ALARM CLOCK DAWN (An Original Novel - Episode 59)
“Find your seats!” Adam yelled as he heard the thunderous sound of an army of boots approaching. He said a quick prayer and placed his hands in the small indentations. To his great relief, they took on the familiar green glow showing that the controls were activating.
The sound of boot steps grew louder. Adam began to breathe deeply, concentrating as deeply as he could. Evelyn reached across and grabbed Bear's hand, who was shaking in his seat. The console glowed a brighter green, the hatch immediately began to close, and the craft’s engines fired up, building to a steady whine. Over the hum of the engine Adam heard the craft ring like a bell, and he knew the guards were trying to smash open the hatch door from outside.
Adam quickly refocused, and as the world receded away from him he held only two thoughts in his mind: Building up enough velocity to crash through the glass roof directly above them and Ikeda's camp at Bell Rock. He prayed the craft would obey and make those two wishes come true.
Just then he heard a muffled pop and the air filled with thick static.
In no more than two seconds he heard the deafening sound of shattering glass as the craft burst through the ceiling, and in only seconds they were flying high above the Terra Valley.
CHAPTER 25
Ikeda leaned heavily on his small cane, faithfully searching the sky. Time is now very short and this old man is getting weaker by the minute, he thought to himself, squinting as he watched the rolling gray clouds overhead.
The children were already being prepared and waiting near his craft beside him. It had been carefully packed with all the essentials for the trip. Ikeda struggled to keep his balance as the gusts became stronger.
Come on, Adam my boy. It is now or never.
Just then, a faint but familiar blue glow shined through the cloud cover above. Ikeda focused his eyes on the blue light that was getting brighter and brighter, finally breaking through the thick clouds as it zipped across the sky directly toward where he stood on the plateau at the top of Bell Rock. Ikeda laughed and clapped his hands together in excitement. “Ha. I remember how good that feels! I am so proud of you, my son. So very proud.”
Within seconds, the shiny silver globe was hovering only a few hundred feet above him and began its descent. Ikeda hobbled closer to his craft on the ground to get out of its way as the silver globe careened closer and closer to the ground. Landing was always the most difficult part.
Nice and easy, Adam, Ikeda thought as he watched from a safe distance.
The craft bounced against the ground with a quick jerk and then rose again to hover just a few feet above it, and then the hatch opened.
“My son!” Ikeda exclaimed as he hobbled forward.
Adam confidently strode down the ramp, followed by Evelyn and Bear, who cradled the precious combustion chamber in his large gloved hands.
“There are just no words to describe that sensation, Ikeda. It was incredible!” Adam said, his heart still raced.
“Yes, I must admit, it was quite spectacular!” Adam's heart sank as he recognized the voice and he slowly turned to look behind him. “If we only would have known it could be flown that way earlier!”
Johann was standing at the top of the ramp with a blue steel nine millimeter pistol pointed straight at Adam. Johann looked horrible, his face pale and his right thigh wrapped in a thick white bandage now soaked completely with blood.
“You did not expect a stowaway now, did you?” Johann laughed as he winced with each step as he limped down the craft's ramp, favoring his one good leg. “Now, let me tell you what you are going to do, my little friend.” Johann said as he locked his arm tightly around Adam’s neck from behind. “You are going to take me with you off this planet, and if you don’t, you will quickly lose a vital member of your team.”
Adam panicked as he found it increasingly difficult to breathe. When he did inhale, all he could smell was the director’s cologne and the irony fragrance of fresh blood. Adam watched in desperation as Ikeda calmly closed his eyes, stretched out his hand, and scrunched up his face in intense concentration. When he did this, Adam noticed the gun in the director’s hand thrust down slightly as if some invisible force was tugging at the pistol.
“Ha. None of your tricks today. You’re too weak, old man!” the director laughed.
Ikeda opened his eyes. “Stay calm. We can work something out.”
Adam then began to experience a succession of pictures of a brutal interrogation in his head, scenes of Ikeda being punched and slapped by much younger looking Johann. Adam realized the Ikeda was sharing with him just a glimpse of the evil that Johann was capable of and he knew there would be no way he could risk allowing him to board that craft.
“I don’t see that you really have a choice,” Johann said as he tightened his grip even more around Adam's neck.
Adam closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Time slowed to a creeping halt, and with all the strength he could muster Adam raised his long leg and kicked backwards. His powerful kick landed squarely on the knee of Johann's injured leg. When it connected, there was a loud crack, like that of a tree branch breaking, and Johann’s knee immediately folded backwards at a sharp forty-five degree angle.
Tune in tomorrow for the final episode of Alarm Clock Dawn including an ENORMOUS plot twist.
NOTICE:There has been a change in plans for the episode being read at SteemFest in Amsterdam on Saturday, November 12th. I have been informed that many attendees haven’t yet read the novel. Due to this, I will be reading the first episode, instead of the last so as not to spoil the plot twist for those in the audience. I apologize for this last minute change. All of you will still get to read episode 60 right here tomorrow. ###
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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as always nice content :D
Thanks!
just amazing !
Thank you, @talkingpolitics!
am already starting to read this episode.
thanks :D
I appreciate it, @royalmacro!
Ooh that's good news for us loyal fans still here then! But what's wrong with all those attendees that they haven't read your novel yet!