‘Where am I?’ I thought to myself as I sat up while rubbing my eyes. ‘I don’t remember going to bed.’
I felt a hard floor below me and when I looked down all I saw was ocean.
“Aah.” I screamed before it dawned on me that I wasn’t falling.
“Don’t be embarrassed.” A male voice with an accent came from next to me.
I turned with a look of surprise on my face as I flinched back at his words trying to calm down. I then asked in a questioning tone. “Who are you, and why am I here? Hell, where even is this place.”
The man seemed to be slumped against an invisible wall as he answered, “Language, you’re just a kid.”
“Answer me.” I now say with a look of annoyance on my face as I just stare at the man. He had a hooked nose, short black hair and beard looked to be in his forties. His eyes were brown and his skin had a Mediterranean complexion.
He just sighs and then says. “I’m Elias. May I know your name…?”
“Tom.” I say as I begin to relax.
“I’m just glad you speak English.” Alias says with a hint of relief on his face.
Me now raising an eyebrow ask. “Why?”
He just points over and I turn my head.
It turned out we weren’t alone. There were three other people up here with us.
It looked as if they were just floating there.
Alias then continues, “The Asian one woke up and started trying to hit me so I just backed off and she eventually just fell asleep after trying to stay awake for about five hours.”
He looked at her she too seemed to be slumped but in a corner and was making a light snoring sound.
She had long hair the colour of ink, Her face looked Asian at a glance but seemed to lean towards a more wider face and her skin was quite pale as well. Her nose was small on a slightly round face and she seemed to be a teenager like me. She was wearing the classic Japanese schoolgirl clothes but without the mini-skirt.
Turning back to Alias I asked, “How long you been awake.”
“About twenty-nine hours” he says with a shrug.
“How long you been in here?” I ask with a look of surprise on my face.
He then pulls out his smart phone and after a few seconds says. “Four and a half hours.”
It just dawns on him that he hasn’t checked his phone he turns it on and sees no signal. I then exasperate, “Damn!”
“No signal?” He asks to which I just nod. He then continued. I have a Military GPS with me, and it says we’re at forty thousand feet and in the middle of the pacific.
“How do you have a military GPS?” I ask but at once face palm as I look at what he is wearing. It is obviously some kind of combat uniform with grenades, ammo and all. And now that I looked closer he had a very muscular frame.
“Military?” I ask to which he nods and answers. “Brazilian Spec Ops.”
“You guys are tough.” I say as I look out at the horizon, I then exclaim as my jaw drops. We are so high up that I can see the curve of the earth. “Wow. At least we got a pleasant view.”
Alias then goes on to say that we are all in a cube of some kind roughly seven meters in size.
“How’d you get the height?” I ask. He then takes out a small pen from his pocket and throws it up.
{Bonk!}
It crashed against the wall and then fell back down where Alias caught it. He then says with another shrug. “First thing I Tried.”
I then took out my phone and began to play a sudoku game I had on my phone for especially when I had no signal and turn the brightness down to as low as I could still so the screen comfortably.
I did that so that I would be distracted by the mass of dark blue below me.
[U.S.S Carl Vinson – En route from Hawaii to South China Sea.]
They had been deployed towards the South China Sea in order to conduct naval exercises with local allies, including The Philippines and Vietnam. Then their orders where to head north east of Taiwan and through the sea of Japan. In all in the name of “Exercises.”
However the AN/SPY-6 phased array radar on the U.S.S. Stockdale picked up a large stationary object at forty thousand feet and ninety kilometres from hear.
Rear Admiral John H. Cassidy had been called onto the deck and had authorized the launch of a plane to investigate.
Two Lockheed Martin F-35c Lightning IIs launched off the deck of the Carl Vinson and then both shot off in the direction of the object.
[The Cube.]
“So, has anyone else been up?” I asked.
He just nodded and then said while pointing to another man in the corner. “That one said his name was Theo before he went to sleep about two hours ago.”
He had dark chocolate skin. A wide nose and face with deep set eyes. Big lips, a round chin and looked to be in his twenties. He was wearing Jeans, a pair of trainers and a blue t-shirt.
“And her?” I ask pointing at a person he intuitively knew was an American.
“The American?” He asked while pointing at her to which I just nod.
“She’s just drunk.” He says with a wave of his hands and then continued. “If you go over there you can smell the alcohol.”
She looked to be around twenty years old with a mess of long blonde hair. She had a narrow face with high cheek bone along with a narrow nose and a rosy complexion. ‘Probably from the booze.’ I thought to myself. She was wearing a pair of beige cargo Pants and a Hoodie that was red white and blue. You can guess what pattern.
I then hear a noise.
{Jet Engine.}
It sounds like a hum that is slowly getting closer. ‘I think Alias has picked up on it as well.’ I realise as we are both looking the direction of the noise.
[U.S.S. Carl Vinson]
A voice from one of the radio operators in the room echoes in the room. “Argonaut 1/2, Hawkeye in the air, copy?”
“Copy” the radio operator looks over to the AWC (Air Warfare Commander) and turns back to her station after receiving a nod.
“Stay on current heading, and get visual confirmation of identity of the UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon).” Came the female’s voice.
“Rodger, Wilco,” came the voice over the radio.
“Simba, Status” Came from the first pilot.
“All beaded up, Vandal” Replied Simba.
“Two minutes to visual.” Went the operator.
“Simba stay back and get a lock. I’ll get a visual.” Said Vandal.
“Rodger, Wilco.” Answered Simba.
The rear one split off and climbed while the first one continued on its course.
“Visual confirmed. It appears to be a white cube just floating there.” Said Vandal
“Get the cam on it Vandal.” Said the operator after a few moments.
“Rodger.” Said Vandal in a now awe-struck voice.
“This is Simba. Have Acquired Lock.”
“Confirmed, Hold pattern.” Came from the Operator.
“Rodger, Wilco.” Came from Simba.
“Wait, somethings happening.” Said Vandal
The cube began to glow. Where before it just looked like white plastic it now looked like a Nightlight. Then a white beam shot out and straight at the cockpit of the second plane.
“Uhhh…” Came a shout from Simba.
“Bandit, I repeat Bandit. Simba has taken fire from high powered laser. I believe he is blinded.” Came a panicked shout from Vandal.
Simba jet wobbled then fell as he lost control of the plane. Even though he was blinded his instincts kicked in and he pulled up the nose and steadied himself as he said. “My sight is compromised, I can barely see. Returning to bingo.”
“Rodger, Simba. Vandal, you are weapons free.”
Vandal punched his engines and got a few kilometres away before turning towards the cube while Simba made his way back to the carrier.
“Fox-2” Shouted Vandal as a hatch on the side opened and fired an AIM-9 Sidewinder. In the direction of the cube.
A beam came straight out of the cube and swatted the missile before moving towards him at lightning speed. This time however the beam was not just blinding but could do damage.
Before Vandal could react his plane was cut in half and began to fall out the sky.
“Bug out, Bug out. I’ve taken fire.” He shouted as he pulled the eject lever.
The command room was silent as they watched from the camera a the missile was swatted and then the beam moved towards the jet and sliced it in half before the camera went dead.
A few seconds later two SM-2MR missiles shoot out of the U.S.S Michael Murphy and shoot towards the cube. They both streak towards the cube veering off slightly as they approach at different angles.
The beam fires and takes out one but the other makes contact with the cube detonating as it crashed against the side. It caves in on itself as the fireball engulfs its contents.
(WC: 1570. 14/03/23)
