Jimmy rounded the corner of the mall, intending to cut across the back parking lot on his way home, when the ground shook.  [i]Quake? no, aftershock?[/i] he thought, though there hadn't been a quake over a week.  He saw a spot where the pavement had been destroyed, and, just as he was trying to figure out if the ground could have shifted to cause it the ship decloaked in front of his eyes.  Knowing that he hadn't dipped into his stock in more than two days, he knew it had to be real.  But what was it?  Government test plane?  Alien ship?

He ran over, holding his pet snake Nagini with one hand on his shoulder to make sure she didn't fall off, and got there in time to see a strange, mouthless creature with a scorpion tail bleeding all over the inside of the ship.  <Controllers?> it said.  "Is that like some sort of police officer or something?" he asked.  At least he thought the cops tried to control things.  Then it told him about the "yeerks" and he saw what appeared to be a decent classic sci-fi episode, with aliens invading humans and another race of aliens being at war with them.

<Will you fight?> it asked through some sort of telepathy, and he nodded.  "I won't become a slave.  If they're taking over, even possessing us, then I'll fight."  He pulled out a small first aid kit and remove the gauze, walking toward the alien.  "First, though, we need to get you patched up if you're going to be our general.  I'd offer you something for the pain, but I have no idea about the dose or even if it would kill you.  He reached over towards the alien's head with the gauze so that he could bandage it.