by Len du Randt
‘It is agreed then,’ concluded the first figure. ‘Let nothing stand in his way.’
‘It is agreed,’ the remaining six confirmed, their voices ringing as one.
- - -* * *- - -
Trevor jerked when René touched his arm lightly. He had dosed off during the last half of the Steven Edgar show. She made them tomato soup as a late night cure for the aftershock, the reality of what happened earlier that day still eluded her at times. Although she didn’t have any family, she still felt bad for those who did and had lost them. She knew what it felt like to lose a loved one, and that small connection was all that she really needed to be there for him.
‘Here,’ she said, gently handing him the warm bowl.
He wanted to say ‘thank you,’ but instead his lips only allowed a half-hearted ‘Uuungh’ to escape. He took the bowl and sipped at it while eyeing the television. ‘Thanks,’ he finally did manage after taking a deep breath. He checked his watch. It was 11:25 P.M, and it felt like the day would never end. GMN was still covering the attacks of the morning, rerunning interviews, documentaries, talk shows, and even amateur footage of what viewers perceived to be ‘aliens’ or their spaceships. Another channel focused entirely on disappearance footage taken accidentally by people who were coincidentally filming something or someone else when the attacks began. Someone recorded two children running through a hallway and into a bedroom. A surprised woman sat upright and greeted the children with hugs and kisses. It appeared to be the mother’s birthday.
The video paused.
‘What you are about to see is real,’ a voiceover warned the viewers of the events to follow. ‘Nothing that we are about to show you has been edited in any way.’
René’s eyes grew wide above the hand she cupped over her mouth when the woman and two children on the video suddenly disappeared. The person recording the footage dropped the camera and ran toward the bed. The rest of the scene was confusing as the person ran frantically around in the room, shouting, screaming, and sobbing.
Many equally disturbing videos were aired, some more disturbing than others, and after finally deciding that she couldn’t handle it anymore, René changed the channel back to GMN. It was a rerun of the GMN coverage of the global leader meeting that took place earlier in the day.
‘The meeting called for all surviving world leaders to agree on using European Union Negotiator, Victor Yoshe’s plan to overcome the alien attackers threatening our very existence. First, all armed military and private sector owned military forces were called to join forces and share whatever intelligence and resources they have available. According to Yoshe’s plan, the best defence that Earth has, is a powerful, ‘united offence’.
‘It’s a long shot,’ a United States Army General spoke into the camera, ‘but we may just be able to pull this off.’ He appeared confident enough in what had been labelled: Victor’s Plan.
The GMN camera panned from the General to the figure of a man walking down a flight of steps in front of the building in which the meeting had taken place.
‘Mister Yoshe,’ a reporter asked as cameras flashed. ‘Do you have any comment on the meeting and what had been discussed?’
Victor looked directly into the camera, and his eyes appeared to swirl with a grey-blue mist as he spoke. ‘Unfortunately, I cannot divulge any details about the nature and content of the meeting. It is for your own safety and protection that I say this, as I am sure you understand.
‘One thing that I can say is that by forming this alliance, this ‘Federation Earth,’ we shall prevail.
‘It is only through our unity that our strength can truly be unleashed. Because of modern technology, we finally have the means to speak one common language. Humans have to unite, now more than ever before.
‘As citizens of this Global Village called Earth, we are about to make history together. Lamb will lay with lion, Jew will unite with Muslim, and together, we will overcome this challenge. Peace, Unity, and Strength be with you; my friends.’
That was the last anyone heard from Victor Yoshe and, shortly after, the world began its retaliation on an unseen enemy. More people gave their opinions, but those opinions remained unheard by Trevor or René. They were both asleep.
- - -* * *- - -
South Africa: Five Days Later
It had been five days since the aliens attacked. Five days of constant television as families and friends huddled together, careful not to leave their homes or shelters. Billions of eyes watched the news and events unfold before their eyes, some even claiming that the world was coming to an end.
Trevor woke up first, rubbing his face as he walked to the bathroom, wondering how much more of this he could endure. They were running out of food, and Trevor’s fridge wasn’t very vegetarian friendly. His nostrils had gotten used to the stench of sulphur, and he mused over what his lungs might look like by now. René woke with a moan as Trevor boiled the kettle for coffee.
‘Morning,’ he said and held up his mug. ‘Would you like some too?’
She nodded as she grumbled and moaned her way to the bathroom. When she came out, she managed a faint smile at least, and Trevor tried to smile back. Only ten more years of this, he thought to himself, and I would have experienced the better part of married life. She plopped herself down on his sofa and switched on the television.
Yeah, don’t offer to help. I’m okay.
‘Mister Yoshe is stepping up to the podium now,’ a woman shouted excitedly into a microphone. ‘He is about to make another global address.’
Trevor handed René a mug and then sat down next to her, not taking his eyes off the screen.
‘United people of Federation Earth,’ Victor said after taking his position behind a podium that had been especially erected for him. ‘I am herewith proud to inform you,’ he paused for a brief moment to make sure that he had everyone’s undivided attention, ‘that the alien threat has been defeated and driven away.’
He raised his hands as he spoke the last two words, and a roaring cheer filled the air.
René bounced up and down excitedly and Trevor almost lost half of his coffee in the process. She hugged him, but he didn’t hug her back. He just sat there, eyes fixated on the television as it showed Victor shaking hands with some of the world’s most prominent leaders. With one day less than the 1967 six-day war, this battle of intergalactic proportions had been fought and won.
‘A miracle maker,’ Trevor said, still trying to tell his brain that what he had heard was indeed true. ‘This man is a miracle maker.’ Finally he did manage a smile, then returned René’s hug.
- - -* * *- - -
‘It’s over, people!’ Malcolm shouted, his voice booming loudly throughout the house. Everyone had been sleeping on the floor in front of the television, and slowly awoke to his ranting about the end of the war.
Malcolm looked at everyone in the room, and for the first time since the attacks, did he actually manage to smile. It was hard to believe that he had grown so fond of Kassim and his family in such a short time. ‘It is over,’ he said softly as everyone awakened to a new dawn.
- - -* * *- - -
‘We ask that everyone stay indoors for the remainder of the weekend, as rescue workers and Special Forces work around the clock to remove the wreckages of alien craft, and to make roads accessible to the general public again.
‘The ships are highly radioactive and need to be contained before any civilians become infected with radiation poisoning. European Empire Negotiator, Victor Yoshe, has asked everyone to comply with this simple request, and has stated that anyone disobeying would be dealt with swiftly and harshly.’
René pushed the mute button on the remote. It was the first time in days that she did not want to see anything on television about the attacks or the aftermath. The realization that she would have to return to an empty—and most probably raided—apartment, along with the thought of being alone, saddened her.
‘Trevor, I...I...’
‘Yes?�
�� he asked.
‘No. Nothing. Never mind.’
‘Oh no, you don’t,’ Trevor said. ‘You started something and now you finish it.’ He hated it when someone started speaking, only to cut themselves off and not tell him what was on their mind. He loved doing it to others, but hated it when someone did it to him.
‘I...I’ve been thinking about being alone. I’ve been thinking about my own mortality and how easy it is to die and not have lived. What if I had been one of those who had died when the aliens attacked?’
‘But you’re not,’ he said as reassuringly as he could.
‘Yeah, but I could have been,’ she said, and to her that was enough reason to re-evaluate her life. ‘I don’t have any plans for the future,’ she said as tears welled up in her eyes. ‘I don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life...’ her last words trailed off as sobs escaped her lips.
‘Didn’t you ever want to be something?’ Trevor asked, knowing that she didn’t really need advice as much as she needed someone to just shut up and listen.
‘I...I’m not sure. I don’t know what I want anymore. I never really knew how little I had lived until I realized just how close I came to dying.’
‘It’s okay,’ he said softly as he stroked her hair gently. ‘We all experienced that, I think.’
‘Have you?’ she asked, her tear-glazed eyes making contact with his. He nodded and squeezed her hand lightly. She squeezed back, and for a moment, there was an understanding silence between the two of them. They were in the same place, drifting on a continent with no idea where they were headed, going as the wind took them. He understood and that was all that mattered to her. Trevor extended his hand and gently brushed away a strand of hair that had been hanging over her face, locking it behind her ear. She smiled faintly and they drew nearer to each other.
They both closed their eyes and continued the forward motion, each one secretly searching for the lips of the other. Trevor’s heart bounced around madly in his chest; then it took a dip into his stomach where it awakened some sleeping butterflies. They fluttered like crazy, trying to get away from his heart as it leapt up into his chest again.
Their lips were just about to touch when both of them were jolted by the sudden shrill scream of the telephone.
- - -* * *- - -
‘At last,’ Andrew said as Trevor answered the phone.
‘Andrew?’
‘Yeah,’
‘Hey,’ Trevor greeted. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days now. The telephone lines are messed up, big time. I have even spoken to a woman in Russia, I think.’
Trevor laughed. ‘We’ve been here the whole time; never been on the phone once.’
‘Odd. I think the lines were—waitaminute! “We”?’
‘Yeah. René from work stayed over for a couple of days. You know, the war n’ all.’
‘I see,’ Andrew said with an I-know-what-you-have-been-up-to tone of voice.
‘It’s not like that,’ Trevor said.
‘Uh-huh,’ Andrew mocked. ‘Anyway, I wanted to know if it was you on that Steven Edgar show the other night.’
Trevor remained silent. The thought of his brother suddenly snuffed out the fun in their conversation.
‘Trev?’
‘It was.’
‘Man. I knew it was you!’ He paused for a bit, and then continued in a more sombre tone, ‘I...I’m sorry, man.’
‘It’s okay,’ Trevor said. ‘At least now I know. At least there’s closure.’
‘Yeah,’ Andrew said softly, trying to sound as sympathetic as he could. ‘The reason I’m calling is to find out if you...the two of you...would like to come with me for the registration.’
Trevor hesitated. ‘That thing about the smart cards?’ He wasn’t particularly in the mood to register himself for anything, but the war opened the door for government officials to ‘brand’ humans lawfully, and he knew that resisting would only incriminate him; siding him with the aliens.
‘Yeah; our province is up in a week from now.’
‘Where do you want to register?’
‘I dunno. It doesn’t really matter though, as long as we go. We can choose between a police station, a school, or a community shelter. I suggest a school.’
‘Yeah, a school is fine.’ Trevor gave Andrew basic instructions on how to get to his apartment. They both agreed on a day and time they would get together and hung up.
- - -* * *- - -
Jerusalem: One Week Later (Two weeks after the attacks)
The morning sun slowly rose over Jerusalem. It was the first day since the alien attacks that its rays finally managed to pierce through the thick, black clog of smoke in the skies caused by so many burning vehicles, buildings, and rubber.
The sulphuric stench still stung the nostrils of those who took a deep enough breath; even though most people had grown accustomed to the smell. It would be weeks, maybe even months, before the air would finally be the way it used to be before the attacks.
A new day was dawning. A new era of human bonding and understanding was being born, and as the sun stretched its limited light into the deserted Jerusalem streets, two lone figures walked toward their predetermined waypoint. Finally, when they reached the Lion’s Gate, they came to an abrupt halt. The two men looked at one another and nodded.
‘Oh, Lord of Heaven and Earth,’ one of the men called out loudly. ‘Do not withhold your presence from us! Do not keep your grace from your two servants. Praise our Father in Heaven!’ His voice echoed through the slowly waking Jerusalem streets.
The second man lifted his hands toward the skies, and a loud rumble echoed through the air.
- - -* * *- - -
‘What?’ Malcolm asked, visibly upset. He listened to an eyewitness account of the stir that two unknown men had caused amongst the citizens of Jerusalem. ‘And you say that there are only two of them?’ he asked. ‘All right,’ he finally said, ‘I’ll go check it out.’
He slammed the phone down with so much force that he almost thought he had broken it. He was in deep thought when Mary entered the room.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked, lowering her eyes to avoid direct contact. She had learned to stay out of his way when he was like this. Timothy still need to learn that lesson, she thought to herself whenever she saw her son purposefully being hot-headed.’
‘I’m okay,’ he said as he breathed deeply, trying to regain control of his emotions. He kissed her on the cheek and zipped up his jacket. ‘There’s something that I have to go and take care of,’ he said and forced a bleak smile. ‘I’ll be back soon. Promise.’
He left and slammed the door behind him.
- - -* * *- - -
René was supposed to have left a week ago, but Trevor had decided against it. He would never admit outright that he longed for the companionship, so instead said that she should stay until the smoke had totally cleared, all the roads had been repaired, businesses were back up and running, and whatever other reason he could manage to scrape up and throw at her.
She fell for them all, not because she thought that they were reasonable excuses, but because she also secretly longed for the companionship.
There was a hidden yearning in their hearts that they both felt, but neither would ever confess to. Trevor was in the bathroom brushing his teeth when Andrew knocked.
‘I’ll get it,’ René said and opened the door to a smiling face. Oh no, she thought to herself and frowned. A Jehovah’s Witness! ‘Can I help you?’
‘Hey,’ Andrew said and then saw her confused expression. ‘I’m Andrew.’ He extended his hand toward her.
‘Oh my!’ She held her hand to her mouth as she realized who he was. She shook his hand, softly tugging him into the apartment. ‘I’m so terribly sorry,’ she said, still shaking his hand. ‘I didn’t realize who you were.’
‘It’s quite all right,’ Andrew said, still smiling, and still shaking her hand. ‘I get that a lot.’<
br />
Stop shaking his hand, stupid! She couldn’t bring herself to stop. Trevor’s voice behind her jolted her enough to release Andrew’s hand; saving her from what already was an embarrassing moment.
‘Andy,’ Trevor said and shook Andrew’s hand. They shook twice, but as Trevor wanted to release, Andrew gripped his hand tighter and shook it a few more times, hoping that it would make René feel slightly less self-conscious. ‘Did you get the place all right?’
‘I did,’ Andrew said, ‘but a few roads had been closed off, so I had to manoeuvre my way around to your place via the scenic route.’
‘Did they say why it was closed?’
‘Nope, just that it had something to do with the attacks.’
‘Yeah,’ Trevor said thoughtfully. ‘They could assassinate some country’s President now and blame it on the alien attacks.’
‘I suppose,’ Andrew said.
‘We still have a while,’ Trevor said and motioned towards the kitchen. ‘Care for some coffee?’
‘Yeah,’ Andrew said. ‘That would be nice.’
‘I’ll make it,’ René said, for fear of being left alone with Andrew long enough to make an even bigger fool of herself. ‘You boys go and relax, and I’ll be with you in a minute.’
Andrew waited until René was busy enough in the kitchen before he spoke. ‘Are you two…you know...?’
‘Together?’ Trevor suggested.
‘Yeah,’ Andrew said, looking over his shoulder to see if René could hear them.
‘Oh, no,’ Trevor said truthfully. ‘We’re not...how can I put it? Compatible.’
‘What do you mean?’
Trevor tugged uncomfortably at his collar. ‘She is...erm...not interested in men, if you know what I mean...’