Reviews are welcome.
The sky was grey in the early morning, rolling clouds passing above the centre of Washington DC. Trees whispered in a building wind, their branches rocking back and forth, loose leaves dancing in circles through the air. You could feel the tension building with the sticky humidity as headlights were turned on in traffic and umbrellas were opened along the side walks. A storm was coming.
The first drops of rain came when the sun rose above the horizon, briefly cutting a golden path across the city before disappearing into the clouds. Alison Bane wiped her face where a heavy drop ran a trail through the sweat on her brow. She pulled up the hood of her grey sweatshirt without pause and turned off Independence Ave. towards the Lincoln Memorial. The towering building bobbed in and out of sight in front of her, more often blocked by the line of trees on either side of her path.
A Bittersweet Symphony was blaring in her ears, blocking out all surrounding distractions. It was just her and the melodic thumping of her feet against the cement. The same old Saturday had come again, bringing with it the same old schedule and routine. Ever since she moved to DC her life had become one long day of working, running, and living. It never changed, never got exciting. Sure the weather might change and there was the occasional night on the town with friends, but it wasn't what life use to be. The scary part was that she was becoming comfortable in this role. It had been three years since she had seen the blue box and she was okay with it, but it was a lie.
Rolling up her sleeves, Alison checked her time and cursed, picking up her pace. She was late.
The trees began to drop away, thinning out until the Lincoln Memorial loomed ahead. It stood like an ancient temple, Grecian pillars rising to surround the stone statue of the 16th President. Reaching a grassy corner just below its steps, she paused and gave the President a salute before moving on.
She could see her now, the bent over figure of Meg Mancy tying the laces of her sneakers. Grinning, Alison ran up to her friend and pulled up the girl's jacket hood over her strawberry pixie cut.
"On your left." she called, passing her. "Come on, Mancy. Time to wake up."
"This is my awake." Meg replied disgruntled. "Alice, why am I out here?"
Alison raced to the edge of the reflecting pool and turned to jog backwards, taking in Meg's dishevelled annoyance. Irritated, Meg yanked down her hood and smoothed a hand through her hair, giving Alison a rude gesture. Alison snorted in response and brought up fighting fists, dancing from foot to foot.
"Hey, you said you wanted to run with me." Alison told her. "Well, this is running with me."
Lacing her fingers above her head, Meg stretched out her back and lazily stepped down to the reflecting pool.
"I'm pretty sure I was drunk when I said that." she yawned. "Can we just skip this and get a cab? I'm hungry and it looks like its about to rain."
Alison stopped then and looked up into the sky, measuring the clouds that were steadily taking on a darker hue. The drops had turned into a sprinkle and she grinned, shaking her head. Looking at Meg sourly zipping up her coat, she clapped the girl on the shoulder and pushed her forward onto the trail.
"Where's your sense of adventure, Meg?" she asked, coaxing her into a jog.
"Back home, under the covers."
Alison frowned and then eyed the distant structure of the Washington Monument, an idea forming. Pointing it out, she began to pick up her pace, forcing her companion to follow.
"Tell you what," she said. "We race to the Monument and the last one there buys breakfast."
"Winner's choice?" questions Meg, mulling it over.
"Winner's choice." agrees Alison, offering her hand.
Chewing on her lip, Meg eyes the hand for a moment and then takes it. They give a firm shake and Meg yanks back, throwing Alison off balance. The pool rushes to meet her on the right and Alison tips before regaining her footing. Meg was already a hundred yards away, turning in mid run to give a salute and a wink. Panting at the close call with the water, Alison selected a Brand X track on her ipod and smirked. Finally, her friend was waking up and providing a decent challenge.
Briefly removing her hood, Alison pulled back her brown hair into a high ponytail and raced after the retreating back of her friend. It didn't take long for her to catch up, four years of running paying off against Meg's sporadic sprints. She passed the strawberry blond and laughed in response to the volley of insults and curses thrown her way. Whatever the outcome in their race, she was sure this would be the last with Meg.
The cement path trailing along next to the Reflecting Pool was empty save for the few others who chose to run despite the rain. Several 'on your lefts' were called out, whatever response swallowed by the pulsing beats of her music. This was her time, her moment to feel alive. It was the second best feeling in the world, running. The first being the moment she touched the blue box in the woods thirteen years prior. As far as she knew, she would never stop running.
She had reached the other end of the pool when something caused her to falter. A sound had reached past her ear buds, echoing all around her. It was a humming sound, a soft, mournful breathing that pulled at the strings of her past. She stopped and jerked her head around, searching for the source, her eyes landing on the Lincoln Memorial. It couldn't be.
Alison squinted, taking out her ear buds and listened. The breathing had stopped and left her feeling as if she had just woken from a dream. It was a sound out of time, having yet to be tethered to the Earth. Was he here? And if so, what else had come to her world?
Meg passed her with a gleeful shout, shattering the trance Alison was caught in. Disoriented, she looked around to watch her friend disappear around a corner. She was almost to the Washington Monument and Alison was about to buy her breakfast. Sighing in derision at her short distraction, Alison pushed off into a run, but her heart was no longer into it. She had heard it again, after so many years, and something was beginning to stir.
She rounded the corner and sprinted the rest of the way up a grassy hill to where a wooden stand was being set up around the towering monument. A ceremony was to be held the next day, celebrating the monument's 130th anniversary. Weather permitting it, some of the top officials would be gathered with hundreds of tourists all celebrating the event. Even Alison would be there, taking pictures for the Washington News Press. Sure it was a Sunday, but she didn't have anything else better to do.
Meg was splayed out on the ground several yards away from the construction crew, jacket thrown beside her, and short strands of hair plastered across her red face. She raised her head when Alison approached, thrusting up double peace signs in her victory.
"Smithsonian Deli." she gasped. "Strawberry waffles and whip cream...With bacon. Lots and lots of bacon."
Alison smiled and shook her head, bending down to help her up.
"Want anything to drink with that?"
"A gallon of water." was the reply as she stood up and tied her jacket around her waist. "And a pomegranate smoothie."
Meg ducked, the rain picking up around them as the nearby workers shouted to hold off construction.
"I'll go grab us a cab." she said. "The storm is coming in fast."
Alison lingered behind while the other girl jogged towards the nearby road, turning back to catch a glimpse of the Lincoln Memorial. It was where the clouds were the darkest and lightening played like blinding apparitions. Distant thunder rolled and with it she again thought she heard the breathing wheeze of the blue box. She was almost tempted to go look for it and even took a step towards the sounds general direction. Again it drifted away from her and she came to her senses. Those days were over, she tried to tell herself, you have moved on. She didn't believe herself though. She never did.
A harsh wind blew across her and the surrounding flags and banners for the ceremony snapped viciously. Holding her hood up around her face, she reluctantly turned and sprinted to where Meg had gotten them a cab. Meg slid into the back seat and told the driver their destination, scooting over for Alison to get in. Alison slammed the door shut against the wind and they started moving as she put away her ipod.
It was silent for a moment, the cab passing beneath heavy shadows of the bending threes above. The rain splattered in sporadic sheets across the windows and the windshield wipers squeaked on.
"What was holding you up back there?" Meg asked when the monument was far behind them.
Alison tore her gaze from the gloomy streets beyond her window and glanced at her friend with a shrug. "I was just watching the storm come in."
"It does seem pretty big this time." observed Meg. "I've never seen anything like it."
"I have." murmured Alison softly, the humming sound filling her mind. "A long time ago."
They arrived shortly at the small Deli across from a series of Museums, shrugging against the deluge that had suddenly broken over the city. Paying the driver, they entered with several others looking to escape the rain and were ushered to a table by a smiling hostess. Sitting with twin sighs of relief, they ordered their drinks and perused the menu. Perhaps it could be said that Meg was more interested in the menu as Alison only gave it a couple of distracted glances. Her real focus was out the Deli's front window where a sea of umbrellas passed by. She couldn't get the sound out of her head.
When a waitress came back with their drinks she quickly ordered the same thing Meg asked for to avoid wasting anymore of their time. Taking her iced coke in both hands, she sipped at it and watched without seeing the waitress take their menus away. Silence held the table captive and Meg awkwardly stirred around her smoothie, casting confused glances towards her friend. Reaching the end of her drink without a single word being spoken, the other girl snapped her fingers in front of Alison's nose.
"Hello?" she asked when Alison wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "Are you awake in there?"
Alison waved off her hand and sat back, regaining her focus with some difficulty.
"Yeah, I'm awake." she sighed. "I was just distracted."
"For ten minutes?" wondered Meg, unconvinced. "Look half an hour ago you were challenging me to a race-"
She paused, the waitress coming back with their order of strawberry waffles and a side of bacon. After refilling their drinks, the waitress left and Meg began eating copious amounts of the steaming food.
"Then," she continued, swallowing her third mouthful. "Halfway through you stop and go all weird on me. Don't think I didn't notice, Alice."
Alison had yet to touch her food and had to again force herself to look away from the window. What was she expecting to see anyway? A strange man in a jacket and bow tie, traipsing down the street?
"I was just giving you a win, Mancy." said Alison. "After all you did come out to run with me.
Meg shook her head. "Alison Bane doesn't give anyone a win for anything. Hey, are you even listening?"
"I am."
"No, you're not." grumbles the other girl. "You're staring out the window."
Alison was and for a good reason. Something strange was happening with the rain. It was falling completely straight. Not only that, but the rain was no longer coming in drops but single bands of streaming water. Alison stiffened, straightening in her seat and ignoring Meg's frustrated harrumph.
"What is wrong with you, Bane?" questions Meg impatiently.
Slowly Alison stood to her feet and blindly prodded her friend, gesturing outside.
"Meg, the rain."
Others were beginning to notice now, deli customers coming to gather around the window and pushing against the girls. Those outside stopped what they were doing, umbrellas tilting up as they stared at the strange phenomenon. Meg's mouth hung open, caught before she could waspishly reply. Alison's heart skipped a beat and she knew. This was why he was here. Something was happening and they needed him.
Pushing through the crowd, Alison ran out onto the street where every car had stopped and stared at the sky. At that moment the rain ceased as if someone had turned off a faucet. Everywhere people were gazing at the clouds and for a second there was silence. A loud droning sound pierced the air, like a drawn out dubstep drumbeat. The purple and black clouds shifted and from their belly emerged the curved underside of a spaceship. It cleared the sky around it as more of the spaceships were revealed, hundreds of black spheres that cast the city in shadows. They were spreading out in all directions, surrounding them.
"What is going on?" gasped Meg coming out beside Alison.
Alison didn't reply and turned her gaze back towards the direction of the monuments. A ship's underside clipped a stone statue decorating a museum roof across the street, sending it down into the road. Someone screamed, triggering chaos around them. A mechanical sound was emitted from the nearest ship above them and a short burst of a laser hit the earth. The ground trembled and black smoke engulfed them as other ships began firing. They were being invaded.
She held her breath, the terror around her becoming contagious and momentarily keeping her frozen in place. Someone jostled her as they run past, the crowds all heading in a general direction: towards the centre of the city. They were trying to get out from under the fire, converging exactly where the ships were guiding them. For what purpose, Alison didn't know.
Alison turned and ran against the crowd, jumping over the hood of a car to avoid a laser blast.
"What are you doing?!" screamed Meg, holding against the oncoming rush.
"He's here." Alison shouts back. "He can save us!"
"If you're talking about that stupid story of a time traveller, you are out of your mind! He doesn't exist!"
Alison paused at the street corner and looked back at the grimy face of her friend pleading with her. Smoke drifted across the street and Meg was backlit against the chaos of the attack. She was torn. Just a block away she could see the lawn leading to the monuments, the roof of the Lincoln Memorial just peeking above the tree line. She was scared to leave her friend, but she knew he was here.
"They're invading us, Meg." yells Alison. "We are under attack which means he is nearby. He is always nearby and I'm going to find him."
"ALISON!"
It was too late. Alison had turned her back on Meg and was dodging through the streets, heading to where she had heard it coming. The time traveller and his blue box was here.