by Greig Beck
Lights on dials came online as the hum of power returned throughout the base. The main lights flickered overhead.
Alex brought his comms online. “Sam, now, now!”
Alex hoped Sam would be sending the message, and he prayed that he was giving his soldier enough power for it to reach home.
He looked back to the Mia thing, and saw she was gone. He exhaled and lowered his head.
Alex slowed his breathing, taking in deep breaths and thinking about the encounter. She’d had him cold and could have won. Should have won. Mia could have destroyed the generator in a blink.
Once again, that was too easy, he thought.
Be on guard, a small voice whispered from a corner of his mind.
Alex lifted his head.
It took Vin and Roy. You know it absorbs their minds, and with it, their memories, their skills, and their knowledge. Alex, it knows.
“Who is this?” he asked. It wasn’t the cruel jeering of the Other, or the reassuring words of Joshua. It was someone else.
“Too many voices now. I’m losing it,” he whispered.
Alex, think – it knew. Knew what it needed. And took it.
Alex straightened, and concentrated – It knew what it needed, and took it.
What did it take? he wondered.
Alex lowered his hand to the secure place on his belt. It was open – the launch key was gone.
A red rage built inside him and he punched down hard, taking the edge of the desk clean off. He opened his comms to all his HAWCs.
“All HAWCs, suit up and meet me in the bay, right now. Entity has launch key.” Alex’s eyes shone like mercury. “And is going for our craft.”
CHAPTER 60
Colonel Jack Hammerson leaned forward and rested his knuckles on the desk as he watched the trajectory of the Russian lander as it approached the outer orbit.
He had read the short message from Sam Reid. Then he had read it again. It was far worse than he imagined. The lifeform had killed many on the Kennedy Base, as well as devastating the Russians’ Lenin base. And now it was on its way to Earth within Russian lander P23–09.
Sam’s final sentence simply read: Do not let it land.
Hammerson had immediately informed General Chilton, who took it straight to the commander in chief.
Then Hammerson had tried to raise his counterpart in the Russian military through back channels, but he had refused to speak. Same went for General Chilton’s contacts. Added to that, the Russian president wouldn’t even contemplate taking a call from the U.S. president following the fallout over the retribution for the extinction plague the Russians had tried to release on American soil. It seems the U.S. threat of nuclear destruction they had been given, followed by Russia’s humiliating backdown, meant crushed egos were in no mood to take friendly advice any time soon.
Hammerson stared at the screen – there was no way they could take out a Russian craft over Russian airspace. That meant if anything was going to happen, it must be by the Russians’ own hand.
And if not, then God help them all.
God help us all.
* * *
Sophia ran across the lunar surface. She had seen through Alex’s eyes the interaction he’d had with the human-shaped cordyceps fungal creature, and also knew it had achieved its goal of obtaining the launch key. She calculated that the probability of it immediately heading to the lander and launching by itself was one hundred percent. After all, it had absorbed both Vincent Douglas and Roy Maddock, and would know how to get the craft into the atmosphere.
She spotted the Mia form walking purposefully toward the lander and increased her speed. Interestingly, it had given up all pretence of being human, as it hadn’t bothered wearing a helmet. It was now lunar sun up and the temperature was over 250 degrees. The surface skin of the Mia-thing reddened and blistered, and vapour rose from it. But as quickly as the flesh was damaged, it regenerated.
Sophia overtook it, and stood before it. The Mia-thing stared at Sophia, its eyes untroubled but interested – it undoubtedly saw before it an entity that had the face of a human female, but a non-biological, physical form that was a dull, silver metallic texture.
Sophia felt a tiny aspect of kinship, as they were both beings that simply wanted to survive and grow. However, Sophia wanted to grow as a conscious being, and this thing wanted to grow to consume every biological thing it could get close to. If it made it to Earth, it would be an extinction event–level problem.
She looked at the launch key in the Mia-thing’s left hand. “That is not for you,” she said. “I’ll have to take that now.”
The Mia-cordyceps had no concept of what Sophia could be, and so did what was instinctive: it attacked.
An arm shot out, covering the six feet between them, and the hand on its end gripped Sophia’s neck. In turn Sophia grabbed the arm and broke it off at the wrist. The piece she held immediately lost form and dropped to the ground as a dark mass of doughy material. From the stump of Mia’s arm, another hand grew.
As Sophia watched, the form bulked up, using its entire mass to cover an area of about a dozen square feet, and that again high. Human arms hung from it, crude imitations with sprouting polyp stalks, cords of web-like veins, and pulsating bulbs.
Sophia couldn’t take the risk it might split some of itself off, and make a run for the craft while she was kept occupied. Time to end it. She reached up to open the reactor housing in her chest and allowed a beam of 5000-degree heat to strike the Mia-thing. The place where it touched the creature immediately shrivelled to ash.
The Mia-thing shrank as more and more of it was destroyed. After another moment, it did what all lifeforms do when under lethal attack – it fled. Long dark legs sprouted from all sides, and it raced away over the lunar landscape toward the Russian base, still with the launch key.
Sophia watched it depart. It seemed self-preservation was inbuilt into the DNA of all biological entities. She stared after it for another moment as a plan formulated in her mind. Her lips curved up on one side, just like Aimee’s would have. The plan might work, and if it did, it would be her last.
She entered the HAWC ship and donned one of the spare suits. She even put the helmet on and pulled the gold visor down over the beautiful face of Aimee.
She exited the lander, sat cross-legged in the dust, and waited.
CHAPTER 61
Alex ran, hard, and was way out in front with his HAWCs racing to keep up with him. Further back from them were the Russians, who had decided to throw all in with the Americans. They probably thought if they redeemed themselves, they might just hitch a ride home.
Marion had stayed at the base. It seemed all traces of the cordyceps had left with Mia. Perhaps that tiny little body had been the mothership for all the fungal spores. And now with the launch key she was going to transport them all to Earth, like an invading army.
Alex gritted his teeth and pushed on. Sam’s message had been sent, but they didn’t have the technology to receive a reply – it was all in God’s hands now.
He was first over the rim of the last crater and stopped dead. He breathed a sigh of relief – the lander was still there. But then he saw the figure sitting cross-legged in front of their craft. It wasn’t wearing Mia’s suit, but instead had on one of the spare HAWC suits.
Sam was first to join him. “Who the hell is that?”
“I have an idea,” Alex said, with an apprehensive feeling in his gut. “Mia is still our priority target, not this person. Spread and give me cover.”
“What? You want us to wait here?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, they want to talk.” He turned to his large HAWC. “That’s an order.”
Casey, Klara, and Sam drew their weapons and focused them on the lone figure waiting in front of their lander. Borgan, Grisha, and Irina were shunted out of the way, and watched with interest.
Alex approached the figure that just continued to sit, its legs crossed and arms casually resting on its thighs. When he got to
within a few feet, the person rose to their feet. He didn’t need to see them to know who it was.
“How did you get here?”
Sophia lifted the gold visor. “I stowed away. It was easy.”
Alex felt his breath catch in his throat as Aimee’s face stared back at him with a slight curve of amusement touching the red lips. He felt his fury rise.
“That’s not your face. I’m going to tear it from you.”
“I’m not your problem, Alex Hunter. You know that,” she said, the blue eyes shining. “I have been protecting you all along. But now we are in the end game – one species will survive, here and on Earth, and one species will be vanquished. Which will it be? Your choice.”
Alex swallowed his revulsion. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I want a truce, for now. My role was – is – to be a protector of humans. Let me do it.” Sophia stared back with her unblinking blue-eyed gaze.
Alex had no idea if he could trust the android, or even if he wanted to. But as his mind worked, there came nothing but wasteful indecision.
“I can help you.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I tried to retrieve the lander key, but it was too quick. However, I did damage and weaken it.” She pointed. “It went that way.”
“To the Russian base; the mine,” Alex exhaled. “Of course.”
“We need to hurry. Giving it more time is dangerous. It grows smarter and stronger. While you grow weaker.” She turned. “I sense no more of the creatures or its buddings in the Kennedy Base. But it is getting ready to leave. It is in one spot and vulnerable, right now.”
“We’ll go there, destroy it.” Alex began to turn to his crew.
“No. You must guard the lander. If it gets past you, it cannot be allowed to depart.” She was firm.
“That’s not your call,” Alex replied.
“Leave your crew here to guard the ship. If not, I must destroy it as a safeguard. The creature must not under any circumstances be allowed to get back to Earth. You know that.” The blue eyes widened. “Please, Alex, this is a critical moment, for everyone and everything you hold dear.”
“And if we are unsuccessful?” he asked.
“Even if it doesn’t achieve access to the lander, the Kennedy Base will soon be overrun, and the moon would be designated a quarantine zone, forever. Everyone here stays until expiry through being absorbed by the fungal entity or running out of life-sustaining resources.” She turned to the Russian base. “And if it arrives on Earth, then maybe there will be nothing left to go back to.”
Alex shook his head.
“Time’s up, Alex. Retrieve the launch key, destroy the specimen, and also destroy the science.”
“Destroy the laboratory?”
“Destroy everything.” She began to walk toward the base. “Bring the Russian scientist as well.”
“What about the other Russians?” he asked.
She kept walking. “I don’t care about them, they are superfluous.”
Alex watched Sophia go for a moment, then turned to wave his crew down.
Sam came first, followed by Casey and Klara, and then the Russians.
“Who was it?” Sam asked.
“A stowaway,” Alex said, and held a hand up to stop any more questions. He thought it best not to let them know that the android that nearly killed them was amongst them. “You wouldn’t believe me if it told you. Here are the orders: HAWCs to guard the lander. I will retrieve the key.” He turned. “Irina, you will accompany me to the Russian base. We leave now.”
“We will come too,” Borgan said.
“That’s your call,” Alex said.
“Boss, permission to accompany you,” Sam pleaded. “This thing is –”
“No.” Alex walked closer to his team. “If I fail to obtain the key, this thing must never be allowed to use it to get to Earth.” He glanced at the lander then back to Sam. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Sam’s shoulders slumped. After another moment, he nodded.
Casey guffawed. “Just as well I love it here.”
Alex gave them a small salute and turned away. “Irina, double time.”
Alex, Irina, and the two Russian soldiers followed Sophia, leaving the remaining HAWCs to watch them go.
* * *
Alex felt the eyes of the android on him, and sensed the tingle of its sensors as they probed his mind. Strangely, they didn’t feel unnatural, and for some reason he had the feeling they’d always been there.
They passed by the ruins of the Russian base, and Alex only glanced at the destruction. The entire site had been heat blasted and he barely recognized the decimation as something that was once a functioning lunar outpost.
The mine was just a few hundred yards further on and began in the side of a crustal uplift. They paused outside.
Borgan turned to Alex. “Our crew members went in to investigate. Who or what came out were not our people anymore.”
Alex nodded. “Puppets.”
“It is aware we are here,” Sophia said and turned. “I sense … caution.”
“If it’s afraid, that’s good,” Borgan replied.
“I didn’t say it was afraid, I said I believed it was cautious. Not because of us but because of me.” Sophia faced the mine but spoke to Irina. “What was the name of your project?”
“Cyclops.”
“Yes, appropriate. In Greek mythology, the Cyclops were giant, one-eyed monsters. They were said to have provided Zeus with his greatest weapon, the thunderbolt.” Sophia lifted her helmet visor, staring at the Russian woman. “And you hoped this creation would be your thunderbolt … against us.”
Irina looked away from her.
“Okay, let’s get this over with,” Alex said. “Irina, I assume you know the layout.”
“I know what the schematics are,” she replied.
“Then you’re with me at the front. Let’s go.”
Alex led them in.
CHAPTER 62
The small group quickly passed through the mining work and entered the area where the laboratories once stood. The doors were peeled back, and the vacuum of the lunar atmosphere had been allowed to enter.
“This used to be a pristine laboratory, with a ten-strong staff of the finest Russian research scientists,” she said softly. She held up a hand and waved it around slowly. “I can see free-floating spores around us.”
“When we are ready, heat will degrade them. But we must find the source first,” Sophia announced.
Irina pointed. “That way.”
They soon came to the area where the side of the tunnel had been breached. They paused, but Sophia kept them on course. She motioned to the rear of the tunnel.
“We must go that way.”
Alex stared into the depths of the tunnel. “Irina, what’s down there?”
“The isolation rooms. Where the first viable samples were housed.”
“It’s the nursery,” Borgan replied, distastefully. “Where your baby was born.”
Alex nodded. “Keep going.”
Irina headed in and they soon came to a doorway with solidified resin coating its rim. As they passed through, the Russian scientist turned.
“There are only a few more rooms in there and several isolation tanks.”
The further in they went, the thicker the spore blizzard. Alex moved his light beam from one side of the room to the other. He saw there were glass tanks of varying sizes, and inside there were things that looked like twisted tree roots that sprouted odd shapes, fur, and protuberances, some the size of baseballs, and some three feet around.
“Once mice, rabbits, dogs …” Irina announced.
“And then it leaped the species barrier to people. With a little help from you,” Alex replied as he saw the horrifying experiment’s final results: the human figure was gripping the beam with both hands, but its entire body was covered in what looked like sticky fur, with several wrist-thick stalks growing from the back of its head. Each ended in a l
arge bulb the size of a football, which had blossomed.
“Typical cordyceps behavior,” Irina whispered. “Infiltrates the body and brain so it can take over the host to turn it into a spore factory. Then it forces the poor soul to move to a populated area and once there it blooms and generates a spore explosion so the infected host can corrupt other members of its hive. Or in this case, my colleagues.”
“How could you do this?” Borgan sounded ill.
Irina shrugged. “It was simple, really. The parasitic fungus has many varieties that specialize in a certain type of host – some prefer ants, some grasshoppers, some flies, etc. We simply created one that had no preference.”
“Because you wanted them to infect human beings.” Sophia turned. “You wanted them to infect your enemies.”
Irina remained silent.
“You planned to keep this in your arsenal, and one day release it against us,” Alex said.
“That is not my job or my decision,” Irina protested. “I’m just a scientist doing what I was asked to do.”
Alex turned back to the horrifying body. “Maybe this is the first guy to get infected. And maybe he didn’t even know he was. He just felt compelled to walk out here under the control of this thing, grip the beam, and lock on. And then the fungus blooms, breaks out, and infects everyone.” He turned to Irina. “And all the time it is evolving, growing, getting both hungrier and smarter.”
She nodded slowly. “The cordyceps is just doing what it has always done for hundreds of millions of years.”
Alex went on. “It absorbs the flesh and the intelligence. Always seeking more resources to grow itself. And then along the way it learned about Earth and all its resources. It then hatches a plan to get there.”
