Rise of Aen (2 page)

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.

Bristol County, Massachusetts

Aaron Foster was an all-around good guy. He helped his neighbors when they needed it, he coached the local kid’s baseball team, and he was one of the most well-respected managers at the bank where he worked. He constantly had a smile on his face—but underneath it all he was
torn.

Aaron wanted his life to mean more in the big picture. For his whole life, he felt he was destined for more than life in suburbia. This nagging want had affected various parts of his life—from work, to his ten-year marriage to his beloved wife. To the outside world, they led the perfect life, but in reality the last few years had been tense. They had grown apart; as their lives in the community grew and prospered, their relationship with each other faltered. Talk of separation surfaced a few years ago, but they both chose to work hard and fix what they had neglected
before.

He believed in love and that it would help them find each other again. The past year had shown his belief to be well worth it, as the two had grown close once more. Krista was the love of his life. She was five foot nine inches of pure energy, with a fiery personality. She had an athletic frame that housed curves to die for. Her hair was dirty blonde and her eyes were hazel, sparkling every time she smiled. Her lips had a slight pout to them and finalized what many remarked to be a model’s face. To him, she was perfect. Krista was his dream girl, his everything, and he was embarrassed that he came so close to not having her in his
life.

Aaron was five foot eleven and not nearly as athletic as Krista, which showed in the emergence of a small belly protruding from his once flat stomach, but he was still in good shape. It was the result of years behind a desk, he always said sarcastically when she poked at him from time to time. He had deep-brown eyes along with his dark brown hair, which was closely cut in a style a little longer than a crew cut. Once in a while he would grow a short beard, but lately too much grey had appeared in it for his liking, so he kept himself clean shaven. Despite being only thirty-two, he felt like he was closer to fifty, from the experiences of his life. He had come from a family with very little, which is why he worked as hard as he did, so his family would never be without. It was this internal drive that caused the odd friction with Krista, as she said she would be fine with nothing as long as they had each
other.

And that is what he kept in mind lately, as he sat on the swing on the back deck of their house, overlooking the backyard. The morning air was cool and crisp; the New England summer had begun to fade to fall, and the transition from night into day reflected that. Aaron awoke early this morning, unable to sleep as the sunrise beckoned him. Alone and in a reflective mood, he let the past few months roll through his ever-churning mind. As he sipped his coffee, he smiled as thoughts of his beautiful wife danced through his mind’s eye. He thought about how lucky he was to have a wife that slept naked; how nice it was to feel her smooth skin against his at night. Now he had more than just a smile on his face, he had a massive erection! The constant thoughts of Krista were driving him crazy with
lust.

Aaron set his coffee on the table beside the swing and quietly went back inside, creeping into the bedroom. Stripping off his jeans and shirt—he had forgotten to wear underwear when he woke up—he slid under the covers to embrace his sleeping beauty. His hands roamed about her body, gently caressing
her.

“Hmmmm,” she moaned softly as he continued his lustful assault on her body. “What do you think you’re doing there?” she
whispered.

Aaron didn’t respond; he just kept his hands roaming and exploring her body. Leaving her breasts, his right hand slowly wound down over her taut stomach, towards her already wet mound. In anticipation, Krista parted her legs and let him cup his hand as he began to rub her. She let out a cry as he then slipped his finger inside her beginning to pump it in and out. After a few minutes of this, she pulled away and pushed him on his back before mounting
him.

“I need you now!” she whispered in his ear as she licked his lobe. Her hand ran down his chest and between her legs to grasp his manhood. “Mmmm, I think he wants me!” she cooed as she thrust it inside her. Grinding her hips like a woman possessed, instinct took over her body and the two began to make
love.

Sweat beaded off her brow as she leaned down and kissed him, letting her tongue slip into his mouth to tease his. After a long, sensual kiss, Krista pulled away to lean back upright; throwing her long hair back over her shoulders with a flick of her neck. Her thrusting picked up speed, along with her moans of pleasure before screams of orgasm burst from her core. From inside, the muscle contractions of her orgasm caused Aaron to come almost instantly after she started. Ecstasy gripped them both as she collapsed on top of him and embraced him tightly, still moving her hips to milk the last tailing bits of her
orgasm.