“Scout?” Tony queried. “That doesn’t sound very good. Scout sounds nothing like Marauder-Class star fighters. We’re fucked.”
“How far away are they, and how long before they reach Earth?” Cuddy asked.
“They are not headed for Earth; I believe they are destined for Primara.”
Chapter 36
It was a good two hours before the orb alerted Cuddy that Sheriff Bone’s voice had again been detected on the Woodbury police emergency band. And, as anticipated, the sheriff said he had a General Hastings, of the U.S. Air Force, standing by to work out the logistics.
Hastings’ voice sounded younger than Cuddy envisioned a general would sound like.
“Who is it that I am addressing on the alien vessel?” he asked. Kyle and Tony looked to Cuddy.
“I am Cuddy Perkins, sir.”
“Okay, Mr. Perkins… who is there with you?”
“Tony Bone, the sheriff’s son, and my brother, Kyle. Oh… and the AI orb, who I think you’ve already been speaking with.”
“You’re saying that was an artificial intelligence previously on the line?”
“Yes, sir, that’s what I’m saying.” Cuddy glanced at his brother and shook his head. With so much weird stuff going on, he was surprised the general picked up on the AI being the most bizarre aspect.
“Look, Mr. Perkins, the U.S. military has substantial resources. Within minutes of being contacted by Sheriff Bone, our people were digging into who exactly you were. Who all of you were.”
“Okay, that’s good… I guess,” Cuddy said, wanting to move things along.
“No… not so good, Mr. Perkins. Because our intel resources came back with conflicting information. For one thing, the only Cuddy Perkins we have on record, son of one Dorothy, or Dotty, Perkins, is nineteen years of age, with a mental I.Q. of sixty-three. Severely mentally disabled. Functionally, a five-year-old.”
“You’ll have to take my word for it, sir… I’ve gotten a lot smarter. Do you think we can we move this along… there’s—”
Hastings continued right over Cuddy’s words, “Next we have one Kyle Perkins, your brother, who is twenty-two. He was released from West Tennessee State Penitentiary—the Whiteville Correctional Facility—only last week. Seems he has an aptitude for stealing cars… as well as getting caught. And finally we have Mr. Tony Bone. Out of respect for Mr. Dale Bone, the Sheriff of Woodbury… I won’t go into the colorful past of this twenty-two-year-old hoodlum. Just leave it to say, the Three Stooges would make a far more likely crew for what Sheriff Bone tells me transpired today. But he insisted you three—along with the artificial intelligence—are responsible for the destruction of the two other alien craft and the aliens responsible for the mass-destruction on Earth—the loss of millions of lives across our planet. But I am at a loss to provide an alternative explanation. My technical personnel tell me that you are, in fact, up there in space. And each still-operating news agency has been broadcasting the footage of a third alien ship, battling two others over Eastern Europe and Russia. So I am in the awkward position of having to offer humble gratitude to you, and the others with you, on behalf of the entire planet.”
“Oh… well, okay! You’re welcome, General,” Cuddy said.
“Yeah… no biggie,” Tony added.
“With that said, I’m sure you’ll understand that we must conduct what follows with all due diligence… with extreme caution. I will be providing you with very specific low-orbit reentry coordinates. In exactly one hour, you will start your descent. Once you level off at an altitude of 35,000 feet, a squadron of U.S. F35A Lightning fighter jets will be ready to escort you down to Nellis Air Force Base, in Nevada. There can be no deviation from these directives. These highly trained airmen have orders to shoot you down at the slightest divergence of our instructions…”
Cuddy, by now, was only half-listening to the general. His mind was still on the band of Howsh ships headed for Primara. That they intended to destroy that planet he had little doubt. He needed to quickly get back to Woodbury—back to the Evermore.
“Is everything I’ve said clearly understood, Mr. Perkins? Do you have any questions?” General Hastings asked.
The orb turned its attention toward Cuddy.
Cuddy said, “No, General… no questions. We understand and thank you for helping us. Um, we’re ready for those reentry coordinates when you are… sir.”
As much as the general’s directives made perfect sense, Cuddy was becoming more and more impatient. He was reminded once again that his emotional evolution hadn’t progressed yet to the same level as his cognitive side. He really wanted to move things along. Jeez… waiting another full hour would be like waiting an eternity.
The orb then took over, having a back-and-forth conversation with the general, getting more landing specifics ironed out.
Tony, keeping his voice low, asked. “If the orb’s got the stealth thing working again, why don’t we just blow him off and leave now? Why are we even waiting to be escorted to… where the hell was it? Arizona?”
“Nevada,” Cuddy said, noting the orb had disconnected from General Hastings. Cuddy continued, “The orb has the stealth functionality working, Tony, but not the shields… remember? If, by chance, we’re spotted… like a line-of-sight-type thing… we can be locked on to. Isn’t that right, orb?”
“Correct, but there is only a small chance of that.”
“So what’s the plan?” Kyle asked.
“I’ve been thinking about that. Orb, if we wait until the designated time, when the U.S. military, and probably other world militaries too, are tracking that specified reentry location, what if it’s not us entering the atmosphere? What if, instead, it’s what’s left of the other Howsh ship?”
“You’re talking about having a distraction,” Kyle said.
“Genius! Our village idiot is a total friggin’ genius,” Tony exclaimed, impressed.
The orb said, “I believe I can trigger the other Howsh ship to explode soon after entering the atmosphere. Would that be of benefit?”
“That would be a huge benefit,” Cuddy said. “They’d think all three Howsh ships were destroyed and they’d no longer be looking for us.”
“Um, not to be a total downer here…” Tony said, “but that other Howsh ship, I saw what you did to it. It’s pretty much toast. How do we get what’s left of it to enter the atmosphere?” He looked over at the orb and asked, “Does this ship have some kind of tractor beam… like in the movies?”
“No,” the orb answered. Then, continuing in a matter-of-fact tone, said, “Cuddy will have to manage that aspect. He has already demonstrated he has, at least to some degree, the same mental kinetic capabilities as the Pashier.”
Cuddy, still not fully recovered from his last use of those newly acquired abilities, unconsciously placed a hand on his unsettled stomach. He thought about the plan and liked it. With that said, once in Woodbury, landing back at the ranch, they’d have to move fast. The Revenge still might be spotted—perhaps overheard by the military. By a jet or even a satellite.
“Okay… I guess we have a plan,” Cuddy said. He looked over to Tony. “When we land, it will take us some time to get the Evermore back up into space. Can you hold off contacting your father—”
“Wait! You think I’m going back home? Seriously?”
Cuddy shrugged, not knowing what to think.
“No… I’m going with you guys. I’m on your team.”
Cuddy and Kyle stared at each other. They hadn’t had time to discuss whether Kyle even wanted to go. Events were happening too fast.