Chapter 2: Trouble
It had taken some persuasive arguing on his part, but Bob had managed to keep Puttubayh in his room. The argument that had finally persuaded the egotistical aristocrat had been one that Bob had thought up on the spot. While Puttubayh was in his room, Bob would be 'searching' the Karma for any other terrorists. Of course, that wasn't what Bob actually intended to do. There was no telling who else among the crew might be a terrorist in disguise. He had already reviewed the crew manifest before taking the job and hadn't spotted any potential red flags among them.
Instead, Bob was more interested in what was likely the cause for all the trouble in the first place: the bio-hazard crates. He had to find out what was in those crates and the best way to do that was to access the Karma's main computer directly.
Bob was very good with computers, he knew all the tricks to bypass security systems and reroute subroutines. Every system was different and that meant Bob had no idea how long it would take him to break into Puttubayh's encrypted files, but he was confident that he could.
He entered a small room that was off the beaten path from the main hallway. Inside was an inconspicuous data terminal that was usually meant for private calls. For Bob's purposes, it would become his hacking tool.
To his mild surprise, the terminal was already logged directly into the ship's computer. On the screen was a typed message.
Greetings, Hunter Bob. I am Karma, how can I help you?
Bob looked around as casually as he could to make sure this wasn't some sort of trick. He spotted nobody, and with a mental shrug, typed in a request for access to Puttubayh's private files.
Another line of text appeared to replace the first message: Certainly, the materials within those containers are too dangerous to be carried safely. I hope you'll do something about them.
A second later, a listing of all the cargo that Puttubayh had transferred to the Karma appeared. Bob scrolled down the list and mentally winced at the dangerous chemicals listed. Then he came across one called 'Zeiram'. The only reference of Zeiram he'd ever heard of had been from old legends and myths about an evil creature of unimaginable power. The reasons for why someone would want to kill Puttubayh were becoming a bit clearer now.
"I'm liking this job less and less," Bob murmured to himself.
I don't like the situation either.
Bob jumped in surprise. He had heard that voice inside his head. Quickly he tried a little test. "Hello? Karma?"
Again he heard the voice in his head: How can I help, Hunter Bob?
"You can talk inside my head?" Bob asked cautiously.
Of course I can. It's merely a simple matter of matching up electromagnetic waves and putting them in sync.
"You must be one of those new systems I've been hearing about."
You are correct. This ship is relatively new to the Tedan Tippedai fleet and therefore supports a state-of-the-art system.
That confirmed what Bob had been guessing. "I don't understand... I'm a stranger to you. Not to mention that if I get caught, I can kiss my career goodbye. Wouldn't Tedan Tippedai have safeguards to prevent you from helping me?"
I'm helping you because I strongly believe that whatever this 'Zeiram' is will eventually lead to my destruction. Obviously, I don't want that to happen, so I overrode those safeguards.
Bob clasped his hands together happily with this unexpected turn of events. "Well then, I won't tell Tedan Tippedai if you don't. Let's see the files on the Zeiram unit."
A moment latter a listing of documents and video clips scrolled down his screen. Bob looked over them and came to a decision. "Karma, would you play the video file listed 'Zeiram-vid-file #001' for me?"
In response, his screen changed to show a small elderly man standing in front of the camera. It began to play at once; Bob appreciated the fact that Karma kept the volume level low.
"Greetings, Mr. Puttubayh. I am Dr. Touka, senior research member in charge of the Zeiram Project. Behind me is the specimen known as Zeiram." Touka gestured behind him and the camera panned upwards to get a better view of what the doctor was talking about. The thing known as Zeiram towered over the diminutive doctor, locked away behind shields. The monster was almost completely black except for a glowing red slit at the top of it's trunk like neck. The head flattened out so that it was wide on all sides, like a small umbrella or a Sandogasa; it almost looked like a hat. On the front of the hat, easy to miss, was a small, powder white head that looked almost child-like.
The creature seemed to be in hibernation because it wasn't moving. It didn't even stir as Touka moved closer to the cell.
"So far, the creature has proven to be virtually immune to weapons fire," Touka said as he pressed a small red button. Instantly, Zeiram started to move but was engulfed in flame. Touka let the flames go on for about a minute before he shut them off.
Zeiram didn't even have a singe on him.
Touka pressed a second button and small machine guns started to pepper Zeiram. The monster didn't flinch as the bullets ricocheted off it's tough skin.
After another minute, Touka shut those off as well. "So far, the only thing we've found to be effective against Zeiram are freezing him and transiting him away with transsemblers."
Before the video could go on, an alarm klaxon suddenly pierced the air.
Bob was almost grateful for the interruption, it was unnerving to think that something that horrible was on the ship with him. "What's going on, Karma?" he queried.
It seems some madman is threatening to blow me up with a Plunchit.
"Great," Bob growled. "The surprises never seem to stop on this trip. Can you give me his location?"
The central hold, and please hurry.
Without further comment, Bob rushed towards the madman. He could just make out Dr. Touka's last words before Karma shut down the video.
"Zeiram is an unstable monster. Despite intensive study we still have no idea what it will do next. It is in my professional opinion that Zeiram should be considered a class 'A' threat."
Bob rounded a corner and spotted the terrorist immediately. The man looked half-crazed. In his hand he held a large pink sphere, the Plunchit. Frightened Tedan Tippedai employees watched him with wide-eyed terror, many too afraid to run for an exit.
Bob knew from his extensive knowledge of weapons that Plunchits were not to be taken lightly. What seemed like a harmless pink sphere actually contained three powerful smart bombs that would automatically seek high sources of energy - like an engine room or munitions charging station. There they would release highly explosive gas before detonating. The resulting explosions almost always triggered secondary explosions, and on a ship with a reactor like the Karma it had the potential to go nuclear.
"We tried to do this without harming anyone!" The man yelled. "But Tedan Tippedai wouldn't listen! Now all of you will have to suffer because of your refusal to destroy Zeiram!"
Bob had entered the central hold through one of the top levels, at this vantage he had a good view of the terrorist and the scared Tedan Tippedai employees who had been trapped on the lower levels.
Very slowly, so as not to draw the attention of the terrorist, Bob drew his gun and tried to get a good bead on the man. It was a tricky shot because if he didn't kill the terrorist the first time around, the Plunchit would be activated, dooming everybody. He would then be forced to try and destroy the smart bombs before they zoomed away, and considering how small and fast they were, it was not a risk Bob wanted to take.
"I want to see Puttubayh right now!" the terrorist demanded. "Otherwise, everybody dies!"
Right before Bob was about to squeeze off a shot he was interrupted by Karma: Bob! Terrible news! Zeiram has broken loose!
Bob retreated down a hallway so his voice wouldn't be heard. "How in the world did he get out? Can you find him?"
Yes, he's somewhere below the central hold. I can't get an exact fix on him. It seems that the freezing unit that kept him in stasis malfunctioned.
Bob's bad feeling grew even worse. "Perfect!" he complained. "Just perfect. That monster is right below a trigger-happy terrorist and innocent civilians. This job is getting better and better! How did the unit malfunction anyway?"
Unknown. There was no one down there when the malfunction happened. It might have been designed to fail.
The implications of the unit being designed to fail were more than Bob wanted to think about at the moment, but it indicated that there might be some people at Tedan Tippedai who wanted Puttubayh and his little project gone - and they were going to use Zeiram to do it. Thinking quickly, Bob reassumed his sniper position and mentally crossed his fingers. He'd have to take out the terrorist quickly before Zeiram showed up and made things worse. Bob lined up the small targeting pin on the barrel of his gun with the terrorist's head and prepared to fire...
He never got the chance.
The ground below the terrorist burst open as two large black arms grabbed the man from underneath. The terrorist screamed in horror and in his panic dropped the Plunchit, which bounced three times before it settled against a corner in the room. Bob felt his heart stop at each bounce as he feared an accidental activation of the weapon, but the powerful grenade thankfully didn't activate.
In the meantime, the terrified employees screamed and ran for any exit they could find. In an instant, the apprehensive mood in the central hold had been changed to absolute chaos. The workers seemed to have enough presence of mind to make their way through the doors in an efficient manner, but it wouldn't take much for all out panic to consume them. Bob knew he had to work fast while Zeiram was still occupied with the terrorist.
Meanwhile the terrorist was struggling, unsuccessfully, to free himself from Zeiram's grasp. The man grabbed his sidearm and started to fire nonstop at the nightmarish beast, the blasts seemed to be slowing Zeiram down but not by much.
Bob rushed to the ground floor, not quite sure what he was going to do against Zeiram, but he wasn't about to stand by and let it attack innocent civilians. When he reached the ground floor the room was already emptied and mostly abandoned. Wasting no time, Bob rushed towards the doomed terrorist in an effort to save him.
It was not in time.
A reddish-pink tentacle suddenly popped out of the hole and snaked into the terrorist's neck. No, that wasn't quite right. As Bob got closer, he saw hints of a pale white face at the end of the tentacle biting into the man's neck. The doomed man screamed one last time before the life left his body and he was dragged down in to the hole.
Then the monster pulled himself out of the hole he had created in the floor. Bob skidded to a halt in awe as he watched Zeiram tower to his full height.
"How in the world am I going to beat that thing?" Bob wondered aloud.
Somehow, you need to refreeze him.
Bob snapped his fingers. "You're right, Dr. Touka's video! Do you have any freezing equipment on board?"
Yes. There's a room next to the main cargo area.
"Karma, you're a lifesaver!"
Bob wasn't sure but he thought he heard modesty in Karma's voice. I try.
Zeiram turned his attention towards Bob and lifted an arm towards the hunter. Bob instantly knew that it contained a weapon, probably taken off of the dead terrorist. He dodged just in time to avoid the weapon's blast. Bob's years of being a bounty hunter let him return fire without even taking time to think about it. Unfortunately, his ammo just bounced off the seemingly impenetrable hide of Zeiram. "Where is Gren's Borobdin when I need it?" he asked himself.
I've started up the freezing equipment, all you need to do is lure Zeiram into one of the chambers.
"That's easier said then done," Bob quipped. "Any suggestions?"
Zeiram seems to be interested in you, I think he'll follow you to the chamber.
Bob leaped out of the way from another blast and hid behind a nearby support beam, trying to think of how this job could get any worse. It wasn't long before he got his answer. The main doors to the central hold opened and Bob peeked his head around the support beam to see what was happening. Three men in cargo uniforms were carrying heavy assault weapons pointed directly at Zeiram. Behind them stood Puttubayh.
Bob almost bit his tongue as he saw the arrogant executive looking grimly at Zeiram. He should've known better then to trust Puttubayh to follow his advice. Now there was the very real threat that Puttubayh would be killed by Zeiram.
Zeiram noticed the entrance of Puttubayh and turned around to lock eyes with the man. For a moment the central hold was deathly quiet as the two engaged in a silent battle of wills. Then, without warning, Zeiram gave a malicious, cackling laugh and stomped towards the small group.
That's when Puttubayh gave the order to fire.
The first man kneeled on the ground and fired a pointy capsule that broke apart over Zeiram's body. Inside the capsule was a net which landed on the creature and instantly started to send electrical shots into the savage monster. The other two men moved in on either side of Zeiram and opened fire, literally, with two flamethrowers. The small inferno enveloped Zeiram as the blaze licked hungrily at his flesh.
Zeiram endured it all and hissed with amusement before he ripped apart the net and casually snapped the neck of one of the men holding a flamethrower. The other man kept sending a stream of fire at Zeiram, which seemed to wash right over the monster with little effect. Zeiram calmly pointed his arm and shot the man through the chest with some kind of weapon hidden in his arm.
The man who had fired the electrical net gaped in fear with an open mouth at the fates of his comrades and then turned to run. Zeiram hissed angrily and held his palm open, black strings of his own flesh hurled towards the frightened man and engulfed him. Zeiram withdrew the tendrils quickly and grabbed onto the man with his two muscular arms. The monster then smiled and, in a lightning fast move, the small child-like head darted out and sank it's teeth into the man's neck. The man cried out before his neck exploded in a bloody fountain.
Bob, who was used to dealing with grisly scenes, cringed a bit at the gruesome way the man had to die. It seemed like Zeiram was getting more powerful with each person he killed.
Zeiram kept his teeth in the man a for a few more seconds before he withdrew his white head and dropped the lifeless body. The beast stared back at Puttubayh who still hadn't moved from his spot.
Zeiram grinned again and in that instant Bob knew he had to make a move. He rushed out from behind the support beam and plowed into the creature's back. Despite Zeiram's weight, Bob managed to gain enough momentum to topple Zeiram face-forward on the ground. Bob then used his remaining force to flip back onto his feet and run towards Puttubayh. Without stopping he grabbed the vice-president gruffly and tugged him around a corner. As if reading his thoughts, Karma closed the central hold doors and sealed them, separating Zeiram from his quarry.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Bob yelled, for a moment too angry to care if he offended Puttubayh. "I'm trying to guard your life and you have to waltz right up to the most dangerous lifeform in the galaxy!"
"Zeiram is Tedan Tippedai's key to gaining an edge over its competitors," Puttubayh said, sounding a bit miffed. "I've dealt with the creature before, it's been conditioned to obey me."
A loud pounding on the central hold doors interrupted the conversation and Bob peeked around the corner to see the doors gradually caving in. "It looks like your conditioning has failed, Zeiram means to kill both of us."
All of the ego drained out of Puttubayh and his face turned white. "That shouldn't be possible! What do we do?"
Bob set his mouth into a grim line. "I need to get Zeiram into the freezing chamber next to the main cargo hold. Which means that I need to bait him in that direction. I need you to get as far away as possible, like the main control room. Think you can do that?"
Puttubayh took a deep breath and some of the ego returned. "Yes, I think I can handle it. Just see that you do your job properly."
The doors finally gave way with the terrible screeching of torn metal. Zeiram burst his way through and took a moment to survey the surroundings. He then started walking again. His heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway as he took each step slowly, probably a sadistic way to increase the fear in his victims. Despite himself, Bob had to admit that it was working.
Giving himself a three-count, Bob leaped out behind the corner as Puttubayh made his way towards the main control room. Zeiram reared back in surprise but quickly recovered and swiped at Bob with his claw-like hands.
Bob ducked and fired a shot at Zeiram point-blank in his white face. He knew that the projectiles from his weapon wouldn't work against Zeiram, but there was a chance that he could at least blind the beast with the impacts. Much to his surprise, Zeiram reeled back from the shots before making another swipe at Bob. The Hunter was so shocked to see Zeiram in pain that he didn't see the blow coming until it was almost too late. It was a glancing blow to Bob's gun hand, sending his weapon flying out of reach. The swipe also tore through his shirt, striking flesh and drawing blood.
Bob bit back a cry of pain and held onto the wound with a tightly clamped hand.
Before Zeiram had another chance to attack, Bob sprinted down the hallway towards the cargo area. If Bob had looked back, he would've seen Zeiram smiling cruelly before charging after the hunter.
Zeiram is approaching, Bob. I wish you luck and would like to take this opportunity to say that I've found your company enjoyable.
Bob smiled. "Meeting you was the best thing about this job, Karma."
Bob was able to make it to the freezing room without incident. He waited in a loose combat stance as the sound of Zeiram's footsteps grew ever closer. His only hope at freezing Zeiram lay in the chance that he could force the monster into one of the compartments long enough for Karma to complete the operation. He would need all his experience as a hunter to accomplish the task.
He had managed to patch up his injury with by tearing off the ragged edge of his shirt and creating a make-shift bandage. It seemed to be holding for now, but there was no telling if Zeiram carried any deadly viruses or bacteria within his skin.
The door to the freezing room abruptly crumpled inward as Zeiram stomped his way inside. The two stared at each other, predator and hunter.
Bob mentally crossed his fingers and prepared to try out his gambit. There was no way that he would win a prolonged hand-to-hand fight against Zeiram. If this was going to work, he had to trick Zeiram and try to play to the monster's arrogance and hunger. He only hoped what he had observed so far was accurate.
Bob made a show of breathing heavily. "I guess this is the end. No where to run and I can't win in a fight against you." He then craned his neck to expose it more. "Just make it quick, okay?"
Zeiram stared at him in silence for a a few moments. It was long enough to make Bob start to doubt that the creature understood what he was saying. Then the white face grinned and made a delighted sound, like the coo of a child, before suddenly darting out towards Bob's neck.
It was exactly what Bob had hoped would happen.
Moving with a speed and grace that could only come from years of martial arts mastery, Bob reached out and caught the fleshy tentacle that the head was connected to with both hands. Zeiram yelped in shock and tried to withdraw, but the Hunter held it tight. Bob grinned viscously at the monster before he started to squeeze. The eyes on the white head bulged out in pain. "This is for the lives you destroyed, Zeiram! Feel their pain! Choke on your own arrogance!"
Zeiram tried to swipe at Bob, but the effort was half-hearted and the Hunter dodged it easily. Bob squeezed even harder and was gratified to see Zeiram actually cry out in pain and fall to one knee. The monster tried to withdraw his head, but Bob's stance was firm and he was able to keep it in his grip. He could feel Zeiram start to weaken. If he managed to hold on for a few minutes longer, it seemed like Zeiram would pass out... maybe even die.
However, just as Bob was starting to feel a twinge of hope, Zeiram lifted his arm as if to strike at Bob again, but instead fired a fleshy tendril full into the Hunter's face. Bob staggered back and let go involuntarily, allowing Zeiram to instantly retract his head back into his body. All of Zeiram's strength seemed to return at once and he threw Bob against a wall. Bob sank to the ground in pain and disbelief, it seemed like nothing would be able to stop Zeiram after all.
Bob stubbornly rose to his feet, wiped the black material of Zeiram off his person, and fashioned another combat stance. He had to do something or Zeiram would kill everyone on the ship. Right now he was the best hope that any of them had. Maybe he could at least delay Zeiram long enough for the crew to get to the escape pods...
Zeiram, seemingly fully recovered now, cackled madly and strode towards Bob, more than eager to resume the fight.
The Hunter rushed in with a series of kicks and sharp punches that would have incapacitated a normal man. Zeiram blocked them easily and whatever damage did get past the creature's defenses was minimal. The prolonged fight was taking its toll on Bob, who was soon forced to start blocking Zeiram's much more powerful blows. Every impact, dulled Bob's response time and it became a struggle to keep up with the tireless monster. Then, in a lightning fast move on Zeiram's part, Bob was grabbed again and thrown out of the freezing room.
"That beast is dragging this out," Bob realized silently. "He wants me to suffer before I die."
Bob looked around, desperate for anything that could potentially save him. That's when he spotted it, the gun of the dead terrorist. The shots wouldn't affect Zeiram, but if he set the gun to overload, it just might blow Zeiram into one of the freezing chambers.
Making an effort to ignore his aching muscles, Bob fought back to his feet again. Determinedly, the Hunter staggered over to the gun and picked it up. Bob noticed that Zeiram didn't make a move to stop him.
"He is definitely dragging this out," Bob thought to himself as he set the overload for three seconds and closed the distance between him and the monster. Bob circled around Zeiram, trying to line him up with a freezing chamber. Zeiram, for his part, let Bob circle like this was some twisted game of cat-and-mouse.
Finally, Bob stopped at what he felt was the most likely position to freeze Zeiram. Bob smirked and hit the trigger. "Catch!" he said as he lobbed the gun at Zeiram. The monster caught it with one hand right before it went off.
The explosion wasn't massive, but it was powerful enough to do the job. Zeiram and Bob were thrown off of their feet in different directions. Bob struggled to keep conscious as he slammed into another wall, he got just a glimpse of Zeiram landing inside a freezing chamber.
A glimpse was all he needed.
"Karma! Activate the freezing chambers now!" Bob shouted.
Every chamber in the room sprang to life, instantly freezing everything that was unfortunate enough to be inside them. Protective shields covered every opening, ensuring that the freezing gases wouldn't affect the surrounding area outside the chambers.
And that was it. The battle was over. Zeiram was caught and helpless to do anything to escape. Contained once more.
Grunting with pain, Bob again lifted himself up and walked out of the room without sparing a glance at the monster.
