ESUN Outpost 21

Chapter 6: The Test

Nobody knew exactly what Heero had in mind but he was digging around in the storage room for nearly an hour taking out boxes. Occasionally the pilot would step it holding explosives in the one hand and a flamethrower in the other to remind them not to move. After he found what he wanted he motioned the crew into the rec room. Catherine was still upset over Trowa's death and the rest on the verge of attacking their captor, especially Wufei who looked ready to pounce.

Heero set two boxes down on the table and began to open a third. From inside he removed small Petri dishes, which he then piled on the table. From another scalpels in plastic wrappers spilled out and from the last box, a large one rope. The group looked on as Heero removed a spool of wire from his jacket.

"So what's the plan?" Catherine asked tried to hold back the tears.

"A test."

"So what's the rope for Yuy?" Treize asked pointing to the large box.

"Hilde. Sally. Tie everyone up," he said placing the spool on the table.

"Screw this! Lets get him!" Duo shouted.

Heero aimed the flamethrower at the irate pilot and placed the explosives right in front of it.

"He wouldn't dare," Lady Une said angrily.

"He would," Wufei said glaring at Heero. "Remember this is the same guy who self-destructed to prevent an attack on the colonies."

"Besides he got all the weapons," Dorothy said curling her hand behind her back. Clutched in her hand was scalpel she took from the infirmary. "For now lets do as he says."

"The fuck I will!" Duo shouted as he faced Heero. "What's to say that once he ties us up he won't torch us and run off? I bet it did get to him. That's he's one of them."

"Then why would he torch the imitation of Trowa?" Hilde asked her boyfriend.

"Not that I trust you either." He replied and was met by her stare. "But what if he killed Trowa to keep suspicion from himself."

"Maxwell lay off the weed," Wufei laughed. "These things don't destroy themselves. If they want to take us over destroying another copy would be pointless. And besides you brain fried dolt they most likely know who is a copy or not. By the way how do I know that you're not one?"

"That's bullshit Wu-man! And as far as I am concerned you all are until proven other wise!"

"Duo's got a point," Heero said as he began to scrape the wire. "This test will prove who is who. But first you need to be restrained."

"I'm not gonna let you do it Yuy!" Wufei said defiantly. A gunshot shattered the floor beneath him."

"You will comply or I'll blow your fucking brains out!" Heero said aiming at Wufei's head. "Anyone got a problem?" Dorothy then charged forward with the scalpel but Heero fired a shot off by her ear stopping her. "You want to die Miss Catalonia? That's fine with me." She dropped the scalpel and approached the couch.

Hilde and Sally began to tie the others up as Heero began to strip the wire. "Trowa, or rather his copy gave me an idea. The way his body separated into pieces in an effort to avoid death leads me to think that this thing is actually one being down to a cellular level. The fact his head broke off and tried to escape the flames is testament to that. Going further back Relena's notes showed that just a few cells could infect an organism and take it over. Then again there is the fact that even a few cells regenerated an entire creature."

The tied up crew stared at the pilot with doubt. "So heres the deal. Blood. Blood is nothing more than tissue. We bleed and it's no big deal. Expose our blood to a hot wire and it just burns. But to this thing blood is another part of it or a separate being. Burn its blood and there should be a reaction. You see Sally was right that testing blood would be a possible test." He then put the wire down. "Sally tie up Hilde." The doctor tied the young woman up and approached Heero. He hand her a Petri dish and clean scalpel. "We'll use a new blade on each person to avoid infection."

In the ten minutes following Sally had collected blood samples from everyone except Hilde and herself. She wiped alcohol on Hilde's thumb and cut into to it. The girl winced as the blade sliced her skin and blood began to fill the dish. Sally then placed a bandage on the cut and took the sample to Heero. Taking the sample Heero handed Sally a scalpel and dish. She then cut her thumb and began to fill the dish with her own blood. Heero then motioned for her stop and step back. Heating the wire with the flamethrower he drug across the sample of Sally's blood. A hissing sound emanated from it but nothing else.

"I guess you're okay. Put on the other flamethrower and watch them." Heero said happily. Sally then pulled the heavy weapon onto her back and aimed at the group. Heero then cut his own thumb and collected his blood in a dish. "This will prove I am who I say I am." He dragged the wire across his blood but nothing happened. Noticing the crowd was not convinced he did it again and was met only by a hiss.

"I don't believe it," Wufei said staring at Heero.

"Lets get down to business shall we?" Heero then picked up Quatre's sample. "Quatre Winner. You claim I am one of those things but what about you?" The young cook shivered as Heero heated the wire. "Now we will find out!" The wire touched the blood and only a loud hiss was the result. "So I guess you are. Well then grab a torch and watch the others."

Sally cut Quatre loose and he picked up one of the blowtorches. He then aimed it at the others.

"This is nonsense Yuy!" Treize shouted. "You haven't proved anything."

"Well Treize, you just volunteered to go last!" the pilot retorted. "Ah hell. Lets up the ante. Lets try Dorothy now."

"Heero when you untie me I'm going to kill you!" Dorothy said defiantly.

"Only if you're human." He then heated up the wire.

"Accusation on basis on association. I thought the age of McCarthyism died out centuries ago!" she shouted.

"Heero. I believe her," Quatre pleaded.

"Only one way to find out." As Heero lowered the wire the whole room watched. A hiss let out as it touched the blood. The group sighed with relief. Then the blood leapt out of the dish. "What the!" Heero dropped the dish and flamethrower. Everyone looked at Dorothy whose entire body began to spasm.

"Oh my god," Sally said in terror.

The tied up crewmembers began to scream as the form of Dorothy Catalonia began to melt away. Her skin began to melt off revealing a dark slimy layer of flesh soaked in blood. Her face literally melted off and her eyes exploded as the group looked on. What was left of Dorothy's head resembled a glob of silica gel that began to pulsate. Hands began to contort and expand in length into grotesque tentacle-like appendages.

"Yuy! For God's sake burn her!" Lady Une shouted trying to break free of her bonds.

"Quatre! Sally! Blast her!"

The creature jumped onto the ceiling looking down at the people below. It let out a growl. Quatre aimed the torch but tensed up. He then began to cry.

"Quatre! It's not Dorothy. She's dead and this thing took her form!" Sally shouted and took aim. Quatre knocked her out of the way. "Quatre!"

The thing jumped down and Quatre was face to face with it trembling. Suddenly the head broke up revealing two parts of a mouth line with fangs. A tentacle lashed out and seized Quatre by the throat. It then began to force him down its mouth.

"QUATRE!" Sally shouted and unleashed a stream of flame at the creature. It threw the cook's body to the ground and ran past the doctor. Quatre lied there with his face torn up and covered with blood. Sally then burned the blood on the floor. Heero then followed it as the creature broke through the wall and ran out into the snow.

"Bastard!" Heero shouted and lit a stick of explosive. He hurled it at the flaming beast and took cover. The explosion blew the thing to pieces and sent Heero through the hole in the wall. He freed himself from his daze and looked as the remains burned. In side he could hear a flamethrower go off. He returned to the rec room and found Quatre's body in flames. "Well we know the test works."

After extinguishing the flames Heero then continued with the test. Next in line was Hilde. Heero lowered the wire and loud hiss was all that happened and Hilde sighed with relief. Sally then cut her loose

Hilde approached Duo and stuck out her tongue. "Told you I was human you dumb bastard!"

"So I was wrong. Don't rub it in."

Next was Catherine. She began to shake and Heero lowered the wire into her blood. Nothing happened. Heero scratched his head and Catherine began to shake.

"Oh. I forgot to heat the wire." Catherine sighed with relief as Heero reheated the wire. Again he lowered it into the blood and was met by a loud hiss. Tears ran down Catherine's face as the results proved her to be human. Hilde then released her.

Heero then faced the last four, who were still tied up. "Ah the final four. The saga continues."

"Just get on with it Yuy!" Wufei shouted.

"Now. Now. No need to be rude. We'll check Lady Une next."

"Asshole," Wufei mumbled.

Heero lowered the wire into the dish and again there was only a loud hiss. Lady Une sighed. "Well are you going to release me?" She asked. Catherine cut her loose and she joined the group by the lab table.

"Now Wufei."

"Finally."

Heero dragged the hot wire across Wufei's blood and nothing but hiss came out of it.

"Oh yeah. Cut me loose." The crowd looked at him. "Earth to dumb bitches. Cut me loose."

"Maybe we should just leave him like that," Catherine laughed.

"Yeah he's much better tied up," sally added.

"Come on! Cut me loose."

"Not until you apologize."

"Listen you stupid bitches! Cut me loose or so help me I'll…" He was met by two blowtorches and a flamethrower. "Guys a little help?"

"Wufei, you need to learn women do not like to be called stupid or dumb bitches or whatever foul thing you think up." Treize sighed.

"Yeah man. How are you ever going to get any?"

"Shut up!" Wufei shouted. "Heero, cut me loose."

"Sorry but they got me out gunned."

"What? You have explosives for crying out loud!"

"Say you're sorry and we'll cut you loose," Lady Une said as she lifted a scalpel.

"Fine I'm sorry I called you a bunch of dumb bitches. Baka onnas."

"That also includes calling us things in other languages," Catherine said aiming her torch at him.

"Sorry." They cut him loose and he joined the group by the table.

"Gentlemen. This is it. You're the last two." He said staring at Duo and Treize. "If you are these things you must know we have a numerical advantage. If you're human that's all for the better."

"Do it." Treize said angrily.

"One last thing. You both are on opposite pieces of furniture so if one is infected we need not worry about burning the other as well."

"Do it man!" Duo shouted.

"Duo first." Heero heated up the wire.

"Hilde babe. Now I'll prove to you that I'm human."

"We'll see," she said aiming a blowtorch at him.

Heero heated up the wire and lowered it into Duo's blood. As the wire made contact it leapt out and ran towards Duo. The pilot's body began to shake and his face split in half to reveal a hideous insect like one. Duo's abdomen burst open revealing a mouth from which a tentacle emerged. Hilde wasted no time and turned the torch up full blast. A meter long flame seared at the creature's flesh, which resulted in piercing howls of an unimaginable caliber. She kept the torch on the creature throughout the ordeal with the flame just below its head. After several minutes the creature slumped over and fell to the ground.

"Duo was a great guy," Treize said they extinguished the body.

"We'll get a stretcher later and take it outside to be burned," Heero said as he again heated the wire. "Now its your turn Treize." The station commander watched silently as Heero exposed the wire to the blood. Again nothing but a hiss.

"Well I think we are now satisfied. What do you say we put an end to this nonsense? First could you cut loose? I am patient man but I WOULD LIKE TO GET OFF THIS GODDAMN COUCH SOMETIME SOON!"

They cut their commander free and took the body of Duo outside. They then lit it ablaze and returned inside and began to patch the whole in the rec room. After a while things began to calm down until Heero remembered something.

"Shit! I forgot about Relena."

"Yeah better test her," Wufei said fastening a flamethrower to his back. "She was crazy before I would hate to think what she would be like if she was one of those things."

"Well then we have to go to the tool shed and test her," Treize said pulling on his parka.

"Oh by the way," Heero said removing the holster from his side. "You should have this back." He handed the pistol back to Treize.

"Thanks."

"Noin, Zechs, Trowa, Dorothy, Quatre, and now Duo. Damn those aliens!" Catherine shouted. "If she is one Heero, promise me you will hesitate to burn her."

"To be safe I don't think I should be the one to do it. Hilde you're coming with me and Treize. Put on a flamethrower and lets get going." Heero then turned to the rest. "If Relena should try to get and we're not with her torch her."

"Count on it," Wufei said as he headed towards the supply room.

With that the three headed out into the storm.

Secured by towline Heero, Hilde, and Treize began their trek to the tool shed where the young biologist was being held. The snow pelted them with ferocity and the winds nearly blow them away as they approached their goal. When they got there they found the door open and being held upon by the wind. They rushed inside.

"Where the hell is she?" Heero asked as he looked around.

"Heero the only way to open that door is from the outside," Hilde said concerned. "How did she open it?"

"Probably by sliding a tentacle under the door," Treize said cocking his gun. "You think incendiary shells will do any good?"

"It hates fire so I think that should work." Heero then began to look around using a flare to illuminate the darkened building. He carefully observed every floorboard until one broke under his feet. "What the?" Holding the flare to the ground Heero knelt as the others watched. "Son of a…" He then began to remove the surrounding floorboards.

"Hm. This is getting interesting," Treize said as he crouched down. "There's a tunnel under the shed."

Hilde then approached and descended into the tunnel followed by her two companions. "Relena! Relena are you there? We have something for you. As she exited the tunnel and walked out into a cavity in the ice she noticed a metallic object. "You guys look at this."

Heero and Treize then entered and the light of the flare revealed a circular craft in the middle surrounded by tools.

"What the hell is this," she asked.

"Some sort of ship," Treize replied. "Looks like she made it with the remains of the VTOLs"

"But why?"

"To get the hell out of here," Heero replied.

Meanwhile back at the camp Wufei was watching the supply room window, which had just been fixed. He stood there prepared to kill Relena if she entered alone.

In the hallway Lady Une and Dorothy patrolled the inside while Sally sat in the lab placing all the notes and files into a metal case.

The camp was silent and eerie.

Back at the tool shed Heero and Treize finished tying explosives together when Hilde shouted. They approached her to find her pointing at something that was moving.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"From the color of the coat I'd say Wufei," Treize replied.

Just then the power went out.

"What the?" Hilde said as she looked at the darkened camp. Soon the emergency lights went on.

"It must have got back in and turned off the power," Heero said lighting a flare.

"But if the power is off then the temperature will go down to about a hundred below," Treize said staring into the storm.

"Maybe that's what it wants, to freeze again. However I don't think we should let it. Lets head back in and find the others. Then I say we hunt this damn thing down and destroy it."

"How Heero?" Hilde asked.

"Any means necessary."