“I’m not going to leave you without an exit from this goddamn ghost ship sir,” Monster countered, his timbre firm.
Daniel smiled as he imagined his friends face reddened with anger, “You worry about Doc, Monster, we’ll be fine, and trust me I intend to be back quickly. Hey if not maybe we’ll just take this baby for a little joyride somewhere, warm and sunny.”
“Yeah where, maybe hell?”
Daniel chuckled, “Well at least it would be warm,” he looked down at Millie and ran his hand over the side of her helmet fondly. “Get your team up here Monster, we’ll hold here.”
“Roger that Lone Star we’re on the move.”
“Watch you back,” he added almost instinctively.
“You watch yours Sir, Monster out.”
Daniel peered over at the wolf that appeared to be studying him closely, shades of orange and yellow commingled to give the eyes a shimmering veneer, “What did you see boy?” he asked.
The animal turned its head to one side and stared at Millie’s body then lay down again putting its head on its paw.
“Yeah you know what happened here don’t you?” Daniel said as he looked into the animals knowing eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Bill stood in the entrance to the drop ship, the shotgun cradled in the crook of his arm, as ahead of him the Eclipse One waited. The red emergency light, bounced off the frozen liquid on the wall and refracted from the pools, some of the melting liquescent had created.
Vanessa was next to him her face an expressionless mask, “We have to go Monster,” her words were composed and steady.
His eyes were drawn to the crucifix, which she wore on the outside of her suit and for the first time he too felt like praying. He had never considered himself a religious man before, yet right now he would take any help that he could get.
“I know,” breath caught in his gorge, and he got the sudden sensation that he was treading on someone else’s grave. “Docs in trouble,” he used the words to try and encourage himself forward.
Behind him Caroline and Yung prepared themselves, weapons readied and torch beams tore past him. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to see any more of this ghostly colossus than was necessary though. He had never been one to believe in anything that he couldn’t see, aliens, spectres, an all knowing being that watched over all things, yet now as he took his first steps into the hulk, he was willing to change his opinion, he felt eyes upon him and a chill rose up his spine.
“Does anyone else have a bad feeling?” Caroline was the first to articulate what they were all thinking.
“Come on Light, you’re not afraid of the dark are you?” Vanessa teased, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Not the dark Phoenix, just a damn ghost ship that been out there in uncharted space for like two hundred years. Whose walls are covered with frozen blood and God knows what else.”
Yung laid his hand upon Caroline’s back, “Whatever happened here, was obviously a long time ago, I think all this place holds now is the spirits of those that were lost here.”
Bill only heard the conversation at a distance, as if it was a radio simply on in the background. He lumbered forward, his slightly magnetized boots drawing him down to the ground with every step as if the ship itself was trying to hold onto him. He glanced down and saw skeletal hands wrapped round his feet, he could feel their icy grip and almost hear them calling to him. He shook his head, attempting to dispel the images, he had to get himself back in the game. One of their Marines was in trouble and whatever had happened on this ship was over. Yung was right about that.
“Ok,” Bill said more to himself than his team. “We have to get moving,” he swung around to look at the other three Marines, “Doc is in trouble, so enough talk we move now, I’m lead, Phoenix you’re at my back, Light and Blade you’re at the rear. We get to Doc and get her off this fucking ship. It’s that simple, we clear.”
“Like crystal,” the reply came in harmony, distorted faces stared back at him and to him each was suddenly changing, morphing into some kind of feral beast. Features shifted, as if some artist was remaking them in clay and changing them to a primal state. Then he watched as their eyes, seemed to become inflamed, it was a subtle change at first, like a match put to tinder, yet quickly the blazes themselves became more noticeable and eventually that was all he could see. Eyes of fire staring at him menacingly and once again he was back before the terrorist ambush.
“What’s the matter?” one of the figures asked him, he could no longer tell, who they were, every trace of the Marines he had known were gone, and the ghostly silhouettes that remained were far from human. To him they had the appearance of storm clouds held in place within the space suits. The eyes though, burnt with the fires of hell itself and they found him.
“Monster, what’s wrong?”
“He doesn’t look right.”
“Bill, can you hear me?”
The voices were crooked, as if he was underwater and he strained to hear them. Again he is returned, just seconds before the blast, he glances up at the clear blue heavens and watches again the tendril’s of white cloud glide by silently. He closes his eyes and feels the warm sun on his bare skin.
“God damn it he’s trying to take his helmet off.”
“Light grab him.”
“Phoenix what the fuck is going on?”
“Control this is Alpha two declaring an emergency”
Again the voices come, yet Bill is deeper in the water now and they are so far away, he can barely make them out clearly and they don’t matter. He waits for the explosion that will change his life, yet there is nothing. He steps forward, instinctively feeling the force of the detonation, the heat of the blast wave and the searing pain as the shrapnel tears into his flesh. Yet nothing happens, he swings around expecting to see Daniel standing behind him, yet he is alone, on the dusty street and only the ghouls of those long dead are with him. His eyes are drawn to the blood stains and bullet holes. Then something else catches his eye, a slight movement, he starts to bring up his combat shotgun, yet when he bring his hands up they are empty and fear begins to overtake him.
Desperately Bill peers around for the rest of his Marines, yet he is alone, voices come again but they are too far away, he can only make out the most basic sounds. Brusquely his world is engulfed in an all-consuming darkness, he stands alone within the gloom. It is no longer fear but terror than he feels, his stomach plummets and air is snared within his throat. His family flicker in his mind, his wife, he sees her cradling his son on the day he took them both home from the hospital, he watches her at Christmas laying presents under the tree and then he sees her standing at his funeral. His children are next to her, all wear black, next to them a Marine band play and then the clouds comes again to him they are like a shadow fleeting across the landscape. He wants to cry out but yet he has no voice.
The shade has found him. It circles like some kind of primeval beast seeking its next meal. It has no features, no form that he can recognise and yet the eyes are the same. The blaze fixes upon him. He tries to run but he is rooted to the spot. He attempts to yell but he has no air within his lungs. All he can do is stand there as the gloom approaches, slowly savouring this moment before the kill. Bill shutters his eyes and thinks of his wife, her hands around him, her smell, the feel of her lips upon his and then his world explodes in pain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“What the hell is going on?” Daniel exclaimed, “Phoenix this is Alpha actual do you copy?”
There was a brief pause then a voice, shaken and jagged, “This is Phoenix, Daniel, Monsters in trouble I don’t know what’s going on, one minute he was fine the next he was trying to pull his helmet off and now,” her voice floated off.
Terror, palpable and visceral struck him, “Now what Phoenix?” nothing, “Phoenix?” nothing, “Vanessa what’s going on?”
“I don’t know Daniel, he’s having some kind of fit,” breathing now, heavy and brayed. “Jesus Chr
ist help me, there’s blood inside his suit.”
His training took over, “Phoenix hold it together I am sending Boy and Killer back with Doc, tell the pilot to prepare for Emergency break off.”
A pause again, inhalation, ragged, “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me, just get yourself ready,” he wanted to say so much more, this was not the place though, or the time, he had Marines in trouble and that took precedent over everything else.
“Ok,” her voice unsteady, “Daniel.”
“Don’t say anything, just concentrate on Monster and Doc Ok, you make sure they make it,”
“Ok.”
“I’ll see you on the barge Vanessa.”
“On the barge.”
In his mind a chain reaction of decisions are taking place, already the plan has formed, a familiar voice calls to him and he feels the muscles in his hand tremble. He brawls to keep his need under control, he has to get his Marines off this decrepit mausoleum.
“Lone star, what’s going on?” Kelly asked, her eyes wide.
“Listen up!” he exclaimed, “Monster is down, so Boy and Killer grab Doc and evac to the drop ship, you’re going back to the barge,” he glanced from face to face. “Geek, Snowman you’re with me we still have a job to do here, I don’t like it but that’s how it is.”
“We won’t have a way off this ship Sir,” Hollis pronounced.
“I know that snowman,” Daniel choose his words carefully, “The drop ship will take them back and then return for us, this isn’t a democracy, we have Marines down, so this is simple they have to get back and we still have a mission to complete,” he looked at Kelly. “Geek I’m going to need your eyes and if we find the black box I need you to get it, clear?”
There was a brief hesitation, “Like rainwater,” her voice strong and resolute.
“Good,” he turned to Hollis, “Snowman, if we run into trouble I’m going to need some heavy weapons, clear?”
No pause this time, “Like rainwater.”
“Good, Boy, Killer get Doc out of here.”
“Ok,” the replies came once again, almost in unison.
Mathieu raced into the room, taking the stasis generator from his webbing, he placed it next to Millie’s still body and activated it. The air shimmered, as the energy field was generated. He took hold of Millie’s suit and gently rolled her onto the translucent, flickering surface. Then he stood up and slowly edged the stretcher up. Millie’s body floated with it, caught as it was in the field, To Daniel it seemed like some kind of magic trick he had seen as a child.
“Lone star?” it was Denzel.
“Yeah Killer,”
“It doesn’t need two people to get Doc out of here, Boy can handle it can’t you?”
Mathieu peered around for a moment, apprehension clear within his eyes, yet quickly that was under control, “Yeah I can handle it,” there was a slight break, “But I want a new nickname when this mission is over.”
A brief moment of laughter, “Boy you have got some balls,” Hollis added.
“Ok boy, get Doc back to the drop ship and we’ll talk about the nickname situation when were all safely back on the barge.”
“Good enough Lone Star,” Mathieu replied, a broad smile, distorted to look like some kind of pageant mirror, he waddled behind Millie’s still body and began to push it gently forward through the air.
“Good luck boy,” Hollis said.
“Yeah get her back safe,” Kelly added.
“Just get thinking of some new nicknames,” Mathieu replied as he shuffled off into the gloom and back to the drop ship.
“Ok,” Daniel said as he turned to his team, “The black box shouldn’t be far from here, right geek?”
Kelly looked down at the display of her tracker, “Yeah it looks like only maybe eight hundred metres, at least that’s what the schematics say.”
“Good, so it’s a piece of cake, we go get the black box and then were off this ship,” his gaze drifted to the Wolf, who sat looking nervously around, “With our new friend there.”
“Really were taking him with us?” Denzel enquired.
“Yeah we are, if we leave him here, he’s going to die,” Daniel marched over to the animal and ran his gloved hand over its head. The Wolf peered up at him, its tongue hanging languidly from the side of its mouth, “And I don’t know about you but I think there been enough death on this ship already.” It was clear from his tone that the decision was made so no further arguments were raised.
“Let’s get this black box and get off this god damn ship,” Hollis said, attempting to hide his fear behind a veneer of humour, which failed.
“Sounds like a plan Snowman,” Daniel added as he edged towards the door, the wolf at his side, “I’m lead, Geek your next, keep your eyes fixed on that tracker, I want warning if we’re going to have some company, Snowman your next and Killer your covering the rear.”
Kelly interjected with a sly beam, “His favourite place.”
“I’m just not going to respond to that,” Denzel retorted trying to disguise his own smile.
Daniel strode past them and into the corridor, the wolf hesitated in the doorway, it held its head up and sniffed the air guardedly. After a few seconds it seemed content and advanced out next to Daniel. As he stood there in the encompassing darkness, his thoughts shifted to Bill and Millie. He had no idea what had afflicted them, the rational part of his mind thought it might be something to do with the suits, maybe some sort of problem with the air mixture. Yet the rest of his consciousness, couldn’t escape the idea that it was this fucking ship, he had felt it as soon as he stepped foot onto it, everything here might be dead, but there was some presence and he could feel its eyes upon him still. If he was a religious man he would think them ghost of the poor souls who had been slaughtered, unseen phantoms, forced to haunt these darkened hallways for the rest of eternity and they had disturbed their resting place.
Daniel forced these ideas from his mind, he had a job to do and four more Marines that he had to get off this colossus. He activated his torch and followed the beam as it ripped through the shadows. Behind him the rest of his team streaked into position and prepared for what was to come. It was one thing to battle an enemy you could see, hear, fight and kill. Yet whatever was happening now on this ancient hulk was outside of their experience and training.
Kelly slide next to him the tracker gripped tightly in her hands almost like some kind of shield, “Scanners online, I’ve got no movement other than the ghost signal.”
“I don’t think this is the best place to talk about ghosts,” Hollis interposed.
“We move,” Daniel set off, the torch light once again revealing carnage and slaughter. Although as they travelled deeper into the ship the butchery seemed to lessen, most of the blood and gore seemed to be concentrated upon the floors. As if whatever had slain the crew had taken what was left of the bodies along this passageway. He felt his stomach plunge, if they were truly going to come face to face with whatever creature had committed this sort of atrocity, they were going to need a lot more guns.
Abruptly a howl, Daniel stopped and glanced down at his animal companion. The wolf was up on its haunches again, its muscles and tendons twitched. It threw its head back and bayed mournfully.
“Movement?” Daniel asked.
Kelly studied her tracker, “I’ve got nothing.”
“Our new friend definitely sees something that we don’t,” It was Hollis.
Denzel stepped forward, “Do you want me to light it up?” he asked, the flamer held out like he was offering the fire as some kind of prehistoric sacrifice.
“No,” Daniel said as he placed his hand on the wolf’s head, “Its ok boy,” he whispered soothingly, almost instantly the animal quietened and relaxed.
“That’s a gift,” Kelly added.
Daniel didn’t reply instead he moved his torch light around, the cone of light illuminated the end of the corridor and a forced right turn. “Let’s
move.”
As he gained the corner he hugged the wall, the wolf being unaware of tactical movement, simply raced around it and stood staring into the darkness. It stared over at him and howled melodically, as if to tell him it was safe.
“See he’s already paying for himself,” Daniel beamed as he stepped out, his light hitting a solid wall of metal about ten metres ahead of him, “Goddamn it, what is this?” he exclaimed as he neared it, he could see it appeared to be similar to the barricade that they had found earlier except this one was far better constructed, sheet metal, had joined desks, filling cabinets and doors to create a formidable barrier.
“Nice,” Hollis shouted as he approached the wall and hit it with the butt of his chain gun, the impact reverberated around the corridor.
“Geek what are you reading?” Daniel asked.
“The schematics say this is the only way through to the black box.”
“Shit!” Daniel hollered, thoughts, fears, doubts whirled within his mind. Part of him, a very big part just wanted to get off this ship, yet he was still a Marine and he had his orders, what they needed was behind this wall and so the wall would have to go.
“Geek, get the Raider ready,” he said.
“Roger that Lone star,” Kelly let her tracker hang loosely at her side and removed a small black box from the back of her suit.
Daniel knew that he would need authorisation if he was going to use the Raider, he keyed his communicator, “Troy actual, this is Alpha one do you copy?”
“Alpha one this is Troy actual, go ahead.”
“I’ve got another one of those barriers here, this one looks like it held out, and we need to gain access to get the black box, requesting permission to deploy the Raider, over?”
There was a pause, “Hold one.”
“Roger than,” Daniel replied as he stood and studied this new blockade. He wondered again what the crew had been trying to hide from and if any of them had managed to avoid the massacre that had clearly claimed so many lives. He also hoped that Millie and Bill were Ok, he would have offered a silent prayer for them, yet God had long since abandoned this place and him.
The First Dawn (The Sci-Corp War Saga Book 1) Page 18