Hi everyone! Wow, this chapter was hard to write, but here it is! Busy week, too! Sorry for the delay! Please review and tell me what you think!
As always, I own nothing.
~Mel

Alise walked into the right side doors of the convention center and was met with a gust of warm air. She was glad she could still feel it. She noted that she couldn't feel the halves of her fingers in her left hand at this point in time, and she was worried it wouldn't be too much longer before she couldn't feel her entire hand.

She entered the lobby of the convention center to see that it wasn't very full, but there were some well dressed men and women hurrying around. She was met with strange looks by some of them, but none of them seemed to notice her wound on her back because she was facing them, and they kept on walking.

Suddenly, Alise flinched as she heard the slamming of something at the front desk of the lobby. She turned and saw that at the front desk there was an upset looking suited man. His one hand was running through his hair and his other was on the plastic corded telephone on the counter. Sweat was visibly presence on his forehead, and he looked edgy.

Alise decided that it she was supposed to get her word out to the building through someone, it would probably be him, and yet she was a little wary to approach him. He looked like he was about to snap. However, she knew they were losing time, so she started to walk as best she could over to the front desk.

She slowly approached it, and the man looked at her. She saw that his nametag read Oscar Speed. He took in a deep breath and tried to put on a smile.

"May I help you?" he asked with a forced pleasantness.

"Yes," Alise started. "Is there a delegates meeting-"

"Finally, you're here!" Speed yelled suddenly, throwing his hands in the air. Alise jumped from his sudden tone change.

"What?" she asked him, highly confused and a little nervous.

"You're one of the interpreters, right?" he asked quickly. Alise shook her head.

"Umm, well I am an interpreter… but I was never supposed to be here," she said steadily, gripping onto the counter for a little support. She suddenly felt dizzy, and to her silent horror, she noticed she couldn't feel the tips of her toes.

Speed's face dropped.

"Oh," he said hotly, and a little annoyed. "I apologize. The French delegates didn't bring their own interpreters to this little event because we promised them that we would provide them with some. We were having them driven over today, and they were supposed to be here two hours ago."

Alise could see that his face was getting a little red and she was little taken back at how he was loosing his cool in front of her. "I've been trying to call the agency that was going to transport them over here, but the damn phone lines are dead! Now the only people in there who speak English are the center's two resident interpreters and a select few of members of the National Assembly!" He was starting to breathe in and out hotly.

Alise cringed. "Well, I'm not about to make your life any simpler," she said solemnly. Speed paused.

"Why?" he said suspiciously. Alise saw him start to place his hand under the counter. She suspected there was a security button there. She took in a deep breath.

"Because this place is about to turn into a warzone. If you don't evacuate now, we may lose everyone in here."

Speed paused. All he did was stare at her for a few moments, but then his eyes glazed over and he became very angry.

"Look, girl," he said threateningly. "I don't know what kind of sick joke you're playing here, but get out now, or I'm calling security, and the police."

"Listen to me," Alise said, suddenly angry. She didn't know if it was the pain or the nerves that were making her act this way, but she knew this wasn't the time to play nice. People's lives were at stake. "You need to do what I say. I am not some nutcase from the streets who's just coming in here for something to do. Outside, not even a mile away, people are getting injured and killed and the world is falling apart! And if you don't do what I say, a lot of people are going to get hurt. I don't care if you call your security and lock me in the god forsaken basement, as long as you get everyone else out."

Speed just continued to look at her, still eyeing her distrustfully.

"That's impossible," he said, he scoffed. "A war in Mission City? Yeah, right."

"Why do you think your phone lines aren't working? The whole city's shutting down! It's probably why your interpreters didn't show up either!"

Speed's expression changed slightly. He suddenly looked as if he was he was taking what she was saying into consideration, but he didn't respond right away or change his icy demeanor.

"What do you mean a warzone?"

Alise looked down. "Well I can't exactly explain it-"

His eyes hardened again and he scoffed. "You can't explain. Excellent, great. Leave. Now."

Alise looked him in the eyes. "If you don't believe me, you can look outside. There's smoke in the distance on the corner of the street."

Speed's eyes turned suspicious again, and he looked like he was about to say something when suddenly his radio crackled to left on his belt.

"Hey, Osc," a male voice said. Speed turned away from her for a moment, picked up the radio, pushed a button, and spoke into it.

"What is it Mike," Speed said, looking at her uncertainly.

"Hey I'm on the third floor right now," 'Mike' continued. "I just thought I'd let you know that there's a something going on about half a mile away. Looks like a fire or something."

Speed twitched a little. He didn't speak for a moment, and Alise raised her eyebrow in a 'I told you so' fashion. He pushed the button once more. "What do you mean?"

"Aaa, I'm not sure. It's probably nothing, but all there is, is a big black mushroom cloud of smoke coming from somewhere in the city. It actually looks kinda cool. You should come up and take a look."

Speed paused. He looked at Alise, astounded.

"What's going on?" he asked her. He suddenly sounded nervous and looked it too.

"I'm sorry, but I can't explain," Alise said sorrowfully. "But we need to get everyone in here out. Do the delegates have a hotel they're staying at? Preferably, away from the city?"

Speed looked as if he was thinking for a quick second. "Yes. There's a hotel they're all staying at about two miles outside of the city. All their drivers were transporting them to and from here."

"Prefect," Alise said. "I need you to tell the drivers to get ready ASAP. And your other interpreters, I need to talk to them. I'm going to need to speak to the delegates, and try to explain to them what's going on."

Speed nodded slowly, but stared at her for a moment. "Who are you?" He asked the question as if she was some kind of saint or something.

"I'm just trying to help," she said with a meek smile, and he shook his head.

"Hey, Oscar! You there or what?" Mike said through the radio once more. Speed quickly grabbed the radio and pushed the button.

"Mike, listen. We have an emergency. I need you to go down to the parking lot and tell all the drivers to prepare for departure back to their hotel. After I need you to alert the entire staff to get out. This is a code red. Everyone has to get out of here now. Me and a few others are going to evacuate the delegates."

Mike didn't respond for a moment. "Yeah, Osc, okay. What's going on?"

"I don't really know, but if we don't get everyone out of here, I think we're gonna be in deep shit." Alise idly wondered in the back of her mind how long Oscar had had his job working the front desk. She could easily see him being written up for using language in front of patrons. She quickly dismissed the thought.

"Okay, I'll haul ass. Radio me later for an update."

"Will do."

Oscar quickly clipped the radio back to his belt and he shot Alise a glance before picking up the corded plastic phone and hitting a few numbers. He waited a moment, and then his voice echoed over the loud speakers. "Will Mr. Ryans and Miss Topher please come to the front desk immediately. You both have phone calls from a Mr. Red." Alice knew he was sending out some kind of signal from the way he emphasized the word. He hung up the phone and turned to her and sighed heavily.

A moment later, two people walked through a set of double doors down one of the hallways. It was a man and a woman, both looking to be in their late twenties, both wearing formal attire. When the door closed behind them, they both significantly picked up their pace and they ran to the front desk.

"Oscar," the man said worriedly. "What's going on?"

Oscar shook his head and turned to Alise. "This is Logan and Mia, the center's interpreters." He turned back to them. "I'm not sure, but there's something going on in the city. We need to evacuate the delegates now."

Just as Logan was starting to ask, "What do you mean?" Mia questioned, "Who's she?" and gestured towards Alise.

Alise turned to Mia. "I'm here to warn you all. We need to get them out now. There's a war going on."

Mia and Logan gave her confused looks. Alise sighed hotly. She was losing too much time trying to explain this to them. So as quick as she could without making herself hurt, she turned around.

Mia let out a gasp, and Logan cursed as they the large spot of blood on her back. Oscar jumped a little, but for once, stayed quiet, eyes wide. She turned back around.

"That happened to me out there," Alise said softly, but sternly. "And I was lucky. We need to get them out. Now."

"Oh my god!" Mia yelled over her, seeming to not have listened to Alise fully. "You need an ambulance!"

"No!" Alise quickly and impatiently. "What I need is your help!" The three looked nervously at Alise, as this they were all finally getting the severity of the situation.

"Please," she said desperately. "We need to save these people."

The three exchanged glances and then shook their heads.

"What do you want us to do?"

The four quickly devised a game plan. After learning that Alise was fluent in French, they determined that it would be best for her to try and explain the situation to the delegates, due to the fact that, that was what she was doing there in the first place. She was told there were about eighty members of the French government in the convention room, and they right now they were quickly walking to the doors where they were all officials were.

Alise was undoubtedly a little nervous. Though she spent an entire year interpreting in Phoenix, she had never spoken to a crowd so large or so important. The furthest up on the political food change she had ever spoken for was a Russian corporate businessman her father used to work with. The concept of what she was going to do would not be difficult; go in and get them out. However, that was a task easier said than done.

Just before they opened the door Alise yelled, "Wait!"

The three turned around, startled. "What is it?" Oscar asked worriedly.

Alise turned. "Give me your jacket," she said to Mia. She gave her a confused look.

"Why?"

"I don't think they'll stay too calm if they see my back," Alise said, and she gestured behind her with her thumb. Mia's look disappeared and she nodded. She quickly slipped out of her jacket and handed it to Alise. Alise put it on gently, her back screaming in protest at the movement, but she tried her best to ignore it. Once it was on, she took a deep breathe and nodded. Logan then opened the door to the room, and the four walked in.

They weren't noticed when they entered the large room. A speaker was giving a speech in French on stage and the room's attention was all on him. Alise listened to him for a moment, and she heard him talking about communication with other countries. He was making very valid points while he spoke and she saw that many of the delegates nodded as he continued to talk. They were all sitting at round tables placed in the room, five at each. All the men were dressed in suits and ties and the woman were wearing bright, colorful dresses.

As they started to walk to the stage around all the delegates, Alise was having a little trouble keeping up. She started to feel dizzy while she walked, and she realized that she couldn't feel any of her fingers on her left hand. She knew she needed to wrap this up quick. They quickly got to the side of the stage, when Oscar whispered in Logan ear.

"Tell him there's an announcement of the upmost importance that needs to be shared with the delegates immediately," Oscar said, and Logan nodded and walked on stage. The man speaking didn't notice he was there until he came up and placed a hand on his shoulder. The man was startled to see him, but Logan quickly whispered in his ear. The man gave him a confused look, but quickly nodded his head and stood away from the microphone. Logan looked towards Alise and nodded. Alise started to walk onto the stage.

There was a murmur from the crowd as she started to walk to where Logan was standing. She looked visibly weak as she moved, and the audience had noticed. Her feet were slightly shuffling, and yet she refused to hunch over. She knew from her time as an interpreter that people got nervous when the speaker looked uncomfortable, and even though she was obviously in pain, she tried to brush it off.

She stood in front of the microphone and looked out into the crowd. She was looked upon with worried and confused faces, and she quickly turned away from the microphone and cleared her throat. It had been awhile since she had used French, and yet it came to her as if it was English.

"Hello," she said to the delegates, keeping her voice strong. The delegates relaxed slightly, but the tension was still there. "My name is Alise Brown. I am sorry to interrupt your program, but I have come to tell you all something very important." She took in a deep breath. "You all need to evacuate the building immediately. You cars will all be waiting for you and you all will-"

"Wait, wait. Hold on one moment please." One of the male delegates stood up to address her. "What do you mean we must leave the building?" he questioned, almost defensively. He didn't seem nervous, just annoyed.

"Sir, please," Alise tried to reason. "There is a situation in the city, and-"

"A situation?" Another delegate stood. "What do you mean 'a situation'?"

"And what does it have to do with us here?" another yelled out, this time a woman.

Alise didn't want to have to tell them of what was going on in the outside world. She knew that if she told them there was an alien war going on that not only would they think she was crazy, but they wouldn't budge. But she had to tell them something, or none of them were going to move.

She sighed. "A war. And it's coming this way."

There was a silent among the delegates for a moment, but then the first man to address her let out a dark laugh.

"A war?" he scoffed at her. "On American soil? I highly doubt that!" He eyed Alise suspiciously. "Do you even work here?"

Alise sighed. She knew this would probably come up. "No," Alise said tightly. She was starting to get annoyed, but she tried to not show it.

"This is so unprofessional," the man growled, shaking his head. "The city will be hearing about this."

"A war!" a woman yelled. "This is unheard of! Ridiculous!"

The crowd suddenly burst out in chimes of agreement and worry. Despite not believing her, the delegates were now on end and walking about. Alise clenched her weak fists. They were almost out of time.

"Hey!" Alise yelled into the microphone, shocking the delegates, and herself a little. They all instantly quieted, and they gave her their attention, not even the ones who spoke earlier piping up. "No, I do not work here, yes, this is unheard of, and yes, a war in the middle of the city sounds crazy! However, I have been somewhere none of you have, and that is outside in it!"

The delegates looked at her wide eyed.

"I came in here to help you all, to warn you! So please," she asked desperately. "Go to your cars and get out of the building. Your drivers will take you all to your hotel outside of the city. Would you rather have to reschedule this event, or lose your lives? Even if you don't believe me, please, please, just do what I say!"

There was a silence over the delegates. They all suddenly looked nervous. In every one of their minds, something along the lines of what if she's telling the truth? was suddenly present.

Alise just stood there on the stage in pain. Her sudden rise in temperature had caused the flow to her back to start once again and it throbbed. She let out a pained gasp away from the microphone, and the delegates all seemed to understand her as hurt in some way.

Suddenly another delegate stood up slowly.

"And what happens to us if we do what you say and you're not telling the truth?" he asked, not accusingly, but thoughtfully. Alise looked at him.

"Then you all can enjoy an early dinner by the poolside at your hotel," she said sternly. "Please, please believe me."

The delegate nodded once. "Okay. I will do as you ask."

Alise looked at him with a surprised yet relieved look on her face. One of them believed her. She was so elated at the moment that she momentarily forgot the pain in her back. Suddenly, the rest of the delegates at the man's table stood next to him, and nodded at her, silently agreeing with him.

It caught on like a disease. Suddenly all of the delegates started to stand, one by one and table by table. Even the ones who had spoken against her were standing up too, until the entire room was standing and looking at her. She looked over at Oscar, Mia, and Logan next to the stage and they gave her a congratulatory look. She smiled to herself.

She had done it. She had gotten them to believe her. She had saved them.