BAD RAIN: A SCI-FICTION THRILLER Read online

  The General said, “Janet, what you’re saying is true. The problem is that if any of the nuclear warheads go off, they probably will break up part of Mother. This might stop E-1 and his Collectors, but any piece from the break up would eventually be attracted to Earth by its gravitational pull. When the pieces arrive, our atmosphere will not burn up the larger pieces. The ones that make it through might still destroy Earth. But you’re right, there’s always hope for a miracle, some variation here that works in our favor.”

  Jeff asked, “Aren’t there other weapons we can use? What about putting good old dynamite, C-5 explosives or some virulent strain of black gunpowder. Anything to help with the blast.”

  “We don’t have enough time to round up that stuff,” the General said, “set timers and drop them. Besides, the blast power of what your talking about on a ship the size of our moon would be like pissing in the ocean. It just wouldn’t make any difference.”

  Woods asked, “What about the Ion warheads you fired from the missile platforms in orbit? Don’t we have anymore of those being manufactured or stored somewhere?”

  “Yes, we have eight in stock,” the General said with a hesitation. “These warheads would be the answer to our problem because they pack a blast equivalent to 1000 NBTs each. That’s 8000 NBTs sitting in a warehouse, but we can’t use them. You see, the Ion factor is extremely sensitive. I guess you could compare it to nitroglycerin, with a million times the power. There is absolutely no way these bombs could be dropped from a helicopter and sucked onto Collectors. They would explode on contact and each would kill half the human race.”

  “Unbelievable!” Donemore said. “We have the bombs sitting there and can’t use them! How did you get them into orbit and loaded onto the missile platform in the first place?”

  “First the platforms and missiles were built and brought up by the space shuttle. Then individual components of the Ion warheads were specially packaged and brought up, again by the shuttle. Once everything was in orbit, our scientists carefully assembled the new weapon and highly sensitive warheads. Even the engines on the missiles were specially designed. They ignite slowly and build thrust slowly to prevent the warheads from being jolted or rocked back and forth. If we didn’t do it that way, the Ion warheads would explode. Needless to say, they will not take being dropped from a helicopter and sucked onto a Collector without exploding.”

  The room was quiet. The battle seemed over. The men were acting like men, be strong, show no weakness. It was a trait of Man on Earth, in the soon to be extinct Man of the third planet from the sun. Generals, Captains and Directors were supposed to set examples. Never give up the ship, even if you’re treading water.

  The silence wore on the General until he said, “Well, if we’re going down, let’s try and take Mother with us.”

  He looked at Captain Stewart and said, “Get as many warheads onto The Collectors as possible.”

  As the military people went about doing their jobs without question, Janet, Jeff, Donemore and Woods sat there quietly. Woods was not thinking of defeat, rather how to defeat. As the others talked about doomsday, he was in deep thought about the Ion warheads. “We have the bombs, but how do we make a house call. There must be a way. The Collectors are the perfect answer but the method we’re using won’t work. So what will?”

  Out of the blue Woods jumped up and yelled, “I’ve got it!”

  Everyone in the room turned toward him as though he had just communicated with God and was about to reveal the eleventh commandment.

  “You’ve got what, son?” the General asked.

  Woods said straightway, “We can use the Ion factor.”

  The General looked at him and said, “Haven’t you been listening to me, Woods? They are too unstable!”

  “I have been listening,” Woods said, “and I believe there is a way to use those Ion warheads safely. Well, somewhat safely, but I think it’s worth the risk. I have to make a call first.”

  While Woods pounded out a number on his cell phone, the General exclaimed, “Okay, Woods, you always seem to have these crazy ideas that work. Let’s hear this one.”

  Woods held up his hand as to quiet the room while he spoke into the phone, “Agent Audet, is it still trying to free itself?”

  “Damn right, this sucker is rockin’ and rollin’. I believe it’s going to get free and soon.”

  “Great! Call me if anything changes.”

  Woods hung up, looked at the General and said, “Do you remember the downed Collector that Donemore and I went to see two days ago? We told you then that this Collector was unique because it appeared undamaged and was highly magnetized. Plus by some fluke accident it was upside down and stuck in the Florida sandy soil. We have a team of agents out there watching it and they believe it’s trying to free itself.”

  The General was not a patient man to begin with and was even worse when the pressure of knowing all life would die in two days. “Get to the point!”

  Woods replied, “We take the Ion warheads and put them in something metal, like a truck or something, and let the Collector at the site suck it onto its surface. But we control the speed as it’s being drawn onto the metal surface. Then you get your biggest helicopters and run straps down to the Collector and help free it from the sand. If everything goes okay, the freed Collector heads back to Mother’s precious home base with 8000 NBTs aboard—and, Merry Christmas!”

  Donemore said, “He’s right, sir! This one Collector could be an answer or at least give us hope. Can it be done?”

  Captain Stewart and the General were softly talking to each other, seeming to ignore her comment. Finally, the General said, “If I understand Woods’ idea, I believe it can be done! It’ll be damn risky, but it’s worth a try!”

  A cheer went up in the control room, as hope was all mankind had right now.

  The General looked at Woods and said, “Okay, I can get the Ion warheads loaded onto four small trucks, two warheads in each. We can have them at the downed Collector site in twelve hours.

  “I want you and Donemore out at the site to take charge of getting the Ions aboard as soon as they arrive. My problem is you said this thing was highly magnetized and rocking back and forth as we speak. How do you plan on getting the trucks to attach to the Collector without it jolting the Ions? And how do we keep the Collector immobile until we want it to break free?”

  Woods replied, “Use ropes, pulleys, tow trucks and winches to control the speed of the trucks as they’re being sucked onto The Collector. On the other part, let’s just hope the Collector doesn’t get itchy pants for the next twelve hours.”

  General Stormer responded, “I meant that, with this thing rocking back and forth, how do you know the rocking won’t set off the Ions?”

  “I don’t. But when we were out there last time, the Collector was rocking from side to side only gently. The center of the huge monster is fairly still, being wedged into the sand. I’ll coordinate slowly letting the trucks be sucked onto the center and have the helicopters lift it out as soon as the warheads are attached. This should minimize the risk of the Ions’ blowing.”

  Captain Stewart added, “We have C-11 lift helicopters in the area. I’m sure we can hook up enough lift straps to set the Collector free the second the bombs are aboard.”

  “It’s high risk,” the General said, “but I guess right now we have no choice. Woods, how long has that Collector been out there and what’s your best estimate on setting a timer to blow the Ion warheads?”

  Woods replied, “The Collector has been on the ground for almost two days now. If you get the Ions aboard in twelve hours, that leaves us with roughly half a day in a three-day cycle. Of course, if it has been down here longer than three days, we have no idea what this thing will do. Maybe it’ll fly directly back to Mother, or maybe it’s programmed for self-destruction. It’s all a guess.”

  Listening to all this guesswork, the CIA Director said, “I have extensively studied the pattern of the Collectors moving to
and from their home base. The satellite pictures show that when a Collector arrives back at home base, they maneuver to allow the flat surface to face outward. Then the huge Collector slowly moves the long tubes into position and locks onto Mother. They must fit extremely tight onto the mother ship because there is no indication that the Collector is even there once it has locked.”

  General Stormer again showed his impatient side by saying, “Are you going somewhere with this, Michael.”

  “Sorry, sir, my point is if the fit on Mother is too tight the Collector will crush the four trucks of Ion warheads as it tries to lock onto Mother. So you don’t need a timer to set off the warheads. The pressure will do it,” Michael replied.

  The General responded, “I’m sorry Michael, I’m a little on edge, and it’s getting down to doomsday. Actually your idea makes the most sense of all. Even if this Collector doesn’t set off the Ions by the tight fit, the other nuclear bombs going off probably will.”

  Woods chimed in, “Great observation, Michael, even greater idea.”

  While Woods was making his comment, the General was already on the phone putting the plan into action. Captain Stewart also made calls and arranged for the huge helicopters to bring in the proper equipment preparation to leave as soon as he gave the go ahead.

  Woods and Donemore went out to the site immediately to organize the best way to position the trucks with the Ion warheads aboard. They found the center and most stable part of the rocking Collector and placed a large red ribbon around a bush nearby. Then they moved away from the ribbon a little over forty-two hundred feet and setup an area where two of the largest tow trucks they could find were called in and placed. Woods got his men to do everything possible to anchor the large tow trucks. While he did that, Donemore made arrangements with the Florida Department of Forestry to bring in one of their fire fighting bulldozers. Wild fires were common in central Florida, so it wasn’t long before one of the fire-line cutters was rumbling up to the two tow trucks.

  Woods gathered everyone together and explained the plan. “First, I want everyone to remove any metal you may have on. This thing is extremely magnetic and will pull you toward it if you have any on at all. That includes watches, buckles, and so on. Second, I want the dozer to be positioned head straight at the red ribbon near the center of the Collector. Third, you tow truck operators attach your towlines securely to the back of the dozer. Once the operator of the dozer starts moving and cutting a path toward the Collector, the tow trucks will need to tighten those lines. At a certain point, the dozer will feel the huge ship starting to pull it in.

  “The force will get stronger as it approaches the Collector, so it’s extremely important to have the tow trucks compensate the force by holding back on the tow lines and slowly let the dozer cut the path to the ship. If at any time something goes wrong, just jump off the dozer and you’ll be safe because the magnetic force will not affect those not wearing metal items. Our goal is to cut a nice smooth path down to the ship and hopefully pull the dozer back. Any questions?”

  There were no questions, so Woods yelled, “Let’s get started!”

  The bulldozer was in place in short order and the towlines attached. As the operator got aboard and started the engine, Woods reminded him to jump clear if something went wrong. He nodded and with the movement of a few levers, the machine jerked forward. Slowly it began heading directly at the huge Collector, pushing everything in its path out of the way. The tow truck operators worked perfectly together, feeding out just enough line as not to hinder the forward progress of the bulldozer. After a few hundred yards, the towlines suddenly became taut and the dozer operator yelled to confirm the Collector was pulling him in. The tow trucks compensated for the extra force and allowed the bulldozer to continue on at the same speed.

  Donemore put her hand on Woods and commented, “Everything seems to be working fine.”

  “Yeah, no one’s died yet. Let’s keep our fingers crossed it continues.”

  As the bulldozer continued even closer, the tow trucks kept adjusting the tension until you could see they were straining to keep it from racing inward. Woods took a look through his binoculars and went over to the tow trucks. “Hang in there, guys, the dozer only has less then a hundred feet to go.”

  One of the operators replied, “Dam good thing, sir. This is really starting to put a strain on the motors.”

  The other responded, “I think you should have some of your men try and secure these tow trucks down a little more. I know mine is starting to lean slightly.”

  Agent woods yelled for as many men as possible to do whatever they could to help putting more anchor ropes onto the trucks. Once they started, he grabbed his binoculars and watched the bulldozer as it finally reached the Collector. When it did, the operator started waving his arms. Woods turned and yelled, “Okay, he reached it, let’s pull him back now.”

  Both tow trucks pushed their rigs into gear and started slowly reeling the bulldozer back. The trucks groaned in protest. Everyone was quiet as the sound of straining metal echoed into the now dark evening sky. Slowly the dozer was being retrieved. The tow truck operators were watching the cables and truck motion very carefully. They knew their equipment and were feeling confident the trucks could do the job. But, they also knew if a cable snapped or a gear slipped, things could go bad, and very quickly.

  The further they pulled the bulldozer away from the Collector, the easier it got for the trucks to pull. Soon the straining subsided and the dozer was retrieved, out of the grasp of the Collector. The operator of the bulldozer jumped off and said, “That thing is huge and it sure had an attraction for my big toy. For a while there, I didn’t think you guys were going to be able to pull me back. I could hear the tow’s straining from down there. But it worked, we have a nice cleared smooth path down to the giant.”

  Woods said, “Thank the almighty that Florida is flat as a pancake and nothing but sand. If we had to bring in heavy equipment to cut trees and level hills to clear a path it would have taken too long, disastrously too long. You guys did a great job. Now that we have a path cut down to the Collector, all we have to do is wait until the trucks arrive.”

  “I just was on the phone with the General,” Donemore said. “As usual, anytime someone says it’ll take twelve hours to prepare it ends up taking double that. The Ions won’t be here until noon tomorrow.”

  Woods took a look at his watch and said, “Great! Typical military, hurry up and wait! They’re cutting this awfully close, but if the Ions get here at noon tomorrow, and it takes a while to load, we still might be out of time.”

  “I told the General the same thing, but he’s the boss and if he can’t get those trucks ready any faster, no one can.”

  Woods said, “We might as well use the time to add some power to this operation. I’m calling in two more tow trucks to be on the safe side. The other two trucks can go over the equipment and double-check everything. The next trucks we ease down the path will be extremely important. One screw up and we’re all vaporized.”

  He then asked the bulldozer operator to swing the dozer around the back of the tow trucks and attach another line between it and the tow trucks to help secure them even more.

  It was now midnight and Donemore touched Woods’ shoulder. He was startled and turned to notice her looking skyward, her mouth and eyes wide open. Woods looked up and instantly assumed the same face. In the midnight sky was a curtain of incoming red light, a wave across the sky like a giant red sheet flipping up and down. The waves in the sheet glittered with tiny twinkling red lights. Then as if the giant decided that red was the wrong color to put on his bed, the sheet turned to green, and the entire sky flooded with green tiny lights.

  “My God, how beautiful!” Donemore said as she took Woods’ hand. Time and reality came to a halt as the two, long-time partners stood holding hands and looking up at the night sky, the darkness putting on a extraterrestrial show that had them both mesmerized.

  Then Mother fired two lig
ht blasts that shot a pure white bolt into the changing red and green glimmering waves. The bolts pierced the sky and changed from white to light red, then light green and back to white as they passed through the waves.

  Woods finally snapped out of it and looked around. Everyone was looking skyward as he reached for his cell phone and realized Donemore had a firm grip on his hand. Without saying anything he pulled his hand away which didn’t even disturb Donemore in her stare at the heavens.

  He called Jeff back at the control room and paced back and forth impatiently until he answered. “Jeff, the sky is alive with waves of colors. Is this the beginning of the end?”

  Jeff replied, “What colors are you seeing?”

  “First red, then green.”

  “Okay, at least you see green second.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “It means this very well could be the end, but at least if you saw red then green, it means the atmosphere about seventy-five to eighty miles up is now being affected. If you saw green, blue then red, well, simply put, we’re all dead. I’ll head up to the observation tower and see if I can tell what’s going on.”

  “Thanks, Jeff. By the way, buddy, we are finished out here. Do you mind if Donemore and I crash at your house again tonight. It’s late and we have to be back out here by early morning,” Woods said.

  Jeff replied, “No problem, Janet and I are heading up to the tower then home. See you there.”

  Donemore had heard the conversation while still looking upward in awe. “What did Jeff say?”

  “Just pray we don’t see any blue!”

  With an all out effort to concentrate on the operation at hand, Agent Woods yelled to everyone to break their fascination with the colors in the sky. “The trucks won’t be here until noon tomorrow. I want everyone to get some sleep. We need to be sharp tomorrow. We will slowly let four trucks be attracted by that monster down there. One screw up and we’re all dead. I think that puts it plain enough. Be here at eight sharp to prepare.”