The Last Hero (2 page)

“We understand.” Andersen failed to hide a grin. “You have our permission to discuss this with your wife. But it’s vital that this remain a secret until the announcement, which we would like you to attend. As for your question, the laws of relativity are a bitch. There’s nothing we can do about it. A decade will pass before you return, but you should see them again. If it makes you or your wife feel any better, you really don’t have a choice in the matter. The terms of your Army discharge allow your reactivation in the event of an emergency.”

Trent turned toward Andersen, thrusting a finger at him.

“Then what’s with the damn dog and pony show?” He hated having to feel like he was choosing to leave, choosing to abandon his family.

“We thought it best if you reached the decision on your own. We knew you would, you were born for this. This is your destiny.”

“Fuck you!” he blurted out, angrier at himself than Andersen. Resigned to his fate, Trent sat back down on the desk’s edge. “Do you know where I’m going?”

An evil smirk grew across Andersen’s face. “We know exactly where you’re going.”

Chapter 2: Home Front

T
he presence of two Fleet officers making a surprise visit with someone of Trent’s history piqued the curiosity of more than a few co-workers. They mingled in the common area pretending to work and hoping to catch a glimpse to find out what was going on.

His door opened with the officers leading the charge out. Trent stood in the doorway to watch them leave, sweating and looking noticeably paler. Once the gray uniformed men had disappeared, he marched directly into his father-in-law’s office without knocking, taking the older man by surprise.

“Dave?”

“Yeah, Trent?”

“Something has come up, an emergency. Can you do a huge favor for me? Pick Anna up at school and let her hang out at your place till after dinner?”

“Why? What’s going on? You don’t look so well. You getting sick?”

“No, I am fine. I know it sounds weird, but I can’t tell you just yet. I really need to talk to Madison alone tonight.”

Dave became concerned, as well as confused about the secrecy. He had missed the arrival of the Fleet officers. The look in Trent’s eyes convinced him that he needed to do as asked.

“Sure, whatever you need. I’ll pick her up. Give me a call when I can drop her off at your place.”

Trent turned to rush out when it dawned on him this was probably the last time he would ever be in this office. He paused before exiting, turning to again face Dave. Here was a man who had always treated him with respect and kindness, despite the fact that he knocked-up his daughter on a one-night stand. Trent felt confident that he wouldn’t have been so nice if the shoe was on the other foot with Anna.  

“Dave,” Trent said in a somber tone. “I just want to say thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to spend some time with the little pistol.”

“No. Not about that. Thank you for everything, for the opportunity here with your firm. Most of all, thanks for welcoming me into your family. You always made me feel welcome.”

“You’re starting to scare me. Are you sure there isn’t something you want to tell me?”

“It will all make sense in two days.”

With that, Trent went to his office to gather a few things and left with a dozen sets of eyes watching his every move.

***

As he pulled into the driveway, Trent took extra care to examine every centimeter of his yard and home. The perfect green genetically engineered grass never needed mowing. A modest home constructed of recycled carbon fiber composite material required little maintenance. Sure it made the house fire proof, flood proof, and nearly tornado proof, but it lacked the character of older homes built back when people still used wood.

Just that morning, the world had seemed so simple. He thought he had a pretty good idea of how his life would turn out. Sell insurance, raise Anna, spend time with Madison, and then play with his grandchildren.

Now his future held either a violent death on some alien planet, or losing his life to the ravages of physics. The more he thought about it, the more he wished that he could go back to the fantasy world he lived in that morning.

Madison wasn’t due home for another half an hour. He grabbed a bottle of bourbon out of the liquor cabinet and sat at the kitchen table to wait.

How the hell do you tell your wife that her husband and the father of her child is leaving both of them to fight a war in space?

Trent knew that Andersen was right about everything. He was the best man for the mission, from both a military standpoint and public relations. He remembered the chaos of the days before the Kitright arrived. The mass panic nearly destroyed entire cities.

If humanity needed to fight an interstellar war, they couldn’t afford such disruptions. His presence could help calm the fears of a public terrified of the unknown again. Andersen was even right about him not really having a choice. The government would be well within their legal rights to force him back into the military.

What bothered Trent was that Andersen didn’t need to force him to do anything. A soldier’s life was all he ever wanted. It flowed through his veins as thick as red blood cells. A big part of him wanted to go, wanted to fight, no matter what the personal cost. Though he couldn’t deny it, he also wanted to see his little girl grow up and walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

None of that would happen if those beasts made it to Earth, and he was the best man to lead the first counter-strike. The monsters were real, and it was the job of every father to keep the monsters away.
Sitting on the sidelines isn’t an option.

Trapped in deep thought, Trent didn’t hear Madison come in.

“What are you doing home? I thought you were picking up Anna?” She glanced at the bottle of bourbon and glass in his hand. “What’s going on?”

“Sit down, honey.”

“Where’s Anna?”

“Your dad picked her up for me. She’s having dinner with them. Please sit.”

Madison looked into her husband’s tormented eyes, seeing the fear and pain.

“What’s going on? You don’t look right.”

He waited for her to take a seat, studying her form intently. Madison’s wavy red hair and milky white skin had always attracted him. She placed a hand on top of his to provide a small token of comfort. He looked into her caring brown eyes and remembered their time together. It didn’t start like some Disney movie.

After the mission in South Africa, the government had paraded Trent around like a national hero. The celebrity and warrior image brought with it a seemingly endless supply of beautiful women eager to bed the Trent Maxwell, “
The Last American Hero
,” as the newsnet had called him. He didn’t think it polite to disappoint any of them.

Madison started out as one of the groupies, just another one-night stand. But she ended up pregnant. Trent stopped the excessive fornicating to explore an actual relationship with the mother of his child. To everyone’s surprise, including his, the two hit it off. Refusing to look like a beached whale in her wedding photos for all eternity, she had insisted that the wedding take place after Anna’s birth.

Despite the awkward beginning, the marriage worked. Trent’s insides churned at the thought of leaving her. She deserved better.

“There is no easy way to say this. So I’m just going to lay out the facts.”

“I’m listening.”

You poor thing, I’m so sorry.

“Two Colonial Fleet officers came to see me today. New Earth has been wiped out. All of the colonists were killed. Murdered.”

“Oh my God!” Her hand retracted from his. “What happened?”

“They were attacked by a new alien race. A race we know almost nothing about. The Kitrights don’t know anything about them. They didn’t just attack the colony, Madison, they exterminated…everyone.”

Madison leaned back in her chair to absorb the information.

“When did this happen?”

“Two weeks ago.”

“Why isn’t this on the news? Why did they come to see you, to tell you this?” she said more than asked.

Trent took a big gulp of whiskey. The liquid courage burned on the way down.

“They’re making the announcement in two days. It’s a high-level state secret till then, so don’t tell anyone. Not a soul. They don’t want to tell the public until they can also announce a plan of action, hoping it will help keep people calm.”

“But why tell—” the answer to her question hit her like a bolt of lightning. She slapped a hand over her mouth. “You’re part of their plan. Aren’t you?”

She stood, sending her chair squeaking across the kitchen floor. Madison thrust a finger at him.

“Of course, they have to send the big war hero. Don’t worry everyone...we’re going to throw my husband on some planet so he can get himself killed. Then all of you can sleep a little better tonight. Fuck that! You’re not going anywhere!”

“Madison, please sit down. Talk to me about this.”

“What is there to talk about? You’re not going anywhere. You’re no longer a soldier. You sell insurance for Christ’s sake.” She tossed her hands into the air. “Are they going to have you bore them to death by explaining the details of a term life policy?”

“Honey, please calm down. I’m one of a handful of people in the whole world who has the actual combat experience to do this. You know that. In two days, there will be a press conference. I’ll be there. I don’t have a choice.”

“Bullshit!” Madison paced wildly. “Why are you defending them? You didn’t say that you were going, did you? What do you mean you don’t have a choice?”

Trent stood to try and calm Madison down by reaching out to her. She refused his embrace.

“When I was discharged, the fine print said the government can call me back into service in cases of emergency. They’ll classify this as an emergency. After the Secretary General of the UN explains what happened to New Earth, he’ll inform the world we’re in a state of war. Do you get it? An entire plant at war, and not with itself. Nothing like this has ever happened. He’ll also announce preparations for a counter-attack are already underway. And that I’m leading the strike force.”

“
No you’re not
!” Madison yelled. She punched Trent squarely in the chest. “Ouch!” she complained, mourning her wrist.

“You okay?”

She nodded, rubbing her injured joint.

Trent continued, “I either fight, or I go to prison.”

She slumped into the chair. Her whole body defined defeat, from the downcast expression on her face, to how she seemed to crumple forward.

“Why aren’t you mad? Why are you defending them for taking you away from your family?”

Tears welled up in her lovely brown eyes. He rushed forward to try embracing her again. This time she allowed it.

“It’s not that I want to go. It’s that I
have
to go.”

“I don’t understand.”

“There’s something you need to see.”

Trent stepped away and walked around the table. He pulled a holoplate out of his bag. Andersen let him keep it, so his wife could truly see why he must go to war. He placed the plate in front of Madison.

“This is a holo of the attack on New Earth. Once you watch it, I hope you understand. I warn you, this is something you can’t un-see. It’s...very troubling.”

Madison wiped away tears to prepare herself to press play. Once ready, the holo began.

Trent didn’t watch. He concentrated on his wife. The frightful images danced off her wide-open eyes as she found herself unable to blink or look away. Seeing people, particularly children, ripped apart kills a little of your soul. He stood there watching his wife and mourned the part of her that he witnessed die.

The holo ended.

Madison sat perfectly still, not saying a word for a minute. Then she jumped up, sprinted to the kitchen sink, and vomited as her body fruitlessly tried to expel the images recently burned into her mind.

“You see, I have to fight. I’m the best man for the job. I can’t let those things, these beasts get here.”

Madison didn’t say anything. Tears dripped down her face. The silence was louder than if she had screamed at him.

***

That night, Trent tucked a sleepy little angel into bed. He took extra time to study her face…the squirming movements of her tiny body…the delightful smell of the bubble bath she loved…the sound of her sweet voice. He tried to commit everything about her to memory.

Scanning the pink walls dotted with ribbons and painted flowers, he attempted to soak in the innocence of a little girl’s room.

Anna’s childish world of imagination, candy, dolls, playmates, and spoiling grandparents was for all purposes, perfect. His spirit sank. He was about to shatter that world.

“Daddy?”

Her voice pulled him back to her.

“Yes, Anna.”

“Why is Mommy sad?”

“Oh, honey.” He pulled her covers up over her princess pajamas. “Sometimes mommies and daddies get sad.”

“Did I make Mommy sad?”

“Oh, no honey.” His heart broke. “Mommy isn’t sad because of you. You make Mommy happy.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

“Now you get some sleep. We’re going to have a fun day tomorrow.”

Trent planted a gentle kiss on Anna’s forehead. He stood to walk out, but she stopped him.

“Sing to me.”

Her simple request warmed Trent’s heart.

“You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When the skies are grey.

You’ll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don’t take

My sunshine away

The other night dear,

As I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

When I awoke dear

I was mistaken

So I hung

My head

And I cried”