Return to Atlantis

Chapter 20 - The Siege

The discovery hollered inside her head.

It's happening. They are here.

At the realisation, her mind is instructing her of one thing: to run to the nearest elevator shaft she knew existed at the back of the stage - the dedicated lift for the VIPs and guests of honor. As she whirled around to sprint, that crashed WDF space fighter exploded behind her, and in a violent swoop she was flying in the air, slamming hard against the giant stage monitor...

Alec Archer woke up to the sound of his mobile. He felt his body ache as he tried to move. He remembered how he was sent flying off his feet into the recesses of the chairs when a WDF battleship came crashing into the auditorium. For a brief moment there he was unconscious.

"Yes?" he answered the phone as he sat up with aching back and legs. His head throbbing. The dizzying smell of smoke and fire invaded his senses. The auditorium is almost empty and he imagined a lot of the people has already escaped using the airship's emergency pods.

"Alec! Thank God you're okay!" Phil's relieved voice came from the opposite line. "Where are you?"

Judging from the caller ID, Alec knew Phil is likely using the ship's phone lines - possibly from the phone booth. 

"Phil, you alright? I'm still in the auditorium,"

He stood up and looked around. He saw the enemy battleship that came crashing from the ceiling a while ago badly dilapidated. It was convulsing and going up in smoke.

Enemies already invading Earth's premises...right her by the airship? What the hell is going on?

The events confused him. What more of the civilians who are oblivious to everything?, he thought.

"I'm alright," he heard Phil.

"Have you seen Lindsey? How about Sanders? And where's your comlink by the way?"

"I lost it. I'm at a phone booth right now. Alec, you'd better get out of there. I can't find Sanders anywhere. I can't reach his comlink either. 

"No, I have to find Lindsey."

"Lindsey's with me. I found her out here in the hallways. She wasn't feeling very well so I took to her. We are at the base level right now. I'm about to take her to an escape pod—"

Alec's heart beat up fast. "She is? is everything okay? Let me talk to her!"

"I left her seated on a bench. I have to get her to an escape pod immediately. Listen, the crew has 'abandoned ship'. I believe it's on automatic pilot mode but it has been caught in the crossfire and it has been sustaining damages. It appears they are after this airship or something in or on it. This ship will go down any minute. You have to get out of there and hurry to the escape pods---" Phil hastened.

Alec thought about that. This ship is built solely for commercial purposes, devoid of any battle defenses. It will go down without a fight. Well, from what he gathered from the scene outside, the battle in the skies is still ensuing but they won't be able to do anything save try to drive the attackers away.

"Alright, don't wait for me, Phil. Go ahead and I will follow suit" Alec told Phil.

"No. I am coming back. I still have to look for Kinski. I am not leaving the ship until I find her."

Alec stopped short. "Phil, are you crazy? You can't possibly find her in all this commotion. She actually might not be on this ship anymore!"

"I haven't seen her here," said Phil. "She's mission, Alec. Must complete the mission. The world may be counting on this. Now you get your butt down here, private!"

Alec gaped disbelievingly at Phil's unyielding sense of 'mission dedication'. Why all this zealousness? As a novice in the service, Alec could not understand. His only understanding of 'mission' at his level is going out there into space according to schedule and take out as many alien battleships as he can.

I guess this is why they call this 'a special mission', he sighed.

"No," replied Alec after a momentary pause. "You get in one of those escape pods and make sure you're okay and make sure Lindsey's okay. I'll go find Kinski, lieutenant," Alec kicked in gaily.

"Hell, no way!" was the immediately reply.

"Why so?"

"You can't! I want you out of here!"

"Now, now big brother, Phil, you're not treating me like a soldier here. A mission's a mission. I'll cover more ground from where I am. Besides this is my job. They need you back in Sybil. And the last sighting of Ava was --" Alec gazed up at the stage. It was completely empty.

"Yeah, but—" came Phil's response.

"C'mon, Phil, this is important to you. Just get in those pods. Don't worry, I promise I won't stop 'til I find Kinski. You can count on me,"

"I'm counting on you to come back,"

"I'll see yah later, Phil," and Alec hang up.

He has learned to be a soldier after all, Phil thought. He then turned around to where he left Lindsey but only to witness a larger than normal enemy ship hovering outside the fiber glass walls beamed a ray of light over her...

Lindsey was sitting there on the bench waiting for Phil and still having bouts with the strange sensation that were emanating from inside of her.

What is wrong with me...and why of all times?

It felt like her blood is boiling and her senses drowning.

She stood up, struggling to balance herself. The strange sensation has intensified by the minute, as if something is beckoning her. Then her head turned left and she saw the source of that call. Hovering outside in the distance is an attacker's battleship, seemingly eyeing her. She stood immobile at the sight of the bulky, rock-solid form ship. Unlike most of the attackers' battleships' that kept moving about, it was still and rather guarded and protected by the smaller battleships.

A small opening on its facade slid open the way camera lenses would. Out came a beam of light, through the solid glass walls of the airship, and Lindsey disappeared into that light. A few feet away, Phil could only yell in helpless petrifaction...