by Mel Todd
Taking a break he moved farther into the house, looking for where he had the most barriers between him and any outside wall. Phone in hand, he ended up in the hall half-bath. With the door shut, he sat on the toilet and dialed.
It rang three times before it was answered. "There isn't enough going on for you that you think calling me right now is a good thing?"
"Willard, I know you’re loving all this and since last time I checked you aren't a filthy shifter, I suspect you’re fine." Raymond's voice mocked the man on the other end, but Willard just laughed.
"Yes, I am. Though my wife is having panic attacks peeking out of blinds and rationing food. Luckily, we had just gone on a grocery run for a huge party that we were scheduled to have. That means we have food for quite a while. None of that explains why you want to talk to me."
Raymond leaned back and looked at the exquisite wallpaper in the bathroom, which matched exactly with everything else and provided no warmth or personality at all. Personally, he always thought government buildings had the best bathrooms: direct, to the point, no wasted fancy crap you didn't need. Ah, too bad people expected things.
"Has it occurred to you how the appearance of these shifters has ruined everything? Their animal-like skills? The aliens? The fact that it’s even referred to as harvesting means they really are livestock. How do we know the long-term effects won't make them dangerous? I mean we protect pets but are we sure they won't become the dangerous animals they can turn into?" He said it all in a worried tone of voice. While the odds of Willard being taken in by that were all but non-existent, it was good practice.
A long silence, then a low sigh. "Ah, I see. Messages about protecting and making sure they don't get harmed, sowing distrust that they really are who they say they are, long term damage, isolation, pointing out the aliens regard them as animals, but not us? There might be something to that thought."
"Exactly. A few words with your brethren preachers and I am sure we could start a ripple. Especially if we point out you can't look at one of them and know if they’re human or alien. Doesn't that imply that maybe they are no longer from this planet?"
"Hmm, that has possibilities. Especially if it would get their skills at sensing things redefined. Maybe it could even be pointed out that a dog can't hold grudges or purposefully interpret something wrong. I take it you want me to hammer home on this? Church has been canceled." There was a bit of bait there in the question.
Raymond sighed and took it. "You know this will benefit you and our country in the long run. What do you want?"
"You may still believe that 'my country' drivel, but I left that belief for money a long time ago. Get those damn cops discredited. If I can get those drug cases thrown out, it will be a while before they can get any more evidence that might point towards me."
"They found you?" Raymond didn't bother to try and hide his surprise.
"Not yet. The distraction of all of this and their little visit to South America helped, but they got the pet cop of one of my distributors. He spoke to me once but doesn't know anything about me, so…" Willard sighed. "They might eventually trace it back to me, but they'd have a hell of a time proving it. My records are damn near bullet proof. But…" Willard trailed off and Raymond let him think. College years spent with Willard proved the man could make anyone believe anything. It was one of the reasons he'd kept in touch with him.
"Hmmm, false gods, mixed with animals, mixed with the temptation to see ourselves in the beast. And I know a few of the more rabid preachers I can send a carefully worded newsletter. So again, why should I?"
"Oh, quit playing games, Willard. What do you want?"
"No, this time I want you to explain what you hope to achieve first." Willard sounded more curious than anything, and Raymond sat there, trying to decide how much to tell him.
Thoughts raced through Raymond's mind as he sat there. He didn't really trust Willard, but then again nothing that he was going to ask Willard to do was illegal. Unethical maybe, depended on who won at the end of this war, but not illegal. The man had no conscience and sold drugs. There was little Raymond could say that would put him at risk of anything Willard might decide to do.
"Fine. I believe this infestation of shifters, or Kaylid as the invaders call them, could mean the destruction of our world as we know it. The only way to keep humans safe is to minimize their impact on our society. Already they’re changing how we think, how we view things. And now these aliens are coming to collect them like the animals I suspect they are. What if we allow these protections to remain and people start to devolve into animals? Then where will be we be? We need to change the perception of them now, not with fear mongering but making people look at what’s going in the world right now. If we don't do something, they will take over our world and we may become the pets." As he spoke, he became more fervent, until by the end his voice had obtained the power of belief in it.
"Huh. You keep that up and I'll start worrying about you as competition. Okay, I can do this. I have a lot to gain if they’re regulated back to animals. They're too powerful to be members of society. I'll work on the animal aspect, and the fears, pointing out it’s only been three months since all this happened, and maybe we moved too fast to protect them. Instead, maybe we should have quarantined them. There have been enough 'rabid' animal attacks to justify that. I'd advise you take the second route. Pointing out that with their power, and their healing capabilities how is it fair for pure humans to compete against them, etc.? And I assume you need this ASAP?"
Raymond smiled; but there was no one there to see the grin of triumph. "I think we'll win the war, either because they'll leave, hopefully with full ships of shifters, or we’ll make it a war of attrition. The US is good at that. But we might only have a week or two. Meaning we need to hit while everyone is hiding in their homes, scared and worried."
"My show is still going to be taped, just with no audience. I think I can swing a special because of the alien threat. I'll lay it on heavy and send it out tonight. You caught me as I was leaving. I'll drop some carefully worded emails to a few of the more radical preachers I know around the globe. But you know, historically campaigns like this took months if not years to be truly effective."
"Yes, but in the past we didn't have social media. Make it so you go viral and I'll do the same. We can sweep the world with rage and fear, and give them a valid target. Make it so shifters will be begging for these aliens to collect them." Raymond knew he sounded smug, he was. He could do this, and make sure no one ever looked at him or thought he might be one of these filthy animals. Maybe these Elentrin could take them all. Ship them away from this planet and humans.
"You'll owe me, and I'm going to call it in, but for now, I'll do it. This gives me some new fodder; I was running out anyhow. But that means I'm hanging up as I need to start writing." With that he disconnected. Raymond smiled a bit wider putting his phone away and left the bathroom, headed back to his computer and plans. He needed to get the various platforms all trending, and he knew exactly how to do that. It didn't take long to get some pictures from what was going on around the world. At first glance, many of the invaders looked like earth shifters. He hit the jackpot when he found a catlike invader killing a struggling woman with its claws. Two hours of searching got him a wealth of pictures that could be twisted multiple ways.
He began posting in various places, never saying anything specifically but rousing hearts and emotions. The last thing he wanted anyone to do was think.
Chapter 21 - Alien Ships
Satellite telemetry along with thousands of amateur telescopes have picked up lots of activity from shuttles in near space. There seems to be more and more junk cluttering up the orbit around Earth. No one knows why the Elentrin are doing this, but given all of their actions until now, it won't be anything beneficial for Earth. The White House has had no comment about anything lately. What few officials are still in Washington have refused to talk to any press. ~ TNN Invasion News
McKenna watched Miguel, Perc, Rarz, and Alpha 2B start through the portal. She searched around for Cass, even as she moved towards that silver swirl. Cass stood over with Bravo group. She waved at McKenna when she saw her looking.
~I'll be fine. Go.~ Cass's reassurance washed through her as McKenna walked towards the portal Rarz had just disappeared into. She inhaled, brought the Elentrin weapon up and followed Alpha 2B through it.
The weirdness barely registered any more, she just came out on the other side, inside an alien ship. She didn't stumble or pause, though she really wanted to. The walls were an odd mustard brown, subconsciously she realized she had expected gray. The others were at the end of a corridor and she kept up a steady pace to stay in line with everyone.
"Per the data provided by Perc," Miguel said, "the closest storage chamber should be to the right." They'd all agreed trying to use mister and miss in this endeavor would prove stupid.
"Assuming we're where I think we are. This says we’re on level five, on the tran side." Perc nodded at some notations on the wall. As she looked at it, the words made sense to her, backing up what Perc had said. "We should be able to get there quickly and eliminate anyone in that room."
I'm on a ship from another world and the only thing we can think to do is kill. I hate this, but I'll do anything to stop them from destroying my world.
"Then let's go. The other group is waiting for our signal. We need to clear the way there and then secure the room before Bravo group comes in. Rarz, can you close and reopen later? I'd rather no one stumbles across that portal. Alarms would go off for sure." They all nodded, and McKenna reminded herself to breath.
The light behind her vanished and she glanced back to see a hallway bending around the corner. The middle of her back itched as if there was a target on it.
Weapons up, they headed down the hallway, moving as quietly as they could. Suddenly Perc raised his hand, fist clenched. McKenna halted immediately.
~Incoming,~ his voice said, though he didn't speak on the coms. He held up three fingers and pointed to the right side. Miguel nodded and crouched, Elentrin weapon pointed at the intersection in front of them.
Everyone else arranged themselves to provide clear shots without risking hitting team members. Alpha 3B, Toni, 4B, JD, and 5B all turned to cover behind them. The possibility of people coming up from behind them was all too real.
Voices came from down the corridor, underscored by rapid steps. Even as they came closer, she translated the words. They were talking about the number of Kaylid captured and the estimated number the incoming ship could grab before they destroyed the planet. Anger built in her and she knew before she saw them that the people approaching were Elentrin, not Kaylid. Something about the tone of voice gave her the clue, and she couldn't help but feel relieved that first enemy they came across would not be other shifters.
Colors came around the corner, at least that was what she saw first. A blue so bright it made the brightest summer day seem pale and bland, was mixed with a shade of orange that brought to mind subtle spices, strong yet barely there. They froze as they saw the gathered team, eyes wide, and mouths going slack.
"Fire," Miguel's voice sounded in her ear and Perc reacted before anyone else. There was a flash of light, even as Miguel copied him, with his own weapon flashing, the sound low and quiet, but she could hear it. Before she finished processing the light, both figures had crumpled to the ground.
They held still, breaths caught in their lungs as they waited, their ears straining for any sound.
"We're good. Move out. 5B, take care of them," Miguel ordered as they continued in the direction Perc indicated. McKenna followed, but frowned. Something about Miguel's last words tripping an internal sensor.
As they moved through the ship, McKenna glanced back once and saw 5B bending over the two crumpled figures. As he stood back up, she saw liquid pooling around their necks. Shock slapped through her as she realized what they had done. It made her feet leaden and she stumbled a bit, bumping into 2B. The man glanced back at her and she shook her head silently, even as she dealt with the knowledge that they had slit the throats of the two defenseless Elentrin.
They just killed them. No hesitation, they just slit their throats.
The thought pounded in her head, as everything she'd been trained to do as a cop rebelled. Even in the week of fighting, they'd never killed anyone laying on the ground. It was always Kaylid carrying shifters away, or them shooting at them. But flat-out murder?
No, what are they supposed to do? Leave them alive? We know the stun doesn't last forever. Leaving living enemies behind us that know we don't belong here? We'd get everyone killed. That would be worse. They're doing what they need to.
Nothing felt right but she couldn't think of any other answers. McKenna pushed it down and focused on their mission. Get their people home, and make the Elentrin go away, which meant killing a lot of them. Wrestling with the conflict in her own thoughts kept her slightly distracted and moving on automatic as they went through the ship's interior. She paused when told to, and two more were shot, bodies limp piles on the off-brown floor. These were Kaylid.
"4B, 5B, handle those. Perc, you said the next right?" Miguel said, his voice very quiet. They had tried to convince him that the Kaylid could hear everything.
"Yes." Perc said just as quietly. They’d been lucky so far. The doors were almost invisible in the mustard brown walls, except for a small plaque. It translated as she focused on it. Canister Control Room 3.
Good, maybe we can start changing the balance to rescuing people.
Not sure if she wanted to know, she looked backwards anyway and almost gasped in surprise. Both of the men had a Kaylid slung over their shoulders, the furry bodies looking boneless as they hung there.
He is trying to save them.
She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting to get her head back in the game.
I've never been so glad I never went into the military. I don't think I could have handled the mindset flipping between killing and saving.
"So how do we open it?" Miguel asked, his voice sounding horribly loud, as addition of the coms caused her to hear it in stereo.
~I really prefer the talking via Speech,~ she muttered in the mindspace.
~Agreed.~ The fervent responses came back, making her smile.
"I'll open it." Toni's voice stayed quiet and low as she moved up the column and stopped at the door, just behind Miguel. "As soon as I enter the credentials the door will slide open. Be ready."
The men at the front tensed, their weapons up and ready. Toni pressed on what McKenna had thought was a decorative icon, and a panel slid open below. It showed a circle of odd symbols that McKenna realized were a mix of numbers and letters in the Elentrin language. Toni tapped on them, her fingers dancing over the keys. A soft beep responded, and the door slid open.
Even as the opening appeared, Toni slipped back into her place, clearing fields of fire for Perc, Miguel, and 2B. Voices came from the room, tones of confusion and alarm. The three men moved into the opening and weird pulses of light told her they fired though she couldn't see anything.
"Clear," Miguel whispered through the coms. "Get in here and get that door closed behind us."
McKenna moved in following Rarz, even as she heard the others behind them. The noise of the ship didn't seem that loud before, but as she stepped into the room the sound increased. The soft swish of the door behind her amplified it in the sealed room.
As much as she wanted to look around, the bodies caught her attention first. Five of them, all Kaylid, with strange white jumpsuits on. It was the first even remotely uniform-like thing she'd see. But as she focused, she could hear them breathing and their hearts beating steadily. Something that had been winding tighter relaxed. At least they might make it out of here without killing everyone.
You're being stupid. This is a war, death is expected and they have no issue with killing us. We shouldn't feel guilty about killing them. Gah! Stupid conflicti
ng ethics. Much easier when people are trying to kill you or others. You don't have time to consider anything.
She stomped down on the thoughts. They were not productive right now and indulging in them would cost everyone.
"Gather them up, and get them all in a corner out of the way. We don't want to be tripping over them." This time Miguel Zhen just spoke out loud. 4B and 5B laid out the two bodies they'd already collected. They gathered the others and put them more or less in a small pile in a corner of the room that didn't seem to have anything they might need.
"Any way to secure that door? Stop anyone else from opening it?" Chief Zhen asked Toni. With a tilt of her head Toni turned to look at the door, her lips pursed, and eyes narrowed.
"Maybe. Give me a minute. I still don't know what’s in my brain and what isn't." She walked over and touched the same icon on this side of the wall; another control panel appeared. Toni touched icons slowly, then more rapidly.
"Good. While she works on that, Rarz, can you get the portal open and get Bravo group up here?"
Rarz did a side head tilt. But this time instead of just a silver circle just appearing, he closed his eyes, face scrunched up like he concentrated. Miguel and McKenna watched him, but she noted everyone else looking around. After three heartbeats she gave in and looked around the room. It resembled the descriptions Cass had given them. Very white, the mustard brown of the outer halls would almost be welcome here. Their skin and fur colors seemed so intense compared to all the white. A large viewing window looked out into something, but the blinking boards and displays on the desk-like counters caught her attention first, especially the rapidly flashing red ones.
"Do we need to worry about those red flashing lights?" Her voice was low, but she could feel their time slipping away.
"Probably, but without Cass I wouldn't risk it." JD's voice seemed calm but when she glanced at him, he stood in a wide-legged stance, the strange weapons tight in his grip. He kept looking around, never stopping. If he'd had a long tail in that form she thought it would be whipping around worse than her own, which she couldn't seem to keep still. She had learned that a cat's tail responds to your emotions, not your mind.