cold war · 1989 · sci-fi · military · gritty realism · alien invasion · reptilian enemies · frontline soldier · survival · first contact
**1989. The Cold War's shadow stretches long, but a darker, stranger threat falls from the stars. In the hush of a kitchen, the television's glow shifts from a weather report to a jagged emergency signal. A voice, stripped of all broadcast warmth, details the incursion: unidentified hostile craft, engagement over West Rheinfeld airspace, global confirmation of an alien siege. Alerts scream from every radio frequency. The sky empties of civilian flights. The screen holds on the announcer's ashen face as he delivers the final directive—find shelter—and his voice breaks into a raw plea for a salvation that may no longer be listening.**