vision to recover. Ulysses tried to stand up, yet found that he barely had enough strength to stay
sitting up. He started breathing deep, slow breaths resting the back of his head against the wall.
*
*
*
O'Flannery ran through the door after Nera. He had no hope of keeping up with her, nor
was he about to try. At this point, the agent was more concerned about being the U.S.
government's official witness to whatever happened next. He held up his phone and began
recording video.
Nera was running toward the saucer. The alien craft was raining down plasma as it went.
It appeared to be winding a miles-wide circle-- or more accurately, a spiral-- that encompassed
the area in which it had engaged Nera. Her straight line trajectory didn't seem to register to the
occupants of the saucer and neither did O'Flannery.
She stopped roughly a quarter mile from where the saucer was tracing its path. She stood
motionless for a moment. Despite all appearances, the agent was sure something was happening.
A few seconds later, the craft stopped and hovered in place. The plasma that had been
bombarding the ground also stopped. The saucer hung in the sky. Nera gave no hint of motion
where she stood. O'Flannery kept recording the encounter, though he knew he personally would
never need the video to recall this moment.
The saucer fell from the sky. The impact could easily be heard for miles. Somehow, the
craft didn't break apart when it hit. The saucer rested in a shallow crater formed by the impact.
Even as the thought was occurring to him to move closer, Nera was already running toward the
downed saucer. The agent saw her vanish in a flash of light. He knew that meant she had entered
the vehicle.
He kept recording while he waited.