HATCH

You're next.

Aaron Cobbs

PROLOGUE

In 1991, the U.S. government revealed that aliens were alive.

In 1992, the government shut down Area 51, hoping to quell any rumors about the aliens being there. All materials were shipped out immediately.

In 1993, reports were recorded that people were disappearing from the network and all existence, as if they had never been there. This sparked many rumors, yet the government has said that this is no connection to the shutdown of Area 51.

In 1996, the vice-president was assassinated. When government agencies scoured the area, they found nothing: not a single bullet, not something in his drink, nothing. All they found was a note saying "You're next."

In 1999, the Y2K panic had spread, and many people thought aliens were the cause. When they found the whole thing was a fake, many celebrated. What they didn't know was that many people were going off the map, and soon a third of Earth's population was missing.

In 2001, the Chrysler Building in New York was attacked. After its destruction, the U.S. government cleaned the scene. What they found was that it was actually a hatch site. What was hatching, exactly, remains to be seen.

None of this information was released to the public, but everyone knows that the government hides things.

Little things

Big things

Anything

Everything.

Revenge is coming.

WE are coming.

CHAPTER ONE

Nathan James Parker wasn't a man of knowledge.

He could pick out one molecule for another. He couldn't figure out a geometry problem, he couldn't learn about history, and he couldn't comprehend reading for his own life. Being a man of 6' 7" and muscular with very little effort made people think he was playing for a professional team. Nope. His own description would say that he's a small time loser who was looking for work.

It wasn't strange that he lived in New York. Unemployment rates were high and job getting rates, low. But there was one place in New York that could always make him feel at least a little better.

The Coffee Barrel.

The Barrel was a brand new building, polished and everything. The walls sparkled, as if telling the ceiling that it shines. The floors were nicely done as well, completed with tiles of tints and shades of brown, exhausting every tint there is. The tables were made in the form of a coffee cup, a little cute decoration added on by the advice of a customer. The windows were also nicely cleaned and refurbished, yelling to the world "Hello, people, we're open." The sweet scented smell of latte's in the morning perked up the noses of both customers and passerby's, who would switch positions in no time. The main counter was packed with employees, racing and bustling to get the customers their orders. Nathan looked up and saw one of the employees, who gave him a slight smile. He was his favorite customer.

As Nathan sat at the coffee cup table to drink his vanilla latte, he had no idea another man had walked up next to him. He turned to see a tall, skinny man, wearing a Star Wars t-shirt with jogging pants. He wore dorky glasses, and looked as if he couldn't see in them. His red hair was rangy, and he smelled of Cheetos, nachos, and just about every other food known to man.

"Hey Collin" Nathan squeaked. It was hard to talk when your best friend had an inauspicious stench to him.

Collin Monroe sat across from Nathan at the table with his coffee. For a little while, nobody said anything. Silent, as if Collin had something to tell Nathan but was too afraid to tell him. Basically reading his mind, Nathan asked, "Okay, give me the bad news." He knew his friend all too well.

"The check bounced," He said, then immediately lowering his head for fear of facing his friend, "'Insufficient funds', the bank said."

Nathan couldn't believe it. "Dammit." He sighed under his breath. No Hawaii, then. He had just gotten his last check from his former job when he heard this. He and Collin had been planning to take a week-long stay in Hawaii to have some summer fun, but fate won't even allow that apparently.

Collin still had his head lowered, and Nathan knew something else was going on. "Collin," he probed, "what's wrong?"

Collin raised his head sheepishly. "Remember that night in Vegas a long time ago?"

Nathan pondered it for a second and then smiled. "Yeah, that was the best night. What about it?"

Collin swallowed some coffee. "I…uh…sort of blew your debit card there."

Well, that explains so much, Nathan thought. How else could he have gotten that two-hundred dollar vase imported from Rio? Or even his entire army of Star Wars collector's action figures? Or even that one night when he was able to see every movie in one evening? Yeah, Nathan thought, that would explain so much.

"What the hell, man? I don't—what—how'd you even get my card in the first place?"

Collin was afraid this would happen. But he told his buddy anyway.

"Err…from Debbie."

Nathan froze. How can he forget Debbie Meyer? The best ex-girlfriend Nathan ever had. But she got way too serious way to fast, and he learned that she was actually a psychopath. At least, when it came to him. The breakup ensued, and soon she found ways to get him back. Apparently Collin was one of them.

"That little—"

"No, dude, it's my fault. I—I should've told you before. I'm sorry man."

Nathan gave his best friend their "secret handshake", which was a clap, high-five, and a fist pump, all completed in perfect style. Even though Collin ruined their chances of any summer fun in Hawaii, he still couldn't stay mad at his friend.

"You know what? Screw Hawaii. New York's got plenty of sick things to do around here." Collin was never any good at cheering people up.

"Like what? We're unemployed Collin. We barely have enough money to get us through. Heck, I don't think we have enough money to even pay for this—"Nathan held up his coffee cup.

"You know, it's that kind of attitude that keeps us in this rut. We need money, true, but we need to have fun! Let's go to a club, ride a limo, do something. I'm getting pretty tired of whooping you ass in Black Ops."

"You liar, you know I always beat you in that game."

"Says you. Now come on, man, let's go find us some fun." Collin got up, pushed in his chair, and put a couple of bucks on the table. "Tina!" he yelled. One of the employees looked back. She had light brown hair and a nice auburn lipstick. Collin was her favorite customer. "Tip's on the table!" He said while giving her a slight smile. She smiled back, as if saying thank you.

As they left, the whole world seemed like a daze. Skyscrapers lined the sky and were living up to their name. Pedestrians walked about, going to and from one place to the next. Taxis were being hailed, police were chasing robbers, and politicians made speeches. The new President had a tough crowd this year. All around the two were nothing but billboards and posters, all screeching out "Buy this" or "buy that". Amateur buyers that neither Nate nor Collin will go to were pictured in the windows, putting up various signs and posters that had idiotic products like hair care products or even condoms. Tacky.

Still, with all of the people running around with friends and whatnot, and with his best friend Collin at his side, Nate couldn't help but feel alone. He knew something was up, and that all of these bad things happening to him could be an omen. Lost his job, no money, and could barely keep an apartment going. What was fate trying to do?

"Nate?" Collin interrupted, "Dude, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Nate lied, "just fine."

CHAPTER TWO

Partying with people is one thing. Partying with Collin Monroe who has nothing to do but party is another. The house was chock full of random people that neither Nate nor Collin knew. Collin's apartment was like a Canadian Mosaic: there were way too many people to make out one single identity. Couples danced to a hot new DJ who always got the same request, and if he played the same song, they'd just dance to the tune again. Collin, of course, was the center man, trying to talk the ladies in his room. Nate just sat on the couch with a beer, looking to see who he could score. Although after his last bout with Debbie, he wasn't sure if he wanted another girlfriend.

"Nate? Nathan Parker?" one girl's voiced traveled across the room.

Oh no, not Debbie, Nate thought. God please let it not be Debbie.

It wasn't Debbie. It was Ernest, an old classmate of Nate's. "Nathan Parker, what a surprise!"

"Ernest, how've you been?" He said in between giving her a hug. That hug meant the world to him. He hadn't seen Ernest since he and Debbie got together.