Shock Therapy
Falling Skies Fanfiction
by
Tofu Tacco
...continued from "An Unwanted Insight". Please read that one first.
A group of teenagers is scrounging for scrap metal. Led by a Skitter, guarded heavily by another one
and two Mechs, they pile up everything they can find in one spot.
The area is scattered with trashed cars, some are still on fire. Apparently from a recent attack.
One Teenager has troubles lifting up a metal piece. The Skitter silently orders two more kids over to help.
They all lift up at once and carry the piece over to the scrap pile.
One of the kids looks up briefly. His face covered with dirt, his otherwise curly hair full of dust and small chunks.
His stare is blank, he ridgidly walks after the other two - zombie-like. As he turns around to follow the small group,
one of those alien parasites becomes visible, latched onto his back.
It's grip firmly on his neck, it's body is pulsing with a yellow glow, running down his spine.
"AAAAHHHH DAAAAD!" Matt shoots straight up in his Cot. Cold sweat on his forehead.
He reaches for his neck, but nothing is there.
Only a few seconds after, the lights come on with a flicker and a buzzing sound.
"MATT!" Hal pushes the door open, so that it hits the wall, rushes over to him, holding him by his shoulders.
"Dude, it's all good. You had another nightmare. It's okay, Buddy. You're safe."
Tom and Ben also come in, Tom grabs him and gives him a huge, comforting hug.
"Hey. What's going on with you lately?" he asks.
"Nothing. I just had a bad dream" he says.
"You've had quite a few of those in the last days. Is everything okay?" Tom asks.
"Yes." Matt says, rubbing his eyes. "It's okay. I'll be fine."
Ben and Hal look at each other and start walking towards the door.
"Alright guys. Let's try to get a few more hours of shut-eye. We'll be going out for food again tomorrow.
We need to be fit and well rested." Tom orders. Everybody leaves the room, Hal flips a switch on the wall and darkness
displaces the cold, steril light of the flourescent lamps.
The next morning, Tom consults with Anne. He is concerned that Matt has not recovered well from the run-in
with the aliens and that's where those nightmares are coming from.
"Well, he was trying to prove to you, that he CAN contribute to the 2nd Mass and instead he got himself into
a heap of trouble and the 2nd Mass right with it. I think he's not admitting, having problems with the recent
events, because you would just think of him again as a little kid." Anne reasons.
"You think so?" Tom says, looking over to the table group, where Matt is sitting. His head is down, he's reading a comic.
"I'm really worried. He hasn't had a good night sleep in over a week, since...you know." He still cannot get over, what had happened to his little boy, let alone say it out loud.
"I know. But be careful." Anne demands "Give him some time and space to sort things out. He'll come and talk
to you when he's ready, I'm sure". She puts one hand on his shoulder and kisses him passionately.
"I have to go back and attend to my patients. I'll see you after you get back from the food run?".
With those words, Anne turns and walks off towards the hospital ward.
"Maybe you can bring me something nice" she jokes before pushing the door, that leads to the infirmary, open and disappearing in it. Tom chuckles, grabs the back of his head and walks off, in Matt's direction.
"Hey." - "Hey Dad." Matt is not even looking up from his comic book.
"How are you?" - "I told you I'm fine. Just...having those nightmares" he says with his little voice as low as it'll go.
"You wanna talk about it?" - "Not really. There's nothing to talk about...they're just dreams...nothing more"
Tom reaches for his shoulder and turns Matt around in his direction.
"Listen. I want you to know, that you can come to me with everything, okay? Really" Tom ensures.
"I know." Matt responds, but Tom isn't buying it.
"I mean it. No matter how little you think the matter is. Lay it on me. I'm your Dad. That's what Dads do" he insists.
"Okay... Thanks" Matt replies and turns back to his comic book. It's dirty and it's missing a few pages,
but it's his favorite.
"Well alright. I have to go now. We're leaving for another food and supply run in two hours. You be good!"
And with those words, Tom gets up from his chair and starts walking.
"WAIT!" he hears Matt calling out behind him, he turns around and looks into two eyes
that spell anything other than I'm okay, I'm gonna be fine.
"What's up?" Tom asks.
"Well, I don't want you to think that I cannot handle this. I can" Matt holds out both hands in front of him, as if
he wanted to keep Tom at a distance, defensive.
"Okay? What is it?" Tom wants to know.
"Those dreams I'm having..." - "Yeah...?" - "It's actually only one dream. It's always the same one. And I wake up
at the same spot during the dream every time." Matt explains.
"Ok. Care to tell me about it?" Tom probes.
"Don't you have to go on that food run?" Matt questions, trying to avoid the conversation, but he's already too far into it.
"No worries. That's in two hours and I promised you a while ago, after you blew up that house, that I would
make more time for you, when you needed it. And now I feel, that you need it. So what's this dream all about?"
Matt continues:"Okay. There is this group of kids that are being held captive by the Skitters. They're rounding up
scrap metal, like they always have them do. They're all harnessed and there are two Skitters and two Mechs."
"And one of those kids is you?" Tom continues after Matt pauses with an uneased look on his face.
"...y...yes. I turn around and I see the harness on my back and the Skitter is right next to me. That's when it freaks
me out and I wake up. I never thought I was going to be this scared of the Skitters, Dad." he rambles.
"Well, I remember vividly the day when you posed as live bait for them, only to let Tector take a well aimed shot
at the Skitter's head." Tom says with a little smirk. "Didn't phase you back then, being covered in Skitter Brains..."
"I know. I would never do that again. Now that I know, what they're capable of." Matt adds.
"Your brother was captured by them and held as a slave. You knew that. What made you think, that this couldn't happen to you?" Tom questions Matt.
"I don't know. I thought, now that we know so much more about them...and what they do..." Matt says.
"Ah yes. So it begins. The teenaged I am invincible-Phase. Not really what I need right now." Tom raises his eyebrows
and looks deeply into Matt's eyes.
"Dad, trust me. After what I saw, I never want to come nowhere near another Skitter ever again" Matt ensures him.
"Well okay. Good news is, that you don't have to. But being scared of them might not be a good thing either." Tom says.
And he continues "I really don't want you to be scared. I want you to have respect for them and what they are capable of."
Matt nods.
"Okay. We'll talk about this a little more after the food run, alright?" - "Alright" Matt answers, looking back at his comic book, but not appearing to be actually reading, just trying to avoid eye contact.
Tom walks off while giving Matt a long and worried look. He walks over to the infirmary.
"You were right. He didn't recover from that event at all." he explains to Anne.
"Oh wow. He'll keep himself and everybody else up and we really can't go without sleep." Anne is concerned.
"What do you think we should do?" Tom asks.
"Well, when people have a fear of flying, you take them on an airplane ride. When they have a fear of a certain
animals, you show them that there is nothing to fear about, once you know more about them" Anne says.
"You want me to invite a Skitter for dinner?" Tom laughs.
"No of course not!" giving Tom a slap on the chest. "But maybe we can do something, that lets him confront his
fear in a controlled environment. To somehow show him, that for as long as there is everything under control, there's nothing to fear. To make it clear, that going off half-cocked like he did, is the problem and not the Skitters themselves."
"That sounds so crazy, it might just actually work." Tom says with a good portion of disbelief.
"It's worth a try." Anne adds. "Unconventional problems require unconventional solutions. Especially if you're in a shitty situation."
"And we clearly are in a shitty situation" Tom responds.
"Okay" he says. "I will talk to the others and see what we can come up with. Maybe a patrol with a bunch of the fighters. That should let him regain self-confidence after a while. Might just put an end to those Dreams." Tom suggests.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Why don't you talk to Weaver about that and see if he's willing to help?" Anne recommends.
"Ok. Gotta go now. We're leaving in a few" A quick kiss and both are on their way back to their assignments.
The food and supply run was uneventful.
"Anything to report Tom?" Weaver asks.
"Nope. All quiet. Just as it was before we blew up that new Beamer Base in the woods" Tom reports.
"Yeah it's beginning to freak me out."Weaver continues. "God knows what those bugs are planning for us next."
"Hey Dan, I want to ask you something" - "Shoot" Weaver says.
"It's about Matt. The nightmares that he's having stem from his experience with the Skitters and we're trying to find out, how to help him over this. He keeps us all from getting rested up. It's beginning to become a problem" Tom explains.
"It's a problem alright. Do you have anything particular in mind?" Weaver asks.
"Well, I spoke with Anne about it and I was thinking that we could get a group together that can go on patrol outside of the normal Business Hours. And we could take Matt with us, so he can have the chance to regain his self-confidence."
"Sounds like a crazy plan to remedy what I would call a form of PTSD." Weaver looks at Tom with one eyebrow raised, clearly stating that he thinks Tom has gone insane.
"You want to get your youngest son back into the line of fire?" Weaver adds on.
"No. I want to show him, that an organized excursion is the right way to do it and not just running off into the woods
with your sandbox buddy, armed with only a stick and a prayer. I want to make it clear, that in a well organized group, there is nothing to fear, yet I want to make it also absolutely clear, that he should always have a healthy amount of respect for the aliens." Tom elaborates.
"I see what you're trying. This wouldn't be a regular occurrence, just for as long as it takes to get your kid back on his feet".
"Exactly" Tom confirms. "I think after two or three of those patrols, he'll be fine. The nightmares go away and everybody is happy again" He adds.
"As happy as you can be in a damn alien apocalypse, but I see what you're saying. Let me know who you want on the team
and I'll adjust the schedule. Seems like we have a little more liberty in doing so these days
and who know how long it'll last." Weaver continues.
"Thanks, Dan. I owe you one" Tom calls while running backwards and before turning around.
He winds up in the food court, where Hal and Ben, Maggie and some of the other fighters are getting a bite to eat.
"Hey guys. I think we have an idea on how to help Matt over his bad dreams"
"Oh yeah that would be awesome. Even with the solid walls here, I can hear him scream every night" Maggie complains
just before earning a dark look from Hal.
"Got anything planned?" Ben inquires.
"Well yes. Here it is..." Tom explains his plan to the group. Everybody shakes their heads at first, but after further
explanation, they all nod in agreement.
"Okay, let's do it." Tom says while clapping his hands together.
"To upcoming nights full of reenergizing, beautiful sleep" Ben jokes, holding up his cup as if to make a toast,
but nobody returns the gesture. They just stare at him in silence.
"Okay...I'm gonna see if I can get that foot out of my mouth." Ben says, gets up and leaves to get out of that awkward situation.
"Tomorrow we'll begin." Tom says. "I'll inform Weaver of the volunteers for this operation. Thank you all so much. This means a lot to me."
"Well, we're obviously not totally selfless in this undertaking" Maggie admits.
"I get it, I get it. Let's just hope that we can help him through this, for everybody's sake." Tom says.
The next afternoon, the 2nd Mass' best Fighters, Hal and Maggie, Ben, Lyle and Tector, are gathered outside of the
Mall entrance, awaiting Tom and Matt's arrival to begin this adventure.
"I don't want to go." Matt fusses, holding on to the pillow on his bed.
"Hey. I know this is hard for you, but you need to get out there. You always wanted to be a fighter and now I'm asking
you to join us on a short patrol." Tom tries to convince.
"Who's gonna be there?" Matt wants to know.
"The best. You know them all." Tom assures.
"Lyle and Tector too?" he wants to know.
"Yes, both Lyle and Tector." Tom confirms.
"Well okay. But not too far out, okay? Just a few clicks" Matt requests.
"Okay. We'll try small steps first and see." Tom puts his hand on his head, trying to calm him down.
"Alright people, lets move out" Tom orders, with Matt in tow.
It's plain to see in Matt's face that he's not exactly convinced of this plan being a good idea.
The group mounts a vehicle and drives off into the destroyed neighborhoods of Charleston, then out of the city into the more rural areas.
They stop the vehicle on the roadside and cover it with a camouflage net to make it invisible for possible beamers to spot it.
"Listen up!" Tom demands attention. "We'll stay together. Just a few yards into the shrubs. No solos, no heros. It matters most, that we all get back home safe and sound!"
"Yeah!" the group confirms Toms orders.
The fighters move in a closed group, Matt always at Tom's side. He's glued to his hips, following no more than one step away.
They strafe through the shrubs, the front and the flanks are scanning for any kind of activity, but there's nothing.
"Nothing to worry about. We'll turn around pretty soon. I think this was enough for the first day" Tom reasons.
Matt nods in agreement, but he's not really feeling much better.
"We'll go back out tomorrow and see what's beyond that opening overthere." Tom says to Matt.
"Let's gather at the opening!" Tom orders the group.
They enter an open area in the woods. Blue Sky, the Sun is out and lights up the area like in a magic forest.
"Well. I don't know about you guys, But I'm ready for a bite to eat and a cup of hot coffee, what do you say, Matt?" Tom looks at Matt.
Matt scans the fighter's faces and agrees. "Yeah. I'm good."
Everybody nods and the start to move.
"Hey Mushrooms!" Maggie calls out. "This would be a welcome side for Dinner, wouldn't it?" She asks.
"Might as well, while we're here" Hal agrees with her.
"Ok, but not too long. We need to keep moving." Tom orders.
Hal, Maggie and the other figthers start picking up the Mushrooms, while Matt and Ben remain in the opening.
Tom follows the others half way.
"There's enough for a whole meal here" Tom realizes. "We should remember this spot. They'll grow back within a short time. Wouldn't hurt to get some diversity in our diet" he recons.
"OH NO!" Tector yells. And just has he does that, two giant explosions scatter the fighters about the opening.
One Mech approaches and sets the dry moss in the opening on fire with it's flame thrower. Another one opens fire at the fighters. The feared four laser dots of the Mech's Aiming Mechanism can be seen around the trees, sending splinters
of wood into the air as trees explode when fired upon by that powerful cannon.
Ben and Matt are trapped in the center of the opening, while the fighters try to fend off the attack on the outside.
Tom yells "BEN! TRY AND RUN IF YOU CAN! TAKE MATT WITH YOU!", but they cannot run.
There is no way out of this flaming hell.
A Skitter jumps through the fire into the ring of flames and approaches Matt and Ben rapidly.
Just as Ben raises his gun to take a shot, he halts. He freezes. Matt looks on and soon discovers, that the Skitter must
have taken over, Ben's Spikes are glowing bright blue from his Neck.
"BEN? BEN SHOOT!" Matt yells, with his voice snapping in terror, as if he was trying to wake Ben up.
Matt dodges the approaching Skitter, which knocks the gun out of Ben's hands and reaches for his neck. Lifting him up.
In the meantime, Matt hides behind a small bush out of reach of the Skitter.
He is shaking, horrified over what unfolds before his Eyes. They're going to take him away again!
"BEN! BEN! YOU CAN FIGHT HIM! DON'T LET HIM TAKE OVER!" Tom yells at Ben, but no success.
The Spikes on his back glow even brighter now, Ben's Eyes are staring at the Skitter without any emotion. Lifeless.
The Creature is face to face with him now, snarling and tilting its head left and right, as if it was talking to him.
All of a sudden a shot strikes the Skitter's head, making it stumble sideways a little. It loses its focus and with that,
it loses control over Ben. His Spikes stop glowing and immediately Ben's body goes limp and falls to the ground.
A second shot, this time exploding the Skitter's Head.
The fight outside of the fire ring comes to a aprupt end, as the Mechs freeze as soon as the Skitter died.
Lyle launches an RPG into the first Mech, which is close enough to the second one, so that both explode and crash to the ground, burning. The fighters give each other high fives. Noone was hurt.
Ben rightens himself up, holding his head as if having a major headache. His vision clears and on the other side of the
dead Skitter he sees... Matt? He's holding Ben's G36 still up and in firing position, with eyes wide open
and his jaw dropped.
"Matt? Buddy?" he walks out of the line of fire and slowly over to his little Brother, who had just saved his live and that of the other fighters outside of the fire ring, probably without even realizing it at the moment.
"You okay?" - "Yeah... I'm okay... I killed that thing!" Matt stammers, in disbelief over what just happened.
"You sure did. You saved my life." Ben says. "Thank you for not waiting too much longer."
As the fire in some areas burns out, Tom jumps the smaller flames to get to his boys as fast as he can.
"You guys! Are you okay?" He calls with a deep, grunting, yet concerned tone.
"Yes. I killed the Skitter. I couldn't move at first. But I...I couldn't let him hurt Ben, could I?" he asks, as if he was trying to explain himself.
"No! Noo! Of course not. You did the right thing. I'm proud of you." Tom whispers and gives him a hug.
Ben moves in to hug both Tom and Matt. In the meantime, the other fighters, Hal and Maggie, reach the center of the opening.
"Oh wow. Didn't see that coming." Hal comments, dusting himself off.
"I don't think anybody did. But it comes to show that a good team is like life insurance." Tom explains.
"I think we've all learned something today here. Let's go back to base" He orders everybody back to the vehicle.
Luckily the camouflage worked and the truck is intact.
"Let's mount up! I've had enough action for today" Tom orders.
The engine starts and the truck begins to move down the dirt road towards Charleston.
"I killed a Skitter! Two shots and it was dead" Matt repeats over and over again, and everytime sounding a little bit prouder and more confident.
"Good job, Kid!" Tector says. "If your Dad allows, I can show you some tricks to get a better aim."
Tom gives Tector a dark look "Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves." he slows him down.
Tector motions to stand back.
"So the way I see it, you're no longer a kid." Tom confirms and commends Matt's actions with a pat on the back.
Back at base, he reports to Weaver about the sudden attack and the outcome.
"Well done Soldier!" he recognizes Matt. "I guess a lot of people owe you their lives."
"Thank you , Sir. I just didn't want Ben to get hurt again" he adds.
"What do you say, we'll put you on one of the shorter regular patrols?" Weaver suggests while looking at Tom.
"I don't think that there's anything speaking against it." Tom says, while looking back at Matt, whose face begins
to light up as he realizes what this means.
He's finally a fighter and no longer just a kid.
THE END