Whence They Came by Craig A Falconer

Author:Craig A Falconer [Falconer, Craig A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-10T00:00:00+00:00

7

Even today, after all that’s happened since last night, nothing could have prepared me for the scale of the object that confronts me when I ascend the ladder through a small hatch in our planet’s surface.

This time yesterday I had no idea there was anything under the ground, let alone that vast numbers of trapdoor-like hatches could be opened to allow entry to an almost endless system of tunnels and bunkers.

More to the point, though, this time yesterday I had no firm idea that aliens from other worlds existed and no reason to think I would ever be in the shadow of a gargantuan mothership.

It’s impossible to size it up, but I think its footprint is bigger than the city I live in.

When I looked from the watchtower, my city seemed to have avoided any bug-caused damage… likely because our area has no lakes or other water sources to attract them.

I’m hopeful the beings aren’t hostile, but I act with the care of someone assuming they are. I keep low as I climb up from the ladder. The hatch doesn’t close behind me — the Directors haven’t made that order, at least. They haven’t completely thrown me to the wolves.

With the mission in mind, I look for potential weaknesses in the mothership. I have no means of contact with anyone else so can only act on my own volition. When I mentioned the size of the mothership in reference to its footprint, footprints might have been a better word. This thing has legs as far as my eyes can see, at frequent intervals, maybe so it could have landed somewhere like the city without risking any damage to its main body.

Once again, I try to take the fact that it could have landed over the city as a good sign. It could have, but it didn’t.

But as for those footprints… before long, I see an opening on the base of the ship, right next to one of the legs. The legs aren’t all that high compared to the mothership as a whole, and they have ridges that will enable me to climb.

I know why I’m here, and I have to try…

With that in mind I grab on and climb, quickly surprised by how easy the frequent ridges are making it. I don’t look down — I know better than that — and sooner than I could have reasonably expected, I’m looking in.

I peer over the floor, looking primarily for signs of motion. I see none. The hatch is fairly big, and certainly a lot bigger than the ones on the ground that lead to our bunkers. Whatever it’s for, I think—

A-ha!

Instantly, I see what it’s for: releasing the bugs.

I know this because there are several of them against the side wall of the cavernous room, which is filled with materials and objects the likes of which I’ve never imagined, much less seen before.

The bugs, to my surprise, are open. Each has a hinged door, clearly to allow a driver to get in, and that answers the question of whether they’re monsters or machines.

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