by Clyde Key
* * *
The troops practiced for two days, and then early the following morning, they set out in a convoy to confront the aliens. Ed led the group, with Marilee riding in his floater. Richie Taylor and Robin Wylie followed in the next vehicle and Captain Baines followed after that. The captain had picked another old soldier to help him with the ammunition. In all, there were eleven floaters, with the last in the caravan carrying a soldier and a reporter. The next six floaters following Ed all had been modified to load the bottles from the inside, but Ed’s vehicle didn’t have a tube mounted on the repeller at all. Instead, it was equipped with a high-powered bullhorn with which Ed hoped to get the aliens’ attention.
They passed the first formation of globes a few kilometers west of Needles, so far south from highway 10 that they could barely see it. Ed told them to ignore that formation, and had Marilee mark its position on their mapscreen. “We will scout the entire area before we try to make any contact,” he said. “If there is more than one group of them, we ought to know it.”
They found another formation several kilometers north of highway 10 just off a crossroad. This position was duly recorded and Ed’s troops completed a large circle of the entire area around Needles and Needles City Park without finding any others.
Then Ed led them back to the fleet of alien rockets. He instructed the force to set up in a large circle with all the floaters facing out so they couldn’t be surprised. Each repeller gun was loaded, and the floaters that could be loaded from the inside were arranged so that they occupied every second position. Satisfied that they were in a good defensive formation, Ed took his floater to the rocket fleet.
“Well, Marilee. This is why I didn’t want you coming along. I’m going in there to make contact now and it’s risky. I didn’t want to put you in danger,” he said. “In fact, the more I think about it, the less I like it. I’m going to take you back and leave you with Wylie and Taylor.”
“Not on your life!” Marilee folded her arms and stared back at him.
Uh-oh. I’ve seen that look before, thought Ed. “If it’s a direct order, you have to. This is army, not AABC.”
“So courtmartial me. I’ve read about military and that’s how they handle insubordination.”
“Crud!” said Ed. “Now I’ll feel responsible forever if something happens.”
“No, you won’t. If anything happens, neither of us will be around to worry about it.”
Ed said no more, but guided his floater among the giant rockets. Then he turned his bullhorn on and keyed the microphone. “Now hear this! Aliens must report. I represent our government. I must speak with your leader.” Ed repeated the message several times, then turned up the bullhorn power and repeated it several times again.
“So I guess we regroup and try contact with the globes,” said Ed, “unless you have another suggestion.”
“I do have a suggestion,” said Marilee. “All these rockets are standing straight up except for that one over there. It’s leaning a little bit. Why don’t you give it a little nudge?”
“By gum, it would get their attention if I shook it a little bit. I’ll try it.”
Ed raised his floater to full altitude, turned the repeller on high power. Then he aimed his floater at the rocket that was slightly atilt and accelerated toward it. The repeller sent his floater spinning across the desert away from the rocket, making him quite dizzy before the vehicle’s computer regained control. When Ed could see straight again, he saw that the rocket was leaning just a bit more than it already had.
“Do you know what?” said Marilee. “I think it’s still moving.”
Ed stared at it. “I think you’re right. It is still moving.”
Then as they watched, the huge craft began to lean even more, until a leg buckled under and it toppled completely. The rocket was almost completely over before it struck a second. And then that one toppled another. Within a few minutes, more than two dozen alien rockets had fallen in a crescendo of tortured metal.
“Yes, I do believe we should have their attention,” said Marilee.
Ed called Captain Baines on the comphone. “Did you see what just happened?”
“Affirmative,” answered Baines.
“Break!” It was Richie Taylor’s voice on the comphone.
“Yes. Go ahead,” said Ed.
“We have Visitors coming. There’s a line of globes heading toward us, slowly. They’ll be here within a couple of minutes.”
“We’re coming back,” said Ed. “Don’t break rank. Don’t fire on them unless threatened.”
“Roger,” said Baines.
“Who?” asked Marilee. “ We don’t have anybody named Roger.”
Ed chuckled. “Roger means message understood. It’s old military radio procedure. Now watch behind us as we leave. Be sure we aren’t followed.”
“Roger.”
The globes reached Ed’s troops before he did. When Ed and Marilee were about a kilometer from the troops, they could see the line of globes circling around the floaters. Ed stopped his floater and watched, as Marilee called on the comphone. “Captain Baines! The aliens will have you surrounded.”
“I see ‘em!” said Baines. “What does General Ed want us to do?”
“Nothing for now,” said Ed. “But if we lose contact, you’re in charge there. Use your best judgment.”
“Roger. Wilco.”
“More old-timer jargon, I suppose?” said Marilee.
“I suppose.”
The globes quickly covered the floaters with the typical dome formation, and Ed took his floater nearer. Marilee called on the comphone. “Captain Baines! What’s going on in there?” There was no response from the captain but static spewed from the comphone speaker. She tried again. Captain Baines! Anybody! Can you hear us?” There was much noise again but still no response from Baines.
“They should be okay as long as they stay inside the floaters,” said Ed.
“Yes, we know that from experience, but it’s still scary.”
Ed turned on the bullhorn and yelled at the aliens. “Now hear this. I demand that you release our personnel! Remove your vehicles at once! I represent our government and I have been ordered to communicate with you. Please send a representative at once! And I repeat: Release our personnel at once!”
There was no action, even no sound from the globes.
“Now what?” asked Marilee.
“Well, I could possibly try to break up the dome with my repeller. That’s worked before, but I don’t know what kind of response it might provoke, or whether they might try to hurt our troops.”
Marilee considered this silently. Then a hole suddenly appeared in the dome as a globe fell out and shattered on the ground. And then globes began to fall from all around the dome. Shards of the globes and splattered aliens lay all around. Then the dome adjusted filling up those holes but making a smaller dome in the process.
“I guess I could try the bullhorn again,” said Ed. “But they don’t seem to understand.”
“Or choose not to. What are you going to do next?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should try the repeller trick again.”
Then the odor from the broken domes drifted in on the breeze.
“Sheeoo! That smells awful!” said Marilee. “I don’t remember it being that bad before, even when we were in the middle of it all!”
Ed gagged. “I think I’m going to throw up.” He raised the floater door so he could lean out but the odor was worse so he quickly closed it. “Wish this floater had an air purifier but they don’t put them on the high level models.”
“I bet they will after this,” said Marilee.
Then more globes came falling out of the dome. “I guess Baines is going to fight his way out,” said Ed.
Then while they watched, the globes formed again into a smaller dome and again, Ed’s troops shot several globes. The sequence repeated over and over until there weren’t enough globes to form a dome around the troops. Then the re
maining globes filed away and formed a line facing the floater formation. Each globe hovered atop a pencil?thin flame.
Ed grabbed the comphone microphone again. “Captain Baines! What is your status?”
“About to puke,” answered Baines, “but otherwise okay. I guess we showed them a thing or two!”
“Yeah, but I don’t know what’s going to happen next. While they were still in space, we communicated by radio. In English, even. But now, I don’t even know what to try!”
Baines had the troops form their floaters in a straight line facing the line of alien globes, and Ed joined them, placing his floater in front of his line and also facing the aliens. Then after a few minutes, one globe moved out a few meters, and its rocket flame gradually disappeared, letting it settle slowly to the ground directly in front of Ed.
“What do you make of this?” asked Ed. “I wonder if it’s trying to communicate with us.”
“Or is it getting ready to lead a charge?” asked Marilee.
Ed shook his head. “I don’t know.” Then he keyed the comphone mic switch. “Baines, troops, hold your fire. Let’s wait and see what’s going on here.”
The captain may have tried to answer but they couldn’t tell for sure because the comphone erupted again with a loud, long burst of static. “Those things sure do generate a lot of interference,” said Ed. “It must be those little rockets making static.”
Then a rectangular hole opened in the front globe. Again, it was so dark they couldn’t see what was in the globe. “You can bet I’m not going to go check it out,” said Ed. “I’ve had enough of riding in one of those things.”
Then after a few more minutes, an alien began to emerge from that globe. First came the gelatinous mass that landed in a quivering heap a meter in front of the globe, and then the slender alien came out and leaped into the middle of the blob. The alien slowly soaked up all of the goopy alien body substance. For all of them except Ed and Marilee, it was the first time they had ever seen an alien getting itself all together in its complete ugly condition.
“Maybe it wants to talk. I’ve got to see,” said Ed. Then he keyed the microphone. “Captain Baines, do you read me?”
“Roger.”
“Baines, I’m going to try for contact again. I’m going out there to talk. If anything happens to me, you take over.”
“Roger. Be careful, Boss.”
Ed let his floater down on autohover, raised the door, and stepped out. The alien was still some 100 meters away but approaching in it’s rippling, sloshing fashion. Ed started walking toward the alien and had gone several meters before he noticed Marilee was following a couple of steps behind him. “What the devil are you doing? Get back in there!”
“No way, Chief. You’re not going alone.”
“That’s insubordination!”
“Yes, it is. But if you fire me for it, I’ll be a civilian again and I won’t have to do anything you say. Besides, I’m armed and you’re not.”
“Armed?” Ed looked around and saw that she was brandishing a laser pistol.
“It’s got an ion trailer,” she said. “It packs a punch.”
“Where did you get that? Oh, never mind. Don’t use it unless you’re attacked.”
When they were only a few meters away from the alien, Marilee cried out. “Oh my! That hurts!”
“What hurts?”
“The noise! Can’t you hear it?”
Ed shook his head. “I guess not. I don’t hear so well.”
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to stay back a way. That chirping is killing me!”
“I don’t mind. I wanted you to stay way back anyway. Like in the floater.”
The alien was sloshing very near when Ed called out. “Greetings. I am Ed Halloran, representative of our government. Are you the leader?”
The alien stopped moving when Ed spoke. Then it started again but moving a different direction for a couple of meters. After wandering somewhat aimlessly for a bit, the alien seemed to get back on track and was again headed for Ed. “Greetings!” said Ed. “I am Ed Halloran and I wish to speak to your leader. Are you the leader?”
The alien again started sloshing aimlessly about for a bit, then seemed to get its bearings again and started sloshing toward Ed. This time, Ed decided not to speak until the alien stood next to him. In another minute, the alien stood (probably) facing Ed.
“Greetings. I am Ed Halloran, representative of the United States of America, upon whose portion of the earth’s surface you have landed. My government welcomes you in peace.”
The alien stood perfectly still, and Ed stared. It was certainly the most repulsive creature he had ever seen. The mottled skin wasn’t any particular color that he could identify, and goo oozed from what looked like pores all over and trickled down the alien’s body. Then Ed noticed what looked like two sets of lips, one set on either side of its body about two third of the way up. This alien was not quite two meters tall and it was about 75 centimeters across. Then one set of lips bulged slightly before parting, and a long slender arm (Ed supposed it was an arm) came out of the lips and extended toward Ed. The end of the arm unfurled into three slender fingers.
Ed thought, it wants to shake my hand! He offered his and the alien took hold of Ed’s hand. The alien’s fingers caused a burning sensation where they touched Ed’s hand and he tried to jerk it away but could not. The alien held him tightly.
Ed gasped. “You’re hurting me! Please release me!”
But the alien retained its grip and slowly began to pull Ed’s hand toward the alien’s body. Just then there was a loud zipping sound and a blinding flash of light, and when Ed could see again, the alien lay quivering in the sand. A large charred hole in its side was pouring the gooey alien insides onto the ground. It took him a minute to realize that Marilee had shot it with the laser gun!
As Ed stood shaking, the line of alien globes began to leave single file toward the rocket fleet. Nobody in Ed’s group tried to stop them.
“Are you okay?” asked Marilee.
“I’m not doing too well,” said Ed. “First, my hand is burning like the dickens, and now this alien you shot stinks to high heaven. The smell of a dead alien has to be the worst weapon they’ve got. Nobody will want to hurt one if they can help it!”
“Yes. But at least the noise is stopped. That was about to drive me buggy.”
Captain Baines took his floater out and joined Ed and Marilee as they walked back toward their vehicle. He got out and walked with them, sending his partner back to the formation with the floater.
“What next, General?” asked Baines.
“I want surveillance outposts set up, and I want squads patrolling twenty?four hours a day so no aliens can leave the area without us knowing it. Then I have to report back to the President on all this,” said Ed.
“You also have to brief Ms. Sisk on what’s happening,” said Marilee.
“Yes, but thank God I don’t have to answer to Arlene. And that’s going to drive her insane!”
16
May 17, 2112
“No, Ms. President. I’d say things are definitely not going well. You have my written report coming over the wire but basically what it says is that we have been attacked in one way or another every time we have attempted to make contact with the aliens.”
The president appeared more imposing as she looked down from the large wallscreen than she did in person. “I had hoped for better news, but I didn’t really expect it—especially not after monitoring the reports from most of the other landing sites, and from the burial crews we sent to the toxic fume zone.”
“That sounds like information I need access to.”
“You’ll have it all over the wire very soon. You would have had it already but most of it is just coming in. As far as I’m concerned, it’s very frightening. I’m sure it’s the worst peril the world has ever seen.”
“Can you fill me in on the high points, Ms. President?”
“Yes, certainly. Whe
re shall I start, Mr. Halloran? Perhaps with the European reports, I suppose,” said the president. “What we get from the European states is similar to what you’ve already found. They have three different state groups trying to contact aliens with absolutely no success. What they’ve experienced is that some of their representatives seem to have been captured, as you were, but they haven’t managed to escape.”
“That’s about what I expected. But you mentioned something about the burial crews?”
“Yes, and this is horrible. The crews have been working starting from the north where there were more deaths in the toxic cloud zone, and now they’ve worked all the way down to around 300 kilometers from the landing site.” President Litton seemed to choke on the words. “They aren’t finding complete bodies down there.”
“Huh? What do you mean? How...?”
“What they’re finding are skeletons—not decomposed bodies, just the bones.”
“Uh, how do they account for that?”
“They don’t know how to account for it, but I’m sure you’ll get the same picture I do if you think about it.”
“That’s sickening. Does AABC know about this yet?”
“Soon. I’m having all these reports wired to Ms. Sisk. I’ll also furnish her with a copy of your report if you don’t mind.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t anxious to brief her myself. We get along about as well as fire and terpenol, if you know what I mean.”
“What are your recommendations Mr. Halloran?”
“First, we need more people down here—soldiers, not bureaucrats. There’s no telling how many aliens are here, but they definitely aren’t friendly, and we don’t have enough people to guard the whole zone effectively. We also need weapons for the troops.”
“I’m ahead of you on the personnel. I’ve appointed Everett Lane to head this up, at his suggestion. He’s starting a militia program, and he’s setting up procedures for screening volunteers at this very minute. But weapons will be a little tougher.”
“I thought so,” said Ed. “I always thought it was a mistake to close down all the gun factories”
“Anyway, I’m doing what I can there, too,” said Litton. “Weapons technology still exists and I already have people pulling old drawings out of the archives.”
