Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Regina and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
Light Shining Amongst The Darkness Chapter 1
1 Year Later:
Things were a bit hectic for Tom. One minute he was awake and the next his head was pounding like hell as he was shakily opening his bleary eyes. The very moment Tom opened his eyes he was met with a light so blinding that at first it caused him to recoil, but then after his sight and mind cleared it took everything he had not to lose it when he fully comprehended where he was.
Scanning his surroundings Tom found himself trapped in a sort of prison a small metal cage curved to give him barely any room to maneuver. He couldn't sit or stand all he could do was just lay there. Wires were hanging inside and out of the cage making him unable to see too well outside of the prison. He could hear sounds from outside but was unable to glimpse what they were coming from. But out of all of them, there was one sound he recognized above all others.
One he'd know from absolutely anywhere…
The gurgle of a small baby. Tom had three kids. There was no mistaking it.
For a second Tom ignored it thinking he was hearing things hallucinating with his mind playing tricks on him from the stress, but then he heard it again. This time he determined this is certainly no hallucination. Freezing in place Tom rapidly snapped his head in alternate directions trying to focus on the source of where it was coming from. There near the bottom of the cage in near proximity to his head located the one responsible.
Sitting there staring at him through the massive wire cables was a tiny baby that couldn't have been more than around sixteen months old. Wearing an old faded little pink outfit that was a pair of overalls along with a slightly dusty white skirt underneath the child was obviously female. Despite being warmly dressed the child's shoes were falling apart at the seams. She'd be lucky if they lasted another week let alone a month. Held close to her person the child was carrying a threadbare, but much-loved, doll. A rabbit that appeared like it had been made by hand decades ago with pink bows at the ears and neck while wearing a completely plain white dress. Similar to the shoes the doll looked like it would fall apart at any second.
The baby had dark hair, but what caught Tom's attention was the color of the child's eyes. They were a color he'd never beheld before in his lifetime. Violet. While the shade wasn't heard of the genetics of it were a rare occurrence.
Slowly shifting around so as not to frighten her, Tom coaxed "Hello there, Sweetheart. What are you doing here?"
The only answer he got was the baby continuing to stare at him with those big unique unusual eyes of hers.
Tom tried again, asking "Can you tell me your name, Honey?"
The baby didn't say anything to him, but that didn't mean she refused to respond. Clutching her doll to her with one hand she waved cutely at him with the other.
Smiling a bit at the adorableness of the initial action by one so innocent he waved his fingers back at her. Tom then gestures for her to come to him, thinking she is in danger of mortal peril, saying "What's your name?"
Tom wouldn't get an answer regarding that either, but for an entirely different reason.
A screech was heard as a Skitter suddenly came into view from between the numerous tubes. But it didn't come for him.
No, it is the child this extraterrestrial monster was after. The Skitter snatched the toddler glaring hatefully at Tom through the mesh.
"No," screamed Tom, struggling to break out of his cage in order to protect that baby. "No, put her down!"
But it was too late. The Skitter whisked the baby away. She was gone. That didn't mean Tom was going to give up on causing a fuss trying to escape from their confines.
Banging his cuffed hands on metal, Tom shouted "Hey! I've been here for days! I want to know about my son!"
Tom then went nuts screaming his lungs out and kicking on the bars.
That finally seemed to get their consideration.
The same exact Skitter from before with the bloodied red eye was back, but without the toddler, he'd seen with it.
Reaching inside the Skitter dragged Tom out by the neck. Tom crashed to the floor not given a chance to recover his bearings. The Skitter stuck an electronic staff into Tom's back. Tom shrieked in agonizing pain at the pain. This happened twice with Tom barely having any respite to breathe. When the Skitter raised the staff to go at him a third time Tom cringed recoiling in preparation to take the brunt of the impact, but then it was stopped midway at the last second.
"Enough."
The Skitter known as Red Eye pulled back. Together he and Tom looked in the direction where the voice originated. Tom recognized the speaker at once.
"Karen," gasped Tom wide-eyed at the figure that stepped out from the shadows.
"Sorry for this, Tom," said Karen, smiling blankly as she approached him. The harness she bore glowing with an intense pulse on her spine. She then assisted Tom to his feet. "I hope you're not afraid. Whatever you think they've done to me, I'm still Karen." She then pulled away with a peculiar look on her face. "This way."
Tom had no other alternative but to follow with Red Eye pointing that hideous electronic staff threateningly at him should he protest.
"You said what they were doing to Ben was a process," said Tom, limping along on unsteady legs. "Whatever it is can it be stopped?"
"That's up to you," said Karen.
"Me," said Tom, confused. She wasn't making any sense to him.
"Tom, it's time to face facts. They've won. There's no use prolonging hostilities for either side," said Karen, soullessly.
"Meaning what? They're asking for a ceasefire," pressed Tom.
"No, they're allowing the resistance to surrender," said Karen.
"Allowing the resistance to surrender," repeated Tom in disbelief. "Sounds like we've been more trouble than they expected."
"Don't overestimate a few small victories," warned Karen, sharply. "The resistance is an inconvenience. They are offering you a gift, Tom. A chance to have a life, a real life, with Hal, Matt, and Ben."
"After everything they've done you expect me to take that on faith," retorted Tom, incredulous.
They came to a top in front of a heavily shielded door.
"Not on faith," said Karen, softly, confident Tom would see the light of the invader's generous deal. "Once you hear what they have to offer I'm sure you'll understand…everything."
The blast doors retracted revealing the room that lay behind along with its single occupant.
Sitting on a throne, what most might view as a command seat, inside a control room sat what humans called an Overlord.
What this species actually is called is Espheni, one the humans would soon learn and fear.
The Overlord, one of many, is a tall humanoid biped with smooth, gray skin, standing roughly twice as tall as a human and three times as tall as a Skitter. Its body is skinny and elongated. The top of its head is fairly rounded in a bullet-shaped point with miniscule prominent eyes and four nostril slits in place of a nose.
The Overlord monitored Tom closely as he was escorted into the room. The Skitter moved off to the side somewhere he could easily move in and overpower the human should the need arise. Karen did the same but on the opposite.
Toms stood there with nothing to say waiting for this apparent being to make the first move.
"The girl told us you were a historian before we came," said Karen, falling deeper into a trancelike state.
Brow furrowed, Tom said "Karen?"
He received no reply. That's when it registered with Tom that he was no longer conversing with Karen. He came to the conclusion as to what was going on.
"It's not her anymore, is it? I'm talking to you," stated Tom.
"She is allowing me to speak through her," said the Overlord, using Karen as a medium.
" 'Allowing'," quoted Tom. "You took her like you took…Ben and everything else."
"There was no other way," said the Overlord, standing from its command chair. "We've studied you in great detail, Professor. We've drawn from that to make a proposal that would end hostilities between us. In exchange for sanctuary, we will set aside a protected area where human survivors will be relocated."
Chuckling, not amused, Tom surmised "Some kind of prison camp."
"A place where you would be permitted to live in peace. You must be familiar with the concept. It's taken directly from your own history," said the Overlord.
"The worst of it," said Tom, softly. "You can't hand-pick from our darkest moments like Cambodia or Nazi Germany."
"Or Nanking, My Lai, The Trail of Tears," said the Overlord, listing over more atrocities in history that humankind should be ashamed of. "Please, Professor Mason, we can think of dozens of more examples. Be honest. Oppression is in your nature."
"And that is your justification for the murder of billions," said Tom, his ire rising. "If those atrocities are the worst of us…What does that make you?"
Leaning in close to Tom's face, chilling, the Overlord said "the ones who will decide if your world lives or dies."
Authors Note:
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.
