Quilt of Heroes

Three short storys, introducing three new heroes into the world of my previous books, DRAGOON.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Quilt of HeroesBy John M. MartzowkaAuthorHouseCopyright © 2010 John M. MartzowkaAll right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4520-6249-5Chapter One4 ELEVEN PRESENT DAY DO WE REALLY KNOW WHO LIVES AMONGST US? A WARM SUMMER RAIN FALLS AS THE CITIZENS OF ROCKFISH, VIRGINIA SLEEP, THE LIGHTNING AND THUNDER PLAY LIKE A SYMPHONY ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY ... IT IS A HUMBLE COMMUNITY, WHERE WORLDLY EVENTS PASS BY WITHOUT WORRY. WHERE ONLY THE TASKS OF THE DAY GET THE MOST ATTENTION ... NOoooo! HMMM THE SUMMER STORMS .. THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BRING THE NIGHTMARES OF MY PAST ... GOOD MORNING IT'S EARLY ... IT'S RAINNING I HAD A NIGHTMARE AGAIN YOU'RE ALL ALWAYS WITH ME ... "sniffle" MY FAMILY MY PAST, NOT A EASY THING TO EXPLAIN. BEING ABLE TO FLY, LIFT CARS ABOVE MY HEAD, STORIES OF MY HOME WORLD, THINGS YOU COULD NEVER IMAGINE ... AND YET. YOU TOOK ME IN AND MADE ME PART OF THE FAMILY. YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT I NEEDED TO REMAIN HIDDEN. THAT THIS WORLD WAS NOT READY FOR WHAT I COULD DO. THIS SIMPLE WORLD IN TIME, SO CALM AND PEACEFUL. I LOST MYSELF AND BECAME YOUR DAUGHTER YOUR SISTER AND STARTED OVER ... AND NOT AS AN ADULT AS I WAS, BUT AS A TEENAGER, IN VIRGINIA 1924 THE MEMORIES ... REMEMBER THE GIANT FISH, EMILY? WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN THE OLD POND HARBORED SUCH A BEAST. TIMES WERE TOUGH, BUT MOMMA COULD ALWAYS COOK UP A GOOD FEAST.... I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT MEAL, FRIED FISH IN MOMMA'S SPECIAL BATTER, STEAMED GREENS IN BUTTER, DUMPLINGS AND CLARA'S COLD MILK.... OLD CLARA.. ALWAYS GETTING STUCK IN THE MARSH. PAPPA SAID SHE LIKED THE SWEET CATTAILS THAT GREW IN THE MIDDLE. THAT'S WHY HER MILK WAS ALWAYS THE BEST. ROBERT & JASON OUR BIG BROTHERS BIG BROTHERS RULE! NOT FARE JASON I NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD THAT'S RIGHT ... OH IT'S ON HOLIDAYS, CHRISTMAS ... SO MANY GOOD TIMES, SO MANY MEMORIES, SO MANY. BANG BANG BA-BA-BANG! WOW! THAT WAS A LOUD ONE PANDA. BOY .. IT'S REALLY COMING DOWN. THE THUNDER ABD LIGHTNING.... IT ... ALWAYS TAKES ME BACK.... AS IF.... IT ALL HAPPENED YESTERDAY. "ESKRELON" ... A CITY IN THE SKY ... ITS INHABITANTS A COLLECTIVE OF SCIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE. WHERE IS CO-FAX GUARDIAN ONE? IN REACTOR ROOM THREE UNDER HEAVY ASSAULT, SIR SIR, THE CENTRAL ORB IS IGNITING UNDER THRUSTERS AND ATTEMPTING A LAUGH ... ALL BRIDGES AND HOLDING CLAMPS HAVE BEEN BLOWN. ESKRELON TO ALL SHIPS AND ORBITTING LABS.. ALERT OMEGA THE "CARCASS" HAVE UNLEASHED THREE DIVISIONS OF BELLISTIC BATTLE QUADS UPON THE CITY. ALERT OMEGA!!! REPEAT ALERT OMEGA!!! SIR, THE CENTRAL ORB LAB IS NOW UNDER FULL CARCASS CONTROL ... VVVVVV ... ZZZZZZZZYYYYY!! CENTRAL COMMAND HAS HAS BEEN BREACHED, INTERNAL LINES HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED I NEED EYES PEOPLE!!! SWITCHING TO SATELLITE FEED SIR. CITY'S POWER? HOLDING FOR NOW. CENTRAL ORB IS LAUNCHING!!! WE NEED TO ANIMATE MORE GUARDIANS ... ANY CONTACT FROM THE GUARDIAN CRYO CHAMBER? NEGATIVE, SIR. THE CENTRAL ORB? WH-WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHAT DO I DO? QUAD LEADER MY SCANNER PICKING UP A GUARDIAN SIGNATURE A THOUSAND YARDS AND CLOSING I SEE HER, GIVE THE LANCE FULL POWER! I'LL CUT THAT BITCH IN HALF!!! DIE! AAGHHHH! SIR GUARDIAN CRYO CHAMBER COMPUTER HAS BEEN HIT WITH A CARCASS AFRAM MATHMATICAL VIRUS ALL REANIMATION CODES ARE FROZEN.... IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REANIMATE ANY MORE GUARDIANS ... DAMMIT! WAIT, PUT CAMERA SEVEN ON FULL SCREEN LOOK, SIR! OUCH ... THAT'LL TEACH ME FOR DAYDREAMING LET'S SEE IF YOU FREAKS CAN TAKE IT AS WELL AS YOU DISH IT OUT ... IDIOT, YOU MISSED! BLAST HER NOT SO TOUGH NOW, ARE YOU ... BATTLE QUADS, THEY'RE ALL OVER THE CITY. THEY WERE OUTLAWED YEARS AGO, BEFORE MY DAD EVEN CONCEIVED OF THE IDEA FOR THE GUARDIAN PROJECT. SO MUCH CHAOS, WHERE DO I BEGIN? THAT'S A GUARDIAN! WHERE DID SHE COME FROM? WE NEED TO MAKE CONTACT WITH HER IMMEDIATELY ... NUMBER FOUR ELEVEN AMAZING! THAT'S DR. BORCHARD'S OWN DAUGHTER. NAME: AMY, Hmmm h.t. 4/11. a.g. 33 city rank BIO FUSIONIST, CRYO FROZEN 22 YEARS. HER CRYO CHAMBER WAS. KEPT AT HIS LAB. DR. BORCHARD MUST HAVE HEARD THE OMEGA ALERT. AND UNFROZE HER ... LOOK OUT! WE'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT HANG ON IM COMING! I'VE GOT IT! BUT HOW? WHO ARE ... SHE'S A GUARDIAN ... THERE SHE IS, GIVE IT FULL POWER IM GONNA TAKE HER HEAD CLEAN OFF!!! I THINK NOT! LOOKOUT!! 1 HER HEAT VISION IS RUPTURING TH- UHHH COMMANDER, I NEED REPAIR CREWS DOWN HERE A.S.A.P THEY'RE ON THE WAY, CO-FAX E.T.A FOUR MINUTES. GUARDIAN 411 THIS WAY EXCELLENT 411 THERE IS LITTLE TIME, WE NEED YOU TO LEAD THERE REPAIR CREWS DOWN TO THE REACTOR, YOU'RE OUR ONLY HOPE. WE'RE READY SIR. LIEUTENANT, BEGIN YOUR DECENT ... INITIATE CITY EVACUATION CODE tims4armedguy PICKING UP RADIATION WE HAVE REACHED THE REACTOR ROOM. REACTORS ONE, TWO AND FOUR HAVE VISIBLE VENTING THERE ARE NO BREACHES IN THE OUTER SHIELDING ... WAIT ... WE HAVE A PROBLEM ... THE MEGA DOORS ARE CLOSED AND SEALED, AND THE AUTOMATIC OVERIDE IS NOT RESPONDING. PULL BACK, THERE'S NO CUTTING THROUGH THAT, BEGIN THE CITY'S EVACUATION, ALL CITIZENS TO ESCAPE PODS. WAIT! LOOK SHE'S OPENING THEM!!! AMAZING COMMANDER, THE DOORS ARE OPEN. SCANNING FOR EXPLOSIVES OR DISINTEGRATION DEVICES. ANY SIGN OF ... NOOO! UHHH YOUR CITY IS LOST, THERE IS NOTHING LEFT ... BUT TO DIE! QUADS! BEHIND US! NOOOOO! UHHH GUARDIAN ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? ARE YOU DAMAGED? WHAT'S HAPPENED WHAT'S GOING ON? IM-IM FINE. YOU NEED TO KEEP MOVING FOR A MOMENT SHE REALIZED HOW DANGEROUS SHE IS CAPABLE OF BEING. AND THAT IS UNSETTLING. CO-FAX! HERE! IT'S ALL CLEAR. CO-FAX GUARDIAN ONE. IM GUARDIAN FOUR ELEVEN I'VE BROUGHT HELP EXCELLENT AND THE CITY? DOOMED! UNFORTUNATELY YOUR EFFORTS ARE FOR NAUGHT, THE CARCASS HAVE WON, AND YOUR CITY IS LOST ... UHHHH THE CITY COWARDS, PUTTING ALL OF YOU IN CRYO FREEZE, FEARING THEY COULDN'T CONTROL ALL OF YOU ... LEAVING ONLY ONE TO PROTECT THE CITY, BUT NOW THERE ARE TWO. THIS TIME DISPLACEMENT ORB SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE TWO OF YOU QUITE NICELY ... SO LONGGG GUARDIANS! BYE BYE NOW! I'VE GOT IT! DON'T TOUCH THAT! NNOOOO! UHHGGGG THE FUTURISTIC DEVICE FLASHES AND CRACKLES AS ATOM'S DISPLACE AND REASSEMBLE. AS THE YOUNG GUARDIAN FOUR ELEVEN ARRIVES IN A PLACE CALLED ... EARTH SHE GATHERS HERSELF ... UHH ... WHA-? WHE- WHERE AM I? WHERE? THE CITY? THE REACTOR ROOM CO-FAX? WHERE IS SHE EXACTLY? VIRGINIA 1924, AND THEN MAMMA MAMMA LOOK LOOK IN THE SKY OH MY, KARL? LOOK LOOK HOW? I SEE HER I SEE HER SHE'S A MARTIAN FROM MARS SHUT-UP JASON MAMMA LOOK LOOK SHE'S FLOATING DOWN LIKE AN ANGEL. WAIT EMILY, HOLD UP ... WE? AND THAT WAS THE BEGINNING. OOOOOOH KARL? SHHHHHHHHHH IT'S OK HI, IM EMILY WHAT'S YOUR NAME? IM AMY I REACHED OUT MY HAND AND BECAME YOUR SISTER, YOUR DAUGHTER, AND I WOULD NEVER CHANGE A THING. BUT IF I HAD THE CHANGE WOULD I RETURN TO ESKRELON? WILL I EVER SEE MY OLD WORLD? THE STORMS AND MY DREAMS.... ARE THEY CONNECTED? GRABBING THE ORB WAS LIKE GRABBING A BOLT OF LIGHTING. I ONCE THOUGH IF I GRABBED ANOTHER IT WOULD CARRY ME BACK? BACK BACK, BUT BACK TO WHAT? AAAARRRGGHH!!! THE BOLT OF LIGHTNING CARRIES HER NO FURTHER THAN TO THE GROUND ITSELF. FORGIVE ME. I AM HOME, THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME. ALL THE LOVE, THE MEMORIES, MOM, DAD, ROBERT ... JASON. ooooooooooohh EMILY ... I MISS YOU SO. EVERYONE HAS GROWN OLD AND HAS PASSED ON.... THE LONLINESS CAN BE MORE THAN ONE TO BEAR ... SHE CRIES. Chapter TwoTHE AMERICAN PRINCESS CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA ... A MAN OF THE WORLD, WHOSE GLOBAL WEALTH EXCEEDS ALL IMAGINATION. WHERE JORDAN WILCOX SURVEYS UNTOUCHED FOREST LAND, HOPING TO PURCHESE IT AND SAVE IT FROM DEVELOPERS. LARRY ... LARRY? THE RECEPTION IS BAD. IT'S ME JORDAN I'M CHECKING OUT THE PROPERTY .... WHAT? ... THE PROPERTY, IM CHECKING IT OUT, IT LOOKS GREAT, WHAT? IN YOUR LIMO.... YOUR LEMO .. HELLO? HELLO? IT LOOKS LIKE THE DRAGOON IS BACK IN THE NEWS TODAY. THE ALTITUDE MUST BE CAUSING YOUR ASTHMA TO ACT UP, DONIVAN. SAME GOES FOR THIS PHONE OH WELL ... WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT DRAGOON? I'D LOVE TO HAVE HIM ON THE PAYROLL. HMMMMM. WE'RE SLOWING DOWN? AHHH IM SORRY I FORGOT TO ASK YOUR NAME, IS THERE A PROBLEM DRIVER? YEAAAAHHH, END OF THE ROAD MATE. GET THEM OUT. WATCH THE WOMAN WITH BOTH EYES. ALRIGHT, OPEN IT UP PEOPLE. UHHH. HEEEEEY RICH MAN, DO AS YOUR TOLD AND EVERYONE STAYS BREATHIN ... (Continues...) Excerpted from Quilt of Heroes by John M. Martzowka Copyright © 2010 by John M. Martzowka. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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