The Last Invasion
Delilah: Missing
Casey awoke groggily, grumbling in his sleep. He rubbed his hands in his eyes, flinched as the cast bumped his nose, and then blinked the sleep away. Something had woken him up, what was it? He peered in the dark at his alarm clock, three in the morning. The boy sighed, and leaned back into his pillow, dismissing whatever it was that had upset him as a bad dream.
"Casey!"
The boy jolted up, eyes wide. He knew that voice, it was Riva, but where was she coming from? He scrambled to untangle himself from the sheets to stumble over to the window. The alien girl's house was dark, except for the small amount of light radiating from the basement, which was usually on whenever Casey checked. He glanced in each window for a sign of her, scratching at his head in confusion. Was he hearing things? Was it some weird after effect of the alien serum Miss Levinson had used on him? Automatically, his hand found it's way in the dark to trace the scar on his face.
"Down here, Casey!" Riva's voice hissed, startling the boy. He took a step forward, landing on a sharp metal object. Biting down a curse, he squatted down to pick it up, when bright light radiated from the object. Casey gripped it in his hand, staring in wonder and awe. The object was perfectly smooth metal, which closely resembled a bullet.
Great, someone was shooting at him. And not shooting normal bullets, but strange glowing ones. He was beginning to wonder if he were still asleep when Riva appeared from the bullet. Not actually Riva, but a tiny version of her, formed from the light the object was casting out. The boy's jaw dropped, just as the metal object fell from his useless hands.
"Casey, please, listen to me!" The tiny Riva begged, staring up at him with those aqua eyes, just ten times smaller than usual. "What's going on?" Casey hissed, kneeling beside her. He picked up the bullet, staring at the alien image floating above it in disbelief. "It's a holomessanger. I will explain later, there is no time. You must come over immediately, something has happened."
"What? Didn't you talk to Stan and Stokely tonight?"
"Yes, they left several hours ago. Something has come up, and we must speak!"
"This thing is so cool. Can you see a little version of me there?"
"Casey!"
"Right, sorry, I'll be right over."
"Hurry, I believe time is of the essence."
- - -
Zeke had been sleeping quite well. Quite well, in fact. His parents were, as usual, somewhere else in the world; not that he cared. Felix was finally quiet since he had decided to feed it for once. And he had a date the following Saturday. Yes, Zeke Wells was sleeping well and having pleasant dreams of cheerleaders and making it as football captain.
Then the stupid phone rang. He considered just pulling the cord from the wall, and dropping back into bed. Maybe he could get back to where he had left, where Sasha was personally congratulating him for his victory as captain, cheerleader to quarterback. Instead, he picked up the receiver and pressed it against his head. "What?" He growled, voice slurring instead of the threatening growl he had meant for.
"You've got to come over here now, Zeke!"
Casey, of course. That boy was far to high strung. "Calm down Casey boy. You sound like-"
"Shut up, get dressed, and come to Riva's house! There's an emergency!" Zeke pulled back slightly, glaring at the phone. Casey had never spoken to him like that before, in fact, the kid had never spoken like that as far as Zeke knew. He bit back a smart aleck reply, forcing himself to calm down the hysterical boy. "Dude, chill. What's the problem?"
"They've got her, Zeke! They kidnapped her!"
"Who? What are you talking about?"
"They've got Delilah!"
- - -
Riva had managed to calm Casey down by the time Stan, Stokely, and Zeke had arrived. He was sitting on the couch staring lifelessly out the window, hands clenched into tight fists. Stan frowned, glancing at his girlfriend, "I don't get it, why is he so upset? I thought she had broken up with him."
"You can be such a moron, sometimes." Stokes replied, sitting beside Casey. Stan, knowing when he had something wrong or dumb, decided to place himself in another chair distanced from Stokely. Riva trailed after Zeke into the room, a small box clutched in her hands. "So, what's going on here, Riva? Casey wasn't exactly clear on the details," Zeke said, dropping on the other side of Casey.
The alien frowned, lines of worry creased on her face. She set the box on the coffee table where they all could easily see it. It was a simple wooden box, sanded smooth and painted black. She lifted the lid and reached within, withdrawing a folded photo that she handed to Zeke.
It was a picture of Delilah, but none that the small group had ever seen. A black handkerchief had been wadded and stuffed into her mouth, duck tape secured over it. She was seated on a chair, arms twisted back and held there by a pair of handcuffs. Her eyes were wide, filled with terror and stained with tears, running mascara. "Geez, I didn't know she was into that kind of stuff or else I would have dated her," Zeke commented.
Several moments later, Stan was able to pull a swinging Casey off of Zeke. Zeke was cursing a blue streak, glaring at the boy and hollering about how much being hit by a cast hurt. Between Stokely and Riva, the two boys were calmed and placed in opposite chairs, sulking and glowering. Stokely smacked a bag of frozen vegetables over Zeke's swollen eye, drawing another string of curses from him. "What was that for?" he snarled, pulling the bag away to glare with his good eye.
"Oops, it slipped." She replied snappishly, sitting in the chair. Riva waited until she was sure tempers had simmered before she spoke. She was worried the effects of stress were having over her human friends, as well as herself. "There was a message as well. I will play it, then translate." She said, reaching into the box again.
"Hey, isn't that a bullet? Woah, it's glowing." Stan breathed, leaning forward eagerly. "Yes, it's what we call a holomessanger. It's the standard form of communication short-distances for most alien races," she replied briskly, twisting the top as the light increased. The form of an Atlantian appeared, a mass of tentacles and teeth. Even shrunken down to that size, it struck fear into the small group, which was evident on the gathered faces.
A series of roars and growls issued from the creature's fanged mouth, leaving the humans clueless as to what was being said. Riva stopped the transmission as she saw the confusion on the other faces. "That was Marian, as you know her."
Zeke couldn't repress a shutter.
"She was saying that they have Delilah, and will kill her in two days if we don't give a response. They want Mary Beth in place of Delilah, and they want me to drop her off." Riva said slowly, staring sorrowfully around the faces. Before another could speak, she continued, "I will do this. I will not allow you're friend to be killed for my cowardice."
"No way!" Stokely cried, jumping up, chorused by Zeke and Stan. "We're not just going to hand you over to them, Riva! We'll come up with a plan or something." Stan added, glancing at the other two then pausing when he caught sight of Casey. The boy was hunched in his seat, arms folded over his chest. Zeke was also adding his opinion when he trailed off until all eyes were on Casey.
The boy slowly lifted his head, eyes locked on Riva. He was the only one who had not protested to her sacrifice, he was the only one not demanding she do that. Slowly, he stood. Riva was studying his face earnestly, searching it for something, a sign of any sort. Casey knew she would readily sacrifice herself for Delilah if he asked her to, not matter what the others said. It was either Delilah or Riva, what kind of sick choice was that?
Delilah who had dumped him the moment he wasn't the popular thing to be hanging off her arm. Delilah who could intoxicate him with a single whiff of her perfume. Delilah with her shining eyes and priceless smile and model body.
Or Riva, who was completely clueless and naive about the world. Riva who relied completely on him for guidance in the simplest things. Riva who had listened to his petty problems even when she didn't understand anything that was going on, but still pretended to care. No, not pretended, she really did care.
"You aren't going, Riva. I'll take Mary Beth instead, but you aren't going to give yourself over to them like that." He said lowly, but he meant ever word. Riva's eyes shimmered, a tiny smile pulling at the edges of her lips. She nodded slowly, reaching out and giving his hand a tight squeeze. Zeke piped up, "I think I've got an idea that just might work."
A.N.: Dun dun dun, and the plot thickens! And can you believe it? I updated in under a month. That's a reason to par-tay! Anyway, I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking guys! Exams are this week, ugh, I feel sick again. ^-^ Then Christmas break, which means lots of writing time. I might even have this story finished before 2004 gets here. Wow! Please start sending me your questions about plots and characters and stuff, just ask them in a review and I will have a questions and answer chapter at the very end. Thanks again, guys!!
Delilah: Missing
Casey awoke groggily, grumbling in his sleep. He rubbed his hands in his eyes, flinched as the cast bumped his nose, and then blinked the sleep away. Something had woken him up, what was it? He peered in the dark at his alarm clock, three in the morning. The boy sighed, and leaned back into his pillow, dismissing whatever it was that had upset him as a bad dream.
"Casey!"
The boy jolted up, eyes wide. He knew that voice, it was Riva, but where was she coming from? He scrambled to untangle himself from the sheets to stumble over to the window. The alien girl's house was dark, except for the small amount of light radiating from the basement, which was usually on whenever Casey checked. He glanced in each window for a sign of her, scratching at his head in confusion. Was he hearing things? Was it some weird after effect of the alien serum Miss Levinson had used on him? Automatically, his hand found it's way in the dark to trace the scar on his face.
"Down here, Casey!" Riva's voice hissed, startling the boy. He took a step forward, landing on a sharp metal object. Biting down a curse, he squatted down to pick it up, when bright light radiated from the object. Casey gripped it in his hand, staring in wonder and awe. The object was perfectly smooth metal, which closely resembled a bullet.
Great, someone was shooting at him. And not shooting normal bullets, but strange glowing ones. He was beginning to wonder if he were still asleep when Riva appeared from the bullet. Not actually Riva, but a tiny version of her, formed from the light the object was casting out. The boy's jaw dropped, just as the metal object fell from his useless hands.
"Casey, please, listen to me!" The tiny Riva begged, staring up at him with those aqua eyes, just ten times smaller than usual. "What's going on?" Casey hissed, kneeling beside her. He picked up the bullet, staring at the alien image floating above it in disbelief. "It's a holomessanger. I will explain later, there is no time. You must come over immediately, something has happened."
"What? Didn't you talk to Stan and Stokely tonight?"
"Yes, they left several hours ago. Something has come up, and we must speak!"
"This thing is so cool. Can you see a little version of me there?"
"Casey!"
"Right, sorry, I'll be right over."
"Hurry, I believe time is of the essence."
- - -
Zeke had been sleeping quite well. Quite well, in fact. His parents were, as usual, somewhere else in the world; not that he cared. Felix was finally quiet since he had decided to feed it for once. And he had a date the following Saturday. Yes, Zeke Wells was sleeping well and having pleasant dreams of cheerleaders and making it as football captain.
Then the stupid phone rang. He considered just pulling the cord from the wall, and dropping back into bed. Maybe he could get back to where he had left, where Sasha was personally congratulating him for his victory as captain, cheerleader to quarterback. Instead, he picked up the receiver and pressed it against his head. "What?" He growled, voice slurring instead of the threatening growl he had meant for.
"You've got to come over here now, Zeke!"
Casey, of course. That boy was far to high strung. "Calm down Casey boy. You sound like-"
"Shut up, get dressed, and come to Riva's house! There's an emergency!" Zeke pulled back slightly, glaring at the phone. Casey had never spoken to him like that before, in fact, the kid had never spoken like that as far as Zeke knew. He bit back a smart aleck reply, forcing himself to calm down the hysterical boy. "Dude, chill. What's the problem?"
"They've got her, Zeke! They kidnapped her!"
"Who? What are you talking about?"
"They've got Delilah!"
- - -
Riva had managed to calm Casey down by the time Stan, Stokely, and Zeke had arrived. He was sitting on the couch staring lifelessly out the window, hands clenched into tight fists. Stan frowned, glancing at his girlfriend, "I don't get it, why is he so upset? I thought she had broken up with him."
"You can be such a moron, sometimes." Stokes replied, sitting beside Casey. Stan, knowing when he had something wrong or dumb, decided to place himself in another chair distanced from Stokely. Riva trailed after Zeke into the room, a small box clutched in her hands. "So, what's going on here, Riva? Casey wasn't exactly clear on the details," Zeke said, dropping on the other side of Casey.
The alien frowned, lines of worry creased on her face. She set the box on the coffee table where they all could easily see it. It was a simple wooden box, sanded smooth and painted black. She lifted the lid and reached within, withdrawing a folded photo that she handed to Zeke.
It was a picture of Delilah, but none that the small group had ever seen. A black handkerchief had been wadded and stuffed into her mouth, duck tape secured over it. She was seated on a chair, arms twisted back and held there by a pair of handcuffs. Her eyes were wide, filled with terror and stained with tears, running mascara. "Geez, I didn't know she was into that kind of stuff or else I would have dated her," Zeke commented.
Several moments later, Stan was able to pull a swinging Casey off of Zeke. Zeke was cursing a blue streak, glaring at the boy and hollering about how much being hit by a cast hurt. Between Stokely and Riva, the two boys were calmed and placed in opposite chairs, sulking and glowering. Stokely smacked a bag of frozen vegetables over Zeke's swollen eye, drawing another string of curses from him. "What was that for?" he snarled, pulling the bag away to glare with his good eye.
"Oops, it slipped." She replied snappishly, sitting in the chair. Riva waited until she was sure tempers had simmered before she spoke. She was worried the effects of stress were having over her human friends, as well as herself. "There was a message as well. I will play it, then translate." She said, reaching into the box again.
"Hey, isn't that a bullet? Woah, it's glowing." Stan breathed, leaning forward eagerly. "Yes, it's what we call a holomessanger. It's the standard form of communication short-distances for most alien races," she replied briskly, twisting the top as the light increased. The form of an Atlantian appeared, a mass of tentacles and teeth. Even shrunken down to that size, it struck fear into the small group, which was evident on the gathered faces.
A series of roars and growls issued from the creature's fanged mouth, leaving the humans clueless as to what was being said. Riva stopped the transmission as she saw the confusion on the other faces. "That was Marian, as you know her."
Zeke couldn't repress a shutter.
"She was saying that they have Delilah, and will kill her in two days if we don't give a response. They want Mary Beth in place of Delilah, and they want me to drop her off." Riva said slowly, staring sorrowfully around the faces. Before another could speak, she continued, "I will do this. I will not allow you're friend to be killed for my cowardice."
"No way!" Stokely cried, jumping up, chorused by Zeke and Stan. "We're not just going to hand you over to them, Riva! We'll come up with a plan or something." Stan added, glancing at the other two then pausing when he caught sight of Casey. The boy was hunched in his seat, arms folded over his chest. Zeke was also adding his opinion when he trailed off until all eyes were on Casey.
The boy slowly lifted his head, eyes locked on Riva. He was the only one who had not protested to her sacrifice, he was the only one not demanding she do that. Slowly, he stood. Riva was studying his face earnestly, searching it for something, a sign of any sort. Casey knew she would readily sacrifice herself for Delilah if he asked her to, not matter what the others said. It was either Delilah or Riva, what kind of sick choice was that?
Delilah who had dumped him the moment he wasn't the popular thing to be hanging off her arm. Delilah who could intoxicate him with a single whiff of her perfume. Delilah with her shining eyes and priceless smile and model body.
Or Riva, who was completely clueless and naive about the world. Riva who relied completely on him for guidance in the simplest things. Riva who had listened to his petty problems even when she didn't understand anything that was going on, but still pretended to care. No, not pretended, she really did care.
"You aren't going, Riva. I'll take Mary Beth instead, but you aren't going to give yourself over to them like that." He said lowly, but he meant ever word. Riva's eyes shimmered, a tiny smile pulling at the edges of her lips. She nodded slowly, reaching out and giving his hand a tight squeeze. Zeke piped up, "I think I've got an idea that just might work."
A.N.: Dun dun dun, and the plot thickens! And can you believe it? I updated in under a month. That's a reason to par-tay! Anyway, I'm feeling much better, thanks for asking guys! Exams are this week, ugh, I feel sick again. ^-^ Then Christmas break, which means lots of writing time. I might even have this story finished before 2004 gets here. Wow! Please start sending me your questions about plots and characters and stuff, just ask them in a review and I will have a questions and answer chapter at the very end. Thanks again, guys!!