The fourth creature flowed from beneath the table onto the worktop and morphed into its previous creature form. Hearing the commotion nearby, it moved to the edge and observed its three brethren opening doors. Its head jerked up on hearing a sound and went to investigate.
The creature nearer the middle of the row of cupboards opened a door, and seeing the door opposite open, it scampered inside in time to see a hairy leg disappear around the end of the workbench. It screeched an alert and gave chase.
The other two raised their heads at the alert and jumped onto the workbench.
Realizing he had been spotted, Boris abandoned stealth and jumped onto the nearest workbench, almost colliding with one of the creatures. He scooped up a rack of test tubes and flung them at the creature. Surprised by the sudden encounter, the creature was slow to react. Unable to avoid the object, it softened its form. The wooden rack and test tubes sunk into its body.
Boris shot a glimpse back at the three creatures rushing him. He leapt high, grabbed a beam and swung from girder to girder towards the exit. When he was almost at the far wall, he dropped, turned in mid-air and landed sure-footedly on the last workbench. He spat the lighter from his mouth, and as soon as it was in his hand, he struck it to flame. He hooted at the creatures defiantly as he flung the lighter towards the far end of the room and then spun and bounded out the door.
As the creature pulled the objects from its body, the other three watched the flaming missile pass over their heads. Having no idea what it was, only that it didn’t seem edible, they continued after their prey.
A loud whoosh signaled the coming together of flame and gas and turned the heads of the four creatures who were powerless to dodge the huge fireball that swept through the room and devoured them. The explosion that followed vaporized their burning forms and ended their high-pitched shrieks.
Boris glanced back at the flames shooting from the doorway he had just passed through and continued his dash along the corridor. Screeches from within the rooms he passed alerted him to more of the creatures nearby. He needed to find a way out or at the very least a safe place to hide. He knew if he could find his human friend, he would keep him safe.
CHAPTER 25
Self-Destruct
With flashlights lighting their way, the team arrived at the exit elevator. While Sullivan and Ramirez protected the corridor, Dalton took position by the elevator with Richard keeping the door open for their escape.
Lit by Colbert’s flashlight, Krisztina inserted one of the strangely shaped keys into the matching hole in the panel and turned. The catch beside it clicked open. She pulled it down, releasing the top edge of the panel and lifted it out. She laid it aside and examined the controls that matched the images in the instruction manual.
After refreshing her memory with a flick through its pages, she turned the four levers positioned around the central panel made up of twelve square buttons, until they all faced in opposite directions. When the buttons glowed green, Krisztina flipped through the instruction manual to the correct page, and glancing from the book to the buttons and back again, she input the self-destruct sequence. Each green-lit button she pressed turned red. After inputting the correct sequence, a larger square button on the right flashed red.
Krisztina hovered a finger over the flashing button and looked at Colbert who had been watching her. “I press button and self-destruct activated.”
Colbert glanced a short distance ahead where Dalton and Richard waited by the exit elevator, holding the doors open. Satisfied they were ready, he turned back to Krisztina. “Do it!”
Krisztina pressed the button. Something behind the panel clunked. The detonate button glowed red briefly and then flashed yellow. The red buttons on the center panel returned to their green status.
“Did it work?” questioned Colbert.
Krisztina cocked an ear for the emergency evacuation warning that remained silent. “Nyet. Something must be wrong. I try again.”
Krisztina pressed the reset button and repeated the process, taking extra care to ensure she followed the instructions perfectly. When she pressed the activation button, the same thing happened. A clunk. Yellow flashing button. Red button lights reverted to green.
“It’s not working,” stated Krisztina, flicking through the manual again.
Colbert glanced at his watch. “Time is running out.”
“Got it!” exclaimed Krisztina. She then let out a disappointed groan and looked at Colbert. “A flashing yellow activation button indicates device is disconnected.”
“Damn!” cursed Colbert. “Can it be fixed?”
After consulting the manual again, Krisztina found the answer. “To get working, bomb must be reconnected manually. It was probably disconnected when they stopped using facility for dangerous and contagious substances.”
“That’s just great,” said Colbert. Nothing about this mission had run smoothly. “How long will that take?”
Krisztina shrugged. “A simple matter of snapping together a couple of connectors. In ordinary circumstances, ten or fifteen minutes; however, that doesn’t allow for lower levels overrun with aliens intent on killing any human they come across.”
“Even ten or fifteen minutes would be cutting it fine. Your comrades will be arriving shortly, and the charges we’ve set will go off in…” Colbert glanced at his watch, “…thirty-eight minutes.”
“Is any chance your explosions will set off nuclear device?” enquired Krisztina.
Colbert shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that, unfortunately.”
“Then someone must go below to reconnect bomb, because if not, those aliens will escape. I know we are long way from civilization, but we’ve seen what those things are capable of. They could change into alien flying creatures and reach nearest town in hours. Then is only hop, skip and a jump across Russia. If they keep on multiplying, they have whole world to expand and conquer. We can’t let that happen, and the only time they can be stopped is here and now, by us.”
“Great speech, and I agree with everything you say, but it’s an impossible and suicidal mission with those creatures down there. We should leave. I will inform my superiors of the danger, and maybe they will nuke the site. I’m certain the President will do the right thing when he is informed of the threat.”
“Maybe isn’t good enough. I don’t trust my own government to do right thing, so I not about to trust yours.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“I’ll do it. If I can reach emergency escape ladder down to level 4, I should be fine as creatures seem to have moved up a level. I’ll connect bomb, and if I don’t return by time your charges are due to go off, you set self-destruct and leave.”
“You don’t even know if you’ll make it past the upper levels to reach the escape ladder.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but I’m willing to try. I think there is a second emergency escape ladder I can use to reach Level 3 and then make my way to Level 4 via the ladder I climbed before, but I must go check blueprint in control room.”
“No need, I have it with me.” Colbert pulled out the tablet, brought up the blueprint and handed it to Krisztina.
After scrolling across the map, she tapped a dotted line stretching from above ground to level three. “There it is. In backup generator room.”
Colbert took the tablet and gazed at the screen. “It’s still going to be a risky endeavor.”
“I have no choice. With luck, maybe I succeed.”
“I think you need more than luck to survive what’s waiting for you down there.
Krisztina glanced at Sullivan and Dalton. “I know you and Dalton can’t come with your injuries, but if one or two of your other men want to keep me company…”