"I want a situation report, NOW!", General Dixon snapped, un-lit cigar poking out from the corner of his mouth. The command center was at full alert, multiple inbound targets dotted the wall-sized display. "And turn off that blasted alarm, we know we have bogies!", Dixon stomped over to the central console, lifting up the receiver.
"Yes Mr. President.", Dixon's tone changed from visibly annoyed to curt and restrained.
"Yes sir, we are determining that now. Will advise ASAP, we have boots on the ground and assets in the air.", Dixon slammed down the red phone, rattling a nearby coffee cup.
It was going to be a long day, by the looks of it.
Cody leaned back, looking up at the sun. It was a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky. Shifting in his harness, he pushed against the television tower, soaring in a large arc to the other side. His boss hated to see him do that, but he wasn't watching from below. Besides, it felt like flying.
Inspection time was grunt work, no doubt about it, but it wasn't so bad when you got up to the top. Climbing a tower like this one took time, at only 1,500 feet or 457 meters, it wasn't the tallest. But as they say, any fall above one story can kill you. Everything below looked toy-like and trivial, trucks rumbling along the interstate were corpuscles of commerce on the faded asphalt.
Reaching the anchor point, Cody unhooked his main line and secured it at the anchor below, shifting down to inspect the red-painted struts. Rust was always the enemy, although hail sometimes pinged against the tubular crossbeams as massive thunderheads boiled across the landscape.
Cody reached for the next beam, hauling himself to the center of the mast. As he looked down, a large circular shadow crept across the hills towards him. What the hell was that? Looking up, shading his eyes from the sun, Cody stared at the large rotating ship moving towards him.
The shadow fell over the tower, an instant chill going through Cody's body. A bright purple beam arced out from the lower half, neatly cutting the top off the tower, raining down bits of liquid metal. Satisfied, the ship accelerated, rolling boom echoing from the ground below.
Cody stared at the glowing stump where the top used to be, dumbfounded. What the hell was he going to tell his boss?
The shopping mall was dead quiet. Everyone, from little kids to retirees pushing walkers, were staring at the large screens in front of the electronics mega store. A visibly rattled journalist was providing commentary on the blurry video streamed in the background above his shoulder.
"...please do not attempt rescue on your own, federal and state authorities are on the scene responding to the shocking events happening across the country."
Quick cut to images of large saucer-like ships, gliding over cities and towns. Arcing blasts of purple beams producing surgical cuts on radio and television transmission towers.
"It is yet unknown why the invaders are targeting local transmission towers, contact has been lost from our affiliates in the state of--", screen washing with static, audio hiss blasting across the tiled floor. The store manager waggled the remote in front of the display, getting nothing but static with each button press.
The national mall was boiling with activity. One of the ships had descended midway between the monument and the capitol building, setting down on the grassy square with three large claw-like feet piercing the soil. The entire area had been cordoned off by local police, flashing red and blue lights strobing against the dark surface of the saucer.
A short transmission in broken english had indicated a representative would be emerging to make an announcement. Local dignitaries stood behind rows of armed soldiers, nervously straightening ties and adjusting dresses. A small podium had been wheeled in, with a cluster of microphones sporting network logos.
Mechanical rumbling filled the air, startling pigeons in the nearby trees. Bright glare of greenish light washed over the crowd, as white mist oozed over the grass, turning the tips dark brown. One figure obscured the light, slowly striding on two backward-jointed legs to the podium.
An expectant hush fell over the stands, nothing could be heard but the muted chirp of police radio, officers motioning for the crowds to stay behind the yellow taped line.
"Thissss is to inform youzz, that youu are in violationzz of Emergent Radiationzz Act, Sentientz Collectivezz Congresss. You will cease offending signalzz, and pay for 117 Yearzz of violationzz. Your pollutionzz has caused great harmzz to the surrounding systemzz, which may bring separate actionzz against youzz. All offending transmitterz have been neutralized, with secondary systemzz to follow."
The alien turned from the podium and rapidly climbed back into the ship, door shutting tightly behind.
The police radio squawked one last time, radio signals dispersing into the sky.
