It was in the fourth room where she found the two empty cylinders. They spanned from the floor to the ceiling and Pat estimated they were about three feet in diameter. As she studied them, cold creepy fingers began to dance along her spine. Empty now but she felt sure there had been something inside. She didn't know why she felt so strongly about it, but there was no question in her mind. What had been inside? More importantly, where were they now?
She suddenly jerked her head around, looking in every corner. In a millisecond, her mind flashed through a half dozen of the most gruesome aliens of her movie-going days. But despite squinting her eyes and looking into every deep recess, none of the aliens materialized.
Pat sighed with relief, but the breath caught in her throat as she heard a faint metallic clink behind her. A second later, the lights overhead blinked out. The sound had been so faint. Had she imagined it? Her heart rate doubled for the second time in the last few minutes. Her palms dampened with sweat and she feared she'd drop the flashlight she still held in her hand. It was suddenly very slick. Quickly, she switched it on.
Time to leave…calm down, it's nothing. The ship is empty. No, not empty. The only thing empty was the two cylinders in front of her. Leave. Leave quickly. Her mind raced. Meanwhile her body knotted from the rush of adrenalin. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Be calm. No matter what, getting all worked up would only make matters worse. If there was something in the ship with her, she didn't know if it was dangerous. It was possible, despite all the stories to the contrary, that aliens could be friendly.
The second sound, louder and much closer behind her dashed the notion of friendly aliens from her mind. Friendly or not, she was not equipped to meet them on their grounds. To them, she was an intruder. How would she react coming home and finding someone in her home?
She was alone without any idea how far away help was. She was unarmed and vulnerable -- as vulnerable as she could ever remember feeling. It was time to visit the cold reality of the light of day. Now.
Hunter-survivor
The alien stood in the entrance, looking at the small object that had fallen from the console. He didn't like what he had found on his return to the ship. He had, in fact, left a well deserved meal, when his sensors notified him that the outer security of his ship had been breached. Whatever had been around his ship had not been a harmless creature of the woods. Somehow, it had managed to find its way into the ship and was here this very minute.
Had his presence been discovered by the primary species of the planet? Shortly after his arrival, he had on a couple of occasions observed from afar a small village of bipeds. These strange, bipedal creatures appeared to own this world and were probably the cause for the poor condition it was in. Could one of the bipeds have stumbled upon his ship? Could his luck be so rotten? Having been on several other settlement missions, he knew the answer to the question was a resounding yes. The unexpected twists and turns were what he lived for and at the same time, he had noticed of late, he sometimes found himself wishing for one smooth, trouble-free mission. Clearly, this was not to be the one.
He considered his options. If his ship had been discovered by a biped, his entire mission must be considered in jeopardy. If the biped had in some way communicated with others of its kind, they might be on their way at this very moment. Which meant, he didn’t have much time to rectify the problem. This called for bold, immediate action.
The ship would have to be destroyed. He could not afford to have his enemy study it. There was nothing in the ship that could not be replicated given enough time and resources. All the plans for the necessary equipment to recover his people from the cocoon were housed in the memory crystal, both of which were hidden back at the cave. Destroying the ship would be a definite set back but not one from which he could not recover. His was a patient race.
He stared at the small object that had fallen from the console. He picked up the detonation unit where it had fallen. Clumsy of him perhaps, but it could still serve his purpose. The noise would almost certainly bring the intruder running for the entrance and give him the opportunity to revenge the invasion of his privacy. He'd then leave the ship in the ready mode. He'd wait for others of the intruder's race. If they came, he'd destroy the ship by remote. If not, he'd return and defuse the system. Either way, the intruder would pay for stumbling on the ship. Most important of all, his secret would be intact.
A sound from deeper inside the ship drew his attention away from the warning lights of the detonation unit. His first direct contact with his enemy was about to occur. He shivered with anticipation. Perhaps he'd be surprised. Maybe the intruder would put up a better fight than his previous encounters. He always enjoyed a good fight. Should he cut off the lights? No, not yet. What did he have to worry about? Let the biped get a good look at him. It would be fun to see its reaction.
He was disappointed when the intruder entered the room. As he had suspected, it was one of the bipeds which meant his mission was definitely in jeopardy. It was also a female of the species which meant he wouldn't even have the pleasure of a good fight. Seeing one up close like this, it became evident to him that this species was much more fragile than he had first imagined. Hardly worth playing with, he thought as he strolled forward, still holding the detonation unit. Best to end it quickly in case others were on their way.
As he narrowed the distance between them, the biped backed out of the room and deeper into the ship. It's obviously terrified of me, Sluneg thought. No wonder. No doubt it's never seen the likes of me. At least it appears smart enough to realize it’s about to die. Well, maybe I'll have a little fun with it before I snuff out its life.
Pat retraced her steps as quietly as possible, forcing herself not to run. Three doorways still separated her from the outside when she came face to face with the alien. For just a heartbeat or two, she stood frozen in the bright light of the room, staring in disbelief.
Before her eyes had fully adjusted to the light, Pat backed out of the room, adding a new image to her impressive collection of alien memories. This one was far more horrible than all the made up ones if for no other reason than this one was real, and standing before her blocking her exit from the ship. As the door closed behind her, Pat switched the flashlight to her left hand and pulled the hunting knife from its sheath with her right hand. She kept the flashlight on but pressed it against her leg to hide the light. If she was to get out of this mess alive, surprise was her only hope.
The biped had retreated to one of the storage units of the ship. The clutter of supplies and equipment would make the hunt a little more challenging. He would play with it a little while. Let it think it had a chance to escape before killing it. Not long, he promised himself. There was too much work ahead to indulge too long. Before opening the door, he signaled to the ship to keep the lights off. As he entered the storage room, he paused for just a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darker room. He scanned the room with his multiple senses and found the creature hiding behind one of the backup computers.
He wondered how such a helpless species had become so dominate on the planet. Many of the other animals he had come in contact with seemed a more likely candidate. He ran his razor sharp claws along one wall, adding a deep throated growl for effect. He had seen larger animals break their cover, fleeing in fear from the combination of sounds. This one did not. Interesting, he thought. Could it be paralyzed to the spot? Whimpering in the corner in terror?
Probably so, he thought as he stepped around the console to take a look. As he did, he was suddenly blinded by a brilliant flash of light and in the next instance felt the shearing pain of cold metal penetrate between the protective plates of his chest.
He screamed in pain and anger, stumbling back in confusion. It took him an instant to realize he'd been wounded. Not a serious wound, only painful and disturbing. The biped had drawn first blood.
What was this? The human must be insane with terror. It was coming after him again. Through the glare of the une
xpected light, he saw the gleam of metal as it slashed through the air. He raised his left arm to fend the human off, and felt a second explosion of pain as the weapon sliced through the sinewy muscles of his forearm. Again, not serious but aggravating to think the sick little beast was actually trying to kill him. He roared with anger and was surprised to hear an edge of fear in his voice.
He leapt away from the attack onto a storage container several feet above the biped. The sudden quick movement and distance of the leap seemed to catch it by surprise. The beam of light shining from the end of one of its appendages did not follow the path of the leap. Instead, it scanned across the room in front. He took the opportunity to examine his wounds. Already, the clotting mechanism of his blood had started to seal off the wounds. Neither wound was serious. More blows to his pride than anything. Perhaps it was time to stop playing with the human. He had serious work to get on with. Time to kill this aggravating animal and be done with it. His next approach would be more careful, more deadly.
He slipped behind the storage container just before the search beam found his hiding place. He would slip up behind it and finish it off quickly. But when he came around the container, the animal was no where to be seen. The search beam which he had counted on to locate the intruder had been snuffed out. He stopped his own breathing for a moment and listened carefully for its breathing. Nothing.
Had it died from fright? Not likely. Given what he had recently learned of his enemy, he had a new respect for it. Fear did not seem to control this species as it did most of the others on the planet which might in part explain its dominance.
Then he heard the biped. It could not hold its breath as long. The sound had come from the other side of a stack of food cylinders. The long cylinders were seldom needed on an expedition but were included on the ship in case of emergency landings on inhospitable planets. The heavy cylinders were tied together by a thick plastic band.
He crept to the other side of the stack and listened again. A second breath confirmed the beast was still hiding on the other side. Protracting one long nail from its sheath, he slid it under the strap, sawing easily through the plastic. As the final strands were cut, he pushed the cylinders towards his enemy and then leapt away to safety. The biped, caught by surprise, was buried under the cylinders.
He waited for the last cylinder to come to rest, and then strolled over to the still form. As he did so, it moved, groaning softly. The light source it had used earlier to blind him lay, still on, a few feet away. Not a bad little fighter, he thought as he stopped several yards away from it and studied its small frame. More clever than he had expected. As he watched, it turned over on its back and stared at him. It shook its head as though trying to clear its vision. The eyes opened wider as it realized its fate.
Time to finish the game he thought as he took a step closer. A distant sound from outside the ship stopped him. He cocked his head, listening carefully. He could not identify the sound but it grew louder as he listened. Something approaching at a fast rate of speed. Other of its kind? Had the small resourceful animal lying before him somehow called for help? His eyes darted around the room looking for any way it could have accomplished this.
His eyes came to rest on the slender figure lying on the floor. As he stared into the biped’s eyes, he was shocked by what he saw. No fear -- only hate. Then it also turned towards the distant sound. A thin smile formed on its lips and a torrent of short staccato sounds shot from its mouth. He regretted he had not taken the time to simulate his enemy's language. If the biped recognized the sound, it could be persuaded to tell him what it was. It would be best simply to kill and be done. Get away from the ship and watch for signs of new visitors.
Having decided his course of action, he started towards the human again, determined to make the killing swift yet as painful as possible. After all, it had ruined his plans for an easy take over. It deserved to suffer a little. He was only a few yards from it, when he noticed the quick flick of the human's right arm. He watched in sudden surprise as a gleaming metallic object flew through the air, implanting itself deeply in his neck.
A new and much more intense shock of pain soared through his entire body. His defense mechanism instantly alerted him to the serious nature of the injury he had just received. The scream of anguish that escaped from his lips was strangely guttural. His windpipe had been severed and part of the scream had escaped from the wound.
He fell backwards in pain. As he hit the floor, the sound from outside grew in his ears. Must escape. Must get away from the ship. Must survive — survive — survive. The instincts of the hunter-survivor took over his bodily functions. He reached up to claw the sharp piece of metal from his neck, but then stopped. If he removed the object, it would leave a larger hole for his defenses to close. Better to leave it in place for now and let his body seal around it.
As he struggled to stand, he felt a sudden jolt of energy as the hormonal mechanism of survival strengthened his body with new reserves. He found himself standing, his legs shaky but able to direct him towards the door. He stumbled against the entrance, his head slapping painfully against the metallic corner. His mental processes threatened to shut down from the blow but a new jolt of hormone released from a gland beneath his brain cleared his head sufficiently to allow him to stumble towards the exit.
As the hormones coursed through his system, he was able to think beyond just the instinctual drive to survive. Should he go back and kill the intruder? No, it was incapacitated enough. It would not be able to escape before he destroyed the ship. The loud whirling sound from outside demanded his attention. He should transform out of his hunter-survivor form and protect his identity. Almost certainly the noise was from others of the dominant race. It was important he not be seen like this. But could he transform or had the wounds weakened him too much? He had to try but to what form? The bear was too slow. The form of the biped would draw too much attention from other of that kind. The deer form was the answer. Quick and strong, but more importantly it would be natural for a deer to run away from the noise outside. It would draw little attention.
As he exited the ship, his body began the alteration, slowly at first and then with more speed. He was operating almost entirely on hormonal energy at this point and he'd pay dearly for it in the long run. It would take weeks for him to recoup but that was not important right now. All that was important was to survive — at any cost.
Deer Run
As the blades of the helicopter slowed, Oliver opened his eyes and took a breath. He hated flying but most of all he hated flying in helicopters. As far as he could tell, they weren't made to fly. They defied all the natural laws. But this had been the worst flight ever. As they had approached the thin separation in the thick foliage of the mountain forest, he couldn't believe there was any way for the two copters to slip safely between the two lines of trees. The space was simply too tight. As he had closed his eyes and gripped his knees with white knuckled hands, an image of one of the helicopter's rotors clipping a tree branch, forcing the copter into the path of the other one and the two falling to earth in a massive fireball seemed to be more of a premonition of what was about to happen than a flight of his vivid imagination.
Although not a religious man by nature, Oliver gave a prayer of thanks as he opened the door and climbed out. By some miracle, they were still alive. He tried not to think about the return flight out of the wooden canyon. Maybe he'd stay until a road was built. It probably wouldn't take more than six months.
Leaning over to avoid the slowly turning rotors, Oliver glanced around at the surroundings. About fifty to seventy-five yards ahead the metallic hump they'd seen from the air lay mostly submerged in the side of the mountain.
"Damn! Can you believe it?" He said to no one in particular. He almost straightened up to get a better look then realized he was still under the rotors. He scurried away from the copter, cursing at it quietly under his breath.
Oliver jogged a safe distance from the helicopter, then stopp
ed to study the mysterious object again. He stood there for a moment, appreciating his first sighting of a legitimate UFO when he noticed a large stag suddenly appeared from nowhere. Had it come from the ship? No, that didn’t make sense. It probably had been there all along, Oliver thought. I just didn't notice it until it starting running. Such a majestic form of nature was in sharp contrast to the alien form behind it. The deer continued to gallop down the deep chasm favoring one leg, obviously frightened by the noisy intrusion of his sanctuary. As it neared the two helicopters, it made a sudden and ungraceful detour up the left side of the chasm. As it turned, Oliver noticed the bright red blood stain on its neck and caught the glint of sunlight on metal. Had there been something sticking from its neck? He couldn't be sure.
Oliver squinted his eyes closed for a second then reopened them to be sure of what he saw, but by the time he looked again the deer was at the crest of the channel and had turned away from him.
"Did you see that?" He asked as James came up from behind him.
“Yeah, a deer — a real beauty. They're common in these mountains,” James answered.
"Did you notice anything unusual about it?" Oliver asked as they jogged towards the other men exiting from the second copter.
"No, can't say I did, but I didn't get a very good look. Mostly just saw its backside."
They joined the other two men from the second copter. As the four of them strolled towards the UFO, Oliver quickly determined he had been the only one to get a good look at the deer. No one else had noticed anything unusual about it. Oliver began to wonder what he'd seen himself.
FreeForm: An Alien Invasion Romance Series (FreeForm Series Book 1) Page 3
