Beyond Armageddon: Book 02 - Empire Read Online Free PDF Page B

Ashley chided.

                “No.”

                The unexpected answer gave her pause. JB drew another scene: a giant monster waving fists at a mass of stick-people.

                She huffed and told him, “That’s enough for tonight, JB. It’s late.”

                He stood and gave her a hug.

                “Please, mom. I just know father will be here soon. Another few minutes?”

                “I see,” she found it difficult to deny him. He was, after all, her boy. Her child. Perhaps the only thing—the only person—in the world that she knew actually loved her. The two spent a lot of time alone together waiting for ‘father’ to return.

                “Okay, okay,” she kissed him on the forehead as he smiled in victory.

                Ashley glanced at the classic grandfather clock ticking and tocking in the corner. “Ten more minutes by grandpa’s watch,” she told the boy, referring to the clock. “But that’s it. Understand?”

                “Yes,” he hugged her again. “I love you, mommy.”

    –

     
                Eagle One flew over the mountains and into the basin holding Harveys Lake . That lake had once been home to the region’s wealthy as well as seasonal summer dwellers of means.

                Armageddon chased them away. During the first days, authorities urged evacuation to rescue stations. This ended disastrously for those who listened. Those who did not leave faced monsters and then starvation.

                When the Old Man informed Trevor that he had to survive, fight, and sacrifice, he also informed the young man he would receive three gifts to help.

                The lakeside estate came first, packed with survival gear and weapons. This had been his home during the early months. Eventually it morphed into the center point for rebuilding civilization.

                His second gift proved more unusual: the ability to communicate with dogs, although he preferred to call them K9s or even “Grenadiers” as Stonewall McAllister nicknamed them.

                Even after five years he did not fully understand how the communication worked, but it involved a combination of sound and mental projection.

                Nonetheless, they were obedient, fearless, and ruthless; an extension of Trevor’s will. They never questioned his orders, argued morals, or hesitated to obey.

                As the number of human survivors grew, the importance of K9s in pitched battles diminished. They transitioned from front line fighting to rooting out alien predators as well as security, although more than a few Hivvans met their fate in the jaws of Trevor’s Grenadiers.

                As far as anyone could tell, Trevor remained the only human who could communicate thoroughly with the K9s. Nonetheless, the dogs were born with an instinct for human commands.

                The K9s numbered in the tens of thousands throughout the new civilization and provided basic perimeter and patrol security for almost every human community. While certainly intimidating to newcomers, people slept better knowing Grenadiers patrolled the streets.

                His third gift proved the most puzzling of all, at least to those who had known him before Armageddon. Trevor’s close friends—like Jon Brewer and Dante Jones—could not understand how Stone knew how to fly helicopters or repair complicated equipment. How had he learned to be a good marksman or understand the tactics of war as well as any General?

                He told them he had just “picked it up.” They never questioned further.

                A collection of human genetic memories, this third gift remained stored in a secret room in an underground chamber beneath the mansion; a chamber only he could access using