by NB Blackbell
"Aww, there you are." Down the hall, she could hear Christie giggling. "Buddy, let go of my pants. Mommy, he has my pants leg again." Christie wrestled with the puppy. "You silly little guy." Buddy jumped up, gave a little growl and booted down the hall after the cat. Christie got up and ran into the kitchen. "I tried to get here faster, but the puppy wouldn't let me." She grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the counter. "What are you making?" Faith laughed and shook her head. "I made you a treat earlier." Christie's eyes widened. "What is it?" Faith reached over and pulled out a popsicle from the freezer. "It's frozen juice. You don't bite it; you suck on it. Have you had one before?" Christie shook her head. "No, I haven't." She clutched onto the popsicle and slurped. "It's so cold." Isabel smiled at Faith. "You want some help?" Faith nodded. "I washed the big bowl. If you want to make some bread, that would be great."
Billy and Mark walked across the parking lot towards the broken craft. Billy ran his hand across its shiny metal. "Think that's really metal?" Mark got closer to have a good look. "Nope, it has a shimmer of purple in it. I don't know what this is, but it isn't metal. I wonder what the purple is?" Billy peered into the broken window. "I need to get this creature out." Billy reached in and dragged the overly large body out. "Man, these guys are huge." He threw the carcass off to the side and crawled into the craft. The ship shimmered as if it was built with crystals. "We want to have this moved to the basement of the hotel." Mark frowned. "Yeah, that's going to be great for business; an enormous hovercraft in the basement." Billed sneered, "Yeah, look around at all your customers. Do they seem like they have a problem?" Mark's frown got more profound as he picked up on Billy's sarcasm.
"Fine, perhaps we can chain it up and leave it in the supply entrance." Billy agreed, "Okay. Well, can you set that up with Larzo and have it done right away? We need to have a better look at this metal; plus, I want to know what's up with the crystal." Mark sighed, "Okay. I'll do it right away." Billy headed back into the hotel. As he headed down the hall, he glanced into the board room. John sat, tapping his fingers on the table. "What's up, John? Are you all right?" John glanced over at him. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little frustrated. I've been trying to communicate with others all day. I got ahold of the Colonel and the connections in Mexico, but it seems like no one else is out there. How are we going to beat them if we can't interact with others around the world?" Billy walked over to John. "Don't give up, man. If they're out there and they can answer, they will. We just need to keep trying. Perhaps we have to go there and search for these people. We might not get these creatures all in one go. I think as long as we get a good amount, we can keep going until we kill them all." John looked over at Billy. "What if it's never-ending?" Billy shrugged. "I don't have the answers, but if we're going to fight, let's do it right. Perhaps this is what we were born for, and maybe it's the last thing we'll see in this life." Billy patted John's shoulder. "Keep trying to get ahold of them. If we can't, we do it without them, then after we win, we move on and help the next. There isn't anything more we can do, other than that. Oh, by the way, we're pulling the ships into the hotel basement. They contain metals and crystals, and I want to study them more." As Billy laughed and walked out of the room, he said to John, "Who would've guessed we'd be some kind of superheroes?" John chuckled under his breath and shook his head softly, "Only you, Billy."
Two days passed. The group had been running steadily with very little sleep in between. Jasper leaned against the back of the chair as she finished the soup Faith made. "That woman can definitely cook," she said to Nick. Laying her bowl on the table, she glanced over at Nick. "The longer I do this, the more it weakens me. The deeper it weakens me, the more memories come flooding back. This feels so weird, things I just never knew about myself. I remember an unusual manner of combat training I had when I was younger, and I recollect building something. I just don't know what it was, but we were creating something rather important." Nick nodded as he shared his memories. "I remember training to. I never built anything, but I worked with soldiers, lots of them. I recollect seeing weapons that we've never seen on earth. Compared to the soldiers here, we would be considered deadly weapons." Jasper sighed. "It's a little messed up having such mixed-up memories. If we get our lives back, I'm not telling anyone about any of this. I'm just going to live a typical human life. Although I won't give up any chance to kick a little alien ass." She laughed. Nick laughed with her. "So, are you seriously going to write about this later?" She nodded. "Yup, I'll tell the world about how it was won back. I might have to make it science fiction, so they don't think I'm a quack. How many of these did John say we needed?"
Nick paused for a minute, then responded, "Twenty-five in total. We're almost there. We'll be done by tomorrow. I imagine the army has been busy painting their helicopters and jets red. They're flying here in choppers, then assigning jets overseas to present these devices. The pilots are preparing to wear gas masks and run these devices the entire way there. They're exercising troops to search for underground groups like ours and filling them in on the plans. John doesn't know it, but he has saved so many lives just by sitting on the handheld for so many hours. The more people we can reach, the more aliens will get killed. The better chance we get to live life as we choose, not as prisoners locked up in a hotel. Imagine, not having the luxury we have right now, being here with comfortable rooms and food. There are numerous people out there stuck in warehouses or are starving. We certainly need to help them. I think people here get to pretend it isn't as serious as it truly is, but as long as everything that needs to be done is done and everyone is safe, then that's their right, if it gets them through the day." Jasper smiled. "I like the way you think. Let's get this finished so I can find something new to do for a bit. Doing the same thing over and over is very tiresome."
The skies around the hotel filled with a loud whooping noise. John ran towards the front door. "They're here." He unlocked the hotel and waited. A man ran up to him. "John, I'm Captain Timmonds. I understand you have several packages for me to pick up." Larzo and Mark came running out with the boxes. "They have the destinations marked right on the boxes. This one is for you guys, make sure this button is switched on at all times. It's the only thing that will protect you from the aliens, and they will remain stunned and functionless. Be sure you wear a gas mask. This device doesn't protect you from the gas, but the mask will keep you from being harmed by the fumes." The guy saluted, then turned and ran back to the chopper. John turned and looked at Larzo. "We have someone else coming in approximately four hours. Have the boxes ready for them to go. Are the instructions written out clearly?" Larzo nodded. "Yes, I wrote them out myself."
John smiled. "All right, then I'm going to see if I can contact Mexico and see if our people arrived yet." Larzo wandered down the hall. He grabbed Mark, and the two of them headed off to set up the next delivery. John sat on the radio.
"Mike, this is John. Are you there?"
John did this for about an hour until he heard:
"This is Mike."
John smiled to himself. "I'm so glad to hear your voice, Buddy. Did they make it there?"
Mike paused for a moment, then he heard Loretta's voice.
"John, we arrived just fine. We've been busy setting them up and teaching them what to do to remain safe. Since we turned on the machine, we've killed seven aliens around the warehouse. We've been super busy, but I promise we're okay. Jasper sent a second machine down with us, and I tell you, it's a godsend. We take it out on the supply hunt; it gives us more time to gather the food that's necessary to feed the people. Things have picked up here in the warehouse a hundred percent, and the people here are super happy."
John smiled. "Oh, that makes me feel good. I'm so glad we made a difference. Jasper told me to ask you when we spoke if Mike found out if there were any folks immune there?"
The radio was quiet for a few minutes.
"Mike says he has four that are immune and to tell Jasper he took her advice."
John
took a deep breath, "Good, good. I'm pleased to hear that. Okay, Loretta. I'll fill everyone in on your situation. Keep in contact with us."
John hung up the receiver and took a second to think about the situation. 'What's left?' he asked himself.
Day three came, and the group started winding down. John walked up to Larzo. "Now that the deliveries are out and gone, you need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be an extremely long day, the kind of day that doesn't end till the task at hand is done. Some may never see the end of the day. Meditate, sleep, eat, do whatever it takes; just be ready." John saw Jasper wandering down the hall. "You should be resting after doing such a great thing, your body needs to heal. You should be proud of yourself, Jasper. The human race has a higher chance because you were able to make more of those machines. The entire group worked as a team, and now we're equipped, as prepared as we will ever be, that is." Jasper nodded. "I'm heading up to bed now. Nick and I just took the dishes back down to the kitchen." Nick came racing out from the kitchen, "Hey, John. We were just cleaning up. Gonna get this woman up to bed. She has done an amazing job, don't you think?" John smiled. "I was just telling her that." Nick grabbed hold of Jasper's hand as the two of them headed down the hall. Jasper smiled as they walked away.
John stepped into the kitchen where his lovely wife sat. "You did great, honey. Do you know you are the glue that holds us all together?" He said as he looked at his wife. She smiled, "I know. What would you do without me?" She laughed then got him a bowl of soup. "You need to eat, you've been a very busy man." She placed the soup down in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. "No matter what happens tomorrow, you need to know how much I love you, and I'm very proud of you." He smiled, "I know." Jake wandered into the kitchen.
"I know I'm supposed to be guarding the device. I needed to get some more coffee. I'm near done though for now. I might get some sleep soon, but until then, I could use another cup of coffee. Everything is going so smoothly. I'm a little worried about what may go wrong. Have you given any backup plans, any thought? How do we know if everyone is okay and whether the job is done or not?" John frowned. "You've made a good point. How about we see if Jasper will make some air horns appear so that if someone is need of help, they can blow it until we find them. Best hurry, though; she's off to sleep." Jake agreed. As he headed out to find Jasper, he replied, "Hopefully, this will work."
Faith got up and went to the sink to wash her hands. "I'm so nervous about tomorrow. I hope I get some sleep tonight. I would like to be rested for tomorrow." John put his feet up on one of the chairs. "Maybe you just need to talk about what's on your mind. Is it those damn nightmares? Are you worried you'll have them tonight?" Faith's frown disappeared. "That might be part of it. I hate these nightmares so much. It's so unfair the way I've had to relive it over and over. And what's up with the child? It's like rubbing salt in the wound that we never could have a child. Now we may not even have the chance to keep trying. John, all I ever wanted was a family. Don't get me wrong, if it's only you and me for the rest of our lives, I'm all right with that. You're the love of my life. I just wanted to make our love as big as the world around us." John smiled. "I know how much you love me. We'll get the chance to keep trying, and if we never make a bigger family, then I know you're okay with that. Don't worry, baby. You'll get to be a mom someday." Faith smiled. "Let's try to get some sleep." She pulled her husband off the chair and down the hall towards their room.
Jake headed back to his room after speaking to Jasper. He didn't get to spend much time with Isabel, but she and her daughter were cuddled up in bed, and he didn't want to disturb them. Jake was glad he had caught her in time and that she agreed to the idea of bringing them some air horns. As he was walking down the hall, he spotted Marcy. "You better get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a big day." She smiled as she approached him. "I'm going there in a few minutes. I was just stretching my legs before heading to bed. I'm a little frightened about tomorrow, after losing Beth. It seemed like she died for nothing. This feels nearly doable now, so I sort of feel perhaps she died to show us the way. I miss her, Jake. We were in love and supposed to have a chance at life together." Jake nodded. "Yeah, I know you did. She didn't die for nothing. She showed us the power behind those creatures so that we could be safe. This whole situation makes everything so much more real for us all. It points out what's important in life and who you can't live without. We'll be okay, you'll see, Marcy." She smiled, "Night, Jake."
Jake proceeded to his room. As he entered, he thought to himself. Tomorrow could end it all. After tomorrow, none of us may be here anymore. Perhaps I'm wrong, maybe all of us will survive, and life will endure, and when we wake up, the sun will shine through the window gleaming into our eyes, reminding us we're alive. Oh, how much he wanted for that to happen. He sat on the edge of the bed and peered out the window towards the moon. He used to enjoy the moon but never imagined such a dark side to something so beautiful. He would have given anything to just know all of this long before it even commenced. He lay on the bed as his thoughts lingered. If I survive tomorrow, I won't waste another day without telling her how I feel. I'll let her know every day how I feel, and we can hopefully be a family. He picked up a picture from beside his bed; it was of Isabel. He smiled as he looked at it. I don't want you to know that I'm frightened about tomorrow. I need you to believe there's a chance for us because you and I are just beginning. I don't plan on wasting a single moment of my life with you after this. He laid the picture down and took a deep breath. Just as he turned to switch off the light, he heard Billy's voice. "Jake, can you hear me?" Jake leaned back, "Yeah. What's up?"
Billy took a second, then resumed, "I need to tell you something. I didn't tell the others yet. When I was in the ship earlier, I saw something. There was something lodged onto the dashboard of the vessel. I don't think it has anything to do with tomorrow, but I don't know what it is. I just wanted you to know, I put the ship in the basement. That way, you and I can study it further when all of this is over if it's ever over." Jake took a deep breath. "Okay, once this is over, we'll do more research and see if we can figure it out together. Don't worry, Billy, this will be over, one way or another." Jake lay down and closed his eyes. Just as he was close to dozing off, he whispered to himself, One way or another, this will be over.
Chapter Seventeen
The hotel was unusually quiet the next morning. John slowly gathered them and sent them towards the boardroom. He intended to review the plan with them to ensure that everyone was on the same page. Jasper was up out of bed. She sat on the bottom, putting on her socks. She looked over at the window towards the green fog. There has to be something I can do about that. She got up and headed towards the window. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the glass. I'm so sick of the fog, please make it go away. She mused to herself as she opened her eyes, Who am I to be able to mess with the weather? She laughed silently to herself as she turned to walk away, heading down towards the boardroom.
The room was full. People sat wall to wall, waiting to hear from their leader, John, strolled into the room. Larzo followed him closely, waving his hands in the air. Jasper leaned over and whispered in Jake's ear, "Larzo looks a little frazzled. Is he okay?" Jake looked over at her. "He does, doesn't he? Let's hope he gets it together before we head out. We all have to hold it together to accomplish this." Jake looked Jasper in the eyes, "How are you doing?" She smiled faintly. "I'm okay. I just want this to be over, but since it isn't going to be that easy, then I'm ready to kick some alien ass. Damn fog! I'm tired of it. I just wish it would go away. My eyes are constantly strained, trying to look through it." Jake peered over at it as it rolled across the window. "Well, I don't think it's going anywhere, so you may as well get used to it."
John stood up in front of the crowd. "Listen up, everyone." After getting their full attention, he continued, "In a few hours, our lives are going to change, probably for the better. It's going to get worse, and it will be dangerous. Those o
f you who think you can't handle it need to get that thought out of your head; there isn't a choice anymore. Everyone has a job to do today, and that responsibility will remain until we win. Every car will have a person who waits with the device, someone who will chop the aliens head off, and an individual ready to light it on fire. Never leave any of them alive. If they escape, we may have to go through this again, and I know we don't want that. Those of you who require masks, keep them on tight. We don't need any accidents. So, with that said, I wish you all luck, and I pray that eventually, I will have the pleasure of seeing each one of your faces sitting here with us once again." John walked off to the side and began to talk to one of the men. Jasper glanced around. "Time to put our plan to action. You ready for this?" Jake nodded.
"Yeah, If this device does its job right, then all we have to do is get a system going. One will chop, then one burns, and we keep going until we kill all the aliens. I know that nearly sounds too simple. Let's hope that's all that's needed." Jasper scowled. "What if we run into our father?" Jake turned and looked her in the eyes as he said, "Then we kill him. He's one of them, and I'm sure he won't hesitate to try to kill us. For all we know, he could be the one who shot you. Do you know any different?" She shook her head, No. "You're right. With no hesitation, we just kill him." Nick walked up to them, "Oh, my God. I smell sausages. Is someone cooking them?" Jasper grinned. "I think Isabel is in the kitchen cooking something for everyone to eat before we head out. Funny, just before you mentioned it, I was thinking about how I smelt them too." Jasper laughed. The three-headed towards the kitchen. Isabel stood at the counter, putting the sausages into the hot dog buns. "Hi, guys," she said when she glanced up. "Help yourself. I'm putting them out for everyone to eat before we go. Christie and I are going to be riding with Faith and John. That way, we can keep an eye on the device. Who's going with you, Jasper?" Jasper looked over at Isabel. She tried to empty her mouth before answering but felt compelled to speak to her with her mouth full. "I'm with Nick, I think Billy and Carla are coming with us. The two guys will cut off their heads, I'll light them on fire, while Carla stays in the car with the device. I think Jake is going with you guys to help John with the cutting. These creatures are powerful. I don't know where we would be if we didn't have these devices. I want to keep us in the same area, even if we are in separate groups. This way, if anyone requires help, we're not too far away." Isabel frowned. "I don't think I could handle it if anything ever happened to you or Jake. You make sure you're careful today." Jake wandered over and wrapped his arms around her, "I will do my best. I'm not going out intending to die, but if it were to keep you safe, then I wouldn't hesitate. You need to know that I love you in case anything happens." Isabel took a deep breath, "I love you too. I need you to be careful though I can't lose you." She reached up and cupped his chin, "You need to be the warrior I know you are, that's how this needs to happen. Then We can be together, all three of us." Jake smiled and kissed her, "You got it."