The Insectoid abandoned the falling body for the wall and climbed back up.
It took Ramirez almost three minutes of probing and cross-connecting the strange cabling before he hit lucky and the red light turned green. When the door swung silently open, bright white lights flashed on along the room’s length and highlighted the racks of impressive alien weapons lining both long walls. The two men entered and let their excited gazes wander over the strange weaponry.
Colbert smiled. “Christmas has arrived early this year.”
They walked past the racks and admired the weapons for a few moments before Ramirez selected a type of rifle. He examined the controls briefly before locating the switch to turn it on concealed behind a small sliding cover and powered up the weapon. He turned a dial marked with increasing larger dots to one midrange and aimed the weapon at the door opposite to the one they had entered. A squeeze of the trigger sent a small blue ball of light that grew to a foot across as it flew the length of the room before exploding in a bright flash on the door. “Well, they work. Now all we have to do is decide which ones to take and how many.”
Leaving Crowe guarding the corridor, Sullivan and Stedman entered and gazed in amazement at the alien weaponry.
“We’ll have to keep our assault rifles as we need the lights,” said Stedman, running a hand lovingly over one of the sleek rifles.
Ramirez walked farther along the racks. “I suggest we pick a selection, two rifles each and a couple of the smaller pistol types.”
“I agree,” said Colbert. “We can’t afford to burden ourselves with too many.”
While the men each chose their weapons, Colbert again tried to contact Control, but without success. It was time to put operation Phoenix into action. “Ramirez, once you’ve picked out what you’re taking, set the explosives.” Colbert walked the room choosing from the types on offer ones he could easily carry.
Stedman opened a metal box and peered inside at the transparent globes set in soft hollowed out compartments. “Commander, I think these might be alien grenades.”
Colbert joined Stedman and took the globe he handed him. He stared at the purple haze filling the globe before handing it back. “Leave them. It might be some type of chemical weapon and we could end up gassing ourselves.”
Stedman returned the globe carefully to its compartment and closed the lid.
When Sullivan had selected all he could carry comfortably, he swapped places with Crowe in the corridor so the man could choose his own.
When they all had alien weapons―including some for Cleveland―the men left the room.
Colbert approached Ramirez, who was busy connecting thin yellow cables to a timer. “All set, Ramirez?”
“I just need to know what time to set.”
“Twenty minutes should give us enough time to get clear. I’d like more, but as we don’t know how far away the Russians are, I can’t take the risk.”
Ramirez set the timer for twenty minutes and started the countdown.
“I think we may have a problem, Commander,” said Sullivan when Colbert exited the weapon store. “Stedman called out to Cleveland but he didn’t reply.”
Colbert glanced along the corridor. “Assume there’s a threat and be ready to retaliate, but we can’t afford to hang about as in twenty minutes this level won’t exist.”
The men moved along the corridor with cautious haste and entered the lobby with their weapons and lights sweeping the circular room, but found no sign of Cleveland.
“Cleveland,” called out Sullivan in a loud whisper.
As they crossed the room, they searched the floor for blood splatters or any other evidence of what might have happened to Cleveland.
Stedman focused his attention on the elevator and as he drew near his light aimed through the doors picked out a red splash on the shaft wall. “There’s blood here.”
Colbert joined him and stared at the fresh blood and the dark opening. He glanced at Stedman. “Cover me.”
Stedman was joined by the others and they aimed their weapons at the opening. Colbert stood to one side of the elevator and leaned forward so he could peer inside. He sensed movement above and dodged back. Bullets struck the Insectoid that dropped into view. It shot against the far wall of the shaft and dropped from sight.
Colbert checked above the opening to ensure no more were lurking in ambush before peering down the shaft. Though he couldn’t see anything, he sensed something was coming. He glanced back at his men. “Anyone have a flare?”
Sullivan fished one from his pocket.
Colbert struck it and dropped it into the shaft.
As it fell its bright red glow highlighted the Insectoids climbing the four sides of the shaft. It was a vision of demons escaping from hell.
“Monsters!” Colbert shouted. He aimed his rifle at the nearest and fired. It screeched and followed the flare to the bottom.
Sullivan and Stedman swapped their assault rifles for alien weapons, switched them on and rushed forward. The balls of light lit up the darkness and picked out the evil faces of the approaching creatures. A light ball punched a neat hole through an Insectoids head before exploding in a bright flash against the shaft wall. The second passed through two creatures before exploding.
Colbert aimed his light up the shaft and focused on the bottom of the elevator and the gap between it and the ladder. He turned to his men. “We’re going to climb past the elevator. Ramirez, do you have any explosives left?”
Ramirez nodded. “I kept a little back in case we needed to blast our way through a blockage.”
“Set charges on whatever’s holding the elevator in place and get ready to blow it when we’re all clear.”
Sullivan raised his eyebrows skeptically. “Are you sure that’s wise with the ship being so unstable?”
“I can’t see what other choice we have now we’ve set the explosives back there. If the collapsing ship doesn’t kill us, those monsters definitely will.”
Ramirez glanced below as he stepped onto the ladder. The monsters on all four sides of the shaft were a hellish sight. The captain was right; it was worth the risk. He stepped onto the ladder and climbed.
Stedman and Crowe followed him up.
Colbert fired a few shots at the monsters, halting them four levels below, before climbing after Stedman. By pressing their bodies flat against the ladder it was possible for them to squeeze past the elevator.
When Colbert rose above it, he saw his men continuing to climb and Sullivan opening a door a few levels above. He glanced at Ramirez. “All set?”
Ramirez nodded and held up a remote detonator. “Just say the word.”
Screeches from below filled the shaft.
When they had all reached the higher door, Colbert nodded to Ramirez. “Blow it.”
Ramirez peered down at the creatures that squeezed around the edge of the elevator and pressed the button on the remote.
The small explosions echoed up the shaft. The elevator fell. Monsters screeched as they were crushed or knocked back down the shaft.
After Stedman and Crowe had picked off the couple that had climbed past the elevator, the door was forced shut.
Colbert glanced around the stairwell chamber. “Now all we have to do is find our way back to the exit.”
The Russian salvage team had been following the sounds of gunfire when the explosion rumbled through the ship and halted them. All stared along the corridor the sound had originated from.