The Rain: The End by Marietta Standlee (good summer reads TXT) 📕

answers in barely contained disgust, "Well, I apologize for having inconvenienced you in your little hidey-hole, Mister President. While you are sitting good and ready, holding speeches and striking deals with the aliens, our people on the ground are dying by the thousands. I'm sorry you have to scramble and come up with contingency plans, my apologies." Colin's words drip with sarcasm, enraging McFarland even further.

"We were so close." McFarland holds up his thumb and pointer finger to show us the length of about a quarter of an inch. "To an actual peace treaty with the aliens."

"With all due respect, Sir." Pheng leans forward. "But now we don't need a deal; the aliens left."

"And that the militia is now in possession of more firepower than all our armed forces combined does not concern you?" McFarland looks challenging at his two top leaders.

I exchange a surprised glance with Colin, who only grins at me. Of course, he had already considered that. I should have realized that the militia is stronger now than the forces the President could assemble, but the thought had honestly never crossed my mind. I wonder if this is why he's so agitated. Does he think we'll come for him next?

"As far as we're concerned, no, Sir. The militia has been working with us the entire time…." Farnsworth defends.

"They conspired behind your backs!" McFarland spits.

Looking at it from that side, I can see his point. But I also think he is exaggerating. "We're not conspiring against you or the United States, Sir," I state coolly.

"Then turn over the spaceships to the military." McFarland challenges.

"What?" Colin seems just as perplexed as me.

"You can't take over the militia," Martin says firmly with a frown on his face.

The President shakes his head. "My goal is not to take over the militia, but I spoke to High Commander Quill this morning. Almost the entire Council and the President were killed in your attacks yesterday. They're scrambling to put another Council together. In the meantime, Quill is out for blood and promised retaliation attacks soon."

"I spoke to Dimitrov this morning; the entire Gorongiath fleet is in shambles, the Phinaruhs' as well. The battle between the two did not leave much. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that between the Russians and us, we owned more ships than the Gorongiaths right now." Briggs informs the room at large.

"If that is the case, I don't think we have much to fear in form of retaliation," Pheng says warily, eyeing the President; none of us had been prepared for McFarland's temper to explode. A reprimand, yes, but being threatened with a court martial? No.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Briggs looking at her watch and nodding at Blake. Both get up and excuse themselves. Colin draws his brows together and wrinkles his forehead as we exchange an astounded look, where are they going?

McFarland shakes his head. "It doesn't matter." He wipes his forehead. "You should have never attacked like that. Our talks were finally going somewhere…."

His words bring Colin and my attention back to the current situation of dealing with a very pissed off Commander-in-Chief. Thankfully Colin doesn't miss a beat.

"Were they going to leave Earth?" He asks pointedly.

McFarland ignores him. "You killed millions of innocent civilians. The Gorongiaths are a highly advanced, intelligent species, and you wiped out…."

"With all due respect, Sir, they killed billions of humans. Innocent humans." Farnsworth interrupts, his face turning red; I don't think he likes the way his Commander-in-Chief is attacking us either.

"Turn over the ships!" The President demands again, his face a mask of ill-concealed fury.

"Over our dead bodies!" Colin and I snarl in unison.

"So be it." McFarland sits up straight. "Arrest them."

Before I have time to digest his words, the doors behind us swing open, and about twenty marines with drawn guns storm in. Colin leans back in his chair, his arrogant smile lifting one lip derisively. "What is this?"

"Sir, we have orders to arrest both Commander Thorntons." One of the marines states grim-faced, obviously not liking his orders very much.

"Stand down, Captain Bellows," Colonel Pheng orders his soldier.

The soldier, named Bellows, doesn't appear pleased to disobey his Commander's orders, but says in a firm voice, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Sir. My orders are from the President himself."

"I was worried you and Farnsworth wouldn't cooperate. You will both be arrested as well if you stand in the way. "McFarland threatens in a cold voice.

"This is outrageous!" Martin shoots out of his chair, his body trembling with fury.

Colin puts a restraining hand on his father's arm. "It's alright, dad." He stands, and I follow his example.

I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience; the whole scene seems so unreal. What the hell is happening? I keep asking myself as the Marines relieve Colin and me of our weapons. They are not very thorough, though. Neither one of the Marines pats us down; they have to know we have hidden knives and other things all over our bodies.

I put my hands behind my back as I'm told, and cold metal encircles my wrists. Filled with disbelief my eyes move across the room. The President doesn't look as smug as I would have expected, more apprehensive. Outrage is clearly written over the Admiral's and Colonel's faces. While Colin winks at me reassuringly, his dad's body language screams that he is ready to draw his gun.

"Sir, you know what the Commanders have done for us, for our country, hell for Earth," Farnsworth tries beseechingly turning to his Commander in Chief.

"High Commander Quill demands their immediate surrender to him, or he will retaliate. Two lives for many, Admiral." McFarland says, looking tired and defeated.

I take one more look at him; his eyes are red rimmed as if he has been crying. There is something else at play here; this is not the man I came to know during our conversations. That man was full of action. I remember how willing he was in the beginning to