MARS INVASION JARROD MILLER AND JIM HUGHES
Paul woke up early on Sunday mostly out of old habits carried over from Earth after the move. Most of Old Earth had been made uninhabitable by nuclear wars of 2020-2024. The War wasn't won, the Earth just became too destroyed and polluted. Those who could afford it fled to other planets which had recently been colonized. Those who couldn't afford it, however, were forced to stay on the Mother Planet, braving the icebound nuclear winters and acrid UV rays or retreating to subterranean colonies. Paul and his partner Don both served valiantly during the Nuclear Wars of 2020-2024. Paul and Don had been Combat Engineers together in the war. After the end of the war and the Earth Military was abandoned Paul and Don stayed together. They were looking to join anyone who could get them off that doomed planet. They eventually found the Mars Military. They were enlisting men to join their research team as guards and patrolmen. They soon left for the Red Planet.
Humanity was gaining hope again, largely due to the research being done at the Mars Military Research Garrison. Scientists there had recently discovered signs of intelligent life there, one with technology far more advanced than ours. Not only that, but they had found a small entourage of alien life living in much the same fashion as humans were on Earth. Most of these were put under close military watch and sent to live in safe houses in distant parts of the Solar system. They were currently in conflict with another species of aliens and they informed Mars Military that those aliens could strike at any time. Others were kept on Mars to help human scientists in the development of Terraforming technology that would allow Earth to be made inhabitable once again. Among these, the largest contributor was an alien that called himself Rush Niz. This is who Paul and his partner Don were on their way to meet as they stepped out into the red Martian sun.
Paul and Don had lived on Mars for such a long time, that the lower gravity had stretched into long, thin frames, taller than most of the other people on the base, who were primarily of heavy-planet descent. Stepping through the ID shields, and showing Identification to numerous guards, they made their way down the well-lit corridors leading to Rush Niz's quarters. Waiting for them at the door was Rush.
"About time you showed up, you do realize that I can't leave this place without you, correct?" Rush Niz was constantly complaining about his lack of freedom within the Garrison, but Don and Paul figured it was better to have a grumpy Martian than a dead one.
"Come on, let's just go." Sighing with mock-exasperation, the alien took his place between them and they walked to the lab. While pausing to go through another ID shield, Don put a hand on Paul's shoulder. "Hey, what's that noise" Don asked, cocking his head to hear well. Paul was about to reply when the shield dropped, and two gigantic figures stomped through, brandishing wicked looking guns. Paul dove to push Rush Niz into an alcove in the corridor. "Hit the shield lockdown button!" Don then hit the button next to his arm, and the shield slammed shut. "Come on, they can't get through those laser safety doors." Paul however, spoke too soon, just as he said that, a sound made everyone stop. Don then turned toward the locked blast door, just as a blast came through the door and ripped through the metal lockdown door like it was tissue paper. Don raised his Shotgun and fired, exploding the chest of one of the alien intruders, he cocked his shotgun's slide back and loaded another shell and fired, this shot glancing off the helmet of the next. Dazed, but not hurt, the second figure un holstered his weapon and aimed at Don, zeroing in on his head. "Don, look out!" Paul yelled, as he grabbed Dom and pulled him into the alcove that had been Rush Niz's and his shelter. Paul un holstered his rifle and took aim at the intruder. Don's shotgun blast had partially destroyed his helmet and Paul used this to his advantage. He opened fire but in the alien intruder touched a device on his wrist and a shield engulfed his entire body and he ran out.
"I don't get it, why didn't he just kill us? Rush Niz spoke "Perhaps killing us was not his mission? He is probably after the Terraforming data. We should get my device and then use some of the explosives from the armory, I don't believe many soldiers survived our alien friend's attack, and I don't think they would mind if we borrowed some of their explosives or weapons." "Your right, we need to get your research, I don't want the time I've served to be a waste, Don and I will wire the explosives to a laser trip wire, which I'll place right outside the shield, and since, the shield door, is the only way out, when the alien finally does break free, which shouldn't be too soon, he'll hit my invisible laser wire, we will blow then entire base, after you, Don and I leave. Okay, you run to the science garrison and grab your device, which I hope is ready. Don you go with him, I'll run to the armory, and grab some explosives and extra weapons, just in case our friend isn't alone." "Okay, my device is ready, but I've never tested it, so I guess I'll just have to test back on the moon." With that being said, Paul handed Rush Niz his sidearm, and told him to be careful, he didn't want to lose his job over this. Rush Niz and Don then ran toward the science garrison. They reached the security door, there was blood and bodies everywhere, many with holes bored through them, Rush Niz was no soldier so this sight was too much for him to handle, he swallowed hard and punched his I.D. number into the security key panel. The door opened, Don held his arm out "I better do a quick check, make sure we don't have any unwelcome company." Rush Niz nodded his head. With the shotgun in hand, Don activated its light. He looked at the device on his wrist which only showed two dots, one for him and one for Rush. "Pretty sure it's clear. Grab your device and we will rendezvous with Paul. Rush ran in grabbed his device and ran toward the rendezvous point. Paul, had much more composure, when he saw the many dead bodies lying about the base. Paul had witnessed many deaths in his time in the Earth Military, mostly from radiation sickness, than bombs or bullets. He reached the Armory doors, punched his I.D. then opened the door and got the explosives, laser trip switches, and more weapons. Including a new weapon which, can see and shoot through walls, scientists nicknamed it "the rail gun," Paul gathered everything and as he ran back to the shield door. Rigged the explosives around the base. As he reached the door, he was relieved to see Rush Niz and Don.
"You actually made it in one piece, I guess I was wrong to worry about you two." "I guess you were." Paul and Don then rigged the laser switches around the door. They hurried toward their escape ship, Paul ran in and got into the pilot chair, and Don got into the co-pilot chair. Rush Niz strapped himself into the Navigator's chair. Paul turned the ship on and started to blast off. They shot through the sky until they were high enough, he idled the ship. "I want to watch those alien bastards die." Just as he said that, a mammoth explosion rocked the earth and sky, making the ship move back and forth. Paul then decided to grab the rail gun and look to make sure his trap worked. When Paul looked through the x-ray scope, however, it appeared that the alien intruder, was alive and kicking. Paul then told Don to take the controls. Paul opened the ships hatch. He put the x-ray scope to his eye, found the enemy alien, and fired, connecting with the alien. The laser shot hit the alien in the neck, the only part of his body without armor, call it his Achilles heel if you will, making the alien's neck explode dropping his head like a balloon. Paul turned back to Rush Niz and said. "The job is done." Paul regained the controls, and set a course for the moon base.