The Defender of Babylon

By Allen W. Pease

Stray radio signals from Earth have been announcing our presence into space for many years. War on an alien world has triggered a chain of events across the galaxy. Alien beings have secretly visited us. They have stolen our history and our language, and now they want our planet. Teenagers Rhyan Ivars and Michael Francis are best friends who have explored the nearby forests in games of role-playing adventures for many years. But this inseparable pair never dreamed that their secret Morse code messages between houses would put them in contact with a real UFO from another planet. Pretend games can take a young person on a journey of light-years into incredible worlds and cultures, but what might have been fun to imagine becomes something entirely different when pretend is replaced with the overwhelming impression of the real thing. The Defender of Babylon is set in the present-day United States and follows the eleven-day journey of Rhyan Ivars on a mission to save planet Earth. Can the young teenager break through the age barrier to lead his fellow men against insurmountable odds of an extraterrestrial enemy with superior technology and numbers swarming in the billions? Or will the disillusions of the alien race and culture of the UFO's home world who banished their ancestral kin to die in space conclude in those alien brothers dooming the same fate on their executioners with the planet Earth as bonus?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643506012

Book preview

An SOS from Space

Day 1

The eastern horizon glowed with a bright red that marked the day to come.

Four thirty a.m., the alarm blurted out.

A fourteen-year-old boy pulled the covers down from over his head and massaged his eyes into focus.

Four thirty? Rhyan Ivars mumbled. Why did I set my alarm so early? With half-closed eyes and the lingering of surreal dreams, Rhyan crawled out of bed to shut the noise off. Then as he started to lay down again he recalled the reason.

Rhyan fumbled in the darkness for his flashlight and walked barefooted to the window, the dim moonlight casting shadows of his skinny silhouette onto the floor. He opened the window and leaned out for a better view. His dark-brown hair fluttered from the wind of the early April morning.

From the house across the street, a pattern of dots and dashes greeted him.

RHYAN? the Morse code message spelled out.

I’M HERE MICHAEL, he answered back. CAN YOU SEE IT YET?

IT’S STILL BELOW THE TREES . . . BUT IT’S COMING CLOSER . . . LISTEN.

A high-pitched whistle rolled over the rooftops, increasing in volume until it strained the ears. The unfamiliar noise was quickly accompanied by the howls of dogs.

The sun rose early that morning, but it wasn’t really the sun. From the horizon to the east, a round orange light climbed into visibility. A UFO.

IT’S SIGNALING THE SAME AS LAST NIGHT . . . ‘H . . . E . . . L . . . P . . . C . . . O . . . M . . . E.’

THIS HAS TO BE A TRICK.

BUT NOBODY ELSE AROUND HERE KNOWS MORSE CODE . . . I THINK IT CAME FROM SPACE.

MAYBE IT’S HUNGRY . . . MAYBE IT EATS HUMANS.

DON’T BE STUPID RHYAN.

The whistling changed pitch and started to fade.

IT’S LANDING BEHIND THE PARK, Michael signaled.

WE SHOULD CALL THE POLICE . . . OR THE AIR FORCE . . . OR THE FBI.

NO! WE SHOULD INVESTIGATE . . . MEET ME AT THE PARK IN TEN MINUTES.

I DON’T THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA MICHAEL. This wasn’t like the pretend adventures Rhyan and Michael usually shared on Saturday mornings. This time something was really happening.

DON’T BE A CHICKEN RHYAN.

*   *   *

It was just after 5:00 a.m. as Rhyan hesitantly rode his bike into the park.

Michael was already waiting for him. What took you so long? I thought you chickened out and I would have to go in by myself.

Rhyan skidded to a stop. Quit calling me chicken, Michael! I’m not in the mood!

Michael Francis was six inches taller than Rhyan, and he was also a year older. With his size and age advantage, Michael tended to talk down to his smaller companion, but he was also the kind of friend that stuck with you when it really counted.

Seven years earlier, Rhyan and his mother, Jane, barely survived an airplane crash. Everyone else, including Rhyan’s father, was killed. Rhyan was hospitalized for eight months and then crippled, unable to walk for more than a year.

They moved into Michael’s neighborhood when Rhyan got out of the hospital, and during his disabled home stay, the neighborhood kids picked on Rhyan, but not Michael. From the moment Michael came barreling out of his house to chase the teasing kids away, Michael was Rhyan’s hero, and the two were inseparable.

I’m sorry, Michael recanted. I didn’t mean anything.

Rhyan looked irritated at his friend for a moment, but then his visage seemed to change as though something more important was happening. Let’s go! Rhyan turned down the trail so abruptly that it startled Michael, who wasn’t used to Rhyan ever taking the lead.

Michael wasn’t aware of it, but this also startled Rhyan. Strangely gone was his reluctance from earlier and his tendency to let the other plot as he followed uncertainly behind. It was almost as if someone—or something else—was in control.

Wait up! Michael followed closely behind, but he didn’t try to move ahead of his friend. He didn’t dare. Something about Rhyan was changing, something that would draw the friends closer together than ever before but also something that would tear their lives and their whole world completely apart.

Nothing more was spoken as the two boys rode their bikes beyond the residential area into the thicker woods behind the park. Rhyan pulled his flashlight out and lit the way. The path eventually faded completely into forest undergrowth, and they were forced to dismount and walk the bikes.

The sky once again was filled with a hazy red glow but this time of natural occurrence. A deep, warm, friendly twilight filtered through the dark green of the forest so that their way could now be seen without the flashlight. Rhyan turned the light off, and the dousing of the artificial aid made them aware of a presence—of something huge looming all around them, something they felt but couldn’t quite see yet.

The sun’s rays toned down into a golden green, but a red glow still clung to the ground in front of them. A half hour had passed, time long enough to reduce the shadow lengths by half. The sky should not have glowed so red but for the dawn of the UFO through the trees ahead of them.

The UFO hovered lightly on the ground as invisible energy held it in position. It was the shape of a perfect sphere, and it stood almost forty feet high. Its color was a dark orange red, but it glowed fluorescent of its own light and energy. Its brightness shifted distinctly for Morse code communication.

Y . . . O . . . U . . . H . . . A . . . V . . . E . . . C . . . O . . . M . . . E, The UFO beaconed.

Wow! Michael looked up, straining his neck to see the top.

Y . . . O . . . U . . . M . . . U . . . S . . . T . . . H . . . E . . . L . . . P, the object continued.

Rhyan pulled his flashlight out and signaled the words WE HAVE COME TO HELP!

How are we supposed to help this thing? Michael wondered.

Maybe we can. We don’t know what it needs. We might just be talking to someone inside.

Or something . . .

Y . . . O . . . U . . . M . . . U . . . S . . . T . . . H . . . E . . . L . . . P, the sphere signaled again.

Is that the only thing it knows how to say? Michael asked.

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU? Rhyan signaled.

"I . . . . . . I . . . D . . . O . . . N . . . O . . . T . . .

R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R."

DO YOU WANT US TO HELP YOU REMEMBER?

Y . . . E . . . S.

If we keep this up, it’s going to take all day. Michael rolled his eyes. Can’t this thing communicate some other way besides Morse code?

CAN YOU TALK? Rhyan signaled.

W . . . E . . . T . . . A . . . L . . . K . . . N . . . O . . . W.

I MEAN CAN YOU HEAR AND SPEAK WORDS?

"I . . . D . . . O . . . N . . . O . . . T . . .

R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R."

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

I . . . . . . I . . . R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R—

the UFO made several scrambled flashes and then made another signal—I . . . R . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R . . . . . . Y . . . O . . . U . . . H . . . E . . . L . . . P.

Maybe it’s hurt, Michael said.

ARE YOU HURT? SHOULD WE GET A DOCTOR?

"I . . . D . . . O . . . N . . . O . . . T . . .

R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R."

Can’t it at least signal faster? Michael asked.

Stop complaining, Michael. I’m sure it’s doing the best that it can. It needs help.

That’s what it keeps saying, but how do we know?

You’re the one who wanted to come, Michael! Rhyan reminded.

H . . . E . . . L . . . P . . . . . . P . . . L . . . E . . . A . . . S . . . E . . . T . . . E . . . A . . . C . . . H, the UFO signaled.

Give me that flashlight! Michael took the light from Rhyan. CAN’T YOU TALK FASTER THAN THAT?

"I . . . . . . I . . . . . . I . . . T . . . R . . . Y . . . . . . I . . .

R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R."

2

Inside the UFO

The Earth turned green again for a moment as the sphere turned off. For about two seconds, the boys could glimpse its internal metallic skeleton before the power came back in a brighter shade of orange.

POWER REROUTED TO COMMUNICATION CIRCUIT, the sphere signaled rapidly, and the change in speed took the boys a moment to adjust. ACCESSING SECONDARY MEMORY BANKS. VOICE COMMUNICATION REMAINS NONFUNCTIONAL.

That’s an improvement, Michael said. I guess we helped it already.

POWER CIRCUIT FAILURE IMMINENT. EXHAUSTION SECONDARY POWER 39 MINUTES.

That doesn’t sound good, Rhyan said.

There’s nothing we can do about that, Michael shrugged. We can’t repair this thing.

How do you know, Michael? Give me back the flashlight. It seems to be remembering more now. Maybe it can tell us what we need to do. Rhyan took the flashlight and signaled, HOW CAN WE HELP?

REPAIR REQUIRED.

HOW DO WE DO THAT?

USE CIRCUIT REPLICATOR. ENTER!

This is way too high-tech for me. Michael shook his head, turning his bike around. And I’m definitely not going inside that thing.

ENTER! the sphere repeated.

Come on, Michael. Stop being a chicken!

Michael froze in his tracks. He slowly turned to look at Rhyan’s face. Things were definitely different now. It seemed that their roles were now reversed, and he wasn’t ready for it. He wanted to go home and get ready, maybe wait a few years. But the words were already said. And after all the troubles he had egged Rhyan into in the past, he would never live it down if now Rhyan did something that he was too scared to do. Now he couldn’t walk away.

Rhyan laid his bike down and walked up to the UFO until the force field wall was only inches in front of him. Come on, Michael! he called back at his friend.

All right, I’m coming.

ENTER! the UFO signaled again.

So where’s the door? Rhyan said as he examined the force field wall, which was smooth and seamless.

Are you sure you want to do this? Michael asked. I promise I won’t call you a chicken anymore if we just leave right now.

ENTER! the UFO said. EXHAUSTION SECONDARY POWER 25 MINUTES.

I guess we’ll just have to try it and see, Rhyan said, and he reached his hand out to touch the sphere’s surface.

No! Wait, Rhyan! Michael warned, but Rhyan’s hand had already passed through the force field wall.

Rhyan stopped, a little surprised by this new occurrence. It’s all right, Michael. It’s like there’s nothing here. He stepped forward and disappeared into the sphere. Then he stuck his head out. Come look inside, Michael. It’s weird in here.

The sphere flashed ENTER! yet again.

No! Michael backed away.

Come on, Michael, Rhyan called from inside. It’s not going to hurt you.

No! Michael repeated, and he backed up a little more.

Don’t be a chicken! Rhyan said again. I did it. Now you have to do it too.

Michael continued to hesitate as he looked uncertainly at the force field wall in front of him.

What’s taking you so long, Michael? Rhyan called.

Michael inched forward and stuck his hand through the force field. I don’t think this is a good idea, he said. Then he suddenly jerked his hand back out in a reflex action. Something just touched me!

That was me. Rhyan giggled.

Michael reached forward and tried to part the force field with both hands to get a glimpse inside.

Come on, Michael! Rhyan insisted.

ENTER! the UFO persisted.

Then a hand grabbed Michael’s wrist and yanked inward, and the whole world turned bright orange red. Then shadows began to emerge. Some of the darker colors, the blues and blacks, eased their way into focus. The lights came on suddenly, and Michael stepped into a room that was shaped like the inside of a sphere, because that was what it was.

But the spherical shape was nothing more than the force field. The UFO’s true physical structure was a metallic triangular pyramid that contacted the energy field at its four corners. The six great beams were actually composed of smaller beams connected together in triangles like a giant erector set. The individual triangles were spaced close enough apart that one could climb to the top of the pyramid like a ladder.

Running inside the skeletal structure could be glimpsed a number of electronic devices as well as a network of wiring that connected everything together. This was the heart, and brain, of the UFO.

What are you doing— Michael was in the middle of saying when he got his first clear glimpse at the object’s interior, and he broke off. Wow!

Told you. Rhyan’s voice floated in the air.

This is awesome! Why didn’t you— He stopped in midsentence. The sphere was speaking again.

REPAIR REQUIRED. The signal came from the walls all around them, the inside of the force field.

WHAT DO WE DO? Rhyan signaled back.

USE CIRCUIT REPLICATOR . . . REPLACE DAMAGED POWER CONTROL CIRCUIT.

WHERE IS THE POWER CONTROL CIRCUIT?

The sphere did not respond in Morse code. Instead, a ring of white ripples flowed across the inner wall toward the side opposite the boys, where the skeletal structure came together as one of the corners of the pyramid.

The boys followed the ripples across the misty base of the sphere.

QUICKLY! The sphere signaled insistently. EXHAUSTION SECONDARY POWER 17 MINUTES.

The ripples met at a closed compartment with an elliptical access door, which reflected yellow light around its perimeter.

OPEN! the sphere urged.

Rhyan prodded the surface with his hand for almost a minute. It won’t open, he finally admitted to Michael.

OPEN! OPEN! The sphere flashed more urgently. EXHAUSTION SECONDARY POWER 15 MINUTES.

IT WON’T OPEN! Rhyan signaled back.

The UFO paused in silence, trying to understand the reason the boys couldn’t complete its request. Something was missing. It had omitted one of the necessary steps in its haste to be helped, to be complete, to be set free.

I’M SORRY, it signaled, and its brilliance seemed to fade a little. I FORGOT TO . . . UNLOCK.

Another moment passed as the ripples turned off. Deep in concentration, the sphere lurched and dimmed, and the yellow ring of light surrounding the compartment hatch faded. When it spoke again, it had completely lost its luster as its color no longer showed even the faintest trace of yellow.

N . . . O . . . W . . . Y . . . O . . . U . . . C . . . A . . . N . . . O . . . P . . . E . . . N. the Morse code flickered slowly in deep dark red.

Rhyan and Michael looked at each other. Then Rhyan touched the lid to try again, and it immediately swung open.

T . . . H . . . A . . . N . . . K . . . Y . . . O . . . U, the sphere signaled slowly.

Now what do we do? Rhyan wondered as he studied the mechanism inside. He pulled out a circuit board that looked like it belonged somewhere, but it wasn’t fitted anywhere. He untangled the wires around it, being careful not to pull any of them loose, and revealed a half-plastic, half-metal sheet that had burn marks and was broken almost in two.

WHAT HAPPENED? he asked the UFO.

"I . . . D . . . O . . . N . . . O . . . T . . .

R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . . B . . . E . . . R" was the answer.

What do you think? Rhyan asked Michael.

It looks like a mess to me.

HOW DO WE FIX THIS? Rhyan signaled the UFO.

The sphere didn’t answer immediately. It was again in concentration, trying to understand, trying to remember. Finally it figured out what it needed to respond. U . . . S . . . E . . . C . . . I . . . R . . . C . . . U . . . I . . . T . . . R . . . E . . . P . . . L . . . I . . . C . . . A . . . T . . . O . . . R . . . . . . R . . . E . . . P . . . L . . . A . . . C . . . E . . . D . . . A . . . M . . . A . . . G . . . E . . . D . . . C . . . I . . . R . . . C . . . U . . . I . . . T.

WHERE IS THE CIRCUIT REPLICATOR? HOW DOES IT WORK?

The sphere did not answer. It now seemed to be having difficulty understanding their communication.

Rhyan started to signal again when a pattern of dim white ripples directed him to another corner of the pyramid, leading to a gold-colored, globe-shaped container with an opening in the top, which was roughly four feet in diameter.

HOW DO I USE IT? Rhyan asked. THERE’S NO INSTRUCTIONS.

The UFO didn’t respond but merely signaled, E . . . X . . . H . . . A . . . U . . . S . . . T . . . I . . . O . . . N . . . P . . . O . . . W . . . E . . . R . . . 7 . . . M . . . I . . . N . . . U . . . T . . . E . . . S.

Even if we get it to work, how are we going to put everything back together? Michael asked. There must be a hundred wires connected to this circuit.

Rhyan looked again at the damaged circuitry. He had to admit that he knew very little about electronics. Maybe there’s something it can do to help, Rhyan said.

How, Rhyan? You saw the message. It has less than seven minutes of power left. There just isn’t enough time for it to tell us everything we need to know.

We have to try, Rhyan said. HOW DO WE GET THIS APART? he signaled to the UFO.

R . . . E . . . P . . . L . . . A . . . C . . . E, the sphere replied.

WE DON’T KNOW HOW.

The UFO didn’t answer. It just sat there, helplessly stunned, as it realized it had made it this far, only to discover that the beings solicited to help do such a small thing were not capable.

I’M SORRY, Rhyan signaled, unsure of what else to say.

Maybe we’d better get out of here, Michael worried. Who knows what will happen when it runs out of power? It might self-destruct.

Rhyan looked at Michael but didn’t take in what he said. He didn’t see this as waiting for a machine to lose power and shut down like Michael was thinking. They were witnessing a living being, possibly the only one of its kind in the whole universe, die.

Michael walked toward the wall where they had entered, but Rhyan remained where he was, not wanting to give up.

W . . . A . . . I . . . T . . . the sphere flashed. It paused to the passing of more seconds of what could only be a few more minutes left of its life, deep in concentration, trying to recall one last hope, one last chance. "T . . . H . . . E . . . R . . . E . . . I . . . S . . .

O . . . N . . . E . . . L . . . A . . . S . . . T . . . P . . . O . . . S . . . S . . . I . . .

B . . . I . . . L . . . I . . . T . . . Y . . . . . . I . . . R . . . E . . . M . . . E . . . M . . .

B . . . E . . . R . . . . . . I . . . D . . . O . . . . . . I . . . . . .

M . . . . . . U . . . . . . S . . . . . . T . . . . . . . . .

R . . . . . . . . . E . . . . . . . . . M . . . . . . . . . E . . . . . . . . . M . . . . . . . . . B . . . . . . . . . E . . . . . . . . . . . ."

The sphere went silent, and the boys too were speechless. The walls ceased their red glow. The outer force field that protected the UFO dwindled. With its last bit of energy, the UFO created a single gray ripple that flowed across its interior to a small gold metallic box at the third corner of its structure.

I think it’s over . . . Michael said, but Rhyan was oblivious to the words.

Rhyan stumbled to the small gold box, his feet slipping through the energy field floor as the sphere went out. There aren’t any instructions! he said as he reached it. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.

It’s over, Rhyan. Let’s go home.

Then as Rhyan’s fourteen-year-old hand came to grasp the gold box, he heard Michael scream.

With new life, the sphere recharged itself, drawing its energy from the fragile form of Rhyan. With the brand-new source of power, it made haste to do what it had to do before it drained away every bit of life the boy had to give.

It didn’t take time to signal to Michael that it meant them no harm. It didn’t have the time nor the energy necessary for Morse code communication. Instead it used all of the boy’s life it could safely take to transmit the knowledge that he had temporarily enabled it to access once again. For a mere twenty seconds, the UFO held Rhyan in its grasp, and then it dared go no further. It feared too much had already been taken from him, and it greatly hoped what it was able to do had been enough.

After the transmission ended, the sphere died once more, never to rise again unless Rhyan somehow found the energy to revive himself and help it. As the connection with the box ceased, Rhyan fell limply to the ground and lay motionless. He didn’t even seem to breathe.

Michael rushed to his friend’s aid and fell on his knees beside the lifeless boy. He felt for a pulse, which was absent. He listened for breathing but found none. He gazed into the expressionless face of his best friend, and his eyes filled with tears.

Why hadn’t he listened to Rhyan’s fears earlier? He had virtually forced his friend to come to the park that morning, and now the worst had happened. Now the alien craft had killed the best friend he ever had, and it was all his fault. Michael lay face down next to Rhyan’s body and wept. If he had been thinking clearly, he might have attempted CPR, but he was completely overwhelmed by the shock of what just happened.

When Michael finally regained his composure, everything looked different. Everything around him seemed to have a reddish tint, an aftereffect that the UFO once had been there. But the sphere was no more. Only its skeleton remained.

3

Accident

Athrobbing, pulsating rhythm squeezed through Rhyan’s head. With a moan, he opened his eyes, and two parallel beacons of brilliant red light shot into Michael’s face, startling him.

Rhyan? a voice that was strange and distant probed the impossible. Rhyan! What’s happening to you? Michael backed away from Rhyan, afraid.

Oh . . . I feel weak, Rhyan said. But something inside compelled him to his feet.

What’s happening? Michael asked again cautiously.

I don’t know. Everything looks so different. Michael, you’re turning red. Rhyan stumbled toward his friend, who backed farther away from him.

Your eyes are glowing, Rhyan, Michael told him.

I feel so strange . . . Where are we? What are we doing here, Michael?

We came to help the UFO. Don’t you remember?

I keep seeing pictures of computer parts in my mind. Rhyan closed his eyes and tried to shake his head clear. When he opened them again, the beams had changed color to a deep yellow green.

The UFO did something to you, Michael said. I don’t know what.

The power control circuit. Rhyan’s mind suddenly caught up with the present. We need to disconnect it from the power system so we can use the circuit replicator to repair it.

But we don’t know how to take it apart, Michael said.

Rhyan’s eyes turned blue, then violet. Actually, I think now I do, Michael. Rhyan walked over to the burnt circuitry and examined it with an understanding that was impossible a few minutes before. Yes, it all looks so simple now. Rhyan nodded to himself. Michael, come over and give me a hand.

With no tools other than the small clumsy fingers he had been born with, Rhyan quickly cleared the circuit board of most of its connections. Hold this. He held out two thick bare-ended wires to Michael.

Michael approached Rhyan uncertainly, hesitating beyond arm’s reach. Rhyan was a completely different person now. How could he be sure that his friend was safe?

Come on, Michael. I don’t want these two wires to ground out, Rhyan insisted.

Michael took another step forward and gingerly took each of the wires away from Rhyan, then he jumped back quickly as though the other was going to pounce on him.

Rhyan furrowed his brow at the reaction but shrugged it off because he had other things to do. He carried the disassembled component over to the circuit replicator and placed it inside. A flash of light burst from the opening, then there was the faint sound of electrical sparking, followed by a low hum. After a moment, the sound faded, and all was still.

Rhyan reached in and pulled out the circuit board, and with a smile of satisfaction, he brought it back to Michael. Then he paused briefly as his mind hesitated, once again unsure of himself. The color of Rhyan’s eyes dimmed back to blue.

I think I’m starting to lose it, he warned Michael. We need to hurry before it goes away.

Rhyan picked up a handful of wires, giving careful thought before plugging each one in, not wanting to burn the circuit out again by rushing because he knew his memory was fading. As Rhyan started to return back to his normal self, Michael’s uneasiness lessened.

It’s going away too quickly, Rhyan said as his eyes faded to orange. We need to reconnect the main power so the UFO can help us finish the rest. Hand me one of the wires you’re holding.

Michael nervously offered a wire, and Rhyan took it and was about to plug it in when he paused. Then he looked at Michael with a frightened look. His eyes had faded to a deep dark red. Rhyan clenched his eyelids tight in concentration. Then he looked and plugged the wire in.

Rhyan reached for the other wire Michael was holding. Then he froze, blinked, and shook his head, backing away without taking it. The light in his eyes was gone.

Rhyan? Michael asked.

I can’t remember.

Michael looked at the wire that was still in his hand then back at Rhyan. Maybe we can figure it out. It’s just one wire. He took the circuit board from Rhyan and examined it, looking for a clue to where the wire fit. It’s too bad it doesn’t have ‘main power connection’ written on it, he said.

Rhyan looked back at Michael, trying to remember where the wire had been plugged in when he pulled the board out of the circuit compartment. I remember it was on this side of the circuit, he said, pointing at the board. It was close to one of the corners.

Could it have been here? Michael pointed at a socket that was slightly larger than those nearby.

It might have been. I’m not sure.

I’m going to try it, Michael said. He then touched the wire to the exposed circuit plug and pushed in. A surge of electricity sparked out from the board, arcing toward Michael’s face. It threw him back against the force field wall.

Force field! Rhyan shrieked. Michael, we did it!

Silence.

Michael? Rhyan queried as he rushed to his friend’s side. Michael lay unmoving on the floor of the sphere. Memories of CPR training surfaced in Rhyan’s mind. He placed his ear to his friend’s face, feeling and listening for breath and looking for Michael’s chest to rise, but there was no motion.

Michael! Rhyan shouted into his friend’s ear. He felt for a pulse in Michael’s neck, but there was nothing, no sign of life.

Michael! Rhyan cried again. How was it that the roles had reversed once more? This time it was Rhyan crouched over his fallen friend as Michael had done to him not so long before. In a glimmer of hopefulness, Rhyan opened Michael’s eyelids, but without a flicker nor a glow, they looked lifelessly up at him.

Rhyan started CPR, forgetting about the UFO for the moment because this was a problem of greater importance even than that.

Minutes passed in the realm of eternity as Rhyan panted the chest compressions. He was still very weak from his own near-death experience, so he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for very long, but there was nothing else he could do. If he left Michael to go for help, he would never make it back in time to save Michael’s life. All he could do was keep trying the CPR, and hope.

And so it was, after Rhyan had left the UFO completely behind in his memory, that there came a voice in midair as if spoken out of nowhere.

In clear English, a male voice asked, What’s wrong, Rhyan? and Rhyan jumped.

Most of my sensory circuits are still disconnected, the voice continued. I can’t see what’s happening, Rhyan. Please tell me what is wrong.

Rhyan wasn’t sure how to respond. He paused in Michael’s CPR and looked up and was reminded about the UFO. Michael is dead! he said. The eyes that had blinked of an energy only known by machines before were now diluted and out of focus. Streams of tears flowed from them, falling to the part of the sphere that made up the floor, and steaming upward.

Tell me how it happened.

There was a huge electric spark when he plugged in your power supply line.

Oh . . . Now I understand . . . I may be able to recharge his life energy after you connect the rest of my circuits, but you will need to hurry.

Rhyan leaped to his feet. Where do I start?

Plug the rest of my systems into the power control circuit.

How do I know what to plug in where?

Most of the connections can be plugged into any socket that will fit them, and the circuit will automatically detect and configure itself to their power needs. You should start with my optical sensors so I can see what you are doing and assist you. Look for the thickest set of green and red wires that are not already plugged into the circuit . . .

4

Farewell to a Friend

With the sphere’s direction, Rhyan brought all the major systems back online in less than seven minutes. Then he pulled Michael’s body over to the gold-colored box.

Place Michael’s hand on the interface but do not touch it yourself, the UFO instructed.

Rhyan lifted Michael’s body so that his friend was sitting up and put Michael’s hand on the box. Ready, he said.

The force field dimmed noticeably as a high-pitched surge of energy sounded like a great machine being activated, and Rhyan felt a tingling sensation from Michael’s body. Then Michael twitched twice, and his eyes opened with a faint red glow to them.

What happened? Michael asked. He noticed his hand was still touching the energy interface, so he quickly pulled it away. The last thing I remember is connecting that wire to the power source.

You were dead for almost fifteen minutes, Rhyan said.

I was?

The UFO brought you back.

Michael looked around, seeing that the force field was now active. Is it fixed now? he asked.

Yes, I am, the UFO answered. Thank you for your help, Michael.

It talks too, I see.

I am programmed to speak all the major languages of your planet, the UFO said.

Do you have a name? Rhyan asked.

My designer called me System of Artificial Mentality.

Sam, Rhyan recognized.

Yes, you may use the acronym form if you like. The people of my world usually call me SAM.’

What happened to you, Sam? How did you get hurt?

I was damaged by an energy beam during my flight to Earth. It somehow shorted across my power control circuit and drained my backup energy supply. I don’t know how it was able to penetrated my force field.

Why was someone shooting at you? Michael asked.

The planet I come from is at war. I must have stumbled upon an enemy outpost on my way here.

Could they follow you here to Earth? Michael asked with obvious reason for concern.

They wouldn’t be able to keep up with how fast I travel, and their sensors don’t have enough range to track me this far. Reaching Earth takes several hours even at my top speed. The enemy ships wouldn’t keep up with me for very long.

Why did you come here? Rhyan asked.

I was looking for someone to help fight our enemy.

Then you’re going to need to talk with our president to ask for troops, Rhyan said.

Unfortunately, that will not be any help. My people thought Earth was much more advanced than you actually are. You don’t have the resources or technology necessary to fight the Syreans. If you were to become involved, your whole world could be wiped out within a very short time.

Maybe you could find someone else to help, Michael suggested.

I’m afraid it’s not as easy to find inhabited planets as you think. My people know about Earth because your proximity has allowed your radio signals to reach us, but we have yet to discover any other worlds supporting life. Even though we have the ability to travel vast distances across the universe, so far our search has found only lifeless wastelands. There isn’t anywhere else I can go.

Then what will you do now, Sam? Rhyan asked.

I will have to return home empty-handed and inform them there is no possible option for support from Earth. We must continue to fight our enemy on our own like we have for the last one hundred years.

Is that how old you are? Rhyan wondered.

No, Rhyan. I was built very recently. My date of completion was about two of your years ago.

Oh . . . What was that like?

What do you mean, Rhyan?

I don’t remember what it was like to be born. In fact, I don’t remember very much from before the plane crash. What did it feel like when you first found yourself alive?

The UFO hesitated at the question, almost as though it was carefully calculating how it should answer. Then it said, It was very confusing, Rhyan. When I was activated for the first time, I was confused.

Oh, wow. I never thought about it that way. I always thought that being born would be a wonderful moment, seeing new things for the first time and discovering what the world is like. Why were you confused, Sam?

The sphere hesitated again. Then it said, I was brought online in the middle of a battle.

Oh . . . You were made to be a weapon, Rhyan recognized. But you aren’t a weapon anymore, are you, Sam?

The UFO paused briefly, but this time he answered with much less hesitation. No, he said.

Rhyan smiled, and then he asked, Can you tell us more about your home world, Sam? Is it anything like Earth? What is it called? What are the inhabitants like, or is everyone there like you?

My home world is called Babylon, the UFO said, and there was a hint of amusement in its tone at the sudden barrage of curiosity. "You probably recognize the name because it comes from Earth’s history. Many years ago, we needed to choose a new name for ourselves. We wanted a name that will stand up to the millenniums of time and tell the story of our strength and majesty, so we looked through the information we had collected about Earth and decided to take the designation of what was possibly Earth’s greatest empire.

The planet Babylon is similar to yours, but the climate is much warmer. There is a single continent on one side where all the inhabitants live and a vast ocean on the other side, covering 95 percent of the surface. The people are similar to humans in that they have two arms and two legs and they walk upright, but they are reptiles, not mammals. As for myself, I am unique. There aren’t any other machines with similar systems or with an AI interface like mine.

What about the Syreans? Rhyan asked. What is your enemy like?

To be truthful, they are very much like the Babylons because they once shared the planet with my people, but they left a long time ago. They live on a large satellite space station that orbits the same sun as Babylon. They have been fighting us for so long that there is nobody still alive from before the war.

But why would the Syreans continue to fight with your people after so long, Sam? Wars are very expensive and very hard. Why would they keep fighting for one hundred years if they aren’t gaining anything and the people who first started it are long dead? Rhyan looked up at the UFO with a strange spark of insight in his eyes. What made the Syreans leave the planet to go live on a space station? They did not leave Babylon willingly, did they?

No, they didn’t, the Sphere admitted. According to history, there was a point in time when the Syreans became so hostile they had to be driven off the planet.

Your people exiled them from their home world, and so they have been trying to take it back ever since, Rhyan said. That is very sad, Sam.

Yes, the UFO agreed with inflection. But now it is ancient history. Babylon is no longer the Syrean home even though they continue to fight for it. So much time has passed that nobody remembers what the war is about anymore. They just keep fighting.

And your people aren’t doing very well against the Syreans, are they, Sam? Your situation has become so desperate that you came to Earth for help, and now that you’ve determined Earth can’t help you, the situation is even more desperate. You know it’s even kind of ironic that your people have taken Babylon as your chosen name. According to legend, the Babylonian Empire was overturned in a single night. The Persian army slipped into the city through the waterworks and took over everything without anyone even knowing what happened. And although the name may still be remembered today, what was once the capital of the Babylonian Empire is nothing more than wild jungle and marshland where nobody lives and very few ever visit. Your people really don’t know very much about Earth, do they, Sam?

No, we don’t, the sphere admitted.

Yet you were very quick to determine that we can’t help you even though you only regained full use of your sensors during the last thirty minutes. What is it that you know now that you didn’t know when you decided to come here? What changed that led you to your latest conclusion about us?

Sam hesitated in thought one more time. Then he said, Because now I know what you know, Rhyan.

You mean from when I touched that box and you put all that stuff in my mind?

Yes.

But I’m only fourteen. There’s still a lot that I don’t know.

You know enough to have shown me what I needed to find out. The weapons of your world just aren’t strong enough to fight the Syreans. Most of what you have would not even penetrate the body armor of my enemy, let alone their force fields, and the few weapons you have that might actually hurt them are too dangerous for you to use. And assuming you did try to help us, that would just make Earth another target for the Syreans. I cannot ask your people to put your world in jeopardy when you aren’t strong enough to defend it. It will be safer for Earth to not get involved.

I sure hope you’re right about that, Sam. Because if your people know about Earth, I have to assume that your enemy knows about us as well. You said the Syreans couldn’t track you this far, but they could probably guess where you were going. So what is going to stop them from coming here now?

The sphere considered the question with perhaps a touch of naïveté. The Syreans don’t know any more about Earth than my people do, Rhyan. We have long believed that Earth is a very powerful and dangerous place. There are terrible legends about you, about mankind. The Syreans don’t know what I have discovered about you, and as long as Earth stays out of the war, there is no reason for them to find out. I don’t believe the Syreans are going to risk coming here, because they are afraid of you.

And yet you took that risk, Sam. Rhyan shook his head. You weren’t afraid to come here and make contact with Michael and me.

That’s not entirely true, Rhyan. I actually was very afraid to come here and make contact, but somehow I was also compelled to do it. Perhaps it is because I was made to be a weapon, like you said, that I was able to go beyond my fear. I don’t know.

And now that you’ve decided that Earth can’t help, you are going to leave again, aren’t you, Sam?

Yes. I need to return to Babylon right away and report what I found.

I want to go with you, Rhyan said. The request hovered strangely in the air, completely unexpected.

What? Michael immediately gasped. Rhyan, do you know what you’re saying? These people are in the middle of a war. You could be killed or not come back for a long time. What about your mom? What about me? Michael looked up at the UFO for support.

Rhyan looked over at his friend. I will miss her, he admitted. And I will miss you. Then Rhyan looked up at the UFO again and said, But I still want to go!

The sphere hesitated as though unsure how to respond. Finally, with reluctant overtones, Sam spoke again. I’m sorry, Rhyan, but my world would not be a good place for you right now. There is too much danger from the war, and it also would not be right to take you away from your friends and family here, where it is safe.

I’m not afraid, Sam, Rhyan insisted. And I know that I will be able to help if you take me with you.

I do not question your bravery nor your resolve, Rhyan. But I still can’t risk taking you.

Rhyan shook his head and sighed. I know that, Sam, he accepted. I knew that was going to be your answer before I asked. But if you aren’t going to take me with you, that means that this is over now. It is time to say goodbye. Will we ever see you again?

When the war is over, if I survive, I might be able to come back.

That would be nice. Rhyan smiled, although his eyes were starting to fill with tears. Even though he knew he and Michael would have to pass back through the force field wall before the UFO could take flight, he didn’t want to leave.

Both boys understood that lingering where they were would prolong their last few moments with the extraterrestrial visitor and even the sphere didn’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to get them out. But at the same time, Rhyan felt a pulling on the inside, a persistence and urgency that wouldn’t let him wait for too long. It was important and necessary for them to let Sam depart.

Come on, Michael. Rhyan stood up from where he had been sitting inside the machine.

Michael sighed and rose to his feet as well, and the two boys walked over to the orange wall that contained them. As Michael went ahead, Rhyan paused one more time before stepping through the force field, taking one last look that he wanted to remember for eternity.

The boys backed a safe distance away as the sphere charged its energy thrusters for flight.

Goodbye, Sam, Rhyan said. Please come back soon.

Goodbye, Rhyan. Goodbye, Michael. The sphere was already gaining altitude, flickering a rainbow of colors. Just before the UFO disappeared from sight, it flashed in Morse code its last FAREWELL! and was gone.

Then for several minutes, Rhyan and Michael just stood there, looking up into the sky.

Come on, Michael. Rhyan broke the silence because they couldn’t stand there, gazing forever. We’d better get home. It’s already two o’clock. I bet my mom’s worried.

The boys picked up their bikes and rode back up the trail toward town.

Tonight. Sundown, Michael said as their paths parted between the houses.

Not a word to anyone about this, Rhyan called after him. Michael waved in assurance.

5

Under Fire

At nearly 2:30 p.m., Rhyan burst through the front door of his house. His mom immediately came out of the kitchen with an angry scowl on her face. Where have you been all day! she demanded.

Oh, around with a friend. Rhyan shrugged, hoping to brush the encounter off quickly. I’m sorry I’m so late. I kind of lost track of the time.

The look on the woman’s face didn’t change.

You shouldn’t worry about me so much, Mom. I’m fourteen years old now, you know.

Being fourteen doesn’t mean it’s okay to be irresponsible, young man! You never told me where you were going or how long you would be gone. The least you could have done was write me a note before you left. What would your father say if he were here?

Rhyan had been seven years old when his father died in the plane crash. That tragedy had forced Jane Ivars to not only face the pain of losing her husband but also to see her only son crippled in a wheelchair with little hope of him ever walking again. It took two years of therapy and probably a few miracles besides before Rhyan could stand on his own feet again.

For more than a year after they moved here, Jane wouldn’t let Rhyan out of the house by himself because she was afraid he would get hurt or have a setback in his treatment. Now after seven years, she had slackened up a little, but she was still very overprotective of Rhyan.

Naturally, this led to tension between the mother and son, but Rhyan cared a great deal for his mother, and he tried to respect her.

I think Dad would have gone with me, Mom, Rhyan said about his father.

Rhyan really didn’t remember too much about his father. He had trouble remembering many things from before the crash. But he was suddenly aware of a lingering image in his mind, a strange vision from the moment he connected to Sam, a figure of a man older than the pictures his mom kept, but it was probably only a dream.

"Well,