Chapter 2

It had been only a day since the gene clinic opening ceremony I was going to speak at was crashed by those rebels, and I was already getting interviewed about it. I told them my side of the story, and hit all the beats Advent wanted me to. Stuff like how I was grateful for the protection and fast response of Advent, I'm actually happy they got there when they did, I definitely could have been killed that day. Also, how the troopers that died that day were with the Elders now. I'm not a big fan of the whole Elder worship thing, and I really hope I don't go anywhere near them when I die. Being in a room with a bunch of thin grey aliens doesn't sound like my kind of party. I, of course, omitted the viper I saw from my report to Advent and the interview.

I have been avoiding those things as much as I could since the incident. It's crazy how you never really notice the presence of something until you're absolutely terrified of it. I've been seeing them everywhere lately. In the city, in my neighborhood, there were even some in this tv studio.

That interview had taken a lot out of me, so I went to grab a soda from the vending machine down the hall. The hallway was clean and well lit, and there wasn't much of interest in it besides the... 7 foot tall viper slithering towards me.

I kept my pace and tried to avoid making eye contact with it. It was probably just on a patrol or something, but this was the first time I had been close to one since the terrorist attack. I felt my heart rate increase, and I knew it was looking at me as it got closer. Suddenly, I thought about it just stopping in the middle of this empty hallway, and pushing me against a wall. I didn't want to think about what would happen after that. I started sweating, so I tugged on my red tie, which had an advent logo on it, to loosen it. I looked over at it for a second and saw it was staring at me with dilated pupils. I actually let loose a yelp when I found out it was looking at me, and snapped my head forward. It passed by me silently.

I saw my goal ahead of me: the soda machine. It had that standard Advent aesthetic to it, black with some red glowing lights. Completely designed for utility, no pizzazz whatsoever. Once I reached it, I turned around to see that viper turning a corner and traveling down another hallway. I sighed in relief as I looked over my choices: advent cola, advent orange, advent lime, or advent grape. I waved my arm in front of the machine, and my phone carried out the transaction. I pushed the button for Advent lime, and pulled out the bottle.

I started sipping on it, as I walked to my makeup room, dreading who I would surely meet there. My manager, who on the best of days was an emotionless prick. I'm not sure what the hell he is, but he certainly is not human. I'd like to say he's a relic from the invasion, but I don't think I've seen anyone else that looks exactly like him. I think I heard someone call him a Thin-man once, which would make sense. I mean, the guy is built like a twig, but if he is an alien I don't understand what the Elder's were thinking when they made him. He looks like he's going to run for senate, or something, and he's ugly. I wonder just how good they've gotten at mimicking us since the invasion?

To be honest I'm not sure why Advent keeps my manager around. Who knows, maybe he did something exceptional and this is his reward, or maybe this is a punishment. My musing came to an end, I had reached the door to my makeup room. I sighed, grabbed the door handle, and entered the room.

There he was in all of his blue suited glory, sitting in one of the pleather chairs at the back of the room. Strangely enough, I saw a short glass filled with brown liquid and ice sitting next to him on an end table. "Hello... Manny." I'll never know why he wants me to call him by the nickname of a 40 year old trucker, but every time I've tried to question him about it he dodges them. I don't know, he probably just chose it to fuck with me.

He looked up at me and adjusted his gold rimmed spectacles. "Mr. Hickey. I see you have finished with your interview. I was watching on the Viewing screen over there." He gestured to a TV in the corner of the room. "Your performance was... adequate." He spoke in that matter of fact sort of way, seems he's in a good mood today.

I chuckled and put on a smile. "Well, I would have had more time to prepare If you didn't schedule my interview the day after the event."

He nodded. "You understand how media works. The story must be put out right away. We can't have people filling in the blanks with lies, now can we?"

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. "I'm just gonna be straightforward with you, I need a break." It took a lot of effort to squeeze that out of myself.

His brow furrowed and he looked at me with a serious expression. "Out of the question. I have you assigned to 3 interviews this week alone. You have a duty..."

Normally I can deal with Manny's inhuman attitude, but tonight was different. I just couldn't take the pressure anymore, so I snapped. "Manny, I fucking killed somebody yesterday! I saw his brains splatter against the wall of my limo. 24 hours ago I was in a fucking warzone! I've put up with a lot of shit, but I need a break."

He put his hand up to his chin, in thought. "I do not understand why you are upset about killing a terrorist. You were instrumental in getting a substantial number of them killed years ago. This is good."

I can't believe he brought that up, especially now. It was 4 years ago I still remember the stench of that shitty apartment. I had been drinking all day, and finally worked up the courage to do it. I remember shakily dialing the number for Advent's suspicious activity hotline. The woman who answered barely said a word as I told her the meeting location and time of a local rebel group. I managed to say their names to her, reading them off of a list I had made. She thanked me for my time and that was that. The decision was much harder than the act itself. Turned out they were planning something huge, and because of me they weren't able to execute their plan. It's the main reason I have my job. It's why Advent put me up on a pedestal and declared me a hero.

I blinked my eyes and pushed that memory away. Manny was still talking about something, so I interrupted him. "There's a difference between killing someone, and leaving a tip on a meeting location. I was able to do this interview, but I don't know if I can keep it together enough to do more."

He didn't react to my outburst. He was silent, and appeared to be analyzing every word I spoke. He waited to respond until I was finished speaking. "I can see you are emotionally distraught Mr. Hickey, but I am not a therapist." Yeah tell me something I don't already know you alien freak. "Though, I understand your concern. It is not your duty to defend yourself, that is our duty."

Still rageful, I butted in. "So, what are you gonna do about it?"

Manny stood up and straightened his tie. Being a head taller than me, he was looking down at me. "I would like to apologize on behalf of Advent for not providing you with adequate security. It is... regrettable that you had to experience what you did. However, because this attack was, in part, directed at you. I can arrange for you to have better security. I think Advent would consider granting you a non-trooper field operative, and you will likely be permitted to keep your gun."

I was in shock, Manny had actually listened to my complaints for once. I guess Advent really dropped the ball on this one. I was happy to hear he'd buff my security, but I don't like the way he described my new bodyguard. "What do you mean by non-trooper field operative?"

Manny pursed his lips. "Your new guard will not be human at all."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so all I said was. "No."

Manny shook his head. "It's not your decision to make."

I tried to hold my tongue, but I couldn't. "Manny, you know how I feel about non-human guards. I don't want some... alien following me around all day! At least when I had the troopers I could pretend they were human. I can't trust them to protect me." My eyes widened a little, I probably shouldn't have said that.

Manny gritted his teeth audibly, which he only did when I had managed to thoroughly piss him off. "Mr. Hickey, you are a valuable asset to Advent, and we want what is in both your and humanity's best interests." He pulled off his spectacles to reveal his reptilian eyes and looked directly into mine. "Just because we were born offworld doesn't mean we aren't earthlings. It is the will of the Elders that we all live together, and you have a duty to the Elders and to Advent. You wouldn't be thinking of defying the Elders wishes, would you?"

Shit, he had me. There was no way I was getting out of this without just submitting. Even if Manny was an earthling, he certainly doesn't act like one. Or, at least, I doubt he sees everyone else as fellow earthlings. "No, you're right Manny, I'm sorry. It's just difficult for me to adjust to new things. I'm grateful for everything Advent and the Elders have done for me and for humanity. I've just been under a lot of stress lately, and I need a break."

Manny's pupils contracted, and he seemed to be studying me while I spoke. When I finished he seemed satisfied with my answer. "I understand. I'll see what can be arranged with this break of yours. I suppose the trauma you have experienced warrants it. - As for the new bodyguard, do you understand?"

I still wasn't ready to back down on that. "I don't, couldn't you just assign me more troopers this time?"

Manny shook his head. "It would be inefficient to have a large detachment of peacekeepers protecting you at all times, and it would draw too much attention in public."

I sighed, and looked away from Manny's interrogating eyes. "I understand."

I heard my manager sit back down in his chair. "Good, I'll ensure that this is organized for tomorrow, and I will discuss the possibility of your break. You should go home now. Unless you wish to discuss something more with me?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, thanks, but I'll have to pass on the small talk. See you around Manny."

He put his spectacles back on. "Farewell Mr. Hickey, stay out of trouble." As I left the room I saw him reach for the glass of whisky sitting next to his chair. I didn't even know he could drink, but I suppose we all have our vices.

It didn't take long before I was home. The trip to the gated community I lived in never took that long because it was close to the middle of the city. Another one of the privileges I got to enjoy: living in a well guarded little suburb reminiscent of how they used to look. My house wasn't huge, but it was the lap of luxury compared to the shitty apartment I was assigned when I was a factory worker. Two stories (if you count the basement), four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small backyard. It was designed as a family home, but they assigned it to me for some reason. Probably because they didn't want to build a new one.

I walked inside and turned the lights on. Over the last two days I had started to realize how empty this house was. Usually there'd be at least one trooper outside, or in the basement, but now I was well and truly alone. I saw that pistol sitting on my island countertop in the kitchen. I walked over to it and read the paper tag attached to it. "Cleaned and inspected by" and there was a signature at the bottom, but I couldn't tell what the name was. I ripped the tag off and threw it in the trash.

I picked up the gun and observed it as I walked into my bedroom. I had left it in the limo, and didn't think about taking it with me. For all I knew this could be a different gun, but I had a feeling it was the same one. I saw myself shooting that terrorist flash into mind. It was scary how easy it was - I saw him poke his head in the door, and I pulled the trigger without thinking for even a moment. It was over in an instant, and I didn't even have to use all the bullets in the clip. When I was in the limo, all I could think about was what the rebels were gonna do to me if they got in, and after I killed him it was still all I could think about. Even now I didn't feel any guilt for killing him, did that make me a bad person? I shook these thoughts from my mind and shoved the gun in my nightstand drawer. No, I was not like those terrorists, I was not a remorseless killer. Hopefully with the gun out of sight I could put these thoughts out of my mind. I grabbed some clothes and left my room.

I showered before returning to my room. As I walked in, I looked over my posters from the old world hanging on my walls. Nothing too fancy, just some video games and one for a soda brand. It wasn't much, but I liked to reminisce about how things used to be when I was younger. Some of my neighbors were crazy about collecting relics from the old world. Hell, Frank across the street has his basement done up to look like a speakeasy from the prohibition era. Yeah, he's thrown some great parties.

Of course It was all just stuff to me, I didn't really need it. I mean, I'd hate to lose my father's leather shoes, but I'd trade it all to make this house feel less empty. This house oppressed me with the silence that pervaded throughout it. I guess It didn't matter how many people I hung out with, or how many parties I went to. At the end of the day, I entered an empty room, turned off the lights, and climbed into a cold bed with nothing but my thoughts for company.

I chastised myself for that last thought. Shouldn't be so pessimistic, at least I have a house, and a well paying job. I chuckled to myself as I walked through my empty room, flicked the lightswitch, and climbed into my cold bed. All I could think about was what Advent was going to assign me tomorrow as a bodyguard. I hoped it wasn't one of those sectoids, I didn't need Advent getting daily reports on my thoughts. It took a while, but eventually I fell into a restless sleep.