Dimensions Collide!
15 0 0
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

“An extraterrestrial spaceship was spotted in the skies in major cities around the world. There's still speculation as to what this could mean for our planet.”

“Friend or foe? The sighting of unidentified flying objects (UFO) in cities across the world has just one question pervading the minds of people. Is this a threat?”

“Proactive. Major governments around the world met today in a conference call as they discussed how to deal with the major sighting of alien spaceships. One spokesperson said, “We will be proactive in dealing with this situation, rather than reactive.”

“Still no contact! Major NASA officials confirmed that there has still been no contact with the spaceships that are still present in earth’s atmosphere. Speculation still persists regarding the purpose of these sudden entries by the extraterrestrial lifeforms into earth’s atmosphere.”

These headlines were just some of many plastered all over the internet and the television channels as the entire world was shocked by the appearance of spaceships in the most populous cities of the world. It took all of a few minutes before the entire world was thrown into a state of frenzy. The mortal world seemed to have been overtaken with fear and paranoia. All the doomsday which had only been the stuff science fiction until that point seemed to materialise all at once in people’s minds.

It was a whole different situation for the Untethered though. Never had ‘The Dimension’ ever come so close to the periphery of human awareness. While the situation hadn’t escalated so far as to expose the existence of the Untethered to the mortal world, the situation felt like it was teetering on its edges.

Already, the onset of panic among the Untethered and particularly its Council could be seen. An envoy of the Council had come in extreme haste, informing us of the address that the Council would give to the major players in the Untethered force so that that other Untethered could be made aware of the steps taken to make sure to keep Untethered hidden from the mortal world.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t invited, the excuse being that only major governors and their subordinates were invited. Eirini was invited of course to give them an inkling of what Sol Syntrivon hoped to achieve by this and what could potentially follow this action from the necromancer’s side.

Eirini was very clear with us that this was just an indication that what he was saying about the diversionary tactics employed by our enemy. And boy, did it work! The sudden shift of focus from the threat of Sol Syntrivon to the threat of the mortal world would be jarring, to say the least. Because there was no mistake about it. The exposure of another dimension by the mortal world would be construed as a threat in the mortal world, making it a threat to us.

The plan had been genius in its simplicity. It had struck right on the Council’s most vulnerable nerve. The desire to keep everything under wraps. The desire to keep the existence of the Council hidden from most Untethered. the desire to keep the existence of Untethered from the mortal world. All of a sudden, the house of cards that the Council had built for centuries was threatening to crumble down before their very eyes.

The mortal world didn’t pose any physical threat to the Untethered. No, we were pretty safe in that regard. What it did do was threaten the freedom with which the Untethered operated, free from any manipulations from the mortal governments and organisations. Once our world was discovered, the shackles would be enforced and that would be the greatest threat Untethered faced in the upcoming war against Sol Syntrivon.

Eirini departed for the Council headquarters in due haste, leaving me and Samuel alone. My parents had already called me, asking me to come back as soon as possible, not wanting me to stay outside in these conditions.

“So, this is really happening, huh,” Samuel asked.

I looked at him and nodded, not trusting myself to speak at the moment. I bade him farewell and exited the building, intent on reaching home so as to ease my parents’ worries.

The streets were jampacked, cars abandoned and people hurrying to and fro in all directions, probably to reach the sanctuary of their own homes. The spectre of the spaceship loomed large over the city, as it blocked out the sun, cloaking the city in darkness.

Looking at the scenes all around me, I couldn’t help but feel that Syntrivon had successfully struck the first blow, striking where it hurt our planet the most. The fear and paranoia that permeated the air made me feel as if we were already miles behind Sol Syntivon and the war hadn’t even started yet. The prospect of what was to come seemed direr than ever.

“Still no word of any sort of contact from the spaceships are they hover over the major cities. More from our correspondent at one of the sites.”

The news was on in full volume as I sat around the dinner table with my family. This was a far cry from the normal routine as my parents believed in having food silently. But desperate situations called for desperate measures and keeping updated with the ‘Alien invasion’, as the internet had dubbed it was paramount.

Within a few hours, the entire planet had dubbed this to be a doomsday scenario, with the extinction of our planet at stake. In a rare show of international harmony, all the nations had decided to reveal all their nuclear weapons in an effort to combat this crisis. I knew that the whole exercise was futile, with no chances of success but the rapid action of our planet when their existence was in question didn’t fail to impress me.

Samuel had already informed me that I was supposed to be present at Frost’s old bar at midnight, where directives would be passed onto each Untethered regarding the action plan for the upcoming future until Sol Syntrivon made the next move.

The necromancer had already taken the initiative away from the Council, having taken the first step and totally catching us unaware and forcing the Council to be reactive.

“Wonder when this is all going to end?” My parents were quite shaken by this whole turn of events, their lives upended by something they never even had in the periphery of their awareness. How do you prepare for a meeting with extraterrestrials? You don’t.

My father said, in response to my mother’s query, “Not for a long time, if the indications have any shred of truth in them. The government has passed orders that all businesses and schools must be suspended until they get a handle on this situation. The impact is going to be severe, that’s for sure. I went to the supermarket intending to stock up but everything was already gone. It seems everyone had the same idea I did.”

My mother grew quite solemn at this before saying, “You know, my sister said we are welcome to stay with them till this event blows over. I suggest we go over. The immediate threat lies in the major cities. Her husband, Phil, had already constructed a nuclear bunker on their farm and its very well stocked. I think we will be safe there.”

It was the most sombre dinner my family had had in a long while, surpassing the summer of ’08 when my grandfather had died. Even then, my father had tried to keep the atmosphere relatively upbeat for my sake. Today, though, there hadn’t been a trace of optimism in either of my parents’ voices and I went back to my room, pondering on how I would tell my parents that I couldn’t move with them to my aunts’, should they decide to do so.

Back in my room, I meditated on my core for a long time, trying to find any semblance of peace. Unfortunately, my core seemed to reflect my emotions as it wasn’t receptive, leaking out miasma in shudders and burst, making it impossible to move towards it. Before long, I gave it up as a futile attempt, finding it tedious to gain any leeway in my attempt to strengthen my connection with my core.

I made my way to the club on my own, not wanting to be seen entering with anyone. My desire was to keep a low profile throughout the night and leave as soon as the address was over, having no desire to hang around and talk about the incident with Frost, which many would want to do.

I entered the club and took my place towards the back of the crowd as inconspicuously as possible, waiting for the representative from the Council to come in. To my absolute befuddlement, Nova walked in, enveloping the entire room in his air of authority. I’d have thought that he would have his territory to address.

His gaze passes over the entire room, demanding utter respect and silence. I could have sworn that his gaze lingered on me for longer than others but I couldn’t be too sure. He didn’t give any outward indication that he had and I found myself not caring about that at all.

“As you know, we have some unwanted spaceships hovering above us, uninvited and certainly unwelcome. It’s is an act of aggression on the part of the immediate threat our planet is expecting, Sol Syntrivon. I would just urge that you keep your calm about you at all times and help those in need, be it Untethered or not, should the situation so require. Just know that steps are being taken by people in power to ensure that we come out of this unscathed.”

Murmurs followed Nova’s announcement, as most were confused about whatever he had just said. This confusion slowly turned into dissatisfaction as the murmurings only grew louder, as people began throwing questions in Nova’s way.

“Who is Sol Syntrivon?”

“Who are these people in power?”

“Are we at war?”

Questions like these were shouted towards Nova with impunity he wasn’t used to. He didn’t stand for it for too long as he shouted, “Silence!”

The cacophony of noises and questions stopped almost at once as everyone looked at Nova in rapt attention as he began speaking again.

“I understand that many of you are confused and afraid. Just know, there’s a group of the strongest Untethered on this planet looking out for your safety and your best interests so that no harm befalls this planet. while my colleagues might disagree with me on this, I think you are strong enough to hear what I am about to say next.”

“Our planet is on the verge of war and no one will be spared. Invaders from Mercury have set their sights on our planet, hoping to conquer us for their nefarious intentions. They have trailed a blaze of war throughout the solar system and have already conquered Mercury and Venus. These will be turbulent times, with trials and tribulations for all of us, which I am certain we will all pass. The enemies we are about to fight won't discriminate between the strong and the weak, the slotless and the two slotters, the Untethered and the mortal.”

“So, I urge you all to fight together and help those in need so that we can push back this threat and show them that we are not to be taken lightly. Let us show Sol Syntrivon that anyone who has any intention of attacking our planet won't get out it unscathed.”

I got out of the club after that as I couldn’t hear anymore. The whole thing sounded like a disaster to me, only serving to help spread more fear and paranoia.

As I walked back towards home, I couldn’t help but look up at the spaceship that was still present in the sky, holding an unknown threat that might not be felt yet but was there nonetheless. The two moons shone brightly in the sky, trying to drown any feelings of despair in its radiant light. But just like the Council’s attempt to gain some control over the situation, they were failing miserably.

0