Consortium of Planets: Alien Test by Jack Wells Read Free Book Online Page B

seemed insignificant compared to Beth’s unconscious body. He didn’t want to move her and aggravate possible injuries, but if he didn’t, how could he help her? She might need immediate first aid. Unable to wait any longer, he reminded himself to breath. Slowly and gently, he began to slip out from under her.
    He carefully rolled Beth onto her back and tried to make out her face through the dark visor, but he couldn’t any of her face. There in her visor’s reflection was a multicolored beam of light. Its gyrating rainbow of colors was gradually rising out of the center of the crater. Flashes of lightning at the top reached like giant electric fingers for the Earth.
    Finally, Beth regained consciousness. Over his shoulder she saw the rainbow, too. “Colonel, what is it? Is that what knocked us down?”
    Dean looked away from the rainbow and held Beth firmly by the shoulders. “L.T., stay down. I need to check you out and see if you’re injured. We’ll worry about that light soon enough.”
    “Sir, I think I’m okay.” She tried to reassure him. “You aren’t exactly soft, but you broke my fall.” He could hear a shaky smile in her reply.
    Ignoring her attempt at humor, he asked with some concern, “You were unable to respond. Were you unconscious?”
    “I know what you’re thinking,” she answered quickly. “You think I could have a concussion because I blacked out, but I’m fine now.” She stood up as gracefully as she could. “We can move out.” He was unconvinced by the lieutenant’s argument, but under the circumstances, she was right again – time was in short supply and her assessment had to wait. The anticipated alien aggression had begun. They still had to get to their craft and back to the crater so they could stop the assault at its source.
     
    ****
     
    New York City:
    Jonathan looked gravely at Ellen. “Recall my inner circle of advisers.”
    It was time to move from his office and set up operations in the much larger United Defense Corps’ Situation Room complex, commonly referred to as “the Sit Room.” The complex was much more than a single room. It was actually a small base set up for a staff of up to four thousand. Deep underground, the Sit Room was designed for continued command and control of military forces, in case the Earth’s surface and air became defenseless.
    Visen planned to control the flow of information by limiting the staff to only mission-essential advisors that included his Supreme Military Chairman, World Intelligence Director, and NASA’s top scientist. He would add others as needed. Most of their support staff would function out of their own command posts and be included only on a need-to-know basis.
    As the chancellor entered the impressive auditorium portion of the Sit Room complex, all but one of the ten square meters of monitors that lined the circular wall in front of him displayed the colorful beam. They showed all the bright colors of the rainbow and their slow, malevolent progress toward Earth. The press had already named it “the Alien Moonbeam,” which was exactly why operations and communications security were so important. The news media’s tendency to incite fear had to be controlled. The last screen showed the view from Colonel Forge’s helmet.
     
    ****
     
    Lunar surface:
    Dean looked up. He watched the multicolored beam’s steady progress as Beth disappeared into the sleek Star Chaser . Reluctantly, he switched to the chancellor’s frequency. “Are you getting this? We got flattened by a shock-wave when the aliens fired that beam out of the crater.”
    “Colonel, operations have been moved to the Sit Room and we are receiving everything, including that rather awkward save of your lieutenant.” With fake concern in his voice, Jonathan continued. “I trust she’s okay? It would be a shame to lose your latest partner after only a few hours in the field.” He relished in Dean’s silence, then continued in a more businesslike tone.