To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy)

by Thomas Stone

Suddenly, the metal forearm pulled itself free and the portal closed completely. Outside, the frustrated alien pounded on the wall. Whatever the ship was made from, it was an incredible insulant. The violent pounding sounding muted and far away.

  Harry faced Kathleen. "I guess we're stuck."

  "Maybe not," said Fagen, pointing to a spot in a corner. A seam had appeared and was opening, exposing a new tunnel. "Looks like maybe the Servant heard you after all, Harry. Come this way."

  Fagen climbed into the tunnel followed by Kathleen, then Harry. The passage slanted at a severe angle and Harry slid down, feet first into a darkened corridor where he fell over Kathleen.

  "Careful, kids," said Fagen.

  Harry pulled Kathleen to her feet and they looked up and down another featureless corridor. Lights illuminated the passageway showing seams at either end. There were no other visible seams. The passage from which they'd fallen had already closed and even the faint line that marked its spot had disappeared.

  "Which way?" Kathleen asked.

  Harry shrugged and shook his head. "Which way?" he repeated.

  Fagen made the decision. "Let's try this one." He pointed to the door behind them.

  "No," Kathleen said as she motioned in the opposite direction, toward the other door, "let's go this way."

  "Why?"

  "In affairs of intuition, trust a woman." She winked at Harry and stepped to the seam on the left. Harry pointed the weapon at the closed portal. Fagen stepped behind Kathleen.

  She looked at Harry. "Ready?"

  Harry nodded and she passed her hand over the seam. It puckered for an instant, then rapidly expanded. Three aliens, all dressed in battlesuits, stood before them. Harry fired at the one in the middle. As before, a blue light burst around the creature, bathing the compartment in an azure glow. Beside it, the other two stood motionless.

  Abruptly, Fagen yelled at Harry. "Hold it!"

  Fagen stood up and stepped into the room. The blue glow was nearly gone. He strode up to the aliens, who hadn't moved an inch, and took hold of one of the robotic hands. He held it aloft and let it drop limply back against the curved metal.

  "They're empty. Just suits. No weapons"

  Kathleen giggled and Harry blushed a deep red.

  The armored suits were open in the back, allowing light to shine inside, eerily exposing the flat surface of the suit viewports. Unlike some of the other compartments, Harry noted that this room was clean and orderly. There was a workbench and a counter on which was a series of control panels. There must have been tools and weapons somewhere, if only they had the time to look. At the far end of the room an open passageway led out.

  Fagen moved into the passage with Kathleen right behind. Harry looked around the equipment room for anything they could use. He didn't find the weapons he hoped for, but he did manage to activate a flat viewscreen that was situated above the work counter. It displayed a live picture of the Magellan.

  Just as Harry thought there was nothing new to see, he caught motion near the auxiliary airlock. At first, he thought perhaps it was Bonner outside the ship. Maybe he'd decided to try to help. But that couldn't be; he had his orders and he was expected to remain aboard the Magellan, whatever happened.

  Harry looked more closely at the screen. He didn't know how to manipulate the controls so there was no way to enhance the image. The figure momentarily floated into full view. The light from Miaplacidus shined off its form and suddenly Harry knew he wasn't looking at anything human. It was an alien in a battlesuit, and it was preparing to enter the Magellan's secondary airlock.

  Somehow, he needed to get a message to the remaining crew. "Servant?" He asked the empty room. "Servant? Do you hear me?"

  There was no reply.

  Harry looked about, searching for help, for a way to contact the crew aboard the Magellan, but there was nothing he could do. He rose and ran after Fagen and Kathleen.

  The passage led to a compartment filled with what looked like cocoons of various sizes. Kathleen looked for one large enough to hold a man.

  "I got a viewscreen to work. It showed the Magellan and I saw one of the aliens at the auxiliary airlock," said Harry.

  Fagen looked blankly at Harry, uncomprehending, unprepared for what he heard. "What?"

  Harry repeated what he'd said.

  "Can we get a message to them?"

  "I don't know how, the Servant still isn't responding."

  "Great, what's next?"

  Kathleen called out from the other side of the room. "I've found him! Here he is!"

  Both Harry and Fagen pushed through the bundles.

  "Is he alive?"

  "Yes."

  Fagen looked to Harry. "Go back to the console and keep working on it. Maybe the computer will come through. I'll see about Blane."

  Harry agreed without having any idea about what to do. As he turned away, Fagen called after him. "Watch our backs, Harry. We don't want any of them taking us by surprise."

  He went back up the corridor toward the equipment room. If one of the aliens had left the ship that meant there were only two left. As he considered the improved odds, he saw a seam that had passed unnoticed. Harry moved his hand over it. It responded by parting and revealing what appeared to be another, smaller, storage room.

  Harry stepped inside. Unlike the other compartments, there was no illumination but some light was supplied by that shining in from the adjoining corridor. It was enough to make out open bins along the walls. Harry looked inside the first. Tools of unknown purpose lay within.

  He picked up a white, metallic ball, somewhat smaller than a cue ball, and tested its weight in his hand. Something passed in front of the open portal and momentarily the small room was utterly dark. Harry turned to glimpse a metallic leg.

  Harry stepped back to the entrance. Still holding the ball, Harry climbed through the seam back into the passageway. When he rounded the corner, he caught sight of the creature just as it stepped into the same room as Kathleen and Fagen.

  Harry crept up from behind until he crouched in the corridor just outside the room. The creature stood in front of a defiant Fagen and Kathleen. Behind them, Harry could see Blane, still unconscious, lying in the partially opened cocoon.

  The alien reached for its utility belt and moved toward Kathleen. Fagen stepped in front of the woman. The creature whipped its front leg and knocked the mission commander off his feet.

  Blane stirred. "What's happening?"

  The creature took another step forward.

  Fagen was injured. Blood stained his tunic where the pointed leg had scraped across his chest.

  Harry was pretty sure he knew what the thing intended. It was there to dispose of the pests infesting its ship. Kathleen kneeled beside Blane. Fagen attempted to get to his feet but the creature turned on him, stabbing him with its stiletto front leg through the abdomen. He grunted as the silvery leg impaled him and lifted him from the floor. The alien tossed Fagen to the side like a used toy. Fagen hit the wall and fell unmoving to the floor.

  It turned back to face Kathleen. There was no time for contemplation. With only the metallic orb in his hand, Harry launched himself at the back of the alien and began hammering at its rounded top.

  It responded by reaching behind with one robotic hand and clasping itself around Harry's ankle. Harry continued to pound at the rounded metal back even as the monster tried to jerk him away. It succeeded in pulling him to the front and Harry found himself looking into the alien's viewplate. Behind the plate, mere inches away, the living alien stared with dark, bulging eyes. The free metallic hand slapped again and this time caught Harry with a glancing blow to the side of his head and Harry was knocked to the floor.

  The alien stood over him, straddling the linguist. On his back, Harry watched as the thing reached for its belt and withdrew a syringe with a ridiculously long needle. Its point was aimed at Harry's head.

  In a last act of defiance, Harry hurled the ball directly at the alien's viewplate. His aim was
immaculate, if not lucky. The ball found its mark in the center of the plate. Both the ball and the plate shattered. Harry heard the sound of escaping gas as the pieces fell to the floor. The creature raised its metal hands to its face and staggered backwards.

  Harry jumped to his feet as the alien fled. It ran headlong into the bulkhead first, rebounded, and then scampered out.

  Harry looked at Fagen.

  He wasn't dead, but he was close to it. He was bleeding profusely and had lost consciousness. Harry knelt beside the mission commander as Kathleen helped strip Blane out of the cocoon.

  He pressed his hand against Fagen's wound and felt the extent of the damage. If they could get him back to the Magellan, Parker might be able to save him. But, as he reflected on what he'd seen on the viewscreen, those aboard the Magellan had problems of their own.

  *

  Parker's foot bothered him. As he feared, an infection had set in. That's why he had his foot in the bag of hot, circulating water. Making a fuss about his wound had afforded him the opportunity to remain in his compartment or the lab almost exclusively.

  Earlier, Nadine lost her temper and chewed him out for not trying harder to get around.

  "Frankly, I'm tired of bringing you food," she said. "We're up here in zero gravity, and you can't even float down to the mess deck. What's the matter with you?"

  "There's nothing wrong with me other than my foot. I'm a doctor. Remember? And I'm presently irrigating my wound."

  Nadine left the container spinning in front of Parker's face.

  "Well, Doctor Parker, Bill and I could use some help. When your doctorship is done, put a band-aid on it and come up to the bridge."

  "Is this a racial thing?"

  "What!? What do you mean by that?"

  "Oh, well, it's just that I can't think of anything else I've done that would put you in such a foul mood."

  The navigator pointed menacingly at him. "You're the problem here."

  Parker could tell when he was getting to her and he enjoyed it. Nadine was mad. Her eyes blazed and she looked like she wanted to hit him.

  "It is a black/white thing, isn't it?"

  Nadine glowered. She set her jaw, spun about, and headed to the control room. Behind, Parker chuckled just loud enough so she could hear. He'd seen enough; he felt he'd barely escaped with his life. If the others wanted to keep flying in the face of danger, well then let them. But he'd had his fill and he planned on keeping a low profile until they returned to Earth. He'd be a doctor, but he wouldn't run errands.

  He relaxed and let the hot water massage his foot.

  *

  On the bridge, Bonner leaned his head against the backrest and closed his eyes. When he thought he'd rested for two minutes, he opened his eyes again, glancing at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed.

  Nadine entered. "Were you asleep?"

  "No," Bonner said, rubbing his eyes, "why?"

  "You look sleepy, that's all. Everything all right? Any word?"

  "Nope. Same as before."

  "Figures."

  "How's the doctor?"

  "Fine. He's not hurt badly enough to merit the kind of treatment he's been getting. He could be helping us."

  "Do what? Sit here and wait?"

  Nadine lowered her voice. "We don't have to wait. We've already waited an hour longer than we agreed. We haven't received a message, we haven't seen anything. Come on, Bill, it's time we did something."

  Bonner didn't argue; he'd been thinking the same thing. He looked at the monitor. Although Mia Culpa blocked the sun and the alien ship was in darkness, he could still see the light from the hanger bay. He sat up straight.

  "Hey! I can see the hanger bay!"

  "So?"

  "So the lights weren't on the last time I looked."

  "What does that mean?"

  "I don't know, maybe nothing. I wish I could see better."

  "Why? Do you think they're on their way back?"

  "If they are, why haven't they contacted us by radio?"

  Nadine shook her head, and an idea occurred to her. "Maybe it's not Fagen. Maybe it's one of them!"

  "Now calm down, Nadine. The lights are on in the hanger bay, nothing else. Nothing to get excited about."

  But now, her paranoia grew. "The exterior panels aren't protected. Anyone, anything, could get inside. Maybe they have already!" In sudden panic, she looked quickly about the room.

  "Take it easy, Nadine. Look, if you're really that concerned, keep an eye on the monitor while I check the computer log for the last twenty minutes."

  Nadine didn't watch the monitor. Instead, she floated around the cabin until Bonner punched up the logs.

  "Uh-oh."

  From behind, Nadine said, "What does 'uh-oh' mean?"

  He turned and soberly looked at her. "You'd better have a look," he said.

  With wide eyes, she stared at the screen.

  "No activity anywhere. No airlocks, no doors, nothing. Satisfied?"

  The navigator took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm sorry, Bill. I get carried away sometimes. At least I know we're secure."

  "No harm done. We're all stressed-out. It's understandable." He saw something on the report and leaned closer.

  "Hm. This report doesn't include the updates. Let's take a look at those." He punched his keyboard and a new set of numbers filled the screen. Bonner squinted and read the display. He read the line three times before it sunk in.

  "Shit," he muttered.

  "Now what is it?"

  He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned across his console and punched a button that told the computer to secure all hatches in the ship, including the airlocks. Alarms began to ring.

  Nadine demanded to know what was wrong.

  Bonner paused. "You were right," he said, "the airlock was accessed six minutes ago."

  The woman's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God!"

  Bonner punched the intercom. "Doctor? Are you there?"

  "Yes," came the reply. "What's going on?"

  "Something accessed the airlock about six minutes ago. I was busy and missed it. I've secured all hatches."

  There was a pause as the doctor considered what he was told. After a moment, his calm voice floated from the speaker.

  "Perhaps you're over-reacting, Bill. Maybe it's Fagen, or Irons. They may be injured, unable to communicate. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet."

  Nadine leaped to the intercom. "All right, Doctor High and Mighty, why don't you go down to the auxiliary airlock and check it out?"

  There was a pause.

  "What's the matter, Doc? Foot bothering you?"

  "I hear you. I can't get to the airlock. The hatches are sealed."

  "I can open 'em up from here. You know that."

  "Oh, all right, especially to prove a point. In any case, it should be me. Whoever it is must be hurt, otherwise you'd have heard something by now. It's going to take me a few minutes to get out of this bag, you know."

  "Right. Let us know what's going on, like, asap. Okay?"

  "Okay!" The circuit clicked as Parker switched off the intercom. The doctor frowned and reached for the water bag. He knew what he was doing and it only took a minute to get it off without releasing the water. In two minutes, he floated in the corridor outside his cabin, medical bag in hand, barefoot, and headed for the airlock.

  Chapter 42

  There were two routes to the auxiliary airlock. One wound its way through the storage areas and connected with a rear area work corridor that ended at the airlock anteroom. The anteroom could also be entered via the hanger bay access corridor, the very passageway Parker used and the shorter of the two routes.

  He didn't really have a choice: Bonner opened the hatches along the most direct passage.

  The doctor pushed off a bulkhead and floated through the corridor that ran outside the hanger bay. He looked through the window in the access door and saw the shuttle sitting inside. All was quiet.

  The anteroom for the auxiliary airlo
ck was straight ahead. Parker saw Bonner had already opened the hatch for him. Nobody was in the anteroom. Parker scratched his head and floated to the closed airlock door where he peered through the thick window. The airlock was empty.

  He turned to the intercom and punched the transmit switch.

  "Mr. Bonner?"

  "Yes?" The reply came back instantly. "What have you found?"

  "Nothing. There's no one here. Are you sure about your information?"

  "Computers don't lie."

  "Yes, well, in any case, there's no one here."

  "I don't understand. Stay there. I'll join you."

  Parker switched off the intercom without replying. He turned away and started to push himself out of the anteroom, but something on the floor caught his attention. He stopped and took a closer look.

  Fine scratches formed lines on the deck. Parker wondered how they got there. The lines stopped at the closed hatch that led to the storage spaces. The hatch didn't have a window, so he couldn't see through to the opposite side.

  The access switch was on the bulkhead next to the closed hatch. Parker pushed the button and the door slid up. The hall beyond was empty. The doctor spotted more scratches along the floor and walls. Out of curiosity, he stepped into the passageway.

  The marks clearly led into the storage spaces. For the first time, Parker seriously weighed the possibility that an alien may have entered the ship. A sound drifted up the corridor, a sound of metal scratching on metal. A chill went up the doctor's spine and he backed his way into the airlock anteroom. He hit the access switch and the hatch slid down.

  Something touched him on the shoulder and his heart leapt to his throat. He drew back and pivoted. Bonner stood inside the anteroom.

  "A little jumpy, aren't you?"

  "Don't sneak up on me like that again!"

  "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

  "Just don't do it again."

  "Okay, okay. So. What have we got here?"

  Parker pointed to the marks on the floor. "They lead into the passage on the other side of the door."

  "You already took a look?"

  Parker nodded.

  "See anything?"

  Parker knew what Bonner meant. "I didn't see any aliens, if that's what you mean." The doctor saw the weapon the engineer held.