by N. W. Harris
“We’re not all violent monsters bent on killing each other,” Laura objected with disgust.
“No, you are not,” Lily confirmed apologetically. “Humans have a great capacity for love and creation. It’s another reason my people are so fond of you. Humans are the greatest achievement of the Anunnaki—both sides agree upon that. You also desire peace, and we rebels expect one day your people will stop fighting each other. But for now, your intelligence, primal aggressiveness, and propensity toward war make you ideal soldiers. You are their secret weapon, and they expect you’ll help them overthrow their enemies. These same characteristics may save you and your planet from them.”
“But our armies are gone. We’re just a bunch of kids,” Jules said. “What do you expect us to do?”
“Based on our calculations, we have between four to six months until the Anunnaki arrive,” she replied. “It’s not much time, but we can train you. My partner and I had a long history of executing covert operations against the enemy before we came here, and we helped train lots of recruits.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, “and you lost.”
“Remember,” her enthusiasm was undeterred by his pessimistic response, “unlike the multitude of successful attacks we rebels made during the war, the enemy won’t be expecting you. They don’t know we are here. You have surprise on your side. Yes, the odds of success in this mission are dire at best, but we believe in you. And you have to believe in yourselves.”
Lily studied them, admiration and optimism in her eyes. Shane fidgeted with his cup, his head aching from all the new information. He glanced at his friends. They had to fight—what else was there to do?
“We’ve been dealing with the impossible for the last two days, so I guess we’re used to it,” Shane said. Then he faced Lily, resting his elbows on the table. “What do we have to do?”
“A small fleet of Anunnaki ships are coming to earth,” she began. “Their mission is to enslave the remaining kids. They’ll use the slave gene in the kids to make them pass through seven main recruit ships, which will land in different parts of the world. They’ll equip the kids with armor and weapons. You will be with the enslaved kids. You and six other teams, en route to this base now, will enter the ships, appearing to be under Anunnaki control.”
She paused and looked up and down the table, like she was making sure they were following what she was saying.
“We already got that. Go on,” Shane demanded, his head spinning.
“Once you’re equipped, you’ll slip away from the rest of the recruits and make your way to the ship’s engineering department,” she said, now speaking directly to him. “We will teach you how to input a sequence into the control panel that will destroy the primary reactor.”
“And then what?” Steve asked. “Sounds like a suicide mission.”
“Everyone in the reactor chamber will die. But if you can get out before the reactor goes critical, then your odds of survival are actually quite high,” Lily said, though Shane wasn’t convinced this part of the plan was a priority.
“The Anunnaki use the energy from the ship’s reactors to power their strength-enhanced armor, and they need it to boost the control signal to the human slaves. With the reactors destroyed, the enemy will be thrown into chaos, and the slaves will be freed. Then we have a chance of defeating them.”
Lily wanted to beat the Anunnaki—that much was clear. Whether or not she cared if Shane and his friends survived was yet to be determined.
“Well, if it’s the only hope we have,” Tracy commented. “We have to at least give it a try.”
“We knew you would,” Lily replied. “Which is why you are here.”
“And you think we’re the best people for this mission?” Shane asked, skeptical.
“Well, you managed to shut down the limbic manipulator weapon, didn’t you?” Lily looked up and down the table, her eyes wide as if to invite an objection.
“You didn’t know that when you selected us,” Shane said, his gazed fixed on her. Had he caught her in a lie? “Why did you choose us?”
“We have neural scanning equipment that is beyond your understanding,” she replied, not acting the least bit suspicious. “We scanned you before we met you at the farmhouse, when we flew over in the helicopters. The results of the scan are what led to your, and every other team’s, selection. We were surprised that you didn’t seem to have any special training, but now that I know what you’ve done, the scan results make perfect sense.” Lily paused, her expression becoming more sincere. “You may not have the training of some of the other groups, but you’ve got a fighting spirit that few can match. You’re the type of people that don’t give up, and that’s what we need if we’re to make it through this situation.”
“Judging by what you must’ve gone through, I doubt those pastries have done much to curb your appetite.” Lily stood and came back around the table.
He felt more at ease when she approached him, beginning to come to terms with the idea that they were on the same team. She had suffered too, had lost her people and her home. He couldn’t ignore the irony of having the rebels land on a planet destined for harvesting. What were the odds? And even if the enemy was as formidable as she made them out to be, the notion of destroying them from the inside seemed viable. He wanted to believe she was good, and her plan could work, but he reminded himself to stay cautious.
“So, about these guns,” Lily said, looking at Kelly’s M-16, which was propped against the table. “I won’t order you to relinquish them, but I do worry about an accidental discharge. You brought a lot of kids with you, and it concerns me to have these weapons everywhere.”
The teens were silent. Shane stared at her, hesitant to take the final leap. He glanced at his friends—all eyes were on him. They expected him to make the decision; otherwise, they would have said something by now. Biting the inside of his cheek, he looked at Lily once again and sighed.
“Yeah, I think it’s okay to leave them here,” he said.
Lily smiled. Relief settled on everyone’s face except Tracy’s and Steve’s. He sensed neither of them had misgivings about parting with their guns for fear of Lily. They glanced at the weapons with longing—children forced to surrender their favorite toys.
Aside from football, Steve’s other great passion was hunting. He wasn’t good at school, just barely making the grades so he could play sports, and he wasn’t particularly successful with the ladies, who probably didn’t enjoy that he only talked about these two things.
Tracy loved anything military related. Her stepdad had been a Green Beret in the Army, and she seemed to want to be just like him. The JROTC program at Leeville High had been an obscure club with a few oddballs in disheveled uniforms when Shane was in the ninth grade. With her stepdad’s help, she revived the unit in less than two years. She even had the soldier wannabes marching during halftimes and twirling rifles.
Grinning at their discontentment and satisfied his friends felt he’d made the right decision, he followed Lily out of the conference room and onto the tarmac. She pointed the hungry teenagers toward the base cafeteria and went back inside.
He and his friends walked across the base in silence, and he expected they, like him, were contemplating all Lily had just said to them. She’d mentioned six other teams were on their way, and his imagination conjured three dozen teenage commandos with tattoos and battle scars being scooped up from the darkest corners of the globe. It made sense to get the best kids alive on this mission. But, if the rebels initially weren’t aware his team had shut down the limbic manipulator, why had they chosen them? It wasn’t like they had any special training that would make them better candidates. The whole neural scan from above explanation she gave wasn’t easy to believe. Maybe Lily did already know what they’d achieved and was just trying to boost their egos by acting amazed when they told her.
The cafeteria was inside a squat, rectangular building, a contrast to the curved half-pipe or taller, blocky structures making up
much of the perimeter of the airfield. Passing through the glass doors, Shane immediately got a sense that the ceiling was too low. It gave the windowless dining room a dark and claustrophobic feeling, despite the lines of fluorescent lights breaking the monotony of the acoustic tiles. It had more rows of tables than the Leeville High lunchroom had, and a long, stainless-steel serving area took up the entire wall opposite the entry.
“Some rescue,” Maurice grumbled, setting his tray down across from Shane. “When they plucked us off that farm, I thought things might get better.”
“I’m not ready to give up,” Shane replied, trying to maintain a semblance of courage. He looked across the room at Kelly, who was in line getting food.
“Me neither—I’m with you,” Maurice said unconvincingly. “It just sucks, that’s all.” His head drooped, and he shoveled a bite of tuna casserole into his mouth.
Although he’d only known him for a couple of days, he felt close to Maurice. The short, thick kid was willing to give his life if that was what it took to win. He was a great orator, brave as hell, and strong as an ox. Shane didn’t know much else about him. In the short time they’d been acquainted, he’d never seen the boy carry his head so low. He usually stood proud and seemed taller than he actually was, but now something was undermining his confidence.
“What was your family like?”
Maurice glanced up, his eyes wide like he was taken off guard by the question.
“They were the best kind of people,” he said earnestly. “My dad was a preacher in a church in Stone Mountain. Mom was a nurse. All they ever wanted to do was to help others, to make the world a better place.” He looked at his tray, chasing a brussel sprout around it with his fork.
“Did you have any brothers and sisters?”
Shane didn’t want Maurice to dig up painful memories, but it had made him feel better when he talked to Kelly about those he’d lost. And if he was going to continue to fight alongside these kids, he wanted to get to know them.
“Yeah, a grip of them.” Maurice gave a little smile. “I was the youngest. I had a sister and two brothers who were in college and two other sisters who were all grown up and married.” He paused, his eyes glistening. “Veronica, the oldest, was pregnant.” His voice trailed off.
“I’m sorry,” Shane said quietly, hoping he hadn’t asked too many questions.
“It wasn’t so bad before this morning.” The thick kid’s lower lip trembled. “I had my faith—believed they were all in heaven.”
“What changed?” Shane hated to see Maurice so distraught. The kid had been a rock through the battle in Atlanta. Shane needed him to be strong now.
“Lily said we were made by aliens,” Maurice replied, sounding disgusted. “Don’t you see? It defies everything we learned in church. Makes me feel like my whole religion is a farce.”
“I don’t see it that way,” Shane replied. “Just because there’s more to our history than we knew before doesn’t mean heaven doesn’t exist. I know my granny, my mom and dad, and everyone else is up there looking down on us right now. I can feel it. Just because some of what we’ve been taught might be wrong doesn’t mean what you feel in your heart isn’t true.”
Shane was half impressed with what he’d just said. It sounded like some of Granny’s counseling. Looking at Maurice, he smiled, but inside, he felt a twinge of shame. Maurice seemed way more qualified to give spiritual advice. Shane wasn’t even sure he really believed what he’d just said. He was trying to make Maurice feel better, and his own doubts made him feel like a liar and a hypocrite.
“You know what?” Maurice raised his head. “You’re right.” He reached across the table and put his hand on Shane’s forearm. “Thanks, brother.”
He nodded and then glanced around the room, unable to keep looking into the boy’s brown eyes with the uncertainty eating at his insides. However, he knew he’d done the right thing. If he was going to lead these people, he had to put their well-being and peace of mind above his own.
The cafeteria had at least sixty tables in it. Red-haired Rebecca and another girl who’d been a victim in the assault at the gym monitored the youngsters, sitting at a table on the other side. That corner of the room had more chatter and even some laughter coming from it. He envied the little ones, some young enough that they’d forget most of this in a few years if they survived what was to come.
“What about you?” Maurice looked at Shane, his eyes showing compassion and an innate desire to ease the suffering of others. Fitting for the son of a preacher and a nurse. “What was your family like?”
“Mine was a bit of a mess, but I loved them just the same,” Shane replied honestly.
He told Maurice about his mom, and how she’d died of cancer a while back. Then he talked about Granny before mentioning the weapon killed his aunt and father. Maurice was easy to talk to, and he didn’t feel as much pain as he expected while recanting the story. Perhaps he was starting to get over their deaths, or maybe it was the numbness haunting him from the moment his aunt died—he couldn’t tell which.
“Y’all got something deep going on there?” Maurice said, a mischievous grin on his face.
Shane realized he’d been looking at Kelly as he told the last half of the story. She was heading across the cafeteria toward their table. He felt his face get warm and returned his attention to Maurice.
“I reckon we might,” Shane replied and cleared his throat.
“Well, that’s a good thing as far as I see it,” Maurice said. “As long as we got love, we’ll be alright. That’s what my pop used to say.”
“Hey guys,” Kelly said, walking around the table and sitting next to Shane. She forced a smile at them, and he could see she was having trouble digesting everything too.
“Hi Kelly,” Maurice replied, smiling in return.
Shane was glad the old Maurice was back. His steady and ever-present cheerfulness was good medicine.
“At least they have decent food here,” Shane said, watching Kelly dig in.
He took a bite of his roll and imagined what it would’ve been like to have her cut through the crowd in the high school lunchroom so she could sit next to him. It would’ve been insane. Shane would have risen from near obscurity to the height of teenage royalty had this captain of the cheerleading team chosen him over all the other boys in school. He chuckled at the thought.
“What?” Kelly glanced at him.
“Nothing,” he replied, embarrassed.
“I’m so hungry,” she said with an apologetic tone, and then started eating slower.
“Me too,” he replied, trying to convey he wasn’t laughing at her.
The funny thing was that Kelly was probably oblivious to the power she’d had in high school. Like a fairytale princess, she was humble and sweet to everyone. Before, Shane sometimes wondered if it was just an act, if maybe she was being condescending. Now he realized she was genuinely a kind person, though, she had a mean streak of which he never wanted to be on the receiving end.
Steve and Laura came to the table, followed by Jules and Tracy. They finished lunch without much talk. Once in a while, one of them would look up from their food over to the other tables, perhaps envious of the higher spirits of the little kids or just checking on them to make sure they were all right.
These were good people. Each had proven they would fight alongside him. They’d give their lives if necessary. This was Shane’s team, and he wasn’t going to let them get manipulated by anyone. But Lily might be telling the truth—she sure seemed to be. He had to build up their confidence, make them believe they could stop the Anunnaki. A lover of proverbial quotes, Coach Rice had told him confidence was the ocean on which the victorious sail. Even if Shane didn’t think they had a chance against the Anunnaki, he had to make his team believe he thought they would win. His own fears and concerns must be suppressed, and he had to help them overcome theirs.
“So what are we gonna do, boss?” Steve asked, wiping his mouth with his hand and the
n rubbing it down his shirt.
“We’re gonna train,” he replied firmly. “We’re going to practice and learn everything these rebels can teach us. We’ve got to bust our asses every day until the Anunnaki arrive.”
“We should act like a military special forces unit if we are going to have a chance,” Tracy interjected. “We should wake up early and run. We need to get in the best shape we can.”
“Agreed, and we should do some calisthenics too,” Shane added. “At least some push-ups and sit-ups.” He’d played sports long enough to know being in good shape would only help them. And the less time they spent thinking about how impossible their mission was, or about lost loved ones, the better.
“Who are we kidding?” Laura said, hysteria pitching her voice. She was sitting on the other side of Steve, hidden behind his massive frame. “I don’t mean to be a downer, but how can a bunch of teenagers defeat space soldiers who have been traveling around the universe for thousands of years, kicking the crap out of entire worlds for fun? I mean, has it occurred to you guys that it sounds like no one has ever beaten them?”
“Yes, Laura, that has occurred to me,” Shane replied quickly. He could see Tracy was about to snap at her, and he knew it wouldn’t help. “But we are different. The Anunnaki have never fought humans, so we don’t know what our chances are.” He gave each of his friends a stern look. “No one ever wins a fight going into it thinking they’re gonna lose. We have to believe in ourselves, or we definitely don’t have a chance.”
Laura didn’t respond, but her comment put a damper on the mood of the kids around the table. After a moment, Shane stood and lifted his tray, taking it to the window on the right side of the cafeteria and dumping the remains of his meal into a trash can. Sliding the tray through the window into the kitchen, he could see some of the kids from his and Maurice’s groups washing dishes and helping prepare food.