Cold, it was very cold, but it wasn’t the type of cold that would make when you shiver, not the cold that formed icicles onto your beard, no this was the coldness of death.

I’m currently in a briefing, commander reeves was trying to sound professional and smart without actually knowing anything himself, that much was obvious by his rambling, no one else ever seemed to notice, however. Not that it was important right now, not that anything was really, I even let my coffee go cold, the last of my instant coffee sashes that I had been saving, they were quite the delicacy round here, oh well.

Reeves was still talking, invasion this, death toll that, go here, go there, etc not that any of us would actually listen, there was too many contingencies involved with these things, the best plan was to realise that you can’t plan, especially when you don’t even know what you’re up against.

I was pulled out of his thoughts Elias to my left who we call wires, he was quite the tech wiz, he even got arrested once for bringing a ‘bomb’ to school, but after some further investigation it was found he had only built some form of computer, again not that this is relevant.

He could also see malik who seemed to be nodding off, we call him T, not too sure why I just know its related to TNT, but TNT got on his nerves the big guys got a small fuse, ignore the pun. He used to be a heavy weight boxer before he started serving, he could teach you any form of self-defence you can think of, but he’s no good with a gun, the guy can’t even fit his paws round the holster properly, so now he just blows things up, with ‘precision’ he likes to call it, even seen the guy blow up a whole block on a stealth mission.

Next up sunny, the scout, his name doesn’t have a cool backstory or anything its just shadow, pretty typical if you ask me, sounds like an old gamertag you’d used to see back in the day might as well be darkshadowdragonassasin69xx I wouldn’t say that to him of course, otherwise how could I sleep with both my eyes shut, he seems to be a pretty chill guy though, not the talkative type.

And finally, Kara the squad leader, she was the only current member of the squad that was actually paying the commander any attention, she liked to play the part, she has no specific skill set just a jack of all trades with a persuasive character if you asked me. but she earned my respect long ago, so I follow her along with these clowns.

Oh and of course myself, Titus I don’t have some special name or anything I’m just called the smart dude or brains etc, it all started when the exams came and I achieved the best scores of the lot, not really that impressive when the competition is these collage dropouts and meatheads but then apparently my IQ was one of the highest ever recorded, can’t say I remember the number I didn’t really care that much back then, thought it was beneath me in a way. I’m the tactician of the group not that it sounds too impressive, but I’d say I’m needed.

After another 10 minutes of lecture, Reeves had finally shut up and now it was time to save the world baby that was hopeful optimistic thinking of course, the world wasn’t going to be being saved.

“Hey malik, what was the plan again, I’m sure you were listening right big guy” I asked knowing dam well the guy wouldn’t remember even if he had his eyes open.

“Why don’t you tell me smart arse” he sounded like a mocking caveman however that’s just how he speaks he doesn’t know what sarcasm is

Then the leader Kara stopped the two “shut it, both of you” then she carried on “all we know is that some unknown threat has appeared in out skies and is now invading, out task is to kill as much of the bastards as we can and of course save civilian lives”

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“What exactly is this unknown threat, I know it’s unknown, but someone has had to of seen it right?” this time Elias or wires had asked he sounded slightly shook.

No one answered Elias’s question, but they were all asking the same question in their own minds, just exactly what are we up against.

The truth is all of them knew it was likely going to be their last mission, they were the front lines of some alien invasion, all of them felt the breath of death growing heavier on their necks, but it was their job after all, and if not them then it would be someone else.

They all boarded the armoured rhino gx it was a personal SUV carrier with a turret gun mounted on the top. Good old T will be on the gun with his dead shot accuracy, lets just hope there are that many of these invaders so he can’t exactly miss.

“You don’t think it’s actually aliens, do you?” Sunny asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“If you’d asked me that under any other circumstances—or on any day other than this—I’d have said no,” Titus replied. He paused, his gaze distant for a moment, then continued. “But based on everything I’ve heard, and depending on your definition of ‘alien,’ I can say with certainty that’s exactly what we’re heading towards.”

“What do you mean by that, Brains?” T asked, his deep voice cutting through the tense air.

Titus turned to him; his tone measured but firm. “I mean our planet is being invaded by some force from the outside. What exactly they are? Alien, monster, God? How the hell am I supposed to know?”

That seemed to satisfy them, at least for now. One by one, they nodded, the explanation clicking into place with the scraps of information they’d been given.

“Alien, monster, God? Who cares?” T said, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s give ’em hell.”

“Well said, big guy,” Tara finally spoke, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

The convoy was heading in the complete opposite direction to every other vehicle in sight they had an empty and open road, the evacuation must be happening right now based on the traffic on the other side of the road, it didn’t seem to be going to plan however, there was lots of congestion and shouting happening, leaving many vehicles at a standstill.

Above, the steady thrum of helicopter blades beat against the heavy air. Military choppers crisscrossed the skies, their searchlights cutting through the gathering gloom as if looking for something unseen. The occasional roar of a jet screamed overhead, rattling the vehicle windows and setting everyone’s teeth on edge.

The barricades came into view first, looming metal and concrete barriers stretched across every potential entry point into New York. Tanks idled nearby, their massive barrels pointed outward, a silent warning to anyone foolish enough to try and breach the perimeter. Soldiers manned the checkpoints in grim silence, their faces hardened by fear and resolve.

Titus couldn’t shake the unease crawling up his spine. The city skyline loomed ahead, but it wasn’t the familiar sprawl he’d grown up seeing in movies or news reels. This version of New York was shadowed, shrouded in a creeping darkness that seemed unnatural. The air felt heavier the closer they got, pressing down on them with an oppressive weight, up in the sky was this giant black triangular ship that seemed larger than the sky itself, in fact putting into perspective it might be larger than the earth itself, hovering in the sky could only be described as a war vessel.

“Doesn’t feel right,” Sunny muttered from the passenger seat, his voice barely audible over the engine’s hum.

“No kidding,” Titus replied, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Even the distant glow of city lights, usually a beacon of life, seemed muted—like the city itself was holding its breath.

Further up, a checkpoint officer flagged their convoy through with a terse wave. Behind him, a hastily erected barricade of sandbags and razor wire stood guard against an enemy no one could see.

“Think they’re stopping people from getting in,” Sunny said, nodding toward the barricades.

“Or keeping something from getting out,” Titus muttered, his voice grim.

The words hung in the air, heavy and final. For a moment, no one spoke. Outside, the world felt like it was unravelling, the thin veneer of control stretching to its breaking point.

“Eyes up,” Kara’s voice broke through the comms, sharp and commanding. “We’re almost there. Whatever this is… we’re stepping right into the thick of it.”

“How can we even go against something so large, isn’t this futile?” T said his lips quivering, it didn’t look right on the big guy.

The convoy pressed on, the road ahead narrowing as the city loomed larger. Dread pooled in Titus’s chest, cold and unyielding. Whatever awaited them on the other side of this empty road wasn’t something any of them were prepared for.

It was the kind of cold you didn’t shiver from—the coldness of death.