--Point of View: Robert--

“Chris, have you seen Katie and Tom? I haven’t been able to find them after the incident.” I said, exhausted from the crazy, damn near unbelievable series of events that took place that day.

“I’m afraid not Robert.” Replied Chris, his face coved in dirt and his uniform not much better.

“I would bet my badge they made it out alive. Those two are smart not to mention stubborn as can be. They will turn up. I just hope its sooner rather than later.” I added, patting Chris on the shoulder.

Everything was a mess and those two were not the only people missing from the roster. There were at least a dozen recruits unaccounted for. We had been searching for hours at this point, pulling up rubble and doing our best but the area was just too massive. The sudden cave in of the whole facility made everything difficult. It was only thanks to the droid incident hours earlier that we had evacuated and begun our march back home for the day. Everyone, including myself, would have been lost if we had been inside when the initial explosion went off.

Its was not public knowledge yet, but the scanners back at base detected a huge rise in radiation followed by an underground tremor that was off the charts. It all originated from beneath the old one research lab. What caused it? We only have speculations and guesses at this point, but we assumed that a piece of machinery or device that was powered on thanks to our intervention, went astray. Whatever it may have been, it assured we lost all but what we could scrap together. So much knowledge, gone.

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“Sir, command has been trying to reach you. Says your radio is off.” Came a call from behind as another young soldier came running up to meet me. He stopped just short and gave a salute before continuing. “They say its urgent.”

“Thank you private. Be on your way.” I simply replied.

I had switched off my radio just briefly so I could think. It was nonstop back and forth for hours at this point and my head was about to split open from the headache. With a deep breath followed by a small sigh, I flicked my radio back on and reported in.

“Major Robert reporting. Radio was malfunctioning but is now operational.”

“No time for semantics Robert, get your men back to the base immediately, we are detecting massive energy surges again. All our equipment is going haywire. The main fleet is here and are detecting the same thing out of atmosphere. Get moving.” Said the operator, a tinge of fear and panic on his voice.

I radioed everyone on the public channel and then started yelling, ordering everyone to drop what they were doing and book it. Nobody complained and did what they were told with haste. They could all feel it. I could feel it. There was an ill omen in the air that was starting to press down on everything, smothering it.

After a quick final sweep of the area, I hopped into my own Humvee and started back. Chris had stayed behind to lend me a hand. Good kid. They all were, Chris, Katie, and Tom. I was happy to call them comrades.

My mind drifted to everything that had transpired on this desolate planet ever since we landed. Katie’s discovery, her capture, and our new furry friend. Tom aiding in the lab research and revival of a killer droid. And Chris. Well, Chris was a good kid, like I said. They made me smile, though it was only for a moment because then everything went dark. The sun itself was eclipsed and the sky was replaced by iron. In the blink of an eye, they were here. Their ship dwarfed the planet. The old ones had returned.