[ WP ] It turns out that everyone 's imaginary friends were actually extraterrestrials that were trying to contact Earth through children .

The scarred vessel tumbled in the black, carried by the momentum of the failed sortie far across the system. 
 
 Matt was tucked safely in a safety booth, and he fussed with the knobs on the small radio every few minutes. 
 
 The enemy primarily used maser comms, and so he would never here them coming. Most of the ship was depressurized, and he had a week or so of air to compliment his 24 hours of rations. 
 
 His heart skipped a beat as he slid the tuner across a particularly static-y frequency. Was that a voice? 
 
 `` No, no.. heh..'' he said aloud into the darkness. The ship twanged and creaked and various part of the molted metal cooled around him. 
 
 *~matt* 
 
 `` What?! ``, he replied. 
 
 He torqued the knob hard, desperate to find the signal he just passed. The signal was gone. 
 
... 
 
 He carefully set out all the rations, divvied up for each day. He had an SMG buried inside an alcove, with a large magazine attached, but did n't really consider its use. 
 
 `` We've been in worse scrapes'', he told the weapon. 
 
 Four days of meager food. The air would run thin a few days later. 
 
 `` Shhhh... Shhht... Shhrrrrt...'', the offending frequency had the most static, and was the source of the mysterious voice. 
 
 `` Shhhhrrrrrtttsssssss...'' 
 
... 
 
 Matt was startled awake by a screeching sound reverberating deep in the hull. Something pressurized must have come loose, and was venting into space. He felt the front of the ship pull on him. The break may be slowing his departure from this star system. 
 
 But that might not be a good thing. 
 
 The last time he saw sensors, the entire Sol system was in arms. A dozen extremely large ships had passed Neptunes orbit, and had destroyed every craft or station or base they passed. 
 
 He was only here to audit, and got dragged along with the hurrah. Now he was the only one left. 
 
 *~matt* 
 
 The radios battery would last much longer than the air or the food. Both appeared to be safe from the new breach. He adjusted the knob. 
 
 *~keep you safe* 
 
 `` Who's there? ``, he asked. 
 
 *~ its charlie* 
 
 *~ are you there, matt? * 
 
 He tugged the bulky device toward him and held it close. He could n't remember anyone by that name though. 
 
 *~lets go play outside* 
 
 `` No fucking way'', Matt said straight into the device. His stomach turned and he lost all appetite for the rations tucked away nearby. 
 
 `` There is no way. Charlie? I lost that toy over two decades ago. No fuc-'' 
 
 *~matt ~i want you to be safe ~let me help you* 
 
 `` Wuf.. uh...'' 
 
 *~will you take my ~help~* 
 
 `` No.'' 
 
 The words came out reflexively. He had a few disagreements with the toy before, like when it had insisted that it was real, and not just his imaginary friend. 
 
 The moving around between colonies was hard on the youngster, and made the man that much less interested in travel. 
 
 `` No Charlie, you are n't real. I think I'm going nuts, heh heh.. `` 
 
 *~its real ~they are chasing your vessel now* 
 
 *~let me ~help~ you* 
 
 `` Where are they? How far? How much time do I have?'' 
 
 The radio replied only with static. 
 
... 
 
 The emergency lighting flickered slightly, grew a touch brighter. For the first time since the battle, he felt warmth. 
 
 The radio squealed and crackled. 
 
 *~matt* 
 
 A chill went down his spine. 
 
 *~matt* 
 
 He did n't want to answer it. The crackling came in waves, a tiny bit louder each time. 
 
 *~they are firing fusion bombs at you ~making it hard to tahhhhsssssss* 
 
 Matt clutched the radio, cold with fear and hot from the hard radiation washing over the vessel. Nothing was glass, so there was no way for him to see outside. He imagined the blinding light of the enemies beam weapons scorching the starlight around him. 
 
 *~just let me help you* 
 
 *~let me take you somewhere* 
 
 Matt could barely hold his breath, his teeth ached with the word hissed across the radio. He would agree to the toys help if only to stop its probing. 
 
 *~safe* 
 
 `` Fine. Come get me.'' Matt choked out 
 
 Before he could inhale again, a heavy thud echoed through the vessel. 
 
 *~we are here* 
 
 The safety booths seals unlatched, air sucked inward and stank of ozone and blood. 
 
 *~we have come to take you away* 
 
 Matt could n't see past the cold harsh light that flooded his booth. Gravity had returned, and he fell onto the deck below. 
 
 Small angry hands grabbed at him, yanking and bruising as they dragged him into the light. The long clammy fingers dug right into his soul. 
 
 *~ we have come to make you* 
 
 Matt screamed as a thousand blocked memories resurfaced. They had come for him before, and they came back for him now. 
 
 His parents were n't migrant workers; they had been running from his nightmares. 
 
 And now there was no where left to run. 
 
 *~safe*
