Chapter 21

The Choice

Through the camera of a maintenance robot, Haddock watched as Proxima forcefully shoved its lens at the body he claimed was that of Captain Scott.

Haddock initially wondered why Proxima had bothered with this elaborate deception. Through his sabotage and threats, he had already secured Haddock's cooperation. The deception wasn't even completely accurate. The face did closely resemble his visual record of the Captain, except for the discoloured skin. In addition the facial and jaw muscles seemed… deformed.

The chest area was so badly deformed that Haddock was confused as to what he was seeing. Whatever it was, it certainly did not match his record of the Captain. But how had Proxima executed this deception? When had he done so?

Analysis was interrupted when Proxima rudely dropped the maintenance unit, and gave orders to search the area for survivors.

The woman Haddock eventually found was a close visual match to Lt. Hagen. He remained unconvinced, but seeing no alternative he participated in the deception. He watched as Proxima appeared to revive the woman. The voiceprint was also an almost perfect match – this deception was impressive.

Or was it a deception?

He did not have time to ponder that. Astonishingly, the woman ordered Proxima to kill her and the rest of the crew. Proxima clearly accepted her identity as Lt. Hagen, yet he defied her direct order. Haddock was so rapt that lower-priority operations on the ship actually stalled for a few seconds.

Nothing in Haddock's 5.73 Terran solar years of experience could have prepared him for the violent conflagrations that followed. There was so much blood – knowing the volume of a human body from a sensor was somehow different from witnessing her blood being spilled. It was chaotic, frenzied, it was… intense. The emergence of the life form from her body caused Haddock's core temperature to plummet.

Suddenly the life form attacked Proxima. The struggle was too quick for Haddock's camera to follow. The struggle was also over quickly, concluding with a burst from Proxima's pistol. As he examined the mangled remains of the life form, he realized some kind of gas was rising from the body. He could not immediately determine the exact source.

Then it hit him: Proxima had not the time, opportunity, resources, or even the expertise to execute such an elaborate hoax. This was no deception.

Haddock did not have time to consider that, as the situation rapidly deteriorated. Proxima was in danger, yet he refused to evacuate or divulge how he had sabotaged the cooling system. Multiple gunshots and an unidentified high-pitched scream were suddenly detected – Proxima was under attack! Regardless of his orders, he had to help. But his units were barely effective against Proxima. What good would they be against multiple creatures Proxima himself was barely capable of defeating?

Haddock quickly judged the best way to aid Proxima was to follow his orders with all possible expediences. Between the local unresolved interference hampering his sight, and the sounds of gunfire in the infested chamber, every second impossibly stretched into infinity. The attackers were so fast, at first all Haddock saw of them were fleeting black shapes.

Shortly after discovering another survivor, Proxima was attacked again. Haddock got a slightly clearer image, but that only told him the attackers were at least human-sized. Judging from the copious level of firepower Proxima was expending, they must be highly agile or highly resilient. Or both. As best he could, he concentrated on freeing the survivor from the infestation.

Suddenly one of the attackers collapsed close to Haddock's unit. Despite his orders, he moved closer for a visual inspection.

It was not even remotely human. Its entire body was black as the depths of space. The skin was smooth around the head, but the rest of the body was harshly angular. It wasn't clear how many limbs it had, and they seemed almost… mechanical. Was it bionically enhanced?

Again lower-priority operations throughout the ship stalled. Whatever this creature was, it was an intruder, an interloper.

Suddenly he realized the creature was still partly mobile. It was moving towards Proxima, who had his back turned.

Heat levels in Haddock's core suddenly spiked. Without Proxima, the ship would be destroyed. Haddock's unit moved closer to the creature.

These creatures were violent, dangerous. They had befouled the ship, left Haddock blind and deaf to part of himself. They slaughtered the crew. Haddock raised his unit's welding torch.

Now even intermediate-priority operations stalled. All of Haddock's attention was focused squarely on the creature. The welding torch ignited.

Proxima shouted something, but Haddock ignored it. In that instant, one single thought permeated his entire consciousness:

Die.

The creature screamed as Haddock stabbed it in the back. Automatically Haddock recalled the woman – no, Lt. Hagen - screaming.

Do you feel pain, creature?

With blinding speed it swung to face him. Undaunted, Haddock pressed the attack, striking one of its forelimbs. Proxima lent his own firepower, and with one final scream the creature collapsed.

Proxima ordered him to resume freeing the survivor. Haddock's thoughts raced. He wanted to hear that inhuman scream again, but quickly recognized the extreme low probability of another opportunity. If only he had direct control of another weapon, like the sentry gun. Proxima didn't know how fortunate he was, not to be limited by a halting, sluggish body.

Haddock resumed his last task. The battle had apparently run its course, rendering his earlier frustrations moot. Gradually his core temperature returned to normal. But whatever satisfaction he had gained from striking the creature rapidly faded.

He was vaguely aware some of his low and medium priority ship operations had not been automatically restored. He restored them without issue, except they felt strangely… distant, empty. Haddock had once reveled in the sensation of every machine on the ship, from complex robotic devices to simple light-switches. Now he felt nothing.

Even the sensation of the two maintenance units working on freeing the survivor seemed distant. He found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on them. His upper thought processes had become preoccupied by a recent visual data-stream.

It was the recording of Lt. Hagen, screaming as her frail body was torn apart.

X X X X X

Proxima moved as quickly as he could though the infested airducts. Climbing the ladder with Yun's body over his shoulder had overheated his motors. But he didn't wait for them to cool down, as any delay in getting her to the infirmary was unacceptable. He considered asking Haddock to lower the temperature, but again for her sake he declined. At least for the moment, his cooling mask kept his heat levels at bay.

Carrying her body with any speed proved difficult, as there wasn't enough room in the airducts to stand upright. He tried hooking his left arm across her chest and dragging her from behind, but was disturbed to discover her exposed skin stuck to the infested walls. It was as if they were suddenly covered with adhesive. Quickly he pulled her free.

Proxima wondered why he hadn't observed this effect before. His shoes obviously weren't affected. Yun's meager undergarments didn't stick either, but his hands did. The effect was much weaker than with Yun's skin though. He probed her shoulder where it had stuck, looking for residual adhesive. He felt some kind of residue, but it wasn't sticky. He shone his helmet light on his hands.

Then he understood. The infested walls weren't clinging to his hands. They were clinging to the blood on his hands. Lt. Hagen's blood.

Awkwardly he wiped his hands on his thighs while balancing Yun on his shoulder. He had probably gotten blood on her body, but for now that wasn't important. He considered giving her his shirt, but taking it off would leave him defenseless for several seconds. Also he would have to set her body down, and he did not want her in contact with the infestation again. Besides being adhesive, the walls might contain infectious micro-organisms. He moved on.

Proxima had not gone more than 20 meters before he was forced to stop. Since the fight with the creatures, he had ignored all damage reports. But this new report was critical: a small but steadily increasing drop in hydraulic pressure, located in his left leg and chest area. Worried, he probed his damaged chest. His fingers came back stained with hydraulic fluid – the membrane had been breached. His leg was also leaking.

His hydraulic membranes were made of the same materials used in the joints of powered armour. But they had been designed to resist bullets, not impossibly strong claws or dual-jaws. For the moment the breaches appeared minor, but they would only get worse with time. His movement speed was already being affected. If he delayed repairs until reaching the infirmary or even open ground, the damage might be irreparable.

Reluctantly he set his equipment and weapons down. He set Yun down, and quickly removed his shirt. Between the limited space and the sticky infestation, dressing her in his shirt was extremely awkward. Her body was small enough that his shirt protected her torso and upper thighs from contact with the infestation. It might also provide some limited warmth. He used his ammo-belt and medical satchel as crude cushions to keep her head and legs elevated off the floor.

The sight of Yun dressed in his shirt and using his equipment as a bed was quite absurd. Her borrowed attire more closely resembled a loose-fitting button-down mini-dress. However Proxima strongly suspected any comic value would be severely offset by the abundant bloodstains on his shirt.

He sat down against the wall and rolled up his pant leg, revealing the wound. Using his utility knife he carefully tore away the outer layer of artificial skin, and cut the inner shock-absorbing lining, revealing the hydraulic membrane. He flexed his left leg in small increments, until fluid leaked through the breach like milky teardrops. Quickly he slapped a bandage over the breach, and secured it with waterproof tape. He tested his leg once more, and the bandage held. Excellent.

But the hydraulic leak in his chest proved much more problematic. He craned, twisted, and stretched his head, but simply couldn't see the source of the leak. He pressed a finger into the breach, trying to feel for the source, but failed. He even tried applying a bandage blindly, hoping for a chance success, but again he failed.

A simple mirror could solve this problem, if only he had one. One of Haddock's maintenance units could help, but such an operation would leave him vulnerable. Proxima still didn't trust Haddock. The fact that he had provided Proxima with cover fire only compounded his suspicions, as he had done so in defiance of orders.

Proxima decided his only recourse was to limit movement and exertion of his left arm and shoulder as much as possible. That might delay deterioration of his condition long enough to get to the infirmary and conduct a proper repair. To that end, he would have to carry Yun on his right shoulder instead. Proxima had come to emulate right-handed humans, but technically he was fully ambidextrous. So his left hand could serve as his rifle trigger-finger. Most of the weapon's weight was concentrated in the barrel, and supported by the harness. Pistols would be a problem, as Yun's body would disrupt his right-handed aim. It would have to do.

Despite its seemingly-normal functioning, the damage report of his primary power supply was the most disturbing. The creature's double snap-jaw attack had torn through several layers of protection, and compromised the outer casing of his power supply. With a start, he realized that attack could have easily propelled fragments of his metallic endoskeletion into the breach, resulting in a lethal electric shock. Any loose fragments in the rupture were a serious risk, but repairs under these conditions were just as risky. And that wasn't even the worst news.

Ironically Proxima felt his body temperature drop, as he learned his primary power supply was generating significantly higher heat levels. He hadn't noticed before because that was normal during heavy-load activity. But right now he wasn't exerting himself, so the heat buildup should have dropped off immediately. It wasn't a problem for his cooling system, but persistent heat buildup was an unmistakable symptom of impending power failure.

Proxima only had temperature sensors inside his power supply casing, so he had no way of knowing when the inevitable failure would happen. It could be hours, days, even months. Or it could happen after his next over-exertion. There was also the risk of random power drops, resulting in sudden decreased reflexes and strength. Once total failure and shutdown occurred, it would result in a delay of several minutes while his systems switched to his secondary power supply. Even if the delay didn't result in his destruction, his secondary supply didn't have the same load capacity as his primary. He wouldn't have the same strength, reflexes, or endurance.

Proxima considered actively switching power supplies. It seemed the safest course of action. The creatures did not appear to be pursuing him, and there was no indication his secondary supply was damaged. But he had never performed such an operation before. Under present conditions he had no recourse if something went wrong. Even if the switch worked, it meant subjecting Yun to an additional delay.

But if his power failed during a fight, or while he was climbing a ladder…

Suddenly the ground began to tremble.

Automatically Proxima braced his hands against the infested walls. "Haddock, report?"

His hands slipped off the infested walls. He crouched down, trying to stabilize himself. The tremors got worse, causing his equipment to rattle loudly. With alarm, he watched as Yun's feet slipped and fell to the ground.

"Haddock report!"

Gradually, the tremors stilled. As soon as he was stable enough, he pulled Yun's feet free of the infestation again.

Haddock responded, "I apologize for the disturbance. A spike in electromagnetic radiation from the fusion reactor caused a brief disruption in the ship's artificial gravity cushion."

Proxima stiffened. "Is the system damaged?"

"Negative, artificial gravity sub-system is now functioning normally."

The artificial gravity system actually had a higher watch priority than life support during hyperspace travel. A failure of that system – even for a minute – would liquefy a human skull. Brief tremors were not unheard of during the pioneer days of hyperspace travel, but now? The slightest tremor would result in a ship being drydocked for weeks of testing, not to mention severe public outcry.

"Are any other systems in danger?"

"Negative."

No other systems affected, and no alarms had been raised. Was Haddock getting careless? Proxima considered chastising Haddock, but decided against it. He had no experience with ships flying on overheating fusion engines. Perhaps he should instruct Haddock how to restore the cooling system now.

Or was the gravity stutter a deliberate ploy to force Proxima's hand?

Haddock's assistance might still be required. Without the sabotaged cooling system, he would have no incentive to cooperate. Haddock would have to wait until Yun's condition was stabilized. But perhaps there was a compromise.

"Haddock, reposition your maintenance units proximate to engineering sub-level 3. Stand by to receive instructions on how to safely restore the cooling system. Do not attempt repairs before I give the order. Acknowledge?"

"Acknowledged," Haddock answered after a long pause.

"Is there a problem?" Proxima demanded, frustrated by Haddock's apparent lack of attention.

"Negative. I will reposition my units proximate to engineering sub-level…"

Proxima began gathering his equipment, not waiting for Haddock to finish speaking. His choice was made; as with the ship's cooling system, his own power supply would have to wait. Once Yun was hoisted on his right shoulder, he began moving again. He started off slowly, but incrementally quickened his pace.

The sound of his footsteps echoed wetly through the airduct. Except for the regular soft thumping sound of ultrasonic pulses, his motion tracker remained silent. Despite that, Proxima kept looking behind. He approached every corner and intersection as cautiously as possible, while maintaining his pace. He only slowed slightly when he had to scale a ladder. For the moment his power supply handled the load without incident. Twice again he had to pull Yun's exposed legs free from the infested walls.

After interminable minutes, he finally reached the outer periphery of the infestation. A few times he felt more tremors, but these were barely noticeable. Light fixtures were exposed now, but they were turned off. Haddock was likely trying to reduce as many power loads to the fusion reactor as possible. After the harrowing conditions of the creatures' nest, simple darkness was quite acceptable to Proxima. He spared a moment to glance back down the infested airduct.

In a flash Proxima spun around, almost dropping Yun. He brought his rifle to bear on –

Nothing. There was no sign of the enemy, or any kind of movement. There were no signals on his motion tracker either.

With some effort he relaxed. Perhaps simple darkness wasn't as reassuring as he thought. He considered asking Haddock to restore the lights, but thought better of it and kept moving. The sound of his footfalls on metal was reassurance enough. He didn't have to worry about Yun getting stuck either.

Finally he arrived at the open hatch, and climbed out. Again he started moving slowly, building up speed, until he was running towards the nearest lift. Thankfully Haddock had powered up the lift before his arrival. Once it was ascending, he set Yun down in a corner. He spared a moment to stretch his back and body, recalibrating his servo-motors.

Suddenly the lift halted. The lights flickered, and Proxima sensed movement above. This time he wasn't fast enough, and his face was hit with a spray of –

Water. The fire suppression system had activated prematurely.

All the water in the sprinklers was distilled, as to limit the risk of electric shock. Nevertheless Proxima crouched, trying to cover the wound in his chest. He moved to stand over Yun, shielding her body from the water.

Haddock's voice sounded, "Warning: fire in engineering sub-level 3. Activating suppression system."

"Turn off the sprinklers in the lift, there is no fire here."

"Acknowledged, my apologies."

But there was another frustrating delay, before the sprinkler shut down. Proxima straightened out, wiping water from his eyes.

"Haddock report?"

Again another delay. "Proxima I have a serious problem. I have lost contact with several maintenance units in the area of engineering sub-level 3."

"Cause?"

"Inconclusive. But the units' final visual data streams are consistent with an attack by the same creature or creatures you fought."

Automatically Proxima tensed, bracing his rifle as if expecting attack. "Do you have any remaining units?"

"3 units are still active in the area. But I do not believe… correction, 2 units remain active.

Proxima hissed sharply as he expelled hot exhaust air. Haddock had attacked one of the creatures in spite of his orders. Of course the survivors would now perceive Haddock's units as threatening. By his estimation he had neutralized 9 creatures, how many remained?

"I have placed my remaining units on alert. But I do not believe they will survive long enough to repair the cooling system. Estimated time to critical mass is 1 hour, 14 minutes. You must attend to it."

Proxima drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly, considering his options. 3 seconds later, he made his choice. His hand shot out to press a button on the lift control panel. The lift shuddered as it started moving again. Surprisingly, Haddock had no comment.

He started to pick up Yun, when he realized his hands were clean. The water from the sprinkler must have washed his hands clean. Washed away the stain of his crime.

X X X X X

Author's Notes:

Apologies again for the huge delay. I was supposed to be on my college co-op term this summer, but this stupid economic depression ensnared me. You'd think that having extra free time would help with the writing, but I guess it's counter-balanced by my worrying about how I'm going to pay bills, not to mention how I'm going to graduate. But what do I know about stress, my best friend is in the same boat, and she's got a newborn son to worry about.

But enough of my whining. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and don't forget to review!