This story began as a project for English class but as I got rolling I began to balloon it into something a little more interesting.  The basic structure of the story was laid out over 2 nights and for short period the next day I dedicated myself to pulling it all together into a story, what I wound up with was an entirely new universe, expect more stories to be released that take place both before and immediately after the timeframe of this one, I cannot predict when I will release these but I will generate one whenever I am allowed the luxury of some extra time to do such.  Please feel free to send any feedback to my email address and be sure to title the subject line appropriately so I know what it is and it makes it through my filter.
(Aforementioned filter is my index finger and the fun I get from screaming "DELETED" over and over like strongbad)

Long Walk Down a Short Path

Alfador eyed the guards at the door, standing perfectly straight and proud – motionless, even as snow constantly fell and blanketed the ground.  Their uniforms, their posture, their overall appearance was much more imposing than anything he was used to.  During the entire three-hour flight, he had been pondering why he was summoned.  Up until today he had never thought of seeing the UNEC headquarters building, never mind entering it.  After he had cleared his mind of the awe that the gargantuan structure inspired, he approached the two guards standing at the door.  He produced a small identification card.  After painstakingly confirming his identity, the guards allowed him inside.

After a short walk through a hallway, Alfador was once again struck with awe as he entered the atrium of the large complex.  The top of the room reached up at least four full stories.  He was taken back by the lavishly decorated interior he had now wandered into, for he knew it wasn’t the military’s to spend a penny more than half of what was actually needed.  The space above his head was laced with catwalks and a large cascading waterfall fell into a pool in the center of the surrealistically gigantic chamber.  He wanted to continue and take in the atmosphere, and perhaps even find a logical explanation for it, but he had been called upon and knew it wouldn’t do at all to be late for an appointment with the people who run the entire world’s military machine.  He silently made a private promise to himself that he would come back later and look this strange room over in more detail and then continued on to the conference and war room, which was almost a kilometer underground to protect it against attack in turbulent times.

*   *   *

The elevator ride was lengthy and uncomfortable, and the additional securities he had to go through where no more pleasant, so when he had finally made it to the door of the room he had been seeking, he had to suppress a great deal of anxiety and distain. 

He had thought to himself, “The last thing anyone would want to do is lose one’s composure in any setting that may be threatening, and there is nothing more threatening than a first encounter with brass.”  Keeping that in mind, he stepped into the room and immediately took hold of his surroundings, scrutinizing every detail, careful not to make his habit of observation apparent to those in the room. 

“Lieutenant,” one of the older officers in the room, a general, motioned at an empty chair across from him, “please have a seat.”

“With respect sir,” Alfador noted, being careful to observe the difference in rank between the two of them, “I would prefer to stand.”

“As you wish.”  The general hesitated a moment.  “As I strongly doubt you have heard, due to the security of this matter, and out current state of war, our science divisions have been working around the clock with some new technology that was discovered by your unit during your last mission.”

Alfador leaned forward with interest, waiting to see what the other people around the table were going to say.  As it became apparent that no one else had anything to add he inquired, “Yes, I recall the artifact we found, it reminded me of a crystal, it seemed to bend all of the light around it.  But…what does this have to do with me?  I already submitted a full report.”

The man to the right of the general stood up, Alfador recognized him as a Research administrator, simply by the telltale silver and blue uniform.  “My staff has been researching the material you found on that planet, it has some very unique properties, and we were able to use it to construct a prototype suit of armor,” the man glanced down at a sheet of paper that he had pulled out from a folder while he spoke,  “and we would like you to be the first to test this new technology out in the field.”

Alfador raised an eyebrow at the scientist’s comment, momentarily forgetting his commitment not to step out of line, “When you say armor, you mean what exactly?”

“A suit of light armor plating that can repel most types of weaponry,” the scientist said, appearing rather pleased at his own intelligence. 

Alfador looked even more bemused than ever now, he cocked his head sideways like a dog inspecting its master with a newfound and perplexing perspective.  “So, what you’re saying is,” he said, pausing to take a deep breath, “is that it’s exactly like the armor our soldiers are already equipped with?”  He knew that there was most like something more to it to that but he smiled inwardly to himself when the scientist cringed at his comments.  His inner voice, the same one that constantly advised him, cynically spouted, “Just for wasting my time…”

The general vacated his seat and calmly paced over to Alfador.  “Lieutenant,” he placed his hand on Alfador’s shoulder and smiled, taking note of the discomfort Alfador displayed on his face as a result of his personal space being breached, then showing a sort of grandfatherly look of acceptance upon Alfador’s swift reaction to suppress his expression of discontent, “this armor is special, the crystal it is made of lends it some unique properties you may find useful.  It is light as a feather and the strange energies it possesses actually appear to grant an augmented agility to anyone wearing it.  Moreover, the light bending properties you noted in your report are present as well.  When you wear this armor and are standing relatively still, light is bent around you making you over fifty percent less visible to anyone looking at you.  And if they aren’t watching for you, I can personally guarantee that you will never be caught by a casual glance.”

Alfador eased the tension that was obviously visible to everyone in the room, which had gripped him in a vice since the start of the meeting.  He opened his mouth to speak but the general cut him off before he managed to speak a word.

“Any other questions should be directed to the scientific staff while you are being fitted.  For I do not have the knowledge to answer your more intricate questions and the good doctor here is not the most sociable person you’ll ever have to talk to.”

*   *   *

Alfador experimentally flexed his limbs in the armor.  Somehow, he felt lighter, more agile and dexterous than he had ever been in is lifetime.  He looked himself over in a nearby mirror and noticed that his entire body, even the parts lacking coverage from the armor, seemed to be only partially there.  He felt as if he could reach through his own body and touch the table behind him. 

“Enjoying your new toy?”

He spun around to see the general standing behind him.

“Very much so, sir,” He replied, suppressing any elation from his voice.

“That’s good,” the general lifted up on his toes to match Alfador’s height for a moment and look him over.  “We’ll take you to the field-testing area.  Its just on the other side of the atrium.” 

The two of them headed together, accompanied by three guards, towards the elevator back up to the surface level.  No sooner than when they had reached the floor of their destination, did a series of high pitched pulsing noises ring out loudly in the cramped hallway on the other side of the door.  He instantly recognized the noises as that of a Vizjeri laser weapon.  As if some kind of animal instinct had suddenly kicked in, Alfador stepped forwards and pushed the general back.  Like a wolf protecting its pack, Alfador, now clad in the crystalline armor, was ready to leap when the door to the armored elevator opened. 

Next to the doors on either side, lay two slumped guards, who were designated to replace the other guards who left himself and the general at the elevator, both with smoldering burns on their chests.  At the end of the hallway stood three Vizjeri warriors.  The regal looking aliens stood at least two meters tall each.  Alfador had seen hundreds of the aliens on other planets, but this was the first instance he had ever heard of them making it safely to earth.  The United Nations’ Earth Coalition had been waging a war with the Vizjeri for over fifty years. 

The tallest of the red alien monstrosities, wearing a heavy spiked suit of armor, shouted a command in a strange and harsh tongue.  The two creatures flanking it raised their sleek looking weapons and fires short blasts of laser at the elevator.  Alfador turned and grabbled the general and thrust him to the floor.  The first few blast from the weapons sailed over his back as he lay face down to cover the general, but one of the shots hit him in his back and glanced off the armor.  He heard the general scream and looked down, the general’s leg was burned bleeding.  The larger of the aliens, the one Alfador had assumed to be the commander, turned to the one who had hit the general and slapped it in the face with its large cudgel-like hand and shouted something in its own language again.  The other of the smaller two creatures threw a small object into the elevator.  Alfador attempted to escape the device with the general but to no avail.  Although he was fast, the general was cumbersome and awkward to carry.  The device spewed a blue gaseous cloud into the small chamber of the elevator, while Alfador threw the now unconscious general out of the elevator, and he tucked his face under his arm to avoid breathing the gas.  The larger creature scooped up the limp general and sprinted away.  Alfador reached for his own weapon and realized he had none with him.

Thinking quickly, he pulled an explosive grenade off of one of the lifeless guards’ belts and threw it at the creatures, intentionally dropping it only a meter from the front of the elevator.  He slid himself into a corner as the explosive went off, clearing the “stun gas” as he had decided to call it out of the elevator.  He used to the armor’s light bending properties to hide amongst a pile of debris in the corner of the elevators as to convince the aliens that he had been destroyed in the explosion. 

The two creatures cautiously approached the elevator, and, satisfied that they had eradicated their quandary, turned to head back down the hallway.  No sooner had they turned around then the left alien’s neck twisted and it dropped to the floor.  As the remaining alien turned around, Alfador switched his focus from the one he had just disabled and grabbed the gun of the second creature, turned the device into its body, and squeezed the creature’s trigger hand.  The warrior fell limp to the floor, letting go of its weapon.  The creatures’ bluish blood stained Alfador’s black hair.  He ran his hand through it and looked at it disgustedly, wiping the sticky substance from his hands.

“How did they get into the complex?” his inner voice said.  “This facility is a major headquarters for the UNEC military, and its on Earth nonetheless.”  He quickly dismissed what was at the immediate moment, a trivial inquiry and ran to the end of the hall.  His footsteps fell silently even as he ran at full speed through the echoic hallway, a useful skill he had picked up after many engagements with the Vizjeri and their superior senses. 

He slid to a stop at the opening to the atrium.  The same room he had been admiring less than two hours before was now devastated.  Numerous catwalks had been damaged by weapon fire and where twisted by the heat of the lasers.  One hung dangerously by a string of contorted steel no thicker than his wrist.  The waterfall was cascading into the empty pool, of which the barrier had been ruptured, radiating a large puddle on the floor.  In the room there were at least two dozen of the evil beasts, all chattering amongst themselves in some god awful language that made him twitch with discomfort whenever it was heard by his ears.

He looked around some more for anything else that may help; his commitment to scrutinize every detail had finally paid off.  Not far from his location were a few more fallen guards, and it was just his luck that one of them had a full set of weaponry on his person.  Upon further inspection, it was clear that these valiant men had taken the lives of at least three of their aggressors.  He paused for a moment to honor the brave soldiers before scavenging the belt of the armed guard.  He had managed to procure three sub-zero grenades.  Many guards carried them because they were quite effective at stopping foes regardless of their armor, and they caused no significant structural damage to buildings.  It was also instructed by the manufacturer that it could be thrown into a group containing friendlies because it caused no vital damage if cared for quickly.  He had thought about that cynically for just a moment, for that rarely worked as it was supposed to in practice without some adverse affects to the soldier’s living tissue.

Scanning the room again, he had observed the Vizjeri leaving the building with the general, who was most definitely still alive, given the care the creature used in carrying him.  Immediately after the warrior left, and he was confident that it would not be able to hear any inside commotion, he primed two of the grenades.  One he threw at the waterfall, the other, at the hanging catwalk.  The waterfall flash-froze as the grenade silently worked its magic, the water making a cracking sound as the ice traveled up the waterfall.  The second triggered next to the catwalk freezing the metal at the hanging joint.

The Vizjeri jumped and began to look around frantically, some focused at the waterfall, and a few more gazed skyward.  Two of them had fixated on his position, so he had to move quickly.  Once again, the suits amazing speed took him by surprise, as he glided effortlessly towards a corner where he had deemed to be safe.  He quickly fired four snap shots.  One at the weakened steel holding up the mangled catwalk and three at the top, middle, and bottom of the frozen waterfall.  The brittle metal shattered, as did the ice, sending a large steel bridge and thousands of shards of sharp ice rained down destructively from above.  When he had looked back, he saw that the majority of the creatures where either dead or wounded to seriously to fight back or move.  He quickly fired precise, rapid shots at the one’s still standing, bring each down in no more than a single shot. Once he was satisfied that the situation was under control, he ran to the security desk and pressed the button to activate the distress beacon, then sprinted for the door.

*   *   *

The snow was falling heavily outside the formerly impenetrable fortress.  Alfador’s sharp, wolfish, eyes caught sight of his target almost half a kilometer away in the snow.  It was only now that he realized how they had slipped in.  The cover of the snow hid their body heat and obscured them from vision as they approached, and once they had killed the outside guards, they forced their way inside.  No one underneath had known because of the kilometer of ground between them and the world above, as well as the fact that all the guards were likely dead before they could call for help.

He once again sprinted as quickly as he could to close the distance between him and the alien warrior.  Why did they want the general?  Information?  For a hostage?  To kill as a scapegoat maybe?  To set an example and frighten the people of earth?  Well, whatever it was, he was determined not to give the ugly beast a chance.  Moving even more quietly than before, as a result of the snow, he had gotten within about ten meters of the creature when he saw it, the ship it had planned to escape in, buried in a snow bank. 

Thinking quickly, he fired the alien weapon he had relieved his first kill of, he shot the creature in the back of its head.  He cursed, for had he aimed only centimeters lower it would have pierced the armor joint at its neck.  The creature turned and fired its own gun at him.  The ray of white-hot light bounced off his crystalline armor as if it were a mirror.

“Wow, this is leagues better than the standard issue armor,” his inner voice complimented as he lowered his own weapon and charged the creature, stopping only two meters away from the beast.

Realizing it would not be able to beat his amazing speed to the ship, and perhaps also enraged with personal vendetta that this one human would dare defy it, the warrior dropped the general and threw its weapon to the ground, retrieving a meter and a half long metal blade from a hilt on its back.  Upon squeezing the handle, the blade began to glow blue as it filled with energy.  Alfador realized that one glancing blow from that blade would still be enough to cut him in two, so he reached to his belt and drew his own close combat weapon, a slightly longer magnetically reinforced katana, which he had affectionately referred to as the “Oni Ookami,” a Japanese demon wolf.  The enlisted soldiers under his command had come to call it the Neoslayer, for his shown proficiency in using it to engage and defeat many of the aliens, who’s technology had been dubbed “neo-tech,” in close combat.

The two stared each other down for 20 seconds before both simultaneously charged.  With blinding speed the two clashed, their swords meeting gridlock.  The alien used its superior strength to pressure his sword down, and he used his speed to counter the move and nearly slay the monster from behind, but it reacted nearly as suddenly.  Alfador’s red eyes burned with vigor as he engaged in furious tooth and nail melee combat.  His smile became so devious that it almost seemed to be fanged.  They were so engaged that one watching would swear that an enraged wolf and bear where fighting over territory.  This was what he was born to do.

The battle dragged on for almost an hour, neither one giving or taking any ground.  But, as the larger alien began to tire itself out, Alfador seemed to simply become more and more excited.  Soon enough, the alien became enraged and took a careless lunge at Alfador.  He stepped to one side, and with blinding speed, came down with his sword over the warrior’s head, needless to say, relieving the creature of its weight as it fell to the ground, lifeless.

Slowly, over ten minutes or so, Alfador had calmed down, no longer ready to kill, but back to his normal state, he kneeled next to the general and administered and quick application of first aid to him, patching his wounded leg and bruised torso, using snow to cleanse the wound. 

The general slowly came to and sat up, with Alfador’s support.  Still not completely aware of his surroundings, the white haired man turned to the youthful soldier and asked him, “What has just happened?  I recall seeing a Vizjeri and then blacking out.  How did they get here?”
            “I don’t know how or why,” Alfador looked out towards the now clear sky, which night was beginning to fall, and gazed to the stars.  “But there is one thing I do know…the Vizjeri know where earth is, and this war is far from over.  They will come, and we will fight them.  The fate of humanity will be decided on this very ground and in that very sky…this is simply the beginning of the end…”