The ONE

the
ONE

HAVE YOU EVER  HAD TO BE THE HERO  ?

Introducing… Charley

Up on the roof of one of New York’s tallest skyscrapers, a Venus fly trap is positioned high into the sky. It overlooks the whole city, sitting on the edge of the skyscraper. It waits for its prey to fly toward it. As it lands and makes its mark around the Venuses’ territory, it snaps and kills it prey before it has a chance to fly away. The Venus would then lay dormant waiting for a fly or any enemy that may disturb its life.

Deep in the heart of the city, struggling journalist beginner, Charley Lahane travels to her newspaper building were she works as a journalist for the ‘New York Extravaganza’, one of New York’s top Newspapers. She had only been working there for five months and loved every minute.

Charley comes from Rhode Island; she travelled to New York to go to the ‘New York metropolitan college’ there. She enjoyed it for a while, made lots of friends, people she now knows at the place where she works. She made a best friend, her roommate, Sally, she also works with Charley.

Charley was shocked at how well she got on with everyone, she knew she was likeable, but not really, really likeable. Charley was the type of person to help in a crisis and didn’t mind standing up for what she believed in. She was also caring, which made everyone she knew feel better that they knew her and they also felt safe around her. Sharon, a friend from Charley’s college felt she had a special quality that made her in particular feel, whenever she was stressed or feeling low, Charley always made her feel good about herself.

Charley thought her jokes were unique as they made everyone laugh, albeit not at the joke. ‘How do you make a watermelon cry?’ Answer: squeeze the tip. Not funny, but it made the laugh none the less.

Charley worked as a waitress after leaving the college after a year, she hated every second of every day of working in the dismal place. Everyone treated her like trash, calling her “excuse me” or “hey, you”.

She wanted to experience more, she was always eager to try new things and explore things she wasn’t too sure about. This was one of them. Working for ‘Café Tyne’ in the city showed her new boundaries to work.

Charley decided to quit and try her luck at the ‘Extravaganza’. With her degree and experience at college, she felt like she had finally found her calling in life. This was her dream job, she was so happy.

She reunited with her best friend from college their, Sally; now they are best friends and they are so alike accept Sally’s blonde and Charley is a brunette.  They finish each others sentences and talk everyday about anything really. They are inseparable and have sleep over’s at each others apartments, plus they both like ‘Horror’ movies. Now that’s one of a kind.

Charley loved to read graphic comic novels on her breaks; she loved ‘Catwoman’s’ feline charm, quirkiness and agility. She liked ‘Wonder woman’ as she showed that women are not always the damsel in distress that some people think they are. And she liked ‘Superman’, not just because he is a journalist with superhuman strength, but because he saves the world on a daily basis and doesn’t take shit and she also had a bit of a crush on him growing up. Charley would love to be a heroine in some way. And in some way she is. That’s why she’s a journalist; reporting on the news and getting it to the readers and people who care. Saving them just by writing.

Charley’s boss Jason loved her work and called her into his office for a very important reporting vendetta. He knew she was the one for the job.

Charley hadn’t been in the office for two minutes when Jason called her in. “Charley, hi, come on in sit down”. Charley closed the door behind her and walked toward the chair that was positioned directly in front. She sat and shuffled around in her seat to get the right groove. She thought she might be there for a while if he wanted to report on her performance over the past five months. He handed her a report of a huge party that was happening tonight at the plaza. It was called the ‘New York charity ball Extravaganza’.

Charley’s lips arose into a half moon position. Her smile captivated Jason, he saw her glimmering look of happiness and felt as if he had done a good deed.

“Thank you, thank you so much Jason. I won’t disappoint you. I swear”. Charley stood and shook Jason’s hand. She ran out and sat at her desk. She began to think what she was going to wear.

Sat at her desk, Charley had multiple thoughts running through her head. Her dress had to be glamorous and it had to be the thing that stunned everyone. 

Chance of a life time

Charley was ready for the night to arrive. Her time to show up was 9.00pm on the dot. She had her red gown from ‘dure one’ on tenth street, on display; red and stunning to look at. She looked a million bucks and still had room for improvement.

She sprayed her new ‘Devious: by Dior’ on to her hands and spread it across the top of her chest. Charley breathed in the smell and smiled as she looked in the mirror.

She was ready for a spectacular night.

Charley called a cab and waited outside for it to arrive. She was nervous and also eager to go and get her winning story.

Charley wasn’t a competitive person, but she knew that to be a journalist you have to be prepared to do just about anything to get the story you want.

Charley’s look of excitement and nervousness faded as her eyebrows raised and eyes squinted. She felt cowardly, as if she would just give all the preparation she put into tonight up.

The cab arrived right in front of her, mowing over a puddle. Her new cimi shoes would have been drenched in dirty sewer water if she hadn’t have moved. She climbed into a dire seating arrangement which made every inch of her cringe. The smell of the back seat was enough to make her vomit.

The cab driver turned around and said to her, “Where ya of too sweet cheeks”. Just after he said the sexist words, he opened his mouth and sowed his teeth, in what looked like a smile.

His teeth were brown beyond disbelief and held many dents and cracks along each tooth’s edge.

Charley replied and said, “The… the plaza”. Her words stuttered as the smell of fart and ridicule surfaced the top of her tongue and rested as the moisture absorbed the smell. Charley closed her mouth immediately, she didn’t want to let too much of the smell in or her freshly minted breath would not with stand the smell of fart and fish guts.

The cab reached the plaza in record time. As it approached the flashing lights and glimmering guests that graced the white carpet with they’re good looks and starlight quality, Charley was about to ask the cab driver to stop here and then no one would really see the devastation she would get out of.

However the cab stopped. The engine was making sputtering noises and jerking shouts that made the paparazzi stare as they shot at the stars on the white carpet. Charley got out immediately and looked up and saw the paparazzi in their square pens and the stars on the carpet, they looked for a short time but turned away and strutted their appealing poses.

Charley looked at the cab driver as he smiled and said, “Have a hell of a time miss, have one on me, eh”. Charley folded her arms in disgust and watched the driver and his cab travel into the dark night.

Charley graced the white carpet with her charming graciousness. She looked forward and saw her idol, Penelope Cruz standing in front of her striking the most seductive pose you could ever see. Charley thought she was so elegant and loved her performance in ‘Volver’, from that moment she was Charley’s ideal self.

Charley walked more into the white carpet. As she approached the main doors, she had trouble walking in her red gown. Her cimi shoes were causing a cauffufell as she walked forth. Charley was nearing the door, but it felt so far away. Antonio Bandereas had just exited his limo and ran toward the main doors. Angelina Jolie also exited the limo, gracing the paparazzi with her shining red lips and her mesmerizing wicker dress. Charley saw the two celebs on a warpath to get to the door she was so near to. But Charley could hardly move.

Charley felt a slight balance shift as she was trapped in her standing position. Angelina approached her and turned around rapidly to get a good shot. As she stood there sexualized in every way, Charley was shaking, one false move and it was a nightmare she would never wake up from. As Angelina raised her arms into the air, Charley took initiative and raised her hands in defense. But as she did she hesitated and shimmied around before plummeting to the ground below.

All, but Charley looked down at the crumbled mess on the floor. Angelina smiled and showed teeth from the laughter she felt arising and walked inside, not offering a helping hand. The paparazzi looked on but turned around to catch more celebs that entered the glitzy ball. Even Miss. Cruz looked out and shredded cheeky grin. Mr. Bandereas was not bemused, but ignored the whole thing as he entered with his black leathered suit, fit for a funeral, it was that depressing.

Charley looked up, totally embarrassed by what had just happened. Her nightmare had just begun and she wasn’t even asleep yet.

Charley stood up and lifted her gown, she could finally walk more freely now. She looked into the entrance and saw Mrs. Jolie standing around people, who admired her so. Charley looked at her wicker dress and pulled a face that showed disaprovement. She thought as she looked at this once Oscar winner, “if this ball was meant to help those less fortunate, then why didn’t she help me. I mean, I was less fortunate when I thought she was trying to whack me, you know. I mean she’s adopted like what, dozens of children and God knows how many more are on the list of more she wants”. Its true, Charley was pissed.

Charley was mad at herself and the whole night for this mess she had created. She quickly called for the cab on its way toward her. She knew she had given up and she had to end it before it gets any worse. She spoke to soon. The cab arrived, directly into a puddle. This time Charley made no movement to rush away from the green mould water that landed on her cimi shoes.

Charley looked back before she entered the cab. The paparazzi had cleared and now the windows around the complex were visible showing celebs smiling and having such a great time. Charley hated that. It wasn’t fair; she felt that she should be in there getting her story. Obviously it wasn’t meant to be.

The cab wasn’t the same one, which felt to Charley like a consolation prize for her worst night ever. The driver stared straight forward and just muttered, “Where to darling?” Charley smiled and began loudly, “forth avenue…. Home” she whispered as she ended.

Misery doesn’t love company

Charley’s night had come crashing down right before her eyes. The cab finally got to her apartment building.

Charley grabbed the door handle and forced her way through the threshold of the cab door. She slammed the door behind her.

Charley walked toward the entrance. She was one step closer to the thing that she now wanted more than anything: BED!

The elevator caught her eyes as she looked forward, her long luscious legs picked up the pace and her feet felt the pressure from her high powered jog. Her left cimi shoe felt the most pressure from the sole of the foot.

She pressed the button for her floor and grabbed her cimi shoes and pulled them off her feet. She began undressing in the elevator before she had even reached her floor.

Her red gown which was once so bright and elegant was ripped down the centre of the back. She pulled on the zip too much in anger, it ripped in her rage. The creases in the gown showed the anger and embarrassment she felt. Charley wanted it off so bad.

As the elevator doors opened charley leaped out and ran to her apartment door. She took out the key from her pocket and twisted the key in the key hole. She pushed the door in and rushed inside. She took her gown completely off and lobbed it across the floor.

Charley walked across her dark apartment and didn’t even switch on the lights. She walked into her bedroom and put her dressing gown on. She looked across to her bathroom and knew she wanted to get to sleep right away. And the thing that could do that was in the cabinet in that bathroom.

Charley walked into her bathroom and turned on the light. Charley squinted her eyes as the bright light shone down on her and the vicinity of the bathroom. She looked toward the cabinet; her exit strategy was in there. She opened the cabinet and grabbed the sleeping tablets.

She opened the bottle and placed her middle finger in and pulled out two pills. She placed the bottle back in the cabinet and closed it.

She looked in the mirror, at herself. She saw a misery standing in front of her. Even though this embarrassment had created an absolute mess that stood before her, she knew that a good nights rest would do the trick.

Charley thought of a good idea to get the story she never got, just make it up. Charley turned of the light and walked into her bedroom. She sat on her bed and engulfed the pills, she grabbed the bottle of water on her night stand and swallowed the contents whole.

She lay back on the bed and waited for the effects to work.

Charley tried to think of a dream, a nice dream. She thought of a world where she was the only one there, she could do anything she wanted. Charley thought she could get whatever she wanted and go anywhere without consequence. She smiled at this thought.

Birth of the Warlords

Across the night sky a shooting star lights up the dark night. Its trail leaves a glimmer of bright light which stays for thirty seconds. The stars in the sky make the night light when everything else is dark. Shooting stars don’t usually make a crash landing, but this one did. The star landed in central perk among the flower beds.

A couple of teenagers, who were making out in their car just outside the park looked up as they heard the crash landing of the strange star. “What was that?” said the girl. “I don’t know… but let’s get out of here”. “Oh come on lets go check it out, and if you wanna get further than making out then you’ve gotta learn to be a man”. Her words shocked him as the girl he was longing to be with and just made out with, had just been the boss in their relationship.

They got out of the car and walked toward the strange phenomenon. The glare from the star that had landed in their path almost blinded them. The boy got nearer to the light and saw something move, a body. As he got closer a man appeared in front of him. The man was suited up in a glossy, green stripped armor that shined beyond belief. The man began to move, he towered over the boy as he walked toward him.

The man was dominant and could break the boy with one finger. The boy looked up at him and said, “Are… ar… are you ok?” The man looked at the boy and grabbed him by the throat. The boy’s girlfriend looked on in horror and shouted obscenities as her boyfriend was lifted high into the air. The boy screamed in terror. He looked over at his girlfriend and saw a shadow behind his girlfriend; the shadow got closer and propelled the boy to shout to his girlfriend.

She turned around and screamed as a second man, of the same height and builds of the first man, grabbed the girl and tried to strangulate her. However the girl kicked the man in the shin and began to run away.

The boy tried the same thing thinking it would work. The opposite affect happened, the man showed his anger as he snapped the boy’s neck in a fit of rage. He then through the corpse to the ground, with no remorse.

The girl screamed, piercing the dominant men’s hearing, the second man pulled out a arrow which he through to the girl, stabbing her through the heart. Her blood sprayed over the ground the she fell on to. She was cold and dead as her former boyfriend.

The men both turned to each other and began to speak. The man who killed the boy spoke first, showing his dominance. “So here we are. What do you think my friend, Gage?” Gage looked at his friend and said, “Serge you pick the battle ground. That was the deal”. Serge looked at Gage and continued, “Yes my friend, yes. For leadership of Nyon 9, our home world will not be the same after this”.

Gage was presumptuous, younger but not wiser, he had been chosen by Serge to battle him in this dual as they’re world had suffered a loss in the form of their original leader Cereus; old age no battle loss.

He knew the battle they were about to commence in would do serious damage, however it was for leadership of they’re planet. Whoever wins, will rule their planet. Serge continued, “We need that dominance and leadership no matter who it is leading us and our people”. Serge was the older and wiser; he had served at Cereus’s side for a long time before he passed on.

Serge picked Gage as he was young and competitive, this was his weakness. He spoke again, “The battle we will do will destroy most of this puny planet, and we don’t need an audience. Let us cleanse this planet and make them see only their dreamscape”. Gage agreed. They both leaped into the sky and created a light which cast an amenity across the sky.

They separated and flew across earth sending everyone into a deep sleep, as the light fell onto every individual. People fell into an immediate dream state and felt peaceful.

The whole of New York City fell into a deep sleep. The charity ball and its contents of celebrities were also affected. Penelope Cruz was talking to Antonio Bandereas when the light struck them. They fell to the ground and laid in very awkward positions. Angelina Jolie was also grounded around a whole lot of paparazzi folk. She position could raise many questions about her and her husband Brad Pitt as to whether they are really happy. She can be very persuasive with a drink in her hand, especially to the paparazzi. It must be every man’s fantasy. 

They had finished they’re work and returned to New York, the start of their inglorious battle. Serge began to speak, “So this is it, the battle will now commence”.

Gage held a confident expression, his smile shocked Serge who was feeling slightly rusty.

They both separated and created a power surge that ripped through the air. Serge looked at gage, he whispered, “I am THE WARLORD, I am THE WARLORD….”

Serge was competitive and would strike at an unsuspecting moment, especially if he were defeated; he would still get up and let his anger be known, just like he did with Cereus.

He tried to defeat him at one time before his death. Serge could have claimed victory if it wasn’t for Cereus’s final blow to Serge’s left temple. Serge was flat out, but he got back up a few seconds later and through a fit of his rage at Cereus. Cereus was in an unfit way for weeks, leading up to his death. However Serge’s catatonic energy punch was not the cause of death, he died naturally.

Since then Gage was anxious to fight Serge, he always felt that Cereus died because of Serge. He felt that he was responsible, since then Gage; young, eager and confident in any fight; he is weary of him and never thought of him as his friend, even though Serge did.

Ripples were created as the first punch was struck on the edge of Serge’s face. His wrinkles took damage as they turned red, and soon red blood appeared around them and dripped to the bottom of his chin.

Gage took heavy blow from Serge’s energy balls that hit him on his torso. The green static and lightening that was created from Serge’s energy ball shocked Gage as his were not even at that level…yet.

Gage released his sword from his back strap and prepared to attack Serge with it. Serge formed another green energy ball that could cause and ultimate devastation to their battle ground and our home.

He fired it at Gage but he deflected it with his sword and the Gage commenced his attack on Serge. He struck Serge in the arm, piercing his armor and his green stripped suit.

Gage’s brown hair and blue armor glimmered a light that created a reflection on Serge’s armor. The energy ball had reached a target.

Serge’s energy ball hit a skyscraper down in New York; it obliterated the whole of the building and whoever was inside. The fire created from the destruction raged out of control like a forest fire, flourishing out of control.

The Warlords smiled as their first casualty of their battle was seen. The building was demolished within seconds and all that remained was a fire that remained and burned on the ground of New York where the building once was.

The warlords continued in their battle, their trail of destruction moved from the city and the two high powered beings fought their way across the sky leaving a light that started to burn in the sky. 

Devastation

The Warlords trail of destruction travelled the world; the fire in the sky was created as their deadly battle continued across Europe.

The Warlords deadly strikes at each other and sword fights coinciding with devastating energy balls created a magnetic pulse that pulled anything that came into close quarters with them into their field of high powered destruction. As their fight grounded in Rome, buildings were pulled in by the Warlords kinetic force.

People fell prey; they were defenseless against the Warlords catatonic destruction that had now spread over Europe and people were dragged into the violence that the Warlords had created. The warlords don’t stay anywhere long and move on to different places.

With every punch thrown, every energy ball targeted for destruction, swords and weapons used to distract and cause a mass of obliteration; all the power of these Warlords combined destroyed countless buildings, explosions from energy balls leak out onto the streets and towns causing many deaths. Their powers cause much destruction and the whole of Europe, their main casualty of their battle field, is left in devastating fires, falling buildings and spectacular ruins. It is reminiscent of the fallen city of Troy.

A middle aged woman sleeps in a hotel room in Paris, unaware of the devastation that has been caused in her city. As the fires rage out of control, her hotel room is in the firing line. The flames take hold of the building she and many others are sleeping in, the explosions from previous buildings fall around the perimeter of the hotel.

The woman can do nothing but sleep and she and the whole of the hotel is engulfed by the flames. The woman’s facial features begin to fade and become distorted from the flames. Her nose and perplexed lips are incinerated by fire and her closed eyes burst in their sockets.

She and many others are killed as the hotel combusts and the flames from the explosion move on to other buildings and places seeking destruction and an ultimate disaster.

The Warlords battle continues high in mid air. Their blood, war wounds and sweat are their destruction on each other; their power of energy balls and weapons on their battle field is a hugely different and devastating story.

Awake

Charley dreamed of being in New York City, alone and doing anything she wanted. But the pills were beginning to wear off. Her eyes flickered as she began to regain consciousness. She opened her eyes and her curvy, shimmering eyelashes flickered as she blinked over and over to wake herself up.

She arose from her bed and looked around her room; she saw the light of day’s reflection through the window and looked around toward the door way to see her gown on the floor, forgotten like some old rag.

Charley got out of bed and walked over to the window, as she looked out she noticed a bright light and a smell of smoke, like a fire of some sort. Her curiosity and total obliviousness to what had happened drew her closer to the window. She grabbed hold of the curtains and drew them to reveal a once magnificent City in ruins.

Charley backed away from the window and fell to the floor in shock. She was about to scream when she realized she could hear nothing. No sirens. No talking. No news coverage. But most of all there was no screaming.

A city in absolute annihilation and there was no screaming. She was really starting to regret the dream she had. Charley looked up and stood up straight. She looked outside again. She saw thick, black smoke coming from the skyscraper on fifth, and flames were shrouding around near by.

However in the distance she saw the harbor, but past that there was a blackness far out to sea, charley thought that this total destruction she saw in her beloved City could have spread to other places too.

The big question was, ‘What the hell had caused this?’

Observation and on the road

Charley put on some suitable clothing, some jeans and a white vest and headed out into the word in chaos outside.

Charley walked across to Mrs. Gollman’s apartment. She was eighty two years old and didn’t need any of this. Charley walked in, as the door was wide open, but she saw the old lady in her chair. She was breathing peacefully, fast asleep. Charley tried to wake her, but her attempts at clicking her fingers and tapping her on the shoulder did no good.

Charley walked out and went to get some answers. She thought that if there were no sounds at all and only fires from whatever caused this and her own thoughts, then maybe everyone else was asleep, just like Mrs. Gollman.

Charley ran down the emergency staircase and down to the streets of Manhattan. She opened the exit doors and saw a world now in chaos. However there were no people for chaos, just flames and black smoke.

Charley looked at the cars parked on the streets, she saw a man in his car asleep just like her neighbor.

Charley’s suspicions were now clear, now she just had to find out what or who had caused all of this to happen. Maybe it was a government conspiracy or Russia may have planted a sleep bomb for New York and maybe they started war. All of these thoughts circulated Charley’s imaginative and delicate head.

Charley’s competitive side also reared its ugly head, she thought about getting the top story for an article. Forget that shit Charity ball mishap, this was the story of the century. However Charley got a hold of herself and started to strategize.

Charley walked over to a convenience store called ‘Herriot’s lot’. She goes in nearly every day on her way to work. But this was no happy call. She busted her way in, she shattered the window and twisted the door knob to let herself in. she grabbed anything with fatty, chocolaty goodness in it. She unwrapped the packaging like a hunger stricken wolf and crazily ate the contents. She wiped her mouth clean of the chocolate stain around her lips and cheek and came to her senses.

Charley dropped the wrapper and walked toward the entrance, she had to get some answers. Charley reached for the door knob when she suddenly heard a gust of wind and a crashing sound immediately after. The sound caused Charley to run out to see the unknown sound face on. She saw a line in the sky; it looked like a trail of fire.

The Warlords crashed into a multiplex and then rushed out into the sky. Charley saw the two deadly beings for the first time. She looked nervous and gulped multiple times before she ran into the store again and closed the door behind her. She sank to the floor and said, “Gulp….so that’s what caused …this”.

Charley rose from her slump and opened the door. The warlords flew past the door; their fast trail forced Charley to the floor and completely shattered the windows.

Charley said to herself, “If this is it…if this is what I’m up against and if I’m the only one awake to fight these things…then I….I’m gonna need some sort ‘a fire power”.

Charley stood up again and headed for the door. She opened it and looked around for the high powered God’s. She quickly ran to a Mercedes Benz across the street. Charley dodged several pot holes on her way there, but she got there. She smashed the window in with her elbow and climbed in; she hot wired the car and drove off down to the end of the street. She turned left and continued down the road.

She thought what ‘Superman’ would do. Better yet what would ‘Catwoman’ do in her situation? A woman with no powers just athletic greatness.

However Charley had to think what she would do. What would Charley do? She thought of it, the ultimate fire power. She needed the big guns.

The Warlords were still in the middle of their huge fight, but as Serge delivered a smoldering blow of a punch to Gage’s stomach, Gage looked down and saw tire marks, fresh tire marks. Gage looked down at the discovery in disbelief and ultimately anger.

The base

As charley reached the bridge that lead out of New York, she saw the base in the distance and knew that this was it.

This was her weapon to help get the world back to the way it was. Charley held tightly on the wheel as she came to the end of the bridge. She pulled down with her right hand and skidded to the right, in the direction of the army base.

Charley pulled into the road that lead straight down to the base. Charley looked on in confidence as she reached the gates to the base. Charley pressed on the breaks and slowed down.

Charley suddenly pushed down on the gas and edged forward, closer to the gate. She hoped it would open with something of close proximity. And she was right. The gates opened, creakily and slowly.

Charley drove into the base and looked around at the site she was in. She looked for a sign that mentioned, ‘Big guns in here’ or ‘Hey the rocket launcher you need is right in here’.

Alas Charley found the sign that gave her a glimmer of hope in her up and coming violent attack on those alien scum.

Charley stopped the car, opened the door and ran straight into the base that secured all the weapons. The shutter doors opened slowly and Charley squeezed through the first available body gap. She was eager to get this over and done with.

Charley grabbed an M64 machine gun and a P6-20 machine gun and explosive devices. She also nabbed a Soviet rifle and a shotgun. But her biggest gun she got hold of was a rocket launcher.

Charley carried her guns out to the car, but as charley glanced to the left, she saw a major weapon that could be essential to her: Armored helicopter!

Charley ran to the helicopter and smiled, she graced its presence by wiping her hands over its metal exterior. She felt the warmth of the helicopter on her palm’s and knew that this would make her an ultimate destroyer.

Charley unloaded her weapons into the helicopter and jumped in immediately, lest she waste anymore time.

Charley started the engine and had no idea what she was doing. She pressed any button, from window wipers to flashing lights. But she found the correct buttons to help her start the propellers and lift from ground to air in perfect symmetry.

Charley looked forward into the distance and along the horizon. She looked at the City she was approaching, she was ready for war.

The battle         

As Charley was on her way to make history and to try to destroy two powerful, enraged beings, the Warlords pondered over Gage’s feeling and evidence that they were not alone in  their fight.

Serge agreed with Gage that his evidence of tire tracks were fresh. Serge’s dignified expression of contained anger of Gage’s discovery was ready to be seen and heard over Gage’s entire body. Serge was ready to kill him; he wanted to win this battle not Gage.

He felt as if Gage was trying to divert his attention away from the battle they were in.

Serge was ready to let rip and put his clenched fist to use on Gage’s face. He didn’t care if one person was awake, as long as they were still able; they fight.

Just as Serge created a energy ball, which grew to be his body size and struck bolts of green acid like lightening from its core, both of the power Gods heard a noise in the distance. The noise of propellers grew louder and louder. Gage and Serge looked at one another. Serge’s glare told Gage and himself that their battle was on hold and that their battle was to take a different turn.

Serge told Gage forcefully, “Your interpretations of the evidence were right… looks like we are not alone”.

Gage felt good that he was right, but now he realized they would have to work together to kill this glitch that had appeared in their gruesome battle.

Charley just about managed to keep the helicopter in the air. She didn’t even think about the next step to try to battle these creatures that floated in the sky before her very eyes.

The Warlords heard and saw the helicopter get louder and larger. Charley’s eyes were fixated on the main prize: the two alien freaks, which are in her City. She thought to herself, “They have to go… now”

Charley put the helicopter on auto pilot and was on a collision course for the Warlords. She quickly grabbed the rocket launcher and pressed down hard on a leaver that activated the doors to open. Charley lay on the floor and edged her upper body out of the door to get a clear shot. She knew the Warlords would try to disperse to get away from the helicopter’s course. But Charley had a very ingenious plan up her sleeve.

Charley prepared to launch her first rocket when the Warlords separated. Charley anticipated this and shot at the one who was on the left and of closer proximity to her: Gage.

As the rocket launched from its hole and to the target on its warpath, Gage took this as a clear sign of war and acted on this. He took his sword and caught the rocket right through the center and through the rocket into the air releasing it and the sword before it exploded in the sky.

Charley looked on in shock, however her fractured expression was short lived as Gage immediately flew over to the helicopter. Serge looked on and saw this as a good way to judge Gage’s power and ability, even though he had already done so in their battle. But it was also his way of watching Gage get through this, but only just. Which would make it easier for him to defeat Gage, Serge looked on as Gage reached the helicopter, a smile arose on his face and a laugh was not too far behind.

Charley quickly got up and through the launcher to the floor as Gage introduced himself. “Hello there, miss… you seem to have interrupted our battle of superiority, now you will pay”. Gage grabbed Charley by the throat and through her to the floor. She retreated fully and said, “You know what sucks, you and your friend coming here and just… you know killing people, and as a representative of my home. I have to warn you the next part in my resistance will be messy”.

Charley didn’t know what the hell to do next. As she said these words, Charley thought of something. But this idea would be sort of hard to put into action.

She grabbed the launcher that was so close to Gage’s foot, he immediately through himself to stop her but she held the launcher in his face. “Get the fuck away from me”, said Charley, so furiously, she was now a warrior with attitude.

“And what will that do, incase you haven’t noticed I’m impervious to you harm, your just a amateur”. Gage said this with such hostility and rage covered over nicely with a tone of grace.

Charley stood up and pointed the launcher in his face, “Your scared of this, you’re scared of what it might do. Cause you don’t know what it can do. Hell you’ve never seen this before” as she said the words that gave Gage Goosebumps down his right arm, Charley input co ordinates for a reverse turn out to sea, to the New York harbor. She pressed a emergency button also for insurance.

Charley quickly switched places with Gage and forced him into the cockpit of the helicopter, just by the wave of a launcher in his face.

The wind formed from the propellers speed grew more and more vulnerable as the helicopter turned around and headed out to sea. Charley grabbed more of the ammo she had, all the while keeping a firm eye on Gage, she through out the ammo out into the sea below, the lower levels of the harbor.

The helicopter had just reached deeper levels of the sea. Charley was ready to dive to the sea; she was only mid way from the sea level, though she thought a final word was appropriate. She looked over at Gage who stood up from the cockpit he was enclosed in. “I’ll see ya around”. Charley turned from his glare and felt embarrassed, she could say something so much better, but she settled with, “Go to hell you sick ba…”.

Charley fell out and but pressed a red button on the launcher before she dropped the launcher on the floor, Gage picked it up and saw the red button flashing, and it was on self destruct, as was the helicopter itself.

Gage looked over at the red button flashing on the helicopter cockpit controls and dropped the launcher and prepared to fly, but the explosion forced him to become engulfed in flames that incinerated his skin and made him scream in agony and disgust of losing to a woman, but not any woman, Charley.

The helicopter’s explosion in the sky caused Charley to brace for impact way before she hit the water.

The explosion obliterated Gage whole and left nothing more than a charred body that was worn down from the strong power of the flames to just being nothing more than bone and badly burned bits of skin.

His face was skeletal, he was once so young and now looked so old due to the skeletal features and burned flesh, which were no part of old age just the effect.

Charley landed in the water and quickly swam for her weapons while avoiding falling debris. She managed to hold her breath to retrieve the M64 and shot gun and a few explosives, but the rest had already sank to the bottom and she couldn’t risk more strength being lost to rescue already lost weapons.

Serge watched on in horror as his comrade was lost forever, the debris and flames that burned in the distance made his fist clench so tightly that his fingernails cut deep into his palm and blood spread into his dirty fingernails.

The blood dripped down onto the streets of New York City and splashed into a puddle of water on the side of the road.

Charley reached the bay harbor and climbed onto the ledge and ran back into the city. Serge took this short lived battle as a sign, he realized he had won. Now he had to exterminate the only thing standing in his way: Charley!

Defeating her would be the consolation for not defeating Gage. Serge’s cheeks rose and his lips showed a glimmer of a smile. As he technically now was the leader of his world and this made him happy. 

One down, one to go

Charley traveled on foot into the heart of the city, with her weapons on her back in a jock strap. She ran into buildings that lead into the City, She ran through the doors and jumped in through windows of buildings which joined on to many others. This way she was protected from Serge’s dark wrath.

Serge’s patience was growing thin; his comrade was dead, by an earthling. Serge had his thoughts that all said, “How could this happen”.

However at the same time he was now the leader of his home world. Even though Serge had won in battle, he still felt he had a duty to extract Charley from all existence. Then he felt he could go home and rule until he died.

But Serge’s huge mind another idea, one that would turn the tables on any battle prize, and better than just ruling his own world.

His thought was sinister and cruel, but that was Serge he was all those things and even more.

His plan; to destroy Charley and use her abysmal home world as a battle ground for his words future events, that cold be even more deadlier than the ones just partaken.

Fuelled by hatred and anger he blasted down to the ground and began to fire energy balls at every which way. He wasn’t stopping until Charley came out t face him, once he was rid of her; his plan could go into motion.

His wave of violence spread over a 34^th street, destruction and death was caused, buildings filled with helpless, sleepers were burned alive; but they’d never know or feel the pain. Serge wasn’t stopping until Charley showed.

Just as Serge spun around and raised his right hand into a dominant motion, he was about to deal a catastrophic blow to a starlit skyscraper on the end of the street; Charley appeared, she skidded around the corner and confronted the beast. She heard the noise of his explosive meltdown and knew he wanted her, just as she wanted him.

Charley and Serge looked at each other; their glare was like cement hard and unbreakable. He started, “I knew you would come, you defeated my protégé in a short lived battle. Now it is my turn to fight you”.

Charley continued, “You shouldn’t have come here”. “No, your right, I ruined your entire, once proud City”. His words cut through Charley. He was so full of himself and was the kind of alien that always knew he was right, even if he was wrong; that was her feeling.

“Are we really gonna do this?” She continued. He smirked, “I promise I’ll make it quick, you won’t feel a thing. Then I will make this all…. mine!” He was so sure of himself.

Charley ended, “No… its gonna hurt a lot”. Her words silenced him, as she ran to the nearest door and slammed it shut. His formation of power and energy balls was too late.

Charley looked around her setting and prepared for her next step.

The last stand

Charley stared at her surroundings, she stood and ran to the back of the building, she hoped over all the fallen chairs and tables crushed on the floor. She took explosives from her pocket and held them in her hands, she had a plan.

Serge started to form a power surge that could wipe out an entire planet. However Charley was setting up explosives all around the building. Luckily the building she was in was empty and had no heavy sleepers in.

Charley set up the three around the downstairs and upstairs before ascending to the roof, she opened the door to the roof and set an explosive down on the floor. But before she could stand up and sigh in relief, Serge stood behind her.

Charley fell forward and quickly crawled to get to the door, but Serge intercepted her and rushed to get in front of her. All Charley had to do was wait two minutes for the explosives to show their worth.

Charley floated in the air as Serge held her by her luscious neck. Charley let out minor screams and abusive language aimed at Serge as he held her, and wasn’t intending to let her go. As she was forced to look up to the sky by Serge’s hand, she saw dark star approach and surface the earth’s atmosphere; it was a planet, dark and sinister. The planet grew more distinctive by the second and it was closing in on earth. Charley looked back at Serge, at his cold glare.

Charley began her last conversation, “You won’t get far… you should have gone while you had the chance”.

Her words hit Serge and rattled him to say, “This is where you will die, Bitch”. “NO… I don’t think so” Charley exclaimed. Her last line to him was, “This is where you get off!”.

Time was up. Charley’s words took Serge by surprise; he assumed she had given up. But she hadn’t, she kicked him in the shin and dove to the ground, she arose and ran for the door and shut it behind her, she fell down the steps and landed next to a closet, she crawled inside. Serge came to his senses and formed an energy ball that he stretched to the size of the building; he was ready for the finale. But as he was ready to force the giant ball of catatonic energy down into the building below, the timer’s alarm blared into the air; the blaring siren told Serge that that was it. He looked at it on the floor and laughed as the explosive did its job.

Charley heard the siren and covered her head with her arms and curled into a ball, hoping that it would all be over soon.

Serge had no time to move; he was entrapped by the flames that over powered him and gave him no control to move out of their reek of destruction. Serge was wiped out. His skin turned black from the flames which grazed his cheek and arms smoothly, but harmfully at the same time, they made him weak and defenseless.

As his life was being frantically forced out of existence, the energy ball he had created was also caught in the explosion. The ball of powerful annihilation, exploded in the air just meters above the roof’s surface.

The energy’s explosion made the explosives look weak and harmless. The flames combined with the energy’s flames and became one in their superior extermination. The building completely imploded in on itself, all the while explosions happened on every floor.

The building collapsed in spectacular fashion, the flames raged around the fallen building like a wild eel that electrocutes all that causes a fuss.

As the building that once was lies in complete ruins on the ground below. But beneath the hot as hell broken bricks, enflamed chairs and tables that once provided rest from shopping in the building and broken nick- knacks that were once paper and utensils that were useful.

Beneath all of these destroyed items, there was life. Someone was breathing heavily and broken but not destroyed; not defeated, as if she could be, not once; she has the will to live and the right to survive.

As she breathed more and ruffled the ruble above as she tried anxiously to be free. Her hand reached up and felt a warm breeze grace her palm, she felt the freedom. She moved more and more, she jiggled around to get debris of her. Her head surfaced next followed by her other arm. She climbed her way to freedom and was finally released of the hell she was in.

She was out and felt happy to be alive. As she stood amongst the rumble underneath her, she looked around she looked at the devastation that was a result of an alien encounter. The thing was no one would ever know, she couldn’t tell anyone because they would think she was crazy.

She knew there would be some sort of cover up like a sleep bomb and while everyone was out the world’s computer systems went into a meltdown and launched nuclear attacks everywhere. Either that or they would believe it was aliens and they just wouldn’t believe that she had anything to do with the chaos, even though she was earth’s greatest defense.

Charley was her name; she stood tall amongst the disaster. She was a heroine, she saved her earth. She looked for the dark star she saw on the approach earlier, but it was disappearing from the atmosphere and out of her life. She would never know what it truly was.

Charley walked down from the rubble and heard voices, screams and cries for help. She knew the sleep epidemic was over, probably due to the alien scum’s defeat. She saw people walk out of building that was on fire, she saw the faces of people she didn’t know, their pain and anguish.

She saw the people she had saved; she was mad that they would never know her name or know what she had done for them.

But as Charley contradicted herself over and over, she knew that now more than ever she could help with the big cleanup that had to take place. She started by helping the people she saw appear from the building, she ran over to them and acted like she had just woken up to all of the devastation. “W…w….what happened… Can I help?”.

Back to normality

Three months after the devastation that the world had to endure, everything was getting back to normal.

Buildings were being done up and made better and people’s lives seemed to be on full swing. But for those who had lost loved ones, they wanted answers, like to what the hell happened to our world?

The world was getting back to normal and everyone was doing their part in the ‘big cleanup’ the cleanup were buildings are repaired and the damage done was being undone.

The government let out a statement saying, “We have checked out computer sources and have detected no faults, and there fore the attack we were under was neither done by our man made appliances or by our own hand as we know everyone on this earth was asleep. Therefore the attack must only have been one thing a …..”

As the statement was read aloud, everyone was disappointed at the next explanation. Everyone across the world was sat on the edge of their seats wanting the perfect answer and they came up with that. Some people were pleased but others were unglued, they wanted knowledge, not something scientists or NASA were cooking up back in the day. But they also said their top scientist’s were on it, so maybe it there could be some truth in what the government said.

Charley was preparing to go to work as she heard the statements on CNN, she was glad the world was making up excuses for what happened, even though the event that took place would stay with her for the rest of her life. She put on jeans and a casual blue top and her green overcoat and headed out the door.

She walked to work with her hands folded around her chest holding her story in between, clenching it so tightly as if it was the only thing in her life that told the truth to the outside world.

When she got to the ‘Extravaganza’ she walked straight into Jason’s office, with no holdback. “Charley, come… in. You look like you’ve got something urgent to tell me, and please no more on this whole government malarkey”.

Charley looked at her boss with confidence and handed him her story, “This… was the report you wanted, the assignment you sent me on, but due to unseen circumstances I couldn’t get the story you wanted”. Her words propelled Jason to nod; he knew she couldn’t have got the story because of the ‘Big sleep’ as people now put it.

“So, to cut a really long story short, I wrote a story on the events that have taken place, its about a woman Carlie Larson, who has to battle these alien lords who have come to earth to battle for superiority to their world, and all the while everyone is asleep”. Charley’s words intrigued Jason as he took the story Charley handed to him. “Take good care of it”, she said with a caring tone as Jason smiled at her for giving him something that had something to do with the ‘Event’, but with a raw twist added on to it.

As she walked toward the door and twisted the door knob, Jason read and introduction to the story and said to Charley, “This sounds really terrific Char, but how did you come up with this so fast, plus I gotta say adding aliens to this will really make it entertaining”.

Charley agreed, “You’ll love the crap I put in to this one, and as to your other question…you don’t wanna know what I did or what I went through to get this story… trust me”. Charley’s words almost made Jason believe that she went though some sort of journey to do this. He almost became her first believer, to her heroic efforts and a believer of the story she ‘Made up’.

As she left the room she bumped into Sally, the two hugged. Charley hugged the tightest, which made Sally raise her eyebrows in amazement; they only saw each other last night, so Sally was shocked. They stood talking and hugging inseparably as Charley closed the door behind her. Jason read the first half of the story; it began, “The one by Charley lahane”.

by Scott Coburn