CHAPTER SEVEN: AFTERMATH

Slowly people realized it was over, namely because so many forms of communication were down due to satellites being destroyed or telephone lines being hit by fallen debris or enemy attacks. Word of mouth was effective, as was using transportation to move swiftly from place to place. Across the world people knew it was over, but they also knew things weren't over. Radiation contaminated the air, and people were still encouraged to stay inside, as far inside as they could manage.

This was impossible as food supplies began to run low. World leaders asked NASA and other entities to keep looking for the friendly alien ships, but it was over a week before they appeared. By then, millions had radiation poisoning, and thousands were dead or dying from this. Other problems occurred as the food supply faced problems, causing riots and fights across the globe. People were growing desperate, so the appearance of the supposedly good aliens was a welcomed sight.

Once again, Elwood City's mayor was contacted. He and his staff returned to the same meadow, now cratered by the landing of an enemy ship and the fight to take down the alien inside. The mayor was welcomed aboard, and the team of aliens from before greeted them with nods that expressed kindness, but mostly surprise.

"Forgive us. We expected to come to a destroyed planet. You live?" the dragonfly asked.

"Many live, yes, but radiation has contaminated the planet. It was the only way to defeat the aliens, to keep so many from landing," the mayor explained.

The dragonfly made a humming noise the mayor took to be a nod and replied, "Well, this is to be expected. How do you think many of us came to be sole survivors? Fighting a war is not easy, but you and your people have shown resilience. And your language is easier than expected. There are many exceptions but they are easy to pick up with help."

"Yes, that is true," the mayor nodded.

The dragonfly spun in place on his metallic circle as chirps, whines, and moans filled the air. After a moment they silenced and the dragonfly spun around with the force of a strong breeze to face the mayor, "We have agreed to help you in the decontamination process. It is our understanding that your technology has suffered greatly. We will work on this as well."

The mayor sat back in surprise. He had a list of things to ask for, but he didn't expect the aliens to provide them without him saying much of anything other than typical small talk.

The dragonfly moved backwards, "Humans are a strange race, as you call yourselves. You have passed this trial and appear pleased-"

"Trial?"

"Ah, yes, you do seem surprised by that. You see, the fleet you encountered is of a group of aliens that are rather despicable. They feed on intelligent life forms, including their own, without fear or...conscious. We enslaved them long ago after a battle. That is why we appear before you as we are, a group mixed and diverse yet lonely. We seek out new civilizations using them.

"I see your mistrust. I must assure you they would not have...decimated your planet. We are not cruel, just curious. You destroyed them. Good job. You will now be rewarded. You can be included in our elite group, even you, Mayor," the dragonfly said with a smile. The dragonfly stepped forward, "We knew from the beginning that you were not the highest power. You are no...president or monarch. You are a man, a smart, powerful man. We wish to include you in our group."

"I will have to discuss it with the others," the mayor said, blushing as nervousness swept over him.

"Of course, of course. We will deliver our message in writing for you to distribute," the dragonfly said as one of the tiny aliens brought forward a disc. On the disc were the documents the mayor would need, many of them in other languages for easier translation.

The mayor was released without fanfare and the message was distributed. As expected, many felt they were betrayed by these aliens, who tried to kill them with slaves rather than help to defend them from a real enemy force. The contamination was being dealt with by the three smaller ships, and scientists confirmed radiation levels were down across the globe.

But the betrayal meant people were skeptical about trusting this group. They were wary of letting anyone join them, especially a small-time mayor from Elwood City. They thought of offering someone of a higher caliber in his place, but the arguments were intense. Some felt he should go because he was the one communicating with them all along, but others agreed that he wasn't qualified, though they couldn't agree about who was.

The mayor proposed that no one go, but that too started many arguments. Someone had to go, but no one knew who, and regular citizens were happy not to make that choice. They felt tired and defeated despite the win, and all of this was beginning to be too much for everyone, even the alien-believer Buster Baxter. He wished none of this had ever happened, and he wasn't alone in this thought. The wide-spread belief was that everything would be fine if these aliens hadn't come, and a growing number of people wanted them to die.

The world became uneasy as the leaders tried to work out what to do. After two days, the aliens said their decontamination was as complete as it could be, something that scientists confirmed—only trace amounts of radiation remained in the Earth's atmosphere. This appeased the planet to know the air was no longer deadly, but that didn't change anything. The whole battle was a trick, and people wanted them to pay.

Finally the decision was made. To show their spite, no one would join their little elite group, and they would be asked to leave and never return. A vote was held and the majority of people agreed with this. So, the mayor was given this message and sent home to wait for the aliens to call him again. It was a short wait, and he went with his staff directly from the Elwood City Airport to the meadow.

The aliens were unhappy with the decision, but they accepted the terms, letting them know this sort of thing had happened before. A treaty was made, and the mayor was given a beacon to use in case the aliens were needed in the future. They said they would keep watch just in case, but they agreed to let the Earth do as it pleased.

Once the proceedings were finished, the mayor and his staff were released from the ship before it lifted off quietly, disappearing into the sunset. The mayor told the world what happened, and the world was comforted. This dark chapter in human history could be closed, but not entirely. It was now confirmed that alien life forms existed, and that they weren't necessarily friendly. This made many people wary, and a new battle was made: To contact or not to contact. The only thing everyone agreed on was that contact could wait until the alien contacted them, and live moved on.

But changes were made. Bailey, upset at the Crosswire's decision not to include him in their bunker, decided to seek employment elsewhere. He ended up with the crazy neighbor Muffy mentioned, a man who didn't mind including the butler in his bunker (though Bailey would prefer better company should the end of the world really come).

Bo Baxter wanted more time with his son and wanted to make things work with this ex-wife. He gave up his job at the large airlines and began flying for the small airport in Elwood City, which gave him enough money to buy a small house and treat his son to weakly movies and dinner without him having to give up meals. Bitzi, pleased by this and eager to reconnect, allowed him back into their lives. Within a few months, they were secretly dating again, and after a year, they remarried and moved into Bo's house, eager to start their life anew.

Buster wanted to thank the aliens for getting his parents back together, but the events turned him into a skeptic. He knew that aliens existed, but their friendly nature and his desire to join them on their ship and fly around the universe? That died the day of the invasion, and that spark could never be relit.

~End

A/N: So this is another installment in my Disasters series. I've wanted to do an alien invasion piece from the beginning, but I knew to let things take their course. I'd get the idea when I got the idea, so here it is, somehow written in one sitting (yes my fingers hurt pretty badly right now). I hope you guys enjoyed it, and if any of you have ideas about my next Disasters piece, let me know.