Greatest American Hero (Hero League 1): Contingency Plans

Chapter 7

While waiting for Ralph to return from visiting Eric, Pam went to her home office and checked her emails. The Verde van parked across the street started up and pulled into the Hinkley driveway. Two men got out of the van. One had a strange device in his hand. They knocked on the Hinkley front door.

Pam heard the knock and went to the door. As she opened it, one guy pushed it open further and knocked her back against an end table. The table fell over, strewing nick-knacks across the floor. Pam backed away and ran to the other side of the couch. One thug picked up the sofa and tossed it up and over onto the other end table. Pam grabbed anything she could hold and threw it at the intruders, backing away the whole time. The guys ducked the objects, with a few hitting them but causing no damage, only a slight green shimmer. Shocked by the green shimmer, she stumbled and fell to the floor. One of the prominent intruders put his foot on her stomach, holding her down as she struggled to get up. The other thug touched her on the shoulder with the strange device he had in his hand. The device made a weird humming sound, and Pam dropped unconscious.

"She had more fight in her than I thought she would," the large thug said.

"Let's get her out of here before the suit wearer returns. The commander doesn't want to fight him now."

The two large green guys, disguised as humans, picked Pam up, quickly put her in the van, and drove away.

At the compound, Pam was zapped awake with the strange device. She was being held by the two large green guys who had kidnapped her. Struggling to escape, she soon realized she wasn't going anywhere.

She pleadingly asked, "What are you doing? Why am I here?"

The second in command calmly said, "The supreme commander is holding you as part of his glorious plan. You do not need to know anything else."

At that moment, Grant King, the supreme commander, walked into the room. The room appeared to be a control center with many video screens on the walls and scenes from worldwide locations. Several other large green guys were standing and staring at the screens with small tablet-type devices in their hands, touching the small screens.

The supreme commander asked the second, "Is the call ready?"

"Yes, supreme commander."

"Then make it." The second flicked a switch on a control board, and Pam could hear a phone ringing. Ralph answered the phone. Hearing his voice, she opened her mouth, but one of the large green guys instantly placed a black patch over her mouth, and she couldn't speak.

The supreme commander told Ralph he had Pam and he wasn't supposed to do anything. She could tell that Ralph was very upset and worried about her. Ralph wanted to hear that she was still alive. The commander nodded his head at the large green guard. The guard ripped the patch off her mouth. Pam immediately started to yell. "Ralph! Ralph!"—but the patch was immediately put back over her mouth before she could say anything else. She could tell Ralph was angrier than she had ever heard him, telling them they had better not hurt her. The supreme commander flicked the switch on the control board and broke the connection.

Pam sagged, feeling helpless. Tears ran down her cheeks as she listened to the commander's condemnation of the suit wearers and the little green guys. What could Ralph do? The second in command guided the guards and Pam to a small room. The patch was removed from her mouth, and she was pushed inside. The thick metal door slammed, and she was left alone. There was no handle on the door. She pounded on the door and yelled for them to let her out, but no one came. She looked around the small barren room. There was nothing in the room. The walls were light gray metal, and the floor was concrete. A constant light shone down from the ceiling. Crouching against the metal wall, she pulled her knees up to her chest, placed her head on her knees, and cried. She began calling to Ralph in her head, hoping the suit had given him some telepathy so he could hear her. Almost like a prayer, she called him to find her, to save her.