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Category: Science Fiction
Description: In the sequel to Alien Deception, Greg is visited by a mysterious alien who claims to have the answers that he seeks-how to save the Earth from ultimate destruction by the approaching alien fleet led by the ruthless Copolla. However, the answer provided by the mysterious alien does not come without a very high price which Greg has no choice but to pay. The long awaited test of the interstellar spacecraft, which was built with the secret assistance of the United Council for Developing Worlds is sabotaged. This in turn leads to the discovery of the council base on Earth, and also exposes the collusion of Edward Samuel, the President of the United States, with the alien organization. President Edward Samuel is charged with treason and the military has its nuclear weapons poised to strike the alien base unless they surrender. Soren, the son of Greg and Sarah, has discovered his new talent-the ability to not only influence the thoughts of another person but to change them completely. If this power, or weapon, should fall into the wrong hands, it could change the balance of control in the galaxy forever. While the leaders of Earth-s countries await the decision of the alien organization, it becomes a race to see who can get to Soren first-his father whose mind is struggling to return from a galactic void, or the most feared and demented alien in the galaxy who has assumed the physical shape of someone very close to Soren.
eBook Publisher: Dragon Moon Press/Dragon Moon Press, 2007 tradepaper
eBookwise Release Date: August 2008

12 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [558 KB]
Words: 123885
Reading time: 353-495 min.

CHAPTER ONE

"Life is a series of events, or in some cases obstacles, that besiege us in our path. The key is to face them head on and in many cases, the problem diffuses itself ... or it explodes in your face. Either way, it's over."

Greg Carlson

Leumas stared at Copolla's emotionless eyes as his enemy continued repeating the words "to become." He thought about the things Copolla had stated in their conversation and how it opened a whole realm of potential dangers. He wondered how much more detail he could get out of Copolla and if he would have the opportunity to use it. Dead men don't talk.

Leumas refused to lose hope about a possibility arising for escape, although the odds of that were virtually nonexistent at this point. He was overdue in reporting back to the council, which probably meant another mission would be launched to find him. But if he had succumbed so easily, what chance did the others have? Worse yet, if Greg came after him he would--

Leumas suddenly realized that was exactly what Copolla probably wanted. Damn it, I've got to do something!

"Copolla," he said, hoping to arouse him from his stupor. "I know Greg's father turned against you when he decided to stay on Earth. I won't believe he was still..."

"Before there was one," Copolla slurred the words as if he were drunk.

This reinforced Leumas's growing belief that the procedure Copolla had undergone to develop his influencing ability had caused both mental and physical damage.

"Then there were four," he said with more clarity, as he seemed to slowly rise from the depths he inhabited. "Are you good at riddles, Leumas? I like riddles. You haven't figured this one out yet, have you?"

"No, Copolla. I don't have the knack for figuring riddles, I guess." Leumas realized Copolla was referring to the notes again. He wanted to stay on the previous subject about Greg's "becoming," but Copolla's mind was so erratic, his behavior so unpredictable, that Leumas had no choice but to let him ramble.

"Let me help you then. 'The one' refers to me. 'The four' are my two agents and their earth females. Can you figure it out now?" he asked, with a childish innocence that made Leumas' flesh crawl.

"Why don't you just tell me about what I was asking earlier?" Leumas pressed. "About your agent and--"

"Shut up, you fool!" Copolla screamed at him. "I am trying to answer your question."

Leumas, taken aback by the abrupt change of mood, fell silent.

"Where was I? Yes, the four. The next part is 'now there are three.' Do you know who the three are?"

"No," Leumas answered neutrally, fearing to set off another outburst from this wild creature.

"That's myself, Greg and Sarah--the three," Copolla said proudly. "'If the reunion is a warm one, then all will be right, but if not, all will end and the one shall be as it was.'"

Leumas still could not comprehend what the madman was talking about.

"I see you still don't grasp it," Copolla sneered. "Still beyond your comprehension, I suppose. Well, let me explain it to you. If Greg and his woman refuse to join me in my little conquest, I shall kill them both and destroy that scum planet he is currently on. I really don't care about the woman. She is insignificant to the whole plan, and I will probably just kill her anyway after a while." The matter-of-fact tone he used sent chills over Leumas' body.

"Greg would never agree to join you in any such insane--"

"Insane? No, not really. I just look at things from a different perspective than everyone else does. I think he might follow me quite willingly."

"I don't think so," Leumas insisted.

"Perhaps if you knew the whole story, you might possess a different opinion," Copolla suggested. "Would you like to hear more, my friend? Hmmm?"

Leumas needed to know more, but he hated having to play this madman's game of "Guess what?" to get it. Copolla obviously had another bombshell to drop on him and wanted Leumas' full attention when he did it.

"Just say please and I will continue. I have time and so do you," Copolla said in a sickening-sweet voice.

Leumas tasted the sour stomach acids that had lurched into his throat. He fought to maintain control.

"Well, Leumas? Do you have anything you want to say?" Copolla taunted.

"Please finish the story," Leumas said between teeth clenched to keep him from saying anything else.

"Very well then." Copolla smiled, obviously satisfied he had gotten this pitiful response from Leumas at a very high cost to his pride..

"Earlier I alluded to the fact Greg's father was still under my control when he supposedly accepted the assignment to Earth with the intention of escaping me. Everyone assumed it was to have him spy on Earth, to see where past plans to undermine the society had gone so wrong and so on and so on. Well, that was only part of it."

He poured himself a glass of whiskey and stared at the bottle for several seconds. He returned his gaze to Leumas as he drank deeply, gulping the entire glass at once, then placed it on the table, wiped his mouth with his fingers and then carefully licked them clean, his eyes never leaving Leumas.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Leumas said.

"All right, where was I? Oh, yes, the plan. My scientists had been tasked with conducting a very close examination of the Earth subjects after the last fiasco with that Adolf Hitler. They made some interesting findings that garnered my interest. Almost by accident we learned Terran DNA has a very interesting inactive strand in it.

"Further study showed it could possibly be combined with Zirean DNA to produce a hybrid. We felt very certain the result would probably possess certain characteristics extremely beneficial if harnessed and used by the right group ... or individual. There is a subconscious trigger required to activate it. I believe the term they used to describe it was 'time-phased' or something like that. Very subtle and hard to detect, but there."

"What kind of characteristics?" Leumas asked cautiously. "You're talking more than just being able to influence, aren't you?"

"Influencing is only the beginning," Copolla crowed. "There is so much more to it: more power and the ability to expand control throughout the galaxy with merely a thought. I wanted that hybrid. I would have it before anyone else realized what was going on. Greg's father carried a little special package inside him compliments of my scientists and, of course, unknown to him."

He bent closer to Leumas as if he were going to let him in on a secret. Leumas instinctively leaned back as far as he could without falling off the bed.

"Part of the influence I interwove into his mind was to ensure he would breed with an Earth woman as soon as possible. The best part..." Copolla chuckled. "The best part is that when he did breed, he would be delivering my seed, not his. Mine! My offspring would be the hybrid!"

Leumas' cheeks flushed a deep red as his anger at this incredible story rose to a fury. "Greg is your son? It can't be," he shouted. "You're making all this up!"

"Tests can be performed, but I care not about what you believe," Copolla said flatly. "The process was not really that difficult, and Greg's father never knew what had been done to him. As far as he was concerned, Greg was his son and that was exactly the way I wanted it to be, for a while, anyway."

Leumas asked the next logical question. "And what about Sarah? Is she your daughter?" He winced, dreading the response.

"She was the control for the experiment," Copolla said, waving his hand in the air as if dismissing the thought as trivial information. "The other agent was unaffected in that sense. She is a secondary matter that can be dealt with at my leisure. Her only power is the mental capacity to block some forms of influence and to communicate with Greg telepathically; a mere trivial ability compared to what he shall become."

"Once this information gets out, everybody will be trying to do the same thing," Leumas argued. "Then what? Even if Greg sided with you, which I am sure he won't, it would be a short-lived advantage. It doesn't make sense to go through all of this."

"That would be the case if the DNA strand still existed in the Terrans. But it doesn't anymore."

"What have you done?" Leumas asked.

"We launched an observation satellite around Earth, or at least that is what the official reports recorded. It emitted a low-frequency radiation pulse that, over the years, destroyed the inactive DNA strand in question in every living creature on the planet. With the exception of a relatively small group, no one else on Earth has it any longer. Except Greg and Sarah."

"You sick bastard," Leumas said. "You crazy, sick--"

Copolla rose from his chair with sudden quickness, grabbing Leumas by the throat with one massive hand. In his other hand, he held a weapon at Leumas' temple. "Another comment from you and I will kill--"

Copolla stopped and tilted his head at various angles, like a dog hearing sounds at a level imperceptible by humans. Achieving verification of what he detected, he laughed as he pressed the point of the weapon harder into Leumas' head.

"Smile for the camera," he whispered, then slowly released his hold. Leumas gasped for air and fell to the floor.

"It won't be much longer now," Copolla said. "Not long at all until our family reunion." Then in his thoughts he sent, ::Isn't that right ... Greg?::