Tin Universe Monthly #1

by Brian C. Williams

  Some believe The Devil Made of Sand was an American Special Forces unit using chemical weapons but no proof exists to put fact to this theory.

  A good deal of the rest of the world has taken up the belief that the Iraqi Army saw the mistake they were making and ran? They saw the outcry from the international community and they changed their minds?? Happens in war a lot???

  Anyways that’s not even the stupidest thing said about what caused those events to unfold. There’s a small group of people in Texas who hold the belief that it was an angel named Ensorcell who drove them out. These people also believe all women are Succubus. These people need to be walked away from slowly without making eye contact.

  The groups called The Nest as an F.Y.I.

  With the Gulf War having never taken place the Iraq War never came into being at all. Though some of the fuels that ablazed that fire in our reality still exist and may ignite it in this one at any hour.

  The leader of Iraq, that Saddam guy, was killed mysteriously in this reality. A coalition of Middle Eastern Nations now runs the government and its oil fields. This operation is supposedly with a heavy influence from the United States, or under heavy threat, depends on who you talk to.

  Deep within Iraq though there are the wheels of turning plans which are taking place which soon will rock this ancient country to its core. Its destiny seems to be set in destruction no matter the reality. A war is coming.

  The 9/11 attacks did happen, but in this reality the United States reacted to the good will from the rest of the world by creating closer partnership with other nations to fight terrorism worldwide and for the good of the worldwide community. The United Nations is actually something now and not just a mirage of hope.

  Not saying everything is roses, not close to that, but at least on the surface of delusional living the world scene looks a little better than it does for us.

  Yep, he was still the President during this time but made better choices.

  Thus ends the an alternate history lesson.

  Chapter Five

  Any storm in Florida is just different. It’s not just a local feeling. It’s a fact. And I’m not just talking about the storms of natural hurricanes and rains. Whenever anything rains down on this state it does it in cruel laughter. I guess when you look like a dick hanging off the crotch of America that’s your lot in life.

  Julie and Lindsay have lived in Florida for a long time and they love it here. Yes they complain about the bullshit ways the government operates and how ass hot it can be sometimes but they love it here. And the main reason for that is because both of them are here and they love each other.

  It’s that simple for them.

  Julie rolled over looking at Lindsey face; which was danced in one of those childlike expressions of joy that only Lindsey could muster up.

  She smiled a grin of her own, hers also had a large amount of joy in it, and it was for the most part a smile of sexual satisfaction. It was the same smile Julie gave Lindsey soon after they kissed for the first time, and she had a look of total fulfillment on her face this time also along with that smile of satisfaction.

  With sweat dripping off her nose and down her face Lindsey winked at Julie, ‘Yeah, I just gave you one of the best lays of your life.’

  Lindsey reached over towards Julie and she held her hand up and started spreading her fingers as if she was going to circle all five of them around one of Julie’s nipples but she swiftly started to mercilessly tickle the love of her life.

  They both rolled around on the blanket they had brought with them, taken from the back of Julie’s car, and laid down on the roof of the factory building where they both worked up until this morning.

  Only an hour after they both left with “I quit” words of, “Fuck you!” and “You can take this mouse and shove it!”

  Combined they had worked the factory life for nine years and were at the point of either killing a large number of fellow workers to relieve stress, or quitting, they chose the latter.

  They were involved in the first about two years ago though.

  Damn frustrated geriatric set.

  They looked into each other’s eyes without blinking and did not even notice what some looking into the sky that night thought was a falling star. Those people could not be any more wrong.

  But Lindsey and Julie just tasted each breath and each movement of each kiss, each touch and hardly anything could have snapped them out of the spell they were sharing between each other.

  Hardly anything could have awoken them from the joyful moments they were giving to each other.

  Hardly anything.

  The hardly part was about to hit really hard into the waters off the coast of Florida.

  Chapter Six

  Being in any branch or leaf of the military should make a person use to loud noises.

  The alarm alert was so loud it shook them both awake and that was before it really turned up in volume. It would have driven the dog of the place to howl but there was not a dog in the place, just two with a bit of idiocy about them.

  ‘What is this kenner?’

  ‘Speak English you Durham Brit.’

  The two men who live in this military instillation have developed a half asleep, half awake lifestyle over time since being assigned their current duties. When the penalty for negligence is death, you pay attention at all times.

  Military life is bad enough on your nerves but dealing with the black operations side of military life is like a heart attack coming each and every hour as you wait for something to happen.

  Something bad to happen.

  It was only by luck that they did not have a heart attack when the alarm went off because the sound it created was a cross between a child’s scream turned up a billion times on an airplane flight from New York to Australia and the most sleep waking car alarm you could imagine.

  In the five years Sergeant Scott and Lieutenant Siders had been stationed at this black ops base, which is secretly under a United States Air Force base, somewhere, they never had one real alert and only a few false ones.

  Most of the false alerts were planted stories thrown out every so often by the underclass black operation units. Reporters feed information to cause confusion in case something actually real did happen.

  Like now.

  They rushed out both barely dressed and jumped into their seats at their work stations. They instantly had one thought cross both of their minds: Damn, these leather seats are cold to a bare ass.

  ‘The readings are real.’ was the first spoken thing Sergeant Scott said, turning to look at his duties partner.

  Siders in a very stereotypical cockney British accent said something along the lines of, ‘Holy shit.’

  This writer really needs to learn how to write accents one day.

  But until then one “Holy shit” is as good as any other “Holy shit.”

  Chapter Seven

  The object raced through space and through the atmosphere and through any metaphors you could think of (if metaphors are the thing that are needed.) Through the skies of the Earth so fast that almost no machine could track its speed. It went so fast in fact that most of the machines on Earth built for spotting such things looked at it and ignored it because it looked like a human and even though that maybe possible it was highly unlikely.

  One machine, a very expensive and very complicated piece of technology, was owned, built, and operated by The Space Development Division of Colin Ryan Industries.

  The S.D. division of Colin Ryan Industries is very good at building such things. One such machine said to the nearest toaster as an iPod station eavesdropped: That is fast. I think I will ignore it. It may go away in time. It should. It is going really fast. Fast makes things go away. Plus it appears to be human and I don’t care for them very much.

  The object raced across the skies over Alaska, across the skies over Vancouver, above many American states focused on watching The Super Bowl; which is sad since this was something they
will wish they had seen when their descendents are standing around talking to other descendents of other people and the descendents of still other people talk about this day and what their ancestors saw, these Super Bowl watching people’s descendents will only be able to talk about how stupid the younger generation was for not paying attention.

  The object raced across the skies of Florida, dipping downwards in its descent and then it crashed into the waters right near Melbourne.

  Melbourne came really close to being wiped off the map.

  Within minutes a wave of water was crashing onto the land. The Patrick Air Force base nearby was scrambling stuff they scramble thinking a bomb had just hit or something. And "or something" was actually what they called it. Nonetheless they went into the sort of panic that militaries do that tends to be really dangerous because they leave the likes of ordinary people hoping they do not do anything stupid.

  Which militaries tend to do because it’s just in their nature.

  U.S. Air Force planes were in the air all over Florida within fifteen minutes of the objects impact. Even Canada offered help if needed despite all the anti-Canada jokes that have came from Florida over the years.

  Only a few from me.

  I love Canada, especially Winnipeg and Vancouver.

  The whole United States was on the highest alert possible as this was seen as a possible beyond human terrorist attack. This was double high alert. Or at least the highest since the President locked himself into a bathroom at a fundraiser and the Secret Service could not find him for an hour.

  No one was watching where they should have been watching this time. No eyes looking at the place where history was ready to walk out from the water to change the face of the world in a few very broad strokes from Death.

  Though the first lady was spotted reading a book about a duck.

  All is well.

  Chapter Eight

  He opened his eyes. The trip was long and the landing a little unusual but otherwise it was just a dramatic entrance for a being that usually goes unnoticed to his presence until something ends. Modern times call for a little more flash. Appearing as ash or red eyes in the sky wouldn’t do it for this generation. Too many good books have been written, too many special effects created.

  There at all endings. From the end of every thought to the end of every form of life. From the end of every movement to the end of every light flicker. That is who he is.

  The first thing he did after this landing was wiggle his toes. He smiled because he had toes. Some times that was not always the case and he rather liked toes. With toes the shoes he enjoyed wearing tended to fit better. There is nothing worse than trying to wear a nice pair of dress shoes when your feet are one-toed with a stump at the back for balance.

  The first thing he noticed, besides the fact that he had toes, was how wet his socks felt. That also made him feel better because if he had socks to get wet he must be back into, by his judgment, a better set of clothes. The old fashions were never really to his liking and it seemed that throughout the entire universe the fashion was wearing togas or leather these days. Neither of which was to his liking.

  Standing at the bottom of the sea at depths of water that would kill most things, even those aquatic, his dress pants moved back and forth with the movements of the ocean.

  Glancing down the third thing he noticed was that somewhere on the way from Verda 7 he tore a hole into one side of one of his dress shoes. A shame he thought. He would have sighed but you know- he was under water. Not that he would or even could drown but having a rush of water fill your body just is not pleasant whether it will kill you or not.

  He got the shoes during his last trip to London a few years ago. That visit of hope went very badly. It caused him to take a vacation for a few hundred years- his time.

  The weight of the water pushed and pulled against him as he began to take steps forward. A jellyfish going by his face made him smile and think to himself that at least he was on Earth this time.

  A few still believe in what this planet represents.

  Even one who fell can believe and have faith.

  Chapter Nine

  The both of them crawled out of bed to head to work with the radio playing in the back as a sound track to their asshole comments to each other.

  The radio was stuck on an early morning news talk radio show but at least that nonsense doesn’t send them into a full rage argument of what sort of songs are worth listening to. Just waking up next to each other causes enough problems, no use adding to it with who has the better taste in music.

  Both of them still had too much early morning in their bodies to pay attention to the breaking news report on the radio. Plus it’s hard for background noise to get your attention when you are throwing out “Fuck You” and “Go To Hell” like two dueling machine guns.

  After a shower she headed into the kitchen to grab some breakfast before leaving for her job as a nurse. He had stopped by the couch and turned on the TV, not having to head for his job as a fast food cook for a few more hours he had time to just vegetate for a bit.

  Both stopped dead, barely breathing, as the news report was caught mid-broadcast, ‘…still no word from the White House on the whereabouts of the President at this time. The Vice-President was in Virginia at the time of the impact on Florida trying to calm communities shaken by the sudden disappearance of two thousands family members, loved ones, and neighbors there one month ago. Right now he is said to be in a safe location. Let’s go to Monica King in Melbourne, Florida, for the latest from the scene of the impact.’

  Sabrena walked from the kitchen and stood beside Ken who had risen to his feet as a woman was shown on the newscast standing knee deep in water from the location of what appeared to have at one some sort of super shopping center.

  ‘Monica, can you hear us? Any new information on the impact?’

  The location reporter had a really frightened look on her face as she watched a blue vest float by in front of her...then a banjo...and then a rubber chicken but she was able to compose herself and remember her job, ‘Mark, this is like nothing anyone in this area has ever seen before and those who live in Florida have seen their share of natural disasters. No one, from the grocer down the street, to scientists can explain why after the object impacted into the waters off the coast of Melbourne waves have continued to come one after the other, pounding the Space Coast.’

  ‘Monica, any word on whether anyone has any idea what the object was?’

  ‘Mark, military officials just about an hour and a half ago said they believe this was not any sort of attack by missile or other enemy technology on American soil. Nor do they think this is an act by any beyond human. And even though no radar machines detected the object approaching and entering or going through Earth’s atmosphere, they are saying as of right now that they believe it was space debris of some kind. Most likely from a satellite or meteor.’

  Sabrena sat down with her mouth opening as she began to cry.

  ‘Ken,’ she sobbed. ‘Julie is…’

  Ken wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him. This was the first time they had actually touched each other in weeks that wasn’t punches.

  ‘I’m sure she is ok.’ Ken told her but watching the story unfold on the news gave him pause to his own words.

  Chapter Ten

  Julie held Lindsey’s hand as another wave pounded against the outside of the factory building. The impact and water sent them sliding across the hard rooftop. The only thing that stopped them from going off the roof was hitting against the high ledge of the roof.

  Julie was on her hands and knees as that wave passed. She was trying to catch her breath.

  Lindsey had gotten to her feet and dropped water-soaked pants beside Julie, ‘Put my pants on. I don’t see yours anywhere. We have to get off the roof before another one of those waves hits and throws us off this time.’

  Julie looked up at Lindsey. She was crying. Lindsey could tell though from the paine
d look in her eyes. She could separate the tears flowing down the cheeks of the woman she loved from the salty sea water.

  ‘Lindsey?’

  Lindsey knelt down. She brushed one hand against Julie’s cheek while she handed her the pants with the other, ‘I don’t know. Tsunami maybe? Put those on lover because we’re jumping off the roof together.’

  Chapter Eleven

  Sergeant Scott and Lieutenant Siders stood by as the black ops agents entered one by one through the secret entrance on the Air Force base charging into their work room with no mention or mind to anything or anyone they knocked down.

  They pushed Scott and Siders to the side and began looking at their instruments and checking the readings.

  ‘I hate being treated like a bunch of articles by these black op milky pops.’

  ‘I hate that I’m starting to understand you. Maybe next time you have a Russian salad party I will join in. If I ever figure out what it is, if I figure out what most of the things you say means?’

  ‘You think I would get shot if I tried to go to the loo?’

  ‘No but I wouldn’t try to go to the shitter.’

  ‘You’re a prat.’

  Black ops agents run around as our two favorite military men stand by scared. It was if they weren’t even there and to these men they don’t matter and not mattering means you don’t exist.

  One of the black ops soldiers turned to another, ‘You’ve triple-checked their readings?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  The questioning black ops solider pulled out a small cell phone and spoke a number into it.

  ‘51222B. We are a go. This is an Armageddon. Release The Dawgs.’

  Chapter Twelve

  World War II ended with the help of an elite beyond human group formed from the allied nations codenamed The Raising. Just about any kid who has taken a history class has heard about these heroes but even with all the History Channel specials, which rehash the same things over and over, there still isn’t much known about any of these heroes.

  Those who would become the members of The Raising appeared as the first beyond human heroes during WWI. Each member of The Raising was the national beyond human hero of their individual countries.