Operation Earth

by Maria Hammarblad

  Should one prepare for the end of the world? If so, how?

  Her despondency grew worse as evening fell and Peter didn’t come home. She needed to assume he was alive and well, and that everything would be all right. It was just hard. She rummaged around in the cupboards and freezer and improvised a pasta sauce, in case he showed up and was hungry. There was one upside to dating an alien: he never came home drunk.

  It was almost night when she heard his knock on the door. She ran to open the door and threw her arms around him, hard enough to make him stagger backward.

  “Whoa, I’m happy to see you too, Sweetheart.”

  “I’ve been so worried for you and so scared and I’m so happy you’re here and I love you. I’m so sorry I was grumpy this morning, I wish you would never go away again.” The words streamed out of her mouth.

  Peter remained the epitome of calm. “I love you too,” he murmured and led her into the house.

  “Can you stay? Please say you can stay.”

  Way to go being clingy and needy.

  He sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

  “I can stay. I don’t know how much fun I’ll be, but I can stay.”

  The good news anchored her to reality, and she released her grip enough to be able to look at him. His eyes were hollow and surrounded by wrinkles. He looked old and fatigued, and she cradled his cheek in her palm in a futile effort to offer support.

  “How long have you been up?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve lost count. Since I was here... How long has it been? Four days? Five?”

  “Wow, I can barely keep my eyes open if I miss one night.”

  He pulled her closer again and rested his head on hers.

  “We have substances to help us stay alert, but I’m on the limit now. The world has become a blur.”

  His words made her shy. This man travelled from a world further away than she could imagine and chose to come to her, to spend time with her and worry for her. He could have found another place to sleep, but went out of his way to reach her.

  I’ve dated men who thought coming over from one block away was too far.

  “Can I get you anything? Want some pasta?”

  “Thanks, but I’m too tired.” His voice sounded distant. Maybe he’d been falling asleep.

  “Come, let’s go to bed.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and shook his head.

  “I promised to tell you what’s going on.”

  Patience wasn’t normally one of her strong sides, but right now other things were more important than information.

  “You can do that tomorrow.”

  She led him into the bedroom and helped him peel the uniform off. He had a long cut over his right bicep. The wound was held together by a transparent substance, but still looked big.

  “That has got to hurt.”

  “Not too bad. It’ll be gone by morning.”

  How? Did one of us do this to you?

  This wasn’t the time to ask. He looked as if he were about to fall asleep standing up.

  Peter turned toward the bed and she gasped when seeing his back. It was covered by a network of black and yellow bruises.

  “What happened to you?”

  He grimaced when he laid down.

  “A building fell on me. I’m sure it looks worse than it is.”

  Rachael went to turn the lights off and double-check that she locked the door. It only took a couple of minutes, but Peter was already sound asleep when she entered the bedroom.

  Poor guy.

  Since he wasn’t awake anyway, she took her time brushing her teeth. She pressed a soft kiss on his cheek, trying not to wake him up.

  “I love you.”

  It was true, and the intensity of the feeling frightened her.

  When she curled up next to him he turned over and wrapped an arm around her, but still didn’t wake up completely. Having him so close again was heavenly.

  “I missed you so much.”

  Her whisper was too quiet to make him stir, but maybe he heard her in his dreams.

  Even with Peter’s arms around her, it took hours for Rachael to settle down enough to find sleep. She stared into the darkness, drawing comfort from his warm body pressed against her and the feeling of his steady breath against her skin.

  I used to wonder if he was a lizard, or a monster underneath the human skin. I think he’s just as human as I am. Does he get scared like I do?

  When she finally drifted off, the distant sound of gunfire followed her into her dreams. Her subconscious played out a gruesome movie with everyone she ever loved brutally murdered. She woke up with a gasp and looked around, but the room was still dark. She squinted at the old mechanical clock, trying to figure out what time it might be.

  Maybe time wasn’t important anymore. She should lie still and not wake her lover.

  Returning to sleep should have been impossible, but she must have. When she opened her eyes again, a ray of sunlight found its way in through the curtain. This time, the clock claimed it to be six-thirty. Peter still snoozed next to her. Was he supposed to be up, going back to work? It didn’t matter. He deserved some rest, and their very lives might depend on him being alert and having a clear head. For all she knew, the fate of the entire planet might depend on him. She snuggled up closer and went back to sleep.

  The sound of the shower lured her back to awareness hours later. The side of the bed next to her was empty, and the bathroom door was closed. She rolled over on her back and looked at the sunlight playing with particles in the air.

  They were both still alive, and the house hadn’t crumbled around them. Things could definitely be worse.

  It was well past ten in the morning, and she should probably get up and make breakfast or something, but she didn’t want to. Under the circumstances, it seemed prudent to take any opportunity to feel happy.

  Peter came into the room a few minutes later, completely naked, and she ogled him. It might be wrong to lust for an alien, but he had a body to die for. Considering the Earth was in the middle of an alien invasion, maybe she would.

  His wound was completely healed, and she could barely make out the scar. Their medical technology was truly remarkable.

  He pulled the sheet off her with a decisive movement and bent down to kiss her shoulder.

  “I’ve been longing to do this for days. Sorry I was too tired last night.”

  “I’m sure the wait will be worth it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Peter held his uniform jacket up and wrinkled his nose.

  Rachael lifted an eyebrow. How could she have missed how dirty and dusty he was? The jacket was torn in many places and he put a finger through a hole with a humorous grimace.

  “It has been useless for days.”

  “You can use my robe, but I think your friends would tease you if you show up in my clothes.”

  The very thought was preposterous of course, and he laughed.

  “Yes. I think I should borrow that cute pink shirt of yours. It will be a great success.”

  “You could just go naked. At least around the house...”

  He flashed a smile that made her warm and tingly inside.

  “Naah, but you should. Got any food?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They had dinner for breakfast, and sitting together at the kitchen table was heavenly.

  “Thank you.”

  She glanced up from the plate and met his eyes.

  “For what?”

  “This is so good. You’ve ruined me. I can’t stand our food anymore.” Rachael’s cheeks heated, and Peter’s grin widened. “I’ve missed you.”

  Her heart skipped a beat, and it was impossible not to smile back.

  “I missed you too.”

  The cat jumped up on the table and tried to nibble her food. She lifted her away, and Bonbon jumped back up, going for Peter’s plate this time.

  “C’mon, Bon, you have your own food.”

  The fel
ine ignored her, of course, but Peter held out a piece of pasta. Bonbon sniffed it and gave his fingers a suspicious glance, but decided to try it.

  Good thing we’re out of onions. Hard to believe she was so afraid of him.

  “Jonas was here. She didn’t like him.”

  Peter lifted an eyebrow.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. You said animals don’t like you.”

  He didn’t smile.

  “Why was he here?”

  “I... He told me they lost contact with you and I kind of... had a breakdown.”

  His eyes softened.

  “Did he take good care of you?

  “Yes. Yes, he did.”

  What would you have done if I said no?

  They ate in silence, and when Peter spoke again, he sounded like he was telling a story.

  “A long, long time ago, so long ago I can’t even imagine, the Ancients looked at their society. They weren’t pleased with it. They saw potential, but were limited by traditions and values and the world as they knew it.”

  “Ancients? What are you talking about?”

  He took a sip of water and frowned.

  “There are others who can tell you about this, much better than I. Anyway... They were curious and wondered what would have happened if the same type of life developed on different planets, in different environments, what arts and technologies would come out of it, if anyone would even survive. You get the idea. They decided to roll out this great plan. They sent out scout ships all over the galaxy to inventory suitable planets and seed them with DNA.”

  It sounded like the plot for a science fiction movie.

  “How? How could that even be possible? There’s scientific proof that humans evolved here, on this planet. It all started in Africa. Everyone knows that.”

  It wasn’t funny to her, but she heard suppressed laughter in his voice.

  “Of course it started here. I said they seeded DNA, not people. The process takes, I don’t know, I’d guess a couple hundred thousand years or something. There’s an Ancient on my ship if you want to know the details. She tried to explain it to me once, but it made my head hurt.”

  Rachael’s jaw fell, and she stared at him with her mouth gaping open.

  “One of those people is on your ship? That’s not possible, if what you’re saying is true this must have started... Millions of years ago.”

  “Boggles the mind, doesn’t it. They made sure they’d get to see the fruits of their labor. They’re not exactly human anymore though.”

  That’s crazy. Imagine living that long. Wouldn’t that drive a person insane? I wonder what they look like. Someone that old, able to do all these things must be... awe-inspiring.

  Peter helped himself to some more pasta.

  “Where was I? Oh yes, they seeded planets, and made a schedule for the reincorporation. It’s very complicated. The general idea is not to reincorporate until that world has had a specific amount of time to develop.”

  “Reincorporate, so that’s what you’re doing now.” This was clearly the weirdest discussion of her life. “So, what, when you were a little boy, you wanted to go out and conquer worlds when you grew up?”

  Peter laughed.

  “Something like that. It seems very appealing when you’re nine.”

  The discussion made her think of the Borg on Star Trek, announcing, “Resistance is futile. We will add your technological and biological profile to ours.”

  “Trust me, not every planet is worth the effort, but you are. At least I think so.”

  “Is that supposed to make me feel better? We’re worth invading.”

  He averted his eyes.

  “This plan has been running for millions of years, and it won’t stop because you or I don’t like it.”

  Something wasn’t right.

  “Peter, where have you been this last week?”

  His words sounded like something on TV. Surely, it could not be real.

  “Everyone fights it at first, I would too. It’s human instinct. Something is taken away, and everything changes. It usually gets better with time, but here it’s getting worse. Not everywhere, but in your country, and in southern Europe.”

  “What do you mean worse? What’s really going on out there?”

  “Riots. Random acts of violence. I was away trying to negotiate with a group of your world’s leaders. I was getting through to them, and one of their own bodyguards fired. There were explosives planted in the walls, and the house crumbled around us.”

  Damn, I’m lucky he came home.

  “Of all these humans, I managed to save five. They trust me now, but it won’t do us any good.”

  He frowned and looked about to confess some deep dark secret, but didn’t say anything. She raised an eyebrow.

  “What?

  “Nothing.” Peter ran a hand over his forehead. “I am the only one who really knows one of you, and I think you’re definitely worth the effort. I want you to be able to step out into the world, teach others everything you know, learn from them in return, and share everything that makes you great.”

  It sounded like a stilted speech. If anyone else said it, she’d think he was trying to get in her pants. Peter was already there, so maybe he really meant his words.

  An unsaid but hovered over the table. As seconds ticked away, she couldn’t bear waiting for the conclusion.

  “What are you trying to tell me?”

  “The others no longer agree with me. I have done everything I can, but it didn’t make a difference. There will be war, I’m sure other parts of the planet will join in on your side even if they’re cooperating now, and if hostilities don’t cease, your people might be considered too dangerous. They will say that if you wage war here, you will do so in a bigger scale too. This is a fight Earth cannot win.”

  Her fingers released the grip on her fork, and it fell to the table with a strange, clunking noise.

  What might too dangerous entail? Sure humans tended to be violent, but they had capacity for good as well. Would they be exterminated like common vermin? If the Ancients gave life once upon a time, they might also see fit to take it away.

  I thought we were already taken by force. Aren’t all the troops, the destruction, and restrictions on everyday life enough?

  Her imagination painted out images of people she knew, standing in small groups, trying to defend themselves or pleading for their lives, while superhuman troops dressed in black marched closer, obliterating everyone in sight. Maybe the planet would be colonized by the invaders once it was cleansed of humans.

  Peter reached out to put his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. She clutched it. The feeling of his strong fingers anchored her to the present and chased the horrors of her mind away.

  “I’m not giving up. I will meet with June today. She’s the reincorporation leader for our part of the fleet, and she knows me well.”

  Well? What’s that supposed to mean? How well? Oh my God, am I really jealous at a time like this?

  She arched an eyebrow, and he flashed a lopsided grin.

  “That was a long time ago. Point is, maybe she still trusts me enough to listen, and maybe we can still put an end to all this.”

  He lifted her hand and pressed it against his lips.

  “This part of the city is still safe. I need you to stay inside and keep everything locked up.”

  This time, she didn’t have a thought of objecting.

  “What about my mom?”

  “I don’t know. Where is she? Give me the address, and I’ll have someone check on her.”

  When Peter strapped his weapons on and got ready to leave, someone knocked on the door. It wasn’t the assured rapping of a soldier. This was tentative, careful. Rachael still winced. The odds of someone coming to take her must be infinitesimal, but it might happen.

  Peter lifted an eyebrow.

  “You don’t open the door when I’m not here, right?”

  “Right.”

  She
heard uncertainty in her own voice. There was something about knocks on doors and ringing telephones that demanded attention and ignoring them was...rude.

  He must have seen the truth in her eyes, because he sighed.

  “Okay, just... please be careful.”

  The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by a woman’s voice muffled by the thick door.

  “Rachael? Rachael, if you’re in there, please open up. It’s Melissa.”

  Peter gestured to stay back, and Rachael hid behind a corner. Peeking into the hallway, she saw him look through the peephole, open the door, and trail a very large gun on the woman on the other side.

  Melissa yelped and bounced backwards. Then, she gathered courage and peeked in.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you have company.”

  Sure you didn’t, because you never watch my house.

  The other woman’s face was stained with tears and she restrained herself from snarky comments.

  “It’s okay. He won’t hurt you. What do you want?”

  Tears welled over in Melissa’s eyes.

  “Martin brought Ryan downtown yesterday, and he hasn’t come home yet. You know them... I mean, you know... him... Do you think he’s dead?”

  Peter holstered his gun and made a mock grimace when Melissa nodded towards him.

  “If he attacked someone, he might be. You should go home and wait for him, and if he shows up, tell him to stay in the house.”

  Melissa had to crane her neck to meet Peter’s eyes.

  “Could you... could you go look for him?”

  The question was absurd, and Rachael had to remind herself if roles were reversed, she’d do anything to get news of Peter.

  “No. I feel for you, I really do, but I have somewhere I need to be.”

  Oh yes, June... The one woman who can stop the war is his former lover, and he is pleading on behalf of me. I don’t see this ending well.

  Melissa fidgeted.

  “Can I stay here and wait? Being alone right now...”

  Peter’s voice was firm, but not unkind.

  “No, you need to go to your house and wait for your husband. If you’re here, he won’t know you are okay, and he might go out to try to find you. Stay in your house, close the windows, and don’t open the door. Remember, if he comes back, tell him to stay in the house. If you love him and want to keep him, that’s important.”