Cade Foster's Journals: Book Three
everything on this site is (c) Chris Brancato, Larry Sugar, Pearson Entertainment, Vidatron Television, and Francis Ford Coppola. i don't own it, so don't hurt me, please! and don't sue me, as i have no money, either...
(since these are from the actual episodes, there's spoilers in here, as i have the ending journal entries, too)
Which Episode?S117Mabus | Raven Nation | Comes a Horseman | Gulag | the Flight of Francis Jeffries | Still At Large | Asylum | Eyes of the Gua | Skywatchers | the Plan | Wednesday's Child | Unearthed | Shadowland | Legacy | the Edge | the Vessel | Requiem | Checkmate | Black Box | Beneath the Black Sky | Terminal City | Twice Bless'd
~ * ~ * ~
Nobody knows that the end is near. A massive alien force known as the Gua are quietly preparing to invade the Earth and snuff out humanity.
Cade Foster and I have been trying to stop the Gua before it was too late. We were desperate -- and something had to be done.
My name is Eddie Nambulous. The entire world watched as Cade Foster was shot and killed on live television. I pulled the trigger.
Now let me explain why.
~*~
Century 4, quatrain 12
- The Brodde Nation will swiftly rise
- On the fortnight of its own prophesy
- The scholar who solves the great riddle
- Points the way to the blood-stained globe
~*~
"There will be an amassed army of creatures, their numbers beyond counting. And they will fall upon all the nations of the Earth. And on that first day, nineteen million shall perish." That's not Bible Code -- that's straight out of scripture.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 45, century 10:
- The man twice-blessed shall seek adherents
- A dispatch soars on wings of lightning
- A path to the catacombs
- Brings stratagem into question
The journal won't be posted on the web as I fake my death to elude my pursuers -- both Gua and human -- who've plagued every step of my journey. In my place for now. . . is Eddie.
A week ago, a woman from a group called the Raven Nation saved my life, and then disappeared. Crazy Eddie intercepted a coded email -- a dispatch sent on wings of lightning -- from this group to a dealer of illegal chemicals.
Who are the Raven Nation? What are they planning to do? As my search for the alien antiChrist known as Mabus continues, I know I have to find them.
~*~
The scars of the Gua's experiments run deep -- for me and for others. Who will our allies be in the darker times ahead? Sometimes they're not who you expect.
Today I met the army I've been searching for for so long, and the courageous woman who leads them.
The battle ahead will require leadership and bravery on all fronts. Usually, it's the innocent who's loves are at stake in my battles with the Gua, but now we have soldiers.
And with soldiers, must come a war.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 77, century 9:
- In the arsenal of an Emerald City
- The smallest of creation becomes great
- Horses four will triumph the end
- Borne on a devil's breath
The Emerald City is Seattle, where a converted armory houses the labs of Vio-Zor, a company that specializes in microbiology.
Mabus is the leader of the alien invasion on Earth. If he's the devil referred to in the quatrain, then somehow Vio-Zor plays a part in the Gua plans for our destruction.
Eddie uploaded a computer bug into Vio-Zor's software. I'm going in to fix the problem and find out what Vio-Zor is doing.
~*~
In the war ahead, it's not enough to worry about heavy artillery and nuclear weapons. Now, the smallest microbe can become an engine of death. I know the Gua will use any means necessary to bring about Armageddon.
Dr. Kelly agreed to do research on a potentially lethal biological weapon, and the Gua almost turned it against us.
As the limits of science and biology expand, let's not forget the danger that's inherent in every step forward. Just as the genius of Einstein and others helped create the atomic bomb, let's pray our modern geniuses don't inadvertently create the means to our destruction.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 83, century 7:
- The traitor sits in a hidden world
- Waiting for the man twice-blessed
- Joined in desperate moments
- To push the rock over the peak of time
I believe the traitor of whom Nostradamus speaks is Joshua, an alien who has helped my cause on numerous occasions. The aliens build hidden worlds known as Quantum Pockets, which Eddie has learned how to penetrate. I believe Joshua is here. But is he alive? If so, I've got to get him out.
Everything here seems to suggest that the aliens have been defeated -- my wildest dream come to life. But unfortunately, I know it's not real. Out in the read world, an alien leader named Mabus seeks to enslave humanity. The key to his defeat may lie in finding Joshua.
~*~
The Gua put Joshua in his very own purgatory, sentenced to live out his days repeating the same 19 minutes -- and failing every time.
I can't help but be disappointed in Joshua's decision. He feels strongly that he must chart his own path. I know he hears the clock ticking too, be it 19 minutes, 19 hours, or 19 days. We both can't afford to fail on this mission.
Unlike the Gulag, there are no second chances to stop the invasion. We both carry that burden now.
I wish him luck.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 73, century 6:
- A daughter of war meets the gallows
- When darkness spirit takes flight
- In the land of the Eye of the Stag
- Savior and devil comes together as one
The Eye of the Stag could be Ohio, the Buckeye State. I've come here to investigate the murder of Alastair Tildon. His teen age daughter Lindsay is facing the death penalty for the crime. Unfortunately, a teen run amok isn't uncommon these days.
But Lindsay's father worked for Rokomm Industries, a high-tech weapon design firm -- and a prime target for the Gua.
Could Lindsay be the "daughter of war" that Nostradamus mentions? Given the impending invasion, I think it's worth the risk to find out.
~*~
The Gua tried to obtain a weapon that could have spelled easy victory in their invasion.
As always, innocent people were hurt. Fortunately, Tildon's videotape cast enough doubt on Lindsay's case to have it dismissed. But the Gua have put her in a prison, not defined by bars -- they've destroyed her life.
I wonder how many more people have to suffer before this nightmare ends. I hope one day it's a distant memory.
As for today, we continue to fight them. Today, our army grows by one.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 77, century 9:
- Redemption is offered by a woman of scarlet
- For the twice-blessed to seek out
- Enter the belly of the beast and become one
A convicted killer walking into a cop station does sound crazy. If I'm recognized, it'll be like feeding time at the zoo.
If this mysterious "Red" really discovered proof of my innocence, I have to find it. I've got a couple of things going for me:
One, Eddie and I killed my clone, so the cops think I'm dead. Two, my new ally, Jordan. With her watching my back, at least I have one friend here in the "belly of the beast."
If all goes well, I'll be out of here in under an hour.
~*~
I lost the proof of my innocence, and the alien plans for invasion. Now the cops know I'm alive.
But even though I failed, it was worth the risk. The Gua know they haven't stopped me. Every chance I get, I'm gonna try to take them down -- and then we'll see who ends up on the run.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 92, century 8:
- The mighty shall be laid low
- Impaled on a fine-honed sword of truth
- A voice of justice is stilled
- As nightmares take earthly form
Judge Carlton Levy was a respected district court judge for 23 years -- a true "voice of justice" -- before his sudden insanity laid him low.
The judge had been a regular to Eddie's Paranoid Times website, claiming to have information about the aliens who've infiltrated this planet.
Is the judge really mentally ill? Or do his nightmares take the earthly form -- of the Gua?
~*~
Judge Levy was one of us -- a believer. The Gua saw to it that most of the called him crazy. To those of us who know -- he's a martyr.
Ever since High School, I've been called 'crazy,' but who's to say what's crazy and what's not? Not me -- and not the Gua, either.
I know there are more people like Judge Levy -- people in high places who are finally starting to listen.
I'm not fooling myself -- I'm no hero. But maybe it's time to put this "Crazy Eddie" thing behind me. Maybe it's time to give "Sane Eddie" a try.
Nah...
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 72, century 5:
- Hollowed eyes burned through the line
- To the fifth in colonies of old
- Malevolence awaits a perfect vision
- As four makes five for apocalypse
A killer has struck twice already, which has brought me to New England -- "the colonies of old." The police are doing their best to keep details of the murders confidential, but reports have leaked out. Word is that the victims' eyes were burned from their skulls.
Could "Malevolence" be a reference to the anti-Christ, Mabus? Is the killer Gua? What do these murders have to do with an apocolypse?
The cops have come up short on leads. Figured I should check out where the second victim was killed -- and start my own investigation.
~*~
I used to consider Joshua an ally. But I can't do that anymore. There are many different paths towards a common goal. He and I both fight for the end of this invasion. But he's made one distinction perfectly clear -- he's Gua, and I'm human.
As our fight continues into the future, I hope we can overcome our differences. I hope they don't decide who between us lives – or who dies.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 28, century 3:
- Tainted streams flow into fields of stone
- As the vanguard rises from hope
- On a path of least-obstruction
- The evil one is crowned
An operative for the Raven Nation, Alana McCaffy, disappeared while investigating an anonymous posting to the web site. I claimed alien activity in the small mining town of Hope, Montana. Could this be the "hope" mentioned in the quatrain?
That's what I've come to find out. But first I have to lose the tailgater...
~*~
When the aliens destroyed my life, I knew I had to fight them -- I never believed I had a choice. But what about the people of Hope -- who believed they had no choice when the Gua threatened their lives and their families?
Can innocent people be blamed for surrendering in the face of a terrible enemy? Does evil have to be confronted the minute it rears its ugly head? Or do you risk the life of an entire town by taking a stand? As I look at Eddie and Jordan -- my new family -- I know how hard a choice that would be.
~ * ~ * ~
The prophet Nostradamus has foretold the arrival of an alien antiChrist who'll bring about an apocalypse. He calls himself Mabus -- and he's out there right now. Somewhere.
The prophesies of Nostradamus guide us and help us fight the Gua, but we have yet to get close to Mabus. We have yet to strike a blow that will stop the impending invasion. Until then, we prepare. And we hope that time will come.
~*~
- "You mind telling me what the hell she was talking about?" I demanded of Joshua about Allegra.
- "Like you, we also have prophets. We call them Harbingers," Joshua said.
- "Go on," I encouraged softly.
- "There have been seven in all - each gifted with powers far beyond that of our normal species. They are the Guahead. Their leadership has guided us through the ages. First was Medak, a philosopher we once revered. The last is Mabus."
- "And one of the prophesies mentions me." I said it as a statement.
- "There's a possibility you may be the one they speak of," Steven said.
- "And what does it say?" I asked.
- "That if Mabus is killed by the Chosen Human hand, this invasion will end," Joshua told me.
- "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
- "Prior knowledge of a prophesy could be dangerous. It can affect your judgement in ways you can't foresee."
- "Telling you may have already invalidated the prophesy," Steven said.
- "Tell you something," I said. "I'm gonna kill Mabus whether he knows I'm comin' or not."
~*~
- An offer compels unholy union
- As collusion for a beheading
- Bridges forge over the abyss
- Tho' irregular army shall fall.
~*~
Our two races may be on the brink of war, but the existence of human and Gua prophesy suggests many possible futures in this invasion.
Mabus said the Gua would seek vengeance in his death. I hope Allegra's decision says more about what the Gua will do than any predictions from the Harbingers.
I had a chance to kill Mabus by following Gua prophesy -- not Nostradamus -- and my mission failed. Perhaps impatience made me turn my back on Nostradamus, who has served me well on this journey. Sometimes our desire for results make us blind to the wisdom of the ages. It's a mistake I won't make again.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 15, century 5:
- The message precedes the messenger
- A sudden link to darkness
- Betwixt the glare and the chasm
- The child is freed with shadows behind
The Paranoid Times gets thousands of hits a week, all from the growing contingent of believers who know that aliens threaten our world.
Most of these emails voice support. But when one tipped us to a Gua bomb set outside a United States Federal office, we had to check it out. That email saved hundreds of human lives. But who sent it? A disgruntled alien? A human with knowledge of Gua plans?
The email was traced to a computer at this address. With back-up courtesy of our Raven Nation militia, I'm gonna find out if our emailer is friend -- or foe.
~*~
The price of this was always rises higher, but we try to draw the line to preserve what we still have, to fight a future where innocence cannot survive.
Mabus told Jordan he had plans for her -- that she was special to the Gua. What he was talking about remains a mystery, but I wonder. I fear what this fight will bring.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 17, century 4:
- Through the ancient North it shall pass
- Ship to ship, the power of powers;
- All strength to those who unearth it
- Joined together will Earth itself be consumed.
Gua intelligence communique intercepted by the Raven Nation mentioned an all-powerful weapon the Gua have spent years searching for, and now are close to finding. A search of archeological dig sites turned up an excavation of a Viking settlement in Nova Scotia. Crossing the border into Canada was a risk; I just hope it was all worth it.
~*~
There are moments when your resolve is weakened, when you feel helpless to fight something so much more powerful than you. Trapped in the rift created by the Hammer, I couldn't help Jordan and Eddie against the Gua. I'm grateful they fought to the bitter end and never give up. I owe them my life.
The Gua have always evaluated humans in their individual capacity for resistance. But as Jordan said, a team is stronger than its individual parts, that by working together we can rise up and stop this invasion. The Second Wave grows closer every day. Should I ever lose my life in this battle, there will be others to fight on, just as strong, until we finally defeat the Gua.
~ * ~ * ~
- When twice three years and twice again
- Find secret skill in darkest hour
- 'Tween blessed and cursed a third will come
- Or world's consumed in battle's fire.
~*~
The demons of the past are many, and each of us carries them deep within us. They shape our lives, make us who and what we are. They can have the faces of our fathers, our mothers, especially our own selves. But demons can be laid to rest, and now I know that the monsters of my childhood were not of my making.
The mysterious stranger who helped me promised new hope in the darkest hour. Meanwhile, I wonder what new demons the Gua may bring us. And I wait for the stranger to come again.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 11, century 9:
- Nobles gather on a Midsummer's Eve
- And the Raven grasps the curse of legacy
- Look to the traitor's haven
- As the beast prepares for apocalypse
When Jordan got an invitation to a Midsummer's Night's bash at a mansion owned by her late parents, Eddie linked it to the words of Nostradamus.
Do the curses of legacy refer to the Radcliffe family? Could the traitor possible be Jordan's father, a man she both loved and respected? Jordan won't rest until she knows the truth.
For my part, if the beast is Mabus, then I want to know how he's preparing for the apocalypse, and do whatever I can to stop him. The Radcliffe family had a secret vault, which I hope holds some of the answers we're looking for. Jordan walked in the front door to join the rich and famous; I'm breaking in through an upstairs window to crack a safe. Some things never change.
~*~
They say the truth shall set you free. For Jordan, her truth has chained to a war she's bound to fight to the death. Now she knows how deep her roots actually go in this fight, and her family's legacy continues.
~ * ~ * ~
The Raven Nation is an army of believers from every walk of life: cops, teachers, salesmen, parents, and scientists, all touched by the lethal hand of the Gua. Dr. Pierce Malcolm was a highly renowned geneticist before the aliens killed his only son. He joined the Raven Nation and brought his genetic expertise to our fight.
I'm usually encouraged by the determination shown by people like Dr. Malcolm to beat the Gua, so why do I have such a bad feeling about this place?
~*~
I've seen through the eyes of my enemy, and gained a new perspective, first hand, of their power. It's a frightening thing. But we can never let our fear outweigh our goal -- and never risk our humanity to save it.
How I overcame the Gua DNA that threatened to consume me remains a mystery. Perhaps, like Joshua said, it was due to intangibles in our own genetic makeup. Maybe it was just a delayed reaction from the effects of the Gammatrex. I'll never know. It makes me wonder who has the edge to win the war -- human or Gua. I hope it's us. I pray for victory.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 41, century 4:
- At the Inception of the millennium
- Machines of the new age deliver devastation and war
- From a throne under thirteen faceless warriors,
- The invader king wields power
Inception OS -- an operating system used by almost every computer in the country -- the 'machines of the new age.'
Max Stareman, President of a software empire, plans to release the latest program within two weeks. If Inception is the weapon that delivers devastation, we have to stop it. But first we have to get to Max Stareman.
~*~
Three years ago, the Gua stole my life. That's what first launched me on this journey into Hell. Today they stole my hope. My hope that my life will ever be more than an endless war against impossible odds.
The truth is, I need the hope of a future. I need Jordan.
~ * ~ * ~
The battle remains fresh in my mind. Jordan and I facing off against Mabus, the alien antiChrist. But the tide turned against us. What happened to Jordan is unspeakable. I tell myself there was nothing I could do. Replay this stand off over and over -- I didn't want to believe it was possible.
Quatrain 26, century 9:
- As the apocalypse draws near
- The adherents are summoned
- Down to the catacombs they flee
- Pursued by an enemy none can see.
Jordan knew the Second Wave was drawing close, so she developed a fail-safe plan to assemble the four generals of the Raven Nation in a secure location. From here they could mount a counter-attack.
I'll live with the moment forever. I'll always wonder about the choice I made. Because that decision has brought me here. Now that Jordan's body has been taken over by Mabus, she herself may be the 'enemy none can see.' I have to warn the generals.
~*~
I brought the generals together to warn them about Jordan, to figure out how we could fight this battle together. But I failed. And Jordan is still out there somewhere, controlled by the alien antiChrist known as Mabus.
Kendrix said he was ready to take on the Second Wave on his own. But he was a soldier, and he led an army. Now, there's no army, and unless there's a miracle, there's no Jordan. I don't know how, but the fight must go on. If not for me, then for them -- the ones left behind. I owe them that.
~ * ~ * ~
Journal entry #0621:
- The Gua have struck hard. Mabus has entered the body of Jordan, and taken it over. The Army of the Raven Nation has fallen. Its Generals dead. The survivors scattered. After everything that we've worked for. I won't accept defeat. I choose to believe in the future. That in spite of everything, we can still win this fight. I have to believe it.
~*~
- Face and subdue the multiple
- Cast through invisible sound
- Tame and skin the beast
- To live for tomorrow's time
~*~
I didn't want to leave Jordan. But I chose to fight another day, another chance to beat Mabus and stop the Gua. I have to believe it was the right choice to make. Mabus said the human mind inevitably ponders regret when faced with death. But I can't fight past regrets. In this war I can only look ahead. I have to fight for the future.
~ * ~ * ~
Omega quatrain 2:
- In the west near the rock mount
- A lodestone pulls opposing sides closer
- The fallen signals war
- And guidance for the coming maelstrom.
A lodestone is a magnet, which may connect to a powerful magnetic anomaly Eddie discovered in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. We suspect it's the source of several mysterious satellite blackouts that have been baffling authorities. Could the lodestone be a Gua weapon designed to disable Earth's defenses? I was starting to have doubts, until something dropped out of the sky. Maybe 'the fallen that signals war' just made an appearance.
~*~
We head home now with the knowledge that the invasion is coming in only seven days. Each battle defines where we stand and where we fight. I'm glad Joshua realized the means to defeating Mabus lies in the strength of our alliance. And so we face the coming storm. The war to end mankind. But at least we stand together.
~ * ~ * ~
Quatrain 22, century 4:
- When twice three years and twice again
- Find secret skill in darkest hour
- 'Tween blessed and cursed a third will come
- Or world's consumed in battle's fire.
A mysterious stranger saved my life as a child, now we finally meet face to face. He calls himself Xevallah. I believe he's the so-called 'third' mentioned in the quatrain. I'm not sure where I am, or why I've been brought to this place. Nostradamus seems to think I'll find a secret skill in my darkest hour. Still, Eddie and Joshua are out there somewhere, being hunted by the Gua. Xevallah's timing couldn't have been worse.
~*~
I'm still not sure I fully understand everything Xevallah was trying to teach me. But one way or another, it seems clear that whether I know it or not, my body knows, my spirit knows.
I know now there's no point fighting my own demons when there are real battles to be fought. The torch was passed to me, the flame lives in my spirit now, and come what may, I know that if I can only let that spirit guide me, well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be -- for the Second Wave.
~ * ~ * ~
Fourth and final Omega quatrain:
- Into the void must go the twice-bless'd man
- Seek the hammer, as the seeker has sought before;
- In the courage to end, find the beginning
- Or death and darkness befall mankind.
The Hammer is the ultimate Gua weapon, able to move matter through a vortex of time and space. It could deliver an alien army to our doorstep in a heartbeat. Our only salvation was that the hammer was lost somewhere in the vortex, beyond Mabus' grasp -- until now.
Joshua intercepted a Gua transport carrying a locator -- a device designed to track the Hammer. Now our only hope lies in finding this weapon before Mabus does.
~*~
Jordan is finally free. But Mabus now possesses the Hammer, and the Second Wave is truly upon us. I wonder if our future will be darkness and defeat as it was for the other Foster. Prophesy says the outcome depends on me. I only know one thing -- that Mabus and I are fated to meet again. And one of us must die. Whoever that is, decides the fate of the world.
~ * ~ * ~
Does everything end where it begins? That's what I'm left to wonder in these final hours. Stuck in a psychiatric ward, interrogated by doctors who think I'm crazy. I believe they're human. If they were Gua, I'd be dead. Not that it helps now. The invasion's upon us and the human race doesn't want to know a damn thing. But they'll sure as hell know it when the war comes.
~*~
- As the Second Wave is nigh
- Four must be chained strong as one;
- Hammer can smite victory
- If honor is granted to Xevallah.
~*~
For every journey, there is an end. We look back at the struggles we faced, the victories and losses, the joy and sorrow. But the road's made smooth by friends who give comfort in the darkest hour. The journey's never really over, for we carry in our souls the memories of those who've touched us.
I was rescued by a woman named Hannah, and I loved her with all my heart. But Hannah's death brought me to Eddie, Jordan and Joshua, and they saved me from the Darkness.
I'm not sure I really knew what it meant before, but I know now. I know why I'm truly twice blessed.
