I DONT OWN FALLING SKIES, THE MASONS, ANNE GLASS, WEAVER OR ANYTHING TO DO WITH FALLING SKIES. WISH I DID.
"I was in school when the ships came. They were really big, and they said that we weren't gonna attack them with the nuclear bombs because they might have wanted to be friends." a small, dirty hand clenched around a red, stubby crayon, cracking it in half. The woman sitting across from the small boy sighed. She rubbed her eyes and smiled softly at the boy.
"Faolan? It's ok to talk about what happened. It's healthy even, you don't want your mom and older brother to worry to much right?" the woman cooed at the child, she remembered saying this so many times at her work and with her own Sammy. Said child looked up at the woman and stared blankly at her. No emotion evident in his eyes, just blank golden hazel eyes. No childlike innocence, no laughter or adoration. Just a blank slate. It was quiet in their little corner, was quiet, till Faolan spoke again. Back drawing with a new red, stubby crayon.
"But they didn't want to be friends. Not at all," the boy paused, licked his lips and swallowed, "And then there was a bright light that makes, like, all electronics stop working. Máthair and Dadaidh called them EMPs, They took out computers and everything. They blew up army bases, ships, the Navy, submarines, and all the soldiers are gone." Faolan froze. He looked past the woman and right in the eyes of Colonel Porter, as he stood on his balcony observing The Massachusetts Resistance, with his cold, golden hazel eyes.
"Faolan? Hey, Faolan. You ok? Why are you looking at Porter like that?" The woman questioned, confused and a little concerned. Once Colonel Porter caught the little boy's eyes then looked away. Fallen started speaking again, looking back at the woman.
" Now Màthair and Athairs have to fight." Faolan looked away and back down at his newest drawing. A city, with ships dropping identical shapes down below on a burning city. Faolan needed a new red, stubby crayon. The woman tapped the drawing and asked Faolan to explain his new sketch. Hoping he would open up a little.
" After that, they blew up all the capitols. To all the major cities. Then they came." by now Faolan was not alone. A light brown haired boy was sitting next to him. The woman smiled at him handing him a pack of crayons and a stack of paper. The boy immediately started drawing green aliens covering the paper. He soon joined Faolan in telling the invasion.
" There were millions of them." stated the light brown haired boy. Faolan shook his head, messing up his already messy mop of black hair. The other little boy and the woman gazed at Faolan a little confused and waited for him to elaborate.
In a soft voice, that sent a chill down the woman's spine, Faolan spoke, "Trillions. Everywhere. Màthair calls them damhan allaidh and coigreach, Dadaidh calls them Inimicus, and calls them Araignée and étrangers." The woman shared a confused look with the other boy and opened her mouth to ask Faolan what it meant when he answered for them, "Màthair calls them spider and alien in Scottish-Gaelic, Dadaidh calls them foe in Latin and Raoul calls them spider and Aliens in french. Raoul's Athair taught him french, mine was teaching me gaelic before," He paused and rubbed his eyes, the woman was surprised, this was the most emotion he has shown all night, "before he was killed." The woman nodded, she had no idea Kenna's sons were half-brothers let alone could speak total other languages. They acted like real brothers. She came back to reality from her thoughts when the un-named boy spoke up.
" My dad and Hal call them Skitters and Mechs, Jadrien calls them Inimicus." The woman smiled a little in surprise, She had no idea Kenna and Jadrien were together, Faolan smirked; apparently Faolan did. The woman lost her smile. That smirk did not seem to fit on the little boy's face. Faolan couldn't be more than 7, 8 at the eldest. He lost his child-like innocence to young, " They killed grown-ups, and they catch kids. They put on harness things; to control them. They say it hurts a lot." The little boy looked down. His eyes glassy and glazed over as if he wasn't here in the present. Faolan was still furiously shading with his red, stubby crayon, his hand turning white.
The chocolate haired woman reached across the table and took the solemn boy's dirty hand in her own slightly cleaner one. " Listen, Its okay to cry. Drawing and talking about it can make you feel better." she spoke softly to both boys, one near tears and the other emotionless, so she faced the boy near tears and spoke, " Matt, what have you drawn here?" she didn't expect much of an answer from the boy. So she was surprised when Matt gave her more than one sentence.
"My mom. She was going to get food once and never came back. And then we found her. She was dead." he paused and seemed to try and reign in some emotions. "And then dad said we had to leave our house. And Ben was over at Nick's house, and we think they might have got him. But we're not sure." Just as Matt finished explaining what happened to his mom and brother and before the woman could speak up, Faolan decided to speak.
" Don't forget Matt, Màthair found you guys and saved your Athair's life. Raoul helped Hal and Dadaidh give your Màthair a proper burial." Matt looked over at his friend and nodded, he would be forever grateful to Kenna and her kids for giving his family a chance to give their mother a proper burial in her favorite reading spot on their property; right underneath the old weeping willow covered in beautiful cherry red climbing roses and next to an antique park bench with a engraving of her favorite quote;
"No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
- Maya Angelou
The woman decided to ask about his next drawing. "And this drawing? Matt, can you tell me who these people are?" They were some unique looking people. Four of them looked normal but three of them had green dog ears and tails. Faolan glanced over and laughed, a sorta of cold laugh; unfitting for an 7-8 year old. The woman was confused, how was this picture funny? It was a heart-warming picture of family.
Faolan pointed at the ears on the people and giggled out some words, " Màthair is supposed to have red ears, Raoul has to have dark brown ears and I'm supposed to have black ears." Faolan glanced at the woman and saw her confused expression, " Miss. Anne, it's a teaghlach joke. Because on a full moon we all get really temperamental, kinda like a werewolf." she nodded and turned back to Matt.
" Who are the others?" Anne lightly pressed. She wanted the kids of the resistance to draw out their frustrations and have some way to vent them, talking was one of the best ways.
Matt pointed at the three figures without ears and a tail, " That's me with dad, Hal and Jadrien." Matt looked down at the drawing again and traced the line of their faces over and over again. As if it reassured him that they were still alive. Anne saw this and grabbed his hand again.
" It's alright. You and your dad and Hal and Jadrien are okay." Anne said to comfort the upset boy. Faolan turned to Matt and gave him assurance in his own way. He shook his head.
" Well, they were okay this morning. But I don't know about now. They're fighting.
" Don't worry, Matt. Màthair and Bràthair are with them. You know how Màthair is with pack and their safety. You remember what she has always said after she saw Lilo and Stitch."
Matt turned to his buddy and smiled in remembrance, "Pack means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." Anne smiled. Sammy used to love that movie, they used to watch it every night. What she didn't get was why Kenna changed the wording.
She watched as Matt and Faolan ran off laughing, as if they didn't just have a very depressing conversation. Sometimes you got to love childish energy. You could power the world's energy on it alone.
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The night witnessed a group of figures running down a narrow alley. The shorter and younger looking male carrying what looked like a gun led the group down the alley occasionally looking back at the two older males behind him carrying near identical guns, though one looked to have swords strapped to his back.
The three mens' companions were an odd sight in the world that Earth has become. A large male wolf with dark brown fur and a slightly darker shade of cream fox marked fur. The wolf turned it's golden brown eyes on the more feminine shaped wolf by the man with the swords side and nudged her backside to get her moving faster. He didn't want to lose her. She turned her emerald green gaze on her son and stopped to nip at his ear then sped up towards the man and licked his hand, getting an ear scratch in reward. Her dark red fur brushing against the youngest man's leg, her dark cream underbelly touching the ground as she crawled to the end of the alley before stopping and looking back at her companions and shook her head. Indicating that it wasn't safe. She took protecting family very seriously. Nothing could stop her from protecting her pack. It was any alpha female's instinct. Protect and care for her betas, pups and mate.
Ever since Rebecca had died and entrusted her family's protection and care on her, she had done exactly that. She had made sure Matt washed behind his ears when he bathed, made sure Tom, Jadrien, and Hal ate and made sure her own pups, Raoul and Faolan, bathed and ate. And when Hal started dating Karen. She included her in the pack, even if Karen smelt of uncooked elderberries.
She looked up at the youngest man behind her and nipped his fingers, catching his attention. He stopped the group. The red furred wolf groaned and shifted as her bones broke and were placed into new positions, giving her a new unnatural look. The young man she nipped whispered softly, " That must hurt so much. How can you stand that Kenna?" She gave him a look before whimpering softly. Making a concerned look and snuffle come from the swordsman and the other wolf in the mostly male company.
The red and cream furred wolf was no longer standing in the glow of the light of the crescent moon. A very beautiful woman, with natural beauty not fake beauty from surgery or make-up, stood in it's place. Her dark green eyes glowing unnaturally in the dark. She straightened out her dark shirt and smoothed her jeans into her knee high leather boots and turned to the young teenaged man who commented on her transition. Her cream colored skin glowing in the moon's embrace.
"Yeah Little Mason, it does hurt. But not as much as when I was ten and first shifting, and I had your brother there to keep my mind off the pain." she faced away from Hal and towards the two older men. "Babe, Hal, Tom. We should wait a bit. For when it's safe. It's a bullet storm out there. Damhan Allaidh and our people." she commented in her soft Scottish Boston accent. All three men looked at the woman in front of them and then shared a look. Before they could answer, a groan and the sound of the transition interrupted them.
The oldest in their group turned to the dark brown haired teen who had just been the dark brown and cream wolf and asked him, " What do you think Raoul?" said boy cocked his head, not unlike the animal he just was, "Should we wait or go forward?" The boy waited as if listening to the sounds around him. Before saying four words, a lot for him.
" Go of course, Tom." Then sprinting out of the alley. All three figures sprinted after him.
Tom, Hal, Jadrien and Kenna raced after him. Kenna and Tom quite concerned about the fact that not only she could hear the fact that Drones were approaching by their ominous moans. Tom calling out to a man standing by a car, "Get the gas! Bryan, Mechs! Stay down! Get the food." Hal grabbed the food as three white beams of light zeroed in on Bryan and then turned a heart stopping orange and fired a volley of bullets at his chest. Bryan was dead. Hal grabbed some cans of beans and placed them into a white shopping bag he picked up. Kenna grabbed his shoulder as she and Tom raced past him into another alley and reunited with Raoul and Jadrien. When the moaning stopped, the group raced out of the alley passing the cart of food and gasoline cans Bryan had dropped. Tom stopped and picked it up. Hal helping him push it towards the barricade at the end of the street.
As the moaning started up again and the lights of their metal enemies started flashing, Tom and Hal picking up speed and ran faster through the over turned cars and towards safety. They weaved through the cars passing by a few bodies. Hal looking down at them. Jadrien, Kenna and Raoul farther up ahead of them occasionally looking back to make sure Hal and Tom were still there.
Hal began to push the cart faster when he began to hear the tell tale signs of an approaching mech; bright white lights, three blueish white beams zeroing in, and metallic moaning. Tom looked back and saw all three. Especially the three blueish white beams zeroing in on Hal. He grabbed Hal by the shoulder once he saw that the three beams becoming one and turning orange. Tom pushed Hal away from the lights and behind one of the car barriers.
Kenna looked back and when she didn't see Hal or Tom, Jadrien and Raoul had to hold her back from going back for them. " Maman, we can't go back. They'll be fine. Come on, we gotta go." Raoul told her running his dirty hands through his black hair. His red haired mother just looked at him with big green eyes shining with unshed tears. She uttered two words that nearly sent Raoul into tears, not Jadrien. He just wrapped her in his arms, didn't shed a tear and they didn't expect him to; comes with being an emotionless bastard.
"I promised." She spoke in such away that a few tears fell from her eyes. Jadrien grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her right in the eyes. Her tear filled dark forest green eyes. He was about to reassure her when the sound of the mech coming back interrupted them. Raoul pointed at the spot where Hal and Tom dived for cover, Kenna could see two figures getting up and racing right into the drone's firing range. She could see the shorter figure reach down to grab some food and only pick up one can, before both figures started racing towards them.
A car exploded from a volley of mech bullets just as Hal and Tom passed one of the vehicle barriers, making Hal and Tom fall to their knees. They both got back up once they heard guns firing at the mech from the barricade at the end of the street. Jadrien was standing at a human sized hole in the barricade giving some orders at the men manning the barricade.
"Here they come! Cover them! Short bursts!" he hollered at the men. Once he saw Hal, he started gesturing towards the hole. Hal went through first then turned and helped his dad, Tom, who in turn helped his son, Jadrien.
Just as Jadrien came through the barricade hole, the mech decided to target the barricade. Making a huge explosion. Tom and Hal each grabbed one of Jadrien's arms while Raoul and Kenna raced ahead of them as protection.
" Get up Jadrien!" Tom begged his eldest son, who started coming to and running on his shaky legs, "Hal, in here." he continued as he saw Kenna and Raoul run into a destroyed shop.
"Damhan Allaidh." warned Kenna as Tom and Hal used Jadrien down next to Raoul and Kenna. Jadrien and Tom lay behind the overturned table on either side of their group watching for any sign of danger. A loud metallic screech made all five of them cover their ears and groan. The sound of gurgling and mech bullets made them all look up. The resistance had lost another one. Tom and Jadrien made everyone scoot back as a white glowing thing cover one of the fighters enlisting a reaction from Hal.
" That's Jerrod's Cousin." he started to scoot forward but Jadrien help him back. " That's Jerrod's cousin." He repeated. They watched as a skitter, a yellowish Deacon looking spider, approached Jerrod's cousin's prone body. It looked back the way it came and Kenna watched in sadness as two more skitters came towards it. Tom grabbed Hal and raced for the building's back door, quickly being followed back Jadrien and Raoul dragging Kenna, she was distraught over losing another member of her large pack also known as the Massachusetts Resistance.
They bust out into the alley behind their hideaway and immediately had guns pointed at them. Tom stopped and put his hands up, he stopped to catch his breath before warning the group they just came across as Kenna, Jadrien, Raoul and Hal kept watch. "Mechs, front." he stopped to breath heavily before continuing on. " The Colton Street barricade's down. Skitters to."
The other group's leader groaned angrily, before answering Tom, "They're up to the common." he started walking towards the rest of Tom's group and down the alley, " Both barricades there are gone. We're falling back." Both groups stated jogging back to base as the older looking man briefed Tom, " Back Bay is lost."
Tom looked at the man surprised. " They take Back Bay, they take the city." The older man looked at Tom like he just said he was a pig with purple wings and a pink tutu.
"No kidding." he looked back, still looking back and running, " Porter's calling us in. Let's go." he turned back and stopped as he caught sight of one of the enemy ships making it's way above them. It fired a single green ball of glowing energy in front of it, confusing many. That confusion escalated once it landed set off a large white explosion at least fifty stories high. The sound of a huge gust of wind made everyone squint their eyes and cringe away from the lights.
The sound of running made them all look behind to see a young female fighter with curly running towards them. "South Boston! South Boston! South Boston!" hollered the girl as she ran. Tom moved towards her begging her to be quiet, warning her that there were mechs and skitters around. "They got South Boston."
The older man from before started back towards base. Hal stood there, watching the after math of the explosion. As his father and brother passed him, Hal started running with the group. Every once in a while looking back in disbelief. These alien invaders will always confuse him.