Chief Edwards and Private Brown’s sacrifice bought the sextet of survivors a few moments.

• Continued from Chapter 5

One Hour Earlier

“We should just hide here. Even I didn’t know about this place, which is something we must discuss, if we survive this nightmare. I smell misappropriation of funds unlike this town has ever -“

“Dickie, please! You just can’t help yourself, can you? You’re not on FOX news, and perhaps never will be again.” Dr. Chase truly despised this poorer than usual excuse for a human. “Perhaps we should sit tight and get our bearings, but we barely have enough food and water for a day, so that gives us maybe three days, tops – four, if we sacrifice you to the wolves.”

This made the girls laugh. It’s the most sound they’ve made in hours. Evelyn, Isabella and Sarafina were gathering their strength and collecting their thoughts. What had they done? How? They had more questions about their actions than any of the witnesses. 

“How dare you witches mock me?” Beaumont was entrenched in his fear of anything he didn’t understand. 

“Jesus, Congressman, be a man. Leave these girls alone.” Officer Anderson was running out of patience.  His job was to protect this ignorant bigot, one that had shown him zero respect for years,  if not outright disdain. Congressman Richard Beaumont was a renowned white nationalist, a true benefactor of gerrymandering, and an instigator and apologist for the worst souls in America. But to continue this crap now? It would be so much easier to leave the deadbeat deadweight behind. Where can we find some of those wolves?

“Dickie! Enough!” Dr. Chase was also running out of patience. She needed to think. This future was not what The Society had planned for, and she needed to make appropriate changes to the plan. 

The Society was focused on a rebuilding plan. This is now an ongoing war scenario. The parameters are completely unknown. 

What else will emerge from the ships? Are the drones self reliant, hive mind or being controlled by something else? How many of The Society survived the first wave and this new onslaught? Would they even have a chance to enact their plan with drones on the hunt?

“Dr. Chase?” Isabella spoke up as the girls were once again holding hands. “We are still in danger. This space is not safe. This building is not safe. They’re hunting us. US!”

“I know. We will do our part to keep you safe. They’ve been hunting you and your kind for a long time.”

This sparked the attention of both Dickie and Bob. “YOU KNOW?”

Dr. Chase was a quick thinker but these were strange times. “In the past twenty four hours, intelligence came across my desk.” As much as she hated lying, DC was a great training ground for providing alternative facts. “Nasa was tracking these objects but couldn’t confirm…”

This was way too much to explain away with any conventional false explanation. Margaret took a breath and shifted gears.

“This has all happened before. Not like this. Last time the aliens wiped most of us out and left. But…”

“Margaret?” Dickie rarely used first names in this building. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?” For a moment, Beaumont seened human.

“YOU ARE PART OF THE DEEP STATE? I knew it! And they said I was crazy? Crap, are these girls lizards? Are you a satan worshiping ped-“

“OK, enough!” Bob slammed Dickie against the wall. “My job is to protect you.  But if I should decide to take you out myself, I’m guessing there’s no legal method to hold me accountable. Some might even give me a medal. Shut up and stay out of the way unless you have something useful to contribute.” Turning to the Congresswoman, “Now, please, Dr. Chase. Explain.”

“Dickie, as much as it pains me to say this, you’re not entirely wrong.” This was not what Bob expected. Dr. Chase continued, “Earth has been a pawn in an intergalactic war for thousands of years. The warlords built up planets like ours, giving us just enough technology to mine resources for themselves. Whenever we get too powerful to manage, they just wipe us out and start over on another planet. They let us THINK we have autonomy. It’s easier to control that which thinks it’s not under control.”

“Then what are we?” Evelyn, Isabella and Sarafina spoke in unison.

“You are very special. You are the reason earth has had a second, third and now a fourth chance, theoretically, if we survive this.”

“God damn demons is what they are.”  Bob’s glare shut Dickie down. 

“Congresswoman,  please continue.” Bob urged.

“We don’t have all the facts. We have pieced legends together, deducing common threads from the oral traditions of hundreds of mythologies, hieroglyphs, scrolls, fossils and with some artifacts found on this planet as well as the moon, Mars and various asteroids and comets.” 

Dr. Chase needed allies in this moment. How much can she share? A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. With knowing the whole story, the plan centuries in the making, it would be easy, especially for pea brains like Beaumont, to make the wrong assumptions or outright twist to his personal gain.

“The one thing I knew for sure? I had to get you three here today to save the human race. We have a collection of great scientific minds and leaders, the Library of Congress and a stash of tools we will need to rebuild”

“You knew this was going to happen.” Bob was starting to question his allegiance. “You – you planned for this?”

“Bob, we, the human race, earth, was never going to survive this. You saw the devastation with your own eyes. What do have to stop that?” Bob pictured the charred remains of his hometown. His kids were at their mother’s, his ex wife, in Germantown.

“Without our plans, without these girls, no one would survive. Our job was to make sure enough of us, those that could rebuild faster, survived.” Dr. Chase needed Anderson. “You and I,  everyone in this town, would both be dead right now otherwise.”

“What now?” Bob was going to keep doing his job, for now. It was the best way to eventually help his own. Hopefully the burbs faired better than the city.

“Let’s get to the bunker. Let’s regroup. This drone threat was unforeseen. We need to figure this out and fast. There still -“

“I’m not going anywhere with these witches,” Richard Beaumont, face beat red with anger and hate, lunged at the girls. He grabbed Sarafina by the throat. Before Bob could intervene, all three girls screamed, holding hands and Dickie was thrown across the corridor. Anderson and Dr. Chase felt a force pass through them but this was significantly less than before.

“My God,” Bob, even seeing it with his own eyes, was full of disbelief, but there was no time for him to worry about him right now. He picked up his bag of supplies, helped Beaumont to his feet and descended downward.

“Come on, girls. Grab Congressman Beaumont’s supply bags and follow us.” This drama allowed Dr. Chase to avoid any more detail sharing for now. She needed to be cautious.

At the end of the hall, there was another door. This time, Dr. Chase’s handprint was not enough. The girl’s knocked the shielded system out this time, having emitted their pulse from inside the titanium barrier. Bob sat Dickie down and gave it a push. Something metal scraped on the other side.

As Dr. Chase stepped out, two drones laid there, appearing dead. “That last blast must have knocked these two out.” 

“You sound surprised,” Bob noticed.

“We thought the girls were a defensive measure. I’m still trying to figure this out.”

“Hello? Who’s there?” A voice came through the cracks in the wall across the way. “Sergeant Anderson, is that you?”

“Stevens? Son of a gun!” Bob recognized his poker buddy’s voice. “What’s the status in there?”

“We’ve got a handful of civilians. Most of my team was wiped out by those things. A swarm of them rained hell down upon us. We heard a bunch just outside until a few minutes ago. Where’s Edwards?”

“He didn’t make it. He and Chuck Brown covered our exit but – same story I suppose.” Bob realized he was the senior office. So did Stevens.

“I think that makes you the acting Chief. You better get in here, fast. This bunker won’t keep out a nuclear blast at this point, but so far those bugs haven’t gotten in.

“Get your first aid kit ready, Congress Beaumont has gone from bad to worse shape, mostly by his own deeds”

“Well that’s a Tuesday around here,” multiple chuckles from either side of the wall knew exactly what Stevens meant. 

Dr. Chase spoke up. “Corporal, this is Congresswoman Margaret Chase. Any other elected leaders or staffers down there?”

“Ues, Ma’am. They locked themselves inside a small office in the back of the bunker.” Stevens replied.

“Alright, we’re coming down. Let’s go.” Dr. Chase started to the main entrance way of the bunker. At the door she turned back. “Girls, now. We can discuss this inside. We’re not safe yet.”

“We won’t be safe for some time,” Isabella’s voice was deliberate. This was not a fear, not a prediction. When they were together, they just knew. They always knew.

• To be continued… Epilogue