They walked from the bridge to the elevator and down to the lower level. The Captain pulled out her communicator. "Hanger, what is the shuttle doing?"
"It's just sitting here," the hanger officer said.
"Does the scanners show anything?"
"No, the shuttle looks empty."
"They can hide from scanners," she heard from her communicator. It was the Ulliam. "Be careful."
"I will, thank you,” she replied sarcastically.
They walked into the control room and looked at the docking bay. Only the shuttle sat there, steam coming from its bottom. The hanger tech stood there waiting for her to say something. "Pressurize the bay."
With a whooshing noise the hanger bay filled with air. Captain Forrester looked at the shuttle, waiting for something to happen. She looked in the windows hoping to see a shadow. She waited for something to happen. For the shuttle's weight to shift as if something moved inside. Nothing like that happened and she relaxed. "I think it's empty, let's go out and have a look."
She and the rest of the crew, each carrying a rifle or a gun, walked into the hanger and stood in front of the shuttle's door. Captain Forrester held up her hand when she thought she saw the shuttle rock slightly. "Maybe I was wrong," she said and turned.
The door to the shuttle exploded in a cloud of debris and metal. High speed shrapnel sped across the space between the shuttle and the troopers emending itself into their armor. The Captain held her arm up protecting her face. She winced when several small pieces hit her arm and hand.
Captain Forrester lowered her arm to see a monster with white gray hair take a swipe at her. Massive, bloody claws missed her face by inches. She stumbled back and fell. The crew opened fire with all they had.
Its super-hard skin absorbed the energy beams. It charged forward and grabbed the closest man and threw him into the shuttle, breaking the man's back as his body fell limp to the floor.
The others backed up, firing as they did. The sound of laser fire and screaming added to the chaos of the attack. Doc swiped its claws, ripping a man's head from his body. The shock and violence of the attack broke the discipline of the crew and they turned to run.
"Stand your ground! Stand your ground!" The captain yelled but her pleas went unheard. The Doc monster followed them, running after the panicked men.
Captain Forrester pulled her gun from her holster and chased after the monster. It wouldn't stop him, but it might slow him down.
She heard a scream and ducked as a bloodied body was tossed over her head. She fired several shots at Doc when she saw him. The monster must have had a blood lust, going after those that were running. He ignored her and her shots.
The soldiers turned a corner and the monster went another way. She followed, wondering where it was heading. He was running to the front of the ship, running toward the particle accelerator.
She pulled out her communicator. "Everyone, get a grip and get your head screwed back on. That thing is heading to the particle accelerator room. It cannot reach that room, do you understand? It cannot reach that room. Now, regroup and stop it!"
She slowed, her legs on fire from the sprint, her lungs begging her for more air. She could not stop, she dared not let the monster get too far ahead of her.
She heard the sound of guns firing at the monster. When she reached the end of the hallway she saw the monster pounding on the door to the Particle Accelerator room. She stopped, aimed carefully, and fired.
Her shot added to the volley of fire the monster shrugged off. How do you stop it? How do you kill it?
The monster ripped the metal door and threw it toward the troopers. She heard some screaming and the firing stopped for a moment before picking up again, shooting at the creature as it ran into the room.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" She yelled and ran to the doors threshold.
The monster looked around confused. Inside the room housed dozens of bullet shaped tubes. Each tube contained a strangelet suspended in a vacuum held in place by a strong magnetic field. Strangelets opened wormholes that her ship could travel through. But, they were dangerous. Anything that a strangelet touched became a strangelet. Once a chain reaction started nothing could stop it.
The creature ran toward the room that stored the bullets. "Fire! Fire! Fire!" Captain Forrester yelled in a desperate attempt to stop the monster from destroying them all.
The monster threw the door to the room open and ran in, arms waving, knocking everything in the room down.
Captain Forrester saw a flash of white light before she, her crew, and the ship vanished in an explosion of white nothingness.
#
"I lost contact," Sargent Jenkins said. "I can't get in touch with my ship."
Yelolus saw the worry on Jenkins's face and tried to do what he saw all his human friends do when they saw someone in distress. "I'm sure it's okay."
"The monster was at the Particle room, if he got on there-"
"I'm sure he didn't. Come on, we have a monster to kill here, let's concentrate on that first."
Jenkins nodded and his professional demeanor returned. "Our energy guns don't do anything to these things. We need to figure something else out. Our guns are useless. Do you have any other weapons onboard? Is there any place we might be able to trap it?"
"We have some low level explosives. They're locked away tightly. Scrapper and Trang know the codes."
"Can you get in touch with Trang?"
Yelolus pulled out his communicator. "Trang?"
"A bit busy here," she said in a short, clipped tone.
"We need to get into the explosives room."
"The code is 8898," she said quickly. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Yelolus replied. "Let's go, the room isn't that far."
After moving through several hallways they reached the explosives room. Yelolus lowered his gun when he saw the door ripped open and the room empty. "What do you think he did with the explosives?"
Jenkins looked in. "Is there enough in there to destroy the ship?"
"No, we use it to blow away door or put small holes in hulls if we need to. Even if they all went off at the same time the damage would be contained within a small area. If it was next to the hull the breach doors would close so I don't think there would be a problem."
Jenkins clipped the communicator to his belt and raised his own rifle. "We're going about this the wrong way. We should have the monster come to us in a place where we can control."
"And, we could use some help. Scrapper, I think we can use him."
Jenkins shook his head. "No, he's too dangerous. I don't think we should let him out."
"He can get out anytime, they've shown these doors don't stop them much. Let me talk to him again, I think I can get him on our side."
Jenkins thought about it for a minute, then replied. "See if he can help. Send the guards down to me, Scrapper will be your responsibility."
Yelolus ran back down the hallway, passing the scared faces of the men who were heading to the front of the ship. He felt their fear and understood it.
When he reached the engine room and after dismissing the guards he opened the door. Scrapper sat on the floor with his head between his legs. He shook as if he were cold even though the room was warm. "Scrapper?"
"Go away." Scrapper said, his voice in a low growl that caused Yelolus's muscles to tighten as if getting ready for a fight.
"We need your help. We need our captain."
"Can't control urge. Hard to think."
"You can control it. You don't need to give in."
"You don't understand. It wants to kill you all. It wants you all dead."
"And it will kill itself to get it done?"
"Yes." Scrapper pointed to the engine, "It keeps telling me to destroy that."
"But you haven't."
"I want to so badly."
"Fight it, Scrapper, please fight it." Yelolus understood on some level what Scrapper was going through. He too fought the urges to kill w
hen he got angry. The solider in him, the one that longed for is home world back, always struggled with the part of him that wanted to be accepted. "Do you think the Professor or Doc is going through the same thing?"
He nodded. "I can feel them. I can feel them all."
Pack mentality, Yelolus thought. His mind taking him back to the school yard where he and his Ulliam schoolmates would reenact major battles they read about. "Scrapper, you know me, you know my background and you know how hard it is sometimes for me to resist my urges. You helped me, you're an example we can all look up to. I know you can help us. You love your crew more than you want this thing to take over. Tell me that I'm wrong."
Scrapper paused for a long moment as the words sunk in. "You’re not wrong."
"Good, come, we need your help. The Professor is still out there. We think Doc went over to the Cruiser. Naomi is on the medical ship. You can help us and we'll help you."
Chapter nineteen
Trang looked at a massive hunk of complex engineering in front of her. She and the survivors stood on a catwalk that peered down onto the cylinder engine. The engine hummed loudly in the unbearable heat. She understood why the walls around her looked so thick and strong. When this thing ran at full power the heat and sound would easily kill anyone inside. "Anyone know anything about a spaceship engine?"
The crew around her shrugged.
"Didn't think so. Still, we should be able to do something with this."
"Like what?" Smiley asked.
"Can you interface with it?"
"Let me try." Smiley and the crew walked out of the engine room and up to a computer. She placed her interface glove on and touched the main computer then closed her eyes. "Yes, I see a bunch of commands."
"Anything we can use?"
Her eyes moved under her eyelids giving the look of REM sleep. "I see lots of stuff I don't understand. Wait, hey, that's interesting."
"What?"
"Give me a second."
Trang waited several long seconds. She glanced at the door, then the vents, knowing Naomi could come out of either at any time.
"Do you think we can get her into the engine room?"
"We can try," Trang said.
"If we do I can eject the engine into space. It's a last ditch failsafe in case the engine is going to explode. The menu to do it is pretty deep but I can access it."
"You don't foresee any issues ejecting the engine into space?" Trang asked, agitated. She could think of only one way to get Naomi into the engine room.
"No, it should be easy."
"Do you need to be here?"
"Well, I want to stay here-"
Trang interrupted her. "Can you do it from the bridge or somewhere else?"
"I can do it from any terminal."
"Good, get to another one and give me a holler when you're ready."
"What are you going do to?"
"I'm going to be bait. Now go."
"No. You can't be bait. She'll kill you."
"No, not right away, I think I can lead her into the engine room."
"How will you get out?"
Trang's silence was the only answer Smiley needed. Her eyes started to swell. "No, don't do this Trang, please don't make me kill you."
"Susan," Trang said using Smiley's real name for the first time ever, "you have to do this. You have to save the rest of the crew. I know-" Trang choked back some tears, took a deep breath and continued. "I know this is going to be difficult for you to get over. I'm sorry I'm going to have to put you through this but, it's my choice and I’m going into it with eyes wide open."
"But-"
"Susan, go," Trang said, looking into her eyes. "Go, save us all."
Smiley walked to the door and pulled out her laser torch. She cut a small hole in the bottom. Her and her crew crawled out into the hallway. She gave one last look at Trang before walking away.
Those people, Smiley and the rest of the crew, were depending on her. There was no way Trang could think of in which she survived this. Her people were never known to sacrifice their lives for anything. Most of them never felt the fear this crew felt. None of her people loved the humans they worked with as much as she loved this crew. A sense of calm washed over her as she waited.
"We're ready," came Smiley's voice from the computer's speakers.
"Can you hear me?"
"Yes."
"Good, when I give the command you eject those engines, okay?"
In a low, barely control voice Smiley replied, "Yeah."
Trang took a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart. She walked over to the vent and yelled, "Naomi, we need to talk. I'm in the engine room."
She waited for a reply. Minutes went by before she heard the pounding of Naomi moving through the vent. Trang stepped down as Naomi, her mouth, skin and cloths bloodied, peered in from the vent. "Come on, I know that vent won't stop you."
Naomi punched the grate sending it across the room. Trang walked to the door that lead the engine, but did not enter. "Naomi, are you still in there?"
The monster climbed down and nodded a yes.
"You killed a lot of people."
Naomi looked at the floor and nodded. "Couldn't help it."
"I know," Trang said softly. "I know, it's hard to control and I don't blame you, really I don't. You were- are- such a sweet girl but I don't know what we can do with you."
"They want you gone."
"Who are they?"
Naomi pointed to the engine, which she assumed pointed to the gas giant. "Oh, so, that stuff you found?"
"Yes. It wants you gone. Using me and the others to do the job."
"And it won't stop ‘til we're gone?" Trang asked, working it out in her mind. The only two to survive were her and the Professor. They were human at the time they were found. The alien must have gone into hibernation when the threat was eliminated but the need to kill never left Janice, Lisa and Frank. That's why they were trying to kill Naomi. Trang stepped into the engine room hoping Naomi would follow. She paced around as if the thoughts she expressed came out better when she paced. She hoped Naomi saw it that way. “When the threat is gone the monster inside you goes away. I want to help you, I do. When you locked me in that room I had time to think and I know that I want to know you better. I'm sorry I had to escape, the steam from that pipe was dehydrating me and I was afraid I'd die."
"That's okay."
Trang walked further into the room and Naomi followed. Both were now inside the room, the massive engine humming away. Trang needed to yell when she talked. "Naomi, come here please, I want you close to me. I want to be closer to you right now. I can feel that you're sorry, that you want help." And she could, which made her plan hurt her more than before. Could Naomi be saved? She wondered as the monster stepped closer. Trang placed her hand on Naomi's face and cupped it. "Naomi, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wish I could wish it away."
Naomi closed her eyes, relishing the feel of human contact.
"Smiley! Now!" Trang yelled.
The door behind Naomi closed and the lights turned red. Naomi opened her eyes and looked at Trang. "I'm sorry,” she said.
Naomi grabbed Trang by her waist and lifted her in the air. Trang wailed in pain as Naomi, using all her strength, ripped Trang's body in half. One half went to her left, one half to her right. Blood and organs fell to the floor with a wet slapping sound.
Naomi ran to the door and placed her claws in it.
The back of the ship fell off exposing her to the vacuum of space. Naomi's scream was silent in the vacuum as she was ripped from the door and followed the engine as it tumbled toward the gas giant that dominated the view.
#
"Yelolus," Smiley's said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Trang sacrificed herself to kill Naomi."
"Did you hear that?" Yelolus said to Scrapper.
He nodded yes then moved on. "I felt it."
"You guys have a connection?"
"Yes. Doc is gone too. Professor is here
."
"Did they kill Doc on the ship?"
Scrapper shrugged. "I don't know. I just know he's dead."
"Yelolus," Jenkins said in his communicator. "Do you have Scrapper with you?"
"Yes. He said Doc is dead and I'm sure you heard my friend say Naomi is dead along with Trang. The only ones left are the two on this ship and Scrapper is on our side."
"For now," Jenkins replied. "Take him to the bridge. I want you to see if you can contact my ship. We're holding up in the Particle room waiting for the Professor."
"I'm on my way there now," Yelolus said.
They ran down the hallway and toward the lift. Yelolus paused, unsure if he wanted to be in a small space with Scrapper. Scrapper didn't hesitate and walked in. "Coming?"
Yelolus walked into the lift and pressed the button to the bridge. Yelolus felt his skin turn hot, being in the elevator with someone who could kill him at any second made the warrior inside want to rush to the surface. When the door opened he rushed out quickly.
Scrapper walked to his chair and sat. He played with the controls, looking like he did when he was more human. "The ship is gone. I'm reading some residual wormhole radiation."
Yelolus knew what that meant. He pulled out his communicator. "It's gone, Sargent, I'm sorry."
"Okay," Jenkins replied in a professional tone. "Can you monitor what's going on from there?"
"Yes," Scrapper growled.
"The monsters don't show up on scanners."
"I know," Scrapper replied. "But explosives might."
Yelolus's shoulders lifted slightly as he understood what Scrapper was trying to do. "Did you take the explosives from the room?"
Scrapper nodded yes. "I didn't know what I was doing then. Couldn't control the instructions. Having a hard time doing it now and I don't remember where I stored them."
"If you can find them and we can lure the Professor to them we can kill him."
Scrapper nodded a yes. He stopped what he was doing. "Can't- wants me to stop. Can't stop the urge- you need to finish." He walked to the elevator and called it. "I'm sorry, I don't know how much longer I can keep control."
Scrapper's Hope Page 11