19 July 2045 - Military Base - Houston
Waiting was always the worst part of any battle – the tiny details that annoyed because you really just wanted to get the fight itself over and done with.
Commander Stephen Gray walked the room because he needed to do something to fill that time. One of the circuits of the room brought him in earshot of two men who were sitting next to the coffee station and arguing.
"I tell you they won't do it! And I can't see how it would be possible to force them!" That was Roger Correlli speaking. Mitchell Peters snorted, "After everything we have been seeing, you think there are things that are not possible for this race of beings that have inhabited our world without us ever knowing?"
Then, because he was bored, and because he respected Roger enough to wonder what was worth his passionate disagreement, the Commander stopped at their table, "Who won't do what?"
Mitchell and Roger swung around to him in obvious alarm, their expression saying they had no intention of being overheard. Roger shook his head and said wryly, "No letting anything get by you is there? We were wondering how you were planning to get the more independent-minded leaders to cooperate."
At the word 'wondering' he gave Mitchell a look that said he should let the argument go and his emphasis on 'independent-minded' was not lost either. "Such as?" asked Commander Gray, even though he was sure he knew where this was going.
"North Korea? China? Certain Arab leaders? Russia?" Roger responded.
"To name a few," muttered Mitchell.
"For now," Commander Gray responded, "they have each, at least nominally, given their agreement."
"I just don't see how it can work though," Roger said. "Despite those agreements, cease-fires have not been holding any better than they usually do when an alien threat is not hanging over our heads."
"There will always be opportunists who seek to steal that which is not theirs, even when the house is burning down and everyone else in the village is trying to put out the fire," Mitchell added.
"Could not have put it together, myself," Commander Gray said, "and it's not as though the thought has not occurred to others, but we have to do what we can. For now, we will rely on what has been said and not look to the history of unreliability and broken promises." He looked off into the distance for a second before adding thoughtfully, "And somehow, I have a feeling that once our strange allies get into action, it won't matter whether any of them were planning to back out."
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Author's note: Hope everyone is well! Really looking forward to hearing what you guys think!
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