Twisters come in a variety of configurations. We’ll probably use the figure-8 twister since the locals have anatomies that are similar to ours. The subject’s arms are pulled back, the top twist loop is secured around the elbows. Bottom twist loop is secured around the ankles. The twist automatically provides tension, adjusting as the subject moves around, further limiting motion. It can be very frightening. One feels quite ... vulnerable.
As our target exited the facility and moved toward his car we ported in under cloak. He entered the car. Roll grabbed his hand, and we ported to our camp in the wilderness. We slipped the bag over his head and locked him in a Figure-8 twister. I released the cloak.
Mr. T started a delve. The military guy resisted Mr. T’s attempt at delving. They are evidently well trained for any type of interrogation. Even delving. But Mr. T was able to break through to some extent. He suspects officers that are sent off-world on a regular basis receive additional training. They will be hard to crack, not that this guy was easy.
Mr. T was moving along with the delve when we heard that eerie klaxon sound of the Cygnus Prime emergency response vehicles. Crud, we had checked for any electronics the guy had and left them in the car. It seems he must have had an embedded scanner-cloaked chip. Time to go. Mr. T clamped his arm around the officer’s neck in a sleeper hold. It worked. Similar anatomy. We had already packed and were ready to leave for home. We pulled off the bag and twister and ported.
Mr. T wasn’t able to discover much in the way of actionable intel. But he did uncover one very disturbing bit of information. The Empire had decided to take an extra precaution with their most current project, the subjugation of Earth. They ordered the bugs to set up a gate on the way to Earth. The officer knew of it as an Ancillary Gate. Those are used for emergency situations or for tactical purposes. The officer didn’t know the coordinates for the Ancillary Gate.
He was still angry with the bugs, regarding that gate. They were supposed to set it up at Jupiter (or Saturn, but Mr. T was sure it was Jupiter). Even though the bugs had erred in the location placement, a gate had been set.
The enemy was close and would soon come out of the darkness to exact their revenge. That same evening, even though I was safe and sound back home, the nightmares from the early days of the invasion returned. I tossed and turned. The nightmares finally faded and were replaced by a dream. It was both terrifying and reassuring; a frightful vision and a wonderful gift. Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid, it seemed more real than the waking world?
***
A VISION
In the dream, I found myself standing in vigil as the Battle for Los Angeles was just starting. I was looking toward the ship landing site at Long Beach, prepared to be a silent witness, already knowing what had happened during the battle.
There came a terrible wind, with waves roaring all around me. I was terrified as I finally noticed my location, standing on the surface of the ocean, looking at Long Beach, as the waves crashed all around me. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the wind died down. The ocean waves calmed, only to be replaced by a dense blinding fog.
In my vision, the fog dissipated, and I saw a great war being waged in the stars against a backdrop of darkness blacker than space. The darkness was in the likeness of an enormous serpent, or maybe a serpentine dragon.
The dark serpent looked on as one battle flowed into another in a great interstellar war. I realized as one battle folded into another, that time itself was folding up, moving relentlessly toward an inevitable point. It confused me, not knowing if time was flowing backward or forward.
I kept watching until I was once again standing alone in vigil over Los Angeles, with the Moon looming in the sky. The Moon, so large, seemed to be watching me. I thought of the enemy base at Darkside and how close the invaders had come to opening the portal and letting the real monsters through.
I knew this was a call to walk upon the waters, no matter how deep, no matter the waves, no matter the darkness. To trust and be at peace despite the circumstances. This was a dream I would need to remember and hold to in the days to come.
THANK YOU!
Thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading Battle for Earth as much as I enjoyed writing it. Now. To review, or not to review, that is the question.
This is the first full length novel I have written. The writing was surprisingly easy, though the whole business side of the experience has been a bit more difficult. That’s to be expected I suppose. It’s been worth it, as the next books in the series take form.
If you enjoyed the book, I have a favor to ask. Would you consider leaving a rating, perhaps a short review? Ratings and reviews are important for readers. They’re a huge part of that business side of things for an author as well, and would truly be appreciated.
To make it simple, here is a link to the Amazon review page for: Shockwave, Battle for Earth.
https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?&asin=B089587LJV
Or, you can go to amazon.com and sign-in to your Amazon account.
In the search window, type: hammer trollkin.
Click on the Kindle book.
Scroll down and see Customer reviews. Click on: Write a customer review.
Until next time, I’m hoping nothing but good comes your way.
-Hammer
INTERLUDE. Between the Storms. Viz. Roll.
It was like a long calm before the inevitable storm. Humanity had faced
