Colbert entered and glanced at the screens positioned above an antiquated Cold War era console sparsely covered in large buttons. None of the views from the CCTV cameras presently on the nine screens revealed any presence of the scientists or the creature. He focused on one of the two clunky twelve-button keyboards before turning to the door.
“Buckner, swop places with Ramirez, I need him in here.”
Ramirez appeared at the door and glanced at the console.
“See if you can flick through different camera views so we can see what we’re facing,” ordered Colbert.
Unphased by the Cyrillic writing and numbers indicating the controls functions he couldn’t read, Ramirez sat in one of the two chairs and began punching buttons.
Colbert crossed to the door. “Everyone except Buckner and Kessler inside.”
As the others began filing into the room, Colbert examined the facility’s blueprint fixed to a wall. Realizing its usefulness in helping them navigate through the levels, he took a tablet from Ramirez’s rucksack and took a photograph. Turning to Richard, he thrust the tablet into the man’s hands. “You can be our navigator.”
Richard glanced at the small screen. “Gee, thanks.”
Colbert crossed to the CCTV console and looked over Ramirez’s shoulder as different grainy greyscale views from the low-quality cameras distributed throughout the subterranean complex flickered onto the screens. Colbert’s gaze studied each in turn but detected no movement or signs of life, be it human or alien, in any of them.
Ramirez’s fingers pressed buttons on the chunky keyboard to show views from other cameras. Movement, nothing more than a fleeting shadow, focused Colbert’s gaze on one of the screens.
Colbert pointed at the monitor. “Can you pan that camera? I thought I saw something.”
Ramirez glanced at the Russian text in the bottom right corner of the screen that indicated the camera providing the view, pressed the corresponding number indicated on the row of buttons positioned above the keyboard and began moving the joystick.
Everyone in the room stared at screen three when the camera moved. It panned past glass-walled rooms that seemed to be laboratories, and then an empty corridor came into view.
“Nothing there, Commander,” said Ramirez.
“Pan down,” instructed Colbert.
Slowly something dark and indistinct came into view on the floor. It was difficult to tell if it was formed of shadow or substance. When Ramirez zoomed in, the dark shape sprung at the camera. The view briefly went black before dissolving into static.
“Whatever that thing was, it destroyed the camera,” said Ramirez.
Though it was difficult to tell from the low-quality camera feed, Colbert was certain the black thing he had glimpsed was a smaller type of the creature he had encountered from the spaceship in Antarctica. The damn fool Russians had brought it here. “It seems we’ve found our alien.”
“And it now knows we are here and were looking at it,” said Richard ominously.
“My Russian isn’t that good,” said Ramirez, studying the information in the corner of the dark screen, “but I think the camera the alien put out of action is on Level 4, the lowest level.”
“Then that’s where we’ll head,” said Colbert. “Ramirez, you remain here and keep us informed of the creature’s movements. We’ll search each level room by room to check for survivors and make our way down until we find it.”
Colbert headed into the corridor.
Before Richard reluctantly followed the others out, he glanced at one of the screens and focused on the small dark creature moving through one of the rooms. At first angry, then resigned to his current predicament, the proof that an alien species was here turned his thoughts to how he could gain a second stream of profit from his forced involvement. If he could collect irrefutable evidence of the existence of an alien entity and reveal it to the world, everyone would know he had been telling the truth about the spaceship in Antarctica. With his reputation repaired and the recognition of being the first person to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life, the fame so cruelly snatched from him before would surely follow.
“Richard, you’re with me,” ordered Colbert.
As the alien creature moved from the camera’s view range, Richard turned away and joined the others heading deeper into the facility and closer to the alien creature that would, along with the sale of the alien weapon, bring him everything he wanted from life: fame, fortune, beautiful women and all the luxuries he could ever need. He ignored the suspicious glare Colbert gave him and moved to the middle of the pack to ensure he was protected on all sides. For the moment he needed their help, but later, maybe not so much. As soon as he had what he required, and it was safe to do so, he would leave this place, even if he had to sacrifice his escort to achieve that. He would also need one of their weapons to persuade the pilot to fly him away from here.
CHAPTER 17
Krisztina
Hoping she had remained hidden long enough for the creature to give up its hunt, Krisztina anxiously cracked open the door of the cramped cupboard where she had taken refuge and peered into the gloomy room lit by two bulkhead wall lights. She gradually opened it wider until she could see most of the storeroom. It was littered with abandoned pieces of equipment and trollies adorned with dangling restraint straps her fear imagined to be tentacles. Calming her anxiety, she scrutinized the patches of shadows for signs of a darker form hidden within. Believing the room to be free of the Black menace stalking her, she plucked up the courage to climb out and headed for the exit.
EV1L 2.0 had been tasked with seeking out the human female that was hiding somewhere on this level. Its reward when it found her was the feast she would provide. Soon its queen would produce more offspring and the rivalry between siblings would soon follow. The human’s substance would enable it to grow stronger and increase its mass, giving it an edge over its younger, weaker brethren.
Pressing her face against the small viewing window set in the door, Krisztina’s gaze searched her limited outlook of the corridor. She dodged to the side when something small, dark and evil padded into view. Praying the creature would pass on by, she pressed her trembling body against the wall. Her fear shot up a notch when a tar-like liquid oozed beneath the door. Her heart pounded against her chest as panic swept over her. Knowing she would die if she let her panic take control and prompt reckless actions, she calmed her nerves and fearfully watched the menacing puddle flow into the room. When a crude, stretched skeletal face formed in the oozing mass and bulging golf-ball-size eyes, glossy black and malevolent, looked at her, she screamed and grabbed the door handle. The yanked open door bunched up the glutinous Black when it was dragged along with it. Krisztina rushed into the corridor and fled.
EV1L 2.0 shot out a tentacle at its fleeing prey, but lacking the mass required, its reach fell short. It pulled its bunched-up bulk from beneath the door, morphed into its previous creature form and set off in pursuit.
Aware of the Black’s ability to separate into different sentient lifeforms, Krisztina thought it likely there were more roaming this level she couldn’t risk encountering. Desperate to escape the lower level and notify her superiors of the alien entity—if any of her surviving comrades hadn’t already done so—so they could send reinforcements equipped to deal with it, she pondered her options. Due to the alien creature inside that had killed Stanislav, the elevator was no longer a viable means of escape. There remained only one other route open to her. She just had to reach it.
She glanced back fearfully on hearing the padding of small feet on the floor. Drawing nearer with every bound of its small powerful limbs, the swiftly moving creature snarled at her. Krisztina turned away before her trembling legs failed her and glanced at the labels attached to the doors she passed. Relief that she might still survive swept over her when she read the label of the room she sought. Skidding to a halt, she grabbed the handle and urging it not to be locked turned it. The door opened. The repetitive throbbing chug, chug and faint scent of diesel from the generator that provided the facility’s power welcomed her. She rushed in and slammed the door shut. Though she doubted it would prevent the creature from gaining entry, it should buy her the few precious seconds she desperately needed.