Rise of the Carnelians (Europa)

by Jason Gehlert

Gillian kept her eyes closed and grabbed the bed’s sheet with both hands as she felt Adrian’s penetration deep within her. “Take me, Commander.” Her words riled Adrian. He obliged her and with both hands grabbed her legs, thrusting himself deeper and deeper into her waiting body. Within several moments, Adrian had culminated the hot, lusty affair with his own shattering orgasm which sent Gillian shifting about even more on the bed, eager for another round, whispering for Commander Thaddeus Kaspar over and over again.

  Shaw had no luck finding the locker. His fingers popped open each and every one of the stubborn lockers until he had only two left to investigate. The corridor was pitch black and soon Adrian and his minions would flood the hallway. Shaw felt a rush of adrenaline flow through his veins. Shaw’s nagging trait of persistence would prevail.

  Shaw peeked into the first locker and shone the mini-flashlight down at the contents at the bottom. What he had found was the slumped remains of Ellen Michaels, her body contorted and ravaged by the Carnelian’s varied attacks on her body. Ellen’s face was streaked with blood. It startled Shaw. Ellen was such a beautiful woman. Even her fingernails were broken from the fierce struggle. Shaw had held a torch for the geologist. Captain Brody also had a thing for Ellen. It had become an interesting love triangle to say the least.

  “Ellen, my heart weeps for you,” he whispered. He reached down and closed her eyes. “We will get them for this.” Shaw closed the locker and approached the next one. Shaw suffered a weak moment. A place in the time line of a man’s life where he sets aside his boorish behavior and lets his emotions be known. Shaw thought to himself, “I had a Kaspar moment.”

  His light illuminated the scrawled name on the outer door.

  In black permanent marker it read: Captain Nigel Brody.

  “Let’s pray this is where you stashed the goodies, Captain.” Shaw attempted to open the locker. It was stuck. “You have to be kidding me.” Shaw’s other hand was holding the 9mm. He would have to use both hands to pry open the smashed locker. Shaw placed the gun back into his belt loop and wrapped both hands around the locker door. “One, two...”

  The door flew open and exposed the contents inside.

  “Three!” Shaw was thrown back with the unexpected force. A small gurgling noise could be heard. Shaw knew that sound. That was the sound they made before attacking. He quietly reached around for his weapon and drew it just as the two-foot Carnelian lurched from the locker’s dark confines.

  “You are an ugly bitch.” Shaw blasted the alien in mid-air sending a stream of green blood all over the place, including Shaw’s suit.

  Gathering himself, Shaw approached the locker with caution, weapon drawn. He stepped on the dead alien’s head and smashed it further with the heel of his boot.

  “Captain Brody, you are such a predictable fuck.” Shaw saw the explosives and the green backpack at the bottom of the locker. He quickly retrieved the assortment of C-4 and dynamite, and packed the backpack with the necessary inventory.

  “Commander, I’ve found the explosives,” Shaw said into his mike.

  “Excellent,” Kaspar responded into the ear piece.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m headed back to the kitchen to get Randolph.” Kaspar moved down the corridor slowly. His night goggles were not picking up any signs of the Carnelians. “I don’t see any of those little guys yet.”

  “Oh, you will. Keep your eyes peeled. They will come at you from all directions. Take notice of any air ducts, small spaces, and locked doors.”

  “Thank you. Commander Kaspar out for now.” Kaspar ended the transmission and continued along the hallway until he reached the kitchen.

  The commander approached the darkened kitchen with his gun drawn. He carefully slid the glass door open and stepped inside.

  His eyes had to adjust to the weird greenness of the goggles. But, he wasn’t about to complain. He would be able to easily scour the area and keep an eye out for the aliens. Off in the far corner of the room, Kaspar noticed a series of oxygen lines that ran completely around the kitchen in a square. He remembered what Shaw said about the Carnelian’s preference for hiding out in dark areas and in air ducts. It started to bother the commander. Taking in a deep breath he continued his surveillance. He found the emergency oxygen tanks buried in the walls. They were approximately the size of a larger scale fire extinguisher and encased in penetrable glass.

  “Kray! Let’s motor! Back to the ship!” Commander Kaspar called out through the cloud of darkness.

  Kaspar innocently stumbled on the gnarled remains of Randolph Kray right next to the plasma oven. “Damn it,” Kaspar said softly, his fingers closingthe chef’s sunken eyelids. He had a large puncture mark on his face. Underneath his head,a small collection of blood had pooled. Kray also had streaks of blood all over his face. Kaspar noticed the chef’s broken nose, and lacerations that spread across his forehead. The commander inspected Kray’s bloody chest noticing further damage.

  “Shaw,” Kaspar spoke into the radio.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’ve found Kray. He’s dead.”

  “Adrian must have gotten to him. Does he have a small puncture wound somewhere on his body?”

  “Yes, right in the center of his chest near the heart. Why?”

  “These Carnelians have the ability to suck blood from their prey, just like vampires. They have these suckers embedded in their palms. They tried it on me, but I was able to escape. That’s when I hid myself inside the medical lab.”

  “Did Adrian do this?”

  “If he’s compromised, I’d say so. Adrian could be some sort of super conductor for them. He would possess all their knowledge, our knowledge, and their abilities, such as the palm sucking, and psychic abilities.”

  “Adrian’s starting to become a royal pain my ass.” Kaspar surveyed the room and caught something moving towards him. “Shit, I have to go. They found me.”

  Kaspar scampered across the kitchen floor and scurried to the other side of the oven. His eyes scanned the area and found a bottle of cooking sherry resting on the counter. He had an idea. Not a brilliant one, but one that could wipe out a good deal of the aliens in one shot. Kaspar stretched out his fingers attempting to grab the bottle, but it was just out of reach. “Shit.”

  He peeked around the corner and found several more Carnelians approaching him. They had swarmed over Kray’s dead body and began to feast on what was left behind. Kaspar could see that they came in different sizes. Some were very small like an iguana. Others were at least two feet tall. These had the only exit guarded. Kaspar’s mind race with thoughts that were not his own.

  Taking a deep breath, Kaspar lurched for the bottle. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught one of the iguana-shaped aliens racing towards his hands. Raising his gun, he quickly obliterated the immediate threat, spraying the counter with greenish liquid.

  Kaspar snatched up the bottle of cooking wine, along with a stack of nearby napkin, a lighter, and moved along the counter. He stuffed the contents into the a deep pocket along the left side of the spacesuit. His goggles picked up a healthy assortment of the aliens. One that was two feet tall stepped in front of Kaspar.

  “What the..?” Kaspar stared into the alien’s blinking eyes. They turned from pitch black into a yellowish haze. Kaspar aimed the gun point blank at the alien’s head. The creature extended its palms, exposing not only the suckers, but razored claws. On top of its oval shaped head was a short antenna, which throbbed like an artery.

  Commander Kaspar we know who you are. Your attempts at eliminating us are futile. One of your team members is now part of us and we will prevail in finding a new home. I am one of the top leaders of our race, and I suggest you either give yourself to our cause, or become our next prey. You can’t escape. We have reached across the galaxy; our scope is limitless. Your species is part of an exercise in our existence. We need you to feed on, and for other assorted tasks. I hope you will join us, Commander. You will make an excellent pilot for our sh
ips.

  “I’ll tell you what, small-fry,” Kaspar grumbled, “I’ll think about it.” He squeezed the trigger and blew the Carnelian’s antenna clear off its head, sending a spray of green blood spurting into the air.

  Kaspar darted over to the emergency oxygen tanks and smashed the glass case with the butt of his weapon. The glass shattered everywhere, crunching underneath the weight of the commander’s boots. He grabbed the tank, accidentally ripping his suit in the process.

  The Carnelians had the exit blocked. Kaspar wasted no time in unleashing round after round into their approaching bodies. The collection of aliens exploded against the glass door, smearing their entrails and blood all over the glass. Kaspar quickly waded through the carnage, kicking away the teetering corpses, the oxygen tank tucked securely underneath his right armpit.

  Kaspar took one final look behind him, watching as the remaining Carnelians feasted on Kray’s dead corpse. He slipped through the door and shut it just as the alien horde looked up from their feast.

  “I’ll give you something to feast on,” Kaspar grumbled. He rapidly unscrewed the face mask from the tank’s nozzle with jittery fingers, and turned the oxygen on. He then placed the tank on the ground. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cooking wine and napkins.

  One by one the Carnelian’s threw their bodies into the glass door, attempting to escape the kitchen’s confines. It startled the commander.

  Soaking the napkins in wine, Kaspar stuffed them securely into the nozzle of the oxygen tank. He turned around with the tank in one hand. The napkin dangled from the nozzle. He reached across with his free hand and lit the end of it, then tossed the lighter aside. “I’ve decided not to join your cause after all. You have shitty health benefits.” He pulled his lips into a scowl. Quickly opening the door with his free hand he threw the tank into the room, watching it roll along the floor towards Kray’s dead body.

  Kaspar had no time to cover himself as the napkin burned itself out quickly. The makeshift bomb exploded inside the kitchen’s confines. The thunderous roar zoomed toward the door, blowing out the glass, and sending the commander sailing clear across the hallway into the other set of lockers. The commander slid down the lockers and lay crumpled on the floor, while the smoke and fire raged.

  Adrian quietly slipped out of Gillian’s room and turned his attention to Shaw. Adrian made his way down the dark corridor, sensing some disturbance in his plan. He caught wind of the smoke billowing from the kitchen area. “Shaw,” he growled, approaching the kitchen. His mustard colored eyes glowed in the dark.

  Shaw was on the other end of the space station, implementing his plan. “Kaspar, are you there?”

  There was no response. Dead, uncomfortable silence.

  Shaw feared the worst. What if the commander was compromised? Either way, Shaw was blowing the space station, taking Adrian and every one of the aliens with him.

  Again, Shaw tried to reach the commander.

  Dead silence prevailed again. A chattering of static crawled over the radio’s frequency.

  Shaw moved into the generator room and began to attach the C-4 to the main corners of the room. The main generator itself was unapproachable. The room surrounded a large pit where the main generator was situated at the very bottom. The long vertical hole was surrounded by several floors, and the only way to access the generator was to virtually lower someone down the opening. Shaw couldn’t exactly set the C-4 anywhere near the main generator because of its awkward positioning. It would have to be done with the dynamite. Shaw wanted confirmation that Kaspar was successful in getting everyone back to the Abagail. Although, at this point, if Kaspar survived, it would only be Gillian accompanying Kaspar back to the ship. That was, if she was still alive.

  Kaspar managed to shake off some of the aftershock from the blast and took refuge in the nearby mess hall.

  He could see Adrian through the smoky haze. Adrian examined the damaged lockers briefly and then raised his hand to cover his face against the thick smoke. Kaspar would have to make a hard charge into the billionaire, buying himself some time to find Gillian and get back to the Abagail in time for launch.

  Kaspar lurched from his hiding spot and scrambled for Adrian.

  Adrian went careening towards the floor, but quickly reacted and grabbed his assailant by his foot and held him tight.

  “Where are you going?” Adrian asked.

  Kaspar was unable to break free. He squirmed but to no avail.

  Once the smoke cleared a bit, Adrian stared down at the wily commander.

  “Thaddeus, I’m impressed.” Adrian glanced over his attire. “Nice goggles. An advantage against us. However, I’m afraid it’s a futile effort.”

  “Why?” Kaspar asked. “Why are you doing this?”

  “They picked me. Don’t feel envious, they just like me better.” Adrian let go of the commander.

  Kaspar quickly raised his weapon and aimed it at Adrian. “I’m not envious of you.”

  “When I set out for world domination, who knew it would actually come true in the literal sense?” Adrian raised his hand and sent a powerful wave of energy into Kaspar’s body, sending the stunned commander flying backwards into the lockers. The gun skittered across the floor. Adrian raised Kaspar high into the air and tautly held him there, watching as his feet dangled underneath. “I can crush you right here and now.” Adrian threatened.

  “Then do it, amateur,” the commander sneered.

  “Ironically, I need you alive for now.” Adrian squeezed the commander’s throat, displaying how powerful the billionaire had actually become.

  “Really? How is that possible?” Kaspar attempted to prevent Adrian from choking him, but he was helpless against his death grip. The commander fought hard for every breath. He felt his head starting to swell, ready for the explosion.I need you to fly the ship.” Adrian cocked his head to one side. Kaspar did the same, definitely under Adrian’s superhuman spell.

  “Ulysses was fixing the engines.” Kaspar coughed up the sentence. “But, you had him killed before he could have finished.”

  “I built the Abagail, and all of her succeeding generations.” Adrian smirked. “I know all her secrets. That engine room wasn’t the primary one, wise ass. Ulysses did, however, repair the hyper drive for me. That was the most crucial part of my plan.”

  “Slick.” Kaspar felt himself losing consciousness.

  “I need you to reactivate the ship’s central computer, which in turn will ignite the main engine thrusters.”

  “Because your DNA is compromised. That’s why you need me.” Kaspar leered at Adrian through the night vision goggles. Adrian’s face was sketchy, only his yellow eyes appeared in the visor.

  “Impressive.” Adrian winked at the commander.

  “I can read minds too, fuck-wad,” Kaspar replied sarcastically.

  “I can see Gillian’s flair for the sarcasm has rubbed off on you.” Adrian grinned.

  “What do you know about her?”

  “I fucked her good last night.” Adrian beat his chest.

  “You lie, scum.”

  “I’m not lying. Too bad for you.” Adrian dropped the commander to the floor below. “The humorous part is, she thought I was you. Poor little lamb.”

  “I’ll kill you.” Kaspar reached for his gun, but watched as Adrian sent it skittering down the corridor.

  “I need both of you, actually,” Adrian said. “Let me fill you in.” Adrian’s eyes rolled with that same murderous haze the Carnelians possessed. “As you already know, I was changed inside those caves.”

  “And your point would be?”

  “I need to get off this station.”

  “So do we.”

  “I’m only taking two passengers on my journey.”

  “Let me guess. Me and Gillian?” Kaspar attempted to find a way to combat Adrian.

  “I need you to start the Abagail, before I kill you. I need Miss Shea, because, well, she’s going to be my queen.”

  �
��You are a sick puppy. And you used Ulysses to fix the ship. You had no intention on letting him live.” Kaspar was buying time for Shaw to set the explosives.

  “I needed him to fix the ship, but don’t worry, the old man won’t be cramping coach on the long-flight back home.”

  “And Kray? Shaw?”

  “Kray’s expendable.” Adrian leaned in and pulled Kaspar closer to him. “And Shaw? Oh, he’s mine. I personally don’t like him. He knows too much.”

  “Back the fuck off,” Kaspar warned him.

  “You will not resist me. I have the powers of the Carnelians. I can’t be stopped. It seems the previous captain found a comparable planet to our very own; a mirror image of Earth and it’s only 20.5 light years from here. I believe it’s on the other side of the solar system. You can learn a lot by reading minds. I have already alerted the others. It’s only a matter of time before we reclaim the galaxy.

  “Alerted the others?” Kaspar was confused.

  “It’s also nice being plugged into their collective conscious.” Adrian brimmed with confidence.

  “Kaspar, are you there?” Shaw’s voice boomed over the radio. “I’ve made it to the main generator room. If you are alive, proceed with the plan.”

  Kaspar was caught by surprise and Adrian’s attention was captivated.

  “Shaw’s in the generator room, how convenient.” Adrian stood up, arched his back, and turned his head. He ran his tongue across his craggy teeth in wicked anticipation of another kill.

  “You know, Adrian, I said it once and I’ll say it again,” Kaspar found a sharpened piece of glass laying to his right from the previous explosion. He curled his right hand around the jagged piece.

  “And that would be what?” Adrian’s attention was still focused on the generator room’s location. He could sense Shaw’s presence. Adrian would have to make quick work of the commander, and return to his original plan of killing him.

  “You are one fucked up mother. But, I have a ship to leave on, and you’re not on the passenger list.”

  Kaspar catapulted up from his position and slammed the shard of glass into the side of Adrian’s neck. The commander unleashed a crushing head-butt to the stunned billionaire, sending Adrian staggering backwards. Adrian immediately cupped his neck, a red and green mixture spilling from the wound.