Toxic (28 page)

“
¡Están aquí!
” he yelled several times.

Elaine looked towards the sea. She spotted the dark shape moving along at a low altitude, several hundred meters away. A misty foam rose off of the wake of the machine, which was already close. Without waiting, she brought Alva to the ladder.

“This way!”

She helped her down the ladder. Once at the bottom, she hesitated. What direction did she take to join the group?

Masters came hurtling down the passageway, his 45 in his hand.

He flagged down Dew and Alison, who were both sitting in the command chair, fascinated by the sight of the airship in the process of positioning itself vertically against the bow. It resembled a giant beetle with its wings half open on either side of its fleshy abdomen. Its sides gave off a crimson glow, reflections of the last rays of the setting sun.

The marine ran towards the kids and told them to get down on all fours. Together, they started on the way towards the port side entrance where Hector was coming down from the look-out post.

“Get back to the boat! Prepare to set sail without waiting!”

The Colombian brought Dew and the girl with him. The trio went down the stairs. Three floors below, the passageway led directly towards the inner dock.

When he risked putting his head over the guardrail, he saw a cluster of metallic shapes which were falling from the alien ship. As soon as they hit the ground, they were deployed. Some of them slithered around like rats into the hatches and the others divided into two groups.

On the starboard side, he saw Bruce. The biologist was watching the same scene. Separated by a dozen meters, the length of the hallway, they exchanged glances. He pointed inside. Masters nodded.

They met up halfway.

“Where are the women?” the colonel whispered.

“They were on the front deck smoking.”

He grimaced and closed his fist around the butt of his gun.

“We’d better hurry,” Bruce added.

He agreed. Masters led the way. Before going out, the young guy held him back by his sleeve.

“I’ve got an idea,” he announced suddenly.

They went back to the room with the electrical panel. Before it, Bruce straightened up.

“What are you doing?” Masters murmured.

“I know what this row of switches is for.”

“Jesus Christ! You think now’s a good time?”

“We’re going to release the L-Ds. I’ll open the hold doors and let down the ramp. Let’s hope that this will hold them back.”

“Elaine and Alva,” Masters objected, putting his hand on that of the young man.

“They must have tried to get to the back as soon as Hector sounded the alarm. They’re probably already with him.”

In a quick movement, he lowered the handle. They heard a grinding coming from the front. Going back out, they couldn’t overcome their curiosity and their heads peeked over the rail. The arm of the crossbar folded down and rotated to put the ramp in its lower position. A clamor came up from the completely uncovered hold, which was now accessible from the deck.

“Well, things are starting to get nasty now,” Masters said.

Elaine was lost.

The problem, she realized under the light of Alva’s lighter, was that she couldn’t orient herself in this labyrinth of passageways. On the verge of panicking, she forced herself to stop to catch her breath and think. The tight hallways with their ceilings covered in pipes didn’t let her see more than a few meters ahead. The two women heard a series of clicking noises like fast steps on a metallic surface and then a long screeching.

“What’s happening?” Alva asked desperately.

She found herself at some sort of crossroads. Elaine bit her lip and then opted for the path on the right.

“I don’t know. We can’t stay here.”

The singer’s wheezing breath added to her stress. Elaine moved as fast as possible with one hand holding the lighter which she lit and put out at regular intervals. The striker didn’t work properly as her hand slid to hit the gas button. She swore and kept at it desperately. Alva was hanging on to her t-shirt. She felt her pull more and more as if she wanted to slow her down for fear of being left alone. She stopped moving suddenly after finally managing to light the lighter after so many panicked attempts.

The vague light revealed a shredded face only a few meters away. Without light, she wouldn’t have seen it. It was missing a part of its jaw and its cheekbones hung in pieces. Alva let loose a scream of terror. The ceiling lights lit up along the hallway all of a sudden. The creature wasn’t alone. Behind it, a horde of ravaged faces was coming out of nowhere and suddenly got excited.

“Oh my God!”

Elaine turned around and pushed the artist in front of her, telling her to run as fast as possible. The two women got back on their way, terrified and sprinting breathlessly. The infected started moving right away. Their grunts doubled in intensity. Alva panted and tripped but didn’t fall down. Elaine, who almost hit her, encouraged her to keep going. She looked over her shoulder to determine the distance which separated her from her pursuers when she collided with the singer, who had stopped.

“Fuck! Move or they’re going to get us.”

“Look, in front of us!”

The chrome shape with the bulk of a cat, was viewing them with its singular red eye. It took a large jump in their direction and then other lights appeared. Alva screamed once again and hugged Elaine. The diva’s eyes showed such terror that she remained speechless. They were cornered. Elaine recoiled and stuck to the wall. Her jittery legs refused to carry her. She let herself slide to the floor, leaving behind a sweat mark on the wall. Fear was literally seeping out of the pores of her skin.

Everything happened very quickly.

The miniature beasts with their sharp claws ignored them. They rushed towards the infected which they then ripped into pieces as if they were hideous slabs of butter. The decapitated heads rolled in the middle of the putrid entrails which spread over the disemboweled bodies. Torn off limbs and pieces of flesh piled up in a brownish sea that was a combination of blood and an unidentifiable foul mixture. The stench enveloped them like a foul cloud made up of the stench of rotten eggs and meat left in a broken freezer suddenly exposed to fresh air.

Not able to control it, Alva vomited right in front of her.

The ceiling exploded somewhere to the right of them. The tangle of pipes was replaced by a circular opening of molten metal. The red steel dripped like lava. The alien landed softly in the middle of the carnage caused by the mechanical cats. Elaine observed the black angel that had descended from the sky, adorned with chrome and plates of metal. It looked different from the one in the garden. Smaller, she could have said, without really being capable of coherent reasoning. It was a vague impression, which resulted from the superimposition of that scene with the one that had marked her mind.

She creature moved towards her. Disoriented, Alva tried to get back up.

The alien raised an arm. A light emitted from the base of its wrist and hit the artist, whose head shot violently backwards. Elaine yelled and ran towards the woman.

“No! No! No!” she screamed, spreading the strands of her hair.

She got back up and beseeched the creature with her gaze, but it remained indifferent. It was still pointing at her, like a bronze cubist pointing at its prey.

The blue glow sprung out a second time.

Elaine closed her eyes.
These aren’t angels
, she told herself.
Masters is right
.

E
missary Jave advanced to the far end of the T-J’s ramp while it remained in stationary flight. The view plunged down towards the bow of the ship, which had passed on to the control of Naakrit’s troopers. The armored combatants deployed in small groups around the superstructures, though they didn’t surround them. The narrow spaces of human facilities still posed a problem for them, he thought, analyzing the situation. In their place, the drones explored the metal depths which were too narrow to get around in a PAS. Even he had decided to put his away. He still had his vibroblade as well as two thermal detonators attached to the belt of his suit. The recon swarms confirmed the presence of numerous infected. An unlucky encounter was still therefore possible. The creatures, apparently freed from one of the ship’s holds, were moving along the lower levels. Jave adjusted his transparent tactical visor and jumped. He caught himself on the deck after a short fall.

Before him, a trio of massive shadows rose into the air. They disappeared from his view, tumbling towards the shady surface.

“Where are the healthy humans?” he heard through bone conduction.

The Primark’s question wasn’t only addressed to him. Kjet reported on the quick advance of the drones, which were methodically searching through the ship. According to him, they wouldn’t take long to find them, even despite the presence of the horde. Jave kept silent. The emissary contented himself with a spot in the background beside a reptilian charged with his protection. On the Primark’s orders, that is.

The oxidized floor and rust-colored walls emphasized the dilapidated condition of the boat. The fragility of the structures forced them to only use moderate firepower in the event of a fight. The hull ran the risk of not being able to withstand the repeated impacts from the impulsion weapons. Nonetheless, he doubted that they would be forced to take such desperate measures. In reality, Jave hoped that the humans were already far away.

The first visual report came on screen. According to the images transmitted by the mechanical scouts, the large hold open to the ocean was empty. The sailboat used by the group had disappeared. However, capturing them was still one of the objectives of the operation. Naakrit whistled aggressively over the tactical network.

“They didn’t just evaporate like that!”

The aerial drones didn’t indicate the presence of other ships in the surrounding area. According to the plans provided by the tera-servers, the interior basin ran along three quarters of the length of the hull. It could easily hold half a dozen skiffs similar in size to that of the fleeing humans. A message came up suddenly on the chatter com.

“Two units located on the lower level infested with spoiled products,” a mercenary alerted them.

“Go find them.”

The soldier started off promptly. He was brandishing a Trystel saw with a laser blade. Sparks shot off of the deck at the impact point where the tip pointed. The metal was cut with the same ease as a Säzkari operating a sonic scalpel. He drew a rough circle through which he disappeared immediately. White smoke rose up from the gaping hole. Jave wanted to go with him, but his guard stopped him.

“I’m under orders to stop you from going in, your Excellency. The place is teeming with infected inside. It’s too dangerous to go in there without armor.”

Jave followed the orders established shortly before disembarking. He had promised to follow the rules.

“Two females are isolated in the middle of a hallway,” the trooper transmitted from his position on the lower level.

Once again, the response was immediate. “Neutralize them.”

Jave was wondering exactly what was meant by that when a series of projected transparent images captured all of his attention. Moving along, the swarms sent back their discoveries. The majority of sequences showed empty rooms or on the contrary, hallways at times filled with infected. One of them showed the intact sarcophagi. The emissary stopped at the foot of a gangway ladder, his radioles thrown into a panic of excitement. He even kept from breathing, his mind suddenly fixed on these extraordinary images. He hadn’t expected this much! The laboratory was located several floors below his feet, past hallways that he couldn’t get through in a PAS. He had made the right choice. Too bad for orders. He judged himself capable and went there alone.

Without warning, Jave shot towards the oval door so fast that his guard, in armor and taken by surprise, couldn’t get through without tearing out the door. The Lynian stepped across the threshold and went along the hallway. A stairway more narrow than his shoulders led him to the lower floor. The angry whistles of the reptilian reached him.

“Get out of there! The site isn’t yet secure.”

He ignored the volley of warnings. Jave was planning on examining the facilities himself. First impressions were crucial. This was the perfect opportunity to evaluate the humans’ work. He managed to orient himself inside the labyrinth of hallways with the help of a plan projected in front of his eyes. He arrived at his destination very quickly. What was waiting for him on the other side of the half-open hatch?

Leading the group in charge of covering the rear platform, Naakrit had cut a passage into the interior dock. The fact that the ship was still afloat was a feat in itself. The hole, cut right into the middle of the letter H, led to a dock four levels below. The Primark emerged from the cloud of steam. The droplets of fused metal solidified upon falling onto the cold, humid floor. He only paid brief attention to the corpses, some of them in uniform, close to the loading ramp, which plunged into the darkness. In the distance, the rectangle open to the sea with its golden glimmers marked the basin’s exit.