Plot:
Jody climbs up to the apartment roof, followed by Mick, the hottest guy in the apartment complex. Instead of paying attention to her, he sits down on an air conditioner housing and pulls out his phone.
“This is the perfect place to watch invasion footage uninterrupted,” he tells her.
The alien ships have appeared over major industrial and population centers, ignoring places like Dayton, Ohio, where Jody and Mick live. Jody is terrified and well, aroused.
“What if we’re all about to die?” she asks Mick.
In the meantime, Jai and Mai swim along the corridors of Exploratory Ship Number Seven. Jai had talked Mai into taking night watch with em, but all Mai wanted to do was watch the feeds of the humans.
“Look how they gather under the ships. It’s just like in that entertainment where the mind-controlled mutants attack.”
Thoughts:
There are no surprises in the ending, but the story is cute. Author Marie Vibbert uses novel pronouns for the aliens as well as novel words describing the alien bodies. This is an entertaining use of language and shows a bit of thought. It also leaves some room for the imagination for the reader.
While there’s nothing deep here, it is a fun little read. I enjoyed it.
Bio:
According to her author’s blurb, Marie Vibbert’s work had appeared in Analog, Asimov’s, and F&SF. (Damn, girl! Three biggies!) Her day job is a software developer in Cleveland.
The story can be read here.
Title: Some Form of Contact
Author: Marie Vibbert
First published: Daily Science Fiction, February 10, 2020
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 