by Thomas Stone
Harry looked incredulously at the man. Had Blane suffered a relapse and gone over the falls again?
"How does Fagen look?" Blane asked.
"He was breathing on his own when I left. I don't know how. I thought he was dead for sure."
"He was," deadpanned Blane, "if we hadn't gotten him help by the time we did, he'd still be dead. But that's not the most amazing thing. The damaged tissue is being repaired, re-grown. He'll be as good as new."
"That's incredible."
"What do you expect of a higher technology?"
"Why would the aliens do that?"
"It wasn't exactly the aliens that did it."
"Well, who then?"
"Come on, Harry. You know who."
"You mean the computer?"
"Who else? And I wish you'd stop referring to her as a computer. She's really much more than that."
"Why is it helping us?"
"It?"
"What would you have me call it?"
"Please Harry, she's a 'she', not an 'it'."
"Okay, okay. Why is she helping us?"
"Because she believes we're more powerful than the True Ones."
"How can that be? Our technology doesn't start to compare with theirs."
"That's true, but it's not just the technology she's impressed with. It's our own calculated savagery. It surpasses theirs. She says we will inherit the universe."
"Let me get this straight. As it turns out, we're the bad guys here?"
"No, not at all. We're the tougher guys. It's been so long since the True Ones came up against something they couldn't handle that they've forgotten what to do. It's sort of bizarre when you think about it. Ironic, don't you think?"
Harry nodded. "You know, I don't want to proselytize, but we didn't come here to conquer. We're an exploratory team. We just came to look around."
Blane chuckled. "Harry, how can one man be so naive? That's a noble thought. Even Fagen talks that way sometimes. But Fagen knows. He knows that the whole space exploration program is designed to expand the human race. Call it what you want, but it still amounts to opportunity and annexation wherever the human race goes. The Corporation puts a righteous face on it, but it only rewards those who deliver. Sorry, didn't mean to lecture."
Harry shrugged. He wasn't as naive as Blane thought. He just hadn't had a lot of time to think about things. In the long run, things seemed to work out on their own accord. Of course the Corporation was interested in the human race, that was the source of money and power. Until now, anyway. Now there was a new player in the game. It was going to be interesting to see how the Corporation would react to all this. Maybe they'd try to re-contact the True Ones. If they did, they needed to take a few divisions of marines along as interpreters. That reminded Harry of a more immediate threat.
"Where are they?"
"Ah, yes, the remaining aliens. There're only three, you know. The two that you encountered earlier decided to be more discrete about their encounters with us. They gave instructions to the ship to protect them from outsiders and then they sealed themselves inside their stasis chambers."
"Hiding from us?"
"Exactly."
"What about the other one?"
"Yes, the other is still a problem, but not for us. It left the ship some time ago and went to the Magellan."
"Maybe Bonner and the others killed it. I mean, we dealt with the two here."
"The two here weren't warriors. The one that went to the Magellan was. They would be very lucky indeed to survive an encounter with that creature."
"Is there anything we can do?"
Blane shrugged and pointed to the viewscreen. "Take a look and decide for yourself."
Harry looked at the screen and saw that the Magellan was moving, gaining speed and growing smaller as it slipped out of orbit.
*
Nadine hadn't bothered to wait for Bonner and Parker. Besides, she reasoned, they might have prevented her from taking action. Other than the power outage in the lower spaces, the ship performed as expected. Inside an hour, the Magellan would enter the wormhole, and then she'd be home free.
There was still the problem of a possible intruder. She wasn't able to raise the two men on the intercom, and God knows that was just one more thing to worry about. No matter what, she was going to keep herself on the bridge behind sealed hatches.
When they didn't return, she panicked, as she was prone to do, and opened all the hatches. Then she had second thoughts and resealed the ship. The hatches were open for five minutes, plenty of time for them to either find their way to an intercom or make their way back to the bridge. Nadine imagined the worst. Now she knew what she had to do.
The wait had given her plenty of time to think and she was prepared. There was food and water stashed away, more than enough to last for the transit back to Earth. Even if the creature decided to pay her a visit, there was no way it could get inside, short of blasting the hatch.
When the Magellan broke free from orbit, Nadine breathed a sigh of relief. She had to hang on for a few more hours. Not only would she survive, but she would also bring back a living extraterrestrial, an advanced life-form. The Corporation would be extremely grateful, even if she did come back alone.
Things hadn't turned out so badly after all. She was going to be rich. She wouldn't have to go out on another mission, ever. And she wouldn't even have to take a job with the Corporation. She could retire. Perpetual chill. Yes, her dreams were coming true. It was a shame about the others but, after all, she was the only one who'd kept her head. She tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen. What had happened was their own fault.
She sat before her instrument console and watched the systems reports as the Magellan continued on its course. She cradled a rifle in her lap and found comfort in its weight. If anything tried to gain entrance to the bridge, she would use the weapon. Even if Bonner or Parker showed up and tried to force her to return to Mia Culpa, she had no misgivings about using the weapon. One way or another, she was going back to Earth in one piece.
All that remained was to sit tight and wait. The ship would take care of everything from here on out. So she sat at the navigator's position with the safety straps bound but still loose enough to allow her to move if she had to, and all the while she kept an eye on the small port in the center of the hatch. If anything approached the door, it would pass in front. And if that happened, well, she wasn't sure what she would do. Hope the hatch would keep it out. After all, she thought, how bad can the things be? Fagen said they'd probably killed one or two of them on the planet's surface. They weren't indestructible.
She felt the trigger of the rifle, then hefted it and held it up for practice. She knew she could use it if she had to.
The radiation readings were high and still climbing. Earlier, the alarms went off and she had to reset the sensors. Bonner had calculated that at the rate of increase everything on Mia Culpa would begin to cook in less than twenty-four hours. The shields built into the hull of the Magellan could only deflect the gamma rays for so long before the radiation would accumulate. At a certain point, the ceramic lining would saturate and the Magellan would literally begin to glow.
A shadow passed over the port. It happened so quickly, Nadine wasn't sure if she'd really seen it. She stared at the window and a chill passed through her. Perhaps she hadn't seen anything, perhaps her paranoia was getting the best of her. In any case, for the fourth time she checked her weapon to make sure a round was in the firing chamber. Then, quietly and slowly, she removed the straps that secured her to the chair.
Free from her restraints, she floated, all the while never taking her eyes from the small window in the center of the sealed hatch.
She pulled herself to a position relative to the hatch, taking care not to expose herself to the window. Holding the rifle close to her body, she edged to the port. From her position, she could see the right-hand bulkhead outside the hatch and nothing else.
Nadine took a deep breath to
calm herself and then looked up the passage. It was there. It was her first look at one of the aliens and surprisingly, the sight didn't shock her. Had it acted in a threatening manner, she would have felt differently, but it stood motionless several feet away from the other side of the door as if the sealed hatch created a barrier that could not be breached.
They stood like that for some time, motionless, face to face, with nothing but an inch of carbosteel between them. Finally, with a sudden flick of its front leg, the creature slapped at the thick glass port.
Nadine half-fell, half-jumped backwards and aimed the rifle at the closed hatch. "It can't get in, it can't get in," she repeated to herself. The creature slammed its metallic foreleg into the door with a resounding crash. A silent second passed followed by another assault on the door. The hatch resisted the blows.
For an instant, Nadine thought about opening all the hatches, except for the one between her and the alien, and then opening the airlock doors. If she did, the damage to the ship would be substantial. Non replaceable instruments and computer components would malfunction in the extreme temperatures and vacuum. It wasn't a realistic alternative and Nadine knew it. Besides, as long as the door held, she didn't have too much to worry about.
A full minute passed in silence. She pushed herself against a console that faced the hatch and waited. It's gone away, she thought, it couldn't get in, so it's gone away. A moment later she knew she was wrong.
The first sign was the heat that came from the door. Shortly thereafter, a red spot appeared where the locking mechanism was concealed. As it widened, the spot turned yellow, then white. With mounting alarm, Nadine realized the creature was burning through the door.
In full panic, she searched for an escape route, but she already knew there was only one way in and out.
Smoke from the burning metal filled the bridge. Nadine cowered at the base of the console and pointed her weapon at the remains of the hatch.
It didn't come through immediately. Instead, it waited until the melted edges of the door lost its red color. When it did step through, its pointed legs magnetically adhered to the deck.
Nadine waited no longer. Fully expecting a jarring kick from the weapon, she pulled on the trigger of the rifle. It didn't fire. The creature took another step toward her. She looked at the rifle and realized the safety was still on. With her thumb, she pushed it up until it clicked into the firing position.
This time when she pressed the trigger, a half-dozen shots sprang from the barrel, carving an indiscriminate path from left to right, destroying equipment and ineffectively bouncing off the alien's rugged battlesuit. She didn't wait to survey the damage. She pressed the trigger down and the rifle, still in the full automatic mode, seemed to take a life of its own, spraying lead projectiles in the general area of the creature. It pushed her against the console and she nearly shot off her own foot.
Bullets ricocheted and tore through the equipment. Just inside the door, the alien stood unflinching in the line of fire. Nadine fired until the magazine was empty and still she uselessly continued to press the trigger, but the weapon had spent its ammunition.
An electrical fire flickered at the engineer's console where Bonner had spent the better part of the mission. Smoke now filled the air and Nadine coughed. As she had seen others do in the videos, she gripped the rifle by the barrel in order to use the bigger end as a club, but the barrel was too hot and she released it. The alien took a step forward and batted the rifle away. It careened into an instrument panel, clattering away into the smoke.
As the creature loomed over Nadine, the fire raged out of control.
Chapter 44
The sensors aboard the alien ship tracked the Magellan as it gained speed and headed for the wormhole. The instruments provided an excellent view of the craft as it broke out of orbit.
Harry stared at the picture and clenched his fists. "They did it. They left us here."
"What did you expect? Radiation is reaching critical levels. They probably think we're all dead."
"You seem awfully calm about it."
Blane shrugged without comment.
"Why don't you radio them? Let them know we're all right?"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea."
"Why? You can do it, can't you?"
"Well, yes, it's just that..." Blane paused, struggling with his words.
"It's just what? Get on the radio and contact the Magellan. Tell them we're alive!"
A voice came from an open hatch, distracting both Harry and Blane. "Belay that." Fagen stood in the open doorway looking shaky, but alive.
"You're all right!" Harry said. "You're..."
"Alive?" Fagen suggested.
Harry nodded. Fagen stepped into the control room and Kathleen followed. Harry could see the bloodstained hole in Fagen's coveralls where he'd been wounded.
"Are you all right?"
"Never better," replied Fagen.
"I thought you were dead."
Fagen chuckled. "I was. Got a new lease on life, thanks to the alien technology." He unzipped the top of his coverall and showed Harry where the wound had been. A slight reddening marked the spot.
"Complete regeneration. Quite remarkable, don't you think?"
Harry was speechless.
Kathleen stared at the viewscreen until she realized what was being displayed. "Say, that's the Magellan."
"Right you are, Kath," replied Blane.
"What are they doing?"
"Looks like they're headed back to the wormhole."
Kathleen stared at Blane while the truth sunk in. "Back to the wormhole? What about us?"
"Well," explained Blane, "we won't be..."
Their attention was drawn to the screen as the Magellan disappeared inside a sudden explosive ball of light and fire. Wordlessly, they watched as the ship disintegrated.
Harry shook his head in disbelief. "No," he whispered. Kathleen stood next to him and hid her eyes in his chest.
Fagen looked at Blane. "Any sensor data on this?" He pointed at the rapidly disappearing cloud of dust and debris.
"Lots," replied Blane.
"Do we know what happened?"
"Looks like a systems control malfunction. Too much fuel burning too fast. The drive system couldn't handle it."
"I wonder what caused it."
"It's anybody's guess."
Kathleen held onto Harry. "What difference does it make? They're all dead. And now we're stranded."
Blane and Fagen exchanged a glance, but said nothing.
Harry asked about radiation levels.
Blane consulted with the computer. "Still climbing. It's just a matter of hours before everything is cooked."
Reacting from a sudden rush of anger, Harry faced Fagen. "Is this where all your secret plans have led us? Is this what you had in mind? Are you finally satisfied?"
"Take it easy, Harry," said Blane.
"No, I'm not going to take it easy. We trusted Fagen and now what have we got to show for it? Hell, I don't even know why I have to die." All Harry's frustration finally came rushing out. There was no reason to hold it back any longer. He stepped away from Kathleen and put himself in front of Fagen.
Harry pointed a finger at the mission commander's chest. "This is your fault. Whatever you had in mind doesn't matter anymore. I'm sick of it. None of us came here to die. Nobody had to die." In his anger, Harry jabbed Fagen in the chest.
Fagen didn't react. Blane grabbed Harry by one arm. "Take it easy, Harry..."
Without taking his eyes from Fagen, Harry jerked his arm free. "I trusted you, we all trusted you. Where did it get us?"
Fagen shrugged and finally spoke. "You don't know what you're talking about, Harry."
"Oh yeah? I know that in a few hours this ship will turn into a microwave oven. Whatever happens, it's your fault." He punctuated his words by again poking Fagen in the chest.
Grown tired of the chastisement, Fagen slapped Harry's hand away. In response, Harry threw
a left, hitting Fagen squarely against the side of the head. Fagen went down from the force of the blow but scrambled back to his feet.
"Harry, don't!" Kathleen screamed.
Harry started to swing his fist a second time, but Fagen beat him to the attack, landing a boot in the younger man's chest. Harry staggered backward and regained his balance. Fagen didn't pursue him, but he didn't back away either. He held up a hand.
"This won't get us anywhere."
"What does it matter?" Harry retorted. "We're not going anywhere anyway." He feinted with his left hand again and made Fagen duck. Instead of following through, Harry threw a straight right that landed high on Fagen's forehead. Fagen blinked his eyes once, then threw two punches of his own. Harry avoided the first, but the second one caught him in the solar plexus and drove the air from his lungs.
He bent at the waist, gasping for breath and saw Fagen moving toward him. Harry barely managed to avoid a knee aimed at his face. When Fagen missed, Harry grabbed him behind the knee and forced Fagen backwards, hopping on one foot, until he lost his balance and fell to the floor.
Moving quickly, Harry jumped atop the commander and raised a fist. Before he could deliver the blow, a beam of blue light streamed from a globe on the ceiling and focused on the back of his head. In the next instant, Harry slumped to the floor.
Kathleen rushed to Harry's aid. Fagen stood up and looked at Blane. "Thanks," he said. "You're getting a good feel for the controls."
"It's not me so much. All I have to do is tell her what I want." Blane motioned toward the control console.
"You killed him!" shouted Kathleen.
"He's all right, Kath. He's just been knocked out for awhile."
"He didn't deserve this."
"Maybe not, but he lost his head."
"What do you expect? You and Bart keeping secrets from the rest of us, the rest of the crew dead, the Magellan destroyed..."
"Everything hasn't gone according to plan, I'll admit that, but we're still alive..."
"From the looks of things, not for long. I hate you both." Kathleen turned away and cradled Harry's head in her arms.