Original Design

by William Latoria

  His words, accentuated by the firing of SMM rounds, had the desired effect on most of the people. He saw through a voyeur drone display in his helmet that people on the far side of the mob were beginning to fall back behind the barricade. There was a small group of men that hesitated however. They were clearly afraid, but seemed to be determined to remain inside the perimeter. One of the men, a large guy with an old fashioned, red-checkered button up shirt stepped forward nervously.

  “We…. we have a right to be here!” he said half-heartedly.

  Blackshade’s patience was at its end. He raised his weapon and leveled it at the man’s head. He was only twelve feet away; there was no way he could miss.

  “The only right you have currently is the right to one of my rounds.” he growled at the man. To emphasize his threat, he pulled the trigger back slightly, causing his weapon to make a high-pitched whine that showed the weapon was a hair’s breadth away from discharging.

  “Fall back behind the barricade. NOW!” he ordered.

  The man’s resolve visibly crumbled. Shoulders slumped, he began slowly walking back toward the barricade. The rest of his group followed him reluctantly, the fight appearing to drain out of them. One man shot Blackshade a look so full of hatred, he could almost feel it.

  “Fuck you, you government cocksucker!” he shouted from inside his group.

  Blackshade ignored the comment, but kept his weapon trained on the group just in case, and didn’t lower it until they were back behind the barricade. Once they were there, he switched his attention to the troopers that had been surrounded. Checking their status on his helmet display, he saw that although their heart rates had spiked, none of them had been physically harmed. Two of the men were crying.

  “Stand up!” he barked at the group, as he stomped towards them. “Report! How did this happen!” he demanded.

  A pretty young Sergeant with wild eyes saluted him awkwardly before responding. “They must have disabled our barricades, and then they wouldn’t listen to us, Colonel. We asked them many times to stop and go back, but they refused to listen to us. Then they started screaming at us for no reason!” she said, shuddering. Blackshade looked at the patches on her uniform that designated what base she was stationed at. It did not surprise him to see that she was from Colonel Duskbar’s squadron. He approached the young woman before responding, he wanted her to know just how livid he was with her.

  “Get back to the barricades, reinforce them, and if anyone crosses them again you shoot them in the face. Do you get me, Sergeant?” he ordered.

  The woman went dangerously pale. His readout on her status highlighted and cautioned him that she was at risk of passing out. “You… you want me to shoot them…. Sir?” she asked, uncomprehending.

  Blackshade became furious, “YES!” he screamed at her, “Do you think this is a game? An exercise?!? This is as real as it gets, Air Soldier, and you had better get your head back into it! Those people could have done something that the aliens could interpret as aggression and could retaliate accordingly! We do not know their war fighting capabilities, but if what happened to Russia is any indicator, we would have a hell of a fight on our hands. We are the ONLY line of defense against that happening!” Blackshade emphasized this by shoving the woman and knocking her on the ground. She looked up at him from the dirt, tears streaming down her face. She sickened him. She had no business being in command and he would correct that mistake this very instant.

  “You are relieved from command, Sergeant!” he said, disgusted, “You!” he barked at an Air Soldier II, who had been eyeballing him since the civilians dispersed. According to his display, she was the next highest in rank. “Come here!”

  The Air Solider did as she was ordered, but never broke eye contact with him. She was a short woman, five foot three according to his display, with light brown skin, dark hair that was braided into a tight bun, and intense brown eyes that blazed with challenge. He glanced at her name, “L-2 Wagner, you are in charge now. Reinforce those barricades, and if anyone tries to breech them again, shoot them in the face. Do you get me!?” he barked.

  The woman didn’t hesitate, “I get you, Sir.” she practically growled at him.

  Her fierceness alone let him know he had the right woman for the job this time. “Make it happen, Air Soldier!” he said, as he sent Crater the signal to pick him and his team up. As he turned his back to make his way toward the extraction area, he heard Air Soldier Wagner begin barking orders at her team. He couldn’t help but smile, and made another mental note to have her transferred to his command if he survived the day.

  As he climbed aboard his aircraft, he watched as Air Soldier Wagner directed her team and redeployed the port-a-cade. The civilians, seeing him depart, had recovered and regrouped just outside the perimeter; they were encroaching on the boundary line, but taking care not to cross it. The group was much smaller now, only around thirty people or so, but their chanting had begun again. As he watched, he saw the man in the red-checkered shirt throw something at the Air Soldiers working on the barricades, hitting one in the side of the chest. The Air Soldier hadn’t seen it coming and fell, but didn’t appear to be hurt. Blackshade was about to give the order to arrest the man, when he saw Air Soldier Wagner raise her weapon smoothly and fire one round into the civilian’s head. The SMM round blasted out of her weapon in a dark blue blaze. The moment it made contact with the man’s face, his skull exploded, showering the men around him in blood and bone. Two of the civilians caught in the spray grabbed at their faces and fell to the ground. Blackshade assumed they had been hurt by bits of shrapnel. The rest of the civilians fled from the area, running back towards town. A few of the Air Soldiers seemed to be shocked by Wagner’s actions, but he saw her point at them and shout something that got them back to work. Not that the barricade would be needed now, the body of the civilian and the two downed men were more than enough of a deterrent. Using his helmet display, he sent two med-drones to attend the wounded civilians. One was still flailing around, clutching at his face; the other was lying very still, one foot twitching. As the hover-chopper got more altitude he had more difficulty making out details. He was about to tell Crater to return him to the site, when Zahera’s reticle on his display began blinking yellow urgently.

  “Go ahead, Zahera.” he said, opening the channel.

  “Bill, get to my location immediately; the ship just opened up.” she said breathlessly.

  “Acknowledged!” he answered, as he brought Crater into the communication, “Crater! Get me to Under Colonel Zahera’s location now!” he ordered. He tried to keep the panic out of his voice but doubted he had been able to. His heart had leapt into his throat, and he was having trouble getting himself back under control. A surge of excitement and terror were currently at war inside of him, vying for control.

  “Copy that, Sir, we’re moving!” Crater responded, as the aircraft lurched once again and made its way to the rendezvous point.

  Blackshade knew what he needed to do and what had to happen. Still struggling to get his emotions under control, he looked at his team of civilians that seemed just as terrified and excited as he was. Affinity Goldberg had apparently found her courage and now looked eager. Her shaking had stopped and some color had returned to her face, which greatly improved his opinion of the woman. She even managed a small smile when he made eye contact with her. Kevwin Gene seemed serene, until he leaned over the side and threw up. Meanwhile, Yoshi Untari was giddy with anticipation, merrily bouncing his hands up and down on his lap. He focused on keeping his face devoid of emotion, determined not to show any weakness in front of the people he was leading. He was a Colonel in the Candaerican Army Air Corp after all, he didn’t have the luxury of being afraid. If these civilians could find it in themselves to be brave, he damn well would suck it up. Feeling his courage galvanize inside of him, he opened up a link to his group.

  “Ok, team.” he said with a grin, “Looks like we’re up!”

  Chapter 5

&n
bsp; Blackshade and his team met up with Zahera and her team at their location. They were on the eastern side of the alien ship, where a large metallic ramp had manifested and led up to a large rectangular opening in the side of the ship. An intense, white light emanated from the opening, making it impossible to see inside. Blackshade couldn’t tell where the light was coming from, but it didn’t hurt his eyes like he thought it would when he looked directly at it.

  The opening was huge. None of the voyeur drones could detect the ship and so he couldn’t be sure of the dimensions, but he thought the bright white opening had to be at least thirty feet tall and around fifty feet wide. The ramp was the same width as the opening, and extended down to the earth about eighty feet. He had no idea if this was an invitation to approach the ship, or if this was an assault ramp and he was about to be in the fight of his life. Thousands of questions flooded his head.

  “Did you do something, Zahera? Did you see the ramp come down?” he asked.

  Zahera shook her head. “No, Sir.” she replied honestly, “One of my men noticed the light and reported it to me. Once I confirmed it, I reported it to you. I’ve called three craft in for support. Nothing has come in or out of the opening.”

  Blackshade nodded his understanding. His mouth felt very dry as he tried to prepare himself and do his best not to get killed. He had no idea how to proceed, and he felt overwhelmed by the immense pressure of the situation. He felt completely underqualified for what was expected of him, and his mind reeled as he tried to figure out what he should do next. He thought about contacting his superiors, but he dismissed the idea because he knew they wouldn’t answer until they knew it was safe. When he looked around, he saw that everyone was looking to him for guidance. Zahera, her team, his team, and the civilians were all looking to him, trusting he knew what to do next. Dozens of voyeur drones were trained on him as well, meaning billions of people all over the world were watching him. Would he be their savior? Or would he become the reason for their slaughter? Humanity’s need for him to be strong pushed all thoughts of insecurity and doubt from his mind, and he felt some much needed confidence flow into his spine. He stood a little straighter and bought himself a few moments by brushing off his armor. Then, looking up at Zahera, he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring wink. The relief he saw on her face bolstered his confidence tenfold. He felt ashamed of his previous weakness.

  “Affinity, Kevwin, Yoshi.” he said, looking each of them in the eyes as he spoke their name, “It’s time to suck it up and do what we’re here to do. Do you have everything you need?”

  Affinity held up her arm, where she had slid on her Vesalius 3000. It was the newest version of wearable computer that was quickly making tablets and laptops obsolete. The Vesalius 3000 was a thin, synthetic mesh that slipped over a person’s arm and was powered by both solar and biological energy. The projected displays functioned similarly to tissue-ware technology, like arm phones and eye enhancements. The Vesalius could be controlled by tapping commands into an arm input or through eye contact commands, just like he did with his helmet displays. They were very expensive, but the computing power, portability, and versatility of the device more than made up for it. Affinity had requested one when she had been brought in to help communicate with the aliens and had been much more agreeable to the task after she received it.

  “I’m as ready as I can be, Colonel Blackshade.” she said nervously, “I’ve downloaded every language program, translator, and example of the written word ever fathomed by humanity. I’ve even familiarized myself with some of the fictional languages from old television shows. If their dialect is similar to anything we’ve ever heard or spoken, I should be able to communicate with them at a basic level.”

  Blackshade nodded his approval and looked at Kevwin. He looked very pale, but a quick look at the status display in his helmet let him know the man wasn’t going to faint anytime soon. His heart rate was up, but he couldn’t fault the man for being scared. “Kevwin, what about you?” he asked.

  It took Kevwin a few moments to tear his eyes away from the ship and answer. “I… I have… my Vesalius… Colonel.” he said distractedly, as he held up his arm, showing him the device. Blackshade grabbed the man by the shoulder and shook him.

  “Come on, Kevwin, I need you with me, damn it! This is not the time for you to give in to cowardice.” he said harshly. If the man couldn’t rise to the occasion, he was better off without him. The last thing he needed was his statistical, math expert to freeze up at a critical moment.

  Tears formed in Kevwin’s eyes. “I’m…. I’m sorry, but this is a lot for me to deal with. I wish I could talk to my mom real fast.” he answered, as he blinked back the tears. He took a few deep breaths before continuing, “I won’t let you down, Colonel. I can do this.” he finally promised. Blackshade didn’t like the way his voice cracked as he made his promise, but gave him an approving nod anyway. What other choice did he have?

  He was about to ask Yoshi the same question but the man beat him to it. Gleefully, he held up his arm to show his Vesalius, “I’m ready, Colonel! Looking forward to this! I’ve always wanted to meet an alien! This is going to be great! Absolutely high-tech! My friends are going to ‘plode when they hear about this!” he said exuberantly.

  Blackshade couldn’t help but chuckle at Yoshi’s excitement. Two out of three civilians were reliable; that would have to do. He patted Yoshi on the back, but if the man noticed, he didn’t show it. He was completely engrossed in watching for the aliens to emerge. Blackshade took the opportunity to address his Air Soldiers.

  “Air Soldiers!” he barked into his microphone, addressing the entire contingent. “Do not aim your weapons at the aliens. Do not fire your weapons at the aliens unless directly ordered by me to do so. Do not act in a hostile or aggressive manner toward them for any reason. They have shown us no hostility thus far! In return, we will show them all the same customs and courtesies we would to any other Distinguished Visitor. GET ME?!” he finished assertively.

  He didn’t need the audio speakers in his helmet to let him hear their vigorous response. The green ‘Acknowledged’ lights came on from every unit almost at once. At that moment, he felt invincible. He would do everything he could to ensure the trust his Air Soldiers were putting into him wasn’t misplaced.

  “Affinity, Kevwin, Yoshi. You’re with me. Stay behind me a few steps, and do exactly as I say. The rest of you, fall back into defensive positions, but do not act in an aggressive manner. We will treat the aliens as peaceful until they prove themselves otherwise. Do nothing without my command first.” he ordered. Then, as an afterthought, “Or from Under Colonel Vuloom’s, should it come to that.”

  The civilians fell in behind him as he turned to face the ramp. He noticed that Kevwin stood a few paces behind Affinity and Yoshi. The man looked even paler than before, and Blackshade was sure he was going to faint, regardless of what his display told him. He had only taken a few steps toward the ramp when Zahera stopped him. So focused on the ship and what he had to do, he didn’t notice her approach. Before he knew what she was doing, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. It was the most tender kiss he had ever received, and it sent waves of goosebumps coursing over his body. An invigorating warmth radiated through him, originating from where her lips had touched his cheek. Astonished, Blackshade simply looked at her, completely at a loss for words.

  Zahera looked at him demurely, “For luck.” she said quietly. He thought she was going to say more, but instead she turned on her heels and began ordering the remaining Air Soldiers to their defensive positions. Her voice took on an icy tone that Blackshade knew from experience meant she was very upset about something.

  His mind reeled with questions about what the kiss meant and why she had chosen now, of all times, to give him one. They had known each other for over twenty years, and she had never kissed him before. He reached up and touched the spot on his cheek where her lips had touched him. The initial warmth that was beginning to fade resurged
inside of him as he brushed the spot with his fingertips. So many questions invaded his mind as he relived the moment over and over again. Why did she do that? What did it mean? What did he want it to mean? Was she being nice? Did it mean more? What did this mean to her? What did this mean to him? The sudden realization that he had completely lost his focus hit him like a hammer, and he immediately became irritated with himself. Here he was, on the cusp of first contact with an alien species, and he was reacting to a girl’s kiss like a high school virgin. Angrily, he pushed all thoughts of Zahera out of his mind and refocused on the more pressing matter of the aliens.

  With anger providing him all the motivation he needed, Blackshade confidently strode up the long walkway that extended from the alien ship. He heard the foot falls of the other three catch up to him, which pleased him. It wouldn’t do at all if they had failed to find the courage to follow him.

  “Your girlfriend is lovely.” Affinity said from behind him. Blackshade could tell from the nervousness in her voice that she was just talking to distract herself from the situation. According to her status display, her pulse was dangerously in the red. The situation was clearly getting to the woman. Even though he did not want to talk about Zahera right now, he knew Affinity needed him to. He saw no other option but to indulge her.

  “Under Colonel Vuloom is not my girlfriend, Ms. Goldberg. She is just my friend and confidant. We’ve known each other for years but have never been romantic.” he replied evenly. He thought his response sounded childish and hated himself for saying it. Why was he having so much trouble with this? Wasn’t it a good thing? Shouldn’t he be excited?

  “Oh.” Affinity said after a moment, “Well, I don’t mean to be intrusive, but as a woman I can tell you that she thinks of you as much more than just a friend.”

  Blackshade felt blood rush to his cheeks and had to stop himself from reaching up to touch his cheek again where Zahera had kissed him. “That’s all very well and good, Ms. Goldberg.” he said coldly, he no longer wanted to talk about the subject, no matter how much she may have needed the distraction. “Please focus on the matter at hand.” he said, as he motioned towards the opening.