School (standard:science fiction, 1676 words)
Author: Andrew R	Added: Jun 16 2002	Views/Reads: 3387/2230	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Ever stumbled across something you wish you hadn't seen and been powerless to do anything about it?

SCHOOL 

By Andrew Rough 

I was there when the shit hit the fan.  I could have stopped it I
suppose, could've warned someone.  But who would've believed me, I 
didn't quite believe it myself.  In the old language the place was 
called Hounslow.  It was in old South-West London, Central Avenue 
Industrial Park.  That was before they made us change all the names and 
speak their language.  I was with my friend Colin, cock sure and liked 
to take a risk.  We where walking past the place one day, 
philosophising about this big grey, windowless building. "What's it 
for?" I said. "That's where the government alien testing goes on," says 
Colin. I laughed at him, thinking it was one of his jokes, like the 
time he told me the guy who played batman had died in a car crash.  I 
went around telling the world about the tragedy of Michael Keating's 
death only to be met by a hysterical Colin in the pub, who finally 
revealed his lie. "How do you know they test aliens there Colin?" "I 
spoke to a guy in the pub who saw them.  You know that security guard 
guy who likes to drink tequila." "Oh yeah, I remember him.  Doesn't he 
work at the airport?" "That's right.  He sees them come in on planes 
then go straight through to the alien testing centre." I didn't believe 
him; I wanted to know why they didn't use flying saucers like in the 
films.  Colin tried to tell me they were incognito, but I was having 
none of it.  So he dared me to sneak in with him and take a look.  I 
took the bait and we arranged to meet again that night. 

Now here's the thing; ever since I've known Colin he's been bullshitting
me.  He's always been better looking, better at getting girls and more 
popular.  I was always the sensible one who held him back on the 
reigns, but every now and then I would let him make me do something 
really stupid, like breaking into Central Avenue Industrial Park, the 
worst mistake I have ever made in my life. "Ready?" Colin said that 
night as we hid in the cold dark night.  I had brought a balaclava 
hoping for some sort of immunity to prying eyes.  Colin laughed and 
said people are more likely to notice you walking around like a 
dickhead with that thing on, you should just try and act natural.  We 
snuck onto the grounds without a problem.  That was probably their main 
week point at the time, arrogance.  They didn't bother with security 
outside the building, didn't think they needed it.  There was a side 
door that was unlocked and we crept into the building.  The only noise 
we could hear was the constant whir of the air filter, a gigantic fan 
above our heads.  The area we had found ourselves in looked like a 
warehouse, boxes were piled everywhere.  A light shone through a door 
at the other side of the room, beckoning us.  We moved towards it as 
quietly as we could.  The door opened to a brightly lit corridor, there 
were doors on either side running down the length of it.  I could hear 
a voice drifting out of one of the doors.  It was weird but I couldn't 
place the language, it sounded strangely guttural, too many consonants. 
 I could hear another voice then, clearer and more projected, "No, 
Ctrachka, speak English always.  You will not be accepted into the 
program otherwise." The first voice spoke again. "I am sorry sub 
commander, I have trouble maintaining concentration in this shape.  
Their vocal stimulators are so un-natural." Suddenly another door 
opened, a short man with a ferret like quality looked straight at us. 
"Ah gentlemen, you are late," he beckoned to us, "come, come, inside 
quickly, we have begun already."  We followed sheepishly inside. I must 
say, it was probably one of the weirdest experiences of my life, up 
until that point at least; I've seen a lot of strange things now.  We 
sat at the back, ten or so other people sitting at desks facing the 
ferret man.  He began lecturing us on the ins and outs of the welfare 
system: how to sign on, how to apply for the maximum benefits, how to 
blag the social officer into not hounding you about finding a job.  At 
one point one of the students put his hand up to ask a question, he 
spoke in the weird language I had heard the other one speak.  Ferret 
man seemed to get really mad, saying stuff about finishing class 
student should know better than that.  He went on and on and got so mad 
he started to turn purple.  That was when it turned really freaky; his 
head turned deeper and deeper purple and started expanding like a 
balloon.  His eyes were bulging so much I thought they would pop out of 
their sockets, and then they did.  They sprung up on strange stalk like 
things and moved on their own like a chameleons.  That was when he got 
really mad and started hitting the other man, they were both shouting 
in their own language now.  The other man stood up, much taller than 
ferret man; in fact he seemed to be nearly seven foot tall.  He let out 


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