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Beth had seen all that had been taking place. Yet below? Nothing was happening of any relevance.
No real disturbances, no invasion or similar like before. IF, what had taken place, was due to the Matsupa, surely there would have been, an immediate attack force?
True, there was, one aspect to all of this, she was worryhing about.
The ‘Portei Semperu’ had still NOT been discovered!
The mere thought, their enemy, could send through, legions of their dammed, WAS not to be dismissed lightly.
Support at the moment, was poor. NO one had expected what had just or appeared to have happened?
Commander Thirk of Solus 3 (Earth) defence forces ?
Waiting on a report, from him and, one had not been received.
Thirk had realized, the signal from his transmitter, aboard the space station, was not working. Something, was blocking al,l outgoing transmissions.
It, would not be, until much later, enroute to the surface that he finally, managed to make contact. Beth, was now, more than aware of a truth .He, had never, seen anyone so terrified, in a long LONG time.
A babbling almost incoherent wreck, who, could not, stop shaking.
Still muttering ‘They are coming, they are coming. We must bow down before our true God.“
The space station, was an incinerated, blackened twisted, piece of space debris. Over 80 percent of it; trashed. The force, to do that and it seemed from within?
Was too terrifying to comprehend.
Attempting to send a signal, had not worked. NOR that from a satellite he had sent into orbit. In fact, ALL of the satellites in orbit, had been compromised.
An EMF pulse?
Beth, had headed, towards the main control centre. The population, we have to remember, was still under the influence of the ‘Pite’. Military forces per sae, were almost non existent.
No orbiting satellites, meant no signal out. NO way to summon help, without sending up and, OUT into space, one of their craft. An interstellar trading craft, was, the only, operational one, they had and, THAT had NO actual weapons of any significance.
Elsewhere, others, had noted, there WERE issues. Mira had been snooping around the usual areas of regular interest to her. Communication systems, were being patchy at best. Definitely SOMETHING was affecting them.
As an experienced programmer, of some AI systems?
She, was soon, to detect, a sub carrier signal, that was being broadcast and, it WAS, within close proximity, to where she, had just used, a remote terminus.
That ‘signal’, was manipulating data server controls’ to make them borderline DUMB terminals.
Of no use to anyone. Affecting banking, othrer necessary financial, marketing and more hour by hour essentials.
Machinery and, other terminal controls, both domestic AND industrial; relied on 8G command parameters. MoBots had the same systems, well almost. THEY were doing some weird things? 
Unable to function correctly, which IF they had still been for military defence would have made them useless.
Thinking things over, Mira was getting more and more suspicious. You know that odd feeling that what you suspect to be NOT a good feeling to have; IS NOT GOOD.
Rescuing a noisy cat, from the sidewalk, who was acting jittery spooked her. Once in her arms, it settled down, but, they do say, a cat has that extra sensory whatever?
IT, was definitely on edge and, we are not just talking about the edge of the sidewalk here.
Power systems overall, did not, appear to be affected.
Most, control systems there, were not reliant, on high tech, to function. NOT quite wind up but!
Vehicles had their own, inbuilt traffic light systems.
If, she tried, to put the cat down, it dug its claws into her.
That cat look on its face, fixed on her, to gauge her reaction. A short distance, down the ‘street ‘ into a more subdued area and, passing a side road, that led off, into what was known, to be a no signal area?
Shifting to shove itself, out of her grasp, dropping to the ground, it tore off, vanishing into the darkness.
She grinned, thinking to herself, how peculiar it was, but moreso, trying to identify, exactly where she was?
That cat, had been a real distraction.
A little, further along, from where, she normally would have turned off. She, would, have to retrace, some of her steps. A little annoyed, but on reflection, she did not, regret, being used by that cat.
Unknown to her, it had probably saved her life. IF, she had turned down the side road, she normally went down ? A massive hole? from fallen debris, now lodged in it, to open up a ‘sink hole’; beneath it.
Woah! Her thoughts, were on how her knickers were feeling a little wet. The devastation, was all too clear.
Not a hole, it was a CRATER. Taking out almost half of the length of that street.
Several communications units, were now scrap. NOT cheap ones either. This, was going, to cost someone, a lot of Drax, to put right. Half of the upper floors, to the building, below the main Satellite communication systems, were blown out. Gas explosion?
She would NOT, have survived any of that. 2nd sense, thank the heavens for a cat with that! True she had often stopped to stroke it or give it the odd treats.
Several bodies thrown against the walled structures.
Blood and guts not forgetting a sizeable number, of body parts, littering the ground around it.
Several figures, carefully moving, to get closer to the bodies, checking to see if any were still alive? Wary of the structures above them. NONE were alive.
Even during the initial invasion, where these buildings had come under bombardment, they had been checked and were certified safe.
The form of a female, moving past the street to peer in before continuing past it, got her attention.
Dress, build and the darker than normal skin tones ?
Mira, was checking it out, as IT turned to stare back at her.
The look on its face was hostile. One she had seen before and it reminded her of Zealots?
The body shape, size and weight let alone height was NOT, normal.
Breathing a sign of relief, as it turned back to where it was now headed leaving her behind. On her left arm she noticed the lights flashing from a communication device?
She could swear, it was just that BUT NO ONE these days, used a MILITARY grade device, like that. SO?
Deciding to follow, keeping a decent distance, so as NOT, to give it cause, to think, it WAS being tracked ?
A steady pace and, a short distance later, before it, turned off, into what had been, an industrial area?
Old warehouses. Some scrap vehicles and other rubbish, from the earlier days of the war, scattered the yard area. The stranger, carefully made its way, into the front of the warehouse to stop.
The noise of the shutter, being raised, before, the figure stepped in, to disappear out of sight, the shutter now closing. If Mira had thought about leaving she was now aware of noises and one of them she knew all too well.
A power generator, probably a class 4, Slocom field generator, for sophisticated armanent use.
Clearly running through its test programs to finally come to a halt.
That classic 4 beeps to indicate all was GOOD?
WHY would anyone, want a WEAPONS power unit? They, had been outlawed and, it was illegal, to have one, let alone be caught, using one.
Shifting to a set of steps, that let up to a gantry, overlooking some open windows, probably open for ventilation purposes? She climbed them to now peer in.
Several figures, moving around, now coming to a halt, as another figure, apart from the one she had recognised, re earlier; coming into view? She gasped.
An Alien and, almost instantly knowing, it was Matsupa. A Zealot commander AND, one of the worst, of their kind. 
The type, she had butchered, whipped to death, with NO mercy.
A terrifying ‘demon’ from the hell dimension; a flesh eater.
The ones, she had seen, tearing the flesh of a Ketlevling (baby) to chew on it. Rip its heart out and, suck back the blood.
“The Chx device. It will power it?” The confirmation was all it needed to hear. Then YOU.” She turned to the other ‘female’, the one from earlier?
“You, will see it, securely transported, to the place I have told you.
Where the Chx device, will arrive shortly.”
The ‘female’ bowed. “I will obey master, all praise to my Gods, to, the ONLY Gods, who deserve our worship, our praise, our lives. “
As, the Matsupa turned, it moved towards an object, stood in front of it, as a bright light, flared across it, for her, to step into it and vanish.
NOW that, thought Mira, is something I have not seen before!
A transportation device? The others moved, to secure the generator aboard a transporter.
ONE that was fairly common and, would NOT, attract attention, moving across the city area? They left it, momentarily to take up some refreshments. The sounds of them, tearing up strips of flesh.
Distracted, as Mira, found a way in and knowing a way to disable the transporter, removed two necessary components, before quietly slipping out, to the main street area.
Stood catching her breath. Somewhat relieved, to have accomplished, what she knew, she had to, without being caught? Now, how was she, going to get a message to the militia?
Pondering on that, she knelt down to fasten her belts. As she stood up and looked down the street, she froze. Stood watching, WATCHING her, was the Matsupa who, raised her hand for those long fingers, to point at her.
Fingers up to her eyes and then pointing at Mira. The classic, I have my eyes on you gesture.
Then the movement of hands rippling flesh.. Mira was NOT forgetting those gestures anytime soon.
Fleeing? Seemed a good idea, as she tore off up the road disappearing in the distance. NOT stopping until at last she ran out of breath.
NO one, she knew, would take notice of that Matsupa, standing in the street. Well the ones around it, were NOT going to admit it was one. The illusion or was it DELUSION they no longer existed over ruled everything.
Mira knew, if they ever met again, she was DOOMED.
Watching it, she had sensed the power within it. More powerful, than the ones, she had slaughtered.
It was powerful, very, VERY; POWERFUL Those who had been at the transporter? Finding it was now missing vital components?
IT took, one of them and, skinned it alive, in front of them. Leaving it, minus its skin, to hang from the ceiling in the cold night air. Sending the female through the Portei Semperu to retrieve the missing components.
In the street it had seen Mira. Now it would remember the smell Mira had left in the warehouse. The look, the inner rage it would nurture until they met again. Slowly to tear her limb from limb before eating her alive.
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