blast simultaneously. Now, we must get to an escape craft. I've initiated the self destruct mechanism of this ship. We have less than ten minutes before it explodes."

"You did what?" Colonel asked.

"I'm destroying this ship. It was the only way to get my father to leave it."

"If this ship blows up in Earth's orbit, it'll send thousands of pieces of debris hurling towards Earth, potentially killing innocent people!" Colonel warned.

"Don't worry. I already thought about that. I put the ship on auto pilot. We're currently moving away from Earth. By the time this ship explodes, it should be well out of Earth's orbit. I also shut down every Walker on this ship so we'll have safe passage to the escape crafts."

"You're amazing!" Colonel said.

Even Sarah had to agree with a slight smile on her face. Teresa had definitely saved the day.

Teresa looked around the room. "Where's Kyle!"

"Behind you," Kyle said as he was being helped through the door by a couple of his team members. He had scraps, bruises, and cuts all about him.

"What happened to you?" Teresa asked running up to Kyle to hold him.

"Oh... just had a little runin with your father," Kyle joked.

"We best get going," Colonel said. "Teresa, lead the way."

"Okay, but first we need to release the brides my father has imprisoned."

Teresa quickly led them all to where the captors were being held. She released the harem of Hybrids from their imprisoned rooms and then led everyone to the only remaining escape craft.

"Can we all fit?" Spike asked looking into the small craft.

"It'll be a little snug, but we can manage," Teresa replied. "Everyone get in and find a spot."

Everyone boarded the escape craft. Teresa pushed a button that closed the hatch. She then pressed a few more buttons and levers causing the craft to release from the mother ship, fire up and move forward. Once the escape craft was a few feet away from the mother ship, Teresa accelerated the craft towards Earth.

"The mother ship is going to blow any second now! When it does, we're going to feel the shock wave, so hold on to something!" Teresa informed everyone.

Less than thirty seconds later, there was a huge explosion behind them. They couldn't hear the explosion, but they saw the brilliant fire ball and a few seconds later, the shock wave hit their craft. The impact spun the small escape craft around several times causing Teresa to momentarily lose control of the craft. After the shock wave passed, she was able to regained control and placed them back on course for Earth.

"I wonder what happened to Jonas," Kyle asked. "Was he on the mother ship when it blew up?"

"It doesn't matter," Teresa stated knowing her father had taken the other escape craft. "Just as long as he's gone."

Before long, Earth was back in view as well as was the other two mother ships which were slowly moving away from Earth and towards deep space.

"Look! The ships are leaving!" Kyle exclaimed.

Teresa explained. "Those two ships were being operated remotely by the main mother ship that we just destroyed. Since they're no longer being control, they're automatically programmed to return home."

"What happened to our other team members?" Spike asked Colonel. "Where are they?"

"I don't know." Colonel said with drear in his voice. "I've tried to contact them but they haven't responded."

"Let's go look for them," Kyle said.

"We would never get inside the ships. They've tightly sealed themselves in preparation for their return home. Besides, there's no oxygen on those two ships...no need for it...fully automated. Your friends are lost," Teresa coldly explained.

Teresa continued her course towards Earth, entered the atmosphere, and flew the escape craft towards The Compound, flying low over the ground to view all the destruction the Flyers and Walkers had created. Countless buildings and homes were in ruins, some still burning, yet Teresa could see people celebrating in the streets. As she stopped the escape craft over The Compound and started descending towards the ground, she saw that the celebration was occurring there too.

Teresa landed the escape craft and opened the hatch. The noise of the celebration immediately filled the interior of the craft. Colonel and his team stepped out and were welcomed back home with hugs and kisses and congratulations. They were being hailed as heroes.

One of Colonel's captains approached him. "Sir, you did it! We were right in the middle of a major battle and we were losing the fight. I didn't think we were going to make it...there was so many of them. Then, we all felt the heat of the EMP blast and watched as all the Flyers fell out of the sky and the Walkers tumbled over. It was over just like that...like someone just flicked a switch! You really did it, sir!"

"We all did our part to win this war." Colonel smiled.

The captain put his arm around Colonel's neck. "Come... have a drink with me. You deserve it!"

"You know...I think I will."

Teresa and Kyle pushed their way through the celebration and walked to the back of a storage room where they could be alone.

Teresa took hold of Kyle about his face with both hands and started covering him with kisses.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again!" Teresa said with her eyes full of tears. "Kyle, I know I'm not the person you thought I was and I know I've done some awful things, but my father forced me to do those things. I didn't realize what a monster he was. I want to be that girl you fell in love with. I miss our time together. I didn't realize just how much I loved you until you were gone. I felt I had to choose between you and my father. I chose wrong! I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I think I forgave you the second I saw you on that ship. I know you had nothing to do with my parent's death...not you. Jonas is who I blame."

"I was so naive and foolish to trust my father like I did. You're the only person I'll put my trust in from now on. I love you, Kyle!"

"I love you too!"

Kyle began kissing Teresa, unaware that Sarah had walked around the corner and overheard a lot of their conversation. Sarah's heart sank and she ran back around the corner of the building unnoticed and fell to her knees with her head in her hands sobbing uncontrollably. Her heart was breaking.

Sarah, trying to gain control of her emotions, sensed a presence standing next to her. She removed her hands from her face and looked up to see Spike was standing over her. He kindly reached out his hand. Sarah took it and Spike helped her to her feet. With much sympathy and compassion, Spike looked deep into Sarah's eyes.

"I'm here for you. I've always been here for you."

Sarah began crying again but this time her tears were happy tears. She placed her head against Spike's chest and held him tight.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

A week after Colonel and his team saved the world, he and the Raling, Bob, were on their way to meet with the President and Congress. They arrived at the White House early in the morning. The clean-up crews were still busy with the aftermath of the war. The whole of the city still bore scars from the attacks of the Flyers and Walkers with buildings marred by the battle and debris scattered everywhere. The military was collecting the downed Flyers and Walkers, placing them on flatbed trucks to be taken to an unknown destination.

Colonel and Bob walked into the packed congressional room and were greeted with a standing ovation. They walked to the front of the room where President Bennett was waiting for them while everyone else settled back into their seats. The President shook both their hands and then had them stand to his right facing the sea of humanity. That's when Colonel noticed the news cameras. This honoring event was being broadcast live and shown world wide on all available satellites and television stations that were operational. Had Colonel known the cameras and all the people were going to be there, he would have thought twice about coming. President Bennett, knowing his friend well, was wise to keep that information from Colonel. The President turned to face the cameras and began speaking.

"History will remember the last several weeks as a time when the whole Earth banded together against a common enemy. We put our differences aside, our hatreds and prejudices, and came together as one and proved that a world united is so much stronger than a world divided. Not only can we be one Earth, we can be one Earth striving for a better tomorrow. We cannot let this new knowledge, the knowledge of knowing we are best when we are one, die. We must endeavor to make "peace on Earth" a reality. In the words of John Lennon, "Imagine all the people, sharing all the world".

"We have suffered casualties numbering in the hundred thousands, here and abroad, and lost countless structures including many people's homes, but we're going to rebuild our nations...our homes...our governments...together as one people with emphasis on finding common ground and peaceful solutions."

The whole room exploded with applause and cheers.

"I would now like to introduce one of our heroes whom I'm sure you all know by now... Colonel Richard Price. He and his team were instrumental in saving our planet from destruction. We also owe the Ralings a debt of gratitude for revealing themselves to us and helping us fight the Zephs. Now, the Ralings are asking for our help and I for one plan to help them in any way I can. I'll let Colonel Price explain what the Ralings need from us and how we can help."

"Thank you, Mister President," Colonel said as he approached the pulpit lined with various microphones from several different news agencies. "As you all know, the Ralings helped us in the fight against the Zephs and they've also shown us some remarkable technological advances, like fusion reactors, that will greatly enhance our world and change it for the better. So we owe them and now they ask us for a favor."

"The Ralings' home world has failed to send their relief team to relieve Bob and the other Ralings stationed here, something they have done systematically for hundreds of years, and added to the fact their sworn enemy showed up here on Earth has Bob convinced something terrible has happened. He surmises his home land is under attack by the Zephs and that's why they haven't sent a relief team. And Bob also fears the Zephs may send more warships to Earth in greater numbers this time to destroy us. He recommends we strike before they do.

"Bob's been working with our engineers and has developed a flying spacecraft prototype with powerful weapons to be used against the Zephs. He's asking us to start building a huge fleet of these spacecrafts, learn to fly them, and help his people in their war. I believe we owe it to the Ralings to help them. In addition, if the Zephs do decide to return, we'll be ready for them. It'll be a grand undertaking, but if we all work together as a nation, we can move mountains.

"This brings me to the second part of my speech. The President mentioned that we must rebuild our nation and our government and become a world of one. I agree but I believe it would be a mistake to rebuild it like it was before. We have an opportunity here to build a better nation...one for the people. Statistically speaking, eighty percent of all our crimes and most of the corruption in our governments are committed out of greed...out of the love of money. Therefore, I propose we get rid of our monetary system."

That statement sent a wave of concern throughout the congressional delegations. They looked around at each other with confusion on their faces and started muttering amongst themselves.

"I realize it's a radical idea but one that would be beneficial to our nation and the world. I propose our government provide each and every person in America a job based on their skills and talents. We're going to have to rebuild our cities and towns and start building our huge fleet of spacecrafts. We're going to need a lot of workers! Everybody would be given a home, a job, and medical care for free as long as they were willing to work.

"With our new fusion power given to us by the Ralings, everyone would have a virtually endless and free supply of power for their homes. We can design and build vehicles that would be operated through fusion engines...a clean and safe alternative to fossil or hydrogen fuels.

"Instead of having different levels of society...lower class, middle class, and upper class...everyone would be at one level. Instead of people striving to better themselves financially, they could instead strive in making our world a better place... a smarter place.

"I realize giving up money will be a huge sacrifice for some, but it's for the good of a nation. We need to focus on our nation, its people and its children, not on ourselves. Let's make this sacrifice for our children and for our future."

To Colonel's surprise, most everyone at the congressional meeting rose to their feet, applauding and cheering. He smiled and thought to himself, "Maybe there's hope for us yet!"

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Part Three

Fourteen months had passed since the Earth won its battle against the alien invaders known as the Zephs. Colonel's speech about building a new America struck a strong cord with most. The majority of people were eager for a change and they put tremendous pressure on the government to give them that change. They basically gave the government an ultimatum...either give us the change we want or we'll simply do it ourselves, without your help or permission. The government caved under the American people's pressure and adopted Colonel's plan.

The government abolished the existing monetary system, which didn't sit well with the wealthy portion of society. Without money, the socialites were no longer the upper class of society. They were now equal to the common people and a lot of egos couldn't handle being thrust into that position. Many of them opted to move to other parts of the world where their money still meant something.

The rest of the American people who stayed helped rebuild their nation brick by brick. The government provided each person with a home and jobs based on their abilities as well as provide each person with free health care. The work each person performed was rewarded through a government credit program which provided people with food and other essential supplies. The government began replacing every electrical plant in every city with fusion reactors which provided free electricity to every home. Gasoline and diesel vehicles were replaced with fusion powered vehicles, everyone of them built and assembled in America by the American people.

Crime fell eighty five percent across the nation. With no monetary system, burglars and thieves had little incentive to steal from anyone. Drug users no longer had money to give to the drug dealers whom, as a result, went overseas where they could get compensated for their drugs. Prostitution and pornography became virtually nonexistent because there was no longer anything to gain for providing their "special" services anymore. Extortion, bribery, and so many other crimes and transgressions committed for the love of money became virtually extinct...starving without the nectar of money.

Colonel's new plan for America and, ideally, the world was working better than even Colonel had dared dream. To fulfill the promise of aiding the Ralings, the American government formed a new branch of the military specifically for the purpose of building an army and manufacturing all the weapons and spacecrafts that would be needed to help the Ralings in their fight against the Zephs and protect the Earth from any future attacks by an alien invader. This new branch of the military was called the Coalition Space Force and President Bennett personally appointed Colonel to run it. Colonel was in charge of every aspect of the CSF from the training of new recruits to the manufacturing of the spacecrafts.

Colonel's first order of business was to appoint Kyle and Spike as captains of the CSF for they had both proved they were worthy and capable of such a significant position. Kyle recently turned nineteen which seemed too young in some eyes to be bearing the responsibility of being in charge of others, but Kyle possessed the maturity of someone twice his age. Colonel had the utmost confidence in Kyle as did most of the men whom had served under or with him in the war against the Zephs.

The next item on Colonel's agenda was the manufacturing of the spacecrafts and advanced weaponry. The alien, Bob, and several engineers worked feverishly on developing plans for the new weapons and spacecrafts. A few hundred warehouses were constructed by the CSF to become manufacturing plants for building the weapons and spacecrafts and they were filled with thousands of workers earning their government credits to be used for food and supplies.

The last enormous task Colonel had to do was to oversee the interviews of nearly eight hundred thousand people, both Hybrids and humans, whom wished to volunteer to join the CSF. This task was too huge for Colonel to try and tackle alone, so he had to put together a team of interviewers. He estimated the CSF would need about two hundred fifty thousand soldiers all of whom had to be trained for a particular job, whether it was for infantry or for a position as a pilot flying one of the spacecrafts.

Once the construction of several spacecrafts had been completed and the test flights performed, it was time to reveal the crafts to the public. The anticipation of seeing the spacecrafts was almost too overwhelming for Spike and Kyle who couldn't hide their excitement as the arrived at the Montana CSF military base at Hanger 23. Many military personnel from the regular military branches along with several CSF personnel were present at the ceremony for the unveiling of the CSF's first spacecrafts to go into commission. Everyone gathered in front of the huge hanger doors as Colonel welcomed them all.

"We're here to reveal our nation's first military fighting spacecrafts. A lot of planning and hard work went into the manufacturing of these crafts and I'm very proud of the end result. We'll use the spacecrafts and many more like them to help our new ally, the Ralings, to fight our common enemy. Now, I know you all want me to shut up so you can see one of the spacecrafts, so without having you wait any longer, may I present the Coalition Star Fighter!"

The huge door of the hanger began rising up. Nearly everyone in the crowd began to peak under the slow moving door wanting to be the first to see the Star Fighter. Eventually, the massive steel door was opened all the way and the Star Fighter was rolled out.

The Star Fighter was modeled after an F16 fighter jet with a few differences. The wings were shorter and angled back significantly more than the F16. The nose was shorter and more rounded and the propulsion port was redesigned to use an advanced fusion designed propulsion system to propel the Star Fighter. The cockpit was air tight for space travel using a highly advanced re-breather system which provided a constant oxygen supply while in space. All the onboard computer systems were much more advanced than anything the military had ever seen.

The Star Fighter was equipped with high intensity lasers and high yield explosive missiles for combat. The surface of the Star Fighter was constructed with the new metal alloy Bob had shown the engineers how to manufacture making it the strongest piece of military equipment ever made.

Everyone took their turns gathering around the lustrous Star Fighter, examining every little detail of this remarkable engineering achievement. After several minutes, Colonel returned to the podium and got everyone's attention. "Now, if everyone will step back, we'll give you a little demonstration of the Star Fighter's capabilities."

A CSF pilot walked out of the hanger and climbed into the Star Fighter while everyone was instructed to back away for safety concerns. After the crowd was a sufficient distance back, the pilot started the craft's engine. The first thing everyone noticed, whom had ever been to an air show before, was how quiet the Star Fighter was. It made no more noise than a car running in idle. The second thing the crowd noticed was the blue glow coming from the propulsion port, unlike anything they had ever seen.

The pilot engaged the Star Fighter's throttle and taxied the craft down the runway for several feet and stopped. He then punched the engine and raced down the runway for only a hundred feet before the Star Fighter shot straight up into the sky and was out of sight in a matter of seconds. Most of the crowd was still looking straight up into the sky searching for the craft when someone pointed towards the eastern sky. "There he comes!"

The Star Fighter streaked through the blue sky directly over everyone's heads making remarkably very little noise other than the sound of slicing through the air. The Star Fighter then made an abrupt one hundred and eighty degree turn, performed several barrel-rolls, and landed back on the runway.

Everyone applauded as the pilot shut down the Star Fighter and got out. He waved to the crowd and walked back into the hanger. Colonel returned to the podium.

"We currently have a little over two thousand Star Fighters ready for battle. Our goal is to have a fleet of fifty thousand by the end of this year. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I feel confident we can accomplish this goal. I'm opening the flight schools tomorrow and have personally handpicked the first three hundred pilots. They've already been notified and have been given their orders on where to report. I'd like to thank all of you for coming today. Have a safe trip back home."

After the crowd dissipated, Kyle and Spike approached Colonel.

"Hey boys, how'd you like the demonstration of the Star Fighter?"

"It was fantastic!" Kyle stated. "It's an incredible piece of machinery!"

"It sure is!" Spike added.

"Then, why the long faces?"

Spike looked at Kyle with a look that said, you ask him. Kyle returned the same look to Spike who gave in and asked Colonel their question.

"We both couldn't help but notice in your speech you mentioned that all the new pilots had been given their orders."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, it's just that Kyle and I were hoping we were going to be able to fly one of the Star Fighters. I guess we just assumed we were going to be one of the pilots."

"I didn't think you two would be interested in flying one of the Star Fighters. I figured you were satisfied in your current positions."

"Are you kidding?" Kyle remarked. "We would have loved to fly a Star Fighter."

"But what about your duties as captains? What about your responsibilities there?"

Both boys' faces were plastered with looks of disappointment.

"Of course, you're right, sir." Kyle lowered his head and sighed. "I guess we were being selfish. We'll stay where ever you want us."

Colonel began to laugh out loud. "You two should see the sour-puss looks on your faces! I was just yanking your legs. I've got your orders right here." Colonel pulled two envelopes from his jacket pocket. "Of course I want you two flying a Star Fighter. I could never deny either one of you of such an exciting opportunity."

"Really?" Kyle exhilaratingly exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. You two are to report to the flight school tomorrow morning. I've already assigned others to cover your duties. Good luck to you both."

They all three began walking back towards the hanger. Colonel put his arm around Spike's neck. "I really got you good, didn't I?"

"You've got a mean sense of humor," Spike said with a smile.

Colonel howled with laughter.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Kyle and Spike showed up at the Montana Coalition Space Force Flight School the next morning at 8:00 A.M. The training room was big enough to hold three hundred students and it was at full capacity. Students from all over the nation, both human and Hybrids, were gathered in the room of nervous excitement, conversing with each other, waiting for the instructor to begin the class. Kyle recognized several students in the room who were from The Compound. Kyle even met two students from Great Britain who came to America for the sole purpose of joining the CSF. Then Kyle heard a familiar voice from his recent past.

"Kyle, is that you?"

Kyle turned around to see Brad Harris. The two high school mates embraced in a quick man-hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever. What have you been up to besides saving the world?" Brad asked with honest admiration in his voice.

"Oh, not too much. Been working for the CSF ever since it was formed. Man, I can't believe you're here?"

"I couldn't wait to join the CSF and fly in a Star Fighter and help fight the Zephs. Those bastards really did a number on our town."

"I'm glad you joined! We could use a good man like you!"

"You still seeing Teresa?"

"Yeah, we're still dating."

"I still can't believe you two are Hybrids and never told me."

"We felt it was for the best."

"Oh, I understand. You don't have to explain anything to me. It wouldn't have made a difference to me anyways. You're still a great guy and a good friend."

Kyle noticed the instructor walking into the room. "I guess class is about to start. I'll catch up with you later."

"Sure thing," Brad said and shook Kyle's hand.

Kyle went and found his seat next to Spike. Spike looked back a few rows to where Brad was sitting.

"You sure aren't very particular whom you call a friend," Spike said sneering at Brad.

"He's all right. He's a good guy."

"Okay...if you say so."

The whole class became silent when the instructor turned on the podium microphone and it made an ear-piercing sound. The instructor was a middle aged gentleman with graying brown hair, wearing glasses and the newly designed blue and black CSF uniform with lieutenant's bars pinned to his lapel.

"Good morning, students."

"Good morning, sir," the class responded in unison.

"Let me start by telling you a few things about myself. My name is Lieutenant Mark Williams. I was with the United States Air Force for twenty two years...fifteen of those years were as a test pilot for our government. I joined the CSF to become a flight instructor for the Star Fighter. There's not a flying machine on Earth I haven't flown at one time or another. I've spent the last five years of my career as a flight school instructor, training men and women how to fly everything from a Stealth Bomber to a Mohawk helicopter.

"I have undergone over two hundred hours flying time in the Star Fighter, becoming extremely knowledgeable about its various components and putting the craft through a multitude of intense maneuvers... just seeing what it could do. The Star Fighter can do everything a normal fighter plane can do plus so much more... like, for example, venture off into space. It's the most technologically advance piece of equipment ever constructed in the world yet it's so simple to operate, a child could fly it. That's one reason why this class is only one month long...two weeks of instrument familiarization and two weeks of actual flying. The other reason for such a short flight school is because this training facility and the others around the country has to get fifty thousands students trained by the end of the year. Now, before I begin, are there any questions?"

A student in the front of the room raised his hand. Lieutenant Williams pointed at him and motioned for him to stand up. "Yes sir, I was wondering if we're going to be flying the Star Fighter into outer space."

"Yes, we are. I myself have flown into space several times with the Star Fighter and I find it much easier to fly in space than down here on Earth. Any more question?"

"Yes sir," another student said as he stood up. "Just how safe is this new craft compared to the conventional ones?"

"Remarkably safer. It has an artificial intelligence incorporated into its computer system. The Star Fighter has so many automated features it practically flies itself. It will maneuver around objects automatically to avoid hitting them. It constantly runs diagnostics on it self looking for any potential problems. The weaponry system automatically locks on to any potential targets while constantly adjusting for distance and speed. Basically, all you have to do is point the Star Fighter were you want it to go and pull the trigger when you want to fire at the enemy. Any more questions?"

No one raised their hands.

"Alright then, let's get started. We'll first be discussing the propulsion system of the Star Fighter."

The class continued for the rest of the day as all the students were taught about different components of the Star Fighter. The students grudgingly accepted the fact they had to learn about the Star Fighter's components first but they all were just anticipating the day that each of them got to actually sit in the cockpit and fly it.

At the end of the first day, Spike and Kyle found their assigned dorm room and settled in. Colonel already had some of their clothes and personal items sent to their room from The Compound since neither of them knew they were going to be attending the flight school. Kyle took a shower and then ventured out of the room to find a private spot to call Teresa.

"Hey, how's it going?" Teresa asked over the phone.

"The bookwork stuff is kind of boring. I can't wait to start flying one of those Star Fighter!"

"Are you and Spike in the same room?"

"Yeah. How are you and Sarah getting along?" Kyle asked fully aware of the tension between the two girls. Sarah made it very obvious on several occasions she didn't like Teresa. She only tolerated being around Teresa because she was dating Spike and Kyle and Spike were best friends.

"Well, we don't hang out with each other if that's what you mean. Sarah hates me and the sad part is she has every right to. And she's not alone. There are a lot of people here that don't like me. I can see the animosity in their eyes every time they look at me."

"Give it time, Teresa. They'll all eventually love you like I do."

"I hope so. It's just hard feeling like an outsider knowing everyone has daggers for you because of who your father is."

"You were the one who saved Earth. There're many people who are grateful to you and love you for that."

"Yeah, but not here at The Compound. They still don't trust me."

"They will eventually. Just be patient. I promise it'll be worth it."

"I'll try for you."

"That's good...I miss you!"

"I miss you, too. When will you be home?"

"In about twenty eight days."

"I can't wait to see you again," Teresa said glad Kyle couldn't see her tears.

"Me either."

They continued talking for several more minutes while at the same time Spike was on the phone with Sarah.

"How's my girl doing?" Spike asked.

"As well as can be expected without her man. Are you flying yet?"

"No, not yet. They're making us do stupid class work first. I just want to jump in a Star Fighter and rocket it through space. It's going to be so cool!"

"You're so lucky. I wish I was there."

"How are you and Teresa getting along?" Spike asked hoping for the day her and Teresa would make up before the tension between the two girls caused him and Kyle to have to stop hanging around together.

"I haven't seen Teresa since you left. I don't trust that girl and I don't like her. I only put up with her for you and Kyle."

"I know you do. Can you ever see yourself liking her?"

"No. I can't. Why do you care so much?"

"Because Kyle cares about her and it upsets him when people treat her bad. Did you know she often cries in Kyle's arms because she feels no one likes her? She had a father who was evil, who killed her entire family, and then abandoned her. She can't be entirely blamed for the way she is. Heck, I'm surprised she has any good left in her! Don't tell her I told you this, but Teresa told Kyle that out of all the people at The Compound, you're the one she admires most."

"Me? Why me?"

"She said it was just the way you present yourself to people. The way you show confidence in everything you do. She called you a good person and a great soldier."

Sarah didn't want to hear something positive Teresa had said about her. She wanted to dislike Teresa. Teresa's father killed her parents and she needed to be angry at someone for that painful loss and Teresa was an easy target. Still, a small part of Sarah felt that maybe Spike was right...maybe Teresa didn't deserve all of her hatred. Sarah had always been taught by her mother that forgiveness was sometimes the hardest thing to give but not giving it could eat you up inside like a cancer.

"I guess I could try a little harder to be nicer."

"That's all I ask. Just give her a chance. She needs a friend."

"I didn't say I would be friends with her. I just said I would be nicer."

"Well, at least that's a start."

Spike and Sarah talked for well over an hour before they said good bye and hung up the phone. Spike went back to the dorm room where Kyle was already in his bunk asleep. Spike got ready for bed, jumped into his bunk, and was soon asleep.

The next two weeks seemed to drag by for the eager students. Nearly every day, CSF personnel were bringing in more and more Star Fighters to the military base. There were thousands of them lined up side by side, row after row, covering hundreds of acres. The fields of space crafts were a constant reminder to the students of the upcoming battle but, none the less, they all couldn't wait to take their first flight in one of the Star Fighters.

Finally, the day all the students had been waiting for arrived. It was time to be assigned a Star Fighter and get some actual flying time in. The anticipation was thicker than a Sumo wrestler's waist line at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Everyone was divided into different squadrons of twenty five, each with their own leader who was an experienced fighter pilot. Each student was given a call sign, climbed into their designated Star Fighter, and followed their leader onto the runway.

Kyle and Spike were part of Red Squadron and their call names were Red Two and Red Three respectively. The Red Squadron leader's voice was heard inside each of Red Squadron's Star Fighters.

"This is Red Leader to Red Squadron. Follow me to the runway and prepare for flight."

Red Squadron followed behind their leader and got ready for their first flight. They took off down the runway, one after the other, and, within seconds, were in the air thousands of feet above the ground. Kyle's heart was racing out of his chest with excitement. He could see the greens and browns of the ground beneath him and the blue of the sky above. He was now experiencing the "freedom" he had heard so many pilots talk about...a feeling words could not explain... it had to be experienced.

"Red Leader to Red Squadron...follow me to a lower altitude. We're going to try a few maneuvers."

Red Squadron did as they were ordered and followed their leader. He led them down to an altitude of three hundred feet where the ground appeared as a blur as they sped over it towards a mountain range. Soon they were flying over precipitous mountains and down constricting canyons as each student gained experience for the feel of the Star Fighter's handling capabilities. The sharp turns and steep climbs were effortless for the Star Fighters as well as for their new pilots. Kyle couldn't remember ever having as much fun as he was having at that very moment.

After a while, Red Leader began heading the students towards the ocean. Red Squadron followed their leader over the ocean's surface and leveled out their Star Fighters just thirty feet above the waters. Red Squadron was flying so close to the surface of the water, they could make out the different faces of men on fishing boats as they rocketed by.

"Red Leader to Red Squadron... I want everyone to fly closer to the water."

Kyle didn't like the idea of getting any closer to the surface of the ocean at the tremendous sped he was flying, but he obediently did as he was ordered. He began nosing his Star Fighter towards the ocean's surface. At first, his Star Fighter dropped a few feet, but then a warning buzzer sounded and the Star Fighter automatically leveled itself. All of Red Squadron experienced the same as Kyle.

"You've all just witnessed one of the many safety features of your Star Fighter," Red Leader explained. "Your Star Fighter will allow you to get only so close to danger before its computer automatically takes over. You do have the option to manual override the safety feature but I don't see why you'd ever need to use it. Now, that you have the feel for your Star Fighter, let's go to a totally different playing field... space!"

Red Leader began climbing higher and higher into the sky. Red Squadron closely followed. Soon, all the white billowing clouds were underneath them as they continued to climb into the boundless blue sky. Before long, the sky before them began turning from bright blue to a dark purple and eventually faded into black as the new pilots got their first glimpse of space. The oxygen supply system aboard each Star Fighter powered itself on automatically as the oxygen quantity in the air began diminishing. Kyle felt his Star Fighter start to vibrate a little as they began punching through Earth's atmosphere. Soon, each Star Fighter broke through the barrier... free of Earth's gravity.

Kyle could not believe he was actually in space. Yes, it wasn't his first time, but his first experience in space was being packed into a Flyer like a sardine. This time he could visually soak it all in. The sun looked so much bigger and brighter than it did on Earth and the stars didn't twinkle, they just shown like millions of distant flashlights with a few bigger one scattered in between which Kyle assumed were closer planets.

"Gentlemen, welcome to space! We'll now take a trip around the moon."

Red Squadron enthusiastically followed Red Leader. They headed around to the dark side of Earth, away from the brightness of the sun, where the moon slowly began to become visible, appearing to be about the size of a basketball. As they moved towards the moon, the nocturnal celestial satellite began growing until it filled their entire view. Kyle marveled at the numerous craters that scared the moon's surface and then smiled when he spotted the American flag left on the dust-covered surface by the first astronauts.

"Look, the flag!" Kyle exclaimed, unable to hold back his excitement anymore.

"Yeah, that's pretty good evidence against the moon landings being a hoax," Red Leader commented.

Soon Red Squadron was flying around the dark side of the moon where the sun's light never touches. They circled the moon and headed back towards Earth. From this distance, Earth looked like a blue marble suspended in a sea of blackness. As they grew closer to Earth, Red Squadron passed the abandoned International Space Station...a gloom reminder of why they were in space in the first place.

Red Squadron continued towards home. They reentered Earth's atmosphere much to their dismay, not wanting the excitement to end, and headed back to the training base.

All the students continued to train in their Star Fighters for the next two weeks until they had to reluctantly relinquish their positions for the next class of pilots. Kyle was disappointed he had to leave all the fun he was having, but he knew he had to get back to The Compound and back to his responsibilities in the CSF. There was still a lot of preparation and work to do before they were ready for battle.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The CSF continued to build and store Star Fighters, Personnel Transport Ships (spacecrafts about the size of a football field used for housing soldiers and pilots while in space), and a plethora of various laser firing weapons. The time for battle was drawing near. The quota was nearly met regarding the number of soldiers, spacecrafts, and weaponry Colonel wanted for the battle against the Zephs.

The alien, Bob, mostly stayed absent from the CSF's operations, seemingly content to let Colonel handle things, only making an appearance a few times to evaluate the progress of the CSF and then promptly returning to his underwater base. Although Bob didn't say much during his visits, Colonel could feel a sense of frustration from the Raling as if Bob was dissatisfied with how long the preparations were taking. Colonel supposed he too would be anxious if it was his planet in need of help.

Colonel's presence was needed at a military research base in Washington State to discuss with a group of engineers the progress of the last project Bob had the CSF working on. He decided to take Kyle, Teresa, Spike, and Sarah with him for a much needed and deserved road trip. The five of them rode in one of the first fusion driven vehicle that rolled off the assemble line.

"What are we going to look at?" Spike asked Colonel who was driving with one hand on the steering wheel and his other digging into a bag of sunflower seeds.

"A device our engineers are working on, with guidance from Bob, which will have the ability to create wormholes which we will need to quickly travel the tremendous distance to the Raling's galaxy."

"I still don't really understand what a wormhole is," Sarah said.

"It's just a short cut to get from one galaxy to another by somehow folding space," Colonel tried to explain. "I don't fully understand it myself."

"If the Ralings can create wormholes, why doesn't Bob go through one and check on his planet...you know, make sure it's really under attack?" Spike asked.

"Creating wormholes isn't Ralings technology...its Zephs technology," Colonel explained. "Because Teresa extracted information of the workings of the Zephs mother ship from one of its crew members, she was able to share that information with Bob who, in turn, was able to show our engineers how to construct a device similar to the one the Zephs used to create their wormhole and enter our galaxy."

"Yeah, after we got back to Earth, I jotted down everything that was in my head for Bob. I couldn't make heads or tails out of the scribble I wrote down, but apparently he could," Teresa said.

"I don't understand something about this whole thing," Spike said.

"What don't you understand?" Colonel asked.

"Bob has had us go through all this work preparing to go into battle with the Zephs yet he didn't possess the technology to make wormholes? How were we going to get to his galaxy? How did he get to ours? Why does he not have a way to get back? Just because his relief didn't show up? It seems a little peculiar to me...a little suspicious if you ask me."

"I shared your same concerns...still do a little," Colonel admitted. "I questioned Bob about it but he only told me him trying to explain how he gets to our universe would be like trying to explain to a child how to solve a quantum mechanics' equation. I was insulted but left well enough alone. The bottom line is, we owe him and the other Ralings our lives. They helped save Earth. However they got here, we owe them a great deal."

"Do you trust them?" Spike asked.

"Not a hundred percent," Colonel confessed which not only shocked Spike but filled him with a pang of fear and concern. They were putting the lives of thousands of soldiers at risk for a race of beings Colonel didn't trust completely. They did owe the Ralings a great deal, but, never the less, Spike intended to keep a close eye on their alien ally.

"I wonder what the Ralings planet is like," Sarah asked apparently not sharing the same concerns as Spike or Colonel.

"I don't know exactly," Colonel said. ", but from what little information Bob has given me, it's a dimly lit planet, never getting very bright or getting very dark. I suppose it's in constant twilight."

"I wonder what their culture is like," Kyle questioned.

"That I don't know either. Bob has always been unforthcoming with information about his home. Maybe they're a secretive or private society."

Colonel looked in his rearview mirror at Teresa who was sitting in the back seat with Kyle not saying a word. "You're awfully quiet back there, Teresa."

"I was just thinking. I've never seen Bob. I know what Zephs look like from seeing them on the mother ship, but I've never seen a Raling."

"Bob's been on the news a couple of times with Colonel," Kyle said. "You didn't see him?"

"I don't watch much T.V."

"Well, you ain't missing much!" Kyle commented.

"Hey, there's a food service plaza just up the road. Does anybody want to stop?" Colonel asked.

"I do. I'm starving!" Spike said.

New food service plazas were built by the government, after adopting Colonel's new economical plan, along many major highways throughout the country as a place for travelers to use their earned government credits for food. Because money was no longer available, normal roadside restaurants and fast food joints were no longer in business.

Colonel pulled into the food service plaza parking lot and found an empty parking space. Because it was well after lunch time, there were only a handful of vehicles in the parking lot. They all went inside and sat at a table and began flipping through the menu. A young waitress with strawberry hair tied in a single pony-tail walked over with an infectious smile and took their order. She then asked each of them to place their thumbs on the A.I.R. (Automated Identification Reader) to confirm their order. The A.I.R. was a handheld pad which read an individual's thumb print and instantly identified that person. The data was immediately sent to a national-based computer system that automatically deducted that person's appropriate amount of earned credits based on what they were purchasing.

While the four of them were waiting for their food, Teresa couldn't help but notice a couple of girls, probably in their early twenties, sitting in a booth directly across the restaurant from her. One of the girls was pointing towards Teresa's table, leaning into the other girl at her table and whispering something into her ear. That girl nodded her head in agreement while wearing a stern look upon her face. Teresa looked away but couldn't help but glance back at the girls every once in a while noticing they were still looking her way. Sarah looked to see what Teresa kept glancing at and she too saw the girls staring at them. They both did their best to ignore the impudent girls, but their curiosity kept them glancing back.

Once their food arrived, they all commenced eating. Teresa tried to keep her mind into the conversations taking place at her table but the two girls were hard to ignore. They held no reservations in letting Teresa know she was the target of their conversation and rude looks. Teresa silently meditated to herself, trying to remain calm.

Once they finished eating, Sarah stood up and pardoned herself to the bathroom. Without Teresa noticing, Spike gave Sarah a look that said, "Ask Teresa to go with you". Sarah replied with her own look that said, "I don't want to". Spike gave her a disappointed look that Sarah reluctantly caved to.

"Teresa," Sarah said, with a hint of disinclination in her voice, "Do you want to join me?"

"Okay."

Teresa stood up and followed Sarah to the bathroom.

"Are those two getting along any better?" Colonel asked Kyle after the girls left.

"Well, they're being civil to each other. It's a huge improvement from when they wanted to pull each others eyes from their sockets."

In the bathroom, Teresa was exiting a stall and saw Sarah fixing her makeup in front of one of the dozen bathroom mirrors. She approached Sarah and stopped a few feet behind her. She looked at Sarah's reflection in the mirror, finding it easier to talk to her reflection rather than directly to her face.

"Sarah, I know you blame me for a lot of things my father did to you and your family. And I know I betrayed all of you and I can never apologize enough for that. But I hope one day you will forgive me and we can become friends."

Sarah turned around so she was face to face with Teresa. "Every person I call a friend, I trust. I don't trust you." Sarah said with no anger in her voice, just a matter of fact tone. She then turned back to the mirror and continued to fix her makeup. Teresa turned around rejected and left the bathroom.

A few seconds later, Sarah heard the bathroom door open again. She assumed it was Teresa returning but when she looked, she saw the two girls whom had been staring at her and Teresa from across the restaurant stepping through the door. The two girls approached Sarah with hostility on their faces.

"Where did she go?" one of the girls angrily asked.

"Where did who go?" Sarah asked.

"That bitch...the daughter of Jonas!"

"Teresa? What do you want with her?"

"Both of us had family who were prisoners at The Compound. They were treated like dogs by that bitch's father! It's time for pay-backs!"

"Believe me, you don't want to mess with her," Sarah warned.

"Is that a threat? Are you trying to defend that bitch? I think we'll kick your ass first!"

The closest girl punched Sarah hard in the stomach causing Sarah to double over in pain. The other girl swiftly grabbed the back of Sarah's head and kneed her in the face. The force of the strike knocked Sarah back into the sink. Sarah's nose started dripping blood onto the bathroom floor. Showing no mercy, both girls quickly rushed Sarah. One of them grabbed Sarah by the throat, chocking her, while the other started delivering punches into Sarah's ribs. Sarah grunted in pain as she received each blow to her side.

Suddenly, the girl who had her hands around Sarah's neck was thrown into the air followed closely by the other. The girls landed on the tile floor on the other side of the bathroom. Sarah looked around while gasping for air and was surprised at what she saw. There in the bathroom stood Teresa, saving her from her assailants. The two girls were attempting to stand up when Teresa walked over and kicked one of them in the face, instantly knocking the girl unconscious. Teresa then turned her attention towards the other girl who had gotten back on her feet. The girl swung, but her punch was blocked. Teresa immediately returned a punch, hitting the girl in the jaw followed closely by a second punch to the girl's stomach. The girl doubled over in agony. Teresa kicked the girl in her abdomen with such force that it lifted the girl off the floor. The girl fell to the hard tile floor and rolled to her back trying to find her breath. Teresa stood over the girl and placed her foot against the beaten girl's throat and started adding ever increasing weight. The girl began violently gasping for air and struggled to remove Teresa's foot. Teresa added even more weight to the girl's neck as the girl's face began losing its color.

Sarah silently watched Teresa administer the two girl's punishment and shamefully found some enjoyment in it. She soon realized, however, that if she didn't stop Teresa, Teresa would most likely kill the girl. Sarah held her ribs in pain, walked up behind Teresa, and calmly grabbed Teresa behind the arm. "That's enough. Let's go."

Teresa hesitantly removed her foot from the girl's neck. The girl immediately started gulping huge breaths of air and coughing violently. Teresa and Sarah left the bathroom and nonchalantly walked back to their table.

"We thought you two had drowned," Kyle joked.

"We need to go," Sarah said in earnest.

"Why, what's wrong?" Spike asked.

Spike then noticed Sarah was holding her ribs with one hand and had a bloody tissue in the other.

"What happened to you?"

"We'll explain everything later. Let's just go," Sarah urged.

The five of them left the restaurant and got into their vehicle. Kyle and Colonel rode down the highway for several minutes in silence, waiting for one of the girls to start explaining why they were in such a hurry to leave the service plaza. Kyle finally grew impatient.

"Aren't one of you going to tell us what happened back there?"

Sarah was reluctant to tell Kyle how the person she disliked and distrusted the most had just saved her from getting her ass kicked, but, inevitably, she knew she would have to. She swallowed the lump of humility stuck in her throat and spoke. "Two girls jumped me in the bathroom. Teresa got them off of me and kicked their butts."

"Are you okay?" Kyle immediately asked Teresa.

"I'm fine. Sarah took the brunt of the girl's punches."

"Sarah, are you all right? Is anything broken?" Spike asked.

"No, I don't think so, but if Teresa hadn't stopped them when she did, I'm sure it would have been a lot worse."

"Thank you, Teresa," Spike said.

Sarah took a deep breath, chewed on the last of her pride, and tasted the bitter words exiting her lips. "Yeah... thanks, Teresa."

"Don't mention it. I'd do anything for a friend."

Sarah didn't respond to Teresa's kind words, but couldn't stop the disobedient grin that formed on her face.

After a couple hours on the road, they arrived at the research base and were escorted inside and taken to a back room where dozens of engineers were working.

"How's the project going?" Colonel asked one of the busy engineers.

The engineer looked like your stereotypical science geek with his wide-rimmed glasses, his white lab coat with the pencil holder filled with an assortment of pens and markers, his over-exaggerated movements and hyper- intellectual speech. "Oh, Colonel...I didn't notice you and your party entering our facility. You kind of startled me."

"Sorry. What about the project?"

"Oh, yes...the project! The project is nearly complete. Just a few more tweaks and the W.H.O. will be fully operational by tomorrow morning. We, of course, haven't tested it yet, due to the fact the spacetime curvature device will only work in space, but, I assure you, it has been built precisely to specifications."

"What did you call the device?" asked Colonel.

The engineer chuckled nervously. "The W.H.O. We gave the space-bending device that particular acronym in part because The Who is an awesome band, but largely because, W.H.O. is an acronym for Worm Hole Opener. Kind of clever...don't you think?"

"Yes...quite clever. Do you know how it works?" asked Colonel.

"Only theoretically," the engineer replied." In theory, one can actually bend space...or curve space...like a piece of paper and move two distant points closer together, thus making the trip between the two points nearly instantaneously."

"How do you know where you will end up?" Colonel asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," the engineer humbly admitted. 'This device was designed with the ability to change the frequency of the energy it produces. I hypothesize that each specific destination has it own frequency...sort of like its own zip code. You just have to know which zip code is assigned to which frequency."

"Thanks, for your time," Colonel said scratching his head. "Let us know the second the W.H.O. is completed. It's the last piece of equipment needed before we make our voyage to another galaxy."

"Will do," the engineer said while playfully saluting Colonel.

As Colonel began heading out of the room, Kyle turned around and asked the engineer, "Are there any Star Fighters stored here on this base?"

"Yes. There are a few thousands parked in the back acreage. The CSF has been bringing them in steady."

Kyle looked at Colonel and smiled pleadingly big, raising his eyebrows up and down rapidly.

"I don't know, Kyle," Colonel said knowing exactly what Kyle wanted.

"I promise we'll be careful. No one will even know the Star Fighters are missing. We'll just take them for a quick spin...you know...blow some dust off the hoods...and be back before you know it. "

"Go ahead," Colonel said shaking his head and chuckling at Kyle's youthful enthusiasm. "Just don't you'll put one scratch on them and keep them here on Earth. I don't want you venturing out into space."

Kyle, Teresa, Spike, and Sarah immediately ran outside to where the Star Fighters were waiting. Kyle and Spike each picked themselves out a Star Fighter and opened the cockpit cover. The Star Fighters were designed to hold one person but there was enough room for Teresa and Sarah to sit on their boyfriend's laps. Once they were in, Kyle and Spike started their Star Fighters and took off down the runway.

Soon, both Star Fighters were in the air. Teresa couldn't wipe the jaw-aching smile from her face and her heart was beating fast with excitement. The boys took the girls down narrow canyons, over sky-scraping mountains, and across the open ocean. They then climbed high into the sky, piercing holes through huge white billowing clouds.

"Teresa, how much fun is this?" Teresa heard Sarah's voice ask.

Teresa looked around for a radio mike to answer Sarah.

"Where's the radio?" she asked Kyle.

"There isn't one. Every Star Fighter is tuned into all the other Star Fighters in its own squadron. We can all hear each other automatically."

"So, Sarah can hear me now?"

"Yes, I can, Teresa," Sarah said.

"Oh, hey, Sarah. What did you ask me?"

"I asked if you're having fun."

"You better believe it!"

The Star Fighters rose higher and higher until the girls could see the darkness of space.

"Let's fly into space!" Sarah said.

"Yeah!" Teresa agreed.

"Colonel told us not to," Kyle reminded the girls.

"We won't tell him," Teresa said. "Please!"

"What do you think, Spike?" Kyle asked.

"Hold onto something," Spike said. "This first part gets a little bumpy."

Spike steered his Star Fighter towards space. Kyle followed behind him. They penetrated the barrier between Earth's atmosphere and inner space with a short violent shudder of the Star Fighters.

The girls were thrilled to be in space. Their eyes were wide with wonder and excitement as they viewed the beauty of Earth and the million bright stars from space. Spike led them towards the moon.

As they got closer, Kyle gently kissed Teresa on the back of her neck and whispered in her ear, "I give you the moon."

Teresa turned her head around and passionately kissed Kyle as the light of the moon filled their Star Fighter. Teresa felt this was the most romantic moment of her entire life...kissing Kyle with the moon, as big as a house, hanging in the darkness of space. She didn't want this moment to end but the sound of Spike's voice interrupted them.

"We best be getting back to the base before Colonel finds out we're out here."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Kyle answered back.

The two Star Fighters headed back towards Earth.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

After all the long tedious hours of hard work put forth by the engineers and the members of the CSF, they had finally reached their goal. All the spacecrafts were built, all the pilots and foot soldiers had been trained, and all the advanced weaponry was ready. It was now time to make their maiden voyage to another galaxy and help defend their new ally against a common enemy.

The anticipation and excitement level of everyone involved was at an all time high. The notion of leaving loved ones behind, to venture off into an unknown world, was both scary and exhilarating for the soldiers. A mass exodus from Earth was ordered to all soldiers of the CSF to a designated position in space. All the Star Fighters and all the Personnel Transport ships, which were loaded down with soldiers and supplies, congregated in space several hundred miles beyond the moon.

The scene in space looked like a huge traffic jam with nearly fifty thousand Star Fighters and four hundred Personnel Transport ships carrying just over two hundred and fifty thousand pilots, soldiers, and other essential personnel, including medical staff and engineers. Bob and his fellow Ralings were at the front of the line in their ship along with a ship specifically designed to carry the W.H.O.

Once everyone was assembled in their designated squadrons, Colonel's voice could be heard in every ship.

"Soldiers of the Coalition Space Force, we're about to embark on an historical journey. You'll be the first humans and Hybrids to leave our galaxy and travel to another. Each of you will be part of this remarkable experience, an experience that none before you have ever had. I'm proud of all the accomplishments you've made thus far and of all the accomplishments yet to be achieved. As you are all aware, this is going to be a dangerous mission, but, if we fight as one, then we can come home as one. We're soldiers of the CSF and we will win!"

The feeling throughout the entire fleet of soldiers was one of pride and a strong desire and determination to do their best for Colonel. He was someone each of them looked up to, admired, and respected. They were all determined to do their very best to win this war and make him proud, and their world proud, and return back home victorious.

After Colonel's speech, the engineers aboard the ship carrying the W.H.O. switched on the power to the device. It began humming loudly while the whole fleet fixed their eyes on the space in front of the ship, waiting to see what was going to happen. Within seconds, a whirl pooling effect could be seen taking place in front of the ship. The whirlpool started growing larger, creating an opening in its pitch-black center. The opening grew until it was the size of two football fields. Everyone could see stars through the opening...stars from an unknown galaxy.

The order was given for everyone to move through the wormhole. One by one the entire fleet passed through the twirling whirlpool, leaving the Milky Way galaxy and moving into a different galaxy, as easily as if they were simply walking through an opened door. Once everyone was through, the wormhole closed and Bob led the entire fleet to his home planet of Ra.

Ra was larger than Earth with one visible distant sun which didn't produce much light, causing Ra to appear dark. There was no moon or other natural satellites orbiting the planet, but there was an enormous ship, approximately two thousands feet in circumference and thirty stories tall, in orbit around the planet.

"This ship is where your people will stay. It will accommodate all your ships and your personnel," Bob informed Colonel.

The fleet was ordered to dock their ships inside their new mother ship the Ralings had provided. After everyone was inside, Colonel took one of the transport shuttles and a small team with him and followed Bob to the surface of the planet to meet with Ra's leaders. Spike, Kyle, Teresa, Sarah and two young male soldiers made up Colonel's team.

As the transport shuttle flew over one of the cities of Ra, Kyle could see trees, grass, and lakes much like what was on Earth. The many buildings of the city seem to glisten like glitter in the little available light of the planet. There were no visible major roads or highways, only narrow streets and sidewalks, causing Kyle to hypothesize that the inhabitants of Ra must not have ground vehicles.

Bob landed his ship on a huge landing pad next to a massively tall and wide building...a building with no windows and glowing slightly as if it was alive with luminous life. Colonel landed the transport shuttle next to Bob's ship. Everyone stepped out of the shuttle onto an unfamiliar, alien planet. Their dimly-lit surroundings were remarkably similar to Earth with grass and trees and, in the distance, mountains. The sky was grey and the air had a slight chill to it.

They followed Bob to the entrance of the building they had landed next to where several Raling guards were standing at their post. The guards stepped aside and allowed Bob and the alien visitors to enter the building.

Colonel and his team stepped into a huge vestibule with nothing in it but a ramp on the far back wall leading to an open doorway. The floor, walls, and ceiling of the building were silvery in color and glowed just like the outside of the building, emitting the only source of light in this dimly lit room.

Bob motioned for Colonel and his team to stop in the middle of the room. As they all stood there, several armed Raling guards walked out of the doorway at the far end of the room and formed two lines on either side of the ramp. They faced each other creating a path to the door. Bob's voice could be heard in everyone's head at the same time...a feat Colonel or the other Hybrids didn't know how to accomplish.

"You are about to meet the Emperor of this region. Do not look directly at him and speak only when spoken to!"

At that moment, the emperor walked through the door way, down the ramp, and along the path created by the Raling guards. He was draped in a huge black robe and wore a silver band around his head. He approached Colonel's team who were looking down at the floor per Bob's order.

The temptation to look up was too great for one of the members of Colonel's team. A young soldier, about Kyle's age, looked up at the Emperor. Two Ralings guards immediately approached the boy. With the butt end of his weapon, one of the guards struck the young soldier in the abdomen causing him to wince over in pain. The other guard swung the butt of his weapon up into the face of the young soldier. The force of the blow caused the soldier to fall backwards onto his back. Colonel attempted to go help his young soldier, but Bob quickly grabbed his hand and held him.

"You would only make the situation worse for your comrade. He was sufficiently warned not to look at the Emperor."

The Raling guards continued their attack on the young soldier. One of the guards raised his weapon in the air with the full intention of ramming it against the head of the helpless soldier. At the last second, the Emperor raised his hand and the guards stopped their attack and returned to their original place in line.

Colonel jerked his hand loose from Bob and went over and helped his young soldier get back on his feet. The soldier was bleeding from a few lacerations to his face but nothing very serious. The Emperor walked nearer to them. Colonel kept his eyes down on the floor, in the required submissive manner, which made him very uncomfortable. Colonel was use to looking a person in the eyes, not cowering down to them. But he didn't want to offend the Raling's ways nor did he want anymore of his soldiers unnecessarily hurt.

"So, you are an Earthling?" the Emperor said looking Colonel up and down in a manner that could be described as smugly. "I welcome you to Ra."

"With all due respect, beating my soldier wasn't much of a welcome."

"On the contrary, the penalty for looking upon one of the Emperors without permission is instant death. I mercifully granted your soldier his life back because you are here to help us. To further show you my appreciation, I have provided you with accommodations here in my palace. Soon the battle plan for the attack on the Zeph's home world will be presented to you."

The Emperor turned around and headed back through the door he had entered, followed by the guards.

"Follow me," Bob instructed Colonel and his team.

Bob began walking towards the east side of the room towards nothing. Colonel and his team followed the Raling wondering why he was heading towards an empty wall. Just as they approached the wall, an opening formed where before, not even a seam could be seen. The opening revealed a twenty by twenty foot room with a long table and chairs placed in the center. A few more openings could be seen on the far walls, presumably other doorways. The table and chairs seemed to be made of the same material as the floors and walls, emitting the same soft glow.

They all entered the room and Bob motioned for them to take a seat at the table. Colonel and his team sat down at the table contemplating what was in store for them. Within seconds of them sitting down, a young male Raling walked into the room followed by three female Ralings each whom was carrying trays of food and drinks. The smell of the food filled the room like it was Thanksgiving Day. In fact, the team recognized all the familiar foods from Earth. There was baked ham, mashed potatoes, corn and a whole assortment of other foods...even sweet tea.

"We duplicated some of the foods which we observed you eating on Earth." Bob said to all of them at once. "I must go now but I will leave you with... he needs an Earth name." Bob said referring to the young male Raling. "You can call him....Servant."

"That's an awful name to call someone," Sarah protested.

"That is my decision. That is what you will call him," Bob insisted. "I shall see you again when the battle plans are ready."

Bob walked out of the room and left the other Ralings to serve the food.

"I'm not going to call him Servant," Sarah informed everyone at the table. "It's degrading!"

"As long as we're guest here, we must obey their rules and wishes," Colonel told Sarah. "If Bob says his name is Servant, then that's his name."

Sarah thought for a moment.

"Fine, but I'm going to refer to him as Sir Vant."

Sarah felt proud she had outsmarted Bob's obvious attempt to humiliate this young Raling.

"Okay, if that makes you feel better, then we'll call him Sir Vant." Colonel said.

The female Ralings began serving the food, never making eye contact with any of them sitting at the table. Sir Vant stood beside the wall supervising the female Ralings as they serve the food and poured the drinks. Everyone at the table began eating and found the food quite appetizing. It was a good as anything they had on Earth.

Sarah decided to try and ask Sir Vant some questions. As she began speaking to him telepathically, her voice could be heard by all in the room. She had no idea how she was doing it. Neither did anyone else at the table.

"Sir Vant, may I ask you a few questions?"

"Anything you want. I am here to serve you."

"First of all, how is it we can all hear each other?"

"I do not understand the question."

"On Earth we can communicate telepathically with each other, but only with one person at a time."

"On Ra we choose to speak to one person or an entire crowd of people. I do not know why you do not have the same ability on Earth other than the fact we are Ralings and you are Earthlings."

"How is it you can speak to us in English?" Kyle asked.

"When we first discovered your planet, we had a few of our people learn every language that Earthlings spoke. Then we passed on the knowledge."

"What do you mean you passed on the knowledge?" Colonel asked.

"I have to keep reminding myself you Earthlings have not learned the same abilities as we have. Every bit of knowledge that a Raling possesses can be passed on to another Raling instantaneously. We do not have schools like you do on Earth. Once our male children reach the age of awareness, all the information that our society possesses is passed on to him in a ceremonial right of passage.

"What should we call you?" Spike asked the female Raling that was refreshing his drink.

The female Raling quickly glanced at Sir Vant with obvious fear in her eyes.

"Female Ralings do not have the same freedoms as your females on Earth do," Sir Vant explained. "Please do not try and converse with our females. It could result in serious trouble for them."

"So, you're saying that females here are second class citizens or would you call them slaves?" Teresa angrily asked.

Colonel immediately butted in as he gave Teresa a look to shut up.

"Please excuse her Sir Vant. She does not mean to question your society's ways."

Teresa, restraining herself from telling the Raling what she thought of their culture, obeyed Colonel's look and bit her tongue. She hadn't been on Ra for an hour and already she did not like the Ralings.

Colonel and his team finished their meal without asking Sir Vant anymore questions. As the female Ralings cleared the table, Sir Vant showed his visitors the rest of their accommodations. The first doorway on the east wall led to a lavatory much like the ones on Earth, complete with a shower. Most of the items in the lavatory were constructed with the same glowing material as the rest of the building. The other doorways led to rooms occupied by several beds...all dimly glowing.

The female Ralings finished clearing the table and left the room.

"What do you Ralings do for entertainment?" Teresa asked Sir Vant.

"We do not entertain. We spend our time doing what needs to be done."

"That sounds boring," Teresa commented.

"That is yet another word we find useless. One's time is better spent on work and duties rather than entertainment and fun...a lesson you Earthlings should endeavor to learn."

Just then, the sound of a loud whistle was heard screaming from outside.

"It is time for sleep," Sir Vant informed them.

"Everyone is told when to sleep?" Kyle asked.

"We are a much disciplined society. Please, go to your rooms and sleep."

"What? Are we going to be awakened by another whistle when it's time to wake up?" Teresa asked sarcastically.

"Yes, you are. Now go to your rooms. I shall remain in the other room in case you are in need of anything during this time of rest."

"There's no place for you to sleep out there," Sarah stated.

"Ralings do not sleep in a horizontal position. We sleep standing up."

"Oh, okay then, we'll see you in the morning," Sarah told Sir Vant not really being sure exactly what time of day it was on Ra.

The two young soldiers took one room together. Colonel, Spike, and Kyle took another while Sarah and Teresa took the last room after kissing their boyfriends good night.

Sarah was standing just inside the opening of her room looking for a door to close for privacy, but she didn't see one.

"How do we close our doorway?"

"Use your mind and it will close," Sir Vant explained.

Sarah stepped back inside her room and concentrated on the opening. The opening closed in on itself leaving no visible seams.

Despite the bed's hard appearance, they were surprisingly comfortable. Each member of Colonel's team laid down in their beds...none of them really expecting to sleep being in such a strange room not to mention being on an even stranger planet. Kyle laid down with a question heavy on his mind.

"Colonel, are you sleeping?"

"Yes I am."

"Sorry."

"I'm joking. If I were sleeping, I couldn't have answered you. What is it?"

"It's that huge ship in orbit around Ra that the Ralings said they built for all of our soldiers and equipment and these rooms we're in now that were obviously designed for Earthlings and not Ralings. If Bob hadn't been in contact with his home world like he said he wasn't, how did they know to build such a huge ship and design these rooms especially for us?"

"That same question has crossed my mind as well. The only possible explanation I can come up with is that they knew we were coming."

"But how?" Spike asked joining the conversation. "Unless Bob hasn't been exactly truthful with us. Do you think he's been lying to us?"

"I don't know, but I will certainly ask about it tomorrow."

"I just don't have a good feeling about this whole thing," Kyle said.

"I'm sure your uneasiness is stemmed from being in a strange place," Colonel told Kyle. "Let's try to get some sleep."

The three guys said their "good nights" to each other and did their best to fall asleep in this bizarre and unfamiliar world.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Colonel and his team were abruptly awakened by the same loud whistle that had ordered them asleep. Everyone got out of bed and freshened up. Colonel opened his door way and was immediately embraced with the aroma of breakfast. There on the table was a feast that rivaled the dinner they had the previous day. The same three female Ralings were placing the last of the food items on the table, while Sir Vant stood against the wall supervising.

"Good morning, Sir Vant." Colonel said.

"Good morning? Yes....an Earthling's customary greeting. Pardon me, I find it hard to grow accustomed to some of your ways."

"It's okay."

"Please," Sir Vant said as he raised his hand towards the table." eat."

Colonel sat at the table and soon the others of his team joined him. They took their fill of the morning feast. Afterwards, they all gathered in the front vestibule where Sir Vant was waiting for them.

"We still have one more day before we present you with the battle plans," Sir Vant said. "I have been authorized to show you around the palace grounds and surrounding city."

"That would be great!" Colonel said.

They eagerly followed Sir Vant out of the palace where the eternal twilight still engulfed everything. The team's eyes were already growing accustomed to the low levels of light. The team followed Bob down a sidewalk, which emitted a soft glow like everything else made from this strange material. The sidewalk ran along a stream with trees and various plants growing along its banks. The scenery was reminiscent of any number of places back on Earth. The team had to remind themselves they were far from Earth, on an alien planet, no matter how familiar the scenery may appear.

After a short distance, the sidewalk rounded a corner and ran into the palace's massive gates which were opened wide. The gates rose up into the sky nearly forty stories and were made of a shiny silvery metal. The gates were attached to equally massive walls, just as tall as the gates and approximately fifty feet thick. The walls seemed to encircle the entire grounds of the palace. Several Raling guards stood just outside of the gates with weapons in hand. The guards allowed Sir Vant and Colonel's team to pass and enter into the Raling city.

The sidewalk leading out of the palace grounds led to a much wider sidewalk which ran throughout the city. On both sides of this bigger sidewalk were rows of tall buildings as far as the team's eyes could see in the dim light. Each building had doorways in which to enter but none of the buildings had windows. The buildings glowed like the sidewalks.

There were hundreds of male Ralings walking up and down the sidewalks, entering and exiting different buildings. Up above the buildings were spacecrafts zooming across the sky like New York taxi cabs except for the noticeable lack of noise. In fact, the whole scene was reminiscent of a big city back home except for the eerie lack of normal city noise. If it wasn't for the sound of hundreds of Raling's feet hitting the sidewalks, one might think he had become deaf.

"Where's everyone going?" Teresa asked Sir Vant.

"Daily, everyone on Ra is assigned a specific task to perform. They are heading to their destinations to fulfill those tasks."

"Where are all the females?"

"They have their own duties to tend to."

"What like cleaning house and making babies?" Teresa said with a little hostility.

"I realize that the majority of your society holds female equal with males, but it is not so here on Ra. You two females are the only females to have walked down these sidewalks in hundreds of years."

Teresa was about to tell Sir Vant how she felt about his last statement when Colonel placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head, telling Teresa to hold her tongue. He knew Teresa was getting upset and he didn't want her to offend their host by disagreeing with the way the Ralings treated their females. Teresa wanted very much to tell Sir Vant how she felt but she reluctantly obeyed the Colonel's wishes. Sulkingly, Teresa began lagging behind the group in silent protest against Sir Vant and the Ralings beliefs. It wasn't the kind of loud articulated protest that she desired to give, but it was all she was permitted.

As Teresa lagged farther and farther behind, the crowd of Ralings walking passed her seemed to be getting denser. She could see the eyes of the passing Ralings glaring intensely and unapprovingly at her as they walked by. Before long, Teresa could no longer see her group in front of her and she started to become frightened. She quickened her pace to try and catch up with the others, but was still unable to see her group and panic started to set in as her feet increased their speed to almost a run. Then, she heard a voice inside her head.

"Teresa."

That voice! Teresa knew that voice!

"Father?" Teresa blindly asked.

She stopped dead in her tracks and started searching into the crowds of Ralings. She spun around where she stood several times trying to find the source of that voice. She wondered if her father was here on Ra or had it been a cruel trick her mind was playing on her. As Teresa was frantically panning the passing crowd, a familiar face emerged from the sea of Ralings...Kyle.

"What happened to you?" Kyle asked. "I looked around and you were gone."

"I guess I got so busy looking at everything that I fell behind."

Teresa wasn't sure why she didn't tell Kyle about hearing her father's voice. She guessed she was trying to convince herself that she really didn't hear what she thought she heard...that it was simply her panicked state of mind that caused her to hear her father's voice. Besides, she asked herself, how could he be here on Ra?

Teresa and Kyle caught up with the rest of the group just as Colonel was asking Sir Vant a question.

"I was wondering how your people could have built such a massive ship capable of holding all my soldiers and ships in such a short amount of time if your people had no contact with my planet. How did you know to begin construction on the ship? Was it even for us?"

"You Earthlings always have questions. The answer to your question is simple. Ra has a special group of Ralings whom possess the ability to observe certain events in the future. The best Earthling word to describe them would be.....The Oracles. They are the ones whom told us allies would come to help us and that we should prepare a place for them."

"You mean they're clairvoyant?" Sarah asked.

"Something like that."

Sir Vant turned down a narrow sidewalk and headed straight towards a building which looked no different than all the other buildings. Colonel's team followed close behind.

They entered the building...inside a labyrinth of hallways. Bob led them down one of the many hallways which opened up into a huge room. The room was filled with hundreds of incubators lying in several neat rows, each containing a single Raling infant. Several female Ralings were tending to the infants who weren't making a sound...not a cry...not a whimper from the babies.

"This is one of our many nurseries throughout Ra. The infants are cared for here until they are old enough to be moved to a learning facility where they are taught the skills they will utilize in our society."

"Do their parents choose what skills they will learn?" Sarah asked.

"We Ralings never know who conceived us. We are given birth to, taking care of by the nurses, and taught by the educators until the time of awareness arrives when we become a vital component of Ra."

"The babies are taken away from their families?!" Sarah said with horror.

"We do not have families like you do on Earth. We do not have husbands and wives relationships. A select few females are chosen to be breeders based on having no defects in their DNA. They are then impregnated and give birth to our future Ralings for as long as their reproductive systems are functional. The infants they birth are taken to the nearest nursery to be weaned."

The more Teresa learned about the Ralings, the more she despised them. She again wanted to let Sir Vant know how she felt about him and his planet, but she held her tongue for Colonel's sake.

Sir Vant led them out of the nursery and back outside. The number of Ralings on the sidewalks had dwindled down to just a few. Sir Vant showed them a few more places, mostly places where the Ralings manufactured things for everyday living, from transportation crafts to clothing. After several hours of touring, they started heading back to the palace.

"Where are your military bases?" Colonel asked on the walk back to the palace.

"What concern is that of yours?" Sir Vant snapped showing emotion for the first time since the Earthlings had arrived.

"I was just surprised we weren't shown your military base being that we are allies." Colonel explained. "I was just curious."

"Pardon my distrust. It was not intentional. We have been at war with the Zephs for so long that it is sometimes hard to trust anyone. I must first get permission from the Emperor before I can show you our military base"

"I understand."

Once they arrived back at the palace, Sir Vant informed Colonel that the tour was over and they were to return to the mother ship. They were told to return the following day so the Emperor could present them with the battle plans.

After arriving back on their mother ship, Colonel left to meet with his captains for a briefing of the ships activities since he was gone. Spike, Sarah, Teresa, and Kyle were shown to their living quarters which consisted of four separate rooms each with their own small bedroom and even smaller bathroom. The rooms were connected in the center by a single living room complete with a couple of couches, a coffee table, and a small eating table.

The girls went to their rooms to freshen up while Kyle and Spike sat on one of the couches and talked. Several minutes later, Teresa walked into the living room, unnoticed by the boys. Kyle was telling Spike about a past episode between him and Teresa.

"Once, Teresa and I were making out by the river when she breathed in some dust or something that caused her to---"

"Don't tell him that!" Teresa interrupted, her face becoming red with embarrassment.

"Why not?" Kyle began teasing Teresa.

"It's embarrassing!"

"Come on, let him tell me," Spike said joining in on the teasing of Teresa.

"No way!"

"We were on the river---" Kyle began again but Teresa quickly ran over to him and placed her hands over his mouth.

Kyle, figuring to outsmart Teresa, began communicating with Spike telepathically.

"We were on the river---"

Teresa could hear Kyle's voice in her head telling Spike the story. The ability they discovered on Ra, to talk with more than one person at a time, was still with them.

"Don't tell him!" Teresa screamed out loud.

Instantly, Kyle's connection with Spike was broken. Kyle tried to reconnect with Spike but couldn't.

"What's going on?" Kyle asked. "I can't connect with you."

"Let me try," Spike said.

Spike concentrated on Kyle but nothing happened. They both looked accusatory at Teresa at the same time.

"Did you do this?" Kyle asked.

"I don't think so." Teresa said.

Sarah entered the living room, her hair up in a towel.

"Sarah," Spike said. "Try to talk to me with your mind."

"Okay?" she answered with confusion on her voice.

Sarah concentrated on Spike, but failed to connect with him.

"What's happening?" Sarah worriedly asked.

"I think its Teresa," Spike said. "Teresa, do me a favor. Concentrate on communicating with me."

Teresa did as Spike asked and instantly made the connection with Spike and, at the same time, the connection was also made with Kyle and Sarah.

"Now talk to me," Spike ordered Kyle.

Kyle concentrated and immediately was able to talk with Spike telepathically. Sarah then tried and was also successful.

"It was you," Spike informed Teresa. "You somehow turned off and turned on our telepathic powers."

"But how?" Teresa asked.

"I don't know." Spike said. "Let's see if you can do it again. I'll start talking to Sarah telepathically and you try and stop us."

"I'll try."

"Okay, I'm connected. Can everyone hear me?"

"Yes," the three of them answered.

"Teresa, try and stop us from communicating with each other."

"How?"

"Just say, "Stop" like you did before."

Teresa concentrated on stopping the conversation and said out loud, "Stop".

Just like before, their telepathic connection was broken.

"You did it!" Kyle said to Teresa.

"I did? I didn't know that I could do that. Could it be another power we picked up from being on Ra.?"

"I don't know. Can we all do it?" Spike asked. "Let's see."

The other three took turns attempting to duplicate the ability that Teresa possessed. They soon discovered the two boys didn't have this new ability but Sarah and Teresa did.

"It seems to be a power only females possess," Teresa hypothesized. "I wonder if female Ralings have this same power."

As the four of them were pondering this question, Colonel walked into the room.

"I'll be meeting with the Emperor tomorrow morning so we can discuss the battle plans. I would like you four to accompany me."

"Yes sir," Spike said. "Hey, Colonel, the girls have a new power."

"Great, you can tell me about it tomorrow. I've got a hundred things to do before tomorrow. You should all try and get some sleep tonight. I'll see you in the morning."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Colonel woke Kyle, Teresa, Spike, and Sarah up early the next morning. After they dressed and had a quick breakfast, they boarded the transport shuttle and headed for the palace on Ra to meet with the Emperor. Sir Vant met them outside of the palace and escorted them inside. He led them to the same room as before and had them sit down at the table. A female Raling entered the room carrying an arm full of papers, laid them down on the table, and promptly left the room.

"These are the executing plans and the maps you will need for the battle against the Zephs," Sir Vant explained.

"The Emperor isn't meeting with us?" Colonel asked.

"No, the Emperors seldom make an appearance. You were privileged to have seen ours."

"Out of curiosity, how many Emperors are there?" Colonel asked.

"There is one for each region and we have fifty-two regions on Ra. Let us now go over the battle plan."

Sir Vant spread out the many papers and maps on the table.

"Your mother ship has a portal opening on it capable of creating an opening through space large enough for the ship to enter."

"We call those portals wormholes," Kyle informed Sir Vant.

"Very well, the...wormhole... will take you to the Zeph's galaxy located several light years from here. Once there, the mother ship will move to these preprogrammed coordinates. When you are close enough to the Zephs' planet, you will deploy the Star Fighters. You are sure to first encounter Flyers that patrol around the planet's orbit. Once you are through them, you will send the personnel transports to the surface using the Star Fighters to cover them from additional Flyer attacks. The mobile units will then congregate at this location." Sir Vant pointed at a spot on the map." The Zephs live in vast underground cities. You will most likely encounter Walkers on the way to these bunkers and hidden turret guns. Eliminate them and then enter into this entrance and destroy all the Zephs. Show no mercy."

"Will there be any Raling ships or soldiers going with us?" Colonel asked.

"No. The brightness of the Zeph's two suns keeps us from going near their planet. We would not be of any assistance to you."

Colonel said nothing more, but couldn't help but think to himself that Sir Vant's explanation seemed a little weak. He wondered if Sir Vant was telling him everything. Colonel placed his suspicions to the back of his mind. The bottom line was that Earth was indebted to the Ralings for saving it and Colonel fully intended to repay the debt, even without the Raling's help.

"I will send some of our engineers to your mother ship to make sure everything is working properly," Sir Vant said. "You should be ready for battle in twelve hours. Now, return to your ship and prepare your soldiers."

Colonel picked up the papers and maps from the table and returned with the others to the mother ship. He immediately met with all his captains to discuss the battle plans. The Raling's' engineers examined all the equipment on the mother ship to make sure it was working properly. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the time for battle had arrived.

The Raling engineers left the mother ship while the CSF soldiers reported to their stations. Kyle and Spike were assigned as two of the squadron leaders for the Star Fighter pilots. Sarah, Teresa, and Colonel would be part of the mobile units that would be taken to the surface of the Zephs' planet by the personnel transporters.

The wormhole was opened and the huge mother ship began moving into the portal leading from the Raling's galaxy to the Zeph's galaxy. The transition was just as smooth as it had been moving from Earth to Ra. Once through, the wormhole closed behind them. Automatically, the mother ship began heading towards the Zeph's planet using the preprogrammed coordinates the Ralings had installed into the ship's navigation system.

After just over an hour, the Zeph's home world became visible. The mother ship automatically slowed down and stopped. Battle sirens rang throughout the ship. The pilots powered up their Star Fighters as the huge hanger bay doors opened to let them out into space.

The Star Fighters began pouring out of the mother ship like hornets from their nest. They swarmed towards the Zeph's planet in designated squadrons flying in formation. Kyle was leader of Green Squadron while Spike was leader of Black Squadron. There were fifty squadron leaders in all, each in charge of one thousand pilots. Green Squadron was part of the first wave of attacks.

As Green Squadron drew closer to the target planet, the first wave of Star Fighters got their first glimpse of Flyers heading their way.

"Green Squadron this is Green Leader...we have Flyers dead ahead. Prepare for battle."

Hundreds of Flyers were now visible and rapidly getting closer. Kyle gave the order. "Fire at will!"

The battle began as the Star Fighters opened fire on the Flyers. Some of the Flyers were hit and exploded into fiery balls while the others took evasive actions. The Flyers returned fire on the Star Fighters who immediately took evasive maneuvers of their own. Both sides engaged in aerobatic rolls, twists, and hair-pin turns to avoid being hit by each other's lasers. Soon, several more Flyers joined the battle prompting the rest of the CSF Star Fighters to join in the fight.

It became apparent that the Flyers were no match for the power and speed of the Star Fighters. Bob had designed the fighters well.

"Yes.... I got another one!" Kyle shouted fervently.

"You aren't supposed to be enjoying this," Spike commented with a slight grin.

"Yeah right, tell me you're not enjoying this!"

"It sure beats sitting at the table playing Spades," Spike admitted.

The Star Fighters continued to destroy Flyers, one after another, as the battle raged on for nearly two hours. The Flyers were greatly reduced in numbers by the CSF pilots to the point that it was becoming difficult for the Star Fighter's pilots to find a target. Eventually, the remaining Flyers started fleeing back to their home planet. The CSF, although suffering a little damage, did not lose a single Star Fighter!

"Black Leader to Mother Ship," Spike called.

"Mother Ship.....Go ahead, Spike." Colonel answered.

"The Flyers have got their tails between their legs and are high-tailing it. We're waiting for our next orders."

"I'm sending out the troop transporters. I'll be in Mobile Unit One. Once we land on the planet and deploy our units, we'll need the Star Fighters to cover us from any hostiles in the sky."

"Roger that. We've got your backs."

The transport ships were launched from the mother ship. Sarah and Teresa rode in Mobile Unit One with Colonel. The transport ships soon landed on the surface of the Zeph's planet and began unloading their cargo of mobile units and soldiers.

Mobile Unit One was the first to deploy. Colonel drove the track-driven vehicle out of the transport ship and unto the frozen surface of the planet. The entire landscape was covered in white snow and ice as far as their eyes could see. Other than the bright blue sky, not one speck of color was visible across the sloping valleys and distant mountains.

After all the mobile units were unloaded, Colonel led the way towards the entrance to the underground city. The CSF army had been plowing through the powdery snow for only ten minutes when they spotted Flyers on the horizon coming their way. The Flyers began firing on the mobile units who, immediately, began returning fire with their roof-mounted guns, but their accuracy was off due to the rough terrain. However, the Star Fighters joined the battle and managed to keep the Flyers occupied.

The map on the computer console of Mobile Unit One indicated that the CSF army was getting close to their destination. Unfortunately, when they were only a thousand yards from their goal, huge turret guns broke through the surface of the snow. The mammoth guns, perched on top of silver metallic pedestals, rapidly raised high in the air nearly a hundred feet. The turret guns, fifty of them in all, surrounding the city's entrance, looked like huge silver trees standing in a rainforest.

The turret guns, high atop their pedestals, began pivoting and maneuvering, aiming for the nearest targets. They began firing upon the Star fighters in the air and the mobile units on the ground. The turret gun's fire power was much faster and more powerful than either the Star Fighter's or the mobile unit's. A few Star Fighters were hit and fell out of the sky.

"Stay clear of those turret guns!" Kyle ordered. "Those things are huge and quick! Don't get too close!"

The mobile units continued to advance bravely on the forest of mighty turrets guns. Through the windshield of Mobile Unit One, Teresa could see hundreds of Walkers, beyond the guns, standing at the ready in front of the entrance. A blast from one of the turret guns just missed hitting Colonel's mobile unit.

"Damn, that was close!" Colonel muttered.

"Would you like me to drive?" Teresa asked.

"I'm considering it!" Colonel replied as he narrowly dodged another blast.

Suddenly, as if someone hit a switch, all the turret guns simultaneously stopped firing at the CSF army and sunk back into the ground. Colonel stopped his mobile unit just a hundred yards from the entrance. The rest of the mobile units stopped beside Colonel. They could clearly see the Walkers, but none of the mechanical soldiers were pointing their weapons towards the mobile units any longer.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked anyone who wanted to answer.

"I don't know?" Colonel said." Why did they stop attacking?"

"Maybe they're regrouping," Teresa hypothesized.

"I don't think so," Colonel said as he stared at the Walkers.

"Colonel," Kyle called from his Star Fighter. "What's going on down there? Why have they stopped shooting at us?"

"I'm not sure. Stand by."

After what seemed like intense hours of wary waiting, although it had only been a few minutes, the huge metal entry door to the underground city of the Zephs started slowly parting open. The Walkers standing in front of the entrance stepped aside creating a path to the opening.

"Something is coming out!" Sarah informed everyone even though they could see it just as plain as she could.

"What is that?" Colonel asked no one in particular. "It looks like......no that's impossible! It's....It's a person!"

A man exited through the Zeph's entrance, passed the Walkers, and began running towards the mobile units waving a white cloth. Colonel began excitingly fumbling around for the latch to open the door to his mobile unit.

"Let me out of here!" Colonel finally said, for he was so anxious to get outside he couldn't remember how the hatch opened. Sarah opened the hatch for Colonel who quickly jumped out of the mobile unit and onto the snowy ground. He trotted towards the person running towards him. As he got closer, Colonel joyously recognized the Hybrid as Tim Williams, one of his team members who he thought had been lost after boarded one of the two other Zeph's mother ships that were attacking Earth over a year ago! Every one assumed that Tim Williams and the others that were with him had died in that battle. They had been given a memorial service honoring their brave sacrifice.

The two Hybrids embraced each other in a hug.

"Colonel, I can't believe you're here!" Tim exclaimed.

"Me? We thought you were dead! What about the others? Did they make it?"

"Yes, we're all alive! The rest are inside."

"How?"

"Come inside and I'll explain everything. Have your army return to their mother ship."

"Okay, I will. May I bring two people with me?"

"Sure, who?"

"Teresa and Sarah."

"Teresa and Sarah! They're here? I would love to see them again!"

Colonel went back to his mobile unit and ordered the CSF army back to the mother ship.

"Colonel, what's going on?" Kyle asked over the radio.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know as soon as I know something. But I have a feeling everything's okay."

"Do you need me to come down there?"

"No. Go back to the mother ship. I'll keep you informed."

"10-4. Keep Teresa safe."

"I will."

"Who is that?" Sarah asked Colonel as she tried to identify the man through the mobile unit's window.

"You have to see for yourself."

Colonel motioned for Teresa and Sarah to follow him. They stepped out of the mobile unit, followed Colonel towards the man, and immediately recognized Tim. The two girls eagerly took turns hugging Tim and began bombarding him with questions.

"Girls, let's go inside and out of the cold. I promise I'll answer all your questions."

Tim Williams put his hand on Colonel's shoulder with grave concern in his eyes.

"Sir, we've made a terrible mistake!"

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

"A terrible mistake", that's what Tim Williams said. Colonel wondered what mistake Tim was referring to. The answer to that question had to wait until they were inside the underground bunker. They couldn't get inside fast enough for Colonel for he felt that he would explode if he had to wait much longer for the answer.

Tim led the three of them passed the Walkers standing motionless in front of the entrance. Teresa had the uneasy feeling that the mechanical soldiers were going to suddenly come alive and start attacking them. Much to her relief, they didn't move.

They entered the bunker and walked down a wide hallway which gradually sloped downwards. The walls, floors, and ceilings were constructed of a white polished metal, not just tunnels dug through the ground like Teresa had imagined. The temperature started becoming noticeable warmer the farther down they went.

After approximately a hundred yards, they reached an elevator. The doors of the elevator automatically opened and all four of them entered. There were several buttons lit up on a control panel with strange symbols inscribed on them. Tim pushed one of the buttons and the elevator started downwards. Colonel was tempted to ask him what the "terrible mistake" was but he restrained himself. The elevator stopped and the doors opened revealing a huge underground world. There were shops of all kinds and many buildings and endless sidewalks and....Zephs.

The Zephs stood about four feet tall. They were covered in white fur from their heads to their feet except on the palms of their hands and around their faces, which were hairless and black. They had big black round eyes and small erect ears which reminded Kyle of bear's ears. Their black noses were wide and flat and their equally black lips were full. They looked more like stuffed novelty toys than actual living beings, but real they were, standing in place and staring in wonder at their new visitors.

Tim escorted Sarah, Teresa, and Colonel down a rather wide sidewalk as they took in the sights of this new world. They passed stores of all sorts and food shops with the smell of cooking pouring from them. They passed a mother Zephling with her two young children hiding behind her legs. Teresa couldn't help but smile at them which seemed to ease their fears a bit. A little further down the sidewalk, three Walkers passed them on the sidewalk as if they were residents taking a leisurely stroll down Main Street.

"Tim, I've noticed that all the doors to each building we've passed must be over seven feet tall yet the Zephs are only about four feet tall," Colonel remarked.

"All the buildings and doorways here are built big enough to accommodate the Walkers. The Walkers were built by the Zephs as protectors and their protectors are never far away from them."

They finally arrived in front of a wide building with several windows running down the face of it and a wide double door in the center. They entered the building where they saw rows of tables and chairs.

"The Zephs used this building as a convention hall," Tim explained.

Tim led them to the far end of the building. While they were walking pass the tables and chairs, Colonel couldn't help but notice how tiny they were...obvious built to accommodate the Zeph's small stature. They arrived at the last table and chairs which were bigger than the rest.

"The Zephs built this table for us," Tim explained.

As if on cue, the other Earthlings walked into the building and ran towards Sarah, Teresa, and Colonel. They exchanged hugs and a few kisses and even a couple of tears. They then sat down at the table, everyone asking the other a hundred questions. Finally, Colonel got everyone quieted down.

"You said you were going to explain everything," Colonel said to Tim.

"Yes, I will. I was just waiting for a friend of mine...and there he comes."

Colonel turned around and saw a Zeph heading towards him. The Zeph walked up to Colonel and stuck out his hand.

"Good afternoon," the Zeph said in a voice that sounded like a mixture of a Spanish accent and an Asian accent. "My name is Luca."

Colonel shook Luca's hand, somewhat surprised that the Zeph was speaking English.

"I'm Richard, but most just call me Colonel. Please pardon my shock. I didn't expect you to be speaking our language."

"Tim Williams taught a few of us to speak his language."

"Yeah," Tim interjected. "They learned to speak our language in less than three months. It took me almost a year to learn their language and I'm still not as proficient at speaking it as they are ours."

Luca walked to the head of the table where a bar stool type chair was positioned. He climbed to the seat of the chair and sat so he was just at the right height to the table top to properly converse with Colonel. Everyone else joined Luca at the table.

"You want to know about the Ralings," Luca said to Colonel.

"Yes I do."

"My ancestors met the Ralings nearly two hundred years ago. The Ralings opened a portal in space...what you call a wormhole...entered our galaxy, and made contact with my ancestors on Limur."

Tim Williams interrupted Luca.

"Hoft is the name of the Zeph's planet we're currently on. Limur is the next closest planet to Hoft. The planet Limur is uninhabitable but is rich in the metals that the Zephs use to build with and the fuel they use to power their underground world. Neither of these resources is present on Hoft. The Zephs have mined Limur for centuries."

"Thank you, Tim." Luca continued with his story. "The Ralings refused to visit our home here on Hoft claiming it was much too bright for them, but they did invite our ancestors to their planet. They asked my ancestors if they would bring samples of their technology to show the Raling leaders. They naively agreed, even going as far as bringing with them three war ships to show the Ralings or perhaps they brought the warships because they didn't fully trust the Ralings. "

Tim Williams interrupted again. "I believe the three warships are the same three that attacked Earth, but under Raling control."

"What are you saying?" Colonel asked Tim.

"First, let Luca finish his story."

"Thanks, once again, Tim." Lucas said and continued his tale. "My ancestors went through the wormhole and into the Raling's universe. At first, everything seemed fine. My ancestors were invited into one of the Raling's palaces and shown around the city. But soon, the Ralings started becoming insistent that my ancestors show them exactly how to build warships like the ones my ancestors possessed...becoming hostile when my ancestors hesitated."

"As the situation between Zephs and Ralings was becoming heated, a Raling female approached my grandfather, who, at the time, was young in age. She placed her hand on my grandfather's head, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Immediately, my grandfather's head was being filled with knowledge about the Ralings. He was shown the true nature of Ralings...destroyer of worlds and thieves of technology.

Then the brave female Raling filled my grandfather's head with a single word...."RUN!"

"All of a sudden, the huge palace door started closing. My grandfather knew immediately the Ralings intended to hold them prisoners. My grandfather yelled, "Run! Get out of here, now!" to his fellow Zephs.

"They all attempted to run through the palace door before in closed, but only a few of them escaped. The Raling guards immediately started chasing my ancestors who were escaping and firing upon them with their weapons. The female Raling had given my grandfather all the knowledge of the Ralings, even down to how to pilot their spacecrafts. My ancestor's shuttles and warships were heavily guarded by Raling soldiers, but the Raling's own spacecrafts were not. So, my grandfather led the few escapees to one of those ships and they escaped back to Hoft through a wormhole created by the Raling's craft they were escaping in reluctantly leaving behind their warships and all the technology inside them. The Ralings pursued them until my ancestor got too close to Hoft for the Ralings, where they gave up the chase because of the brightness of Hoft's two suns. My grandfather returned home with much information about the Ralings in his head, thanks to that brave and caring female Raling.

"This is what my grandfather told our people about the Ralings. The Ralings are a telepathic race...dependant on this ability.... enslaved by this ability. Every Raling is connected telepathically to each other by a centralized nerve control center. This nerve control center consists of seven telepathically powerful beings. These beings make all the major and most of the minor decisions for the entire populace."

"Bob called the beings the Oracles," Colonel told Lucas.

"Who is Bob?" Lucas asked.

"Finish your story first," Colonel said calmly but inside he was blown away by what Luca was telling him about the Ralings...their supposed allies. ", then I'll tell you ours."

Lucas continued. "The...Oracles... telepathically will give orders directly to the emperors who then telepathically relay them to the commanders and on down the line to a factory worker assembling parts for a weapon. Since the day they are born, Ralings have voices in their heads constantly telling them what to do, where to go...to the point that they are nearly unable to make decisions on their own. An ordinary Raling would be lost and go insane if they were ever disconnected from the voices. Select Ralings can go though intense training in order to be separated from the telepathic beings...a mean, Oracles... for short periods of time, so they can explore other universes in search of life forms to control and exploit, but they can't be completely alone...they must have a few other Ralings close enough to hear their voices. A Raling being alone with his own thoughts would drive him insane.

"The female Ralings, whom were once the dominate ones of the Raling's society, have the ability to severe a Raling's connection with the Oracles. The females can erase entire memories from an individual's brain. For this reason, the male Ralings keep their females tightly controlled, even forbidden them to make eye contact with male Ralings.

"Our planet has a certain natural harmonic vibration that interferes with the Ralings connection with the Oracles. Besides the brightness of our two suns, this is the other reason the Ralings refused to come close to Hoft which is why we have always been protected here from their attacks.

"The Ralings use their wormhole technology, which they stole from another alien species, to randomly enter galaxies. That is how they initially found us and that is how they found Earth. They methodically explore the newly discovered galaxy for alien species that they can steal technology from and then destroy. The Ralings are a vicious, carnivorous, blood- thirsty species that enjoy nothing more than lustful destruction and, on occasion, when they discover an alien species that proves to be palatable, feasting upon said aliens."

"Apparently, when the Ralings discovered you Earthlings, they saw an opportunity to use you to help destroy us. From what Tim Williams described to me about the attacks on your planet, the Ralings used our three stolen warships, which, I assume, were now equipped with wormhole technology, to attack your planet and then place the blame on us. Then, when they "saved" your planet, the Ralings knew you would be indebted to them and help them fight your, now, common enemy.

"The plan, I suspect, would have worked, but the main mother ship was destroyed, remotely sending the other warships back to Hoft. Imagine our surprise when two of our warship suddenly appeared in orbit around Hoft and then to discover eight alien bodies on board, barely alive. We were able to revive Tim Williams and the others thanks to the coldness of space preserving them, but any longer and they would have been lost."

Tim Williams began speaking.

"The Flyers we were hiding in docked with one of the automated warships. Since it was automated and no breathing beings were on board, there was no oxygen on the ship. We used the oxygen in our spacesuits to breathe while we searched for the EMP generators and, at the same time, tried to avoid detection by the Walkers. But after awhile of fighting and not being able to locate the generator, we ran out of air and passed out. When we awoke, we were on Hoft."

"Why didn't you have the Zephs send you back home through a wormhole?" Kyle asked.

"Number one: We didn't have the coordinates to Earth's galaxy. Trying to randomly find it would be like trying to find a white cat in a snow storm," Tim Williams explained. 'And number two: the Zephs didn't have wormhole technology or the knowhow to use it. When their warships returned, the Zephs immediately went to work reverse-engineering the technology and just recently figured it out."

"What made the Zephs stop attacking us?" Colonel asked Tim.

"Their Flyers continuously patrol the space around Hoft, so when your fighters approached Hoft, they moved in to investigate. Your fighters fire at the Flyers which they took as a sign of aggression and returned fire. While a Flyer is in battle, it's constantly taking pictures and gathering as much information about its enemy as it can. A picture of one of your fighters was brought to me. I wish it had been brought to my attention before you destroyed so many of the Flyers. I saw the letters on the side of one of your fighters...CSF along with a squadron designation. I didn't know what the letters stood for but I knew they were in English. I immediately told the Zephs to stop attacking and that is when I ran out to meet you."

"I can't believe we were so easily tricked by the Ralings," Teresa said.

"The Ralings are masters of trickery and deception," Luca said. "And they have the patience to see a plan through...to wait for the right time to orchestrate their plan...even if it takes decades. They have apparently been hiding on your planet for awhile, just waiting for the right time to administer their plan. "

"They told us they had been on Earth for thousands of years!" Kyle said.

"No, they have only been in possession of wormhole technology for less than two hundred years." Luca informed him. "Believe me, if the Ralings hadn't needed Earthlings to fulfill their plan, they would have destroyed your civilization years ago."

"Then we need to attack them and destroy every last one of them!" Teresa angrily said. "We've got the Star Fighters."

"It will not be easy." Luca warned. "The Ralings are powerful and ruthless and numerous...their pilots very skilled...their soldiers quite relentless and unafraid to die for their Oracles."

"But, we have the elements of surprise on our side." Colonel said. "We'll come out them with everything we've got and matched their relentlessness!"

"If you could get to the Oracles and destroy them, the Raling civilization would be destroyed." Luca explained. "They would be lost without their always present voices directing their every move."

"We have no time to waste. I'll return to the mother ship and prepare my men for battle," Colonel said as he stood up from the table.

"I'll gather as many of my people and ships as we can spare and join you," Luca said to Colonel.

"Sir, may we join you?" Tim Williams asked Colonel.

"Of course, I can use all the good soldiers I can get."

Colonel and his team returned to the mother ship to prepare for the attack on the Ralings. Teresa and Sarah told Kyle and Spike everything they had learned on Hoft from Luca. Before long, six Zeph warships joined Colonel's mother ship. Everyone was ready to commence the attack on the Ralings. Colonel opened the wormhole as the other ships prepared to enter into Raling space.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

After inquiring about using an EMP blast against the Raling's civilization, Colonel was informed by Luca that Ra technology was impervious from such attacks. They would have to conquer Ra with force. Colonel, Sarah, Teresa, and Kyle were part of the team that was to infiltrate the primary Raling palace, locate the Oracles, and destroy them. Spike would command the Star Fighters and, along with the Zephs and their Flyers, would buy Colonel and his team as much time as possible to fulfill their mission.

"Teresa, I suppose it's pointless for me to ask you to stay behind," Kyle said while holding Teresa in his arms.

"You're right! If you're going to risk your life, then I'm going to be right by your side risking mine."

"I don't know how I would go on if I lost you again," Kyle softly said in Teresa's ear. "I don't think I would want to go on. You have my heart. I couldn't live without my heart."

Teresa looked into Kyle's eyes. "You're my life. You keep me grounded. You keep me wanting to be good to please you. Without you, I might have become my father."

"Never! You could never be evil like that!"

"Kyle, you don't understand struggle I go through every single day to keep the evil at bay. It's part of me...inside my very soul. Sometimes it's all I can do to control it. You give me the strength to do so."

Kyle held Teresa tight. "I'll always be your strength."

The mother ship's loud speakers began screaming, rudely interrupting Kyle's and Teresa's moment together.

"Everyone report to your assigned stations! We'll be approaching the target soon!"

Kyle gave Teresa one last passionate kiss before they headed off together to meet Colonel.

On the way, they ran into Spike heading towards his Star Fighter. Spike stopped in front of Kyle and placed both hands on Kyle's shoulders. He gave Kyle the most serious look a person could give another.

"Keep Sarah safe! I hold you responsible for her safety!"

"I assure you that I'll do my best to protect her!"

"Make sure you don't let anything happen to her!" Spike said in earnest.

"What's wrong with you? I've never seen you this worried about anything!"

"I had a bad feeling come over me when I said goodbye to Sarah a few minutes ago, like I was never going to see her again."

"It's going to be all right! I promise nothing will happen to Sarah!"

Spike nodded his head at Kyle believing he meant every word he had just said. Spike forced a smile and slapped Kyle on both shoulders, thanking his friend for his assurance. He then rushed off towards his Star Fighter feeling a bit lighter in his soul.

Teresa and Kyle arrived at the transport ship where Sarah, Colonel and the rest of the infiltration team was already gathered. Colonel explained to them that the first wave of attacks of the Ralings would be by the unmanned Flyers and the second wave, by the Star Fighters. While the Ralings are busy defending from the attack, the infiltration team will sneak into the palace and destroy the Oracles.

"Attention. Commence the first wave of attacks," the ship's speakers ordered. "Second wave, stand by."

The Flyers started pouring out of their mother ships and began attacking specific strategic targets. The Ralings were caught by surprise, but, in no time, had their fighters in the air and started defending against the Flyers.

The order was given and the Star Fighters engaged in the battle. The Raling fighters proved to be very skilled pilots and the Star Fighters found it difficult to shoot them down.

"Damn, these guys are good!" Spike said. "And there are so many of them. Colonel, you need to do whatever it is you're going to do and do it soon! I don't know how long we're going to last!"

"Just hang in there! We're heading for the palace now."

"We'll give you as much time as we can!" Spike said.

Colonel and his team made their way to the palace in a transporter, along with a few Star Fighters as escorts.

"The palace is straight ahead," Colonel informed his escorts. "Try and keep those fighters off our back!"

The Star Fighters did their best to clear a path for Colonel, but soon succumbed to the relentless attacks by the Raling fighters. Within minutes, all the escorting Star Fighters were shot down. Now, the Raling fighters were free to focus all their fire power on the transport ship.

"Are we going to make it?" Teresa asked as their ship was being bombarded by laser fire. Sparks flew from several instrument panels and small fires began breaking out throughout the ship. The interior lights began flickering and the ship started making a noise that was obviously not good.

"Just a little bit farther!" Colonel said urgingly to his ship.

"What are you planning to do?" Sarah asked in a panic as she felt Colonel nose the transport ship towards the palace.

"I'm going to fly this sucker straight down their throats," Colonel said through gritted teeth. "I suggest you brace yourself! This is going to get a little rough!"

Everyone hurriedly strapped themselves into their seats, for the usually mild and cautious Colonel was about to purposefully crash their ship into the palace! They braced themselves as the transport ship crashed through the eastern roof of the palace and skidded violently to a stop onto the palace's floor.

After the ship came to an abrupt stop and the emergency lights came on throughout the ship, everyone remained in their seats for a few seconds, catching their breath and being thankful they were still alive.

"Is everyone all right?" Colonel asked.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Sarah uttered.

"I'm sorry, but I had to get us inside one way or the other."

"Relax, Sarah," Teresa grinned. "We're still alive...for now!"

"Everyone grab your weapons. I'm sure we're going to have company. I was hoping for a more discrete and quieter approach, but..."

Colonel pushed a button to open the ship's escape hatch. The hatch only opened half way because of debris that was blocking it, but Colonel and his team managed to slip out the narrow opening and were immediately met with laser fire forcing them to scurry for cover.

Teresa followed Colonel behind the back of the transport ship where they found a place to shield themselves and return fire. Teresa was shooting her laser pistol when she heard an ordinary handgun fire beside her. Teresa looked over at Colonel and saw he was shooting a traditional Smith and Wesson 9mm instead of a laser pistol. Colonel looked at Teresa and then down at his gun and grinned. Teresa just rolled her eyes.

"What? I like my 9mm. It does the job just fine," Colonel remarked as he fired a few more rounds at the Raling soldiers.

"I suppose change is hard for you old folks," Teresa teasingly said.

Colonel's team continued to exchange fire with the Raling soldiers whom had a much better position than Colonel's team. Kyle decided he needed to do something about that before the Raling soldiers overtook them.

"Cover me!" Kyle ordered as he ran for a better firing position.

The team did their best to cover Kyle as he ran towards the east wall and behind a pillar that supported the roof. Once he was in position, Kyle fired several electrical bolts from his E.A.P. in rapid successions. The Raling soldiers instantly fell where they had stood... dead.

"Let's get moving," Colonel ordered. "They'll be sending more soldiers soon."

Colonel led the team down several hallways and into a huge auditorium where several Ralings soldiers were waiting. The Raling soldiers opened fire on them, nearly hitting Kyle, instead hitting his E.A.P., causing it to become inoperative. Kyle quickly removed it from his back and flung it through the air with his powers towards one of the guards. The impact knocked the Raling soldier unconscious. Kyle, now empty handed, used his power to send shock waves though the air to knock the soldiers off their feet while the rest of the team continued firing their weapons. Soon, all the Raling soldiers were dead or incapacitated. Colonel continued towards the location of the Oracles as the rest of the team followed.

Teresa was taking up the rear and was about to exit the auditorium when she noticed one of the Raling soldiers moving on the ground. She walked towards the soldier and knelt down beside the half-conscience Raling. The Raling opened his eyes and Teresa looked into them and started concentrating. She removed all the soldier's memories from his brain but didn't stop there. She began to concentrate harder...more intensely. The soldier's eyes filled with pain and his body started to tremble uncontrollably. Black blood started pouring from his nose and eyes. Then, the usually silent Raling soldier began groaning in pain. Teresa showed no mercy. She continued to concentrate as an evil smile appeared on her face. She was enjoying the torture of this Raling soldier. Kyle returned to the auditorium.

"Teresa," Kyle called to her. "What are you doing? We need to go!"

Teresa broke her concentration from the, now, lifeless Raling soldier and followed Kyle out of the auditorium.

Meanwhile, outside, Spike and the other CSF pilots were busy with the Raling fighters. Spike noticed a Raling fighter pursuing a fellow Star Fighter and was about to move into position to help him, when he saw on his radar he had three Raling fighters on his tail. No one was in a position to help him, so Spike did his best to out maneuver his pursuers. However, no matter how hard Spike tried, the Raling fighters stayed on his tail. Spike knew if he didn't do something soon, he would surely be destroyed. He looked out of his Stat Fighter's window and noticed he was no longer over land but flying over a large body of water. In desperation, he recklessly nosed his Star Fighter towards the surface of the water. Warning buzzers sounding inside his cockpit, advising Spike he was getting too close to the surface. He hit the manual override and kept the Star Fighter pointed downwards.

Seconds before impact, Spike yelled, "This is a bad idea!" and tightly closed his eyes.

The impact jolted Spike hard but the Star Fighter remained intact. In fact, when he opened his eyes, Spike was darting through the water like a submarine. The Star Fighter's on board computer had automatically adjusted for its new environment.

Spike immediately checked his radar and saw that the Raling fighters had not followed him. He turned his Star Fighter around and started heading back to the surface. His radar showed three Raling fighters hovering several feet above the surface of the water. Spike locked three missiles on each of the three Raling fighters and fired them. The three missiles zoomed through the water, busted through the surface of the water, and collided with the three Raling fighters. The Raling fighters blew up in a fiery explosion just as Spike's Star Fighter shot out of the water.

"Black Leader to all Star Fighter!" Spike excitingly called. "Just a bit of information for you. If you're being pursued by a Raling fighter and you can't get away, fly towards the ocean and dive into the water. The Raling fighters will not, or can not, follow you."

"Dare I ask how you know this?" one of the Star Fighter pilots asked.

"I just took my Star Fighter for a little swim. Hey, you never know if something is going to work until you try it!"

Back in the palace, Colonel led his team into a round room but this room was different than any other room they had seen on Ra. It was uncharacteristically decorated with suits of armor positioned around the room and various medieval weaponry adorning the walls. Colonel's team paused for a moment to observe the room. An uneasy feeling of déjà' vu swept over Kyle that he couldn't shake.

"Let's keep going!" Colonel ordered. "The Oracles should be just beyond this room!"

Colonel's team began running across the huge room, but were stopped in their tracks in the center of the room when an opening appeared in the wall in front of them while, at the same time, the opening they had entered the room through closed. Someone stepped through the opening in front of them wearing a black cloak draped around his body and a black hood that shadowed his face. The individual stopped several feet from Colonel's team and slid his hood from his head to reveal himself.

"Jonas!" Kyle muttered in shock.

CHAPTER FORTY

"Father!" Teresa cried, shocked and confused her father was alive and standing in front of her! Part of her wanted to kill him, but, strangely, another part wanted to run to him and embrace him.

"Look at the surprise on your faces," Jonas chuckled. "I suppose I'm the last one you expected to see here."

Kyle noticed that Jonas's appearance looked different somehow. The burn scars that covered Jonas's face were nearly gone.

"How are you here, Jonas?" Colonel asked.

"A year ago, back on Earth, I created a signaling device. It was the Ralings who answered one evening when Teresa and Damien were away. They had every intention of killing me until I knelt down before them and showed my reference. I invited them to read my mind to show my complete devotion. I believe they saw a little of themselves in me and decided... or I should say...the Oracles decided to spare my life. They told me they would send a ship in a few days to take me to the Zephs' mother ship. The ship arrived two days later and picked up Teresa, Damien, and myself.

"We allowed you and your team to board the warship and use the EMP generator. It was all part of the plan to make Earth feel indebted to the Ralings. But it wasn't part of the plan for my daughter to destroy the mother warship sending the other two back to their home planet. I'm still disappointed in her."

"But Teresa saw Zephs on the mother ship." Kyle said.

"She saw slaves being mentally forced to do the Raling's bidding."

"How did you get here?" Colonel asked again.

"Damien and I escaped in the shuttle and were brought here to Ra, via the Raling's' wormhole, in appreciation for our help, where we've been living ever since just waiting for you to destroy the rodents of Hoft."

"You left me behind, father, in a ship that was about to explode!" Teresa said in a voice that was both angry and hurt.

"And whose fault was that? You destroyed my warship and ruined all of our plans. It's your fault that Ra is being attacked right now! You disappointed me! I should have never trusted you. I'll never make that mistake again."

Surprisingly to Teresa, her father's words hurt. Despite everything, she still had love for her father.

"Jonas, we're going to stop the Ralings, so step aside!" Colonel ordered.

"Oh I see...you're after the Oracles," Jonas remarked with a smile on his face. "You'll have to get through me first!"

"Very well," Colonel said as his whole team quickly lifted their weapons to fire at Jonas.

Jonas immediately lifted his hand towards Colonel's team. All their weapons were violently snatched out of their hands and flung across the room with strength that none of them had ever experienced. Jonas then pushed the whole team through the air and into the wall at the back of the room. They hit the wall with tremendous force and fell to the ground, nearly unconscious. Jonas had become incredibly strong, Kyle thought to himself. The Ralings must have done something to him, but what?

The team fought to regain their senses after such a hard impact against the wall. Kyle was the first to get back on his feet.

Kyle raised his hands to send a shock wave towards Jonas, but Jonas was quicker and blocked Kyle's attempt. The shockwave only caused Jonas to have to take a step backwards to maintain his balance.

"You're not strong enough to hurt me, boy!" Jonas mocked. "The Ralings have given me a gift that has changed me forever. I'm faster and stronger than I ever could have been before. And the secret lied within the humans this whole time."

Jonas lifted his hand and Kyle immediately felt pressure around his neck. He grasped his own throat, trying to get a breath of air, but it was no use, Jonas was too strong. Right before Kyle was about to pass out from lack of oxygen to this body, Jonas released his grip.

"No, killing you that way is much too easy."

Jonas raised his hand towards the far wall where a sword was hanging. The sword left the wall and flew through the air into Jonas's hand.

"I've always been fascinated with medieval times," Jonas said. "It was a time when men only had simple weapons to fight with. It took a man with bravery and courage to stand before another man and fight him with only a sword in his hands. It wasn't as simple as pulling a trigger like it is today. You had to have skill and valor to win." Jonas then addressed Kyle. "Are you brave enough to fight like a man?"

"I'll fight you any day!" Kyle boldly stated.

"Oh, you aren't going to fight me!" Jonas laughed. "It's going to be a fight of brother against brother!"

Right then, Damien walked into the room. Damien raised his hand towards the wall nearest him. A similar sword as the one Jonas was holding flew through the air and into his open hand. Jonas threw his sword on the ground at Kyle's feet.

"I won't fight Damien!" Kyle insisted.

Jonas raised his hand towards a laser rifle lying on the ground that belongs to a member of Colonel's team. The rifle rose into the air and flew towards Colonel's team. The weapon stopped a few feet in front of the team, hovering in mid air...daring one of them to move. Colonel and his team didn't move a muscle.

"You'll fight or I'll kill them all!" Jonas warned.

"Okay, I'll play your game."

Kyle picked up the sword and approached Damien.

"Brother, it's been awhile," Damien said with a sly grin.

"I don't want to kill you, Damien."

"Then don't. I'll do all the killing!"

Damien swung his sword. Kyle managed to block the swing as their two swords struck each other...the metallic clash echoed throughout the room. Damien kept advancing, swinging his sword wildly. Kyle could only stay out of the way of Damien's unyielding sword, stumbling backwards a few times. It became quite apparent that Damien was a much better swordsman than his brother.

"Oh, I failed to mention, Damien has been practicing sword fighting with me for years." Jonas laughed. "I taught all my children how to fight with a sword."

Although Damien wasn't Jonas's flesh and blood, Jonas regarded him as a son.

Jonas's statement sparked Teresa to recall all the long sessions of martial arts and sword fighter lessons her father made her and her brother endure. She never thought those lessons would ever be of importance until now.

Teresa bravely ran to Kyle with no concern for her own safety. She quickly placed her hands on the side of Kyle's head. Damien backed away not sure he wanted to be responsible for hurting Jonas's daughter.

"Open up your mind," Teresa told Kyle.

Teresa concentrated on all her memories of the sword fighting lessons and imprinted them into Kyle's mind. Kyle instantly knew things about sword fighting that he had never known before, like: guards, wards, and stances. Teresa's memories of sword fighting lessons were now his as if they had always been there.

"Now you have the knowledge of sword fighting." Teresa told Kyle. "Use it to kick his ass!"

Teresa quickly moved out of the way.

"Teresa, why are you always trying to spoil everything?" Jonas asked, frustrated.

"You never did like a fair fight," Teresa responded back.

Damien came after Kyle again. This time, Kyle was able to counter every move that Damien made. Soon Kyle's confidence grew and he started advancing towards Damien. His swings became more aggressive and his spirit rose each time he saw Damien stumble backwards. One of Kyle's swings sliced through two of Damien's fingers causing Damien to drop his sword. Damien fell backwards holding his wounded hand close to his chest. Kyle immediately stood over Damien and placed the tip of his sword against Damien's throat.

"Kill him!" Jonas demanded, lustful with the prospect of seeing blood spilled...anyone's blood.

Kyle dropped his sword on the ground next to Damien.

"I will not kill him!"

"Too bad. Your unwillingness will cost the life of one of your team members," Jonas said, irritated by the deviance of Kyle. Jonas knocked Kyle across the room with his powers. Kyle slid across the floor uncontrollably and crashed into the back wall hard.

Jonas then pointed at a male soldier standing beside Colonel. "You, step to the center of the room," Jonas ordered.

The young soldier nervously did as he was commanded. He looked back at the team with a look of despair knowing they could not help for the laser rifle was still hovering in the air, ready to be fired at anyone who moved without Jonas's permission.

"You're human aren't you?" Jonas asked the young soldier." Yes...I can smell you." Jonas was sniffing the air like a wolf sniffing the scent of its prey. "Now, Damien will show you what all Hybrids have the potential to become."

Jonas motioned to Damien who was now standing up.

Damien nodded and stood with his feet wide apart and his fist clinched. Soon, he started showing signs of pain as deep lines began forming across his forehead and beads of sweat started to appear. He began groaning in pain. The groans soon changed from sounding human to more of an animalistic growl. The entire whites of Damien's eyes turned black and his body began trembling. He opened his larger than normal mouth to let out another growl revealing his teeth, transforming into razor sharp fangs. Damien stretched out his fingers as his fingernails extended into two inch claws.

When the transformation was complete, Damien stopped his groaning and looked hungrily at the young soldier. Damien had become something else...something only resembling his formal self...something terrifying. He moved so fast he was just a blur, pouncing on the young soldier and knocking him to the ground. Damien quickly and mercilessly began tearing flesh from the soldier, his fangs and claws ripping through skin and muscle with ease. The young man let out one continuous scream of pain, but was soon silenced when Damien sunk his huge teeth into the side of the soldier's neck.

Colonel and the rest of the team had to look away from this horrific scene. But Jonas watched with feverous hunger in his eyes at the blood and carnage, unaware that Kyle had regained his composure. Kyle quickly grabbed a sword from the ground and leaped high into the air towards Damien, sword in both hands, raised above his head. He landed behind Damien, who was still on his hands and knees ripping the soldier's body apart. Kyle plunged the sword through Damien's back and out his chest. Damien let out a monstrous howl of pain as he futilely tried to pull the sword from his own back. Kyle looked over at the other sword still lying on the ground. He reached out and the sword flew into his hands. Kyle lifted the sword high and, with all his might, swung the sword downward. The sword sliced through Damien's neck severing his head from his body. The headless body fell limp to the ground...the head rolling a few feet away.

"Boy...I've had just about enough of you! Now you'll feel my true wrath!" Jonas warned Kyle.

Jonas removed his cloak and tossed it on the floor, never taking his eyes off Kyle. Pain showed on Jonas's face as his eyes turned black and he began the same transformation as Damien went through. Jonas howled through the pain like an animal caught in a snare and ripped his shirt from his body.

As Jonas was transforming, he lost his concentration on the laser rifle that held Colonel and his team hostage. The rifle fell to the ground just before Jonas's transformation was complete. Jonas, however, stayed focused on Kyle like a wolf honed in on its prey.

In a low growling voice Jonas said, "Now, prepare to die!"

In less than a blink of an eye, Jonas was on top of Kyle. He moved so fast that Kyle didn't have time to react. With one monstrous hand, Jonas held Kyle's wrist while the other was trying to grasp at Kyle's neck. Kyle had his own grip on Jonas's neck with his free hand, pushing against Jonas trying to prevent Jonas's sharp teeth from reaching his neck. Kyle could feel the awesome strength Jonas had as pain engulfed his imprisoned wrist in Jonas's vise-like grip...the pain becoming almost unbearable. Then, Kyle heard and, at the same time, felt the bones in his wrist snap like a twig. He screamed out in pain.

Suddenly, a laser blast ripped through Jonas's left shoulder, causing him to howl loudly in pain, letting go of Kyle's broken wrist, and grabbing hold of his shoulder. Jonas stood up and saw Colonel aiming a laser rifle at him. Jonas smiled fearlessly as he removed his hand from the wound that the laser rifle had put through him. Remarkable, the wound was healing right before everyone's eyes. Within seconds, the wound was no longer visible.

"See, Colonel, you can't kill me! I'm indestructible!" Jonas said smiling his evil grin.

Colonel fired a few more times at Jonas as did the other members of the team. Jonas winced in pain every time a laser hit him but he stayed on his feet taking the punishment. Jonas eventually had enough and waved his arm through the air ripping the weapons from each of their hands. Jonas then lunged at Colonel but, anticipating Jonas' move, Colonel was already leaping into the air, narrowly escaping Jonas's razor sharp claws.

Colonel landing on his feet several yards away and immediately turned to face Jonas. He sent shock wave after shock wave towards Jonas. Jonas took the impact of each blow but never came close to being knocked down. Colonel then attempted to pick Jonas up into the air with his powers but Jonas was faster and picked Colonel up instead. Colonel was raised several feet in the air gasping for air as the life was being squeezed out of him.

"I've become too powerful for you!" Jonas remarked, enjoying his domination over Colonel. "Soon, I'll have an army of Hybrids just like me! No one will be able to stop us!"

"You've always had one major flaw," Colonel grunted. "You never watch your back."

Just then, Jonas felt a sharp pain going through his back. He let out a cry and dropped to his knees. Colonel fell to the ground. Jonas looked down at his chest and saw the end of a sword piercing out of his skin while Kyle stood behind him holding the handle of the sword.

"The weapons on the walls, let's use them!" Colonel yelled to his team.

While Jonas was trying to push the sword out of his back, Colonel began using his power to remove the medieval weapons from the walls and hurled them at Jonas. Jonas howled in pain each time a dagger or knife penetrated his body. Kyle immediately joined the Colonel's efforts and then Sarah. Soon there was barely a spot on Jonas's body that didn't have some sort of weapon sticking into it or through it.

Jonas was covered in his own blood, his body trembling with pain, but still on his knees. He was gasping for air as he turned to look at Teresa. With great effort, he raised his hand towards Teresa and in a weak voice begged," Please... help me...Teresa!"

"Father!" Teresa cried with pity and was about to run to her father when she saw Kyle standing over Jonas, already swinging a sword at her father's neck.

"No!" Teresa screamed, but it was too late. The sword sliced half-way through Jonas's neck. Kyle pulled the sword from Jonas's neck and swung again to complete the beheading. Jonas's limp body fell to the ground. Teresa quickly turned from the horrid scene...unable to look upon her father's body.

"We still have to get to the Oracles!" Colonel reminded everyone.

Colonel ran to the far wall searching for an opening. The others joined him.

"The Oracles should be just beyond this wall, but how do we open it?" Colonel asked.

"Colonel," Sarah called out." There's an oval indention in the wall over here."

Colonel went over to investigate.

"It must be a key of some kind. Kyle, search Jonas for an oval key."

Kyle looked over Jonas's body and found an oval pendant around the stump of Jonas's neck. He removed it and brought it to Colonel who placed the oval pendant into the indention in the wall. An opening immediately appeared revealing the Oracle's hidden room.

Without warning, the entrance across the room opened back up and Raling soldiers started walking through. They looked down and saw Jonas's dead body and then saw the entrance to the Oracles opened. The Raling soldiers immediately started firing at Colonel and his team. Colonel quickly pushed Kyle and Teresa into the Oracle room.

"Take care of the Oracles. We'll hold the Raling soldiers back," Colonel said as he took the pendant out of its place in the wall. The opening closed leaving Kyle and Teresa in the room alone.

The Oracle room was round and the walls ran so high the ceiling couldn't be seen. The floor and walls appeared to be made out of the same glowing material as the rest of the buildings on Ra except that millions of little lights moved along the floor and up the walls until they faded out of sight.

"It's so beautiful!" Teresa remarked.

In the center of the room were seven metallic beds, placed in a tight circle. In each bed was an Oracle lying on its back with hundreds of glowing tubes running into its body. Instrument panels surrounded each Oracle's body, leaving their heads exposed. The telepathic creatures appeared to be very old and in a sort of comatose state for they did not move when Teresa and Kyle approached them. Kyle could see their pupils rapidly moving back and forth under their eyelids as if they were dreaming.

"Let's start smashing all this equipment. It seems to be keeping them alive," Kyle suggested.

"No wait!" Teresa stopped Kyle. "I believe I have a better idea."

Teresa walked up to the Oracles as Kyle watched to see what she was going to do. She placed her hand on the first Oracle's head and concentrated. The Oracle arched its back for several seconds and then went limp...dead. The glowing tubes that ran from the Oracles body went dark and some of the small lights moving up the wall disappeared. Teresa released her grip and opened her eyes in wonderment.

"They have so much information and knowledge!"

Teresa hungrily turned to the next Oracle.

"Are you erasing their memories?" Kyle asked.

"I'm stealing their memories. They know things we haven't even fathomed!" Teresa said with lustfulness in her voice.

She went around the circle taking each of the Oracle's memories and, each time she did, the glowing tubes went black and more of the lights moving up the wall disappeared until Teresa and Kyle were left standing in total darkness.

The darkness was broken when an opening appeared in the wall and Colonel stepped through.

"I don't know what you did, but it worked!" Colonel said.

Teresa and Kyle followed him back into the other room where the rest of the team was. Kyle saw several Raling soldiers in the room but they appeared confused. They had dropped their weapons and were just standing in one spot with confusion in their eyes.

"They're completely lost without someone telling them what to do." Colonel remarked gleefully. "One moment they were firing at us and the next they just stopped."

A rumble was heard throughout the room. The once glowing walls and ceilings were slowing turning black and pieces of them started to fall away.

"The Oracle's powers held this place together. Now that they're dead, this whole place is coming down. We need to get out of here now!" Teresa urged everyone.

"You heard the lady! Let's get moving!" Colonel ordered.

The team ran through the palace, dodging chunks of falling debris. Even the floor was getting soft under their feet. They passed several Ralings standing in a confused state of mind, seeming unaware of what was happening around them. Finally, Colonel and his team made it out of the palace. They continued to run until they felt they were at a safe distance from the palace and any other falling buildings.

Colonel heard Spike's voice in his head. "Colonel, are you all right?"

"Yes"

"Did everyone make it?"

"Not everyone."

"Sarah?"

"Sarah's okay."

"Thank, God!"

"Where are you?"

"Just north of the palace."

"I'll be there shortly with a transport ship."

Colonel and his team stood waiting for the transport ship and watched as all of Ra self-destructed. Not a single building remained standing...not a Raling fighter craft remained in the air. Spike soon arrived with the transport ship and picked them up. It was time to go home.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

The battle against the Ralings had been won. Not only was Earth safe but the Zeph's planet, Hoft, was also safe. Spike gave Colonel a tally of the number of lost brave pilots and soldiers that had fought against the Ralings. The battle had been relentless, and, at one point, Spike feared they were going to lose, but then the Ralings simply stopped fighting. That's when Spike knew Colonel had been successful in his mission to destroy the Oracles.

Colonel and his team met back on Hoft for a celebration with the Zephs. The Zeph's music was strange to the CSF soldier's ears and the Zephs didn't know what alcohol was, but the happiness on everyone's face was intoxicating enough. The Zephs even showed some of the CSF soldiers how to dance to their music.

Colonel was sitting at a table with Luca.

"We can not thank you enough for helping us defeat the Ralings and freeing our world from their threat," Luca told Colonel.

"We couldn't have done it without you. If the Ralings weren't so determined to destroy Hoft, they would have easily destroyed Earth."

"Everything worked out just as it should," Luca said. "But how will we get you home. We don't know the coordinates to your galaxy."

"We have them, thanks to Teresa. She took all the knowledge from the Oracles... including the coordinates for Earth."

"Then she possesses powerful information gathered by the Oracles over hundreds of years. She must be careful with this information." Luca warned.

"I trust her," Colonel said, somewhat surprised to hear himself say it.

Kyle, with his broken wrist wrapped, watched as Spike and Sarah tried to learn one of the Zeph's dances. The two of them had not separated from each other since they reunited after the battle. They laughed and held onto one another, not wanting the other out of their sights for even a second. Teresa, on the other hand, was keeping her distance from the fun and celebration. Kyle found her standing on an outside balcony looking across the frozen land of Hoft.

"Here you are," Kyle said as he approached Teresa. "I was looking all over for you."

"I didn't feel much like celebrating," Teresa said not turning her gaze from the landscape.

"Are you all right?"

"I've just lost the last member of my family. How do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry!" Kyle said as he placed his hand on Teresa's shoulder to comfort her. Kyle felt Teresa pull away from him.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Kyle asked. "Look at me, Teresa! I'm here for you!"

Teresa looked at Kyle and then quickly turned away and began softly sobbing.

"I...know...my father was bad," Teresa said as she tried to composing herself, wiping tears from her eyes. "I know he probably deserved what happened to him but I still loved my father."

"But he killed your brothers and your mother. He was a monster."

"He was all I had left of my family. Maybe, with time, I could have changed him."

"I don't think you could have."

Teresa finally turned around and faced Kyle with anger in her eyes.

"I guess we'll never know for sure, now, will we?"

"Teresa, he had to be stopped or we would have all been killed!"

Teresa turned back around and stared across the frozen fields of snow.

"Why did it have to be you who killed my father?" Teresa asked mostly to herself.

"Why does it matter who killed him?"

"Because I can't look at you without seeing you swinging that sword and killing my father. I just can't be around you knowing that you're the one who took my father from me. It angers me every time I think about it."

"Perhaps, with time, you'll realize there was no other way and maybe you can forgive me."

"You don't understand. I don't want to forgive you. I want to hate you....I need to hate you... no matter how much it hurts inside!"

"Teresa, don't do this."

Teresa turned and faced Kyle. This time she had no tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kyle. I will always love you, but I don't ever want to see you again, because as strong as my love is for you, my hatred for you is just as strong."

Teresa left Kyle standing on the balcony. Kyle knew it would be useless to chase her down. He could sense the battle in her heart between the love she had for him and the hatred that seemed to be winning the battle. He could do nothing but watched her walk out of his life. Loneliness swept over Kyle like a black cloud, leaving his heart desolate of any other emotions. He had saved the world but at the same time, he had lost his world.

The celebration with the Zephs finally came to an end. It was time to return to Earth and start the celebration all over again. Earth was eagerly waiting for word from the CSF and Colonel figured they shouldn't have to wait any longer. Everyone said their farewells to the Zephs and invited them to visit Earth anytime they wanted, although Colonel knew they would never accept the invitation.

Everyone met back on the mother ship with much excitement about returning home. Teresa gave Colonel the coordinates for Earth. He opened the wormhole and ordered the mother ship and all the Star Fighters through. The massive ship filled with CSF soldiers and the swarm of Star Fighters passed from the Zephs galaxy to Earth's galaxy effortlessly like driving a car through a gate, except the other side of this gate was millions of light years from where they had entered.

The sight of Earth instantly made everyone smile and feel nostalgic. They were glad to be home and couldn't wait to see their loved ones. Everyone left the mother ship in transport ships and returned home to a hero's welcome.

Before Kyle left for home, he looked around for Teresa, not to say goodbye, but just to lay eyes on her once more. He couldn't find her anywhere. He then ran into Colonel.

"Have you seen Teresa?" Kyle asked.

"Yes. She left the ship a few minutes ago."

"Did she say where she was going?"

"No. She just said she needed to sort out a lot of things in her head."

Kyle never did find out where Teresa had gone. He supposed that she wanted it that way. But she had left a permanent hole in his heart that would never be filled.

Kyle left the mother ship with Colonel, Spike, and Sarah. They returned to The Compound and celebrated their victory all night long. Kyle did his best to join in the celebration but his heart just wasn't in it. He found himself out on a balcony looking at the stars and wondering where Teresa was at that very moment and questioning himself if he had done everything the way he should have...if Teresa would still be with him if he had done things differently.

"Hey, you. What are you doing up here?"

Kyle turned around to see Sarah standing behind him.

"I just needed to do some thinking."

"I heard that Teresa left. I'm sorry. We're all going to miss her. Perhaps she'll return one day after everything cools down.

"I don't think so. She hates me."

"I don't think she hates you, I just think she's hurting right now."

"She blames me for the death of her father, with good reason... I killed him."

"You didn't have a choice. He would have gone on killing if you would have let him live. He cost the lives of hundreds of people and deserved to die. I'm just sorry for Teresa's lose."

"I miss her so bad!" Kyle's voice cracked a little, but he fought back the tears.

Sarah walked up behind him. She wanted to wrap her arms around Kyle and hold him tight but she restrained herself. She was seeing Spike now and couldn't do anything to risk hurting him...no matter how innocent her motives were. She settled for placing her hand on Kyle's shoulder.

Sarah tried to find the words that would ease Kyle's pain. All she could seem to say was, "I know you're hurting. I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need me."

Kyle turned around to face Sarah. He took her hands in his and smiled at her.

"I know you are and I love you for it. I'll be all right."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah"

"Then let's go down stairs and do a little celebrating."

"You go. I'm going to stay here a little longer."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

Early the next morning, Colonel had a briefing with several of the President's advisors and generals about what had transpired over the last couple of days. He informed them of exactly what had happened with the Zephs and the battle that took place with the Ralings. He then returned to The Compound and informed Kyle, Spike, Sarah, and a few other members of the CSF that the President wanted to have a meeting with them.

They all put on their best outfits and left to meet with the President. They arrived at the White House and were escorted to the President's office. The President was sitting behind his desk with a proud smile displayed across his face when they walked in. He stood up and welcomed them in.

"Come in. I just wanted to personally say a few things to you all before we have the huge public acknowledgment and recognition of your bravery. I wanted to tell you how proud of each of you that I am. It sends a shiver down my spine to think how close we came to having the Ralings destroy us. You discovered the truth about the Ralings and took action, saving Earth and its entire people. You could never be thanked enough for that. I thank you and the people of the world thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. The CSF and its brave soldiers will always be remembered as saviors of the world."

"Colonel, could you step forward."

Colonel stepped forward. The President walked around his desk and stood in front of Colonel. The President was joined by several high-ranking generals. One of the generals handed the President a decorative box. The box was opened revealing five golden stars.

"I hereby grant, Colonel Richard Price, the rank of Five Star General for his courage, bravery, heroism, and valor." The President said as he began pinning the golden stars on Colonel.

The room erupted in cheers and clapping as the President pinned the last of the five stars on Colonel's chest. Kyle had never seen Colonel look so proud than he did at that moment.

"Congratulation!" the President said.

"Thank you, sir!" the, now, Admiral said.

"I've got to get ready for my speech, now. I'll see you outside." The President said and left the room.

Everyone remaining in the room took their turns shaking the Admiral's hand and congratulating him.

"It's going to seem weird calling you Admiral now," Kyle remarked.

"Hey, we're friends and my friends call me, Richard," he said as he tightly hugged Kyle. "Now, let's go outside with the rest of the crowd and listen to the President."

They all walked outside where a huge crowd of people and media were waiting for the President's speech. Richard, Kyle, Spike, and Sarah found their reserved seats in the front row and sat down. After a few minutes, the President's entrance was announced. Everyone stood up as he walked to the podium.

"Please, be seated," the President began. "I know it's hot out here so I'll try to keep this brief. We gather here today to pay our undying gratitude to the brave soldiers of the Coalition Space Force. They risked their lives, and some gave their lives, to save our planet. Humans and Hybrids, men and women, Americans and non-Americans, Earthlings and Zephs joined together to fight a common enemy. They won the battle with their skills and determinations and ensured our way of life."

"I regret the lost of lives we have suffered throughout this war but this war has changed us. It has changed us for the good. I believe we're now a better society; a society who is working to better ourselves. We still have a ways to go but I believe we've taking a step in the right direction. Admiral Richard Price's plan of change has turned our whole society around and we're a better people because of it. He and the CSF will always be remembered as the saviors of our world. Please stand up and applaud these fine soldiers."

The entire crowd stood up and cheered and applauded. Richard Price smiled at the President and silently said thanks to him.

"You are welcomed!" the President's voice echoed in Richard's head.

