“I asked, what—”
“I heard you, Lieutenant,” Irons said gruffly. “Our plans are unchanged. We will explore the remaining corridors and take another look at the gate. Green?”
“Sir?”
“I assume it used to be possible to open the gate manually. No human designer would have built a bulkhead like that without manual controls for an emergency. Maybe you can find a way of opening it for us.”
“But the computer said—”
“I know what the computer said. But maybe it wasn’t given any information about the manual controls for good reason.”
Green nodded. “OK. I’ll take a look at it.”
11.
Jeff was about to ask Irons a question when Owl’s voice blared from the handheld. “Headquarters?”
Jeff adjusted the volume. “HQ here,” he replied.
“The passage was also a dead end.”
Irons grunted.
Jeff wasn’t surprised, since the other intersection near the gate had also led to a dead end after several hundred feet. That left only one more corridor to explore. “Go back to the last crossing and explore the corridor that turns off from it.”
“Understood.”
Jeff looked at Irons, who was sitting beside him. “To be honest, I doubt that corridor will lead anywhere, either.”
Irons leaned forward to look at the map on the screen of his handheld. He nodded slowly but said nothing.
Behind them, Joanne and Castle were sitting at the table having a snack. The weapons expert reached for his bottle of beer, causing Irons to frown. But why shouldn’t he? He wasn’t on duty, after all. Joanne chewed on her sandwich and listened in to the conversations between HQ and the two squads. Shorty and Mac were in their rooms, sleeping.
“HQ?”
“Yes. What is it, Fields? Anything to report?”
“Not really. Green says he can’t find any manual controls near the gate. But we’re going to check out the little room nearby again. We’re not too hopeful, though.”
Jeff shook his head. They were getting nowhere. “Understood,” he said flatly. They would never get that gate open! And what was the point, anyway? The ship was probably just as empty on the other side as it was here. They could have spared themselves all these explorations. Jeff rubbed his temples. He hadn’t slept well and had been plagued by nightmares in which he was being chased by invisible monsters through the ship’s corridors.
Irons looked at him and narrowed his eyes. “Everything OK? You look unwell.”
Jeff waved a hand. “I’m fine. Just didn’t get a great night’s sleep.”
“That can happen,” Irons said laconically.
“What if the last corridor leads Owl and Finni to another dead end?” Joanne asked.
“Then we can stop all these recon trips,” Castle said. He spoke with his mouth full, and a piece of cheese fell out of the corner of his mouth onto the plate. “And just hang out here.”
“You can get that idea right out of your head, Lieutenant!” Irons turned to look at him. “If we stop reconnaissance missions, they will be replaced by patrols.”
“But—”
“You will not spend six months on your butt drinking beer. I can guarantee you that.”
“Oh man!”
“Headquarters?”
Jeff pressed the talk button. “Found something, Fields?”
“Yes, we found something.” His voice was agitated.
Jeff jolted into an upright position. Irons pulled his chair closer. Joanne and Castle got up and hurried over.
“Shoot!”
“We were about to stop searching and go back outside. But then I felt a draught in the corner of the room. I tapped along the wall and suddenly I had a panel in my hand. It looked like a section of the wall, but it wasn’t completely airtight. Behind it is a narrow tunnel, which could be a ventilation shaft. As far as I can see, it leads to the other side of the gate.”
A ventilation shaft? Wouldn’t that have been blocked off, too? Still, it was a chance. Maybe it really would lead to the other side—and another part of the ship.
“Shall we crawl through and find out what’s on the other side?” Fields asked.
Jeff glanced over at Irons. He expected him to tell Fields that he should wait for reinforcements.
“Yes, find out where it leads.”
He’d been wrong on that count.
Irons was probably as curious as Jeff. And why should it be any more dangerous than exploring the corridors around here.
“Green here,” Jeff heard the voice of the engineer. “I can’t get into the tunnel. It’s too narrow, I’ll get stuck. I’m claustrophobic. I’ll get a panic attack.”
Irons rolled his eyes.
Then the heard Fields’ voice. “I’ll go alone. Doesn’t bother me. But Green’s right. It really is narrow.”
Irons sighed and nodded at Jeff. “All right. But Fields shouldn’t go too far and he needs to take the handheld with him. We’ll send Corporal Owens and Herrmannsson to you as soon as we hear from them.”
“Roger. I’m going to start crawling down the tunnel now.”
“A good thing you gave them two flashlights,” Joanne said.
Jeff nodded. “Yeah, we should have done that sooner. You never know when a squad might be separated.”
“The flashlights won’t last forever, though,” Castle pointed out. “At some point the batteries will run out.”
“That’s why the second one should only be turned on in an emergency,” Jeff said.
“In an emergency we can also activate the lights on our combat suits,” Castle said.
“They’re our absolute last resort,” Irons said.
“HQ?” It was Fields. His voice was a distorted by the static, but still understandable.
“What’s your status,” Irons said, taking the handheld from Jeff.
“I’m on the other side. The tunnel was about sixty feet long. In the middle of the tunnel there was a bulkhead, but it was only partly lowered. Perhaps a defect prevented it from closing completely. Still, it was quite a squeeze to get under it. Green would have completely freaked out!”
“Where are you now? What can you see?”
“There was another panel at the end of the tunnel, but that was easy to move. I can’t see anything yet, I’ve attached the flashlight to my belt. Hang on, it’s got caught. Ah, yes, I …” Fields fell silent. “Oh my god!” he whispered.
Jeff started.
“What is it? What can you see?” Irons asked.
“I’m in a room very similar to the one at the other end of the tunnel. But it isn’t empty.”
“What do you mean?” Irons asked urgently. “Talk, Corporal!”
“There’s furniture here. Tables, chairs … some of them knocked over. There’s a shelf that’s been half tipped over in the corner. In front of it on the floor are silver containers and metallic objects. It looks like a workshop that’s been hit by a hurricane.”
Jeff’s eyes met Irons’. “We’ve actually found something,” Jeff murmured.
“There are papers on the table,” Fields continued. “With those alien characters on them. Judging by the furniture and things in here, these extraterrestrials must be very similar to humans. There’s an overturned table in front of me. The drawers have handles, just like our desks. In the corner there’s a metal plate with a two-pronged silver fork.”
“The computer did say the aliens were very similar to us,” Irons said.
Jeff felt uneasy. “But the computer also said there was nothing for us to find on the ship.”
“Maybe some areas were forgotten when they converted the ship,” Joanne suggested. “After all, it is huge.”
Irons grunted. “I don’t like any of this,” he said quietly.
“The room has a door. I’ll see what’s behind it. I reckon it must lead to the corridor on the other side of the gate. Maybe there’s a control panel around here.”
Irons leaned
over his handheld. “OK, but contact us immediately.”
“Understood, Sir.”
They waited with baited breath.
If the aliens had left something behind, Jeff wanted to check it out as soon as possible. But why had the computer lied to them? Or did it simply not know about these rooms? Perhaps it was just a small area that had been overlooked during the conversion of the ship, as Joanne suspected. Or was it the other way round? Had the computer purposefully taken them to the only part of the ship that was empty? And how would the computer react if it found out they had gotten to the other side of the gate?
“I’m now on the other side of the gate.” It was Fields. “Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Irons said. “What do you see?”
“There’s another huge corridor, which seems to lead further into the interior of the ship. Even if I turn my flashlight on full power, I can’t see the end. There’s stuff lying around everywhere. Boxes, fallen shelves, machines. Something with four tires is tipped over. It must have been some means of transport. There are some burn marks on the walls. I get the feeling a fight took place here.”
Jeff gulped. A fight?
“And what makes you think that?” Irons asked. “Do you see any bodies?”
“No, no bodies. But everything’s a mess. There are bits of broken furniture all over the ground. Even the furniture is made out of metal. And it’s not just the walls, lots of things on the ground are charred, too. It’s possible that some other catastrophe took place here, but it definitely does not look like the area was simply abandoned.”
“Keep searching,” Irons commanded. “We’ll send Owens and Herrmannsson to you as soon as we reach them.” He released the talk button and turned to Jeff. “Where have they got to?”
Jeff looked at his watch. Almost half an hour had passed since they’d last called in. “No idea.”
“There’s a corridor leading from the room with the ventilation shaft,” Fields said. “About a hundred and fifty feet away, a light is shining from a door into the corridor. I’ll go and check it out.”
Irons hit the talk button. “No! You stay right where you are, Corporal. Do you understand?”
There was no reply.
“He’s already switched off,” Jeff said.
Where could the light be coming from?
“I told him not to go too far,” Irons cursed, his voice unusually sharp. “The corporal is all alone there.”
“Typical Fields,” Joanne said.
“It was a mistake,” Irons was clearly angry with himself. “We should have waited for reinforcement before sending someone through that shaft.”
“Owens here. Come in, HQ.”
Finally!
Jeff was about to grab the handheld, but the major was quicker. “Where have you been, damn it?”
“Er, we found a room at the end of the corridor and checked it out. But it was empty. And then we took a break and had something to eat.”
“Go to the gate. Right away!” Irons handed the device to Jeff.
“What happened?” Owl wanted to know. He sounded scared. Clearly he knew he’d made a mistake and was scared of a dressing down by the major.
“Fields found a way to the other side of the gate. Green is there alone. Get yourselves over there as quickly as possible.”
“A way through?” Owl asked, incredulously.
But this was no time for chatting. “Get a move on!”
“Understood.”
“How long will it take them?” Joanne asked.
Jeff shrugged. “Twenty minutes. Maybe thirty.”
“As soon as Fields calls in, order him to come straight back,” Irons said. “We need to plan our next move.”
“What do we tell the computer?” Jeff asked.
“I’ll think about that when—”
“Come in” Fields’ voice was barely more than a whisper. There was something strange about it. Fear? Panic?
“Yes?” Jeff asked quietly.
“There’s someone in the room,” Jeff hissed, barely audibly.
Jeff hoped he had misheard. “What?”
“I said—there’s someone in the room.” The mechanic’s voice was trembling. Irons and Jeff exchanged glances. The major’s eyes were wide.
“Who’s in the room?” Jeff asked, after he’d got over his initial shock.
“A … creature …. It’s about fifty feet away from me. It’s glowing! It seems to be made completely of light. The whole room is lit up with a pale white light. I’ve never seen anything this weird. It’s standing with its back to me and hasn’t noticed me. It’s doing something at a table. I can’t see exactly what.”
Jeff didn’t respond. He was too stunned by what Fields had told him.
“Get him back!” Irons commanded. His voice had never sounded so urgent.
Jeff’s thumb approached the talk button when a loud scream at the other end of the speaker made him jump.
“It heard me. Shit! It’s coming toward me.”
The blood froze in Jeff’s veins.
“No!” Fields screamed in an almost inhuman shrill voice. Then the connection broke off.
Jeff remained rooted to his chair, just staring at the handheld. He felt dizzy and only then did he realize that he had been holding his breath the whole time. He gasped for air.
Irons also had to collect himself. Finally he spoke. “How long do we need to get to the gate?”
Jeff was still staring at his handheld, as if he could use telepathy to get Fields to contact him again. It only gradually dawned on him that his shipmate might never contact him again.
“Captain Austin!” Irons said loudly.
Jeff turned to look at his superior. The major had asked something, but he couldn’t remember what. He swallowed, but couldn’t get the lump out of his throat. “Sorry, Sir?”
“I want to know how long it would take us to walk to the gate.”
It was four miles away. “About three-quarters of an hour.”
“Lieutenant Rutherford,” Irons said.
“Sir?”
“Wake up Short and McGuinness. I need them on standby. Then I need you to take over communication with the handheld. When Owens and Herrmannsson get to the gate, they shouldn’t do anything. They need to wait till we arrive.”
“Understood, Sir.” Joanne answered and disappeared into the private quarters at the back.
“Lieutenant Castle,” the major turned to the WSO, who was standing next to the improvised command table.
“Sir?”
“I need you to come to the gate with me and Captain Austin.”
Jeff put the handheld down on the table and stood up. He checked his pistol twice, then went to the alcove beside the kitchen unit to get the rest of his gear from the sled. Lieutenant Castle stooped silently beside him and picked up his own equipment. The major grabbed a portable spotlight.
Less than a minute later, they were out of the door. They had a long way to run through the dark corridors of the ship, on which they now knew without a doubt that they were not alone. Jeff was glad Major Irons was with him this time, but still he kept imagining that he saw one of the light aliens far in the distance.
The whole way to the gate, Jeff asked himself two questions over and again: Was Fields still alive? And what kind of creature had he encountered?
After what felt like an eternity, they finally turned the last corner and entered the cathedral-like corridor, with the gate at the end. A beam from a flashlight fell through the open door that led to the little room next to the gate. Jeff wanted to run straight in, but Irons held him back.
“Green! Are you there?” the major called.
Did he suspect that one of these light aliens was in there instead of Green?
“Yes, I’m in here,” Green replied.
Jeff followed Irons into the room along with Castle. Green was standing beside the hole in the wall—the opening to the tunnel, which led to the other side. His hair was soaked in swe
at, his eyes were wide.
“Have you heard anything from Fields?” Irons asked.
Green pointed at the hole. “I heard a scream. I think it was Fields.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’m shit scared. Did he report to you?”
Irons ignored his question. “Where are Owens and Herrmannsson? They were supposed to join you.”
Green shook his head. “There’s nobody else here.”
Jeff pulled the handheld out of his belt pouch. “I’ll ask Joanne if she’s heard anything from them,” he said, and pressed the device up against the wall. “Joanne, we’re at the gate. Can you hear me?”
“Yes. Are Owl and Finni with you?”
“No, I was just about to ask if you’d heard from them.”
“Ten minutes ago. They got lost, I had to get them back on track.”
“OK. Any word from Fields?”
Jeff was about to repeat the question when Joanne finally answered. “No, nothing. Is Green with you?”
“Yes, he waited here. Said he heard a scream.”
“Shall I send Mac and Shorty down as reinforcement?” she asked.
“No,” Irons had come up beside Jeff and was leaning over the device. “They should just stay on standby for now. We’ll wait for Owens and Herrmannsson.”
“We’re here.” Jeff looked up. Owens was stumbling toward them, panting. A few seconds later, Mac followed.
“Where were you?” Irons asked.
Owens saluted the major. He obviously had a guilty conscience about the unreported break. “Sir, I apologize for the delay. There was a mistake on the map, and Joanne—”
“It’s OK, Private. We’ve got bigger problems.” Irons outlined the situation to Owens, Mac, and Green. The engineer turned pale when Irons described the light alien.
“I didn’t see anything.”
“But you heard a scream?” Irons asked.
Green nodded. “About half an hour ago or so. It sounded as if Fields was scared to death or in terrible pain. Then suddenly there was silence. I didn’t know what to do. I was about to make a run for it.”
“What do we do now?” Jeff asked. But he already knew the answer.
“We’re all going to go through the tunnel and look for him,” Irons said, without hesitation. He leaned down in front of the entrance to the tunnel, next to which the panel had been carelessly tossed aside. “Let’s go. Captain Austin, follow me. Lieutenant Castle will bring up the rear. Be sure to stay as close together as possible. And activate your combat suits.” He pressed a switch on the small arm console. Jeff did the same, although it would take several minutes for the reactor to start up.
The Dark Ship Page 14
