Prey

by Jon F. Merz

  She pushed it.

  Dim light spilled into the room. But not enough to see clearly.

  "Maybe it's adjustable," said Mick. "try turning it."

  "Okay."

  Julia turned the knob.

  And heard Mick gasp.

  "Holy Jesus."

  She turned. She could already hear Wilkins moaning.

  "Mother of God, no...."

  In the middle of the room, Wilkins lay on a gurney.

  Half of him, anyway.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  "Jesus Christ."

  Wilkins voice sounded small, the fear evident to Julia as she watched him mutter it over and over again, looking down at his upper torso, arms, and little else. An extensive series of tubes ran out of him and into various machines around the gurney.

  Mick came over and shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you. You ought to be dead."

  "Thanks a lot."

  "Sorry. It's just that, well, shit, this is pretty fucked up. They took pretty much everything except your arms."

  Wilkins sighed. "Guess this explains why I couldn't feel my legs, huh?"

  Julia's eyes stung. Of all the people to do this to, why Wilkins? She thought about what a dedicated family man he was, about how much he lived for and loved his wife and children. He didn't deserve this.

  Mick looked up at Julia. "We got Kendall to thank for this as well?"

  "Apparently."

  Mick nodded. Julia watched his eyes take on that faraway stare again and she knew Kendall was as good as dead the moment Mick caught sight of him. She couldn't blame Mick at all.

  "So, what are we going to do about this, boss?"

  Julia shook her head. "I wish I had something good to tell you, Wilkins. Fact is, I don't have the slightest clue."

  Wilkins looked at Mick. "At least she doesn't try to bullshit about stuff she doesn't know about."

  "She's always impressed me as being very self-aware," said Mick. "But unfortunately, she's right. We can't transport you like this. Even if we had necessary machines to keep you going, there's no way we could guarantee your safety."

  Wilkins frowned. "These things are probably keeping me alive, huh?"

  "Looks that way."

  "But why? Why would they do this and then leave me here?"

  Julia turned. Had she heard something?

  Mick shook his head. "I don't know."

  Julia looked at him. She felt pretty sure that they were going to do something similar to Wilkins as they'd done to Nung. Some type of horrible transplant that would no doubt strip Wilkins of the very last vestiges of his humanity.

  He'd become a monster.

  "Well, obviously, they aren't finished with me." Wilkins tried to grin. "Guess that means I'm at least sticking around for the near future."

  Julia tried to smile but it didn't take. "Yeah."

  Wilkins smiled now. "Hey boss, sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Don't sweat it. Besides, there are some pluses to me being like this."

  Julia looked up. "There are?"

  "Sure. Imagine the great grades my kids will get when they wheel me in as their science experiment. Easy A's."

  Julia's eyes stung even more. "Dammit, we've got to do something about this." She looked at Mick. "Any ideas?"

  "Not a one."

  She turned again. Another sound.

  This one closer.

  Mick caught her gaze. "What's up?"

  "I think we're going to have company."

  She raised the laser rifle.

  Wilkins cleared his throat. "You guys think you could maybe watch where you shoot that thing? I don't need any stray laser blasts fucking my machinery up. I've only had it a short time but I'm kinda fond of it right now."

  There it was again. Definitely outside the door.

  They knew where they were.

  And when she heard the voice, she cringed and shrank back lifting the gun into her shoulder.

  "Julia? Mick? It's Kendall."

  "Fuck," said Mick. He looked at Julia. "Shoot that prick the second you see him come through that door."

  "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

  "That's only because you'd have something worse planned," said Julia. "Why shouldn't I kill you?"

  "I'm going to open the door now. But don't kill me. At least not until you've had a chance to hear me out."

  "What could you possibly say to make us not want to see you begging for mercy while we pummel your brains out?" asked Mick.

  "Let me come in and I'll tell you."

  Mick looked at Julia and shrugged.

  Julia sighed.

  It was up to her.

  She looked at Wilkins again and made sure the image of what Kendall had wrought was firmly entrenched in her mind. She thought about his wife and kids again and how they might never see their dad again because of the twisted machinations of a truly deranged psychotic like Kendall.

  And when she had that anger locked in place - her heart cold to any please Kendall might make, she turned back to the door to the chamber and took a deep breath.

  "All right Kendall. Come on in."

  "You sure?"

  "Yes."

  There was a pause. She could feel Kendall considering the decision. Had he been so sure about Julia that he was willing to risk his life on it?

  The door slid open.

  Kendall stood there with his arms out to the sides showing he was unarmed.

  Mick pointed at him. "Turn around nice and slow."

  Kendall did as he was told. Mick peered closer but couldn't see anything so he nodded at Julia. "He looks clean."

  "He'll never be that," said Julia.

  "Are we done?" asked Kendall. He glanced over his shoulder at them.

  "Come in," said Julia.

  Kendall put his arms down and walked into the chamber. He looked at Julia and Mick first and then his attention was drawn to Wilkins, laying on the gurney giving him the middle finger.

  "That's not necessary."

  "Fuck you," said Wilkins. "You're lucky they took my legs or I would kick your ass from here to next Tuesday."

  "Always such a need to resort immediately to violence," said Kendall. "That's the whole problem with the human race."

  Julia aimed the rifle at him. "Keep spouting bullshit and I will fry what's left of that twisted heart of yours."

  Kendall regarded her. "How are you feeling Julia?"

  "Fine."

  That seemed to amuse him. "Really. I guess they've gotten better at those operations in recent years. My, you should have seen some of them before. Those poor women would walk out of here - for lack of a better term, that is - and never be able to have children again. Those were the lucky ones. Others developed cervical and ovarian cancer. They never knew why. In fact, I'd be willing to bet a fair amount of money on the fact that most of the cancer cases doctors see today aren't the result of poor diet or lack of exercise at all." His eyes gleamed. "But rather they're due to the influence of the visitors."

  "Great," said Mick. "So, when we nuke the living shit out of this place, we'll be helping mankind battle cancer, too. Sounds like a win-win situation."

  Kendall frowned. "Your little boy army antics are so juvenile. You haven't grasped anything, have you? You don't have the vaguest notion about how grand this plan is and what it encompasses."

  "Gee," said Mick, "I guess I was more interested in trying to save the lives of people I consider my friends. Unlike you, I don't sacrifice everything near and dear to me for some twisted plan."

  "They were never near and dear to me. None of you were. What you were was expendable. Naturally, I didn't anticipate having this much trouble getting you all here, but then again, I wasn't counting on our newest bestest pal Mick messing things up."

  Mick grinned. "Glad to oblige."

  "I'll bet you were," said Kendall. "Especially given what the nature of this assignment entailed."

  Mick's eyes squinted. "What are you talking about?"

 
Kendall grinned. "It's all coming out now, Mick. There's really no sense in hiding it anymore, is there?"

  "Hiding what?" asked Julia.

  "Weren't you even the least bit curious about how Mick came to join the team? Or were you too enamored of him to question the replacement."

  Julia shook her head. "He filled in when Jenkins got appendicitis. We were lucky he was around."

  "You were about as lucky to get Mick on your team as you were to be selected to head this little jaunt up, sweetie. That is to say you were manipulated. Once again."

  "He's lying," said Mick.

  Julia looked at him. Mick's face seemed harder now. She glanced at Kendall. "You'd better explain yourself."

  "Jenkins never had appendicitis."

  "Sure he did," said Wilkins. "We were all with him when he got the pains. Lucky the damned thing didn't rupture."

  "You were all out eating wings and drinking a few beers that day, weren't you?"

  "Yeah. So what?"

  "Do you remember the waitress?"

  Julia frowned. "What does she have to do with anything?"

  "She has everything to do with it because of the drug she slipped into Jenkins' beer. A little dab will do you - it gave him all the symptoms of acute appendicitis. Pains, vomiting, fever - all of it. But it wasn't legitimate. Just a little drug cocktail cooked up to get Mick here inserted on the team in his place."

  "But why?"

  Kendall's smile reminded Julia of a slimy slug trail. "Because our good friend Mick here isn't retired from the Air Force at all."

  "He's not?"

  "He's active duty," said Kendall. "Isn't that right, Mick?"

  Mick didn't say anything. He just kept looking at Kendall with murder in his eyes.

  "You see, Mick's unit is several times removed from what most folks would call normal special operations. Mick's unit is attached to the Space Command. And you know what they deal with? Alien incursions. Mick's a member of a top-secret squad of alien killers. A real pro, too. I think he's been at it for almost ten years now." Kendall smiled at Mick. "Jump in any time and clarify things for me."

  Mick didn't move.

  So he had lied to her. Julia wanted nothing better than to curl up and wish this entire mess away. She wanted to be back home. She wanted to never have met any of these people. Lies. All lies.

  Kendall nodded. "You see? The game is up. And you Julia have been duped on so many fronts, it's a wonder you still have any shred of shame left. Now give me that gun and let's be done with this."

  Julia jerked the laser rifle up. "So what? That doesn't change the fact that you've killed a lot of people Kendall. In my book, that's fair cause for me to send you off to the other side now."

  "Do that and you'll never get out of here alive."

  Something about the way he said it made Julia pause.

  Kendall pointed at the door. "You think I would come in here to talk to you without making sure I had a reasonable chance of getting out alive? You think I'd be foolish enough to actually trust you?"

  "Make your point," said Julia.

  "Shoot me and this entire chamber will be vaporized by my friends outside. And they can do it, too. You wouldn't live another second."

  "And what if we do surrender?"

  Kendall smiled. "Already thinking a bit clearer, aren't you?" He nodded. "Give up this foolish charade and you may go free, Julia. You alone. Mick stays here. As does Wilkins. But you're welcome to leave here."

  Julia frowned. "And why would they let me walk out of here?"

  "Because they think they impregnated you with their new hybrid species," said Mick, his voice cutting through the air.

  "But they-"

  "-didn't," said Mick. "No. I stopped them just before they were able to."

  Kendall sighed. "So that's why she still looks remarkably well. At least that's solved."

  "I killed the alien shits doing it to her," said Mick. He looked at Julia. "What Kendall said about me, it's true. I'm sorry."

  Julia shook her head. "Whatever."

  "But there's one thing he neglected to include."

  "What?"

  "The reason why it was so important for me to be on this expedition."

  "Why-?"

  But then the door exploded inward.

  And Mick's reply was drowned out as the screaming began.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Julia brought her gun up on instinct and starting shooting at the doorway. She could see the first dinocreatures duck back as the laser bolts impacted nearby. One of the bolts caught a creature square in the chest, lifted him back and away, and brought him down in a bloody mess.

  Return fire came back at them while Kendall screamed at everyone to stop shooting. But the dinocreatures seemed to have other ideas rather than following Kendall's orders. They kept shooting.

  "Mick!"

  Julia shouted for him. Even if he'd lied, she'd at least need his help to get the hell out of here.

  But what about Wilkins?

  She looked up at the table.

  And grimaced. One of the laser bolts had caught Wilkins' body and turned it into bloody goo. Bits of his entrails dripped over the edge of the gurney. His eyes, cold and white and full of death, stared at the doorway.

  Julia frowned and turned back to squeeze off some more bolts at the door. She caught another dinocreature in the chest. That was for Wilkins, she thought.

  "Julia."

  Mick's voice appeared in her ear. She turned and saw him crouched down low next to her. "We can't stay here!"

  Julia nodded. "You lead, I'll follow."

  "There's a door in the back. Another way through. We've got to get the hell out of here. No more stops."

  "Okay!"

  Mick tugged on her sleeve and led her back to the doorway. Julia kept aiming the laser rifle at the doorway, but she couldn't see any more dinocreatures.

  Kendall was gone, too.

  Wonderful.

  Mick triggered the door release and it slid up with a hiss.

  "In here!"

  Julia followed him through.

  Another room almost like the one they'd just left opened up before them. Julia swung the rifle around, expecting trouble to come in through one of the many doors that branched off of this room.

  Mick kept tugging her along. "We can't dawdle anymore. We've got to get off this damned ship."

  They ran for another doorway. Mick triggered it and it opened into a long circular corridor. Julia frowned. She didn't like running down something long and curved, it left them too exposed.

  But like Mick had said, time was of the essence. If they could just get the hell off of this ship and back out into the snow, they might have a chance of making it back to the research station.

  Then what?

  Radio for help?

  How long would it take them to fly another plane in?

  And what if the weather was awful? It would keep the rescuers out while leaving Mick and Julia alone at the tiny station. They could be attacked time and time again until they were killed.

  Or worse, taken back here for...impregnation.

  Julia pushed the thought out of her mind and kept running after Mick. The corridor seemed terribly silent. Was something waiting to surprise them?

  They got about three hundred feet when they came to a concern. Mick slowed down to peer around it. He looked back at Julia.

  "All clear."

  Were they letting them go now? Maybe Mick and Julia had killed all of the dinocreatures. Maybe they'd proven themselves as difficult prey and their captors were figuring it was better to let them just go.

  Julia smirked. Yeah, right.

  Mick ran full speed down the hallway. Julia tried to keep up with him as much as possible. She kept looking behind her though, making sure no one was coming up on their rear. That was the last thing they needed.

  "Mick!"

  He slowed down and let her catch up. "Sorry."

  "Keep going!"

  S
omething exploded off the edge of her peripheral vision. She heard screeches now.

  Shit.

  More dinocreatures.

  She could hear the sporadic gunfire from their laser rifles as they tried to aim. She risked a glance back and could see them about four hundred feet away.

  She wondered how effective the lasers were at such a range.

  In answer, another bolt caromed off the wall closest to her, spraying shards of electricity and wiring out of the wall.

  Julia screamed and ran on behind Mick.

  "There's a door ahead!"

  She nodded. If they could just make it and get beyond it, they'd have some cover from the dinocreatures.

  "Run!"

  Mick reached the wall first and jammed the door releases.

  Nothing happened.

  Julia turned and started firing again as Mick hammered the door release trying to get it to work.

  "It must be locked!"

  "There's got to be a way in!"

  The lasers were coming closer now. Julia found a target and picked it off. It screeched and died as her laser found it in the chest. Several of the creatures comrades stared at it as it fell, their mouths crying.

  Julia fired at them, too.

  "Mick!"

  "I'm trying!"

  She glanced back and could see the sweat pouring off his face. "Come on, dammit! What the fuck does it take, huh?"

  Another laser blast came closer than the others. They were getting too close.

  "Mick," shouted Julia. "We've got to go!"

  He abandoned the door and tugged her. "Okay!"

  They ran on.

  The corridor curved some more. Laser blasts narrowly missed them. Julia found it hard to believe the dinocreatures could be such poor shots.

  Unless...

  Mick skidded to a halt.

  "Shit."

  In front of them.

  More of the dinocreatures.

  Only fifty feet away.

  And each of them had their laser rifles up into their shoulders. Julia frowned. They had a bead on them. It was no good even trying to pretend otherwise. She and Mick ducked back behind cover.

  "That was why the others missed us," she said.

  Mick nodded. "Sending us into an ambush was easier."