The two men headed for the nearest laboratory.
Colbert took the tablet from Richard and stowed it. He then unholstered his pistol and handed it to Richard, who eagerly took it. “It’s time to put your expertise to use.” He nodded to Richard to go first. “Because I still don’t trust you enough not to panic, shoot me in the back and flee, I’ll be watching you.”
Richard, surprised he was now armed, smiled at Colbert as he walked past. You kidnapped me and brought me here by force. You shouldn’t trust me at all.
Pressed flat on the ceiling, the eyes in the puddle of Black hungrily watched the humans below when they separated, increasing its chances of success. Picking out its first victims, EV1L 2.0 waited until the two groups had put some distance between each other before releasing its grip on the ceiling. As it dropped, it morphed into a creature with the semblance of a spider monkey minus the cuteness of the species. Talons grew from its paws and six-inch porcupine-like spikes grew from the back of its head. Its elongated snout sprouted teeth a rat would envy. By the time its claw-tipped paws landed softly on the ground, its mutation was complete. With the lumbering gait of a monkey, EV1L 2.0 rushed at the unsuspecting humans that had entered one of the rooms.
Buckner set the timer on the first charge and switched it on. The red light, which would flash slowly at five minutes to detonation and increase in speed as the minutes ticked down, lit up. He pulled the protective cover from the strip of industrial pressure sensitive adhesive on the back and pressed it against one of the metal I-beam supports. Satisfied it was stuck fast and operational, he fished another charge from the bag and moved to the support column on the opposite side of the room.
On full alert against the alien menace, Kessler constantly turned as he kept guard, his weapon steady and ready to fire. He glimpsed his commander’s flashlight beam through the walls of glass across the far side of the laboratories. He would be thankful when the charges were set and they could leave. The thought of the alien somewhere close by creeped him out. This was like no combat mission he had been on before. He lowered his weapon when his turn carried him past Buckner and raised it again when the man was clear. His rifle light jerked to the corridor. He thought he had glimpsed movement. He stepped to the glass wall and lowered the angle of the weapon. Caught in the beam, the Black monkey-like atrocity bared its teeth at him. Kessler fired through the glass.
EV1L 2.0 looked at the bright light and snarled at the human that had spotted it. Flinching from the loud retorts reverberating throughout the level, it leapt onto the far wall, narrowly escaping the bullets peppering the floor. It sprung from the wall, crashed through the cracked glass and landed on the human’s chest. It savagely raked claws down the man’s face, shredding flesh until the panicked firing ceased. As he rode the screaming man to the ground, it focused on the human across the room.
Buckner spun at the sound of gunfire and glimpsed a small vicious creature crash through the glass. He dropped the charge he was preparing when Kessler screamed, and snatched the weapon from his shoulder when the creature ripped at his friend’s face. As he brought the rifle to bear on the creature, it leapt from Buckner’s chest and rushed at him. His years of experience counted for nothing against the alien being. Fear gripped him. He frantically pulled the trigger before he had the creature in his sights. Bullets racked gouges in the floor, sending the creature leaping to the side. The creature moved so damn quick it was impossible to hit. He released his finger on the trigger when he lost sight of it. His eyes, weapon and light jerked around the room. His hands trembled. As black as the surrounding darkness, the alien could come at him from any direction. He glimpsed a light moving towards his position through the transparent walls. Colbert was coming to help.
Buckner’s eyes raised to the ceiling. His weapon light quickly followed. Caught in the beam, the creature shrieked and dropped. Bullets passed harmlessly through the gaps that opened in the creature and struck the ceiling. Buckner screamed and grabbed a hand at the creature that landed on his head. His fingers found nothing solid, only a stretchy, glutinous mass that wrapped around his hand. He screamed again when his flesh melted and dropped his weapon when he collapsed to the floor.
In agony from the burning pain dissolving his flesh, the last thing Buckner saw before the Black flowed over his eyes, was the red light of the explosive charge he had dropped. His remaining hand grabbed it and brought it to his chest. Fighting the pain and unconsciousness creeping up fast, he advanced the timer. His screams ended when merciful oblivion claimed him.
Richard halted in the corridor and stared through the glass wall at the dark pulsating shape suspended from the ceiling.
Richard jumped when Colbert touched his shoulder. “Is that a cocoon?”
Recalling the slug monster he had encountered in the bowels of the spaceship, Richard scrutinized the hanging mass as a fearful shiver flowed through him. “We had better hope that’s all it is.” He turned to Colbert. “We should leave.”
“We’ll leave when the charges are set, not before.” He nudged Richard into the laboratory. “We’ll plant the bulk of the explosives in here. It should be close enough to destroy whatever that thing is.”
Colbert followed Richard through. He roamed his flashlight and weapon over the foul wriggling things trapped within rubbery pods on the floor in the adjoining laboratory before concentrating on the bulbous mass in the middle of room. Both men watched a slippery sack slurp from a tube attached to the cocoon. After a few seconds of inactivity, whatever monstrosity was encased within began to move, pressing its ever-changing form against its pliable prison.
Richard took in the many eggs littering the room, all of which seemed about to hatch, and the glass barrier separating them. It seemed far too flimsy to hold back what he pictured would shortly erupt from the alien egg sacs. He looked at Colbert. “Again, we should leave.”
Colbert ignored Richard’s request and slipped his weapon strap over a shoulder. “Hand me three charges.”
Sighing, Richard pulled three explosive charges from the rucksack and handed them to Colbert. “Hurry, as I think some of those eggs are about to hatch.”
“Trust me, I don’t plan on lingering.” Colbert made his way around the room planting the charges. He spun to face the weapon fire erupting from the far side of the laboratories. Bursts of rifle fire strobed Kessler’s silhouetted form and briefly highlighted the creature attacking him.
When Richard heard the gunfire, he knew it signaled the slaughter had begun. He grabbed Colbert’s arm to halt him when the man moved to the exit. The damn fool was going to try and help them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Buckner and Kessler are as good as dead.”
Kessler’s horrified scream cut short reinforced Richard’s conclusion.
Colbert shrugged away Richard’s grip. “Stay here if you want, but I’m going to help my men.”
“What’s the point of going to the trouble of getting me here when you ignore my advice?”
“Maybe I just like seeing you suffer.” Colbert rushed from the room.
Richard had no flashlight. Unless he wanted to wait in the pitch black with the egg laying monstrosity and its soon-to-hatch brood close by, he had no choice other than to run after Colbert.
As they sprinted towards a second burst of gunfire, Richard briefly thought of shooting Colbert in the back, grabbing his weapon equipped with a flashlight and leaving, but he decided it might be beneficial to his health to hold off until he’d first determined the level of the threat they foolishly rushed towards.