Chapter 7

"Approaching the barrier. Going in!" Alec Archer heard Private Sanders' voice transmission through the speakers. He witnessed thru the cockpit window as a wave of electric current coursed thru the entire exterior fuselage of Sander's flying mecha as it penetrated thru the invisible Earth Barrier---a powerful force field that barricaded the whole of the planet Earth from the alien intruders hovering all around Earth. Light energy flared all over the metal body as it did so.

Sanders has now entered the safe perimeters of Earth.

"Following suit," said Alec as he toggled the switch that activated his own energy shield and also allowing him to penetrate the barrier. He felt the intensity of the vibration that rocked his battleship as he pierced thru the force field. If not for this built-in energy shield that equips all WDF battleships, it would be like catastrophically crashing thru an unbreakable wall. Up to this day, after seven months in the service as a space fighter pilot, this powerful technology still amazes Alec. Well, everything in the WDF does. The WDF's super-advanced warfare technology is astonishment to all new recruits. The knowledge behind all of WDF's technology is beyond their comprehension. It is the knowledge that belonged to the workforce behind the armament laboratories of the WDF. But the knowledge of the barrier system, this much Alec and everyone in the WDF knew, belong only to one person: to Professor Waldo Kinski who is declared missing-news that's recently been broadcasted all over WDF's communication networks.

Alec was thinking, if not for this barrier system, Earth would have been captive to WDF's adversaries a long, long time ago. 'Adversaries'--- that's how he was taught to refer to the alien invaders who, after 10 years of being locked in battle with Earth, remained anonymous.

He could hear the rest of his comrades also announcing their re-entry into Earth's atmosphere after two months of being on space duty.

The Falcon Battalion Unit, a team of 15 space fighter pilots which included Alec, glided across the skies, reaching Alaska in less than half an hour. They flew across snow-capped mountains, eager and fast.

"Ah, we're almost there! Sure glad we're heading base," Alec heard Private Sanders over the intercom. He turned his head to look thru the left porthole of his cockpit. He saw Sanders blonde spiky head with a blue band wrapped around his forehead peeked from the side window. Sanders also looked up at him, smiled and saluted casually. Their ships were now racing beside each other.

"Sure do," Alec responded.

"Our roving mission had been quite boring, don't you think? Not much enemy pods recently. Two months of being suspended in space without much action sucks!"

"You said it," he said. Wish I could kill many of them, he thought wryly.

"Now, it's one month of good life and real food! Ah, miss them!" Private Alfred Garrison butted in, his face appearing in a small monitor on Alec's consoles. "First stop, the gym and the pubs. How about you guys?"

"I'm heading straight to the clinic where the pretty nurses are. I'm sure they missed us all," Sanders beamed.

Alec grinned at that. It would be nice to see the pretty nurses.

The Falcon Battalion Unit, after two months of roving mission in Earth space, is heading back to Sybil Headquarters for a two weeks revitalization period.

Alec leaned back on his seat and exhaled. 'Finally, time to relax,' he thought. Then suddenly something jerked him back upright, his foot crashing onto the brakes and his hand pulling the stop gear. The thrusters underneath his ship flared and it came into a full stop in mid-air. It was something from afar. It came to him like gravity would.

Sander's face came into view on the consoles. "Hey Archer, what are you doing?"

Alec was still and alert as he uttered back. "Sanders, did you feel that?"

"Felt what?"

"An invisible force or energy of some sort..."

Like going through the earth barrier system again.

Sander's raised a brow. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"It's something like...like the 'barrier'."

"Alec, the battle's over. That may just be an after-effect. You know how we could never get used to the feeling of going in and out of the 'barrier'. C'mon, catch up now, you're falling behind," that was Garrison with an explanation.

Alec looked puzzled now. He could not get himself to just dismiss it. He turned to his console monitors to see if his sensors had caught that great radiation of some sort but there was no sign of it.

His commanding officer's stiff face came into view. "Is there any problem, Private Archer? You are falling behind,"

"No sir," replied Alec promptly, realizing that it won't do him any good to say anything further. "I'll catch up,"

"Okay then, hurry up. You are losing the trail," said the commander before disappearing into static in the screen.

But Alec knew something was in the air; something so strange it was disconcerting. It filled his senses; summoning him.

He looked around him, watched as his comrades flew farther and farther away. Then as his head turned to his side, his eyes stopped there, into empty distance. Later he would have to face the consequence of his next action but for now he only had to follow his gut.

He switched into stealth mode, shut down his communication system, shifted his gear and dislodge, oblivious to his team...