by RWK Clark
Wells began, “You two get to work. I’m going to contact the boys. Better yet, I’m going to call and let them know I am coming down for a face-to-face. The three of us are going to be here for a while, so I will check in with you periodically to check on the progress of the project. Sound good to you?”
They both nodded and rose from their chair. Wells did the same, extending his hand to shake both of theirs before walking them to the door of his office and seeing them out. He shut it gently behind them.
Back in their office they got to work right away. In writing, Kamryn told Josh what his job would be: using their current knowledge of the Oppressors’ language she would need him to write code which would assist her in visualizing the digital signal being used by their system. She needed to understand it inside and out if they were to develop a convincing and effective decoy. Until that was finished she was powerless. It would be no good to begin the hacking process until he had the code complete, then she could assist him in the development of the new ‘signal’.
He was on it, and was convinced he knew just how to go about the task she had given him. “I’ll tell you what, you go get us some food and a couple of drinks and I will get started. Until this is complete you get the honors of doing all the running.” He smiled and winked at her.
“Absolutely. Any preference on the food and drink?” She kissed him lightly yet lovingly on the lips, and when she pulled away he simply shook his head.
“I trust you,” he replied. He no longer felt like they were running in place. Confusing the ships with a false signal was ingenious. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
She rose, squeezed his shoulder affectionately, and left the office. He turned back to his computer, grabbing a fresh tablet from his drawer. He then sharpened a number of pencils in his electric sharpener. A pen would not do for this job. Then Josh cracked his knuckles, and shaking his head to dispel thoughts of Kamryn, he got to work.
Kamryn walked down the hall to the elevator, feeling very light on her feet indeed. Not only was she sure this was the way to deal with the Oppressors, she was confident they could overpower them and win this war for the lives of all humans on earth. She was also in love. Never in her life had things shone so brightly, even in the midst of the impending death and slavery which threatened them all. She felt free, and a bit giddy as well.
In the cafeteria she chose two greasy slices of pizza, some fresh vegetables off the salad bar, a couple cups of ranch dressing for dipping, and a glass of iced tea for Josh and water for herself. She walked to the register to pay, and Helen, the regular cashier, looked up and smiled at her.
“I can’t let you pay for that, Ms. Reynolds. Mr. Wells has said that any food would be on the house for you and Mr. Nichols until further notice.”
Kamryn was surprised. “Thanks, Helen. He didn’t say a word to us, but we certainly appreciate it.” She left the cafeteria feeling that things couldn’t be more perfect if the Oppressors had never arrived. She felt incredible, in fact.
Back on her floor she entered the office. “I hope greasy pizza and veggies are okay. I needed some real food, and nothing says real like grease, broccoli, and celery sticks.”
He looked up at her and smiled. “That’s fine. Just set it here and I’ll get to it soon.”
She put his food on his desk and sat down to eat her own. She didn’t bother him, but she was tempted to put her hands on him constantly. She couldn’t wait until all of this was over so they could enjoy each other properly. She couldn’t wait to get to know him without the pressures of world catastrophe looming over them like the shadow of Death himself. It was a good plan. Now they just needed to beat the clock before it was too late, and that carried a heavy pressure all its own.
Around a half-hour later, Josh took a breather to eat his now cold pizza. He seemed to inhale it, and once he was done he grabbed the tablet they were using to ‘talk’ and began to write a message for her on it.
He wrote:
“I’m on a roll. This is going to be easier than I thought. I don’t think these slime balls believe we can think on this level. With the knowledge of the language that we have I should be able to get this written with lightning speed. I may even surprise myself. You should lie down and rest if you want. I’m going to be pounding away for a time, babe.”
Kamryn read the note and nodded at him. “If you need anything make sure you wake me up. Don’t hesitate, Josh, okay?”
“I won’t, but I don’t anticipate I need much more than time. If you rest up you will be in perfect shape to dive in with me when you wake. Before you do though you should run and grab me a stiff coffee. Would you do that for me please?”
She nodded and smiled, leaving the office. Josh would likely need as much coffee as he could get. She walked to the receptionist’s desk near the elevator. “I’m going to need a pot of stiff coffee for Josh. As black and thick as you can get it please.”
The receptionist was not someone she was familiar with, and she assumed the woman was from another unit, covering for an exhausted regular. “Sure thing. I’ll whip one up and get it to your office right away. Will you be needing anything else?”
“No, but if you could bring one every couple of hours that would be great. I’m going to catch a few z’s, but Josh is going to be hard at work, and we are all aware of the deadline we are facing,” Kamryn replied.
The woman nodded. “No problem. The large office at the end of the hall, correct? and should I knock each time?”
“No, not tonight that won’t be necessary. I will tell him you will be warming up the pot periodically. Thanks. We appreciate it.” Kamryn then went back to the office and filled Josh in on the coffee situation. She then lay down on the couch they had brought for that purpose. She covered up with a standard Army issue green wool blanket, and even though it was afternoon, she fell asleep very quickly, her dreams just out of the grasp of her memory.
She jerked awake suddenly, her open eyes searching for Josh immediately. He sat at the computer, hard at work. His fingers tapped away at a deathly rate of speed, and in her semi-confused state she found herself wondering if this single task would result in carpal tunnel for the code writer.
“How’s it going?” She sat up on the couch, yawning and stretching.
He answered her without turning around. “Better than I could have possibly hoped. I completely understand the signal. It is really, really simple, elementary, really. I’m about a third of the way through the code. Won’t know how it works until the test run, but I should have this done in less than a week. Just getting into the meat and potatoes of it now.”
“What time is it?” She asked.
“Just after one in the morning. You slept so good you were even snoring,” he stopped and spun to face her in his desk chair. “It was really cute. You must have needed it.”
Just then the office door opened and the haggard-looking receptionist came in with a brown and black thermal carafe of fresh coffee. “Hello, sleepy-head,” she said to Kamryn, smiling. “My turn is next. My relief will be here at two and I get her place on the couch in the administration break room. Feel better?”
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. A cup of that will finish the wake-up process perfectly.” She smiled back at the woman and rose to pour herself a cup.
In minutes she was seated at her desk, sipping the steaming liquid and watching Josh over his shoulder. She didn’t speak, for fear of interrupting his thought process, and she didn’t know a thing about writing code, but it looked like he was on a roll. She closed her eyes and moved her head in a circular motion to stretch her neck muscles. She felt more rested than she had in a long time. Maybe the great sex had something to do with it?
After another half-hour and another cup of coffee later Josh stopped typing and stretched his fingers out, popping his knuckles. He raised his arms over his head for a full-body stretch, groaning as he went. He then turned to Kamryn.
“I’m gonna bop up and down the hall a couple
of times to get the blood flowing. I’ll be right back, okay?” She nodded in response, and he rose and left the office.
She poured herself a third cup and then called up the receptionist’s desk. After three rings she heard the tired voice. “Yes?”
“This is Kamryn. Could you please have your relief bring a fresh pot, and let her know we will need another one in an hour now that I’m awake?”
She replied, “Sure. I’m doing a shift transfer now, so she should be there within the next fifteen minutes or so. Will that do?”
“Yes. Thanks again.” She replaced the receiver and sat back in her desk chair, rocking it slightly. She found the motion to be comforting, to say the least.
Soon Josh was back. He sat and faced her.
“By the time this is done, regardless of the circumstances going on at the time, we should be able to develop the precise program for what we need. There may be a few bugs, initially, but I’m confident in my ability to iron them out if they are there.” He yawned and poured a coffee, slugged it down, then refilled the cup. He shook the pot. “This is a dead soldier,” he said, and sat it back on the desk.
Kamryn smiled at him. “Yes. I already spoke to Reception and they will be bringing another shortly, then again every hour after since I’m up.”
“Good thinking. I should know I can count on you to be thinking. Back to work for me, Cutie.” He smiled and leaned forward. She did the same, and they enjoyed a leisurely kiss before he dove back into the trenches.
Kamryn busied herself with notes regarding the false signal and the implantation of their leg of the plan. She knew that the boys upstairs were likely planning military attack, but she also knew that the Oppressors were going to be disembarking from the ships to begin the herding in six hours or so. The thought made her stomach lurch with fear and trepidation. What would they look like? How would they act toward the people of Earth? All of it was incomprehensible, and she could barely handle thinking about it. She put her focus back on her notes and kept it there.
An hour and two more pots of coffee later Josh stood to stretch out again. “Moving a bit slower now that I’m in the thick of it. Five hours and counting. I can barely stand the anxiety I feel when I think about seeing these damn aliens, Kam.”
“I know. I feel the same way. I have been taking notes and planning just to keep my mind off of the reality of it. There really is nothing we can do but buck up. It’s coming, faster than any of us would like.” She stared into her coffee cup, concentrating hard to keep the tears of fear from spilling out of her eyes.
He walked over and stood behind her chair, and placing his hands on her shoulders, began to massage. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Don’t cry, Kam. I’m here, and I’ll die before I let them separate us. They will have to kill me first.”
She spun her chair so that she was facing him. “Really? You would do that, Josh? Aren’t you afraid?” The tears won, and they danced down both cheeks. Her eyes were so beautiful, as though the tears enhanced them. It took his breath away.
“In a heartbeat. Without a second thought.”
She put down her cup and stood, wrapping her arms around him, seeking the shelter of his embrace. He hugged her tightly to him and inhaled her scent. Soon she raised her chin, and looking into his eyes she kissed him. It didn’t take long before the feel of her began to get the best of him, and it took everything inside of him to break their kiss.
“We can’t babe. We don’t have time. you know I want to, but we don’t have time.” His voice was as gentle and soothing as it could be.
“Can’t we just die making love and say screw the world? At least then I would die in your arms.” Her tears were falling freely now. She was literally scared to death, but so was he.
He spoke, “We have to stay focused. The fact is, the world needs us. It’s apparent we were put here for this time, Kamryn. We are responsible because of our knowledge, and even though we didn’t ask for it, we set ourselves up for it for sure.”
She simply nodded and sat back down. He moved over to his own chair and did the same, winking at her before turning back to his computer screen and keyboard. Time to get back to it.
Eight o’clock was just around the corner, if they didn’t emerge sooner.
Chapter 12
Sunrise came threateningly.
At seven Josh stopped working and began to pace the office. She did the same. At seven-fifteen the intercom buzzed and Wells’ voice echoed from it.
“How are the two of you doing?”
Josh answered, “Work-wise things are going very, very well. Emotionally, well, I’d say we are both a bit frazzled.”
“Well, if this helps, word came from the White House at six that we are not required to rally in the streets to greet them. We can stay in our homes or places of work. The armed forces, all branches, with the President and his men, will be the ones to greet the Oppressors. We are going to be taking this a step at a time. The other ships will not begin to come out until the Commander in Chief has met with the leader and spokesperson of and for the Oppressors.” His voice sounded somber, and just as afraid as they felt.
Josh and Kamryn both breathed a major sigh of relief. He replied, “So we can continue to work and remain in the office until further notice?”
“Yes,” replied Wells. “We know they are going to let government people on all levels get herded for testing last. You will know as soon as I do. Keep up the good work, you two. Don’t let emotions get the best of you. I’ll be in touch.”
The speaker on the intercom went dead, and both Josh and Kamryn released a rush of breath that was audible.
“What a relief. I can’t even tell you, but I’m sure you know anyway,” Josh said.
Kamryn answered with a shaky voice. “There aren’t words to describe the relief, I don’t think.”
“I’m going to get back to work. The sooner we get this done, the sooner the real games begin.” Josh leaned forward and kissed her, the love he felt tangible in his kiss. He pulled away and said, “Soon you will be able to start giving them what they deserve.”
He turned to his computer, and Kamryn excused herself to go to the restroom. Once she was in the stall with the door firmly locked she lost control and began to weep uncontrollably. For the next ten minutes her thin frame was racked with sobs. Finally, she emerged from the stall and washed her face at one of the sinks along the wall. She dried her face with a paper towel and made sure the redness in her eyes had subsided before joining Josh back in their office.
∞
President Andrew Mason and his men sat in the back of a sleek black limousine parked at the Washington Monument, the designated meeting place for himself, his men, the leader of the Oppressors, and the leader’s crew. His stomach roiled violently with fear, and it was terribly difficult to hide the tremor in his hands. Miles James, Henry Whitaker, and Carson Wood all sat with him, but none of them spoke. Each had a sifter of brandy to calm their nerves. It was vital that they show no weakness to the enemy. They needed to be calm and confident, displaying only strength. He wasn’t sure if he could do it. They didn’t even know what these beings looked like. The mere sight of them could incite hysteria, for all he knew.
At 7:50 he looked at the other three men.
“It’s time.”
They put down their sifters almost simultaneously and got out of the back of the limo. All branches of the armed forces were already there and in place. They were the last to arrive.
In between the monument and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was where the meet would take place in only moments. Flanked by his men, and surrounded by secret service, President Mason took his place, and as they all stood there they stared upwards at the ships underbelly, waiting for some sign of a door opening. None of them had any idea what to expect, not only from the ship, but from the Oppressors as well.
At precisely 8:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time the hatch began to open.
The ship was vast and black, with li
ghts scattered across its surface, but almost directly over the place where the president and the other men were situated, and in the midst of some of the lights, the ship’s surface seemed to almost dissolve. The material the ship was made of began to waterfall toward the earth below, touching down immediately in front of the president, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of Homeland Security. It then solidified before their very eyes, forming what resembled a playground slide the color of slate, and the surface appeared to move.
President Mason realized he wasn’t breathing, and forced himself to slowly inhale and exhale slowly. He couldn’t afford to hyperventilate and pass out, though that was the preferred course of action at the moment. This was the thing nightmares were made of.
Suddenly, at the opening of the ship, three figures appeared, and they began to come down toward the ground. It appeared they were walking, but as they got closer it became apparent that they weren’t walking. The ramp they were on was in motion like a moving walkway in an airport terminal.
The Oppressors did not appear to be much different than humans. Once their feet touched terra firma it was obvious they were taller than the average Earthling by about a foot. Their physical structure was similar, with the main differences being their hands, their eyes, and their hairlines, which were receded quite drastically on top while their hair was worn long, almost flowing over their shoulders. They appeared to have the same colors of hair as any human being.
The three Oppressors who stood before the President and his men had dark skin, a deep, rich brown which was apparently filled with pigment. Their hands consisted of only three fingers and one thumb. Their eyes bore the most disturbing difference of all: while they had colored irises, the pupils were elongated, like those of reptiles. Otherwise, these beings were not much different than the Earthlings standing before them.