Holly was within the light; her companions were in darkness. She strained her eyes to see them. James’ suit was no longer aflame and the HUD showed that his external temperatures were coming down. Patterson was a distant shadow scorching a devil with fire.
Excitement coursed through Holly’s nerves. Had they won? The pain in her leg had lessened and her fear had faded. And now it seemed as if it was too easy – even for angels.
But then the remaining monster drew close to Patterson, enveloping her in its flames. A second later, her vitals showed critical on Holly’s HUD. She at first assumed it was a fault, but then Patterson fell limp.
God no!
She instinctively drew her pistol on the fiery foe. But she couldn’t shoot, nor could she draw breath. Panic froze her in place; her eyes fixed on that which could kill angels with a single blow – and now fleeing to stage another trap for them. All that moved was her shaking hands. She couldn’t have hit her enemy if she tried. How could she fight a monster that so easily overcame Patterson?
The flames died as the monster fled into darkness and James screamed in agony and rage. Screamed with a pain that was horrifying to hear – especially coming from a replicant. And she screamed herself as she thought, “Was this my fault; would he blame me?” But how could she fight those who were like gods.
Her heart wanted to run to them. She wanted vengeance on the injured monster and to give whatever help she could to Patterson. But her fear wanted her to run away from the monster and from blame. And her reason knew she couldn’t help.
Please no! She stared in shock, desperately hoping that Patterson would get back up. She hoped Patterson’s suit had simply glitched out and her vital signs would momentarily read normal. She hoped James and her would laugh it off. And a part of her mind momentarily assured her it would be so. Patterson was tougher than she looked. She had known that (and feared it) since the Polo. But his sobbing went on while he cradled her, and she had to face the truth.
She climbed back through the hole, forgetting all her pain, and hesitantly walked toward them. James had his helmet off, having removed it because his visor was scorched. James had removed Patterson’s bloody helmet, and a puddle of blood had formed underneath her head. The sight of her blood drenched face made her wince. A deep puncture marked her forehead.
James brushed her hair away. Patterson jerked and then wildly pushed and slapped.
James restrained her arms. “No, no, no! I’m here, don’t fret.” Patterson whimpered and tried to crawl away but he wouldn’t let go. “Why is she fighting me?”
Holly struggled to form words. “She’s scared and confused.”
“Why?” He almost choked saying the word and his eyes watered.
Her heart sank in her chest at his question. She had never heard pain from him, and had never expected to. “She’s not aware it’s you!”
He bent over her breathing deep, angry breaths. Holly cautiously looked all around without seeing any threats. All of the flares had now died though and so there wasn’t much she could see. They were far from the light of the accessway. And it was so easy to imagine danger in the darkness. She knelt down and lay a shaking hand on James’ shoulder. “We can’t stay here.”
His eyes flashed fury. “I’m not leaving her!” His voice was almost a growl. His large, shadowy figure seemed monstrous.
She drew back with fright and nodded affirmatively. Her pulse raced and yet she felt faint. “Okay, but we can’t stay here.” Please understand.
He drew a breath and reconsidered her meaning. He nodded and began to lift Patterson over a shoulder.
Panicking, she immediately stopped him. “No, we must keep her head up! She came up beside them and held Patterson on the other side. “Take her weapon and we’ll walk her out of here. We’ll need to be careful getting her through the opening.”
“We’ll manage it,” James said with an angry insistence.
Patterson couldn’t live long, but she would do what she could. She owed James that. More than that. She owed her whole crew so much more. An awful realization came over her. The sickest joke. She was always going to be the last of the Officers.
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Holly didn’t find it odd that she found no great relief upon pushing out the cut in the accessway door and reaching Propulsion Two. Although she was farther from danger, she was closer to losing a friend. And fear pierced her repeatedly. Would he blame her? And was he right to do so?
She stepped through the opening first panned her gaze all around the expansive Gate, full of its gigantic machinery and many catwalks. She only broke her pose a couple times to wipe her watery eyes. Once confident of safety, she turned around and helped James get Patterson through.
She allowed herself a moment to cough while watching the accessway to make sure the Pazuzu-creature wasn’t following them. A deep sense of shame overwhelmed her when she looked at the trail of blood drops on the deck. She had made such a fuss over her own injury which had proved to be small. And the cost of that was now so high.
She turned back to James and Patterson. Patterson had passed out again and that was probably for the best. But he was deep in grief. Her gut nearly wrenched from listening to him falling into denial, talking to her as if they would dress her wounds and she would soon be awake and on her feet.
She had pitied herself and had almost resented Patterson. Patterson’s advantages had been unfair, and she had never known pain or loss. But now she would go on living whereas Patterson would die. Patterson would die – after spending her last minutes suffering in a manner she had never imagined. She had been wrong to be so envious.
James dropped his gear and laid Patterson down in the monitoring station in the middle of the Gate’s main accessway. The few working displays projected silent alarms. He ignored them and hastily pulled the first aid kit out of its locker, and then he began to remove the blood which had covered her face using a cleaning wipe. His eyes were fixed in an expressionless, thousand-yard stare. His mouth moved as though speaking, but no further words came.
She could now better see the wound – it was deep. White patches in the opening of her forehead proved the substantial damage to the skull. The trauma to her brain was undoubtably extensive. She could only hope that Patterson wasn’t feeling any pain.
James’ hands shook while he disinfected and then began to dress her injury. Patterson wouldn’t be the same even if she lived. But she would certainly die – slowly processed by Pazuzu’s infections if not sooner from blood loss. But his mind was lost in shock.
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She set her helmet down and rested the flamethrower on its butt, making sure the pilot fire wasn’t against anything. She laid a hand on his shoulder as a tear ran down her cheek. “I’m sorry.” Please understand.
He didn’t look at her and didn’t stop wrapping bandages. “We’ll continue to Command in a minute.” His watery eyes were deeply bloodshot. Nictitating membranes were partly extended. He was clearly fighting back the tears.
She gently pushed against his shoulder while taking a knee. “We can’t save her. I’m sorry.” She prayed that he understood that they had to leave her to save the ship.
He shook his head. “She’s tougher than you know.”
It hurt not knowing what to do. James was a grown man who had only now developed attachments. He had no awareness of the grief of love or loss till now. A child hurts too the first time, but also trusts his closest adults. And he is growing and discovering himself, and that distracts him from the pain. James had none of that.
Holly got directly in front of him and knelt again. “Look at me, James.” He shook his head and she commanded him again, drawing his gaze. “We’ve all been dying slowly ever since Pazuzu broke quarantine. And now this. We can’t save her. We can only finish her work. You’ve got to honor her this way.”
He lowered his head and finally cried. And then he looked back at Patterson and saw that she had squeezed his hand. He caressed it with his thumb and leaned over so that his breath would blow across her face. “I’m still here. I’ll always be here.”
“James?”
He ignored her at first but then looked at her after she spoke again. His nictitating membranes slowly slid out of view. “Launch, Captain. I’m staying so she won’t be alone when she dies. And then I’ll find the Creature and kill it, or it’ll kill me. That’s what I should’ve done long ago.”
Don’t give up on life. “Please come with me.” She cried as well while putting her helmet back on. She didn’t want Patterson to die slowly – confused, afraid, and alone. But she also didn’t want to face the suicide mission in the Piloting Module alone. And Pazuzu certainly wasn’t going to let her even reach the ship unmolested. Patterson would soon be with the Lord, but they had greater struggles ahead.
“Launch!” he said. His eyes now projected anger and bitterness.
She touched his arm, trying to offer some comfort. Another cough issued from her lungs and she began to worry about that too. But her main concern was him, and she didn’t know how to console a replicant. She never even knew they needed that.
A loud sound like banging metal filled the Gate from above and the normal lighting went out. Most of the control stations displays went dead too, the few remaining flashed “Emergency” in red. Emergency lamps strobed blue as a siren started. She instinctively glanced at the doorway to Aux Two. Lights were flickering there too, but it did not appear that the Creature was following them. And then smoke and streams of red glow fell upon them from above, and there was another crash as something monstrous – and far larger than the eldritch horror they fought in Aux Two – landed on the deckplates. Buzzing filled the room; legions of angry fliers came from all directions.
She ducked low and covered her head. She could feel them flying all around her. Her imagination perceived vicious hornets or flies. But more hideous, even demonic, and she was partly thankful (but also terrified) for not seeing them. It was hard to see anything even when the lights strobed.
James tried to stand. The Creature seized him from behind and struck the back of his head with spears from within its gaping maw and also with a blow from a clawed hand. He reached behind him briefly to push the attacker away and then fell to his knees.
She reached for her weapon but the swarm piled on it and knocked it away. And she gasped in shock at the strength of those bugs – or demons. And then the Creature seized her and hurled her up and against the machinery. Her injured leg slammed into the handrails and she screamed and coughed as sharp pain, which she could feel even through the suit, filled her body. The bugs danced on her facemask in anticipation of feasting on her rotten corpse. Tentacles with glowing ends secured her arms. Its grip was monstrously tight and cut off circulation.
And she faced a real angel. Something corrupt and immortal. She had been so foolish to have been in awe of some of her crewmen – mere flesh and blood like her. But this abomination of monstrous size and twisted form deserved fear. Though difficult to see – for it only showed the red sprite projection that it chose – she knew it had been born of hatred and power. And it swallowed all into the belly of death itself – before reconstructing a mockery of life.
Its great maw opened wide with a hiss, and its breath fogged her visor. The spears that served as its tongue deep within its monstrous maw glowed with a hypnotic light and so she could see the rows of vicious teeth casting shadows on her foggy visor. Either strike (stab or bite) should cause a quick death. She prayed TURING would launch the Piloting Module autonomously.
Just save anyone left, God.
She felt the Creature’s sudden movement as it prepared to strike – and then missed. And she heard its head slam against the bulkhead to her left. The great mass of it painfully sandwiched her against the metal and forced her body into an unnatural pose. Then another hand threw her down on the decking, nearer to her escape. She reacted just in time to break her awkward fall. Then she swatted a remaining tentacle away.
“Get out of here!” James shouted, his voice filled with rage.
She stared in shock, but only for a moment. If Patterson could fall, yet cling to life, then anything could happen with their kind.
She thought first of acquiring a gun. The other flamethrower was in the main pouch of her backpack, and she clumsily pulled it out to ready its flame. She nudged her way back while starting the pilot flame. James punched the Creature back against the handrails on the other side of the monitoring station, breaking them with the force of the Creature’s fall.
He pummeled it with his fists while it lay against the Lorentz force engine. The power of his blows buckled the shell plating of the great machine. And it struck him back with great fury from its many limbs. She cursed inwardly that she wasn’t yet ready.
Please let me be fast enough.
James clubbed the monster with a pulserifle using so much force that broke into pieces. But it seemed nothing could keep the abomination down. The monstrous demon had already closed up to him when her flame began to glow. And she hesitated on seeing Patterson raise a shotgun from the other side of her target. Patterson’s face was twisted and threatening in the brief flashes of blue light. Swollen masses protruded from the natural contours of her face and the stinging beasts crawled all over her body. She looked monstrous.
No. Not already.
The Creature struck. An fiery arrow tipped tentacle surged at Patterson and impaled her stomach. She dropped the shotgun. The limb then wrapped around her chest and flung her through the handrails against the machinery. Holly stared confused while Patterson’s body rolled limp down underneath the walkway.
Another spear tip shot at Holly. She ducked to the side but it still struck the arm of her suit. It was a superficial grazing wound at most; she felt no pain, but an impact alarm sounded in her helmet.
She stumbled into the accessway to Habitation while hearing James grunting in desperation and rage. Turning back, she strained to see him wrestling the Pazuzu-abomination within the swarm. Its many hands and tentacles had enveloped him and it had caught his right hand in its horrendous maw. One of its tentacles pressed into his chin – or maybe under it. It was impossible to tell with only the strobing light. Dark liquid poured down the front of his body.
She fumbled for her pistol hoping against hope to save him, but she had dropped it in the attack. And it found it, and then raised it to take aim at her. And then the door shut. The manual operator to open it was unresponsive. She slammed her fist against the door in frustration and then feebly leaned against it. She felt so small and hopeless.
Remembering her torch, she reached in her cargo pocket and retrieved it. Then she accessed the comms box and set it to speaking with Propulsion Two.
“James, are you there?”
No response.
“Please answer me, James. Patterson?”
Comms remained silent. And then a loud bang filled the room and the door bulged inward. Emergency alarms denoting an impact blared in the accessway. She collapsed backwards on the deck and then began to shuffle away from the door while whatever was behind it battered it again and again.
“James!” she shouted in panic. “Are you there, James!” She kept crawling back, ignoring the sharp pains from all throughout her body.
The metal strained and buckled, and then the sound and shaking of a violent explosive filled the whole ship. Alarms blared in the accessway, signifying a hull breach. The operating console beside the door flashed a warning that Propulsion Two was rapidly decompressing. The explosives had detonated.
She stared at the console in shock. And then she curled up on the floor and cried.