by Thomas Stone
*
When the explosion tore the interior air lock door from it hinges, the soldiers were as prepared as could be under the circumstances. Without support, without leadership, and with dwindling ammunition, their fate was sealed and they knew it. There was no consideration of talks with the intruders.
The door flew down the corridor, clearing the path of debris, until it bounced off the wall at the far end and finally came to rest, effectively blocking any avenue of retreat. The aliens streamed through the opening and were met with a wall of flechettes and conventional shotgun blasts. As the initial volley subsided, more joined the fray, selectively firing beam weapons at individual troopers. Holes appeared in the walls and smoke filled the air. A soldier nearest the airlock writhed from a beam that burned through his chest armor and he went down, clutching at his sizzling wound. Another soldier rolled a grenade down the corridor that exploded between the two lead aliens, blowing them to opposite sides but allowing space to be made for another to enter. The two invaders in front disappeared through holes made in the walls and emerged in doorways moments later. More poured through the open airlock. Overwhelmed and with nowhere to go, the soldiers dropped under the withering fire.
Without weapons of their own, Ellis and Luther Cross beat a hasty retreat to the complex’s control room. The space offered little protection but did give them a moment to gather their wits. Outside, the sporadic sound of weapons’ fire abated, then ceased altogether as the last trooper fell.
Luther fumbled in his pocket and withdrew the nanobot controller. “It’s now or never, kid.”
Young Ellis stared at the device. “What’s that?”
“This is what’s gonna save our asses. I hope.” Luther switched on the controller and began entering parameters into the small keypad. When he was set, he withdrew the metal cylinder from the same pocket. He cracked opened the door of the control room and, while holding the controller under his arm, he unscrewed the top of the cylinder.
“Those are military-grade nanobots, aren’t they?” asked Ellis.
“Yep,” answered Luther.
“Have you ever used those before? How do you know you selected the correct settings? If you got ‘em wrong...”
“Shut up,” snapped Luther as the cap fell from the top of the cylinder. He held the open container out the door and waved it in the air as a cloud of activated nanobots streamed from its opening. They gathered in the room outside the control space as an undulating, black cloud before beginning to uniformly move out into the corridor beyond.
Luther shut the door and listened. Frantic sounds presently reached Ellis and Cross.
*
Seeing through the electronic eyes of the simulcon, Jennings guided the robot out of the truck and onto the garage floor. Shielded by the bulk of the vehicle, the simulcon moved to the rear where it could remain in the shadows and maintain a view of both the loading dock and the ramp leading outside.
Two aliens floated at the exterior airlock door, but the others were not in sight. They had, Jennings surmised correctly, broken through the soldiers’ defenses and entered the complex. The bark and roar of weapons’ fire was conspicuously absent. Was it all over?
Keeping to the shadows as best as he could, Jennings moved the simulcon from the truck to the base of the ramp. Other than the two on the dock, none were in sight, a peculiar fact in that Jennings had been certain he would find reinforcements guarding the outside entrance. Where had they gone? Surely the aliens had not thrown all their resources into the final assault. As Jennings considered his options, aliens began emerging from the blown airlock.
The two floating guards at first impeded their progress, but they were summarily shoved out of the way by the others in what appeared to be a panic-induced flight from the complex. Three came out, one after another, swatting with mechanical arms at the dark clouds surrounding their bodies. The two guards likewise began to flap their appendages as portions of the clouds separated from the main group and attacked them as well.
It took Jennings but a moment to realize what was happening: someone had released the nanobots. The microscopic creatures had no problem infiltrating the aliens’ force fields and were single-mindedly occupied in their mission -- which was to eat through their targets.
More aliens streamed from the open airlock door, adding to the growing group. They spilled out into the garage, turning and spinning as they ineffectually tried to rid themselves of the swarming nanobots. As their instrumentation failed, several fell to the floor, still spinning, still attempting to fight the tiny artificial organisms intent on eating through their armored exteriors. Two of the creatures -- Jennings thought they were the original two guards but couldn’t be sure -- broke away from the writhing group and fled across the garage toward the ramp. Jennings was taken by surprise as the exposed simulcon stood beside the ramp. Hoping for the best, he remained motionless as the two floated past him, post-haste, up the ramp. Making a split-second decision, Jennings guided his robot up the ramp. He spotted the two aliens immediately. Both had paused at the top and were trying to clear one another of the nanobots. To do so, they had lowered their shields, or perhaps the nanobots had damaged the devices to the point where the shields no longer functioned. In any case, one of the creatures spotted the approaching simulcon, raised a short, compact handheld device and shot a beam of light. Jennings blinked and his monitor feed disappeared. The simulcon was rendered inoperable.
Jennings ripped the VR helmet from his head and threw it across the room. He had to know what was happening. Rising from his position, he crossed the interior of the truck, popped the hatch and climbed out. He eased down the outside ladder and peeped under the truck as he reached the bottom. Those aliens remaining in the garage were all on the ground. They dissolved before his eyes as the nanobots ate through their protective mechanized covers and gained access to the soft tissue residing beneath.
He crept to the rear of the truck and looked first to the airlock where small fires still burned from the many explosions. How many of the aliens were still inside? Did they find whatever they were looking for? Jennings shifted his gaze to the ramp leading above ground. It was much closer than the open airlock entrance. Although it was still night on Mirabel, starlight cast a pale glow down the path leading out. He made a decision and moved quietly to the ramp. It was clear and he carefully stepped forward up into the open air.
Creeping past the crumpled form of his own simulcon, he saw that the two aliens had moved toward an enormous spacecraft hovering at the top of an adjacent dune. The craft was familiar and Jennings recognized it as Fagen’s ship, Minerva. Had the aliens captured it? Had Fagen and his crew been captured, put to death, or...?
The ship was surrounded by a shimmering force field and three more of the creatures stood just inside its protective circumference. Jennings crouched on the sloping ramp, aware of his precarious position. He couldn’t move forward without exposing himself and he didn’t want to return to the chaos within the garage. Yet he couldn’t remain where he was. With certainty, they would find him. He peeped out again and watched the two aliens, still surrounded by clouds of nanobots, as they made their way toward the shelter of the force field. Eaten away by the microscopic nanobots, their appendages were gone along with their accoutrements. They still floated, but it was in a staggering fashion. A meter from their destination, the semi-transparent field vanished. Those inside had decided to admit their brethren.
*
The two injured aliens passed close enough to Ramey that he heard the buzzing of what appeared to be clouds of insects surrounding each creature. Ramey gripped one of the two grenades he’d recovered and considered using it on the obviously wounded aliens, but restrained himself as the force field suddenly disappeared. The two made it just inside the line where the force field had been moments before and then, almost in unison, fell to the sand and began rolling back down the slope in a direction that would take them to where Ramey lay. The other three assigned to sentry
duty followed their companions down the hill. Their glimmering shields dropped as they attempted to assist the first two. Ramey saw it as the opportunity he’d waited for and activated the grenade he held before tossing it toward the approaching aliens.
*
Alarmed to see the aliens coming down the hill toward him, Jennings considered moving back down the ramp. The two tumbling aliens reached the bottom of the hill with the three others close behind. As Jennings turned to run, a series of explosions ripped the air. At first, he thought the damaged mechanoids had exploded. As he raised his head, billowing smoke blossomed from the hillside. Before the smoke covered them, Jennings saw that the functioning aliens were down as well. Two lay unmoving while the third writhed on the sand halfway up the slope. To Jennings’ amazement, he saw a helmetless soldier doing his best to run up the slope toward the open ramp of the spacecraft. Even though the loose sand prevented the soldier from bounding up the hill, by the time Jennings decided to run after him, the soldier was lost in the surrounding smoke.
Jennings darted out and crossed the level ground to the dune, past the two aliens still covered with clouds of nanobots like flies around carrion, and up the hill. He climbed past the two who had been rendered harmless by the blast and saw that their casings had split open. Substances blue and brown oozed from the cracks mixed with noxious gases. Jennings clapped a hand over his face as he passed. The last still moved, trying to upright itself with its one remaining arm. The folded mechanisms on its underside were twisted and broken, useless as the legs they were intended to be. It stretched its arm at Jennings as he went past, whether in an attempt to attack or beg for help, Jennings could not imagine. Climbing higher still, he reached the point where the shield had been and, fearing it might re-appear at any moment, he pushed on until he reached the base of the ramp under the great ship. At that moment, a mild electric shock passed through him. An accompanying high-pitched hum commenced at the same time. The force field had re-appeared, cutting off any thought of retreat.
Breathing heavily, Jennings squinted through the smoke, up inside the ship. The soldier was perched at the top of the ramp, looking inside.
“Hey,” Jennings called out to him.
The soldier swiveled and raised the spear he carried. Jennings raised his hands in submission and the soldier signaled for him to come up.
*
Wearing battle armor and carrying weapons, Fagen led Bart and Bobbi on a winding path through the dunes that eventually opened onto the gully that led to the garage opening. Explosions shook the ground and they picked up their pace. Rounding a corner, smoke obscured their vision, but not so much they could not see the alien ship still hovering at the top. Five unmoving aliens littered the base of the hill.
“Something has happened.” Fagen stated the obvious.
The trio moved forward, giving the aliens and the attendant nanobots a wide berth. They stopped where the gaping hole signified the garage entrance. Bart pointed to the twisted door lying in the middle of the large field to their right.
“Must have been quite a blast,” commented Bobbi.
Neither Fagen nor Bart replied. Instead, all three faced the ramp, adjusted their weapons and started down, shining lights into the darkness.
They found the remains of seven aliens in the garage arranged haphazardly on the dock and scattered about the garage floor. All looked as though they had bathed in molecular acid. The bodies of three soldiers lay on the dock as well.
“What do you make of this?” Fagen asked Bart as he pointed to one of the creatures.
Bart studied the damage. “No trace of burning. No chemical residue I can see.” Bart straightened up and looked to Fagen. “Military-grade nanobots?”
Fagen nodded in agreement.
They stepped past the aliens onto the loading dock and shined their lights through the open airlock. More alien remains were scattered in the corridor mixed with the corpses of more soldiers. The smell of cordite lingered in the hallway and the haze of battle still floated in the air. No movement, no sound, no signs of life.
“They wiped each other out,” whispered Bobbi.
Gaping holes yawned from the walls where projectiles and burning heat beams had made their marks. They gingerly picked their way up the corridor looking for survivors but found none.
All the rooms opening to the main corridor were filled with similar carnage, but none of the bodies were those from their original group. Inside the locker-room, they found water, food packs, and other assorted supplies required to support a military troop.
“There’s no one here,” said Bobbi.
“We won’t know for sure until we search the entire complex,” said Bart.
“And access the alien ship,” added Fagen. “I don’t like having it at our backs while we’re in here.”
“Perhaps we should go back outside and see about getting through their shield?”
Fagen nodded slowly as he stared at the body of a human soldier. “Yeah. We can’t do any good here so let’s...”
A faint scrape came from somewhere up the main corridor. All three spun and pointed their weapons in the direction of the sound.
*
Jennings started to speak, but Ramey held up a finger for silence, then pointed in the direction of the passageway before them. Ramey made a walking motion with his fingers and Jennings nodded in understanding. With Ramey in the lead, they moved forward, padding silently on the sleek black surface. Not three steps along, they passed through an invisible barrier which sucked at them as they stepped through. Once on the other side, the ramp closed behind. The two men exchanged glances. In silent understanding, they realized they had passed through an airlock constructed from a technology neither had before seen. Ahead, dots of light were evenly distributed along the passageway lighting their path. The passage led up at a slight incline. To the sides were vacant storage areas whose configuration suggested they had contained environment suits. Ramey paused at a puckered place in the bulkhead and passed his hand over the wrinkled area. It responded in an instant, dilating wide enough for Ramey to step through if he chose, which he didn’t. He did, however, take a look inside. The space was a storage area with boxes arranged neatly in stacks and rows. Instrument panels gleamed from the walls, their purpose a complete mystery. Ramey and Jennings backed away and the portal responded by automatically shutting itself. They continued along, moving past more of the puckered doors but not bothering to explore any until they arrived at the end of the passage.
“Through here, or back to one of the others?” whispered Ramey.
“Seems more likely the passage would lead to the control room, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know.”
“I do. I’m an engineer by training.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m just a grunt by training, but I’ll lead the way if you don’t mind.”
“By all means.”
Ramey raised the spear in his right hand and passed his left over the puckered wall. Just like the others, it expanded immediately to expose a large, dimly-lit room. Unlike the other rooms, this one was completely lined with console positions and accompanying instrumentation.
At a console directly across from Ramey and Jennings sat what appeared to be a cross between a troll and a little old man. He wore something akin to a diaper on his lower person and a cable reached from the back of his over-sized head to the console. He stared back at them with wide eyes.
“It’s a wirehead.”
“It’s one of them without the battle suit.”
Ramey moved forward and raised the spear. The alien shrank in its seat as the soldier approached.
“Wait!” shouted Jennings, “don’t kill it!”
“Why not? They had no problem with killing us.”
“We need it.”
“For what?”
“To help fly this ship,” answered Jennings.
*
Bart moved ahead of Fagen, rifle at the ready. The door to the control room was s
hut, but as he approached, a bump came from inside. Bart jumped back. Fagen noticed sweat trickling down the back of Bart’s neck and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Bart looked and Fagen motioned for him to get out of the way. Bart shook his head.
He placed a hand on the knob and tried turning it, but found it locked. Inside, something scrambled away. Bart took a step backward, raised a boot, and kicked the door open. In one corner, crouching with wide, frightened eyes were both young Ellis and Luther Cross.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” Cross managed to say.
“You’re alive!” said Bobbi.
Cross nodded in agreement as both men got to their feet. “We thought you were aliens.”
“From the looks of things, the soldiers and the aliens fought to a draw. Nobody’s left.”
“Nobody?” Ellis repeated.
“You’re the only ones. At least, so far. We haven’t searched the entire complex.”
“What about Penbrook and the orange guy?”
“We don’t know,” said Bobbi. “They weren’t among the others.”
“They’ve got to be dead,” said Ellis. “Nobody could have lived through that attack.”
“You two did.”
“We had an edge,” said Cross, displaying the empty nanobot cylinder.
Bart and Fagen looked at each other. “So that’s what happened.”
“Yep,” said Luther, “old Luther Cross saved the day.”
“Not quite,” replied Fagen. “All the soldiers were killed.”
“That’s not my fault,” protested Luther. Fagen was surprised to see Cross was genuinely sorry for the way things had gone. “They wouldn’t give us weapons.” he added.
“Nobody’s blaming you. Are you two all right?”
“We’re okay,” said Ellis.
“Any sign of Irons?”
“Haven’t seen him since the two of you popped out of here.”
“All right,” said Fagen. “We’re not in the clear yet. The alien ship is still outside -- no Tec’Lissir in sight but we haven’t searched the entire complex either, so the first order of things is to make sure everybody is accounted for. Cross, you and Ellis find a weapon -- there are plenty scattered around now -- and wait until the three of us have completed a search of the lower spaces. Then we’ll...”