Chapter Nine
Amelia groaned and rubbed her face as she walked into P-Sec headquarters. This was just the sort of thing she didn't need right now.
She had been busy in her lab, analyzing samples when West contacted her, and said he had an issue with one of her staff. At first, she thought someone from Science or Medical had been killed or disappeared. It turned out, in some ways, it was worse. West met her, looking apologetic.
"Sorry to spring this on you like this, but my hand was forced, here," he said. She shook her head lightly.
"No, I fully understand," she replied as he led her down the halls.
"I caught him red-handed giving images of the pods and spider-hands to Abaddon, a Uni preacher. When we searched his RIG, we also found he copied sensitive data from the lab computers as well," said West she she was led to the interrogation rooms and holding cells. Amelia sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Goddammit, Ethan," she hissed. West glanced at her sideways, but kept walking.
"I only called you out of courtesy, and figured you'd want to know why one of your staff was detained. Especially since it was your data he stole." She nodded. He stopped in front of a room guarded by three P-Sec officers. "All right, here he is. Now, keep in mind, we have cameras and recorders going, so anything he says we will use against him." Amelia nodded again, and West could tell she was far from please at the whole situation. They then opened the door and let her in.
Ethan looked up from where he sat at the table, scowling at first, then his look changed to shock.
"D-Dr. Kyne?!" he stuttered. She didn't smile as she replied.
"Hello, Ethan," she greeted coldly.
"Oh, thank Altman you're here! They arrested me an-" he began, but she cut him off.
"Ethan, how could you do this to me?" she asked, quietly, but the tone she used made him stop and be silent. She sat down and shook her head. "You betrayed my trust, abused your clearance, and all for such selfish reasons," she said, and his jaw dropped open in total shock.
"S-selfish?! Earthgov are the ones who are selfish! They know, and they hide it, and-" Amelia held up her hand.
"Ethan, you don't seem to understand the consequences or ramifications of your actions. Or, worse, you don't seem to care! Have you forgotten our oath? 'First do no harm?' That is exactly what you're doing. By giving those images and the data out, you put numerous lives at risk! You could've started a panic, with how scared everyone is right now!" Ethan cringed and became smaller as she chewed him out. "Right now, everyone is scared because we are dealing with a dangerous alien organism that has already been responsible for at least ten deaths! And those are only the ones we know of!" She put her hands on the table and looked at him. "Ethan, look at me," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. He warily looked into her eyes, her glare cold. "Did you show him pictures of the births?" she asked. Ethan flinched.
"N-n-no," he stuttered, but her eyes narrowed.
"Did you copy that data, too?" she asked. He looked like a child being punished by an angry mother. "Answer me," she almost growled. He shook his head, but she wasn't sure she believed him. She sighed and leaned back. "Ethan, if people found out how these things reproduce, it most certainly would start a panic. People might flee for shuttles, or do other crazy things, and people would die because of your actions. Do you understand me? People would die because of you!" she almost snarled. Ethan shook and flinched from her tone.
"D-death is not the end," he said, and she narrowed her eyes to slits.
"Ethan, don't you dare use that excuse with me. Have you forgotten my husband is Vested in the Church? What does that say of me? Don't, for even one instant, think that religion excuses you to cause hurt to others. That makes you no better than any zealot or idiot in history." Ethan reacted to her denouncement like he had been stung. She shook her head as she stood. "Ethan, I'm so disappointed in you." She then fixed him with a hard look. "I'm suspending you. Your RIG number is hereby blacklisted from both the Science and Medical wings. I'll leave punishment up to CEC, if and when we ever get back in touch with them. Until then, I'll let West and P-Sec decide what to do with you." With that, Amelia Kyne spun on her heel and walked out, Ethan curled in his chair in shame.
West greeted her and nodded his approval.
"You did great. I should have our Detectives watch and learn some pointers," West tried to joke. Amelia couldn't smile. He led her back out. "Sorry it had to be like this, Doc. Having someone you trust stab you in the back is never easy," he said, and she nodded.
"I'm just grateful it wasn't worse than it was," she replied. West nodded his agreement.
"I filled Sammers in for you, and he's filing everything. I'm making sure everything is airtight for when this is all over." Amelia didn't reply as they exited P-Sec HQ. "Do yourself a favor. Go get some sleep. I know we're all strung out, but we need to stay alert and make as few mistakes as we can." She smiled softly and nodded. West gave a small smile and patted her arm. She then turned and headed for her lab. She had things to do before she could turn in, and she didn't want to leave them until the next day.
XXX
Team Six patrolled the halls of the colony, Pulse Rifles at the ready. West had them patrolling Sublevel Two from one side to the other. They knew the disappearances were likely from the creatures, so they were on the lookout. The five men and women were tense, but focused. They were on the lookout for any signs of the creatures, and if spotted, to blast the thing on sight.
They had been briefed on the little new info they had, and given the one clear image Xao was able to take of the thing. It was enough to make even the blood of seasoned vets run cold.
"Man, how can the damn things hunt when they don't even got eyes?" Marcus asked from where he brought up the rear. The poor schmuck had drawn the short straw, and ended up in the unenviable position of Tail-end Charlie, facing back and guarding their rear.
"Beats me. If we find it, we'll let you ask it," said Tanya, who was pointman of the group. Marcus didn't laugh. Nobody did. They tried not to let their fear show, but it wasn't easy. P-Sec or not, they were scared, like any human being would be in a similar position. The fact that similar teams of armed officers had been ambushed and torn to shreds also did little to steady their nerves.
They had been ordered to patrol and check any and all vents and covers, and report any signs ASAP. They had been given the files what to look for, of the scratches or torn vents, and the slime these things seemed to leave behind. They also had been warned about their blood, and advised to keep as much distance between them and it as they could, should they encounter it. Even so forewarned and forearmed, they did not feel any safer. They stayed in a relatively tight group, so at to not provide the thing any easy targets. Also why Marcus was currently walking backwards at the rear while the others all kept their aim to the sides and forward. Thus, it was hoped they would be able to see if the thing tried to attack and counter.
"At least we didn't get tapped to go into the vents," Ardan mused aloud, and this was met with murmurs of agreement.
There had been talk of sending P-Sec officers into the vents, but nobody wanted to sign up for an obvious suicide mission. In such cramped quarters with something so fierce and with acid for blood, and only allowed in one at a time, yeah, that was like sending hens into a fox's den. Thankfully, it was decided that was not a good idea, and scrapped.
"Wish we had some damn Smart Guns," mused Dillon, and this was met with some mutters of agreement. Such heavy firepower and advanced vision would have been more than welcomed, but the heavy, servo-armed medium machine guns were not something P-Sec officers were ever issued unless it was by the Military, and that was for such extreme scenes like the Mars Capita Riots. Nobody ever thought a distant mining colony like Aerodyne would ever need such firepower. Of course, nobody ever thought a mining colony would find alien life, either.
As they turned a corner around a junction, they scanned the area carefully for any signs of the thing. The hall they were currently in had many large pipes here and there in the walls. The shapes cast all manner of shadows that now made them jump.
"Entering Engineering," mused one of them. They stayed mostly silent as they slowly walked down the hallways, rifles at the ready. Some pipes let out small clouds of steam, and a few hidden machines hissed softly. All of this made them a little more jumpy. At all times, they aimed around, playing their lights and aiming lasers across the walls. One of them looked up at the ceiling, lowered his rifle down the wall, and felt his heart plummet into his boots. He saw a curved, shiny shape his light and lasers were glinting off.
"Aaahh!" he screamed as he fired. Everyone jumped and hurried to aim where he had as a mountain of steam erupted from the large, curved pipe he had shot.
"Good one, moron!" shouted Dillon over the noise of steam hissing.
"I thought it was the thing!" he said over the noise. Tanya groaned as she radioed into HQ.
"False alarm in Engineering, but now we need a repair team," she said in a less than enthused voice.
"Right," came West's reply. Everyone glared at the guilty man, who sheepishly scratched his head.
XXX
Tom and Warton walked in step with the engineers as they headed for where the ruptured line was. Seemed the P-Sec officers got a bit jumpy and shot something that had looked like it might be one of the creatures. When they saw the two men heading out, they decided to tag along. Made it safer, and also would help to have an extra pair of hands. Tom brought a small hand welder and rivet gun, while Warton had his plasma cutter and a toolbox with a built-in battery and plug. Tom had also brought a Stasis module, just in case they needed it. Since the tunnels were closed down, he got the okay from Sammers to use it.
"Didn't know you were ever an engineer," said Warton as they walked. Tom nodded as he glanced back and around, just to be safe.
"Only a Class Two, and was a long time ago, but I never forgot the skills," mused the old man.
As they walked, the four men were cautious, listening for anything, watching for movement. They were especially mindful of vents.
They heard the noise before they saw it, the loud hissing sound could be heard down the halls for over a hundred meters. They rounded the corner and saw the gathered P-Sec officers looked up, almost raising their rifles, but relaxed when they saw them.
"All right, let's shut this off and fix it," said one of the engineers. The man brought up a tool and inserted it into a slot near the broken pipe and turned it, the steam slowing and stopping. The other engineer brought out some wrenches and set them down next to the replacement pipe section they had brought.
The the two engineers worked, Tom felt the hairs on his neck stand up. Something was off. Old instincts came back as he slowly glanced around. Eyes took in the area in swift flicks, darting to any areas of cover. He gently tapped Warton, leaned in to whisper on his ear.
"I think we got company," Tom hissed. Warton stiffened, and tried not to shake as he gripped his plasma cutter. Warton cautiously glanced around.
"I-I don't see anything," Warton whispered back. Tom was silent, hand tight on his rivet gun.
The engineers, meanwhile, easily replaced the damaged pipe, one standing up and wiping his brow as he turned to the where the others stood a little way off, watching the corners.
"Easy as pie," he said, giving a thumbs up.
Warton and Tom were looking the other way, and so was the other engineer as he put his tools away. A black hand suddenly darted out from between the pipes, grabbed the first engineer by his head and yanked him backwards into the pipes. The second engineer screamed and leaped back, Tom, Warton and the P-Sec officers up the hall whriling. They paled when they saw the body of the engineer almost being folded in half as something tried to pull it between the pipes.
"Contact!" Dillon yelled as he opened fire as the other engineer and Tom and Warton dove for cover. The rounds impacted the pipes, rupturing them and causing steam to erupt anew. They heard a screech that sounded anything but mechanical.
"It's hiding in the fucking pipes!" yelled one of the officers. Targeting lasers and flashlights swept around, trying to find the creature.
"There!" yelled Tanya. They whirled, and just saw a jet-black shape peek out from between some pipes on the other side. They opened fire as it ducked back faster than the humans could react. More steam erupted from where the bullets hit the pipes, the steam obscuring vision and the sound drowning out all but yells.
"Where the fuck is it?!" Dillon yelled over the din.
Tom and Warton were huddled on the floor, crouched as they tried not to be shot or killed.
"The damn thing's toying with them!" Tom yelled as the P-Sec officers fired sporadically.
"What the hell do we do?!" Warton yelled back over the sound of steam and gunfire.
"Stay down!" said Tom. He looked up as he saw a glimpse of the grinning, dark thing staring at him. He saw the thin, almost skeletal body seeming to unfold from where it had been slithering behind the pipes, a long tail curling out like a long, black snake of vertebrae, the tip a long, sharp blade. Tom raised his rivet gun and fired. The heavy rivet hit the creature right in the chest, but that didn't seem to do much more than make it angry.
"Fuck!" Warton swore as he scrambled away and brought up his plasma cutter. The first blast of plasma went wild, hitting the pipes near the creature, which snarled as it flinched to the side at the noise, sound and impact. It hissed as it lunged back into the pipes as Warton fired again, this time hitting something on the thing, judging by the screech that was like nothing this side of his nightmares. "Did you fucking see that thing?!" Warton yelled as Tom got to his feet.
"Calm down! We gotta get to the others. Stay low and stay with me," said Tom as he pulled Warton down into a low crouch as they waved to make sure the P-Sec officers didn't shoot them by accident.
"This is Team Six, in Engineering, Sublevel Two, Sector Eight West! We have contact! Under attack! Get us some damn backup!" Tanya yelled as they fired at another sighting of the thing.
"Team One, here! We're on our way!" replied West through the radio.
"Don't shoot! It's us!" yelled Warton as he and Tom crawled through the steam.
Just then, there was a wet crunch and a burst of Pulse Rifle fire. They turned in time to see Marcus impaled on a long, black tail through his chest as he gurgled. The creature flung him into them like a ragdoll, knocking them all down. Warton and Tom ran up as the tail swiftly retracted into the ceiling pipes.
Tom's instincts picked in, and he whirled. Sure enough, the creature had circled behind them and was charging, and from less than ten feet away. The old miner raised his left hand, the lens in his glove palm glowing blue as he discharged his Stasis module. The charging Alien was enveloped in an eerie, blue glow, and slowed down to a literal crawl.
"Now!" Tom yelled, and they all aimed and opened fire on the creature. Four Pulse Rifles, a plasma cutter and a rivet gun all concentrated fire on the chest of the beast. Slowed down by Stasis, Tom could see how the rounds barely had any effect, and could see why it had escaped before. This time, though, they were able to sustain fire on the target before it could run. While the bony, black exoskeleton was tough, so many rounds fired so rapidly and at so close range were far more powerful than a single burst. The heavy barrage of fire impacted and cracked the thorax, which at last burst open in slow motion. "Back!" Tom yelled as they all leaped back as the Stasis began to wear off, the acid flying and the creature screeching as it toppled forward and onto its face.
Right before their eyes, the acid blood burned through the floor, pipes, conduits, wires, supports, anything that wasn't the body of the creature was eaten away in a few seconds. They all backed away as the body of the creature moved as the floor under it began to give way.
"West, this is Team Six. Hostile is down! I repeat, hostile is down!" Tanya yelled.
"You're fucking kidding me!" West responded. She reloaded her Pulse Rifle, along with the others as they watched the body sag along with much of the floor in front of them.
"Confirmed. We have a confirmed kill. But the blood is eating an even bigger hole in the floor. Better tell everyone to stay put. If that little bit before was big, this is the size of a full vent," she said as she sent West a picture with her RIG.
"Will do. We'll fix that later. Right now, we finally have some good news, at least. Should be with you soon," said West. With that, they gathered closer to actually look at their mysterious attacker, at long last.
"Holy shit," breathed Dillon.
"That son of a bitch is huge," mused Warton. Tom stared with narrowed eyes.
"And built to kill," said Tom, noting the claws, teeth and tail, to say nothing of the blood which was currently burning a hole a meter across in the floor, the one below that, and the four others below that.
