Abductees

by Alan Brickett

  The entire creature would have to be destroyed node by node. Each node had dozens of the basic forms scurrying or sludging around it, ready to pick it up and carry it away down one of the tunnels in case of a need for escape.

  A few of the tunnels already had long lines of nerve tendrils disappearing into them as well, creating a vastly spread-out organism that controlled all of these moving forms. Among them, the equipment salvaged from the refugees it had absorbed was collected.

  Another form of the Devourer had grown from various sources of biological matter to make a weirdly flower-like creature. Standing upright on a single flexible pseudopod, the top was a knob of flesh with tufts of feelers and tiny tentacles, looking for all the metaphorical comparison like a dandelion pod.

  These Devourer forms were taking apart pieces of equipment and reassembling them into various components, which were then put together as weapons or tools. The genetic intelligence of the Devourer passed down by the virus allowed it stunning complexity of thought and understanding.

  To take apart existing technology and reassemble it into useful pieces was child’s play.

  If necessary, the entire creature would have mined out and built its way up the technological evolution from the Stone Age. With access to advanced technology, it saved a significant portion of that time and went straight for devices that enhanced its growth and survival.

  In this situation, that meant weaponry.

  “Uh, wow,” Marc commented on the private channel while they took it all in.

  “Marc, take a recording. We need to send this to Commander Obragon.” Lekiso was being as practical as ever.

  “Uh, sure. On it.” Marc activated the recording options of his display and then gave the cavern another long once over while the others discussed their next steps.

  “We only need to get one of the parasites. And I really don’t want to have to fight the whole damn nest,” Ormond said.

  “I agree. At least you can just let loose. I don’t see any innocents or prisoners down there,” Connor replied.

  Meriam was busy with her forearm computer.

  “You’re right, nothing. No other life except for the Devourer. I can see why the Domums treat this thing so carefully. It is monstrously effective.”

  “What’s the plan, Connor?” Lekiso was huddled off to the other side of the tunnel opening into the cavern.

  Like the rest of them, she was hunched down around the lip to stay out of sight.

  “And why isn’t it attacking us?”

  “It probably wants to see what we are going to do. Something like this, it can probably tell we are different from every other alien around here. And besides, it might not even perceive us as a threat,” the big man replied.

  “Until we start shooting it all over the place,” Ormond said, the private channel carrying his serious tone.

  “And it’s all connected. It will know as soon as we grab one of its little critters. Then all hell will break loose.”

  Automated log update.

  Subjects display continued growth in awareness of gravitonic principles. The subconscious profiling is taking rapid effect compared with baseline variables.

  Integration of the knowledge with thought and action is improving.

  Subjects continued growth in line with the expected stress-inducing environment.

  Point of success for complete rational control approaching the ninetieth percentile category. Success of bio-neural profiling recorded in file 446-A, along with neural data. Event data linked to the file.

  Devourer lifeform data recorded and logged. Event has provided sufficient conclusions to adjustment of mission objectives.

  Sample of an organism will be used to substantiate findings.

  Devourer updated to priority one climax of the current flashpoint. Tempest invasion flashpoint linked to Devourer directly.

  Profiling of localized scenario indicates the danger probability capable of expanding into severe categories. Profiling of subjects’ tactical advantage and operations knowledge offsets danger category expansion.

  Medical bay is prepped and ready for any outside variables.

  Monitoring continues.

  * *

  The Devourer could use any biological matter.

  Whether that of plants, mammals, insects or even other lifeforms that were not carbon-based. Whatever had DNA could be manipulated by the Devourer, deriving any use from the existing material or flesh as it needed or rewriting the raw material into a new form.

  It was this capability to change and modify the form of biological substance which led to the name used to describe the results. A Devourer form was whatever kind of organic creature it created, whatever the intended purpose.

  The primary parasite which the Humans had already seen was a Devourer form designed to spread the essential components of itself.

  In very little time any organic component was repurposed, at a macro level bones and muscles could take on new shapes and organs adapted into a pattern designed to fuel the shape. Whatever the result ended up being was considered a Form of the Devourer catered to a specific purpose.

  There did not seem to be a specific template since the Devourer had no concern over aesthetics, but a competent biologist would be able to explain the underlying construct of a form used for maintenance, feeding, building or combat.

  Everything organic needed to move, have the limbs to accomplish its tasks, the ability to take in sustenance and deal with waste. So every form had a pattern based on function and as such the differences between forms of the same function depended on subtleties.

  A form used for maintenance might have small limbs with cilia on the end for very fine detailed work while one repairing other organic constructs could have scalpel sharp claws and dexterous limbs for tying or sewing up cuts.

  Those same scalpel limbs might be found on a combat form, with the larger variant being claws, pincers, stabbing limbs or objects made of dense bone.

  Overall the categories and types would differ so much that the generic term of a form was simplest.

  The form could be humanoid with two arms and legs, or insectile and spiderlike with eight legs, all depending on the requirements the Devourer had for it. One of the most interest facets of the underlying production of forms was the conservation of available materials.

  While nothing went to waste a given form also had nothing extra beyond its purpose.

  A combat form might have four lungs to provide enough oxygen for the extreme speed and strength it required from itself. But a working drone which oozed onto a set of integrated machinery and rebuilt it would have no eyes, no liver or other extraneous organs beyond its given purpose.

  Add to this that the Devourer forms were all replaceable and reusable and you would find that when a combat form, scout form or maintenance form was not needed it was reabsorbed and the component organic material used in other ways.

  According to the Devourer science files from Manor Alim of the Domum, the more complex the thought processes of the Hivemind, the larger the mind, and the more complex and efficient the forms could get.

  * *

  A few minutes later, and the humans put their plan into action.

  Lekiso, Connor, and Ormond took enhanced leaps up to the ceiling of the tunnel. In the low gravity, it was an easy enough jump, but once up there, they had to wedge themselves against the roof.

  The singlesuits had the option in low gravity to adjust magnetic and gravitic suction, or that’s how Connor translated it anyway.

  So, they activated the option and stuck like barnacles to the rock. Weirdly, for Connor, it felt like floating, though not so comfortably since his stomach was still queasy. Even with the meds infused from the singlesuit, his stomach insisted that it could not feel enough gravity.

  How ironic that their first meal and the need to keep it down would occur on the same day.

  Once they were in position, Meriam shadowed Marc as the small man took a step up to look over th
e lip of the tunnel and down into the Devourer nest below.

  No one commented when he leaned out on one knee and extended his hand as if trying to grab something.

  They didn’t want to distract his focus while he aligned his singlesuit system the way he had before to call his hand weapon back to himself. The theory was that he should be able to do the same to any object, so they figured that while the Devourer was dormant, it was worth a try since the gesture would likely be non-threatening right up until it worked.

  Marc targeted one of the parasites standing idly on its little clawed legs on top of a gooey biological nodule of flesh.

  At first, nothing happened.

  After two seconds, Connor thought that maybe they needed another plan, and then all of a sudden, the creature flew. Its movement was a straight line, without any dip or curve, right from where it was and up into Marc’s open hand.

  The short man grabbed the parasite out of the air and immediately shoved it into the sample case.

  His hand went right through the outer transparent material, and when he let go of the Devourer, it stayed inside, while he was able to bring his hand out. The energy and physical field the case generated as its transparent shell pushed the Devourer off Marc’s hand effortlessly, though the creature tried to hold on.

  The response from the nest was terrifying to watch.

  Whereas before there were only pockets of activity, with Devourer forms holding still at hundreds of spots while the others were busy working at the equipment or whatever other care was needed for the nodes, now they all twitched suddenly and moved with one purpose.

  The exodus didn’t start near the humans and then build a trail of followers. Every single Devourer that could move did so at the exact same moment, all towards the humans. The forms that could leap, leaped.

  Those that ran, ran.

  The ones that slithered slimed their way towards Marc at the center of a dreadful mob.

  “Ye flippin’ gods, if a human army ever moved like that, it would have played merry hell on any enemy,” Ormond muttered over the private channel. “Next step of the plan, boss man.”

  “Connor shook himself from the sight. “Right. Marc, Meriam, go!”

  The beautiful woman had to tug on Marc’s arm before he responded, having to tear his own gaze away from the horrific advance. Then both of them were running away, back down the tunnel. Ormond and Lekiso started to fire down into the approaching horde.

  Many of the Devourer forms were very fast and were already up near the lip of the tunnel.

  Yellow-coated cyan fire blasted down from the rifles, each hit expanding in a fiery miasma of plasma energy. No biological matter could take hits from the super-high temperatures without sustaining an injury.

  The sheer destructive force was horribly impressive to Connor, and for right now, he was delighted they had it.

  The Devourer forms closed steadily on the tunnel mouth. The quickest died first, and then, even more, replaced them, with waves of them forming up in solid lines to assault the three humans.

  The plan wasn’t to hold the tunnel, though.

  “They have gotten far enough. Let’s move!” Connor ordered.

  Lekiso and Ormond stood up with him, and the three of them began to walk backward, their feet planting each step firmly on the top of the tunnel. All he had to do was adjust his perception of up to be the Devourer nest and that they were essentially firing at their concept of the ceiling.

  It was the next bit that was going to be weird.

  About twenty-five feet back into the tunnel, Connor asked on the channel, “Far enough?”

  “It should be,” Lekiso replied.

  “Okay, swap!”

  With that, Connor started firing his weapon.

  It had been primed and ready, but he had so far not used it. Now he did. The tunnel was narrow enough that the Devourer forms had to cluster together to get in at the humans. His hand weapon fired the same yellow and cyan bolts into the cluster.

  Eruptions of expanding plasma devastated the Devourers, burning gaping rents into their ranks. They were then filled with many more pressing in from behind, and to emphasize the point, several of the forms with jury-rigged weapons made it to the tunnel entrance and started to shoot over their companions at the humans.

  The plan wasn’t going to keep the humans exposed for long.

  Lekiso and Ormond flipped their weapons output with a quick thought and aimed at their feet, which was the ceiling to the Devourers.

  They then began firing on full automatic, violet-tinged bolts creating a hail of rapid fire that chewed into the rock and erupted with massive explosions of shrapnel that joined the weapons fire from the Devourers as it sparkled on the singlesuit protective fields.

  He had gotten the idea from that protosaur creature.

  Thank you Dinosaur? Trust the oldies to keep the best ideas.

  Ordinarily, the safe, reasoning part of the brain wouldn’t attempt a cave in. But in the low gravity, there was a meager chance of a domino effect, plus they could move a lot faster to outrun any subsequent knock-on effect.

  Ormond and Lekiso destabilized enough of the tunnel ceiling for it to start breaking off.

  The force from the weapon blasts provided momentum, and a massive chunk of rock from the tunnel roof slipped free to crush the Devourer forms swarming the tunnel. Connor kept firing, targeting any Devourer form that was heading past the collapsing tunnel edge on the inside.

  He could smell the burning flesh and acid tang of charred slime.

  He didn’t really know what to relate it to; he’d smelled burnt human before, and this was at odds with that.

  The data files on the Devourer said that it could recover usable biology from even those forms killed in a battle or from accidents. Essentially, the Devourer Form was only killed when the central nervous system set up by the virus sustained enough damage to become disconnected.

  In other words, when it stopped being able to control itself and move.

  Given time, the nerves would regrow, or the virus would repurpose the flesh and grow another form or several parasites. Or other Devourer forms would retrieve the broken form and take it back for processing as spare parts, biologically speaking.

  That was why the recommended protocol was complete sterilization. Only then was the virus itself destroyed.

  Without that, it could always recover.

  So, Connor kept up the heat, pun intended, pummeling the leading edge of Devourer forms while more and more of the ceiling fell to crush them and fill up the tunnel. Ormond and Lekiso kept firing, the three of them still walking slowly backward, bringing more and more of the shaft down to completely fill the entrance.

  They didn’t want any gap for a parasite to crawl through, and they wanted enough rubble to buy them enough time while the Devourer forms tried to dig their way through or go around.

  Forty-five seconds of light and sound later, they had dropped several hundred tons of rock into the tunnel. The dust blowing away from the rolling pile of rubble coated their singlesuits, giving them a grimy sheen that covered their hands and faces.

  It smelled like dust and felt gritty on their exposed skin.

  He’d had the same feeling at dig sites, but he hadn’t seen a shower yet, which would have been relaxing right about now.

  They all stopped firing. Connor’s weapon was reading that less than half its charge remained. Apparently, the plasma-shell effect used up a lot of its internal power to generate. But then he supposed that something that violent should be hard to create.

  Perhaps that was just his ethical side speaking.

  They stood there observing the filled tunnel, seeing if any of it was going to shift or move—or if a Devourer was going to suddenly tunnel through in some kind of adapted mole form or something similar.

  Nothing happened for half a minute.

  “Let’s go. Time to get out of here.” Connor turned and began to run down the tunnel.

  Ormond and Lek
iso following smoothly along behind.

  It was only after he started running that Connor realized they were still stuck to the ceiling, and he used his display to switch off the suits’ gravity change so they could drop down to the floor.

  * *

  The tunnel walls that went by Meriam had all sorts of captivating mottling.

  On the way in, before the attack, she had been admiring the patterns and striations. The walls were made of something you could think of having made into various objects in a wealthy home. Now she gave them only a passing glance.

  She had to slow her pace a little for Marc to keep up.

  Not only was he carrying the case with the Devourer sample, but he carried it away from himself as if afraid the creature would get out and latch on to him, and he was shorter than she was. Their physical abilities were probably within the same potential, but whereas Meriam had been a runner and knew the motions, Marc didn’t.

  So, his body could keep up, but the man himself was still working out how to do it.

  She had enjoyed her early morning runs. The streets in the pre-dawn night were always the quietest, and she could clear her head, think about the day’s activities, and plan the next job. This run was so different it was in a league of its own.

  She was tracking a group of Devourer forms heading along a side passage. They were going to reach the tunnel the two humans were in before they could get past.

  Damn! Those things can move really quickly when they want to, she thought.

  They had hoped to avoid any encounter until the other three could catch up and take the forms on from behind.

  “Marc, hold up. We can’t get past there before those things, and we don’t want them coming in at us from the side. We’re going to have to make a stand.”

  She sent a message along the general channel back to Connor.

  “We’re going to need some help here soon.”

  “We’ll be there as quick as we can. There aren’t that many. Use the plasma setting, and you should be fine. Remember, they can’t eat through the suit force fields.” Connor was distracted; she could hear it.