Alright, here you guys go =) I'm still not feeling too great, so the update is a little slower than usual... sorry =(
Disclaimer: Still don't own FS T.T
"Have you ever seen the movie War of the Worlds?" I asked Jimmy as we stood guard at the barricade.
"No, but I'm living in one." Jimmy said and I grinned at him.
"Okay, well the movie wasn't a great movie, but it was based off the book The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells." I explained and he nodded.
"Okay?" He motioned for me to continue.
"So in the early 1950s, this man, Dr. Clayton Forrester, is fishing with his colleagues when a meteor comes and crashes into a town called Linda Rosa. The meteor is massive and radioactive, but super light!"
"Okay…"
"It's too hot to touch, so they decide to wait until morning to examine it and let it cool down a bit… but that night, the top of the meteor unscrews and a Martian War Machine comes out." I explained enthusiastically. "Three men who remained behind to guard the sight approach it with a friendly demeanor, but the thing vaporizes them with a heat-ray."
"Ouch." Jimmy winced at that with a grimace.
"Yeah… So then a bunch of reports of these meteors start popping up all over the world. The Martians are slowly taking over everything, killing everyone they come near, and they're protected by an impenetrable force field. Well, like I said, they're killing and destroying everything and it's estimated that they'll have taken over everything at the end of six days."
"Holy crap! How many of them are there?" Jimmy asked with wide eyes.
"A ton… No, not a ton. A shit ton." I emphasized and he nodded. "So in a desperate attempt to destroy them, the air force drops and atomic bomb on three of the war machines – to no effect. An immediate evacuation of Los Angeles is called as these Martians approach, and some refugees huddle up in a church, waiting for the end to come…" I paused for dramatic effect. "And one of the war machines falls over and stops moving."
"The group of refugees goes out to see what the noise was, and they are greeted by the sight of all these invincible invaders just falling to the ground, dead."
"What happened?" Jimmy asked incredulously and I grinned at him widely.
"Bacteria and virus' killed them because they had no defenses against them."
"I wish that would work here." Jimmy said with a sigh and I shrugged.
"Who doesn't?" I said with a sigh. "But you know what a good inspiration is?" I asked, nudging the 13 year old.
"What?" Jimmy asked, looking at me questioningly.
"'The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his.'" I quoted.
"George S. Patton!" Tom said and I looked over my shoulder to see him walking up to us.
"A man of inspiration." I said with a smile and he nodded.
"Who is George S. Patton?" Jimmy questioned, looking utterly lost.
"George S. Patton was a commander of the US Third Army, which under his leadership, advanced farther, captured more enemy prisoners, and liberated more territory in record time." Tom explained and I nodded.
"Faster than any other army in military history everywhere." I added.
"'There was never a good war, nor a bad peace.'" Tom quoted and I smirked at him.
"Benjamin Franklin. Good one, professor… 'If we don't end war, war will end us'." I shot back and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"H. G. Wells."
"The guy who wrote the War of the Worlds?" Jimmy asked and I nodded.
"'Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.'"
"What? Oh, come on! That's another George S. Patton!" I accused and he laughed. "'One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one.'" I quoted, my voice softer.
"Agatha Christie. 'in peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.'" Tom quoted quietly, the playful atmosphere diminishing.
"...Killjoy." I muttered after a moment, Tom smiling and Jimmy snorting with laughter.
"He's trying to warn the Skitters, don't let him get away! He's going to warn the Skitters, stop him!" Ben's voice shouted out and the three of us whipped around to see Rick run into the guard post.
"Rick!" Tom lunged at him, but the boy leapt over a fucking car. My eyes widened and I spun around, dashing out the opening, Ben doing the same. I heard someone shouting as I ran by, followed by a loud gun shot. Ben spun around, holding his arms up with a shocked expression, but I kept running. "Don't you ever raise a gun to my son!" I heard Tom shout in an infuriated voice.
I kept running for several minutes before I had to slow to a stop, doubling over with my hands on my knees and panting. "God damn it…" I cursed, heavily annoyed by my weakness as I was still recovering from the loss of blood. I sat down on the side of the road, trying to steady my breathing. I sat there for a few minutes when I tensed, grabbing my gun and aiming at the source of the noise. I paused, realizing it was Tom.
"Alyssa?" Tom asked in surprise. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I said, waving off his concern. "It's just too soon for me to be running around like this." I explained and he nodded.
"I'll try to find him." Tom said with a sigh. "Wait here." He commanded and I tiredly gave him a two fingered salute before he continued on quickly.
"I'll be here, whenever you feel like dropping by!" I called after him, leaning backwards until my shoulders touched the concrete sidewalk, at which point I relaxed my body, but kept my gun in my grasp.
"The Skitters know where we are, and there's a good chance they're going to attack." Tom informed the fighters once we returned with Rick. "We all hoped we could hold on until the strike team came back, but that's too risky now, so I've decided to evacuate the civilians. We're going to walk them out through the tunnel behind the auditorium. Once through, they'll move west away from the city."
"If the Skitters have the scent they'll be crawling all over this area." Margaret pointed out. "It's not going to be easy getting around them."
"That's why I'm going to stay behind… with a small group of volunteers. If the aliens attack we'll draw their fire, keep their focus on us, maybe open a window for the civilians to escape." Tom explained.
"But… how are we going to hold off the Skitters and Mechs? Our best soldiers are with Weaver." Jimmy pointed out uncertainly.
"I know how it sounds." Tom admitted after a second. "But I want you to think about where we are. Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought not too far from here. A small group of colonists against the entire might of the British Empire… nobody gave them much of a chance either. Patrick Henry called it. 'The battle is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, and the brave'." Tom quoted. "A small, disciplined militia can not only hold out against a larger force, but drive it back… because they are fighting for what rightfully belongs to them… This is our home. Our world."
"So remember that, if they come…" Tom concluded and I nodded slowly in agreement. "So let's go do this." He said and the people started leaving the room. After it was only Tom and I left, I looked at him and he sighed. "I know, Alyssa." He said and I raised an eyebrow in silent question. "I know what you're going to say, and while I disagree and want to say no, it's your choice to make."
"I want to stay." I confirmed with a nod.
"And stay you will, no matter what I say." He said and I grinned lightly. "You're too much like Hal for your own good." He shook his head in disbelief and I barked out laughter.
"Better go help people pack, Professor." I said, turning to leave. I paused in the doorway, looking at Tom with a serious expression. "'God who gave us life, gave us Liberty.'" I quoted, and Tom looked up from his gun. "Thomas Jefferson was a wise man, Professor… but he never said anything about not having to fight for that Liberty." With that, I left the room and went to the room I was staying in, going straight for the duffel bag sitting on my bed.
When I reached to zip it shut, my eyes landed on the dark blue book with royal blue designs, and I paused. After a moment of hesitation, I reached in and grabbed it, setting it down on the bed and zipping the bag shut. Throwing the bag onto my shoulder, I picked the book up and strode out of the room. "Hey, Anne?" I called as I walked into the infirmary, seeing her packing another bag.
"What's up, Alyssa?" She asked and I sighed heavily.
"I need to talk to you." I said seriously and she frowned, walking over so we were standing only a foot away from each other. I pulled a map out of my pocket, laying it out on the counter. "Do you have a pen?"
"Here." Anne picked one up off the desk a few feet away, passing it to me.
"Alright, look." I told her and she nodded, leaning down to read the map. "We are here." I made a tiny circle on the map. "Here," I pointed to a spot right on the east edge of the middle of Lake Rohunta. "is a small town called Eaglesville. When I got those supplies, Hal and I went there. It's completely deserted, and completely safe." I explained and Anne's brows furrowed. "To get there, you want to take this route." I traced the path with the pen, and then circled Eaglesville when the line reached it.
"It's all back roads and running paths through woods. You'll be safe, and have plenty of places to hide of trouble comes."
"You're staying here." Anne stated after a few minutes.
"I am." I confirmed with a nod and Anne sighed.
"So am I… I'll give this to Lourdes." She said and I nodded in agreement. "Lourdes!" Anne called, and the woman stuck her head around a corner in the infirmary.
"Yeah?"
"Come look at this." Anne said, motioning towards the map.
"This is where you want to go." I informed her once she looked at the map. "It's called Eaglesville , and it's away from any and all major cities. You shouldn't be bothered there." I told her and she nodded. "At the first sign of trouble, or once you run low on supplies, go to the Quabbin Reservoir, on the west side. Once there, follow this road here." I marked the road. "And go down," I drew a line down the map, "to here. The Skitters and Mechs probably won't even bother with that area, so it should be safe for a very long time."
"Got it." Lourdes nodded firmly.
"Okay… I have another thing, and it's personal." I said and Lourdes frowned at me. "I need you all to stay in Eaglesville for at least a month. If, by the end of that month, we haven't come… or I'm not with the people who do come, give this to Cecilia." I requested, offering Lourdes the blue book. "Tell her that this book is something her sister gave me, and that… and that I want her to forgive us and be happy, because all we ever wanted was for her to be happy." I said and Lourdes nodded with a soft expression, taking the book and sliding it into her own bag.
"I swear that I will." She said firmly and I smiled gratefully at her.
"Now… if something happens and you can't stay at the Reservoir anymore, go to secluded places far from cities, but not too far that there will still be people left." I told her and she nodded.
"I'll do my best."
"That's all you can be asked… and if anyone doubts this path, just tell them that Weaver agreed to it, because he did." I added and she nodded again.
"Will do." I turned on my heel and left the room, heading outside to help with the packing and preparations.
"Alyssa!" Tom called me over the second I reached the outdoors, and I hurried to him quickly.
"What's up?" I asked and he pointed to the only two dirt bikes left.
"Take one and station yourself somewhere safe. Come back when the Mechs are close." He ordered and I nodded, running over to the dirt bike and climbing on. "Good luck!" He called as I started it up, and I nodded at him quickly before jerking the bike forward and racing off.
Here you are! Enjoy =)