Sinister Shadows

by Simon Smith-Wilson

  Peace Officer Matthews took in a long deep breath.

  He opened the door with his left hand.

  A body, still strapped into the seat, slumped out of the open doorway.

  The man still wore his spacesuit, but a gruesome hole exposed the inside of his head.

  Matthews lifted the man’s head.

  It was Sheridan’s father.

  His deputy’s dad was dead.

  This was murder.

  ‘I have to get back up.’

  ***

  ‘This is my command room,’ said Noah, stepping out of the elevator. The room was narrow, and not anything like Annie had expected. In every science fiction movie she had ever seen, there were strange consoles, desks and monitors that said important information. The room was completely empty apart from a small circular blue light on the floor in the middle of the room. The far wall was long one window, which looked out across the alien landscape. In the distance, she could see colourful lights that looked foreign to the barren landscape.

  ‘What is that light?’

  ‘They are the crystal fields,’ said Noah, knowingly. ‘It is a place of danger.’

  Noah took her hand in his and guided her down the steps and into the centre of the room.

  Low light offered just enough light to see, but it gave the room a lazy feel.

  ‘What is this?’ she looked down at the circle of blue light.

  ‘Step on it,’ he said, and quickly added, ‘trust me.’

  She did trust him.

  Annie stepped into the circle and gasped. The room came alive. She was suddenly standing in the centre of the universe. Thousands upon thousands of stars and planets surrounded her. Slowly, she turned three hundred and sixty degrees soaking in this incredible display that now floated in the air of the command room. Shooting stars flashed by her face, as she reached out towards a planet. Noah was stood beside her. His smile was so wide that it was practically consuming his eyes and ears. Annie cupped the purple planet in the air. A red border flickered around the purple world. Annie pulled back, as a red light cut through the air. It was like some kind of invisible person was dragging a paintbrush through the air in front of her. The star map around her began to move, as planets, suns and entire galaxies flickered by. The red light continued to cut through the air until it finally connected to another planet, which was then highlighted with a red border of light. Annie instantly recognised this red lifeless world. It was the planet they were currently on.

  ‘What just happened?’

  ‘You set our first course,’ said Noah.

  ‘I did?’ she grimaced; concerned she had just done something she shouldn’t have.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ he laughed, ‘I will teach you how to fly the ship.’

  ‘Shouldn’t you do something and cancel that course setting?’ she asked.

  ‘Why? Aren’t you curious about the purple planet you selected?’

  ‘Well, yes. It was purple. I didn’t know there were purple worlds.’

  ‘We can go there. It won’t take us long.’

  ‘But...’

  ‘Annie,’ he stepped into her personal space, looking straight into her eyes. ‘You can go anywhere you want in the universe. If all you want to see is the purple planet, then give the command, and we can see the purple planet. We can see what is happening in the world; discover new life and new societies. We are a partnership, you and I. We can search the universe together.’ He leant forward and pressed his lips against hers. It was a gentle, loving kiss and showed the admiration he held for her. Annie sighed deeply, welcoming his touch, remembering the feeling of him inside of when they had sex. She had felt a connection with this man from the first moment she laid eyes on him. For the first time in her life, she felt special. He had looked at her with such intensity and love. Now he was offering her a chance to do anything and go anywhere.

  ‘How do I give the command?’

  Noah smiled and kissed her again.

  She giggled at the happy expression on his face.

  ‘Shall we see the purple planet?’

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded, ‘I want to go to the purple planet.’

  ‘Then let me teach you how to fly our Arc.’

  ***

  In the centre of the room were five glass tubes the size of a grown man. Green clouds of toxic chemicals flowed within the tubes. Complicated computer consoles with alien symbols connected to each of the five by a series of four inch thick wires. All around Jacob were complex looking computers that were operating as if they had a mind of their own. The room was alive with noise. The constant hum was as loud as a standard tumble dryer you would find in any home. Other doors connected to the room and led off further into the alien building.

  Jesus looked up at the glass tubes and smiled.

  ‘Hello, old friend,’ he muttered to himself. Jacob watched as his God pressed the palm of his hand against the glass. There was no obvious movement from the green gas within the tube. ‘Jacob, press the orange button.’ Jacob didn’t question the command; he stepped forward and pressed the orange button. ‘You shouldn’t have crossed me,’ Jesus told the green gas. ‘You should have stayed by my side. I won’t let you stop me again. Jacob, press the flashing blue button and then the green one to the left.’ At no point did Jesus turn his eyes away from the gas. Jacob obeyed, and a whining sound began to fill the air. ‘This hurts me more than you know. I loved you. You were my sister. This is how it ends for you. Jacob, press all four switches along the top of the console.’

  A single gunshot rang out.

  Blood splattered across the glass tubes.

  Jesus swung around to see Jacob.

  Jacob wore a confused expression upon his face, as he looked down at the hole in his abdomen. Blood dribbled from the side of his mouth, as he dropped to his knees. Omar’s heavy boots clanged off the metal floor, as he stepped through the circular door into the alien gas chamber. The barrel of his assault rifle glowed red from the round he had just fired.

  ‘We have work to do,’ said General Hitler into his ear piece.

  ***

  Jennifer let out a painful groan as she knelt down and checked the body in the orange space suit. The man’s blood had poured into the soil on the floor. Her gloved hand wiped the dust from the man’s visor; part of her wished she hadn’t done it. Dead old eyes looked up at her. Fear was etched into the man’s face. What horror had he experienced in his final movement? She looked on further into the tunnel. Hanging lights guided her way deeper down underground.

  ‘Don’t move,’ said a voice from behind her.

  Jennifer looked back at Peace Officer Matthews.

  The barrel of his gun was aimed directly at her.

  ‘I didn’t do this,’ she said what he was clearly thinking.

  His eyes dropped to the gun in her hand.

  ‘Drop it.’

  ‘I didn’t do this,’ she repeated, getting to her feet.

  ‘You are under arrest, Captain Abbott.’

  ‘I can’t let you stop me. I have to keep going.’

  ‘You are not going anywhere.’

  ‘If you stop me now then he will release her.’

  She took a step back.

  ‘Don’t move!’

  Slowly, Jennifer began to raise her gun towards him, as she continued to inch back. ‘You don’t understand what is happening. This isn’t a dead world. This is the most important place in the universe. If you let him do this, it will ruin everything. I can’t let you stop me.’

  She moved fast and raised the gun.

  The sound of two gunshots echoed off the tunnel wall.

  It all happened so quickly.

  One person fell, whilst the other stood.

  Two bullets were drilled into the centre mass.

  One bullet cut straight through the heart and delivered instant death.

  ‘You fucking idiot...’ cursed Matthews.

  Slowly, he stepped up to the motionless woman. He kicked the gun away fro
m her hand, but it was a pointless gesture. She was dead. There was nothing she could do to him now. Unconsciously, he looked off into the distance. What had she been talking about? Who had she been trying to stop? There was only one way for him to find out. Matthews moved deeper down into the tunnel.

  ***

  Omar followed General Hitler’s instructions, as his fingers danced across the alien keyboard. A whirring sound filled the air, as something in the ceiling began to send vibrations down into the room. The various computer terminals around him began to flash red warning lights, as machines beeped alarming sounds.

  ‘You don’t know what you’re doing,’ groaned Jacob.

  He was sitting at a computer terminal cradling his gruesome stomach wound.

  ‘If you do this you will kill them all.’

  Omar turned to face the dying man.

  ‘It is because of you fucking terrorists that there is so much hate in the world,’ spat Omar, he pulled his side arm from the hip of his armour-plated battle suit. The handgun looked more like a cannon due to the size of the barrel. ‘I will save every man, woman and child on this planet. I will see that they get home.’ Omar raised the gun and fired. There was nothing left of Jacob’s head. A single round destroyed the helmet of his spacesuit, popped his head like a balloon and completely destroyed the computer console behind him. Omar placed the handgun back in its holster and returned to the computer console.

  He pressed the last combination of buttons.

  A hole appeared in the top of all five glass tubes.

  The green toxic gas shot up through the ceiling and disappeared from sight.

  Every single machine in the room fell silent.

  The lights went off.

  ***

  Omar stepped through the alien door and back into the tunnel. Peace Officer Matthews was examining the dead bodies of the dig crew. They had been executed by small arms fire. Matthews looked up at Omar, not surprised to see the marine here.

  ‘What happened here?’

  ‘Terrorism,’ countered Omar.

  ‘I killed Captain Abbott, but she couldn’t have done this,’ Matthews pointed to the dead men.

  ‘No. That was her accomplice. I stopped him from doing what he came here to do.’

  ‘Which was?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Omar lied.

  Matthews had investigated enough crime scenes and interviewed enough people to know when someone was lying and he knew that Omar had just told him a lie. Omar believed Captain Abbott was a terrorist, that much was true, but he did know what she was doing here. Was there something about this planet that Matthews should know about?

  Omar started walking down the corridor towards the dig site, Matthews followed. ‘How many victims are there?’

  ‘I have counted six dig workers that have been killed with the addition of Captain Abbott and her partner.’

  ‘Where is the seventh member of the dig site?’

  ‘I will locate him now.’

  ‘I will get Dr Jones back here, as we are going to need a proper investigation of the crime scene and the bodies. I need to know if Captain Abbott was working with any more people.’

  ***

  Two hours passed by. Omar had left the crime scene, leaving Matthews in charge. Dr Jones had sent back two of his team to help with the medical matters. The surviving member of the dig crew had been found cowering in a cupboard in a supply hut. He was currently being examined for any injuries back at the base. Matthews walked through the dig site, trying to unlock what happened. He had found the decapitated body in the alien room. It looked like Omar had executed the man. From the looks of things, Omar’s weapon had only been fired at the decapitated man. The weapon on the man’s belt matched to the bullets that had killed all six of the dig workers, which meant Captain Abbott hadn’t killed any of them.

  Why had she been so set on stopping someone?

  Was it her partner or did she mean Omar?

  How did Omar know what was happening?

  Why was he here?

  Matthews had only turned up to ask questions for his rape investigation, but what was Omar’s reason?

  ‘Shit...’ Matthews could see Officer Richards bear hugging Sheridan from behind. The young woman was screaming her heart out, as she stood over the dead body of her father. He headed over to his colleagues when suddenly something caught his eye. A bright white light shone upon the horizon, as a loud rumbling echoed across the surface of the planet. Wide eyes watched the distant mountain lift into the air, as incredibly powerful engines spewed hot fire down on the planet’s surface. For a second he thought it might be some strange alien weapon, but only now did he realise he was watching a ship take flight. The enormous craft took nearly two minutes to disappear from sight, as it climbed up through the atmosphere and disappeared off into space. All that remained was a vapour trail and an empty horizon where the mountain had been.

  ***

  Annie looked down at the red planet beneath them. It looked so lonely and devoid of life. Relief filled her chest as she breathed in deeply. When she had awoken from deep sleep to learn they had crashed on an unknown planet, she felt like this was the end. She didn’t know anyone and could offer nothing to the survival of the group. Her night with Noah had given her hope of a life of happiness. She had never fallen so quickly for a man before. Noah had saved her from the evil alien hounds that had killed every single man, woman and child in her camp. Noah had guided her through the wastelands to his Arc. And now they were stood, side by side, hand in hand, looking down on a dead world.

  ‘I can’t believe we are really doing this,’ she said, smiling from ear to ear.

  ‘Believe it,’ replied Noah, gently squeezing her hand. ‘You are free of that place. You are free to go anywhere in the universe.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  ‘Thank you?’

  ‘Thank you for believing in me. No one has ever put so much faith in me before.’

  ‘Thank you for being you,’ he replied.

  Annie kissed him, she couldn’t help herself.

  She loved him.

  Deep down in her heart, she knew she had loved him from the moment they first met. And now she would get to travel the universe and explore millions of different worlds with the man that she loved, doing good things and saving lives from dying worlds.

  Chapter Five: The Investigation

  Peace Officer Ryan Richards prided himself on his level of self-control and emotional intelligence when handling difficult situations. He had talked down violent criminals and frightened teenagers who just wanted to take their lives through suicide. He had told the terrible news to the families of victims and faced off against stone cold killers, but today all that experience and knowledge went out the window.

  He tapped gently on the bathroom door.

  ‘Sheridan?’

  He could hear her sobbing from the other side of the door.

  She hadn’t stopped crying since she saw her father’s body at the dig site.

  He had been murdered in cold blood, shot through the side of the head.

  ‘Open the door. It’s me.’

  ‘She killed him,’ sobbed Sheridan, ‘that bitch fucking killed him.’

  Ryan could feel a sickening sensation pull down on the pit of his stomach. Captain Abbott had been shot and killed at the crime scene by Peace Office Matthews, but not before she had killed six members of the dig team. Captain Abbott would never have been at the dig sight if she hadn’t got the drop on Ryan. He blamed himself. Captain Abbott had busted his nose and two front teeth and locked them both in a cupboard. If Ryan had done his job properly, then none of this would have happened. He hated to see Sheridan like this. He loved her. He wasn’t sure if she knew this fact, but he did love her. He had loved her for a long time. Ryan also admired her father. He was a good and honest man.

  ‘Open the door, Sheridan.’

  The sound of her cries intensified, which only made Ryan feel all the worse.r />
  ***

  Omar walked around the metallic desk, as he dried the back of his head with a towel. The wall of walking muscle was shirtless, only a towel hid his modesty. The armoured tank suit was parked in the corner of the room like some kind of ancient torture device. A hot cup of black coffee sat steaming on the table top. A collection of framed photos and a fake bouquet of flowers had been stuffed into a bin beside the desk. Anything that had belonged to Captain Abbott had been shoved into the bin. Omar sank down into his chair and looked across at Melanie and Peace Officer Matthews. They were waiting for his response. Omar could see the hint of distrust in the peace officers eyes. That was fine. Omar didn’t trust the man either. General Hitler had declared the release of the green gas as a top secret mission, and no one was allowed to know what happened within the alien laboratory.

  ‘You were there,’ said Omar, ‘she killed all those men.’

  ‘The families want answers, what should we tell them?’ asked Melanie.

  ‘Captain Abbott was the terrorist that crashed us on this planet. I have seen the evidence of this with my own eyes from the ship’s internal security system. I suspect her motives were to do with the alien laboratory that the dig team found. That is why she killed those men. I caught up with her partner and put an end to whatever he was planning to do.’

  ‘Did he say what he was doing in that room?’ asked Matthews.

  ‘I didn’t ask.’

  ‘No,’ thought Matthews, ‘you just blew his head off execution style.’

  Something about the story didn’t sit well with Matthews.

  He could smell a lie from a mile away.

  ‘I want this dealt with quickly,’ explained Omar. ‘We have lost too many people since we landed on this planet. I am going to go out and search for the survivors. I think having everyone in one place will give us a better chance of surviving this alien world.’