The Impossible Future: Complete set Frank Kennedy (freenovel24 .TXT) 📖

James saw a discipline in these great red beasts that he needed if he was survive the maddening pain of the dark.

The three angel warriors wiped out the enemy with calm efficiency. Somewhere in the crossfire, the chief lost one of her last four fighters. But the hillside settled into sudden peace.

Michael and Sammie joined him. Together with Ophelia Tomelin and the thin man, Brey, they descended the hill a hundred meters, where the Scramjet hovered above the scarred surface.

“Are they what I think?” James whispered to Sammie.

She smiled. “Peacekeepers. Exactly as Daddy described them.”

He didn’t know if her tears were for joy at having survived or seeing at last what she always dreamed of becoming.

“Right,” Michael said. “So, don’t take this the wrong way, Sammie. But that stunt you pulled with the M16 and the helicopter yesterday? Sorry, but I gotta give the award to these guys. Seriously.” Michael stopped, tugged at James’s shirt, and frowned. “Dude. It was yesterday, right? I mean, all that shit we went through. It feels like forever but …”

“I know, Coop. It’s happening so fast.” He looked at both his friends. “What I did back there just now … I was out of control, I was selfish. And you’re right, Coop. I think we were in Austin Springs like twelve hours ago. Can’t say the last time I slept.”

Ophelia, walking in front of the threesome, lowered her voice but made sure the teens heard her.

“A word of caution. I know the man who just saved us, and I suggest when you meet him, you avoid any attempts at humor and most important, limit the details of what transpired before you crossed the IDF. No one beyond this hillside realizes you are here, and he can make sure no one ever does.” She focused on James. “I advise you to remove that thump gun at once.”

Brey leaned into her. “Why did you include him instream? He has never been worth our trust. Even his wife didn’t …”

“Brey, he wasn’t linked in. Someone else in the chain alerted him. But he’s our savior. Perhaps your mouth should also remain shut.”

James knew this was not intel Ophelia wanted out in the open, and his stomach tightened as they neared the waiting Scramjet. He jiggered the thump gun off his hand and dropped it in the grass. Fat lot of good it will do against peacekeepers, he mused.

Standing at attention, their weapons up, four crimson-clad peacekeepers protected the open starboard entry. Up close, James’s admiration grew. They cut a stunning figure of anatomical perfection: Wide, expansive chests with massive pectorals, knotting and heaving upper arms, tightly formed abdomen and thighs like tree trunks.

When he was 13, Jamie fell in love with the idea of becoming a bodybuilder. He bought magazines, cut out photos of men posing at Mr. Universe competitions, watched iron-pumpers on YouTube, and convinced his parents to buy him weights. A month later, he fell in love with his first skateboard and never touched the weights again.

“Terminators,” Michael whispered. “In the movies? It’s a row of Schwarzeneggers. But taller. Sweet.”

The chief and her three surviving fighters also stood at attention, facing the peacekeepers from a distance, holding their disengaged thump guns at their sides.

Everyone recognized who was in charge when he stepped off the ship. He towered over most of the peacekeepers, who James thought at least seven feet tall. His full beard, along with his thick, generous brown hair, was well-coiffed. He winked as he addressed the first peacekeeper, his hands behind his back. He studied everyone in that field with care, his medals reflecting the late afternoon sun and his red/black cape catching the nip of a breeze. He wore tall, ornately buckled boots, his pants tucked into them.

Ophelia stepped forward. “Admiral Augustus Perrone,” she said. “We owe you our lives.”

His curt smile showed no generosity. “Yes, Ophelia. You have been sloppy. You must admit. But I believe you have … prizes?”

He turned his attention to the teens. At once, James sensed a familiarity in the man’s features.

“Yes, Admiral. You will recognize them from the stream. I …”

He waved her off. “The only three to return. Yes?” James wasn’t sure whether he was asking them a question. “I think I’d love to hear about the other Earth. Yes, I would.”

He wasn’t sure whether it was the tone of voice, the hue in the eyes, the posture, but James knew this man from somewhere.

“I would be curious because I think you three might offer a bountiful explanation. For instance, I might want to know how my wife and my three-year-old son fended for themselves. And why, after all that time, they did not return … with … you.”

James realized the connection the instant Michael whispered, “Oh, shit.”

7

S AMMIE STEPPED FORWARD AND OFFERED HER HAND, which Perrone accepted.

“Admiral, my name is Samantha Hugg … Pynn. My parents were Walter and Grace Pynn, lead observers. As their daughter, I will be thrilled to answer any questions.”

His smile showed pleasant surprise. “Yes, I knew the Pynns. Their descendency has a sterling history of adherence to Chancellor principles.” He touched her cheek. “I see the resemblance. Yes. After crossing the fold, you told Dr. Tomelin all the others were dead. That would include Walter and Grace?”

Sammie appeared steady, but James feared how she might fare if the questions became too specific. In the final hour of their drive to the fold, they agreed on a storyline to explain why no one else survived. They expected extensive questions, but never this twist.

“Yes, sir. My parents are gone.”

“Enlighten me, Samantha. All those observers, and neither of these boys were among them. The math is confounding.”

“Admiral, there was a conflict. My parents – and your wife and son – were betrayed. They were killed