America One: War of the Worlds by T. I. Wade Read Free Book Online

the first time, and she was ready to return to Beijing to meet the new Premier, with armed backup this time.
    It took a few days for the travelers to meet up in Nevada, from where the journey was to begin. SB-V was launched into orbit, and the Burgos sisters would be ready to blast Beijing to debris if the visitors were treated as badly as Lunar had been.
    This time they all had new communication devices made in Israel that were worn over an ear, much like an old Bluetooth phone, and any conversation between the visitors could be heard from the sisters 100 miles above the crew, and with the new satellites through an entire orbit.
    A day later SB-IV launched for its two hour flight to Beijing. Aboard was a really excited group of people who hadn’t flown in a spaceship yet. Mary Collins was ecstatic to finally get a ride with Saturn Jones as pilot. The U.S. Vice President, Vice President Penelope Pitt wasn’t aboard although she had arrived to visit her parents, and had brought a top Chinese speaking aide from the Pentagon who was going. As Vice-President, it wasn’t protocol for Penelope to go.
    Also aboard was the Australian Exterior Minister, and an aide who was also fluent in Mandarin.
    Vice President Penelope Pitt, who had flown in on her government jet the day before, was happy to be back with her family and old friends. Her secret service agents were told to back off as she spent private time with her family. Ryan was used to secret service agents wandering around the base, and they joined Joanne’s two agents.
    Jonesy asked to be co-pilot for his daughter, but on the outward flight staying within the atmosphere it was an all-girl flight crew with Maggie in the co-pilot’s seat. Jonesy sat with the VIPs including Martin Brusk, Ryan, Kathy, Lunar, VIN and Mars Noble.
    Pluto Katherine had been left as base commander for the five day absence, as the shuttle was heading down to the island for the weekend after the Beijing meeting.
    Nobody in the Chinese capital was aware of the arriving shuttle, and as before Saturn brought the craft down into Tiananmen Square to the exact location she had taken off from several years earlier.
    People scattered as the large shuttle with its blue shield extended silently lowered itself to the cement of the massive square. Policemen aimed their rifles at the craft, but did not shoot.
    Slowly Saturn decreased the shield until it was gone altogether. There were several policemen who were trying to figure out what to do. None fired as the door to the craft opened and the two aides walked out with Lunar and Ryan Richmond towards the closest policeman.
    Both Mandarin-speaking aides had been prepped what to say, and within minutes an old jeep drove up and they repeated their messages. The jeep drove off and the group returned to the ship to wait.
    Wait they did. It took three hours before a cavalcade of old black sedans and two old battle tanks arrived to take the visitors to wherever they were going to go.
    Mary Collins, the Australian Exterior minister, his aide, the U.S. aide, Martin Brusk, Ryan, VIN and Mars Noble, Lunar, and Maggie Jones entered the five cars and they drove off leaving the two old armored tanks with their turrets aimed at the shuttle. It didn’t take long for Saturn and her father to extend the shuttle’s blue shield. Also it would be ten minutes before SB-V would come over the horizon as backup.
     
    The drive took less than 30 seconds before the cars stopped at a large government building on the edge of the Square itself—The Great Hall of The People. Lunar stated to VIN and Mars from her car that this wasn’t the building she had been brought to before. The cavalcade drove to the northern end of the large building, and they arrived as a red carpet was being laid out by workers.
    The doors of the cars were not opened and they stayed closed with a soldier outside each door as a group of a few dozen soldiers with musical instruments ran up and quickly gathered to the