Chapter 1

Tory Paige is an eighteen year old karate student in Los Angeles, making her way back to the apartment she shares with her mother. As Tory rode her bike, she wondered about the strange things that had happened earlier today. First, an aurora appeared over the city, then, for ten seconds, everything that runs on electrical power shut down. According to the news and every social media site on the Internet, this phenomenon had occurred worldwide. Tory heard experts all over the planet were working to figure out what the cause was.

She did not really care. Whatever it was, Tory decided she would let the government worry about it. Fortunately, her karate teacher had not cancelled class. Tory loves karate and would soon be trying out for her black belt. Her goal was to earn it before she joined the Marines. Her father had been a Marine and died in Iraq saving his fellow soldiers. For a long time now, Tory has wanted to join the Marines to be like her father. Tory's mother did not like her goal, but agreed not to interfere.

Moments after Tory reached her apartment building, a bright light appeared in the sky. When she looked up toward the source, she saw what looked like a miniature sun had appeared in the night sky. The light shown on everything in Los Angeles and everyone was staring up at it. This small sun eventually faded away. Once it had, everyone discovered that their phones and electronic devices were no longer working. The streets were all dark.

Tory found her own phone unresponsive as she hurried up the stairs to her apartment. Looks like her mother and herself were going have to be on guard tonight. No power in a city like Los Angeles usually means lots of looting. Good thing they have a pistol that once belonged to Tory's father, though with luck they would not have to use it.

When Tory reached her apartment, her mother swung open the door before she had a chance to use the key. Her face was the picture of panic. In one hand she held a bag filled with water bottles and food. In the other, her father's pistol.

"We need to get to the car, now!" She said. "Grab as much stuff as you can carry, then follow me!"

"Woah! Mom, what the hell?!" Tory exclaimed.

"That light in the sky was a nuclear bomb!" Her mother said as she yanked Tory inside. On the kitchen table were more bags of food and water. Tory's mom gestured for her to grab them.

"Are you sure Mom?" Tory asked, grabbing the bags.

"As sure as I am of my own name." She replied. "If what I learned in school and seen it movies were not enough, the EMP is confirmation." When she saw her daughter was confused, she continued. "EMP stands for electromagnetic pulse. It is an invisible wave that is created by a nuclear bomb going off. Everything electrical hit by it is shut down."

Tory remembers her father telling her something similar once. He had been talking about just how destructive nuclear bombs were. What he had said, pretty much matched what her mom was telling her. However, one thing did not make sense to Tory. Why would anyone detonate a nuclear bomb above a city instead of using it to destroy the city?

The terrible realization struck her. "Los Angeles is about to be invaded!"

"Definitely." Her mom said. "That bomb was meant to leave the city helpless and confused, so that enemy forces will have an easier time taking the city. I'll bet my life savings on it."

At this point, they had made it to their car. After Tory's mom started the car, then pulled out of the parking lot and speed through the roads much faster than the speed limit allowed. As her mom focused on driving without hitting anything, Tory heard a loud roar overhead. It reminded her of airplanes. Then, she looked up through the window and saw it was the sound of planes. Jets, to be exact.

Tory prayed they were American. Unfortunately, the missiles they fired into Los Angeles proved them to be anything but. The two of them were likely the missile did not explode near them. Tory felt like she was going to throw up, though. America was supposed to be prepared for attacks like this. America was supposed to be able to protect itself from catastrophes like this. What was happening to America? Suddenly, a thought occurred to Tory. What was happening to the rest of America? Were other cities under attack?

"This will be as infamous a day as Pearl Harbor and 9/11." Tory's mother said.

All Tory could do was nod.


Andrew Pierce felt his best friend, Eli Shane, nudge him awake. Their plane must have landed. They were back in Narrowville, Kansas. Yes, Kansas, like from "The Wizard of Oz."

"Did you sleep at all during the flight?" Andrew asked Eli.

"Sorry, I was too busy reading." Eli held up his latest sci-fi novel.

The book was titled "Leviathan." It was about an alternate World War I fought with genetically engineered animals and steampunk war machines. Eli really loves those alternate history books. He has read all of Robert Conroy's books; his favorite being "1901." Andrew feels that Eli reads a little too much. While they were fighting in Afghanistan, Eli would always be reading when they were off duty. His constant reading seemed harmless at first, but now Eli does not talk or interact with his fellow Marine unless they are on duty. Once, another Marine tried to take one of Eli's books. The guy ended up with a black eye. After that, Eli had to start seeing a military psychologist.

"So, what is the first thing you are gonna do when you get home?" Andrew asked as he grabbed his bag from the overhead bin.

"Say hi to my family, then go to the local Barnes & Noble and buy some new books." Eli replied. "I hear there is a new Tom Clancy book out."

"How about we go for a run tomorrow through the park?" Andrew suggested.

"I'll think about it." Eli absentmindedly replied.

Andrew sighed. He was very worried about Eli. You spend four years of high school with a guy, then go to Afghanistan with him, you get to know him better than most. Right now, Andrew knows that Eli is having a hard time. Given they had been to war, that was understandable.

Once they got off the plane, Andrew went to a nearby vending machine to get something chocolate. He had not eaten any candy in months. The thought of some M&Ms or a Hershey's bar was mouth-watering. Suddenly, the floor shook underneath Andrew, so fiercely that he barely kept his foot. He also heard a sound that people in Afghanistan all too often. The sound of an explosion. Andrew when saw that people were running from the windows like chickens from hungry wolf. As a trained soldier, Andrew ran towards the windows to get a grasp of the situation. Mere moments after Andrew reached the windows, he saw a plane explode.

"Oh, hell." He muttered under his breath.

Andrew could do nothing but watch as another plane that was landing went up in flames. This time though, he saw what caused the explosion. There was no mistaking the sight of missiles. Then, the twenty-five year old soldier saw what looked to be helicopters. Most likely they were American, but Andrew had a dreadful feeling in his gut that told him he should go find a gun.

Quickly, he turned around and ran to the nearest airport security person. A smile formed on Andrew's lips when he saw Eli talking to him already. The three of them were running to the airport armory. There were a few security people already loading their rifles.

Andrew was amazed how fast people emptied the airport. While it may not have been a fairly large one, seeing nobody around was a bit disconcerting. He heard more explosions, though at a greater distance. His heart and mind raced as he thought of the Narrowville. Is the town being bombed as too? They needed to get there, immediately.

The helicopters Andrew had seen were landing outside the front of the airport. Andrew and the other men approached the entrance cautiously. He told them to stay behind the security checkpoint, with their guns ready in case those helicopters were not American. That possibility was growing increasingly likely when Andrew saw the helicopters had not identifying marks. A second of waiting later, the helicopters doors opened.

What came out of them was so shocking, Andrew thought he might be hallucinating for a second. The creatures were clearly not human. They were scaly, with tails and claws, like lizards standing upright. Other than military-type helmets, they wore no clothing, though there was painted pattern across some of their bodies. They held what were clearly guns and advanced towards the airport.

"What in the name of God are they?!" One of the airport security men exclaimed.

"Stay calm." Andrew commanded. "Whatever they are, they must be the ones who attacked the planes. Wait for them to enter the airport, then open fire."

The reptilian creatures walked into the airport carelessly. One of the men with Andrew opened fire sooner than he would have liked. However, he still got one of the creatures with that shot and at the same time, the rest of them opened fire. Caught off guard, the reptiles fired a few shots, then quickly retreated. While the security workers cheered, Andrew thought about what the lizards would do next. If they had even a little military strategic capabilities, Andrew could guess what they would do next.

"Take cover now!" He ordered a few seconds before missiles were fired at the airport.


Kyu-won Pak is a North Korean soldier who was delivering supplies to a base near the DMZ (demilitarized zone) when a jet plane flew overhead towards the base. For a moment, Pak thought it may be an attacking American plane. He quickly discarded that thought. Despite the tensions between the North and the South, along with the continued bluster from the American devils, Pak personally believed that a war was unlikely. The destructive consequences of such a war would far outway any gains. Besides, the plane was coming from deeper inside North Korean territory.

Suddenly, Pak heard a loud "BOOM," in the distance. Horror set in as he realized that it was an explosion. More booms quickly followed the first one and more planes flew overhead. He turned on the road. All he could hear were panicked voices shouting about bombings occurring all over Korea. Pak cursed his naivete. Apparently, the People's Republic of Korea was now at war. The Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-Un, has warned of the foolish and irrational U.S. President planning an attack for years now. Now, Pak guessed that the American devil had finally done what North Korea has lived in fear of for decades.

Pak pressed down on the gas as hard as he could. He needed to help his countrymen. When Pak arrived at the base, the planes were gone. There were fires everywhere and Pak could hear desperate screams of agony. If Pak had eaten anything earlier, he would have vomited. An officer shouted at him to come over and help treat a wounded soldier.

"Put pressure on this," the officer commanded.

Pak did as he was told. In order to try to calm himself, Pak asked the officer, "Did the American devils at least make an official declaration before they bombed us."

"It wasn't the Americans, or our misguided relatives to the south." The officer replied, much to Pak's shock. "We know because the jets attacked the other side of the DMZ at the same time as us."

"But-" Pak was at a loss for words.

Who would have any reason to strike at both north and south Korea? At the same time, no less. It was a scenario which made absolutely no sense.

Before Pak could pondered who did this and why, he heard a loud thuttering approaching. On the base speaker system, someone shouted, "Enemy helicopters headed this way!"

The officer swore, while Pak felt his stomach flip flop. A medic finally arrived and took over treating the wounded soldier. Everyone was either grabbing a weapon, taking cover, or both. Pak grabbed a rifle, then jumped into a bomb crater for cover. The half-a-dozen helicopters arrived quickly. Some of his fellow soldiers fired at them. The helicopters fired back. Pak, however, did not fire. He planned on killing a few of the enemy's ground forces.

While still under fire, two of the helicopters landed. Once they opened up, Pak pulled the trigger without thinking. He kept firing until his gun was empty. By then, the helicopters decided to leave the area. After taking a minute to catch his breath and reload his gun, Pak stood up and left the crater. As Pak did, he got a better look at the bodies of the enemies he had killed.

"What in the world," Pak said, staring in terrified amazement.

What he had killed had not been human. They looked like lizards wearing helmets and carrying guns. Pak thought he saw one of them move. Without thinking, Pak shot it twice. If the creature had not been dead before, it was now. Suddenly, Pak felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around and almost raised his rifle. Fortunately, Pak realized it was just a lieutenant checking on him before he fired a bullet. Doing so would have meant his own death by firing squad.

"Soldier, whatever those things are, we don't have time to wonder about them. There are wounded men that need our help. So, let's get to it." The lieutenant said.

Pak saluted and replied, "Yes, sir!"