Falling Skies Invasion Alone

Wide Awake

I was shaken awake by Hal. Why was it that the Mason's always woke me up?

"Mm. What?" I groaned and pulled my blanket up, barely opening my eyes.

"Time to get up Cassidy." He shook me again and tried to pull my blanket from me.

"Hal!" I whined. Man those tablets were good. I could have slept another few hours.

"Cassie!" he yelled. I groaned and sat up.

"What?"

"We're in trouble." He said.

Oh Christ. I was wide awake as soon as he said those words. I ran my hand over my face and grabbed my boots. "What's going on?"

He downloaded me. I had slept for more than twenty four hours. I was gonna kill Tom. What kind of whacked out pills did he give me?

Maggie and the Beserekers were in lock up. A boy with spikes had got in and told Tom that the rebel skitters were waiting to talk to him. Manchester was going on the defensive, wanting to hide.

"Do you think Ben could be out there?" I asked, hurriedly tying my hair up.

"Maybe. But we gotta get Maggie out first. We're meeting my dad, Weaver and the others in like six minutes."

We began to run, heading for the lock up. "Are you and Maggie okay?"

"She told you about all that stuff? In her past?" he panted. I nodded.

"You gotta deal with it, Hal. That's not her anymore. And you holding it against her will tear her apart." I huffed.

He just looked at me, shook his head and kept running. We met up with Dai, ready to go down to get Maggie. Hal went ahead, he was going to knock out the guard so we could go down.

"You well rested?" Dai chuckled.

I put a hand to my chest, breathing hard from the quick run. "Tom gives me some pills, says it'll help me sleep. Goddam knocks me out for a day."

We waited for Hal's signal and then tore down the stairs.

"Long time no see." Maggie looked at me as I grabbed the keys from Hal.

I shook my head. "Long story. Tom practically drugged me."

"Bit of an exaggeration." Hal interrupted me.

"I don't even know why you're in here." I unlocked Maggie. "I don't know what the hell is happening."

Hal shoved me out of the way and spoke with Maggie. It seemed they were trying to make up. What Hal was saying, about not knowing the Maggie she told us about, it was utterly true and heartfelt. They were in love, I could feel it.

After wooing Maggie out of the cell, we ran back up the stairs, heading for our rendezvous point with the others. Porter was there, giving his apparent blessing and handing over some guns. I grabbed one and slung a rifle over my shoulder.

Everything happened so quickly after that. One minute we were armed and ready to go, the next Bressler was ordering us down with guns pointed at us, and then we were back down in lock up. Hal, Maggie, the boy with the spikes in one section; Tom, Weaver, Dai and Tector in another and then the Berserkers stuffed into another.

"Have you slept this whole time?" Tom said to me through the chicken wire separation of two cells.

I pushed off of the wall. "Those pills you gave me? They knocked me for six the second I swallowed them."

"Them?" he frowned. "I said take one. The other one was for another time."

"Oh." I stopped. "Oops."