“Sure,” Sam nervously said, “anything you say, just don’t shoot!”
The clones led them to the DNA extraction chamber.
* * *
Tucker ran quietly toward the second nuclear device, hidden in one of the corridors by a series of cloning chambers.
“There you are,” he said to himself, and then kneeled down.
He pressed a few buttons on the control panel, opening the access door. Then he reached into his suit pouch and removed a detonator.
“Now, just click this little device in...just like...that,” he said as it snapped into place. “Just a few more commands and I’m on my way to the final device, hidden in the DNA extraction room.”
His concentration was interrupted by several loud explosions. Looking up in the direction of the gun fire, he nodded to himself, “That’d be our little fire party...I better beat feet and get moving before they get captured.”
* * *
Chapter 19
SSV-6
Asteroid 52 Europa
Earth Date: 03/31/2066 15:05
“Reverse burn termination,” Dillan counted, “in, 5...4...3...2...1...burn terminated, engines at idle.”
“Scanning sector,” Parsons reported, “We’ve got an incoming drone message...loading to buffer.”
“Our position is 2,000 kilometers from the Falcon. We’re a bit closer than I’d like, but we are running behind schedule.”
“Using half power really has limited our velocity,” Parsons said.
“We’ll be at the docking hard point in less than 5 minutes at 25,000 KPH.”
“Message is fully buffered...playing on overhead.”
“This is Sergeant Samuels of Salvage-5. We are proceeding to the complex. Salvage-6, Get your crew to the Falcon and fire up that reactor. Just remember to vent any leftover coolant. Tucker will know when you have activated it...Salvage-5 out.”
“Two minutes to docking,” Dillan again counted, “How old is that message?”
“The message is about an hour old. Give them that much time to suit up and get into their current position, I’d say they’ve been inside almost fifteen minutes now.”
“We have to move fast if Tucker’s going to detect the Falcon’s reactor activation signature.”
“What if they already have a timer set?”
“Then we better get in and get back out in a hurry,” Dillan recommended. “Turning ship 180 degrees and slowing to docking speed...1 minute.”
“This section of the Falcon is above the main gravity threshold. We’ll experience a bit of gravity, just expect that.”
“Thanks for explaining the gravity of our situation,” Dillan nodded, “Okay, slowing to 5 KPM, backing into the docking port.”
Dillan studied the rear ship camera and made slight adjustments to his position before butting against the hard seal, “...and we’re docked. Confirming hard seal...hard seal established.”
“Dillan,” Parson said, looking over his shoulder, “There’s no atmosphere inside. We’ll have to go in helmets on.”
“Good thing, we were prepared for that,” Dillan said, unbuckling his harness.
The two floated to the rear seal where the two marines were already suited up and ready. They helped Dillan and Parsons snap their helmets on and then opened the hatch to the Falcon.
“Come on, let’s move,” Dillan ordered, waving his arm. “You have a batt-pack, right?”
“Yes, Sir,” one of the Marines acknowledged.
The other Marine took point and entered the ship first, followed by Parsons and Dillan and the last Marine, who took up the rear.
“Dillan,” Parsons exclaimed, “It’s a mess inside after the crash. I’m detecting zero enemies, but lots of gamma wave activity in the alien complex.”
“Their fire fight has already begun. Tucker won’t wait much longer before setting his emergency timer.”
The point Marine led the way to the engine room. They made access after shifting several collapsed beams. The men half floated their way through the entrance.
“Over there,” Parsons pointed, “Set the battery pack up on that terminal. I’ll have access once you power up the screen.”
“How’s our time?” Dillan asked.
“We’ve got about 10 to 15 minutes tops.”
“Okay, let’s not push it, shall we?”
“Almost got it,” the Marine reported. He plugged the power into the terminal and typed the commands, powering up the engineering’s console. “There! You’ve got power, Go!”
The Marine moved from Parsons path and took his stance guarding the entrance to the room.
“Tracinski,” the point Marine exclaimed, “You gettin’ this?”
“I see it Schaffer!” Tracinski said, and then turned to Dillan, “They detected our power signature. We have a squad of 3 cyborg-clones coming to investigate.”
“ETA?” Dillan yelled in panic.
“Three minutes.”
“Okay, how much time you need Parsons?”
“I’m venting the coolant now...I need a few more minutes to override the emergency bypass, or we won’t be able to engage the power rods.”
Dillan took his weapon and cocked a round into the chamber, “Schaffer, Tracinski, I want you two to go back and protect our exit points to the ship. I’ll hold those three off here.”
“Yes, Sir,” Schaffer nodded, “I’ll take point, Tracinski. Lock and load!”
Schaffer moved to the exit and down the debris ridden causeway and set up at a point just beyond their ship’s hatch.
“Dillan,” Schaffer reported through his headset, “We’re in position, I hear movement down the way...stand by.”
“Parsons! Now would be a good time!” Dillan panted with worry.
“Almost in, another 30 seconds...”
“We don’t have any time left!”
Parsons glanced to Dillan, “Get going, I’ll be right behind ya!”
“No way, Parsons! I’m not leaving you behind.”
“Fine...10 seconds and I’ll engage the rods.
“Dillan!” Tracinski yelled into his earpiece, “They’re almost on us!”
“There!” Parsons grinned, “The rods are now moved into the reactor! Move out!”
Power systems over the entire ship came to life with the sudden surge in the crashed ship’s core. Alarms began blaring and a red strobe lit every room in the ship.
“There they are!” Tracinski shouted, “Weapons free!” he said, squeezing the trigger on his railgun.
Schaffer joined in his barrage of weapons fire. The clones had already constructed a shield. However, they hadn’t intended it for defenses, but rather for an environmental bubble within the vented Falcon.
Dillan and Parsons joined the two Marines, continuing to alternate sending rounds at the enemy cyborg. Each lobbed a grenade, hoping to take down their shield.
The concussion blast took the cyborgs by surprise, sending one backward to the ground, and sliding outside of the energy field. The exposed cyborg flailed on the ground as his bio-organic body died in the vacuum.
The two remaining cyborg held their ground, unable to advance and unable to fire back.
“We’ve got them pinned down,” Tracinski shouted through his wireless, “We’ll keep them busy. You two get on the ship and prep for take-off!”
“We’re barely holding them off with all of us!” Parsons exclaimed, “You can’t hold them off with just the two of you!”
“He’s got a point!” Dillan added, “We will have to pull back and slowly withdraw together to the ship. If we give them any opportunity, they’ll be able to fire one of those beam weapons at us!”
“One way or another,” Schaffer barked, continuing his weapons fire at the two remaining clones, “We better get off this ride!”
“He’s right, Dillan!” Parsons said, lobbing another grenade at the alien shield. “The clock’s ticking on the Falcon’s core! She’s goin’ to blow in less than 15 minutes!”
“We cou
ld make a run for it!” Dillan suggested, “The hatch is only 20 feet away!”
The crashed Falcon shifted with the heat exchange building within the ship’s core, as it overheated. Two beams crashed behind them, falling under the pull of the asteroid’s gravity. The exit to the Salvage-6’s hatch was blocked.
Dillan slung his weapons over his shoulder and began to make his way to the fallen beams, “You guys continue to hold them back, I’ll clear the path!”
“Hurry Dillan!” Parsons yelled, and then his rail gun fell silent, “I’m out! Dillan, pass me your gun!”
Dillan turned and tossed it to Parsons, who snatched it in mid-flight and opened fire once more. The Clones had advanced a couple of feet before being held off by the three guns.
“They’re making their shield stronger!” Tracinski shouted, “It won’t be long before they can start advancing on our position.”
Dillan grabbed the beam and began moving it out of the pathway to their ship’s hatch. He grunted and groaned, and finally the first beam was shoved over to the side.
“This next one’s going to take two of us!” Dillan said, grabbing the fallen beam with his gloved hands.
He pulled and tugged, but it was fixed hard into the bulkhead, “Toss your grenades, Parsons! Then get over here to help me move this. It has way too much mass for me to move alone!”
Parsons obeyed Dillan’s instructions. He dropped his railgun and took two grenades in each hand. He pulled the pins with his teeth, held them for 3 seconds before lobbing them at the cyborgs. He grabbed his last one, pulled its pin, and tossed it.
The three explosions shook the ship again as the Falcon became even more unstable in its final resting place.
He moved quickly to Dillan’s position and helped him tug on the massive beam that still blocked their escape.
Tracinski grew a look of horror as he glanced at the scanner on his sleeve, “They’re sending reinforcements! I’m detecting 10 more cyborgs on the move to our location!”
“You better hurry it up! They’re goin’ ta be on us in a couple minutes!”
Dillan and Parson’s clumsily shoved the I-beam the best they could, but it was not enough to clear the path for all of them.
“It’s the best we can do!” Dillan complained, “There’s only enough room for two to cross at once. We’ll get inside the ship. Fall back and we’ll take up the firing over your heads!”
“You better start firing now,” Schaffer demanded, “We’re out!” then the two dropped their weapons and tossed their grenades before retreating toward the exit.
Dillan and Parsons entered the ship, grabbed two more weapons they had at the ready and returned fire on the two advancing clones. The clones moved 10 feet toward the hatch and had begun firing their beam weapons.
* * *
Tucker made it to the main DNA extraction chamber. Several clones were busy attending the hosts as the core extracted their DNA to manufacture more clones. The clones seemed oblivious to Tucker’s presence.
He moved to the center chamber of the room where Cass was stationed. Two clones monitored her condition as he crawled below the zero gravity chair, where the hidden nuke was located.
Tucker wasted no time in setting the detonator on the device for 15 minutes.
He paused a moment and thought to himself, Dillan, you ol’ dog you...you made it!
He looked up at the two clones and then closed his eyes and relayed a message to Samantha and Sergeant Samuels, I just activated the timer. You guys get to your escape! Dillan’s here and I’ve set the timer for fifteen. The Falcon’s core should blow just before my timer goes off.
Then he stood and looked about the room.
The two clones working over Cassie continued to pay Tucker no attention. He waved his hand in front of one of their faces.
“Savage?” he asked, snapping his fingers at the clone, and then turned to the other one, “Gus? You guys don’t even know I’m standing here, do ya? Buster, I owe you a cigar when we get home!”
“This’ll be a piece of cake,” Tucker smiled. He concentrated on his hand, and soon, he noticed that a needle device grew from his skin. He reached up to the first Savage clone and stuck her neck with it.
The Savage clone silently fell limp to the floor, and then he jabbed the needle appendage into the Gus clone, sending him to the floor.
The other clones continued to ignore Tucker. He made quick work on the remaining clones attending the Hargrove host.
“Just hang on, Hargrove. I’ll get ya outta here in a jiffy!”
Tucker waved his hand over the alien controls and the apparatus that connected Hargrove to the machine began to automatically unhook. He raced over to Cassie and performed the same action on her unit.
Cassie began to flutter her eyes and he took her hand and held it softly, “Cassie...Cassie? Can you hear me?”
She took in a deep breath and exhaled, “T-Tu, Tu-cker?”
“Yes, it’s me, Cass. I came back for ya,” Tucker softly answered, “I didn’t know you were captured, I didn’t! None of us knew.”
Hargrove coughed and wheezed as he sat up, yanking the remaining cords from his body, “What the hell happened?” Where am I?”
Tucker glanced over to his friend, “You’re being rescued from the DNA fun factory! Now, get over here and give me a hand before we have more Natives descend upon us.”
“Where are the others?”
“There are no others,” Tucker confirmed, “You’re all that’s left, and I don’t think the natives are going to like you missing, so we had better get moving. The nukes all blow in about 10 minutes!”
“He’s right, you know,” a familiar voice was heard from across the room.
A Cassandra clone stepped into the room, armed with an alien weapon, “Hands up! You’re not going anywhere!”
* * *
Chapter 20
Asteroid 52 Europa
Alien Complex - DNA Extraction Chamber
Earth Date: 03/31/2066 15:17
Following behind the Cassandra clone was Captain Rothschild and Sergeant Samuels, secured by a form of hand cuffs in front of them.
Several cyborg-clones accompanied the group as the Cassandra clone held her alien beam weapon, aimed at the ready toward Tucker and the real Cassie.
“Well, well,” Tucker smirked, “Looky what the cat drug in?”
“...and what’s that supposed to mean, Colonel?”
“Ah...well, you see, if you were the clone that traveled back to Earth with us, then you’d know that I’m not a Colonel any longer...and the cat drug in your sorry dead ass, that’s what I meant by that.”
“I see,” Cassie smiled, “clever, but I’m not dead, as you can see.”
“Yes, you are alive...for now.”
“Step away from my host!” Cassandra motioned with the barrel of her gun.
“Oh, I don’t really know about doing that. Cassie?” Tucker glanced at the real Cassie, and then fixed his glare back to the clone, “Or what should I really call you?”
“It doesn’t matter what you call me, because all of you will be set up in a few minutes to the DNA extraction chair.”
“Oh, I see...so you must be running a little low on resources then, right?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because, dead mouse...” Tucker quickly aimed his index finger toward the clone, “you said I could call you anything...we’ve really got to be going now. Nice talking to ya and all, but...”
“She raised her weapon at the real Cassie, “Don’t try anything!”
Tucker placed his hand over his heart, “Who me?”
The Cassandra clone gave a nod to her associates behind her. They shoved Sam and Samuels into the center of the room, pointing their weapons at their heads.
Sam nervously shook, “Just do it, you Bitch! What are you waiting for? Just shoot me and get it over with, because in just a few minutes it won’t matter anyway!”
“Now,” the Cassandra clone
mused, placing a finger on her chin, “I wonder what she’s referring to? Would you have any thoughts on that, Colonel?”
“Oh, I think that would be the Nuclear devices that are about to detonate and blow your little operation to kingdom come.”
“You think we didn’t already account for that, Colonel? We have already rendered those devices inert. They won’t be posing any threat to our complex.”
“So, if it doesn’t matter anymore. Maybe you can explain a thing or two for us, mmm?”
“Certainly, Colonel. I’ll give you that satisfaction...are you keeping track of your timer? Is it about 12 minutes now?”
“Yeah, somethin’ like that.”
“Well, we shall see soon enough about your plans of blowing up our complex.”
“Yes, we shall see indeed,” Tucker again smirked.
“What would you like to know?”
“Resources? You having trouble keeping up with our killing your clones off?” then he turned to Sam and the Sergeant, “Oh, I was going to ask how your little fire party went? How many tubes did you take out?”
“Hundreds, Tuck. Hundreds,” Samantha smiled.
Samuels slowly raised his hand, “I’ve got a question as well. How in the hell did you begin to clone us if you didn’t have a host?”
“My, my, we are curious, aren’t we? Very well, as I said, it matters not if I tell you. I am a clone of my word. I said I’d answer your questions, so I will.”
“Oh, please,” Tucker motioned, “Just try and speed it up a tad, will ya? I do have an important date with my Cassie.”
Not paying any attention to Tucker’s rant, the clone began to explain, “You see, you are correct regarding our current state of resources. With only two hosts left, we’re seriously restricted on our clone production. But that’s been overcome now.”
“No, we aren’t in the DNA extraction chair, so I’d say you’re wrong there.”
“Well, we will overcome that obstacle momentarily. Your little insurgency has no merit, but I digress. As I was saying, we need you as hosts so we can complete the Noosphere complex. Once we have rebuilt our numbers, and have successfully dealt with any sickness your kind brings, we will migrate to Earth, where we will build more complexes and take over your planet. That is our sole purpose: to survive.”
Salvage-5: Another Mission (First Contact) Page 16
