Aaen glared down the sidearms iron sights as a massive multi-colored spark showered over Odyssey and spread over the surrounding floor. The docking bay filled with a blood-curdling scream—a sound that took nearly ten seconds to fade into a dull echo. Aaen gradually relaxed his right arm as he lowered the sidearm. Now who just made it angry? He wondered, skeptically.
A THUD echoed through the docking bay. There was near-complete silence for what Aaen estimated was roughly ten seconds.
"Did you hit it?" the Engineer demanded.
"Sounded like it." Jason quipped. "How could you even see it, Aaen?"
Aaen gasped hard before determinedly replying, "—Gut feeling." Aaen silently acknowledged what at least seemed like a victory—for now—but couldn't help but wonder if he had just inflicted a flesh wound. . .or if the crew was really done with the intruder. His gut feeling suggested the latter, but he couldn't identify the proof. Somehow—he figured the crew would find out soon enough. Optimism? Aaen asked himself. He turned his head, slowly stood up, and then looked right, then left. "Is everyone alright?"
Communications, Sensors, Operations, and the Engineer all nodded at him and responded affirmatively.
"I'm good." the First Officer said, leaning against some metal crates.
The Captain looked at Aaen. "Did you kill it, Aaen?"
"I dunno, sir. I wasn't aiming to kill it." I was just trying to buy us enough time to get past that door. I might've killed it. I doubt it, though. I'd rather not stick around to find out, in case I didn't. You know what they say about wounded animals."
"You think it's an animal?" Operations quipped sharply.
"I have no idea what it is. All we know, so far, is that it's incredibly strong, moves almost like lightning, and it's ugly—" he swallowed. "hideous, even." And resistant to sidearm fire. He started having doubts as to the lasting effects of his action.
The crew ducked sharply at a distant metallic clashing sound. A thundering rumble filled the cargo bay.
"—What was that?" Operations whispered loudly, dreadfully.
"Sounds like some more crates got knocked over." Aaen quipped.
"It's too dark! I can't see all the way over there!" Sensors said fearfully.
"What could've caused that to happen?" the Captain asked sharply.
Aaen looked to his left at the Captain, skeptically, for several seconds, and then faced forward. "Captain! We need to get that door open. Fast." he sharply suggested.
"Right. Engineer! Open the doors! Hurry!
Another series of thundering rumbles echoed through the docking bay—this time from the right, towards the bottom of Odyssey's cargo bay ramp. Aaen's doubts doubled. He consciously renewed his grip on his sidearm, gradually raising it over his crate cover, and in front of him, resting his thumb on the red firing button. Yeah, I think I just ticked it off. He silently reasoned. He could feel his heart rate climbing steadily, gradually. What's it trying to do? Distract us? Disorient us? Or. . . "Engineer! What's the word on those doors?" Aaen asked, whispering loudly.
"Hold on! I'm working on it!" the subtle sound of beeping buttons and the sharp clicking of panel locks disengaging over circuitry filled the air for a few seconds.
"Did you feel that breeze?" said Sensors.
"Don't worry. It was just the atmospheric regulation system kicking on." said the First Officer. Yeah. Right. Aaen thought, doubtfully. He sensed danger was near. His heart rate was still increasing—he could feel his pulse in his neck.
"No. It's getting stronger. That can't be the atmosph—" Aaen said.
"THERE!" said Jason. "I felt that, too!"
"What's going on, people?" the Captain asked.
Aaen sensed he and the First Officer were in silent agreement: It's not dead.
"Captain! We need to get that door open—STAT!" the First Officer whispered loudly over his right shoulder.
"Engineer—how much longer?" the Captain asked quietly.
"I'm almost done bypassing the door's locks. Whoever was on this station last made took steps to try to keep anyone from getting beyond this point."
"Makes sense." said the First Officer.
"Woah!" Aaen snapped. "Did you see that?" he pointed in front of him and to his right.
"No," the First Officer said. "What?"
"I can just barely see something moving about a hundred meters towards the ramp!" Jason said.
"Is it the intruder?" the Captain whispered loudly.
BANG—
"Door. Open! NOW!" Aaen whispered loudly.
Operations recoiled sharply, in terror, screaming. "Something just tapped me on the shoulder!"
"Almost. . .GOT IT. . ." said the Engineer. A series of subtle metallic clicking sounds filled the thinning air. Aaen recognized the sounds as the door's locks retracting. "GOT IT!" the Engineer whispered.
"The doors aren't opening!" said the Captain.
"Aaen!" the Captain whispered.
Aaen tossed his sidearm to the First Officer as he rushed to the left side of the doorway.
"We've gotta pull these doors open." said the Captain.
"Something fell over there!" Operations said.
"If this thing can see in the dark, we're in serious trouble," Aaen commented, inching his fingers between the twin doors.
"Pull!" the Captain said.
Another series of clashing, clanging and banging sounds echoed through the cargo bay. "Captain!" the First officer said alarmed.
"What's it doing?" Jason asked, puzzled.
"Let's not stick around to find out," Aaen said, pulling on the left-hand side of the door, throwing his weight behind him. He could feel his blood pressure spiking, his jugular veins pressing against his skin, his head seemingly slowly blowing up light a balloon. He gritted his teeth.
"Something's COMING!" the First Officer yelled.
"I can hear footsteps!" Jason said. "Big ones!—But I can't tell from where!"
The doors suddenly jerked open by an inch.
—Another inch. The pneumatic valves were struggling to keep the door closed, Aaen reasoned, trying to pull twice as hard. Ten more seconds, and then I'll need to catch my breath, he reasoned.
The doors parted by two inches. Then three more.
. . . Just a little more! Aaen thought, glaring at the narrow crevice forming between the doors.
"C'MON!" he mumbled, darkly, giving one final harsh pull with both arms.
. . .The doors gave way three more inches. He and the Captain lost their grips on their respective sides and collapsed against the wall, then bounced off and fell to the deck, gasping. Aaen's fingers felt numb and started to tingle. His neck and back were already feeling sore and tired.
Aaen tried to yell, but could only muster a loud whisper, "Let's go!"
The Captain struggled to stand up. "Everyone through the door! Hurry! Hurry!" he waved the crew towards the door as he leaned against the wall behind him.
The rest of the crew looked at the Captain, then the door, then quickly moved to follow their order.
Odyssey's forward lights clicked off unexpectedly.
Aaen looked toward the front of the ship. "OH, CRAP!" A sharp, eerie flood of anxiety and dread overwhelmed the atmosphere of panic in the cargo bay—a deep growl filled the darkness.
BANG!—A crate slammed against the far wall, sharply tumbling to the floor.
Aaen regained his bearings. "GO! GO! GO!" he yelled to the rest of the crew.
"HURRY!" Communications screamed. Aaen followed her voice to the door.
"URGH! Something's GOT ME!" Operations screamed to Aaen's right, a small spotlight raced across the deck floor, and then frantically in every direction.
The First Officer took at the intruder and fired his sidearm—hitting the intruder's right shoulder. The intruder lost its grip.
"I'm free!" Operations regained her footing and then scrambled to the door. The First Officer kept firing. Aaen watched as the particle beam seemingly pounded the intruder like a fire hose against a rioter. The beam rippled off the intruder. The beam suddenly stopped; the sidearm burned out.
Aaen shifted his weight to his right shoulder, and then sharply shouldered the intruder. The intruder tumbled to the deck.
"We're in!" the Doctor said. "Aaen! Captain! First Officer! C'mon!"
Aaen watched the Captain squeeze through the crevice.
"Aaen, you're next!" the First Officer yelled, taking aim again and firing at the intruder.
Aaen retreated, inched through the crevice.
"First Officer!" the Captain yelled. The First Officer started rushing to the door, firing behind him.
Aaen watched wide-eyed as the intruder recovered quickly.
—Two feet from the door, the gap closed by two inches.
"Open the door! Hurry! OPEN IT! IT'S RIGHT BEHIND ME!" the First Officer yelled frantically, reaching through the crevice. The Captain and Operations grabbed his arm and started pulling him through.
"We're trying! Operations! PULL!"
"—IT'S GOT MY FOOT!" he starting inching backward. Another growl filled the air.
"I-CAN'T-HOLD—ON!" Operations yelled, grimacing. The First Officer was inching through the gap. Aaen grabbed the First Officer's left forearm and started to pull. The First Officer tumbled through the crevice as both sides of the door hissed back together.
*****
Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
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