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philosophy were what captivated her attention. Though they shared many of the same
honors classes, Kamiyah averaged straight $#1s% while +arah was content with $*s% and
$C*s%. They*d been best friends since the age of 2, and as far as friendships went, no two
people in the school were closer.
$Kamiyah3 I wont keep running my mouth if you*re not going to pay attention%,
+arah complained as she feigned hurt feeling. $I*m sorry +arah. I didn*t mean to 4one out
on you. I*m so looking forward to tonight, and my mind has been on autopilot. The
5oraine meteor shower starts around 6 and I*m so excited to get to see it with my
telescope%.
$Kam, what am I gonna do with you7 8ou*ve got to be the only "2 year old girl
on the planet who gets more excited about astronomy than she does about boys%.
$I can*t help it if the 0niverse turns me on%, Kamiyah oked. $It*s such an
ama4ing place, and before I die I want to learn as much about it as possible%.
The final bell rang, freeing the teenagers from their scholastic captivity. #s they
strolled to the bus, Kamiyah verified their plans for the evening. $8ou arestill coming
with me to see the meteor shower, aren'tyou%7
$Coming with you7 I thought we could see it from anywhere along the coast%7
$8es. That*s true. ut some areas will have better visibility than others. My mom said I
can use the car and I want to go on top of Mount Trashmore to view it. I figure we*ll be
able to see two or three times the amount of meteors from up there%.
$!orks for me%, +arah conceded. $#re we allowed to bring guests, or is this a
*girl1s night out* type of thing%7
$9oodness +arah. -o you ever stop thinking about boys%7 $I don*t know Kam.
-o you ever stop thinking about astronomy%7 #fter an awkward pause, the two girls
laughed hardily. +econds later their world was shattered by horrific screams.
More screams erupted as students altered their course and ran to the athletic fields
in the back of the school. +arah and Kamiyah assumed that a fight had broken out and
everyone was running to check out the action. !ith their curiosity peaked, they followed
the crowd to the source of the commotion. The moment they turned the corner both girls
immediately fro4e. :othing on earth could have prepared them for what they were now
witnessing.
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Chi/ago! 0llinois 1-#2 p&'& CT
;ichard -ean ;othschild III, known to a select few as $;ich%, was a man who
loved life. +.M.=?, the second largest advertising agency in the 0nited +tates.
!hen people asked him what he did for a living, he*d okingly reply that his ob was to
$get lacks to spend their *stacks*%. -uring his career, ;ichard oversaw successful
marketing campaigns by :ike, Cadillac, Mc-onald*s, MT@, even Alanned Aarenthood, all
of which had $#frican#mericans% as the target demographic. #s far as ;ichard was
concerned, the psyche of the lack people was a simple pu44le to solve. To him,
marketing products to lacks was as easy as selling chocolate to fat kids.
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people%.
It wasn*t until the advent of the youth oriented
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$8es, Mr. ;othschild%7
$!ill you please contact -eshawn +mith, Michael ames* agent, and ask him what the
hold up is%.
$8es, Mr. ;othschild%.
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seen it all.
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short period of time%. $Maybe it*s not that we*re falling Aastor. Maybe it*s ust that we*re
finally starting to wake up%. !ith that being said, +ister ackie stood up, kissed the
Aastor on the cheek, and walked out the church. Aastor =reeman prostrated himself on
the floor and tears streamed down his faced as he yelled out the name of esus. $My
9od, my 9od3 !hy have you forsaken me7 5ord, I*ve tried to be a good +hepard to
your flock, but now I fear I have failed you. 5ord, if there is something I am missing
please give me a sign%. #t that very moment, Aastor =reeman*s greatgrandson Hliah
walked into the church. $Aa Aa, come outside and look%. $!hat is it baby%7 $#ngels%,
Hliah replied. !ith confusion in his mind, he grabbed his grandson*s hand and went to
investigate. The moment he stepped outside, he glanced up to see a huge obect filling up
the entire sky. $Fh my 9od%3
Chapter B
Norfol! "irginia -#2. p&' T
Hvery television station was reporting on the $Invasion% as they were now
referencing it. Kamiyah stared at the T@ wondering why the media was calling it an
$invasion% if no one had been attacked. ust showing up at someone*s front door doesn*t
mean you want to pick a fight. $:o one knows whether these beings are benign or
malevolent. Aropaganda at its best%, she stated aloud. $#t BGB& p.m. a fleet of massive
pyramid shaped obects appeared over populated areas all over the planet%, stated a
clearly shaken C:: reporter. $+cientist did not detect any of the obects entering the
Harth*s atmosphere. !itnesses state that the obects ust suddenly materiali4ed in the
sky%. The news feed cut to a clip of a frightened teenage boy giving his testimony. $Fnemoment there was clear blue sky, then the next there was a huge black pyramid blocking
out the +un%, the young man stated. $+cientists estimate the diameter of these obects at
& miles across. #nd while the exact total is unknown, so far over '(( of these obects
have been reported to the 0.:. by various governments throughout the world. Most of
them are concentrated over the nations of #frica, +outh #merica, and the eastern and
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southeastern portions of the 0nited +tates. y no means are these the only places where
the obects are positioned, ust the areas where the most reports have surfaced. The
pentagon has stated that since the occupants have not revealed their intent they will be
viewed as hostile. The nation is on its highest security alert until further notice%.
Kamiyah exuded wonder and excitement upon hearing every new $fact% or
$theory% spouted by the clueless news organi4ations. +trangely, she knew in her heart
that there was nothing to fear. In fact, she sensed that things were about to get better.
+he didn*t know whyshe felt this, but she did. +he knew that soon enough all of their
/uestions would be answered. 5ess than an hour had passed since the people of the
world were rudely awakened to the fact that they were not alone in the 0niverse and
Kamiyah couldn*t have been happier. #s a child she1d been a fan of sciencefiction. +he
loved to watch reruns of old shows like tar rek he Ne"t #eneration, Dr. $ho% &
Files% andtargate. =or a while she even had a crush on 5t. 9eordie 5a=orge. It was
either him or 5t. !arf because they were the only black guys on tar rek .N.#.
+ince she wasn*t found of guys with foreheads shaped like mountain ranges, $9eo% >her
pet name for the ship*s main engineer? became the obvious choice.
The existence of 0=Fs and #lien life was an absolute truth as far as Kamiyah was
concerned, and she was an avid researcher of all things paranormal and metaphysical.
Hvery day she*d listen to reruns of (oast to (oast ).*. with #eorge Noory on her
computer. +he*d read numerous books and watched thousands of hours worth of lectures
on the topics. +ome of her favorite researches were -r. -elbert lair, -r. ewel
Aookrum, -r. Ahil @alentine, -avid !ilcock, #lim ey, im Marrs, #shra Kwesi,
Michael Cremo, 5inda Molten
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room and her mother stood there holding her father*s gun and crying hysterically as
Caleb, her younger brother, sat at her feet. The television was turned to =ox :ews as
they interviewed a retired Marine Corps 9eneral about why he felt we should $attack
now and ask /uestions later%. ;ebecca mumbled incoherently as live footage of the
obect hovering above :orfolk appeared on screen. +arah was now upset that they had
not gotten rid of her father*s gun after his passing, but it was her mother*s desire to keep
the family safe which overrode all other opinions. +arah*s father died in #fghanistan in
B("' when an IH- exploded next to his convoy. #fter his death, her mother, the $ible
thumping% Christian, started suffering from depression and became a staunch atheist.
+he attempted to gather herself, but after a few failed relationships, including the one that
gave her Caleb, her mother resorted to heavy drinking and prescription drugs. !hen
+arah wasn*t at school or out with her friends, she was home playing nurse and counselor
to her addict mother.
$Mom, what are you doing7 !hy do you have -ad*s gun%7
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;ichard sat at the bar in the Aaradise ;estaurant located on the firth floor of the
+.M.= Towers. oshua +teinberg walked over to see what his old friend and coworker
was up to. $;ich.
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bodies to make his way to the podium.
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continued with his message. $=ear of the unknown is the leading cause of insanity on
this planet. Aeople fear things they can*t see....fear things they can*t control....fear things
they don*t understand....ut why73...!hy do we fear7...!hat is it about fear that makes it
such a dominant force in our world. I*ll tell you%.
Hvery face intently focused on the old Areacher as he brought forth his dynamic
message. $!hat*s the most powerful force in the 0niverse7...Come on7....+omebody talk
to me3....I*m not up here for my health. I*m not asking a rhetorical /uestion. +omebody
tell me. !hat*s the most powerful force in the 0niverse%7 $5ove3% shouted the pastor*s
greatgrandson Hliah. Aastor =reeman looked at him and smiled. $=rom the mouths of
babes.....Aeople it says to approach the Kingdom of 9od with a childlike mind. It*s easier
for children to understand the 0niversal message than it is for us older folk, because we
think we got it all figured out. Can*t nobody tell us nothing3%. $#men AaAa3% shouted
Hliah as the crowd burst into laughter. $+ee there people7 +ee how words from the
mouth of a babe can bring a sense of comfort and love into a place where ust a few
minutes ago,fearwas the dominant force%7 Crowd members slowly shook their heads
up and down in agreement.
$5adies and gentleman, little Hliah is right. 5ove isthe most powerful force in
the 0niverse. #nd guess what the opposite of love is7 8ou got it. =ear3 =ear is the
opposite of love. Aeople, we live in a world of polarities. !e are taught to view things as
being either4or. It*s eitherup or down....either left or right, light ordark, hot or cold,
short or tall, fat or skinny, good or evil. -o we ever think about the area that lies
between any two extremes7 !hat if it*s neither black nor white7 !hat if it*s gray7 8es3
!hat about the gray areas in life7 Is the gray area good orbad...or is it neutral7 Is the
gray area hot orcold...oris it warm%7
The crowd was captivated by the elderly Aastor*s insight. $:ow think about love
and fear. 5ove and fear are the two most extreme polarities that exist. 5ove draws us
together while fear pushes us apart. +ome of you have made the mistake of thinking that
the opposite of love is hate. !rong3 8ou can hate somebody and still be in their
presence.
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polarities of love and fear.
#gain, shouts of $#men% and $Areach, Areacher% erupted from the crowd. $=or
too long the rulers of this planet have used fear as their main weapon for controlling the
masses. =ear has been used to divide and con/uer the races of the world. =ear has been
used to ustify the slaughter of hundreds of millions of men, women, and children through
the centuries. :o longer can we allow fear to dictate our collective ourney through life.
It*s now time for a change in the way we think. !e must switch off the fear button and
turn on the love. 5ove is the key. 5ove is the answer we*ve been searching for. The
answer is so simple yet so difficult for us to process%. In a nasally tone he mimicked
$8ou mean to tell me Aastor that love is the answer to everything%7 #fter a long pause
and stern look into the depths of the eyes and souls of the people who now stood before
him, he proudly proclaimed, $8H+3 #ll along we*ve been searching for complex answers
to resolve complex problems, yet complex problems can be resolved using simple
formulas. Hinstein spent his whole life trying to solve difficult problems, yet his greatest
work, his*agnum +pus, can be summed up in one simple e/uation. Hnergy e/uals mass
times the speed of light s/uared in a vacuum, or HOmcB. Three letters, a symbol, and a
number sum up the answer to a problem so complex, so greatthat most don*t even care to
contemplate such concepts anymore. Think about this....your life is the greatest problem
in the 0niverse. #nd when I sayproblem, I am not speaking of it as something negative.
I speak of it as a pu44le to be solved. Hvery one of us is a problem so complex that it
would take an infinite number of years to find the solution. The $Most
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in the grass with his puppy +cooby as his weary greatgrandfather watched over them.
The church garden was Aastor =reeman*s place of refugeN a place where he could come
and forget about the problems of the world.
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figure came strolling into the garden. It was ackie. $
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gothought Aastor =reeman as the sharpness of the image increased. !hen it finally came
into focus, a face was revealed.
The entity*s skin was a pastel shade of greenish blue and it possessed an elongated
skull, twice the length of a normal human skull. The being resembled a human teenager
of no more than "' or "2 and had no visible ears or hair making it very difficult to tell its
gender. The androgynous being could have been a boy or a girl, but Aastor =reeman
sensed that it was female.
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wouldn*t start for another hour, so Kamiyah focused the telescope on the pyramid
hovering ten miles off in the distance. Though it could be easily seen with the naked eye
due to its massive si4e, Kamiyah wanted to see if there was anything additional she could
examine about the obect using the different light settings her telescope provided. !ith a
hint of excitement in her voice she stated, $:o telling what we might see by looking at
this thing in the infrared%.
Trying her best to hide her melancholic mood from her friend, +arah forced a
smile. +he didn*t know what it was, but +arah sensed that she was about to go through a
pain that she wasn*t /uite ready to handle. +he wondered if she was experiencing shock
of some kind, then she reali4ed that compared to most people, she was holding up pretty
well considering the circumstances.
Kamiyah adusted the telescope so that the obect filled the screen of her laptop.
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interesting%, +arah /uipped. $Hxactly3%
Knowing that it was time to drop the small talk, Kamiyah turned and looked her
friend straight in the eyes. $+arah%7 $8es Kam%7
Kamiyah hesitated, not fully understanding whyshe was about to say it, yet she
hadto say it. $I have to leave%. # pu44led look crossed +arah*s face then /uickly faded
as she comprehended what Kamiyah meant by her statement. $!hen are you leaving%7
$Arobably sooner than I think%. +uddenly, the base of the pyramid started glowing bright
red. $It*s almost time%.
$-o you know where you*re going%7 $I don*t know exactly where, but I
feel....make that I knowthat I*m going home%. +arah grasped her friend*s hand as tears
streamed down both of their cheeks. It was a strange mix of tears of sadness combined
with tears of oy. The next half mile of the pyramids height started glowing orange. $ I
don*t know how long I*ve been away. I ust know I*ve been waiting an incredibly long
time to return, and now that moment has come%. The next half mile of the pyramid*s
height glowed yellow. $#re you ever coming back7%, +arah asked. $:o. #ll that we
came to do has been achieved. 8ou can only stay in school but for so long. Hventually
it*s time to graduate. This planet has been our education center for many eons. !e*ve
learned much during our time here. It*s your turn to learn from the lessons we provided.
:ow those of you who remain must decide your own destiny. !e*ve done our best to
assist you. :ow our karmic ties must be severed%. Kamiyah didn*t know where the
words were coming from, but she knew they were the right words. +he almost felt
possessed, as if she had no control over what she was saying. Then a $knowing% came to
her, informing Kamiyah that her $
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starting to remember that which I have forgotten%.
The next color the obect emitted was indigo. # bright flash came from
Kamiyah*s forehead. # symbol about B inches long appeared between her eyebrows.
+arah recogni4ed the image as the taiitu, known to most as the 8in8ang symbol. #fter a
few seconds, the image dissipated. $Thank you +arah. Thank you for your love, your
friendship, your time, and all that you have taught me. I was favored to have had
someone like you by my side during the last portion of my Harthly walk. Fur bond was,
and isone of a kind. I*ve learned so much from you, and I will never forget you for the
rest of my existence%.
+arah was crying so hard she could barely speak. $8ou*ve taught me more in one
short lifetime than I could have learned in a thousand without you. 8ou were the center
of my world Kam, and I don*t know what I*m going to do not having you around%. +arah
embraced her friend so tight that she thought she might smother her. $+ure you*ll know
what to do%, Kamiyah whimpered. $ust remember all of our experiences together.
:ever forget them....because I never will. ;emember our people. ;emember our time
here on this planet%.
The next moment the obect emitted a bright shade of violet, which if +arah
remembered correctly, symboli4ed the $Crown% chakra. Kamiyah*s body began glowing
as she was still in +arah embrace. #s they hugged, a oy came over +arah unlike
anything she*d ever felt before. It was a perfectoy, so powerful and loving that +arah
nearly passed out. +he felt as if she where standing in the presence of 9od, and she
didn1t want to let go. The bliss she felt eventually reached a point where it became
unbearable. +arah broke her embrace with Kamiyah before the feeling completely
overwhelmed her. # $knowing% came to her mind, telling her that what she had ust felt
was the unconditional love her friend had for her. It was incomprehensible to think that
someone could love another person in such a way, and yet Kamiyah did. +arah reali4ed
that the reason she had to break their embrace was because she felt unworthy of such a
perfect love.
Though it was one of the saddest days of her life, +arah could feel nothing but
elation. +he knew she1d have time to mourn the loss of her best friend, but for now she
would be celebrating her $graduation%. +uddenly, there was a loud, high pitched sound,
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then the cap of the pyramid emitted a blinding white light. $It1s time%, Kamiyah
solemnly stated. +arah was lost for words because the person she had been closest to her
whole life was about to be gone forever. Kamiyah walked over to +arah and kissed her
on the cheek. $9oodbye +arah. I love you%. +arah1s lips trembled as she struggled to
say the words. $9oodLgoodbye Kam. I love you%. Kamiyah1s eyes turned the color of
B&kt gold as she stared compassionately at her friend. +econds later, she blinked out of
existence. # streak of light crossed the sky followed by another, then another. The
meteor shower had begun and streams of light littered the sky like glowing tear drops.
+arah smiled, because even the 0niverse wasn1t going to send her friend off without a
celebration of some kind. $Congratulations Kam. 8ou deserve it%.
;ichard oked and slurred his words as he flirted with the young brunette from
accounting.
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mayhem taking place all over the world. The four television sets surrounding the main
bar were each turned to a different news network. Fne of the #frican#merican reporters
on C:: was in the middle of his commentary when he disappeared right before the
camera. #t first ;ichard thought he was going cra4y until someone behind him let out a
loud shriek. It came from the table where a young interracial couple had been having
dinner. Though the woman was there, the man was no where in sight. +he kept
screaming $
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0niverse has caused mass panic in the population. +ince we do not know the full scope
of what we are dealing with, we are approaching the situation with calculated caution.
!ith that said, I must state that due to the events of the past two hours in which millions
of #merican civilians have vanished without a trace, and with the full recommendation of
both the Congress and the oint Chiefs of +taff, the 0nited +tates =ederal government is
making a formal $-eclaration of !ar% against the #lien horde which has invaded our air
space. The #rmed =orces of the 0nited +tates of #merica will be launching an all out
assault in order to neutrali4e the #lien threat before any more human casualties can
result. Fur position is that ofproactiityinstead of reactiity. Fur original plan of $wait
and see% has resulted in the disappearance of tens of millions of #merican lives, and
presumably hundreds of millions worldwide. +ince we do not know the full strength and
capability of our enemy, we ask that all 0nited +tates Citi4ens head for the safest
locations possible. Alease evacuate all locations where the #lien vessels are located. #ny
and all defensive options are on the table, up to, and not excluding, the use of thermo
nuclear devices. !e are facing the biggest threat humanity has ever known and the
survival of the species is paramount. Fnce again, I call for the evacuation of all areas in
which the alien forces are located. Fur retaliation will be swift and deadly, and anyone
who does not reach a safe location in a reasonable amount of time will be considered a
casualty of war. Thank you for your cooperation and your patriotism. Fnce the threat
has been neutrali4ed, I will address the nation with further instructions%.
The Aresident stepped away from the podium and the few people left in the bar
were overcome with fear. Most rushed to leave as the impending attack approached. The
fact that the Aresident didn1t say whenthe assault would take place left ;ichard to believe
that it was probably imminent. he 4resident said the right things to coer his asshe
thought.
$!ell, if the world is about to end I might as well get a front row seat to the
action%, ;ichard oked aloud.
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ourneyed back to his office. =ollowing a brief sensation of weightlessness, the elevator
door dinged opened and ;ichard staggered towards his office while fumbling in his
pockets for his keys.
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its bright display. The proectiles traveled towards the obect at incredible speeds and
;ichard braced for their explosive impact. They collided with the side of the pyramid
and were completely absorbed as if they had slammed into a lake full of tar. The wall of
infinite blackness engulfed the missiles and left no trace of their presence. ;ichard
paused for a few seconds in anticipation of an explosion, but it never came. !ith their
initial attack thwarted, the ;aptors broke formation and returned to base. The B
maintained its silent approach, and as it did so, a reali4ation came to ;ichard. he /3 is
a bomber% and there2s only one type of bomb they would be attempting to throw at this
thing 7 a nuke3 The bay doors opened and the guided bomb dropped from its perch.
#fter descending a few hundred feet, the bomb1s engine engaged and it cruised towards
its designated target. !ith its payload released, the B fired its afterburners and was
almost out of sight by the time the nuke reached the obect. Instead of detonating upon
impact, the nuke exploded midair, approximately '(( yards from the pyramid.
!hat happened next was impossible by all standards, and if ;ichard hadn1t seen it
with his own eyes there1s no way he would have believed it. There was a blinding white
flash and within picoseconds after the nuke1s explosion the blast was encapsulated within
what appeared to be a giant glass bubble. The bubble was at least a /uarter mile in
diameter and maintained its integrity as it contained the full concussive force of the
nuclear explosion. It appeared as if a mini sun had been set in the night sky. ;ichard1s
aw dropped as he watched the bubble of fire floats towards the pyramid. It touched the
obect1s side and was completely absorbed ust as the missiles had been. #fter
consuming the tamed nuclear blast, the pyramid instantaneously resumed its colorful light
display and the rotation speed it achieved before being interrupted by the 0.+. military.
=rom the missiles to the nuke, the entire attack lasted no more than 6( seconds, and the
obect brushed it off without missing a beat.
#nother minute passed and the pyramid was now rotating at an impossible speed.
;ichard had never seen such an immense obect moving so fast, and watching such a
display was beyond breathtaking. The obect and the immediate space around it pulsated
like a heartbeat. It transitioned through the various colors of the light spectrum, holding
each color for no more than a second before moving on to the next one. #s ;ichard
stared blindly into the heavenly display, he took notice of human faces hidden within the
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light. #nd they weren1t ust any faces. Though a small portion appeared to be of :ative
#merican and Indian descent, as far as ;ichard could tell, the bulk of the faces appeared
#frican#merican or outright #frican. The images were cycling so fast that he shouldn1t
have been able to see them. It was like looking at a photo montage that was moving
faster than the speed of light. :ot only did he see their faces, but for a brief moment he
became one with, and fully comprehended what it meant to $e% each individualN all their
innermost thoughts, the things they love, hate, and all their oys and fears.
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Chapter
It took a minute for Kamiyah to orient herself from the intense vertigo. !hen the
feeling of uncontrolled spinning finally subsided, her heart nearly umped out of her
chest.
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billions. The goosebumps prickled her flesh as Kamiyah thought of all the possibilities
of what may lie on its surface.
Kamiyah1s attention shifted towards the closest star in her field of vision. The
light it emitted was bluish white. hat hasto be the star this planet is orbiting she
thought. Though the star was hundreds of millions of miles away, the shear si4e of the
obect didn1t escape the notice of the trained eye. It2s a supergiant. *ake that a super
supergiant. *y #od! hat thing has to be at least a million times larger than 5arth2s
home star ol. $#ctually, it has a volume B,D(',JJJ,J2( times that of +ol, and a mass
roughly e/ual to &, 2"B,BD&,(2J +ols%.
The voice frightened Kamiyah because she couldn1t tell where it had come from.
$It will take some time for you to adust but don1t worry. It will all come back to you
very /uickly%. The voice came from inside Kamiyah1s own head. $!ho are you7% asked
Kamiyah with her thoughts. $!e are you% the disembodied voice stated. $
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!ithout warning, the platform they were standing on demateriali4ed and everyone
dropped into an immense lake of black li/uid. Millions of screams were heard then
/uickly muffled as everyone sank into the sea of darkness. Kamiyah fought hard, but
there was nothing for her to grab on to. It was like trying to swim in thick tar.
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improved. #s Kamiyah glanced around at the millions of people sporting their new
$speedskater% apparel, she noticed that $everyone1s% muscle tone had improved. The
people who were overweight before falling into the plasma now had the bodies of fitness
trainers. Aeople who were morbidly obese ust ' minutes prior could now pose as
swimsuit models. Hven more shocking was the fact that no one appeared to be over the
age of "2. Those who were children before the plasma dip still had the same overall look
as before, but those who1d been ravaged by age and disease were repressed back to the
appearance of their youth with the exception of a few upgrades. his is beyond
incredible!Kamiyah thought. +he felt like she could run a marathon and not break a
sweat. +he had the urge to run, flip, ump, and ust use her body like never before. +he
had never felt so alive in her life. # sudden reali4ation came to her.
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was able to see how truly unfulfilling his life had been up to that point. The ' days since
the mass disappearance were spent analy4ing every aspect of his life.
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without a trace. !hile it1s unknown whether or not these people are dead or alive, the
powers that be are operating under the assumption that they will not be returning. 5adies
and gents, overnight we have lost more than a /uarter of the population of the planet. I
guess the good news in all of this is that the bulk of the people who disappeared are
black. =eel free to wear your best ewelry out in town, leave your doors unlocked, and
show off your white woman in public%.
ohnathan1s racist humor garnered a few laughs from amongst the $suck ups%.
$!hile lacks make up the maority of those who have disappeared, a few other
populations seem to be amongst the missing also. !e1ll leave it up to the governments of
the world to figure out the exact specifics. Fne thing is for certain, +huester is going to
have to adust its business model moving forward. Many of our largest corporate
partners have been devastated by the disappearances. =or example, the :=5 has suffered
the loss of more than D() of its employees while the :# has sustained a loss of more
than (). ;elatively speaking, this means that the two largest sports entertainment
organi4ations in the world are now closed for business. College football has lost 2() of
its athletes and college basketball D'). Arofessional soccer, which is the most popular
sport in the world outside of the 0.+., has lost half its workforce. :o more lack people
damn near means the end of sports as we know it. It1s not like we can replace the missing
athletes and years of experience with a bunch of white guys%.
=rom the back of the room, a confident yet cocky voice presented a /uestion in a
thick 9erman accent. $+ir, can1t we simply replace the athletes or work a strong
campaign to bring another sport such as ice hockey, rugby, or MM# to world
dominance%7 ohnathan paused and glanced at the cocky executive. $-o you know how
stupid that /uestion was7 !ho1s going to watch a football game with bunch of white
guys playing all the skill positions7% ohnathan exclaimed. $:ame two white guys who
can compete with a !alter Aayton or 5awrence Taylor7 !e1re mainly good for R and
lineman. oe Montana was great, but he was nothing without erry ;ice and ;oger Craig.
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sports affected. MM# may be big, but boxing is still $King% as far as many are
concerned. #nd there1s already talk about either canceling or not televising next year1s
Flympic games. !ho ever heard of an Flympics without track and field7 Track and
field is the biggest draw of the Flympics, and without lack athletes to run, ump, and
pass the baton at inhuman speeds it*s damn near unwatchable. 5et1s ust say that it will
be a long time before we see any world records broken. Alease give me a call when you
cross paths with the !hite version of 0sain olt. #ll these sports were highlighted by
the inhuman athleticism of these people. Though they were human, they had the reflexes
and speed of a cat. They packed the strength of a bull in a body of normal human si4e.
#nd possibly their greatest attribute which made us watch them unapologetically was
their undeniable sex appeal. !hite men wanted to be them, and white women wanted to
be with them%.
Fnce again, Mr. Cocky 9erman spoke up to voice his opinion. $+ir, both direct
and indirect sports marketing account for only J() of +huester1s total advertising
contracts. Though the loss of revenue will be substantial, it shouldn1t be catastrophic%.
$Fnly3% exclaimed the old executive with a look of bewilderment. $+on, I see
you still have a lot to learn. -o you think $sports% was the only thing affected7 9uess
again3 -oes anyone here know how Mc-onalds faired this past week%7 +ilence filled
the room, for no one had the answer Mr. !estinghouse was seeking. $+ince no one
knows I1ll go ahead and tell you. Mc-onald1s revenue decreased by ''), urger King
&(), most other fast food restaurants had a decrease between J(J'). They weren1t ust
the ones serving it, but they were the main ones eating this crap. !ho do you think made
these places so profitable7 8ou don1t make a 66 cent menu to appeal to people with
moneyN you make it to appeal to people without it.
# sobering feeling hit the room as the executives grasped the magnitude of their
current dilemma. $5adies and gents, please don1t think that sports and fast food were the
only industries affected by the loss of our colored friends. =endi, Arada, 9ucci, and
5ouis @uitton all suffered revenue losses ranging between B' and &(). :ike, our largest
apparel contract, suffered a D() revenue loss. D()3 !ho1s going buy all the sweat suits
and sneakers now7 #nd let1s not forget about the celebrity endorsers of these products7
To this day, the reason :ike dominates the sneaker market is because of Michael ordan.
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-o you think Moet and Cristal would have been so successful in the 6(s and early B(((s
if iggie, ay, and every other no name rapper weren1t touting them in their songs7
Fnce again, Mr. Cocky 9erman voiced his unre/uested opinion. $The popularity
of these products were due to exceptional marketing campaigns%. # look of disgust
crowed ohnathan !estinghouse1s face as he replied. $Marketing is one thing.
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spewed his breakfast onto the table top. The rancid mixture splashed violently in all
directions, some even splattered on ohnathan1s suit. Those near by umped away from
the table while those far enough to avoid the splatter stared with mouths agape. ;ichard
pulled the handkerchief from his left breast pocket and gently wiped the vomit from his
mouth.
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probably being exposed to all the unimaginable wonders of the 0niverse. In a way I
can1t help but envy you. It1s funny, because until they actually showed up, I never fully
believed that intelligent life existed anywhere besides earth. 8ou on the other hand, never
had any doubt about it. I sometimes find myself thinking about when we were little and
you use to spend the night over my house. I1d want to watch shows like $The ;eal
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into this new era of self sufficiency. I sense a wonderful, yet difficult time ahead. 0nlike
many of my people, I do not fear the future. In fact, I have a sense of unbound
excitement concerning the times ahead. I sense that in some strange way, I will play a
role in helping to uplift my people, and I gladly welcome that challenge.
+ince you1ve been gone, much has taken place on the planetN some good and
some bad. The people of Harth have been acting very bipolar as of late. Aanic has swept
the nations of the world ever since +cotty beamed you all up and blinked you out of
existence. The Aresident and other high ranking officials have addressed the nations
daily. Hvery kind of e"pertand analyst imaginable are giving their bullshit opinions
about the ramifications of another $alien invasion% and what the impact will be of not
having $lack% people on the planet. The media even coined the term $lackout% when
referring to the event. I laugh when I hear things like this. There isone thing that I
actually found interesting about their analysis though. Fne of the first things the
governments did after the $lackout% was attempt to take a census of all those who have
disappeared. It turns out that many people, not ust those typically labeled as $lack%
have disappeared. It was /uickly discovered that all the :ative #mericans are gone, as
well as the #boriginal people of #ustralia. In fact, $#55% of the indigenous tribes of the
planet are gone. The Mayans, #4tecs,
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another. China, ;ussia and various #rab nations are on one side of the argument while
the 0.+., Israel, and the nations of Hurope are on the other. I cringe when I think of how
badly this thing could end up, yet I will try to remain optimistic through it all. I have no
choice but to be.
5ately, people have been expressing every kind of emotion and response
imaginable. The first couple of days, the entire planet was in a state of mourning, but that
/uickly faded. +ince there are not as many $minorities% to be protective of now, the
emphasis on political correctness has greatly decreased. ;acial okes have slipped their
way into everything imaginable. # prominent cable news anchor slipped up and used the
word nigger live on air and no one called in to complain. There1s no :##CA or #l
+harpton around to make a fuss, so many other anchors and their guests have become
more liberal with their language. Fne network even invited members of the Ku Klux
Klan and +kinheads to be interviewed. The Klan members stated that the taking away of
lack people was the udgment of 9od upon them, and that any day esus would return to
usher in a $thousand years of peace% as $
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pilgrimages to the graves sights of many famous lack people. The graves of Michael
ackson, ames rown, #aliyah, ob Marley, Tupac and iggie have received ten of
thousands of visitors in the past two weeks. ;etail outlets are reporting that they have
sold out all music, posters, images and artwork created by or pertaining to lack people.
#nything related to #frican or
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strikingly similar to Harth. Charles wondered if they were in some kind of strange
parallel 0niverse. Though the planet below looked like Harth, there was something very
wrong with the picture.
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erupted from his being. Hvery pain and ache he felt immediately dissapated as his body
pulsated with seemingly unlimited evergy. Charles hadn*t felt this good since he was a
teenager. In fact, he had VneverV felt this good period3 VThis is what an unborn baby in
the womb must feel likeV he thought. # ticklish sensation filled his belly as an unseen
force lifted him out of the li/uid. #fter gathering his footing, a blinding light filled his
mind.
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before her was a young man so beautiful that Kamiyah nearly lost her composure.
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take us to reach it7V Kamiyah asked. VI don*t knowV Ty stated with a sly smile, Vbut I*ll
race you to itV.
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abilities, they wanted to ensure no one died the first day on their new planet. # group of
two men and two women ran along the shore in each direction to see if there was as easy
way across. #fter "' minutes they returned, unable to locate an alternative route. V5ooks
like we*re going swimmingV Ty stated. VFkay everyone. !e want to go about this safely,
so if anyone has trouble swimming, please make yourself known so we*ll know who to
assistV. #s Ty took on the role of safety coordinator, Kamiyah*s eyes were glued to the
other side of the river. +he noticed a russling amongst the bushes and then a small figure
stepped out the open. The being had greenish skin, and udging by the shape of its body,
Kamiyah could see that it was female. +he wore a skintight outfit, similar to the one the
new settlers were wearing, except that hers was a two piece. The top portion, similar to a
sports bra, stopped a few inches below under her breasts, and it was short enough to
reveal a flat, chisled stomach. The outfit was indigo with gold stripes running up its side.
It looked like something =lo o would have wore in the * Flympics Kamiyah thought.
# few seconds after the female*s appearance, another being emerged from the bushes, this
one male. More and more beings emerged from the bushes until eventually there were
ust as many people on the other side of the river as there were gathered on Kamiyah*s
side.
VI guess the welcoming party is hereV Kamiyah stated as she smiled at Ty. VThat*s
greatV he replied. V:ow all we have to do is find a way to get to them. 8ou never get a
second chance to make a first impression.
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stated with feigned grief.
Kamiyah reali4ed that the river wasn*t exactly fro4en because it wasn*t cold to the
touch. It was more like the top layer had been turned into glass. Aossibly ust the top
inch or two. +he could see a bevy of strange a/uatic creatures swimming below the
surface. The being had created a bridge made of solid water that was at least a /uarter
mile wide. Kamiyah, Ty and the rest of the settlers began making their way across. They
were surprised when instead of waiting for them to cross, the locals began making their
way towards them with the intent of meeting them midway. This symbolic gesture said
so much about the locals, and Kamiyah wondered if anyone esle grasped the significance
of their actions. VThey are true friends. CorrectionN they are family3V stated Ty.
Vecause they are making the ourney to meet usV. Kamiyah*s heart fluttered at his
words. /efore% I didn't beliee in loe at first sight. /ut as of today% I am a definitely
belieer, Kamiyah thought.
Chi/ago 7 $$ days A&+&6
VTheir story is one of the greatest that the 0niverse has ever known. The Hbony
9ods will forever have a seat of honor at the table of lifeV. ;ichard*s words echoed over
the crowd of thousands who had come to hear him speak. eth stood on stage with him,
giving /uiet support and encouragement to her husband. In only a month he had
captivated her heart, as well as the hearts and minds of many others. It all started in the
days after they /uit their obs at +huester. ;ichard kept talking, and in some ways
VpreachedV to her about the greatness of lack people. #t first, eth was somewhat
skeptical about what she was being told, but once ;ichard poured out his entire life story
to her, she became receptive to his mesage. # bond developed between them which grew
stronger by the day. Fne morning they decided to go for a stroll in the park. #s they
were walking, they came upon a :eo :a4i having an argument with a local ;abbi, who
the :a4i kept referring to as a Vnigger loverV. Instead of walking past the two, they stood
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there for B( minutes listening to the debate. #n oppurtunity presented itself when the two
men turned to ;ichard and asked his opinion on the matter. Instead of taking anyone*s
side, he presented an elo/uent, philosophical analysis of the ourney lack people
endured during their time on Harth.
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out with Captain Kirk and 5uke +kywalker7 Tell 8oda I said $