Ben's War: The Mu'Zim Conflict, #2

By David C. R. Nash

"Why did they let us win?"

 

For Benjamin Swift, this is the thought that keeps him from sleeping. When he and his friends Hayden, Francine, and Josh defeated the aliens in a computer simulation, they saved the planet from an actual invasion. However, Ben was the team's strategist. He knows that the aliens should have won. Why didn't they?

For fans of computer games, movies like Enders Game, Ready Player One, and Wargames, Ben's War combines the action of a computer game with the tension of an alien first contact. Throw in some James Bond style international politics and espionage, and the beginning of a new romance, and you have the exciting formula for the second book of the Mu'Zim Conflict - Ben's War.

 

Buy your copy now to keep up with the action.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: David C. R. Nash
• Release date: Jan 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9798201017941

David C. R. Nash

David C. R. Nash's is a hybrid author of fantasy, science fiction, murder mysteries, gamelit, and historical fiction. A graduate of Syracuse University, he now spends his time writing.  In the past he has been a computer consultant, run a dance studio and a small game development company, been a dance instructor, choreographer and professional dancer. He's taught computer game design at the high school and college level. He likes new technology, movies, anime, music, reading and 3D adventure games. He might grow up someday, but he's hoping it doesn't happen soon.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Ben Swift - three weeks after the alien surrender at his home.

Ben sat quietly in his wheelchair looking out the bay window down the street. His parents stood on either side of him.

He wasn’t sure what was going on. Francine was being very secretive on the phone. She just said she was coming to visit with important news.

And so, Ben pressed his mother to help him dress in nicer clothes. He didn’t want to look like a grub in front of Francine and her parents.

His mom, Anita, had cleaned the living room and his father had even put on a sports coat. Then his mom tried to get his dad to add a tie, but he laughed and said they were friends, not in-laws.

His mom also put on a nice pair of slacks with a fresh blouse and struggled to brush the heavy curls in her hair.

Outside, Ben could see several news vans parked up and down the street, their parabolic antennas pointing skyward towards distant satellites.

The house had been besieged for a couple of weeks now that Hayden, Francine, Josh, and Ben had led a group of teens to victory in a computer game.

Most of the players simply thought it was a game, but Hayden had figured out that it was really a simulation. The aliens were real, and the stakes were the survival of humanity.

When his friends had improbably won, a huge alien ship had appeared in the skies above Boston and formally surrendered, flying to Washington to discuss the terms. The aliens were a hive-like matriarchal society with a queen. They believed Francine to be a queen as well and would only negotiate with her.

Hayden went along as her drone and lead general. Ben was also considered a general, but his character was injured during the final battle and, while he wasn’t killed, he was sidelined as damaged and out of the fight.

While the news vans were still parked outside of the house, the number of reporters had dwindled in recent days. A few news people milled about restlessly, drinking coffee and chatting with each other. Heads perked up when a group of three black limousines appeared at the end of the road and made their way down the long street.

Camera people came out of the vans and were met with police officers who ushered them out of the road.

The three vehicles moved up to the house in a slow procession.

Ben thought the whole thing was a bit surreal as several men emerged from the first car in dark business suits with sunglasses. He could see the small white ear pieces as they turned from side to side, scanning the news crowd and the neighborhood. Ben could see curious neighbors coming out of houses. He imagined phones ringing all around town.

Two men went to the middle car and opened the door.

Francine emerged in a lemon-yellow dress, her parents right behind her. Two more men opened the door in the third car and Hayden and his parents got out.

Ben’s mom gasped.

I thought you said Francine and her parents were coming? You didn’t mention that the Vance’s were coming as well.

Ben shrugged.

Francine didn’t say.

Oh dear, I didn’t make enough coffee, his mother said.

His father’s voice was soothing.

It’s ok, Anita. We’ll have time to make more.

Ben chimed in.

I think Mrs. Vance prefers tea anyway.

His mother frowned.

Ben started to say something else and caught a warning glance from his father who, smiling, just shook his head slightly.

Ben got the hint and looked back to the window.

More men emerged from the third car that followed Francine and Hayden. They spread out in a semi-circle with both families in the middle. Then they moved to the door.

Ben’s father went to the door and opened it. The Collier’s and Vance’s came in amid handshakes and a chorus of Hello’s, and Nice to see you’s.

Ben noticed that none of the security men entered the house. They took up positions at the door and around the house.

Nobody sat. Instead, both families stood in a semi-circle looking at Ben. He tried not to shift in his seat, but it was hard not to move. He focused on Francine, who was in the center.

The yellow of the dress was almost as bright as the smile on her face. Ben could tell she was close to exploding with the news.

"Wonder what’s going on," he thought.

He glanced over at Hayden and noticed he was smiling, too.

"Something big and it’s not bad news," Ben realized.

Ben glanced over as Mr. Collier spoke to his father.

Carl, we just flew from Washington. Francine has some very important news for all of you, but especially for Ben.

Ben looked back to Francine expectantly. He could see her suddenly choke up, and the beginning of tears in her eyes. He couldn’t understand why.

There was a short silence, then Hayden spoke up.

Go ahead, Francine. Don’t leave the poor guy hanging…

He gave a quick laugh, and Francine smiled.

Francine’s voice was soft, strained.

I was negotiating some of the treaty details with the aliens this morning…

Her voice picked up some strength.

During a short break, we were talking about the drones that got injured in the game. The queen told me that several of the drones inflicted the same wounds as they got in the game on themselves. Hayden thinks it’s part of the honor thing that Josh talked about.

Ben nodded.

Anyway, the queen declared that both sides had fought honorably and that all the damaged drones were to be repaired.

Ben saw a tear traveling down Francine’s face and her voice nearly cracked.

Then she asked if I would like to have my drones repaired, too.

Her voice gained some strength as her words began to sink in.

Ben, they have medical technology that is centuries ahead of ours. And they are going to give us a machine…

Ben heard his mother gasp behind him.

Francine’s voice was almost a whisper as she said.

Ben, they’re going to fix your legs…

CHAPTER 1

Ben Swift - eve of the alien departure, at home

It was dark, but Ben knew he was back in the machine. He couldn’t move, but he could sense the large structure around him like a cocoon that would eventually close in and strangle him.

He could feel the tiny tendrils as the machine began to writhe and twist around his limbs, probing. They slipped under his skin and began making their way through his body. He whimpered in fear.

He could hear people beating on the sides of the machine trying to free him, but he knew they couldn’t get in. His breathing became heavier. Any moment the pain would start and he would be lost forever…

He surged up out of his bed with a gasp and looked around.

The room was quiet. It was early in the morning. He was covered in sweat. The window was open slightly to let in a cool breeze. He was still shaking, but it wasn’t from the cold.

It was the same dream. The one that began the day after the machine had repaired his legs.

He could feel them now, beneath the blankets of his bed. They were no longer stiff and aching, but they were still weak, and he could not walk for long distances. His balance had not yet completely returned, and he felt wobbly when he tried to get up quickly.

"Damn dream! he thought. Why won’t it go away?"

But he knew why. Every time he thought of the huge alien machine, he felt a terrible sense of dread. He would begin remembering the large machine closing in on him while he was smiling and happy. But the sound of the machine locking him down, unable to move in any way, shattered his calm, and he had fought an inner battle to remain still while the machine worked.

It was a battle he lost.

He was crying when the doors opened, and he was released. His parents thought it was joy at getting the use of his legs back. Only he knew that it was the fear of being closed in, of never being able to move, of being trapped forever inside that black box while outside people watched and waited…

He hadn’t emerged joyously to a new world filled with hope. He had died in that box, over and over again in his mind while no one listened, and no one helped. He came out physically healed, but inside he felt broken.

No one could see that. No one could see how he had to steel himself to enter an elevator. How people pressing around him now made him distressed.

He hated the crowds of reporters that swarmed around him. Cutting off the light and the air…

He shook his head.

"I’ve gotta stop thinking about it. Just makes it worse."

He got out of bed and padded silently to his window. Outside, he could see the open empty streets of a sleeping suburb. Pale light shone from a dozen street lamps breaking up the darkness. He opened the window a bit wider and felt a cool rush of air on his damp skin. He shivered slightly and stepped back away from the window.

His legs were already getting tired. He made his way back to bed before they got too weak. He sat quietly, unwilling to try to go back to sleep, but aware that his body needed more.

It had been months since the operation and he still woke up with the nightmare fresh in his mind.

He reached down and touched his legs. He could feel them, sensitive and responsive, a thing he never thought he would have again.

He was whole again... except for the nightmares.

CHAPTER 2

Ben Swift - at the alien departure site, Washington D.C.

The trip from Boston to Washington for the departure ceremonies was uneventful. Ben, Hayden, and Francine flew together with their parents early in the morning.

Ben’s mom was a bit surprised to see Ben awake when she went to get him ready for the plane ride. He lied and told her he had set an alarm.

And now, hours later, Ben stood on the podium feeling alone. Around him were generals, admirals, and politicians. Hayden and Francine stood to his right, hand in hand, but Ben could feel the distance even as they tried to include him in their happiness.

Below them, the huge alien spacecraft had begun to depart. It hovered just a few feet above the ground, disturbing nothing, almost as if it didn’t exist. The grass did not move, and if it did not cast a shadow, Ben would have thought it a ghost.

Their victory over the aliens had given Ben back his ability to walk. As part of the peace accord between the humans and the aliens, Ben had been healed. He moved now on legs which became stronger and more responsive every day. He worked with the therapists and scientists for hours, testing his limits, strengthening his control. Most of the pain after the initial treatment was gone. His muscles, atrophied from such a long period of disuse, cried out at every movement initially. Now, he scarcely felt a twinge. His balance, which was almost non-existent when he started, now responded flawlessly to most common actions.

The scientists studied his improvements daily. The coaches pushed him onward, and while Ben wanted to get better, he longed for the obscurity his wheelchair had given him. No one had noticed Ben when he wheeled down the halls. No one paid Ben much attention in his classes. No one bothered Ben when he wanted to be alone. Now it seemed there were no quiet moments in Ben’s life. Everybody wanted his attention. Everybody except the people he wanted. He stole a glance at Hayden and Francine as the ship began to rise upwards. But they didn’t see him. Their eyes were locked on the ship. He turned back, watching as it rose effortlessly. Multiple antennas swiveled in various directions and then rotated to face a small piece of sky. Ben knew it pointed to the home world of the strange insect-like creatures.

The sky began to unfold around the ship, and Ben tried to see what was on the other side of that strange bridge that was being created between the ship and the distant star system to which it was returning. But there was nothing to see. The sky opened, black and empty, then closed quietly around the ship.

It was gone.

Ben suddenly became aware of hundreds of cameras focusing on the people on the podium, focusing on him. They were trying to catch a reaction, anything they could use to fill the hours that would occupy the news channels now that the aliens were gone.

For just a moment, Ben wished that the attention would go away. For just a moment, he wanted to slide into a quiet place where the world didn’t know who he was, or where he lived, or what he ate. For just a moment, he dreamed of a world where people didn’t wear t-shirts with his picture. A world where he didn’t have to visit TV stations and try to describe what it was like to be able to walk again.

He sighed.

That world was gone. Ben was famous. Now he was, The boy the aliens changed. Now he was a sideshow freak, a carnival attraction, living under the microscope of scientific study.

Hayden and Francine were handling the attention well. Hayden seemed to thrive on it.

He glanced over and saw Francine smiling at Hayden’s side as he talked to reporters, a dozen microphones in his face. He was smiling and animated.

He noticed an attractive girl in the crowd. She barely glanced at him and then her eyes locked on Hayden, who was speaking to the crowd.

Ben sighed.

"The rules are simple, he thought. The girls pick the boys. I’m never picked."

He shrugged.

Ben turned to move around his friends for the exit when his foot caught on a screw that had worked up from the stand. He pitched forward, catching himself at the last minute on the railing.

In an instant, dozens of cameras were focused on him and a half dozen hands tried to steady him. He looked over to see Hayden with a slight frown as attention shifted from him to Ben. Ben tried to wave away the hands, explaining he had just tripped.

"And there’s my five seconds of fame, he thought. I’ll bet she’s looking at me now."

Hayden said something to the cameras and Ben heard laughter. Francine looked surprised, then smiled, glanced at Ben, and then back at Hayden. For an instant as she looked at him, Ben’s heart soared. Then as she turned away, he felt a smile building on his face that he carefully masked away. He saw Hayden and Francine, their backs to him now, answering questions from eager reporters. Moving carefully down the steps, he joined the others, leaving the bandstand. Leaving the crowds behind, and returning to the normal world.

For Ben, the normal world was gone