by William Wood
“Obviously,” Calvin said, feeling sick to his stomach. “And they’re everywhere. Look, the Tryvellens and Arlandians used to be close friends. Please come out. Let us help you. Come back to our ship. It’s safe there.” Suddenly a distant explosion shook the ship.
“Calvin, are you OK?” It was Astra.
“We’re OK,” Calvin said. “What was that?”
“There was an explosion near the engines,” Astra said. “It was huge.”
“Astra,” Calvin said. “Can you see our shuttle? It was docked near the engines.”
“Hold on a second.”
A young man stepped out of the shadows from behind a computer console. He was short, skinny, and had medium-length blond hair. He looked like he was about Calvin’s age.
“My name’s Dev, and I would really like to get off this ship. Can I go with you, please?”
“Yes, good,” Calvin said, relieved. “Nice to meet you.” Calvin offered his hand. Dev took it, and they shook hands.
“It’s good to see a friendly face,” Dev said. “I had about lost hope that I would get out of this.”
Calvin handed a small shield device to Dev.
“Here, you’ll need this,” Calvin said. “Just stick it in your pocket. It works automatically.”
Dev took it and put it in his pocket. As soon as he did, a force field surrounded him. He took a deep breath. “Wow, that’s better,” he said. “I can breathe again.”
Ion stepped forward and pointed his arm at Dev. Dev was startled and jumped back.
“Ion, what’s wrong?”
“Master Calvin, scan him and tell me what you see.”
Calvin pointed the scanner at Dev.
“Hey, wait a second,” Dev said, trembling. “I thought you said we were friends.”
“Don’t move,” Calvin said. Dev froze, fear reflecting in his face.
Calvin waved the scanner in front of Dev. It emitted a soft beep, and the screen flashed red.
“The segment?” Calvin asked. He waved the scanner across the Tryvellen’s chest and followed the signal to a place just under his chin.
“Segment?” Dev asked. “What are you talking about? A segment of what?”
“Do you have something hanging around your neck?” Calvin asked.
“Just this,” Dev said defensively. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver chain with a small black and silver key attached to it. Calvin moved closer and pointed the scanner directly at the key.
“Ion, that’s it!” Calvin exclaimed. “That’s the third segment.”
“Excellent,” Ion said.
“Segment of what?” Dev said again. “Please tell me.”
“We’ll explain later,” Ion said. “When we’re safely on the Frost.”
Dev looked thoroughly confused.
“That’s our ship,” Calvin explained.
Ion walked over to one of the computers and quickly began taking it apart.
“What are you doing?” Calvin asked.
“I need to do one more thing before we leave,” Ion said. “I want to find the main memory unit. It should contain engineering and sensor logs and possibly personal logs of the crew as well. I’d like to learn what happened to this ship, and with any luck, determine how and where the creatures got on board.”
Ion wasted no time. He savagely ripped components out of the computer until he found what he was looking for—a small gray box.
“I believe this is it. We can go now,” Ion said, moving to the door. “Master Calvin, are you ready?”
Calvin lifted his pistol so Ion could see it. “I’m ready. Let’s get outta here.”
Ion opened the door and stepped through, followed by Calvin and then Dev. They left the safety of the bridge and went into the dark, gloomy corridor. Calvin gripped his weapon tightly. He hoped that he wouldn’t need it, but if he did, maybe he could find a vulnerable spot on the monsters, if one existed.
They’d only walked five feet, when they heard a loud scream from the darkness ahead.
“Stop!” Ion said. Everyone froze. Calvin and Ion both shone their lights but couldn’t see anything. It was too dark.
“Astra,” Calvin whispered into his radio. “Any sign of the shuttle?”
There was a second of silence. Calvin could hear his heart beating. There was a loud hiss of static that made him jump.
“I can’t see it,” Astra said. “There’s too much debris in the way. I can’t see anything, and I can’t burn through whatever is blocking the signal. If I didn’t know better, I would say we’re being jammed. But, more than likely something is leaking—some radiation or liquid fuel—I don’t know. Even the sensors are useless.”
“OK,” Calvin said, trying to think. He could feel himself starting to panic but forced himself to stay calm. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We’d still have to walk all the way back. Hopefully the shuttle is still there.”
“I’m sorry,” Astra said. “I wish I could help more. Have you seen anymore Terrors?”
“There’s one in the corridor with us, I think,” Calvin said quietly. “The problem is they’re impossible to see until they’re right in front of us. We shot the last one several times, but couldn’t kill it.”
“OK, stop talking,” Astra said. “Hurry up and get back here.”
“We’re working on it,” Calvin said.
Calvin turned to Dev. “What’s the quickest way to the engine room?”
“The main corridor. It runs the whole length of the ship,” Dev said.
“That’s the way we came in,” Ion said.
“We should go out the same way,” Calvin said. “The less time we spend in here the better.”
“We should be all right out in the open,” Dev said. “I don’t think they like it out in the open. I know for a fact the captain said they trapped two in the engine room. I saw two in the shuttle bay and locked them in. Except for the one you saw, I’m fairly sure that’s all of them.”
“Weren’t you listening? This place is crawling with the scariest monsters I’ve ever seen. Do you know how many of those monsters are on this ship?” Calvin asked.
“No, I don’t know for sure,” Dev said. “But Lieutenant Ranton thought there were only the five.”
“Five,” Calvin repeated. “I wish that’s all there were. Our computers have tracked eightyfive separate creatures.”
“Eighty-five?” Dev repeated, shocked. “That can’t be right, but it explains a few things.”
“Come on, Ion,” Calvin said impatiently. “We have to get out of here.”
Calvin was a jumble of conflicting emotions. He desperately wanted to get off the ship but was terrified about going forward. Reluctantly, he forced himself to move. He reminded himself that there was only one way off the ship, and that was down the long, dark corridors. Ion was the first to keep going but stopped almost immediately when a loud thumping echoed off the walls. It was getting louder! Calvin felt a surge of fear and fired down the corridor into the darkness. The flash of light from his laser bolts gave them a glimpse of a horrific sight; a monster robot was charging directly toward them, its mouth wide open and claws reaching out.
“Fire!” Calvin shouted loudly and resumed shooting. The monster screamed, a high pitched heart-stopping scream. The monster dodged from side to side, trying to avoid laser shots from Calvin and Ion. It was difficult to see, but Calvin thought they hit it several times. Finally it jumped and smashed its way through the ceiling. Metal fragments rained down onto the floor. Calvin and Ion stopped shooting and stared down the dark corridor.
“Where did it go?” Dev asked. He looked scared and stood close to Calvin and Ion.
“It went up,” Calvin said nervously.
“That’s the second time a Terror has smashed its way through the bulkhead to get away from us. Why do they run and not attack?”
“What are you thinking, Ion?” Calvin asked.
“It should have attacked us,” Ion said. “But it ran away.”
/> “You were both shooting at it,” Dev said. “I’m just guessing here, but maybe it didn’t like your laser guns.”
They cautiously walked forward. Calvin hurried under the hole in the ceiling, looking up nervously as he passed.
“I didn’t believe you,” Dev said, as he walked under the hole. “I’m sorry. You were right. I was hoping the monsters were trapped behind locked doors. But they seem to be loose.”
“We have to keep moving,” Ion said. “Just follow me. If you see a Terror, don’t hesitate—shoot it.”
Calvin followed Ion and Dev down the corridor. His senses were heightened, and a deep persistent fear caused him to experience a stab of panic with every small noise. Suddenly they heard a loud bang behind them. Calvin spun around and looked for something to shoot, but he couldn’t see anything. Nothing happened for several seconds. His heart pounded, and his breathing sounded loud in his space suit.
“Come on, Calvin,” Dev said. He and Ion had moved off and were already fifty feet away. Calvin was about to turn around and follow them when he heard a series of very loud cracks above him. The ceiling directly above him disintegrated into fragments and a massive dark object dropped through the new hole. The next thing he knew, Calvin was lying on the floor with a very heavy black shape on top of him, crushing him. It was a Terror! Its open jaws were in his face. It savagely tore into Calvin’s spacesuit with its long claws. It reared back, prepared to strike with its teeth. Calvin tried to get free. He pushed, but it was no use. He panicked and desperately tried to cry for help, but the monster’s immense weight prevented him from moving or making any sounds. He was trapped.
Just as he was out of hope, the monster reared back, and Calvin quickly saw why. Ion had a firm grip on the monster’s neck and back and was pulling it off him. It was enraged and screamed with fury. Ion lifted it into the air. Its arms and legs whipped around, trying to hit Ion. The monster screamed again and inflicted a fierce blow on Ion’s right arm, which caused him to release the creature. Calvin tried to stand, but he couldn’t get up. He tried to crawl backward, but his arms and legs would not cooperate. Dev darted in, grabbed Calvin by the back of the space suit, and dragged him out of the combat zone.
Ion and the Terror were locked in an intense struggle. The hideous creature thrashed against Ion. It locked around Ion’s chest, its claws tore into his metal body. Ion fought back but was unable to stop the creature from biting into his already damaged right arm. Ion shouted something incoherent, picked the Terror up into the air, and hurled it down the corridor. It bounced off the wall and crashed to the floor somewhere in the darkness. The monster wailed in agony and sprinted away.
“Calvin!” Dev exclaimed. “Are you all right?”
“Master Calvin,” Ion said. He picked Calvin up and helped him back to his feet.
Calvin felt a wave of dizziness and nausea and struggled to breathe.
“What happened?” Calvin said, gasping for air.
“You were attacked,” Ion said. “Your suit has been damaged.”
Calvin looked down. The front of his suit was torn and shredded, and blood soaked the white fabric across his chest.
“You’re injured,” Dev said, pointing to the blood. Calvin began to feel light-headed.
“We need to get back to the shuttle,” Ion said. “Now!”
“What…about…my backup…shield,” Calvin gasped. “It should be working.”
“It must be damaged, too,” Ion said. “Hurry! We may not have much time!”
“What about you?” Dev said. “You’re hurt, too.”
Calvin looked at Ion. His right arm and leg were heavily damaged. The silver plating was cracked and broken, revealing a damaged interior of broken computer parts and severed wires.
“‘I’ll manage,” Ion said. “But we must hurry.”
Calvin faced the long hallway out and wondered if he had the strength to get to the shuttle. Fear of running into more monsters gave him plenty of motivation.
Ion led the way, running the best that he could with one good leg. The other leg, damaged, caused him to limp, stagger, and make an angry, grinding sound.
The other two ran after Ion, but Calvin didn’t make it very far. He stumbled and fell to his knees with a gasp and a cry. Dev stopped and helped him stand. Together, they stumbled along behind Ion. It was terrifying and exhausting. Calvin heard loud screams and bangs that seemed to be chasing after them. Twice Ion fired his weapon, and his shots were answered by horrific screams. Calvin turned and looked back once. He saw three monsters chasing them.
“Run faster, Dev,” Calvin said loudly.
“I know!” Dev shouted.
Calvin was relieved beyond words to find the shuttle was right where they left it. He and Dev staggered inside, although by this point Dev was doing most of the work. Ion was last. He backed into the shuttle, keeping his eyes and weapons trained down the corridor to protect them until the door was closed. When the door shut, the air pressurized, and Calvin gasped in breaths of fresh air.
Calvin looked around the cabin suspiciously, terrified that one of the monsters got aboard without them knowing. He decided to ask.
“Ion, how do we know one of those things isn’t on the shuttle with us?”
“That’s impossible, sir,” Ion said. “There is nowhere for one of them to hide. We would see it in front of us right now.”
“OK,” Calvin said, not entirely convinced. He took his helmet off and dropped it on a seat in the back. He hurried to the front. Calvin had the takeoff procedures down to a science. He sat down in his seat, put his seat harness on, and released the docking clamps at the same time. He was dizzy and twice missed a button he was trying to press.
“You better let me pilot the shuttle,” Ion said.
“No,” Calvin said, still fighting to breathe. “I got it.”
He jabbed the maneuvering thrusters to full, delivering a sudden boost of power to push them away quickly. All he could think about was getting away from the monsterinfested ship. He didn’t check to see if Ion and Dev were ready. He shoved the throttle forward, harder than he was supposed to, but the shuttle’s gravity system protected them from being thrown around. They accelerated away from the ship, hitting pieces of debris on the way. Several pieces hit with a loud smash. At the speed they were traveling, it only took a few seconds to clear the debris field. It felt very good to be back out in space.
After a few minutes, Calvin forced himself to relax. He took a deep breath and looked around. Ion was sitting next to him. Dev was strapped into a chair in the back.
Because he was paranoid, he turned on the ship’s internal sensors and ran a thorough scan.
He detected only two life signs aboard. That made him feel a little better, but the shock of what he had just gone through was running though his mind and body. He thought he had been scared before, but this could be the most terrified he’d ever been in his entire life. He looked down. His suit was wet with blood.
“Is everyone OK?”
“I’m all right,” Dev answered.
“I’m fine, Master Calvin,” Ion said. “But you’re not. I’m taking you to the medical station as soon as we dock.”
Calvin steered them through another large debris field and set them on course back to the Azure Frost. “Astra, we’re on our way back.” He had to take another deep breath. The dizziness was getting worse.
“Oh, good,” Astra said. It was hard to hear her over the speaker. There was a lot of static. “The shuttle bay is open. Is everyone all right?”
“No,” Calvin said. “Ion was damaged in a fight with a Terror. I’m hurt, too. I don’t know how bad. I’m bleeding.” And then he paused. “A lot.”
“What?” Astra said. “Ion, is he OK?”
“I don’t know, Mistress,” Ion said. “There wasn’t time to stop and find out.”
“Just get back here,” Astra said, with concern in her voice. “Hurry.”
Calvin carefully guided the shuttle behind the Fr
ost, but his hands slipped off the controls, and he slumped back into his seat. Ion was ready and took over. Calvin was shaking when the shuttle landed and the engines turned off. The sound had not died away completely when the door opened.
Calvin didn’t get up. He tried but didn’t have the strength. He closed his eyes and tried to control the spinning. He heard Ion take off his seatbelt, get up, and noisily stumble to the back of the shuttle. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked up. It was Astra.
“Hey,” she said softly. She looked down at his blood-soaked space suit. “Let’s go. I’m taking you to medical.” Calvin didn’t argue. Astra helped him take off his seat harness. He started to stand up again but was too weak and exhausted. Astra had to help him stand. It wasn’t easy. His suit was bulky, and he was sitting at an odd angle. Astra had him sit forward, so she could get her hands under his arms. It took both of them to get Calvin to a standing position.
“Where’s Ion and Dev?” Calvin asked, his voice weak and cracking.
“They went to medical,” Astra answered. “Ion said he wanted to make sure Dev was OK. You guys were exposed to very high levels of radiation over there.” Calvin didn’t argue. “Come on.” Astra guided him outside the shuttle to a floating chair. She helped him sit and pushed him to the elevator. “Did you meet Dev?” Calvin asked.
“Just for a second. Just long enough to learn his name.” Astra answered. It was a short walk from the elevator to the medical station, but it felt like miles to Calvin. When they entered the medical bay, Calvin realized he had only been in there once, briefly, just long enough to see what it was. They found Dev lying on a bed against a wall. Ion was standing behind a computer console. A large scanner on the ceiling was slowly passing over Dev, a multicolored light flashing as it went.
“Let’s get you out of your suit,” Astra said. Together they carefully removed the space suit. Astra placed the bloody remnants in a hazardous waste container. Then she helped Calvin take his shirt off. A dark shadow crossed over her face as she looked at his wounds. He had large savage scratches in his chest. Blood was oozing from the open wounds. Astra helped him onto another bed, under a scanner. She moved quickly to a control panel and turned it on. The scanner slowly and methodically examined every part of Calvin’s body.