by Hatchett
Harriet had accepted that she needed to stay, and the others grudgingly agreed after some argument. Di, Damien, John and Paula wanted to go but were told they were staying. They were mainly concerned about Jess, but Harry quickly pointed out that she, out of all of them, was the most likely to survive.
Once they were aboard the shuttle, Jess placed Bishop in his usual home, a secure, shielded box near the front of the craft. While Bishop communicated and synched with the AI unit on the second shuttle, Jess morphed some seats and closed the doors. She then made the skin on the front and sides of the craft transparent so they could see what was happening outside.
Harry settled into a seat with a sigh.
“Thank God that part’s over with!” he exclaimed. “Telling that lot they weren’t coming is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
“I thought you got off lightly,” Jason said, with a smirk.
“Remind me to dock your wages,” Harry shot back.
“What wages?”
Jason thought that Harry was beginning to look his sixty-eight years of age, whereas just three years earlier when this all started, he had looked like someone in his late forties rather than his mid-sixties. The stress of looking after so many people and the weight of the World sitting on his shoulders was clearly having a marked impact on him.
“You OK Harry?” Jason asked with concern.
“Yeah. I’ll just be pleased when this is all over. I could do with a holiday. A nice cruise around the Caribbean or something.”
“Well, at least you can sit around on here with Hannah while we do all the donkey work,” Andy pointed out, “so it’s not all bad.”
“I’ll be covering your useless arse more like,” Harry countered.
“And I hope you cover it well!” Andy shot back.
“I’ll do my best,” Harry smiled.
They felt the shuttle start to rise into the air and quickly waved at their friends on the ground. The shuttle then cloaked and swung around before accelerating towards London. They would be there in just a few short minutes.
“Everything OK, Jess?” Harry asked.
“Yes, all fine. The other shuttle is right behind us.”
The cloaked shuttles shot across the ground at a height of a couple of hundred metres, unseen and unheard, but buffeting the trees below them.
Still some kilometres away from London, the huge pyramid began to rise up in the distance, the top few floors hidden in the clouds. Jess wondered absent-mindedly how far away you could see it from, not that it really mattered.
“That’s scary,” Adil remarked, looking a little nervous.
“It’s just a building,” Karen pointed out.
“Yeah, but it’s fucking massive,” Adil replied, clearly intimidated.
“Wait ‘til you see the Mothership,” Joshua said. “It makes that look like a toy.”
Adil paled.
“Where is it?” Adil asked, not really sure he wanted an answer.
“Above London,” Jess replied.
“Thank God we can’t see it, then,” Steve muttered.
Jess gave an unspoken command and the roof of the shuttle became transparent, allowing the occupants to look skywards.
“Did you have to?” Adil asked, shaking his head. “I’m not sure I want to see it.”
“You can’t anyway because of the clouds,” Jason pointed out.
Adil looked up and had never been so pleased to see complete cloud cover in his entire life.
The radio crackled into life and Hannah picked up the handset.
“Hannah here,” she said.
“It’s Pete,” came through the speaker. “We’ve had word from all over that people are ready.”
“Everyone?” Hannah asked.
“Enough,” Pete replied.
“OK, wait for the signal,” Hannah ordered, and clicked off.
Everyone looked around at each other, most looking quite nervous. They reality of what they were about to do was slowly hitting home and they had absolutely no idea how it might go. Indeed, they might not see another day.
63
The closer they got to London, the bigger the pyramid appeared until it almost filled their entire forward view.
As they crossed the outskirts of London, Jess increased the altitude, slowed both shuttles and took an avid interest in the sights in front of them. She could now see the outline of the forcefield wall and smiled. It was exactly as had been described to them by the people on the ground.
Kinaejah had made a small mistake; he had set up the forcefield wall before he decided where to locate the pyramid. This meant that the pyramid was just a kilometre from the North Eastern sections of the wall but a minimum two kilometres from the Southern wall and four kilometres from the Western wall. That meant those in the North Eastern section could get to the Pyramid quickly, and hopefully before they were even noticed. That’s why a diversion was needed.
Jess got Bishop to take the shuttles over the forcefield wall and hover at three hundred metres above Hyde Park, effectively staring at the Western side of the pyramid, just a kilometre away. She felt this would be the ideal position to monitor the Laakuu reaction. She then sent another command via Bishop and the remaining skin of the shuttles also became transparent, with a glass-like floor, allowing them to see everything above, around and below them.
“Fuck!” Adil shouted, pulling his legs up onto his seat. “What’s going on? The floor had disappeared.”
“Sorry,” Jess replied, “I should have warned you. The floor is still there, you just can’t see it very well.”
“I don’t like heights,” Adil muttered, surreptitiously looking down through one open eye and grimacing.
“You’re in the wrong job,” Matt said, looking down in awe. He could see that Hyde Park was looking a bit neglected; it resembled an overgrown field with rubbish scattered everywhere, and the Serpentine looked like a rancid pond cutting across it. He stood up and jumped up and down a couple of times, his stomach flipping but loving every minute of it. Christ, it was a weird feeling.
“Ah, man, cut that out,” Adil moaned, beginning to feel ill. He tilted his head away from Matt and stared skywards just as there was a break in the cloud.
“Fuck!” he shouted, causing everyone to turn in his direction then follow his gaze.
“Told you it was big,” Joshua said, with a huge smile on his face.
The Mothership loomed over them from a height of ten kilometres, like some kind of gigantic tidal wave, dwarfing them and casting a huge shadow across the whole of London.
They were all startled when a bird hit the side of the invisible shuttle with a loud splat and fell spiralling down to the ground below.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Adil murmured. He hadn’t signed up for this shit.
64
Jess looked at her watch then looked to Harry.
Harry smiled uncertainly, as if he was having last minute doubts and debating if they should go ahead with their plan. Many people would die. Was it really worth it? Then he considered how many had already died and the fact that if they didn’t at least try, they would forever be in fear for their lives. That was no way to live. Harry nodded gravely.
Hannah started broadcasting as Jess sent a quick probe to Sam on the ground telling him to get ready. She then closed her eyes and focused her attention on Bishop.
A few seconds later, the forcefield walls around Central London simply disappeared, and Jess reopened her eyes with a smile.
“It begins,” she said, looking down at the ground.
The others also looked down, including Adil, who seemed to have forgotten that he didn’t like heights.
At first, there was nothing to see. Then slowly, they saw what looked like armies of ants scurrying across the threshold of where the wall used to be, heading towards the pyramid. There were thousands upon thousands of them, and Jess briefly wondered how so many people had managed to survive the long three years of Laakuu occu
pation. She felt a sense of pride at the human spirit as she watched the first explosions.
65
There were Laakuu Stormtroopers stationed at various points inside the area, generally in small groups of four. Most were relaxed and wasting the time away, secure in the knowledge that they were safe behind their wall.
Those nearest the wall were taken by surprise; they didn’t notice the wall disappearing and before they became aware of what was happening it was already too late. They felt the tasers hit them, removing their shields and causing their bodies to move spastically in time with the unseen electric current coursing through their bodies. Despite losing control of their motor skills, they still managed to turn their eyes towards the onrushing humans before shots rang out and ended their existence.
Those further away from the wall heard the commotion and shots being fired in the streets further away and had time to lower their visors and raise their own weapons ready to fight whatever was coming.
They looked at one another, confused, and for the first time, began to feel some concern. They had had it easy for over two years and this sudden change in circumstances was alarming, to say the least.
A couple of the Stormtroopers released stellated cubes so they could see what was going on. The cubes split up into their smaller components and shot off in different directions and the Stormtroopers watched the screens inside their visors with interest and mounting concern.
The cubes sent back live streams of a huge number of humans running through the streets, and one particular cube managed to zoom in on a group of Stormtroopers all lying dead in the middle of the road.
The lead Stormtrooper immediately sent an alarm to the Mothership as he and his group waited with rods at the ready for the humans to come into sight.
Other than the noise in the surrounding streets, nothing happened for a few minutes. The Stormtroopers waited and watched, wondering what the humans were up to. Before they could react, they felt the tasers then the shots as they slumped to the ground.
The leader lay on his side, pain erupting from his chest, and feeling his warm blood pouring from his body. He saw a small group of four humans approaching him and managed to fumble a disc out of a side pocket. He let it loose.
The disc shot away from him, slicing through the four humans in seconds before heading back to his outstretched claws to await further orders.
As the disc was returning, the leader subconsciously noticed that the live streams inside his visor from the cubes had gone blank.
As the disc settled into his palm, he felt his eyes close and he slowly slipped away.
66
Sam, Pete and Jimmy, together with their six accomplices had reached Clapham Common without incident and dumped the Toyota’s at the side of the road.
There were loads of other people already there and more turning up every minute. Sam got on the radio and gave the order for everyone to head for the forcefield wall and wait.
The people at Clapham Common started moving up the A3216, Cedar’s Road for the short walk, some chatting about what they were about to face and others quiet and reflective.
There were all sorts of people on this march; males, females, blacks, whites and everything in between. There were at least four generations that Sam had seen. It was a fabulous sight and made them all feel better knowing that they had so much universal support.
Sam thought back to his football supporting days with Millwall FC and walking along roads in crowds just like this one on the way to the stadium. All that was missing was the chanting, the food stalls and street vendors, selling scarves and matchday programmes.
He remembered how tribal fans were, sticking together and either avoiding the opposition supporters, or, in some cases and especially in Millwall’s case, seeking out the opposition with the intention of starting a fight. Well, this was like all those different club supporters setting aside their differences and coming together to support their national team, all club allegiances temporarily set aside and replaced by a sense of national pride and patriotism. Fans who might hate one another the majority of the time, would find themselves chatting and singing over beers and having a common aim. And, as soon as the game was over, they went back to the usual tribal ways.
Sam noticed the wall come into view. It seemed much higher than the nine metres it was supposed to be, and he marvelled at the blue colour and swirling patterns. He had no idea how this wall was going to be brought down and the first seeds of doubt coursed through him. He, and all the people around him, had effectively put their faith in Harry and Jess, and he prayed they lived up to expectations.
He looked at the weapons in his hand. He had a pistol, knife and taser hidden away and an RPG over his shoulder.
Pete had similar weapons, but instead of an RPG, he had an EMP device which had been brought all the way from America. He also had a sub-machine gun on his other shoulder.
Jimmy was the ‘Water boy’ for the day. He didn’t like guns or the loud noises they made, so he had volunteered to carry spare battery packs, rockets and ammunition.
Sam looked around. Many people had weapons of various kinds and others had volunteered to carry spares. There wasn’t a single person that wasn’t carrying something.
Over the past few weeks, they had spread the message that people needed to work in three’s; preferably one to use the taser or EMP, another to fire bullets or RPGs and the third to carry replacements. It seemed like that message had gotten through, and he just hoped the groups on the other sides of the wall and further down this side had also taken the instructions on board.
The crowd waited near the wall, not one getting too close for fear of being electrocuted or killed outright, Instead, they gave the wall a respectful distance, all wondering how long they would have to wait. Every minute seemed like an eternity and Sam could see some people having second thoughts, but peer pressure bringing them back onside.
Finally, the broadcast came through from Hannah to prepare, and this galvanised everyone’s minds in an instant.
Sam ‘heard’ Jess telling him to ‘get ready’ and ‘good luck’. He still marvelled at how she was able to do that, and especially sending him the personal message when she must have been under significant stress over what was about to happen. As he was thinking this, the wall seemed to sink into the ground, revealing the other side in glorious detail.
There was a cheer and people started sprinting forwards, jumping over the gap where the wall had sunk into the ground.
People spread out, heading down all the available streets, but generally heading in the direction of the pyramid, with Hannah broadcasting targets all over the place.
It wasn’t until they got to Battersea Power station that they saw their first real action. The iconic Grade 2 listed building and surrounding area was part of a regeneration programme before the alien invasion, but now it was derelict once again with smashed windows and craters where shots had been fired.
People were heading for the waterfront, hoping to find boats which they could use to get to the other side where they knew there was a greater concentration of aliens. However, a small team of Laakuu had installed themselves in the power station and the first inkling they had was when bright blue bolts of energy came flashing down and vaporised some people running past.
There was a general panic as people tried to run away or take cover, forgetting that they had weapons with which to fight back. Sam had been waiting for this moment for three long years and he quickly directed Pete and Jimmy behind a panel van. He knew that they were too far away for the taser to reach, so they had no option but to use the big toys.
Sam glanced around the corner of the van just in time to see another couple of people being vaporised. He looked up, watching where the blue bolts were coming from and spotted at least three Stormtroopers on a walkway near the top of the building.
He turned back to Pete and Jimmy and noticed that Jimmy had his hands over his ears and had tears running down his face.
“Pete, it’s going to have to be a one-two, I think,” he said. “I’ll use an RPG while you get ready with the EMP. If they survive the fall, then hit them with the EMP. Then we just get the sub-machine guns and start firing but be careful not to hit some of the idiots running around like headless chickens.
Pete smiled and nodded before charging the EMP.
“Get clear!” Sam shouted, in case any of the nearby people could hear or were listening.
Once he was ready, Sam put the RPG on his shoulder, pointing roughly where he had seen the aliens. He then stepped to the side of the van, quickly aligned his shot and pulled the trigger.
The rocket left the barrel with a ‘whoosh’ and trailed smoke as it hurtled up at a forty-five-degree angle towards the walkway. Within a couple of seconds, the rocket hit and exploded, throwing bricks, masonry and Laakuu Stormtroopers into the air before gravity made them come crashing down to land in the middle of the street.
Pete came out from behind the van with the EMP on his shoulder, but he couldn’t see anything worth hitting and lowered it again.
Then some rocks moved and a Laakuu head appeared. A man nearby didn’t hesitate and with a scream of absolute hatred, ran up to the Laakuu, tasered him then shot him in the head from point blank range. Then the man started stomping on the alien’s head in a fit of anger.
Sam and Pete looked at each other and shrugged. If only a fraction of their attackers was like that guy, the Laakuu were in for one hell of a beating.
“Must be a Millwall fan,” Sam suggested, and Pete laughed, the first real laugh he could remember for some time.
“Yep. You better reload and let’s get going.”
Jimmy helped Sam reload the RPG then they set off towards the river. They needed a boat to get to the other side, where, from all the smoke and noise, it seemed like most of the action was taking place.
67
On the shuttle above Hyde Park, Jess was sweating, taking quick drinks from a bottle of water by her side. Trying to block the Laakuu technology was hard work, and she was thankful she had Bishop and the newly named Data, the second AI unit from the other shuttle, to help her out.