2021

by Martin Wiseman

  ‘Gentleman, Ladies, we will now have to confiscate any mobile phones, cameras, or mobile computer head units, as the next part of this press conference is for viewing by members of the press only. For folks at home there will be a short break in transmission to return you to your local channels whilst this broadcast is halted in respect of the victims of these creatures’ explained the President very solemnly.

  Then all the television cameras in the Whitehouse were turned off.

  ‘Gentleman, Ladies, we will now show you a very brief film in order for you to realise the true extent and seriousness of this crisis, which offers not just a threat to America, but certainly I now firmly believe, a very credible threat to all mankind’ the President explained. ‘After this we will be serving you all sweet tea to calm your nerves, believe you me, Ladies and Gentleman of the press, you will need it after seeing this’ the President then nodded.

  ‘The following film is not to be shown or copied by anyone as we need to respect the relatives of those people shown and indeed, the dignity of the victims themselves’ a Presidential aid now insisted.

  The short film of edited together shots of people being attacked, killed, and even devoured by the Migrators both taken by Jack and Jenny now totally shocked everyone inside the Whitehouse press room.

  Several reporters even fainted.

  After a short break the President then spoke to them all again.

  ‘I am deeply sorry for shocking you all in such a manner, but I needed to convey to you all how truly serious this situation now is. Again, I repeat, this is not just a threat to all Americans, but a threat to all human life on Earth!’ stated the President firmly ‘America is just their starting point.’

  Everyone in the room now fully understood the seriousness of the crisis and certainly didn’t need anymore convincing.

  The President then asked the television cameras to be turned back on and he continued with the broadcast.

  ‘We have just shown a short film taken within the dead zone area, to members of the press from all around the world gathered here together in the Whitehouse. We have done so, to reinforce to them the true seriousness of this crisis’ explained the President.

  ‘I would now appeal for experts all around the world to come together to find a way to stop these creatures we have named the Migrators’ appealed the President. ‘Even if we have had our differences in the past, this threat goes way beyond our petty squabbles, as this threatens the very existence on Earth of mankind itself!’ the president told everyone forcibly.

  The President then paused for a moment.

  ‘Fleeing American soil isn’t the solution’ he added ‘as according to leading scientist Professor Gregorski these creatures are still following a firm cycle of development, with their final stage, he firmly believes, being to develop wings. If we cannot stop them before this happens, they will be capable of spreading all around the globe and there will be little we will be able to do to stop them’ the President explained.

  ‘It is my firm belief however, that if the international community pulls together and unites as one, man will find a way to rid the world of these creatures.’

  ‘People of the world make no mistake, this is the biggest threat to mankind’s survival in the entire history of our planet!’

  With that, the President finally concluded the most dramatic and shocking press conference in the whole of history!

  Of course, within hours of his press conference all the roads leading away from anywhere remotely near California became blocked solid! Whilst airports couldn’t cope with the numbers of people now attempting to flee the United States, Mexico and Canada!

  Chapter Twenty One

  Day Twelve:

  18th January 2021

  The World Unites!

  Immediately following the President’s appeal for help, offers began flooding in from every corner of the globe.

  Every newspaper, television channel and radio station meanwhile covered nothing else, with newspaper front pages now filled with pictures of the terrifying Migrators as issued to them by the Whitehouse press office.

  Many people were now clamouring for the international community to do something to help the people trapped inside the dead zone area and stop the Migrators once and for all, but scientists were kept busy explaining all the things they had tried, but so far had failed!

  So many people were now trying to leave the United States that soon many countries were forced to close their borders. In a strange about turn, Mexico was forced to close its borders to fleeing Americans. Whilst Canada took in as many people as it could, but soon it too was forced to refuse anymore, whilst its own airports couldn’t cope with the sheer numbers of people now trying to flee North America altogether.

  Jack was asked if he could spy on the Migrators and his large airship was flown down to Lodi in a large American Air Force transporter plane and quickly reassembled there.

  He was also asked to test a new compressed air powered engine that did not rely upon gas being ignited or put under pressure in any way. It relied simply upon air being put under tremendous pressure instead in a quite new and ingenious invention.

  If it worked, it would have major repercussions not only for use on his airship, but also in the design of new, more powerful and more easily portable weapons that could be used against the Migrators.

  Scientists in Germany, Great Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Australia, China, Ireland, Russia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Russia and many others sat with those at the Pentagon as they all jointly worked together to pool their ideas.

  Many countries immediately pledged the United States military personnel. Great Britain, France, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Russia, India, Pakistan, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Africa, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and many others all sent military personnel over to the United States in huge numbers to aid its fight against the Migrators.

  The general consensus seemed to be that, if countries had to eventually fight these things anyway, then it was infinitely preferable to fight them abroad rather than on their own soil and this was widely considered now as their only chance to do that.

  The world’s biggest military might, China sent a special envoy to view the dead Migrator body after which it sent plane after plane filled with troops to play their part.

  During the Second World War the United States sent troops into Great Britain after Britain itself had stood alone against the Nazis menace for quite some time. Now to Britain’s Prime Minister it seemed only fitting to now return that favour as it pledged as many military personnel as it could to send to America.

  Jack, Stuart and two members of the United States Special Forces Units made new trips to see just how far the Migrators had progressed along the dead zone.

  The news wasn’t good.

  San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont and Jan Jose had already fallen and now the Migrators were fast heading for Monterey.

  The new air pressure engines had however proven very successful and that gave the go ahead for new more powerful weapons to be designed by the new international design team.

  The challenge now, was to produce weapons that could be quickly mass produced that were also easily transportable time now was of the essence though.

  With the new air pressure engine, Jack was able to travel much further out, but every time he returned he looked a little older with worry.

  Even the two Special Forces troops that went with him looked clearly upset and shocked every time they returned from their sorties.

  ‘The ground is just running black with them now’ commented one soldier as he just sat on the ground and drank some water.

  ‘Heck, there are just millions of them out there’ added the other.

  ‘Is it really that bad?’ Joan asked Jack.

  ‘I tell you, Joan, the ground is literally moving black there are so many Migrators out
there now’ he uttered as he sat there looking very worried. ‘I’m not sure we’ll ever stop them now’ he admitted honestly.

  ‘They’re all moving in just one direction’ added one of the soldiers.

  ‘Yes and that’s straight for Los Angeles’ uttered Jack with a gulp. ‘How in God’s name are we ever going to stop them?’ he questioned.

  It was the same question everyone was asking and sadly not coming up with any positive answer.

  It was hoped the new air pressured engines could power smaller weapons that every infantryman could carry, but tests proved only large artillery units were even capable of piercing the dead Migrators tough outer exoskeleton. So the simple basic design that Joan had come up with, with the help of her team of scientists, was still considerably the best.

  ‘If we adapt our basic design to be fired using the new air pressure engine, at least we could fire the arrows off much quicker’ she suggested in a discussion with the group of international scientists and other experts all conferencing together in person and over the internet. ‘At least all we’d have to do is reload with a new arrow each time’ Joan stated positively ‘and with slightly shorter arrows we can both manufacture and load them quicker.’

  Literally hundreds of scientists had flown in from all over the world to study the body of the Migrator Jack and the small band of soldiers had captured, but despite all their best efforts none of them could explain how the Migrator’s body prevented flame from igniting or totally prevent electricity or even gas from working close up.

  ‘This could take us years to fully understand’ commented one scientist.

  ‘Trouble is, that’s time we simply don’t have’ added another as he just threw up his arms in despair.

  ‘We need to be sure even the new gas pressure engine works close to them’ then suggested another scientist.

  ‘No, that will be fine’ Joan assured them but Stuart looked unsure.

  ‘The thing is, Joan, we don’t want to spend weeks building these things and then arming our troops only to then discover even they don’t work right near them’ he insisted.

  ‘Yes, maybe you’re right’ she nodded.

  So the next day Jack was sent to drop one of the new gas pressured cannons right in the Migrator’s midst armed with a trigger set by clockwork.

  It still worked and when he returned he reported back his findings.

  ‘Well at least that works’ smiled Stuart.

  ‘Yes, but we need more, much more if we are to stand a realistic chance at defeating these things’ insisted Jack ‘as you should just see their numbers now’ he warned.

  As the days went by and little progress had been made, the inevitable eventually happened and several national newspapers began running the headline ‘is this really the end of all mankind?’

  General Iram carefully studied the latest air pressure cannon that fired off manually loaded reinforced steal tipped arrows and he nodded his head in approval.

  ‘This will give those damn monsters a headache they’ll never forget!’

  When he saw Jack’s latest film however and he saw the sheer numbers of Migrators even he now looked worried. He just slumped down in his chair and raised his cap as he blew a worried sigh.

  In a meeting of all his key personnel, the General just shook his head.

  ‘I’ll be honest, People, I don’t know if we can defeat these monsters, but if I had the chance to choose whether mankind went down fighting or just running away screaming, then I’d choose fighting any day!’

  Everyone in the room agreed and so cheered him!

  His words belied a simple truth however, that realistically barring a miracle, there was little chance of the human race ever defeating the all powerful Migrators!

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Day Twenty One:

  27th January 2021

  Upper Compton,

  Surrey, England.

  Alec and Tom had both watched television in horror every day as news of the Migrators soon dominated all the headlines as the crisis deepened with seemingly no solution in sight.

  Of course, away from growing military presence around California and the huge panic by people to leave North America, life just went on pretty much the same as usual.

  Tom, Alec and all the other workers at the car repairers all watched the news in their tea break every day, before returning to work afterwards always shaking their heads in disbelief.

  Many teenagers like Tom and Alec had volunteered to sign up to fight for the now newly named ‘International Defence Army’ but they were all turned down. The British government preferred to keep their names on file for if the Migrators ever reached their shores.

  Of course anyone could catch a civilian plane to America now as absolutely no one wanted to go there anymore, only leave there if it was at all possible.

  The official American government advice was that it was considered that enough countries had now volunteered fully trained army personnel for the time being and anyway, if the Migrators did begin developing wings, volunteers would then be needed to defend their own countries.

  All ordinary people could do at this stage was to carry on as usual and hope the crisis in America would eventually be solved by the combined world’s military.

  In the garage where Tom, Alec and Mark worked basically talk was about little else as they followed the news every day and then discussed it amongst themselves as they worked away as usual.

  Unexpectedly on the 24th January though, Father Mathews turned up at the garage asking to speak to Tom.

  ‘Father Mathews wants to speak to you’ Mark told him.

  ‘Who is it again?’ queried Tom as he climbed out from underneath a car he was working on.

  ‘You know, Father Mathews’ repeated Mark.

  ‘Father Mathews?’ puzzled Tom ‘I wonder what he wants?’

  ‘Perhaps he wants to recruit you as a priest’ joked Mark.

  ‘Me?’ laughed Tom ‘he’s on a loser there then’ he chuckled away.

  With that, Tom wiped some of the oil from his hands as he went to see what the old priest wanted.

  ‘You asked to see me, Father Mathews?’ Tom asked curiously as he left the garage workshop area to speak to him.

  ‘Yes, Tom, I guess you’ve seen all the horrors going on in the United States?’ Father Mathews asked.

  ‘Yes, Father, it’s hard not to, unbelievably bad isn’t it’ Tom nodded.

  ‘I’ve been asked by the Vatican to seek your help’ smiled the priest.

  ‘My help?’ puzzled Tom ‘what on earth can I do about anything, I’m just a mechanic?’ shrugged Tom.

  ‘Ay, we both know you’re so much more than that, Tom’ smiled the old priest.

  Tom sat down, so Father Mathews just sat down next to him.

  ‘I don’t do anything like that praying anymore, Father’ Tom whispered to him.

  ‘Tom, I’ve been sent here to tell you to go and see the Pope’ explained Father Mathews.

  ‘The Pope?’ chuckled Tom ‘Father, have you been drinking too much communal wine or something?’ uttered Tom with a chuckle.

  ‘No, that I haven’t’ smiled Father Mathews. ‘Tom, I’m being serious now, we believe you may be the key to stopping these Migrator creatures.’

  ‘Na, the yanks will just nuke them or something’ smiled Tom.

  ‘Tom, don’t you read the newspapers? They’ve already tried that and pretty much everything else and nothing they’ve tried has worked and most probably never will’ insisted the Father firmly.

  ‘But, Father Mathews, I’m just a mechanic’ shrugged Tom ‘I mean, seriously, what I can I do?’

  ‘Yes and Jesus was just a carpenter’ argued the Father.

  ‘Yes, but come on, Father, let’s face it, I’m hardly any Jesus am I? I mean, I bet Jesus never swears like I do sometimes when I scrape the skin off my knuckles when a span
ner slips’ Tom smiled.

  ‘Tom, hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions of men, women and children will all die horrible deaths being simply devoured at the hands of these creatures unless we find a way to stop them’ insisted Father Mathews grabbing Tom’s arm in an attempt to make him take him seriously.

  ‘Blimey, then you’re really serious about this?’ Tom uttered, now looking quite shocked at the old priest’s sudden outburst.

  ‘Serious? Tom, I’ve never been more serious in my life! Tom, you don’t seem to realise what a fix we’re all in. Mankind is looking at complete extinction here, unless we do something quickly’ Father Mathews insisted.

  Tom was just amazed but then he just threw up his arms in surrender.

  ‘OK Father’ he shrugged as he finished wiping his hands on a rag before he threw it neatly in the bin. ‘What exactly do you want me to do then?’

  ‘The two men outside have been asked to take you to Rome’ Father Mathews explained.

  ‘But what if I don’t want to go?’ asked Tom curiously.

  ‘Take a peek at them’ suggested the old priest and so Tom pulled down the blind in the office window a little to look out to see two very burly looking men outside, all dressed in black.

  ‘Somehow, I don’t think they’ll take ‘no’ for an answer do you?’ Father Mathews smiled.

  ‘Umm, maybe not’ Tom agreed.

  With that, Father Mathews started walking away and Tom shouted after him.

  ‘HANG ON, FATHER! AREN’T YOU COMING WITH ME?’

  Father Mathews walked back and just smiled at him.

  ‘Ay, lad, now I think I’m a bit too old now for all that gallivanting around the world, don’t you?’

  ‘I don’t think so, Father Mathews’ laughed Tom.

  ‘Tom, I’m a weak old man. You just go and do your best and God Bless you, son’ smiled the priest as he made the sign of the cross on his chest before he finally left.