Ice Rift - Salvage: An Action Adventure Sci-Fi Horror in Antarctica

by Ben Hammott

  “They are,” affirmed Miller.

  “Then let's go.” Colbert looked at Richard. “Lead on Pathfinder.”

  Richard pointed at one of the SEALs weapons. “Hey wait a minute, don't I get one of them? I can't go back in there unarmed.”

  “You're an untrained civilian, Richard, you don't get one,” Miller told him.

  “And we don't want you shooting us in the back,” said Cleveland.

  “Don't worry, hero, we'll protect you,” said Ramirez.

  Richard smirked at Ramirez as he walked past. “But who's going to protect all of you?” He headed for the airlock.

  *****

  A trail of molten metal that bubbled and dripped down the spaceship's interior hull wall was left in the wake of the jet of intense white light cutting a hole in the alien vessel and lighting up the dark room. When the edges of the glowing door-size hole met, the cutout clanged loudly to the floor. As the clang echoed through the room, the man who had formed the opening raised the dark welding visor and peered through. His excited expression changed to surprised disappointment; it wasn't the advanced technological vision he had pictured. He turned on hearing someone approach; it was Nikolay. He stepped aside to give room for his superior to catch his first glimpse of the spaceship interior.

  Because of the threat of alien creatures roaming free inside the ship, the captain had advised no one to enter until armed backup arrived, but Nikolay couldn't resist the temptation to be the first Russian to set foot aboard an alien spacecraft. He pulled out his pistol and stepped inside. His flashlight lit up the bulky metal shelves that lined the walls of what seemed to be a storeroom. Though a few disarrayed objects remained on the shelves, most were strewn across the floor. He cast his eyes over some of the strange pieces of equipment without being able to fathom their use, though he thought they might be spare parts for something in the ship or the ship itself. The top two shelves on one of the racks had all but completely collapsed and hung at an angle. He aimed the light at the open doorway that led into an adjoining room. A two-foot high metal beam had fallen and blocked the lower part. He climbed over, shot a glance at the sagging ceiling and roamed the light and the weapon around the room, highlighting workbenches and machinery. The height of the benches and the machinery's work levels, high for a normal-height human, was the Russian's first hint the crew was taller than humans. Objects, which he was certain were tools, hung from the walls and lay spilled on the floor. He jumped like a frightened girl in a horror movie when someone placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke.

  “What do you reckon this place is, Chief?” Yelchin's flashlight searched the objects in the room.

  “I think it might be a workshop. The aliens must have had a maintenance crew.”

  “Makes sense,” Yelchin agreed. “A ship this size must have millions of moving parts and if it's anything like our vessels, something must have constantly been breaking down, needing attention or adjustment.”

  “When I pictured an advanced alien spaceship I imagined everything smooth and sleek, but this…” Nikolay indicated the chunky ribs of metal and the machines and objects stained with what might be grease or oil, “…it's like something we might build, simple and functional.”

  “Give it chance, Chief, this is just one room and, if it is a maintenance workshop, sleek and smooth ain't needed, is it?”

  Nikolay shrugged. “I suppose not.”

  “I'm sure the rest of the ship will be more impressive and more like the alien spaceship we all imagined.”

  Some of the other engineers entered and shone flashlights around the room.

  “Go no further than this doorway,” warned Nikolay, as he walked back to the hole in the hull, stepped out and gazed along the ice tunnel. The borer had done better than expected and had reached the hull after a few hours. He pulled out his radio and contacted the ship. “Captain, we are in. The spaceship is all yours.”

  “Well done, Nikolay. You and your men's efforts won't be forgotten when we return to the Motherland. I'll be there with the exploration team shortly.”

  Thirty minutes later, the captain and the exploration team joined Nikolay and his men in the alien workshop. The men were busy collecting anything that looked technologically advanced and was easily portable.

  While his men handed out the spare weapons they had brought with them to the salvage engineers, the Captain had a brief word with Nikolay.

  “We'll make our way through the ship to the higher levels and mark our passage and any rooms with technology worth salvaging as discussed. Though we'll clear the route of any alien monsters we come across, others might come, so ensure your team keep the weapons with them at all times.”

  “I will, and good luck, Captain.” Nikolay watched the men head for the exit.

  Captain Brusilov led his team out through the workshop and shone his light into the corridor the exit opened onto and checked both directions. Two nearby doors revealed another storeroom and what seemed to be, by the screens on the tables and a bank of equipment similar to a large computer terminal along one wall, an office of some sort. He ordered two of his men to notify Nikolay about the computers and then remain in the corridor to protect the engineers while they salvaged the equipment.

  At the end of the corridor were a large door that seemed to be an elevator and a metal staircase that led to a higher level. Believing the armory would be on one of the upper levels to be easily accessible if the weapons were needed in an emergency, they headed up the staircase and stepped out into a similar corridor as the one below. Along its length doors stood open to dark rooms where anything could be hiding. Brusilov headed in the direction leading to the center of the colossal vessel. They cautiously checked each room before they passed to ensure nothing was going to jump out at them or come up behind them and marked the rooms containing anything of worth with a spray-painted tick.

  When they came to the first closed door―which might indicate something important was stored inside―Brusilov halted the team. He doubted it was the armory, but if it was, the main focus of their mission would soon be completed. Brusilov pressed the door control. Orange light seeped into the corridor as the door rasped open. The ominous squeal that accompanied it sent a shiver through the men. All wore surprised expressions when they peered through the doorway and drifted farther into the room.

  *****

  Gunfire lit up the darkness and echoed along the corridor. Hunters screeched as bullets tore into them. Richard whimpered and backed away, but found his retreat blocked by the two soldiers ordered to guard their reluctant guide. When the Hunters had appeared, Richard's previous nightmare encounters with the monsters had washed over him. Infected with fear, he slid down the wall and covered his head with his arms, dulling the deafening gunfire and the horrific gut-wrenching screeches.

  The gunshots ended as the surviving Hunters retreated when they realized they couldn’t survive the onslaught from the humans’ deadly weapons.

  Talbot looked at the cowering man and shook his head. “The man who saved the world from aliens! My arse he did.”

  Richard tilted his head and glared at the man. “Your time will come.”

  “On your feet, hero,” ordered Jenkins.

  Richard glanced along the corridor at the six members of the SEAL team at its far end. One of them beckoned him. Richard climbed to his feet and reluctantly walked towards the men. His eyes flicked across the mass of Hunter corpses and the SEALs positioned at the T-Junction with their weapons trained along the corridor. Brody stepped up to a writhing creature and shot it in the head, stilling its pain-wracked throes.

  While some of his men reloaded, Colbert turned to Richard. “Which way now?”

  Richard searched his memory for any recollection of his surroundings. He thought they might be near the staircase where Haax had killed the Clickers, but he had been so scared at the time he had taken little notice of his surroundings or how far they had travelled.

  Richard pointed along the corridor. “We go
left, and if I'm remembering correctly, a little farther along there should be a short corridor on the right leading to a room with a staircase that leads up to the map room level.”

  “Okay, men, let's go. Ramirez, Sullivan, take point.”

  Richard waited until the men had moved off and followed with his guards close behind.

  *****

  The seven surviving Hunters headed back through the ship and away from the intruders with the weapons that dealt death from afar. When they had sensed something was happening to their now unstable world, their instinct to survive had led them to investigate the drafts of fresh air that intermittently wafted through the spaceship. Turned back by the strange intruders they sought another way to escape. When they had returned to their domain, they rested. When a small lump of ice thudded to the ground, one of the Hunters gazed up at the roof and the large patch of ice it had fallen from. It studied it for a few moments before climbing to its feet. It growled for the others to follow and started climbing the walls.

  *****

  Though the SEALs had been apprehensive about heading deeper into the spaceship with the monsters and the unknown dangers they were certain to encounter, after the Hunters had proven easy to kill, the men were now confident they had enough effective firepower to handle anything the ship threw at them.

  Richard was the only one who knew better. His eyes shifted enviously to the weapon held by the man directly in front. When the first man died he'd make sure he grabbed the dead man's weapon.

  The team halted at the bottom of the staircase and looked at the scattered Clicker skeletons that decorated its treads and the floor around its base. Every carcass had been stripped of flesh and was covered in teeth and claw marks. The soldiers showed particular interest in the neat round holes in the ribcages.

  Crowe knelt and fingered the smooth cuts around the edges of the ribs before glancing at Richard. “Are these the monsters that Haax alien killed with the light beam weapon?”

  Richard nodded. “We named them Clickers. You'll know why if we meet any. The weapon Haax used shot a ball of light, not a beam.” He glanced up the staircase. “And he didn’t kill them all, so some might still be up there, waiting for us.”

  Ramirez slapped his weapon. “It might not be alien technology, but it kills aliens just as effectively, whatever species is it.”

  Richard shook his head. They had no idea and he doubted many would survive. Shadowed by his two babysitters, Richard followed the testosterone-fuelled men up the stairs.

  CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

  Two Clickers attacked the first men to reach the top.

  Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the walls as the ambushed soldiers tried to shoot the monsters dragging them along the corridor. Men rushed up the steps. Two short bursts of gunfire dispatched the Clickers. The two captives, still held by their attackers, were pulled to the ground when the dead creatures fell. After Ramirez and Sullivan had untangled themselves from the monsters' dead limbs, they climbed to their feet and backed away.

  Colbert ran his eyes over the men. “Are you hurt?”

  Surprised they felt no pain, the two men checked their bodies for damage. The only casualties were ripped clothing and damaged pride from being ambushed.

  Colbert glanced at Richard. “Clickers?”

  Richard nodded.

  Each soldier glanced at the Clickers when they passed. All noticed their sharp, vicious teeth, claw-tipped limbs and their frightening eyeless faces. The two men had been lucky.

  They passed along the short corridor through a doorway and followed Richard's vague directions through the ship.

  A Rescue Mission

  WHEN LUCY AND her new companion reached a metal door that blocked the far end of the mushroom tunnel, Pinky peered through the small barred opening set in the door before removing the prop that held it closed. The door squealed slightly when Pinky opened it wide enough for them to slip through. Lucy followed Pinky into a rocky area dotted with trees and thorny, large-leaved bushes. Distant squeals and howls alerted Lucy they were not alone. The presence of other creatures put Lucy's senses on alert and again caused her to wonder if the creature she followed could be trusted. Though she thought it unlikely, it was a carnivore and she couldn't help but worry that she might still end up on Pinky's menu. Her hands gripped the makeshift weapon tighter as she carried on.

  She almost tripped over Pinky when the creature stopped without warning. Lucy brushed its tail away from her face and took a step back as Pinky crouched behind a bush and pulled aside a branch. After peering out at something, it whimpered and turned to Lucy.

  Even though its permanent killer smile remained, Lucy was surprised by Pinky's sad expression and wondered what had caused it. She knelt beside it and peered through the gap in the foliage. Across the room a creature, the same species as Pinky, though slightly more muscular, was in a cave entrance thirty-feet from the ground, throwing rocks at the vicious six-legged creatures the size of a large wolf attempting to climb up the rock to reach it.

  Pinky grabbed Lucy's arm to attract her attention, tapped its chest and then pointed at the trapped creature.

  “Is that your mate,” asked Lucy, attempting to make sense of Pinky's gestures.

  Pinky looked at her curiously and then stood, pointed at the spear Lucy held and mimicked jabbing the air with it.

  “You want me to help you rescue your mate.” Though Lucy felt sorry for the two creatures, she didn't have the time or the confidence they could succeed. The spaceship would soon slip beneath the sea and the whole vessel would be flooded, killing everything aboard. Rescuing creatures that would soon be dead was pointless. She noticed Pinky staring at her. It seemed to have read her reluctance and pointed at her eyes and then across the room. Lucy gazed in the indicated direction. A metal staircase, all but hidden in shadow, hugged the far wall. It led up to a balcony and in the gloom shrouding the top was an open door. If she could get past the Wolf Monsters it could be her way up to the next level.

  Pinky whimpered as she stared at a Wolf Monster climbing unseen by Pinky's mate up the rock to one side of the cave entrance while the others distracted the trapped creature's attention.

  Lucy watched, hoping the trapped creature would see it in time. The lone Wolf Monster drew level with the cave and moved along a small ledge. One of its back legs slipped off the edge, sending a rock tumbling noisily down the cliff. Aware it had lost the element of surprise, the Wolf monster rushed at its prey.

  Pinky's mate turned and faced the threat. When its attacker leaped, it dodged clear of its claws and smashed a rock at its head. The Wolf Monster hit the ground and rolled. Dazed by the blow, it rose on its legs unsteadily. Pinky's mate gave it no time to recover and rushed at its attacker and shoulder-barged it over the edge. The Wolf Monster struck the rock repeatedly as it tumbled down the cliff, leaving behind a trail of dark blood. Though still alive, as soon as its battered body struck the ground, the pack leaped on it and started feasting.

  Lucy studied the ground between her and the staircase. Bushes and rocks would hide her approach over much of the distance. A plan formed in her mind that just might work. She turned to Pinky and even though she knew the creature couldn't understand her words, she hoped her tone and hand movements would hint at her meaning, and whispered, “I will help you.” She brandished the spear and pointed at the Wolf Monsters. “I go. You stay here.” She pointed at Pinky and then at the ground.

  Pinky looked at the ground with a puzzled expression.

  Lucy sighed. She could do with a console to plug Pinky into to teach her English. She took a few steps away. Pinky followed. Lucy shook her head, held up a hand and backed away. Pinky remained and watched her go.

  Stopping often to glance at the Wolf Monsters preoccupied with eating one of their own, Lucy moved across the room using the rocks and bushes as concealment. When she glanced back she noticed Pinky watching her from behind a bush. Lucy carried on and soon reached the bottom of the staircase. So far her prese
nce had gone unnoticed by the Wolf Monsters, who had now picked the bloody bones of their comrade clean and refocused their attention back on the trapped creature.

  Pinky watched the strange intruder cross the room. When she climbed the staircase it became anxious. Why wasn't it attacking the monsters? Pinky snarled when Lucy disappeared through the doorway. It had been tricked. It looked at the pack of vicious creatures between her and her mate. It might be able to kill one, perhaps two, before she was brought down by the more powerful foe, but she would die in the end. It would be a useless death. Her mate would still be trapped.

  The Wolf Monsters howled when they realized no more rocks were being thrown at them and their prey had no more to throw. They started climbing.

  Pinky turned away. She couldn't bear to watch her mate die.

  A loud, piercing, warbling cry rang out.

  Pinky shot her gaze at the sound and smiled her killer grin.

  Lucy stood halfway down the staircase waving the spear in the air.

  The Wolf Monsters stopped climbing. For a few moments they did nothing other than stare at the strange creature, then five split off from the group and rushed at the new prey while the three remaining beasts continued their climb.

  Pinky leaped from the bushes and rushed across the room.

  Lucy watched the five vicious beasts approach and noticed Pinky's rapid dash for the rock to help her mate. Lucy hoped she had bought them both enough time and they both survived. When the Wolf Monsters reached the bottom of the staircase, Lucy could wait no longer. She turned, ran up the oversized treads and rushed through the open door. A sprint along a short corridor brought her to another door she had already checked was operational before alerting the Wolf Monsters to her presence. As the door opened, the first of the Wolf Monsters skidded into the room. Its claws scratched on the metal floor as they sought traction on its smooth surface. A second beast slammed into it, knocking them both to the floor. As two more entered, Lucy nipped through the opening and closed the door.