Event

running from a settling black helicopter, then Billy looked up and saw a dark-haired man looking down and holding a helmet, tossing a black nylon mask into it. He smiled and pulled the boy up. Then he hesitantly reached for the thing behind him, but decided to hold off.

Sergeant Mendenhall called from the interior of the house, 'All clear!'

'Clear here!' Jack called out, still staring at Billy and the small alien, then quickly stepping aside for Gus.

The old man reached Billy and picked him up off the porch, then Gus reached for Matchstick, who looked to be in shock and was shaking as heavily as Billy.

'I see you two have met,' he said as he turned and winked at Collins.

The alien was nervously looking around and sitting upright on the bed. The visitors crowded into the small one-room house. Matchstick eyed each man in turn and listened as they talked, every once in a while tilting its head and then with shaking hands taking a sip of water from the glass Gus had given it.

'You feel better, Matchstick?' Gus asked.

Jack turned and looked at the old man. He met his eyes and gave him a small smile. 'Matchstick, that's its name?'

'As close as I can get anyway. He can talk like us,' Gus said, 'but he's just being stubborn right now. But sometimes he does his talkin' through me; brain chatter's what I call it.'

Jack walked over and joined Mendenhall, who had slid the dirty sheet away from the body of the Gray, which was still lying on the floor.

'One ugly son of a bitch, Major,' Mendenhall volunteered.

Jack took in the malevolent features of the Gray compared to the soft features of the smaller Green. Like Gus, he didn't think he had an imagination capable of thinking this thing up. He thought the two races were as dissimilar in looks as they were in temperament.

'Not exactly something you would take home to meet Mom, is it, Sergeant?' Jack turned toward Gus. 'Did this being have the same telepathic ability as your friend, Mr. Tilly?'

'I didn't exactly invite it in for drinks and mild conversation, so I couldn't tell you.'

Collins turned and looked at the alien sitting with its back to the wall on the old bed. Its eyes narrowed and the small mouth set itself in a straight line. Then it finally looked at Gus, its features softening, then turned back to Collins.

'Destroyer, feeding?' came the buzz-filled voice. It was like hearing someone through a wet pillow using a voice synthesizer.

'Yes, it's feeding,' Collins answered after a moment's hesitation caused by the strangeness of the visitor's voice.

Babies, babies, babies, babies. This time it closed its eyes and only spoke with Gus through its telepathy.

'Matchstick says it's laid little monsters, babies, it says,' Gus interpreted for them, wincing at the pain. 'He gives me headaches when he talks like that, nosebleeds too. Matchstick, talk like regular--' He caught himself. 'Just use your voice.'

'So it's definite, it has the ability to project thought,' Jack said.

'You could say that,' Gus answered.

'Matchstick, this is Colonel Sam Fielding of the United States Army,' Collins said softly to the small being while raising his left eyebrow toward Gus, who in turn looked down, knowing he had been a little rough on the major.

The colonel stepped forward and gave the alien an awkward smile and almost saluted, having actually brought his hand halfway up, then, embarrassed, looked at the others in the room and lowered his right hand to his side.

Collins smiled. 'I'm Major Jack Collins. Do you know your race has been here before?' Collins bent down and looked the alien over.

Mahjtic looked from one man to another, each human in turn, still confused. Then it looked at Gus and then to the boy, not saying anything.

'Over fifty years ago,' Collins continued. 'I believe you are going to tell us about a faction of your race, who look to take this planet from us?'

The alien suddenly looked just at the major.

'This part of your society has acted upon itself to end life on this planet with the thing you call the Destroyer, am I right so far?' Collins asked.

'Those that would make us crash... your world with Destroyer, attack us' It closed its eyes in thought. 'Damage on... to our craft'

Collins nodded. 'A being like you told a man a similar story a long time ago.' Jack sat on the foot of the bed. 'The being like you told him it might happen again. Why did they wait?'

They watched as the alien's eyes widened. It brought its large head down, then up. It understood now.

'Talkhan, the Destroyer, hibernates. Have you animals here... sleep for long time frames?' it asked, looking from face to face. Collins noticed it was shaking, perhaps afraid they would blame it for the danger they were in.

'Yes, we have animals that hibernate,' Jack answered.

'The Destroyer kind wake fifty year on its world... We take Destroyer for use by Masters on other world, easy way to--'

The men looked at the small being, waiting for it to finish, but it was looking at Billy.

'Matchstick, don't stop now, you go on and tell 'em,' Gus said.

It swallowed and then looked away from Billy and out the kitchen window.

'Is... is easy way... clean your world. Gray's use...animal to clean undeveloped planets of life for harvesting of...resources and... settlement. The Destroyer exterminate man and... all life on this... world,' it said sadly, looking into the water glass. 'We take animal to other world, not this one. Gray attack us and bring here.'

'Your kind is against this action?' Fielding asked.

Matchstick looked up with his large eyes and blinked. 'We teach and work machines... We are... worker? Is this your... word?

'My kind, we... we are afraid and... can do... not much,' it said sadly, shaking its head. 'I want help...' It pointed and then spread its fingers out at everyone in the small kitchen. It slowly rose from the bed and stood on unsteady feet and walked to the window. 'Too late, babies come. Not stop now, but baby have baby in twelve...' It placed a finger to its mouth and thought. 'Baby have baby in twelve... hours. Then more baby.' It kept shaking its head. 'And more baby more smarter baby smarter baby more.' It looked to the floor, not able to look at the men.

'How many babies right now, Matchstick?' Jack asked.

'Numbers one hundred, little more, maybe one hundred twenty, depend food source? Yes, how plentiful food animal to feed on.'

'How much food is there from three hundred head of cattle and some bikers?' Fielding asked out loud. 'Pretty good welcome-to-earth banquet, I would say.'

Jack walked to the window and placed a hand on the being's shoulder. 'We need your help.'

Matchstick looked up and held Jack's eyes.

'If Destroyer and baby killed, the Gray will not stop. This planet is theirs. We cannot help your kind much. We are teachers... doctors...servants. Soon the Gray will tire of easy fight and come here. That you will never stop.'

'First we have to stop this animal. Can you come with us?' Jack asked.

Matchstick walked away and stood next to Billy, staring at him, blinking its eyes, then smiled at the boy and touched him on the shoulder. Then it looked at the black Kevlar helmet Mendenhall had placed on the kitchen table.

'Mahjtic and Billy, we will help you.'

'Good, we'll leave right--'