Chapter Twelve

Amelia didn't know how much time had passed when she came back to consciousness. She moaned softly as she felt her head throbbing. She winced as she reached up and rubbed her face. Her brains felt like mush, sloshing around in her head. At first, she didn't know where she was. Her back hurt, and she felt twisted in an uncomfortable position. It was also dark. She winced as she opened her eyes. She had no idea what happened. She moved her hand, and felt a box next to her, dumped over, contents scattered around what she realized was a closet. She could feel some cloth under her hands. She warily sat up, head spinning. "Ugh . . ." she moaned as she raised her hand and touched her head. She noticed she was holding a tissue cutter. She frowned, her forehead hurting from the bruised muscles being moved. She noticed several energy cells for the tissue cutter laying where they had spilled from the box. She took them, loaded one into the cutter and pocketed a few others. She groaned as she shakily stood and opened the door. She was shocked.

Her normally clean lab was a mess. Beakers were smashed or scattered around, tools littered the floor. She slowly looked around, too stunned to move. "What . . . happened?" she asked aloud. How long had she been out? What had happened? The last thing she remembered, was alarms blaring. As she moved forward, she saw the opened pod by the X-ray machine, and suddenly remembered. "Oh, god," she swore, bringing the cutter up and looking around. Her eyes darted around, looking for any movement. She tapped her RIG and tried to message Sammers. All she got was static. She tried not to panic and stay as calm as she could as she looked around, warily. The closet door swished closed behind her. Beyond that, it was eerily quiet. So much so, it unnerved her. She kept a firm grip on the tissue cutter as she very slowly and cautiously moved forward. Her boots touched pieces of broken glass and metal, fallen and scattered tools, each little noise making her shiver and ready to jump. Her eyes flicked back and forth, but nothing moved. As much as Amelia was loathe to do so, she edged nearer to the X-Ray machine and the empty pod. She kept the tissue cutter up, just in case. Thankfully, like the rest of the lab, it was still. Satisfied that it was empty, and the creature it had spawned seemingly nowhere around, she relaxed somewhat. Now she really wondered how the pods got there in the first place. It was beyond bizarre.

Amelia then laid down in the X-Ray and scanning machine, and activated it, positioning the screen so she could see the results. She closed her eyes as the machine hummed and worked. A small chime alerted her that it had finished. She opened an eye, and was immensely relieved to see nothing but healthy-looking lungs and heart. She let out a breath she had been holding.

"Thank goodness," she murmured. She yelped as a RIGLINK video window popped up, the screen hissing with static, but she could clearly see Sammers' face.

"Amelia?! You're alive!" She winced and held her finger to her lips.

"Keep it down, Michael!" she hissed. He sighed with relief and closed his eyes.

"We thought you were dead. I tried to message you several times, and you never replied." She could hear a slight tremor in his voice, and what anger she had dissipated.

"Yes, I'm alive. How long have I been out?" she asked.

"A few hours," he replied.

"What happened?" she asked. Sammers looked pained as he rubbed his forehead.

"The creatures attacked. And not little, isolated attacks. It was all at once." Amelia was stunned silent. Sammers breathed heavily as he recounted the events. "They . . . attacked Union Square. So many people . . ." He fought tears, and began to lose. "They tore them to pieces. People scattered everywhere they could," he said as he stifled a sob.

"Where's West?" she asked. Sammers sighed heavily.

"In P-Sec HQ. A bunch of survivors are holed up in there with him."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm in Engineering. We've got a group here, too. There's some over in Hydroponics, and I heard some are hiding in the Megavents, too." He then fixed her with a firm, but scared look. "Amelia, they're hunting. They're hunting in groups, now. God, they killed half of P-Sec in a few minutes." She was silent as she took it all in.

"Sammers, do you know if Russel, Judy or Jessica are okay?" she asked. He looked pained.

"I don't know. It was such a scramble, and everyone's so panicked. But I think one of them might be here," he said in a strained voice. Amelia nodded.

"Are there many wounded?" she asked, and Sammers looked shocked.

"Amelia . . . it's too dangerous. Those things are out patrolling," he protested, but she only smiled.

"Michael, it's my job to help people. Risk comes with the job." He gave a soft laugh, in spite of himself.

"I know better than to argue with you," he said, and she smiled.

"Good boy. I'll pack up what I can carry, and meet you at Engineering," she said and closed the window. She then sat up from the machine, stood up, and got to work. She got a Paramedic Trauma bag, added more medical supplies to it, and then stood. She had been about to head out, when she looked at her ET RIG. With the Aliens running around, and who knows what kinds of damage to the colony, the extra protection and gear could be very helpful. But the suit was heavy, and with the bright white and red color scheme, make hiding much harder. She weighed the pros and cons, then donned the suit. She then packed the pouches with anything else she could. Morphine patches and Instajet disposable autoinjectors, along with more Health Packs. She also put a charged cell for the suits built-in defibrillator, just in case. Last, she made sure she had a few extra cells for the tissue cutter. Fully geared up, Amelia took a deep breath, readied herself, and opened the door of Medlab.

Amelia was shocked at the devastation. Red warning lights blinked on and off silently. Broken wires sparked and hissed. She could clearly see some holes in the grating ahead of her. She tried not to let her hands shake as she kept the tissue cutter up and ready. Her eyes darted around as she warily moved down the corridor, hugging the wall as best she could. She also tried not to stand up as much, and reduce her visibility as best she could. Engineering wasn't that far from Medlab, but wasn't that close, either. In this situation, though, it may as well have been Lightyears away. Every step she took seemed to echo for miles, no matter how soft she tried to make them. Every noise seemed amplified. Even her own heart was pounding in her ears. Everywhere she looked, she saw the devastation.

A few doors were ajar. She could clearly see bloodstains on grates and walls. From some of the patterns, she could see they were high-velocity spray patterns, consistent with spray from arteries. Most of the blood was dried, but some was coagulated, thick puddles of clotted blood that was still sticky. Amelia was no stranger to blood. She still quite vividly remembered an incident early in her career when there had been a mass casualty event from a car accident. Fifteen people were killed, and their blood coated everything. She was more than used to gore. Every creak or groan made Amelia jump. Every now and then she glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being snuck up on.

As she warily came up to one of the open doors, she stopped, and carefully glanced in. It was chaos inside. Objects were strewn about or knocked over. A ceiling light hung on a cord, slowly swaying, casting the room in an eerie light, shadows jumping and playing tricks. There was blood, but no signs of bodies. Amelia carefully and quietly went past. She passed similar scenes of carnage along the way, but she saw no movement, encountered neither human, nor Alien.

When she came to a junction, she stopped, and carefully peeked around the corner, trying to reveal as little of herself as possible. The other corridor was in much the same shape. Most of the lights were out, a few flickering or blinking. Wires sporadically spat sparks. Amelia knew far better than to go down that way, so she carefully and quickly went ahead. She also made sure to stay well away from any vents, be they in walls or ceilings. It was eerily quiet, and she didn't like it one bit. Save for a few scattered sounds, it was too quiet. Her whole body felt like a coiled spring. When she came up to a corner, she hugged the wall, and carefully peeked around. Again, it was silent, and signs of struggle. She could clearly see bullet holes. A pipe leaked water from where it had been damaged, the trickling sound echoing. She rounded the corner almost in a crouch, trying to stay as low and out of sight as she could. She had dimmed the visor of her suit as much as she could.

Amelia still had no idea how these things actually perceived their world, and was extra cautious. Best not to take chances, and provide as little opportunity for them to find her, however it was they did so. As she moved down the corridors, she thought on what she knew of the creatures. While they did not appear to have eyes, that in no way seemed to hinder them, and she wondered how they navigated. Perhaps they used some form of echolocation. Most troubling, though, was the appearance of one of those pods, and in her lab, no less. Amelia's mind ran back over everything she knew, and where they could have possibly come from. However, while this was important, it was not immediately so. Right now, she had to focus on getting to Engineering and helping people who were in need.

As she came up to another corner, she thought she heard a hiss from somewhere. Now, while that was not out of the ordinary, as there was plenty of machinery that made such sounds, something about the tone and timbre of it set the hairs on the back of her neck on end. She carefully peeked around the corner. It was dark, save for light cast from inside of a room where a door was open. She had been about to move, when she caught something. There was an odd shadow at the top of the shape of the door, cast on the wall. Her gaze focused, and she felt her heart leap into her throat. The shadow was moving. She could make out the four tubes on the back of the creature, as well as the long head. The tail was weaving slowly. What truly scared her, was the fact it seemed to be clinging upside down to the ceiling in the room. She began to tremble as she felt cold fear settle in the pit of her stomach. Amelia glanced around. She had to find another route. She looked forward, down the hall. It was just as dark. She glanced back over her shoulder. Backtracking seemed the best option. She moved back, and her boot hit a piece of broken metal, that scraped against the grate. She froze, and saw the shadow move, long head turning in her direction. Amelia fought panic as she moved quickly, but quietly back and carefully entered a side room where the door was open. She checked quickly to make sure it was empty. It looked like one of the rooms where mining suits and gear were stored, lockers standing, some open, most closed. She heard a sound behind and down the hall. She looked at the open locker, and quickly squeezed herself in, RIG and all, and closed the door. She tried to keep her breathing even and calm, though the suit hid it. She saw a shadow move outside the door, and felt her throat tighten.

Amelia Kyne felt her whole body go cold when she saw them for the first time.

They were tall, shockingly so. While she had seen a dead one, knelt by it and examined it, that somehow failed to capture how big they actually were. Their long, curved heads brushed the ceiling, as did the curious tubes on their backs. Their bodies were black and shiny. Not just because they were smooth, but a layer of mucus coated them. She could see long strings of drool dripping from their jaws as they walked in. They moved with an almost elegant grace to them, as if they almost floated. Their movements were fluid and deliberate, their long tails extending out and back behind them, most likely to balance. Amelia could barely see their feet, but they seemed to stand in a digitigrade stance, their feet an elongated mimic of a human foot. They looked skeletal, spindly, almost delicate, in a way. The top of their head was a smooth, translucent dome, with no visible eyes. The dim light glinted off of them as they almost flowed into the room like oil, or black ink in water. She also noticed, to her horror, they were totally silent as they moved.

They stopped and stood in the middle of the room. She noticed the tubes on their backs moving, seeming to shift and vibrate, ever so slightly. She felt her chest tighten, wondering if the tubes were some kind of alien sensing organs. One tilted its head one way, then the other, while the other slowly turned its head up towards the ceiling. It then turned its head to where she was hiding, and she swore she felt like her suit was filled with ice. It moved silently over to where the lockers were, and she felt panic rising up inside her. She knew there was no way the tissue cutter would be able to seriously harm, much less kill one of them. If she tried to run, she was certain she was as good as dead. It came so close, she could see the dome in greater detail. She could actually see partially through, and she swore she could see ridged pits that resembled nothing so much as tilted pits that parodied the empty eye sockets of a human skull. It tilted its head up, and she saw the mouth. The lips were semi-transparent as well, and she could see the sharp, metallic teeth, as well as what looked to be exposed tendons and ligaments. Amelia's RIG was alerting her that her heart rate was elevating fast, and she tried to calm herself. If her RIG sounded the alarm for high blood pressure and heart rate, she was as good as dead.

A sudden clatter almost made her jump, and made the Alien turn its attention from the locker to its companion. The other one had knocked over several long canisters. The other one moved over, and seemed to bat them gently aside with its long fingers. The way it moved the canisters almost reminded her of a cat, how they would bat around something that interested them. The creatures then stood back up, and, much to her relief, left the room. Amelia felt ready to faint. She calmed herself for a few moments, waiting, and then, very carefully, she opened the locker and peeked her head out of the door of the room. She looked up and down the halls, but there were no signs of the creatures. She warily came back out into the halls and went back to where she had seen another junction. While dim, this one didn't look at bad as the last, and she saw no signs of the Aliens, so went down this way. She glanced at the markings on the walls, and knew she was on the right track.

She was shocked how different the colony looked now. Dark and damaged, it looked like an entirely different place. At the end of the hall, a red warning light blinked on and off silently. Amelia passed more doors. Some were still active, a hologram shining to open them, others jammed partially open, a few locked. She was cautious as she moved down the dark halls, trying to make as little noise as possible, and now watchful for any debris that might make noise. Amelia crouched down and peeked around the corner. To the right, the hall was a mess, pipes and conduits broken, wires hanging and sparking. She could see a smashed and torn vent cover, and a trail of red blood leading to it. She looked the other way, and while a mess, was nowhere near as bad. She went left, hugging the wall, staying away from vents, and trying to make as little noise as possible. Every now and then, she would stop when she heard some noise from somewhere. A clang, a clatter, almost any noise now made her freeze or jump. She adjusted her hold of the bag of supplies, kept the tissue cutter ready, but tried to keep as steady a pace as she could. Part of the problem was, with how things had changed with the damage and how dim it was, it was hard to get her bearings, and she had to double-check now and then where she was. It felt like an eternity she wandered the darkened halls of a colony she now scarcely recognized.

She was relieved when she finally came to the hall that led to Engineering. She rounded the corner, and saw the large hole through the floor where they had killed the first creature. As she approached the door to Engineering, she noted a few of the vents had large panels hastily riveted or welded over them. She tapped her RIG and messaged Sammers. "Michael, I'm outside the door," she said as she approached, the hologram red in color and reading "locked". She could hear a bit of commotion on the other side. The hologram turned to white and now said "unlocked", before swishing open. She was a bit surprised to see Tom, in his miner's RIG, holding a plasma cutter, and with a Pulse Rifle slung across his back. He looked around, then motioned for her to come in quick. She hurried in, and the door was slammed closed and locked again.

People murmured in fear, coughed, and she could hear a few moans of pain. Amelia glanced around as her helmet retracted into her RIG. Tom sighed gently as he patted her on her shoulder.

"Good to see ya, Doc," he said as he walked past. She looked around.

People sat on the floor, some on makeshift bedrolls and blankets, others going over weapons or tools. Some had bandaged wounds, blood visible seeping through the cloth bindings.

"Amelia!" said Sammers as he walked as fast as his tired body would allow. She looked up as he approached. She hugged him, despite the situation.

"All right, show me to the worst cases," she said, and Sammers grimly nodded.

"This way," he said as he led her back into Engineering. They passed people who looked dirty, haggard and terrified. As they did, Amelia noted they had also covered as many vents as possible with plating and metal.

"So, fill me in. What happened?" she asked as she checked the bag of supplies.

"They hit us, and they did it hard and fast," said Sammers as he fingered the Plasma Cutter he held, the blade rotating ninety degrees and then back. They passed by a few P-Sec officers who were checking their rifles and pistols. "Everyone scattered as quick as they could. People holed up in any secure spots they could find. I just hope they're doing better than we are . . ." he mused as he led her back to where they had the worst of their wounded.

XXX

In another part of the colony, another group of survivors hid out in the Megavents. The group was not that large, only a few dozen. They had locked themselves into one of the supply rooms where tools and gear was kept. Thankfully, there were very few vents down in that area, so they had needed to fortify very little. The fact most of it was carved into the rock was also a comfort, as, thus far, they had not seen any indication the creatures could burrow through rock. The survivors chattered among themselves as they tried to keep it together.

"Did you see those fucking things?" a man asked.

"Wish I didn't," replied another.

"Same here. I . . . I saw what they did to April," a woman almost sobbed.

"So did I. I was there when the fuckers attacked. It was horrible," said another man.

"You're wrong," said someone, and they turned to see none other than that crazy freak Marker-head preacher and his zealots. The people groaned, but a few growled.

"How can you say that?" the first woman asked, disgust clear in her voice. Abaddon only smiled.

"What is happening is not a tragedy. It's glorious," he said proudly, and a few people's jaws almost dropped, but more than a few shook with anger.

"And here you rock-heads wonder why folks don't like you?" a man shot back. Abaddon didn't seem perturbed.

"You fail to see the truth. What these beings are, what they mean," he said as he displayed a hologram, of first the pod, then the spider-hand, then the adult. "They are glorious. A true marvel of the universe. But even more amazing than you realize. They are the Heralds!" he said, raising his hands in awe, as did the others. The people were silent, but their looks told their true feelings.

"You're insane," a miner shot back. Abaddon smiled, as if he was talking to a child.

"Do you not see the significance? They are the great Heralds! They come before the Marker, and choose who will Ascend into Convergence and the Universal Awakening, and who will be cast down!" The peoples' looks at Abaddoned turned downright venomous. "This is our chance at salvation! They are here to judge us! They come to cast judgment upon Sinners and exalt the Righteous! The beautiful dark angels that-" Abaddon didn't have time to finish before someone threw a rock and hit him in the chest.

"Filthy bastard!" a woman screamed at him.

"Yeah! You love these things so much, go out there and kiss 'em!" a miner shouted. People began to yell and get aggressive, which made a few of the Unitologists back up. Some raised their arms to guard from thrown objects, one of the taller men among them stepped up to block another rock from hitting Abaddon. A female Unitologist growled and reached for the small of her back, and pulled out a pistol. The others froze as she aimed and fired, killing the man who had thrown the rock, the gunshot deafening in the closed room. The whole room descended into chaos as people screamed and the other Unitologists produced weapons and began to shoot. People screamed as pistols and plasma cutters boomed.

"And thus do we pass judgment for the Heralds upon you heretics and heathens," Abaddon hissed with grim delight as he shot a woman, whose head toppled from her neck in a shower of blood.

Ethan held a large knife, but stared in both awe and horror at what was unfolding. Raltan looked back at him and laughed.

"Come join the fun, little brother!" he said in a cheerful voice as he slit the throat of a man who he had caught in a choke hold. Ethan was deeply conflicted. Abaddon seemed to notice and smiled, despite the blood that spattered him.

"Do not worry or hesitate, brother. It is the will of the Marker and the Heralds. Some do not wish to see the truth. Those who are Righteous will Ascend, and those who are Sinners will be cast down." Ethan glanced at one of the bodies, then back to Abaddon, who smiled warmly.

"Y-you're right . . ." Ethan murmured as he moved towards a wounded man who lay on the floor. Abaddon grinned.

"Altman be praised," said Abaddon as more screams echoed.

XXX

Amelia sighed softly as she finished up treating a man's wound. She was shocked at what the creatures were capable of.

A common wound was parallel cuts about a half-inch apart. Amelia realized these were made by the creatures' distinctive paired claws. She was thankful she had Somatic Gel, as stitching such wounds with sutures or staples would be difficult, not to mention would make the patient look like a quilt or Frankenstein's monster. She saw plenty of slashes that seemed to have been inflicted by the sharp blade that tipped the tails of the Aliens as well, and these reminded her of wounds created by large knives. Thankfully, she had relatively few acid burns to treat, and those were mostly superficial. People who got a few drops or a light mist. She was thankful for stocking up on Morphine before she left Medlab.

"Okay, that should do it," she said as she stood up and turned to Sammers.

"Thank you, Amelia," he said, and she gave a tired smile.

"That's what I'm here for," she said as he led her out to where they had set up a small, impromptu command center. As they did, they passed a few bodies, covered with tarps or sheets that Engineering had been able to scrounge.

Despite her best efforts, Amelia was unable to save some of the worst cases, and could only ease their suffering. Quite a few people had died before she ever got there, the bodies put aside until they could find a solution. First, though, they had to stay alive.

"Sammers, I have to ask. Did you see Russel, Judy or Jessica?" he asked. He sighed softly.

"Sorry, Amelia, things were so frantic, I wasn't able to-"

"Oh, you mean this young lady?" said Tom as he led a shocked Jessica up.

"Amelia?!" she gasped. Amelia smiled and hugged her.

"Oh, thank goodness you're safe," said Amelia as Tom smiled.

"When the alarm sounded, and people started to panic, I tried to go find you, and the others, but I got carried into the crowd, and-" Amelia stopped her and shook her head.

"No, don't blame yourself. It's not on you. I'll try to find the others. But, right now, we have to help who we can. Here and now," she said, noting Jessica looked frightened, but not as bad as she had feared.

"Right," said Jessica with a nod. Sammers smiled and nodded.

"Amelia, you look like hell. Why don't you get some sleep?" She looked at him, clearly about to argue, but he stopped her.

"Remember what I said about needing you in good shape to help people?" he reminded her, and she sighed softly.

"I suppose a few hours will be okay," she conceded, and he smiled.

"You stabilized the worst off folks, and we'll wake you up if anything happens," he promised, and she nodded. Jessica smiled at her.

"I can handle the small stuff while you get some rest," she said, and Amelia agreed. She then settled on the floor, her RIG warm and comfortable as she leaned against a wall, and let her eyes drift closed.