The De Molay Complex

By Malcolm Runyard

The story begins with the main hero, Ben Arnold, when he is 11 years old. You see this young child on an almost suicidal mission. And after he loses his parents he is sent to the learning rooms, deep at the bottom of the De Molay complex; this is where all De Molay orphans are sent. There you see the other seven main characters within the Omega Squadron. The story then jumps forward 20 years. The now Hollywood heartthrob and chief director of the De Molay, U.S. Chapter, Ben Arnold, hears about the gruesome murders taking place in New York. And with his Omega unit, sets about stopping the monster. Army girl, Staff Sergeant Edwards, is on a mission in Mexico. And on her return, you then learn about the gateways all around America, which she uses in Florida. When she arrives back in New York, within minutes she stumbles upon a near-death situation for Ben Arnold within the gateway exit, where she goes on and saves his life. Later, a huge battle ensues at Lake Titicaca, on land and underwater between Ancient aliens, the U.S. Army, and an ancient religious order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Dec 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781398425620

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About the Author

This ageing author had spent some time in the military, when he was in his teens and early twenties, where he continued his passion for reading sci/fi. He went on to be an engineer for forty years where for the last twelve years, he spent learning computer programming for laser machines. But his real desire from the nineties till now had always been to write The De Molay Complex and now his dream is completed.

Copyright Information ©

Malcolm Runyard 2022

The right of Malcolm Runyard to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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 prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398425606 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398425620 (ePub e-book)

ISBN 9781398425613 (Audiobook)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2022

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

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Chapter One

Sandstorm barracks which was once the old N.A.T.O.s main foot hold in the Middle East, was now in the hands of the M.E.A. Middle eastern alliance. Thirty miles west of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Children swarm all around the camp, begging for food and money. The soldiers allowed the kids to roam around the barracks, they used this as a chance to recruit the children into their army.

But one of these kids was not begging. He was going in and out of all the buildings unnoticed. He was a boy of about eleven-years-old. He had been searching many buildings. When he arrived at the next building, he looked at the soldiers in the parade ground, and he saw they were busy handing out propaganda leaflets to the children. Most of those kids could not even read, Ben thought to himself as he walked in.

This time he thought this could be the place he was looking for as he eyed a solitary room at one end of this empty hanger.

He wandered up to the door of the room and looked at the sign on the front of it.

The sign was in Arabic. But this western boy had been taught to read Arabic since he was six-years old.

Ben read the sign.

NO ENTRY! AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY! Ben tried the door, it was locked. As soon as Ben had turned the handle, a movement inside was occurred. He heard heavy laboured footsteps approach the door from within. But what made the boy’s heartbeat faster was the unearthly breathing, and the sound of sniffing all around the door frame, something not human, Ben thought to himself.

The young boy took several steps back, fear started to take over his mind. His body shook and his lips started to tremble.

Ben closed his eyes and his mind started to think back to what his mother and father had drummed into him over the weeks of his training for this mission.

Ben relaxed, he stopped shaking and opened his eyes, he stepped forward once more and took off his rucksack and placed it in front of the door, then turned to his left and made his way towards the exit at a very fast pace.

Meanwhile on a rooftop, right of the camp and on the opposite side of the crumbling, pot-holed and dusty road. A figure in local dress was looking through a pair of binoculars. He was looking directly into the barracks. Besides him was a device, that appeared to be somewhat like a poker dealing machine, with a large stack of paper with in it. The man was wearing a head scarf, which was wrapped around his face, leaving the man unrecognisable. He looked slightly to his left, towards the opposite building, which was next to the camp. He observed a figure on top of it dressed the same way as him, but much smaller in build than himself. He sends a hand signal and the woman gave a thumbs up in reply. He then looked down to the machine besides him, he pressed a button located on the side of the machine. The red light on top of the device turned green. With that he stood, gave another hand signal to the woman. Then turned to his left and made his way off the building, as did the female on the opposite side. As they reached the roof’s exit doors, their left hand reached down to their other arm and they both pressed a button, which was located on their wristbands. The machines stirred to life and started spewing money from over the rooftops.

Back at the barracks the young Ben was out of the building and into the parade ground.

Ben tried to mingle in with the crowd of children, which had congregated within the confines of the parade ground, but as he tried to push through the large mob of kid’s he was spotted by one eagle eyed soldier. He shouted at Ben in Arabic, which the boy understood all too well, Hey you boy! What was you doing in that building?

With that Ben desperately started to push into the wall of little bodies. The soldier now joined by another comrade started to move towards Ben. The boy was now trapped in the non-moving crowd of children. Just at that moment a shout came from the camp’s exit, Free money! Free money! In the street, in the air, everywhere! and with that all the children started to run forward towards the camp exit and out into the street, in one huge stampede. Ben ran with them, but he was still at the back of the mob and was now being chased by the two soldiers. As Ben leaves the front gate, he turned to his right, towards the falling money, which was endlessly coming from the rooftops of the two nearby buildings. Ben was still behind the crowed, but there was a little distance between him and the two soldiers giving chase. Ben looked over his shoulder, to the barracks exit, he saw that all of the children had left the camp. But he observed with some fear, that the two soldiers had stopped running after him and were raising their rifles. One of the soldiers shouted out to Ben, Stop! Or we will open fire! After hearing that order Ben pulled out a hand, in which he held a game console, he lifted it to his eye level, he then pressed the X button on the console. Boom! there was a loud explosion, the biggest and loudest this town had ever seen or heard. The two soldiers which had been pointing their guns at Ben, were thrown high into the air and landed back down to earth with some considerable force. The camp had sustained a great deal of damage and the hanger Ben had left his rucksack in, had completely disappeared and a huge pile of rubble, sat in its place. The two soldiers rose from the ground, covered in dirt and dust. Once more they give chase, towards the young boy. Again, Ben tried to push his way through towards the crowd of joyful children, picking up all of the money sprawled across the street. Suddenly, two figures stepped into the crowd. A hand grabbed Ben’s shoulder. Oh no! It is the soldiers, I am done for, Ben thought, as his heart pounded. His head snapped around to look at them. A man and woman covered from head to toe stood before him, the figures from the rooftops. He watched as they pull their scarfs away from their faces. A beautiful blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman, in her early thirty’s. She was standing next to a dark haired, brown eyed man of the same age as the woman. Ben face beamed with delight; his teeth gleamed as his smile grew wider. The dark-haired man smiled back at Ben. Well done my son, he said happily. The woman put her right arm around Ben’s shoulders, kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

Yes, well done Ben, now let’s go home my darling, his mother said joyfully. With that they both took hold of each of his hands and led him through the frantic, joyful crowd. Where they disappeared among the mob.

Central New York City. The De Molay complex, covered the skyline and the surrounding area, brightly lit. Standing out from the dark, dank and dirty streets below and the surrounding area of this New York district. Looking out of one of these windows, high in the sky of the Crusader buildings. That was what the general public knew the De Molay complex as. A sad looking Ben gazed at the city, he watched the neon lights high in the skyline and the brightly lit advert boards, which stood on most rooftops of the surrounding area. Then Ben looked to the streets down below and thought how scary it all looked at night. Far below on the streets of New York, only the brave or stupid venture out at night. Many beggars, thieves, all homeless, slept on the door wells of the local shops. Only when morning broke, they were moved by the police. Then they were back on that very night, as they did not have anywhere else to go. For the few homeless people, there was a ray of hope, for them it was the Crusader crisis centres, scattered all round New York and other major cities. Secretly ran