Return of the Aliens

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  She found the closed door marked in the Reptilian language called The Waiting Room and opened it. The people remained suspended in mid-air, perfectly preserved, and comatose. Too bad all people weren’t that way.

  As she hurried down the stairs, she called out, “What do you need me for?”

  The Reptilian gave a quick bow to her before he said, “We have a request for a thousand more organs.”

  She frowned. “Ridiculous. We just sent out two thousand last month, and all of our storage is depleted. What about some of the other underground bases? Can’t any of their human organs be spared?”

  “Everyone’s running low,” he replied and showed her the paper which held orders from the king of North America.

  “Are you serious?” She gritted her teeth and looked at the thousands of humans suspended in the room. “Were the demons that created the super soldiers inept in other areas or is this it?”

  He shrugged and faced the people. “I don’t see why it matters. Organs are a resource, like oil or water. We can clone these and maintain the super soldiers’ bodies indefinitely.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath so she wouldn’t scream in frustration. She opened her eyes and scanned the large room. How many did they have in here? Twenty thousand? That was a fraction of how many vanished the second time, but at the time she received them, it seemed like a lot. Now, she wondered if it was enough. “Super soldiers are supposed to be perfectly enhanced. Why are their organs failing all the time?”

  “Like I said,” the Reptilian began, “we can start cloning these organs. Then we’ll have a renewable resource.”

  She sighed. “We don’t have a choice, do we? An wouldn’t collect any of the organs from the people who died in the internment camps. I don’t think the cloned organs will last as long as the originals, but we have no choice.”

  She clenched the paper in her hands, wishing she could ring An’s neck. She hated him. He was so incompetent, and yet others in the flock worshipped him, including the pathetic chipped humans.

  With a heavy sigh, she said, “Fine. Make it happen. These people were supposed to last us a good two thousand years, but so be it. We’ll start using them now.” Her watch beeped. “At least the others on level five and below level seven will dine well on the remains. I have an important meeting to go to. Get the cloning process started and send the fresh organs out as soon as you can. Lucky for us blood type and all come into play. It’d be way too convenient for God to make a one size fits all human. No. He has to have variety.”

  She knew the Reptilian wasn’t listening to her. He’d already turned to the human called Alicia to get her body ready to remove her organs. In a huff, she continued to mutter curses toward God and An under her breath as she went back up the stairs and left level six.

  By the time she reached the entrance of the underground base, the three Annunaki were waiting for her. She plastered a smile on her face and invited them down to level five where she and others of their kind resided. She took them to her dim and dank living quarters.

  “Please have a seat,” she offered, motioning to the chairs around a table. “Do you wish for something to eat? I have fresh human limbs.”

  An Annunaki crossed his arms and shook his head. “I must get back to my post in China. There are still unchipped humans running around, and many are in the mountains. Do you know how hard is it to track down people hiding in the mountains?”

  Taking that as her cue, Keegan sat down and crossed her legs. “I hear the situation is worse than that for you three, is it not?”

  The two males and one female looked at her, their eyebrows furrowed.

  “It’s easier to track people down if you have gas to run planes and vehicles,” Keegan said. “I hear An’s been stingy in how much oil he’s willing to disperse to you.”

  “Get to the point,” a male Annunaki snapped.

  She resisted the urge to hiss. With a shrug, she said, “It seems to me he promised you three an equal share in the Earth’s resources, but I don’t see you getting the same amount as the other kings. I can only imagine how you’ll be treated if we do manage to claim Earth on the day God comes back. But then, with An having botched up the first two wars with God, I’m sure he won’t win this time either.”

  One leaned forward. “What do you suggest?”

  “The Euphrates River has dried up,” she replied. “An army won’t have any trouble getting to An. You figure it out.”

  The three stood, so she quickly followed.

  “We’ll think about it,” the Annunaki in charge of China said.

  “But if An wins and we opposed him…?” the one in charge of Japan asked.

  “And if he doesn’t win, who will we have to blame for it?” Keegan retorted. “Look at his track record. Do you really believe he’ll win? He can’t even get rid of all the unchipped people.”

  “Neither can you,” the Japanese king hissed.

  “But I’m not running the show, am I?” she asked, refusing to show her anger at the reminder that she lost Devon and Autumn. They were the only two humans she’d ever lost, thanks to the angels. She dug her nails into her skin, comforted by the pain it inflicted. “The burden is on An, not me.”

  The Chinese king nodded. “We’ll think about it. Now, I have to get back.”

  Keegan showed them out, maintaining an appearance of grace as she rambled on about lining up the super soldiers for the battle at Megiddo and how she was helping to equip all of them with new human organs. It was mindless talk, but she had nothing else to say. They could very well report what she told them to An, and that would be the end of it for her. She’d be locked up in chains for eternity, but if God won, she’d be locked up in chains anyway so this was her best chance of avoiding that terrible fate.

  After they left, she decided it was time to see if she could find out where Devon and Autumn went. It was the only blemish on her record. Tapping her fingers against her lips, she thought she might know someone who could tell her where Devon would go. With a smile, she got ready to take a flight to Bismarck.

  ***

  Vanessa stumbled into the bathroom and threw the empty bottle of pills into the sink. What good did swallowing every pill in it do? She was still alive? Gasping through her pounding headache, she looked in the mirror above the sink and cried at the puss-filled sores that covered her skin. Some of the puss leaked out from the one above her eye and trickled down the side of her face. She couldn’t take it anymore!

  She picked up her brush that rested on the counter and banged it on the mirror until it shattered. Gritting her teeth, she took the sharpest looking piece and dug it across the vein in her wrist, finding the pain from the cut more tolerable than the sores that pulsed and throbbed all over her. She blinked through the tears and watched her blood slide down her hand and to the floor.

  Good. Maybe this would be it. Maybe now her agony would be over. She put the lid to the toilet down and waited, praying this would be it. None of the doctors had a cure for the sores, even though some others with the chips were also breaking out into this rare skin condition.

  We’re working on a cure, they promised, but that was when the whole thing started three months ago, and she was sick and tired of promises. She wanted relief!

  To her dismay, her blood clotted up, and no amount of digging the shard further into the cut helped to open it. She cried, harder this time and threw the shard to the floor. There was only one more thing she could think of, and as much as it frightened her, the thought of having to live with the horrible sores indefinitely prompted her to rush to her dresser and pull open a drawer.

  She took out her gun and made sure it was loaded before she placed it up to her forehead, aiming directly for the wretched chip that gave her the ability to heal in every way except for the sores. Closing her eyes, she pulled the trigger.

  ***

  One month later (February)

  Vanessa’s eyes fluttered, and she took in her surroundings. She was,
mercifully, without pain, but she doubted this was the afterlife, if such a place existed. The ceiling above her came into view, and she became aware of the TV in the background. She focused on the news report that said the Annunaki in control of the Middle East and North Africa and the Annunaki in control of the Russian Confederation just made a move to attack An who was leaving Jerusalem with his armies in defense of the sudden development.

  Clearing her throat, Vanessa rubbed her forehead, suddenly noting the IV stuck in her arm. Someone next to her chuckled, so she turned her bandaged head and saw Keegan sitting next to her hospital bed.

  Keegan clucked her tongue and smiled. “How fickle you humans are. One day, you’re lining up for a chip that promises the fountain of youth, and a silly thing like a judgment from God has you wishing to die.”

  Vanessa grimaced and turned her gaze from Keegan. How long would Keegan insist on tormenting her before she got bored and left?

  “So, you want to die, huh?” Keegan continued, leaning forward and brushing Vanessa’s chin with her fingers.

  Vanessa reluctantly turned her attention back to Keegan. Maybe if she humored Keegan, Keegan would hurry up with her business and then leave.

  “I know how you can remove the chip,” Keegan whispered.

  “You do?” Vanessa croaked. She cleared her throat again and winced. Her throat was sore. She wondered if a tube had been in her throat.

  “I sure do.” Keegan gave her a wicked grin. “I even healed you of the sores so they’re no longer a problem.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  Keegan shrugged. “Consider it proof that I’ll remove the chip if you do one teeny tiny favor for me.”

  Vanessa knew she was going to regret it but asked, “What favor?”

  “I need you to find Devon.”

  She stared at Keegan for a long moment, noticing the hard glint in the woman’s eyes as she stared at her. Licking her dry lips, she asked, “Devon?”

  “Yes. Your first partner when you signed up for this job. The one who ran off a little over three years ago.” Giving her a knowing smile, she added, “You know where he is, don’t you?”

  Vanessa forced her eyes off of Keegan’s and stared at the ceiling. Her heart raced with nervous dread. She wanted the chip removed so much, but did she dare betray the one person who’d been good to her? Of all the people she’d ever known, he was one of the few who looked after her. He had offered to give her refuge in that Alaska cabin. He was willing to help her remove the chip, if possible.

  “Vanessa,” Keegan whispered. “It’s your choice, of course. You don’t have to comply. But I have to warn you, the sores can come back, and it’s only the people who have the chip that risk getting them. Is keeping Devon’s secret worth suffering for decades, for centuries…or maybe even forever?”

  Tears filled Vanessa’s eyes as she became aware of the nagging headache throbbing above her eyes. This could possibly last forever?

  Shrugging, Keegan stood. “Okay. You have your choice to make, and I’ll respect it.”

  “Wait,” Vanessa called out before Keegan could leave. “Wait.” She took a deep breath and licked her lips again, not believing what she was about to do but being so weary of the constant pain, she had to do something—anything—to stop it. “Alaska. He has a cabin up there. I don’t know if he made it there or exactly where it’s at.”

  “Interesting. And the airlines showed he went to Las Vegas and never left,” Keegan murmured.

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing.” Smiling, she leaned forward and patted her hand. “You’ll take Alex with you. He’s good about getting rid of people who turn traitor on us.”

  Vanessa gulped. Alex was a little too good—and happy—about killing people. She figured Keegan might want to take Devon back to Dulce, but Keegan’s desire to see Devon dead didn’t come as a surprise. Wincing, she willed her tears away.

  “I’ll get Alex.” Keegan patted her hand. “As soon as Devon is dead, you’ll be chip free.”

  As Keegan left, Vanessa choked back on a sob, noting her headache was getting worse.

  Chapter Fifty

  One month later (March)

  Keegan shook her head when the news came in that An had subdued the Russian Confederation, Egypt, North Africa, and some of the Middle Eastern countries. She couldn’t believe it. Two of the more powerful fallen angels hadn’t been able to muster up enough support and strength to knock An out of his place. It amazed her that An managed so well given the odds against him.

  She tapped her fingers on the table in her living quarters. They were one month away from the big event, and they were no closer to an effective strategy than before. Worse yet, super soldiers were fighting super soldiers which meant more organs needed to be shipped out. She rolled her eyes. It was always more organs. Her post went from productive experiments in order to develop better bodies for the Nephilim to overseeing an assembly line of cloning so they could ship out organs.

  This was not what she wanted, and it certainly wasn’t going to be what she intended to do for eternity, if An could manage to pull off winning. Her hands trembled as she thought over the implications of An losing. She didn’t want to go to Hell. She had to do something. She couldn’t just idly stand by and watch the action at Megiddo take place when they got ready to attack God when he returned.

  A knock came at her door. Groaning, she hurried over to it and flung it open. “You know I don’t like being disturbed when I’m in my living quarters!”

  The Reptilian bowed his head. “My apologies. The kings of China and Southeast Asia wish to speak with you about your plans regarding Megiddo.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Where are they?”

  “They request for you to meet them in the Hong Kong airport tomorrow.”

  “Tell them I’ll be there.”

  As he left, she clasped her hands together. Maybe there was a chance after all. China alone boasted of far more manpower, super soldiers, and fallen angels than any of the other kingdoms. Yes. Maybe this would work! She hurried to get ready for the next plane out.

  ***

  Though the Alaska air was fifteen degrees, Alex hardly noticed the freezing temperature as he trudged through the wooded area. His anger warmed his flesh to the point where he didn’t think he needed his parka and gloves, but he kept them on. Despite the darkness hovering around him, he saw everything perfectly.

  He shifted his backpack, turned, and waited for Vanessa to catch up to him. Too bad he needed her to help him locate Devon and Autumn. She was slowing him down with her reluctance to kill them. He hid his disgust. She should know better than to sympathize with those who refused the chip, and yet, he’d seen her cry on more than one occasion because of the terrorists.

  “It’s too bad you weren’t there at Area 51 to be used as a lab rat,” he told Vanessa.

  She paused, her eyes wide. “What do you mean by that?”

  “That so-called friend of yours—Devon—allowed the greys to do all kinds of experiments on me, and it hurt, Vanessa. Never once did he lend a hand to get me out of there. You wouldn’t think another human would allow the things those greys did to me, but he did. He’ll do the same to you if the greys win and he comes out of hiding. Don’t think he’ll spare you just because you’re a friend.” He let out a bitter laugh. “I had a friend who didn’t mind betraying me for the greys. I know where these people’s loyalties lie.”

  She looked away from him as she grabbed the straps of her backpack and stepped forward.

  As she was ready to pass him, he grabbed her arm and she winced. “Don’t grow soft,” he snapped. “I need you to focus. Where did he say his cabin was?”

  Clearing her throat, she shrugged. “He never gave me an exact location. It’s in the interior of this state.” She glanced at the trees surrounding them. “Somewhere far away from any roads. It was north of Fairbanks. That’s all I know.”

  Alex scowled. Even at their superhuman rate of hiking, this could t
ake a long time. Did they even have enough time? The greys were due to return in a month or so. Cursing under his breath, he let go of her and headed forward.

  I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them if it’s the last thing I do.

  Pleasure pulsed through his body and he smiled. With an ecstatic sigh, he closed his eyes and let the sensation consume him. After years of searching for them, he was going to finally kill them. His hands itched to pull the trigger. More pleasure pulsed through him. He couldn’t wait.

  ***

  Keegan listened to the two Annunaki who headed China and Southeastern Asia, delighted at how well they had planned their attack. And better yet, she was going to be a part of it.

  “What we need from you is total control of the super soldiers,” the Annunaki in charge of China said. “You maintain their organ supplies. Perhaps you can suggest their use will be best used fighting on our side?”

  A wry grin crossed her face. “I’d love nothing more than to do such a thing. I’ll start making calls to the other underground bases as soon as I leave here. Only, I want one thing when you get to Megiddo. Let me in the battle. I want to see the bloodshed of the chipped humans and the fall of God.” She licked her lips in anticipation.

  “Done,” he replied.

  Thrilled, she stood with them and headed out of the private estate. Even An couldn’t stand up to so many super soldiers. This would be the end of him for sure. Then she’d acquire a higher rank, and instead of doing experiments, she might lead a nation.