by Gary Weston
'Sorry guys,' said Staples. 'Nothing personal.'
Gunther already had the cell door open and he and Salamandra ran inside as Willis and Staples stood guard, one facing the steps, the other with his eye on the elevator.
'Bridget,' cried Gunther. 'Have they hurt you?'
'No. Get me out of here.'
Gunther freed his daughter and kissed her. 'Time to go.'
'How?'
'It's ok. Staples and Willis have a plan.'
'We do?' said Willis.
'Tell me you have a plan.' said Bridget.
Staples said, 'Not really. To be honest, we expected to be dead by now.'
'The armoury again?' suggested Salamandra.
'That worked last time,' said Bridget.
They ran up the one flight of steps to the basement and Bridget gave the heavy door a good kicking which failed miserably to open it.'
'Allow me,' said Staples taking aim with his laser rifle. With half the door blasted away it only required the slightest of shoves to get it open. 'Just the stingers.'
They sat astride a stinger each, roared out of the basement in single file led by Gunther, up into the ground floor and were greeted by a hundred armed troops all pointing various weapons in their direction.
'What kept you?' said General Kane.
'Not too much,' admitted Staples, draping himself casually over the handlebars of his stinger. 'Although rigging that bomb behind you took some time.'
'Nice try,' said Kane.
Staples turned to Willis and said, 'Do you have the remote for the bomb?'
Willis patted his pockets. 'Nope. I thought you had it.'
Salamandra said, 'You gave it to me, remember?' Then he pressed the button and half the wall blew up sending a hailstorm of debris raining over Kane's troops who were diving for cover. Kane shook herself free of the rubble and aimed a shot at Salamandra as his stinger smashed into her and before the troops got to their feet the five were rushing towards the forcefield and seconds later they were racing across the desert to the Base.
Chapter 62
The door slid smoothly aside as Sam Clifton entered the incubation room. Sandy Beech the incubation technician looked up from her chores.
'Sam. What brings you in here?'
'Hi, Sandy. Just one of my walkabouts. Everything running smoothly?'
Beech said, 'I've almost completed my routine checks. It all seems to be in order.'
'Very pleased to hear that, Sandy.' He peered into one of the hundreds of incubation chambers through the small bulletproof glass observation window. That chamber contained one hundred embryos, as did the other two hundred chambers. Inside each chamber lay what looked like many rows of identical little pink sausages. 'It never ceases to amaze me these will one day be fully functioning people.'
'The chambers slow their development down to one hundredth of their normal growth. We can accelerate that up to the normal unborn baby cycle with just a few adjustments to their nutrients. All the regular features like heads legs and arms will develop. Sorry. Here's me rabbiting on, Sam. You know as much as I do what happens in here.'
Clifton smiled at the young technician. 'I don't think anyone could match your passion or enthusiasm for all this, Sandy.'
Beech blushed slightly then said, 'I enjoy my work. I...this is going to sound silly.'
'I doubt you could ever say anything silly. Go on.'
'Well. If you promise not to tell anyone.'
Clifton said, 'You have my word.'
'Ok. I look on myself as being mother to all of them. Like there's a little of me in each of them. Even though they are all the different colours from every race on Earth. I've even given them names.'
'All two thousand of them?'
Beech said, 'Of course not. Just a couple in each chamber. When I do my rounds I look in on them and talk to them.'
'Do they answer back?'
Beech frowned and said, 'You're mocking me.'
'Just teasing you a little,' said Clifton with a grin. 'I think it is admirable that a young woman like you can be so dedicated.'
'Thanks. One day when we're on Spero and these little ones are proper babies running around, yelling and playing, I'll be able to tell them how we came down on a big ship and I helped turn them into babies. Then as they grow I'll be able to tell them stories about Earth. I think that is so important, remembering where we came from. Don't you, Sam?'
'Absolutely. Well then. It looks as if you have it all under your belt, Sandy. Goodnight.'
'Goodnight, Sam.'
Chapter 63
The race was on! Five stingers kicking up desert dust as they tried to outrun the seven ships. The stingers had the lead but the much faster ships were gaining on them. Gunther had turned around first as the others continued on towards the Base. Two of his six missiles shot out of the front of the stinger, grey plumes trailing behind the rear fins as they homed in on the nearest ship. The ship's captain was the first to react and his missile snaked out from the underside of the ship. It was a first-class shot and it found one of the stingers missiles in mid-flight, the ensuing explosion ripping the sky apart as it destroyed the bolt of death.
The second missile curved an arc through the air and smashed into the underbelly of the following ship. Such was the blast that nobody on the ship survived the landing as the remaining parts of the craft disintegrated into scrap being hurled into the air in all directions. Gunther had no desire to hurt or kill anyone, but saving the last humans from Earth outweighed anything else. He turned the stinger around and took off after the others. He was stopping for nobody.
The Base was minutes away and Staples reached it first, dropping his stinger and racing to the door. He was one of few with the access code and the retina recognition. The single small door inset in the main door opened and he entered as the other stingers were left outside.
Gunther was a hundred yards out as the leading ship let out a stream of laser fire and he had to zigzag his stinger to avoid it. The laser caught the rear of the stinger which died underneath him, and he rolled away as it crashed.
'Hurry,' cried Bridget, just inside the Base.
Gunther was running hard, and behind him he heard the stinger explode. Two ships were firing their laser cannon at him and one missed him by an inch as he dived head-first through the smaller door, Staples slamming it shut behind him, and they heard the hissing sounds as the laser melted the top layer of steel.
Up in the laser cannon turret of the Base, Willis made it clear that those in the ships didn't have it all their own way. He picked his targets carefully, knowing that those in the ships were once his comrades and friends. He winged two ships before the others flew beyond his range.
'Yeah. Come back when you want some more.'
'We've no time,' said Gunther to Bridget. 'I need to contact the Goliath before this place is overrun.' He opened up the communication channel to the Goliath. 'This is Major Otto Gunther. Come in Goliath. Can you hear me? Thus is Major...'
'Major Gunther. This is Captain Jacobs. It seems forever since we last spoke.'
'Indeed. Captain. Are you alone?'
'Yes. Just taking a stint on the radio.'
'Ok. Listen. I haven't much time. Has Sam Clifton told you about the alien threat?'
Jacobs sat in stunned silence when Gunther had told him that. 'I...What? Repeat that please, Major Gunther?'
'You weren't told?
'Forgive me. I'm in shock. This is the first I've heard of this. Aliens? Intelligent beings?'
Gunther said, 'It looks that way. They somehow get inside their hosts and take it over. Not just the body, but the mind as well. This is how they survive.'
'Incredible. I'm trying to get my head around this. What I can't understand is if you told Sam, why hasn't he told me?'
'Actually, I think I can understand why not. I told him it is possible somebody on the Goliath is already aware of the aliens. General Loretti certainly was. She was plotting to use them so she could gai
n control of Earth. Maybe Sam Clifton wanted to try to find out whom he could trust before confiding in anyone.'
'But I'm the captain.'
'Your rank doesn't exclude you.'
Jacobs said, 'I suppose it doesn't. Yes. It explains Sam keeping the information secret from me for now. Major Gunther. Do we look out for their ship? We have no weapons on the Goliath.'
'I know. They must have some kind of ship, but they have possibly been aware of this mission for years. I think it is highly possible that they have landed somewhere on Spero and are waiting for you to land.'
'We already have landed, Major.'
Gunther gasped. 'What? Captain. Tell me I didn't hear that. You have already landed on Spero?'
'We had no choice. The terraformers weren't working and we took a shuttle down to restart them. That worked but we have to spend a year or so on the Goliath waiting for Spero to be habitable.'
'And you saw no evidence of the aliens?'
'None. But we could hardly see our own feet. The volcanic cloud covers the entire planet. The storm which still rages blocks out any chance of us scanning the planet from space.'
Gunther said, 'Perhaps they are waiting until the Goliath lands so they get all of you, including the babies. Captain. Please be careful. I'll not be able to communicate with you after this.'
'Understood. I'll find Sam and tell him of our conversation.'
'Good luck, Captain.'
'You too, Major. Thank you.'
The call ended and Jacobs sat alone.
Chapter 64
'What do I do when they come back?' said Willis. 'And they will come back.'
Staples shared the cannon turret with Willis, staring at the screens, watching the skies for the return of the ships.
'We should be on the same side,' said Staples. 'I don't want to kill them.'
'There's already been too much killing. I'm not sure they will share that point of view though.'
'I'll see the major and ask what he wants us to do.'
Willis said, 'Don't take all day about it. When they come back and start shooting at us, I'll be inclined to reply in kind.'
Staples found Gunther drinking coffee with Bridget and Salamandra in his office. He helped himself from the pot and said, 'Willis is on the cannon. Neither of us think we should be shooting at our own people.'
'So we do what?' asked Bridget. 'We just give ourselves up?'
'It is an option,' said Gunther.
'You think? Have you forgotten what they were about to do to me? Kane loves torturing people. She sees me as a traitor and she'll have some long and painful things in mind to use on me.'
'I'll not let that happen,' said Staples. His heart felt heavy as he looked at Bridget's lovely face. He'd had no opportunity to express his feelings for her and here with her father close by this was not the right time or place.
Salamandra said, 'Information. If we tell Kane all we know, there would be no reason to torture any of us.'
Bridget said, 'Kane doesn't need an excuse. She'll love hurting me for the sake of it. And there is nothing Giles here can say or do to stop it.'
Gunther sighed and said, 'I'm open to suggestions. Damned if I see...'
A familiar and deadly sound echoed throughout the Base.
'We're under attack,' said Staples. 'I'll go join Willis.' He looked at Bridget wondering if he would see her alive again. He almost said something but the roof above their heads shook with the battering it was getting. Cursing under his breath, he ran out and rushed up the steps to the turret. Willis had taken the decision for the others and was blasting away at the attacking ships.
'They're out to finish us off,' said Willis. 'Ok. If it's a damn fight they want...'
Staples almost grasped Willis' arm to prevent him firing the cannon, then thought of Bridget and the fate that would befall her and most likely all of them. 'Go for it, Nathan.'
Willis wasn't listening. He was already gritting his teeth as he blasted the nearest ship. 'Watch out! It's coming down on top of us.'
They got down below the cannon as a ship crashed right above their heads, missing the cannon turret by just yard.
'Too damn close for comfort,' said Staples. 'Is the cannon still working?'
'One way to find out.' Willis pulled himself up and wriggled back into the firing seat. 'Here comes another one.'
The ship did a fast fly-over shooting at the turret with its laser, then rolling away as Willis returned the fire, just missing.
'Mind if I have a go?' said Staples.
Willis got out of the seat and Staples took his place, both hands on the twin triggers, eyes on the screen looking for any signs of a ship. 'They've backed off.'
Even though there were no ships around, something was shooting at the thick, toughened glass.
'Where the hell is that coming from?' Willis yelled as another barrage of shots struck the turret.
'No idea but the glass can't take much more.'
The dome of glass started to give up against the laser. Staples swung the turret around looking for the attacker but saw nothing. 'I can't see a ship.'
A section of the turret vaporised with the constant hammering, and they had to dodge away to avoid being sprayed with molten glass. A shadow crossed the remaining glass and through the hole a hand held laser fired on the already compromised dome. Staples and Willis tried to get their own hand-lasers from their holsters as they tried to stay away from the streaks of power raining down at them. Before they could aim and fire back, a boot kicked in the one side of damaged glass and they could see General Su Kane above them, making this her personal fight. Willis yelled in pain as a shot pierced his shoulder and he dropped his weapon. Staples pushed him out of the way to get a shot at Kane and he exchanged fire, then he got in a lucky hit and Kane dropped onto the glass and smashed through it, falling heavily on top of both men.
Staples kicked her off him. 'Dead,'
'I miss her already,' said Willis, holding his injured shoulder.
Staples stood on the seat and dared to look outside. Kane's ship had crashed into the top of the Base, and he wondered how anyone had survived. He saw pools of blood next to Kane's bootprints.
'She was dying. She wanted to take us with her.'
Willis said, 'Bitch. Any ships around?'
'Nothing. They must have returned to headquarters after Kane's ship went down. Come on. We need to get that wound looked at.'
Staples helped Willis out of what was left of the turret and down the steps to the sickbay.
Chapter 65
Captain Jacobs said, 'I've just had a very interesting conversation with General Gunther. Finally got the radio going again. But I gather you already know about that.'
Sam Clifton locked the door and said, 'Keep your voice down. Gunther said he thought somebody on the ship is in on whatever the aliens are up to. For all I knew that somebody could be you.'
'May I remind you that I'm still the captain. I am not in with these aliens.'
'Oh. That's ok then. I'll just take your word for that shall I?'
'Point taken. I'm no more able to establish my innocence than you are. Do you suspect anyone?'
'I've always thought Friar a bit sly. Polowski only puts up with him because he has to. Rumour has it Friar got up to some dodgy stuff before joining the mission. He'd be top of my list.'
Jacobs said, 'We were rescued by Friar. He could have just left us out there to die had he wanted to. That rather lets him off the hook in my book.'
'Possibly. Until I know for sure, I'm trusting nobody.'
'Probably wise. Gunther also said these aliens could be already on Spero just waiting for us.'
Clifton said, 'If they are, we could have had a narrow escape. As long as we are out here in space we should be safe then.'
'Hopefully. As soon as the storm clears enough we will scan the planet from here. It is quite possible they have their ship hidden somewhere or even a colony on Spero but if so, we should be able to locate them usi
ng the infrared scanners. There is no need for us to blindly land blind the way we did last time.'
'I agree,' said Clifton. 'It's a good job Gunther managed to warn us. Now, the question is, do we keep a lid on this?'
Jacobs said, 'For now. You and I need to consider all this information. If you spot anyone behaving unusually, let me know before you challenge them.'
'Right,' said Clifton unlocking the door. 'In the meantime, we'll both give it some thought as to what we do with this situation.'
Chapter 66
'Nothing too serious,' said Bridget.
'Hurts like hell,' moaned Willis. 'I'm a humble technician. I hardly ever get shot.'
'Stop being a baby.' Bridget treated the wound and gave Willis something for the pain. 'Are you sure all the ships have gone?'
Staples said, 'I had limited vision from the turret and I didn't stick my head out long enough to get it shot off. I would have noticed something as large as a ship I think.'
Gunther and Salamandra walked into the sickbay, neither smiling.
'All that shooting from the ships destroyed the radar and infrared sensors,' said Gunther. 'No telling what's still lurking out there.'
'Something will be,' said Salamandra. 'Plenty of hiding places for a platoon to hide. We go waltzing out of here, we'll be sitting ducks.'
Willis pulled his shirt back on and said, 'I've just had the weirdest images of dancing ducks.'
'Swan lake?' offered Staples. 'Sorry. Ok. We must assume enough soldiers were left behind to babysit us until the brass decide what to do with us.'
'Like we have anywhere to go anyway,' said Willis.
'Actually, we might have somewhere to go,' said Salamandra. 'We can all go to my people.'
'Said the spider to the fly,' said Staples.
'Still don't trust me? Fine. You do your own thing, I'll take the rest of us to my people and safety.'
