Extraterrestrial Invasion: Annihilation

Chapter 22: A Miracle

Jason, Eddie and Don watched the utter extermination of Washington D.C. They could only stare blankly at it, but not able to do anything about it. They were onboard a helicopter, which was flying far enough for it not to be affected by the magnetic field.

"What is happening there?" Jason asked.

"General Kenneth," Don said. "He's obliterating the whole city."

"I guess the landmarks are gone too," Eddie said. "The Washington Monument, the World War 2 Memorial, everything's gone."

***

Howard felt so anguished he cried. Tears flowed down his face as wreckage bounced off the generator and disintegrated, producing shrieking sounds.

A childhood memory flashed in his mind, making him forget the whole situation for a moment.

He was sitting on a bench at the edge of the field. His face was full of bruises inflicted by bullies. He had been a meek figure in the class, and not only did it get him teased and left alone, he was beaten up for a mistake that was not his.

"Well, well, well," a smug voice said. Howard saw three pairs of feet in front of him.

He raised up his head to face them, but a meaty hand grabbed his ruffled hair and dragged it around. He winced from the pain.

The bullies laughed and threw him to the ground. He felt the dirt getting into his mouth and spat it out.

"Acting strong, weakling?" they chuckled.

Suddenly, he lost control of himself and punched the tormentor in the face. He dropped down, while the other two watched in shock, their mouth wide-opened.

"You'll pay for that!" one bellowed and launched himself on him. Howard dodged the attack and caught his legs. He overturned the bully and strangled the third.

His life changed after that. He was no longer the sissy coward of the school. It was as if the tables had turned. He gained popularity in no time. A beautiful eminent girl even admitted she had a crush on him, and they had been dating ever since.

After attending college for two years and achieving a bachelor degree in military science, he joined the Army and vowed to serve the country. His surprising victories in war zones brought him to the rank of general.

And now, here he was, sobbing like the way he used to when he was cornered at the school. No, he could not. He could not afford to fail and let go of everything he had attained.

Courageously, he stood up and faced the threats with dignity. If he were meant to die today, he would let it be the noblest sacrifice he made for his country and people, for his family, for his friends and fellow soldiers, for humanity.

Remnants of satellites landed around him, knocking him off. He slid down the slope and crashed into more space junks. Agony seared through his body. There was no way he had not broken a bone.

Miraculously, the device stopped working. He gripped a jagged shard of metal. It did not injure his hands but it hurt. A lot.

Tears of joy flowed from his eyes. They had succeeded. The falling detritus had done the work for them. One of those must have damaged a panel and shut down the entire system.

***

Lieutenant Sean gradually regained consciousness. Was he dead? Was he in the afterlife? Would he be judged whether he would go to heaven or hell?

"Wake up! Wake up!" a voice called.

"Uh-huh," he groaned indistinctly.

"Sir? Can you hear me?"

"W-what happened?" he managed to croak.

"You fell from the sky, sir," the voice answered.

He finally woke up and stood. Everything around was an inferno of destruction.

"You were not injured," the doctor told him. "You merely passed out."

"How?" Sean asked. "I fell from hundreds of feet! I would have splattered!"

"Well, two soldiers with parachutes saw you and the pilot. They rescued you before you hit the ground."

"Wow," Sean said. "Remind me to give them an award."

He noticed a giant shape in the distance. It looked like a spaceship. Wait, wasn't that the one they had been targeting?

"I have to finish that thing!" the lieutenant said. "Is there a helicopter I can use?"

"We have one," the doctor said. "But it's for search and rescue."

"Thanks!" he yelled. He jumped into the aircraft and directed it to the mothership.

***

General Howard and Colonel Rick regrouped. Colonel Mike was injured in the fall, but he was fine. "No vital parts damaged!" he had called out.

"Next?" Howard asked.

"We will infiltrate the spaceship," Colonel a Rick said. "If Ken dies, we win. The soldiers are dummies. Without a leader, they are harmless."

"How? We don't have weapons."

"We'll steal them."