The Void

CHAPTER 32

Something all leathery wings and multiple limbs flew in front of the window. Alex smiled, grimly. Here they were in a downed spaceship, looking out at an alien world. He was starting to doubt he was even on Earth anymore.

He inhaled the canned air of his suit, and wondered what the atmosphere would smell like if they didn’t make it out. And what it would feel like, or look like, to see his muscles twist and lump like those of the Morg. He didn’t want to find out.

“Listen up.” Alex turned away from the Orlando cockpit window and faced the group. “Our oxy-levels are down. We’ve burned it faster than we expected through all the activity.” He turned to Sam. “Sam…”

Sam Reid nodded. “I figure we’ve got ten hours remaining if we just sit here on our asses, eight hours if we head for home, and maybe five if we gotta run and fight all the way back.”

“After that, we start to suck this crap into our lungs,” Alex finished.

“And then we join the locals,” Casey seethed.

“Okay, I think if we’re careful, we can make it — steady as she goes, conserve our energy, and all that,” Russell added.

“Really?” Alex gave him a lopsided smile. “Anyone else think we’re not going to have fight and run every damn step of the way? To get to the crater wall, at double time, then scale to the top to make it above the mist line and get to clean air, we’re going to need every second and every breath we have left. Five hours is our drop dead limit.”

Russell’s mouth dropped open. “Double time? Jesus Christ, Hunter, we’re exhausted, and you want us to run and climb for five hours?” He had an arm around Anne who still looked washed out.

“Yes.” Alex turned to look out of the cockpit window again and into a speckled mist so thick the window could have been painted over. It was like a microscopic snowstorm, except it moved, swirled and eddied like it was a turbulent current in an ocean.

Alex also sensed things darting back and forth, some small, and some larger. And a while back he had felt something big, very big, circle them. Now, it had either moved on, or had paused somewhere, waiting.

“Dammit, we’re wearing HAZMAT suits, with oxygen tanks, and not those lightweight things you’ve got,” Russell spluttered. “Anne won’t make it. She’s dead on her feet now. We all are, Captain.” He was seething now. “You might as well just kill us now and be done with it.”

“You’ve got two minutes to come up with an alternative plan, Professor.” Alex lifted his chin, waiting.

Russell’s lip curled. “Oh, for god’s sake, there is no other plan.”

“That’s what I thought.” Alex went to turn to Sam, but Russell stood quickly and grabbed at him.

“This plan of yours is only designed to get you and your team of super warriors to safety, isn’t it? And the rest of us can go to hell.”

Alex stared. “Don’t think for a second I was ever Mister Nice Guy.”

Muttering, Russell sunk back down and put his arm around Anne.

Morag stood. “If we run out of air and have to breathe this… stuff, we’ll start to change, won’t we?”

Alex nodded.

“Well, I’m not going to end up like those things out there, those Morg things.” She looked down at Anne and Russell. “I’ll run till I die if I have to.”

“Yeah.” Casey made a fist in the air for the woman. “That’s it, babe.”

“Time’s up,” Alex said. “Live or die?”

Russell just shook his head. “I guess we’ve got no choice.”

Alex faced the group. “We are in a small metal box, and outside it might as well be an alien world. We’re going to have to run until we feel like we’re going to drop, and then we’re going to run some more. It’s going to hurt like hell, but the human body can take more pain than you’d believe.”

Russell audibly gulped and Anne nodded meekly. Morag’s mouth was set in a tight line. “We’re outnumbered,” Morag said. “If the Russians have joined the…” She briefly looked over her shoulder at Anne before going on. “…the Orlando crew, then that makes about six of them.”

“And you can add in McIntyre and maybe Dunsen, if he’s still alive, to that bunch,” Casey said. “And probably your idiot cameraman.”

“Renner, Calvin Renner,” Morag said and scowled back at Casey.

Alex nodded. “I estimate we now have up to eight or maybe nine hostiles out there. They may take a run at us, and they may not.”

“This is where they’ve been holing up,” Monroe said. “So, they may all just come back here to their nest.”

“I don’t get the feeling these Morg are the live and let live types. They want us, as food or as new recruits,” Sam said.

“This infection, or whatever it is, has a one hundred percent inclusion rate. Either you get affected and become the beast, or worse, you are dissembled into some sort of primordial spore-slime.” Russell licked dry lips. “Or alternatively, you get killed by the affected individuals. Either way, it gets out of here, it’s bad news for the rest of the world.”

“If we had the ordnance, we could blow it,” Sam said. “The atmosphere detonation would do the rest for us.”

“Shit.” Alex tilted his head back, and let out a bitter laugh. “Of course.” He exhaled, and then turned to Sam. “If we had the ordnance, then we’d make sure nothing ever leaves this mountaintop, right?”

“Yeah.” Sam frowned, but his mouth began to curve into a smile. “What?”

“Who thinks like us, and knows that if this stuff gets out it’s going to be game over for the world?” Alex tilted his head. “Oh yeah, and who does have the ordnance?”

Sam grinned. “Colonel Jack Hammerson.”

“Right, the Hammer,” Alex said. “He has all the kill power he needs. I’m betting that he’s already planning a drop, or will soon.” Alex folded his arms. “We need to coordinate and make sure we’re over the rim by then.”

“By when though?” Morag asked.

“Exactly; when, what? How? We can’t coordinate that when outside. They can’t even talk to us. A minute’s difference and it might as well be suicide or murder,” Russell pleaded.

“Yeah, I like it,” Casey said. “The Russians, the data chip, and every other weird piece of shit in here will be ash.”

“Plug?” Sam raised his eyebrows.

Alex nodded. “Last one.”

Sam started to open the messenger on his wrist and waited to enter data. “Okay boss, ready when you are.”

Alex nodded. “Orlando site compromised — stop — contagion must not escape mountain — stop.” He smiled, grimly. “Burn it all to hell — stop.”

“Jesus Christ.” Russell eased back down.

Alex looked at his watch. “Request detonation at 20:00 hours.” He looked up. “That gives us our five hours — same as our oxygen.”

“Wait, wait; you just said we’d need all of that to make it to the wall, and then more to climb out.” Russell’s mouth hung open. “Are you trying to kill us? Might as well just say, go ahead and drop it right now.”

Casey laughed out loud.

“No, one hour, to climb. People’s oxygen will start running out then, and we’ll start to breathe in this mutagenic atmosphere. In my book, that’s going to be worse than death. So, consider it extra motivation.” Alex turned. “Sam.”

Sam nodded to Casey. “Door.” He loaded the plug and waited for the door to outside to be opened. Casey and Monroe had their guns up and pointed as the mist billowed, but thankfully nothing else rushed in at them. Sam hung his huge body out, pointed the stubby gun skyward, and fired.

“One away.” He pulled himself back in, and Casey immediately pulled the door shut again.

“Plan is in motion. Bring the rain,” Monroe hooted.