Cloud 9

Cloud 9

     Clouds are an interesting thing. From the ground they look like huge solid islands, although in reality they are not. They are made of moisture, which a lone airplane or other flying contraption may fly through unharmed. But what if some of the clouds are something more, something...special.

      Henry Dawson had just graduated from high-school and was enjoying the summer. His future was bright, with college in late August, a nice car his parents had given him, and a surety of his career choice (which was becoming a doctor). To most people this sounds like the perfect life, but not to Henry. He hated the whole idea of it. Now, don't get me wrong. It wasn't because of not being smart enough or motivated enough. It was because his future goals were what his parents wanted. 

     Second thoughts had become an everyday part of Henry's life, yet in spite of that, he couldn't get past the idea of letting his parents down. He had run through every possible scenario in his mind of how to get out of his “preordained” destiny. However, it was a lost cause. 

     As the summer moved on, his apprehension and anxiety about his future grew into an obsession. It was all he could think about and caused many restless nights. He hoped against hope that something would happen before he was trapped. 

     It was now the very day before Henry was to leave for college, and there had not been any remedy to his situation. He was feeling stressed so he decided to take a walk through town. He was going down a sidewalk near an alley when he heard someone calling out, “Henry Dawson, come here.” He looked around to see who it was, but the sidewalk was totally clear of people. The call came again, “Henry Dawson, come here.” It was coming from the alley. Henry's curiosity was aroused, he had to find out who would be asking for him out here.

     He followed the unknown voice down the alley until he came to a rusty metal door. The door was the side entrance to an old abandoned warehouse. Approaching the door, Henry noticed that it was slightly open. Gathering his resolve, Henry pushed it open and entered in. The room was dark other than the light from the dusty windows. There were boxes and crates everywhere, of all shapes and sizes, covered in dust. 

     The call of, “Henry Dawson, come here.” was heard once more. It came from the other side of the building, which Henry began walking toward. He had to maneuver past a huge stack of boxes that almost reached the ceiling to get to his destination. Passing the last box, he saw within 15 feet of himself a small room with a light on in it. He slowly crept to the doorway and looked inside. To his utter amazement and surprise, there was a middle aged woman, possibly in her late 40's, sitting in a chair waiting for something. 

    The woman had a slender pretty face, light green eyes, brown hair that was gathered into a long braid down her back. She was of medium height with a petite build, wearing some kind of official military outfit, which Henry didn't recognize. It consisted of a dress jacket, a skirt, a hat, and very plain black shoes. There were many different insignia on her jacket that showed she was of a high rank.

     Suddenly amidst his observations the woman stood up, turned, and extended her hand to Henry. He hesitated to shake her hand, so she took the initiative and shook his first. Then she introduced herself, “My name is Captain Stephanie Lacey of the Earth Protection Service.” 

     Henry began to say, “My name is..”

    “Henry Dawson,” Capt. Lacey said before he could finish. 

    “How did you know that, and what do you want?” asked Henry somewhat suspiciously.

   “We have been following you for years, and determined through that time that you were a prime recruit.” 

    “Recruit?” Henry questioned. 

    “Let me explain. I am a part an agency that protects our planet from aliens who have been trying to invade the earth. It was started nearly 200 years ago, by a group of British scientists who found a wrecked alien ship. The ship was empty, and after looking over of the ship, they slowly and painstakingly disassembled it piece by piece. Then they loaded everything onto a large boat and returned back to England. 

 

    The scientists kept the discovery to themselves and started to examine what they had discovered. Through that process they learned how to build, operate, and power many different ships and other vehicles. And over time that technology has been greatly improved upon. We are always in need of people to join us, and every few years we recruit 10. This way we have been able to operate these 200 plus years.” 

 

     Henry was stunned. “You want to recruit me? What do I have to offer?” He stammered.

    “Throughout your life you have exhibited great strength and courage. Your mind is very quick, and not once have you questioned if I was lying to you.”

    “You have my attention now! What more can you show me?” 

     “Follow me.” capt. Lacey said. 

     She stood up from her chair and walked out into the warehouse. Henry followed her to the far side of the mountain of boxes to a door he had not seen in the dark. She opened it and bright light from outside rushed in, nearly blinding them both. When Henry's eyes adjusted, he was met with an amazing sight. There was a space ship sitting right in front of him. He just stood there, staring, with his mouth hanging open.

     The ship was silver and round with no wings and two engines in the back. It sat low to the ground with a two person cockpit in the center. Capt. Lacey pushed a button on her watch. The cockpit opened and small footpads appeared across the hull. She motioned Henry to get in, so he climbed up on the ship and walked on the footpads and into the back seat. The Captain followed his lead and closed the cockpit canopy. 

     Then she started the engine, which was much quieter than Henry had anticipated, and pushed a few buttons beside her. Right after she pushed them, the ship's engines went completely silent and what looked like a vapor covered the whole ship. 

     “What was that?” Henry questioned. 

     “It is our greatest discovery. The ability to become invisible and undetectable.”

     “Wow!” was all he could say.

     Following their quick exchange, Capt. Lacey took a hold of the steering yoke and the ship lifted off the ground. The feeling of taking off filled Henry with excitement as the ship rose up higher above the warehouse. At the height of a few hundred feet, they were off! It was exhilarating to be flying in a real space ship. “This beats having a car!”, Henry thought.

    “Now I will take you to see one of our big ships, what we like to call, 'Cloud 9,'” Capt. Lacey explained.

    They flew on for a few minutes and then began to slow down as they approached a large cloud formation. As they came nearer, the captain pressed a button on the steering yoke and began to speak, “This is Capt. Lacey. I'm requesting permission to land.”

     “Please transmit your ID code.” a voice stated.

     “Will do.” Capt. Lacey replied.

     A few seconds later the voice came back, “Proceed to land.”

     The captain shut the speaker off and said, “Get ready to be amazed.”

    She then pushed another button, and the cockpit canopy turned a darker shade. Right before Henry's eyes the huge cloud was replaced by a massive ship the size of a small city. It was massive, 2,500 feet long, 850 feet wide, and 100 feet tall at the highest point. The ship was a grayish color with guns mounted all across the hull. There were four medium sized hanger bays, various antenna, windows everywhere, and a command tower towards the front. “Are you serious?!” Henry exclaimed.

     “This is 'Cloud 9',” Capt. Lacey proudly stated.

     She gave Henry some time to let him get a good view of the ship. When she decided it had been long enough she started the landing process. The ship slowly maneuvered to a landing platform on top of 'Cloud 9' and softly touched down. The shield surrounding their small ship turned off, and one foot above them was the cloud cover once again. “This cloud cover can only be seen through our special sensor,” Capt. Lacey explained.

     As the cockpit opened, Henry noticed a very important looking man and two officers, waiting for him. The man was tall and burly with red hair, a red wispy beard, and a glint in his eye. Captain Lacey shut the engine off and climbed out, followed by Henry. They made their way over to the waiting men and were warmly met.

     The big man came up to captain Lacey, grabbed her hand and said, “Glad ta be seein' ya agin', lassy,” in a rich Irish accent. 

    “I'm glad to be back, Commander McClurrey. I brought you the new potential recruit, Henry Dawson.”

     The Commander turned to Henry and grabbed his hand, “Glad ta meet ya laddy. We've a' been havin' our eye on ya for quite some tyme now. I'd like ta be showin' ya aroond our mihty ship.”

      “I'm very happy to meet you Commander McClurrey. Your ship is awesome! I can't wait to see inside.”

        “We be headin' there right now and you'll be a gettin' the full tour,” the commander chuckled. 

       Then the Commander turned and led the way down through a hatch into the giant ship. They went down a ladder and came to a long hall, which led to a partially wider room full of elevators. The Commander walked up to the middle elevator, pulled out a keycard from his pocket and inserted it into a small slot in the door. He then spoke his rank and last name. There was a short pause and then the door opened. The small group got in and Commander McClurrey pushed the “C” (for control tower) button. 

     No sooner had the “C” button been pressed, when they reached the control room. The doors opened and a magnificent sight met their eyes. It was an enormous room with jungle trees, vines and exotic plants everywhere. The ground seemed to be made of dirt with leaves, twigs, and grass covering it. Up above there was a clear blue sky with the sun shining. Was this a jungle?!

      The group made their way down a paved trail toward the front of the room. The scenery on the trail was beautiful with something new every few feet, and even some animals could be seen among the trees. As the path ended they came to a clearing where the ship's command center was located. There was still grass, trees and foliage spread over the area. Three giant windows looked out over a large portion of 'Cloud 9'. Directly in front of the windows were many computer consoles and there was also a flat panel that projected a fully colored 3D hologram right above it.

     Henry looked at it all in awe and wonder, not believing his eyes. “This is a science fiction dream come true,” he blurted out.

     “Aye, indeed it is me boy. I've 'a been here for many a year and it still makes me giddy.”

     “What's with the jungle, commander?”

     “It be part of the technology we've a had since the beginning of this here organization. The jungle is projected from a special machine that creates an artificial habitat. We chenge it from tyme to tyme to make things interestin'. But we always be a keepin' it warm even with snow”, he exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

      “This place keeps getting better all the time”, Henry said in response.

      “Well lad, it's been nice seein' ya, but I hav' a ship ta run here. Soo, Captain Lacey'll be showin' you aroond.” The commander grabbed Henry's hand, gave it a hearty shake and walked to his command station.

       “Would you like to learn what we do on this floor?”, Capt. Lacey asked.

       “You bet,” said Henry.

       So, the two spent the next hour and a half going to the various control stations and listening to the crew members explain how things worked. Some of the things they learned were: the ship had special shields which made it totally invisible to the human eye, it was completely noiseless, it was indistinguishable to radar or any other form of detection, was armed with advanced weaponry, and it would force any and all objects from crashing into it by using air currents to gently direct them away. They also never had to worry about running out of power because it was generated from special turbine's that used energy from the sunlight.

       When their rundown of the control center was done they headed back to the elevator. Capt. Lacey hit the “H 1” button and they arrived at the ships main hanger bay. It was located at the underside of the ship and was a sight to behold indeed. Capt. Lacey began telling him all about it, “This is where our most important spacecraft are stored. We have 25 small fighter craft, 5 troop shuttles, 15 repair modules, a fuel ship, and extra armaments. We occasionally have skirmishes with the aliens attempting to get to the earth.”

      “You haven't said much about the aliens yet. Please tell me more, if you are allowed to.”

     “Don't be silly of course I can tell you(she said with a smile). They look like human sized creatures that resemble insects, they have incredible heightened senses, are very intelligent, and are invisible to detection by modern technology. They have totally given up on large attacks since we are so powerful against their large war ships. Small infiltration, and fighter ships have been their primary method of attack for the last 30 years. We keep most of them from getting through, but sometimes they make it to earth and cause “accidents”.

     “Accidents?”

    “Yes, for example: unexplained car, plane, or boat wrecks. The Titanic for instance or the Bermuda triangle (where they still have a hidden colony.) The Chicago fire, the Hindenburg disaster, the Great train wreck of 1918, and the Cocoanut Grove fire. There are many more, but you get the idea.”

     “I had no idea that was all caused by aliens.”

     “That's nothing compared to what would happen without us. In the early days this group saved the Earth.”

      “You told me a little bit about that earlier, but there is still much more I'd like to know.”

      “I'll give you the long version, it should give you the answers you need.”

     “Over 200 years ago a group of 10 British scientists were on an expedition to the Congo and found a wrecked alien ship in the jungle. The ship was empty, but they found the bones of the aliens nearby. After looking over of the ship they slowly and painstakingly disassembled it piece by piece. Then they loaded everything onto a large boat and returned back to England.

     They kept the discovery to themselves and started the process of examination. Their task was much harder than they anticipated, for every ship part had writing of an unknown language on it. Nearly two entire years were needed to decipher the alien language.

 

     When they learned how to read the markings on the ship many astounding revelations were unearthed at a rapid pace. Within a few short weeks the scientists knew how to start the ship, use the ship's computer, and even get it hovering off the ground. Amid the joy of all their findings a great new terror would soon overwhelm them.

       Reading through the massive collection of data in the ship's computer, they came across an entry warning of a nearby alien race who planned to attack the earth. The attack was planned for 40 years from their current time, and it was a full invasion. All intelligent beings would be wiped out completely.

      At first the scientists were quite distraught and shaken over such terrible news. But over the next week they came to the conclusion that something must be done to prevent the attack. With having personally seen alien technology themselves they were fully aware of how dangerous it was. The earth's technology and weaponry was no match for an alien invasion.

     They decided that the best way to fight alien technology, was, with alien technology. The ship's computer was loaded with so much information on weapons and technology (used for offense and defense) in warfare, that we are still reading through it, now. The scientists took turns pouring through the entries in the computer for weeks on end to find the best ideas to protect the earth. Their diligence was well rewarded with what they found.

      The first entry was for a one manned, armed attack ship. Another thing they found were plans for assault rifles and other hand weapons. Then personal armor, and jetpacks. Next, and most importantly, they found plans for enormous ships that could be disguised as clouds and become invisible if needed. These ships were the size of small cities which needed crews of 150 to fly, but could hold 2,500 soldiers, each.

      Money was not an issue, for the scientists were very well off and had decided the earth's future was more important than their own prosperity. The materials they needed were readily available on the earth. The last thing presented a hard dilemma. Workers were needed, to help build the ships, who would keep things secret.

     The scientists held intensive job interviews over a two year period to find trustworthy accomplices who were willing to dedicate their lives to protecting the earth from the upcoming invasion. Some of their stipulations were: they needed to be young (at the time), honest beyond reproach, no criminal record, and people of great sacrifice with no desire to get rich or gain power. They were very creative with their questions to avoid people who were unqualified from finding them out.

     Following the job interviews, the scientists hired 500 workers, who would be kept busy 6 days a week for 10 to 12 hours a day. The cover story they told their friends and family was that they were making parts for trains. The work was to be done in two enormous warehouses they had constructed in an out of the way corner of the countryside.

     The projects of building 30 fighter ships, and 3 cloud ships that were 1200 feet long, 450 feet wide, and 100 feet high at the tallest point, took 20 years to build! It was the greatest technological achievement in the world's history, up to that point. And the best part was that it still remained a secret. 

      With another 20 years till the planned invasion was to occur, there were still many things to do. The workers who built everything had to be trained into pilots, mechanics, soldiers, gunners, and officers. They also had to know the large ships like the back of their hands. Many new recruits joined the cause from all over Europe swelling their numbers to 4,000 people.

      The year of the alien invasion came, and on the 25^th of May, 1834, their ships filled the sky right below the Earth's atmosphere. There were more than we anticipated but we were well prepared. We also had the element of surprise, in that we had a large technological army equal to their own. However in spite of that small advantage, the battle was fierce, their sheer numbers against our heart and better piloting skills. We fought them for three entire days, finally pulling off the victory the third night with a huge offensive, where we took out their capital ship. We got the majority of the vermin in that great battle, yet a few small colonies still exist throughout the galaxy.”

       “That is the coolest story I have ever heard, and I totally believe it after seeing all of this.”

       “I never get tired of telling that story, it's one of the main things that helped me decide to join.”

       They finished the tour of the hanger and moved on to the soldier living quarters. Each soldier had their own room that was top of the line. It was just a single room, but with one voice command it could change into a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining room, a hot tub, and many other variations. A room fit for a king!

      The next stop was the engine room, located in the rear of the ship. The manager showed Henry a large group of 20 round glowing cylinders connected together, and explained what they were. “This is the ship's power core. The long glowing rods are where the power from the sun is stored. It is collected from the advanced solar shell that covers the entire hull of the ship.”

      The last section of the tour was focused on “Cloud 9's” weapons systems. Capt. Lacey took Henry to see the main guns, and even allowed him to sit in the gunners chair! He was thrilled! In total the mighty ship had 20 main guns, 75 medium laser cannons, 50 light laser cannons, and 50 missile tubes. 

     With the tour over, Henry and his guide headed back to the control room. While they walked Capt. Lacey talked more about the agency. “After all you have seen, you need to decide if you want to forsake your life on earth and join up with us. The commitment is absolute, no going back. It involves not seeing your family, your friends, or anyone else you know. We will collect some things from your house if you like, and bring them here. Despite your requirement to remain off the grid you may visit any of our other ships or we also have secret vacation spots throughout the earth.”

     By the end of the talk the two had reached the control room. They made it through the jungle and there waited for the Commander. Soon enough the burly scotch-man headed their way. As was his custom he heartily shook both their hands and welcomed them back, “How was the toor me boy?!”

     “I loved every minute of it!”

    “Now we should a be a goin' to me quarters to discuss if'n' ya will be a join'en us on this here ship.”

       So off the three went, directly to the Commander's quarters. When they reached them, they went into a grand room that was fully furnished with many Scottish looking pieces of furniture and assorted knickknacks. The room was ten times the size of the soldiers' quarters, and a large window also made up the east wall.

 

        Commander McClurrey led the way to a nice leather couch and kindly asked them to take a seat. Then he said to Henry, “Now as I'm shure, Capt. Lacey told ya aboot the decision ya need ta a be a makin'”

       “Yes sir, she did.”

       “And did ya mull it over in yer mind, along with a facterin' in the steep price of it all.”

       “Yes sir.”

       “We'll, ya have any a questions for me.”

      “No sir.”

      “OK then, what be yer decision?”

      “I have always gone along with what everyone else thinks I should do with my life, which I am grateful for. But not anymore! I have had enough! Commander McClurrey I have decided to join the Earth Protection Service and dedicate my entire life to it!”

       “Well said me lad! You won't be regrettin' it! Now the next thing for ya to do, is to return home one last time and collect any things ya wish to be takin' with ya. See your parents one more tyme and come back here to be commissioned by me. The Captain here'll take ya home now.”

      With the meeting ended the Commander returned to his station. Meanwhile Capt. Lacey and Henry headed back to the ship they arrived in. They reached it quickly and took off. They landed back at the abandoned warehouse a short time thereafter. Before Henry left for home Capt. Lacey, told him to be ready at 6 the next morning. She would land the ship in his backyard.

       When Henry got home his parents gave him the normal greetings not suspecting a thing. He ate the farewell dinner before leaving for college (that his Mom had planned on for the last week) and had a typical evening. When it was time to retire for the night Henry made sure to give his parents both big hugs, said he loved them and would miss them a ton. He then did a thorough search of the house and collected the items he wished to keep. 

      Despite all the excitement of the day and the prospect of his new life he slept marvelously. The next day he woke up at five, quietly gathered his things and waited outside. Right at 6 Capt. Lacey arrived to load up all his things, and within minutes he left his life behind.

      Their ship landed on “Cloud 9” and was met by a small group of soldiers who collected Henry's things and carried them to his new quarters. Henry and Capt. Lacey followed them to the new room. After the soldiers finished setting down his things and left the room, Capt. Lacey instructed Henry to to put on his uniform and report to the command center withing 30 minutes.

     Henry changed his clothing and headed to the command center. As he traversed his way through many corridors, he was thinking there would only be a few people to watch the ceremony: Commander McClurrey, Captain Lacey, and some crew members. He was quite calm as he approached the entrance to the room, then, upon entering, a huge applause met his ears. Where the jungle had been, there were now stadium seats lining the walls, filled with over 1,500 soldiers and crew members! And for those who could not leave their posts, they were watching the ceremony on small view-screens. The majority of them were cheering the new recruits' name. Henry!, Henry!, Henry!

     It was thrilling for Henry. He had no clue joining the Earth Protection Service was such a huge occasion. He took in all the sights before walking to the Commander on the stage in the center of the room. 

       He stood facing the crowd while Commander McClurrey gave an introduction speech as follows: “As your leadin' officer of this here ship, ma favorite part is ta meet new recruits. I learn a lot from their files, but ta be a meetin' them in person gives me a much better idea of who they be, much like Henry here. He is a far greater person than I coulda' guessed. Much more fire and heart to im', along with jolly good manners and the like.” A large cheer and applause followed. “Now on with the swearin' in of the new recruit.” 

     Everyone stood at attention and silence filled the room. Then Commander McClurrey faced Henry and began, “Please raise yer right hand. Now state yer name please.”

      “My name is Henry Dawson.”

      “Have ya made yer decision, without being pressured.”

      “Yes sir!”

      “Please state yer choice.”

      “I will join.”

      “Now havin' stated yer choice please read the pledge on the main screen.” 

     “I, Henry Dawson have decided to dedicate my life to the Earth Protection Service, sacrificing a normal life for the sake of mankind!”

       Immediately a thunderous applause from all in attendance filled the room. It was deafening and went on for nearly 15 minutes. 

      The commotion having died down, Commander McClurrey had each person in the room meet Henry and welcome him to the family. It took over 2 hours to meet all 1,500 people, who were most certainly the friendliest he'd ever met.

       That night the final thought's that went through his mind before going to sleep were, “Tomorrow is the beginning of my new life.”