Michael and Samantha

It was a small building, inset into the side of a mountain.

Inside were three rooms, two occupants and banks of equipment running floor to ceiling. Most off which were tied to a series of parabolic reflectors pointed to the heavens, and large antennas which dotted the gated, camouflaged landscape.

Inside, the facility had a Dr Who, Bridge of the Enterprise D feel, while the outside, that of a prison.

Corporal Adders seated at the control desk, ran his hand through his short blond hair while twisting the dial of the shortwave radio, which had gone silent, not even static.

A series of amber lights flashed in unison on one of the wall mounted consoles, followed by intermittent beeping. He flipped a switch silencing the alarm, and swore under his breath. Commercial power was down.

Glancing at the desk clock, he scrawled the time and a quick notation on a yellow notepad. December 21st 0000hrs. He stood, stretched, and then depressed a red button located on the desktop. A soft chiming began emanating from the sleeping quarters.

Walking to a steel cabinet he removed one of the specially designed P901 assault rifles. Inserting a clip he chambered a round. Grabbing two extra clips, he stuck them into the pouch on his belt.

At the sound of soft footfalls he turned. A pretty blue eyed women, blonde hair disheveled, and a 9mm Glock in her right hand stood behind him. She wore gray stretch pants, and a green regulation issue tee-shirt, which did little to hide her femininity.

"“Corporal?” The lieutenant’s voice sounded tired. "You best have a damn good reason for waking me up."

She looked over at the console array and its myriad of blinking lights. "Great we're running off the generators." "Any idea what's going on?"

"No idea Lieutenant, one minute I'm watching and listening to the world." He waved his arm at the wall of blank screens, "Then nothing."

The lieutenant turned and headed back the way she had came. "Give me a minute to change, its probably a freaking bear scratching its ass on one of our arrays."

The corporal nodded approvingly as she turned and walked away.

As the lieutenant disappeared into the room, her voice sounding amused, although she tried to mask it, broke into his thoughts.

"And stop staring at my ass Corporal, unless you want my size 6 kicking yours."

"Size 6?"

"“Yes, Private… Size 6."

“It’s Corporal.”

"Wanna bet?"

The Lieutenant, dressed in blue BDU, hair tied back, 9mm holstered around her waist. was out in one minute 30. She walked to the steel cabinet, removing a 12 gauge shotgun, and a handful of shells. After speed loading the weapon, she shoved the remaining shells into a pants pocket.

Turning about she gave the Corporal a ‘playtime is over’ look.

"Ready, Corporal Adders?"

"Good to go, Lieutenant."

Making his way to the steel reinforced door, he punched a sequence of numbers onto the keypad. Stepping back as the door began sliding slowly open, he raised the rifle.

Bright sunlight flooded into the room. Both grabbed sunglasses from the pocket on their sleeve.

"What the hell?" The Corporal inched forward. "This place is covered top to bottom with foliage, shouldn't be this bright, ever." "Notwithstanding is the fact its also midnight." He stepped outside, flanked by the Lieutenant.

“Agreed,” The lieutenant raised the shotgun. “Check the perim..." she stopped mid-sentence.

Seated at a round white table, not far from the compound’s door, a man, dressed in a suit that appeared to have been made from alligator scales, and sipping a drink from a long stemmed golden goblet, smiled up at them.

"Took you long enough." His voice smooth as a used car salesman’s. "I've been here almost 6 minutes. I'm a busy man you see." He raised the goblet to his lips.

"Freeze butt munch." Corporal Adders brought the P901 to his shoulder. "You’re trespassing on a Government Reservation. Make one more move and you’re on your way to meet your maker."

The man’s pale yellow eyes narrowed into black slits, opened, and moistened. The goblet vanished. Laughing mirthlessly. he banged his fist onto the table top.

"Oh Corporal Michael Adder, you have no idea, how funny what you said really is."

The man pushed back his chair and prepared to stand.

"Warned you once." The Corporal fired. As the bullet hit the man squarely in the chest a shower of green and black scales fell onto the table.

Unfazed the man stood, reached down, scooped up the fallen scales and placed them over the hole the bullet had made.

"Rather you didn't do that." Lazily he raised his hand. The rest of the compound disappeared. Corporal and Lieutenant were now standing buck-naked in a filed of brightly colored flowers.

"Well that's the last of it." He looked them over approvingly "Okay now that I have your attention, listen up." He swept his arm about him. "This, is all yours.” "Moderate climate, verdant green valleys, plenty of food and..."

"Hold on." The lieutenant advanced on the man. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

"Hell?" The man laughed "No, not really, well not yet anyway." "Don't you two keep up with current events? Today is, or rather was, depending on your perspective, December 21st." "You know Mayans, apocalypse, end of the world, all that happy shit."

He leered at them. "Time to start fresh." "And tag, you two, are it." "Have to shake things up every couple of millennium or so." He glanced up at the clear blue sky. "I'm usually not the one to tell you all this." "Guess omnipotent one overslept."

A forked tongue extended and moistened his lips. "Michael and Samantha, just doesn't have the same ring."

As he began walking away from them his body began to fade.

"Trust me, you're going to like it here." Before fading completely He looked over his shoulder at them, "Oh and one suggestion, don't forget to try the apples." "They're to die for."