Please, don't give up on me! This is all set up!


The aliens had brought him to the officers' lounge. Keith tried to remain calm. He failed. He sat on the floor by the island covertly watching the guards who watched him. The sounds of battle as the aliens conquered the building were distant and sporadic. He jumped at every sudden scream or explosion.

An hour later, marching approached from the direction of the dormitories. Keith's fear and anger made his heart pound in his temples when he saw the teachers being escorted by the armored aliens. He stood and balled his fists before charging the guards. They didn't move. Keith threw a punch. The alien he'd aimed at sidestepped and caught Keith's arm, twisting it behind his back and bending him to a ninety degree angle. The hum of technology was accompanied by the second guard aiming their energy pistol at him. "Give up, kit."

Keith grit his teeth, hissing in pain, and asked, "Where are you taking them? What do you want?"

The alien who held him pushed until Keith was forced to his knees. Again, all for show. Keith went limp. The alien raked their talons down his arm when they released him. He bit his tongue to keep from screaming when he hit the ground. Keith pushed up and sprinted back behind the island. He looked his arm over expecting to see long cuts and blood. The alien hadn't even broken skin. He closed his eyes and hugged himself while he waited for the shock to pass. Then new screams echoed from the hall.

Keith stood and paced. The screams got closer as his panic increased. Then he saw the kids. They were the youngest cadets at twelve. Twenty four boys and girls scared out of their minds. Their rooms had been closest to the teacher's rooms. Keith's guards stepped aside to let their companions lead the kids into the lounge. They were pushed and prodded along until they were all inside. Then half the armored aliens moved to line the wall while the rest left and marched the way they'd come.

Keith ran forward. A few kids noticed he was there and clung to him. They were a mix of fear to the point of completely blank expressions. Keith yanked his jacket off and wrapped it around one girl with particularly vacant eyes and said over their crying and sobs, "Cadets, follow me." He motioned the kids to the island and they all sat behind it. Keith took up his post once again and glared at their captors. Then he looked the kids over. He wanted to ask what happened, but they didn't seem ready to answer without immediately losing the composure his presence had brought.

Then more shouting was heard. They all jumped and the girl Keith had given his jacket to began wailing. Keith watched the door as the next class entered in slightly better form. He whistled, drawing the attention of one boy. He nudged the girl beside him and the message was passed along until they all crowded in behind the island. The younger kids calmed slightly while the older ones looked to Keith for guidance.

Keith licked his dry lips and asked, "Is anyone missing from your classes?"

They all shook their heads until one girl volunteered, "My roommate ran to her big sister's room."

Keith glanced toward the door thinking fast. "I don't think they're in danger at the moment. The aliens are rounding everyone up."

"Aliens? Why would you say aliens?"

"We were attacked by aliens?"

Keith held his hands over the kids and soothed, "Shhhh. Yes, the base was attacked by aliens, but until we know more, we need to remain calm and vigilant. Try to rest if you can."

He hoped there was conviction behind his words. He certainly didn't feel any. A couple kids leaned into him and he wrapped an arm around them while watching the door. Then marching approached again. The group that entered was larger and roughed up. Their uniforms were smudged with soot and several had scrapes and bruises. Keith felt relief seeing the missing girl clinging to one of the older girls.

Keith disentangled from the kids and went to find his classmates. Rizavi gasped when they made eye contact and rushed forward to hug him. She gushed, "Thank God you're safe. No one knew where you were."

Keith cleared his throat in embarrassment and stepped back. "I stayed the night with Shiro. Though," he glared toward the door, "I don't know how safe we are. Help me get everyone settled then fill me in. Wait. Where's James? Where's our squad?"

Rizavi glanced at the door with worry in her eyes. Keith nodded and split off to spread the word. They raided the cupboards and found a dozen blankets and the first aid kit. A couple boxes of granola bars and a case of water made scant rations. At last, the room grew quiet apart from anxious whispers, quiet sobbing, and gentle snores. Keith carefully picked his way through sleeping bodies until he sat between Rizavi and Kinkaid behind the island.

Rizavi reached for their hands and squeezed. "Everyone seems to be here... apart from you know who. They're all scared. I wasn't sure what to tell them. How much did you say about what happened to you, Keith?"

"I didn't have much to say," Keith shrugged. "I was the first brought here. Adam and Takashi's apartment is closest to the front entrance. We never had the chance to reach the other teachers. They took Shiro and Adam to what they called 'holding bay alpha'. The rest of the teachers were taken a little while before the cadets started arriving."

Kinkaid frowned. "When we heard the fighting stop, a few of us went to investigate. We were too late to reach the seventh and eighth graders. Using furniture, we barricaded the hall. Hunk found an old utility access hatch. We held off the invaders long enough for Hunk, McClain, Holt, Griffin, and Leifsdottir to get away. Holt and Hunk were going to issue a mayday alert over the broad-wave radio... if they haven't all been caught."

They all sat quietly in their own thoughts on their missing comrades. Then Rizavi whispered, "I've never seen an army like this. To take the garrison so quickly... What kind of weapons technology do they have?"

Keith replied, "No one has seen an army like this. They aren't from earth."

They both startled and Kinkaid asked, "Are you positive? Keith, that is a terrifying allegation. Think of what it could mean worldwide. We have to be sure before spreading rumors like that."

"I'm sure, Ryan. They have purple skin, claws, and glowing yellow eyes. Oh, and they're eight feet tall!"

"Shh!" Rizavi asked, "How do you know? We only saw the armored ones."

Keith answered, "I fought one. Trust me, there's no one like them from earth." He hugged his knees to his chest. "They completely subdued the base in a matter of hours. Imagine what must be happening elsewhere."

"Kogane," Kinkaid whispered in warning.

Keith clenched his jaw and looked toward the door again. The guards eyes glowed from the depths of their helmets. "We outnumber them fifteen to one, but they don't even seem concerned and I doubt it's because they're underestimating us. Wherever they come from, we are severely outmatched."

"Keith," Rizavi hissed under her breath.

He ducked his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Just thinking out loud." The clock on the wall said it was nearly dawn, but he was too nervous to sleep. He whispered, "I'll take first watch. Try to sleep."

Then he stood and made his way to the tables they'd moved aside so the hundred and fifty odd cadets could sleep on the floor. Silent as a cat, he climbed on top and slid until his back was to the wall. He felt the eyes of the aliens follow his movement and glared at them in return. After a minute, they returned to surveying the entire room. Keith continued watching them motionless apart from the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Over the next few hours, the students shifted and moved. More were awake than asleep having trained themselves to wake before seven for drills. The room was still practically pitch black from a lack of natural lighting. Then around nine, there was a new hum that made the hair on the back of Keith's neck stand up. One bank at a time, the emergency lights began to flicker to life, though they weren't yellow. The pale purple light cast a sick pallor over the cadets' faces. Half an hour later, there was a disturbance in the hall. Keith stood on the table as the cadets all moved further from the door. From behind the island, Rizavi and Kinkaid made their way to the door. Keith jumped off the table and pushed through as distressed voices came closer.

The junior class stood between the aliens and the younger classes When Keith broke through their line. The guards shared a look at seeing him and he narrowed his eyes in what he hoped was threatening. Then the voices were right outside. The guards stepped aside as a shouting James Griffin was tossed in.

Kinkaid crouched where he landed with a hand on Griffin's shoulder and hawk eyes locked on the doorway. Without delay, Leifsdottir and Hunk were shoved in as well. Lance was kicked from behind and Keith caught him against his chest. He whispered, "Where's Pidge?"

Lance looked over his shoulder where the loudest string of curses was fast approaching. Lance went limp and Keith helped slow his descent to the floor. When he looked up, Katie was kicking and screaming obscenities. The guard at the door took hold of her arm and yanked her into the room so fast her shoulder popped audibly. She held her arm and turned on them as vicious as a cornered badger. Keith saw the guard flex and knew what was coming.

He instantly jumped between them, wrapping his arms around Katie and bracing for impact. The blow knocked the air out of his lungs. His grip slipped and he fell to one knee gasping for breath. Pidge's cursing instantly stopped as she squeaked, "Keith!"

Keith coughed, his breath coming in desperate wheezes, and stood to face the guards. The one who had hit him growled through their teeth, "Give up, kit."

Keith bore his teeth, and answered, "Never. I'm a fighter, remember?"

The other guard moved their hand to their sword hilt and the one who had spoken held out their arm. "Stand down. He's just a whelp. Let their handler deal with him."

Keith glared five more seconds before turning to Katie and whispering, "How's your arm?"

"I'll live." She looked around the room and asked, "Is this everyone?"

Keith nodded. "We don't know where the teachers are being held."

Katie whispered, "Yeah... about that." She gestured with her head and the rest of their squad circled up and followed Keith as he led them back to the safety of the island. Katie and Hunk made eye contact in the center of their huddle. She said, "We managed to hack into the security cameras before reserve power failed. The adults are being divided by age groups within the conference halls, but it's so much worse than that."

Hunk took over, "When we opened the radio frequency, we could hardly find a receptive channel. There were only a dozen stations and most of them were broadcasting the national alert messages on repeat. That is, until we picked up the northwest garrison's frequency. Guys, the president's been assassinated." They collectively gasped. Hunk's voice shook as he continued, "Every capitol and major city in every country has been decimated. What military managed to get mobile in the early stages of the attack was instantly neutralized. After that, there was screaming and gunfire and then their base went silent."

Keith felt his throat lock up. His vision tunneled and blackened as his blood pounded in his ears. He looked around their circle where disbelief and despair reigned supreme. Clenching a fist, he slammed it into the cabinet and shouted as loud as he could. Everyone around him jumped and there were several screams in the room. Keith took a deep breath and slowly slid until he was sitting on the floor. He held his head in his hands and pulled his hair. One by one, the others joined him on the floor. After an hour passed, Keith closed his eyes and finally managed to collect himself. When he opened his eyes, everyone was looking to him.

Leaning forward, he sighed and said, "I know this looks bad, but this isn't the end. Guys, we are fighter pilots. We have been trained by the best of the best to handle every situation as it appears. This attack is no different." Keith looked at every one of his team mates and made eye contact. Their gaze resolved before his eyes. Keith smirked and finished, "So here's what we're going to do."