Anthony DeCosmo - Schism

Knox's shotgun blasted the befuddled alien, sending his big silver body to the tile floor of the Lanai with a metallic clang. Gordon then let go of the dead commando he had used for a human shield…

…The second Witiko heard the shot. He walked quietly toward the master bedroom's inner door. Meanwhile, the last remaining human assassin-Louie-left Gordon's den and proceeded cautiously into the kitchen area on his way toward the front of the house…

…Roos paced back and forth on the knoll. The Witiko officer eyed him but said nothing.

The Director of Internal Security considered his third and final option if the Witiko team did not complete the job. That third and final option would require a cover story about fuel tank ruptures and a house fire. Thankfully Knox lived in an isolated locale. That would give Roos the time and latitude to paint a picture for any parties who took an interest in the 'accident'.

He tapped his thumb impatiently and waited for a sign…

…There were two ways into the master bedroom, one being through the double doors from the Lanai where the body of the first Witiko now lay. The other a smaller door leading toward the foyer. Gordon crept in that direction with the aim of sweeping through the living room and toward the kitchen.

He opened the bedroom door and took one step. An alien hand slammed down on his shotgun, spinning it from his grasp.

Gordon did not hesitate, but neither did the Witiko, who tried to bring his own weapon to bear. Knox managed to get one hand on the end of the barrel and another near the stock. They grappled in a test of strength between two evenly matched competitors.

First, Gordon pushed the alien into the wall. A framed and autographed University of Miami Hurricanes #55 Jersey with the name "Ross" on the back fell and cracked.

Next, the Witiko grunted and turned the tables, swinging Gordon into the wall. This time no collectibles fell but Gordon saw movement out the corner of his eye: Louie the commando stopped at the kitchen archway and stared across the wide open living room at the struggle.

Knox broke the stalemate with a solid knee to the stomach of the alien. The enemy crunched over but did not relinquish his grip on the rifle. Gordon admired his foe's strength and determination, but the intent had not been to wrest the gun from the soldier. Instead, Gordon wanted access to the Witiko's back.

It surprised the Witiko to feel Gordon let go of the gun. It surprised him even more when Knox pulled a wire on the alien's jetpack. The rockets ignited in a brilliant blast of orange fire and sent the silvery humanoid across the dark living room like a giant bullet. With his arms flailing the alien slammed head-first into the bewildered I.S. commando, pushing him and the Witiko into the kitchen area where they crashed into a counter. The fuel from the jet pack ignited and a small explosion spread through the front of the house…

…Roos saw the sign he waited for: the flash of something big detonating inside Gordon's home. He considered it possible that the explosion meant Gordon Knox just died, but the instinct that had served Roos so well since the onset of Armageddon told him that was not the case.

Writing off both entry teams, Roos waved his hand at the house and told the Witiko officer, "Fuck it. Blow it all up."

The officer sent a signal via a wrist-mounted communicator.

High above the quiet cluster of homes nicknamed "Knoxtown," a ship about twice the size as Gordon's house broke through the clouds with running lights off and its profile invisible to the radar net protecting northeastern Pennsylvania.

Ray gazed skyward until he spotted the shadow of the Stingray descending. He heard the gentle roar of its rocket propulsion and began contemplating a series of cover stories should any witnesses catch sight or sound of the approaching ship. If need be, D'Trayne's people would take the fall by playing the role of renegades seeking revenge. Hopefully it would not come to that, but Roos and the Boy Scouts shared the same motto: always be prepared.

The alien ship dropped to five hundred feet and hovered. Roos watched as a highly focused energy beam cut across the night above the treetops and directly into the home where Gordon Knox made his last stand. The crackling glow of the weapon cast the landscape in a soft illumination next of kin to moonlight. Roos thought it a beautiful sight.

Slabs of roof jumped off the home, walls collapsed, and flames engulfed everything.

If only, Roos thought, Evan had not been so egotistical in his revenge, we could have just done this from the start.

Still, Roos knew the cover story for the explosion would require planting evidence, bribing someone to come forward as a witness, yadda, yadda, yadda. Yes, it would have been better if the team put a bullet in Knox's forehead and disappeared the body. As it was, Roos would have to go in after the flames died down, pull out the remains of his men and the Witiko, and-most important of all-identify Knox's cadaver, because Ray Roos would not sleep until he knew for sure Gordon Knox no longer lived.

Jon sat at the head of the table in the mansion basement feeling relieved that this would be the last meeting in a week of meetings.

Joining him at the table were Phillip Rhodes-newly appointed commander of Stonewall's 2 ^ nd Mechanized Division of Virginia-General Cassy Simms of the 1 ^ st Mechanized Division, General Casey Fink leader of the 3 ^ rd Corp currently stationed in Texas, General Shepherd who commanded the 1 ^ st Corp from HQs in both Colorado and California, General William Hoth of the Philippan which hovered in New England, and Captain Woody "Bear" Ross, commanding officer aboard the Excalibur, currently involved in a training mission in Georgia to be followed by a trip to the Pittsburgh shipyard in July.

A speaker phone in the center of the table brought General Prescott, commander of 2 ^ nd Corp, to the conversation from his base in Long Beach as well as Captain Kristy Kaufman of the Chrysaor who was vacationing in the Shenandoah Valley while her ship underwent maintenance.

"Sir?"

Jon realized he had drifted off and missed Rhodes' question. Of course, Rhodes had a lot of questions. He was a good man; a good soldier. As such, he took to his promotion with an abundance of enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry, what was that Phil?"

"I was just confirming that we have no new deployment orders. Nowhere, well, to go."

Shep jumped in, "Well, now I reckon that isn't the case considering that Mexico was always figured to be the next stop on our little worldwide parade."

Heads nodded in agreement. According to reconnaissance, only wild animals-alien and otherwise-lived on the tundra to the north beyond the major Canadian cities clustered around the old border.

In contrast, Mexico-as they had painfully learned-hosted Centurian formations. The destruction of the base in Monterrey may have blunted the enemy's advance toward the Rio Grande, but intelligence suggested additional Redcoat armies mustered further to the south.

Therefore, Jon's answer took them by surprise. "Well, we just have to wait and see. Right now I think we need to be focused on the domestic side of things."

Cassy Simms glanced around at the others and asked, "Sir, what exactly does that mean?"

"It means that the military is under civilian control, just like in the old world. Dante is the Secretary of Defense. He was Trevor's best friend so I think we can trust him. We all have doubts about our President but he was elected by the Senate twice and those Senators were elected by the people."

A little voice from the back of Jon's mind said, Keep telling yourself that. Must be nice to have someone to take orders from again.

Brewer ran a hand over his eyes. That little voice inside his head grew louder every day.