“I’m going to have to use the flashlight,” Krisztina called softly after finding the NVGs light inadequate to pick out a single tile with four odd shaped keyholes in each corner from amongst the wreckage.
Richard gave her a thumbs-up signal and kept his NVGs pointed away from the bright light that invaded the edges of his limited vision. He cringed fearfully when the broken glass being swept aside shattered silence.
Aware the access panel she sought was in the middle of the hall, Krisztina used a foot to scrape away glass shards and other bits of wreckage from the area where she thought it should be. Bending over, she searched the cleared space with the flashlight and spotted the tile with four cross-shaped keyholes with a hexagon hole set in the center of each. She slipped the key from a pocket, crouched and inserted it into the first keyhole and turned until it clicked. She quickly repeated the process three more times. The final turn of the key in the fourth hole raised the tile. Krisztina slid her fingers beneath and hefted the large tile aside.
Krisztina’s gaze roamed over the impressive but ominous shiny chrome device. It was surprisingly symmetrical, and if one ignored its deadly purpose, it almost beautiful in its design. Two shiny, chrome, elongated bulbous tanks at each end were stenciled with the universal three-pronged nuclear symbol. A smaller golden globe in the middle was attached to the outer tanks by arm-thick tubes. Cables circling the circumference of both end tanks led to the central globe. A control panel was positioned on the left side, and on the right was a raised indicator panel with various gauges, connecters and unlit colored lights that would, when powered up, show the operational state of the device.
The disconnected end of a red cable the width of a garden hose led from the control panel and hung beside the indicator panel on the left and another identical cable leading from the indicator panel to the center globe was draped over the device. It was a simple matter of reconnecting the two cables to bring the device back to operational status.
Krisztina picked up the end of the nearest cable and glanced at the nine protruding prongs set in two circular patterns that matched the holes in the female connector attached to the bomb’s central golden globe. A protrusion on the outer edge ensured it could only be connected correctly. She nervously lined up the connector, inserted the prongs into their holes and pushed until it clicked into place. As she screwed down the outer sleeve that ensured it wouldn’t come loose, her head jerked to the elevator when something metallic clattered noisily down the shaft.
Richard spun his fearful gaze and weapon at the sound and focused on the dark opening. When nothing appeared, he cautiously moved closer to investigate.
The first of the creatures from the last three eggs to be laid, struggled from its slimy pod and formed into a creature plucked from its memory. It gazed around at the empty sacs before focusing on the two pods its brethren clawed their way out of. As they changed to mimic its own chosen form, its head darted around and stared towards the sound coming from nearby. Unsure if its kind had made the noise or it was something to be wary of or hunted, it shrieked softly at its two marginally younger siblings, and with them following, skulked from the room.
*****
Richard halted by the elevator door. Crouching slightly, he peered through the jagged hole. Stepping nearer for a better view, his vision picked out the metal debris at the bottom of the shaft. Sticking his head partway into the hole, he gazed up at the light spilling into the shaft from Level 3 and the bottom of the elevator stuck higher up on Level 2. The distant shrieks that floated down from the higher levels, though unnerving, seemed too far away to pose them any immediate threat. His gaze around the shaft’s four sides revealed only electric cables and a maintenance ladder fixed to the wall; the shaft appeared to be free of monsters. He pulled his head back through the hole when a shadow interrupted the light on level 3.
Richard crossed to Krisztina. “How much longer?”
Krisztina picked up the last cable. “Ten seconds and I’m done.”
Richard pressed the radio’s talk button. “Ramirez, I just noticed movement on Level 3 near the elevator, and we’re about to head back up. You seeing anything?”
In the security office, Ramirez scanned the level three monitors and focused on the elevator corridor. “Nothing on the screens but suggest you proceed with caution.”
“That’s a given,” replied Richard. “Leaving radio open so you can lead us through.”
Ramirez turned his attention to Level 2 and the evil creatures moving through the rooms and corridors and then switched to the Level 1 screens. A group of small aliens had discovered the food stores in the kitchen and searched through them for anything edible. One moved to the large fridge, sniffed at the edge of the door and shrieked, the sound made dumb by the facility’s cameras lacking sound capability. The four other creatures in the kitchen dropped the food packets and tins and excitedly crossed to the fridge. After detecting the scents of meat seeping from the old ill-fitting seal, they started shaking the fridge. Their frantic attacks sent the appliance toppling to the floor. The door flopped open when it crashed to the ground and rolled, squashing a creature and spilling out food items, bottles of milk, other dairy products and hunks of pork and other meats.
Equal parts horrified and fascinated, Ramirez watched them spread their melting bodies over the raw chickens, pork and slices of cold beef. The splattered creature seeped out from beneath the door as a greasy puddle, reformed and joined its brethren in devouring the cold meats.
Distracted by movement on the next monitor, Ramirez turned his gaze to the screen and froze at the sight of the figure walking through the corridor. It looked like a woman, but it wasn’t. When he turned the camera and zoomed in on the Black figure, it directed its eyes to the camera. Shocked by the human creature’s malicious stare that seemed to peer into his soul, Ramirez shot back in his seat. Certain that somehow it knew he was nearby and would come for him, he grabbed his rifle and was about to head for the door and flee before it found him when an alarm and a female Russian voice blaring from intercom speakers halted him.
Krisztina plugged the second cable into its socket and was pleased to see the control and indicator panels light up. Richard raised the NVGs from his eyes and gazed at the deadly machine. “It’s powered up. Let’s go.”
Krisztina climbed to her feet. “Better let Colbert know so someone can activate the self-destruct as soon as we’re up top.”
Before Richard had a chance to contact Colbert, a Russian female voice and an insistent repeating alarm erupted over the internal intercom speakers. Assuming Colbert no longer needed to be informed, he looked to Krisztina for confirmation; the dread on her face spoke volumes.
“The self-destruct has initialized,” stated Krisztina. “Fifteen minutes before it detonates.”
Though he had a few questions about how that was possible, Richard voiced the most important. “Can you stop it?”
She shook her head. “Not from here, only at a control point. There’s one on this level, but I don’t have the proper panel key to access controls. I left it with Colbert.”
Richard gazed around frantically. “There must be one around here with the instructions the scientists would have had to refer to in order to initiate it if needed.”
“I’m sure there is, but”—she waved a hand at the destruction—“do you want to waste what little time we have searching for it?”