Apocalypse Before Finals by Julie Steimle (electric book reader txt) 📕

The speech had ended so abruptly, everyone choked and stared. The image on the TV panned back, showing a larger hall with the emblem over her head - the same symbol that had been shown earlier with sprigs of wheat and grass on the side. Standing next to Zormna was a young man whom they recognized on sight. He was dressed all in dark hunters green except for his usual black imitation leather jacket which matched his mop of midnight hair and fathomless blue eyes.

"That's Jeff!" Adam exclaimed, pointing at the screen.

Michelle Clay fell forward. She and a few others scrambled up to see the TV better. Many heads and bodies popped up, blocking the screen. But sure enough, Jeff Streigle stood next to Zormna Clendar, with the same scars on his face as well as a couple of new wounds and bandages. The screen then blanked and popped back to news broadcasting.

 <<And that was the third of the space broadcasts sent from Mars. Now we will show clips from the broadcast and...>>

Miss Bianchi turned off the TV. "They will show it again at noon, I think." She then looked around the room, taking in her various students' reactions then asked, "So what do you think? We have seen history in the making."

Everyone murmured then talked at once. Maria Forte raised her hand. Miss Bianchi pointed to her.

"What did she mean by queen of all humans? Where does she get off thinking she is our queen?" The usually quiet and reserved girl bit it out like she wanted bite Zormna herself... which was pity since Maria and Zormna had gotten along pretty well before this.

Miss Bianchi nodded and turned toward Jennifer. "What do you say? Has she ever said anything about this to you?"

Jennifer flushed. All eyes now fixed on her, most savage in distaste, yet knowing Jennifer was the best source for this sort of information.

She cleared her throat and said, "Not really. Zormna didn't like to talk about it."

The entire class growled. Jessica rubbed her forehead, groaning.

"Zormna was always acting superior. Of course she thought she was better than the rest of us," Michelle Clay snapped.

Jennifer stood up rigidly, "She never did! You were the one acting snotty! Zormna just wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to be queen!"

Miss Bianchi folded her arms. "Is that so?"

Nodding sharply, Jennifer blushed. "It is. It was Jeff who said she had to be. He said she had to fight this war and that she had to be the one to bring peace...." Jennifer felt the heavy stares on her and swallowed. Miss Bianchi didn't look the least hostile of the group, but she was close.

"So that Streigle boy put her up to it?" her teacher asked.

Adam also listened intently. Jessica watched, not quite taking a side yet.  

"It's not like that." Jennifer shook her head and sat down. "It's more complicated. I don't even get it."

They all glared at her, though Jessica merely frowned. Americans would never want a queen, or a king. It was medieval. The very idea made them want to stage another revolution, even one they might lose.

"Prophecy!" a voice came from the door.

Everyone turned. It was Darren, grinning smugly in the doorway.

Miss Bianchi glared at him. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

Darren blushed but he still nodded. "Yeah, I was just returning... you know... the bathroom...."

Some people snickered.

"Anyway, I heard you talking about the broadcast. Isn't it great? Reunification! Wow!" He gazed at the ceiling as if it were covered in stars.

The class just stared at him. They didn't quite get his enthusiasm - always the weirdo.

"So you knew all about this?" Miss Bianchi asked, peering at Darren irritably.

Darren nodded. "Yeah."

"So Zormna and Jeff told you," she said.

He shook his head. "Nah. Zormna hated talking about Mars stuff, and Jeff threatened to clobber me if I talked about anything near the topic. No. Zormna's great aunt told me everything. I knew it all before Zormna even got here."

"The crazy lady of Hayes Street?" one of the students exclaimed and rolled his eyes.

Darren wagged his finger at them. "She wasn't crazy when she said she was from Mars, as you should all know now. She was telling the complete truth. That's what got her killed."

The class leaned back in embarrassed silence. The space crazed loony boy was at last completely exonerated. They all felt like idiots.

"The reward of a thing done is to have done it." - Emerson -

It was the end of the school year when they heard anything from Mars again. It was not a broadcast this time. But one of their spacecraft had landed in Washington DC - right on the White House lawn.

It was one of those sleek fighter craft which, depending upon the angle of the light, it looked either silver or white. This ship had come silently into US airspace without so much as a blip, and when it landed, White House security bolted out of the building to surround it. However, the ship just sat there quietly, unopened and blinding as it reflected the sun of that June day. Around it a crowd had gathered at the fence, along with TV cameras and military trucks. Soldiers marched out, joining White House security in their watch.

 One news anchorman spoke into his fuzzy microphone with the scene behind him, reporting the incident to the world. And all across the nation the people watched - and that included the heartland of America where the people in Pennington drew in breaths. This could be phase two of Project Blue Beam for all they knew.

It was midday in Pennington.

Brian sat in his Calculus class studying for his final exams while Mr. Dallas led the review at the white board.

"...And number twenty three. Jesse, what is your answer for that?"

This boy had a scar across his face where a hot stick had struck him three months ago. He lifted his paper and read the answer. "It is - "

<<Attention students!>> the intercom buzzed.

Jesse looked up tensely, gripping his paper. This was exactly how the invasion had started last time.

<<Please turn on your classroom TVs and turn the channel to 25. There is a news-breaking event taking place in Washington. Class is canceled for the day. Please stay to watch this event. Thank you.>>

The class murmured, looking up at Mr. Dallas, but their instructor shrugged and closed his book. "I guess Calculus can wait. Jesse, would you please set up our TV then?"

The high school senior nodded and stood up, glad it was only that.

The classroom TV hung in the corner of the room by a heavy brace. It was usually used to show instructional videos for certain classes, but theirs was ancient, dirty, and unused. Jesse dusted the black plastic top and glass screen off with his hand then wiped the dirt on his pants. He pushed the buttons on the bottom of the TV. The volume was set on high and buzzed with static at first. Jesse turned it down and punched in the television station. The picture immediately came into focus.

There on the screen the students saw that news reporter standing in front of their well-known government building and the spaceship on the lawn surrounded by crowds of people holding quickly made signs, some with rather rude writing on them.

<<This is Dennis Tompkins reporting in front of the White House. It appears that the White House has in fact received communication from Mars informing them of this visit. Yes, it has been confirmed that the President has been expecting this visit, but apparently they have come a bit early.>>

The man then listened to his earpiece. He nodded.

<<This just came in. The Martians have sent emissaries to the White House, and they are waiting for the President to come out and meet them. As you can see the presence of the ship has caused quite a stir. There are protesters outside the gates.>> The camera turned and showed a sprawling group of people chanting loudly and holding handmade signs that said, 'MARTIANS GO HOME!', 'WE DON'T WANT MORLOCKS HERE!' and 'ORSON WELLES WAS RIGHT!' After that, he panned to show a group of heavily armed U.S. soldiers pointing guns at the ship.

<<As you can see, the reception is not friendly, and those in the ship have not come out. We have just received word that they will not come out under a hostile reception, and they request the President to meet them on the lawn.>>

The class murmured, staring at the TV.

"What did they expect, invading us like that?" a boy in the front row of the room exclaimed.

Brian looked at him then shot back, "What about the ones that saved us? Perhaps they think we're ungrateful."

The entire room stared at Brian. Some of his classmates muttered that he had lost his mind.

"They beat you up! What are you defending them for?" another boy snapped.

Brian shook his head, mouth in a thin line. His schoolmates had become more selective in their memories as time had gone on. Much of them interpreted things in line with the mainstream media rather than remembering the truth.

"He's talking about the other ones, stupid," Jonathan snapped back. "Have you forgotten that there were two armies? The second one saved us."

Darren nodded. "That they did."

But everyone glared at Darren, sick of hearing his know-it-all voice.

<<Look! The President has come out of the White House! I think he is actually going to meet them.>>

"Damn fool," the boy in the front of the room muttered.

They saw the President and Vice President come out and walk down the lawn surrounded by secret service agents and one Agent James Sicamore.

"It's that FBI guy," Jonathan whispered to Brian. "He was in that miniseries, right?"

Brian nodded.

"He used to watch Zormna and Jeff," Darren interjected. "He was head of the Mars Project."

They tried to ignore him. Darren also appropriated information he couldn't have known and added it into his narrative on occasions. Jennifer often said Darren didn't know when to shut up... and that she kind of missed Jeff simply because he was the only one who had been able to rein Darren in.

<<Yes, I think they are coming. They are coming right to the ship. I don't think that is wise. Those Martians could kill them all right there...>>

Mr. Dallas smirked and so did Brian. The news reporter was having a hard time being objective.

<<Look! The top of the ship is opening!>>

They all leaned in and watched the silver top lift like a jet fighter, settling smoothly back behind the opening. A set of stairs also folded down along one of the silver wings. They saw two human-sized figures, both of them dressed in silver white uniforms and matching helmets with the emblem of their planet right in the center of the