Earth To Centauri_Alien Hunt

by Kumar L

  Rawat closed his eyes. He should ignore it. He should wait for the troops. And yet . . .

  He started to get up.

  “Are you insane?” Shinde pulled him back down. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “If I can end this now we can avoid further bloodshed.” Rawat had to try to keep his voice steady. To hide his fear but mainly to hide the rage, the rage that flared up with every memory of those three days, the rage that grew with every taunting cry from the monster.

  The ACP, however, seemed at least partly aware of what was going on. He grabbed Rawat by the arms and looked directly into his eyes. “Listen to me,” he said. “There is far more at stake here than your wounded pride.”

  “This isn't about pride anymore, sir. It's about revenge.” Rawat pulled himself free of his grip and stood up, facing Jur fully.

  There was a pounding in his ears matched only by that of his heart as he faced off with Jur. He forced himself to smile but found that it required little force. His anger saw to that.

  “Well?” his voice was dangerously low. It sounded like it belonged to someone else.

  Jur met Rawat's smile with its own. “Earthman. We meet again. You fight me.”

  “No weapons,” Rawat said. “Hand to hand. Like men.”

  “Not men. Like KifrWyss.” Jur dropped its weapon and without taking its eyes off Rawat, started pulling off its body armour, piece by piece, until it wore only blue pants, a knife sheathed at the waist. Somehow it seemed even more otherworldly and terrible like this; the skin was shining with sweat, the muscles bulging beneath scaled, dark green skin that barely contained them. It spread its four arms like a challenge, and as it did, it seemed to grow. Rawat felt his fists clench as the monster's smile turned into a snarl, a snarl that threatened to drag him back to those three days, a snarl that made him want to turn and run.

  A snarl that made him that much more determined to win.

  Behind him, Ryan leveled Rawat's gun at the monster. Insurance, he supposed.

  Rawat could feel time slowing around him, and as it did, he forced his breathing to be steady and his focus to sharpen. Fear, anger, revenge – there would be time for all of that later. At this moment these emotions were just obstacles he needed to overcome.

  It was time.

  With speed that belied its bulk, Jur lunged forward, barreling towards Rawat with the speed and force of a freight train. Before the soldier could even get his hands up in a defensive position, two giant hands had closed around his throat. He tried to gasp but couldn't; the grip had cut off all air in seconds. His thoughts swam as Jur's snarl filled his vision and two spare hands grasped his before they could come to his defence.

  His strength was failing and he had to act fast. As the monster pulled him off the ground, he kicked as hard as he could, connecting with Jur's knee. It was no use. The creature didn't so much as flinch. And Rawat's vision was turning blurry.

  Then, as Jur pulled Rawat closer, he slammed his head into the aliens' with all the force he had.

  It hurt, but even in his ebbing focus, he could see the creature blink. That was all the encouragement he needed, and pain joined fear as he head butted Jur again and again until the alien yelped and its grip loosened. Rawat took his chance, pulling his hands free, using them to shove Jur's chest as hard as he could. He folded both his legs and kicked out hard. The grip on his neck vanished and, staggering, Rawat landed on his feet.

  He backed away, trying to regain his focus, trying to catch his breath, but his enemy did not hesitate. Jur's foot was a blur at the bottom of his sight when Rawat felt his legs being knocked out from under him. He fell only to be caught by two enormous hands, hands that lifted him into the air and threw him as hard as he could against a nearby door.

  Rawat was aware of the pain as the door gave way beneath the force of his flying body. He was aware of the impact as he hit the ground in what must have been a recovery room. He was acutely aware of the shape of Jur, towering over him and looking for the entire world like approaching death. But he was also aware of the firm, steady voice in his head that told him he had to win this.

  Rawat managed to stand, only for the monster's foot to take him in the chest, sending him sprawling backward again.

  This time he hit a wall but remaining upright was hardly an advantage as Jur was on him in seconds, raining down blow after blow. Rawat staggered, sagged and as Jur prepared to hit him again he brought his whole body upwards, letting the force carry his fist into the creature's chin and send it lurching backward, surprised and dazed.

  It was all the advantage Rawat needed. He forgot reason or strategy or control as, with a strangled roar, he came at the monster, giving back as good as he got with blow after blow, relishing every hit he landed on Jur's face.

  Shinde and Ryan had appeared in the door, but both paused at the sight. Ryan felt a vicious grin contort his face. No insurance needed here. Another strike and the creature fell back, landing hard on one of the hospital beds.

  Behind Ryan and the ACP, the backup had arrived but none of them came any closer as, bloodied, beaten and breathing heavily, Rawat approached his feebly struggling enemy.

  Then, faster than he could have anticipated, Jur pulled its knife from the sheath and swung it hard towards Rawat - catching him in the neck. As blood flowed freely from the wound, Rawat intercepted its wrist and twisted hard. Jur cried out, dropping the knife, which Rawat caught in his spare hand.

  Memories flashed through his head. Memories of those three days, of all the shame he had suffered at the hands of these monsters. Held hostage; impotent.

  No more.

  Jur was staring up at him, eyes wide. It might have been fear. It might have been a final moment of respect for the human that had beaten it. Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore. With his last remaining strength, Rawat brought the knife down, burying it to the hilt in the alien's chest.

  It's over. Parakramo Vijayate. Valour Triumphs.

  East Wing, INHS Asvini

  “D on't hurt her! Please don't hurt her!” screamed Lucy as she tried getting up but the tubes inserted into her arms held her back. Jim threatened her to stay put while Anara looked upon all the people lying about hurt or dying. Her training took over as she analysed the tactical situation. With so many civilians in the room, the circumstances were probably not in favour of the good guys. She could see Abhiram keeping his weapon ready while texting instructions on his intercom. They needed to buy some time till the cavalry reached. She had to keep Jim talking and distracted.

  “Don't do this Jim. She's your child!”

  “Maybe it is time that I take what is rightfully mine, Captain Anara. I have consoled myself that this day will come when I will find my child. That is the only thought which has kept me sane. And now I am here and so are you. Stand back. You realise that I still have my device, don't you? You don't want to take any chances that would blow up this city and all of us."

  Oh, shoot! I forgot all about it. Damn, thought Abhiram as he sent fresh instructions to his team.

  “Look, Jim, I'm going to help these people who are hurt and then we're going to talk. Just put the gun down. You'll hurt someone.”

  “I want to hurt someone, Anara! I want to hurt all of you! Just like you hurt me and left me all alone!” Jim finally snapped. “Every single day since you left HuZryss, I have dreamed of the day when I would find you and take my revenge. No one is going to help anyone here. Let… them… die.”

  This isn't working; he's getting more volatile, thought Anara as she braced herself to end the confrontation. She didn't have a weapon, but Abhiram did, and he was unhurt.

  “Don't think about it, Anara. The trigger is voice-activated. One word and BOOM," warned Jim. He'd made up his mind. He knew how to hurt all these people. “I'm taking my daughter with me. We will return to HuZryss, and you will never find us again.”

  “No! No, you can't do that. You can't take my baby. Captain, please stop him!” implored Lucy as she struggl
ed to get up again. The effort was too much, and she suddenly collapsed in a dead faint. Dr. Khan rushed to her ignoring the vicious look on Jim's face.

  “Stand back from the door, Captain,” said Jim as he put one hand under the child while keeping his eyes forward. Never having handled a child before, it was awkward for him, but he somehow managed to get a decent grip. Baby Anara woke up at that moment and started wailing. Jim was nervous, but this only made him more determined. My daughter will come with me, and I will raise her as in my image. He kept his gun pointed at the child

  There was a sudden commotion outside the door, and Abhiram heaved a sigh of relief. The backup was here. He looked at Tej seemingly unconscious on the floor with blood seeping from the wound in her shoulder. He was angry, but the danger to the child and the threat of the device held him back. “Don't do anything rash. Wait for the opportunity,” he called out to the team outside to stand by but not to fire under any circumstances.

  “You know that you won't get out of this place, right? There are a hundred troops out there to stop you.”

  “Oh, they won't stop me. Not when I have the child in my hand and the bomb next to me.”

  “Oh, yeah? And how will you carry all of this on your own?”

  Jim was caught for a moment before he realised what his best option would be. “I won't. The captain will carry it for me, won't you Captain? Get up and take the child,” he ordered.

  Anara came forward and took the wailing baby in her arms. She rocked it a little bit trying to soothe her, but failed.

  “Let's go now, Anara. Straight out the door. You go out first,” Jim ordered Abhiram. “Clear the way and find us a mode of transport to get back to my ship. Remember, it will only take one word from me to blow the bomb.”

  There was no way out. They would play around for some more time and look for an opportunity. For now, they did as they were told. Abhiram exited first, keeping the double doors open. Anara went next, baby in her arms, Jim's gun on the baby's head and the device on Jim's back.

  The soldiers in the corridor stepped back against the walls, clearing a small path for them to pass through. Their fingers were on their triggers, but the guns pointed down. The little procession walked out slowly, Jim continuously looking back and sideways - watchful of any threatening moves.

  There was a clatter of steps, and new figures appeared in front. Ryan and the ACP had run all the way from the west wing leaving the local police behind to handle the dead alien. They stopped abruptly, taking in the scene being played out in front of them. Where's Rawat? Anara wondered.

  She caught Ryan's eyes, and he slowly shook his head, and Anara understood. Rawat was dead. She hoped he had died the way he'd lived - with courage and determination. But now was not the time to mourn him. She had an innocent life to protect. She hoped she would have Rawat's courage when her time came.

  “Your partner is dead. You are alone now. Surrender while there is still time,” called out the ACP.

  “I hope it did not die without taking more humans with him. But as you can see, things are different here. Keep aside and don't come in my way. Go on, Anara,” said Jim prodding her in the back with his gun.

  Ryan saw the alertness in the Captain's eyes and was reassured that whatever her condition, she remained in control. She would find her way out of the predicament.

  The group continued down the stairs and reached the main concourse. A scene of devastation greeted them. Medics, doctors, and EMRARs were on the scene helping those who were hurt. Collecting the dead bodies would come later. Everyone stopped working and looked up when the small group appeared at the head of the escalator.

  Leaving the devastation behind, they went out the back exit, which opened out to the lawn where two quadcopters were waiting. They entered the lead copter. Snipers on the roof and in other quadcopters flying above kept a close eye. They were looking for a chance to take a shot, but the three people were too close to each other. Even a small error would have resulted in an innocent getting killed. The orders were clear. Take no chances; wait for this to play out.

  The group settled in, and Jim provided the coordinates to the pilot, who took off and turned northwards. Jim sent a single coded message back to his ship asking them to be prepared.

  The return

  “S witch off the virtual display and turn off auto-pilot. Just fly this thing manually,” he ordered, pointing his gun at the pilot. “Tell them to clear the air of all aircraft. No one is to follow us. Understand?”

  She did as commanded. It was strange taking manual control of the craft without any aids. She'd only done this any number of times in the simulator and on training missions. Never in a combat situation.

  “This is Police 159 to Mumbai control,” called out the pilot. “Be advised we are taking off now. We have two hostages on board. Request you to clear the airspace.”

  “Police 159 – wilco. Please stand by.”

  The pilot increased power to the engines.

  “Police 159 – Mumbai control. On orders of the Commissioner of Police, I am ordering all aircraft to stand down. You are clear.”

  “Roger, Mumbai Control,” The pilot took off and deliberately flew slowly. Her instruments revealed clear airspace around her though there were multiple copters just at the edge of the range of her radar.

  Jim looked through the windows at the ground below and saw many people still lining the streets and some very large idols converging at the immersion points. Strangely, most other parts of the city were empty. The evacuation thus far had been carried out successfully.

  This will all end soon. I'll be a hero back home. I'm sure the Chairman will understand why I had to bring my baby back.

  The baby had stopped wailing and now lapsed into sobs, still cradled in Anara's arms. She was angry at the pain the baby was undergoing and at her helplessness.

  “You are hurting your baby, you know. Which father does that?”

  “When she grows up she'll understand this was for her own good.” The baby's crying was getting on his nerves. “Can't you do something to stop her crying? Silence her.”

  “You know nothing about babies, do you? I can't just ask her to shut up. She must be hungry, and she needs her mother,” she stated firmly.

  “Well, her mother is not here, so you'd better do your best.” Maybe this was not such a good idea after all. What do babies eat anyway? I've never even seen one before.

  Anara lapsed into silence trying to cradle the baby and keep her comfortable. She was also getting worried about the effect the atmosphere would have on the baby’s frail body. She should not have been taken out of the isolation chamber and yet here she was - flying off to God knows where at two thousand feet. Anara looked out of the window to see the glass and steel skyscrapers rushing by. The air was clear of traffic. She turned when Jim coughed. His face was pale, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. What the hell now? Was he ill? I hope it's not contagious. Maybe the current situation required emotional action instead of physical.

  “You don't look so well. What's wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong with me,” he snapped then bent double as another racking cough hit him. However, his grip on the gun did not loosen. “Why can't you just keep quiet?”

  “You need a doctor. You've not been using an isolation suit. Any of the bugs on Earth could have hurt you. Didn't you think of that?”

  That's exactly what Jim was thinking. PiYena had assured them that the medications would take care of any eventuality. Well, it looked like this ‘eventuality' was not covered. He was months away from KifrWyss and any doctors who could help him. No matter. He would survive.

  “I guess you didn't, huh? Then I'm sure you did not think what would happen to your daughter in the open.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, startled enough to forget his pain.

  “Why do you think she was kept in the incubator, Jim? Why do you think Lucy was in isolation? Their bodies do not have immunity to Earth diseases. Just look a
t you now. What do you think will happen to your daughter in another few hours? Or even worse - what will happen to her when she is back on KifrWyss? Jim, as it is she's in a precarious position,” Anara implored, using every ounce of persuasion she could muster. “I implore you. Don't make it worse for her. She cannot survive on Earth or on your planet without our help. Don't do this to her. She's your flesh and blood.”

  Was she right? I have seen what happened to Jur and me. Can the same thing happen to my daughter? She looks so weak - how was he going to take care of her on the spaceship? For the first time during the mission, Jim hesitated. Doubts clouded his mind, and his body betrayed him. He kept silent and did not reply.

  “You've done enough damage to your home planet today Jim. So many people died. So many of them are wounded. It's time you stopped.”

  “This is not my home! Don't you understand that? It was never my home. You abandoned us - all of you. You left us to die in space!” He felt spent. The next word came out more sullen than angry. “There is nothing for me here on Earth.”

  “You're wrong. You have Lucy, and you have your daughter. If you want we can try and find your parents too.”

  Jim laughed but with bitterness. “Didn't you hear what Lucy said, Captain? She doesn't want me anymore, and if what you say is true then my daughter may not have much time to live either. No, my time on Earth is over.”

  “We're in sight of the coordinates provided. What do you want me to do?” It was the pilot calling out from the controls.

  Jim looked out but could not recognise the place - it was dark, and he'd never seen it from the air. His instrument, however, told him that he had arrived.

  “Land here,” he instructed, and the pilot skillfully landed them next to the abandoned factory.

  “Let's go, Captain. The ride is over.” Jim opened the door and stepped out. Anara followed with the baby in her arms. Jim motioned the pilot also to get down and join them.

  He pointed Anara forward, and they rapidly moved forward to find the door and enter the dark structure.