Incoming

by Mel Todd

  The normalcy of the complaint made McKenna smile, and she heard a chuckle from Perc.

  ~Did you guys have any luck?~ Toni asked back.

  ~Wefor swears that frequency is being monitored, but no. We'll try again tomorrow.~ The rest of the conversation fell into friendly chatter, Cass sharing what she did during the day.

  Captain Alfonso met them when they got out. "Thanks for that info. We're updating our tactics and doing more snipers. Anything else we should know about their abilities?"

  McKenna laughed. "Probably. Perc? Wanna go do the show and tell?"

  He laughed, his large shoulders shaking as sharp fangs were exposed. Human facial expression really didn't translate well to this form, but they were automatic for the most part. Half the people there took a step back.

  "Sure. Can't let you and JD have all the fun. Come on guys, let's go have fun."

  She laughed as the soldiers followed him like little ducklings to the storefront they'd taken over as a break room.

  It took two days before Wefor caught the signal. By then they had become a rather efficient little squad. Tracking down the shuttles had become routine. Setting up sniper nests and picking off returning Kaylid worked well. They carefully didn't talk about the victims likely caused by the Kaylid in pursuit of capturing the Earthborn shifters.

  The news got grimmer and grimmer. Istanbul was all but destroyed. China a confused waste land. Half the people crying for the absent Elentrin, the other half trying to pick up the slack.

  As a whole, the US was doing pretty well. But if it went on much longer food shortages would start. So many people were armed and willing to fight that the cost was high to the invaders, and that created more stress for McKenna. But she hadn't had any more dreams. She'd feel better if she knew if that was a good or a bad thing.

  [That one. It has been there for five minutes and the transmission was just detected.]

  ~Finally. Okay. I'm going.~

  ~Not alone, you aren't,~ Perc and JD said, basically in unison.

  She started to argue but realized it wouldn't do any good.

  "I need to go down and inspect that shuttle. It should have what I'm looking for."

  The men they'd been working with over the last few days all instantly started packing up.

  "What are you doing?" McKenna asked, looking at them.

  "Coming with you, what does it look like? You're our responsibility. I'm not about to let you go into a shuttle by yourself that might kidnap you. Guys, ready?" he asked, glancing at the other two men who had finished packing up and stood with their rifles ready.

  "Arguing with you isn't going to do anything but waste time is it?" she asked, giving all the men an annoyed look.

  "Nope. So let's go." Lawson had the audacity to smile at her as they headed towards the shuttle.

  ~What is it about men?~ she muttered in her head.

  Perc and JD just laughed while she got amused exasperation from Toni and Cass.

  ~Did you really think any of us would let you go by yourself? We can't lose you.~ The sentiment was reinforced by everyone, even the kids, and she sighed, both warmed and frustrated by their insistence on protecting her.

  ~Someday you're going to be on the receiving side of this, just saying.~

  ~Sure, bring it on,~ Toni said wryly while JD laughed at her.

  They moved down from the building they had perched on top of. People helped the military right now, and no one wanted this to continue, so getting into and out of buildings to set up the sniper nests was easy. Going down and collecting captured people required a bit more risk. Either way, they moved with caution, the shifters listening and checking before waving them forward.

  They took out a Kaylid coming back, but fewer and fewer had been coming back with any shifters. People didn't react well to being captured, and everyone fought.

  The shuttle sat in the clearing, its silver presence a siren call.

  "Have they managed to get in and inspect any of them?" McKenna asked softly.

  "Not that I've heard. Other than the one they captured at the initial meeting, the others fly away if anyone goes in. Which means I'm reluctant to allow you to enter."

  "Hmmm, any shifters go in? Or always just non?"

  Lawson shrugged. "Above my pay grade. All I know is the one captured is the only one they've managed to study."

  "Well, I have to go in. Maybe if I'm there, you won't trigger it."

  Lawson smiled a wolfish grin at her. "Well, if they get us, they get us all. Not letting them get you."

  A grunt of agreement from all the men had McKenna rolling her eyes, but they headed in, scanning for anything and everything.

  Looking in the shuttle for the second time, McKenna paused, trying to pay attention to it this time. Last time she'd seen the people and hadn't paid attention to much else. Nets hung against the wall, in rows stacking up. It dawned on her this was probably how they meant to transport their prisoners.

  Low benches on either side with harnesses every so often, and a center area where she would have expected a pilot's chair, but there was an odd-looking stand. Almost like a funky bar stool and some controls.

  ~Wefor, any idea what I'm looking for or where it might be?~

  [No.]

  ~Well, that's no help,~ McKenna grumbled as she gingerly stepped into the shuttle, ready to spring back out the door at the first hint of it closing up.

  Looking around, the lines all seemed clean and almost sterile. No hint of any type of personality to the ship.

  ~Okay, guys, I'm searching where he told me, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for, and there are so many mixed smells in here I can't really sniff for anything.~

  Lawson stuck his head in. "Get what you need?"

  "No. I don't see anything that screams 'secret transmitter'. All I know is there should be a transmitter on this ship, but I don't know what should or shouldn't be here." Her frustration slipped out.

  Lawson stepped carefully on the ramp as McKenna stood in the middle of the area.

  "Okay, let me look. I love hidden object stuff."

  Perc and JD stayed at the bottom of the ramp, both standing on it. They'd notice if it started to move.

  Lawson moved in and started poking around, same as McKenna.

  ~I have no idea what the hell it could be. What does a transmitter look like for the Elentrin?~ Worry and the mental clock ticking down in her head drove her.

  "Hey, look at this." Lawson was crouched next to where the nets and the chairs intersected. "Is this it?"

  McKenna moved over and looked but couldn't see what he was pointing at. "What?"

  He frowned, looking up at her. "You can't see that?"

  "Lawson, I have no idea what you're talking about."

  A pensive look crossed his face, and he reached out to pull something off the shadowed area. As soon as it detached, she could see a dull silver circular object with an opaque top.

  "What the hell? I didn't see that at all until you pulled it off."

  Lawson handed it to her. "No idea, but we can worry about it after we get off this shuttle. It makes me nervous as hell."

  McKenna couldn't disagree, and they got out and headed out of the area. Once in the back of the Humvee she turned the object over in her hand. It looked pretty simple. A single press of the button would activate it.

  [It was transmitting as it was pulled from its location. It stopped at that time. But there is no reason this can't be tracked where it currently is.]

  Chapter 44 - Leap of Faith

  The Elentrin made landfall in England today. Until this point, population centers in China, the US, and the area encompassing the Middle East have been the focus point for most of the aliens, but they are branching out. With the current disruption of communication, no one has any idea how many shifters have been taken, but counts of shuttles going up and down are worrisome, as are the larger ships setting down in China. Current guess is that each of those ships could easily hold a thousand or more shifters
. No one knows what is happening to those who have been taken, but this war is quickly changing into a fight for survival. ~TNN News

  "Lawson," McKenna blurted, sitting straight up. "Don't take us back. Take us to a big open park." She all but shouted the words, not wanting to take a chance of them not hearing her. All the men looked at her, brows furrowed. Lawson turned to glance at her, but he nodded. The truck slowed and turned down a street then revved back up, jostling them as it barreled down the empty streets.

  The noise in the vehicle was too loud to really discuss anything. This needed to be done so everyone could hear her, so she didn't speak in the mindspace, instead turning the object over and over in her hand.

  The vehicle rumbled to a stop, and the engine clicked off. McKenna leaped out and headed towards the grassy area, a chorus of questions following her. She ignored all of them and continued towards the middle of the park, though she listened and made sure she didn't hear anyone around.

  She looked at the soccer field and sighed. The rest of the men all but surrounded her.

  "Largo, what the hell is going on?" Lawson demanded, his tone annoyed though he kept his gun up and scoped out the area.

  ~Yes, Kenna, what's going on?~ Cass asked, and she could feel Toni and the kids all listening to her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see JD fighting to not cross his arms over his chest and glare at her, his fingers twitching with an invisible spinner.

  "Okay, people, listen up. Here's the story. I got a message that this device could signal some help for us. I have no way of knowing if the person was lying or not. But we can't hold on much longer. Most cities are out of food as the trucks can't run, businesses are shut down. While we might be able to hold them off for a bit longer, the loss of life is going to start rising, and not for reasons of the Elentrin, but food, water, supplies, medicines." She swallowed, everyone looked at her, not moving. Even in her head she could feel the absolute concentration of the others listening.

  "Cities are worst hit, and that's where the Elentrin are concentrating their attacks. They ever figure out how to bottle that pheromone stuff and spray it, we'll fold in a day," she said. McKenna knew she wasn't telling anyone anything they didn't know, just saying out loud what everyone was avoiding.

  "And your point?" Lawson directed the question to her, but he kept scanning. Getting shot from behind never looked good on a service record.

  "That this might be planted by the Elentrin, and I don't want to lead them back to where we're located. But at the same time it might be the only chance we have. We can't afford not to try it. I don't want to turn it over because this message was directed at me specifically. I have a feeling whoever or whatever is looking for me. Which means I need to do it, and the longer we wait, the more I'll overthink this." She shrugged and looked around. "At least if I do it here, the only person at risk is me. Everyone else get back in the vehicle and watch me from afar."

  "No." The word chorused out around her and in her head, and she wavered from the emotional impact.

  "McKenna, I get the hero thing, but we aren't doing this. Get over it and activate the damn device." Perc looked at her and didn't look away as she met his gaze.

  "Argh, you are all idiots. This might get us killed." She didn't quite shout, but she glared at them.

  "And what do you think what we've been doing will do? This is a dangerous time. Go activate it. We'll deal with whatever happens."

  McKenna focused on the ground, hiding her face. She didn't know if she wanted to hug them all or beat them.

  ~You're loved. Suck it up and let's do this thing.~ Toni's brisk voice made her smile, and she lifted her head looking at the men who all just looked impatient.

  [You are an odd creature. You have people who follow you, that would risk their lives for you, yet you push them away and risk your own. You are a commander, they should be honored to die for you.]

  McKenna felt the sighs and amusement ripple through the mindspace as she walked a bit further into the clearing. The transmitter seemed to have a place that would depress if pushed.

  ~It doesn't work that way, Wefor. You protect the people who follow you.~

  [Interesting. The existing information indicates that leaders are to be protected at all costs. This is a dichotomy.]

  Making sure everyone was back away from her, McKenna pressed the transmitter and tossed it on the ground in front of her. Making the motion smooth and swift, then she backed up towards the others, her eyes locked on the silver object laying on the yellowish grass.

  They all stood there looking at it, the occasional sound of a gun or car sharp over the rustle of tree leaves.

  JD shifted his body, moving a bit. They all smelled a bit ripe from the last few days. Shower facilities were hard to get to, and they had found the warrior form smelled less than the humans did. But still, after three days they all wanted a shower and some fresh clothes.

  Rustling behind her, but she didn't take her eyes away from the silver object, obscurely worried that if she did, she'd miss something important. "So how long do you think this should take?" Perc asked, his voice carefully neutral.

  ~What, did they all poke you to make you ask me?~ She didn't even try to keep the humor out of her mind even as she tried to calm down. Stress at being in the open, at not knowing what might happen, at what was happening everywhere, all ramped it up until she started to think she needed a spinner.

  ~Yes.~

  She snorted mentally at his dry remark. "I don't know. But not like we all have hot dates or anything."

  The laughter behind her derailed at a flash of light from the transmitter.

  "Did you-" She broke off the question as it came again and this time it grew in the middle of the air above the small transmitter.

  "Weapons up and trained on that, whatever it is. Don't shoot unless Largo gives us the clearance. Remember we might not know what the help looks like."

  "If it is a Dalek, I swear to god I'm eating a bullet." Reg muttered darkly, and McKenna choked back a laugh. The last thing they needed was a fictional enemy intent on destroying Earth.

  The air swirled and moved in a way that confused her mind and senses.

  ~Wefor, do you know what that is?~

  Silence from the AI, but she got the impression of shock and amazement, which felt a little odd in her head.

  It grew larger and McKenna took a step back, bumping into a body. Perc, she realized, as his hands came up to steady her, and she caught a glimpse of tawny fur with black marks.

  "What the hell is that?" Lawson asked, but his voice remained steady.

  "Your guess is as good as mine." McKenna heard her voice crack, but didn't look away.

  Oh gods, what if this is a weapon? What if I've killed everyone?

  Her hands clenched tight as it grew more. It stopped growing at about ten feet in height and roughly four feet wide. It hung there in the air like an ominous swirl of color and light.

  Weapons ready, JD had grabbed hers and handed it to her when the light show started, they all aimed and waited.

  "I think I see something. Is there someone walking out of the portal?" Lawson asked slowly, tension fraying his voice.

  "Help, I hope." McKenna muttered, though she had no idea what form of help could come through a portal.

  Even the wind in the trees seemed to stop as the figure stepped out of the portal and McKenna felt her heart stutter in her chest.

  "Is that?" JD asked his voice hushed.

  ~What's going on? We can hear your mental voices, but we can't see anything. Guys, what is it?~ Cass's voice had a frantic aspect to it as she pinged them.

  McKenna was still struggling to accept what she saw as the figure strode towards them. Tall, pushing about seven feet, humanoid in shape, in that it had two arms, two legs, and one head, but after that it was a creature from the visions. Scaled skin, fine patterns that reminded her of exotic reptiles. A neck that seemed shorter and stocker than the others she'd seen, and dark eyes that swirled with colors
she didn't know how to name. But instead of the sleek elegance of the other Drakyn. This one looked like a tank. All power and danger. He made JD and Perc almost look tiny.

  His strides were long as he headed their direction, but his hands were empty, and he had focused on her.

  She felt an odd sensation as Toni paid attention to her reactions in the mindspace. For a minute her vision flickered then went back to normal. McKenna didn't have time to try to figure out what had just happened.

  "Largo, what do you want us to do?" Lawson had a panicked aspect to his tone, but McKenna's brain had finally kicked in.

  "Nothing, let me talk to him."

  Swallowing past the lump, she took a step forward and tried to remember to not smile. Maybe she should change back to human? No, that would take away what few advantages she had.

  The Drakyn stopped about three feet from her, not close enough to grab her, which gave her a measure of relief as she glanced at the four fingered hands with three long digits and a strong thumb. He nodded at her, not smiling, and she mimicked it.

  "Are you the representative of this place, the one who might contact me?" He spoke English, but with a musical aspect, as if a cello could talk.

  "Yes. You're here to help us against the Elentrin?" McKenna asked, and felt her heart squeeze tight.

  This time the Drakyn smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth she didn't remember in any of the others.

  "I'm here to help both of us put a stop to the Elentrin, permanently."

  Epilogues

  EMERGENCY BROADCAST: All citizens are urged to stay home and armed. Food supplies may be scarce for the next week and all residents are asked to be careful with shifting. If you shift into warrior form it is best to stay in it to conserve calories. Emergency rations will be available at Police and Fire stations in limited supplies. Ammo may be limited, and it is unknown how many attackers may be in your area. Make your shots count. Body collection in armored convoys will commence once needed. All bodies will be cremated per government instruction. ~ ESB

  Raymond Kennedy sat in his Georgetown town home, a 1911 on the antique end table at his side as he watched the world come undone. Most of his plans were pushed to the back burner, but in some ways this might just give him more leverage. If they could chase away the invaders and survive, at least.