Marshal Book 8: Epoch

By Harvey Minnick

MARSHAL BOOK 8 is the next installment in the award winning science fiction adventure stories with a superhero twist. Guaranteed not to insult your intelligence, and keep you entertained from start to finish. If you can believe in aliens, you can believe in Marshal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781490782201

Harvey Minnick

Harvey Minnick is an artist, author, aviator, and a buck-skinning nuclear medicine technologist. Harvey is also a failed entrepreneur and a veteran. Being creative can be a curse as there are too many things to concentrate on.

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Copyright 2017 Harvey O. Minnick Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8219-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8220-1 (e)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

1 EPOCH IN HUMAN HISTORY

2 EPOCH LOST

3 THE FURY OF SUE

4 THE CHRISTMAS STAR

5 A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHRISTMAS STORY

6 A CALL FROM ODIN

7 IMBROGLIO

8 THE ALIENS ARE COMING, THE ALIENS ARE COMING

9 SITUATION FLUID

10 ENTER THE JUGGERNAUT

11 AN OFF COLOR NEW YEAR’S

12 TUSSLE TIME

13 GRAND THEFT SAUCER

14 IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO END THIS WAY

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES INCLUDE

MARSHAL BOOK 1

THE COMING OF MARSHAL

MARSHAL BOOK 2

SUPERSTAR THE HARBINGER

MARSHAL BOOK 3

OUT OF THE COLD

MARSHAL BOOK 4

ROCKET GIRL

MARSHAL BOOK 5

THE WATERLOO INCIDENT

MARSHAL BOOK 6

FEMME FATALES

MARSHAL BOOK 7

DOCTOR COOLY AND THE LITTLE GREEN MAN

MARSHAL BOOK 8

EPOCH this book

coming soon

MARSHAL BOOK 9

WE ARE HERO

MARSHAL BOOK 10

THE ABDUCTORS

MARSHAL BOOK 11

DAUNTLESS LIVES, DAUNTLESS KILLS

MARSHAL BOOK 12

THE HUNT FOR MARSHAL

CHAPTER ONE

EPOCH IN HUMAN HISTORY

In the executive office building across from the capital, two men in suits looked on anxiously as an assistant put through their call. She handed the phone to the Vice President and left the small office, closing the door behind her. The voice of the president came over the speaker. Hello Stew. What’s the matter?

The Vice President paused to clear his throat before speaking and glanced over to the other man who nodded in unspoken support. Good afternoon Mister president. I have you on speaker phone here. Doctor Anderson is here with me. Sorry for disturbing your vacation like this, but something has come up that could mean the end of humanity as we know it.

Surely you exaggerate Stew, I know the tea party hasn’t taken over Congress. Wait, you said Doctor Anderson was with you, has there been a nuclear accident or maybe germ warfare in the Middle East?

No, nothing like that.

Then what has happened?

Heather Carter is going to have a baby.

After a brief pause, the president replied Send the ambassador a card.

She’s not an ambassador, Mister President.

Who is she?

You and the rest of the world know her as Superstar.

The president sounded confused, The superhero? She’s on our side. Again, send her a card.

But Mister President, you don’t understand. This could change life for all mankind.

How does the birth of a baby threaten mankind?

I’ll let your science advisor explain it to you sir.

Good afternoon Mister President, the birth of this baby could mark a new epoch in the history of man. He paused and looked to the Vice President for support and received his approval.

Gentlemen, don’t make me pull this out of you. Just how will the birth of a baby mark a new epoch in human history?

Because of her enhanced human strength and superhuman speed, her offspring are sure to be superior to every other human born. This could be the start of the next step in human evolution And that’s not even taking into account her incredible immune system.

And you’re calling because?

We were wondering just what, if anything, we should do?

One thousand miles to the west, in the medical wing of the HERO building in Chicago, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Otis, the commander of the military detachment of HERO was in a heated conversation with the aforementioned superhero. Heather was in a hospital bed. She is very pregnant. This is all happening too fast. I’m not ready to get married, she protested.

But I’m the baby’s father and I want to do the right thing and marry you.

You didn’t want to marry me two days ago.

Two days ago you weren’t pregnant.

Heather and the colonel turned as Doctor Cooly, who was standing between the other two doctor’s in the room, spoke up. And in another two days she won’t be. The room fell silent and she explained, Like I told Henry downstairs, with her accelerated metabolism, she is due to deliver sometime tomorrow.

The colonel was lost, deep in thought for a moment and then quickly changed gears asking, Doctor Kennedy, can you handle it? Do we have the facilities you need? Is there any threat to Heather? She just had her heart ripped out and put back in.

Doctor Tom Kennedy, Major Royal Marines, became the center of attention as he replied, I,…uh,…we,…I say, he started to protest, but Heather interrupted.

I want Beverly to do it.

All eyes were trained on the statuesque redheaded beauty with the top heavy figure. But I’m not that type of doctor. I’ve never…

But I have, Alisa Runnoff, the shorter blond doctor standing next to her with the Russian accent volunteered. I would be happy to assist.

As they worked out the details, outside in the hallway, Second Lieutenant Brandy Holmes, aka Dauntless, whom could be mistaken for a female body builder, was standing next to a six feet tall 600 pound wall of blue muscle known as Marshal. What seems to be the nature of her affliction? Did I not reassemble her blood pumping organ correctly?

Brandy looked up at the blood splattered alien and said, No, you did just fine. It seems she is going to have a baby and doesn’t want to marry the colonel.

Marry, what is the significance of this mary? Is it a form of pair bonding?

Yes, I suppose it is.

And she is rejecting his offer.

It’s not that she’s rejecting his offer it’s just that she’s not yet ready to marry anybody.

But she is with child. It would be prudent for her to bond with the child’s father.

To Brandy’s practiced eye, the big blue Aurorean looked a little confused and she asked, What is it? He gave her an even more confused look which prompted her to say, You look confused about something.

I was informed that both you and Superstar could not become pregnant.

A smile came to Brandy’s pretty face. Not with you we can’t, but with other humans… She hooked his massive arm and started to lead him down the hallway saying, Come on big guy, I’ll scrub your back and you can scrub mine.

Very well, but no Parcheesi. I am too fatigued.

She laughed, Me too.

A short time later back in the medical wing, Doctor Cooly joined Doctor Runnoff in her office. Alisa looked up and invited her in, Beverly, come in, sit down. I don’t think we have anything to worry about. With Heather’s ability to heal, I don’t anticipate any difficulties with the delivery.

Beverly’s glasses slid down and she looked over the top to read Alias’s face. Yes, I guess you’re right. It is just that she is super and this is all unexplored ground. I would feel better if we had a more experienced doctor with us.

The smaller Russian sat back in her chair and pondered the situation. But where would we find someone with the necessary security clearances? Remember we only have a few hours time.

Beverly relented, I suppose you are right. After a brief pause she added, We don’t have a nurse as of yet, I might be able to have Nurse Chapel recalled for a short time."

Where is she?

Nellis. They both sat silent for a moment before ruling that out.

Alisa sat up saying, I was working on this when you came in and I would like your opinion.

What are you working on?

I wasn’t here when this all started, so I was thinking it might be a good idea to record how we got here.

Seems reasonable, but it has all been a matter of public record.

Humor me. I want to be absolutely sure I understand what is going on here at HERO.

Beverly smiled, leaned back in her chair, and pushed her glasses back up saying, Fine, what have you got so far?

Alisa read from the computer screen, It all started when an alien starship was attacked and damaged and came to earth looking for help. My government saw a dooms day asteroid threatening to exterminate all life on Earth, and shot it down using nuclear missiles. The asteroid turned out to be Marshal’s ship, which skipped across the atmosphere and crashed here in Chicago.

Spot on so far, continue.

Alisa smiled and redirected her attention back to the screen. The national guards found the remains of Marshal’s ship and feared that the American government would try to keep it a secret and cover it up somehow, like they did at Roswell and made the find known to the public.

Beverly nodded. Again, spot on.

The revival, escape and eventual recapturing of the surviving aliens and their interment in the Ground Zero complex does not concern us, and I will not go into it here.

Beverly agreed. They’re in cryo and under the control of the Air Force at the Ground Zero Complex. Doctor Kennedy spends most of his time there, but I guess you’re right.

Doctor Runnoff nodded Good, it was after the revival of Marshal that he learned of the death of the soldiers who recovered his body due to an unknown form of radiation poisoning, and it was at this time that he used his uniform to save the life of Brandy Holmes. And it was at this time that she developed superhuman strength and speed.

Yes. Her cells were in an advanced state of decay and she was very unstable and would certainly have died if he had not acted. His uniform read her unstable cells and repaired the damage using the only format they had to go on, his.

And they have become somewhat close.

You could say that.

I believe they may even be having sex, but there is nothing in the medical records about it.

No, there wouldn’t be. If you really need to know about that, you should read the Alien Critique. I think you’ll find it both informative and stimulating.

This piqued the Russian’s curiosity. I believe I will do just that.

Is that all you have?

No, there is more, Alisa replied. Heather Carter gained her super speed after civilian workmen freed the alien Harbinger.

That’s right, they aliens had captured her and many others and were in the process of reengineering her body, turning her into a drone worker when she was rescued and Marshal used his uniform jacket to stabilize her condition. That’s how she got her accelerated immune system and superhuman speed. She’s also stronger than the average human man by a factor of about four.

Remarkable, don’t you think?

I was there when it all happened.

And now, you to also have super powers. Just how did that happen?

I don’t see what that has to do with Heather’s medical condition, but if you must know, my mental powers were given to me by Portoss the alien when he was dying.

Alisa sat back in her chair. And now here we are working for HERO and the UN (United Nations) to save the world from whatever.

Heroic emergency response is our job, Beverly said with a smile.

Tell me about the other alien, MaCos Ex.

There isn’t much to tell, really. He was one of the aliens that survived the crash and had been pressed into service, reverse engineering any alien technology that we may come across. He also helps us keep Marshal’s equipment working.

But wasn’t he a prisoner?

Yes, but there is no reason to imprison him. There’s no place he could go looking like he does. He’s not really a bad guy, he just takes some getting used to. He’s really just a big Porky Pig with bristles and tusks and bad table manners.

Alisa snorted. I’ll try to remember that the next time I work with him. Is there anything else I should cover?

You didn’t mention the girls increased sex drive, which probably had something to do with how we got into this situation in the first place.

Yes, you’re right! And what about Marshal’s pheromones?

They can be tough. They’re worse when he gets wet or you are real close to him. You get used to them over time and can resist. In the meantime, cold showers. They both laughed.

Yes, he does have marvelous big muscles. Alisa paused before adding. I was surprised to hear that the colonel was the father and not Marshal. He didn’t strike me as the sort of man to take advantage of the women under him like that.

Oh, I’m sure he didn’t. It has to do with Heather’s condition being superhuman. No normal man can satisfy her,…call it her need, and only Marshal and Colonel Otis have the necessary stamina. The colonel developed his increased stamina after receiving a direct blood transfusion from Superstar.

So that’s the opposite of what happened to Marshal, seeing that he is weaker now because he has lost all of his blood while here on Earth.

Beverly got up to go saying, Sounds like you’re up to speed to me. I’ve got to get some rest before all this happens. I’ll be in my office if you need me.

Just one last question. Will I be receiving one of those wonderful hero white uniforms? She motioned to Beverly’s white corset-like uniform top that she wore under her lab coat. Beverly’s hands slid down her body stopping at the black utility belt and its great SD buckle that made her tiny waist seem even smaller.

I thought I saw you in one?

I was, but as it turned out, it was only a loaner. They took it back.

I guess it depends on what kind of duty you are going to be doing. We only have a few, and only about three dozen specially equipped troopers have them so far. Maybe later. She motioned to her top and her massive bosom that seemed ready to come spilling out. This one is a reject. It was supposed to be a jacket like the others, but somehow it got cut off. It works just fine, but it does show more skin than I’m comfortable with. I’ve really got to be going. Bye!

After Doctor Cooly dashed off, Alisa slid back in her chair and spun around looking very satisfied with herself. She took a pencil like nuralizer out of her lab coat pocket, ran it through her fingers, and slid it back into her pocket. This could work very well indeed.

(Shameless plug, For a better understanding of life and the universe and all of the fascinating and exciting details see the first seven Marshal books.)

Everything in Marshal’s quarters was oversized and built to take his 600 plus pound weight, including his oversized shower. The sound of water and a female giggling could be heard coming from the shower. Brandy had dutifully kept her playful hands from wandering too much as she scrubbed his aching back. He found the hot water flowing over his battered hard blue body and the touch of her hands very invigorating.

Now it was his turn to scrub her back, seeing her wonderful muscular but very feminine body only increased his reinvigoration. Occasionally she would look back over her shoulder at him with a playful look on her face. His powerful fingers were melting the stress out of her body with every caress. It was heaven.

Things are about to get a little steamy in the shower, more sensitive readers may wish to skip a bit and rejoin the action in a page or so after the break with Major Tom.

Brandy’s well rounded creamy white bottom would occasionally brush against the blue nether regions of Marshal as he scrubbed her seductive back.

Unintentional or not, it was starting to drive him out of his mind and she knew it. She could feel the excitement welling up within him. He had her pinned against the wall of the shower, his hands massaging her shoulders. Seeing her body glisten with the water flowing over her, there would be no denying what was to happen next.

His thumbs ran down her spine until they reached her waist. His large hands slid around her waist and up her muscular stomach stopping at her luscious breasts. Good, maybe he’s not too tired after all, she thought as she bit her lip.

He pulled her against his body, hooking his chin over her neck and started kissing her shoulder, neck, and cheek. He said something in his native gibberish but neither of them was wearing a translator and the only word she caught was Parcheesi. She knew he was about to lay the wood to her. She kissed him back and smiled in anticipation. She didn’t have to wait long.

A back door entrance was something new for him but he quickly mastered it. Waves of elation and pain raced throughout her body as his cold hard body penetrated hers and drove deeper and deeper into her soft warm body.

Before the recent discovery and capture of the two meta humans killers Sue and Lilly, she had been the physically strongest human on the planet and here she was being used as a sex toy by Marshal. It was true that he was stronger, but she felt she had to exert herself too.

She drove her body back onto his and he started crushing her massive 38 double D’s in his hands. She worked his hands off of her breasts and they slid down to her hips and reasserted his control with a determined advance followed by a slow withdrawal followed by another advance. Over and over he kept it up.

His steady advances and their slow withdrawals that prolonged the agony seemed to go on forever, and it was driving her out of her mind. That, and his constant kissing and nibbling on her ear and neck.

Brandy’s moans and cries could not be heard over the rushing water. She nearly collapsed, but he had hold of her and held her up and continued with his advances.

Breathing heavily and with quivering lips, she reached back and pulled his face over her shoulder to her face and kissed him on the mouth. As they kissed, she managed to get turned around to face him. Using her powerfully built body pressed against his, she bulldozed him around and backed him up against the wall. Now she had him pinned and the sparkle in her blue eyes showed her mischievous intent.

He eased her back to full arms length and caught his breath admiring her glorious body. The water of the shower made her skin glisten, highlighting all the more her marvelous curves. Her pretty round face had a devilish smile as she confidently moved in, embracing his hard body with hers. She was going to rock his world.

They both knew they shouldn’t, but that didn’t seem to matter anymore. Their lust, no, make that yearning for one another, would supersede any trans-species taboos. And the chance of being discovered only tended to enhance the excitement of their forbidden affair for Brandy.

Marshal’s quarters were the first apartment on the south wing of the tenth floor of the HERO building. The medical wing was just across the foyer with all of the doctor’s offices and treatment rooms. It would be so easy for one of the doctors or the general to walk in and catch them.

Knowing all of this, the alien and the superhuman threw caution to the wind and had at it with reckless abandon until both had reached their limits and could do no more.

Major Kennedy snapped to attention behind his desk when Major General (two stars) John Solo, the middle aged balding commander of HERO came into his office. Tom, just what are we going to tell the press about this?

The question startled the doctor who had to stop and ponder the proper response. I suppose we treat it like a royal baby and say as little as possible for as long as possible, sir. Patient confidentiality and all that.

The general nodded in agreement. Good man, say nothing…As you were. He turned and went out the door. Once in the hallway, the general ran into Colonel Otis and noticed he looked frustrated. Henry, what’s eating you?

It’s this whole crazy situation I find myself in sir.

Walk with me. They took the elevator down to the first floor.

As the two officers strolled down the hallway, Colonel Otis confided in his CO. All my life I have been in the Army. And I’m used to dealing with men and regulations, but now. Women are crazy.

You’re just now discovering that. You’re a lucky man indeed, colonel.

They look at things differently and come to the oddest conclusions. And you can’t use logic or reason with them. It’s all emotion. He hesitated before adding, don’t get me wrong, men can be just as unreasonable and emotional but you can reason with a man, but there’s no reasoning with a woman. None at all. I guess I’ll have to be resigning now. You’ll have my resignation on your desk in the A. M.

Resignation! Why?

Because I really screwed the pooch this time. And got her pregnant. I can imagine what Top Hat is saying.

Strange, I haven’t heard from Top Hat. And both of you are adults and she’s not saying you forced yourself on her so, I don’t see why you should have to resign. Let’s just take a few days and think about this and let cooler heads prevail. Who knows. Maybe she’ll change her mind.

Upon reaching the general’s office he changed the topic. How did that encounter with the meta human girl Sue go?

It got pretty rough. She nearly killed Superstar when she ripped her heart out.

WHAT?

That’s right, she used a box cutter to cut her heart out, but Marshal and Doctor Cooly were able to put it back in and get it started again. She was in the sickbay being checked out, when Beverly discovered she was pregnant. Heather didn’t even know herself. Something to do with her accelerated metabolism they tell me.

This superhero business is all new to us. I look forward to reading that report.

For late December, it’s unseasonably warm in Chicago. Doctor Runnoff only needed a short jacket as she walked to the L station not far from the HERO building in the center of the Truman College campus. Two elderly men admired her shapely legs and hips as she walked to the end of the elevated platform. Nice keister.

His companion give the young lady a look and glanced over to his friend. Edgar, just how old are you anyway?

"What does that have to do with anything?’

Nobody says keister anymore.

What do they say?

As the two older men entered into another deeply philosophical conversation Alisa looked around making sure she was not followed before taking out her phone and making a call. Sophia, hurry up with the lab. I just might be bringing something to you tomorrow. Something very important.

Sophy replied, Most of the lab equipment hasn’t been delivered yet.

I don’t care, you won’t need most of it for what I’m going to be bringing you. And tell Doctor Lee to get ready also. You’ll be needing his expertise.

What’s this all about?

I can’t tell you. I don’t know just how this is going to work out. Just get things up and running and I’ll call you back just as soon as I can. I have to go before they notice I’m gone. Bye. She flipped the phone closed and exited the station going back down to the street below, and headed back to the school’s campus.

Edgar noticed, She didn’t wait for her train. Must be in a hurry.

At that same instant, just outside our solar system, cosmic dust and gasses swirled and ice crystals sparkled as an odd looking starship came to a complete halt. The sun was the closest, biggest star from here, but it’s light was still dimmed by the distance and dust. The ship looked weary from it’s travels and was covered with rust and dust and appeared to have been cobbled together from leftover parts. But it was a functional salvage ship, with all of the bells, hooks, and cranes you would expect to see.

Captain Swven, a walking husk of a man with deeply sunk eyes and pale white skin approached the rotund gray man looking at the view screen showing the swirling ice crystals outside. Captain, I see we’re not moving. What’s wrong?

The captain answered with his hollow voice. Nothing, I would have thought by now you would have gotten used to the ship’s procedures.

I’m no trekker captain.

Of that, I am certain, Mister Utz. We are in the Kiber belt surrounding this solar system and caution is called for. There is a great deal of debris and the chance of having a catastrophic collision is high. We have stopped to plot a clear path through. That’s all.

I thought the wake the ship makes would clear the way for us?

Ordinarily it would. But with so much rock and bio matter in the ether, there is a chance that it could get caught up in our wake and be sucked in and catch up to us when we come to a stop.

The captain turned to go, shaking his boney head. Mr. Utz stopped him asking, I haven’t seen Syrus for a while. Where is he?

He and Mr. Slugo are busy with the sensors.

The sensors? What does Syrus know about sensors?

Not a hill of frog nuts. He is listening to the transmissions coming from the planet trying to hear anything about the ship.

But I thought it was a primitive planet.

It is and it is a very noisy place. Mr. Utz looked confused, so the captain explained, They have all manner of primitive communications and they are filling the ether with pointless chatter. Apparently they allow their children access to communication and they are filling the airwaves with pointless and redundant communication. A very primitive society indeed.

The captain asked, Mister Glee, anything to report?

A human looking man with only one good eye turned to say, I be working on it cap’n but I ain’t there yet.

Utz walked over to a little gray man with a long neck with his face stuck in a hooded display screen. Find it yet?

I thought I had, but it turned out to be something called the Love Boat. Syrus Pox slid back away from the view screen adding, They have a great deal of video transmissions that do not seem to have any value to them at all. and then there is all that phone traffic. All useless…I fear we are going to have to use our sensors to find the ship.

The captain came over asking, Mister Slugo, any luck?

Mister Slugo, an unremarkable looking gray, eased back from his consul. There are no distress calls or beacons and I am working on finding a safe route to Sol three.

It’s called Earth, Mister Slugo, the captain corrected. He then turned to Syrus and asked, Pox, did you learn anything about these Earthlings?

I had thought I had discovered their religious leader called Doctor Sheldon Cooper, and their Goddess called Penny, but as it turned out, it was only a pointless entertainment program. And with the planet not being part of any known starfaring league and being outside of Federation space, we cannot even access the net to find out more about it. We only have the recorded facts about the planet and it’s many life forms.

The primitives are hostile and dangerous if armed, the captain added.

"Yes, that’s right captain, but I have learned by watching their entertainment broadcasts that the most important thing to the human males is beer and a sport called football. The women are primarily concerned with losing weight and the color of their hair, and the strangest thing about these humans, judging by the content of their broadcasting is, that the children seem to