The Culling Protocol: UFOS: The Fusion Series, #1

By Kelly Roberts

The Warners are an ordinary family caught up in the most extraordinary events of human history, and it might just cost them their lives! A story to challenge how you view your place in the Universe, the agendas of our cosmic neighbors, and how we, as human beings, can survive the changes to come!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roberts Publishing
• Release date: Oct 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781956999020

Kelly Roberts

Kelly Roberts is a hugely experienced children's book author who loves creating nonfiction content that will draw in readers of all abilities.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

In my interview with the Warner family, I think Marcy put it best when she said, ‘We just came out of the pandemic, so we thought we were prepared for anything. I don’t think anyone could have prepared for this!’ I have to agree.

-  Andy Barrett, KSDN News

M arcy! Wake up! Peter shook her awake as quietly as he could. Listen...the dogs are going nuts!

Marcy grabbed her robe as she headed for the kitchen. Peter was already ten steps ahead of her.

Bear, shut up! She snapped as their German shepherd barked at the back door to go out. Sounds like every dog in the neighborhood is barking or howling. What the hell is going on?

I don’t know – sirens maybe? But I don’t hear any.

As Peter opened the back door to let Bear out, a flashlight popped on eighty-feet away. Doug, is that you? Peter called out to his father-in-law as the swaying light came closer and closer.

It’s both of us. Good Lord! Have you seen the lights? Grandpa asked as they stepped through the back door.

What lights?

Hey, what’s all the noise? Brandy asked as she came into the kitchen. Oh, hi Grandma and Grandpa. Did the dogs wake you up, too?

By now her brother and sister straggled in, then went to the refrigerator to get a glass of milk. Peter put a pot of coffee on as the Grandparents joined the family.

Did you see those lights, Marcy?

What lights, Mom?

They’re all over the skies, like a bunch of helicopters are up there playing tag or something.

No, but I haven’t been outside yet. Hang on, Mom, Bear won’t stop barking. Marcy opened the back door and called Bear, but she wouldn’t come in. Damn dog! Bear, get your butt in here! The large Shepherd ran through the back door and straight to the front door, then began to bark all over again.

Rick, go put her in my bedroom please, she told her son. At 13, he was a little on the scrawny side, but he managed to coax her into the bedroom and close the door.

Honey, I’m going to step out front and see if I can hear any sirens or whatever is causing all these dogs to freak out, Peter walked towards the front door and Grandpa Doug grabbed his coffee to run after him.

Hang on, I’m coming too, Grandpa said. "I want to see those lights a little better. Can’t see them much for the trees in the backyard. I don’t remember any news of the military holding trainings or anything for this week, do you?

Peter shook his head. No, but then I haven’t watched much news lately.

Are you going to go look at the lights, Marcy? Grandma asked as she sipped her coffee. I was going to head out there, too, for a minute.

Yeah, sure, I’ll come see them. Is the military dropping flares or anything like they did that one time? She grabbed a rubber band off the counter and pulled her dark hair into a ponytail to get it out of her face.

No, no, they’re – well, like dancing.

Dancing? What do you mean?

It’s hard to explain, but kind of like they’re flying towards each other, then veer off. More like a game of chicken maybe. Kind of like that.

What are you guys talking about? Camille asked. Her skinny legs looked like sticks under her nightgown. She sat at the kitchen table rubbing her eyes, thinking if she sat there long enough, someone would bring her breakfast.

Hi Cammy, Marcy hugged her. I’m sorry, honey, I’ll fix you all some breakfast in a few minutes. I’m going out front for a minute. Grandma said there were some helicopters or something out here.

Cammy moaned, then laid her head down on the table. What time is it? It’s still dark out. Why are all of you guys up so early?

The dogs are all barking, hon, that’s what woke us all up. It’s almost time to get up anyway. I’ll be back in a minute. If you don’t want to wait, you can fix a bowl of cereal. Be right back, Marcy said.

Cammy yawned, then got up to fix her cereal. Marcy and Grandma Jan caught up with their husbands in the driveway. Brandy and Rick stood on each side of them, all gazing towards the skies over San Diego, almost twenty miles away.

Wow, I see what you mean, Mom, Marcy said. They don’t seem to be in any kind of pattern.

They keep that up and they’re gonna fly right into one another, Grandpa said, seeming a little perturbed at the lights flying so recklessly.

How come we can’t hear them? Rick asked.

Way too far away, son, Peter said, closing the door to his truck. I was looking for my binoculars, but forgot I loaned them to Gary a couple weeks ago and he hasn’t brought them back yet.

Is that the Army, Dad? Brandy asked, pulling her robe a little tighter. It’s kind of cold out here. At 15, she was almost as tall as Marcy and was a mirror image of her when she was that age.

I’m not sure. I’ve never seen so many helicopters in the skies at one time, and especially flying like that over the city. I can’t imagine who in their right mind would approve that. One miss and they’re going to crash down on the houses below them, Peter said, his hand on his hip as he watched.

If we can’t hear them from here, why are the dogs barking? Can they hear them? Rick persisted.

Maybe, son, I don’t know that either. Nothing really makes sense at the moment.

Marcy put her hand on Peter’s shoulder. I’m going to head in, hon, and go fix breakfast, you staying out here? We can’t really see much from here.

Yeah, for a little bit. You and the kids go ahead and eat. I’ll get mine in a little while.

Marcy turned to her father, How about you, Dad? You and Mom want to have some breakfast?

Sure, hon, thanks, Grandpa smiled. I’ll be there in a minute.

I’ll come help. We’ve already been watching them for a while, and I still don’t know what those lights are doing, Grandma said, turning to follow Marcy back into the house.

It kind of looks like they’re coming closer to us, aren’t they, Dad? Rick asked.

Yeah, a few of them are. It looks like they’re flashing lights back and forth. I wonder what that’s all about, Peter replied.

Beats me, Grandpa snickered slightly. There must be over two or three hundred of them all over the city. When in the hell did San Diego get that many choppers?

I don’t know, Doug. Maybe they have other bases from L.A. or Orange County down here for joint exercises or something. They did that years ago, but most of it was done out at sea, not over the cities. God! I wish those dogs would shut up!

The four of them stood silent as the lights grew closer and closer. Finally, Peter spoke up. That’s odd... his voice trailed off. There aren’t any flashing signal lights like most choppers have.

As the lights approached, first high up in the sky, then gradually descending to just a few hundred feet above the rooftops, house lights and street lights flickered, then went dark.

What the hell? Peter pointed towards the vast darkness enveloping the city. I don’t like the looks of this.

As one of the lights neared their street, they could barely see an outline in the moonlight of a circular saucer shape, not the shape of a helicopter. The street lights went out, as did the lights in every house on their street.

Rick, go get your Mom, quick!

Rick turned to run back into the house, but couldn’t see in the dark. The only visible light was coming from the Moon and the ship in the sky was six houses away. He reached his arms out in front of himself to keep from falling or running into the house itself, and just as he got to the front door, Marcy bumped into him as she was coming out.

God, what happened? Why is the power off? I can’t find the stupid flashlight! she called out.

Look! Peter said. These aren’t choppers! And they sure as hell aren’t the military!

Oh, my God! Marcy whispered, cupping her mouth with her hand.

To the side of them in the driveway next door, Judith and Frank Bixley flicked on a flashlight. Judith took one step behind Frank and stood close to him as if his large frame would protect her from the circular threat hovering nearby. Frank shone the light in the direction of the craft, but it was too weak to penetrate the darkness.

Other than the sounds of the dogs barking, and the building uproar amongst the neighbors, now pouring out of their houses and into the streets, there was no sound coming from the crafts. A single light was spinning in a clockwise motion, then came to a split-second dead stop and began spinning in a counterclockwise motion. It reminded Peter of the child’s toy top that one could push the handle down,  and it would spin and spin.

Peter, any idea what we’re looking at? Frank asked. At 77 years old, his hips weren’t as good as they used to be. Standing for any length of time was risky and he shifted from one leg to the other, trying to relieve some of the pressure.

Frank, they just showed up. We’ve been watching them over San Diego for about twenty minutes, but now they’ve spread out. Honestly, I’m so dumbfounded, I’m not sure what to think. Clearly, they aren’t ours! Peter said, not taking his eyes off the lights.

Where the hell is our military? Why aren’t they shooting the damn things down? Grandpa asked.

Honey, Marcy squeezed Peter’s arm, are we in danger out here? I mean, is this for real? Or do you think they could be making a movie or something?

I don’t know. Kids, I want you to go back in, just in case. The kids didn’t move. Go!

Before the kids made it back into the house, the sound of real helicopters began to fill the air. Brandy and Rick stood near the front door, hidden in the shadows, watching as intently as everyone else on the block.

As the helicopters approached, every visible saucer shot straight up into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Street lights snapped back to life and houses lit up as though every light within was turned on, perhaps in an effort to scare away the foreign bogeyman that just came uninvited. Dozens of dogs fell silent, their weary voices exhausted from the nonstop vigil.

I never thought I’d see something like that, Judith said, her hands on her hips as she looked over at Marcy. I don’t even know what to say, it’s just unbelievable!

Yeah, holy shit! Peter gasped.

I’m going to go turn on the news, there has to be something about this on there. This can’t be real. I bet someone IS making a movie or something, Marcy said, turning to go into the house. As she passed the kids, she motioned for them to come with her.

I can’t even see them anymore, Grandpa said, his head tilted back as he scanned the skies. Not even one light up there. And now the Sun’s coming up, so it’s hard to see if they’re still up there.

I’m sure they probably are, Peter looked up. "After a showing like that, I doubt they’d just head back to where they came from. I guess that’s the big question, though...where did they come from?"

Police and military helicopters continued to patrol the lower skies as Air Force jets flew overhead, crisscrossing back and forth as if they were laying an invisible net across the Earth. No one got in their car to go to work. No one left their house. Televisions blared from one room to another with wall-to-wall coverage as every human who had witnessed this mass spectacle, and who could not come to grips with what they’d just witnessed, sought some form of comfort in words from the experts – any experts. But comfort was not to be found. No one had answers. No one had a clue, and it was painfully obvious.

At first, everyone had the same questions – who were they? Where’d they come from? What are they doing here? Are we being invaded? And so on, until finally, everybody ate a late breakfast in silence, staring at their food as they picked at it slowly. Every once in a while someone would come up with a new question, but there were no answers, and soon conversation became strained.

Grandma and Grandpa returned to their granny flat in the backyard. Peter had built it for them two years earlier when Grandpa’s heart started giving him problems. It was agreed by all it was better to have them close where the family could help take care of them, instead of Grandma Jan trying to do everything herself. Grandpa was still somewhat active and feisty, but his body just couldn’t take the same wear and tear as his younger years endured.

Cammy, at age 6, knew she’d never seen anything like this before, but she wasn’t old enough to understand just how unusual this was.

After a fitful day of disbelief, it was close to four p.m. when the White House finally stuck the bewildered, and concerned, President of the United States behind his large wooden desk and held a live briefing. He read his speech in a slow, methodic manner, trying to keep his voice from quivering at the unprecedented words coming from his mouth.

...and we ask all Americans to remain calm as we assess the multitude of reports coming in. We are aware of the numerous cities involved that witnessed these events, and the dozen or so countries that are reporting the same events. At this time, we cannot answer all of your questions, but please be assured we are on top of the situation and our military is on full alert. Thank you for your cooperation and we’ll try to give you another update tomorrow at this time.

Well, that was a load of crap, Marcy said with sarcasm. They have no clue.

Yeah, not very reassuring, Peter agreed.

Lying at the base of the couch, Bear snapped her head upright, ears perked. She titled her head slightly to the left side, then the right, then let out a deep guttural growl, rising to her feet and running to the front door. The barking began again, not only in the Warner house but with every dog, in every house, on every street.

Oh, shit! They’re back! Marcy jumped up. Oh, God! Oh, God!

Stay here! Peter said as he ran towards the front door. Not one person listened to him as everyone ran to the front door and the windows to look out. Within seconds, they were all in the driveway looking up as Grandma and Grandpa joined them. Grandpa tried to catch his breath as he leaned against Peter’s truck for support.

Neighbors came rushing out of their houses, most carrying a camera, cell phone, or binoculars, all aimed towards the skies as they watched hundreds upon hundreds of alien ships zigzagging across their skies, invading their lives and showing them just how puny they really were.

It didn’t take long for the military jets to take chase, zipping through the clouds and buzzing overhead, but they were basically ignored by the alien ships. As the helicopters took to the lower skies, flying so low sometimes it looked like they might rip off a roof now and then, the alien ships didn’t seem concerned, at least not at first.

As the residents watched, some of the helicopters seemed to fly too close to the ships. Without a sound, a short-pulsed white light shot out of each ship that was encroached upon, and in a split second, the helicopter that had challenged them simply vanished, vaporized in a heartbeat. Screams erupted up and down the blocks as people witnessed the pilots gone, wiped away like gnats.

The ships then began to descend lower to Earth as they’d done just hours before, hovering just a short distance over the rooftops, their circular bodies spinning left, right, left, right, oscillating almost in a hypnotic unity with one another.

Silence fell over the crowd of residents as they seemed glued to their locale, mesmerized or frozen with fear.  No one could seem to function, or even think clearly as to what they should do, where they should go, or what was the right action.

Before they had much time to mentally register what was happening, the ships seemed to shift color, slightly at first, then boldly turn from a silverfish grey to a deep maroon, then back to the grey. In mid-air, they turned completely upside down, then back again, all in unison with each action as if they were all controlled by the same hand.

A single blue light struck out from each craft, circling the entire ship’s circumference, scanning the crowds of families out in their driveways and in the streets. The lights stopped on each person, skipping past each of the males in a quick second and hesitating for several seconds on each female.

No one spoke, and no one moved. The crowd assessment complete, the ships flipped and changed colors once more before they emitted dozens of blue lights coming straight from the center of the crafts. Each light focused on one female at a time, but not all females were targeted.

Standing next to Brandy, Marcy could see a light on her daughter, but no light on herself, her mother, or Cammy. Just Brandy. Then just as suddenly as the lights appeared on her, Brandy and the lights both were gone! Vanished. Completely gone.

Screams erupted the length of the streets as families watched their loved ones taken in a flash, and before they could grasp what took place, the ships shot up into the air and disappeared.

CHAPTER TWO

Marcy lunged towards the spot where Brandy had just been standing, a mother’s reflex to grab and hold what was no longer there. She fell to the ground screaming as Peter and Grandpa both reached to help her up. Peter held her tight as her screams wailed into the air, resonating with dozens of other neighbors doing the same. Peter stared into the sky, hoping to get a glimpse of where the ships went, but they were gone.

Grandpa called 911 to report what had happened as Grandma pulled Rick and Cammy towards the house to get them out of possible harm’s way and to try and calm them away from Marcy, who was nearing hysteria. Rick resisted, wanting to stay with his parents and help, unaware there was nothing he could do that would make any difference. Grandma put her arm around his shoulder and ushered him inside.

I’m on hold, Grandpa said. Peter, we have to do something. I don’t know what, but we have to do something.

Doug, take Marcy inside. I’m going over to the police station to see if anyone is going after those ships! The cops, Army, whoever! Someone has to! I need you to stay here with the family and keep them inside, Peter said, his voice full of rage as he tried to scramble to get his truck keys out of his pocket.

You got it, Doug said, still on the phone. He wrapped  his other arm around Marcy and walked her slowly towards the front door.

Peter nearly stripped the gears in his truck as he threw it into reverse and backed out of the driveway, then peeled off towards the police substation a few miles away. He knew after hearing the screams from the rest of the neighbors, that his family wasn’t the only one to experience this and the police departments were going to be flooded with people just like him.

He ripped the door open on the police substation, almost taking it off its hinges as he went inside. The lobby was already filled with nearly three dozen people all yelling, some crying, some pushing the person in front of them to try and get to the officer behind the bulletproof window. The officer addressed the crowd through his microphone behind the glass.

Please folks, I need your attention, he held his hand up to motion to everyone as other officers entered from side doors behind him, ready to back him up in case the crowd got violent. We’re doing the best we can, but as you can imagine, we’re not sure what’s going on here. We need you to all go home, and stay home, so we can get our officers out there and...

And what? What the hell good is that going to do now? Those damned things just took my wife! Where the hell are the soldiers? Where’s someone to come help us, goddamnit? The man yelling looked around, nudging the people next to him, egging them to speak up.

Sir, I realize you’re upset, and trust me, I think there’s enough upset for all of us, but we’re trying to get our units out to some of the streets and intersections and we can’t do that if everyone is coming in here. We ask everyone to go home, write down exactly what happened – specifically as to who in your family was taken and any details you can give us, and give that information to the officer who will be stationed in your area. We’re getting them out there as quickly as we can, but please understand we have reports across the city that, so far as we know right now, this might involve thousands of people taken. It’s going to take us some time to get this done, so folks, please go home. There’s nothing we can do right now to bring your people home, but we need you to document what happened to your loved one.

Peter left and drove towards home, swerving from time to time as he tried to peer up through his windshield to scan the skies. Tears welled up as he wove in and out of traffic. His mind raced. Find Brandy, but how? Where? How do you chase a UFO? Who the hell do you call for help? As he came to a lurching halt in the driveway, he tried to gather himself before he went inside so Marcy and the kids didn’t see he was about to lose it emotionally. As he got out of his truck, he stopped for a minute to look up at the sky, once more, searching desperately for signs of movement, a flash of light, anything that might indicate his daughter was up there and he’d see her again. But there was nothing, other than clouds floating overhead.

Marcy ran out of the house and met him as he reached the doorway, hugging him tight, her eyes puffy and red, tears still streaming down her cheeks. He walked her into the house, joining the rest of the family in the living room. They all fell silent as they waited for him to give answers, solve everything, bring things back to normal. But of course he couldn’t do that, and he knew it. He took a couple of deep breaths before he began. He stood facing them, not ready to sit down.

Okay, he began, they’re scrambling, like all of us, trying to figure out what’s going on, but the cop said they’re going to be sending officers out to the streets and we need to write down what happened and give that information to the ones that are assigned to our area.

How soon are they sending someone out? Grandma asked.

"I don’t know, Jan, but as soon as they can. There aren’t very many cops at that station, so I don’t know if they’re pulling in more from San Diego or what, but...that’s about all he said. There were already a lot of people in there when I got there, and traffic is really bad. A ton of cars heading in that same direction, so I’m sure it’s going