INVASION!: Enoch's Children Book V

 

The boys, Cory and Thomas, find themselves at the center of the action again. This time an invading force has determined to make the Earth a garden place for them to settle in. But they also want to make us slaves under their control to use to their own ends. They promise peace on Earth, but the cost is high. This sample chapter is early in the book, when Major Remmick asks the boys to speak with Salah, Tobias' father, and ask if his people are the ones invading the Earth. He's clear he doesn't want the boys involved except to find out if Tobias' father knows anything about the invasion. Of course, Thomas and Cory have an impossible task: To stay on the sidelines while the world is coming apart or to get involved once again. Here's an excerpt from that chapter:

 

   Mrs. Justin, the school secretary, jumped from behind her desk to meet them. They could see into Mr. Atkinson's office on the right, and could see he was talking to someone hidden by the door.

   "He's waiting for you," Mrs. Justin said quickly. "Go on in."

   "Do you know what this is about?" Cory asked.

   "All I know is the man is in uniform, and he has a pile of official papers he gave to Mr. Atkinson. And Mr. Atkinson is a little out of sorts. Go in. Go in."

   She fluttered her hands as if pushing them along into the room. Cory exchanged looks with Thomas and they walked hesitantly toward the door. They still could not see who Mr. Atkinson was talking to. They stopped at the door and the principal looked their way.

   "Here they are now," he said ominously. "Boys. Come in. Come in."

   Cory pushed the door open and stepped in. Thomas followed. Both felt the shock of recognition. Sitting calmly in front of their principal, an arm still in a sling, was Remmick!

   "You apparently know each other," Mr. Atkinson said flatly.

   "We know Remmick," Cory affirmed.

   "Major Remmick," Mr. Atkinson corrected. "He's here to discuss some matters with you. I assume you have an idea what it's all about."

   "We don't," Thomas returned. "What do you need now, Major Remmick?"

   Remmick leaned forward slightly and said, "Good to see you again, too, boys. I was asked by my commanding officer, Colonel Madsen, to check on your progress."

   "What progress did he expect?" Cory asked only slightly more civil.

   "Well, there is the matter of the Hummer you completely destroyed," Remmick said.

   "It was our Hummer," Thomas replied. "We used it to stop your troops from destroying our town."

   "I can see this may take a few moments," Remmick said. "Mr. Atkinson, is there a place we can talk in private for a while?"

   "There's a counseling room just across the office," Mr. Atkinson said, glaring at the boys. "You can use it for as long as you wish. If you are going to detain either of these boys, and I wouldn't blame you if you did, I would need to contact their parents."

   "I won't need to detain them," Remmick assured him. "I'm sure they will be civil. Come, boys. Let's find somewhere private to talk."

   He stood and put his cap under his free arm. He stood straight, but when he started to walk it was with a distinct limp. The boys stared at each other, then looked back at Mr. Atkinson. His smile was almost malevolent.

   "I was sure there was something in that so-called siege that began with you two," he said unpleasantly.

   "There was," Cory said as he walked after Remmick. "We kept the bad guys from blowing up the school."

   Remmick had reached the door to the darkened room, opened it and felt inside for the light. He flicked it on and went in. The boys followed him. He stood aside as they entered and shut the door with a decisive bang.

The room was small. A desk was on one side, and four chairs faced the desk. Remmick stepped back to sit on the desk. He motioned to the chairs for the boys.

   Cory took a deep breath and said, "You leg still hurts some?"

   "It does," Remmick affirmed. "Thank you for noticing."

   "We were pretty sure it wasn't just your arm that was in a sling," Thomas said with a wry smile.

   "That, too," Remmick returned, smiling back.

   "What can we do for you, Major?" Cory asked.

   Remmick laughed and said, "I knew I could count on you to flare up in front of your principal. I understand he's the kind of man you once thought I was."

   "You're not out of the woods yet," Thomas said. "I understand you helped Cory, though. I never got a chance to thank you."

   "I was doing my job," Remmick protested. "In fact, that's why I'm here. I think you know a young lady named June Keeling."

   "We do," Thomas said. "There was Eustace and Maybell Brown and a few others at a lunch she arranged for us when we escaped from the Kanab River Canyon. She's okay, isn't she?"

   "She's fine, and don't worry. All the bad guys who would want to get you two are still locked away."

   "Then, what?" Cory asked.

   "There've been some strange things going on south of her ranch," Remmick said. "There've been lights in the sky, some strange booms and someone seems to be trying to build some kind of secret base down there."

   "Sounds kind of like you guys," Thomas said.

   Remmick laughed, but this time he sounded a little nervous.

   "No," he said softly. "It's not us."

   "Why don't you use your spy satellites to see what's going on?" Cory asked. "I know you have cameras up there good enough to see how someone parts their hair."

   "We do, but you didn't hear that from me," Remmick said. "This is something different. This is something very different. We can't get the satellites to focus on the area. The pictures show a blacked out area, no details. Our radar doesn't work in the area. It did before, up to several weeks ago. When we try to approach with land vehicles something shuts them down. They just stop working. We're afraid to send our planes to overfly the area because when they get too close their instruments begin to flake out."

   "Is that a technical term?" Thomas asked.

   "As technical as I can get," Remmick said. "We're afraid if they get closer they'll lose power, too, and drop out of the sky. We tried a drone and that's exactly what happened to it. We've routed all commercial flights out of the area. We've made sure no private flights can enter the area. We've set up a perimeter around the area. For now, that's the best we can do."

   "Have you tried sending in some soldiers on foot?" Cory asked.

   "Yes," Remmick said, hanging his head. "We sent in a platoon, six of our best. We lost contact about where the vehicles lost power. They never returned. We sent in a second platoon from the opposite side. They never returned."

   "Well, we're just kids," Thomas said. "What do you want us to do?"

   "You've proven you're a lot more than that," Remmick said calmly. "However, this time I only need your contacts. You have some very interesting friends. I need you to talk to Salah and ask him if his people are playing around down there. If they are, can you get them to release our soldiers and set up a dialogue so we'll know what's going on? I have a lot of brass breathing down my neck, and they're very nervous."

   "I don't blame them," Cory said. "It doesn't sound like anything Salah or his people would do. They're still trying to stay hidden from view."

   "I understand they got involved with your people from the caverns," Remmick suggested.

   "That wasn't by choice," Thomas returned. "Look, Major, Salah wouldn't shoot down planes or hold soldiers against their will. I don't think any of his people would, either. But we'll ask."

   "Excellent," Remmick said. "I was hoping I could count on you two to help. I'll be in town a few days. How long do you think it would take to get in touch with your friend?"

   "Before you start to hang him and his people," Cory warned, "remember he saved your life at the risk of his own. That's the kind of people they are."

   "I don't doubt it," Remmick said. "I have to be sure. How long?"

   "We'll try to contact him tonight," Thomas said. "If we make contact we'll get in touch with you tomorrow at Dad's office. Will that do?'

   "It will indeed," Remmick said, getting up.

   "Major," Cory said. "Take care of yourself. We may not like you, but we've grown used to having you around from time to time."

   "Thank you," the major said. "And thank you for calling me by rank. I appreciate that."

   "You kept me from murdering someone," Cory said. "Because of you I didn't murder his son, either."

   "I think I heard something about that," Remmick said, smiling. "Good work, young man."

   Remmick left the room and walked out the door. Mr. Atkinson stood in the door of his office smiling smugly at the boys as they walked out. He handed each of them a hall pass, but he didn’t say a word. He just smiled at them.

   "Thank you, Mr. Atkinson," Thomas said as he took the note and headed out of the office.

   The principal merely nodded as if he knew how much trouble they were in.

   The boys stopped just outside the office door.

   "You know what this means," Thomas said excitedly, ignoring Mr. Atkinson’s demeanor.

   "Yes," Cory returned, smiling. "If we're not careful we're going to be involved in another adventure!"