by Ben Hammott
Barely making a sound when it fired, the small orange ball of light grew to about twelve inches in diameter. It struck the target without causing any damage and slammed it against the back wall.
“A non-lethal setting,” uttered Svetlana Chuchnova, one of the two females in the group. Svetlana specialized in the interdisciplinary field of materials science and engineering; she also had an avid interest in biomaterials.
Eager to see what else it could do, Stanislav turned the dial to the next setting and aimed at another target.
A small red ball of light shot from the barrel and left a small smoking hole in the target when it passed through. It exploded in a crackling eruption of light when it struck the far wall. Pieces of concrete blasted into the room and clattered to the floor.
Amazed by the weapon’s power and efficacy, the scientists stared at the foot-deep, hand-width wide crater that revealed pieces of metal reinforcing rods.
Rarely one to display emotion, Stanislav surprised them all when he uttered, “Bay!” (Pronounced Vou.) “Wow! There was no recoil and it’s so silent.”
“An excellent stealth weapon,” stated Vadim, the armament technician brought in to work out the technicalities of reverse engineering the weapon. With the help of the other technicians and scientists, his goal was to understand the alien technology in order to replicate the weapon and build more powerful rifle versions with greater range.
After turning the dial to the final setting, Stanislav aimed at the final target.
The bright green ball of light expanded as soon as it left the barrel. It had grown to nine inches wide when it struck the target, which disintegrated where the light struck. The light ball erupted in a shower of sparks on striking the wall. Again, lumps of concrete shot out and skidded across the floor towards the gathered group.
Amazed at the amount of power and destruction such a small weapon could inflict, the team stared at the two-foot-wide, and about the same deep, hole in the wall. Molten metal dripped from the ends of the reinforcing bars the light had eaten through.
“I’d like to see its effects on flesh,” said Alexei Yenotov, a scientist with a wide field of expertise and, at forty-nine years old, the oldest of the group.
Physicist Waldemar Witte smiled. “Are you volunteering, Alexei?” sweeping an arm at the targets.
“No need to comrade, your mother has.” Alexei crossed to the intercom attached to the wall and pressed the talk button linked to the adjoining room. “Luka, bring in the sow.”
Alexei grinned at Waldemar when the large door at the far end of the room opened, and Luka entered with a large sow in tow.
Luka glanced at the ruined targets, the holes in the wall and the concrete debris scattered over the floor. Aware he would be tasked with clearing up the mess, he sighed.
Knowing better than to ask questions or show too much undue interest in what was taking place here, Luka led the pig to the middle of the room in front of the targets. His casual gaze at the scientists focused briefly on one of the two women, Krisztina, who flashed him a fleeting smile. Unable to return a similar expression as the others might see—fraternizing was frowned upon between colleagues but shut off miles from civilization, they had become friends, and shortly after, lovers—he knelt and tethered the large pig to one of the metal rings set in the floor.
“If you’ve finished, Luka...” called out Stanislav, impatient to continue.
Glaring at the man he despised, Luka noticed the unusual object Stanislav held. It looked like a gun, though not like any he recognized. He assumed whatever it was, it was why they had all been ordered to the facility in the ass end of the Siberian wilderness. He also assumed it was responsible for the destruction in the room, the excited activity that had started a few days ago, and the reason for the pig and the cow that had been brought to the secret facility a few days before. He had asked Krisztina what was happening, but she had refused to tell him. No one trusted the government not to be listening. Even though things had changed with the long overdue collapse of the Berlin Wall, the facility had been constructed in an era when mistrust was prevalent in all walks of Russian life and when listening devices were used extensively to eavesdrop on the masses.
Luka stroked the sacrificial pig’s head. If there was anything left of the animal when the scientists had finished with it, pork would be on the menu for the next few weeks. He exited through the large door he had entered through and waited with the cow tethered to the rail running the length of the wall.
After turning the dial back to the first lethal setting, Stanislav handed the pistol to Vadim. “Now you’ve seen it in action, do you think replication is feasible?”
Vadim eagerly took possession of the alien weapon. “Its power source and charging unit will probably cause us the most headaches, but I’ve reverse engineered and modified other countries’ weapons that have fallen into Russia’s hands, so I’m confident between us we shall succeed—or share the blame for failing.”
Stanislav nodded in understanding. No one wanted to be singled out to take the full brunt of any repercussions failure would bring. Stalin might be dead and the cold war behind them, but gulags and fatal punishments remained. The report he would make to his superiors after the tests should be well received. Hopefully, when they had designed and built prototypes ready for mass producing new weapons equipped with alien technology, it would go a long way to seeing his status upgraded and getting him transferred to a less remote and inhospitable location. If reverse engineering the weapons proved impossible, he would ensure the brunt of the responsibility for the failure fell on his subordinates.
When Vadim raised the weapon, all eyes in the room focused on the pig looking at them curiously. The sow grunted when the small ball of light passed through its side and skidded along the floor in a trail of bright sparks. It squealed and yanked at its tether when it felt the pain.
Krisztina forced herself not to avert her eyes from the distressing sight. It wouldn’t do to show weakness in front of her comrades.
Fascinated, Alexei moved a few steps closer to the stricken pig and stared through the neat hole in its flesh. “The heat has cauterized the wound, stopping the flow of blood.”
“Try the next setting,” encouraged Waldemar. “Aim for the head so you don’t destroy all that delicious pork.”
As he returned to the table, Vadim turned the dial one click. Taking careful aim, he fired at the pig’s head.
The growing green ball of light was on target. The pig’s head disappeared in a bright flash when it struck. The light ball bounced off the floor in a spray of color and split up into smaller balls that sprayed holes in the targets and the walls. As lumps of concrete clattered to the floor, the headless pig collapsed on its knees.
Stanislav beamed as he crossed to the intercom. The tests were going better than expected. His superiors couldn’t help but be impressed. He pressed the talk button. “Bring in the cow.”
Luka entered with the cow a few moments later.
“Just leave it free,” ordered Stanislav.
Luka glanced at the dead pig that emitted the aroma of seared pork. Though its head was missing there was no blood. Wondering what kind of weapon could produce such an effect, he let go of the rope around the cow’s neck and left the room.
Vadim held out the pistol to Waldemar. “To witness what effects the non-lethal firepower has on something living, I’ve dialed it to the first setting.”
Keen to have a turn, Waldemar almost snatched the weapon from Vadim. A bit disappointed he didn’t get to fire a destructive shot, he aimed at the cow’s side and fired. The orange blast struck the cow and knocked it off its feet. Skidding across the floor it swept targets and concrete debris aside before coming to a halt. Waldemar gazed at pistol admiringly. “I love alien technology.”
The bellowing cow, which was less impressed, raised its head feebly.
Stanislav retrieved the weapon from Waldemar. “Now we’ve seen it in action, we have work to do.” He tu
rned to Krisztina. “Switch off the cameras, collect the memory cards and transfer the footage onto my computer so I can upload it to the Kremlin.”
“Yes, Director Stanislav,” replied Krisztina.
Talking excitedly, the others left the room.
Krisztina crossed the room and spoke into the intercom. “They’ve gone.”
Luka entered and moved to the wide-eyed cow struggling to its feet. He calmed it with soft words and stroked and patted its neck. Though a bit wobbly, it remained on its feet. He led it from the room and returning a few moments later, he approached Krisztina.
“It’s a weapon that has got you lot excited?”
Krisztina ejected the memory card from one of the cameras and slipped it in a pocket. “You know I can’t talk about it.”
Luka grabbed her arm gently, spun her around and pulled her tight to him. “I’ve seen enough to know I’m right.”
“Then you’ve seen too much. You know how this works. Ignorance keeps you safe.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let on.”
They kissed.
“Will you be able to slip into my room again tonight?”
Krisztina unwound herself from his arms and crossed to the second camera. “I’ll see. It depends on my work. Everyone is eager to continue with the project, so I might have a few late nights ahead.”
“You will try though?” asked Luka, hopefully.
Krisztina smiled. “Of course.” She ejected the memory card from the second camera and after giving Luka a kiss, headed for the door and left.
Luka sighed again when he glanced around at the carnage he would have to clear up. He might also be working late. He headed for the pig’s carcass. His first job was to get it to the kitchen, so he could carve it up, freeze some and then start preparing dinner. He grabbed its hind legs and dragged it from the room.
CHAPTER 3
Growing Pains
EV1L PAUSED AT AN INTERSECTION in the air duct and focused its senses along the four possible routes: left, right, ahead and down. Animal noises it failed to recognize drifted from below. It dropped into the chute and crawled along the vent towards the sounds. Pausing at the grille of horizontal slatted bars, EV1L observed the creatures trapped in cages that lined two sides of the room. It slithered between the slats and dropped onto the rack of cages.
Boris, sleeping off the food prepared by his human friend, opened an eye lazily and turned his head to the faint thud on the cage opposite. Sensing the menace emanating from the strange black blob, he remained still and observed what it would do. The spider monkeys in the adjoining cage screeched aggressively at the blob, setting the other animals into a frenzy; the three beagles barked, the rabbits trembled and cowered in a group and the mice twitched their noses and tried to clamber onto the wheel being frantically rotated by the first mouse to claim it.
EV1L ignored the animals’ fear and panic as it moved along the cages in hunt of a suitable victim. It halted at one of the cages and observed the small white creatures scurrying around their prison. It seeped through the wire mesh and hung from a glutinous thread until one of the long-tailed creatures passed below. It dropped onto its back and began its absorbing process. The mouse screeched and shook frantically for a few seconds before falling still. EV1L pulsed with delight as the creature’s flesh invigorated its form. The other mice in the cage fell to terrified silence as they witnessed the demise of one of their brethren. Fearing they would be next, they frantically started chewing on the wire mesh trapping them. Some were so desperate to escape they broke teeth trying to chew through the metal confining them.
After a few minutes, nothing remained of the mouse EV1L had consumed. No bones, blood or organs, not even a whisker remained; it was as if it had never existed. Needing more sustenance to regain its full strength and size, much more, it focused on its victims at the end of the cage as it slithered towards them. The rodents’ terrified expressions and shaking bodies were reflected in EV1L’s shiny, tar-like mass.
WEARY FROM HIS DAY’S toil, Luka slumped into the comfortable armchair facing the television. Both were some of the few luxuries he had managed to bring with him. He glanced at the wall clock and Stalin’s face behind the hands that stared at him, a clock that was once a reminder that the tyrant controlled every second of Russian life and was always watching you. It was almost time for his favorite TV program. Though the signal was lousy way out here, it was just about watchable. He aimed the clunky TV remote at the small screen and switched it on. As he reached for the bottle of vodka on the small table beside the chair, he cocked an ear at the door. Wondering what had riled up the animals, he climbed out of the chair and strode for the exit.
A few steps along the corridor, he peered through the window set into the door of the animal housing room and scanned the room lit by dim lighting. The agitated animals within his view seemed to be focused on a single cage. He opened the door and stepped inside.
“Zatknis (shut the hell up) the lot of you!”
The animals calmed on hearing Luka’s voice. Unlike most of the humans they had contact with, he had always treated them kindly and fed them.
Luka crossed to the cage the surrounding animals looked at and was surprised to see the mice that should have been inside weren’t there. With puzzlement creasing his brow, he checked the cage door was secure—it was—and then for any holes in the mesh—there weren’t any. His bafflement increased when he noticed a scattering of rodent teeth outside one end of the cage. He glanced around the room for the missing rodents that had somehow escaped.
After walking the length of the room checking every nook and cranny, he found no sign of the mice. As he pondered the dilemma, he concluded one of the scientists upstairs must have taken them while he had been clearing up their mess and preparing their dinner. It was the only logical explanation. He fumed that they would do such a thing. Protocol bade them to inform him of their animal requirements in advance. Except when it came to the animals under his care, he didn’t have any authority over the higher ranked scientists. That they dared to enter his domain and take them without his permission was breaking the rules and left his records in error. It was something that would not be looked kindly on when discovered by his superiors. Someone would pay for this affront, and he was determined it wouldn’t be him. He stormed from the room to find out who was responsible.
OBLIVIOUS TO THE PROBLEMS it had caused Luka, EV1L draped its form, tripled in size from its rodent feast, around a warm pipe on the ceiling and settled down to let the nourishment it had absorbed rejuvenate its form. It wouldn’t take long, and then it would return to the captive animals and feast some more. It would take some time, but when it was large and powerful enough, it would visit the humans. Soon it would be able to breed, and as soon as they were strong enough, they would find a way out of this place to feed upon more humans and conquer their world.
HALF AN HOUR LATER, Luka returned with the first scientist he had confronted.
“I assure you, Comrade Luka, none of us have touched your precious rodents,” argued Waldemar for the third time since Luka had accosted him when he stepped from the restroom. Though he had adamantly denied any of them had touched his precious animals, Luka was just as adamant they had. To placate the man, he had agreed to go with Luka to find out what had happened to them.
Luka glanced at Boris shaking the door of his enclosure and pointing at one the cages opposite. He waved an arm at him to calm down before turning to the empty mouse cage. “Then how do you explain that!?”
Waldemar glanced into the cage and then at the small door secured shut with its locking pin. “The door was closed when you found them missing?”
“It was.”
Waldemar glanced around the floor. “And you searched the room?”
Luka nodded. “Thoroughly.”
Waldemar stroked his bottom lip with his teeth as he pondered the mystery. “They can’t have just disappeared.”
“Obviously. Someone has taken them, as wha
t other explanation is there?” said Luka.
“But who, and why? We’re nowhere near ready for the radiation testing phase that would require their use.” Waldemar glanced at the cages. “Are any other animals missing?”
Luka shrugged. “I haven’t checked.”
Waldemar looked at the man. “Maybe you should?”
Boris shrieked frantically when his human friend walked along the cages and halted at the rabbit cage he had been pointing at.
Wondering what had gotten Boris so agitated, Luka ignored his hooted calls and peered into the rabbit cage. “Two rabbits are missing.”
Waldemar joined Luka and looked at the four rabbits in the cage. “You’re certain?”
“Of course I’m certain, I can count. There were six earlier and now there’s only four.”
“Okay, okay. Check the other cages while I inform Stanislav. And shut that damn monkey up for god’s sake.”
“It’s a chimpanzee, not a monkey. It belongs to the family of great apes,” corrected Luka.
Waldemar glared at Luka. “I don’t care if it’s King Kong’s offspring, shut it up.”
As soon as Luka released the catch of Boris’s cage and pulled the door open, Boris leaped onto him.
Luka smiled at the chimp as he stroked its head. “What’s got you all riled up?”
Boris cooed as he rubbed his head under Luka’s chin.
Waldemar shook his head at Luka. “You two make a lovely couple.” He crossed to the intercom and pressed the button linking him to the laboratory. “Director Stanislav, can you come to the animal housing room as we have a situation requiring your attention?” He released the button and waited.