Title - Reality
Rating PG - PG-13 - Bit gory
"Tell me about it Alec, but this is the reality of the conflict. I wish Henderson would get off his high horse and realise that instead of giving me his usual verbal diarrhoea."
"He's been on the phone then?"
"Oh you might know, the usual crud, how it shouldn't have got through the moonbase defences in the first place, skydiver should have been a bit quicker off the mark, too many eyewitnesses"
Straker paused and lit a cigar, offering one to Freeman who did likewise.
"The eyewitnesses were easy to deal with, the film on all their cameras is being analysed now. By the way What happenned to the alien?"
"Vanished. The mobiles are out searching and sky-one is our eye in the sky."
"I see, what about his family?"
"I suppose we will have to fob them off with some story." There was an awkward silence as the two men momentarily reflected. Their thoughts were interrupted by the intercom on the desk and a familiar voice,
"I have Lieutenant Ellis on the video link for you sir"
The two men put out their cigars and left the office.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been too long a day, first the deal with the firm in Sweden crumbled around him, 6 months work for nothing, all his fault of course; then the power failure and finally he had managed to pour coffee all down his shirt. He turned up the radio in the car and hummed along to the music. He suddenly became aware of a whirring noise. Turning down the radio he listened, it wasn't the car. Slightly unnerved, he increased the pressure on the accelerator and turned up the radio. Sill the noise persisted but now he was sure it was louder. Yes, definitely louder, and closer. Something was moving above the line of trees. No. What was he thinking, it had been a long stressful day, he was tired.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Confirm UFO beyond interceptor range, heading for Earth." The monotonous voice of SID ran out around the SHADO control room.
"Do we have the trajectory termination yet?" Straker had resumed his position in command.
"Just coming through now sir," Ford replied sat in front of his control panel, "course still 028-563, ETT area 21, reference 4-09 green."
"Alert the mobiles. Get mobile 3 to move in, the other two continue the search for the first UFO." Colonel Freeman entered the room, carrying a map of the area. Turning to Straker he asked,
"The interceptors missed?"
"Yes, it was violently changing course, now past the defences it's maintaining a constant flight path."
Paul Foster's voice came over the intercom,
"Mobile 3 moving into position now."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He blinked, he was still alive but he was aware of a severe pain in his leg, his head felt sore too. Ahead of him, he could make out the smoking outline of his car. All he could remember was an almighty sound like a gun being fired. The pain in his leg was getting unbearable. Lying on the ground, with his ear to the ground he could make out the sound of footsteps coming towards him. Relief swept over him, temporarily numbing his leg, someone had seen the crash and come to help. He pushed himself over onto his back to see who it was. His eyesight was blurred, all he could see was the outline of a figure. They appeared to be dressed in a red suit of some kind. They seemed to be carrying something. A gunshot rang out. There was a suffocating pressure on his chest then pain like he had never know in his life. He felt himself being hurled onto his back, a figure stood over him, something shiny in their hand, they brought it down, he screamed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"No sir, nothing as yet."
"Keep looking Colonel, I want that alien, preferably alive."
"What now?" Alec Freeman helped himself to a shot of whisky.
"We wait."
"You dont think it could have come to collect the first alien?"
"It's definitely a possibility Alec after that first one blew up."
"Commander!" Straker spun round at the sound of Foster's voice,
"Go ahead Paul,"
"No sign of the alien, but we've found another body."
"Seal-off the area, myself and Colonel Freeman are on our way."
"I should warn you sir, it's a bit of a mess." Ford could have sworn he heard a wretching noise in the background. It had possibly not gone unnoticed by Straker,
"What do you mean 'a bit of a mess'?"
"Well there was a car crash," Foster faltered, "and there is a body...uhm...and it's...well...in pieces."
"Fetch Jackson will you Alec."
In less than a quarter of an hour, the three men were in Straker's car.
"Aside from the fact that we have the second mutilated body in less than a week, we now have two aliens running around the countryside."
"I know Alec, and I am beginning to believe that you're suspicion about the second one coming to get the first is well founded."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Foster would say he had a strong stomach. Flying supersonic jets made it somewhat of an advantage but this had made him more than queasy. This wasnt helped by the fact that several of his colleagues had been sick. He couldnt blame them, the sight that had greeted them was nothing short of a blood bath. A carcass of what appeared to be a man, the chest cavity had been cut open. Multiple organs had been removed, amongst them the heart and lungs. But what had unnerved him the most was the head. It was hollow, the brain had been removed.
The sound of an engine signalled the arrival of Commander Straker.