by S. A. Lusher
“Before that occurrence, the head of security managed to get a distress call out, but the creatures began systematically destroying the communications arrays, effectively cutting the installation off. Then they began gathering the bodies.”
“Why are they doing that?”
“I only have theories, unfortunately. With the limited scanning technology left, I've managed to determine that the creatures exude a certain kind of energy. Previously only theorized, this energy seems to be extra-dimensional.”
“Extra-dimensional? What the hell does that mean?” Eric whispered.
“The energy reaches past our plane of reality and into an alternate plane. Another dimension,” Sierra replied.
“How did you determine this?”
“It's complicated and I don't have time to explain right now. Even worse, I've lost access to some of my memory nodes. The point is this: they are bringing the bodies into the reactor core, at the heart of the facility. I'm detecting a power building up there. The same power that they exude. I believe they are summoning something like themselves, using the bodies to fashion some kind of portal. And they must be stopped.”
“How could they possibly be doing this?” Eric replied, feeling dizzy with the implications.
“I don't know. Clearly they do not operate on the same laws of reality that we do.”
“Okay, okay...how do we stop them?”
“At the moment, the best option to us would be to detonate the core. The creatures can be killed, I've seen it. I know you've done it. So hopefully they'll be weakened enough in our reality that we can effectively wipe them and their portal out.”
“Blow the core...would that kill us, too?” he asked.
“It wouldn't have to. There is a functional rover in Hangar Three. If you timed it right, you could get away from the facility and potentially be rescued.”
“What about you?”
“I would perish.”
“No. I'm not going to let that happen. There has to be some way to save you.”
“I could be loaded onto an infoclip of sufficient size. I could be transferred to your suit. I am not a very complex program.”
“Good. Perfect. And...are you sure that everyone else is dead?”
“Quite sure...although the technicians, before they died, were working a way to filter through the extra-dimensional interference. I had continued their work after their deaths. I could run a fresh BioScan with the new software filters in place.”
“Do it,” Eric said. “There has to be someone alive besides me. There just...has to be,” he muttered, sitting back, waiting.
It seemed to take ages, but, finally the results came back.
“I have the results. Besides you, there is a single other living entity on this station.”
“Who? Where?” he asked, suddenly excited, sitting forward.
“A feline.”
“A cat? A cat survived all this?”
“Affirmative.”
He frowned, considering the situation. He couldn't leave cat and the AI to die here. It just wasn't in him, not now.
“Give me the location and a map,” he said, standing up.
“I would advise against it. While I do not have a definitive timeline, I'd rather not risk-”
“No!” Eric snapped. “You just...you give me the fucking location!” he screamed.
The AI was silent.
He felt some of his anger melt out of him and he sighed softly. “I...I'm sorry,” he said. “I just...Sierra, I've lost everyone. Everyone. Every person in my life is gone. I was an only child and so were both of my parents. No cousins, no aunts or uncles. I never got to know either of my grandparents and my parents were killed in a space shuttle accident. All the friends I made before entering the military drifted out of my life and all of them I made during the military fucking died on me. The only person I've ever loved died in a stupid accident. The only people I've come to care about since then were on that ship with me when I came in. And they're all dead now, do you understand?
“If I can't save you, if I can't save this fucking cat, then...what good am I? What fucking reason is there to go on?” he asked softly.
There was a pause, then one of the screens cleared and a map appeared.
“The cat is in residential. In apartment thirty seven. It is undamaged.”
“Fine...thank you. Can you, uh, give me any more help? Maybe give me a heads up if there are any creatures around?” he asked as he grabbed his helmet and pulled it back into place.
“I can patch into your suit's radio system to guide you, although I must warn you, many of the station's systems are non-functional.”
“That's fine. Whatever you can do will help,” Eric replied.
“Affirmative.”
Once he was sure his helmet was in place, Eric did a quick radio check and found it functional. Sierra came in loud and clear.
He set off, heading back into Theseus Station.
CHAPTER 13
–Rescue–
The pressure was on.
Despite everything, despite all his misgivings, his confusion, his uncertainty, Eric now knew that he, for sure, wanted to live. Walking down the wrapped stairwell of the control tower one last time, (he hoped), some small but powerful part of Eric knew that this was very likely only temporary. Of course he wanted to live right now, but after he got out of here? When he didn't have other people directly depending on him?
Well, that was a fucking coin toss.
Luckily, it didn't matter, because in a situation like this, you lived in the moment. And in this very moment, Eric Starck had a reason to live. He was going to save two beings. A cat and an AI. To others, his task may seem ridiculous, crazy even, but right here, right now, there didn't seem to be anything more important in the entire breadth of existence.
His first goal was to secure the cat. Eric had had cats in his life. He'd never really been a dog person. They were nice, he liked them and he definitely understood the reason why people liked them, but for some reason a dog's very nature didn't appeal to him as much as a cat's did. Dogs needed you. They would be happy to see you regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the conditions. Cats, on the other hand, wanted you. If a cat came up to you and pushed against you with its cheek or curled up into a ball of purring fur on your lap, it was because that cat wanted to. It was under no compulsion to do so.
Perhaps in direct contrast to his own desperate need, he valued that.
Eric edged out of the control tower and back into the corridor that had become oh so familiar by now. He was geared up and ready to go. Finally, for the first time since landing on this godforsaken rock, he felt like he was in control of himself. He felt like how he used to, during the 'best' days of his career, when there was just him and the objective. The way was clear, the hallway well-lit and empty of hostiles, though, further down the corridor, he could see a darkened section. That was where Autumn had killed one of them while they were under the deckplates. He paused, briefly, feeling a tremor of misery rip through him.
Regaining control of himself, Eric turned around, going the opposite direction this time, heading for the dormitories section. As he jogged down the corridor, he found himself wondering how this cat had survived all the chaos, the madness, the blood and the death. Could it be that it was the only pet onboard the whole of Theseus Station? It didn't seem likely. While pets were surely a rarity in outer space, it was even more rare that there should only be a single one among a population of two hundred. Which meant something darker.
There had been more, but they hadn't made it.
Did the creatures hunt pets as well? Or were humans the only ones who suffered under the malignant brutality of their alien ire? Eric intentionally turned away from that thought. It was ironic, in a way. Knowing or even experiencing this level of malicious savagery against fellow human beings was stomach churning and wretched, to be sure, but he could fundamentally handle that. Against a cat, though?
No,
it was too much, he wouldn't tolerate it.
The corridor terminated in a right-hand turn. He pressed himself up against the wall and peered cautiously around the corner.
His heart leaped into his throat as he spied one of the creatures standing about ten meters down the passageway, its back to him. Eric stood frozen, rooted to his current position, eyes locked on the alien abomination. It lingered a moment longer, then began walking away from him, directly into the residential section.
Fucking wonderful.
Now it would be in there with him. From the map, it looked like this dorms area he was walking into was laid out a bit like a maze.
“One of them is in the dormitories section, Eric,” Sierra whispered into his ear, making him jerk. It was pure luck he didn't shout.
“Thanks for the heads up,” he said when he got his breathing and pulse back under control.
“You're welcome. Good luck.”
Eric watched the thing until it reached another corridor and took a turn, disappearing. He waited a moment and then began hurrying down the passageway. If he was quick and quiet enough, he should be able to get in, grab the cat and get out. Easier said than done. He reached the first intersection of hallways, stopped to look down both of them, found them clear and hurried past it to the next one. Of course, this is where the creature had decided to go down. Perhaps it was looking for the cat after all. All the more reason to rescue it.
He peered down the next corridor and saw nothing. The door he needed to get into was in sight. Eric moved stealthily down the hallway, keeping a wary eye out, then reached the apartment door he was seeking. Hitting the button, he slipped inside and elbowed the close button. He found himself in a small, single-room apartment, what would have been called a studio apartment in a colony but what was basically standard fare for an installation like this. The place was in disarray, stuff thrown everywhere, no doubt in a panic.
As he locked the door and then began to search the apartment, he wondered if this cat belonged to whoever had lived here, or if it had just ended up here. He sure hoped so. It would be depressing to think that they left it behind in a panic, but if they did own the cat, then that would mean he wouldn't have to spend extra time hunting down all the items needed for it. Speaking of which...he saw something sticking out from beneath a pile of haphazardly discarded clothes. Moving over towards it, he crouched and performed a quick excavation.
“Bingo,” he muttered.
A cat carrier. Not very large, easy to handle. Hopefully. He finished getting it out from beneath the clothing and set it down on a double-wide bed tucked away into one corner. Looking at the carrier, pink on the top, black on the bottom, with a steel-mesh swinging door, caused other thoughts to form. He'd need to hunt down food and water for the cat. Who knew how long they'd be waiting for some kind of rescue?
Eric hurried over to the kitchen and began hunting through the cabinets there. After a few moments, he managed to clean out a supply of canned cat food that he shoved into the back of the carrier. After another moment's thought, he found a clean looking towel, folded it up and laid it out along the floor of the carrier.
Okay, now just to find the cat.
Eric looked around the bedroom, frowning. Where would the cat be? Cats were notorious for loving to find places to hide or sleep that were difficult to find. But, whenever his cats had wanted to be left alone for a bit, they would always go...under the bed. Eric dropped to his hands and knees and peered under the bed.
A pair of glowing eyes looked back at him, buried deep in the shadows.
“There you are,” he whispered.
The cat let out a small, high-pitch meow.
“Don't worry, I'm here to help you,” Eric muttered as he began shoving himself beneath the bed, reaching for the cat. It saw him coming and forced itself back deeper. “Come on...come on...” he whispered, reaching for it.
The cat let out another miserable meow. His fingertips brushed it. It was small, but he couldn't make out its coloring yet, not in the poor lighting. Eric shoved himself further and managed to get a grip on its midsection.
“Sorry,” he said as he pulled it out from beneath the bed.
It fought against him, grabbing the carpet with its claws, but he managed to carefully get it out. He held it up before him, making sure it wasn't hurt. It was indeed little, just big enough to not be considered an actual kitten. It was mostly white, spotted with ash gray blotches. Its whole tail was gray and its eyes were a kind of blue-green. Despite being in the situation it was in, the cat seemed very healthy. Its fur was even and smooth and he saw no injuries, no sign of malnutrition. A blue collar wrapped around its neck with a nametag dangling from it. He saw the shape denoting that it was a female next to the name.
LUNA
“Hello, Luna,” he said as he brought her over to the cage. She meowed morosely. “I know, I know...it'll be okay now, I promise,” he said softly as he placed her on the bed and guided her to the cage. She raced inside and curled up at the back, with the food. He closed and secured the door, then inspected the cage, making sure it wouldn't break open at random in case he had to make a run for it. It seemed sturdy.
“Okay, Luna, you need to be quiet now, we've got a little ways to go.”
Luna meowed again, the sound plaintive and terrified. Eric sighed. This could be a problem. He waited a moment, talking softly to the cat, trying to calm her, to let her get used to the new situation. Finally, she stopped meowing and actually settled into the cage a bit more, tucking her legs and feet up under her.
“All right, here we go,” Eric said.
He carefully picked up the cage, recalling his route. He'd memorized the absolute shortest distance between here and the hangar where his escape vehicle was waiting for him. He hoped. The final functional vehicle in all of Theseus Station was a land rover he'd seen in one of the hangars while they'd been searching for a way out. Eric moved to the door.
“Do you see anything out there?” he asked.
“No,” Sierra replied. “But my options are limited in this sector. I've lost track of the creature we saw earlier.”
Eric sighed. “Fantastic.”
Mustering his courage, he opened the door and peered out. It was clear for the moment. He stepped out and hurried down the corridor. Luna remained silent in her cage. He reached the end of the passageway and took the turn. Somewhere in the labyrinth of the residential sector, something let out a short growl.
It was too close for comfort.
Eric hurried his pace, trying to get back to the exit, hoping to be free of this nightmare. Ten seconds went by, twenty seconds...
He stepped through the threshold and let out a sigh of relief.
“Eric, please hurry, I believe the creature in the residential sector has caught your scent. It is coming towards your location.”
Eric felt a spike of fear bolt through him and began hurrying, racing down the corridor as quickly as caution would allow. Somewhere behind him was the heavy thud of accelerating footfalls. Eric kept running, his pulse racing now, trying to keep the cat carrier as level as possible. He didn't want to injure the cat in his panic but he also knew that if he didn't hurry the hell up they'd both be dead. Or maybe just him, maybe it wouldn't care about that cat. Of course, if he died, there'd very likely be no one else to take care of the cat.
He came to the control tower and raced past it.
“Where is it?” he asked. “Still following?”
“Yes,” Sierra replied. “But you're losing it and I don't see any in between you and the hangar. Keep going.”
Eric did as he was instructed, hitting the end of the corridor, turning and racing down the next one. He kept going, keeping up the quick pace, until he came to the hangar. Only once he was inside, behind a locked door, did he begin to feel remotely safe. He took a moment to check out the hangar at large, setting down the cat carrier by the rover and hurrying around the immense bay. Once he was sure that they were secure, Eric returned to the
rover and opened it up. The interior looked good. Eric put Luna in the passenger's seat, shut and locked the door and then moved around to the driver's seat. Once inside, he started up the rover.
“All right, Luna, Sierra, wish me luck,” he muttered. “Time to see if this thing can run.”
“Good luck,” Sierra replied.
The rover turned on without a problem. He accessed its internal database through a screen built into the dashboard and had it run a self-diagnostic. While it ran, he reached over and opened up the cat carrier. Luna didn't seem interested in coming out, which was fine, because he wanted her to stay in. All he needed was for him to come running back, desperate to escape with a countdown timer ticking down and he opened up the door to the rover and Luna jumps out and sprints away. No, she was staying in the cage until they were free and clear of the facility.
He reached past her and pulled the cans of food out of the cage one by one until they were all out and she had some more room to maneuver. Once that was done, he peeled open one of the cans, set it in the cage in front of her and locked it back up. She leaned forward and cautiously sniffed at the can of wet food, then began to eat it.
“There you go,” he whispered.
The rover chimed. Eric returned his attention to it. He felt relief sweep through him. The rover was in good shape. It was both fueled and powered up, the levels almost topped off. There were no problems listed in the report. This thing was basically as good as new. Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned the vehicle off and stepped back out.
“Okay, next on the list is supplies for myself,” he said.