The Enemy In The Mirror

Earth wasn’t prepared for the arrival of aliens. They didn’t hover over the capitol cities, blasting the offices of world leaders like in Independence Day. Neither did they drop long metallic legs to trample the population and suck out their insides with probes. There wasn’t a single report of them abducting humans for diabolical experimentation. This didn’t prevent the world leaders from reacting as if the aliens were villainous invaders bent on movie-like destruction.

The sleek black spacecraft zoomed across the planet in what looked to the Earthlings like a scouting mission. The President of the United States, a former sci-fi movie star, acting like one of his heroic characters ordered the annihilation of the invaders. There was no attempt at communication with the extraterrestrials.

In a very human-like reaction, the aliens retaliated with cruel efficiency, destroying the military establishments of civilization. Their advanced weaponry leveled buildings to ground level, obliterating the humans within them. Unseen by human eyes, their lasers wiped out aircraft, tanks, and warships.

The creatures landed and mounted a ground assault. The humans were stunned to learn that the invaders looked exactly like themselves, only much bigger. The other major difference became apparent when the creatures attacked without guns or blades. Instead, they opened their mouths wide and swallowed their enemies like constrictor snakes.

The aliens weren’t invincible. They bled from wounds; died from bullet holes like any human. The problem was that for every one killed, by some mysterious means, two seemed to take their place. Earth soon found its armies outnumbered and outclassed.



Colby Kincaid ran between the trees, his assault rifle pointed straight ahead. Grenades and other gear made a clinking sound with each footfall. His fatigues camouflaged him in the trees and green growth as he sped by them.

Behind him, staccato gunfire, whirring lasers, and booming explosions marked the battle he was part of moments earlier.

“This is Kincaid,” he said into the thin microphone in front of his mouth. “I’m in pursuit of one of the snakes.”

A voice crackled in his ear, “Kincaid, break off. I repeat, break off. You can’t go after one of them on your own.”

Something caught Kincaid’s eye and he stopped cold. He kneeled down and picked up a leaf. There was a splatter of red against the green.

“I hit him. He’s wounded. Permission to continue?”

“Proceed with caution, Kincaid. I’m sending a team to your position. Track him but do not engage.”

”Understood, sir. Kincaid out.”

The crack of a dead branch snapped Kincaid’s head up. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. “Got you snake man,” he said, smiling. His eyes filled with violence.

Grasping the crucifix dangling from a chain around his neck, Kincaid put his lips to it. “God, give me strength.”

He sprinted towards the creature, his weapon ready to deal death. Occasional glimpses of his quarry guided him through the trees.

The forest opened up to a field edged with a towering cliff face. The sweet smell of flowers filled Kincaid’s nostrils. He saw tall weeds fall as the alien trampled them in its haste to escape. With the rocky outcrop blocking his prey’s flight, Kincaid slowed his progress, proceeding with caution.

“I’ve got him cornered at the edge of the wood,” he whispered into the microphone.

“Do not engage,” the CO’s voice roared in his ear.

“It’s a solitary, wounded enemy. I can capture him alive. It’s the break we’ve been waiting for. I’m going in.”

“Kincaid---.” The commander’s words died as Kincaid turned the radio set off.

The movement had stopped. Kincaid swiveled his head around, trying to discern any disturbances in the growth. There was none.

“Dammit.”

He crept towards the last spot he saw the creature progress. He quickly picked up a trail of blood leading to the rocks. He followed it to the mouth of a cave. As he stepped inside, the whistle of an approaching mortar round gave him enough time to roll away from the entrance. The impact of the shell deafened him. The entrance collapsed in a puff of dust.

As the debris settled, Kincaid coughed his lungs clean. He looked around the cavern, taking in the situation.

The snake man lay with his back against the natural wall. Blood oozed from a wound in its leg. The alien looked up at Kincaid, giant black saucers showing no fear.

Kincaid aimed his rifle at the enemy. “Now don’t you make a move, snake boy. I will end your existence.”

“I’m in no position to threaten you,” the alien said, holding his arms in the air. His mouth tightened into a grimace of pain as the skin around his wound stretched.

Kincaid’s eyes widened. “You speak English?”

“We speak many of your world’s languages. It’s always been important to us to communicate in case we were caught. It’s been a practice for generations.”

“Caught doing what? And what do you mean by generations? Your people have been here before?”

“We travel long distances. It’s not uncommon for weary travelers to stop here for a bite to eat.”

Kincaid’s finger tightened on the trigger of the gun, eyes narrowing. “You mean when you abduct our people to eat them?”

“No, no,” the alien said, his eyes lighting up with amusement. “We are vegetarians. We just raid some produce now and then.”

“Crop circles,” Kincaid whispered.

“What?”

“You leave circles of burnt land. We’ve wondered about those for years.”

“Ah yes. Those aren’t really burn marks. It’s just a reaction of your soil to our re-fertilization method. In a hundred years, the land will be more fertile than we found it.”

“But, how can you say you are vegetarian when we’ve seen you eat our kind?”

The creature shook his baldhead. “We don’t eat them. We take them within us and then convert them; turn them into one of ours.”

“So that’s how you keep gaining numbers.”

“Precisely. It’s easier than sending for more. Space travel is not easy.”

“So, what changed? Why did you show yourselves after all this time?”

The alien put his arms down, slowly, Kincaid nodding his allowance. “Our planet is in peril. We hoped to befriend you. Share our knowledge with you in exchange for a safe place to live.”

Kincaid sat down on a flat rock across from the alien, his gun never losing its aim. “Tell me more about you and your people. What’s your name?”

“I am called Junie. How are you addressed?”

“I’m Colby Kincaid.”

“Well, Colby Kincaid. My people developed in much the same manner as yours. We became the dominant creatures on our planet, but it took us millions of years. We fought each other for land and wealth, killing without thought.”

Colby nodded his head. “Nothing spurs us to kill more than money.”

Junie sighed. “One of the things that we would teach you is how to live without war amongst yourselves.”

“That would be great. I’m a warrior and can tell you that every man I’ve killed feels like a bullet inside myself. I’d throw a party if I didn’t have to do it again.”

“I understand. I have been a warrior like you for most of my life.”

“I thought your people didn’t have wars?”

“We no longer fight ourselves. The universe is filled with warmonger cultures and we must defend against them. Still, I despise destroying another being. It leaves an emptiness in my soul like a black hole.”

Colby lowered his rifle and stared at Junie. His mind tried to wrap itself around the other’s words. “You believe in souls---in God?”

“We call him The Creator and I say soul only because there is no word in your world to describe the concept.”

“Please explain.”

“There is a balance. For every good, there must be a bad. They are not equal, though. If I commit a wrong, my inner self is tainted and I cannot be forgiven for it. I can’t lose the stain, but I can do many goods to counteract its effect. When I leave this plane of existence, I will be judged to decide what happens in the next.”

“Reincarnation---that is the word we use for that idea. Some believe; some don’t.”

Junie nodded his head in agreement. “Yes, but you all believe that it can be washed away; cleansed with words or deeds. This is not accurate.”

Colby felt a twinge of annoyance and said, “It’s all a matter of faith. None of us knows what happens when we die. We believe and hope that what we think is true.”

“We found out for fact when we met the Creator.”

“Are you saying that you found God?”

“I know it’s hard for you to believe. We spent countless centuries sending people throughout the universe until we found Him. He taught us many things and showed us the way to eternal happiness.”

Colby grabbed his cross. The alien’s words rang true. They can show us God, he thought. After thousands of years of doubt, they can show us proof He exists.

Junie cringed and grabbed at the wound in his leg. Colby dropped his weapon and ran to the alien’s side. “Let me help you, Junie.”

Reaching into his backpack, Colby brought out a field dressing kit and wrapped the wound. “If you’re bodies are like ours, you need better treatment than I can give you. This will help you for now, but we must get you to a doctor.”

“Will your surgeons help me or use me? I won’t allow myself to be a prisoner.”

“With what you’ve told me, I think you will be treated as an ambassador. The war between our peoples can end tomorrow.” Colby stood up and went to the entrance. “It’s not as bad as it looks. I can have this clear in no time.”

Colby cleared the rocks away in minutes and returned to Junie. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Junie smiled. The humanness of the expression brought a wave of joy over Colby. He helped the alien up, putting the creature’s arm around his neck---supporting him.

Junie’s hand tightened in a friendly grip on Colby’s shoulder. “Together, we can make peace a reality, you and me.”

They walked out of the dim cave. The air was crisp and clean compared to the dank cavern. The sun shone warm and bright. Colby felt as if he was walking into Heaven’s light.

“Stop right there snake man. Let him go or you are toast,” a voice called out from the field below. The support team had arrived.

“You guys don’t understand,” Colby yelled. “He’s---“

A shot rang out. A hole appeared between Junie’s eyes and his body went limp. He collapsed out of Colby’s grasp and fell to the ground. Colby knelt beside his new friend, knowing the sniper’s round had hit its mark. Junie was dead. A tear rolled down Colby’s cheek.

The support team climbed up to Colby.

“Are you okay, Kincaid?” the team leader asked, real concern on his face.

“You have no idea what you’ve done,” Colby screamed. He charged into the man and started pounding him with his fists. The other team members pulled him off, but not before he had done considerable damage to the soldier’s face.

“Are you freakin’ crazy?” someone asked. Colby ignored the question, his only thought on the loss of a good man who was not human.

“They want to help us. There’s no need for all the killing,” Colby whispered.

The men all looked up at the sound of one of the snake men’s spacecraft. The whirring sound of an invisible laser filled the air a microsecond before it disintegrated the humans and the newly designated alien envoy.





Word count: 1961