[Atrocities]

Part XVIII Demons

Several minutes passed before the assassin regained consciousness. Tom had searched the man for weapons, having found many, he removed them all, but was still keeping his pistol leveled on him as a precaution. The man moved his hand to his head and blinked several times before sitting straight up. The speed at which he did this amazed Tom, he had never seen a man move so quickly, well almost never.
“Who are you?”
The man looked up at Tom and started to stand. Tom kept the pistol leveled on him the entire time.
“Your fast friend, I’ll give you that, but I sincerely doubt that you’re fast enough to evade simultaneous fire from two direction. The man looked at Tom then over at Nina who was holding the pulse rifle like a hardened pro.
“Go ahead vol rectum, try something.” She said coldly.
The man looked back at Tom and nodded ever so slightly.
“We have to leave and leave now. You must order the destruction of this ship before it frees itself from the ice.”
“What is your name and who in the hell do you work for?” Asked Tom firmly.
“We have met before, do you not recall?”
“Listen friend, I don’t know you, and right now I am searching for a reason not to blow your ugly *** away.” Replied Tom.
The man was obviously smart enough to know that Tom was not bluffing. His demeanor changed considerably at this realization.
“In about twenty or so minutes what is in that ship is going to open that hatch and come out after me. Trust me when I say this, they will not be friendly, and they do not take prisoners.”
“Why should I believe you, you still haven’t answered by question.”
“You already know what I am and who I am therefore I can see no reason to waste time discussing it while all of our lives depend upon you doing as I say and destroying that ship before it can free itself.”
“Answer my god damned question or so help me I will kill you.” Tom was serious, more serious than he could ever recall being. Tom knew, as did the assassin that he would kill him if he did not answer his question and soon.
“I am a scientist.”
“Vol ****!” Tom stated flatly as he took a step toward the man bringing his pistol muzzle right up into his face. “Scientist to employ morphing nets and walk around hiding under a cloak. They neither carry explosives nor pulse weapons.”
The man turned his head away, obviously not affected by the threat the pistol possessed.
“Regardless of what you believe, believe one thing, if that ship breaks free of the ice that currently is keeping it captive, every Last man women and child on this planet will die. Of this I assure you.”
“He’s full of vol fodder sir.” Said Harris as he stood up rubbing his head and flashing Nina a quick dirty look and getting a smirk in return.
“Glad to see that you have rejoined us Mr. Harris.” Commented Tom.
“Do you hear that sound, have you not noticed that it has become louder in the Last few moments?” Asked the man honestly.
Tom had to think, he was correct the sound had become louder.
“What about it?” He asked.
“That is the sound of several hundred bad things restoring power to a ship full of many thousands of bad things. And Within the next few minutes, many of those bad things will figure out where I have gone, and will come through that hatch looking for me. And when they do, nothing will hold them back, they will descend upon us in feeding frenzy and leave nothing but bone.”
“What?” Asked Nina in a vicious tone of voice.
“That ship, my dear, is full of a race known as the Huron. A race that came to this planet a long time ago in search of food, in search of us.”
“That’s vol fodder! There is no life outside of Pandora, and we all know that.” Replied Nina coldly.
“If you wish to test that theory, then stay here and await your death. In the few moments that you do live will prove to be the most enlightening of your life.
“Enough with this fodder! How do you know the things in there are hostile?” Snapped Tom rudely.
“Because I accidentally awoke them up while attempting to download there ships computer files. I can only conclude that the ship had a defensive system that detected my presence and brought those thing out of their hibernation. Regardless of how they were awoken, I have spent that Last few hours fighting for my in an attempt to escape.”
“What in the hell were you doing in there in the first place?” Asked Harris.
“Gathering information.”
”For who?”
“I told you that I am a scientist.”
“Say that one more time and I will put a round through your knee and leave you here for whatever those things are in they’re to find. Do you understand me?” The man smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Now tell me who you are an who you work for.”
“As you wish. My name is Orata, and I am a member of the underground science guild an organization filled with enlightened minds dedicated to the discovery of technology by other races.”
“That is Pathor fodder, you’re an assassin! Sir with all do respect, I recommend that you just shoot him.” Commented Harris.
“Quiet Harris.” Ordered Tom sharply.
“Ah guys I don’t think we can waste any more time on talk, whatever those things are that are in there, look like there about ready to come out here.” Nina was referring to the hatch. It had been opened about quarter meter and several claw like hands were visible at the base of the door attempting to lift it.
“Whatever they are, they aren’t human!” Nina commented as she backed away toward the collapsed entrance to the Chamber.
“And they look hungry.” Harris added as he reached for his pulse rifle and Nina handed it to him.
“As I have already stated. Now I would suggest in the strongest terms possible that we retreat and seal off this chamber before they manage to get that hatch all the way open.” Commented Trax flatly.
“In case you haven’t noticed Farta, the way out is blocked.” Commented Harris in less than a friendly tone.
Orata looked over at him, somewhat offended by his insult, but not showing it, then glanced over toward the entrance. He quickly looked back at Tom, and Tom didn’t not see what he expected to see, as the man did not appear in the least bit concerned about what he saw. In fact, he smiled at Tom and Tom knew instantly that it was this man who had caused the collapse.
“You’re the one who sealed us in here.” Tom said angrily as he lowered his pistol slightly and took the man by the arm. “Harris cover that door, if anything comes through it,” Tom looked back briefly, “kill it.”
“Our COMs are still down.” Commented Nina.
Tom flashed Orata a dirty look. “Are you responsible for that as well?”
Orata looked over at Nina and said. “Try them now.”
Tom then directed Orata’s attention toward the equipment that was set out on the floor of the chamber. “This is your stuff, is there anything there that we can use to our advantage?”
In the background Nina began using her COM.
“No response,” she said, “just static.”
“Keep trying.” Replied Tom.
“Nina Smith to any one who can read me.” This time a respond was almost instantaneous.
“By God we thought we had lost you. We are almost through the ice, give us another ten minutes.” Replied Ron Lindley excitedly. Tom lowered the pistol and raised his COM.
“Ron, step on it, we have a bad situation brewing in here and may not be around in ten minutes.”
“What’s the problem General?” Asked Captain O’Connor.
“Captain, I am ordering you to start pulling your people out.”
“Pull my people out General?”
“Affirmative. I am giving you a direct order to pull your people out and advise Global Command that this site is to be destroyed. This ship can not be allowed to free itself from the ice.”
“General are you issuing a Trident Alert?”
“Affirmative Captain, full scale Trident Alert. We have less than twenty four hours to obliterate this thing before it frees itself.”
“Understood.” Replied O’Connor. He knew that when a Trident Alert was issued it meant business. Without question he issued the order to clear the site, and relayed the command to Andover Base. Within the hour this site would be completely evacuated. Within twenty hours a Tsunami class Destroyer would launch a fusion missile and wipe this ship and all evidence of its existence from the face of Pandora forever.

Tom, who had never taken his eyes off of Orata, had noticed that he was looking at several small black semi flat objects sitting in a pile to one side of a empty Depleted Uranium Pulse Pistol.
“What are those?” He asked.
“Explosives.” Replied Orata simply.
“Show us how to use them”
“As you wish.”
“Nina take Harris’s rifle and watch that door. Harris get over here.”
Nina and Harris did as they were told as the hatch on the ship slide open another inch.
Orata explained the how to operate the explosives in short order. Tom handed Harris his pistol and picked up a few of the explosive devices and planted them near the hatch. One of the arms kept reaching out at him as he deployed the charges. Tom was close enough to see into the crack as the door continued to inch open centimeter by centimeter. What Tom saw was enough to cause any sane man to challenge the sanity of his own mind. They were alien; of that there was no doubt. From what Tom could see, they were short light bluish purple creatures with deep red eyes. Tom did not need to be a mind reader to know that these things were not friendly at all. He finished planting the Last charge and stepped back. He kept a couple in his pocket to be on the safe side. Tom walked backwards keeping the hatch in view.
“Why did you collapse the entrance?” Asked Harris as he stood there guarding Orata.
“In case I failed to escape, they would have been contained.”
“Contained only until their ship was free.” Commented Tom as he stepped up next to Orata holding a small device in his hand.
“This activates the explosives, and the detonates them?” He asked holding the device up for Orata to see.
“Yes, only the ones that have been assigned to the controls will detonate as you activate them. You do realize that if you do detonate them, we will all be crushed by the ice”
Tom had programmed the device according to Orata’s instructions, assigning each explosive to a remote trip switch that he alone held. He could blow them all, or one at a time. Tom even programmed the two devices in his pocket to the controller.
“And yes that does include you.” Tom said with a smirk. “That little trick you did where you came through that hatch, well I found the power source and well,” he pauses slightly, “see for your self.”
Orata seemed to look away for a second, at some point just past where Tom was standing. He did not smile at what he saw, only ever so slightly frowned.
“Very clever of you General.” Orata Commented. “My environmental suite has just enough reserve energy to keep me warm for a few more hours.”
“Hopefully long enough to get you back to Andover Base.”
“Tom!” Yelled Nina as she opened fire with the Pulse Rifle. Here target was the first of the creatures to squeeze past the hatch. It did not survive the experience as the depleted uranium pellets “Shells” pummeled its body into paste. Many of the shells penetrated the darkness behind the hatch and vicious screams let out, loud enough to shatter glass and evil enough to convert even the staunchest atheist to the religion.
“General? General what is going on?” Asked Ron almost yelling over the COM in concern. “We hear weapons fire?”
“Ron just get us the hell out of hear.” Replied Tom.
Just then the hatch on the alien ship seemed to melt into the wall as literally dozens of barbaric looking little alien creatures, humanoid in form, but as un-human as insidiously possible aggressively fought their way past one another through the hatch. Nina opened fire once again reducing many of them, if not all of the first ones, to dead heaps who were promptly pulled back in through the hatch as more attempted to get.
“Keep firing!” Yelled Harris as he kept the pistol aimed at Orata who seem not to care at all.
Nina continued to fire at the little demons, yes, that is what they looked like, those little demons she had seen in old religious books. They were depicted as the evil servants of those who angered God into cleansing the universe of all life say for that which lived on Pandora. How then could these things be alive? How could God have missed them? Nina maintained her fire but the little monsters were gaining ground as more and more of them tried to come through the hatch.
“Ron tell me you almost through?” Yelled Tom into his COM to be heard over Nina’s firing. There was an uncomfortable long pause before Ron replied.
“General we have just been ordered to evacuate.” Replied Ron in what was a sincere ton of regret. Tom looked at the COM as his anger began to mount.
“Come again?”
“General Christopher I have been ordered by Global Command to evacuate all of my men immediately.” Captain O’Connor said over the COM. “I am sorry sir, but you and the people with your are on your own.”
“O’Connor!” Yelled Tom into the COM with all of his anger. “You will disregard that order and continue to dig us the hell out of here!”
“I am sorry sir, I have been relieved of my command and ordered back to Andover. This site is now considered Omega.” Tom looked up at the ceiling as Nina continued to fire. He slowly turned toward the hatchway and looked around. Nina had decimated what appeared to be nearly fifty of those things, one could not be sure as they were being pulled back inside as they fell.
“I am sorry sir. God be with you.” Said O’Connor right before the COM went dead.
“What’s wrong sir?” Asked Harris.
Tom did not respond, he dropped the COM and just stood there. In all of his life, he had never felt as hopeless as he was feeling now. The realization that they were all doomed somehow didn’t seem real to him.
“An Omega site is the military’s way of saying those left behind are left in the hands of God.” He said just loud enough for Harris to hear. Harris looked lost; his expression was one of a man who seemed not yet ready to die, but one who would welcome death as an escape. Tom could not imagine why a man would ever welcome death say for one thing. Tom could not help but think of his wife and daughter as he looked back on his life.
Tom knew there fiats had been sealed; someone had made the call to condemn them all to death. Tom stepped forward away from Orata and Harris, and pressed the triggering button on the explosive control device for the first set of explosive planted near the hatch. Everything went white as the little explosive exploded simultaneously releasing their combined horrific power. The force of the bLast knocking everyone to the ground and caused tons of ice to come crashing down in front and around them.

[ May 26, 2003, 14:03: Message edited by: Atrocities ]