Alec and Jeremy are directed to a bed obscured by a curtain.
A DOCTOR approaches.
DOCTOR
We did all we could.
He looks at Alec with sympathy. Then pulls the curtain.
DOCTOR (CONT’D)
I'm sorry.
Kristin occupies the bed. She is as young as the day Alec left. She lies there catatonic. Her flesh is severely damaged.
ALEC
Kristin? Is it really you?
She is completely unresponsive.
Alec looks up at the doctor.
ALEC (CONT’D)
How is this possible? What's wrong with
her?
DOCTOR
She was frozen. One of the local cryo
labs brought her in this morning.
Apparently, they were instructed to
revive her once you'd been located.
ALEC
Why does her skin look like that?
DOCTOR
Cryogenics was a pretty crude science in
the early twenty first century. We did
everything we could to minimize the
damage. I'm afraid she doesn't have much
time.
Alec embraces her.
ALEC
Tell me that you remember me, baby.
Her arms begin to twitter. They wobble upward until her hands are pressed against Alec's back.
He pulls his head away from the nape of her neck. Looks into her eyes.
Her pupils dart around before coming to rest on his face.
Her lips finally open with an accompanying deep breath.
KRISTIN
(barely audible)
Alec?
Her eyes flutter. She wheezes and jerks violently. Within moments she is dead.
Alec begins sobbing.
EXT. MICROCORE MAIN TARMAC - DAY
The tarmac is buzzing with activity.
Numerous TRANSATMOSPHERIC SHUTTLES are receiving passengers and cargo.
Jeremy is holding a travel bag.
Alec is beside him.
JEREMY
Microcore is yours now. Take good care of
her. The world is depending on you to
take out those ships should they prove to
be hostiles.
ALEC
We've got a dozen Neutrino Drives ready
to blow them out of the sky if necessary.
JEREMY
There are millions of Kek already on
Earth but they're just vicious animals.
If these ships are filled with
intelligent spacefaring Kek, who knows
what they could teach these animals.
ALEC
We've been over this a hundred times,
Jeremy. We've got it covered.
JEREMY
We may have our own Kek ships to worry
about once we reach your four-armed
friend's homeworld. We may have to turn
around and head back to Earth as soon as
we get there.
ALEC
Who knows, maybe you'll return in eighty
six years and I'll be as old as you.
JEREMY
That would be a great day, my friend.
ALEC
I got a glimpse of Piren's planet. Pretty
cool. Lots of water. There's even a small
moon sitting on the surface.
JEREMY
That does sound cool.
ALEC
I must admit, if you hadn't stolen the
crystal from me, none of this would've
been possible. It seems that the whole
point of my encounter back in 2018 was to
deliver the neutrino engine technology to
this point in time. But since the
government now has possession of my
engine...well, you know what I mean.
JEREMY
I do indeed. My sin is your gain. Don't
let that Book of Alec nonsense go to your
head, you're already one of the most
powerful men in the world.
ALEC
I'll do my best. I think I'm gonna like
this job.
INT. CUSTOMIZED SHUTTLE - EARTH ORBIT
Alec is looking through a window.
A large multi-module ship floats nearby. External lights begin powering on all across it.
Moments later, it accelerates at impossible speed toward the constellation Eridanus.
Alec speaks to an unseen occupant in the shuttle.
ALEC
I can't believe you found me after all
these years. I appreciate all you went
through to get here. Microcore is mine
now. I can't imagine a greater gift to
come home to. Now, let's go take out
those Kek ships.
Alec looks across the cabin. Pops a thumbs-up.
Piren looks back. He mimic's Alec's gesture, raising all four thumbs in the air.
EXT. SPACE
The Earth-moon system can be seen in the distance.
A Kek ship flies past and heads for Earth. Another one right behind it.
INT. CECIL'S OFFICE - DAY
Cecil's office is now ALEC'S OFFICE.
Alec is viewing a bank of monitors. One of them displays two objects moving past Earth's moon.
A red X in the corner of the screen suddenly changes to a green circle.
Alec taps a tiny device hooked onto his ear.
ALEC
They're within targeting range. Launch
the first salvo as soon as you get a
lock.
EXT. MICROCORE MAIN TARMAC - DAY
A mobile launch platform launches six neutrino driven projectiles.
INT. ALEC'S OFFICE - DAY
The monitor displays that all six projectiles missed both targets.
Alec taps the earpiece.
ALEC
Launch the second salvo.
MAIN TARMAC
The mobile platform launches six more projectiles.
EXT. ABOVE EARTH
Both Kek ships are nearing Earth's upper atmosphere.
One of the ships is struck and destroyed by a projectile.
The other ship plunges into the atmosphere.
EXT. WASHINGTON, D.C. - DAY
The Kek ship descends above The Capitol Building.
Its braking thrusters incinerate a quarter mile wide swath of the city.
Once on the ground, hundreds of Kek begin spilling from the ship. They race outward in every direction.
The ship's ribs tear away from the top and begin rounding over.
INSIDE ALEC'S OFFICE
The bank of monitors begins displaying the faces of Heads of State. First Canada, then Mexico, then England, France, etc.
They are pleading for the destruction of the Kek ship in Washington.
Alec taps the earpiece.
ALEC
Lock DEFENSE SATELLITE ONE onto the ship.
EXT. EARTH ORBIT
Defense Satellite One rotates toward Earth.
ALEC'S OFFICE
The wall screen activates.
PRESIDENT CAINE appears. He is sitting in The Oval Office.
PRESIDENT CAINE
I know what you're thinking, Mr.
Strickland, but you need to turn that
satellite around right now.
ALEC
I can't do that, sir. The future of our
planet may be at stake.
PRESIDENT CAINE
Son, you are about to kill a million good
people. You stand down right now. That's
a direct order from The President of the
United States.
Alec switches the image to a close-up satellite view of Kek still spreading outward from their ship.
The ship is just beginning to hoist itself up on its newfound legs.
Alec taps the earp
iece.
ALEC
Take out the ship.
EXT. EARTH ORBIT
Defense Satellite One unleashes a neutrino driven projectile toward Earth.
EXT. WASHINGTON, D.C. - DAY
The projectile strikes the Kek ship.
Its obliteration sweeps up all the Kek and an additional mile beyond their reach. Total devastation.
Silence falls in short order.
The Washington Monument comes down from the sky like a huge spear piercing the Earth.
An American flag flutters to the ground.
ALEC'S OFFICE
The Heads of State begin offering thanks and congratulations as they disappear, one by one, off the monitors.
The wall screen displays only static.
Piren emerges from a shadowed corner of the room.
PIREN
You did what you had to do. The Kek on
your planet are very resourceful, but
they know nothing of technology. They
were all born in the wild. If their
spacefaring friends were to spread across
your planet, there would be no stopping
them.
ALEC
I just destroyed the capital city of my
country. That's high treason.
PIREN
Your actions may have saved your world.
ALEC
Tell that to the families of the people I
just killed. Not to mention the police,
the military, and what's left of the
government. But you're right, it had to
be done.
MONTAGE:
SEVERAL VIDEO BROADCASTS IN SUCCESSION:
A POLITICIAN is speaking at a podium. The Texas State Seal displays on a wall behind him.
POLITICIAN
This man just destroyed Washington, D.C.
and killed untold thousands of people.
He should be shot on sight. Who is this
Alec Strickland, anyway?
He waves a blurry photo of Alec above his head.
POLITICIAN (CONT’D)
He comes out of nowhere, no verifiable
birth certificate, no past that can be
accounted for. We don't even know if he's
a legal citizen of the United States.
A BRIGADIER GENERAL is speaking at a press briefing.
BRIGADIER GENERAL
We've all seen the video. Hostile alien
beings had infiltrated the nation's
capital. Mr. Strickland made the hard
choice and did what had to be done. I
would have done the same to protect this
country and this planet. As it stands
now, Microcore may be our best defense
against another incursion by these alien
aggressors. We see no reason to remove
Mr. Strickland from his duties there.
A SWEET OLD WOMAN is being interviewed on the street.
SWEET OLD WOMAN
Microcore killed those horrible creatures
and kept my family safe. Who cares about
those fat cats in Washington, anyway?
The BRITISH PRIME MINISTER is speaking at a news conference.
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
This was probably the most unselfish act
in American history.
The INDIAN PRIME MINISTER is making a public statement.
INDIAN PRIME MINISTER
Today, the United States has reaffirmed
itself as a protector of all the people
of Earth, not just its own citizens. The
path to world peace must begin today.
An ELDERLY HIPPIE is speaking via an amateur home video.
ELDERLY HIPPIE
A lot of people thought The Book of Alec
was pure fiction. But he's returned, and
has delivered salvation just as
prophesied.
He raises his hands in the air in glory.
INT. CHINESE ASSEMBLY PLANT - DAY
Kek are moving freely between its many rooms and offices, scurrying along the walls and ceiling.
The numerous Chinese officials hurrying about flinch with fear as each Kek scrambles past.
A huge bay centers the assembly plant.
Mammoth virtual screens hover before its high walls.
The screens show several different highly detailed outlines of the Kek ship just before it was destroyed in Washington, D.C. The outlines range from the ship's exterior, to its hydraulic and mechanical components, to other more complex internal components.
Numerous Kek are rushing about, tapping out complex codes on one another before spinning out the individual components of a partially completed Kek ship occupying the center of the bay.
FADE OUT.
###
Rise of The Kek Novel
The Universe Can Never Be Complete: Poetry From The Mind’s Mind
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