Chapter 3

I don’t really know just how long I was out. It had been dusk when I started to bring her here. Now it was pitch dark.

I groaned as I tried to sit up, then regretted it as I fell back with another groan. Immediately, I felt three females rush to my side.

“How long?” I rasped out, trying to open my eyes more.

“Been a few hours,” I heard my daughter Bell say.

“I ... I,” I started finding that my throat was extremely dry. A glass of water was immediately handed to me by my youngest daughter, Trina.

A few moments later, I was helped to sit up. A look past my daughters, revealed the teen that I had depleted myself to get here.

“You know, all this time and I still don’t know your name,” I told her.

“It’s Bethany, I am alone now. When you found me, my folks were already dead. That piece of trash that tried to take my body, was responsible,” Bethany said.

“For now, all of you are safe here. The shield I put around the earth is holding them out, just barely. I need to increase all of you again, these new aliens are a hell of a lot stronger than before,” I told my team and daughters.

“I thought that you made us twice as strong,” John said.

“I did though, those that we are facing now, are far beyond those we faced before. That, plus they seem to have agents here on the planet. I have already destroyed five of them, including the one in you, Bethany,” I told them.

Bethany looked at me with a strange look, “how did you...?” she started.

“The energy signature of it, though somewhat like the Fletecons, are different. Before you ask, I am the strongest, I always have been. Though I have to warn all of you, we are the only ones that can defend the earth,” I said.

They were all nodding, then Andy asked the obvious question. “Just how far below the present threat are we?”

I took a deep breath. I hoped that what I said didn’t discourage them. “You three,” I indicated my old team, “are a long ways below this present race, there are a few you’re stronger than.” Here I turned to my daughters and Bethany, “you three are more than three times stronger than my old team. Though I am afraid that you are a good ways below the new threat.”

I saw that they were all disappointed, though not as much as I thought they would be.

“Dad, I know you can increase us though. I also saw that it wore you out. Is it even possible for you to get us that high?” Trina asked.

“That was because I was trying to get you really up there, as fast as possible. The same as with my old team, at present you have a far better chance; not much but a chance. Let me see,” I said as I laid a hand on Bethany’s forehead. I immediately felt her mental levels start to slowly climb. Then, to my shock, she doubled!

I pulled my hand back from her as I felt that she wasn’t all that far below me. Shocked, I went to Bell, placing a hand on the side of her head. I was shocked when the same damn thing happened! I shook my head as I withdrew my hand, then walked to Trina. My mouth dropped open as almost the same exact thing happened.

I sat down as soon as I was done, then I felt my own mental levels jump almost double! I looked at the three females, their glows were almost what mine had been.

“Dad? What’s wrong?” Trina asked me, worried at the shocked look on my face.

“I ... I only meant to up the three of you a little. All three of your powers jumped almost double what they had been. Then my own did also, weird thing is? I am not feeling the fatigue that I did before,” I told them.

“Wait, you mean that we are as strong as you are?” Bell asked.

I shook my head, “no you’re almost as strong as I was. Damn, I am starting to see things I wasn’t before.”

I then reached out to increase the planetary shield I had erected. Almost immediately, I saw four massive explosions. I also heard what had to be at least forty to fifty of the aliens scream. They were cut off from their destroyed bodies, severing their tether.

I shook my head as the sounds of their deaths seemed to slice through me. I really didn’t like to deal death unless there was no other choice. Most recently, that had been the case, especially with this new race of aliens.

Both my daughters ran to me as they saw the grimace that I had on my face.

“Dad?” Trina asked, the concern apparent on her face. “What happened? I felt something though, I wasn’t sure what it was.”

I took a deep breath, “I increased the strength and thickness of the planetary shield. I obviously caught four of their ships unaware. I swear I heard forty to fifty of them die as their bodies were destroyed.”

“That should help, shouldn’t it?” Bell asked.

“I’m not sure, I can see at least another ten out there. Getting to them, I am afraid, might not be possible. Hang on,” I said as I reached out, extending the shield, catching another four ships, damaging a fifth. I grimaced as I heard even more as the fifth ship tried to move away, then exploded, damaging a sixth.

The noise I was hearing was almost maddening as the aliens started to die at a rapid rate.

An alien face, that looked somewhat like a cross between an ant and a praying mantis appeared. [You and your race have become the most dangerous enemy of the Xetron empire. Know we will bring the might of our race to crush yours. That last ship you destroyed contained the last of my podling birthing. I will destroy you myself for this offence.]

I reached out to shut it up, though it threw two others between my sight of it and itself. Both dropped a moment later lifeless. Then I felt some type of shield that went up cutting almost everything I could see and hear within the craft.

I growled for a moment, then fell back on the couch nearly exhausted. “Shit, here I thought that I was stronger, I need to increase, more myself I see.”

“You just strengthened the planetary shield, almost doubled both your daughters and Bethany. Plus, you killed two of the aliens that the other shoved between the both of you shit Bill, rest damn. Did you forget what the Bellons said? I was there. I remember, every time we increase if we use it immediately, then we exhaust ourselves far faster,” Tom said.

I shook my head; I had forgotten that. “Well, guess I need to sleep again,” I said as the darkness took me, then I fell on the couch unconscious.

This time it wasn’t just sleep that I had. I started to see visions of the aliens I had seen. At first I couldn’t hear them, then they were suddenly clear.

So, you piece of filth, your race does have a weakness. In this realm I am a master. Soon your body and mind will be mine. I then started to feel a lot of pressure, pushing back. I swear that I heard the equivalent of alien cursing. How is this possible? Your energy is low, no! Retrieve, retrieve! This isn’t over.

I suddenly sat up completely awake, damnit can’t even sleep because of these idiots. I shook my head, when all the females appeared, rubbing my eyes, I smiled at them.

“I need to find a way to shield the world from these aliens taking over unwilling hosts. The thing is that nothing I have done so far is working. I can keep them out physically, though not mentally,” I told them. I suddenly remembered my experience with Bethany. “You were able to put something up to isolate the alien from you, can I see?”

Bethany was shocked when we all looked at her. Slowly she sat, then nodded. I smiled at her as I closed my eyes, then dove into her mind. I didn’t push as I waited before the areas I needed to get into. I could have done it, though I knew that, as strong as I was, I would probably have hurt her.

I was finally where I needed to be in her mind as I examined what she had done. I had to shake my head, what she had done was simple. The other shocking thing was that she had kept it out with almost half the force that she had now.

For some damn reason, I just couldn’t see, well, I could see, I just couldn’t figure out how she did it. I looked at the vision of her, smiled, then withdrew.

I opened my eyes, looking at Bethany. I must have sat there for almost an hour, still not finding as solution to the problem.

I sighed as I thought of the next problem. There were almost a hundred people out there that needed help. I felt everyone of the victims that the aliens had left their minds. Unfortunately, most had been world leaders, major business owners.

The worst was, of course, the U.S. President and the British Prime Minister. They were disoriented, confused, just simply lost. It also appeared that they had lost almost a year. As soon as I touched both of them, I had to work fast to set their minds right, not an easy task.

Who is this? I heard both of them ask.

Sirs, I am not sure if both of you remember a project that was started twenty-five years ago. I believe that it was called mind-buster? Both men said they did, as I continued. I am one of only four that are left. I am afraid that I violated the mind-buster facility, to free one of us.

I could hear both men as they went through what few thoughts they could remember. So, I take it that you are no longer connected to the project? The president thought.

What!? You and the others have gone rogue? I am surprised that the response teams haven’t taken you. The Prime Minister thought.

I’m sure both of you remember when the Bellions came? My daughters and I went with them. We are the strongest on the planet. We have a new threat; they were occupying many leaders’ minds. I am now able to place blocks in all of you, though I am afraid it is only those that were taken over. Unfortunately, you are the only ones. I will contact you soon sirs, I thought as I cut the mind links.

I looked at the others when the rest came in, not long after I finished. Shit I thought, that should have worn me out, given me a major headache. Strangely, I felt somewhat refreshed.