One Family

March 21st 2:45 2000 1999 Mountain time. Edmonton Alberta Canada.

The city was dark. Its citizens slumbering peacefully at this early hour.
There was not a hint of the firestorm to come. The destruction that would
originate from the stars.

David Macnamera slept with his wife Marie in their double bed. Dreaming of
happy moments and wondrous futures. Their house was silent. They're two
children lying in their rooms. 

All these dreams were shattered by the visitors.......... Edmonton was not
considered a high priority target and as such had little radar coverage by
Xcom forces. It took them 4 hours to arrive, more than enough time for the
extermination of the vast bulk of the population. 

But this isn't about the city or the war or even the valiant battle between
the combined Xcom and Canadian forces and the Aliens. This is about one
family's ordeal in trying to survive the experience of an alien terror
attack.


March 21st 2:45 2000 1999 Mountain time. Edmonton Alberta Canada.


The flare of explosive energy woke David and his wife along with most of
the town. It was so brilliant in intensity that any one who was awake to
see it was blinded instantly. The few not awakened from the blast or the
subsequent sound were quickly startled awake from the sound of long unused
air raid sirens going off. 

Marie looked to Dave sleepily, "My god what was that?". He returned her
stare, his expression quickly changing from sleepiness and confusion to
fear. "I think it's an air raid siren! Quickly get the kids. We need to get
downstairs!" She looked at him in confusion. "Who could possibly attack
Canada? This must be a mistake."

Just then they were all knocked to the ground. The house literally shook
from the force of the blast. The UFO battleship, after having destroyed the
parliament building and police headquarters, had just struck the local
police office with a small anti-matter torpedo. The systematic destruction
of the city was already underway.

Both of them shouted out in terror. "Oh my god!", Marie screamed, "was that
a nuke?" "No it couldn't be., if it was a nuke we would already be dead.
"He grabbed her and pushed her towards the door "We don't have time to talk
about this. Get some clothes, get the kids and get downstairs!!!"

David quickly shoved his bed out the way and grabbed his two hunting rifles
out and began to unscramble  the combination to the ammunition safe. As he
unlatched and opened the safe door, he glanced towards the window. What he
saw both amazed and terrified him. The local police department was engulfed
in white flames that towered so high he could make them out  above the 15
blocks of houses separating them. The glow from the flames illuminated the
surrounding buildings, and left spots in front of his eyes. "Holy shit" he
said breathlessly..... and watched as a police car was blown to pieces by a
flash of energy. Terrified, he slowly turned his head to the source of the
beam.

It sat there... Hanging in the air.... Its very size making it seem closer
than it was....... Huge.... Pitch black,  barely perceptible as more than a
whole in the starscape. Sporadically spitting white-hot death down upon the
city..... The light from plasma streams briefly illuminated multiple 
landing legs unfolding from the base of the ship..... It began to sink
slowly to the ground.

Just then another huge explosion rocked through the city. David watched as
the few lights that were functioning went out........ The entire city was
engulfed in darkness. He realized that they just took out the power
plant...... That they were systematically destroying the cities centers 
of resistance and communication..... and most terrifyingly of all... they
were not satisfied with mere destruction from the air. They were paying a
personal visit to the population.

His thoughts quickly returned to his family. David ran downstairs to the
basement. He gave his wife one of the rifles and a small box of ammunition.


"We have to get to the storage room.......... We're going to shoot anything
that comes through the door," Dave said grimly. "What is happening?" asked
Marie in a strained voice. "Remember how a meteorite hit Honolulu?" Dave
replied. "Yes! Why?" she answered. "I think the meteorite has just hit
us..........."

Chapter 1

The Macnameras sat there in the darkness......... waiting, for what they
did not know. Nick and Lisa cried softly in the back of the room. Not old
enough to truly comprehend what was happening. But screaming louder with
fear each time an explosion thundered from above.

Dave turned towards the window. Shielding his eyes from the flashes of the
infrequent blasts, "Hon, take a look at this." He said quietly in awe and
fear.

His wife stood up and looked through the window beside him. What she saw
took their breath away.

The ship had landed. Its now dim surface was alive with searchlights.......
and small-moving figures could be seen unloading from tubes.......
hundreds..... thousands....... ships the size of school buses which they
could only guess to be transports flew away off into the distance. There
purpose they could only guess to deploy more quickly to surrounding areas.
They were trapping the population........

They both came to the same conclusion. If they stayed here.... they would
die. "We have to get out of here!!" David said. Quickly reaching down and
lifting Lisa up awkwardly holding the rifle in the other.

Marie quickly snatched up Nick. Then slung the rifle over her shoulder.
They stuffed their ammo in a duffel bag and quickly climbed the stairway.

David was ex military, and him and his wife we skilled huntsman. They
quickly creaped over to there vehicle. Ducking down as ships flew over
head....... 

They were both startled when a vehicle across the road started and began to
drive off. Its lights blazing through the darkness. 

Both screamed as a plasma bolt struck the roof of the vehicle instantly
turning it into a funeral pyre for its occupants. Sending shrapnel in all
directions....  No further shots were fired from the massive craft. 

"Those were the Larsons" Said Marie softly. "Lets not think about it, there
is no way we are going to drive, I guess we are going to have to walk, lets
go door to door. We have to tell everybody what's coming." Said David
softly....

David and Marie abandoned the vehicle. Both of them taking a child and
having them go piggyback. They both set a brisk pace south. Away from the
center of town and from the huge monolithic ship that sat there
occasionally lashing out on the surrounding buildings.

For the next 3 blocks they knocked on doors telling asking people to
continue on. Responses ranged from, no answer. To yells of go away. To one
near miss with a pistol round the door. Needless to say they left that one
rather quickly.

The 20th or so house was different however. A group of family friends lived
there named the Stanjucks. The door after repeated hammering and calls was
finally answered warily by Peter Stanjuck, the male of the household. He
quickly rushed them inside. 

Catherine Stanjuck was standing in the living room. Her features twisted
with fear. David and Marie instantly got the impression that they had been
virtually paralyzed by terror. 

"We all have to leave." said David trying to be keep his tone calm. "Who
ever or whatever they are, are on their way and we don't want to be here
when they arrive."

"I saw the neighbors try to drive off, they were blown to pieces!!" said
Peter. Ms Stanjuck nodded numbly. "We have to travel on foot" Said David.
"We can't its suicide!" Catherine replied with a quavering voice. She was
nervously tapping her foot.

"Well if you stay here you will be just as dead. They are unloading troops.
Do you want to sit here and die?" Marie yelled at her growing impatient.
Know that whatever was out there was growing closer and closer as they
argued.

"Hey! Don't yell at my wife like that!" Peter said angrily. 

Anger is better then fear at least thought David. Maybe we can get these
two going.

"Peter, you can't stay here. Whatever is out there will kill you. You are
unarmed and can't fight back, all you can do is keep moving. If you really
care for her you will stop fighting with us and get your asses moving!" 

Peter inhaled and exhaled slowly..... "I am sorry Dave, your right...... I
am just really scared." He said. His voice a bit more steady then it was
before...... "Its ok Peter were scared to, just don't freeze ok man?" David
said soothingly....

Peter pulled his wife towards the door. "Lets go hon. we don't have
anything we need to take anyway" 

They looked north to witness small flashes of light in the distance.
Weapons were being fired from ground level. Into houses and buildings.
Whatever it was getting closer and quickly.

They all ducked as a transport went roaring over head......

They all took turns carrying the kids. Walking as swiftly as they could
without burning out. Resting only for short times...... They were
outdistancing whatever was pursuing them... and fire from the mother ship
was becoming more and more rare.

It had served its purpose it had slowed down civilian travel to a crawl.
Destroyed centers of resistance. Destroyed the power generator. All that
was left was for the nearly immobile civilian population to be exterminated
as an example to others that would fund Xcom. 

But in the two hours they walked. The various military organizations began
to mobilize... and most importantly Xcom transports were en route... The
governments of the world had learned something from the Honolulu fiasco.
That a quick response by fighter and tank squadrons were insufficient to
defeat an enemy with incredible anti aircraft defenses, and infantry
weapons that could potentially destroy a tank in one salvo.

You needed to be in there face. You needed to ambush, out maneuver them.
You had to take it room to room. Building to building. 

Simply put. You needed large amounts of well-trained infantry. That took
time. More time then these people had.

March 21st 4:15 2000 1999 Mountain time. Edmonton Alberta Canada.

Occasionally the small group of travelers saw others heading out of town.
But mainly the dark streets seemed deserted. 

But a horrifying realization came to them all when they reached this point.


They were trapped. A transport had landed in a small park near a large
building. Half the building (which turned out to be a hospital) was in
flames and the high pitched whine of plasma fire could be heard from within
the remainder of the structure.

They could also see that the fighting was not confined to the building.
Whatever was doing this had already been here. A police officer lay face
down. His left side blown away and the whole instantly cauterized by the
passing of the super heated plasma.... 

All of them stood mute. Staring down at the body. What they did not know is
that this was this was happening all over the city. Police officers that
survived the initial bombardment. Were fighting against a threat they could
hardly comprehend. They were out numbered. Out gunned... frankly out
classed, and were dying.  The aliens had deployed in a pattern from which
civilians would always have to pass through an area of alien occupation in
order to escape from the forces sweeping in behind them.


Peter reached down and picked up the police officers pistol. It was hot to
the touch. "What are we going to do now?" he said quietly. Resigned to his
fate.
"We are going to fight them is what we are going to do" Said David
defiantly." FIGHT THAT!?!" said Catherine loudly her voice all too loud in
the darkness. She pointed down at the body of the poor police officer. The
children began to cry again.

"Yes, we will kill it and just keep on going. We need to get past these
things. I don't know what is taking the RCAF so long. But if we can last
long enough. We can escape." David continued.

They all turned towards the sound of something crashing to the ground.... a
dark figure moved in the night. 

David and Marie both put their rifles to there shoulders.... and Peter and
Catherine quickly took the now once again crying children and attempted to
silence them. 

"Hey you there, identify yourself" David said in a yell whisper.

A shriek of plasma fire erupted from the dark figure, illuminating its
snake like features. The shot missed David by a foot. But he could feel the
incredible heat of his passing nearly blistering his exposed skin.

David and Marie dropped to the ground, firing round after round into the
figure that could barely been seen in the darkness. Peter fired his handgun
and dodged behind a parked car on the side of the road. 

The figure was struck several times. Jerking with the impact. It seemed
hardly affected by the rounds and continued to move forward with an inhuman
slithering motion, it fired again and again its shots sending gouts of
melted asphalt flying into the air. David and Marie rolled desperately
aside in an attempt to avoid the incredible destructive power of its
weapon.

Peter emptied an entire clip into the thing screaming his head off in
terror all the while. Then falling back down behind the vehicle as plasma
rounds nearly took of his head. His screaming taking on a higher pitch as
the near miss started his jacket sleeve on fire..... 

This respite gave David and Marie time to again open fire. The emptied
there clips and watched with relief as the thing slumped to the ground.
Sliding slowly to the side. 

Peter had quickly pulled of his jacket and was standing beside the car,
grimacing in pain. David and Marie after waiting a few seconds to make sure
the "thing" they shot stayed down then ran over to check Peter's wound.

"How bad is it" David said...... Peter grimaced in pain "I won't be doing
much with this arm for awhile, I think it's a deep one." Marie and David
looked at each other grimly. "Those things are fucking tough. We have to go
for head shots, that's what took it down." Dave mumered. Peter looked back
at his wife. Who were trying to calm the two crying children. She was not
far from hysteria herself. "Ill go calm them down." Said Peter slightly
embarrassed. "You go get a good look at what the hell that thing is!!" 

The two of them quickly walked up to the slumped body. It lay on its side.
It its orange snakelike skin was pierced in multiple locations these holes
were bleeding green viscous fluid they could only guess was blood. Its
large reptilian face had been pierced by a single bullet and its brain was
splattered behind it. 

They store down and realized why its gait seemed so unnatural. In place of
legs. It had a long thick tail that tapered down to a point..... it looked
perhaps 200 pounds.

Its weapon that lay beside it was like nothing either of them had seen. It
was large thick and lacked anything like a barrel, The material it was made
of had a bronzish tinge like nothing either of them had ever seen. The
large boxy shape had a small read out on the side with unintelligible
script blinking on it. 

Dave reached down and lifted it. His 180 pound frame having difficulty with
the weight......

"Ugh! This is as heavy as it looks" David grunted as he lifted it to his
shoulder, his hand fumbling at the oversized trigger. "Let's test fire it" 

David pointed towards a parked car 50 meters away and pulled the trigger.
He closed his eyes in expectation of a flash of light and perhaps an
explosion.

Nothing happened.

Marie looked at him quizzically. "What the hell!! That thing nearly killed
us and know it won't fire a shot!" "Hmmm, maybe its out of ammo?" David
said, not really believing it.

What neither of them knew was the weapon had a handprint security system in
which people who are not encoded into its memory are not recognized as
valid firer. It simply would refuse to fire unless another snakeman held
it.

Both of them heard a small noise coming from the body. That is when they
both realized they hadn't noticed another piece of equipment the alien was
carrying..... a small black headset. Partially broken hung from the alien's
head. It was emitting a symbalant hissing noise... that was not random like
static.

They both recognized it for what it was. A communicator.... and who ever
was on the other end was probably wondering why the SOB laying there with
his brains spread out across the ground wasn't responding.

They looked at each other, then at the drop ship only a few blocks away.
Already they could see signs of movement in the lights emitting from its
sides.

"Time to go."