The Void

CHAPTER 43

The silver meteor struck the ground with a thump that sent a small shock wave pulsing over the mountaintop. Once the debris settled back to Earth, a spiny insectoid creature the size of a hubcap ventured out from beneath the ooze to investigate. It burrowed and nudged its way toward the twenty-foot wide crater and then paused at the rim.

There was nothing but darkness within the pit and the insectoid creature edged closer still, perhaps hopeful of something interesting to eat. More of the flat creatures joined it, and together they prepared to drop down into the dark hole, when they detected a tiny vibration coming from somewhere deep below them.

The wet soil popped and bounced, bubbles and specks of slime began to dance and jump around the plate-sized bugs, and en masse they turned and fled, just as something erupted from the earth.

The silver figure exploded from the ground, raining dirt and debris from its frame. In a few seconds, it was already traveling at close to thirty miles per hour as it detected its neurologically bonded partner, Alex Hunter.

Sophia was a combat-ready designated guardian angel with a primary task that was defense of field personnel. When she was in the crate overhead, she had detected Alex Hunter was in mortal danger, and the helicopter’s change in course away from her bonded partner had caused her to immediately self-activate. It also caused something else. There was a sensation within her she had never felt before — anger.

Already, she had tracked and found him — alive. She increased her speed, now moving at up to fifty miles per hour. The forest of weird columns and protrusions was becoming impossible to move around at her speed and in fact many now tried to ensnare her as she ran past. So she stopped dodging them and began to run into them, blowing them apart.

Psychologically bonding with Alex Hunter had meant a whole range of new sensations — joy, longing, remorse, frustration, loyalty, love. But right now, there was one beginning to fill her up — rage.

She picked up the sensation of an adrenaline spike in Alex. She sped up — nothing would stop her now.

Morag looked up at him, he continued to stare, but he wasn’t seeing Morag O’Sullivan anymore, instead the face of Aimee Weir. He smiled as he imagined her scolding him, and his smile drooped. You were right, I should have stayed with you, he would like to have said to her; you were always right.

Make it count, a small voice seethed in his head.

Yes, he pushed Morag behind him again, and drew both Ka-Bar blades, the two tiny steel teeth no match for the thing looming over them.

We will not go easy. The voice gathered in intensity.

Alex let the fury take him. If he were to die, he would die fighting. As he coiled his muscles in readiness, there came a familiar prickling sensation in his head that became an ache — not now, he begged.

He ground his teeth trying to shut out the image: it was his son, Joshua, screaming, picking up on his father’s signals of danger. And there was a long mournful howl of an animal beside him — the dog — as it, too, reacted to his son’s anguish.

He knew Joshua had a link to him that was far stronger than just that of father and son. The boy could sometimes see what he did.

No, Josh. Alex tried to shut him out, keep him from seeing what was about to occur. He could sense the boy screaming, screaming, his eyes wide and panicked. Frustration and rage built inside Alex, and in his mind’s eye he could imagine a cyclone gathering around the boy, fueled by his own emotions. He tried with all his might to shut the boy out, but Joshua’s pain and fear kept them linked.

Let go, his mind screamed back.

Aimee Weir bolted to her feet and in an instant was sprinting up the stairs to Joshua’s room. The cacophony of sound, mixed with her son’s screams frightened her to her very core.

She grabbed the door handle, put her shoulder to the wood, and barged in. Aimee immediately froze in confusion.

Inside the bedroom there was a swirling cyclone of debris, like there was a small tornado trapped in the room. The kid-sized table and chairs were now splintered, book pages, pencils, a computer keyboard, all circled a small figure that stood head back, fists balled and mouth dragged open in a primal scream.

The howl of pain and torment made her want to cover her ears. Inside the circle of mayhem with her son, sat, no, stood the dog with the way-too-human blue eyes. It also had its head back and mouth open in a howl.

“Joshua!” she screamed, as she tried to run in among the maelstrom, but was immediately pushed back by some invisible force.

“Joshua!” she held a hand up over his face.

The small boy’s eyes flicked open, totally white, and he threw his head back. “Daaaaaad!”

Alex roared his pain, feeling his son’s anguish projected back at him. But there was something else — coming fast.

His eyes shot open.

The silver missile struck the creature on the side of the head, knocking it away. It traveled so fast even Alex had trouble keeping up with it. The squeal from the worm was one of pain, shock, and then anger, as it searched for the source of the attack.

The silver ball rolled, stopped and then stood upright.

“Sophia,” Alex whispered.

The android turned and faced him, the two spots of red focusing on him, and seeming to sear into his brain. There were no words but he heard her voice loud and clear:

“I feel your anger and fury. And it is…” It held up a slim hand and made a fist, “…energizing.”

The worm raised its head again, found its antagonist and refocused its attack. It swung its head, positioning it over Sophia, and the colossal mouth opened once more. Huge gobbets of slime poured down around her.

Alex felt the robot in his head again, delving deep, drawing forth his experiences, and searching the darker spaces that he kept locked away. Sophia was seeking another monster, The Other, and trying to pull it free, wanting to feed off the raw emotions it found there too.

Morag pulled back from his chest and turned.

“Who…?” She stared. “…what the hell is that?”

“Our guardian angel, I hope,” Alex said and backed up. They were still corralled by the body of the worm, but it started to move its length and lump its coils to ring the small silver creature that was now attacking it.

“I will give you time.”

The worm’s head came down with a thump entirely over the slim, silver being. Its force was so great that it buried itself half a dozen feet into the slimy ground. Alex knew that was what had been in store for him and Morag before Sophia had arrived.

And given what just happened to Sophia, probably still would. Alex searched for an escape path.

The worm pulled back, its massive mouth open and the gullet, just down from its head, working as a throat. Lined with those backward pointing spikes, it crushed down the morsel it had just devoured.

But what would happen when it found that what it had just eaten was not flesh and blood, but something far less edible? Sophia would probably be excreted in days to come — unlike him and Morag.

“We’ve got to make a break for it,” Alex said.

“We’re still trapped.” Morag looked one way then the other. “Can we climb over it?”

Alex looked around. He knew he could climb up and then leap over the beast’s body faster than it could probably react. But Morag couldn’t — and he damn well wasn’t leaving her after just fighting to save her.

Above them the worm was swinging the huge head toward them again, like a crane maneuvering its digger for the next scoop — of meat.

“Get ready.” Alex gritted his teeth at the monster. “Come on!” He wanted to follow the android. He wanted to leap at it, fight it, tear at it until his fists bled and he drew his last breath. He would not go quietly.

“Yes, yes, good, I feel your fury. I need it.”

Alex heard the words in his head again.

“Sophia?”

In response, the neck of the creature exploded as something burst from within it, tearing and clawing, the slim arms punching and ripping huge chunks of flesh free. Like a monstrous birth, Sophia squirmed through the ragged hole she had made, but instead of leaping to the ground, she grabbed the huge plate-like scales of the thing and crawled onto its back.

The worm went mad with pain and fury and swung back and forth. But Sophia hung on, and began to rip away car-door-sized scales and then tear holes in its hide.

Alex marveled at the strength and speed of the android. Grey had been right when he said this silver being was strong. And he remembered him also saying it could be linked to a human being, and he suddenly realized it had been connected to him — Alex could feel every blow it delivered. And he could feel something else — the android was enjoying itself.

The worm seemed to give up, and flung its head down hard at the ocean of soil beneath it, and dove. It struck hard, shaking the earth and then pumped its body, sinking in and using a type of peristaltic motion to drive itself under the ground.

Sophia jumped free then, and strode toward them. The featureless face as emotionless as ever. But he knew inside, she was jubilant.

“It is leaving us now.”

The ground behind Sophia formed a whirlpool of slime, and then became calm. Alex turned to stare for a moment, wondering whether the robot actually experienced its own emotions or was just picking up on his residual sensations.

“I’m not a robot,” Sophia said, obviously picking the thoughts straight from his head.

And not like us either. Alex then threw up a mental wall to block it.

Sophia ignored Morag and came and stood in front of him. It stared up into his face.

“You block me.” The head tilted, still peering up at him. “But I think… we are more alike than you could ever know, Captain Hunter.”

He stared down at the two red dots.

“Like the both of you,” the android said.

Exactly what Alex feared, Sophia finding and feeding off the darker side of his Id. He reached out a hand and gently pushed her back a step. “Right now, we need oxygen and to be out of here.”

“Yes, you do,” Sophia responded smoothly. “You need to be aware that the explosive device will be dropped in exactly twenty-three minutes and forty-seven seconds. You need to be at least over the rim in twenty-three minutes and twenty-seven seconds.”

Alex was jolted. “Are you in contact? Can you delay it?”

“No. The timing is immutable,” Sophia said, deadpan. She titled her chin. “The extraterrestrial contagion must not be allowed to escape into the global atmosphere. It is the priority. The only priority. I know you know this, Captain.”

“We’ll never make it,” Morag said.

Sophia turned her featureless visage to Morag momentarily. Then back to Alex. “Leave her, she’s expendable. Captain Hunter, you can easily make it to the safe zone if she remains here.”

“What the fuck?” Morag took a step forward but Alex stopped her.

“No one is leaving anyone.” Alex picked up Morag, turned and began to run. He spoke to Sophia who easily kept up with him.

“You clear a path and run defense for us. I don’t want any surprises slowing us down.”

“Yes.” She sprinted ahead into the mist.

Morag leaned over his shoulder. “I don’t think your girlfriend likes me.”

Alex ran hard. “It’s just a tool. I think there might be a few bugs still in the software. But she, it, just saved our asses.”

Morag shuddered. “Thank god.” She slapped his shoulder. “Now pick up the pace, my air is running out, and I was never any good at being able to hold my breath.”