Invasion (The Alien Wars #1) (22 page)

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“I think Seods are waiting for us on the other side of the bay,” Kenneth stated.

Molly looked back and forth. “Why do you think that?”

“I think I saw something shiny,” Kenneth replied.

“Why would they wait?” Derek asked. “If they can see us, why wouldn’t they come and get us?”

Kenneth sighed as he thought. Looking through the binoculars once more, he gazed all around the bay. It disturbed him that he couldn’t see any Seods.

“Maybe they don’t like the ice,” Molly said.

“The one I saw went on the ice,” Kenneth said. “No, I don’t think that’s the reason.”

“Maybe they want to be sure that we’ve got the briefcase,” Derek said.

Kenneth nodded. “That could be it.”

“So, what should we do?” Molly asked. “We can’t just stand here.”

“We’ll continue. After all, I’m not positive that there are Seods in front of us.” Kenneth hurried off.

After walking for five more minutes, Derek stopped. “Hey, I think I saw something.”

Even without the binoculars, Kenneth realized that Derek was right. Wanting to confirm it, he looked through the binoculars. He didn’t see anything at first and then he saw two Seods next to a tree and a rock. They appeared to be talking to each other.

Suddenly, they looked at him. They stared back as he gazed at them. After several seconds, they disappeared into the bushes. Scanning the rest of the shoreline, he saw nothing at first and then several Seods slowly walked onto the ice.

“Oh no!”
Molly gasped as she saw the creatures.

“Look! They’re over there as well,” Derek exclaimed, pointing to the other side of the bay.

Kenneth turned around and saw that the teen was right. Spinning around, he realized that the Seods were trying to surround them.
“This way.”
He ran toward the only remaining part of the shoreline that was free of creatures, but skidded to a stop five seconds later as he caught sight of movement by the trees.

A moment later, two Seods stepped onto the ice. Within a matter of seconds, four more joined them.

“Shoot!” Kenneth clenched his fist in frustration.

“What do we do?” Molly said.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Kenneth said. “We’re outnumbered.” He pulled out the pistol and checked the bullets. “There’re only three rounds left.” He raised his hands. “We can only hope that they set us free after they get the briefcase back.”

Derek stared at Kenneth. “Surely there’s something we can do.”

Kenneth shook his head as he watched the Seods advance toward them. “They’ve got us outnumbered and outgunned.”

Molly raised her hands, but Derek shook his head. “No. We can’t surrender.” He frowned and glanced around. A slight smile appeared on his face. He turned to Kenneth. “You know that Seod that followed you?
The one that died in the lake?”

Kenneth nodded. “Yes. Why?”

“Well, what if he died because he couldn’t swim?” Derek said hopefully.

Kenneth smiled.
“Maybe.
Just maybe.”
Making a decision, he turned to the teens. “Follow me!”

Rushing across the ice, he ran toward where the water lapped the edge. Skidding to a stop, he stared across at
Fannette
Island
.

“I didn’t know you could swim,” Molly stated, surprised.

Kenneth sighed. “I can’t. Not really. But in a situation like this …” He paused as he saw the Seods run toward them. “We need to go now.” He turned to Derek. “Stay close to your sister. Whatever happens, head for the
island.
Your life depends on it.”

Taking a deep breath, Kenneth dived into the water. A second later, the teens joined him in the dark blue water.

Molly was the first to rise above the surface and start swimming toward the island. Glancing back, she saw that the Seods were now racing to where they had jumped off.

Green bolts slammed into the water around the three swimmers.

Kenneth sucked in air.
“Dive!”

Taking a big gulp of fresh air, Molly dived underneath the water. She continued swimming toward the island as fast as she could. As soon as the green bolts hit the water, they lost their momentum and quickly died.

After half a minute or so under the water, Molly resurfaced. She glanced back and saw that the Seods had reached the water. She watched as one jumped in. She frowned. This was the moment that she had been dreading. If the creature was able to swim, it would be all over.

Xavier gazed down at a map spread out on the table in the dining room. “It’s a risky plan, but I can’t see any other option.”

The group was lounging about in the room that had been their rest stop for the past couple of hours. They’d eaten, cleaned themselves up, and were now deciding on a plan of action.

Xavier turned toward Muscles, who’d been the one to suggest the current plan. “How long do we have to accept the plan?”

Muscles glanced at his watch. “I believe we have an hour. Hang on while I check the exact time with Jet.”

As Muscles left the room, Xavier turned to Logan, who was only now getting dressed, having recently had a shower. “What do you think?”

Logan
zipped up his blue jeans and put on a t-shirt that said ‘I love
America
’ before he responded. “I made a mistake last time by going with my gut and nearly got somebody killed, so I’m on board with this new plan.”

“I’d like this plan better if I knew who the spy was,” Baldy said as he stood up and walked over to the map. “I don’t trust many people, so how can I trust someone whom I don’t even know? Hell, I don’t even know his name.”

“I don’t know his name either,” Peter said, “but I’m game. It’s clear we can’t stroll into The View like we did last time, so hiding in the truck seems like a good option.”

“What if it’s a trap?” Baldy said.

Logan
frowned. “You know, I don’t quite get you.” He studied the bald man for another moment before he spoke. “By the way, how’d you get those scars on your face?”

Baldy hesitated. “What’s it matter to you?”

“Just wondering,”
Logan
replied. “You seemed happy to attack The View last night, but now you’re hesitant. Why? By the looks of it, you’ve been in a lot of fights, but I sense that something in this plan doesn’t fit with you. Am I right?”

“Damn right you are,” Baldy retorted. “Make no mistake, as you said, I’ve had my share of scrapes here and there, and I’m willing to take a gamble when the stakes are right, but—”

“But what?”
Xavier asked.

“I don’t like going into something without knowing everything.” Baldy paused as Muscles came back. “Why can’t we meet Alpha before this plan gets underway?”

Muscles stared at Baldy. “Don’t you trust my judgment?”

There was a moment of silence. Baldy smiled thinly.
“Of course.
You know that. It’s just that I like to know all the players that are involved in a situation like this.”

“What if we were to meet him at the garage?”
Logan
glanced at Muscles. “Could that be arranged?”

“Possibly.”
Muscles hesitated. “I guess it would be good to get an update from the inside.”

“They might even know what floor Lucy is on,”
Logan
said.

“Will we leave the same way?” Peter said.

Muscles nodded. “That’s the plan, but I’m open to any suggestions. So, if we’re all in agreement, I’ll contact Alpha.” As the rest of the group nodded, Muscles left.

An hour later, he returned. “It’s all set.” He pulled out a map from his pocket and laid it on the table. “The pickup is here at four. So we’ll arrive at the garage just before
four thirty
. The meeting is arranged for six.”

“So what do we do if we fail?” Peter said.

“We’re not going to fail,” Muscles replied.
“Especially not now.”
He paused for a moment and then glanced around at everyone. “This has gone on long enough. Tonight is the night that it stops.
One way or another.”

“I don’t think—”
Logan
said.

“It’s too late for thinking,” Muscles replied, a thin smile appearing on his face.

“What do you mean?”
Logan
asked, not quite understanding why Muscles was smiling.

“I just spoke to one of my few remaining contacts. I left him with instructions to contact everyone that was not injured to attack The View at nine this evening.”

“What? I didn’t know that was the plan,” Baldy cried out, shocked.

Logan
shared a glance with Xavier before turning to Muscles. “Can I have a word with you, in private?”

“Of course.”
Muscles followed
Logan
into the kitchen. He leaned against the wall. He stared at
Logan
.
“Something troubling you?”

“You’re darn right it is,”
Logan
replied, bristling with anger and annoyance. “What’s up with telling your men to attack tonight? That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Well, the plan changed,” Muscles replied.

Logan
shook his head. “This was my plan and you can’t—”

“Your plan!”
Muscles thundered. He glared at
Logan
and walked right up to him, his face inches from his. “This has been my plan from day one. You’re just fortunate that I included you.”

“Really?
Your plan?
We’re talking about Lucy, my—”

“I’m not talking about some woman,” Muscles thundered. “I’m talking about the future.
The future of
San Francisco
.
I’ve been fighting Carlos Sanchez for two weeks now, and if you think I was going to risk my men just to rescue one woman, well, you don’t know me.”

Muscles strode out of the kitchen and gazed at the others. “Does anyone else have any other questions about tonight?”

“I thought we were going to rescue a woman, not start World War Three,” Baldy complained.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” Peter questioned. “I’m all for new plans, but this—”

“Silence!”
Muscles crossed his arms. As everyone fell silent, he resumed speaking. “Most of you know that I’ve lost a lot of close friends these past few weeks.
Some due to the alien attack, but most because of Sanchez.
As I went to meet Alpha, I realized that tonight was the perfect opportunity to end this fighting once and for all.”

“How many men are we talking about?” Peter said.

“Not sure exactly, but roughly a hundred,” Muscles replied.

Everyone looked shocked. Baldy seemed the most affected. He staggered about until he found a seat to collapse into. He stared at Muscles.
“A hundred men?
How on Earth did you get a hundred men? I didn’t think there were so many left.”

Muscles nodded. “It’s a last-ditch effort.
All or nothing.
If we pull it off, we can get rid of Sanchez as well as rescue Lucy. Now, if that’s all, I’m going to lie down and get some rest. I suggest you do the same. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

Logan
didn’t feel tired, but as everyone else followed Muscle’s advice and found somewhere to lie
down,
he decided that he’d also get some rest. Before long, he was sound asleep, dreaming about Lucy.