by Ben Hammott
*****
Richard hung on as the crane jib swept him away from the barge and the imminent explosion. He heard a loud thrum, turned and gazed at the helicopter rotors heading straight for him and sucked in his chest when they ripped his jacket before pulling clear. He recovered from the fright and couldn't resist grinning at the helicopters occupants when he recognized them. As the crane carried him over the ship, the explosion rang out. He dropped to the deck and sheltered behind a large crate to avoid the pieces of metal clattering to the ground around him. When they had stopped, he went over to the captain standing by the rail and stared down at the sinking wreck of the barge. There was no sign of the black demon.
“Mission accomplished, Captain.”
Slightly surprised by the man's relaxed demeanor after such a harrowing ordeal, Brusilov and Sergei looked at him.
Richard smiled. “Now, as much as I would like to stay and accept your no-doubt generous hospitality for saving your lives, I need to get aboard that helicopter.”
“Richard!”
Richard turned to the voice, flicked back a clot of gunk-congealed hair and smiled. “Lucy! Well, this is turning out to be a day of surprises. Jane and Jack are around here somewhere in a helicopter, which I assume is here to pick you up.”
Lucy took in Richard's filthy, disheveled state and nodded. “I thought you left the spaceship ages ago.”
“I did, but the Americans needed my help. But what about you? The last time I saw you, you headed into space with Haax. Didn't you like it?”
Confusion appeared on Lucy's face. “I've no idea what you are on about. Who is Haax?”
Babinski joined them and looked at the approaching helicopter and then at Richard, wondering how he had gotten aboard.
The helicopter appeared alongside the ship and the back door slid open as it edged nearer to the rail. Jane leaned out, showed surprise at recognizing Lucy, and shouted, “Quick, get onboard, Jack can't hold it here for long.”
Lucy crossed to the captain. “Thank you for your help Captain, and please thank your crew for me.” She gave him a quick hug and slipped the second alien pistol into his hand. “From what you told me, the Americans already have enough alien weapons, so they won't miss this one.”
Brusilov nodded. “Thank you, Lucy, you are an amazing woman and I wish you a safe journey and a long life.”
Richard, impatient as always and keen to get off the ship, grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her towards the helicopter.
Pounded by the rotors downdraught, Lucy climbed over the rail. Richard looked worriedly at the two-foot gap between the ship and the helicopter, and the drop into the ocean below as it raised and lowered with the ship's movements. It would just be his luck to fall and drown when he was so close to reaching safety.
When Lucy noticed Richard's worried expression, she grabbed his shoulder and shouted to be heard above the deafening thrum of the helicopter “Time your jump when the ship is at the top of its rise and you'll be fine.”
Richard nodded.
When the ship reached the top of its peak and began to drop, Lucy pushed off from the rail and dived through the door of the helicopter. Jane grabbed her and pulled her inside.
When the ship rose and dropped again, Richard jumped for the opening and slipped when a strong gust sent the helicopter speeding towards the tall crane. Someone grabbed his arm and pulled him inside as Jack quickly compensated and steered the helicopter clear.
Jane grabbed the door handle, nodded her thanks to the Russians as the helicopter swooped away and closed the door.
Brusilov, Sergei, Babinski and the other Russians on the deck watched the helicopter grow distant. Brusilov turned away and gazed at the scattered wreckage from the barge littering the deck.
“Well, that's it, thank God. All of the aliens are dead now. Babinski, have the men clear off the wreckage and we'll head home.
*****
Richard nodded at Jane. “Thanks for saving me, back there.”
Jane huffed as she wiped clean the foul stains transferred from Richard's filthy clothes to her hands. “I would say you're welcome, but I'm not sure you are.”
Richard smiled. “We do tend meet under the strangest circumstances lately. I came to help the Americans, but what are you and Jack doing here?”
Jane smiled and threw Richard's line back at him that he had used when he surprised them in the ice cavern, “You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you?”
Richard groaned.
Jane turned to Lucy. “You didn't like outer space then?”
“Richard asked a similar thing, but I have no idea what you are both on about. The last thing I remember is we were running through the spaceship and then I awoke to find myself locked in a room and practically naked.”
“Someone took your clothes,” said Richard, picturing Lucy in her underwear and liking the view.
She eyed Richard suspiciously. “Well I certainly didn't take them off.”
Richard smirked. “As much as I would have liked to see you so scantily dressed, it wasn't me.”
“You fell and banged your head, Lucy,” Jane explained. “You were unconscious and we all would have been killed if we carried you, so we hid you in the room―fully clothed I might add―and planned to come back for you when we had escaped from the monsters chasing us.”
“But you never did,” stated Lucy. “Thanks.”
“But we did. We came back and you walked out of the room. That's when Haax, a small friendly alien, turned up and saved us. We used his scout ship to escape and he took us to base camp.”
“And then you went with him into space,” added Richard.
Lucy shook her head. “Well obviously I didn't, because I'm here.”
“But if it wasn't you, then who was it?”
Lucy shrugged.
Fighting the strong gusts that shoved the helicopter to the side and threatened to ditch them into the ocean's cold embrace, Jack turned towards the American ship. As they flew over the expanse of drifting ice, his passengers joined him in staring down at the small drifting icebergs that had for thousands of years entombed the alien spaceship that now rested on the seabed far below.
It Ends
AS THE STARLIGHT skirted the edge of the ice field created by the breaking up of the iceberg, the Hunter clung to the small wave-tossed chunk of ice with its eyes focused upon the approaching ship. When it worked out the vessel would pass by too far away for it to reach, it dived into the sea and swam to another piece of ice directly in its path. It climbed to the top and watched the vessel glide nearer.
Crewman Graham Walker, the man ordered to take position on the bow with a radio and report any stray lumps of ice in the ship's path large enough to damage it, gazed out at the field of mini-icebergs. Like most aboard the Starlight, he had witnessed the spectacular breakup of the enormous iceberg and the huge alien spaceship rising majestically from the sea before it started on its final journey to the cold, dark seabed. He diverted his gaze to the small iceberg the wind and waves drove towards the ship. Though the size of a bus, it posed no threat to the ship even if it struck, but the bow wash would steer it clear like the others. He fished a packet of cigarettes from a pocket of his warm padded jacket, slipped one out and turned away from the wind to light it. As the lighter's flame burst into life, something grabbed him from behind and yanked him over the rail. He screamed as he fell and grunted with pain when he struck the ice and slid down its side into the cold embrace of the ocean.
Lieutenant Miller, the CO of the first watch team, gazed past the tarpaulin-shrouded form of the impressive alien scout ship, and cocked an ear to the wind. Though he thought he had heard someone scream, the wind and rolling ship created so many sounds it was difficult to hear anything over the creaks, groans and the flapping of the covers covering the two salvaged alien spaceships. Duty required him to check it out and informed Patterson and Sawyer of his intentions.
“I'm moving to the bow for a scout around.”
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“Copy that,” replied Sawyer. “Roaming to cover your base.”
As Miller approached the bow he glanced around for Walker, who twenty minutes earlier had gone to keep a lookout for icebergs, but there was no sign of the man. He stopped when his foot trod on something. He picked up the object and stared at the lighter for a few moments before gazing around the deck. He had learned to trust his instincts over the years and he wasn't going to ignore them now. Something was wrong. When his eyes probed the many dark areas for signs of anything amiss, he noticed movement, no more than a fleeting shadow darting behind a row of shipping containers. Miller flipped the night vision goggles over his eyes and headed towards it.
Admiral Thomson stood on the aft deck gazing around at the flurry of activity. To ensure the safety of the hastily salvaged alien artifacts, he had ordered for them all to be stored below deck. The crew were just lowering the final shipping container into the hold to join the many already filling its cavernous space. He walked forward and gazed below as it was secured to the hold floor and looked at the three soldiers who would guard the invaluable alien technology that included the alien weapons. They had been wrapped, boxed and stored in a container with its door welded shut to ensure their safety. He regretted the SEALs had left shortly after the completion of their mission; they were true professionals. They arrive, do what's needed of them and then fade back into obscurity without waiting around for praise or a pat on the back for a job well done.
Though he was aware of his paranoia regarding the Russians, Thomson did nothing to subdue it and was confident he had covered all the bases unless a Russian submarine appeared and torpedoed them. He doubted the Russian salvage team had the means to sink the ship, but if a small group of trained men managed to get aboard, a few well placed explosives could destroy the alien shuttlecraft―hence his decision for the armed patrols. The President had already congratulated him personally and then the rest of those involved via the ship-wide intercom for their successful salvage mission, and he wasn't going to risk letting his President down by being careless now.
President Conner had also decreed he bring the ship straight to America and not return to New Zealand as originally planned. The nearest American and British battleships were already set on an intercept course to protect the alien artifacts and escort them home.
As the large cargo hold doors began to close, the Admiral cast one last look around the ship. Satisfied everything was in order, he headed for his cabin. He would celebrate his success with a single glass of brandy and one of the large cigars his wife detested the smell of.
*****
Avoiding any humans it detected, the stowaway crept along the deck searching for a safe place to hide until it could escape onto land. When it arrived at the stern it stared at the large doors sliding together and noticing the space below that would shelter it from the cold. It rushed forward and leaped onto the top of a shipping container.
Selby glanced at his watch, still another four hours before his shift ended. The clink of a spoon on a cup cast his gaze across the room to the coffee station set up for them and where Cooper poured out a fresh cup of the steaming black coffee.
Selby yawned as he walked over to grab himself a helping of the caffeine-infused liquid, but paused when he noticed the shadow move over the ground. He turned and gazed up at the hold doors as they met with a thud and then scanned the shipping containers. When he saw the creature diving towards him, he grabbed the rifle hanging from the shoulder strap and opened his mouth to shout a warning.
One of the Hunter's large paws landed on his face and stifled the warning before it could escape from the human's lips. Claws extended and pierced deep into his skin as they thudded to the ground and another claw smoothly snatched the rifle from the air before it clattered to the floor.
Cooper halted the flow of coffee into the mug and lazily turned his head towards the sound. There was no sign of the man he had noticed there earlier. “You want a coffee, Selby?”
“I wouldn't say no,” replied Fitch, crossing the room.
Cooper glanced at Fitch before looking back to where he had last seen Selby and activated his helmet mic. “You okay, Selby?” He placed the coffee jug down when the man didn't reply.
Fitch picked up on Cooper's concern. “Maybe he went for a piss?”
Cooper shook his head and slipped his rifle into his hands. “Not without telling us he was leaving he wouldn't.” He pressed the talk button on his radio mic. “Lieutenant, we might have a problem in the rear cargo hold. Selby's gone AWOL.”
“Copy that, Coop, we're on our way,” replied Miller.
Fitch pointed his weapon across the room in the direction Cooper stared. “What is it?”
Cooper shrugged. “I'm not sure, but it might be the Russian saboteurs Thomson was so concerned about. We better go check it out.”
Fitch sighed. He thought he had waved danger goodbye when he had watched the spaceship sink beneath the waves. Still, he thought, a little cheerfully, he'd rather face a Russian than one of those alien horrors again. He followed Cooper's slow walk across the room.
*****
Miller had started running as soon as Cooper had informed him of the problem. Though he had no idea if Selby's abandonment of his post was connected to what he had glimpsed or Crewman Walker's disappearance, he didn't like coincidences. “Patterson, Sawyer, switch comms to live and meet me on the starboard side. There's a problem in the rear cargo hold.”
Both men copied their replies and rushed starboard.
When all three met, they rushed along the side of the ship towards the stern door that would take them to the steps leading down to the cargo hold.
*****
Cooper and Fitch paused at the small splattering of blood on the floor and followed the trail of drips that led behind the shipping container with their eyes. Cooper signaled for Fitch to go around to the right side while he headed left. Fitch reluctantly nodded and moved away.
Keeping tight to the end of the metal container, Cooper edged towards the corner. When he leaned out and peered around the edge, he came face to face with a monster. Shock silenced his scream as the monster emitted a low, deep growl that sent piss running down his leg. Claws gripped his head and pulled it towards the vicious face and the jaws stretched wide to receive it. The teeth that scraped along his skull seemed to echo inside his head as his cheek, nose and lips were bitten away.
Fitch halted at hearing the strange growl over his headphones. Whatever he had heard, and he was trying hard not to visualize it, he knew it hadn't been uttered by a Russian saboteur or anything human. Though he desperately wanted to flee in the opposite direction, his compulsion to help Cooper drove him forward.
When the one-eyed Hunter detected the approach of another human, he placed clawed fingers into Cooper's lipless mouth, pulled the weapon away from the human's grasp and climbed the side of the container.
Cooper experienced terrible pain as he was carried like a grotesque human handbag. He glimpsed Selby's bloody corpse when he was set down beside it on top of the container and the man's weapon placed on his unmoving chest. His terrified gaze flicked to the monster and saw it presently looked elsewhere. His hand slowly reached for the dead man's weapon.
Fitch's head appeared around the far end of the container and gazed along its vacant length. Though he was pleased to see it absent any threat, he worried that there was no sign of Cooper. He cautiously moved along the side.
The Hunter gazed down at the human below and then at the human beside it when it felt him move. The obvious pain and fear registered in the human's eyes caused it no concern, but its hand reaching for the weapon moved it to action. A single talon dragged across the human's throat ended the threat. It slipped its fingers from the dead human's mouth and gently laid the weapon down before it moved forward and peered over the edge.
Fitch reached the end of the container, but there was still no sign of Cooper. He lent his head nearer the mic and anxiously whispered,
“Cooper, where are you?”
The Hunter leaned over the side of the container and drew back a claw to swipe and kill.
As Fitch pondered what he should do, he stepped farther into the room.
The Hunter's claw swiped nothing but air.
Fitch felt the breeze waft past his cheek and turned. The shock of seeing the monster squeezed his finger resting on the trigger. Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the container. Fitch turned and ran. The Hunter jumped to the floor and gave chase. Without stopping, Fitch aimed the weapon behind and fired a few panicked shots at the monster. A lucky bullet stuck its leg; it was only a graze but the impact sent the Hunter stumbling to the ground. Fitch reached the door as the Hunter recovered and ran for him. He opened the door, stepped through and pulled it shut. A claw appeared around the edge of the door and yanked it from his grasp. The Hunter growled at him savagely. Fitch fled along the corridor.
Miller reached the bottom of the enclosed staircase first and saw the Hunter by the door. As his gunfire echoed through the cavernous room and bullets pinged off the metal walls around it, the Hunter bounded through the opening.
Miller, Sawyer and Patterson rushed across the room in pursuit.
*****
Fitch shot a glance behind as he rushed up a staircase and saw the monster arrive at the bottom. He dashed along the corridor at the top and when someone stepped into the corridor, shouted, “Get back in the room and close the door.”
The puzzlement that had creased crewman Davis's face when the man shouted at him changed to fear when he glimpsed the monster. He disappeared back into his room and the door clanged shut.
Years sat staring at a computer screen had taken their toll on Fitch. Panting heavily, he regretted his lax fitness training when he realized he wouldn't be able to keep ahead of the monster for much longer. He passed the first door leading into the galley and glanced through the window panels that formed the top half of the galley wall. Some of the crew sat at tables eating and chatting casually. A man with a forkful of food halfway to his mouth looked at Fitch and on recognizing him, nodded. A shocked yell brought the various conversations to an end and faces swiveled to the monster in the corridor. The monster's footsteps pounding on the floor grew swiftly closer. To avoid the agonizing death that was about to be upon him, Fitch dodged into the second galley door and shouted, “RUN!”