by J. C. Diem
Reaching the far side of the danger zone, we continued our sprint until we were well clear of the toxic fumes. Releasing his soldiers, Geordie waved a hand in front of his face and wrinkled his nose in disgust. We were coated in the smell of rotten eggs and I knew from experience that it wasn’t going to fade any time soon.
Higgins cautiously removed his helmet and took a tentative breath of air. At his thumbs up, the others took their helmets off as well. Sergeant Wesley radioed Sanderson that it was safe to enter the city.
“Stay where you are,” was the general’s order. “I’ll join you shortly.”
From what I’d seen of the map of the city, we had entered from the west. There were no signs of panic in the suburban neighbourhood. We were too far from the centre of town to hear the battle that was raging away. No one in this suburb even knew they were under attack yet.
“How many enemies are we facing this time, Natalie?” Gregor asked.
Sending my senses eastward, I tallied the numbers and frowned. “Not many. There are only two thousand robots and five thousand imps on the ground.” I didn’t include the growing number of humans that were rapidly being converted into clones in the total.
Igor’s shaggy head turned to take in the quiet streets. “I do not like this. Something feels very wrong.”
Everything had felt wrong for so long now that I didn’t know what ‘right’ felt like anymore. I had to agree with Igor, though. Why would the Viltarans send in such a small group to subdue and convert a population of several hundred thousand people?
Wesley quietly updated the general about how many enemies we were facing.
Twenty minutes later, Sanderson and a small group of his soldiers arrived. Bright yellow hazmat suits soon lay strewn on the streets as the men gratefully stripped down to their uniforms. Most had to catch their breath from their efforts of jogging while wearing the bulky suits.
“My soldiers have encircled the city and are waiting to move in on my signal,” the general informed us. He’d changed out of his officer’s suit into the fatigues that suited him more. “We should have more than enough firepower to take down these droids and clones. Have you pinpointed where they are?” He directed the question at me.
My answer was to point eastward. “They’re that way.” I would have preferred not to interact with him directly but now wasn’t the time to be childish. While I hadn’t verbally agreed to call a halt to our mutual hostilities, it made sense to utilize the resources that were available.
“Let’s move out.” At the general’s order, we began jogging quietly through the suburban streets.
·~·
Chapter Sixteen
Drawing closer to the centre of the city, I detected the sounds of battle long before the soldiers did. I wasn’t surprised to hear gunshots ringing out. Guns had been outlawed in Australia but Americans had different laws and they still had the right to bear arms. Bear them these townsfolk did and they weren’t shy about using them. Many of the civilians had opted to defend their city. They weren’t about to cower inside their homes and be invaded without putting up a fight.
The soldiers hurried their pace when they drew close enough to hear the defiant screams and civilian gunfire. Piping cries from the Kveet imps added to the cacophony, creating fear in even the stoutest of human hearts. For most of the soldiers, this was their first encounter with extra-terrestrials. Only Sanderson’s diminished team of six hundred men and women recognized the sounds that they were hearing.
Sanderson remained in constant contact with his men. In a well-choreographed manoeuvre, ten thousand soldiers moved in to eradicate the enemy. More hazmat suits must have arrived along with the extra troopers for our force to have grown that much.
We reached the outskirts of a large park where most of the civilians had gathered to fight the enemy. Sensing movement from the Viltaran ship overhead, I tilted my head back but it remained hidden from view. Dropping lower and lower, it halted only a few streets away. The camouflage was switched off and the black hull became visible as it disgorged more automatons and Kveet imps. Hovering just above the rooftops and moving in a wide circle, it continued to drop its payload of clones and imps.
“We are about to be in serious trouble,” I said to my friends. Before they could ask me what I’d meant, I hurried over to Sanderson. “The Viltarans have just dropped off another eight thousand droids and twenty thousand imps.”
The general seemed almost to age ten years right before my eyes at the grave news. “Where are they?”
“They’re mimicking our attack and are encircling the town.” I wasn’t much of a strategist but even I understood that we would now be under attack from two sides. It wasn’t a position any of us wanted to be caught in.
“How far behind us are they?”
“They’re a few streets away and they’re closing in fast.”
Reaching for his radio, Sanderson changed his orders. “We’re about to be attacked by a large force from behind. They don’t know that we are aware of their presence yet so use this to your advantage. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes so take cover and look sharp.” He signed off and cast a look at the beleaguered civilians. We didn’t have enough people to fight both forces at the same time. For now, the townsfolk would have to battle their foes alone.
Obeying the general’s hand signals, we scattered to find shelter. Some of the soldiers ducked down behind cars that had been parked on the street. Several hundred readied death rays. They might have a short range but they were highly effective against both the clones and the droids. It was a pity they couldn’t destroy both at the same time.
Leaping over a fence, I dropped down out of sight. I was surprised when Luc landed beside me. My smile died when he merely glanced at me coolly then made room for Geordie. The teen sent me a sympathetic glance then turned to peer between the wooden palings. I wasn’t sure if the fence would be able to protect us from the death rays but at least they would keep us out of sight as the automatons approached.
The pitter-patter of tiny, clawed feet alerted us that the clones had arrived. They were eerily silent this time instead of moaning pitifully for food. This was an ambush and they’d been cautioned by their masters to be silent. Unfortunately for them, their ambush was about to be turned against them. Several units of androids followed just behind the imps. Their silver faces were blank but their red eyes were alert.
“Now!” At Sanderson’s shout, we opened fire.
A burst of bullets sent the first wave of imps flying backwards in a spray of fluorescent yellow blood. The droids reacted immediately and began firing their death rays at the soldiers. Two men scrambled for fresh cover when the car that had been shielding them turned to dust motes beneath several beams of violet light. They weren’t quite quick enough and turned into tiny piles of minute particles a second later as another droid targeted them. Some of the soldiers were hit by nanobot darts and became the very creatures they were trying to destroy. Higgins threw himself sideways, narrowly avoiding one of the syringes. It hit the man who had been standing beside him instead, instantly transforming him into a hulking, heavily muscled monster. Higgins fired an explosive round into the new imp’s face and dived over a fence to safety a bare second before his former teammate exploded.
Punching a hole in the fence, Luc fired his death ray at the killbots. Geordie and I copied him, sharing a sheepish look that neither of us had thought to make a murder hole of our own. On the far side of the street, Igor, Gregor, Kokoro and Ishida had also taken cover behind a fence. Igor took careful aim through a gap where a paling was missing. The others also made holes that they could fire through. We might be superior supernatural creatures but we weren’t above using sneak tactics.
We were slowly whittling down their numbers but they would be on us shortly and we would be forced to retreat. The civilians in the park had rallied and were making a concerted effort to destroy the robots and imps at our backs. It was a never ending battle as their friends, family and neighbours wer
e converted into monsters when they were hit with nanobot darts, adding to the enemy’s ranks.
The tide turned in our favour when several thousand more armed townsfolk arrived, drawn by the noise of battle. Now it was the droids’ turn to be caught between two forces. They changed to their nanobot guns and started firing darts wildly into the crowd. Sanderson bellowed an order to close in and we surged out of hiding to converge on the enemy. Imps and droids alike crumpled beneath our barrage of firepower. The earthlings’ guns might not be as technologically advanced as the alien weapons but they tore through both flesh and metal easily enough.
It was almost dawn by the time the soldiers finished off the last of the imps. Each fallen droid was stripped of their weapons and the death rays were distributed amongst the remaining troops. Most were shell shocked and would require therapy after the things they had witnessed. War was never pretty, no matter who or what you were fighting. I should know, I’d been in my fair share of them by now.
Gregor stood in a contemplative silence as he watched the soldiers scrounging through the wreckage for alien weapons.
Knowing his old friend well, Luc voiced a question. “What are you thinking, Gregor?”
“Nothing comforting, I am afraid. This battle seemed almost too easy.”
Geordie made a sound of disagreement. “We lost hundreds of soldiers and thousands of civilians.” Their bodies lay everywhere and reminded me of confetti that had yet to be cleaned up after a New Year’s Eve party. Some had been torn apart and eaten by newly converted imps. Gory skeletons that had been almost completely stripped of their meat stood out from the rest of the carnage. The Kveet clones might be tiny but their appetites were prodigious.
I hated to admit it, but Gregor was right. “I don’t understand why they didn’t just send all of their droids and clones out to take over the town. Surely they’d have a much better chance of success that way?”
Gregor nodded, still studying the fallen. “I have a theory.” Of course he does, I thought with a mixture of amusement and admiration. “I believe the Viltarans have become almost too cautious.”
“What do you mean?” Ishida asked.
“Before they decimated their own planet, they numbered in the millions,” Gregor explained. He’d either been told this by M’narl or he’d deduced it through the number of broken cities he’d observed on the alien monitors. “Their tactics, when invading other worlds, was to use overwhelming numbers. Their adversaries simply couldn’t withstand the barrage of firepower and most succumbed with little resistance.”
Kokoro backed up his theory. “Now there are a mere twenty-one of their kind left and their forces are minimal. They are facing over seven billion humans. I imagine that must be a daunting prospect, even for the Viltarans.”
“If they weren’t hiding on their ship, we would crush them like bugs,” Igor said. He clenched a meaty fist to illustrate his point.
“Do you think we’ll be able to defeat them?” Geordie asked Gregor.
“We will, eventually,” was Gregor’s response. “But I fear they will cause a great deal of damage before we can destroy them all.”
He’d been right, again. His theory wasn’t very comforting at all.
Tired and coated in a layer of dust and the lingering smell of sulphur, Sanderson called Corporal Higgins to his side. After a short conversation, he sent the young soldier to speak to us.
While he didn’t make the offer in person, Sanderson showed he still had the capacity for decency. “The General has had some rooms set aside in a hotel where you can get cleaned up,” Higgins told me.
I wasn’t about to turn down the offer of a shower. “Lead the way,” I replied.
“New clothing would also be very welcome,” Kokoro added. All of my friends’ modified Viltaran clothing was torn and stained. My borrowed jeans and red sweater weren’t quite as bad. I’d managed to take one shower since landing back on our home world but the others hadn’t even had that. Even Geordie perked up a bit at the offer. His hair was in matted clumps that smelled like rotten eggs. Unfortunately, mine reeked almost as badly.
The sun was dangerously close to rising as Higgins escorted us towards a small hotel. There were no skyscrapers to block the killing rays this time. We hurried through the doors into a tiny foyer. The décor was dated and the dark brown carpet was worn and in need of replacement. A few garish prints did their best to brighten the beige walls. It wasn’t exactly a five star establishment but at least it was clean.
Still white faced and trembling from the battle, a clerk stood behind the counter. Higgins didn’t bat an eyelid at the sight of a shotgun lying on the counter. The clerk already had a row of key cards lined up, ready for us. We all took one, except for Kokoro. Naturally, she and Gregor would be sharing a room.
It hit me then that this was the first time Luc and I wouldn’t be sharing the same room. His expression was as serene as always and gave no indication that he felt any pain at the demise of our relationship. Meanwhile, I felt as though a rusty sword was stabbing me repeatedly in the heart.
Higgins also took a key card, making sure he had one of the rooms next to mine. The clerk raised his eyebrows suggestively but wisely remained silent. Geordie opened his mouth to voice his displeasure but Igor frowned at him in warning. The teen swallowed his jealous tirade but shot the soldier a narrow eyed glare. Oblivious to the byplay, the corporal nodded his thanks at the clerk.
Our rooms were all on the first floor and we followed Higgins upstairs. He stopped at his door and addressed me. “I’ll request some new clothing for you all and have them delivered asap.” He waited for my nod of acknowledgement before disappearing into his room.
Geordie had the room to my left and pouted as he unlocked the door. He sent one final glare at me before stepping inside. I was pretty sure his jealousy was unfounded. Higgins wasn’t interested in me, he was just following orders. He was staying close so he could report back to his boss if he thought Sanderson needed to be appraised of any developments. I was under no illusions that the soldier was anything but a spy.
The rest of my friends entered their rooms and I noticed that Luc had made sure his was as far away from mine as possible. He closed his door without a backward glance. I desperately wished Kokoro could still read minds so she could tell me what Luc was thinking. Surely he can’t stay mad at me forever. My thought held more than a hint of desperation. He’d beheaded me and I’d managed to forgive him. Yeah but what you did was much worse. You told him your love wasn’t real, my inner voice pointed out. That was your fault! My subconscious fled at my internal shriek.
Becoming conscious of the fact that I was still standing in the doorway, I stepped inside and locked the door. My room was as bland and inoffensive as most hotel rooms tended to be. Beige was the main theme with a few splashes of colour in more cheap prints on the walls.
Stripping off, I left my filthy clothes on the floor and took a long shower that left my skin pink and prune-like. The wrinkles smoothed out as soon as I shut the water off and the colour faded quickly enough until I was back to being corpse pale again. I dried my hair with the cheap blow dryer the hotel provided then sat on the bed to wait for my new clothes to turn up.
When a knock came at my door a few minutes later, I opened it to find a soldier holding a bulging bag in one hand and a small bundle in the other. His eyes met mine then flicked down to the towel that rested just above my breasts. His cheeks turned bright red as he handed over some underwear, jeans, a fresh t-shirt and a dark purple sweater with a picture of a flaming skull on it. He mumbled a response at my thanks then turned to knock on Ishida’s door directly across the hall.
My new outfit fit well enough, except for the bra, which was one cup size too large. I shook my head at man’s inability to successfully gauge a woman’s boob size. At least the panties fit and they came with a tag, which indicated that they were new. My sneakers were stained and scuffed but they would have to do for now since new footwear hadn’t been prov
ided. I wasn’t sure why someone had chosen a sweater with a flaming skull on it. I wondered if it was supposed to be an insult. Strangely, the picture of a grinning skull cheerily blazing with fire appealed to me. I’d definitely stand out from the crowd while wearing it.
I was neither tired nor hungry and there was little to do but watch TV or pace. I opted to pace and trudged up and down the worn carpet while the others settled down to sleep, or to at least pretend to sleep.
When I couldn’t take the solitude anymore, I left my room and headed to the end of the hallway. I could sense Luc inside and knew he would have heard me approaching. At first I thought he was going to ignore me when I knocked softly. He roused himself when I knocked again and finally opened the door. Looking up into his model handsome face, I was reminded of the first time we’d met. He had been intimidatingly sophisticated and elegant then and had worn expensive cashmere. I’d felt decidedly shabby and insignificant in his presence. He’d been provided with plain black jeans and a black fake leather jacket this time, but I still felt insignificant beneath his distant gaze. His eyes dropped to the skull on my chest and he almost looked amused for a second. “Can we talk?” I asked him, knowing our friends were listening in.
Luc’s lips thinned as he considered my request. I figured the answer was affirmative when he stepped out into the hall and closed his door. I followed him up the stairs to the third floor and then into a tiny maintenance closet. The door was heavy and made of metal, which would help to keep our conversation private. The fact that he was going to such lengths for the others not to overhear us didn’t escape my notice. I had the distinct feeling that this talk wasn’t going to go as well as I hoped.
Leaning against the wall, Luc crossed his arms. It was an intentional sign that he was closing me out. “What did you want to discuss?” His tone wasn’t exactly cold. At best, it could be called neutral.
“The depletion of Earth’s natural resources,” I said sarcastically. “What do you think I want to talk about?”