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div class="text""Error! Error! Systems failing!" the computer exclaimed, flashing it's warning symbol. "What?! Impossible!" it's pilot exclaimed. "I just updated this thing before I left!" He frantically pushed buttons on the touch screen, trying in vain to make it work. The virus refused to let the computer work and it shut down after a few minuets. "Fuck!" he screamed, slamming his fists on the dashboard. He looked up as the ground started to get more and more detail in its colored blobs. He felt his heart stop. "What if I die today?" he thought suddenly. His blood turned to ice and his stomach dropped as he thought about it. Light years from home, dead on a foreign planet... Never being able to see his sister again... He slumped back down in his chair and put on the harness seatbelt. He tightened it and looked back up with a deep sigh, trying to hold back tears. Taking a deep breath, he faced the incoming ground with steely determination. "I'm sorry Dana." he whispered. "But I won't make it home this time..."br /br /-meanwhile- br /br /Everything was normal around the town. Nothing special was happening... Well, unless it was a holiday, nothing special ever /did/ happen. James Heller sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Why can't something actually /happen/ around here?" he wondered aloud. His wife, Colette, put the fresh cupcakes down on the stove before walking over. "I don't know... You miss the action of war, don't you?" He sighed again and looked down. "As much as I hate to admit it, yes... I don't miss the death and destruction... But I do miss the action, the excitement, the adrenalin..." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then how about we make our /own/ excitement, hm?" she purred. He smirked. "I like the sound of that..." But just as they leaned in to kiss, they heard a loud, metallic crash from outside. They quickly broke apart and stood up just as their daughter, Amaya, came running in. "Mommy! Daddy! What was that?!" she asked frantically. "I don't know sweetheart." James muttered. He ran outside just as the rest of the townspeople were gathering around to figure out what happened. "Did you hear that?!" one man asked. "Sure did!" another answered. "I think it came from that cornfield over there!" a woman exclaimed, pointing to where smoke was rising in the distance. The entire town ran over to see what was happening. Towards the center of the field, there was the smoldering wreckage of what looked like some kind of a space craft. They stood around confused and in shock. "What is that?" someone asked. "It looks like a spaceship!" a kid said excitedly. "I think it /is/ a spaceship!" a woman exclaimed. "Step aside!" another woman's voice commanded. Elizabeth Greene. One of the town's two police officers. Well, "police" was the formal name... "Bad-ass rogue cops" was a more apt and fitting name. Especially considering Elizabeth was in unstable psychopath and Captain Cross-her partner-was a formar military captain who was known as "The Specialist." Basically, when things went to hell, he dragged them back out. Currently, he was following Elizabeth along with her husband Steve and son Pariah. She had a shotgun in her hands, and motioned for Steve and Pariah to stay back. They obeyed and she continued forward with Cross. Cross jogged over and motioned for Elizabeth to toss him the shotgun. She obeyed, and he used the butt of the gun to break the window. Despite it already being cracked, it took a good five minuets before it shattered. Smoke came pouring out as the cabin itself cleared. Inside there was a hunched-over man in a chair. He was in front of some kind of control panel, but the screen was cracked and it was black-probably turned off by the crash or whatever caused the ship to crash. Cross tilted his head curiously as the townspeople began to whisper behind them. "Is he... Dead?" Elizabeth whispered. "Probably..." Cross muttered. "Pariah! Go get Dr. Ragland!" he called back to the boy. Pariah nodded and ran off, Amaya following closely behind (Pariah and Amaya are best friends). He reached in and undid the seatbelt, grabbing the man inside just as Dr. Ragland appeared behind him and Elizabeth. "I don't see why you need me." he said, crossing his arms. "It's pretty clear that he's already dead." "There still needs to be an autopsy." Cross said simply, holding up the body. Ragland looked down and his eyes widened. "Alex?" he muttered. Cross and Elizabeth looked up. "You know him?" Elizabeth asked. "Ah, no." he said quickly. "He just... Looks like someone I used to know." She raised her eyebrow but didn't press him. "Bring him to the coroner's office." Ragland instructed, leading the way. Cross readjusted Alex in his arms before following with Elizabeth and the town. br /br / -a few minuets later-br /br /"Woah... Is that an /alien/?!" the young doctor asked as Cross put the body on the examination table. Ragland shrugged. "Who knows... C'mon, let's cut him open." But just as they were about to unbutton his shirt, he gasped shakily and his chest rose. The townspeople gasped and the young doctor jumped back with wide eyes, and an expression that was a mixture of shock and confusion. Ragland looked unfazed, like he had seen this a thousand times before. The man's chest fell again with a sigh before he started to cough violently. After a few seconds his eyes fluttered open. He grunted and sat up on the table, rubbing his eyes like a sleepy child. He looked up and looked around. "Where am I?" he muttered, looking at the two doctors. "Earth. You're on earth, in Hope, Idaho." Ragland said calmly. "/Idaho/?!" the man said with surprise. He groaned and buried his face in his hands, leaning backwards. "I'm supposed to be in /New York/!" "I know, I know..." Ragland muttered. "Um... Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but... you're supposed to be /dead/." the other doctor said, trying to regain his composure. "Oh I know." the man said calmly. "And my name is Alex by the way." "Alex?" "Yeah... Alex Mercer." he said slowly. "Did you expect me to have some weird alien name or something?" "Well... Honesty... Yes." the doctor confessed, blushing a bit. Alex shrugged. "It's fine. Sci-fi always gives us strange names, so it's only natural that humans would expect strange names." He swung his legs off the table, stood up, and stretched. Ragland sighed. "Look Alex, it's not a good idea to stay here... These people won't trust you." "I know that." Alex replied. "But a.) my ship is wrecked, and b.) I didn't come here to make friends, I came here to study." "Study what?" a new voice intervened. Alex, Ragland, and the doctor turned their attention to the source of the voice. James Heller. "Um... Who are you?" Alex asked quizzically. "And who are all of those people behind you?" "James Heller." he answered curtly. "And these are the people of Hope, Idaho." "Hm." Alex said simply, glancing around at the people. "Small town." "No shit Sherlock." James snapped. "Well someone's not having a good day." Alex observed. "Gentlemen, please." Ragland said. "This fighting is unnecessary." Both men were silenced but continued to glare at each other. Elizabeth cut in with a sigh. "So he's alive... What do we do now?" "Take him to the judge?" someone suggested. There was a murmur of agreement among the townspeople. "Very well." Ragland said. "Alex Mercer. You're coming with me." he commanded. Alex shrugged. "Okay." he responded simply, getting up and following the doctor. James, Elizabeth, Cross, and the rest of the townspeople followed behind in curiosity and fear./div
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div class="text""Error! Error! Systems failing!" the computer exclaimed, flashing it's warning symbol. "What?! Impossible!" it's pilot exclaimed. "I just updated this thing before I left!" He frantically pushed buttons on the touch screen, trying in vain to make it work. The virus refused to let the computer work and it shut down after a few minuets. "Fuck!" he screamed, slamming his fists on the dashboard. He looked up as the ground started to get more and more detail in its colored blobs. He felt his heart stop. "What if I die today?" he thought suddenly. His blood turned to ice and his stomach dropped as he thought about it. Light years from home, dead on a foreign planet... Never being able to see his sister again... He slumped back down in his chair and put on the harness seatbelt. He tightened it and looked back up with a deep sigh, trying to hold back tears. Taking a deep breath, he faced the incoming ground with steely determination. "I'm sorry Dana." he whispered. "But I won't make it home this time..."br /br /-meanwhile- br /br /Everything was normal around the town. Nothing special was happening... Well, unless it was a holiday, nothing special ever /did/ happen. James Heller sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Why can't something actually /happen/ around here?" he wondered aloud. His wife, Colette, put the fresh cupcakes down on the stove before walking over. "I don't know... You miss the action of war, don't you?" He sighed again and looked down. "As much as I hate to admit it, yes... I don't miss the death and destruction... But I do miss the action, the excitement, the adrenalin..." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then how about we make our /own/ excitement, hm?" she purred. He smirked. "I like the sound of that..." But just as they leaned in to kiss, they heard a loud, metallic crash from outside. They quickly broke apart and stood up just as their daughter, Amaya, came running in. "Mommy! Daddy! What was that?!" she asked frantically. "I don't know sweetheart." James muttered. He ran outside just as the rest of the townspeople were gathering around to figure out what happened. "Did you hear that?!" one man asked. "Sure did!" another answered. "I think it came from that cornfield over there!" a woman exclaimed, pointing to where smoke was rising in the distance. The entire town ran over to see what was happening. Towards the center of the field, there was the smoldering wreckage of what looked like some kind of a space craft. They stood around confused and in shock. "What is that?" someone asked. "It looks like a spaceship!" a kid said excitedly. "I think it /is/ a spaceship!" a woman exclaimed. "Step aside!" another woman's voice commanded. Elizabeth Greene. One of the town's two police officers. Well, "police" was the formal name... "Bad-ass rogue cops" was a more apt and fitting name. Especially considering Elizabeth was in unstable psychopath and Captain Cross-her partner-was a formar military captain who was known as "The Specialist." Basically, when things went to hell, he dragged them back out. Currently, he was following Elizabeth along with her husband Steve and son Pariah. She had a shotgun in her hands, and motioned for Steve and Pariah to stay back. They obeyed and she continued forward with Cross. Cross jogged over and motioned for Elizabeth to toss him the shotgun. She obeyed, and he used the butt of the gun to break the window. Despite it already being cracked, it took a good five minuets before it shattered. Smoke came pouring out as the cabin itself cleared. Inside there was a hunched-over man in a chair. He was in front of some kind of control panel, but the screen was cracked and it was black-probably turned off by the crash or whatever caused the ship to crash. Cross tilted his head curiously as the townspeople began to whisper behind them. "Is he... Dead?" Elizabeth whispered. "Probably..." Cross muttered. "Pariah! Go get Dr. Ragland!" he called back to the boy. Pariah nodded and ran off, Amaya following closely behind (Pariah and Amaya are best friends). He reached in and undid the seatbelt, grabbing the man inside just as Dr. Ragland appeared behind him and Elizabeth. "I don't see why you need me." he said, crossing his arms. "It's pretty clear that he's already dead." "There still needs to be an autopsy." Cross said simply, holding up the body. Ragland looked down and his eyes widened. "Alex?" he muttered. Cross and Elizabeth looked up. "You know him?" Elizabeth asked. "Ah, no." he said quickly. "He just... Looks like someone I used to know." She raised her eyebrow but didn't press him. "Bring him to the coroner's office." Ragland instructed, leading the way. Cross readjusted Alex in his arms before following with Elizabeth and the town. br /br / -a few minuets later-br /br /"Woah... Is that an /alien/?!" the young doctor asked as Cross put the body on the examination table. Ragland shrugged. "Who knows... C'mon, let's cut him open." But just as they were about to unbutton his shirt, he gasped shakily and his chest rose. The townspeople gasped and the young doctor jumped back with wide eyes, and an expression that was a mixture of shock and confusion. Ragland looked unfazed, like he had seen this a thousand times before. The man's chest fell again with a sigh before he started to cough violently. After a few seconds his eyes fluttered open. He grunted and sat up on the table, rubbing his eyes like a sleepy child. He looked up and looked around. "Where am I?" he muttered, looking at the two doctors. "Earth. You're on earth, in Hope, Idaho." Ragland said calmly. "/Idaho/?!" the man said with surprise. He groaned and buried his face in his hands, leaning backwards. "I'm supposed to be in /New York/!" "I know, I know..." Ragland muttered. "Um... Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but... you're supposed to be /dead/." the other doctor said, trying to regain his composure. "Oh I know." the man said calmly. "And my name is Alex by the way." "Alex?" "Yeah... Alex Mercer." he said slowly. "Did you expect me to have some weird alien name or something?" "Well... Honesty... Yes." the doctor confessed, blushing a bit. Alex shrugged. "It's fine. Sci-fi always gives us strange names, so it's only natural that humans would expect strange names." He swung his legs off the table, stood up, and stretched. Ragland sighed. "Look Alex, it's not a good idea to stay here... These people won't trust you." "I know that." Alex replied. "But a.) my ship is wrecked, and b.) I didn't come here to make friends, I came here to study." "Study what?" a new voice intervened. Alex, Ragland, and the doctor turned their attention to the source of the voice. James Heller. "Um... Who are you?" Alex asked quizzically. "And who are all of those people behind you?" "James Heller." he answered curtly. "And these are the people of Hope, Idaho." "Hm." Alex said simply, glancing around at the people. "Small town." "No shit Sherlock." James snapped. "Well someone's not having a good day." Alex observed. "Gentlemen, please." Ragland said. "This fighting is unnecessary." Both men were silenced but continued to glare at each other. Elizabeth cut in with a sigh. "So he's alive... What do we do now?" "Take him to the judge?" someone suggested. There was a murmur of agreement among the townspeople. "Very well." Ragland said. "Alex Mercer. You're coming with me." he commanded. Alex shrugged. "Okay." he responded simply, getting up and following the doctor. James, Elizabeth, Cross, and the rest of the townspeople followed behind in curiosity and fear./div
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