Dominic Anderson and the Tecbug Ten

By Mark Halyday

Seventeen year old Dominic Anderson is shot in his home! Why?

Twenty years previous two sets of brothers responded to a pod entering the planet's atmosphere unexpectedly. Dominic's grandfather was one of the four men to discover an alien refugee and form TECBUG to watch the skies for the alien's enemies

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Halyday Books
• Release date: Aug 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645590418

Book preview

Prologue

On New Year’s Eve a small pod entered the Earth’s atmosphere unexpectedly.

It triggered some alerts at NASA and Roscomos but nobody cared. It was the turn of the year and the most likely explanation was that some debris would burn up before it hit the ground. This was not so.

The pod contained an alien. A humanoid male that looked like anybody else in the world. He was weak and injured from previous battles and hoped Earth would be his asylum. The alien’s pod impacted the tiny island of Ustica in the Tyrrhenian Sea, knocking him unconscious.

Further alerts pinged at NASA and Roscomos. The Russians called their allies at the Italian Space Agency to investigate further. The Americans waited for satellite authentication before sending a pair of NAVY SEALS covertly stationed on USS Mount Whitney in the Mediterranean.

Poetically, the respondents were a pair of brothers: Italians Carlos and Avon Anderson and Americans Aggasis and Damien Williams. As history would emphasise, the Italians arrived over five minutes earlier.

The elder brother Carlos approached the vessel cautiously. It was still cooling from its extra-orbital descent. As an ISA technician he was puzzled as to why the ship was not a wreck of tangled metal. Instead it was more like a car crash safety demonstration – solid chassis and a rollcage, lots of cosmetic damage. It was likely the occupant was still alive.

Avon looked for identifying features on the exterior of the ship. Neither dared to touch it. They spent a few minutes photographing the site and making detailed notes. A dozen of the island’s thousand-ish residents gathered nearby but had no interest in examining the site themselves. The Italians were thankful they could work without interruption.

Until Aggasis and Damien arrived, signalled by the small spotlights attached to their glocks.

Gentlemen, this is now a United States NAVY SEALS operation. Please step away from the pod and identify yourselves,

Carlos was a dogged man. He didn’t want to comply with the soldiers twenty years his junior.

I am Avon Anderson and this is my brother Carlos. We are part of the Italian Space Agency,

Twenty-one-year-old Damien walked around the crash site with bravado. He didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

What business does the ISA have here? asked Aggasis, far calmer than his brother. Carlos replied,

"This is Italy and the pod fell from space. The agency responded accordingly,"

Carlos was curt but Aggasis didn’t see a threat.

Please step away from the pod, he said clearly. Carlos obliged grumpily. The Americans were going to contaminate an important moment in history.

A thermal scan revealed the alien’s humanoid outline.

Somebody’s in there, called out Damien. Aggasis holstered his glock and threw his backpack on the ground. Carlos and Avon were desperate to help, moving closer to the ship, accidentally spooking Damien,

Don’t move! Damien bellowed, pointing his glock at them.

Aggasis produced something akin to a crowbar and raced at the pod. He slammed it into the crack with all his might and pried open the crumbled hatch. The alien – who was resting against the door – fell to the island ground limply. Avon was in shock. Carlos could barely contain his excitement. Damien still underappreciated the significance and thought everyone was being dramatic.

Let us help you! Carlos yelled, watching Aggasis search for a pulse. Aggasis waved his brother’s weapon away and in four big bounds Carlos was on his knees trying to save the alien’s life.

The quartet stabilised their visitor in a small clinic on the island. Avon investigated further and surmised that there were no astronauts unaccounted for. They concluded their visitor was a mystery.

A little after midnight USS Mount Whitney requested an update. Aggasis made a judgement call,

Nothing to report. We’ll be off the island within the hour,

Aggasis wanted his own answers first. The brothers exchanged details and made plans to meet up as soon as possible. After an experience like that it was clear they were forever linked.

After Aggasis and Damien left the Andersons received a call from the Italian Space Agency,

Just an asteroid that didn’t break down. Doing some analysis now. We’ll be on the mainland in a few days,

To this day neither the Americans nor the Russian governments know such an alien ever existed.

I

PART ONE

Chapter 1

* * *

A little under twenty years after that night seventeen-year-old Dominic Anderson was woken by the vibration of his phone on his bedside table. He was oblivious that aliens existed or that his grandfather knew one personally. It was a page from somebody else’s crazy life.

Dazed and disgruntled, Dominic slapped around his bedside table until the buzzing stopped. He slumped back into his bed, relieved, before his peace was interrupted again.

Dominic’s nine-year-old sister Janie pounded on the door frantically. He shot up and ripped open the door to silence the noise as soon as possible. The picture of innocence looked at her brother like a cat caught eating butter and meekly handed over the home phone.

Janie, barely audibly, taunted, It’s your giiiiirlfriend,

Chelsea Taylor was his teenage dream and the apple of his eye. The feeling was mutual and after six months of courting Dominic felt they would be together until the end of their days. If there was anyone he could accept waking him early it was Chelsea,

Hey, he said casually, closing the door in his sister’s face and flopping back onto the bed.

Hey, she replied, closing her front door behind her and beginning down the street, First day of our final year. You ready for it?

If you’re there, I could take on anything,

The pair were insufferably corny.

Also Dominic’s least favourite teacher resigned, his elder sister Emilia graduated the year previous and soon he would be able to drive to school. Everything was looking up in Dominic’s explicitly regular life.

Then a shrill scream filled the two-storey suburban home. Janie was in danger, or pain, or something. It was like nothing Dominic had ever heard. His face dropped,

I have to go, he blurted, threw down his phone without waiting for a response and bounded down the stairs of the Sydney suburban. He swivelled his head around the room in a second or two. On the right, the kitchen was empty and void of danger. On the left, Janie cowered between the coffee table and the couch.

He followed Janie’s horrified gaze to the centre of the first floor. In the back doorway stood Damien Williams, shaking with fury, eyeing Dominic like a lion does a deer. He was obviously a threat - trespassing in their home with an unhealthy, imposing intimidation.

Dominic was frozen. He didn’t know Damien and doubted he could stop the bulky intruder. His concern was how to get Janie to safety.

What do you want? Dominic shouted, trying to gain more seconds to devise a plan. A sickly grin crossed Damien’s grimy face,

Justice for all the deaths Carlos Anderson has caused the Blacksmith,

My grandfather hasn’t killed anybody,

Damien burst into hysterics at the wholehearted claim. He was trying his absolute hardest to concentrate on his revenge scheme, but it was jarring to meet anybody outside of their conflict. Damien wanted the Anderson kids to understand what was going on but knew every moment meant a higher chance of being caught. Dominic and Janie’s parents were at work, but there was always a chance someone would disturb the scene.

Damien wasn’t the cocky youngster that found the alien all those years ago. Age made him bitter and spiteful, though his ego still dominated most of his decisions. The army cut was replaced with an untidy greasy black mop that almost covered Damien’s eyes. He wanted to compose himself: trying to stop huffing in and out so aggressively, wiping away the sweat beads sliding down his forearm, but it just completed the deranged picture.

All that Dominic knew was someone was threatening his family. Foolishly, though bravely, he charged at Damien.

The experienced agent sidestepped him easily and dove at Janie, causing the younger Anderson to scurry across the room and drop her phone. Dominic and Damien realised she raised a silent alarm during their conversation and help was on the way. Dominic was extraordinarily proud of his sister.

Damien was furious and adjusted his plan accordingly. There wasn’t much time. He shoved Dominic’s flailing attacks back with ease and landed a kick square in the chest, causing Dominic to trip over.

Janie’s screams pierced his ears once more as the bulky figure turned to her. Dominic clambered to his feet as quickly as possible, just in time to watch a pistol point to his little sister’s head.

Dominic felt everything inside him sink to the ground. Why was this happening? Damien’s eyes were wide with glee.

Get on the ground, Damien instructed, pointing his weapon as he spoke. Dominic obliged automatically, trying to use his out-of-body sensation to develop a plan. He lived in this house every day for five years. Surely he knew a tactical advantage. So far, nothing.

During his planning Dominic’s hand slipped in some thick liquid on the floor. Dominic looked at the ruby red on his hands and felt a tiny bit of vomit surge to the back of his throat. It was blood… fresh blood… as in blood that was recently spilt. His stomach did summersaults as his eyes followed the trail.

Jason. His Jason.

Dominic and Jason were best friends since primary school. There was nobody in the world Dominic trusted more. Not Chelsea. Not Janie. Not his parents or anybody else. It was always Jason. They walked to school together every day and sometimes when Dominic was still getting ready Jason would let himself in and make some toast. They were practically brothers.

Damien must have slipped in behind Jason and clunked him over the head, letting the gash seep blood over the kitchen tiles. But why? Dominic could not fathom a single reason anybody would want to hurt him, his sister or his best friend.

A vendetta with his quiet old grandfather? Impossible. Still, something sent this lunatic into their lives.

Dominic locked eyes with his sister seriously and mouthed the word ‘Run’, so Janie did just that. Damien didn’t know what to do. She was fast and agile, sliding out an open window and over a fence to relative safety.

Before Dominic could even get to his feet Damien switched his attention back to Dominic, far faster than anticipated. Out of breath and out of patience, the intruder pulled the trigger and sent a bullet flying into Dominic’s stomach.

Chapter 2

* * *

At seventeen years old, a best friend is the most important thing in the world. Without exaggeration, Dominic would gladly take a bullet to ensure Jason’s life. The same goes for Jason if Dominic were in peril. The same goes for Courtney and Jhon.

That’s not a typo. As Jhon has explained his whole life, his parents thought they were being unique. Truly, they were just making his life an administrative nightmare.

The pair met on the first day of high school and toyed with the idea of a relationship but never took the extra step, enjoying the intimacy without the kissing. As time went on, the desire dissipated and the pair were left with a treasured relationship.

On the first day of their final year they walked to high school together, unaware of the intrusion of the Anderson house. The bell rang and they went to their first class, sitting in their usual place beside Dominic, Jason and Chelsea. However the boys did not arrive and Chelsea looked distressed.

What’s wrong? John asked, startling Chelsea slightly.

I was talking to Dom this morning and then he had to go and it sounded like something was wrong and he hasn’t replied but surely I would have heard something and I called his mum and she didn’t answer and I’m freaking out and I just want to hear something from him,

Not expecting the stressed-out rant, Jhon took a minute. Courtney filled the void,

He’ll be fine. He’s probably just mucking around with Jason. They’ll be here in no time,

Chelsea gave a half-smile, thankful for their kindness but not buying in. She returned to her studies, uneasy.

* * *

Dominic regained consciousness around midday after surgery on his kitchen floor. He found himself on a makeshift bed of towels and pillows, attached to a IV drip and monitors. Immediately distressed, Dominic’s heartbeat surged, triggering an alarm.

His mother Jo poked through the crowd of doctors with a tired, relieved, caring expression that only a parent could compound. Dominic felt instantly relaxed, then a touch untrusting.

What happened? he asked, replaying the final moments of the attack in his head. He looked down at the thick bandage around his chest and felt the stitches holding him together. He remembered Damien’s manic grin and panicked momentarily, and then thought of Janie and panicked completely.

Before Jo could answer his first question, he interjected,

Where’s Janie?

Dominic’s father Grant heard the raucous from the front awning and headed towards his son. Dominic’s gaze never left his father, though he half-noticed the police perimeter outside his once-peaceful home. After what felt like a lifetime Grant reached his son with the same parental relief on his face and a smaller Anderson attached to his hand.

Janie!

It was all okay. Our hero was able to evade capture. If she didn’t call us when she did you probably wouldn’t be alive

Dominic was beginning to piece together the events that followed. The next thought accidentally came out loud, tainted with sadness for taking so long to think of his friend,

Jason?

Grant took a knee and Jo turned to the small army working out of their home.

Can we have the room please? Jo announced, and everybody shuffled outside without hesitation. They remained within the perimeter chatting as though they dealt with shootings every day.

The man that attacked you took Jason, and Dominic zoned out to a faraway place for a moment,… a team to locate Damien and retrieve Jason shortly,

Dominic was dumbstruck. He didn’t know what to do. Jason was his anchor and without his presence the room became this mess of untrustworthy people with agendas and conspiracies. He couldn’t find his bearings.

Then the sinking feeling of guilt took him over. He asked himself why Jason was taken and the only logical reason was his connection to Dominic. It was his house. The attacker mentioned his grandfather. It was all on him.

He pushed all that to the back of his mind for the moment and tried to focus on the now. He shot his father a sceptical look,

You’re a real estate agent. How can you get Jason back?

Your grandfather,

Chapter 3

* * *

Carlos and Emilia Anderson – Dominic’s grandfather and elder sister respectively - sat opposite each other in Tecbug headquarters contemplating their next move.

Emilia passed some printouts and began her update,

CCTV shows Damien boarding a private charter at a regional airport with a body bag forty minutes ago,

Why did we not have people at this airport?

We did. He slipped by many of them, but the two guys on the tarmac engaged. They are lucky to be alive. Airport staff found them with severe injuries long after the plane was in the air. Comms down. Statements being taken now,

Where is the plane going?

No idea. Flight plans indicate Alice Springs but there hasn’t been Blacksmith activity in that area for a while now. He’s likely to stay in the country though and we’ve been able to remotely access a lot of the security feeds for the bigger airports. There are agents on the ground at as many of the smaller locations as possible,

Carlos was concerned, That’s not good enough. This is a civilian being pulled into our fight,

Tecbug and the Blacksmith have been fighting almost as long as I’ve been alive, she replied professionally, He is not the first innocent to be caught in the crossfire,

This is personal! he snapped, slamming his desk in frustration and worry, The Blacksmith are forcing our hand!

In her fifteen months with the organisation Emilia never saw her grandfather so animated. Although her scope of experience was narrow she was in the inner circle. Due to this she was extremely thorough and pragmatic with every decision. At this level there was no room for errors and she wasn’t certain she was qualified to be sitting with these legends.

Amongst the day’s chaos she