ZEON and The Solmax Destiny Part 1

Chapter 12: "Body Snatchers"

Downtown Galaxy View, July 1st (Sunday) 12:45am.

A couple are halfway through a night of partying. They're walking down the street in the humid summer night air. Their way lit only by the dim lights of the street lamps above. "You're such an asshole Johnny!"

"I swear to god babe, if that bitch would've said one more negative thing about my job, I would've slapped the freckles off that hot face of hers." Melissa and Johnny, freshman at Galaxy View College. Melissa, tall, white, attractive, your typical blonde cheerleader and Johnny a white, 6'2, 230 lbs brown hair, football jock.

"I knew it; you do think my friend Sam is hot!" She says as she punches him in the arm.

"What...? No, I mean she's not as hot as you baby, of course."

"Oh, shut up." She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. "You're lucky... I'm so... So...drunk that I'll probably... forget you said that by the... morning."

Johnny pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket. "Hey, you want one babe?"

"Dammit Johnny, you know I'm... trying to quit those things. You can only bleach your teeth... so many times."

"So that's a yes?"

"... Yeah, give me one." Johnny lights his with a lighter then lights Melissa's cig with his own.

"Thanks for the "Cancer Stick"..."

"Ha! F%$k Cancer! My grandmother lived to be 102 years old while smoking these things all her life. You know what she died of in the end...? Boredom."

"I know Johnny, but more people than not get sick and die before their time. We... need to quit like now, I want us to spend the rest of our lives... together, happy... and healthy. Ok...? I'm not going to be... wheeling your ass... around in a wheelchair, with an oxygen tank... on the back, at only 45."

"Yeah, I know... Look, we'll quit after tonight. Let's just finish off this last pack, OK?"

"Yeah, fine..."

"Besides, for what you gotta pay for these things now is ridiculous. I'm not wasting any more money on them." Meanwhile, miles above the Earth, three objects begin their final descent to the surface below. It's the TarLing Pod's that the alien, Zeon, had past 38 hours earlier.

As the pods entering the atmosphere, they begin to glow white hot, but this causes no damage to them, in fact they're converting the heat friction into energy, into food to feed the TarLing parasites inside.

The pods have entered into our world, they're here now, the invasion has officially begun.

The fires that engulf the three pods as they pass through the Earth's atmosphere begins to burn off. And from a distance they appear to be no more than shooting stars, streaking across the night's sky.

The two of the three harbingers of death branch off, deviating from their straight downwards path and head in opposite directions while the one in the middle maintains its heading straight for Galaxy View and it has already found its targets. A young couple in the street below. Melissa and Johnny. And they have no idea what's coming for them. "I can't wait to get home... and into bed Johnny."

"Yeah baby, I'm going to do things to you that..." She interrupts him before he can say anything further.

"What you're going to do, sweetie, is rub my feet, these heels are killing me."

"Yeah... that's what I had in mind... exactly... dammit." She smiles and hugs his arm as he kisses the top of her head.

The TarLing pod crashes into an alley just as the couple was about to walk past it.

(( KRA-BOOM!!! ))

"What the hell was that!?!" Johnny stairs into the darkness of the alleyway.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Melissa starts to freak out.

"Let's get out of here baby... we need to get out of here...NOW!"

"Mel, just wait a sec, ok...?" Johnny walks further into the alley, then they both hear a very unearthly noise,

(( HISSSSSSS... SWKISSSSS.... KRRRRRRK! ))

"Oh my god...! What is that...?" Johnny's curiosity has gotten the best of him. From within the allay that seconds ago was devoid of light and life, a cluster of round glowing red eyes appear, and before Johnny could react, the darkness comes to life, springing forth black tentacles that wrap around him, forming an inescapable web of slimy blackness, then with a violent yank, pulls him into the darkness of the alley. Melissa screams out in horror...

"JOHNNY!!! NO..!!! Johnny...!?! Come out of here right now!" The sounds that begin coming from the ally are ones that could only be heard in the worst of nightmares. The young woman turns to run, but she doesn't get very far. A dozen tentacles lash out from the ally, tripping her. She falls, smacking the side of her face on the pavement? She's hurt with a cut on her forehead, but because of the adrenaline and high levels of alcohol in her system, she barely feels it.