Orbs II: Stranded

by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

  They headed toward a cul-de-sac lined with cookie-cutter houses. In the darkness, they looked normal enough—little white fences lining their yards, brick chimneys, and solar panels. But as he got closer, he could see the mark of the Organics.

  The street reeked of death. Rotting sacks of skin sat in front of orbs that had all but dissolved. The fresh corpses of Spiders littered the street, some of them still twitching. Overton’s stomach lurched.

  A shriek somewhere in the distance snapped him back to reality. He slipped behind the safety of an empty vehicle. He could see the dark outline of Bouma’s helmet peeking out from behind a tree a hundred yards or so in front of him. Once the sound faded away, Overton cautiously pulled himself up and sprinted toward Bouma’s position, patting the marine on his helmet to inform him of his presence.

  Then he was moving. Slow and cautious, one foot in front of the other. Toe to heel, just like he’d been trained to do so many years ago. It took him three seconds to get to the adjacent house. Closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, Overton tightly gripped the trigger of his pulse rifle and peered around the side.

  Nothing moved.

  The road beyond was clear of contacts, only corpses and deflated orbs. He exhaled and flashed an advance signal to the others. The sound of their footfalls rang out through the night and moments later they were rounding the next corner. As they made their escape Overton realized that finding his men wasn’t just luck. It was fate. The world needed him—the world needed marines.

  CHAPTER 15

  SOPHIE lay awake in her empty room and scanned the ceiling panels. She traced their outlines as her thoughts drifted uncontrollably. Her legs thrashed as she tried to find a comfortable position, but it was no use. Her mind and body were restless.

  Sitting up, Sophie moaned. Her mind betrayed her when she was awake and when she was asleep. There was no escaping it. She felt trapped in her own head, and to make things even worse, she was starting to feel like a prisoner in the Biosphere. Ever since Emanuel, Overton, and Bouma had left, she’d felt like her room was a jail cell.

  Fumbling, Sophie reached for the light switch. A bright glow instantly warmed the room. But it did not diminish the feeling of darkness she felt creeping into her thoughts. The panic of not knowing what Emanuel and the others were facing outside the walls—the fear that uncertainty brought with it.

  “They’ll be back soon,” said a voice in the hallway. She turned to see Holly standing in the open doorway, a mug of tea in her hand. She must have seen Sophie’s light turn on.

  “What are you doing up?”

  “Couldn’t sleep,” Holly said, strolling across the floor and taking a seat next to Sophie.

  “They should be back by now. They’ve been gone almost forty-eight hours,” Sophie replied.

  “Overton likes to play things safe. He’s probably moving slowly to make sure everything goes smoothly. He’s a recon marine, not infantry. Bouma was very clear about the difference.” Holly smiled and looked over at her. “Don’t worry, they’re coming back. You should try and get some sleep.”

  Sophie shook her head and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Standing, she stretched and let out a yawn. “I should try and work. It’s the only thing that gets my mind off what’s happening out there.”

  “Sophie, you can’t keep going on like this,” Holly complained, holding up a hand to stop her.

  Sliding past her reach, Sophie smiled. “I’m fine. Really. Besides, there’s something I want to check in the mainframe. It’s not like I’m going to get any sleep, anyway.”

  Before Holly could protest further, Sophie slipped into the hallway. She felt bad leaving her there. She knew Holly was only trying to help. But there wasn’t anything the psychologist could do for her. Not anymore.

  The cool glow of blue LEDs greeted Sophie as she neared the CIC. She knew the light source was from the screens and not an alien presence, but the sight still gave her pause.

  “Is there anything I can assist you with tonight, Doctor Winston?” Alexia asked as the glass doors slid open and Sophie walked into the room.

  Sophie took a seat at one of the terminals.

  “I know you have access to classified information,” Sophie began.

  Alexia’s holographic image emerged over the console closest to Sophie. “What kind of information are you looking for, Doctor Winston?”

  “Upload everything you have on Eve to the mainframe.”

  Less than a second later, the monitor in front of Sophie glowed to life, and a stream of data began running across the screen. It was just a jumble of numbers and letters.

  “This is all encrypted,” Sophie said. Rubbing her eyes, she reached for a mug of stale coffee that she’d left on the desk earlier. She grimaced at the bitter taste, but she kept sipping it as the data on the screen slowly became legible.

  Unidentified drone found submerged. Structure of craft consists of unknown elements.

  Sophie scanned the information. It was all stuff she already knew. Come on, give me something I can work with, she thought.

  Preliminary scans show that the ship has an advanced defense mechanism. Without the protection of the shield, the outside of the craft begins to break down and corrode. We are keeping it frozen to slow down the process.

  Initial tests indicate the craft, which we have named Eve, is just a drone. We haven’t yet been able to determine what is controlling the ship, if anything . . .

  Preliminary scanning of the damage shows the ship is largely intact, but the crash rendered the device inoperable. Our initial hypothesis is that the craft was destroyed after being submerged in the water.

  There wasn’t anything here that she didn’t already know. There had to be more.

  Shaking her head, she got up and stretched. It was after midnight, but if the previous two nights were any indication, she wouldn’t be getting any rest anyway.

  “Doctor Winston, you look very fatigued.”

  Sophie held her stretch before glancing at Alexia’s hologram. “I’ll be fine. Download everything regarding Eve to my private terminal. And start the automatic coffee dispenser; I’m going to be up for a while.”

  Alexia’s image faded and the room grew dim. Reaching for her mug, Sophie slugged down the last of the coffee. With a scowl she put the cup down, rubbed her eyes, and returned her attention to the screen. The facts and figures calmed her like nothing else, and she lost herself in her work.

  August 1st, 2056: Biopsies of the bonelike structure inside Eve are being sent to the New Tech Biolab in Maryland. We hope to identify any new elements and organic materials.

  After an hour of going over the data, Sophie found that it was getting more difficult to keep her eyes open. The caffeine had worn off.

  “Your coffee is ready in the mess hall,” Alexia said.

  With a sigh, Sophie slid out of her chair. Just as she was about to leave, a familiar name on the screen caught her eye.

  August 15th, 2056: Eve is being transferred to the New Tech Corporation headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Request comes from the top. Dr. Hoffman has ordered all tests performed at this lab be classified. The results of the biopsies will be sent directly to LA. This will be my last entry.

  —Dr. Tsui

  Sophie gasped. Why had Dr. Tsui, the leader of the solar weather team in Houston during the solar storms of 2055, been tasked with studying Eve? He was an astronomer, not a biologist. And even more important, why did Dr. Hoffman have the information classified and sent to LA?

  Completely forgetting about the waiting coffee, she rolled her chair over to another set of monitors.

  “Alexia, do you have schematics for Eve?”

  There was a single second of hesitation before Alexia’s hologram reemerged on the console next to Sophie. “I’m sorry, Doctor Winston, but that information is not available in my database.�
��

  Sophie paused. There were dozens of thoughts running through her mind, and with her fatigue, it was difficult to make sense of anything. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before returning to the screen to reread the data.

  Request comes from the top. Dr. Hoffman has ordered all tests performed at this lab be classified . . .

  Another blink. Longer this time, her eyelids heavier.

  Initial tests indicate the craft . . . is just a drone. We haven’t yet been able to determine what is controlling the ship, if anything . . .

  The words began blending together, and she slowly closed her eyes. Crossing her arms on the desk, she bent down and rested her chin on them. Only for a minute, she thought, letting the darkness wash over her.

  Thirty seconds later, she was asleep.

  * * *

  An explosion of blue light consumed Sophie. It was so powerful, so intense, that it even blocked out the sun.

  Squinting, she took a step forward, her boot crushing something beneath it. She looked down to see bones. Not just any bones, but human bones. And they were small. It only took a moment to realize she was looking at a child’s remains.

  She bent down to examine them. There was something lying next to it—something she recognized. A piece of cloth. A blanket.

  David’s blanket.

  Sophie crashed to her knees, a cloud of dust detonating under her. Scooping up the blanket, she pulled it to her chest. “David, I’m so sorry,” she whimpered, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

  Soon the filthy blanket was wet with tears. She tried to look away from the bones but couldn’t. One of the loose ribs blew away in a sudden gust of wind.

  Clutching the blanket against her chest, she screamed. Something began to build inside her—a feeling that she had suppressed for so long. It had almost destroyed her after the solar storms of 2055.

  She’d had enough of the death, enough of the loss.

  All she felt was anger.

  Wiping away the tears, she wrapped up David’s remains in the blanket and set them softly on the dusty ground. Then she began walking toward the source of the light. She had no doubt what she would find at the other end of the blue beam. The Organics had killed David and would soon kill her.

  With her hand steady over her eyes, she could finally make out the source of the light. It was a craft hovering silently over the barren earth.

  Her walk turned into a jog and then into a run as the ship came into focus. The sides were black and sleek, almost wet-looking, like a killer whale.

  As she got closer, a wind gust stung her bare arms with sand and debris. While she tried to regain her balance, the blue light popped off like a lightbulb blowing a circuit. With the glare from the light gone, she saw the ship in its entirety.

  The craft was massive, larger than any she had ever seen. And it was just hovering there. The engineering was unusual, and felt alien—no windows, no wings, and nothing that would indicate it could fly. For a second she felt completely exposed. She remembered the night she’d spent with Emanuel during the solar storms, entwined with his body, imagining it was the last night of their lives. She wished he were there with her now. What would he want her to do? Run?

  No, he would tell her to examine the ship, to study it. They were scientists, after all. They had traded their families and futures for a life dedicated to science. Discovery was everything to them.

  With a sudden burst of energy, she ran up the hill, loose rocks kicking up behind her. As she climbed, she began to grasp how large the ship really was. She was an ant compared to the monstrosity. And even though there was no signal the craft had spotted her, she felt the overwhelming sense of being watched. The sensation did not deter her. She had to know what was inside, and where it came from.

  Pushing forward, she climbed to the hilltop. She was directly underneath the ship now, stopping to stare intensely at its glossy, black skin. It was smooth and glistened in the sunlight. She’d always imagined alien spaceships would have some similarities to human ships, but looking up, she realized that she had been completely wrong. This craft was alien in every way.

  Fascinating, she thought as she stumbled through the loose sand to get a better look. There appeared to be some sort of oval engraving near the middle of its underbelly. She scooped up a rock, palming its warm weight for a moment. Then she tossed it, watching it sail toward the ship and expecting some sort of force field to stop it in midair. To her surprise, the rock kept going until it lost momentum and fell back down to the sand.

  She stood there, expecting something to happen—almost wanting something to happen.

  She didn’t have to wait long. A piercing sound erupted from the ship, and the oval section cracked open, bleeding light. Sophie’s excitement faded as the sound intensified, forcing her to cover her ears. Fear drowned out what had moments earlier been exhilaration. A single beam of light shot out of the opening and captured her, spinning her around and pulling her toward the ship. She struggled briefly but knew it was no use. After seeing so many others caught in the same trap, she knew there was no escape.

  The only consolation was that she would finally get to see whatever was inside the ship. She would finally get to see the real Organics, the intelligent force behind the invasion that had claimed billions of lives in a matter of weeks.

  As the beam pulled her higher, she thought of Emanuel again. A smile broke across her face. She knew he would be proud of her, still curious until the end.

  The trip only took a few seconds, and she found herself inside the massive ship before she had time to grasp what was actually happening. Her fear had washed away. The remnants of excitement had vanished, too. She was peculiarly at peace.

  The blinding blue light appeared again. As soon as she’d been pulled inside the bay, it consumed her. The brilliant rays seemed to be coming from all around her, like she was in the middle of some sort of halo.

  Then, with a massive mechanical click, the light shut off. It was replaced with a softer glow, a cool glow. Before she could identify this new light source, the beam dropped her onto a platform hovering in the dead center of the craft.

  She landed softly and rolled to a stop at the edge of the sleek oval stage. As she spun, she saw the interior of the ship was lit by thousands of glowing orbs. They were everywhere, their skin emitting the blue light.

  Sophie flinched when the platform below her creaked and lurched forward. The cold metal glided toward the north wall of the ship, headed straight for a cluster of orbs.

  Sophie held on to the side of the stage and looked down, her hair blowing as the platform picked up speed. There was no way to tell exactly how far the drop was, but she knew instinctively that a fall would be fatal.

  She slowly crawled away from the edge and sat on the cold metal, watching the orbs get closer with increasing fascination. They sparkled like tiny jewels, but their beautiful exteriors, she knew, contained unthinkable things. She suddenly imagined the prisoners she’d seen before. The woman at White Sands, the man in Colorado Springs, their distorted faces and frail bodies. The memories chilled her to the core.

  Sophie thought she knew what would be inside the orbs. She assumed that they would contain more human prisoners, but she was wrong. The platform stopped within arm’s reach of the nearest cluster. Cautiously, she pulled herself closer to the edge and strained to get a better look. At first she couldn’t quite make out the shape inside the orb. But whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t human.

  The noise from the platform must have disturbed it. A flutter from inside the sphere startled Sophie, and she scrambled on her hands and knees away from the ledge. The orb began to ripple, cracking down the center. Blue goo bled from the opening and dripped into the darkness below.

  Sophie waited.

  The crack widened, and the orb split open. The alien that emerged was so different from anything she had se
en it was hard for her mind to grasp. She blinked to assure herself it was real. The creature had no face. No eyes, no mouth. Just a stem sticking out where a nose should be. Orange petals surrounded the head, which snaked down and connected to a red bioluminescent torso.

  It was . . . beautiful.

  For what seemed like an hour, she sat there studying it, watching the petals curl back, straighten, and then curl again, as if it were breathing.

  Turning to examine the next orb, she saw a very different creature inside. This one reminded her of a miniature Christmas tree, with bulblike lights hanging off purple branches. The adjacent orb contained an alien blob of red flesh with spikes lining its egg-shaped body.

  It was then Sophie realized she was inside a cargo ship. An alien Noah’s Ark, more than likely filled with species the Organics had collected as they had gone from world to world, collecting water and moving on.

  Of course, she thought. What arrogance it had been to assume that Earth was the first world they had visited and drained dry.

  An alarm screamed, the sound echoing off the walls. Sophie gripped her ears and bent down to put her head between her knees. By the time it finally dissipated, her ears were pulsing with pain.

  Shaking her head, she turned back to the first orb. The beautiful orange petals had discolored to a crusty brown. The stem had shriveled, and the torso was shrinking.

  Another explosion came from the orb right in front of her. She looked up to see its skin peeling away, revealing the dying alien within. It was then she saw the tube at the bottom of the sphere, hooked up to the creature’s torso. The tube gulped the remaining liquid from the alien and then retracted into the ship’s wall.

  Sophie reached out to help, but quickly stumbled and fell. She watched as the flower-shaped alien shriveled like a plant under a scorching sun.

  Before Sophie had time to move, the alien disappeared out of the bottom of the orb. She scrambled to the end of the platform and watched an oval-shaped hole open in the bottom of the ship. The alien’s dried body fluttered down until it vanished from sight.