Zero Sixx
Lynn Mullican
Peter clutched onto the radio, sweat beading on his forehead. He glanced back at the steel door. He had managed to escape the quarantine area where they housed the alien they had found. It had been knocked unconscious when they found it but now it was awake…and angry.
Peter sat in the spaceship’s cabin, the door locked behind him, staring out of the window. Chaos had filled the spaceship, followed by blood and death. Now, all was silent. It was dark inside the spaceship and the air was stale. A pungent odor filled the cabin. He sat on the edge of the seat and continued to glance back at the door, waiting for…
Loud static came over the radio. Peter fumbled with the receiver, almost dropping it. Finally, he grabbed it and silenced it. The stench was growing stronger by the minute.
He brought the receiver up to his quivering lips and whispered, “This is Zero Sixx. Come in, Andro Forty-two.”
Peter looked up at the pilot’s seat where Derek’s dead body sat. Derek was decaying right before his eyes. The alien had stung Derek with its tail before he made it into the cabin. Peter could only assume the injected venom caused his death and the decay.
He pressed his lips together and slowly let up on the button, as if doing so, would delay the noise. The static erupted, echoing within the cabin. He pressed the button to eliminate the noise. He didn’t want the alien to hear it and find him in here.
Peter peered back at the door. It was steel and it was locked. The alien couldn’t get through, could it? It was steel after all.
He whispered into the receiver, his voice shaking. “This is Zero Sixx. Andro Forty-two, come in. This is an emergency.”
He released the button and looked at the console. More static. The spaceship was still on auto-pilot, so it would float in space until Andro Forty-two or even Maxx Nine found him. He glanced over at Derek again. The stench was coming from him.
Peter spun in his seat and stared at the console, trying to figure out his next step. Andro Forty-two wasn’t getting back with him. He could land the spaceship, but in doing so, he would bring the alien back to his own planet, and suffice to say, could engage a war between the alien and his own people, especially after the attack in quarantine.
Something brushed against the steel door, scraping it. Peter spun around, searching for the nearest weapon. That was when he spotted the gun on Derek’s hip.
Eyes wide, he reached for it, trying to avoid touching Derek’s skin which had almost completely melted away. Bile rose in his throat.
Then Ellen, the medic, yelled through the door. “Peter…”
Peter grabbed the gun and started to stand, forgetting to unsnap the gun holster. Derek’s body fell toward him. He scrambled to get away and lost his grip on the gun. The captain’s body fell on top of the weapon, preventing Peter from accessing it without having to move the body. Peter yelped. Derek’s body fell across the walkway to the console, blocking him from accessing it.
“Peter, are you in there? I’m hurt,” she said with a weak tone.
Peter looked around the room, opening consoles.
“Peter, please, I’m hurt. Are you in there?”
First aid kits, towels, and other items spilled from the consoles but no weapons. He could help her but he needed something to defend himself with and he sure as hell wasn’t going to touch Derek. That could be certain death but if Ellen was near the door and the alien wasn’t near her, then maybe he could pull her into the cabin.
Peter ran to the door. “Ellen, I’m here. Is that alien near you?”
“Oh, thank God!” she screamed.
He winced. “Shush, Ellen, it will hear you. Keep quiet.” He unlocked the door. “Now listen to me, I’m going to open this door. Please keep quiet and…”
She screamed, a blood curdling sound that sent chills down his spine. Peter flipped the latch and locked it again. He backed away from the door and stared at it, afraid the alien was going to bust through it. Then, a male voice came across the receiver.
“Zero Sixx, are you there?”
Peter snatched it from the seat. “Andro Forty-two, there’s…” Static interrupted him. “Andro Forty-two, can you hear me? We have an emergency.” More static interrupted. “Forty-two!”
Something heavy hit the door. Hair rose on the back of his neck. He lowered his voice and stared at the door. “Andro Forty-two, there’s…”
Something punctured the door, gouging a hole in it.
Peter’s heart raced. The alien was coming through. “Andro Forty-two, there’s…”
***
“What did he say?” Kym asked. She stared at the receiver in Frank’s hand.
Frank glanced up at Kym, a look of concern on his face. “He said there’s an emergency, but I didn’t make out what it was.”
She brushed strands of her blonde hair out of her face.
Then, a strange noise filled the ship. Frank glanced back at the cabin door. “What the hell was that?”
Kym chuckled. “Maybe our hitchhiker is waking up.”
“Maybe,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll go find out what’s going on,” she said, walking toward the door.
“Okay, I’ll try to get a hold of Peter again. By the way, have you guys got his headgear off yet?”
“I don’t know. I’ll go check on Aurora and see how things are going back in Medical.”
Kym opened the door and walked out.
Frank shook his head. Aurora? Ah, yes, she was a beauty. If only, she had the same feelings for him that he had for her. And, hitchhiker? Is that what they were calling the space accident victims nowadays?
He stared at the receiver in his hand. Static filled the air. He pressed the button and brought it to his lips.
“Zero Sixx, copy?” No answer, only static. “Are you still located near the Andromedus?” Again, no answer. “Zero Sixx, we’re on our way.”
As he stared out into space, the thought of Aurora filled his head, along with Troy. The six-foot African was back in Medical assisting Aurora with the accident victim. Should things get out of hand, he was sure things would be handled accordingly. The hitchhiker, as Kym called him, was a big man who looked equivalent to Troy’s size and stature. Troy could deadlift five hundred pounds, so if the hitchhiker awoke in a nasty mood, he was sure Troy could handle him.
Frank steered the spaceship in and around the debris that had occurred prior to their arrival. Zero Sixx, Andro Forty-two, and Maxx Nine were called out to investigate damage in the surrounding area. Commander Bryce Herold had reported two collisions, one collision involved an unidentified spaceship and the space station Life Space, near the Andromedus. The other collision involved two unidentified spaceships that had collided with each other. What was not known was if one of those spaceships were involved in the collision with Life Space or if a third spaceship was involved. Also, no prior contact had been made by or with the unknown spaceships nor the space station, Life Space, prior to the collision. Had contact been made, Commander Herold may have been able to identify the spaceships and the pilot.
Commander Herold sent spaceship Maxx Nine out to evaluate Life Space while Zero Sixx and Andro Forty-two were sent out to investigate the debris and determine if there were survivors. What had been determined was that the collision knocked out communication with Life Space. As for the unidentified spaceships, both had been severely damaged. The report came back from Zero Sixx they had found a survivor, an alien life-form, that had been knocked unconscious, yet was hooked to a portion of the ship by its tail. Zero Sixx reported the alien form was freed from its spaceship, contained and quarantined in a containment system within the spaceship.
As for Andro-Forty-two, they too had found a survivor, a human form who wore a metal helme
t and bio-mask. The body was clothed in leather pants, dark camo boots, leather gloves, and a shirt which appeared to be leather and scaly, almost flesh covered. An odd brown mesh covered the black leather. The man had two hip gun holsters and a thigh knife sheath, one of which was empty. A gun and machete remained in their sheath, both of which were removed and safely hidden. The hitchhiker appeared to be burned over fifty percent of his body and a severe gaping wound lay open across his chest.
Now, here Frank sat, headed toward Zero Sixx.
***
Aurora stared at the hitchhiker on her table. Because of his size and the possibility, he would awake in confusion, Troy restrained him to the table with the leather restraints. Aurora had already stripped him of his shirt and gloves. Now she looked at him with confusion, her eyes wide with concern.
“He’s not human,” she said.
Troy leaned over him and looked at his chest, his eyes flitting from the victim to her.
“He’s alive, though?”
“Yes,” she said. Her heart skipped a beat.
She had never come face to face with such an intimidating looking alien form. She stared at the fingers, which had claws and wondered whether his feet, which were hidden within his boots, were also the same. His skin was scaly, almost leathery, reptilian-like.
“Can you try to get the mask off again?” she asked.
Troy raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious? Why don’t we wait for him to wake up so he can remove it? It might wake him up.”
“Just do it,” she replied, nearing the body.
She approached him, towels and sterilization items in her hand. As she proceeded to wet the towel, Troy studied the mask.
“He has a helmet on, as well,” he replied.
“I’m aware of that. Find a way to remove it.”
She touched the hitchhiker with the wet cloth. Then, something went off in the mask. A resounding beeping echoed throughout the room and the ship. It pierced her ears.
Troy stepped back, covering his ears.
“What the…?” he screamed.
“I don’t know…”
She studied the mask before touching it. Then, the hitchhiker moved. She shrieked. Troy moved up closer to the table and grabbed the mask.
Hunter, the hitchhiker turned his head and glared at Troy.
Troy stepped back, glancing down at the restraints.
“Those restraints better hold him down!” he snapped. He looked down at Hunter. “Can you shut that off? We don’t want to hurt you! We’re trying to help you!”
Hunter growled. It echoed within the room.
Aurora brushed her brown hair behind her ear.
“Step back, Troy. Let me handle this.”
She leaned over him, her body brushing against Hunter’s arm.
Hunter snapped his head around to look at her. Again, he growled.
“Hi, I’m Aurora. I’m here to help you.” She forced a smile. The incessant beeping hurt her ears. She winced. “Listen, can you turn that thing off? It’s hurting my ears.”
Hunter studied her. She brought her hands to her ears, trying to shut out the noise, and took a step back.
Kym ran into the room, stopping in the doorway. “What’s going on?”
“Something in his helmet went off and it won’t turn off.”
Kym neared the table. “Here, let me help.”
Hunter turned, growling as she stopped beside him. “Oh, damn, our hitchhiker is awake.”
Troy interrupted, “And, he’s not human.”
Kym pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “Well, hey, let’s get this thing turned off. What do you say?”
Again, Hunter growled.
“Alright then, well, if you don’t want to help us, we’ll just throw you back into space. What do you say about that? Our job is to help you, not hurt you.”
He remained silent.
She touched his arm. “Is that a yes that we can help you?”
He grunted.
“I’ll take it, that’s a yes. Now, how do we get this contraption off of you?”
Something grazed her hand. As she looked down, his hand moved, his claws cutting the leather. Her jaw dropped, her eyes moving up to his masked face.
“Listen, I’ll remove the one restraint so you can show me how to remove this…helmet of yours, but you have to promise you won’t hurt anyone.”
“Are you kidding?” Aurora asked. “We can’t remove the restraints.”
Kym glanced back at her. “And, just how the hell do you expect us to communicate with him, much less remove this mask. We need to get it off! You need to assess his wounds.”
“I’m well aware of that, but…what are you doing?”
Kym grabbed the restraint, his hand latching around her wrist. She looked up at him again.
“It’s alright, I’m trying to help you.”
She slipped the leather through the loop. The cuff fell on the table, his hand tightening around her wrist. He pulled her in tight to him, their faces inches apart.
Her heart raced. “Please, don’t hurt me. I’m only trying to help.”
“Kym, what are you thinking?”
Aurora ran up to Kym as three other crew members ran into the room. They stopped at the sight of Hunter.
Hunter wrapped his arm around Kym and pulled her on top of him, his other hand breaking free of the restraint. The chain which latched the cuff to the table broke, yet remained on his wrist. He pulled her against him, Troy moving in toward him. As Hunter whipped Kym over the top of his body, he used her as a shield against Troy’s fist.
At the last second, Troy caught what Hunter was doing and narrowly deflected his punch, hitting Kym in the shoulder instead of the face. She screamed.
Hunter fought to break free of the leg restraints as she struggled to break free of him.
Aurora stood to the side, preparing a syringe as Hunter held Kym tight around the chest, keeping her bound to him. Kym struggled to breathe, trying to motion for Aurora to inject him.
Aurora moved in, syringe in hand. As she went to poke Hunter with it, three crew members ran into the room. The two male crew members tried to pry Hunter away from Kym while the female crew member ran toward Kym, colliding with Aurora. The syringe fell out of Aurora’s hand.
“No! No!” Aurora screamed.
The syringe fell to the ground and in the midst of chaos, it rolled under the medical table where Hunter lay. Aurora crawled under the table to grab it when something on the table snapped. Aurora glanced up as one booted foot came down on the floor in front of her. She screamed. Hunter had broken free. Something else snapped and before she knew it, everybody tumbled to the ground, the table included. Aurora covered her head and rolled away from the bed.
Troy and the two male crew members struggled to get a hold of Hunter while the female crew member fought to free Kym. One blow from Hunter tossed the female crew member across the room and into a medical supply cabinet. Supplies spilled everywhere.
Another blow sent one male crew member across the room and into the doorway. Another punch sent the other crew member flying into another wall. Then, Hunter squared off with Troy, Kym still confined within his arms.
Aurora lay on the floor, her arms over her head. Then, she spied the syringe. It lay on the floor behind him. He took a step back and barely missed stepping on it. The syringe was only three feet away from her. She slid across the floor toward it.
Troy put his hands out before him. “Listen, we’re trying to help you.”
A deep voice bellowed out from under the mask. “Bullshit!”
Kym swallowed hard. She held onto his arm and leaned back into him.
“Hey, we’re the EMT’s in space, man. We don’t hurt anyone unless we have to and you’re not helping the situation.”
Hunter grabbed her head and cranked it to the side, straining her neck. Kym cringed, tears flowing from her eyes.
“I mean you no harm. I swear on my life!”
Then, something pr
icked Hunter’s leg. He glanced down at Aurora who lay on the floor next to him, syringe in hand. He slammed his foot down on her hand. Bone crunched beneath his weight. Aurora screamed. The crew members lay unconscious on the floor. Troy stood before him, studying him. Then, darkness consumed Hunter.
***
A heavy jar awoke Kym. Where was she? Had they found Zero Sixx? And, what about Aurora? Was she alright? And, the hitchhiker…?
Kym reached up to use the wall to aid her in sitting up and realized it wasn’t a wall. She grabbed onto the bars that confined her and bolted upright. Her head hurt and so did her body. She touched her head and then realized her peers had confined her within a restraining cell.
“No! No!” she screamed.
In the restraining cell next to her, Hunter growled. She turned to find him sitting in the restraining cell next to her, his helmet and bio-mask removed. She cringed. His face was leathery and scaly, his eyes inhuman, dark and predatory. His nose reminded her of a snake. Hunter’s flesh had tribal markings and scars similar to war wounds. His long dark hair was pulled back into a braid.
Then, chaos erupted. A loud beep resounded throughout the spaceship. Then, Ruby, the spaceship’s system female voice filled the air.
“Warning! Port impacted! Auto-pilot turning on!”
“What the hell…?” Kym yelled. She stared at the doorway to the corridor. “Hey! What’s going on? Get me out of here!”
Hunter stood, growling, clutching the bars before him. He needed to get out of this hellhole, find the Andros, and then deal with these humans later. The Andros were priority, the humans secondary.
Another jolt jarred Kym, throwing her forward into the bars, her face smacking against them. She bounced off of them, tried to regain her footing and as the port side of the ship veered upward, she fell against the bars separating her from Hunter. She struggled to grab onto the bars. A loud metal screech echoed throughout the ship.
The lights flickered and then the red beacon lights turned on. More screeching resounded throughout the ship. Then, it shifted direction, starboard side veering up.
Ruby’s voice filled the room. “Warning! Starboard impacted! Losing air pressure! Losing oxygen! Prepare to abandon ship! T minus five minutes and counting!”
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