Thousands of brilliant blue/green beams cut through the foggy air, emitted both from dishes on the ground and from distant unseen sources in the sky. All converged on the satellite, now radiant and pulsing with energy. This finally warranted the creature’s attention.
It turned its dull red gaze from the hole towards the blue/green point of light above it and bellowed one last time. When the satellite fired, combining every beam which shone upon it into a single pillar of light, it did not burn the creature but rather split it instantly in half.
The injury was bloodless, and just a few short seconds later both halves had healed to form two new creatures exactly half the size of the original. The single beam followed suit, splitting in two, each focusing on one of the regenerated twins.
They split further, and so did the beam, rapidly subdividing the monster into an ever increasing number of smaller and smaller copies. The satellite was now in freefall, but keeping up with the division nonetheless.
As the monsters increased in number and diminished in size they appeared more and more lethargic, the smallest ones struggling just to move their heads. Finally the satellite struck the ground, sending up an impressive fireball.
A tense silence followed. Collapsed creatures laid strewn about the arid landscape, a few twitching or whimpering but the rest completely motionless. Soon the silence gave way to a dull roar in the distance, which gradually resolved into cheering as an elated mob approached.
There was no controlling it. Uniformed figures of all kinds descended upon the creature’s remains, beating them furiously or discharging various weapons into them with no effect. Even in their weakened state, the healing was too rapid.
When the pandemonium settled down, the crowd dispersed to allow an orderly procession of yellow suited figures access to the bodies. One by one they placed thick lead helmets over the creatures’ heads, secured to a restraining harness such that if any of the creatures should recover, they would be unable to move or use that strange red gaze against their captors.
Just as the battle seemed won, an alarm sounded and in the distance a bizarre spectacle played out. Dozens of creatures had recovered just enough from their stunned condition to lunge towards each other, fusing into a mass of flesh which then assumed the same form but doubled in size.
The revelers who only minutes before had been dancing excitedly among the monster’s remains were now either fleeing in terror or standing their ground, firing their weapons fruitlessly into an ever-growing mass of pale flesh.
On all sides, strange weapons spat flaming death at the seething white mound but they simply couldn’t burn it away faster than it was growing. A head began to form. The mouth tore open and roared in pain. Soon the eyes would open, and all would be lost.
A new form emerged from the mist. He looked far less threatening than any of the soldiers, clearly unarmed and unclothed except for a flowing hospital gown. On his hairless head sat perched an electrode cap, and on his face a look of powerful determination.
Behind him another patient emerged from the fog, then dozens followed and soon thousands, each trailing a long thin cable attached to something not yet seen. When the last silhouette came forth, a hulking steel cylinder recognizable as the machine to which they were all connected, the mass of flesh took notice.
Its eyes began to open, but much too late to turn the tide. Every one of them stopped, closed their eyes and quivered in place. As if in response the machine then hissed, billowing plumes of steam jetting forth from cracks now forming at ten degree increments around the curvature of the cylinder.
When the ‘petals’ opened the entire machine fell from the bed of the vehicle which carried it and came to rest on the dusty grey earth, technicans on either side rolling it with great effort to face the recovering monster. The second blast finished it.
The creature did not split as before, but collapsed with a thundering impact, finally beaten.
“They look human”. Leo waited for a response from Eliot. For his part he remained silent, staring intently at the screen. Angie did the same.
“This doesn’t look like Europa either. Where is this?” They shushed him. Onscreen, a great vessel departed from shore with the decaying remains of the monster strapped to its deck. Once out to sea, a missile fired from shore struck the ship and sank it, ‘cargo’ and all. “They must’ve thought it was dead”.
Shushed again. As the recording concluded, the view was of a rocket being loaded up with restrained creatures, a few weakly resisting but to no avail. The rocket launched with a deafening roar, climbing dramatically into the sky just as the stream cut short. That was all. Whatever great struggle had taken place, the thing out there in the trench had lost, its other half now sealed away beneath the icy shell of Europa.
“What the fuck did we just watch?” All four sat, stunned, trying to absorb and interpret the contents of the video. “They looked human.” This time, Eliot nodded and answered back. “They did, but that didn’t look like Earth. No part of it I know of.”
Nate shrugged and headed for the door. “It’s all right there in Revelations, Eliot. Wouldn’t kill you to read it.” The rest stayed put and continued mulling over what they had seen. “I feel more confused than when we started. I’ve never seen uniforms like that. And the weapons too, as best I know we have nothing on that level.”
It was true, with one exception. Angie had in fact recognized their skullcaps as functionally identical to the one used to record the dream, although the connection between the patients who wore them and the weapon they seemingly powered was unclear. EEG only recorded brain activity. Somehow it was the key to crippling the monster in the trench three miles below, but no method she could think of would turn it into a weapon.
Whatever the nation or race of the army that had defeated it the first time, their technology was beyond understanding. Or beyond Angie’s, at least.
The crew sat sullen and quiet around the dinner table. Food was an afterthought. Nate prepared enough for everyone after leaving the lab, but nausea made eating it a chore.
“Could just be dreams.” Leonard again, the voice of reason. Nate looked annoyed but said nothing. He’d kept quiet since the video. “We’ve all seen the body, we know what it looks like. Just because it’s in all our dreams doesn’t make it-” Eliot pounded the table, rattling the bowls and flatware.
“LEO. Listen. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but that’s enough. I’ve been thinking about my dream, and I can’t make sense of it. I can’t say for certain what planet that was, but those were obviously human beings. Nate, your dream showed a coastal town. I don’t know which one but that was certainly Earth, those were human beings and although I can’t say when it took place the houses and cars looked essentially modern.”
Leo let it sink in, and then responded. “What are you getting at? You think the dreams are real? Things that actually happened on other planets?” Eliot shook his head. “No, if I had to say one way or the other then I guess I do think that was Earth in both dreams. And I suspect Nate’s dream is more or less what will happen if we let it reach the surface. What I can’t decide yet is whether my dream took place in the future, or the distant past.”
Angie’s sleep was erratic but mercifully dreamless. When she awoke she found Eliot and Leo already dressed and sitting on either side of the table. “I want to talk about yesterday.” Neither replied. “It just got a little crazy. We talked about things that seemed to make sense at the time but now that I’ve slept on it, the more I recall the more fantastical it seems. I want to discuss other possibilities.”
Still, both remained silent. When one spoke, it caught Angie completely off guard. “Nate’s missing.” In fact he was. She hadn’t noticed but from her position she could see into all four cylinders and Nate wasn’t in any of them. “The cupola? The minisub?” Eliot shook his head.
Leo spoke next. “One of the suits is gone. He never mentioned an EVA, no idea where he went or what he’s up to. Last I saw him he was pacing in the galley, quoting scripture to nobody in particular. I think something’s not right with him. For all we know, he’s on his way to the surface right now.”
The dread was palpable. At that very moment, if he’d really gone to the surface, whatever strange influence the body in the trench exerted over them would be spreading to the topside recovery crew.
Once in range of shore, it would spread to the mainland. The dreams only became stronger, more vivid with every additional mind it touched, to the point that Angie’s ‘infection’ had taken only hours and somehow empowered the creature to deceive them while awake.
All that with just four brains. With dozens, it would become a nightmare beyond any possibility of control. With millions, the nightmares she recorded the day before would be fulfilled.
Their quiet reflection was interrupted with a sudden banging on the airlock door.
Everyone jolted upright and stared at it in unison, Angie most of all. “I swear that hatch was open literally five seconds ago.” Eliot was the first to act and in one swift motion he was at the control panel initiating decompression.
“Eliot, stop.” He carried on as if he didn’t hear. “Eliot, look at the cradles.” On the panel two icons showed an illuminated outline representing the alcoves into which the suits locked while not in use. One was gone, as expected. It took him a moment to fully understand the significance.
Even if not in the cradle, as long as the suit was within range and line of sight it would communicate those vitals to the cradle’s systems. If Nate were inside the lock, his suit would show up on the display but it wasn’t there.
“Yeah, okay. I see it.” Eliot canceled the cycle and backed away from the controls. The banging continued for a few seconds, then abruptly stopped. They waited some time for it to resume but there was only silence.
“I’m going out to look for him”.
Nobody argued. Leo knew Eliot well enough to have anticipated it. Angie couldn’t bear the thought of another EVA and was relieved that Eliot offered first. It took half an hour to suit up, but soon the inner door was closed and repressurization was underway.
The two crew members remaining aboard the Argyro watched from the cupola as the third trekked across the ocean floor to find out what had become of number four. It seemed a very real possibility that he wouldn’t return.
For the next four hours Angie laid in her bunk alternating between looking through the porthole just above and averting her eyes, mildly nervous that something might be looking back. Leo sat pensively at the laser comms station waiting for word from Eliot.
But when it came, he wasn’t alone.
“I can’t understand him. Adjust the gain, I think his suit battery is low.” Angie loomed over Leo’s shoulder as he fiddled with the comms interface, very much the backseat driver.
“This is the best we’re going to get. You’re right about the battery, it’s showing 18 percent. It’s broadcasting at full power, but we’ll only get coherent audio once he’s closer.” It was agonizing.
“How much closer?” Through the cupola dome they could barely make out the figure of one newt suit lurching towards the base, dragging another behind it. “Keep your pantyhose on. At this rate he’ll be at the airlock in six minutes, we’ll have clear audio then.”
The overhead lights flickered. For the first time in two days Angie took note of the worsening condition of the station. Long stains ran down the walls in some places, water damage or rust from sea water trickling down them.
The bedrooms were fairly dry but in the main chamber if you paid attention you could catch sea water dripping from the ceiling once every minute or two. And every so often, the long, low groan of the hull adjusting to pressure reminded her where she was. Coming up on four days of backup air, and maybe half that in battery power.
She began to dwell on the idea of spending her final moments in cold, damp darkness. That’s when Eliot’s voice came in over comms.
“Nate’s hurt, let me in.” They looked at each other and hesitated, both afflicted by the same doubts. “Could you answer some questions Eliot?” A pause followed.
“I don’t have time for bullshit. Nate’s suit blew a seal, he’s been slowly taking on water for hours. Life support’s still running but he’s up to his knees in frigid sea water and his suit could implode at any second. Open the outer door.”
Sounded like Eliot. Looked like Eliot, too. The tiny camera inside his helmet sent back a familiar face contorted by stress. “Eliot. You know we have to ask. I’m going to let you into the lock, but I won’t depressurize until you confirm some things for me.”
He made muffled sounds of frustration but obligingly climbed into the airlock as the outer hatch swung open. Once both were safely inside, Leo confirmed on the display that both suits were showing vitals. “The suits are real, at least.”
“Leo, don’t play games with me. Nate’s hurt, start depressurizing now.” Leo looked tempted, but held firm. “That may not be your brother” Angie muttered, one hand gripping his shoulder. “Don’t tell me what I already know. He’ll stay out there until he answers my question.”
Inside, the dim green lasers from both suits flickered randomly, their battery power on the verge of giving out. “Eliot, on my eighth birthday mom gave me a gift. It was something I wanted more than anything else in the world. What was the gift, and what color was it?”
The brightness of the laser connecting the airlock’s emitter to Eliot’s suit fluctuated, matching the intensity of Leo’s voice as he spoke. Both waited breathlessly for his reply. “It wasn’t yours.” Leo raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?” one elbow on the console already, he leaned further in so as not to miss Eliot’s answer.
“Mom didn’t give you the tricycle. She gave it to me. It was green. You cried because you wanted a trike so badly, but she gave it to me instead. I hated green, and I hated to see you cry. I gave you the trike and told you that you’d owe me forever.”
Angie looked at Leo, waiting for a reaction. Suddenly he grinned. “Initiating decompression cycle.” But as he reached for the controls, Angie seized his hand. “Leo, look at the vitals.”
Eliot’s suit read 14.7 psi, surface normative. Nate’s read 9,860 psi and the internal temperature was just above freezing. “Eliot, how’s Nate?” It took a moment for him to check and report back.
“He’s weary, but breathing fine. Says he’s scared. Why?” Angie’s body became rigid, and in a faltering voice she whispered back: “Eliot, I don’t know what’s in that suit but it isn’t human, and I’m not letting it inside.”
In the lock, Eliot struggled to parse the message. He went over it several times in his head before the meaning clicked for him. Chills ran through his body as he looked down at his injured friend, meeting his gaze through the thick borosilicate viewport of the damaged suit.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t they draining the lock?” It looked and sounded exactly like Nate. For a moment he wondered if Angie could be mistaken. “Something’s wrong with the pumps. We need to wait outside while they fix it.”
He’d never been a good liar, least of all under stress, but the thing masquerading as Nate seemed to buy it. “Help me up, let’s get this over with so I can get inside and have a hot cup of coffee, haha.”
Eliot didn’t laugh. Inside the suit he’d begun to sweat, hauling Nate’s suit out of the lock yet also struggling to touch it as little as possible. It was right next to him. Whatever it was down in the trench, it was also here, very much in physical form and separated from him only by two layers of armor and a few inches of ocean. Not nearly enough.
“I thought we had to wait outside”. Eliot halted on his way back to the outer hatch. His mind raced as he formulated a reply. “It’s dangerous. The pumps are acting up, depressurization would be uncontrolled. I’m just going to stand on the open hatch so I’m in laser range, I want a play by play of the repairs.”
Nice. He’d felt more confident that time. Deceit was not his strong suit, but he was learning quickly. “I want to wait inside with you.” His stomach turned. “No, no, you stay out here. If the hatch closes I can get clear in time. You’re hurt, it’s a bad idea.”
It was beginning to look like he’d overestimated his skill. Nate’s voice became frantic, with a subtle hint of anger. “Don’t leave me out here. I’m so cold, don’t leave me alone Eliot, don’t let me die.”
He began to crawl towards Eliot, who instinctively jammed his thumb on the thruster control and made a beeline for the open hatch. Nate cried out, his voice audibly wavering between its normal pitch and a barely concealed inhuman screech. Eliot glanced at the rear view video feed.
He had a solid lead but Nate had entered pursuit and was slowly catching up. More battery left? Out of the corner of his eye he saw the outline of Nate’s suit fade into something else, a large black silhouette which grew more distinct as it closed in.
Finally it took on the form of an enormous, pale face with beady black eyes, and a wide open mouth full of sharp little teeth. Eliot convulsed but kept his thumb on the hat switch. It was no use, on the suit’s HUD he saw his velocity dropping precipitously as the batteries finally went flat.
With a loud reverberating clag, the outer hatch closed. Seconds later the entire station rocked violently as whatever had been chasing him impacted the airlock. “Eliot, what the fuck was that? Are you okay?”
He wasn’t, his heart threatened to explode and his lungs felt like they were on fire but he lied. “I’m fine Angie. Drain the lock and depressurize, now.” It took twice as long to get the suit off because Eliot couldn’t stop shaking.
“Are you that cold? Let me feel your face.” He brushed her hand away and struggled to free himself from the cumbersome exoskeleton. “I’m not cold. It’s fine. Boil water, I need some tea.” Even with a change of clothes and a warm cup of earl grey, his hands still visibly shook.
“Angie, if you don’t get that thermometer away from me I am going to break it. That’s warning number two.” She’d tried to sneak up behind him but somehow he knew. “I really wish you’d tell us what happened out there. You look terrible.”
He smirked. “That’s some bedside manner.” She wanted to fire back but resigned herself to being pleased that he was making jokes again. “Well, I’m not that kind of doctor anyway. But if you’re really okay, get some sleep. Tomorrow, we need to start taking steps.”
He didn’t ask what she meant as it was implicit. The thing in the trench was becoming desperate, each new attempt on the station bolder than the last. It was only a matter of time before it got in.
Stay Tuned for Part 6!
Amazing pace and tension. At the edge of my seat. What a fantastic horror/thriller.
Probably my favorite part so far, the end of Eliot's dream, everyone's solemn reaction to it, and then Eliot's experience at the end were all great.
I'm wondering if Nate is dead, and wondering why Angie didn't dream when she slept... all a dream?
Sacaré tiempo para leer desde el inicio, y que el traductor no cambié la esencia.
What is that creature in the photo? A fish?
A deformed wolf eel that's a famous resident of a certain public aquarium.
Its amazing how they became confused whether they were dreaming or whether it was real.
I was very relived at the moment when Eliot answered his brothers question correctly. Jus like if I was there at the moment and prayed he would answer it. Relieve lasted for a few seconds when Angie was once again right.
Amaizing story!
Resteemed!
How to kill those creatures if they just multiply like rabbits?? And imagine if they start... I mean exchanging their Ying and Yang together so there will be even more!!! Meh, they should've split and they could annihilate all the human crew. Damn steam machine. I'm on the monster side. Monster gogo, you can do it.
It is a good think I am not reading this in paperback format, I would be done with it or very tired. This is a definite keep turning the page pace book. We have past, present, and future, but is it Earth's past, present and future, or somewhere else, or a combo of somewhere else and earth, I am almost thinking alternative reality overlap, based on some of your past works, but I don't think so, this feels to new a concept. Anyway I am finding the story absolutely fascinating.
Man, i just found this. It is all kinds of AWESOME!
I'll start to read it from the beginning right now! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing!
Nice history in this novel..
''When the ‘petals’ opened the entire machine fell from the bed of the vehicle which carried it and came to rest on the dusty grey earth, technicans on either side rolling it with great effort to face the recovering monster. The second blast finished it...''
You have wonderful thoughts ! I love it.. keep going like that friend @alexbeyman
waooowww !! what a way you write <3 please do more <3 i wanna see more stories like this <3 such a great story i have ever read <3 keep in touch
i was waiting for this part now its here thanks for posting
Thank you for sharing another novel with me. I always try to read your novel
@alexbeymanthis is a deautiful picture its nature...
in thise picture imagery is impressive...