Chapter 12: Second Mission
"Eureka!"
Theo's voice called out over the intercoms in the middle of the night. The others saw on their transcoms that it was in fact early, about 5:15 in the morning.
"Mates, get your butts down to my lab, quick!"
Everyone else met outside the hall to their rooms, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. Abby's hair was a staticky mess, and Miko was clutching a stuffed teddy bear. Selyys looked at everyone else with her three small eyes in her forehead, her two main ones still closed.
"What does 'Eureka' mean?" she asked everyone else.
"It means I am going to kill him." Miko responded, walking down the corridor, wringing the teddy bear's neck. The rest followed like recently revived zombies. They went down to Theo's workshop, where he was busy making final adjustments on a thin ring of metal. He had his back to them. All around him were tables piled with discarded inventions and blueprints. There was a large screen in front of him on the wall that showed the silhouette of a human being.
Abby walked quietly up behind Theo, messing with her hair. She then took one hand and touched Theo's neck with one finger, delivering a static shock. Theo yelped and turned around.
"Oi, watch it! Oh, great you're here! Selyys, come on, I've finished it!"
Selyys' tired, blue eyes opened with excitement.
"Really?! This is amazing!"
"Wait, what's going on?" Val asked.
"I had asked Theodore earlier to create a device that would give me the outward appearance of a human."
"And I finally finished it! Come on, everyone, gather 'round."
The rest stood as Theo led Selyys in front of them, facing them. Inside Theo's hands was a slim ring of metal, the color of brass. The outside of the ring was plain, but the inside showed multi-colored lines of light, all running through the inside.
"Right then, Sel, I'm gonna slip this on top your head. Better to put it over your tiny eyes, just in case."
Theo did exactly that as he slipped the ring over Selyys' forehead, covering her second set of eyes.
"This does not feel right. I cannot see as well as I could. Everything looks flatter. Paler."
"You'll get used to it. Now, I just have to enter in the program, then the crown will scan your body, and make the most appropriate and accurate human body for you."
Selyys smiled in anticipation as Theo pushed the holographic buttons on his gauntlet, activating the program. Selyys' crown temporarily lit up blue, then bathed her in the same blue light, covering her whole body. In a near instant standing before them was a human female, around their age, if not a bit older. She still kept her dark hair, but her eyes were now brown as well. Her skin tone was somewhat darker than Val's but lighter than Theo's, reminding them of someone from either the Middle East, or India. The one thing that stood out about her, and what really donned on the others for the first time, was that she wasn't wearing any clothes.
Alex thought he saw something amazing before his eyes were covered by both Abby and Miko, while Val and Theo turned their heads away.
"Well, I can see you thought of everything!" Abby reprimanded.
"I don't understand, it was just supposed to give her a blank slate, like a doll." Theo defended.
"I am confused. Is my form not accurate?" Selyys said, twisting and turning.
"No. On the contrary, you're accurate." Abby answered.
"Very accurate." Miko said, giving Theo the evil eye.
"Hold on a sec. Miko, take him."
Abby made Miko cover both of Alex's eyes as she sped away and came back in one second, her skin and clothes steaming. She was carrying an extra set of violet scrubs.
"Here you go, put these on."
She handed the clothes to Selyys, who had a bit of trouble putting them on. Abby had to help her out.
"My apologies. Skorospians do not usually wear clothing, except as hatchlings or elders. We cannot absorb heat well during those life stages."
"It's fine." Abby turned to Miko. "He's fine, let him go."
Miko uncovered Alex's eyes and he saw Selyys properly.
"Wow. You look great."
As Selyys blushed, Theo and Val turned back around and offered their own compliments. Theo stepped up to the rest of the group and said,
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present Salma Rahal."
Selyys' face beamed with a wide grin as she went to embrace Theo.
"I get an Earth name! Thank you!"
It was Theo's time to blush now, an action that made Miko walk straight to him and smack him across the face. She then turned and left in a huff.
"Miko! Oh, come on, it's not like I spent most of the time looking at nude women as a base! It just happened."
He followed her out of the lab, calling and apologizing all the way. Val went over to his work table and found several medical textbooks, mostly about anatomy.
"No wonder Selyys' disguise is, ahem, authentic. He's probably got every text book from Johns Hopkins in here."
"He is so screwed." Abby commented.
"I hope I was not the reason for Kumiko's anger." Selyys, as Salma, said.
"No, you're fine. Theo's just too smart for his own good. Miko will cool down, and maybe forgive him." Val said.
"Right now, though, he's dead." Abby laughed.
Alex yawned as he looked at his transcom.
"Ah, Christ, five-thirty? I'm going back to sleep."
Alex was just out of the door when Val stopped him.
"No, you don't, Lex. We're up, so we might as well train."
"Ugh," Alex groaned. "Can't we at least wait until after breakfast?"
"Better to work up an appetite. Come on, to the gym."
Alex reluctantly followed the others to the gym, who made themselves busy setting up. Abby sped out the gym then came back with a large silver carrying case.
"Right, shift it, Alex. We need to test something."
Not fully understanding, Alex shifted into his suit. Abby and Val did the same, with Abby also opening her case. From out of it, she pulled out a large handgun.
"Woah!" Alex backed away. "What are you doing with that?!"
"You said that when those crazies shot at you, it didn't hurt, yeah? Well now, let's find out why."
At the end of her sentence, Abby cocked the large firearm, having a big smile on her face. Alex backed away, scared of the crazy Aussie with a handgun.
"Do we really have to find out this way?" Alex asked.
"How else am I gonna shoot you, a slingshot? Now just get ready."
Not thinking that it was a good idea, Alex braced himself like before and closed his eyes, feeling now that his bio-suit was hardening. Abby waited a few seconds before firing three shots at Alex's chest. Same as before, all he felt was a few soft pokes. He relaxed and opened his eyes again, but only saw Val and Selyys in front of him. He barely had time to wonder where Abby went, before he felt a sharp hot jab in his backside and jumped from the shock, the force propelling him forward.
"OW!" Alex saw that Abby had sped behind him and shot him again, this time in the rear. The bullet she fired lay on the ground, crushed like the others. "Did you just shoot me in the ass?!"
"The Belrik bonded with you can shield you from nearly all damage," the human looking Selyys said. "It hardens its exterior, then consumes any external thermal energy that tries to invade the host body. With no more propellant, the bullet crashes, leaving you unharmed."
"But we had a theory," Val interjected. "That if you're not prepared, you might feel something."
"So, we tested the theory." Abby said, brandishing the handgun.
"By shooting my ass?!"
"Hey it works. Just be prepared, and you won't feel anything!"
Ticked off, Alex tried to take the gun away, but Abby kept speeding away from him.
Not this again.
"Alright, that's enough." Val said as he telekinetically grabbed the gun out of Abby's hand.
"Okay, now we know the theory's true. No need for further unauthorized gunplay."
"Well, how about Abby?" Alex asked. "She's got a Belrik, too. Maybe we need to test her?"
"All Belrik are the same," Selyys said. "If yours make you mostly impervious, then so would Abigail's. Kumiko's, as well."
"So come on, let's get on with training."
The four trained for another hour, pairing off and practicing close combat. Selyys had to drop her human disguise so she could fight properly. Towards the end, it was Val, Abby and Alex against Selyys, who held her own using her scorpion-like tail. During their mock fight, she wore a grin on her face, as if she enjoyed battling. After they finished, the three teens shifted out of their suits, with Val removing his armor pieces and sending them flying. Selyys figured out to put on clothes first before wearing her disguise again.
"Now can we get breakfast? It's almost seven." Alex asked.
The rest chuckled and agreed, but before they could leave, the klaxon alarm rang through again, causing Alex to groan. Galdyn's voice called out to them.
"Children, please come... to the bridge. There has been ... activity."
Before they left, Selyys asked her friends,
"If there is danger, may I join you? I wish to fight for real."
Abby wrapped one arm around her and said, "Of course!"
The four ran from the gym and met with Theo and Miko on the bridge. They seemed to stop fighting for the moment. The main viewscreen showed a horrible sight; pictures and videos of white men in tactical combat gear, shoving and beating the native people of a village, putting them in the back of trucks. The villagers were wearing shackles like prisoners or slaves, young children and elderly alike. A close-up photo of one of the soldiers focused on a patch on the arm of his uniform. It was a shepherd's crook with a sideways sword stylized to look like a crucifix. Under it were two letters; S.F.
"S.F.? Special Forces?" Alex asked.
"Shepherd's Flock. Looks like their adding to the herd." Abby answered.
"Where was this?" Val asked Galdyn.
"It happened... just recently. In a country called... Ecuador."
"And how soon until we get there?"
Selyys walked over to her station, which had a map of the U.S. on its screen.
"We are above the city of New York," Selyys said. "It will take us approximately thirty minutes. I suggest we prepare until then."
Galdyn just now realized the voice of his granddaughter was coming from a human looking girl.
"Selyys... why do you look like that?"
"I have offered my assistance to my friends to help in their mission. They accepted, and made me this disguise so I can walk among them. In this form, I am Salma Rahal. When we get to the Ecuadorian village, I will help them free the villagers, and aid in battle, if it comes to it."
"No! I forbid it!"
Galdyn stormed over to Selyys with anger in his red eyes. The others have never seen him so angry.
"I have lost... so much family to war. I will NOT... have you risk your life... as well. I already protest the Earth natives... risking their lives. You will not join them!"
Selyys looked her grandfather in the eye, trying to keep a calm composure, but wavering.
"No."
"What... did you just say?" Galdyn asked.
"No. I am finished with running. I am finished with hiding. I wish to do more; I wish to fight and I WILL help my friends. I am not a coward; I am not you!"
Galdyn was silent for a long while before he said, "So be it." He shuffled out, away from the bridge with a hurt look on his face. Before he left, he turned and said.
"You are... correct. I am afraid. And... you are not like me. You... are more like Sella."
After Galdyn left, the others stood in an uncomfortable silence. Selyys tried to pretend nothing happened and finished plotting their course to Ecuador. However, the others saw that she was trying to control her anger, taking long deep breathes. As she breathed, they saw that her cheeks were flushed. Selyys, or rather Salma, saw her friends watching her.
"I... I apologize for my outburst. After telling Alexander, then later the rest of you the history of my planet and my family, I have found myself more angered by my grandfather's inaction. But it is more than that. I have always needed to control my anger since I was young. My Ros heritage from my grandmother was present, but concealed early. I was brought up to be a scientist, but I always felt the call to battle deep within. It made having friends... difficult. But now that I have met you and sympathize with your cause, I feel a deep desire to help you fight. I love my grandfather, but we can no longer hide."
"We understand," Val replied for them. "And we're grateful for your help. If you feel you need to, we're glad to have you."
"But if you're gonna hang with the cool kids," Abby added, "Then you're gonna need your own codename."
Salma looked at them in confusion.
"I thought my new name was Salma?"
"Nah, you need a superhero name." Alex said. "Something that compliments your alien look."
"Well, she looks like a scorpion." Theo provided.
"She is also a scientist and lover of animals." Miko added.
"I believe I have it." Val said. "In Egyptian mythology, there is a goddess of medicine and animals, the deification of the scorpion: Serket. How would you like that as your hero name?"
Salma bowed deeply and said, "I gratefully accept, renjali."
The others did not know what the word meant. Abby stepped up and asked for its meaning. Salma simply said, "My best friends.", then left for the transport chamber. The rest felt grateful and followed her. In the room, they tried to decide who would go down. There were some disagreements.
"How come we can't go down?" Abby said, pointing to herself, Miko and Alex.
"Listen, the big cities in Ecuador might be more integrated, but with a secluded village in the mountains, you three will stick out." Val explained. "We need to do recon this time before we charge in. Theo, Selyys and I blend in better."
"Not with that salad bowl on your head." Alex said, pointing to Val's mental dampener.
"I'll wear a hood. Now, if there are no more objections, we should get ready. Selyys—"
"Salma. In my disguised form, call me Salma."
"Fine then, Salma, how long until we get to the village?"
"Another fifteen minutes." Salma explained.
Val nodded, then lifted his hand toward the room's door. A few moments later, Val's armor pieces flew into the room, accompanied by a long brown robe with a hood. The pieces attached to his body, with the rest of the suit bleeding out of the armor. He put the robe on last, with the hood covering his dampener.
"If there's any trouble, we'll call you."
"Wait!" Alex said. "I can go down too. I just need a better disguise. Now, this village looked like it was near a jungle, right?"
"The Amazon." Theo supplied.
"Perfect."
Alex shifted into his suited from, then shrank down. He grew grayish-brown fur, and had the form of a ball, or potato. He ran up to Salma's shoulder as a marmoset, chattering to the others.
Like he said, we'll call you.
Fifteen minutes passed as the Altimoor passed over Ecuador. Val, wearing his hooded robe, transported down with Theo, Salma and Alex as a monkey on her shoulder. They touched down outside the borders of the town, on the edge of the jungle. Whether it was the weather of time or the soldiers marching in, the simple mud and brick houses looked ruined and dilapidated. Windows looked broken, and there were several bullet holes in the outside walls. In between and behind the houses were side and back alleyways.
The three teens and primate traveled what used to be the main road, where several abandoned market stands were strewn about the road. The only sounds besides their own feet were distant animal calls deep in the jungle. They looked around, and stopped in the middle of the town.
"There's no sign of anyone, mates." Theo said, leaning against a wall. "You sure you got the right village?"
I don't think bullet holes are part of the local décor, Marmoset Genus said in their minds.
"This doesn't feel right," Val said. "I say if we don't find anything soon, we get out immediately."
The others agreed, but it was only after a few minutes that Val's foreboding feelings became vindicated. The group turned and went back down the main road to find at the very end of the street an armored car. It was surrounded by half a dozen men in full combat gear, their rifles trained on the teens. The group went to turn the other way, but their path was blocked by another vehicle screeching to a halt. More men came out of the other car, weapons drawn.
"Terrific, we walked right into a trap!" Theo yelled.
"Take cover!" Val shouted as he used his telekinesis to draw the abandoned stands as makeshift barricades on opposite sides of them, his mind tensing. The soldiers on both sides started firing at them. Genus leaped from Salma's shoulder and shifted back into his mostly bulletproof suit. Val took off his cloak and activated his mask from his dampener. Salma and Theo kneeled behind one barricade as Theo switched on his gauntlet, activating his hard-light shield. The soldiers' bullets were making short work of their wooden shielding, with bits and pieces easily flying off.
"We need something a bit more sturdy!" Genus yelled through the cross fire.
"Like what?" Pensar yelled back.
"Well, those cars look pretty well armored. Try those!" Data-Bank suggested.
Pensar steadied himself as he directed his psychic waves to capture the enemy's vehicles. The weight of the cars proved almost too much as he lifted them up in the air and over the heads of the soldiers. He nearly collapsed as het set the armored cars on opposite sides of them, with Pensar kneeling in the dirt, breathing hard. Data-Bank and Genus were wondering what to do next when they noticed that Selyys was missing.
"Where'd she go?!" Data-Bank asked, keeping his head low.
"Don't know! We need back up!"
Genus raised his transcom up to his face.
"Abby, Miko, shift it and get down here quick! We got fire on both sides and Serket's missing!"
"On our way!" They heard Abby say. A minute later, as the soldiers closed in on both sides, they saw a flash of light at the northern end of the street where they entered earlier. A few seconds later, a blue and silver flash streaked down the road, knocking the soldiers on their butts. The soldiers on the other end resumed firing, while Swiftshock took cover next to the three boys.
"So, where'd Serket go?!"
"We don't know!" Data-Bank said. "As soon as Pensar set down the cars, we noticed she wasn't here!"
"Speaking of not being here, where's Godai?" Genus asked.
Nearly on cue, the others heard a roaring sound, and saw Godai flying towards them, using blue-hot flames to thrust herself forward. After she landed, she turned her flames down, and used them to create a wall of fire to keep the advancing soldiers back. Godai looked at her friends, then behind them and said,
"Why did Selyys remove her disguise?"
The others wondered what she meant until she pointed behind them. They noticed that they had taken cover next to a small gap between two houses, with enough space for one person to slip through to the back alleys. On the ground, they saw Selyys' discarded clothes and crown. Movement on the side turned their attention to the soldiers Swiftshock had knocked down earlier. Their main rifles had scattered everywhere, so they took out handguns and large serrated knives. The teens prepared for a fight when Genus noticed movement above their heads on the rooftops, and thought he saw what looked like a tail flicker past.
The soldiers got within a few yards before they heard what sounded like a chittering sound. They stopped, which was a mistake as Serket jumped down from the rooftops where she was lying in wait. She took down one man as she landed, her tail uncoiled and poised to strike. She had an intense look and a bloodthirsty grin. The remaining five soldiers tried to rush her at once, but Serket weaved in between and jumped over them, her tail striking the unprotected parts of their necks. They went down on by one, unable to move as if paralyzed.
"Did... did you just—" Swiftshock began to say, before Serket cut her off.
"They are still alive. Skorospians produce a natural toxin that causes paralysis. I apologize if I caused you to worry, but I felt a surprise attack was necessary."
"Hey, alright by me." Genus said.
"Heads up!" Data-Bank yelled.
Godai's wall of flame had died down, allowing the remaining soldiers to advance. Data-Bank left their cover and brought his shield up as he kneeled down. His shield expanded until it became a blue wall blocking the street. The soldiers fired uselessly at it while Data-Bank used his free hand to dig something out of his pants' side pockets. He pulled out a cylinder-like device and pressed it to his shield. He pressed a button on the device, which caused a wave of blue energy to pulse from the shield, blowing the soldiers back. Data-Bank dropped his shield and turned to his friends.
"Mates... I'm gonna need some help over here."
Godai smiled to herself as she and Swiftshock went over to help, while Genus and Serket stayed to guard the still weak Pensar. The soldiers recovered from the pulse and prepared for hand to hand combat. Data-Bank readied his shield and hand tool as Godai and Swiftshock shared a glance and high-fived each other, which caused sparks to erupt from their hands. The soldiers ran at them, hoping to use their numbers and mass to their advantage. Data-Bank thrust out his hand device, causing a concentrated pulse to shoot out, sending two soldiers flying. Swiftshock channeled electricity into her legs, causing blue arches to show. She dodged two charging at her, and struck their open sides with her newly tested lightning kick. They fell to the ground with cries of pain. Godai handled her two by keeping them within arm's reach using her fire. Once they took too long to recover, she stepped in and blasted them with mini tornadoes, knocking them into a wall.
After they defeated the soldiers, they were rounded up and set against a wall. Data-Bank secured them with his device, pressing a button on the side which made it shoot out nets to keep the men immobile.
"See," Godai said to her boyfriend. "You are not useless at all."
Data-Bank simply grinned. Swiftshock sat down next to Pensar, whose migraines were beginning to dissipate.
"Whew! Man, that fight took more outta me than I thought."
The group enjoyed a momentary respite before Genus stood up.
"Who else hears that?"
The others couldn't hear anything, but Genus moved away from them and faced the opposite end of the street, where it ended in a clearing. The others began to hear what Genus had been hearing for a while; the heavy sound of a large approaching object. It made a mechanical sound and as it got closer it made the ground rumble. It approached from the side, so the group all saw it at once. It was a hulking, heavily armored machine on treads with a long cannon barrel.
"Is that... a tank?!"
With most of the group worn out from the last fight, they couldn't react in time as the tank's barrel swiveled until it took aim at the nearest one; Genus.
"Ah, shi—"
Genus had no time to react as the tank fired, hitting Genus and sending him hurtling into the nearest building. He crashed through the wall, destroying most of the house, and was buried in debris.
"ALEX!"
Swiftshock and Data-bank rushed over to dig him out of the rubble, while Godai helped Serket move Pensar out of the street. The other two kept digging through the bricks and dust, trying to find their friend.
"Alex, bloke, you alright?!" Swiftshock yelled.
"Say something, mate!" Data-Bank said.
They heard a moaning, then saw a green glow through the cracks of the rubble. The two dug harder as they uncovered Genus. They found his arm and legs first, and later the rest of him. In his other arm, he held the crushed shell the tank fired. The energy veins of his suit flickered than glowed brighter, with his eyes going in and out.
"Alex, talk to me, mate!"
"Okay..." Genus groaned. "That one hurt. Ohhh..."
The two helped him up and got him to safety with the others. The tank advanced, moving to block the entrance to the street. Behind it, nearly two dozen armed soldiers were ready to move in.
"We can't do much with that tank in the way." Swiftshock said.
"How can we overcome such a machine?" Serket asked.
To answer, Pensar got up from behind their shelter, the others yelling at him to get back. He stepped into the middle of the street, facing down the tank as if in a Western standoff. The tank took aim at Pensar, while he closed his eyes and blocked out nearly everything, except for him and the tank. He concentrated his mental waves, directing them to the tank. He felt the waves take hold of the tank, and concentrating with all his might, slowly began to lift the tank off the ground. His migraines became severe, but he pushed on as he lifted the tank a few more feet off the ground.
The tank's drivers got out and jumped as the tank was slowly lifted above the buildings and away from the village. The soldiers behind the tank scattered as Pensar positioned it high above their heads. When he couldn't hold it anymore, Pensar released his hold on the tank. Gravity did her thing as the massive vehicle dropped like dead weight. It fell with a loud crash, and exploded from the impact, causing billowing flames to rise up, and dust billowed out. The soldiers regrouped as Pensar collapsed from the stress and fell in the street. Data-Bank went to recover him, using his light shield to block the enemy's bullet fire. Godai came out and using her power, kicked the ground to cause more dirt and dust to fill the air, giving them cover.
The soldiers activated scopes in their helmets to try and see through the dust, and turned on their weapons' targeting lasers. As Data-Bank dragged Pensar back, Genus got up to join in the fight.
"Hold on, you just got shot by a tank!" Swiftshock scolded.
"Yeah," Genus replied. "And I'm pissed off."
Just before Genus entered the dust cloud, he began to shift. The soldiers couldn't see through the dust, so their scopes were useless. They advanced slowly, so as not to be surprised. Something went wrong with their plan, however, as one soldier heard his teammates grunt and yell.
"What's going on? Rogers, Scott? Anybody?!"
The soldier didn't see or hear anything, but felt a powerful slam to his chest. He fell back, hitting his head hard on the ground. The dust began to settle and the soldier saw peering over him a kangaroo, snorting. He saw the Kangaroo turn into Genus, who punched him square in the face, knocking him out. The remaining soldiers still conscious fired, but Genus was prepared this time, and the bullets barely tickled him. Swiftshock, Godai and Serket went to help while Data-Bank stayed behind to guard the unconscious Pensar.
Swiftshock and Godai charged ahead, both using lightning to blast and punch through the soldiers. A few tried to surround Serket, who blocked their attacks with her tail, then got behind them and injected her paralyzing venom in their necks. One soldier thought he got in a lucky hit and stabbed the alien with his service knife. However, the knife could not penetrate her carapace, and deflected off her side. Serket became enraged at the unfortunate soul and scratched at his face, then remembering a defensive tactic Swiftshock had taught her, kicked the man in his groin. It had the intended effect, as the man lost all thought and fell face first in the dirt.
The few remaining soldiers faced off against Genus. They knew their guns would not work, so they attempted to fight barehanded. Genus blocked their attacks, but did not retaliate yet. He felt it was time as one soldier took a cheap shot to the back of his head. The soldier looked terrified as Genus shifted in front of him, growing in height and weight. His suit was smothered by brown shaggy fur as his limbs grew powerful paws with sharp claws. Genus completed the transformation by growing a muzzle on his face. Genus roared as a grizzly bear on his hind legs, then gave the last soldiers a swipe of his paws, knocking them to the ground with bleeding cuts on their arms.
The group gathered around Pensar, still out cold. He was still breathing, but he groaned in pain.
"We need to get him back aboard the Altimoor." Serket said. "He needs immediate care."
They were preparing to transport up to the ship when something drove down the street. It was a box like car, radio-controlled, about the size of a storage trunk. It drove in front of them then turned to its side, with its side panel rolling down to reveal a flat screen tv. They watched as the screen turned on, showing the face of their enemy; General Sheppard.
"What is that thing?" The General said, pointing to Serket with a look of disgust.
"I am Serket, of the planet Skorosp."
"Ugh. Normally, my beliefs would have me deny its very existence. However, that escape the rest of you pulled off would suggest otherwise. But seeing it, I'm reaffirmed, because it is not made in God's image, like me, therefore it is nothing more than an inferior insect."
"This 'inferior insect' took down at least half of your goons by herself." Swiftshock said in her friend's defense.
"What is it you want?" Data-Bank asked.
"Nothing more than your total surrender. I secured this village because I was sure you would come to liberate it. It was the only way for us to meet without the prying eyes of the world."
"You imprisoned the villagers here just to get us?!" Genus asked in shock. "Where'd you take them?"
"A specialized camp, where they will learn their place in my new world. Like you will now. You are to come to my location, surrender yourselves to me, and serve in my cleansing of the Earth."
"Why the hell would we ever come back to you and work for you?" Genus asked.
"This is why."
The General's face was replaced by five images. Going clockwise, one image showed a man, woman, and several children in a circle praying in what looked like the courtyard of a church. Another image showed an older dark-skinned man in the window of a bar, drinking a dark beer. One showed a tan couple walking through a desert at sunset, while another showed an elderly Asian woman wearing a kimono at a shrine. The last image showed a healthily round woman sitting on a porch covered in a blanket.
"Dad!" Data-Bank yelled.
"Oba-san!" Godai shrieked.
"Mama!" Genus cried.
"My folks, and Val's family too." Swiftshock said.
"Swear your loyalty to me," The General said as his image reappeared on the screen, "And I give my word your families will be spared during the Cleansing. Refuse, and they will be the first sacrifices."
The group stood in silent fear for a while before Swiftshock asked,
"Where do you want us to go... sir."
The General allowed himself a smirk and continued.
"You are to arrive at the following coordinates at precisely 11:45 tomorrow morning. Set down your alien vessel and prepare to be boarded. The bugs stay onboard. If you are early or late, or try to plan anything against me, the Cleansing will commence ahead of schedule."
"And what exactly is this 'Cleansing?'" Godai asked.
"You'll find out tomorrow. Until then."
The screen went dark replaced with a set of geographic coordinates. Data-Bank inputted the numbers into his gauntlet, and found the location.
"It's in the Nevada desert. What looks like an abandoned military complex?"
"And what are those numbers?" Serket asked, pointing to the screen. Under the coordinates, showed a timer going backward from ten.
"Port, now!"
The group transported away from thevillage as the counter reached zero, triggering a hidden bomb and destroyingmost of the village, the General's own soldiers caught in the blast.