“Goodbye, Jack. And thank you.”

  Reno looked down and then away from Jack’s lifeless body, taking ten minutes to pull himself together before he heard people approaching. John and Woods came up beside him.

  “You find a survivor?” John asked.

  “He didn’t make it.”

  “Shit,” Woods said. “We found one guy with only a few scratches. He got lucky. We haven’t found anyone else.”

  “Keep looking. Then head back to the others and let them know what we’re doing,” Reno said to him before looking at John. “You and I have to go.”

  John stepped back. “Go? Where?”

  “Do you know where the closest National Guard checkpoint might be?”

  “Sure, there’s one on the other side of the river. But why? Gonna be hell getting over there.”

  “I’ll explain on the way, but we need to get there right now.”

  3

  “Are you sure this is going to work?” John asked as he pulled up to the National Guard checkpoint.

  “I am.”

  Even though Reno had said the words with confidence, he couldn’t be sure. He’d hardly known Jack, and during most of the short time that he had known him, Reno had thought the guy to be nothing but a crazy prepper—like the kind you heard about on the news because he had 400 grenades hidden in a bunker beneath his patio. But while he’d been just that, that fact didn’t mean that he hadn’t been telling the truth. In that moment, why would he have lied? And if he hadn’t been lying, Reno would make sure everyone knew that the man who’d helped save the world was Jack.

  “I don’t know, man. It sounds crazy. And I mean, I trust you and all, but that doesn’t mean that these guys will.”

  “Just get me in front of them and I’ll explain it the best I can. If they don’t believe me, then we’re doomed anyway.”

  John slammed on his brakes as an explosion rumbled through the city. Rounds of gunfire snapped like Fourth of July firecrackers, and men and women screamed.

  They jumped out of the car and ran two hundred yards towards the entrance to the National Guard checkpoint. Military vehicles of all varieties surrounded what looked like a Chinese restaurant that had been turned into a command center. Soldiers walked the perimeter with rifles, stopping occasionally to gawk up at the sky but not knowing what to shoot or what good it would do. One of the men stopped his patrol when he saw Reno and John approaching.

  John pointed to the badge on his uniform and the guard at the entrance waved him closer, where he stopped to talk to the guard as Reno joined him.

  “Who’s in charge here?” John asked.

  “That’s a damn good question.” The patch on the guard’s chest read Rodriguez. “This attack has been relentless. We’ve lost a lot of people.”

  “Well, if you want to beat these sons of bitches, then you’ve got to get my friend here to whoever’s handing out orders.”

  Rodriguez looked at Reno, from his shoes to his chin. He smiled before turning back to John.

  “What does some EMT know that we don’t?”

  “I know why that exploded.” Reno pointed at the flaming obelisk a few miles away. “And I know how to finish the job.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” John said. “We just came back from the wreckage. Found one of the guys that caused the explosion.”

  “The guy,” Reno said, making sure Jack would get the credit even if he had already passed away.

  A building exploded nearby and bricks shot through the air. Reno ducked and covered his head. People from inside the restaurant cried out.

  “Goddamnit!” Rodriguez said.

  “You’ve got to get me to your commander right now, or there isn’t going to be anyone left to follow orders.”

  Rodriguez pursed his lips, and then he nodded. “Stay close to me.”

  Rodriguez crouched down as they headed around the side of the restaurant to a parking lot around back that was bustling with activity. Reno followed. To his right, a military transport pulled up and several soldiers jumped out and ran by. Reno looked left and saw the fire in the sky. Soldiers positioned on the edge of the Cumberland River were firing at the pedestrian bridge. Reno followed their aim and saw several aliens firing back at the troops. He ducked his head and followed John and Rodriguez to a green tent in the northwest corner of the parking lot.

  Rodriguez entered first, then turned around and waved Reno and John to follow him. Inside, three soldiers stood behind a fold-up table with a map of Nashville lying on top of it.

  “I don’t know if that’ll work,” one of the men said.

  “We’re running out of goddamn options!”

  Reno swallowed. It was clear who was in charge. The man who’d just yelled and spat looked up. Reno glanced at the man’s chest and saw the name Rupp on his patch, almost hidden behind a full array of combat-earned medals.

  “What are you doing here, Rodriguez? And who the fuck are they?”

  “These men say they know how to beat the aliens, sir. They say they can help.”

  Rupp glanced at Reno and John. “They can help by getting their asses out there and firing back at those fuckers. If the EMT doesn’t know how to shoot, then I’m sure you can give him a quick lesson. Now, get the hell out of here so that I can—”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but that’s not how we can help,” Reno said.

  The man bit his lip as he glared at Reno. “You better have a damn good reason for interrupting me, son.”

  “Yes, of course, sir. What if I told you I know how to take down that obelisk?”

  Rupp raised an eyebrow. “I’d tell you that someone already tried that, and they failed.”

  “Not totally, sir.”

  The ground shook from another explosion that caused the sides of the tent to flap. Unsteady on his bad ankle, Reno lost his balance and fell forward, grabbing onto the table to keep himself from falling.

  “There isn’t time for this,” Rupp said. “So, if you want to help, then get out there and fight those bastards.”

  Reno made a fist and narrowed his eyes. He slammed his hand down on the table.

  “Don’t you get it? Your weapons aren’t doing jack shit to them! The only way to get them to stop attacking us is to take that obelisk down! And I know how to do it. So, you all can either sit here trying to come up with a plan, and die in the process, or you can get me on a transport truck with explosives and soldiers, and we can bring the rest of that obelisk to the fucking ground and end this tonight.”

  Rupp removed his hands from the table and stood up straight. He put his hands on his hips.

  “You better be right if you’re gonna talk to me like that.”

  With everyone’s focus on him now, Reno explained what Jack—really, Maya—had figured out. The obelisk’s power source came from beneath the surface, geothermal heat powering a sophisticated motor. But a motor, nonetheless. Destroying the motor would bring down the dome and give Nashville a fighting chance.

  “So, you’re saying that if we get you to that beacon with enough explosives, you can bring the dome down?”

  “Yes, sir. That’s what I’m telling you. Jack had the right idea, but he didn’t have enough firepower.”

  Rupp looked into the faces of the men surrounding him. Then he turned to Reno.

  “Rodriguez.” Rupp kept his eyes on Reno.

  “Sir?”

  “I want you to take mister…”

  “Reno Harvey, sir.”

  “Mr. Harvey and his cop friend here and grab as much PE-4 as you can find, along with detonators. Hook up with Gibson’s squad and take a transport over to Centennial Park. Hopefully, this guy is right, and we can bring that fucking dome down.”

  “Yes, sir,” Rodriguez said. “I’ll go right now and—”

  The ground lifted and then vibrated, knocking the men into each other. What sounded like a jet engine mounted on a Harley Davidson roared overhead.

  “Look out!” someone outside yelled.

  “What in the hell?” Rupp walked around the table and out the door.

  Reno and the others followed him to where several people were pointing towards the river.

  One of the alien ships had buzzed the National Guard checkpoint, gone over the pedestrian bridge, and now hovered about 100 yards above the top of Nissan Stadium. As they watched, a beam of light shot down from the bottom of the spacecraft. After a split second of total silence, a tower of fire erupted from somewhere near the fifty-yard-line and turned into a blazing mushroom cloud.

  “Get down!” Rupp shouted.

  Reno fell to the pavement and covered his head. The ground trembled for several more seconds and despite the screaming people, he heard debris landing all around him and in the river. When the shaking stopped, he looked back.

  The mushroom cloud of fire had turned into an angry, dark storm cloud of ash obscuring whatever remained of the Tennessee Titans’ home turf. Reno feared what he would, or wouldn’t, see once the wind whisked the smoke away.

  But he didn’t want to wait around until that happened.

  “Rodriguez, you’ve got to go now!” Rupp said.

  “Yes, sir.” Rodriguez pulled Reno to his feet. “Come on!”

  Reno and John ran behind Rodriguez, and Reno only hoped they could get the explosives and make it to the obelisk before it was too late.

  4

  Reno sat in the back of the transport with his elbows on his knees and his head buried in his hands. His legs shook and he gasped for air, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, but it didn’t block out the screaming, explosions, and gunfire erupting all around him.

  You can do this. You can make this work.

  “You alright there, buddy?”

  Reno looked up at the soldier sitting next to him. He shook his head, and leaned back against the wall. “I don’t know.”

  “You better be fucking alright,” a soldier sitting on the other side of the transport said. “We’re rolling out of here and risking our lives because you’re supposed to know how to stop this.”

  “Hey. Fuck you, Leonard,” the soldier next to Reno said.

  He looked back to Reno and rolled his eyes.

  “Don’t listen to that prick. He thinks he’s a hard ass, but he has a Care Bears collection.”

  Reno laughed, wiping beads of sweat from his brow.

  “The name’s Beckett.”

  “Reno Harvey.” Reno shook Beckett’s hand.

  “Good to meet you, Harvey.” Beckett leaned in close. “Now, you do know how to stop all this for real, right?”

  New sweat broke on Reno’s forehead. He forced a slight smile and nodded.

  “That’s what I’m talking about!” Beckett said, looking around at the other soldiers. “We’ll be home in time for Leonard to watch The Bachelor.”

  Most of the soldiers laughed, except for Leonard. He flipped Beckett the middle finger.

  “No thanks,” Beckett said. “I’m too busy with your sister.”

  Gibson turned for just long enough to glare back at them from the front of the vehicle. “Alright. Knock it off,” the squad leader said. “We’re just about there, so prepare to move out.”

  As an EMT, Reno had been in plenty of tense situations. But those scenarios had normally determined the life of only one person. This one could mean saving the lives of millions.

  “You ready, Harvey?” Beckett asked.

  Reno curled his bottom lip in and stuck his chin out. “Yeah. I’m ready.”

  “Just stick by me and everything is gonna be fine. I can handle explosives the way I do Leonard’s sister. And believe me, I handle her all night long.”

  Beckett laughed and slapped Reno on the shoulder. Reno forced another smile and turned his attention to the back of the transport. He made eye contact with John, who sat near the back. The cop gave Reno a respectful nod before moving the rifle he’d been given by the squad into a ready position. He looked plenty prepared to leap from the transport and enter the fight.

  The transport came to a stop and Gibson was the first to exit the vehicle.

  “Let’s move! New guy always carries the explosives. Now go!”

  Reno stood as the men jumped out of the truck. He threw a bag full of PE-4 onto his back as one of the soldiers pushed him, urging him to hurry out.

  As his feet hit the concrete, though, Reno stopped cold. The fires had continued to rage throughout the city, fed by broken gas lines and an inability of the emergency responders to battle so many flames at one time. Dust and ash filled the air and each breath tasted like burnt plastic, searing Reno’s throat and stinging his eyes. Bodies lay everywhere, some in the middle of the street and others twisted inside hunks of the melted plastic of abandoned cars. The almost constant screams of the injured and dying began to wear Reno down almost immediately, pulling him into a self-reflective state of despair.

  A hand grabbed hold of his arm and he turned to see Beckett.

  “Come on! This way! Stay with me!”

  Reno nodded as he ran with Beckett. John and Rodriguez stayed with them while the other soldiers fired at the aliens. Reno ducked, trying to block out the war raging around them as he followed Beckett.

  They ran up a hill and entered Centennial Park from the east side. Flames engulfed the park, forcing them to dodge burning trees and smoldering cars. On top of everything else, Reno had his injured ankle to worry about, but he pushed through the pain. It would all be worth it if he could execute Jack’s plan.

  “Why aren’t they firing on us?” John asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rodriguez said. “But let’s keep moving.”

  Reno figured that their proximity to the obelisk was forcing the aliens to hold their fire. The obelisk and generator keeping the dome up seemed to be holding, but they’d been damaged. It was possible that the aliens didn’t want to risk an errant beam that could further jeopardize the obelisk’s stability. And it wasn’t as if the soldiers’ bullets hurt the aliens—they just seemed to slow them down. If they could just keep from getting pulverized and not draw too much alien fire, Reno believed they might be able to get close enough to the obelisk to blow the generator. But then again, if the obelisk was so important to the aliens, why would they let any humans get that close? Reno sighed, realizing that if they survived this invasion, there would be more questions than answers for a long, long time.

  The rubble at the base of the obelisk looked to have come from the news footage Reno had seen when an earthquake had devastated a third world city. The pile of concrete, twisted metal, and body parts made his stomach lurch. He instinctively began to navigate through it, climbing into dark crevasses and under nests of copper wire. As the soldiers followed him, he also realized that the aliens were too large to fit through the openings, and blowing the debris out of the way would risk an accidental shot at what remained of the obelisk.

  He pushed on, using the light of the burning rubble to get down to the base of the obelisk. Reno stood over a massive, round chasm with the circumference of a small auditorium. Like the high ceiling of an ancient cathedral, the base of the obelisk covered the enormous hole burrowed into the ground beneath what had been the Parthenon in Nashville’s Centennial Park. A cold current of air carried an earthy stench up and into his face and he immediately understood what Jack had been talking about. The aliens—thousands or maybe millions of years ago—had drilled deep beneath the surface and dropped a generator that ran off the Earth’s geothermal heat. He noticed pulsing black lines running up from the unseen depths and along the sides of the chasm which had been carved from the limestone bed sitting beneath most of the Tennessee Valley.

  Supply lines from the generator.

  “What now?” Beckett asked, appearing on Reno’s right.

  Several of the other soldiers had climbed through the debris and now stood on the edge with Reno. The air coming from far below seemed to moan, as if it could sense what was about to happen.

  “How far down does it go?”

  Reno thought the question had come from Rodriguez, but his brain had fogged over. He pictured Maya and Jack in his head, and they seemed to be urging him on—urging him to blow up the generator as quickly as possible. And at the same time, he thought he heard voices in the darkness, all of them pleading with him not to destroy the obelisk.

  “Dude. What the fuck?” John grabbed Reno and spun him around. “You blowing this thing or what?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Of course.”

  Reno slid the bag of explosives from his back. Rodriguez wired the PE-4 and rigged it to a series frequency and timer, using a technique he’d learned on active duty in the Army. He crimped the safety fuse to the blasting cap before handing the detonator to Reno.

  “Your plan. You get to detonate it.”

  The other men had run the detonator cord and PE-4 to several other spots at the base of the obelisk.

  Rodriguez signaled to the other men before screaming at Reno. “Do it!”

  Reno pushed in the timed detonator and looked at Becket.

  “Thirty seconds. Let’s go!”

  The four men turned away from the chasm and ran, climbing through the debris as quickly as they could. Reno wasn’t confident that thirty seconds would be enough time for them to get back to the transport and he had no idea how much damage the generator would cause when the explosives hit it. But if Reno died while in the process of bringing down the dome, then so be it. It wasn’t like he had a choice.

  It was as if the aliens knew what Reno had done because they’d all taken flight now, buzzing through the sky and surging into the aperture of the ship docked at the top of the obelisk.

  That strange feeling came over him again—the same kind he’d experienced while standing on the edge of the chasm a few minutes before. The aliens knew what was about to happen and that Reno was the one who had caused it. Somehow, they knew.