"I'm coming through, sir.
Michael was -nervously- saying this to his commanding officer. This was the only time he had ever spoken to the older man. He signalled to a group of other technicians, but they had already gone to the lock room.
"Keep it closed, Lieutenant.
Michael sealed the lock room door and sighed for a second before he spoke.
"It may be too late for that.
"What?
"The monorail, said Michael, pointing towards the high speed train of metal and metal grating. You can see a plume of smoke underneath.
"Get a fireteam over there, Lieutenant.
"I already have one on the way, sir.
"Not good enough. I want you to get on the train, said the Colonel, as his headset spoke at him. Lieutenant, I want you to -personally- take over.
"Yes, sir, was all that Michael could muster.
He then breathed in and shouted to his comrades in the war room, saying: "Fireteam A, we're leaving right now.
"Are you sure that's a wise move, Michael?
"Sir, I've got a bad feeling, he said.
"Okay, okay, okay, replied his CO. He was getting impatient. "Go to the Monorail station to the north-east. Investigate the cause of the explosion.
Michael ran off to the north-east, while the Colonel then turned his eyes towards the main screen of the War Room.
"The enemy's advance has halted. Our spy satellite is still down, but I doubt that'll come into play.
"Sir, we've got a battalion of tanks and warthogs advancing towards the outskirts of Munich. We've also got multiple hostiles calling for garrison backup. Seems like the fight has stopped. Seems like the enemy is consolidating their gains. Good work, sir. They'll soon be advancing on Warsaw and Paris.
"They'll be stopped, too, replied the Colonel calmly.
On-screen, the Colonel saw a group of armed shadow warriors leaving their vehicles, climbing over the roofs of houses, and running off into the distance. They were the infantry, used in the cities.
"Colonel, the infantry is attacking our lines?
"Our infantry is ripping them apart, sir. I've got fighters on the way. They've got air support.
The Colonel saw a group of planes in front of his screen, as they soared into the sky.
"Looks like someone let the dog out of their bag, sir. We've got those planes on-screen.
The Colonel looked up towards the ceiling as a sudden flash of orange light surrounded his eyes. "Okay, get our tanks to intercept the aerial threat. Have our infantry push into the ground.
"We can take them, sir, replied a deputy.
"I'm not gonna let the enemy decide the pace of battle. Pass the coordinates: we need an airstrike. Pass it on, Bill.
As radios started to crackle with commands, Colonel Todd then thought about the enemy's forces. His eyes drifted from the screen to the intelligence officer. "It's a copy of their formations. We even have their vehicles. We're not prepared for this. There's something we're missing, Bill.
"Maybe we should use our own troops for an offensive, for a change.
"It's not our troops, Bill. They're moving according to an action doctrine. I know that much. It's not our troops, replied the Colonel, tapping his leather boots against the desk. It's something else entirely.
He looked at the screen for any clue. There was something he was missing, but he wasn't sure what.
"Go from group to group. Make sure that our dislocations are fine. Make sure that something hasn't changed on the ground. Something's not right. That's what I'm getting.
"It's a different situation, sir, said Bill. We've caught them off-guard before. This is their first offense with this technology.
"I'd say that this is more than just a technology problem.
On an adjacent wall, there was a giant board. It was plastered with icons of all different shapes and sizes.
"Colonel, you've got to see this, said Bill, pointing at the icon of a disk, shaped like a boomerang with a wide fan at one end.
"What is it?
"…We've got some strange aerial activity. I'm getting signals from a planet under heavy fire. I can't tell what's happening on the ground, but our satellites are telling me that there's a lot of movement on the planet.
"We're talking about an Alien Invasion, said the Colonel slowly. The aliens are attacking the Earth.
"Yes, sir. I think the aliens are using their troops to attack us. They're executing concentric, devastating attacks. They seem to be developing a methodology against us.
"Is it new software, or something...else, sir?
"I'm not sure, replied Bill. "That's where we've never been. Someone should get down there. They should find out what's happening. I've briefed President Ronald Reagan - in the highest levels, sir.
He has no idea about this. The only thing that he knows about the aliens is that we have a treaty. The aliens can't be seen; they're non-co-operative. That's their excuse, anyhow...The president has no knowledge of the aliens' true technologi-.
The Colonel shut the microphone off. He hated to admit it, but the man was right. There was currently no way to warn the entire planet of the resurgence of the aliens. Their presence was hidden. A simple change in communication. They were invisible from the normal eyes.
"Could you patch me through to the Oval Office?
A lieutenant quickly ran to the office and handed a phone to the Colonel, saying: "I hope you'll be able to explain all of this to President Reagan.
"Yes. I will certainly try.
On a large screen, the Colonel looked down towards the great White House, knowing that the president -the commander- in-chief- -was down in Florida, attending the commencement of his annual vacation to Miami.
"Mr. President. Mr. President, he said. It's an emergency. I've got to brief you right now.
A few moments later, the President of the United States of America walked through the doors and entered the War Room. The door slammed shut behind him, as the Colonel typed three digits into the phone.
"I've followed up everything you told me. It is a situation that we don't want. It's a matter of national security.
We're not sure if they're going to launch an attack against us. They just moved onto New York and Berlin. We've got to do something. These are new and elusive aliens. We never faced this type of challenge before, Mr. President.
The president nodded, as the Colonel pulled a folder out of his jacket and placed it on the desk.
"We're one day away from mid-term elections. We're one day away from our tribute to the fallen soldiers, said the President, looking at the folder as it was opened up. We're sure that this will be a difficult mission. We need to be confident that we'll succeed. The press will be here at the same time. The President will be able to announce a new course of action.
"Are we going to fight? asked the Colonel.
"We'll do whatever is necessary, replied the President.
"I'd recommend that we take our tanks and surround Manhattan, with extra protection on the bridges. I wouldn't recommend that this be done in the center of downtown, but right along the rivers.
We'll be able to report to the base that most of the bridges are under attack, and we'll be able to direct more fighters to reinforce them. If we only have fighter planes, then we're not going to be able to fend them off.
