by Knyte,Peter
They skirted around what had happened for a while, clearly unsure how to talk to me about it, but eventually Ariel explained how the creature had chased Fraser, herself and Hughes up through the ship until they’d ended up climbing onto the very top of the ship while Fraser attempted to buy them a little more time.
Even firing his gun at point blank range had barely slowed the thing down, and eventually it closed with Fraser and was about to kill him when the sudden jolt of the ship snapping its last mooring hawser had thrown the injured man over the edge of the gantry and into the netting that held the rarefied helium cells in place.
If he hadn’t become entangled he would surely have fallen to his death, but by chance he not only didn’t fall, he was also beyond the reach of the creature.
But it was as Ariel described what had happened topside on the upper skin of the ship, when the creature finally forced its way through one of the hatchways that I felt the smouldering embers of my rage flicker back into life.
‘When you ran out of bullets Ash, I honestly thought we were dead,’ she continued, earnestly. ‘Not even an armoured marine would hope to be able to withstand a fully grown Lamphrey bare handed for very long, and yet you not only stood up to it, you beat it back and back and back.
‘I saw it hit you time and again with a ferocity and strength that should’ve broken your bones to pieces, and you just shrugged them off without flinching, and then hammered your fists into it in return with such force you sent it reeling and staggering away from you.
‘And you wouldn’t let it go Ash, twice I saw it turn to run and twice you grabbed it and physically threw it across the ship before descending upon it once more to beat it anew, cracking more and more of its toughened shell with each blow.
‘You even threw it back towards us at one point, and when you fell upon that thing again you were so close to us I could see your face, and I barely recognised it. You were covered in that things blood, pummelling its shattered shell into a bloody mass and you were laughing as you did it, and encouraging it to fight you, or to try and run again.
‘It was my fault it got away. When I saw what you were doing, what you were becoming, I called your name without thinking and it distracted you. It was then that the creature managed to kick you off and get away, but not before it had slashed at me and Hughes on the way and taken a piece out of my arm.
‘I don’t think you even saw us as you came after it,’ she continued. ‘You simply chased it to the edge of the ship and barrelled it straight over the side, pounding it with your fists again as you fell.’
I felt each detail as she described it like a hammer blow that brought the memories flooding back into my mind.
‘Yes, I remember it now,’ I said through a suddenly dry and parched throat. ‘Though I can’t quite believe it was me doing the things I remember.’
‘On one level I knew the ship had been rising quickly up into the air after the last tether had snapped,’ I explained. ‘But as I went after that thing to finish the job I just didn’t care if it was a hundred feet or ten thousand as long as I had the chance to catch it and kill it.
‘How far we fell in the end I don’t know, but I know it wasn’t far enough, and the creature was still very much alive by the time we neared the ground, or more accurately the water.
‘I remember hitting the lake surface with the Lamphrey once more in my grasp, but while I had a grip on it the blood and water made the thing too slick to hold onto, and after we’d struggled for a while beneath the water, it eventually managed to break free of me.
‘My fury at losing it again, sent me thrashing around in circles trying to find it, but by the time it finally surfaced and fled it was at the lake’s edge and I just couldn’t get to it in time. It was then as my anger faded that I started to feel so tired and weak I barely made it to the shore with the strength to pull myself out onto the side before I lost consciousness.
‘The next thing I know I’m waking up here.’
We talked for a little while longer, both of them evidently concerned that something might be wrong with me psychologically, which I was in no position to offer any kind of reassurance about. All I could say for sure was that the fits of rage I’d experienced of late, which had somehow given me the strength to fight this creature bare handed, were as much of a surprise to me as they were to anyone else.
As a precaution Fraser asked if I might be willing to talk to a doctor he knew, a Canadian man of Native American extraction who’d had a lot of experience with soldiers coming back from the Great War and had subsequently done some work with the FBI.
I was of course only too willing to give it try, but couldn’t imagine how it might help.
We also talked about how everyone else and the ship had faired during the creatures attack, apparently everyone barring the two men I’d discovered in the engineering section would survive.
Bradbury’s men it turned out had been lucky, as the attack had come just at shift change most of the men finishing their shift had already left their stations and made their way back to the changing rooms or refectory, while the men taking their place had similarly not reached their assigned work stations yet. So when the creature had attacked there had been far fewer people around than normal, and somehow one of the men who we’d found dead had managed to raise the alarm before the creature had killed him, after which Bradbury had simply informed his men to seal themselves into wherever they were until the all clear was sounded.
He’d also tried to contact the Captain to provide a warning, but must’ve just missed him as the group relocated to the bridge.
I was beginning to feel what little strength I had ebbing away by this point, so quickly moved the subject onto what other plans and preparations were being made to bring the creature back under control.
In my absence the component parts for the new lensing rigs had been delivered, as promised by the manufacturer, and Ariel had started processing them. Hughes had apparently brought in a couple of optical technicians from his film business to help out, and under Ariel’s guidance the work was going well, with the first half dozen simplified lensing rigs assembled and being tried out by the volunteers we’d identified.
Work had also continued with the wider volunteer base to identify more and more possible Lensmen, with a few more good contenders having been identified.
Finally Ariel updated me on what had happened with the ship.
‘Neither the creature nor the surge in the generators seem to have done any real damage,’ she began. ‘A bit of work will be needed to repair the hatch that the creature damaged in getting out onto the top of the ship. The surge on the other hand has proven a complete mystery so far. A couple of Bradbury’s men had sealed themselves into the generator room when the alarm went off, and according to them everything was fine one moment, and then suddenly the dials were red-lining across the board the next. And as far as they’ve been able to tell so far, the creature didn’t do anything that might have caused it.’
‘I had a look at the hawser lines with Hughes as well,’ chipped in Fraser. ‘And if they are of any indication, the ship must’ve been exerting a huge amount of strain on them before they snapped, they were both thick lines and in good condition.’
This reminded me of the way the hawsers appeared to have cleanly been cut last time the engines had surged over 7th Avenue.
‘Did the lines look like they’d simply snapped, almost like a cut?’ I asked.
‘Not a bit of it,’ Fraser replied, doubtfully. ‘They were both frayed very badly, it looked like they’d gradually weakened and un-wound to the point where they simply couldn’t hold anymore.’
‘Why do you ask Ashton? Do you suspect the creature might’ve tried to damage them before boarding the ship?’
‘No, it’s nothing like that,’ I replied, vaguely.
I wanted to ask a few more questions, but I was beginning to feel very tired by this point. So after having another good drink of water I asked if they could pop back a bit later o
nce I’d had a bit more sleep.
Realising I was flagging a bit, they promised to return either in the evening or the following day.
CHAPTER 33 - HEALING
I think I’d have slept the clock around if it hadn’t been for the nurses in the hospital waking me every few hours to have something to eat and drink, and while I was still dog tired and aching from head to foot, the doctor’s prediction that I’d start to feel a lot better as soon as I hydrated and began using my muscles again proved accurate.
Each time I woke up I found the rain still drumming against the windows of my room with a steady rhythm that I started to find quite restful. But while I might’ve been content to simply doze and eat, the ward matron clearly had other ideas and as the afternoon crept toward evening I was helped first into a dressing gown and then into a wheelchair before being wheeled out to sit on a wide veranda at the back of the hospital.
I was on the verge of becoming a rather petulant patient when the nurse first parked me in the centre of the veranda. It wasn’t cold exactly, it was still July after all, and it wasn’t wet exactly as the roof of the veranda provided more than enough shelter from the pouring rain, but as the wind gusted around the hospital, it would occasionally bring the finest mist of water vapour in from the sides of the shelter to where I sat, dampening the wooden planks of the floor and a few of the wicker chairs and tables that stood closer to the edge of the roof.
But once I’d gotten over my initial tantrum at being dragged from my comfortable bed to be abandoned in such a wild and exposed place, I began to see the beauty of the gardens as they were being buffeted and trampled by the wind and rain, the odd squirrel making a dash for it across the lawns between the heavier downpours only to then climb part way up a tree in order to shelter on the lee side of some weighty bough from the next saturating onslaught.
It was gently invigorating. I felt the cool edge of the buffeting winds through the thin fabric of my dressing gown, but only enough to cause the hint of a shiver on an otherwise comfortable day. The same with the rain. Only occasionally did the fine mist penetrate far enough beneath the shelter of the veranda’s roof to moisten my hands and face, but no sooner had it touched my skin than it had been dried by the wind or my body heat.
After half an hour or so one of the nurses was kind enough to bring me a hot cup of coffee, and to ask if there was anything else I needed, but by then I was content and happy to sit there for the rest of the day.
While it was obviously an overcast day, it was still the middle of summer, so what little sunlight the sun was managing to force through the heavy cloud stayed well into the afternoon and early evening, and with only a little gentle pleading I was allowed to have my evening meal outside on a tray so that I could continue to enjoy the blustery gloom.
I hadn’t realised quite how dark it had become until Ariel and Fraser turned up again, and came out to join me, and on the way found the switch for two big electric lanterns that stood on either side of the steps leading down to the gardens from the veranda.
My crewmate and the FBI agent had obviously arrived in a car, but had still received a good wetting from the rain on the way to the front door of the hospital.
‘What dreadful weather,’ Ariel commented as soon as we met.
‘Oddly enough,’ I replied, smiling. ‘I’ve rather been enjoying it sat here in the shelter. But I recall the ships cradles seeming to work noticeably more slowly whenever I was stuck in one of them in the pouring rain.’
They both smiled at this, and after pulling up a couple of the drier chairs they sat down to join me.
‘You seem a hundred times better already,’ Fraser observed.
‘Thank you James,’ I replied. ‘I must admit I feel much better. How go things with the ship, any more sign of the creature?’
‘It’s been a steady day so far,’ replied Ariel. ‘The autopsies on Bradbury’s men were completed earlier on this afternoon and confirmed they died from their injuries. Hughes and Bradbury have obviously been contacting their families to explain, so the mood on the ship has been fairly low, but at the same time everyone now realises that it could’ve been a lot worse.
‘As for the creature, there’s been neither sight nor sound,’ she continued. ‘All of which is worrying both the Captain and Platt.’
‘Have they been pressuring you to try and sense where it is again?’ I asked rather bluntly.
‘No, quite the opposite,’ she replied. ‘They’ve asked that I try and avoid sensing for the moment, while we re-group and get the new lensing equipment working and the volunteers ready to use it.’
‘And I take it you haven’t been aware of the creature attempting to sense what you’re doing?’
‘No, it’s been mercifully quiet in that respect also.’
We went on to talk about how everyone else was recovering from the creatures attack, and I was relieved to hear that Jenkins, while still badly hurt had also briefly recovered consciousness and was now thought likely to make a full recovery.
But while we were talking I was again aware that there was something else they were hesitating to bring up.
‘The Captain has asked when you think you might be able to return to duty,’ Ariel finally asked. ‘I’ve tried to explain that it might not be straight away.’
‘Does he need me back urgently for some reason?’ I asked slightly confused.
‘I’m not sure,’ she replied frankly. ‘I think something is going on that he’s not talking about, but I get the distinct impression that he’s feeling the absence of the crew more than ever at the moment.’
‘Could it be political pressure?’ I asked, thinking back to the conversation I’d had earlier in the week with first Hughes and then subsequently with the Captain.
‘He is being pressured by the authorities to allow a military security contingent to be stationed aboard the ship,’ Fraser chipped in. ‘He’s been resisting it of course, but with this latest incident . . .’
‘That might explain something else,’ Ariel continued. ‘He asked me if I’d ever used one of the marine suits, which I had to tell him I haven’t, as even the smallest suit is still far too large.’
‘The marine suits haven’t even been used in anger by the marines yet,’ I replied, slightly concerned ‘And I’m not sure they’re any too keen to give them a try until they absolutely have to.’
‘I don’t follow,’ queried Fraser, having absolutely no idea what we were talking about.
Ariel tried to explain.
‘You know we’ve got, or had a contingent of marines aboard the Goose, who provide a specialist military support function. Primarily close quarters fighting, defending the ship and crew against any creatures from the Expanse that manage to get past the ships weapons systems and perimeter defences, or taking the fight to the enemy by performing their own boarding actions in order to plant mines, install tracking devices, taking scientific samples and so on . . . ‘
‘I’m sorry Ariel,’ Fraser broke in slightly confused. ‘When you talk about boarding actions, do you mean to tell me these creatures from the Expanse also have the ability to build and manoeuvre ships or vehicles of their own?’
‘No James,’ she replied with a genuine smile on her face. ‘But some of the creatures in the Expanse are very large, easily as big as the ship. When I talk about boarding I mean the marines attach themselves to these creatures like fleas on a dog.’
‘Very well armed and dangerous fleas.’ I chipped in.
He indicated his understanding with a rather wide-eyed nod, at which Ariel continued.
‘Now a lot of these larger creatures act as carriers or hosts for the smaller creatures like the Lamphrey, so while the ship was being built a lot of effort was also put into designing and building a personal weapons platform for the marines. . .
‘Armoured suits with built in weapons,’ she added, when Fraser looked confused again.
‘You mean like medieval knights armour?’
‘No.’ Ariel
said, looking at me for help.
‘You’ve seen how our lensing rigs work,’ I began, tackling the problem from another angle. ‘And how they have small capacitors built into them to move the lenses automatically?’
‘Well each marine suit has over a dozen capacitors that are much more powerful than the ones we use in the lensing rigs, and they’re fitted into an external skeleton that a marine is physically fastened into. When the marine moves an arm the suit helps, providing more strength, and when you get used to it more speed.
He was nodding away as I explained, his eyes getting wider and wider as he began to grasp what I was talking about.
‘Well, once you’ve got the hang of being strapped into a second skeleton that makes you much stronger and faster than you were before, then you can start adding things onto that skeleton and even if they weigh more than a marine could normally carry, because the skeleton does ninety nine percent of the lifting, he or she still feels like they’re walking around wearing just their normal clothes.’
‘Okay . . .’ Fraser said hesitantly. ‘That doesn’t sound so bad, what’s the hitch?’
I looked back at Ariel to try and explain that bit.
‘The problem is, that the suit needs to be very strong and very powerful in order to be flexible enough to be of use in the wide range of situations that the marines might find themselves in,’ she began.
‘As in strong enough to pick someone like me up?’ Fraser asked.
‘No . . . as in strong enough pick you and Agent Jenkins up while you’re both sitting in a car.’ I corrected.
‘Anyway,’ Ariel continued, despite Fraser’s look of open mouthed shock. ‘If they’re boarding a Kraken for example, they’ll probably need to carry a couple of large calibre machine guns at a hundred pounds each, one on each arm, with automatic ammo feeds, a substantial cutting blade, grenades, mines, and on top of all that a couple of hundred pounds of toughened impact armour. Other members of the boarding party might carry a mini arc cannon, which even with a suit is only just portable, grappling irons, medical equipment, radios, and if they’re going to be there for a while some lunch.