Chapter 1
Arctic Circle
1897
It was freezing cold in the Arctic Circle. All around them were vast arctic desert complete with icebergs. A derelict sailing vessel was tilting, having been trapped in ice. The crew worked desperately to free the ship with axes slamming against hard ice.
The ship's Captain moved along behind his men yelling, "Put your backs into it or we'll be chopping our way back to The States!" The pack of Huskies that they had taken with them start howling up a commotion at the snow caps.
"There's something out there!" A sailor yelled excitedly.
Suddenly the Huskies bolted off. The Captain grabbed his rifle and lantern while he shouted for two of his crew men to follow him after the dogs. The dogs led the men over one of the arctic shells. They jumped from flow to flow and they finally stopped as the dogs halted and pawed at the snow.
"Whatever it is, it's below!" The second sailor stated.
"Nothing's alive below the ice-" The Captain was cut off as suddenly a huge rift opened and the sailors dive to safety. But they were not all successful as one of the dogs fell through. The Captain tried to grab for the dog as they went but managed to slide himself through the whole.
"CAPTAIN!" His crew yelled after him. "CAPTAIN!"
The Captain screamed as the dog and himself slid down the fissure landing hard on something. His lantern cracks and the kerosene fire casted flickering shadows across the ice walls. The dog whimpered in pain and he could barely hear his crew from above.
Dazed, the Captain stood up and got his bearings back. He called up to his men, "I'm okay Lads!" The Captain looked around and realized he is standing on the palm of a gigantic steel hand that is half in, half out of the ice. A mechanical face is embedded within the ice wall, expression frozen in a scream.
The Captain can't believe what he's seeing. He wiped away the ice on the hand to reveal a symbol on the mechanoid. Mesmerized, the Captain pulled out a pick-axe. He started to chop away at the ice to get a better look.
The ice cracks which triggered something on the robot's chassis. A laser blast sears the Captain's eyes, for a millisecond the Captain sees a flash and then sees alien symbols. The Captain screamed in pain, clutching his eyes. The dog, seeing his master in pain, started barking up a storm, trying to get help.
The Captain's spectacles went flying and they cracked as they hit the floor.
The second sailor yelled, "Captain?!" A beat of silence as the sailor waited for a response. Then he yelled again, "Captain!"
The Captain was trembling and on his knees. His pupils have turned completely white. His hands scrambled for the specticalls as he realized he was now blind. Fire reflected through the now-cracked glasses and showed a strange pattern inscribed on the glass.
Tranquility, Nevada
September 2007
Jenna Lennox closed the reports from 1897 with a sigh and stretched out her back. It had been several hours since she had dropped Sam off at school and had the weird Skype-call with Will. Jenna had brought her work with her as she was in the middle of an archivist project based on Project Iceman.
She heard the keys to the front door and she quickly gathered up the reports in the correct manila folders and put them into her backpack just in time for her Dad to walk through the door, "Hey Dad, is it time to pick up Sam already?"
Ron Witwicky looked at his watch, "Yup. This thing says it's almost one. We should go early so that we can get a good spot to park."
Jenna gave her Dad a smile, "Sure." She closed her laptop and put it into her backpack. She left her backpack by her spot on the couch, and grabbed her purse. She ignored her black blazer as it was still hot as hell even though it was the beginning of September.
They got to Tranquility High School within ten minutes before the last bell rang. When the bell did ring, the school got noticeably louder as students raced out of the school, glad for a weekend of fun.
Sam took five minutes longer before Jenna could see him race out of the school, his backpack slung over one shoulder, a big grin on his face, holding his report with his left hand. He shouted, "Yes! Dad, I got the A!"
Dad half turned around to get a good look at the grade Sam's teacher had given him, just to make sure it was actually an A. "Let's see then."
Sam practically shoved his report in Dad's face, exclaiming, "It's an A minus but it's still an A though, right?"
Dad pretended to think about it for a second, just to watch Sam get antsy before he sagely nodded and declared, "Yes, you got it."
"YES!" Sam's scream pierced Jenna's eardrums.
"Sam! Not so loud!" Jenna complained, rubbing her ears.
"Don't care! I get to buy my first CAR!" Sam yelled with joy. Jenna winced with how loud Sam was being. She was pretty sure her husband just heard Sam's exclamations over in Qatar. Dad grumbled about how he hoped this wasn't a mistake as he turned the car on and pulled out of the parking spot.
As they drove past auto dealerships, Sam stared excitedly as everything passed by. Sam practically began vibrating as Ron veered left toward a Porsche dealership. Jenna raised an eyebrow at her Dad who, in turn, winked at her. Ah, so that's how he was going to play it. Ron had done something similar to Jenna, who had fallen for it completely. Looks like history was going to repeat itself with Sam.
Ron morphed his face into a fake smile, "Got a surprise for you, Sam…." He trailed off, leaving Sam to connect the dots.
"Oh no! Dad, no!" Sam screamed in utter bliss. He banged his hand on the door to the car in excitement.
Then Dad laughed, "Ha, you're not getting a Porsche." Ron started the car back onto the street, still laughing at Sam's devastated look.
"You think that's funny?"
"Yeah, I do."
By now, Jenna was also laughing along with her Dad, "Honestly, Sam. Did you expect Dad to buy you a Porsche for your first car?"
Sam just looked at Jenna and said sullenly, "Shut up."
They pulled up outside a seedy dealership called Bolivia's Auto Resale. Sam got out of the car first to look at his poor car choices. Jenna bit her lip, looking the place up and down. She leaned in and whispered to her Dad, "You know, I can chip in a couple thousand so Sam doesn't have to get a piece of crap."
Dad looked at Jenna, "Jenna. It's his first car. This is a Witwicky tradition."
Jenna sighed, "Yeah, I know." She got out of the car and closed the door.
Sam seemed to voice her concerns, "Dad, what is this? You said a car, not a half a piece of crap, Dad!"
Dad shot back, "When I was your age, I would've been grateful with four wheels and an engine."
Jenna looked around the place for at least a decent car for Sam. She spotted a car that caught her eye. A 1970s Camero was in place by the gas station. Huh. She could have sworn that there was no car there when they drove past. She walked over to the Camero, curious. She heard Sam say, "Let me explain something to you. This screams forty year old virgin and this is fifty year old virgin."
"No sacrifice, no victory." Dad parroted. Jenna sighed and walked away from the Camero back to her Dad. He always stated that when he didn't want to pay for something. Cheap-ass.
A guy walked up to them, "Gentleman."
Jenna coughed.
The man glanced at her and then corrected himself, "And Lady." The man introduced himself as "Bobby Bolivia," Hm, Bolivia. He must be the owner. "Like the country, but without the runs." Jenna gave a 'what the fuck' look to Sam who shrugged back. Bobby laughed while he shook Dad's hand, "How can I help you today?"
"Well, my son here is looking to buy his first car."
Bobby placed a hand over his heart, "You came to see me?" He asked, seriously. Oh boy, this guy was a drama queen.
Sam murmured out, "Had to."
Bobby broke into a grin, "That practically makes us family. Uncle Bobby B, baby. Uncle Bobby B." He extended a hand for Sam to shake, which he did reluctantly. Bobby swung his arms around Sam, pulling him away from Dad, "I've been doing this a long time, kid that first enchilada of freedom's just waitin' under one of these hoods. See, drivers don't pick their cars, nossir, cars pick their drivers. It's a mystical bond between man and machine. I'm a lot of things, but a liar's not one of them." Bobby explained to Sam.
Jenna snorted. Yup, definitely a drama queen. Though he was probably over playing it for potential customers.
"Especially not in front of my mammy." Bobby turned and pointed at the house next to the car dealership. Two elderly women were sitting on lawn chairs in the front lawn, "That's my mammy. Hey Mammy!" He yelled over to the two elderly women.
One of the women looked over, Jenna assumed it was Bobby's mother, but then she flipped him a middle finger. Bobby called out, "Don't be like that! If I had a rock, I'd bust your head, bitch."
Jenna blinked in shock. Wow. Drama queen and a rude asshole. No wonder he had no business.
Sam passed cars, examining each one. One looked like a bad minivan and other ones just looked like junk metal. Sam stopped as he noticed the yellow Camaro. Sam put his hand on the car, tracing a finger along black racing stripes. Jenna smiled. She knew he would spot the Camaro.
"Least it's got racing stripes." Sam stated, still rubbing his hand on the car in an attempt to look like he knew what he was doing.
"Yeah, that's got racing stripes-" Bobby trailed off as he did a double take at the Camaro. He looked confused as hell. Jenna frowned. Shouldn't the owner of the dealership know what cars he has on his lot? "Where'd this one come from?" Boby exclaimed. He called an employee, "MANNY!" A man, whom Jenna could only assume was Manny, ran out of the building, "What the heck is this shit?"
Manny threw up his hands in exasperation, "I don't know boss. That's loco!"
Sam got into the car's driver seat. Jenna stood outside the car, watching Sam. She didn't want to ruin his moment of buying his first car by also getting into it, "Gee, an actual operating eight track." Sam sassed. Ouch. Sam was still pissed at having to choose between one crap car and another crap car.
Sam looked up at Bobby, "How much?"
Bobby was startled and began to draw up numbers out of his ass, "Well, considering the semi classic nature of the vehicle, the slick wheels and the custom paint job-"
Sam interrupted Bobby here, "Yeah, but the paint is faded."
"But it's custom." Bobby shot right back.
Sam gave Bobby a inquisitive look, "It's custom faded?"
"Well, it's your first car. I wouldn't expect you to understand." Bobby basically snarked, "Five grand."
Jenna couldn't believe what she was hearing. This guy was crap at negotiations. Especially customer service.
Dad shook his head, "Not paying above four. Sorry."
Bobby put his hand on the door, "Four? Kid outta the car."
Sam looked panicked, but opened the door to climb out of the car, "But you said cars choose their drivers!"
Bobby snarked right back, "Yeah, well sometimes they choose one that's outta their price range. Now, this one here's a beautiful-"
As Bolivia climbed into an Edsel to show it off, the Camaro's passenger door swings open and slams into the Edsel, nearly crushing Bolivia. Thrown but covering, he climbed out, "Uh, no problem, we can hammer that out easy. Meantime, feast your eyes on that one, it's a-"
As Bobby closed the Camaro door, its radio gave an ear piercing shriek so loud that the windows in every car on the parking lot exploded. Jenna put her hands on her ears, screamed as she ducked down to try to avoid the falling glass.
Jenna stood up slowly in shock at the state of the cars. "What the fuck?" She breathed out.
Bobby's eyes were huge as he spun around in a panic, thinking about how the hell is he supposed to have the money to fix this. He spun around and held up four fingers to the group desperately, "Four thousand!"
Dad took Sam off to the side while Bobby and Manny drew up the paperwork, "One promise. If for any reason, and I'm not accusing you of anything, you think you shouldn't drive? Call me and I'll just pick you up. No questions asked." Jenna supposed she shouldn't be overhearing this conversation. It seemed like a father-son moment, but she couldn't resist herself listening in.
Sam let out a weak smile, "Thanks Dad." Sam gave their Dad a huge hug.
Dad ruffled Sam's hair, "No problem kiddo."
Sam had driven her back to the house, just to show off his new car. Jenna chatted along the way about school, his friends, and eventually the topic came up about a girl, "So, who is she?" Jenna asked.
Sam took a quick glance at her, but kept his eyes on the road, "I don't know what you mean."
Jenna smiled, "Don't play with me Sam. You can't hide anything from me. I know you have liked Mikaela Barnes since elementary school. Recently, though, it's turned into something more than just stalking."
"I am not stalking Mikaela Barnes." Sam's voice broke when he stated 'stalking' but he kept his ground.
"Oh really? Where is Mikaela going to be this evening?"
Sam mumbled something.
Jenna broke out into a wide grin. She got him. She cupped her left ear, "What was that? I can't hear you."
"Tranquility lake. She'll be there from six thirty to ten." Sam quickly fumbled up a response to why he knew that information, "T-that's because there is going to be a huge party tonight. She was invited."
Jenna smirked at her brother, "And how do you know that?"
"Cause I overheard her and Trent talking before class." Sam stated in a monotone.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Jenna asked playfully. Then she turned serious, "Do you love her?"
"I-" Sam stopped, thinking, "I'm not sure. I do like her. I mean, she's hot."
Jenna looked at her brother, "Just because she's hot doesn't mean that she is the right girl for you, Sam."
Sam sighed, "I know." Sam glanced at her and then back at the road, "And I'm not just saying that because that's what you expect me to say. It's just, she doesn't even know I exist. If I got to know her then I could probably tell you if I love her versus just liking her."
Jenna gave Sam a knowing smile, "Boy Sam. You leave your brother for a year and suddenly he's become a man."
"Shut up." Sam's cheeks turned pink.
Jenna was in her childhood room laying on her twin sized bed and reading a book. The comforter was of a dark purple and the sheets and pillow cases were of a lilac purple. The walls were also light purple. There was also a dresser and a desk in the room. The window opened out into the backyard.
It had been a long day. Unfortunately, it wasn't over for her yet. Jenna could hear Sam in the next room talking to himself, "Okay Mojo, I got the car, now I need the girl. I gotta have money to take out the girl. That is what I really need."
Jenna heard typing on a keyboard, "Zero bids. Great." Jenna frowned. What was Sam trying to sell now? She got up off the bed and walked into Sam's room to investigate.
"Hey Sam, whatcha doing?"
Sam turned around with a yelp, turning the computer screen off so Jenna couldn't see what he was doing, "Don't startle me like that!"
Mojo barked from the bed, "Do you want your pain pills, Mojo?" Jenna cooed at the dog. Poor thing had a broken leg, "Sam, do you still have his pills?"
Sam went into his desk drawer and got the pill bottle, "Yup. Right here." He opened the bottle and gave him a pill stating sternly, "Alright, I know you get wasted on these things, but if you piss in my bed again, you're sleeping outside. Got it?"
Sam wiped the dog slobber on his pants, put the lid back on the pain pills and put the container in his jacket pocket, "That's it for today, no more." Sam stated as Mojo begged Sam for another by whining, "Crackhead."
Jenna giggled, "You basically just drugged your dog."
Sam grimaced, "I know."
Jenna followed Sam out of the house and onto the back deck were our parents were doing yard work. Dad was working on his path while Mom was working in her garden planting flowers she had gotten yesterday.
"Ron, this one's uneven." Mom stated to Dad.
"Yeah, probably."
"And this one's wobbly."
"Yeah, I'll take care of that real soon."
"Oh couldn't we have hired a professional?" Mom complained to Dad.
"We don't need a professional, I'm doing just fine by myself." Dad retorted.
Sam dangled his keys, showing them off to his parents before stepping on the lawn to begin to make his way to the parked Camaro in the driveway. Dad huffed and exclaimed, "Aww Sam. I do not like footsteps on my grass." Dad threw down his tool he was using in exasperation.
Sam looked around at the grass, confused, "Wha- there's no footprints."
"That's why I built my path." Dad stated, he motioned his hands toward the stone path that Dad had been working on all summer, "So why don't you go from my grass onto my path, okay?"
"It's family grass, Dad." Sam sighed.
"Well, when you own your own grass you'll understand."
Sam walked over to were Mojo was hanging out in his cute little dog house, "This, I can't do it anymore."
"What?" Mom asked Sam as he rushed up to her.
He pointed at Mojo, "You're putting girl jewelry on a boy dog. He's got enough self-esteem issues as a Chihuahua Mom."
"That's his bling." Mom protested.
Sam eventually gave up and stalked to his new car, "I want you home by eleven o'clock." Dad yelled.
Sam opened the driver side door and got into the Camaro, "Yeah, alright."
"Eleven o'clock!" Dad repeated.
"Please, for the love of God, drive safely." Mom yelled. Sam turned on the car.
"Seat belt on!" Dad called as the car let out a huge puff of black smoke out of the exhaust pipe. The three of them watched as Sam drove away and the smoke drifted across the yard.
"Wow. You are so cheap."
"Well, it's his first car. Supposed to be like that." Dad stated.
Jenna, along with her parents were eating dinner at the table while the T.V. was turned onto the news in the living room.
"So, how's the job?" Mom asked as they ate.
Jenna's cover job was still that of an archivist but it was for an assistant director of the Hoover Dam's Archive. The Archive wasn't shown on tours but it was mentioned on tours of the place. It was sometimes used by scholars to keep the ruse of her false position up. On those days Jenna had to stop what she was doing and supervise the scholar. For that purpose, they used a library reading-room in the civilian area. It was super annoying and took away time from her actual work. But she knew that she needed to keep a cover.
"It's going well. We're in the middle of a massive recategorization project. So that's taking up all my time at the moment."
"That's wonderful honey." Her Mom replied.
A voice she recognized came from the TV. It was the Secretary of Defense, Keller. She frowned. Normally he didn't hold press conferences. She wandered into the living room just in time to hear, "At this time, we can't confirm if there are any survivors." Jenna frowned, Who was attacked?
"Our bases worldwide are, as of now, at DEFCON Delta, our highest readiness level. We're dealing with a very effective weapons system that we have not come across before. But our prayers are with the families of the brave men and women whose lives were lost."
"Jenna," Her Dad asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know Dad. I think one of our bases was attacked. They're saying no survivors."
"My God. That's terrible." Mom declared, frowning.
A sudden pit formed in her stomach. She remembered that her Skype-call with Will had been cut off. Perhaps? No. It couldn't be his base. She was jumping to conclusions. Yes, that was it, "I have to call someone." She rushed to her phone and dialed Simmons number, "Simmons. The base." She breathed out panicking, "What base was attacked?"
She heard Simmons let out a breath of air before saying, "Well shit. Okay, uh… listen-"
At Simmons hesitation her eyes began to water and she shook her head in denial, "No. Please. Not that base. Not Will. Not my husband." She heard her Mom gasp behind her but she didn't give a damn right now. She just needed Simmons to tell her it wasn't Will's base.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Lennox."
At that her phone fell out of her hands. The thud sounded far away and her vision grew dizzy. Jenna crumpled to the floor in a dead faint.