The Virus

by Ralph Guidi Ferreira

David Vincent traveled to Langhorne, to investigate a series of mysterious deaths and a new and dangerous disease, possible brought by The Invaders.

THE INVADERS

TONIGHT'S EPISODE: THE VIRUS

The man was laying in the bed of the Saint Helen Hospital in pretty bad condition, his appearance was of deep agony and he tried hard to breathe. Doctor Miller, a middle aged man and one of the most experienced doctors of the hospital was taking good care of the poor patient, assisted by a male nurse. The ill man was all wired in sensors, which monitored his vital functions, serum with some medicine was being applied and the patient was breathing with the help of a breathing device, connected to pure oxygen.

Doctor Hawkins entered the room, a younger doctor, known at the hospital for his good sense of humor and constant good mood. At that moment, Doctor Hawkins was not so happy as usual, his fair eye brows indicated concern about the situation.

"How's the patient doing, Doctor Miller?" Asked the blond doctor.

"He's stable now, but still in critical condition." Answered the tired gray haired man. Then he got some X-rays and put them in the light to show them to Doctor Hawkins.

"Look at this!" He showed the lungs of the patient. "His lungs are almost fully taken. If he waited a few more hours, he would be dead now, just like the other three people we attended in the last two weeks!"

"Certainly the same type of severe pneumonia of the other patients." Hawkins agreed, his dark blue eyes staring at the X-rays.

The male nurse kept on taking care on the sick man, but he was closely paying attention to the conversation of the two doctors.

"I think we're about to have an epidemic, Doctor Hawkins, a mortal epidemic!" The experienced doctor frowned. "Tomorrow I'll contact the National Agency of Health. We need urgent help to deal with this here."

"Don't you think you're being a little precipitous, Karl?" Doctor Hawkins questioned. "Such kind of alert could cause panic in the city, even in the whole state or in the country. After that, if it's not that serious, we could be ridiculed."

"No, I'm not, Jim." The older doctor answered, then removed for a while his glasses in order to rest a little his tired eyes. It was late at night and the man had been working all day long. He was about to leave home, when the emergency patient arrived and then after that he had been working with no stop for rest until he could finally stabilize the sick man. "In years of experience, I never saw a pneumonia like that, which kills the victim so fast. We're applying our strongest medicines on the ill patients, but with minimum success. The three previous patients died in less than 5 hours, after they arrived. This one is stable now, but still in critical condition. He's conscious, but his temperature is still high and he's breathing with difficult."

"Karl!" Doctor Hawkins smiled and put his right hand on Doctor Miller's shoulder. "You are tired my friend. Go home now, take some rest and tomorrow we'll discuss about that. If that's what you think it should be done. Of course I'll support you." Then he pointed to the patient. "The man will be monitored all night long by the personnel of the night shift. He'll be on good hands."

"Ok, you're right, Jim." He put his glasses back, then picked up a notice board from the table and a pen from his pocket. "I'll make a few more annotations for my report, after that I'll go home."

"Have you already prepared a report, Karl? Always thinking ahead, right?" Doctor Hawkins smiled to his friend.

"In this profession, we have to. I have a full report done in my desk. I'll just add these notes to it." Doctor Miller smiled too, and then he turned to the male nurse who was standing next to the two doctors, just listening to the conversation. "You can also go, Tom. Now our patient is fully medicated. Let's just monitor him."

"Well, I'll be working all night shift anyway, Doctor Miller." The young male nurse answered. "I'll keep my eyes on him for you, sir." Tom, then left the room and went away in the hospital corridor. Tom Murray was a tall man, a little overweight, who had started working in that hospital less than six months ago. Since he was a very helpful man and a devoted professional, all doctors liked him and for Doctor Miller, it was a good thing to think on having him watching carefully for his special patient.

"You can also go home, Jim." Doctor Miller said to his mate. "As soon as I finish this, I'll go too. I promise." He finished his sentence with a smile.

"Ok, see you tomorrow then, Karl." Doctor Hawkins then also left the room and disappeared in the desert corridor of the hospital.

Doctor Miller kept on, standing before the patient. He took the ill man's temperature again, noted it and then started taking notes of the readings in the monitory apparatus connected to the patient. He was also writing some particular theories of his own, based on his large experience with diseases in general.

Silently the door of the room slowly opened. Someone turned carefully the door's handle, to avoid any noise and slyly entered the room. The silent visitor walked in silence in the direction of Doctor Miller, who didn't notice the person who just arrived. He was deeply concentrated in the notes he was writing, there standing before the bed of the patient.

Using white plastic gloves, the recently arrived intruder took out of his pocket a metallic disc.

The concentration of Doctor Miller was broken, when he paid attention to some noises that the patient was doing. As if he was trying to say something, but since he was too weak, he couldn't speak too loud.

"Are you trying to say something?" Doctor Miller gently asked the patient, looking at him with care.

The man in the bad stared at the doctor and kept on trying to speak, fear was evident in his eyes. He was too anxious and started to struggle in his bad.

"Easy, easy!" The doctor tried to calm down the nervous patient. "Don't move this way, or we'll have to give you some sedatives. Calm down and try to tell me what you want."

Doctor Miller was attentive and didn't note the presence of somebody just after him.

In a quick and rapid movement, the disc was placed in the neck of Doctor Miller, whose face denoted extreme pain. The poor doctor wasn't even able to scream and the only sound heard was a bass buzz. His whole body shaked for a few seconds and then collapsed lifeless on the ground.

The man on the bed was terrorized, he watched the whole scene and was disabled to do any thing or to try to escape from there.

Mercilessly, the killer approached the patient on the bed and placed his disc on the ill witness, killing the victim in a few seconds.

The murderer then took the keys from the pocket of Doctor Miller and went out of the room in a hurry. In a short period of time, the cold killer arrived at the office of Doctor Miller and opened the drawer of his desk, founding there an incomplete report about the lethal pneumonia and the deaths of the last weeks. He then robbed the documents and left the office, disappearing in the corridor.

ACT I

"Three individuals died of pneumonia in the last two weeks, in the city of Langhorne, PA. Two additional deaths were even more bizarre. A pneumonia patient and his doctor died in the same room, victims of a different disease: cerebral hemorrhage. For most of the hospital workers, a tragic coincidence. For the newspapers, an unusual matter to be published. For David Vincent, an evidence that the Invaders were around."

David Vincent parked his Ford LTD in the Saint Helen Hospital parking place and walked slowly into the building, finishing up a cigarette he was smoking while he drove to the place.

He was wearing a discreet dark blue suit, blue tie, under a heavy black coat. It was the end of November, so the weather was already cold and it had snowed a little in the previous night. He went to the hospital's front desk and politely he saluted the attendant.

"Good morning." Vincent smiled to the young woman at the front desk. "My name is David Vincent, I'm a reporter from a medical magazine from the West Coast, 'Medicine Today' and I'd like to talk to someone about the mysterious deaths of the last days."

"Well, Mr. Vincent." The woman politely answered. "I don't know if they were 'mysterious' as you say, or not, but I can tell you for sure that for us it was a big tragedy." The woman's blue eyes filled up with tears, but she avoided crying. "We all loved Doctor Miller and it was hard for everybody to lose him, as well as the other four patients!"

"I understand." Vincent nodded. "But I assure you that I'll do a class 'A' work and I will certainly honor his memory. But I need to talk to the people who knew him and who worked with him and with the patients in order to collect all data." Vincent kept looking at the woman with a very friendly smile.

"Ok, Mr. Vincent." The front desk lady controlled her tears and tried a sad smile. "I'll see what I can do for you. Please wait at the entry lobby."

Vincent was silently standing in the entry lobby when he saw a woman in white coming in his direction. She was a very attractive woman, not too tall and her black and straight hair made a good contrast to her pale skin and white clothes.

"Are you Mr. Vincent?" The slim woman asked to Vincent, her dark brown eyes staring at him with some curiosity.

"Yes, I am." Vincent promptly answered and extended his right arm to shake the woman's hand to greet her. "And you are?"

"I'm Doctor Downing. Kate Downing." The doctor answered and greeted Vincent. "I was informed that you work for a magazine and want to write an article about the deaths in this hospital right?" She questioned, but in an austere tone.

"Yes, that's right." Vincent nodded. "Can you help me?"

"Look, Mr. Vincent, are you from any kind of fantastic events or bizarre news magazine?" She was not so polite in her questioning, but even though she didn't raise the tone of her voice. "You're not trying to cause any kind of panic, are you?"

"Oh, no, of course not". Vincent answered in an extremely polite manner; he didn't want to upset her possible source of information. "I wrote for a medical magazine and my readers are serious people." He continued and then smiled and tried a joke to break the ice. "But I guarantee you that I'm not a doctor."

"Ok, ok. A 'non-doctor' writing a medical article? Interesting combination." Doctor Downing smiled also, but she was a smart woman and Vincent would have to act hard to convince her that he was really a reporter of a medical magazine. "Well, Mr. Vincent, I don't have too much free time, but I'll try to help you. What you would like to know?"

"I've heard that three people died of the same type of pneumonia, right? Can you tell me more about that? Is that a new kind of influenza virus?"

"As far as we know, it was pneumonia. Severe cases, but just pneumonia. We have no indication that it was a different kind of disease." The young doctor stated with confidence, but Vincent could notice that deep in her face, she was still worried about something she was not openly talking. "Naturally we'll stand-by for any new cases, but I can tell you for sure, that the situation is under control."

"Do any of the ill patients had anything in common? Were they relatives, or did they traveled to a common place or something like that?" Vincent continued.

"No. They were regular people. Common inhabitants of Langhorne, two men and a woman, whom I can not let you know additional details without the permission of their families. I hope you understand that, Mr. Vincent." Dr. Downing was being very short and rough in her answers, obviously she wanted to end up soon that conversation.

"What about the doctor and the patient who died of cerebral hemorrhage? The patient entered this hospital with pneumonia too right?" Vincent changed a little the direction of the conversation.

"Yes, that's right." Dr. Downing frowned.

"Did they have any connection? Did that doctor….. Miller….. if I'm not wrong, knew the patient? By the way, how long had that doctor been working here in this hospital?" Vincent continued trying to extract any kind of information of the reluctant doctor.

"Yes, that was Doctor Miller and he worked in his hospital for more than 20 years." At that moment, her dark eyes filled up with tears and her voice almost choked. "His death was a tragedy, we all loved him here. When I started here 5 years ago, he was very kind with me and treated me almost as a father, teaching me lots of things, so it was horrible to lose him." She then wiped out her eyes and recovered her composure. "No, he didn't know the patient. He was treating him that night, as any other night, as any other patient. He loved his work and did that with passion."

"Oh, I'm sorry for that." Vincent said. He was not getting too much from her, but he had to insist, he knew something was wrong and in a very peculiar way, all deaths had to be connected, he just had to start solving the puzzle. "Was he working alone that night? Are there other people who saw him in his last hours, which I could talk to?"

"Are you really going to do a serious work, Mr. Vincent?" Dr. Downing severely asked. "I don't want to see Dr, Miller's name in a second class publication. Can I really trust you?" She stared deep into Vincent's blue eyes.

"If there's one thing I tell you in advance, Dr. Downing." Vincent answered with such self confidence that the young woman could be convinced, that he was really doing something good. "I'll try to be as most accurate as possible and please, be sure that my work will be at the end, of extremely importance, even to help if new cases of this disease appears!"

"Well, Mr. Vincent, although you look sincere, modesty is not one of your qualities." It was her time to play a little joke. "Yes, there was a man who worked with him that night. I'll contact him and check if he has some time to talk to you. Ok?"

"Yes, sure." Vincent nodded again, then continued questioning. "Is he also another veteran here in this hospital? Another doctor" He wanted to extract any possible information from the beautiful doctor.

"His name is Tom Murray." She seriously answered. "He's a nurse, very competent, but he's working with us not so long, he's here for about 6 months."

Vincent slightly frowned. Lots of possibilities and suppositions came to his mind, but he had to check. "Can I talk to him today? Do I wait here?" He immediately asked.

"Just wait here, Mr. Vincent, I'll try to locate him. If he's not available, I'll inform you."

"Thank you very much Doctor Downing!" Vincent was satisfied with the beginning of his search. Then he got a business card with his name and gave to the young doctor. "I marked here the telephone of the hotel I'm in, here in Langhorne. If you have any additional information, please just get in contact with me. Ok?"

"Ok." She took the card, looked at it, then put it inside one of the pockets of her white apron. She then left the lobby and went away. Vincent stayed there; thoughtful, trying to figure out any correlation between the deaths and all the facts that he had just learned.

A man in white approached and called Vincent in the entry Lobby. "Are you Mr. Vincent? The big blonde guy asked and extended his huge hand to shake Vincent's hand. "I'm Tom Murray. Doctor Downing told me you wanted to talk to me about the last moments of Doctor Miller. Right?" Murray was a simple man with a rude face, his broken shaped nose gave him an appearance of a boxer, but his attitude was of a very cooperative person. Anyway, Vincent could take no chances and certainly he would be very cautious. He had to be; after all he didn't know the doctor and that nurse.

Vincent introduced himself again and his task over there, just as he did with the doctor and then started questioning the man about the last moments he stayed with the doctor who had died.

Not too far from there, Doctor Hawkins had been watching Vincent talking to Doctor Downing and now to Murray. He watched for a while the two men talking, then disappeared in one of the hospital corridors.

"Yes, after the patient was fully stabilized, Doctor Miller told I could go. It was almost midnight and he looked pretty tired, I tell you for sure." Murray continued talking to Vincent. "He also told to Doctor Hawkins that he would soon leave."

"Doctor Hawkins?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, he was there too, but Doctor Miller was taking care of the patient. Doctor Hawkins was just observing and discussing about the disease with Doctor Miller."

"Were they quarreling?" Vincent became very curious, his face displayed that.

"No, I think they were good friends. Well, at least they looked friends." The big man continued.

"Do you know that Doctor Hawkins for a long time? What about Doctor Downing?"

"Are you really a reporter? Aren't you a cop or something? A federal, maybe?" Murray frowned.

"I just want to collect as much data as I can, Mr. Murray. I guarantee you I'm no cop." Vincent smiled to disarm the man, who had become a little defensive.

"I have nothing to omit." Murray stated. "I just don't want to be cheated. If you're a cop, I want to know, there's no need to lie, saying that you're a reporter or anything." He then continued in a lighter tone. "I don't know very well neither Doctor Hawkins nor Doctor Downing, I work here for some time, so I didn't get to know people in depth. Doctor Hawkins is popular over here; everybody likes him and his sense of humor. Doctor Downing is okay, but she's always too involved in her work that she has not too many friends. I've heard that Doctor Miller was her only friend, but I'm not sure and please do not publish that, because I'll not support that! You got it? I don't wanna look like a gossiper. Ok? And I think I already told you anything important for your article."

"Yes, of course." Vincent smiled again. "I'll not publish anything like that." Then he also gave to Murray a card with his name. "Well, if you know anything else, please give me a call at this address. Ok? I'll stay here in town for a couple of days."

Vincent got out of the hospital and before going back to his car, he lit a cigarette and silently and thoughtfully smoked in the front of the hospital. Looking at the entrance of it and at the surrounding, as if he was trying to dig any idea from anywhere.

In a small Café inside the hospital, Doctor Downing was enjoying her glass of tea, when Doctor Hawkins came to her.

"Well, well, well." He came with a smile on his face. "So you have a boyfriend, huh, doctor?" He sat on the same table she was and drunk a little of his hot coffee. "An older man. Hmm I didn't know you were the type who prefers older guys."

"Ok, Mr. 'know-everything'. For your information…" She also smiled. "that gentleman is not my boyfriend. I just met him."

"Ohh, so I still have a chance to win this heart?" Hawkins then stared at the beautiful woman. He was looking direct into her dark eyes. The way he did, even made her became a little shy and her face slightly turned red.

"Jim, I told you once and I'll tell you again." She recovered and politely answered. "I don't want any relationship at the moment." She drunk some tea. "Specially at my work." She finished with a smile.

"Ok, but there's nothing wrong about trying, right?" Doctor Hawkins joked. "One day, I'll break the ice, Kate, one day I will!"

"You will not give up easily, right, Jim?" She apparently was enjoying the games that his colleague was doing. Hawkins was a blond man in his 30's. He was not the kind of man who looked like a movie star, but his appearance would certainly appeal to any woman.

"Of course not." He placed his right hand over Kate Downing's hand. "Will you give me that chance now?"

"Not now." She removed her hand from under his colleague's hand and continued drinking her tea, with a smile on her lips. "But you do have the right to keep on trying." She answered in good mood.

"Ok, Kate." He smiled too and drunk his coffee. "And who was the mysterious man, then?"

"Oh, he was just a reporter from the West Coast, who's writing an article about the recent deaths here due to the pneumonia. One more asking the same things that the other did in the last week, the only difference is that this one is from a magazine from the other side of the country." She answered giving little attention to the question. "His name was…" She obviously forgot Vincent's name. "wait, let me see." She took the card from her pocket. "Yes, that's it. 'David Vincent'. His name is David Vincent."

"Really?" Hawkins was a little surprised. "From the West Coast? Can I see his card?

She gave the card to Hawkins who saw it and the hotel address and then returned it to his colleague. Interesting that this local happenings called the attention from a medical magazine from there. What's the name of the magazine?"

"I don't remember well, I think it was 'Medice Today', or something like that." She said. "Well, he'll be around for some days. I believe he'll visit us again before going back home. Then you can talk to him too."

"That's right". She finished then his coffee.

David Vincent was driving his LTD around the city. He checked the surroundings around the hospital, then he took the US Route 1, the major north–south U.S. Highway. He was driving along it, just sightseeing. Vincent had little information and no clues yet to form a theory. He was in town for less then a day. The day was dark and the sky was grey and full of heavy clouds.

After some time driving, he saw a big restaurant and decided to stop to eat something. It was almost 02:00 PM and he had only his breakfast, so it was the time for a fair stop.

After eating a good meal, he went on driving again around the city, this time in smaller streets, he was looking for abandoned buildings.

One thing he was sure. Somewhere in the city, the aliens would certainly have some facilities and they were surely planning something.

Vincent visited some streets, but with no success, until he finally found something that looked like an old and abandoned factory. He slowly drove his LTD in front of it, then parked it some yards ahead of the main gate.

It was getting darker and the wind was extremely cold. Vincent checked the rusty gate. An old chain tried to keep the two precarious halves of the gate closed, evidently it was abandoned for some years. Due to the bad condition of the gate and of the chain, it was easy to force the chains and find a passage among the two halves. The only difficult that Vincent found, was due to the fact that it was a little tricky to pass through the halves, wearing a heavy winter coat, as he was using. Once inside the property , Vincent walked towards the old building. He was in a hurry, because in a few hours, there would be no sunlight anymore and he had no light with him.

Vincent found an open door and got access into the building. Everything was very dusty and the dirty windows didn't allow too much of the remaining day light to illuminate the building. He was walking through a huge salon, which obviously sheltered a production line in the past. Vincent was trying to make as little noise as possible and all his senses were at full alert, he carefully looked at any place, any corner, any space inside the salon. The whole place was cold, dark and tenebrous. The smell of dusty and mold was also very unpleasant.

At the end of the salon, Vincent found a door that connected to other part of the building. He silently turned the dirty handle and opened the old door. He entered then a factory office. There were some tables over there, all covered with dust, in such a big quantity that Vincent wasn't able to avoid a sneeze. He didn't want to announce his presence there. Once again he found nothing suspicious, no evidence of alien activity there.

Vincent found other doors in the building and checked all of them, but the results were the same. Only abandoned offices, bathrooms and even a small refectory. He spent almost two hours checking the place and he finally accepted that it was just an ordinary empty and abandoned place. So, it was time to leave because it was much darker now, soon it would be night and he would have some difficulty to find his way out of the old building.

David Vincent took a last look around the building and parking place, but no unusual thing was found. He was tired and frustrated, but he would not give up. The Invaders were not in that place, but they had to be somewhere, he knew something wrong was happening, those deaths were not normal and he would spend more days trying to discover something.

He returned then back to his LTD, turned it on, lit the lights and drove back to his hotel. It was the end of his first day.

ACT II

David Vincent woke up with the sound of the telephone of his room ringing. Still sleepy he looked at the clock, 06:00 AM. He answered the call and a man's voice spoke.

"Mr. Vincent?".

"Yes, that's me?" Vincent answered. "Who's speaking?"

"A friend, Mr. Vincent. My name is not important." The man answered.

"Ok." Vincent said with a rough tone. "And what do you want with me, 'friend'?"

"You're making some research on the pneumonia deaths, right?" The man continued with a serene voice. "Also about the death of Doctor Miller. Right?"

"Yes, sure." Vincent now was much more interested in the conversation. "Do you have anything to tell me."

"Yes." The voice answered on the phone. "I don't know if the hospital is going to call you again, but I'll inform you. A new patient entered in this dawn. A young woman. She arrived in pretty bad condition, but she's stable now. Her name is Julie Summers. Her husband is still in the hospital, he can't stay with her because she's in the isolation. If you hurry, you maybe can catch him, his name is Joseph Summers. He's a short red haired man, wearing a blue jacket. Hurry up Mr. Vincent!" Then the man ended the call without saying good-bye.

Vincent got quickly dressed and left the hotel in a hurry, not even having a breakfast.

Moments later, Vincent arrived at the hospital and when he entered the lobby, he saw Doctor Downing talking to a red haired man, who was evidently nervous. Vincent kept standing in a corner of the lobby, in silence, discreetly watching the conversation. As soon as the conversation ended, he went in the direction of the doctor.

"Another case, Doctor Downing?" Vincent walked fast to catch the doctor, before she entered in a restricted area of the hospital.

"Yes. Mr…. Mr. Vincent, right?" Downing answered still walking. She didn't stop to talk to him, she just slowed down a little, but went on the direction of the restricted area. "I'm extremely busy now, Mr. Vincent. If I found anything new, I'll give you a call. Ok?" Then she entered in the restricted area and left Vincent there just watching her to go. He hadn't any chance to question any other thing.

Vincent thoughtfully scratched his chin and looked around, when he noticed that the nervous red haired man was still there, sitting in a couch in the entry lobby, lost on his thoughts. Vincent decided to go to him.

Vincent approached carefully and introduced himself to the man, with the same history about being a reporter, writing an article about the pneumonia.

"Ok, I can talk to you sir." The nervous man answered. He was not in the mood to talk, but he decided to cooperate a little. "My name is Joseph Summers. Excuse me, but I don't want to talk too much."

"I do understand, Mr. Summers." Vincent politely answered. "And I'll be very objective and fast." He started asking about the disease and knew that the symptoms were basically the same he had heard from the doctors and from the newspapers, which brought him there.

"And have you visited any unusual place before she got sick, Mr. Summers." Vincent was trying to dig any clue, until that moment he had too few to start a supposition.

"No, nothing!" Summers nervously answered. "My wife and I haven't traveled for months. She was ok, in perfect health! The night before yesterday, we even had dinner at the 'Old barn' and it was wonderful. Everything was so perfect!"

"Old barn?" Vincent curiously questioned. Finally he found a new information.

"Yes, it's a new restaurant, not so far from here, on the US-1. I ate a big steak and she got chicken, nothing unusual. We were happy and enjoying ourselves!"

Vincent had driven in the US Route 1 already, but he didn't notice that particular restaurant. Something was not fitting properly. That was a major highway and the Invaders didn't like to use popular or crowded places for their activities. So, that could be just another sad coincidence or maybe something else. It was too soon yet to take any conclusion.

"Then yesterday she woke up and told me she was not feeling very well." The worried man continued. "She told me she was not going to work, because she thought she got a cold. I went normally to my work and when I returned home she was much worse. Her temperature was very high." The man was talking in detail what happened, but his voice was getting more and more stressed, his eyes displaying so much irritability and despair that the short man looked like a time bomb. "We decided to wait until the next morning to go to the hospital, but in the middle of the night her condition got worse, she could hardly breathe and we came here in a hurry. Now she's in there!" He pointed to the entrance of the restricted area. "And I can't even be with here!" The poor man started crying, the tears abundantly dropping from his eyes.

Vincent became affected by that sad scene. He put his hand on the crying man's shoulder, when Summers sat back in the sofa, with his head down and his face hidden among his tears wet hands. "I'm sure she's in good hands." Deep inside, Vincent was upset. Was that another work of the Invaders? Were more innocent people being victims of the aliens? Too many questions in his mind, he had to verify that. Immediately!

Summers didn't answer anything and stayed there crestfallen in the coach. Vincent then left the hospital, returned to his car and drove away. He had one goal at that moment. To visit the 'Old barn'.

David Vincent returned to the US Route 1 and was slowly driving, carefully paying attention to all buildings in the highway. Another cold and gray morning. It was almost midday, but the day was not lighted. Finally he found what he was looking for, the 'Old Barn' restaurant.

It was a new building, everything well decorated. The owners creatively tried to make the place to look like a big barn. Vincent parked his car in front of the restaurant and entered it. The whole environment inside it was very pleasant, well decorated, family oriented. Vincent saw some people inside; women, men, children; all looked happy and enjoying their meals. All in all, it was a great place and it was becoming more and more popular.

A young waitress smilingly came to Vincent. "One place, sir?"

"Oh, yes..yes." Vincent was immersed in his thoughts and the waitress words just brought him back to reality.

"Please, follow me." The blond girl asked him and then conducted him to a table. "My name is Angela and I'll be attending you today." She politely said, gave a menu to Vincent and then went to another table.

Vincent ordered a simple steak and salad. While tasting his food, he was paying close attention to every detail inside the restaurant. He also discreetly looked at any person; in a table just in front of him a couple and two small children were eating and having a good time; in a table to the right a young man was passionately smiling to his girlfriend, while having his lunch; a lonely well dressed woman was drinking ice tea while waiting her order; all typical scenes of a regular restaurant. Suddenly something called Vincent's attention, he even stopped eating to better watch and to pay attention. Another waiter, a man in his 20's, tall, polite, his dark hair very well combed; the typical nice attendant that any people enjoy to be attended by in a good restaurant, but Vincent was not interested in any of those characteristics, he noticed the hands of the young waiter. Dressed in the restaurant's uniform, the man was writing the request of a couple that was in a table in the left corner of the well enlightened place. The waiter was holding a note pad with one hand and writing the customers request with the other, but in both hands, his little finger was hardened. Despite the deformity in his little fingers, the waiter was using his pen with no difficulty. Now Vincent knew that the Invaders were around, the next thing to do, was to discover what would they have been doing there.

After eating the rest of his meal in a hurry, Vincent called for the bill. The pleasant waitress gave him the bill and started a conversation about the quality of the food. She was really interested in knowing if the elegant gentleman enjoyed everything. Naturally Vincent made all efforts to look very nice. As much as the girl wanted to know his opinion, he wanted to know more about that place.

"Yes, everything was delicious!" Vincent stated with a smile. "Nice place! It seems to be very new! How long have you guys being in business?"

"Oh, thank you, sir." The beautiful blonde woman answered. "Yes, this is a new place, it opened six months ago and guess what! It's becoming a success! We're all very happy here. And Mr. Chandler knows that, he recognizes the good work of us all and I can tell you, he pays very well. He's a very generous man. All employees here love him!" She really displayed enthusiasm in her words; her blue eyes were even shining.

"Great!" Vincent nodded with a smile. "And who's Mr. Chandler?"

"He's the owner of this place." She answered and started looking around. "Actually….." She found Chandler near the restaurant's kitchen door, talking to another waiter. "There he is." She pointed at the restaurant's owner.

Chandler was a man that seemed to be around 45 years old. His black beard was well trimmed and was already silver in his chin. His black hair had some gray on the side parts of his head. One additional thing intrigued Vincent. Chandler was talking to the waiter with the hardened little fingers and both of them entered into the kitchen.

"Do you want to know him? Want me to call him for you, sir?" The likable waitress offered.

"No, thanks." Vincent got up of his chair. "I was just curious." He walked towards the exit of the place and went in the direction of his car. When he got near the door of his red hardtop car, he looked around in the parking lot and since there was nobody surrounding, he started waking in the direction of the back of the restaurant.

Walking in silence, all senses in alert, he got there and found a small refrigerated truck, parked close to a back door of the restaurant. Nobody was in the area, so he decided to go further.

Vincent arrived to the back door of the gray truck. He then touched the chrome-plated handle of the huge metal door and turned it down to unlock it and open the door. An automatic light illuminated the internal part of the cargo compartment. For Vincent's frustration no alien equipment was present there. It was just a refrigerated truck, with some meat packages. He was about to leave the place, when he decided to pick up one of the packages to check what it was. Just a very well sealed package of meat. After a closer view, he found out it was just chicken meat. He put the package back to the pile where it was, when suddenly he remembered. Joseph Summers, the crying man in the hospital, told his ill wife had eaten chicken in that restaurant. He decided to take the package with him. Gingerly he closed the truck's door and returned to his car. He had no conditions to check that meat, but he had an idea on how to have it verified.

Before getting back to his car, Vincent was attacked by a man in the parking lot. The two men violently wrestled; punches, kicks, then the attacker took a metallic disc out of his pocket. The man who attacked Vincent was the young restaurant's waiter and he immediately recognized the lethal metallic disc with the five lights positioned in a pentagon on the disc's surface. The weapon was on and Vincent know it was ready to kill, the waiter just needed to place the disc on Vincent's neck and in a few seconds he would be dead. Vincent ran to his car and alien waiter pursued him. Desperately, Vincent started to ran around his car to escape the alien in a kind of cat and rat deadly game. When he was for the second time on the rear of his car, he noticed a big piece of rock in the grass, a few yards of him. He carefully let the alien get closer and then he threw the meat package on the face of the alien, who got disturbed by that unexpected action; then Vincent quickly jumped on the grass, and took the rock, which in a well-aimed throw hit the alien's forehead, who collapsed unconscious on the ground, but still holding his metallic disc. Vincent noticed that the alien was still alive, but he had no time to waste with him, so he rapidly picked the package back from the ground and rushed back into his car, which he quickly started and then ran away in a hurry, tires screaming loud leaving a black trace of rubber on the ground.

Chandler watched the end of the fight from the restaurant's entrance. He silently walked into the place his waiter was laying down on the ground and woke up his fellow alien. The rock hit had caused a huge wound on the aliens forehead, but like any other of his species, there was no blood. The two aliens crossed glances, no word was spoken, then the waiter went back into the rear part of the restaurant. He walked fast and silently, with a hand covering his wound and his head slightly down. He was trying to be as much discreet as he could.

A man who was inside the restaurant, near a window, and saw some of the fight got out of it and came to the waiter. "Are you ok, son?" The gray haired man asked with concern. "What happened? That man hit you with something. Do you need to go to the hospital? Can I help?"

"No sir, thank you, don't worry." The alien waiter answered, cleverly covering his wound with a hand. "I'm ok, sir, just a small headache, no need to see a doctor." The alien nicely smiled. "That man tried to flee without paying. But Mr. Chandler will inform the police. Don't worry sir, go back to your meal. I'm fine. Very fine!" The alien rushed back to the back part of the restaurant. The helpful customer stood there alone for some time, watching the young man to disappear in the corner of the restaurant, then decided to return to his meal. In his head he thought that those guys knew what they were doing, so why to bother himself.

Still watching, on the parking lot, the car of David Vincent to go away on the highway, Chandler took out of his pocket a white egg shaped device. That strange thing had one flat face, which had five lights positioned also in a pentagon, like the metallic disc. He placed it near his mouth and pressed a button on the side part of it. The five lights started to flash and Chandler started to speak. "Affirmative! A man came to snoop. Surely he's David Vincent, I haven't seen his face, but the description fits, blonde, 30 years, tall. He escaped in a four-doors red sedan, black vinyl hardtop. Alert all units! Take all necessary preventive actions!"

After finishing his speech, Chandler turned off his communicator device, put it back into his pocket and returned to his restaurant.

ACT III

David Vincent entered in a hurry into the Saint Helen Hospital, at the front desk he informed that he had to urgently talk to Doctor Downing. His face was very apprehensive and he was looking really strange, because he was carrying a meat package.

Doctor Downing came some minutes later, walking very fast. She obviously looked nervous and also very tired. Her face showed undereye circles, which were very evident in her pale skin.

"Look, Mr. Vincent!" She started after a sigh. "I'm extremely busy right now and I have nothing new to tell you. Three people arrived with the same symptoms and we're taking care of them, if I have anything new, I'll let you know. Ok?"

Doctor Hawkins saw them talking. He went to the front desk attendant, talked something to her and walked then in the direction of Vincent and Downing.

"Doctor Downing, please, let me tell you something." Vincent tried to argue with the young doctor. "Ask the patients if they have eaten at a place called 'Old Barn'."

"What?" She astonished. "What do you mean? Why should I ask that?"

Suddenly Doctor Hawkins arrived and interrupted the conversation. "Oh, hello Mr. Vincent!" He spoke with some irony in his voice.

"Hello." Vincent politely answered. "How do you know me?"

"I saw when you talked for the first time with Doctor Downing and she showed me your card." There was still a disturbing smile in his face. "I'm Doctor Hawkins."

"Ok. Well Doctor Hawkins, I was talking about these cases of severe pneumonia, I have a suggestion for a research." Vincent was talking fast and exasperated; he nervously gesticulated his hands, while talking. "See, I just found out ….." He was cut in his talk when Hawkins raised his hand in a sign to Vincent to cease talking.

"Listen, Mr. Vincent." Hawkins spoke with a sardonic smile. "I know that you feel good by doing this, but we're very busy here and now you're not so funny anymore." The smile disappeared from his face and he spoke then with a more serious voice. "If you want, I can help you. I know good doctors which could give you a good treatment."

"What are you talking about, Jim?" Downing was getting really confused with that discussion.

"I have a cousin, who's a cop in California." Hawkins stated. "I called him to ask about Mr. Vincent and about his magazine.

"And?" She asked.

"There's no 'Medicine Today' magazine over there!"

"What?" She became surprised, then looked with furious eyes to Vincent.

"And our friend here, Mr. Vincent." He friendly placed a hand on Vincent's shoulder. "Is famous for hunting little green men everywhere. He used to be a well succeeded architect from Santa Barbara, California; nowadays he's just an eccentric lunatic!"

"Is that true, Mr. Vincent?" She angrily questioned.

"Listen." Vincent was also nervous and didn't care about Hawkins' statements; he had to convince the people of the hospital about his theories. "You have a lot of patients with the same problem now, all in critical conditions. I'm trying to show you a direction to stop the problem."

"The aliens are causing the disease, right Dave boy?" ironically asked Hawkins.

Vincent didn't give attention to Hawkins and kept on trying to convince the female doctor. He noticed that she looked really very concerned about the disease. "Please, ask them, if they visited that 'Old Barn' place!" Vincent was so deeply engaged in the subject, that he started talking to the doctor, as if he was her boss. "Take this chicken meat, send it urgently to analysis." He gave her the chicken meat package he was holding. "This thing came from the 'Old Barn'. I'm sure it's related to this disease!"

"It's worse than I thought!" Hawkins shook his head in criticism. "Kate…." He turned to Downing and took the meat package from her hand. "It's obvious that this man is retarded. He needs urgent treatment!"

Vincent was extremely upset, but he had a good self control and was avoiding a direct conflict with the male doctor, so he was absorbing the insults, he had to convince at least one of the doctors to carry on with the analysis of that chicken meat. Meanwhile, Tom Murray, the big nurse arrived to the scene. In fact, Hawkins had asked the front desk to call him.

"Now listen to me, Dave." Hawkins started speaking as someone talking to a little child. He was treating Vincent as a mental ill person. "We can help you. If you agree, we'll take you to a very nice doctor and he will get rid of your space monsters forever. What do you say? Can we help you?"

"I don't need a doctor!" Vincent exploded. "You have a strange disease here. I'm giving you something to investigate. If you don't want to do anything, at least contact the National Agency of Health and tell them what's happening here. Tell then that the victims ate at that 'Old Barn' Restaurant. Give them this sample of chicken meat." He angrily pointed at the meat package that Hawkins was holding at that moment.

"Ok, Dave. That's enough!" Hawkins said still with a serene voice. "I know that you're a tormented man, but you are disturbing the peace of this hospital. I'll not call the police, neither the hospital security personnel, in order to give you a chance to think about all of this later and return for help, if you wish." Then he pointed to Murray. "Mr. Murray will peacefully escort you to the exit of this hospital. Ok?" The big man then approached Vincent.

"I know the exit!" Vincent answered with a loud voice. "I don't need an escort. I know the exit." Then he turned once again to Doctor Downing. "Please, listen to me, investigate that place and analyze that meat. Call the Health Agency, before it's too late. I'll stay in the hotel, in case you want to talk to me." He then went away alone, leaving the medical group there standing.

"I was very upset with this man when I discovered that he was lying." Doctor Downing lamented, while watching Vincent to leave the hospital. "Now I feel sorry about him. He seems to be very bad indeed. He looks very paranoid." Then she thoughtfully put her right index finger on her delicate chin. "But in one thing, I do agree with him. I think it's time to call the National Agency of Health. We have now four people with the same problem, all in bad condition, plus the others who died last week. All patients are stable now, but they're not getting any better. We'll giving them the strongest medicine, but all we could do until now is to slow down the advance of the pneumonia"

"Don't worry, Kate." Hawkins tried to calm down his mate. "I already contacted them. I prepared a full report to give them. They told me they will have a team here tomorrow morning. Until then, let's go on doing our best."

Downing deeply breathed in relief. She knew that they would need some help because the problem was starting to become really big. Murray stared at Hawkins, he got disturbed when the male doctor said that he was going to prepare a report about the cases. He had heard Doctor Miller saying that. Was Hawkins trying to use Miller's work to promote himself? That was not a professional thing, he should say that Doctor Miller was thinking about that before him. But Hawkins was a young man and maybe he found a way to become famous in his profession. Murray didn't agree with that, but he had to keep his opinion to himself, since he was still new at the hospital.

"What about that thing of them visiting the same place, just before getting ill? A possible disease focus?" She continued. "What do you think?"

"That's just a delirium of a distorted mind." He smiled. "Forget that Vincent. He needs urgently treatment, but a different one!"

The group dismissed and each one returned to his obligations. Downing and Hawkins would stay until late at night. Murray had worked in the previous night and was going to leave.

David Vincent returned to the hotel. He was very frustrated, but he had to think on a new plan of action. Maybe he could go to the police and explain about a possible infected food at the restaurant. But how to convince them with no help from the doctors? Maybe he could try to call the National Agency of Health, but once again it would be difficult to convince them. Too many things to think about. His head was really aching.

When he entered the hotel, the front desk woman told him that someone, who hadn't identified himself had called and said that would call again at 05:00 PM. Vincent thanked the attendant and went to his room. He had then 40 minutes to wait until the mysterious call.

The telephone rang at the time scheduled. Vincent promptly answered to the call.

"Mr. Vincent?" A voice asked.

"Yes, that's me".

"Well, another person just entered the hospital after your visit of today." The man continued with a somber voice. "I have something that may interest you. Would you like to see that?"

Vincent thoughtfully breathed. Was that a trap of the aliens? Or someone who wanted to help? "Yes. I want to see what you have. How can I meet you?"

"There's a bar downtown, I'll give you the address. I'll meet you there in one hour. You don't know me, but I'll find you. Don't worry!" The voice coldly said and then gave the address to Vincent, who quickly left his room and headed with his car to downtown. According to the man on the phone, the bar was easy to find, but since Vincent didn't know the city, he had to ask some directions before going to find the place.

Vincent took a special precaution before going to the meeting. He knew the Invaders and how dangerous they were, for a very long time, so he hid a gun inside his jacket's pocket. It was a small revolver, six-bullet type, but that was enough to protect him against any possible alien threat. Going to a place, where the Invaders might be, without a gun for self protection, was something like a suicide.

It was really easy to find the small bar. It was almost night and the temperature was really cold with some fine rain. Vincent entered the place and sat in a table, ordering something to drink. A few minutes later a man sat in the chair in front of him. Vincent got surprised when he recognized the man: Tom Murray.

"You work at the hospital!" Vincent exclaimed. "You were supposed to escort me out! Have you changed your mind?" He ironically asked.

"Take it easy, Mr. Vincent." Murray tried to calm the other man down. "Look, they said you're a mad man. I don't know." He deeply stared at Vincent eyes.

"So?" Vincent aggressively asked. He was a short tempered man and he hated to play games like that. "What do you think I am, then?"

"Please, tell me the truth." Murray continued. "Are you a federal or something like that?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just someone who is trying to uncover a possible plan of chemical warfare against our nation." Vincent exposed part of his opinion, he knew that if he told to that man, he didn't even know, that aliens were planning that, then certainly the man would agree that he was indeed crazy. "With the right evidence, I call the police, the federals, the army, everyone. I tell you, with the right evidence, I'll go direct to Washington!"

"Well….." Murray scratched his big head. "I know I did something that was not nice." He stopped for a while. "But he did something bad too, so I think I'm doing the right thing."

"Could you please be more specific, Mr….." Vincent was losing his patience.

"Murray." He promptly answered. "But you can call me Tom." Then he gave a paper binder to Vincent. "Take a look at this."

Vincent opened the binder and started to read the files inside of it. "What is this?" He asked with curiosity.

"I was working with Doctor Miller in the night he died." Murray stated. "He told he was working on a detailed report to give to the National Agency of Health."

"And why is this here with you?" Vincent frowned.

"That's the point!" Murray continued. "Nobody called the Agency yet. Today Doctor Hawkins told he did that. But why have he waited so long to do that? Doctor Miller wanted to do that in the day he died. Many days passed and nobody alerted them. That's weird!"

"You're right." Vincent agreed.

"There's more." Murray had more to tell. Do you remember I told you, I did something wrong?" He observed Vincent positively shaking his head, and then he continued. "I snooped Doctor Hawkins's office, I felt he was suppressing information, don't know if he did that because he wanted to reveal everything later in the hunt for self glory or if he did that because he was too arrogant and didn't believe in Doctor Miller's opinion, but the fact is, that I found this document inside his desk, well hidden!"

"Something looks very bad." Vincent was getting worried.

"And there's a last thing that made me to take the decision to look for the truth." Murray concluded. "Do you remember that place you mentioned, the 'Old Barn'? You can see it in the detailed reports of Doctor Miller. The families of the three patients, the ones he was taking care of, confirmed that they visited that place." Then Murray deeply frowned. "And Today Doctor Hawkins said to Doctor Downing that there was no connection between the ill people and that place. But he read this document, it was inside his desk! Why is he lying?"

"Ok." Vincent closed the binder. "We have some good evidence now, but we still need more and I'm afraid for the safety of those ill people and also for Downing."

"What?" Murray didn't understand quite well the ratiocination of Vincent.

"I want to talk to her again and with your help, I can do that." Vincent seriously stared at the other man as someone who's asking a big favor. "Can I count on you?"

"Well, ahh….ok, I'll go with you." The nurse agreed. "And what about Doctor Hawkins?"

"We have to be careful about him." Vincent said and got up. "Before we go, I want to call her and give her some advices. I don't want to arrive there and be stopped by the security people or even by the police."

Before going to a public telephone cabin inside the bar, Vincent returned to the table and made an unusual request to Murray. "Would you mind if I check your pulse?"

"What?" Murray grimaced and extended his right arm.

Vincent checked the man's pulse and noticed it was normally beating. Then he smiled to Murray and went to the telephone speaking as if he did something absolutely normal. "I'll explain that later, don't worry!" Murray didn't understand a thing and stayed in the table, waiting for Vincent to finish his call. In his mind he was thinking that Vincent was really crazy and paranoid, but he also knew that something dirty was happening at the hospital and he wanted to see the truth. He was a simple man, honest, and a bit religious. In his rigid education, he could not accept someone lying in order to self promote. He couldn't accept to see people to use other people as foot steps to climb in their careers. He believed that Hawkins was doing that and believed that he should be stopped. In the other side he met David Vincent, who while acting sometimes like a madman, also looked a very honest man, who cared about people and seemed to be speaking the truth. After all, why would someone to travel from California to Pennsylvania, crossing the whole country, just to play a joke? Well, Murray decided to take some chances.

The telephone ringed and Kate Downing answered from his desk, in her office. She recognized Vincent's voice, just before he identified himself and she didn't want to answer, but Vincent was very persuasive.

"Listen to me, please!" He insisted. "I have to talk to you personally, I have a document that you have to read, something from Doctor Karl Miller!"

"What are you talking about, Mr. Vincent?" She finally answered with an angry voice. "Don't you know we're in an emergency condition? And you come to play your aliens' game with me! If you don't stop, I'll call the police!"

"You can call them!" Vincent surprised them by saying that. She considered a little more his words then. If he was willing to face the police and even to be arrested, there was only two options. Or he was really mad and should urgently be admitted in an insane asylum; or he was telling the truth and she should verify that option. She decided to see him, but she would alert the security and if necessary call the police. "I want to see you immediately, Doctor Downing. I'll go there, right now." Vincent continued. "But, please don't alert nobody in the hospital until we arrive."

"We?" She astonished.

"Tom Murray is here with me. He'll accompany me. He believes!" Vincent looked very concerned, he even gesticulated his hands while talking on the phone, as if the person on the other side of the line could see him. "If you want to call somebody, call the 'National Agency of Health', check if they were really alerted about your problem!"

"Calm down, Mr. Vincent." She tried to tranquilize the nervous man. "I'll wait for you, I'll listen to you."

Downing remained seated in her chair, in deep silence, after she hung up the phone. She was thinking on that strange man. Vincent's appearance was not the one of a crazy person, his face was nice and he spoke as a kind man, but those things about aliens, conspiracies, were really odd. She had to talk to someone else about that, so she decided to call her good friend, Jim Hawkins. He was working at the hospital for one year and she could get to know him. Although she never dated with him, despite all his frequent invitations, she trusted him as good work colleague, even a good friend.

"Sure, Kate." Hawkins kindly said on the phone. "I'll be in your office in a few minutes; then we can talk about that Vincent, before he arrives." His voice was very serene. "I'll let the security alerted, just in case. You know, I want to help that man, but we also have to be careful, we never know what a disturbed mind can do."

"I don't think we'll have problems, Jim." She continued. "Tom Murray is with him. He's a strong man and he can easily immobilize Mr. Vincent, if he becomes aggressive or something. But, ok, let the security in stand-by."

"What?" Hawkins's voice slightly changed. Obviously he got surprised with that information. "Ok, Kate. Soon I'll be there and we can talk more." He hung up the phone and remained in silence, looking at nowhere, lost in thoughts.

Downing then decided to call to the National Agency of Health, just to check if they were ready to visit them in the next day, as Hawkins had stated. Naturally she believed in Hawkins, but she wanted to check if the guys at the agency were really hurrying up. Vincent's disturbing words were still hammering at her mind.

Doctor Jim Hawkins was walking fast in the corridors of the hospital, he wanted to arrive soon to the office of her mate. Despite the crisis, the routine inside the hospital was not changed. The people infected with the severe pneumonia were isolated under intensive care. In the internal corridors, only authorized people were transiting.

Hawkins opened the door and entered Downing's office with a big smile on his face.

"Any problem, Kate?" He nicely asked, when he saw her mate seated quiet, almost shocked, holding the phone on her right hand. "It seems that you've seen a ghost!" He tried to joke. "Tell me, what's going on?" He took another chair and seated in front of the desk of the silent woman. "Come on, Kate. You can trust on me! Tell me, what's happening? Is that Vincent bothering you again? Did he call again?" He stared with affection to his colleague, as a man who wants to do anything to a dear person. One looking at the scene, could even say that Hawkins was in love for the beautiful female doctor.

"Why, Jim?" She asked and put the phone back to its base. "Why have you lied?" She was deeply disappointed, her voice was very sad, her eyes displaying a big disillusion.

"Lying?" He put his right hand over the woman's right little hand. "You know me, Kate. I'd never lie to you. What are you talking about? Please let me know. What have I wrongly done? Please let me know and I'll immediately repair my mistake." Hawkins stared straight at the woman's dark eyes, with a tender voice and an almost childish smile on his face.

"You said you have alerted the National Agency of Health." She didn't remove her hand from underneath Hawkins' hand, in fact she was just disappointed, but she still trusted on him. "I like you, I trust you. I just want to understand, why you lied. I called them to double check if they were already on their way and they said they never got any call from here. They never heard of the problems we're facing;" She was upset and decided to speak openly. "Three people died, maybe four, five right now under intense care, all with the same symptoms, all not getting any better with the heaviest medicines we're giving them. And you have not alerted them, as you said you did! Why?"

"I have some reasons, Kate." He spoke so tenderly that he was about to convince Downing, that he had a fair reason to lie. "I'll sure explain you and by the way, what have you told them?"

"I asked them to come." She continued, but now with some relief in her voice. "They said they will be here tomorrow early in the morning. We do need that help, Jim. Now tell me, why haven't you called them? What were you planning? Did you think you could handle by yourself the situation? Please, let me know, let me help you. I want to understand." She cared about his friend and even if he was trying to promote himself and by doing that he had committed a mistake, she was willing to forgive her good friend.

Hawkins removed his hand from over Downing's hand and his face drastically changed; that tender smile simply disappeared and his eyes became cold, emontionless. The now steel faced man removed a gun from the pocket of his white smock and pointed it to his mate.

"What are you doing?" She asked in horror, eyes wide open and cold sweating. She couldn't believe her eyes, how that sweet man could be pointing a gun at her? Why was he staring her with those evil eyes?

"If you kept just doing your job, nothing would happen, to you, your life would go on normally." Hawkins coldly and calmly spoke, still pointing his gun at the female doctor. "You should not have listened to David Vincent! Now you have a big price to pay."

"Why, Jim, why?" She became emotional and was almost crying. A tear dropped from her eye.

Hawkins was not affected by the reaction of his friend, he displayed no little emotion to the shocked woman. Even holding a loaded gun inside a hospital and pointing it to a work mate, he demonstrated no fear and was not nervous about the situation. From a kind and loveable gentleman, Hawkins turned into a cold professional assassin, ready to fire his gun at his friend with no regret.

"I'll tell you one true thing, Kate." He drafted now something that looked like a slight smile on his face. "David Vincent is extremely dangerous! He's a threat to our people!"

"Our people?" She became more confused.

"Yes, our people." He continued, but once again with that impassive look. "He's dangerous, but in no way he is mad. All the time he was telling the truth!"

"What do you mean?" She started to be really scared. Was Hawkins a psychopath? A killer or something like that? What were those strange things he was talking about? Was he the madman and not Vincent? That whole situation was becoming a nightmare to her.

"What do you think, Kate?" He ironically asked. Although his face was all the time cold and expressionless, sometimes he drew some little sardonic smiles. "You, humans, are a curious species."

"We, humans?" Downing stared at Hawkins with fear in her eyes. She was understanding nothing, but one thing she knew for sure. Her life was in big danger.

Not changing the aim of his gun for a moment, Hawkins continued his strange speech. "You are incapable of even trying to listen or to understand your fellow humans. See Vincent's case! You treat him like a retarded, just because he says things that are not considered 'usual' by the standards of your society. A human who believes in UFO's or aliens is insane, right? You should have listened to him. But now, it is too late. Let's wait him to join us. He'll probably soon be here, then we'll be able to finish this and you'll finally understand everything. Now, just relax and wait." He calmly concluded. "If you cooperate and don't cause any additional trouble, I'll not kill you!"

Downing knew that man, who used to be a wonderful person for a year. She could not believe all those nonsense words about 'our people' about 'humans'. She really thought that Hawkins had some mind disturb, that should be urgently treated. She didn't want to believe that he could be a real assassin, or a monster, like Vincent would profess. Depply inside, she still wanted to help her friend.

The gun pointed at Kate Downing's face was really intimidating, so the poor woman remained in silent terror, fearing for her own life and for the lives of the two men who were about to arrive.

ACT IV

Vincent parked his red Ford LTD and the two men entered the hospital. Since he was accompanied by Tom Murray, he got access to the only-employee areas and they walked in a hurry to the office of Kate Downing. When they arrived there, they found its door closed.

Murray opened it and was the first to enter followed by Vincent, but when they were inside it, they met Hawkins pointing a gun at them. "Could you please shot the door, gentlemen?" Hawkins coldly ordered. "Now, please go there!" Using his gun, he pointed to a corner of the office, far from the door and opposite to the table of Downing. Hawkins had put his chair beside the female's doctor chair, who was petrified of fear due to that situation with a gun and the possibility of blood spill.

"Why are you doing this, Doctor Hawkins?" Murray was shocked. "You have a career, talent….good friends. What do you want? Money?" Murray didn't know what to think.

"He's here to destroy us!" Vincent roughly spoke before Hawkins could pronounce himself. "He's an alien being!"

Kate Downing angrily stared at Vincent and exploded with him. "Look Vincent, we're having a deadly situation here, which I can't really understand! Please… please, spare us from your delirium! This man has a gun, a real gun, not a toy! He can kill us all and I don't know why. So stop! We have to seriously listen and negotiate with Doctor Hawkins!" Then she tried to control her temper and looked at Hawkins. "What do you need, Jim? Do you need any help? If you're suffering from any disturb due to excessive stress, we can help. Please lay down your gun."

Once again Hawkins drafted a cynical slight smile on his face. "See, Vincent! See how your species is strange! They prefer to believe in me, than believing in you. Do you know why?" He asked, but Vincent remained in silence, just deeply frowning. "Because your species is unable to understand the incomprehensible. You can not believe the unbelievable! That's going to be your ruin!"

Downing and Murray looked at each other. They weren't understand a thing that those two odd men were talking about. Vincent was a stranger in the city, who talked like an insane person. Hawkins was a well respected and competent doctor, who was there holding a gun, ready to kill and both were talking non-sense things.

"Now, answering to you question, Kate." Hawkins started to talk to Downing. "I'll take you all to the place of the answers."

Then Hawkins took out of his left pocket a metallic disc, with the five lights arranged in the borders of the disc, forming a pentagon or a five points star. He showed the strange device to Vincent, whose five lights were off. He then raised his arm and placed the device on Kate Downing's neck.

"No!" Vincent shouted and tried to jump at Hawkins, but the alien pointed his gun at him with intimidation.

For Vincent's surprise, nothing happened to Downing. She was still alive. She just had slightely contorted her slim neck, when the metallic disc touched her delicate skin.

"It's off, Mr. Vincent." Hawkins calmly spoke. "Now, if you and Tom cooperate, she'll be fine. But I alert you, with a single press in a button, I can turn it on and you know what will happen. Right?"

"What's he talking about now." Murray was very nervous. "What's that thing?"

"It's a weapon." Vincent was somber in his answer. "The same weapon he used to kill Doctor Miller. That disc makes the victim to die of cerebral hemorrhage. We better obey him 'for now'!"

"That's reasonable, Mr. Vincent." Hawkins politely thanked and then put his gun in his right pocket, but kept the lethal metallic disc on Downing's neck. "I can not walk in the corridors of this hospital, carrying a gun. You know." He was being ironical. "Well, Mr. Vincent, you have a car, so you'll take us all for a ride. Could you and Tom please go ahead? I and Kate will follow you. And please, no stupid tricks, I warn you!"

The group of four calmly left the doctor's office. Tom and Vincent were going in the front of the group, followed by Downing and Hawkins, who kept his hand with the disc on her neck all the time. The way he placed his hand with the disc, looked like if he was lovely placing his hand on her mate's neck. Some people in the hospital knew that Hawkins wanted to date with Downing, so the few who saw the scene, thought that finally he was able to do that. Nobody could even think, that he was threatening her life. Since they were walking slowly and peacefully, they didn't call the attention of anyone and easily got out of the building.

It was a dark and cold night. The heavy clouds let no starlight to pass through. The moon was not visible either.

When they arrived to the car, Hawkins got his gun again and removed the disc from Downing's neck, putting it back in his left pocket. "Vincent!" He called. "You and Tom go in the front seat, you'll drive." Then he opened the back door of the car. "Kate and me, we'll go in the back." He pointed the gun to Kate Downing showing her the back seat of the car, he entered after her.

Hawkins was threatening Downing all the time with his loaded gun, while giving the directions, where Vincent should go. Then he took from his pocket, the egg shaped alien communicator and started to speak to someone, using it. "I captured Vincent, but there are two more with him. I'll take them all to the base." While he spoke, some lights flashed on the upper surface of the strange device, giving a sinister flicker on his face.

The car entered the Pennsylvania Turnpike and drove there for a few miles, until reaching a section, which was long been abandoned. Hawkins then showed an adjoining farm and asked Vincent to go there.

When they stopped by the old entrance gate, Murray left the car and opened it, then he returned to the car and the group entered the property.

The farm had a huge area, so the car rode for some yards, when they saw an old hen house, with a dirty and bad conserved house beside it. An old window displayed lights inside the house, which were in evidence in that dark place.

Vincent's car lights illuminated then a small refrigerated truck parked in front of the house, which he immediately recognized, he had seen that truck at the restaurant.

Hawkins asked Vincent to stop the car near the hen house. The group got out of the car and walked under a starless night sky. The hen house was abandoned for years, dark, dirty, with broken windows, smelling dust and rotten wood, but at the end of the long building they saw a clean and different type of cage, which was in contrast with that environment. It was not so big, a square base with approximately 6 feet on each side, its base, shelter and bars were made of a light brushed metal. On its ceiling a strange pink and weak light was illuminating the interior of the cage. Although the cage was very clean, the vision inside it was very disgusting, three chicken which looked sick. The poor birds were seated on the cage's floor, staring at nothing, disheveled, and breathing with some difficulty.

The group arrived at the house's door and still holding his gun with a hand, Hawkins opened the door with the other hand and ordered the three humans to enter the house. They walked through a dark and dusty corridor and then reached a large and well illuminated hall. There they met Chandler, the waiter and another man, who was dressed in blue overalls, the typical uniform of the Invaders on Earth. The three aliens stopped doing his tasks when the prisoners arrived with Hawkins and they just stood in silence, looking at the humans that had just arrived. No word was spoken, the aliens were impassive.

The hall was an old construction, but was cleverly adapted for the use of the aliens. It was clean and some strange devices were disposed on it. Two big electrical panels were in one wall, some indicator lights were on, but it was impossible to say what were the use of those panels. In the middle of the hall, a large table made of brushed metal had some strange equipments over it, but one thing in particular called all the attention. A huge glass cylinder on the middle of it. The cylinder was five feet high, twenty inches wide, its base and its top part were also made of brushed metal. Inside it there was a repulsive greasy liquid, which was revolving inside the cylinder, due to some type of recirculation system. The color of the liquid was dark blood red with some areas in black.

The man in blue took a gun out and pointed it to the humans as well, then Hawkins put his gun back in his pocket and went to the table, where he started managing some strange devices, then he opened a metal box.

The waiter, Vincent had fought against in the restaurant, had no wound in his forehead anymore. Securely he visited one of the Invaders Regeneration Centers and had his wound cured instantly in one of their Regeneration Tubes. He and Chandler left the hall to carry on with his activities.

The aliens hadn't said any single word, they just changed glances as if everyone knew exactly what had to be done in a perfect synchronized work. The silence was broken, when Murray impatiently asked. "What are you going to do with us, Hawkins?"

"He'll kill us!" Vincent aggressively answered, before Hawkins could say any word.

"Not necessarily that, Mr. Vincent." Hawkins finally spoke again with a very calm voice and still handling some apparatus on the table. Then he turned to face the three humans, holding in one hand a glass flask with the dark red greasy liquid and a syringe with a wide needle on the other hand. He put some of the liquid in the syringe and then put the flask back in a metal box, which was over the table.

"Well, you have the right to know, what is going to happen to you." Hawkins continued. "Mr. Vincent, could you please remove your coat and sit on that chair over there?" He pointed at a chair on a corner of the hall, far from the door. And please, raise the sleeve of your jacket." Hawkins spoke with a cynical politeness. The alien in blue pointed his gun at Vincent for him to obey the orders.

Vincent removed his black coat. In silence he was probably praying to God, for the aliens not to check if he was carrying a gun. The aliens belong to an extremely advanced and intelligent species, but sometimes they had an arrogant prepotency; they thought that humans were so stupid and primitive, that they would never take all precautions against them. So, Hawkins and his fellow alien didn't search for any hidden gun on Vincent.

Hawkins got near Vincent, then took his left arm, looked for a vein on Vincent's arm, like a regular doctor would do and mercilessly injected some milliliters of the dark red substance into Vincent's blood circulation. Vincent contorted his face in pain during the quick application, but he wasn't unable to resist, with a gun pointed to his head.

When the pain ceased, he asked. "What you did to me?" He was holding the place were he had the injection.

"Well Mr. Vincent, you were very honored now!" Hawkins started. "Let me tell you a bit of our experiences here in Langhorne." The alien was extremely peaceful, sure that he had won a whole war. "We started some experiments here combining a common virus from our home planet, with the virus of your influenza. Something like combining your influenza with our influenza, in easier words. Our genetic engineering is years ahead of yours! We started the first experiments in chickens."

Downing and Murray were openmouthed listening with horror to that somber explanation. Vincent kept quiet, he just frowned, but he was still waiting for a chance to take his only chance.

"The first variant of the virus." Hawkins continued, standing in front of Vincent and speaking like a teacher to his class. "Was called the V-1 and it was tested on those first patients, who arrived with severe pneumonia. But that variant was not intelligent. It killed the victim too fast and consequently it died with the victim, not being able to contaminate other people. It could kill in less than 24 hours."

"And why Doctor Miller died of cerebral hemorrhage?" Downing finally asked. "Does that have something to do with your virus?"

"No." Hawkins coldly answered. "Miller unfortunately got in the way, he was going to alert important authorities and that would disturb our plans at that moment, so I had to kill him. I think Vincent already explained that to you." He sarcastically spoke. "Can I go on with the important information?" Then he went on with his explanation. "We then created the second variant, the V-2. Your current patients have it. The V-2 is an intelligent virus, it keeps the victim alive longer, but it's not able to contaminate other people. With your heaviest medicines, the victim can live at maximum one week."

"And why do you need the restaurant?" Vincent had a guess about that, but he wanted to be sure. Since Hawkins was willing to explain all, he wanted to know all.

"We were using the meat of contaminated chicken to spread the disease." Hawkins coldly answered. "The original idea was to use your birds to spread the disease around your planet. People would eat meat of contaminated birds and would get ill."

"Original idea?" Vincent frowned again.

"Yes, we changed our minds." Hawkins continued. "That was faded to fail. Eventually you would discover the connection of the disease and the birds meat and would stop eating that meat, stopping the process. So, we developed the V-3!" He spoke with satisfaction. "The V-3 is fully based on the V-2, same characteristics, but it's an improved virus. It is highly contagious between humans."

Vincent lowered his head and covered his forehead and eyes with his right hand. He learned that he was in a critical situation. The alien doctor sadistically sentenced him. "You Mr. Vincent is the first to receive the V-3. From now on, you're a biological bomb. In a few hours you'll be feeling as if you had a cold. Tomorrow by morning you better urgently go to a hospital, otherwise you'll live less than a day."

Vincent stared with anger at the cold alien, not saying a word. He was so worried and angry that he wasn't able to peak at that moment. He had to think on a way to solve that crisis. Hawkins continued. "If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time trying to convince the police about our experiments. They'll not believe in you without evidences and tomorrow we'll not be here anymore.

"Why not?" Vincent wanted to know all Invaders plans.

"Our task here in Langhorne is finished." The Invader continued. "A focus of the V-3 is starting with you and the shipment of contaminated flesh we're sending to our restaurant. If somebody believes in you, when that happens, more people will have already consumed the contaminated flesh and the virus will quickly spread. First here in Langhorne, then Philadelphia due to the proximity, the first big city. New York and Washington DC will follow." Then Hawkins finished his explanation. "Naturally we'll move these facilities to other places to start new disease focuses. We already have a strict schedule to follow!" He then pointed at the glass cylinder and spoke. "Here we have enough material to contaminate the population of this whole planet. This is the end of the line for you, humans!"

"Oh God, how can you do that Jim? Many people will die!" Downing was horrified.

"According to our calculations." Hawkins spoke with an almost human proud. "In one year, 70 % of the population of the Earth will die. In the following year, 25 % more. We believe that 5 % will develop own antibodies and will survive."

"You're monsters!" The woman said with disgust.

"No, we're not." He calmly answered. "See this?" He opened another metal box and took a flask with a clear blue liquid inside of it. "We also developed a cure and a vaccine for this virus. Some of our people don't want to terminate your species, so we'll use the vaccine for that purpose. But of course, this will be a decision of our leaders." Then he got a second syringe and put some milliliters of that liquid in it. "Anyway, we're already authorized to use this in our human collaborators."

Hawkins got closer to Downing with the new syringe. "I was planted in the hospital to monitor the first human subjects, which were infected with the disease, to observe their reactions and the efficiency of the virus." He spoke as someone talking about the success of a company in a business meeting. "I'll continue working there to follow the results and the spreading of the disease." He then put his left arm on Downing's shoulder. "You can work for us, Kate." He showed the syringe with the crystal clear blue liquid. "I can immunize you, your family and friends. You don't need to cry for the death of your beloved ones. You would be the survivors in a dying word!"

"To survive to be their slaves!" Vincent angrily interrupted. At that moment, water started to fall from his nose, the virus was already attacking his organism.

"It's up to you, Kate." Hawkins didn't care about Vincent's protest.

"Yes." Downing answered with a sad voice. "Maybe I'll not cry for that. But the price would have been my soul." She lowered her head with tear in her eyes.

"As you wish." Hawkins was merciless. He changed the syringe, took Downing's arm and injected the virus on her too. "You and Mr. Vincent will be our guests until we set up everything here before moving away. Then you can rush for the hospital. Maybe you're among those 5% who will develop own antibodies." Another drafted smile appeared on his face. "Anyway, I'll be monitoring you, we're interested in that 5 % of the human population for our own studies."

Hawkins then went in the direction of Murray, who had nervously got up from his chair and was standing near the metal table, leaving Vincent and Downing crestfallen seated.

"What about you, Tom?" Hawkins depicted both syringes to Murray. "What do you choose? Life or Death?"

"Well, Doctor Hawkins." Murray lowered his head in reverence. "I'm not so brave. I don't want to see my family and friends dying." He kept looking at Hawkins feet.

Vincent and Downing stared with disappointment at Murray's low attitude.

"You're an intelligent man." Hawkins got near him and put the syringe with the virus on the table. "Raise your arm. I'll give you life."

Murray extended his left arm to Hawkins, but when he got close to the alien doctor he firmly grabbed Hawkins' right arm, then he took the syringe with the virus from the table and stabbed it in the alien's neck, injecting the whole remaining content of it in Hawkins' body. With the syringe still pierced in the neck of Hawkins, Murray started a body fight against the alien, holding him in a bear embrace, using the alien as a shield against the other alien who was present in the room with a gun.

The armed alien forgot to watch Vincent and Downing for a while, he was trying to aim Murray, but he should be careful not to shot his fellow alien. That was the chance Vincent was waiting for. Taking advantage of the confusion, he took out his gun and fired at the armed alien. Two hits in the alien, who dropped his gun, then started glowing red and collapsed lifeless on the floor, disappearing in a few seconds. Downing looked at the disintegration of the alien's body with horror and Murray kept fighting Hawkins.

Still holding tight the aliens right arm, Murray started to punch Hawkins's face with all his strength. In his free time, Murray used to fight box as a hobby, so he was a strong man, very agile. Hawkins was a common man, no big muscles and was not trained in any kind of martial art, so he was no opponent for the big Murray and was being beaten badly. Already losing his forces, the alien was almost defeated, he dropped the syringe with the vaccine on the floor. When it broke, the blue liquid got in contact with the open atmosphere and started immediately to glow red, disappearing in a few seconds, leaving no trace of it.

Outside, Chandler and the alien waiter heard the sound of the gun shots inside the house. The two aliens changed glances, with no word spoken, and then the young waiter opened the cabin of the small truck and took a weapon from there. It was not a simple revolver, it was a kind of pistol, very large, molded in brushed metal and it had no barrel. The alien rushed into the building but when he entered the dark corridor, which led to the hall where the experiences were being conducted, he was surprised by Vincent, who was already waiting for one or the aliens to come. Vincent well-aimed fired, although the corridor was not so illuminated; he took advantage of the surprise factor. In their arrogance the aliens would never imagine that the inferior humans would be able to free themselves and fight back. Vincent was hidden on the entrance door of the hall, only part of his head was being used to monitor the corridor and when he saw the alien coming he was quick and three shots were fired, just in case, not to miss the target. Deadly wounded the alien fell on the floor and started to glow red, quickly disappearing. His strange pistol disappeared with him.

Now holding Hawkins by his collar, Murray stopped beating the alien for a while and he saw a huge open wound on the left eyebrow of Hawkins, just like in a regular box fight, when one of the fighters are being beaten, but with one big difference. "Hey…. This guy has no blood!" Murray cried out then gave a final and straight right punch on Hawkins' chin, knocking the alien out, who then collapsed unconscious on the floor. Murray stood over here, looking with curiosity at the man lying on the floor.

Downing knelt down beside the Hawkins' body and turned him to face the bloodless wounds on the alien's face, and then she turned his arm to check his vital signs.

Vincent took the gun form the floor, of the first alien who had died there, then give it to Murray. "Take this. There's still one left, we have to catch him!" Then he took a few bullets from the pocket of his jacket and reloaded his own gun.

Vincent walked to the body of Hawkins and removed the gun from the alien's pocket, giving it to Downing. "Take this Kate. Watch him while we go after the other alien, if he tries anything, do not hesitate to shoot him. He will have no mercy on you, if he has a chance!"

"David….." She took the gun, but her delicate white hands were trembling. "This man is dead. I don't need this gun."

"No, he's not." Vincent answered without patience. "When they die on Earth they vaporize in seconds. You saw what happened to the other alien. This one is just fainted. Then Vincent looked at Murray. "Remember when I checked your pulse? That was the reason. These alien beings have no pulse, no heart beating, no blood!"

"David!" Downing said with a very nervous voice. "I'm a doctor. I can not shoot anyone!"

"Look Kate….." Vincent calmed down and tenderly spoke to her. "You heard everything this being said. The future of mankind is at our hands now. What do you think?" He fraternally put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to shoot him. Just watch him and don't let him try anything. Ok? Can you do that?"

Still trembling she agreed and stood beside the body on the floor, point a gun at the unconscious alien, with trembling hands.

Vincent looked at the corridor and went through it, gun on hand, taking as much precaution as he could. He knew that Chandler, the last alien left, didn't returned to the hall, so he probably guessed what had happened and should certainly be waiting for them. Vincent had been in the Korean War many years before, so he could manage a tense combat situation like that with the necessary self control and strategy. Murray was closely following him.

When they arrived to the entrance door, Vincent carefully opened it and watched around. The night was dark and very cold. The place was desert, only the small truck was there and the old hen house behind it. "Go to the back of the truck." Vincent whispered to Murray. "I'll go to the opposite end of the hen house."

Both man ran to their positions and took cover. Murray was hidden behind the truck, checking the area in sight. Vincent reached one of the ends of the old building and started to follow its perimeter. He quickly crouched the whole extension of the old hen house and finally saw the truck, but no signs of Chandler. He had to be somewhere, the aliens would never run and abandon facilities like that.

In a moment of carelessness, when Murray saw Vincent, he walked in the direction of the hen house to meet the other man. In a tree not so far from there, Chandler was using the darkness of the starless night to protect him. He went out of his cover and took position to aim at Murray.

Chandler was holding the same kind of weapon that the alien waiter was carrying. At that strange weapon, there was an aiming system, which looked like the screen of a digital portable camera. He had Murray in sight.

"Look out!" Vincent shouted.

Since Murray was an agile fighter, he quickly jumped on the ground. At that exact moment, Chandler fired his weapon. A dark energy blue bolt came out of its pistol and hit the small truck. When the bolt hit the truck, the area where it impacted slightly glowed red and then that blooming red stain strewed and in a few seconds the whole truck started to glow red. The brightness of that red blooming illuminated the place and rapidly the truck started to disintegrate, firstly its external structure, leaving just the chassis and the engine still glowing red, but then those remaining parts also completely vaporized leaving just some vestiges of smoking ashes on the soil.

Chandler wasted a precious shot. He tried to aim at Vincent, but the architect was quicker and shot the alien, who immediately started to glow red and fell on the floor, disintegrating shortly after the gun shot.

Still openmouthed, Murray walked to Vincent. "Thanks David."

"That's ok." Vincent smiled. "Let's go back there."

When Vincent and Murray returned to the hall, Hawkins was still unconscious. Murray had severely wounded the alien.

"I'm feeling already bad." Vincent said. His appearance was not good, his skin was pale, undereye circles and water draining from his nose. The virus was working fast. He looked then to Downing, who was in the same condition. "My body is starting to ache. I think I have fever."

"I think we just have one chance now." Downing gave Hawkins' gun to Vinvcent and walked to the Metal table, where she opened the box, where Hawkins got the vaccine from, and took a flask with the crystal clear blue liquid. Then she took another syringe from a different box and filled it with the strange liquid. "I observed how much of the vaccine, Hawkins put in the syringe, he was going to use on us and I put the same quantity here. I hope I'm right, but there's no guarantee. We're in God's hands now." She showed the syringe with the blue liquid. "Come here, David. Show me your arm. You too, Tom."

She injected the vaccine on Vincent's arm, then on Murray's arm.

"Do you think I need that, doctor?" Murray asked. "I'm still feeling ok."

"You were in contact with us." She said while injecting the vaccine on the nurse's arm. "Hawkins said this virus is highly contagious, so we have to be careful."

The effect of the vaccine was almost instantaneous, and both humans started to look much better, the color of their skins started to become vivid again.

Feeling much better, Vincent looked around the hall with all alien equipment and also the mortal cylinder which contained the virus. He finally had evidence to show to the government that alien beings were on Earth and that they were not good intentioned. It seemed that his lonely war would finally end. That moment of relative euphoria caused the human group to make a naive mistake, they forgot the unconscious Hawkins.

The alien had woken up, but kept on the floor, pretending he was still unconscious, just listening to the humans and planning something.

"Kate, I saw a gas station a few miles from here." Vincent said. "Take my car and go there. Call the police. Try to call also the federals. I'll stay here watching this facilities and our prisoner."

"Ok, I'll go." She answered.

Before Downing left the hall, Hawkins jumped on Vincent and beat in his nape, making the man to fall on his own knees. Hawkins ran to the right end of the he table, but before he could reach it, Murray fired at him. Staggering the alien continued slowly in the same direction, his face and hands started to flash in red light, although his clothes remained normal. Vincent got up and saw the scene.

"Stop him! He shouted.

It was too late, Hawkins pressed a pressed a kind of red button that was at the end of the table. Then the dying alien looked at them for the last time and after his last sigh, his whole body started to glow red and he fall on the floor, quickly disappearing.

"How could a good man become a monster like that." Downing lamented.

"He was no man!" Vincent promptly answered. "He just pretended to be good. They are good at doing that, they always look like decent citizens, good will people. That's the way they use to cheat us." Vincent talked while walking to the end of the table to see what Hawkins had pressed but before he reached that point a strange buzz started to echo in the whole hall. Vincent looked around, and then shouted. "Kate, get the box with the vaccines and let's get out of here. Quick!" He ran to the door, stopping just for a while to see if his mates were following him. A man like Vincent would never flee leaving comrades behind. The woman took the box and ran to the door, followed by Murray. The whole group ran as fast as they can, as the buzz sound became higher and higher. The whole metal table started to glow red and the effect started to scatter on the hall's floor.

When the group reached the garden they looked back and witnessed the whole house to start glowing red. In a few seconds the walls vaporized, then the structure of the house and finally the bright red light ceased leaving just smoking aches in the place where few moments before there was a huge house. The group noticed that inside the hen house a bright red light started at the same time and ceased. The metal cage where the ill chicken were in, disintegrated as well.

Vincent had seen that before. The aliens had lost that battle, but to avoid leaving any clues of their presence on Earth; Hawkins activated the self destruction mechanism of the facility, which destroyed everything removing any tracks of the alien activity there. Vincent was again in his starting point, with no evidences about the invaders, just two human witnesses. Not too much to convince the authorities about the presence of alien beings on Earth.

Vincent was satisfied about the victory, but frustrated not to be able to prove about the aliens once again. But he was used to that in his lonely war. He was just uncomfortable about one thing, Hawkins said that the aliens were going to move from there at that night. That small truck was not enough to carry all that equipment. Were more aliens coming with a bigger truck? He then heard a familiar sound and the answer came from the sky.

An alien flying saucer were approaching. The treble sound of its engine became bass when it got near the ground. The saucer shaped craft had five semi hemispheres disposed in a pentagon in its under surface, all of them emitting a white light. In the middle of the lower part of the saucer, there was a huge circle, which was oscillating a red light, which was illuminating the soil under the saucer. The alien craft remained floating 100 feet above the ground, just emitting that peculiar bass buzz. Suddenly the red light of the lower circle stopped oscillating in brightness, remaining in red. The buzz become very treble and the ship climbed vertically at an incredible speed, disappearing above the heavy clouds.

Vincent looked at his scared mates; both were petrified with the UFO sight. "Let's go, they finished here. We're safe now." Then he smiled to Downing. "And you have a job to do with those vaccines at the hospital."

Vincent drove back to the hospital and left Downing and Murray there. He then left, he still had one last place to check, maybe the aliens had left one clue behind and he had to certify that.

When Vincent arrived to the parking place of the Old Barn he found a Fire truck there and some firemen working. They were finishing extinguishing the flames that had consumed the whole place. Vincent got near the working Firemen.

"What happened here?" He curiously asked. "Any victim?"

"No victims, sir." A fireman politely answered while squirting water on the flames. "Fortunately the fire started when the place was closed. But due to this fact, when we arrived, most of the place was already destroyed."

Vincent thanked the fireman, as a simple curious man would do and returned to his car. Now he was sure. The Invaders had got rid of all remaining evidences. There's nothing more to do there. He returned to the hotel for at least one night of decent sleep.

EPILOG

Vincent returned to the hospital in the next day to say good-bye to his new allies. Downing and Murray came to the entry lobby with smiles on their faces.

"All patients are cured, David!" Downing said with tremendous satisfaction. "The cure was almost instantaneous. They will just remain under observation until tomorrow, then we'll release them."

"I'm happy to hear that." Vincent smiled.

"I don't understand one thing, David." Murray stated. "Why Hawkins preferred to destroy the facility, if that saucer was coming to carry all their stuff?"

"He knew we got the vaccine, so their deadly virus would be useless." Vincent started to explain with the calm of a professional who do understand of his job, a specialist. "He also probably heard us talking about to call the police. He couldn't afford to let the police find that place and all their equipment."

"Yes…. But with those weapons!" Murray continued. "I never saw something like that in my life! Houses, trucks, vanishing in the air! That's crazy! They could easily get rid of the police."

"Sure they could." Vincent went on with his explanation. "But that's not their style. They don't indiscriminately use their weapons here on Earth, they can't afford an open war and they're not in great number over here to face our forces, even if they have far superior weapons. They prefer to try to destroy us silently, discreetly, like with the use of a simple virus." Vincent knew the aliens for some time, so he knew well how their enemies worked. "If the police had arrived and met the saucer; sure they could have destroyed the policemen, but the policemen could have called reinforcement. That would be their ruin; they would have to run away in a hurry, not being able to disassemble the facility and to carry all equipment. To avoid being exposed, they would have to destroy everything anyway, before fleeing."

"There's something else." Downing frowned for a while. "I had to use all the vaccine, so nothing was left. What will happen, if they try again?"

"They will not." Vincent assertively answered. "They failed. They won't try again. And if the disease re-appears for any other reason, the cure will be in our blood." He smiled again. "We used the vaccine on us. Remember?"

The beautiful doctor smiled to Vincent, who then thanked and said good-bye to both. Vincent left the hospital and before getting into his Ford LTD, he took a last glance at that hospital, then he drove away. His task in Langhorne was finished, time to go back home.

"The deadly virus was destroyed. The severe pneumonia eradicated. Two ordinary professionals of the health, a woman and a man, helped a lonely obstinate man to save the world against a mortal plague. Two new allies for David Vincent, who knew that the Invaders had been defeated there, but the victory in the war was far from being conquered yet."