Inhumane

* * *

Encouragingly and quicker than they expected - maybe an hour or so - they heard the engines. This prompted everyone to stand up and brush the dirt from their clothes, the alien slowly rose to his feet but seem outwardly unchanged. The arrival of the army certainly hadn’t caused the alien to fidget or run in the opposite direction. The brakes squeaked and with orders barking from the corporal the soldiers jumped out of one of the trucks, ten or fifteen of them. They formed a circle around the Alien with guns raised and steel in their eyes. Everyone else backed away a few feet in case this got dangerous. The lieutenant jumped from the high front seat and landed with a sense of theatre. He nonchalantly walked the long way around the truck and broke the circle with a bemused look on his face.

“We seem to have a situation” he said putting emphasis on the middle diphthong.

“A situation” repeated his Corporal.

“I must say, I have never seen the like of this creature” his eyes slowly moving up to take in the menacing head. “I’m glad you called though, we are the right people in this situation. Is that his ship over there?”

Sergeant Moroney motioned towards the almost spherical object lodged in the ground, “that’s it alright, but we couldn’t get it open”.

“Don’t go beyond your scope, sergeant - leave this to us”. The Sergeant went slightly red in the face when the Lieutenant cut him off, he felt he was back in the schoolyard again.

“Private! - Secure the Alien” shouted Lieutenant Murphy at one of the soldiers.

The soldier hesitantly moved towards the creature with handcuffs open. He stopped and looked up at the full height of the alien and back down to his pitiable cuffs. He looked imploringly back at his corporal - who delegated a glance to Lt. Murphy. The Lieutenant stared into the distance for a second, gauging the threat of the alien.

“Just ask him” said Conor, “he’s been grand, like. He’s always done what we asked him”

The sequence of glances went back down the chain from Lieutenant to corporal to private. With a shrug the soldier gestured towards the armoured car and the beast coolly strolled towards the open door or the vehicle, seating himself inside as if it was a second home.

“Right then” the Lieutenant said, “let’s move out”.