First Wave

Foster and Eddie take over a TV station at gunpoint to get the message out to the world about the alien invasion. - - - Fugitive. Murderer. Madman. That's how most of the world sees me. All my efforts to prove my innocence have come to nothing. Whatever happens today, happens because I've finally run out of options. It's been two years since they ripped my life to hell. Two years of trying to warn people of the danger that looms so close. Now I'm convinced the Second Wave is about to begin. And I'm taking drastic measures to prevent it. If we die in a hail of bullets will that bring recognition to my cause, or will we be martyrs who sacrificed ourselves in vain? Can't know for sure…but today's the day we find out. Writing this along the way, stealing seconds to make a final entry. This could all go bad. Eddie'll let you know – if he makes it out. You're my believers, I'm doing this for you, for us. So however they spin it, the press or the Gua, you know not to buy in. And you know to

Foster uncovers an alien experiment with ties to the mob. - - - ""City of Fountains"" is a nickname for Kansas City, Missouri, a town whose headlines have screamed of a gangland war that left over 30 dead. It's no mystery why the Gua would seek out organized crime. Drugs, gambling, prostitution – all things that could weaken mankind's resolve. But why did Nostradamus point to this gang war? The quatrain suggested I form an alliance with ""the steed,"" a man I suspected to be Sammy ""The Horse"" Kozak, head of a Kansas City crime family for over 10 years. I'm wanted for capital murder, so mixing with mobsters might be insane – Eddie sure thought so. But checking Sammy out could lead me to the Gua, and that's an offer I can't refuse… Took the name Nick Flynn and checked out the '88s Club, Sammy's totally nude strip bar and a front for his operations. Met a brick-wall bartender named Pete, told him I was looking for Sammy. My cover – ""Loma Cinquemani"" had sent me up from the Miami families wi

An alien experiment involving bare-knuckle fighters draws Cade Foster and an old prison friend to enter a boxing competition. - - - I went to Atlanta, a city built on the ashes of the Civil War, to check out the world of bare-knuckle fighting and seek an ally in my fight against the Gua. Passed a wanted poster on my way into town and the face staring back was my own. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Time to take off the gloves. Omar Healy was a prize-fighter in a world without the Vegas showgirls and limelight. 35, and with a prison record, Healy had been disqualified by the Olympic committee for drug use – turned out to be a bum rap, since the drugs were over-the-counter migraine medication. Healy and I knew each other from our days locked up together, he accused me of being a bad guy who turned good and then back again. Told him I was innocent and needed his help. Then I told him I wanted to call in an old debt. Needed Healy to help me gain entry into the Human Genome P

Aliens harvest human hormones for their healing properties. - - - ""On the fields of Revolution / Where England's traitor King runneth / Passion's dew is stolen / The undercroft keeps the salve of enemy wounds"". The Charles River in Boston is named after Charles the First, the Traitor King of England. Bit of a stretch when you read the quatrain, except that three wealthy women had recently disappeared in Boston. Looks like I was headed to Bean Town. One of the women who had gone missing was Jennifer Moore, the sister of Renee Ashford. Ms. Ashford was offering a reward, $100,000 to the person who could find her sister and bring her home. Apparently Renee thought the cops didn't have enough incentive to launch a real man-hunt. Met Renee at her home as she was telling the press about the reward money. Posing as a representative for the missing sister's bank – I told Renee that the last time Jennifer used her credit card was to charge a room at the Whitmore Hotel. Renee already knew that

The aliens pursue Eddie at his high-school reunion. - - - I ain't Foster. But you probably know that right off the bat. That's right, Crazy Eddie here. I talked to Cade about taking over the journal this week seeing as I was the alien target du jour. You heard it here first – the Gua were gunning for the Nambu-lator. And it all started with a reunion. They say that high school is the practice run for the marathon of life, if that's the case, then what started out with a blazing burst of speed ended in the limpid lameness of loserdom. The terrible event that closed out my school years has haunted me to this day, a failure so profound I cast off my closest friends like obsolete software and never looked back. So I had some issues associated with my teen years. That's why I left the warm security of my trailer for the cold harsh reality of Heisenberg High. To reconnect with the people who were once my friends … and seek answers to the enigma that is my life. Just when I was about to los

The aliens try to trick Foster into revealing the location of a lost book of Nostradamus' quatrains. - - - ""Three rivers amidst iron wrought / Barren ground shall be sowed once more / The hunter and hunted are one/ When shadows descend on the twice-blessed man"". Followed up on an e-mail to this Web site which led me to the iron city of Pittsburgh searching for possible alien activity. I thought Nostradamus' mention of barren ground might have been the Soames medical facility, which had been closed for years – wrong move. Made a mistake this time, a big one. The cops were after me. Got caught at the facility, chased out. Down a fire escape, over a fence, they weren't messing around, took a bullet in the side. Figured the Gua had probably joined the hunt too. I was running out of time. Had to think fast. Taking a hostage was a desperate move, knew it would happen some day and dreaded it. Couldn't take any chances. No way I'd make it on foot. That's how I came to take Lena Hansen hostag

Foster and his cronies find themselves as participants in an alien experiment. - - - ""The weapon will fall upon cities / Unless theives deliver humanity from woe / The enemy of triumph is intellect / For faculties failure requires sence anew"". I spent my early years in a top-notch thief crew, so this Nostradamus quatrain peaked my interest. But touching base with my past quickly collided with my present. Suddenly, I was back in the game, working as a break-and-enter man for a score going down in Silicon Valley. And the people I worked with were no strangers. Harley Daniels, more than an old friend, a statuesque blonde with brains to spare – she finds the scores and makes sure they get set up right. Ritchie Black, a wild boy who happens to be the best alarm-bypass man around – it always felt good to have Ritchie by my side on a job. And then there was Dex – the taskmaster of the unit – took ""Crew Chief"" as his title. Dex had a special love for giving orders – he kept us on track. Thin

An attempt on the life of the minister causes chaos at an assembly of alien dignitaries. - - - There is a potentially dangerous storm brewing deep within the ranks of the Gua forces. Though my concerns grow more dire each day, I, Joshua, must admit to feeling a certain degree of relief – to finally know that I am not alone in my conclusions, that others both here and at home are similarly doubting the validity of our mission here on Earth. Decades ago, during the earliest days of the infiltration, we were a unified force, certain that patience and careful planning were all that would be required to defeat the human race. I used to believe that. But now I find myself riddled with doubt. Now I know enough to question not only the tactics but the very objectives of our leadership. Yet even as I write here, the most powerful and respected of our leaders continue to maintain that Earth and its inhabitants are well within our control, utterly unprepared to defend themselves against a full-

Foster attempts to uncover an alien plot to infiltrate the military. - - - ""The town will not ring its cracked bell / For the hero has gone astray / The crimson banner lures the one and the many / With each victory so will victory undo"". Special Forces Colonel John Russell died suddenly of extreme internal temperatures – literally boiled to death. His first lieutenant, Alex Harkin, disappeared immediately after. Suspected of being a ""deep cover"" spy, Harkin was due to face inquiry before his hasty exit. Twice-decorated for heroism, Harkin was the winner of the Red Flag, an award given to the best of the best in the military. The crimson banner and the hero gone astray are both mentioned in the Nostradamus quatrain. I wanted to know how the Red Flag and the aliens were connected, so Eddie and I cooked up some triple-A credentials and I became Matin Sloane – super-soldier – one of five contenders for this year's competition. Off the bus, I met a military hard-ass named Major Birch, my

Cade investigates a psychic research project in a seaside town. - - - Quatrain 23, Century 3: ""The two-sighted will meet death in sleep / Purged from the nightmare of a hidden enemy / Barricades protect spurious sleep / And the spectre is lanced with a common blade"". Found myself cruising along the coast to Prescott, Maine where a renowned group of psychics were burying one of their own. Rachel Cates had died mysteriously in her sleep. I usually think of hotlines and con artists whenever psychics are mentioned. But with all I'd seen in the past two years, it seemed possible the Gua had decided this was a group they couldn't afford to ignore. I'm no psychic, but I had a strong hunch there was an alien in my future. Posing as an investigator for Cates' insurance company I went to talk to Ellen, a clairvoyant, and part of the local universities illustrious paranormal studies department. Besides Ellen, the group also included a telekinetic and a man who could cast images that weren't the

Cade works to expose a U.S. Senator who is thwarting government funded space exploration. - - - Quatrain 42, Century 5: ""When the sun bursts forth at night / The life of a starwatcher is lost / But the truth revealed in the heavens / Is carried to a high magistrate"". Eddie's friend Vincente Miranda, an astronomer in Ohio, was shot to death shortly after witnessing a meteor burst out of a wormhole just outside our atmosphere. He instantly understood the implications of what this could mean. While he explained his findings to Eddie over the phone, he put the critical photographs and charts in a package to be over-nighted to U.S. Senator Sterling Preston. Lucky for us it wasn't clearly labeled. The Gua who rubbed him out destroyed everything having to do with the discovery, but he didn't think to go through the outgoing mail. The package was sent, delivered and signed for. Of all the places I wanted to go hunt down evidence, the nation's capital was at the bottom of my list. Only the t

The Gua convene a tribunal to debate whether to launch the second wave. - - - I'm on the road right now, heading west to investigate an e-mail that may be a tip to some alien activity. Eddie's driving the Caddy, I was napping in the trailer but I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd peck out a little journal entry to pass the time. Been thinking about where this war has taken me, how it's changed my life, and how it's changed all of us Thought I was crazy. Then wished I was. Aliens. The Gua. They killed my wife, Hannah. Framed me for her murder. I've taken a personal vow to hunt them, to make them pay. Nostradamus thinks that makes me the "twice bless'd man," humanity's savior to stop the first wave of alien infiltration bent on destroying us all. I guess I believe him, but it's a lot to ask someone to bear that responsibility. I try not to think about it. All I know is that I'm the only one who can expose the Gua, and I'm going to take them down.

Foster poses as a record executive to investigate a band whose music inspires violence. - - - Quatrain 30, Century 4: "Where iron chariots are forged / The sweet youth cries revolt over a bitter melody / The poisoned song taints mind and soul / Spread by air across the land' s tears washes away ties to Rome / Fear extracts vain sacrifice until the raging pyre of the deluge is quenched". Seemed like Nostradamus' "iron chariots" might've been a reference to Detroit, Michigan the Motor City. A mob of teen-agers had made headlines when they assaulted two officers at an underground club. With both cops listed in critical condition, parents blamed a local band called Sonic War for inciting the violence. I knew if the aliens were involved, this was about a lot more than rock-n-roll.

Aliens conduct secret experiments in an abandoned hospital. - - - Quatrain 12, Century 5. "Where angels touch grace / One without sight sees the dark enemy / At the right hand of the twice-blessed man / The ally leads him to the summit". I'm fighting against an enemy nobody sees or wants to believe exists. I'm getting to the point where I'm not sure why I was doing this – waging a war that I seemed doomed to lose. I was thinking of giving up the fight. Nostradamus predicted I'd find an ally where angels touch grace. Eddie and I thought that might be a reference to Grace General Hospital in Los Angeles. I needed to find that ally.

"One man seeks a leap to the distant stars. Through a rift on the Northwest Sea. A forbidden love finds a safe shore. And removes battle lines between foes". Eddie and I buried the Nostradamus book. Sealed it in a cooler, put it in a kevlar case, covered it with clay, and then dried the clay with a fire. That book has led us to all manner of Gua activity over these past few months – it's become invaluable to the crusade. But the aliens have targeted the book and seem intent on claiming it for their own. We're making sure the aliens are never gonna find it. And if Eddie or I ever get nabbed by the Gua, that book is our insurance policy. Consider it buried treasure.

Following up on a report by a teenage boy about a sexy alien woman who is impervious to bullets, Cade discovers that she is manipulating the men in the community to do her bidding by means of a pheromone ingredient in her perfume.

Cade poses as a track coach to investigate reports of superhuman abilities in some of the students at a private school in New England.

"Their doom was sealed at the gate, steel chariots vanished in still clear nigh. Glorious terrain left undefended, 'till the river changes course". What did this Nostradamus quatrain have to do with Ash Grove, Missouri, a small Midwestern town that billed itself as "Hot Rod Heaven?" Crazy Eddie heard the news of the mysterious disappearance of one Jason Coleman, drag-racer and car mechanic, who vanished as he crossed the finish line. Was the disappearance of Jason Coleman and his Corvette part of an alien experiment? With some bogus credentials from the Transportation Safety Board, I was gonna find out. Gentlemen, start your engines.

Quatrain 42, Century 6. "The dark craft shall slay the dragons, conjured by the humble raven. Justice shall be blind to history, until windswept leaves return to the barren tree". This Nostradamus quatrain brought me to Salem, Oregon, where high school cheerleader, Diana Black, was charged with multiple first-degree murders. She killed three prominent Salem citizens with poisoned cookies, a helluva fundraiser for the cheerleading squad. Diana claimed to be a witch... I came to see if her dark powers were of the alien variety. The defense needed an investigator, so Crazy Eddie created the credentials, and guess who got the job? It was time to see what was brewing!

Quatrain 11. Century 2. "The Starborn one will fly into the hearts of many". A reading from the alien testament: "The Almighty Force looked down from above. They surveyed the galaxy, and what they found was Earth. And the Almighty Force said, ‘Behold, the children of men...they are impure. They are imperfect. They are weak. We must establish our Kingdom on Earth. The children of men will welcome us with arms open wide.' So the Almighty Force cast one of their own in the image of man. So the divine shepherd did come down from the stars to lead the lambs to the Aftertime..." And he was called Elton Beleye. Word was out this rock star preacher claimed extra-terrestrial ancestry. Said he wanted to lead the hearts and minds of humanity towards an alien eternity. Sounded like hell on Earth to me. This is my reality. They are studying us. Testing us. Waiting to strike. But I'm not gonna clear my name without proof they're here, living among us. A blood test, a DNA sample...something.

Quatrain 45. Century 3. "The trickster seeds the mind with paralyzing terror Bearing false witness to the bitter truth at hand." I've seen the bitter truth. The aliens are here, among us, laying the ground work for a massive invasion to come. Crazy Eddie believed this Nostradamus quatrain suggested alien interference in a most unlikely place, an alien abduction therapy group. I went to meet Dr. Rita Hagen, a nationally known expert on "alien abductions," thanks to the huge success of her best-selling book Sexual Contact: True Stories of Alien Contact. Were the patients at Hagen's clinic really abducted? Or was somebody trying to cover up the bitter truth? That's why I journeyed to Hagen's group, in the '65 Mercury I bought for 300 bucks at a junkyard. After 43 days on the run, I could've used a good shrink.

On the run for the past 22 days. Borrowed five grand from my Uncle Harry. Used cover identities to stay one step ahead of the law. Anonymously contacted the FBI, CIA and the Defense Department about the alien experiment that killed my wife. As expected, I got no response. Headed to Potomac, Maryland, in search of a man known as "Crazy" Eddie Nambulous. He's the publisher of The Paranoid Times. It's on the Web. The masthead says "Believe the Unbelievable." If anyone ever needed a believer, it's me. Eddie was skeptical of my story that Hannah was cloned and I was part of an alien experiment. He dismissed the aliens as yesterday's news. Claimed the government was behind secret cloning experiments. He told me his friend Dean Hormeth had stolen some evidence from a cloning lab that would reveal the ‘conspiracy of the century.'