by Richard Sosa
They descended into the fiery bath of the planet’s exosphere and then the atmosphere and soon bright lights streaked in the night sky for anyone outside to view them. They passed high above furrowed fields, cities, and forests while rapidly descending. Layers of silvery dots patterned the sky. They separated into veins as the Orbs converged everywhere on the planet at the same time. People who worked at night inquired about the lights in the sky, but then the lights blinked out. Everyone went back to their business or slept restfully through the night.
The sun rose in the distance and colored the polluted sky bright orange, but it was still dark with birds chirping and the usual suburban neighborhood’s residents starting another day. The sprawled neighborhoods draped over rolling hills with futuristic skyscrapers in the distance. Some residents were taking out garbage cans to the curbside and the early commuters were leaving for work in cars and buses. People were waking up to argue because that what you did to start a new day.
High above the rooftops, the Orbs appeared suddenly as if they had been hiding behind mirrors and they descended from the sky toward the distant city center. Panicked voices, screams, and shouts came from every household and on every cell phone world-wide. The Orbs slowed their decent navigation then hovered in place as they came closer to the surface. They made a humming and popping sound. They grew bigger as they came closer to the Earth and cast large round shadows darkening the fields and neighborhoods below them. The Orbs rolled slowly backward as if fighting gravity to do a lazy stop and then they rotated slowly sideways like tops. They had a metallic gray hairy surface covered by dimples of different sizes. Each Orb had two large dimples indented like a pore structure that was covered by a vibrating membrane. They appeared mechanical and organic with hairy tentacles that dangled toward the ground appearing to float weightlessly in the morning’s slight wind. The membranes bulged and vibrated, appearing like the vocal sacs on the throats of male frogs.
People everywhere stared at the sky in disbelief and paralyzed as they gazed trans-fixed at the Orbs which quickly settled into long rows stretching toward the horizon. The Orbs quietly hovered above the surface but didn’t move forward. Parents marshaled their children inside the house and called police. Cell phones tower repeater service was overwhelmed and the emergency number 9001 stopped working. The vibrating membranes on the Orbs chattered rapidly as if a cold engine was starting up. A distant sonic boom and the rumble of jet turbines approaching was unnoticed. On the Orbs a band of light pulsed and then brightened to a blinding orange and white color. The flickering light intensified. A single beam of light from each Orb pushed toward the ground and each Orb made a sound like a deep exhale. The ground vibrated and shook with a mild earthquake and with a deep tone sound the lasers narrowed to a sharp point. Some people scattered and tripped over themselves, but most were frozen staring like cattle with jaws dropped open.
A sonic blast sent a wave of hot air out from each Orb then an explosive shock wave radiated out right behind it. The air moved in front carrying dust and debris and everyone on the planet simultaneously stepped back or stumbled backward to the ground. Glass shattered, windows burst into homes, windows on tall buildings exploded into the streets and the humans bolted in terror. The lasers on the Orbs descended and touched the ground where fires erupted explosively. The lasers slowly flattened and fanned out and the Orbs moved forward. Steam and smoke filled the air and a hissing sound occurred as metals melted and popped, transformed into steaming liquid pools. Everything was turned into vapor under the laser. The Orbs advanced into Earth’s city centers and neighborhoods in formations like snowplows. The neighborhood on the hill was in chaos as people scrambled inside their houses to gather children and rush out to their cars to add to the log jam of people who would trap themselves on the freeway.
Fighter jets dived from above and roared overhead while they fired rockets at the Orbs and then banked in different directions around them. The rockets trailed exhaust and exploded in a fireball on the outside of the Orbs with no damage. The smoke from the explosion entered the pores on the Orbs as if being vacuumed with a wet sniff sound. Soldiers, futuristic tanks and mobile cannons, positioned themselves in front of the advancing Orbs. Panicked crowds ran past them in the opposite direction. The city was in retreat mode. Soldiers engaged the Orbs with mortars and cannons shooting from forwarding operating bases while tracers and rockets filled the sky above. Everywhere on Earth, the battle had begun.
The Orbs responded with lasers that emitted out from anywhere on the Orb surface with pin-point accuracy they targeted the jets in the air, tanks that moved forward on the ground, and the cover that troops sought as they retreated. Round metal-like compact black tangled masses rolled out from the pores on each Orb ship. They dropped the short distance to the ground and hit the ground with a metal ‘clang’ sound. It rolled a short distance and then burst open where three-legged machines de-tangled themselves from the casing. These machines had gun turrets that spun around in all directions rapidly firing lasers at the defending army. Thousands of black droid machines advanced, firing lasers and moving rapidly like spiders to overwhelm ground defenses. The Orbs destroyed the frantic air defense and the black machines removed resistance as they overtook the surprised defenders. A flat white laser-like light emitted from the Orb, a kind of strobe light and then it began vaporizing soldiers and equipment as they retreated. The army retreated to areas where the strobe light was not hitting the surface, they were being herded. The strobe light changed direction and focused to kill any resistance in the air. The lasers cut through the air and zig-zagged on the ground then shifted upward and down again as if searching for anything trying to escape.
Beneath each Orb was a long bluish laser that was scraping the ground and leveling the ground by clearing away the burnt remains of buildings that had been turned into molten metal and debris. Hard metal scraping noises echoed through the city and the sound of metal twisting and wreckage tumbling occurred as large piles of debris were pushed around by the Orbs until they were reduced to small puddles of silver metal. Burned-out houses, schools, and offices were reduced to torches and consumed by fire. Melted metals, organic material, and stone were plowed in piles that rolled into a burning caramel-like substance and then evaporated into steam and smoke. The surface of the ground that remained was leveled as if plowed by a road grader. In other areas, there were large piles of debris pushed into tangled molten heaps. Hairy black droppings fell from the dangling tubular tentacles and plopped on the ground in rows covering the newly leveled surface.
The membrane disk structures on the Orbs vibrated and hummed and in the center of each was a puckering hole that was vacuuming air forcefully into the ship. Smoke, steam, and molecules released by the vaporizing harrow, circled into a violent wind that swirled on the ground below each Orb and billowed into the air then sucked back into the orifice on the Orb. The aliens advanced, each machine with a broiling wave of blue fire in front of them and a massive tornado-like storm swirling under.
Humanity was in full panic mode, running in all directions, screaming, pushing each other and praying. Thousands of segmented bodied creatures with similar membrane-covered domes on their heads swarmed out the ship's pores like ants. They were attracted and excited by fear, movement, and panic. They leaped from the ships to the ground floating rapidly down immune to gravity. The tornado swirling under the ship and the heat and fire from the Orb did not affect the creatures. Thousands of claws ‘clicked’ on metal surfaces as they hopped and leaped to the ground with quick spider-like movements. The dome membranes vibrated to the sounds around them and like crabs on three thin appendages, they moved sideways quickly. They had two upper clawed snapping appendages and their entire body quivered in anticipation. The creatures began chasing, catching human prey, swarming, and tearing flesh while the victims screamed. These creatures had sharp lances protruding from their ‘face’ and it easily pounded into human tissue and bone allowing them to feed in a mosquito-like mann
er.
Humans were screaming in a panic running toward a nearby park followed by panicked soldiers backing up and firing their weapons wildly. The commotion caught the attention of these creatures and they immediately gave chase to herd and surround the humans into a clearing. Conventional weapons did not affect the creatures and the humans were easily overpowered and disarmed. In seconds, the group was trapped and as they scrambled around within the corral, they witnessed the death of others as the circle closed in. The group was trapped with mothers screaming and cowering as they held their children and desperate soldiers shooting weapons at point-blank range on the creatures. An organized reinforcement rescue assault quickly turned into a panicked firefight as their useless weapons forced another panicked retreat. Soldiers began shooting citizens who were being eaten alive. The feeding frenzy continued uninterrupted. Rockets fired from far away struck the Orbs with massive explosions, lasers filled the sky in all directions and jets exploded in midair.
Outside the Onanes’ flat, on the far side of the city, they heard the jets screaming over the house and then everything shook in a familiar way for Sarah and she held on to the table then looked up at the ceiling as dust fell inside the room. “Well, Damn it. That’s not good.”
A nearby explosion sent shrapnel bouncing into the yard and from out the kitchen window, they could see bullets zipping through the trees from automatic rifle fire. “We have no time to waste,” Sarah shouted, “double-time it.” Everyone scrambled frantically gathering the equipment that was not already packed.
Neil dug into his closet, searching for his translator as cloths flew over his shoulder. Rik hopped on one leg as he pulled his cargo pants. “Let's go,” he shouted, “We should have been in position hours ago.”
Sarah was calm and angry. “Move you two, grab your translators. Damn it. How did we miss this? Both of you were supposed to take turns at sentry duty. We needed to leave long before this point. What the hell happened?”
Rik rushed by his mother, randomly filling his duffle bag and then placed a small flesh-colored disk unit on his throat. He reached for her pack. “Let me carry that, mom. It's heavy.”
Sarah clutched her bag. “No. Damn you. What the hell happened?”
He ignored her and grunted under the weight of his duffle as he hoisted it to his shoulder.
Sarah grabbed Rik by the collar and shook him, “you watch out for Neil. If we need to make a run for it and get separated, don’t wait for me, but keep Neil close by, do you understand? That’s a God damn order.” Rik nodded, “what’s in our carry duffle bags is mission-critical everything else stays, let make command decisions about that along the way.” She roughly released him. Rik stepped back almost stumbling.
Neil stepped into the doorway. “God damn it, hurry momma. Guys let’s get the hell out of here. We’re out of time. We need to run.”
Rik led them in a rush out the room, “Roger that.”
Rik and Neil moved through the small house fast, but Sarah stopped in her tracks and shouted after them. “Don't worry, run. Stay with your brother, run. I am right behind you,” She searched her pockets, “Cube, my cube.” She eyed the equipment they were abandoning.
Rik and Neil raced out the door into the street with Sarah a few steps behind them holding a black tube in her hand when an explosion engulfed their house. Rik turned around and the blast threw him on his back. Neil flew into the air and landed on all fours facing the opposite direction and Sarah propelled forward and then her body slammed on the pavement like a rag doll. She rolled on the street. The instrument in her hand tumbled end over end across the street. The straps of her bag tangled around her arm. Metal and stone blew across the street and chirrs of wood and stone flew by Rik’s face. A rolling fireball boiled around the small house and rose into the sky. An Orb, vaporizing the adjoining neighborhood appeared through the smoke. Laser blasts flashed out toward the neighborhoods and a jet in a ball of fire blazed overhead and crashed a few blocks away.
Rik stood up. “No, No, No,” he screamed and ran to his mother, stumbled to crash on his knees next to her. He gently rolled her over and quickly inspected her battered body. Blood pooled under her ribs. Tears filled Rik’s eyes, “Mom, momma.” He made a vain attempt to push her bloody silver hair from her face, but it was matted with blood that covered his hand. Neil stood beside them his face streaked by tears and mouth gapped in fear as he scanned his mother’s body sprawled on the ground.
“I am alright,” Sarah said but couldn’t move. Her head flopped backward, and her eyes rolled back, she began to convulse with quick breathing. “Here, you need to take care of this, don’t lose it,” she reached into her vest pocket and placed a small cube in Rik’s hand. He clenched his fist around it. He shouldered her bag and shouted to his brother. “Leave all the equipment. Let’s get mom up. We need to figure out how to do some first aid before we leave. Get out your field med tool.”
Neil shouted. “I left it in the house,” he looked at the burning building.
Rik turned to his brother. “You What? I told you this was coming. You're never prepared. You complete God damn fucking dumb ass. Mine is in my bag, get it now.”
The equipment that Neil was carrying clanged on the street and he shouted, “You overslept, this is on you again.”
An explosion shook the ground and spilled shrapnel into the street and around their feet, but they ignored it.
“Stay together... don't get separated,” Sarah said in a weak calm voice, she coughed blood and choked then gasped for air violently then finally she said, “Rik, I can’t move. You and your brother need to go. Mission Protocol Six.”
Rik searched around himself. Lost. “I am not following that now. I am not leaving you. Let’s get you moved.”
“No,” Sarah said in a small voice.
Rik smoothed her hair and touched her face with his non-bloodied hand, “What?”
She regained consciousness but she was struggling to live. “All you have is each other... don't fight. Survive. Please survive. My boys…please survive. Mission-critical. Rik. Don’t lose the cube…”
Rik continued to wave the small tube over her body while Neil monitored on his Tablet.
Neil nodded ‘no’. “Major trauma to the spinal cord,” Neil said almost in a whisper, “high carbon dioxide in her blood, no activity in internal intercostals and obliques. Ventilatory demands can’t maintain.” He looked at Rik directly and shook his head.”
“Momma, can you stand?” Rik pleaded, “You need to stand to—"
“Oh God,” Neil shouted as he looked at the approaching Orbs, “Oh God.”
Rik hurried to try to work fast to repair his mother, “we need to roll her over, the wound on the back is not repairing.”
Rik gently stroked Sarah’s face. “I love you, mom.”
She regarded him. “I can’t move. Run. Take care of him,” she looked at Neil as if not recognizing him, “he’s my baby, promise?”
“Yeah, yes, of course, I will,” Rik said.
A panicked team of Marines raced by and a lost mother carrying a child screamed at no one. “Help me.”
A massive cascade of napalm exploded, and fire rolled through a neighborhood a few blocks away. The ground rumbled and shook, and plumes of black smoke rose in a line. Sarah died in Rik's arms. She was clutching his arm tightly but slowly released her hold. Rik buried his head in her battered shoulder holding her limp hand and trembled with grief. Tears rolled off his face. “Damn it.” He cried uncontrollably unable to catch his breath. “Damn it to all hell. Everything is shit. I hate this god damn life,” he shouted, “why can’t I just die?”
Neil scooted away and held himself cross-armed sobbing quietly alone. A hissing sound interrupted the moment and a tidal wave of blue fire approached them with a crackling and popping sound that grew louder into a roar. The air shimmered with heat and everything under the blue laser-like bright light instantly melted. Neil looked up in terror as the back of what remained of their small h
ouse lifted in the air and torched like paper.
“We have to go, now,” Neil shouted, “come on, now,” he jumped with anticipation and lifted Rik's limp body and pushed him to run, “leave her.”
“No. Are you crazy?”
Neil pushed him harder, “leave her,” he ordered.
Survival instinct kicked in and the two bolted away to save themselves in a fast race just steps ahead of the blue flame. They ran together but the blue rolling fire behind them was catching up. The air was filled with acrid smoke that choked them and the smell of burnt rubber, metals, and flesh made them want to vomit with each deep breath.
They pushed their way through panicked crowds and scrambled over piles of charred crunchy debris only to be turned like a school of fish to run in another direction as buildings fell over spilling debris around their feet and behind them pyroclastic-like clouds of dust and smoke streamed into the streets. Screams of terror were everywhere but Rik did not hear it as he violently pushed and shoved slow-moving persons out of the way. He looked back. Neil was right behind him, “Keep up, Run,” he shouted at his brother.
A flattened laser plowed behind them and another merged effectively cutting off their escape and the rolling wave of fire approached faster. Panicked crowds ran for their lives in confused directions where they stumbled and fell then sizzled into steam. Vaporized instantly only a few steps behind Rik and Neil.