by Will Lemen
The Captain, pleased with Lieutenant Jol's report replied.
"Excellent Lieutenant Jol! However, next time do not take so long in your rectification program."
"There will not be a next time Captain Xarr, immediately after the engineer had the device in proper working order, and thoroughly tested, I had him executed for his incompetence." Lieutenant Jol quickly responded.
"Excellent Lieutenant Jol!" Captain Xarr said, nodding his head in approval.
"There's more Captain Xarr," Lieutenant Jol mentioned hesitantly.
"Let's hear it Lieutenant Jol, the rest of your report," said the Captain spurting out his diaphoretic order.
Although knowing that the captain would not be pleased with the remainder of his report, Lieutenant Jol had no choice but to proceed.
"Well Captain Xarr, it is about test subject group 32452013."
"What about test subject group 32452013?" The now annoyed Captain asked.
"Test subject group 32452013 is totally surrounded by the control subjects," the Lieutenant answered, feeling his sweat drenched uniform clinging to his body.
"Is that all Lieutenant Jol? From your tone, I thought you were going to report something serious," the Captain chuckled, not realizing the gravity of the test subject's situation.
"Test subject group 32452013 has done well since the commencement of the extinction experiment. They work well as a team, they are resilient, innovative, and battle tested, and they are devolving into what these earthers call, stone cold killers, so just keep monitoring their progress Lieutenant Jol. Is that understood?" the Captain counseled, noticing but choosing to ignore his lieutenant's overly moist uniform.
"No Captain Xarr, you do not understand. They are surrounded by thousands of control subjects, plus one of their own species is trying to eliminate them from a nearby elevated position using one of the planets primitive projectile launching devices!" Lieutenant Jol explained, well aware that he had again pointed out a correction that needed to be made in his captain's opinion. "They are very low on their own projectiles, and at the moment, they are busy holding off the control subjects with some kind of barbaric petroleum based radiation expelling device that was used in one of their many past planetary wars. I estimate that their current life expectancy is now between two and three earth minutes in duration."
The Captain now concerned for the safety of test subject group 32452013, not because of any compassion for the earthers, but because of the possibility of the massive global experiment failing under his watch.
"Lieutenant Jol, have I ever told you why, out of the hundreds of experienced, competent, combat tested, battle fleet commanders, I was chosen to lead this mission?"
"No Captain Xarr, I assumed that it was because you were the best qualified for this operation."
"Lieutenant Jol, that is one reason of course, but I also had a major advantage over the other candidates. Lieutenant Jol, are you aware of the history of the Xarr family name?"
"Captain Xarr sir, I know that the Xarr family name has a long lineage of distinguished military and scientific service to the Anunnaki cause," Lieutenant Jol answered.
"That is correct Lieutenant Jol, however your generic description of my ancestral exploits leaves many facts untold, and me to wonder just how it is that you were chosen for the position that you now hold aboard this vessel?"
The lieutenant said nothing for fear he would say the wrong thing to his captain, and join the ship's former engineer in forced retirement down in the ship's morgue.
"Lieutenant Jol, listen well, I shall now enlighten you with the knowledge of my families pedigree. It will serve you well to remember everything I am about to tell you. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Captain Xarr." Lieutenant Jol answered, stammering nervously.
"Many generations ago, my ancestor, a very high ranking fleet commander much like myself, built what the inhabitants of this planet call the Great Pyramids; they had been built to last many hundreds of millennium. When first completed, on a day that their sun radiated to the surface of the planet unencumbered by cloud cover, the polished white limestone veneer could be seen for well over a hundred earth miles in every direction, including up. That is right Lieutenant Jol, the pyramids could even be seen from outside this planet's atmosphere. Of course they look nothing like that now, thanks to those ignorant, self-centered, lazy, small-minded earthers. Those primitive untamed idiots striped the glossy limestone off the pyramids to build themselves small pathetic dwellings, leaving my ancestor's great accomplishment standing there in the middle of that sandbox they call a desert, looking like a pile of rubble, just a shell of what they once were."
Captain Xarr gritted his teeth in anger as he continued to tell the history of his ancestor's triumphs to his lieutenant.
"Lieutenant Jol, my ancestor was a proud Anunnakian and a great military leader, scientist, and explorer. He was so confident in his abilities, that as a tribute to the fine work that he and his crew were going to accomplish on this, how do these earthers say it, god forsaken planet. That he commissioned a statue of himself to be erected on his forth mission here, to stand guard majestically over the future magnificent edifices prior to them being constructed nearby, which was scheduled to happen on the sixth tour of his many missions to this world.
The eathers now call that monument to my legendary military ancestor, the Sphinx. That is right Lieutenant Jol, the face on the monument called the Sphinx by this planets lowly inhabitants, at least what is left of it, is the face of one of the greatest Xarr's in the history of our planet."
"Yes, Captain Xarr!" Lieutenant Jol shouted as he snapped to attention
"So that brings us to me."
"Yes Captain Xarr!" The lieutenant again shouted.
"Here I am, many centuries later, using the same almanac to guide our timetable so that our superior Anunnakian race can maintain the precise schedule set at the beginning of our 1st Baktun by my storied relative from the distant past, Admiral Pacal Xarr.
While living deep in the jungle between the two continents on this orb now known as North and South America. My great, great, great, great, great, well you get the idea lieutenant."
"Yes, Captain Xarr!" Lieutenant Jol repeated loudly for the third time in a row, and repeated at a decibel level that was starting to annoy his ship's captain.
"Yes indeed, Lieutenant Jol." Captain Xarr continued, glaring at his subordinate.
"As did the missions of Pacal Xarr, my mission also has dictated that I travel several thousand parsecs away from my home world to the same, as I said before, god forsaken planet, and deal with the same sub-intelligent barbaric earther savages that my fabled ancestor dealt with during the ancient past.
Failure might always be an option in your world Lieutenant Jol, but my existent does not allow for a lack of success. I will not fail in my mission on this ugly sphere, just as Admiral Pacal Xarr did not fail, or for that matter, any of my ancestors that came before me. None of them failed to accomplish their missions on this planet or any other, and I do not intend to be the first commander in the Xarr family lineage to disgrace our fine name. Do you understand me Lieutenant Jol?"
"Yes, Captain Xarr!" Lieutenant Jol barked, still standing at attention as small beads of perspiration began to glaze his alien forehead.
"Now let's go deal with those useless earthers in test subject group 32452013, before I start to remember your monumental ineptitude concerning your knowledge of my family tree, shall we."
"Yes, Captain Xarr." Lieutenant Jol barked once more to his superior's vexation.
Shouting to the pilot, Captain Xarr ordered.
"Put us over the test subject group 32452013's position immediately!"
Within seconds, the spacecraft hovered invisibly over the embattled National Guard armory.
"Give me a visual," the Captain ordered, almost too late, as a crew member had already began the process of putting the event taking place below them onto their plasmatic viewer.
Th
e scene on the ground confirmed Lieutenant Jol's report, test subject group 32452013 was in a hopeless situation, the sound of the battle tank's gun firing had drawn what the Anunnaki crewmembers called control subjects (zombies), to the armory in vast numbers.
The aerial view showed so many control subjects, that for blocks in every direction, it was difficult to see even one square foot of flat, ground level terra firma that wasn't occupied with a hungry and slobbering control subject, most of which were displaying at least some maggots somewhere on their person. In addition, hundreds more control subjects were converging on the site every minute, bring their personal swarm of flies along with them.
"Lieutenant Jol, I didn't come half way across this galaxy, leave my female companion and our off springs, spend the last three Kronal sections setting up this experiment on this ugly green and blue rock, just to see test subject group 32452013 eliminated prematurely," the Captain reeled angrily.
"What are your orders Captain Xarr?" Lieutenant Jol asked, knowing the penalty for failure would be prolonged torture, and then death, if he were lucky.
"Signal four of the phase three transport ships to rendezvous at this location immediately," Captain Xarr answered. "Make that three phase three transports, and one phase four transport Lieutenant Jol."
The lieutenant complied with his captain's orders, and within moments, four transport ships were hovering beside the Mother ship, fifty thousand feet in the air over the Texas National Guard armory.
"Lieutenant Jol, insert a genetic differentiation chip into each of the pre-extinction bipedal carnivorous creatures prior to their release onto the planet's surface. We want to make sure that we don't accidently eliminate test subject group 32452013, or for that matter, any other test subject groups," Captain Xarr ordered. "And release them immediately, test subject group 32452013 can't maintain their current status much longer."
"Yes, Captain Xarr," Lieutenant Jol responded, signaling to lower rank crewmembers to comply with the Captains orders immediately, or else.
Not wanting to meet the same end as he had arranged for the ship's engineer, the lieutenant quickly followed up on the orders he had conveyed from the Captain.
"Captain Xarr, your orders have been complied with. The genetic differentiation chips have been inserted, and the release of the pre-extinction bipedal carnivorous creatures is complete," Lieutenant Jol proudly informed his captain.
"Excellent, Lieutenant Jol," the Captain spouted. "Under my tutelage you just might make it to the rank of Sub-prime Lieutenant one of these days."
"Thank you Captain Xarr, I shall continue to endeavor to persevere toward that goal," Lieutenant Jol replied, relieved that he wasn't being taken into custody, or summarily executed right there on the bridge of the spaceship.
"This thing is about out of fuel, and they're still coming, they're climbing over the burnt carcasses to get to us," I yelled, feeling the weight of the flamethrower's fuel tanks diminishing. "Ammo count?" I hollered.
"I've only got four round left!" Gin yelled back.
"I got five!" Jacob shouted.
"Two!" Billy stated, as he launched his last two bullets into the face of two approaching zombies at point blank range, flinging several of their clinging facial maggots into the air.
"I'm out!" he yelled.
The M2-2 flamethrower was now beginning to sputter and spit. No longer was it hurling twenty-foot lengths of flaming death in the direction of the attacking monsters, now only three to five foot squirts of fire left the nozzle of the once devastating device.
"We're about done here," I yelled, trying to prepare myself for the horrible death that was imminent.
"Holy crud," Jacob shouted as loud as he could. "That can't be real?"
Before I had time to turn and see what had prompted Jacob's announcement, I uttered the same words myself only with a slight variance.
"Holy shit in an argyle sock, that can't be real?" I said in amazement, as I watched a prehistoric velociraptor tear off the heads of two zombies that had managed to avoid the flames, and that were about to pounce on me.
Then with its six-inch long talon, unzip another zombie from its sternum to its crotch, dumping its internal organs on the ground in front of me.
The phrases "Holy crud", and "Holy shit," seemed to echo repeatedly, depending on which one of us said it, as each one of us saw more and more velociraptors mauling the horde of zombies that surrounded us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught site of a beam of light split a large cumulus cloud, and descend down upon the third building that was still standing. Reminding me that even if we somehow managed to escape the carnage that was happening all around us, we still would have to deal with the hidden sniper.
At the moment the beam hit the building, the building glowed for a split second, then it turned a powdery white color, and crumbled to the ground. The sound of bullets ricocheting off the tank ceased. The sniper was no longer a threat.
As I turned from watching the snipers nest disintegrate, to check on my family members, I saw another site that boggled my imagination. What I saw was another prehistoric animal that couldn't possibly be terrorizing the planet at this moment in time.
What I saw, was a Tyrannosaurus-Rex wreaking havoc through the multitudes of zombies along with the raptors. The raptors were very close to us, almost as if they were in a protective semi-circle around us fending off the attacking zombies, the Tyrannosaurus-Rex was ripping apart zombies in the outer circle, and was soon joined by three more Tyrannosaurs.
Body parts were being tossed indiscriminately into the air. Thick pools of blood were forming around us and oozing under our feet. Intestines were being flailed back and forth in the primitive animal's mouths, and flung onto us and everything else in the surrounding area, as the dinosaurs mutilated thousands of zombies in their path, during the grisly spectacle that was taking place just feet from us and the disabled tank.
"When they get done with the eaters, we'll be next," Gin screamed, totally in panic mode.
"Right, we're next, they're not eating the eaters, they're just tearing them to pieces, and I bet we're next!" Billy yelled.
Jacob climbed up on the tank, which now had stopped burning, and said. "I'm not waiting to find out!"
"There's three dead bodies in the tank Jacob, and ones without a head," Gin screamed, in a panicked frenzy.
"Yeah, and there's thousands of dead bodies out here, most of them without their guts," Jacob replied, swiping a four-foot long bluish green large intestine off his shoulder.
"He's right, just because up to now the dinosaurs haven't torn us apart, that doesn't mean that they're not going too," I said expressing my concern, while I too wiped off a collection of small intestines that were hanging from my right arm, that had been flung onto me by a nearby raptor.
None of us really wanted to close ourselves inside a burnt out battle tank with three dead bodies, but under the circumstances, we all felt that we had no choice.
Jacob went first, firing his last round into Rich's head, as he had been killed by the shell exploding, but had not sustained a head injury, therefore turning into a zombie shortly after his death. Dave on the other hand, had had the right half of his skull torn off in the blast and would have been classified as either "dead at the scene" or "dead on arrival" depending on what the coroner had decided at the time (I mean, if there had been a coroner present). And of course, Bruce's head was shattered into a thousand pieces by the sniper's bullet.
After Jacob had entered the tank, Gin followed, crying her eyes out, and then Billy climbed onto the tank and crawled inside. Then taking one last look around, and after seeing the hundreds of meat eating dinosaurs, mutilating the thousands of fearless maniacal zombies, I too entered what I thought of as our steel coffin, and I reluctantly closed the tank's turret hatch behind us.
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