It begins here.....
Synopsis:
An ancient Empire set out thousands of years ago to search the galaxy for a fabled creature of immense power and found itself here on Earth. Faced with desperation from a long isolation, the last member of the expedition group turns to letting herself be manipulated genetically to bring about her mission`s completion.
Aaron Foster always dreamed of being something more in life, but had no idea how much his life was about to change. Now, as he is transformed into Aen, he is caught between the life and man he used to be and the prophetic Harbinger of Terra Sol.
Now fighting both the anguish of his traumatic transformation and the troops that the now obsessed General Taylor keeps on his heels, Aen must find himself in his new place in the universe as he tries to defend Earth from an ancient evil which has found humanity’s sleepy little corner of the galaxy while he and the world try and hold on until help from the Lyarran Empire to arrive.
An ancient Empire set out thousands of years ago to search the galaxy for a fabled creature of immense power and found itself here on Earth. Faced with desperation from a long isolation, the last member of the expedition group turns to letting herself be manipulated genetically to bring about her mission`s completion.
Aaron Foster always dreamed of being something more in life, but had no idea how much his life was about to change. Now, as he is transformed into Aen, he is caught between the life and man he used to be and the prophetic Harbinger of Terra Sol.
Now fighting both the anguish of his traumatic transformation and the troops that the now obsessed General Taylor keeps on his heels, Aen must find himself in his new place in the universe as he tries to defend Earth from an ancient evil which has found humanity’s sleepy little corner of the galaxy while he and the world try and hold on until help from the Lyarran Empire to arrive.
Here is a sneak peek:
Rise of Aen
One:
-Rocky Mountains, Utah – Military Installation Code Named White Rock
The helicopter cleared the mountain range and descended down to the facility in the valley below. Recently constructed, the building stood three stories high and stretched for an entire city block as it sat in isolation from the outside world. Tucked away in the folds of the Rocky Mountains in the northeast corner of Utah, the Air Force had built this place as a continuation of the projects held at Groom Lake. The facility was completed four years ago, just in time to house the lone occupant of the wreckage recovered shortly thereafter.
General Taylor held tight to the strap hanging from the roof of the helicopter as it dipped down rapidly. This was the first time he had been here to the facility even though he had been the head of Project Star Child for the entire time since the discovery of the crash site. Shortly after the retrieval and clean up, Taylor had been called before a review board and applauded for his quick decision-making. He had been promoted to General and transferred to Langley to head this project. His team was given a new CO and he lost touch with them as the demands of his new posting left little spare time. It had also cost him his marriage, as he spent little or no time with his wife of ten years. In his absence, she had fallen in love with another man and left Jensen to his career. As much as her leaving hurt him, the project meant so much more.
That night in the Badlands had changed something deep inside him. He realized that the world wasn’t ready for what they had stumbled upon, that civilization would waver in its course upon the news that they truly weren’t alone in the universe. But here the creature was, still in a coma after almost four years but still alive and in stable condition. A multitude of tests were conducted. as the best scientists in the world had begun to map its DNA. And then there was the ship.
Recovered mostly intact, with the power source still operational, the ship had been the find of a lifetime, and it alone had launched Taylor to legendary status in black ops circles. A wealth of technology and information had been gained from the ship, even though the language had not yet been translated. The military’s code-breakers worked around the clock to crack it, and they seemed to be on the verge of doing just that. All they had been able to determine is that the ship was called the Kyrath, and that it hailed from deep in the interior of the Milky Way.
This is where Taylor had come in; they had identified the origin of the visitor and determined that the ship was not hostile, but still possibly a scout of some sort. The threat was real and now he was charged with finding a way to counter that threat. This is the project that consumed him since being appointed; this is what had cost him his family.
The helicopter lowered itself with a slight jolt on the rooftop landing pad and the engines began to wind down. The door slid open and he jumped out, his feet touching solid ground for the first time in a few hours. As he approached the roof doors, they swung open and he was greeted by the facility head, Major Phillips. She was in her thirties and fairly attractive, despite her attempts at keeping her look in military standards. Her file reported that she was socially adept but kept to herself amongst the others in the facility. She ran a tight ship, and to do so she had to keep herself at a distance from the others.
“General,” she yelled over the noise of the helicopter engines. “We weren’t expecting you for a few more months. Nonetheless, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person!”
“The pleasure is mine.” The doors closed behind them and they were now able to carry on a conversation without yelling and straining to hear. “I figured after four years, I should finally relocate to where my people are.”
She grinned slyly. “Couldn’t take those weasels in Langley any longer, could you?”
Taylor laughed out loud in response. “You and I are going to work well together, Major.” She led him to a waiting elevator and they both entered. “What’s the latest for the project?”
Her face turned serious. “Subjects 28 through 39 survived only one week into the enhancement process, and Subject 40 died horrifically after DNA grafting.” She handed him a file and he flipped through it, reading only the highlighted results. “We’re running short on volunteers General.”
“What are we missing, Major? The lab says it’s DNA and ours are closely related and should be compatible, so are we properly screening our test subjects?”
“There seems to be a minute percent of the world’s population that fall under the acceptable parameters of what we need, and I’m afraid those that volunteered died in the process.”
He looked up at the elevator floor indicator as it passed sub-level ten. The facility reached far below ground, fifteen stories to be exact, to keep the projects inside secret. “Then we need to draft subjects into the project. Screen hospitals in the Northeast and look through medical files to find those who match what we need. When you find them, bring them here—however you see fit.”
“Do you mean kidnapping, sir?” The look of shock was apparent on her face.
“Major, we are up against the clock on this one.” The door opened on sub-level fifteen and they both walked towards the holding tank where Subject Zero lay still in a coma. “The enemy has accidentally made itself known. They are coming and they don’t care if we are ready for them or not. They will overpower us if we don’t try to create some sort of countermeasure. Now if you have any reservations about what we are doing here, I can have you relieved of duty and find someone who has no reservations about what needs to be done.”
“That won’t be necessary, sir; I was just making sure we were on the same page.”
“Good, now get your people on the search and find us more subjects. The longer we are idle the more time we waste.” He walked right up to the holding cell and stared sternly at the captive inside. The creature was female and actually looked like a human woman. She had an orange skin tone with tattoos on the left side of her face. The eyes were only slightly larger than a human’s and the nose was smaller with a straight line into a hairless brow. Her mouth was lipless in comparison to humans, almost like someone curling their lips in to lick them. She was tall; maybe six and a half feet; and had long, muscular arms and legs. Her torso resembled a human the most, with breasts that had no trace of nipples, and a human-like vagina.
Scans showed that her internal organs were unlike anything anyone could imagine, with only guesses on what organ held which function. The fact that she was still alive made exploratory surgery not an option! Taylor could see her for the beautiful creature she was, but at the same time he understood the threat this creature foretold just by being here. He, along with the few others who knew about this recovery, took this threat very seriously and had begun to plan for the day when others would follow. Common sense held that they better prepare themselves with more advanced weapons and soldiers. The weapon program was being developed at Groom Lake, while the soldier enhancement process was here.
“I assume,” he said coldly, not taking his eyes off the specimen, “That you have quarters available for me?”
“Of course, sir. Command quarters are on sub-level ten. If you just follow me, I’ll show you to your room.”
“Lead on, Major.” He followed her back into the elevator and stood beside her in silence. He could tell she was nervous about something. “What’s on your mind, Phillips?” he asked, breaking the air of silence.
“You look at her like you’ve seen her before, but images of her don’t leave the floor she’s on. I just am a little confused about that.”
“You could say that I first welcomed her to Earth, Phillips, and we’ll just leave it at that. It’s been a long while since I’ve laid eyes on her; just two old friends catching up on old times.”
“Understood sir. I think,” she replied as the doors opened. “This way to your room.”
The two walked down the hall, which seemed deserted to him, before coming to their destination, room 405. From her pocket she produced a swipe card and opened the door for him. Taylor noted that his duffle bag was already lying on the bed. As he turned to her, she held out the card to him.
“This is a master lock key that opens all doors in the building. I’ll get a new one made for you in the morning, but in the meantime you can use mine. I’ll get your ID badge and other security clearances to you at 06:00. Mess hall is on sub-level nine and is open 24/ 7. Is there anything further you need, Sir?”
“No, thank you Major. I think I’ll wander to the mess and grab a bite before retiring for the day.”
She left to go about her tasks, and the door closed with Taylor staring blankly at it. His mind was rolling through the daunting task of his new mandate. Phillips was right to question him on it. After all, down deep he was also horrified about kidnapping civilians to further the project. But in a time of war, sacrifices had to be made and even though most couldn’t see it, they were definitely at war! Taylor was hoping that they had enough time to ensure the human race had a fighting chance against a superior foe.
