The First Dawn (The Sci-Corp War Saga Book 1)

by Justin Alexander

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Kelly spluttered. “Why are they piled up like this?

  “I don’t know,” Daniel managed to reply. His gaze held on the bodies ahead of him, flesh torn from bone and organs removed. He felt his guts churn and he had to look away before he was sick. He was suddenly glad that he was trapped within the atmosphere suit and so couldn’t at least smell, what he could only imagine was the fetid stench of decay that would have filled this chamber.

  “Whatever happened here we’re too late,” Hollis exclaimed as he too turned away from the remains.

  “Its way more than the manifest had as a crew, so where did all the extra people come from?” Denzel murmured. As the illumination from his flame thrower cast unnatural shapes, to dance and flicker over the dead.

  “I think the more pertinent question is, what could have done all this?” Daniel asked. It was more of rhetorical question.

  “I don’t know Lone Star, but I sure as hell don’t want to be here when it comes back,” Kelly said. Her face set in a mask of sheer terror, which was only amplified by the distortion of her helmet.

  “Cover me,” Denzel said. As he streaked over to the first mound, where a solitary body lay on the floor, a lake of grimy, maroon fluid rapidly encompassing it.

  “Are you crazy?” Hollis yelled, as he shambled over to cover his friend.

  Daniel observed as Denzel lay his flamer down and shades glimmered over the naked cadaver.

  “Captain you better take a look at this,” Denzel piped up.

  Daniel marched over to the body, it was clear as he approached, that it was young woman, her countenance set in of contorted and grotesque visage of pain and misery. Her body had been torn asunder and all the internal organs were missing. To him it seemed like some kind of animal had been feasting upon her, yet what sort of beast could have created all of this bloodshed.

  “You think it was some kind of animal or something?” Denzel asked.

  Daniel shook his head, “I don’t know what the hell did this,” he glanced around at the thousands of other corpses. Whatever had done this was more than a simple creature or even beast, if was like some sort of primal demon had been loosed upon this ship.

  “Captain, take a look at this,” Denzel was pointing at the poor woman’s head.

  Daniel shifted his gaze. As the frame began to thaw, it was easier to see three separate puncture marks, one on her forehead and one on each temple. The entrance wounds appeared to be in the shape of a perfect triangle. “They look like puncture marks, maybe, but God only knows from what.”

  “Look, as much as I want to watch like CSI Mars or something, I suggest that we worry less about how she got some marks on her head, and a bit more about what the fuck ripped her open and ate her insides.” Hollis countered, the high pitch in his voice more the result of distress than excitement.

  “I have to agree with Snowman, here Lone Star,” Kelly added, she had arched away from the bodies and was instead staring at her tracker. “We don’t have anything breathing here and I don’t even think we want to know what could have done this.”

  Daniel peered around at the remains. “Your right.” His voice, sturdy, while inside he felt like a hurricane was tearing through his soul. “We go after the black box, how far is it?”

  Kelly never took her eyes away from the bright screen, “About three hundred metres, that way.” She pointed past the dead.

  Hollis shook his head. “Right, go to a ghost ship, find like the whole crew slaughtered and then just calmly walk past the fucking mounds of corpses.”

  “No one has to like it,” Was all Daniel could say before the growling began. He spun round to see the wolf, standing in the rupture in the blockade, its eyes glazed, its nostrils splayed and the cries continued.

  “What the hell?” Denzel exclaimed as he grabbed his flamer.

  Hollis also brought his weapon up, “I agree, what the fuck is going on?”

  The wails continued. “Movement?” Daniel hollered.

  Kelly held the tracker up, “Nothing Lone Star, just the ghost signal.”

  The bays came again, more desperate this time. “Easy boy!” Daniel said looking over at the animal, its body was shaking, yet its head was still unbowed, as if even through the fear its courage remained. Something was very wrong here, he felt that familiar tingle rake across his body, as his hairs stood up.

  Before he could say anything else Kelly began to yell, “I’ve got movement Sir, its one hell of a big signal!” fright, transparent in her voice.

  “Could it be the ghost?” Daniel asked, as he brought his firearm up.

  “No way sir, it’s heading this way,” Kelly replied, her gaze never shifting from the tracker. “Something’s coming,” her voice fell off.

  “Jesus Christ!” Hollis shouted. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Me either,” Denzel added.

  “What’s the position?” Daniel queried, as he wrestled with his own panic, he had to keep it together though and get his Marines out of here.

  “I can’t lock onto it, we have just got too much interference,” Kelly struck the tracker with a balled fist, “That usually works.”

  “Anything?” Daniel enquired.

  “No, I’ve got movement all around us.” As Kelly spoke almost impulsively she began to back out of the hangar.

  An idea was taking shape, “O.k. listen up, we move now. We make for the airlock and hold until the dropship returns. I’m lead, then Geek, Snowman, Killer, you’re on cover, we move first, then cover you and.” That was all Daniel was able to say, before an almost deafening crash roared through the room. He peered up just in time to see the far wall of the hangar collapse.

  The yelps from the wolf came again, this time though quietened and almost timid.

  “Jesus,” Hollis roared, as a wave of frozen air pommelled them.

  Without thinking Daniel shouted. “We’re leaving now!”

  “What the fuck is that?” Denzel bellowed, motioning his flamer towards the buckled remains of the wall.

  “Lone star, I’ve got a big signal here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before,” Kelly yelled.

  “I don’t see anything.” Daniel shifted and stared towards the site of the disturbance, at first he couldn’t see anything except a blanket of dust and then he spotted it. He thought it was just a shadow at first, yet as he studied it more closely, he was sure that he could make out distinct movement, within the gloom, something primal and ancient lurked just within the murk and it had come for them.

  “Something’s coming,” Denzel shouted, his voice quivering. Then it was as if a wave of dark shadows were loosed through the rift and began to roll over the chamber.

  “What the,” Was all Kelly was able to say before, a high pitched, inhuman scream resonated through the frigid air. Then the surge of darkness began to streak towards them, it didn’t move like smoke or even a wave. Instead its motions were not random, but precise, like an animal pursuing its quarry.

  Daniel stood transfixed for an instant, he imagined he could see lights within the shade, like glowing red stars in the night sky. As it snaked closer to them, he could almost sense its craving’s and desire’s.

  “SIR!” Kelly screamed as she raised her weapon up and brought it in tight against her shoulder

  Daniel tried to speak, but he had no air in his lungs. He battled to get control of his body. “Move now,” he managed to cough.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Hollis replied. As the whole team began to rush back towards the cleft in the barricade.

  “Snowman, Killer covering fire.”

  “At what?” Denzel asked.

  “The fucking darkness!” Daniel shouted as he brought his gun up and depressed the trigger, White hot rounds burst forth from the barrel, tore across the room and impacted the incoming shadow.

  “Light it up,” Hollis raged. As he pulled the trigger on his chain gun, holding the firearm tightly to try and co
mpensate for the kickback. At first the weapon just span, then the bullets began to pour out, ripping across the chamber, they slashed through the haze and dusky brown, viscous liquid sprayed in all directions. “It’s fucking bleeding.” He cheered exuberantly.

  “If it bleeds then we can kill it,” Denzel shifted his flamer and unleashed a corporeal, breathing wave of radiant flame. The liquid fire, rolled across the hangar, engulfing everything in its way. It hungered and sought out new surfaces on which to feast and it created an impassable wall of lurid yellow’s and orange.

  Daniel could feel the heat even through his suit, “We move out now, back to the breach.”

  He propelled himself towards the gap in the barrier and found Kelly waiting, the wolf at her side. Its timid appearance made him think that the creature had borne witness to this evil before.

  “Go through,” He told Kelly, who set off into the rupture, the tracker held out ahead of her, like a mystique sign, designed to ward off malevolent spirits.

  “I want another wave of flames, Killer then I want you to follow me through the blockade, clear?” Daniel asked.

  “Trust me Lone Star I don’t want to spend any more time in here than is necessary,” Denzel smirked, then brought his weapon up again and unleashed another burst of fire, the blaze lapped over the ground and swamped the nearest pyres of bodies.

  Daniel thought that at least they could give those poor souls some kind of burial and perhaps even some kind of rest. He ejected the near empty magazine from his gun and slammed a fresh one in. He didn’t think that running out of ammunition was going to be his biggest problem right now.

  He swung around and made his way to the hole. The wolf knelt waiting for him, “It’s time to get off this ship, boy,” Daniel said as he studied the animal, for a moment he thought the beast nodded slightly, but then realized how crazy that seemed. Although after everything he had seen today, maybe a sentient wolf wouldn’t actually be that irrational at all.

  As Daniel hunkered down to ease through the gap, he thought he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He peered up towards the ceiling and saw something flashing.

  Abruptly a shrill, computerised voice began to crackle through antiquated speakers, “EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY, ALL PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY, CORE OVERLOAD, SELF-DESTRUCT IN TWELVE MINUTES.”

  Daniel closed his eyes, “You have got to be shitting me!” he declared with an almost hopeless sense of dread.

  “I tell you something, we just can’t get a break today,” Hollis added.

  “Move!” Daniel shouted as he began to crawl through the opening, the wolf close on his heels. His mind was racing, there was no way that they could get another drop ship back here before the self-destruct. He had to find another way off this leviathan, or they would be joining the ranks of the spectres that haunted these halls.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  On the bridge of the Troy, Peter felt a cyclone of wrath unleashed within his body. He slammed his fist down onto the command chair.

  “Just what is going on?” he shouted to no one in particular.

  “Is that a philosophical question Commander?” Jasmine asked with a sneer.

  He felt his fist clench, and again he could taste iron. He spat out a mouthful of coagulated blood onto the floor and wiped his sleeve across lips that were still throbbing. “You really are pushing my patience marine,” he paused, seeking to gain some control of the anger that had fuelled most of his life. “What is happening with the Eclipse one?”

  Jasmine said nothing for a moment and simply looked over the tactical display. When she finally did speak, her tone was sardonic, “I would just be guessing here, but I would think that was obvious, for some reason the reactor has suddenly spiked and the automatic self-destruct has been activated.”

  Peter balled his paws and felt his own finger nails dig into his flesh. He enjoyed the shooting pain and it helped him to calm down, “Can we do anything from here that would shut it down?”

  Jasmine glared at him and beamed. “I don’t think so commander, we don’t have any network connection, so it looks like the Sci-corp is going to have to live without that ship.”

  Peter stole her gaze, his voice firm and menacing. “I wouldn’t be smiling so much if I were you marine, after all without the Sci-corps continued help, your poor brother may well, succumb to that awful disease. Drown in his own fluids, that’s just not a good way to go, I would imagine.”

  He caught the fury flash across Jasmine’s features and saw her hand move over her weapon, for a moment he wanted her to pull out the handgun; it would give him the perfect excuse to kill her. Yet he knew that she would be necessary, especially if he was going to fail to bring back the Eclipse One. The Sci-corp had spent years searching for it, he had never been given all of the details, yet some of the rumours that had been circulating around the “Troy” were actually quite accurate. The Eclipse One was never actually an Ark ship, well not entirely at least, its mission had been to search out new life that might be dwelling within the bleakness of uncharted space, and it seemed clear that it had accomplished its mission. He allowed a smile to etch across his broken face even though it pulsed with discomfort.

  “Commander I would ask you not to talk about my brother,” Jasmine replied through clenched teeth.

  Peter nodded slightly, “Very well marine, my lips are sealed.” He sighed and glanced towards the tactical display. He wasn’t a gifted tactician or even as versed in interstellar travel as his predecessor. Being as he had only been sent To Earth. Force six months ago, his identity forged to allow him to be placed on this ship, his purpose at first had simply been to gather intelligence and yet the end goal was to seize this vessel when the final war began. When the Eclipse One appeared though, his orders had markedly changed and he was suddenly forced into action. Still he knew enough to realize that they didn’t want to be here when the ancient hulk self-destructed.

  “Prepare the jump beam, I think it’s time we left this place,” He leered as he thought of the prize he was bringing back to his leader, an Earth. Force destroyer.

  Jasmine glanced at him, her eyes asking the question before she did. “What is the destination?”

  “Why the Sci-corp command centre on Mars.”

  “We’re going to the Sol sector I thought that was off limits?” Jasmine asked her countenance doused with tension.

  “Don’t worry about that marine,” His voice shifting sardonically. “I will take care of all that.”

  On the hangar deck, Brad knelt on the ground, his hands secured behind his back and pain rippled over his entire body. He spat out a gulp of crimson fluid and stared back up at the bloody butt of the projectile rifle.

  “Enough!” the Marines commander shouted.

  “I’ll be seeing you soon,” The young trooper sneered.

  Brad glared at him and smirked, “Yeah maybe then, you can take off these.” He moved his arms up to show the cuffs, “And we can have a fair fight.”

  “No I think we’ll just keep them on,” The marine countered as he turned away.

  Maggie arched towards him, genuine concern in her eyes, “You ok?”

  Brad laughed, as he thought about the question, no he was definitely far from ok, he peered up and saw Rebecca staring down at him. A mocking leer curled her lips, as she held out her gory hands. He forced his eyes shut and said, “Yeah I’m fine.”

  “Why are they doing this, treason, are they fucking crazy?” Maggie asked, her voice tinged with fright.

  “You still think all that conspiracy stuff is bullshit.”

  “You think it has something to do with the Ark ship?”

  “Or maybe them,” Brad shifted his gaze to the two marines who were now surrounded by medic’s, while the remaining recon team knelt close by, also in restraints.

  It was then he felt the familiar hum of the jump engines through the floor, “Fuck they are getting ready for a jump.”

  Maggie glanced around nervously, “A jump
where though, that’s the question?”

  Brad tasted metal and instinctively his tongue snaked around his teeth, checking how loose they were, “I don’t think there’s anything that we can do about that now.”

  “Yeah I guess you’re right,” Maggie retorted, her voice lowered, to little more than a whisper, “I think we’re pretty fucked.”

  Brad shifted to her, even under the ugly kinetic lights she looked beautiful. He had so much that he wished he could say, yet once again he is a coward. He twists his neck to one side and bones pop, it’s then Rebecca come’s to him once again. She hunkered down and took his head in her stained hands. He stared up at her, into sunken, dark rimmed and dead eyes. None of her beauty or life remains, her hair is no longer like the sun, it is limp and lifeless, and her skin is insipid and almost grey. She tilted her head and favoured him with a smile. There were no teeth now, just blackened stumps and white gums which oozed with pus, “You’re not going anywhere, my love,” She purred, “yet!”

  He tasted iron again and began to cough as claret started to fill his lungs. He fell forward as he began to drown in his own fluids.

  He heard Rebecca again, a murmur now, far away. “It’s all your fault and now you will pay for it.”

  Then all he saw was darkness and all he heard was the mocking.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Daniel crested the exit of the breach and found Kelly waiting for him. As he stood up his knees popped and they sounded like a car backfiring. As the adrenaline ebbed away from his body, he was suddenly aware of the aching and taut muscles, which seemed to cry out in protest every time he moved. He edged away from the barricade and watched as first the wolf and then Hollis and Denzel emerged from the darkness.

  “Killer, light her up!” his tone strong and defiant.