The Last Invasion
Chapter Eight
That Sunday turned out to be a good day, even after the incredible stress of the morning meeting with the resistance. Martin and Laura stayed up late just enjoying each other’s company and after getting so many things off his chest he felt much better. Finally they kissed goodnight and they settled down to sleep.
In his dreams, Martin was flying. He could see America below. It was in flames. His heart was broken. He past over utter destruction. Tangled wreckage lay in confused heaps everywhere. Bodies lay broken and bleeding.
The incredible sorrow, grief and crying ascended up to him like tremendous waves of rolling sorrow. On and on he went, plowing through the thick darkness trying to somehow deal with the horrible cries for help. This went on and on.
Finally all the desperate grasping hands that were reaching up to him dropped away and he was flying high above. The horror was still there but he was now seeing from a different perspective. He could look down and see clouds. He sailed over mountaintops, oceans, rivers, forests, flatlands and villages that had not been destroyed. He saw the Himalayas and shepherds up in the high mountains.
Then he saw Grace. She was smiling and reaching out her hands toward him. “Grace, oh Grace, what a surprise. How are you? How are the folks? What’s been happening to you? Are you okay?” She only smiled. Then the thought came to him that she must be dead and he was stricken with powerful grief. “No, no Grace. You can’t die. Don’t go away. Please stay.”
Then he found himself sitting in the group-home facing her and she spoke to him. “I’m not dead Martin. Our dear friends are suffering. There is something more for me to do.”
Then he heard the call-horn sound.
When he got to work that Monday he still felt as if he was in a dream. It was announced that they would be helping to set up the portable greenhouses and all the equipment to go in them. The Reds wanted food production during the winter.
Laura had been sent out to where the supplies were arriving to help label and sort them. She was thankful for the chance to do something easier and different. Her feet still hurt terribly but inwardly she felt lighter and even happier.
Martin was surprised at how rapidly the greenhouses went up. Everything was prefabricated and all the heaters, fans, aeroponic equipment and lights fit perfectly for the job. His crew had been able to erect four of them in just three hours. There were no concrete slabs but portable perimeters fixed by long stakes pounded into the ground. All the prefabricated parts had been set up and were ready to go. It was only a matter of putting everything into place. The Chinese had evidently long applied this very advanced (but also extremely fast, efficient and smooth) technology to get food production up and going--and even through the coldest winter.
In the afternoon they were taken to the re-education center for their hours of indoctrination. After four hours that droned on and on talking about the Red Star, which was supposedly the center hub of every subject ever taught, the Cadre said, “and now, I am going to make an announcement that you will all want to pay close attention to. You have all done a fine job. And now, you will be rewarded. Tomorrow one of our electrogravitic flying craft will be landing in Riverview. It will be staying quite a while and we want you all to see it. We are so proud of our super-technology. A tour of this beautiful craft will be offered starting tomorrow. It will be something to tell your grandchildren about. It will spark your imagination as nothing ever has before. You will be awestruck. Although this craft is not a spaceship you will easily see that eventually this technology, and even more advanced technologies, will be used to seriously colonize space. But, as Chairman Wu has told us, we must take care of home business first. We want you to see and experience the possibilities of this new time so that you will come to appreciate that, although you are now having to live a much harder life, rewards greater that anything you have ever imagined will eventually be yours. This is for the future benefit of your children and your grandchildren and for many generations to come. Those who wish to participate in this educational experience will be given three hours tomorrow afternoon to partake of a tour which is unlike anything you have ever imagined. There will be similar opportunities during this vessel’s stay. So, if you decide not to attend tomorrow, you may do so at another time. I really expect that you will all want to see this. The alternative is to not participate and continue taking care of your regular labor. The time off work is strictly for this and this only. But, really, an opportunity like this is a rare thing, so I urge you all to take full advantage of it, either tomorrow or sometime before it departs. Later tours will be announced.”
Martin was sitting right next to Laura and said to her quietly under his breath, “this is what was predicted to happen. I heard about this yesterday.”
“How?” asked Laura.
“Good question,” said Martin. “That’s the billion dollar question, isn’t it.”
Chapter Nine
Chp. 1 : Chp. 2 : Chp. 3 : Chp. 4 : Chp. 5 : Chp. 6 : Chp. 7 : Chp. 8 : Chp. 9 : Chp. 10 :
Chp. 11 : Chp. 12 : Chp. 13 : Chp. 14 : Chp. 15 : Chp. 16 : Chp. 17 : Chp. 18 : Chp. 19 :
