Disclaimer: The author does not own Dead Space or Aliens.

Dead Space: Perfect Organism

By

CelfwrDderwydd

Chapter One: Red Sun

CEC Mission ER529

Mission Status: USG Kellion en route to Aegis System

Objectives: Locate mining vessel USG Ishimura, diagnose and repair communications blackout.

Primary mission assets:

Isaac Clarke, engineering and ship systems specialist.

Kendra Daniels, computer specialist.

Zach Hammond, chief security officer.

CPL Hailey Johnston, security officer and pilot.

CPL Aiden Chen, security officer and pilot.

Estimated time to contact: 3 minutes.

"Isaac, it's me. I . . . wish I could talk to you. I'm . . . so sorry. About everything. It's all falling apart here. I still can't believe what's going on. Isaac, if you get this . . ." the recorded message played, hissing with static and interference, the vague image of a woman appearing out of the static and snow, only to fade back into the scan lines and static. Isaac had run the message through several programs and filters, and was lucky he could understand that much. Most of it was so distorted, he couldn't even tell who was there, much less where they were. It was only because he would know Nicole's voice if he was blind that he knew who it was when he first got the garbled message, and even then, what he now listened to was all that came through.

"How many times have you watched that?" a woman asked. He looked up at Kendra Daniels, a woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. "Guess you must really miss her, huh?" Isaac sighed softly and nodded his head.

"Yeah. First I've heard from her in weeks. Sure, the Ishimura's not a job you turn down, but six months with only vid-calls. It's kinda rough," he replied. Kendra gave a soft, sympathetic smile.

"Well, we're almost there. You'll be able to look her up in a jiffy. Besides, I'm sure I'd rather listen to my girlfriend than Hammond list off security protocols," Kendra replied. Hammond, a tall man with dark skin and a shaved head in a Security uniform chuckled.

"Better safe than sorry, I always say," he replied with some humor.

"Heads up people," said Chen, the pilot. They glanced up at the swirling colors outside the ship as it navigated through Shockspace. "Nice, clean re-entry. Welcome to Aegis VII," said Chen as the ship shook and they exited the psychedelic colors into regular space. Now, outside the window, was a brown-gray planet, orbited by huge chunks of rock, more asteroids than a person could ever count, and an orange sun, glaring harshly through the vacuum of space. Kendra walked over to stand in front of the window, crossed her arms and sighed.

"All this trouble over a chunk of rock," she commented. Hammond glanced sidelong at her and smiled softly.

"To an independent miner, that's heaven. Cobalt, silicon, osmium, according to the reports, it's a goldmine," said Hammond.

"Minus the gold, of course," Johnston chuckled from her co-pilot seat, Chen chuckling with her.

"Ah, you never know. Besides, I'm more partial to silver, myself," Chen joked. Hammond shook his head.

"All right, enough joking around. Now, where is she?" he asked as he looked around the displays and the window.

"There she is," said Chen, pointing as one large asteroid moved out of the way and revealed a large ship hovering above a huge chunk of rock from the planet, both floating in orbit.

Rib-like structures stuck up from the back of the ship, large towers at the back, and long pylons on the bottom extended out and helped hold the massive load with glowing cyan beams of gravitons.

"Visual contact with USG Ishimura confirmed," said Kendra into her wrist computer, noting the time and date.

"Something, isn't she? Biggest planet cracker in her class. Looks like they already popped the cork," he mused as they observed the massive field of debris and the huge chunk of the planet suspended underneath the orbiting Ishimura, a very large crater plainly visible on the surface of the planet far below. Isaac squinted as they passed into the shadow of the Ishimura, the orange sun dimming.

"Wait a minute. Why's it so dark? We should be able to at least see running lights," Isaac noted. Chen glanced around.

"Yeah. I'll get us into hailing range. Somebody's gotta be waiting," said Chen as he steered the ship.

"Just be careful with the approach. I'm not taking any chances with the CEC's flagship," said Hammond. Johnston chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, even a scratch would take a decade's salary to fix," she snorted.

"Nah, not that much. Maybe six months worth," Kendra replied.

"Sir? We're in haling range," said Chen. Hammon nodded and motioned for Chen to go ahead. Chen typed on a panel, which beeped. "USG Ishimura, this is the emergency maintenance team of the USG Kellion responding to your distress call. Come in, Ishimura," said Chen. The only reply was static. Hammond frowned softly, arms crossed. Chen tried again. "Ishimura, do you copy? This is the USG Kellion. Please respond." Again, only static and silence. Kendra sat in her seat next to Isaac.

"You ever hear of a full communications blackout on one of these things?" Kendra asked. Isaac shook his head.

"Never. Come on. Someone pick up the phone," said Isaac as he looked at the dark vessel.

As they got closer, they finally picked something up, but it was garbled, strange, like nothing they had ever heard. The strange sound sent unholy shivers up and down Isaac's spine and stood his hairs on end, for some reason.

"What the hell is that?" Chen asked. Johnston shook her head.

"Ah, sounds like, maybe a busted comms array, or an encoder. Get me and Daniels in we can fix it. Fourty-eight hours, tops," said Isaac. Hammond nodded and Chen hurried to shut off the sound that grated on their nerves.

"All right," said Hammond as he turned back to the dark Ishimura. "And should be enough time for you and your lady to catch up, too," said Hammond, and Isaac chuckled, picking up his helmet. "Chen, Johnston, take us in," Hammond ordered.

As they did, Kendra noticed something. She glanced at the side of the hull of the Ishimura.

"Hey, wait a minute. Do you see that?" she asked Isaac as she pointed. He looked, squinted.

"Is that . . . damage?" he asked. They all glanced, just as the Kellion rocked.

"What the hell?!" Hammon yelled. The ship twisted and dove suddenly.

"Sir! I'm losing control of the ship!" said Chen as they dove rapidly towards the Ishimura, smashing into several asteroids on the way. Alarms sounded and sparks flew from panels as they were tossed around.

"Guidance tether malfunction!" said Johnston as they tried to steer the ship. "Fuck! We're off course! At this rate we'll slam into the hull!" she yelled over the noise.

"Daniels, do something!" Hammond ordered. Kendra furiously typed on her wrist computer.

"The guidance system override isn't working!" she yelled back, trying again. Isaac saw something and pointed.

"Chen! Aim for that emergency stabilizer! The blue light! It'll slow us down!" Isaac yelled.

"Do it!" Hammond ordered, trying to not be tossed around like a ragdoll in his own chair. "Drop the blast shields! Brace yourselves!" Hammond ordered as Johnston pulled the handle and the heavy shields slammed closed over the window, a hologram popping up and showing them how they quite literally missed the side of the Ishimura by less than ten feet, flying up, over and into the docking bay. The Kellion rocked again, metal grinding against metal as they were slammed to a stop, the four almost thrown out of their seats, if not for their seatbelts. Hammond coughed and shook his head as he sat upright and looked around. "Everyone all right?" Hammond asked.

"I'm good," said Kendra.

"A little banged up, but I'll live," said Chen. Johnston groaned a little.

"Same," she replied.

"I'm okay," said Isaac. At this, they opened the blast shields and could at last see the docking bay of the Ishimura, large, glowing letters spelled out the name of the ship. Hammond glanced at Isaac.

"Good call on that stabilizer, Isaac," said Hammond, patting him on the shoulder.

"Just glad I always read the manual," said Isaac. Kendra sighed heavily.

"What the hell is going on! That guidance system is a fucking deathtrap!" she groused. Hammond shook his head.

"Better add it to your repair list," said Hammond. He then turned to Chen. "Speaking of, what's our damage?" Hammond asked. Chen brought up the interface.

"Comms are down, not getting any readings from the port booster, autopilot's a wreck, and looks like the singularity core is out. Could be worse, but not by much," he said as he looked at the damage.

"Fuck," Kendra swore. Hammond nodded his agreement.

"All right, let's go get some hands from Flight Deck to help out. Everyone, with me. Chen, Johnston, grab some fire extinguishers and help me get the small fires out, first. Last thing we need is the Kellion to blow," Hammond said, not fully joking. Isaac put his helmet on and closed the seals, then followed the rest of the new arrivals out into the docking bay.

Isaac winced as he saw the damage.

"Shit, we came down hard," he mused aloud.

"Not a great start to our repair mission," Hammond observed as he, Chen and Johnston used fire extinguishers to put out the small fires. Kendra was staring at the back of the Kellion.

"You didn't just lose readings from the port booster, you lost the port booster. Un-fucking-believable," she groaned. Isaac shook his head.

"At least we survived in one piece. Not many others in a similar situation can say the same," he commented, and Kendra shook her head as she followed Hammond, Chen and Johnston. She paused when she saw they were carrying weapons.

"Pulse Rifles?" she questioned.

"Standard procedure. We'll register them in the Flight Lounge," said Hammond as he motioned for them all to follow.

"Where the hell is everybody? Half the ship must've heard that landing," said Chen.

"Don't know. Hung over?" Johnston replied.

"Don't knock it, Chen. You got us here in one piece, and that's what matters," Hammond intoned. They idly chatted about getting a round on CEC's tab, while Isaac glanced around. He noticed it was oddly dark, even for a ship dock. Looking up, there was no one visible in the windows of flight control, some of the lights flickered, as did the sign with the Ishimura's name. As they neared the flight lounge, an automated message began to play on a screen, welcoming them and giving them the history of the Ishimura. They ignored it as they moved on to the security check-in desk. The computer hummed to life and scanned Isaac and the rest.

"Welcome, Isaac Clarke, to the USG Ishimura," it said in a synthetic, female voice. His RIG hummed and beeped as it was synced with the ship. "RIG synced. Collect Stasis and Kinesis modules from acting Chief Engineer Jacob Temple. Location," it then gave a short alarm beep. "Error, employee not found." They looked at each other.

"I don't know what's going on, but I can't reach Security," said Hammond.

"Same with the Chief Engineer. What the hell is wrong with their comms? I've never seen a ship so screwed up," said Isaac.

"Bite your tongue, Mr. Clarke," Hammond shot back. The hologram of the door then turned from read to blue, indicating it was now unlocked. Isaac pressed his hand to the hologram, the door sliding open.

While Isaac had not exactly expected a neat and tidy area, he was surprised by the mess the flight lounge was in. Luggage had been tossed around haphazardly, as had crates and containers of various kinds.

"Someone left in a hurry," Chen remarked, giving voice to what all of them were thinking. Johnston knelt and picked up a holopad, the screen cracked.

"Where's the security detail? Where's anybody?" Hammond asked as he walked around, looking for any signs of people. Isaac looked around, the only other ways in were a door that was locked, and the door into the security desk. Kendra looked at readouts on her wrist computer.

"Don't know, but there's nothing logged. No duty roster, no power to the elevator. Doesn't make any sense," she mused quietly. Isaac stood by some vending machines, noted the mess.

"All right, all right," said Hammond as he looked through the window. "Ah. Isaac, that security console is still live. Go in and get me a damage report and a sitrep. Let's find out what the hell is going on around here," said Hammond. Isaac nodded and headed through the door.

Isaac wound his way through the chairs, disposable cups, scattered papers, around to the security console. He tapped the screen and the hologram of the ship came to life, some areas red, alarms beeping. Johnston came closer and looked at it.

"Geez. Look at this," she mused.

"What have you got?" Hammond asked.

"Shit. Not just comms. Half the whole damn ship's in the red," said Isaac. "Engines, hull, trams," he listed.

"What a mess," said Chen as he and Hammond walked up to look. "What could do that kind of damage to a planet cracker?" Chen asked.

They all looked up as the vents groaned and expelled dust and mist.

"Hey, got us some power, and the ventilation is up and running again," said Kendra. Hammond nodded.

"Good work. Now see if you can get the power back to the elevator," Hammond replied.

"On it," said Kendra.

Just then, an alarm sounded, the doors locking as red warning lights flashed, surprising all of them.

"Hazardous anomaly detected. Quarantine activated," the computer announced. They looked around.

"Shit. Another malfunction?" Hammond asked. Isaac looked at the terminal, a large, red biohazard symbol across the screen. He typed.

"No. The quarantine system are all fine!" Isaac replied. Hammond swore as he walked over to Kendra.

"Dammit, if it isn't one thing, it's another," he muttered. Chen lifted his head and looked around.

"Hey, anyone else smell that?" he asked.

"Smell what?" Johnston asked as she walked around.

"I dunno. Smells kind of . . . musty, musky?" he said, trying to explain. Johnston was about to reply, when she stopped and looked down at her boot. She raised her foot. In the dim, red light from the alarm lights, long, thin strings of a clear, viscous fluid hung from her boot like snot.

"Ew," she said with distaste as she shook it off. Kendra suddenly froze.

"Wait a minute! Did you hear that?" asked Kendra. Hammond looked at her.

"Hear what?" Hammond replied.

"Yeah, I didn't hear anything," Johnston confirmed. Chen glanced around.

"Me neith-wait!" he turned his head to listen. Isaac thought he could hear something. Faint, but there. It almost sounded like something being rubbed or dragged over metal. Isaac heard metal groan. They turned as a vent cover in the ceiling burst in, and something came with it.

"What the fuck is that?!" Kendra screamed as a dark shape stood up in the flickering red light.

It was tall, towering over them, nearly eight feet tall. A long, smooth head topped a tall, black body that was almost skeletal. Light caught highlights, framing an upper body that reminded of human ribs. A long tail wove behind it, a long blade at the tip. The eyeless face stared back, as the lips twitched up and open to reveal sharp teeth that looked like they were made of polished steel.

"Fuck!" Chen swore, bringing his rifle up, but before he could fire, the vent above him smashed in, another of the dark things grabbing him by the shoulders and neck, the Corporal gone before he could hardly scream.

"Chen!" Hammond yelled as he opened fire on the thing that was charging at Johnston. She managed to get off a few shots, but that hardly seemed to do anything but anger it as it pounced on her like a huge, black cat from the darkest jungles of ancient Earth. She yelled as she was knocked to the floor, feeling her ankle break as she tried to use her rifle to block those teeth and claws.

"Get it the fuck off me!" she yelled. Hammond concentrated fire on the creature, the rounds hitting the dark thing. It screeched and backed away as yellowish-green fluid spurted. Johnston screamed as she was showered in the fluid, hissing and burning . . . like acid.

"Johnston!" Hammond yelled, helpless as her face dissolved, exposing her skull, then brains. The acid even ate through her rifle and was burning a hole in the metal flooring. Her RIG sounded a flatline tone.

"Oh god!" Isaac swore, helpless to do anything.

"Daniels, get the fucking doors open!" Hammond swore as he tried to keep shooting the thing, which leaped up and clung to the ceiling like a spider. Isaac felt his skin crawl. His heart leaped into his throat as he saw another one dropping down from the vent where Chen had disappeared into.

"Hammond! Another one!" Isaac yelled. Hammond aimed at the new target and fired. Isaac was shocked when it seemed to duck, tail lashing out like a whip. Hammond ducked, but only avoided it by an inch.

"Kendra!" Hammond yelled.

"Get outta there!" Isaac yelled. Kendra typed furiously.

"Got it!" she yelled. She and Hammond hurried through the doors. Then, to Isaac's horror, the two black things turned. He felt his eyes bulge as they seemed to lock onto him, even if they didn't have eyes. "Isaac! Run!" Kendra yelled through the radio. He didn't need to be told twice, bolting down the open door and hallway, as he heard a vent smash open behind him. His heart was pounding as he heard inhuman screeches behind him that made him feel like his RIG was filled with ice. He hugged the walls and stayed away from the vents as he bounded down and around corners, hearing more and more pouring in behind him. Isaac threw himself into an elevator and hit the button, heart in his throat. He saw them down the hall, rushing at him, metal teeth bare, gleaming black bodies almost blending in with the shadows. The doors shut and he collapsed in relief as the elevator went down. His heart was hammering like a jackhammer, pulse almost dangerously high, as his RIG noted. He didn't care. He almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened into a small maintenance room. Warily, Isaac poked his head out, looked around. It was dim, but he saw no signs of those . . . things.

Cautiously, he stepped out, slow, careful and quiet. He shivered. The room was dimly lit, but quiet and still. Isaac glanced around, warily came forward out of the elevator. He saw some tools scattered around. He wound his way carefully through and around to the side of the room, where he saw a workbench and a familiar tool being assembled. It was a plasma cutter, under repair. Next to it, was a pool of dried blood. He looked up and saw words scrawled in blood on the wall:

Eyeless in the dark, they watch.

It sent new chills up and down Isaac's spine. He looked at the frame and front of the plasma cutter. He assembled the tool, inserted a new plasma cartridge, and tested the laser sights. Everything came up fine. At least now he had some sort of weapon. Though, how useful it would be against something with acid for blood and that tough, he had no idea.

"Hey! Is someone there?!" he heard a muffled yell. Isaac whirled, plasma cutter held tightly. He heard the door bang. "Help! They're in the ceiling! They're in the vents! I can't hack the door! Lemme in!" a man's muffled voice begged. Isaac almost tripped over his own feet as he rushed to the door.

"I hear you! Hold on!" Isaac said as he looked at the door. He looked at a glowing fuse. He smashed the plasma cutter into it, shattering the fuse, just as he heard a scream. He opened the door, just as a pair of boots vanished into a ceiling vent. Isaac recoiled before rushing down the hall, again hugging the wall. He ran through a couple doors, and found himself in another hallway. He saw a glowing security request alert, and pressed the button.

"This is Benson, tram engineering! What the fuck are these things?! Smith shot the damn thing right in the face! Only thing it did was piss it off! Fucker's blood burned right through Mortenson and two whole decks! For the love of god help us!" a man's voice screamed from the console. Isaac shivered anew at this, hurrying down the hall. He saw the sign, indicating he had come to the Tram Control Room. He glanced around, then came in. Thankfully, it was in better condition than other rooms. He gave a soft sigh of relief.

He jumped when the shutters over the windows lowered and whirred. He stared arcoss the tracks of the tram, and saw two familiar figures. They noticed, and the woman's face lit up. She waved as his RIG suddenly popped up a RIGLINK video screen.

"Isaac! Oh my god! You made it!" said Kendra.

"Just. They're everywhere," said Isaac.

"Johnston's gone. Nothing we could do. Don't know about Chen, though," said Hammond, who paced. "What the fuck are these things?" he asked. Isaac shook his head.

"Don't know, but whatever they are, they're definitely not friendly," said the engineer. Kendra sighed softly.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked. Hammond thought for a moment.

"We should head for the Bridge. There's a thousand people on board. Someone will be there," said Hammond. Kendra shook her head.

"We can't. The tram system's wrecked. Everything's locked down because of the quarantine," she replied.

"Well, you both are repair techs. How do we do this?" Hammond asked. Kendra paused, looked thoughtful, then moved over to a terminal and typed, Isaac watching from across the way.

"Well, there's a damaged tram car blocking the tunnel and gridlocking the whole system. Also looks like the data board is fried. I can't call a tram or lift the lockdown until we get a spare from the Maintenance Bay," she said as calmly as she could.

"Leave it to me," said Isaac. "That's all on my side. Just make sure there's power to the repair systems." This brought a few small smiled and a nod from Hammond.

"All right. We'll be waiting. Oh, and Isaac?" said Hammond, making Isaac stop.

"Yeah?"

"Nicole's a doctor, right? I'm sure she's smart and knows how to hide and survive. As soon as we lift the lockdown, I'll help you find her." At this, Isaac stopped, but nodded.

"Thanks, Hammond." With that, Isaac left the tram control room, and ventured once more into the halls.

Isaac decided it would be best to get the damaged tram car off the tracks first, so headed to his right, down to the tram tunnel. He once again nearly leaped out of his skin when the body of a man in a RIG dropped down from wherever it had been and nearly landed on him. Even from where he saw, Isaac could see deep cuts into the RIG armor and clothing, as well as a huge hole right in the middle of the forehead of the helmet. Isaac pushed down the urge to vomit, stepped past and wound his way through the empty tunnel, only to find a door malfunctioning, slamming back and forth rapidly. By the chopped up body parts he saw, he guessed someone had tried to get through. As he looked at the mess, he saw a severed arm, with a familiar device on it. Wincing, he picked up the arm, and removed the gauntlet glove for the left hand, and fit it around his own. The lens in the palm glowed blue, and he knew the Stasis module still worked. Thank goodness for small miracles. He aimed his left hand at the door and waited for it to be closed. He fired the Stasis, the door enveloped in a blue glow of slowed time. Isaac hurried through the slowed door, up the ramp and hallway. He stopped in front of a vent, wary, especially when he saw a trail of dried blood leading into it. Red blood. He swallowed, carefully stepped around, plasma cutter ready. Nothing happened, thank goodness.

As he stepped into another hallway, though, the power suddenly flickered and went out. Isaac huddled against a wall, and became very aware of the bright glow from the visor of his RIG. He hurried to dim it, hoping nothing had seen it. He had not forgotten that scrawled warning.

How could these things even see if they didn't have eyes? He was sure Nicole would have theories. His mind started to drift off to Nicole, before he forced it back on track. He had to focus. Isaac listened carefully, didn't hear anything. He saw a few tiny bits of light. He though of shining the flashlight of the plasma cutter, but decided against it. If anything was there, it would see it a mile off. Isaac was relieved when the lights flickered back on, sighing as he gathered himself up and moved onwards. He stopped long enough to glance to the side, saw the sign for the cargo bay. No reason to go there. Besides, it was locked. He turned back to his path, walked up to the door, slowly and carefully, and opened it.

Thankfully, the tram repair room was empty, save for the typical machines. Isaac was still wary, though. He had not seen one of those things since the initial attack. He hoped it would stay that way. His RIG suddenly beeped with an audio message from Hammond.

"Isaac, be careful. Shooting those things didn't seem to do anything but piss them off. What did seem to hurt them, made them bleed . . . well, I've never seen an acid like that, but if they're using it for blood, I can't even imagine how tough they are. Best bet is to stay out of sight," warned Hammond.

"Yeah, will do," Isaac replied. He then ventured into the tram repair room. He found a message requesting a Stasis module, as the autoloader for the tram repair system was fried. Ah, so that was why he found it where he did. He idly wondered what fried that door that made it act like that, but put it out of his mind. The left loading claw attached to the damaged tram without issue, but the right one would not stay on long enough for Isaac to hit the button to retract the claws and take the damaged tram off the tracks. An easy job with Stasis. In short order, Isaac had the tram being taken off the tram. Easy. That is, until he saw a flicker of movement. Movement that was far too graceful to be from the machines of the Ishimura. His heart leaped into his throat as he saw one of the creatures crawling through the opening for the tram car, up by the ceiling. Isaac hurried down and hid behind some crates and lockers, huddled in a corner. Isaac only dared a tiny peek out, but that was enough. He saw the light glint off the shiny, smooth dome. It seemed to be looking around. He noticed it look at the moving tram car as the autoloader slid it out onto the tracks. Yes, why hadn't he thought of that? If they lacked eyes, they were likely attracted to sound. He felt a bit stupid for not thinking of that, but no time to berate himself. He had to get back out without them hearing him. Maybe if he could just quietly slip out while the autoloader was still making noise, they wouldn't hear?

Carefully, Isaac snuck out from his hiding place, hoping they would not hear. He managed to make it to the door without them detecting him. He opened the door, , and slipped out as fast as he could. Isaac walked as fast as he dared, down back to the malfunctioning door, used the Stasis module on it, then scrambled through. He gave a soft sigh as he made it out. That was when he heard a hiss.

Isaac went stiff as a board, not able to hide his tremble as he warily turned. His blood ran cold when he saw one of them on the wall, not even twenty feet away from him. It was facing right towards him, teeth bared. "Oh, shit . . ." he breathed as he slowly and warily backed away. The creature opened its jaws, and Isaac felt his heart feel like it was going to burst. It had a second set of teeth behind the first one! It suddenly leaped at him. He screamed and stumbled backwards, bringing his gauntlet up on instinct. The blue glow enveloped the creature, freezing it mid-leap. Isaac quickly got up and ran up the ramp and through the door, dashing towards the Maintenance Bay as fast as he could. He had to stop and reroute power from a junction box, which also had the side effect of dimming the lights. He hardly cared, as long as he could get through. Isaac made it to the Maintenance Bay, looked up, and cursed his luck.

The bay was dim, even more than the other areas he had been to. Eerie light filtered down through the skeletal frame of a damage tram car that hung above to be repaired. There also was the fact that this area had plenty more places for those things to hide and attack from. Isaac took a deep, steadying breath, then ventured in. Isaac managed to find his way to the maintenance room without incident, but there was no power to the door. Just his luck. Isaac carefully walked along the catwalks, slowly, cautiously, listening for any sound. Save for the occasional groan of metal, it was silent as a tomb. A seemingly more and more fitting metaphor. Isaac was wary of using the elevator and making noise, but has little choice. He sighed softly, then took the elevator up to the next level. Thankfully, nothing jumped out to tear his face off or drag him into a vent, but he was still on edge. Warily, Isaac walked out onto the catwalk, winding his way around crates left where they sat, tools and other things.

Once more, he saw dried blood, but no bodies. He suppressed a shiver, not sure he wanted to know the reason why. He found the breaker box, but the problem was there was only enough energy reserves for two things at once, and there were a total of three things in the bay that needed power: The lights, maintenance door, and the elevator. He needed the elevator to get back down, and needed the power to the door. Isaac groaned, rubbing the faceplate of his helmet, but switched off the lights and rerouted power to the door below. The room was plunged into darkness, and Isaac felt the primitive, animal and childhood fear of the dark. This time, though, it was totally justified, as he knew for a fact there really were monsters hiding in the dark, wanting to eat him. Isaac was even more cautious, not just from making noise, but possibly tripping in the dark or falling over a railing. He was very reluctant to shine his flashlight, but had no choice a few times. Every small noise made him jump, glancing around, on the lookout for those black nightmares. That made the dark even worse, as they could easily hide in it, and he would likely never know until it was too late.

Isaac managed to make it back to the elevator without incident, but he swore he would have a full head of white hair when this was all over. Every small sound made him nearly leap right out of his RIG. He had to fight down the urge to flee, or shoot. Isaac rode the elevator down and carefully made his way over to the maintenance room, which was no open. Isaac entered, and found the body of a man sitting against a wall. He had cut his own wrists with a knife. Next to him, was a text log. Isaac slowly came forward, and picked up the holopad to read.

These are the last words I will ever write.

Those things, those monsters, they came out of nowhere. I heard people screaming, heard those things screeching like demons. Me and Stewart hid in the Maintenance Bay, thought we were safe. Those things found a way in. The vents. Those damn things are using the vents and maintenance tunnels to move around. I managed to lock myself in the maintenance room, turned off the power.

I can still hear Stewart's screams, hear him pounding on the door, begging me to let him in. I couldn't have even if I wanted to. The remote switch I used on the breaker burned out after the first use. I can still hear those things, out there. They know I'm in here, and they've been sniffing around like sharks smelling blood.

I have no way out, save one. There's no food and no water in here. It's just a matter of time. I'd much rather go out on my own terms, than let those things tear me to pieces.

I only wish I'd told Vicky how I really felt, all those years ago.

-Adam Martinez

Isaac looked at Adam's body, saw he was holding something. He stopped and picked it up. It was a pair of cartridges for a plasma cutter. Isaac handled them, then slid them into a pouch on his belt. Isaac then turned to the workbench. There was a spare data board, sitting right there. He gingerly picked it up. With a smile, he radioed Hammond and Kendra.

"Hammond, Kendra? You guys there?" he asked.

"Standing by, Isaac," Hammond replied.

"I got the data board. Gimme a few minutes to put it in, and I'll call the tram for you."

"Oh, thank god," said Kendra's voice.

"Hurry, Isaac. I think I can hear some of them," said Hammond before cutting off. Isaac took the board and headed out. Isaac again had that horrible, creeping sensation. He hurried to the door, careful not to make noise, but sparing a glance here and there. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw movement as he shut the door of the maintenance bay. Isaac wasn't sure he wanted to be proved right, so hurried back to the tram control room, and installed the data board and called the tram.

"It's clear, guys. Tram's on its way," Isaac radioed them. Hammond and Kendra came out from where they had been hiding, walking out onto the tram station as the tram arrived. Isaac half expected one of the creatures to leap onto the top of the tram and attack, but, thankfully, nothing of the sort happened. The doors closed and the tram departed. A RIGLINK video screen appeared in front of Isaac, Hammond's face greeting him.

"All right, we're heading to the Bridge. Good job, Isaac," Hammond commended. Kendra was typing on her wrist computer.

"Huh. The quarantine lockdown's lifted. You can get to the hanger now. Comms are still down, so be ready for anything," said Kendra. Isaac nodded.

"What's the plan now?" Isaac asked. Hammond checked his rifle.

"We're gonna head to the Bridge, you head back to the Kellion, get me a damage report, and prep it for launch, if we need. Standard emergency protocol." Isaac was dubious about this. Without a Shockpoint drive and the damage it had, he doubted they would get far in it. Then again, that was better than being eaten by these things.

"All right. I'll get over there and see what's what," said Isaac, trying to hide his own misgivings. Kendra, though, didn't hide hers, scoffing.

"'Stand emergency protocol'? Does CEC have some kind of protocol for dealing with hostile alien life?" she snarked. "Hammond, people are dying here!"

"And I'm not losing anyone else! We stick to protocol, we're far more likely to get out of this alive," Hammond retorted. With that, Hammond cut the link. Isaac gave a soft sigh, stretched his shoulders, and headed back the way he had come after his escape.

To say Isaac was jittery on the way back he had been chased as an understatement, his hand shaking, along with the aiming lasers of the plasma cutter as the door of the elevator opened into the hall he had been chased down. Thankfully, now there was nothing. Only silence. Isaac didn't like it at all. His eyes flicked back and forth as he warily walked down the hallway. The vents were still broken open. Isaac hurried past them as fast as he dared. He made it back to the flight lounge, and now saw what he knew to be bloodstains on the floor. How had he not seen them? He glanced up, and a shiver went through his spine as he saw the evidence of their initial fight with those creatures. Bullet holes in the glass and walls, and of course those holes burned in the floor. What got Isaac's attention was the fact that Johnston's body was missing. Isaac warily opened the door, and when he glanced down the large hole in the floor, he guessed where her body had gone.

The hole went all the way through the deck, support beams, wiring, pipes, and anything else, down to the deck flooring below, through all of that deck, and down two more. He felt his jaw drop as he surveyed the damage. Isaac, as an engineer, was a man of science, and had plenty of experience with various industrial chemicals and even acids, but he had never seen anything that was even remotely this powerful! Isaac jumped when his RIG beeped and his radio chirped.

"Isaac, we made it to the bridge," said Hammond. "It's a mess up here. No survivors. Daniels is trying to get into the Command Computer, see if she can find out anything. We'll keep you updated." Isaac could hear the tension in Hammond's voice, but focused on his task.

The Kellion was a mess, as Isaac expected. He still was not sure how far they could get in it. He only wished it had emergency cryogenic tubes, like older ships from when Shockpoint drives were still new and voyages could take years just to get where you were going. Be that as it may, Isaac boarded the Kellion and headed for the pilot's chair. He had just sat down, and was about to load the damage report, when he glanced up at the window. He saw his reflection, but he also saw something moving. Something behind him. His eyes grew wide. He whirled, and there were no less than three of those things, hunched down to fit inside as they slowly advanced on him. His heart was in his throat. They had him cornered. How had he not seen them when he entered? His mind raced as they hissed and moved closer with unearthly grace. He had only one chance. Isaac raised his left hand and fired the Stasis module, enveloping all three of the creatures in the blue glow. He then fired the plasma cutter at their tails and wrists, the acid blood also slowed by the Stasis. He then dashed forward, leaped up, between and over some of the creatures, and made a dash out of the Kellion. He heard the screeches of the things speed up as the Stasis wore off, along with the Kellion's computer voice.

"Warning! Singularity core overload! Evacuate immediately to minimum safe distance!" Isaac's eyes grew huge as he dashed back towards the flight lounge. Behind him, the Kellion exploded, knocking him down and rocking the whole ship. Isaac was still for a few moments before he got up. He groaned as he stood and looked.

The USG Kellion was nothing more than a smoldering, twisted wreck of burned and melted metal. He hardly could even tell it had been a ship. His RIG beeped and a video screen appeared.

"Isaac! What the hell is going on?!" Hammond demanded as his face appeared. Isaac groaned in some pain.

"The Kellion's gone. There were . . . those things on board. I had to shoot one to get past and get out. Its blood must've hit the singularity core," he said in a tired voice. Hammond swore.

"That was our only way out of here . . . we're trapped," said Kendra bleakly, but Isaac could hear the fear in her voice.

"No, no, no! We're not dead yet! I'm not losing two good people for nothing! What about the Command Computer?" he asked Kendra. She looked at Hammond.

"It's a damn brick. All the primary systems are locked down. Without the Captain's authorization codes, I can't do anything with it!" she replied.

"Well, find Captain Matthias! Track his RIG!" Hammond ordered. Kendra moved over and typed on a keyboard. Isaac headed back into the Flight Lounge as Kendra typed. He had little doubt those things heard that blast and would come to see what was going on.

"Here he is. Captain Benjamin Matthias. Medlab. Status . . . deceased," she read. Hammond was shocked. So was Isaac.

"God, even the Captain?" Isaac asked, shocked. Hammond shook his head, moved his rifle and sat down.

"Isaac, you're closer to Medical. You can double back through maintenance. Find the Captain's body and his RIG. With his codes, we should be able to-" Hammond began, only for Kendra to stop him.

"Wait! You hear that?" Kendra asked. Hammond stopped. They looked around. Kendra looked up and paled. "Oh my-Hammond, duck!" she yelled as she pulled him to the floor, just as one of the creatures lunged down from where it had been above, like a falcon diving at a bird. They scrambled to flee, Hammond only barely getting his rifle as the creature ran after them faster than Isaac had ever seen a living thing move.

"Kendra! Hammond!" he yelled. He hurried through the unlocked door and headed down to the tram station.

Author's note: This story is not connected to Dead Space: Beast, and takes place in its own timeline and universe. Please read it on its own merits.

I had long wished for a story where Isaac Clarke faced the darkest nightmare of Sci-fi, and after years of no one taking up the challenge, I finally decided, if no one else would . . .

Read, review and enjoy.