UFO FanFic - Chapter 1

[Tammy]

Unfortunately for Hankosha, Poison's nature had caused his charm to be pocketed quickly. She was debating silently what to do about it, though. Years of thieving just to survive had not prepared her for a life that she knew no longer required stealing. What should she do? She knew human nature well enough to know that she couldn't just walk around asking if it belonged to anyone. It was obviously very valuable, and she couldn't just take someone's word for it and hand it over. Finally, she decided that she just wouldn't decide for now. Too much had happened during the evening for her to think straight. A few days wouldn't make much difference as she figured out what was best for her to do.

 

************************************************************

 

Meanwhile, Tammy had thoroughly enjoyed her conversation with John Pickering, and they had made plans to get together again the next time they were both off duty. Pickering, however, had to get back to work, and so Tammy found herself temporarily alone until she heard a voice behind her.

 

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" the voice began. "I don't think I've seen you alone all evening."

 

Tammy turned, smiling, to face Rick. "And now I'm not alone again. Were you afraid I'd get lonely?"

 

"Actually, I was just passing by here and noticed that you were alone, but I'll be happy to keep you company."

 

Tammy laughed. "I think I'll keep you around to keep my ego in check," she winked. "I was just about to go back to my quarters. You're welcome to walk me back if you'd like a little company, though. I'm ready for some peace and quiet after all the excitement. You can even stay for a while. I promise not to take advantage of you," she grinned.

 

"I'll take you up on that, I think. I've had about enough party for one night, too," he replied. They began to work their way toward the door, stopping to say goodnight to several people, but eventually reaching the comparitive quiet of the corridor. Tammy stopped to remove her shoes and rub her feet for a moment. "I think I'll talk to the Commander about using high heeled shoes as torture devices to make the enemy talk"

[Loonie]

"Goodbye."

 

That was the word that made Martin's jaw drop. To think that he was just about to talk to Tammy learn more about her, since she seemed as the last remaining person of considerable interest, Rick walked out with her. 4 times he wanted to get familiar with her and 4 times someone else butted in either before Martin or right when they were having conversation. He kept looking towards their direction for a little while until he decided to return back to the party, kicking a table in one of its legs on the way.

 

"Hey! Watch it" came the shout from Green who was still a bit on edge after his last incident with Hankosha. "And what's it to you?" came a very rare instinctive response from Martin.

 

"What's it to me?! My dear fellow it's all the importance to me if you happen to shake a table on which my beer is and if this is the second time in the party already"

 

"Ahhh, cool it. You've got a lot more chances to get drunk with the rest of your buddies. I'll love seeing you in pain when Tolstovich gets us out to training."

 

Martin turned around enveloped in his own thoughts to such an extent that he did not notice Green coming up behind him...

[The Veteran]

Tammy opened the door to her quarters and stepped inside, inviting Rick to take the chair opposite the one she collapsed into. She dropped the torture devices known as heels next to the chair.

"Well, that party was a lot of fun. We've got some great people to work with here."

"We sure have. I can't tell you how many times I've been surprised by the quality of the soldiery here tonight."

"It's really amazing what's been pulled together here. I still can't believe that we're actually going to be up against aliens. Has anyone you know actually seen one?" asked Tammy inquisitively.

"Well I have for one... I imagine Warlord has. TJ too."

"I saw something, but I still can't convince myself that it was what it appeared to be. It was half-buried in debris, and that's about all I can tell you until someone gives me clearance to share more. I expect that will be happening. I think we're all going to have to share information in order to fight them."

"I've never fought any to save you asking that question... Noone at the base has. Noone's been authorised up until now," said Rick quickly.

"Apparently, there have been a couple of crashes due to weather or other navigational hazards," said Tammy half as a question.

"That's where we got our bugs from... We dubbed it Alice... I'm afraid we didn't show any more imagination there than the yanks did with Roswell as we found the craft just outside of Alice Springs... We got three in there but one was destroyed beyond scientific use..."

"I would love to get my scalpel into one of those creatures and see what makes it tick." said medic Tammy.

"I'd love to get my knife into one of them and see how quickly it stops ticking..." replied soldier Rick.

"That too" said Tammy chuckling.

"If you really want to know what's inside these things you should find TJ. I was only ever showed it in containment, all of the soldiers were. Trigger tended to wander the base a lot back when it happened though. He saw way more than most of us."

There was a brief pause while Tammy and Rick sat in thought. "I hope you don't mind if I carry a sidearm when we do go out. Not that it'll make any difference. I sure don't intend to go out there unarmed, but it'd be easier if we're not going to be fighting about it. I assure you that I'm capable of hitting my target rather than your foot." Tammy finally said grinning.

"I don't doubt that. I don't know I ever did. It's not your capabilities that worry me, I simply don't like to see women doing men's jobs."

"Well, believe it or not, I don't plan to argue with you about it. I just like to get things out in the open so we understand each other. Shooting those aliens is your job and patching you up afterward is mine, but if I see one aiming at me, I'm going to put a neat hole in his big misshapen gray head."

Rick raised his eyes from Tammy's feet to her face and sat back in his seat. "So you have seen one then..."

"Well, assuming that's what it was, yes. All I saw was the back of a head and a skinny.....arm, I suppose."

"You'd be surprised. One of the bodies we found at Alice had arms almost thicker than it's torso... Yet it was almost completely intact. It took the scientists here almost a full day to cut into it if rumours are to be trusted."

Tammy leant forward in thought. "....could that mean that there is more than one type? I wouldn't think there would be juveniles in an invasion fleet, so that can't be why this one was so small."

"I don't know. The three that we recovered were all of the same race, that was obvious even to the soldiers. They were far from identical though... Which is strange according to the roswell theory... That states that the typical 'gray' aliens are all clones of one original race."

"Well," said Tammy rubbing her temples, "maybe the ones of the same kind would stick together. We tend to do that, you know."

"Yeah maybe, but don't you think it's unlikely that it's taken so many million years for aliens to reach earth and now suddenly they all come along at once? I don't mind fighting aliens if that's what I have to do, but I'd rather fight one race at a time than face an all out invasion force"

"We're going to give ourselves nightmares at this rate." said Tammy shuddering. "Maybe that's enough speculation about the enemy until we have some concrete info."

"Yeah, you're probably right. But seriously, if you want some concrete info, just go find TJ. He'll happily tell you what he knows. I should imagine..."

"I probably will. Curiosity may give me nightmares, but I haven't been cured of it yet. On the other hand, I have enough things to have nightmares about without going looking for something"

"I have the feeling we ain't seen nothing yet. Still, it's no good to dwell on it like you say... So where's Poison? I wouldn't expect her to be out there after midnight..."

"I expect her to wander back here anytime. She looked great tonight, didn't she? She really seems to be trying to fit in. I think I'm going to be glad to have her for a roommate, to be honest."

"Yeah she seems ok," replied Rick. "I don't know why everyone seems to be so wary of her..."

"If you're ever on the receiving end of her temper, you might find out. Still, she seems to be responding to the different atmosphere here. Maybe she won't murder anyone in his sleep or steal us blind."

"I still find it hard to believe that she's such a dangerous person... I mean, she's obviously a good soldier but I spoke to her earlier and I think we got on fine."

At just that moment, the door opened to reveal Poison herself, who blinked a couple of times and put her hand in her pocket when she caught sight of Rick and Tammy. "Good morning," said Rick. "I was just starting to miss you"

"Um....good morning," replied Poison uncertainly.

"I'd best be off I guess. Not that you girls need any beuaty sleep but I'm sure you'll want it anyway." Rick smiled, which was met with an answering grin from Tammy and a half raised eyebrow from Poison, though Rick also fancied he saw her begin a smile."

"Thanks for walking me back." said Tammy stretching out on her chair. "I really enjoyed talking to you. I think we'll get along just fine."

"I hope so. That goes for all three of us."

"Goodnight. Oh, and sweet dreams." said Tammy winking.

Rick smiled but he'd never remembered nightmares as being a problem. Hopefully all this talk of aliens and some eight pints of beer wouldn't disturb him tonight.

"I'll see you in training. I don't know what the plans are yet but hopefully they aren't as seperate as today. I'd like to get a bit of training in with the other squads. See how they shape up." He looked once again at Poison who ,remembering their earlier conversation, smiled at him.

"Well I'll see you both after we've all had some well earned rest... That was a hard party after all"

After repeated farewells Rick finally turned a last time at the door. "Just to warn you both. The late rise tomorrow has apparently been cancelled."

"What?" exclaimed Tammy.

"They've flown in some Russian mercenary to take over the training. I was speaking with him and Warlord earlier. I'm going to go and buy him a few drinks before I head off myself. A hangover can put even the strongest men out of action for a day. I may also see if TJ's still alive..." said Rick thoughtfully. "I didn't see him after midnight, not with his drink anyway."

"He left just before I did," said Poison speaking for the first time.

"He did?" said a very surprised Rick.

"He did, with the other pilot. In the gold dress."

"Oh... Hey can I stay here tonight?" said Rick laughing. Then he turned and left, heading once more to the party before he would risk trying his quarters.

[Zager]

"Hey, have a drink," Rick called after Ivan, coming up behind him.

 

"No," Ivan responded, flatly.

 

"C'mon, it's New Years, lighten up a bit," Rick said, holding out a glass.

 

Ivan turned, and slapped the glass out of Rick's hand, it smashed on the floor. "Let me tell you a little story, about my nephew, Igor Tolstovich. He is a member of the Spetznaz, like I was. He is also an alcoholic, he enjoyed his drink. It got pretty bad, soon drink became more than pleasure to him, it became a necessity. He is currently in the hospital, with severe liver problems. But that's not the worst part. The worst bit is that due to his alcohol problems, several members of his squad were killed when he failed to react fast enough to a terrorist ambush during a hostate situation. I do not drink alcohol. Ever. Are we clear?"

 

"Crystal," Rick said, taking a few steps back.

 

"Good. Oh, and I will not be sympathetic to anybody who misses training due to hangovers. We are an elite paramilitary organization with a primary focus on command operations. We will therefore like we are members of such an organization. No practical jokes during training will be tolerated, you will obey orders without question. You will not complain if recreation time is cancelled for extra training. You signed away all rights to your personal life when you enlisted. You may inform the other members of your squad of this."

 

Ivan turned and left the room, heading towards the training area.

[Hankosha]

Hankosha was laying on his bunk staring at the ceiling. He was not in a good mood. His Blue Dragon Charm had dissapeared, and while looking for it, a demented bad-tempered Russian had grabbed him by the jacket and thrown him against the wall, and out of his way, muttering something about lack of discipline. As well, the Security officer had had a "talk" with him about 'Having his eye on Hankosha' Hankosha Believed it couldn't get any worse, when someone knocked on the door.

 

Hankosha lomped over to the door and opened it. A person with a rumpled army jacket and a duffel Bag. He tossed his bag on the second bed and extended his hand to Hankosha. "Hi i'm Patrick O'Malley, and i'll be your roomate."

 

Hankosha left the room screaming. Patrick O'Maley lay down on the bed and started to sleep. Hankosha was heading away from the room crying.

[JellyfishGreen]

"That's so damn pretty I could cry," said Gia.

 

TJ and Gia - pilots "TRIGGER" and "RAVEN" - were up on the surface. A jeep pulled away from the guardpost after delivering a few more recruits. The guard had let the two out with a warning to stay inside the security perimeter. Around them the desert hills were blue in the moonlight. Overhead the cold clear air offered a limitless view of space and the countless stars. The Milky Way twisted its river across the sky.

 

Gia snuggled into TJ's shoulder to keep warm.

"Hope we don't spot a UFO," said TJ.

"Hmph. Yeah."

The stars twinkled. One moved across the sky at a measured pace.

"Wait - what's that one?" She pointed.

TJ looked. "Satellite?"

The fleeting worry left her face. "You're probably right."

They looked out at the possibilities of the night.

 

"So you're flying to England."

"Are you upset that I want to go visit my family? It's just that I always do-"

"Naw. I think it's really sweet that you want to be with them."

"Yeah, thanks for helping me to convince Lieutenant Forrester."

"I think the Lieutenant is sweet on me."

He looked at her. She smiled and shrugged. He turned back to the sky and threw an arm around her bare shoulders to keep her warm.

 

Finally she shifted her shoulders.

"Well, if you're going to get there before Zero Hundred Zulu, you'd better get a move on."

"I guess I'd better."

"Back tomorrow, though?"

"Of course."

"Walk me home?"

 

They went back to the guardpost, leaving the menacing, the romantic stars outside.

[The Veteran]

Rick still stood fuming as he had been for several minutes now. He is also an alcoholic?' Who said I was an alcoholic you drugged up Russian bastard?

He'd watched as the Major left, pushing the odd soldier out of the way as he went. So many things had been going through his mind while the Major had been talking but he'd said none of them. He already knew the major was the one in the wrong but after so many years of specialist military service he knew how to react. The major said no practical jokes? Hangovers? He wouldn't get any out of Rick, noone ever had.

As he stood in silence, the party clearing around him, Rick relaxed himself and let fall the hand that hovered at his sidearm. Soon, he thought, I'll have my chance.

With this parting thought, Rick drank his pint from start to finish and set off for his quarters.

 

Gia stood in the doorway of her room for a minute watching Trigger vanish into the personnel lift once again and she then turned in for the night. Trigger himself was headed now for the hangar that housed his Hurricane and he was wasting no time, stopping for nothing on the way. When he reached the hangar he saw some of the staff still wandering about the bay carrying out final checks on his interceptor.

When the engineers saw him approaching they instinctively left the hangar and before Trigger was even in the shadow of his craft the launch doors were beginning to slide open. He leapt into the cockpit of the Hurricane and the hangar was emptied of ground crew.

Were Trigger five minutes later in igniting his engoines he would have been on the recieving end of the same Major as Rick earlier but as it was Ivan would arrive too late to an empty hangar and he wouldn't confront the pilot for almost twentyfour hours afterwards.

As the Hurricane pulled sharply out of the hangar Trigger saw the celebrations still going on in nearby Alice Springs but soon he had left behind all but the clouds.

 

**** END CHAPTER 1 ****