Chapter 39

"The number of casualties will be more than any of us can bear ultimately. And I don't think we want to speculate on the number of casualties. The effort now has to be to save as many people as possible." ~ Rudy Giuliani

It was the smell. The freshly mowed grass under the perimeter of pine trees in the fresh summer air. The sun shining down over the water, warming the small lake to a perfect temperature. This was an ideal day for the elusive man, walking through the grass with his bare feet, enjoying the feeling of the grass and dirt between his toes as he headed to a nearby bench and sat down. In front of the man by roughly a few hundred feet was the shoreline, with a small beachfront. Warm sand lay in front of the water for people to enjoy. On this day, two people in particular were enjoying it to their fullest. A young boy, around three or four years old, was ecstatic on the lake, splashing every chance he could and teasing the small Jack Russell terrier dog who was also enjoying the warm day at the beach. The boy's mother was sitting on the sand, watching over her son, enjoying the rays of the solar system’s brightest star as they tanned her skin.

The man enjoyed the smell the most, as he watched the boy and his mother play at the beach. The noise of the wind, the child's laughter, the dog’s barks were added bonuses to the relaxing day. He closed his eyes for a brief moment to take it all in. To enhance his memory as much as he could before he had to leave it all behind. A young boy’s voice snapped the man back to reality. “We need to accelerate our plans; the time has come.” The man opened his eyes and was startled and angry to see the boy was the same one he had been watching play in the water. His mother was still lying on the beach, soaking in the sun in her bikini, watching the water like her boy was still there, unaware of his actual location.

“How dare you!” the man shouted as quietly as he could, pushing the words out between his gritted teeth.

“We knew this would get your attention, and you would take us seriously,” replied the four-year-old boy, speaking with such clarity, having no issues with the language in any way. “The time has come for the next phase; we must initiate it.”

“Why me? The Hyper-buoy is open to all, and the Federation is weak. You can strike at any moment.”

“They will be expecting that. Planetary defenses will be heightened. You must prepare for our arrival.”

“Why? You must realize there is now a greater threat out there, a conflict more important to the human race than who controls Earth.”

“Our reasons are none of your concern, and you must tell your Intelligence office that we will be arriving soon.”

A look of surprise and shock overcame the man, every trace of anger vanishing as he heard this from the boy. “Why? What is the point in telling us you are coming? We will just fortify the system.”

Then it hit him, and a shocked “ohh” look came over his face.

“You have one week, do not disappoint us.” The boy started to run back towards the beach as the mother began to look around frantically, searching for her lost son, only now noticing he was gone.

The man stared off into the distance, seemingly looking at nothing, processing what he was told. The Russians were planning an invasion of Sol, a total takeover of the entire system. The Federation was at the weakest it had ever been. Sixty-five percent of the entire Naval fleet had been destroyed; this would be a time to strike. But the Russians wanted him to warn the Federation; he had to. How could he not inform them? The only reason they wanted the Federation to be informed was to increase defenses. It was a trap, a deliberate attempt to lure the fleet in order to eliminate them entirely. But that is what the Federation had to do. If they did not recall every single ship in the Navy, Earth would be defenseless. The man was put in an impossible situation; he had no choice but to do the one thing the Russians wanted him to do. He had to play into their hands.

“John!” the woman shouted as the boy ran towards her. “Johnathan, honey, come here!” the woman turned her head towards the man as he smiled, forgetting every worry in the world as he stared into her eyes. The eyes he fell in love with decades ago. The face of a young Emelia Henderson in her mid-twenties. The man took a long look at Emelia and her son before taking out a personal data unit and pressing the end program controls. The environment slowly faded away, disintegrating into the void, replaced by a large room filled with nothing. The man stood up before his bench faded away, and walked out of the room. His heart sank, watching the two loves of his life fade away once more. Once again, viewing the last memory he had with them, refusing to forget what he had left behind.