by Nick Braker
“With me,” Magnus ordered.
Magnus launched himself out of the vehicle. He had already spotted the two women walking on the sidewalk with their dates. They had both turned to see the SUV screech to a halt when Magnus jumped out, but only one woman took off down the street. She ran right out of her shoes. The one that bolted was the alien, but he couldn’t risk a ploy on the other woman’s part. She might be one, too.
“Brock, get this one,” he ordered, pointing to the one who had stayed with the two men. “Grep, Warren, with me. Now, damn it,” he screamed back.
Magnus was in a full run and already had a huge lead on his two friends. Grep and Warren would easily catch up to him with their speed and lighter weight. He didn’t slow down for them but unfortunately, he was losing ground on the woman. She was fast and very agile but he could tell she was not as fast as Warren or Grep. They could get her but her lead gave her a lot of time to lose them in the chase. He was taking nothing for granted. She was an alien and there were too many variables he couldn’t control. He had to get her now or slow her down. He pulled his gun and popped off several rounds at her leg, still at a full run. It was a tough shot but this one wasn’t getting away. He would bring her back dead if needed.
His first three shots missed, the fourth grazed her leg and the rest missed. He was out and reloading was a bitch with a .38 special. He made a mental note to tell Tom that they needed better guns.
This is bullshit equipment.
His fourth shot slowed her pace, though. She was bleeding. She cut into an alley to the right. Magnus stole a quick glance back and saw that Warren and Grep were still at the intersection behind him. He motioned with his hand for them to go right along the street and not to follow him. He cut right into the alley, grabbing a handhold to let himself cut the corner faster. The woman ran full bore down the alley. He wasn’t going to catch her but he could try to slow her down again. He pulled out a bullet and reloaded on the run.
“Make it count, man,” he said to himself.
He took aim, still on the run. His arms bounced with every stride knowing it would be a lucky shot. He started to pull the trigger but the alien cut left into what looked like a restaurant’s back door.
“Damn,” he growled.
She plowed through the man who had just opened the door. Magnus was seconds behind her and reached the door as the man fumbled to get up. Magnus deftly slipped around the man as the alien ran through a set of swinging, double doors inside the restaurant. His breathing was fast and shallow now as he struggled to get enough air. His body screamed for more oxygen and urged him to stop but he kept going, darting after her. He pushed himself through the swinging doors at full speed to see her run outside, through the restaurant’s front doors. Patrons on both sides were confused by the woman’s actions but then they started screaming when they saw the gun in Magnus’ hands. Ignoring them, he cleared the front door as the alien woman went through another door on the opposite side of the street. It was a hotel. He couldn’t read the name of it as the neon lights were all burnt out and it was just too dark to see the letters. Magnus caught Grep in his peripheral vision on his left side and motioned him toward the hotel. Grep must have decided to go straight instead of taking the right that Magnus had directed him to do earlier. He was less than half a block away and would be right behind him as he entered.
“She’s in the hotel,” he yelled.
“I’ll try to cover the back then,” Grep called back, both still at a dead run toward the hotel entrance.
“No, follow me in. She’s going here for a reason,” he yelled, as he burst through the door. Grep followed right behind him. A man behind the hotel lobby counter stared at them, saying nothing.
“Where did she go?” he barked at the man.
The man pointed up the stairs. Grep shot ahead of Magnus and the two flew up the steps with all they had. The man behind the counter seemed to recover and yelled at them.
“She’s in room 408.”
Magnus labored to breathe but pushed harder anyway. Grep seemed to be doing well enough, and in fact, was even further ahead now. Grep went through the open door at the fourth floor. Magnus stumbled in behind him, completely out of breath just as the door to room 408 slammed shut.
“This is your forte, Magnus,” Grep said, pointing to the door.
Magnus took several deep breaths, trying to catch his breath. He stepped back and kicked the door. The force of his kick splintered the middle section but it held. He kicked again, determined to capture this alien. His second kick broke the latch but the door stopped just an inch open.
“She’s got something wedged,” Grep yelled.
“Cover me.”
Magnus put his shoulder into the third attempt. The chair, wedging the door shut, splintered apart and the door shredded from the force. He lost his footing and his momentum carried him through the doorway where he landed on top of several pieces of the door and what remained of the chair. His gun came up instantly, pointing into the air, searching for the alien. The window was open, the curtains blowing from the wind outside. Grep entered cautiously, pistol raised.
“Aw shit,” he said, lowering his weapon. “Seriously?”
Magnus pushed up off the floor and followed Grep’s eyes across the room. There on the bed was a redheaded woman. Her midsection completely missing, her legs at strange angles and the bed covered in blood. A blond wig partially covered the woman’s face as her blue eyes stared up into the ceiling. Magnus stood there, his body shaking. His mind reeled in shock as he witnessed the death of Beth again. The blood that soaked into the snow so many months ago, recreated here in this bed of white sheets and pillow cases. Her blue eyes, just like Beth’s were wide open.
“It’s so red,” Magnus whispered.
“Asher, get out of here,” Grep said, using his real name and trying vainly to turn him around, hoping to get him out of the room.
Grep’s eyes were filled with concern but Magnus pushed him back. The push was so strong, he left the ground and went flying backward. Grep twisted in mid-air, landing deftly on his feet. He had to stop his momentum by pushing against the wall with both hands.
“Asher, you don’t need to see this,” Grep said, worry dripping from every word. “Let me handle it.”
Magnus took one step and then another toward the bed.
“What the fuck... kind of creature... does this?” he whispered. “What kind of evil...” Magnus’ comment trailed off.
He was just a few feet now from her body, looking down at her in the snow.
Snow?
“Beth?” he whispered. “I’m going to kill every one of them. I fucking swear. Every last one of them.”
He heard Beth’s voice again ask him a question.
“Forget me?”
“Never,” he whispered back to her.
Grep jumped in front of him again, blocking his view.
“Look at me, bro. Look at me,” Grep said. “I got this. Go get Warren. Tell him to contact WSO and get the team out here.”
Magnus slowly turned his head toward Grep.
“It’s Beth. I can’t. I promised her. Never,” he shook his head, trying to clear it.
He stood there unable to do anything but stare at his friend.
“Asher, I got this. Pull yourself together. Damn it, man. Get a grip,” Grep exclaimed.
This isn’t right. Pull it together. That’s not Beth. The window, remember the window?
“The window,” Magnus said, his voice returning.
He barked it out as an order as his head snapped around toward it. Both of them rushed over, pulling the curtains aside and looking out. The street below was empty. Several cars were parked along it but nothing moved and nothing made any noise. The alien was gone.
“Damn it! Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Grep exclaimed.
“Call the SUV,” Magnus said quietly, still looking outside.
His voice changed again. It felt distant, monotone, but at least his control was retu
rning. He still loved Beth and he couldn’t let it go.
To hell with the dead body. It isn’t Beth and I need to get control.
He laughed. It was either that or cry.
Push it aside, jack. Get back to work. Just another body. Just another day on the job. Yeah, another day.
Grep was on the phone talking with Brock. He already had WSO agents in route to the restaurant and the hotel. He guessed they had five minutes before WSO would be here, locking this place down. He continued to scan the darkness below when he spotted Warren on his right, about a block down.
“Search the area, Warren,” Magnus yelled. “Another alien got away, through this window. Could be anyone. They probably have blood on them.”
Warren waved an affirmative and started toward the area where Magnus pointed.
A team of WSO agents arrived via helicopter. They landed on the roof and worked their way down. They entered the hallway and Grep motioned them into the hotel room. He didn’t recognize any of them but the lead man came up and introduced himself.
“Agent Cray,” the man said but then did a double take. “Hey, you’re two of the guys that captured an alien spaceship, right?”
Grep nodded.
“Let’s chat about that later,” Grep said. “Right now, let’s get this area secure.”
“Agreed,” Agent Cray nodded. “I’ve got men already in position and more on the way. Nice work, guys.”
“Thanks, we’ll be outside. I’m sure you got this,” Grep said.
Grep grabbed Magnus by the shoulder and pulled him to the hallway. He started to resist but something in Grep’s eyes told him not to resist.
“Magnus, I was wrong,” Grep said, as they stepped out of the room. “We don’t have human-like aliens walking among us, we have humans under the control of one or two alien species walking among us.”
“What the hell are you talking about? That alien killed itself. Probably blasted itself apart.”
“And the window?”
“Another alien in the room with her who managed to get away,” he said.
Grep shook his head slowly. He was missing something and whatever it was, his mind was fighting to keep it contained.
“Magnus,” Grep said, grabbing his friend gently by the shoulders. “Look at the pieces of the puzzle.”
“What in the hell are you trying to say?” Magnus asked.
“We have two alien species working against us,” Grep said. “Two, not one. The MO of the Beta aliens is to take over the minds of humans from a distance while the Omega aliens inhabit humans from within. This prostitute has been controlled by a creature physically inside her. How long? I don’t know.”
He stared at Grep, trying to understand the ramifications of what he was telling him. Beth’s death was still deeply affecting him and it clouded his thoughts. Beth was the first one the Beta aliens killed.
“How the hell do you know that?” Magnus challenged him.
“There are not enough people experiencing blackouts to come even close to the number needed to kill everyone on Earth that has died already. Not by a long shot, which means there has to be another way they are doing it. These creatures are walking among us, small enough to fit inside a human being as their host.”
“Hell no,” Magnus croaked.
“After seeing this woman’s abdomen literally blown wide open, it dawned on me that we are dealing with three alien species. One that is helping us and two that are trying to harm us in one way or another,” Grep said.
“Why can’t just one alien species be doing both?” Magnus asked.
“Sir?” Agent Cray said, interrupting them.
“Go ahead,” Magnus said.
“Area secured and the body is in custody. We’re taking it back to WSO. I’ve been ordered to ensure we have several eyes on this woman the entire trip without exception. Do you two need anything?”
Grep shook his head.
“Thanks for the assist, Agent Cray,” Grep told him.
The man nodded and returned to the hotel room.
“Well?” Magnus prodded again.
“First, that is a human female on that bed back there unless our Omega aliens are Homo sapiens too. Second, she was not controlled by the Beta aliens because the MO is all wrong. The Beta aliens haven’t directly killed a single person they’ve mentally controlled. This prostitute was just like the Jamaican woman, Toni. Several technicians gave the Jamaican woman a cursory examination in our apartment complex and on the way back to WSO. They reported long external scars along her abdomen. I saw similar scars on what was left of this woman. The gorgeous woman outside the Carlyle was a Beta alien. Her name is Angelina Wolfe. I bet you recognize the name and guess what? I bet when we find her and question her, she’ll claim she’s had blackouts.”
“Holy shit. Grep... dear god, I hope you’re wrong,” Magnus said.
It was several hours later and the group was back at the SUV in front of the Carlyle. WSO had successfully controlled the situation moments after Brock had called them. They had local police assist, barricading the areas off from public eyes. WSO didn’t let anyone, public or private, near the hotel. They had evacuated the hotel under the ruse of a gas leak and searched the area thoroughly. The security footage from the Carlyle was confiscated by Grep who assured the manager he would do his best to keep it private. WSO also had the body of the alien kept constantly in sight of three WSO personnel at all times and secretly removed from the hotel for transport back to WSO. Tom personally directed everything remotely and was feeding updates to Alexandria. Five hours later, nothing remained and it looked like WSO had never been there.
Chapter 21
DEBRIEF
Earth - Washington, DC
August 22, 1987 - 8:38am
The four agents were back at WSO headquarters sitting in Alexandria’s office. Tom stood beside her desk with both of them facing the four. It was early morning with the sun casting long shadows from the opposite side of the building. The reflection of the sun off the nearby buildings brightened the office, giving it a crisp, yellow tint. Brock and Warren looked exhausted but Magnus noted Grep seemed as chipper as ever. Like him, he required little sleep, a side effect of the alien gifts.
“We already debriefed you. Why this meeting?” Magnus asked.
Alexandria moved around to the front of her desk. She had a pair of jeans on with an off-white blouse and her long blond hair hung down past her shoulders. He had never seen her like this before but, being a Saturday, she wasn’t breaking any protocols.
Nice.
He enjoyed the view.
“I wanted to thank you four personally,” she said, leaning back on her desk and folding her arms in front of her. “Last night was the second closest shot we have ever had to catching an alien alive. A dead one would have been good enough. Even more encouraging is I’m sure the four of you will bring us one... eventually.”
Tom flinched and looked down at his shoes.
“I’m not sure how that is an accomplishment,” Grep said.
“We’ve been at this almost a year and we had two close calls by you four. We’ve never even come close and frankly, it boils down to your unorthodox methods and attitudes,” she said. “Grep, I think your Alpha aliens chose wisely.”
“Which brings me to my next point. We’re sending you to Paris. As you all know, France is a hotbed of alien activity with nearly 40% of all deaths occurring there.”
“Whoa, boss lady. France?” Brock said. “I don’t even have a passport.”
Alexandria ignored him and continued.
“Too many high profile deaths there. My teams on the ground in France are coming up with nothing. I’m adding you four to the force but you’ll be on your own. Tom will fill you in with what we have so far and then do what you do best.”
Grep cleared his throat, changing the subject.
“So do we know how they’ve infiltrated us? Any preliminary findings from the coroner?”
“As far as we can
tell, the aliens are very small. We’re guessing just under two feet. They house themselves inside human hosts, keeping the human animated. Although the coroner did come up with some strange conclusions that we can only attribute to whatever metabolic process they use to keep the human moving.”
“Like what?” Magnus asked.
“Several tests indicated time of death at the point you two found her in the hotel but other tests stated she had died months ago. Temperature drop and a couple of blood workups, for example, showed she died at the hotel. Other tests, of course, conflict with that, as mentioned.”
“That makes sense,” Grep said, looking down.
Magnus had a white knuckled, vice-like grip on his chair arms. Alexandria’s comment about she died months ago had touched the nerve again about Beth. He willed himself to relax. WSO personnel were at Beth’s funeral the day she died but it was just last night when he put two and two together.
What else have I missed?
“So they get inside them physically,” Warren reiterated. “Animate them so they can walk among us, just so they can harvest our glands? Do they kill their host before or after they enter them? Never mind, I don’t want to know. If Grep is right, they did all that to cover up their real purpose of shutting down our research into wormhole technology. If he’s wrong, then we could believe that alien, Toni, when she said they are doing it for the wealth, selling the chemicals produced by human glands. You know, we really don’t know a damn thing.”
Warren’s face was red. Something had set him off this morning. Alexandria stepped over to Warren and put her hand on his shoulder.
“We know this much, Warren. We have an alien invasion on our hands and you four are going to stop them. You have my complete support and I will provide you with every resource you need to accomplish it. If Grep is right, you also have an entire alien species out there helping, as well.”
