Read Online Cthulhu Attacks!: Book 1: The Fear by Sean Hoade - Free Book Online

literary creation of H.P. Lovecraft, a writer who lived from—”
    “At ease, Berry,” Hampton said. “I don’t need a term paper, just the immediately relevant facts, if you please.”
    General Adamson put a hand over his eyes and tried not to let the embarrassment show on his face. He was failing, he could tell.
    “Yes, ma’am. Cthulhu is known as an ‘Old One,’ an interdimensional alien creature who was trapped millions of years ago underwater very near the coordinates of the Event. And also the Bloop.”
    “The what?”
    “The Bloop, ma’am. In 1997, within miles of what Doctor Nye has identified as the source of the Event, the loudest noise ever recorded emanated from that spot. Some people say it was glaciers or the sea floor advancing or retreating, but even now no one knows.”
    “So you think it’s a space monster from a science fiction book?”
    Berry’s sweat renewed its beading. “The coordinates in the story match the coordinates of the Event, ma’am. And when Cthulhu rose above the waves where he was trapped, the minds of humans were affected.”
    “Madam President, really, we have to—”
    “Berry, do you know why I’m asking you to tell me about this?”
    The sergeant shook his head, feeling sweat trickle down his neck. “No, ma’am.”
    “Because we have to put every idea on the table. Every idea. Doctor Tyson,” she said as she turned to face her Science secretary. “do you have any theories regarding the cause of the Event?”
    “Yes, a few.”
    “And Doctor Nye?”
    “Only one thus far, Madam President. I believe it could be—”
    “Hold off on that, please. Does anyone else have a theory, any theory, about what caused this Event, or even what the Event was? ” Hampton looked into the eyes of each man and woman at the table, her sacred brain trust in times of upheaval and crisis.
    No one had anything to say. Or if they did have something to say, they didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of this group and thus kept quiet.
    “That’s what I thought. Arthur, can we get a new A/V person, please?” she said to the Joint Chiefs head.
    “Of course, Madam President,” he said with a bit of relief, and nodded to his subordinate to make it happen. “I’m terribly sorry about Berry here. These personnel are trained to keep their bearing when allowed to work in such close—”
    “No, you misunderstand me,” Hampton said. “We need a new A/V person because the sergeant has a contribution to make. I want him to join us at the table.”
    It became so quiet in the room that one could hear not just a pin drop, but someone thinking about a pin dropping. General Adamson’s eyes goggled as he tried to process what the President had just said. “He’s talking about a science fiction monster . I mean no disrespect, but should we consider E.T.? Or maybe the Blob?”
    Everyone was so stunned by the President’s words and the chairman’s sarcasm that not even a scintilla of levity arose in the room. “We need another chair for Sergeant Berry, please,” she said to a White House staff member who told a lower staff member to go get another chair. “Arthur, if you have no better ideas—or no ideas at all—you may go.”
    “ Go? Madam President, this is a military concern. As chairman—”
    “We don’t know what it is. If you are not going to be a useful part of the brainstorming session, then please go and attend to your other duties.”
    She looked around the table at the top brass and their expressions of disbelief. “That goes for all of you. The work you do is vital. If you don’t feel you can add to the conversation here, then you may leave as well and get your ducks in a row for whatever is coming.”
    After a few seconds, during which no one moved away from the conference table, a new Marine entered and took her place behind the projector and laptop. The White House staff member rolled in another chair to a spot right next to Chairman Adamson, who hadn’t made