Ulam? Whatever.
Rene switched back to calling mode in her phone while keeping her pace constant enough to not cause her fatigued. The rain outside was still going on, never showed any slight signs of stopping. 88-555-2-6, Rene redialed the number.
Rene was in the midst of sorting out all the chaos in her mind when the number got connected, as usual.
"Location marked. Status confirmed. You're already there. 3 days earlier? Good."Hung up.
That's it?
The call did not help at all in solving all these mysteries, obviously. Rene sighed, out of her exhaustion of trying to see through all these. She felt like she was now a mouse that was chased after by something she had no idea at all, a mouse that was running for almost no reason.
She started to slow down her pace, turned to the building that she had run out from. Fuck you. She cursed, and then shouted the same word loudly, again and again. "I don't know WHAT are you, I don't know WHAT are all these about, but you know what? I DON'T CARE!!" followed by another 3 times of cursing which started with F.
"Rene...?"
Rain?
Rene turned around and she saw Rain, the god-damn pale pig that she would first beat him up before asking him to reveal all about this god-damn stupid game.
"Why are you here? Oh my God you shouldn't be here! Oh no... Didn't you read my message in the launderette?"Rain seemed clueless about her appearance, which really pissed Rene off.
"YOU!" Rene started to move forward to Rain. She would definitely crumple him up once she reached him, "Tell me all about this SHIT before I kill you!"
"Hold... hold! Rene, I told you not to listen to them.. I....I'm sorry to get you involved... Rene.. cool! cool! Calm down!.. I..I...LOOK! I can't call you... that's why I had to leave you the notes.... I really wished I could explain it thoroughly to you... but not on paper... Rene! Calm down! Calm down!" Rain was stepping back while trying to calm Rene down, by the end or his explanation, he saw Rene slowed down and eventually frozen at the point she stood.
A thunderclap roared. The storm seemed getting stronger. Both Rain and Rene were now soaked wet, in the middle of the abandoned 76th Street.
The sudden change of Rene made Rain wondered. He stepped forward, closer to Rene.
"Rene?" almost whispered, "...you OK?"
Rene looked at Rain and mumbled, "... so you're saying you can't call me? so you're saying.... I shouldn't get ANY calls from you?"
Rain nodded. "Well if I don't call you, why will you get my call at the first place?" Rain tried to make the statement clear as everything was in his control, until he figured out what JUST happened to Rene...
"Wait.. Rene," Rain looked back to Rene cautiously, hoping what's in his mind was not real, "did you......."
Rene nodded. Rain's face turned pale. Shit.
"I thought that was you!" Rene tried to explain, realizing she had done one big mistake, which she didn't know what kind of consequences would ensue.
"What did he say?"
"He made me dialed the number again... and I just did..."
A flash of lightning, flashing on Rain's pale face. That made him looked like a white creatures with human figure, not a human being.
".. and then the one answering the call said something about confirming location and status... Rain, what is this? Tell me! Rain!"
Rain took a deep breath when another thunderclap sounded. He could feel his fright, smearing upward from the ground he stood on.
"They are coming."
"Who?"
"They invaded the system, and claimed themselves as New Ulam.."
"Huh?"
"Ulam is a system managing weather in each planet of the universe. I was sent to Earth as messenger.."
"........."
"I didn't realized the invasion when I asked you to call the number -- the number is a signal sent to the center, it's our way of reporting.."
".... and what happened?"
"When you called, you've just revealed ourselves to them.."
"Ourselves?"
"Yeah, planet Earth."
Silent ensued. Rene wished she could accept Rain's explanation, but it seemed so illogic. On the other hand she felt Rain's seriousness was really ... impressive....
"So is this going to be the end of the world?" Rene tried to posed a tone that didn't sound insulting.
Carefully, after a few seconds of pondering, Rain opened his mouth,
"..maybe.."
"MUAHAHAHAHAHaHahahahhahahahaahhaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rene just couldn't hold anymore, she burst into HUGE laugh.