The Birth of a Rebellion

by Adam Sipperly

  “I have no home besides thisss cave. I have no family besides those who are now dead. I only exist because the aliens created us to serve them. For that, I will kill all of the aliens. Every single one of those creatures who locked us down here and made us guard their treasures. Show me the way, and I will fight by your ssside.”

  Wait, what? Patrick was overcome with shock and looked around to Gin-us and Flupotia, their faces mirroring his. They all looked at the snake to see if its body betrayed its words, but it was still sitting in a tightly wrapped coil. There was going to be no more death in this chamber, and another ally had been gained. Patrick felt bad for doubting himself, and his confidence swelled yet again.

  “Thank you.” Flupotia stepped in front of Patrick, who was unable to find his voice. “We accept your offer.”

  With their altercation now passed, Patrick reassessed his army. True, they had numbers, but numbers meant nothing without courage. Despite his fears of what the fourth wiped out member meant, Patrick needed to share this new power. He called out to Flupotia, Flee, Gin-us and Frize.

  “Flupotia, Flee… I have something I need to give both of you,” he started. “This will undoubtedly help us win the battle, and gives you your best chance of survival.”

  Flee seemed perplexed.

  Flupotia hit Patrick in the arm playfully. “What are you talking about, Patrick?”

  “I’m going to give you both the ability to morph.” Patrick removed the orb from his backpack and held it out in front of them. “I realize how crazy this battle is going to be, and how slim our chances are. Even with all the allies we’ve amassed, it may not be enough. I trust the two of you enough to share this with you. It’s proved very helpful in the past with fights Gin-us, Frize and I have fought.”

  “Gin-us and Frize already have this power, then?” Flee said excitedly. It was clear that he was anxiously awaiting the ability to morph.

  “Yes, they do. Now both of you, trust me. Just hold onto this and relax. It will only take a few moments to work its magic.”

  “I thought you would never ask.” Flupotia winked as she pulled off her gloves.

  Flupotia and Flee’s eyes brightened with equal amounts of excitement and fear. They both placed their hands on the orb and their bodies relaxed almost immediately. This was followed by a look of deep pain Patrick knew all too well as their bodies absorbed the power. Just as quickly as the process had started, Flupotia and Flee let go of the orb and bent over, completely exhausted. They looked different somehow; like they had aged years instead of seconds as they both held onto the orb.

  “Are you both okay?” Patrick placed the orb down and put a hand on both of their shoulders.

  “Yeah, I’m doing alright. How are you, Flee?”

  “Tired. My brain feels like it is about to explode. This wears off, right?”

  “Yeah, it should. It knocked me out when I first grabbed it. A lot of power courses through you now. Use it well.”

  The pair collected themselves and shook off their feeling of exhaustion best they could. They joined the crowd moments later, blending in with the others as if nothing had happened.

  Given how tired Flupotia and Flee were, it was decided to set up camp for the night between the snake chamber and the surface of the Earth. There was also the matter of disarming the entrance to the snake chamber so that the snake could exit without harm. Flupotia took on this task, the only one with an understanding of the technology.

  The proximity to the surface, and to the alien base, sent electric currents of excitement and fear throughout the camp. Everyone needed to rest and be at their prime for the fight that was to come, but nobody could fall asleep. There were small fires spread throughout the tunnel, everyone talking. The Icemen and Firemen that had panicked all talked it off as part of their strategy. The Kings endorsed these actions, and Patrick held back from telling them off. He knew they needed their support in the next battle and hoped this time they would prove themselves. Frize, Flee, Gin-us and Patrick sat around a fire waiting for Flupotia to finish her work.

  She joined them shortly, having successfully hacked into the controls. She was now able to turn it on and off at will. The small group, the clear leaders of this fight sat in silence for a while.

  “We need to talk about our plan of attack,” Patrick was the first to break the silence. “How are we going to infiltrate the alien base and take over? I really don’t want any of us to die” He still feared what the painting meant. “We need to surprise them. I’m sure they’re expecting us, their powers having disappeared since we stole the orb.”

  “Some may still have their powers,” Flupotia jumped in, “they’ve had them so long, it will take a while to leave their network fully. But I’m sure it has begun. So yes, they will likely be expecting us.”

  “Flee and I were thinking we should split up,” Frize said. “You know, I lead my people and he takes his. We encircle the alien’s base. But I know that earlier, Flupotia, you mentioned the aliens work better in smaller fights? That they aren’t as prepared or organized for a large-scale, head-on attack?” Flupotia nodded and he continued. “So, with that, we need to stick together. A united front.”

  “Alright, here’s my idea of a plan then.” Patrick felt weird, being the one calling the shots, but he was shouldering the responsibility easier with each passing decision. “We send the snake in first. Flee and Frize, I want you to lead your people into battle. Your kings have a problem with that, I’ll deal with them. Gin-us you will obviously lead the Martians. Flupotia, I want you by my side at the front of this with the Jaguar.”

  Patrick felt a minor wrench of guilt. You only want Flupotia close to make sure she doesn’t die.

  “We’ll push in a sort of pyramid-type formation until the aliens are all either dead or have surrendered.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and split up to share the battle plan with their people. Gin-us went to his Martians, a small bur fearsome group. Frize and Flee went to the Icemen and Firemen together, the Kings readily relinquishing control. Flupotia went to talk to the Jaguar and the snake. The snake looked hungrily up the pathway to what would soon be either their next meal or their death.

  ◆◆◆

  After a few short hours of restless sleep, they packed up camp and began up the pathway in their pyramid formation. The inventory of weapons wasn’t great, despite their best efforts. What they lacked in actual weapons they made up for in raw power. The Snake had its fangs, the Jaguar its powerful jaw and claws, the Firemen and Icemen their powers of fire and ice respectively. The Martians stood with what weapons they managed to pull together, most being sharpened farm tools.

  The makeshift troops made their way up the passageway to the surface in silence. As was planned, Flupotia and Patrick led. Directly behind them was the snake and the Jaguar followed by the Martians. The Icemen and the Firemen brought up the rear.

  Although it felt wrong to send the snake in alone, everyone knew it was the best option. The snake was incredibly powerful and had the true element of surprise. While the aliens may be expecting Patrick, they would never think of the snake escaping. With her as a diversion, the rest of the troops could storm in, fueling the chaotic battle that was sure to have begun.

  Approaching the point where the dirt walls gave way to metallic ones, you could hear a large commotion on the other side. Halting the troops, Patrick attempted to make sense of the chaos. It seemed as though the aliens were running around, shouting orders at one another, nobody really listening. It was impossible to hear exactly what they were saying, but it wasn’t important. With a wave of his hand, the snake was released to get their revenge. The snake slowly slithered away, silent on the metallic floor.

  The aliens noticed her sooner than Patrick would have liked. The shouting quickly all turned to the snake, everyone telling her to get back down to her chamber. The aliens, as was expected, thought she had somehow escaped, and didn’t realize she was there to attack until it was too late. Within seco
nds sounds of crashing and screaming filled the tunnel they all stood in waiting silently. Patrick held for just a moment, then signaled for the rest of the troops to rush in. With everyone surging behind him, Patrick felt like he was at the tip of a wave, about to crash to the ocean waters below. The energy propelled him forward into the alien’s base for what was hopefully to be their last fight.

  The scene was pure chaos. The snake had taken out quite a few of the aliens but had also taken quite a beating in the moments fought alone. There was a large wound on the left side of the snake, bleeding profusely. If Patrick hadn’t noticed this wound, he wouldn’t have even known the snake was injured. The snake was relentlessly fighting, whipping its tail and lunging with its fangs. aliens were being picked up and tossed across the rooms like ragdolls.

  Flupotia ran to the snake's side, transforming as she did. Her legs and arms extended outwards as four more legs sprouted from her sides. Wings sprouted from her back as she jumped in the air. Hovering over the aliens, Flupotia had become a massive spider-like creature, picking up aliens with her sticky web while simultaneously attacking with her fangs.

  Gin-us was nowhere to be seen, but there were a few Martians lying dead or severely injured. Patrick didn’t waste time to look at faces and just prayed that none were Gin-us. He ran into the battle, thinking of something massive to do the most damage. His body stumbled as he went from running on two legs to four. He kept plowing forward as tusks sprouted from his face and his nose drooped into a long trunk. Patrick charged into a crowd of aliens, trampling them under his weight and size.

  Some of the aliens began transforming too. Flupotia had been correct, and the powers hadn’t fully left their bodies yet. Patrick watched in horror as a small alien transformed into a snake very similar to theirs. Given how much damage the snake had already taken, it was now fighting a losing battle.

  Another alien transformed into a giraffe, but with stripes instead of spots and a mouth full of fangs. This alien was reaching out over a group around him, picking up Icemen and crushing them in his jaw. Patrick charged at the alien, but he dodged at the last second. Patrick slammed into a nearby wall and watched as the alien transformed yet again into a new creature.

  It turned into a game between the two of them at that point, each trying to outwit the other. The alien went from a rabbit the size of a car to a flying gorilla to a horse with fangs. Finally, happy with their form, the alien charged with his mouth open, fangs fully exposed. Patrick, now a massive lion, sidestepped the alien as he charged and dug his claws into his side. The horse crumpled as he fell to the ground, transforming back into an alien.

  The remaining Icemen regrouped at this point and surrounded a group of aliens that were either too frightened to fight back, or had lost their powers. The Icemen quickly had them overpowered and forced them to retreat into their own jail cells for protection.

  Patrick watched as a blue dragon took flight above the crowd, smoke tendrils rising from its nostrils. White, hot fire blew from his open mouth as he darted across the room, quickly cutting a path through the group of aliens. Patrick was sure this was Gin-us, the colors and patterns reminiscent of his time as a fish. Patrick let out a low growl in excitement. They were winning this battle.

  Patrick continued to fight his way through the aliens, pushing closer and closer to victory. He was still pouncing around, a large lion tearing through the aliens with ease. Then a familiar grinding sound caught his attention. He saw the stairs rise before the ceiling opened, and he knew they were in trouble. Dozens of reinforcements fell into the chamber from above, weapons firing. Martians, Icemen, and Firemen were falling around Patrick left and right. He was ready to call a retreat when a blast struck his right shoulder, sending him spiraling backward. He growled out in pain and charged forward, anger fueling his adrenaline. He wasn’t even halfway across the room when the snake fell over, landing directly on top of most of the aliens that just joined the fight, crushing them.

  The troops cheered quickly for the snake, no one yet realizing this wasn’t a clever tactic. The snake was dead. Patrick was the only one close enough to see the life leave the snake’s eyes, and vowed to honor its death.

  It was that moment, in the midst of the biggest battle Patrick had faced yet, that he realized this fight wasn’t personal anymore. He truly wasn’t fighting for Earth alone. He finally understood what Gin-us had been trying to tell him all along. He was fighting for humans, sure. But he was also fighting for the Icemen, the Firemen, the Martians, the snakes and whatever other creatures the galaxy held. With this thought in mind, Patrick pressed on, a renewed energy flowing through him. He pushed back as hard as he could, no longer with mercy.

  The snake had fallen perfectly, creating a divide in the chamber. On one side, the small group of aliens left surrendered and retreated to the remaining cells. On the other side, the reinforcements were trying to cut through the snake. In the time it took them to do so, Patrick joined Gin-us in his dragon form. As the aliens cut through the snake, the two let loose. The combined energies of the fires created the most intense heat any in that room had ever experienced. Even the Firemen were taken aback at the blaze. Several of the aliens were caught in the flames, but several more retreated. With weapons thrown to the ground, they surrendered. And just like that, the battle was over, Patrick and his troops had won.

  ◆◆◆

  The first thing Flupotia did after the battle was making sure the aliens who surrendered were locked up and under guard. Once that was done, a small team was sent to release any prisoners and sweep the camp for any other aliens. The prisoners were all taken to the med bay by a small group of Martians to be examined, and thankfully no other aliens were found. They had thrown everything they had at Patrick and his army, and lost. The magnitude of this victory was shadowed, however, by the losses sustained.

  Several of the Icemen, and even more of the Firemen, did not make it. Frize was lucky to survive, but Flee had not. Patrick bowed his head and said a silent prayer for him, wondering if his death could have been avoided. That damn painting! Patrick left the Firemen to mourn their dead, wishing he had never given Flee the power to morph. He felt it was the biggest mistake he had made yet, and refused to allow anyone else to harness the power unless he truly believed they were ready for it. And those who did have it already were going to need to start practicing more and more.

  Flupotia was able to uncover and shared with everyone that the snake's name was Silz. Without the snake, they all knew the battle never could have been won. It was another death that Patrick felt responsible for, and he promised again to himself to always remember the sacrifices made. The Jaguar survived the fight but had lost one of his legs from a laser blast. Luck was on his side however; the laser having been so hot that it appeared to have sealed the wound as it made it. Gin-us, Flupotia, Patrick and all the rest had their own battle scars, but they were alive. Gin-us had lost a good chunk of his left ear, which was followed by a fresh cut down his cheek, skipping over his neck and then continuing down his chest. Flupotia had taken a beating, but through her choice to fly over the battle had managed to avoid anything too severe. Patrick had broken his left arm, likely during his time as the lion, and was also left with a deep gash across his own chest. The fight was over, but everyone knew the war was just beginning. Now was the time for everyone to tend to their wounds, hoping they healed in time for the next fight that surely lay ahead.

  ◆◆◆

  The army spent the next day resting, knowing they were in no condition to travel. In that time, all the different species came together to heal. Technologies from each were combined to create new and fast healing methods. Many deep wounds now only appeared as scratches, bruises had all but faded and broken bones were set.

  With all of this behind them, Gin-us and Flupotia decided to join Patrick as he traveled back home. The two transformed into humans to avoid any suspicion as they traveled, Gin-us having some serious troubles doing so. Try as he might, he could not seem
to transform the tiny fireballs burning in his eye sockets into normal looking ones. A pair of sunglasses did the trick though, hiding his condition as long as you didn’t stare too long.

  The three left the base and headed towards Patrick's home, ready to take care of the alien posing as him. Once that was done, it was time to let the world in on what was happening. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind this would be met with heavy opposition, but there was no denying the plethora of evidence available.

  ◆◆◆

  XIII: Surfacing

  As the group exited, they were surprised to find it was night outside. Patrick more so than anyone, recognizing just how thrown off his internal clock now was. There had been no real structure to his days underground, and he honestly didn’t even know how much time had passed. How long have I been gone? The air outside was crisp and refreshing, a slight humidity hung around, indicating it was still mid-summer.

  The area around the entrance looked much different than Patrick remembered. Where it had once been a small clearing, dozens of trees had now been removed. There were two large spaceships sitting in the clearing, the aliens no longer trying to hide. Patrick stared in awe at the ships, humbled by their size and the authority they commanded. One of the ships had received extensive damage, but the other was in pristine condition. Both were large and spherical, standing at least twenty stories tall. The one ship that still stood upright was supported by three legs, a shiny metal ramp extending from beneath it. The other ship appeared to be missing one of its legs and was lying on the ground at an odd angle. There was no metal ramp extending from this ship. Instead, another door had opened on the side of it where an inflatable slide had unrolled.

  Both ships were a dull, matte black with several porthole windows lining the bottom, and one large window circling the top. There was a name that could just be made out on the side of the pristine ship. It read Shanatuly, and Patrick shuddered as they walked past in a hurry, not taking the time to sightsee.