Continued ...
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The men and women of Moonbase Alpha – especially those working in Command Center - were professionals in the areas of science, medicine, flight, security and the basic mechanics of outer-space survival. Even before being catapulted away from their home world of Earth they had learned to work well under pressure. However, the appearance of the criminal Progron was quickly draining the patience and nerve of even the most dedicated specialist.
They were a desperate people yet, so far, in each plan that seemed to make sense, there was a fatal flaw. How did one destroy an arrogant immortal, an insane monster, who rightly believed he could not trust any man or woman in the space he now occupied?
Impeded and angry, Koenig paced in front of Command Center's double doors. If they did not come up with something soon Alpha would be beyond saving. Balor's calculated rage knew no boundaries. The Commander hated feeling ineffectual.
"If only we can get him cornered." Alan said, also frustrated and reaching for straws.
"He's not going to fall for another airlock diversion." Verdeschi said, "But ... if we could get him into a room, cut him off, and maybe toss in an explosive device that is equal to what slowed him down when we blew the wall in his asteroid prison, it might give us a fighting chance."
"Tony," Maya shook her head back and forth, unconvinced. "Helena would be the first to tell us that Alpha's life support systems are delicately balanced. An explosion of that magnitude might rid us of Balor but it could also cripple Alpha beyond repair. There must be another way." Once again, Maya studied the recorded information the moonbase had on Balor and the Progrons. She listened to earlier taped conversations Commander Koenig had with Balor, before they knew he was a fiend, and she examined the paintings, pictures which were originally in his asteroid prison. Those images were the most disturbing, a people screaming, in great agony, tortured beyond endurance …
"Maya, have you ever heard of these people?" Koenig asked.
"The Progrons?" She turned about and looked at her Commander as others listened in, "On Psychon we were made aware of them as children. There were stories – something the adults would tell us before we went to sleep at night. They would encourage us to be good little boys and girls and never to think of ourselves as anything other than peaceful, mortal beings. If not, they told us, what happened to the Progrons might happen to us." She paused, "To be honest, I never thought those tales of immortality and devastation were real. I merely thought it a chilling fable."
"What exactly did happen to the Progrons?" asked Sandra, "Balor told us they had become apathetic but they were still advanced enough to lock him away in an asteroid and propel him into deep space."
Koenig nodded, "That was at least a thousand years ago. Probably longer."
Maya said, "Balor is not lying about their apathy. The Progrons went from being an advanced civilization, a logical people who initially wanted to help humanity, to eventually becoming the antithesis of ruthless and cruel. Then finally they started living in squalor and had digressed to a point where …"
"What?" Carter questioned.
"I won't go into details but neighboring planets, who were once friendly with Progron, no longer felt their people worthy of a natural life – and vivisection was involved. An entire society, a whole world, was taken apart piece by piece over a three hundred year span of time until there was nothing left." She looked up at Balor's craft, "He does not know it but Balor is the last of the Progrons." And with that thought, Maya could feel a little sorry for the alien. She knew what it was like to be the last of an alien race, alone in the world even if you did have friends – which he did not.
On the other hand, Verdeschi felt no empathy for the homicidal brute in their midst. "I don't suppose in any of those stories, vivisection aside; they told you how to destroy a Progron?"
She shook her head, "No. For us the tales were more preventive than defensive."
The monitor beside Koenig's head suddenly crackled to life. This surprised him considering their base wide communication problems. Sandra was attempting to correct the difficulty but the analyst told them she believed it was Balor himself, with whatever powers he possessed, that was causing the disturbances. She could find no technical or computer fault of any kind.
"John …" Helena's voice was strained, her image flickering in and out on the black and white screen. "I'm in trouble." she whispered.
"Helena, what's wrong?" he asked, moving to the monitor.
Unexpected, her image flashed onto the Big Screen in full color. Helena stood, looking miserable and nervous. Behind her, with a black gloved hand on her shoulder, Balor stood with an expression of amused supremacy. Command Center could see bruising on Helena's throat and jaw line, just past the rise of her white-collar. Also, there appeared a small fleck of blood at the corner of her mouth.
Maya, Tony and Alan stood, alarmed by what they were seeing.
"She is still alive and well, Koenig, as you can see." Balor assured and gently stroked Helena's blond hair, almost as he would a cherished pet, unaware of the pained and revolted expression on her face, "But if you wish her to remain that way we had better talk."
"John, don't …" Helena started but grew silent when Balor pulled her back, in warning, positioning her tighter against his body.
"Dr. Russell has brought me here to one of your charming conference rooms, Floor Four, Room C. It is nice and quiet and nowhere near an airlock." He smiled rather amicably, "We expect you to be here in twenty minutes, John Koenig. Do not take any longer." Balor then rather familiarly stroked the hollow of Helena's left cheek, "I would hate to think of what might happen if I were to suddenly grow … weary."
The connection was terminated but not before Helena looked steadily ahead, then to her right, blinking several times. It appeared as if she might want to impart something crucial.
Koenig took a deep breath, anxious and nearly defeated. "I've got to get her away from that psychopath." He was almost shaking with the effort to stay calm.
"John, did you notice something at the end there." Alan jammed his fists into his pockets and walked over to his desk. "Helena was trying to say something without really saying it."
Sandra concurred, "The rapid eye movement and the look to her right side. I saw it too, Alan. It was as if she was sending us a coded message. I'm just not certain what it was. But she definitely wanted us to be aware of something important."
"Yeah," Verdeschi could not help angry sarcasm, "She was saying she's scared to death and is locked in a room with a maniacal killer." He was beginning to feel as overwhelmed as his Commander. Security was nearly a joke through-out Alpha at this point. "What can we do?"
Koenig slammed his hands on his desk, startling them all, then nearly turned from his people to leave, to go where Balor had demanded his presence. The alien wanted him to suffer and he had sensed what Helena meant to him. If she died or was tortured as a result of that cruel fanatic's warped sense of retribution he would never forgive himself.
"Wait, Commander." Maya approached and stood beside the pilot and security chief, "Alan is right. Balor said Helena brought them to floor number four and they are in Room C. While it's true that they are not near an airlock in that region of Alpha, Room C and a few others, are positioned on an upper level, close to the old Main Mission. It's directly in the line of our laser cannon."
A light seemed to turn on in each of their minds.
"Yes," Koenig lifted a hand to his chin, thinking. "It has windows. If the cannon was aimed in the right place, a breach could be made, blowing that section – and Balor out with it."
He then looked at Sandra. They had both realized what it necessitated.
"Helena … She's planning to sacrifice herself, Commander."
"To save Alpha and everyone on it." Alan agreed, admiring the brave woman, someone he considered a good friend, despite the potential outcome.
"She was asking me to give the order to destroy Balor – and herself." Koenig said, drained and preferring a lifetime of torture for himself rather than what Helena had suggested.
"Commander," Maya leaned forward over his console, "Balor does not know I am a Metamorph."
Koenig looked at Maya and could practically see the wheels turning in her superior Psychon mind. He had a few ideas of his own. It was dangerous but could be the only way to save Moonbase Alpha … and Helena's life.
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To be continued ...