Author's Note: I own nothing.
13 Beginning of the War
Two days passed in a quiet tense fog. No one was sure what Attea had planned or where she and Dr. Psychobos had gone with the small dose they had left of the mind control juice. There was no sign of them anywhere, not even a whisper. It was starting to drive Jen up the wall. She shook her head, drumming her fingers on the door of the Proto-Truck. Traffic was at an absolute standstill, that certainly didn't help. Rook frowned.
"You have been tense the past few days. Are you well?" Jen shrugged.
"Just a bad feeling. Any word from Revonnah?" Rook nodded.
"Yes actually. Shar called me last night. With the help of the plumbers there have been over two dozen camps of Incursions arrested." Jen nodded. That was good, she had been really worried about Attea maybe heading back to Revonnah. It seemed that she didn't quite know that when she'd taken it over she had a family full of valuable hostages in Rook's family. She looked out the window again.
"I'm glad none of them got hurt." Rook smiled slightly but Jen had focused on something outside the window.
"The hell is going on out there." She asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Rook frowned looking out the windshield. Something was indeed happening out there, the cars that had been passing through the light they were a few cars behind had veered off out of the intersection. The asphalt was rumbling. Rook stepped out of the Proto-Truck as Jen made it to the crosswalk. Rook wasn't quite as quick as her though and did not reach her before the ground in front of the crosswalk split outward. The center of the intersection split open breaking outwards sending rocks flying and crashing into windshields. Jen ducked slightly but stepped a bit closer to the newly created hole. Out of it shot several ships racing up into the atmosphere, followed quickly by what must have been half the population of Undertown racing up and out of the atmosphere as fast as their ships would allow. One ship, slowed by a variety of things strapped to it, allowed its pilot to shout a quite clear warning.
"The Incursions are coming!" Jen swore as panic stole over the people surrounding the newly opened hole into Undertown. She turned to Rook.
"Call headquarters this panic is gonna spread quickly." He nodded racing back to the truck as a few more spaceships raced out of the hole in the ground. Jen pulled out her cellphone and quickly dialed a number. "Lieutenant Steele, yeah we have major problems incoming."
Jen was correct, to no one's surprise. But the level of their problems were on the rise a bit faster than they had predicted. They were facing an open war baring down on them from the skies, in the form of an incursion fleet baring down on the planet, and sheer panic on the streets from the very inelegant reveal of Undertown to the people living above them. Jen hated this part of her job, she was good at hitting things, she was a decent tactician but handling people was not her department. This was normally Gwen's job. It didn't sit well with Jen sitting on a stage that had been tossed together while the others were all prepping for the imminent invasion. Listening to Steele give the crowd the basics was boring but she was already here.
"As the public has been made aware there has been a settlement of extraterrestrials living under Bellwood California for some time. Yes the Government has been aware of this since the settlement, Undertown, was established almost two years ago." Jen blinked slightly. That was slightly new information. That meant that Undertown had been formed just after her defeat of the Hightbreed but she would think about that later. There were other things happening right now.
"What about the rumors running rampant that an alien invasion is approaching Earth?" One of the reporters demanded. Steele nodded.
"To speak on these rumors we have our liaison with the Plumbers, an intergalactic police force, Miss. Jen Tennyson." Jen stood to a few whispers and stepped up to the podium as Steele stepped aside, he looked slightly relieved as he turned his back on the crowd. She would have rolled her eyes at him but she was currently facing down at least six different cameras. She nodded to the crowd looking over the cards that she'd been given. She took a deep breath.
"As of one hour ago Plumber radar picked up several possibly hostile ships entering the solar system. There is a planetary shield in place and the Plumbers are preparing for every eventuality. If the shield is breached a warning will be sent out to the general populace. As of this moment the Plumbers recommend that people go home and shelter there." There were a few raised hands in the crowd but before Jen could answer any of their questions William Harangue stood up and shouted above everyone else.
"They're here to pick a fight with you aren't they! This is your fault!" Steele stood from his seat.
"Calm down or you will be removed from this meeting Mr. Harangue." Jen shook her head slightly at Steele before she turned to Harangue.
"No they're not here to pick a fight with me. This is what the Incursions do they try to expand their empire. When this meeting is done I will be rejoining the Plumbers to help them with the plans to see the Incursions off. But rest assured we will be ready if they decide they want a fight." Harangue glared but Steele took back over, ending the press conference before Harangue could continue his usual attacks against her. He stepped up to her as the press was shown out and shook her hand.
"Good luck Miss Tennyson." She nodded to him.
"You too Lieutenant. We're all gonna need it the next few days."