[What do you mean it moved? I’m looking at it on channel two. It’s not doing anything.]

I’m telling you, Jack, the robot moved. It…shifted its weight. It moved its hands.

[Shifted…You can’t do this to me Jacob. What am I supposed to air for three minutes?]

Weather report. Show some footage from this morning. I don’t give a shit. The last time one of these things moved, a hundred thousand people died. It happened—oh, wait—right here.

[You’re being paranoid. We’re all looking at it now and I’m telling you: It’s not moving.]

Paranoid, Jack? We’re walking on dirt, Jack! Do you understand what I’m saying? We’re walking on dirt because the last of those bloody robots vaporized every bloody thing that was here. We’re too close anyway. I can get a better view from farther away.

[Where are you going to go?]

Where there’s no dirt! We’ll take the van and get to one of the downtown buildings on the edge of the levelled area. I can get you some footage from there.

[How long will that take?]

I don’t know. Give us…twenty minutes to set up.

[Jacob. The edge of the dirt field is two kilometres away. It should take you two minutes to get there.]

There are fifty thousand people here, Jack. Children everywhere, more tents than you can count. There’s a food station ahead of us with—I don’t know—fifty barbecue grills. Hundreds of people waiting in line for hamburgers. These people have built a community here. It’s difficult to walk through the crowd. We’ll need to clear a path for the van.

[And these fifty thousand people, are they leaving as well?]

No, Jack, they’re not leaving. There are people coming and going but I don’t think anyone is fleeing.

[And neither should you. You’re a journalist, for goodness sake. Even the children are not as skittish as you are.]

Go to hell, Jack. We’re leaving.

[What does your cameraman have to say?]

Janet, do you want to stay?

{Go to hell, Jack!}

[OK! OK! I’ll kill your segment.]

What will they air?

[I’ll have them improvise for three minutes. They won’t be happy. You could lose your job for this, Jacob. Both of you.]

You know me, Jack. I went to a dozen wars for you. I took a bullet for you.

[Your bag took a bullet for me, Jacob. You were never injured.]

Another six inches and we wouldn’t be talking. My point is I don’t scare easily. I’m telling you: I have a bad feeling about this.

[I hope you’re right, or there’ll be hell to pay.]

I sincerely hope I’m wrong. We’re at the van. I’ll call you when we get there, Jack.

[No, you won’t. Don’t hang up. I’ll put you on the air just before the weather, but I need you in front of the camera five minutes from now.]

Janet, Jack says we have five minutes.

[What’s she saying?]

She’s smiling.

[That’s more like it.]

Janet, look in the mirror behind us. Can you see that?

{Yes, what is it?}

[What is what, Jacob?]

The air…It’s hard to explain, the air around the robot is becoming…thicker, like…

[Like fog?]

Not quite. It’s like a mist slowly forming all around it. Whatever it is, it doesn’t look like a natural phenomenon. I see people running away.

[Is the robot making it?]

I think so. I can’t see where it’s coming from. The air is whiter now, opaque. I can’t see the robot’s feet anymore. It’s not fog. It looks like…like smoke from dry ice, a lot of dry ice. Janet, can you drive faster? I think it’s gaining on us.

[Is it dangerous?]

How the hell should I know? It’s moving a lot faster than anyone can run. We’re about three hundred feet from the road but it’s right behind us.

Floor it, Janet! There! That way! We’re in the city. Take Golden Lane. Bloody thing’s all over us now. We can’t see ten feet ahead of us.

Bloody hell! It’s coming through the back door of the van. Through the floor. Janet STOP!

[Jacob?]

…

[Jacob!]

I’m here. Fuck! We…we hit a parked car. My head, it’s bleeding. Janet! Janet! Janet’s unconscious. I have to get her out. Come on, girl. Let’s get you out of here.

[I’ll send help. Tell me where you are.]

I’m taking her inside Cromwell Tower. Jack, you better hurry. She’s…Her veins are dark, almost black. Her skin is all pale.

[Is she dead?]

I don’t fucking know! I have her in my arms. I can’t check her pulse. The smoke, it’s coming inside the building, even with the doors closed. I have to get her away from it. I’ll try the lift.

[Jacob, is she dead?]

I’m getting on the lift. I’ll take her to the top floor. Hopefully whatever is hurting her won’t reach us there.

[The police won’t answer.]

…

[Did you hear what I just said?]

…

[ Jacob!]

She’s dead. Janet’s dead. Bloody aliens killed her. She’s…hard. Her skin…It’s like someone sucked all the blood out of her—…

[Jesus.]

They’re doing it again, Jack. They’re killing us all.

[I’ll find some help. I’ll come get you myself if I can’t.]

You worry about yourself, Jack! The fog will have crossed the river by now. It will reach you soon.

[You think it will make it this far?]

I’m looking through the window now. It’s everywhere, as far as I can see. Anything smaller than twenty-five or thirty storeys is completely covered by the cloud. It looks like a white sea, with a few tall buildings rising out of it. Get everyone out of the office and to the top floor. You should be safe there.

[What about you?]

I breathed as much of this smoke as Janet did. I don’t know why I’m not dead and she is. I feel fine. I’ll stay here until it dissipates.

[Be safe, Jacob.]

Goodbye, Jack.

FILE NO. 1567

INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROSE FRANKLIN, HEAD OF SCIENCE DIVISION, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS

Location: EDC Headquarters, New York, NY

—Dr. Franklin.

—…

—Dr. Franklin. What are you doing?

—I’m…I’m not doing anything.