Tellurian Suns: Seeing the Light

By Cameron Sutter

16 glowing stones were hidden throughout the world. Whoever gets all 16 would have a power that could plunge the world into chaos. Even though Kenny Lincoln doesn't want the power, a family mystery throws him in the middle of two old rivals in a quest to find all sixteen. Lives will be lost, friendships torn, alliances forged, and trusts betrayed as the chase begins to collect the Tellurian Suns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cameron Sutter
• Release date: Jan 13, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452311593

Cameron Sutter

I started writing in 1st grade with a story about me giving my brother aliens for his birthday. I got in trouble in class because I was writing during the teacher's lesson.My brothers and I were always creating new superheroes (like Sharkman and CD man) and we pretended to be them and save the world from the villains we created.In 7th grade I wrote my first children's novel called Saturn's Quest about a boy who saved the whole universe from the Evil Dynasty.I'm a martial arts fanboy wanna-be and as soon as I get more time, I will be the next Karate Kid.I rebooted my writing career around '06 because I can't stand the thought of having a 9-5 job for the rest of my life where my thoughts and desires are dictated to me and where I'm only making someone else rich while I remain in poverty. I wanted to get out there and make something of myself: the American Dream and all that.And with that desire I want to own my own business someday, too.I have a growing family made up of my amazing wife and I, and our two kids (One is 2 years old and the other is a few months old). We faithfully believe in a living God and Christ as our Savior and hope to live together as a family forever.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Are you ready for this, old man? Bulldog asked over the radio.

You’re only as old as you feel, kid Hawk answered. Alright everyone, let’s do this, Hawk said over the radio.

He crept from the shadow closing in on the nearest satellite dish as several other black figures did the same. Pulling out two explosives, he taped them to the base of the dish.

Hawk looked around and saw other figures that were hunched over placing explosives at the base of other nearby dishes. Other team members ran wires between the dishes and connected them to the explosives.

Scanning his team, Hawk’s gaze stopped at a young man in jeans and sandals. The sandals flipped up the desert sand with each clumsy step. Another wore an untucked Hawaiian shirt. He looked around again at the others. He realized that few if any were dressed in all black. He could see someone’s white socks nearly glowing. One girl had pink gloves. Hawk shook his head at their carelessness and finished strapping the explosives to the satellite dish. He connected a radio receiver. All set. This is for Amy.

Hawk looked outside the fence that surrounded the satellite array. High in the air he saw a small green light hovering, but couldn’t hear the whirring of the motor that he knew was coming from the light. Heart pounding he unrolled a small thin screen and watched himself from the point of view of the small helicopter. He panned the camera to the left with his finger against the screen. There was movement inside the building on the second floor. A person inside turned on a light and stood next to the window with his hands propped on his hips. The green LED on the bottom right of the screen turned red. Hawk looked up and the light on the helicopter was also glowing red. Motion detection works great.

Bulldog, you got company. After a few short seconds the guard was no longer standing in the window and the light bulb exploded leaving the room dark. Never misses a detail.

Hawk looked around and saw everyone with their thumbs up. He returned the signal and followed the others back to the shadows and under the fence where they came in. They began wading through sage brush away from the complex. The potent smell of the sage flooded Hawk’s nostrils. He tried to ignore it and focus on the mission. He remembered what he told his team the first time: It’s not over until we are all safely home.

Suddenly Grasshopper’s weak voice cried out, Help, I’m stuck! Hey guys, help!

Hawk’s heart sunk as he wheeled around. I knew this was going to happen; it was just too easy. It’s never this easy when you’re babysitting a bunch of college kids. Grabbing another man by the chest and pulling him, Hawk trudged back to help.

Hurry, help me!

Shut up!

The two that returned to help began pulling their comrade violently. Hawk looked up at the mini helicopter and saw the green light turn to red. Dogs barked, a siren sounded and shouts came from the building. Bulldog, we woke The Man. Get out of there. We’ll wait for you behind the hill.

That’s what an old man would do. I’ll take care of it, Bulldog’s voice replied over the radio.

Just come back alive, man.

Glass windows shattered and bullets bounced off metal as the sound of machine gun rounds echoed from within.

Hawk looked back down at Grasshopper who was still struggling to get under the fence. Cut his shirt off, Hawk commanded.

No, it’s my pants I think.

Cut ‘em off. The other man drew his knife and violently began cutting him free. What a wuss. Stop squirming so much. And shut up.

The barking got closer and Hawk whipped out his Ruger 9mm handgun. He waited calmly and watched with heartless satisfaction as Grasshopper flailed more frantically the closer the dog came. Hawk let him squirm a second longer and fired once. The barking stopped.

Nice shot.

There’ll be more. Let’s go.

Again he smelled sage and heard the sound of dogs clawing on the fence closer to the building.

Sparrow, blow it, Hawk commanded into the radio.

A British voice responded, Yes, sir. That’s one thing I have to change. If it calls me ‘sir’ all the time, it will definitely get annoying. The remote controlled helicopter suddenly moved from its hovering position and turned to follow Hawk.

Time for fireworks.

Loud explosions sounded in Hawks ears, screaming through his eardrums. The dogs yelped frantically. Hawk couldn’t contain his child-like interest to watch the explosions. He turned around and folding his arms to watch the scene, Hawk’s heart leaped for joy. We’re one step closer. Just a few more of these. The falling satellite dishes screeched against other fallen dishes and their concrete bases.

As they all hurried away, Hawk heard dogs whining and people shouting threats in the now silent night. The smell of burnt gun powder floated on the dry desert wind and smothered the smell of the sage brush.

"Dude, did you see that, Hawk? That dog was about to cross the fence and boom! He almost jumped out of his skin," exclaimed Grasshopper.

Chapter 2

A loud bang on the floor above him broke Mantis’ trance. He opened his eyes and sighed. They are probably jumping off the couch again, he thought. Loud music and muffled talking and shouting seeped through the ceiling. He looked over at the incense burning. It was just a stub now. He unfolded his legs, got up from the bean bag chair, and walked over to the wool blanket that was hung on a rope in the middle of the room, dividing it. The bright white light beamed through it even though it was folded over. Mantis drew back the blanket and looked towards the light source. He stood there for a moment, soaking in the good vibes from the light, and then replaced the blanket and walked up the stairs.

Opening the basement door, he almost got hit by a pizza box carried by a shouting, drunken man. The stench of beer and various drugs followed him like a cloud. People were talking on the couches in one corner and others were standing next to the TV, cheering on the man playing Guitar Hero. A frown formed across his face and his shoulders hung low. Walking towards another room, he heard screams from upstairs. The ceiling creaked as people jumped around. In another room couples were making out and the thick cloud of smoke was enough to make Mantis cough. In yet another room he heard laughs and breaking glass.

The dog came this close...

Man, I saw that guy coming and...

"Did you see that explosion? Best explosion ever!"

Dude, when Sparrow spotted that first guy in the building...

What have we become? Look at them all. No one cares about why we just bombed that place. They just care about the explosion, and the killing, and the party afterward. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. The fridge reeked of old meat.

Yo, Mantis. We rocked tonight, right?

Why do you always stay at HQ, Mantis? Yeah, you should come with us next time, dude!

We have lost our purpose. Now we are savage terrorists. Mantis opened the front door, looked back sighing, and plopped down on the front porch stairs. Is there at least one of them that cares? A dry breeze blew by as Mantis sipped from his water bottle. One? The porch light shone on the sage brush across the road and the solitude in every direction.

Time dragged slowly as Mantis sat and thought. He blocked out the yelling and the music and the smells. The dry wind blew through Mantis’ hair. He thought about all he had done for the people inside. He had shown them the truth about extraterrestrial life and the frightened leaders who were trying to cover it up. He had given them a purpose in their lives. Most of them would have never left their office jobs, but Mantis showed them a better life. They were free and fighting for a good cause; a cause that would change humanity forever when they were done. They would learn so much from the Grays. The Grays would change the world and this small group of people would be hailed as heroes, Mantis had taught them. The GAFF would be famous around the world as the only group brave enough to stand up to The Man and help the Grays against all hope. And these people—disciples—had given Mantis all their worldly possessions so that they could be a part of this cause. And this is what they’ve sunk to now: a bunch of drugged-up terrorist hippies with a blood lust.

The wind blew again and carried the smell of incense to Mantis’ nose. That’s a special meditation incense…is someone...is someone meditating...? Mantis sniffed again. No marijuana even. It’s probably Hawk, if anyone. He’s a true disciple; the only one I’ve got. Mantis looked at two large, cloth tents in the front lawn as they blew in the wind. The incense was coming from the tent to his right. He slowly walked to the door and stooped to look in. A dark figure sat facing the side tent wall with his legs crossed. Slowly the figure’s chest and shoulders rose and fell. It was Hawk. Hawk slowly turned his head to look at Mantis.

Sorry, Mantis stuttered.

Brandon.

I didn’t mean to disturb you. Mantis’ voice faltered. He tried to leave, but his foot knocked something over. He stumbled as he tied to put it back. I’ll leave you alone.

I...killed a dog today, Hawk confessed. Beside him a small green light caught Mantis’ eye. Sparrow sat idle on a small box next to Hawk. Man, he takes that little creation of his everywhere since Panda disappeared. It’s his own little best friend. Hawk continued, "I didn’t think beforehand. Just bam. I didn’t feel anything afterward either."

Mantis looked at the floor, shuffling his feet. Here he goes again. He looked up at the top of the tent nervously and then over at the burning incense. He shrugged, Well why did you do it?

Muffled screams and shouts came from the house.

Hawk turned his whole body towards Mantis who had stepped completely into the tent. Well, it was going to bite Grasshopper. So—

So you saved your friend. Just because Panda ... he stopped himself. He rubbed his chin, contemplating what to say next. Exhaling, he continued, Look, animals aren’t gods, or higher beings. We need to respect them, yes, but they were put here for us. Plants and animals are for our benefit. The Grays will teach us how to better balance our use of the Earth’s resources, but they are meant for us to use. Some people just use them wrongly. Mantis’ heart beat faster and his palms sweat. He knew he was walking on thin ice talking again about these things with Hawk. He had to make Hawk understand to interpret the Grays’ teachings correctly, but for the last few years, Hawk was a bad temper waiting to either beat your head in or break down and cry. The tent windows and doors flapped in the wind and grazed Mantis’ arm, helping him relax.

Hawk looked away. Only a few more satellite sites left and the barrier field will be destroyed. The next one is pretty far away. When do we head out?

Mantis sat next to Hawk and stared out the tent door. Hawk, you don’t have to—

Kenny.

Sorry. Kenny. I’m just so used to calling everyone their animal name...anyway, look Kenny, I’m sorry. I know it still hurts. You feel like you’re missing half of yourself. I shouldn’t have brought her into this like that. Sorry. But your beliefs about animals aren’t what she believed and they don’t come from the Grays either. But if that’s the way you want to live your life, I support you. I’m your friend.

Yeah, it still hurts. Hawk paused, and Mantis braced for the rush of emotions coming. Sometimes I feel so alone. Hawk shook his head back and forth as if clearing his head of bad thoughts. I’m sorry, too, Brandon.

The din from inside the house was enveloped by the music growing louder.

Mantis started telling Kenny his frustrations about everyone’s partying attitude. He explained how almost no one cares about what he teaches them or the path he shows them. He thanked Kenny for believing and following. Kenny said he felt the same way and that’s why he had to come out here to the tent. Kenny related the details of their success that night and how he had to save Grasshopper again.

Mantis smiled at Kenny, knowing Kenny could not see his smile. He is older than me, and yet he respects me like his elder. Although at the rate he seems to age, he could be looking younger than me soon. He is an obedient follower and is becoming a powerful leader. The Grays will need a strong human leader.

Someone inside turned the music off and some lights went out. Mantis commented blankly that the party seemed to be ending. Kenny only nodded.

Kenny looked down at the ground. Have you ever thought that ours isn’t the only glowing stone? Suddenly lifting and tilting his head and waving his pointer finger in the air, Kenny said, What if there are other groups out there just like GAFF that are doing the same thing? That can’t be the only stone of its kind.

Mantis shook his head. What?

Kenny sprung to his feet. "Well, what is the stone? ...You’ve always told us that the stone is a gift from the Grays—a sign that they are coming back someday."

And...?

Why would we be the only ones, Brandon? Turning and waving his hands, Kenny added, There has got to be others out there. What if someone gets his hands on the Grays’ stone and he doesn’t know what it means? Maybe they’ll chop it up into glowing rings or necklaces.

The Grays have never made me aware of any other stones. Have they told you anything about others?

Kenny shook his head.   

Mantis stood up. I suppose it’s possible. But where would you look? Are you going to put an ad on Craigslist? ‘Anyone that has a stone as bright as the sun email us. Our alien friends are coming and you need to help.’

Nodding his head enthusiastically, Kenny said, We have to do something.

Lightly grabbing Kenny by the elbow, Mantis said, We are, Kenny. We are getting close to destroying the barrier shield. Just a few more satellite arrays. You said it yourself. And then the Grays will be able to approach Earth.

Kenny sat back down and shook his head. You’re right. We need to focus on that.

Sighing, Mantis remembered something. Look, Kenny, remember Spider?

"Yeah, he left us for bigger, better things."

Exactly. He knows people—he says—that know more about the stone. We’ll give him a call and maybe you can find out more about the stone.

That would be great. Thanks, Brandon.

Just then, Mantis noticed that Sparrow’s light turned from green to red. Uh, Kenny? What does it mean when its light turns red?

Right now it means someone is in the basement with the stone. Probably just someone that wanted to feel its energy.

Sparrow suddenly made a noise like an alarm clock going off. His motors spun into action and he hovered up off the box a few inches.

And what does that mean? Mantis asked. Is it The Man? Is the FBI here?

Kenny chuckled quickly. Luckily for us, no. But it does mean that whoever was there moved the stone. Ya know, I told them not to touch it.

Chapter 3

This is it, team. No talking out loud from here on out. We only use the psy-gear. It’s working for both of you, right? Zeck said tapping his plastic headband. Good. Now you know what the goal is: retrieve the Sun Stone inside the impregnable Fortress of Wackiness from these extraterrestrial advocates. If possible, we don’t want any casualties. The pistols are just for protection. Just in case. We’ll leave the jeep here behind this hill and walk. Now these people are crazy, especially Kenny Lincoln. We don’t know what he—or any of them—is willing to do, but we know he is capable of great madness. Keep a sharp eye and stay close. Now, the Stone’s in the basement so we’ll go in the back and sneak our way down there. Let’s make this one count! Let’s go.

Here I am, the Avenger of Righteousness, at 4:00 in the morning: stealing—nay, taking back—the first of the Sun Stones from the harbingers of evil in the middle of the desert. And I remain calm.

From the top of the hill Zeck saw that the lights were on in the house. He was about to turn back and wait some more, but the sun would be up soon. They had to act now. Blake took out his binoculars and after a moment said he saw no movement inside. Zeck popped his knuckles and kept moving forward.

As the three of them stalked closer, Zeck began visualizing his victory. He saw himself sneak through the door to the basement. He saw himself grabbing the Stone with his two comrades looking at it in amazement. He saw Lincoln waking up as they were trying to escape and him flooring Lincoln with one swift punch.

Zeck took a deep breath and focused. What if all the crazies wake up? I wish there were more than three of us.

Zeck looked at the other two. He noticed that the Orion patch on Blake’s shoulder was falling off. The patch was black—like the uniform—with a white border. Each star in the Orion constellation was a white dot with a thin white line connecting the dots and drawing the picture of the Hunter. How is it falling off already? he wondered. Does he take his uniform clubbing? This is only our second mission. Zeck dusted the Orion patch on his own shoulder, though it needed no dusting. He adjusted his white uniform. He was the only one with a white uniform and had to have Vinny special order it. It was his symbol, he told Vinny.    

The back door was left open and the screen door was unlocked. Some of the lights were left on, but Zeck heard no noise. I guess this fortress isn’t so impregnable. They truly are crazy.

They entered quietly. Zeck pulled out his pistol and turned on the laser sight under the barrel. Bodies were strewn all over the furniture and the floor. The smell of moldy food, rancid meat, beer and marijuana burned his nose. Dead?

He heard a computer simulation of Blake’s voice in his earpiece. They must have had one killer party.

It appears that they are all alive, sir, said Ryan’s computer-simulated, British accent. Or at least most of them.

They waded through the bodies trying not to wake them. Zeck’s eyes followed the laser sight’s dot over the bodies and the food and clothes left all over the dusty furniture and dirty floor. Let’s find that basement and get out of here. Don’t count your chickens, but this might be easier than we thought. I guess alien wackos can be hippies, too. Blake and Ryan looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in mocking confusion.

Finding the basement door, they made their way down the stairs. There was a bright light coming from the bottom of an otherwise dark stairwell. The smell of beer was replaced by an overpowering stench of incense. That’s the strongest stuff this nose has ever smelled. Crazies must have a special store for extra powerful incense.

The basement looked like a meeting room, but instead of chairs there were bean bags in a circle with candles and incense in the middle. The rug was tie-dye colored and in the middle of the room hung a blanket of psychedelic patterns. The blanket acted as a curtain, poorly shielding the rest of the room from the bright white light behind it. The light escaped the blanket on all sides. It had been folded in half but the light pierced right through like a plastic shower curtain.

Bugger, it looks like the sun is on the other side of that blanket, Ryan exclaimed out loud, but in a whisper.

Would they be smart enough to have booby traps? Cameras? Careful men, even though these crazies are alien worshipers, they might have traps.

Zeck pulled the blanket aside with his free hand and a brilliant light immediately flooded their senses. Zeck looked away and the other two shielded their eyes.

Even if there were booby traps, mate. I don’t think I’d be able to see ‘em. said Ryan.   

Zeck felt a strange warmth like a flood of righteousness coming from the Stone. I can barely see where it is. Waiting for his eyes to adjust and not looking directly at the Stone, Zeck began seeing that there was an altar of sorts in the middle of the room and on top lay the Stone.

Is it hot? Blake asked.

Chapter 4

I don’t have a good feeling about this, Kenny, Mantis blurted.

Sparrow, go take a peek down the basement and see who moved the stone.

Yes, sir. It responded and went flying out the tent window. Stop calling me ‘sir.’ Hawk said shaking his head. I really need to change that.

Mantis visibly became more nervous as the seconds passed. To put him at ease, Hawk pulled out his roll-up computer screen, unrolled it, and watched Sparrow’s video feed. Seeing the video had the opposite affect that Hawk was hoping for: it made them both more nervous. There was no one in the basement and the Stone’s light no longer lit either side of the partitioned basement.

Hawk powerfully stepped out of the tent door. He looked around the desert and saw only darkness.

I don’t hear any sirens or see any flashing lights, said Mantis, sliding out of the tent. Hawk ordered Sparrow to search the house for the stone.

It can’t be the FBI, because they wouldn’t be arresting people silently, Mantis continued.

Yeah, I don’t think this is the police. They came for the stone and now Sparrow can’t find anyone in the house. It’s gone and so are they!

Hawk charged through the front door and yelled, trying to wake everyone up.  A few heads raised and fewer still got up and asked what was going on. You guys are pathetic! They stole it right out from under us. How’d they do it so quickly? And without us noticing! Reaching his room in a panic, he found his Ruger, and checked the clip. Six or seven bullets left. They were gone by the time the camera noticed them? How?

Back in the group of people, there were a million questions being bounced through his head, but Hawk blocked them out, trying to focus his own thoughts on what to do now. Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He walked to the window in the next room, pushing aside several people.

There it was, jostling up and down in someone’s hand and running towards the top of the hill down the road. Hawk was relieved that he now knew where it was, but at the same time was enraged at the thieves who took it. Without thinking, he shot at the thieves far in the distance, knowing he wouldn’t hit them. The shattered window and seeing himself lose control of his rage made the situation worse.

Tightening his belt, he yelled, Sparrow, come. Now.

But who could it be? No one knows about the stone, Mantis said.

Someone from another room yelled, Screw the anti-alien activists. His mumbles trailed off into some unintelligible rant about the government.

Hey, did the cops come? mumbled someone else getting up.

Hawk hurried out the front door jamming the gun in between the back of his pants and his belt. He looked right and near the top of the nearest hill, not too far away, he saw a bright light jiggling up and down rapidly. Ha. They’re not very good at hiding it. Sprinting to the driveway—Sparrow right behind him—he threw himself into a car and slammed the door. His heart thumped in his ears. He fiddled with the keys and muttered, Please start. Come on. Start! The Cadillac sputtered and moaned, but then the engine fired. Yes! Seat belt just in case.

The car tore out of the driveway backwards. He revved the engine, threw it into drive, and spun the tires before the car finally headed down the road. The smell of burnt tires hardly passed through his mind. I can’t shoot left handed. Hawk looked at Sparrow hovering in the passenger’s seat. Worthless thing. Why didn’t Bulldog think to build you with arms?

Sparrow didn’t respond.

Sparrow, when we get close, go find somewhere to hide and stay with them. When they get where they are going, make sure you stay somewhere where you have a signal ... and don’t even think about calling me sir! He opened both front windows and turned up the music. CCR! You couldn’t ask for a more perfect song at a time like this.

As all but two of the thieves made it over the top of the hill, Hawk was close enough to see one dressed all in white. Only hesitating to worry about being ineffective with his left hand, Hawk fired. The two that hadn’t made it over the hill yet, turn to look back. Hawk fired again, badly missing. The one in white aimed towards the car and Hawk saw a small laser pointer’s dot playing on his car hood. That’s right, go for the car, idiot. I’ll get you all and then I’ll get Amy’s stone back!

Hawk turned to his mechanical friend. Sparrow, go.

While his head was turned, Hawk saw something fly into the air out of the corner of his eye. He whipped his head around to see what it was. A jeep suddenly came flying over the hill and landed nearly on top of Hawk’s car. Without thinking, he swerved to the left. Hawk didn’t even have time to breath before the jeep smashed into his right side and sent his car rolling over the jeep and spinning in the air until it rested on its hood by the side of