Chapter 21

Kurtiss, eyes closed, leaned back against a tree. For the first time in hours, he felt a false sense of security. They were in a woodland area, so they must have driven far enough away from the city. Even though it couldn't be later than mid afternoon, the sun was still blocked out, and everything was very dark.

The fire they had started with the burning wreckage of the truck started to burn itself out now and again, so Josh or Wilbert would add more sticks. All they had at the moment was the gun, and each other.

"I always thought," began Josh, "that if we contacted another civilization, they would either be hesitant, or friendly. And if they attacked, it would be a struggle. But this is not a war; they're slaughtering us as if we were standing in a line!"

"We'll make it," Kurtiss mumbled. "We got the military and nukes and stuff. Just have to send one up there."

"Just look at the size of that thing!" Josh complained. "A nuke would probably barely scratch it!"

Kurtiss observed that the monstrosity was covering the entire sky, and extending far beyond what they could see. "Well, we always have the next thing up."

Wilbert, hearing the discussion, chuckled. "What would that be?"

"Good old mother nature." Kurtiss smiled sarcastically.

Clearing the silo, a missile containing a powerful nuclear warhead was launched into the air, and began to make a beeline upward towards the alien ship.

Sensing the incoming threat, the commander of the vessel quickly moved over to a control panel. The nuke wouldn't harm their ship at all; it was the planet they were concerned about protecting.

The nuclear missile was approaching rapidly, and the Luumaothican didn't dare try and tamper with it electronically. Instead, he activated the ship's phase drive, and directed it on the missile. Streams of green energy slipped outward from the ship, and started to swirl around the missile. Then, the matter was broken down into a thin stream, and was sent miles away.

The nuclear missile appeared directly above the nation's capitol, and detonated upon reformation.

Jian and Dr. Sarris trudged through the forest, taking turns carrying the small girl.

"I don't feel good," she softly said. Dr. Sarris looked down. Rachael, although barely visible in the darkness, was obviously very ill.

"We have to find another hospital," she said. "Rachael seems to have caught something much more than a cold."

He shrugged. "We continue towards light in forest. Maybe survivors help us out."

"Maybe," she agreed.

The small, growing light off in the forest seemed like a fire, so they continued towards it.

Wilbert picked up a twig off the ground and tossed it into the fire, watching it burn. "So what do we do now? Sit here until the sun shines again, keep moving, what?"

"I don't know," Kurtiss mumbled, resting against the tree again.

Josh spoke up. "Let's try and find a road again. See if we can get a vehicle; that is our first priority."

"Then water, food, shelter." Kurtiss sat up. "I know."

"Well we might as well start now," Wilbert suggested. "No good in—"

He abruptly stopped, and Kurtiss turned his head towards him.

"I heard something," he whispered. The three fell silent, and heard the rustling of sticks and leaves nearby.

Standing up, Kurtiss armed himself with the handgun, aiming it in the direction of the noise.

"Who's there?" He shouted, and instantly Josh put his finger to his lips.

A figure emerged from the darkness. "We are friends." A muscular, Chinese man came into view by the fire, followed by a woman holding a child.

Kurtiss and Wilbert looked at her in surprise, and at the same time said, "I remember you!"

Josh, relaxing, chuckled. "Talk about a small world."

The construction worker lowered his weapon. "Did you escape from the city too?"

"Yes," the doctor said, worriedly looking at the child. "I'm Dr. Sarris if you've forgotten."

"I am Jian Wan, owner of Oriental Jewels," the man said.

"Pleased to meet you." Josh came over to shake their hands. "I'm Josh Strumble, and this is my friend Kurtiss. Our new acquaintance, Wilbert Fredrick, we've discovered, is right over here."

Wilbert stepped forward. "If you haven't had access to a radio then you don't know why this is all happening. It is probably from an out of control experiment in a research facility far away from here. I used to work there."

Dr. Sarris smiled. "That's great, but we really need to find another hospital. Rachael here is very ill."

The light from the fire illuminated her slightly pale face, and the group could see how sick she really was. Sitting down, they looked at the child, concerned.

"What does she have?" Kurtiss asked.

"A cold," Althea replied. "At least that's what I thought it is."

Jian looked at Kurtiss's weapon, and smiled. "I see you have pistol. Here," he gave him the assault rifle, "take this."

"Nice!"

Josh moved over to the weapon. "Thanks, but we already have a gun." Kurtiss frowned. "You should really keep this for your own protection, in case we need to separate.

Jian laughed. "I have sword! Your gun is useless close range. If enemy is right in face, what you going to do?"

Kurtiss felt like arguing. "You don't let him get that close. If you see him coming, you shoot."

Mr. Wan continued, smiling, "Ah, but what happens when no more bullets?"

"What happens when the enemy has a gun?"

"Alright, alright," Josh intervened, "we'll take the weapon. Thank you."

He picked up the gun, and slung it over his shoulder. "Now we should really get moving."

The party stood, and started moving through the forest again. Josh picked up a large flaming branch, and used it as a torch to lead the others.

"So, where are we headed?" Dr. Sarris asked.

"Not sure," Josh replied. "I'm trying to find another road, and possibly some transportation."

"Military come to city," Jian added. "Maybe more out there."

"That's a safe bet," Wilbert said, "but it shouldn't be counted on. I say we find food, water, and call ourselves lucky to be alive."

"But what about Rachael?"

Josh asked, "You're a doctor, aren't you? Isn't there anything you can do?"

"I'd normally prescribe rest and fluids, but I'm just a pediatrician; this little girl is dying!"

"Is it possible that it's only a severe cold?" Kurtiss asked, showing his very limited knowledge in medicine.

Dr. Sarris glared at him, even though he wouldn't be able to see her anyway. "If it's a cold, then it's mutating or something. A cold doesn't do this to you."

"I say we try and find the military," Wilbert said. "I'm sure they're looking for survivors like us, and they can protect us until this is all over."

"True," Josh agreed. "They would have medical supplies as well."

The group walked for a little while more, making no other noise than trampling the forest floor. "It's funny," Wilbert broke the silence. "They were really hitting that city hard, but out here, even though they could very well shoot us, it's peaceful."

"Maybe they are focusing on the cities first, and then they will hunt the rest of us down," Josh offered an explanation.

"But why do they hate us so much?" Dr. Sarris questioned. "It doesn't make sense; they have a space ship big enough to block out the sun, what good does it do them to kill us?"

"This sounds kind of weird," Kurtiss began, "but possibly they're killing us for sport. I mean, if you're an all powerful alien race with nothing better to do, why not have a little fun squashing a planet of Earthlings?"

Josh chuckled. "I hope that was a joke."

"I think there's something ahead," Wilbert stated, noticing that the forest was thinning. Sure enough, a few more paces brought the group to a small area of grass, with a road directly ahead.

"Excellent!" Josh clapped his hands. "Let's proceed in one direction, and see where it takes us."

The rest agreed, and set forth.

Sanchali had dozed off for a few hours, until the vehicle came to a stop. Getting out, she now saw that Rick had taken her to a lighted building, surrounded by big concrete walls with barbed wire. They had traveled a good distance, but sunlight was still blocked out.

"This is going to be your new home," Rick stepped out of the car, and motioned up to the large building. "Don't worry about how it looks on the outside; it's really quite cozy inside."

"What is this place?" She asked.

"Our base of operations," Scott answered, slamming the car door.

Our?

"Is this a military fortress?" Sanchali asked, observing the numerous snipers on the roof, and armed patrols on their side of the perimeter.

"You could call it that," Rick said, smiling.

The three started advancing towards a large metal gate. A guard in a booth looked up at them, and then pressed a button. The heavy metal slowly moved to the side, allowing them entrance.

As the group slowly walked down the concrete path, Sanchali asked, "How do you have power?"

"Internal generators," Rick answered. The three came to a door, and a small metal section opened. A pair of eyes inside saw the man, and the hatch quickly slid shut. A few moments later, the door opened, and they entered.

The inside of the building was well lit, with people, most of which in suits or military uniforms, trotting across a shined tile floor. As the three started moving through the corridors, Sanchali saw numerous meeting rooms, exercise rooms, living quarters, but mostly closed doors marked by the words 'AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY'.

"So this is a military stronghold," she said. "What do you do here?"

Rick straightened his tie. "I am the representative of this organization."

She thought for a moment. "Then wouldn't you be a general, or the President?"

"This isn't the 'normal' army," he explained. "We are a separate, secret, branch. Mr. Votow here is another friend I found. I went into the city to make contact with the aliens, and to retrieve any valuable civilians."

"Although I was intending to find someone with valuable information," he continued, "I settled with you for your muscular strength and Scott for his…aggressive qualities."

In response, the man still holding his golf club growled, but quickly said, "I wouldn't say aggressive, but willing to fight."

Sanchali forced a smile, not knowing who was sane or insane around her.

"Well anyway, it's this way to the visitor's living quarters," Mr. Burcin started walking again, and the others followed.

Throughout a few more minutes of walking, Sanchali saw more abnormalities. Once she walked by an office with someone on the phone, and immediately the door was shut. Another time, someone in a lab coat, holding a clip board brushed passed them. When she looked down to see what was on it, he tilted it away from her view.

The basketball player brushed it off, assuming that people would behave the same way in a 'regular' office building, and that any information being obscured was because of confidentiality, not dark secrecy.

Rick took the two down a few flights of stairs, into a lower complex. It seemed that the further they went into the stronghold, the more closed doors she encountered, and the more suspicion was raised.

At the front, she only saw people in suits or military uniforms, and a couple people in lab coats. Now, she saw people in tight black jumpsuits with red goggles, and even large hazmat suits.

"Right in here." Rick stopped in front of a metal door. He pushed it open, and led the other two into a medium sized room with bunk beds aligning the walls. All of them were empty.

"Other teams are searching for civilians. You're the first to make it here, I guess." Rick turned to exit the room. "Washrooms are across the hall, and the cafeteria is back on the first floor. Get some rest; you never know when your next opportunity will be."

And with that, he left, closing the door behind him. Sanchali and Scott stood alone in the room for a few moments, looking it over. He finally put down his golf club, and leaned it against a wall.

"So," Sanchali broke the silence, "you just met him today?"

"Yep," he answered. "I'm lucky he chose me over all the other people in that city; poor souls must be dead by now."

She nodded, not knowing what to think of him. "Well, Mr. Burcin told us to get some rest."

Sanchali turned to climb into a bunk, but Scott put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped. "C'mon, I just met you! Can't we talk for a little while?"

Hesitantly, she turned around, and saw him innocently smiling at her. The smell of alcohol was overpowering. "I—," she stuttered, not knowing what to think.

Then, Scott lowered his head slightly, and took a deep breath in through his nose. A surge of emotions shot through Sanchali, and without thinking, she brought up her right hand, and slapped him across the face with all of her strength.

Startled, he stumbled backwards, and put a hand on his reddened cheek. He glared at her, and his other hand twitched in the direction of his weapon.

She went pale with fright. He could kill her right now; he wouldn't hesitate to kill anything else. And she had slapped him…for what? For breathing?

What were you thinking?

But instead, Scott only gave her a half smile, and started slowly moving out of the room. He picked up his golf club that he had left by the door, and then stopped.

"See you around," he said under his breath, before leaving the room. Sanchali could see his knuckles turning white around the shaft, but he closed the door behind him gently.

Upon doing so, she flopped into a bed, blankly staring up at the underside of the bunk above her. Now she knew that she was truly all alone.

As her eyes started to tear up, she closed them, and tried to forget about everything. She rolled over and moaned. After a few minutes of worry and sorrow, she fell into a deep sleep.

"So…when will we find anything?" Kurtiss asked, trying to hide his impatience.

"Soon enough," Josh answered, eyes scanning the street for transportation.

"Wait," Dr. Sarris said, "what's over there?"

She pointed off to the side of the road, and Josh moved his 'torch' over to it. A military jeep had been abandoned on the side of the road, as if it had been planted there just for them.

"Yes!" Kurtiss exclaimed, rushing over to it. The others followed, and examined the vehicle.

The jeep seemed to be in perfect condition, and the keys were even in the ignition. A paper map was spread out on the passenger seat, and all the doors were open.

"This is too convenient," Wilbert stated. "This is either a trap, or we are getting lucky at someone else's misfortune."

"Who cares?" Kurtiss said, hopping into the driver's seat. "The army dudes in this car must be in the forest, or maybe they abandoned their jeep in a hurry because they were attacked. Let's just be thankful we have it."

Then, he reached over to start the ignition. Immediately, Josh yelled, "NO!" However, he started the car anyway.

Smiling, he said, "See? It's not a bomb."

Josh glared at him, and then laughed. "Kurt, one day you're going to get us all killed. But until then, you're a life saver."

Dr. Sarris and Jian climbed into the back seat, along with Wilbert. Kurtiss moved over to allow Josh to get into the driver's seat, and then examined the map.

"Looks like there's a military base not far from here," Kurtiss observed.

Josh leaned over, and corrected, "That's a few hours' drive, buddy."

"Then let's go!"

Josh turned on the headlights, and threw his torch back onto the ground. He moved the vehicle back onto the road, and started down the road towards the military base. "You know which one we're heading to?" Wilbert asked.

Kurtiss showed him the map, and Wilbert closely examined it. "Well, I don't know a thing about military bases. I guess they have to be friendly; it's not like they're going to be shooting us on sight."

Josh sped up a little bit. "Man, this is creepy. It's what, noon, and I can't see a thing! The faster we get to that military base, the better."

"Agreed," more than one person said.

The Luumaothican commander hadn't lost sight of the group of humans that had recently acquired a vehicle. He could kill the humans now at any moment, but he didn't; the alien was having too much fun with them. An image of the jeep was displayed on a consol, and one male was holding a map. Zooming up on it, the commander realized that it would lead them to the human military base that had allied with them.

Too many minds in one place, however, would be dangerous. The former employee at Black Mesa was especially precarious, especially if he had contact with other scientists.

The commander didn't want them dead; not yet, anyway. Instead, he wanted them to be redirected to a separate military base. He was setting up a game of chess with the humans, and was looking forward to watching them fight it out.

A Luumaothican Soldier, armed with a plasma rifle, stepped into the drop tube. The ship's phase drive was fired up, and swirling green energy tore the alien apart, sending his matter down to the street below.

"So Wilbert," Dr. Sarris began, "you said you recovered your memory?"

"Yes," he proudly replied. "Everything in that packet of information was a lie, except for my first name."

"You know why aliens come to us?" Jian asked.

Wilbert explained, "I used to work at this research facility called Black Mesa. Our latest 'project' has been experimenting with cross dimensional travel. We discovered a certain compound that when exposed to the right type of radiation, 'softens' the fabric of space and time; in layman's terms, of course. Anyway, if the crystal is unstable, or the radiation exposure is too great, it creates what we call a resonance cascade. Wormholes will open randomly, more the closer you get to the epicenter. Creatures and objects will be brought through from the border world, and other universes will experience the same events."

Jian, although listening, hardly understood him, so only nodded at the conclusion of his speech.

"It's a crazy world," Josh, in the driver's seat, said.

"Hey." Kurtiss pointed up at a green light on the bottom of the alien ship. "What's that?"

The green light traveled downward very quickly until it was two meters away from the ground. Then, a swirling sphere of light spawned a fearsome looking alien, a little ways from the jeep.

"WHOA!" Josh yelled, as the creature aimed a weapon at them. He instantly opened the door, and jumped out of the car. Kurtiss and Wilbert did the same, and Jian took Rachael and Dr. Sarris in separate arms, and jumped out as well.

The monster caught the vehicle, and sent it spinning away. It landed on the side of the forest, shining its headlights into the road.

The group scattered onto opposite sides of the street, and watched the alien in horror. It had a sleek weapon attached to its arm, with a glowing green rectangle on the side. It aimed the weapon at Jian, and fired.

A bolt of grey plasma shot of out the front end, and Jian barely dodged it. The plasma incinerated the middle sections of a few trees behind them before finally stopping on the forest floor.

Kurtiss took out his sidearm, while Josh armed his assault rifle. Jian unsheathed his sword, and stood in front of Dr. Sarris and Rachael.

"Aim for the eyes!" Kurtiss shouted, squinting one eye to get a good view down the weapon's sights. He lined them up with the creature's orange eye, and fired. The bullet almost hit its target, but only ricocheted away off its forehead.

Josh had a different strategy. He aimed for the weapon the creature was holding, and fired at it. Multiple bullets hit it, but did no damage.

"Do not fire!" Jian shouted, running up to the creature. From behind, he swung his sword at its neck with all of his might. The silver blade stuck a few millimeters into its hard flesh, but went no further.

He pulled it out just as the alien spun around with its left arm's razor of a hand exposed. It tried to use the same tactic to behead Jian, but he ducked out of the way. Knowing the alien's next move, he jumped upward, planted his feet on the alien's shoulders, and drove his sword into its eye.

The blade slid off to the side of the eye, but penetrated between it and the green outer skin. It sunk deep into the skull, and finally stopped at the other side of its head. The orange eye dislodged from the socket, and rolled off.

Jian pulled his sword out, and stepped off the alien in the direction of Josh and Kurtis. "See, sword triumph over—"

"DUCK!" Kurtiss shouted, running towards him. The alien had pointed its cannon towards Jian and was about to fire. The Chinese man jumped to the side, and Kurtiss slid below its firing path. He quickly aimed the alien's gun upward, just as it fired. A bolt of plasma sailed upward through the air, and headed for the underside of the alien command ship.

The next event was unexpected. The projectile, being plasma, passed right through the alien's plasma based shields. Then, the bolt struck the black metal, melting it like a hot knife through butter. It continued upward, wrecking damage on whatever it touched.

"Get back, get back!" Josh commanded, but Kurtiss was already on it. He and Jian scurried away from the alien, just as an explosion was heard where the plasma had struck the ship. Little pieces of molten metal rained down on the forest, and then a large object fell from the alien ship. It landed squarely on the Luumaothican Soldier, completely crushing it.

The alien ship now had a burning wound on the underside, but the rain of fire had stopped. The group gathered around the alien.

"I call that a win," Kurtiss said, looking upward. "So now we know their weapons can damage themselves."

"Wait." Wilbert bent down, examining the squashed creature. Its arm was sticking out of the debris, still attached to the weapon. "And we have one!"

Josh put the assault rifle back over his shoulder, and bent down. He pulled the weapon off the alien, and was surprised to find it very light.

"Where's the trigger?" Kurtiss asked, looking over it. Sure enough, there was none.

Upon close examination, however, there was a hole in the back end, which the alien had slid its hand into. "We'll figure this out later," Wilbert advised. "The aliens won't be happy about that; we need to keep moving."

"Good idea," Josh said, handing the weapon to him. Jian sheathed his sword, and started moving over to the Jeep. Dr. Sarris and Rachael were all right, or at least, weren't harmed any further.

Kurtiss jogged up to the jeep, and then became frantic. The map they were following had been hit by a piece of debris, and was almost completely burned up. "No, NO!"

He picked it up, and quickly flung it to the ground. He stomped out the flame, and then picked up the remaining burnt pieces; it would do them no good now.

"Great," Josh grumbled.

"At least we have the jeep," Wilbert said. "Let's just—"

"Uh, Wilbert," Kurtiss cut him off, looking at the front. "I don't think this jeep will do us any more good."

"Why not? Oh." He saw that there was a hole that went straight through the hood, through the engine, and into the ground. Numerous fluids were pouring out of it, indicating that the car was no longer functional.

"Well, we aren't completely back to square one," Josh said. "We know what direction to go, and we have an alien weapon."

"Whatever the case," Dr. Sarris said, "let's stick to the forest, and keep moving."

The others agreed, and once again, they set off.