by SD Tanner
“All ships. Depressurize.”
Their Navigators and Bombardier armored suits would supply them with air and warmth. Without air inside of a ship then it wouldn’t be so easily blown apart. Depressurizing might not stop a critter from boarding, but there was a limit to how much damage it could do.
His fleet was pulling away in different directions, forcing the critter army to thin out. Every ship had one or more critters on its tail, but it was a more even fight. Following one of the Scorpions with half a dozen critters tailing it, he ordered, “Thin that herd.”
Bombardier Four-Two began targeting and firing at the critters closest to the Scorpion on the run. Using the particle beam, critters exploded into even smaller parts. Not all of the critters hunting his ships were torpedo shaped. Some were still shaped like spiders with too many legs. Others were larger with long legs trailing behind them. He couldn’t imagine what sort of weapon they were meant to be until one latched onto a Scorpion. The long legs stretched until the entire hull was wrapped, making it impossible to shake. Once it was secure, it began chewing through the hull.
Tapping the communications identity for the pilot, he said, “You have a bogey eating its way in. Its wrapped around the hull so you can’t shake it loose.”
“Any suggestions welcomed.”
While he sent the footage to the other Battalion Commanders, he said, “We’ll target the main body.”
Falling alongside the Scorpion, Bombardier Four-Two aimed at the body of the critter, unleashing a narrow particle beam at it.
“Shit, don’t shoot us,” the pilot complained.
“We need to get it loose or you’ll be opened like a tin can.”
The two ships were flying side-by-side, one appearing to fire at the other. The beam was burning a hole into the critter. Suddenly the ship exploded, forcing his own vessel to spin away avoiding shrapnel.
“Dammit,” he muttered replaying the footage in slow motion.
His screen showed the beam burning into the critter and then the body exploded. They hadn’t hit the ship with the particle beam, but had set off whatever incendiary was inside of the critter. Whatever it was using to explode wasn’t large, but their ships were vulnerable to any explosion in space. He wished Dunk Three had been more positive about developing shields.
Sharing the footage with the other Battalion Commanders, he said, “It looks like they can explode, but it’s a small bomb.”
“That’s all it takes out here,” one of the Commanders replied.
“I know.”
His ship was tailing more Scorpions with critters trying to latch onto them. He finally understood why Bombardier One-Zero-One had sent her Battalion to ground. There was no way to win. Their only chance of survival was to run like hell.
“All ships. Retreat. Do not stop.”
Across the grid, his message was repeated to the pilots. Accelerating to maximum speed with them, they took off in every direction. It was a bad day when his only tactic was to run away.
CHAPTER TWELVE:
Baby Bom
(Granger)
No one had touched them, but their eyes opened anyway. The probes built into the tanks they’d been sleeping in registered their awareness. Screens inside of the room flickered to life, taking away the gloom. Naked, pale and with long limbs they sat upright. Bodies that hadn’t moved in two hundred years were stretching their legs over the edge of the tanks.
“What are they?”
“Were,” Parker said solemnly. “Keep watching. You need to see this.”
His newly transformed body was still cooking and his internal organs were shrinking to support only his brain. It wasn’t something he could tell was happening, but his exoskeleton was undeniably real. No one had told him how well he would feel. Nothing hurt anymore, not his knees or his back. It was as if he’d been born again into a better and stronger body. Where he’d worried about losing his humanity, his mind worked the way it always had. Charlie and Joan had also transformed, but he’d hesitated when it came to Sophia. If he transformed her then she could never bear children. Taking the gift of creating life from his daughter was more than he could decide alone. Not for the first time he wished Vela were still alive.
The two creatures had been left after the critter attack two hundred years earlier. Dunk had kept them alive in a room under the medical center. Their eyes were blank just like the first time he’d seen them, but they were moving with purpose. Parker sped up the footage so that it quickly switched from one camera to the next. One moment they were under the medical building and in the next, they were moving across the lawn outside of the building.
“Why didn’t anyone see them?”
“It was three in the morning, plus people don’t ask questions about what happens at CaliTech.”
He supposed it hadn’t been safe to question Dunk’s rules from within the walls of his empire. The pale figures stopped next to a parked Scorpion. After removing something from the ship, they continued walking.
“Where are they going?”
“You’ll see.”
Entering a building near the Navigator barracks, the camera switched to the domed wormhole they used to transport Scorpions and Bombardiers.
“How did they know about the wormhole?”
“We don’t know.”
While one placed whatever it was they’d taken from the Scorpion into the chamber, the other was doing something with the screens. His stomach, small though it now was, sank uncomfortably. It was obvious what was about to happen. Just as he expected, they both climbed inside of the chamber. Within a matter of seconds, a green light flashed as it powered up before exploding.
Turning to look at Parker, he asked, “What does this mean?”
“We’ve lost the only wormhole on Earth. It means we can’t bring the fleet through if we need them.”
“What about the larger wormhole?”
“It’s not working yet.”
“When will it be operational?”
“Dunk Three doesn’t want to commit to a date. In fact, Dunk Three isn’t feeling too well.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Parker shook his head. “I don’t know, but he’s talking to himself a lot.”
“That doesn’t sound too serious. Lots of people do that.”
“Yeah, but he thinks he’s talking to Dunk Two.”
The line between genius and insanity was known to be fine, but it was a real problem if Dunk Three had fallen onto the wrong side of it.
“What do the medics say?”
Snorting, Parker shook his head again. “He won’t submit to an evaluation.”
“Can we make him?”
“What’s the point?”
He supposed if Dunk Three didn’t want their help then they couldn’t force him to take it while still expecting him to fix the wormhole. “What’s happened to the wormhole on Tracha?”
Parker shook his head. “I don’t think it’ll work without the main unit on Earth.”
“Why did they destroy it? I mean, the fleet is on its way back, so what did they hope to achieve?”
“I don’t know.”
Joan walked out the elevator holding Charlie’s hand. Now transformed, she stood over six feet tall and wider than before. Although solidly built, she’d retained her curvaceous shape. Charlie was a miniature version of him. There was a chance he might not grow, but the engineers were optimistic that he’d retained enough of his thyroid and growth hormones. In theory, his exoskeleton would continue to reconstruct to match the needs of his brain. At the very least, he would live and he was grateful. For the moment, Charlie was again a perfectly healthy two year old.
A technician tapped his shoulder. “We’re ready for you now.”
Rather than sit, he took Joan’s hand. Swinging his transformed son onto his shoulders, he smiled when Charlie giggled. His illness had robbed him of his energy, leaving him lethargic and quiet. As a baby Bombardier, he was happy again and, according to
Joan and the medics, quite destructive. They would teach him to be careful with his strength, but for now, he was delighted by his son’s joy.
When the camera light flashed green, he smiled into the lens. “Hello people of the United Guild. I stand before you today transformed in the way we all must be. The critters are coming and they’re stronger than they were. To save my children we are now Bombardiers. I urge you all to do the same. If you want your children to survive then you must transform now.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Black Magic
(Ark Three)
“What are they?”
Breaking into three teams, he’d sent everyone other than his droid to explore the rest of the city. This species might have weapons that could help them against the critters. He’d stayed behind with his droid in the room filled with tubes. Reaching the far wall, he’d found a smaller room at the back. It contained a tall wall of boxes reminding him of a mausoleum. Smashing one open, inside were rows of small sealed test tubes.
“Liquid containing chemicals, bacteria and viruses.”
“How do you know that?”
“It is all any liquid contains.”
“What are they for, smartass?”
“Rhetorical question. Answer not required.”
Carefully plucking one of the vials from the cluster, he held it up to the light studying its pearly color. “No, it’s not. You just don’t know the answer.”
“I am programmed to learn from my master. You are my master.”
The droid was copying him and the reflection was less than flattering. Shaking the tube in his hand, the liquid appeared to be moving as if it had a life of its own. Given it was inside of the room with the critters, he wondered if it could be used against them. Maybe it contained a virus that could kill them. His brief optimism was lost when he remembered Tank had said Earth was seeded with alien DNA. Looking down at the rows of vials it was equally possible they were the source of their problems and not the cure. If this was the home planet of the aliens that created the critters then where were they? Why had they left?
“We should take some of these with us.”
Without replying the droid delicately plucked vials out of the tray, securing them inside a compartment on its armor.
The large room contained different critters secured behind glass walls or inside of tubes. Every single one of them was alive. Being surrounded by their enemy, even if they were trapped, wasn’t making him comfortable. The walls of the city were interfering with their visors and communications. He flicked his hand at the BattleDroid to follow him.
“Let’s head topside. I need a sitrep.”
“Sitrep?”
“Situation report. It’s something Tank likes to say.”
Although he’d been created in a test tube, Tiana assured him Tank was his real father. Her assumption always made him wonder what other people saw in their relationship. Where he’d always thought of Tank as his mentor, he now suspected he was much more. They shared so many habits, including his odd expressions.
The stairs leading to the room with the altar were wide and deep, making him wonder just how tall the aliens were. Every ceiling was more than twice the height of the ones on Earth and Tracha. Just who were the giants that had captured the critters? How had they survived? Had they?
Within thirty minutes, he was outside of the city. Once again, his face stiffened in the heat. “Where is everyone?”
Refusing to reply, his BattleDroid must have decided it was another rhetorical question. Standing on the bronze colored surface it was slowly circling, scanning the area. He was about to tell the droid there was nothing to see when his headset crackled to life.
“Cover my six!”
“Pull back!”
“Shit, Mex. That was too close.”
“Fire in the hole!”
The last voice was Samson. His words were followed by the muffled sound of an explosion. He wanted to run to wherever they were, but he had no idea where to go. They’d each been sent in different directions so they shouldn’t be together. Deciding he couldn’t stand still, he spun around to the open tunnel while slamming down his faceplate.
“Anyone read me?”
If they did then no one bothered to reply. He was already falling down the hole, tumbling head over heels. His BattleDroid was at the edge of the box waiting for him to land. Slamming into the floor, he rolled to his feet.
“Talk to me! Where are you?”
There was no reply, so he lifted his faceplate. Pulling the helmet back slightly, he listened for any sound. Weapons fire was loud and it would echo through the largely empty rooms. His BattleDroid had fallen down the hole after him. It was already on its feet standing next to him, waiting like a patient dog.
“Can you hear anything?”
“You.”
Deciding his droid was worse than useless, he moved through the hidden door heading towards the room with the altar. His headset was ominously quiet. Hearing his slow heartbeat in his ears, he jogged through rooms wondering what he was going to do when he reached the altar. He had no idea where to look next. Standing on the soft red floor in the large chamber, he slowly spun around trying to decide where to go.
“Movement.”
Hearing his drone’s single word, he scanned the room, hunting for anything moving. It was hard to detect, but through the wall behind the altar, something greyed before becoming still again. Quickly striding across the empty floor, he climbed the few steps to the altar until he was standing behind it. It was when he placed his hand against the wall and it slipped through he realized there was another hidden door. Something grey flicked across his vision so fast he assumed it had to be gunfire.
“Talk to me!”
Finally, he got a response. It was Cardiff and she was breathing hard. “Critters!”
Walking through the hidden door, he scanned the room. It was another chamber with only bronze boxes built into the wall. “How many?”
“Thousands.”
“Status?”
“We’re pinned inside of a room. Low on ammo. Can you see us?”
“No, but keep firing and I’ll find you.”
While he spoke, he and the BattleDroid were moving from one room to the next, following the grey flashes. Focusing entirely on each flash, he lost track of how many rooms they passed through.
“Is everyone alive?”
“Yeah. Mex took a beating, but he’s still with us.”
“Is he down?”
“He’s not awake.”
The grey flashes were turning red meaning they were closer to the source. When he entered the next room, his visor filled with movement. Cardiff hadn’t been exaggerating when she said there were thousands of critters. They were piled so high he couldn’t make out an individual body. Their scrawny limbs were entangled and their screeching penetrated the hidden door and his helmet. They must have seen him too. Several long black clawed legs appeared through the wall followed by a stumpy body. Its mouth opened showing rows of sharp teeth. Rearing on its back legs it stood over nine feet tall. Without thinking, he aimed his Bomhammer, firing a continuous stream of pulses down its throat. The body exploded half in and half out of the hidden door.
Black and rubbery looking, critters clambered over their fallen comrade. What little intelligence they possessed, it didn’t leave room for a conscience. They didn’t care one of their own was dead. Opening fire, he cut them down, but they were coming in waves. Bodies exploded with the blast, only to be crushed under the many claws of the ones behind it. Even through his own weapons fire, flashes of red were streaking across the room in front of his. His squad were putting up a fight.
When a metal arm hammered through the wall, ripping critters from the doorway, he held his fire. The BattleDroid belonged to someone in the squad. Turning and standing between him and critters, it was halfway through the door. He couldn’t see the half that was on the other side, but clawed legs were slashing at it. The droid was grabbing a
t limbs, tearing them from their owner. One clattered onto the floor, skidding to a stop by his feet.
“Ark! Go! We can’t hold it,” Cardiff shouted.
“Does your room have an exit?”
“No, we think this room is against the exterior wall.”
“Can you shoot through it?”
Samson replied, “We tried. It’s too thick.”
“Have you checked the ceiling?”
“Not tall enough and no time.”
His squad were boxed in. In front of him, the BattleDroid was losing the fight. Deep rends had appeared in its body. “BattleDroid, detonate missile.”
Every BattleDroid contained a single missile in its core. It would take out the room, possibly bringing the ceiling down on them.
Samson heard his order and shouted, “Pull back! Fire in the hole.”
The BattleDroid unleashed its missile and his screen went white. When it cleared again, the doorway was a hole in the wall. Its edges were melted, dripping bronze lumps that were already cooling. Thick smoke was still hanging in the air of the next room and chunks of black were scattered across the floor. Beyond the room, the next invisible door was also damaged and he could see his squad against the far wall.
“All alive?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“Let’s go!”
Mex was supported between Lace and a BattleDroid. His feet were dragging against the littered floor. He was completely out of it, unaware that he could have been killed. Once they joined him in the room, he turned towards the door he’d come through.
“Movement.”
His BattleDroid had been stunningly useless during the fight, acting more like a guard dog than the soldier he was supposedly copying. If it was emulating him then he wondered what kind of message he was giving. Setting aside his frustration, he looked through the doorway, scanning for activity. A moving patch of uneven white appeared on his visor screen.
“Oh shit, that’s another swarm,” Lace shouted.
“Swarm?”
“Yeah, that’s what they look like when there are hundreds of them,” Cardiff replied.