Baker processed the information as quickly as it appeared across the screen.
“So they didn’t find anything inside the pyramid?” Hawkes asked from over his shoulder.
“It would appear that way,” Baker replied. “Or whatever it was they found, they just didn’t see, or it escaped as they were breaching the room.”
“Then it’s safe to assume, that the structure they uncovered, had absolutely nothing to do with what happened here at all, that it was something else, maybe a freak psychological phenomenon that caused some of the colonists to go on a killing spree.” Talmadge moved the files to the recycle bin, his words covering his actions.
Baker looked at Talmadge who held his gaze at the monitor.
“Freak killing spree? Have you seen any of the shit that’s out there? That’s not a fucking killing spree, that’s a fucking slaughter. A calculated, systematic, merciless slaughter.” He paused, stepping back to put space between him and the rep. “This wasn’t some guy with a gun, your entire fucking colony murdered each other, and then whoever was left, or thought they were left, finished themselves off.” He paused, inhaling sharply as his gaze locked to Talmadge. “I know what you’re trying to do; plausible deniability, and it isn’t gonna work. You assholes aren’t gonna weasel your way out of this one. No, not while I still have breath. That option died with my corporal. No. You’re gonna burn for this.”
Hawkes shifted, stepping slightly closer to Baker.
Baker lifted his gaze to the red landscape outside and then made his way around the desk to stand near Hawkes as he regrouped himself.
Talmadge held his tongue, fury burning inside him as he continued flipping through file after file, marking each one for deletion as he did.
Dom, Wilkes and Lanskey had returned to medical, the three of them removing the cloth wrapped around their face as the hallway door leading to the director’s room shut behind them.
“How long until that smell goes away?” Dom asked, coughing into the shirt he’d used to block the odor.
Lanskey started directly towards the computer terminal, responding as she did. “Decomposition can take up to three months in perfect conditions. I’d say we’re gonna be long gone from here before it does. It’s actually gonna get worse as the gasses built up in the bodies begins to expel. All we’re dealing with right now is the smell of coagulated blood, urine and feces expelled upon death, and the minor onset of rot. The worst is still to come.”
“Remind me not to ask you any more questions like that,” Dom replied with a shake of the head and disgusted look on his face.
“I guess we’ll have to see what you can find Doc,” Wilkes said. “The sooner we’re done here the better. This place is creeping me out.”
Lanskey sat down at the computer without a reply. She cracked her knuckles while exhaling deeply and then leaned forward, bringing the screen to life. Immediately she began sifting through case report after case report. She was determined to find something. There was always some small detail that got skipped over, something that slipped through the cracks upon initial investigation. She knew there had to be something there.
“Might as well get comfortable, Wilkes said, sliding a chair across the floor to Dom. “We’re gonna be here for a while.”
“Great…” Dom replied, turning to glance into the hall before making his way to the chair.
“Look,” Baker said, stepping back from the desk. “Whatever it is that’s in this station, needs to be contained. I’m not trying to be difficult, but right now, we’re as good as blind. And unless you wanna end up like the people in the hallways out there, then you need to start playing ball.”
Talmadge slammed his hands on the desk, the sound erupting in the room. Hawkes turned, his rifle twitching at the outburst. Baker looked across the room and quickly shook his head, the Corporal lowering his weapon while still holding eye contact.
“I don’t know any more than you do,” Talmadge hissed, his palms still flat on the desk. “I arrived here at the same time as you, on the same ship. I walked into this station right behind you, so I’ve had enough of this conspiracy theory bullshit. I’m done. There is no evil plot by Xenocorp, no hidden treasure we’re trying to keep, no alien species to bring back to earth for testing, none of that shit. People are dead, every one of the colonists that came here, are dead, entire families, dead. Do you think I don’t know this? I’ve been walking through the same hallways as you. I’m not blind. Now forgive me if I, just as you, have a job to do here.” He stiffened. “You have to protect your soldiers, and I, just like you, have to protect the trillion dollar company I work for. If I don’t do that, then when we get back to Earth, my job, my career, the only thing I have going for me, will be gone. And in that case, I may as well just join the rest of them in the hall, because I don’t have anything else. Now I am tired of you treating me like I’m some kind of spy, trying to sabotage your mission. I’m just doing the same thing as you; trying to survive.” He took a deep breath, pulling his hands from the desk. “Now I’ve looked through every file on this computer, the same ones you have on that nanodrive, and there’s nothing, nothing, about what it was they found out there. All we know, is that they broke into that damn pyramid, and shortly after, the entire colony went batshit and started offing each other. That’s basically, exactly what I’m going to report when we get back. Now if we could be done with this whole pissing contest, I’d be really grateful, because to put it lightly, I am scared shitless right now, because I’m sitting in a space station millions of miles from Earth, surrounded by hundreds of dead bodies, and whatever the hell it was that did this, is still roaming around in here somewhere. I just want to get the hell out of here, and go back home so I can take my long overdue vacation, which I planned to go to the New Republic of France, and visit the remains of the Eiffel Tower.”
The soldier had finally pushed him to the point of snapping. He kept his useless threats packed away, instead, filing them for use once they were back to earth. He also knew that yelling never accomplished anything, that ninety-nine percent of the time, only served to exacerbate the situation, but he had had it. As long as the sergeant kept feeding into the other soldier’s image of him being a slimy rat, then it was going to be even that much harder for him to complete his task. With the way things had turned out, he realized that he may even find himself needing their help to keep a tight lid on things, and at the same time, digging a paper grave for their sergeant. Bribing and blackmail were the least of his concerns, but he knew things would go that much smoother if the men didn’t think he was the enemy. One thing he wouldn’t accept, was some low grade military asshole thinking he could put him in his place. He had dedicated his entire life to the company that for all accounts and purposes, even allowed the military to take part in missions like this one. Hell, they had even funded, anonymously of course, the creation of the EMF, when the top ten governments of the world had decided it best to unify their militaries in order to keep a stronger control over the smaller rebel factions that had risen up after Rwanda and the wars that followed. He would not stand there and take orders from some min-pay asshole with a couple stripes glued to his shirt. He didn’t on Earth, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to here, in the facility that he had watched grow from paper concept to the instillation they now stood in.
Baker stared at the rep for a moment, a thin smile growing across his lips. He glanced up to see Wilkes smirk with a nod of approval. “Well ok,” Baker replied, his smile growing. “Then why don’t we go find this thing, kill it or contain it, and then get the hell off this rock.”
Talmadge stood up, watching the sergeant make his way to the other soldier. The moment his back was to him he clicked delete and erased all the files containing information on the facility breakdown.
“Sarge,” Vuong clicked across the comm. “I think I got something. How quickly can you get back here?”
“We’re on our way,” Baker replied, glancing to Wilkes before turning his gaze b
ack to Talmadge. “Looks like Vuong might have something. What do you say we go find out what this thing is?”
Talmadge nodded, turning to make his way to where Wilkes stood. Together the three started back down the hall towards security, the palpable tension remaining in the room, a thick cloud left behind.
16
“Lanskey?”
The sergeant’s voice cracked across the headset like lightning, startling the chief officer in her seat. She composed herself as his voice continued to crackle in her ear.
“Vuong thinks he might have found something. We’re heading back to security to check it out. Anything new on your end?”
She pulled her gaze from the computer monitor and let it fall to a large stack of file folders on the desk near her. “I’ve got a lot of reports all starting around the same time. I’m sorting through them as quickly as possible, but it’s going to take a while. I need to be thorough. I’ll let you know the moment I find something.”
“Copy that. Keep me posted.”
She took a deep breath, glancing back to Wilkes and shaking her head. “Scared the shit out of me…”
Wilkes smiled, the sterile lights in the room emphasizing the discolored bags beginning to grow beneath his eyes. “Surprised you’re not used to it yet.”
She shook her head again and turned back to the screen.
Dom grinned at Wilkes and then paused as a faint sound filtered past his ear. He turned his head to the hallway and listened for another few seconds. “You hear that?” he asked, shifting his rifle.
Wilkes turned his head towards the doorway for a moment, concern knitting his eyebrows together. “No.” He listened for another moment before a cough from Lanskey pulled his attention back to the monitor in front of her, a pretty face of a young girl’s admin photo keeping his attention there. “Didn’t hear anything.”
“I’m gonna check it out,” Dom said, turning to make his way into the hallway.
Wilkes nodded, his eyes still locked to the pretty face of the hopeful youth, a hydroponics specialists from what the title beneath said. Pity she wasn’t still alive, he could use the diversion.
Dom made his way into the hallway and started down towards the section that curved out of view. He walked heel-toe, as quietly as possible, pausing before the angle that led to the other end. He took a deep breath and stepped out quickly, his rifle raised chest level. As he did, the empty hallway stood before him, the door at the other end closed. He exhaled sharply, shaking his head at his paranoia and then turned to make his way back to the room. As his face turned the other direction he felt a deep cold move through him, a chill that cut through flesh and bone like a plume of ice. A ripple moved past his eyes, nearly invisible, like the waves that rise up from a scorching pavement in the summer. Instantly dread began to build, deep and indescribable, and for a single breath, wanted to scream like he’d never done; to turn and run or drop to the ground and curl into a fetal position of safety. But he couldn’t do any of that. He was frozen, paralyzed as the darkest fears held deep within his psyche sprang to life before him, a tormenting void ripping at every stand that held his soul together. Sweat built on his brow and his fingers curled outwards, tendons strained to the point of snapping, his eyes wide and filled with panic. Then as quickly as it had begun, it was gone. For the next few moments he stood silent, his body still shaking from the experience. He could taste copper in his mouth where his tongue had been caught between his teeth, and his head pounded, two hammers driving picks into his temples. He swallowed hard, struggling to clear his throat as he regained movement in his legs and started forward. That’s when a sound coming from the room Lanskey and Wilkes were in grabbed his attention. It was thin and distant, a soft scraping sound, like an insect climbing glass. But there was something behind it, something that conjured images of a person well into decay, lungs rotted and phlegm mixed with clotted blood and puss. His muscles tensed. “Wilkes?” he called out, stepping quickly towards the room.
“None of this makes sense,” Lanskey said, glancing up for a second to Wilkes who stood huddled over her shoulder. “The only similarity I can find in these cases are the reports of phantom voices and the onset of headaches leading up to migraines.” She stopped, flipping through three files quickly. Her eyes squinted together and she paused, holding her breath for a moment. Just as Wilkes was about to speak up she burst out softly. “Hold up... These reports are from the earliest reported cases, reports of patients hearing and seeing dead relatives, monsters, giant insects, a whole number of other things. What if, and bear with me, cause I know how crazy this sounds. What if, whatever is causing this, is using hallucinations to trigger the violence? What if… What if somehow, it’s using our fears, to create a reaction leading to murders and suicides that have occured? What if the colonists weren’t killing each other, but thought they were killing giant spiders or the boogeyman from their childhood? What if they had no idea they were killing each other?”
She turned to Wilkes who slowly brought his gaze to meet hers. What she was implying, was that it was it a sentient being, and capable of eradicating an entire colony without even making physical contact.
“Shit…” Wilkes whispered, the weight of her words landing heavy in his ears.
Dom walked back into the room, stopping at the doorway. Leaned over Lanskey, a menacing gaze warped across his face, claws reaching from the tips of his fingers, was a creature that looked almost identical to Wilkes. Somehow, in the time that he had gone to check the hall, whatever it was that was killing everyone, had managed to lure Wilkes away, kill him, and was beginning to morph into his form. His brain buzzed, a sensation bordering pleasure and pain, and at that moment Dom realized how everyone had died. The creature slaughtered them, and then took their place to get closer to the others. Maybe Wilkes had been infected all along. He felt his fingers twitch against the rifle and the ringing in his ears began to grow louder. He stood silently, watching as Lanskey continued typing on the computer, completely unaware of the monster that loomed above her. He could hear her speaking, her voice thin and distant. He struggled to understand the words, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make any sense of the meaning. All he could feel was the cold permeating the air around him, and the fear building up inside. The creature behind Lanskey inched closer.
Dom raised his rifle, leveling it at the Wilkes creature.
A shuffle brought Wilkes’ head up. He turned to see his companion standing in the doorway, face warped in a mask of fear. “Dom?” he said, concern flooding through him as the other man stared back at him in blank unrecognition. “Put the rifle down Dom.”
At this, Lanskey slowly began to turn around.
Dom kept his weapon leveled at the Wilkes monster. He wasn’t going to allow the creature to escape. No. He had found it, and he was the only person that could put a stop to it. And he had to do it without getting Lanskey, or himself killed in the process. He exhaled slowly, his finger pressing tighter against the trigger when Lanskey slowly turned around in her chair. As her face turned to him he froze. It was too late. The flesh on her face had been torn apart, shredded away, leaving muscle and tissue exposed beneath. One of her eyes had been punctured and the clear gelatin contained within was oozing down her perforated cheek. He could see the white of her teeth exposed through the spaces her cheeks had been torn away, and he stared in horror as the lips slowly moved apart, a menacing grin spreading as jagged, needlelike teeth became exposed. Wilkes had already gotten to her, and now she was one of whatever it was he had become.
“Dom, what are you doing?” Lanskey said as the soldiers dilated eyes set upon her. “Dom, it’s me, it’s Barbara. You know me. You know Terrance too. Please. Put the gun down Dom.”
Slowly Wilkes raised his arms and began to step forward, his hand moving to the comm button on his helmet.
Dom pulled the trigger on his rifle, sending round after round into the alien creature. He couldn’t understand how he had just been in the room, and i
n the time it took him to look in the hallway, the creatures had murdered his fellow soldiers and taken their place. And why didn’t they try to conceal themselves? He found himself screaming as he continued firing at the monsters until they were a crumpled heap on the floor. The medical station was completely destroyed and the wall behind it riddled with blood splatter and bullet holes. The air hung heavy with the smell of blood and gunfire, the odor acrid and thick. The coldness in him continued to grow, spreading through his veins like liquid ice, filtering through every fiber in his flesh. It was at that moment that he realized, no matter what they did, no matter how hard they fought, or tried to escape, it was hopeless. There was no running from what was coming, and it was a matter of time until the thing inside him killed him too. Then the coldness dissipated and he was left with the silent echo of the room. He stood staring at the pair on the floor as the realization of what he had just done slammed him full force in the chest. He had murdered two of the people that were closest to him, members of the unit that had become the closest thing he had known to a family. Tears began to fall down his face as reality burrowed deeper. Slowly he raised the rifle to his chin, his finger taught against the trigger as a whisper moved past his ears.
“The others are coming.”
He pressed his eyes closed and drew back the pressure on the trigger. With his last grasp of control he thought of the others. No. Somehow he had been used; manipulated to kill those he cared about, those he was supposed to protect. As his finger tightened he made the decision. No more of his friends would die because of him.
17
“Did you see that?” Vuong asked Sarge who was staring intently at the screen.
“Yeah,” Baker replied. “The guy fired his weapon at the wall and then put the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger.”
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