Down To Earth

Chapter 26 : Decoy Outcome

Chikara's POV

"Kent, snap out of it! What are you waiting for, give the order! It's not like this is your fault." Says Melvin. Kent paces back and forth. "Come on, look! This plan was doomed from the start. We all get that! Was it worth a shot? Sure, whatever. We did the best with what we had. But all we've got left now is going back." Says Kent. I've had enough of this bickering. It's wasting precious time. I take out my blade and begin to approach Kent. "Stop, easy!" Says Melvin. He holds up his hands in front of me, letting me know that was a bad idea."Now isn't the time." He says. "Team Rita, take out the alien from behind. Team Kent and I will handle the front two." Melvin says clearly. "Are you nuts!?" Shouts Rita. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who's in charge! Now do as you're ordered, soldier."

Says Melvin, angrily. "We are not leaving Kolbe defenseless, period." He continues. Rita lets an agitated sigh slip. "Change of plans. Our job is to keep the others off of him until he can be recovered. Whether we like it or not, he's still our best chance. We aren't about to abandon him. We're expendable, he isn't. He can't just be replaced." Says Melvin."Please don't talk to me about our last, best chance. He's a failure countless soldiers have died because of. Just look at him Melvin, are you saying you want more of us to die saving that?" Asks Rita. "That's right. Down to the last man. If that's what it takes, so be it!" Shouts Melvin.

John's POV

"What's up with that red smoke?" I ask. "I don't know, but Alex is going to see. I think he'll be alright." Says Allen. "Of course, I mean this is Kolbe we're talking about." Says Allen while scratching his head. " I don't mean to be that guy but this thing sounds kind of pointless." Says Kevin. " when has fighting the aliens not felt like that? For now, we'll do what we can if we see anymore." I say. " I don't like the idea of so many of us being dead for nothing." Says Kevin. "W don't get to pick our battles... we need as much man power as possible . We just have to be patient." I say. "Was it the right call though?" Asks Kevin. "Yes, of course it was!" I say. I'm getting sick of all this depressing jab. "We live to fight another day, I guess." Says Kevin.

Chikara's POV

"Melvin, you can't be serious!" Shouts Rita. "Of course I am. How many other options do we have? This is it. This is all we've got, you well know it! I'm making the judgment call here, if you have a better plan, speak up!" Shouts Melvin. "If you're asking me how else we'll defeat the aliens, obviously I have not a clue." Says Rita. "See? That's why we can't afford to retreat. Not just yet. We may not know what else is in Kolbe, but there's hope. As long as that's the case, we'll fight until the bitter end. Look at us...always just barely getting by. Always on the run. Don't you want it to be over? Don't you want to take a stand? Well this is how it's done." He continues. "THIS IS MADNESS!" Shouts Rita. She draws her blades. "Soldier, calm down!" Shouts Melvin. Rita puts down her blades and sighs. "But...I think you're right. If we're to stand, this is the only way. Just this once, let the beasts taste humanity's wrath." Says Rita. She walks over to her squad. "Right, my squad will address the alien coming from the rear." She says.

Captain Melvin nods and gets his gear prepared. "Thank you Captain, that was brave." I say. "No it wasn't. There's no thanks needed. The fact of the matter is, I was petrified of the mess you were about to get into." He says. He draws his blades. "But you're free now, to do your thing. Make good use of that inborn skill." He continues. "Sir! Yes, sir!" I shout. Captain Melvin heads to the next roof and stops. "Go save the man you love." He says. I begin to blush uncontrollably. "It's not like that." I say. After he's gone, I look over to Kolbe's alien body. He still is slumped on the ground, steaming and smoking freezing air. What? Why haven't his injuries repaired themselves? Did the earlier damage compromise it? Oh, Kolbe...what is this doing to you? What if you aren't able to transform back into a human? No, I've got to stop. I'm thinking about it too much, that's all. I need to focus on doing.