Chapter 41: We are so Screwed Part II

The humans stared at Bob for what seemed like an eternity, as the full weight of the alien's words sunk in. With an army of perfect abominations under its control and armed with their advanced weapons, the Imperium would overwhelm the human race and take over the Earth. Once his shock had worn off, Colonel Hardigan asked the obvious question. "Why would you're people go to so much trouble conquering our planet? It's a nuclear wasteland!"

"Despite the nuclear devastation, your planet still contains an abundance of natural resources we desperately need. We are equipped to deal with radiation, but not your diseases."

Sally clung tightly to her sister. "So what do we do?"

"I'll tell you what I'm doin'." Somah grunted as she stood up. "I'm getting the hell off this space ship and hiding in the deepest, darkest hole I can find."

Marcus turned to the merc. "You heard what he said. Even if you survive the invasion, the zetians will suck our planet dry. How do you plan to survive on a dead world?"

Somah's eyes narrowed. "Well what's your plan? We go to war against the little green bastards?" She stared at Bob. "No offense."

Bob tilted his head. "None taken."

Marcus ignored Somah and turned back to Bob. "Without these abominations your people cannot invade our planet, correct?"

Bob nodded. "Correct."

"Then how do we stop them?"

"We take the ship."

Everyone's jaw dropped. "What do you mean we take the ship?" Adams asked.

"All of the research data on the abominations is onboard this ship. Without it our scientist would be forced to start over, and it would take them centuries to duplicate."

Sarah shook her head. "That maybe true, but how can we take this entire ship?"

"We do not need to be in possession of every compartment to control the ship. We already control the engine room; giving us control of power, propulsion and life support. If we can make it to the main computer on the bridge, I will take down the ship's firewalls and anti-virus programs, allowing your AI to interface with our systems. You would then be in complete control of the entire ship."

Moira's avatar appeared on the PIPBOY's screen - and she had the most devilish grin on her face that Marcus had ever seen.

Sarah and the Lone Wanderer both shuttered, and the Sentinel leaned in closer and whispered to Marcus: "Are we sure that's a good idea? Two weeks ago she set you on fire!"

"I heard that." Moira chimed in. "And for the record, the stealth suit was smoking, not actually on fire."

The exchange was interrupted by Bob. "We must hurry, before the mothership arrives."

Hardigan's eyes shot wide open. "Hold on: the mothership?"

"Yes; the main ship in our fleet. Because you managed to kill the main security force, the rest of the crew will no longer try to retake the engine room. They will instead try to contain us here until the mothership arrives with reinforcements. Then, they will overwhelm us."

"How long until this mothership arrives?" Marcus asked.

"It will be here in less than three of your Earth hours."

"Then it's settled," Marcus said as he addressed the group, "we make our way to the bridge and plug Moira into the main computer."

Moira let out a cheer and jumped for joy. Marcus turned to the alien. "We're going to need more help if we're going to do this. Do you have any idea where we can get some?"

"In the next room there are several of your people still in cryo. They may be able to render assistance. Also, the rest of my fellow engineers will provide you with all the help we can."

Hardigan stepped forward. "We need to find my people. Do you have any idea where they are?"

The alien thought for a moment. "They are likely to be in the main cryo chamber, which is through that door." Bob pointed to a large door to their right.

Somah pointed to another door on the opposite side. "What's through there?"

"That leads to our hanger bay."

Hardigan's eyes seemed to light up. "Hold on...did you say a hanger bay?"

Bob nodded.

"Do you have fighters down there?"

"We have a full squadron."

For the first time since waking up, a slight smile appeared on the Colonel's face. "We could use that to our advantage." He turned to Marcus. "My people are some of the best fighter pilots the free world ever trained. If we can find them and get to that hanger..."

Marcus grinned as he finished the sentence. "Then we can have a nice surprise waiting for that mothership when it arrives."

Hardigan nodded.

"Wait." Mary piped up. "Can...can your people pilot alien space ships?"

Bob provided the answer. "They are actually simpler to operate then your primitive fighter planes...and there is a simulator in the hanger bay."

Somah listened to everything being said and shook her head. "So we're really going to do this? We're going to try and take this ship?"

"It's the only chance we have to get out of here alive." Marcus deadpanned. "Now are you with us?"

Somah shrugged. "Guess I don't have much choice. I still think you're crazy but...I'm with ya, kid."

Corporal Adams stepped forward and presented the Lone Wanderer a salute. "I'll follow you too, sir."

Marcus thanked her, and he turned to Sarah. "What about you, Sentinel?"

Sarah grinned. "What the hell...I've carried you this far."

Marcus' eyebrow went up, and he shot her a flirtatious grin. "Oh have you?"

"I can help too!" Sally piped up.

Mary was shocked. "Sally!"

"What? Besides Bob, no one knows this ship better than me."

Marcus couldn't help but smile at the little girl's enthusiasm. "She's right, Mary. Without Sally here, we never would have made it this far."

Mary looked at her sister with concern and fear in her eyes. Reluctantly, she nodded her head. "Okay. Okay. We'll help."

Marcus turned to Hardigan. "Colonel, technically you are the highest ranking person here."

Hardigan sighed and lowered his head. "Technically the military I was a part of no longer exist." He looked around at the group. "These people seem to trust you, and they're ready to follow you. That's all I need to know."

Marcus nodded. "Thank you, sir. Now, let's wake these guys up...and then we'll find your people."

Bob led them into the adjacent room where another group of captives lay in cryogenic state...and what a colorful group it was. One was a soldier from the Great War; another was a cowboy from the old west. But the one that caught Marcus' eye was the Samurai warrior, dressed in beautiful black armor. As a child Marcus was always fascinated by the ancient Japanese warriors, and to be staring at a living one nearly took his breath away. His nostalgia quickly faded as he felt sorry for the poor soul. Waking up on an alien ship was a complete shock for someone from the 23rd century. How would someone from the 17th react to all of this?

"Marcus!" Sarah snapped him out of his train of thought. "You're gonna want to take a look at this one."

Marcus walked up to Sarah's side and stared into the fourth cylinder. The woman looked to be about 5' 4" tall with a thin build. She was of Asian descent and couldn't be more then sixteen or seventeen years old. But what caused Marcus' mouth to drop open was the Vault 101 jumpsuit she was wearing. "Oh my God!"

Sarah looked to him. "Do you know her?"

Marcus wiped the condensation away from the glass and struggled to get a better look. "It's...it can't be! It's...Karen Oshiro! I remember her. She died about ten years ago. I was about nine and there was a fire in the reactor room. I remember everyone was freaking out; thinking we might have to evacuate the Vault. Karen was working with her father when the fire broke out. Stanley made it out okay, but Karen and her father were both killed. At least...that's what the Overseer told us." Marcus clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. 'More lies!' he thought.

Sarah looked at the frozen young woman, and then turned back to Marcus. "You said that was ten years ago?"

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, about ten..." A realization suddenly hit the Lone Wanderer, and he quickly summoned his AI companion. "Moira, is this the same girl from my Vault that asked you to make the armored jumpsuit ten years ago?"

He held his PIPBOY up to the glass, and Moira studied the young woman. "Ahhhhhh yeah. That's her! Hu. Well I guess we know why she never came back for the suit. Under these circumstances, I guess I can waive the storage fees."

Marcus lowered the devise. "We've got to get them out of there."

Hardigan nodded in agreement. "Okay, but I would do it one at a time. We can only imagine how they're going to react to all of this." He turned to the alien. "You should probably show us how to do it and duck into the next room. I don't think it will go over well if they see you...at least until we've prepared them for it."

Bob gave the Colonel a slight bow. "Of course."

After being shown the control sequence, Hardigan opened Karen's tube. A rush of cold hit Marcus' face as the young woman fell into his arms. As her disorientation wore off, Karen's eyes shot wide open and she struggled to break free from Marcus' grasp. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"

Marcus gently, but firmly held onto her. "Karen, Karen it's me! Marcus Lincoln."

Karen stopped struggling and stared into his eyes. "Marcus...Lincoln? James' son?"

Marcus nodded.

Karen looked him up and down. "But...you can't be! Marcus Lincoln is a child!"

Marcus had to think of a way to convince her who he was. "Do you remember that time you caught me, Amata and Freddie crawling through the ventilation ducts near the reactor room? You said if you caught us again you were going to tell your father and Stanley."

Karen's mouth dropped open, and tears began to form in her eyes. "Oh my God! It is you!" She hugged him tight, and as Marcus returned the embrace, he noticed she was shaking. When she finally pulled away, Karen once again looked him over. "But...how can it be...how long was I asleep?"

Marcus braced himself. "It's been ten years."

The young woman could not hide the shock on her face. "No." She whispered. Fighting the urge to burst into tears, Karen focused on Marcus. "H-how did you get out of the Vault?"

"I should ask you the same question. We were told you and your father were both killed in an accident in the reactor room."

Karen's expression suddenly went from despair to anger. "It was no accident. The Overseer and his goons wanted me and my father dead."

Though he probably shouldn't have been, Marcus was still surprised by the revelation. "Why would they want you dead?"

Karen began to choke up as she recalled the memory. "When we were babies the Vault had been opened, and my father was part of a scouting party that went to the surface to see what was happening. They discovered that the radiation had dissipated enough so that people could live outside. My father wanted to keep the Vault open, but the Overseer and the rest of the adults sealed the door and vowed never to open it, or speak of it again. But as the years went by my father realized sealing the Vault was a mistake, and he told the Overseer that if they didn't unseal the door, he would tell all of us the truth."

Marcus let out a sigh. "That was a mistake."

Karen's voice cracked. "Yes...it was. It think my father knew something was going to happen, because he told me everything...even how to access the secret tunnel underneath the Overseer's office." Her eyes became misty. "He...he gave his life to save me and Stanley, and in the confusion I managed to escape. I..." she could no longer hold back her tears, and her head found its way to Marcus' shoulder. "...I left him to die!"

As Marcus placed his arm around the sobbing woman, he felt a lump forming in his throat as he too, remembered his father's sacrifice. "No Karen, you didn't abandon him. You survived...and it's what he would've wanted."

After a few moments, Karen was able to compose herself and let go of Marcus. "So...how did you get here?"

"It's a long story, and I'll tell you about it later, but right now we need to take this ship. Now your father was a damn good engineering and he taught you a lot. We could definitely use your help."

Looked at the strange group of people and whipped her tears away. "Do you have a plan?"

Marcus told Karen the short version of their plan, and after introducing her to the rest of the group, they opened the tube containing the Great War soldier. He managed to hold himself up with relative ease, but one look in his eyes and it was clear the man had seen too much. "What the...where...who are you people?"

Sarah placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. We're friends."

The soldier looked at the people around him. "What? I've never seen any of you before in my life! Last people I saw were...oh my god!" He jumped back and became frantic. "Aliens! I was taken by aliens! You! You must be the aliens trying to get into my mind...well that's not gonna work! Private Elliot Tercorien, U.S. Army Medic, serial number 3477809. That's all I'm telling you!"

Sarah put her hands up and slowly approached him. "Private look at us; we're not aliens. We're human, and we were abducted like you."

Elliot continued to back away, and his demeanor was bordering on hysterics. "I dunno, I dunno...maybe you assumed human form. I heard they could do that...or you are human but they took over your mind! We have no idea how limitless their powers are!"

Somah leaned over to Mary. "This guy's lost it." She whispered.

Mary couldn't help but pity the soldier, and she gave Somah a sideways glance. "He's just in shock."

Colonel Hardigan decided to take the initiative and moved past Sarah. "Private Tercorien, stand down! I am Colonel Hardigan, U.S Air Force, and I can assure you we are all human."

The frantic Elliot recognized the name and face from news stories he'd seen about the Mars mission, and he quickly snapped to attention and saluted. "C-Colonel Hardigan! I thought...I thought you were on Mars, sir."

Hardigan returned the salute. "I was...that's where these guys found me. What was the last thing you remember before you were taken, Private?"

Elliot took a moment to think. "Well, it was getting dark...we had spent the day out in the trenches keeping as many of the guys alive as we could. The Chinese had been pounding on us all day with artillery. Anyway, we pitched our tents and stowed our gear to try and catch some shuteye.

"I woke up suddenly to Private Dawkins screaming...he was bathed in some kind of blue light coming from the sky. All of us just froze as he just...well – vanished! We didn't know what happened. Did the Chinese come up with some new weapon? Moments later, all of us were in the blue light too...I guess you know the rest. Sir...we have to find my squad. I'm responsible for them."

"We'll find them, son." Hardigan replied. "We will."

Next was the cowboy, and as one would expect he was less than thrilled. "So you woke me, huh? Who the hell are you?"

Marcus quickly introduced himself and the rest of the team before getting down to business. "We're trying to get off this ship."

The cowboy's eyes narrowed. "Do I really look that stupid, kid? This ain't a ship! I don't hear water and I sure as hell don't feel us rocking. So tell me another one."

Marcus glanced over his shoulder at Sarah who just shook her head. This was not going to be easy. "I know you have a lot of questions but we're trying to stop the aliens."

"Aliens? The green men – that's what you call them? Hell, you can call'em piles of horse shit for all I care! And how do I know you ain't work'n for'em?"

Marcus chose his words carefully. "I'm human just like you. Besides, if I was working for them, why would I free you?"

The cowboy looked back on the empty tube he once occupied. "You...you got a point, kid. Lettin' me out of that...thing does count for something."

A small hint of relief washed over Marcus. "What's your name?"

"Name's Paulson...and if you intend on fight'n these...aliens...then you can count me in. I plan on killin' every last one of them!"

Paulson's rage towards the aliens surprised Marcus. "You hate them that much?"

The cowboy stared him dead in the eye. "You're damn right!"

"What happened to you?" Marcus asked.

"I...I don't want to talk about it."

Marcus took a step forward and decided to press a little more. "If we're going to trust each other, we need to know you a little more."

Paulson's jaw hardened, and he slowly approached the Wanderer. "Lemme ask you something...you ever listened to the two people you care most about in this world screaming in pain? Huh?" He was now standing toe-to-toe with Marcus. "You ever watched them screaming, looking to you to save them, only you can't do anything about it?!"

Marcus held Paulson's gaze, and his voice was barely above a whisper. "Yes...I have."

For a moment the cowboy seemed to have the wind knocked out of his sails, but he quickly recovered. "Well then you know that there are some things you don't talk about with damn strangers!"

Realizing he was not going to get anything else from the cowboy, Marcus gave him a slight nod and stepped back. He could only hope that things would not get out of control when Bob revealed himself. Marcus went back to the controls to awaken the final captive: the Samurai warrior. Now there's no telling how this guy's going to react to all of this so be ready. "Karen, if I remember correctly your father taught you to speak Japanese, right?"

The Vaultee nodded. "Yes, he did."

"Good...then we'll need you to speak to him once he's awake. I just hope he'll listen." Marcus placed his hands on the controls and braced himself. "Here we go...everyone get ready."

The cryo tube opened, and like Elliot, he was able to stand on his own feet until the disorientation wore off. The warrior stared at the strange people before him, and he immediately began yelling in Japanese. "Onushi wa nanimono? Koko wa doko da? Sessha no ken! Sessha no ken wa dokoda!"

Remembering what her father had taught her about the ancient warriors, Karen put her hands together and presented a deep bow. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Samurai..."

Before Karen could say another word, the Samurai lunged for the girl. Sarah, who was standing closest to the warrior, reached out to grab him, but was instead knocked flat on her back by the incredibly fast Samurai. Before the others could intervene, the warrior grabbed Karen and held her hostage; screaming in Japanese the entire time.

Marcus had both hands up and was standing between the Samurai and the others, trying to calm the situation. Sarah, whose nose was bleeding, had another idea. She picked herself up, walked behind Marcus and pulled his sawed-off shotgun out of its holster. Before Marcus could register what was happening, she fired the shotgun above the Samurai's head, destroying one of the lights. Everyone inside the room jumped, and the Samurai stood frozen with shock. "Uso!"

Sarah calm stepped forward and pointed the gun at him. "Let her go."

Even though he couldn't understand the words, the ancient warrior let the frightened woman go. Sarah took another step closer. "Ok pale, you see this..." she held the shotgun so that he could get a good look at it. "...this here...is my BOOM STICK!"

The warrior flinched and stepped back. Sarah continued. "Now I swear if you even touch me again," she pointed to her bloody nose, then at the destroyed light, ",you understand?"

The warrior nervously nodded his head.

Paulson, who was standing next to Marcus, watched the entire scene with his mouth hung open. "Damn! That's a hard woman."

Marcus smirked. "You should see her when she's PMSing." He whispered.

The cowboy gave him a puzzled look. "PM...what?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "Never mind." He walked up to Sarah, who handed him back his shotgun. "Was that really necessary?"

Sarah turned and looked back at the now docile warrior. "I figured some languages are universal."

Marcus just shook his head. "Boom stick. Really?"

Sarah shrugged. "You were the one who insisted on watching that corny movie."

After placing Lucy in his holster, Marcus walked up to the visibly shaken Karen. "Are you alright?"

Karen took a deep breath and nodded. "I-I'm okay."

Marcus turned back to the warrior. "Tell him we're not here to hurt him. We're prisoners like him and we're trying to escape."

Karen faced the warrior and repeated the words in Japanese. The Samurai's response was heated, and Karen struggled to get the translation right. "He said he does not believe us. He says this is hell and we are all ghost ."

Somah let out a sigh and sat down. "Oh great! This is gonna take a while."

Silence filled the room as Marcus tried to figure out how to make this man believe they were human. Slowly, he drew his combat knife, and the Samurai visibly became tense. To everyone's surprise, Marcus dragged the knife along the bottom inside of his palm, and his gritted his teeth as he broke the skin. He held the palm up for the warrior to see, and blood slowly dripped on the deck. "Do ghost bleed?"

Karen repeated the question, and the warrior appeared to be deep in thought. He finally gave a response, but it was less heated then before. "He said you maybe flesh and blood, but for all he knows, you are working with the demons who took him."

Marcus took a deep breath. He had to get this man to trust him. He remembered reading that Samurai were men of honor, and they in turn respected courage. He slowly approached the warrior, and presented him with the handle of his knife. "If you believe me to be your enemy, then kill me." He looked over his shoulder at his companions. "My people will not interfere."

Everyone was shocked by the statement, especially Sarah, whose hand inched closer to her plasma pistol. 'Like hell I won't!' she thought.

Karen nervously translated the words, and the Samurai cautiously took the knife. Marcus stood perfectly still and spread out his arms; the whole time quietly praying this gamble would work.

The warrior studied Marcus' face, looking for any sign of fear or deceit. To everyone's relief, the Samurai brought the knife down to his side and spoke in a calm voice.

"He says he will not kill an unarmed man; especially one with courage."

Marcus let out the breath he was holding and lowered his arms. He then presented the warrior with a bow and placed his hand on his chest. "Marcus Lincoln."

The warrior understood, and placed his hand on his chest. "Toshiro Kago."

After the introduction, Karen tried to explain to Kago what was happening in ways that he would understand. When she had finished, it was clear he still did not believe it. And he wasn't the only one.

"That's about the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Paulson said. "Creatures from another planet! Humans breeding with aliens to make a super soldier! I've heard some tales spun around campfires in my day but this beats'em all!"

Marcus let out a sigh. He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice. They had to see it. "Colonel...show them, please."

Hardigan nodded and walked over to a small console on the wall and pushed a green button. The outer shell of the large observation window was moved aside, and everyone stared in awe at the sight of the planet Earth below them.

Paulson summed it up for everyone. "Holy. Shit!" He turned to the Wanderer. "So it's true – all if it. The aliens...this space ship...it's all true."

Marcus continued to stare at the devastated planet. "I wish it wasn't...but yes."

Elliot struggled to get a better look. "If that's the Earth...why does it...look like that?"

Paulson agreed. "That's what I was thinking? Where the hell are all the trees?"

A horrifying realization dawned on the army medic. "Oh my God! They did it, didn't they?" He looked to Colonel Hardigan. "They actually launched!"

Hardigan's voice cracked. "Yes...they did."

Elliot's gaze shifted back to the planet below. "But...I mean...what about home is...is anything..."

Mary walked up to the frantic soldier and gently placed her hand on his arm. "No...I'm sorry but...everything we knew is gone."

The army medic hung his head, and he could no longer hold back his tears. "Everyone I knew...they're all..."

Mary, whose own eyes were misty, carefully put her arms around him. "I'm sorry." She wept.

"Wait a minute!" Paulson said, clearly irritated. "What are you talking about? What do you mean everything is gone?"

Marcus, Sarah, Somah and Adams tried to explain the current state of their planet as best they could. They told them about the Great War, and everything that had happened since. When they had finished, Paulson pointed to the planet below. "You mean to say that...we did that?"

The four companions each nodded in unison. Paulson continued to stare at the planet in disgust. "Damn fools!"

Kago stared out the window with wide eyes, and he spoke in a soft tone. Karen quickly tanslated. "He said there is no honor in fighting a war like that."

Elliot snorted. "There's no honor in war period! There's just the living and the dead."

Karen didn't bother to translate.

Marcus decided that the time had come to introduce their new companions to Bob. "I know this is a lot to take in...and I can't imagine what you're going through right now. Now what I'm about to show you next is going to be even more shocking, but I'm asking all of you to trust me." Taking a deep breath, he turned around and called for the alien. "Come on out, Bob."

The alien engineering slowly made his way into the room – and all hell broke loose.

"IT'S ONE OF THEM!" Elliot screamed as he tried to grab Adam's assault rifle. "KILL IT!"

While Adams struggled to keep possession of her gun, Paulson lunged for Bob, determined to kill the alien with his bare hands. Hardigan tackled the cowboy to the deck, and Paulson struggled to get up. "GET OFF ME GOD DAMN IT!"

Acting on instinct, Kago went for his sword – and was horrified to discover it was not in its sheath. He began screaming and cursing , and Karen was standing in front of the Samurai pleading with him to stay calm.

BOOM!

Everyone froze in place, and the pandemonium stopped as everyone looked towards the source of the gun shot. Sarah Lyons was standing next to Marcus, once again holding his smoking shotgun.

"God damn it, lady!" Paulson yelled as Hardigan helped him up, "Will you stop that!"

"I will...when all of you stop acting like idiots!" She handed the shotgun back to Marcus, and he quickly began to explain. "Now I know what you're thinking..."

"You want to know what I'm thinkin'?" Paulson yelled. "I think you're a damn liar! You told me you weren't working for these green bastards!"

"Bob, that's what we call him because we can't pronounce his name, is part of a rebel faction. He's fighting against the same aliens that kidnapped all of us."

Paulson snorted. "Yeah right! I'm supposed to trust that damn thing?"

"No. You're supposed to trust me. Bob helped us to escape, including all of you. Without him, we'd all still be frozen...or worse."

Bob began to speak in his alien language, and Marcus translated. "He said he means you no harm, and that he wants to help."

Now Elliot was really alarmed. "Wait...how can you understand him?"

"He injected us with translator nanites. They allow us to understand any language, including his."

"Well, how do you know those nanites aren't controlling you? Maybe that's how they're doing it!"

Somah decided to pipe up. "If they were controling us, why would we free you? And why would we have their weapons?"

Elliot thought about the merc's answer. "You...probably have a point."

Karen seemed both frightened and fascinated by the revelation. "Did you say translator nanites? Like, tiny robots in your body?"

Marcus nodded. "I know it sounds freaky, but they're harmless, and Bob has enough for all of you."

"No way!" Paulson yelled. "That thing's not injecting me with shit!"

Karen asked Kago if he would accept the nanites, but he refused.

Marcus was disappointed, but he was not about to force the two men to do. "What about you, Karen?"

The young woman was visibly worried, and she swallowed hard. "I trust you, Marcus. I'll do it."

Elliot looked to Hardigan. "Sir?"

The Colonel nodded. "It's alright, Private. They're perfectly safe...and it will give us and advantage against the rest of the aliens."

Elliot looked over at Mary, who gave the medic a reassuring nod. "O-okay. Okay I'll do it."

Once Karen and Elliot had been injected with the nanites, Marcus went over their plan to take the ship. "The first thing we have to do is get the rest of Colonel Hardigan and Elliot's people out of the cryo chamber. Myself, Sarah, Hardigan, and Elliot will be going in. The rest of you will hold engineering encase our green friends are stupid enough to try and take it back. Once we return we'll split up into two teams: one to take the hanger, the other to storm the bridge. Colonel Hardigan, I would like for you to lead the team going into the hanger."

Hardigan nodded in agreement. "Once we're in it shouldn't take us too long to figure out how to operate those fighters." He turned to Bob. "We could probably use some help from some of your people."

"After you clear the hanger, I will send some of our engineers to assist you with flight control."

"Good." Marcus said. "I will lead the second team and storm the bridge. Is there any chance of powering up the transporter from engineering?"

Bob shook his head. "Unfortunately, the bridge is capable of locking out all transports in order to prevent it from being taken by force. Our only chance is to go outside the ship, and override the controls manually."

"One of my people will help you with that." Hardigan said.

Marcus let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Colonel. I've done a lot of things, but space walking is not one of them."

"So why are we still standing around?" asked an impatient Paulson. "Let's find some guns and start killin'!"

Everyone agreed, and as the group began to head out, a beeping sound could be heard coming from the main engineering core chamber. The group cautiously approached the source of the noise, and suddenly a large, red holographic imagine of an alien head appeared in the center of the chamber.

"Oh, this can't be good." Somah said.

"What is that?" asked Sarah.

Bob provided the answer. "It's the captain."

Marcus tightened the grip on the alien rifle, and calmly approached. When he was just a few feet away, the alien captain spoke. "As captain of this vessel I demand that you primitives surrender and return to cry stasis at once!"

"Is that so?" Marcus replied. "Well I demand that you kiss my ass!"

A combination of snorts and giggles could be heard behind him. The alien captain was not amused. "You fool! Do you actually think you have a chance? Our people were traveling the stars, while yours had just discovered fire! Then, just as you were ascending to greater things, you use your technology to destroy yourselves!"

"We know about the abominations!" Marcus yelled. "We know what you're planning to do!"

"You fight for a world that you yourselves destroyed...further proof of how primitive and illogical you are."

Marcus' jaw hardened. "Earth maybe just a pile of irradiated rubble...but it's our pile! And we'll fight you to the last human to keep it!"

The captain regarded the human with contempt. "You are insects, fighting against the inevitable. Observe."

The image changed to what looked like a giant laser cannon on the bottom of the ship. Marcus and his companions watched in horror as it fired a green beam of energy toward the planet. It slammed harmlessly into the Atlantic, but the demonstration got the point across. The image of the captain returned. "If you do not surrender immediately, you will watch as the settlement you call the Capital Wasteland burns!