Race to Survive

By Mary Mayers

A United States Salvage Ship circling Earth’s orbit retrieving discarded space equipment and satellite scrap is mysteriously blown up. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? The Russians, Aliens?

Back on Earth, thousands of people are dying, CAUSE OF DEATH UNKNOWN. Is the Government attempting to conceal a failed experiment or were they involved in a Top Secret Project using humans as guinea pigs?

Marion Stevenson, an experienced and dedicated Chicago newspaper reporter pushes to be assigned onto the case. She becomes obsessed and will stop at nothing in order to find the truth, realizing her own life could end in the near future. With the help of FBI Agent Jerry Wilcox and a long time friend Allison Tate, they find themselves pulled into a reality most people choose to ignore, where no one can be trusted and where no place on earth is safe. The trio themselves become guinea pigs in a vicious plot that could change the future of Earth and its inhabitants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796073805

Mary Mayers

Mary has stepped up as a new enthusiastic author. Her writing career began with heart touching poetry published in several volumes of The National Library of Poetry and Star Rising Magazine. She continued writing while raising four children, which inspired her to write a children’s book entitled, ‘Brazzleton’s Adventures’. Mary’s love of mystery and imagination evolved into writing fiction novels, finding success in any genre. She has written an Historical Romance/Mystery, two Murder/Mystery/Thrillers and a Science Fiction novel.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Gazing up at the large hand-scribbled calendar tacked on the wall above him, Jarvis reached forward with his black marker and marked off another day. Shaking his head in frustration he looked over his shoulder and shouted, heh, Cutter! Is this thing for real? Have we been out here in no-man’s land for twenty seven months already?

Five foot three, slim, and donning brunette shoulder length hair, Cutter pushed back her chair and throwing a stale bread roll across the mess hall aiming it directly at Jarvis, answered, yah, that’s right lover boy. Twenty seven boring, uneventful months. Billions of tax payer dollars paying us to ride around in this trash container. Cutter kicked the back of her chair sending it crashing up against the edge of the shiny metal table that sat firmly bolted to the floor. Finding humor in their present occupation, she laughed with sarcasm and sneered; we can’t even keep up with the trash on earth, and here they are sending us out here in the name of ‘environmental clean-up’ to retrieve thirty years of discarded space junk. It wouldn’t be so bad if the scenery changed once in awhile, and when’s the last time we hauled a shred of debris in? Two months ago?

Jarvis tossed the black marker at the wall watching as it hit the floor and rolled out of sight. It feels a lot longer than that, he remarked.

Racing in through the narrow steel door Bomber hollered with excitement, gasping for air after each sentence. You’re never going to believe this…..it’s incredible…..they never mentioned anything like this to us….. Bomber’s arms were raised in front of his chest, and as he spoke he extended them outward in the attempt of describing his unusual find.

Jarvis and Cutter listened patiently to the husky man ranting and raving out of control like a lunatic. Although he was not very good at managing his lofty personality, everyone aboard the Viking II respected the former Air Force pilot who had proven himself loyal and capable, having been honorably discharged from his military career with a chest full of metals. Due to their informal and lax surroundings, Bomber’s unshaven and disheveled appearance added fuel to his seemingly flighty personality. As he carried on bursting with excitement, he waved his hands at Jarvis and Cutter motioning to them to follow.

Come on you couch potatoes. Get your asses up to the observation deck. You’ve got to see it for yourself. This is a big one. Turning swiftly certain they would follow, Bomber disappeared through the door.

Cutter winked her eye at Jarvis and grinned. What do you think? Do you suppose Bomber fabricated this new discovery to liven things up for us?

Jarvis rubbed his chin with his finger tips giving the idea some thought. Then breaking a smile, he replied. You know Cutter. I don’t care if it’s a toaster floating around out there. Right now I’m so desperate for something to do………. Moving past Cutter, Jarvis grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her along. Come on sweet lips I’m dying of curiosity, aren’t you? Maybe it’s the Titanic…..

The Titanic, eh? Cutter laughed at his wild and distorted imagination."

Sure, Jarvis continued. Maybe some extraterrestrial raised her from the ocean floor, taking her back to their planet as a souvenir from earth. Jarvis caught sight of Cutter shaking her head at his absurd hypothesis.

Okay lover boy. If they took her home as a souvenir, then what would she be doing drifting around out here? Cutter knew she would not have to wait for an answer. Jarvis was well-known in Viking II for his quick comebacks.

Isn’t that obvious? he asked whimsically. She’s got a big hole in her. She’s defective. Thinking his explanation was fast and perfect as usual, Jarvis snickered victoriously.

Cutter threw out her hand at hearing his ridiculous response clipping him in the back of the head.

Heh, watch my head will yah? You don’t want to be responsible for damaging my intelligence. You’d be lost without me. Having made that conceited statement, Jarvis threw his hands over his head for cover knowing full well Cutter would be aiming for a second shot.

Moving quickly down the long narrow passageway of the solid steel, two hundred and fifty thousand ton space transport, their urgent steps echoed around them. Taking a shortcut through engineering, they slowed occasionally to duck and squeeze past large bulky power conductors and generators that gave Viking II the nuclear power to function, and to produce the atmosphere capable of housing human life on board.

Jumping onto a large round platform, Cutter pressed a red button to her left. They listened to the familiar high-pitched beep, then waited only a second until an iron railing locked in around them. Immediately the platform began to rise, slowly at first, then increased to a faster pace until they arrived several decks up. When the platform was secure both Jarvis and Cutter stepped down waving at Bomber who anxiously called to them to ‘hurry’. The observation deck was considered the best place to retreat to when boredom settled in, or if meditation was required to hold onto their sanity until they were relieved of their duties aboard the space transport. The deck was shaped like a large glass bubble giving the lookout on duty a complete and unobstructed view of the universe all around them. It came furnished with only one large comfortable chair, which had the ability to move in either direction, 360 degrees. The throne, as everyone liked to call it was equipped with a highly intelligent computer with vast capabilities. If need be, it could function on it’s own scanning space for solid objects within a hundred mile radius. If a collision course with an oncoming object was detected, the computer would promptly sound an alarm notifying the crew.

However, in this particular case Bomber was on duty on the observation deck, and it was he who discovered the incredible sight out in the distance. As his finger pointed out the massive unfamiliar and lifeless object sitting clearly in plain sight, Jarvis and Cutter moved ever so slowly toward the glass wall that stood between them and death. Cutter felt her heart beat erratically hearing it thunder inside of her chest. She was overcome with immeasurable fear and excitement. For centuries UFO’s had been sighted and stories told, but for Cutter, it had never seemed a reality. There was always someone coming up with a logical explanation to explain each and every sighting and event. When she turned to look at Jarvis, Jarvis was already looking back at her waiting for her to speak.

Well, what do you think Jarvis? You’re always telling us how smart you are. So, explain this for us please. Cutter glared back at the unknown object waiting for Jarvis to answer. However, no answer had been offered. For once in twenty seven months Jarvis was speechless.

Heh, Bomber! called out Cutter. You were in the Air Force. What do you know about UFO’s and little green men from mars? She attempted to laugh but she felt a nervous twinge pinch her stomach.

Bomber leaned up against the glass bubble, pressing his face against it’s smooth surface. He hesitated for a moment, then moving his head to the right so that he faced Cutter’s pale face, he shook his head in a negative response. Sorry, but in all my years as a pilot I never crossed paths with an unidentified flying object. And as you know, information involving UFO’s was never disclosed to the public. The government made every effort to hide information and evidence, making every attempt to disprove their existence. Information regarding UFO’s was Top Secret and only select few were chosen to acquire Top Secret Clearance giving them access to that supposedly not real evidence. At that ridiculous statement, Bomber couldn’t help but laugh. Boy, the government must think we humans are stupid. They try and tell us that UFO’s don’t exist, yet they keep evidence of their existence under lock and key classifying it as Top Secret. Bah, humbug as scrooge would say.

Does that mean you believe that this could be a UFO manned by extraterrestrial? Silently Cutter hoped Bomber’s answer would be no. But again, Bomber leaned up against the glass and just stared in amazement.

Jarvis suddenly came to life. Straightening his posture with confidence he began to state his opinion. This can’t be a UFO. First, if there were such things as ET’s visiting our earth, and supposedly they’ve been doing so for centuries, then why haven’t they made a move on us in all these years? Secondly, if our government thought for one moment that there would be a chance of us bumping into men from outerspace, don’t you think they would have equipped this oversized sardine can with some sort of defense weapons? You know what I think this big dead ship is? It’s Russian. It’s probably an old space station that they sent up here equipped with missiles or some kind of warheads aimed at wiping us out during the cold war.

Jarvis looked first at Cutter then over at Bomber. Both were obviously confused at what he was attempting to say. Come on guys. Use your brains. You know the Russians were pretty current on modern technology. They could have easily built this monster of a contraption and sent it up into the earth’s orbit disguised as a satellite. Who’d know the difference? By now Jarvis thought his explanation would have made sense to his two cohorts, but to his surprise both Cutter and Bomber remained frozen in place, waiting for him to finish.

Jarvis began pacing the floor shaking his head. When he was ready to continue he stopped and faced his attentive audience. Suppose I’m right so far; now this thing is sitting here idle obviously abandoned. Wouldn’t it make sense that after the cold war had come to an end there was no longer any need for this massive instrument of destruction. They were ordered to remove the warheads contained by their missiles and since war was no longer a threat between earth’s leading nations, this space station of their’s no longer served it’s purpose so they removed it’s personnel. Jarvis waited anxiously for their response.

Bomber turned to Cutter asking, what do you think? It sounds plausible, doesn’t it?

Cutter walked up to the glass wall and placed her hand lightly on it’s surface, feeling for the first time in over two years how cool it felt against her soft skin. She was just about to agree when a flash of light pierced her staring eyes. The light emanated from the large dark mass in question. Did you see that? she yelled out so intensely, she startled both Jarvis and Bomber.

Both men rushed to her side, neither of them knowing what prompted her to yell out like that.

In unison, Jarvis and Bomber blurted out, what’s happening?

Didn’t you see it? The light? I saw a light flash out towards us from that ship. Cutter attempted to suppress her fear. She did not want to appear weak among her coworkers.

They stood, their eyes locked on the gigantic machine which seemed to have no end. They had spent more than two years hauling in large pieces of debris from old dysfunctional satellites, and discarded materials that had intentionally and unintentionally been left to drift in the earth’s orbit over a thirty year period. Since the first Apollo trip to the moon, the space program had flourished, leaving experimental equipment and useless space craft parts floating in space. If given orders by Washington to attempt salvage procedures, the task would more then likely fail. Although their space transport was enormous, it’s equipment was not built to haul an object of such magnitude. This craft would have to be dismantled which would inevitably take several years to accomplish.

Twenty minutes passed without any sign of light. Cutter shrugged it off as her wild imagination, and after having a good laugh over the entire situation they turned and headed for the elevator platform.

Let’s go eat. The gross food is on me. My treat. Bomber knew he was hanging around Jarvis for too long. His wise cracks were beginning to sound just like Jarvis. As they positioned themselves on the platform Jarvis reached out for the controls when suddenly, he jerked to attention unable to move. All three crew members stood in shock as one by one, lights began popping up along the outer extremities of the large craft outside. Jumping from the platform they were overcome with panic.

What’s happening Bomber! Jarvis! shouted Cutter. What’s going on! Shit guys, speak to me. What’s going on? Trembling from head to toe, she turned to the two men who were scrambling behind her, one pressing buttons to monitor the movement of the unknown craft, while the other attempted to make contact with the Defense Department in Washington, D.C.

Hello, hello, this is Viking II, do you hear me? Please answer. We have an emergency. Come in…….. Bomber’s words flowed out urgently without hesitation. Come in please…..this is Viking II. We have an emergency…….. The silence was suddenly broken, but it was not Washington, D.C. that filled the air. An unbearably loud, deep drone pierced their eardrums, sending shivers down their spines.

This is Viking II, please come in. We have an emergency. Bomber was shouting into the radio, only receiving static. They were scared, no one tried to hide it. Jarvis covered his ears with his hands attempting to block out the painful noise.

Bomber, we’ve got to get down to control. Maybe we can get the hell out of here before anything else happens. We’re sitting ducks up here. Jarvis didn’t wait for group approval. He ran for the platform. Cutter and Bomber followed close behind.

The elevator dropped them down three decks where the control center was stationed. Running, one behind the other, they made their way up one corridor and down another. Making several turns, they finally reached their destination. The loud deep drone echoed amidst the hollow steel corridors making it difficult to think. Crossing through the door leading into the control room, Jarvis tripped, sending Cutter and Bomber tumbling over him. They gathered themselves up as quickly as possible, each one going to their assigned stations.

They labored arduously to regain power. The engines that gave them forward mobility had sat idle for days as they utilized the computer to search ahead for drifting debris. The intense fervor within the control room escalated at the quick, yet cautious handling of the controls. Their hearts seem to skip a beat each time an engine ignited, thrusting the ship forward with increased power. They had never had to worry about their ship’s speed capabilities, and now they were putting it to the test.

Come on baby let’s go, shouted Jarvis. Lock in thruster number 2 Cutter, hurry!

Cutter manipulated a throttle with one hand while flicking switches with the other.

They listened hopefully to the sound of the boosters locking into position. The ship whined as it worked laboriously, being forced to push forward in little time.

Lock in booster number 3, now Cutter, now! shouted Jarvis.

Under her breath, Cutter pleaded for Viking II to move faster. Please, please move faster. Get us out of here, she whispered repeatedly as she felt her knees become weak. The engines whined and the ship began to shake. Amidst the ongoing drone the grating of metal on metal screeched mercilessly as the shaking inside their ship worsened. There was no longer anything any of them could do. It was up to Viking II now to get them out of harms way. Jarvis, Cutter and Bomber stood facing into the darkness of space that stood before them, each one praying silently for help. As the ship began picking up speed it was hit suddenly from the rear, thrusting it off course. Cutter fell to the floor, her head badly injured as it impacted with the control panel. She was not able to pull herself back up, the shaking prevented her from regaining her balance. Jarvis had managed to grab hold of his seat which was bolted securely to the floor, and after great effort, was able to seat himself down and fasten the security straps. Bomber was less fortunate. As their ship jolted at the enormous impact, he was sent head first into the front viewing screen, crushing his skull, finding instant death. The drone coming from the unknown craft became louder and louder. Holding their hands to their ears, Jarvis and Cutter made every attempt to shut it out, and to their amazement it finally stopped. For a split second the control room had become eerily silent. Before either of them had time to speak, a shrill, high-pitched tone ripped through the room, and as if sensing it was the end, Cutter and Jarvis gazed into each other’s eyes with defeat and smiled; at that very instant, an explosion ripped through the entire Viking II Transport Ship, disintegrating it into tiny particles of dust, becoming invisible in the earth’s orbit.

* * *

Reaching over her morning newspaper, Marion Stevenson fumbled for her cup of black coffee. She sighed with relief as she tasted her first mouthful of the day. Setting the cup back on the small glass-top table, Marion flipped through the pages of her daily paper one at a time, searching out headlines that captured her interest. As she reached the fourth page, her eyes caught sight of a familiar heading. It read, ‘Third body found dead in middle-class Chicago’. She continued to read. Third body in one month…….no signs of forced entry…..no signs of physical contact……no injuries of any kind detected on body…..autopsy reveals no answers to cause of death. Marion closed the pages of the newspaper abruptly, sitting quietly sorting through her memory of headlines such as this one, that she had read over the past several months. Tapping her fingers tips on the table’s edge, she slowly began remembering bits and pieces of information. Let’s see, if I remember correctly, there were nine bodies found in the same condition in several cities in California. Five bodies in New York,…..um…let’s see…..um…..three bodies in Houston…..oh God, what’s going on. According to the authorities, no one knows how or why they died. How strange. Marion picked up her coffee cup and began sipping it more quickly. She looked at her watch realizing that it was getting late. In order not to be late for work, she would have to leave immediately. Rolling up the paper, she stashed it under her arm and holding onto the coffee cup, Marion hurried through the door. Marion was a reporter for the Chicago Informer and prided herself on being efficient and punctual. She found herself profoundly drawn into the mystery surrounding the numerous and unexplainable deaths around the country. Something was being overlooked, but what?

CHAPTER 2

The thirty minute drive from her quaint home on the outskirts of town to the hustle and bustle of Chicago’s south end was as usual, uneventful. She avoided traffic jams and road construction by following the back roads as much as possible. When she arrived at the familiar three story brick building splotched with an age-old layer of industrial soot, Marion pulled into her designated parking spot. Opening the door of her old, but pampered 67 blue Camaro, she slid her long slender legs over the side of her seat planting them firmly on the ground. She was about to stand but her attention was suddenly drawn to a loud commotion coming from across the parking lot beyond the front doors of the ‘Chicago Informer’.

As she pulled herself up along side of the car, Marion was able to make out a large crowd of people waving their arms and shouting at several familiar employees of the ‘Chicago Informer’ newspaper. She was too far from the hubbub to make any sense of the situation. Slamming the door she moved quickly in the direction of the crowd. As she approached the front entrance to the building she began making out the words that flowed through the thick smog-filled air. She stood back and listened attentively, something she was very good at, and which made her the professional news paper reporter that she was.

What do you know about the reported sightings of mysterious flashing lights over Patterson County last week? Your story was very vague in last week’s Sunday issue. You blew it off as if it was just some hoax. Isn’t it……. Marion felt a chuckle well up in her throat. Here we go again, she whispered under her breath. E.T. is back in town. It’s not that she didn’t believe in the possibility of life on other planets, it was the fact that for years people have been seeing strange and unexplainable ‘things’, and nothing could ever be completely substantiated. For all intense purposes, UFO’s were always news worthy, and ‘news’ was her business. Shaking her opinions from her mind, she turned her attention back to the crowd at hand.

Is it true a UFO was sighted in the Arizona desert yesterday? CNN news aired it’s existence last night, but I didn’t see anything in your newspaper today. Why is that? Have you sent any reporters down there to investigate?…….Another curious bystander stepped forward to comment. Yah, I couldn’t sleep last night because my dog wouldn’t stop barking. I got up to drag him into the house so that he’d…… Before he could finish, a young woman dressed as if stuck in the 60’s in lose fitting, tie-dyed garb leaped forward. She ranted hysterically, moving through the crowd spinning herself in circular motions. She hissed the words of warning out from her lips, they’re coming, don’t you see. They’re coming to take over our earth….. As she continued the words of warning she found herself bombarded with negative reception. The woman refused to be scorned and pushed off as a mere lunatic. She advanced forward shouting louder. In order to be heard the others all stepped ahead crowding up against the steps of the building inadvertently surrounding the poor unsuspecting newspaper employees. Only Marion remained safely detached from the chaos.

Having witnessed the large crowd becoming out of control outside of their doors, one of the paper’s secretaries stepped in to rescue her coworkers. She had called the police asking them for their assistance in clearing the mad dogs away from their heels.

The city police arrived quickly, and with experience and professionalism dispersed the confused assortment of people who begged for last minute answers to the many UFO sightings around the country.

Marion snickered at seeing her coworkers’ frazzled appearance after having been left to defend themselves in the lion’s den. As they shuffled past her, she offered her support by patting them each on the back. Way to go troopers. You made us all proud. Having said that with such a serious tone in her voice Marion couldn’t hold back. She threw her hand up to her stomach and burst out with laughter. I’m sorry guys, I couldn’t help myself, honest. Turning to face her, one gave her the finger while the other sent her a glare that could kill. Marion watched as they retreated into the building. Before following behind, she yanked at her skirt then at her jacket making certain she appeared neat. Then moving her foot beyond the first step was stopped short by a quiet voice from behind.

I did see something, really I did. My dog did too, that’s why he was barking that night. He never barks. The short balding man stared into her eyes when Marion turned at the sound of his voice. He believed every word of what he had just said. He hoped Marion would too.

She was standing on the step looking down which made the man appear even shorter than he was. Marion felt as if she were speaking down at a child. She made every attempt to remain attentive, hearing his words, well? Are YOU going to investigate? Maybe the FBI knows something.

Marion shook her head in response. I’m sorry, it’s not because I don’t want to. It’s not my area of reporting. She sighed at the frown etched on the man’s disappointed face. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t, I would do a lousy job on the topic of UFO’s and life on other planets, you know; that sort of stuff. I don’t know the first thing about it. Stepping back and straightening her slumped posture, Marion felt she was ready to close the topic.

But you’re a reporter. It’s your job to reveal the truth to the public. He wiped away drops of sweat that bubbled up on his forehead, hoping Marion would somehow believe him. He knew he had seen something. He just didn’t know what it was.

I’m very sorry sir but I’m not the one who can help you. She felt like a heel. Letting people down wasn’t one of her favorite tasks. She flashed him a warm smile as she turned and disappeared up the steps.

On entering the news room, she tossed her handbag on top of her cluttered desk that sat aside from the others. She deliberately moved it to the wall by the window. She wanted to see and feel the sun on those rare occasions that it filtered through the thick gray smog of downtown Chicago. She glanced around the room feeling quite at home amidst the chatter and shuffling of paper that lingered in the air throughout the work day. Before sitting herself down, Marion squinted her eyes as she focused them across the room towards the office labeled, ‘Editor-in-Chief’. This was the man who she needed to speak with immediately. She had completed her previous assignment and now was ready to tackle another one. However, not just any assignment. Reading the morning newspaper over coffee that morning had left her desperately curious about the many sudden deaths that no one seemed to find an answer to. Requesting the assignment was a long-shot but she had to try. Inching her way between the scattered desks, grabbing hold of papers as they attempted to float away from their piles, Marion proceeded with caution. As she approached the office door she stopped and cleared her throat before thumping her closed hand on the door.

Come in! came a gruff voice from the other side of the door.

Marion peered around the open door before entering. Are you in a good mood or bad mood today boss? Waiting in place for his answer, she was relieved to see his good mood smile spring from his lips.

Come on in Miss Marion, I’m not going to bite. My wife is out of town visiting her mother. I ‘ve had a relatively good week so far. Removing his glasses and setting them on his desk he motioned Marion to have a seat. So what’s up? I don’t see much of you around here. You’ve always got your head buried in some story out there.

Marion smiled assuming his remark was meant as a compliment. That’s my job boss, she commented with a light tone of voice. Have I ever let you down yet?

No Miss Marion. You’re one of the best. Now, I know you didn’t come in here with idle chatter in mind. The Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Garrison ambled around the side of his large oak desk sitting himself down on it’s edge. Now, what’s this pleasant visit of yours all about?

Marion repositioned herself in the hard uncomfortable chair, then crossing her legs began to speak. "What do you know about the deaths; the ones across the country that have been labeled, ‘cause of death unknown’? Don’t you think that’s a bit odd? A person can’t just die without a logical or physical explanation. Maybe they had contracted some hideous disease and it’s sudden