Project Element-Disaster-chapter one

Prologue


Human technologies are a wonderful thing. Yet human technologies are also responsible for killing the Earth. Yet the Earth still lives but on the edge of its life. Some humans had gone on an expedition to find another Earth. Their objective is to find a planet that is safe for humans to live such that breathable air, un-poisonous ground that can grow trees, and no alien-wild-beast hanging around as a predator in that planet. They found a lot of planets along the way but none can support human beings. Only one can.
The planet is just like Earth, there’s sunshine, there’s trees, lakes and oceans everywhere, except the carbon dioxide level that is still low. They consider the place as a new home. When the human invasion commence, a new life form up rise and started to attack the humans.
The army starts scanning for the aliens’ presence. One way to avoid fight is to avoid them. Wall is built around the planet to avoid people going there. No people dares crossed the boundaries before. But the wall is unreliable. The alien does cross the boundaries.
The second wall was built two years later. Only this one was equipped with soldiers to avoid breach. But, no breach had ever happened. Five years have passed but there’s still no sign of breach. This makes the army thinks the aliens are scared. Therefore, the soldiers stationed there were decreased day to day. This is what the aliens await.
Dan Roberts is one of five soldiers stationed there to guard a kilometer of the wall. One of five troopers who were stationed every two kilometer. This is absurd. How can five troopers every kilometer stop, if any, an alien uprising? He didn’t like guarding there. One thing he did appreciate was this day is the anniversary of this planet’s invasion.
Roberts and his friends are on a guard duty in an observation post. He’s the observer and his other friends are the patroller. They are having some breakfast before starting their guard duties.
“What have you got there, Dan? Looks tasty.”
“It’s just some fried eggs. Besides, it’s mine,” said Roberts. “I just bought it from The Seller, Ned”
“Hey, I’ve told you not to buy from him. You don’t even know where he’d get that. He might have stolen it somewhere. It could be illegal. If he did, you could be caught too, you know,” said Ned Vanstone.
“Hey, I’m just hungry. No point mad at me,” said Roberts. The Seller sells any food you want and he gets it. No one knows how or where he gets it. He just has it. “Hey, why aren’t you guys patrolling yet?”
“Chill out, man. We didn’t finish our breakfast yet. No need to patrol. There’s won’t be any invasion after all. Lucky you’re an observer,” said Bryan Fox.
“Why don’t you just go? Start early and you will finish early. That way, you can cook and eat until the next patrolling session.”
“Something makes me agree with you,” said Thomas Villing.
“Then what are you waiting for?” said Roberts.
“Come on, let’s go,” said Dick Lars.
All four patrollers had gone out of the observation tower. The observation tower is located in the middle of the two kilometer meaning two kilometer to the right is another observation tower and the same to the left. The patrollers divided and go to each side. Two to the left and two to the right .Both must go to the next observation tower and report to the observer. The observation tower arises over twenty meters above the wall. The wall itself has a walkway. And that is the patrollers’ walkway.
Roberts just sit there near a window observing anything suspicious. He uses his binocular to see the ground easily. He looked at the first wall that was built by the army. There were holes everywhere. No wonder they need a new wall. Still, unanswered question was why there was no attack happened these years. No matter what, he still needs to observe.
He just sit and playing with his binocular looking here and there. It is boring. Then, he reaches out for a snack that he bought from The Seller. He is opening the snack when something caught his eyes. He lay down his snack and reaches out for his binocular.
No one has trespass the wall before. This can’t be human. No human dares to go there. Or he’s not human. He looks at the ground and sky thoroughly. It can’t hide. Maybe it’s just a recon alien.
There. He saw it again. It is hiding behind the first wall. He reaches out to the observation tower’s light post. He got the light on and he shone it to the spot where he saw it. He’d got the camera’s computer and he replays the recording. There it is. He pause the recording just on time to see it.
It was looking at the observation tower. It got three eyes on its oblong face. It has a small mouth on his face but there is no nose. Its skin is all green. It could stand upright just like a human being but it’s stooping. That confirms it’s a recon alien.
He reaches out for his Hololink, a hologram communication system. He calls the army at once. It was answered by a woman operator.
“Observation tower, this is GHD’s office speaking. What’s your request?” said the operator. GHD was the association built by the army, meaning Galactic Human Defense.
“GHD office, this is Dan Roberts from the observation tower section F! It is an emergency! I saw an alien reconnaissance troop scouting my section! Connect to the General immediately! I’ve some proof,” cried Roberts.
“Understood. Connecting to the general’s office now.”
There was a crack sound and the woman hologram disappears. A humming sound was heard. While waiting, he leaned towards the window and watched. The alien is still hiding. Another crack sound was heard.

Inside a luxurious room stood General Foster in front his desk, holding a letter. Then, he sat on a chair in front of his desk. He opened the letter with his letter opener. He read it with an unhappy face. Casualties reported this month just one. The man accidentally shot by his friend when his friend gave him a surprise. He laughed happily.
He put down the letter and he let his eyes stare into nowhere, daydreaming. It is a happy new planet if there is no alien. He hates war as much as he hated reading a letter. Abruptly, a beep sounded again and again, stopping his daydream to go further.
He realizes it is his Hololink’s beeping. He cursed his Hololink for stopping his daydream. He reaches the device and said wildly, “What?”
“There is someone who demanded to talk to you,” said the operator. Her image on the Hololink looks awkward. Demand to talk to me? How rude. The operator said again, “He believes he has spotted an alien activity going on in an observation tower in sector F. He said he can prove it.”
That was surprising. No one had ever spotted an alien activity going on near the wall. Did the alien wants to start a war. I can see why he’s demanded to see me. “Link me to him.”
“Yes, sir.”
A loud crack was heard. The woman operator’s image vanished and a man’s image in full GHD’s uniforms emerged.
“Sir, sorry for the call, but I’ve discovered an alien activity near my sector,” said the man in a standing position and his hands was holding something. “I’ve got proof, sir. It’s on the camera. Transmitting it now.”
The man pressed something on the thing he held by his hand. Then the man’s image disappear replace by an alien life form’s image. The image made him gasped.
“Send it to the GHD HQ immediately. You’ll get a reward for that.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The image vanished and his Hololink went off. I must get to the HQ immediately. This is an amazing discovery. One thing surprises me though. Why recon? Did they starting a war?
One thing he sure is they are in war.

“Contact GHD HQ now!” Roberts demanded.
“I would appreciate if you’re not shouting.”
The woman sighed and her image disappears. The humming sound started again. Roberts stand close to the window to see where the alien had gone to.
But he saw nothing.
I must inform the patrollers. He thinks. If I didn’t do that I’ll put their lives in jeopardy. And that include the citizens behind the wall. And if I make any mistake, my life will be endangered too.
“This is General Arthur speaking. What is your emergency, trooper?” said a general from the Hololink.
General? This just got better and better.
“Sir, I’ve got an order from General Foster, my platoon general. He wants you to send help here immediately. I’ve just told him that I’ve saw an alien activity going near my observation post. It’s an alien reconnaissance trooper. I’ll give you the proof.”
“Is there any attack going, trooper?”
“No, sir. You should get a video clip from my observation tower’s camera in a moment.”
He reaches out for the transmit button and he pressed it firmly.
“If there’s nothing happening, why should I send help?”
But the question doesn’t need to be answered.
The general’s image was a little blur but he can still see his mouth opened a bit when he stared at nothingness. He probably is watching the video clip.
“We’ll send help ASAP.”
The image of the general gone with a loud crack.
“Thanks.”
He quickly moved to the side of the room and he looked for the alarm. He found it covered with dust. It has never been use for a long time. Approximately two years. He set off the alarm hastily.
A loud military alarm sounded. He leaned through the window again and this time there is something.
“No way!” he said after he saw many aliens emerge and now, climbing the wall, with their swords on their backs.
He moved to the other side of the room again. This time he reached for the weapon rack. He took two laser guns and a sniper rifle. He also took a military C4 bomb with him. He carried all the guns and bombs out of the tower and he ran to his patroller friends on the right side of the tower. Both of the patrollers looked awkward. Both are unwilling to say anything.
“Hey, guys! . . . Wait up! . . . Hey! . . . You! . . . Stop! . . .”
“If you didn’t notice, we’re not moving,” said Fox.
“Oh, okay. Now take this,” Roberts said while his hand handed them the laser guns.
They take the gun with a puzzled look. Its looks like they don’t know about the aliens yet. Time for a surprise.
“What are we suppose to do with it?” asked Vanstone.
They didn’t realize yet? What kind of patroller are they?
Probably the dumb one.
“Gentlemen, look down the wall on your right. Then you know what to do with that.”
Fox and Vanstone move to their right and frightfully, they opened fire when they saw a three fingered hand arise.
Both of them cursed loudly. Both killed the owner of the hand. Curse again and they look down the wall. This time they were ready.
Looking down only made them curse again and again. They’ve shot down many aliens on that side, row by row. But that is the only place the humans showing some resistance. The other place, who knows?
“We need some help here!” shouted Fox.
“Coming!” answered Roberts hastily.
He put his sniper rifle in a firing position and just then, a military C4 fell from his hand.
A bomb. A military C4.
This could blow them wherever they came from.
But where are they come from?
“What in the world are you doing? We needed help here and what you did is just holding a bomb and do nothing?” bellowed Vanstone along with a curse on the end. “Set those charges and throw it there, for our own sake, that’s where they came from. Don’t be an idiot.”
He pointed his hand at a large opening on what’s-left-of-the first wall.
That is where they come from.
“I’m setting the charges. How long must I set it?”
“Ten seconds!” he bellowed again.
Ten? Never mind.
“Ten seconds starts now!” he said while his hand is pressing a button.
With each seconds passed, a beep sound was heard.
“Throw it, you fool!”
“Yes, of course.”
He looked at the timer again. Six seconds left. The time left makes him throw straight to the opening. It’s fallen in the middle of the rushing aliens.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
“Get down!”
Boom!
He can feel the wave, the rushing wind, the gust moving around him. But it was too weak to move him. The blow was far away yet he still feels the blast.
He looks up to see the blast site. But it’s no longer a blast site as its opening had been closed and the wall had turn into rubble.
“I hope that stops them. I hate these filthy aliens. I hate this planet. I hate this place. I’ll quit this job as soon as we are out of here,” cried Fox.
As he finished saying that, three aliens emerge from the side of the wall. They withdraw a sword on their backs. But they’re shot down just immediately. Unfortunately, more emerged. The three of them open fire like mad.
“Stop them!” cried Roberts.
Almost all of them withdrew their swords. And they too attack like mad. More and more emerged from that side. They were unable to stop the aliens. And they realize that. All of them take a step backwards as they realize that. The more they step backwards the closer they get.
And one of them got the chance to kill.
The alien lunged forward and got his sword stuck to Vanstone’s chest. He fell down slowly to the ground, on his knees. The aliens ignored him because they know he’s about to die.
“Ned! Ned!” shouted Roberts.
“He’s gone, Dan! Avenge him or be with him.” said Fox.
Both kept stepping back. At one point, they realize that the aliens were surrounding them. They cornered themselves onto the end of the wall and kept their defenses. But they are out of ammo.
An alien charged forward and swung its sword violently but was shot by the head. Roberts leapt forward and grabbed the dead alien’s sword and stabbed another alien close to him. That attack was blocked by it easily. Despite their lack of technology, they sure are a skillful sword player.
Fox also grabbed a sword and dueled with other alien. They are stronger in sword dueling. Both Fox and Roberts seemed to realize they are about to lose. In a sudden jerk of Fox’s sword, the alien fall backwards and he shouted, “Get off the wall!”
“What?” replied Roberts.
“Go. Jump. Get off the wall!”
“Leave you? No way.”
“Save yourself. I’ll finish all of them,” said Fox. He then slashed his blaster into two. The blaster’s power pack was also slashed. The power pack glowed red. Fox said again, “The electrolite in the pack must not hit air or it’ll blow.”
“No, don’t!”
Roberts leaped towards Fox but was thrown back by Fox. He fall on the brick ground. He rises up and-
Boom!
He was thrown backwards and falls down the wall. He can’t feel anything. Then, his eyes closed.