by Jon F. Merz
Perhaps.
"Mick!"
Another dinocreature came running at her from down the corridor and Julia killed him, too.
More brass shell casings littered the floor. Julia dropped the empty magazine and slapped another one home, jerked the charging handle and kept moving.
More doors opened. More empty rooms beckoned.
And still, no Mick.
He has to be here! He has to be alive!
Why would they kill him? Wouldn't they use him as bait to get Julia back here so they could try to impregnate her all over again?
Wouldn't they?
She ran to another door. Inside, she saw two gray aliens. They raised their hands at her and Julia felt an incredible wave of pain sweep over her. She wanted to drop the gun, vomit, and scream at the same time.
Her ear filled with a high-pitched whine.
Her eyes watered.
"Mick!"
She brought the gun up and shot both the aliens. They toppled over and Julia thought she could hear their screams mentally. But then the whine stopped and she felt a measure of relief come over her.
She had to find him.
Another room, further down the corridor.
How many more to go?
Hundreds it looked like…
She'd never get through them in time. Even now, she could feel some type of low growl coming from the underbelly of the ship. It felt like they were starting up the engines.
For takeoff?
More doors hissed open.
A few more dinocreatures made a half-hearted attempt to rush her or fire their guns, but Julia felt like she was in some type of weird zone now. She felt cool and collected even as the waves of panic that she'd be trapped here swept over her.
She fired again and again.
More aliens died.
And Julia kept searching.
It was taking too long.
And then she saw another door. Unlike any of the others she'd opened before. This one was blue.
Blue?
She found it weird to see a color in the entirely gray environment. And even thought she wasn't close to opening it, she felt a strong tug to go to it and open it.
Now.
She ran over.
Pressed the door release.
It hissed up.
"Mick!"
He lay there on a gurney. He was strapped into place, his hands and legs held fast by some type of metallic collars placed at four points. He lifted his head.
"Hey you."
She smiled and wanted to cry. "I've been looking all over for you. We've got to get out of here, I think they're planning on leaving."
"You feel the engines?"
"Yeah." Julia studied the collars. "How the hell do these things release?"
"I don't know," said Mick. "I've been laying here trying to figure that out myself. I think they're controlled by the computer over there.'
Julia ran to the console and saw the keyboard with bizarre writing on it. She looked up. "Should I just punch some buttons and see what happens?"
"Guess it's not written in English, huh?"
"Nope."
"Oh well."
Julia frowned. Punching buttons would take too long. There was no time left! "Hang on, Mick."
She jerked the M16 up and sprayed off several rounds into the console's belly. A massive spark jumped out. Fizzles and pops crackled in the air.
"Shit."
"Do it again," said Mick. "I think I felt something tug the collars ."
Julia fired again and this time, a small fire started in the computer console. It seemed to lick at the wiring. Black smoke billowed out.
"Anything?"
"Yeah. They're gone."
Mick stood there, smiling. He pointed at the M16 on Julia's back. "Is that for me?"
She slid it off and handed it to him. "Glad to have you back."
He grinned. "Time for kissing later, okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah." She thrust a few grenades into his hand. "I thought you might know how to make this ship go boom if you positioned these right."
"I see you left the device where it was."
She looked at him. "I couldn't do it, Mick. I couldn't stand the thought of seeing a nuke used on Antarctica."
He nodded. "Yeah. Well, there's nothing to be done now except getting the hell out of here." He looked at the grenades. "I can rig something up real quick but we won't have a lot of time. Do you know the exact way out of here?"
Did she? She sure as hell hoped so.
"I followed sort of a straight line across the rings of corridors. I used the rooms as crossovers instead of trying to follow the corridors around and around."
Mick nodded. "Good plan. Okay, let's do this."
Julia watched him go back to the computer console and rip out several wires. He knelt under the console and opened up a panel, placed the grenades in there with the wire, did a few things and then stood back up.
"Okay, let's go. We've got maybe three minutes at best before those grenades start going off."
"You sure it will bring down the ship?"
"Nothing to do but try." He nudged her forward. "After you."
Julia opened the door and looked out. A laser blast shot past her face, almost singing her skin.
"Shit!"
Mick ducked out and sprayed the corridor. Julia heard shrieking. Mick pulled her out with him. "Which way?"
She pointed. "Up there."
"Run!"
They ran for the bullet-scarred door. Once they got through it, Julia felt better. She led them from room to room. Each time they crossed a corridor, they checked to make sure there weren't any aliens waiting for them. They ran into a few but there seemed a greater sense of urgency now than ever before.
Mick frowned. "Hear the engines? They're cranking them up. We don't have much time."
"How long until this thing blows?"
"Maybe one minute."
Julia led them back to the last corridor.
Five dinocreatures stood by the door.
Mick shook his head. "Fuck this." He took a grenade from Julia and lobbed it at the dinocreatures who tried to scramble out of the way. Julia and Mick ducked back as the blast caught the dinocreatures and scattered their bodies like seeds.
They hurried out, almost sliding in the goo staining the floor.
"The door!"
Mick reached it first and pounded the door release. It hissed open and they fell through into the jungle.
"Hurry!"
They ran down the path now, harder than Julia had run so far today. She could see the cloying mist issuing up again from the plants.
"Don't breathe the mist. Hod your breath!"
They sped past the plants. And then at last Julia could see the rock ahead of them.
Almost there!
She expected to hear more thundering footsteps of dinosaurs running after them,. But nothing sounded behind them. Mick reached the rock and hauled Julia through after him. They fell into the cave, gasping for breath.
But Mick wouldn't let her rest.
"We have to keep moving!"
They scrambled down the tunnel.
And then Julia heard it.
A series of booms from back the way they'd come.
"The grenades!"
They toppled back to the cave entrance. Mick threw her coat at her and scrambled into more of the winter clothing.
"Come on!"
They scrambled out of the cave entrance and Julia almost forgot they were a good fifteen feet above the ground. Mick helped her though.
They fell down into the snow at the base of the mountain. Julia got to her feet and ran for the Snowcat. She prayed it would start up.
Mick hopped into the cab and Julia into the driver's seat. She jammed the starter button and instantly the Snowcat sprang to life.
Mick pointed at the mountain. "Look!"
The entire top of the mountain seemed to lift off slightly. Julia could see the ship no
w, shrugging off tons of rock and snow as it lifted out of its carefully designed hiding place.
"They're leaving."
The ship tilted, exposing its circular body laden with lights. It seemed to pulse and the underside of it glowed a deep red.
Julia could see smoke. "Did the grenades work?"
Mick frowned. "Doesn't look like it."
"You think they see us?"
"I don't know," said Mick. "I hope they're more preoccupied with getting that thing out of here."
A deeper shade of black smoke poured out of the underside. Then the craft tilted again sharply the other way.
"Oh shit," said Mick. "Drive this thing fast!"
The ship veered toward them. Was it chasing them? Julia thought there'd be a rush of lasers hitting the ground near them at any second.
Then she heard another deep explosion.
Mick looked back.
"Damn."
The ship veered again and slammed into the base of the mountain. A giant fireball lifted off the ground and spread out fast.
"Shit!"
A wall of flame seemed to rush at them. Julia could see it coming in the rearview mirror. She urged the Snowcat to go faster.
Faster!
Please!
The flames fell over them. Julia could feel the heat spreading over the cab.
And then they receded just as fast.
And disappeared somewhere behind them.
Julia glanced in the rearview mirror again and sighed.
Beside her Mick exhaled. "That was close."
"Too close."
And in the rearview mirror, Julia could see a hulking black mass of metal burning at the base of the mountains. And all that was left of the alien craft seemed to be exploding and melting and disappearing even as the Snowcat took them further away from the hell they'd been a part of.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Even after they'd covered miles, Julia could still see the black smoke drifting skyward toward the new bank of clouds that would inevitably bring more snow down on them later tonight.
Mick, sitting next to her, shook his head. "I didn't think I was going to make it out of there alive."
"I felt that way earlier."
"Guess I'm trying to say thanks."
"We're even."
He laid a hand on her knee. Julia liked the sensation of having it there. "I owe you my life."
"This trip took a helluva lot more lives than it should have." She shook her head. "I don't even have the first idea how I'm going to explain all of this when we get home. They'll never believe me."
"I'll back you up," said Mick.
She looked at him. "How can you do that? You as much admitted that you're attached to some super secret outfit. How can you do something like backing up my testimony? Won't that expose you for what you are?"
"Yeah. It will."
Julia sighed. "I can't ask you to do that."
"I've been thinking a lot about my career anyway," said Mick. "You know, lying on that steel table gives you a lot of moments of pause. Anyway, maybe it's time I looked into doing something else."
"Like what?"
He grinned. "I don't know. 'Alien killer' doesn't exactly translate well into job skills that normal people can use to land a good job."
"Guess not."
"I've got my twenty years in the service. And the government will pension me off well to pay for my silence. I guess I wouldn't have to find a grueling corporate job. I mean, I could probably move anywhere I wanted to.'
"What would you do with all that free time, though?"
He shrugged. "I could get a part-time job. Maybe work in something nice and stress-free. Like a bookstore."
"You're going to work in a bookstore?"
"Maybe."
Julia smiled. "Now there's an image."
Mick frowned. "I'll have you know I majored in classical English literature for my master's degree."
"You have a master's?"
"Yeah."
"I'm suitably impressed."
Mick tapped the window. "Thought I was all about guns and explosives, didn't you?"
"I'd be lying if I said no."
He laughed. "At least you're honest."
Julia concentrated on driving for a moment before turning to Mick again. "So. This bookstore. Where would it happen to be?"
Mick shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea."
"You're not making much sense, Mick."
He looked at her. "Any bookstores near where you live?"
"Well, sure, there are-" She stopped and looked at him. Mick's smile spread even further across his face. "Mick-"
"I just thought that maybe, you know..."
"Yeah?"
"Well...yeah."
Julia smiled now, feeling the warmth spread across her body. She tapped the steering wheel. "I wish this thing could move faster."
"Me, too."
They both laughed and whittled away the rest of the trip until at long last the research station finally came into view.
"There it is."
"Home sweet home," said Mick. "Cripes, the thing looks buried under a ton of snow."
"Maybe they got more here?"
Mick frowned. "Take us a while to shovel that out, but maybe we can at least dig a hole to the door. That way we can get inside and work the radio. Get a plane down here as soon as possible."
"You think they'll fly in?"
Mick nodded. "I think I might be able to exert some pressure on them to do just that. A top-secret clearance ought to be good for something."
Julia pulled the Snowcat into a position near the entrance to the station. Mick hopped out and grabbed a shovel from above the door. He started flinging heaps of snow out of the way.
Within fifteen minutes, Julia could see the door clearly amid the dense piles of snow. Mick put the shovel down and walked over to her side of the cab.
Julia opened the door. "You must be exhausted."
"What about you?"
"I'm wasted."
Mick held out his arms and Julia crawled into them. Mick carried her in through the entrance of the research station. It was warm inside.
"I'm starving," said Julia. "And a cup of coffee would absolutely thrill me right now."
"I could use a shower," said Mick.
"That's an even better idea," said Julia.
Mick looked hurt. "You saying I smell?"
Julia laughed. "We both do, I'd wager."
Mick kissed her. "How much hot water do you think is stored up?"
Julia nuzzled him. "Maybe enough to last us a good half an hour."
"Awesome." He pushed her away. "But first things first. We make the call for help. Then we can get...comfortable."
Julia followed him to the radio room. "You think you can get a transmission out in this weather?"
"Only one way to find out," said Mick. He sat down at the console and switched the frequencies until he found what he was looking for. Julia heard lots of static on the speakers, but Mick played with the squelch until he had it where he wanted it.
He cued the microphone. "This is Research Station Bravo calling Delta Fox One, over."
He paused and they heard nothing but static. Once again, Mick cued the mike and repeated his message. This time, there was a slight pause followed by a new voice.
"Delta Fox One. Go ahead Bravo."
"We need an emergency pickup down here. Scramble a rescue bird STAT."
"Are you aware of the weather pattern over your area right now Bravo?"
"Roger that," said Mick. "Relay this message to MacDill Air Force Base, General Stoner. 'Alpha One One Five Tango Charlie Foxtrot.'"
"You're on a civilian band, Bravo."
Mick keyed the mike once again. "Not anymore, Delta. Relay the message and await Stoner's instructions. Relay to me once you confirm the message. Bravo out."
He leaned back. Julia put a hand on his shoulder. "You think they'll relay it?"
"They have to. St
andard orders for them if a military message comes through to relay it according to instructions given by the sender. They'll get Stoner out of bed for it and he'll tell them go ahead and scramble a bird for us. They won't like it, but they'll do it. And that's all that counts right now. Us getting the hell out of here."
Julia nodded.
"Something wrong?"
She sighed. "I was just thinking about the next people to come back down here. I mean, eventually, they'll have to, right?"
"I'd assume so, yeah."
"What's that going to be like? I mean, knowing you're coming back to a place that was attacked by aliens? It'd weird me out. I wouldn't be sure if I could ever feel safe again."
"You were all abductees though according to Kendall. So, it really wouldn't have mattered where you ended up. The aliens would have found you."
Julia hugged herself. "And what about now? They can still find me, can't they? They could still come for me. I've probably got some sort of transponder inside my body giving off signals or something. Christ."
"There's a difference," said Mick. "Between then and now."
She looked up at him. "What's that?"
He wrapped his arms around her. "Before you didn't have me around to protect you. Now you do."
She hugged him. "You mean it?"
"Yeah. I do." He pulled away from her. "And besides, I think I have some friends who might be able to help you out with that transponder. We've know about them for years and we've successfully removed them before from other abductees."
"Really?"
"Sure thing."
Julia fell into his arms. "Mick, I can't tell you how glad I am that we made it out alive."
"I could say the same thing."
She looked up and kissed him again. "How about that shower now?"
He grinned. "I thought you'd forgotten."
She eyed him. "Me? Forget about getting you naked and soapy? Not a chance of that."
He laughed.
"Well, isn't this just the most darling and nauseating thing I've ever seen."
Julia felt Mick's body stiffen. She looked around him at the entrance to the radio room.
Kendall.
Holding a pistol.
"I thought you had the good sense to die," said Mick.
"Not a chance."
"How'd you get here?" asked Julia.
"You two were kind enough to give me a lift back. Lots of room in the trunk of the Snowcat. Not all that comfortable mind you, but cozy enough. Although your conversation made me want to retch repeatedly. I'm surprised at my own iron will."