Jack shot anxious glances at the ice walls zooming by a few feet from the rotor tips as he concentrated on keeping the craft in the middle of the passage. It seemed like an eternity before he emerged into the large hangar and was able to relax his grip upon the controls slightly. He hovered and turned the helicopter as he searched for Jane. When he saw no sign of her, the thought that she might have slipped off the ice into the sea filled him with dread.
His eyes searched the collection of cargo transport spaceships gathered at the far end of the hangar and glimpsed movement. A smile formed when Jane appeared and waved. She was alive!
He urged the helicopter a little closer before setting it down on the swaying floor, but when Jane remained by the cargo vessel, he sensed something was wrong. He unstrapped himself from the seat and searched for a weapon. All he found was a flare gun and three flares, so he loaded one cartridge before climbing out.
He looked over at Jane. “What’s wrong?”
The one-eyed Hunter stepped into view on top of the cargo ship Jane hid beneath. The Hunter and Jack stared at one another.
Jack raised the flare gun and pulled the trigger.
The flare gun wasn’t designed for accuracy and sent the glowing missile streaking across the hangar in a wobbling, slightly curved trajectory. It missed its target by a few feet and exploded in a shower of bright light against the far wall. Jack loaded a fresh cartridge and moved nearer, his eyes never wavering from the threat on top of the cargo ship.
Wary of the weapon it carried, the Hunter watched the human approach.
Jack halted a short distance from the craft and glanced at Jane. “When I fire the next flare, run to the helicopter and don’t stop until you’re safely inside.”
Jane nodded and watched Jack aim the weapon. As soon as the flare shot from the gun she sprinted across the room.
The flare was closer this time, causing the Hunter to dodge aside to avoid it when it skidded along the top of the spacecraft.
When Jane grew level with Jack, he joined her dash for the helicopter and loaded the last flare while he ran.
The Hunter leaped from the cargo ship and pursued the humans across the hangar.
While Jane climbed through the open door and squirmed past the pilot’s seat, Jack turned and fired at the approaching monster. Though the flare curved down and bounced across the floor, it was on target. The Hunter swerved to avoid it, stumbled and rolled across the floor. Jack climbed into the helicopter, shut the door and increased power to the idling rotors.
Jane gazed past Jack and through the side window. The Hunter regained its footing and ran towards them. “It’s coming.”
The iceberg rolled steeply, tipping the helicopter at an angle and causing it to slide across the floor with a piercing, metallic screech. The untethered cargo ships also moved in the same direction. Two crashed into each other before separating. One struck the wall, another headed for the center of the room and the helicopter.
Thrown off balance by the sudden movement, the Hunter staggered to the side, tripped to the floor and gazed at the cargo ship sliding past.
Jack also watched the approaching cargo ship and careful to avoid crashing into the ceiling, he lifted the helicopter off the floor and held it at the same slant as the ship. He coaxed it out of the path of the oncoming alien vessel and turned to bring the tail round; the cargo ship screeched by barely a foot from the tail rotor.
Jane looked at Jack with dread etched on her face. “I think the iceberg’s about to flip over.”
Jack gave her as reassuring smile as he could muster. “Then I suggest we leave.”
As he steered the helicopter towards the exit, the ship leveled off briefly before tipping in the opposite direction, forcing him to constantly adjust the angle of the helicopter to match the ship’s new incline.
Jane stared at the tunnel opening now at an angle. In the hangar Jack had room to maneuver; the tunnel would provide no such luxury. She glanced at the man beside her, his face creased with concern. She placed a hand on his arm. “You can do it, Jack.”
“A piece of cake,” he replied bravely.
Jane glanced around the hangar. The Hunter was on the move again, but the erratically swaying vessel threw it from side to side and slowed it down.
Jack crossed the hangar, hovered in front of the opening that tipped one way and then the other and matched the roll and pitch of the ship. He took a deep breath and propelled the helicopter forward. As they flew through the tunnel, Jack tilted the copter left and right and lowed and raised the forward movement when the ice pitched and yawed.
Jane gripped the seat so hard her fingers hurt.
The Hunter chased the helicopter into the tunnel. Its claws gripped the ice to prevent it sliding from the iceberg’s erratic movements and ran along the tunnel walls when it tipped acutely.
The ice tipped to the left, but this time it kept on going. The iceberg was rolling over. Worried the scream that leaped to her lips would distract Jack from his impossible task, Jane clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle it. Sweat beaded on Jack’s brow as tipped the helicopter to match the roll of the ice until they were flying at forty-five degrees. Chunks of ice fell from all directions. Some struck the helicopter; others smashed on contact with the walls and floor. Jack blinked away the stinging saltiness of the sweat that ran into his eyes. If he lost concentration even for a second they would both die. He glimpsed the end of the tunnel ahead. Not far now. A lump of ice struck the side of the helicopter and nudged the rotors towards the ice. The tips gouged at the wall, spraying ice plumes into the air. Jack compensated and edged the rotors free. When they shot from the end of the tunnel the wind grabbed the helicopter and swept it towards the rolling iceberg.
When the Hunter emerged from the tunnel running and it saw the helicopter heading nearer, it changed direction slightly. Its legs scrambled for a purchase on the ice as it skewed to the side and as soon as they found a grip, they propelled it towards the helicopter as it started moving away again. When it ran out of ice, it leaped off the ledge with its claws poised to grab one of the helicopters skids. Just as it was about to grab hold, the helicopter pulled away. It shrieked as it plummeted into the cold sea.
When the ship tipped to the other side again and didn’t stop, Richard fell and smashed into the opposite wall, which was now the floor of the corridor. The rotation continued, sending Richard sliding down the wall and then across the now upside-down ceiling. He guessed the worst had happened and the large iceberg the ship was trapped in had flipped over. He was just wondering if the ship was now beneath the sea when a cacophony of screeches, growls and scraping of claws indicated he had a more immediate problem to worry about. Fear propelled him unsteadily to his feet and aimed the flashlight at the terrifying sounds. He could have cried at what the light picked out. A group of many different species of monsters rushed along the corridor. It worried Richard that they were not attacking each other, but seemed to have a common goal that had superseded their normal instinct to kill and eat. He didn’t imagine, however tasty humans were to these foul creatures, that the thought of feasting on his flesh was responsible. The blast of wind that knocked Richard back a step brought with it a deafening roar. He gazed past the fast approaching hoard of claws and teeth. A wall of water surged violently around the corner and chased the fleeing monsters. For a brief moment Richard froze as his brain processed the latest threat to his life―the ship was sinking and he was trapped onboard. His sense of self-preservation kicked in and spun him around and sent his legs running back along the corridor.