Blade

By: Shannon Becker

In the galactic year 2115apple44 the Federation of Allied Planets was first created. The goal of the Federation: to protect un-evolved planets and their inhabitants from outside influences. Agents of the Federation roam the stars, searching for life in the darkest depths of the universe.

Earth year 2014...

The night air was cold and biting. It blew through the streets like a torrent, picking up discarded cans and papers as it went. All was quiet. Darkness clung to the environment, as though it seeped from the very pores of the city. Only light from distant streetlamps shined through the everlasting darkness. The silence was broken when a scraggly hound knocked over a trash bin and began to riffle through its contents. It was alone and obviously abandoned, with matted fur and a worn down collar. Ironically enough the name engraved onto the collar was "Lucky". Suddenly the darkness was illuminated as a burning light streaked across the sky. Sensing danger, Lucky began to back away from the trash, his hackles raised and a low growl rumbling in his chest. Unfortunately for "Lucky" it was too late to run. Mere seconds after it first appeared, the fiery light crashed into the alleyway. Steam hissed as it rose from the heated crater. Lucky stood cowering in the corner, between the overturned trash and the alley's wall. Every now and then the poor creature let out a whine; which besides the hiss of the steam was the only sound in the area. A figure shifted and began to rise from the smoke.

Three months before...

Humanity, with their guns and their petulant speeches. Toiling on the mop of a planet they call Earth. They disgust him. All of them. Soon his plan will come to place. Already, he has a portion the foolish humans under his control. Little do they know they've been taking the orders of the most wanted criminal in the universe. He will destroy these apes and take their planet as his own. His people will once again be rulers of the cosmos and no one is going to stop him.

Present day...

BEEP. BEEP BEEP. Ben Roberts groaned as he lazily swung his arm out of bed and threw it on the alarm clock, effectively shutting it off. Sunlight filtered through his half covered window, illuminating the dust particles that flitted through the air. As Ben got out of bed his eyes drifted towards his Star Trek original series poster. He glanced at the signatures scribbled along the bottom, still in shock that he could get them in the first place. Ben stretched, his feet scraping against the wooden floor boards. God, he was tired. What time was it anyway? He glanced at the clock and his stomach dropped at what he read. It was 10:02, he was late. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Ben hopped out of bed and hastily ran to his bathroom. With one hand combing his hair and the other trying to find a shirt in his dresser, Ben failed to notice the TV he left on last night. A blonde anchor woman stood on screen, Ben's favorite to be in fact. Beside her was a picture of an alleyway, smoke rising from its depths. The caption Mysterious Meteorite Crashes to Earth was bolded above it. If Ben had been a little more perceptive he would have realized that the picture was of an area not five blocks away from him. With a bit of toast clenched between his teeth and his backpack in hand, Ben quickly shut off the TV and went out the door. He went down a flight of stairs and out the apartment complex's entrance before he was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Ben! What's the rush? Are you late again?"

Ben smoothly finished off his toast as he pulled his girlfriend into his arms.

"Sorry, Sarah, I've got to go. The Chief of Police is giving a speech at the college today and I'm late. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"You'd better." Sarah said playfully, giving him a kiss on the cheek before pulling away.

Ben and Sarah met their freshman year of college. They hit it off right away, talking about their favorite movies and pastimes. It took Ben six months to dig up the courage to ask Sarah out even though Sarah, being as perceptive she was, already knew when and how he was going to do it. She still acted surprised, just to make him feel good. They've been together ever since. Ben liked to think Sarah kept him on track, she was always there for him when he needed it but she knew when he should be given space too. He thought she was the perfect girlfriend. Smart, funny, beautiful, he was glad he had her.

Ben waved to Sarah as he hopped on his bike and pedaled away. Eventually he made it to the conference center's auditorium which was located in the middle of campus. The auditorium, which held a little over 230 people on average, already looked packed when Ben entered. Then again he had been late so it shouldn't have been so surprising. The stage was lit by a single spotlight. Within the halo of light stood the Dean of admissions. He wore his usual attire of a grey striped suit with a red tie. Even from the back Ben could see beads of sweat prick along the Dean's brow. He was never too good at public speaking and no one really knew why he didn't just quit. Ben found a seat near the back of the auditorium. He plopped his backpack at his feet as he slid into the plush (yet uncomfortable) chair. As he looked up the Dean made a little bow and began to walk off stage. Everyone clapped, albeit tiredly, as he waddled out of sight. In his place the Chief of Police appeared. This was what Ben had really been waiting for. He and the Chief (otherwise known as the Commissioner) have known each other ever since Ben was a little kid. Although they hadn't seen each other in a while, he and the Commissioner still have a pretty good relationship. Ben used to stay at his uncle's place a lot, since his parents went on so many business trips and because his uncle was a cop he often took Ben to the precinct with him. Ben remembered thinking it was so cool. The precinct had always been a busy place with officers going about their duties. That was where he met the Chief, who immediately took a liking to him. Ben was excited to talk to the man again. Hopefully he could meet up with him after the speeches ended. Ben was brought out of his thoughts as the crowd around him hushed. Once again Ben found himself focusing his attention towards the stage. The Chief stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back. His posture was formal and confident which was odd, Ben could have sworn he had an anxiety about public speaking. Now that Ben looked closer there were a lot of things about the Commissioner that looked different than he remembered. His eyes, which were normally a dull blue, had a grey tint to them (even in the pupils). It was eerie. Ben hoped the Commissioner wasn't going blind.

"Greetings young people." The Chief said; his voice radiating through the auditorium, clear as a bell.

"I am with you today, simply, to announce my plans of retirement."

A collective gasp flitted through the audience. Ben's eyebrows lifted in shock. The Commissioner was retiring? That didn't make any sense. Last time Ben had seen him, the old man was raving that the higher ups would have to kill him before he retired. Maybe he was going blind. The poor guy. Next to him Ben heard a girl whisper to her friend, "That's great, but why is he telling us?"

Now that he thought about it, why was the Commissioner making such a speech here? This was just a college. Sure, it was a good one, but it's not like reporters were here or anything. Wasn't a retirement speech something more suited for city hall? Or the news? Maybe it was because the Mayor was here. What better way to quit than to make a speech about it in front of your boss? Ben decided to try to let it go. He would have a talk with the Chief before he left.

About an hour later the speeches finished up. Once again the Dean appeared as he shuffled onto stage. He looked just as flustered before, with a sweaty brow and hands that constantly rubbed one another. Before the chubby man had a chance to say another word (or even make it to the microphone) Ben grabbed his backpack, practically flew out of his seat, and exited the auditorium. As the auditorium doors swung closed behind him Ben scanned the hallway for any sign of the Commissioner. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his target exiting a stage door.

"Commissioner!" Ben shouted, his feet pounding along the tile of the hallway as he tried to catch up to his longtime acquaintance.

At the sound of his name being called the Commissioner stopped and turned to face Ben. He didn't show any sign of recognition. In fact he looked annoyed at being stopped in the first place.

"What is it, young man? I have a lot of things I need to get done."

Ben skidded to a halt, suddenly feeling nervous. His eyebrows scrunched together in obvious confusion. The Chief hadn't recognized him.

"It's me Ben, remember? I just wanted to talk." he said.

The Commissioner looked him over, his grey eyes scanning Ben from head to toe.

"Ah Ben. Its nice to see you but I've really got to be going now."

With that said, and a quick pat on the shoulder, the Commissioner turned his back and strode down the hall leaving Ben just as confused as before. 'Something isn't right', Ben thought to himself as he watched the Commissioner's form slip around a corner. Throughout all of his time spent with the Chief he had never seen him act so strange. A part of Ben wanted to talk to him more, to question him about the sudden retirement, but the Commissioner obviously didn't feel the same...maybe he should follow him. It's what his uncle would do. With that thought in mind Ben began to trace the sound of the Commissioner's footsteps. He made sure not to follow too close or face the risk of getting caught. Ben turned the corner into another area of the conference center. The hallway was long and dimly lit. Lockers lined both sides of the walls, the only thing breaking them up being randomly spaced classrooms. The Commissioner was nowhere to be seen.

For a moment Ben stood still, unsure of what to do next. That was until his eyes spotted an open classroom door, its light cutting into the hallway like a knife. Ben shuffled towards the door, his sneakers quietly scraping against the tile. As he made his way closer Ben began to hear voices emitting from the room. One was deep and commanding (that must be the Chief) while the other was proper and appealing (maybe the Mayor?). It sounded like they were having an argument. The Mayor must have been annoyed by the Chief's retirement speech. Ben crouched by the open doorway as he poked his head into the light, trying to get a look at the scene within the room. At first he couldn't understand what he was seeing. The Commissioner was right in front of him but facing the other way so at first the only thing Ben noticed was the back of his uniform. On the other side of the Commissioner stood the Mayor (who had gone deathly quiet). His skin looked pale and his eyes were opened wide with shock. That was when Ben noticed it. Blood. There was blood everywhere. It was coming from the Mayor whose sudden stillness sent a shiver down Ben's spine. Oh God the Mayor had been hurt. He needed help. Why was the Chief just standing there? Shouldn't he be calling an ambulance? Better yet, why didn't Ben try to help? He could if he tried. All he had to do was leave his hiding spot and enter the room but something held him back. Somewhere in the back of his mind his instincts screamed at him to stay still, be quiet, or better yet get the heck out of there. Instead Ben remained rooted to the ground, too shocked to move a muscle.

Within the room the Mayor shifted, his body slumping to the ground. The Commissioner followed suit as he bent to his knees before the prone figure. As the two men maneuvered to the ground their angle changed and Ben was able to see more of the situation at hand. With a nauseous flip of his stomach Ben realized the Commissioner wasn't trying to help the Mayor, he was the one killing him.

The Chief of Police kneeled before the Mayor like a scene straight out of mortal combat, with his arm going straight through the Mayor's chest. Blood soaked into his sleeve and dripped from his hand which protruded out his victim's back. Even from the distance he was at Ben could smell the distinct scent of copper in the air. Oh crap he was going to be sick. He had to leave now but what he saw next froze Ben in his tracks. The mayor's body began to turn dark. His skin peeled and turned to ash, leaving nothing but bones behind and if that wasn't enough as this was happening the Commissioner also began to change. He grew taller, his chiseled frame turning skinny and pale. His once greying hair turned a deep shade of brown, much like the Mayor's. Even his uniform shifted. Instead of police attire he wore a black suit with a red tie. Ben couldn't believe it, before his very eyes he had witnessed his longtime companion turned murderer, literally transform into the Mayor (who was now nothing more than a pile of bones and ash).

It was in that moment that Ben's survival instincts finally kicked in. It felt as though he had been doused with a bucket of cold water as he suddenly began to move; a single thought rushing through his mind: run, run, RUN! Faster than he had ever been before Ben leaped to his feet and began to run down the hallway. He didn't stop once, not even to look back, until he was out of the conference center and on his bike. He then began to pedal home as though the devil was at his heel which at the moment wasn't too farfetched of a theory. It seemed as though nothing could calm Ben down as even when his apartment complex came into view he didn't slow his frantic pace. He parked (more like slammed) his bike into the bike rack and didn't even stop to chain it up before he began walking towards the entrance.

Ben raced past the front desk, not bothering to greet the check in clerk. He stopped in front of the elevator and must have hit the button at least 20 times before he took a moment to actually breathe. As he tried to catch his breath Ben ran a shaky hand through his hair. When he heard the ding of the elevator he entered it without hesitation, pressed the button that would take him to his floor, and slumped against the wall. Dazedly he watched the numbers on the elevators screen rise. He lived on the fourth floor, not one of the greatest apartments, especially when he had to bring the groceries up the stairs when the elevator was broken but overall it wasn't too bad. His girlfriend lived a few doors over so that was a definite plus. Besides he was a college sophomore with no major. He wasn't going to get much better than what he had now. The elevator came to a halt with a jolt which broke Ben out of his daze. As he exited he began to search through his backpack for his keys. He was so caught up in getting to his apartment he didn't notice his girlfriend headed his way, a concerned frown etched onto her face.

"Ben? Are you ok?" Sarah said as she shifted her bag of groceries from one arm to the other.

Due to Sarah being at the end of the hallway and Ben being so focused on his thoughts he didn't hear her call his name. He simply continued on his way to his apartment, unlocked the door, and slipped inside. Once the door was closed behind him (and locked, you could never be too careful) he threw his backpack onto the kitchen table and walked into his bedroom. Everything was just as he left it, the TV was still off and his bed sheets were still a crumpled mess on the floor. Ben threw himself onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, images of the Mayor's ashen body and the Commissioner's transformation dancing through his mind. What, really, had he just seen? Had he been punked? Surely the Chief didn't actually impale the Mayor, only to turn into him afterward. He must have been imagining things. He must have. Usually when Ben had trouble working through his thoughts he blogged about it. Something about getting everything down in writing usually helped him; maybe it would this time too. Ben reached his arm out towards his bedside table which held his laptop. He grabbed it and as he sat up, pulled it into bed. Once he logged onto his blog, which was called BenontheEnterprise, he began to post about what he had seen. In the end he summed it all up to most likely being a hoax, or a trick of the light. What he saw couldn't have possibly happened. Not in a million years.

Later that night…

It was another cold night in the city. Barely any cars roamed the street as puddles from the rain turned to ice once the sun set. Near a local cafe, not very far from Ben's apartment, a cloaked figure flitted through the darkness. Upon taking a closer look it seemed as though the figure was not alone; trotting behind it was a dog. The dog was fairly large with light fur, pointed ears and a bushy tail, probably a mutt. It had a solid build but wasn't too slow and at its neck it wore a collar that read "Lucky". The figure lead Lucky into the cafe. The bell above the door dinged as it swung behind them, signaling their entrance. As the two walked past tables and toward the computers they were stopped by the manager.

"Excuse me ma'am but you can't have your dog in here." The manager said with a frown as he placed his hands on his hips.

The cloaked woman made no answer. In fact she ignored the manager all together as she continued on her way towards the computers, Lucky following dutifully behind. The manager made an insulted noise before he walked into the back of the cafe, probably to get someone else to deal with the odd stranger. The woman sat in a chair before one of the computers and logged on. Without any hesitation she moved the mouse and double clicked on Google Chrome. Once the search engine loaded she began typing. On screen the words mysterious sightings appeared in the box. Unfortunately the only results were a bunch of sites about Bigfoot and mermaids. Again the mouse clicked the box and typed in a new set of words; transformation ash. These words resulted in a similar result. None of the sites listed seemed to hold the information the woman was looking for, that is until she scrolled past a blog called BenontheEnterprise. Slowly the mouse moved towards the link and clicked on it. The woman read Ben's latest post, something about being punked by the mayor and the chief of police. The mouse moved away from the post and towards a picture of Ben. The picture showed him with his girlfriend, smiling happily in front of their apartment complex. The mouse clicked on the picture. By the time the manager came back to scold the woman again, her and the dog were gone.

The next day…

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Ben shot out of bed, images of a fleeting nightmare vanishing from his mind. Angrily, he slammed his hand against the alarm clock effectively shutting it off. Even though he couldn't remember what he had dreamed about Ben couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. He kicked his feet out of bed and padded into the bathroom. After he had a shower and brushed his teeth and hair he heard a knock on the door.

"One minute!" Ben shouted, thinking it was his girlfriend trying to see how he was doing. Ben threw on a pair of shoes before making his way towards the door. Thinking back on it he should have thought to check who it was. If he had maybe his life wouldn't be as crazy as it was now. Without a thought about consequences the college student threw open his apartment door. As he did a hand slammed into his chest, throwing him onto the ground. Ben was left breathless as he lifted himself from the floor. His vision swam, colors mashing together like a blended smoothie. Even with such clouded sight Ben was still able to make out the figure that stood in the doorway. Oh God. This wasn't happening. Towering before him was the one man Ben had hoped to never see again, the Mayor.

"Wha-" Before he could say anything more Ben was lifted off his feet by the Mayor who had grabbed him. If he couldn't catch his breath before it was ten times worse now as the Mayor strengthened his grip around poor Ben's neck.

"Sorry son but I'm afraid you've seen too much. It's nothing personal." The Mayor hissed.

Ben thrashed and kicked within the Mayor's grip but it was as if the man had superhuman strength for nothing he did had any effect. This was it. He was actually going to die. Already Ben felt his head swim and his vision darken. This sucked. He didn't even choose a major yet and now he was going to be killed by some terminator politician. Slowly Ben's struggles died down, he just didn't have the strength anymore. His grip slackened against the Mayor's wrist and his legs stopped their thrashing. This...wasn't good. Just before Ben gave up all hope a loud crash caught his attention. It felt like glass was raining down on him as a figure appeared through his now broken window. The Mayor must have seen the person as a stronger opponent as he let go of Ben in favor of facing this new threat. Ben fell to the ground, sputtering for air. His chest burned and tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. As he tried to get his bearings something came towards him. Ben flinched back, thinking it was a threat until he heard the slap of a wagging tail and a hot tongue began to lick his cheek. When his vision finally cleared he looked up to see a dog by his side. It had light fur and a collar that read "Lucky". When Lucky noticed he was ok he (at least Ben thought it was a he) barked and began to lick his face again.

"Ok, ok boy get off." Ben said exasperatedly. What the heck was going on?

Once Ben was able to calm Lucky down he looked up from the ground. His apartment was in shambles. The window was broken. Glass covered the floor in a hazardous sheet and a few shards even stuck in the wall. His couch was overturned and his coffee table looked like it had been smashed to bits. In the middle of his living room (or what used to be his living room) stood a girl. She had long fire like hair and steely blue eyes but that wasn't the first thing Ben noticed about her. The first thing he noticed was the pair of hulking white wings protruding from her back. That's it. This proves it. He had gone insane. As Ben pondered the state of his sanity, Bird Girl began to make her way towards him; the Mayor was nowhere to be seen.

"Have you been harmed?" She murmured her voice soft and hands held in the air. Acting cautious: as though she was approaching a cornered animal.

"What...What the heck is going on? Why did the Mayor just try to kill me and why is there a girl with wings currently hanging out in my apartment?!" Ben said, his voice rising with every word until he ended the sentence nearly shouting. Bird Girl tilted her head to the side, the same way dogs do when confused and her wings twitched behind her, feathers ruffling momentarily.

"That was not your Mayor" she responded matter-of-factly. When Ben didn't show any sign of answering back, obviously waiting for more answers, Bird Girl sat on the ground in front of him, crossed her legs, and placed her hands on her knees.

"His name is Sheut. He is one of the universes most notorious criminals. As you have seen he has incredible strength and he can shift his form to look like those he has killed. No one knows what he really looks like, which is why he remains elusive to capture."

Ben shifted to sit like the girl, with crossed legs and hands on his knees.

"So what you're telling me" he said, "is that the Mayor is an alien? You honestly want me to believe that."

Again Bird Girl tilted her head to the side.

"Yes." She responded.

Ben tried not to put his head in his hands or groan. This was completely ridiculous. One moment he's about to be killed by the mayor who was apparently an alien and now he was having a polite conversation with a girl (who was also probably an alien) with wings. He felt like he was on an episode of the Twilight Zone. Any moment now he would wake up or the theme music would begin to play.

"Ok, say I believe you; if the Mayor is an alien criminal what does that make you?" Ben said.

"My name is Blade. I am elite officer 2599 of the Federation of Allied Planets. It is my job to protect un-evolved planets from threats such as Sheut." The Bird Girl (or Blade) responded. Believing the conversation over, Blade rose from the ground with Lucky following close behind. She shook her wings which caused the scattered glass to clink and shift. Ben was surprised by the sudden movement and in his shock copied Blade's action as he too rose from the ground.

"Uh, this might sound stupid but what happens now? Did you get Sheut?"

Blade dropped her head to her chest. Judging by her slumped shoulders and defeated manner Ben assumed she hadn't been successful in capturing the criminal.

"I will need to stay close to you as you are his biggest target at the moment." Blade said apologetically. Obviously she understood that now that Ben had seen what Sheut could do he wouldn't be safe until the madman was taken in.

"You mean you want to stay here?" Ben responded incredulously.

"It would be the safest option yes."

Ben's shoulders slumped as he once again observed his shattered apartment. In just two days he had witnessed a murder, nearly been murdered himself, and befriended an alien cop. He knew from that moment on his world would never be the same.

To be continued...