Peace Army by Steven L. Hawk Read Free Book Online Page A

stood straighter. He noticed that Mouse did as well. Their attention was fully focused on the messenger.
    “The Minith ship?” Grant received a timid nod in return.
    “Take your time. What about the ship?”
    “There’s… there’s been a… a message from the ship.”
    Grant did not wait for more. He was off and running for the Fifth Square.
    Mouse groaned, following.
    Twenty minutes later, the two top commanders of Earth’s Army entered the Fifth Square and made their way to the command center. They were greeted by a cacophony of frenzied activity, chaotic shouts, and general disarray.
    Grant saw Tane at the center of the storm. He tried to get his attention.
    Failed.
    Got pissed.
    “ Hey!”
    Grant’s voice boomed across the room.
    A shatter of broken glass punctuated the shout as a startled civilian staffer dropped a cup. The commanding voice and the exploding glass had the desired effect. Activity ceased at once and all eyes—some showing fear, others showing excitement—turned to Grant.
    “Now. Someone please tell me what the hell is going on.” His eyes searched the room and landed on Tane.
    “It’s Titan,” the scientist offered.

 
    Chapter 6
     
     
    Grant rearranged the package under his arm and stepped through the door to their chambers. He was eager to tell Avery the news of the mothership and to share his surprise with Eli. This would be one of the last times he and his son would have to spend together before the arrival of the alien ship, and Grant wanted it to be special.
    His excitement was forgotten when he entered the room. Instead of surprising his family, he was met with a surprise of his own.
    Their small sofa was pushed to the middle of the room. It was joined by the round table they used for meals. The three chairs they owned were stacked haphazardly on top of the table. They leaned dangerously to the left, just a sneeze short of toppling. But that went almost unnoticed as Grant took in the walls of the room. When he left that morning, the walls were a dull gray, like the rest of Violent’s Prison.
    Now they were painted the color of a clear, blue sky.
    Avery stood to one side of the room. Her eyes shone with expectation and her hands were clasped together in front of her face. She was obviously waiting for his reaction.
    “Woman, what have you gone and done?”
    Avery clapped her hands and giggled.
    “Do you like it?”
    “I… it’s great. But,” Grant stammered, unsure of what to say—finally asking the only thing that came to mind. “Where did you get the paint for this?”
    Avery covered the three steps separating them and wrapped her arms around Grant. The excitement splashed across her face showed her pleasure at his reaction.
    “You’re not the only one who’s friends with the man who knows how to get things,” she explained. “Tane helped me with the paint. Who else?”
    Grant laughed and remembered the package tucked under his left arm.
    “I swear, that man can do just about anything,” Grant acknowledged. He set the package down carefully next to the chairs on the table and took a moment to straighten the precarious stack.
    “Where’s Eli?”
    Grant wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Avery’s smile got larger and she tugged him toward the small room on the right that doubled as a storage area and Eli’s bedroom. A blanket hung over the doorway like a curtain, blocking Grant’s view.
    “Eli,” Avery called out. “Honey, are you ready?”
    “Just a second, Mom!” Eli replied.
    Grant heard the excitement in his young son’s voice and wondered what was going on. A memory arose unbidden—a movie from his childhood about a wizard behind a curtain. As had become his habit, Grant forced the memory down; buried it among the other lost articles of his former world.
    A quick glance at the sky-blue walls returned him to the reality—and the wonder—of his new life. Despite everything he had left behind, these two lovely human beings, his wife and his son,