CHAPTER 9
June 24th, 2179; Sub-basement level of Hadley's Hope terraforming colony, LV-426. Night Cycle
-"He could not have gone far, look for him" Marshal Wilson said "Use the trackers."
-"Nothing," Mary checked the device "He's not moving."
The black screen of the motion tracker didn't show any contact, as Mary swept the device around, there wasn't any beep. Just two dots corresponding to Breck and Marshal Wilson.
-"Try locating the PDT." Breck suggested. The Personal Data Transmitter was a microchip implanted on every colonist; it issued a signal containing the personal data of each colonist, including his vitals and position by a GPS signal in a specific frequency. Military grade Motion tracker devices as the M314 can detect the signal and display data on the screen but commercial models as those manufactured by Arious lacked that feature.
-"This old models can't do that" Mary clarified "One of those M314 trackers can, but this, you're lucky if it can track anything the size of a rat."
-"Lidecker, come in, Lidecker? This is Wilson." The Marshal called through his radio headset.
-"Lidecker here, what happen Marshal? Did you kill the creature?" Lidecker in Operations, responded.
-"Negative. We lost Ramírez. Please, search his PDT, he's not responding."
-"Wait, we're checking it…" and after a pause, Lidecker added "It's not there. We don't have a signal."
-"That's not possible," he exclaimed "PDT's can transmit even through many rock layers."
-"Maybe it's damaged" Mary wondered.
-"Those things are though. PDT's are EMP hardened, and are implanted inside your skull, unless he had suffered a massive trauma, the transmitter must be working." Breck explained.
-"I don't like this" Wilson said. "Let's find Ramírez, stick together"
They walked a few meters, Wilson at front with the shotgun in hands, Breckenridge next, with the motion tracker pointing ahead and then Mary, with the motion tracker pointing backwards and baton ready.
-"There's something ahead" Wilson said, pointing the flashlight. The beam illuminated a metallic object on the floor: Ramirez's shotgun.
-"Ramírez?" Wilson called "Officer, respond."
Breckenridge approached the weapon; it was lying just under a vertical vent. From it dripped the same crystalline substance.
-"Seems the creature climbed up there, into the basement" he said, pointing the flashlight. "Maybe Ramírez saw this and got there"
-"Without telling us? Leaving his weapon behind?" Wilson asked.
-"Point taken" Breck agreed.
-"Anyway. Let's check the upper level; I want to kill that fucker right now more than ever." Mary intervened. Breck picked up the shotgun and the trio walked towards the staircase leading to the basement level.
Wilson, Breck and Mary climbed the staircase to the colony's basement. This underground level consisted on a series of corridors and tunnels connecting various warehouses, storage rooms, cattle pens and a tunnel leading to the Atmosphere processor's sub-level 01, the tunnel was closed by a pressure door near the south end, somewhere below the operations block.
- o –
Woof, woof, woof. The dog barked insistently. Ronald Baker, the owner, scolded the animal.
- "Quiet, Rufus; there is nothing down there" But the dog insisted; something attracted his attention in one of the ventilation ducts. "It's probably a rat"
With the storm raging outside, farmers like Ronald Baker keep the cattle –mostly goats and pigs –inside the subterranean cattle pens. Ronald had previously worked on core worlds like Alpha Centaury B, which exported meat to Earth and more. Using his savings, he secured a place in the new colony; his efforts provide meat and other animal products for Hadley's Hope, saving them from exporting it from Earth, whose re-supply ships arrive twice a year.
Of course, here on an inhabited moon, Baker hadn't have to worry about predators or rustlers snatching his cattle, but he kept his loyal dog for company, especially when his wife passed away two years ago.
-"C'mon Boy, let's check the goats; make sure they're OK" Baker hurried up his canine companion.
Woof, woof, woof. The dog ran hastily through one of the ventilation ducts, whose grate was lying on the floor, the dog's barking echoed in the vent. Baker crawled behind the animal, worried; the dog had never been like this because of the rats that probably infested the basement.
-"Wait, Rufus! Get back here you dumb dog!" He exclaimed.
The vent was dark and Baker felt something wet on the knees. He didn't have a flashlight but puller a zippo from his pocket. The pale flame illuminated the vent, reflected by the stainless metal walls. The liquid on which he stepped was some kind of lubricant, sticky and translucent liquid. Maybe an oil pipe had broken.
He went deeper into the ventilation system, growling and cursing. Dog's insisting barks were heard deeper inside. When he reached a junction he found fallen pipes that made him crawl on his chest so he turned off his lighter. Suddenly, the barks turned into shrieks and then stopped.
-"Rufus? Where are you Boy…? Rufus? Come here" he called the dog, whistling.
The ventilation duct was silent. Baker felt a cold that ran down his spine. Suddenly, he didn't want to be in there, he crawled back but got hooked on a piece of metal. In the dark beyond, he heard a slight hiss; he pulled frantically but was stuck. The hissing sound was closer; he can even sense a presence, followed by a slight air current.
-"Who's there?" he said nervously, in response, another hiss reached his ears.
He pulled harder but his shirt wasn't released, the sound was getting closer. Now Baker was breathing and snorting desperately. The sound stopped, silence again. Baker pulled his zippo again and lighted on.
He screamed briefly before being cut short, the last thing he saw was a black, eyeless face with silvery teeth which seemed to be smiling at him.
- o –
-"Did you hear that?" Mary asked Wilson and Breck, "I think I heard someone screaming"
-"I heard it too" Marshal Wilson said. "This way"
They were in the basement level, just above the vent in which Ramírez had disappeared, no trace from him or the creature. They turned on their motion trackers: No contact. At that time, there was no one at the basement level. All people should be in the housing block, in their homes or in Operations block's offices. The colonists rarely go down to the basement, except when there was some routine maintenance work or checking the cattle pens.
-"I think I got something…" Mary checked the tiny black screen "That way"
They walked towards the junction and saw the open grate, but there wasn't anything, any blood, or the strange jelly like substance they had seen before.
-"I lost it… wait, there it is, signal's faint" Mary informed, she hit the device and the screen flickered "Lot of interference, but it seems is coming from the ventilation ducts"
-"Get ready, I don't want any surprises" Wilson told them. "Check those corners"
Breck peered into the vent, it was dark inside. The flashlight beam swept the interior. He saw something dangling from a broken plastic pipe and a few cut down cables spurted yellow-white parks.
-There's something in there." He said.
-"What is it?" Wilson asked, approaching the man, Breck lent Ramirez's shotgun to Mary and entered in the vent, pointing the flashlight to the object.
-"It seems like a piece of cloth… and a patch: 'Flying A'" announced, he saw the big, red letter A with two wings.
-"Flying A? Isn't that cattle company from Rigel?" Mary asked "Ronald Baker used to work for them"
-"I got it" Breck introduced himself completely in the vent, he reached the patch and examined it. It had the name R. Baker stenciled on it. "Yes, it's Baker's"
Something moved in the dark beyond. Mary's tracker beeped again. Beep, Beep, Beep. She slung the shotgun on her shoulder and checked the little green screen, it flickered with interference. One dot appeared and disappeared. Mary hit the device and cuursed, the screen stabilized but the contact was gone.
-"Baker, is that you? Ron?" Breck called, but he didn't get a response.
A dark shape moved in the shadows, the green dot on Mary's tracker moved, directly towards the man.
-"Breck? Got it, it's moving towards you."
-"I'm gonna get out, something is in here… I… I saw something." He pointed the shock baton front as he crawled backwards. The flashlight beam illuminated a black shadow. Something big, slowly crawling inside the vent towards him.
-"Breck? Get out of there!" Wilson and Mary shouted.
The man's feet appeared, followed by his waist and torso. Finally Breck was out, Wilson and Mary saw his frightened face, but before they can ask why, they hear the screeching.
-"Run! It's coming! We got to get out of here!" Breck yelled, the creature inside screeched again and soon, the three were running through the corridor. Mary looked back and saw the black monstrosity emerging from the vent, it was 7 feet tall, skeletal appearance, long arms with clawed fused fingers, but it's most prominent feature was the elongated, eyeless head with a mouth full of silvery teeth and a long, segmented tail ending in a sharp barb, similar to the stinger on a scorpion.
-"Wait! The elevator was on the other way!" Mary yelled.
-"The thing was blocking the way, run! Next elevator is at the end of the corridor!" Wilson responded.
They reached the end of the corridor, there was an elevator to level 1, near the casino. Mary pulsed the UP button and a yellow light indicated the elevator was coming down. They heard the beast growling, Wilson pointed the shotgun towards the corridor, with the intention of blowing the monster's head if it gets too close. Breck asked Mary for the shotgun and did the same. Nothing.
-"Where's it?!" Breck asked, moving his head sideways, looking for the creature nowhere to be seen.
-"Dunno. Maybe fled," Wilson told him.
-"Elevator's coming, let's get out of here! C'mon you fucking thing!" Mary pulsed the elevator calling button frantically.
The doors opened with a squeaking sound. Mary entered first, followed by Marshal Wilson and then Breck, who at last turned his back to the corridor. All of the sudden, before the doors closed, a pair of clawed black hands descended from the ceiling and grabbed the terraformer technician from the shoulders.
-"Aaaahgghhhhhh!" the man screamed, the creature screeched in turn.
-"Let him go you –" Marshal Wilson fired the shotgun at the creature dangling from the ceiling. The burst hit the creature on the head, but it didn't caused the slightest damage, his exoskeleton must be very hard, only a few pellets wounded in the soft parts of the mouth and small drops of a yellowish green liquid sprayed the marshal's jacket with a whitish steam hiss.
-"Son of a –" the marshal screamed, dropping the shotgun and struggling to take off the jacket. "Acid blood! Get it off me!"
That only enraged the beast, which let go a furious growl. Mary tried to hold the man by hand but the monster was stronger. Mary and Wilson saw Breck and the creature disappear on the ceiling's opened grate before the elevator's door closed and climbed up to the colony's main level, she fell to the floor crying, the Marshal hold her on his arms.
- o –
A/N: Hello readers. First of all Sorry for the late update, Holidays were busy and barely had time to write, also someone had suggested me to find a beta-reader but to the moment I haven't anyone for the job, but your suggestions are welcomed. Anyway, on this chapter the alien had begun snatching victims to an improvised nest; it isn't a Queen yet, but soon. I have a few surprises for you.
Coming soon, why Earth lost contact with the colony and the explanation for the barricades and small arms and IEDs inside Operations block.
Post-script: If you hadn't noticed, "Flying A" is an homage to the first AVP comic. And for the question about having different types of aliens, the answer is: With a few pets and cattle among the hosts, cuadrupedal aliens and runners are guaranteed, maybe more… Stay tunned and don't forget to review.