Invasion by Jamie Russell

Author:Jamie Russell [Russell, Jamie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781529501629
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 2021-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

16

A SHOCKING DEVELOPMENT

Pete had never been on the eighth floor of the West Point building before, although he’d always wanted to. It was home to a multiplex cinema, a ten pin bowling alley and a gym and sauna. There were even rumours that there was an open-air rooftop pool. Looking around, though, he couldn’t see any sign of it. Maybe it was just a myth.

There were no shoppers or staff on this floor. The aliens had cleared the place out and turned it into a temporary base. Fixed energy shields, shaped like clam-shells, stood at the top of the escalators. It looked like the Red Eyes were digging in, ready to stop an attack.

Perhaps, Pete thought with a sudden burst of hope, the authorities had realized what was happening. Maybe they were about to send in a rescue team. At any moment, SAS soldiers would abseil down the building and storm in and rescue him.

Pete watched a squad of Red Eyes arming themselves from some purple supply crates containing weapons and ammo. He wasn’t sure how well even the SAS would fare against Arcturian plasma rifles.

The aliens shoved the captured gamers through a set of double doors marked STAFF ONLY. They led into a service corridor. The gamers marched along it and up a concrete stairwell.

Trudging up the steps, Pete wondered when Xander was going to act. Despite all his bravado, the YouTuber had yet to actually make a move. Maybe he didn’t have a plan. Or maybe he did and he had simply decided that Pete wasn’t worth including in it.

At the top of the stairwell, a door opened and the gamers stepped out onto the roof of the shopping mall. On an ordinary day they might have stared in wonder at the impressive urban sprawl stretching out in all directions. But today was no ordinary day.

Instead, their gasp was prompted by the incredible sight of an Arcturian dropship perched on the roof on its enormous landing gear. It was fully decloaked and its wings stretched over their heads, casting the roof in shadow. Standing there, their necks craning to look up at it, the awestruck gamers looked like visitors to the Sistine Chapel marvelling at its famous ceiling.

“Whoa!” the video kid whispered, lifting his camera to film it all. “It’s like something out of a … a…” His voice trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

“A video game?” Pete suggested, overcome by a fit of nervous giggles. They quickly stopped as a Red Eye shoved him hard between the shoulder blades, forcing him onwards with the butt of his plasma rifle.

As Pete stumbled forwards, he noticed the energy dome surrounding the shopping centre and stretching over the top of the dropship. They were completely sealed inside. Beyond the curve of the dome, three Apache attack helicopters hovered in the sky. They looked like toys beside the dropship.

The prisoners were shepherded across the rooftop. Two Red Eyes stood on either side of a loading ramp that hung beneath the dropship’s undercarriage, scanning the gamers as they entered.

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