Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sirens on the small space craft blared suddenly. I jumped at the sound. A small red light began to flash and the siren continued to screech. I glanced at Galo, my teammate who was piloting the small craft. He didn't look up, but continued to stare at the dashboard, every now and then hitting a button or twisting a dial.

“Galo?” I asked him, my concern most likely evident in my voice, “Is that supposed to be happening?”
He gritted his teeth and messed with the dials again. A small red button began to flash.
“Galo?” I repeated, more worried this time. He gripped the steering controls tighter .
“Lune,” he muttered, “You are not helping.”
Shrugging, I turned to the door and pulled out a small screen. The strange symbols on it didn't make any sense, but I pushed buttons at random until the screen sprang to life, showing me our rough coordinates.

Months before, Galo, the third member of their team, Denn Zarat, and myself had been on Earth's Moon collecting samples of the soil for study. We were part of a NASA mission to discover whether or not the Moon was capable of sustaining human life. The three of us had been a team for nearly a year when we were on that particular mission.

Galo Sharn was the eldest of us, but his light grey hair didn't come with age. Although he denied it, it was more of a fashion statement, with its pitch black streaks running front to back. Galo was known for his ability to think and act under pressure and for his characteristic calmness. I thought that he had a one-track mind, but there was no denying that his calculative nature came in handy sometimes. Denn, a tall, light-haired young man with dark grey eyes, was closer to my age, although I, Lune Thalion, was the youngest. Often inattentive, he was by far the most talkative of our team and many times nearly drove Galo crazy with his chattering. He had a habit of speaking without thinking, just the opposite of Galo. Galo, more often than not, thought but didn't say a word out-loud. I was about nineteen at the time of the Moon mission and was one of the few women working with NASA at the time. I had been described as quick-thinking, loyal, stubborn, and reckless. It depended on whom you asked.

We completed our mission on the Moon successfully, but just as we were about to come back to Earth, our radars began to pick up strange signals informing us of life forms nearby. When we went to investigate, we were surrounded and captured by a group of tall, steel-blue aliens. I was never an expert on alien forms, but I knew enough to recognize an Uran? when I saw one. Inhabitants of the planet Uranus, they are vaguely humanoid aliens and have large, T-shaped heads with undersized mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth. They have scrawny but strong-looking arms and legs and two prominent, liquidy grey or blue eyes. They have tough, leather-like exteriors that keep them from being harmed by bullets, fangs, or blades. Two particular features had stood out to me when I first learned them and they came to my mind now: Each of their eyes has three lids. Two clear ones on the top and bottom protect the eye from the cold and wind when they come onto the surface of the planet and the extra-thick third lid closes only when the alien is asleep or blinking. This third lid is used to protect the eye from the cold. Also, their skin is covered with a thick, mucus-like slime that protects them from both extreme heat and the freezing atmosphere of their native planet.

The Uran? took us to what seemed to be a transmitting station on the planet Mars. We couldn't figure out why there instead of Uranus itself, but were glad to be that much closer to Earth. There, we were forced to send meaningless signals to the humans on Earth. We were there for nearly three months. The Martians that we saw seemed to be terrrified of the Uran? and did not agknowledge us at all. I made careful notes about their appearance and behaviors to document back on Earth

One day, Denn and Galo were able to jump the guards that had been assigned to them and escaped from the station. Denn released me from my holding cell while Galo hijacked two small space crafts. We attempted to return to Earth, but, unable to read many of the maps and screens on the ships, were not able to find our way home as easily as we had thought. We had to simply try the nearest lightpoints, areas of increased radiated light generated from stars that created a form of hyperspace that allows ships to be transported from one area to another. We traveled for nearly a day after leaving Mars. Eventually, we realized that none of us had any idea where we were.

“Try to signal Denn,” Galo did not take his eyes off of the dash. I grabbed the com unit and tried to contact Denn's ship. He was nearby in the second craft since each ship only had space for two. I entered his ship's transmitting number and waited. Nothing but static came through. After a moment, I lowered the com unit and sighed.
“No answer,” I said rapidly, “The atmosphere must be blocking the signal. The com unit just wasn't made for such heavy interference.”

Galo opened his mouth to answer. Suddenly, he started and twisted one more dial, glancing at a few gauges worriedly.
“Something's wrong in the fuel compartment. The fuel gauge reads full, but the engine's practically running on air.” He told me, characteristically calm, “We're going to have to land.”
I nodded. I looked back to the screen I had pulled out from the door and set it to show the planets. My heart skipped a beat when it showed me the closest planets.
“The nearest planet looks like Uranus.” I noticed Galo gripping the steering controls tighter and gritting his teeth. After a moment, he nodded curtly.
“I guess we don't have a choice. Hopefully, Denn will notice that we are gone and come back for us before anything else finds out we are there. Knowing him, he probably won't even realize we are gone until it's too late,” he muttered, “Hang on, it's goin' to be a bit rough going down.”

He carefully steered the craft in the direction the instruments said was down. With the artificial gravity of the cockpit and the thick, blue mist surrounding them, it was impossible to tell which direction we were headed.

Suddenly, the heavy fog drifted away. The rough surface of Uranus flew towards us with surprising speed. Galo desperately yanked upwards on the controls. The tip of the craft inclined momentarily, but it wasn't enough.

I heard the impact before I felt it. Dust flew as our small ship careened into the ground, sending both of us flying. Our restraining belts snapped us back into their seats as the craft rolled and smashed into one of the many rock formations that jutted from the planet's grey surface.

Galo quickly popped open the cockpit and rapidly clambered out. I followed less gracefully. Dizzy from the impact, I slid from the seat and onto the ground. We both coughed from the dust and stared around warily. It was absolutely freezing. Across the cold, barren wasteland, nothing living could be seen. The strange-looking rock formations gave the planet an eerie look.

I had never been to Uranus before, but I had heard tales of the unusually intelligent aliens that inhabited the planet. To my knowledge, Galo had never been there either. He scowled out into the emptiness, staggered to the fuel compartment, and opened the lid. I pulled a tiny flashlight out of my satchel and handed it to him. He took it and peered into the dark interior of the compartment. It was completely black. Galo scowled again and leaned closer, sticking the light into the opening.

Suddenly, something flashed out of the opening and snatched the light. Galo jumped back and gasped. A slimy black tentacle reached out of the fuel compartment and writhed out. It seemed to never end. It had the appearance of oil, yet was alive and obviously had a mind of its own. Slowly, the tentacle dropped onto the ground, forming itself into a huge, slimy blob. It reared up and lunged at Galo. He leapt away and screamed for me to get out of there.

I ran. Above the sound of my racing heart, I heard Galo trip and fall on the uneven ground. I stopped dead in my tracks. There was no way I was going to leave a teammate. I turned to see the alien looming over him. Before I could take a single step, the alien stretched and formed a gaping mouth in its midsection. It fell upon Galo, swallowing him whole.

I screamed. The alien noticed me again and raced towards me. I sprinted away, running for one of the rock formations. My heart beat like a drum in my chest. My mind raced. I had to reach the rocks. What I would do then I hadn't really figured out, but anything had to be better than meeting the alien blob. Reaching my hand into my satchel, I pulled out a small light gun. Still running, I turned and aimed at the alien. It lunged forward, reaching for the gun. I fired, and the light ray hit it. The creature just absorbed the ray, like a sponge absorbing a liquid. In my surprise, I dropped the gun and nearly tripped. The monster swallowed up the gun as it passed over it, neither stopping nor slowing down.

I had nearly reached one of the rock formations when I felt my foot catch on a rock. My heart stopped. Just like Galo, the thought flashed through my mind as I crashed to the ground. My face was pressed to the cold, frozen dirt. Scrambling backwards, I turned to face the creature. It was coming closer with every second. I reached for my gun, remembering quickly that it had been devoured.

Suddenly, my eyes fell upon a small gap in a nearby rock formation. In between two rock slats, there was an opening about six inches wide. It was invisible from the angle from which I had been running. If I hadn’t have fallen, I never would have seen it.

I glanced back to the mutant blob. It was nearly upon me. Taking a deep breath, I scrambled to my feet and dove past the alien just as it reached me. It overshot and crashed into the rock wall. Taking advantage of its temporary immobility, I dashed madly towards the opening in the rock and slid between the rock slats.

It was extremely dark, but my eyes soon adjusted. Inside the opening, there was a long, winding tunnel that lead to a series of other underground paths. I glanced back out at the blob. The thing couldn't seem to figure out where I had disappeared to.

I cautiously made my way down the tunnel, glancing around for any signs of life. I had read that Uran? lived in labyrinths of underground tunnels just like this one. If I could just find a way to contact Denn or the NASA headquarters on Earth, I knew I'd be safe. It would probably be best if I avoided meeting any Uran? along the way.

My breath came in ragged gasps. I paused momentarily to catch my breath and then chose a tunnel to follow. As I stuck my foot out to take my first step, I felt a strange updraft. My foot came down on air. I resisted the urge to scream as I was plunged downward through a large hole.

I fell for a moment and then landed on a giant mass of phosphorescent alien fungi, their squishy white bodies cushioning my fall. I gasped and nearly laughed with relief. Glancing around, I heard the faint sound of voices. A thin wisp of light came from around the corner in the direction of the sound. The tunnel was narrow and I was unable to stand up completely. I half-crawled, half-walked around the corner and peered down a hole in the floor. I gasped.

Laid out underneath me was a cavernous room filled with Uran?. The aliens' white lab-coats reflected the light that radiated from the odd-shaped light fixtures that hung over their heads. The large, white table that ran through the middle of the long room was covered in a myriad of papers, instruments, and tools. The four walls of the room were lined with tall glass-like cylinders filled with a thick clear liquid. It was what was inside these cylinders that shocked me. Each held a Uran?, attached to several tubes and in various stages of development. They floated in the liquid unmoving.

My mind raced. Each of the Uran? was exactly the same. They had to be clones. Clones, I wondered, Why on Earth would they need clones?

That's when it struck me. They were building an army! The signals from Mars were just a distraction to keep the humans occupied. While NASA's experts were watching Mars, the Uran? would have free rein to create and utilize a gigantic army without the humans even knowing it. Until it was too late, that is. I knew I had to inform Earth immediately.

Down in the lab, one of the Uran? scientists strode over to one of the cases and tapped on the glass. The clone inside it did not respond. The scientist nodded to itself and jotted something down on its notepad. I leaned in closer to try and read what it wrote. My hand touched a smaller cousin of the fungi I had landed on. A much smaller, slimier cousin. When I leaned forward, my hand slipped and I was pitched forward into the hole, right into the middle of the Uran? lab.

I landed with a crash. All the aliens froze and stared at me. I silently cursed myself and waited. Suddenly, one of the scientists shrieked and the room erupted into chaos. I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the room. One of the Uran? snatched a small com unit off of its belt and yelled into it frantically. I couldn't understand what exactly it was saying, but I knew it wasn't going to help my plan of stealth. I dashed out of the narrow doorway and into the tunnel. It went in two directions. I paused momentarily, trying to decide which path to take. Suddenly, two huge Uran? guards came dashing down one passageway. I chose the other.

I sprinted down the tunnel as fast as I could, running completely blind as my eyes tried to adjust from the bright light of the lab. I could hear the light footsteps of the guards close behind me. As my eyes adjusted, I was able to outdistance them a little. I rounded a corner without slowing down. I paused as a small cleft in the wall on one side. I leapt into it, barely squeezing in between the rock.

The Uran? flew past me, not noticing me in my hiding place. I held my breath until they passed me. I knew that they would alert the rest of the colony of my presence, so I would have to move fast. Once they were out of hearing, I slipped out of the wall and ran quietly back to the lab. Pressing myself against the frozen wall, I peeked into the laboratory. Only one Uran? scientist remained. The rest must have gone out to alert the others. The lone Uran? seemed a bit uneasy. It kept glancing about itself as it made its rounds around the lab, checking every clone in its turn.

I waited silently until it passed the doorway. When its back was turned, I slid into the room and picked up a heavy instrument that vaguely resembled a sledgehammer. As I lifted it, the alien turned slightly. I brought that heavy object down on it hard. The alien crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

After listening for the sound of approaching footsteps, I tore off the Uran?'s lab-coat and searched it for a com unit. Instead, I found a small light gun. I slipped it into my satchel.

I stood and began searching through the items that cluttered the table in the middle of the room. I noticed a group of small cylinder shaped test tubes that seemed to be empty. I shrugged and continued my search. In my concentration, my elbow brushed one of the tubes, sending it crashing to the ground. Clear, odorless liquid splashed everywhere and created a large puddle on the ground. Startled, I stepped back suddenly, backing into a cloning cylinder. The glass rattled and I jumped away.

The clone inside it shifted. Its eye muscles flinched and it slowly opened its huge, liquid eyes. It stared at me, then tensed and strained against the bands that restrained it. I tried not to scream as the bands on his left hand snapped, then the other. The clone screeched furiously and lunged against the glass. The tube wobbled, then crashed to the ground. The clone gasped as it breathed air of the first time. It coughed up clear liquid and its entire body shook as it hacked and shivered. I watched silently, enthralled.

Suddenly, the clone froze and look straight at me. I started to back away slowly. The clone screamed and leapt at me. I dove away and it flew past me. My heart pounded as the clone skidded to a halt, nearly slamming into the wall. It scrambled around, then lunged at me again. Its speed surprised me and I narrowly dodged it. It's long claw-like nails tore the sleeve of my coat as it brushed past my shoulder. The Uran? twisted in midair, ready to launch itself again.

A horrifying screech rent the air as the clone landed. It fell into the liquid I had spilled and slipped on it, landing with its back in the puddle. It screamed in pain again, thrashing about and rolling out of the liquid. It turned its back to me.

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. The clone's back had been completely eaten away. The tough outer skin had been dissolved like it was paper. I pulled out the scientist's gun and aimed at the clone. The first shot hit the skin that hadn't touched the liquid. It bounced off and hit a light fixture, shattering it. I ducked as the shards fell all around me and aimed again. This time the shot hit the eaten-away portion. The clone slumped to the ground, dead. I stared at it, stunned.

I turned back to the remaining test tubes. They each had a dark label on them that read in white print: ???? I slipped three of the tubes into my satchel. I looked around the lab one last time, but still did not see any means of communication. I turned to go.

Just as I stepped out of the door, I saw out of the corner of my eye two more Uran? guards coming down the tunnel way. I frantically turned on my heel, ducked back into the lab, and pressed myself against the wall. I winced as I heard one of the guards shout and their footsteps quickened. Knowing that they had seen me, I threw stealth to the wind and took off as fast as I could run down the other tunnel.

The Uran? screeched and gave chase. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I ran. I knew that I couldn't keep running forever. Sooner or later, either they would catch me or I would run out of energy. I rounded a sharp corner, slipping slightly and nearly slamming into the far wall.
Suddenly, I had an idea. I paused momentarily and dug in my satchel for the other test tubes. I heard the Uran?'s footsteps coming closer as my hand closed around one of the tubes. Quickly, I pulled out a tube and poured its contents in a wide puddle on the cold ground. I quickly pressed myself against the wall.

Not a second after I had finished, the guards came tearing around the corner. I leapt out and threw myself against them. They yelped and collapsed on top of one another. I pressed my weight down and forced them onto the liquid. Their shrieks of anger and surprise turned to those of pain. I jumped up off of them and pulled out the scientist's gun. I pointed it at the first alien and fired. It stopped yelping and lay motionless, its weight pressing the other harder into the puddle. It screeched and thrashed, throwing the dead alien off. I aimed and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. I blinked in surprise and tried again. Again, nothing. The tiny gun was fitted with a minuscule clip and had already run out of shots. Sighing, I tossed the useless gun aside. My eyes fell upon a large knife attached to the belt of the dead guard. I snatched it and took care of the remaining Uran?.

I searched the aliens for weapons or anything else that could help me. They carried few weapons, none of which I knew how to use, probably because they met few other beings on Uranus that could stand against them even without guns and knives.

I smiled to find a small com unit hanging from one of their belts. I stood and tested it, but it was weak and did not have the power to transmit inter-planetary signals. Shrugging, I stuck it in my satchel anyway. It might come in handy later, I told myself. I dragged the bodies into a large crack in the wall and hid them there. Some Uran? would discover them later, I was sure, but it might help throw them off my trail for now.

I stood and continued down the tunnel. Soon, I felt a gentle, bitterly cold breeze coming from ahead of me. My hope of finding an exit renewed, I broke into a run. A dim light shone from an opening similar to the one I had entered nearly three hours before. My heart lifted as I saw a thin opening up ahead. I slid out of the narrow doorway and into the open. It was incredibly cold compared to the underground tunnels. A strong wind blew across the deeply cratered and bleak landscape. I surveyed the rock formation surrounding the doorway on three sides and, confident that nothing was near, continued on my way.

A tiny stone plinked to the ground in front of me. I froze and clutched the Uran? knife tighter. A second stone fell behind me and I spun around to face thin air. I backed up nervously until I could feel the cold rock wall at my back. I glanced here and there, tense and waiting. I heard the sound of nails on rock echo off the opposite wall. A shadow fell across me. I screamed as a large Uran? swung down from the rock wall above me. I dove aside and the alien dug its sharp nails into the wall where I had stood half a second before. It shrieked in frustration and leapt to the ground. I brandished the knife in front of me as the Uran? circled around me, forcing me to back away from the wall. It pulled a knife similar to the one I held off the belt hanging around its shoulders and lunged and swiped it at me. I blocked it narrowly and our blades locked.

The Uran? twisted its knife until mine flew from my grasp. It cackled evilly, almost laughing, and stepped closer, raising its knife. Surprisingly fast, it stabbed at me. I jumped out of the path of the knife and the blade hit the frozen rock instead. The metal blade snapped and a shard flew off and hit the alien in the face. The Uran? did not flinch as it bounced off its tough outer skin harmlessly, landing on the ground. Looking at the broken knife, the alien screeched in anger and threw the useless hilt down. The moment the knife left its hand, it leapt into the air and threw me to the ground. I slammed into the rock surface and rolled with the Uran?. It scrambled for my satchel and tore it from me, tossing it a few feet away. One of the test tubes rolled out near my face. It reflected the light and caught my eye.

The Uran? had me pressed to the ground. Somehow, I managed to bring my legs up underneath it. I kicked out with all my might, sending the shocked Uran? flying off and into the rock wall. I rolled over and smashed the tube with my fist as the alien recovered and leapt toward me again. I met it in midair. It overpowered me rather easily and threw me down. I used the momentum of the fall to flip over and press the Uran? into the puddle of liquid and broken glass. It screamed and thrashed, but I held it down until it finally stopped moving.

Exhausted, I slumped onto my back on the ground and lay staring up into the sky. My lungs hurt from breathing in the frigid air too quickly for comfort. After a minute, my mind cleared somewhat and I remembered to slip the last test tube into my coat pocket. I sat up to check the alien's body for a com unit. There was one attached to its belt.

I nearly laughed with relief. I retrieved the first com unit from my torn satchel and quickly popped the antenna and transmitter off of it. I carefully entwined the antenna around the one on the second unit and attached the transmitter to the back. I held my breath as I typed in Earth's coordinates and waited.

Static buzzed. My hope started to fade. Then suddenly, a faint voice came through the speaker. “This is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States of America, Earth, Sector 40-5831.” a female human voice stated.
“This is NASA researcher Lune Thalion. I was stranded on Uranus yesterday and I have some information that it is vital the commander know immediately.”
The voice paused momentarily. I heard the sound of two people conversing and then the woman returned.
“Thalion? We thought you were dead. Your teammate Denn Zarat returned yesterday and he had no idea where you were. Is Galo Sharn with you?”
I bit my lip and hesitated.
“No... Galo,” I said, my voice catching, “Galo was killed when we crashed on Uranus.”
“I see,” the connection was growing weaker, “We will send a ship for you immediately.”
I gave her my rough location, thanked her and disconnected. I knew that it would be at least two hours before the ship came. I walked a bit further and found a small overhang of rock that would serve for some shelter from the the wind. I crawled beneath it and quickly fell asleep, exhausted.

Nearly an hour later, I awoke to the sound of the ship's rockets. I pulled myself out of my hiding spot and stood slowly. My face broke into a smile as I saw Denn beckoning to me from the cockpit.

“I can't believe you're alright!” he said as I climbed into the co-pilot seat of the small craft. I smiled and nodded. He listened silently as I explained what had happened. It was the first time I had ever seen him not say anything for more than five minutes. When I had finished, we both sat without speaking, thinking of Galo.

The craft lifted from the surface of Uranus and ascended into the thick, heavy atmosphere. Denn entered Earth coordinates into the ship's computer and began the trip home. I stared out the transparent cockpit windshield and watched Uranus' moons grow larger as we flew nearer.
“The nearest lightpoint is just past Uranus' closet moon,” Denn began.
“Puck, named after one of the fairies from Shakespeare,” I interjected, “Isn't that it now?” I pointed to the tiny, blue satellite that was nearing the ship.
“Yep,” Denn nodded, “Puck. I knew that. I've always known that.” he glanced at me and rolled his eyes, “How on Earth did you know that?”
I laughed quietly, “Galo. He was always telling me about things like names of moons and planets and such.”
Denn engaged another rocket and the craft picked up speed. I gazed absentmindedly out at Puck.

Something strange caught my eye. A weird blue fog or mist was rising from the moon. I called Denn's name and pointed.
“Something’s not right,” I pulled a screen out from the dash and tapped a few buttons on its surface, “Do you see that fog?”
Denn glanced at the moon and shrugged.
“Could be steam or some kind of smoke,” he said, “Don't worry about it.”
I didn't take my eyes off the fog. “Puck is a frozen moon.” I stated, “There is no way that could be steam. Or smoke, for that matter. Pull nearer and I'll take a closer look.”
Denn steered the ship towards Puck. I stared out at the strange fog. As we drew closer, I saw that it was not fog at all.
“Uran?,” I breathed. Denn glanced at me worriedly. “It's the Uran? clones.”

It was thousands and thousands of Uran? clone soldiers. They were packed so tightly together that from far off, they seemed to be one giant mass. My heart skipped a beat. This was it, the assault on Earth.
“Denn,” I cried, “We have to get back to Earth! Now! The invasion's begun!”

Denn engaged all the rockets on the ship and we shot forward towards the lightpoint. We raced past the Uran? soldiers. Each of them had a pair of huge, paper-thin, and bat-like wings that flapped silently in the airless space. I realized that the wings folded into their backs, practically invisible when not in use. That was why I never noticed them before.

Back on Earth, Denn took me straight to the NASA commander. I informed him of the Uran?'s plan and gave him the last tube of the liquid from Uranus. The NASA scientists preformed a number of experiments on it, discovered it was a new element, and were able to recreate it by chemically combining the metal promethium and the gaseous hydrogen.
They hurriedly created guns loaded with special bullets. These bullets had an outer covering that was made primarily out of the liquid, allowing the bullet to penetrate the Uran?'s tough outer skin. Along with these weapons, they also designed knives and swords made of metal infused with the liquid for close combat.

No sooner had these weapons been finished, the Uran? army arrived. They broke through the outer atmosphere easily and began their attack on Earth. I grabbed a gun and went to join in the defense, despite Denn's protests. He and the commander both said I had done enough. I told them that there was no way I was going to sit back and do nothing while aliens attacked my home.

The Uran? began by attacking the NASA headquarters. They seemed to know that that was where most of the weapons and technology of our country were kept. It was almost like they had been observing us for some time. It was an eerie feeling, knowing that they had been watching us without our knowledge.

The land was turned blue by the bodies of thousands of Uran? soldiers on the march. When I looked out, all I could see were the aliens. They had split their ranks into quarters and quickly surrounded the two main NASA buildings. Those of us who had been trained in combat gathered all the weapons that had been made and waited in the outer rooms of the structures. The men and women with the best aim, including Denn, were sent to the roofs as snipers. I was stationed near the ground on one of the lower levels of the first building. Along with a rifle-like gun, I carried the knife I took from Uranus, its blade newly injected with the armor-dissolving liquid.

We began our attack with cluster bombs. Large cannons fired the lethal bombs into the thickest parts of the Uran? army. When they exploded, they sent a rain of the liquid, which the scientists had nicknamed dipromethium trihydride, onto the clones. The sound of screeches and the smell of dissolving flesh filled the air as the first of the bombs landed. Over the loudspeakers, the deep, commanding voice of the NASA leader echoed throughout the building. At his command, I lifted my gun to my shoulder.

He called for us to open fire. The sound was deafening. Hundreds of Uran? fell from the hail of bullets. When one crumpled to the ground, there was always another directly behind it ready to step into its place. A few of them raised light guns and shot back at us. Despite suffering hundreds of casualties, it was only a matter of minutes before the alien army reached the doorstep of the first building.

I ran to the door, hurriedly shoving my gun into the arms of a young man standing nearby. I dashed out into the hall and was thrown to the ground by the impact of the Uran? clones bursting through the outer walls. The aliens screamed and screeched as they scrambled down the tile floor. I leapt to my feet and slid the knife from my belt. Dozens of other humans joined me and we prepared for the real battle.

The fight lasted nearly an entire day. Finally, the Uran? clones retreated. Some of them spread their wings and attempted to fly into the outer atmosphere only to be picked off by the snipers. Most simply turned and ran. These were eventually found and destroyed in the weeks following the battle.

We lost over a hundred men that day, most of them during the first hour of fighting. The bodies of the dead Uran? cluttered the land and hallways of the NASA buildings. I, along with many of my companions, was wounded. An Uran? clone had snuck up behind me and landed a heavy blow to my right arm before a sniper took him down. Denn was relatively safe from his place on the roof, for the guns of the Uran? were not powerful enough to reach that height and they never made it to the highest levels. He was not wounded at all except for a slight gash he received on his hand from a broken shard of a metal wall after the fighting had ended.

A month after the attack, Denn and I volunteered for one final mission to Uranus. We took a spaceship loaded with explosives out to the spot of the cloning facilities. After engaging the explosives, we slipped into a tiny, two-man craft stored inside the larger ship and left the planet. The detonation was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It collapsed many of the huge rock formations, sending them crashing down and crushing the underground tunnels. The Uran?'s cloning technology was completely destroyed. The Uran? were never again a threat to Earth.
That day, the inhabitants of Uranus learned that we could and would fight back. The whole galaxy learned.
We would always fight back.
And we would win.