Tin Universe Monthly #2
By Brian C. Williams
Copyright 2012 Brian C. Williams
The sale of this book without its cover….well, is, sort of, impossible since it really does not have a cover but let us go through the legal spray out anyways. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that it was reported to the publisher as “unsold and destroyed.” Hands up to you who have books like this in your collection? Now that I have put my hand down we can continue with the credits and copyright and legal and stuff that people just do not ever pay attention to unless it is pumping their own horn.
An Original Publication of Bloodwaste Books, A Bloodwaste Books book published by System*Publishing, a division of System*Productions, Melbourne, Florida
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead or living dead, is entirely and very much so in the coincidental.
Written/Edited by Brian C. Williams
Cover Pencil Artwork by John Delmonte
Cover Digital Work by 74 Images
Author Photo by Nancy Collins
Tin Universe Logo by Vinny Bove
TIN UNIVERSE MONTHLY #2
FLIGHT OF THE COMING STORM 2.0
Pulpy: Appearing during the aftermath years of World War II, the only superhuman who has been licensed by all United Nations countries to operate within their borders if needed. A citizen of the United States and deputy military branch of the United States government, this very powerful hero calls New York City his home when he is not out saving the world. He gained the trust of many world governments when he held off an alien invasion almost single handily and was nearly killed fighting to save the world from domination (saved by the hero Knight Book.) The limit of his powers are unknown, as is where he came from, though most know he is alien to our world, the subject isn't approached, and many governments are tracking his every movement in an attempt to find out more about this very powerful weapon that is currently in the hands of the U.S. government.
‘He’s up there again sir. Where he goes to think.’
‘Well, tell him to come down here. He isn’t much of a goddamn savior if he's being useless.’
Sometimes he flies up into the sky as high as he can to a point where he cannot see sign one of any human, vegetable, or mineral who could possibly be in need of his help.
This act is a completely selfish thing for him to do but the course of humanities actions upon itself overwhelms his strength of will at times. And this puts him into a very human mindset of being sick at the sight of anything human related.
So it’s best for everyone for him to do this from time to time.
This is along the same train of thought but with more anger involved every time he catches his eye on a Ryan Industries satellite, or signage of any kind related, it makes his stomach lurch a little.
It’s the same sort of lurch we all get when the really rich are being mouth breathers out there in the world. Ryan Industries owns or at least have their hands in so many of the business around the world and sitting right at the seat of power is Colin Ryan.
Some see him Colin Ryan as an example of the ultimate business man bringing a family business into the future with strength, intelligence, and style.
Others just see him as an ass.
Pulpy doesn’t say much of anything about him in public but they have had their runs ins with each other of late with Colin or one of his companies being connected to not so nice situations. But Ryan’s reach of influence seems to smooth over anything Pulpy finds suspect when such situations come about. And being the good soldier that he is when told to back off, he does.
They just do not get along and every time they have had a confrontation in public Ryan has come out looking like a victim standing up to a strongman while Pulpy always gets smeared in the eyes of the public as being a part of the government military industrial complex going after a honest business man.
Pulpy and Colin Ryan are two powerful individuals, each one in different ways and they have started to butt heads and from which will send waves out into the world to a future that holds a day when it will come down to a final confrontation.
I could go on and on about Colin Ryan but just imagine if Donald Trump and Ted Turner mated, there you have Colin Ryan.
Though to be fair Colin is all the worst traits of D.T. and T.T. combined a hundred fold.
Also better looking.
But he also isn’t the focus of this story.
I just got sidetracked, as I sometimes do.
Earth is Pulpy's adoptive home and he would die defending it and has come close to death several times in combat fighting to protect the lives of human beings. But sometimes even a being that is as powerful as Pulpy needs a siesta.
If something big was to happen while he was in his happy place the U.S. government has the code to contact him through the communication disc that sits within his skull. This disc not only functions as a type of two way walkie-talkie with the government but it also works as an universal translator, computer interface, and it is the reason he can shoot a high intensity energy beam from his left eye.
A cool radioactive side-effect.
Pulpy loves the taste and feel of Earth's atmosphere. As he travels through the five layers of the atmosphere he tastes, feels, and smells it like no other being who has ever visited the planet.
The first layer of the atmosphere, if you didn’t know, is The Troposphere; which makes up half of the Earth's total atmosphere. This is where weather occurs and Pulpy thinks it tastes like cupcakes and feels like a shower and not just when he is traveling through storms.
Pulpy has a taste recall from each of the planets atmospheric layers.
The Stratosphere is where many types of jets fly because of its stability. This layer is also where the Ozone does its absorption of radioactive rays. When asked once if he noticed any pollution when flying through The Stratosphere, Pulpy answered, "No, but it does taste like a cook out."
Later a poll was taken on whether he was joking or not.
He has stopped dangerous meteors in The Mesosphere. Meteors that did not burn up coming through that layer of the atmosphere that is.
Everyone also recalls when Pulpy helped make repairs to the space shuttle while it floated through The Thermosphere.
Since we mentioned a lot of information on Earth's atmosphere we should also mention that Pulpy has found a point of testing some of his limits when he feels weak by going into the area within the thin Exosphere. He cannot breathe very well in the vacuum of space and doing so is, in an unusual sort of way, a work out for him.
Why do I have Olivia Newton John singing in my ears at the moment?
Anyways?
Pulpy descends from his tranquil spot in a feet first free fall until he gets below the clouds and then he tucks into a cannonball position for a few seconds to focus his concentration into a linkup with his flight discs before he lays out into a flight posture and heads towards his destination.
He doesn’t see the planet’s atmosphere as just the air breathed by himself and all of humanity and the creatures of the Earth. He sees it all at once as the meteorite strikes, those hidden by ocean waters and over grown green life. He feels the radiation that feeds and kills the planet as a whole. He can hear the whispers of the radio waves that swim around the planet and the chatter from the ancient realms.
But back into the world of man he always must go because that’s where he is fated to reside.
The destination of our hero today as he comes out of the sky is a United States Air Force base somewhere in the great state of Texas.
<
br /> Texas is full of military bases. Helps fuel all those “We shall secede from the union” screamers.
Pulpy has received a Code Dawn 173 from his government handlers as others like to call the higher officers he takes his orders from.
He likes "Allies" better.
A Code Dawn 173 is when an alien craft has entered Earth's atmosphere and refuses to answer all communication attempts. All U. N. countries have an agreement that in these cases Pulpy shall be called in to investigate and handle the situation.
Pulpy meets up with two American F-22 Raptor fighter jets already on the trail of the U.F.O.
The F-22 is the United States Militaries official fighter jet for Pulpy operations because of some of its many special features. It has a high resistance to ECM, LPI, UFL attacks. It functions basically as a sort of small AWACS strengthening out as electronic support measures, (otherwise known as an ESM), and electronic warfare, EW, jamming functions.
Most of this jet stuff does not interest most of you I would think but my father was in the Air Force and if I talked to him about this stuff it got us talking, a father and his son talking. Not a very common thing where I'm from.
Other benefits of the F-22 Raptor are its integrated communications, navigation, and identification technologies. It is one of the best fighters in how it uses its stealth technology in aerial combat.
The F-22 has great performance ranges. It can run at supersonic speeds even without the use of its afterburners, perfect for keeping up with a beyond human, who isn't human, so that wasn't apt, much the same way as the sight of Pulpy is in the skies. Earth scientists still can't even come close to figuring out how he flies.
Though it isn't like he is the first flying being.
The F-22 fighter jet is a nice little tool that costs the taxpayers of America about eight million dollars per jet.
Japan has an experimental jet fighter Code named the J-XX which puts the F-22 to shame though.
Go American pride in craftsmanship.
With a thought Pulpy switches his communication disc to a secret Air Force signal, ‘How is the situation gentleman?’
‘Bogey airspeed is only three hundred sir, keeping an altitude of fifteen hundred feet.’
‘What is your call-sign flight leader?’
‘Wicked Hawk, sir.’
‘Ok, Wicked Hawk, this is the action we will be taking. On my call of “Go” gentlemen you give this craft everything you got and then burst ahead to home base. Destroyed or intact, from then on it is my responsibility alone.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Pulpy enjoys flying with the F-22 Raptor Squadron. The members of the squad have bonded with him based on a mutual love of flying. The squad’s official code name is Raptor Squad but the squad call themselves The Pulp Raptors or The Flying P.R.
For a few seconds there is only flight as four objects move through the air.
Pilots have this involuntary movement right before taking action. Humans do not see this involuntary action but Pulpy does and so he has adapted it into his aerial battle actions also.
They blink.
‘Go!’
The air it cuts into whistles as twelve stinger missiles hit two at a time on target with perfect computer controlled aim.
Following the stinger missiles into the target are millions of rounds of ammo.
Smoke has not even begun to clear from the areas of impact when two hellfire missiles, one from each of the F-22 Raptors cover the U.F.O. in fire.
The fighter jets burn pass the impact zone and as they pass the smoke clears to reveal the alien craft untouched hovering in the air.
‘Alien vessel undamaged. My turn now. Let the base know what you observed so they can prepare in case I go down.’
Pulpy throws back both of this fists and hammers down on the nose of the saucer shaped spacecraft.
Saucer shaped because…. Well, it’s a U.F.O. that’s why?
The ships dipped a little in the air but otherwise just keep floating in defiance of the attack of violence.
Everything stood silent in the air for a few minutes twenty miles from the base of operations of the F-22 Raptor Squadron, Giffen Air Force Base.
Giffen is prepared to scramble all fighters on another “Go” order or if they lose the life signal from Pulpy.
Pulpy looked at the alien craft for a while before closing his eyes to think.
He opens his eyes with a statement, ‘Stop now. Surrender to me in the name of the United Nations of Earth. I will do absolutely what I need to do to wipe your existence form this planet.’
More of the standoff.
Pulpy blinks...the alien vessel morphs itself into a sphere and begins vibrating. The vibrations send out shock waves that break windows at Giffen and the surrounding area, and just as the vibrations are starting to give Pulpy a headache it launches up and out of Earth's atmosphere.
Sixteen minutes later it is out of our solar system.
‘Target has retreated.’
‘Report to Giffen for command debriefing and public press conference.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Mere minutes later Pulpy is gathered with a group of airmen including Wicked Hawk and a few aircraft mechanics near the base's Park Zone as the pilots call it where...well, they park their planes.
Many in the public have harsh views when it comes to Pulpy but in the eyes of most of the military troops he is one of them. He has fought side by side with them and that is what they see in him.
Most police and firefighters feel the same.
A very twitchy young man who goes by the code name Leggs approaches the gathering gathered around Pulpy.
“...gathering gathered?” That's the type of things you write when you revise during self medication for pain.
Pulpy has dealt with Leggs before, many many times. He does not care for him.
‘They wish to see you now.’
Wicked Hawk gives Leggs, or Mr. Twitchy as they call him, a nasty look. They all have to deal with him quite often being connected with Pulpy. He keeps telling Pulpy, "Don't trust the black ops," but Pulpy trusts them to a fault.
Later inside an underground debriefing room at Giffen used by only the highest of black operations, Pulpy is standing in a corner of the room as it fills with Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, and black ops. officers.
‘Not really much of an encounter was it?’
Leggs turns to Pulpy, ‘Have you faced anything like it before?’
‘It was a basic spacial warp design.’
‘Is that why so many of them are saucer shaped?’ joked Admiral Greel Klein.
‘Yes.’ Pulpy answered dryly.
‘GM made them all?’
Admiral Klein was starting to get the idea that Pulpy was not following along with his attempts at humor.
‘Creational thinking. Same thought processes. No matter the species some thoughts run along the same lines.’ Pulpy
‘Well...’ General Adam Booth.
These meetings always get silent moments when Pulpy clearly shows how much he knows. How much more he knows than humanity. And how much he knows and was not sharing with humanity, especially the United States government, especially the men in this meeting room.
‘Do you have reason to believe they will return?’ asked Leggs.
‘Maybe, if humanity does something to get their attention again. I would guess this was purely a scientific exploration vessel.’
‘Thank you Pulpy, you may leave now.’ Leggs
Pulpy leaves the debriefing room on his way to attend the public press conference that is an every time event when he makes an appearance somewhere. These government setups and controlled press conferences keep him in the public conscious and more importantly to keep his image the way the government wishes it to be.
After they are told that Pulpy is on the surface the talk begins again in the debriefing room.
‘What do you think General Booth?’ asked the Naval rep.
‘Only that we shou
ld still be scared shitless of him and what he knows about what’s really out there.’
Pulpy smiles while talking to an airman about the time he got to ride on the Vomit Comet.
His hearing is pretty damn good when he concentrates. You could even say super...but I didn't......wasn't even thinking that.
A gaggle of reporters are gathered in the base's Officers club, The Shellrail, as Pulpy walks in accompanied by his Air Force contact Major Felicia Tigre.
Major Tigre addressed the gathered press first, ‘Just to get the basics out of the way. Today at 1:45pm an extraterrestrial spacecraft entered Earth's atmosphere. When it entered U.S. airspace over Texas the F-22 Raptor Squad here at Giffen was alerted. The Joint Chiefs contacted the United Nations and N.A.T.O. as is procedure in these cases. The White House asked Pulpy to investigate but before any contact could be made the vessel left the planet for parts unknown.’
‘Major Tigre, Fran Raven, Ryan News Network, What about the explosions spotted in the desert near the base?’
Fran Raven has tried to smear Pulpy's name at every moment she has in front of a computer or at a microphone, probably on orders from her boss.
‘I'm no egghead Ms. Raven but I would say that was the vessel's propulsion. Now how about we let Pulpy answer some questions.’
And he did.
A lot of them.
Questions left and right.
A question about the slow Central Florida cleanup efforts, ‘... the compassion of humanity will show through I believe.’
About Houston, ‘...sad situation but the problem is out of my hands. If asked yes, I would go there, but I follow the laws the same as any citizen does.’
About Jon Stewart, ‘I have to say I have his MTV show on DVD. I'm a fan.’
About what his favorite comic book is, ‘What do you think?’ Everyone laughs, except Fran Raven.
About the St. Louis vigilantes The American Greed, ‘...if asked I would bring them to justice. Citizens cannot take the law into their own hands. Right now I think the local police are on the trail to bringing them to in.’
About the summer movie season, ‘I enjoyed G.I. Joe 2’
In this reality the studio didn’t make such a dumbass decision as pulling back a movie right before its release to convert it to 3D.
Oh, and the films were a lot more edgy and controversial in the Tin Universe.
After all of the hard hitting questions, 22 in total and very few about today's events, Pulpy returned to the skies for more peace.
The silence of being away from all of humanity is a joy for him but the future will give up more and more blood by the day.