“The crew abandoned ship?” said Theo.
Jane shrugged. “Maybe? It would explain their absence.”
Henry agreed. “It’s a plausible theory, but why would the crew abandon the ship?”
“Because it was about to crash on our planet would be a good enough reason, I should think,” said Theo.
Lucy glanced at the pilot captain. “But why did he remain? And don’t tell me it’s because a captain always goes down with his ship! This is an alien species, not some Hollywood movie.”
“If the ship was forced to make an emergency landing, maybe he tried to save the ship and its cargo, which by the good condition of the parts of the ship we’ve seen, he succeeded in doing.”
Jane stared at the wound in the alien’s chest. “If there were no crew left aboard the ship, what killed the captain?”
“It’s something we were pondering just before you arrived,” said Henry.
“Probably one of the monsters,” said Jack.
Lucy shook her head. “I don’t think so. Look at the body. There’s no sign of it having been eaten so it wasn’t killed for food, and the wound seems to have made with some type of weapon, a knife or something similar, not claws or teeth.”
“It’s like we said, the captain was murdered!” said Theo.
Jack banged his gloved hands together to prompt circulation back into his cold fingers. It made him realize how warm the rest of the ship had been. “As the pilot’s not going anywhere, how about we turn our thoughts to more immediate matters? Like how to restore some power to the ship’s systems to unlock the doors so we can get off this ship before it slips into the ocean and takes us along for the ride?”
“A wise suggestion, Jack.” Henry studied the long console. “Okay, let’s see if we can get this ship powered up.”
After they had brushed away as much of the thin layer of frost covering the control console as they could, they all gazed at the myriad of buttons, levers and screens lit by their flashlights. Strange symbols that might be a clue to the purpose of some of the controls were of no help to them, but a few small, simple diagrams etched into some of them hinted at their purpose.
Max pointed to a row of buttons on a panel with an image he interpreted as shining light. “I think this might be the lighting panel.”
After a brief discussion that resulted with all of them in agreement, Max pressed the first button. Nothing happened.
“Try pressing them all,” said Jane. “Just because the lights didn’t come on in here, they might have in other areas of the ship.”
Max pressed every button on the panel.
Four small glass units set in the ceiling, glowed to bathe the room and its occupants in weak yellow light.
Lucy gazed at the lights with a disappointed frown. “I was expecting something a bit brighter.”
Theo pointed at one of the large light panels above the console that had remained dark. “It might be a power problem and the yellow lights are the ships emergency lighting.”
“Still, they’re better than no light,” said Jack. “We’re lucky to have any power at all given the length of time this ship has been entombed here. I can’t imagine any human vehicle remotely functioning to this degree after such a time span had elapsed. It would probably be an unidentifiable heap of rust, plastic and rubber.”
Henry let his eyes wander over the console. “I would assume somewhere amongst all these confusing controls is a way to restore full power to the doors, if that’s possible, so everyone keep on searching.”
Henry stared at one of the small console screens. “If these screens are alien versions of computer screens, and if we can activate the ship’s computer, it might provide us with information about the ship’s systems.”
“I’d already thought along the same lines, Henry,” said Lucy, “but there’s no obvious button to activate the screens or any computer.”
“The screens are probably to provide the pilot and crew with information about the ship, navigation, etc.,” said Max. “Not the conventional computers we’re used to, as there’s no keyboard to type in any commands. I suppose they might be touch screens, but they seem too distant from the chairs to be convenient for that.”
“Maybe they’re voice controlled,” Lucy suggested.
So engrossed were they with examining everything, all failed to see the thing snake out of the console, move behind Henry’s back and rise to his head. When the length of articulated metal was level with Henry’s neck, the end peeled back in four segments, darted forward and latched onto Henry’s skin. As soon as it touched, an almost silent hiss was created by the air drawn out of the tube to seal it tight against its victim’s body. A small, sharp, hollow needle slid out from the center to pierce Henry’s flesh. Small filaments snaked out of the needle to attach themselves to Henry’s brain stem.
Henry let out a yelp of surprise when the thing attached itself to his neck. He went to grab at it, but his arm wouldn’t move, he was paralyzed.
The others turned on hearing Henry’s startled cry and noticed the thing hanging from the man’s neck. They rushed over. Jack attempted to pull it off. All he succeeded in doing was to drag Henry backward, almost tipping him to the floor.
“What is that thing?” said Max, stepping forward to help.
Jack released his grip on the attachment. “I’ve no idea, but it’s stuck fast to his neck.”
Jane noticed Henry’s skin stretch when Theo held Henry’s head with one hand and tugged on the thing with the other. “Hold on! You might do more damage pulling it off like that.”
Reluctantly, Theo released his hold.
Jack glanced at Jane when she moved forward for a closer examination. “What do you think it’s doing?”
Jane scrutinized Henry’s face. His eyes had a frozen look. A wave of her hand in front of the man’s face produced no reaction. “Whatever it’s doing, it’s paralyzed Henry so it can do it.” She followed the length of the flexible metal cable down to the console. “It’s connected to the ship.”
“Maybe we can cut it off,” said Theo. He pulled out his climbing knife and held it up.
“I’m not sure that would help Henry,” said Jane. “Look where that thing’s attached.”
Lucy looked at Henry’s neck and the thing attached to it. “You think it’s attached to his brain-stem?” said Lucy.
Jane shrugged. “To have paralyzed Henry so quickly, I believe it’s a good possibility. Maybe it injected him with something.”
Max pointed to the thing a few inches away from Henry’s neck. “If we cut through it here, perhaps it will detach itself.”
“We must be careful we don’t harm him,” Jane warned. “Perhaps its best we wait and see what happens.”
“And how long do you propose we wait?” said Max. “What if it never detaches itself, what then?”
Jane continued to watch Henry closely. “This thing has a purpose, and though I’ve no idea what that purpose is, I don’t believe harming Henry is the reason.”
Max was about to argue, when a quiet hiss of air announced its release. Max jumped back when it slithered into the console.
Henry continued his movement from the point directly before he was paralyzed and slapped his hand on his neck. “I think I’ve just been bitten by something.”
Jane glanced at the others. “You don’t remember what just happened?”
“Apart from being bit, you mean?”
“Yes.” Jane examined the back of Henry’s neck. There was a tiny dot of blood surrounded by a round, angry discolouration.
Henry was confused. “No, what are you going on about?”
Max pointed to the console. “You see that round indent in the console?”
Henry peered at the indicated spot. “Yes. What of it?”
“Something came out of there and attached itself to your neck.”