«No problem. I'll do it, sir.»
Macready looks at him for a few moments without saying anything, uncertain.
«I can do that, I'm fine», the soldier reiterates.
The Major nods. «That's right, man, OK.»
«Hey Matt, you who are a doctor, you should know how to do these things. You should make yourself a balls transfusion from Terry», Hawk shouts at the doctor, who answers by showing his stubby medium finger.
Macready meanwhile, explains to McKinnock the dynamic of the test. The man nods.
«Let's hurry», he murmurs, as he starts wobbling towards the electrodes.
The soldier pauses, contemplating for a moment the canister with the incendiary mixture, then he shakes his head and bends with a sigh, taking the two electrodes in his hands.
At a sign from Macready, Hawk closes the contacts, and a discharge of electricity runs through the body of the soldier.
Ironside takes time, and for a moment it seems that the test will end as the previous ones.
Then something starts to happen.
The body of McKinnock is arched backward, slowly but steadily.
A surge of nervousness crosses the group of soldiers. Some raise their weapons, aiming at the white plastic canister.
«Wait! don't shoot!», Macready shouts.
McKinnock gives a terrifying scream, while his body bends backward, shaping an unnatural arc. The soldier's chest swells, while the clothes are torn by the pressure of the body. For a few moments the soldiers look at the skin of his abdomen, tense up in agony...
Then a red line draws a deep horizontal laceration at the navel. The wound grows, opening into a mouth bristling with sharp teeth. The creature roars while the man's arms are detached from the trunk. They fall to the ground and shake like lizards tails. The suit swells on the arched shoulders of what had been McKinnock, tearing with a slow noise. Fleshy protuberances grow on his shoulder blades, stretching to form two huge limbs that bend on the ground, and on which the creature stands trembling. Insects' like eyes sprout around the mouth that has opened in the place of the abdomen.
«What are you waiting for? Burn it!», Moore shouts.
Her voice has the effect of awakening the men, almost hypnotized by the terrifying vision.
The new limbs developed by the creature unfold at several joints, assuming the geometry of gigantic canine paws, whose skin, shiny and chitinous, somewhat resembles that of insects.
Quick blows reach the incendiary canister, causing an explosion and generating a wave of flames that engulfs the creature, stretching for some meters.
The screams are terrible, the monster stirs, rushing toward the soldiers.
Macready grabs the woman, pulling her out of the way of the screaming monstrosity. The other marines dodge.
All but one.
Blocked by terror, Matt Serum is invested in full by the creature on fire. With a quick movement the being leans on him, grabbing his head and torso between the enormous jaws and lifting it off the ground.
The man doesn't even have time to scream. The soldiers look impotent at the scene, as the creature keeps burning, and to move randomly, with Serum's body and the legs of McKinnock dangling like barbs from his monstrous torso.
«Get away!», Ironside shouts.
The man has recovered one of the one gallons cans containing the incendiary mixture, removing the cap. He throws it at the creature on fire, hitting its side.
The men run to a safe distance when the napalm in the canister catches fire, engulfing the creature in violent flames.
The horror struggles for several long moments, its many appendages flailing in the air, then falls to the ground, its body burns with a violent crackling.
* * *
The sun is already high in the sky, the scorching heat starts to wrap the desolate sandy wastes.
Macready, Moore and Ironside are near the last armored vehicle, out of which comes a slight flow of fresh air.
«There's no way to contact the outside world.» Ironside's voice betrays how much everyone is tired. «At the Pentagon they will be wondering what's going on here, they will send rescue teams to see what happened, actually they are probably already on the way.»
«They'll have a big fish to fry with the diplomacy. We are surrounded by miles of desert, but we can't rule out that some Bedouin has heard the explosions, or seen the smoke of the Boeing crash. Someone might draw conclusions», Macready looks at the worried gaze of Moore.
The woman isn't quiet, the situation is apparently under control, but...
«Something wrong?», the Major asks.
«I don't know», she says, taking time before going on. «McKinnock... the creature, it could have fled and hidden, taking advantage of our distraction with the tests. Or it could have pretended to be still unconscious, to have fallen into a coma, until an opportune time. Instead...»
«It woke up and despite its conditions it agreed immediately to take the test, without blinking», Ironside concludes.
«Exactly», the woman goes on. «It could have attacked the Major when he approached...»
«And it may had assimilated Brimley when he rescued it as well, on the way to get here», Macready adds.
«There is a possible reason for the failure of Brimley's assimilation», again Ironside. «I have personally seen McKinnock jump away from the truck a while after the creature had thrown its tentacles into the cockpit. He had probably been grazed, and it took some time for it to complete the assimilation. Unless it was infected earlier, at the crash site, as the two men who were driving the leading vehicle.»
«As soon as we have the support from the government we should organize a sterilization of the entire area», says Macready. «Brody and White have spent most of their time on high ground, outside the containment perimeter. We don't know when, how and by whom or what they have been infected. After what we saw I wouldn't rule anything out.»
«About McKinnock», Moore, «I think it has been a slow assimilation, during the hours in which he was unconscious. Dr. Ivanov said that the rate of assimilation is directly proportional to the difference between the mass of the creature and that of its victim. Few cells take a considerable time to digest and clone an entire human body.»
Ironside is puzzled. «The fact remains that, however, it could have come out and attacked us, and this before agreeing to take the test, but it did not...»
«Wait», Macready interrupts him. «We must focus exactly on a point: when did McKinnock come out of the armored vehicle, agreeing immediately to take the test?»
In front of the questioning gaze of the other two he goes on: «when Serum began to protest loudly stating that the test was useless and it wouldn't have worked.»
Suddenly the air seems to get colder, and a chill runs down the spine of the three survivors, who draw the same conclusion in unison.
It's the woman to give voice to their thoughts, almost whispering: «It did it to lead us to believe that the test was valid and make us lower our guard, sure that we had finally solved the problem. This means that...»
The words die in her mouth.
Macready concludes: «the creature may still be among us and it may have learned how to withstand the test with electricity. Ivanov, that son of a bitch... Thirty years of experiments... He was sure that he was studying the creature, but indeed the opposite happened. They used who knows how many animal species for testing, with the only result of enriching its genetic heritage and make that monster even more dangerous than it already was.»
Long moments of silence follow. No one talks anymore, aware that everyone may be hiding a nameless abomination.
«What do we do now? Is there another way to distinguish who is human from an imitation?», Ironside asks.
«Maybe there's another way», Moore's reply, as thinking aloud. «Earlier, in the lab, Ivanov carried out a test on a blood sample of the boy who had been captured by soldiers. He used a powerful acid to induce the creature to show up in an attempt to surv
ive.»
«An acid...», Ironside echoes. «Where do we find an acid?»
«In the vehicles' batteries», Macready answers.
«Mmm... Yes, it's sulfuric acid», Moore continues. «In concentration between thirty and forty percent. It's not as strong as the one prepared by Ivanov, but it might work.»
Slowly, a hiss becomes perceptible to the ears of the three people. Macready is the first to hear it and to jump up in alarm. «Can you use a sub-machine gun?», he asks turning to Ironside.
«Yes, of course...», he replies, looking alarmed.
«I ordered the boys to make an aerial survey of the scene of the crash of the Boeing», Macready explains quickly. «And the point where the convoy got smashed, to check that there was nothing suspicious. We can't get them off the ground, some of them might be the creature.»
Shit...
«You stay with him, Emily, I'm going to the helicopter, I have to stop them before they take off. If things worsen, use the machine gun to shoot it down.»
Macready turns to the helicopter and is about to set off, when it perceives a light touch on his arm.
«Albert...»
The man turns his gaze, crossing that of the scientist. «Watch out.»
He nods, resting for a moment his hand on that of the woman, then he heads running towards the aircraft. The helicopter is about sixty meters away, the propellers rotate slowly, increasing speed.
* * *
Hawk is in seat of the co-pilot, Bishop is at his side, activating a series of switches. Behind them, on the benches, there are Brimley and other soldiers.
«What's up with Macready?»
Hearing the words of the man sitting next to him, Bishop looks up, noticing the Major running and waving his arms toward the helicopter. His gaze remains unmoved.
Macready reaches the helicopter, approaching hunched over on the pilot's side.
He shouts in order to be heard, while the motor keeps roaring. The Major orders the pilot to abort the mission. However, this one seems to ignore it, merely staring at him expressionless.
«Sam, turn off the engine, the reconnaissance is canceled! Canceled! Do you understand me?»
«Bishop, the Major says to turn off the engines and abort the mission», says Hawk.
Macready keeps beating on the helicopter windshield, on the side closest to Bishop, when he notices something that makes his heart freeze in his chest.
Bishop's face. He knows him well, they have spent years working together. He remembers the long scar that disfigures his face on the left side.
Macready can't believe his eyes.
The scar is gone.
In the throes of growing agitation, the Major moves to the other side, waving at Hawk to come out.
From the inside, he can't hear the voice of Macready, but there's no need for words to understand what he's saying.
«He's telling us to get out, turn off the engine, Bishop, what the hell is going on?», Hawk shouts alarmed.
The helicopter lifts a few centimeters from the ground, the pilot seems indifferent to what is happening around him. Hawk on the other hand realizes well the situation and in a desperate move he deals a direct blow to the pilot's face. Then he tries to grab his right arm and block it to regain control of the helicopter.
The head of Bishop rotates unnaturally following the received blow. From his neck comes a sharp noise, like a branch that is broken, and his skull remains in that position. Almost instantly his body begins to shake, as though in an epileptic fit. His right arm manages to escape Hawk's grip and moves trembling. His open hand starts to grow in size, the fingers weld in pairs and deform, taking the shape of a sort of claws bristling with thorns with metallic reflections.
The horrific limb tightens firmly on Hawk's neck. Filaments and stalks as thin as capillaries emerge from the creature, penetrating into the skin of the soldier, beginning to dig into his body in order to assimilate it. Hawk tries to escape, he struggles, hitting the controls.
The soldiers inside the helicopter are powerless and try desperately to hurl themselves toward the side door. However, Keith Brimley is faster, and stands between them and that slim hope of salvation. His eyes are not human anymore... they're black, opaque, aliens. A low and prolonged lament comes from his mouth. It grows in intensity, until it overcomes the noise of the helicopter engine.
The number of the propeller's revolutions begins to decrease, while the helicopter lands back to rest on the ground. Macready rushes to open the side door, but despite his efforts it won't move a millimeter.
As the noise of the helicopter turbine fades, the sounds coming from inside take over.
Human shouts and bestial roars mingle with the heavy thuds of something that clashes violently against internal bulkheads.
No, damn it, no!
Getting closer to the cabin, Macready has a brief sight of what is happening inside. Something monstrous and terrifying shakes, and in that constantly changing chaos he catches a glimpse of the bodies of the men, being torn to pieces.
They are only a few seconds, but they seem endless. The Major hesitates looking at a bloody tentacle that ends with a huge compound eye and sets against the glass, watching him. Other blows sound against the bulkheads, which begins to deform.
When a splash of a greenish material hits the glass in front of his face Macready steps back instinctively. Realizing that there is no way to save the men inside the aircraft, the Major turns to flee. After a few meters he hears the sound of something breaking behind him, a thump and the sound of tortured bulkheads, followed by a roar of another world.
The man turns to watch, and the sight is terrifying.
* * *
Ironside is on the roof of the armored vehicle. He witnessed the sequence of events through binoculars. The helicopter was about to take off, then it touched down again to the ground. He couldn't see in detail the interior of the cabin due to a reflection of the sun, but he has been able to note rapid movements.
When Macready suddenly started running, Ironside wasted no time. In a few moments he unlocked the assault machine gun mounted on the roof of the vehicle, getting ready for the worst.
Moore is next to the side door of the vehicle. She has been watching Macready, shielding the sun with one hand. The Major has suddenly turned, fleeing from the helicopter.
The man only runs a few meters, when something breaks through the glass of the cockpit. Monstrous tentacular appendages pop outside and flex laterally, developing bones, tendons and muscles. Within seconds they take the form of monstrous paws, asymmetrical and misshapen.
The structure trembles, with a lament of torn and bent sheet-metal. It deforms, while the two impossible limbs open the cockpit like a tuna can. Something protrudes between them. Ironside feels his legs wobble as he watches a creature that seems to come straight from hell. A horrible and gigantic merging of two heads that are vaguely reminiscent of those of tyrannosaurs. The gaping and deformed jaws drip mucus from the numerous sharp and curved teeth lines. The monstrosity is strongly asymmetric and the two heads appear melted on a diagonal axis, sharing one eye.
The infernal being throws a primal roar that reaches Moore and Ironside despite the distance, by vibrating their bodies.
The creature then jumps ungracefully out of the aircraft, falling heavily to the ground.
Macready turns to take a quick glimpse of the hideous monster, while rushing desperately toward the armored vehicle which is at about fifty meters away. The creature hesitates for a moment. Distorted forelegs sprout out, while the torso pumps organic matter in them, strengthening their structure. The back of the monster, where the limbs of the soldiers who were in the helicopter still flap frantically, throws out new appendices, which grow in a few moments, forming grotesque caricatures of animal limbs.
The creature takes its first tentative steps, then gets more confident, picking up speed as it starts hunting Macready.
«My God, open fire!», Moore shouts.
Ironside doe
sn't need any extra encouragement: framing the creature in the circular scope and opening fire is one action.
The being is ungainly and moves erratically, although quickly. The shots miss it by good measure.
«Damn, I may hit him!», Ironside shouts.
Macready seems to have heard, and crouches slightly, trying not to lose speed. Behind him erupts a cacophony of barking, combined with heavy thuds on the ground.
Getting closer.
A second burst of Ironside hits the creature on one of its two heads and opens large holes in the flesh and in the underlying bone structure. However, this fails to slow it down. Instead, the blows have the effect to upset it even further.
«Go away! Run away!», Macready shouts, aware of the imminent end.
Ironside and Moore don't listen to him. The man keeps shooting at the creature, with the only result to open momentary gashes in his flesh and further unleash his rage.
Come on...
I can do it...
Moore suddenly starts running, moving rapidly toward Macready.
For a moment Ironside thinks that the woman is crazy, unsure why she runs to her death in that way.
«No! Run!», Macready screams, seeing the woman rushing towards him awkwardly, clutching something bulky to her chest. The creature is coming at a gallop, a little more than a dozen meters behind him.
The woman goes on and runs another few meters. Then she leaves the object that she brought with her on the ground, immediately turning to flee back to the armored vehicle.
Only then, looking at what Moore has laid on the ground, Ironside understands her plan.
One of the plastic canisters with incendiary mixture.
Moore isn't physically trained and, despite the adrenaline, she feels fatigue and her limbs become heavy. The short rush, with a one-gallon full can in her lap, has put her to the test.
Cellular Activity- The Djinn Page 26