Alien Invasion In The Pacific Northwest - Original Fiction
Captain John Bennett stared at the wandering crowd of citizens in amazement. They all were blindly heading toward what was certain doom, toward the heart of the alien invasion forces that had been capturing and doing Lord knows what to Seattle's population for more than two days now. There was an evil deep in the heart of what used to be Downtown Seattle. It was a place that his forces were yet to infiltrate and if there was going to be any success in this battle for the salvation of Planet Earth, they needed to get in there and learn what was really happening.
Then he saw it. High atop a flaming condominium building, he noticed the faint outline of one of those winged freaks, perched on the edge of the roof and leering down on the zombie-like masses flowing by below. Taking aim through the sights of his own M-27 Assault Rifle, Bennett realized that it was too far away to have any chance of a successful kill shot.
Bennett spoke loudly into the built-in microphone of his helmet's communication gear, "Jackson, you still with me?"
"Yes Sir, right behind you. I see it too," Corporal Vance Jackson replied into Bennet's earpiece.
"Range me Corporal," Bennett ordered calmly, crouching into a more offensive stance.
Jackson leaned in close behind his commanding officer, placing a ranging monocular to his right eye, "Range - 210 meters, elevation - 100 meters, wind - 10 kilometers per hour, north by northwest. Oh my God, kill that fuckin' thing Captain"
Captain Bennett quickly adjusted his front site, then the rear. Instantly the M-27 was nestled back into his shoulder and taking aim at the illuminated figure atop the roof of the high rise building. Never one to use a scope, Captain Bennett relied upon his years of expert marksmanship achievement and sniper training to adjust his aim for distance, elevation and wind velocity - slightly up and left. The two, three-round burst almost rang silent with all the explosion and mayhem ravaging the urban sprawl that surround he and Jackson.
The ghoulish being was rocked immediately backward as all six rounds hammered into it's immense body - Bennett's aim was true as usual. Standing still momentarily on the edge of the rooftop, the alien slowly slumped forward and descended off the roof and downward to the plaza that lie below. It's lifeless body rolled forward once and landed directly onto a clueless civilian, killing him instantly.
Several members of the wandering mob instantly diverted their direction toward the slain alien lying on the cement, blackish blood flowing all around. The majority though, stopped marching and turned toward Bennett and Jackson, staring aimlessly, they resumed their movement - in a direct intercept of the two Marines.
Jackson secured the ranging monocular to the belt around his waist and immediately took aim with his own M-27. "What should I do Sir?" the Corporal asked calmly.
"Stand down Marine. You know our orders. Do not target civilians. Come on, lets fall back to the rear command, our job is done here," the Captain responded firmly.
"But Sir, what about recovering intel form that dead alien, that was part of our orders too?" Jackson queried.
"I know Vance, but there's probably a hundred droned humans fawning over the corpse now, we'll never get close to it. We'll get tissue samples another time," Bennett stated to his long-time compatriot.
Captain Bennett stood, body slung his weapon and placed a hand on Jackson's shoulder, "Let's get the hell out of here - back to the rear."
Bennett and Jackson quickly dodged between over-turned cars and fallen rubble down a city street and further into the darkened remains of Seattle. Away from the battle, the fires dimmed causing them both to switch to night vision gear. Occasionally they passed a wandering citizen straggler heading toward the alien stronghold. After a few days of no intelligible response from the affected population, they ignored them and kept moving.
After a ten block journey in almost total city silence, the embattled pair made a left turn and navigated faster as they headed west on Cherry Street and down it's steep grade - Puget Sound's smokey waterfront glimmered in the distance. After a couple more blocks distance, a crackly voice broke in over their communications gear, "The cat's in the cradle".
Bennett responded immediately, "Silver spoon in it's mouth." - The challenge and response set forth from this morning's intel briefing.
"With whom do I have the pleasure?" The voice queried slightly jovial.
"Captain Bennett and Corporal Jackson," the Company Commander replied under heavy breathing.
Bennett could barely make out the three armored personnel carriers that blocked the width of the street due to their camouflage cover. He swiftly maneuvered left and headed toward a slight opening between two of them. Passing through, Jackson reached up to slap a waiting hand extended down from a Marine in one of the steel vehicle's forward portal positions. He knew the Private well, and was glad to see him still alive.
Once inside the initial barricade, the U.S. Military presence became more obvious, though everyone was still being extremely cautious and not wanting to bring too much attention to their only remaining foothold in Seattle. A combination of Naval and Marine troops occupied the burnt out remains of what was once Pioneer Square on The Emerald City waterfront. With a left turn down First Avenue and toward Yessler Avenue, Bennett and Jackson could begin to see the blasted open hole in the ground where The Seattle Underground tourist attraction previously resided - now it was a hackneyed military command post beneath the city streets where protection form the enemy was of the utmost importance.
Back in 1889, a city wide fire destroyed most the original wooden buildings of old Seattle. When reconstructing the city with more modern brick and stone, what remained of Pioneer Square was left in-tact and built over top of, leaving large sections of the original Seattle preserved underground, for the most part. In the 1950's, what was essentially an abandoned underground city was turned into a tourist attraction beneath the modern-day Pioneer Square. Now in 2029 though, it was simply a bull-dozed road leading down into the earth where the US Military could stay protected from an alien invasion force attacking Seattle.
Captain Bennett walked swiftly toward a small gathering of four Marines standing near the blackened opening to the command center under belly. The senior Non-Commissioned Officer, Sergeant Mayes was leading the guard forces of the rear command and giving instructions to the other three troops. He interrupted his orders to render a fast salute to Captain Bennett.
"It's great to see you still with us Captain, what can I do for you?" Mayes stated to Captain Bennett as his troops walked away.
"I need to head down below and check in with Colonel Dement ASAP ..." Bennett was interrupted by Mayes.
"The Colonel is dead sir. Major Dickinson has assumed command for the time being." Mayes said coldly.
John Bennett lowered his head in sorrow, an uncommon trait for a highly trained Marine Officer to do at any time, but it was unavoidable upon hearing of his long time friend and mentor becoming a casualty of this sudden, vicious war. Colonel Harry Dement had been intertwined in Bennett's career many times over his twelve year military service. From his first days at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, First Lieutenant Dement was a screaming, fervent Platoon Leader assigned over Bennett. It was during his midshipman training that Dement first noticed the potential Bennett possessed and encouraged him to choose a career as a Marine Officer upon Naval Academy graduation. Immediately after the Academy, Bennett served as a Second Lieutenant under Captain Dement at Camp Pendleton's Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. Later, Lieutenant Colonel Dement would be the recommendation that ascended Bennett to the rank of Captain. John Bennett owed a lot to Harry Dement and news of his death hit hard.
"Are you alright Sir?" Mayes asked the sulking Captain with concern.
"Yeah. Yes Willy. I'm OK. The Colonel and I go back a ways is all. I have to get down there and report what Jackson and I saw. I'm going to leave him with you. Get him fed and out on a guard point close by. I have a feeling we're going to be leaving soon," Bennett said, regaining his composure.
"Yes Sir. Sergeant Mayes placed a hand on Jackson's back and pointed down a side street to the south. We have rations and water down there, I think there might still be some coffee left too."
Aye aye Sergeant. Sir," Jackson raised a salute to Captain Bennett, which was quickly returned.
"Get some rest Vance, I'll be back soon and will find you once I know where were heading form here," Bennett conveyed as he somberly headed toward the hole in the street.
The road leading down to Old Seattle had been carved hastily with bulldozers into a street-level opening for a parking facility that sat atop of it. It was about fifteen meters wide and could allow two side-by-side humvees or armored personnel carriers to pass along side of each other. Bennett kept to the right side of the roadway as he descended downward into the dimly lit tunnel. As his night vision took hold, he could see the first guarded checkpoint. The young private and he recognized each other and a quick salute and recognition was all that was issued.
Further down inside, the roadway veered slightly to the right as the last remnants of late 19th. century Seattle was still visible. An old barbershop, a tavern and a haberdashery was left unscathed by Marine Engineers that had tunneled down into the decaying earthen tomb. Captain Bennett wondered to himself what sort of new tourist attraction would be contrived from the devastation the alien invasion would invariably leave behind. The fires that destroyed the city over a hundred years ago seemed merciful in retrospect, he thought.
The tunnel widened slightly to allow for APC's to begin forming a long row along the opposite side. Most were being used as makeshift medical treatment containers as Bennet could see four wounded troops occupying each vehicle on two bunked stretchers along the sides. One after the other, there seemed to be no end to wounded. All afflicted were securely strapped down to the stretchers. Being hit by the alien weaponry had rendered the victim much in the same state as anyone who inhaled the noxious gas they were spraying all over the population; in a trance-like state and wandering toward the heart of alien central, for whatever reason. Lashed down securely, they didn't seem to be in pain as much as they just wanted to be free to head toward that green glow further eastward into the city near Lake Washington.
Another salute got Bennett past the second checkpoint and nearer the command center that occupied what was once an intersection in Old Seattle. Several APC's occupied each street segment, one behind the other far into the darkness. Each was attached to a main communications array assembled atop the building above them and were being utilized as communications points to the rest of the country. A green, octagonal tent was erected in the center of the intersection and was where Bennett's command garrison was gathered. He headed toward the opening in the tent where could see several military and a few civilian scientists were actively excited about something inside.
As Bennett stepped through the open tent flaps and into the illuminated interior, a ghastly sight slapped him right in the face: a severed alien arm lay on a green, fold-out field table in the center of the command center. A white surgical sheet covered the table and soaked up the dark, black colored blood that still ebbed from the joint area of the arm where it had been cleanly sliced from the alien's body. Bennett had seen a few of them close-up through a ranging monocular to know that it was most of the arm, right up to where their shoulder met the torso. The damn thing had to be at least two meters long, which told him that these creatures probably stood over four meters high, maybe more. The skin was a pale white, almost ashen and it reminded Bennett of deceased human skin he'd seen on cadavers after they'd been dead for a week.
His astonishment was interrupted by the familiar voice: Major Anthony Dickinson, newly promoted Commander of SeaTac Operations.
"Hey John. Damned if we weren't able to finally knock one of their craft down out of the sky!" Dickinson whispered with excitement.
"How the hell were we able to pull it off?" Bennett asked.
"Surface to air missiles confused this one and forced it to collide with another one of it's own ships. We might not be able to shoot them down, but if we can force them to collide with each other, then apparently their shields can cause enough damage to bring them down," Dickinson replied with a smirk.
"That's great, but one hell of a long shot to be considered a real solution Tony," Bennett replied.
"We have to take the wins when they come, John. Thus far, we haven't had much encouragement when it comes to fighting these damn things," Dickinson said with anguish.
"Jackson and I wasted one tonight. Shot the fucking thing right down off the roof of an apartment building about two kilometers form here. The affected civilians swarmed on it and us too, though. We had to get the hell out of there fast," Bennett said.
"Shit, I wish we'd been able to get the whole body. Then we could possibly figure out more about these freaks. For now, though, we'll have to see where an arm gets us, "Dickinson replied as a young Lieutenant sitting at a computer monitor interrupted, speakiing to the whole gathering.
"Transmission coming through now. I have The President on node one. Mr. President, ready whenever you are," the Lieutenant announced to all, saluting the President of the United States, Andrew Collins' screen.
"Thank you Lieutenant LaRoy, thank you all. I wish I were speaking to you under better circumstances, but I feel compelled to brief those of you on the ground in Washington State. My deepest condolences to all of you on behalf of your fallen compatriots. There just isn't time currently to properly address their ultimate sacrifice, but rest assured, we will someday. You have my word. Who is currently the ranking officer there on the ground in Seattle?" The President asks directly.
"That would be me Mr. President, Major Dickinson," Tony responded with directness.
"Very well Major. By Presidential Decree I hereby promote you immediately to O-6, Colonel. You are to assume command of Western Washington ground operations in Seattle, as well as the Olympic Peninsula. My immediate orders to you are to promote and assign one of your company grade officers to Lieutenant Colonel to act as your XO. Until rescinded, you have my authority to promote anyone you deem fit to the officer and NCO ranks, to include enlisted. We're unfortunately running short of leaders Colonel. Is this understood?" The President announced for all to hear.
"Sir, Yes Sir Mr. President," Colonel Dickinson replies, at attention with a salute.
Two monitors come to life, left and right of The President, with Lieutenant LaRoy quickly making adjustments. "We have them now Mr. President," LaRoy states directly.
"Thank you. The individuals we've included in the briefing today are as follows; Dr. Sara Liebowitz, from The Centers For Disease Control in Atlanta, and Dr. Manaka Higashi from... Japan," The President states, hesitating when referring to Japan.
"Dr. Higashi, on behalf of a sorrowful nation, please accept my condolences. The reports are still coming in, but we're all hopeful for any good news regarding your Nation. Please forgive me, but I must brief my Officers on the situation," The President states with empathy.
The screen to The President's left displays a young Japanese woman wearing a plain, green flight suit and helmet. The expression on her face is awash in sorrow, but she replies with strength, "Yes Mr. President. By all means, please proceed," Dr. Higashi replies with perfect English.
"Thank you Doctor. When the alien invasion force was en route to the Pacific Northwest, they passed over The Island nation of Japan and without provocation, savagely attacked our allies. Initial reports have been of near-total destruction of all populated cities, primarily Tokyo and Nagasaki. The alien weaponry was far more advanced than anything we've ever seen here on Earth, nuclear included. Unlike nuclear weapons though, the only residual left behind is the same noxious chemical we've seen used here in Seattle. I feel I should allow the Doctors to brief us about what they've been able to uncover in regards to this,. Dr. Liebowitz," The President requests The CDC Scientist's input.
"Thank you Mr. President. The past few days, my primary objective has been to study nine affected individuals that were airlifted to us here in Atlanta. Early yesterday, one of them became so fervent to escape and seek out the aliens, he began banging his head on the protective glass of the cell we were examining him in. He unfortunately fractured his cranium and almost immediately passed. It pains me to say this, but his death was an opportunity to study the affect the alien substance had on him. We discovered that certain chemicals already in his body, when interacting with the alien chemical, caused an immediate neural response that forces the brain to act erratically. It's our belief that's it's this interaction is what causes people to adore the aliens and seek them out the way they do ... long story short," Dr. Liebowitz explains.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Dr. Liebowitz, but we're immensely pressed for time. I'd like to have Dr. Higashi weigh in if she can," The President interacts with the discussion.
Dr. Higashi reacts to The President's prompt with a slight delay due to a lag in response time. The noise from the aircraft she's being transported in makes for difficult to hear audio, "Thank you Mr. President. It is with collective dismay that I finally admit the truth about this matter on behalf of all the Japanese people. Nearly two years ago, an alien craft, very similar to the one's attacking us now, crash landed in our Southern Alps region, specifically Mount Aino. Due to the time of year, and an unseasonably warm climate, we were able to recover the damaged ship and alien pilot that was severely mangled and killed from the crash. In conjunction with American, Russian, German and Chinese Science entities, we have been studying the corpse, as well as the ship's technologies. My role in all of this has been that of Theoretical Anatomy and the researching the alien being. Several of the ship's weapons had been damaged during the crash and had contaminated the entire area. What we discovered in this regard is that humans with a diet high in chemical preservatives, were more vulnerable to the effect of the weapon. Japanese generally have a dietary content low in these substances. Most of the initial search and rescue team were members of a group that practiced a traditional Japanese diet high in fish and soybean products, with very little processed foods. They were unaffected by the contamination at the site. later though, some heavy equipment operators were airlifted in to finish cleaning up the crash area. Many of them ate poorer diets of fast food and processed items. Most were rendered incoherent. To coin the phrase from Dr. Liebowitz, Long story short - based on their poor diets, Americans are more vulnerable to the alien weapons," Dr. Higashi finished reciting.
The President spoke up as soon as Dr. Higashi's transmission breaks off, "I know that's a lot to chew on all at once. The reason we're providing this information to you now is that since you're at ground zero for the alien attack, the gas they're injecting into the air all around you is a direct threat to all of our troops in Washington State. Unfortunately there's a more pressing issue on the same topic. The meal rations that all military has been consuming for decades is riddled with the same preservatives that both Doctors referenced. Long story short, you are all hyper-vulnerable to what this poison can do to a human that breathes it in. It's probably why so many of your troops are laid up and affected. All I can say for now is mask up and avoid the green gas. Also, you're going to have to start foraging for as much fresh food as you can. keep your troops off the rations and seek out as many fruits and vegetables as possible. if the location still has some power and meats are refrigerated, then by all means, eat that. This is of utmost priority. Dr. Higashi is on her way via a transport C-181. It's an amphibious plane so they're going to land in Puget Sound rather than risk Sea-Tac or McChord AFB. We should probably sign off now, as we don't want to risk having our communications intercepted. Once Dr. Higashi is secured, we'll convene for a more detailed rundown of what the mission will be. This is United States President Andrew Collins signing off."
All the marines gathered stand at attention as Colonel Dickinson salutes the blackened screens. He turns to face Bennett and walks over to him. "Alright Lieutenant Colonel, lets go over what we're going to do from here."