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    The Deadliest Menace
    The Deadliest Menace
    The Deadliest Menace
    Ebook232 pages3 hours

    The Deadliest Menace

    By V Bertolaccini

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    About this ebook

    A proficiently intellectually reasoned action thriller that merges a contemporary global terrorist incidence with a fascinating collection of complex episodes. The assault and execution of an atomic explosion at a South Pacific military base, the assassination of a leading UK politician, and the sabotage and hijacking of a new space shuttle reveals someone has acquired a mass of plutonium and is executing a sinister plot against civilization, which mankind has avoided.
    The victims targeted are predominantly markedly primary bureaucrats, and it manages to illustrate how the chilling terrorism affects them and the world as the affair untangles.
    It starts with a sinister explosive atmosphere with a woman partially naked sunbathing in blazing hot sunshine by herself on a golden desert island beach, on a South Pacific island believed to be desolate with no humans for hundreds of miles.
    All around her she is confronted with dangers and her worse fears when men in speedboats suddenly race ashore nearby and launch into battle, with the most powerful military weapons, on a full scale assault on something hidden behind a sea cliff.
    What’s hidden on the tiny uninhabited island? What could drive the men to go to such limits and use such force and determination? Why do they all use military equipment? Why do they attack the hidden enemy with such fortitude that even when shot they continue on going?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCosmicBlueCB
    Release dateSep 15, 2011
    ISBN9781465939067
    The Deadliest Menace
    Author

    V Bertolaccini

    A 21st century publisher/author famous for his unique classic mind-bending beyond space and time, alien artifact, and exploration themed science fiction, who did his first mind-boggling science fiction classic From Beyond Space and Time in 1998, who likes and writes 21st century potential blockbusters, headline action thrillers, high quality action-packed movie-style science fiction horror.

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      Book preview

      The Deadliest Menace - V Bertolaccini

      Part I

      The Final Scenario

      Chapter 1

      The Atomic Bomb

      The silent rhythm of the Pacific, skimming up the golden beach, gently lured Melinda to sleep. The tropical island was surreal, and like part of a dream. The palm trees about her shimmered against a blue velvet sky, with colors of practically every variation radiating in the blazing sunshine, while the vivacious scents from exotic foliage and the ocean blended in the warm air currents.

      Yet, as she fell asleep, a vicious roar of a powerful speedboat blasted out, bringing her out of her slumber – vibrating about her – stirring and enticing her from there, from the sun.

      She desired the shade, and clambered to her feet.

      The abominable sound grew so loud that it caused her to grit her jaws, and then to lay her startled glare anxiously at the end of the fantastic beach, to where a speedboat, packed with men, was racing ashore.

      According to John, her husband, the small island was supposed to be a desert island – which they’d sailed to, in a hired luxury yacht.

      Their hostile shrieks captivated her as she stood amid the shades of the palm trees. Even though their figures were distant, their antics gave away their decisiveness, to do something.

      While the speedboat caught the rays of the descending sun, the vague crimson glow of the sky over the horizon brought back memories of their previous night, on the holiday boat, nestling at the other side of the island – where she’d walked, on the beach, from. Colors from the sun had been blazing below the skyline, and the bright celestial objects had radiated in the dark blue sky, turning it into a wonderland.

      For a long time she smirked and vibrantly recollected her enjoyment. But, again, the sounds returned her to reality. Yet, this time, with shock, she focused her eyes on the end of the beach, at a perpendicular cliff, on a hill, curving into the ocean.

      They were shifting about violently – obviously in great danger from something – from a hidden enemy, shooting at them.

      A deep blast, from a gun, echoed around the shore, and across the reef, and great pain shot through her ankle – and she collapsed onto the sand. Then she saw blood pouring out, soaking her foot.

      In one swift movement she moved in the undergrowth – even though she was not fully convinced that they had shot her. Their mission, whatever that was, had seemed to have seized all of their attention.

      As she gripped her foot, in pain, she spotted one of them, in the distance, hidden away, aiming a gun at her. If he had not been as far off the wound might have been more deeper and accurate.

      The scene that unfolded left her transfixed. The powerful explosions from army handguns, rifles, and machine-guns shattered the silence of her paradise. And she crouched beneath the palm trees, peering through the tropical plants, almost blind with fear. There were bodies already lying between the rocks, and they continued with no intention of stopping. And it looked little in comparison to the destruction caused by them against the mysterious enemy concealed beyond the hill.

      Melinda shifted, ignoring the pain, preparing her mind and body for the great physical exertion that she needed to escape. But, while she jerked, to the gunfire, as it grew, and randomly fired in her direction, she spotted her clothes and handbag.

      For a moment, she stayed motionless, stunned, knowing that she could not abandon them. In addition to them being able to learn of her identity, and track her, her handbag held her passport.

      Some of the men endeavored to clamber aboard the speedboat to flee, except the gunfire hideously prevented them attaining it.

      Melinda snatched her things with one swipe and scurried amongst the undergrowth.

      An abominable thud made her jump, turn, and roll sideways – making sand and pebbles stick to her moist skin and long hair.

      She then spotted the offending object – a chunk of vegetation strewn over the sand – fallen from an overhanging tree. She hardly thought of it as a problem, even though she knew that it could have inflicted a grave injury to her.

      She shaded her eyes, and clambered upwards, distressed by their fascinating shouts. Their strange variations seemingly coming in many directions, while bordering on being audible and not clear. The odd climate and landscape played with her senses.

      It had been a perfect dream holiday and now it was her worst.

      They’re getting through! a distinct voice bellowed, from somewhere over at the hill.

      Yet she glimpsed the speedboat starting to sink and them running in her direction.

      One pointed directly at her, as if introducing some notion to them to either capture her or shoot her.

      Absolute horror seized her, preventing her from reacting (though she attempted to reassure herself that there was no verification that they had entirely comprehended her existence). And she rushed into the trees on her hands and knees – ignoring any cuts and bruises – leaving a trail of blood from her foot. Desperately yearning to move deep inland, beyond the trees, away from visibility, and to escape death.

      The sun blazed, and the air was roasting. The golden sand glowed brightly and the turquoise ocean sparkled in patches through the trees. Dark shapes emerged, resembling their evil figures, but altered to parts of the vegetation – as her sight constantly adjusted.

      Something rummaged around, near her, but she ignored it as the light and free tones were from a small animal.

      Finally, she stretched out her painful limbs, feeling dizzy, and she rushed towards a hill. Her main undertaking was to find a hiding place, preferably with a view of her surroundings.

      Loud explosions from guns sent flocks of tropical birds flying up into the sky. Squawks blared out, as though a colossal deadly jungle beast were on the rampage, further along the coast.

      The sounds vibrated on her ears and the pain from her ankle pulsed furiously driving her on and on, for safety, to survive.

      Though she knew where they must be, she expected them to leap out at her from unseen places of the hill.

      The island blazed in phenomenal colors Shades of every variant flared all around her as though she were rushing through a mind-bending cartoon.

      Her imagination conjured up perpetual illusions.

      Shimmering lights fantastically shifted about her.

      With similarities to a sixth sense, she sensed her death. Darkness seemed to edge into the side of her eyes, resembling colossal angel of death, stretching over the trees, vaguely visible, and haunting her from the afterlife. And she did not know where to go to escape!

      She drew comfort in hearing their distant sounds.

      Why had this had to happen at the only desolate region that she had gone to? What possible intentions would drive them to such action? They could not be pirates, unless they had been carrying out some other trade. Drug smuggling could be a major trade in the vicinity, but she could not accept that they were carrying out a mere attack on a rival gang. They took part in a mission as soldiers did – not doing it to wound their enemy but to achieve whatever they had accomplished.

      Their deadliness resembled an abyss – a bottomless pit – with no real furthest reaches. She dared not fight them. Her best option ought to be to run to a distant place, out of their reach or further out than they would go.

      If they survived and threw off their pursuers, where would they go? With great speed and determination, they would have to go to the other side of the island.

      The only boat at the island had to be there. Yet, surely, her original thoughts had been wrong! Why would they wish to confront her? The only reason that they might react would be if they assumed that she must be one of the people they were fighting.

      The gunfire clearly decreased, but spread out, only leaving one direction left for her. Surely they would go across the island, it had to be the only place for them to hide and remain out of their range.

      It struck her as odd that there had been so many people at where it had been considered desolate.

      Nonetheless, they could have constructed the site in months, even weeks.

      Melinda grew angry! Her tense leg muscles became weak. And her trail clearly led from her to the beach. If they wished to take her hostage, they could accomplish it. Then as she saw how near the location that the men had attacked was from her, she knew that it must be the best place to hide near. They surely would not go back there, and she might acquire information on what was going on.

      The voices from some men chasing them seized her attention more and more.

      Although she could recognize a small number of words, what they said was beyond rational comprehension – and probably inexplicable.

      She moved over to an elevation – where she would gain a view of there – with bushes to hide behind.

      Splashes of water sprayed over her bare legs, as she tautly rushed through a stream, sending droplets of water pouring from her deeply tanned skin. Its coolness giving her urges to stop to quench her thirst and to bathe.

      Suddenly she realized that the direction that some of them were searching had changed. And she grew positive of it. They spoke almost at her; and it occurred to her that they had to be chasing her. They must believe that it must be a desolate location, so why would they not follow her.

      And they could be just as dangerous!

      As she rushed over an area of tiny shrubs, hardly feeling the ground any more, she altered her direction, but she continued towards her destination.

      How could such a thing happen? On the previous day, she had taken the place to be the Garden of Eden and had even considered staying there.

      She glanced about as she went up the elevation.

      At the center of it, she observed a complex, and, with astonishment, she realized that they had attacked an American military base.

      Strangely, she was not convinced that she should be relieved, and the fact that it must be a secret American military base tormented her.

      Her thoughts vanished as their black shapes started to emerge – and that they were armed soldiers.

      Yet, as she put up her arms, the troops rushed off!

      Their behavior was so peculiar that she realized what they were escaping from, and that terrorists had attacked the base and had activated something!

      In the fading sunshine, a burning flare blazed out from the base, and, in seconds, before an explosion blasted out, destroying half of the island, and her with it, she glimpsed that it was an atomic bomb, from its blinding ghostly radiance.

      Chapter 2

      The Space Shuttle Crisis

      The worst fears of the astronauts were real, all around them, and the commander of the Ultrascope, shuttle, could do little.

      The Ultrascope had hurtled down into a black abyss, from the upper layers of the atmosphere, in the last shreds of the sun, reflecting over the Pacific. And the astronauts had expeditiously rushed to their positions, recalling emergency procedures, and they had swiftly activated their controls.

      The lingering shades, pulsating, in varying motions, over the Pacific depths, mesmerized Commander Hayley, as their alterations now had erratic characterizations.

      Although the re-entry had been too soon, the entry procedure, the computer, had appeared in order.

      He had been the first to observe the tremendous hurricane that was stretching over into the horizon, devastating everything in its path.

      I don’t believe this! Knowles screamed.

      Tell me if our speed increases, he uttered, figuring out a way to compensate.

      It’s uniform!

      The two pilots tested what they could perceive. There had to be something irregular!

      We’ve lost all contact with NASA, Collins confirmed, as she examined a display.

      Remarkable!

      You know what, Knowles exploded. We’ve made a categorical washout ...!

      It’s sabotage! he whispered, trying to calm him, to remind him of recent occurrences.

      Who?

      We may just avoid being destroyed ...!

      So we’re definitely going down! Collins stated, after she had finished consulting the computer.

      Just name who’s responsible ...! Knowles raged.

      All five astronauts avoided looking at each other, with horrified glares, as they entered the upper layers of the wild storm. It was clear that they were no longer in control of their fate.

      Commander Hayley could not understand why he had not expected such a scenario.

      Yet we’ve a regular speed, Knowles resumed, surprised, as they entered the cloud vapor. If we treated this as a test flight plane ...!

      But we’re entering a storm? Shaw argued – from next to Stratford – seated behind the other three.

      I don’t get this! Collins uttered. I cannot discover why the computer is taking us down there. It seems to be carrying out some form of alternative plan – to land us.

      Could we’ve landed properly, at Florida?

      I think so! But I cannot stop it ...

      A deep black cloudscape engulfed it, and their eyes could no longer pierce it. Yet faint lights, from distant flashes of lightening illuminated it, as if some supernatural disorder burst into its confines.

      Commander Hayley turned, unable to form any real conclusions. It gave him sensations, of some maelstrom within it, dragging them out into some outer confine.

      The shuttle flew low, at a regulated pace, almost being overwhelmed by the natural forces.

      He was not going to be a commander who reassured his men when the cards were no good. He liked to let them handle things, rather than to ignore them. He did not wish to give the crew too much comfort, but if he could avoid an uncomfortable situation, he would.

      Do we have gear to survive in the ocean?

      There are some inflatable life rafts!

      Shaw and Stratford remove them, and be ready ...

      The shudders from the storm silenced them, and they listened to its powerful gusts playing with it, and them, as if it were considering what to do.

      Can the shuttle handle this storm?

      It is compensating for it.

      For a moment he gasped, recalling the disabilities its wings and peculiar shape had.

      The others seemed to listen to him more. Their attitude altered, as if they shared the same beliefs.

      A swift flaring exploded out through the atmosphere, resembling a form of gigantic meteorite being destroyed by sudden contact with the lashing rain and dense vapor of the formation. The explosive sounds of the thunder held them spellbound.

      The ensuing blackness appeared far denser, and even altered his perception of the lower world, beneath the raging storm.

      It seems to be taking us somewhere! Knowles whispered.

      He nodded sharply, and he copied the others by glaring out of the windows. We could survive at sea – it should not take long for them to find us ...

      It was greatly overestimated! If they did survive in those rafts in the waves below, he was sure that they might not even find them. They were too far from America, and they had lost all contact with them, before coming out of orbit.

      He was a commander of a space shuttle! He felt that he had some responsibility, for such occurrences, and that he should have made sure that they could have at least have some other form of communication, with NASA, which was not part of the shuttle (he should have taken at least a mobile phone on board). But there had been possibilities of it interfering with its sensitive and vital equipment.

      There has to be somewhere out here ... Knowles muttered to himself. Once we’re back, I’ll have them search until I have who’s to blame ...

      From the window, he saw the expanse of lashing waves, shifting around with tremendous velocity and energy. Not a solitary ship or landmark emerged, and he never expected to see anything either. They were too far from anywhere – beyond civilization.

      At times he felt as if it were drifting into the heart of the storm.

      He ignored crashing and him dying in a crash.

      At times it confused him, as at times he did not even consider that they could land safely, even on a calm ocean. If only NASA had provided an ejection capsule or parachutes, for shuttles. Even if it would be dangerous using them in such conditions.

      As crazy flashes of lightening flickered around, with deafening tremors, he imagined it floating over the depths of hell. Then he considered

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