Covenant Invasion of Earth Series 1: Return

By hiding in plain sight, the team had managed to stay hidden just long enough to rebuild both the Portal and Power Core.

The Covenant controlled the majority of the under-developed countries in Africa and Asia. South America had gone dark nearly instantly after the initial attacks, as had much of Europe to the point that the only remaining countries were France, Poland, Germany and England; each of them holding on by a thread as they were bombarded with everything the Covenant had to offer.

Max had managed to also construct a holographic globe that showed the full extent of humanity’s fall, he looked at the image his mind racing, his spirit weakening.

            “How are we supposed to combat that!” he moaned aloud.

            “The same way we always do,” Tom smiled from the other side of the table. “We improvise, and we fight back with everything we have; no matter how little.”

            “You got it working?” Max asked stunned.

            “I think so…It seems to be under the impression that Connor and that are still alive though…” Tom explained as he continued to fiddle with the wiring and programming. “Its probably a bug.”

            “Probably?”

            “There is a small chance…actually scrap that. There is a really high chance that they are still alive,” Tom continued. “We’re Protectors, we don’t go down easily. Especially if we have to fight with our most basic of abilities.”

            “You lying. You are trying to make me feel better.”

            “No. He’s not,” Jenny revealed coming up next to Tom’s shoulder. “The device says they are alive, and if they can get out of death, then they will. It is what makes us, well…us!”

            “She’s got a point,” Jack admitted. “If your Jack is anything like me then her would have set that ship to self-destruct only after he knew that Connor and Flavio were safe and that he had ensured that he had a way out.”

            “So there is every chance that I didn’t abandon the to die?” Cameron asked excitedly.

            “Basically,” Tom admitted.

            “Can we go home now?” Emma asked. “This world has way too many ships moving in and out of the atmosphere. I have a permanent headache here!”

            “Portal’s open,” her father reported as Emily turned and noticed it.

            “Right. I’ve got an adaptable bitch to murder again,” Emily noted before dashing across the room and through the Portal.

            “Harriet?” Jenny asked.

            “Long story. Very long story,” Tom explained as he pushed the device across to Darren. “You look after that. It can be the different between winning and losing. I learnt that the hard way.”

            “Will do. Now go and deal with your problems,” he ordered. “We’ve taken enough of your time.”

            “To be honest, this was a welcome break from fighting Universe 23 versions of us,” Tom shrugged before turning to his doppelganger. “Naomi is more important to our mental health than you realise. You will either go into depression like me or go completely insane like 23. Don’t be like us.”

            “Thanks for the advice. I think,” Max replied. “Now go!”

Tom, Emma and Jack quickly said their goodbye before entering the portal and coming out in Tom’s basement.

Meanwhile Connor and Flavio sat playing rock, paper, scissors inside their cells high above Max and the others.

Elsewhere on the ground Max stood staring at the hologram. “What do you think he meant?” Darren asked. “’Don’t be like them?’”

            “He meant that one of them is now a complete psycho and the other isn’t to far from that either,” Max explained. “He is far older than me, despite the fact we look the same age. I think he punished himself when he lost Naomi. And I think that the only thing that got him through was Emma.”

            “So what is our next objective?” Jenny asked.

            “We rescue the others now that we have our powers back,” Max smiled. “And we go back to our own names…”