Apex 3: Shaylo Attacks (10 page)

Jack the Ripper

Jack
fell to his knees and cried in a way he’d never cried before. The sobs caused his entire body to shudder.

Sally crouched beside him and held him up.

He didn’t deserve to be alive after what he’d just done. He’d burn in hell for it.

She asked him between his sobs, “Is it over?”

He stammered, “It’s done. I did something so impossible that it should have never even been attempted.”

“How did you do it? What did you do?”

Jack saw Melanie’s still dead body and in that moment he wished he’d done even more to the Greys.

He said, “I need to find somewhere to lie down. I’m spent.”

“What about the other Greys? They’re still coming for us.”

“I can only hope that when they see their leader dead, they’ll have a change of heart about that. Either way, I don’t have the strength to fight back just yet.”

He held her hand and teleported them both back to the mountain bunker in Wyoming, leaving behind Melanie and Shaylo’s bodies. It wasn’t a move he’d planned out. He just needed to escape.

It was a mess
at the base but the Greys had already left; their ships vanishing among the clouds within seconds of their arrival.

Sally stared up in amazement at the retreating alien ships. “What did you do? How did you convince them to leave?”

“I didn’t. Maybe Shaylo did.” He barely managed to get the words out before he fell into her heavily. He felt faint. He had no idea if that was because of the immense powers he’d expelled or if it was because his system couldn’t handle the terrible thing he’d just done to those billions of innocent Greys.

The blast door was still standing
, sealing the base up tight as a drum. Sally used her force field to slice through it several times. It fell heavily to the ground in pieces.

Then she put a field around them both and hovered it into the mouth of the mountain
, so she didn’t have to carry him the whole way.

Victory

She placed
Jack’s slumped figure in a hospital bed. She checked for a pulse, draped a cool cloth across his clammy forehead, and then went to the communications hub. She tried to open up any kind of line of communication, but everything was dead.

Then she pulled her cell phone out and dialed Hank, but his phone went straight to voice mail. Of course it did; he’d probably accidentally destroyed it the first time he used his powers.

She searched for the Commander’s number and dialed it.

Watson answered on the second ring. He said, “I saw them all leave at the same time
, right after that Grey came on TV, spoke and then died. The news is saying a mass exodus is occurring. Where’s Jack?”

“He’s okay, I think. He’s out like a light. We’re back in
Cheyenne inside the base.”

Watson said, “I suppose that means we’ll need to find a way to get to you.”

“I’d ask Jack to fetch you, but he’s too far gone.”

“I understand. There’s a base not far from here. I’ll procure transport from there.”

“I can’t wait to see everyone. Is everyone alright?”

“We’re fine. I’m just glad you two are alive. What did
Jack do?”

“He didn’t say. Whatever it was, it took everything
out of him.”

“That young man has saved out entire species from certain
extinction twice now. They ought to name the planet after him.”

“Yeah, planet
Jack. I don’t think he’d appreciate that.”

“You’re probably right. I’ll call again when we’re on our way.”

Demons

Jack awoke alone in the room, sweating and screaming. His nose was gushing blood. One of his eyes was bright red where blood vessels had popped, one after the other. He reached for the glass of water at the side of the bed and drank it down in one gulp.

His hands were shaking as he remembered what he’d done to the Grey planet. He had never before thought about ending his life, but at that moment, the notion crept across his thoughts
like a poisonous snake. He didn’t deserve to steal another breath of good, clean air or eat a meal that could go to a better person than he was.

Sally rushed in through the doorway and all thoughts of suicide evaporated in an instant. The sight of her instilled hope in his heart. She stared at him for a second and then slipped into bed beside him.

She whispered, “Your mom and the rest of them are on their way here.”

Jack
mumbled, “Give me a couple hours to get my strength back and I’ll go and get them. Tell them to hold tight for now.”

“Too late. They’re already on their way. Just rest.” She dabbed the blood from his upper lip and kissed him on the forehead as she rested his head back on the sweat soaked pillow.

The thought of facing his mom after what he’d just done sent a heavy sinking dread through his soul. How could he look at her again? How could she look at him and see anything but a monster?

He sobbed anew and Sally cradled his head in her arms. She said softly, “
The Greys all left. What happened?”

He sniffed. “I decided the moment I saw what
Shaylo did to Melanie. If I tell you what I did, you can never tell anyone.”

“I won’t.”

Final Order

Jack managed to shuffle towards the nearest TV he found inside the base. As soon as he turned it on he could tell that the world was still scratching its collective head about the recent turn of events. Most talking heads were still arguing about what had caused the Greys to leave so abruptly. Opinions and theories abounded but most of them were nonsensical.

But one theory he heard seemed to hold water. An anchorwoman guessed that the Grey who had died on camera might have ordered the retreat. It coincided too neatly with reality.

Jack switched stations. He wasn’t interested in theories. He wanted answers. He found a channel that was broadcasting two short clips back to back. One of them, in extremely poor taste, was the video of Shaylo killing Melanie. Jack had to turn away when it played. But the second video was of Shaylo, dying and speaking in his guttural tongue to the camera. That was the footage Jack was interested in.

He waited for it to start over and then he held Shaylo’s faceplate towards the TV and held the translator button
down. Shaylo began to speak in his alien language, and then after a short delay the faceplate translated.

It said:
“We cannot win. Our planet has been destroyed by the humans. Escape while you still can. This is your final order: if you can find a reason to live then save yourselves. Our species needs to live on.”

Jack let go of the button and let the faceplate fall by his thigh. He switched the TV off and stared into space. He’d succeeded in vanquishing the Greys but at what cost? He had to live with the screams of billions of intelligent beings crying out within his head at all times. His heart was too small to contain all of their anguish.

He was a monster, but he was the monster mankind needed. The realization that what he did was necessary didn’t help to heal his broken heart or mend his ruined psyche.

He was the most wretched creature in the universe. He was certain of that because he’d seen them all. And worse, he had to live with himself until his dying day.

He traipsed back to bed, hopeful that his dreams would afford him a momentary reprieve from his guilty conscience.

Decisions

Admiral
Liktar received word of the Grey planet’s fate and he felt instantly light headed. He’d created a monster when he’d enhanced those humans. The young male had powers that were beyond comprehension and apparently he had no compunction about unleashing them in horrifying ways.

The parent star to the Grey plane
t had increased in mass by half a percent as a great dark patch grew across its southern hemisphere, dimming its output of visible light. At first, no one knew what to make of the abnormality until they checked for the Grey planet and found it missing from its orbit.

Then a scout reported that the invading Greys had abandoned Earth,
retreating en masse. Apparently Shaylo was still on Earth, dead. He’d committed suicide the way the Greys could when they felt like there were no other options.

None of it made much sense until
Liktar considered that the young male had the ability to teleport objects. But did he have the power to teleport an entire planet into its own sun? The idea seemed ludicrous, but nothing else explained it. And he still had no idea why the Greys had abandoned their conquest. They didn’t need Shaylo to accomplish their mission. It was all too bizarre.

Base Command hailed him, so he opened a channel.

To his utter surprise, The President stared back at him from the holographic monitor. She said, “Greetings, Admiral. I see your plan has worked, in a fashion. That is fortunate. You’ve secured our future and we thank you.”

Liktar
was getting increasingly uncomfortable. “Hello, President Blimtot. How can I further serve you?”

The President paused and then said, “We have a problem. Those advanced humans saved us but they also now pose a serious threat. They destroyed the Grey planet and the entire Grey civilization without warning and without remorse. Who’s to say they won’t do the same to us?”

“But they have no reason to attack us.”

“Reason doesn’t come into the equation. We can’t bet our future on whether we trust the humans to use reason. We must act before it’s too late. Do you understand?”

“What do you suggest?”

“I submit that the planet should be obliterated.”

Liktar guffawed. “We’ve spent a long time trying to defend the Earth from just that. They saved us from the Greys. We owe them. It’s hardly justified to wipe them out after all they’ve been through and all they’ve done for us.”

“What
would you suggest?”

“We should concentrate on the
most powerful individual only. He’s the only one who poses a threat. If we can eliminate him, we’ll have nothing to worry about going forward.”

President Blimtot asked,
“Are you suggesting we poison him?”

Liktar
hated the notion of punishing their savior. And what would happen if the powerful human caught them trying to kill him?

He offered, “I could put a team on synthesizing an antidote, to diminish
his abilities.”

“Can that be done?”

“I don’t see why not. We changed him so it stands to reason we should be able to change him back.”

“What if
he doesn’t let you? Do you have a back-up plan?”

“If
he won’t work with us peaceably then he’ll leave us no choice. We’ll have to kill him.”

“Get your team to work
on the antidote and report back as soon as it’s ready. We’re on a tight deadline here so make it quick.” President Blimtot signed off and the holographic display vanished like a ghost.

Liktar
called for his second in command. “Get working on an antidote to what we did to the humans.”

“Are you serious? How the hell would we administer it, even if I could synthesize something that works?”

“Let me worry about that. I’ll just ask him nicely.”

The second in command
scoffed and headed below deck to set to work.

Uninvited Guest

Jack
was back home in his own bed in Ault, Colorado. His mom was downstairs laughing with Sally, telling her all of the embarrassing stories from his childhood.

He’d been home for
five days now, as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Twice he’d teleported to the desert without warning, but he’d gotten used to his powers so he’d been able to return right away, without the prerequisite time wasted waiting to recharge.

News crews had tried to swarm the house but
Commander Watson and a few diehard soldiers had set up a perimeter and then they hassled every snooping reporter so much that they simply gave up and left.

Watson et al had left yesterday when th
e media whirlwind had died down completely. Ault was remote and dull. It was not a place where people decided to stay longer than was necessary.

According to news reports, just one casualty had resulted from the second wave; Melanie was the only death.

Every time he thought of her, he also thought about what he’d done to the Grey home world to avenge her. He wished the two weren’t forever linked in his mind. He’d made a terrible decision to get rid of the Grey threat once and for all, and to do that, he had to get rid of the species. But more than that, he’d done it to see the look on Shaylo’s face. The realization nearly made him weep again. He’d become comfortable as an inhuman monster capable of unheard of atrocities. But his conscience fought back, punishing him for his actions.

It had all worked out perfectly after that. Shaylo instructed the Greys, via the camera, to abandon their quarry based on what Jack
had done and what he could do to the rest of them.

Melanie’s funeral was yesterday and he’d missed it. He tried to go, but his mom and Sally wouldn’t hear of it. He could barely stand. He dreaded to think what her parents must think of him. After all, she died because of him.

Hank Beltran was staying with Dan and Molly. Jack had made a phone call during one of his few lucid moments and convinced both parties that each could be trusted. Hank needed to practice and Dan and Molly could help him hone his abilities. And Hank had expressed a need for understanding. He needed someone to talk to about what his body was going through, and who better to ask advice than Dan and Molly. He could only hope Hank was on his best behavior, but then again, he’d regret it in a heartbeat if he wasn’t.

Molly had called him earlier this morning. She was hysterical, mumbling about a new prophetic dream she’d had.
She mentioned poison and antidote and a new type of alien. It was all a jumble to his fevered mind. A couple of times he’d nearly fell unconscious as she spoke.

When she was done, he said, “Uh huh,” and then hung up on her, falling asleep with his phone in his lap. When he awoke, he didn’t remember ever having spoken to her.

Sally was allowed to spend the nights in his bed. How she’d convinced his mom that it was okay was a question he didn’t care to hear the answer to. Maybe she just didn’t tell her.

Either way, it was nice to have someone. She was the only person who knew what he’d done, and rather than run from him in utter disgust, it seemed as though she adored him more than ever.

On the morning of day five, a visitor appeared at the foot of his bed. He could hear Sally downstairs and the noises of the television in the background.

The visitor was not human but it was not a Grey either.
He’d seen a creature like it during his instantaneous tour of the universe, but only fleetingly. It was slightly smaller than a man, with many tentacles for arms that jutted from its trunk haphazardly. Its flesh was a very pale green, milky and smooth, covered in contraptions that looked like gemstones but were probably some type of alien technology. It hovered, suspended by the down-flow of air created by its twirling thick flagella, in the same way bacteria swim around with their whip-like tails. Three tentacles extended to the floor to prop it up as its whipping tail slowed to a stop. Its head was conical and twice as large as a man’s. It had a single central eye with lids that closed like a chameleon’s does. Its mouth was a gaping chasm filled with a thick gelatinous material that squelched when it moved. It had no ears or nose that Jack could see.

A deep sadness washed over
Jack that emanated from the creature. It was an ancient sadness, with multiple layers and meanings that he couldn’t put his finger on. He sat up and waited to see what the hell it would do to him.

Its mouth moved up and down, sideways, and in and out. As it moved the gelatinous
goop inside squished and wobbled. Faint vibrations soon clarified into words that Jack could understand.

It said, “I am
Admiral Liktar. Thank you for defeating the Greys, Jack.”

Jack
’s eyes widened. He nodded for it to go on.

“We infected you and a handful of others with an enhancer. We gave you the tools to save your species.”

“Why did you help us?”

“The Greys would have destroyed the Earth and then moved on to our planet. How exactly did you beat them?”

Jack considered lying to the beast but he decided the truth was his only option. “I used the abilities you bestowed upon me to teleport their home world into their sun.”

The
alien’s sadness intensified. It said, “We suspected as much. Your abilities are frighteningly powerful.” It paused for a moment. “I have an antidote that will take your abilities away, turning you back to normal.” It held out a glass vial in its tentacle with a clear liquid sloshing around inside.

Jack
reached forward and took it. “Why would I want my powers to go away?”

“You no longer need them. The Grey threat has passed.
And your powers are growing exponentially. It won’t be long before they consume you entirely, killing you.”

Jack couldn’t be sure if the alien creature was telling the truth but he had no reason to doubt it.

He turned the vial over in his hand. “So if I drink this, I’ll go back to being a regular human? Is it safe?”

“Absolutely. We have only strived to aide humanity. You are our friends.”

Jack heard Sally laughing in the distance. “Is there enough for everyone? There are five of us.”

“The others don’t need it. You’re the only one to be given an ability too powerful and unique to harness safely. The truth is that your powers are threatening to all of us. You pose a threat to every living creature in the universe.”

Jack felt a sadness now that came from within himself. He knew the alien was right. He couldn’t be trusted with his gifts. He’d already proven how irresponsible he could be.

He sighed and popped the top off of the vial. He drank it back in a single gulp, hopeful he was making the right decision.

His sadness intensified at once, but this time it came from Admiral Liktar.

Jack
’s eyes fluttered and then closed slowly and purposefully, as though his eyelids were being pulled together by a relentless gravity.

The last thing he heard was the whip-like flagella of
Liktar start to swoosh as the Admiral left his room. Then his senses crashed into one another as his body was wracked with an unbearable pain that knocked him out cold.