Somewhat the Beginning (A Falling Skies Fanfiction)

It's an Unfair Fight

"Let's play a game." I said. It was getting boring walking to the rendezvous point, and the thrill of sneaking out of camp wore off.

"What do you want to play?" Ben asked.

"Would you rather?"

"Ok. I'll go first. Would you rather live on an island full of snakes or a cage full of lions?" He looked at me, waiting for my answer.

"Hmmm. Snakes."

"Why?"

"Well, I'd just stay on my side of the island, and they'd stay on theirs. Plus I'd have a better chance than a cage." I shrugged.

"Smart girl. Ok your turn."

"Would you rather be tall and fat or short and well-built?"

"Oh a good one. Um, Tall and fat." he answered.

"Why?"

"Because I can always lose weight, but it would be impossible to get taller."

"Smart boy." We continued our game for a few more minutes before we got bored again.

We walked in silence before I asked "What will it be like?"

"What?"

"The battle. I've never been in one before."

He paused in thought "It's not that bad after you get used to it."

"So you're saying you're used to it?"

"You've missed a lot of battles in the three months you were gone Ashley, it changes you." He saw how scared I was getting then he put his arm around my waist and brought me close to him. "It'll be alright babe, I won't let anything happen to you." He kissed me on my head.

I relaxed "Thanks." Then I chuckled.

"What?"

"I was just wondering what Tom or Weaver would say if I told them that I was getting scared before battle." Then in my best Weaver voice "Now look here, Ashley. I don't want to see you shaking in your boots out there, so suck it up and mount up!"

Ben laughed at my bad attempt, "And my dad would tell you a history lesson."

I smiled, "Oh Tom's many lessons and poems."

"I remember his favorite battle poem, High Flight by John Maggie." Ben started. "I think it went:

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunwards I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a thousand things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,

I've chased the shouting wind along and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air,

Up, up the long delirious burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,

Where never lark, or even eagle, flew;

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space..."

"Put out my hand, and touched the face of God." I said, finishing the poem before he got the chance. "You think you're the only one Tom told that poem to?"

Ben nodded impressed.

...

We finally made it to the rendezvous point, where Red-eye met us. He led us to a ruined building nearby, where the rest of the fighters were waiting.

"Wow there are a lot of skitters here." I whispered to Ben. In the big room there were about 20 skitters and 13 skitters were sleeping on the ceiling, all wearing war paint. We bobbed and weaved through the alien crowd and I recognized someone. I made my own path and went up to him.

"Rick?" I asked.

The boy turned around and smiled "Nice to see you again Dr."

"I'm not the Dr. anymore, and it's great to see you again. I thought...well everyone thought you died. Anne said that one day you disappeared."

"I assure you I'm not dead, I was called to the resistance. I would've brought Ben with me, but the leader said he wasn't ready."

"So you're saying he's ready now?"

"Yes. And so are you."

I couldn't say anything more, so I nodded and went back to following Red-eye and Ben.

Red-eye jumped on a high table while we all waited. I felt him connect to my spikes, and I heard his pre-battle speech.

"I hope you are all ready for the first of many battles on this area of the continent, and if we play our cards right, we will reign victorious! I advise you to remember all the bad the Espheni have done; to your families, to our homes," He paused and looked down at Ben and I "To our children. We must fight our oppressors until they are no more! If that means dying for our freedom then so be it! And most importantly...we will not give up." He finished.

Ben and Rick clapped while the skitters held up their hands and let out a sound that sounded like a whale being stabbed in the throat. Red-eye and I caught each others eyes and I nodded and clapped.

Ben leaned in and whispered "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." The skitters started to exit out of the building and Ben, Rick, and I followed flank. I was surprised by how silently the skitters were able to move.

We stopped and I turned to Ben, "What's wrong?"

"Listen. Use the effects of the harness to your advantage." I did as he said and listened. I heard loud footsteps then screeching. Mechs, I thought. I saw the skitters brace themselves and we did the same. I cocked my gun and waited. Time slowed as the seconds ticked by. Finally we charged towards the mechs and the rebels brought them down before they even knew what to do. Then more mechs and skitters came out of buildings and attacked us. I shot down a few, but there were too many. Ben and I ran in opposite directions for cover. I got behind and overturned car and I shot a mech with little success.

"I wish I had some mech bullets right now!" I said to myself. I reloaded my clip then went back up to shoot again. The mech locked it's blue targeting lights on me and I ducked, but it shot a missile and it struck in front of me. My head hit the back of the car door and I blacked out.

...

I felt an intense pain in my arm. I woke up and screamed. I saw Tom hold my shoulder down and Anne pulling metal out of it.

"Anne the isoflurane is wearing off!" Tom yelled.

"I'm almost done. Just. One. More. Second." She pulled out the final piece of shrapnel and I felt tears streaming down my face.

"It's all aver Ashley." I heard Hal say. He stood next to me and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"What happened?" I asked as Anne started to clean my wounds. I winced.

"Who's the big baby now?" I heard a boy's voice say.

"Iain?" I couldn't believe it. Anne told me he was captured by skitters after Fitchburg.

He walked up next to me. I stuttered "B-but how?"

"They found me picking up the ruble of some skitter-on-skitter fight. They brought me back here and deharnessed me." He answered.

"It was the same skitter-on-skitter fight we found you and Rick at." Hal told me.

"You have Rick? Where's Ben?" I panicked.

"So Ben was there too?" Tom asked. I nodded. Then he asked "Why were you three there in the first place? And what the hell happened out there?"

"It's too complicated to answer now, but we need to find Ben."

"Rick's getting ready to go look for him now."

"I'm going." I started to get out of the operating bed.

"No you're not." Anne said giving me pain killers.

I took them, "Anne I need to do this, and you're not going to stop me."

I got up "Iain can you come with me I've got to talk to you." We followed the search party, far enough behind so no one else could hear me. I told Iain what Red-eye told Ben and I that night at the park. At first he didn't say anything, then he shook his head.

"How do you expect me to react to this Ashley?"

"I don't know, but I'm hoping you'll be on board with this."

"On board with this?" He looked dumbfounded. "How can you believe a thing any skitter says?"

"I know, I was skeptical too. But this may be the only chance we have right now to win."

"You know that I want to win Ashley, but not like this!"

"Iain at least think about it please! We need more deharnessed kids, like you, who can fight and speak for the skitters."

"I'm not speaking for anyone..."

"Then just fight."

Iain looked at me "Just fight?" He looked conflicted. "Maybe. How about this: the next time you meet up with this Red-eye or whenever you have a next fight, I'll tag along with you."

I smiled. This was my first recruitment, it was exciting.

"Are we close?" Tom asks Rick.

"His spikes are glowing" Hal noticed.

I felt my spikes glow and I looked at Iain.

"What's happening?" Iain looked scared.

"It's ok, don't freak out." I said reassuring him. "We're being connected with Ben and Red-eye." Every step we felt closer connected, until we were at the entrance of a small, run down, indoor parking lot. I looked over to Iain, who looked more relaxed the more we got inside.

Ben came out from behind a column and pointed a gun at us. Tom, Weaver, Boon, Hal, and Iain put up their guns. I looked at Iain and he put his gun down.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked, his voice scared and he stuttered.

"Ben, I brought them here, he needs their help." Rick said taking a step toward him.

Boon took a step forward and Ben pointed his gun at him "I'm not letting you hurt him!"

"Who Ben?" Tom asked. We heard the movement of rocks and Red-eye came into sight.

Tom pointed his gun at Red-eye "That's the skitter that tortured me on the ship! Boon take him out!"

"No! Please Dad he needs help!" Ben pleaded "If you don't help him he's dead..he's dead."

"Boon, take this skitter to Hell where it belongs." Weaver commanded.

"Gladly." Boon smiled.

Ben backed up and was at the skitter's feet begging his Dad to not kill him. I felt a strong sense of protection over them both, so I ran past everyone and stood in front of Ben and Red-eye. "Tom stop this."

Tom told Boon to stop and looked at me. "Ashley what is going on?"

I kept my voice steady but low "It's complicated, and it's probably better to let him tell you," I said gesturing to the skitter, "But he can't do that if he's dead, Tom."

Tom thought for a few seconds then commanded Boon and Hal to help Red-eye to the truck around the side of the building.

"Tom what are you doing?" Weaver questioned.

"If they're telling the truth..." he paused, "If the skitter is telling the truth, who knows how much information we can get out of him."

"And if he's lying?"

"We'll send him to Hell, like you said." Everyone left and Ben, Rick, Iain, and I rode in the back of the truck with Red-eye.

I recently learned how to connect with skitters and deharnessed kids, so I did that now with Red-eye.

"Does it hurt?" I telepathically asked him.

"Yes, but I'll be fine, I'm sure of it. But you and Ben must convince Tom of the rebellion. If not...we will surely lose. We will have more battles like today, and we have no chance without the resistance."

"They have mechs and the technology that you can't get to. It's not fair."

"No one ever said it was going to be fair."