Other countries had grown tense over those developments. It took time to duplicate such advanced technologies and before long, things grew so strained that the United Nations dissolved, and the Great World War broke out.
It was vicious. Cities bombed each other. Some places were wiped out entirely and would probably remain radioactive for the next thousand years. With alien technology, weapons development soared and so did military research.
In a volley to strengthen their armies, scientists began splicing together human and alien DNA. They made them stronger, bigger, faster. Their wounds healed at a supernatural pace. They could run faster than any normal human. The scientists ensured that their vision, sense of smell and touch were all amplified. They made a superior race and at some point, those creations became more alien than human.
It didn’t take much longer for the scientists to lose control of their experiments. The alien super soldiers had fought back. It was the same story in country after country.
The humans lost.
The aliens took over. Completely.
Humans had become the lesser species and the worst part of it all was that it was all our fault. We’d been the drivers of our own doom.
“What is your name, little human?” the massive hulk of an alien asked. I opened my mouth once, but words failed me. My tongue was dry.
“Are you the leader of the humans here?” he continued, and I shook my head.
“No. I do not lead them,” I finally managed to answer.
“Your name?” he reminded me.
“Raiza. My name is Raiza Nix,” I replied carefully. I kept a careful watch over him, waiting to see if he would reach out and hurt me, but there was nothing about him that even remotely suggested aggression other than the fact that he was an alien, and that’s just what they did, or at least that’s what I expected him to do.
It caught me off guard. Why were we standing here chatting? I was supposed to be killing him. What was wrong with me?
“I am Commander Talyn,” he replied. He crossed his arms over his chest, watching me warily and curiously at the same time. He didn’t quite know what to make of me and I sure as hell didn’t know what to make of him.
I didn’t know any of his weaknesses and there was nothing about him that hinted to any of them. Without touching him, I wouldn’t be able to figure out if a bullet or even a knife could pierce through his skin. I couldn’t test if the grenade in my other pocket would burn his flesh. I didn’t know anything.
This was just a guessing game. I was going to have to test my luck and considering the shit week I was having, I didn’t really want to do that either because I would probably lose that bet.
I had one more weapon hidden inside my jacket pocket—a needle full of hemlock. It was enough poison to put down a horse or even an elephant.
“Why did they send you, soldier Raiza? Why not send your general to meet me?” he questioned, searching my face for answers as I gave him nothing.
I swallowed hard and finally accepted what I had to do. At that point, a plan started coming together in my head. It was now or never.
“I was sent here by my people to send you a message,” I began, and his eyes narrowed with attentiveness. It felt strange to have him entirely focused on me and I tried not to let it derail me on my mission.
I was here to kill him, not to be his friend.
“And what is that message, soldier Raiza?” he asked carefully. My hand was still in my pocket, and I slowly curled my fingers around the holster of my gun.
He didn’t move or even glance down at my arm. I found that unsettling, but it was too late for me to change course or think about anything else other than the plan I’d already set in motion.
I made several assumptions that day.
I whipped out my gun and aimed. I was a decent shot at least, and I hit my targets most days. I most certainly wasn’t going to miss at this close of a range.
I pulled the trigger.
I was prepared for the recoil, but what I wasn’t prepared for was watching what happened next. I hit him dead between the eyes as he stared back at me. His gaze was dark and mysterious, but there was some sort of amusement in there, like he wasn’t the least bit surprised that I’d done what I had.
The bullet did pierce him in between the eyes, and I learned at that moment that his blood was a dark gray color, but it was multifaceted like a gemstone. I’d seen a black diamond once and this reminded me of that in a way.
Except far more violent.
I dug deep into every well of instinct that I could manage. I slipped my hand back in my pocket and took out the syringe. I let the knife I had up my sleeve fall into my fingers, and I used my mouth to uncap the needle.
