by Rod Porter
“Trace the signal first. After you get that, we’ll see if we can’t secure one of these things and take it back to base. Hopefully we’re not the only squad, either.”
Trigger was a little apprehensive. “I don’t know, Sarge. You really want to wake one of these things up? They must be ten feet tall. My God, look at those fangs and the blades under their forearms. No telling what kind of damage one of these things could do.”
“Relax, Trigger,” Mac said reassuringly. “We can’t get it in restraints and compliant, we’ll just pump it full of holes. This is too valuable a catch not to try.”
Dante went about setting up his equipment. Sergeant Mac Roberts moved up to one of the alien pods and put his palm on the glass front of it, staring through at the true form of his enemy that up to this point had been faceless.
“So this is what you look like,” he said.
“Sir, I’ve got Sergeant Roberts of Delta squad on the horn. He’s asking for you directly, sir.”
“Put him through,” Troy responded, back in the war room.
“Go ahead, Sergeant,” said the radio operator.
“This is Sergeant Michael Roberts with Delta squad,” came the voice over the war room main speaker.
“Copy, Sergeant, this is Williams,” said Troy. “What have you got?”
“We’re in an enemy operating station, sir. The intel was solid. Our specialist is tracing the source of the soldier alien drones as we speak. General, I’m looking at twenty to thirty pods that have the aliens encased in them. We can see them through the glass.”
Troy and the rest of the war room could not believe it.
“Sergeant, confirm your last.”
“That’s affirmative, General. We are looking at the actual aliens, sir. No protective suits or armor of any kind. They are in some kind of suspended animation. This has to be how they operate their soldier aliens, sir.”
“You listen to me, Sergeant,” Troy said intently, leaning in on the railing of the map. “I want prisoners. You get two of those things restrained and you get them to the LZ, you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. How much time until you’ve located the signal source?”
“Fifteen minutes at the most, General.”
“Good. You get it done, Sergeant.”
“We will, sir.”
“Williams out.”
Delta’s broadcast was replaced by the various transmissions from around the globe detailing the battles. Troy could not help but reciprocate the grins from the other brass in the war room. The mission was going to be a success. It had felt euphoric to give the order to take one of the vulnerablealiens prisoner. Finally, Troy would have a chance to hurt one of them, after all they had done to him and his people. Just fifteen minutes until they could put the air force in play for Phase Three of the operation and bring their troops home.
“Sir, we’ve had reports from Alpha, Bravo, and Foxtrot company. They’re holding the line, but the roaches are starting to gain ground.”
The relayer’s update was the last thing Troy wanted to hear. It had been nearly fifty minutes since Operation Hammer had begun, and the casualties among the ground troops were rising by the minute. The aliens had destroyed several tanks and APCs. Though none of the commanders on the ground had requested it, Troy knew that they could use air support. The only problem was that it had been established at the last meeting with the War Council that the resistance would not expose their fighter planes to the aliens by entering them into the combat zone. The fear of how they would evolve was too great. Troy was considering breaking the rules even though the consequences would be dire. His people were being shredded by overwhelming numbers. They needed to pull back. What the hell was taking Delta and the other covert ops teams so long?
“Celo. Celo.”
The code launch finally came through over the radio.
“About goddamn time.” Myriad had been waiting in the cockpit for what seemed like an eternity. Now that Phase Three of the operation had been implemented, she got on her radio.
“This is Falcon One, Celo acknowledged. Flight team, we have the sky.”
The two Hawk planes that would be accompanying her checked in over the radio. In a matter of seconds they were in the air, heading towards the coordinates uploaded from the covert ops teams. They could only hope that the pilots assigned to the other affiliated countries were doing the same.
Back at the operating station, Delta was considering their next move. Command wanted prisoners and they were going to get them. Sergeant Roberts was staring at the aliens.
“Dante.” Sergeant Mac addressed the hacker. “What’d the diagnostic tell you? Can these things be woken up?”
“It should be okay, sir. At worst it will kill them, but they have to get out of those pods somehow.”
“Okay.” Mac decided on the pod in front of him. “Wake this one up.”
Balls came over to the pod with a blowtorch. Igniting it, he burned through the glass shield that made up the front of the capsule. After he removed the glass completely, the rest of Delta aimed their weapons at the now-exposed alien. Initially, nothing happened. Then the alien’s multiple eyes jutted open and a red light went on in its capsule. It fell forward onto the ground. Trying to recover, it stood up to its full ten-foot height. Delta did not know whether to shoot it or subdue it, so they kept their weapons aimed.
The shock of the human intruders was apparent. The alien uttered some things at them in its language, a barrage of low guttural sounds. It was foaming at the mouth and baring its fangs and filed teeth, violently flailing the sharp ends of the blades on its arms. The behavior only lasted a few minutes. Feeling the effects of being ripped from its drone prematurely, the alien was in a weakened state. Delta waited until the alien collapsed in exhaustion and secured it.
“Okay, Delta. Let’s cut one more out and get to the LZ.”
Back in the war room, they had just received word that the air force had destroyed the source location, which was confirmed by troops on the ground. There were relays across the board that the soldier aliens had ceased functioning completely. It gave Troy enormous pleasure to give the order to terminate Operation Hammer with the mission accomplished. All forces were ordered to fall back and regroup. There was nothing left to do but monitor the troop withdrawal and the progress of the operations in other countries, who had reported their missions accomplished as well.
“Good work, everyone,” Troy said to an elated war room. Some of the operators and officers in the room were moved to tears when the ground troops had relayed the message that the soldier aliens were no longer functioning. Now, they all looked at Troy with gratitude. They had trusted in him and he had delivered. They all saluted him, and he saluted back. “Let’s bring our people home.”
FOREBODING PROVIDENCE
Troy looked over the first-ever alien prisoner of war from behind a safe shield of one-way glass. It was ironic that he was now on the other side of the pane. He remembered his interrogation experiences inside the prison camp. Now, he was deciding the fate of one of the invaders. The alien’s true form was more revolting than he had imagined. It was restrained by a series of chains that secured its legs and waist to the chair it was sitting in. Another set of chains kept its arms and hands secured to the table. The prisoner of war had been sitting alone in the interrogation room for hours. The resistance had a delicate matter in front of them because no human had ever exchanged conversation with one of the aliens. It was widely rumored that the only people ever to have done so were quislings, and of that there was no proof.
“What do we know about it?” Troy asked the team of doctors and scientists who were in the observation room with him.
“We have gotten some very interesting results from the other captive alien, General.” The doctor was referring to the second alien that Delta had captured. Unfortunately for the second, it had been taken straight to the laboratory for testing and eventual dissection. There were no ob
jections to the fate of the alien as a medical experiment. The aliens were the ones that had taken the gloves off.
The scientist continued: “They breathe oxygen, although something in their chest cavity, and what we interpret to be nasal capillaries, suggest that they can breathe other substances and gases.”
“Have you made any progress on the language barrier? We can’t interrogate this thing if it’s not capable of speaking any human languages.”
“We’re still working on it, General.”
Troy looked through the glass at the restrained creature. For a moment he felt a tinge of pity. It was helpless and sick, clearly malnourished. There was an added problem in the situation. The government and the press were all demanding exposure to the two alien captives. Their capture had proved too big a story to keep under wraps, and Demoskeena, as well as the other representatives, felt that the people had a right to see their oppressors in their true form. But Troy had resisted. Troy was, at the moment, the most popular figure in the resistance and in Jade itself, but the people were getting restless. They wanted to see the aliens.
The resistance had tried on several occasions to interrogate the alien, but the language barrier had foiled all progress. The creature seemed to speak in low guttural inflections that sounded close to gibberish to any human ear. Then, the alien suddenly looked through the glass, as if it could see Troy clear as day. Troy looked back at it. He could not explain it, but he felt a sudden connection. Something was drawing him into that room. It made no sense, but Troy could not shake the feeling that he should at least go into the room and sit with it for a moment. So he did, accompanied by seven armed guards.
For minutes, Troy just sat in front of the alien looking it over. He knew exactly how he would begin the interrogation. Troy could not help but grin internally before he uttered the familiar words that the aliens had asked him so long ago.
“Where do you come from?” he asked.
The insectoid alien twisted its head to the side, as if contemplating what it had been asked. After blinking its multiple eyes a few times, it responded, to everyone’s surprise, in English.
“Home,” it said awkwardly. “Home among the stars.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Here?” it said, confused. “You have taken me prisoner. I have no purpose here.”
“I meant on Earth. What are you doing on our planet?”
“This is our world.”
“How can that be?” Troy wondered how logical the alien could be. “You just said that your home is up in the stars.”
Troy read body language of what he assumed to be confusion. For the first time, he noticed that the creature had two antennas protruding from its head. The alien was one of the most disgusting and intimidating things Troy had ever seen, and it carried a stench that irritated his senses.
“In the stars, yes,” the alien said. Its English was correct, but it spoke it in the guttural undertones and inflections of its native tongue.
“Scattered to the stars. Regardless of your words or attempts at…processing…logic. This Earth is ours. You cannot defeat us. It is a matter of time before your kind is no more.”
“I would have to disagree with that. We have proved that you are not invincible.”
“You refer to your recent perceived victory?”
“And the fact that we have you prisoner.”
The alien tilted its head and drooled as it let out a click.
“My capture is impressive. But it changes nothing; nor does your apparent disruption of our drones. Your resolve is pointless. There is no way you can defeat us.”
“We can and we will. We have struck a blow and proven ourselves a significant threat. Now you realize that we have the resources and troops to defeat you.”
The alien let out a disturbing laugh.
“Humanity, just like this city, is doomed. Jade will be destroyed before this war ends, and, with it, your infrastructure. You will be relegated back to the true human status of savages roaming the wastes, waiting to be exterminated or enslaved. We could swat you like flies if we desired. We could end this pitiful conflict tomorrow.”
“Really.” Troy knew a bluff when he heard one. “Then why don’t you?”
The alien shook its head and let out some more guttural noises. “It is not the time. But rest assured, when the time does come, we will end humanity in one fell swoop.”
SAFE HAVEN
It was the winter season in the hills of whatever remote location of the country Jackson and Stephanie had called home for the past year. Winter in the valley where their cottage stood was harsh if one was not prepared, but after the previous winter, they were more than prepared. The cottage had been properly insulated. Freshly chopped firewood was stacked inside next to the fireplace. Food stores were plentiful, since it was much more difficult for Jackson to hunt in the winter. The woods that shielded the cottage from the rest of the world were blanketed in thick snow.
When Jackson had escaped Hivestown with the help of Billy, the agent from the Bureau, Stephanie had driven him by car to the cottage. Billy had not told her how he knew of its existence, but he did promise that no one knew about it, and that they would be safe. Thus far, he had been true to his word. In the year they had lived in the cottage, Jackson and Stephanie had not seen so much as a sign of any people or aliens. There was, however, an unexpected addition to their happy family in the form of a stray dog they named Zoe.
Stephanie had given birth not long after they had arrived at the cottage. They named their son Troy, after the only man Jackson had known who had ever inspired feelings of hope in him. Troy Williams had been a friend and a mentee in the resistance. They had met in one of the alien prison camps he had told her of. Their son was the second person Jackson had ever encountered who filled him with a sense of hope, wonder, and possibility. Therefore, it was fitting that he be named Troy. Most likely, Troy Williams was dead, Jackson figured. For all he knew, the Unconformed no longer existed. Secluded in the valley, Jackson and Stephanie had no contact with the rest of the world or its happenings. It was as if they had been transported to a safe haven where they were allowed to live in peace and happiness while time stood still; as though they had been spared the pain and suffering they had known for so long and that the rest of humanity was no doubt still dealing with.
Their marriage was as strong as ever. Contrary to what Jackson had anticipated, the departure from Hivestown had strengthened their connection with one another. Stephanie was slow to acknowledge it, but she was grateful for Jackson opening her eyes and exposing her to the truth: the aliens were no angels and were only concerned with the extermination of the human race. Some of Jackson’s stories were horrific, but it was important that she knew the true nature of the aliens. She was grateful that their son would grow up without being exposed to the horrors of the world. Instead, his early years would be filled with nothing but love from his parents and hopefully a strong sense of self and confidence.
Zoe had proved to be a key element to their time in exile going so smoothly. The dog had stumbled upon the cottage one evening with severe injuries. Stephanie nursed her back to health and they had decided to keep her. Not only did Zoe improve their moods by being a true companion, she proved instrumental in helping Jackson hunt. Zoe also was very close with little Troy. They were practically inseparable, and even though Troy was little more than an infant, it was as if he truly understood the depth of the bond he shared with the dog.
The cottage had been in pitiful condition when they had first arrived, falling apart both inside and out. Surprisingly, the inside was totally furnished, but the house was tattered at best. It took a couple of months before Jackson was fully recovered from the injuries that the quisling had visited upon him. Once he was, he set about helping Stephanie improve the condition of their new home. It took four months, but the cottage had been improved enough to be considered luxurious even by pre-war standards. Providing a comfortable, safe home for his family
filled Jackson with a kind of pride he had never felt before. When his son was born a month after their arrival, it was the happiest moment of his life and Stephanie’s. Stephanie had prepared him for what he would have to do to make sure the delivery went well.
They both knew that they would not be able to stay in their new home forever. No matter how desperately they desired the contrary, one day their son would be grown and he would want to experience the world. But what kind of world would it be by then? Stephanie and Jackson had kept their concerns to themselves, not wanting to ruin their little slice of paradise, but as time wore on, Jackson began to get broodier. Sometimes Stephanie would catch him staring out the windows at the snow in deep thought. More often than not, she would leave him to his thoughts, too afraid of what they might be. She did not want to leave this place. It was perfect, and they were safe. But she knew that the day would come when Jackson would approach her on the subject. After all, she knew everything about him at this point. There were no secrets between them. She knew that the death of his own men, the Wolves, still weighed heavily on his mind. She knew that he would wonder about the state of the resistance that he had created. And she knew that he was a soldier, and that he did not want to repeat any of the mistakes he had made in the past.
She and Jackson had grown so very close. Neither of them had dreamed that they would come to love and understand another person as intimately as they did one another. They were very proud of the life they had made for their child and for each other. But both of them knew that one day it would have to come to an end. Despite how wonderful everything was, the valley they called home was a small piece of the world. And the condition of the rest of the world would shape the future for them and for their son.
On a cool winter evening, just before dusk, Jackson and Stephanie were sitting on the porch stairs that led to the backyard. Smoke rose from the chimney, producing the intoxicating smell of burning firewood in the chilled winter air. They were watching Troy play in the backyard with Zoe. The toddler and the Black Labrador were taking turns chasing after one another, having such innocent fun. Neither of them had a care in the world or any regard for the danger that existed in it.