Under The Wings Of Change

Bee POV:

Colonel and I were in the enclosure again, munching on some fruits that had been left here for us. Everything seemed as normal as it could get in here until the whole room started shaking. With a screech, I quickly flew after Colonel to the door. It was the only place where we could be sure that nothing fell on us.

I looked to the observatory to see if the scientists were causing this, but upon seeing the chaos going on over there I knew something bigger was going on. The humans behind the glass looked terrified and ran around in an unorganized frenzy.

A loud boom like thunder sounded from somewhere and the general mind-link got filled with panicked voices.

What was that?

What's going on?

Is everyone alright? Colonel asked in general.

What's happening? Blue worried. While everyone else had at least one other dragonet in sight, he was alone in his metal cage in the separate room.

Was that an earthquake? A dragonet asked after an even stronger shake, this one affecting electricity.

No, I have had a few earthquakes back home. This felt different. A different dragonet answered.

After another loud pang, the whole building shook violently and we could see dust fill the room on the other side of the now-cracked glass panel.

Do you smell that? Colonel mind-linked me privately.

Smoke. The loud noises and shaking were scary, but now that I could smell smoke in the room where we were trapped, I could feel dread creeping up on me.

Hurry! Open the cages! Go, go! Dragonets in the general mind-link were telling someone.

What's going on! Blue shouted, frustrated that he didn't know anything besides the fact that something bad was happening.

Some cages broke, we're getting out and some are already on their way to find you!

Then Colonel spoke up. Get to Blue first, we will figure something out ourselves.

I turned to Colonel and mind-linked him privately.

The enclosure has an electronic lock, we won't be able to get out without a key card.

We both turned to see from the observatory that the humans had all left the building. They would never leave their tablets and research behind, it was too precious to be left without any security. In the observatory, the tablets were either sitting on the table or thrown on the ground. The humans had left, and they weren't coming back for us.

We can't get out. I whispered to him.

Blue, when you are free, take them out of the building.

Colonel told Blue in our own little group mind-link. He turned to me for my reaction. With a firm nod, I let him know that I completely agree with him. There are only two of us, but a little over 100 of them. Besides, Blue is more than capable of keeping them safe. The flock's safety takes priority.

What about you guys?

The enclosure is too far away, we will meet you outside. He told Blue.

Alright, but you two better hurry up. This building ain't gonna last long.

Yeah... Colonel turned the link off.

Alright, there's gotta be some way out of here. He looked around. Any ideas?

What about that? I gestured to the cracked glass.

Too thick. Pieces of the ceiling were literally falling down and it barely cracked one layer of that glass.

Something occurred to both of us when he said that. Sharing a quick glance, we both looked up. The ceiling was made of panels. We had tried them the second day we were here, they were heavy, resistant to our claws and seemed to be welded together. Guess they didn't weld everything, because it looked like a huge portion of it had been knocked loose.

We flew up and I managed to wedge myself through the opening. Once through, I quickly pushed it a bit more open so that Colonel could fit through. What could I say? He had about an inch in height, weight and width on me. He climbed through and coughed at the smoke that had already gathered there. We had to be quick, so we crawled across the ceiling while trying to take only shallow breaths.

Looking around, Colonel noticed the smoke moving in a specific direction so he gestured with his head for us to follow it. We moved as fast as two lizards the size of a border collie could in a narrow space filled with smoke.

After a minute or two my vision was starting to get hazy and I stumbled from the lack of air in my lungs. Colonel stopped ahead of me and turned back when he heard me rasp for breath. I could see he was having trouble too, and yet he curled his tail around my left bicep, helping to support my weight while he led me to where we could see light shining through smoke.

We finally got to an opening just as I was about to faint and Colonel could barely keep standing up. There was a huge part of the building blown away and all the two of us had to do was glide down on the grass and drink up on the sweet, sweet air that had never quite tasted that good.

We almost crashed to the ground gasping for breath. I was laying on the grass when I suddenly noticed the panicked screeching that could only be our dragonet flock coming from above us. Looking up, it wasn't the colorful flock of winged lizards that shocked me speechless, it was aliens.

The classical shape of a UFO that you see in most movies was right above us.

Bee! I finally heard. Come on, Bee! Move!

Colonel and Blue were both urging me to get my wings out from under my tail end and fly for my life. Because that's what happened next. We flew for our lives.

When we got higher than the buildings and the trees, I finally fully saw what was happening.

The sky was littered with UFOs of different sizes and there were all possible Earth army vehicles, weapons and soldiers firing at them. Then I noticed the same rockets bounce right off of the forcefield around the UFOs, which meant that the rockets were heading straight back to where they came from.

In the distance, I saw a light beam from a UFO moving across the ground. I didn't understand its purpose until the one we had been flying away from started doing the same. It was disintegrating humans. Dissolving them into puddles of green goo. We used to be humans and there was no way we were risking getting caught in that beam.

Faster! Come on! Hurry! Was heard throughout the flock.

Blue was at the very front, doing his best to lead us into the nearby park he had spotted. Our best chances of hiding and surviving were there.

Colonel and I were at the back on opposite sides, making sure no one was left behind. We weren't planning on losing any more of us.

Faster! It's catching up! Colonel urged the flock as the beam got closer and closer.

When it was almost upon us, Colonel and I happened to catch each other's eye. There was a quiet moment of peace, maybe even acceptance, that we shared in a simple look. All we wanted was to live our lives undisturbed, guess it was too much to ask from the world.

Because then it went white.