Villains Defeat (The Shadow Master Book 4) by M. K. Gibson

Author:M. K. Gibson [Gibson, M. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-07-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Where the Story Structure Shifts, Aliens Have Invaded, and We Meet a Traitor

The dark, angular four-person shuttle craft was a wraith against the nighttime sky. Swooping in low, the shuttle skimmed just over the tree line of snow-covered pines. Banking hard, the craft decelerated, then hovered over a remote clearing illuminated by the full moon. Dr. Kevin Grant glanced out the viewport window, looking for any signs of anyone approaching. Satisfied that he had not been followed, Grant toggled several switches, initiating the landing sequence. The autopilot system scanned the frozen ground, then extended the ship’s docking struts. A few moments later, the shuttle came to a full stop.

“Claudia?” Dr. Grant said to the ship’s AI while finalizing the landing.

“Yes, Dr. Grant?” Claudia replied.

“Maintain low-power mode, but keep the engine cells primed. If this meeting ends . . . prematurely, I want an immediate means of egress.”

“Understood, Dr. Grant.”

“And the flight plan?” Grant asked, checking the flight logs on the display.

“The altered navigational route has been logged and the false telemetry is being relayed back to Spartan Base. No one knows you’re here.”

“Excellent,” Dr. Grant said, nodding. “And have you had any trouble masking your alterations with the central computer back at base?”

“No, Dr. Grant, your work was exceptional,” Claudia said, then paused a moment. “Dr. Grant?”

“Yes?”

“You’re doing the right thing,” Claudia said.

“I know,” Grant said. “Open the hatch, please.”

“Of course, Dr. Grant. Good luck.”

With a hiss the shuttle craft’s rear passenger hatch opened and the boarding ramp extended. Arctic wind blew back what little there was of Grant’s thinning, neatly-cut hair. Affixing the clasps of his thick parka, Grant put on his goggles over his tortoiseshell glasses, pulled the fur-trimmed hood over his head, and walked out into the cold Alaskan air. Stepping off the ramp and onto the snowy ground, he was oddly reminded of Mars. Not the weather of course, but the silence. The blissful sound of nothingness.

Twelve short years earlier he had first stepped foot on that raw, untamed planet, but Grant still remembered the absence of sound as if it were only yesterday. That red wasteland and its serene silence had been a promise of potential. With his terraforming engines, he would transform Mars into another Earth, one ready to be the salvation of the human race. And then—then a grateful world would fall to their collective knees and thank Dr. Kevin Grant for saving their lives.

But that foolish dream had been before the construction team found the ruins on the red planet. In that discovery, not only had the irony of mankind’s life on Mars had been revealed, but also the answer to whether or not they were alone in the universe.

Powering up the ancient Martian technology was meant to be a moment of scientific discovery. Instead it had been a beacon, a light in the darkness of space. And when the Cabal answered the call, mankind and the Earth had been forever changed. For over a decade the Earth Defense Force fought the alien invaders.

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