Man Against Machine

By John M. Davis

Humanity has very little hope following the invasion as much of our planet now falls under the shadow of Heretic rule. For Piper, a routine military flight becomes the ultimate struggle for survival. Against all odds, and with an army of robots dead set on eliminating our species, Piper will now lead the counterattack.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Commander
• Release date: Aug 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386035725

Book preview

Chapter 1

HOW LONG UNTIL WE REACH Sidney? Piper asked.

Sidney, Australia had become mankind's capital city following the heretic invasion. And she preferred it to the cold of the north.

Ma'am, brass thinks it's best if we go around the hot zone and avoid possible contact with the invaders. a soldier replied.

A pilot, an escort soldier and a well-used chopper. That's all that could be afforded to one of the brightest civilian advisers to the president himself. Piper didn't blame him. There wasn't a lot of manpower to go around and helicopters were few and far between; even the choppers that had decades of use. Still, sometimes she liked to imagine herself flying in something a bit more lavish. Glancing to the floor, she could see blood stains that had been nearly wiped clean. Piper wondered how many good soldiers had died aboard the chopper since the invasion.

Great, she pulled her red dress coat a bit more snug to her body. Continuing to stare at the steel flooring that was splotched with deep red stains. What's the flight itinerary look like? she asked.

Leaving Finland and then we'll fly over Greenland. Land in a remote area of Canada, refuel and then pass over Alaska on our way to Australia. the pilot said. Reading from a paper log that had been handed to him only minutes prior.

That's a long flight. Piper insisted.

Like I said, ma'am. Brass thinks it's much safer than making the shorter, direct flight over the hot zones. We'd be passing several fronts and even a couple of motherships along the way. I believe they got it right this time – for once. he grinned.

Just try to get comfortable. her escort soldier replied. Turning to look over his shoulder for a moment from the front of the chopper.

Get comfortable. She thought.

Smiling wide, she wondered how that was even possible. The seat was made from the hardest steel she'd ever rested her petite backside on and the thick wall behind her beat against her will with each gust of wind. Piper had often thought of flying in a UH-60 helicopter much like she would riding a very old roller coaster. It had been built for durability, not comfort. But she figured there were people out there dealing with far worse. Glancing down, Piper hoped that the rough flooring wouldn't tear into her red shoes. She'd hoped to be at her best when meeting with the president.

Following the invasion of extraterrestrial ships, humanity had banded together for the most part. Gone were the days of North Korea threatening to fire missiles at the west and gone were the days of Russia being at odds with the countries around it. Hell, even the Middle East found itself getting along for once. We didn't have time to fight over religion anymore. It was us against them. Man against machine.

We became a single country and every superpower prior to the invasion had a vote when it came to our future as a race of people. This new one-world government adopted a solid white flag with seven red stars, and during a special emergency session, Luca Wise of Switzerland had been voted as our first Universal President. It wasn't popular at first with several countries, but eventually the United States became used to taking orders and not giving them. Terrorist factions still existed, but they changed their victim pool from human targets to machine targets. And overall, they were very ineffective and miniscule compared to our Universal Army.

President Wise had called for special civilian advisers from all over the world. He wanted our brightest minds working to keep him informed. As for Piper Mathews, her job was simple and rather important. She was to visit countries around the world and assess their needs and then report back to the president himself.

Finland. It was a beautiful country and they were living better than most around the globe. Their larger cities had been hit by the heretics early on, but overall the country was in good shape. These people knew how to survive – that was her official assessment. In fact, she planned to suggest it as a secondary site for government operations should the alien invaders ever bring the fight to Australia.

Lifting off. the pilot warned.

Great. Piper thought.

Double-checking her harness to ensure that she was strapped in tight. She hated flying. She hated every part of it. But in a time of world war, there were no luxury cruise lines. There were only beat-up helicopters flown by pilots who liked to talk a little too much about drinking whiskey and fishing. Looking out of the large window beside her seat, Piper saw the ground below starting to distance itself.

Just great.

THE FLIGHT LULLED HER to sleep shortly after lifting off, just as it normally did. The whooshing of helicopter blades above them and rocking back and forth against slight gusts of winds reminded Piper of being very young, perhaps 4 or 5, while sitting on her father's lap. She could remember so many tireless nights when he rocked her to