The April night was cold and drizzly. The Resistance bus was parked up across the street from the district armoury. The rebels now had a secret hideout at the backend of a K-mart superstore, and only key members in the planned raid upon the armoury were aboard.

The armoury gates were laser fensed across, and Visitor shock troopers were standing on guard in the street, rifles slung over their shoulders.

In the darkness, Duncan Rendall and Paula Davidson were dressed in jet-black and were ready at the main power-point. On signal, they cut the power to the armoury.

Sean Steele, accompanied by Sam Walker and Ross Morrell made their way to the rear of the building where a tree gave away access over a high back wall, the only side of the armoury that was free from the Visitor contructed laser fense.

The three of them managed to gain access into the building through a skylight and managed to quite easily to get to the weapons store.

Infact this was all too easy.

Paula looked up to see a Visitor squad vehicle suddenly appear out of the dark sky and come to rest on top of the armoury's flat roof.

Duncan matched her glance of concern, "It's a trap - we are gonna need back up...", Paula put the walkie talkie to and hissed through it, "Sean! Sean it's a ing trap!"

Inside the armoury's shadowery corridors, the three rebels hurried back towards the exit only to find their escape route blocked off by Visitor troops. Commanding officer Frank came forward, "stand still...there is no escape for you"

Outside, a group of rebels came tumbling out of the bus and went running across the street with a barriage of fire crackers, petrol bombs and home-made grenades.

Before the aliens could muster up their weapons to pick them off, they hurtled the petrol bombs into the armoury's glass facade sending out massive blinding explosions that sent shattered glass onto the sidewalk and steps.

Inside, the shock troopers that had barred the way of escape had been maimed in the attack and were rolling about on the floor. Sean noticed the green blood that was tricking away from a wounded soldier, Ross shoved him forward, "Lets go!"

Sean didn't need telling twice, and they hurried back up towards the shattered entance doors, Sam was trying to catch up, he had a piece of shattered glass in his leg that hampered him, and that was the cause of a trooper grabbing him and pulling him back inside, both Sam and the trooper fell to the glass strewn floor of the armoury.

Frank Approached, glass crunched beneath his boots, Sam looked up at him from where he laid in the troopers inhuman tight grip.

"Well, well...not all of you escaped I see...", he turned to the other troopers that had just come down the fire escape, "Take him to my shuttle..."

Up on the roof, Frank went to the perimeter and looked over to see the rebels clamber aboard the yellow school bus and it quickly rumbled off up the street.

Putting a communicator to his lips, he looked about him and hissed, "the school bus houses the resistance...make sure you miss your target..."

Sam was then dragged across the roof by two Visitor troopers to the ramp of the squad vehicle, he looked up to see a skyfighter glide over from the east and started to give chase to the bus.

It clearly was missing it's target, as each blue laser bolt that was blasted out from the skyfighter hit random targets - a station-wagon was blown to smitherines and a huge clapboard house that stood on a 4 way junction exploded and caught fire, vapourising it's roof.

Paula screamed out in terror because each blast shockwave still managed to rock the bus as Duncan tried to keep control, and keep it firmly on the road. Ross's heart began to race as his knuckles tightened on the cross bar to stop himself from falling.

Poor Sam...Sam's been caught...what will happen to him? Was death the best outcome for him?

Sean ordered them to abandon the bus. Duncan drove it into a Walmart car-lot where they junked it and ran for their lives in opposite directions.

The skyfighter pilot saw the fleeing rebels and then when he knew that the bus was empty, he found the target on the view finder, and pressed fire.

VVV

While the resistance went into hiding after their disasterous raid - Sam Walker was taken aboard the mothership where senior scientist Rosa was waiting for him.

Gerald clearly instructed that he wanted her to get the location of the rebel HQ. Rosa, one of Diana's pupils, looked forward in torturing the human male.

Sam's screams of pain rocked the small lab, but he revealed nothing -even when sat in the death chair with a blow torch in his face.

Gerald folded his arms across his chest and looked at Rosa, "he is telling us nothing that we already know..."

The door slid aside with a hum and Michele stepped into the lab, "has he said anything? Frank is waiting for the results", she barked with her hands behind her back and looking directly at Rosa - a hint of a smile between them.

Gerald jumped forward and snatched hold of his second-in-commands arm, "I command the flagship, not Frank!", he scolded.

Before Michele could reply, she stepped back and let Frank enter. He regarded them all and then went to the badly tortured Sam sat in the death chair.

Sam's eyes were both bloodshot. His skin was slightly burned and it looked like he had taken several beatens with all the cuts and bruises he sported.

"Let us not argue this out. Walker is to be converted - he can then be used as a pawn and purge the resistance...", he straightened up and turned to both Michele and Gerald, "he will unwittingly tell us EVERYTHING we need to know..."

...

For the next week, Sam Walker suffered the nightmare world of the conversion chamber. Rosa looked up as Sam suffered through the glass, she turned to her trusted aide Tom, "Full power...", she instructed, "...he will submit by the end of the session"

"His heart is weak...", countered Tom studying the readouts on the screen fixed to the console infront of him.

Rosa threw a scowl at him, "It doesn't matter about that...all that matters is the information we can extract from him...so do it...FULL POWER"

Deborah came along the corridor outside and peered in through the doorway, she could see the prisoner shaking uncontrollably in the conversion unit.

She had clear instructions...she had to set Sam Walker free...

VVV

Kath Wagner was distressed to learn of Sam's capture, and reclused into herself - only saying that their cause was pointless.

Sean knew that they needed to get out of their hiding place. He faced up to the reality that even if he didn't want to - the aliens would somehow make Sam talk and give away their location.

As the truck backed up to the store house rear of the K mart, the back shutters were forced up and Sean came hurying out and watched the many rebel fighters jump aboard and secure themselves for the journey to the new location.

As the last of the rebels boarded the truck, Joey Carter brought out Kath, she stared up at the truck and the teenager helped her on. Sean flicked away his cigarette and watched as Ross lowered the shutters and rounded to the passenger seat in the cab. Sean was in the drivers seat and belted up.

"So where is this place...?", asked Ross

Sean fired up the trucks engine and turned to him, "there's this abandoned bank vault in Maryland...it'll do us perfectly...then we best fetch your wife and the others down from the smokey mountains...just incase Walker gives away that location as well..."

"You don't think he will...do you?"

Sean negotiated the road ahead - there was a mix of light traffic, "He may not have any choice..."

VVV

Caitlin Ryan walked up the street towards the college - the May sunshine hot and hazy. The bombed out Sky-fighter dumped on the grass in chards.

Angela, Ben and Beth came hurrying along towards her, "Hey Caitlin are you coming to help? The Visitor youth facility is moving to safer quarters", told Ben.

Angela ran a hand through her hair, It's all due to these dammed terrorists!"

Caitlin paused and looked up, "why are they blowing stuff up? Surely they must know something about them to do all this damage...", she pointed a finger towards a burnt out car on it's roof that had been dumped onto the sidewalk.

Beth looked at her like she was stupid, "It's because they are all so ungrateful, that's why! The Visitors are doing so much for us and this is how they are repayed"

Angela looked all smug, "It's disgusting...my father works at the presidents office and he says that's why the Visitors have brought in so many armed troops - I just hope that it all passes, this martial law is really putting paid to my hectic social life"

Beth laughed, "Just like your mother!"

Caitlin rolled her eyes and turned to Ben in his baig Visitors friends uniform, "So what do you think? Are they terrorists or are they fighting for our future?"

Ben shook his head, "You know what...stuff what I asked you...it you are gonna bad mouth the Visitors, then you can take what's coming to you..."

And with that the teen was off across the grass towards the facility. Caitlin looked gobsmacked, "What's with him! He's acting like a total jerk!"

Angela shrugged as she removed her sunshades, "Don't get me wrong, I'm apart of the corps, but he's really up to them..."

"And that's not all what he's off...I mean up to", quibbed Beth.

Caitlin turned and frowned, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head, "Nothing, just something I heard..."

VVV

The Resistance spent the next two weeks avenging Sam - and went out on an explosive frenzy.

Squad Vehicles were targeted, charity raisers were interrupted, and two chemical plants outside Washington including Baltimore were blown sky-high.

Ross Morrell led that particular exercise and relished as a series of triggered precise explosions brought his former place of employment come crashing down.

Visitor lead techncian Adam could only watch on in horror as most of the cargo carriers were crushed under piles of concrete. A barriage of laser fire targeted the rebels, but they were one step ahead and more triggered explosions brought down a catwalk of 20 or so troops down to their deaths.

Ross was glad that there didn't seem to be any human deaths. Infact there was no human workers left, the plant seemed of being completely Visitor staffed.

Ross and his fellow comrades left the seen as quick as they came, leaving the aliens to somehow clear up the damage.

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