CHAPTER 24
The Grand Plan
Indino started pacing around the table; he looked at me then at Lucy and Susan. We didn’t know what was going on, inside his head. It was now midnight, and I was feeling the slight effects of fatigue. Lucy and Susan looked at me, as I started to nod my head. Indino instantly, told me to go to bed. He also dismissed Mum and Sally. They went to their respective rooms, as I went to mine.
Indino asked Lucy, to put the containers of magnesium sulphate, in his office. She got had gotten out of her chair, when Indino instructed to help her. They didn't complain they knew something had happened just before they returned. They started to take the sixteen trolleys, which they had stolen from a nearby Coles, with Lucy's levitation ability.
Indino was pacing faster, scratching his head as always. I could have sworn he had head lice. He pointed his attention, towards Ghett and Valka. They were sitting there patiently, waiting for him to give further orders, and to explain exactly went on in here.
“Umbrae already knows; what we are planning,” he finally spoke, in a quiet voice. “He sent Brozepax, to question me, and he tried to kill me. But he is dead now.”
“I’m guessing, by the state of Vince, he fought and defeated him?” Ghett asked.
Indino nodded in agreement, looking over towards Ghett. He finally sat down opposite, Valka who was sitting at the bottom of the table, Ghett to his right.
“He's is be woken up at six, and warmed up by 7am,” Indino ordered, his nephews.
“Can I speak, Uncle,” Valka asked, “Considering; it is my father you are talking about here?” Indino nodded, indicating for him to continue. “Firstly, what does my father know about our plan? Does he know we are using, Vince?”
“I believe he does, Valka,” Indino answered.
“Secondly, what about our plan, what if Vince and the Xenopians fail? I can't say I see Vince, ready to be on the front lines of an attack, he is most likely to pass out from fatigue,” Valka stated.
Indino, shot Valka a serious look, before replying, “He may or may not be ready, but he has the skills necessary, to defeat my brother.” As Lucy and Susan slowly, walked out into the dining room.
“Um-umbrae, is your brother?” Susan asked in shock.
“Yes, Susan,” Indino replied “Now go with Ghett and Valka back to the facility you to Lucy, you need rest. Tomorrow a war begins.”
“A war is that taking it a bit too far?” Ghett asked cautiously
“Ghett, when you hit a certain age, things like this don’t seem out of proportion, it’s just something that has to be done,” he replied. “It is going to be a war, because he has ones loyal to him, but that is mostly military very few civilian mutants are on his side and besides we have loyalties in the military to like Geofex. He has told me to put the two of you on high alert as, Umbrae has ordered for me to be killed, so I need you two around at all times.”
I was shuffling around in bed, dreaming. I was throwing myself around. Then, bang! I jumped up, screaming in pain. I had fallen off the bed knocking over glass and landed in the broken pieces. I guess powers, don’t work when your asleep. Indino, and Ghett, came running in, Sally, and Lucy, came in with Susan and Mum. Then there was a bang at the front and Valka shouted, “Ah, Uncle Indino, we have company.”
“I guess there’s no chance of sleep now?” I asked as Lucy healed my cuts. Valka held back the three mutants the best that he could. Until one of the mutant guards realised who he was, “Prince Valka?” said the leading guard.
“What?” he said, in deep tone “My father has gone too far, we can end all this, all we need is your help.”
The guards shook hands with Valka, creating an alliance. I walked out in to the kitchen, grabbing a cup. I fill with filtered water. Ashley came out of her room; she was rubbing her eyes she obviously, just woke up. “So Valka you’re a prince in these woods?” I asked him, “You never, thought to mention it before?”
“So am I Vince,” Indino said, before “Umbrae, is my brother. Our father Estufebizer, set up the hive, he planned everything. He also had two sons, and a daughter .Umbrae being the eldest then me, and then Ghett's mother Stylinka.”
“So where's my real father?” Ashley asked.
I looked at him, then at Ghett and Valka, as Lucy, Susan and Mum walked.in to the kitchen. We were quickly introduced to Eaoxen, he had brown hair that covered a large portion of his body , his arm were long and appeared to be joined by two elbows, his six eyes were a golden colour. A female mutant by the name of Shesinik, she had shoulder blonde hair and emerald green eyes. She was heavy set with four arms; that twelve fingers on each hand. Her nostrils were the only evidence she had of a nose. Then there was Oxideous, dark skinned, and had five brown eyes, he looked like a normal aboriginal except for his eyes, and four ears. They sat down around the table, Ghett and Valka,
“Well your real father; my only child, he died alongside his wife,” Indino said, as sadness arose in his eyes. “They were killed by military soldiers, defending Umbrae; when the war, first broke out.” Ghett and Valka bowed their heads, as Indino picked up an electronic photo album.
“That's him there,” he said, showing a holographic picture. The picture consisted of three people. A blue-eyed baby Ashley held by a male with three orange eyes, four arms, he had brown hair and was wearing a dirty, ripped, souvenir Sydney T-shirt. There was a woman beside him with long blonde hair, she had three purple eyes; and appeared to be standing on four legs, with one of her arms around his waist. Indino then took the album of her. “Wow,” she said, “They looked so happy.”
“Yes they were,” Ghett replied.
“Everyone should go back to bed, now,” Indino ordered, we agreed, as he caught me yawning. “Hopefully we won't have any more interruptions.”
We as the Xenopian population returned to our beds
As Ghett, Valka and Indino, sat and discussed their intentions with the new allies.
* * * * * * * * *
In a secret, military facility located somewhere in the south west of, Sydney. One would think it was out in the middle of the outback. A room of concrete walls, full of soldiers were waiting, for their names to be drawn out of a hat, by Brigadier General Chris Grotto. The first named called would be leader of a scouting mission his name was Lieutenant Wade O'Shea, his wingmen Corporal Thomas Eisenhower, and staff sergeant Teresa Hawk. Next group to be called were the ones who would be dropping the Bitriunium nuke on the city of Sydney. The main pilot, First Lieutenant Brian Flanning, his wingmen Corporal Sarah O’Donnell, and Master Gunnery Sergeant Jeremy Fenwick.
After all the needed names were called out, those who weren’t mentioned left. The remaining six pilots remained seated, for debriefing from Brigadier General Chris Grotto.
“O’Shea you’re going in with Eisenhower and Hawk,” Grotto said. “Your team are to scout for threats in the area; you leave at 1600 hours this afternoon. Flanning, your team are to deliver the goods. The bomb must be dropped directly on north Sydney, for it to hurt the mutants.” he pointed to a map of Sydney “The red zone on the shown map, is the mutant hive, which is where we want the bomb.”
Wade put his hand up to speak Grotto acknowledged him and nodded his head to allow him to proceed. “Just a quick question what if by the off chance we come in contact with this Vince kid or any other Xenopian or mutant?” O’Shea asked.
“I advise not to take action, as all it will do is provoke them, solider,” Grotto replied. “Just get in, and get out, report back to base when you're done.”
“Yes sir,” O’Shea agreed.
“Team one, go get some rest,” Grotto ordered. “I still need to discuss matters of phase two with Flanning's team.”
The three then picked up their debriefing files, and left for their quarters. Brian and his two wingmen, stayed put. Grotto pulled out a file that had written on the side 'Phase Three'. The three pilots sat and listened as Grotto started to talk. “Flanning if this fails, this is what I want you to do,” as he passed the file over to Brian, he read it, then he passed it around his team. They nodded as Brian; put the white Manilla folder into a briefcase. Grotto then dismissed the three, and headed to his office located next to the debriefing room where he called Premier Terry Kruger.
“Greetings Terry, Chris Grotto here. Just informing you that we are set to start phase one, tomorrow afternoon,” he said.
“G'day mate, that’s good news. Is there any word on where the P.M is exactly?”
Grotto was silent for moment “No, there's no word yet on her. I fear she may have been enslaved by the mutants,”
“So in other words it's safe to say she's gone?” Terry asked him.
“I'm afraid so mate,” Grotto replied with his deepest regrets.
“Damn, I’ll inform the acting Prime Minister, right away,” he said. “Good work mate.”
“Thank you, Terry,” Grotto praised before informing “I'll let you know, tomorrow afternoon, when phase one is progress.”
“Ok, I’ll talk to you then, General,” Terry said as he hung up the phone.
Grotto then called in his secretary, he asked her to get him a coffee, as she left down the hall her boyfriend, First Lieutenant Brian Flanning, was waiting for her by the coffee machine.
“Baby, I got chosen to drop the bomb,” He told her. She nodded as sadness started to grow in her eyes.
“Just promise me you'll be back,” she said, as she kissed his cheek before making Grotto's coffee.
“You know I can't promise that,” he said as he went to hold her in his arms. “The mutants are too unpredictable, and I don’t want you to be upset if I don’t ok?”
She sobbed as a tear fell from her eye she hadn't told him she was pregnant with his child and knowing that she blurted “I'm pregnant.”
Brian looked at her amazed, and full of joy, but her sadness deepened. He held her close, and kissed her lips “We have to celebrate Rebecca, meet me tomorrow in the cafeteria, lunchtime ok?” he let her go, as he noticed the tear near her left eye, he wiped it away.
“Ok sweetie, I love you,” she said back to him, trying to smile. “I have to go take this coffee to the General. I will be there baby, wouldn't miss it for the world.” she then kissed him softly as she walked off back to Grotto's office.
* * * * * * * * *
I was sleeping in my bed, but stirred lightly when I felt the cold touch; of someone's hand on my chest. She started to kiss my skin, her cold lips, gave me goose bumps, every time they connected with my skin. I even though I was sleeping, I could still sense someone else was in here. I slowly opened my eyes, as a shadowy figure slowly became identifiable. It was Lucy; she had surreptitiously come in to my room. She was smiling mischievously, with her black hair down over her face.
“I love you,” she said, as she kissed my lips. “You're amazing, Vince.”
My body started to burn like a fever, I was dripping sweat from my brow. She laid down beside me her nose touching mine. She looked at me like a little kid, with her brown eyes sort of glowing, waiting for me to respond. “I love you to sweetie, but what are you doing in here?” I asked her.
“I was scared, and I wanted to be in your arms,” she replied, wrapping her arms around me. I did the same to her.
“Poor baby why you scared?” I asked her.
“Because you might die tomorrow, and then I’ll never see you again,”
I looked at her kissed her lips, and held her tight around her waist. “Everything will be fine,” I tried to assure her.
She sat up; the look on her face had changed, from cute and loving to a more concerned face. “How can you say that you don’t know what Umbrae is capable of,” she said, I didn’t know what say. I kissed her forehead, “Your right, I mean, I don’t know what he is capable of, but I'm confident enough, I'm sure if Indino thinks I can do it, I have nothing to worry about,”
“Ok baby,” she said, as she kissed my lips “I'll let you go back to sleep, sweet dreams.”
“You to honey,” I said, closing my eyes slowly drifting off to sleep.