Surviving The Theseus

by Randy Noble

  Both John and George were completely covered, as if in a pod. Spread out, it looked more golden than brown. It fit snugly over both of them, and she could see it moving up and down.

  “I think they’re still breathing,” Michael said. He looked up and then down the hallway.

  Rachel bent down and reached out to touch them.

  Michael pulled her arm back. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. In fact, we should all back up.”

  Rachel stood back up and backed off as Michael asked. Regina and Cindy did the same, Regina not liking the idea of what it was doing to them. Ingesting something maybe. Feeding off them, like a parasite, or maybe crushing them. Too many horrible possibilities existed.

  Michael looked at all of them, then down at the gelatinous bodies. “We need to continue on.”

  Regina was shocked. “We can’t. We can’t just leave them here to . . . to die.”

  “It’s not open for discussion.” Michael nodded at Rachel who looked back and forth at Michael and Regina. She nodded back and started walking.

  Everyone but Regina continued walking past the bodies, following Rachel, Cindy beside her, gun at the ready. Regina understood Michael’s decision, but she didn’t like it. She barely knew these men, yet tears fought their way out of her eyes.

  She tilted her head back, rolling her eyes, debating whether or not to kill George and John, if they were even still alive to be killed. She wiped her eyes with her right arm, and brought her head back down.

  Michael was right in front of her, the others right behind Michael. He grabbed her hand, and she didn’t know what to do. It was an alien thing to her, more alien than what lay on the floor in front of her. She pulled her hand away.

  “There’s nothing you can do,” he said. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’ll regret it if you do. We don’t know anything about any of this, and if you kill them because you think you’ll end their suffering, it’ll eat at you for the rest of your life.”

  “Yeah, well, if I don’t, it will eat at me for the rest of my life.”

  Michael nodded at Cindy. “Impact sensor.”

  Cindy reached into a side pocket and brought out a disc-like object, the size of a quarter, placed it on the wall beside her, and pressed a button on the middle of it. Three metal prongs split out of the disc and attached to the wall. She then did something with the personal data device on her wrist.

  “What is that?” Regina said.

  “It’s something,” Michael said, “we should have used previously, but George wouldn’t allow it due to beta testing issues with reliability. Lots of false positives.”

  “Say again?”

  “It’s something we just got, something we were asked to test. Impact sensors. They pick up any sort of vibration, unfortunately. They can pick up vibration from anything so we can never totally rely on readings we get back on our devices. But I gave the go ahead, because if we get a big enough reading, it may indicate something is nearby. It seems like it might be the only way to tell where these creatures are.”

  “You mean we could have used these before, and George nixed it?” Rachel said.

  “Yeah,” Cindy said, “he does that . . . did stuff like that. He was very by the book, and if he couldn’t trust it, he didn’t use it.”

  “Let’s go,” Michael said. He stayed in the back, and Cindy and Rachel took the lead. Regina looked back at the golden brown blobs that used to be George and John, and then turned away, the tears back again and there was nothing she could do about it.

  As they walked, Regina watched over Cindy’s shoulder at her wrist screen. Like a stone in water, ripples came off of a circular icon which she assumed represented the impact sensor, activated by the impact of all of them walking. The words “Silent Mode” flashed on the bottom of the screen.

  Chapter 41

  “Well, that should do it,” Travis said to Mary as he placed a panel back in place, below the flight control in the cockpit of their ship. A charred board sat on the floor beside him.

  She stared at Travis for a couple of seconds, and he knew she was sizing him up, but he didn’t care. It just didn’t bother him. Size away, Travis thought.

  “Good,” Mary said.

  I am good, Travis thought to himself and smiled. Mary saw the smile and returned a frown before she turned to Paula and Brett.

  “You two, get the systems online and we’ll do a diagnostic. Report to me either way, as soon as you know.”

  “Yes sir,” they said in unison.

  Travis kept smiling. He looked Mary up and down, liking what he saw, regardless of the personality that went with it. No time for an impossibility, beyond a fun challenge, he got up and walked into the passenger area.

  Like Michael’s group, they also felt the advantage to using impact sensors. They placed an impact sensor out in the bay, near their ship.

  Travis’s wrist device beeped. He lifted his wrist and saw thick lines pulsing off of the circular object representing the sensor just outside. They were all a little jumpy after Michael contacted them about George and John. An uneasy feeling came over him immediately, but he didn’t panic. “Comm set. Michael, where are you at?”

  Michael’s voice immediately came back. “Passenger Level 4. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure yet. The sensor is going crazy, but there’s nothing on the video. We’ll get back to you. Comm off.”

  Mary was right behind him. Even though his back was to her, he knew she was there. “Something is coming,” he said and then turned to face her.

  “There’s no way for it to get in,” she said. “The ship is sealed.”

  The beeping got louder, and the pulses on the screen bigger and faster.

  Paula and Brett stood just inside the cockpit, by the door, listening.

  “What about the landing gear?” Paula asked.

  Mary rolled her eyes. “No. No way. Too small of an opening, and, besides, the small access area to get to the gear is sealed.”

  Faster. Louder. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  They all looked at her, and she looked uneasy. “Just to be safe, Travis, take guard in the engine room. Paula and Brett, go back to getting things up and running, but keep watch on the floor panel in the cockpit. I’ll keep watch here on the exit.”

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

  Suddenly, after incessantly getting louder and faster, the beeping stopped. Silence. They all knew the speed of the sound and the volume meant whatever was out there was getting closer, so either it completely stopped moving, or vanished.

  They all looked at their wrist devices. Travis saw nothing.

  “What the fuck?” Travis said.

  “Go,” Mary said. “Now.”

  When Travis bolted into the engine room, his gun was up, and his eyes darted everywhere. The room was smaller than the Pyramid shuttle engine room, with only one large cylinder on the wall instead of the Pyramid shuttle’s three. Some computer panels with thin, clear monitors stood in each corner. The enclosed cylinder stuck out from the wall. Three large pipes led up into it from underneath, the pipes originating in three separate tanks that sat on the floor to the left of the cylinder.

  Travis scanned the floor tiles in the room, waiting for movement. A minute later, he got his wish. He held his breath, and then his mind went to thoughts of women past and women wished. Travis opened fire.

  Chapter 42

  “I can’t reach Mary or anyone else,” Cindy said. She, Rachel, Regina, and Michael stood inside one of the rooms. It was small, with only one queen sized bed. The walls were mauve, the carpet gold. A painting of the Great Pyramid adorned the wall above the bed.

  The tackiness of Pyramid’s décor no longer bothered Regina. The familiarity of it was the only thing keeping her calm with the unknown hunting them.

  Cindy had been trying to reach the others for ten minutes, getting no response, no movement on the impact sensors, nothing. Regina assumed they were dead or encapsulated like John and George.

  “Wh
at do we do, sir?” Cindy asked Michael.

  He paused and looked at Rachel, then Regina.

  Regina stared back, expectant. She couldn’t imagine he would be looking to her for answers. Regina had more faith in his leadership than George’s. George was too slow to respond. Taking the time to think was fine, but not under pressure. Michael was quick, usually, and confident. Not to say George was not confident, but he weighed too many options. Regina knew what she would do and she hoped Michael would come to that same conclusion. His response to the encasement of John and George was the right call, and she knew it.

  Michael took a deep breath. “We continue on.”

  Regina nodded.

  “There’s nothing on the cameras,” Michael said, “nothing on the impact sensors, and we can’t hear anything over comms from the others.”

  Regina wondered why they ever split up to begin with. Did George not believe the information about the matchstick disabling device that Blair used? Maybe he didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket. No matter.

  Michael continued. “How close are we, Rachel?”

  “We’re in 4889, and Blair’s room is 4952.”

  “Okay,” Michael said, “I’ll take point, Cindy you have the back, Rachel behind me and then Regina.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “And, Cindy, I want you placing impact sensors, but we shouldn’t need many over the distance. Place one outside in the hallway, and then at 4922.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Without another word, Michael, his eyes alert yet sullen, led the way.

  Chapter 43

  They moved quickly down the dim, tunnel-like hallway, passing room after room. At 4922, Cindy had another impact sensor ready and set it right on the door as they passed. Nobody slowed.

  They were over halfway there. Regina watched the door numbers as they moved quickly down the hallway.

  “Stop!” Cindy said, almost yelling.

  Everyone did. They all turned and looked at Cindy.

  She looked at everyone’s feet, probably to see if anyone was moving, Regina guessed.

  “Something’s coming. Two sensors back. Room 4889.”

  Regina looked down the hallway from where they just came from and could see nothing coming, which is what she expected. She knew one thing for sure about their enemies: they were relentless. Not for a second was there any doubt in her mind that they would ever give up.

  Michael didn’t hesitate. He quickly walked to the nearest door, but then turned around and moved to a door up a bit and on the other side of the hall, 4942.

  Regina heard the distinct sound of a locked door as Michael tried the handle.

  He kicked it in with everything he had.

  The door crashed open, splintering at the jam, smashing into the stopper and bending it. The door handle punctured the wall.

  Michael nodded at the others to move inside, which they all did, double time, and then he closed the door as well as it could, sticking open slightly.

  The room was larger than the last one they were in, but not by much. The carpet, flooring, and walls, as well as the door, were similar to the other room.

  “Cindy,” Michael said, “take Rachel and Regina, and work your way up --“

  Michael pointed at the wall in the room.

  “-- through the rooms. Use the lipstick to go through the walls. Don’t go out into the hallway.”

  Cindy started to speak, but Michael kept talking, cutting her off. “It’s an order. No time for debate. I’ll run up the hallway and draw it off. Has it gotten to the 4922 sensor yet?”

  “I think so,” Cindy said. “It’s a weak signal. Looks like the creature is moving pretty slow.”

  “With any luck,” Michael said, “it didn’t see any of us so it will have no reason to come into this room.”

  Regina couldn’t believe it. Ridiculous. They needed to stay and fight, and knock it down. And then they could all run to where they needed to go. Against her better judgment, she said nothing. She had no authority over Michael. Voicing her opinion would change nothing.

  Michael looked at Regina. “Regina, after I leave, I . . . can you please watch the door? If it even twitches, unload everything you have, and everyone run.” That’s better, she thought.

  “Of course,” she said, and managed a weak smile.

  Michael smiled back. “Didn’t think you had it in you, kid.”

  Kid, she thought, pretty sure she was older than he was.

  “Sir,” Cindy said, “the 4922 signal is getting stronger.”

  Michael turned to leave, Cindy wide-eyed. “I’ll radio,” Michael said, “when I’ve pulled the creature away to a different floor and I feel that it’s safe. I’ll try and make my way back.” Michael opened the door as much as he had to and slipped out, taking a left, toward whatever the hell was coming towards them.

  They all looked at one another, Cindy’s eyes welling up. Cindy turned and went to the far wall in the room. Rachel closed the door and then walked over to Cindy, and Regina followed.

  As rapid gunfire erupted from the hallway, Regina caught a glimpse of Cindy’s wrist device, both Rachel and Cindy watching it as well. There were two circular icons. The icon with a two beside it rippled faster than the other, and then it stopped, but the bullets didn’t. Michael, with any luck, mowed it down and hopefully got past it. Would it follow?

  Cindy pulled off her wrist device and gave it to Rachel, and then got out her explosive lipstick and started drawing a small door, half the size of a normal one, onto the wall.

  Regina turned to watch the room door. That’s when a noise came from the bathroom. She noticed the closed bathroom door when they came in, but it didn’t concern her then. Regina pulled out her weapon.

  Chapter 44

  Michael just about tripped over the creature that charged at him, after knocking it down with a barrage of bullets, or he assumed as much since he couldn’t see it. He kept the barrel pointed down as he walked around it. Once past it, he pulled up his wrist device and scanned for impact sensors nearby, picking up the two in the vicinity.

  He backed up from it, watching the device all the while. Once he got about twenty feet away, he stopped so he would no longer pick up his own movement from the sensors.

  Twenty seconds later the sensor went crazy, beeping and pulsing quickly. Michael opted not to silence his signal as Cindy had, just so he could listen and shoot if he had to, instead of looking down at the pulsing icon.

  It was close. But was it close enough? He had to make sure it chased him and didn’t go into the room.

  An orange flash consumed him and the hallway he stood in. He took a step back when his vision blurred. Nausea encroached and then retreated soon after, along with the strange burning smell.

  Michael turned and ran.

  Chapter 45

  “Rachel,” Regina said, and waved her over.

  “What?”

  “Did you hear that?” Regina whispered. “Bathroom.”

  Regina pulled out her .45 caliber and a fresh clip, one with shock bullets. She ejected the clip in the gun and slammed the new one in. She pocketed the regular bulleted clip and handed the gun to Rachel who, reluctantly, accepted it.

  Regina withdrew her SOAD weapon from the holster hidden inside her coat.

  Cindy looked over at them. Regina waved at her to keep doing what she was doing.

  Regina and Rachel moved to the bathroom door slowly and quietly, Rachel on the left and Regina on the right. Regina mouthed the words “Back me up” at Rachel, and Rachel nodded that she understood.

  Regina pressed a couple buttons on the handle of her weapon and then pointed it between the doorknob and doorjamb on the bathroom door. She fired and an explosive percussion rang out as the door shredded in a one-foot radius around the door jam.

  Regina kicked the door open, and she immediately moved toward the closed shower curtain. Rachel was right behind her, the .45 pointed at the shower.

  Regina quickly grabbed th
e shower curtain and slid it over.

  Both women recoiled at the site of another pod person, wrapped in the same gelatinous goo that got John and George, in a full tub of water. Not even a chance.

  Regina looked for a source of the noise and saw a wrist device on the green, marble counter. It was some sort of videophone, vibrating. She picked it up and saw there was a message from six hours previous: Meet me at the bar. You know the one.

  Rachel looked over Regina’s shoulder. Both women walked out of the bathroom without a word between them. There was nothing to say.

  As they passed through the door, Rachel grabbed her head with both hands, her face scrunched and in obvious pain.

  "What?" Regina asked.

  "Na-nothing. Just a headache coming on, I think." She pulled her hands away, blinking hard a couple times. "Whew. That was weird. It's gone though. No big deal."

  Regina looked at her, and then up at Cindy.

  Cindy had the chunk of wall out that she had previously marked with the lipstick, a solid piece of steel, which Regina helped her place quietly on the ground.

  All of them made their way to the next room over, which looked the same as the last one.

  Regina and Cindy pulled the metal piece back up and placed it so it looked somewhat like it did. Not perfect by any means, with a gap at the top and sides, but on a quick glance, someone would not notice it. Hopefully.

  Chapter 46

  Michael ran, stopping very quickly at every corner and stairwell to set an impact sensor, and also to check if anything was following. Every time he stopped, a sensor or two back would be pulsing. It was hot on his trail. Instead of going down, he worked his way up to the top level, not quietly.

  Once on the top level, looking at the forest of trees and sky before him in amazement, he set another sensor and watched his device. He had never seen anything like this ship before. It had everything to make you feel at home. His father would have loved it. Just the kind of place he used to get away to with his father and mother as a kid. Michael’s eyes watered, but he wiped the tears away and mumbled a “No!”